board game evolution Archives

A vintage board game with a spiral track

April 2, 2025
Tabletop Trove
Games that Inspired Modern Classics

Game of Goose’s Legacy in Modern Roll-and-Move Games

Have you ever wondered about the origins of beloved board games like Candy Land or Snakes and Ladders? These popular games trace their roots back to a remarkable ancestor...

March 18, 2025
Tabletop Trove
Board Games of the Golden Age

The Golden Age of Board Games: How the Mid-20th Century Shaped Modern Gaming

Introduction The mid-20th century was a significant time for board games. From 1950 to 1970, there was a huge increase in tabletop gaming, turning living rooms into places for...

March 12, 2025
Tabletop Trove
Worker Placement & Action Selection

Why Worker Placement Feels So Satisfying

🏗 What Is Worker Placement & Why Do Players Love It? The worker placement appeal comes from its strategic depth and sense of control. Unlike games where luck dominates,...

March 12, 2025
Tabletop Trove
Legacy & Campaign-Based Games

Pandemic Legacy History: A Genre-Defining Game

🦠 The Birth of Pandemic Legacy: A New Way to Play Board Games Before Pandemic Legacy, board games followed a traditional structure—reset after every play. In 2015, designers Matt...

March 11, 2025
Tabletop Trove
Strategy & Eurogames

Ticket to Ride History: How It Became the Gateway Game King

🚂 The Birth of Ticket to Ride: A New Era of Board Gaming When Ticket to Ride debuted in 2004, it revolutionized modern board gaming. Designed by Alan R....

March 9, 2025
Tabletop Trove
Classic Board Games

Evolution of Checkers: From Ancient Boards to Online Play

🏺 The Origins of Checkers: An Ancient Strategy Game The evolution of Checkers board game dates back thousands of years, making it one of the oldest strategy games in...

March 9, 2025
Tabletop Trove
Party & Social Games

Codenames Game History: How Wordplay Became a Hit

🎲 The Birth of Codenames: A New Kind of Word Game When Vlaada Chvátil released Codenames in 2015, the board game world quickly took notice. Known for designing complex...

March 8, 2025
Tabletop Trove
Cultural & Regional Obscurities

Tigris & Euphrates: Ancient Middle Eastern Strategy

🏺 Tigris & Euphrates: A Civilization-Building Classic Few games capture the rise and fall of civilizations as well as Tigris & Euphrates. Designed by Reiner Knizia and released in...

The board for Lizzie Magie’s 1906 version of The Landlord’s Game

March 8, 2025
Tabletop Trove
Games that Inspired Modern Classics

Landlord’s Game & Its Role in Monopoly’s Creation

🎲 The Landlord’s Game: A Game Ahead of Its Time The Landlord’s Game influence on Monopoly is undeniable. Created in 1903 by Lizzie Magie, this early board game introduced...

March 8, 2025
Tabletop Trove
Victorian & Early 20th Century Games

Mansion of Happiness: America’s First Board Game

The Mansion of Happiness history dates back to 1843, making it one of the first board games published in America. Designed by Anne Abbott and produced by W. &...