There seems to be quite an overlap between people who love playing board games and those who love playing video games. Many actually enjoy playing both. There also seems to be a growing overlap between the hobby and video game industries themselves. So in this article, I want to look at what synergies there might be between the two and how both can benefit from each other. Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2023/01/24/digital-analogues-synergies-between-board-and-video-gam...
Jan 24, 2023•9 min
In the Qing dynasty, camels were one of the main means of transport. People would travel for days to cross deserts, wilderness and plains to reach the city of Pingyao, where they would trade their wares to increase their wealth. So an agency of bankers was established to help grow the economy and slowly build up a financial network. Soon, wealth began to accumulate in the city of Pingyao: First Banks of China by Wu Shuang from Jing Studio . Read the full review here: https://tabletopgamesblog.co...
Jan 21, 2023•9 min
The following article was written by Filip Redelius , designer of Fog of Adventures . As a tabletop game enthusiast, I've always been fascinated by the endless possibilities of creating new and exciting gameplay experiences. So when I set out to design my own game, Fog of Adventures , I knew I wanted to push the boundaries and explore the role of AI in the development process. Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2023/01/17/creating-a-tabletop-game-with-ai-topic-discussion/ ...
Jan 17, 2023•8 min
You had received a mysterious invitation to the old mansion on top of the hill, which had lain empty for decades - if not centuries. You were about to throw the letter in the bin, along with the junk mail, when you hesitated. It could be interesting to see who else would turn up. After all, there was this old story linking your ancestors to a Betrayal at House on the Hill: 3rd Edition by Dave Chalker , Banana Chan , Noah Cohen , Bruce Glassco , Brian Neff , Will Sobel and Jabari Weathers from Av...
Jan 14, 2023•9 min
War games are often seen as controversial. Replaying the atrocities that occurred during a large-scale conflict seems completely inappropriate. Condensing the huge amount of suffering, death and destruction into a game of pushing tiles around a board and rolling dice or playing cards seems perverse. So in this article, I try to put everything into a bit more context and tease out the pros and cons of war games and how controversial they really are when compared to some of the other games in our ...
Jan 10, 2023•10 min
Yes, it's time for my annual list of the best games of the year. As has become tradition, I also announce which game won the accolade of the Top Table Award , which is now in its fourth year. However, you have to be patient for a little while longer, while I list the best five board games of 2022 in reverse order. Read the full review here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2023/01/07/top-table-award-2022-the-best-board-games-of-the-year-saturday-review/ Useful Links Town 66 : https://tabletopgamesb...
Jan 07, 2023•12 min
In a slight change to our usual schedule, I thought I'd write a quick update and release it outside the normal Tuesday and Saturday slots. I already spoke about some of the highlights from last year in my article " 2022 - A Year in Review ", including costs and expenses. So in this article, I want to talk about how the Tabletop Games Blog itself performed in 2022, including the time I spent on it as well as how many visitors and views the blog got. Read the full article here: https://tabletopgam...
Jan 05, 2023•5 min
Even if you're not a particularly competitive player, trying to win the game is what you should aim for. You may not care if you do eventually win and prefer to focus on doing better than previously. That's fine and at the end of the day, playing games is about having fun. However, if you do have even a small competitive streak in you, then this article may help you become a better player and win more often. Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2023/01/03/winning-strategies-...
Jan 03, 2023•7 min
Another year has gone by and a lot has happened, both, in the world at large as well as in the board game hobby. Exhibitions were attended, games were played, articles were written, podcasts were recorded and plenty of other exciting things happened. So let me share with you some of the highlights for me from 2022 and also give you an update on the financial situation of the blog. Read the full review here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/12/31/2022-a-year-in-review-saturday-review/ Useful Li...
Dec 31, 2022•12 min
Inspired by a Twitter post from Matt at Lost My Meeples , I wanted to talk about what I think a publisher's responsibilities are when it comes to replacing board game components. I think there are some things we will all agree on that a publisher should replace and others where we probably all agree that a publisher doesn't have to send replacements. There will also be plenty of things somewhere in between, that sit in a grey area somewhere and aren't so clear-cut. Read the full article here: ht...
Dec 27, 2022•9 min
It was 2100 and the construction of our gigantic project had begun. We were trying to tackle overpopulation and rising sea levels. Recent advances in technology had enabled us to build higher and stronger buildings that could house more people. We were also able to build on the water, using immense floating platforms as foundations for these wonderful structures. It would take time, but eventually, we would be able to complete our first MegaCity: Oceania by Jordan Draper and Michael Fox from Hub...
Dec 24, 2022•7 min
I always say that not everyone will like every board game, but there is a board game for everyone. I suppose, I should concede that some people don't like board games at all. Our hobby isn't for everyone and that's fine, of course. However, in this article, I want to look at the sort of games that should suit most people. Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/12/20/everyone-can-play-games-that-should-suit-most-people-topic-discussion/ Useful Links Libertalia: Winds of Ga...
Dec 20, 2022•8 min
It was going to be a real spectacle. The crowds had gathered to watch the masters at work and battle to the bitter end. Only one of them would survive. Then, as the match was about to begin, everyone hushed and an eerie silence filled the arena. It was time for the combatants to throw their dice and Str!ke by Dieter Nüßle from Ravensburger . Read the full review here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/12/17/strike-saturday-review/ Useful Links Str!ke : https://www.ravensburger.us/products/games...
Dec 17, 2022•4 min
Noah (“Nomich”) Johnson started his family games company, Nomich Games , back in 2020 and he wears many other hats, such as: game design, graphic and web design, customer service, marketing, networking and sales. Nomich Games ' mission is to promote community through simple, quick-to-learn, addictively-fun games that get people interacting and laughing together. Read the audio transcript here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/12/14/noah-johnson-let-me-illustrate/ If you want to support this po...
Dec 14, 2022•7 min
In digital games, the idea of a high score table dates back to the 1970s and 80s. Yes, you would eventually run out of lives or credits and therefore lose a console game, but beating your own or someone else's highest point score was much more important. Finishing a game and beating the last boss monster was not really a thing. Many digital games didn't even have an ending as such. They just got more and more difficult. So the question is, if something similar is also possible for analogue games...
Dec 13, 2022•8 min
Yes, it is that time of year again when I release a list of games that I think are ideal for you to play over the holidays. My list of Christmas games is not ordered in any particular way. Instead, I am trying to offer five different types of games that will hopefully provide you with one or two choices that suit your taste in games and are a great fit for the festive period. Read the full review here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/12/10/5-great-christmas-games-saturday-review/ Useful Links...
Dec 10, 2022•11 min
There is one genre of games that really stands out for me: economic simulations. These types of games scratch a very specific itch, right in the middle of my back, that other games just can't reach. I get an immense feeling of bliss when the tingling finally subsides as I invest money to make more money. In this article, I want to explain in a bit more in detail why this genre makes me feel so good. Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/12/06/economic-simulations-why-i-l...
Dec 06, 2022•8 min
It was a sleepy village in the middle of the countryside. The residents were hard-working, cutting down trees for wood and digging up rocks to construct new buildings and planting and harvesting grains to feed the population. Over time, more people were attracted to the village as it grew and grew. Eventually, it was time to build a church in this little Hamlet: The Village Building Game by David Chircop from Mighty Boards . Read the full review here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/12/03/ham...
Dec 03, 2022•12 min
Since the lockdown, many board games have now also been released in digital format. Some of these implementations are just a representation of the physical game on your screen. You still have to move everything by hand and do all the housekeeping. Other solutions enforce rules and carry out all the actions for you. You just need to point and click. Some games also come with AI opponents, allowing you to create a competitive game even when you're by yourself or add additional, digital players to ...
Nov 29, 2022•8 min
The apocalypse has finally come. After the breakdown of society, survivors have formed gangs of motorheads, that scour the wasteland for rare and very precious petrol reserves. Their vehicles are highly tricked-out, finely tuned, heavily reinforced and equipped with a wide range of weapons. They will stop at nothing, which is exactly why a small number of the surviving rich elite have organised deadly races, where the gangs are pitted against each other to be the first to reach the finishing lin...
Nov 26, 2022•8 min
I enjoy games with quite a wide range of playing times. I like long games that take a couple of hours or more to play, up to a certain point at least. Anything above three hours is probably going to be too long for me. I also love quick games that take 15 minutes to half an hour, but I'm definitely not a fan of real-time games. In this article, I want to look at how timekeeping affects the gameplay experience. Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/11/22/keeping-time-how-...
Nov 22, 2022•8 min
A great fire engulfed the Whelming Matches factory. All the water in the world couldn't put it out, so hot it burned. When the flames eventually died down many hours later, one artefact was found among the glowing embers. It was cold to the touch and nobody knew what it was. Maybe it was one of the Matches by Daniel McKinley from Thing 12 Games . Read the full review here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/11/19/matches-saturday-review/ Useful Links Matches : https://www.kickstarter.com/project...
Nov 19, 2022•8 min
Yota Suzuki is a board game artist and UI designer. He created Tactical Games in 2017 and loves working with other artists to create the best results possible. Read the audio transcript here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/11/16/yota-suzuki-let-me-illustrate/ If you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblog Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlog PayPal: https://paypal.me/pools/c/8hovaYouKD Website: https...
Nov 16, 2022•12 min
I have often heard that board game reviews should talk about the price of games. If a review tries to help people make a buying decision, then that makes perfect sense. After all, the best game in the world may still just be too expensive and a game that's free may still not be worth it. Of course, there are many steps in between. So how much a game costs is clearly something people consider. Yet, I never mention the price of a game in any of my reviews and I don't plan on doing so in the future...
Nov 15, 2022•9 min
Sailing the winds in your sky pirate ship, you and your crew land on a different island each day, looking for treasure, adventure and glory. You need to be fast though, because you're not alone. Other ships in the fleet have followed the same course and they want their share of the varied loot. If the crew member you send to the island is too slow, they will not come back with valuable treasure, but with a terrible curse or worse, they will not return at all. Only the best pirate will make it in...
Nov 12, 2022•9 min
As many of you probably know, I am a very visual person. I love it when rulebooks are well laid out and have helpful photos that show how something works. The graphic design of game and player boards is also something I think is very important. A good choice of clear icons can really help with understanding how a game works and speed up the flow of a turn. Top it all off with beautiful board game art and you have the complete package, if you ask me. Read the full article here: https://tabletopga...
Nov 08, 2022•8 min
History was an interesting place for all of us. We recognized a number of famous figures, while some were new to us. As we travelled through the ages, we encountered new people and learned about different events. Some eras were more familiar than others. Our aim was to be the first to reach the present day. We all took part in A Race in Time from History Heroes . Read the full review here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/11/05/a-race-in-time-saturday-review Useful Links A Race in Time : https...
Nov 05, 2022•7 min
Everyone in our hobby loves playing board games. That's by definition, of course. Additionally, there are a lot of board game adjacent hobbies that many of us enjoy, such as miniature painting, card collecting or trading, finding wonderful and usual dice and so much more. However, I think there is something else that many of us really enjoy doing and that is to do with the game before the game - but let me explain. Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/11/01/the-game-bef...
Nov 01, 2022•8 min
It was soon time for the most anticipated festival at Death School , whose motto was "Soul to win". According to legend, there was an accident at the school many years ago. Somehow numerous souls had been able to escape, and the teachers and students raced to recapture them all. Every year hence, Papa Death , Osiris , Hei and Bai Wuchang lead the students into a race of reaping souls, the Soulaween by Shi Chen from Play With Us Design . Read the full review here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/20...
Oct 29, 2022•7 min
The following article was written by Joe Slack from the Board Game Design Course . Hey there. It's Joe Slack from the Board Game Design Course . Oliver was kind enough to let me return and write another guest post on his blog, this time about realtime games and the experience that they deliver. I hope you enjoy the article! Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/10/25/how-realtime-games-deliver-excitement-topic-discussion/ Useful Links Board Game Design Course : https://b...
Oct 25, 2022•10 min
