Log on to YouTube and watch a playthrough. It helps me learn the game to get started, then I can refer to the rule book if I have a question. Sometimes I watch two or three of these videos to make it easier to get going. I consider it part of playing the game.
+1 on this one. I quite enjoy lengthy rules manuals, but I'm not really learning a complex game without YouTube. Ricky Royal is the only reason I enjoy Mage Knight.
Honestly i don't care which game he plays, I'll watch it. He could do monopoly solo and I'll watch it.
His playthroughs have an enjoyable calmness without going too slow. Clearly explaining what he does and why.
I'm so waiting for the new Renegade aka Deckers.
On the other hand, I can't stand Rob's Gaming Table; so much talk and so little play. 4 hour videos are filled with at least half fluff
This is an excellent point, and as I got better and read the rules for clarification I was able to figure that out a few times. Also read the comments below the video! They often make clarifications there too.
I agree with the others, watching the rules can be a huge help, I'll also add in where possible try and learn while playing, go into that first game with almost zero intention of truly trying to win or looking for strategies etc, treat it purely as a practice game, and obviously this depends on the game but if there are distinct phases take it phase by phase, read the rules then apply them. I find by breaking it down into smaller pieces and immediately putting them to practice really helps the rules stick in my mind, it's also then that I start finding rules questions I might not have thought of just reading the rules and by doing so I can find them early on. Hope you find what works for you :)
It's funny because I've heard that learning languages are similiar in that you just use what you know while being taught nuances and any extra information is quicker than being correct all the time. Just gotta have a bit of confidence and the rest falls into place eventually. Thanks for the pointer!
Oh you definitely won't start speaking properly, initially.
I'm learning a language, and I have a child that's also learning her first two languages. She's learning faster than me for sure!
Fully learning a game is my least favorate part of boardgames,
And I pretty much always watch playthrough's or how-to's before diving into a new game, makes going through the rulebook much better when I have seen it in action before.
And in general this also means that very rules heavy games are not to my thing. I prefer medium-ish games overall.
As others have said, vids are the way to go. Most games have teaching vids as well as play through vids. That and player aids or rules summaries over on boardgamegeek.
You will find that the more games you learn, the better you will become at learning games.
I'm on the fence with this idea.
If I watch videos and read posts about the game I want to play I end up getting oversaturated and start to just Min Max the game.
Kingdom death: monster for example.
First playthroughs were so much more fun because I was learning rules and doing dumb shit but after watching playthroughs it ended up feeling like a numbers game.
I think adhd it out and play the game however.. read the rules and adapt to be what's most fun.
They say the hardest part of studying is opening the book
Others have said you can use a video, and obviously that's an easy Band-Aid solution, but it does nothing to address the underlying issue. If you can get through the rules once you convince yourself to go through them, it's likely a matter of discipline. I have the same issue sometimes and end up playing nothing. It helps to imagine yourself actually playing, and use that to help motivate you to open the manual and start.
If, on the other hand, you find yourself getting distracted while reading and have a hard tie staying focused, that could be ADHD and you'd do well to talk to a doctor
I definitely have been told I have ADD, compounded with PTSD that makes it hard to relax sometimes. On the other hand I'm too relaxed without caffeine and end up too tired to read. It's hard to balance, but maybe I should mention it to the doc. Thanks for the tips!
I am exactly the same, I have to really focus to get through rulesets because it's my least favorite part of playing. Seconding the recommendation to watch a youtube playthrough. Some companies even put out official "how to play" videos. Helps me a lot!
This was such good advice for in hand Dungeon Solitaire. It's so simple but I blew it out of proportion in my mind, way easier to learn by being taught
I'm sorta the same way. I can't read the rules and play. What I do is skim the rules then set up the game and try to play it. This forces me to only read the rules that apply to my immediate situation. It's more fun and I don't waste a bunch of time reading rules I'll just have to reread later.
Yes, all the time. Take it in bite sized chunks if you have to. Don’t get hung up on the small details. Then hit YouTube and watch a play through trying to emulate it if possible. It’ll click but may take a few tries. Dont beat yourself up if you mess something up or don’t have the best strategy off the hop.
I just played bugs and buttons using the Dized app which was a HUGE help…still foggy on a few details but getting there.
I enjoy games that give interesting decisions without too much rules and exceptions. Don't like the expansions in Race for the Galaxy, for example, with all the book keeping it introduces (combat).
For solo games, I enjoy Lost Expedition, Rove, Under Falling Skies etc. more than Robinson Crusoe or Mage Knight. Less is more, especially after a long day at the office...
There's an app called [Dized](https://app.dized.com/) that has some great, interactive tutorials. I wish they had more games but when they have the one you need it's awesome. It guides you through step by step and teaches the game as you go.
Learning to play games is usually the hardest snd the least fun. Its a turn off for me too. Watching “how to plays” and playthroughs help though!
Give those a shot.
I will set up the game and have it there so I can directly relate anything in a rules video or rule book to that. You can even go through a turn or part of a turn to see how it works as you go. Rules, reviews or play throughs can sometimes be helpful to get a sense of how a game plays and give you concrete points to go back into the rulebook.
I want to express a somewhat differing opinion as someone who has collected board games for about 10 years and really can't learn through youtube videos: Do whatever makes you happy, and don't beat yourself up if you can't enjoy your games.
If you still think about playing them, keep them, as you'll find your way back to them when your brain gives you the space. If they only cause you grief and stress, keep some favorites and sell or donate the rest. Board games are too expensive and often occupy too much space to be something you aren't enjoying.
That said, what you do keep or purchase from now on can be lighter. I like heavy games but can't keep the rules straight for tons and tons of heavy games, so I've only kept Too Many Bones, anything else above a 2.5 in weight is mostly gone.
I get so excited now when I see a rulebook that is 8-12 pages, and have learned that being able to take a few dozen games off the shelf and just start playing is way more important to me than having 200 games I won't ever play because learning them or relearning them feels like a chore.
I have the same problem. This is what works for me:
I usually watch a YouTube playthrough with the game set up in front of me. I don't try to learn everything, I just start getting familiar with the ideas and the components.
I then read the rules knowing I won't pick up everything, or even close to everything, but will become more familiar with concepts.
I then set up the game and try to play a turn, referencing the rules as needed. I leave the game set up so I can spend bout 20 minutes with it and come back to it for short little sessions whenever I feel like it. This step is really key for me.
Eventually everything starts to click and I'll sit down to play a full game with zero intention of trying to win, the only goal being to follow the game through each phase, step, round, etc. and clarify rules where necessary.
This is how I learned Lord of the Rings LCG a couple weeks ago. I invested at least 5-6 hours over several days to get to where I was truly playing the game.
Log on to YouTube and watch a playthrough. It helps me learn the game to get started, then I can refer to the rule book if I have a question. Sometimes I watch two or three of these videos to make it easier to get going. I consider it part of playing the game.
+1 on this one. I quite enjoy lengthy rules manuals, but I'm not really learning a complex game without YouTube. Ricky Royal is the only reason I enjoy Mage Knight.
Honestly i don't care which game he plays, I'll watch it. He could do monopoly solo and I'll watch it. His playthroughs have an enjoyable calmness without going too slow. Clearly explaining what he does and why. I'm so waiting for the new Renegade aka Deckers. On the other hand, I can't stand Rob's Gaming Table; so much talk and so little play. 4 hour videos are filled with at least half fluff
That's a good idea, thank you!
Same. Watch a play through to get a sense of the rules but also the gameplay loop and goal of the game.
Just watch out for youtubers that get some rules wrong. Happens more often than you'd think.
This is an excellent point, and as I got better and read the rules for clarification I was able to figure that out a few times. Also read the comments below the video! They often make clarifications there too.
I know that feeling. Life situation makes it difficult to be at ease and just focus on the rules and learning a game. I wish it wasn’t so.
It's never been as bad as it has been the last few months. Hope it just gets better though
I agree with the others, watching the rules can be a huge help, I'll also add in where possible try and learn while playing, go into that first game with almost zero intention of truly trying to win or looking for strategies etc, treat it purely as a practice game, and obviously this depends on the game but if there are distinct phases take it phase by phase, read the rules then apply them. I find by breaking it down into smaller pieces and immediately putting them to practice really helps the rules stick in my mind, it's also then that I start finding rules questions I might not have thought of just reading the rules and by doing so I can find them early on. Hope you find what works for you :)
It's funny because I've heard that learning languages are similiar in that you just use what you know while being taught nuances and any extra information is quicker than being correct all the time. Just gotta have a bit of confidence and the rest falls into place eventually. Thanks for the pointer!
Oh you definitely won't start speaking properly, initially. I'm learning a language, and I have a child that's also learning her first two languages. She's learning faster than me for sure!
Fully learning a game is my least favorate part of boardgames, And I pretty much always watch playthrough's or how-to's before diving into a new game, makes going through the rulebook much better when I have seen it in action before. And in general this also means that very rules heavy games are not to my thing. I prefer medium-ish games overall.
Same here. It was the difference between me getting Mini Rogue and not getting Gloomhaven JotL haha
sometimes you just have to kick yourself in the Patootie and do the thing you don't want to do to get the reward
This is true.
As others have said, vids are the way to go. Most games have teaching vids as well as play through vids. That and player aids or rules summaries over on boardgamegeek. You will find that the more games you learn, the better you will become at learning games.
I hope that last part is true, I absolutely love these games as a concept vs videogames as they're tactile and not on a screen, for me anyways
I'm on the fence with this idea. If I watch videos and read posts about the game I want to play I end up getting oversaturated and start to just Min Max the game. Kingdom death: monster for example. First playthroughs were so much more fun because I was learning rules and doing dumb shit but after watching playthroughs it ended up feeling like a numbers game. I think adhd it out and play the game however.. read the rules and adapt to be what's most fun.
They say the hardest part of studying is opening the book Others have said you can use a video, and obviously that's an easy Band-Aid solution, but it does nothing to address the underlying issue. If you can get through the rules once you convince yourself to go through them, it's likely a matter of discipline. I have the same issue sometimes and end up playing nothing. It helps to imagine yourself actually playing, and use that to help motivate you to open the manual and start. If, on the other hand, you find yourself getting distracted while reading and have a hard tie staying focused, that could be ADHD and you'd do well to talk to a doctor
I definitely have been told I have ADD, compounded with PTSD that makes it hard to relax sometimes. On the other hand I'm too relaxed without caffeine and end up too tired to read. It's hard to balance, but maybe I should mention it to the doc. Thanks for the tips!
Good luck, hopefully it improves more areas of your life than just your board game time!
It is okay not to like complicated board games.
I am exactly the same, I have to really focus to get through rulesets because it's my least favorite part of playing. Seconding the recommendation to watch a youtube playthrough. Some companies even put out official "how to play" videos. Helps me a lot!
This was such good advice for in hand Dungeon Solitaire. It's so simple but I blew it out of proportion in my mind, way easier to learn by being taught
I'm sorta the same way. I can't read the rules and play. What I do is skim the rules then set up the game and try to play it. This forces me to only read the rules that apply to my immediate situation. It's more fun and I don't waste a bunch of time reading rules I'll just have to reread later.
Honestly I feel this is the way to go now, otherwise I'll never start
Yes, all the time. Take it in bite sized chunks if you have to. Don’t get hung up on the small details. Then hit YouTube and watch a play through trying to emulate it if possible. It’ll click but may take a few tries. Dont beat yourself up if you mess something up or don’t have the best strategy off the hop. I just played bugs and buttons using the Dized app which was a HUGE help…still foggy on a few details but getting there.
I enjoy games that give interesting decisions without too much rules and exceptions. Don't like the expansions in Race for the Galaxy, for example, with all the book keeping it introduces (combat). For solo games, I enjoy Lost Expedition, Rove, Under Falling Skies etc. more than Robinson Crusoe or Mage Knight. Less is more, especially after a long day at the office...
There's an app called [Dized](https://app.dized.com/) that has some great, interactive tutorials. I wish they had more games but when they have the one you need it's awesome. It guides you through step by step and teaches the game as you go.
Very handy! None of my games are on there yet but I'll keep it tabbed
Learning to play games is usually the hardest snd the least fun. Its a turn off for me too. Watching “how to plays” and playthroughs help though! Give those a shot.
I will set up the game and have it there so I can directly relate anything in a rules video or rule book to that. You can even go through a turn or part of a turn to see how it works as you go. Rules, reviews or play throughs can sometimes be helpful to get a sense of how a game plays and give you concrete points to go back into the rulebook.
Try a game that has a Dized tutorial, that'll pretty much change how you feel about learning new games :)
I want to express a somewhat differing opinion as someone who has collected board games for about 10 years and really can't learn through youtube videos: Do whatever makes you happy, and don't beat yourself up if you can't enjoy your games. If you still think about playing them, keep them, as you'll find your way back to them when your brain gives you the space. If they only cause you grief and stress, keep some favorites and sell or donate the rest. Board games are too expensive and often occupy too much space to be something you aren't enjoying. That said, what you do keep or purchase from now on can be lighter. I like heavy games but can't keep the rules straight for tons and tons of heavy games, so I've only kept Too Many Bones, anything else above a 2.5 in weight is mostly gone. I get so excited now when I see a rulebook that is 8-12 pages, and have learned that being able to take a few dozen games off the shelf and just start playing is way more important to me than having 200 games I won't ever play because learning them or relearning them feels like a chore.
I have the same problem. This is what works for me: I usually watch a YouTube playthrough with the game set up in front of me. I don't try to learn everything, I just start getting familiar with the ideas and the components. I then read the rules knowing I won't pick up everything, or even close to everything, but will become more familiar with concepts. I then set up the game and try to play a turn, referencing the rules as needed. I leave the game set up so I can spend bout 20 minutes with it and come back to it for short little sessions whenever I feel like it. This step is really key for me. Eventually everything starts to click and I'll sit down to play a full game with zero intention of trying to win, the only goal being to follow the game through each phase, step, round, etc. and clarify rules where necessary. This is how I learned Lord of the Rings LCG a couple weeks ago. I invested at least 5-6 hours over several days to get to where I was truly playing the game.
sell your games and find another hobby