What do you think?
Rate this book
Ticket to Carcassonne: 21st Century Tabletop Games
There has been something of a revolution recently in the world of board games and card games. Not the violent sort of revolution, with riots and decapitated monarchs, but a peaceful revolution that has given the world many exciting new things to enjoy - less like the French Revolution and more like the Industrial Revolution, or Prince and the Revolution.
Ticket to Carcassonne is your guide to the new world of tabletop games.
Part history lesson and part strategy guide, this is a book for both beginners and experienced game players alike. Author Steve Dee shares his enthusiasm for the hobby and talks about many different games and genres with passion and a sense of humour, but focuses in particular on five of the biggest modern games. Find out the stories of their creation, with interviews from several of the designers, and improve your game by following the detailed strategy guides. For when you have mastered those games, Ticket to Carcassonne also contains many suggestions for what to try next.
Ticket to Carcassonne is your guide to the new world of tabletop games.
Part history lesson and part strategy guide, this is a book for both beginners and experienced game players alike. Author Steve Dee shares his enthusiasm for the hobby and talks about many different games and genres with passion and a sense of humour, but focuses in particular on five of the biggest modern games. Find out the stories of their creation, with interviews from several of the designers, and improve your game by following the detailed strategy guides. For when you have mastered those games, Ticket to Carcassonne also contains many suggestions for what to try next.
- GenresNonfictionGames
257 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 4, 2016
16 people are currently reading
23 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 14, 2019
"Monopoly? No, sorry. I've never heard of it." :)
October 24, 2017
I think this is a great little primer for those unfamiliar with modern board gaming. It did seem a bit odd to define the types of games at the END of the book rather than the beginning. And I probably got more strategy than I want to know regarding Dominion. But all in all, good fun and I would definitely recommend to those wanting to know more about the board gaming hobby. Plus, I for one found the author had a great sense of humor. Enjoyed the silly jokes.
May 29, 2017
some interesting tidbits, but mostly unstructured commentary with an attempt of humor.
April 25, 2019
A good read. The author shares his enthusiasm for gaming and talks about some of the best games on the market. I particularly enjoyed his sense of humour and his top ten chapter... loved it
January 4, 2022
Quick easy read. Not really for an avid gamer like me, but I still enjoyed it. I'd recommend it to someone new to board gaming.
December 26, 2025
The tactics tips are v useful.
September 4, 2017
A very basic exploration of designer boardgames. It is a fun read even for someone who already knows a great deal about the hobby thanks to the authors sense of humor.
December 10, 2016
"Ticket to Carcassonne" is a beginner's guide to the world of tabletop gaming. The book essentially showcases five "gateway" games: "Ticket to Ride", "Carcassonne", "Dominion", "Stone Age" and "Pandemic". Each featured game has a backstory of the game, some introductory strategies and additional retail expansions of the game. There is also a section on how to host and run a game night.
Steve Dee uses a lighthearted British humor throughout the book and it is more conversational than authoritative. This would not be a book that an intermediate or advanced game would have a great deal of interest in, but could consider it as a gift or recommendation to someone just starting in the hobby. It's a little unorganized at points, but it covers several topics that could whet the appetite of someone new to the board game world.
Steve Dee uses a lighthearted British humor throughout the book and it is more conversational than authoritative. This would not be a book that an intermediate or advanced game would have a great deal of interest in, but could consider it as a gift or recommendation to someone just starting in the hobby. It's a little unorganized at points, but it covers several topics that could whet the appetite of someone new to the board game world.
October 16, 2016
Passable primer for newbies
This rambling overview of modern board games is an OK introduction to the hobby for people that don't really know it very well. More serious board gamers will probably have to skip past a lot of rules of standard gateway games they know and quick reviews of basic strategy. My biggest complaint is that the book is not well-researched, making lots of claims that are just not true about first American winners of prizes and the like. In fairness, I'm probably not really the audience for this particular book, having played for decades, but even so, I expect an introductory book on the hobby would serve readers of that kind of a tome better with more organization and a less conversational style.
This rambling overview of modern board games is an OK introduction to the hobby for people that don't really know it very well. More serious board gamers will probably have to skip past a lot of rules of standard gateway games they know and quick reviews of basic strategy. My biggest complaint is that the book is not well-researched, making lots of claims that are just not true about first American winners of prizes and the like. In fairness, I'm probably not really the audience for this particular book, having played for decades, but even so, I expect an introductory book on the hobby would serve readers of that kind of a tome better with more organization and a less conversational style.
November 21, 2016
Only 3 stars, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Still trying to figure out who the target audience is for this, as it seems to be trying to speak to too many disparate levels of gamer. Despite this, the easy-going conversational tone of the writing made for a fun read.
October 22, 2016
Great intro book to board gaming and a genuinely funny author. I literally laughed out loud a number of times and find his voice and observations well worth the read.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews