Like It Or Not, You Are a Board Game Ambassador

Living the board gamer lifestyle means opening lots of boxes, puzzling over complex rulebooks, and breathing in a lethal amount of cardboard dust. It’s a lot of fun, but there’s a catch; despite your passion, board gaming is still a niche hobby, and most people know little beyond Monopoly and Exploding Kittens.

And that’s totally fine.

But it often leads to awkward conversations when I tell people about my hobby of tabletop games. Their first question is always, which one is your favourite?

Then I make the mistake of describing Argent the Consortium, a game about competing to become the next principal of a magical academy. Their expression shifts from polite curiosity to glazed-over confusion. As I launch into the mechanics of worker placement and spell cards, I can almost hear their thoughts: ‘Wait, this isn’t like Hogwarts at all?’

This is because, even though I’ve written extensively about it, it’s always hard to convey concisely why a board game is so interesting. Especially one that is basically applying for a job.

I imagine people leaving this conversation bored, overwhelmed, and wishing they hadn’t asked.

For most of them, this would be their first glimpse into board gaming beyond fighting with their family over house rules. To have them walk away dumbfounded or never wanting to touch a board game again means I’ve failed to convey what’s so great about tabletop gaming.

Yet, this is what I mean by being a board game ambassador.

As seasoned gamers, we have the opportunity to influence people and their thoughts on board gaming. So when someone asks you which is your favourite game, you’re not just extolling your love for a board game but shaping their view of our hobby.

Why we should get better about board game behaviour

Selfishly, I want everyone to play board games. If only to avoid that awkward conversation of mentioning a game that no one’s ever heard of (like have you played Shifty Eyed Spies?).

But more than that, I want to share my excitement without putting people to sleep.

On a less personal level, more people in board gaming means more designers to make great games for us, more players to join our tables, and fingers crossed more readers of Roll to Review.

However, it also adds more money to the market, turning board games from a once-risky profession into a stable career. Letting developers and publishers create more games for us all to enjoy.

So if we have that as our goal, then to make it a reality, we need to be the best board game ambassadors we can be. Creating safe spaces and being open to welcoming new players.

How can you be a good board game ambassador?

Thankfully, we have a lot of great role models in this space. Most popular personalities in the space, like Rahdo, Rodney, and the SUSD team, meet the high bar of being great board game ambassadors.

Now, that’s not to say you need to rush out and buy a camera and drink 16 cans of Red Bull to match the energy of some of these people. But it is to say that you should model your tabletop behaviour after them.

Here are three tips to become a better board game ambassador:

• Don’t be a Jerk
  Obvious advice, that’s often unheeded. But to break it down, don’t bash board games you don’t like, let people have differing opinions and if you can’t agree on something – amicably walk away!
• Gates open, come on in
  Always be welcoming and patient when playing with new players. For some, board gaming can be a shock to the system, so be sure to play a gateway game or something easy to understand.
• Call out bad behaviours
  We are all responsible for what happens at our tables. So if you see someone getting picked on or having a bad time, you should step in to see if you can fix the situation. You know how the saying goes; all it takes for bad vibes to win is for good people to do nothing… or something like that

While these are seemingly simple guidelines, they’re tough to implement.

Calling out someone’s behaviour, for instance, is a difficult conversation to have. As a manager, I have to do it semi-frequently and it’s never pleasant or something I want to do. Even if I know it will lead to better outcomes.

However, when the future of even one person’s board gaming experiences is at stake. Isn’t it worth getting a little uncomfortable?

That’s what it means to be a board game ambassador.

So with my call to arms done and dusted, I pass it over to you. What’s been your experience of being a board game ambassador? Have you ever struggled to explain your favorite game, or had a moment where you helped someone fall in love with the hobby?

I’d love to hear your stories if only to make me feel better about my flubs.