The Manifold

A destination for some of the best writing in tabletop gaming; launching later in 2020. Sign up below for our special pre-launch newsletter:

[The Manifold @FromTheManifold]

Redditor u/vim_vs_emacs was “tired of seeing Chess/Go everywhere in research, instead of modern games” and has begun compiling research papers in board game research on his GitHub.

(There are lots of great additional resources in the comments as well.)

https://t.co/n4r66lFWPB

[The Manifold @FromTheManifold]

Via @gengelstein’s Reddit post:

https://t.co/P0CNMS1hhi

[The Manifold @FromTheManifold]

Hobby games sales hit $1.68B in 2019, but board and card game sales dropped:

“The increase was powered by big jumps in sales of collectible games, miniatures, and roleplaying games, partially offset by declines in board games and card and dice games.��

https://t.co/2sA5hStiey

[The Manifold @FromTheManifold]

Finally, this "wild history" of the Battletech animated series really does live up to its name...the show itself actually exists in Battletech canon in a particularly clever way! (6/6)

https://t.co/xJuOy60acK

[The Manifold @FromTheManifold]

The YouTube channel Toy Galaxy focuses mostly on, well, toys...but they have a few excellent videos on the history of tabletop gaming properties. @ToyGalaxyTV

First is this in-depth look at how Magic: The Gathering became a gaming juggernaut. (1/X)

https://t.co/LpnARkM2Ct

[The Manifold @FromTheManifold]

Of course, you can't talk about "D&D" and "general audiences" without talking about the 80s animated series, which gets its own video here. (5/6)

https://t.co/JAhl7adQAv

[The Manifold @FromTheManifold]

Matthew Baldwin—whose blog Defective Yeti was the first exposure many of us had to modern games—is looking for “well-written rulebooks, thoughts about best practices, and common pitfalls” for an intriguing presentation on game rules as technical writing. Send to @defectiveyeti:

[The Manifold @FromTheManifold]

Results from round one of @TheBGWorkshop's 2020 Design Contest are out, and it features an incredible slate of new games. Congratulations to the designers, and to @BlueCubeBGs and his team for putting such an incredible amount of effort into the contest.

https://t.co/SCARgondHh

[The Manifold @FromTheManifold]

"We're all responsible for the direction of tabletop gaming. It’s time to seriously consider the wide range of games that are possible and the people best equipped to make them." @OmariAkil on the need for new voices in tabletop design, for Dicebreaker:

https://t.co/D3qudfmFDA

[The Manifold @FromTheManifold]

@ErikBoardGames Thank you, Eric, that’s kind of you to say. We’re looking forward to How To Host A Game Night!

[Darryl with one "R" @BingBread]

@FromTheManifold @RuelGaviola Ruel & family's daily streams are fantastic. They are energetic & entertaining, and the community of viewers who tune in is also top notch. Ruel has quickly become one of my favorite streamers.

[The Manifold @FromTheManifold]

In the newest issue of The Manifold:

When the pandemic forced @RuelGaviola to keep his friends and family away from his table, he invited the entire world into his game room.

Read it here: https://t.co/emETe1LYdn

[Tabletopia Board Games 🎲 @TabletopiaGames]

In today's guest article by @GirlsPlay_Games, she shares her personal departure from (and subsequent return to) digital gaming. https://t.co/VlcSKNr5Ow

Thanks to @FromTheManifold for letting us republish this piece!

[The Manifold @FromTheManifold]

We’re appalled that Eric M. Lang (@eric_lang)—the famed tabletop designer and a prominent voice in the push for greater diversity in the industry—has had his account suspended following a brigading by a known bad actor in this space.

Please reverse this @Twitter @TwitterSafety!

[The Manifold @FromTheManifold]

And if rising costs are inevitable in tabletop, what are the market ramifications...especially when game nights and conventions are unlikely to happen this year?

[The Manifold @FromTheManifold]

Two articles came across our feed today, one after the other. They weren't explicitly related but the juxtaposition made us think about connections below the surface.

The first is this piece on video game pricing by the always-excellent @Charlie_L_Hall:

https://t.co/d5ESQu7sjO

[The Manifold @FromTheManifold]

The second was this Reddit post lamenting the cost of tabletop Kickstarters. Complaining about the cost of board games is nothing new, but are the same forces—like the rising competition for attention—at work here as in video games?

https://t.co/H7j0a00Dku