Is there a greater marker of how far tabletop gaming has come in the last decade than the rise (and rise) of Pandemic? Initially rejected because of its apparently off-putting name and co-op gameplay, Matt Leacock’s masterpiece is now heralded as a modern classic that helped to spur board games into a new golden age – and has continued to revolutionise things further with the Legacy series. Leacock tells us the full story on page 26.
Speaking of smash hits, our cover feature takes a trip back to feudal Japan as we do battle for honour and glory in Eric Lang’s Rising Sun, the hotly-anticipated follow-up to his Norse knockout Blood Rage. You won’t want to miss our behind-the-scenes look on page 18.
Elsewhere, there’s a rare interview with the godfather of the empire-building genre, Francis Tresham, who recounts the creation of the original gaming epic: Civilization.