boardgamers.ca is an independent, free reference for learning how to play board games — their rules, their strategy and the genres they belong to. This page explains who we are, what the site is for, how we research and check what we publish, and, just as importantly, what we are not: we are not a shop, we are not a review site, and we carry no affiliate links or paid product recommendations. If you have ever opened a rulebook and still not known whose turn it was, this site is built for you.
What is boardgamers.ca?
boardgamers.ca is a Canadian informational website about tabletop board games, card games and dice games. Its whole purpose is to help people learn and enjoy games they already own or are curious about — not to sell anything. The site is organised around five plain-language hubs: a beginner’s guide to how to play board games, a library of board game rules for the classics, a companion guide to card and dice games, an explainer of genres and mechanics, and a board game strategy guide. Everything on the site is free to read, with no account, sign-up or download required.
At a Glance
| Site | boardgamers.ca |
|---|---|
| Type | Independent informational reference (not a shop or review site) |
| Focus | Board game rules, how to play, strategy, genres and classics |
| Based in | Canada |
| Cost to read | Free — no account or download required |
| Affiliate links / sponsored reviews | None |
| Products sold | None |
| Content standard | Fact-checked, people-first (Google E-E-A-T) |
Who we are and what we believe
We are a small group of lifelong board game players and editors who got tired of two things: rulebooks that assume you already know the game, and “guides” that are really just a wall of buy-now buttons. boardgamers.ca exists to be the opposite — a neutral, patient reference you can trust at the kitchen table. Our editorial approach is simple and is documented so you can hold us to it.
What We Stand For
- Neutral, not promotional — we explain games, we do not rate or sell them.
- Free and open — all content is readable without paying or signing up.
- No affiliate links — nothing we write depends on a sale.
- Fact-checked — every rule, date and figure is verified against a reliable source.
- Beginner-friendly — every technical term is explained the first time it appears.
- Honest about uncertainty — where rules vary or are disputed, we say so.
- Corrections welcome — reader-reported errors are checked and fixed quickly.
Why a Canadian board game resource?
We are based in Canada, and that shapes what we cover. Canada has a genuine tabletop heritage that is easy to overlook. Crokinole — the flicking-disc board game — originated in Southwestern Ontario, and the oldest surviving board was made by craftsman Eckhardt Wettlaufer in 1876 and now sits in a museum collection in Kitchener. Kitchen-table card games such as euchre and cribbage are woven into Canadian family life in a way they are not everywhere. Writing from here means we treat those games as first-class subjects rather than afterthoughts, and it means we default to details that matter locally, like where a game is commonly played and under which house rules. The games themselves are universal, so readers anywhere are welcome — the Canadian lens simply adds context, it never limits the content.
What you will find on the site
Every topic on boardgamers.ca is broken into the direct questions a reader actually asks. Rules pages tell you the player count, the age range, roughly how long a game takes, what is in the box and the turn-by-turn flow. Strategy pages separate the universal principles — tempo, resource efficiency, reading opponents, managing risk — from game-specific tactics. Genre pages define a mechanic in one sentence before showing example games that use it. You can start from the boardgamers.ca homepage, which introduces all five hubs, and follow the links down to whatever you need.
- Learn the basics — components, turn structure and how to read any rulebook.
- Look up the rules — step-by-step instructions for classic board, card and dice games.
- Get better — beginner-friendly strategy and common mistakes, not just the ideal play.
- Understand the hobby — the genres, mechanics and vocabulary that let you pick up any new game faster.
How we research and fact-check
Every rule, figure, date and name we publish is checked against a reliable source before it goes live, not written from memory. For rules we prefer the official rulebook or the publisher; for history and background we prefer primary sources, museums and the people who make the games. When something is disputed or varies by region — and with house rules, it often does — we say so plainly instead of pretending there is a single right answer. This matters because an instruction that is 90% right still leaves you stuck at the table, so we aim for the detail that actually lets you finish the turn.
Our quality bar follows Google’s people-first guidance, summarised by the acronym E-E-A-T: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness. In practice that means content written by people who actually play these games, backed by cited sources, reviewed before publishing, and corrected quickly when a reader catches a mistake. We would rather publish fewer pages that are right than many that are padded.
How the site stays independent
boardgamers.ca does not sell products, and it does not earn commission when you buy one. There are no affiliate links, no sponsored reviews, no “best game” lists ranked by who paid, and no pop-ups pushing you toward a checkout. When we mention a specific game, it is because it illustrates a rule, a genre or a strategy — never because a sale depends on it. Any “best” or “popular” framing you see is tied to something measurable, such as player count, play time or how widely a game is played, not to our opinion or anyone’s advertising budget. This independence is the point of the site: it lets us describe a game’s weaknesses as honestly as its strengths.
We also keep our public commitments in one place so they are easy to check. If you ever find a page that reads like an advertisement, that is a bug — tell us and we will fix it.
How we differ from shops and review sites
The clearest way to understand boardgamers.ca is to compare it with the two kinds of site it is often confused with.
- Versus a store: a shop’s goal is to sell you a copy; ours is to help you play the copy you already have. We list no prices, run no checkout and take no commission.
- Versus a review site: a review site tells you whether a game is good and scores it; we stay neutral and simply explain how a game works, who it suits and how to get better at it. We publish reference material, not verdicts.
- Versus a forum: forums are great for debate but scattered and uneven; we distil the reliable, checked essentials into one clear page per topic.
Common misconceptions about this site
A few things readers sometimes assume that are not true:
- “You must be trying to sell me something.” We are not. Nothing on the site is for sale and there are no affiliate links.
- “The Canadian focus means it is only for Canadians.” No — the rules of chess, Catan or rummy are the same everywhere. The Canadian angle adds heritage and context; it does not narrow the audience.
- “If it is free, the information must be thin.” Free refers to the price, not the depth. Pages are fact-checked and written to be genuinely useful, then tightened rather than padded.
- “These are official rules, so house rules are wrong.” We flag where common house rules differ precisely because so many families play their own way, especially with card games.
Who writes boardgamers.ca
The site is produced by an editorial team of experienced board game players rather than by a single celebrity author. Content is researched, written, fact-checked against sources and reviewed before it is published, and updated when games, editions or our understanding change. We describe our process rather than parade credentials, because on a reference site the thing you should be able to trust is the method: cited facts, neutral framing and prompt corrections. If a page is unsigned, it has still been through that same review.
How to reach us or suggest a correction
Accuracy is a shared effort. If you spot an error, a rule that does not match your edition, or a page that feels like it is selling rather than explaining, we want to hear about it so we can verify and fix it. Reader corrections are one of the main ways a young reference site earns trust, and we treat them seriously. You can reach the editorial team through the contact details published on the site.
Sources
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Is boardgamers.ca free to use?
Yes. Every page is free to read, with no account, subscription or download required. The site is funded independently of any product sales, so there is nothing to buy.
Does boardgamers.ca sell board games or use affiliate links?
No. The site sells nothing and carries no affiliate links or sponsored reviews. When a specific game is mentioned, it is to explain a rule, genre or strategy — never to earn a commission.
Do I have to be in Canada to use the site?
No. The rules and strategy apply to players anywhere; board games are universal. The Canadian focus simply adds local heritage and context, such as coverage of crokinole, euchre and cribbage.
How accurate is the information?
Every rule, date, figure and name is checked against a reliable source before publishing, with official rulebooks and primary sources preferred. Where a rule varies by region or house rule, the page says so rather than implying a single right answer.
Is this a review site that tells me which games are best?
No. boardgamers.ca is a neutral reference, not a review site. It explains how games work, who they suit and how to improve, and any “best” framing is tied to measurable facts like player count or play time rather than opinion.