Board Game Arena

Basically, often I see open tables with strong/expert players, in a game where I don't have a high elo at, is it fine if I join these games regardless or is it discouraged? I know it is kinda discouraged for team games like Saboteur, and I'm not exactly sure about games like Hanabi or other co-op games...

I would think that if they didn't want to play with beginners, they would have set their settings to exclude them, but on the other hand, it is kind of an extra step...

What do y'all think?

If I have a table open, I'm happy for anyone to join it.

If some experts don't want beginnres to join, they can set restrictions on the table to prevent that. If they didn't do that, I would expect them to be ok with playing with beginners.

So I would say feel free to join any table.

Partially this also depends on the game, I think. If it's an abstract, chances are real that the other player (or players, but most abstracts are 2 player games) and you both won't enjoy the game, because the difference in level will be too big and there's (almost) no luck in those games. For other type of games this is less the case of course.

Do realize that you might come across some toxic reactions if you end up winning one of those games. To be clear: I don't agree with such reactions. But I've seen several forum posts about this, and the fact that some high ranked players actually react like that when you beat them as low ELO player.

QueenGambitAccepted wrote: ↑08 May 2023, 14:20 I would think that if they didn't want to play with beginners, they would have set their settings to exclude them, but on the other hand, it is kind of an extra step...

They can also decline to start the game when they see a beginner, so I think you should feel free to join.

If it's open, feel free to join.

I would add that you should eventually be aware of the table's enabled options. If you don't notice them, you might get annoyed because you don't know them.

This is the case with Hanabi, where players use conventions. If a convention/extension is enabled at the table, please tell your teammate if you don't know it. Ask them if they'd be willing to teach you a bit about it, or if they're not in the mood and would rather play with more experienced players this time.

I think this is a very interesting question. I'm new to BGA, but also fairly new to nearly all of the games, and am nervous to join games I don't know how to play already, despite really being intrigued about the games themselves. It would also help me to play them, especially games we own, to be able to teach my wife how to play them at home with me.

No one has said we can't join a table, to me personally, but there's also something about the interface that doesn't really encourage me to join a game I don't know how to play. I find you can read the rules, and watch youtube videos, but that's still very different from actually playing the game. And then you read that some games here, have special features that might be different from the real version, that you have to somehow know.

Is there a section of the site where people wanting to learn how to play the games, and find others in a similar situation, or somewhere you could post to find someone patient enough to help you work through a game? Tutorials will only ever go so far I find.

Love the site, love the concept, but even in my 50's jumping into a table for a game I don't understand, means I tend to very much restrict what I end up playing to the same old few games.

TeddyBare wrote: ↑09 May 2023, 23:26 Is there a section of the site where people wanting to learn how to play the games, and find others in a similar situation, or somewhere you could post to find someone patient enough to help you work through a game? Tutorials will only ever go so far I find.

Depending on the game, you can look in the search bar if there are groups dedicated to teaching that game. Alternatively, you can ask in the general chat if someone is willing to teach that game. Always worth to ask even if it doesn’t always work out.
I’d be happy to teach games (provided that I know them of course ) so feel free to send me a message to ask

If they haven't set restrictions join and then ask in chat before the game launches if you think you will need help.

Sometimes I will decline to start if I just want a quick competitive game but most times I'm happy to teach.

Part of it depends on the game and how long you have to wait for a table to get enough players. Some people leave tables not because a beginner has joined but just because they're fed up of waiting.

TeddyBare wrote: ↑09 May 2023, 23:26 Is there a section of the site where people wanting to learn how to play the games, and find others in a similar situation, or somewhere you could post to find someone patient enough to help you work through a game? Tutorials will only ever go so far I find.

I think you might be interested in this group called Game Tutors: https://boardgamearena.com/group?id=1111129

Or/and playing in training mode to get more familiar with a game. If you also want strategic advice, you have more chance that players would help in a training game I think.

Also playing in a slow turn-based can be an option if you want to have more time to go back and check a rule or chat to ask rule/interface clarifications between turns.

Sometimes just a small message in the beginning of the game to let the other(s) know you would like some explanations can be more clear for everyone. (For example, they don't know if you already played the game irl thousands of times or never, if you read the rules or not, ...)