Board Game Scale: Picking games based on game complexity and how it scales with player experience
Channel: Tabletop Bellhop
Date: 2020-08-15

In this Ask The Bellhop segment from The Tabletop Bellhop Gaming Podcast Episode 102, we answer a question from one of our Patreon Patrons about what they call Power Creep. Now he's not talking about things like Magic The Gathering Power Creep, he's talking about how when you first get into hobby gaming many games are overwhelming but the more games you play and the more mechanics you experience, the less complicated all games become to understand.  

We look at how to pick which games to play based on player experience and also talk about whether or not getting more experienced with gaming will mean that you lose interest in some of the older games in your collection. 

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This show is one segment of Episode 102 of The Tabletop Bellhop Gaming Podcast. After August 18th you can find the full episode here:  https://youtu.be/uOBDpA1KOyw

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Disclosure: Links may be affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Some games mentioned may be review copies provided by publishers.

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Today we have a question from Patron of the show Roger Meloche who asks:

“I have a question regarding Power Creep. Not the kind you find in games, but the power creep experienced by the players.

I was introduced to a game called “Great Western Trail”. I had never experienced anything like this, It was all completely new to me. To say I was overwhelmed would be an understatement. I remember somebody saying the game was easy before we played it and I am sure they really thought it was, but I wouldn’t call it a gateway game. Of course, now that I’ve played many different games, I would take a game like Great Western Trail in stride and really enjoy it.

This brings me to my first question; How do you determine if a given player’s skill and experience is a good match for a new game they are about to play, given that a player’s skill level is very subjective at best?

As far as power creep goes; As my skill increases and I look for greater and greater challenges, am I going to lose interest in most of the current games in my collection as I pursue this hobby?”

Links: 
Weighing in on Game Complexity, https://tabletopbellhop.com/gaming-advice/board-game-weight/
A Heavy Topic - Podcast Ep 38, https://tabletopbellhop.com/podcast/ep038/
Board Game Geek, https://boardgamegeek.com/
Weight on BGG, https://boardgamegeek.com/wiki/page/Weight
Race for the Galaxy, https://amzn.to/2Y3leSy
How to pick what board game to play? https://tabletopbellhop.com/gaming-advice/picking-games/
Being Picky - Podcast Ep 53, https://tabletopbellhop.com/podcast/ep053/
Great games for introducing a new player to hobby board games, https://tabletopbellhop.com/gaming-advice/gateway-games/
The Hook - Podcast Ep 28, https://tabletopbellhop.com/podcast/ep028/
Looking for games with a similar feel to Catan, https://tabletopbellhop.com/gaming-advice/next-after-catan/
Life, the Universe, and more than Catan - Podcast Ep 42, https://tabletopbellhop.com/podcast/ep042/
Jones’ Theory, https://ludobits.com/terms/jones-theory/

Send your gaming and game night questions to: questions@tabletopbellhop.com

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