About

BGHaven, or at least the idea behind it, first came to me back in 2009. At the time, I regularly hosted game nights for friends and family and realised I needed a better way to share my thoughts, discoveries and ideas. Email was still a powerful communication tool in those days, and newsletters were an effective way to keep in touch.

As social media and instant messaging became more popular, email gradually lost some of its importance, and I found myself looking for other ways to connect with people. I tried WhatsApp for a while, then set up a Facebook group, which is still active today, although its content is currently private.

Later, I experimented with blogging and created the BGHaven blog at bghaven.blogspot.com. Although it remains accessible, I plan to gradually phase it out in favour of this website. From now on, this website will be the main home for new content, so please check back regularly for updates.

My love for board games began at an early age. Like many people growing up in the 1980s, my first experiences were mostly with two player games shared with family and friends. Alongside these were many of the board game classics that seemed to be found in almost every household. Games such as Monopoly, Cluedo, Scrabble, and Chess were familiar companions throughout my childhood. They offered entertainment, friendly competition, and many memorable moments around the table.

As personal computers became more common, an entirely new world of gaming opened up. Some of the traditional board games I enjoyed appeared in digital form, while new strategy games introduced ideas and mechanics that would later become familiar within the board gaming hobby. During this time I also discovered tabletop role playing games. The freedom to create characters, explore imaginary worlds and tell stories with friends captured my imagination. It was only natural that I would also be drawn to their digital counterparts, from computer role playing games to increasingly sophisticated strategy titles.

Although gaming remained a constant interest, my enthusiasm for modern board games was truly renewed during the 2000s. By then, a vibrant hobby had emerged, offering experiences that were very different from the games I had grown up with. I began exploring what are now considered modern classics, including Catan, Carcassonne, Ticket to Ride, Pandemic and Splendor. Many of these games had received prestigious awards and helped define the direction of modern board game design.

Over time, I discovered that my tastes leaned towards light to medium complexity Eurogames. I enjoy games that provide meaningful decisions without becoming overly complicated. I have a particular fondness for deck building, worker placement and resource management mechanics, especially when they create interesting choices and encourage different paths to success. The challenge of adapting to changing circumstances while pursuing a strategy is something I find fascinating.

Yet my appreciation for board games extends beyond mechanics and winning. The longer I spent around the gaming table, the more I began to notice parallels between what happens in games and what happens in life. Board games can certainly help develop planning, critical thinking and logical reasoning, but I believe they can also teach us something deeper about ourselves.

Every game presents us with situations that are not entirely under our control. The cards we draw, the dice we roll, and the actions of other players can all influence the outcome. What matters is how we respond. In this respect, many games reflect an idea found in Stoic philosophy: the dichotomy of control. We cannot control everything that happens to us, but we can control our choices, attitudes and actions. The most enjoyable games are often those that combine skill with a measure of uncertainty, challenging us to make the best decisions with the information available.

For me, board gaming has become more than a hobby. It is a way to connect with others, explore new ideas, and learn about my own strengths and weaknesses. Around every table there is an opportunity for discovery, not only of a game's systems and strategies, but also of ourselves.

I invite you to explore the rest of the material on this website. Whether you are a seasoned hobbyist or someone just beginning your own journey into board gaming, I hope you find something here that informs, inspires, or simply encourages you to gather around a table and play.