This is a list of all games that have so far been discussed on Talking Shelf Space. Doing long form, in-depth reviews and first impressions does take its time. I seem to average one piece every 2-3 weeks and started in early 2022. So by now a sizeable back catalogue exists for you to enjoy!
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First Impressions of Unconscious Mind – What it Means to be Truly Thematic
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Review of Kingdom Legacy: Feudal Kingdom – Honey, I Shrunk The Kingdom
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First Impressions of Barcelona: Passeig de Gràcia – As Before, Good Timing Is Everything
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First Impressions of Rise & Fall – There Might Still Be Hope for Crowd Funding
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First Impressions of I, Napoleon: Swipe Left for Conflict
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First Impressions of Pampero – How Many Plays Do You Owe A Game?
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Review of Pandemic: Rising Tide – You Saved the World, but Can You Save the Netherlands?
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First Impressions of Salton Sea – A Mechanism, an Eye Test, and a Theme Walk into a Bar …
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Review of Antiquity – A Blast From the Past
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First Impressions of Anno 1800: The Expansion – A Welcome Update to Version 1.2
Editorial Policy
When I started this project, I had one firm rule: only write about a game if there is a story to tell. There is already an abundance of content creators that do “this is how the game is played and do I like it” and I noticed that I didn’t find them helpful at all. Often they were produced after only a few plays, which might explain why the enthusiasm with which the games were presented didn’t really match the long term feedback that later came from the community of players out there.
The articles on this site are written only once I’ve played a game enough times to discovered its core, what it is really about. They are more about the experience of playing a game rather than its rules. So don’t expect being able to play the game after reading one of the discussions here. Instead, I love digging into small details that one doesn’t get from a rulebook but only from actively playing a game. There are also no ratings. It is up to you to figure out if a particular game is for you. I can only try to paint you a picture what’s it like to play the game.
Review Copies, Previews, and Prototypes
As a general rule, I don’t ask for review copies. I’m not opposed to the idea, but mainly I don’t want to have the pressure of having to write about a game I’m not certain I will be interested in. Pretty much all games you read about on this page have been bought by me, either first or second hand, or been on loan from a friend. In the rare case where that isn’t so, I mention it in the article.
On the other hand, I like doing non-sponsored previews of soon-to-be-released games and help them find their audience. I need access to a physical copy (no TTS) for a week or two and am happy to forward it to other reviews once I’m done. If you’re interested in having me do a preview of your game, please contact me first before shipping me your game so we can figure out if it really is for me or not. In the unlikely case I accepted a preview copy and the game simply isn’t working for me, I won’t publish a preview and instead provide you with feedback on how the game might be improved.
I usually don’t have the time to test prototypes, especially not early-stage prototypes. On rare occasions I help designers I’m acquainted with in final tweaking or early feedback, which I greatly enjoy. But if you’re one of them, you wouldn’t be reading this and had asked me directly already 😀 So just assume I won’t be able to accept prototypes.