Now that the dust has settled, here's a wrap up of our Essen Spiel 2025 adventures! thespielfoundation.com?p=19948 #playmatters #spielfoundation #boardgames

My friends in Enugu, Nigeria are hoping to host the second annual SebCon. They need to raise a modest sum ($2,000) to grow the event. Watch the intro video and you'll see the whole SebCon team's passion for play is a positive force in the world. www.kickstarter.com/projects/seb...

Come play Owo Ni Koko from designer Olusanya Oluwafemi at the Nigeria table in Hall 4 C-100 at The Spiel Foundation booth!

Come meet designer Yen Lin and demo Hegemony of Faith from 11-1 every day in Hall 4 C-100 at The Spiel Foundation booth.

We are ready for Essen Spiel Day 1 at The Spiel Foundation booth! Come play 24 different games from 5 different countries over the course of the fair. You can also try your luck at our mini-Spielathon to help us raise funds and maybe even win a prize!

Episode 463 of The Spiel is now available! Chelsea Steenbock, Chair of Play with Your Food, and I chat about how games have shaped our lives and how our passion for play enables us to build community and serve others beyond the game table. thespiel.net/node/1386 #boardgames #thespiel #playmatters

I am incredibly excited to announce The Spiel Foundation's game demo schedule for Spiel Essen 2025! We have 23 different games to demo with designers from 5 different countries: Nigeria, Taiwan, South Africa, Brasil, and Australia! thespielfoundation.com?p=19788 #boardgames #spielessen

The latest winner of the Major Fun Award is... Cyber Pet Quest! Humans have become techno-zombies, infected by a virus in their gadgets. Can your ragtag team of sentient cyber pets save the day? Congrats @deadalivegames.bsky.social! www.majorfun.com/cyber-pet-qu... #Boardgames #majorfunaward

The latest winner of the Major Fun Award is Lost for Words. Explore how language shapes our feelings & our ability to connect with and share them. Sometimes it takes just the right word to not feel so lost. Congrats @pinktigergames.com! www.majorfun.com/lost-for-wor... #boardgames #majorfunaward

Episode 462 of The Spiel is now available! Canadian Spielers Matt Robertson and Roger Leroux join us for a rousing chat across many topics, including the awe-inspiring story of Play with Your Food, a gaming charity in Regina, Saskatchewan. thespiel.net/node/1383 #BoardGames #PlayMatters

The latest winner of the Major Fun Award is... Combo! Assembling fruit salad is a collective effort. Offer up fruit cards, hoping to be part of the best combo at the end. Congrats to designer Ikhwan Kwon & @happycampergames.bsky.social www.majorfun.com/combo-is-maj... #BoardGames #majorfunaward

The latest winner of the Major Fun Award is... Hot Streak! Four minor league mascots compete in a footrace that could net you cold hard cash. Read on to discover why we love this absurdly awesome and hilarious game! www.majorfun.com/hot-streak-i...

Ready to punch games all day, prepping them for The Spiel Foundation’s bundle program! Woo!

Come join us for an afternoon of tabletop craziness and raise money for a great cause. Announcing the 2025 Spielathon! When: Saturday, Aug 2 3:30 PM - 6:30 PM Where: COhatch Circle Center 49 W Maryland St. Indianapolis, IN 46204 (next to Ruth's Chris) Cost $10 thespielfoundation.com?p=19737

I have some incredible news to share. After six very long years searching, The Spiel Foundation has found a home, its very own building in Indianapolis! The DeKoven Center for Play will be a hub for all our activities and good work. More details (and pics!) here: thespielfoundation.com?p=19719

Episode 461 of The Spiel is now available! A con report, a solo game about coming out, and big news brewing in the Spielaverse. T Listen in for some great gaming conversations with Mike McMann and @pacogmsmagazine.bsky.social ! thespiel.net/node/1380

Thanks to this great crew of Spielers, we prepared over 2,000 books and games for The Spiel Foundation bundle program in a single day!! Next punch party is July 19 11am-6pm. Mark your calendars and join the fun!

The latest winner of The Spiel of Approval Award is... War Story: Occupied France. Guided by choose-your-own-adventure style booklets, can you gather the intel, equipment & allies to stop Nazi forces? Congrats to designers Davids Neale & Thompson and publisher Osprey Games! thespiel.net/node/1379

My amazing friend Paco García Jaen has created a solo RPG called Closet. It’s a gay awareness-raising game designed to build greater empathy and understanding. Take on the role of a gay man trying to come out of the closet and live a full life. www.kickstarter.com/projects/gms...

Episode 460 of The Spiel is now available! Onion pie, killer aliens, and a car sold to fund a game convention. Join the fun and listen in using the link below: thespiel.net/node/1378

The latest winner of The Spiel of Approval Award is... Burn the Fort! Attack relentless lines of wagons heading west to slow expansion and burn the colonizer’s fort to the ground. Congratulations to designer Klee Benally and publisher Indigenous Action Media! thespiel.net/node/1377

The latest winner of the Major Fun Award is... Diatoms! Collect and arrange algae samples into colorful microscopic mosaics. Congratulations to designer Sabrina Culyba, @ludoliminal.bsky.social & @25thcentury.games www.majorfun.com/diatoms-is-m...

The Spiel Foundation is incredibly grateful to be partnering with Cardboard Alchemy on their latest game - Flamecraft Duals! Buy a copy and you will have the option to add another for only $10. The extra game will be donated to our game bundle program! www.kickstarter.com/projects/car...

Episode 459 of The Spiel is ready for action! -- Iced Tea, Dog Rating & Smooth Jazz -- @bruceandsquirrel.bsky.social chats about ungamifiable games Jason Hsieh tells us about his Favorite Game Lucio Rodriguez shines the backshelf spotlight on Heroscape thespiel.net/node/1375

Happy Spielaversary! 19 years ago today we launched The Spiel and a year later The Spiel Foundation was born. I never would have thought this crazy idea would become a major chapter of my life. I am so grateful and lucky to connect w/ people around the world who share a passion for play!

The latest winner of The Spiel of Approval Award is... Fromage! Gather ingredients and assign your staff to a rotating game board, one wedge at a time. Congrats to Ben Rosset, Matthew O'Malley, R2i Games & @allplay.bsky.social! Read on to learn why we love the game. thespiel.net/node/1374

The latest winner of the Major Fun Award is... Odin! Send cards from your hand to Valhalla by surpassing the value of your neighbor’s contribution. A modern twist on a classic climbing or “ladder-style” game. Congrats to the designers & @helvetiq.bsky.social www.majorfun.com/odin-is-majo...

Happy Trans Day of Visibility!

Season 20 of The Spiel begins with flourish and 3 Gs... Growth, Gubbins, and GAMA! Growth: We introduce a new format for the show. Gubbins: Co-Op Corner, a new segment hosted by Gubbins makes its debut! GAMA: Erwin Susara and I recap our adventures at the GAMA Expo. thespiel.net/node/1372

Episode 2: Pull List totally knocked my socks off. It is wonderfully funny, super nerdy, & incredibly important. It left me in tears. The good kind. If you’re a nerd or geek of any flavor, seek it out www.imdb.com/title/tt3305... I hope Apple sees the potential in this for a series of its own

If have a deep & abiding love for the series Mythic Quest on Apple TV. It follows the ridiculous escapades of people involved with a popular video game. This week, the creators launched a second series called Side Quest, a group of stand alone episodes, interludes of a sort.

Excited to be attending the GAMA Expo next week in Louisville. Hope to raise awareness and support for The Spiel Foundation with friends new and old across the gaming industry! If you want to meet up, send me a message. Would love to find a time to chat.

I’ve been working on the 2024 meeple crown awards over the past month. I think they turned out really nicely - a playful something for winners to display AND wear with pride! Can’t wait to see the winners donning their colorful crowns. Long may they reign over their corner of the Spielaverse!

We could all use more moments of Zen in our lives right about now. Here’s one from me.

Our friends at Casual Game Insider Magazine have shared a link for Spielers to use for a free digital subscription! CGI publishes Major Fun game reviews (written by me) in each issue. The current issue features my impressions from the 2024 Essen Spiel. casualgamerevolution.com/promo/the-sp...

In The Spiel's season 19 finale... Life in Reterra & Daybreak earn our Meeple Crown! They embody the spirit of Major Fun & The Spiel of Approval. Congrats @ericlang.bsky.social Ken Gruhl @hasbrogames.bsky.social @mattleacock.bsky.social Matteo Menapace & @cmyk.games! thespiel.net/node/1371

The latest winner of The Spiel of Approval Award is... Faraway! Catalog a grand adventure by playing eight cards in a line from left to right and then scoring them from right to left. Congrats to Johannes Goupy, Corentin Lebrat, Catch Up Games & @pandasaurus.bsky.social! thespiel.net/node/1370

The latest winner of the Major Fun Award is... Life in Reterra! Build a new world on top of the old, placing terrain tiles, people & buildings to form new communities. Congrass to @ericlang.bsky.social , Ken Gruhl & @hasbrogames.bsky.social! thespiel.net/node/1369

The latest winner of The Spiel of Approval Award is... Age of Comics! With the right story, the right art, a head for business and a lot of moxie, you can build a fan base for a new hero and claim a spot in this publishing pantheon. Congrats to everyone at Lirius Games! thespiel.net/node/1368

The latest winner of the Major Fun Award is... Flip 7! Imagine the love child of Blackjack & Rummy raised with the doting influence of its uncle Stud Poker. That’s Flip 7. Press your luck at its finest Congrats to designer Eric Olsen & publisher @theopgames.bsky.social! thespiel.net/node/1367

Welcome to Day 2 of The Spiel's Showcase of Games. The latest winner of The Spiel of Approval Award is... Forest Shuffle! Create a network of trees, hoping to form a balanced habitat for creatures large & small. Congrats to designer Kosch & @lookoutgames.bsky.social! thespiel.net/node/1366

The latest winner of the Major Fun Award is... Tiny Laser Heist! Rob gems from a mini museum using tiny hands to manipulate locks and avoid tripping alarms. But beware people who aren’t on your team can make your job even harder. Congrats @veryspecialgames.bsky.social! thespiel.net/node/1365

The Spiel's showcase of games kicks off today! 3 Major Fun and 3 Spiel of Approval Award winning game reviews will release over the next six days. Season 19 will then come to a close with our annual coronation episode. Two award winning games will earn the right to wear the coveted Meeple Crown!

Enjoying the last of seven pies made for thanksgiving. 2 apple 2 cherry 2 pumpkin 1 mincemeat YUM

The latest winner of The Spiel of Approval Award is... 1902 Méliès! Assist the production of the iconic film Journey to the Moon by orchestrating scenes and sequences from script to screen. Congrats to designers Eloi Pujadas & Ferran Renalias and publisher Looping Games. thespiel.net/node/1364

We are hosting a Punching Party to prep board games for The Spiel Foundation's bundle program this Saturday from 11 AM to 6 PM. Come join us for a few hours to help us make a dent in the 20,000 games we are getting ready to deliver! Event details at the link below: fb.me/1KzsYYTsfJNi...

The latest winner of the Major Fun Award is... DroPolter: Ghost vs Palm Muscle! A whimsically absurd dexterity game. Drop your lucky charms in just the right order, then nab the ghost and win a tiny bell. Congrats to designer Paul Schulz & @oinkgames.bsky.social thespiel.net/node/1363

First photo with my shiny new phone. Arya with yarn, books, and board games.

Essen Spiel 2024 wrap up Connecting to so many people in this global community of play is an amazing experience. I’m always humbled, energized, and exhausted in equal measure. This event more than any other leaves me with an authentic sense of hope.

Join designer David Cheng to play his game Hot Pot Holic as well as Trick n Treat and Frying Master from Taiwan Boardgame Design - TBD! Hall 4 B100 today!