Welcome

It’s been a strange kind of year. We’ve spent half

NEMESIS

You are rudely awoken from hypersleep. There’s a body

ALIEN: THE ROLEPLAYING GAME

There are plenty of horror games on the market, but

PAUPERS’ LADDER

It doesn’t get much more indie than calling your game

GANYMEDE

Space has provided fertile ground to game designers

NINJA ACADEMY

Open Ninja Academy’s box and you might wonder whether

TUSSIE MUSSIE

Following Wingspan with Tussie Mussie feels like the

HORRIFIED

Ravensburger have really been knocking it out of the

DREAMS OF TOMORROW

From the description I hoped Dreams of Tomorrow was

PARIS LA CITÉ DE LA LUMIÈRE

Before electric lighting the streets of the world were

TROGDOR! THE BOARD GAME

No fantasy story is truly complete without the presence

TOY STORY: OBSTACLES AND ADVENTURES

In the crowded boardgame market of today, one of the

EBERRON: RISING FROM THE LAST WAR

It’s been said that the art of originality lies in

DALE OF MERCHANTS: COLLECTION

In the kingdom of deck-building games, Dominion rules

ADVENTURE GAMES: MONOCHROME INC.

The growth of story-focused games has been one of the

LAST BASTION

Last Bastion is a re-work and a re-theme of Ghost Stories

MARVEL: CRISIS PROTOCOL

Crash! Zoom! Thock! Pow! As comic book adaptations

KUNG FU PANDA: THE BOARD GAME

Kung Fu Panda: The Board Game is one of frantically

YGGDRASIL CHRONICLES

The time for Ragnorok is nigh. Fenrir is set to bound

NECROMUNDA: DARK UPRISING

Amidst the clanking machinery of the manufactorums

ROAM

Ryan Laukat is a game designer who just wants you to

AZUL: SUMMER PAVILION

Azul was Michael Kiesling’s beautiful, million-selling

REAVERS OF MIDGARD

Reavers of Midgard sees Grey Fox Games storming back

BABYLONIA

There aren’t many designers that can be recognised

ANKH’OR

Pleasing two-player games that feel as if they have

BUS

To most gamers the name Splotter Spellen may mean nothing.

THE AQUICORN COVE BOARD GAME

Katie O’Neill’s insatiably charming graphic novels

ZOMBIE KIDZ: EVOLUTION

First released in 2013, Zombie Kidz has been around

GENESYS: EXPANDED PLAYERS’ GUIDE

A big part of the appeal of setting-free RPGs lies

TRIAL OF THE TEMPLES

The art in Trial of the Temples puts you in mind of

THE FOX IN THE FOREST DUET

Attention games publishers: if you’re going to call

TERRAMARA

You don’t get much more Eurogame than this. One huge

HOMEBREWERS

Homebrewers are a community of artisan spirit crafters

RUN, FIGHT OR DIE: RELOADED

Perhaps what makes the humble zombie such an enduring

NIBIRU

Can an entire game be carried by just one idea? Well

A WAR OF WHISPERS

As board gamers we are not novices in controlling armies

QUEENZ

This is Bruno Cathala’s second gardening game of the

VAMPIRE: THE MASQUERADE - THE FALL OF LONDON

The first full campaign for Vampire: The Masquerade’s

DARK DOMAINS

Being the bad guy is pretty good fun. Really the only

MINECRAFT: BUILDERS & BIOMES

Tabletop versions of video games have always seemed

IN THE HALL OF THE MOUNTAIN KING

A troll’s life is not a simple one. There is always

TINY EPIC TACTICS

Ever since the first game in their series, Tiny Epic

TAINTED GRAIL: THE FALL OF AVALON

The myth of King Arthur is a story so often told, retold

FATE OF CTHULHU

You can’t fling a tentacle into a gaming store without

CAYLUS 1303

Way back in the dark ages (of board gaming) worker

THE MIND EXTREME

Of course there was going to be a sequel. When a game

CAIRN

Where the sea meets the forest, shamans duel, infused

DUNGEON DEGENERATES: HAND OF DOOM

As board gamers, we are not unfamiliar with the term

QUARTERMASTER GENERAL SECOND EDITION

Logistics, as the old adage goes, is the lifeblood

VILLAINOUS: PERFECTLY WRETCHED

The Villainous series seems to have cracked the best

STAR WARS: DARK SIDE RISING

Star Wars: Dark Uprising is another game in The OP’s

WORMLORD

Dexterity games don’t often get the love they deserve

MÖRK BORG

From its name to its tone to the design of its rulebook

COURT OF THE DEAD

Death has had enough of the daily grind of soul collecting

ON MARS

As any scientist will (probably) tell you, a sure way

TAJUTO

There’s been a new movement in games over the last

FLYIN’ GOBLIN

This should have gone so wrong. This should have been

WORDSMITH

It seems almost impossible to create a ‘new’ word game.

HARRY POTTER: DEATH EATERS RISING

When thewizarding world meets the cube clearing Pandemic

CORSAIRS OF VALERIA

According to board games, the only thing pirates love

CRAZY TOWER

Watching the increasingly ridiculous evolution of Jenga

LETTERPRESS

Finding a new way to have fun making words can often

SANCTUM

Another trip to hell. Haven’t got the right gear for

SORCERER CITY

With a seismic rumble, the foundations of the city

SPICY

Some of us wasted much of our studying time at school

BRUXELLES 1897

Reputations are not built overnight. They take around

POSTHUMAN SAGA

Posthuman Saga plunges players into a post-apocalyptic

NERD WORDS SCIENCE

Blending games with learning is a tricky balancing

KODAMA 3D

Kodama 3D is the latest arrival in the Kodama family

CTHULHU DARK AGES

Gamers from across the globe can testify that facing

DUNGEON MAYHEM: MONSTER MADNESS

Monster Madness is the second expansion for the cutesified

SHADOWS OF KILFORTH: A FANTASY QUEST GAME

Three years ago, independent designer Tristan Hall

THE CREW: THE QUEST FOR PLANET NINE

Space travel is all about teamwork. In order to survive

HATS

Although, it is not a trick-taking game, Hats, a small

ANIMAL KINGDOMS

Every kingdom has laws which must be followed without

MIYABI

There’s a certain draw to gardening for board game

EXPLORER’S GUIDE TO WILDEMOUNT

Cracking open the pages of the latest tie-in between

ORIFLAMME

The ‘Oriflamme’ was the golden battle-standard of the

EXPEDITION TO NEWDALE

Before we start it is worth pointing out that, because

ODYSSEY OF THE DRAGONLORDS

‘Epic’ is a word that gets thrown around pretty loosely

ADVENTURE MART

Given our current global predicament, many of our usual

D-DAY DICE SECOND EDITION

Many games put you in the general's seat, ordering

FAFNIR

Fafnir is a chicken that lays gems. For some reason

VIDEO VORTEX

The world of VHS rentals is one not consigned mostly

HERO MASTER: AN EPIC GAME OF EPIC FAILS

With art and game design by Jamie Noble-Frier, Hero

FUJI KORO

Fuji Koro tells a tale of shogun heroes escaping from

MECHANICA

The future is spotless, we are told by a subtly threatening

LABYRINTH: THE ADVENTURE GAME

Caught somewhere between an RPG and a choose-your-ownadventure

IRONSWORN

While Ironsworn can be played like a regular roleplaying

THE LIBERATION OF RIETBURG

Smaller recreations of bigger tabletop experiences

KAREKARE

Karekare is a deceptive game. Set in Aotearoa (New

KRAKEN ATTACK

Designing a great kids’ game is a tricky proposition.

CHRONO CORSAIRS

If I had to be trapped in a time vortex I could think

KUNIUMI

In Japanese mythology, KuniUmi is a tale of creation

BEAK, FEATHER & BONE

Kickstarter wrapped their second ZineQuest event in

KING OF TOKYO: DARK EDITION

Special editions of games often draw funny looks. Whether

RURIK: DAWN OF KIEV

Rurik: Dawn of Kiev is a game that tricks you into

SILVER & GOLD

Seven years ago, Phil Walker- Harding designed one

PATHFINDER 2ND EDITION: BESTIARY 2

Varied and exciting monsters have always been the fuel

NESSOS

Nessos is a game based on the Greek myth where the

TEA FOR 2

Many things have happened during the Mad Hatter’s tea

CHARTAE

Chartae may not have the picturesque game board of

OCEANS

A first glance at the box and artwork for Oceans suggests

TIME STORIES REVOLUTION: THE HADAL PROJECT

Time travel is a tricky subject for gaming, especially

MY CITY

There’s no shortage of family-friendly games about

POETRY FOR NEANDERTHALS

On first inspection, Poetry for Neanderthals seems

HAGAKURE

Trick-taking games vary vastly in variety, playtime

UNDAUNTED: NORTH AFRICA

There’s two main ways to do war on the tabletop. Many

MYTHIC ODYSSEYS OF THEROS

Between the capricious gods, mighty heroes and terrible

PLANET APOCALYPSE

This might be an entirely unnecessary review – Sandy

GEOMETRIC ART

If you’re a gamer with an artistic streak, the tabletop

BACK TO THE FUTURE: DICE THROUGH TIME

One of the most enjoyable (and noodle-baking) moments

MARGRAVES OF VALERIA

Word of advice; never use the descriptor "Worker Placement"

AGE OF SIGMAR: SOULBOUND

We all know that you shouldn’t judge a book by its

COWBOY BEBOP: SPACE SERENADE

Stack up on fuel, get your crew ready and don’t forget

PROJECT: ELITE

Originally released in 2016 to general acclaim, Project:

TOP CAKE

Top Cake is a deceptively simple auction game from

DON’T COUNT YOUR CHICKENS

Ellie Dix’s charming small tin game of competitive

KEYFORGE: MASS MUTATION STARTER SET

KeyForge has been known for its weirdly fun brokenness

GENESYS – SECRETS OF THE CRUCIBLE

One of the great strengths of Genesys lays in its ability

THE 7TH CONTINENT: CLASSIC EDITION

This is the new, smaller and somewhat trimmed version

CARAVAN

If Caravan had been published in the early-to-mid 2000s

SHERLOCK HOLMES CONSULTING DETECTIVE: THE BAKER STREET IRREGULARS

When the original Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective

DIG DEEPER

The Detective Board Game from Portal Games really sticks

FORBIDDEN LANDS – THE BITTER REACH

If Forbidden Lands’ fog-shrouded aura of doom hasn’t

PLANETARIUM

Where a game like Oceans or Evolution takes us right

AQUALIN

It’s hard not to love a satisfying clack of a tile

BARKING KITTENS

Barking Kittens is the third expansion to the popular

INNER COMPASS

Inner Compass is the latest release from the Danish

BUTTERFLY

In Butterfly, players all assume the role of Hudson

FAIRY SEASON

It’s harvest time for the goblin kings – and what are

POKÉMON TRADING CARD GAME: BATTLE ACADEMY

Everyone has a Pokémon memory, whether it’s the mourning

UBONGO! TRAVEL EDITION

Ubongo! is a family friendly puzzle game, and in its

DECKSCAPE: ESCAPE FROM ALCATRAZ

An escape room game that’s actually about escaping

POTEMKIN EMPIRE

If board gaming was a medieval kingdom, then Indie

THOUSAND YEAR OLD VAMPIRE

There is a tendency among solo RPGs to delve into the

QUEST

If you walked past a group playing Quest you’d be forgiven

THE MAGNIFICENT

In The Magnificent, players are competing to bring

SUCCULENT

This reviewer has a soft spot for gardening games.

CONQUEST: THE LAST ARGUMENT OF KINGS

Conquest, now with updated rules and many new minis

BERMUDA PIRATES

It’s hard not to be intrigued by magnets in a game

HERD MENTALITY

Continuing Big Potato’s tradition of taking simple

ESCAPE THE DARK SECTOR

For once, we had firepower on our side. We were full

VAESEN – NORDIC HORROR ROLEPLAYING

With all the Lovecraftian horrors and fantastical demons

MEZO

Would you like to be a God, even for a little while?

MARVEL VILLAINOUS INFINITE POWER

You probably know by now what you’re getting when you

BORED? GAMES!

Folk games are something close to all our hearts. Whether

VILLAGE GREEN

Ah, the village green. The source of pride for many

STRINGAMAJIG

Sit down and relax for a moment, and cast your mind

HALF-PINT HEROES

Glorified on celluloid by the likes of James Bond and

SONORA

Let’s imagine ourselves heading into the Sonora Desert

WATERGATE

Themes in board games broadly can fall into two extremes.

CENTURY: GOLEM EDITION – EASTERN MOUNTAINS

Reskinning games has its ups and downs. For the publisher

TOP OF THE POPS: THE GAME

After the release of Blockbuster, it’s actually a bit

LEWIS AND CLARK: THE EXPEDITION SECOND EDITION

On its initial 2013 release, Lewis and Clark stood

HIGH RISE

The big city is full of corruption, and sometimes

FOR WHAT REMAINS

It’s the end of the world, again. Welcome to another

FORT

Once upon a time, children played outdoors. Which sounds

MYTHOS

Mythos, a narrative skirmish game from Warcradle Studios

KIDS ON BROOMS

There must be an entire generation of us who grew up

MEOW: THE CULT OF THE CAT

Meow: The Cult of The Cat is loosely based on the game

HOGS OF WAR

Back in the weird and wonderful days of the Playstation

SLYVILLE

If you are not a player who enjoys a bit of skulduggery

TOKYO GAME SHOW

What’s better than one game? 62 games of course. As

WHAT’S MISSING?… FROM MY DRAWING

If you’ve ever played Jackbox, you’ll be surprised

FORGOTTEN WATERS

Many games have tackled the pirate theme in recent

TOKYO TSUKIJI MARKET

We all love good components. Any time there’s a very

TOKYO COIN LAUNDRY

This might be one of the weirdest boxes we’ve opened

TICKET TO RIDE: AMSTERDAM

2004 was a simpler time, all we needed was Ticket to

7 WONDERS SECOND EDITION

Nobody builds Wonders anymore. The closest we get to

MARIPOSAS

If you were a fan of last year’s avian hit Wingspan

GLASGOW

Glasgow was once known as the second city of the British

PRISMA ARENA

Rory O’Connor describes himself as a designer of “games

GODSPEED

As opening hooks go, ‘The Space Race was a lie’ is

UNLOCK!: STAR WARS ESCAPE GAME

The Unlock series is a group of escape room inspired

DELVE: A SOLO MAP-DRAWING GAME

Anna Blackwell’s fantasythemed zine Delve is as much

RIDE THE RAILS

Whenever a board game has a small rulebook, I'm intrigued.

TEKHENU

Like a crossover album we didn’t know we were waiting

THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED PARTY

All adventures start somewhere, and in the case of

DETECTIVE: A MODERN CRIME BOARD GAME – SEASON ONE

Detective: Season One is the newest entry into the

CTRL

Area control, but in three dimensions, and a bit like

TINY EPIC DINOSAURS

It’s odd to think that with Scott Almes’ latest foray

ENDANGERED

At the time of writing much of California is on fire.

EUROPE DIVIDED

Europe of the last 30 years has been a fairly confusing

BANDIDA

Returning to Martin Nedergaard Andersen’s classic

NUTTY NOODLES

You would be forgiven for confusing Nutty Noodles for

SMALL WORLD OF WARCRAFT

Small World is something of a modern classic. In the

MYSTERIUM PARK

Come one! Come all! To the mystical magical delights

EMPYREAL: SPELLS & STEAM

How does another train game follow the tracks of the

STAR TREK ADVENTURES: THE KLINGON EMPIRE

Ever since they menaced their way onto the screen some

ICEWIND DALE – RIME OF THE FROSTMAIDEN

Buried in a land of eternal winter and prowling death

KITTIN

It’s not often that a game appears that will fit in

TINY EPIC KINGDOMS

Games in the 4X genre (explore, expand, exploit, and

ZOMBIE TEENZ EVOLUTION

2018’s Zombie Kidz Evolution was one of the first legacy

SUPERFLY

Superfly is like the ‘hold my Panda-Pop’ of family

MAGIC: THE GATHERING JUMP START

The struggles of getting people into a game as storied

BRITANNIA: CLASSIC AND DUEL EDITION

Reviewing old wargames is pretty thankless. Britannia

THE KING IS DEAD SECOND EDITION

He’s dead, and what awful timing. There is a power

ATHENEUM: MYSTIC LIBRARY

Ornate bookcases, a handful of spiders, dripping candles

MERV

This genre really needs a name. ‘European style, non-conflict

GODS LOVE DINOSAURS

Being a nine ton prehistoric lizard is hungry work.

BEYOND THE SUN

Beyond the Sun tells you nearly everything you need

OUT OF THIS WORLD

Out of This World is a cooperative game of ordinary

MANDALA

It’s not often players have to iron the board before

THE WRETCHED

You remember that scene at the end of Alien where Ripley

THE SHINING

Ah, the Overlook Hotel. Nestled among the majestic

TROYES DICE

Roll and writes have never hit home with me, it’s just

TRUST ME, I’M A DOCTOR

Leeches, lobotomies, trepanning, and… fecal transplant.

AGON

Over the years countless tabletop RPGs have used the

DUNGEON DROP

What does the idea of dropping a big handful of resource

MOB SITTERS

Babysitting isn’t the most dangerous or lucrative of

MAGIC MAZE ON MARS

Magic Maze had a problem – its theme, already confusing

CHRONICLES OF CRIME: 1400

It’s 1400 Paris, and you’re going to play a knight

THE LOST WORDS

Rare is it that you’ll be selling a game to people

1565, ST ELMO’S PAY

When he’s not inflicting Gloom on the fantasy world

A GAME OF CAT AND MOUTH

Sometimes, it doesn’t feel like dexterity games get