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Everybody Wins: Four Decades of the Greatest Board Games Ever Made Hardcover – 8 Dec. 2022

by James Wallis (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 45 ratings
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The revolution in tabletop gaming revealed and reviewed, in this entertaining and informative look at over 40 years of award-winning games.

The annual Spiel des Jahres (Game of the Year) Awards are like the Oscars of the tabletop. Acclaimed British author and games expert James Wallis investigates the winners and losers of each year’s contest to track the incredible explosion in amazing new board games. From modern classics like CATAN, Ticket to Ride, and Dixit to once-lauded games that have now been forgotten (not to mention several popular hits that somehow missed a nomination), this is a comprehensive yet hugely readable study of the best board games ever made, penned by one of the most knowledgeable commentators on the hobby.
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  1. ISBN-10
    1839081910
  2. ISBN-13
    978-1839081910
  3. Publisher
    Aconyte
  4. Publication date
    8 Dec. 2022
  5. Language
    English
  6. Dimensions
    25.4 x 2.03 x 25.4 cm
  7. Print length
    224 pages
  8. See all details
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Product description

Review

"An inherently nostalgic trip down memory lane and a 'must' for all truly dedicated gamers" -- Midwest Book Review

"Pick this book up, then grab some friends and family members and play a board game!" -- Witty & Sarcastic Bookclub

"A perfect place to start a journey into the hobby – or as a guide to head back and find the classics." -- Tabletop Gaming

"Much more than just a dry description of each year’s winning game, this is full of wit and warmth, and its many digressions and anecdotes are as enjoyable as the descriptions of the games themselves." -- Track of Words

About the Author

JAMES WALLIS is an award-winning games designer, author and critic. He has been designing and reviewing games for three decades and is best known for Once Upon a Time and The Extraordinary Adventures of Baron Munchausen. James has also been a national newspaper columnist, TV presenter, magazine editor and novelist. He lives in London with his wife and 1D4-1 children.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Aconyte (8 Dec. 2022)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 224 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1839081910
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1839081910
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 25.4 x 2.03 x 25.4 cm
  • Customer reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 45 ratings

About the author

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James Wallis

James Wallis

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James Wallis is an author, award-winning games designer, lecturer and consultant who has been active in the UK games community for over thirty years. He runs the games consultancy Spaaace, which has worked on tabletop games for clients including Shell, Greenpeace, Carlsberg, Experian and Dyson.

He's written seventeen books, from Sonic the Hedgehog novels and gamebooks (for a few months in the early 1990s he'd written more fiction about Sonic the Hedgehog than anyone else in the world) to epic Warhammer novels, non-fiction about the history of games with industry legend Ian Livingstone, and ground-breaking storytelling games like Once Upon a Time, Alas Vegas and The Extraordinary Adventures of Baron Munchausen. (Once Upon a Time is actually a card-game about telling stories, so maybe that's eighteen.)

James lectures in game design and interactive storytelling at London South Bank University. He's a former TV presenter and Sunday Times journalist, his work has been published by MIT Press, and he is a columnist for Tabletop Gaming magazine. He chairs the GameCamp series of events and has run his board-game design masterclass all over Europe. In the 1990s he was director of Hogshead Publishing, the largest publisher of RPGs in the UK, and in the 1980s he held the Guinness World Record for playing Advanced Dungeons & Dragons non-stop (84 hours).

You can find his website at www.jameswallis.com and on Twitter he's @jameswallis but in the real world he lives in South London with his wife and 1d4 -1 children.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
45 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book provides an accessible overview of board game history and modern development. They appreciate the well-written and accessible writing style, as well as the author's un-elitist approach to praising simple family games. The information provided is informative, humorous, and fascinating.

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HistoryWriting styleInformation quality
5 customers mention ‘History’5 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's history of board games well-researched and accessible. They say it provides a great overview of four decades worth of the best board games through the lens of Spiel des Jahres. The book is described as a nice, well-written slab of source material on the games that have led the field over time.

"A great overview of four decades worth of the best board games. Very readable, humorous, and fascinating...." Read more

"...has gone into this book, and it's a well written slab of great source material on the games that have led the field over the years...." Read more

"Fantastic overview of modern games through the lens of Spiel des Jahres..." Read more

"A lovely and accessible look at the history and rise of modern boardgames...." Read more

4 customers mention ‘Writing style’4 positive0 negative

Customers find the book well-written and informative. They appreciate the author's un-elitist approach, praising simple family games as well as brain exercises.

"A great overview of four decades worth of the best board games. Very readable, humorous, and fascinating...." Read more

"A lot of work has gone into this book, and it's a well written slab of great source material on the games that have led the field over the years...." Read more

"...The author remains distinctly un-elitist, praising the simple family games as well as the brain-burners...." Read more

"...Very logically laid out, with plenty of extra information." Read more

3 customers mention ‘Information quality’3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book informative and entertaining.

"...Very readable, humorous, and fascinating. Made me aware of several games I now want to play...." Read more

"...Very well written and informative overview of the best games from the last forty years...." Read more

"...Very logically laid out, with plenty of extra information." Read more

Informative, funny, and entertaining.
5 out of 5 stars
Informative, funny, and entertaining.
A great overview of four decades worth of the best board games. Very readable, humorous, and fascinating. Made me aware of several games I now want to play. Highly recommended for anyone interested in boardgames, from beginner to afficianado.
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Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • Ralph H.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Informative, funny, and entertaining.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 16 December 2022
    Verified Purchase
    A great overview of four decades worth of the best board games. Very readable, humorous, and fascinating. Made me aware of several games I now want to play. Highly recommended for anyone interested in boardgames, from beginner to afficianado.
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    Ralph H.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Informative, funny, and entertaining.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 16 December 2022
    A great overview of four decades worth of the best board games. Very readable, humorous, and fascinating. Made me aware of several games I now want to play. Highly recommended for anyone interested in boardgames, from beginner to afficianado.
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    2 people found this helpful
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  • Leseratte
    5.0 out of 5 stars Must have book for a really good review of all winners of Game of the Year - and many others besides
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 26 June 2024
    Verified Purchase
    This is a review of ‘Everybody Wins - Four Decades of the Greatest Board Games Ever Made’ - hardback version.
    I would endorse the review that says the white text on pale yellow background in the sidebars makes these interesting snippets difficult to read in anything except good light. For me the only negative, and I’d be reluctant to dock a star for that.
    A truly super book - one to read through and to browse in repeatedly for any Eurogames enthusiast. Highly recommended.
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  • Paul Sharville
    4.0 out of 5 stars A great source book, let down by some poor typography
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 16 May 2023
    Verified Purchase
    A lot of work has gone into this book, and it's a well written slab of great source material on the games that have led the field over the years. James Wallis has insight and thoughtful commentary as to why these games earned the coveted red meeple (and why some of them maybe shouldn't have) and it's good to see his regular pieces in TTG make it into book form. Sadly, the decision to put a slim white font on a yellow background for the side bars makes those sections of the book almost unreadable (more a comment on the designer/publisher than the author).
    One person found this helpful
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  • Bob Ekers
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic overview of modern games through the lens of Spiel des Jahres
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 September 2024
    Verified Purchase
    I have read many books on board games and this is easily the best. Very well written and informative overview of the best games from the last forty years.

    It reminded me of some of the good games I already own and added a lot to my wish list.

    The author remains distinctly un-elitist, praising the simple family games as well as the brain-burners.

    Pretty enough as a coffee table book but I found myself reading it from cover to cover in a few days.

    Some of the typography could be improved (white on yellow for some inserts) but that is a minor quibble as most of the book is well laid out and easily digestible.
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  • Ryan Alexander
    5.0 out of 5 stars A lovely and accessible look at the history and rise of modern boardgames.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 15 December 2022
    Verified Purchase
    Boardgames are, at this point, such a broad field that it can be difficult to tackle them as a subject. Using the Speil de Jahres (Game of the Year) awards as a lens for this is a great way to draw a line through the history. It's a particularly nice way to find some old games to try that I might have missed.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Fiona
    5.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeous, well researched history of board games
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 15 December 2022
    Verified Purchase
    Haven't had a chance to read it cover to cover yet, but the book itself is beautiful, and I've loved the bits I've skimmed so far. Very logically laid out, with plenty of extra information.
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    Fiona
    5.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeous, well researched history of board games
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 15 December 2022
    Haven't had a chance to read it cover to cover yet, but the book itself is beautiful, and I've loved the bits I've skimmed so far. Very logically laid out, with plenty of extra information.
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    3 people found this helpful
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  • Colm Lundberg
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent exploration of the best of gaming (form Spiel)
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 16 December 2022
    Verified Purchase
    I have come to expect nothing more than excellence from the pen of James Wallis and this book does not disappoint. Sometimes evoking nostalgia, sometimes curiosity this tome is the perfect coffee table book for any gaming household.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Richard Worth
    4.0 out of 5 stars An amazing cross-section of games
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 December 2022
    An excellent book, written with a real love of the subject.
    3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • andriytom
    5.0 out of 5 stars Love this book!
    Reviewed in Singapore on 29 August 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Really great book for board game lovers! You will learn how the industry evolved and how the modern games you love came to be.
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  • Brandon Allen
    2.0 out of 5 stars Big Meh
    Reviewed in the United States on 9 April 2023
    Verified Purchase
    I thought this would be a light fun look at the winners. It is ok, but has some real issues. First, he frequently injects his apologist liberal political views that are unnecessary and unpleasant to read.
    The writing is not great. He adds a lot of what he seems to think are edgy adult oriented jokes, that come across flat and incongruent with the rest of the book.
    If I could go back I would not have purchased this book.
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