May 19, 2024: More Post-Game Possibilities

I recently shared a story about a post-game ritual of my wife's family. While writing that one, I thought of another possibility that's not quite as widely implemented, but has been done at our gaming table sometimes to decent effect: If you plan to enjoy an afternoon or evening of multiple games, with the expectation of doing several different ones during that time frame, then consider letting the loser choose the next game.

Of course, this simple idea requires consensus on the details. For example, most games have multiple non-winners, so there needs to be a way to pick the one who had the least successful rally (say, lowest level in a Munchkin game). And among a really competitive (?) group, you might have the odd situation of folks trying to lose worse in a game they know they can't win, which can skew the current game. But for the right group, "last place picks next game" is a quick-and-easy way to encourage game-group camaraderie.

If anyone uses this tip – or has their own! – I'd love to hear it on the forums.

-- Steven Marsh