This has happened to me a few times. One I remember was the game Alchemist, where I just sat there confused as hell for 4 and a half hours while three guys were all talking about strategies. Tonight it was Terraforming Mars, where I was told it would be a 3 hour game, but by hour 4 we were halfway done. This time I said “it’s 11pm, I have work in the morning, this will be my last hand” and the host got very passive aggressive with me. I just don’t know what to do in these situations.
^Also is there a word for this? My girlfriend said I was “held game hostage” but I don’t see that used in my searches.^
I’m thinking it would be helpful to explicitly state your boundaries before even agreeing to play the game. Something like this:
“There are some board games i like and some i don’t. I’d be glad to give it a try if you’re ok with me deciding I don’t like it after 10 minutes and dropping out. Also i don’t enjoy playing board games that take longer than an hour to finish, so I’d be happy to play as long as you’re cool with me dropping out of the game if it goes on longer than an hour.”
If you explain clear boundaries to them before starting play then they know what to expect when those boundaries are reached