Welcome to the What If blog. Today I’m speaking with Lana (@boardgameduck), the Lead Admin for the UK Review Circle, a group many of you in the indie tabletop community may be familiar with. The UK Review Circle has become an important resource for game designers looking to get their creations into the world.
In this interview, Lana shares how the group has grown from a simple arrangement between friends to reviewing between 150-200 games yearly. We discuss their mission, process, and how they’ve become a valuable part of the tabletop gaming ecosystem. If you’re a designer interested in having your game reviewed or simply curious about this community initiative, I think you’ll find this conversation informative.
Joe: Welcome to the What If blog. Can you introduce yourself and tell me a little about what brings you to the world of tabletop games?
Lana: Hi Joe, I’m Lana and I recently took over as Lead Admin for the UKBG Review Circle.
I’ve been board gaming since around 2010 when I helped run the Anime, Gaming and Sci-Fi Society at University. I started reviewing games a little over a year ago when I joined the review circle as a member.
I love the way board games bring people together and offer so many great and varied experiences.
I love the way board games bring people together and offer so many great and varied experiences, so it’s really exciting to me that I get to share that with others and be part of such a vibrant community!
Joe: Thank you Lana, it’s great to have you on the blog. Many members of the @boardgameprotohype community have been involved with your group. It’s a great route to help indie designers get their games out into the world. I wonder if you could fill us in on the history of the UK Review Circle?
Lana: Absolutely! So the Circle was created in 2022 by the lovely @favouritefoe. A small publisher in Singapore wanted to get more UK coverage for their games, and shipping multiple review copies to individuals was very expensive and didn’t make sense for them. She offered to pass her review copy to a few creator friends to help them out as the games were so lovely!
After this, a company in Taiwan who distributes a number of publishers’ games, asked if she could circulate a few copies of their games in the same way to maximise cost/benefit for them.
Since then, mostly through word of mouth, the circle has blossomed and thrived. We now have 50+ reviewers who review and produce content for many indie and larger publishers/distributors.
Joe: It’s lovely when wonderful things start from such simple beginnings. From all the UK Review Circle posts it looks like you’re a really busy bunch! How many games are you reviewing each year? And do you have some wild and wonderful spreadsheet to organise it all (I love a good spreadsheet)!
Lana: Ha! I’m a massive spreadsheet nerd!! That’s how I first got involved as an admin for the circle actually, I helped track reviews initially and then I revamped our spreadsheets to make organisation and management a little easier.
We currently have 50 games actively circulating members of the group, so it’s a busy start to 2025!!
In terms of how busy we are, the circle has grown year on year. In 2024 we reviewed somewhere between 150-200 different games, with around 750 individual reviews, which is a heck of a lot! The reviewers in the circle do an absolutely incredible job producing content, and as tricky as the admin work behind the scenes is to manage, the circle would be nothing without the dedication, hard work and passion of every member of the circle!
We currently have 50 games actively circulating members of the group, so it’s a busy start to 2025!!
Joe: Wowsers! That’s an epic amount of games in the works already. I’m impressed with the dedication of the group. The review circle gets a lot of love from the @boardgameprotohype community. And it’s lovely to see indie games featuring so readily amongst reviews too. Do you try to champion the indie space particularly?
Lana: I’m really glad to hear that we get a lot of love from the @boardgameprotohype community. One of the aspects of the circle that makes me proudest is seeing the effect we’ve had on getting independent games to a wider audience.
Hearing from first time, or smaller, publishers that their Kickstarter successes wouldn’t have been possible without us is so heartwarming and it’s an aspect I (and many other members) absolutely cherish! It’s definitely a big part of why I personally participate in the Circle. To feel like I’ve had a meaningful impact in allowing someone to follow their dreams is an incredible thing to be a part of.
When we get support and inquiries from larger publishers and distributors who want to work with us; it’s wonderful because it feeds into our ability to support indie publishers more too as our audience grows.
Joe: This is lovely to hear, and the support is welcome. This is partly what we’re trying to achieve through @boardgameprotohype a way of providing foundation and support for indie creators. I’ve asked the community if they have any questions for you, and they’re come back with a few. So how about a lightning round of questions…
What do reviewers expect in return (copy once successfully funded, etc.)? | @gamesbyjs
Lana: The only firm requirement is that postage is refunded when sending games on to the next reviewer. Gifted retail copies of games to reviewers are always appreciated though not a requirement. We like to thank the reviewers if possible, so if a copy each isn’t possible, a copy that we can run a giveaway for to the group members is appreciated (whether this is the copy sent to us to review, or a retail copy). If this isn’t possible it won’t change anything though!
How do you select reviewers? If it’s anyone who wants to, as they’re a group, will they send it on to the next reviewer? Or would we need multiple prototypes? | @gamesbyjs
Lana: We set up a list of everyone interested in reviewing. If a publisher requests a certain number of reviews, reviewers would be chosen at random to make it fairer within the group. We send the game from one reviewer to the next. If you want reviews faster, multiple copies would mean we can circulate to more members at once.
What information do they need to know in an initial email? What’s good information to have before reviewing a game? | @mintynoodlesgames
Lana: I’ve created a Google form for publishers to fill in with all the basic information to make life easier for me managing requests! It sets out how we work and manages expectations on both sides! In terms of initial communications, a message to the Instagram account or an email with a brief introduction to yourselves and the game is a good start!
How many copies of the games do you need? | @whos_meowing
Lana: This depends on a couple of things. Mostly how quickly you’d need reviews but also how many reviewers sign up to review. I would initially gather a list of reviewers to determine interest and send this across so that you can make the decision ultimately for what would best for you.
How can designers make it easier for reviewers to review their games? | @mintynoodlesgames
Lana: This is a tricky question as no reviewer is the same. I’d say being friendly, available for questions if there are any, and being open and receptive to feedback are the biggest things that would impact our ability to review.
How long does each reviewer have to review a game, and how many reviewers will have the opportunity to review it? Or is this based on the timeframe the designer/publisher gives? | @sleepless_knights_games
Lana: Unless otherwise requested, we give reviewers 4 weeks to review a game. If there are specific deadlines that need meeting it can be requested that reviews are completed sooner. This may mean fewer reviewers are available though.
Do you accept print & play games? | @deryasgames
Lana: We do accept print and play games! There is a smaller group of reviewers that do have printers and can play and review them.
Is it best to provide the reviewers with set questions that you’d like answered and which make collating and analysing all the reviews easier, or to allow each reviewer to review with complete freedom? | @courtiersthegame
Lana: We’ve never prescribed what reviewers have to do in their reviews, everyone has their own individual styles and I think that’s what makes them great. Different review styles will appeal to different readers. If there are any specifics you’d want to ask reviewers, members are always happy to help!
Joe: Thank you Lana, this is all incredibly useful. What you’re doing with the UK Review Circle is a key part of what makes indie tabletop game publishing possible in the UK (and beyond). Let’s finish this off – tell us how we can get in touch if we’d like to share our games with you.
Lana: There are a couple of ways to get in contact, you can reach out via the UKBG Review Circle Instagram Account, you can send us an email at ukbgreviewcircle@gmail.com. If you give us a little introduction of the game you’d like reviewed, and any requirements from yourself we can go from there!
I look forward to seeing how we can all support each other in the future!
Thank you, Lana, for taking the time to share these insights about the UK Review Circle. The work you’re doing is so valuable for the tabletop gaming community, especially for indie designers looking to get their games into the hands of reviewers.
I encourage our readers to follow the UK Review Circle on Instagram to see their latest reviews and connect with this supportive community.
And if you found this interview helpful, please subscribe to the What If? blog for more conversations with tabletop industry figures and resources for game designers.
