Welcome

It’s one of the hottest summers in years – we’re not

At a Glance

Painting workshop, roleplaying advice, designer interviews, play sessions and more among live stage line-up

First Turn

The former history teacher and British gaming veteran behind Age of Steam, London and Brass tells his designer Genesis story with 1993’s Lords of Creation

10 of the Best

Honestly, lying to your friends – or sniffing out the lies of others – is some of the best fun that can be had around a table. Trust us on these games that are all bluff, zero fluff

Role Call

Find your path to insanity, boldly go where others have gone before and search for riches in tyrannous lands

All the Jahres

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

My Favourite Game

The designer brothers behind glittering action game Dragoon and time-travelling bluffer Human Era run us through their earliest childhood memories of gaming

Have You Played?

It’s an ingenious game within a game, a loving celebration of collectible card games and it even makes paper money fun! Crack a booster, fine-tune your deck and take your skills to the world championships in this brilliantly ambitious CCG sim

Kickstarting from Scratch

Their first crowdfunding campaign successfully finished, Holly Gramazio reveals five big things the Art Deck team lea rnt: from nailing stretch goals to grabbing attention

The Independent Shelf

Armed with a handful of cards and some other new tricks, this compact introduction to the dexterity dungeon-crawler is finger flickin’ good

Through the Ages

You know exactly what you’re getting with these offspring of CCGs – that’s the point. From Blue Moon to Android: Netrunner, here’s why ECGs have only continued to grow

Play it Smart

It’s alive! Some games create artificial intelligence out of little more than cards, cardboard and clever rules. Take a peek at the inner workings of the cy-board

Unearthed Artefacts

++YEAR 3126++INCOMING TRANSMISSION++ found sector a43: pastime x17 – board game – “this_war_of_mine”

Tabletop Time Machine

If you ever played the 2008 computer game Spore and

Pathfinder 2

After toppling Dungeons & Dragons from its throne a decade ago, Pathfinder finds itself faced by the might of Fifth Edition. As it prepares for its first major revision, can the fantasy RPG keep up?

Western Legends

Western Legends gives you the chance to step into the boots of history’s greatest gunslingers and carve your own legend in its open world. Saddle up and enjoy the ride of the ultimate Wild West sandbox

How We Made

Roberto Fraga and Yohan Lemonnier took the tension of Battleship and transformed it into a direct hit of exhilaration in their team party game. Prepare for the deepest of dives

A Gamer’s Travel Guide

Jetting off on your summer holidays soon? Chuck that airport book in the sea and bring your favourite tabletop home comforts along for the trip

My Little Scythe

After falling in love with Scythe, Hoby Chou and his five-year-old daughter Vienna made a family-friendly version of the strategy smash hit, set in the world of My Little Pony, to play at home. What happened next was magical

Red Alert

Richard Borg has taken his wargaming series from ancient history to modern conflict, but Commands & Colors is about to embark on its greatest leap yet

Eco Gaming

As environmental concerns and eco-friendly alternatives continue to grow, do players need a sea change in attitude when it comes to the ubiquitous and versatile material?

Warhammer: Age of Sigmar – Soul Wars

Nagash and Sigmar clash as the fantasy miniatures classic enters a new e ra

Starship Samurai

A strategy game that will mecha you smile

Masks of Nyarlathotep

Go mad for the classic campaign all over again

Lowlands

Wave goodbye to your typical Eurogame

Black Orchestra

How do you think we should be killing Mr. Hitler?

Gretchinz!

Fast cars and big guns in this madcap Warhammer 40,000 racer

Raids

The longboats that rocked

The Grimm Forest

If you go down to the woods today, you’re sure of a big… box

Princess Jing

After reinventing Battleship as the brilliantly tense

Banquet Royal

A visual feast that leaves you hungry

Lucidity: Six-Sided Nightmares

Will the dice-roller give you bad dreams, or send you to sleep?

A Tale of Pirates

Riding high on seas and sandtimers

Micropolis

Run-of-the-anthill

Hannibal & Hamilcar

The wargaming classic returns bigger – but is it better?

When In Rome

Designer: George Buckenham, Alex Fleetwood Artist:

Star Wars: Han Solo Card Game

From its uninspiring name to the heavily photoshopped

Genesys: Realms of Terrinoth

Solid, generic fantasy for a solid, generic system

Marvel Contest of Champions: Battlerealm

More Fantastic Flop than Fantastic Four

Robit Riddle: Storybook Adventures

A mechanical tale with a human heart

Painting guide

Whether exploring the haunted rooms of Mansions of Madness or confronting the global threat of Eldritch Horror, give these heroes some colour in a dark world

Dungeon Master’s Guide to Roleplaying

Endless imagination often means that little is off-limits in the worlds of roleplaying games. Still, there are certain subjects that require careful handling if you want your group to enjoy every moment at the table

Event Report

Pastor and player Dominic Clarke talks us through the inaugural Hampshire event and its plans for years to come

Shop Spotlight

What began as a pop-up gaming café has turned into a fully-fledged hub for local gamers, as the Bedford store’s Darrell Cannon explains