Policy

Review Policy

If you are a publisher, designer, or board game creator, and you want us to review/preview/showcase one of your games?

Contact us through the contact page on the blog, Boardgamegeek (el_crosso), Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or drop us an email at contact at aboardgamelife dot blog

So this is what we solemnly swear:

  • Honesty in what we think of the game with our pro’s and cons.
  • We sometimes do receive review copies, but our opinion is not bought with that and it will be noted in the article. Most games are bought ourselves.
  • Kickstarters we do only when upfront consulted and if possible within our precious time.
  • No raw prototypes please, almost final products are fine. We rather test them only at con’s or specific game day’s and put the time in games which are almost in retail or Kickstart ready.
  • Publishers get that written information in draft upfront if they wish, but have no say in the published content whatsoever.
  • Clarity if it’s a preview (paid or asked for), review (always a personal opinion!) or a showcase project (can be personal or requested by designer/publisher).
  • We try to play games at least 3 or more times, but exceptions may occur.
  • Borrowed from a fellow critic (Space Biff) and we agree with this 100% and we couldn’t have said it better:
    • I understand that receiving review copies means that some people won’t be willing to trust my opinion. That’s okay. I get it. However, being unpaid for my work doesn’t mean that I don’t consider myself a professional critic and the only way I can continue to provide all those high-quality reviews (at literally no cost to you) is to receive free review copies. Furthermore, playing a wide range of games — including many that I might not have tried if I were personally purchasing every game I played — helps me cultivate a broad and informed opinion. When I write something, I mean it. I stand by it. That doesn’t mean my opinion won’t change, or evolve, or be altered by a sound argument. Maybe you’d like to make one?
  • These are our opinions and our experiences. We may differ on that and we can discuss that, but ALWAYS keep it polite, civil and mannered when you share your thoughts. But please do so, we firmly believe that growth is best done together and with new insights, we all benefit from this beautiful hobby. But respect is key.