One topic that doesn't get covered a lot in board gaming is the setup. Not interested? Don't blame you ... most people probably consider this topic as boring as setting up a board game. I'll attempt to give it a go by explaining some of my opinions regarding board-game setup, additional things that add to setup time, and why this factor should be considered the next time you plan to break out a game for your group. Set-up TimeFirst to define "set-up time". Generally, this is the time it takes to open the box, remove its contents and place everything on the board in its preferred location on the table. Board and card games vary wildly in their setup times. I would say you could have a game that's ready to go straight out of the box while others can take 30 to 45 minutes to set up. An example of a game that I can pop out of the box and start in about a minute is Roll for It. A simple dice game that requires only to get out the dice and shuffle a deck of cards. An example on the other end of the spectrum is Lords of Hellas. This game requires you shuffle and place multiple decks on the board as well as set up miniatures. Some are multi-stage monuments which will set off the side of the board. When adding in the expansions with cities and temples miniatures and new game boards and cards etc... it can easily take a half-an-hour or more. So why discuss setup time? I've found that it's something we commonly forget to factor in. Many times there are time constraints around an available time to game. If your time is tight, that extra 30-40 minutes to get it setup may be a deal breaker. Some game instruction manuals do a nice job of explaining the setup, using reference photos, numbering, diagrams, etc... Anything that helps to streamline the process is a welcome one. (I've included photos below of three different game manuals that do a nice job in helping with game setup.) When planning to host a game night, I always prefer to know what game we're going to play ahead of time for this very reason. If we're going to be playing a game requiring a lot of preparation, then I am able to get it out and set it up ahead of time. This time-saver allows the group to get up and playing a lot more quickly, unless I need to teach the game to new players. Teaching/Learning TimeWhat if you need to teach a game? When planning the amount of time to get ready to play a game, you should also include the time it may take to explain how to play. Teaching a game is to some extent an extension of setup time. I enjoy teaching others how to play games. It's something I'll probably share more about in a future post. For this topic, I'll keep it relatively brief. It's always a good idea that you factor in the time to teach a game. This may also depend on your familiarity of the rules and gameplay. If this is your first time playing and you've only taught yourself through reading the manual and watching videos it might take a bit longer to teach than if you've played quite a bit. In either case, I recommend taking a little time ahead of the game to read through the rules again or watch a how-to-play video. Teaching a game and having new players can typically add 20-40 minutes to a game. A Recent ExampleThis past weekend my wife, Brenda, and I had our friends Don and Shannon over. As usual, we like to play board games. I really wanted to teach them how to play Champions of Midgard. This game takes a bit of set up and I was going to need to teach them how to play. Before they came over I got out the game mat and started setting up the game. It probably took me a about 20-30 minutes to get the game out of the box, shuffle and set up each of the decks and get out the dice and various other pieces (I was planning to use both expansions which adds additional cards and pieces). When we were ready to start, I took the time to explain the game board and describe how to play. That probably took an additional 30 minutes. They seemed to catch on pretty quickly. I think we probably only added an addition 10 minutes to the game due to new-player questions and uncertainty. That game lasted approximately 2 1/2 hours. After the game I suggested, now that we all had the rules down and the game was pretty much set up we try a second game, as it should go much more quickly. We played again and as suspected finished in less than two hours. To recap the approximate time needed for setting up and teaching a this game...
Final ThoughtsWhen planning to play a game it is important to factor in setup time. It's easy to forget about it. I've been caught in that trap before. (Example: When asked how long does it take to play and I say "about two hours". Then I have to explain three-and-a-half hours later when we finish about the set-up time and teaching time I hadn't factored in.) A couple of other factors that can effect setup include:
What if you don't have time to set up ahead? It's okay to not have the game setup ahead of time, just remember to factor it into the estimated time allotted for play. Another helpful tip is to use the setup as an opportunity to teach new players about the game or refresh the memory for others who have played before. Have them set out the resources and explain what they are as they set them out. Have them shuffle cards and place on the board as required, explaining how the cards are played. Try to make good use of the setup time so that it involves everyone and gets them ready to play as well. How do you plan for set up? Do you think teaching time is a part of it? What are some things that you've done to help shorten this delay in getting to the action? Please share by leaving your comments. Let me know if you have found this helpful/interesting by going to the contact page and sending me a message. Until next time... Game On!
4 Comments
Chris G
6/25/2019 04:46:55 am
I remember setting up the Avalon Hill game D-day with my friend Phil in college. It took us an hour to set up the hundreds of small pieces on a card table. Just as we were about to begin I sneezed violently, my knee slammed into a leg of the card table and every piece on the board moved.. Phil looked at me and just said "You ass." We never played the game.
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King
6/25/2019 08:32:32 am
Great game setup story Chris! After a crazy sneeze and you never attempted to setup and play again. I’m guessing Phil never let you play one of his games again.
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Jennie
6/28/2019 12:47:34 pm
Chris, you’re killing me!
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King
6/28/2019 01:54:58 pm
That's too funny... and horrifying all at once!
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