WARNING: I don't attempt to
maintain these links with the same degree of passion as the other pages. However, there
should be enough starting points here to get you surfin' in the right direction. If you do find any broken links, please let me know.
I'm allowed some bias - right?! - and these are the board game sites that I like, for one reason or another.
BoneGames:
free, original board games of a very high quality (Joshua Howard and Bruce Biskup) - setting the standard for anyone thinking of going into on-line game publishing!
Funagain Games: an on-line store featuring possibly one of the best web store site designs I have seen. Oh, and they sell great games too...
- Ken Tidwell's Game Cabinet:
game reviews; rules translations; game companies, distributers and designers; etc. One of the first and best gaming sites... now sadly neglected.
The Boardgame Geek:
probably the most comprehensive source of information on modern commercial board games - a database of descriptions, pictures, reviews, comments and ratings.
-
Luding:
an amazing and - pretty much - complete database of games, reviews, designers and companies; with a focus on German-made boardgames (tirelessly maintained by Mario Boller-Olfert)
- Web-Grognards Home Page:
a central location for the collection of various conflict simulation game (i.e. wargame) information, including rules errata and variants, game reviews and links etc. etc. Professional, comprehensive, up-to-date... what else to say?
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Wunderland Games:
A great site with cool - and I mean really cool games - go there now and have some fun!
One of the great things about the Web is the number of people who are willing to donate their valuable time and effort at a nominal cost in support of a common interest. The following are some of the members of the on-line gaming community who fall in this category. Many offer free games; some offer advice - all showcase the fact that is possible to have fun with having to make lots of money in the process... an interesting collection of game design related links is at Fiendish Board Games.
These sites typically cover a range of gaming-related issues; reviews, game variants,
gaming session reports and photos, tournaments, "popular" games etc. and provide a good "feel" for what your fellow gamers current interests, ideas and, of course, opinions are.
Sites focusing mainly on modern, commercial board games.
- The Abstract Games magazine is "paper" magazine, obtained through subscription, that provides in-depth coverage of both traditional and modern abstract games.
- Aces Up is a neat site (a games 'e-zine'), with short reviews, original games, book and session reports, and other information on contemporary card and board games.
- Boardgame Geek has an extensive database, maintained by the gaming community, with a range of game information (including reviews and gaming sessions), along with facilities for you to track your own game collection and exchange or buy games with other registered gamers.
- The Board Game Recommendation System is a collaborative filtering system to recommend board games based on your own preferences.
- Brett & Board
has all the latest news about new and up-and-coming German games, including great pictures (cover art, boards etc.).
- Brikker & Brett is a small site dedicated to describing board games released in Norway from the seventies and up to today (Trond Braut).
- Ken Tidwell's Games Cabinet reviews (includes game shops and gaming magazine reviews and much else besides).
- The Games Journal a monthly boardgaming journal with reviews and other gaming articles (edited by Greg Aleknevicus).
- The Gaming Dumpster: rules translations and reviews for many modern German board games. Now effectively part of the BoardgameGeek.
- Peter Sarrat's The Game Report is the on-line version of his magazine of the same name; a quarterly publication dedicated to board, party, dice, card, family, and strategy games of all shapes and sizes.
- Carl-Gustaf Samuelsson's Globetrotter Games has a whole bunch of detailed game descriptions; many with rules and images.
- The Life of Games:
an occasional games magazine.
- Luding:
a comprehensive database of games: with reviews and information on game publishers and game designers.
- Steffan O' Sullivan: game views from Steffan (the designer of FUDGE)
- Wood Cubes & Cardboard:
useful game aids and game articles from Greg Aleknevicus
These are just a few pointers to sites on some of the games that I like, and I think are well worth a visit:
- Mittons' 18xx Games:
information on the numerous "18xx" train games which are in print, along with other gamekits and expansions, and links to other 18xx and train game sites.
- Diplomacy (The Diplomatic Pouch):
the classic multi-player game from Avalon Hill (now owned by Hasbro).
- Civilization:
the other brilliant multi-player game from Avalon Hill (now owned by Hasbro).
- Die Siedler von Catan:
an all-round great game and one of my personal favourites.
- Risk!:
my childhood passion... and still going strong! (for variants, see about.com)
- Wiz War:
a fun "beer-and-pretzels" game... Cedric Chin provides lots of extra cards and new ideas and rules.
- Board wargames: Web-Grognards
Home Page: reviews, variants, errata for numerous board wargames.
- Card games: John McLeod's Card Games Web Site:
the ultimate on-line guide to the ultimate gaming tool... (but no CCGs!)
- Computer opponents: if you are unable to locate any carbon-based life-forms (humans), try the
Zarf's List of Interactive Games on the Web. For computer implementations of new and traditional board games, try the Jumbo Games site, or Zillions of Games:
- Miniatures:
The Miniatures Page an on-line "magazine" with links to numerous resources, including rules for free miniatures games.
Another comprehensive site, focusing only on free wargames, is freewargamesrules.co.uk.
The Alienstar site has rules for a number of periods (from Ancient to SciFi).
- Play by eMail (PBeM): Greg Lindahl's
Play By Mail Games Homepage has a copy of the FAQ for PBeM games, plus links to other sites. Richard's PBeM Server exists so that you can play a variety of games by eMail.
- Role Playing Games (RPG):
WoodElf's Home Page contains an extensive list of many available free and commercial RPGs,
as does the very well-catgerorized John Kim's Free RPG on the Web.
Numerous "rules" for public domain games are also available from the
RPG Archive, and the
Games Unplugged site.
... and a last word for arguably the best public domain RPG system - FUDGE.
Board game reviews/rules/discussions
