In an exciting and diverse hobby such as ours, you are never short of great new and new to you (older titles) games to try and buy. But at the heart of this fantastic hobby is not some faceless company, casually churning out mass market, dime a dozen titles, but instead designers, much like in films, music and literature, whose names are spoken about amongst fans, celebrated for their designs and contributions to the industry.
This is the purpose of this list… to celebrate and small number of the names.
It is impossible to celebrate everyone, so instead, we asked fellow bloggers to contribute some of their favourites and a few suggestions of games worth checking out.
Bruno Cathala – Peaches and Meeples (Steve)
French designer Burno Cathala has created some of my favourite games. Abyss being a true smash hit with me. His designs offer variety of gameplay experiences, from big games to smaller pocket filler titles, from easy to more complex.
Designing games as far back as 2002, there seems to be a very real chance that everyone has either played or owned one of his titles, or a game he has contributed to.
My first exposure to him was almost by accident, and I didn’t clock it until I started exploring the designers behind the games more, and that was with Splendor Duel (2023). This reimaging of the hit game Splendor, kept the core essence of a fabulous game, but added new and interesting mechanics that makes for a quick but very thinky variation on the game.
His catalogue of designs is quite far reaching, from epic tabletop experiences with games like Cyclades, gorgeously illustrated titles with great decision spaces and push your luck games like Abyss , to more family friendly titles such Donuts. That last title is another thing I love about Cathala, taking classic games or mechanics and giving them a twist or modern take. Donuts, reminiscent of Tic Tac Toe and 4 (or rather 5) in a row, Kingdominoes modern take on dominoes, and of course the amazing Five Tribes, taking the classic Mancala and building a fresh game around a simple mechanic.
A great range with arguably something for everyone.
· Abyss
· Solstis
Vital Lacerda – Ian Paczek
Vital Lacerda is a Portuguese designer of board games. Complicated board games. Realistic board games, verging on simulations. I like thematic games and I also like puzzles of all kinds – cryptic crosswords, sudoku, jigsaws with whimsies, puzzle- based video games, logic puzzles and recreational mathematics. So, for me, Vital’s games hit something of a sweet spot – they’re a sort of competitive enigma. They won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but I like the planning and strategizing. I’ve worked with optimisation my entire professional life and these games are problems of efficiency.
One of my favourites from Vital Lacerda is “On Mars”, where you are trying to colonise Mars and moving between the planet surface and the space station. There is a feature of this game that is reminiscent of Bridge such that you need to make sure you are in the correct position for your next play. In Bridge it’s between your hand and dummy, whereas in On Mars, it’s between the surface and orbit. Get that wrong and it could make the difference between winning and losing.
Lisboa is another of his games, a labour of love about his home city of Lisbon and its reconstruction after a massive earthquake in 1755. The theme is beautifully realised in the game. Again, it’s a puzzle of efficiency – how best to use the limited number of actions to achieve the highest score.
My third recommendation is CO2: Second Chance, which is really two games in one – a revamp of an earlier game CO2, which was fully competitive and a newer cooperative version. As its name suggests, CO2: Second Chance is about combating climate change – you have to research, design, and build green power generation to attempt to keep CO2 levels below 500 ppm. It’s very tough.
Benjamin and Thompson - Pete Bartlam
Tabletop combat games have traditionally fallen into two categories. Those with large complex rule books and army lists enabling hosts of detailed miniatures to clash over realistic terrain, historical or fictional from Games Workshop, Mantic, Warlord or Atomic Mass and stylised games like Risk; Chess; Root; Small World etc.
Where Trevor Benjamin and David Thompson come in is to have developed the “missing link”, an easy to grasp and quick to play warfare system that both satisfies the feel of the actual combat and the playability of a board game.
Along with the artwork of the talented Roland MacDonald and the renowned Military publisher Osprey they produced the first of their games – Undaunted Normandy - in 2018.
This married the feel of small squad combat with an unique, simple but elegant, play system. Counters on the board represented a squad of soldiers whilst fog of war and command issues came from card handling.
Next Undaunted: North Africa introduced vehicles and the Long Range Desert Group. Undaunted: Battle of Britain for aerial combat of “the Few” and even Undaunted 2200: Callisto in a sci-fi setting of giant Mechs v Miners. All using the same straightforward combat system with a few tweaks and add-ons as required.
Their Tour-de-Force amongst all this was Undaunted: Stalingrad a huge, replayable, legacy-style game where you watched your forces develop through 375 cards bearing MacDonald’s poignant art and 129 map tiles depicting a historically accurate area around Pavlov’s house in Stalingrad.
The scenery also suffers destruction as the campaign unfolds through the narrative of the scenario booklets.
If this wasn’t enough, they also produce stylised 2 player wargames under the General Orders banner: WWII and Sengoku Jidai for feudal Japan
· General Orders: World War II
Uwe Rosenberg – Peaches and Meeples (Steve)
Arguably a household name in the hobby. The German designer, Uwe Rosenberg, has created games like Patchwork, which has become so successful, it has spawned countless new and themed editions, and can be quite easy to find in even some highstreet retailers.
But what makes Uwe so exciting for me, is how he takes a familiar game mechanic or idea, and explores it in different ways across numerous games.
Take the trio of Nova Luna, Sagani and Framework for example. Across these three games you can see the same tile laying contract fulfilment concept, explored and experimented with to create 3 unique experiences with a familiar feel.
Or the classic polyominoes famously used in Patchwork. These feature in numerous games, with different ways to obtain them or what you do with them once placed. You can experience classic Uwe polyomino tiles in games such as New York Zoo or even the true epic worker placement that is A Feast For Odin.
Speaking of worker placement, Uwe has created some of the most well known, the already mentioned a Feast For Odin, to games like Agricola or La Caverna.
Uwe will no doubt remain a household name for many years to come.
· Armonia
Cole Wehrle – Dan Phillips
One of the first games I threw myself into when I got back into board games was the cute coded, Root. As a person rediscovering board games for the first time since childhood, this was madness! However, becoming obsessed with this complex, asymmetric mad game of woodland violence is probably why I enjoy such deep and complexity rich games today. Designed by Cole Wehrle of Leder Games, Root exploded Wehrle onto the scene and has become a real staple in the hobby, even being sold in mass market shops! His partnership with illustrator Kyle Ferrin started here and this duo have become my favourite. Since then, Oath has become one of my top five games, if not my favourite game of all time with Arcs following not that far behind.
What I love about Wehrle as a designer is his ability to take a small element of other games and building big, expansive games around that niche mechanism, for example King Making in Oath or trick taking in Arcs. It creates games, for better or for worse, that are decisive but always exciting! Despite most of his work being for Leder Games, his work for his own company Wehrlegig Games (which he runs with his brother) is just as exciting and even more niche. With Pax Pamir, John Company and now Molly House (a co design with Jo Kelly) Wehrle digs deep into interesting and historically problematic times and finds a way to make interesting games that also challenge your way of thinking. I can’t think of a more devising designer working in the board game industry and I, for one, am here for it.
· Oath
· Arcs
IV Studios – Tim Evans
Of all the design teams working in board gaming, the Nashville based team of Zac Dixon, Austin Harrison and Max Anderson (along with their entire incredible team at IV studio) have defined the modern hobby with a series of crowd funded gems. Each title delves into a new facet of interactive play, but always with unique twists, astounding production value and art design which comes as no surprise from a company which started life as an animation studio.
Meeting them at previous UKGE events remains a dream come true moment. They always have time to spare for anyone who passes their stand even remotely intrigued by the delights on show, whilst ever modest about the joy their titles have already brought to established fans.
Their debut, Moonrakers, merges deck builders and negotiation. You build a deck of cards and bonuses to complete missions, but you cannot not face everything alone. Instead you must negotiate temporary aid from your fellow players to meet the objectives, but beware, no one is obligated to play honourably. After all, you are mercenaries, each pursuing the same rewards and there can only be one winner.
Switching gears, their next title targeted a mythical fantasy of gods and heroes. Veiled Fate takes hidden identities, secret voting, sprinkles the least amount of rules it can and sets us all free to bluff, lie and scheme nine heroes into and out of points. To what end? Only a final reveal will tell.
My third recommendation is a look ahead to this teams’ next title (being fulfilled in the UK by Zatu spring 2026). Realm of Reckoning is the IV studio take on area control, combined with outbidding your rivals in order to decide how points are scored, leaving the path to victory hidden amongst a race to gather resources.
Alan R. Moon - Pete Bartlam
Alan R. Moon is a games designer who needs little introduction, though you might not know though he was born in Southampton. However he produced all his work after the family moved to the US. Taking many jobs, including serving in Vietnam, whilst trying to get his designs off the ground. Then in 1998 he finally broke through winning the famous Spiel Des Jahre’s Red Poppel for, you’ve guessed it, Elfenland!
Elfenland? I thought he did some sort of train game? Later. Have patience young padawan. First there was Elfenland a streamlined version of his earlier Elfenroads in which you have to make efficient routes across the land. Hmm?
Then in 1999 he produced Union Pacific an excellent train game, nominated for but not winning the SDJ. Here you collected cards of different colours to build train lines across the United States by placing small plastic locos on them.
Ah, that sounds more like it. But I thought it had a different name? That’s because these are not the trains you seek! Union Pacific had stocks and shares which you could buy to control railroads and gain the most dollars. So what’s the one I’m thinking of?
The one you and millions of others are thinking about is, of course, Ticket to Ride. This romped away with the 2004 Game of the Year and the rest is History, or more accurately, Geography, with multiple versions covering all the continents, countries and even cities with a transport network. ZATU currently list 31 TTR product variations.
If you are new to TTR start with Ticket to Ride Europe (the 15th anniversary special edition if you can) but anything with Alan R. Moon’s name on is worth a shot.
· Ticket to Ride Legacy – Legends of the West
Reiner Knizia - Pete Bartlam
How do you give due credit in 300 words to a designer with more than 600 games to his name? Concentrate on his 25 Spiel des Jahres nominations and recommendations? Games like: Modern Art; Medici; Amun Re; Through the Desert and his 2001 Special award winner Lord of the Rings. Or top rated BGG games like Tigris & Euphrates or Ra.
Alas, a prolific career spanning more than 35 years means that most of these are out of print. His eventual SDJ winner Keltis (2008) was never published in English but its predecessor Lost Cities – The Board Game is still available and Amun Re had a 20 year celebration (always a good sign) in 2023. And Schotten Totten the fighting Scotsman game from 1999 is still on sale today.
So I’ll concentrate on two of my personal favourites: Into the Blue and The Quest for El Dorado. Into the Blue was recommended to me by an insanely positive review by my good friend Neil Proctor. I bought it and I only wish I’d bought it sooner. For a very moderate price you get one of the most beautiful games you will own and a perfect example of Reiner Knizia’s take on a push your luck dice game. It’s easy to play as you dive for gaily coloured shells and sunken treasure.
But my favourite of them all is The Quest for El Dorado. In my review of two years ago I scored it 97% ! In an easy to learn and play way you hack your way Indiana Jones style through an endlessly variable jungle to be first to the fabled city.
Any Reiner Knizia game will be worth a look.
· Lost Cities – The Board Game
Ludus Vulpes – Peaches and Meeples
In an industry of titans, there will always be the smaller designers who provide an authentic and almost artisan side to the hobby. Ludus Vulpes is just that.
We first came across them at the UK Game Expo in 2024. They had a small hand crafted game by the name of Overgowth, which had a beautiful solid wooden board and wooden player pieces. This was a game you would buy the hobbyist in your life a gift.
The next game that we played in the following year was Forest Folk. This time played with cards, these beautifully illustrated cards, played into both a joint tableau and a personal one, creating two points of scoring. One free of interference and one that could be disturbed easily by the other players (however sometimes to your favour).
Ludus Vulpes has a relatively small catalogues, but you just know every game they produce is one carefully thought through and produced with passion.
Jamey Stegmaier – Dan Phillips
12 years ago, a little game about making wine hit the scene not only birthing one of the biggest board game publishers out there today but also adding a new and exciting twist to the working placement genre. Jamey Stegmaier of Stonemaier Games, launched Viticulture over a decade ago but it’s ‘grande’ worker, a worker who can go to an otherwise locked space, is still referenced today, with a new expansion released for this year (2026) it goes to show that Viticulture is not going anywhere. It was also my introduction to Jamey’s designs and still stands strong in my top twenty with its cooperative expansion Viticulture World remaining one of my favourite cooperative experiences. However, wine making was only the gateway drug.
Soon I discovered Scythe which quickly shot up my top ten which, although looking like a war game, is actually a tight euro engine builder in disguise. It was also my introduction into painting miniatures with my wanting to fill the incredible world with as much immersion as possible. Then I found Tapestry, Jamey’s take on a ‘civilisation game’ which I love playing again and again, mainly due to its incredible amount of asymmetric content. I think I have found that I like divisive designers, who take bold moves and create work that isn’t for everyone. I would much rather dive deep into a game designed to be the designers favourite than the explore someone designing for the broadest audience. That’s not to say Stegmaier is niche in any way, Scythe and Viticulture are still some of the largest selling euro games out there and I for one, can’t wait to see what he brings to the table in the next few years.
· Scythe
· Tapestry
Peaches and Meeples
We are Peaches and Meeples, busy professionals who love to chill out to fun table top games. We love board games, card games, miniatures games, competitive or co-operative. Put some dice in our hands and we are in our happy place.
We are also proud guinea pig parents to two lovely fluffballs of joy.
