10 Board Games for People Who Hate Rules

[@actualol]

If you want to buy any of the games, there are links in the description of the video and if you use them a small cut will go towards the channel.

[@dryjhna]

I came for the board games, I stayed for the jokes. An absolute gem on KZbin! :o

[@007Kiristo]

Excellent jokes here, Jon. I started teaching Decrypto the other day and folks were looking very confused and then I realized the game is super easy to just teach whilst we play, so I did that instead and it worked great. Always nice to be able to explain the game as you go, which a lot of games don't accommodate.

[@grog3514]

Thats a tough game to explain. I always just default to codenames because its so much less confusing.

[@DiGaspari]

you know what i hate even more than rules? waiting so long for another actualol content

[@dapliff]

Toooooootaaally agreeeeee!!!

[@MalikAlghani]

sameeeeee hahaha

[@nanibly]

Oh, yes and well worth the wait. Hi, Timmy! Happy to see you again, I’m glad you had some time off.

[@vanessastoffer1874]

Definitely!

[@thursty4boardgames944]

Thank you my girlfriend’s family “hates learning games” and having something I can do a quick teach like sushi go has always been successful.

[@jhandcockful]

The sponsor section was hilarious, actually laughed out loud

[@pietrocoelho2448]

That's a "funny in a different way" video for me, cause I love rules! Reading the manual on the day before and teaching the game to new people always makes me happy. A a fixed set of rules that makes a bunch of mecanisms work togheter in inumerous ways and entertain people just brings me joy to experience. Nonetheless great video as always!

[@sporknaut]

Same! My favorite games have extremely complex rules, but when you see what they are doing to make the different mechanisms work together, it's super easy to learn, teach, and remember! And when all those mechanisms fit perfectly with the theme, it makes for a beautiful game.

[@andrewellis712]

I love big complex games, but there’s also something great about a game you can explain in 5 minutes and have a blast playing for 30-60 minutes

[@TheJoschi8]

I feel like I spend more time reading my rulebooks than actually playing my games ^^

[@TheKrisMds]

U are welcome to our table. No one likes reading the rules here😂😢

[@carols-corner]

Yay, new Actualol! Perfect timing… (first ever non-family game night with neighbors tonight!!!)

[@gabramcas]

You take my standing ovation, here sir. Splendid jokes from start to finish. And great recomendations as well. You made me add a couple to the wishlist. Thanks!

[@KabukiKid]

"...maybe you're just ugly." LMAO!

[@Coyotek4]

I'm partial to "Ra!". On your turn, you either pull a tile or start an auction (where each person gets one chance to bid, using 'sun' tiles they begin each round with). Gameplay is very simple; scoring is a bit more complicated, but it's fairly straightforward once you get past the initial run-through. This is a 'gateway' game that I'll always be happy to teach and play.

[@Threshold216]

Glad to see the characters back. :)

[@krotenschemel8558]

Santorini! Move your worker to an adjacent tile, build on an adjacent tile. You can go up one level or down any levels. Domes and workers block tiles, whoever reaches level 3 wins, whoever can't move or build, loses. ... And that's the rules. It's also one of those rare breed of games nowadays, where people actually interact on the same board, instead of singleplayer everything and then compare scores as most games nowadays do.

[@SClarkPharmD]

Wow @ the Las Vegas rhyming rules! Well done!

[@eswift8318]

My favorite for people who don't want to play "those fancy games with all the hard rules" is No Thanks. There's only one choice on your turn - put a chip on the card or take the card and all the chips. And runs of cards (they're numbers) go together and only the lowest one counts for scoring (Cards bad. Chips good.) It also helps that the game takes 15 minutes, so you plan to play at least twice. Once so they can learn it, and once so they can play while knowing what's going on.

[@brainb8]

Great video! I’m the ‘rule guy’ in my board game four-some. I even have to read the rules for games I don’t buy, so I appreciate where you’re coming from here. Hilarious as always.

[@andyfarrow7337]

Great angle and gags. 'Does it make you sad?' 'No. But I am hungry!'

[@aimajica]

In my experience, the easiest game to teach is Kingdomino (even with the expansion!). The perfect gateway game.

[@janahein5141]

As always, another great video! I was excited to see you’ve finally posted again! Anyway, I agree with many of your picks. Sagrada and Carcassone especially!

[@AllplayHQ]

The talking Wyoming card was simultaneously utterly terrifying and ridiculously funny.

[@roberttsikretsis5014]

Played Las Vegas with my friends parents who were visiting from Germany. My wife and I taught them the game and we don’t speak German. We had a great time and had the game up and playing in no time. 👍👍👍

[@malminho7583]

I've got the feeling that you got the rules wrong for Diamant. If multiple players are leaving at the same time, they equally share all remaining rubies. What you said applies only to the Relics card, which can be taken if only one player leaves the cave. At @7:49 the explorers are standing on a Relics card on which there should be no rubies. ;)

[@DrozSmash]

That’s correct. I just double checked the rules on that point!

[@legoboy-ox2kx]

I like Dominion a lot because it's easy to teach. All that matters is that you know how the turn order works and the basic card keywords. After that you just buy cards and do what they say

[@corbinrasmussen]

I think you could add Azul to this list as well. Very popular game, with very small rule book.

[@AhJong0]

This is an absolute smasher of a list - love the variety - not all dexterity or party, throwing in something like Blue Lagoon is a winner. Hilariously funny stuff as well :)

[@carols-corner]

No, Jon, don’t go to Wyoming… come to Utah! I’d love to meet you! I promise we’re nice, and there are lots of pretty places. Let me know when you and your wife book tickets for your next holiday 😉

[@steelman774]

Fun fact, except for OnTour (which I want even more now since it has a talking Wyoming card), all of the other games are so simple that this video is almost a WatchItPlayed just without Rodney Smith. All you may need is the Setup phase. I’m now putting Incan Gold into my GoBag for conventions. Entertaining AND informative! Vivats Actualol!!

[@mrchom]

Botswana/Wildlife Safari is perfect for this. “On your turn play a card, and take an animal, when the sixth card for any one animal is played your animals are worth what the last card played with them on says.” So simple a five year old could do it…but then it becomes a tense little game of watching what other players take, who is modifying what animals, which animals have 4-5 cards down and might end the game before you go next?

[@actualol]

Yeah, great shout. Very simple game. I might have picked it if it was still in print 😢

[@sasurai0872]

Hey Actualol, brought here by BoardGameCo! I'm enjoying your humor in this video and this topic is of import to me as I sometimes play with groups who I shudder to imagine teaching rules to. That and these games make for great gateways to the genre! Love it! Gonna watch your '10 Mistakes Board Gamers Make' next.

[@stevenk2396]

Thanks for the great, high quality and funny videos, with always good (and a bit different than most other ppls) recommendations! Appreciate the work you put in here!!

[@sporknaut]

The video proves your point very well: You taught us how to play 10 games at just over 2mins each---they must have simple rules! But I wonder how much of that simplicity also comes from your ability to take the rules and make them easy to understand.... Sure Carcassonne has extremely simple rules, but not all of these games have small rulebooks. It takes a good teacher sometimes to make a game easy to understand. I know SU&SD made a video on teaching games, but I'd be interested to see a video from you on the topic. I really appreciate your videos and the way you capture the essence of every game you review. You're a very unique reviewer, and that's a compliment! Well look, now I've made a comment that has more words than the Blue Lagoon rulebook! lol

[@Styrophoamicus]

I would love to see more videos like this. I prefer games that are simple to teach, but have a good layer of strategy to them.

[@marknic]

Top of this list for me would be Friedemann Friese's games Fabled Fruit and the 4 Fast Forward games Fortress, Fear, Flee and Fortune (I keep them all in the Fabled Fruit box). There aren't even any rule books, for any of them... you just start flipping over cards, and they tell you the rules as you play. It's the box I grab when I'm just not in the mood to teach rules, or I can tell my audience isn't in the mood to listen to a teach. And they also just happen to all be pretty light, quick, and fun games.

[@Ogrecrusher]

The comment about On Tour tempting you to your own demise is spot on, it's exactly what I love about it and I always mention that when teaching it!

[@Kooaid-9]

This is a really nice list for someone just getting into different board games they all look so fun, Diamant caught my attention it looks like a good time 👌🏼

[@snackplaylove]

Unusual video in that I already HAVE the top 5 but they aren’t go to games for new players - thanks for the tips!

[@johnathanrhoades7751]

Love your content! I have COMPLETELY different taste in games, but it's always very entertaining!

[@TheRailenne]

Absolutely loved it, and I think you've convinced me to Blue Lagoon ;)

[@andrealenze8161]

I absolutely love Mysterium, thanks for featuring it!!

[@marianobirdman8124]

Legends of Andor is great with rules, First mission is set as a tutorial and you can play it right out of the box.

[@Schnaeuf]

british humor is the best. top video - inclusive rhyme & advertising. 👍

[@actualol]

Thank you 😊

[@LunaBianca1805]

I got Sacrada for Christmas two years ago or something and it's one of the games that end up on my family's game table most often - along with Azul, Castro, Kingdomino and a good bunch of Roll and Write ones 😁

[@Madhader2012]

So it’s basically ticket to ride 4:33

[@natts]

This might be the first time that I already own all ten games on your list. Well done me! 😉

[@GATOBROADCAST]

“For some of you it’s both” - Award Winner - Best Viewer Burn. 😂

[@xlilcasper]

If you like Mysterium you should check out Mysterium Park. It's a condensed much easier version of the game and it is fantastic. It's one we often use when we play with a new group. A few moments to explain and BAM your in and having fun. Nice quick play as well so you can get a few games in and move on to something else if you wish.

[@progress_games]

Intro sent me wheezing, such an unexpected sex joke.

[@flavflav7792]

For this category of games, Tsuro and catch the moon are often my go to, Compatibility or Feelinks for longer, more personal experience. I use them as introductionary games to my club games evening when I am hosting, but this selection is great too :)

[@carols-corner]

Ha! Timmy’s reaction to Jon’s “NV” joke 😂😂😂

[@karenpatterson2651]

Loved this video. I have 6 of these games which are def easy for new players to understand. I decided to listen to the video sponser and subscribed.

[@franklinbolton8730]

Listened to you on the podcast 5 games for doomsday on the way to and from work today. Then come home to your video in my recommended. I'm just lucky like that I guess.

[@naradahess9913]

Another funny video, Jon, and a great list. Always happy to see Timmy show up. I agree with the comment below about Ra. One of my favorites and pretty easy to learn. Patchwork is another candidate for this kind of list: you either jump or buy a patch - that's it. Perhaps it can go onto a "10 more board games for people who hate rules" video.

[@reapinwombat]

15:10 "He's a politician so he's guilty of something". So much fun!

[@katrinah8870]

Also concordia, the entire rule book is an a3 piece of paper

[@DenisRyan]

Fabulous list. Love seeing On Tour in there, and I've held Blue Lagoon in my hand in store more often than I care to admit, only to put it back on the shelf. Maybe next time, I'll pick it up.

[@StuffByBez]

Gives me some ideas for how to make things simpler to teach. Great video!

[@Hieronymus-Pseudonymous]

In Diamant, multiple leaving players split the treasure still on the cards between them (with the exception of Relic cards).

[@ashleyberry857]

Came for something to listen to in the background, stayed for the top notch humor 😂

[@midgesmoot1739]

The Arrested Development throwback warmed my heart.

[@nathanmays7926]

My favorite short rule game is Tsuro. 7:00pm sit down. 7:02pm finish rules. 7:15pm finish first game.

[@eduardoyamaha7279]

That's one of the best videos i've seen on youtube ever. Thanks.

[@actualol]

Well thank you!

[@Wallach_a]

Your vid’s are definitely getting better each upload. Nice job! Can’t wait for the next. 💁🏻

[@lu7ky]

Wait, there's a Sushi Roll game? I have Sushi Go Party now i need that too?!

[@mweebers8870]

I was trying to find out why to buy or not to buy Sushi Roll. Thank you such much, now I know why it will be a good choice next to sushi go. And I now know what itched me about Sushi Go ;). Thanks

[@DaweDelete]

It always breaks my heart when I see someone selling their unplayed copy of Mysterium, because they didn't get the rules. I get the, the rulebook can be overwhelming for some but if you watch just 12 minutes long video you instantly know how to play as a ghost and teach just a basic to the other players.

[@karstenszajner6043]

The writing for these videos is 11/10. Amazing per usual!

[@branboom3342]

Lmao, loved the Arrested Development reference

[@SamHoughton]

This is an awesome guide! Amazing video as always :) Thank you 🙏

[@lioneljonson161]

After watching this and thinking how great it is just to get into playing a game with minimum faff, tonight I’m meeting up with my beer-sodden middle aged mates and trying to teach them how to play Scythe. Oh the irony. Also, it was weirdly satisfying to see my name on the Patrons list so money well spent there! Thanks Jon.

[@thewitchef]

I recently got Kingdom Builder and have found it super easy for everyone to pick up.

[@Doomsdaymanx]

Thanks for the terrific video. Definitely need to add some of these games to my collection!

[@avaraportti1873]

Mysterium is absurdly convoluted, and while it's easy for investigators to follow when the ghost is a seasoned gamer, the ghost can never be a newbie nor can a group of newbies run the game right on their own.

[@Woodsnat]

Favorite Board Games? Personal Favorites: Lords of Vegas (Monopoly for adults) Betrayal at House on the Hill Seven Wonders To the newer board game collectors I'd recommend you look at these, but if I was making a new board game collection from scratch the first I'd get would be Coup. Hope you guys liked my takes on some of these as a board game collector myself, feel free to leave suggestions of hidden gems you've found.

[@chavsny1578]

I'm loving Diamant and would like to find another exploration game like it but the rest I have found are quite complex (with monster fighting, skills, action points, etc.). Any recommendations?

[@jjtoday-h1]

This must be the funniest Actualol video I saw thusfar 😂

[@MarceldeJong]

I love this package so much, I subscribed 3 times!

[@Terrysdeadnow]

I can recommend Ra here - basically you can just start playing and explain each card as it appears. Did not need to read any rules out at all!

[@Flip5ide]

Diamant looks great, thanks for the recommendations!

[@Outrun37]

Trails of Tucana should be on this list, light on rules and a fantastic roll and write

[@Miaka99]

We have Incan Gold here in the US. But omg the look of Diamant makes me feel jealous.

[@Jonathan-ei7vp]

'After us' was much faster and easier to learn than I expected

[@cwb95k]

lol, loved this one! I do love reading rules but hate having to pull them out during the game. I try so hard to hold all the information in my head. When I asked Lacerda for a play aid, he just sent me another copy of the rulebook...weird, right? Have you played Megaland? I ask because it replaced Diamant for my family and I found the rules to be very easy on the rules. I use a sexy voice to teach rules to make up for my hunch...it helps as long as I use protection during the teach. Sorry for the long runon comment...I had the video going on one laptop and was typing my comment on another. Thus the jointed commentary.

[@actualol]

I've not tried Megaland but I'm skeptical that it could replace Diamant 😂

[@suulix4065]

I LOVED the sponsor section 😆

[@CG_Hali]

That rulebook was disturbing XD Relatable! 'You'll be back' indeed! I often print 'rules in brief' from BGG now to avoid having to go through the rules between games cause it might take a while before I get back to it.

[@ericyoder2673]

Has Incan Gold been rebranded as Diamant? They seem almost identical

[@actualol]

They are identical. Diamant is the European version.

[@rosiefay7283]

3:39 These rules on cards and boards look like a useful help for the player, but they only go to show that the rules are too complicated to remember. The game should be simpler instead. And to think some people hate chess because it's too complicated.

[@Bleuchz]

What if I love rules? What then?!

[@katerinafeiglova7886]

Try Junta :D

[@actualol]

Gestures at the rest of the Internet

[@Bleuchz]

@@actualol yeah but the rest of the internet doesn't have Timmy.

[@benashley2955]

Ark Nova

[@ajaxfire]

Then you play Gloomhaven

[@mickeyrietveld9249]

Good information in a funny jacket, very nice!

[@Science__Politics]

Sushi Go party should be on here. The entire board has the rules on it. The cards in your hand have the rules on them. It's really basic maths

[@Leron...]

Hey Jon, I'm curious to know if you'd be willing to put out a video discussing your thoughts on the topic of modularity in games. A lot of the games on this list can be taught once and then played a dozen times without anything new or confusing being introduced. But compare that to the recent push for replay value via modularity and you get games with a core set of rules with extra modular that dictate either what pieces do or how points are scored (e.g. Cubitos, Quacks, Cascading, etc.) Do you think these games would fall flat sooner without their modularity and therefore are less likely to stand the test of time when compared to a simple "that's everything" game like Diamant? To me it almost feels like the publisher or designer included typical expansion content in the box because they feared the game wouldn't succeed without it. Another question on this same topic is how much of a modular game do you like/need to experience before you feel like you've really seen what the game has to offer? I often teach games to new/nom-gamers so I almost never get to do anything other than the beginner/introductory setup so it sometimes feels like there's 80% more game that I'm just not going to experience any time soon. Imagine getting tickets to see the sequel to a movie you liked. But they won't let you into the theater unless you gather a party of four people who have all seen the previous movie.

[@erlantoktomambetov7907]

Now thinking between getting Trekking the world or history Thanks

[@EmporerDragon]

I'll echo the joy of a divoted game board. I went out of my way to get some for Terraforming Mars and it was such a huge quality of life boost there.

[@lwoonlef7]

Hello another great video! thank you! I'm already a big fan of your videos but I'm becoming more of a fan of your humor haha even when it's brutal to something that I like xD.

[@youvelookedbetter]

Imagine being Jon's partner and walking in on him filming one of these.

[@VampguyN85]

I thought my family would like Sagrada, we tired it and no one did. My parents wound the dice placement rules too restrictive and kept forgetting them. Throwing the bonus objectives at them on top of that made it overwhelming. We tried Azul and liked it much better. And for solo gaming I get enjoy my heavy collection :).

[@nedeljkodukic7279]

I got to play Blue Lagoon and it's a great game! So simple yet so tense.

[@ryotanada]

8:45 I thought multiple people can split the ground loot amongst themselves as well? Either I misremembered the game or it was another version...

[@actualol]

Yeah, my mistake on that rule 😬

[@erlantoktomambetov7907]

I think technically Fluxx has the easiest rules One rule: On your turn draw a card and play a card But every player adds and changes rules by playing cards which eventually turns to chaos and is glorious

[@chocklad9]

I watched this again one year later and he is still so funny

[@waffleweirdo1252]

That sponsor was so clever that I subscribed