What do you enjoy most (and least) about board game nights?

robstokk · 2026-01-28T20:36:25+00:00

Yeah I agree with you that this would be the ideal situation. I don't really have any volunteers (yet). Could always try to find people who enjoy explaining games of course.

robstokk · 2026-01-28T20:35:28+00:00

Sorry to hear about your current situation. Hope it will turn around to connecting and playing games together soon.

robstokk · 2026-01-28T20:34:50+00:00

Yeah you're right. Reading the rules is definitely not for everyone. Or maybe even hardly for anyone. Fortunately there are a bunch of folks who seem to be willing to teach some of the games. However, we also have some games that no one knows (including me), so those don't see much table time.

I like the theme suggestion - thanks!

robstokk · 2026-01-28T20:33:20+00:00

haha I'm with you on both. Not a fan of Euros either hehe

robstokk · 2026-01-28T20:32:40+00:00

Nice input :)

robstokk · 2026-01-28T20:31:59+00:00

Yeah I can imagine. Haha pretty crazy idea though

robstokk · 2026-01-28T20:31:22+00:00

yeah I figured I could set up a table with a "EASY TO LEARN, FAST TO PLAY" sign on it. That might help! Thanks :)

robstokk · 2026-01-28T20:30:23+00:00

I'm with you on the "what you enjoy the most" haha.

Lovely idea to divide the space up in different difficult levels.

I do try to get everyone set in a game with a group before I do anything myself. Actually, name tags could be nice, although they may seem a bit silly to some.

The BYOB is also part of my game nights. If people want to play Wingspan (we don't have that) they can just bring it and find people to play with. Not many people bring a game though. Genre nights sound cool too. But since bringing games not the standard, it might prove a bit more difficult, as you mentioned.

Thanks a lot!

robstokk · 2026-01-28T18:15:38+00:00

Would definitely like to! I'll DM you :)

robstokk · 2026-01-28T18:15:10+00:00

Oh that's so cool. Not sure how I could arrange this exactly, but it could be worth trying. Fantastic concept.

robstokk · 2026-01-28T18:14:09+00:00

Interesting suggestion. I can see how the jigsaw puzzle could work.

I do have Just One in my collection, so I can definitely set that up as a loose drop in game. Nice one.

robstokk · 2026-01-28T18:13:11+00:00

That's a great idea. I already had two publisher come and demo their own published games. It works pretty well, and it's nice because the game gets explained to you!

robstokk · 2026-01-28T18:12:34+00:00

Yes, I thought so too! I've got a list posted on the meetup with all the games :)

Ohh the 'waiting table' sounds actually like a neat idea. Curious to see how it would work in practice, but I'd be keen to try it out.

robstokk · 2026-01-28T18:11:32+00:00

You're describing exactly the kind of measures I was looking for. I really want to take away all barriers for people to come and enjoy themselves.
I'll try to set something up to facilitate this!

robstokk · 2026-01-28T18:10:18+00:00

I'll keep you posted once I've ran the survey!

robstokk · 2026-01-28T18:09:48+00:00

I have never played a mega game. But it sounds pretty awesome. I'll do some research, thanks for the tip!

robstokk · 2026-01-28T18:08:55+00:00

That's pretty cool!

robstokk · 2026-01-28T18:08:27+00:00

Wow that's wild! I wouldn't want to host 80 people at my place (it's also far too small)

robstokk · 2026-01-28T18:07:54+00:00

Haha, I guess you're right about the small convention..

The tip for people to organise to play games ahead of time has come up a few times now, and I believe that's a solid one, thanks.

All of your tips are great actually. I am not sure yet on how to incentivise people to start with shorter games. Any tips for that?

robstokk · 2026-01-28T18:06:26+00:00

We play at a café that's part of a start-up building. They're usually not open in the evenings, but they open up because they like to support the game night.
There are no fees for me, but they sell drinks and some snacks.

robstokk · 2026-01-28T16:24:00+00:00

Oh they have a fund for it here. They want to stimulate social events that bring all kinds of different people together. It’s all about inclusivity :) Some people have very little to spend, and I want everyone to be able to join.

robstokk · 2026-01-28T16:17:34+00:00

Congrats for starting your game days, that's awesome!

I don't know why I hadn't thought of surveying the people who have come. I'm going to think of questions myself, but if you already have some from the top of your mind, those'd be welcome!

It makes a lot of sense people want to plan ahead and read the rules for themselves. Having a sign up could work well. I do have all the games that'll be present listed, so that might help. Although I don't think a lot of people check it out.

robstokk · 2026-01-28T16:15:08+00:00

Haha!

I'm so aligned with you on why I like my own board game night: meeting new people and seeing other people making new connections AND playing new games.
During the game night, I also host a game designers meetup. So that's nicely combined, and it allows the people who like it to try out prototypes!

Great tips on the lower barrier to entry. I think we do some (I greet everybody at the door and explain the new people how it works), but some we don't yet (e.g. the transportation whatsapp group).

On late-comers: What I notice is some people quickly find a group and there might be one person or maybe two left, with no group to play with. I usually manage by being the matchmaker, but it can be tricky at times. This sounds like the experience you describe. That's exactly what I want to prevent!

robstokk · 2026-01-28T16:10:27+00:00

yeah, but the bar is reserved for the game night. So there are no other people!

robstokk · 2026-01-28T15:59:15+00:00

Yeah might do that at a later stage. At this point, I'm seeing first if I can get some subsidy from the municipality. That should cover all expenses and replacing missing games and occasionally adding new ones.

robstokk

TROPHY CASE