Playing Card Information

Designer Diaries: Tropicalia and Sinister Institute, or Two Games Nineteen Years in the Making!

I knew the game needed a feeling of exploration and that players should be revealing the world tile by tile and finding various paths to follow, so I started drawing all sorts of possible map tiles in a notebook, experimenting with how different pathways would work, turning and intersecting with each other across tiles.Some early notes where I was experimenting with map tile design.One inspiration here was Tsuro as I have always loved how this game's tiles are almost a design lesson in how four

Talia Rosen: Fall Mini-Reviews

I’ve played some great games this fall, so it’s time for another round of mini-reviews about the 32 different board and card games from the last two months.  It looks like I haven’t done a set of mini-reviews since I … <a href="https://opinionatedgamers.com/2025/11/13/talia-rosen-fall-mini-reviews/">Continue reading →</a>

The Story Behind Francis Tresham's The Judge in Circuit

The game is won by being the first crook to get into the required number of different prisons.Image: Tony BoydellFrancis said himself that winning this game is morally disgraceful and don't blame him if your teenage daughter or maiden aunt cotton on to the essential facts of a successful career quicker than you, but if you lose, it can still be fun, and winning will give a sense of achievement.The first thing I had to do was to find out how much work I was taking on. When returning from a drivin

Indie Games Spotlight: Game Market West (Fall 2025)

by <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/blog/1?bloggerid=18977" >Johnny Chin</a> <div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8353121"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/tv_52ZpOYjMNIcrQcrj3-g__small/img/6k9J7FyarAXeZ0XwH5yF5utmIdE=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8353121.png" border=0></a></div>In September 2025, <a href="https://www.gamemarketwest.com/" target="_blank" class="postlink" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">Game Market West</a>, a tabletop game market where independent designers showcase and sell their newest games, returned to Guildhouse in San Jose, California. The venue received a lot of compliments this time around from both attendees and designers. Throughout the event was the usual steady stream of attendees, chatting with designers and playing their games. We had quite the line-up of games from a fan-made expansion to a social deduction and area control crossover. There was also a new drawing game, a genre we're a big fan of, along with trick-takers and climbers. The aforementioned drawing game is <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/453195/paper-pencil-stencil" >Paper Pencil Stencil</a> by <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/170543/jestin-brooks" >Jestin Brooks</a> and <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/170419/jeremy-schichtel" >Jeremy Schichtel</a>. You use stencils to draw the word you've been randomly assigned. It's always nice to have a handicap, especially for terrible artists like myself. Usually it's time or difficulty in word choice that evens the playing field, but the predefined shapes are a cool twist. <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/9133031"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/MqGW3kwsRI3c91CTe98RMQ__small/img/5m0cpKcmZXjdAiDXA162KiOzXx4=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic9133031.jpg" border=0></a></div></center> Next up, we have <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/450424/okay-duckies-now-lets-get-in-formation" >Okay, Duckies, Now Let's Get In Formation</a> by <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/169889/ted-mann-schaller" >Ted Schaller</a> — a cute rubber ducky game that had a giant edition on display for all to play. Don't let the cuteness fool you, though, as the game is actually quite the crunchy spatial puzzle for two players. You're arranging your duckies on an ever-changing board to win. I was lucky enough to playtest it when the game was in development, so I had to grab a copy. <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/9133032"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/vPggYLUfaiSY9NblTjbZUw__small/img/3vtUgi5EHI3VrtwFFFCJXIYm9IQ=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic9133032.jpg" border=0></a></div></center> Lastly, we have Side Quest by Sean Nakada, a classic feeling RPG board game with the customization of trading card games. This first version starts with a more level playing field in terms of the cards and scenarios for a better onboarding experience. There's a ton of different classes with thematic abilities and stat tradeoffs that have already been developed. <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/9133035"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/2OyokC3XGFmajxLJLt28Jw__small/img/rsTbs2l1HdlJ6uy2wysLci8mYcw=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic9133035.jpg" border=0></a></div></center> For more pics of presenters, head to <a href="https://www.gamemarketwest.com/fall-2025-recap" target="_blank" class="postlink" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">the Fall 2025 recap</a> on the GMW website. Thank you for supporting this indie movement. We always love to hear how we've inspired others to turn their idea into a game. In fact, a few designers were present who mentioned that, and even some attendees asked how they could be a designer for a future game market. We'll see you at the next Game Market West on March 22, 2026! You can sign up for <a href="https://www.gamemarketwest.com/updates" target="_blank" class="postlink" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">updates</a> or as a <a href="https://forms.gle/oLFUPwkqKWDr1vPz7" target="_blank" class="postlink" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">designer</a>. <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/9133027"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/RcEnJHeDPyNQQBbJGI2oFA__small/img/-3TbAizrWNMMBGOZAxfw1Q2_VN4=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic9133027.jpg" border=0></a></div></center>

Dale Yu: Review of Deep Dreams

Deep Dreams Designer: Santiago Zanon Publisher: DEVIR Players: 2-5 Age: 8+ Time: 10 min Played with review copy provided by publisher Little Bruno has gone to sleep and will travel during the night between dreams. Our mission as dream guardians … <a href="https://opinionatedgamers.com/2025/11/12/dale-yu-review-of-deep-dreams/">Continue reading →</a>

Enlarge The Gang, Take a Happy Holiday in Europe, and Engineer Wild Growth

You each start with a random flower, which come in five colors, and 5-7 seeds, one of which starts at the bottom of the track on your flower.On a turn, draft a new flower from one of the five fields and place a seed on bottom of its track, then all players "grow" flowers in the color of the field from which that flower was taken by moving the seeds on these flowers up one space on their track. (In the image below, all orange flowers would grow, including the one you just took if it's orange.)Eac

Heroscape: Here Be Dragons… and Pirates… and Some Very Creepy Forest Dwellers

In the last couple of weeks, the newest story arc of Heroscape arrived – and thanks to the kindness of family and friends, the new stuff has been hitting the table and I’m looking forward to giving you the lowdown … <a href="https://opinionatedgamers.com/2025/11/11/heroscape-here-be-dragons-and-pirates-and-some-very-creepy-forest-dwellers/">Continue reading →</a>

Dale Yu: Review of Magical Athlete

Magical Athlete Designers: Richard Garfield, Takashi Ishida Publisher: CMYK Players: 2-6 Age: 6+ Time: 30 minutes Amazon affiliate link: https://amzn.to/47vtTBj Played with review copy provided by publisher Magical Athlete is a racing game of pure chaos! Roll a die and … <a href="https://opinionatedgamers.com/2025/11/11/dale-yu-review-of-magical-athlete/">Continue reading →</a>

Designer Diary: Pacts

Because you don't know what your opponent will choose, there's no longer any way to predict the outcome of a round perfectly.The second issue was that if a player stomped the first half, a lot of players felt like the game was already over, with no need to play out the second half. To remedy this, I added region tiles that change between the two halves so that more points are now available in the second half of the game.In addition, the regions that are worth the most points shift, which changes

Alison Brennan: Game Snapshots – 2025 (Part 28)

Every now and then I remind readers that all my snapshots are stored in BGG as comments – that’s roughly 3450 games and 270 expansions and counting. My username is alzsara. One approach to get easy access to these is … <a href="https://opinionatedgamers.com/2025/11/10/alison-brennan-game-snapshots-2025-part-28/">Continue reading →</a>

Josiah’s Monthly Board Game Round-Up – October 2025

October 2025 Games I played for the first time this month, from worst to best, along with my ratings and comments. Soda Jerk – 5/10 I’m always a sucker for a punny title and Soda Jerk fits the bill. … <a href="https://opinionatedgamers.com/2025/11/09/josiahs-monthly-board-game-round-up-october-2025/">Continue reading →</a>

Designer Diary: Ultimate PAC-MAN

Letting the ghosts be controlled by human players allowed them to function like the ghosts in the video game: they could respond to the current board state at all times, either to chase down players, or to run and hide if they had been turned-to-blue and were edible themselves.With these ideas in place, our first prototype for the game came together.Two weeks after the initial email from John, we had a fully working prototype on the table. It was thrilling to see our little Pac-Man and ghost pie

SETI, Botanicus, and Bomb Busters Awarded as the Best Games of the Year

These qualities have earned him international recognition and contributed to shaping a modern approach to board game design, combining creative discipline with wide accessibility, and having a positive influence on contemporary trends in the field.Image courtesy of Lucca Comics & GamesEqually notable is Grard's collaborative spirit, reflected in fruitful partnerships with other designers, which have further enriched the creative landscape and underscored the collective cultural value of board ga

Dale Yu: First Impressions of The Guest

The Guest Designer: Arkaitz Caride Publisher: DEVIR Players: 5-12 Age: 8+ Time: 30 minutes Played with review copy provided by publisher «The commander is dead, thrown into the cold, unforgiving void, and it was I who voted against her, sealing … <a href="https://opinionatedgamers.com/2025/11/08/dale-yu-first-impressions-of-the-guest/">Continue reading →</a>

Designer Diary: Monsters Menace the World

This was an opportunity to include ideas for the playable monsters that did not make the cut, such as Pollendust or Gargantis, as well as a good way to incorporate the "military monsters" from Monsters Menace America.Originally, the idea was you would find these minions throughout the course of the game, but to ensure that we tested these minions enough, during playtests everyone started the game with a minion to give them more game time — and it quickly became apparent that the minion monsters,

Dale Yu: Review of Tussie Mussie and Dionysia

Tussie Mussie Designer: Elizabeth Hargrave Publisher: Button Shy Games Players: 2-4 Age: 8+ Time: 20 minutes Played with review copy provided by publisher Tussie mussies exemplified the Victorian custom of assigning meaning to the flowers that friends and lovers exchanged. … <a href="https://opinionatedgamers.com/2025/11/07/dale-yu-review-of-tussie-mussie-and-dionysia/">Continue reading →</a>

Flip Runes in Carnuta, Go All In with Predictions, and Visit a Spooky Tower

On a turn, you either draft two adjacent terrain cards from a six-card river or play cards to place your next camp on the board.To place a camp, you must discard a card that matches the terrain of your camp from which you're starting — and initially you have only one camp on the board — then a card for each terrain you pass through until you reach your final destination. (You can cross any number of water spaces for a single card, but otherwise you discard one card for each hex you cross.)Each c

Dale Yu: Review of Citizens of the Spark

Citizens of the Spark Designer: Philip duBarry Publisher: Thunderworks Players: 1-5 Age: 14+ Time: 45-60 minutes Amazon affiliate link: https://amzn.to/41ifd4Z Played with review copy provided by publisher The fate of creatures touched by the spark of intelligence hangs in the … <a href="https://opinionatedgamers.com/2025/11/06/dale-yu-review-of-citizens-of-the-spark/">Continue reading →</a>

Dale Yu: Review of Ringer

Ringer Designer: David Yakos Publisher: Mindward Players: 2-5 Age: 8+ Time: 20 minutes Amazon affiliate link: https://amzn.to/4mNN3qD Played with review copy provided by publisher Play cards in numerical order or different colors to try and match the dice in the … <a href="https://opinionatedgamers.com/2025/11/05/dale-yu-review-of-ringer/">Continue reading →</a>

In 2026, Red Notice Pits Forger Against FBI

The forger starts the game with two of four or five identities, and after you've ditched your second identity, the next nab will be the last one, with the FBI agent putting you in jail permanently.The FBI agent has two random abilities revealed, but if the forger gains the action, they get to discard the ability of their choice before the agent uses the other one.Within a tight design, supplemented by 1970s-style art by Amélie Guinet that provides a nice atmosphere, Red Notice has a lot going on