Res Arcana Review

A card drafting, engine building game has been my holy grail game. I’ve tried for years to find it, I’ve even tried to design it myself. Is this it? Let’s evaluate Res Arcana in this review. When Res Arcana hit the scene last year, it perfectly fit the description. So, when it was announced, I […]

Game Design by Example: How Lords of Waterdeep was Balanced

When a budding writer wants to write a novel, they’ll study novels, and learn their underlying structure. It’s incredibly important to understand how those who came before you worked, so you can stand on their shoulders. When a musician wants to write music, they’ll listen to music, and learn its underlying structure for the same reason. And when a game designer wants to balance a board game, they should study board games, and you guessed it, study its underlying structure. If you want a game balance example, read on.

7 Wonders Duel Strategy: A Guide for the Ages

If 7 Wonders Duel strategy had a mantra, it would be “I don’t want this, but I’m going to take it anyways because you need it.” In a game where military is just a token that you slide, this is a surprisingly combative game. Every single choice you make, you second guess because what it might let your opponent do. So, instead of doing what you want, you take whatever card it is that helps your opponent the least.

Board Game Interface Survey

As a graphic designer, a board game designer, and a board game reviewer, I’ve been thinking a lot about how board game interfaces work lately. I’ve also been thinking about how they ought to work. There are so many ways our interfaces are inconsistent, contradictory and downright impossible to decipher. Sure, we can keep memorizing […]

How to Avoid Damage in Gloomhaven

I haven’t written anything about Gloomhaven yet, and it only seems fair, since these days I play Gloomhaven ten times for each time I play any other game. I play with my boyfriend, and we frequently lament what we’re giving up in order to make time for this monster of a game (Social lives. Meals. Sleep. Sanity?). We’ve been playing Gloomhaven without a tank lately, so this topic has been on my mind.