Tabletop Gaming Manual: A guide to the diverse world of modern tabletop games

by Matt Thrower

Tabletop gaming is enjoying a huge renaissance. Sales of hobby board games have risen in double digits yearly for the past decade, with more people enjoying the physical, non-digital aspects of playing, along with the social interaction. It's one of the biggest sectors in crowd-funding platform Kickstarter.

Genres: Nonfiction, Game Design

192 pages, Hardcover

Published February 20, 2018

Reviews

[Matt]

Not rating this, seeing as I wrote it :)

[Robert Dietze · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ambitious book that fails at its own lofty goals. Tries to tackle all topics of tabletop gaming yet fails to find the right entry for new gamers or the necessary depth for veterans. Games appear often in the form of "names dropping". People who know the game say "ah, ok". Beginners who do not, say "wait, what is this game".
So hopefully the book can be the beginning for someone new to the hobby. But I doubt it as it really really lacks focus or an idea what audience it wants to be for.

[Erika · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very broad overview of the hobby. I'm not quite sure who the audience would be, given there are chapters about Upgrading Game Components and How to Design Your Own Board Game.

I guess it's certainly a reference if you're just starting out in the hobby or are curious about it and haven't done any internet research prior to finding this book.

[John Jenner · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book broadly looking over the history of tabletop gaming with its focus on the recent boom in gaming. Well worth a read for the nostalgia, the information around gaming types and their history.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good overview of the topic, plus tons of beautiful photographs.