I’m not sure why I haven’t done an article about new gamers before. Maybe I have before, but generally it’s what games to play with new gamers. But I think it’s a very worthwhile topic to talk about. Because I see a good number of people online who do it poorly. Then they post it not understanding what went wrong. So how can you do it better?

Take It Slow With New Gamers

First off take it slow. I think this one should be simple enough to understand. But I think when it comes to people who are passionate about games, they often rush new gamers into the hobby.

This is done in multiple ways. Sometimes it is just with the game that it chosen. But other times it is where you game.

If you play with someone who is really shy and you want them to get introduced to games, maybe a big game night isn’t the best option. Board games are a social hobby, and if this person needs time to come out of their shell do small games and only a few people first. And know the people you game with well.

Repeat Games

This next one I think is hard for gamers to do with new gamers. They want to get them up to the level of games that they want to play. But let’s be clear, you know how to learn new rules now. You can sit down and pick-up a lot of games quickly. If this is the first modern non-party board game that the person has played, it’s all new to them.

So play the game multiple times. Let them get familiar with it. Let them find out new strategies and figure out new ways to win or play the game. Discovery is part of playing board games. And while you might know them all, they don’t. So repeat games and let the new gamers have the same fun that you did.

Be Kind To New Gamers

This one I think will annoy some people. And I am fine with that. But when you are teaching new gamers, don’t stomp them in a game. Now, I’m not saying let them win. That is different. But be kind to them. Try a new strategy for you and see how that goes. You likely will still win. You are a more seasoned gamer. But don’t do the blitz to the end of the game almost guaranteed to win against someone who doesn’t strategy.

And this doesn’t just mean don’t destroy them in a game. It also means as you play engage with them on their turns. And when they are struggling to know what to do, or make a sub-optimal play, just let it slide. This is time to spend with a person, board games are a social activity, let it be that.

Now, that doesn’t mean that you never engage with advice. But leave it at that. If they are struggling to know what to do, ask them what they want to do. Then you can maybe help them understand how they can do that in the game. But there are gamers who use it as an opportunity to say that something is a dumb move. That is counter to what you’re going for.

Know The Games Complexity

This one is a HUGE one for a lot of gamers. I use it as a joke, kind of, but I’ve seen this. When someone is like: “Oh, I’ve played Clue and Monopoly and I want to find a new game, what should I play?” The answer is not “Scythe.” Yes, I have seen people say that to people who don’t play massive, somewhat complex board games. I get it, Scythe is nothing compared to Food Chain Magnate. But know your scale.

The Dice Tower talks about this fairly often with BGG weights of games. If you play a heavy economic 18xx or complex war games, Scythe is going to be a lower rating for the complexity of the game. But compare that to if you only have played Munchkin and Ticket to Ride, it’s a really complex game. So it’s all about your baseline.

And as a gamer, you need to know what your bias is in complexity of games. And you need to remember starting out games and what your baseline for complexity in games was. Now it might sound weird, but you did discover different strategies in games like Catan and Ticket to Ride at some point.

Jargon Comes Later

Finally, save the jargon. There is a language that we use in board games that normal people don’t use. And as gamers we often don’t even realize it. Let’s go with a real simple one that works, and a real simple one that doesn’t. At least for us board gamers they are simple. People know trick-taking as a term. Why, because there is generation that grew up with Hearts on the computer. And it’s a concept or term that is still out there.

On the flip side, you say deck building game, a new gamer is going to wonder why we are playing a game about building decks. So stow that jargon as you teach games to new players. There are so many examples that I could give. But let’s just do one more. Orthogonal. Who knew that term before board games? Not many people is the answer. So describe it, demonstrate it, but don’t use the terms

If they get into board games, they are going to pick-up the terms. It’s not your job to teach a board game, which is a lot already, as well as teach them what basically is a new way of using language as well.

Final Thoughts on Introducing New Gamers

There are more things that I could say. And a lot of them are mistakes that I’ve seen gamers do when teaching and introducing new people to the board game hobby. And this isn’t just board gamers, by the way. I was first introduced to anime with Berserk and Neon Genesis Evangelion. Want to know something, neither are great first anime. But I still love anime, so it worked out.

The whole point is that often times as gamers we know where we are now. And we remember the last step as to where we have been. I’m playing heavy Euro games now, and medium complexity Euro games seem kind of easy, that doesn’t make them easy. Remember when learning those games was more of a challenge for you. And maybe it was never that much of a challenge. That’s okay, but it will be for others, and know that.

What game got you into the hobby? And how simple does it seem to you now?

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