About

crit·i·cal – adjective –

1. expressing or involving an analysis of the merits and faults of a board game.

“That board game received critical acclaim!”

Does anyone even read About pages? Probably not. Oh well, I should probably have one, since all the cool kids are doing it. I’m Ben, and I’ve been writing reviews for a while now – years in fact. I started off writing about video games, but then my tastes matured I had kids, and the whole responsibility thing kicked in. Can’t be frying those brain cells, right?

Originally I wrote some pieces for one of my buddy’s existing sites. I realized pretty quickly that I wanted to pursue writing in earnest. Since then, I’ve gone through a few iterations of review sites, trying to find a focus that works well for me, and thus Critical Chit! was born.

Critical Chit! is primarily a review site for tabletop games and stuff that makes tabletop gaming better. Specifically, I do written reviews with an emphasis on brevity and meaningful content. I tell you what I think you need to know about a game, and not much else.

“What makes Critical Chit different than other outlets?“
What, you mean other than my dashing good looks and razor sharp wit? Well, it’s in the name. Much of board game content leans towards how to play videos and previews that only highlight a product’s positive qualities. There is definitely an audience for that kind of content – heck I watch a lot of it, and will probably eventually work on some content in that vein – but my primary focus is going to be critical reviews.

Let me clarify that I don’t mean I’ll be posting a ton of negative reviews. I mean I’m not afraid of cons. I won’t pull punches. It is entirely possible for me to enjoy a game and not like things about it. If that’s the case, you’re going to hear about it. It’s also entirely possible that I’ll think I’m going to enjoy a game, and absolutely hate it. If that happens, yup, you’re still going to hear about it.

“Why are most of your reviews positive then?“
Because I don’t have unlimited time. I haven’t done the math, but I’m pretty sure I can’t keep up with current releases. As a result, I usually agree to review games that I’m reasonably certain I’ll enjoy in some capacity, and that my family will enjoy, since they’re my primary gaming group. I’ve been wrong about that, I’ve thought “WOW that looks cool!” and been completely disappointed – but it doesn’t happen often. I don’t enjoy bashing products just for the sake of appearing more “critical” in the traditional sense. I enjoy board games, and writing about them.

“Some of your old reviews suck. Pictures too.“
Thanks for noticing! Naturally, as I mature as a writer, photographer, and gamer, my skill as a reviewer will mature as well. I am aware that some of my older content is not as polished or even as helpful as my more recent content – some of it is downright awful. As time allows, I’ll revamp content that I feel deserves more attention, and there is definitely some content that does. When this happens, I’ll post on social media about the updates. Of course, new content will always take priority over updating old content, so don’t expect a flurry of these updates.

“Well that all sounds reasonable. Wanna work together?“
Thanks. And yeah! Check out my policies page if you’re here looking to work together in some capacity.

2024 Update: For those of you that noticed, we went radio silent for a few years, our website went down, and we lost all of our data. A lot happened during that time including job loss that caused us to move across the country and away from our gaming group. I won’t bore you with the details but we are back and are slowly reposting old content that should never have lapsed. Once we get back to a place where we are current with our backlog of reviews, we will be focusing on games that my family will enjoy and be able to play – meaning you won’t see a ton of heavier games here for a while. Happy to be back at it though, stay tuned for more reviews soon!