Multi award-winning family games

The Dark Imp 
Board Game Studio

The Dark Imp is a game design studio specialising in board games and card games for families. 

  • Licensed games
  • Board game consultancy
  • Development
  • Self-published games

Conversations start with a board game.

Licensed Games

Licensed games include Spare Strike Steal from Ginger Fox.

Self-Published Games

A range of games self-published by The Dark Imp including big box games, small tin games, coaster games, placemat games, notepad games and cracker games!

Board Game Consultancy

Design and development consultancy for individuals and groups creating their own games.

Game Development

Board game development for publishers – including game reports with recommendations.

Awards & recognition includes…

Features include…

Licensed Games

Games created in partnership: We design games in partnership with publishers to their specific needs.

Games designed for specific publishers: We design games to fit publishers’ current wishlists.

Games pitched widely: We usually have 30-40 games that we are pitching widely to multiple publishers.

Commissions, Development & consultancy

The Dark Imp works with individuals and companies that need help with games they are creating.

Commissions: We design and develop a game for you.

Development: We work with you to improve your game.

Consultancy: We advise you about game design, development, pitching and publishing.

Dark Imp Games

Dark Imp games are designed to delight and engage families, even those who don’t normally play board games. These are not children’s games, but games in which the whole family can compete on a level playing field: true multi-generational play.

To hook in new families, Dark Imp games come in unusual formats – on coasters, on placemats, in travel tins and even in Christmas crackers.

The Book

The Board Game Family by The Dark Imp’s Ellie Dix provides roadmap to integrating board gaming into family life, filled with irresistible ways to engage even the trickiest of teenagers and manage game nights with flair.

In The Board Game Family, Ellie Dix aims to help parents by inviting them and their families into the unplugged world of board games. The benefits of board games are far-reaching. Playing games improves memory formation and cognitive abilities, boosts critical thinking, develops interpersonal skills and refines our problem-solving and decision-making.

With these benefits in mind, Ellie explains how parents can unleash the potential of those dusty boxes at the back of the cupboard and become teachers of outstanding gamesmanship – equipped to navigate the unfolding drama of competition, thwart the common causes of arguments and tears, and bind together a happier, more social family unit.

Take the scorecard

Take our ten-minute scorecard to receive a personalised report about your next steps in raising your own Board Game Family.

– Discover your Board Game Family Score in 10 minutes
– Instantly receive a personalised 8 page report
– See how your score breaks down into three categories: Attitude, Focus and Exposure
– Repeat the Scorecard as many times as you like to measure progress
– Free of charge – no strings attached.