Topic Discussions
Topic Discussions 358 posts
Reviews
Reviews 316 posts
Let me illustrate
Let me illustrate 24 posts
Women in Board Games
Women in Board Games 59 posts

Hit me

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In many modern tabletop games there is a certain amount of player interaction. The term sounds quite positive. After all, playing games with others is often about interaction and the social aspect. However, the term is actually referring to situations where one player takes an action that directly affects another player. If the effect is negative it is called "take that", and if it is positive it is called "have this". Different players like different amounts or different types of player interaction. You can be a care bear or a warmonger. So let's look at what these different types are and how they affect gameplay.

Le Havre: The Inland Port (Saturday Review)

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Digidiced has been very kind to offer me the opportunity to review a number of the games they have converted to digital, and I decided to start with Lookout Spiele's award winning game Le Havre: The Inland Port which is one of the many popular games by designer Uwe Rosenberg. The game is set in the 18th century in the maritime city of Le Havre in the Normandy region of France. Players are harbourmasters who try to build the best harbour by constructing great buildings to attract trade. It is a two player only resource management game with a large action selection element - but with a twist.

Bucket and spade

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Sandbox, or open world, games have been around in the tabletop games industry for a very long time. After all, that is exactly what role play games are all about. Every player pits their imagination and wits against the games master's plans. Nothing is impossible, within the rules of the environment of course, and every decision has consequences. However, when it comes to creating a convincing sandbox environment without using a games master you quickly reach limitations. Yet, there are a number of recent releases that create the illusion of a completely open world really well and in an elegant fashion.

Sandcastles

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The upcoming release of 8Bit Box by Iello is exciting people for a number of reasons. A new game from Iello is always exciting, and for this game there is of course the nostalgia. My first games console was an ATARI 2600, so I will certainly reminisce. However, and I think this is what is most exciting about this release, is that the game is designed to allow everyone to make their own games.

Just the two of us

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Most tabletop games are aimed at three or more players, with possibly a two player variant - and maybe even a solo option. However, more and more games coming out recently are either specifically aimed at two players only, or are designed to be played with two or more players. There is a choice between co-operative and competitive games, anything from light to heavy games and with virtually all types of game mechanisms found in other multi-player games.

Tabletop Player Profile – Updated

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In a previous article (see Co-op or competitive?) I showed what my tabletop player profile looks like, as per Quantic Foundry's online form at https://apps.quanticfoundry.com/surveys/start/tabletop/ - which I highly recommend to everyone. In the article I said I would check my profile monthly, which didn't come to pass as other things got in the way. However, I have now completed the survey again and unsurprisingly, my profile hasn't changed a huge amount, but the subtle differences are interesting. You can see the latest results at the end of this article - and the previous results in the article Co-op or competitive?

DIY aka PnP

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The advent of Kickstarter and other crowdfunding platforms has changed how people buy games. Buying games from renowned publishers through an online platform has never been particularly controversial, but buying new games from little known designers who decided to self-publish their games is more tricky. At the end of the day, it is very much about trust, and someone who is unknown will find it very hard to build up that trust with potential customers. Therefore most crowdfunding campaigns now come with a free print-and-play (PnP) download option, so people can try out a version of a new game and decide if it is for them.

Keep on rolling

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Since the days of Yahtzee, roll-and-writes, as these games are now known, have made a huge comeback: Roll through the Ages by Matt Leacock, Kokoro: Avenue of the Kodama by Indie Boards and Cards, Harvest Dice by Grey Fox Games and the recent Railroad Ink by CMON are some of the many games in the genre.

Touchy feely

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Pretty much all tabletop games require the use of your senses - sight, hearing and touch at least. You need to look at the board or your cards, listen to what other players do and use your hands to move your meeples or roll dice. Many recent games incorporate elements to help colour blind people, and of course hearing is often also not required and can be replaced with sign language to communicate with other players. However, no modern tabletop game makes your senses an integral mechanism - that is, until the release of Nyctophobia: The Hunted by Pandasaurus Games.