The Name on the Box Top: Bruno Faidutti

The board game hobby is indeed a fascinating one.  For those just introduced to it, and looking to delve further into its vast world, one of the more interesting facets is the “name on the box top.”  Just as individual authors, artists, and singers have their own recognizable style stamped upon their books, paintings, and songs, the same is true in the case of designers with their board games.  Our own @FarmerLenny has already looked at two designers in this series – Reiner Knizia and Carl Chudyk.  Today, I take a look at Bruno Faidutti.

The Name on the Box Top: Carl Chudyk

Over a year ago I began what I imagined would become a regular series of guides called "The Name on the Box Top." Here's how I introduced the series:

I am almost certain that those who participate in the board gaming hobby who have tried to tell others about it have been met, at one point or another, with a response of, "Oh, is that like Clue and Monopoly?" 

What separates hobby board games from the majority of mass-market titles, aside (arguably) from fun, is the name on the box top. Like the byline on books or the signature in the corner of a painting, hobby board games typically bear the name of their creator. But more than their name, hobby board games typically bear the style of their creator as well. Just as you might expect different things from a book by Kurt Vonnegut than you would from Graham Greene, you can expect different things of a game depending on whose name is on the box top.

Alas, I wrote but one entry, on Reiner Knizia. But now it's time to consider another name you might find on a box top, a name that belongs to one of my favorite designers: Carl Chudyk.

What is the Chudykian style? Find out below!

The Name on the Box Top: Reiner Knizia

My favorite Knizia game. Indeed, one of my favorite games.

I am almost certain that those who participate in the board gaming hobby who have tried to tell others about it have, at one point or another, been met with a response of, "Oh, is that like Clue and Monopoly?"

What separates hobby board games from the majority of mass-market titles, aside (arguably) from fun, is the name on the box top. Like the byline on books or the signature in the corner of a painting, hobby board games typically bear the name of their creator. But more than their name, hobby board games typically bear the style of their creator as well. Just like you might expect different things from a book by Kurt Vonnegut than you would from Graham Greene, you can expect different things of a game depending on whose name is on the box top.

The Name on the Box Top may become a regular series about game designers, their trademarks, and what I think of their designs. Or it could die here. In any case, I want to talk today about one of my favorite designers: Reiner Knizia.