There’s a First Time For Everything
Learning to play online board games isn’t hard, but it can feel overwhelming when you don’t know where to start.
This is a quick intro to playing a game on one of the biggest and best on-line board game sites, Board Game Arena (BGA).
If you join a board gaming group (like our meetup), people often learn new board games every time they go to a meeting. Someone will suggest a game, and if you don’t know it already and would like to learn it, they will usually explain it while getting the game started. Some games are easy to explain – the 6 nimmt! game we’ll talk about here only takes a couple of minutes to explain – while other more complicated games take a while.
There’s more than one way to learn games, which we’ll get into in a bit.
If you’re not joining an existing gaming group, you can either round up some friends or family and learn it together, or you can join a game with random players from around the world. If you play with strangers on BGA, they won’t have an opportunity to teach you the rules, so you’ll need to figure those out ahead of time.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves!
What Even Is Board Game Arena?
Board Game Arena (BGA for short) is basically like having a game night that never ends, with people from all over the world. Think of it as the world’s biggest coffee shop, except you have to provide your own overpriced lattes.
The beautiful thing? You don’t need to buy anything, learn any complicated software, or even leave your pajamas. Just go to boardgamearena.com, create an account (username, email, password – you know the drill), and you’re basically ready to play over 1000 different games.
BGA is free to join, and you can play most things for free, although there are some advantages to paying for the annual subscription (which isn’t too expensive), if you decide you like it.
The “But I Don’t Know How to Play Anything” Problem
Here’s where a lot of people freeze up. With so many games available, where do you even start? It’s like walking into a library and being told to “pick something good.”
The truth is, there’s no wrong way to learn a new game. Some people read every rule, watch tutorial videos, and probably take notes. Others just skim the rules and figure it out as they go, asking questions when confused.
Both approaches work fine. You do you.
But if you want a gentle introduction that won’t make your brain hurt, let me suggest starting with something called 6 nimmt! (“nimmt” is German for “take”. The game was originally named “Take 5!” in German, but somehow the 5 got turned into a 6. Inflation, you know).
Why 6 nimmt! Is Perfect for Beginners
This game is a perfect starter for board games – short, not too complicated, and almost impossible to mess up.
Here’s the entire game in one sentence: Everyone plays cards trying not to be the person who takes penalty points.
That’s it. That’s the whole game.
Okay, fine, there are a few more details:
- Everyone gets 10 numbered cards
- You play them one at a time into rows on the table
- If you’re unlucky enough to place the 6th card in a row, you take all the cards in that row (and their penalty points)
- Lowest score wins
The beauty of 6 nimmt! is that you can learn it in about 2 minutes, but it still feels like a real game. Plus, it plays with up to 10 people, so if your first experience is with a big group, nobody’s going to be staring at you waiting for you to figure out your turn. Except Bob, of course.
Side note: 6 nimmt! has options, as do most board games, so there is a “professional” version. I recommend you don’t start with that, since it can be a little more complicated.
Actually Getting Started
Once you’re on BGA, look for the “Play Now” section. That will take you to the BGA Lobby. Scroll down the page until you find a dialog box that says “Find a game”, and enter “6”. That will show you “6 nimmt!” among the options. You can either:
Join an existing game: Look for an existing table that says something like “Beginners welcome” or has other friendly language. Don’t worry about being the newbie – everyone’s usually happy to help via in-game chat. If you are playing for the first time with strangers, you’ll want to read the rules and/or watch a tutorial ahead of time. If you are playing with friends or a meetup group like ours (and have a zoom video session going at the same time), someone will be happy to explain it to you then.
I recommend you start with this 2-minute video tutorial
Here are the rules, and here is another online tutorial.
Create your own table: This is a great choice for your very first time. You can invite friends, set it to “beginners only,” or just make it open to anyone who wants to join. When you create a table, you get to control the speed of play, which is nice when you’re learning.
The interface will look a bit foreign at first, but it’s actually pretty intuitive. For most games on BGA, the cards you can play will light up, legal moves are highlighted, and there’s usually an “undo” button if you click something by mistake.
The Different Ways People Learn (And They’re All Fine)
The Researchers: These folks read the rules, watch the “How to Play” videos, maybe even read strategy guides before their first game. If this is you, BGA has excellent resources. Most games have rule summaries, tutorial videos, and you can even watch replays of other people’s games to see how things flow.
The Explorers: These people prefer to jump in and learn by doing. The great news is that BGA makes this totally safe – you can’t accidentally mess up the board, the software prevents you from making illegal moves, and it even figures out the score for you.
The Social Learners: You learn best when someone explains as you go. This is probably the most common way people learn games at in-person game nights, and it works online too. Just mention in the chat that you’re new to the game – most players are happy to offer tips as you play.
All three approaches work. The only wrong way is to not try at all because you’re worried about doing it “right.”
A Few Things Nobody Tells You
First - if you start a game, you need to finish it. In turn-based games with one or two moves per day, that’s usually not a problem, but for a “real time” game, if you may have to leave before the game ends, don’t start. BGA keeps track of player “reputation”, and quitting a game before it’s over is a fast way to get a bad reputation.
Chat is your friend: Don’t be afraid to say “Hi, I’m new to this game” when you join a table. Most of the time, board game players online are just as helpful as they are in person.
Speed doesn’t matter (usually): Most games give you plenty of time to think. You’re not going to hold anyone up by taking 30 seconds to decide which card to play. BGA has a setting for game speed, so if you want extra time to think, stay away from the “real time, fast speed” games.
Mistakes happen: Most games on BGA have a “undo” button, for when you almost make a mistake. Use it. Nobody minds.
You don’t need to win: This sounds obvious, but it’s worth saying. Your goal for your first few games should be understanding what’s happening, not optimizing your strategy. The winning will come later.
What About All Those Numbers and Rankings?
BGA tracks statistics and has rating systems (called ELO) for each game. You’ll see numbers next to player names, win percentages, all kinds of data.
Ignore all of that for now.
Seriously. Those numbers are for people who’ve been playing for months or years and want to track their improvement. For your first several games, they’re just noise. Focus on figuring out how the games work and having fun.
The rating system is designed to match you with players of similar skill levels eventually, but it needs a few games to figure out where you belong. Don’t stress about starting at the bottom – everyone does.
Your Actual First Steps
- Go to boardgamearena.com and create an account
- Look for a game called “6 nimmt!” in the game list
- Either join a beginner-friendly table or create your own
- Play a few games without worrying about winning
- Try a different game when you feel ready
That’s it. No special equipment needed, no studying required, no pressure to be good immediately.
The Thing Nobody Mentions About Online Board Games
Here’s what surprised me most: playing games online doesn’t feel impersonal or sterile like I expected. People still chat, joke around, complain about bad luck, and celebrate good moves. The social aspect is still there – it’s just happening through text (or over a video chat) instead of around a physical table.
And honestly? Some aspects are actually better online. No one can knock over your carefully arranged pieces. You don’t have to shuffle cards or calculate scores manually. Setup takes seconds instead of minutes.
Don’t get me wrong – nothing will completely replace the experience of sitting around a table with friends. But online gaming isn’t a poor substitute; it’s its own thing, with its own advantages.
What’s Next?
Once you’ve played 6 nimmt! a few times and feel comfortable with how BGA works, the whole catalog opens up to you. Want something a bit more strategic? Try Splendor or Azul. Prefer party games? Codenames is fantastic online (that’s not on BGA). Looking for something cooperative? Hanabi is great for 2-5 players working together.
The beautiful thing about BGA is that trying a new game costs nothing except a little time. Don’t like something? Try something else. There’s no shelf of expensive games staring at you accusingly from the corner.
Just Start
I could keep writing about game selection strategies, optimal learning approaches, and advanced BGA features. But honestly? The best way to get comfortable with online board games is just to try one.
Your first game probably won’t be your best game. You might misunderstand a rule or make a silly move. That’s not just okay – it’s expected. Everyone who’s now confidently hosting 8-player games started exactly where you are right now.
Sometimes the person who seems like an expert is just someone who started a few days before you did.
So give it a shot. Create that account. Find a friendly table. Play that first game.
The worst thing that can happen is you’ll learn something new about a hobby you already enjoy. The best thing that can happen is you’ll discover that game night doesn’t have to end just because your friends live in different states.
Ready to try your first online gaming group? Come join us for our Friday night sessions where we’re always happy to help new players get started. Check our upcoming events to see when we’re playing next!
Questions about getting started with Board Game Arena? Bring them up during one of our game nights – we love helping people discover new ways to enjoy this hobby.