Welcome to the Show

Welcome to the show.

As you're reading this, you may be new to our site, you may be new to the hobby of tabletop gaming, or you may be a long time view and expert gamer.  You might be somewhere in between.  Regardless of where you are, let me reiterate: welcome.

Here at iSlaytheDragon, we want to share our love of board games and card games with as many people as we can.  We've made it part of our mission to make it easier to find new games that you'll love, to help players understand all the terminology and gaming lingo without feeling excluded or overwhelmed.  Lets be honest; there's a lot out there.

Tabletop gaming is a great hobby.  In a world that seems to move past you whenever you blink, that never turns off, and that is always connected, it's nice to have a reason to disconnect, to power down, to slow and take a breath.  Board games let you enjoy the moment; you don't always have to be rushing towards the next thing.  You can get away from the screen.

Games come in such a wide variety.  My favorite games will probably not be the same as your favorite games.  There may be some overlap but there is so much quality out there, chances are almost anyone can find something they love. Whether it's a casual family card game, a highly social game of hidden identities, an economic eurogame, or a complex thematic game, there's something for you, and we'd like to help you find it.  Don't like a game? No problem, just move on and find another that better suits your tastes.

We hope you'll take some time to explore our site.  We've got an expansive set of Guides to Gaming written to help new players get started.  If you're new to the hobby, or even just new to the site, I highly recommend you start there.  We've got a list of common gaming terms, recommendations for games to look at first, and a few other guides to help you find your bearings in an expansive and often overwhelming hobby.  Still not sure what you're looking at? Try our guide on all these gaming terms like "eurogame" and "meeple," discover the difference between 2 major styles of games (Ameritrash or "Thematic" vs Eurostyle), and take a look at our suggestions for great games to try out first, just to get started.  Or you can just start browsing our reviews, or just head to the homepage and look through our articles in chronological order.  There's a lot to explore and don't hesitate to ask for help whenever you need it.

We try to post something new at least once a day, so please check back regularly for new reviews, discussions, interviews, and whatever else we think of.  If you have any questions, leave a comment, connect with us on twitter, Facebook, or google+, or just email us directly.  Even if you're just trying to figure out what game to buy next, we'll be happy to talk.

Happy gaming, friends.  May the dice be ever in your favor.

Round and Round (A Guide to the Rondel Mechanic)

Every once in a while, even still in the 21^st century, a game designer creates and introduces a true innovation.  When this happens, it creates all kinds of buzz and stirs up not a little industry talk as gamers clamor to read about, see, and get their hands on the latest “hotness.”  Then again, of course, another segment of the hobby contradictorily lashes out, arguing that there is really nothing new in gaming – and that actually what everyone thinks is a novel mechanic is just a variation of what “so-and-so” has already done in “such-and-such.”  Today’s mechanic often finds itself in this scenario and has met with mixed reactions throughout the hobby.  But at least it gives us something to talk about, right?

To Teach, Perchance to Learn: Part I(A Guide on Teaching Games)

One of the biggest barriers of getting into a new game is learning how to play it from scratch; but we covered that in our Learning guide. The next, and possibly even more difficult step, is teaching the game to your friends or family. This can be an enormous hurdle to overcome, as the players at the table may be coming from all different levels of experience; they will all have different questions at different times; and if the game bombs because of too much confusion or too lengthy of an explanation, players may be turned off from even trying the game again.

So how do you teach a game in real time to a bunch of new players without losing control of the situation? Read on for some helpful tips.

Guide to Gaming: Learning a New Game

One of the biggest hurdles of getting into board games--besides figuring out which games to buy--is learning how to play those games, especially when you don't have an experienced player teaching you. When a game extends beyond "roll some dice, move your mice," it takes a bit more effort to learn. This is one of the reasons that hobby gaming is slow to enter Target and Wal-Mart shelves--people are intimidated by lengthier rulebooks and games they aren't familiar with.

But please, don't let this stop you from trying new games. It is possible to learn games from the rulebook, to teach your friends and family, and to have a good time. This guide aims to give you some tips on how to effectively learn to play a game. Most of these assume you're learning from scratch, from the rulebook, although I will offer a few pointers when learning a new game from someone else.

Without further ado... How to Learn a New Game