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Warning: Overheard a guy at the game store bragging about never reading the rulebook
I was at Dragon's Lair in Austin last Saturday and heard this guy tell his friend he never reads the rulebook before playing a new board game. He said he just figures it out as he goes and asks people. The friend laughed and said that's why nobody invites him to play heavy games anymore. That stuck with me because I used to do the same thing and ruined a 4-hour game of Brass Birmingham for my group. Now I always skim the rules the night before and my game nights go way smoother. Has anyone else run into a player like that at their table?
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rowan59320d ago
Ha, I gotta say I'm with the rulebook-skipper on this one! @stellas56, I get why you'd be mad about ruined Brass but honestly, learning as you go is how you actually learn to play. Reading a rulebook before you touch the game is like studying a recipe before you've ever tasted the dish - you don't know what matters until you mess up a few times. The real problem isn't skipping the rules, it's playing heavy games with people who can't handle a little chaos. I've taught games cold to new groups and it's way more fun when everyone discovers the mechanics together rather than pretending to know what they're doing from a manual. Besides, half the time those rulebooks are written badly anyway. Why spend an hour reading something you'll forget by turn three?
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