Overview
Have you found yourself enjoying the board game hobby but can’t seem to get anybody to join you in your 12 hour long epic game of TI3 (My go to game to scare people away forever)? Then fear not! I have the solution to slowly introduce others to the hobby, a task that is easier than you may realize.
So How Do You Do It Already????
Like many things, it’s important to understand your audience. If you want to get your friend who’s never played anything but Monopoly into your daunting 12 hour game of TI3; you will fail and they will not want to play anything with you ever again.
The best course of action is to find games that have similar concepts that they are familiar with. Additionally, keep in mind the types of themes the person you would like to introduce would enjoy. If they hate zombies, then Zombie Dice isn’t a good choice. Lastly, remember to present the game in a way that makes it seem fun. If you make a game sound boring nobody will play it.
Finding a game that fits this criteria may seem difficult. However, there are several gateway games, or introductory level games that are fun regardless of how much exposure to modern board games you’ve had. For ideas, check out my
Tons of great games to introduce people to the hobby here
Once you have identified a game that will work for the person(s) you are ready to go. Remember, when pitching the game make it sound fun. If they decide to give the game a shot, be sure to teach them the basics of the game but don’t get hung up on explaining ALL the rules. Go over the most important rules, noting that sometimes there may be exceptions, and get to playing sooner rather than later.
You want this other person to have fun playing games with you. If you think it’s necessary, you can always have them read the rules in advance. However, with most gateway games, the rules are fairly straight-forward and easy to comprehend.
Closing Thoughts
With these steps it should be easy to get others playing games with you in no time. Not every game works for every person, keep that in mind when scouting out what games to introduce new people to. Also, remember to keep things simple and fun. Don’t get too hung up in rules or derail the fun that the other person is having.
What games are your go-to games for introducing others to the hobby? Personally, I like to use light social deduction games or Ticket to Ride. Let myself and others know in the comments below. Consider following me here, via email subscription, Facebook, or over on Twitter @JS_Reviews to keep up to date on all my goings on here.
Jon Spencer Reviews 
I would agree that Ticket to Ride is an excellent game to introduce to beginning table top gamers. I would also say that Coup is a fun, quick game for the right crowd to showcase their buffing skills. It’s not my favorite game because I’m terrible at lying and buffing, but it seems to be a favorite among those friends we introduce to board games.
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Good suggestions! I’m lucky to have a large group of friends who like board games, but it’s definitely important for my group not to make someone feel left out because they aren’t into the more “intense” games that we like to play. Also liked your lists, though I found a few of them (7 Wonders and Shadows over Camelot in particular) tougher to teach initially to some of my friends. Ticket to Ride, Settlers of Catan, and King of Tokyo are my top three gateway games hands down! I would also add Pandemic and the card game Exploding Kittens to the list.
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