A brief history of Bohnanza
The enduring legacy of the bean-farming game
Latest
Three great trick-taking games from 2026
Ah, hello! It’s been a few weeks, a fact I can attribute to late summer travel, both for work and for family, and because it’s a bit chaotic having a three-year-old running around. He’s delightful, and he does always want to play games, and he’
Playthings: An approachable oddball
From design collective Jasper Beatrix with Jerry Bright and Joey Palluconi, Playthings is one of the more unusual games I've played this year.
Great board and card games from 2016
After 10 years, these games
Five great two-player card games
They're not just trick-takers — plus 13 more great card games to consider
The 27 trick-taking games I played at TTUTCON III
Year three of Utah's premier trick-taking convention had me playing plenty of incredible games.
Eight entertaining board games for summer fun
Sometimes you just need to sit down and play something entertaining.
Two unusual trick-takers: Tricky Landing and Roller Disco
Or, when theme and game unite
Scythe, a decade later; some 2026 Tokyo Game Market trick-takers
How does one of the top games of 2016 fare a decade later? Plus a look at some interesting trick-takers in my bag this week.
Great cooperative trick-taking games
It's not just about The Crew — but in a sense, it is, isn't it?
Breaking down the 2025 Golden Geek Awards
Are this year's fan votes worthy winners?
How Sail succeeds as a two-player cooperative game
This trick-taking game is constantly making players reprioritize.
Trick-Taking and Climbing
Three great games I played recently
And then three more, briefly
Trick-Taking and Climbing
Understanding the trick-taking renaissance
Looking at the rise of trick-taking games from a data-driven perspective
Three things on my mind this week
A bit of a grab-bag Thursday for you
How Scout influenced climbing games
Did the 2019 climbing game lead to an influx of admirers?
Why I track my played board games
H-index, BG Stats and me
Trick-Taking and Climbing
Friedemann Friese's trick-taking games
One of the great German designers has some excellent trick-taking games in his roster.
Retrospectives
Looking back at 2006 in board games
Surely 2006 wasn’t actually 20 years ago. Surely not. That would mean — well, you know what it would mean, don’t you? If you were gaming in 2006, you’re probably also thinking about that. Or maybe if you were in college. Or even high school. Time, you know,
Trick-Taking and Climbing
Five up-and-coming designers to know
These five newcomer designers are doing fascinating things in board games.
Replacing the Classics
Three easy-to-teach games to replace classic board games
Move on to bigger and better games with these three classic designer board games.
Trick-Taking and Climbing
The 33 trick-taking games I played last weekend
I spent four days in Austin at T3C playing trick-takers.
Cooperative Games
Why Vantage fits in the canon of classic adventure games
Vantage belongs on the shelf next to the King's Quest games.
12 more great games from 2025
Rounding out a great year