Oh My Goods is a small game that packs a huge punch. Using 110 cards, you build factories to create production chains, turing basic resources into more valuable goods. Each round offers a press your luck decision that makes the game challenging and fun.
Chronicler is a small game with large aspirations. Tell the story of your civilization through the tools and structures you choose to build in 20 minutes or less. Tune in to learn what we love about Chronicler and why it deserves the Major Fun Award.
A review of Ice Cool written by Stephen Conway. Ice Cool is a dexterity game where players will take turns flicking their penguins through a 3 dimensional school trying to either catch fish or catch the students skipping class.
My Village is a game where players tell the story of an entire medieval community. Will your village focus on commerce, a magnificent church or a town council? Your decisions wind the clock forward; your decisions ultimately decide who lives and who dies.
We explore the importance of narrative in game design with a panel of some of the best storytellers in the world of gaming. Ignacy Trzewiczek (Portal), Richard Launius, Christopher Badell (Greater Than Games), Scott Hill (Flying Frog Productions).
There have been waves of consolidation within the board game industry over the past 3 yrs. Is this a sign of a healthy industry or the start of a cycle that leads to less competition? Eric Summerer (Dice Tower) Lance Myxter (Undead Viking) Doug Richardson
Matt Leacock, Rob Daviau, Bruno Faidutti and Bruno Cathala explore the process of co-designing games. Why work together? How do they divide up the work? How do they playtest? How do they deal with conflict? How do they know when the game is done?
From the artwork on and in the box to the components to the layout and logo, we examine the effort that goes into making a game visually engaging. Panelists include: Stephen Buonocore (Stronghold Games) Stephan Brissaud (Iello) Kevin Brusky (APE Games).
Our panel gives advice they wish they had received when first starting out. What pitfalls can new publishers avoid? Ted Alspach (Bezier Games), Paul Bender (Greater Than Games), Tim Fowers (Fowers Games), Travis Worthington (Indie Boards and Cards).
A round table discussion exploring the different ways the game world is evolving as more women work and play in the world of games. Panelists: Lea Culliton (HABA USA), Brittanie Boe (Game Wire), Tanya Thompson (Marbles), Donna Jaffe (Peaceable Kingdom).
A round table discussion on the challenge of designing games for kids. Our panel features Markus Nikisch (HABA), Brandan Parsons (Blue Orange), Josh West (ThinkFun) and Bernie DeKoven (Major Fun).
Karuba is an island with hidden treasures. Your goal is to lead a team through the jungle along the smartest route to riches. Deceptively simple, Karuba uses a bingo-like system to offer players a wonderful strategic puzzle for players young and old.
A review of Paradox written by Stephen Conway. Inspired by Match-3 games like Bejeweled, Paradox asks players to manipulate a grid of colorful discs to gather resources and save the past present and future of 15 different worlds.
Deep Sea Adventure is a wonderfully simple press your luck dice game from Japan with a devilishly fun twist: when you press your luck, you press EVERYONE'S luck! If too many divers get greedy, no one may make it back to the boat.
Nitro Glyxerol is a chemical mixing dexterity game. Shake and slide colored cubes through a maze as fast as you can. But be careful! Precision is as important as speed in this game. And beware the dreaded mouse poop cube. It could get in the way!
A review of Too Many Cinderellas written by Stephen Conway. Convince the Prince to marry a Cinderella of your choosing by manipulating a deceptively simple logic puzzle. Who says logic games have to be dry and boring? They can be whimsical and fun.
If Quantum Leap was a board game, it would be TIME Stories. Your team is thrown back in time to prevent damage to the timeline. It's a co-op story driven puzzle solving game - a cardboard console - each deck a cartridge you plug in for new kinds of fun.
Favor of the Pharaoh is a recipe filling roll-and-keep dice game. Start as a peasant and rise through Egyptian society by rolling increasingly difficult combinations. Tune in to learn why this game deserves BOTH the Major Fun and Spiel of Approval awards!
A review of Dr. Eureka written by Stephen Conway. Mix the right molecules in three test tubes to create formulas as fast as you can. A clever combo of speed and caution that make it Major Fun!
In Mombasa, players invest in chartered companies, forerunners of modern corporations. An elegant system of card play is used to explore the impact of 4 companies expanding across Africa. A deep subject & a challenging game worthy of our Spiel of Approval