Plaid Hat Games
Plaid Hat Games is a United States board-game studio and publisher known for narrative, thematic, and strategy-focused tabletop games.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
Plaid Hat Games is a United States–based board-game studio and publishing label founded in 2009 by designer Colby Dauch. Dauch established the company to publish its first title, Summoner Wars, a two-player tactical card-and-board game that became the foundation of the studio's identity. From the beginning, Plaid Hat Games emphasized original settings, strong thematic presentation, character-driven gameplay, and systems that combine strategic decision-making with accessible narrative hooks. The company expanded its catalog during the early 2010s with games including Dungeon Run, Mice and Mystics, BioShock Infinite, City of Remnants, and Dead of Winter: A Cross Roads Game. These releases established several recurring characteristics of the label: asymmetric or highly differentiated player roles, campaign or scenario structures, substantial fictional worlds, and mechanisms intended to create emergent stories around the table. Mice and Mystics used a miniature-driven adventure format, while Dead of Winter combined semi-cooperative survival play with hidden objectives and interpersonal tension. The latter became one of the studio's most prominent releases and received Golden Geek recognition for innovation and thematic design. In 2015, Plaid Hat Games was acquired by Canadian publisher F2Z Entertainment. Between 2015 and 2020, the studio continued to operate as an independent design and development operation, while F2Z USA Corp handled business logistics, sales, and marketing for the publisher's games. Following the integration into F2Z Entertainment, new Plaid Hat Games titles beginning in 2016 were scheduled for simultaneous release through the French publisher Filosofia. This arrangement gave the studio access to broader publishing and distribution infrastructure while preserving its creative identity. The catalog continued to diversify with releases such as Ashes: Rise of the Phoenixborn, Specter Ops, Tail Feathers, SeaFall, Stuffed Fables, Abomination: The Heir of Frankenstein, and Forgotten Waters. These games covered tactical dueling, hidden movement, legacy-style campaign play, family-oriented narrative adventure, historical horror, and cooperative storytelling. Plaid Hat also maintained and refreshed earlier properties, including the second edition of Summoner Wars in 2021. On February 19, 2020, Colby Dauch reached an agreement with Asmodee Group to reacquire the independent rights to the Plaid Hat Games studio and brand, together with publication rights to some of its games. The transaction marked a return to independent control after the company's period within F2Z Entertainment. Subsequent releases included Familiar Tales, Hickory Dickory, Freelancers: A Crossroads Game, and the crowdfunded Wandering Galaxy: A Crossroads Game. Plaid Hat Games is positioned as a designer-led tabletop brand whose products prioritize distinctive worlds, narrative participation, and mechanically varied board-game experiences rather than a single narrow game genre.
History
Plaid Hat Games was founded in 2009 by board-game designer Colby Dauch. The company was created to publish Summoner Wars, its first game, and developed an identity around original settings, tactical play, narrative scenarios, and distinctive thematic presentation. Summoner Wars provided a compact competitive foundation for the studio, using faction-based conflict and card-driven tactics to create a highly asymmetric two-player experience. During the early 2010s, Plaid Hat broadened its output. Dungeon Run explored adventure and competitive dungeon-crawling, while Mice and Mystics introduced a more family-accessible narrative adventure format centered on miniature-based exploration. In 2013, the company released BioShock Infinite, a licensed tabletop adaptation, alongside City of Remnants, an original strategy title. Dead of Winter: A Cross Roads Game followed in 2014 and became one of the company's best-known products. Its semi-cooperative survival structure, secret objectives, and event-driven narrative created tension between group survival and individual agendas. The game received Golden Geek awards for innovation and thematic design. The company added further strategic and thematic titles in 2015, including Ashes: Rise of the Phoenixborn, Specter Ops, and Tail Feathers. That year, Plaid Hat Games was acquired by Canadian publisher F2Z Entertainment. From 2015 through 2020, Plaid Hat continued to function as a design and development studio, while F2Z USA Corp managed logistics, sales, and marketing. The integration also established a release relationship with French publisher Filosofia, under which Plaid Hat games beginning in 2016 were intended to launch simultaneously through that publishing network. The F2Z period included SeaFall in 2016, Stuffed Fables in 2018, Abomination: The Heir of Frankenstein in 2019, and Forgotten Waters in 2020. These games demonstrate the breadth of the studio's approach: legacy-style strategic development, storybook adventure, historical horror, and cooperative narrative exploration. Rather than concentrating on one mechanical category, Plaid Hat used recurring design interests—character progression, scenario consequences, strong fictional framing, and player-authored stories—to connect different types of tabletop experiences. On February 19, 2020, Colby Dauch reached an agreement with Asmodee Group to reacquire independent rights to the Plaid Hat Games studio and its brand, together with publication rights to some of its games. This agreement marked the end of the company's period within the F2Z and Asmodee corporate structure and restored an independent orientation to the label. Plaid Hat subsequently released Summoner Wars Second Edition in 2021, followed by Familiar Tales in 2022, Hickory Dickory and Freelancers: A Crossroads Game in 2023, and the crowdfunded Wandering Galaxy: A Crossroads Game in 2024. The studio's continuing catalog presents it as a specialized tabletop publisher built around narrative design, thematic worlds, and mechanically differentiated games.
- 2024
Wandering Galaxy is listed as a crowdfunded release
[1]The publisher extended its Crossroads-style design tradition into a crowdfunded science-fiction game.
- 2021
Summoner Wars Second Edition is released
[1]The company revisited its founding property with a second edition.
- 2020
Independent rights are reacquired
[1]Founder Colby Dauch agreed with Asmodee Group to reacquire independent rights to the studio, brand, and selected publication rights.
- 2015
F2Z Entertainment acquisition
[1]Plaid Hat Games was acquired by Canadian publisher F2Z Entertainment.
- 2014
Dead of Winter is released
[1]Dead of Winter: A Cross Roads Game expanded the studio's profile in semi-cooperative, narrative-driven survival games.
- 2009
Plaid Hat Games is founded
[1]Colby Dauch founded the company to publish Summoner Wars.
Products and positioning
A designer-led tabletop publisher focused on thematic worlds, narrative campaigns, strategic interaction, and distinctive player-driven stories.
Two-player tactical board and card game · 2009
Summoner Wars
Plaid Hat Games' first published title, Summoner Wars is a faction-based tactical game built around card-driven combat, asymmetric forces, and battlefield positioning. It established the studio's interest in competitive systems with strong fantasy identities and later received a second edition in 2021.
Adventure strategy game · 2011
Dungeon Run
Dungeon Run is a fantasy adventure game centered on exploration, encounters, and competition among players pursuing the rewards of a dungeon. It represents an early expansion of Plaid Hat Games beyond its original two-player tactical format.
Narrative adventure board game · 2012
Mice and Mystics
Mice and Mystics is a story-focused adventure game that uses miniature-based scenarios and a whimsical fantasy setting. Its campaign structure and accessible theme helped demonstrate Plaid Hat Games' ability to pair narrative presentation with cooperative tabletop play.
Semi-cooperative survival game · 2014
Dead of Winter: A Cross Roads Game
Dead of Winter combines group survival, secret personal objectives, scenario events, and difficult resource decisions. Its Crossroads system introduces narrative prompts during play, while the semi-cooperative structure allows individual incentives to conflict with the needs of the wider community.
Competitive card game · 2015
Ashes: Rise of the Phoenixborn
Ashes: Rise of the Phoenixborn is a competitive fantasy card game focused on powerful summoner characters, spell use, and tactical deck construction. It continued the publisher's interest in asymmetric factions and highly differentiated character identities.
Narrative adventure board game · 2018
Stuffed Fables
Stuffed Fables presents a campaign adventure in which players control toy characters navigating a storybook world. The game combines scenario-based exploration, character abilities, and narrative progression in a format designed around imaginative storytelling.
Cooperative narrative adventure game · 2020
Forgotten Waters
Forgotten Waters is a cooperative seafaring adventure game built around exploration, branching story content, and shared decision-making. It reflects Plaid Hat Games' continuing use of narrative systems that allow player choices to shape the experience.
Cooperative narrative board game · 2023
Freelancers: A Crossroads Game
Freelancers: A Crossroads Game is a cooperative, story-centered tabletop title that uses the publisher's Crossroads design tradition to frame player choices, missions, and consequences. It was part of the studio's post-reacquisition catalog.
Crowdfunded science-fiction board game · 2024
Wandering Galaxy: A Crossroads Game
Wandering Galaxy: A Crossroads Game is a crowdfunded release that applies Plaid Hat Games' narrative and Crossroads-oriented design approach to a science-fiction setting.
Brand decisions
2020
Reacquire independent studio and brand rightsM&ABackground
After operating within the F2Z Entertainment structure, founder Colby Dauch pursued a return to independent control.
Action taken
Dauch reached an agreement with Asmodee Group to reacquire independent rights to the studio and Plaid Hat Games brand, as well as publication rights to some games.
Aftermath
The agreement restored an independent orientation to the studio and preceded a series of new releases including Familiar Tales, Hickory Dickory, Freelancers, and Wandering Galaxy.
2015
Join F2Z EntertainmentM&ABackground
Plaid Hat Games sought the support of a larger publishing organization as its catalog and distribution requirements expanded.
Action taken
The company was acquired by Canadian publisher F2Z Entertainment, while continuing to operate as a design and development studio.
Aftermath
F2Z USA Corp handled logistics, sales, and marketing, and future Plaid Hat releases beginning in 2016 were associated with simultaneous publication through Filosofia.
Recent events
- 2024
Wandering Galaxy: A Crossroads Game is announced as a crowdfunded release[1]
Product launch
Wandering Galaxy: A Crossroads Game was listed as a crowdfunded Plaid Hat Games release, extending the publisher's Crossroads-style narrative design into a science-fiction setting.
- 2020
Colby Dauch agrees to reacquire Plaid Hat Games from Asmodee Group[1]
M&A · Leadership change
The studio's founder reached an agreement with Asmodee Group to regain independent rights to the Plaid Hat Games studio and brand, along with publication rights to some of its games.
- 2016
Plaid Hat Games titles receive simultaneous Filosofia releases[1]
Other
Following the company's integration into F2Z Entertainment, future Plaid Hat Games board games beginning in 2016 were planned for simultaneous release through French publisher Filosofia.
- 2015
F2Z Entertainment acquires Plaid Hat Games[1]
M&A
Plaid Hat Games became part of Canadian game publisher F2Z Entertainment while continuing to operate as a design and development studio.
Sources1 sources
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