I agree in part. I will say that a tournament isn't really an ideal venue
for learning 18xx. I'd absolutely recommend the prospective player
participate in a non-tournament game first.
that new players are not welcome. Bringing new players to the game requires
having fun above all else.
needs to be the priority.
---Brett.
Post by 'Beard, Bruce D' bruce_d_beard-dGIoD64L1/Udnm+***@public.gmane.org [18xx]Brett,
This can be difficult to escape. Some players become so paralyzed by fear
of making a wrong decision that they do not want to do anything without it
being suggested by whoever they adopt as mentor. So you get caught between
wanting to move the game along and trying to wean them. This is especially
difficult in a tournament--where your suggestion can impact the game and
standings of others.
-Bruce
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Sent: Thursday, September 04, 2014 1:44 PM
Subject: Re: [18xx] Re: 18xx at Strategicon (Gateway 2014)
I completely agree, Joe.
This is one of my biggest complaints about how games are taught,
especially more complex games like 18xx. It can be really easy to shift
from explaining how things work to playing someone else's position for
them. If I'm going to play someone else's position for them, then why are
they even sitting there? The fastest way to ensure someone never comes back
to the table is to make it irrelevant that they, the person, are at the
table. That just kills the fun for many people.
Throughout a game with newbies, I like to provide hints and reminders of
the possible decisions available and their impact on the game. I'll go far
enough to say, "buying X share is good for me, but hurts player A" or
"laying this tile helps these other companies in addition to yourself, and
hurts those companies." But, importantly, I let THEM make the decision on
what course of action to take.
---Brett.
Recruiting new 18xx players isn't easy. The required time investment and
learning curve definitely scares away all but the most dedicated gamers.
Board gaming in general is surely on the rise but most players are pretty
casual. I'm a new player myself, having stumbled through my first clueless
game of 18Neb less than 2 years ago, and I've been trying to get others
hooked ever since, mostly through a games group on meetup.com<
http://meetup.com> (SF board game geeks). To recruit at mostly casual
game events, I think the best way is to post ahead of time and drum up
interest, getting an advance commitment, making sure everyone knows that
the first game even of 1889 will probably be 5 hours with new players and
rules explanations. I'd say equal parts evangelism and warning.
On the first play, depending on the group, I think most new players would
appreciate some explicit strategy tips, such as pointing out that you can
manipulate the stock market to affect operating order, and the advantage of
selling privates early. New players mostly just really need to practice a
few things, such as how to calculate routes for a few 2 or 3 trains, how to
quickly pay out 17 a share and make change, etc, before they can really
start to enjoy the game without it getting bogged down by the bookkeeping.
Only then will they keep coming back
Good luck!
Joe Masinter
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