That awkward moment when a board game night gets derailed by a rules lawyer

So I hosted a game night last Tuesday at my place in Denver, we had 6 people ready to play Root. I've owned the game for like 3 years but only played it twice. One guy, Mark, kept interrupting every turn to point out tiny rule details from the manual. He spent 15 minutes arguing about movement restrictions in the clearings. By the time we finished setup and first round, an hour and a half had gone by. Two people left early saying they had work the next day. I was so frustrated because I just wanted everyone to have fun. Has anyone else dealt with a player who takes the fun out of the game by being too strict with rules? How do you handle that without being rude?

2 comments

2 Comments

ben4021d agoMost Upvoted

Used to think rule followers were being helpful, now I see how they kill the mood.

gonzalez.rowan1d ago

Wait you actually think they were helpful before?