The debate over painting board game components before playing is tearing my group apart

I spent 6 hours last weekend painting minis for Betrayal at House on the Hill before our first game. Nobody in my group wanted to wait, so we ended up playing with gray plastic anyway. Now half of them say painting is a waste of time when you could be rolling dice instead, while the other half think it makes the experience way better. I learned that my group has two completely different ideas about what makes board games fun: the prep work vs the actual play. Has anyone else had this split in their group where some people want everything painted and others just want to get to the table?

4 comments

4 Comments

lily_torres311mo ago

Oh man, I remember reading somewhere that there's actually a name for this in the hobby, something about "prep gamers" versus "play gamers." Our group had the same fight over Gloomhaven minis until we just agreed that whoever paints something gets to pick the scenario for the night. It really does change the whole vibe of the game when the minis are done, but I get why some people just want to start rolling dice already.

gibson.morgan1mo ago

Six times in a month while your copy was still in shrink wrap? That's insane lol. I would have been so jealous watching someone else get that many plays in while I was still obsessing over the insert measurements.

paulw531mo ago

My copy of Food Chain Magnate sat in the shrink wrap for a month while I waited for a custom wooden insert to arrive, and during that time my buddy across town played through it six times with just the bare box. That's when I realized it's the same split you see in every hobby - my neighbor spends all weekend waxing his car in the garage while his wife is on the highway driving theirs to the beach. Some people get their enjoyment from the prep and setup, the ritual of getting everything just right, while others just want to dive in and make a mess. Even cooking dinner last night, my girlfriend measured every spice exactly and I was already eating out of the pot before she finished plating. The real trick is figuring out which camp you're in and not getting mad at the other side for having a totally different way of having fun.

-1

the_leo1mo ago

You ever have one of those moments where you realize you've been the problem the whole time? I used to be all about the prep and setup, thinking anyone who just wanted to crack the box and play was missing out on the full experience. But then I watched a buddy rip through a game with zero inserts and still have an absolute blast, and it hit me that I was just gatekeeping my own fun. Like, yeah, my painted minis look great on the shelf, but his unpainted ones have seen way more action and that's its own kind of victory. It's humbling to admit that the way I do things isn't the "right" way, just a different way. Your cooking example really nailed it for me, I'm definitely the guy eating out of the pot while someone else is still measuring.