Hosted six people last Friday, three had never touched Everdell, one guy showed up with Pearlbrook because he got it as a gift and 'wanted to use the fancy bits.' So naturally we shoved everything in at once like geniuses.
Setup took twenty minutes and someone lost a resin pearl under the couch which felt symbolic.
By summer we had two players still asking if they could 'just place workers anywhere' and one person who built an insane engine off a card I still don't understand. Scores were all over the place but everyone was laughing about otters and treehouses so mission accomplished I guess.
If you've taught Pearlbrook cold: how do you explain the boardwalk without eyes glazing over? I feel like I need a whiteboard next time.