The Person Who Always Has to Choose the Game

At 7:42 on Saturday evening, three people are standing in the kitchen. One wants something quick, one wants the strategy game with the enormous board, and the third says, “I don’t mind.”

Make the choice before game night

Set up a Routine that runs every Friday at 6pm. Tell it to choose one game from the household collection, fit it to the usual players and available time, remember what has already been played, avoid games people dismissed, and provide a backup.

Add the details that matter: usually three players, sometimes four; nobody wants a long rules explanation after dinner; cooperative games are welcome but not every week; and recently played games should not keep resurfacing.

The Delivery is ready before anyone asks what to play. That is the difference between a list of games and a standing decision.

Source: joris use cases

Ask for a decision, not a catalogue

A useful Delivery should lead with one recommendation and the reasoning needed to accept or reject it quickly.

Include the chosen game, why it fits, expected playing time, player count, setup notes, a short rules explanation, one thing to watch for, a backup choice, and a note about what to report afterwards.

Because the Delivery is plain markdown, it can reflect the group rather than forcing the evening into a generic review format. Feedback such as “too long,” “too competitive,” or “good for three” can steer the next run.

Give the group something concrete to put on the table

The person choosing the game is also managing expectations: whether a newcomer will feel lost, whether the host has enough energy for setup, and whether the last game has had enough time to become interesting again.

A Delivery turns that into a plan: this is the game, here is why it fits, and here is the backup. Someone can still object, but the evening no longer begins with everyone staring at the shelves and avoiding responsibility for the decision.

The Routine owns the recurring preparation. The household still owns the choice.

Let the Routine learn the household’s taste

Most recommendations begin from an imagined average person. A household is not average.

Your group may say it likes strategy games but repeatedly choose lighter ones. It may enjoy long sessions in theory but lose interest after the first hour. One player may dislike hidden information, while another only wants to learn new rules once a month.

Keep those patterns in the Routine’s notes and recent Deliveries. Record what worked, what felt fiddly, and what should not be recommended again immediately. The useful job is not finding any game; it is remembering what this particular group means by a good evening.

Know when not to automate the ritual

This is wrong for a group that enjoys browsing the shelf together. The indecision may be part of the evening’s opening scene.

It also depends on accurate notes. joris cannot inspect your shelves, read a box, or know that a game has gone missing. Someone has to keep the starting information current.

The Routine cannot settle a disagreement, teach the game in person, buy it, or make anyone play. Its value is in making one recurring decision at the moment it normally becomes a nuisance—not in producing daily recommendations nobody asked for.

```markdown
# Saturday game night

## Play: Cascadia

**Best for:** 3 players  
**Time:** 35–45 minutes  
**Mood:** quiet competition, low rules overhead

**Why this week:** You have not played it recently, and the group liked a clear turn structure with no player elimination.

## Backup: Kingdomino

Use this if someone arrives tired or you want a simpler game to teach.

## After playing

- too short
- about right
- too much thinking
- good for three
- play again soon
```