Welcome to Meeple to Meeple uniting players around the
world, a 30 minute exploration of TJ and Gareth's four-game
experiences from across both sides of the Atlantic.
Each episode, they share their thoughts and opinions on the
World of War games, including their favorite themes, games,
hot topics, and much, much more. Hey gang and welcome to Episode
79 Board Game Teaching Tips. How do you like to teach a board
game? I, as always I am PJ and.
I am Gareth. And Gareth's ready to tell me
how he likes to teach. I love teaching games.
You do. You really do.
Nice things. I just like to read a good rule
book. That might be just I'm
reasonably sad, but I'll read a rule book for fun and my wife
looks to me that I am sick in the head by.
Reading a rule. Book just for fun.
If I'm honest, I can't stay in rulebooks.
I they're important, but I don't like them.
I'm not. Not a fan?
Is that a thing? Is that a concentration thing?
Or because we we all learn differently, Different.
Some people learn it's true. And reading and you know, Yep,
tactile learning. For me, I have.
I've started to geek out over player aides.
Oh, that's another episode, isn't?
It it is, yeah. I, I, I would prefer that you
spend more time on a good player aid, but you need the rulebook.
So you know, and that's what we're here to talk about, right.
So do you want to tell everyone why we're talking about this
this week? I can't remember because last
week we talked about something and I've now cleared in my mind
you should be explained to everybody because I.
OK, I've. Forgotten.
Well, I I was giving you an opportunity to shine, right?
Because I love rule books, isn't it?
It's all about me. It is.
It's all about you. So when I was when I was an
undergrad and took a theatre class, they always taught us to
make your partner look seen, make sure your your partner
looks good. And so I was trying to make you
look good. But.
It it, it felt it felt flat. It's OK.
So you and I were talking about something else, A topic that I
will not mention now so that we can reveal it in the future.
You shared with me a Facebook post.
About yes. About teaching it, the subject
came up. I'm pulling it up right now.
It was on board game UK trading and Chat, which is Facebook, the
UK team. Yep.
And someone someone posted 4 bullet points describing the
teaching experience, I suppose, right?
It's like so. And now I'm quoting.
Here's how people usually seem to teach board games #1.
Someone spends 5 to 30 agonizing minutes explaining how a game
works. I'm sure all of our listeners
can identify with that one #2. No one at the table understands
anything. You just explained #3, the game
starts and #4, and I think this is what was the impetus for the
conversation. As each game mechanic arises,
people start asking, hold on, how does this work?
You can skip back to step three. And that was kind of the, that
was the post on Facebook that was like, let's, well, let's
talk about teaching. Let's talk about how people
teach. How does Gareth teach?
How does Katie and I teach? How do we like to be taught
games? And just in general, what people
think about if you're going to be taught a game, what is your
go to teaching method right? Yeah, and I'm going to start
with last night. So we had my father and
mother-in-law over yesterday who aren't gamers, but they wanted
to play games. And then you're going man,
right? OK, non gamers, look at my games
collection and go not really designed for family games and
non gamers. And I'm racking my brains
thinking, OK, I've got to start with something relatively simple
and I I just start crossing things and I think, oh, that's
that's got a few complicated mechanics, but we end up playing
four games. 04 games look at you I.
Know and we started with Tiger and Dragon then Carcass Zone
then Cascadia and then stomp the plank which mostly a tile
placement of some regard whether it's the the bike domino tiles
in Tiger and Dragon. But the whole way through was
you've got to think about the audience and I think that's the
same whatever game I have. What experience has that gaming
group got or person has got? What have they played before?
What might help me explain the rules?
Because it might be, Oh yeah, I remember this in Terraforming
Mars. Well, here's my iconography that
is similar to to that kind of game.
So I usually try to gauge my game group.
There's no point bringing the Lacerda out if all we've ever
played is no wingspan or something, you know, medium
weight. Yeah.
So last night was a good test. So when I was teaching games
last night, I was thinking about this episode and the whole way
through, thinking about the rule book, thinking about how you
explain and most of those games. I don't need the rule book, for
I can teach them without the rule book because they're
relatively simple. But it is, it is the language.
And I know we're going to do an episode on board game slang,
maybe that's what you call it. But I think my first bit without
teaching any ball game is know the audience and know their
experience. Right.
Maybe even the theme. A little bit of theme, I know.
Like there's no point teaching Carrie many space games unless.
Sure. I can oversell it on the theme
or the objectives. How about how about you and
Katie? Similar or different?
I mean, I I think you're right, you know, know your audience.
That's absolutely. I can't, I can't disagree with
anything you just said, although some people might want me to
disagree with you. I can't.
I I think it's valid. So we were talking about this
episode. So we're thinking about it this
morning. Next week, a week from today.
The recording, not the airing, of this episode, is my birthday,
and as a result, Katie got me a game from Titan.
I got Moonrakers. I showed you a picture of it.
Yeah. Yeah, it's it's and it's the
Titan edition. So it's like they're
Kickstarter. It's the it's like Kickstarter
exclusive with all the metal coins and the full 3 dimensional
spaceships and the insert and the trays and everything.
It's beautiful. So we're learning to play the
game this morning, to play it and what did we do?
What's common with a lot of people right is rather than read
a rule book, watch a video right, what we actually did was
we watched Becca Scott from Geek and Sundry.
She had like a little 18 minute kind of quick overview.
The reason we chose that versus like the official Ivy Studios
video, that which was longer and things of that nature is we were
going to set up the insert right 'cause it was really difficult
like where do things go, you know, they have their own place,
but after watching her video. So that is a way of teaching a
game is watching a video. But she taught us the components
and a a high level how the game plays and we were ready to go.
So then we open up the box, we put everything we opened all the
cards and everything, the stickers for the labels on the
inserts. It's a beautiful insert that the
game comes with and then put everything in its place and we
played the base game and had an A great experience, right?
But that's because the two of us are together, so we're able to
do that, right? That's not how we would teach a
game to either a group of non gamers or our gaming group.
If we're introducing a new game, or if we're taking a game to a
convention where there's where you'll be real soon, UK Games
Expo, you might you might teach a group of gamers a game.
This is not how we would do it, but it's how we chose to do it
for this one experience. And I knew that we were going to
eventually talk about all the different because that's the
whole thing is all right. So you don't like a rule book?
You go to a video. Well, who do you go to, right?
Yeah, and I got this. Yeah, I mean I've I've just
learnt an age contrived which arrived this week.
Yeah, Rubik's pretty good. Claire 8's pretty good.
OK, but it is it is got some not medium weight moving parts and I
wasn't sure. So they had a video on their
website themselves which was pretty good, very concise.
But there are certain accounts on YouTube that I will not just
not watch who other people love, but I just don't like the style
and the way that it's presented. So back in Scott, I'll I will
often watch. So I think it is, and some rule
books are an absolute disaster, and sometimes that ends up being
on the shelf of opportunity or shrink.
Board game backlog. Board game backlog because the
rule book is just is so bad that it's just not worth the effort
of trying to learn it. And often some games haven't
even got a video that works either, but usually I prefer the
rule book. Maybe that's because I'm I just
like the detail, but if it's a bit of a struggle or I'm not
sure, I'll I'll always go and watch a video just in case, like
I did this evening. Yep.
On your game. One of the things that sets, and
this is not exclusive to Becca Scott and Geek and Sundry, but
that sets her apart from others is it's all about the technology
you have, right? So she's typically standing up
at the table, talking to the camera, addressing the viewer,
and while she's describing a card, she has the technology to
project the image of the card on the screen.
And then when she talks about the components, it'll highlight
the components of the card as she's talking, right?
So whenever we're in person teaching, Katie likes to read
the rule book. She's very detail oriented.
Now, one of the things that one of the reasons why she and I
work so well together is that I'm a very big picture guy
theme. Let's get it together.
Let's get the right people at the table.
Let's do this. Let's sell the dream, yes.
And and she's. Reality and.
She makes it a it. It's true.
It's so true. So she has to read the rule
book, and she likes to do that. Now you come to our house, we're
going to teach a game. Katie's going to teach it to you
because she's absorbed the rule books when she's talking about,
oh, you're going to get a contract card.
I will grab a contract card out-of-the-box and place it in
front of you because we're technology deprived.
And I will point with. Your finger.
I will point to whatever she's talking about, right?
So we work really well together in that regard.
Or maybe we don't. You'd have to have her on and
see what she thinks. But yeah, so we like to do that.
And I would do that with you. If you were teaching a game and
I was with you, I would immediately, I would pull
out-of-the-box and point and whatnot, because some people are
visual learners, some are auditory, some are detail.
They. Yeah.
So yeah, I mean, teaching is just as hard as learning a game.
Yeah, I think technique would be read the rule book, set the game
up, read the rule book by setting up the game on the
table. I've usually got the basic
foundations of the components right, and I usually it's
assumed the rule book is a good rule book.
Kind of. I've nailed through the the
learning of it. I usually play 2 or maybe 3
rounds to go through the the key actions and see whether I can
explain it right. And then once that's done, I'll
reset it and hopefully somebody wants to play it with me.
Or as sometimes happens, I make all that effort and then that
one's available. I pack it back in a box and if
it stays in the shelf another six months, it was all for
waste. But I had a good time learning
the game on my own. So I think, yeah, so we've got
the right group, the right game for that group.
And then before teaching that game, ideally I have, I've been
through that rule book and set up and rounds.
I think that the worst thing, and Carrie doesn't like this, is
if I read from the rule book or if some games I've played and I
have to, I think I remember the rules.
And so I set it up and then I guess I've referenced the rule
book just to remind myself that I guess the rule book is there
as a reference. It's not supposed to be a
script. Right.
So I do find myself sometimes I read reading it out loud and I'm
like, man, that's that's pretty terrible.
And of course if I ever do get stuck, it should be quicker
sometimes to just Google and get yourself on board Game Geek.
Because other people have asked if I'm asking the question I
expect another person is asked the question and even ask the
ball Game Geek. It's given the concise.
So, so Katie and I were talking about, all right, So what would
we say to the person who posted on Facebook?
It's like, well, here's the reality, right?
OK, step one, somebody has to know the rules.
If you're going to play a game, then #2 you you start off by
explaining the wind conditions, OK?
Yeah, your objectives. Yeah.
And then and then #3, you'll explain the mechanics of the
game, #4 the iconography, which you know if you have a really
good player, a this is, this is helpful.
And then five is the explanation of the mechanics, as it were.
And then here's the question. Katie and I will often do this.
Do you do a dry run? You know you're going to teach a
game at UK games Expo. Are you going to play it or you
just going to read the rules, absorb it and go?
Do you try to? Do you try to play it at home
beforehand? If anything, if I've got to
teach anything or somebody wants to teach, the worst thing is
saying I can play it and then turning up and having to read
the read the rule book with them.
So even if I if I haven't played it for a while, I get the rule.
I will get the rule book out and refresh, which people, people
won't know. But I'll always refresh because,
yeah, I mean, sometimes I sit at UKGE and I if I do buy new
games, it's quite rare that I'll get them to the table.
Because the last thing I want to do is sit with a group of four
other players or three other players and learn the rules.
And I see people get some beasts of games out and they're all
sitting there, all new players to the game thinking, man,
that's that's a lot of time investment but have one to
themselves. But I will, yeah, I'll generally
try to have learnt the rules. Or at least again watch the
video of something that someone's saying, can you, can
you teach me? See, I think I've got same as
you. I've got set up the objectives,
the actions, kind of the phasing, any player unique
stuff, the hardest games to teach to about players unique is
is asymmetric games. But everyone is different.
Yeah, that one's, that one's always a bit more complex.
Yeah, you're like, OK, I've got to teach the game mechanics and
you're all doing different stuff.
So if you just want to go and read your phone for a minute and
come back to me. Speaking of, let me ask you this
question. So what do you do with we see
this all the time. You get a group together, you're
going to teach a game. So you're you're looking through
the rule book or you're explaining the game, you're
ready to explain it to everybody.
And people are on their phones, and gamers do this right across
the board, not singling any one individual out by any means.
And they're not. They're not listening to you.
Or, as I found, people are watching videos as I teach.
She knows who she is. She's listening.
Because they learn in a certain style.
So they're also we're all trying to learn the game as we go
sometimes. Yeah, I if I'm teaching it
one-on-one let's say Carrie and Carrie is can't distracted by
Instagram or something. It's I find it exhausting
because I've just spent however long trying to teach the rules
and then and then someone goes, well what was this?
Well, I just said that 30 seconds ago.
Yeah so teaching is is pretty intense now.
I joke about this, but I I do think it happens a lot.
Generally if I teach, I lose. And that's not because I'm
saying I'm, I'm a bad player. But if I have to teach, I'm
generally making sure that everyone on the table is having
a good time. So I'm.
I'm watching everyone's moves, yes.
And when I get to V, I'm like, OK, you haven't done, I don't
know. I'm just going to do this.
Then I'm still checking the rules.
I'm checking the rule book to make sure we have it.
Particularly, it's a new game that we're playing through for
the first time. I find it's more, I'm more
focused on making sure the game is played well and not.
I'm sure there's a rule GAT it doesn't matter so much but that
everyone's had a good time. But generally first game I lose
very very common. So let's say you Age of
Contrived is a good example because that's a new a new
acquisition for you. Let's say you're going to get
your Southampton group over to the house to play.
Yeah. Do you?
Would you? And if you do, how often do you
recommend to George and Diz and the whole group to watch a video
before they show up at the house?
A lot. Yeah.
Particularly if it's a if it's a complex game and the video is
good enough. Yeah, I think we, we all say
please watch this video. Or sometimes like if it's like
Twilight Apyrium because you play it once a year, right?
It's usually right, guys watch the normal video and everyone
skips through it. But yeah, in most of my gaming
groups, if we've got a new gaming table, I will try to get
everyone to watch it. Because it also means if we
didn't, we do the teach, somebody goes, I don't know,
that's that bit and we usually pick up somebody's concentrated
enough to pick up the raw gaps as we go.
No, I think that's. I think that's a good
recommendation. If it's a good video, everyone
should try watch it before coming over.
That does help. So amongst the all the videos
out there to teach a game, who's your favorite?
Do you have a favorite? We talked about Becca, Spot,
Scott, of course, but do you have a favorite?
I'm just going to go, it's the same.
I think it's the same guy who did the video for Asia.
Contrived has also done the recent feudal but you've put me
on the spot so I'm self searching for it.
Well, I didn't mean to. I figured if he was, if he or
she were your favorite, you'd like Oh yeah.
I can't. I don't do names.
I don't. I can't remember the names of
actors or I think I'll turn my volume down before I press play
because nobody wants to hear this on.
I think this is the video. Yeah.
So the one, the one person who is definitely piquing my
interests and is on Fudum if you fudum's on Kickstarter coming up
just a little dropper plug, then is Knights Around a Table.
Nights around the table. So, Ryan Creighton.
Ryan Creighton. His teachers are excellent.
OK. Like Top Notch, all the bits of
visual you just talked about. Yep, I think he did Feld.
That's where I'd I'd not heard him about him before, but he did
the Feld video. He's on a feuding video, and
he's also on a video for an age contrived.
It's very enjoyable. Knights around a table.
Go check it out. I mean, I'll, I mean I'll, I'll
watch a Rodney video. I mean, Rodney is probably the
most trusting, trustworthy name in the business, I think when it
comes to teaching and watch. A Rodney Video.
I mean, that's kind of Katie and I, if we're not going to read
the rule book, which of course we're going to, she's going to,
because I can't do it. I mean, I will if I've got to.
Does Rodney have a video? Yeah, and normally because he's
linked to Board Game Geek, they're bumped at the top.
They're even easier. Finds another one for heavier
games. I think it's game in a nutshell.
Came in a nutshell. Yeah, I know them.
Can't remember what nationality, but usually those things.
I think I've watched one recently for horses, horseless
carriage, the spotter games. Yep.
So quite good at teaching them more complex Paul Grogan gaming
rules. OK.
Often works with the Serda. Yeah, the heavier games, they're
probably ones that I would would jump out at me.
There's always others, but yeah, Rodney, if you want to straight,
straight, you know what you're going to get.
Yeah, absolutely. So how about what are?
Here's the next question. It's like you're being
interviewed today. What are or have been some
challenging, challenging situations, challenging
behaviours that you've had to experience while trying to teach
a game? And how, yeah, and how have you
handled it? How did you over?
How did you overcome that situation?
I can't actually think of any, I guess.
I guess there's been times where people challenge me on the
rules. Yeah.
And. And I think I've said one rule.
I've read it out and gone. Yeah, that's right.
And then I've read it for 10 minutes later and gone.
No, no, no, I've definitely got it wrong.
So you get, you get the odd person who sort of gets
frustrated. But it's just a game, right?
And sure, sometimes if we get the rule halfway through, we'll
decide whether we'll reset or just go is what it is, maybe
finish the rounds with the rule that we had in place and then we
fix it so everyone's had the equal opportunity.
Yeah, so we might, we might do that.
I mean, I've had bad experiences being taught where now I've had
to get my phone out and go. There's a there's a classic game
that our gaming group talks about where one of my friends
who may or may not be listening to the show.
Sure is. Would admit he's not the
greatest teacher of ball games, but had a habit of teaching us
games. Taught me Carcassonne so badly
that I removed it from existence in my gaming collection.
In fact, we're saying. This last night.
And then we played it and I was like, oh, this isn't the game
experience I remember. And then there's another game
when we we it was a new game, Kickstarter.
We'd been taught the game. I was like, I guess as a gamer
you do roughly know how games are going to play based on the
mechanics. And you know, I'm like this.
There's something not right in this game.
It doesn't seem to work either. It's a terrible, terrible game
or missing something. And I just said that passing a
rule book. And I said I was like, OK, OK, I
don't know what game we're playing, but the game is not
like the game in his rule book. It's just completely bad teach.
Which then I read the rule book and I then you know I guess
salvage a game into be better it was.
But that game, scarred bit like Carcass saying was so bad.
A bad teacher can really give a bad impression on the game.
Absolutely. Oh, yes, there are.
There are. At least.
What are their two games? There's two games that I'll
just. I will never play.
Like I refuse to play these these two games.
I will never play them. And I the The teach was so
terrible, I I can't if they hit the table.
I won't play Tiny Towns. Tiny towns.
It's like Caucasus, right? How can you get that wrong?
Yeah, it was a it was a horrible, horrible teach,
horrible teach. And I'm like, you know, I look
at that game and I'm like, I want to play that.
No, I don't. But the one game that I
absolutely will never play. Like I will walk out of the
house if I see it on your board. If I see it on your shelf, I
want to set it on fire. The game, not your shelf.
And that's Food Chain Magnate. Why?
I hate that game so much. That game P That game though,
has got it has. The game itself is unforgiving,
so if you're a new teach. And you haven't told.
People about the advantage of the first couple of rounds.
And so. Again, that's that's a good
game. If you explain to people that
the game is unforgiving, it's punishing, punishing.
You know, but OK, so OK now that was that is not saying, hey,
this game is punishing or this game is unforgiving.
That's not a good teach. No, no.
You have to. You have.
To And there lies and there lies the rub, you know.
I realized it was taught poorly. I've got I have another friend
of mine who's like, no, you should give it another chance
because it was taught poorly. But you you do need.
I think one of the things there is, is do you?
It's hard because my emotions just run deep for that game and
I'm like, no. That game, that game, sometimes
you play a game and it's it is a learning game and we still score
it, but I'll put a note in the scoring app that it was a
teaching game. There are some games like Fuji
Magnet, but I would teach and play two or three rounds and
then say let's restart the game. So you've got a Leaf.
People have got to. Have it?
Yep. That's not a bad idea.
I could. Now that's a game.
That got that unforgiving just so people have got the idea.
Because if because it's within. Is it three turns?
I can't quite remember this one, but.
It is. Really quick.
If you haven't prepared to grab those cards when everyone else
grabs the cards, Yep. Yeah, you you're on the back
foot. I.
Mean, I'm still not sold, but yeah, I hear you.
I hear you. Yeah.
You can see and hear. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
So here's one What do you do when you encounter a a gamer or
a player at the table who just doesn't?
Who's like, can we just play the game?
As in, they want to, they want to get on with it.
Yes. Well, I think, I think there are
some teaches where it's just better not to do the teach.
So like like you say, you might do the theme and you might set
out the yeah, I think theme's important and the object is
roughly what you do. And then depending on maybe how
the round mechanic is, I wouldn't teach.
Sometimes I don't even tell people how to score until round
two or three, so I'll wait for the scoring so that we've all
got ahead around the mechanics and then bring the scoring in.
It's a really fine balance of you don't want to over
complicate the teach and teach them everything.
But I think you have to say that let me teach you the basic moves
and then we'll crack on and I'll teach other mechanics.
The age of contrived. The rule book actually has a
whole page on teaching. So it has these are the things
that you should explain. Some groups like to get straight
into it. So if you're going to do that
then teach these three things and then it's got basically when
you get to this point teach this.
This is actually it's actually quite it's a really really good
rule book and a good player rate.
OK. But I've not seen many rule
books that do that in terms of actually out laying outlying how
maybe to structure the teach depending on the gaming.
Interesting. Interesting.
Yeah, have a look. Yeah, it also has the most
technical player boards I've ever seen and it took me an hour
and a half to build them out of metal.
And they are the they are the most unnecessary metal player
boards. I mean, they're so funky.
But so. You do not need them, but that's
another episode. So our our friend Brandy,
boarding school with Brandy. She picked up a copy and she did
a video where she was putting it together and it's like it fits
back in the Did it fit back in the box?
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah.
It's really good into really good.
I mean the components are another at the level it's it's
up downstairs, which I'm not sure I'm going to get a teaching
tonight, but what what's your have you got a favorite game to
teach or a favorite type of game to teach?
Like I I mean, the one game that I can teach blindfolded now is
obsession. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Just because we've gotten that right.
Like if I have to look at the rule book, I've done something
horribly wrong, you know? I got to when we played it at
Cajun Con. I grabbed the rule book because
I find one of my favorite things in that rule book is the pie
chart with the stats of how you get victory points.
Sure. So I grabs like my favorite bits
is that you're 23% of the points come from whatever.
Yeah. But I think that really that
really helps explain people. Where do you focus your energy?
That's that is a good point, I mean.
It's it's it's one of the bits. I really think it really helps
explain obsession. Sure.
Now managed to bring onto the episode, so good work PJ.
Hey, thanks. In terms of the teacher, because
people say that rule book is one of the worst he gets, it's loads
of grief. Because it's.
I mean, it's he's got a lot of information packed into that
rule book. I mean it's it's.
Not I find it OK, but other people say it's terrible and I'm
like, actually I. Mean.
It's not the quest, but it's not.
Depends whether you've got maybe a lot.
It's I find it quite logical and I think in a very logical way.
So it is it is very it is very logical and sometimes things are
scattered in the in that the what's it called?
The glossary or sort of the glossary.
Yeah. The glossary it's not the
second. There's a second book, isn't
there with. It's a glossary or a iconography
and things of that nature. So my favorite thing to do is
let Katie read the rule book. I usually go watch a video and
then the way I like to teach, I like, I like Katie to do all the
the the the technical teaching. And I like to be her little, you
know, her mouse where I'm pointing to the thing, you know.
We need a little torch that when you point, you shine a little
spotlight. On I do need a laser pointer or
something. Yes, I do need.
We do need one of those because I think we teach well together.
I don't know if she thinks that because sometimes I think that
she thinks I'm being silly when I'm actually trying to help,
which is, which is fair. But yeah, what?
So what about you? Do you have a favorite game that
you like to teach? It's 3 so games that jump out,
games we've played a lot, so like through Lockdown, even
online I took Viticulture with Tuscany to tons of players just
because AI know it back the back of my hand.
And B, it's a really nice intro into worker placement as long as
as long as I still believe you've got to play the Tuscany
or the the essential bits. Another game I always enjoy
teaching is like Raiders of the North Sea.
So just medium weight games that you can just sit people down and
get them playing. Yeah, what I do enjoy is
teaching people games and not actually playing.
So we so just getting people set up and then go right, OK, you
guys are good and then go and teach another group of players
another game. So I'm I find.
That I find that massively rewarding.
Yep, I'm going to tell you. I'm going to tell you a story
about a friend of mine here in Springfield.
He he's going to dread this because he hates it because he's
like, every once in a while he's like, is he talking about me?
No. And I'm usually, but I'm usually
not, but I am right now. So I have a friend of mine who
we had a group played Captain Sonar, right.
And so that's that's eight players, right?
Which is asymmetric. As well, it is asymmetric
because in in the roles you play.
So he taught eight people how to play the game and taught them
each, their role, their individual roles and how it
interacts. And then he didn't play and he
was just thrilled. He was over the roof.
Just, yeah. And I get that.
I do get that feeling. I like I when I say I get it, I
mean, I understand it. I am not that way with board
games, but I am that way with other things, right?
So yeah, I totally get that you want to teach.
And yeah, so, so yeah, I totally understand what you're saying.
I get that. I totally get it.
I prefer not to teach. I like to help Katie.
I don't like to. I don't like to teach board
games. I don't know.
I feel like there's too much on the line, right?
I don't know. Oh, yeah.
Yeah. So I don't quite like that
little bit of pressure. I guess it's all part of, I
guess because we host quite a bit.
Sure, it's part of part of being the host.
It's when people come over, they want to play games and they
suggest games that I really like, and then I'm like, oh, I
can't remember the rules. Oh man, that means I'm going to
have to read the rule book. Right.
Oh. And then I kind of go it's a bit
of a complex one and then we take it down the track.
So, so we now try to make sure that if we're going to select
games that we these games that either we hit the table people
know to play or somebody in the group knows to play, right?
We I'm trying to think so. Like Age of Atlantis was a game
we picked up. I had picked it up in Nashville
and I really wanted to play it with our gaming group.
Now Katie and I played it at two players to see how it felt.
And then we had our friends come over.
I said, hey guys, watch this video, right?
So sometimes, especially with a heavier game, right, like a
Lacerta or something that that that that heavyweight.
If I've got some friends coming over, I want you to watch a
video so that it will alleviate the pressure of teaching, so we
can dive into the game, right. So I mean, I do recommend using
videos as a supplement. You know, not that we're not
going to teach you the game, but if you can come in with some
context, because context is key. It's a good context is key.
Context is key. What?
Because how about Ball Game Geek player aids.
So there's certain games, which I think there's a lot of,
there's a lot of detail. The player aid, it might even be
OK, but you're like, man, I could do a turn order.
There's some games that don't even come with eternal, like a
little, yeah, little crib sheet. So again, again, mini.
There's got flow charts. Yep, Hegemony is beautiful.
But the flow charts really work. Harrow County.
Somebody's made beautiful one page summaries for all the rules
for each family, which I printed out straight away just thought
man like it. It replaces a rule book and it
just brings it. It brings it all to a concise
one feature. So there's two games that come
to mind where there's no player. The player aid is built on the
map on the player mat. Yeah, OK.
So obsession. Obsession.
The turn order. To Dan's credit, the turn order
is printed on the House mat, right?
So if you have any questions about what do I do, the turn
order is there for your summary. The other one is heat pedal to
the metal. So the first two actions where
you take your cards, you set, you set what gear you're going
to be in and then you play that number of cards face down,
that's simultaneous. And then you take turns right in
pole position and it's like, OK, so you play your cards and you
move and then there's are you in last place?
Yes or no. Do a thing, cool down, right?
And you go through all the steps check your going around the turn
which we discovered is that Craig's wife Becky can't take
turns and and I. Prayed for me.
I can't. I can't remember.
All I know is he taught us. He taught Katie and I heat while
we were at his house. We we have a copy of the base
game and the Heavy Rain expansion.
I had to play it four times to beat Katie because she's such a
good racer. But that's a fun game, and I
like everything's on your mat. It's on the mat.
Yeah, it'll. When your player when your
player met is also your player aid.
That is amazing. Does.
That's an amazing supplemental teach design and I'd like to see
more board games implement that. The only game where I've made my
own player aid is Obsession. It's true, you sent me a copy.
It was really helpful. Did I?
I should. Have I should have published it
on Board Game Geek? It was just.
It's just it's just the tokens you set up for player and the
number of the rooms and the pictures on it.
The. Heritage Oh.
My God, we. Both forgotten, but you know.
What I mean monuments. Monuments of Brainy Complete and
on the other side is the just the the different points you get
for whichever level you upgrade to.
Reputation, yeah. Reputation, yeah, I think.
I think it'd be quite satisfied. Yeah, so.
I thought I'd follow up last week's episode of What?
What does the AI suggest? Yes.
What does the AI suggest? So the.
AI suggested if I asked it a a question around structuring a
ball game. Teach it said do an
introduction. I'm going to do the headings.
Understand your audience. Oh it's done well there.
Prepare so that's familiar self with the rules of components,
organising opponents neatly and ensure you have that's so you
get your little storage trays. It's done.
Set the stage so theme objective mechanics which we covered.
Oh, this is step by step rules explanation.
Breakdown the rules into chunks. Use clear and concise language,
avoiding jargon and complex terminology.
Episode coming soon for that one.
Hands on learning practice round or demonstration to reinforce
understanding guy players through their first few rounds.
Allow players to experiment and make mistakes.
I I definitely let that happen. Oh yeah, we didn't even talk
about that. That's you've got to.
Yeah, you kind of let them do it.
But then I do try to point people we're playing, We're
playing Cascadia. Last night I had taught all of
the cards to the scoring cards and I was doing my kind of kind
of doing my own thing. I looked up and was like, oh,
OK, no one's going to score any points on these two boards.
That is my mother and father-in-law.
They had, I think the birds were to be separate and all the birds
in a row. So they got the rules.
They got the rules right, but for the wrong animals.
For the wrong animals, yeah. So they have.
This I just got the, I got the, I got the folded space colour
insert for Cascadia and I posted I posted a few pictures today on
Instagram. I'll have a look at that.
They're really nice. I love their colour line is
great, but yeah, Cascading is a good game.
Handle learning, then strategic tips, strategic tips and then
reference materials. So.
Like player, like player. Aids and recommend online
resources or tutorials for furthering.
And then the final Oh no nice. Where there's 11 tips, we're at
number #9. Engagement interaction.
OK, foster a positive and inclusive atmosphere.
Yeah. Emphasise the importance of
sportsmanship and respectful gameplay.
There's there's a topic cheats at ball games.
I've got a friend I know somebody you always got to
watch. How did you get those 3 gold.
Not part of my gaming group at the moment though so don't
worry. Anyone listening then
conclusion. It sounds a bit formal, but
there that's. So yeah, I guess that's that's
quite an interesting summary of what we just covered.
And that's going to be a new feature of our of our show I.
Think it's really? We're going to end with what
does AI suggest? What's AI suggest this week and
see where it goes? It wasn't so good at suggesting
a title this week. Wasn't.
It so we've we've stuck with our own.
OK, well that was awesome. Thank you.
So this was good conversation. Thanks.
Yeah. So what's what's next week going
to be? So next week which we normally
don't do this but I think we're going to piggyback off of this
is we're going to talk about like gaming gamer's jargon.
The the the question is how do you talk to non gamers about our
hobby is kind of the that's some interesting.
Games through to when you So we had a We had a Carrie went out
with her friend on Friday night. Her friend came back to get a
lift home. They had a few drinks and she
wandered into the games room and said.
What is this? What is it?
Yeah, what is this? And then I had to explain it,
thinking how she she, she asked me, I'll save the questions for
next week. But it did it.
It's a bit like teaching ball games.
You have to stop and think about your response, right?
Because you could really, yeah, you could disengage when
actually what you want them to do is come round and play games.
So make sure everybody listening Yeah y'all tell us.
Tell us some of your favorite stories about how do you, how do
you like to teach a game? How do you like to learn a game.
But also if you want to get on Instagram at Maple to Maple,
send us Adm and give us some of your approaches.
How do you talk to people about our hobby and or?
Or your favorite acronyms. Or your favorite acronyms, and
we'll share them on air. So OK.
Yeah, right. Thanks, PJ.
Thanks everyone for listening. Thanks everyone for listening.
Please subscribe and as always, we'd love to hear your thoughts
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