January 9, 2025: Who Goes First?

I'm always amused by the way boardgames determine who goes first. Often it's left to the dice ("roll to see who goes first"). Sometimes it's left up to the players ("figure out who goes first"). Sometimes they make a joke out of it, like with Munchkin's rules: "Decide who goes first by rolling the dice and arguing about the results and the meaning of this sentence and whether the fact that a word seems to be missing any effect."

Other times it's thematic: "The player who most recently watched a movie" or " . . . most recently traveled," in the case of a movie- or travel-based game. Or considerate: "The youngest player goes first."

One possibility I find especially amusing is when it's a disadvantage to go first (because it betrays your position, gives other players more info, etc.) and yet the game acts as if it's being considerate.

RULES: The youngest player goes first.

PLAYERS: Congratulations, little Billy! You're about to get crushed by the other players!

Any other options you find especially funny or memorable? Feel free to let me know on the forums.

-- Steven Marsh