How to explain a game
Michel Condoroussis
Canada
Montreal-Nord
Quebec
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So after three years of gaming, it is official: I am the one who explains all the games in my group. Now this may sound like a task to some, but as it turns out, I have a gift (ok and an ego it appears!) and I love to explain games. But the truth is, explaining a game is not as easy as it sounds, especially for some of the more complicated Euros. I never thought I would be a good teacher and I am definitely not patient, but as they say, if you love what you teach, it comes naturally. So here is my guide on “How to explain a game.” After three years, I think I got it down. Although I don’t actually think about most of these things, I just noticed that I do them a lot. If you plan on explaining a game for the first time or your friends tell you that your no good, feel free to use my guide, but as with many things, you either have it or you don't
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Michel Condoroussis
Canada
Montreal-Nord
Quebec
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Read Instructions Twice
For some game (For Sale for one), the rules are so simple, one read through is enough, but for most, you should often read them over twice. I know that this may seem crazy for a game like Axis and Allies, which I agree, but for many Euros, to get all those exceptions down, one read through is never enough.
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Michel Condoroussis
Canada
Montreal-Nord
Quebec
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Open Box (look at pieces)
I find that game instructions have a problem with consistency and with names given to the pieces. A prime example is Reef Encounter, which gives similar names to two very different pieces in the game. And many games often change the word used to refer to a certain piece halfway through the instructions. I like it when all the pieces are listed at the beginning with pictures. So I find it best to open the box, maybe not set it up, although I have had to do this a few times (Taj Mahal), but at least be able to know what they are talking about. This also makes the read through much easier.
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Michel Condoroussis
Canada
Montreal-Nord
Quebec
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Know your fellow gamers
I have some gamers that I play with who have played so many games that they tend to just want to play. So I leave things out with them, since a full blown explanation will just drive their patience. While on the other hand, I have some friends that like to know all the rules before they start to play (I am one of those people). So you need to know who you’re playing with. If you have never played with a group before, then give the full blown explanation and you’ll soon find out which player type they are.
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4.
Board Game: Moods
[Average Rating:6.01 Overall Rank:3328]
Michel Condoroussis
Canada
Montreal-Nord
Quebec
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Mood
It is always a good idea to set the mood or scenario for each game. Like that little blurb you see at the beginning of each instruction booklet. It gives everyone an idea of what is going on and what they are trying to do. For example, in Thurn and Taxis: “In the year 1940, Franz von Taxis was given the rights to deliver the mail in Brussels and now, in the 17th century, the carriage has been introduced and it is your job to emulate the achievements of this family and build a successful postal network.” This is taken from the instructions and I have a friend who always explains games starting with this type of introduction and I find it not only helpful, but interesting. Although this may be a bit much for most, it does add a nice touch.
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5.
Board Game: Goal!
[Average Rating:6.00 Unranked]
Michel Condoroussis
Canada
Montreal-Nord
Quebec
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Goal
You need to be sure to let everyone know what the goal is. For example, the goal in Chinatown is to have the most money at the end, regardless of how much you earned on the last turn, the total in your hand after the last round determines the winner. This may be obvious for many games, but sometimes it is not and it is often skipped over. Also, if there are many ways to get points, like in Goa, you need to run through all the ways to get points and what scores at the end, since this is often not obvious: In Goa, your Cities on the bottom score depending on how many you have, but your plantations on the top only score if they have a point icon on them.
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6.
Board Game: DataFlow
[Average Rating:5.50 Unranked]
Michel Condoroussis
Canada
Montreal-Nord
Quebec
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Flow
This is where most people have trouble. A game explanation has to flow properly. This may sound weird, but think about it, if you are explaining Puerto Rico and you keep jumping back and forth from shipping rules to plantations to boat use, your going to confuse everyone. This is the hardest thing to do and often requires that you have played the game before.
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Michel Condoroussis
Canada
Montreal-Nord
Quebec
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Cheat Sheets
Now this is where the Geek comes in very handy. You can find little player aids all over this site for many games. Some games come with them, but many do not and I have them printed and put into the games box for many games. Worse case, you don’t need them, but even people who have played before often request a copy, just in case.
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Michel Condoroussis
Canada
Montreal-Nord
Quebec
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Examples with pieces
Since the game is open when you are explaining it to others, it is always helpful to explain while demonstrating on the game itself. For some games it may be annoying since you have to find the right card (Fairy Tale) or piece, but often it is simple to do and a visual is always easier to remember.
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Michel Condoroussis
Canada
Montreal-Nord
Quebec
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Exceptions
There are always little exceptions or minor notes in a game that are very important. For example: In Hacienda you can only place animals on the Pampas, with the exception of the Pampas land card and then only if it is connected to another land tile. These are abundant and it is usually these rules that cause the: “oh, I didn’t know that” comments from the other gamers. Although, it must be said that it is always hard to remember to mention all the exceptions in certain games.
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Michel Condoroussis
Canada
Montreal-Nord
Quebec
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Repeat stuff
There are certain rules that I tend to repeat. These are of course things that you must know before you start to play. Like in Taj Mahal: You win the different powers based on whether you are in the lead when you withdraw from the battle, not once everyone has finished playing. If you don’t know that when you start playing, you will have a lot of trouble.
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Michel Condoroussis
Canada
Montreal-Nord
Quebec
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Variants
We have all seen the many variants some games come with and the even more plentiful collection here on the geek. Now often people jump to play with all these variants or to play the game the “expert” way, which is often more fun. But for new players, it may give them a big disadvantage. I do find that a lot of the time the variants are better, but you have to use your judgment depending on who your fellow gamers are. The very first time, I always play the regular way, but once I play with the variants and am able to explain it properly with them even to new players, I tend to use them almost all the time (unless they suck of course).
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12.
Board Game: Read'em
[Average Rating:4.97 Unranked]
Michel Condoroussis
Canada
Montreal-Nord
Quebec
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Re-read after play
This one I learnt the hard way. I have played many games incorrectly (Proof: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/13380) and noticed that even when playing with a regular, some things are left out and some I cannot remember by the time I play again. So now, after I play something for the first time, I often re-read the rules just in case. Sometimes I find mistakes and other times I don’t, but like in the case of Princes of Florence, where we would let the bonus cards add up, mistakes are made and can ruin a game.
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. But they didn't like that, so I have begun to mention them as well.