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Not having people to play with is perhaps one of the biggest obstacles which keep people from becoming truly engaged by the wide world of tabletop games. Lots of situations can prevent players from finding a good group to share their favorite gaming experiences. A recent move, a lack of “geeky” meeting places in the immediate area, or just general shyness about approaching new people, can all prevent gamers from finding like-minded players.

From social deduction to deck-builders, this month’s Kickstarter offers games based off of video games and fictional board games in books.

Z-Man Games has announced Beyond Baker Street, it appears that USAopoly is working on a Harry Potter deck-builder, and the exhibition hall map has been released for this year’s Gen Con.

Most people can remember at least one pretty crazy or vivid dream they had in their life. Whether it made their skin crawl, or filled them with joy, dreams can be powerful things. For game developer P.D. Warne, dreams led him down an unexpected career path which culminated in the creation of his Kickstarter project, the Larklamp.

Have you ever tried to explain how a game works without any visual aids or a copy of the game itself? More often than not it was probably a pretty frustrating experience depending on the complexity of the game. Well the designers at Cheapass Games not only had to explain their newest game Tak in that way, but they had to explain it to its original creator, author Patrick Rothfuss.

Asmodee has announced they will be releasing a game based on The Little Prince, the nominees have been announced for the Dice Tower Awards, and the Kickstarter has gone live for the Keep Gamefolio System.

Some card games feel made for a lazy Saturday afternoon of casual games and low-key fun. Nuts about Mutts is one such game, calling to mind the nostalgia of several classic card games while still managing to stand on its own two feet (or rather its own four paws) as a fun, light, family-friendly game.

After forty-two hours of gaming, five games were selected from sixty-three competing games to win this year’s Mensa Select award.

I hate paper money.  Not American greenbacks, but rather the pink-backs, white-backs, blue-backs or whatever color money it is that comes with a particular game.  Inevitably, it gets bent, torn or mutilated.  Maybe all of the above.  Then, you are playing a great game with one of the major components in nasty shape.  I am talking about the aesthetics of playing a game.  Casual gaming with friends and family ought to be a great experience, not just competition.  Having nice components is like having great glassware — always using the same paper money for a great game is like always drinking wine from the red Solo cup.