Welcome

Happy New Year! The start of a new year always means

At a Glance

Day and weekend passes available for London show taking place in Alexandra Palace this September

First Turn

The man behind strategy hit Scythe and last year’s Charterstone mulls over the game that started it all: 2013’s winemaking, worker-placing Viticulture

10 of the Best

Whether your alter-ego is a hapless bank robber, doomed investigator of the paranormal or tech-obsessed hacker, there’s an RPG out there for you. Here are ten titles you shouldn’t pass up the chance to play

Role Call

The start of a new year means a beginning for both new games and fresh takes on older roleplaying classics

All the Jahres

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

My Favourite Game

The quick-draw creator of Mangaka and Cartooner explains why Cosmic Encounter is out of this world

Have You Played?

Come explore an ever-changing fantasy landscape where a medley of races must adapt the terrain around them and jostle with their neighbours to grow their home – but there’s little room for luck

Kickstarting from Scratch

Holly Gramazio grapples with the hard decisions involved in putting together a campaign video for Art Deck – and starts to have regrets about the drawing game’s name

Play it Smart

The tabletop has the ability to bring people together – and sometimes drive them apart when the competition heats up. How can players avoid drea ded gamer rage?

Tabletop Time Machine

2000 LET’S DO LUNCH!

Fallout: Wasteland Warfare

The irradiated America and mutated inhabitants of Fallout come to life in Wasteland Warfare, a miniatures game that embraces the roleplaying core of the series with its story-focused take on wargaming. Chris Birch leads us on a tour of the post-apocalypse

Stuffed Fables

A young girl’s toys battle against her nightmares in the latest visionary creation from the designer of Mice & Mystics. Jerry Hawthorne reveals how he turned his love of storybooks and Pixar movies into an emotional adventure to remember

How We Made

Donald X. Vaccarino’s revolutionary card game was like nothing that had come before – but has been copied countless times since. The designer looks back on the origins of deckbuilding and the pressure of living up to its legacy a decade on

Counterfeit Games

The number of counterfeit games being sold online to unwilling fans is rising. With players increasingly at risk of shoddy-quality and even dangerous versions of their favourite titles, we look into the dark world of tabletop forgery

The Viking Game

When they weren’t blood-raging or feasting for Odin, the Vikings loved a good board game – one that, centuries later, is making a comeback

Vengeance

Taking its cues from violent revenge movies like Kill Bill and Oldboy, Vengeance puts players in the blood-soaked boots of characters hunting down those that have done them wrong in order to set them right. For karmic justice. And victory points, natch

Tabletop Streamers

Watching people play RPGs and board games online has never been more popular – and the boom in livestreaming on YouTube and Twitch is leading to a new wave of on-screen stars

Azul

More fun than tiling your bathroom!

Pulsar 2849

There’s limitless energy in them thar stars…

Sid Meier’s Civilization: A New Dawn

Build an empire in a flash with this elegant strategy game

D&D: Xanathar’s Guide to Everything

Fifth Edition levels up in its first major expansion

Indian Summer

Take a relaxing walk through the woods in search of treasure with the creator of Agricola

Clank! In! Space!

In space, no one can hear you laugh. But you probably won’t.

Queendomino

A royal occasion to celebrate

Raxxon

Raxxon, Raxxoff

Massive Darkness

The makers of Zombicide shift into full-on fantasy mode

Betrayal at Baldur’s Gate

The horror hit swaps ghouls and ghosts for Dungeons & Dragons

Ex Libris

There’s a sasquatch in your library!

Hunt for the Ring

Hobbits and hidden movement make for a perfect pair

Sidereal Confluence

It’s all for one and everyone for themselves in this brain-burning game of interstellar politics

Photosynthesis

The seed of a brilliant idea blossoms into a green-fingered delight

Aristeia!

Extreme sports goes to Infinity and beyond

Elite Encounters

The old-school future rises

Asset Drop

Subscription boxes have become a booming industry in

Dragon Castle

Dismantle a castle to build your own in this stylish tile-based riff on mahjong

Painting guide

Give the sci-fi dungeon crawler a splash of colour by bringing its baddies to life

Dungeon Master’s Guide to Roleplaying

If you find yourself teaching an RPG newcomer – or are trying to roleplay for the first time yourself – follow our tips to ensure the introductory experience becomes the first of many

Event Report

Darius Twyman talks about organising the familyfriendly Thanet convention with a five-year-old host

Shop Spotlight

Victoria Stuck chats about the Kentish store’s love of miniatures and its recent in-store gaming days