Spiel 2015 Preview: Hack Trick, or Magic Card Play Squared

In October 2014 in the run-up to Spiel 2014, I posted an overview video for József Dorsonczky's Six MaKING from Mind Fitness Games, one of the few abstract strategy games that has reworked Chess into anything approaching a new and brilliant design.

For Spiel 2015, Dorsonczky and MFG have a new game to show off, the equally brilliant card game Hack Trick, a minimalist design that challenges two to four players to dash out the right numbers on a number pad in order to crack a machine and score. Admittedly, you're unlikely to feel like a hacker while playing the game, but that's par for the course with most games.

Draw and I win; play a 0 and I win; anything else and...?

Designer Diary: To Andromeda and Beyond! Approaching Destination...

Sep 22, 2015

Near final coverIn the life of every boardgamer comes a time when you start asking yourself, "Maybe I should design a game?" For me it was in early 2013. I gave it a deep thought, and I still...

Spiel 2015 Preview: Adventure Land, or Dense Fog Monster Advisory in Effect

Sep 21, 2015

When considered in tandem, designers Wolfgang Kramer and Michael Kiesling might be best known for Tikal, Java, and Mexica, a.k.a. the "Mask Trilogy", three games that allow players to explore a...

Designer Diary: The Making of Termity

Sep 21, 2015

In September 2009, I was still looking for a new game concept to present at the Spiel game fair in October. Usually, I'm the most creative when there is some time pressure. The short delay to...

Crowdfunding Round-up: Yo Dawg, I Heard You Like Campaigns in Your Campaigns...

Sep 20, 2015

• The hobby is experiencing a mini Nordic renaissance it seems, with more than one-quarter of all Viking-themed games in the BGG database having been published since 2013. Saga of the Northmen,...

Designer Diary: A Game of Gnomes, or The Most Ludicrous Piece in Boardgaming History: The Complete Story

Sep 19, 2015

Gordon and I are always trying to push the boundaries of what components can be included in a game (sometimes unintentionally...Spellbound anyone?), but still managing to keep the cost lower than...