Board Games - Starting Your Own Gaming Group

So, you're starting a hobby of board gaming, or you already enjoy gaming. Chances are that if you are single, you play them with some friends or a significant other. If you are married, you probably include the family. But, something is missing...the community element. Sure, your spouse likes a good game every so often, but wouldn't it be fun to have a group of new friends that either looks forward to the same games you like or brings new ones to the table, so you don't have to buy them. Today, with everything costing more, even entertainment, it is quite a prudent move to develop a group of friends that get together and share their games.

Three Fundamentals of a Game Group

So where do you start? A good game group needs at least three things:

1. A Host

2. A Place to play

3. Games

The host is the person "in charge" of the group. This can either be a rotating position - You work on it one month, Joe works on it next month, and Sally handles it the month after that...and so on.

Regarding the place to play, this can rotate also. A restaurant, a library, a YMCA, or simply someone's home will usually do the trick. Like the host, this location can rotate each month also.

Obviously, to have a game group, you need games. If you start with a few generic titles, such as Settlers of Catan, Ticket to Ride, Carcassonne, and Puerto Rico, you will have a good starting base to work from. After a few rounds with each game, you will see a pattern in what people like to play and you can even introduce other games to the mix.

Let's break this down to more of the specifics.

The Gaming Group Host

The function of this role is to coordinate the communication and location of the gaming event each time. The Host determines the when, where, and what gaming group. This is the reason you may want to have this be a rotating position.

Expect that the host will devote a good amount of time to running the group.

Your group's host should have a few important traits:

Initiative




Patience




Good Communication Skills




Ability to work with diverse people




Be a good sport and promote fair play

The reason patience is listed as a trait is because you cannot expect to start a game group and have a bunch of people show up immediately. You have to build it over time - possibly months. There are examples of gaming groups taking years before they get just ten regular attendees. It can go the other way as well - start off with everyone bringing a friend and it grows from there.

Choosing a Good Location

The size of your group will determine the requirements for your group's location choices. Funding may also play a role - some places may want to charge you a fee for your time. For example, if you are in a room at the local YMCA, they may have a small fee for the room rental. If you choose a restaurant to sponsor your group, they may require you spend a certain amount of money on food and drinks.

Another option for a gaming location that may work great is someone's home. The only things to consider here are space and other family. If it is a small apartment, that may not work so well. If the family hosting the event has small children (under the age of about 6 or 7) they may create an unwanted distraction. When playing strategic games, it is hard for others to think while there are small children running laps around the house.

You need to have enough space to have one or two tables and enough chairs for everyone.

One of the most important requirements for a location is a restroom - gamers like to drink and eat.

Making a Gaming Location a Success

Supplies, supplies, supplies! Many games need an extra bit of scorekeeping or organization. The host needs to make sure these are available. Here is a short list:

Paper - notebook or pad is fine




Pens or Pencils




Dice - in case someone lost theirs




Sandwich baggies (to organize game pieces) - you may also want to use the smaller snack-sized baggies

Like I mentioned earlier, gamers love to eat and drink. Here are some suggestions to serve that need:

Water




Soft drinks - diet and non-diet




Fruit - not fruits that makes a mess, like oranges




Chips




Pretzels




Cookies

Don't forget the things that go with these items, like cups, ice, plates, and napkins.

If you wanted, you could go as far as having a full meal, such as pizza or burgers and fries.

All of these items have a cost involved, which can be an issue for the host. I have seen some friends that have groups do one of several things to offset some of the costs:

Charge dues - this could be a monthly fee that covers the cost of food/snacks/location




Use a "tips jar" system. Most people understand that somebody paid for the snacks and such and are willing to tip generously, when a price is not identified.




Go to Costco, or some large buying club like that, and buy your snacks and drinks on the cheap. Then, offer them for sale at your gaming party. You can even use the profits to buy the snacks for the next party if there is enough.




Consider is a potluck type of party. The price of admission is to bring some type of food or beverage.

Finding the Location for Your Group

The first and obvious choice is your home. You need to make sure you have the space and no distractions for this to work. The obvious benefit here is that you have no cost and you control the coordination of the location. The other useful benefit is that you don't have to lug your games to a separate location - you already have them. You can even set them up before everyone arrives. This eliminates the set up time while everyone is socializing at the beginning.

But, what if you have an apartment or are not sure you want a bunch of people coming to your house all the time.

Here are some options for you:

Independently owned restaurants




Library




Community Centers




Recreation Centers or your local YMCA




Churches and Synagogues




Schools (including colleges)




Game Stores

Usually, game stores are a really good option - you are providing them a set of new customers.

Picking the Right Board Games

This will depend on the type of gaming group you want, and what the people in the group are expecting. For the purposes of this article, I am going to assume you are setting up a board game group.

If you want to introduce the group to European games, you might consider variations of Settlers of Catan, Carcassonne, Ticket To Ride, and Puerto Rico.

Another option might be to bring in some war games. If so, take a look at Memoir '44 and Tides of Iron.

If you have a younger crowd (college level and slightly older) with a lot of time to spend, you may want to hold a full-on gaming day on a Saturday. Then, you can include board games that take more time, like World of Warcraft, Starcraft, or Twilight Imperium.

Another way to increase the variety of games your gaming group plays is to have everyone bring one game - like with the snacks and beverages.

If you are new to board gaming groups, I think it would be wise to start with the simpler games to introduce to a group - that would be the European board games. Then, grow it from there.

Places to Promote Your Group

There are three web sites you should take advantage of if you want to start a gaming group:

www.boardgamegeek.com - they have listings of gaming groups you can join or advertise your own




www.meetup.com - you can find others in your local area that may already have a group or you can set up your own.




www.craigslist.com - this is a great place to promote your budding game group.

Have Fun!

Remember, having a board game group that shares your hobby can be a lot of work. But, don't forget the overall goal - to have fun and make new friends! This is a hobby.

So, good luck, enjoy yourself, and share your hobby with others.

Play the best games in the WORLD!

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Board Games - Introducing New Games to Your Gaming Group

You have gone through the process of getting some friends together and you want to introduce them to a new game. The good news is that they are not looking to you as a master of this new game. They really want a guide to get them past the rules and get to the gaming goodness - the reason they came to the event to begin with.

Be Familiar with Your Games

What's the worst thing you can do with a new game? Read the rules in front of your gaming group. Some of these games come with Rule Guides of over 35 pages. It is not practical to read that as you go. Chances are you won't have anyone at your next gaming event if this is how you plan to handle it.

The important part of this process is not complete mastery. It is maintaining control long enough for everyone to get the hang of the game themselves. What your friends want from the situation is to play the game with the correct set of rules.

They want to know:

How do they win?




What do I do when it is my turn?




How do I interact with others?

These are the points you need to cover at the very beginning, so they understand where all the explanation is leading.

If you forget certain rules, it is alright to add them later. You're goal here is to get past the basic explanation so everyone can enjoy the game. You lose control of the situation and your friends' attention the minute you go to look up a set of rules in the rule book.

Set Up the Game Before You Start

This is one of the most important steps you can take to improve your success in teaching new people a game. Good speakers use props to enhance their presentations. You certainly don't need PowerPoint for this, but having the game as a reference is a great tool.

This allows for two things.

You can use the game bits and cards to explain points.




People can play the game immediately after you are done.




Introduce the Goal

Every game has a goal. Some are simple goals, like "If you have the most points by turn 10, you win". Other games have more complex, and really don't make sense until you review the rules of the game. Make sure you explain these goals up front and make sure you repeat them often.

Whatever the goal, people like to know what they need to accomplish. This is what drags them through the process of hearing the rules. With the "end" in mind, they can get through and understand the "means".

If you don't do this, your audience will constantly be wondering "how does this help me win?" This is distracting to the learner and you want to eliminate it. If you can't explain it well at the beginning, give them keywords or something to latch onto, so they understand it when it shows up. "You can even just say something like "victory points are good, knights are good, cities and roads are good, or keeping all your resources is bad".

Three is a Magic Number

People like to learn things in groups of three. There is a rhythm and flow to things that come in a set of three. Many games have choices to present - do it in groups of three when possible. For example, you can gather a resource, attack your neighbor, or choose an "opportunity" card.

Some games make it complicated - you get three things to do on your turn and each of those items offers several options. The best way to explain that is "On your turn, you are going to do X, Y, and Z. For you to accomplish X, you have three choices. They are 1, 2, or 3. Let's go over 1 first".

Don't force this concept where it does not exist, though. That just leads to confusion. You can look for patterns in the rules, though. Sometimes there are team decisions, defensive decisions, or offensive actions you can take. You can divide your descriptions into these categories if you wanted to.

Wash, Rinse, and REPEAT!

As you are explaining the game, it is beneficial to your audience if you repeat certain things, like how to win the game. Also, it is nice to do this if you are going through a set of choices. How do you do this?

Let's go back to the X, Y, and Z example from earlier. You are talking about the first action you need to do on your turn, action X. You need to explain choice 1, 2, and 3. When you are done, you say something like "OK, that's the first part of your turn. That was X. Now, let's take a look at Y." While doing this, rephrase the rules you just offered, rather than repeating them again the same way. This will help some of your group "get it" if they had not already.

Introducing Game Terms

Lots of games have common things, but they go by different names. Make these associations for your group and then introduce them to the correct terms for the game you are trying to teach them. A good example of this type of item is money. If you can get away without using the game jargon, that will help your group grasp concepts better. For example, if you are introducing Settlers of Catan, there is no money in the game. But, there are resources. You can equate these to money and talk about how you buy things with combinations of money, or "resources". This allows you to add your own flair to the instruction and bring people into the game quicker.

Talk to Me

Teaching new gamers a game should be a conversation, not a boring lecture. People want to have fun, not watch you give a fancy presentation. Watch to make sure your fellow gamers are getting what you are saying and don't be afraid to go back and reiterate something you already mentioned - even if you have to revisit a concept several times.

Don't single out people that are having trouble grasping the rules. One of the worst things you can do is set them up to look slow. They won't want to ask questions after that. It is also possible that they may not return for another gaming session.

Here's A Personal Experience For You

I got a new game, Starcraft the Board Game, about two months ago. I was sure my wife would be interested in checking it out, so she could kick my intersteller butt. This game had a 45 page rule guide. I did not follow any of these suggestions for myself and suggested we go through the guide and try to teach ourselves. Well, four hours later, we had gotten to the point where we actually started to understand what the rules were saying and we attempted to play. This was possibly one of the worst gaming experiences for her. To this day, she refuses to really try to play that game.

We had a better experience this last weekend with Shadows Over Camelot. I introduced it to her and her mother. I watched a few videos on www.youtube.com about the game and was a little more familiar with how the game played. This went fairly smoothly. We attempted a game on Friday night with rules in hand. Then, on Saturday night, we played one game with the rules, but a little faster. We were enjoying it enough to give it a go for a third time - that was the kicker. This was a tense game with great team play and lots of table-talk. But, very little use of the rule book. This one was a success.

It Can Be A Rewarding Experience

Introducing your friends to a new game can be a very rewarding experience and a great way to get your games on the table and into rotation with your game group.

Like any skill, practice makes perfect. Also, don't miss out on many of the learning tools available online. You can find quick-start guides, visual aids, and other suggestions on web sites like www.boardgamegeek.com.

One Last Suggestion

There is a practice at the country western clubs that actually can be useful for you in your gaming group. About an hour before the club starts hopping, the DJ opens the dance floor and teaches people how to do many of the line dances they will see throughout the night. Obviously, you won't be line dancing at your gaming party (are you?) but the lesson is solid. Announce the games you will be playing before the event. If someone is new to that game, allow them to come early for an introduction to those games. That way, you don't have to take up game time with a rules introduction. Also, it allows fellow gamers to try to introduce games in a non-threatening environment.

Once everyone is comfortable with this process, you can rotate who does the teaching at each event.

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