Warning: I taught my non-gamer friends a heavy euro and they loved it

Last weekend I brought Brass Birmingham to a casual hangout, expecting groans, but they got super into the canal and rail networks after about 30 minutes. I always hear that you need gateway games for new people, but this group liked the tough choices right away. Has anyone else had a complex game click with folks who don't normally play?

3 comments

3 Comments

janahenderson9d ago

Guess we've all been babying our friends with Ticket to Ride for years for no reason. They just wanted to build an industrial empire the whole time.

grant.kevin25d ago

Yeah, I've had that happen with Terraforming Mars. The key is to just explain the goal first, then walk them through one turn slowly. People get hooked on building their own engine, even if the rules are a lot.

kellyj2325d ago

Totally agree with starting with the goal! Read a blog post once that said you should always explain the "why" before the "how" with complex games. It makes the rules feel less like a wall of text and more like tools to do a cool thing. That engine building part is the real hook, like you said, because you feel your little company growing. Walking through a full turn with open cards is the best way to make it click for new players.