The Spiel

Rajas of the Ganges is a beautiful reflection of eastern philosophy. It's a game about balance and karma. Find harmony between two separate scoring tracks to succeed and spend karma wisely to change your fate and reap rewards in the end.

A review of The Mind written by Stephen Conway.

Game designers shape the way we communicate when we play. Games can offer us a new language and new ways to communicate. This panel explores how communication shapes the enjoyment and connections we discover in games.

This panel explores gaming culture through the eyes of game designers and publishers from Israel, Taiwan, and Spain.

Some publishers are moving away from traditional rulebooks. Video tutorals and interactive digital guides offer new ways to learn and play. What responsibilities does a publisher have regarding the rules? What form should a 21st century rulebook take?

The naming game is important but it is not easy. Our panelists wrestle with how to settle on the best title for a game. There are a lot of factors that weigh into this decision and the goal of our discussion is to explore as many as we can.

This panel sits at the intersection between learning and play and fun. We explore the sneaky ways we learn through play. How games promote this type of learning and how to achieve it.

Michael Schacht, Bruno Faidutti, and Martin Wallace have a special perspective on the playful world we live in. They helped create it. Listen and learn from some of the masters of modern game design.

A snapshot look at the state of games from many different perspectives - as members of the media, as players, as designers, as manufacturers.

In Calimala, you hope to spread a network of Italian cloth merchants across medieval Europe. If all goes well you'll take your place on the city council and contribute to cathedrals under construction. Which merchant family will rise above the rest?

A review of Flamme Rouge and Peloton written by Stephen Conway.

Using your fingers like chopsticks, listen close and see if you can stack your wooden maki faster than the other team. Then try it blindfolded! So much Major Fun packed into a simple set of blocks and cards.

A review of Drop It written by Stephen Conway.

In Ya Blew It, you roll your stick of dynamite (a nifty 8-sided die!) trying to scoop up the best claims of gems before the prospector decides to nab them all.

Hardback is a delightful, fun and challenging twist on both deck and word building. It will make you look at the simple task of spelling in a totally new way. Each word is an engine that drives your novel forward generating income, abilities, and points.

We recap our impressions of GenCon 2018, including discussions of industry news and games of note. Special Guests: Darrell Ottery, Gubbins Boffin

We’re heading toward a marriage of cardboard and digital games. We discuss the challenges and opportunities presented by crossing the cardboard and digital divide. Panelists: Ted Alspach, Tim Fowers, Tim Burrell-Saward.

What challenges and opportunities are unique to working with a media license? How do you forge an alliance between good media and good games? Panelists: James Ernest, Rob Daviau, David Brashaw, Francesco Nepitello.

We invite a fun-loving group of people in the gaming media to join us for a free-wheeling chat on a variety of topics both serious and silly. Panelists: Scott Alden, Bebo, Marguerite Cottrell, Eric Summerer.

The art of the pitch is a learnable skill. We discuss the essential elements of a successful pitch, plus tips and tricks to help make your game design stand out from the crowd. Panelists: Mike Selinker, Stephen Buonocore, Tim WK Brown, Erica Bouyouris

Games can be brilliant teaching tools both in the classroom and beyond it. We discuss how each panelist uses games in creative ways to facilitate learning and develop life skills. Panelists: John Knoerzer, Beth Heile, Kathleen Mercury

As publishers, designers, and players, what choices can we make and what steps can we take to help the world of games include and reflect the vast variety of fun loving players in it? Panelists: Sen Foong Lim, Maggi Cottrell, Isaac Vega, Katie Aidley

We delve into how different designers and publishers approach game development, hoping to gain a better appreciation of how important this step is to the life of any game. Panelists: Matt Leacock, Christopher Badell, Ray Wehrs, Jason Hill Geoff Engelstein

The Coleson-Conway era of The Spiel comes to a close with a celebration of our shared passion and love of trick-taking card games. We review Anansi and Take the A Chord plus we delve into the history of Jeux de Tarot.

In Heaven & Ale, you are the master brewer at a German monastery in the Middle Ages. Gather hops, water, barley, and yeast and recruit monks to build your brewery. Each decision leads to an innovative scoring system that packs a great cerebral punch.