The board games gathering dust on your shelf: 7 ways to finally play them

Every gamer has a game on the shelf they have never played. Bought on sale, received as a gift, spotted in a top-ten list: it was meant for “this weekend”, then the next one. There is even a name for that pile: the shelf of shame. It is not inevitable. An unplayed game is almost always blocked by a specific reason, and each reason has a fix.

Why a game does not get played

Three causes come up again and again:

1. The rules are intimidating. A 30-page rulebook means an evening of learning before anyone plays. Nobody wants to be the person reading aloud while everyone waits.
2. It does not fit your group. A brilliant four-player game when you mostly play with two; a three-hour game when evenings end at 11 pm.
3. You simply forget it. Stored up high, behind others, it is out of sight when it is time to choose.

Identifying the right cause is half the work.

1. Find out which games are really asleep

We think we know which games are gathering dust, and we are often wrong. The only reliable signal is the date of the last play. If you log your plays (see how to keep score of your board game plays), you get a clear list. Otherwise, a walk along the shelf asking “did we play this this year?” will do.

2. Learn the rules before game night

This is the most powerful lever for heavy games. Watch a how-to-play video the day before, set up the components and play a practice turn, alone or with one other person. On the night you explain instead of read, and the game starts in ten minutes instead of forty.

3. One game at a time, with a date

“We should try that game one day” never happens. “Saturday, 8 pm, we play Terraforming Mars” does. Pick one unplayed game per month, announce it in advance and stick to it. After a year, twelve games will finally have seen the table.

4. Start with two players

Many games play very well with two, even if they are designed for more. A first two-player game lets you learn without pressure, then teach it to the group like a regular.

5. The short version

Many long games offer an introductory variant, or lend themselves to a shortened game: fewer rounds, a smaller target. A one-hour first game makes people want a real one; a four-hour first game puts everyone off.

6. Put it back within reach

A game stored up high, behind others, no longer exists. Make a small “to play” spot at eye level, with two or three games at most. It is as much a storage tip as a motivation trick: we cover it in our method for organising your collection.

7. Be willing to let it go

Some games will never be played, and that is fine. Set a deadline: if it has not hit the table within three months of being your “game of the month”, it goes. A complete game in good condition resells well, whether on specialist second-hand marketplaces, classified ad sites, or at bring-and-buy sales at conventions and clubs. It can also make a local game library happy. Someone will enjoy playing it, and you free up space for a game that will get played.

The right habit: let forgotten games remind you

Everything above relies on one thing: knowing, effortlessly, which games are waiting. That is why MeepleThèque shows the games that never left their box on the home screen and, on every game's page, how long it has been since it was played. Forgotten games surface on their own, right when you are wondering what to play tonight.