I play a lot of board games and have opinions about most of them. Sometimes an opinion doesn't make it to the blog, so it ends up in my newsletter instead. Once a month, I send you thoughts about what's hitting my table, along with whatever's bugging me about the hobby.
What's in an issue?
- A small essay with an opinion about the hobby
- Quick thoughts on games I've been playing lately
- A recap of every review and article I published that month
- A short preview of what's coming next
See what a past issue looks like
One Email Per Month
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Who am I?
I'm Joel and I've reviewed 100+ games since 2023. I mostly play with my wife, and sometimes friends and family join us. If setup takes more than a minute, I get antsy; if it takes more than five, that game's likely collecting dust. Fiddly rules and component sprawl are my pet peeves.
These days I thrive on drama: dice, risk, a gamble that might blow up in my face. I hate when games take away my agency, like in Catan where your opening picks can decide the whole game. I'm ruthless about what stays on my shelves—I recently culled Ra, a game I love and scored 4.9, because my group wasn't as into it and it deserved a home where it would get played.
I started Shelf Gamer after getting burned by too many overhyped games and too many vague, shallow reviews. So I write the kind of reviews I've always wanted to read: deep, honest, and backed by table evidence.