Topic Discussions
Topic Discussions 337 posts
Reviews
Reviews 283 posts
Let me illustrate
Let me illustrate 24 posts
Exhibitions, Events, Conventions
Exhibitions, Events, Conventions 12 posts

Top Table Award 2022 – the best board games of the year (Saturday Review)

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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.

Tabletop Games Blog Statistics for 2022 (Announcement)

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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.

Winning strategies – ideas to help you win (Topic Discussion)

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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.

2022 – A Year in Review (Saturday Review)

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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.

Dented replacements – the issue with replacement parts for board games (Topic Discussion)

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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.

Megacity: Oceania (Saturday Review)

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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 Games.

Everyone can play – games that (should) suit most people (Topic Discussion)

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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.

Str!ke (Saturday Review)

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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.

Noah Johnson (Let me illustrate)

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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.

Victorious losses – games without loss or victory condition (Topic Discussion)

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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.