Okay, I don’t know if I’m dumb or if Fantasy Flight Games’ rulebooks are just weird and obtuse. This is the second time I’ve had issues first getting into a game from them and the rulebook, although helpful, makes the experience so very frustrating that I almost rage quit. The rules are all there, the steps are included. But the order seems to be all over the place. Things that, to me, look like they should logically be explained one after the other, are not. Concepts that should be a subcategory within a segment of the rulebook and on the opposite end. And when it comes to phrasing, often enough, nothing is explained in enough detail as to leave one without any doubts. And the complexity lever of FFG games (more for people unfamiliar with board games or those not well versed) makes it all worse.
It all started for me with X-Wing. The recommended way to play the game for the first time is dumbed down enough to be absolutely idiot proof (ergo, I was able to play that first game perfectly fine). However, after that, the rules continue to ease you in. You get this one game where you understand the core concepts of the game, and now it’s time for you to play normally, ramping everything up from 0 – 100 way too quickly and leaving you with a mountain of features, concepts , moves and more that will take you hours, days even to begin to understand. And if everyone involved is a beginner, good luck. I can no longer count how many times I’ve had to go on the X-Wing 2.0 wiki to look up something because we didn’t understand or, even worse, couldn’t find in the rule book. Because, yes, the rule books may be small, but they’ve little to no guidelines for how to read through them when you’re just flipping through looking for something so you can continue playing and enjoying the game you bought.
I’m sure something similar would’ve happened when I started playing KeyForge. If it hadn’t been because of Team Covenant’s very helpful video series on the game, mixed with the owner of one of my FLGSs liking the game and teaching me how to play, I know I would’ve had a had time with that too. Specially since there’s a shift in mind set needed for that game when you come from something like Yu-Gi-Oh. But that’s a discussion for KeyForge folks.
The latest offended of this trend for me has been Marvel Champions. Bought the game on the 15 and finally cracked it opened on the 17th. I was excited to try it out and my partner agreed to sit and play with me. We were both tired after a long day of housework and wanted to play a nice game, maybe two, before going off to watch Star Wars: Rebels for a while and then hitting the hay. But Champions wasn’t having it. Right off the bat you’re greeted with two rulebooks (technically only one as the other is more of a concept reference book, but still) and paragraph after paragraph of instructions. The most annoying parts being that you were constantly left wondering “Okay, but what’s this for?” and the “more on that later” interruptions on the instructions. Couldn’t this have been organized in a way that flowed better. To top it off, sometimes you just get bombarded with instructions and information. As someone used to Upper Deck’s Legendary when it comes to their Marvel games hit, it was a lot to take in at once. My partner was so bored and annoyed and just not having it that we didn’t even get to the second villain phase before I said that we should just clean the table and leave. I was doing my best to understand and explain the rules simultaneously and they were confused enough as it was that they couldn’t be bothered to put the mindpower to understand the rules any more. Needless to say, it was a bad night and a worse gameplay experience.
This morning, before punching in at work, I decided to give the game another try because I really like the art. I believe that, after two games (and one of them having been beaten by Rhyno), I finally get it. Now I just have to play some more so I can figure out how to explain it to people that are less experienced in card games. I might even post my own tutorial on here once I figure it out.
Seriously though, I don’t know if it’s me or not, but I simply can’t understand rulebooks of FFGs games the first time through.
Playing the Legends 