How We Made

Welcome

January is a time for resolutions – and breaking them.

At a Glance

KEYFORGE, KINGDOMINO, PANDEMIC AND X-WING STUDIOS RETURN FOR TABLETOP GAMING LIVE 2019

First Turn

The T.I.M.E Stories master quantum-leaps back to the creation of his time-travelling phenomenon

10 of the Best

As the New Year kicks off, we’re looking ahead to find the upcoming games set to define a 2019 full of tabletop excitement

Role Call

This month we’re inundated by fantasy in all its forms, all the way from grim dungeons through to spooky magical ponies

All the Jahres

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

My Favourite Game

The mind behind Decrypto and Anomaly on how a chance encounter with Dixit in a pub led to a tabletop epiphany

Microgame of the Month

A FREE GAME FOR YOU TO PLAY INSIDE EVERY ISSUE OF TABLETOP GAMING!

Have You Played?

Bluff your way to victory in this simply brilliant and deceptively tricky party game that will really get into your head

Through the Ages

After 2018 proved to be the biggest year yet for the dice-chucking craze, we look back on a burgeoning gaming genre with over half a century of history

The Independent Shelf

Save yourself from death by giant floating head in this absurd and absurdly entertaining sci-fi fight for survival

Play it Smart

Cheating: everybody’s done it at one point or another. But what does it really mean for your experience of a game when you deliberately break the rules?

Around the World in 80 Plays

It’s undeniable that board gaming has become hugely

Unearthed Artefacts

++YEAR 3132++INCOMING TRANSMISSION++ found sector d04: pastime x17 – board game - “magical athlete”

Tabletop Time Machine

In 1989 an archaeological dig in Jordan uncovered a

Android: Shadow of the Beanstalk

The first roleplaying game set in the world of Android: Netrunner will put you right at the centre of New Angeles’ cyberpunk dystopia. Step into the Shadow of the Beanstalk

Trade on the Tigris

It started as a joke, but then it stopped being funny. Ryan Sturm looks back on his emotional six-year journey to redeem gaming’s punchline with Trade on the Tigris

Forbidden Games

At the turn of the century, Glenn Drover was responsible for some of gaming’s greatest heavyweights. Then he left the tabletop behind. A decade later, he’s back to give board games a lighter touch

Assassin’s Creed: Brother of Venice

His debut World War II sneakathon V-Commandos put hibaud de la Touanne irmly in the spotlight. Now he’s having a stab at bringing the historical stealth-action of Assassin’s Creed to the table

Lionwing

Japanese designers are continuing the country’s legacy of groundbreaking gaming on the tabletop, as hidden gems become easier for Western players to discover

Red Raven Games

Meet gaming’s power couple: Ryan and Malorie Laukat, the talent behind the visionary worlds of Above and Below, Eight-Minute Empire, and Empires of the Void who want to bring everybody together around the table

Miniatures Conversion

Players are putting their own touch on the worlds of Warhammer and more by crafting custom miniatures at home – and it’s easier than you’d think to get started

Azul: Stained Glass of Sintra

Mosaic, mo’ problems

Blue Lagoon

Are you the kind of person who, no matter how much

Everdell

If you go down in the woods today, you’re in for a great game

Planet

Want to try your hand at world-building?

Battlestar Galactica: Starship Battles

Plenty of momentum

Teotihuacan: City of Gods

As tough to win as it is to pronounce

Heroes of Terrinoth

Heroes of Terrinoth is a cooperative fantasy quest

Goodcritters

A remake of German bluffng game Tiefe Taschen with

Speed Freeks

Gorkamorka goes X-Wing via Mad Max

Reykholt

Everything’s gone greenhouse

Solenia

A bright and airy trip above the clouds

Guardians

A game of utterly average heroes

D&D – Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage

For all the talk of dungeons in Dungeons & Drago

Camel Up: Second Edition

Camel Up (as it’s now undeniably called, thanks to

1066, Tears to many Mothers

Because you can never have too much Saxon violence

The Quacks of Quedlinburg

Does the Kennerspiel des Jahres winner pull it out of the bag?

The Grizzled: Armistice Edition

Where The Grizzled packed the entirety of the First

Monolith Arena

There are moments in a reviewer’s life where you want

Haven

All the elements of a good game

Endeavor: Age of Sail

A fleet treat that’s pretty neat

Overlight

Painting adventures with new co lours

Between two Castles of Mad King Ludwig

And between two stools

Don’t get Got!

Don’t Get Got! is a less a game and more a ready-made

D&D: Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

It’s hard to imagine why it took so long for a setting

Painting guide

Exploring dungeons is little fun without something to fling a Magic Missile at. Here’s our take on some classic roleplaying baddies

Dungeon Master’s Guide to Roleplaying

Two simple words can make your adventures much more exciting – and your players much happier. Should you give it a go? There’s only one answer…

Event Report

Carol Tierney talks about what’s in store for the convention’s third year and brand new home

Shop Spotlight

With the Letchworth shop having just expanded its games area, Kai Savage tells us what’s new for 2019