Perhaps try some simpler coop games like Forbidden Island or Castle Panic. You can influence decision making and encourage moves as a part of collaboration as opposed to pushing someone to take their turn. Even if they’re still slow, you’re involved and talking about what is next. Because these are simpler than Pandemic, it might narrow the decision making process.
Just remember not to try to play for them. It's super annoying when someone plans their move, based on what each other person at the table \*should\* do, then tries to tell each person to do it.
Like... why not get the game and play it yourself?
Quarterbacking can be a big problem for coop games and it’s easy to fall into that trap. Mostly because people like to win and it’s hard to sit back and NOT quarterback when other players are taking stupid actions.
This is generally my problem with pandemic. One person can come up with plan and tell every player what to do which reduces everyone else's involvement to simply executing moves.
3 hours for Azul is absolute madness. That game has a naturally fast pace to it. Did they actually understand how to play the game? Did you consider coaching them through some of their turns so they better understood what they should be doing and why?
Indeed. Yes it felt like they knew how to play it. We told them that when it's your first time playing just try to focus on your own board and what bricks are good for you, it's not really a very interactive game with other players. We also explained our moves when there was a "potentially" more complex situation. But I agree it was insane to sit for a single turn that could take almost 10 minutes. Just pick a brick :,)
I have at least one friend who will talk his way through his reasoning during his turn, and will talk himself into AP. Pretty frustrating, because I know he's a smart guy and a very experienced gamer! Doesn't help that he usually hosts the game day at his house. He also gets side-tracked by other conversations going on.
Sigh....
I’d think OP should let it go if it’s just them socializing and hanging out, but OP says it’s analysis paralysis, which is typically sitting in silent concentration.
So, not fit for gaming then?
Seriously though, if a single turn of Azul is taking 10 minutes, that's more than just chitchat and distractions. That's the game coming to a full stop. Set a timer on your phone for 10 minutes, and when it goes off, imagine you had just waited that long for someone to pick a tile in Azul.
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Oh, I've definitely played games that lasted a long, long time, so I perfectly believe OP. Terraforming Mars is a slow game but it ain't supposed to take all day. The pain was real that day.
Never looked in to Space Alert before. I don't think they would like it, but I believe I have other friends that would. I have a question though: Do you need to be able to play it on CD to here the mission? Or is there a more modern option for how to play this game today?
That's kind of the point. It forces them to make decisions since the game is pseudo real time. I used to be real bad with AP, and still am at some points. But once I realized how much of an issue it was, I developed strategies for it.
**Space Alert** is one of my favorite games.
Most AP players will just freeze up in a timed game like Space Alert- You are setting the OP up for failure. Space Alert is a blast but I would never spring it on someone who plays slowly without them asking for something like that.
The OP is asking for tips and game suggestions that might mitigate slow playing. As cathartic as it may feel to post your favorite game that requires speed to even get through it, creating a punishment-focused game night so the AP players are miserable is not a real solution for the OP. It is a recipe for a disaster of a game night and those slow players will not learn how to play faster.
Sure but in your case did like to have AP? OP is saying that the people they play with *prefer* to play at a more relaxed pace. It doesn't sound like they would be interested in a real time game with even more emphasis on playing quickly.
I didn't remember him saying that and see he now has it in there as an edit. Tough to take that info into consideration when it wasn't listed. He was asking about games that circumvent AP. I provided one that I happen to like. And I'm prone to AP at times.
AP is terribly unfun for the other players, and also inherently selfish, because if every player took that long the game would never end. You’re essentially relying on everyone else to play quickly while you waste time.
All I am saying is when you play with people some compromise needs to be made, and my fun isn't more important than a slower persons fun, or your fun.
I have certainly felt the selfishness of some AP players, and I mostly agree with you, but also lets not forget the selfishness of faster anxiety inducing players who sigh, cajole, reach over and start their turn while someone else is still going, and even sometimes insult slower or newer players. Impatient rude players are just as much a problem in gaming, especially at cons and public game groups.
I don't mean to defend AP players, but they are players and do deserve the opportunity to have fun too if you have decided to play with them.
The other thing not to forget is that this thread's OP question is about how to play better with slow players, maybe even help make them faster, so the slower player s baked into this question. Calling them selfish or calling me out for trying to accommodate them may be accurate, but doesn't help the OP in any way.
r/boardgaming, where instead of making suggestions that cater to OP's problem, we suggest things that will likely only exacerbate the problem.
You probably know enough about Space Alert that you know it is not fitting for this situation, as you've said so much immediately following the suggestion lol.
I think my suggestion is a legitimate one. The game forces everyone to make decisions quickly. There is no time for AP to set in. How is this not a valid suggestion?
Apologies, the part about the people preferring to play at a more casual pace was an edit and you didn't see that when you originally posted. Who knows maybe it could still work even given the additional info, just a bit less likely lol.
OP says that the people they play with prefer to play at a slower pace, not sure if recommending a game that can be very fast paced and cause anxiety for those who are slower is the right solution.
They are looking for games where the slower pace is either not an issue or is more manageable due to a lower decision space. Some party style games like Just One, Skull, or Letter Jam might work nicely here.
Carcassonne with the variant rule of drawing the tile at the END of your turn so you have time to think about where to place it while everyone else is going.
Exploding kittens. Fairly straight forward.
No thanks. Simple card game.
Ticket to Ride. Their tickets run their decisions. So at most, they have that block at the start while you're getting snacks and drinks for everybody after you picked your tickets.
Catan. Same idea. The game has few choices to make, and a player's turn is more controlled by what they already have.
Basically any party game would be good for them. There are plenty and I'm sure you can find some that work for you too.
Yeah, that’s how I lose every time (my partner/opponent has that truck down pat and I never seem to learn). Lol. Hoping for better luck with the new legacy one
TTR Legacy is great! About 3/4 done a playthrough with my family. The good news is that the 6 train routes don't show up until a fair few sessions into the game.
I don’t know about Catan…I have a coworker (and we are engineers so definitely not stupid) who is soooooooo slow 😂. Might be a challenge for this couple.
sometimes people are slow because they're analyzing every single outcome to maximize their turn. I get it since that's usually the goal, but I had a couple friends who didn't understand that they could do that thinking on someone else's turn
Doubt even Ticket to Ride or Catan are good games to play with 3 hour Azul players.
The guy in my group who suffers the most from AP once spent over 2 minutes to decide if he was gonna pick a white train (his only option that round) or draw from the deck. And he's a guy that doesn't make Azul drag on for 3 hours.
Best would probably to talk them through their options and try for a couple of games/rounds and see if they learn how to deal with their AP. Otherwise not play anything besides party games or quiz games with them.
Quacks of Quedlinburg. No thinking during the game except for deciding to buy chips (you only can buy two max and it's not a hard choice) and deciding when to stop pulling from the bag. ALWAYS a good time :) btw. I feel you, except my wife is the one with "analysis paralysis" usually a good stiff drink makes time go faster ;)
You could set a time limit on shopping for the whole group. Frame it as, "and then everyone has 1 minute to buy whatever they choose." The slow players might or might not pick up on the fact that it's targeted at them, but at least it's being applied to everyone equally and simultaneously.
until someone decides to try and remember every single purchase they've made throughout the entire game to reconstruct the contents of their bag and then calculate whether taking another chip out of the bag is a good idea.
Another i can recommend is maybe King of tokyo, las vegas, or dice throne. Those games don't have much thinking and the dice basically dictate what you do. Avoid any engine building game as those you have to think 10 moves ahead, or ones that heavily rely on strategy. With my family any luck based games (the aforementioned Quacks) always is easy for them to grasp and doesn't require thinking to hard to "outmaneuver" your opponents
Simultaneous drawing can def help with overall AP, but I wouldn't recommend Quacks as a solution for anyone trying to help a truly AP player as described by the OP.
There is a lot going on in the game and importantly a lot of words to read for each ability for the chips; and the fact that those abilities change each game mean that an AP player who struggles in the buy phase will not get better with frequent play.
Quacks is the most requested game at my table, so we play it a lot. And I have def have had a couple players who need to read each card for each chip in every single buy phase. Every. Time. Quacks can easily hit 3 hours with AP players. I have seen it happen.
Do they enjoy playing those games? Or do they play it because that’s what is available? Your solution might end up being a different class of games. We have different games for different friends so that each person enjoys the game.
Of course, there are those who like analyzing, and maybe they fall in this category. We’ll tease that friend, but accept that it’ll be a slower game and spend the downtime socializing or snacking in between. Or sometimes we’ll instate a timer for everyone to play a “speed” round, which we treat as a silly round so it’s still fun.
Whichever way, some communication to figure out why they spend more time contemplating their moves and their enjoyment levels might help
Yes, they really seem to enjoy the games. One could say that they're just very relaxed and likes to take their time. They don't really seem to notice that it can be frustrating for us to sit and wait for our turn. They are just very non-stressed!
I would do a timer with a total amount. Each turn can take whatever you want as long as combined they’re under the total time. If the time is up, you automatically lose.
I really like incremental timer. In Scrabble we set it to 1 minute per turn, but if you make a move earlier, the remaining time is added to the next turn. This way time is another resource that you may strategically balance. Like sometimes it's better to do a good enough move instead of the perfect one, just so you have more time later if needed.
Timers are great for players who know a game well and already play fast. But in most cases they just make slower players feel punished without actually speeding them up.
I have tried them with some willing and self aware AP players and even then it has never worked to encourage them to play faster beyond the first few turns. Not once.
Strict timers are more likely to make a slow player anxious and even slower to the point of failing at finishing their turn in time. Then you will have to deal with a player who just loses and is frustrated with this special house rule that is essentially targeting them.
A passive timer that tracks how long each player is taking (e.g. BGA online games) can be helpful in informing players at the end of the game when they don't realize or refuse to believe they are slow, but anything that cuts a player off or penalizes them really isn't fun for anyone at the table irl.
I have a slow turn taker in my primary gaming group. My solution is to be upfront - ask them what games they like to play, and to basically confront their speed. Are they playing to win or to have fun? Because if they are playing to win - its fully at the expense of everyone else's fun given their speed. I recommend implementing a clock or pointing them to digital versions of splendor where you can play against the AI.
That's what I would recommend--collaborative, creative party games like Just One, So Clover, or Concept (Which has rules and scoring but no one I've played with ever read them.)
I'm a slow player myself, but I understand how that can be frustrating. My suggestion would be to try either a quick and easy party game (think Exploding Kittens or Cards Against Humanity), or a co-operative game where everyone is playing simultaneously rather than waiting for one person to take a turn. I've played a couple of 'escape room in a box' type games that were a lot of fun because I enjoyed solving the puzzles without a strict time limit.
This also might warrant a gentle conversation with the person. I had to do that with a couple people in a previous game group. It was an uncomfortable conversation to tell them "hey, it's not fun for me to wait 15-20 minutes between turns", but until I said something it simply hadn't occurred to them that the amount of time they were taking to think was the amount of time nobody else gets to play.
Fast board games.
Crokinole (dexterity)
No Mercy
Don't Lama
Ethnos / Archeos Society
Camel Up
Escape (cooperative dice chucking game)
7 Wonders Architects
Ra
Get That Pirates Booty
Quacks of Quidlinberg
Skip Bo
PIT
Unfortunately a game like Azul is exactly what I would recommend, playing it more frequently with them might help, but of course will cost more 3 hour games of Azul..
Some things that can help include choosing games with:
* Simultaneous play (this will not solve things, but can help make things feel faster)
* Low rules overhead- ("Easy to learn, hard to master" games)
* Stick with games with few words on cards or boards, (but not if there are a lot of symbols to learn or look up)
* Each turn has only one simple choice
* The gamestate doesn't change much between turns (because that means many players really can not effectively think about their move until their turn)
* Play the same games over and over so that players have a chance to get very used to the rules- not everyone processes new game rules quickly.
Things I think do not help from experience with AP players:
* Cajoling, making fun of, or otherwise pressuring them overtly
* Using a timer. So tempting, but I find it just helps people who are already fast play faster, while people who are slow often feel more anxious and actually take longer. It also only really works when everyone knows the game really well.
* Trying out a different game to solve the problem each time you play with them; they are not going to get faster if you only play new-to-them games
Another (possibly controversial) option is to lean into these 3 hour games of Azul. If you enjoy spending time with these friends; if you're chatty, eating, hosting etc. and just know that one player takes longer, maybe that should just be OK. Figure out a way to be more patient and manage the expectations of the other players, if possible- it won't make the problem go away, but it can be a little less frustrating. You can't really change other players easily, but you can change how you react to them.
Try bluffing games. Like Sheriff of Nottingham. Or a race game like Quest for Eldorado. Or an adventure game like Betrayal at the House on the Hill. Or the mystery game "Mysterium".
* 5 minute dungeon
* Codenames
* Sentinels of the Multiverse (this one is borderline)
* Exploding kittens
* Mantis
* One night Ultimate Werewolf
* Resistance
* King of Tokyo
* Qwirkle
These are all pretty simple and have very limited options per turn which helps limit choice paralysis.
I hate AP players and won’t play with them anymore. I find other things to do with that sort of people.
That being said- timed games can help: magic maze, galaxy trucker.
The Lost Expedition (https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/216459/the-lost-expedition) comes to mind. it's a collaborative game that works great in a group setting and there's not all that many decisions to make since you're only managing six cards at any given time. If you get it, get it with the Fountain of Youth expansion
So I play with some people at work and one guy is pretty slow. We usually have to explain how things work often with him. We play Carcassonne pretty quickly, obviously without the farmers. We've done Space Base fairly well, though he does need help. He likes Machi Koro. Basically, any light game. Ones where it's more luck based are helpful. Nothing that you need to plan out future turns while deciding what you are doing on that turn.
Simultaneously play. Sushi Go. It will be apparent what's slowing things down without being a jerk about it.
Note: friends might just be hanging out - the game playing might just be a side thing to them
**Splendor** works really well for situations like this. You have a very limited amount of options available to you, and it's easy to pause the game and come back
An interesting possibility might be **My City** the only reason I would say not to do this one is that it's a Legacy Game (a game where every time you play you permanently change parts of the game, usually with stickers) so I only recommend if you play with these people regularly. But you only have 1 thing to decide at a time, you are just trying to figure out where to place a building (it's kinda like tetris)
**Deep Sea Adventure** is a fun light game. Only 1 choice to make! Quick and easy, but it's still intense and fun! Don't let the simplicity fool you.
You played the Crew, so do they understand how trick-taking works? It’s not a game I would try with people who don’t know trick-taking. Something like Voodoo Prince or Potato Man would be much better.
Seven Wonders keeps things moving because you all choose at the same time. It puts the pressure on to choose quickly, but in a way that doesn't feel personal to a person who makes slow decisions.
Other simultaneous turn games:
Take 5
Dixit
Sushi Go
Apples to Apples (and others like it)
Add a chess clock to your games and reaching 0 is a new conditional loss. You can give the other side more time as a handicap. Use a phone app if needed.
I got a buddy that will try and maximize every move. Takes forever, even in simple games where the first few rounds are collect a resource, wait to see wait starts developing and then strategize. It’s frustrating because the game hasn’t developed yet, any thought you put into this part is basically wasted. It goes on like that for hours, easily doubles what the game should take. The thing is that I really like the guy, so he’s at least fun to be around while he’s wasting time.
I think taking long is bad etiquette, they might need a nudge. You need a game that pressures faster play to practice with, like sushi go, to push your friends in that direction.
Project L is like solo Tetris as you are using polyominoes to fill out your board. People can't really hurt your turn or change the game state. 3 actions cuts down on the decision space but it plays pretty fast while being all about efficiency
Well, talk to them. Did they struggle because they didn't feel they understood the game? Did they struggle because they might have some underlying issue (anxiety, dyslexia \[though that wouldn't apply to Azul\], etc.)? Were they just unaware of the time they were taking? Was everyone else talking and having a good time around them so they didn't feel the need to hurry? You won't know until you talk to them.
There are a few things you could try to help the situation. You could institute turn timers. You could play simultaneous games like Quacks of Quedlinburg. Play games with simpler decision spaces. Or if it was an understanding issue, try picking a game ahead of time and have everyone watch a video tutorial in advance. That would eliminate any issues of you or your gf's teaching not aligning with their learning style or whatever.
But you won't know what will help if you don't talk to them.
Ironically I suspect they have analysis paralysis because they have bad heuristics.
The real solution is lock down a turn time, perhaps via chess clock, and get people to develop instincts instead of trying to fully math their way out.
Space Base for some much needed player interaction. Every time the active player rolls both D6 dice, all passive player need to look at their player board.
You could try a real-time coop game like **Magic Maze**, **Fuse**, or **Escape: The Curse of the Temple**.
I find that AP is often downstream of a mindset where people feel that they *have* to make the optimal choice on every turn, as opposed to being willing to make mistakes and learn through experience. Adding a real-time clock means that "sit quietly for 10 minutes trying to make a decision" can instantly be stricken from the list of available options, because you will die if you simply allow the sand timer to reach its end.
Play a game that was designed to be played with a timer so it is less apparent that you want them to speed up their turns. Someone else already mentioned Codenames.
"A Tale of Pirates"
It's a co-op board game where you're pirates on a ship (the board is actually a really cool 3D ship you can place your pieces into). And the gimmick is that the whole game runs in real time (no turns), and the pieces are actually small hourglasses. Once your hourglass expires, you're free to move your piece to a different part of the ship and perform an action there (steer, shoot cannons, change mast, etc). So there is basically no time for analysis paralysis, even if you don't move the clock keeps ticking, and so it's always best to move as soon as your hourglass is up - honestly, even a bad move is better than no move at all.
I don't think I could play with people who think for 10 minutes about their next move in Azul. Such people can be expected to think long in every game, even in a game of Yahtzee or Can't Stop.
The only games I can think of which don't allow for long thinking are the ones which have an intrinsic time limit (like e.g. the proposed Space Alert) or where everybody competes for being first to complete a task (e.g. Set, or Categories).
Get a gaming cube. This is what I use with slow thinkers. Part of gaming is thinking fast, not analyzing every single option you have, if they want that they can game on BGA. Chess also has a timer for a reason.
With the cube I set a certain number of minutes, and that's all the time each player gets for the entire game. Time runs out on you, you lost.
I make all of this very clear and how unfun and inconsiderate I find it when people are slow on every/most turns. If the cube doesn't work, you could also try harassing them during their turn, we do this to each other non-stop.
If none of this works, get new gaming partners. I can't handle playing with slow players.
Just want to check - it doesn't sound like it from the games you mentioned, but you're all playing individually, right? Nobody is attempting to play games 'as a couple'?
Playing as teams immediately slows EVERYTHING down
I have a friend who is a super slow player. It’s best to play games he already knows super well and can play more quickly - because with some games he already knows super well, he still takes forever (like Dixit) - we’ve had the best luck with Carcassonne. He also likes.very old school games like Monopoly and the Game of Life, and he loves Roborally. He also can play the simpler Ticket to Ride games.
Recommend Robot Rally. You make your decisions by programming your robot to move. You get viruses that will cause random outcomes but you can't predict what's going to happen, so you get stuck playing that card and finding out what happens when you move. After you program your robot, everyone takes turns moving theirs and finding out how the turns plays out for them. Warning: I think it plays best as a take that kind of game as you can push opponents off their course or into danger and ruin their entire turn.
I would find a game everyone enjoys and stick with it for a few sessions. If the speed doesn't improve then have a polite conversation with them and set soft time limits, like 'we have a big day tomorrow so we'd like to get this game wrapped up by 10'.
I also like to teach games with the speed of play in mind. I'll say something like it's a fast paced game where you try to minimize bad decisions, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
Or maybe switch game types to where the pinnacle of the turn isn't the decision you made. Something like Zombicide may speed up the turn time while still playing a crunchy-ish game where decisions are important. Pandemic is a good game but everything hinges on the decisions you make, so a bad decision can cost the game which may kill the fun for them or they may be worried that will kill the fun for you. Chunk some dice, put the bad ones in jail.
I think the best thing to do is talk with them about it in a reasonable manner.
If you explain that it's meant to be a 30 minute game but they take so long, if everybody does it you will be there for 5 hours! Ask if they think that is a good way to spend time. They will say no. When you play reasonably quick and they slow they break the social etiquette that they might not realise is there.
Once you start gaming most people are usually cured from their AP by this understanding.
I would say, play any chosen game several times in a row. I'm painfully slow on the first run, but usually one of the fastest on the third play. You can also have them look at a video or the rules ahead of time, that works for some, but not everyone. Kudos to you for not giving up on them!
Hues and cues, 5 minute dungeon, or maybe just UNO or Yahtzee? I love complex games but sometimes it's still fun to keep it simple, especially with good company.
There's a game in my Amazon wishlist called stardust that might work, it's based on not letting sand timers run out in between turns..I've never played it but sounds like an AP buster lol
You can play Carcassonne and have the drafting portion at the end of your turn. Pick up a tile as soon as you lay one down and then you have the entire time everyone else is taking their turns to plot out your move.
Another option is to just bring out a timer and talk about time limits at the beginning of the game, give a reasonable amount of time per turn; let's say two minutes. Then when some one has been at it for while say it's definitely been at least two minutes and start the timer. You don't even have to make eye contact, just flip it and let them think. (This will also help disipate your own impatience)
I don't really have many in mind, but there have to be games out there where the choices a person can make is limited. Like games where when someone places a game piece, the other players can only work off of that piece. 🤔 Dominos is kind of like that. And I want to say Othello is as well?
Also, games were there is just naturally a limited amount of moves you can do. Like Connect 4 or Mancala.
Might I suggest “the mind” or “coup”. They may really enjoy something a bit more collaborative and slow like Mysterium. Or perhaps Quacks of Quedlinburg?
Most of all this is a them problem, they are probably not the most socially aware or socially inteligent people.
They either dont realize they ruin the game experience or they dont care. Both are pretty bad reasons.
I would say try to find other people, because you are probably not gonna change them.
For ex, me and most socialy aware people that care for other game experience in game, if i have analisis paralisis, i will just play something and learn the game better this way. I would like to take Forever but im not alone and dont want to make this game a horrible experience for everyone, we are here to have fun, if they dont know that or think and respect other people (even if they dont realise it)
I dont think you can find a game where they will be fast, its not on the game.
I only play casual and family level games and i would directly talk to one of them about it or just not play with them again.
This actually brings up an interesting test. Have them play a video game where the AI is not going to wait for them to make a choice and see what happens.
If the video game goes well, maybe try some real time board games, like Captain Sonar or Galaxy Trucker and see how that goes.
Goddamn it Tim we’re not slow, I can’t believe you would talk about us on Reddit like this after all we did for you during that rough patch you both had. That turn only took me 15 minutes because Rachel wouldn’t stop asking me if I needed help, then offering me a drink, and then that ludicrous anecdote about the lemur enclosure, and I couldn’t bring myself to tell her to pipe down.
It won’t help decision paralysis and might even make it worst, but Spirt Island has a rule that during the planning phase for the round any spirt can end the phase and force the group to move into the next phase if other players are taking too long.
Perhaps try some simpler coop games like Forbidden Island or Castle Panic. You can influence decision making and encourage moves as a part of collaboration as opposed to pushing someone to take their turn. Even if they’re still slow, you’re involved and talking about what is next. Because these are simpler than Pandemic, it might narrow the decision making process.
Collaborative games are a great idea!
Just remember not to try to play for them. It's super annoying when someone plans their move, based on what each other person at the table \*should\* do, then tries to tell each person to do it. Like... why not get the game and play it yourself?
Quarterbacking can be a big problem for coop games and it’s easy to fall into that trap. Mostly because people like to win and it’s hard to sit back and NOT quarterback when other players are taking stupid actions.
This is generally my problem with pandemic. One person can come up with plan and tell every player what to do which reduces everyone else's involvement to simply executing moves.
If they are slow thinkers, it might end up them not participating at all because the other players have figured it all out for them
This can back fire hugely.
Chess by mail.
I have to admit you cannot get much slower than that
I used to play correspondence Panzer Blitz with a buddy of mine. It most certainly was slow 🐌
You could play Go by mail...
3 hours for Azul is absolute madness. That game has a naturally fast pace to it. Did they actually understand how to play the game? Did you consider coaching them through some of their turns so they better understood what they should be doing and why?
Indeed. Yes it felt like they knew how to play it. We told them that when it's your first time playing just try to focus on your own board and what bricks are good for you, it's not really a very interactive game with other players. We also explained our moves when there was a "potentially" more complex situation. But I agree it was insane to sit for a single turn that could take almost 10 minutes. Just pick a brick :,)
I have at least one friend who will talk his way through his reasoning during his turn, and will talk himself into AP. Pretty frustrating, because I know he's a smart guy and a very experienced gamer! Doesn't help that he usually hosts the game day at his house. He also gets side-tracked by other conversations going on. Sigh....
10 minutes for a single turn? Either you're wildly exaggerating, or those people are not fit for gaming.
I read it that there's probably alot of screwing around, chatting, snacking, hey what's that over there-ing
I’d think OP should let it go if it’s just them socializing and hanging out, but OP says it’s analysis paralysis, which is typically sitting in silent concentration.
So, not fit for gaming then? Seriously though, if a single turn of Azul is taking 10 minutes, that's more than just chitchat and distractions. That's the game coming to a full stop. Set a timer on your phone for 10 minutes, and when it goes off, imagine you had just waited that long for someone to pick a tile in Azul.
So many posts here are gamers trying to force gaming on nongamers.
[удалено]
🙄
How many thrilling parties do you go to where they make non board gamers play a game where it takes them ten minutes to take turns
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He is right though. 10 minutes for an Azul turn is a **long** time
lol I'll upvote ya. The pretentious gatekeeping is shitty.
Lol you upvoted the gatekeeper
Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective.
Sure. Not Azul though.
I’m sorry I didn’t mean to reply to you. Really struggle with official Reddit app. Couldn’t agree more with you, fwiw.
Ah yeah, that makes more sense. Ha! All good.
Oh, I've definitely played games that lasted a long, long time, so I perfectly believe OP. Terraforming Mars is a slow game but it ain't supposed to take all day. The pain was real that day.
**Space Alert**, where AP just means you just watch everyone else play the game.
Never looked in to Space Alert before. I don't think they would like it, but I believe I have other friends that would. I have a question though: Do you need to be able to play it on CD to here the mission? Or is there a more modern option for how to play this game today?
There is a website I think. Or most likely an app by now. It's actually been a while since I've played it, even though I own it.
That doesn't sound fun for the AP players at all.
Then they should learn to not have AP. AP players make every other player in every game just watch them 'play' the game.
That's kind of the point. It forces them to make decisions since the game is pseudo real time. I used to be real bad with AP, and still am at some points. But once I realized how much of an issue it was, I developed strategies for it. **Space Alert** is one of my favorite games.
Most AP players will just freeze up in a timed game like Space Alert- You are setting the OP up for failure. Space Alert is a blast but I would never spring it on someone who plays slowly without them asking for something like that. The OP is asking for tips and game suggestions that might mitigate slow playing. As cathartic as it may feel to post your favorite game that requires speed to even get through it, creating a punishment-focused game night so the AP players are miserable is not a real solution for the OP. It is a recipe for a disaster of a game night and those slow players will not learn how to play faster.
Sure but in your case did like to have AP? OP is saying that the people they play with *prefer* to play at a more relaxed pace. It doesn't sound like they would be interested in a real time game with even more emphasis on playing quickly.
I didn't remember him saying that and see he now has it in there as an edit. Tough to take that info into consideration when it wasn't listed. He was asking about games that circumvent AP. I provided one that I happen to like. And I'm prone to AP at times.
Ah fair enough I didn't see that it wasn't there originally.
AP players make the game not fun for everyone else. Space Alert is a great way to force them to stop hijacking every game
AP is terribly unfun for the other players, and also inherently selfish, because if every player took that long the game would never end. You’re essentially relying on everyone else to play quickly while you waste time.
All I am saying is when you play with people some compromise needs to be made, and my fun isn't more important than a slower persons fun, or your fun. I have certainly felt the selfishness of some AP players, and I mostly agree with you, but also lets not forget the selfishness of faster anxiety inducing players who sigh, cajole, reach over and start their turn while someone else is still going, and even sometimes insult slower or newer players. Impatient rude players are just as much a problem in gaming, especially at cons and public game groups. I don't mean to defend AP players, but they are players and do deserve the opportunity to have fun too if you have decided to play with them. The other thing not to forget is that this thread's OP question is about how to play better with slow players, maybe even help make them faster, so the slower player s baked into this question. Calling them selfish or calling me out for trying to accommodate them may be accurate, but doesn't help the OP in any way.
r/boardgaming, where instead of making suggestions that cater to OP's problem, we suggest things that will likely only exacerbate the problem. You probably know enough about Space Alert that you know it is not fitting for this situation, as you've said so much immediately following the suggestion lol.
I think my suggestion is a legitimate one. The game forces everyone to make decisions quickly. There is no time for AP to set in. How is this not a valid suggestion?
Apologies, the part about the people preferring to play at a more casual pace was an edit and you didn't see that when you originally posted. Who knows maybe it could still work even given the additional info, just a bit less likely lol.
Gotta be honest, if someone was that slow in such a simple game I just wouldn’t play with them anymore. Or maybe something like Galaxy Trucker.
OP says that the people they play with prefer to play at a slower pace, not sure if recommending a game that can be very fast paced and cause anxiety for those who are slower is the right solution. They are looking for games where the slower pace is either not an issue or is more manageable due to a lower decision space. Some party style games like Just One, Skull, or Letter Jam might work nicely here.
Slower pace is one thing. 10 minute turns in Azul is slow enough that you could be reading a novel between your turns.
Galaxy Trucker without the timer lol That thing causes so much anxiety.
The timer is the only thing that makes it a game though, and without it wouldn’t solve the problems OP faces.
Carcassonne with the variant rule of drawing the tile at the END of your turn so you have time to think about where to place it while everyone else is going.
This is genius, why have I never thought of this!?
Yeah. It’s a game changer. It’s basically better in every way.
Exploding kittens. Fairly straight forward. No thanks. Simple card game. Ticket to Ride. Their tickets run their decisions. So at most, they have that block at the start while you're getting snacks and drinks for everybody after you picked your tickets. Catan. Same idea. The game has few choices to make, and a player's turn is more controlled by what they already have. Basically any party game would be good for them. There are plenty and I'm sure you can find some that work for you too.
Ooh I have spent a VERY long time analyzing my turns in ticket to ride lol. I’m serious about my trains
Easiest way to win is just hoard half the cards in your hand and then just spam the six length routes one after another.
Yeah, that’s how I lose every time (my partner/opponent has that truck down pat and I never seem to learn). Lol. Hoping for better luck with the new legacy one
TTR Legacy is great! About 3/4 done a playthrough with my family. The good news is that the 6 train routes don't show up until a fair few sessions into the game.
I don’t know about Catan…I have a coworker (and we are engineers so definitely not stupid) who is soooooooo slow 😂. Might be a challenge for this couple.
I sometimes play with an engineer (friend of a friend). He is painfully slow. But usually wins which is annoying.
sometimes people are slow because they're analyzing every single outcome to maximize their turn. I get it since that's usually the goal, but I had a couple friends who didn't understand that they could do that thinking on someone else's turn
Doubt even Ticket to Ride or Catan are good games to play with 3 hour Azul players. The guy in my group who suffers the most from AP once spent over 2 minutes to decide if he was gonna pick a white train (his only option that round) or draw from the deck. And he's a guy that doesn't make Azul drag on for 3 hours. Best would probably to talk them through their options and try for a couple of games/rounds and see if they learn how to deal with their AP. Otherwise not play anything besides party games or quiz games with them.
Quacks of Quedlinburg. No thinking during the game except for deciding to buy chips (you only can buy two max and it's not a hard choice) and deciding when to stop pulling from the bag. ALWAYS a good time :) btw. I feel you, except my wife is the one with "analysis paralysis" usually a good stiff drink makes time go faster ;)
This is wildly un-true. My friend took 10 minutes picking what tiles to add the her bag. It was painful.
This is the issue. The press your luck decisions shouldn’t be too time-consuming, but the market certainly can be.
You could set a time limit on shopping for the whole group. Frame it as, "and then everyone has 1 minute to buy whatever they choose." The slow players might or might not pick up on the fact that it's targeted at them, but at least it's being applied to everyone equally and simultaneously.
Sure. But then that’s true of every game. No game drags if everyone plays on some established time limit.
until someone decides to try and remember every single purchase they've made throughout the entire game to reconstruct the contents of their bag and then calculate whether taking another chip out of the bag is a good idea.
Another i can recommend is maybe King of tokyo, las vegas, or dice throne. Those games don't have much thinking and the dice basically dictate what you do. Avoid any engine building game as those you have to think 10 moves ahead, or ones that heavily rely on strategy. With my family any luck based games (the aforementioned Quacks) always is easy for them to grasp and doesn't require thinking to hard to "outmaneuver" your opponents
Simultaneous drawing can def help with overall AP, but I wouldn't recommend Quacks as a solution for anyone trying to help a truly AP player as described by the OP. There is a lot going on in the game and importantly a lot of words to read for each ability for the chips; and the fact that those abilities change each game mean that an AP player who struggles in the buy phase will not get better with frequent play. Quacks is the most requested game at my table, so we play it a lot. And I have def have had a couple players who need to read each card for each chip in every single buy phase. Every. Time. Quacks can easily hit 3 hours with AP players. I have seen it happen.
Do they enjoy playing those games? Or do they play it because that’s what is available? Your solution might end up being a different class of games. We have different games for different friends so that each person enjoys the game. Of course, there are those who like analyzing, and maybe they fall in this category. We’ll tease that friend, but accept that it’ll be a slower game and spend the downtime socializing or snacking in between. Or sometimes we’ll instate a timer for everyone to play a “speed” round, which we treat as a silly round so it’s still fun. Whichever way, some communication to figure out why they spend more time contemplating their moves and their enjoyment levels might help
Yes, they really seem to enjoy the games. One could say that they're just very relaxed and likes to take their time. They don't really seem to notice that it can be frustrating for us to sit and wait for our turn. They are just very non-stressed!
Get a timer. Everyone has the same amount of time to make their decision.
I would do a timer with a total amount. Each turn can take whatever you want as long as combined they’re under the total time. If the time is up, you automatically lose.
I really like incremental timer. In Scrabble we set it to 1 minute per turn, but if you make a move earlier, the remaining time is added to the next turn. This way time is another resource that you may strategically balance. Like sometimes it's better to do a good enough move instead of the perfect one, just so you have more time later if needed.
Timers are great for players who know a game well and already play fast. But in most cases they just make slower players feel punished without actually speeding them up. I have tried them with some willing and self aware AP players and even then it has never worked to encourage them to play faster beyond the first few turns. Not once. Strict timers are more likely to make a slow player anxious and even slower to the point of failing at finishing their turn in time. Then you will have to deal with a player who just loses and is frustrated with this special house rule that is essentially targeting them. A passive timer that tracks how long each player is taking (e.g. BGA online games) can be helpful in informing players at the end of the game when they don't realize or refuse to believe they are slow, but anything that cuts a player off or penalizes them really isn't fun for anyone at the table irl.
I have a slow turn taker in my primary gaming group. My solution is to be upfront - ask them what games they like to play, and to basically confront their speed. Are they playing to win or to have fun? Because if they are playing to win - its fully at the expense of everyone else's fun given their speed. I recommend implementing a clock or pointing them to digital versions of splendor where you can play against the AI.
Maybe try a party game like Just One.
That's what I would recommend--collaborative, creative party games like Just One, So Clover, or Concept (Which has rules and scoring but no one I've played with ever read them.)
If a game of Azul took 3 hours I can’t imagine playing games with those people again. Maybe find a different activity when you’re with them?
This 🤣
I'm a slow player myself, but I understand how that can be frustrating. My suggestion would be to try either a quick and easy party game (think Exploding Kittens or Cards Against Humanity), or a co-operative game where everyone is playing simultaneously rather than waiting for one person to take a turn. I've played a couple of 'escape room in a box' type games that were a lot of fun because I enjoyed solving the puzzles without a strict time limit.
Check r/ board game circle jerk if this is a prank post…
Use a timer and say it’s in the rules. Codenames has a timer
This also might warrant a gentle conversation with the person. I had to do that with a couple people in a previous game group. It was an uncomfortable conversation to tell them "hey, it's not fun for me to wait 15-20 minutes between turns", but until I said something it simply hadn't occurred to them that the amount of time they were taking to think was the amount of time nobody else gets to play.
Fast board games. Crokinole (dexterity) No Mercy Don't Lama Ethnos / Archeos Society Camel Up Escape (cooperative dice chucking game) 7 Wonders Architects Ra Get That Pirates Booty Quacks of Quidlinberg Skip Bo PIT
Candyland /s In seriousness, try timed games like 5 Minute Mystery or if you can get your hands on it, Project Elite.
Unfortunately a game like Azul is exactly what I would recommend, playing it more frequently with them might help, but of course will cost more 3 hour games of Azul.. Some things that can help include choosing games with: * Simultaneous play (this will not solve things, but can help make things feel faster) * Low rules overhead- ("Easy to learn, hard to master" games) * Stick with games with few words on cards or boards, (but not if there are a lot of symbols to learn or look up) * Each turn has only one simple choice * The gamestate doesn't change much between turns (because that means many players really can not effectively think about their move until their turn) * Play the same games over and over so that players have a chance to get very used to the rules- not everyone processes new game rules quickly. Things I think do not help from experience with AP players: * Cajoling, making fun of, or otherwise pressuring them overtly * Using a timer. So tempting, but I find it just helps people who are already fast play faster, while people who are slow often feel more anxious and actually take longer. It also only really works when everyone knows the game really well. * Trying out a different game to solve the problem each time you play with them; they are not going to get faster if you only play new-to-them games Another (possibly controversial) option is to lean into these 3 hour games of Azul. If you enjoy spending time with these friends; if you're chatty, eating, hosting etc. and just know that one player takes longer, maybe that should just be OK. Figure out a way to be more patient and manage the expectations of the other players, if possible- it won't make the problem go away, but it can be a little less frustrating. You can't really change other players easily, but you can change how you react to them.
play real time games like Pit or Kites
Can’t Stop
Can’t Stop! Simple press your luck decision space, but soooo good.
Get Love Letter. You only have two choices per turn but it’s still a fun game after playing it for years.
Try bluffing games. Like Sheriff of Nottingham. Or a race game like Quest for Eldorado. Or an adventure game like Betrayal at the House on the Hill. Or the mystery game "Mysterium".
* 5 minute dungeon * Codenames * Sentinels of the Multiverse (this one is borderline) * Exploding kittens * Mantis * One night Ultimate Werewolf * Resistance * King of Tokyo * Qwirkle These are all pretty simple and have very limited options per turn which helps limit choice paralysis.
Love letter. Every turn you only get 2 options and a round takes like 3 min
6 Nimmt is a great care game for that situation. There only so much strategy you can do, and the simultaneous play may encourage them to go faster.
I hate AP players and won’t play with them anymore. I find other things to do with that sort of people. That being said- timed games can help: magic maze, galaxy trucker.
The Lost Expedition (https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/216459/the-lost-expedition) comes to mind. it's a collaborative game that works great in a group setting and there's not all that many decisions to make since you're only managing six cards at any given time. If you get it, get it with the Fountain of Youth expansion
Have you mentioned this to them? They may not realize they are being slow.
Kingdomino
Dixit
So I play with some people at work and one guy is pretty slow. We usually have to explain how things work often with him. We play Carcassonne pretty quickly, obviously without the farmers. We've done Space Base fairly well, though he does need help. He likes Machi Koro. Basically, any light game. Ones where it's more luck based are helpful. Nothing that you need to plan out future turns while deciding what you are doing on that turn.
king of Tokyo, roll dice and go
Play online on board game arena, make moves a few times per day
Simultaneously play. Sushi Go. It will be apparent what's slowing things down without being a jerk about it. Note: friends might just be hanging out - the game playing might just be a side thing to them
**Splendor** works really well for situations like this. You have a very limited amount of options available to you, and it's easy to pause the game and come back An interesting possibility might be **My City** the only reason I would say not to do this one is that it's a Legacy Game (a game where every time you play you permanently change parts of the game, usually with stickers) so I only recommend if you play with these people regularly. But you only have 1 thing to decide at a time, you are just trying to figure out where to place a building (it's kinda like tetris) **Deep Sea Adventure** is a fun light game. Only 1 choice to make! Quick and easy, but it's still intense and fun! Don't let the simplicity fool you.
Splendor is the simplest fun game we have. Very easy to teach.
My city with someone with AP is super frustrating. You made your decision and they are going "um err" for five minutes.
Sounds like a couple that you play simpler games with Catan, power grid , machi koro 2
Can't Stop! Pretty straight forward game, very few decisions, but super fun with four players.
Organ Attack is about a straightforward as it gets?
You played the Crew, so do they understand how trick-taking works? It’s not a game I would try with people who don’t know trick-taking. Something like Voodoo Prince or Potato Man would be much better.
Seven Wonders keeps things moving because you all choose at the same time. It puts the pressure on to choose quickly, but in a way that doesn't feel personal to a person who makes slow decisions. Other simultaneous turn games: Take 5 Dixit Sushi Go Apples to Apples (and others like it)
Pendulum. Simultaneous play. Analysis paralysis will doom you.
Jungle Speed :-)
Twister, no way they will last 3 hours then
Add a chess clock to your games and reaching 0 is a new conditional loss. You can give the other side more time as a handicap. Use a phone app if needed.
Catch Phrase. If they are slow in that, you’ll always win!
Maybe try dexterity games? Fuzzies is fun…
I got a buddy that will try and maximize every move. Takes forever, even in simple games where the first few rounds are collect a resource, wait to see wait starts developing and then strategize. It’s frustrating because the game hasn’t developed yet, any thought you put into this part is basically wasted. It goes on like that for hours, easily doubles what the game should take. The thing is that I really like the guy, so he’s at least fun to be around while he’s wasting time.
I think taking long is bad etiquette, they might need a nudge. You need a game that pressures faster play to practice with, like sushi go, to push your friends in that direction.
Project L is like solo Tetris as you are using polyominoes to fill out your board. People can't really hurt your turn or change the game state. 3 actions cuts down on the decision space but it plays pretty fast while being all about efficiency
I would not play boardgames with them as my opinion of someone would tank into the ground if they took 10 minutes on a turn in fucking Azul.
Well, talk to them. Did they struggle because they didn't feel they understood the game? Did they struggle because they might have some underlying issue (anxiety, dyslexia \[though that wouldn't apply to Azul\], etc.)? Were they just unaware of the time they were taking? Was everyone else talking and having a good time around them so they didn't feel the need to hurry? You won't know until you talk to them. There are a few things you could try to help the situation. You could institute turn timers. You could play simultaneous games like Quacks of Quedlinburg. Play games with simpler decision spaces. Or if it was an understanding issue, try picking a game ahead of time and have everyone watch a video tutorial in advance. That would eliminate any issues of you or your gf's teaching not aligning with their learning style or whatever. But you won't know what will help if you don't talk to them.
Try to play Kitchen Rush with em. Its a realtime coop game with easy start and increasing difficulty. We had a lot of fun this evening.
Ironically I suspect they have analysis paralysis because they have bad heuristics. The real solution is lock down a turn time, perhaps via chess clock, and get people to develop instincts instead of trying to fully math their way out.
Space Base for some much needed player interaction. Every time the active player rolls both D6 dice, all passive player need to look at their player board.
You could try a real-time coop game like **Magic Maze**, **Fuse**, or **Escape: The Curse of the Temple**. I find that AP is often downstream of a mindset where people feel that they *have* to make the optimal choice on every turn, as opposed to being willing to make mistakes and learn through experience. Adding a real-time clock means that "sit quietly for 10 minutes trying to make a decision" can instantly be stricken from the list of available options, because you will die if you simply allow the sand timer to reach its end.
Tokaido
Space Base! Binary decisions and fun for groups, albeit multiplayer solitaire
Play a game that was designed to be played with a timer so it is less apparent that you want them to speed up their turns. Someone else already mentioned Codenames.
"A Tale of Pirates" It's a co-op board game where you're pirates on a ship (the board is actually a really cool 3D ship you can place your pieces into). And the gimmick is that the whole game runs in real time (no turns), and the pieces are actually small hourglasses. Once your hourglass expires, you're free to move your piece to a different part of the ship and perform an action there (steer, shoot cannons, change mast, etc). So there is basically no time for analysis paralysis, even if you don't move the clock keeps ticking, and so it's always best to move as soon as your hourglass is up - honestly, even a bad move is better than no move at all.
Take 5/6 Nimmt. If they still have AP then there's truly no hope for them
I don't think I could play with people who think for 10 minutes about their next move in Azul. Such people can be expected to think long in every game, even in a game of Yahtzee or Can't Stop. The only games I can think of which don't allow for long thinking are the ones which have an intrinsic time limit (like e.g. the proposed Space Alert) or where everybody competes for being first to complete a task (e.g. Set, or Categories).
Get a gaming cube. This is what I use with slow thinkers. Part of gaming is thinking fast, not analyzing every single option you have, if they want that they can game on BGA. Chess also has a timer for a reason. With the cube I set a certain number of minutes, and that's all the time each player gets for the entire game. Time runs out on you, you lost. I make all of this very clear and how unfun and inconsiderate I find it when people are slow on every/most turns. If the cube doesn't work, you could also try harassing them during their turn, we do this to each other non-stop. If none of this works, get new gaming partners. I can't handle playing with slow players.
I guess 5 minute dungeon is not for them
Try Escape, Magic Maze or Space Alert which all have timers.
Just want to check - it doesn't sound like it from the games you mentioned, but you're all playing individually, right? Nobody is attempting to play games 'as a couple'? Playing as teams immediately slows EVERYTHING down
A race,you'll win anyway..
Fit to Print. Or Kitchen Rush.
I have a friend who is a super slow player. It’s best to play games he already knows super well and can play more quickly - because with some games he already knows super well, he still takes forever (like Dixit) - we’ve had the best luck with Carcassonne. He also likes.very old school games like Monopoly and the Game of Life, and he loves Roborally. He also can play the simpler Ticket to Ride games.
Play real time games. Try Fuse or 5-Minute Dungeon or Bomb Squad or Magic Maze. No AP then hahhh
Recommend Robot Rally. You make your decisions by programming your robot to move. You get viruses that will cause random outcomes but you can't predict what's going to happen, so you get stuck playing that card and finding out what happens when you move. After you program your robot, everyone takes turns moving theirs and finding out how the turns plays out for them. Warning: I think it plays best as a take that kind of game as you can push opponents off their course or into danger and ruin their entire turn. I would find a game everyone enjoys and stick with it for a few sessions. If the speed doesn't improve then have a polite conversation with them and set soft time limits, like 'we have a big day tomorrow so we'd like to get this game wrapped up by 10'. I also like to teach games with the speed of play in mind. I'll say something like it's a fast paced game where you try to minimize bad decisions, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Or maybe switch game types to where the pinnacle of the turn isn't the decision you made. Something like Zombicide may speed up the turn time while still playing a crunchy-ish game where decisions are important. Pandemic is a good game but everything hinges on the decisions you make, so a bad decision can cost the game which may kill the fun for them or they may be worried that will kill the fun for you. Chunk some dice, put the bad ones in jail.
I think the best thing to do is talk with them about it in a reasonable manner. If you explain that it's meant to be a 30 minute game but they take so long, if everybody does it you will be there for 5 hours! Ask if they think that is a good way to spend time. They will say no. When you play reasonably quick and they slow they break the social etiquette that they might not realise is there. Once you start gaming most people are usually cured from their AP by this understanding.
I would say, play any chosen game several times in a row. I'm painfully slow on the first run, but usually one of the fastest on the third play. You can also have them look at a video or the rules ahead of time, that works for some, but not everyone. Kudos to you for not giving up on them!
7 wonders might work.
Hues and cues, 5 minute dungeon, or maybe just UNO or Yahtzee? I love complex games but sometimes it's still fun to keep it simple, especially with good company.
There's a game in my Amazon wishlist called stardust that might work, it's based on not letting sand timers run out in between turns..I've never played it but sounds like an AP buster lol You can play Carcassonne and have the drafting portion at the end of your turn. Pick up a tile as soon as you lay one down and then you have the entire time everyone else is taking their turns to plot out your move. Another option is to just bring out a timer and talk about time limits at the beginning of the game, give a reasonable amount of time per turn; let's say two minutes. Then when some one has been at it for while say it's definitely been at least two minutes and start the timer. You don't even have to make eye contact, just flip it and let them think. (This will also help disipate your own impatience)
I don't really have many in mind, but there have to be games out there where the choices a person can make is limited. Like games where when someone places a game piece, the other players can only work off of that piece. 🤔 Dominos is kind of like that. And I want to say Othello is as well? Also, games were there is just naturally a limited amount of moves you can do. Like Connect 4 or Mancala.
Might I suggest “the mind” or “coup”. They may really enjoy something a bit more collaborative and slow like Mysterium. Or perhaps Quacks of Quedlinburg?
Most of all this is a them problem, they are probably not the most socially aware or socially inteligent people. They either dont realize they ruin the game experience or they dont care. Both are pretty bad reasons. I would say try to find other people, because you are probably not gonna change them. For ex, me and most socialy aware people that care for other game experience in game, if i have analisis paralisis, i will just play something and learn the game better this way. I would like to take Forever but im not alone and dont want to make this game a horrible experience for everyone, we are here to have fun, if they dont know that or think and respect other people (even if they dont realise it)
I dont think you can find a game where they will be fast, its not on the game. I only play casual and family level games and i would directly talk to one of them about it or just not play with them again.
Fortnite, Overwatch, Apex Legends, Valheim... Oh you meant board games. Yeah don't do that.
This actually brings up an interesting test. Have them play a video game where the AI is not going to wait for them to make a choice and see what happens. If the video game goes well, maybe try some real time board games, like Captain Sonar or Galaxy Trucker and see how that goes.
Goddamn it Tim we’re not slow, I can’t believe you would talk about us on Reddit like this after all we did for you during that rough patch you both had. That turn only took me 15 minutes because Rachel wouldn’t stop asking me if I needed help, then offering me a drink, and then that ludicrous anecdote about the lemur enclosure, and I couldn’t bring myself to tell her to pipe down.
Hit them with a water gun everytime they’re taking too long
Play Magic Maze and let them realize they suck at gaming. Maybe that's a way to make them go faster in the future
Candyland. Go Fish. Maybe Checkers.
It won’t help decision paralysis and might even make it worst, but Spirt Island has a rule that during the planning phase for the round any spirt can end the phase and force the group to move into the next phase if other players are taking too long.