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Getting casual people interested in any hobby is something that requires actual interaction, which you can't do with a bunch of text on the Internet. These OPs are written with the assumption that people are going to read through them because they have already passed that first hurdle for some reason, and want to know more. That's the best you can do with this format.
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Jan 8, 2015 15:15
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I have a burgeoning interest in the hobby and I found this thread on exactly what I'm interested in but I'll be damned if I actually read anything in it. Why would I do that? New to the hobby doesn't mean 4 years old.
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Jan 8, 2015 15:43
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Gimnbo posted:I have a burgeoning interest in the hobby and I found this thread on exactly what I'm interested in but I'll be damned if I actually read anything in it. Why would I do that? Yeah, I approach things totally differently when it comes to casual monopoly against humanity fun-havers vs goony 10,000 hrs of experience in centaurs nerd Outliers. With the former, I usually need to demonstrate that a) board games aren't all as complicated as D&D, M:TG, or grognard games and b) that nerdy games can be fun just like their Cranium or Outburst or whatever. With goony people, it's more about convincing them that a) boardgames aren't all Cards Against Humanity or Mafia or whatever and b) that it's worth investing time learning new games instead of just defaulting to Magic or whatever ~lifestyle game~ they have been playing for the last 5+ years. The casual people, I'm going to go with TTR and Dominion. The goons, I'm going to go with Dominion and Space Alert.
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Jan 8, 2015 15:56
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My go-to list for new people to modern board gaming: Settlers of Catan Sushi Go! Mascarade Tok Tok Woodman Love Letter Machi Koro Then you shove in Agricola. 
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Jan 8, 2015 16:10
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Azran posted:Alright, good recommendations so far. The people I play with looooove games where you compete against each other and try to be the most amazing dick. That aside, how's Ladies & Gentlemen/The Resistance? Those picked my interest. Ladies & Gentlemen is good, and the 2v2v2... aspect is something it does that few other games do. That said, you really want an even number of players, you really want at least 6 players. It's pretty light, and I probably wouldn't play it twice in one night. Keep in mind that playing the Gentlemen side is much esaier and has way less rules than the lady side when choosing teams.
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Jan 8, 2015 16:12
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really twilight struggle should be the american game 
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Jan 8, 2015 16:17
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Coup. It's simple to learn and you will feel emotions while playing, unlike TTR.
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Jan 8, 2015 16:17
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Lichtenstein posted:Coup. It's simple to learn and you will feel emotions while playing, unlike TTR. Coup only works if everyone is at the same skill level. If you know how to play "properly" and you're teaching new people, the game is just awful.
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Jan 8, 2015 16:19
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7 Wonders REQUIRES an entire 12"x12" reference sheet that new players will be checking constantly (and occasional players will be checking occasionally). That's kinda bullshit when you are hyping a game as ~entry level~. I can play the game just fine. You can play the game just fine. Watching newbies pass around the ref sheet half a dozen times to check symbols in the first age SUCKS DONKEY BALLS. If you want an ~entry level~ game, then all truly pertinent information should probably be conveyed by the board/cards/whatever the player already has in front of them.
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Jan 8, 2015 16:26
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Lichtenstein posted:Coup. It's simple to learn and you will feel emotions while playing, unlike TTR. In my experience, a lot of new players have a hard time figuring out when to lie (or when to challenge for that matter), and will not lie nearly enough to enjoy coup the first couple of games.
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Jan 8, 2015 16:36
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It is absolutely required that when you teach Coup you drill your group "Lie early. Lie often." as a hard rule of the game. Like, it's more important than "There is no second place."
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Jan 8, 2015 16:43
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I guess I must live in a hive of scum and villainy, then. Apart from one dud where people literally couldn't comprehend the cards ( ) it always clicked after the first teaching round. The only slightly confusing thing I always point out is the subtleties of challenging versus Assasin.
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Jan 8, 2015 16:48
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Especially with newer players, I would highly recommend Diplomacy over Game of Thrones. Game of Thrones is almost exactly Diplomacy with a lot more moving parts, some balance issues, and a Fantasy Flight Games manual. Diplomacy is a pretty simple game that anyone should be able to pick up and the lack of mechanical cruft makes it even more cutthroat. Coup and Avalon are mechanically, easy to teach, and good games where your choices matter. However, I've played with people who aren't into board games and hated the lying aspect. Some people will take to those games like ducks to water, but I think there's a certain subset of non-gamers who just want to move trains on a board. It's not really an either-or situation, TTR and Coupvalon are both good beginner games and I think you should own both. BSG is not a buy recommendation for someone who is not into board games at all, it is a recommendation for someone who wants to get into games. It is a good recommendation. Yeah, there are a lot of interlocking systems, but the core of your turn is just maybe move and then take an action. You can teach anyone that.
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Jan 8, 2015 16:54
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I cannot recommend Avalon for people anymore. Buy Resistance and work your way up. After you're familiar with the concepts, get Hidden Agenda (which adds all the good Avalon stuff). Then, Hostile Intent (which adds all the Resistance3 stuff). While calling people Evil instead of just Spies is therapeutic, you'll find it much smoother for your group to transition if you simply don't have characters for your first several games.
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Jan 8, 2015 16:58
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Coup is, as far as money-to-playtime goes, my single best purchase ever. Everyone I know with only one notable exception (she doesn't like that much hidden information, prefers hard as gently caress euros) absolutely adores the game, and I can teach it to casual people whose only exposure to board games is Catan or even poker very quickly. Haven't played BSG, don't care for the theme. I've heard good thing about Archipelago as a combination euro/traitor board game that basically does everything people wanted out of Dead of Winter but while being good.
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Jan 8, 2015 17:01
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Even people who hate Coup will play Coup.
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Jan 8, 2015 17:09
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Broken Loose posted:I cannot recommend Avalon for people anymore. Its not like there not gonna back port it now anyway give it a few months and there'll be another kick-starter for people to get discoloured cards months later than stores.
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Jan 8, 2015 17:14
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Schizoguy posted:Even people who hate Coup will play Coup. I won't. I'll watch, though.
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Jan 8, 2015 17:18
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Broken Loose posted:I cannot recommend Avalon for people anymore. Or just ignore the character powers for your first games. Merlin becomes a blue guy with a beard. EDIT:I haven't played Resistance 3.0, so maybe it's the definitive version of the game, but if you want the simplest version of the game, they are exactly the same. EDIT EDIT: R3sistanc3. Fat Samurai fucked around with this message at 17:23 on Jan 8, 2015 |
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Jan 8, 2015 17:20
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I absolutely cannot stand Resistance, at least not with my group. Too much AP trying to find the "optimal" team or vote or whatever, and it's just super amplified because it's not just one person but between a whole bunch of people. I love to play Coup because everybody can do their own thing and I don't get bogged down in other people's AP.
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Jan 8, 2015 17:30
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I wish the American version of Coup looked like the foreign editions. Our version screams hobby shop while the other versions look a bit more neutral while still being cool and I think that helps approachability. That's something that hasn't been brought up much in this conversation: components and theme. New gamers seem much more preoccupied with components and theme than more veteran gamers. I still end up playing 7 Wonders with new people just because they can't resist the presentation. Ticket to Ride works pretty good for people who have played traditional board games and might not be ready to leap out of their comfort zone. For Warhams, something more thematic like Space Alert/CiTW/BSG might get them playing with the box. For M:TG vets, especially people who have stopped playing, something like Dominion that has the warm comfort of sleeved cards will get them interested, especially for couples where one partner plays more Magic than the other; getting something that's like M:TG but their spouse plays too is a pretty big hook. As an aside, this feels like strategizing on how to get someone hooked on drugs! I bet Stringer Bell would be good at getting people to play board games.
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Jan 8, 2015 17:30
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Um a full game of Diplomacy lasts all loving day. Plus it has player elimination. Plus it'll leave life long scars if not playing with the exactly right new players. Not a good choice.. I like Ticket to Ride for multiple players and Lost Cities for two. Both use easy to explain concepts. I've said this before, but any game you are going to play with new people needs to be able to be explained within 5-8 minutes. More and you'll probably lose them.
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Jan 8, 2015 17:31
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I got my parents to dip their toe into modern board-gaming with Avalon and TTR: Europe. Pandemic and Catan have got them hooked, almost every night after dinner my mum or dad will request to play a game. We've played a lot of Pandemic and Catan recently so I might get them to try something else soon. Splendor most likely, I am sure they would like 7 Wonders but that would be a long first game.
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Jan 8, 2015 17:38
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Somberbrero posted:Especially with newer players, I would highly recommend Diplomacy over Game of Thrones. Game of Thrones is almost exactly Diplomacy with a lot more moving parts, some balance issues, and a Fantasy Flight Games manual. Diplomacy is a pretty simple game that anyone should be able to pick up and the lack of mechanical cruft makes it even more cutthroat. I would probably warn people away from both of those games Diplomacy and GoT if they're new - the ability for experienced players in those games to screw over newer players is pretty prevalent in both, and can lead to a lot of hurt feelings. Full disclosure - Diplomacy was probably the second 'real' board game I played after Settlers of Catan and my bad experience was almost enough to make me call it quits. Granted I was a little more of a shitlord back then (hyper-competitive + too trusting = extreme butthurt when the inevitable backstab is executed) but it's still not a great game for people new to the hobby. In terms of card games, I know Dominion is often bandied about but I would actually submit Temporum instead as a decent beginner's game. A fellow goon's fiancee taught it to me in literally five minutes last night and I went on to win both games that I played. One of those games I won by becoming what I called 'Cat Pope' (scored the Pope Hat card in Age of Cats and paid the extra costs to score it twice for the ability to move my crowns 16 places - which won me the game very handily). I think the rules are plenty simple enough and just remembering to keep your eyes on the obvious win condition instead of being distracted by creating an engine is enough for new players to do reasonably well. LuiCypher fucked around with this message at 17:43 on Jan 8, 2015 |
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Jan 8, 2015 17:39
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Well yeah, Diplomacy is mean and player elimination sucks. I was just saying that I would recommend it over Game of Thrones.
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Jan 8, 2015 17:46
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Somberbrero posted:Well yeah, Diplomacy is mean and player elimination sucks. I was just saying that I would recommend it over Game of Thrones. Diplomacy is a game I want to play, but I am carefully cultivating the list of people I will play it with. Because even though I want to play the game that ends friendships, I don't want it to actually end any friendships.
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Jan 8, 2015 17:49
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Also I think you have to differentiate between new player who is interested in learning how to play boardgames and people/family who are looking for something to do. 7 Wonders is a good choice for the former, but the latter will be a lot happier with TTR.
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Jan 8, 2015 17:53
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The first game I played was Lords of Waterdeep. It took maybe one round to understand exactly what I was doing and why. I think it's a good entry level.
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Jan 8, 2015 17:55
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Lots of really cool discussion going on - I should also mention I'm Argentinian. I want to get a game I'll get plenty of replayability from, since I'm paying $100 just from tax + shipping no matter what I buy. I was tempted to get Ticket to Ride, but I'm concerned that the train + USA theme will bore people to tears.
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Jan 8, 2015 18:07
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Azran posted:Alright, good recommendations so far. The people I play with looooove games where you compete against each other and try to be the most amazing dick. That aside, how's Ladies & Gentlemen/The Resistance? Those picked my interest. Since it's been brought up how important the people you play with are, do you plan to play more with friends or family? How nerdy are your friends? You could start a lot deeper if your regular group are a bunch of Firaxis fans, for example.
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Jan 8, 2015 18:19
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Gimnbo posted:I won't (play Coup). People are walking in, and you want something short. What do you play? You have 5 people. What do you play? You have 9 or 10 people, but don't want to split into two groups, and don't feel like playing Werewolf or Telestrations or whatnot. What do you play? You have 15 minutes on your hands. What do you play? It's the end of the night, and you don't feel like thinking very hard, but you also don't want to go home yet. What do you play? Multiple people in your group enjoy Coup, want to play Coup, and are asking to play Coup, and what the hell, it's short. What do you play?
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Jan 8, 2015 18:22
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Somberbrero posted:Especially with newer players, I would highly recommend Diplomacy over Game of Thrones. Game of Thrones is almost exactly Diplomacy with a lot more moving parts, some balance issues, and a Fantasy Flight Games manual. Diplomacy is a pretty simple game that anyone should be able to pick up and the lack of mechanical cruft makes it even more cutthroat.
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Jan 8, 2015 18:22
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Azran posted:I was tempted to get Ticket to Ride, but I'm concerned that the train + USA theme will bore people to tears. You could get TtR: Europe, or another setting.
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Jan 8, 2015 18:23
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Schizoguy posted:People are walking in, and you want something short. What do you play? They play Coup. I chill. Everyone wins.
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Jan 8, 2015 18:24
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I would recommend Kemet before making newer gamers jump into either Game of Thrones or Diplomacy. Personally, Game of Thrones is better overall because 1) it's dripping with theme and 2) the game will end if someone is really good at it or after 10 rounds. Both suffer from rules, rules, rules, so I think it's the stronger of the two options.
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Jan 8, 2015 18:28
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Huh, looks like Roll for the Galaxy is out. Has anyone here tried it and can compare it to normal RaceFTG?
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Jan 8, 2015 18:32
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ChiTownEddie posted:Huh, looks like Roll for the Galaxy is out. Has anyone here tried it and can compare it to normal RaceFTG? I'll let you know next week when mine arrives. Looking forward to it, I usually enjoy Tom Lehmann games.
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Jan 8, 2015 18:38
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PerniciousKnid posted:You could get TtR: Europe, or another setting. Yes, TTR: Europe is the most newbie friendly game in the series anyway. It's just slightly more complicated than regular TTR, but its hard to cut someone off from completing their routes. So new players are less likely to get frustrated.
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Jan 8, 2015 18:41
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How good is Z-man about replacing parts? I got a friend pandemic for christmas, and they got an automated message about the replacement parts on the 27th (No red cubes were included in the box at all). And nothing since then.
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Jan 8, 2015 18:47
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Capsaicin posted:The first game I played was Lords of Waterdeep. It took maybe one round to understand exactly what I was doing and why. I think it's a good entry level. I got into the hobby fairly recently through the normal Catan->TTR->Resistance -> hey modern board games are kinda neat, let me try out some others! - type route, but I've introduced a few non-board gamers to Lords of Waterdeep and it does seem to go over well. Easy to grasp fairly quickly, and in my experience, most people tend to either genuinely enjoy the D&D/fantasy theme OR they find it entertainingly goofy. My fiance` and I play it semi-regularly with two of her non-board gamer friends and they insisted on instituting a house rule that whenever you turn in a quest or play an intrigue card, you must read the flavor text in a serious and dramatic tone. They find it hilarious.
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Jan 8, 2015 18:54
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