We're not just a producer of fine hardwood game boards. Red Efts are also the juvenile stage of the eastern newt.
They are known for their bright orange or red coloration. Their life cycle typically sees them spend up to 3 years on land, primarily in moist forests, before returning to aquatic environments as adults. They prefer sunny, slow-moving, and shallow bodies of water. Their coloration is a warning to predators of their toxicity.
While not currently endangered, habitat loss and water pollution can pose threats to red efts and their population.
So that leads to the next logical questions. What is Red Eft Games exactly and why a red eft? Red Eft Games is what we call the work we do and not all of it is actually game related. Even more confused? Well it all started many years ago helping my father cut wood to build us a home. After a hard day of work he would take the time to play board games with me. I fondly remember many a day of fun with my family thanks to Milton Bradley or Parker Brothers. This love of working with wood and playing board games has combined with my years of technical training to allow me to produce games that are beautiful, functional, and that will last more than a lifetime.
But why a red eft as your mascot? Our home in the Vermont woods has a large variety of wildlife but none so vivid as the juvenile eastern newt. Amphibians are very susceptible to pollution due to breathing through their skin so their presence shows good health of the local ecosystem. We cherish them and see them as a sign we are doing a good job as caretakers of the land.
Red Eft Games is a literal mom and pop shop creating board games from scratch in the woods of New England. The boards are hand made right here in Vermont. The raw hardwood boards are cut down to size, sanded, edged, oiled, and varnished by hand. The images are classic woodcut artists' work of a bygone era burned in by a high tech laser. The laser makes that part a little easier but it doesn't help with the hard work of routing each edge, oiling the wood to make it last a lifetime, varnishing the finished product to withstand the wear of play, and sanding it all between each step over and over again. We work hard to bring you quality hand made boards so that you know when you purchase a Red Eft Games board, you are buying quality that lasts.
If somehow your board does become damaged, or you're missing a piece to one of the games, please reach out to us. The quality of our games and the long term satisfaction of our customers is very important to us.
We can be reached at
We will publish rules for games as we work them out. The rules collection is free for all to access. Keep checking back for new additions. If you would like to submit your own rules ideas or game creations let us know by contacting us at the email address above.