How to explain a game, 7 tips

Hi everyone!

Always when you want a board game you need to explain this to the other player. It’s not the funniest part of the game but you are oblige to do this. I will present you 10 tips to do this.

Know your audience

Before starting to explain a game, ask a few questions to the table to determine who you are dealing with: noob, casual or core-gamer?

Knowing your audience will allow you to tailor your lexical field and examples. In short, adapt your explanation to your players!

Overview

Most player prefer to start by understanding two main elements: how to win and how to play.

How to win: for most players play means winning. Rarely plays in the voluntary optical loss. And to win he should know how to do to get there, logic. Start your explanations with the end, victory conditions, the ultimate goals.

How to play: once victory explained, then present how to play: should throw the dice? Playing a card? Place one of his pawns on a box?

Once you briefly stated these two parameters, go to the other rules.

Short term memory

Have you ever experienced the stress of being on the phone and it tells you a number to call at the same time without the possibility of note? This is your short term memory which is then undermined. You must simultaneously focus on voice and data, then you have only one desire, to hang up quickly remember the phone number.

When explaining the rules is a bit the same, or even worse if you do it in a noisy, crowded room that will prevent your players to focus their attention on your words. Keep this in mind when you embark on a long and tedious explanation.

Visualise

Learning can be done visually and/or hearing. Some people are either parameter, several other simultaneously. You are limited to hearing your explanation in risk of losing players at the table. So explain the game with the material can help you.

Repeat

Do not hesitate to repeat some explanations, such as the victory. For the short term memory becomes entrenched, repetition is still the best way. Nobody likes to repeat the same thing a thousand times, we feel badly about losing his time, and yet it is indeed the best way to get your players understand your explanations.

Simplify

Simplify the rules and explain just enough so that your players can do 1-2 turn.

Know about this game

Last tip, do not explain a game that you do not know well, that does not gather your players. It is better to take the rule and read more rather than venture into dubious explanations or calamitous.

All right, now you have all tips to explain your games. So lest go, no more excuse!