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#8 Feb/Mar ‘17 tabletopgaming.co.uk

PLUS!
HOW TO BUILD
AN RPG WORLD

MECHS VS REINER KNIZIA

EVIL DEAD 2 | RIVER HORSE | MECHS VS MINIONS

MINIONS DIVERSITY IN
BOARD GAMES
BEHIND THE MAKING INTRODUCTION
OF RIOT'S SPIN-OFF TO MAGIC: THE
GATHERING
TO THE WORLD'S
TOP VIDEO GAME DELTA GREEN
X-WING

RIVER
HORSE
BRINGING
LABYRINTH,
MY LITTLE PONY
AND HUNGER
GAMES TO
THE TABLETOP

Evil dead 2
#8 FEB/MAR '17

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 THE FROSTGRAVE
FOLIO
AVAILABLE IN MARCH
The Frostgrave Folio is the complete collection of all
previously released Frostgrave mini-ebook supplements in
one printed volume. This includes Hunt for the Golem, a
three-scenario campaign in which the warbands hunt
down a rogue golem, Sellsword, which introduces rules
for experience-gaining captains to help lead warbands,
Dark Alchemy, which expands the rules for potions and
potion brewing, and Arcane Locations which gives
additional options for bases and base upgrades.

The book also includes a completely new mini-campaign,

The Ravages of Time. Collecting nearly two years’ worth
of Frostgrave material, this collection is a necessary addition
to any wizard’s library.

UK: £9.99 • USA: $18.00 • CAN: $24.00

www.ospreygames.co.uk

Frostgrave
p004.indd folio.Wargaming
1 advert.indd 1 11/01/2017
17/01/2017 15:04
14:40
 IN THIS ISSUE
06 NEED TO KNOW 58 THE ULTIMATE DESIGNER
Find out what’s going on Bezier president Ted Alspach
in the world of gaming. discusses One Night Ultimate.

10 FIRST TURN 61 BOARDS OF EDUCATION

Blood Rage designer Curator Catherine Howell on
Eric Lang looks back at the Game Plan exhibition.

WELCOME
Mystick Domination.
62 BARBARIAN HACK
12 MY FAVOURITE GAME An exclusive game, just for you!
Jenga inventor Leslie
Scott praises Cluedo. 64 BATTLE REPORT
It’s a brand new year – and that means plenty of upcoming board games to get X-Wing, standing by.
very excited about! This issue, we talk to new publisher on the block Space Goat 14 COUNTER VIEW
as it prepares to publish its tabletop debut, based on cult movie Evil Dead 2, and Becky Ottery reports PLAYED
River Horse as it launches its My Little Pony RPG Tails of Equestria – you read from the FLGS frontline. Find out if the latest titles are
that right. We’ve also got a brand new column where designers look back at the worth buying or binning.
first game they made; this month, it’s acclaimed Blood Rage creator Eric Lang 16 TEN OF THE BEST 70 SEAFALL
talking Mystick Domination. Elsewhere, we chat to legendary designer Reiner Movie and TV spin-offs 74 ARKHAM HORROR: TCG
Knizia, explore Lovecraftian RPG Delta Green and review some absolutely worth checking out. 78 SCYTHE
unmissable games, including SeaFall, Arkham Horror: The 81 FINAL TOUCH
Card Game and Scythe. Oh, and did I mention we have 82 BLOOD BOWL
18 ROLE CALL
a whole freakin’ board game designed by Frostgrave
John Dodd runs through the 86 CONAN
creator Joseph A. McCullough available exclusively in
latest roleplaying game news. 88 SECRET HITLER
this issue? Well, I have now. Dig in!
91 STAR WARS: DESTINY
20 ALL THE JAHRES 92 PANDEMIC IBERIA

Matt
James Wallis runs through 94 SPYFALL 2
the games that have won 96 LABYRINTH: THE GAME
the Spiel des Jahres. 99 LEGENDARY: ALIEN
EXPANSION
Matt Jarvis ON THE
COVER
22 GETTIN’ GROOVY
Taylor Smith, designer
100 A GAME OF THRONES:
THE IRON THRONE
Editor of Evil Dead 2, chats about 101 MOB TOWN
adapting the cult movie. 102 ADRENALINE
104 KHARNAGE
29 DARK HORSE 105 DREAM HOME

Contact us... How River Horse broke

into Hollywood.
106 COLONY
108 UNUSUAL SUSPECTS
108 NOT ALONE
@ tabletopgaming@warnersgroup.co.uk 35 AN INTRODUCTION TO... 109 ACCESSORIES
Whoa, whoa, whoa, it’s
www.facebook.com/tabletopgamingmagazine Magic: The Gathering. 112 PAINTING GUIDE
Andy Leighton meets David
twitter.com/TabletopMag
38 THE MAKING OF... Bowie in the Labyrinth.
Owen Duffy digs into
EDITORIAL MARKETING video game spin-off 118 A DM’S GUIDE TO RPGS
EDITOR Matt Jarvis MARKETING BRAND MANAGER Mechs vs Minions. David Jagneaux kicks off our
01778 392 400 Nicola Lumb 01778 395 007
matt.jarvis@warnersgroup.co.uk nicola.lumb@warnersgroup.co.uk
regular RPG advice column.
44 REINER KNIZIA
HEAD OF DESIGN & PRODUCTION PUBLISHED BY
Lynn Wright The prolific designer 120 DRAGONMEET
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
Claire Morris
discusses telling stories We talk to the hosts of the
DESIGNER Richard Hallam
on the tabletop. annual RPG convention.
COVER IMAGE FROM EVIL DEAD 2: Warners Group Publications PLC
BEYOND DEAD BY DAWN #1 The Maltings, West Street, Bourne,
Pencilled by Edgar Salazar, inked by Lincolnshire PE10 9PH 46 DIVERSITY IN GAMES 122 CLUB DIRECTORY
Juan Castro and coloured by Ivan Nunes 01778 391 000 | www.warnersgroup.co.uk How Arkham Horror and
Pandemic get things right. 126 SHOP SPOTLIGHT
NEWSTRADE
Pull up some dice and
DISTRIBUTION
ADVERTISING Warners Group Publications PLC 50 THE ESSEN FACTOR drinks at Loading Bar.
TO ADVERTISE PLEASE CALL 01778 391 150 Dan Jolin follows the
GROUP ADVERTISING MANAGER fate of Final Touch at the 128 SHOP DIRECTORY
Claire Morris 01778 391 179 PRINTING
clairem@warnersgroup.co.uk world’s biggest games fair.
This publication is 130 TABLETOP TIME MACHINE
ADVERTISING PRODUCTION
AND DESIGN printed by Warners 54 THE GREEN DEATH Phil Robinson uncovers
Danielle Tempest 01778 392 420 01778 395111 Jake Tucker explores tabletop gems from
danielle.tempest@warnersgroup.co.uk
horror RPG Delta Green. days gone by.
The views expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the publishers. Every care is taken to ensure that the content
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AN RPG WORLD
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© Warners Group Publications PLC, 2017

THE TABLETOP
MINIONS

See page 110 for more details

Evil dead 2
#8 FEB/MAR '17

WE GET GROOVY WITH

THE DESIGNER OF THE
CULT MOVIE ADAPTATION
PLAYED SEAFALL |
ARKHAM HORROR LCG |
SCYTHE Display until 05/04/17

£5.25

005_WelcomeContents_V3 MJ.indd 5 23/01/2017 12:15

 NEED TO
KNOW...
WARLORD OF ALL
It’s been a busy couple of months for Warlord
Games, as the British publisher of miniatures
titles including Bolt Action, Beyond the
Gate of Antares and Hail Caesar dropped a
double whammy of major news in the run-up
to Christmas.
Firstly, the company has opened a physical
shop. For all you teenagers out there, that’s
like Amazon, but in a real-life building. The
new retail location is based at Warlord’s HQ in
Nottingham and offers a selection of products
for sale, alongside gaming tables and painting
areas. It’s open from 12pm until 6pm on
weekdays and 10am until 4pm on Saturdays.
If that wasn’t big enough news, Warlord then
revealed that it had been granted the licence
to make games based on the long-running
legendary British sci-fi comic book 2000 AD,
best known as the home of series such as
Judge Dredd, Rogue Trooper and Strontium
Dog, as well as iconic writers including
Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, Grant Morrison,
Steve Dillon, Dave Gibbons, Mark Millar
and Brian Bolland.
Warlord was previously responsible for
distributing the Judge Dredd Miniatures Game,,
published by Mongoose, but will now open up
its use of the IP to include more characters and
creations from 2000 AD, which also happens
to celebrate its 40th birthday in February of
this year.
One of the games confirmed to be in early
development is a title based on Strontium Dog,
the post-apocalyptic space-western starring
superpowered bounty hunter Johnny Alpha.
Very exciting times indeed.

EURO DA CHAMP
If you’ve ever felt the urge
to prove your superiority
over your fellow human
beings by defeating them
in one-on-one combat,
but don’t have an arena to
hand or pale at the sight
of blood, help is at hand.
Fantasy Flight Games
has taken the wraps off
a major new European
tournament to be held
at this year’s UK Games
Expo at the start of June.
The European
Championships will
mimic their North
American counterparts,
allowing players to to help design a new
compete in titles such card for their game of
as X-Wing, Star Wars: choice. Competitors of
Armada, Android: any skill and nationality
Netrunner and the can enter, being first
Game of Thrones whittled down by points
LCG in the hope of during Swiss rounds and
winning paid travel and subsequent head-to-
accommodation for head elimination.
the publisher’s World UK Games Expo will
Championships, plus also play host to the
the opportunity to jump 2017 Pokémon Regional
straight into the second Championships, offering
round of the global 1,000 seats to Pokémon
competition thanks to Trading Card Game
a first round bye. The players looking to win
winner of each contest some cash, scholarships
will also get the chance and travel certificates.

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006_009_news_V3 MJ.indd 6 19/01/2017 11:52

 CONTACT US...
www.facebook.com/tabletopgamingmagazine
@ tabletopgaming@warnersgroup.co.uk

www.twitter.com/TabletopMag

DEATH TO KITTENS
Of course we don’t really mean that. What we mean
to say is that Kingdom Death: Monster 1.5, the co-
op horror sequel, has overtaken flammable feline
party card game Exploding Kittens to become the
highest-funded tabletop Kickstarter of all time on the
crowdfunding website.
Kingdom Death 1.5 is the follow-up to the original
Kingdom Death: Monster, which raised just over $2
million (£1.6m) on Kickstarter back at the beginning of
2013. That’s impressive, but looks like relative peanuts
compared to the $12.4 million (£10.2m) raised by
Kingdom Death 1.5, which put it ahead of Exploding
Kittens’ still-none-too-shabby $8.8 million (£7.1m).The
game smashed its original $100,000 target in just two
hours, picking up $4.3 million (£3.5m) in its very first day.
One factor that may have helped Kingdom Death
1.5 push up the figures is its higher price tag; the core
box (which weighs a massive 7.7kg and comes with 17
miniature sprues, a 232-page rulebook and more than
1,000 cards) costs a whopping $250 (£201) – without
any postage included.
Believe it or not, Kingdom Death 1.5 was actually
expected to make even more money than it did, with
online analytics site Kicktraq initially predicting that the
game would rake in a staggering $56.2 million (£45.2m)
over its month-long campaign – had it succeeded
it would have become the most-funded project on
Kickstarter of any kind, beating current number one, the
Pebble Time smartwatch, by nearly three times.
Still, $12 million is nothing to sniff at. Backers
will see if their hefty investment pays off this
summer, when Kingdom Death: Monster 1.5
is planned for release – although further
expansions and add-ons are scheduled for
launch all the way up to the end of December
2020 and beyond.

FORGOTTEN CLASSICS TO MAKE A COMEBACK A MAD IDEA

If you were going to bring back a
game from the past, what would it
be? We don’t just mean reprinting
something that hasn’t been around
for a couple years – we mean reviving
a game that maybe hasn’t seen the
light of day in decades.
That is the question handily
answered by Pandemic Legacy and
SeaFall designer Rob Daviau, attorney
Justin Jacobson and graphic designer
Jason Taylor, who have teamed up to
form Restoration Games.
Restoration’s mantra is ‘every
game deserves another turn’, and the
partnership will be working together
to resurrect forgotten titles from the
1960s through to the 1990s, both
revitalising some of their original
aspects and making any required
modern alterations.
One of the first three titles to
get the special treatment is 1981’s
Dragonmaster, which has been
renamed to Indulgence and had its
fantasy theme switched for a setting One of the hottest names in tabletop
in the Italian Renaissance, complete design of the last few years,
with new artwork (pictured). SeaFall creator and pioneer of
Daviau’s own pet project is the legacy genre Rob Daviau has
Downforce, a new spin on the revealed that he is working on a
1980s card-driven Top Race series new Lovecraftian game.
designed by Wolfgang Kramer. Mountains of Madness will
Daviau says that he has stripped be based on the horror writer’s
back many of the superfluous rules eponymous story of strange alien
layered on Top Race over the years creatures discovered in the frozen
in order to create “the most fun nightmare of Antarctica. Spoiler:
version possible”. things don’t go well for the
The final part of the initial triptych human explorers.
is Stop Thief, which was somewhat Daviau will work with Small
of a standout in 1979 by using an World and 7 Wonders artist Miguel
‘electronic crime scanner’ keypad Coimbra to bring the title to life, with
to offer audio clues to players King of Tokyo and Kanagawa outlet
hunting down a hidden suspect. The Iello publishing.
original bulky mobile phone-shaped Details are otherwise fittingly
component will be switched for a mysterious, with a single teaser image
digital companion app. and a release date of simply ‘2017’
All three of the games are planned providing the only clues. Keep your
for release on August 17th, with the eyes peeled for more information in
Restoration team said to already be the not-too-distant future.
considering its next projects.

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THE FORCE AWAKENS
VERSION

006_009_news_V3 MJ.indd 7 19/01/2017 11:52

 NEED TO KNOW...

BRITISH PUBLISHER TREEFROG CLOSES

Among a year of major losses in
2016, not even the world of board
games was safe. As well as the
passing of tabletop pioneers such
as Lone Wolf author Joe Dever and
designer Sean Sweigart, we also
lost one of the UK’s indie publishers.
Founded by Age of Steam
designer Martin Wallace, Treefrog
Games published its debut title,
Mordred, in 1999 and went on
to produce releases including A
Study in Emerald, Doctor Who:
The Card Game and the Discworld
spin-off Ankh-Morpork.
“It has been a struggle to
keep Treefrog going for the last
few years,” Wallace explained.
“The games market has become
increasingly crowded with
new releases and as a small
company we have found it
difficult to compete.
"I have decided that it is better
for me to focus on my core
strength, which is game design,
and leave matters of production
and marketing to others.”
Treefrog’s final game is A
Handful of Stars, which Wallace
described as “the final game in
an unintended trilogy” alongside
its predecessors A Few Acres
of Snow and Mythopia. The
designer added that he had sold
the rights to the sci-fi strategy
title’s mechanics to Fantasy Flight
Games, “who may or may not
print a new version at some time”.
It’s not all bad news though;
Wallace vowed that despite the
demise of his publishing label,
“there will be plenty more ‘Martin
Wallace’ designs in the future, they
will just lack the Treefrog logo”.

DON’T BE GLOOMY
Gloomhaven is still months from release, but
that hasn’t stopped designer Isaac Childres
from announcing a prequel title to the ambitious
legacy Eurogame.
Founders of Gloomhaven drops the co-op
adventure format of its predecessor in favour of
competitive tile and worker placement mechanics
as players race to construct the titular city hundreds
of years before the first game takes place.
In order to do this, they’ll need to gather
materials and spread their influence across the map
board – each faction’s own resources are limited,
meaning shaky alliances must be formed in order
to progress. There’s also an auction mechanic to
determine which building proposals are placed on
the board each round, with valuable workers used
as a bargaining chip.
Childres said that he plans to launch a
Kickstarter for Founders of Gloomhaven this
February, aiming for a release date before Gen
Con in August. However, this might be shifted as
Gloomhaven prepares to launch in May.

THE RESISTANCE CREATOR PREPARES TO ABANDON PLANET

The Resistance is one of our all-time favourite social deception games, so it gave us no shortage
of joy and excitement to hear that designer Don Eskridge is working on a new entry in the genre
called Abandon Planet.
In Abandon Planet, four to eight players are stranded together on the eponymous world, which
is about to be destroyed by meteors. No biggie, as you have the skills to build a rocket and blast
off before being crushed by the falling balls of rock. The problem is, in order to do so, you’ll need
to work with one of your companions to gather the resources needed – and they might decide
to lie to you in order to steal the spaceship for themselves, falsely leading you to an area of the
board that’s about to be struck by a meteor instead of the valuable materials.
Players can also steal, trade and bribe each other in order to get the goods they need, with
one member of the group knowing where the next meteor will strike each turn.
Abandon Planet raised just over $90,000 (£74,000) on Kickstarter late last year and is due out
this May. Best stick around on Earth until then.

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006_009_news_V3 MJ.indd 8 19/01/2017 11:52

 BOURNE TO GAME
With board game cafés becoming a more common sight in the UK
than former members of major political parties, it might come as little
surprise that the sunny seaside town of Bournemouth has decided to
get in on the action with its first tabletop eatery.
Coffee & Dice has been in development for more than two years,
and helped to boost its upcoming March opening by raising an extra
£10,000 for custom tables and a bigger catalogue of games on
Kickstarter last December.
Located in Bournemouth’s new development at Calendula Place, the
café will be home to over 500 board games, complemented by a menu
including coffee, cold drinks, sandwiches and cakes. For those looking
to live-action roleplay their beer-swigging dwarf, an alcohol licence is
reportedly in discussion.
Coffee & Dice will open from 10am to 11pm each day, with special
events held every Tuesday. Entry will cost £4 for unlimited access to the
library of games; the venue seats up to 60 players.

BOARD RUNNER
Androids may or may not dream
of electric sheep, but humans
no longer need to dream of a
world in which there are new
Blade Runner board games.
Pop culture collectibles
maker NECA has confirmed that
it is working on official games
based on this year's sequel to
Ridley Scott's seminal 1982
sci-fi masterpiece.
Blade Runner 2049 is being
helmed by Arrival and Prisoners
TABLETOP TALKIES
Move over Jumanji reboot – you their regular evening of tabletop
might have The Rock, but you’re indulgence only to experience an
not the only board games movie in increasingly outlandish series of
town anymore. mishaps and antics.
Major Hollywood actors Rachel
McAdams (pictured), known for
It’s been in the pipeline since 2013
and is now in the hands of Vacation
director Denis Villeneuve and
her turns in Sherlock Holmes (the directors Jonathan Goldstein and
stars Ryan Gosling and a
films with Robert Downey Jr, rather John Francis Daley, who previously
returning Harrison Ford in an
than Benedict Cumberbatch's TV co-wrote Horrible Bosses and
original story set 30 years after
show) and Mean Girls, as well as upcoming comic book reboot Spider-
the first film.
last year’s critically lauded Spotlight, Man: Homecoming.
NECA happens to own Dice
and Jason Bateman, who found There’s no word yet on when
Masters, HeroClix and Attack
fame in Horrible Bosses, Arrested the film will hit cinema screens, but
Wing studio WizKids, giving you
Development and Disney animation you can be sure to expect plenty of
an idea of what the proposed
Zootropolis, have both signed on for jokes about Twilight Imperium, Terra
titles might be like.
Game Night. Mystica and Eclipse… or perhaps
Further details will be released
As you might guess from the not. We’re personally looking forward
at February's New York Toy Fair,
title, Game Night will follow a group to the 12-hour-long cut featuring a
with the games due out in 2017.
of couples who get together for single match of Diplomacy.

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HISTORY & CONQUER
THE ARCTIC

006_009_news_V3 MJ.indd 9 20/01/2017 15:23

 FIRST TURN
ERIC M. LANG
The Toronto-based brain behind Blood Rage and XCOM: The Board Game flashes
back to his first-ever published title: 1998’s Tarot-tweaking Mystick Domination
Interview by Dan Jolin

“I was going BACKGROUND

“I was 25, 26 and I’d been working for several years
to be a game doing consulting work for retail shops. I was going to
be a game designer, there was no two ways about it.
designer, There’s nothing else I’d even considered! I designed a
trading card game based on The Chronicles of Amber
there was for a small San Francisco company, but they imploded
right as they were gonna print the game. So I was like,
no two ways ‘I’m starting my own company [Anoch] and printing
my own damn game.’ I was driven and passionate and
about it.” bullheaded like only a young person can be.”
COMPONENTS
“My biggest influences were always Richard Garfield,
designer of Magic: The Gathering, and Sid Sackson,
who is kind of the godfather of modern board games. I
played Magic since it came out, and it had a profound
influence on the way I think about games. It was the
first game I can think of in our hobby that really took
game design seriously as a discipline. It was like, ‘this
game has to stand up to a high level of stress…’”
OBJECT
“I wanted something whose appeal extended beyond the
hobby gaming market. When I grew up I played a lot of
White Wolf roleplaying games, and I was fascinated by how
they appealed to the goth subculture outside of gaming. So
as someone who’d read William Blake and Crowley and all
that dark, crazy stuff, I wanted to do something that maybe
had the new-age market. Tarot was definitely occultish,
but not crazy, and that held a special appeal to me.”
using minions from this very high-weirdness occult
world. You play cards from your hand which are pawns
that make challenges against each other to steal power.
And layered on top of that is a collectible card game.”
END OF THE GAME
“It was very successful at the beginning. We had that sort
of ‘come out of nowhere’ caché, and distributors were
like, ‘wow, this is impressive’. So we got a lot of orders for
it. People ordered it like it was a small-time collectible
card game. And then of course the sell-through was
terrible. By the time the companion set came out, we
printed the same numbers but got a tenth of the orders.
So we died a cash-flow death and I had to lay everybody
[at Anoch] off, myself included. But I’m still proud of the
game. I think about it as a musician looking back at their
first record. I have a lot of nostalgia for it.”
STRATEGY TIPS
“If you’re a game designer, you make games, whether
you’re published or not. But there’s a threshold you cross
once you decide to do this commercially. The decision
you have to make is: are you willing to make sacrifices
and compromises to your art that will get the game
played and enjoyed by other people and publishers? If
you’re not willing to do that, I recommend you don’t do
this professionally. Because game design is way more
democratic than any other art form. Just make games for
your friends and you’ll have a lot more fun.” ■

SETUP
“Back then I was obsessed with what we now would call
‘agonising decisions’. I wanted to make it as streamlined
as possible, have as much decision agony as I could
in a 15-minute card game. I designed the game very
abstractly, actually, and lost the theme very quickly in
the design. Then I had to paste the theme back on. It was
basically showing off how clever I was, and I don’t think
like that anymore. I’m just more focused on games just
being compelling, having a lot of drama, that kinda stuff.”

■M
 ystick Domination was
inspired by a mixture of
HOW TO PLAY
Magic: The Gathering and the “Mystick Domination is a two-player card game you play
occult nature of tarot cards. with tarot cards that is a sort of chess-like battle for power

10

010_myFirstGame_V2 MJ.indd 10 19/01/2017 14:31

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 MY FAVOURITE GAME
LESLIE SCOTT
The inventor of Jenga recalls how the atmospheric power of playing
Cluedo with her family influenced her childhood growing up in Kenya

“Cluedo is the
M
y favourite board game? Well, this just has to
be Cluedo. Not because this is necessarily the
most perfect very best game I have ever played – an accolade
I would probably grant Diplomacy – but because some
of all murder, of my fondest and earliest memories of childhood are
associated with playing Cluedo.
mystery and I was born in Tanzania, which I do not remember at
all, and lived in Uganda briefly, of which I recall little
deduction other than the smell of the red polished floors and my
uncle’s African grey parrot, Kisuku, who bit me – hard.
games.” We moved to Kenya when I was about four and this
when life began for me. Or at least, when things seem to
have happened that I can recall in any depth. And some
of my strongest memories of that time revolve around
playing games.
For example, I remember our first house in Nairobi
very clearly because I remember walking along the
rather scary stone path that linked the main house to the
little grass-roofed guest house where my South African
grandmother lived from time to time. I walked there
alone in order to play Chinese chequers with her on the
painted wooden board that she would bring along each
time she came to stay.
And I remember the excitement I felt one evening
(aged about five) standing at the top of the stairs in the
same house, looking down to the open-plan sitting
room below on the first occasion I was allowed stay
up later than my younger sister to join my mother and
father, and older brother, to play a board game. That
game was Cluedo.
I’m pretty sure I couldn’t read properly at that stage,
so I certainly must have needed a great deal of help
playing the game – but none of that mattered at the time.
I had been included for being old enough, and my sister
had been excluded for being too young. Of course I fell
in love with the game!
The next occasion of playing Cluedo that is indelibly
etched in my memory is with the whole family (sister
included this time) in a very remote fishing lodge on
the slopes of Mount Kenya, circa 1964 – when I was just
nine. This simple little wooden hut had no electricity, so
all evening activities were lit by Tilley lamps – a style of
paraffin-fuelled lamp that hisses when alight, and from
time to time needs to be pumped vigorously in order to
increase its brightness.
Warmed by a huge open fire, we played the first game
of Cluedo that I ever won. But I knew then and I know
now that even if I had lost that time, as I have done since
many other times, I would still consider Cluedo the most
perfect of all murder, mystery and deduction games.
One that has stood the test of time so well that I played
it as a child, I played it with my children and I play it
still – even if I must do so without the accompanying
atmospheric smell and the hiss of a paraffin Tilley lamp. ■

■C
 luedo’s first edition: paraffin
Tilley lamp not included.
(Museum of Gaming)

12

012_myFavouriteGame_V2 MJ.indd 12 19/01/2017 14:32

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p013.indd 1 17/01/2017 14:53

 COUNTER VIEW
BECKY OTTERY
Following the flurry of New Year bargains, Eclectic Games’ co-owner
offers a brief primer on why, when and how retailers offer clearance sales

“While games
S
ometimes, stock doesn’t sell. I have bought and is your last chance to buy it. If you were hesitating
paid for games that have then gone on to sit because of the price, buy now or forever lose your
do not have a on my shelves in an annoying and persistent
fashion, while customers browse past them, time and
chance because we have no plans to restock this!”
The other thing about sales (clearance ones
‘sell-by’ date, again. Sometimes, this is an indication that I need to
remerchandise my shelves, to give the slow games
included) that makes them a powerful tool is the
human attraction to a ‘good deal’. When customers
shelf and more prominence. Sometimes this is a sign that I made
an error of judgement in ordering the game in the
are distracted by the big red sticker saying ‘50% OFF’,
they are not actually focusing on the price tag. If the
stockroom first place. Sometimes, this is a sign that the hype and
buzz that led to my order was, to quote Shakespeare1,
price tag is a nice round number, and below one of
the typical psychological break points, then sticking
space remains ‘full of sound and fury, signifying nothing’.2 Since my
inventory management is based on games selling, so
that on a big red sticker also helps.
My accumulated wisdom so far on clearance
finite.” that I have the physical room to bring in new ones, this
is an issue. Sooner or later, I will get to the point where
Don’ts boils down to a couple of basics:
1. Don’t go back on the implicit promise not to
I need that game gone from my shelves. restock the products in a short space of time.
Sales are a tool in the retailer’s kit to move product. 2. Don’t mix clearance products in with non-
What sales accomplish is to get product out of the clearance stock – have a clear distinction.
store and off the shelves. It may be that the discounts 3. Don’t run clearance sales too frequently – they
offered are small enough that the retailer will still imply a failure in judgement when deciding which
make a margin on the product, slightly bigger so products to bring in.
that they still cover the cost of the item, or it may be 4. Don’t be afraid to run clearance sales if you need
that the cost of keeping the item on the shelf or in to – look at John Lewis for reassurance if needed! ■
the stock room is such that any money received is
worthwhile to free up the space.
Early on in my retail career, I loathed the idea of
running sales. It was an admission of failure; it had
all the negatives associated with ‘discounted product’
and the type of customers who mostly buy from sales
were not the primary type of customer I wanted
to attract.
I’m less naïve about my business now. I have come
to understand that products that sit on my shelves
for too long cost me money.3 As such, I have come
to appreciate The Clearance Sale. While games do
not have a ‘sell-by’ date and are not subject to the 50%
seasonal pressures of many other products4, my shelf
and stockroom space remains finite.
The most important difference about a clearance
OFF
sale as opposed to any other type is that the
products will not come back. You are not telling your
customers, “If you wait long enough, the thing that
you want will get cheaper.” The message is: “This

1. Adding 10% of the RDA of culture to your daily reading experience.

2. This is a common issue with Kickstarter titles.
3. Oddly, retailers don’t like things that cost them money, as opposed to ones that make money.
4. Try buying beachwear in December…

14

014_counterView_V2 MJ.indd 14 19/01/2017 14:33

 ®
™

Reign supreme!

Super Dungeon® models are required to

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existing collection, or from Super Dungeon’s
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p015.indd 1 17/01/2017 14:55
 1 2
LEGENDARY ENCOUNTERS:
AN ALIEN DECK BUILDING GAME
Spanning all four of the original sci-fi horror films (tough luck, Prometheus),
the Alien entry in the Legendary family of co-op deckbuilders pits Ripley,
Hicks, Bishop and crew against the terrifying Xenomorphs. Each turn,
the humans reinforce their
deck by purchasing cards
from a shared HQ in order
to blast away the acid-
dripping nasties, capturing
the tension, desperation and
threat of the fight for survival
like no other Alien-related
board game has before or
since. It’s worth mentioning
that the set can be combined
with its Predator-based
counterpart for an Aliens
vs Predator-style mashup.
(Though the less said about
that film, the better.)
STAR WARS: REBELLION
Forced to limit
ourselves to
just one Star
Wars game
on the list (the
excellent X-Wing, Armada
and Imperial Assault are all
worthy contenders), Rebellion
stands out for capturing the
galaxy-wide scale of the clash
between the Empire and Rebel
Alliance during George Lucas'
original trilogy. The Empire
is hunting for the Rebel base
and harnesses the might of stormtroopers, TIE Fighters,
Star Destroyers and the Death Star (represented by over 150
gorgeous miniatures) to conquer planets – or even obliterate
them entirely. Meanwhile, the nimble Rebel forces try to
survive long enough to unite the galaxy to their cause and
cause an uprising against Darth Vader.

F
10 or more than half a century, board
games have found ways to bring the
cinematic world to life on the tabletop.
Whether they’re simply retelling the
stories of their silver screen counterparts
OF THE BEST…
MOVIE AND TV SPIN-OFFS
or finding new ways to expand their
narratives, spin-off titles have remained
one of the most popular ways for fans to
immerse themselves further in the worlds
of their favourite flicks – just look at the
multi-million-dollar success of licensed
Kickstarter projects for proof of that. Sadly,
RoboCop all stand as examples of stellar films
marred by naff games. Yet, the last decade
has seen movie and TV tie-ins leap in quality,
becoming some of the most acclaimed and
cherished board games of all time. Here’s our
this doesn’t mean that they’ve always pick of ten of the finest film offshoots worth
been good; Alien, Jaws, Jurassic Park and your time. Chosen by Matt Jarvis

4
THUNDERBIRDS
Based on the treasured
1960s Gerry Anderson

3
puppet show rather than
the new animated remake,
this co-op title designed
by Pandemic creator
Matt Leacock sees the
Tracy brothers and Lady
Penelope attempting
to thwart The Hood’s
FIREFLY: THE GAME nefarious doings while
A testament to the scope and popularity of a also averting various
TV show that lasted for just one season (plus global disasters. The
film sequel Serenity) 15 years ago, Firefly: gameplay will be familiar
The Game allows players to pilot their own to Pandemic fans, but is
ship around Joss Whedon’s space-western altered by Thunderbirds-
universe, taking on jobs to earn valuable specific mechanics
credits while dealing with the Alliance and defined by the five titular
Reavers and progressing through various machines and FAB 1 – you
story-driven missions. Combining area don’t get to blast into
movement with card drafting mechanics to space in Pandemic, after
simulate maintaining your ship, talking your all. It’s bright, joyous and
way out of trouble and fighting when it’s a whole lot of fun, and
called for, the game’s narrative and mechanics the perfect way to honour
have been expanded by a healthy stock of 50 years of the British
expansions since its release in 2013. programming icon.

16

016_017_tenOfTheBest_V2 MJ.indd 16 19/01/2017 14:34

 5 6
GHOSTBUSTERS:
THE BOARD GAME
Arriving in time for last year's all-female reboot
of the cult classic comedy but portraying
cartoon versions of the original 1980s roster,
the Ghostbusters board game allows up to
four players to feel good by bustin’ some
of the group’s iconic spectral adversaries
– yes, the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man is in
here – over the course of various half-hour to
two-hour co-op scenarios. The game includes
a modular board and more than 40 miniatures,
including the group’s Ecto-1 car, which can be
used to whizz around the city. Just remember
to avoid crossing the streams, won’t you?
HARRY POTTER: HOGWARTS BATTLE
The newest entry on this list, Hogwarts Battle is a co-op
card game that casts players as Harry, Ron, Hermione or
Neville as they fight off Voldemort and his Death Eaters
from invading the school of witchcraft and wizardry using
their deck of spells. Legacy-style packs opened with each
subsequent game add new cards and abilities, but also introduce new
villains and Dark Arts with which
they can attack. It’s a gentle way
to break newcomers or kids into
the concept of deckbuilding, while
making clever thematic use of the
enduringly popular boy wizard’s
magical world.

7 8
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: BATTLESTAR GALACTICA:
THE CARD GAME THE BOARD GAME
Styled after Battlestar Galactica’s tabletop tie-in applies the social
Tolkien’s original deduction and deception mechanics of party games such
books rather than as The Resistance to the sci-fi show’s conflict between
Peter Jackson’s humans and the Cylons. Humans race to find the map
exceptional cinematic trilogy to Earth, while the Cylons hidden among the group try to destroy them
(the core set is set in-between by reducing vital resources. The tense fight for survival plays out during
Bilbo’s eleventy-first birthday games up to four hours long, with the deep rules providing a richer
and Frodo departing the thematic experience than many of its party game peers.
Shire to destroy the Ring),
the Lord of the Rings card
game nevertheless is the best
way for lovers of Middle-
earth in all its incarnations
to experience the fantasy
world. Players take on the roles of the Fellowship and their allies and
work together to fight against Sauron’s forces of darkness, using pre-
constructed or custom decks of cards to progress through scenarios.
An optional campaign mode can be played, spanning both The Hobbit
and The Lord of the Rings.

10
A GAME OF THRONES: THE BOARD GAME
A Game of Thrones: The Board Game is a mechanically complex and dense
tabletop spin-off befitting the politically complex and dense land of Westeros
created by George R.R. Martin. Players control the houses of the Seven
Kingdoms as they vie for control of the Iron Throne, utilising both military
strength and diplomatic cunning to undermine their rivals. Succeeding
means planning ahead and knowing when and when not to trust your allies,
mixing social deducation aspects with wargame-like troop strategy as you
battle with fellow houses and wildlings. Like Martin’s novels, it’s a hefty
commitment – taking multiple hours to play – but is just as rewarding.

9
STAR TREK: FLEET CAPTAINS
The best Star Trek board game around, Fleet Captains takes place in the
sci-fi series’ Prime Universe, covering everything from the 1960s TV show
up to 2002 film Nemesis. This means that players can control commanders
from William Shatner’s James T. Kirk to Patrick Stewart’s Jean-Luc Picard
from The Next Generation – or opt to side with the Klingons. Matches are
designed to play out like a season of the show, presenting and resolving multiple missions
as if individual episodes. The vessels can be upgraded and manoeuvred around space to
explore, complete objectives, build bases and fight – with multiple approaches to winning
valid. Oh, you also get models for all of the ships; need we say more?

17

016_017_tenOfTheBest_V2 MJ.indd 17 19/01/2017 14:34

 RO LE
L
AL
C
With 2017 already well underway, we take a look at some of the
most recent and upcoming roleplaying releases of the New Year
Words by John Dodd
A
s Tabletop Gaming makes the move
to bi-monthly issues, there are a few
challenges that we have to meet. The
first is that we must cover more games as they
come out; the second is to ensure that we have
enough games to cover. As it turns out, the
second isn’t that much of a challenge at all…
Main image: Wizards of the Coast
018_019_RollCall_V2 MJ.indd 18
The first title that we'll take a look at is
Cabal, the inaugural independent offering
from Andrew Peregrine. It’s a game where
all the players create an organisation that
works towards a specific purpose, designing
and training the teams that need to do the
missions in order to gain the organisation
18
what they want. It’s not something for those
just starting out in RPGs, but with the writers
assembled to work on this project, this is
going to be something that works for all those
looking for more involved games.
Next up is Coriolis – The Third Horizon.
From the award-winning creators of Mutant:
Year Zero and utilising the same engine as
that game, Coriolis presents a whole new
world in which to to operate. In it, instead of
trying to keep a post-apocalyptic settlement
in one piece, the players live and operate
out of a starship, trying to make their way in
the vast universe with unknown perils and
races to face off against. Combining excellent
artwork with involved storylines and a rich
and diverse universe, Coriolis is likely to be
one for the awards again this year.
From Wizards of the Coast comes Volo’s
Guide to Monsters. Volothamp Geddarm
is back and he’s written a fantastical
dissertation, covering some of the most
iconic monsters in the Forgotten Realms.
Unfortunately, the Sage of Shadowdale
himself, Elminster, doesn’t believe Volo gets
some of the important details quite right.
Don’t miss out as Volo and Elminster square
off (academically speaking, of course) to
illuminate the uninitiated on creatures both
common and obscure. With a wry touch of
humour regarding the nature of the monsters
presented, this makes an interesting addition
to any Dungeons & Dragons campaign.
20/01/2017 15:30
 Meanwhile, Paizo has released the
Qadira, Jewel of the East campaign setting
for D&D descendant Pathfinder. Sprawling
along the eastern shore of the Inner Sea
lies Qadira, one of the mightiest nations
of the region. Qadira has long stood as a
bastion of culture and faith for humanity.
Containing full details of the region,
personalities, creatures, and treasures to
be found in the realm, as well as points
of intrigue and ideas to include the land
in existing campaigns, this makes a great
expansion to an already massive setting.
Given that there’s going to be a new
Star Wars release in the cinemas every
year going forwards, it’s no surprise that
Fantasy Flight has decided to release its
latest for Star Wars: Edge of the Empire.
No Disintegrations deals with the bounty
hunters of the universe, providing you with
the tools and talents necessary to succeed
in your hunt, and the adventure material
that GMs need to make that hunt thrilling,
suspenseful and a significant challenge.
Included within are new species, bounty
hunter specialisations, iconic ships,
sophisticated gear and much more.
In the next issue, we’ll take a look at a
game set in a 1980s that never was, a walk
on the wild side in unfamiliar territory
and something that should be familiar
to everyone, but that has changed for a
new generation… ■

19

018_019_RollCall_V2 MJ.indd 19 20/01/2017 15:30

 ALL THE JAHRES
James Wallis replays the winners of the Spiel des Jahres in order
Title: Scotland Yard | Year of win: 1983 | Designer: Manfred Burggraf,
Dorothy Garrels, Wolf Hoermann, Fritz Ifland, Werner Schlegel |
Number of players: 3–6 | Playing time: 45 minutes | Worthy winner? Yes |
Worth playing now? Yes | Availability: Wide | Price: £20

T
he venerable publisher Ravensburger
celebrated 1983, its 100th year of
producing games, with its third Spiel
des Jahres win – and for a world-class award
that was only being given for the fifth time,
that’s an impressive track record.
It’s easy to forget these days but in
the 1980s Ravensburger was a gaming
powerhouse, treading the line between
family and hobby games like a tightrope.
Scotland Yard showed it at the height of
its powers: clever, tactical and innovative,
everything that the 1982 winner (Enchanted
Forest, also Ravensburger) hadn’t been.
After much research, I can report that
Scotland Yard is the Spiel des Jahres winner
you are most likely to find in charity shops. (Do
not take that as an indication of its quality.)
It’s also one of very few games to include an
actual item of clothing in the box, a baseball
cap embroidered with the words ‘Mister X’.
A simple ‘X’ would have been gender-neutral
and cheaper to embroider, but this was the
early 1980s. Be cautious with the baseball caps
in copies you find in charity shops: the game is
Scotland Yard, not Gotnits Yaargh.
Scotland Yard is ostensibly about London’s
finest chasing down a master criminal (crimes
unspecified) through the streets of London. You
think it’s going to be about evidence and clues
and Sherlockian deductions, but that would
have to wait until Sherlock Holmes Consulting
Detective, which won the SdJ in 1985.
What you actually get is a thinky, tactical,
asymmetric game of hidden movement –
possibly the first hidden movement game, and
certainly the one that matters. Fury of Dracula,
Letters from Whitechapel and a number of
others borrow their core mechanic directly
from here: an elegant system of not knowing
where Mister X is but being able to track what
form of transport he is using: tube, bus, taxi or

20

020_021_allTheJahres_V2 MJ.indd 20 19/01/2017 14:43

 – rarely – a boat. The imitators dress it up with
bells and whistles like combat and encounters,
but here the idea is unadorned and pure, and
it shines.
Following the simple clues, the detectives
must yomp across a board representing
central London as 199 public transport hubs,
using a limited supply of tickets to pursue X
via the same three forms of travel (there are no
boats for detectives – perhaps a demarcation
issue with the river police) trying to corner,
trap and capture him.
X cannot make his escape by leaving the
edge of the board, because of reasons, but
must survive 22 turns or until the detectives
run out of tickets and can’t move. But every five
turns he has to surface for an instant, revealing
his position, and the chase enters a new act.
What looks like it’s going to be a detective
hunt turns out to be a puzzle of logic, logistics
and teamwork, and I suspect that’s the
reason so many copies end up in charity
shops. Not because it’s a bad game, which
it definitely isn’t, but because it’s not the
game many purchasers are expecting. The
■ Above and right: Scotland Yard's
original cover artwork (with SdJ badge)
and its modern revision .
■ Opposite: The iconic Mister X baseball
cap, one of the few items of clothing ever
included in a board game.
020_021_allTheJahres_V2 MJ.indd 21
title was advertised on kids’ TV in the UK,
and that built a certain kind of expectation
about its appeal and difficulty. Once you’re
over any disappointment about that, it’s a
head-scratching delight of bluff and double-
bluff, as the detectives plot and try to execute
their strategies out loud while Mister X writes
down his moves, conceals them with the
appropriate transport token and tries to keep
a straight face.
The scale of the search starts off macro but
quickly narrows down to specific areas, roads
and junctions. Should you give chase, try to
herd Mister X in a particular direction, head
him off or trap him in a net? There are no right
answers. Unlike many early co-op games,
Scotland Yard resists attempts to quarterback
the play, and it’s hard for either side to win
with any degree of certainty. It’s a game of
making informed guesses rather than pure
deduction, and because of its structure the
detectives will only get a handful of chances to
corner the fugitive before they run out of time.
The London map adds a little atmosphere
but ultimately it’s a game of nodes and links,
21
and graph theorists would probably do well.
It’s advertised as for three to six players but
it works with two, and its sweet spot is either
three (with two players each playing two
detectives) or five. Four, which means three
detectives pursuing Mister X, is expert mode –
at least for the detectives.
For me, Scotland Yard is the Spiel des
Jahres at its best. It’s an approachable game
that isn’t just innovative, it’s polished and
intelligent, and rewards tactical thought and
replays. The theme is clever and, while it never
quite captures the spirit of gallivanting across
London shouting, "Taxi! Follow that criminal
in a nit-infested baseball cap!” it’s deeply
satisfying to win. Its six credited designers,
including one of the few women to ever win
the SdJ, have never made another game, but
even if Scotland Yard is their only mark on
games culture, it’s one to be proud of. ■
Next issue: 1984 winner Railway Rivals
James Wallis is a games designer and director
of the games consultancy Spaaace.
“Innovative, polished
and intelligent,
Scotland Yard
is the Spiel des
Jahres at its best.”
20/01/2017 15:33
 GETTIN’
GROOVY

22

022_027_evilDead2_V2 MJ.indd 22 19/01/2017 14:47


Comic book publisher Space
Goat is breaking into the tabletop
universe with its debut game
– and it’s sure to swallow your
soul. Evil Dead 2 designer Taylor
Smith chainsaws open the
bloody brilliant reimagining
Words by Matt Jarvis
R
eleased during a decade celebrated for its
enduring and influential movies, 1987’s Evil
Dead 2 still stands apart as something entirely
unique. Soaked in buckets of blood and starring a
cackling deer head, possessed amputated hand,
army of flesh-eating Deadites and the wise-cracking
antics of chainsaw-limbed, shotgun-wielding hero
Ash Williams, the horror-comedy has consistently
remained one of the best-loved cult films around
since it appeared 30 years ago.
The film’s substantial legacy both in and outside
of cinema would make it a momentous undertaking
for any board game publisher to attempt to adapt
to the tabletop – let alone a complete newcomer to
the industry. Seemingly undeterred, that’s exactly
the challenge comic book studio Space Goat
Productions decided to take on when it announced
last July that its tabletop debut would be Evil Dead 2:
The Official Board Game.
On the surface, it looked like a recipe for disaster:
an ambitious board game based on a beloved movie
licence made by a seemingly inexperienced team
and funded on Kickstarter. Quickly, fans began to
realise that Space Goat was far more than a chancer
trying its luck by riding the wave of a notable IP;
although Evil Dead 2 was its inaugural self-made
board game, the company had been working for
years in the background on other titles – this was
just its time to step into the spotlight.
“Evil Dead 2 is Space Goat Productions’ first
board game or tabletop release, but I have been self-
publishing roleplay and tabletop games for a couple
years,” explains the game’s designer, Taylor Smith.
“Space Goat has been a service provider for all sorts
of commercial assets and production for several
games, so all the ingredients were already in place.”
What’s more, Smith and his team weren’t just
sticking the Evil Dead name on the game in a cheap
attempt to attract attention. Space Goat already
knew the world of Ash Williams inside-out, having
published a number of limited comic book series
based on Evil Dead 2 throughout 2015 and 2016 –
including appearances from Dracula, Jack the Ripper,
Martians and a zombie Adolf Hitler. We’re serious.
022_027_evilDead2_V2 MJ.indd 23
EVIL DEAD 2
A board game doesn’t seem such a crazy idea now,
does it?
“For us, adapting Evil Dead 2 was an evolution of
the comics and the interactions we’ve had with our
fans over the years,” Smith says. “It was very much a
property we loved for folks who also love it.”
That’s not to say working with a well-known
movie doesn’t have its perks, he admits.
“Licensed games have the appeal of a built-in
audience, especially going through the crowdfunding
path. Of course, working on a property that already exists
sets all sorts of limitations, like capturing all the exact
details of a work that’s been in pop culture for 30 years.”
DEAD EASY
It may sound easy enough to take a film and turn
it into a board game – there’s enough bad tie-ins
around to prove that – and adapting a comedy
packed with as many seemingly bizarre, jokey and ■ Above: Evil Dead 2: The
random elements as Evil Dead 2 (chainsaw arm Official Board Game designer
– check, sentient hand – check, Deadites – check) Taylor Smith.
might make the task sound even simpler. When it
came to designing the title’s gameplay, however,
Smith was determined to take it seriously.
“I personally watched the movie maybe a dozen
times with a notebook in hand,” he reveals. “I started
development with the basic mechanics in mind and
fleshed it out with details from the film. All the events
and items in the game are from the movie. I was
relieved that there was a scene where Ash wraps his
severed hand stump with bandages, otherwise there
wouldn’t have been a healing item in the game.”
This means, even if you’re an Evil Dead diehard,
you shouldn’t be able to complain about anything feeling ■ Below: The game features
out of place or unsuitable in the board game, no matter living and Deadite versions
how many angry forum comments you post on of every character, including
the internet. ▶ hero Ash Williams.
All images are prototypes and may not
reflect final product. All images awaiting
licensor approval. EVIL DEAD 2: DEAD BY
DAWN™ is a trademark of Studiocanal S.A.S.
All Rights Reserved. ©2016 Studiocanal
S.A.S. © All Rights Reserved.
23
19/01/2017 14:48
 EVIL DEAD 2

If you still think Ash Williams is a BBC newsreader

and a Deadite is some sort of insect – this whole
feature must’ve been very confusing for you – don’t
worry: Smith is confident you’ll still be able to enjoy
Evil Dead 2 as a game in its own right. (But seriously,
you should watch Evil Dead 2. Just go watch it already!
Actually, even if you’ve already seen it, go watch it and
come back afterwards. Done? Great! Let’s continue.)
“Every event and item that occurs in the game is
pulled right from the film – but that doesn’t mean
you’ve even had to have seen it,” he assures. “The
film’s blend of comedy, horror and over-the-top
carnage ends up coming through and infusing the
game with its timeless style.”
This also applies to the expanded world of Evil
Dead 2 Space Goat has been exploring in its comic
books – although Smith teases future additions to
the board game based on the series. (Yes, before you
ask, zombie Hitler will be in there somewhere.)
“The Evil Dead 2 comics don’t directly tie into the
board game; you can experience each entirely separate
from the other,” he confirms. “We reused some art
from the comics and we plan to make full expansions
based on the comics, like a Tales of the Ex-Mortis game
that introduces new playable characters and locations
■ Players roll custom dice to from that anthology. We wanted to the core game to
resolve combat and events – and stand on its own. The licensor has been great to work
try to avoid becoming a Deadite. with through the comics, it’s made working together
on the board game a very rewarding experience.”

■ The game’s cards are inspired DARKNESS FALLS

by some of the iconic scenes and If you’re an Evil Dead fan, at some point over the last
objects from the film. 926 words (we counted), you’ve probably thought:

All images are prototypes and may not reflect final product. All images awaiting licensor approval. EVIL DEAD 2: DEAD BY DAWN™ is a trademark of Studiocanal S.A.S. All Rights Reserved. ©2016 Studiocanal S.A.S. © All Rights Reserved.

24

022_027_evilDead2_V2 MJ.indd 24 19/01/2017 15:29

 ‘Evil Dead 2 is an incredible film and the board
game sounds brilliant. I can’t wait until they make
“The film’s all good to go. There were a couple board game fans
and huge Evil Dead fans in the ranks, so they were
an Army of Darkness expansion. Super groovy!’ Well,
this is awkward. It turns out that Space Goat won’t
comedy, some of our earliest supporters.”
As for series creator Sam Raimi, Smith says that
be able to bring in elements of the third Evil Dead
instalment (although the film’s medieval knights
horror and the writer and director (who went on to make the
early 2000s Spider-Man trilogy, if you’re after some
and Evil Ash creep in thanks to their introductions
in Evil Dead 2) – not without jumping through rather
over-the- movie trivia) wasn’t directly involved in Evil Dead 2:
The Official Board Game – but a certain chainsaw-
complicated legal hoops, that is.
“Evil Dead 2 was a fortunate opportunity that
top carnage equipped, boomstick-toting actor did get to offer
some thoughts on his miniaturised self.
continued to treat us very well,” Smith recounts.
“Since the whole franchise is split between
infuses the “We didn’t work with their creative team directly
– especially as Ash vs Evil Dead season two was in
different studios, the rights are all held by different
companies. Evil Dead 2 was available to us at the
game with production,” explains Smith. “Part of our approval
process does involve Bruce Campbell personally
right time and right price, so we started with the
comics. That was about two years ago; we built a
its timeless approving any depiction of him, including the cards,
figures, all that. His approval process can take about
good relationship with the licensor – and the fans –
along the way, which made picking up the game a
style.” five weeks, which is definitely something to plan
around, but the process tends to be pretty smooth.
natural step.” We’re all pretty familiar with that groovy mug
In short, Army of Darkness and Evil Dead 2 belong though, so we catch most the obvious stuff before
to different film companies – it’s the same reason anything ever makes it to him.” ▶
that recent TV show spin-off Ash vs Evil Dead also
conveniently ‘forgets’ about the 1992 third part of
the trilogy. As Space Goat had already proved itself
worthy of handling the licence with its comic book
efforts, signing on for the rights to make Evil Dead 2
into a board game was relatively painless.
“We didn’t have to pitch the mechanics too
specifically to them [Evil Dead 2 licence owner
StudioCanal],” Smith clarifies. “We had already
earned a fair amount of trust based on the comics
and the legalese of the contract prevented them
from getting hurt by a deal gone south, so we were

■ Ash Williams actor

Bruce Campbell had
to personally approve
his appearance in all
of the game’s cards
and miniatures.

25

022_027_evilDead2_V2 MJ.indd 25 19/01/2017 15:29

 EVIL DEAD 2

TOUCH OF EVIL
Licence secured, it was time for Space Goat to fire up
the chainsaw, load up the shotgun and prove it was
groovy enough to face the Evil Dead. It was proved
right quickly. Very quickly. Within eight hours of
launching its Kickstarter for the Evil Dead 2 board
game, it had already destroyed its $70,000 (£57,547)
target. Fewer than two days later, it had more than
doubled its goal. By the time the campaign ended,
over ten times the initial amount had been raised,
netting Space Goat a cool $722,622 (£580,219) and
more than 6,000 early supporters.
“Kickstarter was a fantastic way to interact with the
community and allowed us to grow the game beyond
anything we could’ve done on our own,” Smith
effuses. “There were hurdles, but we gathered some
amazing fans along the way. The campaign itself
had us all working insane hours, overnighters, and
pretty much non-stop start to finish. In the end, it was
exhausting, but worth it.”
Like so many crowdfunding projects, the explosive
popularity of Evil Dead 2 opened the doors for
Smith and the Space Goat team to up the scale of
their original ideas for the game as backers chewed
through more than 20 stretch goals. This was
alongside the natural development of the title as its
mechanics were polished and refined before launch.
“Many of the mini-expansion add-ons, which
introduced extra play scenarios and mechanics, got
to grow well beyond our original intentions,” Smith
acknowledges. “As for the base game, the two biggest
change were the additions of a Deadite win condition
– Deadite players collect the same pages as the
humans, but for a different goal, so they have more to
work for than just killin’ – and the spell system, which
grew into a fuller mechanic while staying streamlined
in the rest of the game.”
With the project becoming one of Kickstarter’s
highest-funded board game campaigns to date, it’s
hard to imagine that Smith and Space Goat’s vision
was limited when it came to truly capturing the feel
of the movie. Instead, the designer insists that he was
forced to restrain himself – or risk drowning the title
in its own gameplay. ■ Players must collect missing swallow your soul!’), possessed animals, demons and
“I’m very happy with the experience of the game pages from the Necronomicon knights, the whole shebang – while trapped inside the
as it is, but we were working on a tight production in order to escape the cabin in iconic cabin in the woods. All of the characters and
schedule,” he reflects. “It would’ve been fun to the woods. enemies are included in miniature form (there are
include all sorts of extra fun stuff – beyond what four severed hand models – try not to do the maths),
we got to add with all the mini-expansions – but with the character, event and item cards illustrated
ultimately I would’ve likely cluttered the game. There in the style of Space Goat’s comic series. The aim is to
were no important mechanics left of the cutting room find the missing pages of the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis
floor, though. All the important things made it in!” in order to open a portal, send the demons back to
Getting down to business, Evil Dead 2’s tabletop where they came from and escape before you end up
version is a tile-based survival horror adventure game dead by dawn. But there’s a twist.
for two to six humans (preferably alive) who jump “The game is a ‘co-operative until it’s not’ survival
in the shoes of Ash, Ed, Linda, Jake, Bobby Joe and horror game,” Smith reveals. “Players start as humans
Annie and try to fight off their Deadite counterparts – but risk turning into Deadites throughout play, switching
plus the killer tree, Ash’s hand, Deadite Henrietta (‘I’ll their goals and allegiances to the opposite side.

26

022_027_evilDead2_V2 MJ.indd 26 20/01/2017 15:34

 “The game is event-driven with a deck of over 100
cards – most of which only occur once – paving the
way for a horror-movie-paced reactionary strategy
with some sceptical teamwork tactics. There’s a spell
system to keep things interesting, loop dropping
keeps items and Necronomicon pages in play, and
dark magic can bring dead player characters back to
life. It’s not over until it’s over!”
Horror has continued to be one of the most
popular genres for tabletop experiences in the last
few years – Kingdom Death: Monster, Zombicide,
Deep Madness and The Others: 7 Sins are all among
Kickstarter’s most fruitful board game crowdfunding
projects to date – and scary games based on movies
and video games, such as Ghostbusters and Dark
Souls, have proven just as prosperous. So how will
Evil Dead 2 stack up against its spooky peers?
“Evil Dead 2 will be familiar to other survival
horror games, such as Zombies!!!, Last Night on Earth,
Betrayal at House on the Hill and the like,” Smith
compares. “The mechanics were meant to capture the
movement, both in style and accessibility. Every now
and again I had to check in and wasn’t too close to
any other games.
“Horror is a fascinating genre. Board games offer
interactivity to make the control – or lack thereof – of
horror far more visceral. The social aspect of board
games makes them a lot of fun to experience horror
together, whether it means ebbing on the mood or
providing laughter as a reprieve.”
DAY OF THE DEAD
Although it was originally planned for release late last
year, the delay of Evil Dead 2 to 2017 makes for very
convenient timing as the original flick turns the big
3-0. As you might expect, Space Goat is planning to
make the most of the birthday bash both in its books
and on the tabletop.
“2017 is the 30th anniversary of Evil Dead 2 and we
have some really great comic projects planned,” Smith
details. “Once all the Kickstarter backers – and anyone
who picked up a late pledge – get their copy, the game will
see a wide retail release. After that, we have expansions
and other great content we plan to keep rolling out.”
While it may not have Army of Darkness on the
slate, the publisher isn’t finished with Evil Dead 2 yet
– but this hasn’t stopped it having designs on a more
recent addition to the Evil Dead universe.
“Since each film is controlled by a different rights
holder, and Army of Darkness is already largely spoken
for, we’re going to keep building our world of Evil Dead
2,” Smith confirms. “Though, the show [Ash vs Evil
Dead] going on right now has definitely caught our eye.”
It’s so far, so good for a company that 12 months
ago was a complete unknown in the tabletop world.
Smith presses that the publisher is here to stay.
“Space Goat is taking the move into board games
seriously; when we do something, we go all in,” he insists.
022_027_evilDead2_V2 MJ.indd 27
“Up next, we have another licensed game
coming out that, while not horror, should be
exciting for anyone who loves ‘80s action.”
The exciting announcement is The
Terminator: The Official Board Game, an
asymmetrical strategy title based on James
Cameron’s Arnie-starring sci-fi film that
will involve two boards – one for 1984 and
another for 2029 – to allow for actions in the
past to impact the future war against the
machines. One player takes on the role of
the robotic oppressors, controlling both the
titular endoskeletons and completely new
creations, while the rest band together as
the human rebellion. Space Goat plans to
launch a Kickstarter campaign for the game
in February and has signed up original
Terminator and T2 screenwriter William
Wisher as a story consultant. Meanwhile,
the firm also has another combined comic
series and board game based on The
Howling, the 1981 werewolf film by Gremlins
director Joe Dante, in the works. It’s the
next two steps for an emerging publisher ■ Evil Dead 2’s game board
determined to prove that it’s more than just cashing covers the central haunted cabin,
in on big-name Hollywood movies, Smith asserts. the Deadite-infested basement
“Following that, there are several company-owned and surrounding spooky woods.
and licensed games in the works, for everything from
high-end boutique miniature-heavy games to casual
card games,” he reveals. “It’s very important to us to put
as much love in care in our properties and mechanics as
we can and not just squeeze a popular licence for some
backer cash and move on. We’ve also been reaching out
to some wonderful creators and industry greats to really
make these upcoming games shine.” ■
All images are prototypes and may not
reflect final product. All images awaiting
licensor approval. EVIL DEAD 2: DEAD BY
DAWN™ is a trademark of Studiocanal S.A.S.
All Rights Reserved. ©2016 Studiocanal
S.A.S. © All Rights Reserved.
27
20/01/2017 15:34
 䄀圀䄀刀䐀            圀䤀一一䤀一䜀 䜀䄀䴀䔀 䴀䄀吀匀

嘀䄀刀䤀伀唀匀 䐀䤀䘀䘀䔀刀䔀一吀 䰀伀吀匀 伀䘀 䘀䰀䄀吀 刀䄀吀䔀

匀䤀娀䔀匀 䴀䄀吀䔀刀䤀䄀䰀匀 䐀䔀匀䤀䜀一匀 䔀唀 匀䠀䤀倀倀䤀一䜀

圀圀圀⸀䐀䔀䔀倀䌀唀吀匀吀唀䐀䤀伀⸀䌀伀䴀 䤀一䘀伀䀀䐀䔀䔀倀䌀唀吀匀吀唀䐀䤀伀⸀䌀伀䴀

p034.indd 1 17/01/2017 14:58


DARK
HORSE
Alessio Cavatore reveals how bringing Terminator, Labyrinth,
My Little Pony and Hunger Games to the tabletop helped
UK publisher River Horse discover its own unique voice
Words and pictures by Matt Jarvis
O
n an industrial estate in Nottingham,
hidden away behind multiple flights of
stairs and a winding maze of corridors,
in a room no bigger than a bathroom, a British
games publisher is busy working on board game
adaptations of some of Hollywood's biggest hits.
It isn’t River Horse founder Alessio
Cavatore’s first brush with the silver screen.
029_033_riverHorseInterview_V2 MJ.indd 29
For more than a decade, he contributed
to Games Workshop’s Warhammer,
Warhammer 40,000 and Lord of the Rings
miniature wargames – with the latter
earning him an on-screen cameo during the
climactic battle of Peter Jackson’s 2003 finale
The Return of the King. You can also find
him (alongside fellow designers Alan Perry,
29
RIVER HORSE
Michael Perry and Brian Nelson) dressed
as a Rohirrim on the base of the miniature
title’s War Mûmak of Harad model – albeit in
a flatter, deader form.
Cavatore started River Horse (the translated
ancient Greek phrase for hippopotamus) as a
‘pet project’ in 2006, while he was still working
at Games Workshop. Over the next four years,
the company published just one title: Shuuro,
a chess variant involving board obstacles and
customisable armies. In 2010, after 15 years
at the publisher, Cavatore’s relationship with
Games Workshop came to an end.
“It was a big moment of decision whether
to find another job or set up a business,”
he explains. “A friend of mine was a serial
entrepreneur. He just went: 'Come on, set
up your own business! Be in control! Be
the boss!' I said: 'Okay, I'll try, and see if
it works.' In the industry, there's a lot of
companies that start maybe with one game
and after a while fall because gaming can't
sustain a company on a single game, unless
you're lucky. So I thought: 'Well, I'll try, see
if it works.'”
It's this choice to go it alone that Cavatore
sees as the true realisation of River Horse.
“At the beginning it was just me, and the
idea was to make my own games – design
them, produce them and bring them to
market,” he recalls. “Like many things, and
like a lot of startups, you start to think, 'Well,
I'm going to do this,' and then you end up
doing something different.”
While he had left with the intention to
work on his own creations, Cavatore soon
found himself contributing to a number of
miniatures titles by local publishers keen to
attract the seasoned wargame designer to
their projects; Warlord Games’ Bolt Action
and Mantic’s Kings of War both bear his
name. The titles’ success soon led to further
job offers – securing River Horse’s future,
but leading it further and further away from
Cavatore’s original vision.
“Basically, River Horse, with the idea
of making your own games, ended up
doing services for other companies,” he
summarises. “In the meantime, we always
tried to make games for ourselves as well –
but we were so busy with other things it was
difficult to do.”
In between freelance ventures, Cavatore
and his growing team did find time to
produce the small card game The Tarot of
Loka, as well as a fantasy reimagining of
Shuuro, Loka, and a historical wargame
commemorating the 200th anniversary of
the Battle of Waterloo, released in 2015.
Slowly, River Horse began to regain
its independence. ▶
19/01/2017 14:50
 RIVER HORSE
MAGIC DANCE
The gestating publisher’s big break came in
2014, when Cavatore returned to familiar
territory: a tabletop wargame based on a hit
movie franchise. This time, it was the sci-fi
setting of Terminator Genisys, which was
turned into miniatures title The War Against
the Machines a year later.
“That was our first step, really,” Cavatore
recollects. “It was a learning experience
about licensing and how it works. It was a
steep learning curve.”
Securing the Terminator licence opened
the doors for River Horse in Hollywood,
and Cavatore soon picked up the rights to
another major multi-million-dollar film,
The Hunt for Red October. That adaptation
was put on hold, however, by the next movie
IP to fall into the company’s hands – the
licence that would cement it as a major
British publishing force and catapult it
into mainstream success fewer than five
years after it was properly established. That
catalyst was Labyrinth, the cult 1986 musical
starring David Bowie and a teenage Jennifer
Connelly, directed by Muppets creator
Jim Henson and written by Monty Python
member Terry Jones.
“This took a lot of time and energy
and resources, but the outcome has
been outstanding,” Cavatore says of the
game’s momentum. “It's a different world
029_033_riverHorseInterview_V2 MJ.indd 30
altogether from anything else – everything
else we did before works roughly in the
world of the thousands. We were living in
the world of the thousands. [Labyrinth] is
in the tens of thousands. It was 1,000 units
of this, 1,500 units of that – suddenly you're
talking about tens of thousands. All you've
done is multiplied by ten, which is great,
but also very challenging for a small team.”
River Horse’s announcement of Jim
Henson's Labyrinth: The Board Game
arrived among a flurry of licensed tabletop
adaptations, from video games including
Dark Souls to fellow movies such as The
Evil Dead 2, many of which turned to
crowdfunding platform Kickstarter to cash
in on the passion of fans. Cavatore and his
team opted instead to take a traditional route
to market – but that didn’t stop others from
capitalising on the cherished label.
“You know, quite a few people have asked
the same question: 'When was the Kickstarter?'
No, we didn't [do one]!” he exclaims.
“[Crowdfunding] seems to be the thing.
“What we did – the absurd, bizarre thing
that happened with this – is we showed the
prototype at some shows. We had thousands
of people there. Suddenly in the group,
people would say: 'I brought your game,
thank you very much.' It was like: 'What?
How did you buy our game? We haven't
made it or started selling it.' They were like:
30
'eBay.' 'You brought our game on eBay?' What
happened is people, just using pictures from
Facebook and so on, started putting it on
eBay and started selling it, and people were
buying it with completely made-up RRPs. We
went to [The Jim Henson Company] and said:
'Guys, this is happening. Is it okay if we put
it for pre-sale on our site?' They went: 'Sure,
yeah. That doesn't count as crowdfunding.
Do it.' We sold 5,000 in a couple of weeks
directly there. It was like: 'Okay, there is a bit
of demand!'”
Not all of the demand was celebrated.
After David Bowie passed away from cancer
in early January 2016, interest in Labyrinth
spiked, as fans revisited the musician
and actor’s lifelong body of work. It was
a situation that left River Horse feeling
uncomfortable with its sudden renown.
“It didn't complicate things in terms of
approval because luckily we had already
done those bits,” Cavatore clarifies. “The only
complication was a little embarrassment,
because obviously you have to accept that
him passing away has brought you attention,
advertised your game and made your game
possibly more successful. You think: 'Oh, that's
great.' However, it's not great to feel like, 'Oh,
cool, he died,' because he was a person who
had a family and stuff. It's awkward.”
Contrastingly, Bowie’s death also risked
discrediting the years of work invested in
19/01/2017 14:50
 ■ Above: Tails of Equestria's prototype.
■ Opposite: Labyrinth's miniatures on display.
Labyrinth, as those unaware of the game’s
history and development accused River
Horse of exploiting his passing.
“We had the odd conversation where
people went, 'Ah, you started this because
Bowie died,'” Cavatore says. “'No, no – we
started work on this game two years ago.
Obviously not.'
“When it happened, I had the awkward
conversation with Henson where I asked:
'What do you think we should say? Should
we say nothing?' Not to appear that we
are cashing in on it. But to say nothing
sounds weird and like you're ignoring the
fact completely. Henson said, 'It is what
it is,' so you just say: 'We heard about the
passing of David Bowie, our thoughts are
with his family.' So that's what we did. It
was awkward. So awkward in a sense, but
certainly from a commercial point of view we
have to accept that it probably helped.”
TWIST IN THE TAIL
If Labyrinth served as the greatest leap River
Horse has taken into mainstream recognition
to date, the publisher’s latest project marks
its complete mastery of uniting fundamental
tabletop genres with universally recognisable
worlds – and, like all good ideas, it all began
with a group of cartoon ponies.
“As a geek, I played all sorts of games,
with my favourites being RPGs,” Cavatore
029_033_riverHorseInterview_V2 MJ.indd 31
reminisces. “I have a five-, six-year-old
daughter and she was watching [My Little
Pony: Friendship Is Magic] – and as a dad I
spent time watching what she was watching.
I watched the series and suddenly there's
dragons, manticores, spells, energy fields
and beams – so I started to pay attention.
Actually, the new series that started being
aired six years ago, it's D&D. It's a fantasy
world where the main characters are ponies,
but ponies that have great magical powers
and there's an economy, there's politics
and magic and big villains. Overall, it's also
pervaded with a nice spirit – it's always
positive – and it's fun. It's like watching those
Pixar films where the grown-ups gets the
jokes and the kids get something else out
of it and you both enjoy the show. It's very
watchable, very enjoyable – good fun, good
characters. Basically, it's a very well-written
show. I got into it, frankly.”
Cavatore’s captivation by the animated
children’s show, based on the popular line of
Hasbro toys, led him to invent a roleplaying
game inspired by the adventures of Twilight
Sparkle and her sister ponies, pun-tastically
entitled Tails of Equestria.
“One day I saw the Hasbro booth at a
licensing fair and I thought: 'Why not?' So I
went and pitched it,” he continues. “I fully
expected them to go: 'No, thank you.' But she
went: 'Yeah, sounds interesting. Yeah.' What
31
I didn't know at the time is that in 2017 they
have a full-length Hollywood-style My Little
Pony movie. They went for it, we went for it;
we started to work with them.”
The proposal of an RPG starring a herd
of cartoon equines aimed at kids is sure to
have many adult roleplayers rolling their
eyes and dismissing it as a watered-down
pretender to the genre. Yet, listening to
Cavatore fervently outline his passion
project makes it clear that Tails is far more
than a slapdash tie-in.
“Princess Luna is a magical creature,” he
enthuses. “She has the abilities of the three
races of pony: unicorn, pegasi and earth
ponies. She's an alicorn, which is the ruling
race, which are all three in one. You kind of
go: 'Right, I have three classes.' It lends itself
very well to an RPG.
“Part of the game is stuff that already
existed. We did get to add some artwork and
develop it a bit. We created the three main
characters – effectively we have the Indiana
Jones-esque rogue type; a sorceress,
Galadriel-type; and an Aragon warrior-type.
We named them and they're part of the thing.
“The book has the rules, we include
equipment and everything. Then you get
to the mini adventure. We start with a little
cartoony intro and then have a bit for the GM,
a bit to read out aloud to the players. It makes
it easy to GM. ▶
19/01/2017 14:53
 RIVER HORSE

“Basically, it's a complete roleplaying “We think that you would need at least a both endearingly and disparagingly
game, which means it includes a character teenager to be a GM,” he admits. “If you play as ‘bronies’?
sheet, you have the dice [on page] which is with eight-year-olds, there's no way. We are “We know the bronies will love this,”
effectively a D12 you [roll by] just [pointing] designing a starter set which is a bit more Cavatore states confidently. “There are already
at random. If you go from the beginning, it's basic where the kid goes straight into it, but several unofficial Pony RPGs. It's going to be
basically a RPG manual, it's just adapted to a this is designed to have an adult or at least a a hit with bronies, absolutely. It's almost like
younger audience. It has a lot of illustration teenager being the GM, keeping order.” whatever you do is going to be that.
from the series.” The aim, Cavatore adds, is to create an "But I wanted to play with my daughter and
As you might expect, adapting staple RPG experience just like he had with his daughter her friends; I wanted to spend time with my
mechanics to suit children has resulted – Dungeons & Dragons stalwarts introducing daughter because we love this together. You
in Tails adopting a unique approach to their own children to the ABCs of roleplaying choose your class with special abilities, choose
elements such as combat. All we’re saying and sharing the joy of a creating a fantasy your alignment – the Elements of Harmony –
is don’t expect to be leaving Pinkie Pie’s universe together. and then you have stats, very simple stats. You
severed head in a bed. “I hope there's a lot of people like me that have a creative element in that you draw your
“There is some fighting in the show, but played D&D in their twenties and now they own pony, you colour it in. The key message of
obviously there is no casualties in terms of have kids and would like to play D&D with this is all about friendship; it rewards you for
death or serious injury,” Cavatore explains, their kids,” he suggests. “This is a step into the being friendly.”
adding that battles are referred to – with world of roleplaying.”
almost stereotypical British courteousness And for the growing number of adults WHERE THE RIVER RUNS
– as ‘scuffles’. “There's a lot of comedy without children who are obsessed In a little over six years, River Horse has been
fighting. People end up knocked out with with My Little Pony – often referred to propelled from working in the background
stars spinning around their heads. Your
stamina is a measure of being knocked out ■ Founder Alessio Cavatore
physically, but also being depressed and working in the River Horse office.
tired – you're losing energy.”
While the tone of the game is
understandably softened, Cavatore notes that
the dice-driven systems required very little
changing to allow kids to understand the
central gameplay.
“As much as possible, I use the same dice
– all of the classic roleplaying dice – in the
same colours throughout [our games],”
he observes. “Terminator, Labyrinth and
My Little Pony use the same dice in the
same colours. There's a mechanic that kind
of ties them all together. There's definitely
a house style for River Horse which has to
do with that.
“We went for the colour-coding for two
reasons. Instead of telling a kid, an eight-
year-old, 'roll the D10,' you can say: 'Roll the
purple die.' The blue die is really strong, it's
the best, while the red die is the weakest.
That's the mechanic. It's an accessibility
thing and a simplicity to colour coding. The
reason the colours are the ones they are is
that they are elemental; they are what Plato
defines as the colours of the four elements,
plus extras.”
Avoiding the need to dumb down
roleplaying processes familiar to older RPG
players means that Tails can be played by
adults and children together – in fact,
it’s recommended.
“We often have boxes [in the rulebook]
which say 'For Grown-ups', where we tend to
give advice to the GM who we assume to be a
grown-up,” Cavatore explains. As for whether
younger fans could learn to run a campaign
on their own, he remains less sure.

32

029_033_riverHorseInterview_V2 MJ.indd 32 19/01/2017 14:53


of other publishers to become a major label
producing its own creations tied to some of
the best Hollywood has to offer.
That’s not to say that every endeavour
is a hit, however; the company was forced
to abandon its Hunt for Red October board
game after it was unable to raise even half
of its $7,000 (£5,700) crowdfunding target
on Indiegogo late last year. Still, Cavatore
remains assured that even the failures are
ultimately for the best.
“We tried our best to promote it, but, in the
end, if the demand is not big enough to be
worth it, then you don't do it,” he says. “It's a
good thing, because the alternative is doing
it and not selling it, which is a disaster. Not
all products have demand; you cannot create
demand if there is no demand. Market test,
tried, success? Cool, make it. Not so much
demand? Fine, move on, next project. It's a
very useful tool.
“Philosophically, there is no reason not
to do crowdfunding, in the sense that you
put an idea, a project, a product out – if
there's no demand, you don't make it.
That's the perfect market testing. If there's
no demand out there, you save yourself from
029_033_riverHorseInterview_V2 MJ.indd 33
making something with lots of boxes that
you cannot shift.”
It’s this belief and confidence in his work
that has led Cavatore and River Horse to
emerge from the shadow of work-for-hire
and into the spotlight as the movie-adapting
firm of the moment. Next on their schedule
is a board game based on the massively
successful Hunger Games series, which is
due out later this year and casts two players
as the opposing Capitol Peacekeepers
and district rebels as they vie for control
of Panem.
“The game is actually a satellite vision
[of Panem],” Cavatore details. “Imagine
one of those strategy games where you
have the map of Panem, the Capitol has the
Peacekeepers and then flyers, so you have
little plastic toy soldiers and planes on the
map. Then you have the rebel resistance
springing up with their soldiers and bigger
miniatures which are the actual heroes and
leaders. Effectively, big map, lots of plastic
miniatures of the normal units and bigger
miniatures of the actual characters. So if you
have Katniss then all your fighters have plus
one morale kind of thing.”
33
■ The Hunt for Red October prototype.
With the River Horse’s weight in the
industry growing, surely it can’t be long
before Cavatore finally reaches his
initial dream of releasing completely
original games?
“Certainly, I see it as River Horse
phase one was small little indie projects
and services,” he recapitulates. “We're
now really in River Horse [phase] two,
which is less services for other people,
more own projects, mostly on licences.
We're growing the company doing this. I
hope, and I plan, one day, to have a phase
three, where actually there's more of an
own IP development. That will depend
on a lot of factors, but ideally we'd like
to, yes.
“We have had a few words with [video
game developer] Blizzard. Something may
come out of that, but we don't know yet.
Nothing's been signed or anything. So, yeah,
we are talking to video game companies
as well as Hollywood stuff. Clearly, we are
exploring different solutions for stuff. One
day, I hope to maybe put a bit of energy
into developing our [own] stuff as well. That
would be nice.” ■
19/01/2017 14:53
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figures first

p028.indd 1 17/01/2017 14:55

 MAGIC:
AN INTRODUCTION TO...

THE GATHERING
The first trading card game created remains the biggest
and best entry in the genre, more than 20 years later. But
if you’re a newcomer, how can you break into a title with
more than 15,000 cards and decades of history?
Words by Matt Jarvis

T
here’s a reason that a standard deck of 52 playing
cards remains perhaps the most ubiquitous tabletop
accessory. It’s easy to carry, flexible enough to play
an unlimited number of different games with, simple
enough for anyone to grasp the mechanics of and just
downright fun – few sensations beat the feeling of drawing a
winning card from the deck, or slamming said clincher from
your hand onto the table.
It’s little surprise, then, that taking the base pleasures of
playing cards and combining them with powerful spell-
wielding wizards, fearsome creatures and fantastical lands has
proven to be an incomparable hit in Magic: The Gathering.
Devised by Richard Garfield in the early 1990s initially
as a portable way of filling downtime while attending
conventions, the game went on to pioneer the collectible
card game system, where cards are obtained in random
booster packs as well as fixed starter and expansion decks.
In the 24 years since it first appeared, Magic has ballooned
to encompass more than 15,000 unique cards and
is now regularly played by more than 20 million
people around the world. ▶

■ Dozens of expansions have been released for

Magic over the years, including the cosmic horror-
themed Eldritch Moon. (Wizards of the Coast)

35

035_037_introToMagic_V2 MJ.indd 35 19/01/2017 14:55

 WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT?
In Magic, two players take on the roles of
duelling planeswalkers, who are powerful
spell-casting sorcerers. Each player has an
individual deck of 60 cards or more, which
can be pre-made or a customised selection
constructed in line with series of guidelines.
Each card is assigned one of five mana
colours, which reflects the type of gameplay
it best supports – for example, red is a
particularly aggressive combat-centric ‘suit’,
while blue instead focuses on manipulation
and control.
The elements are doubly important to
note, because they serve as the resource
required to cast spells and perform abilities
while battling. The key way to acquire mana
in game is through the use of lands, which
often serve as the bulk of a standard deck.
Each land – be it mountains, forests, islands,
plains or swamps – generates one mana of its
colour each turn it is on the table. Because
the acquisition of mana is crucial to winning,
you can only play one land a turn.
Once you’ve built up enough mana,
the really fun part kicks into gear. If you’d
forgotten, you’re a wizard. And what do
wizards do? Cast spells, of course! All cards
except from lands are classed as spells of one
kind or another, and cost different amounts
of mana to bring into play. Spells vary from
the kind you’d except – incantations that
allow you to draw more cards, cast fireballs
at things and apply ongoing effects – to the
ability to summon fearsome beasts, known as
creatures, and fellow planeswalkers.
Cards are activated by ‘tapping’ – a term
which means rotating the card 90 degrees
035_037_introToMagic_V2 MJ.indd 36
sideways to signal that it has been exhausted
that turn and cannot be used again until it
is refreshed at the beginning of that players’
next turn. Deciding when to tap cards is vital
to effective Magic play, as leaving your cards
unable to protect you during your opponent’s
turn can be a fatal mistake.
The ultimate aim is to build up your forces
and command them to attack your opponent,
weakening defending creatures that can be
used to block assaults and breaking through to
score hits on your rival planeswalker, working
them down from 20 hit points to zero.
While the mechanics are simple enough
to have helped Magic establish a massive
following, they are layered on top by
the many new cards introduced in each
expansion set, which are used in-game in
the same way, but feature different abilities
and effects, allowing the gameplay to feel
constantly fresh – even after almost a quarter
of a century on tabletops.
WHY SHOULD YOU TRY IT?
20 million people can’t be wrong, right? The
fact is that Magic is a highly compelling card
game with fast-paced trading of blows and
almost limitless strategy to master thanks to
the ability to customise your deck to suit your
personal way of playing.
As well as its innovative mechanics –
which have gone on to inspired countless
physical card games, including the Pokémon
Trading Card Game, and even video game
takes on the formula, such as Hearthstone
– Magic is renowned for its cards’ beautiful
artwork and the rich fantasy fiction of its
world, which is expanded with every release.
36
The latest set, Aether Revolt, is the second half
of the Kaladesh expansion, which explores a
land filled with small robot-like automatons.
There’s also an ongoing story, told through
the flavour text on the cards as well as
the various other in-universe books and
materials available.
Magic’s world and gameplay have also
been explored in official video game spin-offs
over the last 20 years. The latest adaptation
is Magic Duels, a free-to-play digitisation
of the core Magic card-battling gameplay
that has both a story mode and online
multiplayer, and is a good way to learn the
basics of playing without investing in the
physical cards.
Of course, with so many players, Magic
is also one of the most popular community
tabletop games around, with regular organised
and competitive play. Friday Night Magic
events are held every week at thousands of
games stores around the globe, which invite
local players new and old to play with each
other. Publisher Wizards of the Coast hosts a
number of prominent competitions throughout
the year, including the multi-day Grand Prix
events – more than 50 were held last year. If you
master Magic, there’s also the chance to win big
at these competitions – $2.5 million was won by
Magic players at Grands Prix last year. Outside
of Magic-specific shows, the game’s visually
stimulating characters and creatures have served
as a muse for countless cosplayers, who make
stunning costumes based on the creations.
GETTING STARTED
The depth of Magic’s universe can be one of
the most off-putting aspects of the game for
19/01/2017 14:55

newcomers – it’s hard to know where to begin
with so many cards on offer. Luckily, it’s not
as complicated as it seems. You can start by
picking up one of the latest Planeswalker
decks, which are essentially pre-made
60-card decks complete with two boosters
to encourage you to start augmenting your
loadout once you have a hand on the basics
(and to give you the sweet satisfaction of
opening mysterious foil packets to see what’s
inside). From there, you can opt to invest
in one of the Deck Builder’s Toolkits, which
includes all of the cards you’ll need to play
the game plus the rules and tips on how to
build your personal deck. If you need advice,
there are hundreds of forums dedicated to
Magic’s massive community, with plenty of
help available from ready-made suggestions
for decks to experts willing to answer queries
from those dipping their toes for the first time.
Some retailers even have free cards and decks
to offer demos or help you find your feet.
The main way that Magic keeps its
enormous backlog of set releases in check
is by updating the list of cards permitted for
use in professional play, so that players can’t
use cards from 20 years ago against brand
new releases in case the evolving mechanics
and need to balance results in one side being
massively overpowered against the other. Of
course, there’s nothing technically stopping
you using a mixture of cards from the game’s
entire history when playing casually among
friends, but sticking to the same generation
also helps you to focus on mastering a
smaller pool of spells, creatures and whatnot
035_037_introToMagic_V2 MJ.indd 37
rather than trying to learn the gameplay
effects of 15,000 different cards in case they
pop up in your match. In fact, alternative
game modes exist that allow cards banned in
normal play to be used freely (often having
their own, unique card ban list); these can
be competitive or just for fun, as in the
Commander format, where players build
massive 100-card decks and start with twice
as many hit points.
Wizards of the Coast actually revised the
way new Magic sets are released a few years
ago in order to make jumping into the game
and staying up-to-date with new additions
easier. This led to the annual cycle of Magic
‘blocks’ – which are all set around a specific
theme – being trimmed down to be two
blocks a year, each made up of two sets. In
what are known as ‘Standard’ games, players
can build their decks from the latest three
37
AN INTRODUCTION TO...
blocks of cards, with a year’s worth of the
oldest sets becoming obsolete and illegal
to use in Standard play once a year,
every October.
The constant cycle of Magic cards
becoming unsuitable for tournament play
can mean that the game requires a higher
investment than some more conventional
tabletop games to play regularly, but it’s also
one of the most exciting factors for diehard
fans. Every year there are fresh cards and
mechanics to discover, all built upon the
basic gameplay rules of building up mana,
casting spells, tapping cards and fighting
your opponent. It’s the reason that Magic still
boasts players that have been committed to
the game for more than 20 years, and are still
discovering things that surprise and excite
them – how many other games can you say
that about? ■
■ Top: Christine Sprankle and LadyMakeupSiren
(Ariel) cosplaying as Chandra and Saheeli at PAX.
(Wizards of the Coast)
■ Opposite, left and below: Last year's Magic
Grand Prix in Manchester. (Wizards of the Coast)
20/01/2017 15:37
 THE MAKING OF...

MECHS
VS
MINIONS Lead designer Chris Cantrell reveals how Riot Games brought the
world’s most popular video game out of its digital universe
Words by Owen Duffy

38

038_042_theMakingOfMechsVsMinions_V3 MJ.indd 38 19/01/2017 15:00

 I
n the world of online gaming, nothing
is bigger than League of Legends. A
team-based strategy game of magic and
stylised cartoon violence, it boasts over 100
million active players per month. Top-
level competitors battle in front of online
audiences rivaling those of professional
sports, and industry analysts value the game’s
publisher at more than $1 billion.
Given this level of success, it came as no
surprise when US developer Riot Games
announced plans for a tabletop game set in
League’s fantasy world of Runeterra.
Video games including Civilization, Age of
Empires, Bioshock and XCOM have already
made the jump from screen to table, and
League’s army of fans offered a ready-made
market for a cardboard crossover.
The result was Mechs vs Minions, a frenetic
co-operative game that became one of 2016’s
most acclaimed releases. We spoke to lead
designer Chris Cantrell about the game’s
creation, and how a digital studio produced a
breakout analogue hit.
LEAGUES AHEAD
As an associate producer for League of
Legends, Chris Cantrell works at the heart
of one of the biggest properties in the video
gaming industry. But he’s also an avid board
game fan. He traces his interest in tabletop
gaming to his first games of HeroQuest, the
1989 dungeon-crawler produced by Milton
Bradley in collaboration with Warhammer
publisher Games Workshop. As much
as he enjoyed snatching loot and slaying
monsters, though, it wasn’t until later that he
discovered new titles and developed his love
of board gaming.
“I remember reading the webcomic Penny
Arcade, where they were playing Shadows
over Camelot,” he says. “They were talking
about how it was co-operative, but there
was a traitor, and I just thought that was
really fascinating. I picked it up and played
it with my friends, and we all just fell in
love with modern board games like Catan,
Carcassonne and Dominion – a lot of the
more popular ones.”
It was after coming to work at Riot, though,
that Cantrell explored the full extent of the
analogue gaming hobby.
“We play a lot of board games here,” he
says. “We have a board game night every
other week and we have between 50 and 60
people who’ll show up, play the new hotness.
A lot of party games are really popular, like
The Resistance: Avalon, Werewolf, Secret
038_042_theMakingOfMechsVsMinions_V3 MJ.indd 39
■ Mechs vs Minions designer Chris Cantrell.
“This wasn’t a bunch
of suits sitting in a
board room saying:
‘How can we milk
more money out
of our IP?’ It was a
labour of love.”
Hitler; you’ll see a lot of Mysterium. We also
have a collectible card game night and a
really robust miniatures gaming community,
but I think my ideal game night is playing
something like Forbidden Stars.”
With so many board games being played
at Riot’s HQ, Cantrell and his colleagues
were deeply aware of the creative golden age
playing out in the hobby. But it was the hiring
of a new colleague that first sparked the idea
of producing a tabletop game of their own.
“We hired a designer named Stone
Librande, who was lead designer on the latest
SimCity and worked on Diablo, Spore and a
bunch of those games,” Cantrell says. “Every
year for Christmas he would make his family
a board game and present it to them and they
would get to play it. He did it just because he
loved the craft of creating fun.”
39
Librande’s homemade game provided
the basis for what was to become Mechs
vs Minions. It revolved around characters
destroying zombies, using an action
programming system similar to 1999 racing
game Robo Rally, in which players play a
series of movement cards to navigate robots
around a series of dangerous environments.
“The base mechanics were like Robo Rally,
but there was a more of a power growth
curve,” says Cantrell. “There was a bit more
strategy and evolution involved in the game.”
Cantrell enjoyed the game, but he realised
that elements of it could be improved to
better fit with the League of Legends world.
“I spent about a year squirrelled away
just banging my head against it,” he recalls.
“Originally it was more of a competitive game.
You tried to kill as many zombies as you could,
and then whoever killed the most would win.
It was a good, quick game, but it didn’t have
the staying power we were hoping it would
have. Eventually I realised I needed help,
and I was fortunate enough to bring in [Riot
colleague] Rick Ernst, who shifted away from
the competitive aspect. We made a series of
missions and built out a campaign.”
MECHING IT WORK
Over time, Mechs vs Minions developed,
incorporating new elements and cutting
away others. The game cast players as Yordles
– creatures from its video game predecessor –
mounted on powerful but erratic battle robots.
It saw them fight against waves of minions –
tiny antagonists who made up for a lack of raw
strength with their sheer weight of numbers.
Each round of the game began with a
card-drafting phase, with players choosing
from a selection of available cards allowing
their character to make different moves on
the modular board. As the game progressed,
characters would accumulate growing
collections of cards, letting them make more
elaborate and powerful attacks with every
passing turn. It brought a satisfying sense of
progression to the game, but it also presented
the team with one of their most difficult
design challenges.
“We knew that if we were making a
co-operative game, we had to solve that
quarterback, alpha-gamer problem that’s
present in games like Pandemic or Ghost
Stories,” Cantrell says. “I absolutely love those
games, but a controlling player trying to tell
everyone what to do can turn people off.
“We spent six or nine months trying to
mitigate that and the game just got less and ▶
19/01/2017 15:00
 THE MAKING OF…
less fun. We tried a Hanabi route where
your command cards were secret until you’d
placed them so you didn’t collaborate, but I
think the collaboration is the part of the game
that really shines.”
The team’s solution was to impose a time
limit on the drafting process, adding a sand
timer to limit the opportunity for discussion.
The move reduced the possibility of one
player attempting to control the game while
adding an element of tension to proceedings.
“When we added the time constraint, it
was more like a quick conversation: ‘I need
this, I need that, I can get those minions,’”
says Cantrell. “Players talked about what they
needed to complete their objectives rather
than telling other people what they should
do. It was more: ‘Hey, if I can get this then I
can do something cool!’”
Another major consideration was the
game’s damage system. In Librande’s
original design, characters taking damage
would lose one of their six action card slots,
depriving them of some of their capacity to
act on their turn.
“You’d spend time developing your
commands, then all of a sudden you’d lost all
of your movement,” Cantrell says. “You were
taking so much damage and you didn’t have
a way to mitigate it.
The designers’ answer was the damage
deck – cards that would overwrite players’
existing carefully-chosen commands
with randomly determined movements.
Mechs would suddenly turn in unintended
directions or veer off on unexpected
tangents – and keep doing so until players
managed to fix them. It added an element
of unpredictability to the game, but it also
gave players the opportunity to adapt
their strategy, either repairing damage to
their mech or embracing the chaos and
incorporating new movement patterns into
their battle plan.
“There were definitely moments where
we just went back to the drawing board, stuff
that we culled, stuff that we streamlined,”
Cantrell says. “If I worked on this for three
years and there weren’t a plethora of those
moments then I would be doing something
badly wrong. You have to be honest about
what’s working and what isn’t. You can’t be
precious about your design. Even though
you love a certain part, if it’s not coming
through to players, or the cognitive strain
is too high, or they don’t know what the
hell is happening, you have to pivot and do
something different.”
038_042_theMakingOfMechsVsMinions_V3 MJ.indd 40
LEAVING A LEGACY
Mechs vs Minions’ core mechanisms were
slowly but steadily coming together, but
Cantrell and his colleagues were keen to
give players a reason to keep coming back
to the table. The team developed a series of
missions, each with its own board layout,
mission objectives and set of dangers for
players to overcome. The campaign-based
approach also allowed the designers to
introduce new aspects of the rules in different
scenarios, providing an easier learning curve
for players.
“That’s just standing on the shoulders
of giants,” says Cantrell. “Krosmaster has a
really good rulebook, they way they even
have a little board on each page and step
you through different options.
“Our approach on Mechs vs Minions was
that we were trying to make it deep enough
and interesting enough for people who’ve
been playing board games for years to enjoy
and have fun with, but because of the size
of our player base on League, it can serve
as a gateway game leading people into
this awesome hobby and this renaissance
that’s happening right now. To do that
you have to have a way to learn the game
that’s fun, where you still have depth and
meaningful choices, but it doesn’t feel like
a slog to get over that initial hurdle of
learning how to play.”
The mission scenarios also added
dramatic flair to the game. Each new
scenario came in a sealed envelope, with its
contents hidden until players reached it in
the campaign. Along with a new mission,
envelopes contained new character powers,
giving players a wider range of tools to
tackle challenges – a feeling reminiscent of
the constant evolution in the developing
field of ‘legacy’ games, where players
unlock new elements each time they play.
“When I first started on the project I was
going through Risk Legacy,” Cantrell recalls.
“Pandemic Legacy hadn’t come out yet.
“I’m a huge fan of the legacy mechanic,
I think it’s the biggest evolution that’s
come out in games in the past five or ten
years, which is saying something. I find it
very exciting, it keeps the game very fresh,
it makes me want to keep coming back
and play more. It’s the same as World of
Warcraft where it’s like: ‘Cool, I leveled
up! I’ve got these new skills and abilities!’
You’re chasing that growth and opening up
new spaces, so I find [Risk Legacy designer]
Rob Daviau very inspiring. ▶
40
19/01/2017 15:00
 ■ Players can lose control of their mechs
when damaged, sending them careening
randomly around the battlefield.

41

038_042_theMakingOfMechsVsMinions_V3 MJ.indd 41 19/01/2017 15:00

 THE MAKING OF…
■ The hero figures come pre-painted – a decision
emblematic of the game’s overall production quality.
“I’m also inspired by anything from
Vlaada Chvatil because, gosh, not only is he a
phenomenal designer, but his designs are just
so varied. He can come out with anything from
Tash Kalar to Through The Ages to Codenames
to Bunny Bunny Moose Moose to Space Alert.
He’s just a very versatile designer.”
A WORK OF PASSION
While work on Mechs vs Minions’ gameplay
had been a long and painstaking process,
the team was equally concerned with its
aesthetic appeal. They included fully-painted
miniatures for each of the main characters in
the game, along with more than 100 sculpted
plastic minions for players to stamp, burn
and splatter across the board. The publisher
released an online soundtrack to accompany
missions, and even commissioned a complete
audio drama outlining each episode of the
campaign featuring voice actors from the
original League of Legends video game. All
combined, these creative touches make Mechs
vs Minions one of the most lavishly produced
board games ever released.
“I made the case that wanted to make a
game that was memorable and exciting,” says
Cantrell, “and even if Mechs vs Minions ended
up being the most successful board game of all
time – and it won’t be – it wouldn’t really move
the needle that much for us as a company. So
this wasn’t a bunch of suits sitting in a board
room saying: ‘How can we milk more money
038_042_theMakingOfMechsVsMinions_V3 MJ.indd 42
out of our IP?’ It was more of a passion project
and a labour of love, and I’m fortunate enough
to work at a place where if you’re passionate
about something and you think the players are
going to be passionate about it, you can do it.
“My boss kept pushing me and saying
things like: ‘No, I want the rulebook to be
leather-bound!’ I looked at it and said: ‘This
doesn’t make any sense, we can’t do that,’
because we wanted to give the players value.
“We were fortunate enough to team up
with [Chinese game manufacturer] Panda
Games, and where we weren’t sure what
we wanted or how to accomplish it, they
were amazing. We’d say: ‘We want heirloom
quality. We want a collector’s edition
experience at a regular edition price.’ They’d
say: ‘Alright, you can look at these things, you
can look at this card stock.’ We asked if they
could do a paint job on the pieces and that
got expensive very quickly, but when we saw
them, we knew we were going to have to do it.
“Our hope was to provide a lot of quality at a
cheap price. It’s odd, though, because we had
different markets in the League community
and the board game community. When we
announced the game, if you looked at the
League subreddit people were initially saying:
‘It costs $75 [£62]? That’s ridiculous!’ But if you
look at the board game subreddit, people were
saying ‘It only costs $75? That’s ridiculous!’
It was an audacious approach, but it seems
to have paid off. The game’s first printing
42
of 30,000 copies sold out on the day of its
release. A second print run, scheduled for the
summer of 2017, is now accepting preorders.
With demand for the game running high, it’s
tempting to think that more tabletop titles
might be on their way from the Riot team, but
for the moment Cantrell says the company
has no immediate plans.
“Before we launched that I hoped we’d get
the opportunity to keep doing this,” he says.
“It’s a hard thing, though, because whenever
we pour resources into something like this,
those are resources we’re not devoting to
other projects. Everyone who was working
on Mechs vs Minions has moved on to other
things, and we don’t have plans to release
any other tabletop games. I’m just trying
to support the game and make sure that
everyone who wants a copy can get a copy.
“I don’t want to promise something that
we’re not committed to doing, I want to be
clear with people; if they were going to buy
this because they think it’ll be supported with
new missions and other things, I don’t want
to set that expectation because it feels like a
carrot at the end of a stick.
“Honestly, I think we’re all really proud of
the effort we put into it, and it pushed all of
us to bring out the best work that we could
do. Whenever you’re pushing yourself out of
your comfort zone, there’s something very
satisfying when you finish it. We’re all proud
of the journey we’ve been on.” ■
20/01/2017 15:42
p043.indd 1 17/01/2017 14:59
 REINER KNIZIA

‘GAMES ARE
Perhaps the most influential and
certainly the most prolific designer
of our time, Reiner Knizia

A MIRROR sounds off about telling stories

on the tabletop, the importance

OF OUR TIME’
of authorship and why he will
never describe any of his games
as the best he’s ever made
Interview by Matt Jarvis You've been making board games for more
than 30 years. During that time, what are
the biggest design changes you've seen?
The most important statement here is that the
games are a mirror of our time. They reflect our
time. Anything which happens in our world will
often be in our games. That means, of course,
a lot of the topics have changed because today
very different themes are relevant than they
were 20, 40, 50 years ago.
The dynamics of the games have changed a
lot. If you look at the classic games like chess,
chequers or Go, dynamics are very slow – you
place a piece and then the other player takes a
piece and it builds up. It's just not what we want
today. Today we want to be in the middle of the
action right away, and then with big highlights
and climax we want the game to be over. So
the various states of different games just come
from different times. This is a big challenge and
a big observation. Our times change radically,
quickly, and that means our games need to keep
up with it – or even be ahead of it, because we
are working from future trends.

Your games tend to be far more focused

on mechanical strength than their
thematic elements. How does theme
interplay with mechanics for you?
As a fundamental statement, there are probably
two types of people in the world.
There are those people who are storytellers,
those who write big pieces of fiction. The
archetype of this would be The Lord of Rings,
Tolkien's epic. These people create lots
of new content and if you follow that in
game design you have a game designed
with a lot of different rules, a lot of
different pieces with many thematic
interpretations, a lot of texts maybe.
Then there is the other type of people
– I'm one of the other type – that is more the
scientific approach. Those people who try to
base their world on core principles, like scientists
do, and try and explain the world and build the
world on a few axioms and rules. When you
do this, you become a slightly more abstract
designer where the theme is not so richly

44

044_045_reinerKniziaInterview_V2 MJ.indd 44 19/01/2017 15:25

 embedded through the materials but where the
theme comes through the mechanism.
That means, for example, if you make a game
about trends then you're not drawing an activity
card that says 'a new trend has arisen and this
and this happens'. It happens indirectly because
the mechanism leads to situations where you
see there is something developing. So it's not
the story infiltration saying 'this is happening,'
it's more the mechanism that puts you into a
situation of emotion or feeling that then reflects
the theme. So, for me, the theme is very much
inspiration and the basis for research and
getting the richness of what can happen in the
game, but I would then not take all the bits and
pieces and directly transform them into the
game; I would more crystallise the emotions
and then try through the mechanism which
drives my game to generate these emotions and
feelings in these worlds.
It's interesting you mention The Lord of
the Rings, as you adapted the novels into
a board game in 2001. What was it like
working with that licence, especially given
its narrative-centric format?
This is one of the great things, of course, when
you become a bit better known as an author
and a game designer; you suddenly get access
to these rich and fascinating themes which
you read as a child. It may be any of the Disney
licences or the Tolkien licence.
There's a great fascination but there is also,
once you start working with these topics, a
great responsibility and a great challenge. This
is because if you do a free game, then I'm free
to do and to take the theme and the world
wherever I want. Whereas if I do, for example, a
Lord of the Rings game, then it means that all or
most of the people will have read the book, will
have seen the movies, will have their positive
feelings and expectations towards the story, and
want to find this story and the same positive
emotions in the game.
That means you need to really look at the
spirit of the story and the viewpoint of the story.
We don't want to be the evil player, because
that's not how the book works. The viewpoint
of the book is that we are the Fellowship and
therefore they automatically... Sam cannot take
a knife and stab it into Frodo's back to get the
Ring – this is not in theme, so essentially you get
down an almost inevitable path of saying, 'Okay,
this has to be co-operative, there has to be a
strong game system that works against you and
you have to try to get through this.' Then you
need to build an epic story into a board game of
an hour where people don't want to read things
but then people want to play. Then you want to
do it almost language-independent. You have
all these elements which you have to combine
044_045_reinerKniziaInterview_V2 MJ.indd 45
into a very compact game. With this respect
[comes] my approach of trying to condense rich
themes into a mechanism which then shows the
emotion – this sense of doom, how will we ever
get to Mount Doom and be able to destroy the
Ring? Then you fail and you play again. It's this
almost desperation, but also the strong feeling of
unity, which reflects the whole spirit of the book.
You're well known for your productivity,
having produced a huge number of games
in a relatively short period. Have there ever
been any projects where you wished you
could have spent longer working on them?
No, because I'm not under pressure to bring
out games. It's [because of] my enthusiasm
and fascination about the games that I spend
essentially my life developing these games.
I have a rich group of experienced players
around me who all contribute creativity and
playtesting with their time to the process, so it's
not just a single person trying to bring this all out.
I would never release a game which I'm
not completely convinced of. If I work with
publishers and we work on themes and
character licences, then I will always ensure
that we have enough time because the design
process is never as straightforward as it feels. If I
look at the route to design and say, 'Okay, I need
to do this first and this second and then the card
game will be done in two months,' this is always
wishful thinking. I know very well that after two
weeks and three weeks I will have to completely
rethink everything because everything which
worked very nicely in my head then does not
work in reality. So if I think it takes two months
then I will give myself half a year.
Quality is first, never really is anything which
you're not convinced of, because in the end my
name is on it. If I look back into the past of all
the games and I take them out again, I re-feel all
the fascination and I re-feel why I like this one
of my children and what the special personality
is about it.
Some of the games you look at and say, 'They
were right for their time but I think today they
are no longer so relevant.' This is not a quality
statement – a little card game which has not
reached a big following and is now getting out of
its time a little bit, you [can] say, 'Okay, this was
fun then, this was good then, I like it, but it is no
longer that much up-to-date.' Therefore it is out
of print and that's fine and therefore we'll look
to put it back into print. That's almost the same
as saying the game is not finished and therefore
I'm not putting it there. It's good that some of
the designs rest because they've had their time.
Many of your games have gone on to
become long-lasting modern classics.
With that in mind, how do you feel about
45
the often finite lifespan of legacy titles as a
design philosophy?
I am absolutely fascinated by Pandemic Legacy.
A lot of fantastic work has gone into this game
and it is certainly at the forefront of all the legacy
games. This is certainly a very innovative step
and it is something I very well notice and follow,
but then I see myself not as a follower but as
someone who makes trends. I have to realise
that even though I would wish to do all the
trends and have all the good ideas in the world,
this is simply not the case.
As there is a big friendship among the different
designers, I can simply and without jealousy
acknowledge that the legacy design is fantastic. It
takes a lot of work. I haven't been really inclined
to follow that trend. Maybe I'll have a good idea
and do something new in this environment but,
otherwise, I'm always on the outset of what new
can I contribute rather than jumping on trends.
Like Pandemic Legacy designers Matt
Leacock and Rob Daviau, your name is
one of the most recognisable and well-
regarded names in gaming. Do you feel
that we're seeing a greater appreciation of
specific board game creators?
This is a natural tendency. With books you
would read a book and say, 'I like the style of this
author, I like how he approaches the stories,'
and therefore you buy his or her next book.
With more and more new games coming
onto the market, it becomes more challenging
to select the right games for you. Therefore, it is
natural to ask: where is my orientation? Where
have I got some decision criteria? Then, of
course, you say: 'I like this guy's games, so let's
try his new ones.'
It becomes kind of a selling proposition for
the publishers as well, because if they have
a game and then they have another game by
the author and the first one was successful,
then it will be linked in the whole selling
chain, from production to distribution. The
distributor will say: 'Okay, that's a good hook,
so why don't we put these two products next
to each other?' It is partially deliberately built
up because it's a good hook into the business.
It's also justified, because without game
designers there would be no games!
What's been your favourite project to work
on – even if it might not be your 'best' game?
I don't think I have an answer to this. The
point is that it would be very sad if I said, 'This
was the best I ever did' or 'This was the most
fascinating thing I ever did,' because then it only
goes downhill after that. The important thing
as a creative worker is you need to keep the
fascination of ever doing a great product and
something that really thrills you. ■
19/01/2017 15:25
 DIVERSITY IN GAMES

THE SPICE OF
TABLETOP LIFE
With diversity continuing to be a hotly-debated topic in and around gaming, we break down the
efforts taken by two of the medium’s biggest franchises to welcome everyone into their worlds
Words by Dr. Lauta Peli

46

046_048_diversityInGames_V3 MJ.indd 46 19/01/2017 15:33

 H
ow are board game characters
used to make tabletop worlds more
interesting places to be? How do
developers use these characters to create a
rich universe? We look at two series – Fantasy
Flight Games’ Arkham Horror Files and Matt
Leacock’s Pandemic – to see how they use
characters, and why having lots of different
people to choose from makes a board gaming
a richer, more welcoming place to be.
Fantasy Flight’s Arkham Horror Files
universe is a 1920s occult world full of peculiar
occurrences and sanity-shaking monsters.
The series visits locations from author H.P.
Lovecraft’s stories and beyond. Eldritch Horror
takes players around the world and allows
them to visit locations like the Mountains of
Madness; Arkham Horror and its expansions
take place in the titular town and surrounding
areas (Dunwich, yay!); Elder Signs explores the
Miskatonic Library in Arkham; and Mansions
of Madness is set in the Vanderbilt Mansion.
(Cool fact about this; the mansion is based on
the Cornelius Vanderbilt II house, the largest
home built in New York. The Vanderbilts
were a dynastic family who created and lived
in buildings built to a style best described as
‘creepy old house’.)
The (many) artists who’ve worked on the
Arkham series have worked to a consistent brief.
It’s dark and dangerous, coming straight out of
film noir and populated with interesting people
who have encountered unexplainable horrors
and want to do something about it. Cigarettes,
super dames, sleuths and slimy things.
The Arkham series introduces us to a large
cast of playable characters. Starting with
Arkham Horror, there are initially 16 characters
to choose from. Seven of these are women.
With each expansion and new game, players
have been introduced to another 33 characters,
making 49 in total. 21 are women, and five of
these are people of colour. The eight starter
characters for Mansions of Madness’ first edition
are four women and four men. Mansions’
second edition again has four women, four men
– two of the non-white characters are part of
this group. Further expansions and conversion
packs add previous characters back in.
Mansions’ second edition is a good example
of how Fantasy Flight has thought about how
characters are represented. Already ahead of
the pack with a mix of people to choose from,
the publisher is not entirely off the hook.
Katherine Dinger, one of the artists for
Arkham Horror, says of the initial art for
researcher character Mandy Thompson: “I was
supposed to paint a film noir style scene of a
046_048_diversityInGames_V3 MJ.indd 47
sexy secretary snooping though papers on a
desk in a dimly lit basement.”
Dinger's original painting, ‘Basement
Secretary’, shows Mandy leaning forwards over
her desk so that the viewer can look straight
down her top. Similarly, the black and Asian
characters in the game tend to be rather tried
and tested stereotypes – including a jazz
musician, a Voodoo priestess (both from New
Orleans) and a martial artist. Most difficult of
all is Rita Young, ‘the college student’. She’s
meant to be, but doesn’t look like, an African
American, because her art is drawn in an odd
blue tone that removes a great deal of colour
from the picture. However, her backstory
specifically engages with race issues; she’s
being chased by sinister cultists who turn
out to be even more extreme than expected.
“Whether her stalkers are members of the Klu
Klux Klan or something even more sinister,
she’s going to face them head on.”
By including Rita Young and ‘the secretary’
Minh Thi Phan as the starter characters in
Mansions’ second edition, and by revising
the art on the new character cards (Mandy
Thompson is still a sexy researcher, but she’s
done her blouse up), Fantasy Flight has made a
conscious decision to update their characters for
an audience who are more aware of why positive
images of race and gender are important.
47
DESIGNING DIVERSITY
There is a saying in video games that designers
often design for themselves. This means that
they sometimes forget to include people with
whom they do not identify or, in this case, with
whom they might not play games.
While games players are a diverse and
interesting bunch – go to any games meetup
or event and you’ll see how varied we all are
– this is currently less so at the professional
level. Designers are less mixed than players:
racially, sexually and gender-wise. As a result,
unconscious bias creeps into board games
design, meaning that not only are some
groups underrepresented, but that often when
they do appear, they have rather awkward or
uncomfortable characteristics.
It’s important to be clear here that designers
and developers are not horrible people. In
fact, they are really conscious of this issue
and are working really hard to change things.
Secondly, including many different types of
characters isn’t a deliberate move by designers
to exclude existing gamers. Why should it be?
More diverse characters appeal to a wider
breadth of people. That means a wider pool
of people spending money on a game. It also
means, in practical terms when we pick up a
games with lots of characters in it, that we –
the players – get loads of choice. ▶
■ Opposite: Of the
49 investigators in
the current Arkham
Horror Files universe,
almost half are
women, with five
people of colour.
■ Left: Arkham
Horror researcher
Mandy Thompson's
appearance has been
toned down from the
salacious artwork of
the game's first edition,
shown here.
19/01/2017 15:33
 DIVERSITY IN GAMES
Including many different characters
does not mean taking the fun out of play, or
forcing people to play something they don’t
want to. Instead, introducing characters that
take us away from stereotypes makes play
interesting, and, if we’re into a bit of roleplay
with our character-driven games (especially
with titles such as the Arkham series), it also
makes them interesting. The Arkham games,
and games like them, are about giving the
player as much choice as possible when they
pick their starting team. Why shouldn’t they
be a mixed bunch?
With the Arkham games, Fantasy Flight has
another interesting problem. Not only was
Lovecraft a horrendous racist, but the Arkham
universe is set in a time where women had only
just got the vote, and people of colour from all
nations were treated as second-class citizens. It
would be easy, therefore, to limit the female and
characters of colour (which, let’s be fair, does
still happen in the game), and to adopt a similar
attitude to the original stories. But, wait. If we
are willing to believe that the streets of a sleepy
library town in Massachusetts are inhabited by
raving cultists, tentacled monsters and portals
to other dimensions, shouldn’t we also accept
that the people fighting these monsters are
also not tied to the historical stigmas attached
to their gender, sexuality and colour? Arguing
that we should stick to the beliefs of the time in
046_048_diversityInGames_V3 MJ.indd 48
a fantasy game about casting spells to banish
arcane monsters seems… weird.
Fantasy Flight’s characters let us choose.
Maybe we’re not interested in what the
characters look like and just want to play
according to the stats on the card. Great! There
are 49 different choices. But we also have the
choice of reading the flavour text and getting
involved in the character written on the back
of the card. And if we don’t like that, we can
invent our own stories. A recent game of
Mansions I played was entirely based around
the way Agatha Crane’s mini was holding out
her arms. (“She looks like Gandalf.") That
was pretty cool. So, with that in mind, surely
including a range of people is a good way to
make our games interesting, and allow us to
have fun ‘outside the rules’.
A PERSONAL AFFAIR
Let’s move this to a different type of game. In
Matt Leacock’s Pandemic titles, the characters
don’t have traditional roles. Instead of the
fighter, healer and rogue, we have starter
characters of the medic, scientist, operations
expert, researcher, quarantine specialist,
contingency planner and dispatcher. Four
women, three men and three black characters.
The original Pandemic box has two black
characters and a woman on the cover. The
new artwork has a woman standing centre
48
■ Pandemic's original (far
left) and updated (left)
box covers are fantastic
examples of highlighting
gender and racial diversity.
stage. What does this contribute to the game?
Atmosphere. These people seem real and,
in spin-off Pandemic Legacy, naming our
characters means we get very fond of them.
Pandemic’s rules are also deliberately
written so that the player is ‘you’ or ‘they’.
(“After a player is done infecting cities, the
player on their left goes next." "Discard the city
card that matches the city you are in.") This
means anyone can feel that the rules speak to
them directly. It’s a really subtle thing, but one
that makes the player feel welcomed.
A familiar argument against including
diversity is that it’s not important to the
game, or that people don’t notice it because
it doesn’t matter to them personally. Well,
if you’re a woman, or a gay player, or just
someone who likes playing people different
to themselves, it really is.
Similarly, there are some games where these
issues are unimportant (Dobble) – because
they aren’t about characters, nor do they
involve complex stories – and others where
these ideas take centre stage (Train, Freedom:
The Underground Railroad).
Fortunately, board gaming is big enough
for all of these games to co-exist. And if you
don’t care about it? That’s fine too. Games
are for everybody, which means we should
all feel able to play, let people take part, and
have fun doing so. ■
19/01/2017 15:33
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 FINAL TOUCH AT SPIEL
THE ESSEN FACTOR
Just how crucial is appearing at the world’s biggest games fair to the launch of a brand new title?
TTG follows the fortunes of arty card game Final Touch before, during and after Spiel 2016
Words and pictures by Dan Jolin
I
t’s 3pm on Saturday, October 15th 2016,
and Hall 3 of the Messe Exhibition Centre
in Essen, Germany, is a teeming autobahn
of human traffic. The faces of passing
tabletop gamers, who have eagerly schlepped
here from all around the world, reveal a
mix of exhaustion and enthusiasm. The air
thrums with the sound of amiable chatter,
the shuffle of throbbing feet, the dull bump of
colliding backpacks, bulked out to their very
limits by recently purchased games.
Just by the hall’s west exit, French
publisher Asmodee has set up its core
demonstration area, where attendees of
the 34th Internationalen Spieltage can get
050_052_essendFactor_V2 MJ.indd 50
hands-on with its key titles. On one table,
not far from the thickly coursing crowd and
beneath a large banner depicting a cartoon
Mona Lisa receiving a rude splat of pink paint
on her schnozz, sits the open box for the
game it’s advertising: Mona Klecksa or, as it’s
called here and in the States, Final Touch.
This art-themed single-decker from Space
Cowboys is one of the new titles Asmodee’s
pushing this year. It’s already been released
in France and the States, but for the rest of the
world this is its big debut. However, while the
Mysterium and Splendor tables on either side
have players pressed attentively around them,
the Final Touch table is ominously empty.
50
PREPPING THE CANVAS
12 days earlier, and Final Touch’s designer,
Mike Elliott, is very much looking forward to
the upcoming Essen Spiel.
“It’s a very important show,” he
says, Skyping from his home in Seattle,
Washington. “Probably my favourite con of
the year.”
Spiel 2016 will hardly be the veteran
designer’s first rodeo; he has been every
year since 2006. The one-time hospital lab
supervisor and bridge-player started his
game design career at Wizards of the Coast,
working on Magic: The Gathering. Since
going freelance at the end of 2005, he’s
19/01/2017 15:35
 designed or co-designed the likes of ■ Opposite: three
Thunderstone, Quarriors!, Star Trek: Fleet players try out Final
Touch during Essen
Captains and Mechwarrior Solaris VII. Spiel 2016.
But Final Touch represents for him a move
towards, as he puts it, “some of these lighter, ■ Left: The game
simpler games that potentially have a chance was one of the many
titles on show at the
to hit mass market, and show up in Barnes Asmodee booth.
& Noble".
"Final Touch plays in 10 to 15 minutes, it’s
very quick to learn. It seems like that’s where
the market is headed these days.”
With its colourful, cartoonish takes on
classic masterpieces, simple but smart
rules, and bluffing mechanics, it certainly
has the potential to become a hit with casual
gamers. And making a big splash at Essen
would, Elliott says, boost it towards attaining
that goal.
“Essen and Gen Con are the two events
where you can get viral games going,” he
says. “Where you can get enough buzz and
word-of-mouth to prove you’re a big hit.
Gen Con for the US, and Essen for Europe.
Like, if you can get people excited to where
they wanna buy a copy to play with their
friends, then you’ve got a viral game going.
You saw that with Dominion, you saw that
with Codenames.”
In truth, Essen for Elliott is more about
meeting with publishers and his fellow
designers than pushing his latest game.
“It’s an efficient way to show my new
stuff off, and a great way to get a number FINDING AN AUDIENCE Back at the demo table, a trio of players
of publishers in the same place,” he says. It’s 3.05pm on Saturday, October 15th, have sat down: a girl and two guys. Their
“So I’m always hustling, pitching, trying to the peak day of the four-day trade fair. eyes, though, are on a nearby Mysterium
make new contacts. Some days I’ll have Asmodee’s European organised play table. They’re waiting to get on there, and
15-hour days where I’m just in meetings. manager Alex Watkins is surveying his have merely grabbed the nearest available
It can be pretty intense. But I also catch territory, nodding in approval. seats. Then the girl picks up the Final Touch
up with friends that I don’t see very “This is the best day,” he says. The instructions. Attention piqued, she nudges the
often, other designers like Eric Lang, hardcore gamers have come and mostly guy next to her and suggests they give it a go. He
Antoine Bauza, the Brunos [Cathala gone, and now the families are pouring in. and their other companion shrug agreement,
and Faidutti]. We’ll have drinks at the “In the last couple of days it was people though they can’t entirely pull their attention
bar in the Atlantic Hotel and tell each playing Pandemic, Ticket to Ride: Rails away from that enticing Mysterium setup.
other industry horror stories.” & Sails or the new expansion [Marshal & Five minutes later and Guy One has
That said, he does appreciate the Prisoners] of Colt Express. But today I’ve won the first Masterpiece card, a big grin
opportunity Spiel affords him to witness already started to notice a lot more Dobble plastered over his face. All three are now
people playing his games. being played, and a lot of things like Cortex fully absorbed, hunched over their hands.
“I’ll definitely watch a lot of the players and Final Touch.” Mysterium, it seems, can wait for now… ▶
and see their reactions,” he says. “That’s a
kind of validation.”
His greatest hope for Final Touch is to see
it being played away from the demo area.
“One of my favourite things is if
That’s a sign his game might be earning that
all-valuable word-of-mouth.
I see people playing one of my
“One of my favourite things is if I see
people playing one of my games back at the
games back at the hotel bar, or in
hotel bar, or in the lobby. That’s a super thrill
for me.”
the lobby. That’s a super thrill.”

51

050_052_essendFactor_V2 MJ.indd 51 19/01/2017 15:35

 FINAL TOUCH AT SPIEL
IN A BIG POND
A little later, Tabletop Gaming is standing
with Mike Elliott just outside Hall 3, next to
a gang of punters taking a well-earned beer
break. We’ve managed to catch him between
meetings (the last one, he says, was his 25th),
and he’s in good spirits.
“Everyone I showed it to enjoyed it,” he says
of Final Touch’s appearance at a press event the
day before and, while he rarely mans the public
demo tables himself, he’s observed a few games.
“I watched people playing and they seem
to like it. Every time I see people play, it’s like
they’ll play it for five minutes and then there’s
a point where the light goes on and it’s like,
‘Ohhh,’ and they figure out what the strategy is.”
But he does seem rather relaxed about the
game’s fortunes. When asked, on a scale of one
to 10, how he’d rank the importance of Essen to
Final Touch’s ultimate sales, he now judges it as
being “probably somewhere in the middle”.
“Essen’s not gonna make or break it, but it is
one of those things where two or three reviewers
here can hype it and generate attention for it,”
he suggests.
Watkins, who has joined us, insists that Spiel
is “very important” to any of Asmodee’s games.
“When you’ve got this sort of footfall coming
through the door, I’d say it’s crazy not to bring
out new games. You’ve got to be here.”
This will prove to be the biggest Spiel yet, with
170,000 attendees. Watkins estimates that by
the end of the fair around 700 of those will have
played Final Touch.
If Elliott appears unconcerned, it’s not because
he lacks faith or interest in his new game. It’s
just that his mind is now firmly fixed on securing
publication deals for his upcoming titles.
050_052_essendFactor_V2 MJ.indd 52
“Usually at cons I’m doing meetings and
pushing my future stuff,” he reminds us.
Watkins understands. He’s used to the
more established designers not spending
much time at the public stands at the big
conventions. (Unlike the new designers, for
example, presenting their prototypes over in
the smaller Hall 6.) In terms of their priorities,
he says, “it’s second to the fact that it’s all
about meetings and setting up the next one.
The game’s out there, so it’s, ‘Right, next!’
You’ve gotta keep going.”
THE VERDICT
It’s 3.20pm on Saturday, October 15th, and
the three Final Touch players have finished
up, about to move on to the now-vacated
Mysterium table. TTG asks the girl, Lisa from
Germany, what she thought of it.
“Maybe a bit too dependent on luck, but I like
it,” she says. “I like the style of it, the design of
the cards. I imagine children will like it.”
Then she’s off to join a supernatural murder
investigation and, as the game-hungry crowds
surge by, Final Touch awaits its next group of
curious players.
NO STOPPING
Two months later, we’re once more on Skype
with Elliott, who’s back home in Seattle. He
says he’s been extremely busy since Spiel,
thanks mostly to “stuff I promised at Essen
that I’ve been trying to catch up and deliver
on”: filling out the details of games he’s
pitched and completing rulebooks.
The post-Essen reception to Final Touch, he
says, “seems to be reasonably good. It’s a solid
seller, but it isn’t coming across as a breakaway
52
■ Above: Players
compete to produce
the best art forgery.
■ Left: The German
box art and
components for
the game.
pop hit”. It wasn’t, he admits, “one of the
super-hot games of Essen. Usually there’s three
or four that are stars of the show. And this one
didn’t rise to that level.” Neither did it garner
the attention his Thunderstone did back at Spiel
2009. Still, he adds, “I’ve done four or five small
single-deck games, and this one is probably
going to be the most successful of those.”
Elliott’s been doing this too long to be
disheartened, and he’s too busy and prolific a
designer to dwell on a single title. Final Touch
may not have exploded at Essen like, say,
Terraforming Mars or Adrenaline, but the value
of the fair to him remains undiminished.
“My highlight is always seeing my friends
that I only see at those cons,” he says. “It’s
always fun talking with them and sharing
stories. A lot of the it’s a way to start a working
relationship as well.”
One such relationship that arose out of
Essen was Elliott’s collaboration with Dirk
Henn, the brain behind dice-tower territory-
grabbers Wallenstein and Shogun.
“I’m working on a game with him that’s
coming out next year, called War Eternal,”
Elliott reveals. “It’s kind of like an expansion
on the style of Shogun and Wallenstein with
a couple of new bells and whistles thrown
in that make for a really interesting game
dynamic. I’m pretty excited about that one.”
Spiel 2016 was only two months before,
but to Elliott it may as well have been years.
His present is all about the future, and in that
future is Spiel 2017. He’s feeling optimistic
about it, too.
“War Eternal could easily be one of the big
hits next year,” he laughs. “Keep your eye on
that one!” ■
19/01/2017 15:35
 BATTLE FOAM

CUSTOM RUGGED
FOAM CASES

p053.indd 1 17/01/2017 15:00

 DELTA GREEN
THE GREEN DEATH
Hopelessness, suffering and a high body count abound in Lovecraftian roleplaying game Delta Green.
Co-creator Dennis Detwiller recalls the Call of Cthulhu spin-off’s origins and tells some of his own tales
Words and pictures by Jake Tucker
M
argerita is gasping for breath,
struggling feebly against the wall as
the stranger brings the knife down,
brutally disembowelling her. For her, death is
swift, but for Agents Taylor and DiMarco, who
are standing in the room as it happens, the
nightmares will continue for a while.
Both characters lose 1D6 sanity for
witnessing the murder, followed by a further
two just for trying to comprehend the grey-
skinned creatures, each one nearly seven
feet of solid muscle and armed with a knife
spanning nearly half that length.
At the end of the adventure they'll lose more
sanity and deal with the long-term stress, the
therapy. For now, Taylor starts sobbing loudly,
running from the room terrified.
054_056_deltaGreen_V2 MJ.indd 54
■ A new version of the RPG was Kickstarted in late 2015.
Margerita knew this was going to happen,
getting a premonition after her player Adam
rolled a critical success – in this case a 33,
with criticals successes and failures occurring
on doubles – on an occult roll and learning
more than she wanted. She became convinced
these creatures were the living embodiment of
death, screaming at the rest of the team about
how they wouldn't survive the night.
She was half-right. After she gets carved
up, an interaction with a grotesquely altered
child leads to the death of Taylor, the kid
unleashing a telekinetic wave of force that
turns his flesh and bone to confetti, painting
the inside of the car and tearing it apart
moments before the sun rises, those first rays
of daylight bringing an end to the awful siege
54
that led to countless deaths at a ranger station
in Yosemite Park.
For the agents of Delta Green though,
it's just another day in the office. For those
playing it, the tabletop RPG offers one of the
most compelling horror experiences you can
have with a set of dice.
It's the most brutal roleplaying game I've
ever played, with death – or something worse
– often occurring with little warning. Since
the game's successful rebirth late last year,
I’ve been hosting the game for an eager group
who were looking for something different
from the standard RPG, and found it here.
I've been running it near-continuously for
my players since the successful Kickstarter
campaign. Or, more accurately, I haven't
19/01/2017 15:39
 been able to stop running it for my players,
■ Delta Green agents prepare to discover their fate.
who constantly pester me about the
next session or working out their newest
character. We have a lot of new characters;
most sessions see an agent – Delta Green's
player characters – horrifically killed.
Death is core to the whole inception of
Delta Green. Dennis Detwiller, one of the
those responsible for both the original game
and this latest reimagining, tells me that
Delta Green was born as a new setting for the
Call of Cthulhu roleplaying game in response
to how many player characters were being
bumped off.
"It was [created] to combat the high
mortality rate standard in any Lovecraftian
adventure,” he explains, "In Masks of
Nyarlathotep, we'd reached a point where we
were recruiting waiters to fight the Cult of the
Bloody Tongue because so many characters
had died."
He laughs.
"We were retreating to the nearest cafe or
bar and the first person we'd meet we'd be
like, 'Hey, you want to come and fight the “The central core of the game is failure, and
forces of evil? Let's go!’”
Delta Green's form is less that of a band of this makes brief victories, shining moments,
plucky paranormal investigators, becoming
more of an organised form of resistance with much brighter to the players.”
government training.
"The modern incarnation of Cthulhu is just around the corner. You can play it another day. Delta Green agents rarely
gaming just didn't make sense with its now; the Agent's Handbook, GM screen retire and even the occasional against-all-
‘Well, stuff just happens, you know?’" and quick-start pack are already out, with odds success leaves physical and mental
Detwiller insists. the complete edition expected to emerge scars on everyone present. Missions are
"The federal government had tangled with very soon. undertaken with a grim determination and
fish-men in 1928. Didn't it make sense they "This belief, and it seems ridiculously naive the ever-present knowledge that most of the
might know what's going on, on some level?" to us today," observes Detwiller, "was that abominations that agents are fighting are
If this reminds you of The X-Files, you're the government is lying to us, and that's what too powerful to truly comprehend.
halfway there, except that Delta Green's tied Delta Green together. "Delta Green's most unique aspect is this
first supplement preceded Fox's stellar TV "Updating it, now we're talking about a unflinching expectation of failure,” Detwiller
show by nearly a year and the tone here post-truth society – sure there's YouTube, but suggests. "The smartest and best agents in
is pitch black. This is the version of The if you upload a video of the Deep Ones, the Delta Green know that they can never win, but
X-Files if Mulder was bisected by a razor- first comment is ‘Photoshop!’ and the second they still fight. The central core of the game is
sharp tentacle in episode two while Scully is speculation that it's viral marketing for the failure, and this makes brief victories, shining
watched, causing her to go back to the FBI new Cloverfield movie. The world protects moments, much brighter to the players. Other
headquarters and murder everyone there itself from things it doesn't want to know." games heap success and victories on the players
to try and quiet the voices inside her head, Inside this new post-truth world is until they become jaded. After a while, they
finally finding salvation by putting the pistol Delta Green. The agents have the skills, end up with an 'OK, so what next?' attitude."
to her own head and pulling the trigger. equipment and training to save the day All of the game's mechanics play into this
against the numerous eldritch horrors in one way or another. The sanity system
POST-TRUTH IS OUT THERE threatening to destroy life as we know it – functions as a sort of mental health pool,
In the original game's lore, those working for or, at least, they think they do. In practice, with attacks on the mind from horror,
Delta Green when the project was disavowed they're often outmatched, trying to fight off unknowable foes and even receiving or
and shut down after a disaster realised their the darkness with a flickering flashlight. perpetrating violence all draining an agent.
work was more important, and kept the The realisation of quite how screwed The game itself works by having agents aim
project going under the radar. you are in any given situation is a big to roll below a set number shown by their
Now, after a successful Kickstarter, a part of the Delta Green experience as skills: want to shoot someone? You need to roll
version of the game updated for our times you try to mitigate risks and live to fight a D100 and get it below your firearm skill. ▶

55

054_056_deltaGreen_V2 MJ.indd 55 19/01/2017 15:39

 DELTA GREEN
If you want to resist an assault on your
sanity however, you'll need to roll below
your current sanity and failure — and indeed
some successes — depleting your pool.
It's an elegant way to show a crumbling
mind, and mental breaks along the way will
riddle agents with mental ailments such
as depression, megalomania or a totemic
compulsion for an item that they believe is
key to their continued survival.
If that all sounds too much, the bond
system allows agents to resist sanity attacks by
projecting onto a key relationship in their lives.
This could be their wife, kids or even their loyal
dog, but it's a relationship that's crucial to the
agents’ lives. A relationship that you can slowly
sacrifice to try to hold onto some sanity. In
gameplay, this means you can use the memory
of your kids to pull you through watching a
teammate get pulled apart by ugly tentacles,
only now you'll always associate that with
them, and you'll become distant, withdrawn.
As your agents fall, they'll become shells
of their former selves, which can be an
054_056_deltaGreen_V2 MJ.indd 56
oppressive atmosphere to play in, but it's
great both for anecdotes and creating an
environment for telling exciting stories – even
if the good guys don't necessarily save the day.
LAUGHING AT DEATH
For Detwiller, and those that play it, Delta
Green is a tale of survival. It's a game about
who will last, how long they can survive
the dangers thrown at them and the slow
creeping realisation that no-one lasts forever.
This repeated thematic reminder of player
characters' mortality, coupled with Delta
Green's nigh-obsessive focus on the granular
details of life in the field for a government
agency, or indeed a secret conspiracy trying
to cover its tracks, creates the game's most
memorable moments. Detwiller tells me,
laughing, about his favourite Delta Green
story. It starts with a body, which isn't that
unusual for Delta Green.
"I was running a game where Scott
Glancy — one of the original Delta Green
co-designers — had to dispose of the body
56
■ Combat is resolved with a D100 system.
of a compatriot who had been killed and, in
classic Delta Green fashion, I made him step
through everything he would do with the
body," he recounts. "This involved hacksaws,
puncturing the chest cavity, tarp, wading
into freezing water and just plain losing a
ton of sanity.
"Later, Glancy's same character
encounters this giant, unnatural, horrible,
loping beast the size of an elephant. This
beast's mandate, because it's intelligent,
was to keep people off the mountain. So,
after it had killed the rest of Glancy's team,
it pinned Glancy's agent to the ground and
pissed all over him; basically saying: ‘Go,
don't come back.’"
These moments of horror, triumph over
impossible odds and the story of each
player's eventual destruction are the real
reason to play Delta Green. It's a roleplaying
game with powerful themes and a consistent
world backed up with mechanics that aren't
just solid, but actually smartly reinforce the
themes. It's sublime. ■
19/01/2017 15:39
 Your favourite
Tabletop magazine
has now gone Is there
anything we need for
bi-monthly.
gaming that they don’t
have here? ...pizza?

don’t miss out!

call Claire
on 01778 391 179
to advertise Board Games, Card Games, Role Playing,
War Board Games, Card Games, Role Playing, War Games, In-Store Gaming and Events
Games, In-store Gaming and
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Come and visit our Bricks & Mortar shop

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range of games we carry in stock!
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www.leisuregames.com

Presented by the South London

Warlords, Salute 2017 is the biggest
independent one-day wargaming
and gaming event in the UK.
Once again, we have a huge
number of international and UK
traders attending the show at
ExCel London as well as plenty of
demonstration and participation
games to enjoy. We will, of course,
be running our renowned painting
competition on the day.

22ND APRIL 2017 10.00 -17.00

‘RALLY TO THE FLAG’
Tickets and full details are now available from our
website/facebook page at www.salute.co.uk
The price of a ticket is £12.00 via eticket or, on the day,
£20.00 (cash only) on the door. Again this year there will be several ‘golden
ticket’ prizes for lucky advance eticket holders only. Under 16s free with a
paying adult.Please note: there is no bring and buy at Salute 2017.

RUSSIAN AD 1.indd 1 27/10/2016 14:30

Ad 1. 200mm x 140mm

p057.indd 1 23/01/2017 12:18

 TED ALSPACH
THE ULTIMATE
DESIGNER
Ted Alspach takes a break from spending One Night with werewolves,
vampires and aliens to talk about the thriving social deception genre
Words by Matt Jarvis
B
ehind the serpent in the Garden of
Eden and Marcus Brutus, there are
perhaps few individuals who have
made as prominent a name for themselves by
fostering deceit and betrayal as Ted Alspach.
The founder of publisher Bézier Games,
Alspach is best known for his spin on
the popular social deception party game
Werewolf, which he debuted back in 2008.
An instant hit, Ultimate Werewolf was
subsequently re-released in a variety of new
editions and bolstered with expansions adding
new roles based on everything from classic
movie monsters to author Virginia Woolf. It
secured the future of the young company,
which had started just two years prior.
“We've been around for about ten years
now,” Alspach says of Bézier’s origins. “[We]
started slowly doing very small games, card
games. One of the ones we did early on was
Ultimate Werewolf, and that ended up being
very, very successful. It still sells amazing. Every
year it sells more than the previous year. It's
awesome, it's much bigger than we expected.”
In 2014, a sequel followed: One Night
Ultimate Werewolf. Condensing down the
multi-round hunt to uncover the hidden
lycanthrope into a single 10-minute round
058_059_bezierGames_V2 MJ.indd 58
and removing the need to eliminate players,
ONUW proved even more successful, racking
up multiple award nominations and charting
as one of BoardGameGeek’s 15 best-ranked
party games. A standalone expansion,
Daybreak, was released in 2015, alongside
a spin-off prequel which swapped out the
titular wolfman for a bloodthirsty vampire.
JUST ONE MORE
Alspach has both gone on to work on bigger
titles, including acclaimed tile-laying hit
Castles of Mad King Ludwig and last year’s
Colony. Meanwhile, Bézier has also opened
up to outside creators, publishing Favor of
the Pharaoh by Roll for the Galaxy designer
Thomas Lehmann and party game Terra from
Power Grid and Friday author Friedemann
Friese. In January, it brought out New York
Slice, a pizza-themed spiritual successor
to Jeffrey D. Allers’ Piece o’ Cake. Yet both
designer and publisher can’t resist returning
for another One Night; Alspach explains the
draw of the character-centric social series.
“There's a couple of things,” he proposes.
“For me, it's still compelling. I can play the
original game now and I still enjoy it. I'll teach
people and sit and play with them – they try to
58
kill me first because I'm me and I lie all the time
when I play so they want to kill me – but it's still
really fun, I really have a good time playing even
the original base game. So for something that's
been out for four or five years now, that's pretty
awesome to still be engaged and doing it.”
Of course, Alspach adds, it helps that, almost
a decade on from the original game’s release,
demand for Ultimate Werewolf and its One
Night kin continues to grow year after year.
“That's been really successful for us, so
there's really no realistic end in sight for that
sort of thing,” he suggests. “I'm hoping that it
continues to do well. I look at a good example
– it's not my kind of game, but Munchkin is
an awesome example of how they were able
to take this basic idea of a game and then
expand it in a bunch of different directions
with just subtle little changes and it's become
this big phenomenon in the gaming world.
Hopefully we can do a similar sort of thing
with the One Night series [by] expanding it.
They all work together if you want them to, or
you can play them separately.”
SOCIAL SUCCESS
The next entry to grow the One Night Ultimate
series will be Alien, due out this summer. As
19/01/2017 15:40
 well as involving new dynamic role cards,
the game also makes use of an iOS and
Android companion app to automate the
nighttime instructions given to each player
and randomly cause ripples in the space-time
continuum, leading to rounds being repeated
and other effects. Like its creator, players
seem yet to tire of the series’ core mechanics;
One Night Ultimate Alien raised more than
$321,000 on crowdfunding site Kickstarter last
year. It’s not just the One Night series, either
– other social deduction and hidden roles
titles continue to prosper, such as Secret Hitler,
which raised close to $1.5 million at the end
of 2015. Alspach offers his reasoning as to the
genre’s rising status in the modern age.
“First of all, with most social deduction
and deception games, the rules are fairly
simple,” he states. “Whether it's The
Resistance or regular Werewolf or One Night
Ultimate Werewolf or Coup, most of those
rules you can learn in just a few minutes. The
Resistance might be the hardest but it's still
five minutes of rules. I think that's one of the
appeals – it's super easy to learn and get into.
“The thing with One Night, one of the
reasons it's popular, is because it's so short
and it feels like you're engaged the whole
time. It's five minutes of discussion and
you're totally engaged. Not knowing 100%
what your role is at the end of the night has
people just really constantly looking for clues.
There's just a lot going on in your head and
then people are talking and trying to process
all that, but there's not math going on – it's
not 'hold on, let me think all of this through',
it's critically all in real time. That works a little
better now than it would have 20 years ago,
because we're much more equipped now
to handle processing of types of input like
that – different trains of thought going on
simultaneously – whereas 20 years ago that
might've been too much for people. People
weren't stupid 20 years ago, but we weren't
accustomed to that, whereas now we've got
a lot of things going on at one time and we're
all pretty able to divide our time.
“That's the sort of thing we're just used
to now, constantly multitasking, and One
Night has a lot of that going on, which is
why it appeals to people who are doing
that. Certainly it skews to a much younger
demographic than most other games. High
school kids love it; it's a millennial game
is the best way to put it. It really is. It works
really well for anyone who is under 40. Not
that over people over 40 can't play – I'm over
40 and still playing. But it definitely has an
appeal to kids, young adults, more so than
even games that were published 20 years ago
for the same age group.”
058_059_bezierGames_V2 MJ.indd 59
■ Left: Ultimate
Werewolf Legacy
is being designed
in collaboration
with SeaFall creator
Rob Daviau.
■ Below: The One
Night series has
expanded beyond
Werewolf to feature
monsters such as
vampires and aliens.
THE ULTIMATE LEGACY that have happened, but there's no physical
For Alspach’s next entry in the Ultimate thing. This is how it's changed. These things in
series, he’s going all the way back before One the past, these events have happened, so now
Night to the game that started it all, with an there's differences that have happened here.
ambitious reimagining of Ultimate Werewolf It's a totally different way of thinking about the
due out later this year. He’s also got some game. For him, it's really exciting because he
help from perhaps the most talked-about gets to work with a different medium and for
designer of the last five years: Pandemic me it's great because now we get to take some
Legacy and SeaFall creator Rob Daviau. of those really cool legacy concepts and apply
Ultimate Werewolf Legacy will embody them to a totally different kind of game.” ■
the legacy concepts pioneered by Daviau,
with decisions made during each of
three chapters (hence the
dropping of the single-
act One Night label)
and the outcome
of past matches
impacting the
setup and narrative
of future games.
“Working
with Rob has been
amazing,” enthuses
Alspach. “He's got this
incredible way of telling
stories that's really additive
in all of the Legacy games so
far – there is a plot in all of those
games that slowly gets revealed.
That's very cool.
“What we're doing with
Werewolf takes it to another
level, because now we're not
constrained – all the games
he's done before he's had a
board which evolves and does
things. With Ultimate Werewolf
Legacy there's no board, it's just
the cards and this kind of virtual
village; this village that kind of
exists in everyone's minds of things
59
19/01/2017 15:40
 Kismet Snakes and Ladders (detail) Germany 1895 © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
ORE
• Accessories
R ST
• Board Games
• Card Games & CCGs RGE
• Roleplaying Games LA
W
Board Games Rediscovered • Miniature Wargames NE
8 October 2016 – 23 April 2017 • Gaming Room
u Bethnal Green • D&D Organised Play • WPN Advanced+ Store
Free admission • FFG Organised Play • Friday Night Magic
vam.ac.uk/moc/gameplan

8 High Street, Swansea, SA1 1LE

Tel: 01792 930328
enquiries@thegamersemporium.co.uk
www.thegamersemporium.co.uk
facebook.com/thegamersemporium

MOC_GamePlan_Tabel top_118x85.5.indd 1 13/09/2016 11:36

p060.indd 1 17/01/2017 15:13


BOARDS OF EDUCATION
London’s V&A Museum of Childhood is running tabletop-focused exhibition Game Plan: Board
Games Rediscovered until the end of April. TTG went along to meet curator Catherine Howell
Interview by Matt Jarvis
What titles are on display in the exhibition?
The games range from an Ancient Egyptian
game called senet to the app-enhanced XCOM
and a lot in between. Classics both old and
new, from chess and Ludo to Monopoly and
Scrabble, of course feature, but there is also a
selection of beautifully illustrated games from
the late 18th and early 19th centuries designed
to educate the young, and a range of lesser-
known 20th-century games that show the
influence of world events, conflict, sport, leisure
and popular culture on gameplay and design.
What else can visitors see?
One of the things we particularly wanted to
highlight was people playing games, so there
are images of these throughout the exhibition.
There are also opportunities to play; there
is a game that runs through the exhibition,
so expect large spinners and the chance to
languish in the Monopoly jail.
We are asking visitors to consider what type
of player they are – at the end you can discover
whether you are a sore loser, a goody two-
shoes, a cheater or simply a distracted player.
What makes a particular board game
‘timeless’ and worthy of deeper study?
Looking at games that have stood the test the
time one sees different reasons for their success
and longevity. There are two things that stand
out – engagement and fun.
Games of strategy do have an advantage
because people like to think and plan ahead
061_vAndA_V2 MJ.indd 61
and know that it is their skill that is going to win
them the game. Yet games of pure chance also
have an appeal and perhaps this is because the
winner is not just the victor – they are also lucky!
Snakes and Ladders is the game we all grew up
on and Game of the Goose, another example
that exclusively uses the roll of the dice, was
said to have been Napoleon’s favourite game.
While you were curating games for the
exhibition, did anything surprise you?
Something that I found very enlightening was
just how seriously playing board games was
taken in the past especially in India where
religious beliefs and a propensity for warfare
were reflected in the playing of Gyan Chaupar
(Snakes and Ladders) and chess, respectively.
What have been some of the most notable
changes to the way board games are
designed and played?
The end of the 19th century saw an explosion
in the production of board games with cheaper
manufacturing catering to an increasing
leisure market. As the 20th century progressed,
other forms of entertainment proved strong
competition for board games. The classics
remained popular but nothing really
original entered the mainstream.
61
GAME PLAN EXHIBITION
What is really interesting about modern
game design is that it is the designers who are
taking centre stage. In the past it was only the
publishers who got their name on the box.
As to the way games are played, this has
moved from only having competitive mass
playing to social gatherings, game jams and
expos where anybody can play.
Do you believe that any modern titles will
become classics in the way that Monopoly,
Cluedo and Trivial Pursuit have?
I certainly think they should. Catan can
probably already claim to be a classic by
virtue of its longevity and the fact that it
has not stood still.
Developments and expansions will not
always guarantee long-lasting success, of
course, but keeping the original idea going
means that games like Pandemic stand a very
good chance of achieving classic status. ■
19/01/2017 15:42
 EXCLUSIVE GAME
BARBARIAN HACK
Fill a spare five minutes by defeating evil and rescuing a doomed prisoner in this warrior versus monsters
dice-rolling title from the creator of Frostgrave, published exclusively in this issue of Tabletop Gaming
I
n a dimly lit dungeon, deep beneath the
ruins of a once great castle, a helpless
victim lies chained to an altar. From
every corner, hideous monsters approach,
hungering for soft flesh. Then, at the last
moment, a hero appears...
Barbarian Hack is a quick-play, solo
board game, where the player takes on the
role of a barbarian warrior trying to save a
prisoner from a hideous death. A game lasts
a maximum of four turns, and will likely take
no more than five minutes to play.
062_063_barbarianHack_V2 MJ.indd 62
WHAT YOU'LL NEED
◗ The Board: A board divided into squares so
as to form a nine-by-nine grid, such as the
one provided opposite here.
◗ One Barbarian: A figure, pawn or token to
represent your barbarian.
◗ Four Monsters: Four figures, pawns or
tokens to represent the monsters.
◗ Two Dice: Two standard six-sided dice.
Images: Miniatures by Osprey Games, North Star Military Figures, and
Wargames Factory. Photographs and paint jobs by Kev Dallimore.
62
SETUP
Begin the game by placing your barbarian
in the central space on the board. This space
also contains the altar with the victim you are
trying to protect. Place one of the monsters in
each of the four corners of the board.
VICTORY CONDITIONS
The player wins if he can kill all four of the
monsters before any of them reach the
central square. If this condition is not met,
or at any point the barbarian is killed, the
player loses.
HOW TO PLAY
The game is played as a series of turns. First
the player moves his barbarian. Then the
monsters move. This sequence continues
until the game is decided.
To move the barbarian, the player rolls
two dice. The results of the dice determine
what moves the player can make. A roll of 2,
4 or 6, allows the barbarian to make a move
that many spaces in a straight line, while a
roll of 1, 3 or 5 allows the barbarian to make
a move that many spaces diagonally.
The player may choose to make his two
moves in whichever order he prefers, and in
whatever direction he desires, but he must
make both moves. The player must move
the barbarian the full number of spaces
listed on the die, unless he hits the edge of
the board, in which case he should end that
move immediately. If that was his first move,
he may still take his second.
If, during any part of a move, the barbarian
moves over a space containing a monster,
or if he ends a move in the same space as a
monster, that monster is killed and removed
from the game. The barbarian may kill
multiple monsters as part of the same move. If
there are no monsters remaining on the board
after the barbarian moves, the player has won.
After the barbarian has taken his moves, all
remaining monsters move one space closer
to the central square. Thus, monsters will
always move on a diagonal from their starting
square towards the central square. If this
move takes them onto a square containing
the barbarian, the barbarian is killed and the
game is automatically lost. If this move takes a
monster onto the central square, the victim has
23/01/2017 10:51
 been killed and the game is again lost. If neither
of these conditions are met, the player should
again roll two dice, and move the barbarian.
ADVANCED LEVEL
If the player has gotten to grips with the basic
game and wishes to increase the challenge level,
the following optional rule may be included.
062_063_barbarianHack_V2 MJ.indd 63
The Altar Stones: place four additional
markers on the board, one each on the squares
two spaces above, below, and to either side
of the altar. In this game, these four markers
as well as the altar itself count as dead areas.
Except for beginning the game on the altar, the
barbarian may never move through any of these
spaces, nor end his turn upon them. If a move
63
would normally take the barbarian through
those spaces, he stops immediately just as if he
had contacted the edge of the board.
Joseph A. McCullough is the author of
Frostgrave: Fantasy Wargames in the Frozen
City, as well as all its supplements. He recently
released an ebook collection of his fantasy
fiction entitled Victory’s Knife. ■
19/01/2017 15:47
 BATTLE REPORT
X-WING
MINIATURES GAME
TTG heads to a galaxy far, far away to see whether
the Force really is with the Rebel Alliance, or if the
power of the dark side can clinch it for the Empire
T
he X-Wing Miniatures Game is Fantasy
Flight Games’ fast-paced dogfighting
game set in the Star Wars universe. It’s
a tactical ship-to-ship combat game where
players take control of powerful Rebel X-Wings
and nimble Imperial TIE (twin ion engine)
fighters, facing off in high-speed space combat.
For this issue’s battle report, Tim Harris,
global sales manager for Plastic Soldier
Company, squared up to gamer Steve
Blackwell at the Battlefield Hobbies games
store in Daventry.
Whichever vessels you choose, the rules of
X-Wing are geared up for quick and intuitive
gameplay. The action centres around the
piloting dials – unique to each ship type -
which players use to secretly select a speed
and manoeuvre each turn. After planning
manoeuvres, each ship's dial is revealed and
executed (starting with the lowest-skilled pilot),
so you're in complete control throughout – the
challenge being that you have no idea what
manoeuvres your opponent has planned!
After each pilot is activated and manoeuvres
and actions (dictated by each ship’s card) have
been carried out, the ships move into combat
and perform one attack move each, starting
with the pilot with the highest skill level.
As well as straightforward ‘winner takes
all’ games, X-Wing can just as easily be set up
thematically, with players competing to win a
particular mission or campaign. No scenario will
ever play the same way twice, thanks to a range
of customisation options, varied manoeuvres
and possible combat outcomes. Damage,
for example, is determined through dice and
applied in the form of a shuffled damage deck.
064_067_BigBattlexWing_V2 MJ.indd 64
■ Tim's Imperial forces.
For this battle report, Tim and Steve are
carrying out mission T2A: Refuelling Ambush –
part of the Point of No Return campaign.
The scenario is this: shaken by an
unexpected encounter with the TIE patrol,
the CR90 stops to refuel at a nearby station
sympathetic to the Alliance. Before it can
completely refuel, the battered remnants of the ■ Steve's Rebels.
TIE patrol scream back into view – and they’ve
brought company! With a refueling container
still attached, the corvette fires up as the
station’s guards move to intercept.
To achieve victory in this mission, the Rebel
CR90 must flee off the Imperial edge of the
play area, or the force must destroy all Imperial
ships. For an Imperial win, they must cripple
one section of the CR90.
GALACTIC EMPIRE (TIM)
◗ Soontir Fel - TIE Interceptor - When he receives a stress token, he may be assigned one focus token
◗ Black Squadron pilots x3 - The TIE Fighters have no shields or life support
systems, so TIE pilots must depend solely on their skills to survive
◗ Whisper - TIE Phantom - After she performs an attack that hits, she may be assigned one focus token
◗ Howlrunner - TIE Fighter - When another friendly ship at range 1 is attacking
with its primary weapon, she may reroll one attack dice
◗ Academy Pilot - TIE Fighter - The TIE fighters have no shields or life support
systems, so TIE pilots must depend solely on their skills to survive
REBEL ALLIANCE (STEVE)
◗ CR90 Corvette (Fore) - When attacking with its primary weapon,
it can spend one energy to roll one additional attack dice
◗ Luke Skywalker - X-Wing - When defending, he can change one of his focus results to an evade
◗ Wedge Antilles - X-Wing - When attacking, he reduces the defender's agility value by one
64
19/01/2017 15:50

SETUP
For this mission T2A, the play area is three-
by-five-foot. Battlefield Hobbies provided a
special space-themed mat.
Steve, for the Rebels, must field the CR90 and
choose an additional 75 squad points, but he
can’t field any unique ship or upgrade cards.
Steve goes for Luke Skywalker (naturally) and
fellow X-Wing pilot Wedge Antilles.
For the Empire, Tim must play Soontir
Fel and three Black Squadron pilots, with
an additional 75 points. He chooses to
field TIE Phantom Whisper and TIE Fighter
Howlrunner, plus the Academy Pilot, fresh out
of the Imperial military training programme.
The starting position is set as follows:
The CR90 is placed within range 2 of and
parallel to the Rebel edge, approximately
064_067_BigBattlexWing_V2 MJ.indd 65
equidistant from both neutral edges. The
Class-E cargo container is placed in the play
area so that its flat edge is flush with the edge
of the aft section’s base that is nearest to
the Imperial edge. Four tracking tokens are
placed on the CR90’s aft ship card.
The three Black Squadron pilots are
within range 1 of the Imperial edge and
beyond range 1 of each other, and each Black
Squadron is dealt one facedown damage
card. Whisper, Howlrunner and the Academy
Pilot are all within range 1 of the neutral edge
nearest to the CR90’s fore section.
Finally, Rebels Luke Skywalker and Wedge
Antilles are placed between range 1 and 3 of
the CR90 and beyond range 3 of the damaged
Black Squadron pilots.
Then, without further ado, we’re ready to play!
65
■ The layout at the close of the first turn.
TURN ONE
Having pre-selected their manoeuvres for
each ship, Tim gets things going for the
Empire by moving the Academy Pilot (the
ship with the lowest skill level) forward five
and choosing the focus action. This can be
used during combat to either increase the
chance of hitting when attacking, or decrease
the chance of being hit when defending.
Tim then moves Black Squadron 1 and 2
forward five and chooses focus for them both,
before moving Black Squadron 3 forward five
and picking a barrel roll action – this allows
the ship to move laterally and adjust position
without changing direction.
Steve then gets the Rebels started by
moving Luke Skywalker forward two and using
the marksmanship action. This enables ▶ ▶
19/01/2017 15:50
 BATTLE REPORT
Luke, when he attacks later in the round, to
change one of his focus results to a critical
result, and all his other focus results to hits.
Steve then moves Wedge Antilles bank
(soft) right one, and once again chooses
marksmanship.
Back with the Empire, Soontir Fel moves
forward five and does a barrel roll, which
gains him a stress token, meaning he can’t
execute any difficult manoeuvres or perform
any actions.
Howlrunner moves forward five but
unfortunately flies straight into Whisper –
Tim’s obviously not quite in his stride just
yet and had forgotten he’d given Whisper
‘veteran instincts’, which would have
increased the pilot’s skill by two levels.
The CR90 remains docked.
Moving into the combat phase and the first
to come under fire is Luke Skywalker, as he
suffers one hit and loses a shield at the hands
of Soontir Fel. We then have our first casualty
of the mission as Wedge Antilles fires at Black
Squadron 3 and takes him out.
Luke goes for the closest Black Squadron,
number one, who evades and escapes unscathed.
In the final combat move of the turn, as
none of the other pilots are in range,
Black Squadron 1 and 2 both fire at the
cargo container.
TURN TWO
Things are heating up as we reach round two.
Black Squadron 2 starts for the Imperials
with a bank turn three and a barrel roll in
an effort to get away from Luke Skywalker
and reach the cargo container. Black
Squadron 1 opens with a forward three
and a barrel roll.
Coming in for the Rebels, Wedge Antilles
moves four and then performs a Koiogran
064_067_BigBattlexWing_V2 MJ.indd 66
■ End of turn two.
Turn (rotating 180 degrees), which leaves
him stressed.
In order to get rid of his own stress, Soontir
Fel goes hard right two for the Imperials
but using his Push The Limit ability then
performs a barrel roll with a thrust to the
right, which makes him stressed again!
Luke Skywalker lurches four ahead before
also getting on the stress bandwagon with a
Koiogran Turn.
Back in the Imperial camp, Whisper de-cloaks
and moves forward three with focus, before
Howlrunner darts forward five and barrel-rolls.
The CR90 remains docked, and the combat
phase begins!
Luke Skywalker successfully evades a shot
from Howlrunner, but takes one damage
from a subsequent shot from Whisper.
Wedge Antilles fails to make an impact on
Black Squadron, with Whisper re-cloaking
before Soontir Fel takes out – horror of
horrors – Luke Skywalker!
Black Squadron 2 manages two damage
on the cargo container, before taking a hit
from CR90’s secondary weapon. The CR90’s
main guns then gain a critical hit on Black
Squadron 1, disabling his capacity to execute
difficult manoeuvres.
TURN THREE
The Imperials head off with Whisper de-
cloaking before going straight sideways two,
followed by the Academy Pilot moving hard
right two and flying straight into the back of
Howlrunner! Black Squadron 2 then goes
hard right one, putting him right in the line of
CR90’s fire power.
Stressed out, Wedge Antilles simply moves
forward four, before Whisper moves shallow
right three and chooses focus, followed by
Howlrunner, who goes forward four and
66
■ End of turn three.
barrel-rolls, giving her ability to Whisper so
she can shoot at level 10 instead of nine.
Soontir Fel shrugs off his stress by moving
forward four, before forward thrusting right
and using his push the limit to focus.
It’s an action-packed round for Wedge
Antilles as he loses two shields and takes a
damage, before unceremoniously shooting
Black Squadron 1 down.
Wedge then comes under fire from Soontir
Fel, but evades and escapes damage, and
also manages to survive an attack from Black
Squadron 2 unscathed.
It’s an uneventful round for the CR90 as
she manoeuvres four but doesn’t attack.
TURN FOUR
Academy Pilot banks right three and barrel-
rolls right before Black Squadron 2 also
moves bank right and evades.
Whisper de-cloaks, suddenly appearing
in front of Wedge Antilles and forcing him to
run into Black Squadron 2, before she moves
hard right one and then barrel-rolls back to
the left.
Soontir Fel goes bank right two and barrel-
rolls with a Push The Limit focus, followed by
a bank right three from Howlrunner, who’s
unable to take any action as she’s hit the
remaining Black Squadron.
CR90 moves bank right two.
Gearing up for the combat phase,
Howlrunner gives the Black Squadron
her ability before Soontir Fel takes out
Wedge Antilles, leaving the CR90 alone in
the Alliance. Whisper shoots at the cargo
container before Steve takes the controversial
decision to, in what Tim called a ‘gamey’ move
for the Rebels, blow up the cargo container!
The attack also serves to remove two shields
from Whisper.
19/01/2017 15:50

TURN FIVE
As we move into round five can the CR90
stand strong against the Empire?
Whisper de-cloaks once more before
the Academy Pilot moves bank right two
and chooses focus. The Black Squadron
TIE Fighter moves forward four and does a
Koiogran Turn, before Howlrunner moves
bank right three.
Soontir Fel gets on a roll, moving hard
right two and choosing focus, before
forward boosting two and barrel-rolling two
– gaining himself a stress token.
Whisper goes hard right two and barrel-
rolls, leaving CR90 to bank right two and,
very sensibly, reinforce her rear!
Out of range of the CR90 at this point,
Howlrunner doesn’t attack, but Whisper
shoots at the corvette’s rear and takes down
■ The CR90 is crippled in the sixth and final turn of the game.
064_067_BigBattlexWing_V2 MJ.indd 67
■ End of turn four.
three shields, allowing Soontir Fel to cause
CR90 a damage with his shot at the rear.
The Academy Pilot also attacks the rear,
allowing the CR90 to take just three more
damage cards before it’s crippled.
In retaliation, the CR90 shoots its main
weapon at Howlrunner, doing two damage.
The Rebel ship then goes for a double
whammy, shooting at Howlrunner with its
single turbo laser, but Howlrunner doubles
her defence and ends the round having
sustained no further damage.
TURN SIX
The stakes are high as the two forces career
into the closing turn, with all the Imperial
ships rounding on the CR90.
Whisper de-cloaks once more and
the Academy Pilot turns hard right and
67
■ End of turn five.
barrel-rolls, followed by a bank right three
and another barrel roll by Black Squadron 2.
Soontir Fel moves right two, before
boosting one and barrel-rolling, causing
himself stress once more.
Whisper moves forward two, taking a
damage as she crashes into the CR90, but
remains in a position to shoot at it, before
Howlrunner moves soft right two and barrel-
rolls back to the left.
The CR90 moves forward four in a last-
ditch effort to flee, reinforcing the rear
once again.
Howlrunner gives ability to the Academy
Pilot in preparation for a further attack,
but it proves unnecessary as, in the last
hit of the game, Whisper critically cripples
the CR90, leading the Imperial force
to victory. ■
POST-GAME THOUGHTS
Tim: Not having played a specific scenario
before and having only faced a huge ship
once previously I was looking forward to
this. It really did play out differently than
the 100-point organised play events that I
had been to before. It was a lot of fun and,
not having played X-Wing in a quite a while,
was thoroughly enjoyable. X-Wing really
does give you the feeling of the dogfights
that you see on the silver screen. It’s made
me think about perhaps playing more
X-Wing again, even attending an organised
play event. I’d definitely recommend some
of the scenarios to people as they add a
totally different perspective to this very
enjoyable tabletop game.
Steve: I hadn’t played this scenario before
and with hindsight I wish I hadn’t stayed
docked for the first two turns! I should have
made a run for it at the start. I still really
enjoyed the game though and I haven’t
played for a while so this was a blast!
20/01/2017 15:54
 WIN ADVENTURE REALM
RPG MAP TILES
Adventure Realm RPG Map Tiles are a new gaming accessory from
Red Dragon Gaming, ideal for fantasy roleplayers and skirmish wargamers.
They let you quickly make maps for setting the scene with your miniatures while
gaming, and this set has a town and wilderness theme.
There are sixteen tiles, printed with townscape images on one side, wilderness
on the other, and by laying them out you can quickly have a setting for gaming
encounters. Whether it’s a lost temple deep in the forest, a bandit ambush on
the road or escaping the town guard while dashing through the city, this set can
provide an instant backdrop for your narrative. The artwork incorporates a subtle
1” grid pattern, making it easy to work out range, line of sight, etc. Another great
feature is that the tiles can be used with drywipe non-permanent markers, allowing
gamers to add notes and improvise extra details on the map, and then wipe clean
ready to use again for another session.

The sets are available from Red Dragon Gaming

www.reddragongaming.co.uk

For your chance to win a copy, head online to the address below and answer the following question:
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TTGAMI.NG/ADVENTUREREALM
Competition closes 30th March 2017. Full terms and conditions can be found online.

READ TABLETOP GAMING

ON ANY DEVICE ANYTIME!
PLAYED

prisoners, saving them from being

Turns play out in relatively
straightforward fashion, with players
– Allies first, then the solo security
officer – rolling two dice to calculate
movement points available for
prisoners and guards, respectively.
Doubles means another roll, while
scoring under five grants the ability
to pick up an ‘Opportunity’ card,
which can be stored and used later
for everything from escaping solitary
confinement and attempting to drive
out of the front gates in the staff car
for the Allies to employing deadly
force via the 'Shoot to Kill' command
for the Germans.
Movement points can be divided
between as many or as few pieces
as desired. Allies initially attempt
to make their way from the starting
ESCAPE FROM COLDITZ: area to the various rooms of Colditz’
internal courtyard in order to gather
75TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION resources, from rope and forged
documents to wire cutters and an
Matt Jarvis shines a spotlight on a revamped version of a British board game icon escape kit – which must be held to
successfully flee. As soon as a player
Osprey Games | £49.99 | Roll and move | 2–6 players | 90-120 minutes | Age: 12+ | ospreypublishing.com
gains an equipment card, their
pieces can be arrested by guards that
land on the same space (although
they initially cannot enter certain
rooms), sending them to solitary
confinement until, Monopoly-style,
they roll a double or get a card
allowing them out.
Once enough items have been
gathered, players can choose to stage
an escape, unlocking doors, climbing
down ropes, tunneling under walls and
more in an attempt to make it to the
targets at the far edges of the map that
count as a successful getaway – with
two escaped POWs winning the game.
Using an item means placing
an escape marker on the obstacle.
The markers are little cardboard
exclamation marks, contrasting with
the otherwise premium wooden
pieces and cards. Allies and guards
alike can then pass freely through
the obstruction, with guards able
to optionally destroy the item as
they traverse it, stopping further
pieces from moving through. Other
mechanics include safe spots for
arrested, and spotlights that illuminate
spaces that prisoners cannot stop on.
The rules change as inmates make
their way from the depths of the
castle to the outer countryside, with
players whose pieces are arrested IF YOU LIKE
outside the inner courtyard having to AXIS & ALLIES…
TRY ESCAPE
discard precious equipment. FROM COLDITZ
This edition of Escape from Colditz Both set
actually features different rules to during World
those originally devised by Reid War II, Escape
from Colditz’
and co-creator Brian Degas, doing claustrophic
away with the randomised ‘Do or prison-break
Die’ cards which could be turned drama provides
over with unknown consequences an interesting
mechanical and
in a last-ditch attempt to escape in a historical contrast
single turn or literally die trying. The to Axis & Allies’
cards are included as part of the set, portrayal of
with the original instructions printed global warfare.
in the back of the rulebook, if you’re
curious to experience the changes for
yourself or are adamant to play the
game as it was first created, but the
tweaks and refinements to the new
rules help modernise mechanics that
are markedly of their time.
Speaking of which, some flaws
remain; dice rolls dictate much of the
game’s flow, leading to potentially
frustrating situations where players
can end up with all of their pieces
stuck perpetually in solitary. The
Opportunity cards can unbalance
the difficulty in the favour of low-
rolling players, with prisoners who
uncover a tunnel nigh uncatchable

H
e had chiseled through
the hard concrete floor of
his cell, abseiled down the
60-foot drop with little more than
a fraying rope around his waist to
trust and squeezed through slicing
threads of severed barbed wire. He
was breathless but almost there, the
Now, Osprey Games has published
a new edition of the title to coincide
with the 75th anniversary of the real-
life breakout next year.
As with the 1973 version, Osprey’s
restored Escape from Colditz does
a fantastic job of highlighting the
history and realism of the game, as
BOX CONTENTS
◗ Rulebook (Including
the game featured Nazi swastikas, until the security officer draws the
both original and which were later replaced by an counteractive 'Tunnel Detected'
updated rules) Imperial eagle) attempting to stop card. Though the game supports just
◗ Oversized board them are packed in similarly quality two players, its real strength is in co-
◗ 56 wooden
playing pieces
cardboard sleeves. Included for extra operation between the POWs – which
◗ 100 illustrated cards atmospheric flavour are replicas also helps to even the odds against the
◗ 32-page history book of objects from the prison, such as fittingly tough-to-beat prison guards.
◗ Prison artefact replicas a German newspaper front page While it might show its age in

disguise, compass, food and forged
papers he needed to survive on the
outside stuffed in his pockets. The
security officer rolled double sixes. A
single gunshot rang out and the man
fell down, dead.
The original Escape from Colditz
was released in 1973, 31 years
after its co-creator and source
of inspiration, Major Pat Reid,
absconded from the notoriously
high-security prisoner-of-war camp
during World War II. The board
game was fairly innovative, featuring
well as its Second World War theme.
The inside of the box features a
paragraph detailing the hardships
of the prisoners kept at Colditz
and the work of the Red Cross to
help keep them alive through food
parcel deliveries. Tying in with
this is a replica British Red Cross
box in which the wooden game
pieces (in eight different colours to
represent the various nationalities
of captured POWs) are stored, which
slots neatly into the packaging.
Decks of lovingly-illustrated cards
NEW!
announcing the escape, and a 32- terms of gameplay, this new edition
page history booklet. There’s even a of Escape from Colditz is a gorgeous
secret hand-drawn map hidden in set for tabletop and history fans alike.
the box – if you can find it. Clearly, a lot of care and attention
All in all, it’s an extremely high has been paid to respecting the CONCLUSION
Escape from Colditz
quality package, topped off by an original game and its real-life muse, remains a fun and
oversized game board with the game’s while also making smart changes fascinating – if
logo embossed in foil on its reverse. to help find a new audience today. unforgiving – way
The board is notably improved from All of the components are finished to understand
and appreciate an
its forebear, adding a handy round to an impressive level of standard, important real-life
timer around its edge to encourage complemented by beautiful new event. The mechanics
■ The new version a faster pace of play and a greater artwork and the fascinating historical may be a tad dated,
of Colditz includes a level of detail to the bird’s eye view artefacts and details. It’s the type of but this set is a loving
variety of historical tribute to an iconic
artefacts to intensify
of Colditz and its surrounding set you could see continuing to be British board game,

mobile-friendly
co-operative and asymmetrical for the escaping Allies and German the game's WWII countryside, to which the Allied passed down through generations which is sure to help it
gameplay – a rarity at the time. security officer (the first edition of context and tone. players are attempting to flee. another 75 years from now. ■ stand the test of time.

90 91

edition now
90-91

available – say goodbye

to zooming!

VISIT POCKETMAGS.COM

p068.indd 68 23/01/2017 12:19

 70 74

PLAYED
A FRESH PERSPECTIVE
78 81

A
s Kickstarter continues to fill up with
tabletop adaptations of films, video games,
comic books and even other board games,
it’s sometimes worth considering how much of
a creation must remain untouched when being
transformed into a game.
This month, we take a look at several games that
base their origins in existing worlds. There’s the
Arkham Horror: The Card Game (an adaptation of
an adaptation, if you will) that demonstrates how
to pull the best facets of a universe and weave them
into new shapes, maintaining the cosmic horror
and unforgiving nature of its board game namesake
and H.P. Lovecraft’s stories while applying fresh
living card game mechanics to create an experience
that feels fresh but fitting. Another smart
reimagining of an existing board game can be seen
in Pandemic Iberia; very much a release for existing
Pandemic fans that makes good on its premise of 82 86
battling historical diseases.
On the other hand, there’s the anticipated take
on cult movie Labyrinth, which fails to capture the
original spirit of the 1980s movie, and Conan, which
spoils its outstanding gameplay by attempting to
fully portray author Robert E. Howard’s world of
warriors and monsters – with all the 1930s racism
and sexism intact. 88 91
Bringing a beloved work of art to the tabletop
doesn’t always mean that every aspect of the universe
must be recreated. Perhaps next time you’re playing
a game based on your favourite film, game or book,
consider what’s been changed – for better and worse.

70 SEAFALL 92 94
74 ARKHAM HORROR: THE CARD GAME

78 SCYTHE

81 FINAL TOUCH

82 BLOOD BOWL (2016)

86 CONAN 96 99
88 SECRET HITLER

91 STAR WARS: DESTINY

92 PANDEMIC IBERIA

94 SPYFALL 2

96 JIM HENSON'S LABYRINTH: THE BOARD GAME

100 101
99 LEGENDARY ENCOUNTERS: AN ALIEN DECK BUILDING GAME EXPANSION

100 A GAME OF THRONES: THE IRON THRONE

101 MOB TOWN

102 ADRENALINE 102 104

104 KHARNAGE

105 DREAM HOME

106 COLONY

108 UNUSUAL SUSPECTS

108 NOT ALONE 105 106

109 ACCESSORIES

108 108
069_ReviewsIntro_V3 MJ.indd 69 19/01/2017 15:51
 PLAYED
The first fully original legacy game boldly sets sail, but does it
triumphantly discover new lands or end up lost at sea?
Plaid Hat Games | £73.99 | Legacy | 3-5 players | 90-120 minutes | Age: 14+ | plaidhatgames.com
T
his is it, the big one. After sitting
on the saddle with Risk Legacy
and pushing away from the
kerb with Pandemic Legacy, Rob
Daviau’s legacy concept has taken
off the stabilisers with SeaFall, the
first legacy game to be created from
the ground up without the support
of a proven tabletop design to stop it
steering off course. It’s the freedom
found by ditching the framework of
an existing game such as Risk and
Pandemic that ends up being SeaFall’s
greatest strength, as well as one of its
greatest weaknesses.
Players each control a province
located along the coastline of an unseen
land at one edge of the central game
board. Every game, two ships venture
forth from the provinces to sail the open
070_073_SeafallReviewAndInterview_V2 MJ.indd 70
SEAFALL
waters and visit islands, engaging in
trade and exploration – or choosing to
raid the regions for their goods. Two
actions can be performed each turn,
dictated by the moves permitted
by a specific guild selected for that
round. For instance, you might
upgrade your ship and erect a
structure as part of the builder’s guild,
while buying and selling goods as a
merchant – although all of the factions
can choose to sail. This means that
strategy must be considered carefully
as, for example, you can’t explore a
location (as an explorer) and then
immediately raid it (as a soldier) for
twice the potential reward.
The pool of actions is wide enough
to allow for a variety of tactics, without
feeling overwhelming – however, as
70
the number of player turns per game
(even stretched over multiple hours)
is surprisingly low, the mechanics
are conducive to severe analysis
paralysis. Our group found it best
to embrace the game’s fantastic
sense of exploration and discovery
rather than finely analysing every
possible outcome for the most
enjoyable atmosphere, but you may
feel differently if you treat the game as
simply a match to be won rather than a
story to be told together.
That would be a shame, too, as
it is world-building and storytelling
that SeaFall really excels at, and that
makes it quite unlike any game I have
■ Above: Each of
ever played – even Pandemic Legacy,
SeaFall's long games
takes place over many which I would echo the apparent
seasons and years. consensus in calling the best board
23/01/2017 10:53
 game ever made. Far more than in
Daviau’s collaboration with Matt
Leacock, SeaFall weaves in elements
conventionally found in roleplaying
titles to apply an inescapable narrative
grip. Players select and name their
in-game personas, province and ships,
as well as advisors they take on board
and islands found in the world. This
provides plenty of environmental
dressing for the nautical theme, as well
as the fundamental pleasure of coming
up with silly names; our game included
cameos from woodcutter Jacques
Lumbah, snappily-clothed ruler Edvard
von Fansidrezur and ‘Buddy’ the brute,
to name but a few.
Intensifying the immersive
roleplaying mechanics is the Captain’s
Booke, a glossy extra rulebook that
contains the details of hundreds of one-
off events that occur throughout the
campaign. At the front of the book is a
map sprinkled with numbered symbols,
one of which is chosen and crossed
off when a new location is successfully
explored, before the accompanying
text entry is read aloud. Often these
involve making a decision – ‘shall we
work with the local natives to improve
our ship or rob them of their wood and
do it ourselves?’ – which then directs
to another entry with the subsequent
consequences, much like a Choose Your
Own Adventure book. The flavour text
is effectively written and the situations
are always good fun to parse with your
fellow players – expect to encounter a
few gasp-raising twists.
Most of SeaFall’s central actions
are driven by dice rolls reminiscent of
an RPG skill check. A number of the
15 custom dice are rolled dependant
on the related state (such as a ship’s
exploration or raid attribute) bolstered
070_073_SeafallReviewAndInterview_V2 MJ.indd 71
BOX CONTENTS or reduced by a number of outside
◗ Game board factors, such as an island’s garrison
◗ Side board
strength or fortune tokens spent to
◗ 10 ships
◗ 15 custom dice change blank results to successes.
◗ 40 goods This is checked against – in the case of
◗ Captain’s Booke exploration or a raid – a site’s defence.
rulebook
Failing potentially inflicts your ships
◗ Astrolabe
◗ 40 enmity tokens/ with crippling damage cards – a
province markers sunken ship must be rebuilt before
◗ Five province boards venturing forth again. Succeeding
◗ 62 coins
can earn valuable goods – wood, linen,
◗ 36 reputation tokens
spice or iron – as well as gold, which
◗ 30 fortune tokens
◗ Nine structure tokens can be used to hire advisors, build
◗ 12 upgrade tokens structures on your province board and
◗ Eight treasure cards
upgrade ships – crewmates can also be
◗ Five player
reference cards attracted by leveraging your leader’s
◗ 20 damage cards reputation tokens.
◗ Nine milestone cards As in Pandemic Legacy, SeaFall
◗ 20 advisor cards
imbues permanent progression to the
◗ Six event cards
◗ Five title cards cast and setting as the result of player
◗ 10 leader cards actions, with the chance to gain ship,
◗ Eight retired personnel and province upgrades,
advisor stickers
permanent advisors and other benefits
◗ Upgrade sticker sheet
◗ Exploration at the end of each game. Another lasting
sticker sheet effect is that of enmity, which reflects
◗ Permanent enmity the aggravated hostility between islands
sticker sheet
and provinces as the result of aggressive
◗ Six locked chests
◗ Five province chests actions, and can impact factors such as
◗ Storage chest the price of goods and the difficulty
◗ Glory target marker of raiding subsequent sites in the
◗ Glory markers
same region.
Of course, we’d be remiss not to
mention the other core aspect of the
legacy genre, which is the evolving
nature of the game’s rules and
objectives. The rulebook is covered in
slots to place new rules stickers in, and
there are also plenty of additional card
packs and locked ‘chests’ (cardboard
boxes) to open throughout the span
of the campaign, changing the aim
of each match and the very way the
game is played. We’re not going to spoil
anything here – all we’ll say is that this
factor of SeaFall doesn’t disappoint.
Yes, you do still get to tear up cards
and, yes, doing so is still as brutal and
shocking as ever.
You might notice we’ve come this
far but haven’t actually mentioned how
you win a game of SeaFall. Achieving
each of the milestone cards – which
offer broad aims such as exploring
specific sites, raiding heavily fortified
areas or acquiring enough treasure –
often grants glory, which can also be
accrued by discovering new regions,
raiding, upgrading your ship and so on.
Glory is the key MacGuffin in SeaFall,
as each match ends when a set amount
has been reached and the total rises by
71
IF YOU LIKE PANDEMIC
LEGACY… TRY SEAFALL
Rob Daviau’s groundbreaking
legacy concepts have never been
more pronounced than in his first
completely original entry in the genre.
one in each subsequent game, from 11
to a maximum of 24. Building up the
total is a slow task until you hit one of
the milestones, which propels you along
the track and results in a new entry from
the Captain’s Booke being revealed,
along with any changes to the world and
rules it brings. Achieving milestones is
critical to advancing SeaFall’s story and
learning more about the world, which
encourages more adventurous play
and avoids the tedious point-by-point
acquisition of glory through the base
tasks of the main mechanics.
Even if you’re cannonballing straight
for the milestones, don’t expect to wrap
up a game of SeaFall in half an hour.
The entire campaign is estimated to take
around 15 games, plus the introductory
prologue, and each game is predicted to
last for two hours maximum. However,
you could end up playing up to 20
games and we found each match lasted
for closer to four hours with just three
of us, meaning you’ll need to find a
group willing to spend from 45 up to
a potential 80 hours (or even more)
sailing the seas together.
Although the languorous nature of
SeaFall is unlikely to be everyone’s salty
cup of tea, it accentuates the game’s
very best part: the enthralling and
evolving world created by a group of
friends over tens of hours. Take your
time, forget the conventional game
logic of aiming to win and simply let the
game and its incomparable atmosphere
wash over you like waves on a beach.
CONCLUSION
SeaFall requires a serious time
investment to see all the way through
and may be just too slow for many
players, but its scale, ambition and ability
to create a one-off living, breathing world
populated by your stories and creations
makes it a board game of almost
incomparable achievement.
19/01/2017 15:53
 ROB DAVIAU

AN UNCHARTED SEA
Mastermind of the legacy concept, Rob Daviau is following his lauded Pandemic spin-off with
the first wholly original title built on the revolutionary design philosophy. Here, he reveals the
challenges of going it alone and achieving lasting recognition with terminable creations
Interview by Matt Jarvis

SeaFall is your first legacy
game designed from the
ground up to include those
defining mechanics, rather than
adapting an existing framework
as with Risk and Pandemic.
How did this affect your
approach to the game?
It was a bit ambitious as it was the
largest, most complicated game that
I’d ever started and only my second
legacy game. In retrospect, probably
more than I should’ve taken on for
■ Above: SeaFall is
Daviau's first fully
original legacy title.
my first post-Hasbro life. But Risk
Legacy had some buzz and I was
eager to do something big so I dug
in. The result was a long design and
development cycle.
The benefit of all that work is that
I became a much more seasoned
designer during that time, which
was great for future products.
SeaFall is also the first legacy
game that you’ve designed
completely on your own, rather
than in collaboration with another
creator. How did your design
method differ because of this?
I had designed plenty of games at
Hasbro on my own so that wasn’t
new. And I had done Risk Legacy by
myself. But I had been surrounded
by other Hasbro designers so I
wasn’t quite alone, even when it
was a ‘solo’ design.
One thing I learned is that I
like doing my own designs but
it is always interesting to be your

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070_073_SeafallReviewAndInterview_V2 MJ.indd 72 20/01/2017 16:00

 own editor. That, perhaps, was
what I learned the most during
that time – how to tell myself ‘no’
to ideas and look at my work with
a critical eye.
SeaFall’s seafaring theme
seems in many ways perfect
for the legacy genre, as it
encourages exploration of
uncharted waters and the
discovery of new islands.
Could you briefly explain how
your initial inspiration for the
game became the final creation
– did the theme come first?
Story first, mechanics later. It’s
just how my brain works. Well,
not the whole story but the
theme and general feel for it.
Then I played around with rules
and mechanics that wanted
to encompass a wide variety
of options: exploring, raiding,
building and trading. Kept adding,
taking away, refining and working
at it until I ended up there.
Balance was an issue as raiding
always wanted to ruin the other
three options. Had to work a long
time to get those in place.
You launched Pandemic Legacy
with the subtitle ‘Season One’,
which suggested a very definite
future and direction for the
series. SeaFall does not have
the similar suggestion of a
follow-up or wider continuation
– why is this, and why did you
opt to make Pandemic part one
of ‘X’ to begin with?
[It was the] publisher’s decision to
put ‘Season One’ on the box. Turns
out it was a good idea.
There will happily be a SeaFall 2
or 3 or 4 or whatever if the market
wants it, but I didn’t want to
assume anything.
In the five years since
Risk Legacy was released,
many other designers have
implemented legacy-style
mechanics in their own games –
and Pandemic Legacy cemented
the genre’s influence in the
wider games industry.
As arguably the leading figure of
the genre, have you since been
inspired by other designers’
070_073_SeafallReviewAndInterview_V2 MJ.indd 73
“I still
wonder
what a
Cluedo
Legacy
would’ve
looked
like.” takes on your initial concepts?
Have any legacy-style games or
mechanics stood out to you for
any reason?
Funny you say that – I have yet
to see any other legacy game out
there. Yes, Pathfinder Adventure
Card Game has some hints of it
and Fabled Fruit – which I’ll play
soon – does a few things. I haven’t
seen any others, though.
Considering that the legacy
concept arose with your
■ SeaFall players name reimagining of Risk, have you
their own province, been tempted to go back and
islands and ships. apply your design philosophies
73
today to another game you've
worked on in the past?
I used Risk to test the legacy concept
as I tried Cluedo – management
said no – and they weren’t going
to let me do it without a brand to
put it with. I also had worked on
a number of Risk games so I felt
comfortable pulling its ‘levers’
with this new idea. I still wonder
what a Cluedo Legacy would’ve
looked like.
Classic board games such
as Monopoly and Cluedo are
often passed down through
generations, leading in part
to their iconism. With legacy
games having a finite lifespan,
are you concerned that part
of your own ‘legacy’ will be
lost should the games go out
of print?
Not particularly. There are very
few games released after 2000
that are in print continuously
and that will see that kind of
generational iconism. Rather than
try to achieve something that is
rare to the point of obsolete,
I tried a different approach.
You’ve already covered a
number of genres and themes
with your legacy titles. Is there
a particular theme or genre
you’d be enthusiastic to apply
the concept to in the future?
Anything that could tell a good
story, really. I’m booked full with
work for the foreseeable future –
some legacy games, some not – so
it’s hard to figure out what comes
after that.
What’s next for you?
Pandemic Legacy: Season Two
comes out [this] year. I’m also
finishing a Locke & Key game for
IDW games, my game for Calliope’s
Titan series and still working on
game one of the Chronicles series
for Artana Games.
Plus, I’m part of Restoration
Games, a board game company
that brings back great out-of-
print games.
Throw in a few more projects I
can’t talk about yet and a semester
of teaching that I’m wrapping up…
I’d say a lot is next. ■
19/01/2017 15:53
 PLAYED

ARKHAM HORROR: THE CARD GAME

This horror hybrid of the LCG and RPG genres is a beautiful nightmare
Fantasy Flight Games | £36.99 | Living card game | 1-4 players | 60-120 minutes | Age: 14+ | fantasyflightgames.com

A
rkham Horror: The Card
Game stands as a magnificent
union of the atmospheric
storytelling expertise from Fantasy
Flight’s Lovecraftian Arkham
Horror Files franchise and the
refined gameplay mechanics of its
living card games such as Android:
Netrunner and A Game of Thrones.
The co-op title returns players to
the worn shoes of Arkham Horror’s
various investigators as they once
again take on cosmic horrors
terrorising the titular town in the early
19th century. Two players can team up
using the core set, with another copy
required for three or four companions.
Players progress through series
of scenarios defined by sets of act
and agenda cards. The act deck
essentially defines the current
objective for the investigators,
while the agenda deck represents
the encroaching forces of evil
seeping into Arkham. As each goal
is reached, act cards are flipped and
read to advance the story, with the
ultimate aim to make it through
the act deck before too many doom
counters amass on the opposing
agenda card, which is subsequently
revealed and can lead to a failure of
the mission. The relentless addition
of doom counters at the beginning of
BOX CONTENTS each turn during the Mythos phase
◗ 239 cards (119 player, – often accelerated by the drawing
110 scenario, five of encounter cards and enemies –
investigator, five mini)
◗ 149 tokens (30 provides strong thematic tension
resource, 44 chaos, in line with the Arkham Horror and
18 horror, 27 damage, Eldritch Horror board games.
30 clue/doom) Three scenarios, comprising the
◗ Campaign guide
◗ Learn to play book Night of the Zealot campaign, are
◗ Rules reference guide included in the core Arkham Horror:
TCG set, which will take you around
five or six hours to finish. It begins
with a prologue-style chapter to ease
newcomers into the game’s basics,
and quickly picks up the pace with
a time-sensitive race in the second
chapter. Decisions made during and
at the end of each scenario – as well

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074_077_ArkhamHorrorReviewAndInterview_V2 MJ.indd 74 19/01/2017 15:57

 as the group’s performance during
the missions – impact the branching
narrative, leading to locations being
removed from the game entirely
and tougher enemies or new allies
appearing. The writing throughout
the game – spanning the rulebook,
campaign guide and flavour text on
the cards – is consistently strong,
conjuring up a thick layer of horror
atmosphere as the story drives onto
its conclusion.
The thematic richness is helped
by the stunning artwork on all of the
cards, which captures the brooding
and oppressive nature of the world.
As well as signature weapons and
items, each investigator’s deck
also includes a character-specific
weakness, helping to deepen their
characterisation and the complexity
of their relationship to the story.
Story comes first in the game,
which often resembles more of a
card-driven roleplaying game than
a typical LCG. Experience earned
by defeating specific monsters,
exploring locations and achieving
goals allows players to bolster their
deck with new or upgraded cards
at the end of each scenario, while
the group can also suffer sustained
mental or physical trauma caused by
their experiences, leading to a strong
sense of progression and continuity
throughout the campaign.
Turn to turn, investigators can use
their three actions to explore various
settings around Arkham, covering
many of Lovecraft’s best-known
locales. Locations are represented
by series of cards, with symbols
showing which areas are connected,
lending a sense of spatial realism
to traversing the town. The face-up
side of each location card shows a
‘locked’ description, with full details
revealed by flipping the card when
an investigator enters it – much
like the movement mechanics in
TIME Stories.
Clues – often vital to progressing
through each objective – are
uncovered by performing a skill
test at a location. The challenges,
which are also used to resolve
combat, evasion and other events,
are decided by drawing a chaos
token randomly from a ‘chaos bag’,
which modifies the player’s skill
level – boosted by using equipped
074_077_ArkhamHorrorReviewAndInterview_V2 MJ.indd 75
assets or discarding skill cards – and
measures it against the total required
in a number of attributes. The
tokens in the chaos bag are defined
by the adjustable difficulty level of
the scenario, helping to balance
the game for players frustrated by
the often unforgiving objectives.
Additional tokens randomly active
each investigator’s special ability or
adjust their skill level as a result of
other factors – such as the number
of enemies in play – introducing
dynamic difficulty to each test.
Irritatingly, a suitable bag is not
included in the set – an oversight
given its price – meaning you’ll
have to hunt one down; for one
game, our group ended up using a
Bananagrams bag that we dubbed
the ‘Banana of Chaos’.
Players can also opt to draw
extra cards, spend resource tokens
to activate abilities or equip items
or allies, move or fight enemies
they are engaged with, who deal
physical and mental damage
automatically if they are not defeated
or disengaged. Monsters vary from
cultists to grotesque horrors and
feel genuinely dangerous, making
flight over fight a valid choice in
many situations and requiring
more tactical consideration to take
down. When they finally fall, it feels
immensely satisfying and rewarding.
The multiple characters and
custom deckbuilding nature of
Arkham Horror: TCG encourages
replayability, but LCG stalwarts may
75
IF YOU LIKE
ARKHAM
HORROR…
TRY ARKHAM
HORROR: THE
CARD GAME
It may seem an
obvious suggestion,
but Arkham
Horror's living card
game spin-off is a
fantastic example
of expanding
Lovecraft's universe
by harnessing the
strength of
different mechanics.
find the deckbuilding options more
limited than some of Fantasy Flight’s
other titles – something that will
presumably be remedied by ongoing
expansions, or the purchase of an
extra set. The insert for the box isn’t
great, either, meaning you’ll have
to come up with inventive ways to
keep your custom decks and the
encounter cards as they are at the
end of each scenario. Combined
with the relatively short campaign
– though it can be repeated with
different outcomes – this makes the
core box a harder value proposition
to justify on its own, despite its
excellent gameplay.
Despite all this, ultimately,
Arkham Horror: The Card Game
is a second-to-none narrative-
■ Investigators have driven horror card game with
unique weapons,
engrossing roleplaying elements,
abilities and
weaknesses, enhancing exceptional artwork and writing,
their characterisation. and the ability to invoke the same
ominous atmosphere as its board
game predecessor. While a living
card game in name, it’s likely to be
less attractive to those used to fully
customising their decks and is better
seen as a Lovecraftian RPG in card
form. The core set isn’t perfect in
terms of contents, but if you’re
able to commit for the long run,
it looks like your loyalty will be
more than rewarded. ■
MATT JARVIS
CONCLUSION
Although it’s slightly let down by limited
deckbuilding options and a short
campaign, Arkham Horror: The Card
Game’s core set nevertheless lays the
foundation for outstanding mechanics
and a genuinely gripping storyline. If
you get hooked, you’re in for a treat –
and it’s hard to resist when the overall
concept is as good as this.
19/01/2017 15:57
 MATTHEW NEWMAN
Fantasy Flight has finally applied its living card game format to one of
the most iconic Lovecraftian board games of all time: Arkham Horror.
Designer Matthew Newman offers some clues to the new nightmares
When did you decide that Arkham
Horror would make a good LCG?
By the time I was put on the project,
the decision had already been made
to make a new co-operative living card
game using our Arkham Horror Files IP.
Other than those parameters, what form
it took was pretty much up in the air.
Nate [French] and I were given the
task of figuring out what an Arkham
LCG would look like, and designing
it from the ground up. This was
pretty much a dream project for me,
because I love co-operative games, I
love LCGs and I love the Arkham IP.
Working with Nate is great, too; we get
along well and I think we both really
complement each other’s styles well.
We pretty quickly came up with
the tagline ‘plays like an LCG, feels
like an RPG,’ and that influenced a lot
of the design choices we made early
on – controlling a single investigator,
deckbuilding and the concept of
074_077_ArkhamHorrorReviewAndInterview_V2 MJ.indd 76
FRESH HORROR
Interview by Matt Jarvis
■ Above: Arkham having your investigator ‘level up,’ the
Horror: The Card Game campaign, locations forming a map
features more of a and so on. From there, we were given
narrative focus than its the green light to go ahead and start
tabletop predecessor. designing the actual cards, and it all
pretty much fell into place after that.
Why did you decide to maintain
the Arkham Horror name, rather
than creating a spin-off franchise
that remained in the Arkham
Horror Files universe, as with
Eldritch Horror, Mansions of
Madness and Elder Sign?
All of these games take place within our
broader Arkham Horror Files IP, which
the LCG was to be a part of, as well.
As with most of our LCGs, the plan
was to append ‘The Card Game’ to the
title. Since the game resonated so well
with fans of the Arkham Horror board
game, it made the most sense to name it
Arkham Horror: The Card Game rather
than creating a new title.
76
Plus, the game’s roots are in Arkham,
and we want Arkham to be a primary
focus of the game – the city really is a
character in and of itself.
How did translate Arkham Horror’s
gameplay to an LCG format?
The biggest difference between Arkham
Horror and Arkham: TCG is the story
and the scope. In Arkham Horror, the
fundamental structure of the game is
that you are exploring the city, finding
and sealing gates to other worlds, while
trying to prevent the Ancient One from
awakening. Arkham: TCG, on the other
hand, is scenario-driven, meaning the
structure of the gameplay and your
objective is largely determined by what
scenario you’re playing. Because the
game has a built-in campaign, each
scenario has a smaller scope. The idea is
that a whole campaign of Arkham: TCG
has around the same scope as one full
game of Arkham Horror.
20/01/2017 16:01
 For those reasons, there were
definitely some sacrifices that needed to
be made. The smaller scope demanded
that Ancient Ones be pretty rare. You’re
not going to be up against Ancient
Ones every time you play Arkham:
TCG, because the appearance of one is
basically the climax of any story set in
Arkham. Gates are also a huge aspect of
both Arkham Horror and Eldritch Horror
that don’t appear as a basic gameplay
element in Arkham: TCG, due to each
scenario’s smaller size and scope.
Lastly, for most scenarios, it doesn’t
make sense to allow investigators to
run to the store to purchase equipment.
So, the traditional Arkham currency of
actually using money to buy cards was
replaced with a more generic resource
system that could apply to any scenario.
Arkham Horror is known for its
tough difficulty, but Arkham Horror:
TCG doesn’t feature a ‘lose’ state,
per say. Could you explain how the
concepts of ‘winning’ and ‘losing’
feature in the game?
The idea is that the campaign as a
whole can be ‘won’ or ‘lost,’ and it is
the investigator’s performance and
decisions in each individual scenario
that impact that final resolution.
Since the narrative is a strong
selling point for the game, we wanted
players to experience the story
regardless of how well they were doing.
We were also excited by the possibility
of the story changing – sometimes
drastically – depending on success
or failure in previous scenarios. This
allows for more replayability as well –
if you do poorly the first time through,
but do well the second time, your
narrative experience will shift to
reflect how well you are doing.
This will be even more evident in
full-length campaigns, which are
eight scenarios long.
Additionally, we like the idea that,
in Arkham, ‘true’ victory – where good
triumphs unquestionably over evil – is
rare. That’s not to say that you will
always lose, rather, that we try to present
players with more than just binary win/
loss states. You might have multiple
routes to victory, all of which have
different sacrifices that must be made.
Or perhaps you’ll be instructed to do
as well as you possibly can under the
circumstances, with the knowledge that
100% victory will be near impossible.
074_077_ArkhamHorrorReviewAndInterview_V2 MJ.indd 77
Would you say that the game is
designed for Arkham Horror fans,
LCG fans or newcomers to both?
Honestly, we strove to make Arkham:
TCG appeal to many different groups
of players. For fans of the board game,
they’ll be able to get the feeling of
exploring Arkham with their favourite
■ The core set features
investigators in a game with a shorter
a mini-campaign.
play time and smaller footprint.
Because deckbuilding in Arkham:
TCG occurs more gradually over
multiple games, it also serves as a
great introduction to deckbuilding for
players who are new to LCGs.
That said, the game also has a lot
to offer for experienced LCG players.
Advanced deckbuilding is a reward for
■ Each scenario has earning victory points, which adds an
multiple outcomes. exciting wrinkle to each scenario. Slots,
classes, and smaller deck size all mean
that each and every card you choose to
include – or not – in your deck makes
a huge impact. Finally, LCG players
tend to enjoy games with deep tactical
decision-making, and Arkham: TCG has
this in spades. You have a lot of freedom
to do whatever you want to do during
■ Characters level up each turn, and each of these choices
in-between missions. makes a huge impact on the game.
Arkham Horror: TCG can be played
with between one and four players.
How did you ensure the balance
remained fair with any combination
of players and decks?
The ‘per investigator’ symbol does a lot
of the heavy lifting for game balance.
■ Ancient Ones are rarer Generally this appears on clue values,
than in the board game. but also on the health for some boss
enemies. It basically means that the
game automatically scales to the number
of players, and it works surprisingly well.
It does mean that the game will take
longer with more players, but turns are
relatively short, downtime is low and we
made sure players were always invested
in what was going on at all times.
“We like A lot of scenarios also have multiple
routes to victory. For example,
the idea oftentimes there is a way to avoid
fighting, if you’re playing an investigator
that, in who is poor at combat. Likewise, there
is usually a path through which you can
Arkham, punch your way to victory. This means
that any combination of investigators
'true' can theoretically win the campaign.
victory You previously worked on the
Lord of the Rings LCG. How does
is rare.” that game compare with Arkham
77
Horror: TCG in terms of gameplay
and design?
The two really are different games in a
lot of ways. There are definitely some
borrowed concepts, such as the way
encounter decks are built using various
encounter sets, the way encounter cards
are revealed and a couple of keywords.
But the two games feel quite different to
play, for a number of reasons.
Lord of the Rings was designed to play
like a card game between you and an
intelligent opponent – Sauron – whereas
Arkham is designed to feel like a blend
between an RPG and a card game. Lord
of the Rings allows for scenarios with a
huge scope and lots of variety – classic
dungeon delves, journeys across huge
swaths of land, massive battles, even
voyages across the ocean.
By comparison, Arkham has a more
narrow scope and, as a result, it lets you
step into the shoes of your character
and tell very focused stories. Arkham,
appropriately, gets inside your head. Lord
of the Rings is an epic journey. Both are
fantastic games and fill their own niche.
What were the key things you learnt
during your time on Lord of the Rings
that you brought to Arkham Horror?
The way we balance the game for the
number of players was something we
definitely learned from our experience
with Lord of the Rings, and the act and
agenda decks are sort of an evolution on
the quest deck from Lord of the Rings.
But largely, the differences between
the two IPs and their genres are what
influenced a lot of Arkham: TCG’s
design. For example, locations not being
a part of the encounter deck and being
placed like a map – this choice was
made primarily to reinforce Arkham’s
RPG feel and its horror theme.
What are your plans for Arkham
Horror: TCG and its place within the
Arkham Horror Files universe?
The first deluxe expansion, The Dunwich
Legacy, kicks off the first full eight-
scenario campaign. The two scenarios
in The Dunwich Legacy are a lot of fun,
and there’s also five new investigators
in that expansion, so there’s a lot of
content in the box.
Designing this game has been an
absolute blast, and the community is
growing larger every day. If Arkham:
TCG is a full meal, the core set is just the
appetiser. There’s a lot more to come. ■
19/01/2017 15:57
 PLAYED
SCYTHE
Jamey Stegmaier’s sweeping strategy title set in a 1920s filled
with robots is the perfect combination of style and substance
Stonemaier Games | £59.99 | Strategy | 1-5 players
115 minutes | Age: 14+ | stonemaiergames.com
W
hen you first lift off the
lid of Scythe, it can be a
simultaneously exciting
and daunting experience. There
are hundreds of different tokens
and cards, multiple rulebooks,
and game boards that will fill
most reasonably-sized dining
room tables. (The main map can
actually be extended further using
a separate extension piece attached
to its reverse.) You might look at the
side of the box, re-read its promised
playtime of under two hours and
simply question: ‘How?’
It’s in Scythe’s ability to weave
together highly complex strategy
mechanics with a world of beautiful
inspiration – without resulting in a
board game that feels bogged down,
overladen and drawn-out – that
Jamey Stegmaier’s perfected design
shines. Make no mistake, this isn’t
just one of the best tabletop releases
in years; it may very well be one of
the greatest games ever made.
078_079_ScytheReview_V2 MJ.indd 78
Players control factions in
a fictionalised 1920s Eastern
Europe, all competing to control
the land around a mysterious
building known only as the
Factory. Each group’s leader
consists of a human paired
with an animal, be it a wolf,
bear, eagle or muskox. (As a rare
occurrence in the world of games,
there are actually more female
characters than male, all presented
with panache and dignity.) The
miniatures are sculpted effectively
– if not exquisitely, a minor
misgiving considering the sheer
mass of components included –
complementing the accompanying
faction mats illustrated with the
absolutely beautiful artwork of
Jakub Rozalski, whose series of alt-
history prints served as the initial
inspiration for the game.
Each player’s faction mat is
paired with a randomly selected
player mat (they vary very slightly
78
in layout) that serves as the pistons
driving the engine. The mat consists
of four sections split into top- and
bottom-row actions, which are
executed in order during a turn –
for example, producing resources
followed by deploying a mech.
Only the actions in one section
can be performed in a single turn,
and (with the exception of one
faction’s special ability) players
must move their action token to a
different section next time around,
encouraging a healthy diversity of
moves throughout the game.
This variety is matched in the
objectives required to earn stars –
earn six and the game ends, with
the most coins (earned by collecting
stars, among other actions) winning.
Players nab stars for completing
upgrades, deploying all of their
mechs, buildings, workers and
recruits, hitting milestones in the
power and popularity tracks and
completing specific objects selected
at the beginning of the game. As
a nice touch, winning in combat
only earns a maximum of two stars
(potentially more for one of the
factions), meaning that out-and-out
aggression is often not as prosperous
as more tactical approaches.
When players do enter into
combat with another mech or
character – moving onto a hex with
worker meeples simply makes
them flee, at the cost of your
popularity – battles are quick but
highly strategic. Players secretly
expend up to seven power using
a dial and choose whether to boost
the total with one of their combat
cards – the highest number wins. The
simultaneous reveal is an ingenious
way of making battles tense while
relying on strategy (how much
power to spend versus the available
power of your opponent) rather than
luck, with the value of power and
popularity in earning both stars and
game-winning coins making peace
often preferable to conflict.
Your character can also choose
to engage with encounters dotted
around the map, which offer
■ Above: Scythe's multiple-choice events akin to a light
already sizeable game RPG, complete with well-written
board can be flipped
flavor text and more of Rozalski’s
and expanded with
the separate extension striking imagery. These lead to the
piece, shown here. potential acquisition or loss of various
19/01/2017 15:58

resources but, more importantly,
round out Scythe’s in-game universe
and offer a more micro-level human
edge to the otherwise zoomed-out
strategy of the rest of the game.
Meanwhile, reaching the Factory
in the centre of the board offers the
choice of a fifth section to your player
mat and new abilities – although
there are enough cards for all players,
it’s first come first served, making an
early dash advantageous.
Producing resources is key to
progressing in the game, with
worker meeples (and the mill, when
built) producing one of four key
goods – wood, metal, oil and food –
dependent on the hex they control.
The goods are used to purchase
upgrades, which improve the
future production of goods and the
beneficial side effects of particular
actions; mechs and buildings, which
offer their own unique boons as
more are built (you must build at
least one mech for your character
to be able to cross the rivers that
isolate you at the beginning of
the game); and to enlist recruits,
which offer small rewards when the
players located either side of you
perform specific actions. Purchasing
upgrades and the like also rewards
a player with coins, which primarily
serve as a form of victory point
rather than an economy.
The player mats are cleverly
designed, revealing the permanent
benefits offered by each structure,
mech, recruit or upgrade as their
tokens are moved onto the main
game board or faction mat. While
there are many aspects of the game
and its various facets to grasp,
the components themselves go a
long way to easing even Eurogame
newcomers into the smooth flow
BOX CONTENTS of the game’s strategy – one of our
◗ Game board group expressed concern over the
◗ Five character title's depth during setup, but
miniatures by the end of the first match had
◗ 20 mech miniatures
clicked with the core mechanics
◗ Five faction mats
◗ Five player mats and overtaken several more
◗ 40 worker meeples experienced players.
◗ Five popularity tokens It takes a little time to set up
◗ Five power tokens (though it’s still relatively quick
◗ 20 structure tokens
compared to many of its heavy
◗ 20 recruit tokens strategy peers) but once Scythe is
◗ 30 tech cubes rolling, it doesn’t slow until a player
◗ 23 objective cards
hits six stars – when it immediately
◗ 28 encounter cards
◗ 42 combat cards stops. The momentum is helped
◗ 12 Factory cards by a lack of defined rounds and
◗ 80 coin tokens the division of top- and bottom-
◗ 80 wooden resource row actions into those that may
tokens (food, metal, affect other players and those that
oil, wood) only affect the current player – this
◗ Eight resource
means that the following player can
multiplier tokens
◗ Five action tokens
essentially start their turn while the
◗ 30 star tokens previous player performs the second
◗ 11 encounter tokens half of their actions, eliminating a
◗ Six structure lot of downtime and propelling the
bonus tiles match along. The sudden end stops
◗ Two power dials the game trundling off into tedium,
◗ 23 Automa cards while the fact that earning six stars
◗ Five riverwalk cards
doesn’t necessarily instantly win
◗ Two rulebooks
(regular and Automa) you the game maintains some
tension and excitement right until
◗ Quick-reference guide
the final coin has been counted
◗ Five quick-start cards
◗ Achievement sheet – as well as opening the game’s
numerous elements up for players
to tackle with their own equally
successful approaches.
Scythe is a rare creation, striking
the perfect balance between depth
and accessibility, style and substance,
and fun and challenge. It’s a
remarkable piece of work that requires
relatively little investment of time or
effort to get a lot out of, and serves as
an example of how to distil the very
best that tabletop gaming has to offer
into a package that almost anyone
can understand and enjoy. ■
MATT JARVIS
CONCLUSION
A triumph of the tabletop medium,
Scythe is at once deep without being
labourious, stylish and fun without
being vacuous, and complex without
being inaccessible. Jakub Rozalski’s
world is confidently built with heaps of
atmosphere, while Jamey Stegmaier’s
watertight design is polished to the
sheen of a mech’s cockpit. It’s not only
one of the best games of the last few
years – it’s one of the finest tabletop
creations in decades.
IF YOU LIKE SID MEIER’S
CIVILIZATION: THE BOARD
GAME… TRY SCYTHE
Scythe takes the sweeping
strategy and multiple paths to
victory of games such as Civilization
and reduces them to a tight,
two-hour experience.

79

078_079_ScytheReview_V2 MJ.indd 79 19/01/2017 15:58

 PSC Games are proud to
bring you a re-mastered and
upgraded version of Richard
Borg’s much loved old TSR
classic, The Battle of Britain.
CONTACT
01273 492730
info@theplasticsoldiercompany.co.uk
www.pscgames.co.uk
www.theplasticsoldiercompany.co.uk
p080.indd 1
Join us as we help keep
the barbarians at bay!
Our stops include:
• Warlord Games • Mantic Games
• Wargames Illustrated • Battlefront
Miniatures
• Mierce Miniatures • Perry Miniatures
• Warhammer World
Geek Nation Tours is off to explore
Hadrian’s Wall, the Duxford Air
Show and of course Wargaming!!!
geeknationtours.com
17/01/2017 15:15

Is Mike Elliott’s art-based card game a brush with greatness?
Asmodee/Space Buddies | £13.99 | Hand management, bluffing | 2-4 players | 15 minutes | Age: 8+ | asmodee.us
I
n 1832, at the Royal Academy,
celebrated landscape artist John
Constable was meticulously
applying the final strokes to The
Opening Of Waterloo Bridge, a painting
he'd spent 15 years working on. Then
into the gallery walked his greatest
rival, one J.M.W. Turner, whose
unfinished seascape Helvoetsluys was
hanging nearby. Turner considered
his painting for a few moments, then
roughly dabbed a bright, red splotch
on it. At first glance it looked like an act
of vandalism. But no: he'd just added
a buoy. Job done, Turner strutted out
again. It was the landscape painter's
equivalent of a mic drop.
One-time Magic man Mike Elliott's
Final Touch is the closest you'll ever
come to recreating that infamous
art-history moment in the form of a
light card game. Even if the concept
actually casts the two to four players
081_FinalTouchReview_V3 MJ.indd 81
FINAL TOUCH
as art forgers, working in a studio
alongside each other to recreate
famous works. Well, supposedly
working together. Each forger seeks
to claim credit for each painting,
by cunningly applying the final
touch and earning the full fee for
themselves, or otherwise viciously
smearing the work so that their rivals
are forced to flog it for half price. The
first to earn $25 is the winner.
It makes for a fast-paced but
absorbing experience. A deck of 25
'masterpiece' cards is placed face-up
in the centre of the table, with the
topmost card drawn. Each of these
cards depicts a pair of cartoonish
artists (yes, they wear berets) battling
it out in front of a canvas that presents
a colour-combination set. Then – and
this is a lovely design touch – on the
flip is the finished fake you ‘win’
by completing the colour-set, with
81
PLAYED
an added comical embellishment. BOX CONTENTS
So, for example, if you successfully ◗ 25 masterpiece cards
◗ 60 touch of
apply the last of two blue and two colour cards
yellow dabs, you'll complete Grant ◗ Rulebook
Wood's American Gothic (with a
wiener impaled on the dour farmer's
pitchfork) and earn yourself $4.
Each player has a hand of five
'touch of colour' cards, which
they hope will correlate with
the drawn masterpiece’s
canvas combo. So each
turn you're faced with
a choice: either play
matching colours (as
many as you can or want) to
one side of the masterpiece
to improve it, aiming to make
that full-fee-earning final touch,
or 'smear' the masterpiece by
placing a single incorrect colour card
on the other side. When the third
smear is applied, the masterpiece is
ruined and your opponent(s) receive
half its value. All the while, the next
masterpiece is visible at the top of the
draw pile, so you'll always need to
think ahead; and whether you apply
the final smear or the final touch, you
receive a bonus go.
Each turn, then, presents an often
difficult, risk-assessing decision —
especially as the rules don’t allow
IF YOU LIKE
you to pass. Do you aim for the final SUSHI GO…
improvement and risk losing the full TRY FINAL
haul to another player by increasing TOUCH
The play style is
their chances, too? Do you bluff by
different, but both
smearing even if you could improve, games are quick
then going for it on the next round to learn, fun to
after others have added correct play, colourfully
designed and
colours? Do you give up dollars to
equally accessible
your opponent(s) because you know to younger or
you can win the next, higher-value more casual
masterpiece on the pile? gamers.
Okay, so it’s not the deepest of
titles, and those into heavier strategy CONCLUSION
will likely feel the novelty subside With its give-or-take,
after a few sessions. But if you bluff-encouraging
dynamic and artist
appreciate the joys of a quick card
Pandaluna’s joyful take
game that treats you to bursts of on famous paintings
tension and rewards with a fresh- (from Edvard Munch’s
feeling mechanism and vibrant, witty The Scream to Dogs
Playing Poker) Final
design, then Final Touch may just
Touch fits a ton of
tickle your palette. ■ entertainment into its
DAN JOLIN minimal play time.
19/01/2017 17:30
 PLAYED
Games Workshop’s beloved fantasy football miniatures title makes a return
with a brand new edition. We discover whether it’s a golden goal
Games Workshop | £65 | Sports wargame | 2 players | 45-120 minutes | Age: 12+ | games-workshop.com
B
lood pools in boot-stamped
wells in the mud. Orcs roar as
they charge into human ranks,
impaling those unfortunate enough
to remain stationary on their spiked
armour. Meanwhile, a group of
humans attempts to bring down one
of the bigger beasts but fail, merely
pushing him back and postponing
their suffering. Broken bodies and
the whimpering injured are dragged
from the field. It may sound like a
warzone, but this is simply a football
match. This is Blood Bowl.
Games Workshop’s sports-meets-
combat Warhammer spin-off has
been around for decades now, passing
through multiple iterations before
adopting an evolving set of rules
introduced in 2000 to supplement
082_085_bloodBowl_V2 MJ.indd 82
BLOOD BOWL (2016)
the boxed third edition of the game BOX CONTENTS (we nicknamed one such black orc
◗ 12 plastic
released way back in the mid-'90s. human miniatures
blocker Faceless) so you’ll want to
This new set drops an edition ◗ 12 plastic put at least a dab of adhesive on each
number, highlighting the evolving orc miniatures piece. Your fingers should also be
state of the game’s rules, but includes ◗ Miniature bases prepared to suffer, courtesy of the
with holes for
reworked orc and human miniatures ball possession
surprisingly prickly spikes on most
(other teams will be released via ◗ Plastic balls of the orcs’ armour and footballs
expansions), as well as the board, ◗ Team counters – both teams have custom balls
tokens, cards and everything else ◗ Double-sided which slot into the front hole in each
pitch board
you’ll need to get started for the first ◗ Two double-sided
miniature’s base when in possession
time as a newcomer. card dugouts of the ball, as well as additional
The box includes 12 plastic players ◗ Special play and star separate balls when dropped or
for each side, which you’ll need to player cards scattered onto the field.
◗ Two sets of custom
clip out of their sprues before even and standard dice
As you might expect from Games
thinking about anything else. By (blue for humans, Workshop, the miniatures are simply
and large, the majority of the three- green for orcs) brilliant. The quality of the moulding
part figures push together and will ◗ Range ruler is fabulously detailed and the poses
◗ Scatter template
hold without any glue necessary – ◗ Throw-in template
held by each player lend a fantastic
however, the bigger orcs often had ◗ Decals sheet air of energy and aggression to the
their heads fall off when left dry ◗ 56-page rulebook tabletop layout. If you’ve never
82
19/01/2017 16:07
 played Blood Bowl before, you
might initially have trouble sorting
your blitzers from your linesmen
– especially on the human side of
things, where some of the poses and
equipment are similar – but after ten
minutes or so you’ll quickly learn
which is which. The custom dice
are similarly finished with a superb
quality, and the cards are fittingly
sparse, making quickly checking
stats for dice rolls easy. In fact, the
only slight production wobble comes
from the range ruler and scatter
and throw-in templates, which are
simply – if left unpainted – boring
thin grey plastic.
The board is double-sided,
featuring a human pitch on one side
and the orc equivalent on the other,
both decorated with the usual array
of torn limbs, splatters of blood
and trapdoors; not unlike White
Hart Lane. Spaces for miniatures
are denoted by small crosses
marking the corners of each box,
which efficiently act as a grid for
movement without impacting the
luscious greens or dank browns of
the environment beneath. One thing
to watch for is that the miniatures’
expressive forms often result in
clusters of models pushing each
other out of line – so keep a track
on where your players should be to
avoid any possible debates.
Despite more closely resembling
American football, Blood Bowl plays
in the format of rugby or English
football: two halves, each consisting
082_085_bloodBowl_V2 MJ.indd 83
of eight turns per player. Players
move their models in accordance
with their movement speed or
execute an array of moves, from
passing the ball (by lobbing it along
the field) to blocking opposing
players on the pitch – one character
a turn can move and then also block,
in a key move known as a blitz.
Blocking is key to the game,
as it serves as a way to knock the
ball from players’ hands, but
also a method of knocking rivals
unconscious, temporarily removing
them from play or – in the case of a
particularly lucky roll – permanently
killing them. Each player first rolls a
number of custom dice (dependent
on the strength difference between
the players) which denote whether
they have successfully pushed
back or attacked the player – or, in
some cases, knocked themselves
unconscious or scored a double KO.
If passed, the next roll is with 2D6 to
try and overcome the rival’s armour
rating. If that, too, is successful, the
final 2D6 roll is to determine a fate
– from a momentary stunning and
the accompanying missed turn to an
injury that removes them until half
time or a total fatality. If a player on
the other team is simply knocked
down to the floor, another player
on the other team can risk a foul to
damage them – but doubles means
being caught by the ref and being
sent off the pitch.
With Blood Bowl essentially
being a sports wargame, there’s a
83
lot of dice rolling involved in the
proceedings, but it never feels
tiresome thanks to the chaotic
nature of players continually slipping
over (in blood, we presume) or
accidentally knocking themselves
out by headbutting an enemy player.
Failing a dice roll on your turn
instantly ends your actions, meaning
that tactically choosing which
players to move and in what order to
IF YOU LIKE
perform blocks and passes is vital – it GUILD BALL…
also halts the frustrating experience TRY
of rolling nothing but failures before BLOOD BOWL
If you enjoy
it has a chance to happen.
Steamforged’s
That said, expect to suffer plenty confident homage
of casualties – players must even to the fantasy
roll to move out of squares within football classic,
give the original
an enemy tackle zone, and can risk
a spin.
falling over and injuring themselves,
which in one of our games led to ■ Opposite: Matches
a (presumably) broken neck and take place over
untimely demise of a particularly two halves of eight
unlucky human catcher. It’s not rounds – with lots of
casualties throughout.
just the players; the crowd is almost
as aggressive as locals watching a
Sunderland game, and will instantly
injure (or kill) any player knocked
out of bounds.
It’s a heck of a lot of fun and the
semi-luck-driven nature leads to
plenty of genuinely gasp-inducing
moments – such as a successful Hail
Mary in the final turn of the game
or the unlikely dodging of a spritely
human runner between ranks of
orcs towards the touchline.
The core game is absolutely
gripping to play, despite its often
lengthy playtime. (Prepare to spend
at least two hours on a match – up
to four or more if opening the box
for the first time.) Like football itself,
it’s also a fantastic spectator game,
inspiring audiences to root for each
team as their fortunes swing.
The rulebook, written with a
confident level of humour from CONCLUSION
the in-universe commentators, Blood Bowl’s 2016
features a number of optional rules edition is an ideal
introduction to the
and more advanced guidelines for
vicious and hilarious
participating in league play, including fantasy sport, featuring
weather, special kick-off events all of the gorgeous
(such as the ability to bribe the ref), miniatures, quality
components and
procedures for building custom
customisable rules –
teams (including unique players) and from beginner basics
fan support, which provide buckets of to more complicated
expandability for those hooked on the league and optional
guidelines – you would
meat of the gameplay. Once you get a
want in an updated
taste, you’re sure to be hooked, too. ■ release, and more. A
MATT JARVIS complete hat-trick.
19/01/2017 16:10
 JAMES HEWITT
Games Workshop designer James Hewitt, part of the team behind Blood Bowl’s triumphant
return, discusses reimagining a classic and balancing luck with creating moments to remember
What’s new for this year’s Blood
Bowl compared to previous
versions of the game?
The most obvious thing that’s changed
is the presentation. Blood Bowl hasn’t
had a new boxed game edition since
the mid-'90s, and while the board,
miniatures and components were
amazing for their time, we’ve come
a long way in the last 20 years! So
although the contents are very similar,
the quality of what you’re getting has
greatly increased. The plastic teams
are more detailed and more varied,
the rulebook looks beautiful, the board
looks more realistic – our terrain team
actually built and painted a pair of
detailed 3D pitches, which were then
photographed and tweaked digitally to
produce the finished pitch.
Under the hood, though, the rules
really haven’t changed that much from
the Competition Rules Pack, which is
the ruleset that’s been in use around
the world for some time now. However,
one thing I’ve realised since the new
082_085_bloodBowl_V2 MJ.indd 84
THERE WILL BE BLOOD
Interview by Matt Jarvis
■ Above: Although it edition was released is that the Living
hasn't had a new boxed Rulebook passed a lot of players by
set in some time, Blood entirely – I keep getting told, “Well
Bowl's rules have been done on changing X, that’s way better!”
continually updated for when, in reality, the change was made
more than a decade. several (digital) editions ago. I always
make a point of setting people straight!
The biggest changes to the rules are
actually to how leagues work, which
isn’t in the boxed game but can be
found in the Death Zone expansion.
Overall, things are much the same –
you play games against other teams,
you score points and your players
level up or suffer injuries, and it all
ends with the playoffs until one team
takes home the trophy. What we’ve
done is drawn on our own real-life
experience Blood Bowl leagues – I’ve
been playing the game since my early
teens, and I’ve run my share of league
play – to tackle some of the common
issues that come up. For example,
we’ve added rules explaining what
happens between seasons – the
players all go off to host Cabalvision
84
talk shows or do promotional tours
for their latest autobiography, so
when the new season rolls around the
coach has to re-hire them all... well,
the ones who are worth re-hiring, at
least! This downtime breaks a league
up into manageable chunks that
reflect the way people tend to play
games like this, especially at gaming
clubs or stores; you play the league for
several weeks, then players tend to get
distracted by new, shiny things and
gradually drop out. Knowing that a
season is only going to last for a finite
time is a good way to keep people
keen, but the start of a new season also
provides a great jumping-on point for
new players, so they’re not disrupting
fixture lists or taking on high-level
teams with a squad of wet-behind-the-
ears rookies.
Could you explain the decision
to split the league rules between
the boxed game and the Death
Zone expansion?
When we were designing the game we
wanted the boxed set to be fully self-
contained, so that it was more suitable
for casual gamers – the sort of people
who’d want to take Blood Bowl off the
shelf once in a while, play a game,
then put it away again. We didn’t want
those people thinking they’d bought
something incomplete, which is why
we only included rules for playing
that standard one-off match between
humans and orcs.
Of course, the truth is that Blood
Bowl is at its best when played as an
ongoing league, using all the rules for
players getting injured and gaining
new skills, which is why we put all
of those rules into Death Zone and
released it at the same time as the box.
That way, players can choose how
they’re going to play; if they want to dip
a toe in, they can just grab the box, but
if they want the full experience they
can get Death Zone as well.
How are the Living Rulebook and
Competition Rules Pack related to
the rules in the new set?
19/01/2017 16:15
 For those who aren’t in the know,
the Living Rulebook project was
set up to constantly review and
update the Blood Bowl rules. Under
the watchful eye of the Blood Bowl
Rules Committee, a team of tireless
volunteers, the game was pruned
and shaped like a sportsy bonsai
tree, inconsistencies and imbalances
carefully snipped away over the course
of several years and five editions.
The Competition Rules Pack was the
culmination of this, and has been used
on the Blood Bowl tournament circuit
“Most
ever since.
When we were tasked with
games
relaunching Blood Bowl, it really
was a no-brainer to just use the CRP
have at
rules – which made my job as designer
remarkably straightforward, it’s got to
least one
be said. Blood Bowl is one of the most
extensively-tested games we’ve ever
stand-out
produced, and we’d have been mad
to scrap it all and start from scratch!
moment
We made a few tweaks to how leagues
work, but in general we’ve just used
you’ll be
the most popular iteration of the rules.
Standing on the shoulders of giants,
talking
you know? about
One of the common criticisms
aimed at Blood Bowl is its reliance
long after
on luck, due to the rolling of dice
for blocks, injuries, passing and so
you’ve
on. Has this been adjusted at all
since the last edition of the game?
packed
It’s interesting, because I think a
player’s perception of luck in Blood
away.”
Bowl very much depends on where
they’re coming from.
Although it’s very much a board
game, we’re a tabletop wargaming
company and the game’s roots are very
much in that world. When you’re a
veteran Warhammer player, you don’t
think twice about the number of dice
rolled, and you take the inevitable runs
of horrific luck in your stride!
On the other hand,
for people who are
board gamers first
and foremost, it
can indeed seem
like there’s an awful
lot of rolling going on. However, I
honestly believe that this is one of
the game’s strengths. For starters,
while chance is a major factor,
it’s incredibly rare that it
determines the outcome
of a game. If you go into
082_085_bloodBowl_V2 MJ.indd 85
the game knowing that you have to
take the dice into account, measure the
odds and plan accordingly, you start
building up some strong strategies. The
turnover mechanic – which ends your
turn if you fail a dice roll – is maligned
by many, but it’s essential to the
pacing and excitement of the game.
When nothing’s certain, and every roll
could spell disaster, both players are
constantly on the edge of their seats.
I love watching new players figure
out the broad strokes of Blood Bowl
strategy; within their first few games
they start realising how easy it can
be to maximise your odds, and how
important it is to make your safe-bet
actions early in your turn and save
your risky ones until later.
So, in short: no. We haven’t adjusted
this because it’s so integral to the
spirit of Blood Bowl. Ask any real-
world sports fan about their favourite
sporting moments, and chances are
you’ll get tales of players achieving
something against all the odds, or
utterly fluffing something incredibly
easy. I think the same is true of Blood
Bowl. Win or lose, most games have
at least one stand-out moment that
you’ll be talking about long after you’ve
packed away your teams, and that
really is something special.
Since Blood Bowl's last boxed
edition, a number of other fantasy
sports games have emerged,
most notably Guild Ball. Are you
concerned that Blood Bowl’s
audience may have transitioned to
one of the newcomers?
Blood Bowl really is the starting point
for tabletop fantasy sports games –
when Jervis [Johnson] came up
with it, back in the ‘80s, there
really was nothing else like it
on the market. Sure enough,
when you look at a lot of the
other fantasy sports games out
there, you can see from their design,
their mechanics or just their look
that they’ve got some Blood Bowl
DNA in them! Of course, there
are a notable few that take a
more unique approach.
We’re not concerned,
though. For starters – and
I’m speaking as a die-hard
board game fan myself – as
long as two games offer
different experiences,
85
there will be room in a collection for
both of them. Secondly, Blood Bowl’s
big advantage is the nostalgia factor; a
lot of gamers grew up with this game,
and we’ve kept it familiar enough that
they’ll be able to pick it back up with
no problems.
In short, I think that anyone who’s
transitioned to another game will
probably come back to Blood Bowl of
their own volition, and probably carry
on playing the other game as well.
That’s the nature of this hobby, isn’t it?
I have so much respect for anyone who
can stick to one game for a significant
length of time.
You recently released new referee
figures for the game, complete
with their own rulesets. What
effect does playing with a referee
have on the game?
Generally, when you play Blood Bowl,
the referee is an invisible presence.
When a player fouls, or uses a secret
weapon, they might get sent off – but
that’s about it. As such, we imagine a
lot of players will just be buying these
miniatures to add to their collection,
or using them as a turn marker or
score marker.
However, we couldn’t resist adding
some optional rules for those who
want to use them. In short, each time
a team gets away with a foul, the ref
starts watching them more closely.
The closer they’re watching you, the
more likely it is you’ll suffer harsh
consequences for getting caught
fouling! The actual consequences
depend on which ref you’re using;
the halfling docks the team a re-roll,
but the goblin goes as far as to injure
the fouling player! So yeah, they make
up for their short stature by being
incredibly mean.
What plans do you have for Blood
Bowl league play in the UK?
In February, we’re launching
Blitzmania – a worldwide league where
players can register results online
and see their position on a global
leaderboard. We also made organised
play packs available to stockists, giving
them what they need to run an in-store
league using a simplified version of the
rules found in Death Zone. From what
I can tell it’s proved popular, so maybe
we’ll do something similar in the future
– that’s out of my hands, though! ■
19/01/2017 16:15
 PLAYED
The legendary barbarian returns to the tabletop in this Kickstarted adaptation
Monolith | £92.99 | Asymmetrical co-op | 2-5 players | 90 minutes | Age: 14+ | monolithedition.com
I
n today’s world, it’s often hard
to think of Conan the Barbarian
without returning to the iconic
image of an abs-laden Arnold
Schwarzenegger tearing his way
through ranks of baddies in the
1980s movie adaptations. Often
sidelined are Conan’s origins in
Robert E. Howard’s pulpy short
stories half a century before, which
served as a major influence on the
fantasy genre that ultimately gave
rise to tabletop classics such as
Dungeons & Dragons.
Monolith’s self-titled Conan
returns to the fount of Howard’s
original tales, offering a scenario-
driven asymmetrical co-op
adventure game that pits one player,
as the overlord controlling the forces
of evil, against the eponymous
warrior and his band of heroes.
086_087_conanReview_V2 MJ.indd 86
CONAN
The weighty box comes packed
with dozens of miniatures, including
an especially striking giant snake,
modelled with the degree of
precision expected from a game
approaching a three-figure price
tag. These occupy two double-
sided map boards depicting fantasy
environments, such as a village and
pirate ship, which are artistically
impressive – although the rich
illustration does occasionally make
it tough to pick out specific features.
(Our party embarrassingly spent
much of our first adventure
confusing the doors and
windows of huts.)
Driving the antagonistic
overlord’s control of hyenas,
hunters, snakes, warriors and
more is a plastic console referred
to as the Book of Skelos. At the
86
BOX CONTENTS outset of each campaign, the overlord
◗ 74 plastic miniatures prepares the sheet with the stats
◗ 39 asset cards
◗ 16 spell cards
cards of the forces available to them,
◗ 45 tiles which sit in a ‘river’ channel. At the
◗ 148 tokens end of the heroes’ turn, the overlord
◗ Four hero sheets can spend gems to activate up to two
◗ Four game aids sheets
◗ Track sheet
groups of units, moving and attacking
◗ Heroes’ Book with them. This slides each card
◗ Overlord’s Book representing that group to the right-
◗ Two game boards hand side of the river, with cards
◗ Nine dice
◗ 75 plastic gems
ramping up in cost from left to right
◗ 25 plastic bases – making it frugal to activate units
◗ Plastic dashboard that have not been used recently.
This smart mechanic reduces the
dull repetition of reusing the
same troops (a giant snake, for
instance) to attack over and over
again, as well as encouraging
smart use of every unit on the map
to pester the heroes rather than
simply sending the same enemies
at them non-stop.
19/01/2017 16:20
 “Despite the strength of its gameplay, where
Conan falls apart is in its world.”
The heroes utilise a similar,
but slightly different, gem-driven
system to perform their own
actions, assigning gems to a variety
of abilities (attacking, movement,
guarding, manipulation such as
lockpicking and so on) each turn in
an attempt to achieve the objective
of each scenario, which is often
defeating specific enemies or
rescuing a hostage.
Unlike the overlord, heroes can
perform as many actions as they
want, adding extra gems to receive
additional dice when performing
dice checks for combat, or assigning
gems to the reroll space to try and
improve their results. Spending all
of your gems becomes a risk-reward
experience, as failing to leave
enough gems to block against enemy
attacks with during the overlord
phase can be fatal.
Heroes recover a small number
of gems each turn, but can also
choose to adopt a cautious stance at
the beginning of their turn – which
recovers more gems but restricts
actions to movement and guarding
only. The tactical distribution of
gems makes every action more of
a strategic decision (‘Can I afford
to reroll this die?’) as well as
effectively reflecting the fatigue of
performing such heroic actions.
Gems are transferred to a wound
zone on each player’s mat when
injured, which also nicely captures
the idea of being able to do less
after your arms have been slashed
by a sword. (Lose all of your gems
and you die, obviously.)
The core engine drives along
incredibly smoothly, as players
on both sides quickly become
accustomed to the efficient use of
gems as they clash swords in battle,
cast spells and perform more
outlandish and amusing abilities
– throwing and catching objects
between heroes is particularly fun.
Each hero has their own unique
talents – one of Conan’s is the ability
to smash through walls and create
a doorway, which we decided
was the only way he should
ever enter or leave buildings
086_087_conanReview_V2 MJ.indd 87
(via separate holes). Combat is
straightforward, equating to a simple
case of rolling custom dice versus an
armour rating on each enemy, with
extra dice and rerolls offered by any
equipped weapons.
Sadly, despite the strength of its
gameplay, where Conan falls apart
is in its world. Very little world-
building is offered by the character
sheets, cards and scenarios included,
meaning that those not already well-
versed in Howard’s works may find
the once seminal fantasy creations
feel rather generic more than 80
years on. This is particularly evident
in the scenarios, which recreate the
incongruous feel of Howard’s short
stories but feel worse-off for doing
so. Outside of a single two-part
mission (which offers no connection
between its two halves) there is
nothing to serve as a link between
scenarios, in terms of either narrative
or mechanics. Characters can obtain
items from chests throughout an
87
adventure, but there is no sense of
permanence offered by leveling up
or deeper RPG elements – making
an evening’s worth of back-to-
back adventures feel surprisingly
IF YOU LIKE
unproductive and an ongoing
TEMPLE OF
campaign difficult to pull together. ELEMENTAL
The other glaring weakness of EVIL…
sticking faithfully to Howard’s source TRY CONAN
If your group of
material is its outdated treatment of
co-op adventurers
both women and minorities. While is looking for new
there are female characters, there fantasy scenarios,
are far too few and all are treated Conan offers an
alternative to the
with the adolescent male-gaze
D&D spin-off.
depiction of tantalising nudity and
impractical clothing choices – a
heck of an ‘achievement’ in a world ■ Opposite: The
where even the male characters box comes packed
with miniatures and
cram wedge-shaped torsos into maps which can be
furry underpants and little else. used in a number of
That’s to say nothing of many of the custom scenarios.
scenarios, several of which simply
recycle the damsel in distress trope.
Just as bad are the portrayals of
many of the enemies, which draw
heavily from African, Aboriginal and
Native American stereotypes. While
this could be dismissed by some as
accurately recreating the Hyborian
Age as envisioned by Howard in
the 1930s, it nevertheless results
in potentially offensive – and, to
be honest, just yawningly generic
– elements of the world, and can
hardly be excused in the face
of the exemplary modern
treatment of Howard’s
contemporary H.P. Lovecraft
by many other designers and
publishers, which removes CONCLUSION
similarly distasteful facets Conan uses its
regarding race. gem-driven action
mechanics to
Worse of all, it tarnishes
their full potential,
a game that otherwise boasts keeping players on
gripping core mechanics and both sides of each
the potential to be so much more. scenario fully engaged
and providing the
Conan’s atmosphere and narrative
opportunity to perform
weight is undermined both by its heroic actions befitting
own obsession with the past and its of the fantasy series.
inability to deliver fully on bringing Unfortunately, the
outstanding gameplay
a living, breathing fantasy world to
is let down by a lack of
the tabletop, but the diversity and narrative confidence
effectiveness of the moment-to- and an adhesion to
moment actions offered to players Robert E. Howard’s
outdated portrayal of
hints at a title that had a lot
women and minorities
more to tell. ■ that doesn’t belong in
MATT JARVIS a modern game.
19/01/2017 16:20
 PLAYED
It’s a resounding ‘Ja!’ for this historical spin on deceiving your friends
Goat, Wolf & Cabbage | $35 | Social deduction | 5-10 players | 45 minutes | Age: 17+ | secrethitler.com
I
t’s often proposed as a thought
experiment: if you could go back
in time and kill Hitler, would you?
What if the question wasn’t ‘would
you’, but ‘could you’?
Secret Hitler is a social deduction
game akin to The Resistance in
historical dressing. Up to 10 players
are randomly assigned secret role
cards that cast them as a specific
number of liberals and fascists in
1930s Germany – with one taking on
the titular hidden dictator.
Oh, by the way, all of the fascists
in the game are fittingly portrayed
as reptiles, with Hitler himself
transformed into a dinosaur-like
creature. It’s a way of making a clear
political statement (the rulebook
features a poem by eminently anti-
fascist writer Bertolt Brecht as an
epilogue, if the sentiment wasn’t
obvious enough) and commenting on
the light similarities to Hitler’s real-life
rise to power without detracting from
the required party jollity.
Once the players know their
allegiances, the fascists and Hitler
silently identify each other during
the conventional close eyes-open
eyes-close eyes setup stage and
the game begins proper. Each turn,
a player is made president and
selects a chancellor to support their
policy-making. The group votes to
approve or reject the election, with
a denial passing the presidential
power onto the next clockwise player.
Once approved, the president draws
three shuffled policy tiles facedown,
discards one and passes them to
the chancellor, who discards one
and enacts the remaining tile. The
tile can be either a fascist or liberal
policy – five liberal policies or six
fascist policies win the game for the
respective side, but the liberals can
also win by working out who the
Secret Hitler is and assassinating
them, while the fascists win (most
of the time) by electing Hitler
chancellor once they have three
fascist policies enacted.
The different tactics to winning –
as well as the split liberal and fascist
088-089_SecretHitlerReviewAndInterview_V3 MJ.indd 88
SECRET HITLER
policy boards – allow Secret
Hitler to feel very different
turn-to-turn to games such
as The Resistance, which are a
straight case of winning the majority
of rounds before your opponent.
As the number of fascist policies
enacted creep up, different powers
unlock for the president to deploy,
ranging from the ability to look
at a player’s party membership
card (separate to their role card,
safeguarding the cheap identification
of Hitler) to the chance to kill a player
and remove them from the game
completely (or allow the liberals
to win, if it was Hitler). The powers
available increase with bigger groups,
making more players preferable if
possible – this also results in Hitler
not knowing who their fellow fascists
are with games of seven people and
above, inviting a greater diversity of
playing experiences.
The other major factor that differs
to The Resistance is the drawing of
random policy tiles, which catalyse
further debate over who has ulterior
motives. Leaving a chancellor with
two fascist policies to ‘choose’ from
can be an effective strategy for a
fascist president, while ending up
with nothing but your opponent’s
policies to enact (more likely to be
all fascist) can scupper your trust
with fellow liberals. The funny thing
is, blaming it on the deck only flies
so many times – even if your false
accusation is down to little more
than bad luck.
88
While the roles – other than Hitler
– are non-unique in comparison
with the individual abilities of
Resistance spin-off Avalon
or One Night Ultimate
Werewolf, the
presidential powers
put a tighter focus on the
group’s co-operation and the tension
of electing the right person for both
roles – can you trust the president to
use their authority for good?
By smartly bringing in the
historical theme (who doesn’t
want to give Hitler a kicking?) and
augmenting tried-and-tested social
deduction mechanics with a unique
BOX CONTENTS flow of discussion and revelation,
◗ Three double-sided Secret Hitler is a standout entry in
liberal/fascist boards the genre – and a hell of a lot of fun
◗ President placard
to play. ■
◗ Chancellor placard
◗ 17 Policy tiles (six MATT JARVIS
liberal, 11 fascist)
◗ 10 secret role cards
◗ 10 party CONCLUSION
membership cards Cleverly twisting the social deduction
◗ 10 envelopes genre into a new form, Secret Hitler is a
◗ 10 ‘Ja!’ ballot cards fantastic excuse to lie to your friends for
◗ 10 ‘Nein’ ballot cards both newcomers and category diehards
◗ Draw pile card alike. It’s accessible, brilliantly themed
◗ Discard pile card and – best of all – leads to exactly
◗ Election tracker marker the right level of tension, analysis and
◗ Rulebook outright joy.
IF YOU LIKE THE RESISTANCE…
TRY SECRET HITLER
Secret Hitler takes the framework
of Don Eskridge’s beloved social
deduction title and expands it with its
own unique mechanics and theme.
23/01/2017 11:03

No stranger to creating controversy on the tabletop, Cards Against Humanity co-creator Max
Temkin is back with social deduction title Secret Hitler. Here he discusses adapting history’s most
reviled figure, balancing humour with tact, and how games can – and should – be political
Hitler, but as a lizard-dinosaur
thing. Obviously. Where did the
idea for Secret Hitler come from?
We started working on Secret Hitler
during the presidential primaries,
and it was really striking to us how
the mechanics of Secret Hitler
mirrored how fascists gain power in
a democracy. [Co-designers] Mike
[Boxleiter] and Tommy [Maranges]
were playtesting the original version
of the game, and once we came
across the WWII theme the whole
thing came together really quickly.
You’re arguably best known in
the tabletop world for Cards
Against Humanity. How did your
experience working on that title
and its expansions (as well as your
other games, such as Slap .45) feed
into the creation of Secret Hitler?
A lot of working on tabletop games
comes down to things like patience,
craft and relationships, which obviously
develop over time in the industry. It's
really hard to know when an idea isn't
working if you should persevere and
work through it or walk away and try
something different. So having been
through this a few times was really
helpful. But other than that, each game
is a new challenge. It's an opportunity
to connect with a new audience, build a
new brand, figure out a new problem.
Did you take specific inspiration
from any other tabletop games –
or any other medium – for Secret
Hitler’s mechanics or design?
Absolutely – we were playing a lot of
Don Eskridge's Avalon and the initial
brainstorming for Secret Hitler came
about as Mike and Tommy were
hacking and tinkering with that game.
We’ve seen the WWII period
dealt with in miniature wargames
and board games, but rarely in
social deduction titles. Why was
the genre a suitable fit for the
historical theme?
088-089_SecretHitlerReviewAndInterview_V3 MJ.indd 89
DARK SECRET
Interview by Matt Jarvis
The real-life co-operation dilemmas
that exist in a democracy turned
out to be a great model for a social
deduction game. If one party
refuses to act in good conscience
they can do a lot of damage to a
trusting relationship.
Dealing with Hitler is always
going to be a touchy subject.
Why was rooting the game in
real history important to you?
We played with a lot of different
themes and names, but ultimately
the ‘Secret Hitler’ name stuck no
matter how we tried to change it.
Sometimes you just learn to roll with
that and see it as a gift when a sticky
name reveals itself. Once we knew
that we wanted the game to have a
historical theme and make Hitler a
character in the game, we worked
really hard to ground it in reality and
not make it a punchline.
You opted to portray the fascist
characters as anthropomorphised
animals rather than humans,
as you do with the liberals.
How did you go about balancing
the historical realism with
the abstract elements from
a design standpoint?
We wanted to comment on the rise
of fascism without being ham-
fisted, but it was also important
to us that our editorial opinion on
who the 'good guys' in the game
were. We didn't want a ‘Pepe [the
Frog]’ situation, where something
we made would be co-opted.
On that same point, it’s
clear that there is a political
message to Secret Hitler – one
that you highlighted further
with the release of a Trump
promo sticker. What is the
importance of tabletop
games reflecting and
commenting on the state of
the real world today?
89
MAX TEMKIN
Authoritarianism seeks
to destroy symbolism and
rationality, so the role of
art in authoritarian
environments is to remain
critical and provocative.
The Trump sticker is a pretty
dumb joke (we assumed he
would be irrelevant by the
time the game came out). But
the theme of the game – how
hard it is to stop fascists even
■ The role card of when you know they're out
Secret Hitler himself. there – still feels relevant.
You crowdfunded a revamped
version of Werewolf a few years
ago, and it seems that we’ve seen
the social deduction and party
genres really boom in the time
since. Why do you think we’re
seeing such an explosion in quick,
accessible games, many of which
involve lying to each other?
Social deduction games have
everything – they're fast to learn,
exciting, create a spectacle and
highly replayable. I assume as long as
tabletop games are growing, deception
games will continue to grow as well.
What’s next for you with regards
to Secret Hitler, Cards Against
Humanity and tabletop gaming
as a whole?
■ Players are able to Right now I'm working on our new
enact liberal and fascist company, Blackbox, which is a shipping
policies, eventually company for independent artists. I
leading to the ability to would love to see more people be able
assassinate opponents. to participate in the creation of games! ■
20/01/2017 16:08
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STAR WARS: DESTINY
Like BB-8 across the deserts of Jakku, we’re rolling for our lives in this collectible dice game
Fantasy Flight | £13.99 (Starters) £2.99 (Boosters) | Collectible dice | 2 players | 30 mins | Age: 10+ | fantasyflightgames.com
B
etween the dozens of
Star Wars tabletop titles
released over the last 40
years (yep, it’s really been four
decades since A New Hope),
almost every corner of the
galaxy far, far away has been
explored. There have been epic
galaxy-wide battles (Star Wars:
Rebellion), fast-paced dogfights
between handfuls of ships
(X-Wing) and intense tactical
firefights between squads of
Rebels and the stormtrooper
forces of the Empire on the
planet surface (Imperial
Assault). Yet, Star Wars: Destiny
may just be the best tabletop
portrayal of the moment-to-
moment clashing of lightsabers
and whizzing overhead bolts of
blaster fire yet.
Two players go head-to-
head, each equipped with
a deck of up to 30 cards
and accompanying dice relating
to either the heroes or villains of
the Star Wars universe. Character
cards are activated in order to roll
their respective dice, plus any dice
added through upgrades such as
weapons or abilities, and added to
that player’s pool. The dice results
can then be ‘resolved’ to spend their
results on attacking, gaining shields
and resources, or activating special
abilities. Players trade blows back
and forth until all the characters on
one side are defeated or a player
runs out of cards – both resulting
in defeat.
Players can only perform one
action per turn, including activating
a character and rolling their dice –
dice cannot be rolled and resolved
in the same turn. This is a little
strange to begin with, as turns are
often over within seconds, but results
in a breakneck pace of play, the
dice-rolling equivalent of humming
blades of light sparking off each
other as duelling Jedi and Sith swing
and riposte. The ability to spend
resources to play event cards to
alter dice rolls on either side of the
091_StarwArsDestinyReview_V4 MJ.indd 91
battlefield adds another dynamic
to the battle – do you cash in your
ranged damage now or move to
block an incoming assault?
Key to victory are special abilities,
which can be devastating if left to
activate, but all depend on the right
roll of the dice – leading to as many
air punches of joy and despairing
gasps as any on-screen clash. Players
can discard cards to reroll any
number of unused dice in the pool,
introducing a risk-reward mechanic
where useful events, upgrades and
support characters can be sacrificed
in a last-ditch attempt to score
another blow.
Dice are cashed in and cards
spent until both players pass, which
triggers an upkeep stage where all
exhausted cards are refreshed and
resources gained, before a new bout
begins. Think of it as that bit during
the Duel of the Fates with Darth
Maul in The Phantom Menace (also
known as the best bit of that movie)
where they take a breather behind
laser walls – the tension quietly
builds as everyone prepares to
unleash everything they have.
91
PLAYED
The first two starter packs
are themed around Rey
and Kylo Ren from Episode
VII: The Force Awakens,
which both include 24
cards – so you’ll need to
buy a few boosters, consisting
of five random cards and a
die, to get to the ‘standard’
deck size of 30. With both the
Rey and Ren starters and six
boosters, we were still unable
to make a complete deck
for either – so, as with any
collectible game, be prepared
to invest.
Otherwise, deck building
is easy but flexible, with cards
restricted only by hero or
villain allegiance and their
colour – you’ll need a red
character to include red cards,
yellow for yellow and so on.
The cards' artwork comprises
of beautiful painterly takes
on the films, which are mirrored
on their respective dice faces,
making them easy to identify
and separate. The dice themselves
are satisfyingly solid and roll with
pleasant weightiness – though the
BOX CONTENTS artwork printing could be a tiny
Starter Set: bit clearer.
◗ 24 cards
Destiny is a simple but superbly
◗ Nine dice
◗ Tokens crafted dice-rolling game wrapped
◗ Rule sheet up in the continually captivating
Star Wars universe; if you’re even
Booster Pack:
a passing fan of Star Wars, dice
◗ Five random cards
(three common, one mechanics or collectible titles, this is
uncommon, one rare the game you’re looking for. ■
or legendary) MATT JARVIS
◗ One die
CONCLUSION
Playing out with the moment-to-moment
speed, strategy, tension and excitement
of a Jedi lightsaber duel, Star Wars:
Destiny is both a fantastic dice game
in its own right and a bright star in the
already vast Star Wars tabletop galaxy.
IF YOU LIKE DICE MASTERS…
TRY STAR WARS: DESTINY
Prefer your cinematic sci-fi to comic
books? This two-player dice-duelling
alternative might be more your type.
23/01/2017 11:05
 PLAYED
Matt Leacock’s disease-battling modern classic
takes a trip back in time in this limited edition spin-off
Z-Man Games | £46.99 | Co-op | 2-5 players | 45 minutes | Age: 8+ | zmangames.com
I
t seems the tabletop industry has
come down with a severe case
of Pandemicitis.
Initially diagnosed in 2008 with
the original strain of the condition,
it grew at a steady pace over the
following few years with new
expansion variants: On the Brink, In
the Lab and State of Emergency.
There were also brand new
evolutions, in the form of dice game
The Cure and card game Contagion,
both released in 2014.
The following year, the condition’s
development was accelerated by the
first season of Pandemic Legacy, a
severe so-called ‘legacy’ mutation of
the original form that led to widespread
cases of acclaim and suggestions that it
had been identified as the ‘Best Game
Ever’ – a known side effect among many
existing patients with Pandemicitis.
2016 once again saw the condition
continue to spread with unbridled
092_093_pandemicIberia_V3 MJ.indd 92
PANDEMIC IBERIA
speed, with The Cure expansion
Experimental Meds, Lovecraftian
reimagining Reign of Cthulhu and,
finally, Pandemic Iberia all appearing
over the 12-month period.
With Pandemic Legacy: Season Two
already highly rumoured to appear
later this year, is there any chance
the unrelenting release cycle of Matt
Leacock’s virally admired series has
finally produced a weak link in its
latest offering? In short: no. In fact,
Pandemic has never looked better.
Pandemic Iberia is set in the
eponymous peninsula during
the middle of the 19th century as
nasty diseases such as malaria,
typhus, cholera and yellow fever
take hold. Unlike recent spin-off
Reign of Cthulhu, the core of the
gameplay remains largely untouched
– but there are significant
changes in line with Iberia’s
historical transplantation.
92
BOX CONTENTS Most notably, diseases are no
◗ Game board longer cured or eradicated – merely
◗ Seven pawns
◗ Seven role cards researched. As in standard Pandemic,
◗ 69 player cards the aim is to fully research all four
◗ Four hospitals before too many outbreaks occur or
◗ 96 disease cubes you run out of disease cubes or cards,
◗ Four research markers
◗ Outbreaks marker but cashing in five cards to research a
◗ Rulebook disease doesn’t permit you to remove
extra cubes when curing it later. What
is does allow you to do, however, is
purify water more easily.
Purifying water is one of the
major gameplay additions to Iberia,
reflecting the steps taken at the
time to combat the spread of the
sicknesses en vogue while also
introducing mechanics similar to
those introduced very early on in
Pandemic Legacy. Discarding cards
allows the placement of purification
tokens in regions that subsequently
prevent the placement of that
number of cubes on the surrounding
cities, providing a counterbalance to
20/01/2017 16:14
 the inability to mass-cure diseases in
later stages and introducing greater
levels of strategic consideration to
safeguarding against outbreaks.
While the turn framework remains
the same – four actions, draw player
cards, draw infection cards, repeat
– there are further new actions. In
news sure to prick up the ears of
Ticket to Ride fans, in lieu of the
ability to charter a flight to cities you
can now freely build railroads along
most routes, which then allow you to
zip along constructed routes to any
city on the tracks as a single move.
This can be crucial as the player deck
runs low and you’re forced to rush
to the nearest hospital to research
the last disease, with efficient routes
paying dividends and avoiding the
painful slow death of spending turn
after turn crossing the map.
This particular usage is doubly
important in Iberia, as only four
hospitals can be constructed at any
one time and each much occupy
a specific colour-coded region on
the board – a small but impactful
change from the relative abundance
of research stations on the original
Pandemic’s global map.
The other key way to travel is
by sailing between
port cities that, unlike
Pandemic’s universal
routes between
countries divided by
stretches of water,
requires the sacrifice
of a card (unless you
take on the role of
sailor). By making the
emergence of diseases
harder to stem but
offering greater variety
in countermeasures and
transportation, Iberia
offers a subtly refreshing
but comfortably familiar
new spin on Pandemic’s
arguably unbeatable
gameplay foundations.
With enough changes
to move it away from
its ancestor, Iberia
isn’t compatible with
any of the Pandemic
expansions released
to this point. Happily,
a couple of optional
gameplay variants
092_093_pandemicIberia_V3 MJ.indd 93
similar to those introduced in the
add-ons and inspired by the
medical threats of the time come
packed right into the box, including
the additional challenge of managing
the flow of patients between
hospitals and souped-up diseases
with extra attributes based on four
of real life’s most unpleasant
maladies. The player event cards
are similarly historically accurate,
ranging from the recent invention
of the mail system and telegraph to
overseas migration – all are backed
up by explanations in the back of
the rulebook.
Each player’s role has been
adjusted to reflect the jobs of the
time, with agronomists, rural
doctors and royal academy scientists
replacing medics, contingency
planners and operations experts.
Pandemic has always excelled when
it comes to the variety of not just
its roles but also the people that fill
them, and Iberia is no exception in
this regard with excellent portrayals
of men and women alike – although
the racial diversity is less prominent
than previous Pandemic titles,
perhaps due to geographical and
historical accuracy regarding the
93
19th century European region.
Although it will vary with the way
you and your own group approach
the fight against disease, we also
found the role card abilities to be far
more balanced and equally useful
than in vanilla Pandemic,, from the
rural doctor’s improved curing and
the railwayman’s extra track-laying
skillto the politician’s city card-
swapping prowess and the nurse’s
prevention token, which travels
with her and stops the infection of IF YOU LIKE
adjacent cities. PANDEMIC…
TRY PANDEMIC
Pandemic Iberia is reportedly IBERIA
being released as a single print It may seem like
run, a fact highlighted by the the same old game
‘Limited Collector’s Edition’ in brand new drag,
but Iberia is a
badge on the front of the box. As markedly different
a collector’s item, it is a gorgeous experience from
set, with sundrenched artwork, a its namesake.
beautifully illustrated main map
and exquisitely-patterned card ■ Opposite: The
backs. The warm tones and artistic historical theme and
tighter geographical
flair are a far cry from the effective
focus results in a
but cold blues and neon colour number of significant
scheme of Pandemic – this is a board gameplay changes.
game to leave out on your table so
it catches the eye of every visitor.
The components are all of the high
quality you’ve come to expect from
Pandemic releases – although we
did encounter a few
misshapen disease cubes
and spotted a couple of
typos in the rulebook
that detracted from
the feeling of special
treatment the rest of the
box’s contents exudes.
Yet, with so many
meaningful gameplay
changes and the added
thematic strength of
history at its heart, it’s
hard not to feel a pang
of regret that Pandemic
Iberia is to be just a CONCLUSION
limited edition release. So much more than
No doubt, this is first a simply prettied-up
spin on the acclaimed
and foremost a release
franchise, Pandemic
for Pandemic diehards Iberia is a stunning
looking for a new way package with
to re-experience the meaningful gameplay
changes and a
mechanics they love,
historical theme that
but it’s also a worthwhile radiates from every
standalone release that pore of its beautiful
offers something unique artwork and design.
Whether you’re an
for fans new and
existing Pandemic
old alike. ■ fan or not, this is well
MATT JARVIS worth your time.
20/01/2017 16:14
 PLAYED
Does the undercover party sequel prove Diamonds Are Forever or is it a flat-out Dr. No?
Cryptozoic/Hobby World | £19.99 | Social deduction | 3-12 players | 10 minutes | Age: 13+ | cryptozoic.com/spyfall-2
I
n many ways, it feels like the
fervor surrounding the original
Spyfall has been drowned out by
the wake left behind by that OTHER
spy party game released a year later,
Codenames.. Although the two games
are distinctly different in operation
– aside from involving a load of
cards, a short play time and a whole
bunch of guesswork – the espionage-
themed titles seemed unable to
co-exist peacefully, leading the Spiel
des Jahres winner to emerge as the
more prominent victor and Spyfall to
end up somewhat forgotten.
Now, the two titles find
themselves scraping each other’s
wings in even closer proximity, as
Spyfall 2 releases a matter of months
after fellow follow-up Codenames:
Pictures. Codenames: Pictures was
a clever way to reimplement its
predecessor’s core mechanics in a
way that felt exciting and fresh, so
does Spyfall similarly manage to
build on the solid foundation of its
ingenious source?
Unfortunately, Spyfall 2 feels less
like a sequel and more like a reboot.
There are new additions to the game
– the ability to play with up to 12
players (boosted from the original's
maximum head count of eight) as
well as the chance to encounter a
pair of spies – but it’s otherwise spy
business as usual.
As in the first Spyfall, players are
handed location cards – but one or
two (depending on the number of
people playing) participants are spies
and must attempt to work
094-095_Spyfall2ReviewAndInterview_V2 MJ.indd 94
SPYFALL 2
out the location being discussed
without blowing their cover.
Players take it in turns to ask
each other questions, offering
vague enough answers to confirm
they know where they are without
letting the spies in on the secret.
After a set amount of time, or once
everyone agrees on whom the spy
is, the round ends. Alternatively,
the spy can jump the gun, outing
themselves and guessing the
location in order to win.
It’s an undeniably fun and gripping
experience that distils the social
deduction genre down to its simplest
aspects. As in the first game, the
character roles are suggested as a
way of complicating the answers
given by each player – for example,
a graverobber and priest would have
very different perspectives on the
cemetery. This also lends the
spy a hand, as the additional
‘umming’ and ‘erring’ from
non-spies makes it harder
to determine who’s
considering their
character’s answer –
and who just simply
doesn’t have a clue.
The refreshed
locations are a
good mixture of
the mundane
94
BOX CONTENTS and the slightly surreal, ranging
◗ 240 game cards from subways and coal mines to
◗ 20 plastic bags
cat shows and the UN – making the
◗ Rulebook
interrogation ‘is it fragrant?’ a more
viable prompt than you might expect.
Yet, unless you’ve completely
exhausted the original Spyfall by
memorising all of the location cards
and mastered the art of identifying
their defining features, or have just
grown tired of pretending to be in the
same 20 places – or happen to need
a variant to support more than the
already healthy eight player count
– it’s hard to recommend dropping
another twenty quid on what is
essentially the same game twice.
If you’re yet to experience the joy
of Spyfall, however (maybe you’ve
been playing Codenames this whole
time) Spyfall 2 is a great way to jump
into the game and score yourself
another reasonably cheap party title
IF YOU LIKE with plenty of replayability and scale.
CODENAMES… Otherwise, maybe just invest that
TRY SPYFALL 2
money in Codenames: Pictures. ■
If you’re
after another MATT JARVIS
espionage-themed
party game that CONCLUSION
involves giving Spyfall 2 is a fantastic entry point for
newcomers to the series, with expanded
your brain a
good workout, gameplay options and the same wacky
Spyfall 2 is the social deduction mechanics as its
ideal side dish forebear. If you’re already a Spyfall
to Codenames’ fan, though, it’s hard to justify as an
additional purchase when so much
main course.
remains essentially the same.
20/01/2017 16:21

As the sequel to his 2014 social deduction hit sneaks onto shelves, creator Alexandr Ushan
considers his future plans for the franchise and why party games are the best tabletop therapy
What’s new in Spyfall 2?
Spyfall 2 is a development of the first
Spyfall game. In fact, there are very
few new features; the main addition is
the presence of two spies. Moreover,
the game now can be played by a
group of 12 people – previously it was
no more than eight. The game has also
got new locations.
It is rather a continuation of the old
game but with advanced features: two
spies and more players.
Why did you decide to call this
game Spyfall 2, rather than
just releasing a second edition
of Spyfall?
The changes we made in the game,
although small, gave us a reason to
call this game a continuation, not a
re-issue, of the first version.
The presence of two spies strongly
shifted the accents. Previously, the spy
was under greater pressure than now;
we can say that the difficulty for the
spy halved.
I know many players who enjoy
Spyfall, but they are afraid to be a spy.
[With two spies,] the other non-spy
players should be more careful. Spyfall
2 can be played with only one spy as
well, and I would advise those playing
for the first time to try this. Spyfall 2 is
the version for advanced players.
The game features 20 new
locations. How do you decide
the types of location you want to
include in the game?
The main feature of all the locations is
that they should differ from each other
as much as possible, while also being
familiar and interesting to the players.
With matches now able to feature
extra spies and players, how did
you balance the difficulty?
The balance is not overly important
for this type of game. Only the players’
experience is important and their wish
to successfully hunt the spy.
After the first Spyfall’s release,
we received a certain number of
complaints that sometimes there
094-095_Spyfall2ReviewAndInterview_V2 MJ.indd 95
SPY AND MIGHTY
Interview by Matt Jarvis
are more than eight players, and
those who could not play were very
disappointed. Therefore, we had to
solve a specific task: to have more
players at the table. It was difficult in a
basic version, but the addition of the
second spy turned out fine.
In general, the balance of 12 players
was reached empirically – we played
plenty of test games. It is still easy to
return to the old rules, leaving the
single spy and seven non-spy players.
Is there anything you considered
adding to Spyfall 2 but ultimately
didn’t, for any reason?
I have a lot of ideas for the further
development of Spyfall as whole but,
as for Spyfall 2, there are enough
changes. The game is already popular,
but it can be even more popular. This
is a spy game, and such games are
always intriguing. I still have a lot of
surprises for the fans of Spyfall.
Social deduction games are one of
the fastest-growing tabletop genres
at the moment. Does players’
increasing familiarity with such
mechanics allow you to achieve
anything extra in terms of design?
Yes, definitely. After the game
was released and it appeared on
BoardGameGeek, many Spyfall fans
shared their impressions, comments
95
ALEXANDR USHAN
and ideas. Any new expansion will be
made on the basis of an alloy of my
developments and ideas of the fans,
whose reviews I read on the internet.
What are your future plans for
Spyfall? Do you think we will see
a Spyfall 3?
I look forward to the release of
new versions of Spyfall. I do not
know how soon we'll see Spyfall
3; it depends on my partner – the
publishing house Hobby World
– which is operated on the basis
of considerations of business
expediency. Currently I'm playing
Spyfall 4 and Spyfall 5 with my
friends, because I like the original
Spyfall much less.
■ Spyfall designer
Alexandr Ushan. Are there any particular
mechanics/genres you’d like to
explore in a future game?
I really like party games, because
people usually refine themselves
while playing those games. A good
party game is no less effective than
a visit to a psychologist. In our time,
when everything is almost rooted to
computers and encapsulated in little
worlds, these games are the bridges
to our real world. Maybe it's because
long ago I wanted to be a professional
psychologist, but did not become one.
Other than Spyfall, what’s next
for you?
In addition to Spyfall, I have about 50
different projects. These are fillers and
logic games, and educational games
for children. And, of course, some new
party games. Recently, a new game in
the style of a spaghetti western named
Caliber .45 was published in Russia.
I like all the games that are popular
with players.
I made Spyfall for my friends and
myself. It was much fun to spend
time in our friendly company. At the
time I did not know that this game
would have so many fans around the
world. Now I am very happy that I
can consider those people, the fans of
Spyfall, as my friends. ■
20/01/2017 16:21
 PLAYED
JIM HENSON'S LABYRINTH: THE BOARD GAME
A miniature David Bowie, a chance to sing Magic Dance and a beloved cult
movie – can this cinematic spin-off live up to its source material?
River Horse | £49.99 | Roll-and-move | 1-5 players | 30+ minutes | Age: 6+ | riverhorse.eu/labyrinth
I
t might not seem it given its
cherished position three decades
on, but Labyrinth was poorly
received when it was first released
in cinemas in 1986. On paper, it had
all the elements of a surefire hit:
a script penned by Monty Python
member Terry Jones, direction by
Muppets creator Jim Henson (and
the presence of many of his Creature
Shop creations), production by Star
Wars mastermind George Lucas
and the star power of cultural icon
David Bowie (alongside the fast-
rising Jennifer Connelly, still a teen
at the time). Yet despite praise for
its visual invention, surreal humour
and imaginative set pieces, it was
roundly dismissed by many critics
“Labyrinth lacks much of the charm and
endearing wackiness of its cinematic namesake.”
096_097_labyrinth_V2 MJ.indd 96
for its seemingly subpar story and
performances, only being redeemed
and going on to earn its current cult
status years later.
Somewhat fittingly, the first
official board game adaptation of the
movie, released to tie in with its 30th
anniversary last year, is sure to divide
the affections of players. Designed
by Alessio Cavatore, the game pits
four players in a co-operative race
to get to Jareth’s castle and rescue
baby Toby from the goblin king, in
line with the film’s plot. A fifth player
can technically play as Jareth, but
is left with little to do but advance
the goblin clock at the end of each
round, pick between two card
options for each encounter and roll
96
BOX CONTENTS
◗ Five figurines (Jareth,
Sarah, Hoggle,
Ludo, Sir Didymus
and Ambrosius)
◗ 2x2-foot game board
◗ 32 Labyrinth cards
◗ Six reference cards
◗ Four character sheets
◗ Four ability cards
◗ Four weakness cards
◗ Four card stand ups
(Humongous, goblin
infantry, goblin cavalry,
goblin artillery)
◗ Goblin clock
◗ Six polyhedral dice
(D4, D6, D8, D10,
D12, D20)
◗ Over 30 tokens
◗ 16-page rulebook
the dice for opposing enemies – in
short, don’t even bother (unless you
enjoy boring a friend to death).
The board itself is nicely hand-
illustrated, depicting Jareth’s castle
at its centre and the various sections
of the titular maze around it. Players
roll to travel around the ring of
spaces, and can choose to take their
companions with them if they are
on the same rectangle – but every
character on the same square risks
suffering an equal fate when cards
are drawn.
The four characters – Sarah,
Hoggle, Ludo and Sir Didymus
(mounted on the dog, Ambrosius) –
all have different stats for the three
core attributes: speed, will and
brawn. These are reflected in the
rolling of differently-coloured dice,
ranging from a D4 up to a D12, when
various challenges are confronted
– when multiple characters share a
space, the highest-value dice of any
of the characters is rolled. Failing a
roll often means losing a willpower
token, which doubles as health
points. Losing all of your willpower
results in that character returning to
the Oubliette and missing an extra
turn – a considerable setback given
the need to win the game before
the 13-hour goblin clock returns to
its starting position. Willpower can
also be expended to boost a dice
check with the roll of a D20, which
becomes critical when facing the
tougher enemies later on.
While the ability to roll different
dice (you can also choose to roll
lower-value dice if you want to move
less far for any reason) mixes up the
standard roll-and-movie formula
a little, Labyrinth is still at heart a
rather formulaic experience. Landing
on a blank space means drawing
a card from the Labyrinth deck,
which has a single card removed
at the beginning of the game to
make each game ever-so-slightly
different. This turns out to essentially
be a meaningless step to introduce
20/01/2017 16:29
 variety, as the vast majority of the
cards simply involve taking a dice
challenge or risk losing willpower.
Occasionally, a card will summon
Jareth and his accompanying
miniature to a space, but this again
appears to be largely pointless, as the
figure simply sits there and – with
the exception of a few cards, none of
which we actually experienced during
our time with the game – has little
impact on the gameplay at all. With a
cynical eye, and given the presence of
a transparent window in the game’s
box, it appears that the miniature of
David Bowie serves as little more than
a selling point for the product.
Still, the idea of constructing a
unique layout of cards and events as
players progress around the board
is interesting, as many of the cards
remain in the playing area and repeat
their actions when landed on again.
Unfortunately, this is undermined
by the removal of many cards when
defeated via dice roll, often resulting
in a final board layout that looks
patchy and incomplete.
The cards themselves are of
fine enough quality – most feature
titles and picture stills referencing
moments in the film – but, again,
there is an overwhelming absence
of any supplementary flavor text,
leading most encounters to feel nearly
identical and repetitious.
Occasionally a card offers something
a little more interesting – the Magic
Dance card requires memorising
and recalling the lyrics to Bowie’s
irresistible ditty (“What power? Power
096_097_labyrinth_V2 MJ.indd 97
of voodoo! Who do? You do!”) – but IF YOU LIKE
these are far and few between. The EVIL DEAD 2:
board can also present a little more THE OFFICIAL
danger, as landing on the Bog of BOARD GAME…
TRY LABYRINTH
Eternal Stench risks ‘earning’ a Smells If you’re a fan
Bad token, which stops that character of collecting
from potentially keeping up with their ‘80s cult movie
friends when travelling as a group. tabletop spin-offs,
Evil Dead 2 and
Eventually, the gate to the goblin Labyrinth make a
city is discovered and the centre of fitting couple.
the board is accessed – this will be
a number of turns in, as the deck is
prepared with the gate at least 20
cards down. Once the gate is open, ■ Opposite: Players marathon showdown, but the game
players fight through the goblin build the layout of the remains bereft of any of the joyous
board with the random
infantry, goblin cavalry, goblin selection of event cards.
atmosphere and fun of the original
artillery and Humongous in order film. In short: smell bad. ■
– this means rolling until they fall. MATT JARVIS
The standees for each mini-boss
helps to lend some physicality to CONCLUSION
Labyrinth tries but ultimately fails to
their presence on the board but, as
capture the invention and spirit of its
they never move, it would’ve been movie inspiration. There’s little attempt
just as easy to print their images on to build atmosphere and the more
their fixed spaces. Finally, the player interesting rules present among the rote
roll-and-move foundations aren’t made
controlling Sarah takes on Jareth and
prominent enough to rescue it from
must recall the incantation to save becoming a disappointing and – worse –
Toby – the rulebook suggests not just plain boring experience.
allowing the use of the card outside
of introductory games, so good luck
with that.
While Labyrinth resembles its
cinematic namesake in appearance,
it lacks much of the charm and
endearing wackiness that ultimately
dragged the film out of a critical
floundering and into the hearts
of multiple generations of fans.
There are attempts to spice up
the conventional roll-and-move
mechanics with the build-as-
you-go board and final boss
97
20/01/2017 16:30
 18-19 MARCH 2017
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LEGENDARY ENCOUNTERS: AN ALIEN
DECK BUILDING GAME EXPANSION
Is the first follow-up to the cinematic deckbuilder more of an Aliens or Prometheus?
Upper Deck | £36.99 | Deckbuilding | 1-5 players | 30-60 minutes | Age: 17+ | upperdeck.com
A
s any fan of the horror movie
masterpiece Alien knows,
sequels can be a tricky thing.
You could find yourself rewarded
with another genre-defining work of
brilliance à la Aliens or an ambitious
attempt to reinvent a beloved series
that ultimately crumbles under its own
weight of expectation – that’d be Alien3,
Alien: Resurrection and Prometheus.
The same burden of anticipation
bore down on the acid-flecked,
armoured-plated shoulders of the
first expansion to Upper Deck’s Alien
entry in the Legendary Encounters
deckbuilding series, widely regarded as
one of the best movie adaptations to hit
the tabletop – as well as a marvellous
card game in its own right.
Happily, the expansion (which
awkwardly forgoes a handy subtitle)
provides more than simply quantity
to the already healthy stock of cards
found in the base game, introducing
significant new mechanics, major new
game modes and, yes, lots more cards,
too – with 400 cards, it's two-thirds the
size of the original game.
Chief among the additions is the
new Queen Mother mode, which
turns one of the players (five is still
the maximum headcount) into the
xenomorph matriarch, complete with a
new play mat illustrated with the same
striking visuals as the cards.
While players in the original game
could be turned into antagonistic aliens
through facehugger impregnation, in
the new mode one player starts off as
the Queen Mother, building their own
personal deck and deploying cards to
oppose the human group. (Expect the
difficulty to ramp up significantly.) This
includes the chance to reveal incoming
hive cards, directly attack players with
strikes (there are plenty of nasty new
injuries in the box) and turn character
cards against the group, as they are
grabbed, impregnated and eventually
return as attacking xenos. If that wasn’t
enough, the survivors must defeat the
Queen Mother after the scenario’s normal
final enemy – a tough task made tougher.
099_AlienExpansionReview_V3 MJ.indd 99
While the expansion certainly
aims itself at those already well-
versed in spraying acid blood around
dank spaceship corridors, with
hard mode versions of both existing
and new objectives and locations,
there’s still plenty for newcomers to
enjoy. Some of the new xenomorphs
take flight, requiring more advanced
tactics to shoot down, while others can
be enhanced with multiple different
talents. (Mega-enhanced enemies
must be defeated five times in order
to be killed, making them especially
deadly.) A new drone chart re-balances
the number of enemies in the game
to make playing with smaller crews
more difficult, while larger parties are
offered a very slight helping hand.
On the human side, there’s two
extra characters and their respective
barracks decks from each film
(Prometheus remains absent), plus
a universal Ripley deck covering all
four entries in the series. These cards
contain plenty of new abilities that
make even more interesting use of the
different card types and mechanics,
helped by a number of fresh character
roles and avatars – we’re particularly
fond of the veterinarian who can
heal strikes, including contaminated
wounds. In general, we found more
cards to help heal strikes and help the
group survive longer – though this
could just be the luck of the draw.
99
PLAYED
Rounding out the pack are two
new locations and scenarios made
up of the usual three objectives,
which can be mixed and matched
with any of the existing goals.
These make smart use of the new
gameplay rules (you’ll quickly learn
to fear the beating of wings) and offer
BOX CONTENTS fun variants to the movie-inspired
◗ 400 cards setups offered in the base game,
◗ Alien Queen playmat
while offering plenty of replayability
◗ Rulesheet
and variety when combined with the
existing decks.
Legendary: Alien was already an
outstanding game on its own, but
this new expansion manages to bring
in such an impressive number of
gameplay changes and additions that
it’s hard to imagine a more fitting
follow-up. The increased competitive
options and optional difficulty
IF YOU LIKE handicaps are sure to be welcomed
ALIENS VS
by groups seeking a new challenge,
PREDATOR: THE
HUNT BEGINS… while the universal enlargement
TRY LEGENDARY of almost every deck makes it a
ENCOUNTERS: worthwhile upgrade for players at
ALIEN
any level of skill and familiarity. ■
Legendary: Alien
is not just the best MATT JARVIS
Alien-inspired
tabletop spin-off
and one of the CONCLUSION
Stuffed with hundreds of new
finest movie
adaptations to cards, engaging new rules and an
hit the tabletop, asymmetrical competitive mode that
it’s also just an makes the most of the Aliens theme,
excellent game – this expansion is the perfect sequel to
an already exceptional movie adaptation
simple as that.
– just be prepared to die a lot.
20/01/2017 16:30
 PLAYED
GAME OF THRONES: THE IRON THRONE
We find out whether the Cosmic Encounter spin-off can stand up alone
Fantasy Flight Games | £46.99 | Hand management | 3-5 players | 30-60 minutes | Age: 18+ | fantasyflightgames.com
T
his year marks the 40th
anniversary of Cosmic
Encounter, the iconic
strategy game of bluffing and
negotiation wrapped up in sci-
fi-themed hand management
mechanics, yet the title feels
just as fresh and current as it did
decades ago.
It’s likely to be with some
trepidation, then, that fans
approach The Iron Throne, the recently
released Game of Thrones spin-off
heavily based on Cosmic’s core
gameplay. If the original ain’t broke,
why fix it – except to cash in on the
popularity of the fantasy television
series? Happily, The Iron Throne ends
up being far more than a simple reskin.
Yes, the foundational gameplay
that made Cosmic such an icon of
modern board gaming is still here,
pitting players against each other
in battles to spread their influence
IF YOU LIKE COSMIC ENCOUNTER…
TRY THE IRON THRONE
The beating heart of the iconic 1977
strategy game is alive and well in this
contemporary update.
100_GameofThronesIronThroneReview_V2 MJ.indd 100
across the universe – literally in
Cosmic, figuratively in Game of
Thrones’ land of Westeros. Just as
in Cosmic, a central deck of cards
dictates which faction the active
player will have to attack that turn.
In the case of The Iron Throne, it’s
the warring Stark, Lannister,
Baratheon, Targaryen and
Tyrell families, each with their
recognisable roster of members
– leading to plenty of jokes about
which characters are most likely to
not be long for the world based on
their fate in the show.
The images on the character
cards and leader sheets are
screenshots directly taken from
the TV series, rather than the
fantastic illustrations seen in other
Game of Thrones titles such as Hand
of the King, which stand in stark
(pun unintentional) contrast to
the glorious original artwork
of Cosmic – but the designs are
otherwise clean and functional, if
a little lifeless.
Once a battle has been
declared, the attacker and
defender draw a house card
and move one power marker –
adorable plastic crowns – to one
of their four characters. Then a
single character from each house
is selected to go head-to-head
with their opponent. This is where
BOX CONTENTS the game’s magic starts to happen.
◗ 100 power markers Other players can choose to lend
◗ 25 influence tokens
◗ 25 leader sheets
their support (rather than being
◗ 18 event cards asked as in Cosmic) to the faction on
◗ 125 house cards either side of the fight, risking the
◗ Five influence boards same rewards or losses depending
◗ 25 character tokens
◗ Rulebook
on the outcome. This is crucial,
as winning a battle as an attacker
allows the spread of influence – shift
all five tokens from your board and
you win. However, support can be
refused – stopping more powerful
players from racking up influence
without opposition.
The crux of The Iron Throne’s
gameplay is – surprise, surprise – in
the encounter phase. Each active
player lays down a card from their
hand, denoting either hostility
100
or a truce. This takes place after
much discussion over the potential
outcomes of the battle, as a truce can
be beneficial for both sides if agreed
to – but if one player actually plays a
hostility card, it leads to a betrayal.
In the case of two hostility cards, it’s
a straight numerical battle of power
on each side, calculated by adding
the crowns on the participating
character to any additional power
provided by specific hostility cards.
This means that bluffing can be vital
in order to convince other players to
join your side if your hand is weak,
or to scare your opponent into a
truce. No matter the outcome, losing
halves a character’s power level – hit
zero and they die, removing them
from the game permanently. Should
all four characters on a side end up
dead (like the show, it’s a common
occurrence), it’s game over and the
most influence wins.
Complicating diplomatic efforts
are hostages, which can be taken by
winning hostility battles or being the
victim of a betrayal. At the start of a
turn, they can be released or cruelly
tormented to deal four damage to
their matching character. This makes
hostages an important bargaining
tool, which can be used to leverage
truces through trade or devastate an
opponent’s strength.
As you might expect, The Iron
Throne is best with as many players
as possible, to allow for a greater
variety of alliances and betrayals. It’s
a slicker beast than Cosmic, playing
in around half the time and resulting
in more strategic outcomes than
Cosmic’s often unpredictable chaos
due to its shifting of focus away from
powers onto tactical use of hostages
and the ability to kill characters. ■
MATT JARVIS
CONCLUSION
By introducing completely new
mechanics and evolving Cosmic
Encounter’s core gameplay in a way that
fits with the fantasy politics of its source
material, The Iron Throne rises above
being a mere rebrand to offer a unique
and gripping experience.
20/01/2017 16:32

MOB TOWN
Hire gangster animals to help you rule the city in this stylish card game
Trefl | £TBA | Area control | 2-4 players | 30-45 minutes | Age: 10+ | trefl.krakow.pl
T
he Law of Disney (we may
have just coined this) dictates
that adding anthropomorphic
animals to any genre instantly makes
that genre better.
With this in mind, we turn to Mob
Town, a crime-themed area control
card game where players battle for
domination of the titular settlement’s
various businesses by hiring a roster
of Mafia-style fauna, from rats in flat
caps and weasel to femme fatale foxes
and literal card sharks – not unlike
a lightweight tabletop crossover
of The Godfather and Disney’s
own Zootropolis.
101_MobTownReview_V3 MJ.indd 101
The city is constructed randomly
from the deck of up to 14 property
cards, each of which indicates a
direction to lay the next card. Distance
and direction matter, as players must
discard extra cards – or give them to
rival owners of businesses along the
way – to purchase buildings that are
not already adjacent to one of their
existing properties. Players can add
additional buildings to the edge of
the metropolis and instantly take
them over by spending one of three
briefcase tokens available to them – if
unspent, they are worth two points
each during the game’s score tallying.
Each turn consists of a
single action per player, which
involves either drawing
animal cards from a central
pile, trading one card to
acquire all matching animals
cards from a five-card lineup,
discarding cash to take any
two cards from the lineup
or taking over a business by
paying its cost (the number)
in cards that match either
of its two suits (animals).
The price increases by one
for every former owner
of the building, with cash
cards acting as one-value
101
wild cards. It’s a simple set of rules
enhanced immeasurably by the
bright and bold cartoon artwork of
the cards, which offer wonderfully
colourful and caricaturised takes on
the zoological stars. The buildings
aren’t as visually outstanding as the
animals, but still offer vivid hues and
some subtle wordplay along with
their atmospheric aesthetics.
Each round ends when the
law card is drawn (an Alsatian
in a police officer’s uniform,
naturally) and scores are
tallied up based on the
value of each property,
plus bonus points
for achieving player-
specific agendas, such as
owning the most gaming halls or
restaurants, two of which are selected
at the start of the game and can be
swapped at the cost of a turn.
Mob Town is relatively quick,
simple and engaging to play in
short bursts – something that its
own suggestion of three rounds,
with each new round completely
BOX CONTENTS resetting the city and property
◗ 20 property cards ownership, works against. As well
◗ 57 draw cards
◗ 48 family tokens as losing the investment you’ve
◗ Four scoring markers made in properties, playing three
◗ 12 briefcase tokens rounds for a combined final score
◗ 32 agenda cards makes the game feel repetitive,
◗ Four player aid cards
◗ Four score track cards whereas playing the three rounds
as separate matches allowed us to
greater relish the competitive aspects
of the title and enjoy it as a shorter
filler game. Still, it’s hard to complain
too much when the basic ingredients
remain so reassuringly solid. The real
crime would be to not give Mob Town
a chance. ■
MATT JARVIS
CONCLUSION
Boasting solid mechanics wrapped
up in a gloriously vivid and expressive
art style, Mob Town is an accessible
area control title with plenty to offer
as a short filler game. Just make sure
you ignore the suggestion to play three
rounds and enjoy each round as a
snappy competitive match in itself.
IF YOU LIKE POWER GRID:
THE CARD GAME…
TRY MOB TOWN
If cartoon animals is more your
style than energy plants, Mob Town
offers an area control card game
with a delightful theme.
20/01/2017 16:31
 PLAYED
Filip Neduk captures the speed and style of first-person shooter video games on the tabletop
Czech Games Edition | £47.99 | Strategy | 3-5 players | 30-60 minutes | Age: 12+ | czechgames.com
T
he relationship between
tabletop and video games
has long been an uneasy
one. Many physical takes on virtual
worlds fall prey to becoming all
style and no substance, while others
introduce convoluted or just plain
dull mechanics in an effort to simply
emulate the gameplay of their digital
counterparts without making it fun
or engaging to actually play.
Attempting to steady this rocking
boat is Adrenaline, the new title
designed by Goblins, Inc. creator Filip
Neduk and published by dependable
games outlet Czech Games Edition.
While it’s not based directly on an
existing video game, Adrenaline’s
heart clearly lies in the virtual world,
coming across as thematically and
aesthetically inspired by the vivid
palette and breakneck speed of
classic 1990s multiplayer first-person
shooters such as Quake, Unreal
Tournament and Doom rather
“Adrenaline is inspired by
classic 1990s multiplayer
shooters such as Quake.”
102_103_AdrenalineReview_V2 MJ.indd 102
ADRENALINE
BOX CONTENTS
◗ Game board (two than the slow tactical realism of The characters spawn into an
double-sided halves) modern-day successors Call of arena put together using any
◗ Double-sided game Duty and Battlefield. combination of the game board's
mode board Players control a colourful cast two double-sided halves. The rooms
◗ 21 weapon cards
◗ 36 ammo tiles of heavily-armed robots, aliens, are lit up in vibrant hues to highlight
◗ 24 power-up cards lizardmen and soldiers – although the combination of player and
◗ Ammo cubes disappointingly despite this weapon spawnpoints and ammo
(red, blue, yellow) apparent diversity the only overtly pickups available. Movement is
◗ Five player boards
◗ Five action tiles female character, Violet, still ends performed in the four cardinal
◗ Five figures up dressed in skimpy clothing and directions between squares,
◗ 120 damage tokens characterised in the rulebook by the with players able to move up to
◗ Point tokens finish of her nail polish. It’s Violet three spaces as one of their two
◗ Bot card
◗ Starting player marker who also provides fourth-wall- repeatable actions each turn – with
breaking commentary throughout the ability to pick up items or shoot
the instructions – a clear attempt to enemies being the other options.
inject some humour into learning Ready-loaded weapons are
the basics, but more than a touch obtained by paying the required
irritating and smug. If you enjoyed number of red, blue or yellow ammo
the style of self-aware jokes in video cubes, which can also be used to
games such as Borderlands, it might reload spent armaments at the end
raise a chuckle. of each turn. Ammo is acquired
■ Players
randomly from facedown cards dotted
compete to dish
out the most around the arena. This introduces a
damage and tactical consideration where swapping
kill their rivals. a powerful but empty weapon for a
102
19/01/2017 16:59
 health bar. When the bar reaches the
IF YOU LIKE DOOM: THE BOARD
skull, the player is killed and point GAME… TRY ADRENALINE
tiles are distributed depending on If you’d rather shoot your friends
which player caused the most total than work with them, and don’t mind
damage, landed the first hit dropping the recognisable weapons
and monsters of Doom, Adrenaline
and potentially achieved offers a faster way to experience first-
an overkill. The various shooter shooters on your tabletop.
bonus points on offer solve
the frustration of seeing
your hard work weakening The rulebook proposes other ways CONCLUSION
a player go to waste when someone to play in line with common modes True to its name,
Adrenaline is a thrilling
else finishes them off, while also in shooter video games, involving duel to the death (after
rewarding those who swoop in for controlling set areas or earning points death after death)
the killing blow. The defeated player by commandeering turret. There’s that embodies the
respawns instantly, but places one of also an autonomous bot for three or moment-to-moment
action and tactical
the killshot skulls on their player card, four player games, making the game depth of its video
making them worth fewer points each quite flexible and replayable. game inspirations
time they are killed. It’s a smart way Once the rules are read and the without being dragged
to discourage ganging up on one game is underway, Adrenaline flows down by overly
complex mechanics.
player, while also painting a target almost as quickly and smoothly as the Only the hackneyed
on more experienced or powerful fast-paced PC shooters it takes as its artwork and the
characters that remain more valuable. muse. The tone is a little off at points rulebook’s contrived
ready to fire gun can pay off – while After a set number of kills have and the artwork strays into cliché, humour tarnish its
polished finish.
running for the nearest ammo crate been achieved, the Final Frenzy but the mechanics at the heart of the
can land you in hot water. mode is triggered, which bumps up gameplay are a solid foundation for
There’s a healthy supply of every player’s abilities for a final turn a really fantastic experience backed
firearms, covering the FPS staples and makes characters with no injuries up by a fitting theme. You can’t help
you’d expect; rocket launchers, worth far fewer points, sparking a but feel that the game might have ■ The characters
railguns, shotguns, machine guns last-ditch rush to cash in previously benefitted from securing a well- are an interesting
bunch – but the only
and melee weapons are all present applied damage by finishing off hurt known video game licence, if only to
explicitly female
and correct. In addition, there are characters. Afterwards, points are encourage more people to play it. ■ competitor is another
also some more inventive tools, such tallied and a winner declared. MATT JARVIS stale stereotype.
as the tractor beam and power glove.
Nearly all of the guns have
alternate fire modes, which cost
extra ammo to deploy but allow you
to dish out more damage, attack
extra targets or apply special effects,
such as the ability to mark, which
causes additional damage when the
target is hit again.
While they may lack the visceral
auditory and visual pleasures of their
virtual equivalents, the weapons
still feel formidable to wield and
balanced for a variety of strategies,
from long-ranged sniping to close-
quarters combat. Power-ups gained
from ammo tiles add single-use
skills, including the ability to teleport
or push back enemies.
As you might expect, the aim of
the game is to kill your opponents,
zipping around the arena to gather
weapons and ammo to fill enemies
full of lead or whatever it is that
comes out of a railgun.
In an interesting twist, dealing
damage to an opponent means
handing over your own health tokens
to them, which fill up the rival’s

103

102_103_AdrenalineReview_V2 MJ.indd 103 19/01/2017 16:59

 PLAYED
Pandemonium, mayhem and bloodshed: it’s all in a day’s work in this fast-paced card game
Devil Pig Games | £21.50 | Hand management | 2-4 players | 20 minutes | Age: 7+ | devil-pig-games.com
I
t’s hard to truly capture the madness
of a medieval battle on the tabletop.
Miniature games tend to focus on
the high-level strategy and positioning
of troops from a general’s overhead
perspective, while other card and
board games try – with varying levels
of success – to recreate the moment-
to-moment clashing of steel, hacking
of limbs and breathless struggle for
survival in the thick of the fight. Here
we have Kharnage, a card game that by
its very name aims for the latter – albeit
with a tongue-in-cheek approach, as
its ‘Hell Yearghh!’ subtitle might imply.
Players are fighting to control a
central hilltop (indicated by a handy
‘Hill’ card) and must muster the
strength of orcs, goblins, humans and
dwarves to slaughter their rivals’ forces
and earn the most skull tokens by the
end of the fourth round.
At the beginning of each round,
every player lays down one of the six
strategy cards from their hand, which
dictates which order they play in
(based on initative), how many troops
they can deploy (drawn from either
their reserve deck or hand) and which
forces they can attack with (melee
or ranged, which are both boosted
by magic). Troops are organised into
104_KharnageReview_V2 MJ.indd 104
KHARNAGE
three rows, with bigger units such as
trolls occupying multiple rows, giving
them a nice sense of scale even while
using just cards. Each player starts
with a slightly more powerful general
card (two in the case of the goblins)
in their hand, but as the ability to play
cards from your hand is available from
the off, they feel as throwaway as any
other unit.
Once the troops are down, the
attacks are unleashed upon one or
more of your opponents. It’s as simple
as weighing up attack and defence,
with scores of troops often falling in a
single turn – don’t get too attached to
your goblin pals.
Plenty of troops are played at the
start of every round, so they feel
deliberately disposable, but it’s still
disheartening to watch your army
vanish in a matter of seconds. The
attack continues until all attack points
BOX CONTENTS are spent or the attacker is unable to
◗ 137 unit cards defeat the remaining units in a line,
◗ Five general cards
◗ Hill card needing to completely clear front lines
◗ 12 reference cards before moving backwards. Then it’s
(Four in each of the the next player’s turn, and the very
four languages) straightforward actions repeat.
◗ 28 strategy cards
◗ 18 Kharnage tokens At the end of a round, the number
◗ 12 Domination of units you’ve killed are counted and
tokens skull tokens are dished out in multiples
◗ Four rulebooks of five, three and one for the biggest,
(English, French,
German, Spanish) baddest army. Bonus Kharnage tokens
are earned for wiping out an entire
army, but only make a difference if the
final skull token scores are tied.
The artwork of the various cards
adopts an anarchic and ugly style in
keeping with the supposedly chaotic
IF YOU LIKE
FOOD FIGHT…
TRY KHARNAGE
Kharnage doesn’t
quite match Food
Fight’s fantastic art
design or hilarious
theme, but it offers
a similar frantic
card-based brawl.
104
nature of the gameplay, that we didn’t
find overly charming or enjoyable –
though if you’re a fan of the traditional
look of trolls, gnomes and so on it
might be up your street. It’s worth
mentioning quickly here that although
the game is recommended for ages
seven and up, there are multiple
heavily-sexualised women on the front
of the box and on several unit cards,
and at least one of the cards contains
a mild swearword. Your feelings on
this will likely vary, but from a design
standpoint alone we found the artwork
to be ill-fitting with the rest of the cards
and game – but just as unwelcome.
At a gameplay level, Kharnage plays
fast enough to avoid wearing
its relatively limited pool of turn
options short and deliver at least
a taste of some of its titular havoc.
Despite this, even the four turns in
each match feel largely identical, with
most battles won through lucky draws
rather than strategic planning, and the
visuals didn’t gel with us at all. Less
Kharnage, more of a shambles. ■
MATT JARVIS
CONCLUSION
Kharnage has an interesting theme and
some mildly intriguing mechanics, but
its goodwill doesn’t last long – even
for a 20-minute game. The repetitive
turns, limited options and unpleasant art
spoil what should be a fast-paced blast
of madness and make it a dreary and
humdrum experience.
20/01/2017 16:36
 DREAM HOME on top of empty rooms; helper cards
that offer extra points at the end of
the game; and roof cards, which are
Is this lightweight property design title home sweet home or a building fright? collected facedown at the bottom of
Asmodee | £24.99 | Card placement | 2-4 players | 20-40 minutes | Age: 7+ | asmodee.us your home board and can offer big
points depending on how many you

Y
ou can now file board games
alongside video game The Sims,
TV show MTV Cribs and the
Lego creations of children around
the world as making your normally
lovely abode feel like a hovel thanks to
utopian house designing card game
Dream Home.
Each players starts out with a
home board with 12 spaces – it might
seem a little backwards attempting
to plug rooms into an already fully-
constructed house, but that’s board
games for you. Each round – of which
there are also 12 – every player takes
it in turns to pick up a combination of
a resource card and a room card from
the central game board. As the cards
are arranged in columns, choosing one
card means the other comes too, with
a fifth column forgoing the resource
card in order to nab the first player
marker and get first dibs on the cards
in the next round.
Room cards are as you’d expect
– rooms. They range from kitchens,
bathrooms and living rooms to pantries
and playrooms and can be built in any
of the spaces on your individual board
with two main rules – nothing can be
built above a currently empty space (it’s
really bad for architectural integrity,
trust us) and only basement-specific
cards such as the garage can be built in
the bottom two gaps.
Each room card is worth a number
of points on its own, but can earn
maximum points when expanded
with matching cards next to it. The
number of cards required and points
on offer varies, while other rooms may
require placement next to specific
rooms – the pantry next to the kitchen,
for example.
Resource cards vary in their
usage, offering décor to kit out
rooms for extra points – by sticking
a hot tub in the bathroom, for
instance – tool cards to introduce
extra abilities, such as the ability
to deploy scaffolding and build
BOX CONTENTS have at the end of the 12th round and
◗ Four home boards whether they all match.
◗ 60 room cards Dream Home’s turn-to-turn
◗ 48 resource cards
◗ 10 décor tokens
gameplay is as simple as selecting a
◗ Game board column of cards and placing them on
◗ First player marker your home board, but it’s a delightful
◗ Four reference tiles time all the same.
◗ Score pad
◗ Rulebook
The components are all beautifully
illustrated with gorgeous images of
each room – a nice touch is that all
of the room cards are individual,
meaning that matching room types
played next to each other look like
a single connected area. The cards
and boards are finished with an
impressive level of quality given the
game’s simplicity, with even the box’s
custom inlay contributing to the
production polish.
At the end of the game, scores are
added up, with bonus points earned
for certain universal objectives – such
as having a bathroom on each floor
and building at least one kitchen,
bathroom and bedroom.
From box opening to packing away
it took us under 20 minutes, meaning
that the lightweight mechanics never
had a chance to grow stale. Instead,
the visually exuberant aesthetics and
IF YOU LIKE
accessible gameplay remained a joy to
SUSHI GO… TRY
DREAM HOME play throughout. ■
Like the delicious MATT JARVIS
card drafting hit,
Dream Home
combines simple CONCLUSION
mechanics and It’s unlikely to make a regular appearance
enchanting artwork on game night, but if you have kids and
in order to create are looking for something to play that’s
a thoroughly a genuine delight, Dream Home is a fun,
good time. fast and visually charming pick. There
should be one in every home.

105

105_DreamHomeReview_V3 MJ.indd 105 20/01/2017 16:51

 PLAYED
Oh no, the nanopocalypse is here! Luckily, we’ve stashed
this dice-driven deckbuilder in our fallout shelter
Bezier Games | £59.95 | Dicebuilder | 1-4 players
60 minutes | Age: 13+ | beziergames.com
“
E
ighty years after the
nanopocalypse, Earth is
mostly ruins.” Colony sets out
its stricken post-apocalyptic universe
by coining perhaps one of the most
ridiculous phrases ever printed. Yet
the dice-powered card game quickly
overcomes its thematic stumble out
of the gate to offer one of the most
original deckbuilding titles around.
Players are colony leaders
attempting to build up their
settlements and earn a pre-set
amount of victory points, obtained
by constructing and upgrading
particular buildings before their
rivals. What do victory points count
for in a world devastated by whatever
a nanopocalypse is, you ask? Shut up
and roll your dice already.
Colony’s dice come in two forms,
with standard white cubes depicting
‘stable’ resources and grey D6
106_107_colonyReview_V2 MJ.indd 106
COLONY
symbolising ‘unstable’ materials
that return to the central pool at the
end of a player’s turn if left unspent.
It’s a fun way of introducing some
extra strategy into each decision
and encouraging players to swap up
to three of their ‘CHIPI’ tokens for
unstable dice when attempting to
roll for something specific.
At the beginning of each round,
the first player rolls three dice from
the supply and selects one die to
keep stored in their ‘warehouse’
– where unused stable resources
are kept between rounds with their
faces unchanged. The remaining
dice are then passed around the rest
of the players, each choosing one
to keep (in four-player games, the
final player gets a CHIPI in place
of a die). The unique mechanic
results in a dice game that acts to
somewhat counteract a purely luck-
106
based focus while also introducing
social elements between players
that aim to pop the often self-
contained individual bubble of many
deckbuilding titles.
Warehouse dice are cashed in
for a variety of buildings, contacts
and abilities, from scrap shacks
and robbers to barricades and
even uranium mines. Each card is
added to the player’s initial starting
colony of four cards (providing the
basic abilities to build, upgrade
and so on) and can be activated
on following turns by spending the
corresponding dice results, allowing
the acquisition of extra dice and
cards, performing attacks on rival
towns and various other actions.
Basic cards, which are used to
acquired unstable dice of a specific
face, remain constantly available in
every game, while the seven variable
cards up for purchase differ between
matches and are decided upon
during setup, introducing a nice
spread of variety and replayability.
Each of the variable cards is also
colour-coded to reflect a different
play style – conflict, economy,
defence, resource production and
so on – meaning games can be
handily tweaked with little effort
to suit the group’s preferences.
We’ll add here that the box inlay
is exactly as you’d want it to be,
offering a Dominion-like set of rows
to separate each type of card and a
BOX CONTENTS cardboard runner to easily identify
◗ 30 white dice specific cards.
◗ 12 grey dice
Improving cards is performed by
◗ 27 CHIPI tokens
◗ Double-sided cashing in the correct run of dice
scoreboard to match the upgrade card, which
◗ Four score markers itself can be upgraded. Upgrading
◗ 16 starting cards
normally results in each card
◗ Eight fallout
shelter cards offering more victory points, as well
◗ 30 basic as improving its action – offering
production cards permanent stable resources instead
◗ 12 variable trade cards
of unstable resources, for instance.
◗ 12 variable attack cards
◗ 12 variable other cards Although upgrading is key to
◗ 12 variable receiving more dice each turn – and
production cards therefore having more resources
◗ 28 variable
to spend – the artwork for each
exchange cards
◗ 16 variable card’s improved side is often
defense cards laughably minor compared to its
◗ 20 variable basic appearance, dampening the
paragon cards
excitement of building up your
settlement. The robot shown on the
upgrade card itself simply holds two
spanners instead of one, while the
pirate gains a serrated bayonet – but
19/01/2017 17:15
 loses an eye, presumably ruining his
depth perception.
In general, the components are
of a fine quality – although the same
cannot be said of the art direction.
Every card prominently features
artwork depicting the structures of the
wasteland, but the graphics resemble
the computer-rendered backgrounds
of 1980s and ‘90s FMV video games
and roundly look a bit naff – though
there are a couple of more artistic
exceptions. The CHIPI tokens, which
are essentially miniature cardboard
CDs, similarly look a tad rubbish
in their neo-retro appearance; it’s
hard to tell if the outdated sci-fi
aesthetic was a deliberate choice
but, regardless, it just didn’t work
for us. Oddly, some cards depict the
futuristic tech of mechs, personal
forcefields and clinically white protein
labs while others show dilapidated
shacks, boarded windows and – in
one case – literally just a pile of
cardboard boxes. It’s a disparate mix
that undermines the otherwise strong
link between the title's mechanics and
its solid post-apocalyptic theme (even
if nanopocalypse is a silly attempt
to make it sound more original).
106_107_colonyReview_V2 MJ.indd 107
The design fares better, with clear
fonts and symbols to communicate
the dice needed and text instructions
that are easy to understand.
As the game progresses, players
receive and roll more and more dice,
trading matching results and other
combinations for specific dice results
and an engaging mixture of card-
specific abilities – in one example,
dice can be stored in the prize safe
to convert the lowest value stored to
victory points. Another key card is the
expensive fallout shelter, which – like
a run of Monopoly stations – is worth
more with every matching building
you construct – and becomes even
more valuable when upgraded.
One particularly intriguing rule is
that a player can choose to discard one
of their constructed buildings (and
lose the associated victory points) in
order to receive a number of stable
resource dice equal to the difference
between their score and that of the
current leader – allowing the potential
to close the gap later in the game by
risking victory points for additional
dice rolls. It’s a deliberate effort to
counteract the potential for big gaps
in the scoring and avoid lower-scoring
107
IF YOU LIKE
QUARRIORS!…
TRY COLONY
If the mashup
of dice rolling
and deckbuilding
in Quarriors! struck
a chord with you,
Colony is a fresh
take on the
hybrid formula.
players losing faith and throwing in ■ Above left: CHIPI
the towel with a rule that works both tokens can be exchanged
for unstable resources.
thematically and mechanically –
something not seen enough in games.
It may fall down in the visuals
CONCLUSION
department, but Colony has enough
The style and
going for it to offer a distinctive and artwork may be a
enjoyable combination of dice rolling tad inconsistent
and deckbuilding. There are enough and often downright
disappointing, but
cards to provide plenty of variety for
Colony’s core gameplay
future matches (publisher Bezier substance and solid
Games also offers a fantastic free concept allow it to
mobile app to randomise variable stand out as a unique
and smartly-designed
card selections with a generous
dicebuilder with plenty
handful of customisation options) of tactical options, the
and the core engine chugs along at right balance of luck
a consistent enough pace to keep and strategy, and loads
of replayability thanks
players engaged and rolling until
to the diverse range of
another nanopocalypse arrives. cards and the brilliant
MATT JARVIS companion app.
23/01/2017 11:05
 GAMES AND ACCESSORIES
UNUSUAL SUSPECTS
Cranio Creations/CMON | £27.99 | Party | 3-16 players
20 minutes | Age: 14+ | craniocreations.com
T
here are some games
that wear their offensive
and controversial nature
on their sleeve, such as Cards
Against Humanity and its
gasp- and giggle-inducing
white answer cards. Then there
are games that at first appear
seemingly innocuous but slowly
sneak in a guilty feeling that
what you’re saying, thinking and
doing is oh-so wrong – yet you
can’t help yourself.
Unusual Suspects fits firmly
in the second category. Arriving
in a box filled with rudimentary
components – three smallish
decks of cards and a notepad –
the game is initially pitched as a
more advanced version of Guess
Who?, with one silent witness
answering yes/no interrogations
to guide the remaining detectives
towards the guilty thief hidden in
a grid of 12 faces.
Only, unlike Guess Who?, the
question cards don’t concern
the suspects’ looks. At least,
not explicitly. Instead, they
concern habitual factors: do
they eat fast food? Would they
ride a bike to work? Do they
like scary movies? The problem
is you only have their mugshots
to base the habits on. It’s a literal
108_109_miniReviews_V2 MJ.indd 108
case of judging people by
their appearance.
Yes, you do feel guilty every
time you eliminate an innocent
bystander because their rather
more portly frame doesn’t fit
the profile of the sports-crazed
criminal, or when you nail the
felon because their unkempt
hairdo outlines them as a
convention-dwelling dweeb. Still,
the guilt is quickly overridden
by the fun of coming up with
increasingly detailed backstories
for each of the textless character
cards and the knowledge that
– at least as a detective – you’re
not the only morally corrupt
individual in the room.
The only real knock against
the set is its rather steep RRP for
such a lean set of box contents –
which would be partially solved
by the removal of the essentially
pointless notepad, which can
be used to score games (but
the matches move so quickly
there’s little point). Yet with
such a simple set of mechanics
and components providing
such a good time – even at
the (temporary) cost of your
ethics – it’s the definition of
a guilty pleasure. ■
MATT JARVIS
108
NOT ALONE
Geek Attitude | £19.99 | Hand management | 2-7 players
30-45 minutes | Age: 10+ | geekattitudegames.com
C
hanneling the humans-being-hunted theme of film classics such
as Alien, Predator and The Thing is Not Alone, a compact card
game that sees one player take on the role of a mysterious beast
chasing down a gang of up to six of their friends.
Both the beast and the human explorers are trapped on a planet with ten
locations, represented by cards with bright and beautiful artwork, avoiding
the clichéd muted and metallic palettes of so many space-set games.
Each turn, the players lay one of the location cards in their hands
facedown – to begin they only have half of the habitats available – to reflect
their movement. Each location provides a specific power, such as The
Rover’s ability to access unexplored areas for the chance to pick up survival
cards, which have a number of useful effects.
The humans can discuss where they are going out loud, but it's best to avoid
it because the beast is on their tail and gets to select the location they will visit
afterwards. When the players’ cards are revealed, they activate any powers at
their location – except if the beast dwells there or has affected the region with
one of its hunt cards or tokens. If the beast lands on a player, the player loses
a will cube. Lose all three and the beast moves forward a space on the central
tracker board. Humans move forward at the end of each round, or when they
activate particular powers. The first team to reach the win space, wins.
It’s as simple as that, with the beast trying to second-guess the players’
movement, which becomes more limited as they use location cards to
move – having to spend will cubes or risk visiting the beast’s lair (where
being caught means losing an extra will) to pick up their discard pile.
The combined hand management and hidden movement mechanics
are smartly implemented, and the cards are beautifully illustrated, but
too often the game depends on wild guesswork on the part of the beast
player and discourages the human players from discussing their strategies,
resulting in a rock-paper-scissors approach to laying cards. A shame, as the
theme and appearance really are excellent. ■
MATT JARVIS
20/01/2017 16:51
 SIDEWINDER
80+ DECK CASE
Ultimate Guard | £TBC | ultimateguard.com
S
torage specialist Ultimate
Guard has done it again
with a quality deck case
for CCG and card game fans.
The 80+ SideWinder case –
the variation we demoed – will
hold up to 80 double-sleeved
standard size cards or more
than 100 single-sleeved cards,
while the bigger 100+ will – you
guessed it – take up to 100
double-sleeved cards.
In contrast to many of
Ultimate Guard’s other
deck storage products, the
SideWinder is more horizontally
orientated, with generous
cutouts on each long side to
make removing the sideways
cards easy.
On the outside of the box
is Ultimate Guard’s XenoSkin
material, a faux-leatherish
material scored with a fine
cross-hatch pattern. The upshot
is that the case feels both solid
and secure to hold, with a firm
grip all-round.
Inside, the cover is stitched to
a microfiber lining which covers
the entire tri-fold lid and the
hole for the cards. Both materials
108_109_miniReviews_V2 MJ.indd 109
are thick and well stitched,
lending the whole case a feeling
of quality and durability – at
least in the time we tried it.
The microfiber skin aims to
reduce slippage of cards – for
example, when the unfolded
lid is used as a card stack – and
we found this to be true, being
able to remove the deck easily
and stack it without suffering
unwanted sliding.
Four magnets hold the lid
shut, and slap down with a very
satisfying level of strength when
closed. The lid is very secure – we
put a deck inside and shook the
case pretty vigorously as a quick
test and happily avoided playing
52-Card Pickup.
The case is available in a wide
spectrum of colour options,
from bold reds and blues and
the intense yellow of the amber
variant (admittedly, the one
letdown of our particular case)
we tried out to more understated
black, white, grey and sand
tones. Whatever your pick, it’s
a fine way of keeping your
cards protected. ■
MATT JARVIS
109
DRAGON SHIELD
CARD SLEEVES
Arcane Tinmen | £6.95 (100 pack) | arcanetinmen.dk
I
f you’re looking to protect your trading cards, Dragon Shield’s
colourful range of sleeves are up towards the more costlier end of
the scale at around 7p per sleeve – but, as is often the way, you get
what you pay for.
We took a look at two of the company’s 100-card standard size
sleeve packs: the Petrol Matte blue variant and the Crimson Classic in
red. Both are £6.95 here in the UK.
The backs of both sleeve types are opaque and coloured in their
respective vivid hues, which pop beautifully. The Classic sleeves are
glossy and smooth, and a tiny bit more transparent on the reverse than
the textured Matte sleeves, the blue of which is a slightly deeper shade.
Both sleeves seal nicely around standard-sized cards (such as those
used in Magic: The Gathering) with a tiny bit of wiggle room inside the
sleeves – Dragon Shield products have long been a notoriously tight fit
when double-sleeved, for better and worse.
Both sleeves are comfortable to pick up and shuffle, with the Matte
gaining an obvious advantage when it comes to grip – just watch for
collected finger grime in years to come. Meanwhile, the shiny Classic backs
are more prone to dinks and scratches, but that shouldn’t be a problem
when treated with the right amount of care. We also put both sleeves
through their paces when it comes to splitting, giving them a strenuous
amount of testing to simulate longer-term use and abuse; we’re happy
to say that both remained secure with no sign of the dreaded separation.
The overall premium quality of the sleeves is even reflected in their
boxes, constructed from sturdy thick card and illustrated on the front
with fantastic illustrations of dragons, whose biographies (‘Abigan
the Morose’ and ‘Arteris the Passion’) are written out on the back. The
tops of the boxes have blank lines for you to write labels and use the
packaging as extra deck storage, which is a nice touch. ■
MATT JARVIS
19/01/2017 17:17
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TTGSubsDPS.indd 111 23/01/2017 12:21

 HOBBY TIPS

PAINTING GUIDE: JIM HENSON’S

LABYRINTH:
THE BOARD GAME To show what I mean let's take a look at Jim
Henson's Labyrinth: The Board Game from
River Horse.
Bring some magic to the cult movie’s tabletop adaptation The game comes with five characters
from the popular ‘80s movie: Jareth, the
with these instructions to painting the included miniatures goblin king; Sarah; Hoggle; and Ludo and Sir
Didymus. Each one is a single plastic piece
of its lead heroes and David Bowie’s goblin king Jareth and, as a result, the quality and detail is not
Words and pictures by Andy Leighton so great, but not when compared with figures
from other board games. However, they

T
his issue’s guide is a great opportunity
to show off a different element of
miniature painting. When most
people talk about this variety of painting
they think of tabletop wargaming; not often
do people think of board games. Whilst
a good chunk do make use of meeples or
card tokens, a great many include plastic
miniatures and these are a great opportunity
to add a special touch to that board game.
have done a fantastic job of imbuing them
with all the characteristics of their movie
counterparts, meaning instant recognition
if you're a fan of the film. Let's take a look at
how I painted them...

WHAT PAINTS WILL YOU NEED?

'Ardcoat Evil Sun Scarlet Rhinox Hide
Abaddon Black Guilliman Blue Russ Grey
Agrax Jokearo Orange Screaming Skull
Earthshade Kantor Blue Seraphim Sepia
Auric Armour Kislev Flesh Sotek Green
Gold Leadbelcher The Fang
Bloodletter Lothern Blue Ulthuan Grey
Bugmans Glow Mechanicus Warpstone Glow
Cadian Standard Grey White Scar
Fleshtone Moot Green XV-88
Caledor Sky Nuln Oil Yriel Yellow
Celestra Grey Pallid Wych Zamesi Desert
Dawnstone Flesh Zandri Dust
Doombull Brown Pink Horror

112

113_117_hobbyTips_V3 MJ.indd 112 20/01/2017 16:58

 JARETH, THE GOBLIN KING
Stage 1 Stage 10 Stage 19 Stage 22
Begin Jareth by Add one part of Add a final lighter Paint the eyes with
basecoating his Pallid Wych Flesh highlight of pure White Scar and a
trousers with to the previous Pallid Wych Flesh. dot of Abaddon
Celestra Grey. mix. Add a fine Focus on the Black. Add a dash
highlight along the areas highlighted of Pallid Wych
centre and top of in the last stage. Flesh to the centre
1 10 the previous stage. 19 22 of the black flicks.

Stage 2 Stage 11 Stage 20 Stage 23

Once the Basecoat Jareth's Basecoat the hair Add a wash of
basecoat is dry pendant with XV88. with a coat of Agrax Earthshade
add a wash of Zamesi Desert. over the entire hair.
Seraphim Sepia.

2 11 20 23

Stage 3 Stage 12 Stage 21 Stage 24

Once the wash Make a mix of one Use Nuln Oil to Add a layer of
is dry add a part XV88 and one shade in a star in Zamesi Desert
layer of Celestra part Yriel Yellow the centre of the over the hair. Focus
Grey. Leave the and add a layer hair spreading out, on each strand of
recessed areas the to the pendant, plus flicks over hair, leaving the
original colour. leaving the centre the eyebrows. recesses dark.
3 12 the base colour. 21 24

Stage 4 Stage 13
Add a highlight Add a highlight
of Ulthuan Grey, along the edges
focusing on the of the pendant
raised areas with Yriel Yellow.
created with the
last stage.
4 13

Stage 5 Stage 14
Basecoat Jareth's Make a mix of one
shirt with a coat part Yriel Yellow
of Celestra Grey. and one part White
Scar and add a
final highlight to
each corner of
5 14 the pendant.

Stage 6 Stage 15
Add a layer of Finally add a dot
Ulthuan Grey, of pure White Scar
leaving only the to each corner of
recesses the the pendant.
original colour.

6 15

Stage 7 Stage 16
Add a final Basecoat all of the
highlight of White flesh with a coat of
Scar, focusing Kislev Flesh.
only on the edges
and the folds.
7 16

Stage 8 Stage 17
Basecoat Jareth's Make a mix of
waistcoat with two parts Kislev
Rhinox Hide. Flesh to one part
Pallid Wych Flesh.
Apply a layer over
the basecoat.
8 17

Stage 9 Stage 18
Make a mix of two Mix one parts
parts Rhinox Hide Kislev Flesh to two
to one part XV88. parts Pallid Wych
Add a highlight Flesh. Highlight the
along the folds of raised areas of the
the waistcoat. face and knuckles.
9 18 ▶

113

113_117_hobbyTips_V3 MJ.indd 113 20/01/2017 16:58

 HOBBY TIPS

JARETH, THE GOBLIN KING CONTINUED... LUDO

Stage 25 Stage 30 Stage 35 Stage 1
Make a mix of Add one part Add another part Begin by giving
one part Zamesi Celestra Grey of Screaming Skull all of the areas of
Desert and one to the previous to the previous fur a basecoat of
part Pallid Wych mix and add a mix and add a Doombull Brown.
Flesh. Highlight final highlight the final highlight to
the lower half of same areas as the bone sections.
25 the hair strands. 30 the last stage. 35 1

Stage 26 Stage 31 Stage 36 Stage 2

Add a final Wash the cloak Basecoat the orb Give the whole
highlight of pure and the boots with a coat of of the fur a wash
Pallid Wych Flesh with a light coat Ulthuan Grey. with Nuln Oil.
to the bottom of Nuln Oil.
quarter of each
strand of hair.
26 31 36 2

Stage 27 Stage 32 Stage 37 Stage 3

Basecoat the Basecoat the Add a glaze of Give all of the fur
cloak, boots bones on the Guilliman Blue to a drybrush with
and cane with back of the cloak the orb once the Doombull Brown.
Abaddon Black. and Jareth's basecoat is dry.
shoulders, as well
as the cane, with
27 32 Doombull Brown. 37 3

Stage 28 Stage 33 Stage 38 Stage 4

Mix two parts Once the Once the glaze Mix one part
Mechanicus basecoat is dry is dry, apply a Doombull Brown
Standard Grey and apply a wash of layer of Ulthuan and one part Evil
one part Sotek Agrax Earthshade. Grey to the orb, Suns Scarlet. Apply
Green. Highlight the Once this is dry focusing only on a light drybrush
sharp edges of the add a further the top half. across the fur.
28 cloak and boots. 33 wash of Nuln Oil. 38 4

Stage 29 Stage 34 Stage 39 Stage 5

Add one part Mix one part Rhinox Finally add a layer Highlight the fur
Dawnstone to Hide and one part of White Scar, with Jokearo
the previous mix. Screaming Skull focusing only on Orange. Try to
Highlight meeting and highlight the the top quarter of highlight each
edges and any top bone sections. the orb. strand of fur to
large folds. bring them out.
29 34 39 5

SARAH
Stage 1 Stage 4 Stage 7
Begin Sarah by Basecoat Sarah's Basecoat Sarah's
basecoating her shirt using waistcoat with
jeans with a coat Celestra Grey. two parts Auric
of Kantor Blue. Armour Gold, one
part Leadbelcher
and one part
1 4 7 Pallid Wych Flesh.

Stage 2 Stage 5 Stage 8

Add a layer of Add a layer of Slightly water
The Fang leaving Ulthuan Grey, down some
the recesses the leaving only Rhinox Hide and
base colour. the deepest add some curls
recesses the to the front of
original colour. the waistcoat.
2 5 8

Stage 3 Stage 6 Stage 9

Add a highlight Add a final Add five parts
of Russ Grey, highlight of White water to the
focusing on the Scar, focusing on original waistcoat
edges below the raised areas base colour and
the recesses and folds. add as a glaze
left during the over the front of
3 last stage. 6 9 the waistcoat.

114

113_117_hobbyTips_V3 MJ.indd 114 20/01/2017 16:59

 Stage 6 Stage 11 TECHNIQUE –
Mix one part Add another
Jokearo Ornage part of Pallid DRYBRUSHING
and one part Pallid Wych Flesh Drybrushing is a quick and easy
Wych Flesh. Add to the mix method of adding shading,
a final highlight to and add particularly on any rough
the ends of each another surface such as fur. The only
6 strand of fur. 11 highlight. things you need are a drybrush
and a piece of tissue. Here's a
Stage 7 Stage 12 simple guide to how it is done...
Apply a very Use pure
light glaze of Pallid Wych
Bloodletter Flesh for a
across the final highlight.
entirety of the fur. Dot this
onto the very
7 12 highest ridges

Stage 8 Stage 13 Stage 1 Instead of applying

Basecoat Ludo's Make a glaze using paint straight to the miniature
skin and horns five parts water to instead brush across a piece of
with a coat of one part Doombull tissue until there appears to be
Rhinox Hide. Brown and apply very little paint on the brush.
over all of the flesh.
Add a wash of Nuln
8 13 Oil to the horns.

Stage 9 Stage 14 Stage 16

Mix one part Rhinox Basecoat the Add a fine
Hide and two teeth and nails highlight of
parts Mechanicus with XV88. Screaming Skull
Standard Grey. to the tips of the
Apply over the teeth and nails. Stage 2 Pull the brush across
flesh, hands, the miniature. You'll notice
9 fingers and horn. 14 16 the paint only being applied
to the raised areas and only
Stage 10 Stage 15 Stage 17 in very small amounts.
Add one part of Add a layer of Paint the eyes
Pallid Wych Flesh Zamesi Desert with White Scar.
to the previous to the nails and Paint a circle in
mix and highlight horns, leaving the top centre with
the top edges of the roots the Doombull Brown
the features. original colour. and add a pupil with
10 15 17 Abaddon Black.

Stage 3 This gives a good

look with minimal effort.
You can even add some
highlights over the top using
the same technique or
experiment with the amount
of paint on the brush.

Stage 10 Stage 13 Stage 16 Stage 19

Paint the buttons Mix one part Mix one part Rhinox Basecoat the boots
of the waistcoat Kislev Flesh and Hide and one with a coat of
with Abaddon one part Pallid part Mechanicus Doombull Brown.
Black and the Wych Flesh. Add Standard Grey.
buttons of a highlight to the Highlight the
the shirt with ridges of the face tips and roots
10 White Scar. 13 and fingers. 16 of the hair. 19

Stage 11 Stage 14 Stage 17 Stage 20

Basecoat the Add another one Add one part Add a layer of
flesh with part of Pallid Celestra Grey XV88, leaving
Cadian Fleshtone. Wych Flesh to the to the mix and the recesses the
mix. Highlight the add a dot to the base colour.
knuckles, as well tips and roots
as the eyebrows of the hair.
11 14 and nose. 17 20

Stage 12 Stage 15 Stage 18 Stage 21

Add a layer of Paint the eyes with Apply a wash of Add a final fine
Kislev Flesh, White Scar and add Nuln Oil over the highlight of Zandri
leaving the a dot of Abaddon entire hair. Dust, focusing on
recesses the Black for the the top edges.
original colour. pupils. Basecoat
the hair with
12 15 Abaddon Black. 18 21 ▶

115

113_117_hobbyTips_V3 MJ.indd 115 20/01/2017 16:59

 HOBBY TIPS

HOGGLE
Stage 1 Stage 5
Begin by giving Add one part
Hoggle's skin Pallid Wych
and trousers a Flesh to the
basecoat of XV88. previous mix
and apply a final
highlight over the
1 5 previous layer.

Stage 2 Stage 6
Apply a wash of Paint the eyes
Agrax Earthshade with a base
over these sections. of White Scar,
followed by a dot
of Abaddon Black
for the pupils.
2 6

Stage 3 Stage 7
Apply a layer of Basecoat
Bugmans Glow Hoggle's shirt
over the skin with a coat of
areas, leaving Screaming Skull.
the recesses the
original colour.
3 7

Stage 4 Stage 8
Mix one part Apply a layer
Bugmans Glow and of Pallid Wych
one part Cadian Flesh over the
Fleshtone. Highlight base, leaving
any raised areas, the recesses the
plus the knuckles original colour.
4 and fingers. 8

SIR DIDYMUS & AMBROSIUS

Stage 1 Stage 5 Stage 9 Stage 13
Begin by giving Highlight the top Add a layer of XV88 Highlight each
Ambrosius a of the nose and fur to the border of the blanket block and
basecoat with on the ears with blanket and each the clothes. Use
Celestra Grey. Dawnstone. Add arm. Leave only Evil Sun Scarlet,
Mephiston Red to the very recesses Lothern Blue and
the tongue. the base colour. Moot Green.
1 5 9 13

Stage 2 Stage 6 Stage 10 Stage 14

Add highlight Add a highlight of
of Ulthuan Grey Celestra Grey to
to the top half the top of the nose
of each section and ears. Paint a
of fur. layer of Pink Horror
onto the tongue.
2 6 10
Mix one part Add the heraldry
XV88 and one on the blanket. Use
part Yriel Yellow. the same colours
Highlight the as the last stage
sections in the but also White Scar
previous coat. and Yriel Yellow.
14

Stage 3 Stage 7 Stage 11 Stage 15

Add a fine Basecoat Sir Highlight the Add some detailing
highlight of White Didymus, as well sections using Yriel to the heraldry.
Scar to only the as the blanket, yellow. Add a line Add a touch of
very top of each with XV88. along the front and water to the paint
section of fur. top of the blanket, and use the finest
plus the arm cloth. brush available.
3 7 11 15

Stage 4 Stage 8 Stage 12 Stage 16

Basecoat the Give all of the Basecoat the Add a coat of
nose and tongue sections painted blanket and clothes Bloodletter
with Abaddon with XV88 sections. Use over all of Sir
Black and the ears a wash with Mephiston Red, Didymus' fur.
with Mechanicus Agrax Earthshade. Calidor Sky and
Standard Grey. Warpstone Glow.
4 8 12 16

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 Stage 9 Stage 13 Stage 17 Stage 21
Add a final Add one part of Apply a layer of Basecoat Hoggle's
highlight to the White Scar to the Zamesi Desert hair with a coat
shirt with White mix and apply a over the trousers, of Dawnstone.
Scar, focusing final highlight to leaving the
only on the the top edges recesses the
raised ridges and raised folds original colour.
9 and top edges. 13 of the waistcoat. 17 21

Stage 10 Stage 14 Stage 18 Stage 22

Apply a basecoat of Add a basecoat of Apply a highlight Add lines of
Jokearo Orange to Doombull Brown of Zandri Dust to Celestra Grey
Hoggle's waistcoat. to Hoggle's the tops of any vertically down
bandolier and edges and folds the hair.
skull cap. in the trousers.

10 14 18 22

Stage 11 Stage 15 Stage 19 Stage 23

Give the waistcoat Mix one part Add a highlight Add a highlight of
a wash with Doombull Brown of Mechanicus Ulthuan Grey to
Agrax Earthshade. and one part Standard Grey the hair. Follow
Pallid Wych to the edges of the lines from the
Flesh. Add a layer the boots. last stage, but
to the bandolier only apply to the
11 15 and skull cap. 19 23 bottom half.

Stage 12 Stage 16 Stage 20

Mix two parts Add another one Follow this up
Jokearo Orange part Pallid Wych with a highlight
and one part Flesh to the mix of Dawnstone.
Screaming Skull. and apply a final Apply over the
Layer over the highlight to the previous highlight
basecoat, avoiding bandolier and but leave a little
12 the recesses. 16 skull cap. 20 around the edges.

BASES
I wanted to keep the bases fairly
simple so as not to distract from the
model. Since they were sculpted to
appear to be on wooden plinths, I
decided to stick with that...
Stage 17 Stage 21 Stage 1
Add a layer of Add a layer of Begin by giving
Jokearo Orange. Zandri Dust to the entire base
Paint each strand the facial hair. a coat of
of hair on the tail Doombull Brown.
with this layer.
17 21 1

Stage 18 Stage 22 Stage 2

Mix two parts Line the fur of Once the base
Jokearo Orange the facial hair coat is dry, give
and one part with Pallid the whole thing
White Scar Wych Flesh. a wash with
and add a fine Agrax Earthshade.
highlight to the fur.
18 22 2

Stage 19 Stage 23 Stage 3

Add one part Add a highlight Make sure
White Scar to to the facial the last stage
the previous mix fur with White is dry before
and add a final Scar. Focus this giving the whole
highlight to layer towards the thing a glaze
the fur. roots. of Bloodletter.
19 23 3

Stage 20 Stage 24 Stage 4

To finish off Paint the eye Add a coat of
the fur give it with White 'Ardcoat to give
all a glaze Scar. Add the them a polished
of Bloodletter. wood look.
pupil, eyepatch
and nose with
20 24 Abaddon Black. 4

117

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 THE DUNGEON MASTER'S GUIDE TO...

BUILDING AN
RPG CAMPAIGN
Our new regular column will focus specifically on providing tips, guidance and advice to RPG Dungeon
Masters as they create their own worlds in which to run campaigns. Some of the advice will be specific
to the fifth edition of Dungeons & Dragons, but the majority of the concepts are applicable to any setting,
game or ruleset that you prefer. In the first entry in the series, we take a look at high-level world-building
Words by David Jagneaux

W
elcome to the first iteration of
The Dungeon Master’s Guide to
Building an RPG Campaign!
Roleplaying games come in all shapes, sizes
and subgenres, as do the DMs that run them.
But a common thread that runs through all
of those games and all of those players is the
need for a believable and articulated world.
Building a world as the DM is about much
more than coming up with a plot for the
players to follow. Whereas something like a
book or film is linear and has defined plot
points, the moment you give players agency
in a world you invite variability.
“I don’t want to follow this lead right now,
can we go explore in the forest to the south
instead first?” someone might ask. “Surely I can
buy a horse somewhere in this town. You said it
was a major trading hub in the region, right?”
That could be a bit of a curveball.
As a DM, if you’re working on a custom
campaign, there are a lot of questions you
need to answer, all of which should not only
help you prepare for these kinds of surprise
scenarios, but should help the world as a
whole feel more realistic and believable.
The first edition of this column will focus
specifically on the high-level aspects of
world-building, which includes, but is not
limited to, establishing the setting for your
campaign, deciding on the themes and
planning out the large-scale events that take
place around and because of the characters.

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 GETTING STARTED WITH
WORLD-BUILDING
All good campaigns will take a players-first
approach in their storytelling, allowing the
characters to be the catalysts for events,
rather than simple passive bystanders to the
occurrences of the world. Before you can
start thinking about how players interact with
your setting, you’ve got to build the setting
itself first.
Before you actually do any of that, we’d
highly recommend talking to your players.
Basic questions like whether they prefer
traditional fantasy, a bit of sci-fi mixed in or
something with horror elements will go a
long way towards informing the type of
world you build. Beyond that, asking
whether or not you need to actually create “Keeping the
an entire new world or if you just want to
use an existing setting, such as the Forgotten players at the
Realms from Dungeons & Dragons, and just
creating a new nation or region within that centre of
established lore. Often times, it works best
when you combine two otherwise disparate the experience is
settings or genres together.
Regardless of which approach you take, important for them
there are two fundamental approaches to
world-building that we’ll refer to as top-down to have fun and
or bottom-up.
want to continue.”

Images: Wizards of the Coast.

A top-down method means you look at the
big picture first; how was the world created?
What are the major events over the course
of the years? What are the major features of
the land? What is the system of government?
What are the major political or military
conflicts? These are all very big-picture
questions that will trickle down to informing
how the rest of the world is structured.
A bottom-up attitude is the flip side of
this arrangement. Start by looking at where
the players begin their journey in a specific
region, town or even building. What are
their goals? Who is around them? What are
the breadcrumbs you’ve laid to motivate
their adventures?
Alternatively, you could take a more
dynamic and hybridised approach. Try
deciding on the core questions at a very high
level and get an idea of what the world is like,
which could even include drawing maps,
but then zoom into the players and build out
their immediate area before worrying about
the world at large. This also has the benefit of
letting you make more decisions on the fly as
the campaign starts.
DESIGNING A PLAYERS-
FIRST ENVIRONMENT
When you’re crafting an original universe
like this it can be easy to get caught up in
the excitement of theorising an entire
world just from your own imagination.
You’ll want to craft the details of every
thing and person in it, which can
sometimes lead you to lose sight of
the players themselves.
As proud as you are of the setting
you’ve built, it’s vital to remember
that keeping the players at the centre of
the experience is important for them to
have fun and want to continue playing.
Otherwise it’s going to feel like they just
happened to stumble into something that
has nothing to do with them and, despite
how much more realistic that would be,
it’s a bad way to tell a story in an RPG.
Try to put yourselves in your players’
boots. If you were playing a custom
campaign that someone built, how much
extra flavour and colour would you want
to hear about unwillingly? It’s one thing if
players seek a library and want to learn
about the world, or talk to the townsfolk
about things. But it’s something else
entirely if you’re too heavy-handed with
your lore and details. Always make the
players the real stars of the story.
THE ESSENTIALS FOR A
BELIEVABLE WORLD
That covers the basics of what you need to
keep in mind when constructing a world,
but there are a few core ideals you should
remain aware of while you’re building out
your setting. For example, you want it to be as
believable as possible.
That means thinking about the economy
and what the most heavily traded goods are,
how crime and punishment are handled, as
well as the actual climate and topography. Is
it always raining, snowing or windy? Does the
sun never rise, or do the clouds never part?
What do people eat? Do people keep pets
and, if so, what creatures? What are the roles
of magic, science and technology?
Figuring out the answers to all of these
questions is an important starting point for
the creation of any new world for a campaign,
or even iterating on an existing setting. ■
Check back in the next issue for a new entry in
The Dungeon Master’s Guide to Building an RPG
Campaign. In that column we will focus on more
specific details and begin building out a sample
world to use as an example.

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EVENT REPORT
DRAGONMEET
Chris Birch, founder of Dragonmeet organiser Modiphius, discusses
the growing diversity of London’s ‘friendliest gaming event’
For the uninitiated, what is Dragonmeet?
Dragonmeet is a yearly convention that brings
London the best the UK and beyond has to
offer from the spheres of roleplaying games,
board games and tabletop wargaming.
It’s held in December, in a beautiful hotel in
Hammersmith, West London and hosts trade
stands, organised roleplaying games, board
games, miniatures games and card games,
and a space for gamers to just meet and play
games they’ve brought along.
What makes the event different to other
gaming conventions?
Dragonmeet is London’s premier gaming
event, and is often cited as ‘London’s
friendliest gaming event,’ boasting up to 2,000
participants and over 60 exhibition stands.
It’s a single-day event packed full of games,
industry panels, guest designers, book
signings and sales from 9am until midnight!
When did the show start? How
has it changed since it began?
Dragonmeet’s origins lay in the murky past of
the UK gaming scene and has changed hands
several times since it was launched around
120_121_eventReport_V2 MJ.indd 120
Interview by Matt Jarvis
17 years ago. It first started as an RPG con,
but has grown to embrace the wide range of
tabletop games.
What was new for 2016’s convention?
Well, Munchkin illustrator John Kovalic was
our special guest this year, signing T-shirts and
offering amazing prizes in our charity auction.
Two guys are going to be Munchkin characters!
I won’t tell you how much that cost them…
We were also in a brand new venue, at the
Novotel West London, Hammersmith – to rave
reviews from exhibitors and ticket holders alike.
A wider selection of exhibitors than ever
before, more RPG tables than ever before and
new evening entertainment – including the
gaming pub quiz!
Dragonmeet has long been regarded as
a convention focused on RPGs, but this
year you took steps to introduce more
board game and miniature titles. Why?
We want to bring a much more rounded
experience of tabletop gaming to London’s
largest gaming convention.
For the last few years there’s always been a
healthy card and board game presence at the
120
show, but we’re now really focusing on bringing
exciting board and miniatures participation
games to the show – such as the giant size Airfix
Battles, Zombicide and Thunderbirds.
We find there’s a great deal of crossover
with what people play so it makes sense to
have more on offer.
What were some of the most
popular games on the day?
The organised play sessions of various RPGs
are always incredibly popular and Pathfinder
Society’s games stood out – they were still
going strong at midnight! We also had giant
games of Thunderbirds, Airfix Battles and
tables of Wings of Glory and Frostgrave.
Esdevium also brought along their ‘Best
of Essen’, which was a great opportunity to
play the most recently critically acclaimed
board games.
One of the highlights was the incredible
Lego Star Wars roleplaying game display with
a stunning street scene in Mos Eisely!
In your opinion, what were the
biggest highlights of the day?
The charity auction always rounds off the
20/01/2017 17:05
 UPCOMING EVENTS
SPAGHETTI CONJUNCTION
SATURDAY FEBRUARY 11TH
A new convention for this year,
Spaghetti Conjunction, as
you might have guessed, will
be based in Birmingham and
catering primarily for RPGs.
It’s run by several stalwarts
of the convention scene and
promises to be one to watch in
the years to come.
spaghetticonjunction.
blogspot.co.uk

REVELATION
SATURDAY FEBRUARY
25TH TO SUNDAY 26TH
One of the best-known
Garrison Conventions at
Sheffield, Revelation caters
primarily for Apocalypse
World RPGs, but there’s an
accepting crowd and very
experienced organisers who
welcome everyone.
revelationgames.org.uk

AIRECON
FRIDAY MARCH 10TH
■ Above: Dragonmeet is best known as an RPG While this Harrogate-based
con, but has made steps to introduce more board con has been a smaller one
and card games in recent years. until now, it’s doubled in size
every time it’s run. This time
■ Above right: As well as titles to play, there were around, they’ve had to hire a
whole new venue – and the
also plenty of games and accessories on offer
responses to it are looking
from traders.
good. There’s a strong board
game presence there and, with
many lending support to the
trader’s day really well; Brian Nisbet has
RPGs, we’re expecting a good
faithfully hosted it for the last eight years. We round of games there as well.
managed to raise over £3,000 for Clic Sergeant airecon.uk
and Vision Rescue.
CONVERGENCE
Other than gaming, what is FRIDAY MARCH 17TH
there to do at the show? TO SUNDAY 19TH
Podcast teams were around interviewing Another newcomer for 2017,
tons of people, as well as the social aspect but with good organisation
of meeting fellow gamers from and around and a full schedule already to
run in Stockport. They are still
London. The seminars let publishers and
accepting games, so get in
designers discuss the latest trends and
touch if you want to help.
releases, whilst there were some great craft convergenceuk.co.uk
stands showing off gaming accessories.
CONCRETE COW
Did you have any special guests? SATURDAY MARCH 18TH
Yes! We had John Kovalic, Steve Jackson, One of the classics, running
Kenneth Hite, Robin Laws, Rob Heinsoo, Mike in Milton Keynes for the
Mason, Jason Durall and Jonathan Green. 17th time, Concrete Cow is
primarily an RPG convention,
but operates an open policy
What do you have planned
on games. As well as having a
for 2017 and beyond?
very strong social aspect, it’s
That would be telling. Suffice to say, we’re a good con to go to if you’re
planning to be bigger and better this year not familiar with conventions
with a lot more open gaming space, more in general.
exhibitors, more entertainment and some mk-rpg.org.uk/
big surprises! ■ Concrete_Cow

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CLUB DIRECTORY
ABERDEENSHIRE
ABERDEEN
WARGAMES CLUB
RGU Rugby Club,
86 Queens Road,
Aberdeen, AB15 4YQ
Tuesday 7pm
OLDMELDRUM
WARGAMES GROUP
Royal British Legion,
Market Square,
Oldmeldrum, AB51 0AA
Tuesday 7pm to 11pm
One Sunday in each month
from 10am to around 4pm
AVON
WESTON WARGAMERS
CLUB (WWC)
Unit 9UA, Elizabeth House
30-32, Boulevard,
Weston-super-Mare,
Avon, BS23 1NF
Monday, Tuesday and Friday
AYRSHIRE
NORTH AYRSHIRE
WARGAMES CLUB
19 Volunteer Rooms,
High Street, Irvine, Ayrshire,
Scotland, KA12 0BA
Sunday 11am to 5pm
BEDFORDSHIRE
BASEMENT GAMING CLUB
Hope Church Centre,
Villa Road, Luton,
Bedfordshire, LU2 7NT
Friday 7pm to 11pm
BOARD GAMES IN BEDFORD
8, Lacock Abbey, Bedford,
Bedfordshire, MK41 0TU
Thursday 8pm
LEIGHTON BUZZARD
GAMING CLUB
North Street, Leighton Buzzard,
Bedfordshire, LU7 1ES
Wednesday 7pm to late
NEWBURY & READING
WARGAMES ASSOCIATION
Fir Tree Primary School,
Fir Tree Lane, Newbury,
Berkshire, RG14 2RA
Monday 7pm to 11pm
NEWBURY & READING
WARGAMES ASSOCIATION
35-39 London Street, Newbury,
Berkshire, RG1 4PS
Thursday 7pm to 11pm  Co Antrim, BT7 1NN
BERKSHIRE
WARGAMES ASSOCIATION
OF READING
Winnersh Community
Centre, New Road,
Sindlesham, Wokingham,
Berkshire, RG41 5DU
Wednesday 6pm to 11pm
One Sunday a month is
an open day for all-day
gaming 9am to 5.30pm
BRISTOL
HALL OF HEROES
GAMING CLUB
Beckspool Road, Frenchay,
Bristol, Bristol, BS16 1NU
Thursday 7pm
TO LIST YOUR GAMES CLUB FOR FREE PLEASE
122_125_clubDirectory_V3 MJ.indd 122
BUCKINGHAMSHIRE
MILTON KEYNES
WARGAMES SOCIETY
York House Youth Centre,
London Road, Stony
Stratford, Milton Keynes,
Buckinghamshire, MK11 1JQ
Thursday 7pm to 11pm
CAMBRIDGESHIRE
2D6 LODGE
Queen Ediths Way,
Cambridge, Cambridgeshire,
CB1 8NN
Friday 7pm to 10pm (summer)
5pm to 10pm (winter)
PETERBOROUGH
WARGAMES CLUB
38a, Cowgate, Peterborough,
Cambridgeshire, PE1 1NA
Monday 7pm to 11pm
CARMARTHENSHIRE
TOWY VALLEY
TYRANTS (TVT)
Abergwilli Church Hall,
Ismyrddin, Abergwilli,
Carmarthen, Carmarthenshire,
SA31 2JE
First Saturday of odd-numbered
months 9am to 9pm
CHESHIRE
ALTRINCHAM
WARGAMING CLUB
St George`s Parish Hall,
Off Albert Place, Altrincham,
Cheshire, WA14 4PG
Thursday 7pm to 11pm
WARRINGTON BOARD
GAMES CLUB
33, Church Street, Warrington,
Cheshire, WA1 2SX
Wednesday 7pm
WINSFORD WARHAWKS
WARGAMING CLUB
St Chads Church Hall,
Gladstone Street, Winsford,
Cheshire, CW7 4AT
Tuesday 7pm to 10pm
CLEVELAND
REDCAR IRONBEARDS
7, Memorial Hall, Coatham Road,
Redcar, Cleveland, TS10 1RH
Monday 7pm to 10pm
CO ANTRIM
QUB DRAGONSLAYERS
University Road, Belfast,
Tuesday 6pm to 10.30pm
Saturday 12pm to 6pm
CO DURHAM
DARLINGTON`S
DOGS OF WAR
The Voodoo Cafe and Bar,
Skinnergate, Darlington,
Co Durham, DL3 7LX
Saturday 11am to 4pm
Wednesday 5pm to 10pm
DURHAM RAIDERS
5, Croxdale Community Centre,
Rogerson Terrace, Croxdale,
Croxdale, Co Durham, DH6 5HJ
Tuesday 6pm to 10pm
Last Sunday of the
month 5pm to 9pm
GAMERS@HART WORLDS AWAY
102, Tea@Hart, York Road, 22, The Triangle, Bournemouth,
Hartlepool, Co Durham, TS26 9DE Dorset, BH2 5RQ
Friday and Saturday 6pm to 11pm Saturday 12pm to 4pm
Sunday 4pm to 10pm
DUMFRIESSHIRE
CO LONDONDERRY ANNAN GAMING CLUB
THE SIEGE BUNKER Ednam Street Community Hub,
The Bunker Cafe, Northland Ednam Street, Annan,
Road, Londonderry, Co Dumfriesshire, DG12 6EF
Londonderry, BT48 7JL Wednesday 6pm to 10pm
Most weekends 11am to 6pm
DUMBARTON
CO TYRONE WARGAMES CLUB
OMAGH WARGAMES CLUB 18, Church Street,
Omagh Library Headquarters Dumbarton, Dunbartonshire,
Building Spillars Place Omagh Scotland, G82 1QQ
County Tyrone Northern Sunday
Ireland BT78 1HL
First Saturday of the month THE FIVE ARCHES
9.30am to 4pm GAMING CLUB
345, Annan Road, Dumfries,
CORNWALL Dumfriesshire DG1 3JR
THE DICE AND DAGGER Wednesday 6.30pm to 10.30pm
GAMING CLUB
Stratton Community Hall, DYFED
Union Hill, Stratton, Bude, CARMARTHEN OLD GUARD
Cornwall, EX23 9BL 9, The Carmarthen
Sunday 5.30pm to 10pm Businessman’s Club,
Lammas Street, Carmarthen,
DERBYSHIRE Dyfed, SA31 3AD
DERBY ON BOARD GAMES Wednesday 6pm
21, The Bookcafe, Cornmarket,
Derby, Derbyshire, DE1 1QH EAST SUSSEX
Last Wednesday of the month 1066 WARGAMING CLUB
4pm to 10pm 130, Bexhill Road,
St Leonards-on-Sea, East
DEVON Sussex, TN38 8BL
BARNSTAPLE SLAYERS Thursday 7pm to 11pm
GAMING CLUB
Golden Lion Inn, The Square, EASTBOURNE ELEMENTAL
Barnstaple, Devon, EX32 8LS 1, Mana Gaming -
Mondays 6.30pm to 10.30pm The Old Print Works,
Commercial Road,
DARK STAR GAMING Eastbourne, East
PLYMOUTH Sussex, BN21 3XQ
9, Moon Street, Plymouth, PL4 0AL Monday 6pm to 11pm
Monday to Friday 5pm to late
Saturday and Sunday 12pm to late EAST YORKSHIRE
WOLDS WARGAMERS
EAST DEVON TABLETOP 5, The Blue Bell,
& RPG GROUP Riverhead, Driffield,
133, The Three Tuns, High Street, East Yorkshire, YO25 6NX
Honiton, Devon, EX14 1HR Last Thursday of the month
Tuesday 6pm
EDINBURGH
EXMOUTH IMPERIAL EDINBURGH LEAGUE
WARGAMES CLUB OF GAMERS
Community Centre, Prince of Wales 11, RAF Club,
Drive, Exmouth, Devon, EX8 4SW Hillside Crescent,
Wednesday 7pm Abbey Hill, Edinburgh,
Edinburgh, EH7 5EA
GAME NIGHT @ CARPE Wednesday 6pm to 11pm
50, Carpe Diem, North Hill,
Plymouth, Devon, PL4 8EU SOUTH EAST SCOTLAND
Monday 6pm to 1am WARGAMES CLUB
Royal Navy & Royal Marine
PLYMOUTH ASSOCIATION Association at 1 Broughton
OF WARGAMERS Road, Edinburgh
324, Blindmans Wood Scout Thursday 7pm to 11pm
Centre, Outland Road,
Plymouth, Devon, PL3 5TB ESSEX
Sunday 12pm to 5pm BASILDON WARBOYZ
Riverton Hall, Bardfield,
DORSET Basildon, Essex SS16 4JW
SOUTHBOURNE TABLETOP Sunday 5pm to 10pm
& BOARDGAMERS
Tuckton Social Club, Tuckton Road, COLCHESTER WARGAMES
Bournemouth, Dorset, BH6 3AA ASSOCIATION
First Sunday of the month Tollgate Hall, Villa Road,
10am to 5pm Stanway, Colchester,
Third Sunday of the month Essex, CO3 5RH
1pm to 5pm Friday 7pm to 11pm
19/01/2017 17:20
 ESSEX WARRIORS
18, Writtle Village Hall,
The Green, Writtle,
Chelmsford, Essex, CM1 3DU
Twice monthly on Sunday
9.30am to 5pm
SOUTHEND-ON-SEA
ROLEPLAYING SOCIETY
1, Park Inn by Radisson,
Church Road, Southend-
on-Sea, Essex, SS1 2AL
Friday 7pm to 11pm
FIFE
DUNFERMLINE WARGAMING
AND ROLEPLAYING
FELLOWSHIP
Dell Farquharson Community
Leisure Centre, Nethertown
Broad Street, Dunfermline,
Fife, KY12 7DS
Friday 6pm to 9pm
EAST NEUK TABLETOP
GAMES
Dreel Halls (upper hall),
High Street West, Anstruther,
Fife, KY10 3DJ
Second and fourth Sundays
of the month 1pm to 5pm  FORDINGBRIDGE
FLINTSHIRE
DEESIDE DEFENDERS
Wings Social Club,
Airbus UK, Broughton,
Chester, Flintshire, CH4 0DR
Thursday 7pm
FGC FLINTSHIRE
GAMING CLUB
The Pavilion, Snowdon Avenue,
Bryn-y-Baal, Flintshire, CH7 6SZ
Monday 6.30pm to 11.15pm  Hampshire, PO8 8RG
GLASGOW
ANTONINE BOARD GAMERS
77, Main Street, Torrance,
Glasgow, G64 4EN
Third Tuesday of the month
7.30pm
GLASGOW GAMES ROOM
36, Woodside Hall, Glenfarg
Street, Glasgow, G20 7Q
Tuesday 5.30pm to 10.30pm
UNPLUGGED GAMES CLUB
19, Norval Coffee Co, Skirving
Street, Glasgow, G41 3AB
Sunday 1pm to 5pm
GLOUCESTERSHIRE
GLOUCESTERSHIRE
GAMES BUNKER
Hatherley & Reddings
Cricket Club North Park,
Shurdington Road, Cheltenham,
Gloucester, GL51 4XA
Wednesday 6.30pm to 10.30pm
PORK CHOP GAMING
Church Street, Cheltenham,
Gloucestershire, GL50 3HA
Thursday 7pm to 10pm
GWENT
GWENT REAVERS
TABLETOP GAMING CLUB
Big Picture Photography,
Somerset Street, Abertillery,
Gwent, NP13 3DJ
Monday 4pm to 10pm
VISIT WWW.TABLETOPGAMING.CO.UK
122_125_clubDirectory_V3 MJ.indd 123
HAMPSHIRE
ARBBL
28, Gilliat Scout Hall,
Marlborough Street, Andover,
Hampshire, SP10 1DQ
Tuesday 7pm to 10pm
BLACK HOLE WARGAMERS
St Peter`s Church Hall,
St Peter`s Road, Petersfield,
Hampshire, GU32 3HS
Alternate Saturdays
9.30am to 12.30pm
CHINEHAM BOARD GAMERS
Reading Road, Chineham,
Basingstoke, Hampshire,
RG24 8LT
Second and last Saturdays
of the month 6pm
DARK WORLDS
GAMING SOCIETY
Northwest Community Centre,
Henry Cort Drive,
Fareham, Hampshire,
PO15 6TL
Tuesday 7pm
Sunday 6pm
GAMING CLUB
63, Town Hall,
High Street,
Fordingbridge,
Hampshire, SP6 1AS
Thursday 6pm to 10pm
(fortnightly)  High Street, Potters Bar,
GARY DONALDSON
Hart Plain Church,
Hart Plain Avenue,
Waterlooville,
Sunday 6.30pm to 10pm
PORTSMOUTH ON BOARD
01-03, Royal British Legion,
Portsmouth South,
Lucknow Street,
Portsmouth, Hampshire,
PO1 1PT
Second and fourth Wednesdays
of the month 7pm to 11pm
SOLENT WARGAMERS CLUB
01-03, Royal British
Legion, Portsmouth South,
Lucknow Street, Portsmouth,
Hampshire, PO1 1PT
Tuesday 7pm to 11pm
SOUTHAMPTON SLUGGAZ
Priory Road, St Denys,
Southampton,
Hampshire, SO17 2JZ
Fridays 6pm
Alternate Wednesdays 6pm
WATERLOO TABLE
TOP GAMERS
Hart Plain Church,
Hart Plain Avenue,
Waterlooville, Hampshire,
PO8 8RG
HEREFORDSHIRE
DICE AND DECKS
St Mary`s Church Hall,
Church Row,
Ross-on-Wye,
Herefordshire, HR9 5HR
Friday 6.30pm to 10pm
HERTFORDSHIRE
HEMEL HEMPSTEAD
GAMES CLUB
Grove Hill Community
Centre, Henry Wells
Square, Hemel Hempstead,
Hertfordshire, HP2 6BJ
Every Tuesday at 7.30pm to play
board games and run Magic:
The Gathering tournaments
The Magic usually starts at
7.45pm and board games
tend to kick off at 8pm
HITCHIN HERETICS
The Scout Hut,
King George’s Playing Field,
Old Hale Way, Hitchin,
SG5 1XL
Friday 7pm
NORTH HERTFORDSHIRE
WARGAMES CLUB
Scout Hall, Old Hale Way,
Hitchin, Hertfordshire, SG5 1XL
Alternate Sundays 10am to 4pm
NORTH LONDON
WARGAMES CLUB
YHA London Lea Valley,
Youth Hostel, Windmill Lane,
Cheshunt, EN8 9AJ
Second and fourth Sundays
of the month 3pm to 7pm
POTTERS BAR GAMES CLUB
Oakmere House (Harvester),
Hertfordshire, EN6 5BT
Tuesday
THOR`S HAMMER
GAMING CLUB
Well End Activity Camp,
Well End, Borehamwood,
Hertford, Hertfordshire,
WD6 5PR
Tuesday 6pm to 10pm
TRING WARGAMES CLUB
Corpus Christie Church Hall,
Langdon Street,
Tring, Hertfordshire,
HP23 6BA
Friday 7pm to 11pm
WATFORD WARGAMES CLUB
68, Langley Road, Watford,
Hertfordshire, WD17 4PN
Wednesday 6pm to 10pm  11am to 4pm
HIGHLANDS
DINGWALL WARGAMES CLUB
Dingwall Community Centre
(beside St Clements School),
Tulloch Street, Dingwall,
Scotland, IV15 9JZ
Monday 7pm to 10pm
KENT
ASHFORD (KENT)
BOARDGAMES CLUB
The Rose Inn, Faversham
Road, Kennington, Ashford,
Kent, TN24 9AJ
Sunday 7pm to 11pm
BEXLEY REAPERS
WARGAMING CLUB
Freemantle Hall, Bexley
High Street, Bexley,
Kent, DA5 1AA
Monday 7pm to 11pm
CANTERBURY CRUSADERS
Spring Lane Neighbourhood
Centre, Sussex Avenue,
Canterbury, Kent, CT1 1RT
Tuesday 6.30pm to 10pm
MAIDSTONE WARGAMES
SOCIETY
Linton Village Hall, Linton Hill
(A229), Linton, Maidstone,
Kent, ME17 4AW
Second and fourth Saturdays
of the month 10am to 5pm
MEDWAY AREA
BOARDGAMERS
72, Union Street, Maidstone,
Kent, ME14 1ED
Wednesday 7pm
MERRYCHEST CAFE
GAMING CLUB
Merrychest Cafe, Watling street,
Dartford, Kent, DA2 8AH
Thursday 6pm
MILTON HUNDRED
WARGAMES CLUB
Phoenix House, Central Avenue,
Sittingbourne, Kent, ME10 4BX
Second and fourth Tuesdays of
the month 6.30pm to 10pm 
TONBRIDGE
WARGAMES CLUB
Lamberts Yard, Tonbridge,
Kent, TN9 1ER
Second and fourth
Mondays of the month
WHITSTABLETOP
61, Oxford Street, Whitstable,
Kent, CT5 1DA
Tuesday 7pm
LANARKSHIRE
LANARKSHIRE GAMERS
1st Floor, Masonic Hall,
Hope Street, Motherwell,
Lanarkshire, ML1 1BS
First and third Saturdays of
the month 12pm to 5pm
LANCASHIRE
DICED TEA
Holy Trinity Coldhurst Church
Hall, Crompton Street, Oldham,
Lancashire, OL1 2DB
Every other Saturday
HARLEQUINS BLACKPOOL
302, Church Street, Blackpool,
Lancashire, FY1 3QA
Monday 7pm to 11pm 
HOUSE LANCASTER
GAMING GROUP
The Three Mariners, Bridge Lane,
Lancaster, Lancashire, LA1 1EE
First Sunday of the month 7pm
PRESTON BOARD GAMERS
43, Fylde Street, Preston,
Lancashire, PR1 7DP
Wednesday 7pm to 11pm
SALFORD AND MANCHESTER
GAMING HAVEN
1, Pendleton Gateway,
Broadwalk, Salford,
Lancashire, M6 5FX
Wednesday 6.30pm to 9.30pm
19/01/2017 17:20
CLUB DIRECTORY
THE LIVERPOOL WARGAMES
ASSOCIATION (LWA)
11, Davies Street, Liverpool,
Lancashire, L1 6HB
Thursday, Sunday and
most Saturdays
LEICESTERSHIRE
LEICESTER ALL SCARS
66, Tabletop Tyrants,
Bedford Street, Leicester,
Leicestershire, LE1 3JR
First and third Saturdays
of the month
 
LEICESTER PHAT KATZ
Ukranian Church Hall,
Livingstone Street, Leicester,
Leicestershire, LE3 0QY
Thursday 8pm to 11pm
SECTION 31
01-03 La Vida Italian Restaurant
(The Function Room Upstairs),
Northampton Street, Leicester,
Leicestershire, LE1 1PA
Wednesday 6pm to 11pm
SONS OF SIMON
DE MONTFORT
Beaumanor Hall, Beaumanor
Drive, Woodhouse, Loughborough,
Leicestershire, LE12 8TX
Monday and Wednesday
Regular all-day Sunday games
THE LEICESTER WARGAMES
AND FANTASY GROUP
55, West Leicester Conservative
Club, Westcotes Drive, Leicester,
Leicestershire, LE3 0QU
Tuesday
LINCOLNSHIRE
GRIMSBY WARGAMES SOCIETY
Sixhills Street, Grimsby,
Lincolnshire, DN32 9HT
Every night 7pm
LINCOLN BOARD
GAME GROUP
6, Upstairs Function Room,
Union Road, Lincoln,
Lincolnshire, LN1 3BJ
Tuesday 7.30pm  CASTLE GAMERS BRIDGEND
LOUTH STRATEGY
GAMES CLUB
Holy Trinity Community
Centre, Eastgate, Louth,
Lincolnshire, LN11 8DB
Sunday 5pm to 9pm
LLANDUDNO
CONWY WARGAMES CLUB
Creuddyn Leisure Centre
Derwen Lane Penrhyn Bay
Llandudno Wales LL30 3LB
Last Sunday of the month
12pm to 5pm
LONDON
CROSS GAMING CLUB
68, Borough Road, Southwark,
London, SE1 1DX
Tuesday 6pm to 11pm
Thursday 6.30pm to 10.30pm
SELWG
37, St Laurence Church
Hall, Bromley Road, Catford,
London, SE6 2TS
Friday 7pm
TO LIST YOUR GAMES CLUB FOR FREE PLEASE
122_125_clubDirectory_V3 MJ.indd 124
TANELORN WAR
GAMING CLUB
Harvey Road,
London,
E11 3DB
Sunday 2pm to 6pm
THE PHOENIX GAMES CLUB
The Black Lion Pub,
High Street, Plaistow,
London, E13
Thursday 8pm
THE ROLE PLAY HAVEN
98, Carpenters & Dockland
Centre, Gibbins Road,
London, London, E15 2HU
Tuesday 7.15pm to 10.15pm
THE ROLE PLAY HAVEN
Upstairs, The Lewis
Club - University Hospital
Lewisham, Lewisham High
Street, London, SE13 6LH
Wednesday 7pm to 10.45pm
MANCHESTER
TABLETOP MANCHESTER
6, Slate Wharf, Castlefield,
Greater Manchester, M15 4ST
Monday 7.30pm
MERSEYSIDE
FORGEMASTERS
GAMING CLUB
Brimstage Forge,
Brimstage Road,
Higher Bebington, Wirral,
Merseyside, CH63 6HD
Wednesday 10am to 10.30pm
LIVERPOOL LION
BOARDGAMERS
13, Earle Street, Liverpool,
Merseyside, L3 9NS
Monday 6pm
SOUTHPORT BOARD
GAMES GROUP
347-349 Lord Street, Southport,
Merseyside, PR8 1NH
Tuesday 6pm
MID GLAMORGAN
Gilead Chapel, Heol Spencer,
Coity, Bridgend, Mid
Glamorgan, CF35 6AU
Sunday 5pm
MIDDLESEX
BATTLEUX WARGAMES CLUB
Battle of Britain Club,
Hillingdon Road, Uxbridge,
Middlesex, UB10 0RY
Monday 7pm to 11pm
DICE CLUB
Battle Of Britain Club,
Hillingdon Road, Uxbridge,
Middlesex, UB10 0RY
Wednesday (except the second
Wednesday of the month)
7.30pm to late
NORFOLK
AFTERMATH GAMING CLUB
219, Lazar House,
Sprowston Road, Norwich,
Norfolk, NR3 4HX
Tuesday 7pm to 11pm
Second and last Thursdays
of the month 7pm to 11pm
KINGS LYNN RPG &
WARGAMES CLUB
12th Scout Hut, Beulah
Street, Gaywood, King’s
Lynn, Norfolk, PE30 4DN
Sunday 1pm to 6pm
NORWICH
NORWICH BOARD GAMERS
16, Charing Cross, Norwich,
Norfolk, NR2 4AL
Tuesday 7.30pm
NORTH YORKSHIRE
YORK GARRISON
WARGAMING CLUB
The Folk Hall,
Hawthorn Terrace,
New Earswick, York,
North Yorkshire,
YO32 4AQ
Wednesday 6.30pm to 10.30pm
Second Saturday of the month
9.30am to 6pm
NORTHAMPTONSHIRE
BATTLEFIELD
HOBBBIES CLUB
17 Brunel Close, Daventry,
Northamptonshire, NN11 8BR
Wednesday and Friday 7pm to 11pm
Saturday and Sunday 9am to 5pm
THE PIT GAMING CLUB
The Wesley Centre, College
Street, Irthlingborough,
Wellingborough,
Northamptonshire, NN9 5TU
Friday 6pm to 10pm
NOTTINGHAMSHIRE
NOTTINGHAM BOARD
AND TABLETOP CLUB
The Ned Ludd,
27 Friar Lane,
Nottingham, NG1 6DA
Tuesday and Thursday
WAR & PEACE GAMES CLUB
18, Grasmere Street,
Sandiacre, Nottingham,
Nottinghamshire, NG10 5BD
Wednesday 7pm to 11pm
WILDSIDE GAMING
19-21, Wild Ways,
Slaughter House Lane, Newark,
Nottinghamshire, NG24 1ER
Wednesday to Friday 4pm to 10pm
Saturday 11am to 6pm
OXFORDSHIRE
ABINGDON
WARGAMES CLUB
59, Neave Room,
Ock Street, Abingdon,
Oxfordshire, OX14 5AG
Friday 6.30pm
Third Sunday of the month 10am
AMBROSDEN GAMING CLUB
Ambrosden Village Hall,
Merton Road, Ambrosden,
Bicester, Oxfordshire, OX25 2LZ
Monday 8pm (fortnightly)
NORTH OXFORDSHIRE
WARGAMING CLUB
25, Bowen Room,
Dupuis Centre,
South Bar Street, Banbury,
Oxfordshire, OX16 9AF
Wednesday 7pm to 10pm
OXFORD ON BOARD
Iffley Road, Oxford,
Oxfordshire, OX4 1EA
Monday 7pm
OXFORD OUTRIDERS
17, The Mitre, High Street,
Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX1 4AG
Wednesday 6pm
SHROPSHIRE
BIG ORBIT GAMES
Unit 3-9 Riverside Mall Pride Hill
Centre Shrewsbury Shropshire
West Midlands SY1 1PH
Every day
SOMERSET
BATH GAMING GROUP
Widcombe Social Club,
Widcombe Hill, Bath,
Somerset, BA2 6AA
Tuesday 7.30pm
MID SOMERSET
WARGAMES CLUB
Seager Hall, Union Street,
Wells, Somerset, BA5 2PU
Thursday 7pm
PIGMAR WARGAMING CLUB
Salisbury & Conservative Club -
Hawthorn House, London Road,
Bath, Somerset, BA1 6AB
Tuesday and Thursday 7pm
THE FROME BOARD
GAMES CLUB
5, The George Hotel,
Market Place, Frome,
Somerset, BA11 1AF
Thursday 7pm to 11pm
All day on the second
Sunday of the month
TRINITY WARGAMING CLUB
17, Trinity Street, Taunton,
Somerset, TA1 3JG
Friday 6.30pm to 11.30pm
WARGAMING@RADSTOCK
Prattens Social Club,
Westfield, Radstock,
Somerset, BA3 4BD
Wednesday 6.30pm to 10.30pm
Sunday 10am to 4pm
WESTON WARGAMERS CLUB
Unit 9UA, Elizabeth House
30-32, Boulevard, Weston-super-
Mare, Somerset, BS23 1NF
Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday
6pm to 10.30pm
WESSEX WARGAMERS
WINCHESTER
Badger Farm Community
Centre, Badger Farm Road,
Winchester, SO22 4QB
Tuesday 7pm to 11pm
WSM BOARD GAMING CLUB
358-360, Locking Road, Weston-
super-Mare, Somerset, BS22 8PD
Thursday 6.30pm to 11.30pm
SOUTH YORKSHIRE
ROTHERHAM
WARGAMES CLUB
The Masbrough and Thornhill,
Community Centre, College Road,
Masbrough, Rotherham, S60 1JE
Saturday 9am to 5pm
19/01/2017 17:20
 SHEFFIELD BOARD GAMES
In the room upstairs at
The University Arms,
197 Brook Hill, Sheffield,
S3 7HG
Tuesday 7pm to late
The Red Deer,
18 Pitt Street, Sheffield,
S1 4DD
First Sunday of the month
12.30pm to early evening
SHEFFIELD WARGAMES
SOCIETY
Woodseats Working Mens Club,
The Dale, Sheffield, S8 0PS
Wednesday 7pm
STEEL CITY WARGAMING
St James Parish Hall,
Tithe Barn Lane,
Woodhouse, Sheffield,
South Yorkshire, S13 7LL
Friday 6pm to 10pm
ZONE OUT GAMES CLUB
The Workshops, Coopers
Terrace, Doncaster, South
Yorkshire, DN1 2PX
Tuesday and Wednesday
5pm to 10pm
Saturday 9am to 4pm
Sunday 10am to 4pm
STAFFORDSHIRE
CHASE WARGAMES CLUB
Burntwood Road, Burntwood,
Staffordshire, WS7 0JL
Thursday 8pm
LIBERAL GAMING CLUB
The Old Liberal,
5-9 Woodhouse Lane,
Tamworth, Staffordshire,
West Midlands, B77 3AE
Tuesday
LICHFIELD GAMERS
AND RPG
Duke Of York, Church
Street, Lichfield,
Staffordshire, WS13 6EB
Monday 7pm
STAFFORDSHIRE
WARGAMING GUILD
38, High Street, Stone,
Staffordshire, ST15 8AS
Sunday 6pm to 10.30pm
TAMWORTH GAMES CLUB
Central Methodist Church,
Aldergate, Tamworth,
Staffordshire, B79 7DJ
Wednesday 5pm to 9pm
THE VINE INN GAMERS
Sheep Fair, Rugeley,
Staffordshire, WS15 2AT
Sunday and Wednesday
6pm to 11pm
STIRLINGSHIRE
FALKIRK DISTRICT
WARGAMES CLUB
Newlands Community
Centre, Montgomery
Street, Grangemouth,
Stirlingshire, FK3 8QR
Monday 7pm to 11pm
Last Sunday of the month
10am to 6pm
VISIT WWW.TABLETOPGAMING.CO.UK
122_125_clubDirectory_V3 MJ.indd 125
SUFFOLK
IPSWICH BOARD GAMERS
Cult Cafe, University Avenue,
Ipswich, Suffolk, IP3 0FS
Monday 7.30pm
SURREY
STAINES WARGAMES
ASSOCIATION
The Social Hall,
Harvest Road,
Egham, Surrey
Friday 7pm to 11pm
STAY ON TARGET
56, Chertsey Road, Woking,
Surrey, GU21 5BG
Thursday 6pm to 11pm
THE WOKING WEIRD BOYZ
Mount Hermon Road,
Woking, Surrey, GU22 7TA
Thursday 7pm
TOLWORTH 1ST FOUNDING
St Paul`s Church Hall,
280 Hook Road,
Chessington, Surrey,
KT9 1PF
Friday 7pm to 10.30pm
SUSSEX
BRIGHTON WARLORDS
13-17, Marlborough Place,
Brighton, Sussex, BN1 1UB
Monday 4pm to 11pm
WARWICKSHIRE
BOARD GAME CAFE
SUMMERFIELD
Memorial Hall, Summerfield
Crescent, Birmingham,
Warwickshire, B16 0EZ
Last Monday of the month 6.30pm
DREAMDEALERS
GAMING CLUB
St Lukes Church Hall,
Rotherham Road, Coventry,
Warwickshire, CV6 4FE
Sunday 1pm to 5pm
NUNEATON ALTERNATIVE
GAMES ASSOCIATION
Church Road, Nuneaton,
Warwickshire, CV10 8LJ
Monday and Wednesday
6pm/6.30pm
SCIMITAR WARGAMES
GROUP
Christ Church,
Frankpledge Road, Coventry,
Warwickshire, CV3 5GT
Wednesday 7pm to 10pm
WEST MIDLANDS
BIRMINGHAM WARGAMES
AND BOARDGAMES CLUB
AKA DRAGOON’S DEN
91, Moseley All Services
Club, Church Road,
Birmingham, B13 9EA
Friday 6.45pm to 11.45pm
Second and fourth Sundays of
the month 1.30pm to 11.45pm
PLAY MORE GAMES!
Unit 9 Parkgate,
Stratford Road, Shirley,
Solihull, West Midlands,
B90 3GG
Monday 6pm to 11pm
STOURBRIDGE &
DISTRICT WARGAMERS
The Church Hall,
Vicarage Road, Amblecote,
Stourbridge,
(Opposite the Corbett hospital)
Friday 7pm to 11.30pm
WEST SUSSEX
BOGNOR REGIS GAMING
ASSOCIATION
Greencourt Drive,
Bognor Regis, West
Sussex, PO21 5EU
Tuesday 6.30pm to 11pm
CRAWLEY WARGAMES CLUB
Tilgate Recreational Centre,
Pease Pottage Hill, Crawley,
West Sussex, RH11 9BQ
Friday 7pm to 11pm
SOUTH DOWNS
SIEGEBREAKERS
13, High Street,
Storrington, Pulborough,
West Sussex,
RH20 4DR
Tuesday 6.30pm to 11pm
WEST YORKSHIRE
GAMING CLUB BRADFORD
114, Thornton Road,
Bradford, West
Yorkshire, BD1 2DX
Friday 5pm to 10pm
HALIFAX BOARD GAMERS
55, The Old Post Office,
Winding Road, Halifax,
West Yorkshire, HX1 1SJ
Every other Monday
and bank holidays
KEIGHLEY TABLETOP
COMBAT
The Venue @ UAK, Green
Head Road, Keighley, West
Yorkshire, BD20 6EB
Thursday 6pm to 10pm
OTLEY BOARD GAMERS
The Yew Tree Inn, Newall
Carr Road, Otley, West
Yorkshire, LS21 2AU
Monday 6.30pm
WILTSHIRE
CHIPPENHAM BOARD
GAMES CLUB
The Bridge House, Borough
Parade, Chippenham,
Wiltshire, SN15 3WL
Thursday 7pm to 11pm
DEVIZES & DISTRICT
WARGAMES GROUP
Scout Hall, Southbroom Road,
Devizes, Wiltshire, SN10 5AD
Sunday 2pm to 6pm
WEDNESDAY KNIGHT
GAMERS
Mill Stream Approach,
Castle Street, Salisbury,
Wiltshire, SP1 3TA
Wednesday 5.30pm to 10.30pm
BROMSGROVE
BOARD GAMERS
2, Finstall Road, Bromsgrove,
Worcestershire, B60 2DZ
Wednesday 7.30pm
WYRE FOREST GAMERS
St Ambrose Parish Hall,
Leswell St, Kidderminster,
Worcestershire DY10 1RP
Third Sunday of the month
2pm to 7pm
WORCESTERSHIRE
POSTAL ORDER GEEK MEET
18, The Postal Order,
Foregate Street,
Worcester, Worcestershire,
WR1 1DN
Monday 7pm
REDDITCH WARGAMING
SOCIETY
Windmill Community
Centre, Ryegrass Lane,
Walkwood, Redditch,
Worcestershire, B97 5YE
Tuesday 6.45pm to 10pm
YORKSHIRE
BEYOND MONOPOLY
17-19, Blossom Street,
York, Yorkshire, YO24 1AQ
First and third Saturdays of
the month 10am to 9pm
Second amd fourth Fridays
of the month 5pm to 9pm
HEADINGLEY GAMES CLUB
Heart Centre, Bennett Road,
Leeds, Yorkshire, LS6 3HN
Thursday 6.30pm to 10.30pm
HOLMFIRTH GAMING
CENTRE
Above the Karate Centre,
Albion Mills - Unit 1 Second
Floor, Miry Lane, Thongsbridge,
Holmfirth, Yorkshire, HD9 7HP
Thursday and Sunday 5pm
LEEDS GAMING
28, Great George Street,
Leeds, Yorkshire, LS1 3DL
Second Sunday of the month
12.30pm to 7.30pm
LEEDS NIGHT OWLS
145-153, Cardigan Road,
Leeds, Yorkshire, LS6 1LJ
Sunday 10am
WEST YORKSHIRE
AIREBOROUGH
COMMUNITY GAMERS
Trinity Church Rawdon
(in the old hall), New Road
Side, Rawdon, Leeds, West
Yorkshire LS19 6AS
Thursday 7pm
Saturday 1pm to late
OVERSEAS
BIELEFELD WARGAMES &
MODEL MAKING CLUB
Building 43, Catterick Barracks,
Detmolder Strasse 440, Bielefeld
NRW, Germany, 33605
Thursday and occasionally
at the weekend
THE CENTURIONS
WARGAMING
Gaming Group,
Source Comics & Games,
2057 Snelling Ave. N
Roseville, MN, 55113
First and third Saturdays
of the month
19/01/2017 17:20
SHOP SPOTLIGHT
LOADING BAR
Owner of London’s games watering holes, James Dance, divulges the hidden
joys of Pop-Up Pirate and pitches some tabletop-inspired cocktail recipes
How did Loading Bar come about?
It started when the realisation hit that my
Film Studies degree and years as a chef
were likely to lead to pain and suffering – so
I thought at least if I’m self-employed I’m
responsible for any pain.
Games had always been something I was
into and, as I’d been working around hospitality
since my early teens, it made sense to mix what
I liked and knew.
You started as a video games-focused
outlet, but you’ve since moved into board
games – how did that happen?
Like most good ideas I’ve been credited
for by accident, back when I was in Cornwall
the previous PR for [UK distributor]
Esdevium – thanks, Daniela – reached out
as they were looking to promote the Gears of
War board game. That put them back on my
126_127_ShopSpotlight_V2 MJ.indd 126
Interview by Matt Jarvis
radar as I hadn’t played anything since badly
painting Warhammer figures years ago.
As far as us stocking them properly, a
customer came in as we opened in Soho
in early 2013 and suggested I go buy The
Resistance and Forbidden Island. With Orcs
Nest close by, I did and watched as people
really took to them as well as the video games.
How has your treatment of board
games changed since you first
started offering them?
It hasn’t changed massively. The biggest change
would just be the volume of games we stock;
like our work with video games publishers
there’s been an increase in us doing events
for board games, most recently Final Fantasy
TCG, and tabletop publishers have been great
at removing any work from me by reaching out
offering their games.
126
You have bars in both Dalston (Scenario)
and Stratford (Secret Weapon). How do
the two locations differ?
Slowly the two have become more similar,
but the plan with the board games was to
keep things more casual as we noticed people
didn’t really like being told a game was too
complicated and would still sit down, get
everything out, spend an hour reading rules
and then give up.
For Stratford, we’ve tried to stick to the recent
classics like Ticket to Ride, Catan, Dixit and
King of Tokyo.
Which tabletop games have proved
most popular with your customers? And
which less so?
The Resistance always does well. Luchador
Dice. Most recently, the strangest hit was
Pop-Up Pirate – we had a copy left in the bar
20/01/2017 17:13
 and people that I’d never expect to go crazy for
it did. It’s now commonplace that if there’s a
West Ham match you’ll see a group of stocky
football shirt wearing guys cheering and
drinking shots as punishment.
What have been the latest additions and
removals from your collection?
Our most recent addition was to refresh a
lot of the classics that had seen better days,
so Splendor, Fluxx, Resistance and Trivial
Pursuit – hearing people old enough to drink
complaining the ‘90s version we had was too
old may have made me question my own
mortality more than once.
[Bucket of Doom and Scrawl publisher]
Big Potato was the first to bring in a bespoke
shelving unit stocked with all their titles so,
much like our video games tie-ins, being
one of the only places you can come in and
get hands-on with board games and not
pay a cover charge helps the outreach to
potential customers.
What makes a board or card
game suitable for playing in a
bar environment compared to a
‘traditional’ house setting?
Something that can be easily picked up and
explained – Codenames does a great job on the
back of the box of giving you a quick sell of the
game – and, from my perspective, well-printed
cards that can survive misuse and as few pieces
as possible – or at least some spares.
126_127_ShopSpotlight_V2 MJ.indd 127
What events do you host that focus on Flight always come up with new ways to
tabletop gaming? bleed my wallet dry.
Big Red Barrel host a weekly event on a Tuesday
which focuses on a new release each week and What are your future plans for Loading?
sees one copy given away, with another being We’ll continue to ramp up our board game
added to our games library – this has been a offering. We’ve been set up as a retailer for a
great place for people to promote indie titles. while so hosting more tournaments is a plan
With us not offering hands-on help beyond bar in the pipeline.
staff tips, it also allows us a day to recommend if It’s an open secret we’ve been working
people want an easy route into board games. hard to get something open in Brighton, but
the joys of commercial property means that
You offer a number of cocktails and drinks something might be open next month or we’ll
inspired by video games – have you done still be chatting about that in 2018. ■
any based on board games?
We haven’t yet. A few of the press launches has
seen us craft one-offs – Marvel Dice Masters and LOADING BAR
Scenario
Pokémon TCG had some – but it’s something 97 Stoke Newington Rd, London, N16 8BX
that always comes up as an idea.
Secret Weapon
If we were to ask you to come up with 25 West Ham Lane, London, E15 4PH
a few tabletop tipples now, what would hello@drinkrelaxplay.co.uk
you suggest? loadingonline.co.uk
If it’s like our cocktails, we try and make sure
they tie in with classic names. So I guess ‘King
of Tokyo Ice Tea’ would be up there. If it was
like our stunt work I’d love to do something
around Flick ‘em Up with something you
knock like a bartender’s grenade. ‘Connect
Pour.’ ‘RyeFall.’ ‘Mixit.’ ■ Loading has
played host to
Which tabletop games are you keeping an events including an
Android: Netrunner
eye on for 2017?
tournament, says
I’m looking forward to seeing how the owner James
Dark Souls board game does and Fantasy Dance (left).
127
20/01/2017 17:13
SHOP DIRECTORY
ONLINE
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DEVON
12 Buckwell Street, Plymouth, PL1 2DA
Phone: 01752 604414
Facebook: G.I. Games
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p128-129_shopDirectory.indd 128
The Gallery Level, The Market Hall,
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e-collecticagames@hotmail.co.uk
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p128-129_shopDirectory.indd 129 17/01/2017 14:34

 Tabletop Time Machine
HALMA (1883)
■ Blue making a direct run.
■ The 1972 box by J. W. Spear
and Sons Ltd.
■ Red trying to defend.
Words Phil Robinson
Phil Robinson is a game
historian and the founder
of the Museum Of Gaming
(www.museumofgaming.org.uk),
an organisation that explores
and documents the history of
gaming through its collections,
exhibitions and research.
130_tabletopTimeMachine_V2 MJ.indd 130
H
alma is a game of pure strategy that’s easy to
learn and play but takes some time to truly
master. Its rules are similar to draughts but
with the twist that pieces that are jumped over are not
captured but left on the board.
The game is credited as being invented in 1883 by a
thoracic surgeon called Dr. George Howard Monks who
was born in Boston, Massachusetts. As so often happens
in history, we only know half of the story as Halma is
based on a game that we know very little about, Hoppity.
It could be a direct copy of the game for all we know but
it’s safe to assume that it went under some alterations as
it was further developed by several people.
While Monks is credited as the inventor, the game’s
creation was actually more of a family collaboration.
Thanks to some research by game historian Bruce
Whitehill (also known as The Big Game Hunter) we know
that the story of Halma began when Monks’ brother,
Robert, was visiting England and was introduced to
Hoppity. Robert wrote a letter to George describing this
game and George recreated it to play in the US.
Robert Monks was married to a girl called Nancy
whose father was Dr. Thomas Hill, a mathematician
and teacher. Hill helped George to develop the new
board game and even gave it the name Halma –
which is the Greek word for ‘jump’ – but it was Monks
who filed for the US patent.
130
The board game market was developing quite fast in
the US at the time and the game was a great commercial
success with Halma being published in 1885 by the E.I.
Horsman Company. Milton Bradley also attempted to
lay claim to the game but they eventually backed off and
instead produced their own variation called Eckha. Back
in the UK, Halma was published by J. W. Spear and Sons
Ltd, with the first version appearing in 1893.
The packaging for the game varied wildly; some box
designs were abstract, some had illustrations of people
playing the game, some showed Greek soldiers or motifs
to accompany its Greek name and some were oriental as
Chinese themes were popular at the time.
You may have thought that the game Chinese chequers
was oriental in origin but it was actually invented in
Germany in 1892. There were several oriental games
making their way to the West at the time and Indian
and Chinese games were seen as exotic. The game has
nothing to do with chequers, xiangqi (‘Chinese chess’)
or the marble game of solitaire that can also played on
a star; instead it is simply a Halma clone played on a
star-shaped board and first published by Ravensburger
under the name Stern-Halma (Star-Halma).
If you’ve never played Halma then you should give it
a go. It’s a fairly easy-to-find and cheap addition to your
games library that is easy to learn and yet will provide
many hours of serious gameplay. ■
19/01/2017 17:23
 NEXT ISSUE
AVAILABLE
APRIL 6TH

IN THE NEXT ISSUE...

Prepare to die in Steamforged’s hotly anticipated video game spin-off

PLUS!
UK GAMES EXPO PREVIEW | INSIDE THE SECRET BOARD GAMES MAKER |
GUILD BALL VS BLOOD BOWL | KICKSTARTER | WARLORD | AND MORE!

131_nextIssue_V4 MJ.indd 131 19/01/2017 17:23

 www.findyourgamestore.co.uk

Arkham Horror
p0132.indd 1 - Tabletop Gaming.indd 1 16/01/2017 17:35:50
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