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Advice

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 ]

Active Game Nights – How to maintain your game night group, Tabletop Bellhop Gaming Podcast Episode 122

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 Active Game Nights - How to maintain your game night group. After discussing ways to keep your game group going, with a special look at doing that during the ongoing global pandemic, we’ve got reviews of The Creepy Cellar expansion for Ghost Fightin Treasure Hunters and a look at Roguebook a digital deck-building roguelike from Richard Garfield of Magic The Gathering fame.

Episode 122 of the Tabletop Bellhop Gaming Podcast, recorded February 10th, 2021. Join us as we stream live every week on Wednesdays at 9:00 PM Eastern on Twitch. If you like some video with your audio, you can also watch/listen to individual segments from this show on YouTube. [ 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 ]

October AMA, With lots of tabletop crowdfunding talk. Tabletop Bellhop Gaming Podcast Episode 112

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 October AMA. Q&A Topics: Crowdfunding including what games we are excited about and various crowdfunding platforms with a focus on Gamefound, but also talk of Hasbro Pulse, Itch.io, OneBookShelf and Indiegogo. Making it in the tabletop industry, who makes more content creators or game designers? Games we most want to get to the table once it’s safe to game in person again. We also have two featured reviews: Chronicles of Crime 1400 from Lucky Duck games and The Shining Escape from the Overlook Hotel from The Op.

Episode 112 of the Tabletop Bellhop Gaming Podcast, recorded October 28th, 2020. Join us as we stream live every week on Wednesdays at 9:00 PM Eastern on Twitch. If you like some video with your audio, you can also watch/listen to individual segments from this show on YouTube. [ READ MORE ]

18 of the Best Two Player Board Games you can buy right now, the Two Player New Hotness.

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Some board games can seem intimidating, with a thick rulebook, lots of components, or too many things to learn all at once. Sometimes though a boardgame will surprise you by looking complicated when in reality it isn't. 

Two player board games continue to be extremely popular. The question I get asked the most is some variation on "what are the best two-player board games?" Today's version of that question comes from a couple brand new to gaming. So today I'm going to look at some of the hottest newly published two-player tabletop games. 
Willie Waldman writes:
My girlfriend and I are getting into gaming. I would like to know some of the games you think are the most fun for 2 players. Any category. Any size. Any type. We play at home. We are new to this so any help would be appreciated. Thank you! [ READ MORE ]

Keep it Simple, Ways Board Game Designers Make Games Easier To Learn And Teach, Tabletop Bellhop Gaming Podcast Episode 107

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 Keep it Simple - Ways board game designers make their games easier to learn and teach. A follow up to last week’s topic where we highlighted 15 heavier games that are easier to learn and play than you might think. In the Game Room, we have reviews of the Animal Empire an anthropomorphic empire building card game and the Tales from The Loop Starter Set from Free League Publishing

Episode 107 of the Tabletop Bellhop Gaming Podcast, recorded September 16th, 2020. Join us as we stream live every week on Wednesdays at 9:00 PM Eastern on Twitch. If you like some video with your audio, you can also watch/listen to individual segments from this show on YouTube. [ READ MORE ]

13 Ways Board Game Designers Can Make Games Easier to Learn and to Teach

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In this article, I will be discussing a number of ways that board game designers can make their games easier to learn and teach. I feature a number of board game design tips all aimed at making boardgames more approachable. 

Even the heaviest board game can be made easier to learn through good game design, including everything from the rules and graphic design to the actual mechanics.  [ READ MORE ]

RPG Artifacts and Mementos – Physical items left over long after the game is done – Tabletop Bellhop Gaming Podcast Episode 105

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 RPG Artifacts and Momentos - A discussion of the physical items that are left over long after the game is done. Along with this discussion we’ve got reviews of Sanctum and the Exotica Expansion for Eminent Domain. We wrap up with some Gloomhaven Jaws of the Lion and talk about the board game arena version of Quoridor a classic abstract game.

Episode 105 of the Tabletop Bellhop Gaming Podcast, recorded August 30th, 2020. Join us as we stream live every week on Wednesdays at 9:00 PM Eastern on Twitch. If you like some video with your audio, you can also watch/listen to individual segments from this show on YouTube. [ READ MORE ]