Debate: is a game night host supposed to teach the rules or just referee?

I had a chat last week with a guy named Dave at the local game store. He said the host should know every rule cold and teach it fast so nobody gets bored. But I told him I think that puts too much pressure on one person and kills the fun if they mess up. The other side is letting everyone learn as they go, but then you get people who tune out or argue about edge cases. We were stuck on this for like 20 minutes while flipping through a copy of Dune Imperium. It hit different because Dave runs a tight ship and I'm more laid back, and neither approach seemed wrong. So which is better for a group of 4 or 5 people meeting for the first time in months: a host who teaches everything upfront or one who lets the group figure it out together? Has anyone else had this argument with their regular crew?

3 comments

3 Comments

umar591mo ago

Wait, is Dave the one who always wins the first game after teaching?

rubys801mo ago

Nah, Dave loses every first game because he's busy explaining rules nobody asked about.

rosebarnes27d ago

Does @rubys80 mean Dave's the opposite of Umar's guy then?