Stonemaier

The fantastic games from Stonemaier Games are known for their inclusive and thorough game designs. Which game will you add to your cart? Below you can read more about what Stonemaier Games stands for.

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Stonemaier Games is a board game company located in St. Louis, USA. It is Jamey Stegmaier who is behind Stonemaier Games with support from co-founder Alan Stone among others. Stonemaier's vision is to create inclusive games for all kinds of people; both new and experienced board gamers, solo, two-player, and group games, and all ages, races, genders, etc.

The 12 Principles

Stonemaier has described 12 principles that the company adheres to when designing games.

1. Quick Start and Organic Ending:
   Stonemaier likes games with streamlined setup with minimal choices before the game starts and organic triggers to end the game.
2. The Ability to Plan Ahead:
   The player should not have to wait for the previous player to finish their turn before they can plan moves on their own turn, something that Stonemaier highly values in their game designs.
3. Limited Analysis Paralysis:
   The player should clearly see their options on the game board. There should not be cards and pieces with long texts that can be difficult to read across the table where players sit.
4. Excitement, Not Hostility:
   Stonemaier strives to limit the potential for disputes while encouraging various forms of interaction between players.
5. Interesting Choices are Better than Luck:
   In Stonemaier's games, it is never dice or other randomness that determines the outcome. The player should have control over the course of the game.
6. Rewards and Progress:
   Instead of focusing on punishment and regression, Stonemaier chooses game mechanics that reward players for fruitful choices, which drives the game forward. This way, the player will clearly feel stronger at the end of the game than at the beginning.
7. Intuitive to Learn:
   The design of Stonemaier games should consider the learning experience, so that completely new players can also participate.
8. Strong Connection Between Theme and Mechanics:
   For Stonemaier, it is important that players are not reminded that they are playing a game. The game's theme should be what keeps the player involved in the mechanical part of the game. Therefore, Stonemaier does not make games based on phases and action checklists.
9. Memorable Moments:
   Stonemaier games strive for players to achieve such moments.
10. Board Games are Tactile Experiences:
    Stonemaier loves exciting game components.
11. Variable Factors Create Replay Value:
    When you play a game from Stonemaier, you will never play the same game twice.
12. Multiple Paths to Victory:
    Stonemaier wants there to be more than one way to win the game.
    
    

The Fantastic Games

If you also love the game mechanics mentioned above, we at Card Collective can definitely recommend Stonemaier's games. Stonemaier Games consists of several popular games. These include:

• Viticulture
• Euphoria
• Between Two Cities
• Scythe
• Charterstone
• My Little Scythe
• Between Two Castles of Mad King Ludwig
• Wingspan
• Tapestry
• Pendulum
  
  

Wingspan

Stonemaier is especially known for the game Wingspan, which is ranked 20th on BoardGameGeek's list of best games and has received a handsome 8.1 points out of 10 possible. Wingspan is the type of board game called an engine-builder, where the player's game components function as a motor that generates points. You play as bird enthusiasts – researchers, bird watchers, ornithologists, and collectors – trying to discover and attract the best birds to your network of bird sanctuaries.