A Year of Books 2025: Gaming Books

I didn’t just read prose… I read some gaming books, too! I don’t talk about it as much on the blog (I should probably start), but I love games in general. My family plays a lot of board games. So, some gaming books for the year!

Halfjinks
by James M. Spahn

Sometimes you want to play a huge epic campaign that saves the world. And sometimes… you just want to make sure you get home in time for tea. In Halfjinks, players take on the roles of young hobbits that are more interested in mischief than saving the world. If you’re looking for a cozy game, this is it!

I loved this concept when I first read it on Kickstarter, and I’m glad I backed it. The game really is made for a cozy session or five. I also love that the core stats are Bravery, Cunning, and Good Sense. Also, your characters can’t die. If they get too uncomfortable, they just go home for dinner. Or second dinner.

Oh, if a player brings a treat to share, they get bonus points. They can’t bring pizza.

Yeah. I love this one.

Gentleman’s War
By J. A Hunter

Please cheat responsibly.

It’s on the cover. It’s in the very heart of the game. It’s basically a fancy version of war, but if you cheat and you don’t get caught, the game rewards you.

Yeah. It’s a blast.

Purgatory House
By Robert Turk

The players gather to explore the haunted house. And then it closes in on them. At least one of them will die. Probably all of them, really. But here’s the twist of this game: When a player character dies, they become a ghost that can choose to help or hinder the remaining live players.

Let the games begin.

First, I love the concept of this game.

Second, it uses a unique blackjack system instead of rolling dice. Love that.

And on top of that, the game includes rooms for every card of the deck, so as long as the players understand the basic system, they can play with no further prep time. Awesome!

Epitaph
By Marc Hobbs

The players gather. One of them has died. Who was this person? How were they tied to the players? That is what this game determines.

Oh, man. This is great. Each player gets a turn at telling a story at a wake. Together they create this dead person’s tale. This sounds like so, so much fun.