MTG cares more about collectability than accessibility - and it’s making the TCG worse
More than meets the eye.
Features Archive
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I wish Spelljammer was its own RPG, rather than just another D&D setting
Needs more space.
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The Simpsons should be resurrected by a Betrayal at House on the Hill board game
Simpsons and Betrayal – together at last.
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Feature: These indie RPGs create compelling mysteries by asking players to tack evidence to the wall
This whole box is Pepe Silvia!
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One of 2022’s best TV shows provides a masterclass in how to create your next D&D character
Ranking of Kings constantly defies expectations and flies in the face of fantasy stereotypes.
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Indie video game Hades would make for the perfect co-op board game
Cooperation is a boon.
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Gloomhaven digital is the ‘Dark Souls’ of tabletop video games
Yes, we’re going there.
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Magic: The Gathering Arena is great for Wizards of the Coast, bad for players
Counting cards, counting dollars.
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The new Batman tabletop RPG should take its cues from The Batman
Roleplay me this, Batman.
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Designer talks filling the gap between Red and 2077, staying relevant over 30 years, and his collaboration with CD Projekt Red.
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A horrifyingly good first impression.
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‘My dream is to create the first massively-multiplayer tabletop RPG’
Teburu developer Xplored reveals its ambitions for the tech-enhanced board game platform.
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D. Brad Talton talks making the ultimate Halloween party game, why bigger boxes aren’t always better and ensuring players have fun 99% of the time.
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Megagames are everything about board games made bigger – and better
Immersing yourself into a world with dozens of players is a gaming experience like no other.
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Elder Sign’s mediocrity shows how far the Arkham Horror series has come
Time to say Hastur-la-Vista?
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Feature: Digital without losing the physical, Teburu is a promising next step for hybrid board games
The app-powered board has a lot of potential - if it can find the right games.
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Feature: 3D printing is changing tabletop gaming
From custom miniatures for RPGs and wargames to fans resurrecting old favourites and creating brand new worlds.
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“The Jurassic World board game is a really great representation of how far we can chase our dreams.”
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Prospero Hall’s dino-centric legacy game doesn’t make players dig deep to find fun.
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“I wanted a game that was faster and more dramatic.”
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25 years after it changed board gaming, Catan is a terrible introduction to the hobby
It’s time to settle this.
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Keepsake game designer Jeeyon Shim branches out with chess-based RPG The Snow Queen
The award-winning artist has left Kickstarter behind to build a two-player tragedy focusing on community.
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What’s worse than D&D being everywhere? Shutting people down for enjoying it
Complaining about the RPG’s popularity can be more harmful than helpful.
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How an RPG is written makes a big difference to how it plays
Textual feeling.
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The long-awaited follow-up to the TCG’s underwhelming 2004 block is largely a deserved success.
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Tabletop RPGs are perfect for safely exploring romance and intimacy
Fictionally falling in love.
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Feature: The real-life romance, loss and legacy behind relationship sim board game Fog of Love
Jacob Jaskov’s heartfelt passion project for his partner became a groundbreaking moment for tabletop gaming - but it took a personal toll.
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Wingspan is so much more than its birdwatching theme
A golden egg.
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Feature: Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty avoids cyberpunk-shaped pitfalls and the ghost of its predecessor
The futuristic card set isn’t trouble-free but showcases Wizards' design team operating at its peak.
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The Legend of Vox Machina is a poor substitute for the original Critical Role
Not exactly animated.
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7 Wonders: Architects fails to live up to the original game’s legacy
Best left forgotten.
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Dungeons & Dragons’ creative campaigns are making up for its boring sourcebooks
Recent releases have disappointed.
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Feature: Paranoia RPG stayed hilarious by changing satirical targets
This article is above your security clearance. Report for termination immediately.
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From Cowboy Bebop to Dark Souls, why licensed RPGs need to do better in 2022
Big names, small ideas.
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As an autistic GM, tabletop RPGs provide a perfect structure for social interaction
Things that make life difficult for me outside of the game room often make for better sessions in it.
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If Quacks of Quedlinburg had a better name, it could be the next blockbuster board game
Plus a change in artwork.
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Games of the Year 2021: Wheels on the accessible and tactical Summoner Wars: Second Edition
Second time's the charm.
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Games of the Year 2021: Liv on the re-inventive Unfathomable
Deeply engaging.
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Games of the Year 2021: Matt on the unforgettable stories of Oath: Chronicles of Empire and Exile
The creator of Root and Pax Pamir does it again.
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Changes are coming, however slowly.
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Tense miniature gameplay feels at odds with half-baked thematic trappings.
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‘What pain do we want to experience?’: Fandom Tabletop address community license backlash
Bart Vickers reflects on what went wrong and how the second iteration aims for clearer communication and more transparency.
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Return to Dark Tower studio owner discusses unions, expensive towers and the Heroquest that got away
Restoration Games' Justin Jacobson reflects on six years of pumping new life into old titles.
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Dungeons & Dragons brought us closer when the world said to keep our distance
Joining a nerdy, diverse D&D group when I needed it most.
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By imagining a future where colonisation never occurred, Coyote & Crow allows indigenous Americans to become the heroes of their own stories.
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The original Orb Ponderer talks sourcing memes from an old Lord of the Rings RPG
Having a crystal ball.
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Feature: The dark history of antisemitism in board games
Tabletop games have been used to express hate in ways both explicit and shockingly mundane for centuries.
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Feature: 4 scary movie easter eggs in The Thing: Infection at Outpost 31 (Sponsored Content)
From flamethrowers to husky dogs.
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And explains how classes work in the Magic: The Gathering inspired book.
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A battle of galactic proportions: Eclipse: Second Dawn of the Galaxy vs Twilight Imperium 4E
Two sci-fi heavyweights enter, two are consumed by the endless void of miniature ships.
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Five games by five designers that capture the real Global South, in their own words.
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D&D 5E players are ignoring one of its central gameplay ideas - and that’s a good thing
The RPG’s growing popularity as a storytelling format has led to a shift away from endless fights.
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As Critical Role has grown, my love for the show has died
This actual play is not actually for me.
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Paizo employees have their recognition, but the hardest fights might still be on the horizon.
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The next GM-less storytelling game from Wanderhome and Wickedness creators.
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Feature: Ranking all 25 Pikachu on the Pokémon: TCG Pikachu V-Union card
A shocking result.
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Playing only trans characters in tabletop RPGs helped me understand myself
Cisgender people tend to exclusively play cis characters in games such as D&D, so what’s wrong with me only playing transgender characters?
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The greatest game that never happened.
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Games Omnivorous’ adventure books show evocative art thrives under weird constraints
The minimalist RPG publisher sets ten rules for its adventure books with fascinating results.
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Horror board games could be amazing if they took more risks
living and playing dangerously.
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Feature: Experimental lyric RPGs are pushing the poetic power of roleplaying forward
By destroying the boundary between players and characters, lyric games innovate new ways to play - or, sometimes, not play at all.
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Feature: Wonder Book looks the part of an imaginative kids game, but doesn’t play like one
Don’t judge a board game by its cover.
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Feature: Far Cry Beyond board game bears little resemblance to the video game series
A far cry from what we wanted.
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“Haters gonna hate and we accept that.”
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Feature: Azul: Queen’s Garden sprouts fresh ideas whilst sticking to its roots
Wake up and play the roses.
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“We took the mystery of Istanbul and dialled that up to 1000%.”
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“We hope players will be able to see themselves in each of the characters in one way or another.”
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“What is an RPG, but a seed of imagination designers give to players and game masters so they can grow gardens of their own?”
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The tabletop team-up have planned more than a simple almanac for Gillen and Han’s twisted polyhedral world.
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Why the Blade Runner RPG will stand apart from the cyberpunk crowd
It might not last - but then again, what does?
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An Arkham Horror legacy game could revive the genre
Don’t say Hastur-la vista yet, baby.