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.
176 stories · Tick up to 12 stories and we'll write you a quick roundup.
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 .
The rails started in Moscow, carrying workers and materials towards St Petersburg on one line and to Kiev on the other. A third railway was the most ambitious project, pushing across the vastness of Siberia, with its …
Collect delicious dishes and pair them with the perfect tea as you serve the captain of the ship in Pirates of the High Teas from Pink Hawk Games. The post Pirates of the High Teas appeared first on One Board Family .
This weekend, just a few days before yesterday’s Braided Skies reveal, Stonemaier Games hosted its 13th annual Design Day. On Sunday, the Design Day itself featured designers, playtesters, and gamers from St. Louis an…
My initial thoughts on Forest Shuffle: Smoky Mountains strategy based on the first 30 plays.
Over the last few months I’ve been focused on refining the core gameplay experience for Iron Triangle, and I’m excited to share some major changes that have emerged from playtesting. The goal has been simple: create a…
As we all know, there are a good number of board games that haven't aged well, if I may put it like that. In the past, games happily made colonialism their central setting and gameplay, gave women little or no place i…
Become pilfering cat burglars in Meow Heist, read the review of this card game from Nekuma Games here! The post Meow Heist Review appeared first on Board Game Review .
On Wednesday we will reveal our final new game for 2026, a big Euro game called Braided Skies. We’ll share information about the game with people who already follow Stonemaier Games, but that’s a fraction of the peopl…
GMT Games invites you to witness the birth of a terrifying new conflict. In ARC: The Underworld, the Cold War isn’t between superpowers—it’s between species, fought block by block in the quiet heartland of the United …
Three 7s have just landed on the table, worth a potential 21 points - if they survive, that is. Their owner already looks like the victory is in the bag. Yet, they're a bit too sure of themselves. Of course, somebody …
Exploring the Card deck of Ancient Civilizations of East Asia Part VII: Negate Cards (Our version of “Get Out of Jail Free”) As with its predecessors (Ancient Civilizations of the Inner Sea GMT Games – Ancient Civiliz…
In regards to several recent crowdfunded games that either relaunched after an initial cancellation or are struggling to move far past their funding goal, I’ve heard some concerns about trust from potential backers. F…
Have you ever wanted to be a map-maker? Wannabe cartographers should check out the preview of the board game Latitude here! The post Latitude Preview appeared first on Board Game Review .
Thunder Road: Ignition is a new edition of Thunder Road that comes in at a cheaper price point but still packs a big hit on the game table. The post Thunder Road: Ignition Review appeared first on One Board Family .
Waiting for your turn is very common in board games. One person has all the fun while everyone else just watches. Too much waiting is often described as a flaw in game design, particularly when players have nothing us…
It's Autumn, or Fall for my transatlantic friends. Time to hunker down with warm, comfy things, and that includes games.
Over the weekend I was playing a game, Takenoko, which I hadn’t played in a while. I had a rule question about gardener and panda movement, and I did what I often do if I can’t find a question in the rulebook: I pulle…
Can you guess the owner of the car based on their vanity plate? VNTYPL8S is a party word game from Clarence Simpson, published by 25th Century Games. The post VNTYPL8S (Vanity Plates) Review appeared first on One Boar…
The morning rush is already gathering. Passengers wait patiently at the stop, each with somewhere to be, while your little bus rolls into position. You have room for ten, perhaps eleven if you are feeling optimistic, …
Will you play on the side of good or evil as you fight for the control of Hogwarts? Defenders of Hogwarts is a deck building game from MinaLima design studio. The post Defenders of Hogwarts Review appeared first on On…
We follow a few thousand accounts on Instagram. However, just for you we have selected 10 of the best accounts to follow on this social media platform. The post 10 Board Game Accounts to Follow on Instagram 2026 appea…
I went into Here Lies with no preconceptions and with barely any idea what the game was about, and came away both surprised and delighted.
The little box makes it feel like it's going to be something smaller and lighter, but there's a thick, juicy game here.
A look at the popularity of 18xx games in Finland from 2003 to 2025.
The Dealer is a party card game about banking or going bust, read the review of it here! The post The Dealer Review appeared first on Board Game Review .
The Board Game Family How hard can it be to pull a little egg out of a bowl? In Gulo Gulo, it's much harder than you think. Especially when the bowl is packed with different-sized eggs, you're only allowed to use one …
Flock Ton of Flamingos is a colorful and fast-paced card game from Weird Giraffe Games where players build out their flamingo community The post Flock Ton of Flamingos Preview appeared first on One Board Family .
Call it a toy, call it a gimmick, call it a quality-of-life improvement, call it what you want, but the sucker dart in the Salamandra box is genius.
The latest addition to my 18xx collection is 18RoyalGorge: The Rails of Fremont County and the Royal Gorge Wars. I bumped into this on BGG, I think, and the game sounded good enough so I bought a copy. This was on Kic…
Dive into the deep and check out Reef & Ruin, a three page roll & write game from Weird Giraffe Games. Unlock sunken ships, explore reefs, and raise your score through enchantments. The post Reef & Ruins Review appear…
Don’t be coy, come on over, there is nothing fishy going on I promise, you can just read my board game review of Koi! The post Wingspan Pocket Review appeared first on Board Game Review .
It's a cliché to say it, but Kobayakawa is much greater than the sum of its parts.
The music industry is tough and right now, they are looking for only soloists and quartets. Pet Quartet is a card drafting game from GameHead Games. The post Pet Quartet Review appeared first on One Board Family .
2026 saw the third iteration of Roll The Dice Cornwall's South West Cornwall Games Expo, and it was the best yet.
The Board Game Family Tile-laying games have been a staple of the board gaming hobby for decades. Classics like Carcassonne have proven just how satisfying it can be to build something one tile at a time. BLORP!, from…
Don’t miss the AWESOME Shorts Dani Standring did for Board Games Direct. Check back every day for new videos for Board Games Direct!
Here’s the fully finished games that have been added to the Shut Up & Sit Down Boardgame Library this show, thanks to the publishers for sending them! Mostly new, and all-ly interesting, go try them at your nearest co…
Come check out my ship-shape review of the board game Come Sail Away! The post Come Sail Away! Review appeared first on Board Game Review .
