Emily Parker

Learning how to run a co-op campaign when players miss sessions is one of the most practical skills a tabletop RPG game master can build. Most groups of 4 to 6 players lose at least one person to scheduling conflicts almost every week, and unprepared campaigns stall, frustrate the present players, and quietly dissolve. I … Read more

Picture this: you’re hosting game night, your partner just learned Catan last week, your brother-in-law has been playing strategy games for 20 years, and the first round ends in 12 minutes with the veteran winning by a landslide. Nobody had fun. This is the exact scenario I want to fix for you today. In this … Read more

My partner and I have tried to crack this exact problem for years. We love co-op games, but most big multiplayer titles feel empty when it’s just the two of us staring at a screen. If you want to know how to make a big multiplayer game work well with only two players, the answer … Read more

If you’ve ever watched your partner’s face fall as you tally the final score for the sixth time in a row, you already know the question that brought you here: how do you keep two-player games fun when one partner always wins? It’s one of the most common relationship friction points in couples gaming, and … Read more

You can fix a game board that has started to delaminate at the fold by working glue into the separated layers, clamping the fold flat while the adhesive dries, and reinforcing the back side with tape or fabric. Most early-stage delamination is repairable in under an hour using bookbinders glue, PVA, or clear archival tape, … Read more

You bring home a board game from a thrift store, an estate sale, or an eBay lot, pop open the box, and the smell hits you. That sour, damp, basement odor means mold or mildew has moved in. If you are wondering how to deal with a moldy or musty secondhand board game, you are … Read more

There is a specific kind of frustration that hits when you pull your favorite board game off the shelf, open the box, and spot a chip on your most detailed miniature. The sword edge that was perfect last session now has a bare plastic gap. The carefully shaded cloak has a nick where gray plastic … Read more

I’ve spent hundreds of sessions rolling polyhedral dice across kitchen tables, hardwood floors, and the occasional stone countertop, and I’ve seen exactly what happens when dice aren’t cared for. Chipped edges, cloudy faces, and inked numbers that fade into illegibility are the three most common problems, and they’re all preventable. This guide covers how to … Read more

If your favorite gaming mat has started looking grimy around the edges or feels sticky after a long tournament night, you’re not alone. Every Magic, Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh, and board game player eventually faces the same problem: a playmat that picks up grease, sweat, food spills, and dust from constant shuffling and handling. Learning how to … Read more

I have been on both sides of this exact situation. I have been the heavy euro superfan trying to explain Brass: Birmingham to a casual friend who thought Monopoly was a serious game. I have also been the new player sitting across the table, nodding politely while a dozen interlocking systems washed over me in … Read more