Teaching Games
A snippet from the discussion section of the new edition of Kingdom:
If you’re reading this, you are probably the person teaching everyone else the rules and how to play: what we call a “facilitator”.
First of all, thank you! Learning and teaching other people games is a great public service. You are already a hero, at least in my book. Which of course this is.
I write games very much with you, the facilitator, in mind. I want everyone at the table to have fun, and I know you are essential to making that happen. When I’m writing a game, I’m thinking about how you’ll have to sift through these pages at the table and explain what to do. The easier I can make it for you, the more you and everyone else at the table can focus on the fun.
Just sent the second half of the book off to editing, so getting close to the finish line…
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Thank you so much for your welcoming and inclusive game design. I love how your games inspire player input and allow it to take centre stage. It’s been a source of inspiration. Looking forward to Kingdom 2!
The original Kingdom had a teaching section, but it was too long. My approach this time was to make the game clear enough that the “teaching” section was hardly necessary. Build the teaching into the design, as it were.
I’m always pleased when a game comes with a tutorial section that steps me through how to teach a game to the players. Thirsty Sword Lesbians is a great example of this, including safety tools.