Preferences for learning a new game

[Exotic Dreams]

When it comes to learning a new game, would you prefer to learn it face to face playing a board game having someone show you how to play it or playing it digitally online using tutorials and or having someone help you learn it in an online game or possibly a combination of these?.

[Shivaware]

When it comes to learning a new game, would you prefer to learn it face to face playing a board game having someone show you how to play it or playing it digitally online using tutorials and or having someone help you learn it in an online game or possibly a combination of these?.

I prefer euro games of middle complexity, and for those I need to just spend a bunch of time studying the rule book. I find the process of someone trying to teach me to be quite stressful, but I am usually the one that has to teach these same games to other in-person gamers.

These online gaming portals are a huge relief to me since I can focus on my own moves without watching to make sure others are playing correctly. I've never attempted to teach a game online, and it seems like it would be more difficult to do than in person.

[Meeplelowda]

I've never attempted to teach a game online, and it seems like it would be more difficult to do than in person.

In my experience it is much easier to teach in-person. For example, in-person you can pull different types of cards out of a deck and explain how they all work, or set up the board to demonstrate a certain scenario. If you are trying to teach by screen sharing an online game, you are limited to showing the cards you actually drew or the actual state of the board.

[BarnardsStar]

I’m also very much a rule book reader. I’ll do the online tutorial to get the flavor of the game, but I don’t feel like I know the game until I’ve read the rules and played it, probably a couple of times.

It almost became a running gag in my RL group that when somebody was explaining a new game to us, they would just hand me the rulebook and explain to the others.

[cigma]

You might also be interested in this discussion: https://boardgamearena.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=43849

[Strode]

I prefer to read the rulebook myself and to teach others. However, if I don't have a physical copy of the game, then the rulebook alone might not be enough.

I've always thought that a problem with online gaming is that rules enforcement means you can play without fully understanding everything. Something just happened, but I'm not entirely sure why,

[Ceaseless]

I prefer to read the rulebook myself and to teach others. However, if I don't have a physical copy of the game, then the rulebook alone might not be enough.

I've always thought that a problem with online gaming is that rules enforcement means you can play without fully understanding everything. Something just happened, but I'm not entirely sure why,

I'm assuming you're talking about automatic simulators specifically as opposed to online gaming in general, which includes manual simulators. I definitely know what you're talking about when it comes to players not understanding why some things are happening. On the other hand, IRL play doesn't exactly negate that problem. Without the auto enforcement, it leaves open the possibility that the mistake isn't recognized by their opponent or just overlooked in the midst of everything else, so they end up playing wrong instead. So your mileage IRL comes down to how competent the opponent is. A competent human player can explain more than just following a computer will provide, an incompetent one will just create a mess with wrong information or poor communication. If they're really competent and the game is complex enough, they might even come out ahead on rules as opposed to an online system in terms of knowledge, though the online system wins in terms of consistency, since they won't overlook random details due to being tired, etc.

[Meeplelowda]

Without the auto enforcement, it leaves open the possibility that the mistake isn't recognized by their opponent or just overlooked in the midst of everything else, so they end up playing wrong instead.

It is fairly common for someone to post in one of the game forums about a "bug" and it turns out they've been playing the game wrong IRL.

[BalGAmor]

I like to read the rules, play the tutorial and sometimes watch videos about the game.