As Dave Banks mentioned a couple weeks ago, International TableTop Day is coming up at the end of March, and you can go to the official website to host an event or to find an event near you. There are already just over 100 "premium" events (mostly those hosted by retail locationss and businesses, I believe) and even more that are hosted by groups, clubs, and individuals.
But let's say you're an enthusiastic board gamer, and you're relishing this opportunity to introduce your hobby to your neighbors! You want to sign up to host an event, but you're not really sure how to pull it off. Well, here are a few tips to help your TableTop Day event go as smoothly as possible, adapted from my How to Have a Game Night post.
First things first: Unbox your games. This may seem pretty obvious, but games like Monopoly and even Risk with all its little bits didn't require much more than pulling off the shrink wrap and maybe tearing open a few plastic baggies. If you wait until game night to open your copy of Settlers of Catan, you'll spend the first ten minutes punching out cardboard bits instead of settling Catan.
Next up: Read the instructions. Yeah, yeah, I know, you're worried about your geek cred. But I'll borrow the old, outdated Oldsmobiles slogan: this is not your father's old, outdated board game. Don't make your gamers sit there while you read the rules to them. Don't hold everyone up while you flip around, looking for that one rule you know is in there somewhere. Believe me, I've done it myself, and nobody appreciates it. Read through the whole thing once and make sure you understand the game before you invite people over to play it.
Alternatively, you'll also find many online tutorials for games now. Just Google "How to play _____" and look for some videos. It's still a good idea to flip through the rulebook for specifics, but a video can help you make sense of all those cards and bits and give you a sense of the gameplay if it's your first time playing a game.
Set it up. Hey, you've got it all opened up anyway. Take a look at the "setup" portion of the rules and lay everything out. Learn where things go. The less time it takes you to get everything ready, the sooner your games can get going.
If you need to: Get some help. I rely very heavily on the community at BoardGameGeek.com for everything from turn order reference cards to simplified versions of the rules. Look up a game and scroll down to the section labeled "Files" and you'll see a cornucopia of resources. (I find it's a good idea to hit the "Hot" link to sort everything by the number of "thumbs-up" the files have received.)
Of course, now that you're all prepared, you still need to be able to communicate all these new rules to new players. My advice? Don't jump around from topic to topic: spell out the objective, give a rough overview of gameplay, and hold questions for later so you don't get off-track. Some games can be explained quickly before you play; others will make more sense as you play, so jump right in. And, as with anything else, practice! The more games you teach, the more comfortable you'll get.
Above all: have fun!
And what about after TableTop Day is over? Well, have people jot down their names and contact info if they had fun and want to be invited over for games again, and then follow through! Games can be a great way to get to know people and build relationships, but that doesn't happen in a day.
Need some suggestions for games to play? Check out some of our favorites from the past few years:
