Thursday, October 15, 2026
The Wire
Posts from 19 of the hobby's best blogs, reviewers and publishers — updated every few hours. Every story links to its original source.
163 stories · Tick up to 12 stories and we'll write you a quick roundup.
Introduction by Fred Schachter, CoV Assistant Designer & Editor: Frank and I were pleased to meet Justin during a game convention a few years ago, where we were running Congress of Vienna “Learn the Rules / Play the G…
by Nicolò Chioato Twenty Days, a Couch, and a Rubik's Cube It was the autumn of 2022, and I had just undergone surgery for two herniated discs in my back. My recovery came with some fairly strict instructions: I could…
I adore this little game. Absolutely adore it. Le Chocolat , from designer Mashiu, is a quick two-player I Split-You Choose game that comes in a box smaller than most chocolate bars on the market. It has lived in my b…
Travel across Brighthelm on an unforgettable adventure with a bird in Paupers’ Ladder. The post Paupers’ Ladder: The Pumpkin Princess and the Dismal Egg appeared first on Gameward Bound .
Wool Street - Justin Bell This is hard to believe, but sometimes a game ends up being…well, too short. Enter Wool Street , a “Mini Card Game” from the folks at Hachette. Players buy and sell wool products in five diff…
Life and work are stressful; that’s why we need vacations that can clear the mind and invigorate our spirits with a sense of adventure, such as gem collecting in a sea of giant glowing jellyfish. Or how about being sh…
Battles of the American Revolution Tri-Pack II: Monmouth, Germantown and Newtown is the second compilation of earlier releases from GMT Games’ Battles of the American Revolution Series. These are tactical level battle…
Traveluencer Designer: Ryo Nakamura (中村 良), Zhonghao Yang, Kai Zu Publisher: Broadway Games Players: 2-4 Age: 8+ Time: 30 minutes Preorder link: https://forms.gle/RqukaTumiF9zULs1A Played with review copy provided by …
A few days ago I posted an article with my answers to some of the questions I asked Joe from Allplay and Nick from Bitewing on their podcast (The Bits), and today I’m back with a few more responses. Also, the podcast …
The invasion is no longer a shadow on the outskirts; it has reached the interior. GMT Games presents the second part of our deep-dive playthrough series with legendary designer James M. Day (Panzer, MBT), taking you s…
4 weeks from today, we will be attending the San Diego Historical Games Convention (SDHistCon 2026) held in sunny San Diego, California. This convention will include 3 days (for us) filled with gaming, designer interv…
This hobby uses a lot of common mechanisms and themes, so it’s exciting when someone brings something new to the table. Viking Route does that, not with its theme of Vikings sailing around doing Viking things, but wit…
Arrange cards into a connected scene by planning how to balance each turn in Smitten. The post The Simplicity of Smitten and a Little Solo Puzzle to Enjoy appeared first on Gameward Bound .
I love a different style and focus of wargame. A game that takes a look at an important but somewhat obscure or rarely addressed historical topic, such as espionage or intelligence, and creates a gaming experience tai…
For me, it's probably a little too light and disjointed, but if you've got a group who like lighter games, I think you'll have a killer time, dudes & dudettes.
Westmoreland’s War Ends Until the last day of January 1968, William Westmoreland commanded the US war in Vietnam. He’d run it since 1964, built it from advisors to half a million men, and told the National Press Club …
Join Jamey for Stonemaier Games news, questions, answers, and random discussion topics! https://youtube.com/live/bt8LintWvfI
by Steph Hodge [imageid=9848748 medium rep]▪️ Czech Games Edition (CGE) announced Codenames Party! An all-new way to play Codenames . Now on Netflix! You simply need your phone connected to the tv as a controller. If …
I remember in 2018 when Welcome To… was released, and it reignited the roll and write craze (even though it was a flip and write). We started seeing all kinds of “X and Write” games, some amazing, others… better left …
A few months ago, I started a new feature on the blog called Discussion Thread where I plan to pose a question or a share a situation and seek your input and comments on the issue to gain greater understanding and to …
This short article illustrates a single player’s turn of Rowing to Hades (P500). Future articles will dive more in depth into other topics. The game is simple, but not simplistic, and the basic mechanics work together…
When Kavango first arrived on my table, it became one of those games that reminded me why I love this hobby. I described it at the time as “a glorious, interlinked, cascading, connected puzzle that will fill your hear…
Scavengers WBG Score: 7.5/10 Player Count: 1-5 You’ll like this if you like: Card games with interesting layers and scoring. Published by: Mazaza Games Designed by: Matt Brown, Zara Reid This is a free review copy of …
Within 90 minutes, you've had a really engaging, fast-paced, enjoyable game. It doesn't feel like you're making do. It's not like when you go, "Oh, we're six? Better dig out 7 Wonders again ". Excursions doesn't feel …
by Guillem Coll Nascard aims to capture the excitement and feel of big racing games, but condenses that experience into a deck of just 110 cards. The challenge, however, was precisely that: how could we represent a ra…
This is a preview copy sent to us for our early opinions. No money exchanged hands. Some art, rules or components will change in the final game. Find out more here. There is something immediately appealing about the i…
Merchants of Play is a board gaming platform where users can play official implementations of popular titles such as My Little Scythe, Trailblazers, and Moytura. The CEO, Mack Flavelle, has also used the platform to l…
A board game can feel very different depending on what surface it is played on. Cards slide differently across different surfaces, dice make different noises, and even picking up a small wooden token can become either…
Skyjo WBG Score: 8 Player Count: 2-8 You’ll like this if you like: Family friendly card games Published by: Magilano Designed by: Alexander Bernhardt . This is a free review copy kindly gifted by VR Distribution. See …
Bingo Slam WBG Score: 7 Player Count: 2-6 You’ll like this if you like: Fast, frantic Bingo! Distributed by: VR Distribution This is a free review copy kindly gifted by VR Distribution. See our review policy here. Som…
This is the ninth of many articles to come on Foxes and Lions: Renaissance City-States in the Age of Machiavelli, now on P500. This game is in the same series as Here I Stand, Virgin Queen, and Tanto Monta. See Part 1…
I love listening to publishers speak publicly, frankly, and openly about their business decisions. Two such publishers are Joe from Allplay and Nick from Bitewing, both of whom share their thoughts and often field que…
My family consists of my wife, my 10-year-old daughter, my 16-year-old son, and my 19-year-old son—and my mother-in-law joins in when she’s around, too. Finding a game that everyone across those wide age gaps and vary…
Welcome to this week’s batch of crowdfunding campaigns. We have a variety of offerings here, so we hope you will find something that catches your eye. Also, if you want to chat with the BGQ team, join our Discord Serv…
Case Pursuit WBG Score: 7 Player Count: 1plus You’ll like this if you like: Deduction and True Crime Published by: Case Pursuit Designed by: Case Pursuit This is a free print and play review copy. See our review polic…
by Justin Bell “I mean…how are you DOING all of that???” The exasperated player to my right had finished their turn, and they were staring at my player board as I was finishing up a very long turn of my own. The game …
In today's video, Jamey and Erica discuss their favorite gateway games that are still fun for experienced gamers, including why they exceed in both categories. https://youtu.be/jaF03GuJofo
by Julian Steindorfer Where and when does this story start? Let me try to untangle the thread and tell you how Fadenfroh * came to be. *(a German word creation merging the words “thread” (Faden) and “colorful” (farben…
The mountain was bare in places, green in others, but it was slowly filling with life. Small plants pushed through the soil, adventurously spreading across the lower slopes before taller growth began reaching upwards.…
Over the last 14 years at Stonemaier Games, many times we’ve asked ourselves why things are the way they are (both in the game industry and within our company). This led to us being one of the first publishers to offe…
Here are the top ten games I would be excited to see at Essen Spiel 2026 if I was actually stomping the halls this year! The post Top 10 Games I’m Excited for at Spiel Essen 2026 appeared first on Board Game Review .
Join Jamey and artist Andrew Bosley for Stonemaier Games news, questions, answers, and random discussion topics! https://youtube.com/live/alzcYkxy0JI
Board games that represent real historical events face a problem that fiction can largely avoid. The designer can't start with a blank page. Players are going to expect that the game somehow mirrors what actually happ…
Snow Planner takes the concept of a dice-as-workers game, layers on a lovely theme, and delivers a really solid Japanese import special.
Distilled: Cocktails WBG Score: 8.5 Player Count: 1-5 You’ll like this if you like: Viticulture, The Networks Published by: Paverson Games Designed by: Dave Beck, Richard Woods This is a free review copy. See our revi…
Ranging from our Kickstarter trailer videos from 2012-2015 (featuring me and Alan talking directly to the camera) to polished, animated trailers with voiceovers from 2016-2024, we’ve tried a variety of approaches to t…
Distilled: Africa & Middle East WBG Score: 8 Player Count: 1-5 You’ll like this if you like: Viticulture, The Networks Published by: Paverson Games Designed by: Dave Beck This is a free review copy. See our review pol…
We found ourselves in London once again so headed to ClueQuest to check out their Escape Room Plan52, read the review here! The post ClueQuest Plan52, Spoiler Free Escape Room Review appeared first on Board Game Review .
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