c/board-game-geeks

Stop using the tiny dice that come with the game

I was at a game night last week in Ann Arbor. Three people couldn't read the numbers on those mini dice. We spent 10 minutes finding replacements from other boxes. Just grab a set of standard size dice from the dollar store. Makes the game move way faster.

Serious question, why does everyone online rave about playing Catan at local cafes?

I visited The Game Table cafe in Portland last Saturday and watched three different groups spend 20 minutes arguing over sheep trades instead of actually playing the game, feels like the hype is more about the vibe than the actual board game experience, has anyone else found a cafe that actually prioritizes good gameplay over just being a trendy spot?

My buddy’s sledgehammer advice saved my back at Ren Faire

Last summer at the Texas Renaissance Faire, I was struggling to set up our booth stakes. My friend Kevin, who runs the axe throwing tent, told me to stop swinging from my shoulder. He said use your legs like a squat, let the hammer do the work. First try after his tip, the stake went in one clean shot. Has anyone else gotten game day advice that actually paid off?

So tired of players who ignore the turn order in cooperative games

We were three rounds into Pandemic Legacy last night at Mike's house, and one guy kept jumping in to take actions before his turn was called. He said he was just 'helping the team think ahead,' but it totally messes up the strategy when you don't know what the next player is going to draw. I've seen this happen in about 6 different game groups over the last 5 years, and it always ends with someone getting frustrated. Has anyone else found a polite way to shut this down without making it awkward?

Had my board game night crash hard last Friday - literally

I was hosting a 6-player game of Scythe last Friday, and right when we got to the final round, my dining table leg just snapped. The whole board flipped, metal mechs went flying, and we lost about 3 hours of play. I scrambled to grab some wood glue and a clamp from the garage, but the table is still wobbly. Has anyone else had their game night ruined by something stupid like furniture failure?

Last Friday at my local game store three people argued for 20 minutes about whether Monopoly is actually a good game

I was just trying to grab a copy of Wingspan when this group at the table next to me got into it. One guy kept saying Monopoly is a classic that teaches real money skills. The other two were calling it broken and boring. The store owner finally came over and told them to either buy something or take it outside. Has anyone else noticed how heated board game arguments get over the dumbest games?

Went to a local game cafe in Denver and watched someone flip a table after losing Catan

I was at this place called Tabletop Tavern last Friday night, grabbing a beer and trying out a deckbuilder. This one dude in the corner was losing hard on Catan, no resources for like 20 minutes. He just stood up, grabbed the edge of the table, and sent the whole board flying across the room. Tokens and cards everywhere. The staff kicked him out but nobody even offered to help clean up. Has anyone else seen a game night go that bad in public?

Punched a hole in a game box during setup and fixed it with a cereal box

I was setting up Scythe at my buddy's place in Denver last Saturday and I got too aggressive pulling out the faction board tray. The cardboard ripped right along the edge of the box. It made this awful tearing sound and I just froze. My friend saw it and said "dude that's a bummer" but didn't freak out or anything. I felt awful because it's his copy. I went home and cut a piece from a Life cereal box to match the shape. Slid it under the torn flap with some white glue and clamped it with binder clips overnight. It's not perfect but the tear is hidden when the box is closed. Has anyone else had a similar dumb accident during game night?

Vent: That $70 foam core insert I bought for my game collection turned into a disaster

I got really into storing my board games neatly last month. So I dropped $70 on this fancy custom foam core insert for my copy of Gloomhaven. The ad said it would hold everything perfectly and even cut down setup time. Well, my first try at fitting it in the box ended with a bunch of pieces flying everywhere. The foam core didn't line up right with the lid and I had to shove it all in. Now the box bulges like it's about to pop open. I ended up spending another 2 hours trimming the thing with a box cutter. Has anyone else had this happen with a pre-cut insert?

Met a guy at a board game cafe who taught me why Betrayal at House on the Hill is always a mess

TIL my buddy's obsession with 3D printed miniatures actually makes sense

He spent 2 hours explaining the layer height settings and why his printer needed calibration, and honestly it changed how I look at all that tiny detail work. Has anyone else had a board game friend geek out on something you totally dismissed at first?

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?

The night I figured out I was shuffling wrong for 10 years

I was at a friend's game night last month, and we were playing a deck builder. I did my usual overhand shuffle, and he just stopped the game and said, 'dude, you're bending the cards bad.' Turns out I was riffling from the top in a way that puts permanent creases in the sleeves. The guy showed me a mash shuffle on a sleeved deck and I felt like a complete idiot. Has anyone else had that moment where some basic skill you thought you had was actually ruining your stuff?

Glad I checked the BGG stats for my group's favorite game

I was scrolling through BoardGameGeek last night and noticed a stat that really surprised me. My group loves playing Terraforming Mars, and we've logged about 120 plays. Turns out the average game length reported on BGG is 120 minutes, but our sessions always run 3 hours because we're all overthinking every card. I didn't realize how far off from the norm we were until I saw that breakdown. Has your group ever found a stat on BGG that made you question your own habits?

My buddy swore I'd ruin Catan by using the expansion pack wrong

He told me to add the Seafarers ships after the tiles were set. I ignored him just to prove a point, and my first island had no way to cross the water for 45 minutes. Has anyone else made a simple setup mistake that backfired instantly?

Appreciation post: Watching new players discover the feeding phase in Stone Age

I used to roll my eyes whenever someone brought Stone Age to game night. Too simple, I thought. Then last Friday a friend who only plays party games got handed the food track and panicked when his hunters rolled nothing but blanks. He spent ten minutes trading resources just to feed his tribe. I realized I had been playing for 5 years and forgot how tense that moment is for a beginner. Am I the only one who forgets what makes a game click for first timers?

That hyped up board game I avoided for years finally got me

I've been into board games for about 8 years now, but I always skipped Terraforming Mars because the theme sounded boring and the art looked like a spreadsheet. Last month at a local game cafe in Portland, a friend insisted we play it and I figured I'd just power through one round. Three hours later I was completely hooked on the engine building and the way every card opens up new strategies. The production value is still ugly as sin, but the gameplay itself is so tight that I stopped caring about the box art. It made me wonder how many other popular games I've written off for shallow reasons. Has anyone else picked up a game late and regretted ignoring it for so long?

Finally taught my little brother how to play a proper board game after years of him only wanting video games

My brother is 22 and has always been into video games, never touched a board game. Last month I dragged him to a local game cafe in Portland and we played Settlers of Catan. He actually got really into it and started making trades and negotiating hard, which surprised me. I learned that if you find the right gateway game, even the most stubborn video game kid can get hooked. Has anyone else had luck converting a non-board gamer with a specific game?

Learned that Catan has a world champion, blew my mind

I was browsing BGG after a game night and found out there's actually a World Championship for Settlers of Catan. The 2024 winner is a guy named Timofey Shcherbakov from Russia. I always thought tournaments were just for stuff like chess or Magic. Has anyone here ever tried to qualify for one of those events?

Talked to a guy who plays with his grandma every Sunday and it hit me different

I was at my local shop last Saturday and got into it with this older guy looking at a used copy of Splendor. He told me he plays board games with his 83 year old grandma every single week, no exceptions. She apparently beat him at Wingspan 12 times in a row before she finally let him win one. Made me realize I've been way too focused on winning and not enough on just having a laugh with someone. Does anyone else find themselves getting too competitive with family or friends?

Talked with a game group organizer that made me rethink how I pick games

I was at a local game cafe in Portland last weekend and this guy who runs a weekly meetup told me he stopped bringing heavy strategy games because new players kept leaving. He said I focus too much on winning mechanics instead of how a game makes people feel at the table. It hit different because I realized I've been buying games based on complexity ratings instead of how much fun they'd actually be for a group. Has anyone else changed their whole approach to choosing games after a conversation like that?

Called a guy a liar about solo board gaming. He proved me wrong.

Ran into this guy at my local game store in Portland. Said he plays 3-hour heavy strategy games alone. I laughed. Thought it was sad. He brought me to his apartment last weekend. Had Gloomhaven set up on a table with a foamcore insert. Showed me how he runs 4 characters solo. Took 2 hours for one scenario. Dude had a spreadsheet tracking every campaign choice. I get it now. Still weird but I respect the dedication. Anyone else try solo Gloomhaven?

That $80 deluxe insert for Terraforming Mars that made setup worse

Bought this fancy wooden organizer off Etsy for 80 bucks. Figured it would speed things up. Nope. The thing has these tiny compartments that barely fit the player cubes and the card holders are so tight you have to wedge cards in. Spent 15 minutes just loading it the first time. My friend just tossed everything in ziploc bags and we were playing in 5. Anyone else get burned by an overpriced insert that actually slowed things down?

My trick for keeping card sleeves from sliding apart failed during a 4-hour game night

Bought a pack of cheap rubber bands to hold my Dominion sleeves together and they left sticky marks on 30 of my cards after sitting in the box for 2 months, has anyone else found a better way to stop sleeves from shifting around without ruining the finish?

Met a guy at a con who called his copy of Cosmic Encounter his 'divorce settlement'

He said his ex-wife got the house but he kept the game and that was a fair trade. We ended up playing for 3 hours straight and he taught me a variant I'd never seen before. Anyone else got a game with a story like that behind it?