Arkham Horror is certainly a beautiful, atmospheric game, thought the rules can be a bit fiddly and it is very, very dependent on luck. Here’s a whole lot of stuff to make the experience smoother. I also highly recommend a variant you can find here, at least for the base game.

This rules summary and reference pack includes all the reference material I have made for the game, and includes rules for all the currently available expansions.

Rules summary, reference sheets and playaids (PDF 1Mb)
V4, Aug’08

The French company Rackham, known for slightly dodgy rules translations but beautiful miniatures, introduced their new sci-fi miniatures game AT-43 with the starter set Operation Damocles, and after some rocky times the system is looking great. The best thing is, the miniatures are very well pre-painted. I’ve made quite an investment in this game and it’s my sci-fi miniatures game of choice. I even redesigned all of the unit cards into a much more readable and comprehensive format.

Rules Summary & Reference (PDF 991Kb)
V1.3, Mar’09

Unit Reference Cards:
U.N.A. (PDF 1.9Mb) V1.2, Mar’09
Therian (PDF 1.4Mb) V1.5, Apr’09
Red Blok (PDF 2.2Mb) V1.6, Apr’09
Karman (PDF 1.8Mb) V1.4, Mar’09

Unit Activation Tokens:
Tokens (PDF 1.25Mb) V2.1, Jun’09

A highly entertaining adventure game with the supernatural theme best captured by Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow. Explore the doomed town of Shadowbrook in an attempt to defeat the Vampire, Headless Horseman, Scarecrow or Werewolf – but beware those evil town elders keeping dark secrets ...

Rules Summary and Reference Sheet (PDF 2.4Mb)
V1.1, Feb’08

A surprisingly vicious, ‘take that!’ card game that reveals a lot of interesting strategies if you play it enough. Lots of room for gazumping your opponent with well-timed card combinations. A 2-player favourite.

Rules Summary & Reference Sheets (PDF 164Kb)
V2.1, Jan’09

Sure, it’s Blood Bowl light, but it comes with 22 nice pre-painted miniatures and the rules are simple enough to get ball-chucking and player-tackling right away over a few beers. Add a few advanced rules courtesy of a fan at Boardgamegeek and you’ve got a great little fun game, for those times when you feel like Blood Bowl but can’t be bothered re-learning the rules.

Rules Summary (PDF 180Kb)
V1, Feb’09

An absolute classic from the golden oldie days of Games Workshop. Road rage at its finest. I like this game so much I remade it at Matchbox car scale! These new templates have been completely redrawn for a modern look; laminate them and use a whiteboard marker to mark damage. Also includes graphics and instructions for making your own speedometers. The templates are in colour-coded and 'classic blue' versions as well! Read my full review here.

Rules Summary/Reference & New Templates (PDF 3.1Mb)
V3, Jun’09

Another in the trilogy of counter wargames produced by Games Workshop in the early nineties, this one enacts an ork invasion of an Imperial planet. A fun game in the old style, before every counter in games had to be a plastic figure!

Rules Summary & Reference (PDF 192Kb)
V1, Feb’09

Days of Wonder outdid themselves with this fantasy medieval game using Richard Borg’s Command & Colors system, and now Fantasy Flight Games have taken the banner and are running with it. Everything you’d want in a fast-playing miniatures boardgame. I’m so impressed with this game I decided to create a fansite for it: BattleLoreMaster.com: check it out for much more.

Rules Summaries (PDF 394Kb)
V2.1, Jan’08
Reference Sheet (PDF 1.1Mb)
V9.1, Jun’08

One of my favourite TV series captured in boardgame form—who could ask for more? Battlestar Galactica is an exciting co-operative game—well, everyone co-operates except those players who are, or become, Cylons—that recreates the tensions, crises and battles of the fantastic new series. Very thematic and a lot of fun.

Rules Summary & Reference (PDF 430Kb)
V1.1, Feb’09

It’s link to the 3D Beowulf movie is tenuous at best, and there’s not a dripping-with-gold Angelina Jolie to be seen, but this re-themed Reiner Knizia boardgame (originally Kingdoms) is apparently an enjoyable tile-laying exercise, with the usual Knizia reliance on tricky mathematics.

Rules Summary (PDF 250Kb)
V1, Nov’08

This B-movie haunted house romp is pretty standard fare until the ‘haunt’ kicks in, and one of 50 unique plots pits one of the players as the Traitor against the others. Not only have I done a rules summary (in two sizes!), but the booklets here are the revised and corrected ones available from Avalon Hill, but reworked to match the graphic style of the game. There is also a set of character cards to put players in the mood, and a redesigned Haunt Chart.

Rules Summary (180x185mm, PDF 160Kb)
Rules Summary (152x229mm, PDF 163Kb)
Secrets of Survival Booklet (PDF 732Kb)
Traitor’s Tome Booklet (PDF 589Kb)
Haunt Chart & Character Cards (PDF 495Kb)
V3, Jun’06

This classic Avalon Hill title, re-released by GMT games, could have done with a lot more polishing graphically and rules-wise in my opinion, but this rules summary and set of reference sheets should speed the many processes of the game along. It also includes three ship cards (one of each type) designed to be used with a fine-nibbed overhead projection marker. Laminate the sheets, use the marker, and watch most of the fiddly counters in the game become obsolete!

Note: This has yet to be updated since the release of the ‘Living Rules’.

Rules Summary, Reference & Ship Cards (PDF 1.6Mb)
V1, Jul’08

Blood Bowl. A Games Workshop classic still loved and enjoyed by everyone except the company who published it, who just seem to refuse to see past their core tabletop wargames. Oh well, you can still get this game—albeit for an outrageous price— and enjoy bashing the heads of your opposing coach’s team in. This summary was made for the 3rd edition of the game, and includes ‘quickstart’ summary sheets for the Orcs and Humans that came with the game.

Rules Summary & Reference (PDF 138Kb)
V1, Feb’09

A clever little card game from Reiner Knizia with a strange, very European, fantasy theme. The base set caters for play between two races, and several more races can be purchased separately. Surprisingly deep if you play often.

Rules Summary & Reference (PDF 275Kb)
V1.2, Apr’09

The same theme, and many of the same illustrations, from Blue Moon, but a clever tile-and-card boardgame which sees players rebuilding Blue Moon City with the help of the various races and their powers. The theme just barely hides the mechanics, but the game is excellent nonetheless. With the help of Laszlo A. Koller, the four Blue Moon City expansion building tiles are part of this reference.

Rules Summary & Reference (PDF 325Kb)
V1.2, Jan’09

This nice Fantasy Flight remake of the 1986 classic game of the history of British invasions does at times feel a little scripted with its close adherence to actual events, but it’s still an excellent way to pass an afternoon of wargaming. And you might learn something about British history into the bargain. This rules summary has a generic front side, and specific back sides for each of the four player colours.

Rules Summary & Reference (PDF 736Kb)
V1, Jun’09

Well, OK, you probably have to be a fan. But this Buffy-branded board game is a surprisingly good, well-made game and the perfect way to introduce non-gaming (Buffy-fan) friends to the world of boardgames.

The reference cards are small reminder cards especially useful for those non-gaming friends just mentioned. Mine loved the game.

Rules Summary & Reference (PDF 223Kb)
V1.1, Dec’08

I’m not a fan of Collectible Card Games as a rule, but I couldn’t resist the theme and (usually) stunning art on this one. And the game isn’t bad, though it suffers from all the usual baggage that comes with CCGs. This rule card and reference card are made extra small to fit snugly in a Starter Set box.

Rules Summary (PDF 144Kb)
Reference Sheet (PDF 175Kb)

A nice King Arthur-themed card game for 2-4 players—lots of info on the cards to keep track of, but lovely card artwork. This rules summary (standard rules) and new player reference sheet includes the official ‘Lords of Camelot’ game variant.

Rules Summary &Reference (PDF 307Kb)
V1.1, Oct’07

Once the Settlers of Catan Card Game, now just the Catan Card Game, this is an elegant empire building game that I think is even more fun than the original boardgame. The latter has become a classic entry into the world of strategy boardgames, and this card version is just the thing for new players looking for a challenging, portable game. This rules summary is for both the basic game and the expansion rules that introduces themed decks.

Rules Summary (PDF 207Kb)
V2, Dec’08

A small board game from Fantasy Flight, chock full of little plastic figures despite its size. Basically an area control game with some special abilities and a well-applied fantasy theme. This small rules summary sheet includes a reference sheet for the hero and monster special abilities (normal and alternate versions).

Rules Summary & Reference PDF 330Kb)
V1, Apr’09

A fast, fun card game of 'orcish mayhem', this 1987 Games Workshop game is a good beer and pretzels bash. It’s been a long time since I played it but now I've made this shiny new rules summary and reference sheet, I’ll bring it out again!

Rules Summary & Reference (PDF 390Kb)
V1, Nov’08

Enjoyable card gaming at its best, this very popular game is simple but great fun. Read my review here. In addition to a rules summary (including expansion setup rules), this file includes a turn sequence and character description reference for all 18 characters.

Rules Summary & Reference (PDF 235Kb)
V2, Nov’06

You can’t beat Days of Wonder for stunning looking games, and Cleopatra and the Society of Architects is no exception. Simple play, fun and rich in theme. Like Ticket to Ride, good ‘gateway’ game to introduce newbies to the world of boardgaming.

Rules Summary (PDF 188Kb)
V1, Sept’06

An easy to learn, enjoyable card game with excellent graphic design and theming, only slightly let down by the fact that the main mechanic is really just a variation on blackjack. Still, here your secret agents are influencing economies, the military, media, and politics in an attempt to change the ideology of nations. Much more fun!

Rules Summary (PDF 221Kb)
V1, Apr’09

A very strategic and enjoyable card game where players place bets on which monsters fighting in the arena will emerge victorious at the end of five rounds. Special powers spice up the outcomes, and spectators can jump into the arena to change the odds. A simpler rework of the classic Titan: The Arena.

Rules Summary, Reference & Round Counters (PDF 264Kb)
V1, Dec’08

Another beautifully produced, enjoyable game from Days of Wonder, Colosseum is the perfect game for getting those fledgling gamers into something just a little more complex. Smooth Euro mechanics balanced with a fun and interesting theme of Roman impresarios vying to produce the most successful arena spectacle.

Rules Summary (PDF 311Kb)
V1.1, Nov’07

The clunkily-named Command & Colors: Ancients uses the same Richard Borg card-driven system used in Memoir '44 and BattleLore, but it could be argued it is most successful here, with the addition of leaders and a bit more complexity. Ancient battles between Rome and Carthage are covered in the core set, and expansion sets have followed. It's not as well-produced as the other two games, and it annoys me that they plonked a logo in the middle of the (card) game board, but the wooden blocks with stickers on them have appeal!

Rules Summary & Reference Sheets, core game (PDF 827Kb)
V1.6, Apr’09

A nice little card game with a small board where players fight to win card battles to conquer regions of Renaissance Italy. Simple and fun, and cards with special abilities keep things interesting.

Rules Summary & Reference (PDF 244Kb)
V1.1, Apr’09

Plunge into the politicking and military strategies of Ancient Rome. Read my review here.

Rules Summary & Reference Sheet (PDF 314Kb)
V1.1, Dec’08

My 100th entry in this list and, in a wonderful bit of serendipity, the Fantasy Flight remake of one of the first games I ever owned, the Eon edition of Cosmic Encounter. A classic game that mixes simple gameplay with lots of interesting special powers to make a highly interactive, fun game that puts many modern designs to shame. A classic.

Rules Summary & Reference Sheet (PDF 255Kb)
V1.1, Jun’09

Another old classic from the Golden days of Games Workshop, though not, unfortunately, as successful as some of their others. Still, it came with metal figures and a stand-up 3D pyramid board, so who cares?!

Rules Summary & Reference Sheet (PDF 405Kb)
V1, Nov’08

Those of you who remember the old D&D days will probably find Cutthroat Caverns bringing back memories of your old dungeon-bashing days. It's a basically simple card game where dungeon-delving characters fight a series of beasties with attack and action cards. The twist is, only the player who lands the killing blow gets the kudos. Cue back-stabbing, treachery and underhandedness, and a lot of laughs. This rules summary is taken from the updated second edition rules, and includes summaries of the first three expansions.

Rules Summary & Reference Sheet (PDF 362Kb)
V1, May’09

The Doom game system quickly spawned this fantasy-themed offering, which takes up the mantle once held by now-OOP classic games such as Heroquest and Warhammer Quest. The huge box is chock full of plastic monsters and fun dungeon-delving adventuring.

I’ve completely revamped this rules summary and reference sheet to also include double-sided reference sheets for the overlord and hero players, a town equipment list to speed up buying starting equipment, and a complete list of all the heroes and their stats. Covers the base game and the two expansions, Well of Darkness and Altar of Despair.

Rules Summmary & Reference Sheets (PDF 3.3Mb)
V2.3, Aug’08

If there's one game that needs a rules summary and reference sheets, it's the Descent campaign system, Road to Legend. A copy of this game was very kindly purchased for me by members of BoardgameGeek so I could create them. Here they are folks—enjoy!

Rules Summmary & Reference Sheets (PDF 3.5Mb)
V1.8, Dec’08

Proving how popular boardgames have become lately, Doom is based on the best-selling computer game and captures its tense, claustrophobic atmosphere. For my money far more entertaining, and sociable, than the original. Read my full review here.

Rules Summary & Reference (PDF 415Kb)
V2, Dec’08

A simple memory game that’s a fun way to pass half an hour. Not the best game choice for people like me with terrible memories of course!

Rules Summary (PDF 173Kb)
V1.1, Dec’08

A fun little tile-laying dungeon game for 2-4 players, enhanced in this Fantasy Flight Games 3rd edition by plastic figures and new art.

Rules Summary & Reference (PDF 306Kb)
V1, Apr’09

An excellent, very original game that simulates British WWII bombing raids over Germany. Lovely design and orginal mechanics make for a great gaming experience, especially if you're interested in the period.

Rules Summary (PDF 426Kb)
V1.1, Feb’08

An interesting and slightly unwieldy blend of dungeon bash and thinking strategy game, Dungeon Twister doesn’t quite seem to know what kind of game it wants to be. Still, it’s entertaining and has spawned several expansion sets that are slowly being released in English. The board artwork is a little too obviously ‘Photoshoppy’ for my liking.

Rules Summary & Reference (PDF 298Kb)
V2, Dec’08

I have yet to play this one, but it reads like a nice fast playing historical Euro game, covering the period of the power struggle between Crassus, Caesar and Pompeius for control of the Roman Republic. A balance of military and political power, or supremacy in just one of these fields, is needed to win.

Rules Summary (PDF 235Kb)
V1, Sept’08

Fire & Axe: A Viking Saga is a lovely blend of rich theme and smooth mechanics; just my favourite style of game really. Unlike Hollywood Vikings there’s plenty of trading and settling as well as attacking and pillaging. The Saga cards give the game a nice epic feel and the production is top notch.

Rules Summary & Reference Sheets (PDF 232Kb)
V1.2, Jun’09

Original 1987 version. This may hold the crown for best Games Workshop game—certainly it’s their best boardgame. Fury of Dracula drips atmosphere and plays beautifully—especially late at night.

Rules Summary & Reference (PDF 103Kb)
V1, Aug’07

New 2006 version. Fantasy Flight Games wisely resurrected this undead classic in 2006, and the reprint still has the magic of the old Games Workshop classic. Several important changes have been made, and it’s still one of my favourite games ever, beautifully blending gameplay and theme.

Rules Summary & Reference (PDF 754Kb)
V2, Dec’08

Taoist martial-art monks exorcising ghosts back to Hell? Yeah! This interesting co-operative game has yet to hit my table, but the word is that it's pretty tough to beat—especially on Hell level. Lovely production values and colourful graphic novel-style art make this a stunning looking game.

Rules Summary & Reference (PDF 442Kb)
V1, May’09

Super hero boardgaming done right, with an emphasis on the powers and the biffo. The graphics are pretty average and you're playing with a team of unknown superheroes, but Heroes Incorporated is still far more entertaining than the high budget, licenced heroes Marvel Heroes game. This rules summary and new player cards set includes rules from the S.U.P.E.R. Expansion.

Rules Summary & Reference (PDF 442Kb)
V1, Jun’09

Miniatures gaming with all the serious mucking about taken out and all the fun left in. Read my full review here.

Rules Summary (PDF 288Kb)
V1.2, Dec’08

Furious battles between the Chaos hordes of the traitor Horus and the armies of the Emperor in the Games Workshops’ Warhammer 40,000 universe. A old-style game in the ‘cardboard counter wargaming’ tradition. Read my full review here.

Rules Summary & Reference (PDF 335Kb)
V1.1, Dec’08

A gorgeous, if somewhat expensive, tactical miniature combat game from French company Rackham based in the crumbling underground laboratories of a science-fantasy world. The good guys (Griffons) battle against cloned monstrosities (Scorpions). In the vein of Space Hulk, but more tactically complex. The miniatures and graphic design are stunning, but the rules translation leaves much to be desired; hence my rules summary and reference sheets (includes rules from the supplement Nemesis).

Rules Summary & Reference (PDF 338Kb)
V2.1, Dec’08

A nice little 2-6 player card game, though doesn’t play as well with 2 players. Compete to collect the largest army in a series of sieges, while attacking your opponents. Lovely graphic design by Asmodee and illustration by Dominique Ehrhard. My rules summary is sized to fit in the small box.

Rules Summary (PDF 201Kb)
V1.1, Mar’09

I have yet to get this on the table but it looks like an interesting Euro-style game in the mold of Puerto Rico (set in medieval Italy).

Rules Summary and Reference Sheet (PDF 41Kb)
V1, Nov’07

A fun, fast, push-your-luck card game formerly known as Diamant. Players are archaeologists venturing into a ruined temple in search of treasure and artifacts.

Rules Summary (PDF 197Kb)
V1, Nov’08

Racing, pirates, battles and doubloons. This beautifully designed game was made for the European insurance company ASSURA SA by GameWorks. The marketing department must be big boardgame fans. What's more, they have the intelligence not to splash their company logo all over it. A tough game to get hold of, but definitely worth it, and as high quality as anything from industry leaders Days of Wonder (whose game, Pirate's Cove, it calls to mind).

Rules Summary (PDF 199Kb)
V1, Feb’08

A simple, fun card game with the unusual theme of trading goods in pre-colonial Africa. Lovely illustrations, and a great quick game for two people.

Rules Summary (PDF 155Kb)
V1.1, Dec’08

An old Games Workshop boardgame from 1982 (what a great year that was). Simple and a bit of a laugh, but you have to know the old 2000 AD comics to understand the references.

Rules Summary (PDF 140Kb)
V2, Nov’08

Simple zombie fun done right, with a liberal dose of dice rolling, B-movie characters and clichés. Last Night on Earth takes few risks when it comes to mechanics, but the photographic art is well done and the game doesn't take itself too seriously. The first expansion is already in the works. Comes with a CD soundtrack that unfortunately is best used as a drink coaster.

Rules Summary (PDF 299Kb)
V1, Sept’07

I saw a review of this 1979 Avalon Hill game on Gameshark and thought it sounded just like the kind of game I like, so I decided to make my own copy! Here it is, a complete remake of the game with a new large board, large counters, a double-sided rules summary and double-sided play reference sheets. I have no idea of the current copyright status of the game —possibly it has reverted to the designer Joe Bisio. However this is a completely not-for-profit project, done without permission. The illustrations I used on the board and counters were originally by Stanley Herbert and taken from England: Book 1 The Medieval Scene by R.J Unstead (A&C Black, 1963), again without permission.

Entire Game (ZIP 6.6Mb)
V2.1, June’09

A classic, deceptively simple but strategically rich game that manages to mix elements of Chess and Stratego with a perfect Lord of the Rings theme. The deluxe edition by Fantasy Flight Games includes classic and variant versions. A brilliant two player game.

Rules Summary & Reference (PDF 523Kb)
V2, Dec’08

A voting and negotiation game with a zombie theme and a black sense of humour. Complete with chainsaw, of course. Fun with the right people, though relies a bit too much on the voting mechanic.

Rules Summary & Reference (PDF 287Kb)
V1.1, Dec’08

One of the best, if not the best, Games Workshop games ever made, Man O’War is a game of spectacularly entertaining and visually stunning ship to ship battles on the high seas. Out of print now and pretty pricey, but well worth the investment.

With the invaluable help of Scott Di Bartolo, I recreated the entire set of ship templates at a small, easy to use card size which you can print out, put in card protectors and mark with non-permanent pens. Much easier than the unwieldy original templates and counters. Some old rules contradictions have been resolved as well. Update: Ship cards are now in a better format and consolidated with flyers, a few errors have been fixed, and monster cards have been added.

Rules Summary (PDF 209Kb)
V1, Sep’07
Ship Cards (PDF 3.3Mb)
V2.1, Jun’09

The best contender for the crown of Civilization-light, Mare Nostrum is a semi-historical civilization-building game that doesn't take an age to play, with an essential expansion that introduces mythological creatures and gods (included in this summary). Have yet to get it on the table but it looks great and has a good reputation.

Rules Summary & Reference (PDF 403Kb)
V1.1, Jun’09

I’m not usually much of a comic superheroes fan so I bought this on impulse, largely because it's the same team who made the excellent War of the Ring. It's an interesting game, but it seems to get too tied up in its somewhat clunky mechanics and sacrifices the fast and furious fun that a superheroes game should feature. Maybe it's more fun for comic fans.

Rules Summary (PDF 730Kb)
V1.1, Dec’07

Memoir ’44 is a fast-playing, easy to learn two player game with scenarios set around the period of the D-Day invasions. The reference sheets were based on an original design by Malcolm ‘Brummbär’ Green.

Rules Summary (PDF 88Kb)
Reference Sheets (PDF 2.2Mb)

New version coming soon!

King Kong! Godzilla! Well, their uncopyrighted equivalents anyway, Stomping, mutating and bashing the military as they criss-cross America doing as much damage as they can. Dice rolling and a big slugathon at the end. Some say it’s strategic, some say it’s a dicefest, but the theme and the painted plastic monsters can't be beaten!

Rules Summary (PDF 197Kb)
V1.1, Sep’08

More giant monster city-bashing fun. Unfortunately, it’s a collectible miniatures game—I hate ‘collectible’ gaming—but the pre-painted miniatures are very nice and I suppose you don’t have to keep buying boosters! It’s a lot of fun, plays quickly, and I even briefly played in a local tournament structure. The collectible format eventually turned me off though, unfortunately.

Rules Summary, Play Reference, and Unit, Structure and Monster Summary cards (PDF 2.1Mb)
V2.4, Feb’09

First there was Necromunda, then there was this fantasy version of Games Workshop's tabletop skirmish combat system—Mordheim. A great boxed set with some spectacular card and plastic ruined buildings in it, the game looks fantastic when set up and, due to the small warband size, is easy to play and very cinematic. And now, the rules are available free online!

Rules Summary and Reference (PDF 2.3Mb)
V1, Aug’08

It’s been some time in development but Fantasy Flight Games have finally released their 54mm scale pre-painted miniatures skirmish game set in the Mutant Chronicles universe. And it’s a great, fast-playing combat system with interesting variety and a very cinematic feel.

Rules Summary (PDF 251Kb)
V1.2, Oct’08

I still have yet to get this on the table, but it comes highly recommended as a worthy precursor to Doom and Heroquest so I picked up a copy on eBay. Sci-fi corporations duke it out on an alien world.

Rules Summary (PDF 184Kb)
V1.1, Nov’07

A very entertaining whodunnit game in the tradition of Cluedo, but set in a medieval monastery and far more entertaining. A CD of chanting monks and playing by candlelight is highly recommended for the full effect!

Rules Summary (PDF 663Kb)
V2, Aug’07

Probably the best of the wave of games from the Hasbro-owned reincarnation of Avalon Hill, this game is a classic ‘build your forces up and kill the other guy’s forces’ wargame with a thin sci-fi theme of other-planetary mining and corporations in conflict. Renowned for its glow-in-a-black-light candy-coloured figures.

Rules Summary (PDF 268Kb)
V1, Jan’07

A clever little card game and a favourite with my girlfriend. One of those games where fortunes can drastically change from turn to turn due to a clever strategy and a bit of luck.

Rules Summary (PDF 117Kb)
V1.2, Jan’09

An interesting skirmish combat game set in a medieval fantasy Japan-like world. Shame you have to buy the figures separately, but cardboard stand-ups are supplied. Expansions already on the way.

Rules Summary (PDF 220Kb)
V1, Oct’08

A co-operative game that sees players racing back and forth across the globe, against the clock, trying to halt the spread of horrible diseases! What fun!

Rules Summary (PDF 148Kb)
V1.2, Jul’08

A great game for 3 to 5 players. Talking like a pirate highly recommended. Beautiful production from the game company Days of Wonder.

Rules Summary (PDF 184Kb)
V2, Nov’08

An excellent, 'classic' adventuring fantasy boardgame in the mould of Talisman but with more interesting choices, I'm proud to say I did an extensive redesign of this game for Z-Man Games, and I'm quite happy with the way it turned out. We didn't have room to include this rules summary, but here it is, straight from the game's graphic designer!

Design portfolio link.

Rules Summary (PDF 587Kb)
V1.2, Feb’09

As a special variant, I redesigned the original board a bit, adding card spaces and changing the background and sea colour.
Download Variant Board (ZIPPED JPG, 4.7Mb)

Famous holder of the #1 spot on BoardgameGeek for many years now, the much-analyzed Puerto Rico is the jewel in the crown of so-called 'Euro games'. It's an entertaining challenge and the perfect introduction to something more complex and 'gamey' for new gamers. Though perhaps lacking a bit in the way of player interaction, no one can deny the mechanic of choosing new 'roles' each turn is brilliant.

Rules Summary (PDF 295Kb)
V1.1, Nov’07

A strange little co-operative game about gnomes running about on a submarine trying to stop it from exploding, flooding or being eaten by a kraken. The vaguely Communist theming only adds to the slight tackiness of the whole theme, for those of us who remember a certain sub disaster ... still, it’s a very fun and amusing game, and an excellent way to round off an evening’s gaming. The small box is packed full of high-quality components.

Rules Summary (PDF 205Kb)
V1.1, Apr’09

Since a friend spilt his beer over this game sometime back in the late 80s, it has ever after been known as ‘Rogue Drinker’. This boardgame offering from Games Workshop—back when they made boardgames—is based on the 2000AD comic of the same name. A sci-fi adventure game that shows its age, but fun to bring out occasionally.

Rules Summary & Reference Sheet (PDF 205Kb)
V1, Nov’08

Fantasy Flight Games has gone expansion crazy with this spiritual successor to the old Talisman fantasy adventure game. It has been criticised as suffering from a lack of player interaction and a long turn downtime, but later expansions attempt to address this. Good for playing solo. This rules summary is for the basic 2nd edition game.

Rules Summary (PDF 275Kb)
V2.1, Nov’08

This major expansion to Runebound 2nd Edition takes the adventure to a Thousand and One Nights medieval desert setting and spices the gameplay up with Legendary Quests. Definitely the most successful of the Runebound expansions.

Rules Summary and Reference Sheet (PDF 361Kb)
V1.1, Jun’08

The card game version of the classic Puerto Rico cleverly replicates many of that game’s mechanics in card form—and can be played by two players. A bit dry, but clever and engaging.

Rules Summary & Reference Sheet (PDF 149Kb)
V1, Jan’05

The excellent Scarab Lords and its successor Minotaur Lords seem to have been forgotten with the success of Blue Moon, Reiner Knizia’s newest non-collectible card game, but this earlier system by the prolific game designer is still great fun. This rules summary covers both games and fixes the big error in the Minotaur Lords rules.

Rules Summary (PDF 150Kb)
V1.1, Dec’08

Great co-operative boardgame where Questing Knights battle the dragon, search for the Holy Grail, fend off invading barbarians and destroy besieging engines. Beware the traitor ...
Read my full review here.

Rules Summary (PDF 188Kb)
V1, Jun’05
Extra character Sir Bedivere Coat of Arms: front (PDF 2.8 Mb) and back (PDF 3.3 Mb)

A game of trading along the ancient Silk Road – a neat little game that ramps up towards the end.

This reference card doubles as a rules summary and reference sheet—print one for each player.

Rules Reference Card (PDF 230Kb)
V1.1, Nov’07

Way before Doom, there was Space Hulk. This tense game of relentless combat with the Alien-like Genestealers is a classic. This rules summary is for the second edition of the game.

Rules Summary (PDF 263Kb)
V2, Dec’08

A new game from Days of Wonder is always an event, and this one, a light-hearted fantasy game of tile-placing conquest, looks great as usual. Have yet to play it, but certainly the counter storage tray is a thing of beauty!

Rules Summary (PDF 236Kb)
V2.1, May’09

One of the best ‘big’ games Fantasy Flight has released ever, and not just because you can play it in a reasonable length of time. Clean, interesting game mechanics meet tons of plastic figure goodness meets big sci-fi theme. A winner that seems complicated on first read but flows beautifully in play.

Rules Summary (PDF 557Kb)
V1.1, Apr’08

Sure it’s a dice fest, sure the Star Wars Episode One theme is a bit kiddy, but with chrome galore in the form of piles of plastic figures and a three-tiered palace board and a fun game behind it all, it’s worth putting aside your intial reservations and giving this game a go. Rapidly increasing in price on eBay as a result.

Rules Summary (PDF 198Kb)
V1, Dec’08

Some call it a classic, and early editions cost a mint on eBay, but I’m sure a lot of the hoopla is due to nostalgia as Talisman is still a pretty dull roll-and-move fantasy boardgame. This new 4th edition takes the safe path by not changing anything, just updating the art and components. Not even plastic figures! Still, after a few drinks it can still be a laugh.

Rules Summary (PDF 332Kb)
V1.1, Feb’08

Take On You, the French company that created this game, may have stolen the whole occult Nazis thing from Hellboy, but the alternative history magic-and-technology WWII milieu was just waiting to be given the game treatment. The result is this fast, richly thematic combat skirmish game. As is usual for French translations, the game looks great and the manual is terrible. This reference pack, in addition to the usual rules summary, also includes more logical reference sheets for the many weapon tokens available to both sides (including new online tokens as they are released), plus card-sized references for the Equipment Packs used by the various characters. Expect frequent updates as more material is released for this game.

Rules Summary & Reference Sheets (PDF 1.8Mb)
V3.1, Jun’08

A nicely designed archaeology game set at the start of the 20th century; have yet to get this to the table but it looks like relatively easy fun in the 'play with friends who aren't really gamers when you have them over for dinner' category. Features some very nice cloth bags from which you draw tokens to represent working at a dig site, and an attractive 'time wheel' for each player.

Rules Summary & Reference Sheet (PDF 336Kb)
V1, Sept’08

When a couple of friends first came over with this new game, winner of the Spiel des Jahres 2004 (the world’s most prestigious game award), the game was so fun we bought it the next day. Highly recommended for gamers and non-gamers alike. The Europe version adds ferries, tunnels and stations to the mix.

Note the original game rules summary here includes the variants given in the 1910 expansion.

Ticket to Ride Rules Summary (PDF 150Kb)
V1, Nov’07

Ticket to Ride Europe Rules Summary (PDF 158Kb)
V1.1, Jan’09

A friend reckons it's ‘Squad Leader-light’, but this new big box WWII squad level combat game from Fantasy Flight is a faster, simpler system with a good dose of strategy—and lots of plastic army men!

This comprehensive rules summary and reference sheet has a customised side for either the American or the German player, and a special Combat reference sheet.

Update: v3 now includes the Days of the Fox expansion and the British!

Rules Summary & Reference (PDF 1.1Mb)
V3.2, Oct’08

My first all-original graphic design job for Z-Man Games. Traders of Carthage is a card game (with a small board) that packs a surprising amount of strategy into its simple rules. It was great fun designing the look of this game; hopefully the design works well too.

Rules Summary (PDF 205Kb)
V1.1, Jan’09

Scratch an old gamer (urgh!) and you’ll probably find some Dungeons & Dragons in his teenage years. But when it was released in 1986, Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay immediately became our roleplaying game of choice. We started a campaign in ’87 and, after a hiatus of about ten years, we recently started playing again with 2nd edition, and it's still a bloody entertaining way to spend an evening. Of course, the role of ‘gamemaster’ means I have to spend ages to prepare the sessions and it can be mentally exhausting to run them. Here are some reference sheets that make things a little easier so you can concentrate on the story and the atmosphere, plus a character sheet design.

PC Character Sheet (PDF 450Kb)
PC Character Sheet Black & White version (PDF 241Kb)
V1, Oct’08

GM Screen Reference (PDF 309Kb)
GM Screen Reference Black & White version (PDF 152Kb)
V1, Oct’08
4 reference sheets designed to be laminated and stuck over the 4 panels of the GM Screen.

This very simple dungeon-bash game by Games Workshop (from back in the 90s) commands very high prices on eBay these days, for some reason. I'm not sure why as it's pretty basic, and was the last in a line of dungeon adventuring games that progressively got simpler and more designed to sell miniatures. The included ‘Roleplay Book’ isn't really roleplaying, but a basic set of campaign rules with many tables for in-between dungeon mucking about.

Rules Summary (PDF 292Kb)
V1, Dec’08

This old Games Workshop classic was recently ‘reimagined’ by Fantasy Flight Games, and they’ve done a damn nice job of it. Nobles and their troops fight for power and influence in an imaginary medieval kingdom. An Assembly phase with a lovely system of agendas and votes sets this one apart from the pack.

Rules Summary & Reference (PDF 332Kb)
V1, Dec’08

Elegant, easy to learn and played only with cards, Wings of War nevertheless manages to capture the feel of WWI dogfighting almost as well as a miniatures game. There are several sets available; this rules summary includes the basic rules and the Altitude, Ground Fire and Balloon rules from the set Burning Drachens.

Rules Summary (PDF 208Kb)
V3.2, Jun’08

Fantasy Flight have released several games in Blizzard Entertainment’s World of Warcraft, and this latest offering is a classic adventure game that looks easy to play and a lot of fun, and probably the most successful of the bunch. Not a game with a lot of player interaction, but an excellent example of the adventure genre.

Rules Summary & Reference (PDF 696Kb)
V1, Feb’09

All the fun of tabletop post-apocalyptic car combat, complete with rocket launchers. The game comes with car counters, but is really designed for use with matchbox-scale cars for best enjoyment.

Rules Summary & Reference (PDF 331Kb)
V1.1, Dec’08

Zombies!!! has its fans and its detractors, but everyone loves the 100 plastic zombies you get with every copy. Twilight Creations has milked this cash cow for all its worth by releasing quite a few expansions, despite the fact the game is a very thin one indeed. However this variant cooked up by fans makes the game quite playable in a ‘beer and pretzels’ kind of way.

Variant Rules Summary (PDF 105Kb)
V1.1, Nov’07

Ahh, zombies, we all love ’em. This free game captures that trapped - in - a - house - surrounded - by - zombies feeling that never fails to entertain. They’re slow, but they're relentless! Download the game here, there’s a really nice reworked version here, and read my full review here.

Rules Summary (PDF 59Kb)

Card re-work (with colour backs)