c/board-game-geeks

Shoutout to my local game store for hosting a 'teach a newbie' night that completely backfired on me

I tried to teach my neighbor Catan last Tuesday, thinking it was a simple starter game, but after three hours of him getting super into trade negotiations and blocking my longest road, I learned that sometimes the new player becomes the biggest geek in the room, right?

TIL my game group in Denver has been playing Catan wrong for 3 years by letting people trade after the dice roll.

Last week a new player pointed out the rule, and now half the group wants to keep our way because the post-roll negotiations are the only fun part.

Hot take: I was wrong about always needing to win at board game nights

For years, I thought the point of our weekly game group in Springfield was to crush everyone. Last month, my friend Mark quietly said, "You know, it's okay to just have fun," after I got mad about losing a close game of Catan. That hit me hard. I realized I'd been treating every game night like a tournament for about three years, stressing over every move. Now I try to focus on the jokes and the company more than my victory points. Has anyone else had to unlearn a super competitive mindset with their regular group?

Our game group's annual 'Catan' tournament got rained out, so we improvised with a 12-hour 'Twilight Imperium' marathon instead.

My buddy's copy of 'Scythe' got wrecked because he stored it in his garage attic

The heat and cold warped every board and card in the box, and he didn't notice until our game group tried to play it last weekend. How do you guys store your big box games to keep them safe?

My copy of 'Terraforming Mars' just fell apart during game night

We were halfway through a game last Tuesday when the main board split right down the middle on the ocean track. It was the older edition, and the card stock is just too thin. I had to tape it together so we could finish, but it looks terrible now. I know everyone loves this game, but I think the component quality is a real problem they should have fixed sooner. Has anyone else had a game just break like this during play?

Vent: Bought a fancy organizer for Gloomhaven that was totally wrong

I saw a wooden insert online that claimed to fit the base game and all expansions. Spent about $65 on it. When it arrived, the pieces didn't fit the box at all, and the slots for the miniatures were way too small. Had to take it apart and just use the original plastic trays. Anyone know a good, tested storage solution that actually works?

Can we talk about game night at the library versus my friend's basement?

We played Scythe for the first time at the downtown library last week, and it was a mess with people walking by and a 90-minute time limit. Then we played it at Dave's place with his big table and good lighting, and it was a totally different, way better experience. The quiet and space to leave the game set up between turns made the whole thing actually fun. Anyone else have a spot that just ruins a good game?

Appreciation post: The guy at the Portland game cafe who taught me how to lose

I was at Guardian Games last month, trying out a new deck builder with a friend. I got super mad when my whole plan fell apart on turn five... I was about to flip the table, honestly. This older guy at the next table, who was running a game of Root for six people, just looked over and said, 'The fun is in the mess, not the win.' He then spent maybe ten minutes after his game ended showing me and my friend how to spot cool moves our opponents made, even when they beat us. It changed how I play everything now... I look for those little smart plays instead of just getting upset. Has anyone else had a total stranger at a game night give you advice that stuck?

Went to the old mall game store and the board game section is just gone

Honestly, I swung by the Game Haven in the Riverside Mall last weekend, looking for a new worker placement game. Tbh, the whole back wall where they used to have shelves of boxes is now just Funko Pops and video game merch. I asked the guy at the counter and he said they cleared them out about six months ago because 'nobody bought them'. Ngl, it made me a bit sad remembering how packed that spot was during the Catan boom. Has anyone found a decent local shop that still carries a good selection?

Unpopular opinion: I think we need a better term than 'board game geek'

I was at a game night in Portland last month and someone introduced me as a 'geek' to their friend, and it just felt weird. It made the hobby sound niche in a way that doesn't fit anymore. What's a better, more welcoming label we could use?

Saw a board game cafe in Austin with a whole wall of rulebooks

I stopped by this place called Meeple's Tavern last weekend (it's on South Congress, you can't miss it). They had a whole wall, maybe 15 feet long, just filled with binders holding the rulebooks for every game they own. The owner said they started it because people kept asking for the rules to games they'd already put away. It's a simple fix, but it made me wonder how many other spots do this. Does your local game store or cafe have a good system for finding rules?

Rant: The shelf of shame used to be a badge of honor

Back in 2018, my unplayed game collection was a point of pride, like a trophy case. Now, seeing Gloomhaven still in shrink just makes me feel guilty for wasting the $140. When did we stop bragging about our piles and start feeling bad about them?

A friend told me my game explanations were too long and it clicked

He said 'You're giving a history lesson, not the rules' after I spent 15 minutes setting up a game of Scythe. Now I just show the win condition first and explain the rest as we play. Anyone else get told they over-explain?

Unpopular opinion: I chose the original 1995 Catan box art over the new edition for my shelf.

Everyone at my local group said the new art was cleaner, but the old one just feels right, like a worn-in game board. Has anyone else picked the 'worse' version just because it felt more authentic?

I finally got my game group to stop arguing about rules by using a timer

We were stuck for 20 minutes on a turn order dispute in Scythe last week, and I grabbed the 3 minute sand timer from Boggle. I said we'd vote after it ran out. It worked so well we now keep it on the table for any rule check. Has anyone else found a simple tool that keeps game night moving?

My game group tried a 12-hour session of Twilight Imperium... it ended with a pizza box fort

Last Saturday, we started at 10am in my buddy's basement in Columbus, thinking we'd be done by dinner. By hour eight, the galactic council votes got so heated that Dave actually built a wall of empty pizza boxes between him and the guy who broke their trade agreement. We called the game at 10pm because the 'Letnev player' refused to move his fleet unless we gave him the last slice of garlic bread. Has anyone else had a board game turn into full-on, silly roleplay like that?

My copy of Twilight Imperium lost a whole fleet of plastic ships

Last month during our big game night, my friend knocked over his drink and it soaked the box lid. The water got inside and warped the plastic tray that holds the miniatures. About 15 of the small fighter ships snapped off their pegs when I tried to take them out. I was pretty bummed because that game cost me over $150. I ended up carefully gluing each one back with a tiny bit of super glue, which took almost an hour. Has anyone found a better storage solution for games with lots of fragile pieces?

Pro tip: I got my game group to actually finish a campaign by switching to a 2-hour max session rule.

Question about picking a game for a group of new players

I had to choose between teaching my friends Ticket to Ride or Catan for our first game night, and I went with Ticket to Ride because it seemed simpler. It went really well, but now I'm wondering if Catan would have been just as good for a group of five.

PSA: I tried teaching my 70-year-old dad to play Gloomhaven, expecting a disaster, but he ended up loving the card management puzzle more than the story.

After three sessions, he said 'forget the monsters, I just want to make my hand work perfectly,' which taught me that the 'geek' appeal is way more about the systems than the theme for some people, so has anyone else had a new player latch onto a weirdly specific part of a game?

Shoutout to the guy at the Portland game store who taught me how to lose

I was at Guardian Games last month trying to learn a new game called Root. I was getting wrecked, super frustrated, and probably looked like I wanted to flip the table. This older guy, Mike, was watching from the next table. He came over, sat down, and said, 'You're playing to not lose. That's different from playing to win.' He spent the next twenty minutes just walking me through my last few turns, showing me how I was so focused on protecting my stuff that I missed two chances to actually score points. It wasn't about strategy tips, it was about my whole mindset. I've thought about that a lot since then, especially when I get tilted in a game. Has anyone else had a moment like that, where someone changed how you think about playing, not just how you play?

Vent: I've been teaching new players the wrong way for months...

I realized I was rushing through setup and rules, which just overwhelmed people. A friend pointed out that my 15 minute intro to Terraforming Mars made everyone's eyes glaze over. Do you start with a full teach or just jump into a simple round?

Tried a solo variant for Gloomhaven with my cat. It did not go as planned.

Set up a scenario on the kitchen table last night. My cat jumped up and sat right on the monster cards. Couldn't move her for like ten minutes. Learned that pets are the ultimate randomizer. Anyone else have their game night ruined by an animal?

Vent: My Gloomhaven campaign setup took three hours last night

Forgot to sort the monster decks after the last session. Took forever to figure out why the attack modifiers were wrong. Anyone else have a simple step that derails your whole game night?