by Greyfax

I thought I had a question for today; however, it turned out I needed more information and didn't receive it in time, so here's a discussion topic that we've touched on before.

The amount of time players spend taking their turns has always been controversial in the hobby — or at least it has since 1984 when I became part of it. There can be tension at the table when players play at different paces, especially when players "tune out" because one person is taking a lot of time. What to do?

Here's what I've seen as situations and my response to them:

1. Tolerate a player taking a long time and tell folks at the table to please pay attention.

This is hard if one player consistently takes more time than everyone else as it's tempting for others to pick up their phone/tablet to do something else. The problem is that by doing that, they won't know what's happened since their turn, which will make the game even longer when they ask for a summary.

I will tolerate this behavior as best as I can, and I have been known to check my phone as well, but I work hard to take responsibility for knowing what's happened. In my opinion, it's rude to not pay attention, then expect a summary. I would state an expectation that players take responsibility for knowing what's happening at the table.

2. Use timers.

Everyone gets the same amount of time for their turns. This is harsh to me, although I've heard that some have great success with timers. What concerns me is that sometimes games have moments in which a longer turn is expected — required even — and a timer can't adjust to give you that time.

3. Reduce the complexity of the games the group plays.

There's a ton of good games at every (BGG) complexity level so this solution can work...but some players might not be interested in lighter games and may choose to leave the group.

4. Refuse to play with the player who is consistently taking a long time and no longer invite them to play with the group.

I would hope it wouldn't come to this, but I know that it has, especially when there's a perception that the player takes a long time to ensure they make the "perfect" play.

In this situation, I would take that type of player aside and explain that the perfect play isn't necessary to enjoy the game and that they are negatively impacting others' enjoyment...then see what they have to say and decide what to do from there. Otherwise, go with the group decision.

5. Suggest that the player is choosing games at a higher complexity level than they can handle.

This is a delicate situation since some players equate playing more complex games with higher intelligence. I want to super emphasize that this is absolutely not true, and if there's a player like this in your group, you could take them aside and explain that there's no stigma to playing lighter games.

I hope this has been helpful. Please respond with your thoughts as a respectful response is always welcome.

Best,

Ms. Meeple (Jennifer Schlickbernd)

P.S. If there's a situation in your board game group or at a meetup that you would like advice on, please send me a Geekmail with "Ms. Meeple" in the title.