Welcome

Is there a time of year better suited to gaming than

At a Glance

TABLETOP GAMING LIVE EARLY BIRD TICKETS!

First Turn

The wise brothers of Brotherwise on how they dreamt up their 16-bit dungeon-building card game debut, Boss Monster

10 of the Best from Essen Spiel18

Thousands of titles made their debut at the German fair – and we were there to play as many of them as we could. Here are some of the games that caught our attention

Role Call

From fantasy staples to colourful new worlds to explore, this selection of RPGs will give you plenty of gaming cheer this winter

All the Jahres

Replaying the winners of the Spiel des Jahres so you don’t have to

My Favourite Game

The magically-minded designer of Fantastiqa and writer for Above and Below picks out some of the experiences currently keeping him spellbound on the tabletop

Have You Played?

Lap up milk and chow down on tuna to feed hungry kitties in this card game that will leave you purring with pleasure

The Independent Shelf

Is there life on Mars? No idea, but there’s golf – and this quirky dexterity game will soon have you putting on another planet

Kickstarting from Scratch

With the drawing game finally on its way to players, Holly Gramazio looks back on the years of work crowdfunding Art Deck and asks: was the long, hard journey worth it?

Play it Smart

Whether it’s Shakespeare, Eliot or Pratchett, games can be found in books, plays and poems of every kind – and they’re included for more than just fun

Through the Ages

Roll up and take your places! Whether you’re defending fantasy kingdoms or exploring galaxies, plonking down a trusty polyhedral can open up a wealth of gaming experiences

Unearthed Artefacts

++YEAR 3130++INCOMING TRANSMISSION++ found sector d18: pastime x17 – board game - “libertalia”

Tabletop Time Machine

Othello, as we know it today, was invented and patented

The 12 Plays of Christmas

As the festive cheer is replaced by the dread of playing Cluedo with tipsy r elatives, our writers and readers pick out their modern favourites that will keep you merry long into the New Year

Alexander Pfister

After travelling his Great Western Trail, Alexander Pfister is headed east with Blackout: Hong Kong – a head-tohead struggle for survival and order in a world gone dark

Dungeons & Dragons: Art & Arcana

The authors of immense Dungeons & Dragons tome Art & Arcana take us through their love and memories of the RPG

8Bit Box

Unplug your PlayStation and avoid those square eyes with 8Bit Box, the board game console that wants to resurrect retro on the tabletop

How We Made

The violent battles and rich lore of the grimdark universe continue to excite and enthrall players more than 30 years after Space Marines first pledged their allegiance to the Emperor. Rick Priestley takes us back to the birth of a miniatures marvel

Skulk Hollow

A group of plucky foxes try to topple towering monsters in a small game with a massive vision, as Skulk Hollow designer Keith Matejka tells us

Star Wars RPGs

The Star Wars roleplaying games haven’t just brought the galaxy far, far away as seen on the big screen to our tabletops – they’ve expanded and redefined the very sci-fi universe itself

Ragnar Brothers

After 30 years, British designer trio Ragnar Brothers are bowing out with their ‘final’ game, The Romans. Gary Dicken looks back on three decades of shaping tabletop history – and reveals why their last game may not be so final after all…

Matt Edmondson

He’s a BBC DJ, TV presenter and master of wordplay. As his festive spin-off of party game Obama Llama brings cheer to the holiday season, Matt Edmondson tells us about going from telly to the table

Discover: Lands UnKnown

The first ‘unique’ board game feels a little bit Lost

Betrayal Legacy

Back to the House on the Hill for the best spooky stories yet

Legend of the Five Rings RP

Live by the code, die by the sword

Reef

No Great Barrier to entry

Arkham Horror 3E

A frighteningly strong return for a horror legend

Warhammer Underworlds: Nightvault

Shadespire returns under a ghostly veil

Railroad Ink

Designer: Lorenzo Silva, Hjalmar Hach | Artist: Marta

Kids on Bikes

There’s a monster in the woods, black helicopters are

Orbis

Who let the gods out?

Raccoon Tycoon

Trash pandas find treasure in trading

Gizmos

Phil Walker-Harding’s latest has all the marbles

Dungeon Mayhem

Designer: Jordan Comar, Roscoe Wetlaufer | Artist:

Pantone: The Game

The Pantone system is used in industries like publis

Coimbra

Intimidating to open, but a drafting delight to play

Wendake

A taxing Native American strategy game that deftly dodges stereotypes

Gunkimono

Two impressive halves, one remarkable whole

Luxor

This Spiel des Jahres-nominated release casts players

Flotsam Fight

Oink, the boutique Japanese producer of big games in

Heaven & Ale

Whose turn is it to get the points in?

Chronicles of Crime

Digital detective duty done delightfully

Deadwood 1876

Deadwood 1876 is the third in Facade Games’ series

Starfinder: Alien Archive 2

If you ever want to quickly sum up Starfinder’s ethos

Gingerbread House

A sweet treat that’s soft but chewy

Painting guide

Delve into the painting dungeon and discover how to bring your roleplaying adventurers to life

Dungeon Master’s Guide to Roleplaying

Whether your group is a ragtag band of adventurers or a polished platoon of hardened warriors, they often have just as much history as the world they’re exploring. It’s not just who you know – it’s how you know them

Event Report

Paul Broadhurst takes us through the longrunning wargames show held in the Midlands

Shop Spotlight

Ol Holm takes us inside the small shop on a small street with big personality