Gametek Book Review

Gametek is a book on tabletop gaming by author Georffrey Engelstein. It covers a wide variety of topics including the math and history underscoring games and game design.

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The Novelty Trap

The Novelty Trap in Tabletop Game Critique By MARK WILSON In the often-forgettable general forums for Board Game Geek, I found a lovely thread on

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Framing in Game Critique

Framing in Game Critique By MARK WILSON What’s the difference between these phrases? The game’s ending was boring, merely counting up points to see who

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Camel Up Board Game Review

Camel Up Board Game Review By MARK WILSON Year Published: 2014 (2nd edition 2018) Players: 2-8 Playing Time: 30-45 Minutes Probably the best compliment I

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Amerigo Board Game Review

Amerigo Board Game Review By MARK WILSON Year Published: 2013 Players: 2-4 Playing Time: 90 Minutes I’m not a big fan of designer Stefan Feld’s

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Mottainai Board Game Review

Mottainai Board Game Review By MARK WILSON Year Published: 2015 Players: 2-5 Playing Time: 15-30 Minutes Carl Chudyk has a reputation as a designer. It’s

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Medina Board Game Review

Medina Board Game Review By MARK WILSON Year Published: 2001 / 2014 Players: 2-4 Playing Time: 60 Minutes Medina is a lightly-themed abstract strategy game

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Hardback Board Game Review

Hardback Board Game Review By MARK WILSON Year Published: 2018 Players: 1-5 Playing Time: 45-90 Minutes Word games. Inherently problematic. Not in the sense that

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Diamonds Card Game Review

Diamonds (2nd edition) Card Game Review By MARK WILSON Year Published: 2014 Players: 2-6 Playing Time: 20-30 Minutes I have a mostly amiable relationship with

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Decrypto Board Game Review

Decrypto Board Game Review By MARK WILSON Year Published: 2018 Players: 3-8 Playing Time: 15-45 Minutes A Divergence on Storytelling I talk about narrative arcs

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Concept Board Game Review

Concept Board Game Review By MARK WILSON Year Published: 2027 Players: 4-12 Playing Time: 40 Minutes Concept feels like a victim of circumstance to me.

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Dragon Castle Review

Dragon Castle Review By MARK WILSON Year Published: 2017 Players: 2-4 Playing Time: 30-45 Minutes I play a lot of games once or twice. My

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Incan Gold / Diamant Review

Incan Gold/Diamant Review By MARK WILSON Year Published: 2005 Players: 3-8 Playing Time: 30 Minutes  Let’s pull the band-aid off early: Incan Gold/Diamant is my

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Five Tribes Review

Five Tribes Review By MARK WILSON Year Published: 2014 Players: 2-4 Playing Time: 60-80 Minutes The Premise In a very colorful “Arabian Nights” environment, players

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Can’t Stop Review

Can’t Stop Review By MARK WILSON Year Published: 1980 Players: 2-4 Playing Time: 30 Minutes  If you like press your luck games, Can’t Stop will

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Love Letter Review

Love Letter Review By MARK WILSON Year Published: 2012 Players: 2-4 Playing Time: 20 Minutes Love Letter – The Premise In Love Letter, you have

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Lost Cities Review

Lost Cities Review By MARK WILSON Year Published: 1999 Players: 2 Playing Time: 30 Minutes Lost Cities – The Premise OH HOLY HECK it’s Lost

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Tzolk’in Review

Tzolk’in: The Mayan Calendar Review By MARK WILSON Year Published: 2012 Players: 2-4 Playing Time: 90 Minutes  This review assumes basic knowledge of the game’s

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Lords of Waterdeep Review

Lords of Waterdeep Review By MARK WILSON Year Published: 2012 Players: 2-5 (2-6 w/expansion) Playing Time: 60-120 Minutes The PremiseLords of Waterdeep is a worker

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Problematic Games

Problematic Games And how to have better conversations about them By MARK WILSON We’re going to discuss problematic games today. That is, games with morally

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Takenoko Review

Takenoko Review By MARK WILSON Year Published: 2011 Players: 2-4 Playing Time: 45 Minutes  Look kids, it’s cute pandas! Look mom, you only need to

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Buttons Board Game Review

Buttons Board Game Review By MARK WILSON Year Published: 2015 Players: 2-4 Playing Time: 20-30 Minutes  Buttons is an entry into the “press your luck”

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Food Chain Magnate Review

Food Chain Magnate Review By MARK WILSON Year Published: 2015 Players: 2-5 Playing Time: 120-240 Minutes  This is the perspective of someone who’s played several

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Seasons Review

Seasons Review By MARK WILSON Year Published: 2012 Players: 2-4 Playing Time: 60 Minutes  Seasons is a game with a lineage. It’s not uncommon to

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Songbirds Board Game Review

Songbirds Board Game Review By MARK WILSON Year Published: 2016 Players: 1-4 Playing Time: 20 Minutes  Songbirds vs. Birdie Fight – What’s In a Name?

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Saboteur Board Game Review

Saboteur Board Game Review By MARK WILSON Year Published: 2004 Players: 3-10 Playing Time: 30 Minutes  Saboteur is one of several games I discovered through

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Tokaido Review

Tokaido Review By MARK WILSON Year Published: 2012 Players: 2-5 Playing Time: 45 Minutes  Tokaido – The Premise In what may be one of the

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Libertalia Review

Libertalia Review By MARK WILSON Year Published: 2012 Players: 2-6 Playing Time: 40-60 Minutes  “Pirates” is a theme that’s well covered in board games. Libertalia

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Paperback Review

Paperback Card Game Review By MARK WILSON Year Published: 2014 Players: 2-5 Playing Time: 45 Minutes  Paperback – The Premise Dominion and Scrabble had a

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Elfenland Review

Elfenland Review By MARK WILSON Year Published: 1998 Players: 2-6 Playing Time: 60 Minutes  A Forgotten Pioneer Elfenland is an odd duck; it’s Alan Moon’s

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