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A 2 minute rules rundown at the library fixed my game night for new players
Last Saturday I volunteered at a game demo day at the downtown library and watched a librarian run a quick 2 minute rules rundown for Ticket to Ride using just the map cards. It clicked for me that kids under 10 don't need the full manual, they just need one simple goal per turn. I tried the same approach with my nephew's group of 5 on Catan, stripped it down to just trading and building, and we finished a full game in 40 minutes without a single argument. Now I'm thinking about making little cheat sheets for my own game nights with new players, maybe one side for setup and one for actions. Has anyone else tried trimming rules down to the absolute basics for teaching, and what game worked best for you?
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river_davis1mo ago
That 40 minute Catan game sounds like a record, honestly. I have to ask, though, did the kids actually care about winning by points, or were they just happy to build roads and settlements? When I taught my niece Catan, she ignored the numbers completely and just wanted to place pieces anywhere she liked. Curious if you found a way to make the scoring feel real for them without turning it into a math lesson.
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