I finally understand why Board Games people care about reviews for absolute beginners

Part of me wanted the fancy version with all the tools. The better version was boring: one notebook, one reminder, and a willingness to be clumsy with the prototype for a while.

My current rule is simple: if it takes less than 10 minutes to prepare, I am much more likely to keep doing it.

I know this is a tiny sample size, but after 3 attempts the pattern is pretty clear. When I keep the setup simple, I actually follow through.