When I, along with the rest of the world, began to realize that we’d be spending a lot more time at home in early 2020, I knew that I’d need to get used to playing board games online. It never quite happened. I’ve certainly played my fair share, but I couldn’t help shake the feeling … 4 Thoughts About Board Gaming in Digital Space Read More »The post 4 Thoughts ...
what is seen cannot be unseen I need your help for The Thoughtful Gamer to continue: https://thethoughtfulgamer.com/2022/06/08/i-need-your-help-for-the-thoughtful-gamer-to-continue/—Support The Thoughtful Gamer on Patreon: http://patreon.com/thethoughtfulgamer Main Site: http://thethoughtfulgamer.com Social Media:http://facebook.com/thethoughtfulgamerhttp://twitter.com/MarcTTGhttp://instagram.com/MarcTTG Ko-fi and merch:http://ko-fi.com/thethoughtfulgamerhttps://www.redbubble.com/people/MarcTTG/shopThe post Nonsense Short 4 – GWT appeared first on The Thoughtful Gamer.
Martin Wallace’s Anno 1800 is an odd duck. It shouldn’t work. I’m not yet convinced it does. It’s the sort of thing one would make when attempting to satirize eurogames in a bad sitcom. It’s the game people who still use “nerd” as a pejorative think nerds play. No one unaccustomed to the sort of … Anno 1800 Review Read More »The post Anno 1800 Review appeared first on The ...
I sit down with Jackson Pope and Paul Willcox from Eurydice games to talk about their gaming journey and the design and (handmade!) production of FlickFleet, which is about to launch on Gamefound with its fourth expansion. Links: Website: www.eurydicegames.co.ukGamefound: https://gamefound.com/projects/eurydice-games-ltd/flickfleet-xeno-warsJack on twitter: twitter.com/jackson_popePaul on twitter: twitter.com/paulwillcox10 0:45 – Paul and Jackson’s history with board games5:07 – The origins … Podcast Episode 102: A Conversation With Jackson Pope and Paul Willcox about FlickFleet Read ...
An appreciation of Ryan Laukat’s fantastic art as seen in Dominion, Above and Below, Near and Far, Empires of the Void 2, and Sleeping Gods. I need your help for The Thoughtful Gamer to continue: https://thethoughtfulgamer.com/2022/06/08/i-need-your-help-for-the-thoughtful-gamer-to-continue/ Music from Abstraction: http://abstractionmusic.com—Support The Thoughtful Gamer on Patreon: http://patreon.com/thethoughtfulgamer Main Site: http://thethoughtfulgamer.com Social Media:http://facebook.com/thethoughtfulgamerhttp://twitter.com/MarcTTGhttp://instagram.com/MarcTTG Ko-fi and merch:http://ko-fi.com/thethoughtfulgamerhttps://www.redbubble.com/people/MarcTTG/shopThe post Ryan Laukat’s Art is Beautiful appeared first on The Thoughtful Gamer.
It’s all about the rope. Shobu looks and plays like a game that’s been around for centuries. The genre trappings—black and white pieces, square grids, simple rules—set high expectations and essentially doom the game to obscurity. I’ve heard from more than one publisher that abstract games, especially ones that look like this, are a one … Shobu Review Read More »The post Shobu Review appeared first on The Thoughtful Gamer.
How much of the board game experience is basic arithmetic? I know that there are some people who actively reject any game that resembles a static puzzle too much. They argue that the best gaming experience is gained through the messy, endlessly fascinating machinations of the other players. I have no argument against this. Some … When/Why is Calculation Fun? Read More »The post When/Why is Calculation Fun? appeared first ...
Straight to the point: 2022 is the make or break year for The Thoughtful Gamer and I need help if this site is going to continue. The reality is that all of this site’s numbers, both monetarily and in page views, have plateaued for the last two years. Perhaps the pandemic is to blame, but … I Need Your Help For The Thoughtful Gamer to Continue Read More »The post ...
After a recent game of Through the Ages, a friend to whom I had just introduced the game remarked that, “you have to do everything, but you can’t”. It’s an apt summary of a game that exists, for me, not as one game among many, but as a lodestar for the entire civilization game genre. … Through the Ages Review Read More »The post Through the Ages Review appeared first ...
Sports are games too, you know. In this episode, Marc, Matt, and Bubba sit down to talk about various sports rules and controversies and analyze them as game design. What are they optimizing for? Whose interests do they serve? What’s the role of randomness or human judgement in making a sport great? What even makes … Podcast Episode 101: Sports as Game Design Read More »The post Podcast Episode 101: ...
I had two EXIT games sitting in my basement and I didn’t even know it. Once you have a large enough board game collection I think they just sort of appear on the shelves when you look for them, long-forgotten mementos of those times when you needed to spend fifteen bucks to save ten on … Two Final EXIT Games: Forgotten Island and House of Riddles Read More »The post ...
This article is a loose continuation of some of the thoughts I offered here and here. I have a keen interest in how we analyze board games, not just because that’s what I do, but because the state of criticism in the internet age is so dire. I’m not just talking about board games here, … Methods of Board Game Criticism Read More »The post Methods of Board Game Criticism ...
I’ve been thinking it over and I think The Thoughtful Gamer needs to go in a new direction. I noticed “reaction” videos have been popular… Music from Abstraction: http://abstractionmusic.comThe post Nonsense Short 3 – Reaction appeared first on The Thoughtful Gamer.
The first time you play Babylonia you’ll probably play poorly. Fair warning. I’ve taught this game to at least 4 groups of people and no one has played well. I even warn them: “this game is really about making long, connected groups to score a lot at the end” and no one seems to grasp … Babylonia Review Read More »The post Babylonia Review appeared first on The Thoughtful Gamer.
This article is sort of a continuation of this article from last week, inspired by discussions on twitter mostly located here and here. I made two claims in last week’s article that I want to dive into more deeply. The first is that board games communicate ideas. The second is that they do so in … How Board Games Communicate Read More »The post How Board Games Communicate appeared first ...
Cubes are the best. Don’t believe me? Watch the video. Cubes, man. Cubes. Music from Abstraction: http://abstractionmusic.com — Support The Thoughtful Gamer on Patreon: http://patreon.com/thethoughtfulgamer Social Media: http://facebook.com/thethoughtfulgamer http://twitter.com/MarcTTG http://instagram.com/MarcTTG Ko-fi and merch: http://ko-fi.com/thethoughtfulgamerhttps://www.redbubble.com/people/MarcTTG/shopThe post An Appreciation Of The Cube appeared first on The Thoughtful Gamer.
The games made by Prospero Hall/Funko have a distinct visual style. I’m not expert on art or graphic design, but they look cleaner and more professional than pretty much any other board game. That’s not to say other games don’t look clean or professional (plenty do!), but there’s an extra layer of something in a … Pan Am Review Read More »The post Pan Am Review appeared first on The ...
A little over a decade ago on a night like tonight I’m probably outside, briskly walking through the cool Pennsylvania evening, talking on the phone with Amber like my life depends on it. In many ways it does. I’m walking in the shadow of the college I just unceremoniously abandoned. I couldn’t continue because whenever … Criticism is Conversation Read More »The post Criticism is Conversation appeared first on The ...
Here are the five games I think have the most potential to rise in my estimation once I play them more. These could potentially become some of my favorite games of all time. What are your biggest upside games? Music from Abstraction: http://abstractionmusic.com — Support The Thoughtful Gamer on Patreon: http://patreon.com/thethoughtfulgamer Social Media: http://facebook.com/thethoughtfulgamer http://twitter.com/MarcTTG … Top 5 Games With The Biggest Potential Upside Read More »The post Top 5 ...
I made this game.