Discovering a game

To help re-introduce you to the thrill of opening a new box and uncovering the exciting treasures that lie within, we've created this short guide on how to best discover and enjoy our games. Depending on your level of experience and familiarity with board games, you may wish to skip some of these steps.

A Short Guide to Learning New Games
The usual, wrong-headed approach - tearing off the shrink-wrap and heading straight for the rules as you all sit down to play - is the surest-fire way to a poor night of gaming. Spending just a little bit of time beforehand will not only shorten the learning curve, but will also provide a much more enjoyable experience for all of you.

1.  Open the box, set the rules aside, and spend a few moments to discover the game...
   

   	Set the game up (even approximately), trying to match the various components to their respective location. Lay the board out on the table, look through the cards quickly, and immerse yourself in the game's atmosphere. Don't jump to the rules quite yet.

2.  Locate the players' aids or game summary to get a grasp of the basic game turn.
   

   	Grasping the goal of the game, understanding the role of the various components and general layout of the board (if any), and having an overall sense of the game turn should be your sole focus at this stage. Do not get bogged down in the details yet. That is why using the player aids or the game summary is much preferable than jumping straight to the rules at this stage.

3.  If available, now head to the online version of the game
   

   	Observe a live game, watching a couple of game turns over a real person's shoulder. If there is no live game at the time of your visit, watch one of the animated tutorials.

4.  Now, read through the rules once or twice.
   

   Do not let yourself get stuck by any specific point that does not make sense yet. Instead, try and get an overall grasp of the game's successive steps, overall flavor and game flow.   During your first game, an overall understanding of the general game turn structure will be much more effective than a lawyerly interpretation of the rules. Our games tend to be strongly themed and rich in flavor, with many gameplay details that will not break the game's enjoyability if overlooked in a first game.

5.  When your friends show up, play through a practice turn or two.
   

   Photo Bruno Faidutti	Then move on to your first real game and enjoy! Refer to the rules as needed to clarify any issue raised by the players. If something is still unclear, try to set the issue aside and move on. You will have the opportunity to clarify it later, by visiting the game's forum, FAQs,...

Remember, like most hobbies, as you gain experience, you'll learn faster.. The more games you play, the easier each new one will be. Many good games will also reveal additional subtleties and pleasures for you to enjoy as you gain additional experience in playing them.