“It’s not that I’m overly influenced by conflict games. It’s that they have a seat at my table and, for other designers, they don’t”. Across the screen with a sly smile, sits Cole Wehrle, designer of Root. As we talk about his passion for wargames, the influence of Dune and the obscure Early Railways Series one thought crosses my mind: How do his habits as a player shape him as a designer?
Category: Features
Features and articles by game critic Erik Twice. Discover the secrets of games, the people who make them and the community around them.
Erik Twice in Review: Celebrating 100 articles
Last week I published my 100th article on this blog. While I’ve been writing about games for almost a decade, it was only recently that I began publishing every week. As I look back, I’m amazed at how much I’ve achieved and how many of you have enjoyed my analysis and reviews. Let’s celebrate by looking at our favourite articles and my plans for the future.
What are review copies?
Most established critics are sent copies of games by publishers. This is not a very well-known fact, despite being the standard in all areas of criticism. These “review copies”, as they are called, are used to create the majority of reviews, features and strategy guides you see on gaming websites. But how do they work? And what are the ethical quandaries regarding their use?
