The Scientific Benefits of Tabletop Gaming (Topic Discussion)

Post read time 7 min read5 Comments on The Scientific Benefits of Tabletop Gaming (Topic Discussion)

As a kid, family game night was a staple and we had that one closet that always seemed to overflow with board games. As I got older, I added tabletop RPGs like Dungeons & Dragons and video games. And while gaming has always been a part of my lifestyle, I never really saw it as beneficial beyond just something to do for fun. But according to scientific research, tabletop gaming is actually quite good for you.

Etiquette (Topic Discussion)

Post read time 6 min read2 Comments on Etiquette (Topic Discussion)

When you have a long-standing, regular games group, you will probably have already established certain "house rules" that define what's considered good behaviour at the table. Chances are many of them are actually unwritten rules that have just come out over time and are based on the types of people you play with. In this article, I want to try and talk about a few of these rules that are probably generally useful to have at games night, whether this is with a long-established group or people you've just met.

Pointless co-operation (Topic Discussion)

Post read time 4 min read3 Comments on Pointless co-operation (Topic Discussion)

Staunch competitive players may feel that co-operative games are a bit pointless. After all, it makes more sense if there is only one winner, rather than several, or so their reasoning might go. However, even if you love co-operative games and even if you prefer them to competitive games, there are some games where you don't feel like you're achieving anything - and that might feel pointless to you. In this article, I want to look at this in a little more detail.

Self-sorting games (Topic Discussion)

Post read time 5 min readLeave a Comment on Self-sorting games (Topic Discussion)

We all know how some games can take a while to set up. Sometimes it's because there are just a lot of components and different pieces to take out of the box and place on the table. Other times, it's because you have to sort components a certain way, after they were all mixed together in a previous play of the game. The opposite can also be true, where you have to shuffle tiles or cards, after they ended up all in order when you finished playing the game last time. In this article, I want to look at both: games that sort or shuffle themselves during play and are virtually immediately ready to play again, as well as games that expect you to shuffle or sort components before you can play them again.

How to play together (Topic Discussion)

Post read time 5 min readLeave a Comment on How to play together (Topic Discussion)

Co-operative games come in all shapes in sizes, just like any game. So there should be something there for anyone, irrespective of what you're looking for, as long as you want an experience where everyone works together to win the game as a team. In this article, I look at a handful of different types of co-operative games, giving examples of games that fit into the category, so that, hopefully, you can find something that suits you.

The final round (Topic Discussion)

Post read time 5 min readLeave a Comment on The final round (Topic Discussion)

I don't know if you've ever come across it, but the final round, or sometimes the final few rounds, of a game often feel different to the rest of the game. There is the common term "end game" and the concept of an "end game trigger" in modern board games, so there is a relatively clear distinction between how a game finishes and the rest of the game. In this article, I want to discuss how games feel different as they come to their conclusion and what different types of "end game" formats there are.

Victory Conditions other than Victory Points (Topic Discussion)

Post read time 6 min read5 Comments on Victory Conditions other than Victory Points (Topic Discussion)

Victory points (VP) are so common in modern board games, along with the condition that the player at the end of the game with the most VP is declared the winner. Sometimes it is called influence, sometimes just points or it may be money or some other resource or currency. But it is all essentially the same thing. So, we’re going to dive into some other fun and interesting ways that players can win a game, along with examples of each.

Co-operative loss (Topic Discussion)

Post read time 5 min readLeave a Comment on Co-operative loss (Topic Discussion)

A large number of board games are about winning and losing. Sure, for many of us, it doesn't really matter whether we win or lose, as long as we have a good time, either with friends, family or alone. In co-operative games, you play against the game itself and either you win or the game does. The same goes for solo games, of course, which are basically co-operative games, but with a single player. In this article, I want to look at the different win and loss conditions you can find in co-operative or solo games.

What Could Go Wrong: An Abridged Almanac of Production Pitfalls (Topic Discussion)

Post read time 9 min readLeave a Comment on What Could Go Wrong: An Abridged Almanac of Production Pitfalls (Topic Discussion)

Hi! My name is Lewis Shaw, and I run Braincrack Games, a UK-based tabletop games publisher that’s been bouncing around the scene since 2016. After my recent interview with Heavy Cardboard, and a post on our own blog where I listed some of the reasons I don’t think people should rush to start their own board game publishers, Oliver was kind enough to invite me to guest post on Tabletop Games Blog and talk more about the challenges the industry has thrown us in recent years – a brave choice, considering I could easily clear a room this way!

Variable replayability (Topic Discussion)

Post read time 5 min readLeave a Comment on Variable replayability (Topic Discussion)

The idea that variability and replayability in board games have the same meaning is understandable, but of course, even though the two terms are related, they are independent of each other. Just because there is a lot of variability in a game doesn't mean that you'll want to play it over and over again and that it will feel different every time. Similarly, a game that is highly replayable, offering a different and interesting experience every time you play it, doesn't require it to be highly variable as well - but let me explain...