Tips on How to Teach a Board Game

Pull up a chair! Bring a snack! We are diving into the exciting world of Board Games!

You’ve got the game! You’ve got snacks! You’ve got people! You are ready to play! Well…not so fast. First, we’ve got to teach these poor muggles how to play this game.

I have been playing board games most of my life, and have switched to slinging and teaching them full time for the past three years. I have learned so much about how to teach board games from other gamers, publishers, and creators. While I am by no means a perfect game teacher, I’ve been told I’m pretty adequate by one guy and “Just know you are great at it,” from my Mom. Take that for what you will. 

So, below are my tips and tricks for helping you to make the transition from rulebook reading to the full and pleasant game play!

The Goal

A great teach isn’t about explaining every rule perfectly — it’s about getting players to their first confident turn. If players feel comfortable starting the game, you’ve succeeded. One of my favorite phrases during a new game teach is “No one wins the demo game.” While you aren’t demoing the game around your kitchen table like they do at conventions, the sentiment stands. It’s their first time playing it. No one expects them to understand every nuance of the game and to rack up hundreds of victory points. All that can be hoped for is that they like it enough to play it again.

When you teach a board game, you function as teacher, performer, and salesperson. You don’t actually care if they go out and buy the game (though your FLGS loves when you help us with our work). You care that they had a good enough time with the game you taught them that they could want to buy it.

And the performer aspect. Game teaches go better 100% of the time when players are entertained while learning. If you are just monotone-reading the rulebook at them, they are going to have a far less pleasant experience than if you had made them chuckle, turned the game into a story, or were animated.

Tips Before You Start

Whenever possible, and it usually is possible, READ THE RULEBOOK BEFORE SITTING DOWN WITH YOUR PLAYERS. Whew, sorry for shouting. Sitting around reading while everyone waits for you makes them bored and annoyed. Starting your teach with bored/annoyed players is an uphill climb.

Rulebooks are not made equally. I can’t even count the number of times we limped our way through a great game because the rulebook sucked. If the rulebook is Greek to you, find yourself a video online. My go-to channel for learning is Watch It Played with Rodney Smith.

My next tip is to tailor your teach to your audience. Are these experienced gamers? People who have only played Uno and Monopoly? 

If you have gamers amongst you, you can use my personal favorite method of conveying a game to someone who hasn’t played it. “Deduckto is like if Guess Who and Clue had a baby.”

Final starter tip is don’t say a game is hard or complicated. Nothing shuts down someone’s brain quicker than you admitting this game is too much for them.

Start with the “Why” then hit the “What”

Ok, you’re ready to get started! Let’s do this!

When you begin the teach, start with the overarching point of the game. “In CULTivate, we are cult leaders hoping to attract followers into our compound while also sabotaging other people’s compounds.” Let the theme, objective, and purpose be the first thing they hear. It shapes the way they take in all the information you are about to throw at them.

After the purpose, next hit them with how you win. “The game end is triggered when someone fills up their compound. We get points for meeting objectives and whoever has the most points wins.”

If you have more experienced gamers, it is helpful to throw in game mechanisms and possibly an example of what it plays like. “CULTivate is a take-that card game with a puzzly, grid-building aspect.”

Show, Don’t Just Tell

While being the Set-up Fairy is very nice, players can learn even more about the game while helping you set up. Have the players shuffle the Visitor Cards before putting them in the designated spot on the board. Players get to set up their own components. 

Not only during set up, but use the board, cards, and components while you explain the game. Channel your inner Vanna White and actually point to the spots when you talk about them. Pick up the pieces they will be using. Show examples of certain cards.

Give a Roadmap

Human brains usually absorb information better if they know what’s coming. That’s why teachers give out a syllabus, why Crossfit coaches write the workout on the board, why we have a list of opening and closing duties (teehee, duties).

Extend this concept into your game teach. “I’ll cover the goal; how a turn works, including actions you can take; and then scoring.” This is a great time to remind them what the end-game trigger is.

Get to the Meat & Potatoes Quickly

Get to the basic version of the game as quickly as possible. When players know what they will be doing on their turn, they are better able to organize the information after that, making it easier to teach. 

Whenever possible, explain “why” a rule matters. For example, if you are teaching Mantis, show the players why they should choose Uncle Dave to steal from because he has all three possibilities that are on the card. This works so much better than just telling them they should.

Teach the normal rules first. Players need to understand these, not every exception to the game. When you’re teaching Scythe, if no one is red, they don’t need to know that they could repeat the action they just took. It’s not an option to any of them in this particular game, so save that nugget of information.

Check in with your players as you go. Teaches have a natural “chapter-style” to them. Be sure to use that pause in topic to check back in with your players to make sure they are still following you and tracking the words coming out of your mouth.

Questions are Great, but Stay on Track

Questions are going to come up. No one is such a good teacher that they get through all the brains at the table perfectly in the first try. Encourage questions, so that point is cleared up before you build on top of it.

Sometimes questions come before its proper time. If that happens, I usually joke that they are way too on the ball or they need to calm their jets with their future questions. However you choose to respond, let them know you heard them and will cover that question very soon.
I also am not above asking questions as if I am a mythical extra player. “But what do I do with the inspector? Great question, Jess! *high fives self” It changes up the cadence of the teach and refocuses their attention.

End with Confidence

Alright, you’ve done the teach. Time to wrap it up and get to playing. Before you finish up, read the table. Is anyone crying? Glassy eyed? Maniacally rubbing their hands together? 

Remind them, the point is to have fun together, and they will get the hang of it very quickly (hopefully). 

It also helps to have a quick recap before you start. “So, on your turn, you’ll draw a card, then play a card. You want to use the card to help add to your compound or to sabotage someone else’s card.”

What aspects do you do in your teach? What do you add in to make it even better?