Board Games and Getting a Group Playing

HOBBIES · UNITED KINGDOM

Board Games and Getting a Group Playing

Choosing for the group, weight and length, teaching a game and looking after them

Board games have improved enormously and the reason people bounce off them is almost always the wrong game for the group rather than the games themselves.

Match the game to the players

Cooperative games, where everyone plays against the game, suit mixed groups and anyone who dislikes competition. Party games suit large noisy groups. Strategy games suit a small group who will read rules.

Games with player elimination leave people sitting out, which is where evenings collapse.

Weight and length

Board game weight describes complexity rather than the box. Something described as light plays in under an hour with rules explained in five minutes; heavy games can take four hours and a full read of a rulebook.

Check the honest playing time rather than the box, which is usually optimistic and assumes everyone knows the game.

Teaching a game

Explain the goal first in one sentence, then how you win, then the turn. Do not read the rulebook aloud. Play an open practice round and correct as you go.

One person should learn it properly beforehand. A game taught badly is a game nobody wants to play again.

With children

Check the age guidance and consider teaming a younger child with an adult rather than letting them struggle alone. Many modern family games scale genuinely well.

Chess and classics

Chess, backgammon and draughts cost little, last forever and need no explaining. A decent weighted set is a pleasure to use and gets played far more than a cheap one.

Buying

Check the player count honestly, since a game rated for two to six is usually best at a particular number. Reviews will tell you which, and whether the two-player mode is worth having.

Second-hand games are excellent value; check the pieces are complete before buying.

Outdoor and garden games

Giant versions of classics, boules, croquet and quoits get an enormous amount of use at gatherings and need no explaining. Check what surface each needs and store wooden sets dry.

These are also the games that work across a wide age range, which is what a family gathering actually needs.

Teaching children

Start with games that finish quickly and have visible progress. Losing well is a skill, and it is learned faster over short games than long ones.

Storage and space

Board games take shelf space quickly. Store boxes flat rather than upright so inserts do not spill, and be willing to pass on games that have not been played in two years.

Game libraries and cafés let you try before buying, which is how most people discover what suits their group.

Looking after them

Store boxes flat rather than upright, keep them out of damp lofts, and use bags for components rather than the moulded insert once it tears.

Note any missing pieces, since most publishers supply replacements.

WHERE TO BUY

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