Had to choose between worker placement or deck building for game night

I was setting up game night for 5 people last Saturday and had to pick one of two games to introduce. It came down to Viticulture for worker placement or the new Clank! expansion for deck building. I went with Viticulture because I figured a wine making theme would be easier to sell to my friends who are not as into hobby games. Big mistake. Two of them got lost in the turn order and visitor cards almost immediately, and it took forever to explain the seasons. By round 3 everyone was on their phones and I knew it was a flop. Next time I am just going with Clank! since the push your luck risk is way more intuitive for casual players. Has anyone else had a game flop hard because you misread the room on complexity?

3 comments

3 Comments

felix41414d ago

By round 3 everyone was on their phones" oh man that hurts to read. I've never had a game night crash that hard but I would've been so embarrassed I'd probably switch to just ordering pizza.

sagecooper14d ago

Nah I gotta disagree, switching to pizza mode is admitting defeat before the night is over lol. Sometimes games just flop and that's okay, you gotta roll with it and try something else instead of giving up.

grant47814d ago

3 pizzas and a bottle of wine later we turned it into a casual hangout instead. I think Clank! would have saved the night because that game gets people laughing at each other's bad draws. Sometimes the simpler mechanics win even if the theme sounds cooler on paper.