BOARDGAME NOTES

An independent field guide to tabletop games

Good games.
Great company.
One more round.

Find your next game, make sense of the rules and bring everyone to the table. Practical notes for the moments before, during and after a first play.

Find your starting point
A tabletop with cards, counters and a dieClear a little space. Make an evening of it.
A simple way in01 Choose your game02 Learn the rhythm03 Bring people together

Start with the people, then the box

A better first game night

All 16 guides →
Getting started · 2 min read

Choose a game for the people at your table

Start with the evening you want, then choose the box that can deliver it.

Read the guide At the table · 2 min read

Plan a first game night

A comfortable room, a short teach and a clear finish do more than a crowded stack of boxes.

Read the guide At the table · 2 min read

Teach a game without losing the table

Build a useful mental picture before introducing exceptions.

Read the guide Getting started · 2 min read

Build a good two-player evening

Look for satisfying interaction, a comfortable pace and a reason to play again.

Read the guide Getting started · 2 min read

Enjoy cooperative games together

A shared objective works best when everyone still gets to make decisions.

Read the guide At the table · 2 min read

Make the table easier to use

Small adjustments can remove friction without changing the decisions people enjoy.

Read the guide

Understand the choices

A mechanism is just
a way to make a decision.

Draft a card. Build an engine. Place a tile. Learn the vocabulary through the choices you actually make at the table.

Explore game mechanisms ↗
01 Drafting ↗02 Engine building ↗03 Tile placement ↗04 Trick-taking ↗

See a turn before you take one

Watch, learn, play

Explore 12 English tutorials →
English tutorial · Watch It Played

Ticket to Ride

Watch how collecting cards differs from claiming a connection, then follow one destination ticket from the hand to the map. Notice which information is public and which remains private. During the teach, show how the game ends as well as how a route is built.

Watch on YouTube (opens a new tab)Read notes & edition guidance →
English tutorial · Watch It Played

Carcassonne

Follow the sequence from drawing a tile to placing it, assigning a follower when permitted and resolving completed features. Watch how features connect across tile boundaries. A clear physical example is especially helpful when explaining why a space is already occupied.

Watch on YouTube (opens a new tab)Read notes & edition guidance →
English tutorial · Roll For Crit

The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine

Start by following one legal trick: the lead, the obligation to follow suit and the winning card. Then watch how a task changes the desired outcome. Communication rules deserve their own explanation, because unrestricted tactical discussion would remove a central part of the puzzle.

Watch on YouTube (opens a new tab)Read notes & edition guidance →