Pick the mood. Then pick the box.
Start with the people, not the prettiest box. Are they in the mood to make quick choices, trade a clever plan or test a steady hand? Let everyone vote for a kind of fun before choosing the game.
Pick the moodThe playroom
The very unofficial one-more-round club
Teach a turn before you teach a rulebook.
Tell the group what a successful round looks like. In Snack Stack, show the challenge and the wobble everyone is trying to avoid. A goal gives the other rules somewhere useful to land.
Teach a turn before you teach a rulebook