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Welcome to Boardgame News!

Boardgame News is a website where you can find daily news, reviews, game previews, columns, and much more about the world of boardgames.

What kind of games are covered on Boardgame News? While there are many types of games in the world—boardgames, card games, trading card games, roleplaying games, video games, miniatures games, etc.—Boardgame News focuses on boardgames and card games, specifically games that are often referred to as German games, German-style games or Eurogames. Designer games is another title you'll run into since these games, unlike mass-market titles released in the U.S. and elsewhere in the world, typically carry the designer's name on the front of the box, just as books tell you their author, movies their actors and director, CDs their recording artist, and so on.

What are designer games? Designer board and card games are meant to be played more by families and adults than children. They typically have beautiful components, are relatively easy to learn, and can be played in 60 to 90 minutes. Even though the majority of these originated in Germany from German designers and German publishers—hence the name—many of the best games are now available in English at specialized game stores or various online retailers. (You can check for stores near you in the BGN Gamestore Database. Another way to discover these games is by contacting people who already play them; BGN's Game Clubs & Groups page lists dozens of groups around the country, but is by no means comprehensive.)

Why concentrate on designer games? In my opinion, the best boardgames and card games being produced today are designer games. They give players a chance to flex their mental muscles and compete against other players rather than being led around the gameboard by die rolls and random card draws. While designer games do include random elements, a player's ability to develop a strategy and carry it out, while simultaneously reacting to the strategy of other players, has more to do with that player's success than chance game elements. Focusing on designer games also gives the editor a few hours to eat and sleep each day since he doesn't have to follow every single game being released. That said, BGN does cover some party games, pure abstracts, family games, wargames, and other odds and ends.

What kind of information can I find on Boardgame News? Everything you might need to enter the world of designer games and find great new games to explore and introduce to others in your circle. As the name suggests, BGN offers news on boardgames: upcoming game releases, special gaming events, game designer info, andd much more. Of special note is a feature called Gone Cardboard, which tracks upcoming boardgame releases in North America; you can track game releases in the section on the site's front page or delve deep into Gone Cardboard, which links to dozens of game companies and their forthcoming and recent releases. Board 2 Pieces is BGN's twice-weekly comic strip about games. The site also boasts Previews, Reviews and Special Features about games (strategy articles, game convention coverage, notes from publishers, humorous essays, and much more) as well as a slate of weekly, international and at-large columnists who write about the world of games.

How do I read Boardgame News? You can scan the news and other posts in the Headlines section at the top of the main page, or you can scroll down click-click-click to the news items and articles themselves. If you use an RSS reader, you can read the news via one of the RSS Feeds. Clicking on the category links at the top of the page will lead you to a treasure trove of news, reviews, columns, and much more. The Links page is just that: hundreds of links to podcasts, publishers, personal game pages, other news sites, and more.

How do I support Boardgame News? You can become a BGN Member by clicking on the Register page, creating an account, and forking over $25. This yearlong membership gives you access to the Essen and Nuremberg Previews, which detail hundreds of game releases at the two major game conventions in Germany. If you're new to designer games, these conventions will likely overwhelm you with game choices; explore the Reviews section first to get a handle on the games that BGN covers. BGN Membership also gives you a chance to win a free game; check the left-hand column of the site to see what's up for grabs this month. BGN also accepts contributions to cover expenses. For more information on contributing, check out the Donate page.

Thanks for checking out Boardgame News, and if you have any further questions, click on the Contacts page and drop this editor a note. I'll be glad to hear from you!
W. Eric Martin Editor, Boardgame News