BOARDGAME NOTES

Twelve ways to begin

Meet the game.
See the decisions.

Learning companions for familiar tabletop titles. What to watch for, what to explain and where to find an English tutorial.

On the table

Route building

Ticket to Ride

Build connections across a shared map while weighing a visible opportunity against a private objective. The map makes progress easy to see, but the useful question is often when to commit to a route rather than simply which route looks attractive.

Game notes & video Tile placement

Carcassonne

A landscape grows one tile at a time, and each addition can alter the possibilities around it. It is a useful game for thinking about the difference between placing a legal tile and choosing a productive position on a shared board.

Game notes & video Word association

Codenames

A grid of ordinary words becomes a team puzzle about connections and interpretation. The challenge is not just finding an association, but judging whether teammates will follow it without being pulled toward a dangerous alternative.

Game notes & video Resource economy

Splendor

Collect resources and turn them into cards that can make later purchases easier. A compact set of recurring actions creates a useful introduction to the tension between building future purchasing power and taking a direct scoring opportunity.

Game notes & video Shared card selection

7 Wonders Duel

Two players choose from a changing arrangement of cards, with several pressures competing for attention. A choice can improve your own position while uncovering a new opportunity for the other player, making availability part of the decision.

Game notes & video Engine building

Wingspan

Bird cards and action rows create a system that develops over the course of the game. The attraction is seeing individual effects become a sequence, while deciding when another improvement is worth the action needed to obtain it.

Game notes & video Pattern building

Azul

Choosing tiles from a shared supply feeds a personal pattern-building puzzle. A selection can help complete a useful row, but taking more than you can place introduces a cost. Watch both the display and your own unfinished work.

Game notes & video Spatial puzzle

Cascadia

A habitat arrangement and a wildlife pattern develop together. The interesting choice is often between improving the landscape and satisfying a particular animal's scoring pattern; the two goals do not always suggest the same placement.

Game notes & video Cooperative trick-taking

The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine

A familiar trick-taking structure becomes a shared problem with restricted communication. The group must coordinate outcomes while respecting what players are allowed to reveal about their cards. The mission matters more than simply winning every trick.

Game notes & video Draft and pass

Sushi Go!

Choose a card, reveal it and pass the remaining possibilities along. Different scoring combinations ask you to balance a dependable small reward against the chance of completing a larger set before the round ends.

Game notes & video Cooperative planning

Pandemic

The group works against a changing board and a shared set of threats. Player actions create breathing room, but the game also advances after those actions. Understanding that complete cycle helps the team discuss priorities meaningfully.

Game notes & video Tile drafting

Kingdomino

Domino-shaped landscape pieces form a personal kingdom. Choosing a desirable piece also affects your position in a later selection, connecting the immediate placement puzzle to the order in which future opportunities become available.

Game notes & video