Board Game News

Designer Diary: Frigiti – a Game that DOES Exist

The IdeaIn January 2011, when I could not fall asleep because my head was racing with thoughts, I suddenly had this idea for a game with words that did not exist.Don't get me wrong – obviously,...

Interview with Marc André, Designer of Bonbons

Marc André's Bonbons will debut at Spiel 2011 from Swiss publisher GameWorks SàRL and I thought I'd find out more about both the game and this first-time designer. (Many thanks to GameWorks'...

Designer Diary: Québec

Part 1. Birth of the GameQuébec arose from the merging of a concept and a mechanism. One evening in 2007, following a game night at the home of Martin Bouchard from Filosofia, Martin suggested...

Game Preview and Interview: Upon a Salty Ocean

I was curious to learn more about Upon a Salty Ocean – being released by Italian publisher Giochix.it at Spiel 2011 – because I know the designer, Marco Pranzo.At the first PLAY: The Games...

New Game Round-up: Another New Wonder, Zong Shi Hits Kickstarter & Rules Posted for Last Will

• Repos Production and Kosmos have worked together to create a new wonder that will debut at Spiel 2011: 7 Wonders: Catan Island. From the Repos press release:Quote:When 7 Wonders won the...

Designer Diary: The Forgotten Planet

The Forgotten Planet – a Spiel 2011 release from my own Giochix – is not an easy game for me to define.In general, The Forgotten Planet is a tile-laying management game in which tiles...

Spiel 2011: Another Disaster in the Making, or Business as Usual?

While gamers tend to be anxious in the weeks leading up to Spiel – "Will I get a copy of that game in time?" "Will the promos be given out before I get there?" "Will the game even be at the...

Designer Diary: Pala – Notes from the Artist's Palette

Preparing the CanvasBack in 2005, I was still working my way through the vast archive of classic German board games. At the same time, I was refining my own ideas so that I would finally feel...

Designer Diary: If I'm Going Down... – A Zombie-Themed Dying Card Game

It was Christmas, and I'd been waiting for so long. I had VERY strong reason to believe it was under the tree. Finally, I would get that awesome looking (name redacted) zombie board game!Sure...

New Game Round-up: Clowdus Offers Hemloch, Wittig Gets Mini & Shibumi Shatters Wallets

• John Clowdus has posted rules for Hemloch, the latest release from his Small Box Games which is now available for preorders. Here's an overview of the game from Clowdus:Quote:Twilight has...

Designer Diary: Sticky Stickz – Roll, Match, Stick!

For almost two years, I was an English teacher at various schools in Seoul, South Korea. It's a pretty decent job overall, but a bit unstable. I say this because about a month ago, while at...

Going Cardboard: The Trailer

Lorien Green has been working on a documentary film about modern board games – Going Cardboard – since the start of 2009, and she's now unveiled the film's trailer. (Warning: As you can see...

Designer Dairy: Top-A-Top

In June 2010 came the first idea and the first words of encouragement – "This may be cool, do it" – and I got the party started.The idea was to create a game for friends so that we could have...

Dungeon Fighter: Cranio Creations Crosses Dungeon Crawling with Die Tossing

Dungeon crawl games – that is, games in which players fight monsters and collect treasure in an underground lair – have taken many forms over the years, and in keeping with the spirit of its...

Designer Diary: Souvlaki Wars - Greek Fast Food Was Never So Tasty!

For as long as I remember I have been a gamer.When I was very young I used to play with my brother's Playmobil figures (which he never saw again). By the time I was finishing elementary school, I...

Interview: Filip Miłuński and Piotr Słaby on Mare Balticum

(Editor's note: Witold Janik is a spokesperson of sorts for Gry Leonardo, the publisher of the 2011 release Mare Balticum, so he had good access to designer Filip Miłuński and artist Piotr...

Designer Diary: Of Goats and Alcatraz

Cooperative games are usually created when people bored with negative interaction start making their own board games. Alcatraz: The Scapegoat was created when people who love negative interaction...

Small World Tunnels: You Got Your Small World in My Small World Underground...

Since the moment Small World Underground was announced in April 2011, players have asked whether it could be combined with Small World, its predecessor from 2009. This question was answered in...

Publisher Diary: Seven Years of Spiel for Bézier Games

It's hard to believe that 2011 will be the seventh year (in a row) I'll be attending Spiel, and the seventh year I'll be selling items at the fair. For me as a publisher, the annual game...

Links: More Medals for 7 Wonders (But Not All of Them), Games for Tots & a Magic Movie

Once again, I'm catching up on non-Spiel-related news from the past week. Only 17 more days until Spiel 2011 opens, and things can somewhat go back to normal...• Can Antoine Bauza retire now,...

Designer Diary: Designing – and Re-Designing – The Big Idea

I created The Big Idea in late 1999 during the formative years of Cheapass Games. We were firing off games at a steady clip of one every month, including some of our best-ever titles like...

New Game Round-up: Giza and More Steam from Mayfair, First Look at Drako & Sails of Glory from Ares Games

• In addition to the recently announced Age of Darkness expansion for The Rivals for Catan, Mayfair Games has released details on two more forthcoming titles, both with a U.S. street date of...

Designer Diary: Divided Republic, or The Game I Never Thought I'd Design

A great artist once described the process of sculpting as envisioning the sculpture locked away within a lump of marble. The sculptor wasn't creating, so much as freeing the "masterpiece" that...

Designer Diary: Pergamemnon

Introduction by designer Jeffrey D. Allers:I'm not someone who becomes enamored with one particular game – or even one game system. By nature, I enjoy variety, and if anything I like to look at...

Ghenos Games at Spiel 2011 – Lupin the Third

Lupin III was probably one of the best cartoons I watched during my childhood, so I was happy when I learned that Italian publisher Ghenos Games would be publishing a board game that will bring...

New Game Round-up: Another Campaign Book for Memoir '44 & Details on Wallenstein 2011 and Rio Grande's Release Schedule

• Days of Wonder has announced Memoir '44: Campaign Book Volume 2, a 128-page book similar to the first volume released in 2009. Campaign Book Volume 2 includes 46 new scenarios grouped into...

Spiel 2011 Preview Update

Time for a round-up of what's been added to the Spiel 2011 Preview since the beginning of September 2011. I won't summarize every change to a game description, every addition of game's price and...

Designer Diary: Belfort – From Inspiration to Publication

Typically, we would wax poetic on how we came up with the idea for Belfort and slaved and slaved over it – lacking sleep, sustenance and hygiene – until it became the game it is today.At...

New Game Round-up: Updates on Kingdom Builder, Nefarious & Several Non-Vaccarino Designs

• For those curious to know such a thing, Donald X. Vaccarino's Kingdom Builder from Queen Games has a Oct. 28, 2011 U.S. release date according to both Alliance and ACD, the two main game...

Designer Diary: Undermining, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Game Design

NB: People who want to get to business should skip to the end of the italicized section.Foreword, by Ryley TolmanNot many people are science-based individuals like myself, so they do not realize...