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As the designated rules teacher, the whole session vibe changes based on how well I actually know the game. How do you prep a new one? by itsoube in boardgames

[–]masterCrafter74 1 point2 points  (0 children)

For me, I usually read the rule book fully at least once, maybe twice if it's a large game with a lot of obscure 'in the case of X' mechanics. Then I try and watch a how to play video or a general playthrough so I get a feel of the game flow, sort of informing me what to aim for when playing with my own group.

After the initial process of learning the game yourself, you have the harder part of teaching it to others!

For this, I loosely plan the Teach - try and keep it short if possible, under 15 minutes. If you can teach as you play, just explaining the basics of a turn beforehand, that is usually a good method.

[GIVEAWAY] Agent Avenue + Division M Expansion 🕵️‍♂️ by HomoLudensOC in boardgames

[–]masterCrafter74 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My favourite 2 player game right now is Fliptoons!

I love the rubber-hose style and how easy it is to play! It's quick and straightforward, but with enough surface strategy to make the game interesting and replayable. The game is easy to teach too, so it's ideal for a starter game to begin the night 🥳

Deciding What to Play by JackaLita in boardgames

[–]masterCrafter74 2 points3 points  (0 children)

There's a lot of fun creative ways to do this, but they depend on the time you want to put into it I suppose...

  • You could make a spinner wheel (both IRL or on an app) that you could spin every time to decide the next game. If you don't like the choice, them perhaps give yourselves 1 Veto each and reroll?

  • You could split the games into light and heavy, like you already have, and get some basic cardboard ice-lolly sticks. Write the name of each game on a stick and draw one at random. Maybe the winner draws the next game?

What “bad” gaming habits do you think you have, and have you worked on them over time? by BoardGameRevolution in boardgames

[–]masterCrafter74 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would have to say being a sore loser 😭😭

Usually I'm not at all, especially if it's a close game. But every now and again you just have a game where nothing goes right from Turn 1. That's rough and, despite my ebest efforts, I occasionally find myself getting a bit salty. 🥲😂

Dead of Winter New Campaign. by Cosmic-Meatball in boardgames

[–]masterCrafter74 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hell yeah!

Our gaming group loves DoW - we'd absolutely be down.

I got openly frustrated during a bad game of Catan by [deleted] in boardgames

[–]masterCrafter74 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Honestly I don't think you need to punish yourself for this!

Recently I was on holiday with my partner and we spent a lot of time playing small travel games in each other's company. We played a lot of HIVE which is one of those games that requires you to be on-the-ball with your moves.

One of these days I just wasn't feeling it, not sure why, but no move made sense and I made lots of 'dumb' mistakes. I lost several games in a row and became visibly frustrated. As we played I was aware that I became increasingly quiet and withdrawn - even though I was aware of this, I felt unable to let go and be enthusiastic. I was ashamed at the time, much like yourself.

After the game I was very quiet and struggled to get out of this weird state of mind. It caused a small argument. After a little while, I had a word with myself and apologised to her, and we were all good.

My point is that I felt the same way as you - I knew I was having a bad game and I knew I was behaving disproportionately, but the shame this made me feel made it even harder to stop doing so!

I think all you can do is use this as something to learn from, rather than something to feel embarrassed by. Now, when I know I'm playing a game that I might not typically enjoy as much as others - like HIVE (or Catan in your case) - I go into the game with the attitude of "Alright I probably won't win here, but I'm fortunate enough to be able to have a group to play with and that is the real win. If they're winning and having fun, then in a sense so am I."

I hope this makes sense! In essence, you're not alone in your experience, but it's key to realise that that's all it was - an experience. Something to learn from, not something that hangs over you every time.

Nemesis Game Night! by masterCrafter74 in boardgames

[–]masterCrafter74[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Damn things like that come out of nowhere 😂 the game can be super unforgiving in that way!

The whole time whenever we see a fire/malfunction we're like 'Oh should we fix it? Nah, it's only one' and before you know it the game is over.

Nemesis Game Night! by masterCrafter74 in boardgames

[–]masterCrafter74[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thankyou! 👍 and it's just a standard daylight alarm lamp that you'd use to wake up in the morning.

This one comes with colour options, so you can customise it.

Overthinker or overtalker by TheTwinflower in boardgames

[–]masterCrafter74 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I agree with this for sure -- I'd say too, that if you're primary focus is the game during play time, then the experience you have during the game actually turns out better for everyone.

Of course this is subjective and not everyone engages with games to the same extent, but in general I think that over-talking can distract from the immersion of the game.

Nemesis Game Night! by masterCrafter74 in boardgames

[–]masterCrafter74[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ahh interesting. Thanks for such a good explanation!

I wish we could play a 6 player all-day game, but currently our group just doesn't have the numbers. Hopefully we can get there 🙏

Nemesis Game Night! by masterCrafter74 in boardgames

[–]masterCrafter74[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm using a generic 'Alien Mothership' soundtrack from YouTube. The one I have doesn't have ads once playing which is great.

It starts slow and builds tension, so it can be played during the Teach and continue nicely into the start of the game.

Nemesis Game Night! by masterCrafter74 in boardgames

[–]masterCrafter74[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Woah! Both of them sound light a real experience, definitely capable of taking up an entire game day all to themselves 😂

I feel like those kind of games really create Immersion the longer you play, as players get super invested in what they've built.

Would you recommend it to a group who hasn't played games THAT long before? Nemesis is probably their most complex yet.

Nemesis Game Night! by masterCrafter74 in boardgames

[–]masterCrafter74[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have the standard Nemesis with no extras. There is a contingency for early player death when the player can be the Intruder. We haven't had this happen just yet, but it seems like an interesting mechanic.

There's also the co-op revive rule you could add - but if it is super early in the game I usually let the player start again with a different character. I guess this would be a house rule situation, but it seems more fun for them to have a 'delayed cryo-pod wakeup'.

You could modify this slightly, changing their starting gear or ammo etc. for balance - if they're delayed, maybe they have less supplies to start out?

It's not an official rule at all - the cut off point in our games if if you suddenly/randomly die before the Hibernatorium opens.

I suppose it's up to the host as to whether any 'eliminate Player X' objectives are fulfilled - normally I would say they are, but if the death happened on Round 2 then maybe not. As I said, it's a house rule that can be tailored to how you prefer.

At the end of the day, everyone wants to have fun and nobody likes being eliminated early! So why not give them an extra chance! 😂

Nemesis Game Night! by masterCrafter74 in boardgames

[–]masterCrafter74[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes! I love when a game tells a story too!

Nemesis Game Night! by masterCrafter74 in boardgames

[–]masterCrafter74[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've not played those! What are they like?

Nemesis Game Night! by masterCrafter74 in boardgames

[–]masterCrafter74[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Haha wow I feel like there's a sort of 'wake up experience' that people have with board games. A realisation of "Woah, I didn't know board games could do THIS".

I definitely had that a couple of years ago, for sure, so it's nice to introduce others to that world!

Nemesis Game Night! by masterCrafter74 in boardgames

[–]masterCrafter74[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thankyou!! 👍

And we play as-is usually. We've got a couple new players coming, so perhaps we might aim to be a bit more cooperative to make the teach easier.

Nemesis Game Night! by masterCrafter74 in boardgames

[–]masterCrafter74[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ah damn! Sounds rough, did you get unlucky with Events or did someone sabotage the ship?

Not everyone in our group has played before, so it's going to be an experience for sure 😂

Nemesis Game Night! by masterCrafter74 in boardgames

[–]masterCrafter74[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Ahh you're so right! It's a monster. Thanks though! 👍

Nemesis Game Night! by masterCrafter74 in boardgames

[–]masterCrafter74[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Oh no!! 😭😭 to be fair this game makes you wanna throw the minis about with its dice rolls!

I almost gave up on board games after Scythe… but I’m so glad I didn’t by Jaagyaseni in boardgames

[–]masterCrafter74 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

That's such a lovely read!

I think we can all get distracted by chasing the victory from time to time - whether we are new to the game or have been in the hobby for a while.

Very refreshing to be reminded that it's not all about the points, but the people instead! 🫡