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PODCAST

Tabletop Games Blog - board game reviews and discussions with a personal touch

Tabletop Games Blog

Tabletop Games Blog podcast explores board games, card games, dexterity games, and modern hobby games, delivering in-depth reviews, thought pieces, and audio articles for all types of players. Since 2018 it has covered strategy games, family favourites, party games, and indie gems, focusing on gameplay, design, table presence, and player experience. Originally on a strict weekly schedule, from 2025 episodes now release when ready, prioritising quality. Tune in for engaging board game reviews,

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All Episodes

00:07:47

Opening Gambit - where to begin in the modern hobby...

Tabletop Games Blog - board game reviews and... ·

2023/08/15

Starting out in any hobby can be daunting. There is so much to learn and understand. The modern board game hobby is no different. There is terminology that will be unfamiliar to people who have not played much other than Monopoly or The Game of Life. Even the idea that you do anything other than roll and move can be alien and lead to analysis paralysis. So in this article, I want to look at how you can introduce people to our hobby. Read the full article here:

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00:08:20

¡Adiós Calavera! (Saturday Review)

Tabletop Games Blog - board game reviews and... ·

2023/08/12

It was time for our annual harvest and for the Day of the Dead. We are all looking forward to seeing the souls of our dead loved ones again. There would be dancing, singing, drinking, eating and general merriment. It was going to be our chance to speak with our long-deceased family members again. This year it was going to be different though. We would make a bet with the dead. It would be a race. Whoever made it back to their world again first would control what happened in the other realm for a

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00:12:25

Chess Appeal - the history of an ancient game (Topic...

Tabletop Games Blog - board game reviews and... ·

2023/08/08

The following article was written by Dennis Wesley. Chess is one of our oldest games and as with most long-lasting entities, the game has undergone many changes over the years, influenced even by such factors as societal progress and politics. Chess has passed through different societies and cultures and the game has been played and perceived differently in different settings. Today, chess is one of very few board games accorded the status of sport in addition to also being promoted as a hobby that

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00:07:11

Crumbs!: The Sandwich Filler Game (Saturday Review)

Tabletop Games Blog - board game reviews and... ·

2023/08/05

It's lunchtime and the queue outside your cafe is rather long. Everyone wants you to hurry up and make them their favourite sandwich from your hugely popular menu. The pressure is on to line up slices of bread and pile them high with lettuce, tomatoes, eggs, tuna or ham. Some want theirs even toasted. Well... Crumbs!: The Sandwich Filler Game by J. Antscherl from Minerva Tabletop Games. Read the full review here:

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00:08:40

Home from Home - a con visit with a difference (Topic...

Tabletop Games Blog - board game reviews and... ·

2023/08/01

I always love going to board game conventions, shows, conferences or whatever you want to call them. Just walking into the halls and seeing lots of excited people who share the same hobby is invigorating. The prospect of catching up with friends whom I might not otherwise see is wonderful. Finally meeting the people I only know from social media face-to-face is fabulous. Board game events are always very much like a home from home. Yet, my visit to Berlin Brettspiel Con 2023 and the Spiel des Jahres

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00:07:14

Lakshadweep (Saturday Review)

Tabletop Games Blog - board game reviews and... ·

2023/07/29

Of the over 30 atolls and coral reefs in the Laccadive Sea, off the coast of Kerala, India, only 10 are inhabited. Of those, only a few are open to tourists. To visit the islands you need permission from the nearest customs office in Kochi, which is over 300 miles away. It helps strike the right balance between creating a good income stream for the islands, while also supporting sustainable tourism and preserving the fragile ecosystem of ⁠Lakshadweep⁠ by Sidhant Chand from ⁠Luma World⁠. Read the

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00:07:42

Context Switching - when games are hard work (Topic...

Tabletop Games Blog - board game reviews and... ·

2023/07/25

Recently at work, we discussed how constantly going from one task to the next or changing from one tool to another is rather draining. This so-called context switching has been shown to reduce productivity. That's when it struck me that some board games suffer from exactly this problem. So in this article, I want to look at how research into the problems of context switching could potentially be applied to board game design. Read the full article here:

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00:09:34

Berlin Brettspiel Con 2023 (Saturday Review)

Tabletop Games Blog - board game reviews and... ·

2023/07/22

It is rare that you can combine going to your hometown with attending a board game convention. So when it does happen, you jump at the opportunity. If you're also expecting to see a lot of people you normally only see maybe once a year at another show, as well as people you have so far only "met" on social media, then you know you're onto a winner. Being able to get demos of new and upcoming games is the cherry on top. Berlin Brettspiel Con 2023 was promising to fulfil all of these

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00:09:17

Healthy Gaming Mentality - mental health and board...

Tabletop Games Blog - board game reviews and... ·

2023/07/18

In today's fast-paced and digitally saturated world, finding ways to recharge and repair our mental health is often quite hard. There are so many distractions that draw us into a bubble that seems comforting at first. Modern life is all about speed and work, while our own health and life are often seen as secondary. However, among the hustle and bustle, there is one activity that can really help with mental health: board games. In this article, I want to look at how board games can foster

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00:14:05

Fast & Furious: Highway Heist (Saturday Review)

Tabletop Games Blog - board game reviews and... ·

2023/07/15

Hello! My name is Gavin Jones and this week I'm going to be standing in for the wonderful Oliver with a guest review. Buckle up and adjust your rearview mirror - things are about to get wild. First gear. Screams of tortured rubber and plumes of acrid smoke fill the air as we barrel over the brow of the hill, rapidly advancing on our target. The tank is an incongruous sight, squat and menacing in the middle of the highway, two shiny black beetles flanking each side: SUVs filled with seemingly

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00:07:48

Increased Cooperation - the popularity of cooperative...

Tabletop Games Blog - board game reviews and... ·

2023/07/11

I always used to be very much a competitive player. Pitting my wit against other people was my thing. I would usually lose games and still do, but it was always a lot of fun. Cooperative games really only came into my life when our daughter was young enough to play games with us that weren't just roll-and-move. I remember our first game of Forbidden Island, which we all really enjoyed and played many times since. So in this article, I want to explore why cooperative games have become so popular

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00:08:56

Sea Salt & Paper (Saturday Review)

Tabletop Games Blog - board game reviews and... ·

2023/07/08

The sea was calm and the sun was shining. The sandy beach stretched for miles, strewn with shells, some occupied by hermit crabs. In the distance, I could see a few small boats. Underneath the long abandoned lighthouse, there was a small colony of penguins. As I closed my eyes and dozed off, I dreamt of fish and merpeople. My mind was thinking about Sea Salt & Paper by Bruno Cathala and Théo Rivière from Bombyx. Read the full review here:

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00:07:37

Bad Fun - how bad game experiences can be fun (Topic...

Tabletop Games Blog - board game reviews and... ·

2023/07/04

If you're a very competitive player, then winning is all that counts. Depending on how ruthless you are, you will push for victory at all cost, as long as it is within the rules. Even if you're less cruel, you will do what you can to win. Either way, ending a game in first place feels good. It not only proves that you played well, but that you're a better player than the other people around the table. Yet, I often find that not winning or even doing badly in a game can be fun and here is

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00:07:02

Berlin Brettspiel Con 2023 (Preview)

Tabletop Games Blog - board game reviews and... ·

2023/07/01

Tucked away near Gleisdreieck in Berlin's Kreuzberg district is STATION-Berlin, home to the German capital's main board game convention Berlin Brettspiel Con. For three days in July, hordes of tabletop hobby enthusiasts converge to play games, speak to the dozens of exhibitors and generally have a great time. For the first time, I'll be among them and I can't wait. I'll be attending as a member of the press and have made a short list of whom I want to talk to. Read the full

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00:07:51

Translation Challenges - good translations are...

Tabletop Games Blog - board game reviews and... ·

2023/06/27

We take language so much for granted, whether it's written down, spoken out loud or conveyed via signs. Yet, when we communicate with others, we sometimes notice how words can be misinterpreted. We can see how a message can come across differently from how it was intended. That is when we realize how important words actually are. Choosing one word over another can make a huge difference. It's already hard enough to get your point across in your native language, but it reaches a completely

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00:07:07

Outback Crossing (Saturday Review)

Tabletop Games Blog - board game reviews and... ·

2023/06/24

The bitumen road had given way to a well-maintained dirt track. My monster road train was stubbornly ploughing on, throwing up red dust behind it in giant plumes. From time to time I could see kangaroos, wombats, spiny anteaters, platypuses and dingos. I even caught a rare glimpse of a Tasmanian devil. It was very busy in this arid landscape. In fact, it was so busy that it felt like there was an Outback Crossing by Bruce Whitehill from Mücke Spiele. Read the full review here:

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00:07:57

Spiel des Jahres - hobby games for non-hobbyists...

Tabletop Games Blog - board game reviews and... ·

2023/06/20

I recently had the honour to be tasked with donating most of the 2023 Spiel des Jahres, Kinderspiel des Jahres and Kennerspiel des Jahres nominations and longlist titles to good causes on behalf of Spiel des Jahres. Being curious about the association and their selections, I decided to play some of the games myself. As a result, I wanted to share with you more about the Spiel des Jahres association and how I think its goals are reflected in the games they select. Read the full article here:

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00:08:17

Next Station: London (Saturday Review)

Tabletop Games Blog - board game reviews and... ·

2023/06/17

London's ageing underground network is creaking and groaning. It can no longer keep up with the exponentially increasing demand of daily commuters and rising tourist numbers to the UK's capital. It's time to scrap it all and start anew and Transport for London has hired you to redesign everything. It won't be easy to optimize the interchanges for a better flow, provide stops to as many tourist sites as possible and take advantage of the tunnels passing underneath the Thames. The

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00:08:09

Demo vs Teach - different types of presenting games...

Tabletop Games Blog - board game reviews and... ·

2023/06/13

Fresh off the back of demoing games for Asmodee at UK Games Expo 2023, I wanted to share my experiences with introducing people to a new game. I think demoing and teaching games are two similar, but also different approaches. In this article, I want to look at them more closely. Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2023/06/13/demo-vs-teach-different-types-of-presenting-games-topic-discussion/ Useful Links Asmodee: https://www.asmodee.co.uk/ UK Games Expo 2023 review:

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00:10:54

UK Games Expo 2023 (Saturday Review)

Tabletop Games Blog - board game reviews and... ·

2023/06/10

I visited the show last year as a member of the press. I spoke to a lot of exhibitors and spent time in the evenings catching up with friends and playing a few games. However, this year was different. For the first time, I came up to demo games on behalf of Asmodee. That meant my travel, food and accommodation were all paid for and I even got a bit of an hourly wage. At the same time, it also meant I only had an hour's lunch break to wander around the halls. It really changed my experience of

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395 results

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