You're 100% right on how discouraging setup time can be. My friends and I loved to play Axis and Allies back in the day, but the involved setup each time meant those sessions were far fewer than we would have liked.
I 100% agree that setup time discourages my choosing a game to play. Time is an incredibly limited resource these days. Unless I specifically designate a night to a more involved game or activity, I do something with the fewest barriers of entry. Whether that's board games, video games, or other entertainment.
Even within video games, long tutorials can be a turn off. I loved games like Mass Effect before I had kids and more responsibilities but now I find it hard to justify playing those games when I know my limited play time will be spent walking and talking even if that is part of what makes those games so great. It's no wonder game makers in general have been adapting to focus on shorter gameplay loops.
Mysterium Park vs regular Mysterium is an example for us. We enjoyed Mysterium but we have never gone back after playing Mysterium Park even if we like some aspects of the original better.
Barrier to entry matters so much. I'll spend hours on a great board game, if I get to spend that time actually playing. Out-of-game upkeep on the other hand... I have so much less patience for.
This totally speaks to me, we had only just got into board games when we became parents and have barely gamed since, we actually ruined Star Wars Destiny for ourselves by getting into the expansions and add ons, so thus complicated the set up for ourselves.
When we do get time we will play Hero Realms or Citadels for the reasons mentioned.
I think this piece kind of explains the games I’m drawn to, namely games where you lay out some cards and or tiles - ideally broken into reasonably small groups - and the rest of the game is it’s own kind of setup. You mention Azul and Carcassonne, both great examples. And I think of Cascadia, Kingdomino, and Betrayal at House on the Hill make setting up the game part of the game flawlessly. I also think it’s what makes stuff like Love Letter so good. Not only does it play fast, it’s an absurdly small deck, you shuffle and remove one card, deal one card per person, and you’re playing.
Yes. Build-as-you-go games are really great in this regard. Fast setup. Just a few, easy decisions to make at first, with more and more complicated decisions being introduced gradually and naturally.
I basically consider Carcassonne a perfect board game for this reason. If you showed someone new a half-finished game and asked them where to lay their tile they would be overwhelmed. But if a new player was there, building it tile-by-tile, they would completely get it.
I think you’d love it! It’s a lovely theme, very chill gameplay, but the insert is something out of a non-affiliated wizard school. A very satisfying game to get out and put away each time!
You're 100% right on how discouraging setup time can be. My friends and I loved to play Axis and Allies back in the day, but the involved setup each time meant those sessions were far fewer than we would have liked.
Axis and Allies is no joke! Thanks for reading.
I 100% agree that setup time discourages my choosing a game to play. Time is an incredibly limited resource these days. Unless I specifically designate a night to a more involved game or activity, I do something with the fewest barriers of entry. Whether that's board games, video games, or other entertainment.
Even within video games, long tutorials can be a turn off. I loved games like Mass Effect before I had kids and more responsibilities but now I find it hard to justify playing those games when I know my limited play time will be spent walking and talking even if that is part of what makes those games so great. It's no wonder game makers in general have been adapting to focus on shorter gameplay loops.
Mysterium Park vs regular Mysterium is an example for us. We enjoyed Mysterium but we have never gone back after playing Mysterium Park even if we like some aspects of the original better.
Barrier to entry matters so much. I'll spend hours on a great board game, if I get to spend that time actually playing. Out-of-game upkeep on the other hand... I have so much less patience for.
This totally speaks to me, we had only just got into board games when we became parents and have barely gamed since, we actually ruined Star Wars Destiny for ourselves by getting into the expansions and add ons, so thus complicated the set up for ourselves.
When we do get time we will play Hero Realms or Citadels for the reasons mentioned.
Expansions very often feel like I trap.
I, like you, inevitably seem to be drawn to them and buy them all. But the pure base game is usually stronger.
I think this piece kind of explains the games I’m drawn to, namely games where you lay out some cards and or tiles - ideally broken into reasonably small groups - and the rest of the game is it’s own kind of setup. You mention Azul and Carcassonne, both great examples. And I think of Cascadia, Kingdomino, and Betrayal at House on the Hill make setting up the game part of the game flawlessly. I also think it’s what makes stuff like Love Letter so good. Not only does it play fast, it’s an absurdly small deck, you shuffle and remove one card, deal one card per person, and you’re playing.
Yes. Build-as-you-go games are really great in this regard. Fast setup. Just a few, easy decisions to make at first, with more and more complicated decisions being introduced gradually and naturally.
I basically consider Carcassonne a perfect board game for this reason. If you showed someone new a half-finished game and asked them where to lay their tile they would be overwhelmed. But if a new player was there, building it tile-by-tile, they would completely get it.
I’m assuming Parks has been left off this list because it’s getting its own newsletter on how good its insert is.
I'm not familiar with it :)
I think you’d love it! It’s a lovely theme, very chill gameplay, but the insert is something out of a non-affiliated wizard school. A very satisfying game to get out and put away each time!