Review Methodology

Games should be fun! This is how we bring people into this great hobby. When we take time to review a board game at One Board Family, we are considering a couple things.

Fun Factor

Is the game enjoyable? Who will have fun with this game? Does it feel like a chore to bring this game to the table?
We strive to bring you reviews that are honest and give you an idea of what you can expect when sitting down with a game. While we are a family-focused gaming site, we review games across the spectrum. At the end of the day, these board and tabletop games should be fun and help you create new memories around the table.

Time Commitment

We value your time so we’re going to be up front with the time commitment that a game will take. There are some games that will take you 3 to 5 hours to play. Those games might be amazing, but chances are that they will not be reviewed here. The games we review will take into account families and couples along with gamers at different levels of experience. We’ll let you know if the time listed on the box is accurate in our reviews.

Games are Complex

We don’t want to short change a game by assigning it a number. Games can be complex experiences that are bigger than a single review score. We’ll do our best to give you the info you need to make a decision on purchasing a new game. You can always ask questions in the comments section on any review. We always aim to respond in a timely fashion.

Upfront Review Policy

We distinguish our game coverage in a couple ways:

Previews

These games are not in their final form and are not available at retail yet. Often, these will be games being funded through Kickstarter or another crowd-funding website. We can only share about the experience we have with the prototype of the game. Our coverage will not make a final judgment call on the game, we’ll leave that for you to decide after reading our coverage and visiting their campaign.

As of September 1, 2020, we have begun charging a small fee when previewing a game. This money goes directly into equipment costs and fees that we incur to continue running One Board Family.

Reviews

Everyone knows that reviews are subjective and we’ll do our best to share the highs and lows of the games that we cover. At the end of the day, we want to introduce you to a new game that will help you make memories with family and friends. We are never paid to review a game. In some cases publishers have provided us with a retail copy of the game. This will always be listed at the bottom of the review so that we are transparent with the reader.

Lists

We often include games on lists that appear annually or based around different times of the year. Games that appear on these lists may not get a full review but they are games that we enjoy. At times, publishers will share their game with us to be included in these lists. We do not accept payment for placement of these games and will not include them unless we feel that they are a good fit.

Amazon Affiliate Links

One Board Family is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. We are given a commission based on qualifying purchases.

Last revised on September 1, 2020