10 ways to get better at board games

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[@3MBG]

So, as mentioned in the video. If you have any other advice or suggestions. Let me know! And lets keep it civil and collegial folks. No sulky steves allowed!

[@crocosnz3322]

Or petulant Pauls? :p

[@SteveHill3D]

I hope I'm not a sulky Steve :-)

[@3MBG]

Only you will know the answer Steve. Only you ;)

[@foxalven]

Great list! I agree with it all. I would also suggest another one (however, I'm kind of struggling with if it's too obvious or not): Trying to guess what your opponents will do. This is especially important with worker placement games, but you can get really good at a game just by trying to figure out different people's strategies while they play the game. If your guess is totally wrong, either you or they are missing something. If they are missing something. Their loss. If you are missing something, Congratulations! you have learned something new about the game.

[@3MBG]

@@foxalven Legit. I almost feel there is an "advanced" video in the future on this

[@keithedwards649]

Reiner knizia: "Remember: When playing a game, the goal is to win, but it is the goal that is important, not the winning..."

[@Macaroth1]

I agree. Trying to win is very fun. Actually winning is not all that important.

[@TheEmmaHouli]

On that first note: When we first started dating my husband was a real table flipper. And since I grew up the youngest in a board game family, I was very comfortable losing. So more often than not I just let him win for the sake of peace. But it did make it super uncomfortable to play, seeing a path to victory and not taking it. But I couldn't control everyone who played with him! One night after Friday Night Magic, he was real sullen that he got smashed, and I had to tell him that he attitude was making me a worse player and making gaming not fun. Bless his cotton socks he had been trying really hard since then to enjoy games for their process and social aspect rather than gaming. Sometimes you do need to take someone aside and say "the way you play makes it no fun"

[@3MBG]

I love this. We aren't really taught how to lose gracefully, so much of our culture is about WINNERS! And its not something that is encouraged at all. Takes some self awareness to change as well

[@DeepFriedDave]

getting angry over losing a game is the trait of a psychopath.

[@clivewitcomb2839]

For our "Learning Games", we have a rule - each player should look out for the others, and offer suggestions, or help reveal their own worries about what could be done to them. Then, we have a kinda "The loser is the winner (because they clearly advised the other players the best)" thang.. It works, because: 1. The actual winner feels like they won 2. The loser has officially won 3. Everyone learns LOTS about how to play better next time. The second game is then gloves-off evil competitive ;) X

[@3MBG]

Ha, that's good fun. And yeah, game 2 ITS ON!

[@howard2501]

On that last point, you can sometimes set yourself a mental 'side quest' and carry on playing for that. Like "ok, well I can't win but let's try to get as much gold as I can in order to learn how that part of the game works" or "ok, well I'm just gonna battle the boss as many times as I can and learn which combos work best for that".

[@3MBG]

Ha! I do exactly that. "OK, can't win but perhaps i can get the most blue things!!!"

[@Mark_Atkins]

This was the vid that made me start a patreon account to help you guys! My wife and I (as well as some of our closest friends) have been getting more into the hobby for just over 18 months/2 years or so. You and Teffy have been so helpful in fuelling our passion for the hobby and making informed decision on next purchases (especially contrasted with the long-winded, quite boring or self-indulgent boardgame channels on KZbin). You get to the point, you’re not in it for the money and you’re seen like lovely folks! I hope the small contribution I and others make makes it easier for you to continue the awesome work you do. Thanks so much!

[@3MBG]

Awesome Mike. Welcome to the team. And yeah, the channel started precisely because i was sick of all the long waffly content out there and wanted to see more stuff "to the point"

[@TomHickey]

I like the transition from focusing on win conditions to game timers. One of my favorite motivators when playing a game is when you brain clicks from "how am I going to win?" towards "how much time do I have left?" and I realize I've got my work cut out for me.

[@3MBG]

No new England Patriots were harmed in the making of this video

[@3MBG]

At least one Paul was however

[@PaulPaulPaulson]

I'm okay. Wounds can heal. And if not, I can still leave to the Grey Havens.

[@3MBG]

Worth noting, on the record, that Paul Paulson is not the Paul mentioned in this video ;)

[@RichardArpin]

I'm tempted to take back my "like" as you poked at the New England Patriots! The Patriots are a beacon of humility and good sense, always seeking to understand the rules and application to the fullest extent and bringing all sorts of innovative concepts to both offense and defense! Also, the Patriots run a fan club network and I run the one in Winnipeg! Find your nearest fan club too!

[@3MBG]

Lol Richard. They did get fined and had draft picks taken off them though for spygate :) Best defence ive heard for that was "well everyone was doing it", which is always the worst excuse. Detroit Lions fan here. Yep, i know they suck and have forever.

[@NguyenNguyen-ft9ko]

I once have a friend who is surprisingly good at playing game,despite her keep saying that she dont really care about the win at all ( she's very humble and is telling the truth ),she would always see the winning path,so fast,sometime even in her 1st game ! I used to be very confident but after playing with her,i got a big lesson,never underestimated your friend and u could always learn from them 😝

[@3MBG]

Awesome. yeah, if someone is really good. Learn what you can from them.

[@patcraig1637]

There are not many 25 minute videos that I watch from start to finish on KZbin but this was extremely well done and very helpful even for a long time board gamer. Well done!

[@3MBG]

I try not to ramble, and keep the individual segments as short as practicable. But its harder to do with this kind of format. I'm happy it worked for you

[@kalacs32]

Random thought about the beginning of the video, I recently saw a debate on a Facebook group about whether you should ever let others win. I was baffled by the number of people who were very proud of not giving tips, not devoting extra time to teaching, and just repeatedly smashing beginners with the thought process that they're gonna have fun with it by standing up to the challenge of an experienced player playing seriously.

[@3MBG]

Yeah, those folk clearly seem to define their own self-esteem by dominance of others in board gaming. Which if they took a minute to step back and think about, is really sad and weak.

[@bconnoll44]

Fun video! I really like how you incorporate examples from different games to help aid your points.

[@3MBG]

It helps convince people i know what i'm talking about.... i hope :)

[@bconnoll44]

@@3MBG Of all the ones you mention that I haven't played yet, I really want to try Circadians: First Light--it just looks really cool and maybe flew under the radar a bit. Or, well, I guess I should say Gloomhaven if I want want people to ever take me seriously...

[@maxpowr90]

Understanding game timers is a big one. "Rubberbanding" is mostly known as a Mariokart term but have seen it in boardgames where a player will sit back and be towards the back of the pack in scoring and then just score a bunch of points at once and shoot up the track. It's a viable strategy in Power Grid [since you're not punished for having excess power] and in other games you mentioned.

[@3MBG]

This is how i win a lot of games. To the point where people in my group go "here it comes" when i start moving up the score track later in the game. In engine builders in particular, its the point where i flick from build to score.

[@ThePMilitaryCompany]

In regards to the "don't blame the game" point and dice rolling. I may be an insane person, but when teaching a game to someone who has never played it before, I usually pass out a printout with most of the important statistics on them. For example, in Merchants and Marauders, it is a really abstract concept for most people who are more new to gaming to work out if (and I am simplifying here) getting a 5 or 6 on at least one of 2 dice is a good risk to take. However, if that same player sees that they have about a 55% chance of making that roll, they have a much more informed choice. The biggest boon of this is the shifting of focus from a luck based mindset to a percentage based mindset really helps players see the game in a way that mitigates the knee-jerk reaction to blame RNGesus when something with long odds doesn't pan out.

[@3MBG]

That's kinda epic. I tend to do a vocal thing about what rolls matter most in a game. But yeah, not the worst idea if you have the time

[@ThePMilitaryCompany]

3 Minute Board Games thanks man, tbh, the process gets sped up due to me having written a program that will generate the print outs I need with only a few fields I need to tweak beforehand.

[@felisin]

This is my fav vid of all your collection. Thanks a lot for all this good advice!

[@redbeansdice6151]

Really nice switch up from the regular videos! Love it. Thanks man!

[@seniscram7958]

My very favorite video of yours so far. Fantastic video man.

[@zakw8938]

As someone not the best about losing, I really like co op games. It helps to diffuse the responsibility of winning and losing so it's less personal and makes them both easier. I didn't win/lose. WE won/lost. And I like sharing defeat and even glory with my friends. Pandemic Legacy was especially awesome for this because we all learned the game's new systems and reacted to the additions together as the campaign went on.

[@3MBG]

Thats the cool thing with co-ops. Especially if everyone gets a chance to shine as well

[@zakw8938]

@@3MBG Right? Everyone's happy. Everyone's friends. It's a good outing for everyone. Exactly what gaming should be.

[@zakw8938]

@@3MBG I consciously try not to quarterback too. Completely defeats the purpose for everyone. Wow I'm trying to look good....

[@3MBG]

For me, if its a game where it co-op and the other players aren't playing well. I just try to do more with my character actions. It's like playing with a handicap :) Let everyone have their fun and if you lose, so be it

[@chamr]

Great job. Good, wise suggestions.

[@mikecowan495]

Wow point #1 is on point. Probably not one that people think about much, but the atmosphere and attitude of your fellow players sure can make a world of difference.

[@3MBG]

Its massive. And weirdly, inspired by Maslows hierarchy of needs :)

[@kirksellman1999]

Very good advice. Thanks for making this.

[@jmsimons777]

Great tips mate. Will definitely take some of those into my next gaming sessions.

[@dragonzord6615]

My friend's been trying to get me into xwing again, and I played a few games with him. None of them were even close, every one I got tabled by like turn 2 or 3. I had no chance to win. He's been playing for years and does tournaments etc. Now he wonders why I don't want to play it anymore. When I teach people board games, I don't try to win. I do suboptimal plays and go for different ways of playing that probably won't win. Winning isn't important when you're trying to get people into the hobby. I think a video on how to get people into the hobby is a good idea, because I don't know if many people really do it right.

[@3MBG]

yeah, playing chess with a grand master isnt fun, unless they are there to teach. If its just a chance to flex, why waste your time?

[@RebeccaAlis]

These were really great suggestions and something I'll send to my game group and in the future for friends getting into the hobby🙌Love all your content!

[@3MBG]

Glad to have helped

[@franciscocarranza9941]

Terrific video. Thank you for covering players’ attitude in the opening and closing points. It’s simply not worth playing games with people that have poor attitude and don’t care to improve it.

[@AhJong0]

Great stuff, a neat idea for a video. Your point on teaching new games and making folks aware of “Traps” is very true. The blockade is a grand example - one that comes up all he time for me is 7 Wonders. First time I played was with a group who were all new. We proceeded to not overly worry about the grey cards (Only one resource? That’s terrible!). This led to a miserable Age III where we could all hardly build anything. From then on, I always taught the importance of the resource cards in Age I and II because there won’t be any on the way in Age III. This video also makes me really grateful for my group as the sorts of unsporting stuff you’re talking about encountering is thankfully not present in our group. This isn’t a coincidence of course, you don’t play again with people like that and over the years we’ve refined ourselves down to the good stuff 🙂

[@3MBG]

Yep, good groups are gems. But it took me a long time to overcome a lot of the social structures in place. When i started going to games days about aged 10 or 11, it was a different world. Lots of dudes who loved played inexperienced players and crushing them. Things are different now

[@AhJong0]

3 Minute Board Games that’s a really interesting shift. Where did you meet your initial group? I know I had far more competitive problems when I was a similar age though at that point it wasn’t board games I was into but Warhammer. I’ve seen a million times more cheating, gamesmanship and other undesirable behaviours in my miniature games days than I have in board gaming - however it was several decades ago so it may be more of a time period thing than a difference between minis and board games.

[@ronvon3254]

This is a really great video! Thank you for making it. I‘m relatively new to the hobby. And coming from a background in mathematics this systematic approach and the hints on what aspects to focus on really changed the way I approach games. I have to admit that sometimes I have been that sore loser, the player that was bitching, because I felt bad for being inexperienced. But your video helped me make a mindshift towards „doing the best I can“ and focussing on what possibilities I do have to make the most of my play. Which is also great life advice I think 🤓

[@3MBG]

Glad to have been of help. I think everyone has been a sore loser at times, i know i have, especially when its an unforced error on my part and im annoyed with myself. Its just being aware of it and trying to be better, which is what you are doing, that matters

[@johnathanrhoades7751]

I've been a wide player, but I have been learning to love deep gaming. Games like 18xx and splotters kind of need a deep play style to really appreciate and explore fully...not to mention heavier war games.

[@AthexTube]

I agree, on your first point. I really expect people I play against to try to win but within the confines of the game and their ability. I have had too many cases where someone doesn't try to win a game and plays kingmaker which takes away from the experience overall. I have won a lot and lost a lot and I think the more games you play the winning isn't as important as the journey through the game.

[@keithedwards649]

Good video with lots of great ideas. One thing I have tried as well is to actively help players that are learning the game. Let them make some mistakes, but from time to time jump in and suggest an alternative course of action that is more beneficial. Also sitting with someone who is in the second fase and wants to learn, it can really help to point out alternative strategies. As an example, with terraforming mars getting those 10 cards, corps and preludes can be daunting and lead to analysis paralysis. Suggesting an alternative combination and strategy can really help build their understanding of the game.

[@3MBG]

Yeah, thats really good advice Keith. Another one we do is let people choose their secret goals etc half way through a game. If a game says "choose one of 3 cards" etc, we let people pick later

[@MikeGoodwin773]

As far as suggesting alternative courses of action, I don't disagree but it's important to know your audience. Some are more receptive than others to advice. At the very least, make sure to ask "Do you mind if I make a suggestion?" (or similar).

[@keithedwards649]

If you mean keeping their multiple hidden goals until they feel comfortable making a choice, as a learning curve, I fully agree.

[@3MBG]

@@MikeGoodwin773 Yeah, in general asking permission is the way. "Hey, looks like your struggling, here are some things you could do"

[@keithedwards649]

Just want to say I also often suggest taking one strategy and running with it, even if you end up not winning. You learn a strategy and next time if you choose a different one you learn a new one. Or at least you learn what does and doesn't work, making choosing strategies easier in the future. Like in wingspan, where you can go for points by tucking cards, getting eggs, getting birds that are worth a lot of points, or going for your bonus cards. Try each one and see what works with your starting hand...

[@BoardGameMate]

Thank you man ! This video should became a reminder for all of the players our there . Folks all over the globe please share it with your bg mates . This might become handy )

[@marek7696]

Greetings from Poland! This material is pure gold, thank you for sharing wisdom. For me it's important to be a person people want to play games with, so sometimes I don't want to get better myself, but just have fun see other people get better and feel joy board games offer, does that make sense?

[@gooddaysgames586]

How was I not already subscribed to this lovely channel??

[@travisbicklejr]

Love your content!

[@IanJN]

Great video! My number one tip: Pay Attention, especially to what other players are doing, changes in the game state. Follow what's happening, and without even intending to, you'll notice threats and opportunities. Strategy follows observation.

[@3MBG]

Observation was on my short list of to cover points, but i forgot it (which is deeply ironic)

[@MikeWescott]

Huge thumbs up for the slam on the Patriots 🤣

[@jerrodwarr9706]

Another big one for me is to read strategy articles from others. People writing them generally have skill in the game from repeated plays, but even if they don’t it’ll potentially show you things you would have never thought of on your own. MTG is a good example of this.

[@3MBG]

The issue in board games is it seems, except for a few games, most people writing play them 2-3 times and thats it

[@Vadimaster]

With your point on training games: I tend to lose when I teach a game. Mostly because I’m also keeping track of the rules and coach the players, which takes so much mental load that I don’t have a lot of energy left to worry about my own strategy 😅

[@MattCrawley_Music]

Good video. First point is true, though I don’t have an issue with any egos at my game group. I do feel guilty at winning at games that I have brought to a game night

[@3MBG]

If you are teaching it and win, that's fine, as long as you let people discover the game and coached them as well

[@antiussentiment]

My Sweetheart hands my arse to me constantly in 2 player games. But she's always "I know you've lost, but I just want to see how much I can win by" ~ laughs ~

[@ianlim9437]

I agree to most things youve said here. thumbs up. good talk.

[@benronaldson3064]

What an awesome video!

[@abruwer08]

There is a lot of wisdom here, which is usually lacking from the greater board gaming community. Especially the bit about how very competitive players can ruin the learning experiences of newer unexperienced players. I always thought I was a bit at odds with the larger community on this, but glad to see someone else also arguing the same point. I also really like your phases (one to three), definitely stealing that for future teaching sessions.

[@3MBG]

Cheers André. I like to think of this video as the condensed lessons of 30 years of teaching games and trying, first and foremost, to make sure they are fun.

[@edumadgmail]

Thanks. I was not expecting much from this video (because of the title - no offense - I love your videos) and it turned out to be a very pleasant surprise. :-)

[@3MBG]

I'm curious as to what you thought it might be? Really hard "this is how you win" stuff?

[@edumadgmail]

​@@3MBG I guess a "to do list" with more generic and shallow advices like "watch advanced gameplay videos" or "pay attention to your adversary to mess with his game" or simply "play more". Again, I though it just by reading the title. I played a game of Terra Mystica last week where I was trying a new strategy with the giants and one of my friends messed up and just gave up. That was very frustrating for me and you mentioned exactly that. The week before I played my first game of Clans of Caledonia. It was a 4 player game and I got last place but it was a very interesting game and I understood a lot of the mechanics (well, I hope I did). After the game we had the debrief that you mentioned and it was a very interesting conversation. Lastly most of my friends want to play every game they can and I was feeling we were missing so much from the good games (imagine playing Terra Mystica only once or twice). Another topic of your video. That's why I said a very pleasant surprise. :-)

[@3MBG]

Awesome, glad to have subverted expectations

[@patrickvalo8822]

Great video. Sometimes it happens someone in my game group plays well the whole game and they dont seem to do anything wrong and then at the scoring they come dead last and they ask me why and i tell them "you did everything fine". I dont think they learn anything that way.

[@3MBG]

Ha, i had that conversation with Steph about Le Havre. She was positive i was crushing her, but it was actually pretty close in the end. All i could say was "i got ships earlier and that helped me"

[@nykandrusiakmusic]

FANTASTIC video.

[@BlueTorchWeddings]

This is amazingly valuable information

[@3MBG]

Thank you

[@steenb.m.4409]

Among the videos of yours that I've seen, this one is the best. Actually not because I picked up much in terms of becoming more competetive, but on your other points of being a good sport even when losing. A good rule that I myself have violated a few times. Thanks! On being more competetive, I might add something. When having multiple options to choose from, and they don't seem directly comparable, try to find a way to make them comparable. Terraforming is a good example. Should I play this card, that lets me lift the temperature, or this one that is going to increase my titanium income, or this one that lets me create a city... In Terraforming Mars, you can convert the value of almost everything to gold, and that makes them much easier to compare. You may always do a generic action of increasing the temperature or creating a city, and you know the price of these actions. You also know the value of titanium. You know the total cost of purchasing and playing the card. You can calculate the total income it may give you. You may even calculate a rough gold value per victory point, comparing it to doing the generic action of building a biodome, which will be at least worth one and possibly more. Doing that will give you some sort of yardstick to calculate if it will be worth buying card X for the points, or if you should rather just go for the biodome. I convert everything to gold in my head, and that makes choosing the right card for me so much easier. This does not work in all games, but when it does, it makes sense to do so.

[@3MBG]

"Situational pricing" is how i'd describe that. Judging the value of your tools based on the current board state. There's a bunch of more advanced stuff i left out of the video, because i thought it would be too game specific, but thats one i should have kept in.

[@danielkeim8558]

The Patriots pic as you described people who suck the fun out of gaming with their level of competitiveness killed me! This video was a great idea

[@3MBG]

That made the NFL really joyless for a good number of years.

[@ericfrancis7816]

Great video thanks! Your point about understanding game timers? That's my secret weakness. :) Just about every game I play, I'm at that "next turn is going to be AWESOME" point and it ends.

[@3MBG]

It still happens to me a bunch. Although i've won a few games i've been taught recently by peaking at just the right time. And if the game had gone one turn longer i would have dropped from 1st to last.

[@LLoKKa]

One thing I like doing when i'm down in a group game is trying to best someone to 3rd place or something like that. Adjust my goal from winning to actually not being last, or even not being as behind as I expect to be at that point just means I got a goal for the match if winning is out of my hands and I'm still having fun and not ruining other people's experience, which is ESSENTIAL in any group for me. I totally stopped playing with a few people because of how their attitude while playing was. I have a friend which when he starts losing, even on a "training game", he just does random moves, is generally obnoxious and if we question him, he just says stuff like "im gonna lose anyway so whatever", and it just sours the whole board's experiences.

[@3MBG]

The people who do the "i'm losing so FU moves" are actually my least favourite people to play with. I can handle actual aggressive players, because i'm big, calm, have a teachers "sit down and behave" voice, that can bring most of them in line pretty easily. It's the passive aggressive snarky ones like that who really get under my skin. Because its petty.

[@iamspamus8784]

Good video. (One critique, it took you forever to get to the meat...) 8:56 Yes, people play lots of games, but oftentimes there are similar types of games (engine building or worker placement or deck building or tile placement). So, you learn the type of system and then learn the specifics of the game to the system. Therefore, even though people play a lot of game, they can continue to have fun and win, since they are able to successfully learn an overall system.

[@larsgutsein3910]

Regarding your point #2, there are a few games that come with a scripted learner session. You learn the game playing it, drawing cards from the pre-sorted draw pile, play them to gain resources you did not know you will need. Not only is this a great help for game owners who couldn't teach to save their lives. It also forces the experienced players to stick to the script instead of rolling over their helpless opponents. I once had a MtG starter pack that did that, and it instantly created two fans of the game. Another example was The Colonists. The game has its flaws, but the rule book is a masterpiece. Publishers should consider this more.

[@3MBG]

Root is one of the best examples of that. The guided tutorial really is a great way to teach that game

[@neilmason3563]

Another great vid! I love that you included the social aspects of gaming groups. That's such a huge part of gaming! Also, as far as the dice blame/luck thing goes, you've never played zombicide black plague at my table! I've blown multiple actions and turns just trying to open doors! 😆😆

[@ormhaxan]

I hear you on the notion of beginner traps. My favorite game is War of the Ring, and that game is riddled with amazing action cards that can leave a beginner really soured if they make moves unknowing of their existence and get stumped the next moment. I suppose that goes with any games with action card decks, but they're such a focal point of WotR. Once players are familiar with the decks, though, the game takes on dealing another level of strategic pleasure.

[@3MBG]

WOTR, the big one for me is the ent cards. If you leave Orthanc undefended Saruman can get wiped pretty easily, and that's a major turning point.

[@Redskies453]

@@3MBG I just won my first game of four with a friend. I left Orthanc guarded because he got me last time. This time He chained three Ent cards together and I held the place with one orc left!

[@russsandbags1967]

I like reading strategy books! I read Machiavelli’s the Prince and am currently reading The Art of Strategy by Dixit and Nalebluff

[@3MBG]

Heh, that was what I did at university for post graduate study. Hence why the channels mascot is Carl Von Clausewitz. There is a great series called "the roots of strategy" which combines a lot of great historic works on strategy into affordable compendiums

[@russsandbags1967]

3 Minute Board Games Thanks! I’ll check that out. I own ‘On War’ but have yet to read it - do you have any other suggestions for seminal strategy reads?

[@dave0754]

The Art of War by Sun Tzu remains my favourite strategy book

[@3MBG]

Russ. The 4 volumes of roots of strategy have pretty much all the classics except On War. But it does have Clausewitzs principles. Weirdly one of my favs is Mahans book on sea power.

[@RichardArpin]

I would highly recommend The Art of Learning by Joshua Waitzkin. He was a chess world champion and then quit and became a world champion at Tai Chi moving hands. His book is about how to improve and be better at everything! Day[9] did an interesting application to how to apply the theories to StarCraft 2.

[@tychay]

One tip I have is: “think like the board game designer.” There are so many ways this can be relevant, but if you see something, there is usually a reason for it, and it helps to figure that out. For instance, if you are playing a point salad and don’t see an obvious catch up or push-pull mechanic, then odds are later rounds will be designed to have significantly more points than early rounds. It behooves you to make sure you are set up well i’m the final rounds where the bulk of your points might be. Terraforming Mars has standard projects then they are probably not the best value, so you can and should compare them to your cards to try to understand what that is on your first playthrough (they are, on average, 4MC more expensive then the base economy inherent in the cards), Etc.

[@3MBG]

Great advice Terry. One interesting thing with Standard projects is that while they are more expensive, they can sometimes be the optimal play. On the first turn paying 18 to bring down an ocean on the 2 card spot isn't a bad play some times. Especially if you have no solid other options.

[@tychay]

3 Minute Board Games yes. A simple card may be 4MC cheaper than a standard project but it costs 3MC to buy it and there is a 10 percent depreciation for it. This means if you hold onto a card without playing it for 4 generations you are below the break even point in the design. I try to advise a beginner going first (if not using beginner Corp) to save 18MC for that two cards part aquifer. :-) Best spot in the game on average. (Design cost: 10 MC for 1 TR + 4 MC for the tile placement + 4 MC for the standard project but most of us value early game card draw more than 4MC which makes that a very efficient play.)

[@Cheeky_Chelsea]

Ooh yes, I always lose to my one friend even when I practice and look up strategies :(

[@3MBG]

We likely each have someone like that for certain games.

[@krecik502]

Great stuff :D I will have to check your channel :)

[@FredrikM]

I do enjoy this list but I'd like to add one phase to the learning experience before mastery: Phase 1 discovery Phase 2 Exploration Phase 3 Experimenting/Tinkering (Trying out even the wacky stuff leaving pretty much no stone unturned) Phase 4 Mastery You can of course get very effective results by stumbling across a few good strategies in the exploration phase and honing them. But I more often than not find that there are a few strategies that I during the early stages of the game brushed off as very ineffective to later find to be if not one of the best ways to win but an alternative counterplay to the "ingroup meta". Let's say it's a set collection mechanic in the game and everyone looks for the great blue cards they will end up with 1 each while the useless green ones get no love making it a breeze to collect them all. In conclusion by adding the phase 3 step you might look like a fool playing around for a few games but you might come across ways to snag the most memorable wins or just become an expert at adapting and being less obvious in your strategies, getting you the advantage in the long haul.

[@3MBG]

Probably fair, but 2 and 3 seems to cross over for me personally due to how i learn and explore a game.

[@FredrikM]

@@3MBG I agree that they cross over for me as well. But that is relatively recent for me. I used to approach games more like "I see these playstyles have a high winrate, let's copy and build upon those". My learning experience of games have been very much more rewarding once I forced myself to experiment outside of my comfortzone. So over time yes they definetly cross but I can recommend anyone who feel trapped in a playstyle to make it a habit to not overcommit to a playstyle. If I make sense?

[@3MBG]

@@FredrikM I tend to unravel a game like a wooly jumper. Pick one strand and pull on it until it comes apart. Then try something else. So, to take an example. In something like Magic the gathering, i might go "land killing, lets see what that does"

[@FredrikM]

@@3MBG That sounds like a really enjoyable way for doing things. Might be my gaming group that tend to focus on the competition rather than the exploration which makes me feel like I have to go out of my way to start exploring rather than chasing the golden goose strategy if you will. We enjoy our time together definetly but the competition is a little overbearing at times.

[@melski9205]

Yeah fair points. Since getting older I always walk the thin line between fun and working to get better at a game. If I really wanted to get good, I always think I'd memorise every card, calculate probabilities of getting this or that, work out the most likely given my competitors behavior... and turn into computer. One of the main reasons i hate playing against computers for board games. One thing I have learnt... play with different groups. I have had my arse kicked by one group (thus learning), to turn around and deal it to another. Is this cheating? I've given myself the standard excuse now days, "I could have won this game, if Id put in the work. That's no fun though"... I may have a problem.

[@3MBG]

Yeah, it sounds like you need to make the win less important and just focus on playing as well as you can while still having fun.

[@johnathanrhoades7751]

My wife and I have different mentalities on this. I will play games specifically to learn and explore the systems for the first few times I play(trying to win, but that's not my primary goal) while she will focus hard on winning from day one. She tends to beat me the first five plays or so, but after that we pull even. Playing games is about having fun with friends, and winning is a part of that, but I don't think winning should ever overtake enjoyment as a goal.

[@melibabe]

I've lost count of how many times I've recommended this game to people. :)

[@melibabe]

Aigh, this VIDEO lol

[@3MBG]

lol, cheers

[@hisnard]

The more I think about it, the more my suspicion is that the cliché win/fun actually hides a different set of parameters. Or perhaps it’s just a different axis? It seems to me there are some for whom a game is a puzzle to unlock, and some for whom a game is a story to tell - and both approaches can be pursued ruthlessly to win, or collaboratively, to learn. Again, these are just pure types that probably do not exist in real life. But I know I get less enjoyment in games where the theme is thin, and get even less enjoyment if my gaming buddies are actually just « seeing mechanics » to optimize and actively ignore the theme. When that happens, the « story » better be in the banter around the table (which it often is). Conversely, I have friends who are drawing incredible enjoyment from figuring out the puzzle, and for whom banter is only distracting from the goal- if not in the service of learning said mechanics. Which I also get, and I can get in that mood too. It just asks more of me and is not my default preference. This also means that I don’t mind losing if the story we made was great, but also, I have more difficulty getting invested in winning if the path to victory is simply presented as min/maxing.

[@hisnard]

I forgot to add: awesome video! which I blame for leading me to think about the concept of « play ».

[@3MBG]

Yeah, group dynamic is huge and finding the right group is massive. If you are someone who loves "take that", table talk and banter in games. Playing with a euro "optimize in silence" group will be awful for everyone. Same in the reverse. My main group is closer to the first example. And we sometimes have to tone down a little when we have guests.

[@sandropazdg8106]

Please when you are playing the "training game" don't be the guy that says, I'm going to play the worst move I can come up with right now to see what happens and if you can come back from such a scenario. Some games are really sensitive to these shenanigans, especially games with draft mechanics, and can ruin the entire experience by making the player going directly after the dunking player have absolutely ludicrous good moves, and that twists the overall first experience of a game in a very bad way. Or if you are going to do such a thing please state it out loud so that the rest of the table is aware of this change in dynamics.

[@3MBG]

I've never seen someone do this, that sounds utterly terrible. Wow.

[@sandropazdg8106]

@@3MBG Happened once while playing Power Grid for the first time. Later I found out that player did that almost every time he plays something for the first time. Which I get is something interesting to do... but not without telling other firsts...

[@ISBayHudson]

Disclosure, so far only few mins in! Re: losing, there are many games where you can end up being a cog... due to what ever you end up just having your turn to progress others. This is why I find myself really enjoying games where I can still participate and influence things ... which could be frustrating for others who are doing better. This is why I really still enjoy Settlers... If you aren't doing well, you can still do things to help others proceed at the expense of others 😃

[@mgrenier9]

My first play of Concordia ruined my experience. The teacher/ owned had every expansion/board and tromped us and Iwas just trying to grasp the rules and gameplay

[@Tokengesture]

Damn..... was hoping for a silver bullet to make me a champion ..............😀 thanks nice video

[@Sanderus]

First step is so sad. Why to play with somebody who cannot loose to begin with? Never encountered that yet, but if I did I guess that would be the last time I would have played in that company. "Pret - a Porter" indeed did trick me early on what is really important in it :-) I do not own this shiny new edition though, but the first edition. Still love it though, one of my favourite games.

[@3MBG]

When i was 15, i played battletech at a convention with an older guy. On the first turn i headshotted and kill his biggest mech with some lucky rolls. He began choking me out in the middle of the convention. Others interceded and ejected him from the event, but yeah, that was my first real experience of a dangerous sore loser. There are also plenty of people in relationships who's partners do not like losing. I think the first step to a good game is players feeling safe, i'm really gladdened you've never encountered it, because it can be truly awful.

[@dustin802]

So get away from my wife when she loses one game of splendor but won the 5 previous times so table flips? 😂

[@pboe22]

You get a like just for the Patriot mention 😂

[@christopherhealey8807]

liked the pie chart for obsession.....is there a breakdown of other games VP distribution on the web without having to wade through BBG forums etc......The piechart heaven.......mmmmmmm pie! Doh!

[@3MBG]

The obsession one is unique as far as i know, due to them capturing the results from all their playtests. I'm sure some more are out there but i haven't seen "official" ones that often. There is stuff like faction win breakdowns for Terra Mystica, Twilight Imperium and some games like that though. But not VP ones ive seen

[@christopherhealey8807]

@@3MBG thanks you should suggest for your sponsors website thanks again

[@fazzi4019]

I definitely play wide and my gaming group often gets frustrated every time I bring a new game to the table ;( I rediscovered the hobby recently and started gathering a large collection in the last couple of years so I guess it's the urge of trying all the games that I bought before I tackle them again with a deeper approach

[@3MBG]

Its really easy to get drawn into the "get MOAR GAMES" mentality, and i think everyone goes through that phase at different times. My collection doubled in size from 2015-2018 for example

[@reneedouglass5528]

Yah PAUL! What the crap! Lol

[@richardscales9560]

Don't ever get to play any game enough to master it unfortunately. Prefer variety. Some games I just can't get competitive in and find pointless bothering with. Starting a game where you expect to lose, no fun.

[@3MBG]

Fair, but there has to be at least one game you want to play more often though right?

[@mauricioherrer]

saludos de brazil

[@MikeGoodwin773]

Nice one. I remember as a kid playing a lot of Armchair Cricket with my brother. He'd routinely kick my ass. Then one day I realised what I'd been doing wrong and turned the tables on him. Sadly the same never happened playing FIFA against him. 🙂

[@OverlordZephyros]

I gotta admit... I absolutely hate card games, im terrible at them. Reason is that I like to visualize the game story/theme if that makes sense, something that for example a wargame or miniature game I have no problems for. And my group knows this but from time to time they try to push me to play them and I try, I really do ... What should I do?

[@3MBG]

Ah, its hard. I suck at trick taking games, so avoid them where possible. But yeah, sometimes you just can't. I think the key is, if you really hate them, just say so. Being forced to play something unfun is not good. But if your group is really into it, thats hard as well. No easy answers sorry

[@G3E007]

i dont have a group for playing board games :(

[@garrc1776]

Great video, I am unfortunately that type of player who hates losing, nearly broke up with my then girlfriend (now wife) when I flipped out over a game of risk. Working on getting better at this. Attitude that is, Risk is now banned in our house.

[@RebeccaAlis]

Ugh, Risk!! So many fights ensue! two guys in our game group had a massive fight towards the end of a Risk:Godstorm game and was like watching a breakup 😂

[@3MBG]

Garry, identifying that you can be a problem is good. That's self awareness, so many people don't have that. Working at it is great. I used to be a sulky steve at times, now its mostly me getting angry at myself for making unforced errors.

[@JosDeAlbatros]

Who's Paul? :-D

[@3MBG]

A good friend of mine who is amazingly good at engine builders, but also always goes 100%. He's also a board game developer and tester and excellent at breaking games and analyzing systems. But he just can't play slow.

[@JosDeAlbatros]

@@3MBG I guess all good boardgame friend groups have at least one Paul 😄

[@williamgarcia-medina9989]

Your face!!

[@3MBG]

Its getting more common on the channel

[@Tedwardy]

I think opposite of “it’s their problem when I play to win” is “It’s their manipulation of the game is literally ruining the game.” Looking at you Catan. NO! NO ONE HAS SHEEP PLEASE MOVE ON and stop holding the game hostage.

[@3MBG]

Some games reward slow down behaviour and negative play. I personally do not enjoy that style of game.

[@Tedwardy]

@@3MBG I love the term "Negative Play"

[@quadparty]

For Catan, we quite often play with open resources for precisely this reason. A person's resources are ascertainable, so why make them secret?

[@Raistlin2k]

It don't matters if i win, but i have only fun if i try my best. Thats why i win so often. But thats rubs some persons the wrong way. One player who could never win against me said i am a bad loser ... I think he is. Is a problem teaching, because i teach longer games i try to enjoy it to and win ... Ohoh in Magic many high level tournaments Player cheat , i remember many instants wher you could even see it on camera. Some times Judges will not aknowledge this becaus they don't want to stand to their faults and even Wizards forces Video dontage about this.

[@3MBG]

I had a guy cheat on me in a netrunner tournament in the finals. But the GM missed it. I was not impressed with his smug little smile afterwards.

[@timdertim]

Who is Paul?

[@3MBG]

A friend of mine who is exceptionally good at games. He's an amazing tester and breaker of games. But he never, ever, takes his foot off the accelerated when teaching people games. It's kinda internationally famous for it. The podcast space cats/peace turtles also has a paul story.

[@timdertim]

@@3MBG Thanks, it was the way you mentioned his name that got me curious. I think this is a very good upload, and while I could imagine that based on the title people expect winning strategies galore, it's more than that. And all helpful advise is there, paying close attention is key.

[@ratguy69]

100 games of Risk? Eeeek.

[@3MBG]

Hahahahaha, yeah. Some groups would easily be at that number out there.

[@ratguy69]

3 Minute Board Games I played it a heck of a lot in high school, but the last time I played was around 15 years ago. I was eliminated 15 minutes into a 3+ hour game. There are now very few games with player elimination in my collection, and any I do have are typically pretty short. King of Tokyo being a good example.

[@J-Wheeler-G]

I am as competitive as it gets, I am the one that teaches the games. I let anyone take moves back or even if they broke a rule (eg grabbing an extra card when they reached card limit) I let them do it but explain them why is not allowed. I even do all this even when it is not a learning game.

[@conorobrien2712]

I enjoyed the video, but i feel like some of the points could have been more concise. I think one example per point would have been fine. Some good points though.

[@3MBG]

Fair. These kinds of vids are tricky as they are mostly done off short notes and not full scripts. A little bit of waffle can creep in. But with practice (i've only done a few of them), i aim to get better and more concise.

[@dave0754]

Sulku Steve made me laugh because there is a bloke named Steve in our group who's a sore loser, analysis paralysis offender who calls everything he can't do "overpowered". I now avoid playing with Steve...

[@3MBG]

My gift to you :)

[@antiussentiment]

I do like the non-binary thing Jay. I feel people and social systems are never binary.. Despite how discussions relating to politics or social justice seems to develop. ~ sigh ~

[@3MBG]

I find it interesting how many thing exists on a spectrum instead of binary points, yet we frequently dwell on the non-existent and artificial binaries. My politics for example, is exceptionally left wing in many cases, but in a few, it really isn't. Because complex things have nuance, and if the internet era has done one thing, its make nuance impossible at times.

[@antiussentiment]

@@3MBG To me (and i think many others), binary = fundamentalist/extremist. Which I think is sadly de-railing much, of what would otherwise be a useful, social change discussion. I wonder how many allies we loose talking in "our language", instead of engaging them in theirs. Some times I feel social justice advocates are more interested in winning a fight, against people they hate, rather than arriving at a positive solution that benefits the cause.

[@pepperizedgaming]

The audio is pretty bad in the video compared to your others, not sure why

[@3MBG]

2 reasons. 1 the main mic failed to record properly and i had to dump the file. And 2, the backup mic is a bit crap. So yeah, definitely something i was aware of. But it was either redo over an hours shooting or hope to make "ok" in post