--- title: "Interview with Robert Watson, CEO, BoardGamingTees." description: "Watson explains why it's important to teach a board game's theme and goal first, allow takebacks, and maintain a consistent public schedule, so first-time players know where they fit and when to return." canonical: "https://news.featured.com/match-newcomers-with-familiar-game-mechanics-says-robert" published: "2026-10-15T00:09:33.812Z" updated: "2026-10-15T00:09:33.812Z" format: "interviews" beat: "Arts, Entertainment & Culture" tags: ["Gaming", "Community building", "Board Games"] author: "Robert Watson" editor: "Haley Spracale" license: "Featured News Republication License 1.0" --- # Interview with Robert Watson, CEO, BoardGamingTees. _Watson explains why it's important to teach a board game's theme and goal first, allow takebacks, and maintain a consistent public schedule, so first-time players know where they fit and when to return._ Interviews · [Arts, Entertainment & Culture](https://news.featured.com/beat/arts-entertainment-culture.md) · Edited by Haley Spracale · 2026-10-15 Interview with Robert Watson, CEO, BoardGamingTees ## When someone attends a board game night for the first time, what do you do to help them feel comfortable from the moment they arrive? For first-timers, the key is helping them to connect. Everyone else who comes regularly is likely welcoming but has an established routine or a preferred group to sit with, and may even have pre-arranged a game for themselves to play already. Welcome the new people. Do a quick assessment to figure out how game-savvy they are, and then find a matching group. The ideal groups are outgoing, friendly and diverse, and are playing a game on the easier end of the spectrum. Tables with good teachers are always a positive. If you have an established gamer, feel free to pair them with a group playing an advanced game, but make sure to introduce them and ask if there's room for someone new to join. If not, have a few welcoming games at the ready to play with them yourself. This gives you a great chance to get to know them and to figure out who to pair them with next time, as well as a chance to give them an introduction to what to expect from your game night. ## How do you choose games that make it easy for newcomers with different experience levels to participate? I think that in most cases, you need a newcomer to feel like they've found a place where they really fit in. If they tell you their favorite game and you have something that shares an element with it, then you've done it. For example, if their favorite game is Catan, ask what they like about it. Is it the tile-laying aspect? Give them a tile-laying game. Is it the trading? Find a game that encourages player interaction and trading. Do they just love Catan? If you've got it, play Catan with them. Finding a game with a similar depth of rules and strategies, so you're not overwhelming them with new content, is the best method. It's difficult enough to play games with strangers in a strange environment. There's no need to give them a very complex new set of game rules to learn as well. ## How do you explain rules in a way that keeps first-time players engaged rather than overwhelmed? Explaining rules is an art rather than a science. In most cases, you should start with the theme — who the players are and why they care — and explain how to win. Then move into the turn structure and what actions can be taken to move them toward that goal. ## How do you handle moments when a new player makes a mistake or feels discouraged during a game? Mistakes happen. I make it a point to always allow takebacks in my games if at all possible. If a player makes an error, I handle it like this: If they forgot a bonus they should have had, let them take it. If they’re not sure whether they grabbed the right colored cubes, let them decide what they had. If you feel like they’re uncomfortable with it, make a mistake yourself and demonstrate the kind of grace you can expect from your group. ## What is one simple change a community organizer can make this week to turn a board game night into a place newcomers want to return to? Communication is really underrated among board game organizers. It's easy to set up a Discord server, a public Facebook group, or a Meetup that lets others join and learn about upcoming events. For public groups that rely on private communication — such as a group text as their only method — it can be difficult for newcomers to know who to ask about future events, and it can make them feel left out or uninvited. Consistency is key too. "We meet here every second Wednesday" lets those who are less comfortable with technology know when and where to show up to play next time. Don't assume people know; make it very clear when and where the same group will reassemble. ## About the expert **[Robert Watson](https://connectively.us/p/robert-watson)** CEO at [BoardGamingTees](https://boardgamingtees.com) --- Read the full story at https://news.featured.com/match-newcomers-with-familiar-game-mechanics-says-robert Free to read, quote and cite with a link. Republishing is licensed only to approved Featured News publishers through the publisher hub (apply: https://news.featured.com/publishers). [Featured News Republication License 1.0](https://news.featured.com/publishers#license)