Written by Nicole Brief
Published May 9, 2024

On the surface, you’d think game reviewing and reporting is easy. But the intricate world of tabletops, co-ops, role-playing, pocket, and more is like an art to master.

There are dedicated beats at more outlets than you’d think where tabletop gaming reporters live and breathe all different types of games. If you take a closer look, you’ll quickly learn there’s nothing surface-level about it!

Right now, we’re deep in the trenches of an exciting category of tabletop games; Trading Card Games, better known as TCGs. From Star Wars: Unlimited to Pokémon TCG to the upcoming Neopets Battledome, this is a world, quite frankly, you can’t really understand until you embrace your inner nerd and experience it for yourself. That’s how I became a pseudo-pro for our client Upper Deck.

It’s fun to lean into the nostalgia of your youth and revisit classic characters. Learning this beat brought me back to the days of hanging out in a friend’s basement playing Yu-Gi-Oh. If you think about it, we’ve all been exposed to TCGs since we were little, but the older you get, the more you can comprehend the different strategies and unlock endless hours of entertainment.

Pro Tip: PR pros must do their homework to become experts in their clients' industries. Sometimes it’s having a game night to learn the ins and outs of a product, or taking a bike for a spin. Other times it’s digging into industry publications, newsletters, and thought leaders’ content on LinkedIn. 

So, who are the reporters holding these coveted spots, dedicating their days… and I’m sure nights and weekends, too… to determine the best of the best new tabletop games? We’ve got you covered with the top six tabletop gaming reporters to know.

6 Tabletop Gaming Reporters to Know

Charlie Hall

Charlie has been the senior editor of Polygon’s dedicated tabletop game news section since 2021. He was actually the first tabletop editor named to a major entertainment publication in the United States! While he can sometimes be a tough nut to crack, his knowledge of the industry is extensive. And I got lucky. 

When I first connected with Charlie to let him know I was the PR contact for Upper Deck, he was extremely welcoming and gave me the opportunity to hop on an intro call and learn more about his beat, his coverage, and the best ways to work together. 

Pro Tip: Give Charlie at least 48 hours notice for news announcements if you want any chance of coverage. He’s always got a STACKED plate! Whenever a reporter drops tips like this, be sure to update your media lists and let your teammates know. It helps with relationship building.

Gavin Sheehan

Gavin has worked with Bleeding Cool as their game editor for over seven years. He describes himself as a “lifelong geek who can chat with you about comics, television, video games, and even pro wrestling,” among other topics. He’s super down-to-earth and a dream to work with. 

I’ve worked with Gavin on several projects, including helping us to launch Upper Deck licensed TCGs and trading card sets. As I write this blog, he’s currently reviewing another card game client, Pickle Everything.

Check out Gavin’s recent articles here.

Benjamin Abbott

Benjamin (not Ben) oversees the tabletop and merch coverage at GamesRadar. He’s been covering games in one form or another for nearly his entire career. From tabletop game reviews to the latest LEGO updates, Benjamin reports on nerdy collectibles of all kinds.

When we supported a crisis communications project for a client in the gaming space, Benjamin was one of the first to accept the news and run with our story! He’s fast to respond and easy to communicate with.

PRO TIP: Crisis communications is all about taking control of the narrative. When you know a potential crisis may come to the surface, work with your marketing, leadership, and legal teams to align on the story, the key players involved, your company’s role, how the public may perceive the news, and more. Build a playbook that includes how you’ll handle all internal and external communications transparently before, during, and after the news breaks. Whenever possible, identify ways to flip it into a positive for your company that furthers your communications and business objectives. 

Matthew Aguilar

Matthew has been a significant player in tabletop game news for years. He’s a content writer for ComicBook.com covering a variety of different topics daily. I honestly don’t know how he does it! The thing I love about Matthew is, he’ll always respond. Even if he can’t take the news, needs more time, or the pitch needs something more to warrant coverage, he’ll let you know. 

Seeing an outlet called “ComicBook” might not make you think of “tabletop game reviewers” … but this is one of the go-tos; especially if your brand has licensed products within the pop culture world. I’ve developed a solid working relationship with Matthew over the past year. 

Take a closer look at my first story with Matthew, where he helped us share the news about Upper Deck’s AEW trading card game!

Alex Meehan

Dicebreaker is one of the OG tabletop game review publications. While it’s based in the UK, it’s a top source for U.S. gamers. Alex has been a staff writer with the outlet for almost five years. Side note: She doesn't mind if you loop additional colleagues in an email, and often takes that on herself. 

We’ve developed a strong relationship with Alex and her team, to the point that we’re starting to take advantage of their content production opportunities for an upcoming launch to create video reviews along with the written articles.

Joe Parlock

Joe quickly became the tabletop editor at TheGamer, as he really is a trading card game specialist! Joe goes in-depth on the important details of these intricate games, as he did with his preview of the Neopets Battledome Trading Card Game, which is releasing this summer.

Make sure to keep an eye out for these tabletop gaming reporter’s stories on huge upcoming industry shows San Diego Comic-Con and Gen Con this summer. You’ll be sure to find in-depth reviews and roundups of the hottest new tabletop games from so many respected game companies in the industry.