Welcome to Space-Biff! We’re glad to have you.

In case you’re wondering what we’re all about, chances are the answer is “board games.” Simple as that. No strings attached. Board. Games. Nice, aren’t they?

In general, Space-Biff! is the work of Dan Thurot, though since it’s hardly ever the case that anything belongs to merely a single person, he’s also joined by a number of helpful individuals, including his wife (and editor) Somerset, and friends near and far, including the friendly members of the Crap Patrol — “We endure the crap so you don’t have to” is the litany they recite when they’re feeling sad about playing another terrible game.

Contact

If you need to contact me — or, hey, let’s not be so formal, if you want to contact me — then feel free to shoot me an email. Please be polite, because nobody likes emails from crummy people.

dt.innocent at gmail dot.com

Or perhaps follow me @DanThurot on Twitter.

If You Are a Game Designer, or Simply Curious about Our Review Policies

Here at Space-Biff!, I pride myself on manufacturing high-quality and impartial reviews. In order to do this, I often cooperate with game designers and publishers to obtain review copies. Unsurprisingly, this raises the occasional eyebrow. Thus, to alleviate any concern about my ethical practices, here are my site policies:

1. I do accept review copies. If I had to guess, I’d say that around 75% of the games covered on Space-Biff! are provided by designers or publishers. This is indicated in the appropriate review.
2. I am not a copywriter. Please refrain from asking me to highlight your upcoming game without also asking if I’d like a review copy.
3. While I do accept review copies, I unfortunately will not generally accept prototype copies.
4. Along the same lines, I generally will not write previews for crowdfunding campaigns, though I reserve the right to make exceptions for games that are being reprinted, or games where the publisher can provide a finished copy.
5. I will never accept money from designers or publishers for my reviews on Space-Biff! However, I reserve the right to seek employment and freelance work elsewhere.
6. I will never permit anyone — for example, a designer or publisher — to veto or alter one of my reviews. What you see is my unfiltered opinion.
7. I will play a game at least three times before writing a review. Often, I will play a game more than three times, but I can’t guarantee that.
8. I don’t do video reviews because I’m an ugly fella and I’d rather you slept well tonight. I don’t do unboxing videos because they’re dorky. I don’t do rules recitations because those aren’t reviews.
9. In case you’re wondering why I don’t simply host my reviews over at BoardGameGeek — possibly my most-received question — it’s a matter of principle. I don’t believe that I should work hard to produce paying content for someone else’s site without receiving something in return. By maintaining my own space, I’m free to be as positive or negative as I like.
10. 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?
11. On that note, I love opinions. Feel free to disagree with me. Polite discussion is how we’ll save the world, maybe.
12. That said, you aren’t my mom. If you feel I’m unprincipled, I’m sure I could live without hearing about it. Feel free to start up your own utopian review site, pay all your site fees, pay for all your review copies, avoid the shackles of advertising, never make a friend in the industry for fear of exhibiting bias, and brag about how great you are. I’m sure everyone will love you forever.

Cool? Cool.
~Dan Thurot