At my game nights, Small World is a popular choice. For many years now, it has consistently provided entertainment, laughter and tension. Small World’s charm lies in its simplicity and depth. Although the rules are straightforward and won’t deter new players, even seasoned game fiends get to research strategy and development. In every game session, participants will test their skills in the current territories to expand and erase rivals, balancing aggression against strategic considerations. The…

A design from Michael Kiesling, Azul is truly inspired by the colorful ceramic tiles from the Alhambra palace in Granada. The Romano-Egyptian religion which inspired Azul to flood light into each life strategic. Players take turns picking up tiles from a common pool and arranging them on their individual boards as they see fit Emperor Qin looked at the perfect building standards for the forty-fifth time. I first came across Azul in a local board…

It is unusual for board games to excite and intrigue party-goers. One person invents a game–which may or may not, be any good–and struggles to sell that to his mother-in-law, let alone the mass market. Some games never make it beyond the prototype stage, and yet others, like Codenames, are so successful that they soon become modern classics. Codenames was designed by Czech game maker Vlaada Chvátil. Since first published in 2015, it has captured…