TIL a 45-minute teaching session can ruin a whole game group

My buddy Dave spent 45 minutes explaining the rulebook to his wife before we even started playing Scythe last Saturday. By the time we got to turn 3, she was on her phone and checked out. When the game ended, she said she'd rather do taxes than play again. Has anyone else seen a long teach completely kill someone's interest?

3 comments

3 Comments

troychen2d ago

Read somewhere that the optimal teach time is roughly the length of the game's first turn. 45 minutes sounds like a death sentence.

nancy_wood2d ago

Cut the teach time by focusing on just the core rules (you know, the stuff they actually use).

evan_davis1d ago

Wait, isn't the first turn usually fast compared to the full teach? I'd say a 15 minute teach is fine for most games but 45 is pushing it unless the rules are really simple.