Probably unpopular opinion: While the tutorial might be lacklustre, the fact this and others are boardgames means there is plenty of learning material out there. YouTube has tutorial videos ranging from 3 minutes to like 30 minutes or more. Lacklustre digital tutorials is not such a big deal for boardgames IMO but I do understand the frustration.
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I agree to an extent, and video tutorials have taught me many, many games (thanks, Rodney Smith!), but Iād like a tutorial to at least explain the basic rules. All this one does is say āpick this tile,ā āput this tile thereā without explaining anything at all about what the tile is, what it does, why placement matters, etc. Heck, Iām not even sure the tutorial mentions that this is a worker placement game and that your actions are based on placing workersā¦The tutorials in Caverna are numbered but also out of order, I believe (the one that explains the interface should have been first, not last), and I think one tutorial references a different tutorial that doesnāt even exist.
On top of that, great tutorials exist. Through the Ages makes a difficult game comprehensible; Root is lauded as the absolute best way to actually learn the game.
Ultimately, the problems isnāt that I wonāt learn, it is that my friends and family wonāt. They arenāt rushing off to watch 30 minute videos about board game rules. They want a game that says āhereās what you downloaded and hereās how it works.ā
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If Iām correct, we do have to following volunteers for a game of Caverna:
@js619
@Mirefox
@Jokerman (friend request pending)
@Baelnor
@Codington: I did see you also own the game. Interested to join?
Without any notice, I will create the game later this day.
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I would question the complexity of game these friends are willing to play in the first instance, and would also question their longevity to play the game much at all if they canāt afford to just sit through a short tutorial in a different window/browser.
But anyway, we donāt have to agree, itās anll good, and I see your point.
Iām in for spelunking and maybe even some adventuring!
Looks good to me.
I can get my close friends to play games like TTA because it has a good tutorial and the gameplay is clean enough that what they donāt know they can learn on the fly. Ditto Root, Dune Imperium. I think Ark Nova and Arcs will be doable, too, knowing Dire Wolfās track record. Caverna would be a waste of $12 for them.
Fair Warning: even though I own the game, the expansion, and the Broken Token organizer, that only shows that I have issues, not that I know the game.
Iāve never read the rule book. All Iāve done at this point is gotten lost in the tutorial and watched a much clearer YouTube tutorial.
Iām not good at games; Iāll be even worse at this.
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