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Gaming Advice

What are some of the best two player board games for date night?

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One of the first questions I answered here on the Tabletop Bellhop blog was “What are some good two player games?” This is, by far, the most popular post I’ve written. It’s also one that I still get a lot of comments on. Many of those comments are asking me for more specific two player game recommendations. People want to know what are the best board games for couples, or the best games to play on date night.

Playing games is something my wife and I do together often. When we do have a night out without the kids it often involves a nice meal, some craft beer, and some gaming. Over the years we’ve found quite a few games that work great for when it’s just the two of us. [ READ MORE ]

RPGs and Board Games from Indigenous Game Designers, Indigenous and First Nations Games

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Recently I went on a search for RPGs and board games designed by Native American/First Nations designers. This proved to be more difficult than expected, so I broadened that search to include all games from Indigenous designers. Today I'm here to share what I found. 

This topic was inspired by one of our Tabletop Bellhop Patreon patrons who recently discovered the Coyote & Crow RPG and was wondering if there were other games out there by Native designers. [ READ MORE ]

A look at Eight Super Hero RPGs and what makes each of them stand out from the crowd

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Lately, my podcast co-host Sean has been deep-diving into the world of Superhero roleplaying games. He has picked up and purchased a number of supers RPG both in print and PDF.

I've been curious to know what he thought of these games and more importantly what makes each of these superhero RPGs stand out from the rest, so back on Episode 125 of The Tabletop Bellhop Gaming Podcast: Super, Capes and Metas, I asked Sean about the supers games he's been reading.
In this article, I will be recapping what he had to share. [ READ MORE ]

The best cooperative kids board games that are also fun for adults (and why you should play them)

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We love playing cooperative board games with our kids. In this article, I will be discussing why you should be playing cooperative games with your kids, and I'll also recommend several great cooperative kids games.

For these non-competitive kids game recommendations, I've made sure to pick games that are actually fun and engaging for adults as well as kids, including many games we will happily play without the kids being there at all. [ READ MORE ]

How to maintain a regular game night, including tips for keeping your game group going in a pandemic

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Finding a game group can be hard. What can be even harder is maintaining that game group. In this article, I will be talking about tips and tricks for keeping a regular game night going strong.

This topic comes from longtime Tabletop Bellhop fan Emmet O'Brian who happened to ask this question before we all ended up stuck at home and locked down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of this, in addition to talking about maintaining a game night in normal times, I'll also be offering up some tips for keeping your tabletop group going during exceptional times, like during a pandemic.  [ READ MORE ]

What types of board games are there? Defining Board Game Categories

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When talking about games we use all kinds of different board game terms and definitions. We often talk about various board game types or game categories and we lump groups of games together due to having similar features or mechanics.

Previously we attempted to define all of the various board game mechanics. In this article, I try to take the next step by listing all of the various types of board games and all of the board game styles that are out there. [ READ MORE ]

Fun Historical Board Games for Historical Miniature Wargamers & History Buffs of All Types

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Today I've got a question from a historical miniature wargamer who is looking to broaden their horizons into more hobby board gaming. 

In this article, I will be recommending a number of different types of history based board games that will appeal to a miniature wargamer, including some specific game recommendations for each type. These are some of the best historical board games and should appeal to history buffs of all types. [ READ MORE ]

What to buy a gamer who has too many games? Non-game gift ideas for gamers

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Tabletop gamers are notoriously hard to buy for. The obvious choice would be to get them another game, the problem is that they usually buy any games they want. Plus you never know what they already have or don't have, and if they don't have something maybe there's a reason why they didn't buy it.

In this article, I will suggest a number of gift ideas for board game lovers and roleplayers. There are presents you can give a gamer instead of yet another game.  [ READ MORE ]