PSA: I was teaching new players all wrong for years

Honestly, I ran a game night at my place every Friday for like 3 years and thought I was great at teaching. Tbh, the moment I knew I messed up was when a friend's kid, maybe 10 years old, looked at me after my 45 minute 'Terraforming Mars' rules dump and just said 'Can we play something else?'. Ngl, that hit hard. I was explaining every single card and strategy upfront instead of just the basics to start playing. Now I do a quick 10 minute intro and teach as we go. Has anyone else had a moment like that where you realized your teaching style was pushing people away?

3 comments

3 Comments

troyp371mo ago

Yeah, that 10 minute intro idea is smart... though I'd say even that might be too long for some games. For something like Terraforming Mars, I just explain the goal and the three main actions to start, then we jump in.

jamiesingh1d ago

Honestly that glazed-over look is the real signal to stop talking lol. Once you see it, anything else you say just gets lost. Jumping in and learning by doing works way better, even if you mess up the first round. Some of my best game nights started with everyone being totally confused for the first twenty minutes.

rosew371mo agoTop Commenter

Totally agree, especially with a game that heavy. My own rule is to stop talking the second I see that glazed-over look in someone's eyes, which usually happens around minute two. At that point we're all better off just fumbling through the first round. Learned that the hard way after putting a whole group to sleep explaining the scoring in a different game.