Introducing Something New
Introducing a new game to people can be a really daunting task, especially since first impressions about a game can result in people really liking the game or being turned off to it completely. I have previously done a blog post about games that I've attempted to teach to others, but today I thought I'd put together a list of 10 games, 5 of which had fantastic first impressions for me and 5 of which did not really stick the landing. I'll note the ones that I've gone on to play again and my thoughts about them after playing again as well.
Obviously, much of this is subjective and I know that in order to fully understand the true complexities of a game, you have to play it several times in order to understand the game, but this is more about the first impression of a game and how it has been reflected in the time after playing. There are a ton of games out there and I am not saying that games that had a great first impression for me will have a good first impression for you, or vice versa, nor am I saying that these are even the best games. I'm just noting which games that I played for the first time that either had me going "Wow!" at the end of the game or "Meh," when everything concluded.
The phrase "Don't judge a book by it's cover," absolutely applies to our hobby since board games often take a significant chunk of time to complete. Games that might hit it off with some people just might be duds for others and that's ok. The important thing with our hobby is to find games that we enjoy playing and have fun with them. Ultimately, for me, me playing board games as all about connecting with other people and having fun (especially when I cannot play with anyone else), so I want to know that the game I'm playing is going to be something I enjoy. I try to have an open mind and I will admit that a first impression isn't always the best, so I will attempt to give games a second (or third) chance when I don't like them.
There are quite a few games that will probably be listed here that many of you all will note are excellent games and that I should give a second attempt at playing (if I haven't already). I will do my best to honor those requests, especially in games that I wasn't a bit fan of, but many of them were only available to me at that time and I don't have any way of playing them again. I will do my best to try to replay as many as possible (if I haven't already) in order to give the game a fair shake.
With that in mind, here are 10 games that had either a good or bad first impression on me and follow up that has occurred:
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Game Name:Magic Maze
Initial Impressions: This game was introduced to me at a regular board game hangout that I had been attending with some friends for a few months. I cannot for the life of me remember who brought the game to the hangout, but I do remember that I was immediately intrigued by the idea of attempting to do a cooperative game without talking. I think the game was played with skipping the first few scenarios to introduce the game, which normally I wouldn't recommend, but somehow it still worked with our group and we had a really fun time attempting to scramble to the end of the game. It left a lasting impression on me, not only due to the frantic nature of the play and the time component, but also because of the cooperative nature and that all previous cooperative games I had played were longer lasting (read: Pandemic) and represented a significant time investment. The quick nature and speedy setup of the game immediately made me go on a hunt to find a copy for myself.
Follow Up Plays?: It took about a year to get my hands on a copy of the game, but I was able to finally get my own copy of the game and it immediately became one of my highest played games the year I purchased it. Even after subsequent plays of Magic Maze, I still find myself coming back for more because I think that I can do better. I would like to play it more often, but it often falls to the wayside in lieu of playing a longer, heavier game with my regular group. Still, I have enjoyed the game significantly and don't think it will ever leave my collection.
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Game Name: Scythe
Initial Impressions: I had Scythe really talked up to me by a friend who owned the game. He had the base game plus an expansion and as someone who loves alternate history and the idea of past events occurring in a different way, I was really intrigued by the idea of the game. However, when I finally was able to play Scythe, I was unimpressed with the game. It ended up playing significantly different than I had expected and the gameplay was not what I was expecting with a game that had MECHS in it. Where I expected a war-game while using the mechs to battle forces in a tactical way (a la Advance Wars), I ended up getting an area control game that was far different than I had imagined it to be. It was a major disappointment to me and I felt let down by the fantastic artwork and theme as I didn't feel that it properly used the alternative history that it had on the box.
Follow Up Games: Since my initial play of Scythe I haven't had an opportunity to play it again and I know that's a big mistake of mine. I would like to try the game again now that I know what it truly is and now that I've had the opportunity to play several more Stonemaier Games games since then. I also know that there's been significant updates to the game, with several expansions adding modular setup, a campaign to work through, and additional add-ons. I think that giving the game another go would allow for me to better get a feel of the game and I'll probably be reaching out to my friend to see if we could get another game in.
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Game Name: Wingspan
Initial Impressions: I had seen this game around quite often in many of the major retailers that I had visited, so I was well aware of the game and how beautiful it was. It was actually the same friend who owned Scythe who offered a game of Wingspan to me and having seen it everywhere, I was very interested in playing a game for myself. The initial game that I played was cut short because I had to leave before I finished, but I was absolutely floored with how incredible the game looked. The artwork was beautiful and every component that was contained within the game was well designed and fit the theme incredibly well. The gameplay itself was also one that was really easy to learn and immediately made me want to get a copy of the game myself, despite not getting through the entire game. The only caveat that I had in getting the game was that I wasn't a huge fan of the theming, but I could get over it for the great gameplay.
Follow Up Games: It took about a year and a half to get the game back to the table for me to play again and this time I was able to play Wingspan with several expansions included. It was just as good as I had remembered it and with the addition of several expansions, it was even better. It actually refueled my desire to pick up a copy of the game, but just after playing the game, Wyrmspan was announced and I immediately pivoted to getting a copy of that instead since I liked the theme better.
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Game Name: Clank! A Deck-building Adventure
Initial Impressions: I played Clank! at a local board game convention after watching the ever excellent Rodney Smith "How It's Played" video. I came into the convention with high hopes for Clank! and found it sitting on the shelves, waiting like a cat about to pounce on an unsuspecting mouse. Since it was my first time playing the game, I decided to keep it to a two-player game with my friend Anthony, and we set up the game as it was needed. We proceeded through the game, but ultimately both Anthony and I found ourselves trapped in the depths, resulting in the both of us getting 0 points for the game. We both sat back after the game concluded and agreed that it wasn't the best first impression since it felt like both of our health pools had gone from almost full to empty in the blink of an eye. It was not a great feeling for the game, but we resolved to give it another go later that weekend.
Follow Up Games: Ironically enough, the second game of Clank! didn't result in much better feelings about the game. Anthony and I played with his kids and we realized that we had two expansion decks included in the game we had played, which resulted in the game feeling far too swingy. However, even after removing the decks and playing with base game, it still resulted in mixed feelings for me. It was better the second time, but not anything that really changed my mind. What ultimately swayed how I felt about the game was getting a copy for myself and playing with my wife, Sarah. She absolutely fell in love with the game on her first play (which rarely happens) and her enjoyment of the game led to significantly more enjoyment for me. It's quickly become my highest played game of 2024 and we pull it out several times a week to play now.
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Game Name: Robot Quest Arena
Initial Impressions: I had the benefit of being able to play Robot Quest Arena directly after Clank! and initially pulled it out because of the colorful box and the premise of battling other robots in an arena. I am a huge BattleBots fan, having been in middle school when the initial craze began, so being able to play not only a deck-builder, but also one that revolves around fighting robots immediately spoke to me. What made the game even better for me was the fantastic production value of the little bots, the well-designed cards, and the absolutely fantastic board that we played on. The rules were simple enough to learn and despite the game being about knocking out your opponent's robot, it still played fairly long and the mechanic of having health act as victory points was extremely clever. I also enjoyed that the game didn't kick out anyone who's bot lost all the health, rather using that mechanic as a way to determine the end of the game.
Follow Up Games: This is one game that I haven't been able to play again since my initial impression of it and I'm very melancholy about that. It was such an incredible game to play and I loved the deck-building aspect of the game paired with a great theme. It's been on my wishlist for a few months now and I know that they did have a Gamefound campaign to reprint the game with an expansion, but I just haven't had the opportunity to get my hands on a copy. I hope that I can get one in the next year or so, even second-hand, since it was such a great game to play.
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Game Name: Roll Player
Initial Impressions: While I wouldn't necessarily say that my first impression of Roll Player was "bad" per se, I would say that I ended the game going, "That's it?" I played the game for the first time with Anthony at a local board game café as it was in their free library and I finished up the game feeling a bit like there needed to be more to it. The game, while fun while playing it, felt like it ended more on a whimper than a bang. I had spent 45 minutes creating this character using the dice that were available to draft and at the end of all my effort, I was rewarded with a score based on how all my dice were placed. It was fine ending that way, but to me, it felt like there needed to be more to the game and a reason to build this character. It was a cool idea, and likely one that would be fun to use for character creation in a TTRPG, but it didn't hold up beyond that in my mind.
Follow Up Games: I played a second game of Roll Player with the Monsters and Minions expansion included and that definitely gave me a better opinion of the game. Rather than just having the game end with the creation of the character and that being it, the addition of minions and a final boss monster that could earn additional victory points at the end of the game gave additional reason for why I was building a character. The game felt so much better with that goal in mind and made me appreciate what had been created significantly more.
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Game Name: Quacks of Quedlinburg
Initial Impressions: I had heard some really positive things about Quacks of Quedlinburg here on BGG and this last year, I was gifted the big box by my BGG Secret Santa (I have no idea who had me, but you knocked it out of the park!). I was super excited to pull the game out to play and the initial punching of all the chits did not do anything to lessen my excitement about the game. After getting everything all in place and sitting on the table for our first game, Sarah and I dove in headfirst and easily found how much fun the game was. The constant pressure of potentially blowing up your cauldron, all while your opponent gets more and more points and gold, gave the game such a fun twist and the only regret that I had after the game finished was how quickly it was over. Both Sarah and I agreed that the game was fantastic and it was a welcome addition to our collection.
Follow Up Games: Since my initial play of Quacks, I've managed to get another 10 games in and each one has felt distinct from the last. With the addition of the two expansions, I feel like I've barely even begun to scratch the surface of what this game allows for. There's so much modularity with setting the game up and I love how much freedom there is to pick and choose what each ingredient does while playing the game. Each time I've played, I have had fun playing with friends and family and I look forward to every game that I play.
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Game Name: Carcassonne
Initial Impressions: My first play of the game was actually the digital implementation of the game that I had gotten in a bundle of digital board games for Steam. It was a fairly good price and came with two expansions, but for my initial play I thought I'd just keep it simple and play with the base game. I didn't have anyone to play directly, so I played with the easiest bot and ended up getting absolutely smashed by the bot in my score. It did not leave a positive taste in my mouth, especially after being beaten so badly by the bot, and really finding the game mediocre at best.
Follow Up Games: Subsequent plays of Carcassonne have not been much better for me, but I have been playing the digital implementation against bots still. It lacks the element of playing with another person and while I know that the game probably would be better when played with friends, I just can't find the desire to play more. I'll probably have an opportunity to play later, but right now, I'm just mediocre on the game.
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Game Name: Castles of Mad King Ludwig: Collector's Edition
Initial Impressions: My first mistake was allowing Anthony to bring this monster to the table and show me all of the fantastic components of the game. My second mistake was then immediately looking up the price point for the game ($200!) so I could get a copy of my own. This was an amazing game to play and it was probably helped even further by how good it looked on the table. I probably would have enjoyed the game just as much if I had played the updated version of it, but the collector's components in the game just pushed this to an amazing first impression of a game. It truly is an absolute gem and even though I cannot afford it at this time, I will eventually be adding this to my collection.
Follow Up Games: Each subsequent game that I've played of Castles of Mad King Ludwig has made me appreciate the game even more. I've played nine more games, all at different player counts (1,2 and 5 player games) and they've all felt extremely different from one another and have made me appreciate how well this game is put together. Each player count has different strategies that I have to use in order to attempt to come out on top and I love putting together a story as I build my wacky castle. This is one game that I probably will never get tired of playing, especially the souped-up collector's edition.
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Game Name: The Pursuit of Happiness
Initial Impressions: I had borrowed this from Anthony after he mentioned that it was like a "better version of The Game of LIFE. He noted that it provided more player agency and that it also seemed to give a more complete feeling than The Game of Life, allowing you to choose what direction to take your player during the game. I played a solo version of the game and while I understood his thoughts on the game, I was only mildly impressed by what it accomplished. The game seemed to end far quicker than I expected and while I did end up with a decent score, I wasn't terribly intrigued by what I had played, nor was I wanting to play any subsequent games after I finished. While the game did have more available to perform and gave the player far more agency, I still just felt mediocre about it.
Follow Up Games: When I returned the game to Anthony, I mentioned that I wasn't fairly impressed by the game and that it felt lacking at best. He noted that it felt better when playing with others and suggested that we attempt it at a later time to see how it felt with a larger player count. The constant worry that someone might steal what card you were wanting led to some more significant and fun gameplay experiences, in his opinion. I agreed to another game in the future, but at this time, I have yet to follow up on that agreement and the game still sits at 1 play total for me.
Final Thoughts:
First impressions for a game can often make or break whether or not players would like to attempt it again. I'm personally guilty of writing off a game that others have loved only to come back and upon subsequent plays find that I enjoy the game far more than my first play of it. I know that I do need to give a few more games another attempt or two before I make final judgement on them. Much of what my feelings on games are also might extend to whether or not I played the game with someone else as that can significantly change the feel of a game.
Keeping an open mind, especially for games that others highly rate, is something that I constantly have to remind myself to do when being introduced to a new game. While my tastes may be different than others, there might be a new game waiting for me around the corner if I choose to go into a new game experience willing to give it the best shot possible.
Give me your thoughts:What are some games that you had an initial poor introduction with or didn't enjoy, but on subsequent plays found yourself enjoying them significantly more? Do you try to give a game a few attempts before dismissing the game as not your taste (if possible)? What are some games that gave you an amazing first impression, either through the gameplay, table presence, or anything else?
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