Overheard a guy at my local game store say he never reads the rulebook cover to cover

He was looking at a used copy of Brass Birmingham and told his buddy he just skims the rules and figures out the details as he goes. I've been playing board games for 8 years and I always read every single rule before the first play. Took me 45 minutes to learn Great Western Trail before I even opened the box. Now I'm wondering if I'm wasting time or if his style leads to more mistakes. Has anyone else met someone who just dives in without reading the full rulebook?

2 comments

2 Comments

uma_lopez5d ago

Skimmers always miss stuff. Had a guy try to teach me Castles of Burgundy his way. Took three rounds to realize he forgot half the tile rules. Complete mess. Reading the full rulebook takes time but saves headaches later. Learning as you go means stopping every five minutes to check something. Or worse, playing a whole game wrong. Your 45 minute GWT study is smart. That game has layers. Skimming that would be a disaster. You'd miss the cow cycling or the station master bonuses. Some games are simple enough to learn by doing. But heavy euros need the full read. Better to take the time upfront than ruin someone's first impression of a great game.

jackson.sarah5d ago

Hate how much I agree with this whole thread. The worst is when you play through a whole game wrong and then the next time you realize you've been doing something dumb the whole time, makes you feel like you wasted everyone's evening.