MUST-SEE GAMES FROM THIS YEAR’S ESSEN SPIEL

#7 Dec/Jan ’17 tabletopgaming.co.uk

HOW TO
PAINT BUSHIDO
THE MAKING OF A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO
BRINGING THE JUNG
CODENAMES PIRATES TO LIFE
HOW THE SOVIET UNION,
MONOPOLY AND VIDEO
GAMES LED TO 2015’S
BEST PARTY GAME

PLAYED
PANDEMIC:
REIGN OF
CTHULHU

ESCAPE
FROM
COLDITZ

CRY HAVOC

TICKET TO
RIDE: RAILS
& SAILS

HIT Z ROAD CUBICLE 7

THE WALKING TURNS 10
DEAD: ALL THE BRITISH RPG
OUT WAR PUBLISHER TALKS
DOCTOR WHO AND
LORD OF THE RINGS

GAME OF THE YEAR?

Scythe
JAMEY STEGMAIER REVEALS HOW HE CREATED ONE OF
2016’S BIGGEST HITS AND A MODERN STRATEGY CLASSIC Display until 01/02/17
£5.25

001_Cover_V5.indd 1 21/11/2016 16:31

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p002-003.indd 2 16/11/2016 08:41

 OUT OF PRINT IN ENGLISH FOR NEARLY THIRTY YEARS,
THE CLASSIC BRITISH BOARDGAME RETURNS!

E scape from Colditz was designed by Major Pat Reid, Become the German security officer – maintain control
one of only a handful of prisoners-of-war to escape through guile, ruthlessness, and careful observation
the legendary Colditz Castle, and his close friend Brian despite limited numbers.
Degas, writer of the iconic Colditz television series.
This deluxe edition of the classic game for 2 to 6
Become Allied escape officers – assemble your players includes both original and updated rules, new
equipment, plot your escape routes, and coordinate hand-painted artwork by Peter Dennis, an oversized
your efforts to avoid the guards. board, 56 wooden playing pieces, 100 fully illustrated
cards, a 32-page history book, and unique replicas of
artefacts from the prison.

Nearly seventy-five years ago, Major Reid braved

barbed wire, searchlights, and armed guards to escape
from Colditz. Now it’s your turn to do the same.

AVA I L A B L E O C TO B E R 2 0 1 6 2–6 90–150 12+

www.ospreygames.co.uk

p004.indd 1 16/11/2016 13:26

 IN THIS ISSUE
06 NEED TO KNOW
Find out what’s going on
in the world of gaming.
12 OUTSIDE THE BOX
Thomas Pike provides
an alternative view
PLAYED
Find out if the latest titles are
worth buying or binning.
68 PANDEMIC: REIGN
OF CTHULHU
72 CRY HAVOC
74 INFINITY - OPERATION:

WELCOME
on tabletop life. RED VEIL
76 CAPTAIN SONAR
14 MY FAVOURITE GAME 78 TICKET TO RIDE:
Anne-Marie De Witt RAILS & SAILS
reveals Mancala’s 82 HIT Z ROAD
Oh, hello. You might have noticed that your regularly scheduled programming influence on her work. 84 THE DRAGON & FLAGON
has been interrupted. I’m Matt Jarvis, your new Tabletop Gaming editor. It’s great 86 BETRAYAL AT
to meet you all. Rob has done an incredible job with the magazine to date and I 16 COUNTER VIEW HOUSE ON THE
hope to keep up the exceptional level of quality he established, while also leading Becky Ottery reports HILL: WIDOW’S WALK
TTG into a bold new age with fresh voices and loads of exciting exclusive features. from the FLGS frontline. 88 FINAL FANTASY
You’re sure to spot some changes, and I’d love to hear your thoughts along the way TRADING CARD GAME
– get in touch via the details below. Speaking of which, I’m delighted to announce 18 TEN OF THE BEST 90 ESCAPE FROM COLDITZ
that we’ll be shifting up a gear in the New Year; starting with February’s issue, TTG Ahead of Christmas, 94 BEASTS OF BALANCE
will hit shelves every two months instead of three – meaning we get the celebrations 95 3 WISHES
lots more coverage of this increasingly fast-growing 96 D&D: TYRANTS OF
started with ten easy-
hobby. For now, take a peek at some of the next 12
going party picks. THE UNDERDARK
months’ most compelling releases with our round-up
98 ISLEBOUND
of this year’s Essen – the biggest Spiel yet! – on page 53.
20 ROLE CALL 100 THE WALKING
It really was a corker. See you in 2017.
John Dodd gives you DEAD: ALL OUT WAR

Matt
an update on the latest 102 FANTAHZEE
roleplaying game news. 103 A GAME OF THRONES:
HAND OF THE KING
22 ALL THE JAHRES 104 POTION EXPLOSION
Matt Jarvis James Wallis runs through
the games that have won
106 ELFENLAND
106 CODENAMES: PICTURES
Editor the Spiel des Jahres. 109 BOOKS
110 FILM: MAGNUS
24 MECH IT HAPPEN 111 ACCESSORIES
Stonemaier Games

Contact us... president Jamey Stegmaier

chats combining robots
and the 1920s in Scythe.
@ tabletopgaming@warnersgroup.co.uk
31 THE MAGNIFICENT 7
www.facebook.com/tabletopgamingmagazine Cubicle 7 CEO Dominic
McDowall looks back on 10
twitter.com/TabletopMag
years of the RPG publisher.
114 HOBBY TIPS
Andy Leighton sets sail with
Bushido’s Jung Pirates.
120 GAMESFEST
We talk to the organisers
of the day-long convention
held in Tring, Hertfordshire.

EDITORIAL MARKETING 37 AN INTRODUCTION TO... 122 CLUB DIRECTORY

EDITOR Matt Jarvis MARKETING BRAND MANAGER This issue, it’s social Find a gaming club
01778 392 400 Nicola Lumb 01778 395 007
matt.jarvis@warnersgroup.co.uk nicola.lumb@warnersgroup.co.uk
deception game The in your local area.
Resistance! Or is it? (It is.)
HEAD OF DESIGN & PRODUCTION PUBLISHED BY
Lynn Wright 126 SHOP SPOTLIGHT
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
Claire Morris
42 THE MAKING OF... Catan and a coffee? Ticket
DESIGNER Richard Hallam
Owen Duffy chats to to Ride and a tea? Pandemic
SCYTHE COVER IMAGE COURTESY OF Warners Group Publications PLC and a pastry? We pop into
The Maltings, West Street, Bourne,
Vlaada Chvatil about
Jakub Rozalski
Lincolnshire PE10 9PH creating Codenames. board game café Ludorati.
01778 391 000 | www.warnersgroup.co.uk
ADVERTISING
TO ADVERTISE PLEASE CALL 48 BATTLE REPORT 128 SHOP DIRECTORY
NEWSTRADE
GROUP ADVERTISING MANAGER Take a trip to another world Discover the friendly local
Claire Morris 01778 391 179 DISTRIBUTION
clairem@warnersgroup.co.uk Warners Group Publications PLC and witness the outcome game stores near you.
01778 391 150 of our Malifaux match.
SALES EXECUTIVE 130 TABLETOP
Liz Warner 01778 391 129 PRINTING
liz.warner@warnersgroup.co.uk 53 CAST A SPIEL ON YOU TIME MACHINE
This publication is In a bumper-sized show Phil Robinson delves deep
ADVERTISING PRODUCTION
Danielle Tempest 01778 392 420 printed by Warners report, we run through some into the past to uncover
01778 395111 of the biggest releases and some of the tabletop gems
ADVERTISING DESIGN Cathy Herron
announcements from Essen. from days gone by.
The views expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the publishers. Every care is taken to ensure that the content MUST-SEE GAMES
GAMING
tabletop

FROM THIS YEAR’S

ESSEN SPIEL
#7 Dec/Jan ’17

of this magazine is accurate, but we assume no responsibility for any effect from errors or omissions. While every care is taken
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HOW TO
THE MAKING OF PAINT BUSHIDO
CODENAMES A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
TO
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SCYTHE | CUBICLE

MONOPOLY AND VIDEO PIRATES TO LIFE

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GAMES LED TO 2015’S
BEST PARTY GAME

6 issues for just £29.99

PLAYED
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CTHULHU

ESCAPE
7 | ESSEN SPIEL 2016

FROM
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© Warners Group Publications PLC, 2016

CRY HAVOC

TICKET TO
RIDE: RAILS
& SAILS

HIT Z ROAD

THE WALKING
DEAD: ALL
CUBICLE 7
OUT WAR TURNS 10
THE BRITISH RPG

See page 112 for more details

PUBLISHER TALKS
DOCTOR WHO AND
LORD OF THE RINGS

Scythe
GAME OF THE YEAR?
#7 DEC/JAN '17

JAMEY STEGMAIER
REVEALS HOW HE CREATED
2016’S BIGGEST HITS
AND A MODERN STRATEGY ONE OF
CLASSIC
Display until 01/02/17

£5.25

005_WelcomeContents_V5 MJ.indd 5 23/11/2016 10:33

 NEED TO
KNOW...

BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO
Whoa! Did you feel that? The axis of the tabletop
gaming world has shifted as a major business
split rocks the industry. Come out from under your
desk, it’s not that kind of a quake.
In perhaps the biggest news of the year,
Fantasy Flight Games and Games Workshop
have decided to divide up the cutlery, files reams
of paperwork and attempt to prove whom the
dog loves more by terminating their relationship
after almost a decade of working together.
What an eight years it’s been, too. Together,
the partnership put out games including Fury
of Dracula, Forbidden Stars, Blood Bowl:
Team Manager, Space Hulk: Death Angel, Dark
Heresey, Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, Chaos
in the Old World and Warhammer 40,000:
Conquest. Not a bad run, if you ask us.
Sadly, the breakup means that from February
28th 2017 all of Games Workshop’s products
and licensed properties will be removed from
FFG’s catalogue and will no longer be available
to buy. Any unreleased but announced products
will apparently hit the market before the
partnership dissolves.
It also means that support for organised
play will be dropped for Warhammer 40,000:
Conquest, making November’s 2016 FFG World
Championships the last hurrah for the game at
official tournaments.
Following the news, some of the collaboration’s
most popular games have been widely selling out
or have rocketed up in price when they can be
hunted down. All the same, with the chance that
many of the games may never be re-published
again, it’s probably worth investing in that third
edition copy of Fury of Dracula now.

BON APPÉTIT ASMODEE

If you’ve been playing ‘Who does
Asmodee own now?’ bingo, it’s time
to cross off another big name from
your grid.
The publishing behemoth has
finalised its acquisition of Canadian
publisher F2Z Entertainment after
beginning discussions about
buying the firm back in July. As a
result of the buyout, F2Z has been
rebranded as Asmodee Canada.
Of course, the deal means that
Asmodee now owns all of F2Z’s
studios, including Pandemic outlet
Z-Man, Seafall studio Plaid Hat,
Flick ‘Em Up maker Pretzel and
French localisation specialist
Filosofia Editions, as well as the
rights to its biggest franchises,
such as Pandemic, Dead of Winter
and Carcassone.
F2Z joins Fantasy Flight Games,
Days of Wonder, Space Cowboys
and Catan Studio – to name just a
handful – in the ever-expanding list
of companies under the Asmodee
umbrella. Only it’s less an umbrella
and more like the enormous
unstoppable spaceships from sci-fi
films that block out the sun.
It’s not all scary news –
Asmodee has a good track record
of keeping up stock levels of
popular games and promoting
lesser-known gems thanks to its
well-oiled marketing machine.
But if the past is anything to go
by, it could be that the publisher’s
growing library results in some of
those games named above going
up in price – a double sting for us
Brits given the on-going financial
aftershocks of Brexit. Best stick
some of those F2Z titles on your
Christmas list before it’s too late.

IN BRIEF MOBILE VERSION OF TERRA MYSTICA IN DEVELOPMENT

RRP: FOR99 Q1 2017
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006_010_news_V2 MJ.indd 6 21/11/2016 14:04


AS IF IN A DREAM
What’s that? You’re not sick to death
of Cthulhu board games yet? Good,
because globetrotting Lovecraftian
adventure Eldritch Horror is getting a
sixth expansion, and it’s as Lovecraft as
they come.
The Dreamlands is set in H.P.’s alternate
dimension entered by sleeping, Nightmare
on Elm Street-style. It’s occupied by two
new big bads, spider creature Altach-
Nacha the Dreamweaver and Hypnos, the
Lord of Sleep, who definitely sound like
the kind of cosmic horrors you’d like to
snuggle up against while drifting off.
Eight new investigators will be able to
enter the dreamy setting by traversing
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006_010_news_V2 MJ.indd 7
www.facebook.com/tabletopgamingmagazine
@ tabletopgaming@warnersgroup.co.uk
the endless stairs or passing through the
Cavern of Flame from anywhere on the
map, or jumping through specific portals
placed during setup.
The Dreamlands and its regions,
including the pleasant-sounding
Enchanted Wood and the less inviting
Underworld, will be portrayed on a
completely separate game board to
the main map. There’s also a whole
bunch of original cards, including spells,
conditions, assets, adventures, Mythos
and encounters for every new location
included in the set.
Eldritch Horror: The Dreamlands will be
out during the first quarter of 2017.
CONTACT US...
www.twitter.com/TabletopMag
BLOODY BRILLIANT
RPG fans can breathe a big sigh of relief: a
fifth edition of blood-sucking title Vampire:
The Masquerade has been confirmed by White
Wolf Publishing.
Don’t hold your breath waiting for it, though,
because it won’t be out until the very end of 2018.
White Wolf made the news official at its Grand
Masquerade event while celebrating the 24th
anniversary of the original RPG – meaning that the
fifth edition will miss its 25th birthday in 2017.
Other information to creep out from the keynote
talk included details on the ‘you are what you eat’
mechanic, which will see players absorb some
of the skills and abilities of the victims they feed
on. Personally, we’d like to have a little nibble on
someone who’s better at Magic: The Gathering
than us. Or Ryan Reynolds, because our facial hair
needs a little more love.
There was also the mention that some of the
established universe’s long-running staples will
be changed for the new edition, including the
Camarilla vampire sect and the ‘Beast’ – the
psychological urge driving vampires to become
bloodthirsty predators.
The game will take place before the in-universe
vampire armaggedon Gehenna, with metaplot said
to play a significant role. In fact, White Wolf said
that it would issue third-party creators looking to
design spin-offs or tie-ins with a ‘bible’ to ensure
consistency and relevance with the existing canon.
There’s sure to be more news in the long, long
two-year wait before the fifth edition is released,
but the early signs are very promising indeed.
Netrunner
Core Set
21/11/2016 14:04
 NEED TO KNOW...
BEAR WITH ME
Here’s some news that will likely
leave half of you rolling your eyes
and the other half booting up your
web browser to buy a copy: the
team behind insanely popular party
card game Exploding Kittens is
back with a new project.
Bears vs Babies is the second
game from former Xbox exec Elan
Lee and Matthew Inman, creator
of The Oatmeal web comic. While
Kittens was the brainchild of Lee,
Bears is an idea created by Inman.
In the game, players build
monsters from a random selection
of body part and physical attribute
cards, resulting in Frankensteinian
creations such as a bear that is also
a squid on a peg leg with bat wings.
The monsters’ strength is simply
equal to the number of cards used
to create them, and their power must
outnumber the number of babies
played into the middle of the table.
IN BRIEF KNIGHT MODELS' HARRY POTTER MINIATURES GAME TO APPARATE IN 2017
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The babies – who are also
equipped with a variety of wild
powers, from the Great White
(shark) Baby and the Laser
Ptero(dactyl) Baby to the frankly
frightening Scary Hairbaby – are
set off using provoke cards,
interrupting their naptime and
leading them to attack the players.
At the end of the roughly 20-minute
round, whoever has eaten the most
babies wins.
Like Kittens, Bears is clearly
a lightweight party game aimed
at groups of casual fans who will
laugh at Inman’s surreal artwork
and the dark humour of the bizarre
combinations. Nonetheless, it’s
gone down a storm on Kickstarter,
smashing its initial $10,000 target
ten times over within half an hour
and raising a million dollars in its
first 30 hours. The game is due out
next June.
WAYLAND GETS WILD
Just four years after sci-fi alt-history miniatures title Wild West Exodus
appeared on the scene, Outlaw Miniatures has sold the franchise to
Wayland Games.
“I and the rest of our staff felt that if we wanted the game to be
incredible that something would need to change,” creator Romeo Filip
explained online following the news.
“This change required a major decision to be made. Look at hiring
several more people to progress the game, or sell the company. After
many months of discussing the options and looking at what would be
best for our fans, we decided to sell.
“The reason for the sale was simply to guarantee the game would
continue to grow and actually get better. A larger team run by a
dedicated staff would mean a second rule book, more factions, even
better models, and so on. All the signs pointed to pulling the trigger
and finding a buyer who has the knowledge and business sense to
take over.”
If you’re worried about the future for the WWX series under its new
owner, don’t panic. Filip said that he and the Outlaw team held lengthy
discussions with Wayland about the direction for the well-loved title
before agreeing to sell, and teased that he might return to the universe
for future expansions and new characters.
“The vision had to be there and the drive to achieve it needed
to show,” he stressed. “Wayland not only showed the interest but
assembled a team of dedicated staffers who will push the game forward.
“I personally feel that this change will bring success and growth to an
already popular game.”
Complete Beyond
the Gates of Antares
R
Starter Set
£
STRIKE VECTOR ONE:
THE XILOS HORIZON
21/11/2016 14:05
 THE YEAR OF AGRICOLA
Agricola turns the big 10 next year, and publisher
Lookout Games has plans to throw a fittingly big
birthday bash for Uwe Rosenberg’s acclaimed worker
placement title.
Lookout has teamed up with WizKids to launch six –
that’s right, six! – Agricola expansions next year.
Each of the Agricola Upgrade Kits will include 20
new cards designed by Rosenberg himself, plus five
pre-painted miniatures to use in the game. Each set will
include figures for one player, plus cards exclusive to
that pack.
Sadly, the game's previously-announced special
re-release, including wooden components and
an overhauled selection of revamped cards, has
meanwhile been given an indefinite release date.
ABSOLUTE MADNESS
We really enjoyed Mansions of Madness’ As well as the two extra missions, Beyond
app-powered second edition when we the Threshold will come with two new
reviewed it last issue, but noted that for a investigators – handyman Wilson Richards
game that comes within a few quid of the and shaman Akachi Onyele – and a new
£100 mark, there should really be more Lovecraftian monstrosity to contend with,
than four scenarios. the Thrall. All three characters will be
On that point, here’s some good news represented in miniature form, plus their
and bad news. The good news is that respective cards.
Fantasy Flight has announced the first Beyond the Threshold will be out at
boxed expansion for Mansions’ second the start of next year, but that’s not all
edition, Beyond the Threshold, which – Fantasy Flight has plans to fill the gap
will include two new original scenarios. with a number of downloadable scenarios
The Gates of Silverwood Manor is a for Mansions of Madness 2E’s companion
hunt to explain a series of mysterious app. Keep your eyes peeled.
disappearances, while Vengeful Impulses
takes place during a dinner party
full of suspicious guests up
to no good; Agatha
Christie would be
proud. The bad news?
Well, you’re obviously
going to have to
pay for it, silly.
We’re not sure
of a price tag
yet, but hopefully
the cost will be
worth it.
LET SLIP THE
EXPANSIONS OF WAR
Not had enough of Cry Havoc? Good,
because publisher Portal Games has
announced the first expansion for Grant
Rodiek, Michal Oracz and Michal Walczak’s
sci-fi strategy hit.
Cry Havoc: Aftermath adds three
structures and five skills for each of the
game’s factions, almost doubling the
number of abilities available. There’s also
an alternative game mode, which
is said to guarantee stretching
gameplay to all five rounds. A new
scoring system has been tweaked
to provide more victory points
when passing an event token
instead of removing it.
That isn't it from Portal, though,
as the company has also revealed
a debut expansion for 51st State:
Scavenger’s Master Set. Based on
the previous 51st State add-on,
Ruins, the add-on will include 50
cards. Tying in with the scavenging
theme is a new gameplay action,
which allows players to search
through the discard pile and recover
locations to add to their state.
Stronghold: Undead is also
coming back, albeit in a reheated
form. The re-release is a revamped
version of the six-year-old expansion
for Stronghold’s second edition,
which added new mana, spells and
terror rules, plus a map with new
attacker routes and buildings and
abilities for the defender.
Lastly, Portal announced that
it has picked up Alien Artifacts, a
game that was revealed a few years
back by Trefl. The 4X sci-fi card game by Viola Kijowska
and Marcin Ropka sees players build up interplanetary
corporations to explore further and further into deep space
with upgraded ships and advanced technology.
All of the products will be out during 2017.
Read our review of Cry Havoc on page 72

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Signed copy of the
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006_010_news_V2 MJ.indd 9 21/11/2016 14:05

 NEED TO KNOW...

THE NEW BLACK

Chain-smokers, womanisers, alcoholics, murderers and fans of Stetson hats, rejoice –
Upper Deck is launching an expansion to Legendary: A Marvel Deck Building Game
next February that’s right up your dingy-lit street.
That’s because the publisher is bringing Marvel’s Noir storyline to the popular
co-op card game, inspired by the comic book mini-series published through 2009
and 2010 which itself was influenced by the tone and style of the film noir and pulp
fiction genres.
The Noir small box expansion will feature five alternate versions of the superheroes
that appeared in the run of comics: Spider-Man, Iron Man, Daredevil, Luke Cage and
Angel. All of the cards will feature original art with four unique images per hero. The
set’s 100 new playable cards will also include two villain groups, two masterminds
and four schemes, plus a single-page colour rule sheet. Obviously, you’ll need the
core set to play – unless you just want to look at the pictures, that is.

ELEMENTARY, MY DEAR WATSON

If you were paying attention towards the end of last year, you may have noticed a small
Sherlock Holmes game appear and quickly vanish, much like a Conan Doyle character.
Watson & Holmes: From the Diaries of 221B was a deduction game based on the journals
of the sleuth’s sidekick published in limited numbers by Ludonova. One year on, Space
Cowboys and Asmodee have announced that they will re-publish the game (retitled to A DASH OF KINGS
simply Watson & Holmes) in 2017 with a wider release. Fans of lesser-known
In the game, up to seven players attempt to solve 13 mysteries faster than their rival localised delights, rejoice!
detectives, reading case notes and pursuing leads to gather enough clues and present their Mayday Games has struck
(hopefully correct) hypothesis to Sherlock himself. Meanwhile, Watson and other characters a new deal to publish
can be called upon for additional help. English versions of Gaijin
There’s an interesting bidding mechanic at the heart Dash and Bucket King 3D in
of the game, forcing players to visit new the West next year.
sites every turn and offer more carriage tokens Bucket King 3D originally
than their opponents to secure the single space at each came out in 2014 and, much
location. This is complicated by the ability to call the as the name suggests,
police on your competitors and impede is an update to Stefan
their progress. Dorra’s similarly-titled The
Watson & Holmes also includes an interactive Bucket King. Players build a
element in the form of QR codes on the case notes, pyramid of buckets and then
which can be blipped with an app to play an audio try to defend said bucket
recording of the setup. construction by laying down
A single round takes about an hour to play, making cards that must exceed the
this a more 'short-time' Sherlock experience than last hand played. If they
something like the excellent Consulting Detective. We’re can’t, the game introduces
yet to get our hands on a copy, so we’re very curious to a dexterity element where
see how the gameplay pans out in practice when this the player must remove
re-appears next year. Keep your magnifying glass and a bucket from the stack
deerstalker at the ready. by flicking it out – without
causing the rest of the pile
to come tumbling down.
The artwork for both the box and cards is notable for
featuring various cartoon animals in states of distress
– a polar bear sobbing, a pig streaming with tears, a
bruised fox in boxing gloves and a dog in heart-shaped
glasses dropping his popcorn. Okay then.
Gaijin Dash, meanwhile, is a fast-paced party game
designed by Hanabi creator and Takenoko: Chibis co-
creator Corentin Lebrat that sees players place cards
to cross Japanese roads while dodging oncoming
traffic. It takes about 15 minutes to play and comes
with 41 cards and five chips symbolising the dangers
of running across a busy highway for a game. In you’re
interested, the artwork is also rather outlandish – we
think the vehicles look like they’re sentient and are
trying to run down the poor old woman on her green
moped. Maybe that says more about us.
Gaijin Dash will release at the start of next year, with
Bucket King 3D following later in 2017.

IN BRIEF BANANAGRAMS IS THE UK'S BEST-SELLING PHYSICAL GAME SINCE 2000

10

006_010_news_V2 MJ.indd 10 21/11/2016 14:41

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p011.indd 1 16/11/2016 15:02

 OUTSIDE THE BOX
THOMAS PIKE
The writer and games designer answers the question on everyone’s lips

T
here is a question I have been asked too many Hit Z Road happens to be a good example of
times, a question I would like to answer once how, with a little creative thinking, it is always
“If every idea and for all.
It is a question you will hear at every convention, in
possible to provide a new kind of experience,
however crowded a category might already seem.
that ever every friendly local game store, at every club and on
every forum discussing our beloved subject matter.
That game immediately secured a place among the
best of its genre, offering a refreshing change of
touched an Sometimes the words change a bit, but the essence is
always the same and it needs to stop.
pace and a clever design meta that will doubtless
inspire further creativity in years to come. Would we
area already The format of the question is this: do we need
another zombie game? Do we need another
rather it was never made? What if that idea had been
dismissed out of hand because it was ‘just another
covered deckbuilding game? Do we need another movie
spin-off game? No matter what type of game is being
zombie game’? Madness.
So, please, never utter those words, not until
was cut off addressed, the correct answer should always be as
follows: Yes. We. Do.
you have rolled the dice, turned the cards and seen
for yourself what actual value a new game brings to
at the knee, This ignorant, needlessly negative grumble is
something gamers have been coming out with
the table. If it turns out to be a thoughtless clone,
riding on the coat tails of previous work and adding
the games for years. Without fail, every time a new game is
announced in a seemingly saturated category the
nothing of any worth to anyone, then you can
grumble away to your heart’s content. I might
industry moaners pipe up. The topic reared its head this issue
when I reviewed the zombie-themed title Hit Z Road
even join you.
Until then, always keep an open mind. Because,
would fall flat from Space Cowboys – a game which frankly proved
the naysayers dead wrong.
remember: it takes a huge dollop of our own
imagination to bring these games to life when we play.
on its face.” Sure, the popularity of zombie-related
entertainment undoubtedly reached its zenith a few
What we are really doing as gamers is looking for ways
carry out our fantasies, to experience and share our
years back, spawning all manner of ways for us to favourite universes or to soak up the atmospheres
experience the undead and the medium of board that most affect us. We are always the final
games was no exception. But are there too ingredient in any game design, and it may
many? Absolutely not. There will never, ever be just be that someone, right now as you read
too many zombie games. this, is working on a title that will give you
You need to understand, I am not saying what you are looking for in a way you
this out of love for the zombie genre. never imagined. Let them get on with it
Far from it. There is a much broader without having to block their ears.
issue here. If we let this kind of negativity thrive,
Creators in all fields are no progress will be made – not in the
and always have been industry as a whole, and certainly
inclined, if not obligated, not in our own personal
to take the best of what enjoyment of gaming
has gone before and If you really feel that
add their own input; way, you might as well
to build upon it and ask yourself: ‘Do
to compliment it. The we need any more
same is true of game games at all?’
design. If every idea If your answer to
that ever touched an area that question
already covered was cut off at the is ‘no’, please
knee, the games industry would close this
■ Hit Z Road is a shining
fall flat on its face – and who magazine
example of how an over-
saturated genre can still knows what gaming delights we and walk
produce new experiences. would be deprived of. away now. ■

12

012_outsideTheBox_V2 MJ.indd 12 21/11/2016 14:06

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p013.indd 1 16/11/2016 13:27

 MY FAVOURITE GAME
ANNE-MARIE DE WITT
Fireside Games’ CEO and designer of The Village Crone reveals the impact
traditional count-and-capture title Mancala has had on her own work
“Hearing
N
aming a favorite game is almost impossible
for me; whatever I might name this year
the click as would likely change with the next slate of
games available. I can, however, say that Mancala
you drop was one of my favorite games to play in the ‘90s
and was influential to my thinking when I began
the smooth designing games myself a few years ago.
The most obvious appeal of Mancala is its tactile
stones in quality. The wooden board and 48 gemstones look
and feel good in the hand. Picking up the smooth
the cups is stones and hearing the click as you drop them in
the cups of the board is a visceral pleasure. One
a visceral of the fundamental differentiating factors board
games have from other forms of entertainment
pleasure.” is their physical nature. Mancala capitalises on
that distinction well. Part of the joy of the game is
captured and echoed in its materials.
Another reason Mancala resonates with me is
its clean design. It doesn’t try to beguile players
with complex rulesets that end up creating barriers
to entry. Instead, the simple rules invite almost
any level of player to join the fun while rewarding
experience, planning and concentration. The most
basic rule is that each turn, a player picks up all
the gemstones in a cup on their side of the board
and redistributes them one at a time into the cups
around the board in a clockwise rotation. Stones
may be placed in the player’s own mancala – a
large cup at the end of the board – but not in the
opponent’s mancala. It’s that easy to get started.
The rules that create depth are based on
the effect of decisions about which stones to
redistribute. If the last gemstone lands in the
player’s mancala, that player takes another turn.
■ A wooden Mancala board.
(Colin M.L. Burnett)
14
014_myFavouriteGame_V2 MJ.indd 14
If it lands in one of their own empty cups, the player
scores that gemstone and all of the gemstones in
the opponent’s cup directly opposite. Mastery of
these rules is where experience shows. Players
demonstrate their skill level by the degree to which
they observe and exploit the board situations in
which these rules apply. The more someone plays,
that more interesting the play becomes.
The aspect of Mancala that most intrigues me,
however, is the twist in the rules. The objective
is to collect the most gemstones in the player’s
mancala. For the most part, players are focusing on
getting those stones there most efficiently, which
generally means moving stones out of their cups.
If a player runs out of stones, though, the player
with stones remaining in their cups adds all of the
stones to their mancala and the game ends. Players
who don’t pay attention to where their stones
are landing when the stones aren’t dropping into
their mancala and are focused solely on moving
those stones out of their cups could easily end up
giving the win away. That built-in requirement
for restraint and balanced play still fascinates me.
When I’m designing a game, I think about how
to mitigate strategies and create a ruleset that
incentivises players who change up tactics.
Mancala is a great model for how to create
a game that takes advantage of its medium,
encourages a wide audience and promotes
thoughtful decision-making. It may have its roots
in ancient African and Asian play, but still has a lot
to offer modern game designers – and players.
Dust it off if you haven’t played in a while. You’ll
see what I mean. ■
18/11/2016 09:04
 ®
™

Reign supreme!

Super Dungeon® models are required to

play this game. Build a warband from your
existing collection, or from Super Dungeon’s
range of prebuilt warband boxes. Model
supplied unpainted.

2017!

Ad-SDE-Arena-2016.indd 1 2016-10-26 5:19 PM

p015.indd 1 16/11/2016 08:42
 COUNTER VIEW
BECKY OTTERY
The co-owner of Reading’s Eclectic Games examines how a games retailer
deals with the overwhelming number of new releases unveiled during Essen

“Is it fun?
D
epending on which list you referred to, there orders), and my source of supply. Do I have to buy a
were between 900 and 1,200 new games case of 24 or can I buy in single units? Am I buying
Is it a good released at the Spiel Fair in Essen last week.1
At Eclectic Games, we are offered a minimum of
direct from an individual source with limited products I
want, or from a large distributor with a broad catalogue
game? Who four and sometimes upwards of 20 new items we can
stock per week. In the face of this product tsunami,
of titles? Is this a mass-market product that will be
available everywhere on the high street, and then swiftly
is it for? how do we choose what to stock?
This column is an insight into how we decide.
discounted by huge percentages to clear stock? Will
there be enough stock available in the supply chain if it
How many It’s not exhaustive or the only way to make such
decisions2, and other businesses will probably use
becomes a hit and I want to place restock orders? Was it
on Kickstarter? Am I in competition with the publisher
players? Is slightly different criteria. Here is most of what we
consider when we ask ‘Should we stock this?’ and the
for sales to end customers?
Practical and physical considerations feature, too – size,
component follow-on, ‘How much should we buy?’
I have a number of yes/no type questions that form
weight and packaging matter. Round boxes, pyramids,
tiny tuckboxes, impressively huge boxes4, clamshell
quality good? a first-pass filter on products that I could buy. Is it a
game, or game accessory? A solitaire puzzle of some
packaging designed to go on hooks: all of these are more
effort to display on a shelf than a nice, simple box.
Is the theme kind? Do I think my customer base would like to buy
it from me? Is it compatible with my business ethics to
Finally, we reach questions that match more
closely to my customers’ own buying choices. Is
and artwork sell this thing?3 Is it at an acceptable price and margin?
This sifts out comics, Funko Pop! vinyl figures, kites,
it fun? Is it a good game? Who is it for? How many
players? Is component quality good? Is the theme
helping or Lego, costumes and many other things that would
(theoretically) fit well with the games I do stock and sell.
and artwork helping or hindering? Is the designer or
publisher well-known, with a good reputation? Does
hindering?” Slightly deeper into the decision tree, and the
question is ‘Why should I stock this product?’ rather
it do anything new or exciting in any way?
Ultimately it boils down to ‘Can I make enough
than ‘Should I consider stocking this product?’ money selling lots of this?’ – and sometimes I just
At this point, closer examination of price point get it plain wrong. Which leads to the topic of a
(RRP) and gross margin happens, alongside ordering future column: the correct use of the powerful and
quantities (both required minimums and carriage paid dangerous tool of the clearance sale. ■

1. Last week for me as I’m writing. At least six weeks ago for you reading this. It’s like time travel!
2. However, I do not recommend either the practice of haruspicy or of throwing darts at the new release solicitations. Both are messy.
3. Cards Against Humanity, Pimp: The Back-Handing, Hentacle: no. Rotten Apples, Stoner Fluxx and Bucket of Doom: yes.
4. Twilight Imperium, we’re looking at you here...

16

016_counterView_V2 MJ.indd 16 18/11/2016 09:05

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p17.indd 1 16/11/2016 08:57

 1 2
THE RESISTANCE CAPTAIN SONAR
The Resistance is a game of Captain Sonar is the newest game on the
hidden identity, bluffing and list, and it’s like nothing you’ve ever played.
deduction. First, each player Best enjoyed with exactly eight players, it
receives a loyalty card which pits two teams of four against each other in
they keep secret. Then the a real-time battle to locate and destroy the
group negotiates to select other team’s submarine
smaller team of (hopefully) before they do the same to
loyal players who will vote you. On each team, players
on whether the Resistance adopt the roles of Captain,
succeeds or fails. It will take First Mate, Engineer and
your best deduction skills Radio Operator, each with
to work out who among a unique and vital job to
your number is secretly a do. The game uses an
saboteur, lying through their ingenious hidden movement
teeth to get themselves system and you’ll need a
selected and bring down the combination of deduction,
Resistance. Think you know logic and speedy teamwork
who it is? Good, but can you to come away victorious.
convince the other players The result is fast, frantic fun
while avoiding drawing which is as entertaining to

10
suspicion yourself? watch as it is to play.

OF THE BEST…
PARTY GAMES
W
ith the festive season fast love a challenge at Tabletop Gaming, so here
approaching, it’s a good bet you’ve we have rounded up a selection of the very
got at least one social event on the best party games on the market. We’ve got
horizon. Boring family gathering? Awkward wordplay, bluffing, teamwork, deduction
work do? New friends to break ice with? We and dexterity games on the list, so we’re
know it can be a challenge to find suitable confident you’ll find something to suit all
games for these diverse crowds. Luckily, we tastes. We’ve featured a mix of old favourites
alongside some of the very latest releases, all
easy to learn with a quick turnaround to make
sure everyone gets a go. Large groups of all
ages are supported, and those games with a
more limited participation have been chosen
precisely because they are entertaining even
just to watch. Enjoy! Chosen by Thomas Pike.

3 4
DIXIT
This is the game to win over anyone who is put
off by wordplay or mathematics. Selecting one
card from your hand of weird and wonderful
pictures each turn and placing it face down, you
must give a creative clue to the group – a word,
sound or action – which will lead them to it. Your CODENAMES
card is then mixed up into a shortlist In this 2015 smash hit,
of others to disguise it – others which players start by splitting
include crafty red herrings played by into two teams who each
other players upon hearing your clue. nominate one person to
The hope is that your clue was good be Spy Master. A five-by-
enough for at least some of them to five grid of word cards is
single out your original card. laid out, some of which are
codenames for the secret
operatives of each team, but
only the Spy Masters know
which is which. Each Spy
Master must give verbal clues
to their team to help them
identify the agents before
the other team can find their
own. But be warned, an
assassin card lurks in the
crowd – misinterpreting the
clue and selecting him will
gift victory to your rivals.

18

018_019_tenOfTheBest_V2 MJ.indd 18 21/11/2016 15:26

 5 6
CASH ‘N GUNS
In Cash ‘n Guns you play a team of bank robbers
dividing up the loot after a big heist. Nobody wants to
share, so each round everyone plays a card, face down,
from their hand of bullets and misfires. Then, after the
count of three, everyone simultaneously points their
foam gun at another player. Those with a gun pointed at them now
have a choice – to lower their own, back down and pass up their share
of loot this round, or to hang tough, risking death and hoping their
opponent has already run out of bullets. Very silly fun.
DOBBLE
Children often wipe the floor with
adults when it comes to mental
agility, and Dobble is a prime
example of this phenomenon in
action. It’s a fast-paced card game
with various ways to play, none of
which takes more than about five
minutes. The circular cards are
each covered in multiple colourful
images – tree, clock, car and so on
– and, cleverly, any combination of
two cards will always have one (and
only one) image in common. You
are in a race to spot the match and
grab the card, a bit like advanced
Snap, but due to the different size
and orientation of these jumbled
images, it is much more difficult and
entertaining than it sounds.

7 8
SKULL HANABI
This is the game Hanabi boasts one of the most unique and counterintuitive
with possibly mechanics in gaming. The goal is simple – players must
the fewest work together to
components on play numbered
the list, meaning it cards from their
is extremely portable and can hands to try and make coloured
be played almost anywhere. It numerical sets. The twist is you
is a bluffing game perfect for cannot see which cards you are
the pub. Each player starts holding. Cards are held facing
with a hand of four beer-mat- outward so only the other players
like discs: three flowers and can see what you have. While
one skull. After a few rounds you are not allowed to simply tell
of playing discs face down, someone exactly what cards they
players try to outbid each other have, through the right combination
over how many flower discs they of clue-giving, deduction
think they can overturn, starting and a good memory the
with their own. Get it right and team can achieve a
you win, but hit a devilishly placed satisfying solution.
skull and you lose. Are you good
at reading body language?

10
SUSHI GO
This card-drafting game revolves around trying to make sets of delicious
sushi varieties, with the dishes scoring points in different ways. Each player
starts with a small deck of cards from which they must choose one and
place it face up in front of them. Then they pass the remaining cards to the
player on their left and receive a deck from the player on their right. The
process repeats, and as these
decks make their way around
the table, slowly diminishing,
you are forced to consider not
only which sets you are trying
to make, but also how you can
block what your opponents are
going for.

9
THE WEREWOLVES OF MILLER’S HOLLOW
The oldest game on our list supports up to 23 players of all
ages. Players are first assigned one of two secret roles: villagers
or werewolves. A narrator player runs the game, explaining that
while the villagers ‘sleep’ (closing their eyes) the werewolves
rise, silently signalling to the narrator who it is they wish to eat.
Next, the villagers are roused – opening their eyes only to find
that one of their number has perished. They must debate among
themselves as to who the culprits are… and lynch them! Only
then is it revealed if they were guilty – or not.

19

018_019_tenOfTheBest_V2 MJ.indd 19 21/11/2016 15:26

 RO LE
C ALL
John Dodd picks out a Christmas selection of upcoming roleplaying
game releases for the end of 2016 and the start of the New Year

20

020_021_RollCall_V2 MJ.indd 20 18/11/2016 09:08

 T
he curious thing about the Christmas
period for most RPGs is that a lot of
companies delay their releases until just
after the festive period. With this in mind, we’re
going to take a look at both the products that are
immediately available now and the games that
will be coming out in early January 2017.
The first book on the list is Leagues of Gothic
Horror, the latest release from Triple Ace games,
bringing the world of the penny dreadfuls to
the Ubiquity system. It has new character types,
new equipment and a detailed look into the
world of Victorian horror, as well as the heroes
and villains of those stories, from Quatermain to
Holmes. It’s available from Triple Ace now.
Next, we have the Belly of the Beast, a new
release recently Kickstarted where players
take the role of scavengers living within the
monstrous insides of the beast that ate their
world. Quite literally taking the rulebook,
chewing it up and spitting it out, Belly of the
Beast contains everything required to run
entire campaigns within the setting and can be
downloaded now from DriveThruRPG.
From Cubicle 7 comes Journeys & Maps
for The One Ring. Journeys & Maps is a set of
four, double-sided, large format player and lore
master maps covering the greater part of Middle-
earth: Eriador, Wilderland, Rohan, Gondor and
Mordor. Also included is a 32-page supplement,
with rules for water travel by sea and river, an
index to all locations covered in the One Ring
020_021_RollCall_V2 MJ.indd 21
Roleplaying Game supplements to date, a system
for detailing ruins found along the road, a useful
collection of terrain-specific hazards and a
section detailing natural wonders, lodgings and
fellow travellers your company might find along
the way.
In a little diversion from the immediately
available, from Pelgrane Press in December
comes Cthulhu Confidential, which
drops your hero into the noir nightscape of
hardboiled-era Los Angeles, New York or
Washington DC. Meet powerbrokers and
politicians, rub shoulders with Hollywood
studio bosses and fiery evangelists and face
narrow-eyed G-Men, bent cops and dangerous
crime lords – but beneath it all, under the scrim
of all this human endeavour, lives corruption
so old and unearthly you’ll need all your
courage and resourcefulness to face it. Cthulhu
Confidential features three protagonists,
each in their own setting, with three fully-
featured adventures, all of them with their own
mysteries to solve.
It’s a little late to the party, but the latest
edition of Paranoia is now nearing completion,
and will likely not be out before Christmas,
but will be certainly due for the first quarter of
2017. With a number of changes from the last
edition, and more than a year’s active playtesting
under its belt, it promises to have the same level
of maniac fun with an updated world for the
characters to kill each other in.
21
The old-school game revival continues with
Stellar Adventures, the latest in the series of
Advanced Fighting Fantasy books, with the
rules for spaceships, travel, modern weaponry
and all the other variables that were presented
in the original Fighting Fantasy books. With
this, out in December from Arion Games, you’ll
be able to play everything from robot cowboys
to the bridge crew of a starship.
From the indie side of things comes Noirlandia,
a tabletop RPG about a tangled murder mystery
in a bizarre, corrupt city of your own design. It’s a
fascinating delve into the noir genre with all you
need to play on the dark side in the main rulebook,
which can be grabbed from DriveThruRPG.
Finally, from Modiphius comes the Mutants
& Heretics supplement for Mutant Chronicles.
Marked by the Brotherhood as heretics, hunted
by the Dark Legion, mutants live on the very
knife-edge of society, not knowing their fate and
living with the danger of exposure every day.
During the early days of the Dark Symmetry
these abilities are minor, but in the Dark Legion
era they become explosive, life-threatening and
remarkable. This section includes full character
lifepath options, early and late powers, and rules,
plus full details of what playing a character with
emerging mutations means and the dangers
inherent from all factions. It also includes rules
on how to create your own Heretic cult and
temple, how to progress through the ranks of the
Dark Legion, and much more. ■
21/11/2016 14:42
 ALL THE JAHRES
James Wallis replays the winners of the Spiel des Jahres in order
Title: Enchanted Forest | Year of win: 1982 | Designers: Alex Randolph and
Michel Matschoss | Number of players: 2-6 | Playing time: 45 minutes
Worthy winner? Not a great year, but even so this is not a great winner
Worth playing now? Not even with kids | Availability: Wide | Price: £12.99

I
n the history of almost every award there’s
one year where the judges seem to have
gone bonkers. Henry Kissinger won the
1973 Nobel Peace Prize. Kramer vs. Kramer
beat Apocalypse Now to the Oscar for Best
Picture in 1980. And in 1982 the Spiel des
Jahres went to Enchanted Forest.
Here are the reasons why Enchanted Forest
deserved to win the world’s biggest award for
tabletop games. Firstly, it is a game. Secondly,
it was co-created by legendary designer Alex
Randolph. Thirdly, it was a bad year. That’s
about it.
Enchanted Forest is a game of locating
fairytale treasures under trees, or looking
under trees, remembering what’s there and
hoping you can be first to the castle when
that card comes up. It was originally titled
Sagaland, and has remained in print almost

“Enchanted Forest
feels like something
from the other
side of an
antediluvian
age.”

22

022_023_allTheJahres_V2 MJ.indd 22 18/11/2016 09:09

 constantly since its release, notching up
over three million sales including a Wizard
of Oz version, a Disney Princesses edition
and a spin-off based on a theme park. You’ll
find it in most decent toy shops. We get it as
a birthday present for the kids from friends
who know we like board games but don’t
know board games.
It is a kids’ game. Today these have their
own section of the Spiel des Jahres, but in the
early days they had to fight it out alongside
more grown-up fare like Sid Sackson’s
Can’t Stop (see last issue’s All the Jahres).
Children enjoy games differently to grown-
ups and very differently to experienced
games players; they delight in the surprises
of movement based on dice rolls and think
tactics are small white mints. When you’re
five Ludo is a brilliant game, if a bit long.
But that only goes part way to explain why
a roll-and-move memory game – with a few
similarities to Ludo – was judged the best
game of the year.
In Enchanted Forest, players roll dice to
move along the paths of some decidedly
unmagical woodland. If they stop by one of
the 13 trees they can lift it up to see which
fairytale item is printed on its base. At the
castle at one end of the board the king turns
over cards with items on them; if you know
022_023_allTheJahres_V2 MJ.indd 23
where that item is and can race to the castle
first then you get the card. First player to
collect three cards is declared heir to the
throne and wins.
There are a couple of other mechanics.
Landing on another player’s piece will send
them back to the start, and doubles let you
teleport or swap the face-up card, but they
do little to make the game more interesting.
Sometimes it’s easy to forget how far games
have come in the last third of a century, and
Enchanted Forest feels like something from the
other side of an antediluvian age, the survivor
of a mass extinction event. It’s slow, it depends
on luck more than skill and, despite the
fairytale theme, it’s as dry as old bones.
It’s hard to know whether Enchanted Forest
has aged badly or whether it wasn’t much
good to start with, and what the judges saw
in it. However, it’s worth noting that 1982 was
not a strong year for new games, unless you
count the release of Trivial Pursuit, and most
of the decent SdJ nominees that year were
close to previous winners. (Can’t Stop looks
like Focus, Fang Mich shares its theme with
Hare and Tortoise, Geister and Kensington are
two-player abstracts like the previous winner,
Vokabo is Rummikub with letters – I could go
on.) Enchanted Forest, for all its faults, was at
least original.
■ In Enchanted Forest,
players search under trees to
find fairytale treasure. And,
hopefully, a more exciting game.
23
Plus, the Spiel des Jahres judges have
always put an emphasis on family games,
which explains why Villa Paletti beat Puerto
Rico in 2002. However, Enchanted Forest isn’t
for families – it’s for kids. There is precious
little for adults or even older children here.
It claims to be for ages six-plus but it’s quite
capable of boring the pants off littler children
too. I’ve played Enchanted Forest with adults
and kids, with novices and experienced
gamers, and it has never been enjoyable.
When my youngest child kicked the board
over in a huff, my heart secretly leaped.
“She recognises the paucity of the design
and its dogmatic adherence to out-dated
mechanics,” I thought, “and now we can play
something else.”
I may be unfair here. Enchanted Forest isn’t
utterly awful. I would play it over Snakes and
Ladders any day. But given that there are so
many amazing titles available to young and
old in any games shop, it’s hard to see how it
won – or to recommend it to anyone except
people you don’t like with children you don’t
like either. ■
Next issue 1983 winner Scotland Yard
James Wallis is a games designer and director
of the games consultancy Spaaace.
21/11/2016 14:07
 SCYTHE

MECH IT
HAPPEN

© Jakub Różalski

24

024_029_scythe_V3 MJ.indd 24 18/11/2016 09:11

 Scythe lead designer Jamey
Stegmaier recalls the origins of
the strategy game’s alternate-
history setting, working with artist
Jakub Róż alski and taking the
‘extermination’ out of 4X
25
024_029_scythe_V3 MJ.indd 25
I
t’s the 1920s. You’re wandering through an Eastern-
European countryside, crops growing at angles in
the still-fresh craters from the Great War. You stop to
pat a lowing cow when, suddenly, the ground shakes
with the thump of a massive footstep. Your nostrils
prickle with the unmistakable smell of fuel. From
behind a row of trees a towering mechanical beast
crashes forward, its machine gun still warm from the
heat of battle. You return to your harvest.
Such is the world of Scythe, the 4X (‘explore,
expand, exploit and exterminate’) strategy game from
Viticulture, Tuscany and Euphoria designer Jamey
Stegmaier and his publisher Stonemaier Games. (The
‘Stone’ is fellow co-founder Alan Stone.)
Scythe takes place in… Oh, you know what? We’ll
leave it to Stegmaier to explain why there are mechs
stomping around post-World War I cornfields.
“In an alternate-history 1920s Eastern Europe,
adventurers from five nations converge upon an area
of land surrounding a mysterious factory to exploit
the plentiful resources, build their empire, endear
themselves in the eyes of the people, encounter
unpredictable situations, enhance their economy and
conquer and control territory,” he summarises.
That’s right: as well as giving rise to tank and aerial
warfare, in Scythe’s universe the First World War
also sparked the creation of gigantic killer robots
by a mysterious and powerful city-state known as
‘The Factory’.
It’s an inspired setting in the vein of a Jules Verne
adventure or H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds, with
Scythe’s sprawling hex-based map (which can
be extended by a further 50% with the collector’s
edition’s game board expansion) spanning the
fictional fields, lakes, rivers and towns of East
Europa near the sought-after Factory.
Stegmaier can’t take all the credit for Scythe’s gripping
dieselpunk (like steampunk, but mixing futuristic
tech with the fuel fixation of the 1900s, rather than the
Victorian obsession with heated water) world. The
idea first appeared in the work of concept artist and
illustrator Jakub Rózalski, whose ‘1920+’ series of images
depicting giant mechs participating in the Polish-Soviet
War popped up online in late 2014 and attracted media
attention – as well as leading Stegmaier to get in touch.
“Jakub’s the illustrator and world-builder of Scythe,”
Stegmaier explains. “The story of the game has its roots
in a war between Poland and the Soviet Union in the
1920s, and Jakub pretty much added mechs to it. When
I discovered his work and asked if I could design a
game in that world, we added a few more factions.”
Stegmaier wasn’t the only game maker to take an
interest – a few months after Scythe was announced,
Rózalski revealed that he had also been working on a
video game set in the same universe as the tabletop title.
For the board game, at least, when it came to
designing around Rózalski’s already well-established
world, Stegmaier decided not to try and fit the existing
setting to his mechanics, but to allow the detailed
images to guide and influence the feeling and flow of
Scythe’s core gameplay. ▶
18/11/2016 09:11
 SCYTHE
■ Scythe includes hundreds
“It started with Jakub’s art and world, not the
of components and various
mechanisms,” he recalls. “It was really a matter of
mechanics but is relatively
finding the right mechanisms to capture the feel of
simple and quick to play.
Jakub’s 1920s world.”
Much like Rózalski’s combination of many different
artistic themes and styles – from Polish history and
traditions to rural life, modernism, militaria and
science-fiction – Scythe’s gameplay requires players
having to juggle all four X-elements, expanding
their territory, facing off in mech combat with up
to four other players, managing villagers, gathering
resources, keeping inhabitants happy, constructing
new buildings and more (phew) in an attempt to
earn the most victory points by the end of the game.
■ Scythe takes place in the fictional lands of East
Europa surrounding the sought-after Factory.
26
024_029_scythe_V3 MJ.indd 26
This exhausting list of gameplay elements is backed
up by an equally lengthy list of components piled into
a fittingly big package – seriously, it’s an unboxer’s
dream – including 80 coins, 80 resources tokens,
42 combat cards, 28 encounters cards, 23 objective
cards, two player mats (per person!) and two different
rulebooks, to name just a handful of the hundreds of
bits and pieces.
As with other 4X games such as Eclipse and Twilight
Imperium, there’s a lot going on in Scythe. But unlike
those other games, which can take even experienced
players around five hours to complete, its estimated
playtime sits just under two hours at 115 minutes. Just
how is that possible?
18/11/2016 09:11

“The key is that turns are very short,” Stegmaier
answers. “Players are either taking one action or two
“Scythe is a
actions on their turn and the second action, which can
take some thought, can – and should, as the rules say –
game about
be completed while the next person takes their turn.
“This keeps the game moving at a brisk pace. There
building, not
are no rounds or phases, so the game never stops – it
just keeps going until someone triggers the endgame.
destroying
My target length for the game was 90 to 120 minutes,
and I kept a close watch on the playtest data to see if
– in general,
we were hitting that target. The average length of the
750-plus blind playtests, including setup, was 115
that’s my
minutes, so that’s the number we put on the box.”
Don’t be fooled by its streamlined nature, though –
inclination as
Scythe is just as complex and engrossing as the
greats of the genre. While executing straightforward
a designer
actions such as movement and combat is easy –
the latter is a dice-free bidding system based on
and a gamer.”
players’ power meters and combat card buffs – the
introduction of event and encounter cards when
traversing the war-torn map both builds up the
narrative of Rózalski’s world and makes it more
difficult to predict the way a battle may turn out – with
potentially game-changing results. It’s the layering
of simple actions on top of each other, combined
with unpredictable elements and the acquisition of
VP through both combat and farming to help make
a variety of tactics viable as winning strategies, that
really gives Scythe its depth.
“I think ‘accessibility’ is the key word, because I
know that Scythe isn’t for everyone,” Stegmaier admits.
“It’s certainly not a gateway game.
“The key for me was to make Scythe easy to learn,
whether it’s your first time playing or if you’re trying
to play with someone who hasn’t played before. In
that respect, the game comes with quick-start cards
for players to quickly understand the core ideas and
basic actions, and it even guides them through their
27
024_029_scythe_V3 MJ.indd 27
■ Players take on the role of
a character from one of five
factions: Mjorn & Mox, Anna &
Wojtek, Olga & Changa, Zehra &
Kar, and Gunter & Nacht.
first few turns. There are a lot of rules in Scythe, but
the core concepts are very simple.”
Having delved into the depths of many different
tabletop genres – wargaming, resource management,
area control... – to emerge with Scythe’s eventual
combination of mechanics, we ask Stegmaier what he
learned on his path to perfecting the game’s design.
“I could write an essay’s worth of stuff I learned
while designing Scythe, so I’ll just pick a random
example,” he begins. “For a brief period, a player’s
character had some special attributes, but a player’s
mech abilities didn’t apply to the character. However,
it was thematically important that both characters
and mechs could engage in combat. Because of
that commonality, we found that players – myself
included – would associate the mech’s abilities with the
character. Like, if I unlocked Speed, I would find myself
moving my character as if it had Speed, even though
that ability only applied to mechs.
“I’ve learned as a designer that it’s usually best not to
fight player instincts, so I revised the way mech abilities
work to have them apply to mechs and characters,
while still maintaining some small differences between
the two.”
While Scythe could hardly be accused of being
stingy in terms of mechanics, its claim to the 4X throne
is actually a bit of an odd one – the game arguably
doesn’t include any ‘extermination’. When a combat
unit is defeated in battle, the figure isn’t killed or
destroyed and instead simply retreats back to the
corresponding player’s home base at the edge of the
map. Similarly, players can’t be eliminated from the
game, so everyone makes it to the final scoring tally, no
matter how they’ve fared.
“The dictionary definition for 4X actually describes
‘exterminate’ as ‘eliminating a rival’s presence’, not
actually killing units,” Stegmaier says of the interesting
decision. “Scythe is a game about building, not ▶
18/11/2016 09:11
 SCYTHE
■ The inspiration for the game’s
1920s dieselpunk setting came
from a series of illustrations by
Jakub Rózalski, which are also
being turned into a video game.
© Jakub Różalski
024_029_scythe_V3 MJ.indd 28
destroying – and in general, that’s my inclination as
a designer and a gamer. You exterminate units by
winning combat and removing their presence from
territories, forcing them to retreat back to their home
base. That in itself is a significant blow to an opponent
– actually forcing them to redeploy the mech would
have been overkill.”
Rather than seeing the absence of player and unit
elimination in Scythe as something missing from its
gameplay, Stegmaier suggests that the game serves
as an example of where the 4X genre could go in
the future, and expresses his hope that players and
designers alike will expand their understanding of
the popular genre to include unique variations on the
eponymous four mechanics.
“Perhaps one of the biggest unexpected challenges
has been addressing expectations about what the
game is, particularly with people who expect the
same 4X experience they’ve had with other games –
modular board, flipping over hex tiles etc.” he observes.
28
“None of those elements are actually inherent to
4X games, but it’s like if you’ve only played worker-
placement games where you gain the benefits at the
end of the round instead of right away – your definition
of ‘worker placement’ is limited to your experience,
and it will impact your expectation of the next worker
placement game you learn. So it’s been challenging
to address those preconceived notions about 4X in
regards to Scythe.”
Despite Stegmaier’s concerns that players may not
‘get’ Scythe’s spin on the 4X formula, the game has
become a proven hit. When a crowdfunding campaign
for the title launched on Kickstarter late last year, almost
18,000 backers put forward more than $1.8 million to
get it made. In an effort to attract more supporters of the
project, Stonemaier offered four different versions of Scythe
– starting with the standard product for $59 and stretching
up to $119 for the Art Connoisseur special edition, which
includes premium resource tokens and coins (made
of real metal!), plus a hardback book full of Rózalski’s
18/11/2016 09:11

original illustrations which inspired the game’s creation.
With so many tabletop designers both new and old
turning to crowdfunding platforms to get their concepts
turned into real-life releases, Stegmaier praises the ability
of websites such as Kickstarter to expand the ambition
and quality of board games that prove especially popular.
“One of the things I like most about Kickstarter
projects are how backers have a positive impact on the
game through stretch goals,” he explains. “The more
copies of a game you can make, the lower the price per
unit, allowing the creator to add in extra stuff. So it was a
huge help for Scythe to have so many backers be willing
to pledge their hard-earned money so far in advance.”
Those who backed Scythe’s Kickstarter received their
copies of the game earlier this year and, following its
sell-out success, a second retail printing hit shelves in
early October, with the various add-ons offered during
the Kickstarter released
to the public throughout
November and December.
That’s not all, though
– Stegmaier and his team
didn’t wait around and
released an expansion to the
game, Invaders from Afar, in
November. The add-on brings
two new factions, Togawa and
Albion, to Scythe’s line-up
of combatants, complete
with their accompanying
miniatures, wooden and
cardboard tokens, and faction
mats. With Scythe itself merely
months old, why release an
expansion so soon?
29
024_029_scythe_V3 MJ.indd 29
“Well, it may seem quick, but it wasn’t as quick from
our end,” Stegmaier retorts. “I finished all of the Scythe
playtesting and design in August 2015, and I didn’t
start designing the expansion until January 2016. It was
printer-ready in July, and released to retailers the first
week of August.
“The expansion wasn’t released until November 1st. I
guess that’s relatively soon after the release of the game,
but that just happened to be when it was ready.”
Invaders expands Scythe’s five-player cap, allowing
the game to be played with up to seven players. The
base game can itself be played by a single person;
the solo variant was designed by Morten Monrad
Pedersen, who was responsible for the solitaire modes
for Stonemaier’s Viticulture and Between Two Cities.
Automa, as the one-player mode is called, uses a
deck of 23 unique cards and a separate rulebook
to essentially offer an AI player, as you might find
in a video game. The expansion doesn’t include
any extra Automa cards for the finely-tuned mode,
but Stegmaier says groups of any size should find
something new in the extra pack.
“It really just adds more variety to solo play – more
factions to play against,” he says. “In multiplayer, six- to
seven-player games will last a little longer and result
in lower scores due to the limited space – combat and
alliances are more likely. There were two abilities,
Wayfare and Meander, that simply didn’t work well
in six- to seven-player games, so we replaced those
abilities in games with those player counts.”
Just over a year on from his successful Kickstarter
campaign, Stegmaier and Rózalski’s work on Scythe
has more than paid off. The game sits well within
BoardGameGeek’s all-time Top 20, ahead of beloved
fellow 4X title Eclipse and established favourites such
as Android: Netrunner, Codenames and Dead of Winter.
In the strategy rankings alone, it’s at number six, within
spitting distance of Terra Mystica, Twilight Struggle and
Pandemic Legacy. Not bad going given that the game’s
been out for under 12 months.
With the success of Scythe secured, and one
expansion already on shelves, you might expect
Stegmaier to be itching to head back into Rózalski’s
captivating world of mechanical creatures and
historical warfare and get to work on another add-
on while the iron’s hot. For him, however, Scythe is
already somewhat in the rearview mirror.
“Currently I’m spending most of my time on a
completely unrelated game called Charterstone,
so there’s nothing for Scythe officially in the works,”
he reveals. “In the last few months we’ve released
new printings of Scythe in English and a variety of
other languages, as well as the expansion. We’ve
also reprinted many of the special accessories we
sold during the Kickstarter campaign and created
some new promo items – new coins and power
dials – so that’s our main focus on Scythe for the
foreseeable future.” ■
18/11/2016 09:12
p030.indd 1 16/11/2016 08:43

The
magnificent
As RPG publisher Cubicle 7 turns a
decade old, Matt Jarvis and CEO
Dominic McDowall look back
on the British company’s
work with Doctor Who,
Lord of the Rings and
Cthulhu, before
asking what
comes next
31
031_035_interviewCubicle7_V2 MJ.indd 31
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
“
T
hinking about the Cubicle 7 of ten years
ago is a bit like looking at embarrassing
old photographs.”
Dominic McDowall seems hesitant when asked
to recall the origins of the RPG publishing label
he co-founded.
Angus Abranson had initially decided to form a
publisher focused on roleplaying games with the help
of his flatmate Dave Allsop in 2003, and brought in
his clubmate – McDowall – to help edit the Hunter
Sheets supplement for Allsop’s SLA Industries, the
first of five planned books for the cyberpunk title.
After Allsop pulled out of the still gestating Cubicle 7
one year later in 2004, McDowall joined Abranson to
eventually found the company properly in 2006.
“The company was built on a love of gaming – I
wouldn’t have it any other way – but my business-
running skills developed a lot more slowly through
a series of painful learning experiences,” McDowall
continues. “It’s my first company, and I love it – I
don’t really see myself as a serial entrepreneur type.
So, the company itself is very different but, at its heart,
we’re all still people who love games and can’t stop
making them.”
McDowall stepped up to become CEO in 2011,
with his former fellow director Abranson leaving
the company later that year to found games firm
Chronicle City. In the intervening years, Cubicle 7
had attracted investment interest from the Rebellion
Group, eventually joining the umbrella of companies
in 2009 – a year that would prove to be a major turning
point for the publisher, as it launched its first Doctor
Who RPG and the Cthulhu Britannica supplement for
Lovecraftian tabletop title Call of Cthulhu. ▶
18/11/2016 09:15
 EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

“Rebellion gave us the money and support to

turn an evening and weekend hobby business into
a real company,” McDowall recalls. “Overnight we
were working alongside existing games and genre
companies – Rebellion themselves, Mongoose
Publishing, 2000AD, Solaris Books, Abaddon Books
and more. It was very exciting and inspiring. The
investment meant that we could launch multiple
games, instead of having to build up at a slower rate
as we could afford it; it accelerated the growth of the
company enormously.”
Five years later, in 2014, Cubicle 7 split from
the group as the result of a buyout and returned
to operating as an independent firm, something
McDowall ascribes to its growing strength in the
tabletop space.
“I felt that the time had come to stand on my own
two feet,” he explains. “Rebellion were great to work
with, and I learned a lot, but sometimes you need the
freedom to take risks and make your own mistakes.
So, when I had the opportunity to make a deal to go
indie again, I went for it.”
McDowall’s instinct was proved right. In the couple
of years since its break from Rebellion, Cubicle 7’s
momentum has showed little sign of slowing, with the

■ As well as the Doctor Who
RPG, Cubicle 7 has published
card and dice games based on
the sci-fi property, including
the recent Time Clash.
company raising more than £40,000 on Kickstarter for
another Call of Cthulhu setting, World War Cthulhu;
continuing to expand outside of its RPG roots into
board, card and dice games; and, most recently,
launching a new Tolkien-themed setting for the
Dungeons & Dragons fifth edition OGL (Open Game
Licence), Adventures in Middle-earth. All in all, the
company’s workforce of just ten staff has produced
and published almost 250 games since 2009.
“There are a lot of special events and milestones that
map out Cubicle 7’s first ten years for me,” McDowall says
of the company’s development since its ‘embarrassing’
beginnings. “Our first product release, our first Gen Con,
licensing Doctor Who, our first award win – presented by
Margaret Weiss, I was a little awestruck – starting work on
The One Ring, my first guest appearance at a convention
– Origins 2010 – being a Gen Con Guest of Honour, first
Essen, tenth award win… lots of things like that. I think
that our trajectory maps to the tabletop market, too – on
the whole the market has developed, grown and become
more professional.”

KNOW YOUR ROLE

While Cubicle 7 may have evolved as a business since its
first appearance a decade ago, its heart remains devoted
to creating roleplaying games, especially those set inside
an already well-loved universe – from sci-fi and fantasy
in Doctor Who and Tolkien to Lovecraft’s horror and
Joe Dever’s classic ‘80s RPG series, Lone Wolf.
“There’s nothing quite like a good roleplaying
game session,” McDowall enthuses. “The emotional

32

031_035_interviewCubicle7_V2 MJ.indd 32 18/11/2016 09:17

 involvement in the game, the sheer exhilarating
invention of interacting with a world you create
together – it’s hard to adequately describe, isn’t it?
With licensed games, actively playing in a world
you’ve passively explored through film and fiction is
so exciting – I can never hide my grin the first time I
interact with a well-known NPC.
“Working on RPGs is a very liberating form of
creative activity. There aren’t many opportunities to
bring your imagination to bear in the unfettered way
games allow for.”
While the rising tide of tabletop gaming’s
continuing golden age has undoubtedly lifted the
RPG boat alongside its board game brethren, the
medium remains a more niche pursuit – Kickstarter
campaigns raise thousands, rather than millions.
“There seems to be more attention on RPGs
online, and I think we’re benefiting from the rise of
geek culture,” McDowall postulates. “RPGs have less
presence in games shops, but more exposure through
Kickstarter. The better-known games are doing well
and are benefitting from the broadening audience,
but the market has fragmented significantly at the
bottom end.”
While hardly in need of a saving throw just yet,
McDowall stresses the importance of attracting a
new audience of players to the many RPG universes
out there – with the resurgence of friendly local game
stores and board game cafés quite literally opening
the doors for a fresh wave of interest.
“Personally, I want to help grow RPG sections in
game stores,” he vows. “Every aspiring gamer should
have the experience of a great friendly local game
shop – mine was Encounter Games in Cardiff. I can
still remember the trembling excitement of walking
through the city, pocket money saved, a precious
hour to spend browsing with intense concentration,
drinking it all in. Happy days, and ones that everyone
should get to share.”
A positive signal of RPGs’ rising strength is the
expansion of the genre’s audience – not just in
size, but variety, too. In an age where the depiction
and equal treatment of different sexes, sexualities,
ethnic minorities and cultures has never been more
important across every form of entertainment, the
open nature at the core of every RPG has flourished.
“One of the major differences is the diversity of the
audience has increased massively, and I could weep
tears of joy about this!” McDowall effuses. “We make
and play these games where you can be whoever you
want, and do whatever you want, famously limited
only by your imagination. This should be the most
inclusive hobby in the world, and signs that we are
moving in that direction are awesome.
“As publishers, we try to make sure that our
products are inclusive, that our teams are places
where everyone feels at home, and that our online
spaces are welcoming.”
031_035_interviewCubicle7_V2 MJ.indd 33
■ Much like its namesake, the
Doctor Who RPG promotes
non-violent conflict resolution.
33
So, it’s good news all-around for the humble RPG.
People still love to pretend they’re someone else, who
would have thought? Plus, beyond giving a fake name
to cold callers, it’s never been easier to start living an
alternate life in a far-off world.
“RPGs have an established place in gaming, and
all the recent reports show growth in sales, so the
future seems bright – if not as blindingly bright as
board games,” McDowall forecasts. “Design-wise, I
think accessibility is going to be something to focus
on. With the Lone Wolf Adventure Game we took this
approach, aiming to make a game that was playable
within minutes of opening the box.”
DOCTORS, HOBBITS AND OLD ONES
McDowall insists his evident zeal for roleplaying
as a medium of creative expression is matched in
the various licences that Cubicle 7 transforms for
the tabletop.
“The licence needs to be something I love,” he
asserts. “I just can’t get excited about something I
don’t personally engage with. Of course, there are
commercial considerations too, and they might
rule out something I would love to do. Then there’s
capacity – at the moment I think we’ve got plenty of
things to be getting on with!”
The personal investment of McDowall and his
team in a property means that Cubicle 7 delves deep
into the makeup of each universe, often publishing
multiple titles that each explore a different element
of a story or world, sometimes utilising different core
mechanics. For example, the Doctor Who RPG and
card game both see players take on the role of the
titular Time Lord’s incarnations and his companions,
while in Dalek Dice they are cast as Davros’ cyclopic
robots as they attempt to exterminate all of humanity.
“We’ve got a great reputation for really getting
under the skin of the properties we work with; it’s
definitely one of our strengths,” McDowall says of
the publisher’s approach to adapting an IP. “It’s an
art rather than a science, but the first step is agreeing
what the most important features of the property.
What makes it cool? What features do people react
to? Then you work out how to reflect that in the game
through a combination of theme and design.”
Outside of habitually starring creatures with
unpronounceable names, Doctor Who, Tolkien and
Cthulhu all differ greatly in their tone and style. We
ask McDowall how Cubicle 7 ensures its tabletop
spins on the creations stay equally as discrete.
“They each have their own distinct characteristics,
so we approach them each individually,” he explains.
“For the Doctor Who RPG, we wanted to emphasise
non-violent conflict resolution. Dave Chapman
elegantly implemented this with the initiative system,
where anyone who is talking, doing something cool or
running away acts first – everyone doing something
violent goes last. ▶
18/11/2016 09:18
 EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
“There “The One Ring takes the conflict between Hope and
the corruption of the Shadow as one of its key themes.
aren’t many The design by Francesco Nepitello and Marco Maggi
reflects this in a rules system where Hope is a valuable
opportunities commodity, but you must take care not to spend so
much of it that you are at risk of becoming corrupted.”
to bring your With Tolkien and Doctor Who under its belt,
Cubicle 7 is working with two of the UK’s most
imagination globally-recognisable figures – behind perhaps
only The Beatles, James Bond, Shakespeare and the
to bear in the Queen. (Although, we would definitely be interested
in seeing an RPG based on any – or all – of these…)
unfettered “Middle-earth and Doctor Who are both
tremendously popular around the world, it’s really
way games quite amazing,” McDowall says. “There are a lot of
anglophiles out there so we always have a warm
allow for.” reception wherever we go.”
Yet, the Swindon-based firm is hardly nationalistic
– its Lovecraftian releases mark a British take on
an American horror icon, while Kuro is steeped in
Japanese horror, Qin is set in mythical China and
Yggdrasill is a Norse legend in historical Scandinavia.
“I’d definitely be interested in non-Western
licensed properties,” McDowall adds. “It’s the quality
of the property that’s the key thing, and how much it
excites us to work on it.”
With excitement driving Cubicle 7’s work, what
would the company like to lend its RPG hand to?
“There are too many!” McDowall answers. “I
introduced a licence swear jar for Cubicle 7 to try
■ The One Ring is the
and stop every conversation turning into ‘What else
2011 predecessor to this
year’s Tolkienesque RPG, should we do?’ Andrew Peregrine still owes me about
Adventures in Middle-earth. £50 in Blake’s 7 fines!
34
031_035_interviewCubicle7_V2 MJ.indd 34
“Given free range, I would flood the market
with obscure comedy-licence card games and a
relationship-focused RPG starring action heroes of
the 1980s in a domestic sitcom environment. There’s
always the Logan’s Run/Gilmore Girls mashup, too…”
PUT A RING ON IT
Cubicle 7’s latest big release sees it heading back
to a world it has explored many times: Tolkien’s
Middle-earth. Adventures in Middle-earth takes
place after the events of The Hobbit and before The
Lord of the Rings, and offers players a setting guide
which is compatible with Dungeons & Dragons’ fifth
edition OGL.
“The world’s greatest fantasy setting meets the
most popular roleplaying game!” says McDowall.
“It really feels like an RPG milestone. Middle-earth
influenced so much about the development of
fantasy roleplaying games, and also influenced many
of us gamers, too. So much of my childhood and
adolescence was taken up with these two things, I
am positively giddy at bringing them together as a
published OGL setting.”
Cubicle 7 previously released The One Ring RPG
back in 2011, which similarly took place between
Tolkien’s books but used an original game system –
something that has been replaced for the new title.
“Our underlying assumptions and interpretation
of Middle-earth are the common link between them,”
McDowall says of the comparison with Adventures in
Middle-earth. “We present the Middle-earth found
in the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings books; our design
goal was to capture that feel and let it permeate
everything we do.
“The differences between the two are how we
interpret the theme in the game design. The One Ring
was designed from the ground up to be a Middle-
earth RPG. Every design decision was informed by
the source material. For Adventures in Middle-earth,
I felt it was vital that the game play as a 5e OGL game.
I wanted people who prefer to stick with the ruleset
they know and love to be totally at home with the
Middle-earth setting, so it was more about identifying
which bits of the existing 5e rules we needed to tweak
or use in a different way, and which bits we
needed to mess with a bit more. A good
example of this is alignment – I just
didn’t feel that fitted with Middle-
earth, so it has been replaced by a
system of Corruption, where the
Shadow is trying to undermine and
defeat the characters.”
Heading off concerns that
Adventures in Middle-earth will
supplant The One Ring, Cubicle 7
has pledged future support for both
of its Middle-earth-set RPGs, with
supplements for the older title – of
18/11/2016 09:18
 which there have been many during its five-year
existence – coming to both games.
“Adventures in Middle-earth will see a lot of support
in the coming years, initially thanks to the large
amount of material we’ve developed for The One Ring,,”
McDowall reveals. “We are currently converting all that
and will be releasing AME versions. Following that,
there is a lot planned for both The One Ring and AME.
As you can imagine, we’re all huge fans and we’re
enormously excited about what’s to come.”
COMPLETELY IN LOVECRAFT
Early next year, Cubicle 7 will return to another of
its most popular franchises, as it prepares to launch
another title based on Lovecraft’s Cthulhu mythos.
This time, it’s a card game: Cthulhu Tales. Having
already published a long line of RPGs based on
the fictional cosmic being, what is the seemingly
perpetual appeal of the creation?
“For me, it’s the promise of arcane secrets and
hidden knowledge,” McDowall suggests. “Add a
tragically doomed protagonist and I’m suckered in
every time. There’s a long tradition of RPGs based
on the small band of people who have seen things
that most of society doesn’t even know exists. It
works really well as the premise for an exciting game.
Playing as both the hero and as an outsider, indeed
someone whose strength comes from their outsider
status, appeals to a lot of us.”
Cthulhu Tales will present a different take on the
universe, with the crowdfunded card game adopting
a more lighthearted take as players take on the role
of sanatorium inmates attempting to convince the
staff of their sanity and therefore avoid treatment
as a result of their contact with Lovecraft’s roster of
psychological horrors.
“With card games you need to communicate your
theme a lot more succinctly, so you have to think
very carefully about how you want to reinforce the
gameplay with the lore of the property,” McDowall
proposes. “Done well, the accompanying thematic
elements should communicate why the game works
the way it does. Good graphic design comes into its
own with card games, and is tremendously important.
It was great to see game designers Francesco
Nepitello and Marco Maggi working with the C7
graphic design team of Jon Hodgson and Paul Bourne
creating the final card designs for Cthulhu Tales.”
Of course, Cubicle 7 is far from the only tabletop
firm to draw inspiration from Cthulhu and its friends.
Although the Lovecraftian bubble is seemingly
stretched to bursting point, McDowall has no
concerns of the licence’s enduring popularity.
“It’s an artefact of the rise of geek culture,” he says
of the boom in Lovecraft-themed games. “Cthulhu
has been a genre fiction and gaming icon for as
long as I can remember, and so as that niche gains a
wider audience that icon is exposed to more people
35
031_035_interviewCubicle7_V2 MJ.indd 35
– the insider reference has more insiders to spread
it. It’s great – I cheered when Cthulhu made it onto
Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated! I’m not too
concerned about a bubble – there’s a lot of love for
the many-tentacled one. The Mythos has outgrown its
originator’s ideologically troublesome roots and brings
people together: beautiful, squamous and rugose.”
SEVEN NOT OUT
While McDowall may have changed his approach to
business since Cubicle 7’s ‘embarrassing’ beginnings,
it’s equally clear that his belief in and enthusiasm for
the publisher’s work has remained the same. Many
of the firm’s licences have remained firm fixtures in
its repertoire, and its staunch confidence in the RPG
has allowed it to refine its oeuvre – without stopping it
from exploring completely new genres.
“It’s been an exciting year full of releasing great
new games and working on the great new games of
the future,” McDowall summarises. “We released our
first dice game – Dalek Dice – which has been very
well received, as well as the Classic Doctor Edition
of Doctor Who: The Card Game. Any game with a
‘Would you like a Jelly Baby?’ card is a winner as far
as I am concerned.”
Behind it all, the passion of the CEO and his team is
ensuring that when they look back in another decade,
they will do so with no regrets.
“Behind the scenes we’re seeing growth on
all fronts, with all the associated growing pains,”
McDowall says. “I think you get a bit of a boost in the
first few years – everything is new and many obstacles
can be overcome by sheer enthusiasm and hard work.
After that, especially after sustained growth, you
need to make sure that there is enough of a system
in place that things go well even if you’re not there to
personally manage every task.
“It’s been quite the journey, but I love what I do with
a sometimes alarming passion, and we’re still at the
start of the adventure. The road goes ever on and on.” ■
18/11/2016 09:18
 BATTLE FOAM

CUSTOM RUGGED
FOAM CASES

p036.indd 1 17/11/2016 09:19

 AN INTRODUCTION TO...
THE
RESISTANCE
Matt Jarvis spies on Don Eskridge’s Werewolf-like social
deduction party game and discovers its irresistible charm
D
o you enjoy lying to your friends?
Have you ever longed to be a super-
smooth spy, talking your way into
secret meetings and convincing everyone
you meet that you’re someone you’re not?
Do you thrive on the sensation of jumping up
and shouting ‘HA!’ at people when they had
absolutely no clue you were playing them all
like a damn fiddle? Well, The Resistance is a
game for you – you terrible, terrible people.
The first game from designer Don
Eskridge, The Resistance originally hit
shelves in 2009 and quickly became a firm
favourite, shooting up BoardGameGeek’s
party game rankings to sit among
established favourites such as Werewolf and
Telestrations. (Its spin-off, The Resistance:
Avalon, currently sits at number two – more
on that later…)
Eskridge initially published The
Resistance as a free print-and-play version
037_040_introToResistance_V2 MJ.indd 37
on BoardGameGeek, where it built up a
dedicated following for its real-life social
and minimalist-but-gripping spies-versus-
rebels theme. He continued to refine it
based on the online community’s feedback,
eventually attracting an offer from publisher
Indie Boards & Cards. The rest, as they say,
is history.
Eskridge has since expanded the game
with three expansions, Hostile Intent,
Hidden Agenda and this year’s The Plot
Thickens, which added new modules,
tweaking gameplay elements and even
integrating mechanics from Avalon. These
changes help to balance some of the
game’s harder elements – such as the
spies' tendency to win – and shake up
the use of plot cards, which were introduced
in the second edition and helped make
matches more unpredictable. Before
we get into that…
37
WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT?
The Resistance takes space in an anonymous
future dystopia where the titular group of
rebels is attempting to strike back against the
evil Empire (no, it’s not Star Wars-themed) by
executing successful missions to destroy key
bases held by the enemy.
Between five and ten players randomly
take on the roles of Resistance operatives or
Imperial spies and start to plot their highly
important assignments, of which there
can be between three and five. Sending
everyone on each mission would be suicide,
so only a certain number of rebels head
out each time. (We assume the rest just sit
around, watching movies and eating pizza,
like all good people opposed against an
malevolent regime. Or maybe that’s just the
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.)
There’s just one problem – the group has
been informed that there are a number of ▶
18/11/2016 09:27
 AN INTRODUCTION TO...
“The Resistance is tabletop gaming boiled down to one of its most
engrossing and gripping elements – social interaction.”
spies among their ranks, who are attempting
to sabotage the Resistance’s missions for the
‘good’ (read: bad) of the reigning Empire.
Obviously, nobody wants a spy to come on
the mission with them – they probably lean
the airplane seat all the way back, forget to
flush the toilet in the hotel room and come
back drunk at 3am every night. Oh, and
they’ll do everything in their power to stop
the Resistance from completing their goal.
Other than asking “Who here is a
spy?” and hoping the moles among them
will accidentally put their hands up, the
Resistance must apply a drop of logic and
luck to the situation. Interrogations are
vital – but nobody in their right mind is
going to admit they’re a scout for the enemy,
and those who aren’t won’t say that, either.
So it will take careful observation and
analysis of the reactions and responses of
your companions in order to weed out the
baddies – before time runs out and
the Empire has put a stop to the
Resistance’s plans.
HOW DOES IT PLAY?
At the start of the game, everyone is dealt
a character card face down. These are
037_040_introToResistance_V2 MJ.indd 38
either blue, representing a member of the
Resistance, or red, marking a spy. Players
slyly check their card without revealing it to
anyone else, before everyone closes their
eyes. One member of the group designated
as the mission leader (who can be a spy!) tells
just the spies to open their eyes, allowing
them to see whom their fellow infiltrators
are. After a pause to allow them to identify
all of their teammates – between two and
four, depending on the total size of the group
– the spies close their eyes, and the leader
commands everyone to open their eyes
together. This sets the scene for the game.
Each turn, a new leader is decided by the
token passing to the current leader’s left.
The leader decides which members of the
group to take on that round’s mission, with
between two and five members heading
along for the ride depending on how many
people are playing and which round it is. The
leader doesn’t have to go on the mission – a
bold move that can introduce the chance to
identify extra spies, or raise eyebrows about
why the leader wouldn’t want to head up the
operation. (“I just don’t like crawling through
dark, smelly sewers with dynamite strapped
to my back…”)
38
The leader names the people they believe
should go on the mission, which sparks
a debate between the whole group as to
whether their picks are right or wrong and
eventually a simultaneous vote using tick and
cross tokens flipped over at the same time
to reveal who agrees with the decision. If a
majority agrees, the mission goes ahead. If a
majority disagrees, the leader token passes to
the left and the round repeats until a group
is agreed on – or five proposed teams are
rejected, which means an automatic victory
for the spies.
Here’s where it gets really interesting.
The reason the leader needs to be so careful
is that if they accidentally send a spy on
a mission, that spy (or spies, if there are
multiple) can get up to very bad business.
All of the team members selected to join
a mission then get to vote anonymously
whether the mission passes or fails using
designated cards. Obviously, genuine
Resistance members want to take down the
Empire, so they can only vote to succeed.
But spies can choose to vote fail – and a
single fail on most missions (some later
stages require two) means the entire round
is a loss for the Resistance and a victory for
18/11/2016 09:28
 the spies. The first team to three points wins,
so it’s a tense affair indeed.
Spies also need to be in it for the long
game – if they get identified, the Resistance
members simply won’t take them on future
missions – so they can’t necessarily go
flinging fail cards around in every round.
Spies can choose to play pass cards, which
helps the Resistance (for now) but also lulls
them into a false sense of security that the spy
might be on their side – therefore potentially
casting doubt on innocent members of the
rebellion that have been framed by the spies.
Cue outbursts of arguments that involve
players accusing their friends, family, lovers
and complete strangers of being two-faced These cards, drawn at the start of each rounds, secretly viewing their character card,
manipulative liars in an attempt to uncover round by the mission leader and handed to before passing the inquisitor card to the
the spies causing havoc (or act shocked another player of their choice, inject a dose player they identified.
when they are correctly blamed for another of unpredictability into the proceedings The plot cards from the second edition
failed mission). The Resistance’s minimalist by providing various special abilities. The of The Resistance can still be obtained
components – a few decks of cards and player might be able to look at the character and played with by picking up this year’s
a game mat to track round progression – card of the person next to them (good luck collected expansion, The Plot Thickens, which
result in the focus being placed on players’ convincing anyone that they’re a spy), force includes the plot cards, the Rogue Agent
interactions in the real world, calling for the someone to play their mission card face-up, module – including a character card with
need for steady poker faces throughout the overrule a vote and more. unique victory conditions for both spies and
game’s roughly half-hour play time. In 2015, to coincide with the release of Resistance members – and the sergeant, who
The first edition of the game was effective the third edition of the game, the plot cards is selected by the mission leader and can
enough at causing fallouts and requiring were removed from the box and replaced change mission results. The Plot Thickens
nerves of steel under intense interrogation, with the ‘inquisitor’ mechanic, which is very follows the Hidden Agenda and Hostile Intent
yet Eskridge found a way to make things similar to the Lady of the Lake from Avalon. expansions, which added three new game-
even more tense with the introduction of The inquisitor selects a player to examine altering modules each, with the latter also
plot cards in The Resistance’s second edition. at the start of the second, third and fourth including the inquisitor mechanic. ▶

■ Later editions
of The Resistance
add plot cards and
character abilities.

39

037_040_introToResistance_V2 MJ.indd 39 18/11/2016 09:28

 AN INTRODUCTION TO...
■ Standalone spin-off Avalon puts more of a focus
on character-specific objectives and abilities,
including the vital role of the wizard Merlin.
THE RESISTANCE: AVALON
The Resistance: Avalon has been mentioned
multiple times throughout this article, so it’s
probably time to explain what it is. Launched
in 2012, three years after the first edition
of The Resistance, Avalon is a variant of the
game set in a fantasy world where players
take on the roles of Arthurian knights and the
evil druid Mordred and his minions.
Rather than just being ‘good’ or ‘bad’,
character cards denote specific figures from
Arthurian legend, including the wizard
Merlin, Percival, Oberon, Morgana and
the Lady of the Lake, the ruler of Avalon
who threw Excalibur at Arthur. Some of
the characters have special abilities – for
example, Oberon is evil (a ‘spy’) but doesn’t
know who his fellow baddies are, and they
similarly can't identify him.
The most important character is Merlin,
who is permitted to see who all of the evil
characters are (except Mordred, if he’s being
used) at the beginning of the game. The
complication is that no character, except
the good side’s Percival (although Morgana,
if she’s one of the players, appears as a
second Merlin to confuse Percival), knows
who Merlin is – and with good reason. On
the evil team is an opposing assassin, who
037_040_introToResistance_V2 MJ.indd 40
is attempting to identify Merlin and kill
him – causing the evil players to win. Even if
the good side successfully completes three
quests, the evil team is permitted a last-
ditch attempt to identify Merlin and kill him,
meaning they ultimately emerge victorious.
This means that Merlin must attempt to
help his team to identify all of the evildoers
without giving away his omniscience.
Avalon is a standalone title, but can be
combined with the original The Resistance
to create a more dynamic set of rules –
plus a rip in the fabric of space-time. The
more complex rules relating to the extra
character abilities in Avalon might not be
for everyone, with the fantasy theme versus
The Resistance’s gritty sci-fi setting also
coming down to personal preference, but
it’s a seriously smart spin-off with its own
identity, and a good way to mix things up for
experienced Resistance fans.
WHY SHOULD YOU TRY IT?
“But I’ve already played Werewolf and Mafia
– and I can play those for free,” I hear you
cry. “What’s so special about this one?”
Well, The Resistance, its expansions and
Avalon offer extra layers of complexity and
depth over Werewolf and Mafia’s relatively
40
simple ‘last team standing’ mechanics.
Unlike those games, no Resistance players
are eliminated as the game progresses,
meaning nobody is likely to get bored
waiting for the rest of the group to finish,
and mission votes – while anonymous – are
revealed to all players, providing less of a
guessing game and allowing logic to play
more of a role.
The Resistance is tabletop gaming boiled
down to one of its most engrossing and
gripping elements – social interaction.
Some players may be put off by the idea of
genuinely lying to their friends and being
increasingly aggressively accused regardless
of their innocence or guilt (some members
of our regular gaming group now refuse
to play because of the stress involved with
particularly passionate or manipulative
participants), but with the right mix of
people the game serves as a fascinating
examination of the way people attempt to
convince others that they’re telling the truth.
Oh, and did we mention it’s really quite
good fun to lie to someone for half an hour,
convince them you’re their best pal (and
definitely-not-a-spy) and then slam down a
‘fail’ card in the deciding round and scream
‘HA’ in their face? ■
18/11/2016 09:28
p041.indd 1 16/11/2016 08:43
 Vlaada Chvátil – if that is his real name – tells Owen Duffy how growing up in the Soviet bloc, his dad’s
homemade Monopoly and learning to code video games led to the creation of his acclaimed party hit

42

042_046_theMakingOfCodenames_V3 MJ.indd 42 18/11/2016 10:18

 “I tore up a piece of paper and wrote
some words on it, drew a grid, borrowed
some components from other games –
and within a few hours the first game of
Codenames was being played.”
I
n the space of just over a year, the word-
association party game Codenames has
become one of board gaming’s greatest hits.
Critically acclaimed and massively popular, it’s
been translated into over 30 languages, racked
up huge worldwide sales and received the
hobby’s highest accolade: the 2016 Spiel des
Jahres, or Game of the Year award.
All of this success might be enough to
satisfy some designers, but not Codenames’
creator Vlaada Chvátil. Far from resting on
his laurels, he’s been taking the game in new
directions and making some big plans for it
and other upcoming releases from his design
studio, Czech Games Edition.
Tabletop Gaming recently spoke to Chvátil
to find out about his life in gaming, and to
learn the story behind one of the tabletop
industry’s biggest breakout hits.
BACK IN THE USSR
Ask a few game designers about their earliest
tabletop experiences, and you’ll hear the
same influential titles mentioned again
and again: Dungeons & Dragons, Cosmic
Encounter or perhaps the classic 1980
empire-builder Civilization. Vlaada Chvátil
had a very different introduction to gaming.
Born in 1971 in the Czech city of Jihlava, he
spent the early part of his life living under
Soviet rule.
“We didn’t have access to many board
games,” he recalls, “and the ones we had were
not that great. Some just involved pure luck
43
042_046_theMakingOfCodenames_V3 MJ.indd 43
with no element of skill, and none of them
had any kind of epic feeling to them.”
While games, like other western
commodities, were hard to come by, Chvátil
still managed to encounter one traditional
family classic.
“We had a homemade version of
Monopoly, created by my father,” he says. “We
didn’t hear much English at all in the Eastern
Bloc back then, so it looked very exotic
with all of the street names and stations.
Even though it dragged and wasn’t all that
interesting, in my memories it still feels kind
of special.
“My grandfather also had a very well-crafted
original game which I’ve never seen since.
He called it Four Lands, and it was a variation
of Ludo with fortresses, shortcuts and some
sections of the board where you’d move
backwards. I felt it worked much better than
Ludo, with some really interesting options.”
Chvátil’s main source of fun, though, was
the outdoor games he’d play in fields and
forests as part of a youth group.
“It was an organisation similar to the Boy
Scouts,” he explains, “except it was less strict
and organised. Scouting was forbidden in
my country back then, but we were a troop of
boys and girls who did similar stuff – going to
weekly meetings, spending weekends out in
nature with tents or sleeping under the stars.
Officially it had a socialist ideology, but no
one actually cared about that, at least none of
the people I met. ▶
18/11/2016 10:18
 THE MAKING OF…
“During the summer holidays we’d spend
several weeks on a summer camp, and it was
such a significant part of my childhood. We
had great people working with us, giving us
an example of how to be friendly with each
other, and preparing games and activities
for us.
“We played what we called ‘fighting
games’ – usually team games involving
capturing flags, hitting one another with
paper balls, trying to get through enemy
territory without being caught, that kind of
thing. Eventually I became one of the troop
leaders, and I think the first games I ever
designed fell into that category.”
Chvátil was also developing an interest in
the nascent field of electronic gaming, and
while kids of a later generation would grow
up in a world of Atari, Nintendo and Sega,
his earliest exposure to video games was
markedly different.
“I first met video games in the ‘70s,
even before the era of 8-bit home computers,”
042_046_theMakingOfCodenames_V3 MJ.indd 44
he says. “I played on a Polish mainframe
computer called an ODRA 1305 at the
research facility where my mother
worked. I’m not sure what it was for;
I think it calculated salaries for Czech
knitting factories. It was limited to
outputting one line of text at a time but,
still, I was fascinated.
“I remember playing some kind of space
exploration game, and a text-based strategy
game called Hammurabi, and based on those
experiences I decided that I wanted to learn
how to program. For some reason, there was
a series of articles in a women’s and family
magazine called Květy (Flowers) teaching
programming in BASIC, and I wrote my own
expanded version of Hammurabi with more
classes of citizens, soldiers, natural disasters
and stuff like that. I wrote hundreds and
hundreds of lines of code in tiny writing in a
notebook and it was never run on an actual
computer, because at that time I didn’t have
access to any.”
■ Competing teams race to
contact their spies first – while
avoiding the hidden assassin.
44
Chvátil’s obsession was fueled when he
later discovered some of the classic home
computers of the ‘80s: the ZX Spectrum and
Commodore 64, along with the home-grown
Czech computers at his school. He learned to
code games for them all and, along the way,
decided to study computing at university.
“The truth is, I was never really into
computers,” he muses. “I just thought they
were a great platform for games.”
IMPORTANT STUDIES
It was at university that Chvátil discovered
the tabletop gaming hobby, but his interest in
analogue games came by a circuitous route.
“I spent most of my time in the computer
room, coding games,” he recollects. “But I
also had other hobbies. I was doing historical
fencing, and that sort of converted into
combative live-action roleplaying (LARP). I
was also still working with kids’ groups. I was
designing games for them to play.
“I also met some friends at a local sci-fi
and fantasy club, and that was when I
discovered Dragon’s Lair, a pen-and-paper
RPG that was more popular than Dungeons
& Dragons here in the Czech Republic. They
also introduced me to the world of big board
games – the type that you play all day or all
weekend long.”
Chvátil was immediately drawn to long,
complex, strategic titles. Some favourites
included the epoch-spanning History of
the World, Avalon Hill classic Civilization
and Blood Royale, a game of intrigue and
diplomacy between ruling dynasties in
medieval Europe.
It wasn’t long before he turned his hand to
designing games himself.
“I loved the epic feeling of those games,
and it inspired me to make my own,” he
enthuses. “So one of the first games I ever
designed was for up to 11 people. It was all
about multi-dimensional diplomacy, and it
played out over many, many hours.
“It might have been a bit crazy, but I guess
it was certainly epic.”
In the years that followed, he continued
to pursue his design ambitions, and today
Chvátil is known as a prolific creator with
a massively varied output. His own take on
historical empire building, Through the Ages:
A Story of Civilization, challenges players to
develop their nation’s economic stability,
scientific prowess and military might. Now
on its second edition, it’s long been ranked as
one of the best games ever published by users
of the online gaming hub BoardGameGeek.
18/11/2016 10:18
 By contrast, his madcap 2007 science-
fiction game Galaxy Trucker casts players
as intergalactic delivery drivers, battling
against the clock to construct implausible-
looking space ships and then watching
as they’re battered by asteroids and
attacked by pirates, limping through the
cosmos with most of their important
components missing.
Just as the subject matter of Chvátil’s ■ Above: Vlaada Chvátil.
games ranges from serious to silly, there’s
also massive variety in the mechanisms that
underpin them: from long, complex, strategic
titles to fast, fun and sociable lighter games.
It’s difficult to think of another designer
with such a diverse approach – a fact that
he attributes to the wide range of games he
enjoys as a player.
“I design what I play, and I play a huge
variety of games, from deep strategy to funny
party games,” he says.
“What really inspires me is seeing the
unused potential in other games. When I
see a perfect game I can sit down and enjoy
it, but I don’t feel the urge to go and do
something similar. But when I think, ‘Hey,
this can be done in a much better way,’ or
when I see the possibility of combining
different elements, or when I have a
completely new idea that hasn’t been done
yet, it just sparks something and I get excited ■ Right: Codenames won
to make it work.” the 2016 Spiel des Jahres.
‘Making it work’ can be a long and
complicated process, he adds. THE SPYING GAME words ‘Washington’ and ‘Beijing’ could say:
“My approach varies from game to This theme-first approach has seen Chvátil “Cities, two.”
game. Sometimes I’ll start with a particular recognised as one of the most creative and With the links between words often not
game mechanic, or sometimes an talented designers in the tabletop industry. immediately obvious, giving effective clues
interesting theme, but they’re just shards His output over the years has included Mage can take creativity and lateral thinking. It’s a
in my mind. Sometimes it takes years Knight, a card-driven game of powerful dueling simple idea, and the result is a clever, funny and
before I arrive at the right combination, I wizards; Space Alert, a real-time cooperative instantly accessible experience.
don’t really start to work on a game until I game with players working together to survive “When I was a student I played some
have a clear idea about a theme and about dangerous missions in deep space; and Bunny word-association games, and I always loved
the way it’s going to play. I try to imagine Bunny Moose Moose, a light-hearted game them,” reveals Chvátil. “For several years I
what players are going to do, what the final about woodland animals attempting to evade toyed around with the idea of building a game
game is actually going to feel like and what a hunter which has players use their hands to around the idea, but it wasn’t until 2014 that
makes it interesting. It’s only when a game make rabbit ears or antlers on their heads. I was at a gaming event and I got the idea for
starts to work in my imagination that I really While he has produced a succession of Codenames. I made a prototype right away,
begin to develop it. highly-regarded releases, 2015’s Codenames but I didn’t even have a pair of scissors, so I
“For heavier games, many months of work has been his biggest commercial success to just tore up a piece of paper and wrote some
follow. The theme is always firmly fixed; I date. A team-based party game, it divides words on it, drew a grid, borrowed some
never change it during development. But, players into rival groups of spies attempting to components from other games – and within
mechanically, the development process is full make contact with friendly agents, represented a few hours the first game of Codenames was
of crossroads. There are questions that can be by a grid of randomly selected word cards. being played.”
solved in many different ways, and it’s always One player on each team acts as a spymaster, Two years later, that idea has grown into
the theme that guides me towards answers. giving a series of clues to help identify correct a global success, finding favour beyond the
“For lighter games, the process can be answers. They use associations between words hardcore game geek community and making it
much shorter. But still, I always start with to guide their players’ guesses, for example: onto the shelves of major mainstream retailers
theme in mind.” an spymaster attempting to identify the two such as the US superstore chain Target. ▶

45

042_046_theMakingOfCodenames_V3 MJ.indd 45 18/11/2016 10:18

 THE MAKING OF…
“I never expected it to be so successful,”
Chvátil admits. “Looking back, I think I
underestimated the players. I was surprised by
how much it appealed to non-gamers. Even
people who don’t normally play board games
can find themselves being dragged into a game
of Codenames if they watch one.
“I think one of the great things is the way
the game tailors itself to the personality of the
group that’s playing. I’ve seen silent, thinky
games of Codenames with four players giving
the best clues possible, or light-hearted sessions
with people making lots of jokes. I’ve seen wild
disputes between players, trying to analyse the
thinking of their spymaster and strategise their
way to victory, or family games with parents
just enjoying playing with their kids. Different
042_046_theMakingOfCodenames_V3 MJ.indd 46
groups play in very different ways, and it’s
interesting to see the different clues in games
between, say, TV and movie geeks or a bunch
of university professors.”
That adaptability has been a key part of
Codenames’ appeal, but Chvátil has been keen
to explore new possibilities with the game’s
formula. The recently released Codenames:
Pictures introduces a new twist, substituting
words for images.
“Codenames is interesting because of the
way it plays with language,” he says, “and that
makes each localised version slightly different.
English contains many simple words with lots
of different meanings. German has a great
number of complex compound words. Czech
is an inflected language that allows subtle hints
using many forms of each word. I can only
guess how it works in all of the other languages
the game has been translated into.
“But we knew right away that pictures would
follow. We wanted it to feel different from using
words, so every picture in the game has two or
more elements. For example, if we just put an
image of a pig on a card, it’s not really different
from just having the word ‘pig’. But we included
a cute little winged piggy bank with a coin being
inserted into it. You can use all of these words, all
of these visual similarities between cards, and it
probably stimulates a different part of the brain.
“During testing we had some people who
■ Xxx. pictures were better than words, and
thought
some who preferred words to pictures, and
46
I was glad for that because I didn’t want one
game to just replace the other.”
Another project in development is a digital
version of the game for smartphones and
tablets. While online play may offer a very
different experience, it’s an avenue Chvátil is
keen to pursue.
“The idea of remote gaming is an old one,” he
says. “People have been playing correspondence
chess for over a thousand years. Computers
made it much easier, and with tablets and
phones it’s become more convenient.
“You can’t recreate the tabletop experience
with an app, but with Codenames we hope to
offer something else: the chance to play with
friends you don’t get to meet often in real life,
the ability to play any time you want, a lot of
things to explore and achieve.”
It’s not Chvátil’s first experience with
app development; the digital adaptation of
Galaxy Trucker won high praise for its slick
gameplay and visual flair. He’s also working on
a smartphone and tablet version of Through the
Ages, scheduled for release in 2017.
“It takes a long time to polish everything, to
program a good AI, to add that extra content
and make not just a good game, but a great
app,” he stresses. “It all takes much longer than
we expected. But I believe it is worth it, and our
players appreciate it, too.”
Thanks to Paul Grogan of Gaming Rules UK for
help arranging this interview. You can watch
his Codenames tutorial at is.gd/codenames. ■
READ OUR
REVIEW OF
CODENAMES:
PICTURES ON
PAGE 106
18/11/2016 10:19
 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

p047.indd 1 16/11/2016 08:51

 BATTLE REPORT
MALIFAUXWyrd Henchman David Brown takes on novice Nobby in
this magic-fuelled gang war in a parallel dimension
M
alifaux is Wyrd Games’ character-
driven skirmish-level miniatures
game, involving gang warfare in and
around the ruins of the eponymous crumbling
city. Discovered through a portal into another
dimension, this world is a source of the
valuable and magical resource ‘soulstone’, with
games pitting Masters and their crews against
one another to achieve specific objectives.
For this issue’s battle report, Wyrd
Henchman David Brown got together with
Malifaux newcomer Nobby, one of the
owners of Daventry games store Battlefield
Hobbies, to tackle the Reckoning strategy. A
slightly uneven pairing? Perhaps that’s why
Nobby went for the Resurrectionists: ultra-
resilient necromancers and commanders of
the undead. Their master, Seamus, is known
as one of the most fearless and vile characters
in the Malifaux universe, having a crew
composed mainly of undead women!
David took on the role of the magic-
practicing Arcanists, who boast a number
of mechanical and elemental assets, as well
as beastly minions. Master Kaeris devotes
herself to magic and has discovered the
power of the Eternal Flame.
SETUP
The Malifaux setup is often thematic and
covers a wide range of environments from
the very popular Wild West to bayous and
swampland and the dreamer board, inspired
by a small boy’s dream of big monsters.
David and Nobby went for a frontier
marshalling yard, complete with flatbed
rail carriages and two ominous-looking
characters hanging from a tree. Look closely
at these and you’ll see they’re actually Eric
and Nathan, owners of Wyrd Games and the
creators of Malifaux.
Having decided to play a 50-soulstone
game, Nobby flips a card to determine the
deployment for both players – they get
corner deployment.
048_051_BigBattleMalifaux_V2 MJ.indd 48
This seems a good time to say there are no
dice in Malifaux. Instead, a ‘fate deck’ of cards
(a standard card deck with jokers) is used to
resolve game effects in duels. Each player
starts each turn with six cards in their hand
that they can use to change a duel’s outcome
– or cheat fate. The hand isn’t renewed until
the next turn, so managing these carefully is
essential. If you use your best cards too early
you may suffer the consequences later!
Each player also picks two scheme cards
from a random choice of five, determining
their own personal ambitions for the game.
You can tell your opponent what you’ve
chosen or keep it secret – being open can get
you more points if you still manage to achieve
your objectives. Both Nobby and David
chose the Breakthrough scheme (lay scheme
markers near the enemy’s deployment zone),
with Nobby also choosing Outflank (end the
game with models at either end of the centre
line) and David going for Bodyguard (keep a
key model alive while advancing it forward) –
neither were forthcoming with their decisions!
Crew choice is now made. With lots of
terrain interfering with movement, and the
Reckoning strategy necessitating killing your
opponent’s models, a mixed approach is
required. Nobby took Seamus, the Copycat
Killer and two Necropunks for mobility (as
they all have tricks to avoid terrain), a Punk
Zombie for killing things, and Madame
Sybelle and her troupe of Rotten Belles for
movement shenanigans and the ability to
take out models. David complemented Kaeris
with her Henchman, the Firestarter, as they
both have flight, making movement easier.
For a potentially fast-moving killer a Rail
Golem was chosen and, finally, three Fire
Gamin for general duties.
Each member of your crew is worth a
certain number of points. If those points
don’t add up to 50, you take soulstones to
bring you up to your quota – as well as extra
cache for the masters Seamus and Kaeris.
48
18/11/2016 09:32
 ■ Above: The Rail Golem and the creators of
Malifaux in their cameo hanging from the tree.

■ Left: The Rotten Belles, controlled by Nobby,

surround David's Arcanist Gunsmith.

With Nobby having drawn the highest

card, he chooses to go first, placing his hand-
to-hand combat specialist, the Punk Zombie,
where he can get out and do some damage,
while Madame Sybelle and the Rotten Belles
head out to where they can best lure in
their Arcanist foes. He’s also careful to place
Seamus behind cover, out of the line of sight.
David, on the other hand, places his huge
Rail Golem where he can get a straight run
through the train – accompanied by the
Firestarter in order to set him alight and get
him moving faster. The Gunsmith is set and
ready to go.
With the models set up in their opposite
corners, it’s time to play! ▶

THE ARCANISTS (DAVID)

◗ Kaeris + Grab and Drop + Imbued Energies
(leader)
◗ Firestarter + Imbued Energies
◗ Rail Golem
◗ Gunsmith
◗ Fire Gamin x3

THE RESURRECTIONISTS (NOBBY)

◗ Seamus + Red Chapel Killer + Bag O’ Tools
(leader)
◗ Madame Sybelle + Bleeding Tongue +
Not Too Banged Up
◗ Copycat Killer
◗ Rotten Belle x3
◗ Necropunk x2
◗ Punk Zombie ▶

49

048_051_BigBattleMalifaux_V2 MJ.indd 49 18/11/2016 09:33

 BATTLE REPORT
TURN ONE
Models are activated alternatively and each
one has two action points on every turn
(Masters get three). These can be used to
move, cast spells, attack and so on. The
statistics and basic characteristics for each
model are laid out on the accompanying
cards and, as crews are generally made
up of between four and seven models, it
shouldn’t take too long to work out the best
combinations – in theory!
With the exception of the Arcanists’
Gunsmith, most of the crew members don’t
have long-range weapons, so the first turn
is all about positioning, with both players
attempting to manoeuvre crews into range
for hand-to-hand combat.
Nobby moves both of his Necropunks
under cover behind the wagon, moves
Madame Sybelle and all the Rotten Belles
together as a lethal hunting pack, and
manoeuvres Seamus out of the line of sight
of Kaeris, whom David flies over behind the
flatbed rail carriage ready to pounce on him
on her next turn.
David uses his Firestarter to give Burning
to his Rail Golem, who is spurred on by heat,
and then uses his Locomotion action to
move into the open. David also positions the
Gunsmith behind a tree – quickly lamenting
that the tree actually acts as a barrier between
him and the Resurrectionists’ Punk Zombie!
TURN TWO
(NOBBY 0VP – DAVID 0VP)
David draws the highest card and chooses
to go first, activating Kaeris and discarding
048_051_BigBattleMalifaux_V2 MJ.indd 50
one of her Imbued Energies in order to gain
an extra action. With her four moves she flies
across the board and attacks the Necropunks,
managing to weaken them by around 50%.
Not to be outdone, Nobby leaps his wounded
Necropunk behind Kaeris and hits back with
its filthy claws.
David activates the Rail Golem, attacking
the Punk Zombie, before Nobby sends the
Necropunk for another hit on a weakened
Kaeris. David then manoeuvres a Fire Gamin
before Nobby commands Seamus to kill his
own Punk Zombie – sacrificing him to prevent
David from claiming the victory points by
killing it with the Rail Golem in his next move.
After David moves a Fire Gamin over the
train behind the building, Nobby fires the
Copy Cat Killer’s pistol at the Rail Golem,
but David’s Control Hand enables him to
cheat out of getting hit before moving his
Firestarter to safety behind a tree.
In an attempt to close down the Gunsmith
and his long-range weapon Nobby moves
Madame Sybelle to the building, but David
sets the Gunsmith to attack her, leaving her in
a weakened state.
TURN THREE
(NOBBY 0VP – DAVID 0VP)
The third turn starts with a bang as David
activates the Rail Golem, uses Locomotion
to reposition and then charges a Necropunk
– badly damaging it in the first attack and
killing it in the second. Nobby then uses the
surviving Necropunk to attack Kaeris, but
can only muster weak damage. David fares
slightly better in his next go, activating a
50
Fire Gamin to cause moderate damage and
Burning to the blue Belle.
Nobby sends the ladies in next,
commanding Madame Sybelle to ‘Shriek’ at
the Gunsmith, before the blue Belle lures and
attacks him. By this point the Gunsmith only
has one wound left but he survives multiple
attacks and still manages to take out one of
the rotten Belles, claiming the first VP for
David (by killing two models in a turn!)
Pushing on, Nobby activates the red Belle
but she ends up with Burning 1 due to a
decisive defense trigger in the Gunsmith,
before a good few moves of skirting around
the board for both crews. The action picks
back up when Nobby uses ‘Focus’ to make
his flips positive, using this advantage to kill
a Fire Gamin with Seamus’ Flintlock Pistol.
Not to be outdone, David commands Kaeris to
attack and kill the remaining Necropunk, and
finishes the turn by doing a lot of damage to
Madame Sybelle at the hand of the Firestarter.
TURN FOUR
(NOBBY 0VP – DAVID 1VP)
Determined not to lose momentum, David
kicks off turn four by activating the Gunsmith
to do some moderate damage to one of the
Belles. However, underdog Nobby, in a move
he’s very happy with, moves Madame Sybelle
and uses an action point to call a Rotten Belle.
That Belle, in turn, kills a Fire Gamin. Bolstered
by this achievement, the Belle then successfully
defends when Kaeris moves on her with
David’s next play, and the Belle completes the
savagery by killing the Gunsmith – a productive
couple of moves indeed for Nobby!
18/11/2016 09:33
 It’s a quiet end to the turn as Nobby
moves Seamus towards the Rail Golem and POST-GAME
David manoeuvres the Firestarter, declaring THOUGHTS
David: My game
Bodyguard at the end of the turn for another VP. plan worked,
which was to
TURN FIVE use my mobile
(NOBBY 1VP – DAVID 2VP) models to take out
the main threat
At the start of the last turn it’s not looking (Punk Zombie)
good for the Resurrectionists, but Nobby’s and the weaker
determined to keep going to the end, setting scheme runners
a Belle to attack Kaeris, taking her down to (Necropunks), while
initially keeping
four wounds.
clear of Seamus
Next, in a brutal killer move by David, the and Madame
Rail Golem takes out the bold and fearless Sybelle. Final turn
Seamus using Locomotion – with a hand manoeuvres score
containing three mid-range Tomes, David the majority of
points with these
can cheat in the required trigger for repeat schemes and
Locomotion actions. It’s a harsh lesson for that worked well,
Nobby, who didn’t realise Locomotion could and I have to say
be used as an attack move, and can only crushing Seamus
to a pulp was a
watch helplessly as his Master gets a royal rare pleasure.
hammering from the Arcanist construct. It’s
a double blow for Nobby as David then puts Nobby: With
down a scheme marker, having achieved his this only being
my second game
Breakthrough scheme ambitions.
of Malifaux,
In a last ditch attempt, Nobby moves not preparing
David moves the remaining Fire ■ Snapshots of the Madame Sybelle and calls one of the Belles, sufficiently to learn
Gamin behind the wagon, ready for game from deployment who nevertheless falls victim to Kaeris on my crew – or my
to end. opponent's – was
some final turn point scoring, before David’s next go, surviving a fire attack only to
definitely my
Nobby sets the Copy Cat Killer at the succumb to a violent Grab and Drop from the downfall! If we
Rail Golem – alas only managing to flying Master – a further victory point for David. had repeated the
reduce him to five wounds. Nobby With his final move, Nobby ends on a high game having gone
then uses a zero action to move the of sorts as he moves the Belle into the corner, through that steep
learning curve I
Copy Cat Killer to defend Seamus. achieving his Outflank scheme. David ends think I could have
Sadly, he never gets the chance as, with a little bit higher, placing two more scheme given David a harder
his next move, David moves the Rail Golem counters in the last breath of the game. ride, so I’m looking
around the side of the carriage, charges the forward to a return
match. But it was a
Copy Cat Killer and swings with his rail, FINAL SCORE fantastic game!
leaving him very, very dead. ■ The final outlook. NOBBY 2VP – DAVID 8VP ■

51

048_051_BigBattleMalifaux_V2 MJ.indd 51 18/11/2016 09:33

p052.indd 1 16/11/2016 09:02

CAST A SPIEL
We run through the exciting new announcements, ones to watch
and tabletop highlights from the biggest Essen yet
I
f you put a gas in a container, it will expand
to fill that volume. In much the same way,
this year’s Essen Spiel seemed just as packed
to the rafters with visitors as last year’s show,
despite having three entirely new halls to
spread into. This is probably thanks to the ever-
growing popularity of Europe’s biggest gaming
event, which saw a record-breaking 174,000
fans return to Messe Essen in October to check
out the latest the tabletop world has to offer.
And, boy, what an offering it was. There
were more than 1,200 new releases and world
premieres across the four days, not to mention
the thousands of previously-released games
on display that you might have missed since
the last show. Everything from hardcore
strategy titles to five-minute party games
proved a hit – we don’t think we saw an empty
stall the entire time we were there, and the
doors to the show were actually opened early
on all four days to cope with the crowds.
This year’s show also seemed to be a much
more kid-friendly affair, with the corridors
053_064_EssenReport_V3 MJ.indd 53
in-between the halls stuffed with trampolines,
sweet shops and all sorts of other fun. Of
course, adults are welcome to take part in all
of that, too, but they would have to wait their
turn behind the many children we saw having
a blast both on those attractions and the
many, many demonstration tables set up for
games across all seven halls.
Despite the heaving crowds, Essen once
again proved itself one of – if not the –
friendliest conventions in the world. Players
from around the world sat down at tables
together to decipher German instructions
and try out games ranging from the fast-paced
hooves-meet-track flight-and-fight of Chariot
Race to the delicious delights of Spaghetti and
even prototypes of further-off releases such as
Kill the Unicorns and the comic book-themed
Justice League: Dawn of Heroes.
Of course, there was also plenty of shopping
to be done, including major savings on big-
box games (although perhaps not as major as
last year for us from the UK – thanks, Brexit)
53
SPIEL 2016 REPORT
ON YOU
and impulse purchases of niche oddities from
the more than 1,000 exhibitors hailing from 50
different countries – assuming that you had
much suitcase space to spare, that is.
Those who backed some of the seemingly
unending stream of crowdfunded tabletop
campaigns over the last few years had
the chance to finally pick up the finished
products at many stands, while it was a
common sight to see the familiar green
splodge announcing ‘COMING SOON TO
KICKSTARTER’ at many others.
All in all, it was another fantastic year
for the European home of tabletop games
and another uplifting sign of the continuing
growth and health of this wonderful hobby.
Over the next few pages we’ve collected
just a handful of the many games we spotted
and played during our time in Essen.
Some are brand new, while others may be
lesser-known releases we think deserve
highlighting – but all of them are worth
sticking on your wish list. ▶
18/11/2016 10:10
SPIEL 2016 REPORT

VINHOS
DELUXE EDITION
GRYPHON AND EAGLE GAMES

A
rriving six years after
designer Vital Lacerda’s
winemaking Euro
strategy game first popped
its cork, this deluxe edition’s
double-sided board includes
both the 2010 ‘Reserve Edition’
original and a revised ‘Special
Vintage 2016’ version featuring
new features and improved
rules. This includes the compete
removal of the banking system
and, in fact, the presence of
money entirely, which Lacerda
told us makes the game simpler
to understand for newcomers
while also maintaining a more
energetic pace.
Whether you like slowly
sipping Riesling or necking Tesco
Value red from the bottle, you’re
likely to be impressed by the
absolutely stunning illustration
on the board and the gorgeous
wooden components, including
workers, barrels and – of course –
diddly little bottle meeples.
can present their finest creation
in the hope of outclassing
their opponents.
The deluxe edition adds a
solo ruleset, for those of us
who mumble ‘I could be a
wine expert, s’easy’ whenever
someone describes a wine using
a phrase like ‘I’m getting notes
of an Autumn breeze’. There’s
also a ninth region and new
estate, as well as all-around
improvements and tweaks to
gameplay elements such as the
fair, manager and exporting.
Both faces of the double-sided
board can actually be used
with both sets of rules – new
and old – expanding the
game’s replayability.
If you didn’t pick up Vinhos
when it was originally released,
it seems that the game has
matured beautifully with this NOTHING TO DECLARE
revamped re-release, leaving APAULING GAMES
you no real excuse to hold off
now if you’re looking for an

Players purchase vineyards,
hire staff (try saying enologist
after a couple of glasses),
construct wineries and cellars,
and hire experts to bump up
the quality of their tipple in an
effort to export it worldwide
over the in-game course of six
years. Every few years a wine fair
takes place, where each player
O
elegant Euro strategy game with ne of the many titles
a unique theme. headed to Kickstarter,
Nothing to Declare is a
fast and lightweight card game
based around the theme of
sneaking contraband through
airport customs.
Players start out with a
selection of facedown luggage
that only they can look at.
According to the game’s creators,
all of the 37 items are based on
items confiscated at airports in
real life – rather worrying when
you turn over an image of a
human skull.
Each turn, players can reveal
one of their rivals’ items or
conceal one of their own, with
revealed items confiscated at
the end of the game and their
points not counting towards that
player’s final score at the end of
five rounds.
This is complicated by
the introduction of amusing
passenger cards named after
stereotypical nightmare
neighbours you often end up
sat next to on a plane, from The
Terrified and The Chatterbox to
The (Personal) Space Invader.
These passengers are essentially
action cards, allowing players
to steal, discard, swap and
otherwise mess with their
opponents’ items.
At the end of their turn, each
player draws a new baggage card
and adds it to their facedown
stash. This is unless it’s a dreaded
inspection card, which activates
immediately and can result
in revealed items, exchanged
cards or – in the case of the Air
Marshall – all revealed items
being discarded.
Once the fifth round ends,
scores are toted up and a winner
is declared.
It’s hardly the deepest
game around, but given the
low amount of time and effort
required to play, Nothing to
Declare is still a good way to
spend a spare 15 minutes – while
waiting for a plane to arrive at an
airport, perhaps.

54

053_064_EssenReport_V3 MJ.indd 54 21/11/2016 14:45

 OUTLAWS:
LAST MAN STANDING
HOLY GRAIL GAMES

T
hink you could win in a
Wild West quick-draw
shootout to the death?
Well, it’s not as easy as simply
being the first to pull the trigger.
Turns out, there’s actually a lot
of politics that go into gunning
down someone you’re not overly
fond of – who’d have guessed?
It’s these politics that Outlaws
focuses on in its depiction of
gunslinging as a tactical bluffing
game. Each player is a governor
vying for election in a local town
who has decided that the quickest
way to ensure a win is by putting
all of their rivals six feet under.
On their side they have nine
specialists, from The Hitman and
The Bandit to The Indian and The
Priest. Seven of these cards line
up next to the governor to face off
against the eight-strong team of
their rival (two stay in the saloon),
Each gifted individual has
a special ability that can be
activated during each round,
or they can choose to swap
places anonymously with one
of their teammates. Between
the two lines of fighters are
bullet-shaped tokens with
specific effects that can be
collected, including votes that
can be amassed and used to
force an election win, a bullet
for the outlaw to assassinate
the governor with and a pair
of handcuffs to arrest the
opponent’s would-be assassin
and force the rival governor from
the race by way of scandalous
association. In short, there’s a
good way, a bad way and an ugly
way. Geddit?
It’s a new deduction-flavoured
MANGAKA
spin on the old cliché of the JAPANIME
duelling showdown, with

with the opposing player unable
to tell which character is facing
their own companions.
I
fittingly thematic character art f you’re a fan of Japanese
from Arnaud Demaegd – and it’s manga or anime, has Japanime
headed to Kickstarter. got the game for you. Well, yes
it does, actually.
Mangaka – Japanese for
‘comic artist’ – is a manga-
themed spin on the classic ‘draw
something’ genre. Players are
competing illustrators aiming
to make their name in the
world through their artwork,
and so must amass fame
tokens by drawing comics that
both capture their personal
Obsessions while also capturing
the latest market Trends.
What are these Obsessions
and Trends, we hear you ask?
Obsessions are permanent ideas
that must be expressed in every
picture you draw throughout
the entire game. Whether it’s
astrophysics or cats (or both, if
you’re into that), all of your art
must reflect the three theme cards
you draw at the start of the game.
Trends, as they say, are fleeting,
sticking around for just one round,
but are dealt in greater quantities
on subsequent turns, beginning
with one and going up to four in
the final round.
Similarly, the number of
panels for each comic – that’s
right, you’re not just drawing
one picture but an entire strip
– increases by two each round,
starting with two and going
up to eight. Luckily, because
you’re drawing a comic, you
are allowed to break the golden
rule of many drawing games
and make use of words – but
only three speech bubbles or
phrases are permitted per turn
(onomatopoeic sound effects
and symbols don’t count).
Despite its niche theme,
Mangaka doesn’t require
knowledge of manga or anime
to play – nor does it mean
that you actually need to be a
good artist, as long as you can
ultimately express the themes.
The Japanese and fame-chasing
tilt of the theme does lend a
nice bit of framing to the smart
introduction of Obsession and
Trend cards, and the added
challenge of constructing
a cohesive strip takes the
mechanics beyond being
another simple ‘draw a
picture’ title. ▶

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SPIEL 2016 REPORT
THE GODFATHER: THE BOARD GAME
B
eing the big cinephiles that
we are, one of the most
intriguing game demos
we were treated to during Essen
was Eric Lang’s upcoming area
control title based on iconic
crime epic The Godfather. Lang
is widely renowned as one of the
best designers working in games
today, but would he really be
able to translate the nuance and
atmosphere of one of the greatest
films ever made to the tabletop?
We needn’t have worried.
Even as Lang unpacked the
prototype components and
053_064_EssenReport_V3 MJ.indd 56
COOL MINI OR NOT
game board, we knew we were in
safe hands, as a set of miniature
suitcase tins were placed around
the edge of the board and a tiny
figure sculpted in the likeness of
Marlon Brando’s Don Corleone
took up his rightful place at the
top of the New York map.
In fact, maintaining
the integrity of Brando’s
characterisation of the Mafia
head honcho was so important
to Lang that no player actually
takes on the role of Corleone.
Instead, two to five players are
the heads of criminal families
created specifically for
the game, which also
helps to balance out
some of the gender and
racial imbalance of the
historical period.
The competing groups
are tussling for control
of New York, recruiting
new thugs and shaking
down businesses in order
to build up their valuable
stacks of cash. But as
anyone who’s watched
a crime movie knows,
it’s not as easy as getting
56
everything you want – your
hand of cards has to be shared
between equally vital jobs and
money, but money held in your
hand is worthless until it’s been
laundered. In comes the suitcase
tins, which are used to store
‘clean’ cash. If the cards remain
in your hand, you’ll have to pay
tribute to Corleone at the end
of the round, meaning that hard
work could go to waste.
In the meantime, players will
need to open businesses and
move their thugs and don around,
controlling territories ahead of the
turf war that closes each round.
As things heat up, families can
employ more aggressive tactics,
executing rival thugs in drive-bys
to maintain their power – rival
dons must hook their defeated
thugs out of the water before they
sleep with the fishes to place
them back on the board. Dons
can shake down whole areas for
money and goods, meaning that
strategic placement of thugs –
who can only shake down single
businesses – and their boss is
needed to maximise the earnings
of your family.
The game takes place over
the four acts of Francis Ford
Coppola’s first film, beginning
with the famous wedding scene
(‘You come into my house on
the day my daughter is to be
married’), moving over the
clashes with The Turk, following
the fallout of Sonny’s murder
and finally concluding with
Corleone’s death.
The good news is that it
doesn’t take three hours like
the film, instead condensing
the events into between an
hour and 90 minutes. Lang
told us that although it’s a
Mafia theme, the game is
designed to be accessible
and mechanically simple,
with complexity introduced
through the strategies
available when opening and
controlling businesses.
Unlike any of the Godfather
board games we’ve seen to date,
Lang’s take on the source material
looks to have the right level of
reverence and depth needed to
finally make a game worthy of the
film. It’s due out next year, to tie in
with the movie’s 45th anniversary.
18/11/2016 10:06
 SHADOW GAMES
STEAMFORGED GAMES

I
f you’re a fan of Steamforged’s
football brawler miniatures
title Guild Ball but felt it
was lacking in opportunities
to lie to your friends, spin-off
card game Shadow Games is
here to alleviate that longing.
The fast-paced title for between
two and six players takes place
over two rounds where players
place Plot and Agent cards in
an effort to gain five brightly
coloured favour tokens for one
of three organisations – Team,
Union and Guild – before their
rival factions manage to do
the same.
Here’s where it gets
interesting, because when
players place their Plot or Agent
card facedown, they can choose
to lie about what the card is
– not unlike the playing card
game Cheat. Every player has
a reference list of every card’s
effects and can choose to call
the current player’s bluff if they
lie can provide bluff bonuses,
but being caught with your
pants on fire means losing
valuable favour.
This can lead to interesting
situations of double-bluffing –
especially because a player
who reaches the game-winning
total of five favour must wait
until the start of their next turn
to claim victory, opening the
door for all sorts of tactical
cardplay from the other players
attempting to put the brakes on
the win.
The cards themselves
have been nicely illustrated
in line with Guild Ball’s
fantasy aesthetics by artist
Mark Gibbons (the backs are
particularly ornate), and Guild
Ball players are sure to spot
plenty of ties with the miniatures
title – but even those who
RISKY ADVENTURE
have never played the game QUEEN GAMES
are sure to enjoy this
standalone social deduction

believe it’s a ruse. A successful
I
and deception offshoot. f you’ve ever wondered what
it might look like if Disney
made an Indiana Jones film,
Risky Adventure may give you
some idea.
The Kickstarted title from
Anthony Rubbo boasts a bold
cartoon style with vivid colours in
its depiction of the bright yellow
sun and sand of the pyramids,
the lush green vegetation hiding
an Aztec temple and the blues
of underwater Greek ruins on its
excavation and expedition boards.
Two to four players task their
team of three explorers with
traversing three different boards
– expeditions, excavations and
the camp – each of which comes
in three different variations. By
rolling custom dice marked with
green cans, blue maps and red
pick and shovel faces, players
can activate their adventurers
by assigning results to matching
symbols on the spaces where
any of them stand – or spending
a clock token to change a rolled
outcome. This can mean taking a
risk (like the name of the game!)
in order to score a particularly
treasured artifact, assuming the
luck of the dice is in your favour.
Activating the character on the
expedition map allows them to
explore the location and amass
fame and gems. Meanwhile,
the explorer responsible for the
excavation site will be able to
survey the area and uncover
valuable artifacts – along with
the points needed to win the
game. This all requires the
right equipment, which can be
gathered at camp to provide extra
dice rolls and other helpful boons.
Once two expeditions have
been completed, an excavation
site has been depleted or the camp
is out of equipment, the game
ends and scores are added up.
Risky Adventure is a colourful
and accessible dice-rolling race
game with a timeless theme and,
at about 40 minutes, a relatively
quick playing time. It probably
won’t win over a hardcore
audience, but it’s a tactical
step up from many of its peers
and well worth a look if you
hear a whipcrack every time
you see a fedora. ▶

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SPIEL 2016 REPORT
VIKINGS ON BOARD
BLUE ORANGE
N
ow, we wouldn’t like to
give the impression that
we’re superficial, but
if there’s something that gets
our blood pumping just a little
quicker it’s a board game with
impressive 3D components.
So, it was with magpie-
like attraction that we found
ourselves gravitating towards
Blue Orange’s booth and into
a demo of Vikings on Board,
a worker placement title that
features multiple Norse-themed
ships made of cardboard
stretching across the shallows of
its game board’s beach.
These boats don’t work like
standard seafaring vessels,
however; each segment of the
ships’ bodies can be moved
around as each clan vies for
control over the craft, with their
possession of a segment shown
by the number and colour of
shields on the side. Meanwhile,
players can also choose to spend
their action to add supplies
to the bow of a ship, with the
supplies shared between the
clans depending on how much
of the body they control when
it sets sail. Alternatively, they
can spend an action to place a
bet on a ship and predict which
clan will be the dominant force
when it leaves shore, adding the
amount they bet to their final
score pile (which is also shaped
053_064_EssenReport_V3 MJ.indd 58
like a shield) if they’re right.
Supplies have a separate value,
which can be increased
at the market to make each
token worth more when the
ship sets off.
Complicating the tactics is the
fact that more powerful actions
take longer to perform, meaning
that a player who chooses to
assign their adorable viking
miniature to a game-changing
action this turn will potentially
have to wait until every other
player has completed their turn
before taking their next step.
The game ends when seven
ships have set sail, and the points
accumulated are totted up – the
most points wins, obviously.
Following in the footsteps of
Blue Orange’s first big boxed
I
effort New York 1901, which
debuted at last year’s Essen,
Vikings on Board looks to be
another great effort from the
publisher to get stuck into the
deeper end of the market. It’s
not quite as mechanically heavy
as New York 1901, but there’s
still plenty of strategy to be
wrung from the management
of supplies, control of ships and
temptation to hedge your bets on
somebody else’s fortunes. Plus,
the theme is fantastic and the
components are gorgeous, so it’s
a nice game to simply have set
up on a table.
58
OCEANOS
IELLO
s there anywhere more
beautiful than the bottom of
the sea? Looking at Jérémie
Fleury’s art for the latest title
from fabled 7 Wonders and
Hanabi designer Antoine Bauza,
Oceanos, we think you’d be hard
pressed to argue otherwise.
In Oceanos, players pilot
their own quirky steampunk
submarine through the depths
of the deep blue in order
to research new species of
underwater creatures, dig up
sunken treasure with scuba
divers and gawp at coral –
all while dodging the gaze of
the kraken.
Key to exploring further and
further below the surface are
the modular submarine pieces,
which can be upgraded and
replaced piece by piece – from
the propeller and aquarium
to the airlock and cockpit – to
ultimately gain more victory
points and become the best
darn captain under the sea.
Oceanos plays over three
rounds, adding up to a svelte
total runtime of half an hour.
Each round, players are dealt
exploration cards based on the
current round – from just under
the surface to the bottom of
the ocean floor – by the current
expedition captain, adding one
card to their three respective
three rows of cards symbolising
what they have explored. On the
tabletop, the result is a gorgeous
grid of blues that really pushes
the visual qualities of traversing
the underwater landscape.
Players can spend their
submarine’s fuel to add extra
cards to their rows, or send out a
scuba driver to fish out treasure
from one of their revealed
cards. Cards with crystal and
base icons can be played in the
same row to upgrade the vessel,
while the player with the most
kraken eyes loses precious
victory points.
The gameplay is very
straightforward, making
Oceanos a fantastic gateway
game, but it’s also a visual treat
thanks to the rich artwork of
the cards and whimsical animal
illustrations. (A dolphin with
a hat and pipe, whale with a
monocle and crab with a hook
for a hand – er, claw – all make
an appearance.)
The game’s beautiful
appearance and simple
playability easily made it one of
the more popular games we saw
during our travels around the
show floor.
18/11/2016 10:06
 ALL HANDS ON DECK
SALAMANDER GAMES

E
very day that we headed
into the show, we spotted
a number of flamboyantly-
dressed individuals wearing
bandanas, ruffed sleeves and
waistcoats turning countless
heads as they walked along
the pavement. Concerned
we’d lost our way and ended
up in the 1970s, our fears were
allayed when we spotted the
Salamander Games booth,
which was crewed by a squad of
pirates running through games
of All Hands on Deck.
The lightweight swashbuckling
title is a spin on playing card
classic Rummy, with two to
six players – in the roles of
pirate captains trying to crew
up their ships – attempting to
form a hand of seven pirates
of consecutive rank (from one
to ten) from one of the three
crew ‘suits’ or three consecutive
from the central deck is turned
face up and players put forward
their best offer using bid cards
and existing crew – although the
‘Rum’ card automatically wins
any auction, for obvious reasons.
Other action cards add the
chance to stop rival captains
from bidding, steal cards
and even replace a missing
crew member with a monkey.
Seriously. To make things
sneakier, lying about the
number of cards in your hand
is encouraged – but you risk
being called out as a pirate
cheat by another player and
being punished.
The whole game takes about
half an hour to play, but a
scoring mechanic can be used
for longer sessions.
We forgot to mention: when
CAPITAL
you finally form a winning GRANNA
hand, you have to slam your

shipmates from each of
the suits.
What makes this more than
just a reskinned Rummy clone is
the introduction of the auction
mechanic, where the next card
S
palms onto the table and yell ‘All
hands on deck!’ And take a swig
of grog. And fire a flintlock pistol
into the air. And rob a merchant
ship. Okay, maybe we lied about
those last three. Maybe.
ome of the best board
games in existence can
teach you about real-life
history, events and culture
while still being a blast to play.
A promising new contender for
this category is Capital, a city
building title designed by Filip
Miłunski that we spied on the
Granna stand.
Based on the last five
centuries of Polish capital city
Warsaw, the game is split up
into six rounds based on notable
epochs from the 16th century
until the modern day. Players
pay to construct new city tiles,
placing them edge-to-edge
so they eventually build a
rectangular district of 12 tiles
measuring four-by-three. They
can also build over existing
districts, which reduces the
cost of construction. Each tile
can include different types of
area, including residential,
commercial, industrial and
cultural, which can be combined
in particular ways to boost the
acquisition of victory points. For
example, building residential
areas next to a park offers the
chance for bonus VP.
Fulfilling certain objectives
can unlock milestone cards
displaying landmark buildings
in Warsaw, such as Wilanów
Palace and the Europa Market,
which provide a variety of
beneficial effects. Other real-
life public buildings can also
be built, occupying a tile space
and adding other advantages.
At the end of rounds three
and four, World War I and II
strike, meaning that players
must discard one and two
tiles from their districts,
respectively, to represent
the devastation caused. At
the close of round six, scores
are added up and a winner
declared. Points totals are
tracked around the board
by mermaid-shaped pawns,
recalling Warsaw’s coat of arms
and iconic symbol.
The roughly hour-long game
is a fascinating way for up to
four players to learn about
the history of one of Europe’s
most interesting cities. We
highly recommend reading the
rulebook, which includes trivia
on all of the real-life buildings
and landmarks featured. ▶

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SPIEL 2016 REPORT

4 THE BIRDS
BREAKING GAMES

L
etter Tycoon and Boomtown
Bandits publisher Breaking
Games continued its trend
of moving into more complex
board games from its party card
game origins this year, including
this crowdfunded take on the
line-up genre.
Players control a flock of birds
– cardinals, jays, orioles, martins,
finches or budgies – attempting
to form a line of four across
the numbered branches of the
game board’s tree or a square
consisting of four adjacent spots.
Each turn, they roll either
2d8 or 2d10 depending on the
number of players – up to six
total – and place a bird according
to the combined result – so 4 and
2 could be 42 or 24.
The custom dice include
crow and a hawk faces, which
are non-player-controlled birds
that displace the birds around
them when they land on any
space containing the digit
shown on the other die, forcing
their lesser feathered fellows
to slide along the branches to
make room.
There’s also a pecking order
among the players, with each
player able to displace the birds
of the player to their left, but
nobody else’s.
A number of action cards also
puts the cat amongst the pigeons
(or whatever they are) by offering
standard dice game abilities
such as dice rerolls, relocating
birds and more.
With a lush green board and
the eight sets of bird tokens
spanning the spectrum of
colours, 4 the Birds is a delight
to look at. Whether the spin on
the line-up genre will sustain its
fun over multiple playthroughs
remains to be seen, but there’s
all the elements here for an
accessible hit.
B-MOVIE SHOWDOWN
DON’T PANIC GAMES

A
cowboy, a Martian, a
vampire and a ninja walk
into a bar. No, it’s not the
beginning of a joke, but instead
a rough explanation of what’s
going on in B-Movie Showdown,
a movie mash-up game which
sees silver screen icons fight
to the death in order to be
proclaimed the greatest genre
going. (As if a fight is needed –
it’s obviously vampires.)
The crowdfunded title revolves
around a modular board
created from combinations of
the environments associated
with each of the genres. So the
vampires occupy haunted castles
and cottages tinged with purple
moonlight, while the cowboys
hang out in wooden saloons and
dusty plains. The board includes
3D hideouts for the figures to
take cover behind, as the eight
characters on either side attempt
to kill five of their opponents in
order to win.
Players can choose to move,
attack or peek behind one of the
hideouts on their turn, collecting
tokens and cards to perform
specific abilities and aid their
chances of success.
The whole game takes about
20 minutes to play, making it
more of a short film than a cult
movie, but the artwork is clearly
reverential of seminal genre
actors such as Christopher Lee
and Clint Eastwood, and the
theme is a fun excuse to combine
some of the best-loved creations
cinema has produced.
While speaking with the
creators they hinted that they
already have plans to add to the
four starting factions – cowboys,
ninjas, Martians and vampires –
and suggested that one of their
first new teams might be pirates.
They added even grander plan
to produce a Godzilla-inspired
figure that would be fittingly
super-sized and would serve as a
team of one.
B-Movie Showdown’s heart is
obviously in the right place, and
it’s exciting to think that a game
might be able to pull off the
trashy fun of late-night flicks.

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I
f you were, like us, disappointed
by the return of Ben Hur to
the big screen in the form of
this year’s CGI-heavy bore-fest
remake of the Charlton Heston
epic Best Picture-winner,
here’s something that might
lift your spirits.
Pandemic creator Matt
Leacock has turned his
designing prowess to the heart-
pounding concept of duelling to
the death while speeding around
the Colosseum behind a pack of
charging horses in the fittingly
titled Chariot Race.
Two to six players take the
reins of a chariot (two each
in the case of three or fewer),
attaching plastic clips to their
chariot board to track speed,
053_064_EssenReport_V3 MJ.indd 61
CHARIOT RACE
EAGLE AND GRYPHON GAMES
damage and fate. Once the
race is in motion, it’s as simple
as being the first to finish a
second lap.
Oh, wait; maybe it’s not that
simple, thanks to the careful
balancing of speed and damage
required to actually survive two
laps. Going too fast can result
in your chariot taking damage
on the corners of the track,
while your rivals will attempt to
hurl javelins, ram you and drop
caltrops in your path.
Every round, starting with
the player in first place, each
player rolls a number of dice
based on their current speed,
from five at slower paces to just
one at the maximum gallop
to signify the lack of control
61
available while whizzing
round. These dice can return
a number of values, allowing
players to alter their speed up
or down (or significantly up if
they’re willing to take a hit of
damage), change lanes in order
to ram opponents or dodge
obstacles, attack with javelins
and caltrops, and obtain fate.
Fate means that the gods are
on your side; any number of dice
can be re-rolled for free once,
but further re-rolls will cost you
fate, with the favour of Fortuna
also able to change a single die
to any desired result. At the start
of a turn, fate can be exchanged
to repair damage – we assume
Fortuna sends down a pit crew
or something.
The chariot always moves
forward according to its
current speed, rather than
the result rolled on the dice
that turn, giving the impression
of continued momentum
around the track. While moving,
players can opt to use their
dice results to change lane,
attack nearby chariots with
javelins or drop caltrops behind
them – although they can run
into their own traps if they’re
not careful.
The result is a fast and furious
race, just as it should be.
An alternate track with stone
heap obstacles and variant
chariots are on the reverse of
the standard boards for an
extra challenge. ▶
18/11/2016 10:06
SPIEL 2016 REPORT

KILL THE UNICORNS

MORNING

W
e know what you’re
thinking. ‘Killing
unicorns? What kind
of monster wants to kill those
majestic equine beings?’ Either
that or, ‘Kill the unicorn? Isn’t
that slang for having sex?’ The
answer is designer Arthur Vo-Ha
and yes, yes it is.
Vo-Ha’s game is about literally
dispatching the horned mythical
horses rather than making
love, but it has an absurd sense
of humour that overrides the
potentially grisly suggestions of
its title.
You see, the unicorns are
reproducing too fast for the
kingdom to cope, so a roster of
characters has arrived to do off
with them. Players can choose
to be the shaman, knight, bard,
princess, thief or more as they
make use of their unique powers
to send unicorns tumbling off
cliffs onto spikes or splashing
into piranha-invested waters.
Maybe it is a teeny bit grisly,
present a different layout each
time, populated with charming
wooden unicorn figurines, plus
the meeples for the characters
attempting to round them up.
There is a hidden surprise
though – forget about a wolf
in sheep’s clothing, you’ll be
wanting to keep a careful eye
out for the Pigicorn, the swine
wearing a fake horn to disguise
itself as a unicorn and hide
among the herd. There’s also
the danger of traps planted on
some of the map tiles, which
can disrupt your unicorn-killing
antics. Luckily, a deck of gnome
cards can be used to outwit your
rivals and guide more unicorns
to their adorable doom.
Jordi Villaverde’s cartoon
art perfectly captures the same
UNLOCK: THE
endearing goofiness seen in
Matthew Inman’s illustrations
ROOM ESCAPE
for the similarly cute-animals-
suffering-horrific-deaths card
ADVENTURE GAME
game Exploding Kittens, pairing SPACE COWBOYS
with the delightful wooden

after all.
The map is made up of
double-sided hexagonal tiles that
E
components to offer a game scape the room games
that wears its sense of fun and were one of the big trends
humour on the outside. at this year’s show, with
a number of big boxes set up
around the show floor for
publishers to lock fans into (and
presumably not let them go until
they brought a copy of the game
– we’re kidding!)
Even so, it was a surprise
when Space Cowboys’ François
Doucet interrupted our
interview by suddenly handing
us a deck of cards, starting a
timer on a mobile app and
telling us to escape.
The cards were the prototype
of Unlock, a new escape
room card game that works
in conjunction with a free
companion app.
In a similar manner to Time
Stories’ item deck, players
combine the 60 numbered and
colour-coded cards to work out
the solutions to puzzles and
ultimately complete the half-
hour challenges. For example,
a locked chest with the number
5 and a key with the number 6
might add together to become
card 11 – an unlocked chest with
items inside.
Doucet told us that the
focus is on the cards, with the
app primarily just providing
atmospheric music and optional
utilities such as the timer and
a hint giver. The only time we
used the software was to input
the final door code to complete
the 10-minute demo challenge,
with the app then giving us a star
rating and score based on the
time taken and the number of
hints used.
Three scenarios will be
included in the base set, which
is due out in January, while extra
challenges are already planned
for release in an expansion
next June. Teasing some of the
settings, Doucet mentioned a
search for a formula in a science
lab, an homage to point-and-
click computer games, an
Indiana Jones-like adventure, a
horror set in a haunted manor, a
swashbuckling pirate tale and an
underwater voyage.

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 JUSTICE LEAGUE:
DAWN OF HEROES
ABBA GAMES
T
he Justice League board
game was only announced
a matter of weeks before
Essen, so the prototype we
saw on display still featured
a lot of work-in-progress
components – apparently even
the board itself is yet to be
decided on. Despite this,
what we saw was still very
promising in terms of style
and mechanics, and a positive
sign of where the comic book
spin-off is headed.
Two to six players side either
with the eponymous goody-
goody set of superheroes,
including DC Comic icons
Batman, Superman, The Flash,
Green Lantern, Wonder Woman
and Aquaman, or the equally
famous group of baddies, from
Joker and Lex Luthor to Black
Manta and Cheetah. A solo
player manages the evil side,
while multiple players take them
on together as the various heroes.
Each character controls
differently, with Superman and
Wonder Woman getting just one
(albeit powerful) action per turn
053_064_EssenReport_V3 MJ.indd 63
and utilising dice, while Batman
and Green Lantern make use
of cards, and The Flash and
Aquaman expend tokens.
The game takes place over
campaign-like missions inspired
by iconic Justice League comic
book narratives, each of which
is split up into several roughly
half-hour chapters. For every
hero they manage to knock out,
the villain gains an ability card
which, if unused, can be carried
over in future chapters. The
opposing teams race to complete
their objectives first, gaining
advantages over their rivals
ahead of a final showdown that
will decide the fate of the world.
It’s suggested that each
mission will be of a healthy
length at around an hour and a
half, but luckily the game comes
with a built-in saving system
to allow players to take a break
from tussling with the forces of
evil, maybe drinking a cup of
tea and having a biscuit or two
before they return to saving the
world. Just another standard
Sunday evening.
63
LINCOLN
PSC GAMES
T
here was a very curious
thing about the way that
Lincoln was described
by publisher Plastic Soldier
Company. It was called a
wargame… for non-wargamers.
It was also said to be a
deckbuilding game… without the
deckbuilding. In fact, it doesn’t
even appear to feature the
American president whose name
it bears.
After hearing what Lincoln
actually is, however, we came
away convinced that it could
be something quite special.
Set during the American Civil
War, the game puts two players
head-to-head as the Union and
the Confederates. The Union
attempts to capture specific
areas and earn a particular
amount of victory points by
the time the turn track hits
certain milestones, while the
Confederates try to impede
their progress – failing to
reach the objectives in time
means a Confederate win and
presumably a tear in the space-
time continuum.
The deckbuilding aspect
comes from the cards that each
player uses to perform specific
actions and abilities. When the
Union player uses up their whole
deck for the first and second
times, more powerful cards are
shuffled in – but exhausting
the deck a third time means
a game loss. Meanwhile, the
Confederates have a set deck
throughout the entire two-
hour game, requiring careful
management and planning
to avoid weakening their forces
too soon.
It’s not all about cards, though.
There’s also a game board
beautifully illustrated with the
American states involved in the
war, across which both players
much mobilise their armies of
varying strengths – represented
by Euro-style tokens – in order to
claim territory.
Gaining VP and controlling
areas aren’t the only ways to
win. The Union player can also
put into action General Scott’s
Anaconda Plan by progressing
along the naval blockade track
and reducing the number of
cards available to their rival.
Meanwhile, the Confederates
can invest cards in moving
along the European influence
track – reaching the end means
intervention from across the
pond and a loss for the Union.
Whether you’re a fan of
American history or not, Lincoln
looks to be a solid Euro-style
spin on the historical wargame
genre with more accessible
rules and a shorter play time
than many of its compatriots.
A Kickstarter for the game is
planned for around Christmas,
with a full launch next year. ▶
21/11/2016 14:48
SPIEL 2016 REPORT
I
f you had told us before going
to Essen that one of our
favourite games at the show
would turn out to be a romantic
comedy roleplaying card game
about discovering what kind
of lover your partner is and
achieving a happy ever after, we
probably would have laughed
at you and told you to suggest a
‘proper’ game.
The joke, it turns out, was
on us, because Fog of Love
was easily one of the most
downright enjoyable and
memorable gaming experiences
we had during the whole of
this year’s event.
Two players start by creating
characters to play as, which
avoids the awkward nature of
asking your co-worker what
their feelings on outdoor sex
are. These lovers – who can
be of the same sex – are then
fleshed out by choosing three
secret personality traits that
053_064_EssenReport_V3 MJ.indd 64
FOG OF LOVE
Hush Hush Projects
act as game-winning goals. For
example, a nurturing lover may
seek an abundance of wellness,
while someone who’s impulsive
will be looking to let go of their
restrictive discipline. Each
character is also assigned an
occupation that also affects their
defining characteristics.
Next is the part that left us in
fits of giggles – taking it in turns to
choose features for your partner,
which range from the endearing
(smiling, nerdy glasses) to the
slightly absurd (gold chain,
counterfeit watch, poorly
dressed). The effect each of these
decisions has on each character’s
personality is tracked down the
middle of the cleanly-designed
game board, with tokens placed
on six key attributes – from
sincerity to curiosity.
Once the characters feel
like real-life lovers, their story
begins. Series of question cards
from different decks are drawn
64
according to the current chapter,
with sweet-natured enquires
turning into more dramatic
interrogations as the three
chapters lead to the big finale –
just like a romantic movie. Both
players simultaneously vote on
the multiple-choice answers,
gaining tokens in the respective
attributes depending on their
answers – with bonuses to the
overall health of the relationship
for matching.
The outcome of each chapter
builds towards the eventual
reveal of a story ending to
determine the fate of the
relationship, from harmonious
outcomes for the couple to
deceit and betrayal if one player
decides to selfishly pursue only
their own goals.
While the game is designed
to be played as a roleplaying
title, it also offers the chance
to learn more about your
significant other or friends in
real life. While the appearance
may seem very slushy on the
outside, there’s a good deal
of humour in the questions
(‘What are you thinking about?
Sex? What to have for dinner?’)
and traits available, and the
mechanics can either be used
as a lighthearted way to see how
your relationship stacks up or a
more complex strategy game of
balancing attributes to try and
achieve the ‘perfect’ coupling.
The characters we created felt
genuine and complex, and the
multitudinous outcomes for the
couple and their relationship
mean that the game should hold
its replayability for those spare
hours on date night.
The wide-ranging and realistic
qualities assigned to each player
could even make it a fun way
to develop characters for other
RPGs – assuming that your
dragon-slaying paladin has a soft
spot under all that armour. ■
18/11/2016 10:07
 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

p065.indd 1 16/11/2016 13:38

 Board games, card games, miniatures and more!

Free
shipping on
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€50!
*UK & Ireland onl
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p066.indd 1 16/11/2016 09:05

 68 72

PLAYED
SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW
74 76

C 78
an you ever love a spin-off as much
as an original?
Although the core of what you
fell in love with is still there, and often has
the advantage of time-refined mechanics
on its side, it's sometimes tough to feel as
engrossed when even a few elements feel
overly familiar.
It's a dilemma we encountered with
several games this month, including
82
Pandemic: Reign of Cthulhu and Escape
from Colditz' revised 75th anniversary
edition, both of which make quite
radical changes to the formula of their
predecessors in distinctly different ways.
We enjoyed both – turn the page
to discover how much – but it got us
wondering whether they would seem
even better if we had experienced them as 84 86
complete newcomers. What do you think?

68 PANDEMIC: REIGN OF CTHULHU

72 CRY HAVOC

74 INFINITY – OPERATION: RED VEIL 88 90

76 CAPTAIN SONAR

78 TICKET TO RIDE: RAILS & SAILS

82 HIT Z ROAD

84 THE DRAGON & FLAGON

86 BETRAYAL AT HOUSE ON THE HILL: WIDOW'S WALK 94 95

88 FINAL FANTASY: THE TRADING CARD GAME

90 ESCAPE FROM COLDITZ: 75TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION

94 BEASTS OF BALANCE

95 3 WISHES

96 DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: TYRANTS OF THE UNDERDARK

96 98
98 ISLEBOUND

100 THE WALKING DEAD: ALL OUT WAR

102 FANTAHZEE

103 A GAME OF THRONES: HAND OF THE KING 100 102

104 POTION EXPLOSION

106 ELFENLAND

106 CODENAMES: PICTURES

109 BOOK REVIEWS

110 FILM REVIEW: MAGNUS 103 104

111 ACCESSORIES

106 106
067_ReviewsIntro_V4 MJ.indd 67 18/11/2016 10:21
 PLAYED

PANDEMIC: REIGN OF CTHULHU

What happens if you cross deadly disease with unspeakable horror? It’s bad news
for the human race but good news for tabletop fans, as Matt Jarvis finds out
Z-Man Games | £46.99 | Co-op strategy | 2-4 players | 40 minutes | Age: 14+ | zmangames.com

A
ll things considered, it’s a
wonder that it’s taken this
long for two of the tabletop
world’s most popular fixations –
Matt Leacock’s disease-curing hit
Pandemic and the Cthulhu Mythos
of horror author H.P. Lovecraft – to
finally collide and form a single entity.
Pandemic has dominated ‘best of’
lists since it first appeared a decade
ago – helped by multiple expansions,
spin-offs and Leacock and Rob
Daviau’s impeccable evolution of the
concept in Pandemic Legacy last year
– while the use of the Cthulhu theme
is, well, everywhere as of late.
Given the tabletop ubiquity
of Lovecraft’s tentacle-mouthed
creation and the perpetual
momentum of Pandemic, it’s easy
to approach this year’s Pandemic:
Reign of Cthulhu with more than just
a smidge of cynicism and assume it
will be little more than a reskinned
re-release of Leacock’s original game.
That, happily, is not the case.
While it may bear the Pandemic
name, Reign of Cthulhu’s mechanics
take several steps away from the
globe-trotting and cube-removing
origins of its namesake to offer a
gameplay experience that feels
distinctly different.
Okay, okay, so let’s be real for a
moment: there are still elements
here that feel undeniably similar to
Pandemic. As in that game, players
(as each of seven ‘investigators’ this
time around, rather than ‘roles’) will
travel around the board and stem the
progression of something unpleasant
by using up to four actions per turn,
before drawing two cards into their
hand and a number of location cards
from a separate deck which advance
the encroachment of said unpleasant
thing, with a set number of events
(epidemics in Pandemic, ‘Evil Stirs’
here) giving the antagonistic force
a major bump and upping its rate
of invasion.
The geographical perspective
BOX CONTENTS
◗ Board has shifted from being a global race
◗ Seven investigator against the clock to a world-saving
cards dash around four of Lovecraft’s best-
◗ Seven investigator
known settings – Dunwich, Arkham,
figures
◗ 12 Old One cards Innsmouth and Kingsport – each
◗ Three Shoggoth of which has specific buildings and
figures locations (park, hospital, graveyard
◗ 26 cultist figures
and so on) rather than capital cities.
◗ 44 clue cards
◗ 24 summoning cards Like Pandemic’s continents, the
◗ 12 relic cards four towns are colour-coded, and
◗ Four player aid cards fixed-location bus stations provide
◗ 16 sanity tokens
the ability to jump across the map
◗ Four seal tokens
◗ Sanity die in lieu of Pandemic’s buildable
◗ Rulebook research stations.

68

068_071_PandemicCthulhuReviewAndInterview_V2.indd 68 18/11/2016 10:50

 It may not sound wildly fresh just
yet, but the changes made by lead
designer Chuck D. Yager (with help
from Leacock) go beyond mere
aesthetics. Instead of the iconic
multi-coloured cubes of Pandemic’s
four diseases, Reign of Cthulhu
players begin the game by shuffling
the 11 Old One cards (minus
Cthulhu) and placing six face-down
across the top of the board, with the
eponymous horror occupying the
seventh place face-up. Each time an
Evil Stirs card is drawn, the next Old
One is revealed, with each monster
introducing game-changing effects.
The next Old One also appears
if more than three cultists – which
replace the cubes and are similarly
defeated by spending an action – are
placed onto one location but, unlike
the same occurrence in Pandemic,
outbreaks (where a fourth cube would
instead result in cubes being placed on
every surrounding city) don’t occur.
Complicating the ability for
the investigators to pack up their
(probably dark and gloomy) bags
and go on a (probably dark and
gloomy) holiday are Shoggoths,
horrible monsters which look a
little like chewing gum found on the
bottom of a desk. With tentacles.
And teeth. Shudder. Appearing each
time an Evil Stirs card is picked,
the otherworldly nasties take three
actions to defeat and – unlike the
static disease cubes, move at the end
of each player’s turn towards the four
gates spread around the world.
These gates are key to Reign
of Cthulhu’s gameplay – players
must gather five clue cards of each
location’s colour, make their way
to its respective portal and discard the
set to seal the rift, winning the game
when all four are closed. On the other
hand, if a Shoggoth makes it to a gate
undefeated and passes through, the
next Old One is revealed.
The need to contend with the
moving Shoggoths introduces a new
challenge to Pandemic’s existing
mechanics, with the implementation
of the sanity die making the creatures
and warped world even more of a
threat to players. The die is thrown
upon landing on a space with a
Shoggoth, when warping from one
gate to another, each time an Evil Stirs
card is drawn or when a player uses
068_071_PandemicCthulhuReviewAndInterview_V2.indd 69
a Relic, an item card with beneficial
actions from nullifying an Old One’s
effect to making a sealed gate an
Elder Sign – stopping extra cultists
from being placed. The die can result
in extra cultists being placed or the
player losing up to two sanity – with
a total loss of sanity resulting in
the investigator going insane and
suffering negative side-effects until
they are cured. If every investigator
goes insane, it’s game over.
If the game perhaps sounds more
reminiscent of Eldritch Horror than
Pandemic, it’s because Yager’s tweaks
and additions to the mechanical
foundation of Leacock’s base game
bring it much more into line with the
globe-trotting Lovecraftian classic –
for both better and worse.
Having to be wary of Shoggoths
balances out the smaller number of
locations on the board – 24 versus
Pandemic’s 48 – with being unable
to hunker down in one spot for
too long, while the Old Ones and
sanity die introduce a little more
randomisation into proceedings,
with a run of unlucky throws
dooming our group more than once.
How you feel about the extra
unpredictability is likely to be down to
69
personal preference, but our group of
experienced Pandemic fans found the
changes helped to offer an experience
that felt markedly new – although
perhaps not as revolutionary as the
medical-themed debut.
Also helping with the ease of
transition is the theme. Though it
IF YOU LIKE may be a well-worn trope in the
ELDRITCH tabletop world by now, the Cthulhu
HORROR… Mythos masks Pandemic’s co-
TRY PANDEMIC:
REIGN OF operative core without feeling forced
CTHULHU or convoluted. The replacement of
The two games faceless wooden pawns and plastic
may share a cubes by individual miniatures
Lovecraftian theme
and gameplay for the investigators, cultists and
similarities, but Shoggoths lends a greater air of
Reign of Cthulhu identity to the group’s efforts,
may be more encouraging a greater attachment
suitable for
those looking for to the characters and their efforts,
something that which is assisted by the concept of
takes a fraction sanity and the recognisable locations
of the time to and Old Ones.
play and is far
more accessible. It’s worth noting here that, as
with all of the Pandemic releases
to date, the quality of components
throughout is high, with the game
board beautifully illustrated in
■ Reign of Cthulhu murky blues, yellows, purples and
features sculpted
black and the rulebook similarly
miniatures in the
place of Pandemic's gorgeous, including hand-drawn
cubes and pawns. pictures of some of the grotesque
creatures alongside almost two pages
of effective tone-setting narrative.
Pandemic veterans will find the
new rules easy to slip into, while the
instructions are well-written enough
to introduce newcomers to both the
mechanics and theme.
Ultimately, Pandemic: Reign of
Cthulhu feels like a worthy spin-off
to the tabletop classic. Its theme
may not be wholly original, but the
mechanical updates and layering
of atmosphere do an effective
job of elevating it beyond a mere
rebranding and offering an attractive
alternative to both Pandemic and
other Lovecraft-inspired titles. ■
CONCLUSION
Reign of Cthulhu takes two unoriginal
aspects and creates something that
feels genuinely fresh. The gameplay
changes mean that Pandemic fans
looking for something a little different
will be satisfied, while the addition of
Lovecraftian elements – while they
may be cliché – brings a new sense of
atmosphere. It certainly won’t replace
Pandemic or Lovecraftian classics like
Eldritch Horror
Horror, but it’s a solid addition
to the collections of both types of fan
all the same.
18/11/2016 10:24
 TALKING TABLETOP
Pandemic creator Matt Leacock and Reign of Cthulhu lead designer Chuck D. Yager
talk about swapping deadly diseases for the wrath of ancient cosmic deities
Where did the idea for
combining Pandemic with
Lovecraft come from?
Chuck D. Yager: The game didn’t
start out being a Pandemic title. In
fact, it wasn’t until much later in the
development of the game with Z-Man
that they suggested branding it with
Pandemic, given that it was close to the
basic gameplay. That meant altering
some of the rules to bring it more in
line with the original Pandemic, but I
am very happy with that decision.
When I set out to design Reign
of Cthulhu, I was inspired by the
co-operative gameplay, the short but
stimulating game sessions, and the
action economy that Pandemic brought
to my table. I decided early on that I
wanted to capture that same sense of
tension and excitement.
I enjoy the Cthulhu Mythos
tremendously and knew early on that
it would be the theme in my game.
I set out to make a short but tense
co-operative game set in Lovecraft’s
Mythos and built upon some of the
bones that I loved in games like
Arkham Horror and Pandemic.
After a year or so of designing and
rigorous playtesting, I submitted it
to Z-Man Games. Shortly after, the
owner, Zev, contacted me, mentioned
he liked what he saw and asked if I was
interested in having them continue
down the road of publishing. I was
overjoyed, and throughout the next
few years of testing, refining and more
testing, my small, original title – then
just called Reign of Cthulhu – became
Pandemic: Reign of Cthulhu.
I am happy to say that 80% of the
rules and balance that I submitted way
068_071_PandemicCthulhuReviewAndInterview_V2.indd 70
A NEW REIGN
back in 2010 made it to the final game,
with the 20% that changed being
changed to make the game even better.
What makes Pandemic’s core
mechanics suitable for the
Lovecraftian theme?
■ Chuck D. Yager CY: The idea that you are travelling
the world to stop the outbreak of a
disaster, in the form of disease, marries
perfectly with a lot of the stories that
Lovecraft wrote. Instead of diseases,
it’s these ancient, horrible, alien beings
known as the Great Old Ones, but the
premise is pretty similar: stop horrible
things – cultists – from amassing
enough power to unleash even more
■ Matt Leacock horrible things – Great Old Ones.
The idea of working together
against this threat is also a common
theme in other Cthulhu-inspired
board games; the idea of investigators
pooling their resources and time to
fight this avalanche of chaos and
insanity is analogous to Pandemic
players pooling their actions against
the four diseases, especially when you
consider that players have a limited
set of actions they can take, which
can increase tension in a session. This
tension fits in very well to the Cthulhu
Mythos – it hints that danger is literally
around the corner and you have to act
smart and fast if you have any chance
to win.
Lastly, having to travel to a place
to ‘cure the disease’ makes perfect
sense when you compare it to ‘closing
■ Reign of Cthulhu's a gate’. There’s so many good parallels
investigators must with the base game design that I
attempt to maintain am honestly thankful that Z-Man
their sanity while suggested the rebranding to include
battling cosmic horrors. the Pandemic name.
70
Reign of Cthulhu follows multiple
Pandemic expansions and spin-
offs, including Pandemic Legacy.
What design lessons did you take
from having made these previous
offshoots into Reign of Cthulhu?
Matt Leacock: Immediately after
designing Pandemic, I didn’t have
a good feel for its boundaries. I
remember having a lot of trouble
coming up with the fifth role, the
Dispatcher, to include in the base
game. I thought of the system as fairly
fragile and never expected – much
less intended – to release expansions
for it. Now, after working on the three
expansions, Legacy, The Cure, The Cure
– Experimental Meds, Reign of Cthulhu
and Iberia, I can say that I have a much
better idea of the dynamics in the
underlying game engine.
One lesson that comes immediately
to mind is that when you make these
games harder, it’s a better to provide a
more complex, deep puzzle that has
multiple solutions than it is to simply
reduce the effectiveness of the players.
Giving the players compounding
handicaps over the course of play only
frustrates people.
Another lesson: when designing
player abilities – role powers and so on
– it’s better to start with an extremely
strong power, something that you think
could possibly break the game, then
roll it back as necessary. I want players
to feel that they’re super-powerful
in certain ways, not just superficially
different from each other.
What was it like working together?
CY: Matt was simply great. He was
an awesome sounding board for
18/11/2016 10:24
 ideas as the game finished
development and he brought
all his experience with
Pandemic to the table
when it came time
for wording on
rules, the rulebook
layout and a strong
set of eyes when it
came time for final
balance. Matt would
often read through the
latest ideas I was having tested
and offer suggestions. I can
definitely say he helped make the
game even better and I thank him for
all his hard work and feedback.
ML: Chuck was great to work with. He
was open to feedback and I enjoyed the
collaboration. He was a great choice to
lead the design since he came up with
the original premise and made the
pitch to Z-Man! But he’s also got a solid
grasp of the mythos, having designed
other Lovecraftian games before.
How does Reign of Cthulhu differ
from normal Pandemic?
CY: Although it bears the Pandemic
name, there’s a lot that’s very different
in Reign of Cthulhu from standard
Pandemic. For starters, the theme
allowed me to add a lot of unique
elements, most notably the Great
Old Ones. Not only are they colourful
enemies to battle against, but they also
each have a unique power that comes
into effect when they are revealed.
It’s very important to me that there’s
strong replayability in the games I
own and design. Reign of Cthulhu is
no different. I wanted to be sure that
each time someone played the game,
it would be subtly different – and the
Great Old Ones were one way I did
this. The game ships with more than
can be played in any one session, and
the order they reveal themselves is
random. Both of these elements meant
that each game that is played will feel
different as a result.
How did you ensure the game
was more than just a reskin, but
also remained recognisable as a
Pandemic title?
CY: The best way I can describe how
this happened was that I made it a
game on its own first, and then saw
how it could be layered on top of
Pandemic once that decision was made.
068_071_PandemicCthulhuReviewAndInterview_V2.indd 71
By working with the sanity die, the
new powers, the variety of Great Old
Ones and their abilities, and even the
more condensed board, which I did to
promote easier travel while at the same
time tightening the tension loop in a
shorter game experience, I wanted
to make sure that the gameplay
felt strong and unique
enough so that it didn’t
play the same way I
expected Pandemic to at
my own table.
This focus is what I believe kept it
from just being a Pandemic 'reskin’
and instead made it into a valuable
addition to the Pandemic line.
■ Shoggoths are just
one of Lovecraft's The idea of racing around the
literary creations that globe to close portals before the
appear in the game. Old Ones can escape is similar
in theme to titles such as Eldritch
Horror. How did you ensure Reign
of Cthulhu didn’t step on the toes
of those games in terms of design?
CY: For me, games like Arkham
Horror and, later on, Eldritch Horror
– which incidentally is my favorite
game I own – had great success in
telling a story at the table with a
depth of rules and set dressing. But
to do those games proper justice
requires a large time commitment.
One of the driving goals while I was
“I made a designing Reign of Cthulhu was to
keep it under 45 minutes, preferably
game on its closer to 30 if I could. I did this for two
reasons: the first was to encourage
own first, replayability within a single gaming
night, and the second was to entice my
and then wife, who doesn’t really enjoy longer
games, to play.
saw how When I focused on a shorter gaming
experience, it meant that I could evolve
it could be my game design into something that
didn’t require a lot of game playtime per
layered session to add depth to the experience.
There’s a pacing to a game like
on top of Eldritch Horror that speaks of needing
time to unfold multiple mysteries,
Pandemic.” gates and monsters, and almost a
sense of character progression through
the acquisition of items, in order for
the players to be in a position to feel
like they can affect major change on
the board. Reign of Cthulhu doesn’t
focus so much on that as it does
quicker, tactical movement and
decision making because the threats
are more rapid and the ‘time clock’,
in the form of the Evil Stirs cards and
71
Cultist figures, forces player decisions
much sooner than, say, Eldritch Horror
or Arkham Horror.
Knowing the type of game you want
to make helps in this way; by knowing
that I wanted a fast paced, tactical,
action-based game that finished in 30
to 45 minutes, and sticking to those
design principles from the start, I
avoided stepping on the toes of the
larger Cthulhu-themed games out
there. Both, I think, have a wonderful
place on the table for me – it just
depends on the time I have that night
and the mood I am in.
The last few years have seen a
boom in Lovecraftian board and
card games. Why do you think
Lovecraft’s work holds such an
appeal for board game designers?
ML: I don’t pretend to have any deep
insights into the longevity of his work.
I do recall hearing Kenneth Hite
and Robin Laws posit the theory
that zombies and Cthulhu were
the two major themes of the 20th
century. If I recall correctly, their take
was that zombies represented our
collective fear of disease, which was of
increasing importance given the rise
of urbanisation, and that the Cthulhu
mythos captured a new existential
threat – the underlying horror arising
from the deep realization that nothing
that we care about matters – at all – in
the universe.
That, and there are no IP licensing
fees and the models look cool.
Are there any other themes
you feel would be a good fit for
Pandemic, or that you’d like to
explore with similar mechanics?
ML: I enjoyed working on Pandemic
Iberia quite a bit; creating new
standalone games in a certain time and
place opens up more opportunities to
experiment more freely. If that game is
successful – and it appears to be doing
quite well – I’d expect to see more
games like it in the future.
What’s next for Pandemic?
ML: It’s no secret that Rob Daviau
and I have been hard at work with
the Z-Man team on Pandemic
Legacy: Season 2. Aside from that, I’m
happy to keep working on the line
as long as people continue to enjoy
playing the games. ■
18/11/2016 10:25
 PLAYED
CRY HAVOC
Thomas Pike lets slip the dogs of war on the card-driven strategy title
Portal | £67.99 | Strategy | 2-4 players | 90-120 minutes | Age: 10+ | portalgames.pl
“C
ry Havoc, and let slip the
dogs of war.”
Mark Antony’s famous
passage from William Shakespeare’s
Julius Caesar has been aptly chosen
as the title of this ‘deadly intense’
strategy board game from Polish
outfit Portal Games. Cry Havoc is
a card-driven, asymmetric, area
control game set in a new sci-fi
universe, and from the first turn
you’ll be gripped by the brutal
significance of every move you make.
The story goes that a resource-rich
planet has been discovered by three
races – humans, machines and the
alien pilgrims – each with a desire to
make it their own. However, there is
a fourth faction at play: the trogs.
072_073_cryHavoc_V2 MJ.indd 72
In a two- or three-player match these
primitive, tribal, troll-like creatures
act as the indigenous resistance,
beginning the game off-board and
only appearing when one of their
territories is invaded. In a four-
player game, however, the trogs are
a playable race with an equal chance
of winning.
Taking control of one of the
factions, players vie to score as many
points as possible by killing enemy
units, taking prisoners, controlling
regions and possessing the all-
important crystals that represent the
planet’s coveted natural resource.
What lies within the hefty box
certainly delivers on this epic
proposition; it is chock full of
72
components, representing the four
factions with dozens of cards, tokens
and plastic miniatures. A large table
is required to accommodate all this
and, while experienced players will
manage a game in under two hours,
you’ll want to set aside a whole
evening for your first play. Setup and
learning will take the best part of
an hour and, once underway, you’ll
be regularly dipping back into the
rulebook for clarifications as you go.
The game is played in rounds, with
players taking it in turns to perform
three actions per round. To take an
action, you simply discard cards from
your starting hand, cashing them
in for movement points, building
points or recruitment points. Each
card offers a different mix of these
three currencies, but the real rub is
that some cards also have special
abilities that you cannot use if they
are sacrificed for action points. The
dilemma hits home straight away.
Do you use a card right now for its
movement points, advancing your
troops to take ground, or hold it
back and use the special ability to
thwart your opponent’s next turn?
Hand management is a huge part of
the game, and players can gradually
bulk-out their starting deck by
drawing from four on-board stacks
that contain more powerful, strategy-
altering options.
As your faction grows and spreads
outward from HQ, you will be
asked to flip facedown exploration
tokens that are placed randomly
during setup. These not only reward
early expansion but also shape
BOX CONTENTS the board into a unique landscape
◗ Game board each game, adding friendly units
◗ Battle board
◗ Four faction boards or even point-scoring crystals to a
◗ 52 miniatures region and immediately attracting
◗ 170+ the envious gaze of rivals. But it can
cardboard tokens be a double-edged sword, and is
◗ 30+ plastic crystals
◗ Rulebook especially fun with three players to
hold your breath as the level of trog
resistance in a newly explored region
is unveiled.
Despite truly varied factions that
all look and play differently, the
game always feels balanced if you
focus on what your faction is best
at. Each faction’s personality comes
■ Though later plays across through the structures they
may take under two
can erect and their unique skills. The
hours, expect your first
game of Cry Havoc to humans excel at capture and control,
occupy a whole evening. using watchtowers and airfields to
18/11/2016 10:26
 IF YOU LIKE
TERRA
MYSTICA...
TRY CRY HAVOC
Both strategy
titles benefit
from simple
concepts cleverly
interwoven to
create captivating
and original region-
control playing
experiences
in which no
two games are
ever the same.

cover more ground than their troops

alone could manage. The machines
have more building options than
any other faction and can churn out
scary orbital snipers or shred drones
to help clear their path of enemies.
While the pilgrims are perhaps less
offensively bent, they can both mine
for and multiply crystals – or teleport!
The most fun, compelling feature
of the game is how it handles
combat resolution. Whenever a
battle is triggered, the warring units
are temporarily removed from the
main board. Then, starting with
the attacker, players distribute
their forces onto the battle side
board which is divided into three
sequential zones – objective,
prisoners and attrition.
Each zone grants a unique award
to whoever dominates it, which is
resolved simply by whoever has the
most units there. Dominating the
objective zone gives you control of
the region. Winning in the prisoners
zone allows you to take one enemy
unit prisoner (even if you lost region
control). Lastly, for each unit a player
has in the attrition zone they
may kill one enemy. This simple
mechanic offers up huge scope for
tactical play; do you throw everything
“Cry Havoc’s visuals do not live up to
its excellent gameplay.”
you have at securing region control, or
yield ground and focus on wiping out
as many enemy forces as possible?
Taking prisoners is also a viable
option, since they score points every
round, but the challenge is getting
the balance right. The choices are
tantalising and make every battle a
considered thrill, even just to watch.
Sadly, Cry Havoc’s visuals do not
live up to its excellent gameplay.
There is plenty of decent artwork on
the cards but it’s the board that lets
the experience down. The artistic
CONCLUSION
Overall, what you
have here is a taut,
compelling and
relentless strategy
direction here is drab, cluttered and game with genuine
detracts from the experience where it replay value that
justifies the price
ought to elevate. Component quality
tag. It falls down
is good, but it’s not a pretty game. a little in the looks
While the game actions department, and the
themselves are simple concepts, the steep learning curve
delays the real sweet
huge variety of tactical options they
spot perhaps just too
present and the way they interact long for more casual
with the many unique faction powers players, but when you
creates a lot of exceptions – this can can get past all that,
you can look forward
be tough to digest for newcomers.
to regular, two-hour
The rulebook also doesn’t do a great sessions of gripping,
job of helping you find quick answers varied sci-fi conquest
to more advanced conflicts. ■ in its purest form.
■ Each of the four
factions has a
unique play style.

73

072_073_cryHavoc_V2 MJ.indd 73 18/11/2016 10:26

 PLAYED
INFINITY – OPERATION: RED VEIL
Does Corvus Belli’s two-player starter set offer infinite possibilities? Rob Burman investigates
Corvus Belli | £79.99 | Sci-fi skirmish | 2 players | 60 minutes | Age: 14+ | infinitythegame.com
I
f you play miniatures games
at a local club, it’s more than
likely you’ve spotted someone
getting to grips with Infinity at some
point. After all, the anime-inspired
miniatures are absolutely stunning
and the options for creating
magnificent sci-fi themed gaming
boards are endless, making it one
of the most eye-catching skirmish
games currently doing the rounds.
However, if you then ask about
how to play, you’re met with a
potentially confusing list of unit
options, a plethora of weapon
upgrades, dozens of special rules
and tokens galore. Newcomer-
friendly, it’s not. Operation: Red Veil
aims to change all that and get new
players hooked on adventures in the
Human Sphere.
074_075_operationRedVeil_V2 MJ.indd 74
In a similar vein to Corvus Belli’s
previously released Operation: Ice
Storm, Red Veil is an introductory
set that takes newbs through the
core Infinity rules in the most
accessible way possible.
In the box you’ll find two starter
factions, Haqqislam and the Yu Jing,
that can then form the basis for your
expanding collection.
Although the miniatures for
Infinity are stunning, bear in mind
that these are metal figures that
require a hefty amount of superglue
and a similar amount of patience. In
a world where more companies are
turning to the pre-assembled plastic
option for starter sets, it’s hard
not to see Corvus Belli’s metal
minis as a beautiful but flawed
option for newcomers.
74
BOX CONTENTS That aside, once you’ve built
◗ 14 metal miniatures your minis you’re in for one of the
◗ Rulebook
◗ Paper game mat most action-packed skirmish games
◗ Cardboard scenery around, which will see you scaling
◗ Cardboard tokens buildings, using camouflage armour,
and templates leaping around the battlefield
◗ Dice
and taking the enemy down with
devastating close-combat weaponry.
The beauty of Red Veil is that
you’re introduced to all this through
a series of increasingly complex
missions. Each of the scenarios tells
the story of the Haqqislam attack on
the Neo Lotus leisure station and
teaches you a new core mechanic.
What’s more, they take less than
an hour to play through, so you
zip through them in no time. It’s a
wonderfully intuitive way to learn a
game and prepares you ready to dive
into the wider world of Infinity. ■
18/11/2016 10:28
 IF YOU LIKE BEYOND THE GATES OF ANTARES…
TRY INFINITY – OPERATION: RED VEIL
With smaller model counts compared to Antares,
Infinity offers the opportunity to scratch that sci-fi
miniatures itch when you don’t have lots of time but
still fancy a complex, tactical and futuristic face-off.

CONCLUSION
Despite this being
an introductory
set, Infinity is still a
game for those with
some experience of
miniatures-based
wargaming – even
if it’s just putting
metal miniatures
together. The rules are
explained through a
series of fantastically
intuitive scenarios,
but you’ll need a
basic understanding
of concepts like ‘line
of sight’ or dice-
based roll-offs using
a stat line. If that
sounds up your street,
Red Veil is a superb
way to dip your toe
into the fascinating
world of Infinity.

■ Red Veil's scenarios

introduce the game's
core mechanics at a
newcomer-friendly
pace.

75

074_075_operationRedVeil_V2 MJ.indd 75 18/11/2016 10:28

 PLAYED
CAPTAIN SONAR
Climb aboard as Matt Jarvis dives into the frantic co-op party game
Matagot | £34.99 | Co-op party | 2-8 players | 45 minutes | Age: 14+ | matagot.com
C
aptain Sonar is a thematically
rich co-op party game that
sees two to eight players
(fewer than eight means multiple
jobs assigned to individual players)
take on the roles of crewmates on
a submarine dueling against their
rivals in an identical vessel, with the
teams separated on opposite sides
of a table by beautifully illustrated
game screens.
Each player is given a specific
function, including the captain
overseeing the sub’s movement and
actions – including firing weapons
and deploying abilities – the first
mate, who tracks the charging of said
abilities and any damage the vessel
has taken; the engineer, in charge of
keeping systems running; and the
radio operator, who listens out for
the enemy sub’s movements and
marks them on a transparent sheet
placed over their map in an effort to
track it down.
The mix of individual
responsibilities means that each
player needs to keep their shipmates
informed of what’s happening
on their dry-wipe role sheet.
For example, each direction the
captain chooses to move results in a
particular system breaking down in
the engineer’s panels, meaning the
engineer should inform the captain
if a panel has been almost filled in
order to avoid damage. Meanwhile,
the first mate decides which ability
gauge fills another section with each
movement action, from offensive
076_Captain Sonar_V3.indd 76
armaments such as mines and
torpedoes to sonar and drone
detection tech and the stealthy
silence skill.
In the game’s real-time mode –
which really is the best way to play –
this all happens simultaneously, with
the captain shouting out directions
to inform his crew of what to mark
on their sheet and waiting for their
vocal feedback before being able to
move again. This results in frenzied
scribbling of markers on mats and a
lot of yelling (mostly in a good way)
as the opposing sides attempt to
manoeuvre and arm their ship fastest.
Although the roles are varied,
players are likely to clamber over
each other to be the captain and
radio operator, who easily have the
most dynamic duties – with the
others relegated to more passive,
repetitive tasks.
Helping to break up this potential
monotony are various mini-games
involved in keeping the submarine
running. If the engineer fails to
manage the failure of systems
effectively (tactically breaking down
all of the systems on a linked circuit
self-repairs all of the modules) or
the captain ends up piloting the ship
into a dead end (crossing your own
route is not allowed), the submarine
can surface to reset the route and
repair all systems. In the real-time
mode, this requires the whole team
to take it in turns drawing around
separate sections of the sub on the
engineer’s sheet without straying
76
outside the line and writing their
initials, costing valuable time – a
tense situation intensified by the
need to announce the sub’s current
sector on the map to the enemy
team before surfacing. It’s an
amusing way to heighten the drama
and create a potentially game-
changing situation by relying on the
team’s co-ordination.
One mechanic introduced through
the abilities is social deception; the
sonar forces the enemy captain to
reveal two pieces of information
about their location – one of which
can be false. This contrasts with the
drone, which takes longer to charge
but forces the rival sub to truthfully
reveal its current sector. There’s
a Battleship-like aspect to the
torpedoes and mines, which cause
double damage on a direct hit and
take one hit point by exploding
within a space of the rival sub –
hinting at their possible position.
The location of laid mines is secret
and they can be triggered remotely,
leading to the potential for surprise
BOX CONTENTS (and massively satisfying) traps after
◗ 24 double-sided role
drawing in the enemy by surfacing.
sheets (12 yellow, 12
blue) Five different scenarios and map
◗ Two transparent layouts are included in the box. The
radio operator sheets environments are diversified by a
◗ Eight whiteboard
selection of obstacles and special
marker pens
◗ Two folding screens rules, from impassable islands to
frozen seas that can cause damage
to surfacing subs unless they find
a hole in the ice and pre-existing
mines triggered by a special ability.
The maps span nine sectors marked
with grid dots to allow the captains
and radio operators to easily mark
their movement – this is dropped
down to four sectors with fewer
points in the slower turn-based
mode, which suits more tactical play
or smaller groups.
Despite the humble contents
of its box – a load of marker pens
and laminated sheets – Captain
IF YOU LIKE Sonar is a lightweight blast and the
SPACE ideal thing to bring out at a party.
CADETS…
TRY All aboard! ■
CAPTAIN
SONAR CONCLUSION
Captain Sonar The straightforward mechanics may
offers a simplified not be deep enough for everyone, and
but more those tasked with the roles of engineer
accessible co-op and first mate may be put off by their
team game than potentially monotonous tasks, but
the Engelsteins’ with the right group and when all the
manic sci-fi hit. elements come together Captain Sonar
is a direct hit to the funny bone.
18/11/2016 10:49
 Kismet Snakes and Ladders (detail) Germany 1895 © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Board Games Rediscovered
8 October 2016 – 23 April 2017
u Bethnal Green
Free admission
vam.ac.uk/moc/gameplan

VISIT OUR WEBSITE TODAY

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

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FOR ALL THE LATEST NEWS, EVENTS,
SPECIAL OFFERS AND COMPETITIONS. success of Dropzone Commander, and
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p077.indd 1 18/11/2016 13:49

 PLAYED

TICKET TO RIDE: RAILS & SAILS

Rob Burman discovers whether it’s smooth sailing for
Alan R. Moon’s latest or if it’s all gone off the tracks instead
Days of Wonder | £64.99 | Set collection | 2-5 players | 60-120 minutes | Age: 10+ | daysofwonder.com

T
here’s a very strong chance
that if you’re reading this
magazine it means you’ve
played Alan R. Moon’s classic Ticket
to Ride. Thanks to its colourful,
plastic trains and simple, family-
friendly mechanics, it has become
the poster boy for gateway games;
the gentle nudge that moves you
away from traditional board
games and into the hobby of
tabletop gaming.
Over the years there have been
many variations of Ticket to Ride,
based on new maps or updated
mechanics, but nothing has
particularly upset the apple cart (or
should that be carriage?) That is, at
least, until Rails & Sails came along.
You see, this is more like Ticket to
Ride: Advanced Edition, thanks to
its bigger map, extra mechanics and
more complex choices. But is bigger
always better?
First things first: generally, the
concept behind Rails & Sails will be
familiar to most Ticket to Ride players.
The aim is to complete railway
networks by collecting coloured cards
and then joining up routes. At the
BOX CONTENTS end of the game, the player with the
◗ Double-sided
most completed routes is invariably
game board
(World/Great Lakes) the winner. It’s a core concept that’s
◗ 165 train cars exceptionally simple to grasp and this
◗ 250 ships is why Ticket to Ride has remained so
◗ 140 travel cards
popular over the years.
◗ 120 destination
ticket cards However, Rails & Sails (as you might
◗ 15 harbours have guessed from the name) mixes
◗ Five scoring markers it up by putting boats into the blend.
That’s right, now as well as completing
the traditional train routes, you must
also venture across the globe's many
seas and oceans to far-flung locations.
This means that throughout Rails &
Sails there’s a certain agony of choice;

78

078_081_RailsAndSailsReviewAndInterview_V2 MJ.indd 78 18/11/2016 10:32

 “Rails & Sails is more like Ticket to Ride: Advanced Edition,
thanks to its bigger map, extra mechanics and more
complex choices.”
do you try to complete a new train route As you might imagine, the longer the
or go for the big points with a shipping route, the more points the ticket card is
line? This is compounded by the fact worth. So a short jaunt from Bangkok
that from the start of the game you’re to Tokyo is only worth six points, while
given 75 plastic ships and trains (50 and Edinburgh to Sydney nets 25 points.
25, respectively) but can only keep 60. Again, it goes back to that agony
Luckily, you can swap during the game of choice – do you go for the easy
– but each time you exchange a boat for options or try to score big? The issue
a train (or vice-versa) you lose a point. with going big is that it’s easy for
Once you’ve finished agonising over players to block off your potential
your initial choices, it’s onto the game routes by placing their own ships/
itself. On your turn you have a number trains in the way; making Rails & Sails
of options; just like the original, you a surprisingly ruthless experience. ■
can choose coloured travel cards that
will be played to ‘claim’ particular CONCLUSION
The core gameplay that made the
routes. For example, Mumbai to
original Ticket to Ride an acclaimed
Bangkok costs just three yellow cards, worldwide hit remains absolutely
while Edinburgh to New York requires engrossing, and Rails & Sails does a
seven ship travel cards. The routes you fine job of freshening up the formula
by adding original mechanics and an
go for will be dictated by ticket cards,
added layer of strategic complexity
which display routes you’ll need to thanks to the longer journeys and
snag and the points they’re worth. combination of land and sea routes.

IF YOU LIKE
PANDEMIC
IBERIA…
TRY TICKET
TO RIDE:
RAILS & SAILS
The latest spin-off
of Matt Leacock’s
disease-battling
co-op hit similarly
introduces
new seafaring
mechanics for
an added twist.

79

078_081_RailsAndSailsReviewAndInterview_V2 MJ.indd 79 18/11/2016 10:32

 TALKING TABLETOP
Ticket to Ride creator and two-time Spiel des Jahres winner Alan R. Moon reveals
Rails & Sails’ unlikely origins in ‘50s trading cards and why he’ll work on the series forever
What’s new in Rails & Sails?
Well, obviously there are ships as
well as trains. Players have to balance
their routes and use all of both types
of their pieces.
There are two decks of cards
instead of just one and the decks are
different in that the Train deck has all
the wild cards and the Ship deck has
lots of double value cards, and both
decks have Harbour cards. The face-
up cards can be a mix of the two types
or all of one type, which adds
a little strategy to the card
drawing and replacements.
There are harbours which
can be worth a lot of points, so
they give players an incentive
to draw more tickets.
Where did the inspiration
for the game’s new
mechanics and settings
come from?
078_081_RailsAndSailsReviewAndInterview_V2 MJ.indd 80
MEAL TICKET
■ Rails & Sails includes I collect non-sports collectible cards.
two maps: the entire One of my favorite sets is the 1955
globe and the Great Topps Rails & Sails, a collection of
Lakes of North America 200 cards about trains and ships.
– Moon's own favourite
Why did you decide on sticking
with two forms of transport
rather than expanding up to three
(Planes, Trains and Automobiles,
perhaps) or even more?
I never considered doing three
types of transportation. I
briefly thought about planes
but, for the 1910 era, ships
are a much better fit. Plus,
I just find ships more
interesting than planes.
Why did you decide
to expand the focus
of Ticket to Ride’s
country-level map to a
global perspective for
Rails & Sails?
80
I proposed a world map to Days
Of Wonder several years ago, but
I quickly forgot about it. So I was
surprised when they said they were
expecting a world map for 2016. I
had expected Rails & Sails to be just
the Great Lakes version, which was
already done.
Other than the gorgeous visuals
behind each, how do the global
and Great Lakes maps differ?
There are only minor differences.
The world map is bigger and players
receive more pieces, harbours are
worth different points, there are Tour
tickets and it has some pair spaces
that require extra cards to claim.
Which is your favourite map to
play on – and why?
I really like the Great Lakes map. My
wife, Janet, always seems to beat me
on this map and I can't quite figure
21/11/2016 14:23
 out why. I think I get hung up on
trying to build a route from Duluth-
Chicago-New York-Montreal.
It appeals because I really had
The Great Lakes in mind as
the map when I first started
thinking about a Rails & Sails
version.
The other map I initially
considered was the
Mediterranean, but I
couldn't make the early
prototype work well.
Rails & Sails features Ticket to
Ride’s’s biggest board yet. How
did you keep the game balanced
in terms of gameplay and playing
time despite the bigger map?
The world map requires players to
build a lot more ship routes, almost all
of which are long routes, so it changes
the way players have to think about
drawing cards and claiming routes. I
think it requires a little more patience
– not one of my strong points.
Balancing it never seemed like
much of an issue. I would have
preferred the board to be the standard
size but that would have created
major problems in the selection of
cities in Europe, since many of the
major cities would have been too
close for even a one-space route
between them.
Previous Ticket to Ride spin-
offs have generally transplanted
078_081_RailsAndSailsReviewAndInterview_V2 MJ.indd 81
the existing gameplay to new
locations – although some, like
Europe, have also introduced
gameplay changes. Why is now
the right time to launch a version
of TTR with a greater evolution
of the core mechanics?
I think the UK map is actually
more different from the basic
games than Rails & Sails.
I wouldn't say there is any
particular plan to introduce
new maps with minor rules
changes versus new maps
with major changes. I try
lots of different ideas and
pursue the ones that seem
the most fun – no matter
different they are from the
base games.
Have you been tempted to evolve
Ticket to Ride
Ride’s gameplay even
further? Do you have any ideas
about where you’d like to take
the franchise – geographically or
mechanically – in the future?
Absolutely. Some of the ideas have
been dropped. But others are still
alive and kicking. A semi-cooperative
version is an idea I am trying to
make work right now.
Ticket to Ride is for many
■ Moon won the 2004 your magnum opus. Has the
Spiel des Jahres for the game’s success changed
original Ticket to Ride how you approach designing
subsequent games?
Absolutely. I've worked on tons
of prototypes in the last 12 years,
looking for another Ticket to Ride.
So far, I haven't found one. I'm not
frustrated by that; I just see it as a
huge challenge.
Ticket to Ride has provided me
with financial security and the
freedom to pursue that next game at
whatever pace I choose.
Do you feel
that working on
expanding Ticket to
Ride has stopped
you from working
on other projects
at all – or reduced
the notability of your
other work?
It's fun to design Ticket to
Ride expansions because
I know they will sell really
81
well. There is no such guarantee
when working on other games. I
could spend months working on
something else, and then have it
be published and sell only a few
thousand copies.
I know the current generation
is interested in more in fame than
money, but I'm from a different
generation. Show me the money.
Since it first appeared 12 years
ago, Ticket to Ride has now
passed more than three million
sales. Why do you think the
game, its theme and mechanics
continue to be so popular?
I think the keys to the success of
Ticket to Ride are the simple rules
which mean new players can get
into the game quickly; the ‘Rummy’
mechanic which is familiar to lots
of people, particularly non-gamers;
the fun tension created by always
wanting to both draw cards and play
cards; the quick playing time; and
the positive scope of building routes
and completing tickets, with very
little direct conflict involved.
Most designers design games
aimed at gamers. That seems a little
shortsighted to me. I want gamers to
enjoy my games too, but I would like
to give my games a chance to reach a
much bigger audience.
What’s next for you, and for
Ticket to Ride?
There will continue to be at least one
expansion each year, probably until I
go crazy or die.
People have asked me if I'll ever
run out of ideas for new expansions,
and maybe that will happen
someday – but if it does I'm sure
someone else will have an idea
to help me out. ■
21/11/2016 14:23
 PLAYED
Thomas Pike sets off on a journey to discover whether the
zombie genre can be saved by this quirky entry
Space Cowboys | £30.99 | Worker placement/dice rolling | 1-4 players | 30-60 minutes | Age: 12+ | asmodee.us
T
he latest offering from Space
Cowboys is a zombie game
designed by Martin Wallace.
'Another zombie game?' I hear you cry.
Yes, a bold move in a market perceived
by many to be already saturated with
experiences involving the living dead.
In our interview with the talented
French studio last issue, they told
us the brief for Hit Z Road was:
‘How can we make a zombie game
that is different to the others?’ That
brainstorm threw up the idea of a
game created by a zombie apocalypse
survivor. This is a boy called Martin,
who has survived the ordeal and made
a game that recreates his family’s
fraught but ultimately successful
082_083_hitZRoad_V2 MJ.indd 82
HIT Z ROAD
journey down the USA’s famous Route
66. That would make us, as players,
fellow survivors – playing his game
to pass the time in a world where
entertainment is a distinct rarity.
The clever concept permeates the
entire production, which is styled
throughout to support the idea it has
been cobbled together using whatever
Martin could scavenge along the way
– be it components from other games,
bottle caps, ID cards or car keys.
Even the box itself gets the makeshift
treatment. A marker pen effect is
applied to the (fictional) packaging
of a typical 1960s family game called
Hit the Road: The Travel Game. The
strapline is crossed out and amended
82
BOX CONTENTS to ‘My Zombie Game’, the ‘Made in’
◗ 76 adventure cards sticker ends with a question mark,
◗ Four epilogue cards
and ‘As seen on TV’ becomes ‘No
◗ Seven black dice
◗ Three red horde dice more TV'. Even the rulebook gets a
◗ Eight coloured thematic spin. It’s done as a scrapbook,
survivor pawns comprised of torn-out sheets of graph
◗ 18 neutral
paper, sticky notes and photos, all
survivor pawns
◗ 10 zombie pawns overprinted with a handwriting-style
◗ Auction board font to give a homemade, personal
◗ Four turn order tiles feel. Despite all this, it is easy to follow
◗ 30 ammunition chips
and setup is quick and simple.
◗ 30 gas chips
◗ 30 adrenaline chips Gameplay is a mix of bidding,
◗ Nine special tokens worker placement and dice combat.
◗ Two locked area Each player is responsible for a group
key tiles
of survivors, represented by wooden
meeples, and the challenge is to make
it through eight rounds of encounters.
You win if your group is the last one
18/11/2016 10:34
 standing or, in the case of a tie, has the
most points.
Hit Z Road has no board. Instead,
at the beginning of each round four
paths are laid out, each consisting
of two face-up encounter cards.
These are drawn from a deck which
is subdivided into three randomised
levels of increasing difficulty, ensuring
the game reaches a challenging finale.
Each of the two-step routes can only
be taken by one player and new paths
are dealt each round, so not only is
every round different, but each player
has a totally unique journey
through the game. Each
card on your chosen path
will either provide resources,
trigger a special event, or
force you to fight zombies –
sometimes all three!
082_083_hitZRoad_V2 MJ.indd 83
Before players choose which path
they want to take, there is an auction
phase. Here, players have the option
to bid precious resources to change
the order of play. Resources are
essential for surviving encounters,
so offering up too many might be
foolish. However, getting first pick
of the available paths is increasingly
valuable as the groups get more and
more strung out, clamouring for the
easiest path.
Once the playing order is set,
players take it in turns resolving their
path one card at a time. First, you
take any resources shown on the card
– ammo gives you a ranged combat
advantage, fuel helps you run away
when things go south and adrenaline
gives you a boost in hand-to-hand
combat. Next, you read and apply any
event text on the card. This might add
more zombies to the encounter or
provide you with an item to use later.
Finally, if your card has any zombies
on it, you fight!
Combat is resolved using custom
dice. You can spend any bullets
you have amassed to make a
ranged attack roll. After that,
things get ugly as you move
into melee. You roll dice equal
to the number of survivors
in your group, hoping for
crosshairs to kill zombies.
Any skulls rolled mean
a survivor is bitten and
will die unless you
stockpiled some
adrenaline tokens
to save them. The
most difficult kind
of encounter is the
horde, which sees
83
you rolling the more proportionately ■ Hit Z Road oozes
dangerous red dice. Fortunately, fuel theme throughout
thanks to its strong
can be spent to run away from tough base concept and
encounters, but you may also leave fantastic components.
behind vital points.
If you complete your first encounter
card, you bank the points and move
on to the second. When all players
have done this, a new round begins
with bidding on freshly laid-out paths.
If all your survivors are killed, you are
out of the game. The last player left alive
is the winner. If more than one of you
makes it to the end, the tie is broken by
points earned from encounter cards
completed along the way. IF YOU LIKE
Rather oddly, Hit Z Road has player ZOMBICIDE…
elimination and plenty of downtime. TRY HIT Z ROAD
It’s a welcome
It's odd because player elimination
change of pace for
has been all but done away with in zombie fans and
modern game design, and is generally is unlike anything
seen as undesirable and reserved else in the genre. A
breath of fresh air
only for fast-paced party games with
in a stale category.
a quick turnaround. Here, getting
knocked out early and then just sitting
there while the other players continue
is no fun. There is also quite a lot of
downtime – when it isn’t your turn,
you just watch the other players tackle
their encounters. You might as well
make a cup of tea. Thankfully, the
game plays in under an hour so none
of this is ruinous.
CONCLUSION
Above all, you need to look past the
Hit Z Road
fact that this is ‘another zombie game’. overcomes the tired
Hit Z Road takes a highly original zombie theme, its
thematic approach that elevates it inconsistent pacing
and the questionable
above your average zombie-slayer. It
inclusion of player
is lean, compelling and tense – but elimination to deliver
only when it’s your turn, and only a thematically rich
until you are knocked out. Those are and mechanically
captivating spin
the only elements of the design would
on the dice-rolling,
have been better left behind to fend worker placement
for themselves. ■ and bidding genres.
18/11/2016 10:34
 PLAYED
THE DRAGON & FLAGON
Matt Jarvis hopes he’s not cruisin’ for a bruisin’ with this review of Stronghold Games’ bar brawler
Stronghold Games | £54.99 | Action/programming | 2-8 players | 60 minutes | Age: 10+ | strongholdgames.com
W
ho hasn’t had the urge
to start a barroom
brawl every once in a
while? Luckily, the game from the
Engelstein family trio of designers
previously behind Space Cadets –
Geoff, Sydney and Brian – allows you
to do just that, without having a pint
glass smashed into your scalp or a
chair broken over your back. Well,
unless you have particularly sore
losers for friends, that is.
The first thing to say about The
Dragon & Flagon is that the game
simply looks fantastic when set up
using all of the included 3D objects.
Cardboard tables, laminated rugs,
wooden mugs and wooden barrels
fill either the original square tavern
setting or the pair of battling pirate
ships on the board’s reverse –
although it must be said that the
barrels are weirdly small in the
context of the other objects, coming
close to the sensibly-sized cups in
terms of scale. When populated by
084_085_DragonAndFlagon_V2.indd 84
the 2D cardboard standee minis
for the game’s nine fantasy trope
characters – who can jump onto
tables, be knocked into walls and
onto the floor, swing from the roof,
pull rugs, and hurl picked-up objects
across the room – it’s a fittingly
chaotic setup.
Gameplay is driven by the
progression of a time marker
around the outside of the board,
with characters spending different
amounts of time to perform a
variety of actions, from the generic
moves above to specific abilities
ranging from dagger-throwing to
spell-casting. The marker progresses
around the track one square at the
time, allowing players in the earlier
blocks of time to perform their next
action ahead of their tardy rivals –
with the turn order of players on the
same square decided at random,
rather than based on a ‘speed’ stat.
Each character’s move set is
defined by a deck of cards which are
84
BOX CONTENTS freely available to their controlling
◗ Double-sided game players throughout, with a special
board (tavern and
pirate ship) ‘dragon power’ move card unlocked
◗ Nine character mats by taking a swig from the Dragon
◗ Nine character Flagon in the centre of the room.
standees While characters can perform
◗ 162 character cards
◗ Nine wooden chairs (almost) any of their moves at any
◗ 12 wooden mugs time, a layer of strategy is added by
◗ Four wooden barrels the need to play cards in a three-card
◗ Two large queue system that runs along the
cardboard tables
◗ Three small bottom of each player’s mat. Beyond
cardboard tables the first turn, players don’t play and
◗ Two rugs perform an action in the same round
◗ Dragon Flagon – the cards cycle, with moves being
standee
◗ Time marker executed the turn after they are placed.
◗ 16 plastic bases Orientation also plays a role, with
◗ 70 reputation tokens players having to decide which way
◗ 22 status tokens their character’s front and back
◗ Six treasure
chest standees are facing the turn before their
◗ Nine character next potentially direction-specific
tokens move is pulled off. When dazed
◗ Four game by an opponent, an extra card is
end tokens
◗ Plate of stacked up in the programmed
cookies token run, forcing players to think three
◗ Rulebook turns ahead. The mechanic results
in plenty of missed attacks and
18/11/2016 10:37
 accidental mistakes, really capturing
the drunken and unruly feel of the
game’s brilliant concept.
When a blow is finally landed,
characters don’t suffer broken
bones or cuts and grazes. Or, at
least, that’s not what matters in
The Dragon & Flagon. Instead, it’s
ego that’s at stake; characters earn
reputation tokens for embarrassing
their rivals and suffer a similar loss
of confidence when struck. The
focus on battling for prestige over
survival means that there are plenty
of amusingly mundane ‘attacks’ that
result in a sacrifice of reputation,
such as sticking your tongue out,
and the chance for fun use of the
system in buffs such as Boast, which
captures more reputation on a
successful hit but means a greater
loss of the game-winning resource
when bettered by an opponent.
While the concept itself is strong
in its originality, it suffers somewhat
of a black eye by saddling itself with
fantasy cliché. Your standard roster of
RPG characters are here in one form
or another – mage, druid, barbarian,
monk, rogue, warrior – and have
exactly the kind of character-specific
moves you would expect.
William Bricker’s art is a mixed
bag, with some of the illustrated
cards fizzling with the cartoon
illustrations and others appearing
crude. This isn’t helped by the large
number of generic action cards, such
as movement, picking up, throwing
and slashing, which all feature
an image of a random character
performing the act, but appear the
same in every deck; the rules advise
groups of four and under to play with
control of two characters per person,
leading to occasional confusion
when trying to keep track of each
character’s almost indistinguishable
deck. Although budget and
production realities apply, character-
specific art for every card in each
of the nine decks would’ve helped
to overcome the brawlers’ generic
characteristics, with none of them
feeling particular distinct.
The game board similarly wallows
the unique idea in uninspired
dressing. The alternative pirate
ship map attempts to inject some
variety into proceedings with new
treasure chest-grabbing objectives
and the chance to throw rivals
overboard – although, irritatingly,
the rules aren’t included in the
box’s rulebook and must be hunted
down in PDF form via the web.
Despite this, it doesn’t feel distinct
enough in look or theme from
the fantasy tavern, once again
comprising wooden floors and
a rectangular layout – minus a
couple of spaces for water.
Given the number of different
pieces available to fill the board, the IF YOU LIKE
quality of components is generally ROBORALLY…
good, barrel scale aside. The action TRY THE
DRAGON
cards are a little on the thin side and & FLAGON
the game’s box inlay is poor when the The unruly
number of components and tokens programmatic
is considered, but overall the sheer movement of
Richard Garfield’s
diversity of pieces helps to justify The 1990s robot-
Dragon & Flagon’s price tag. racing hit
The Dragon & Flagon is ultimately shares many
an enjoyable way to pass the time similarities with
the unpredictable
with something that stands apart and anarchic
from its peers in terms of concept cardplay of The
and execution – if not in terms of Dragon & Flagon.
theme. You might not find yourself
returning to the beer- and blood-
soaked walls of the tavern too often
but when you do, you’ll be more
than happy to sit down, order a
couple of pints and spend a few ■ The Dragon &
Flagon comes with
hours in its company – avoiding
plenty of 3D objects
accidental eye contact with any to decorate the two
unsavoury types, naturally. ■ game boards.

CONCLUSION
The Dragon &
Flagon’s fun and
original concept
of tabletop bar-
brawling is saddled
with fantasy
cliché and often
uninspiring art and
characters. Despite
this, it remains an
absolute blast to
play, with the 3D
objects and clever
implementation of
time mechanics
capturing the chaotic
appeal of scrapping
with your pals.

85

084_085_DragonAndFlagon_V2.indd 85 18/11/2016 10:37

 PLAYED
BETRAYAL AT HOUSE ON THE HILL: WIDOW’S WALK
Matt Jarvis ventures into the co-op horror title’s expansion
Avalon Hill | £23.99 | Co-op horror adventure | 3-6 players | 60 minutes | Age: 12+ | avalonhill.wizards.com
A
t first, Widow’s
Walk, the long-
requested first
expansion to Betrayal
at House on the Hill,
appears to be exactly
what you’d expect it
to be. Contained in a
svelte box, the package
includes new room
tiles, including the roof
area; extra event, omen
and item cards; and 50
original haunts in two
books. Also in the box are
76 tokens, which add more
monster symbols, as well
as small explorer tokens
for each of the characters
to help track which rooms
have been used to gain
trait boosts during the
game (and that come into
play during specific haunts).
Lastly, there are lock and obstacle
tokens, which add extra challenges
and requirements for the explorers.
The haunts have been penned by
an impressive list of contributors
spanning board games and other
mediums, from Pandemic Legacy co-
designer Rob Daviau, Dead of Winter
designer Jonathan Gilmour and
Cards Against Humanity co-creator
Max Tempkin to Adventure Time
creator Pendleton Ward and video
game developers, writers and critics
such as Anita Sarkeesian, Zoë Quinn
and Mikey Neumann.
The scenarios continue Betrayal’s
knack for mixing up horror tropes
with dark humour and surreal
situations. In one example, the
explorers are caught up in a game
of deadly pranks, another turns the
house into a horror movie film set
and a third instance takes place
during a party attended by famous
monsters such as Dracula, the
Mummy and Frankenstein’s Monster.
The haunts are inventive and fun, and
by our count there are a few more
fully co-op scenarios, but if you’ve
played Betrayal before (likely, given
that this is an expansion) it’s mostly
086_087 betrayalWidowsWalk_V2 MJ.indd 86
business as
usual – complete
with all the pros and cons.
What is refreshingly new is the
introduction of a special longer
haunt that is only playable once
specific scenarios from the new set
have been played with all of the
characters in the group.
Obviously, we don’t want to
give away the surprise of the 101st
mission, but we will hint that it bears
some resemblance to Pandemic
Legacy’s innovative 12-month
structure and makes smart use
of many of Betrayal’s mechanics,
ultimately becoming a kind of ‘best
of Betrayal’ as it progresses. It’s a
clever way of rewarding multiple
playthroughs, though the random
nature of the way the haunts occur
might mean that it will take you a
while to unlock number 101 and,
if you’re sticking to the letter of the
rulebook, the same player group
may not be with you for all five
of the missions unless you make
allowances. Hardly a deal breaker,
but it would be nice to be able to
run the necessary scenarios and the
big finale in a set structure without
relying on the random drawing of the
right omen cards in the right room or
rigging the deck.
The new room tiles help to open
86
BOX CONTENTS up the house a little more, as upper
◗ Rule sheet floor tiles can also be used to fill
◗ Two haunt books out the roof. Certain room tiles now
(Traitor’s Tome and
come equipped with a dumbwaiter,
Survival
Secrets of Survival)
◗ 20 room tiles which can be used to travel to the
◗ Eight omen cards landing of any floor in exchange
◗ 11 item cards for a point of movement. This helps
◗ 11 event cards
to alleviate some of the luck-based
◗ 76 tokens
situations arising from the cat-and-
mouse chases of certain haunts, such
as desperately seeking the basement
stairs or hoping to roll the right result
in the Mystic Elevator.
Meanwhile, the additional cards
include plenty of interesting events
and effects to shake up Betrayal’s
steady flow of exploration. Weapon-
wise, there’s a bit more variation with
both melee and ranged armaments
– including a couple of Evil Dead
references for film fans – while the
items and omens introduce fresh
abilities and risk-reward opportunities.
In many ways, Widow’s Walk is an
unsurprising expansion. But smart
IF YOU LIKE
MANSIONS OF gameplay tweaks, captivating haunts
MADNESS… and the addition of a genuinely
TRY BETRAYAL exciting campaign makes the add-on
AT HOUSE
a must for anyone looking to return
ON THE HILL
Dropping the to the House on the Hill. ■
Lovecraftian theme
and epic play CONCLUSION
time of Mansions, Widow’s Walk is more Betrayal, which can
never really be a bad thing. The addition
■ Betrayal is an ut odi
Xxxxxx.Lupis of an unlockable longer haunt adds an
accessible
omnisquas way
ilibeatia
to have a blast absorbing campaign-style progression
quam consequatat for dedicated fans, while the mechanical
while
expe exploring
omnis sitatur ab tweaks of the new map tiles and cards
inapoiefwpoeri
haunted house
wpeo. mix things up while solving some of the
with your pals.
original game’s balance issues.
21/11/2016 14:25

‘MOSTLY WE'RE LOOKING FOR REALLY GOOD
IDEAS THAT MAKE PEOPLE'S EYES BUG OUT’
Betrayal at House on the Hill: Widow’s Walk lead designer Mike Selinker and Avalon Hill
brand lead Shelly Mazzanoble discuss the first expansion for the co-op horror game
What makes Betrayal unique
versus other entries in the genre?
Mike Selinker: When I first was
handed Bruce Glassco's original
design for Betrayal, there were
hardly any other entries in the genre
at all. So, by definition, the genre has
built itself around Betrayal in a lot of
ways. Still, nobody's hit the amazing
moment of the haunt like Betrayal
at House on the Hill does. I’d say it is
the most dramatic co-op game even
12 years gone.
How was the game updated for
its second edition in 2010?
MS: The biggest change was
moving the underground lake to
the basement where it belonged.
After that, the biggest change
was in the tokens. Betrayal had
a metric boatload of singularly-
named tokens. You could never
find the damn beetle token when
you needed it. The second edition
introduced a much simpler set of
coloured tokens, which caused
a whole lot of haunts to change.
Rules-wise, they're pretty similar,
but it's a lot cleaner set.
Betrayal was first published
in 2004 and it's only just now
that the game is getting its first
expansion. Why has it taken so
long and why is now the right
time to bring out Widow's Walk?
Shelly Mazzanoble: Betrayal
at House on the Hill has always
been very popular in the board
game category, but in recent years
we’ve seen its audience grow
exponentially. Many say that we are
in a renaissance of board gaming,
as evident by the growth of lifestyle
gamers and volume of popular new
board games.
In 2013, Betrayal was featured on
Wil Wheaton’s web series, TableTop;
the convergence of the category
being on fire and the viewership of
that show marked the tremendous
growth of the Betrayal community.
086_087 betrayalWidowsWalk_V2 MJ.indd 87
What does the new expansion
bring to the game?
MS: 50 new haunts written by all
the coolest fans of the game. Other
things like a roof, for one. And a
bathroom! We introduced 20 new
room tiles, including a new top
floor. There are bunches more
tokens and 30 new cards.
Widow’s Walk features haunts
created by writers from many
different industries, including
tabletop (Rob Daviau, Jonathan
Gilmour, Max Temkin), video
games (Mikey Neumann, Zoë
Quinn, Anita Sarkeesian) and TV
(Pendleton Ward). How did these
collaborations come about?
MS: These are my friends.
Actually, they're a subset of my
friends who have two key features:
they can write amazingly creative
things and they love, love, love
Betrayal. Zoë, Mikey, Max, Pen,
Anita and our designers Elisa
Teague and Liz Spain all at one
time or another told me Betrayal
was their favourite game. Now it
can be their favourite game that
they are in.
Oh, one other thing: They're all
crazy. The stuff that these people
turned in was off-the-chain bonkers.
So our dev team members Chad
Brown, Gaby Weidling, Aviva
Schecterson and Chris Dupuis got to
get inside the heads of the wackiest
folks. What you'll get out of this
process will blow out your brain.
What makes a haunt the right
fit for Betrayal? How do you
balance story and gameplay?
MS: I'm sure there are people out
there who are saying ‘balancing?’
We really do a lot of work to make
haunts work out for any number of
players, any arrangement of rooms,
any collection of items and omens,
and any point in the game. It's
not easy. But it's fun! Mostly we're
looking for really good ideas that
87
TALKING TABLETOP
make people's eyes bug out. Tricky
is great, funny is great; terrifying is
pretty great, too.
Horror games seem to be all the
rage at the moment. Why do you
think the genre is so popular
among designers and players?
■ Mike Selinker
MS: Well, it's sure popular with me.
Widow's Walk came out in the
same month as our Unspeakable
Words Deluxe and the Pathfinder
Adventure Card Game set
Mummy's Mask, and just ahead
of our Apocrypha Adventure Card
Game. Horror has been on our
minds a lot.
■ Shelly Mazzanoble My take is that a horror game
is not a game with a theme of
horror or weird characters or scary
monsters – it's a game where you
are the victim, or victimiser, or both.
Most are co-op or solo because
something horrible is coming after
you. It's such a cool place to play.
The other genre that appears
to be very much in vogue
is Lovecraftian horror, in
games and spin-offs such as
Pandemic: Reign of Cthulhu and
King of Tokyo’s new monster
pack. Were you tempted to
bring that world to Betrayal in
Widow's Walk?
MS: There are already some.
Seriously, I tried to write a haunt
called 'Make Lovecraft, Not
Warcraft'. Someday, maybe.
What’s next for Betrayal? Any
more expansions in the works?
SM: Widow’s Walk will keep fans
busy for a long time but, who knows,
anything is possible in Betrayal.
We recognise Betrayal’s
popularity and know a game
with this kind of uniqueness
and rich storytelling has endless
■ Widow's Walk possibilities. So, even though it is
features new room tiles, too early to get into specifics, we
items, cards, tokens and can say the next expansion won’t
50 original haunts. take as long as the first. ■
21/11/2016 14:27
 PLAYED

FINAL FANTASY TRADING CARD GAME

Matt Jarvis finds out whether the video game spin-off is more than a simple Magic clone
Square Enix | £11.99 (Starters) £3.70 (Boosters) | CCG | 2 players | 20 minutes | Age: 15+ | fftradingcardgame.com

L
et’s get this out of the way
right now: if you’re not a Final
Fantasy fan or don’t even
know of the long-running Japanese
RPG video game series, its newly
westernised Trading Card Game is
unlikely to set your blood pulsing.
If you are, the English release of
the collectible card game that has
now been circulating in Japan for
half a decade is a reason to get really
excited. Fortunately, Square Enix
has taken a measured approach in
launching the title over here, kicking
off with three 50-card starter decks
based on two of the franchise’s most
popular entries – the lionised VII
and X – and one of its more recent
releases, XIII, rather than bringing
the existing 2,000-plus cards across
en masse.
The cards have been redesigned
from their Japanese reflecting a particular
counterparts, the smart play style.
black backs embossed A forward card’s
with the logo and finished power level serves
with a lovely gloss. Your as both its strength to
feelings on the artwork attack and toughness to
will likely vary with your defend. Group attacks
fondness for the Final can be executed, but,
Fantasy series’ various similarities to unlike Magic, only a single
heroes and villains – Richard Garfield’s card can block.
characters from older CCG granddaddy. This isn’t The result is a card game that is
games are represented by stunning necessarily a bad thing, as FFTCG both faster and easier to learn and
hand-drawn illustrations, while BOX CONTENTS often feels like a sleeker version of its play than Magic and its ilk – for
cards based on the newer titles often Starter Set: muse. The game ends after a player better and worse. The simplified
feature busier screenshots and CGI ◗ 50 cards has taken seven damage – with a mechanics mean a shorter match
◗ Paper playmat
models from the games. At times, it ◗ Rulesheet successful attack counting as a single time, but may see some CCG fans
can feel a tad incongruous. Overall, hit – rather than losing 20 life points. bored by the lack of more complex
Booster Pack:
though, the iconic designs shine ◗ 12 cards including Suffering a blow results in a card tactics in the first sets. However,
through and provide the requisite one premium foil card being turned over from your main the addition of unique rules such
blast of nostalgia – pulling Vincent or deck to the damage area, but cards as EX abilities and accessibility of
Red XIII from your deck never fails to with an EX ability activate instantly, the streamlined gameplay makes
be exciting. mixing up the flow of play in for a fantastic foundation for genre
Designer Taro Kageyama is a interesting and unpredictable ways. newcomers or video game lovers
former Magic: The Gathering pro, As in Magic, players activate cards seeking a CCG with a theme close to
and it shows in FFTCG’s gameplay with three general skills: backups, their hearts. As a Final Fantasy fan,
forwards and summons, replacing I'm hooked. ■
lands, creatures and spells. Backups
IF YOU LIKE MAGIC: THE
can be dulled (tapped) for the crystal CONCLUSION
GATHERING… TRY FINAL
FANTASY TRADING CARD GAME points needed to play a card or Its simplified nature is not going to win
FFTCG puts some smart twists on activate an ability, with discarded over CCG aficionados, but the polished
Magic’s proven formula to create a gameplay and high quality finish of FFTCG
cards adding an extra 2 CP. Cards
singular game that’s much more than makes for an exciting and promising
come in eight affiliations similar to spin-off in its own right for genre
just a branded clone.
Magic’s elements, with each likewise novices and video game devotees alike.

88

088_FFTCG review_V2 MJ.indd 88 18/11/2016 10:41

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 PLAYED

ESCAPE FROM COLDITZ:

75TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION
Matt Jarvis shines a spotlight on a revamped version of a British board game icon
Osprey Games | £49.99 | Roll and move | 2–6 players | 90-120 minutes | Age: 12+ | ospreypublishing.com

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
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
co-operative and asymmetrical
gameplay – a rarity at the time.
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
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
for the escaping Allies and German
security officer (the first edition of
BOX CONTENTS
◗ Rulebook (Including
the game featured Nazi swastikas,
both original and which were later replaced by an
updated rules) Imperial eagle) attempting to stop
◗ Oversized board them are packed in similarly quality
◗ 56 wooden
playing pieces
cardboard sleeves. Included for extra
◗ 100 illustrated cards atmospheric flavour are replicas
◗ 32-page history book of objects from the prison, such as
◗ Prison artefact replicas a German newspaper front page
announcing the escape, and a 32-
page history booklet. There’s even a
secret hand-drawn map hidden in
the box – if you can find it.
All in all, it’s an extremely high
quality package, topped off by an
oversized game board with the game’s
logo embossed in foil on its reverse.
The board is notably improved from
its forebear, adding a handy round
timer around its edge to encourage
■ The new version a faster pace of play and a greater
of Colditz includes a level of detail to the bird’s eye view
variety of historical
artefacts to intensify
of Colditz and its surrounding
the game's WWII countryside, to which the Allied
context and tone. players are attempting to flee.

90

094_097_ColditzReviewAndInterview_V2 MJ.indd 90 18/11/2016 10:46


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
area to the various rooms of Colditz’
internal courtyard in order to gather
resources, from rope and forged
documents to wire cutters and an
escape kit – which must be held to
successfully flee. As soon as a player
gains an equipment card, their
094_097_ColditzReviewAndInterview_V2 MJ.indd 91
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
91
prisoners, saving them from being
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
AXIS & ALLIES…
outside the inner courtyard having to
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
until the security officer draws the
counteractive 'Tunnel Detected'
card. Though the game supports just
two players, its real strength is in co-
operation between the POWs – which
also helps to even the odds against the
fittingly tough-to-beat prison guards.
While it might show its age in
terms of gameplay, this new edition
of Escape from Colditz is a gorgeous
set for tabletop and history fans alike.
Clearly, a lot of care and attention
has been paid to respecting the CONCLUSION
Escape from Colditz
original game and its real-life muse,
remains a fun and
while also making smart changes fascinating – if
to help find a new audience today. unforgiving – way
All of the components are finished to understand
and appreciate an
to an impressive level of standard,
important real-life
complemented by beautiful new event. The mechanics
artwork and the fascinating historical may be a tad dated,
artefacts and details. It’s the type of but this set is a loving
tribute to an iconic
set you could see continuing to be
British board game,
passed down through generations which is sure to help it
another 75 years from now. ■ stand the test of time.
18/11/2016 10:46
 TALKING TABLETOP
THE GREAT ESCAPE
Escape from Colditz co-creator Brian Degas and
Osprey Games developer Duncan Molloy discuss
restoring the 1973 British classic for a modern audience
■ Top: Colditz was one right change to capture the type of
of the first big co-op tension we want in the game, but
tabletop titles. as a result that has X consequence
and then we have to balance again
Inset, left to right: a bit better. We maybe have to
Duncan Molloy and tweak something in this direction a
Brian Degas. little bit and then something in this
direction a little bit, just to make
sure that it still feels even.'
Traditionally, the Germans
always had it slightly easier,
which feels right, so we wanted
to keep certain elements of that,
or certainly that feeling of power
playing as the German guards. We
How did you go about updating also wanted to give them more to
Colditz for a modern audience do in the early game. The things
without losing the game's that people remember about this
origins? game as being hugely fun tended
Duncan Molloy: Once we knew the to come in the second half of the
things we wanted to tighten up, it game, and we wanted them to get
was a balancing act – because it's to that fun bit more quickly while
asymmetrical – of 'Well, we've made still changing as little about the
this change and we think this is the game as we possibly could.
92
090_093_ColditzReviewAndInterview_V2 MJ.indd 92
Brian and I would just really fine-
tooth-comb stuff over the phone.
Everything we did, every proposal
we had, every change we made,
Brian and I would basically sit
down and hash out why to make the
change, how to make the change,
whether the change is in the spirit
of Pat's design for the game and the
places where Pat's intended rule was
clear as day in the original rulebook,
or the places where the rules as
they have been interpreted down
the years were actually different
to what Pat intended. So, in many
ways, even though we've added in
one or two bits that are certainly our
own, some of the changes that we've
made are actually almost how the
game was originally intended to be
played as well.
Brian, was it hard to make
changes to your original design?
Brian Degas: No. They weren't
changes. What Duncan brought was
to create an empathy with the new
generation. We tweaked a little here
and tweaked a little there.
This game, Parker Brothers did
for me in 1973. We sold 100,000
because the series was on. When the
series finished, their lack of vision
was such that they said: 'Without
the series, we're not going to publish
the game anymore.' All the rights
reverted to me and Pat Reid. I
wanted quality.
When I met Duncan I knew that
his passion and conviction was for
quality and to create a feeling that
it wasn't just a bit of gloss to put out
again.
Do you see this as a re-release
aimed at lapsed fans of the
original, or at board gamers
today?
DM: 'Board gamers today' is like
'sports fans today'. You can't narrow
those people down to a single group.
We didn't want to pretend this game
is something other than what it is.
It's still roll-and-move, it's still a
game in which luck will play a decent
factor in you're ability to strategise
effectively. Which is maybe different
from something new that we
would've commissioned.
When we commission something,
obviously it has to be mechanically
21/11/2016 14:29
 tight, and it has to be interesting.
Ideally, it has to be approachable
enough that people can pick it up
quickly enough, but deep enough
that people will stay with it once
they've picked it up. In some ways
those are prerequisites – those are
what everybody will tell you they
want in a game.
Once we have that, the thing
we look for is atmosphere. The
atmosphere around a table, the
feeling that people are drawn into
and the way that feeling can be
shared between multiple people.
Part of the drive in the board
games industry in the last couple
of years is the extent to which our
entire generation is games-literate
in one form or another. Because
of the degree of digital games
development, there is a small
resurgence of local co-op [video]
games, but that atmosphere is
no longer being created by video
games. That's a large part of what
drives the board game boom.
We would be absolutely crazy
if we weren't trying to do both
[audiences]. The work we have put
into this game is explicitly designed
to give fans of the original a nice
warm glow. But this is a great, great
game and I really do think there
is something here for new fans.
It was so ahead of its time that it
does something that, in a lot of
ways, games are still trying to catch
up to. It tells stories in a way that
something like Eldritch or Arkham
Horror might, even though it's very
mechanically different. It allows you
to draw in a sense of atmosphere in
that way. Most games with a theme
of the war tend to be very different –
they tend to be about power and high-
level strategy and command, whereas
this is about the dirt on the ground.
One of the most noticeable
changes is the addition of a
round timer around the edge of
the board. Could you explain the
decision?
BD: Duncan came up with this
funny idea. He said: '90 minutes,
two hours – max – to play.' He
said: 'It's going to look fantastic.' It
focuses you, because if you don't
get out after a certain time you go:
'Jesus, I'm never going to get out of
090_093_ColditzReviewAndInterview_V2 MJ.indd 93
here, I'm going to go for it.' That's
the Do or Die card. That was real
– it actually happened. One guy in
Colditz ran for it and was shot dead.
DM: We recommend 50 rounds,
but there's a reason we left up to
70 available because we felt like
choosing your own game length was
in the spirit of the original game.
Even though we want to have a more
defined version of the rules, we also
wanted to allow that flexibility. The
game is yours – it's up to you how
you play it.
Do you feel that tabletop games
could currently represent
contemporary wars in the same
way that Colditz portrayed
World War II?
DM: Board games are now at a
place where they're telling more
complex narratives, but by the very
nature of the physical components
you're beholden to the narratives
■ The 75th
get simplified and the focus gets
anniversary edition
narrowed.
of Colditz includes an
The danger of doing some of
oversized board and
those more modern conflicts is that
wooden pieces.
they're a lot less black and white.
You do run the risk of generalising
and simplifying complex issues that
are still living issues to people who
are present and potentially playing
the game. It's not that I wouldn't
do a game of that type, but I would
have to think very, very hard before
we progress down that road because
there's a due diligence there that is
really crucial.
Colditz' focus on the
experiences of a handful of
POWs in the prison presents
“I don't a contrast to the global
perspective of many war-
think themed board games, such
as Axis & Allies and Twilight
anything Struggle. What is the benefit of
adopting a closer view?
has DM: It's about things that capture
people's imaginations. If you're
influenced developing something whole-cloth,
it's much easier to do that some ways
game on a macro level than a micro level.
For me personally, there's
design as something about the fine detail
and nuance of something that
much as makes it much more interesting. I
love Pandemic, but I much prefer
Colditz.” Pandemic Legacy because, even
93
though it's on a global scale, it has
fine detail that I act on the board as
the game develops, which is part
of what invests me in that game. A
legacy system is one way of creating
that level of investment but another
way of doing it is narrowing down
that field of view.
Part of this and They Come
Unseen's appeal is also that they are
designed by people who lived these
experiences, so you can't refute it.
What I particularly love about Colditz
is, in an era when game design meant
simulation, it's about capturing the
feeling of what it was like to be there
rather than the reality.
You mention the legacy design,
one aspect of which involves
giving board games a finite
lifecycle – whereas the original
Colditz will have been passed
down through generations. Do
you believe we're seeing games'
longevity become less important?
DM: No. I own the The Wire boxset
and adore it, but I probably won't
watch it again. But I'm glad that I own
it. Games can grow into that space
where they give people a particular
feeling in a particular fixed moment
in time, and it's okay that the feeling
is fixed – it doesn't have to latch to the
continuation of a physical object.
With Colditz, it's a totally different
approach. You are kind of buying
an heirloom. The audience for this
is an audience who played it with
their parents. It's an audience that
both wants to experience this type
of game but also potentially has a
memory associated with this type of
game. We're not making this game
exclusively for people who played it
before – there's so much here which
is so interesting to people who have
never come across it before.
If you're interested in game
design at all, you owe it to yourself
to look at this weird British anomaly
in the same way as something
like 2000 AD – in its own little
bubble separate to the European
and American comics of the eras
that exploded around it but which
has such a unique identity and
influence that has trickled down in
all directions. I don't think anything
has influenced game design as
much as this. ■
21/11/2016 14:29
 PLAYED
Tired of trying to get his cat to balance on the dog’s back, Matt Jarvis turns
to this quirky connected game of zoological stacking
Sensible Object | £69 | Dexterity | 1-4 players | 15-30 minutes | Age: 8+ | beastsofbalance.com
W
ith companion apps
popping up in everything
from Mansions of Madness
to Descent, it’s perhaps no surprise
that the trusty dexterity game has now
joined the digital world in the form
of Beasts of Balance – and, sorry to
disappoint you naysayers out there,
it’s another fantastic example of tech
enhancing a tabletop fundamental.
Beasts of Balance – which you may
have previously encountered under
the name Fabulous Beasts, before a
certain teenage wizard-related movie
put an end to that – is a co-op game of
stacking animals. A battery-powered
plinth is included in the box alongside
six beasts (more are available online,
and others are planned for future
expansions) and a selection of other
stackable bits and bobs, referred to as
artefacts, all of which can be scanned
by touching them on the base. This
makes them appear on-screen in the
free iOS and Android companion app.
It's worth noting that we encountered
a few irritating software crashes while
using an original iPad Mini, but an
update resolving the issues should be
live by the time you read this.
The beasts are divided into three
environments – earth, water and
air – and take up residence in their
respective home when placed on the
plinth. Bigger animals are worth more
points, but also spark jealousy among
the lesser creatures of the world.
Each turn, lower-scoring animals will
lose a point, eventually becoming
endangered and then going extinct,
meaning players must work together
to keep as many going as they can.
In order to save them, players must
place elements on the stack. These
abstract shapes are colour-coded
to reflect the environment that they
boost and can either provide points
to the inhabitants of one zone or half
the points each to two different areas.
A fourth element, fire, boosts any
creature indicated by the on-screen
firefly when the piece is scanned. It’s
a charming way of adding a greater
094_beasts of balance review_V2 MJ.indd 94
BEASTS OF BALANCE
BOX CONTENTS level of strategy to the game, as well
◗ Six beast artefacts as allowing the plinth to be filled out
◗ 10 element artefacts
◗ Three cross artefacts with a greater variety of shapes.
◗ Three migrate The focus on keeping beasts alive
artefacts and maximising the points they earn
◗ Two miracle artefacts is furthered by the introduction of
◗ Plinth (requires three
◗ AA batteries) miracles, which are more awkwardly-
shaped pieces that enable optional
challenges. The 'distraction' miracle
requires players to tap on the moon
each time it appears on-screen or press
and hold the sun while placing a piece,
while 'haste' asks players to scan and
place artefacts within 15 or 30 seconds
each turn. Successfully fulfilling the
objectives means holding on to any
points lost by waning beasts, but failing
sacrifices all of the points collected. The
miracles intensify the links between the
physical and digital aspects of the game,
as well as gently ramping up difficulty
for older or more experienced players.
IF YOU LIKE To make it a little easier to encourage
JUNK ART… higher towers, the game also includes
TRY BEASTS
the migrate and cross artefacts.
OF BALANCE
For those who These appear to be a flat white arrow
prefer working and cross, respectively, but despite
together or
their uninspiring look they actually
favour animals
serve as one of the game’s most
over abstract art,
Beasts is a fantastic important mechanics. The migrate
alternative to piece allows a creature to adapt to
Pretzel’s beautiful
a new environment, while the cross
game of wooden
combines two beasts together. In the
components.
physical world, the flat components
94
make it much easier to begin a new
round of stacking, but it’s in the digital
game that the fun really takes place. You
see, simply plopping a toucan into the
deep sea wouldn’t be the best idea, so
on the way it might grow gills and fins,
creating a Toucean. Each new discovery
gets logged in a digital bestiary and
more fantastical evolutions can be
unlocked by hitting 20 points with
any beast, whereupon it transforms
into an elemental, which cannot lose
points for the rest of the game.
The tower stacks up and points
are earned until the pile inevitably
topples and players are unable to
rebuild it in the short grace period.
It’s a lot harder than it sounds, and
the charm of Beasts’ quirky artefacts and
surprisingly strategic hybrid mechanics
elevates it beyond simple stacking.
The wonderful visuals of the app tie in
perfectly with the joyous appearance of
the components and the metagame of
combining and evolving animals leaves
plenty of room for replayability. ■
CONCLUSION
One of the finest examples of physical
and digital gameplay working together yet,
Beasts of Balance is a seriously fun game
with an irresistible personality and simple
but compelling mechanics. It’s gorgeous
to look at, surprisingly gripping to play and
sure to spark laughs as you seek out the
more ridiculous animal mashups.
18/11/2016 10:53

Is Strawberry Studio’s new micro game a dream come true? Rob Burman makes a wish
Strawberry Studio | £5.99 | Memory | 3-5 players | 3-5 minutes | Age: 8+ | strawberry.studio
O
ften when you talk about
tabletop games, there’s
an expectation that a
typical game that will take an hour,
feature lots of setup time and then
potentially take a while to tally up
the scores at the end. 3 Wishes bucks
that trend entirely, thanks to its tiny
play time, tiny number of game
components and tiny time needed
to find out who wins. This is the very
definition of a so-called ‘micro game’.
But do micro games also minimise
the fun? Let’s find out…
In 3 Wishes you are trying to
collect three different types of wishes:
superpower, gift and harmony.
There are six of each type and the
wishes range from mind-reading
(superpower) to teleportation grid
(harmony) and pet dragon (gift). It’s
IF YOU LIKE LOVE LETTER…
TRY 3 WISHES
Love Letter is still, without a doubt,
our favourite filler game – but 3 Wishes
certainly offers an alternative when
you’re looking for different options.
095_3 wishes review_V2 MJ.indd 95
3 WISHES
BOX CONTENTS worth noting that the illustrations
◗ 18 cards on these cards are exceptionally
◗ 10 wooden tokens
◗ Five player aid cards charming and it’s hard not to get
◗ Rules caught up in the desire to get that
lovely little pet dragon.
However, the wishes angle is
really cover for a very quick memory
game. You see, the only way you
can gather up these wishes is by
switching cards with your opponents
or the spare cards in the centre.
The problem is that all the players
are doing exactly the same thing,
so although you may think you’ve
located that elusive flying lizard,
when you finally take a peek, you
realise it’s actually a boring old
world peace card… yawn.
On your turn, you’ve got three
options to help locate the different
wishes: peek (look at any card in
front of any player or in the centre),
switch (swap the position of any two
cards) or shuffle (mix up the three
cards in front of you). The latter is
obviously a great way to vex your
rivals although, of course, you’ve also
got to remember how you arranged
95
the cards so that when it comes to
your turn you’ll remember which one
to switch. Oh, hopefully you’ll have
been keeping an eye on all the other
cards to remember their locations,
too. You’ve done that, right? No? Ah…
erm, perhaps switch some cards and
hope for the best.
The result is a fast and furious little
game that lasts a minimum of four
rounds. It’s also surprisingly taxing
on the old grey matter, as you’re
attempting to remember several
things at once. However, despite your
best efforts, there’s going to be a sense
of random actions that are beyond
your control (the fact that a player
can declare the end game at any point
after the fourth round is exasperating),
so this isn’t a game for control freaks. ■
CONCLUSION
3 Wishes is a lightning-quick filler
game that can be played in a matter of
minutes. Yes, the rules aren’t deep and
the gameplay can be rather random, but
if you don’t mind not being in control,
then this is an enjoyable micro game
that’s great for filling those downtimes
in-between more complex titles.
18/11/2016 10:55
 PLAYED
D&D: TYRANTS OF THE UNDERDARK
Is it a board game? Is it a card game? Where does D&D come into it?
Matt Jarvis casts some light on the underdarkness
Wizards of the Coast | £49.99 | Deckbuilder/area control | 2-4 players | 60+ minutes | Age: 14+ | dnd.wizards.com
O
n paper, the latest Dungeons
& Dragons spin-off has all
the elements of a tabletop
classic. It has the might and depth
of the RPG’s storied lore in its
characters, creatures and settings,
from the terrifying Mind Flayers to
dragons and Wyrmlings of varying
colours and devastation. It’s a
deckbuilder in the vein of some of
the greats, echoing Ascension and
Star Realms. It’s also an area control
game – and it’s designed by the same
smart brains behind fellow D&D
descendant Lords of Waterdeep.
Up to four players take control of
Drow houses vying to rule over the
eponymous Underdark. As with
most deckbuilders, you begin with
a hand of simple resource-earning
cards and quickly build up your
army by purchasing new cards from
a central marketplace. In this case,
096_097_Tyrants_V2.indd 96
influence allows you to recruit one
of six revealed cards, with simple
resource-centric cards always
available to pick up from separate
stacks. Purchased cards are replaced
by fresh stock from a combined 80-
card market deck, which is created
by mixing two of four included
40-card half-decks: Drow, Dragons,
Elemental and Demons.
The other core resource is power,
which plays into Tyrants’ other key
mechanic: area control. A central
game board (you’ll play with one,
two or all three thirds of the map
depending on the number of players)
spans the Underdark and presents
various named sites, which fans of
D&D’s Forgotten Realms setting will
likely recognise. (Holiday trip to
Ss’zuraass’nee anyone? Anyone?)
These sites feature multiple spaces
for troop pieces – itty-bitty plastic
96
■ Tyrants combines shields in each player’s colour –
a deckbuilding card
game with an area
while the routes in-between consist
control board game. of single-space holes.
Players can spend power collected
using cards played that turn to place
troops or assassinate enemy troops
(and place them in their trophy hall
BOX CONTENTS to earn game-winning VP), as long
◗ Game board
as they attack or deploy in spaces
◗ Rulebook
◗ Scorecard pad that they either occupy or that are
◗ Four player mats adjacent to spaces they occupy
(Drow) (referred to as ‘presence’). However,
◗ Four Inner Circle
once placed, a troop can move to any
boards
◗ 160 player troops free space on the entire board –
(black, red, orange, a generous allowance that can often
blue) make combat feel less weighty, as
◗ 40 unaligned troops
troops hop from space to space with
(white)
◗ 20 spies (black, red, little impeding them. We played with
orange, blue) the maximum four players in our
◗ 260 Minion cards sessions, yet enough holes existed
◗ 56 VP tokens
throughout the games to undermine
◗ Seven site control
markers the desire to fortify our starting site
◗ First player token and slowly expand outwards, as
23/11/2016 10:28
 you might expect with a title based
around the idea of growing the
strength and control of your house.
Power can also be used to place
(or return to your barracks) spies,
who can be placed on any site and
subsequently used to assassinate
enemies. They also prevent rival
players from gaining total control
over a major site when all of the
spaces are occupied by one player’s
troops, stopping the acquisition of
bonus VP at the end of their turn.
And so the game flows, with
players playing cards to gather
resources and perform actions,
recruiting new cards, assassinating
enemy troops and placing their own
pieces until a player has no more
troops to place or the market deck
runs dry. At the conclusion of a
match, players add up VP for holding
majority control at sites, total control
at sites they possess fully, troops they
have defeated, cards in their deck
and cards promoted to their inner
circle via specific abilities, which
removes them from the game but
provides them with bonus points
above their standard value.
The number of cogs inside the
interlocking deckbuilding and area
control frameworks means that
there are plenty of different ways for
players to approach the game with
differing tactics and emerge on top.
Want to hoard valuable cards with
influence, promote them to your
inner circle and stay out of battling
for the board? No problem. Want
to quickly strengthen your army in
the hope of dominating sites and
forcing an early game end? Totally
okay. Want to spread your spies
across the Underdark and stuff your
trophy hall full of assassinated foes?
Sure thing. The way that the different
components and abilities interact
feels natural both thematically and
mechanically, meaning there’s room
098_099_Tyrants_V2.indd 97
for fans of deckbuilders and area
control titles to both feel reasonably
at home. (Though the former will
certainly be more comfortable in the
bulk of the gameplay.)
Here’s the thing, though. While the
engine inside runs smoothly, Tyrants
never feels particularly exciting to rev
up and play. In our group, we had a
diehard D&D player, an experienced
deckbuilding fan and devotees of
area control classics, and yet none
of them felt overly warm towards the
game by its end.
The Dungeons & Dragons lore
feels lost within the mechanics,
with the cards’ largely perfunctory
presence and relatively short list
of abilities (add influence/power,
assassinate/deploy troop, deploy/
return spy, promote) leading even
expensive cards to feel unexciting.
As one example, the Red Dragon,
which costs eight influence to
recruit, allows the player to supplant
(assassinate and replace) one troop,
return one spy and gain 1 VP for each
site under their total control – hardly
gasp-inducing when it appears.
The Underdark setting of the
game is reduced to just another set
of lines and boxes to populate with
troops, with only the presence of
spies lending it its thematic mystery
and sense of backdoor deception.
This is exacerbated by the board,
which simply appears as a purple
and black square stamped with
incomprehensible names rather
than feeling like a wide-reaching
environment with distinct locations
and environments for the taking.
Things are more positive when
it comes to components, at least,
with durable card player mats and
generally strong artwork on the
cards themselves. The dark colour
scheme may be off-putting for fans
of sunshine, but ties in nicely with
the subterranean origins of the
97
Drow. The purple is less welcome
on the backs of the cards, which are
all identically marked with a thick
black border, faint spider web design
and word ‘MINION’ written in bold
white text – given the strength of
the Dungeons & Dragons artwork
on both the front of the cards and in
the wider universe, it’s a shame to
IF YOU LIKE
see the backs so plain and ugly by
TRAINS…
comparison. There are also minor TRY TYRANTS
issues with the wording of the OF THE
rulebook, which circles around to the UNDERDARK
Taking place
same rules multiple times without
under the ground
fully explaining other elements, rather than over
such as the acquisition of VP points it, Tyrants may
when a player’s troop barracks is provide a fantasy-
inflected twist on
empty – an occurrence that also
the deckbuilder-
ends the game. area control
At roughly an hour per session, hybrid genre for
stretching up to around 90 minutes D&D fans who
enjoyed Trains’
with a full house, Tyrants takes
railbound mashup.
roughly twice as long to play as a
pure deckbuilder such as Dominion,
and lacks the tactical depth of a
CONCLUSION
dedicated board control game – Tyrants of the
El Grande, for example.With the Underdark is hard to
Dungeons & Dragons world failing recommend to fans
of D&D, deckbuilders
to shine through and help the game
or area control
stand apart from its peers, it makes titles, when more
the game hard to recommend in mechanically exciting
place of a shorter, more tightly- and thematically
rich alternatives
focused deckbuilder or a longer,
exist separately
more mechanically satisfying in each of those
strategy effort. genres. It’s more of a
Tyrants of the Underdark is not missed opportunity
than a flop, but it’s
a bad game, but it suffers from the
hard to deny the
well-worn adage of being a jack of all disappointment given
trades – and a master of none. ■ the elements involved.
18/11/2016 10:57
 PLAYED
Thomas Pike sets sail anticipating shallows but encounters
unexpected depth in this naval strategy title
Red Raven Games | £46.99 | Area control | 2-4 players | 60-120 minutes | Age: 13+ | redravengames.com
‘
W
elcome to the
Archipelago!’ reads the
introduction to the latest
strategy board game from Ryan
Laukat and, indeed, Islebound does
offer a very warm welcome with
its gentle, appealing artwork and
rounded fonts. But don’t be fooled
– there is a serious strategy game
lurking beneath the waves.
Islebound funded on Kickstarter
in late 2015, raising $88,000 from
1,628 backers – smashing the initial
goal of $15,000. It is published by
Red Raven, of which Laukat is the
founder and president, perhaps
best known for the microgame Eight
Minute Empire – a game which,
like this one, he designed and
illustrated himself.
098_099_isleboundReview_V2 MJ.indd 98
ISLEBOUND
As captain of a fine sailing ship and BOX CONTENTS
its crew, players set sail from their ◗ Victory board
home ports into a beautifully-realised ◗ Four ships
archipelago filled with bustling towns, ◗ Four port boards
◗ Four sea boards
sea monsters, pirates and gold. The ◗ 28 coin tokens
goal is to become the most renowned ◗ Eight silver coin
player by the end of the game by tokens
collecting treasure, hiring crew and ◗ Four ship boards
◗ 16 renown tokens
using either might or diplomacy to ◗ 15 pirate mini cards
bring island towns under your rule. ◗ 15 serpent mini cards
The game has a high number ◗ 28 fish tokens
of components and it does take a ◗ 12 book tokens
◗ 24 lumber tokens
while to punch out, sort and set up. ◗ 35 building cards
However, it’s a gorgeous thing to ◗ 10 dice
behold – the lavishly-illustrated tiles ◗ 80 wooden cubes Unfortunately, the rulebook
grace and transform the table into a ◗ Three building books could be a lot more succinct. It’s
◗ 20 crew tokens
delightful cluster of islands, soft and ◗ Eight reputation long, repetitious and not that easy to
colourful with gentle lines that evoke cards navigate. At 24 A4 pages in length it
an atmosphere which would not be ◗ 15 event cards does present a barrier to entry, and
out of place in a Zelda game. ◗ Four player aid cards is the first jolt to anyone pulled in by
98
18/11/2016 10:59
 the easy-going visuals; Islebound is
anything but easy-going.
The game plays over a series of
rounds in which each player must
move their galleon and complete
one action. The actions you can take
largely revolve around the island
towns evenly spaced across the eight
sea tiles that make up the board; the
most major actions are to visit, attack
or use diplomacy on them.
When you visit an island town you
must pay the cost to harbour there,
but you gain whatever benefit the
town offers. You might get a haul of
fish or wood to store in your hold,
attract pirates or sea monsters to
fight at your side, or have the chance
to recruit new crew members.
If you have more serious
intentions, you can try to take
control of a town using either might
or diplomacy. With the former, you
first decide how many pirates, sea
monsters and crew to send into
battle. Then you roll dice equal to
the total number of combatants,
hoping the total damage will beat the
defence value of the town.
The alternative is the diplomatic
approach; each town has a diplomacy
value that must be exceeded to
become its ruler and it is the influence
of you and your crew that will win the
day. Influence is tracked on a side
board during the game, and increases
when players construct buildings,
visit certain towns or complete special
reputation cards.
In either case, when a player
successfully takes control of a town
they gain an immediate boost to
their renown and mark it with a cube
of their colour. From that point on,
they get to use it for free whenever
they visit. What’s more, if other
players visit they must pay the entry
cost directly to the owner instead of
to the bank.
Closer to home, the crew of your
ship plays a big role in not only
your success but also in your style
of play. Crew members each have
different skills you can call on.
These range from negotiation and
administration, which can increase
your influence and make it possible
to trigger certain town abilities, to
combat and sailing, which add extra
dice to attacks or increase your ship’s
movement speed.
098_099_isleboundReview_V2 MJ.indd 99
IF YOU LIKE
TZOLK'IN…
TRY ISLEBOUND
You’ll need the
same kind of
strategic and
tactical prowess
to master it and,
like Tzolk'in, you’ll
find yourself
daydreaming about
strategies to try out
in your next game.
■ Players can choose
The final key element of the game is The fact that Islebound is an intense
to use either might or
buildings. Beside the play area there strategy game just doesn’t quite gel diplomacy to wrest
are always five faceup building cards with its cute, easy-going looks. While control of towns.
to choose from. To build one you must you should never judge a book by
pay the cost – usually a combination its cover, with a board game you
of fish and wood. Doing so scores absolutely should be able to tell from
you immediate renown, but can also the box what kind of experience you
grant either a special ability you are likely to get. Nothing about the
can draw on for the rest of the game packaging of Islebound prepares you
or a multiplier that kicks in during for the level of intensity it offers. Of
final scoring. This is triggered when course, this is fine if you like that sort
one player has constructed seven of thing, but you may be disappointed
buildings, at which point total renown if you (understandably) pick this up
is totted up and a winner is declared. expecting it to play the way it looks.
All in all, Islebound gives you a For these reasons, Islebound is
lot to think about from turn one. It likely to be somewhat overlooked.
soon becomes clear that there are Serious strategy fans might sail
many routes to victory and it can right past it and those looking for
certainly trigger analysis paralysis a more lighthearted style of game
in those with a propensity for that. may drown in the strong currents
This isn’t helped by the fact that the of its heady ruleset. This is a shame,
iconography of the game is not quite because this game has got it all –
as intuitive as it could be and a lot great looks, deep gameplay and so
of the rules are rather fiddly – you many routes to victory that even after
will need to regularly dip into the a brain-burning two-hour session
rulebook and glossary to check how you are left with a desire to have
things work. another go. ■ CONCLUSION
Islebound is a visual
treat but offers far
more complex and
strategic gameplay
than its looks might
suggest. The rules
could do with a little
streamlining and
the art sometimes
impedes mechanical
ease, but ultimately
it’s an utterly
engrossing title
that deserves
your attention.
99
18/11/2016 10:59
 PLAYED
THE WALKING DEAD: ALL OUT WAR
Matt Jarvis checks out Mantic's miniatures take on the comic book hit
Mantic Games | £34.99 | Miniatures/survival horror | 2 players | 60+ minutes | manticgames.com
M
antic’s new miniatures
game The Walking Dead:
All Out War is named after
the storyline in the zombie-horror
comic book series that sees hero Rick
Grimes clash with brutal antagonist
Negan. Fans of the TV show
adaptation will recognise Negan as
the baseball-bat-wielding baddie
whose gory violence caused shock
and controversy in the season seven
premiere in October. With this in
mind, All Out War is fittingly named,
encouraging frantic, bloody action
and desperate moves over slower
tactical play.
100_101_theWalkingDeadReview_V2.indd 100
Two players – although the game
can also be played solo – take up the
roles of warring survivors. Included
in the core set are Rick and Carl,
along with Derek, Patrick, Sandra and
Liam. They are dropped into a setting
populated by the roaming undead,
also represented by miniatures. 12
walkers are included in the base set,
in varying states of decomposition
and (un)dress. The miniatures both
dead and alive come unpainted
but are highly expressive in both
expression and pose, in fitting with
the comic book source material, and
are well sculpted. One minor letdown
comes from the use of softer plastic,
as we suffered a curved baseball
bat and bent knife out of the
box. The dice, too, are of
variable quality, with some
quite poorly debossed and
painted, making the symbols
less comprehensible.
The two groups compete to
retrieve the most supply markers
100
BOX CONTENTS by the time the included threat
◗ Play mat
tracker reaches its maximum, rising
◗ Six plastic survivor
minis (Rick, Carl, as the result of the survivors' actions
Derek, Patrick, or specific event cards drawn at
Liam, Sandra) the end of each turn. Of course, the
◗ 12 plastic walker minis
other way to win is to dispatch the
◗ Rulebook and
quick-start guide enemy team (or allow the zombies
◗ RV to do it for you), but at the moment
◗ Four cars there’s otherwise little variation in
◗ Six barricades
the objectives required to win or
◗ Nine supply counters
◗ Threat tracker lose – something that will hopefully
◗ Kill Zone/ be rectified in future expansions and
blast template new scenarios.
◗ Range ruler
Players alternate moving their
◗ Initiative counter
◗ 10 activation counters figures using the bundled range
◗ 10 health counters ruler, choosing to sneak or run. As
◗ Six survivor cards you might expect, running causes
◗ Walker reference card
noise, which attracts unoccupied
◗ 15 event cards
◗ 16 supply cards walkers within a set distance.
◗ Eight equipment cards Zombies automatically shamble
◗ 11 dice (Six red, two a fixed distance in a straight line
white, one blue, one
until they encounter a survivor or
black, one yellow)
wander into an obstacle, such as a
car or barricade, several of which
come included in 2D card form with
the core set. It’s a nice little touch that
18/11/2016 11:01
 helps the undead seem truly brainless,
and allows for tactical use of noise-
making – you can run to lure walkers
into combat with enemy survivors or
away from your own team.
At the end of a turn, an event card
is drawn and the various effects are
resolved, from raising the threat level
to bringing more zombies stumbling
into the play area. Initiative swaps
each round, and the player with
control chooses where the undead
enter, allowing the scales to shift
suddenly when it comes to the
dangerous presence of zombies.
Any survivor within each
walker's set ‘kill zone’ radius (a
handy template is included) is
automatically moved into combat,
which takes place as a series of dice
rolls dependent on the character,
their equipped items and other
environmental factors. Defeated
zombies are merely knocked down
onto the ground and can potentially
rise again at the end of a turn
thanks to a deciding dice roll – but if
survivors score a critical hit or finish
the walker off while they are down,
the miniature is removed from play
completely. This can go the other
way, too, as killed survivors are
replaced by walker figures unless
they are defeated with a critical hit.
In which case we guess there’s not
enough left of them to get back up
again. Gross.
Combat is fast and furious,
and the dice rolls are easy to
understand and balanced to make
the walkers feel powerful without
being overpowering. To simulate
100_101_theWalkingDeadReview_V2.indd 101
the danger of zombie hordes,
the number of attack dice rolled
increases exponentially with every
undead attacking the same character,
meaning the first zombie rolls one
die, the second two, the third three
and so on.
The second action of a character’s
turn can be used to rummage for
supplies or fire a gun, if they have one.
This plays off the element of noise,
causing a more widespread ‘mayhem’
effect, which draws every zombie
on the board towards their position
and ups the overall threat level. With
guns proving more deadly against the
living and dead alike, it makes firing
a shot a risky move that can happen
in times of desperation or confidence
101
only, rather than every turn. This is
intensified by the role of ammo – after
firing a shot, the player roll a die to
see if the gun is out of ammo. If it is,
they’ll need to scavenge for more
before they reload.
The characters each have special
starting items and attributes that
lend them a sense of individuality
and highlight their relationships.
For example, Rick gains advantages IF YOU LIKE
in combat when he is within range PROJECT Z…
of Carl, while Carl’s lucky hat has TRY THE
WALKING DEAD:
the ability to defy death – dice roll ALL OUT WAR
permitting. The character sheets, If you’re a fan of
cards and rulebooks make use of the the Walking Dead
comic book’s fantastic art, and there’s TV series or books,
All Out War offers
a nice variety of items and equipment a more character-
to bring the post-apocalyptic world driven look at the
to life on the tabletop, from metal battle between the
pipes and revolvers to football pads living and the dead
for survival.
and bandages. While scavenging,
characters can find themselves coming
up empty-handed or randomly ■ Bottom of the page:
Event cards drawn at
attacked by a lurking zombie, making the end of each turn
the rush to collect supplies potentially introduce new threats
risky throughout and no guarantee of and help to keep the
an advantage over your opponent. survivors on their toes.
All Out War comes with both
an advanced rulebook featuring
explanations of more complex
mechanics such as climbing, zombie
bites and terrain, while a short
quick-start guide holds newcomers’
hands through a couple of example
scenarios and the basics of
gameplay. It’s probably best to skip
the step-by-step tutorial if you’re at
all familiar with miniatures games, as
it might seem a bit slow and obvious,
but for those attracted to the world of
tabletop via the Walking Dead books
or TV show, it’s an ideal introduction.
As a miniatures title, All Out War
is a fast-paced dash as opposed to CONCLUSION
the longer tactical battle its name The Walking Dead:
All Out War is an
might suggest. The figures and rules
excellent tabletop
capture the last-gasp tone of Robert adaptation of the
Kirkman’s comic book series perfectly comic book series,
and encourage a more engaging making fantastic
use of its source
style of play than many ‘traditional’
material’s bleak
miniatures titles, but without a greater fight for survival and
variety and complexity of objectives, smartly incorporating
the franchise’s health on the tabletop the presence of the
undead to highlight
is ultimately hard to tell. The rules
the focus on the fight
bring together accessible takes on between the living.
conventional miniature mechanics Expansions and new
with aspects unique to All Out War scenario modes will
tell if it can go the
that fit thematically, making the head-
distance, but it’s
to-head game a joy to play for both as good a start as
tabletop diehards and newcomers. ■ can be.
18/11/2016 11:02
 PLAYED
FANTAHZEE: HORDES & HEROES
Matt Jarvis finds a lightweight dice game to love in Ryan Miller's latest
AEG | £36.99 | Dice rolling | 2-5 players | 20-40 minutes | Age: 14+ | alderac.com
W
hether it’s hours of stat
counting, dice rolling,
distance measuring,
rule clarifying or deck constructing,
saving the world sure can be heavy
sometimes. Luckily, Ryan Miller has
come up with a lightweight way to
fight back the forces of darkness in the
shape of Fantahzee: Hordes & Heroes.
As the name suggests, Fantahzee
is a fantasy-flavoured spin on dice
rolling classic Yahtzee, with the five-
dice, three-rolls formula bolstered
by the introduction of an equally
accessible card game element. In
addition to their dice, players have
a hand of cards with heroes and
actions, two of which can be played
at the start of each turn. Heroes
can be used to build a party of up
to five, with actions introducing
a nice spread of abilities from
gaining extra dice to the chance
to change a rolled result.
IF YOU LIKE YAHTZEE…
TRY FANTAHZEE
There’s more than enough charm and
variety here to provide something fresh
for fans of the original dice-roller.
102_Fantahzee_V2 MJ.indd 102
BOX CONTENTS Actions and heroes alike are
◗ 95 hero cards portrayed in a lovingly goofy cartoon
◗ 10 town cards style, which puts a fun spin on a
◗ 60 horde cards
◗ Nine treasure cards mash-up of fantasy classics – dragon,
◗ 20 six-sided dice mage, dwarf and so on are all
◗ Four tokens present – plus steampunk robots and
◗ Rulebook engineers. The combination works
thanks to the clear and charming
artwork, with a healthy splash of vivid
colours, expressive poses and subtle
playfulness. (One swordsman swills a
glass of red wine in his free hand.)
Then comes the dice rolling, with
the standard poker-like ‘hands’ of
dice used to activate characters’
abilities, which feature similar boons
to help bolster the team’s strength.
This strength is then added up and
applied to five central stacks, each
of which made up of opposing
monsters, ranging from weak level
one enemies to the powerful boss
monster lurking near the bottom of
each deck.
Players can pick off enemies by
spending their strength as they
please. A focus is put on defeating
the right-most ‘vanguard’ pile, as a
monster left alive on the top of
the stack at the end of a turn
means a building in the local
102
town is destroyed, resulting in the
loss of points and other potential
side-effects. Following the battle,
beaten enemies have the chance
to counterattack, reducing shield
values and possibly defeating
heroes, while those at the top of the
five piles can inflict similar ambush
damage. Particular enemies also
hold treasure, which attaches to a
hero and can provide two different
levels of benefit – depending on
the strength of the enemy that was
vanquished to obtain it.
It’s a simple setup that works in
Fantahzee
Fantahzee’s favour, as the gameplay
flows nicely back and forth between
players. The hero powers and abilities
are diverse enough to provide a good
level of mechanical variety, with
the introduction of the element of
steam, which can be built up and
used to activate robots instead in
lieu of dice, helping to ease in more
complex decision-making. While
the use of dice means there’s always
the presence of luck, a player who
happens to draw especially powerful
heroes can breeze through much of
the easier monsters even with lower
dice rolls – but the boosted stats of
the bosses often made them feel
genuinely difficult to overcome when
finally encountered.
Three defeated boss monsters
means the end of the game, with
each player adding up the value
of the enemies they have bested
(minus points for allowing a part
of the town to be wrecked) to turn
the co-operative town defence title
into a high-score competitive game
at its close.
It’s not going to win the hearts of
any hardcore players, but Fahtahzee
is a fun and fast way to introduce
more thematically rich and
complicated mechanics to younger
players and newcomers to the genre,
with its sense of joy, approachability
and upbeat style helping to override
weaker shallower aspects. ■
CONCLUSION
As the next step up from its dice-rolling
namesake, Fahtahzee is a relaxed way
to get casual players invested in more
diverse mechanics and themes. It’s
easy to learn, fast to play and is good
fun all the while – but for the same
reasons may find less of a following
among experienced gamers.
18/11/2016 11:03
 A GAME OF THRONES: HAND OF THE KING
This lightweight card game has certainly earned favour with Matt Jarvis
Fantasy Flight Games | £11.99 | Set collection | 2-4 players | 15-30 minutes | Age: 14+ | fantasyflightgames.com
I
t seems an almost impossible task
to distil the complex world and
characters of George R.R. Martin’s
A Song of Ice and Fire – a universe
that has occupied thousands of book
pages, dozens of hours of television
in its on-screen spin-off A Game
of Thrones and decades of careful
construction – down to a card game
that takes a matter of minutes to set
up, play and pack away. Yet, in A
Game of Thrones: Hand of the King,
Bruno Cathala has achieved just that.
Of course, it’s not that much of a
stretch to imagine the designer of 7
Wonders Duel turning out another
fantastic short-time set-collecting
card game but, regardless, Hand of
the King surprises in just how much
charm and entertainment it packs
into a licensed title you can pick up
for just over a tenner.
A grid of 36 characters from the
Game of Thrones universe is laid out
randomly on the table. In contrast
with the source material’s often gritty
and bleak subject matter, the cards
pop with vibrant colours and sigils
representing the various houses and
factions of Westeros – from the Starks
and Lannisters to the Targaryen and
Greyjoy families.
Each card features a wonderful
cartoon caricature drawn by Mihajlo
Dimitrievski, which balances the
recognisable on-screen portrayal
of the individuals with their
description in Martin’s original
novels. For example, Ramsay Snow
looks distinctly different to his TV BOX CONTENTS
persona, while Daenerys is clearly ◗ 36 character cards
inspired by Emilia Clarke’s fair- ◗ 14 companion cards
◗ Seven banner tokens
headed appearance. Your feelings ◗ Four three-eyed
about the art will come down to crow tokens
personal taste, but the expressive
and lighthearted approach was a
hit with us – although we did keep
IF YOU LIKE HEY,
THAT’S MY FISH!…
TRY HAND OF THE KING
The Game of Thrones spin-off uses
a similar straight-line movement
system but ups the theme and adds in
companion cards for extra abilities.
103_gameOfThronesV2 MJ.indd 103
giggling at how much Varys looks
like a thumb.
It is Varys who serves as the
key figure in Hand of the King, as
players take it in turns to manoeuvre
him around the grid, representing
the various secret dealings and
discussions taking place throughout
the conflict-stricken land.
Varys can move in any of the
cardinal directions, with a player
choosing a particular house and a
bearing each turn. Varys then moves
to the furthest character of that house
along the line, picking up all cards of
the same allegiance on the way.
103
The player with the most cards
of a particular faction nabs that
house’s respective banner token,
and the most banner tokens when
Varys is left with no possible
moves wins. It’s very easy to grasp,
with strategy layered in by the
varying numbers of characters in
each house – represented by the
number in each card’s corner – and
companion cards.
Companions are obtained when
the last card of any house is picked
up. Only six of the 14 available
companions are available each
game, and they allow players to gain
extra cards, kill specific characters
(permanently removing them
from the game) and perform other
abilities to aid their attempts to gain
favour. Limiting the companions to a
random six allows each game to feel
different, and forces players to think
several turns ahead or risk handing a
powerful ability to one of their rivals.
When playing in teams, four three-
eyed crow tokens are included for a
game variant that requires spending
one of the birds to consult with your
partner, helping to shake up the
difficulty and variety.
On paper, it probably all sounds
very straightforward – and the truth
is that it’s just that. In practice,
Hand of the King is an accessible
yet deceptively strategic card game
that makes fleeting but nevertheless
fitting use of its theme, resulting
in an easy sell for newcomers to
tabletop gaming or its fantasy setting
alike. It’s best with more than the
minimum two players, to open up
the need for more diverse tactics,
but with just a pair it’s still a highly
gratifying way to fill 15 minutes –
even if you’re just waiting for the
next episode of its TV counterpart. ■
CONCLUSION
With fantastic artwork, simple
mechanics and a hidden level of
depth and randomisation for added
replayability, this card game spin-off of
the hit TV series is a fantastic time filler
whether you’re a tabletop virgin or you
have no idea what a ‘Khaleesi’ is.
18/11/2016 11:04
 PLAYED
POTION EXPLOSION
Does this lightweight marble-matcher have the formula
for success? Matt Jarvis gets all mixed up
Cool Mini or Not | £37.99 | Marble set collection |
2–4 players | 30–45 minutes | Age: 14+ | cmon.com
G
iven the massive money-
spinning success of match-
three video games such
as Candy Crush and Bejeweled on
mobiles, it’s perhaps surprising that
few tabletop games have attempted to
cash in on the booming market.
In steps Potion Explosion, a
smart translation of shifting coloured
pixels around a touchscreen to the
satisfying physicality of cardboard
and marbles, wrapped up in a
pseudo-Harry Potter theme.
Between two and four players
are plonked in the pointed hats and
oversized black robes of students
taking their final potions exams at
the Horribilorum Sorcery Academy
for Witty Witches and Wizards.
104_105_PotionExplosionReview_V3.indd 104
Each is then equipped with a
cardboard brewing desk, complete
with two slots for potion flasks and a
spare storage container.
The flasks are divided into up to
four coloured sections – black, yellow,
red and blue – with an accompanying
number of holes poked out. (Seriously,
get ready to pop out hundreds of
tiny card dots the first time you setup
– it took us around 15 to 20 minutes
with three adults on the task.) The
holes are there to cradle matching
coloured marble 'ingredients', which
sit in four channels running down a
cardboard dispenser placed in the
middle of the table.
Every turn, players can pick up an
ingredient from the visible rows and
104
pop it in a corresponding slot on one
of their potions, or store it for later use.
Here’s where things get
interesting. As the dispenser's rows
are angled, the remaining marbles
will roll down once a space is made.
If two marbles of the same colour
that weren’t touching before bump
into each other, they ‘explode’. (Not
literally – no need for protective
goggles here, unless a sore loser
starts throwing marbles around.)
That player then picks up all of the
matching ingredients that ended up
together. This can cause subsequent
explosions and handfuls of marbles
collected, quickly filling up potions.
Any leftover ingredients – the
storage flask only has room for three
marbles – are dumped back into
the dispenser’s tank and cycle back
around, with completed potions
removed, replaced with an empty
card and placed underneath.
Each successfully concocted potion
card has a point value, with – you
guessed it – more required ingredients
resulting in more points. At the start
of the game, a specific number of
separate skills point tokens are placed
to the side as a ‘countdown’ stack.
(We used five.) These extra tokens
are earned by either completing five
potions of any kind or three matching
BOX CONTENTS
◗ Ingredient dispenser
◗ 80 ingredient marbles
◗ 15 skill tokens
◗ 64 potion tiles
◗ Four desk boards
◗ 21 Little Help tokens
◗ First Player token
◗ Rulebook
■ Players collect
coloured marbles to
brew potions with a
variety of powers.
18/11/2016 11:07
 types of potion – distinguished by the
decorative corks in the top of each –
and grant an extra four points apiece.
When the stack runs out, the game
is over, and players tot up their final
score to decide a winner. Two points
are deducted for each ‘Little Help’
token that players have used, which
allow them to collect an extra marble
from the dispenser at any point
during their turn – but explosions
do not occur. At least in the games
IF YOU LIKE
we played, nobody felt the urge to
SPLENDOR…
use a Little Help token, but they TRY POTION
make sense as an additional EXPLOSION –
risk-reward mechanic. Potion Explosion
takes a simplified
Brewing potions wouldn’t
version of the
be much fun without being set-collecting
able to drink them but, mechanics
luckily, Potion Explosion of games like
Splendor and
doesn’t take the joy of
combines it with
necking a mysterious bottle of ■ The dispenser the addictive
bright purple liquid away. At any point is an impressive aspects of match-
construction – three mobile titles.
during their turn, players can choose to but its components
drink a finished potion without losing are frustratingly
the points they collected for completing poor in quality.
it. The card is rotated upside down
and one of eight powers kicks in On first open, the box 64 potion tiles, several of which
immediately, ranging from the simple is stacked with sheet upon also ended up with peeling sides
ability to pick up a single extra marble sheet of cardboard pieces that or ripped images.
to allowing stored ingredients to be require pressing out. So far, so This lack of polish sadly extends to
used as any colour – although none of board game. For us, trouble arose the marbles; while an extra handful
them can directly trigger an explosion. when removing the sections needed of replacements are included with
With only cryptic icons on the neck of to build the ingredient dispenser, the 80 required to play, many were
each bottle and a full explanation at which include various tabs and slots misshapen with flat sides and
the back of the rulebook, powers can to hold the construction together. inconsistent colouring. At one point,
be a little awkward to understand and Edges weren’t fully pre-scored, a warped marble held up play by
remember to begin with, but quickly leaving fuzzy cardboard mess along becoming stuck on its flat edge inside
become the strategic crux of the game many of the more fiddly bits and – in the dispenser, leading our group to
as players learn to tactically set up some cases – peeling or tearing some tap the tank until it dislodged and
multiple chain reactions. of the printed graphics away, leaving rolled down the channel as planned.
It’s a relatively fun, if ugly patches of white. We suffered Despite the rulebook’s fun magical
straightforward, affair, and an ideal similar issues when pressing out the aesthetic and vibrant images, it too
way to hook younger children who suffers from an overall dearth
might be glued to Candy Crush on a of finish, with some printed
daily basis into understanding core images stretched to the
tabletop mechanics such as forward point of pixelated distortion.
planning – although bear in mind that Having said that,
the game is rated 14-plus, presumably once the dispenser is
to avoid the risk of swallowed marbles built it feels reasonably CONCLUSION
The magical theme
by smaller witches and wizards. With solid for a cardboard
is sure to be a cute
more than two players, gameplay can creation and – when crowd-pleaser and
drag a little and become somewhat the marbles roll as the use of marbles as
of a waiting game in the middle if planned – there’s a real-life counterpart
for mobile match-
certain ingredient colours become a very satisfying
three games makes
scarce but, with a rough playing physicality to Potion Explosion a
time of around half an hour, the gameplay. fun, if shallow, blast.
it’s never long enough to become That's (Pun intended.) It’s
just a shame that
a big problem. something that
the quality of the
What is more of an issue is a screen can’t components lets the
the quality of the components. quite match. ■ overall package down.

105

104_105_PotionExplosionReview_V3.indd 105 18/11/2016 11:07

 PLAYED
ELFENLAND
Amigo Spiel + Freizeit GmbH | £19.99 | Family
2-6 players | 60 minutes | Age: 10+ | amigo-spiele.de
W
hat’s perhaps most interesting about re-visiting Alan R.
Moon’s Spiel des Jahres winner Elfenland via this reprint
of the 1998 classic is seeing the early origins of his later
tabletop evolution (and, arguably, perfection) of the travelling
salesman problem in Ticket to Ride.
Like Ticket to Ride, Elfenland tasks players with collecting cards in
order to travel from point to point around a grand map. However, unlike
in the later title, Elfenland players are making the journey themselves,
represented by a wooden elf boot. They pick up cards and tokens
reflecting six fantastical travel options– giant pig, dragon, troll wagon,
unicorn, magic cloud and elfcycle – with the seventh card type, raft,
not requiring a token to move but costing extra cards to cross lakes or
head upstream.
During each of the set four rounds, players take it in turn to place
counters on routes to define the type of transport needed, with a
starting obstacle token per player allowing them to make a journey
more difficult once per game. Different transport types require different
numbers of cards for different terrain. Why clouds can’t float over
everything, we can’t understand, but hey ho – that’s game mechanics.
Everyone starts in the elf capital and is trying to collect as many of
their coloured pegs from each of the 20 towns as possible. A variant
can be played with the included town cards that also requires them
to end in a specific location, losing points dependent on how far they
are away from their target – this mode is a good pick for older and
more experienced players who will get close to a perfect run in
standard matches.
The artwork on the map board, rulebook (which covers five languages)
and cards is absolutely gorgeous, conjuring up the beautiful cartography
and whimsical charm of fantasy worlds such as Middle-earth. It may look
a little dated by modern standards, but it’s still a visual treat.
It’s worth noting that this version of Elfenland doesn’t include the
Elfengold expansion, which complicates the mechanics by adding a
gold bidding system. Elfengold and the naval-centric spin-off Elfensea
can be found in the more expensive Elfenroads pack.
Although existing Ticket to Ride fans will find plenty of similarities
between Elfenland and Moon’s later work, the earlier game still
stands up as an incredibly fun, accessible family title. The fantasy
whismy is the perfect fit for the simple but multifaceted gameplay,
helped by a beautiful aesthetic. Even if you’ve been before, it’s well
worth revisiting Elfenland. ■
106
106_elfenland_codenames pictures_V2 MJ.indd 106
CODENAMES: PICTURES
Czech Games Edition | £15.99 | Party | 2-8 players
15 minutes | Age: 10+ | czechgames.com
V
laada Chvátil’s 2016 Spiel des Jahres winner Codenames is an
idea so simple and brilliant that it’s hard to imagine exactly how
the one word clue party game could be improved.
New follow-up/spin-off Codenames: Pictures may not outdo its
predecessor – almost solely a result of hitting tabletops second –
but its use of pictures in the place of the original’s words is so well
implemented that it easily equals it for sheer enjoyment.
As a quick refresher, as in Codenames, players are split up into
two opposing red and blue teams of spies (two- and three-player
modes included in the rulebook allow fully co-operative play
between all the players), with a single spymaster on each team attempting
to convey the position of friendly spies relating to each picture in the shared
grid by giving a single word clue each turn. This word can relate to multiple
spies, with the first team to correctly guess all of their cards – avoiding
enemy spies, innocent bystanders and the instant-loss assassin – wins.
Codenames’ original five-by-five grid of 25 word cards is truncated
into a five-by-four layout of 20 abstract monochromatic illustrations,
meaning that the key cards denoting which spaces relate to which
team’s spy, bystander or assassin can only be used in two orientations
rather than four as with the equilateral configuration of words. This,
ultimately, is hardly an issue given the almost limitless combination of
the 280 pictures and the healthy stock of 60 double-sided key cards.
As an upper hand over the relative plainness of one-word text
clues, the images are often strange and laugh-out-loud funny in
their combination of multiple disparate elements to encourage more
complex hints. Alongside a biscuit sewn with needle and thread,
some of our favourites included an egg in sunglasses, snowboarding
Santa (the definition of ‘cool’ if ever there was one) and a vampire
eating a watermelon.
Codenames: Pictures is as hilarious, quick and easy to play as its
namesake and, best of all, the two packs can also be combined to offer
a mixed grid of words and images, expanding the potential for fresh
connections and a more varied challenge in attempting to summarise
both single-word terms and multifaceted images. Where the concept
goes from here is anyone’s guess, but for now Codenames remains
fittingly succinct to describe: perfection. ■
Read Owen Duffy's interview with Vlaada Chvátil about the making of
his original party hit and Spiel des Jahres winner Codenames on page 42
18/11/2016 11:09
BOARD GAMES CARD GAMES FAMILY GAMES MINIATURES ROLE-PLAYING
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 30 Roneo Corner, Hornchurch Essex, RM12 4TN
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tole haven.indd 1 16/08/2016 14:36

p108.indd 1 16/11/2016 13:42

 BOOKS

THE CIVILIZED GUIDE

TO TABLETOP GAMING:
RULES EVERY GAMER MUST LIVE BY
Teri Litorco’s handbook is a lighthearted intro
to the tabletop world, writes Matt Jarvis
Teri Litorco | Adams Media Corporation
£9.99 | adamsmediastore.com

I
t’s often easy to forget that
tabletop gaming can seem
an impenetrable hobby to
the uninitiated. Despite the
increasing accessibility of
mechanics and the growing
influence and appreciation of
board games in mainstream
culture, the sheer number of
monthly releases and diversity of
genres can make it hard for those
seeking a step up from Risk and
Scrabble to know where to turn.
It is in providing this oft-
understated guidance that Teri
Litorco’s new book The Civilized
Guide to Tabletop Gaming excels.
Running a little over 200 pages,
the A5-sized publication covers
the nuts and bolts of nurturing
an interest in gaming, from
discovering a friendly local game
store and knowing which games
to consider buying to hosting
game nights and navigating
crammed conventions.
Much of the book will be
obvious advice to anyone with at
least a passing interest in gaming
– such as the tip to balance genre
and mechanical weight with
time needed and target audience
– while some is simply common
courtesy. (‘Don’t cheat.’ ‘Don’t
be a dick.’) Yet, Litorco’s writing
style approaches the hobby with
such a clear passion and warmth
that it’s hard not be charmed
by the welcoming nature of the
comfortable read.
This accessibility extends to
the broad spectrum of genres
covered, too – there’s advice here
for everything from party games
and tournament staples to RPGs
and wargames. Current gamers
are unlikely to find anything
revelatory, but the book’s
patient and down-to-earth
style is likely to be ideal for a
complete newcomer.
Regular asides offer examples
of how to (and how not to)
go about making a gaming
experience as fun as it can
be, while the book itself is
broken-up, handbook-style, into
easily-digested, often humorous
headings and chapters,
including ‘Treat your group sort
of like you’re dating’ and ‘Be a
better loser’.
A few points are repeated
multiple times, and some
sections overegg obvious advice
– does anyone in a relationship
really need to be told to be
nice to their partner? – but it’s
ultimately hard to argue with
Litorco’s conclusion (albeit
a truism) that gaming will be
improved by treating people
with respect and opening up
this wonderful hobby to a
wider audience. That’s certainly
something this book achieves. ■

TABLETOP WARGAMES:
A DESIGNERS’ AND WRITERS’ HANDBOOK
Thomas Pike digs into this exploration of wargaming design
Rick Priestley, John Lambshead | Pen & Sword Books | £14.99 | pen-and-sword.co.uk

I
t is arguable that over the last three decades
no other individual has exerted as much
influence over the shape of war games
as Rick Priestley, whose pedigree can be
traced back to Games Workshop’s original
Warhammer Fantasy Battle game. If he
has something to say about game design,
one should most certainly listen. And it
turns out he does, teaming up with John
Lambshead (himself rather prolific in the
wargames world, if not as high profile) to
produce Tabletop Wargames: A Designers’
and Writers’ Handbook.
Intended as much to provide insight and
increased enjoyment to avid wargamers as
a ‘how-to guide’ for bugging designers, here
we have 157 pages chock-full of fascinating
insight and advice. Avoiding the trap of
letting it become a mere technical manual,
the authors have endeavoured to focus on
describing different approaches to the craft
and the reasoning behind them. That said,
there are plenty of solid, interesting examples
that would-be designers can certainly learn
from. For example, would you like to know
exactly why a Guardsman (an average solider
in Warhammer 40,000) has just a 6% chance of
killing a Space Marine (super-soldier) wearing
Power Armour?
The book is arranged into themed chapters
that can be read sequentially or dipped into
individually. Scale, randomness and even the
language of rules-writing are covered in an
approachable and readable style. The book
is nicely laid out on the whole, but is a little
text-heavy at times and the section headers
do look they were lifted straight out of an
early ‘90s PowerPoint presentation – so this
is no coffee table stunner. But, it’s the content
that counts – and this is an essential read for
anyone seeking wisdom and inspiration in
their design career. ■

109

109_books_V2 MJ.indd 109 18/11/2016 11:10

 FILMS AND ACCESSORIES
Is this documentary about the ‘Mozart of chess’ a checkmate or a blunder? Matt Jarvis finds out
Dir: Benjamin Ree | Arrow Films | Documentary | Digital, VoD, Blu-ray, DVD | 75 minutes | Age: U | arrowfilms.co.uk
“
I
t’s hard to be cool when I play
chess,” says a young Magnus
Carlsen within the opening
minutes of the new Benjamin Ree
documentary that bears his name.
Shot over a decade, the film follows
Carlsen as he works his way up from
a nervous newcomer to become the
youngest-ever world number one
chess player and – aged just 22 – World
Chess Champion. Yet, as the movie’s
title suggests, Ree focuses more closely
on the man behind the pieces than his
achievements on the board.
The most prominent aspect of this
is the pressure mounted upon Carlsen
– by his father, who first encourages
the hobby and is shown watching
intensely from the sidelines during
major matches; by classmates, who
bully him for his hobby; and by various
opponents, with World Champion
at the time Vishy Anand portrayed
as specialising in the psychological
aggression of chess, refusing to shake
hands or make eye contact with
Carlsen when they ultimately meet in
the 2013 finals.
Ree attempts to delve into the
mental strains of chess, showing
Carlsen freezing up during the 2004
World Cup and a series of major slip-
ups during crucial games in the World
110_111_filmAccessories_V2 MJ.indd 110
MAGNUS
Championship. He also explores the
ritualistic side of Carlsen’s relatively
light-hearted preparation for major
games, reading Donald Duck cartoons
and listening to children’s songs – both
as a child and an adult.
At multiple points, Ree explores
Carlsen’s reliance on self-described
‘intuition’ to analyse the various
moves available during games,
overlaying a shot of a chess board
with pulsing CGI lines to visualise the
sheer number of tactics Carlsen must
consider at any one moment. This
is contrasted with Anand’s apparent
dedication to computer-aided analysis,
with multiple talking heads criticising
the five-time World Champion for
memorising a set number of piece
positions as dictated by software rather
than using his own intellect. The battle
between wits and technology is an
interesting one, but remains largely
unexplored and left by the wayside as
Ree rushes towards the conclusion of
the svelte 75-minute runtime.
Similarly abandoned is further
insight into Carlsen’s own
understanding of the tactical and
psychological elements of chess. He
does provide scant narration, but
much of it fails to explore his unique
approach to the highly complex game
110
beyond a surface level. Instead,
his father is the ubiquitous voice
throughout, making it hard to be
anything more than an outside
observer into Carlsen’s psyche. We
never hear what he thinks of facing off
against Garry Kasparov, nor why he
makes mistakes that elicit gasps from
commentators during key battles.
At one point, his father repeats the
old cliché: “Chess is easy to learn but
impossible to master.” Yet the film IF YOU
does nothing to help viewers learn LIKE
more about the game from one of its BOBBY
greatest-ever competitors. FISCHER
AGAINST
Despite this, there are moments THE
to leave you as mouth agape as any WORLD…
fictional cinematic set piece. The most TRY
memorable scene in the film takes MAGNUS
As in Liz Garbus’
place as Carlsen competes against 2011 documentary
ten top-ranking Harvard lawyers about the late
simultaneously, while blindfolded. Grandmaster
As the lawyers’ kings topple, it’s Bobby Fischer,
Magnus explores
impossible not to realise the talent of the psychological
the young Norwegian. He then coolly cost of competing
pops a cherry on the cake by writing in the world’s most
out all of the moves for one of the intellectual game.
matches for his competitor. “Some
people get an autograph, I get a list of
moves,” the bested lawyer observes.
Ree’s film ends up resembling one
of the pieces analysed by Carlsen’s
mind, exploring a variety of different
themes but ultimately freezing in
position on the board. It’s a look at the
role of psychology in competition, the
pressures applied to young talent, the
way relationships change in response
to obsession, the benefits and
weaknesses of both the human mind
and technology, and the enduring CONCLUSION
complexity of one of humankind’s Magnus Carlsen’s
oldest games. It’s all of these things, but story is a fascinating
all of them fleetingly. ■ tale by itself – which
is lucky, as this
documentary fails to
explore much beyond
a surface level,
despite hints that it
will delve into more
complex discussions.
Still, with a short
running time and
effective direction, it’s
a fine way to spend
an hour learning about
a truly remarkable
human mind.
18/11/2016 11:11

DEEP CUT NEO-TOKYO
PLAY MAT
Deep Cut | €35 (3x3’) €50 (4x4’) €65 (4x6’)
PVC, cloth, mousepad | deepcutstudio.com
H
ot on the tail of its fantasy
football play mats, Deep
Cut has launched a new
range of terrains better suited to
those battling in sci-fi settings.
The mats are available in
Deep Cut’s standard choice
of materials: PVC, cloth and
mousepad, which, like its
namesake for computer mice,
features cloth backed by 2mm
rubber foam. We checked out the
mousepad variant and found the
rubber to be effective at holding
fast on a laminated table surface
and laying completely flat
even when it had spent a week
essentially crumpled into a ball.
One of the mousepad
material’s other touted features
is ‘soaked in’ paint to avoid the
image being scratched off over
time. We decided to advance
the effect of years of use by
scratching aggressively with
the blade from a pair of scissors
and did indeed find that no
visible damage was done.
As with many foam-backed
materials, watch for potential
peeling away at the corners,
which can lead to a very quick
detachment of cloth topper
from foam bottom – something
that could no doubt be solved
with a little bit of spray glue, but
110_111_filmAccessories_V2 MJ.indd 111
is worth noting all the same.
Overall, the extra cost (coming
in at just under £10 more for a
three-by-three-foot mat versus
the same in PVC) feels justified
in delivering something that
feels like it will earn its value
through hardship.
The design itself is a typically
grey and metallic sci-fi
landscape, with an intersecting
rectangle of four straight roads,
leading to four crossroad corners
begging for a combat bottleneck,
surrounding a block ideal for
buildings and other 3D terrain.
Areas of the map have bursts of
bronzed orange and stripes of
muted yellow, helping to break
the clichéd darkness of the
sci-fi greys. There’s also some
nice detailing in the form of
white outlines, symbols and
little touches such as drainage
grilles and street tiles, helping
to add a little character to
the background.
If you're a fan of 10mm-
scale miniatures titles, such as
Dropzone, there's also a long
distance counterpart available.
For those looking for a durable
and straightforward sci-fi
mat they can bring out of the
cupboard for years to come, this
fills that need perfectly. ■
111
FLAT MINIS
SECOND WAVE
Flat Minis | €2 (each) | flatminis.com
T
he second wave of Flat
Minis’ eponymous 2D
miniatures introduces
five new characters to the
stylish range. Well, we say
new – most of the fresh
additions are alternative
versions of the previously
released 32mm figures.
The packs come unassembled,
with a clear plastic stand, clear
plastic silhouette (remember to
remove the protective film) and
a PVC sticker which folds under
the bottom of the outline to
provide the double-sided image
as a single connected label.
This helps the two sides of the
sticker match up on either side
of the plastic shape, which is cut
within millimetre accuracy to
line up with the sticker –
making it relatively easy to
apply the sticker without
having to peel, readjust and
reapply multiple times.
As with the first wave of
Flat Minis, the artwork is bold
and colourful, providing
cartoon takes on RPG tropes
such as the dwarf warrior,
axe-wielding barbarian and
armour-clad paladin.
The artwork features front-
and back-facing art, following
the models to be used in RPGs
and games where direction
impacts gameplay.
The stickers are printed with
clear lines and the hues roundly
pop. The plastic outlines are
relatively thin (0.7mm) and
flexible, but showed little sign of
snapping or becoming warped
when subjected to a quick
bending test. The bases for the
variously sized models, from the
dwarf to the taller barbarian,
remained stable and upright when
gently flicked – but don’t expect
them to survive a major knock.
The stickers feel reassuringly
thick and durable, and didn’t
appear to fade or tear when
scratched with a fingernail.
However, this was not the case
when the newly stickered shapes
were squeezed into the tight
bases, causing several of the
stickers to be pushed up and tear
at the bottom by the plastic nubs
designed to hold the slice tightly.
For those looking for a quick
and relatively cheap way to add
some life to their RPG session,
and lack the time or money to
pick up and paint 3D miniatures,
the Flat Minis present a visually
pleasing and generally high-
quality solution – if you can
avoid ripping them as you put
them together. ■
18/11/2016 11:11
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TTGSubsDPS.indd 113 23/11/2016 10:34

 HOBBY TIPS

PAINTING GUIDE:

BUSHIDO
JUNG PIRATES STARTER SET
Andy Leighton of Deathwatch Studios demonstrates ‘brushido’ – the way of the painter
– by bringing the latest faction of GCT Studios’ oriental fantasy miniatures game to life

B
ushido, if you have not heard of it, is metal figures such as these, but for these it with a miniature, so I am very impressed
a 32mm tabletop miniatures battle was five minutes. with these.
game, set within an oriental fantasy The next thing I noticed was the way Let’s take a look at how you can get them
world, produced by the British-based they fit together. I think we have all at some painted up...
company GCT Studios. point had a frustrating experience getting a
While there are several factions available multi-part metal miniature to fit together – I WHAT PAINTS
for the game, all with their own interesting know I have. Every single join on these was WILL YOU NEED?
theme, this guide will focus on the Jung perfect. Even when it came to Tumo and Abaddon Black Nurgling Green
Agrax Earthshade Pink Horror
Pirates and the miniatures that come within his blowpipe, one of those components that Altdorf Guard Blue Rhinox Hide
their starter pack. needs to join at the shoulders but also have Caliban Green Russ Grey
As is usual, I like to give a bit of a brief the pipe itself lining up with a face, I was Castellan Green Screamer Pink
on the miniatures themselves, and these expecting trouble. I realised after a dry fit Celestra Grey Screaming Skull
Dawnstone
ones have struck me as a little unusual. no work was required; it just needed to be Sybarite Green
Doombull Brown
They’re perfect! These are some of the most glued in place. The Fang
Genestealer
magnificently sculpted figures I have ever Over and above all this, the sculpts Purple Ulthuan Grey
Kantor Blue White Scar
had the pleasure of working with. Straight themselves are clean and crisp, clearly
Khorne Red Xereus Purple
off the bat I noticed there was nearly zero displaying the oriental theme, and with Kislev Flesh XV-88
flash on any of the miniatures. Usually I’ll each element clearly recognisable. It’s Mechanicus Yriell Yellow
have at least an hour of cleaning on five not often I don’t find even a small fault Standard Grey Zandri Dust

114

114_119_hobbyTips_V2 MJ.indd 114 18/11/2016 14:52

 GREEN GREY/BLUE
For Mari and Ran’s
clothing, plus
Temu’s headdress
Stage 1
Begin by giving the areas
of cloth a basecoat of
Caliban Green.
1 1
Stage 2
Make a mix of two parts
Caliban Green to one
part Nurgling Green and
apply a layer over the
previous coat. Focus on
applying this coat to the
raised folds of the cloth,
leaving only the deepest
2 recesses the original 2 2
colour. Once dry, apply
a Caliban Green glaze.
Stage 3
Make a mix of one part
Caliban Green to two
parts Nurgling Green and
apply a layer over the
previous coat. Like the
last stage, you want to
3 3
focus on the raised ridges
of the cloth, leaving a
little of the previous coat
visible. Once dry, apply a
Caliban Green glaze.
Stage 4
Apply a layer of Sybarite
Green. Begin to focus on
the layers from the top
4 4
of the garment, tapering
off about halfway down.
Once dry, apply a
Caliban Green Glaze.
Stage 5
Make a mix of one part
Sybarite Green to one
part Screaming Skull and
layer over the previous
5 coat. Once again, only 5 5
focus on the top of
the garment, this time
tapering off around a
quarter of the way down.
Stage 6
Finally, add one part
of White Scar to the
previous mix, and apply a
small amount to the very
6
top of the previous layer.
114_119_hobbyTips_V2 MJ.indd 115
BROWNY GREEN
The main colour The main colour
in Taru’s hakama used for Sho’s
hakama, as well
Stage 1
Begin by giving the as Ran’s trousers
hakama a basecoat of
Stage 1
The Fang.
Begin by giving
the hakama and
Stage 2 1
Make a mix of two parts trousers a basecoat
of Castellan Green.
The Fang to one part
Russ Grey. Apply a layer
Stage 2
to the top edges of the
Make a mix of two parts
hakama and the top
Castellan Green to one
edges of any folds in
part Nurgling Green, and
the cloth.
apply a layer to the top
edges of the garments
Stage 3
and the top edges of
Apply a second layer
any folds in the cloth.
using a coat of pure
Russ Grey. Apply to
Stage 3
the same areas as
the previous coat, but Make a mix of one part
Castellan Green to two
ensure a little of that
parts Nurgling Green.
coat is still showing
Apply to the same areas
towards the bottom.
as the previous coat,
but ensure a little of
Stage 4
that coat is still showing
Make a mix of two parts
towards the bottom.
Russ Grey to one part 3
Screaming Skull and
Stage 4
apply over the previous
Using pure Nurgling
coat, again ensuring a
Green, layer over the
little of that colour is
previous coat, again
left showing.
ensuring a little of that
colour is left showing.
Stage 5
Finally, mix one part
Stage 5
Celestra Grey into the
Finally mix one part
previous mix and apply 4
Ulthuan Grey and one
a fine highlight only to
part Nurgling Green, and
the top edges of the
apply a fine highlight
folds in the cloth.
only to the top edges of
the folds in the cloth.
HOBBY TECHNIQUES:
GLAZES
At several points throughout this
guide I’ll advise to add a glaze. To
make a glaze, just take one part of
the paint mentioned in the guide
and mix it with around five to six
parts water and lightly paint over the
required area. In this guide, glazing
is used primarily to smooth out a
layered blend and help make it look
like one fading colour rather than
layers of different colours. This is
but one use, and it’s likely I’ll explore
more in future guides. ▶
115
18/11/2016 14:52
 HOBBY TIPS
PINK PURPLE
Used for the
borders of Ran’s
clothing, plus the
cloak and inner
clothing on Mari and
Temu’s headdress
1 1
Stage 1
Begin by applying
a basecoat of
Screamer Pink.
Stage 2
Make a mix of one part
Screamer Pink to one
part Pink Horror. Apply a
layer to the top edges of
2 the pink areas and the 2 Using pure Genestealer
top edges of any folds in
the cloth.
Stage 3
Using pure Pink Horror
apply a layer to the
same areas as the
previous coat, but
ensure a little of that
coat is still showing
3 3
towards the bottom.
Stage 4
Make a mix of two
parts Pink Horror and
one part White Scar.
Apply a fine highlight to
the top edge of the pink
edging and layer from
the edges of the cloth
4 and cloak. 4 4
Stage 5
Finally, mix one part
Pink Horror and two
parts White Scar and
apply a fine highlight
only to the top edges of
the edges of the borders
and cloth, and the raised
5 folds of the cloak.
SKIN
This is the method
used for the
skin on each of
the miniatures
Stage 1
Begin by applying a
basecoat of XV-88.
1 Once this is dry, apply a 3 part Screaming Skull,
Screamer Pink glaze.
Stage 2
Make a mix of one
part XV-88 to one part
Kislev Flesh and apply
a layer, leaving any
recesses the original
base colour.
2 4
116
114_119_hobbyTips_V2 MJ.indd 116
DARK BROWN
The purple used
on the tie for
Sho’s hakama
Stage 1
Begin by applying
a basecoat of
Xereus Purple.
1 Stage 2
Stage 2
Make a mix of one
part Xereus Purple to
one part Genestealer
Purple and apply a layer,
leaving any recesses
the original base colour.
Stage 3
2
Purple, apply a fine
highlight to the sharp
edges and raised
ridges of each section
of the cloth.
Stage 4
Make a mix of one part
Genestealer Purple and
one part White Scar and
apply a fine highlight 3 Stage 4
to the top half of each
raised ridge, edge and
any corners in the cloth.
Stage 3
Using pure Kislev Flesh,
apply a layer to the
top half of each of the
sections of muscle.
Stage 4
Make a mix of one
part Kislev Flesh and one
5 but this technique is great
and apply a fine highlight
to the top edge of each
defined section of muscle.
Stage 5
Add a very fine highlight
of Screaming Skull to
the top edges of each
defined muscle. Focus
this highlight towards the 6 could begin to run.
Used on Muri’s
collar and boots
Stage 1
Begin by applying
a basecoat of
Rhinox Hide.
Make a mix of two
parts Rhinox Hide to
one part Screaming
Skull, and apply a
layer to the top half
and edges of the collar.
Apply to the top
edges and the ridges
of the boots.
Stage 3
Make a mix of one part
Rhinox Hide to one
part Screaming Skull,
and apply a highlight
over the previous coat,
ensuring a little is
still showing around
the edges.
Make a mix of one
part Rhinox Hide to
two parts Screaming
Skull, and apply a final
fine highlight to the
uppermost edges of the
brown sections.
center of the model, and
ensure the previous coat
still shows around the
edges. Once dry, apply a
Kislev Flesh glaze.
Stage 6
A few of the miniatures
have some tribal tattoos,
for any dark tattoos you
want to paint. Make a mix
of one part Kantor Blue
and two parts water and
paint on any tattoos you
want. It’s important to
only have a small amount
of the paint mix on the
brush, as too much and it
18/11/2016 14:52
 DARK BLUE CREAM
Used on the edging Used on the inside
of Muri’s collar, of Muri’s cloak
cloak, waist band
Stage 1
and Temu’s arrows Begin by applying a
basecoat of Zandri Dust.
Stage 1
Make a mix of one Stage 2
part Abaddon Black Make a mix of one part
1 and three parts Altdorf 1 Zandri Dust to one part
Guard Blue and apply Screaming Skull, and
as a basecoat. apply a layer to the top
half and edges of the
Stage 2 inside of the cloak.
Use pure Altdorf
Guard Blue to apply Stage 3
a layer, leaving only Use pure Screaming
the recesses the Skull to apply a final
base colour. highlight to the edges
2 2 of the cloak.
Stage 3
Make a mix of two parts
Altdorf Guard Blue to
one part White Scar, and
apply a highlight to the
top edges of each of the
blue sections.

Stage 4
3 Make a mix of one
3
part Altdorf Guard
Blue to two parts
White Scar, and apply
a final fine highlight
to the uppermost
edges and corners
of the blue sections.

Stage 7
To paint the eyes on the
miniatures, begin by adding a
touch of water to White Scar.
Carefully apply a small oval over
the eyes. It’s a good idea to apply
this stage with the brush horizontal
to the face.

7 Stage 8
Finally, add a small dot of Abaddon
Black as the pupil. It’s again a
good idea to add a slight dash of
water to help the paint flow off the
brush. You want to make sure you
only have a very small amount of
paint on the brush. An alternative
to using paint is to use a very fine ■ Darker tones can help
black pen, and carefully dot in the bring out the edges of
8 centre of the eye. cloaks and other clothes. ▶

117

114_119_hobbyTips_V2 MJ.indd 117 18/11/2016 14:53

 HOBBY TIPS

GOLD LIGHT BROWNS RED

Used on any gold Used on any Used on Temu’s
metal section, wooden areas, loincloth, straps
such as Muri’s such as Taru’s belt and the ropes
bracelets and sword and hat, everyone’s around Ran’s
hilt. This is a very sandles, Taru’s waist and head
simple way to get a net and Temu’s
Stage 1
1
semi-NMM effect, 1
blowpipe and bow 1 Begin by applying
and a great way a basecoat of
Stage 1 Khorne Red.
to begin practising Begin by applying a
for trying this basecoat of XV-88. Stage 2
advanced technique Stage 2
Make a mix of one
part Khorne Red and
Once the basecoat is one part Zhandri Dust
Stage 1
dry, apply a medium and apply a highlight
Begin by applying a
to heavy wash of to the raised ridges of
basecoat of XV-88.
Agrax Earthshade. the cloth.
2 2 2
Stage 2
Stage 3 Stage 3
Make a mix of one part
Pick out the details Add one part White Scar
XV-88 and one part Yriell
of the net with a coat to the previous mix and
Yellow and apply a layer
of Zandri Dust. For apply another highlight
over the gold sections,
the other light brown over the same areas as
leaving the recesses the
sections, apply a the previous layer, but
original colour.
highlight to the top half. leaving a little of that
Stage 3 colour showing around
Stage 4 the edges.
Apply a highlight of pure
3 3 Dot Screaming Skull 3
Yriell Yellow to the top
onto the ropes of the net Stage 4
half and any hard edges
to add definition. On the Add another one part of
of the gold sections.
other light brown areas White Scar to the mix
apply a highlight to only and add a fine highlight,
Stage 4
the very edges. dotting the paint only
Make a mix of one
part Yriell Yellow to one onto corners or the top
part White Scar, and edge.
apply another highlight
to the uppermost edges
4 and corners of the 4 4
gold sections.

Stage 5
Make a mix of one part
Yriell Yellow to two parts
White Scar, and apply
a fine dot to the top
edges and corners
as a final highlight.
5

BASING
The basing was kept the same on all Stage 1 Stage 3
the miniatures, apart from a wee bit Begin by basecoating Drybrush the sand
the sanded area with with lighter coat of
of variation with the flowers, to give a Doombull Brown. Zhandri Dust.
uniform look. The flowers and shrubs
were all purchased from a local hobby
store that specialises in model trains.
These kind of stores are always a
1 3
great resource for hobby materials.
Stage 2 Stage 4
I always begin the basing process before Drybrush the sanded Give the sand a final,
the model is undercoated. First the sand is area with XV-88. very light, drybrush of
glued to the base with PVA. Once this is dry Screaming Skull.
it is given a coat of watered down PVA to
help seal it. This stops the sand from peeling
off down the line. After leaving this ‘seal’
to dry, the models are then undercoated. 2 4

118

114_119_hobbyTips_V2 MJ.indd 118 18/11/2016 14:53

 BONE METAL HAIR
Used on the Used on any metal Used in the hair
wrappings on Ran’s items: weapons, of all of the minis
and Temu’s ankles clasps and so on
Stage 1
Stage 1 Stage 1 Begin by making sure all
Begin by applying Begin by applying a of the hair is Abaddon
a basecoat of basecoat of Altdorf Black. Make a mix of
Screaming Skull. Guard Blue. two parts Mechanicus
1 1 1 Standard Grey to
Stage 2 Stage 2 one part Sotek Green
Give the wrappings Make a mix of one and apply a highlight
a medium wash of part Altdorf Guard following each strand of
Agrax Earthshade. Blue and one part hair. This should start at
Dawnstone and the root and go down
Stage 3 apply lightly over the around three-quarters
Once the wash is dry, basecoat, almost the length of the hair.
apply another coat of drybrushing this
Screaming Skull, but coat on. Stage 2
leave the recesses the Add one part Dawnstone
2 2 2 to the mix and add
darker colour given by Stage 3
the wash. Add one part Celestra another highlight to the
Grey to the previous same area, this time only
Stage 4 mix and repeat the travelling aorund halfway
Apply a fine highlight of previous stage, this down the hair. Add a
White Scar to only the time focusing towards small dot to the tip of
edges of the wrappings. the blade edge and each strand.
point of the weapon.
Stage 3
Stage 4 Add one part Celestra
3 3 Add one part of 3 Grey to the previous mix
Ulthuan Grey to the and repeat the previous
mix and add a fine stage, this time only
highlight to the edges adding the highlight
of the blade. around the roots and
the tips of each strand.
Stage 5
Use pure Ulthuan
Grey to add a final fine
highlight along the
4 4 edges of the blade.

Stage 5 HOBBY TECHNIQUES: VARNISHING

Dab on PVA glue and I would always recommend adding a varnish to your
apply some static grass. miniatures, but this can be especially important
Try to keep these when it comes to gaming figures. The constant
areas looking fairly touching, moving and picking
random, with only a up of models will invariably result in paint being
few bits of ‘ground’ rubbed off and your great paint job being
showing through. for naught.
There are a fair few products on the tabletop
5 gaming market and the most common seems
Stage 6 to be spray varnish but, after hearing so many
Finally, add some horror stories, I would avoid this. It requires very
shrubs and flowers. specific spraying conditions, and if done incorrectly
A blob of PVA is added can result in a cloudy or cracked finish on your
before sticking the miniatures.
plants to the base, The varnish I always use was actually found in an
even if they already art store. Daler Rowney Soluble Matt Varnish gives
have a sticker base as a great finish and is applied by brush, so you are in
these flowers did. complete control of the amount that is applied. Just make sure you follow any instructions
6 on the bottle and that you thoroughly clean your brush after use.

119

114_119_hobbyTips_V2 MJ.indd 119 18/11/2016 14:53

EVENT REPORT
Mark Lucas, co-founder of the Tring-based convention, talks about attracting
a mainstream audience to Hertfordshire, why X-Wing and D&D are the perfect
games for the show, and plans for the event’s tenth anniversary in 2017
For those who may not know, what
is GamesFest?
Our tagline is: ‘A collective to bring you the
best in gaming, collectables and comics.’
It’s based on our yearly convention but
we also run gaming days. We plan to start
reviewing games and hopefully branch out
into distribution and production.
How did the event come about?
As with most things in life, it started by
accident. We organised a day of Magic: The
Gathering in early 2007 and for some reason
called it GamesFest. After that we ran our
first proper convention in November. The rest
is history…
How has it changed over the years?
It’s changed a lot! We went from our local
Victoria Hall – our spiritual home – to the
Watford Colosseum in 2009. It was a massive
show. We had had some very famous guests;
Steve Jackson, Jervis Johnson and James
Swallow, to name but a few. We had all the
major gaming companies: Mantic, Games
Workshop, Flames of War, Mongoose.
We had re-enactors; we had pretty
120_121_eventReportGamesFest_V2 MJ.indd 120
GAMESFEST
much everything. It was a great day and
everything you could want from a major
convention. We had made it but, for some
reason, we didn’t do one the following year.
In retrospect, it was really the difficulty of
juggling full-time jobs and planning and
running a convention.
Anyway, last year we had what we
described as a ‘mini con’ and it worked really
well. So we decided this year to go back to the
Victoria Hall in Tring.
What was new for this year?
We focused on promoting smaller games
in their development stages, which was
very rewarding.
What games did you have running this
year? How do you choose the selection?
Gosh, what didn’t we have? We had great
RPGs – Tremulus, Shadows of Esteren, D&D,
Open Legend, Honour – wargames – X-Wing,
Team Yankee, Napoleonic wargaming,
Mantic’s range, Warhammer 40,000 –
board games – Last Night on Earth, Sentinels
of the Multiverse, Age of Heroes, Regicide,
The Football Game – and CCGs: Epic and
120
Star Realms. I know there was more, but
that’s what I like about our informal relaxed
attitude to gaming; people are comfortable
to bring games and play even if we aren’t
directly organising them.
With regards to choosing games, a lot
of the time people approach us and ask
to attend or run a game. I like the fact the
convention is an eclectic mix of the more
obscure to the firm favourites. There are
always games we are going to feature – for
example, X-Wing and D&D – but we love to
give a platform to the lesser-known games.
In your opinion, what were the most
successful or popular games? Why do
you think they were such a hit?
Well, we had two sessions of D&D and an
X-Wing tournament – they are two big draws.
I think X-Wing is the perfect tournament
wargame, plus it’s Star Wars. Also, what is
a con without D&D? I think they have got it
right with the latest version.
Do you offer anything other than games?
Despite our ‘GamesFest’ title, we have been
always very conscious of the fact that we
18/11/2016 11:12
 wanted to attract the casual gamer and UPCOMING
general sci-fi/fantasy enthusiast. EVENTS
I remember getting into a heated discussion DRAGONMEET
on a forum about wanting to make gaming SATURDAY
DECEMBER 3RD
mainstream – they disagreed. I think our One of the UK’s
vision has been vindicated with the popularity longest-running
of the Marvel, DC and new Star Wars films. conventions, catering
For those reasons, we always invite Calamity for everything from
board games to
Comics and guest authors and artists. This miniatures and
year we also had Funko Pop! vinyl. RPGs. This year
there will be special
Do you have any funny or interesting guests in the form of
Steve Jackson, Ian
anecdotes from this year’s event? Did Livingstone and John
you have any notable attendees? Kovalic. The event has
Speaking personally, I am usually too tense moved to the larger
on the day to enjoy it properly. However, this Novotel Hammersmith
hotel in London to
year, I did, as it was a great success. For me, accommodate the
■ Above and right:
doing the charity auction was a bit daunting, increased demand.
GamesFest runs games
but I managed to get a laugh when I pointed dragonmeet.co.uk
of everything from
out that one of the character sketches had a
X-Wing and Magic: CONTINGENCY
resemblance to the artist’s dad. WEDS JANUARY
The Gathering to
Guests of note were authors Michael 25TH TO MON 30TH
Dungeons & Dragons.
R Miller and Peter Mark May, Peter from Taking up the slot
Garblag Games, comic book artist John in the calendar
formerly occupied
Scrivens and a couple of Americans! by Conception,
ConTingency is the
What made you most proud about this longest convention in
year’s event? the calendar, running
five days of LARPs,
I guess raising some money for local charities RPGs and board
and the fact everyone had a good time. games in the New
Forest’s Sandy Balls
Did you encounter any challenges while Holiday Village.
con-tingency.uk
running the event? ■ Left: There’s also a strong comic book
The biggest challenge is balancing getting presence at the show, including artists WARPCON XXVII
traders and so on to attend and, in turn, and authors. FRI JANUARY 27TH
successful marketing to get attendees. TO SUN 29TH
Held over in Ireland
Effectively managing the two is the challenge. this coming January
will be Warpcon,
What is the best thing about where you Ireland’s premier
hold the event? ■ Below: Co-founder Mark Lucas even games convention.
It’s one of the most
Well, Tring is a nice market town in its own gets his son in on the day’s action. popular conventions
right. The Victoria Hall is a venue full of on the calendar,
character and, as far as we know, there isn’t offering RPGs,
another convention in Hertfordshire! wargaming, board and
card games, LARPs,
and goods from a
What advice would you give to those variety of Irish traders.
looking to run their own gaming event? facebook.com/
Decide if you are doing it for fun and pleasure Warpcon
or a commercial enterprise. There isn’t REVELATION
anything wrong with either, but you need SATURDAY FEBRUARY
to understand your motivation and goals. 25TH TO SUN 26TH
Always have a contingency plan for people Taking place at the
Garrison Hotel in
pulling out at the last minute; it happens Sheffield, Revelation
and you have to deal with it. Lastly, smile, is billed as focusing
be happy and approachable – despite things on games ‘powered
going wrong! by the apocalypse’.
The weekend is split
up into four-hour
What have you got planned for next year gaming sessions.
– your tenth anniversary? There’s room for up
We plan to expand into the pub next door, to 80 gamers to come
along and experience
celebrate 30 years of Warhammer and be the end of the world.
bigger and better. It’s on October 21st 2017. revelationgames.
Be there! ■ org.uk

121

120_121_eventReportGamesFest_V2 MJ.indd 121 18/11/2016 11:12

CLUB DIRECTORY
ABERDEENSHIRE
ABERDEEN WARGAMES CLUB
RGU Rugby Club,
86 Queens Road,
Aberdeen, AB15 4YQ
Tuesday evenings from 7pm
OLDMELDRUM
WARGAMES GROUP
Royal British Legion,
Market Square,
Oldmeldrum, AB51 0AA
Every Tuesday from 7pm to around
11pm and one Sunday in each
month from 10am to around 4pm
BEDFORDSHIRE
BASEMENT GAMING CLUB
Hope Church Centre,
Villa Road, Luton,
Bedfordshire, LU2 7NT
From 7pm to 11pm every Friday
BOARD GAMES IN BEDFORD
8, Lacock Abbey, Bedford,
Bedfordshire, MK41 0TU
Thursday, 8pm
BERKSHIRE
NEWBURY & READING
WARGAMES ASSOCIATION
Fir Tree Primary School,
Fir Tree Lane, Newbury,
Berkshire, RG14 2RA
Monday, 7pm to 11pm
35-39 London Street,
Newbury, Berkshire, RG1 4PS
Thursday, 7pm to 11pm
WARGAMES ASSOCIATION
OF READING
Winnersh Community Centre,
New Road, Sindlesham,
Wokingham, Berkshire,
RG41 5DU
Every Wednesday night, 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
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
TO LIST YOUR GAMES CLUB FOR FREE PLEASE
122_125_clubDirectory_V2 MJ.indd 122
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
CO ANTRIM
QUB DRAGONSLAYERS
University Road, Belfast,
Co Antrim, BT7 1NN
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 every month,
5pm to 9pm
GAMERS@HART
102, Tea@Hart,
York Road, Hartlepool, Co
Durham, TS26 9DE
Friday/Saturday, 6pm to 11pm
Sunday, 4pm to 10pm
CO LONDONDERRY
THE SIEGE BUNKER
The Bunker Cafe, Northland
Road, Londonderry, Co
Londonderry, BT48 7JL
Most weekends, 11am to 6pm
CORNWALL
THE DICE AND DAGGER
GAMING CLUB
Stratton Community Hall, Union Hill,
Stratton, Bude, Cornwall, EX23 9BL
Sunday, 5:30pm to 10pm
DERBYSHIRE
DERBY ON BOARD GAMES
21, The Bookcafe,
Cornmarket, Derby,
Derbyshire, DE1 1QH
Last Wednesday of the
month, 4pm to 10pm
DEVON
BARNSTAPLE SLAYERS CLUB
St Johns Community Centre,
Rose Lane, Barnstaple,
Devon, EX32 8PG
Monday, 7pm
EAST DEVON TABLETOP
& RPG GROUP
133, The Three Tuns, High Street,
Honiton, Devon, EX14 1HR
Tuesday, 6pm
EXMOUTH IMPERIAL
WARGAMES CLUB
Community Centre, Prince of Wales
Drive, Exmouth, Devon, EX8 4SW
Wednesday, 7pm
GAME NIGHT @ CARPE
50, Carpe Diem, North Hill,
Plymouth, Devon, PL4 8EU
Monday, 6pm to 1am
PLYMOUTH ASSOCIATION
OF WARGAMERS
324, Blindmans Wood Scout
Centre, Outland Road,
Plymouth, Devon, PL3 5TB
Sunday, 12pm to 5pm
DORSET FIFE
SOUTHBOURNE TABLETOP DUNFERMLINE WARGAMING
& BOARDGAMERS AND ROLEPLAYING FELLOWSHIP
Tuckton Social Club, Dell Farquharson Community
Tuckton Road, Bournemouth, Leisure Centre, Nethertown
Dorset, BH6 3AA Broad Street, Dunfermline,
First Sunday of the month, 10am to 5pm Fife, KY12 7DS
Third Sunday of the month, 1pm to 5pm Friday, 6pm to 9pm
WORLDS AWAY EAST NEUK TABLETOP GAMES
22, The Triangle, Bournemouth, Dreel Halls (upper hall),
Dorset, BH2 5RQ High Street West, Anstruther,
Saturday, 12pm to 4pm Fife, KY10 3DJ
Second and fourth Sundays
DUMFRIESSHIRE of the month, 1pm to 5pm 
ANNAN GAMING CLUB
Ednam Street Community FLINTSHIRE
Hub, Ednam Street, Annan, DEESIDE DEFENDERS
Dumfriesshire, DG12 6EF Wings Social Club,
Wednesday, 6pm to 10pm Airbus UK, Broughton,
Chester, Flintshire, CH4 0DR
THE FIVE ARCHES Thursday, 7pm
GAMING CLUB
345, Annan Road, Dumfries, FGC FLINTSHIRE
Dumfriesshire DG1 3JR GAMING CLUB
Wednesday, 6:30pm to 10:30pm The Pavilion,
Snowdon Avenue,
DYFED Bryn-y-Baal, Flintshire,
CARMARTHEN OLD GUARD CH7 6SZ
9, The Carmarthen Monday, 6:30pm to 11:15pm 
Businessman’s Club,
Lammas Street, Carmarthen, GLASGOW
Dyfed, SA31 3AD ANTONINE BOARD GAMERS
Wednesday, 6pm 77, Main Street, Torrance,
Glasgow, G64 4EN
EAST SUSSEX Third Tuesday of every
1066 WARGAMING CLUB month, 7:30pm
130, Bexhill Road,
St Leonards-on-Sea, East GLASGOW GAMES ROOM
Sussex, TN38 8BL 36, Woodside Hall, Glenfarg
Thursday, 7pm to 11pm Street, Glasgow, G20 7Q
Tuesday, 5:30pm to 10:30pm
EASTBOURNE ELEMENTAL
1, Mana Gaming - The Old UNPLUGGED GAMES CLUB
Print Works, Commercial 19, Norval Coffee Co,
Road, Eastbourne, East Skirving Street,
Sussex, BN21 3XQ Glasgow, G41 3AB
Monday, 6pm to 11pm Sunday, 1pm to 5pm
EAST YORKSHIRE GLOUCESTERSHIRE
WOLDS WARGAMERS GLOUCESTERSHIRE
5, The Blue Bell, Riverhead, GAMES BUNKER
Driffield, East Yorkshire, YO25 6NX Hatherley & Reddings Cricket Club
Last Thursday of the month North Park, Shurdington Road,
Cheltenham, Gloucester, GL51 4XA
EDINBURGH Wednesday, 6:30pm to 10:30pm
EDINBURGH LEAGUE
OF GAMERS PORK CHOP GAMING
11, RAF Club, Hillside Crescent, Church Street, Cheltenham,
Abbey Hill, Edinburgh, Gloucestershire, GL50 3HA
Edinburgh, EH7 5EA Thursday, 7pm to 10pm
Wednesday, 6pm to 11pm
GREATER MANCHESTER
SOUTH EAST SCOTLAND TABLETOP MANCHESTER
WARGAMES CLUB 6, Slate Wharf, Castlefield,
Royal Navy & Royal Marine Greater Manchester, M15 4ST
Association at 1 Broughton Monday, 7:30pm
Road, Edinburgh
Thursday, 7pm to 11pm GWENT
GWENT REAVERS TABLETOP
ESSEX GAMING CLUB
BASILDON WARBOYZ Big Picture Photography,
Riverton Hall, Bardfield, Somerset Street, Abertillery,
Basildon, Essex SS16 4JW Gwent, NP13 3DJ
Sunday, 5pm to 10pm Monday, 4pm to 10pm
COLCHESTER WARGAMES HAMPSHIRE
ASSOCIATION ARBBL
Tollgate Hall, Villa Road, 28, Gilliat Scout Hall,
Stanway, Colchester, Marlborough Street, Andover,
Essex, CO3 5RH Hampshire, SP10 1DQ
Friday, 7pm to 11pm Tuesday, 7pm to 10pm
ESSEX WARRIORS BLACK HOLE WARGAMERS
18, Writtle Village Hall, St Peter`s Church Hall,
The Green, Writtle, Chelmsford, St Peter`s Road, Petersfield,
Essex, CM1 3DU Hampshire, GU32 3HS
Twice monthly on Sunday, Alternate Saturdays,
9:30am to 5pm 9:30am to 12:30pm
SOUTHEND-ON-SEA CHINEHAM BOARD GAMERS
ROLEPLAYING SOCIETY ReadingRoad, Chineham,
1, Park Inn by Radisson, Church Road, Basingstoke, Hampshire, RG24 8LT
Southend-on-Sea, Essex, SS1 2AL Second and last Saturday
Friday, 7pm to 11pm of the month, 6pm
21/11/2016 14:32
 DARK WORLDS
GAMING SOCIETY
Northwest Community Centre,
Henry Cort Drive, Fareham,
Hampshire, PO15 6TL
Tuesday, 7pm; Sunday, 6pm
FORDINGBRIDGE
GAMING CLUB
63, Town Hall, High Street,
Fordingbridge, Hampshire, SP6 1AS
Thursday, 6pm to 10pm (fortnightly)  KENT
GARY DONALDSON
Hart Plain Church, Hart
Plain Avenue, Waterlooville,
Hampshire, PO8 8RG
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
Friday, 6pm
Alternate Wednesdays, 6pm
WATERLOO TABLE
TOP GAMERS
Hart Plain Church, Hart
Plain Avenue, Waterlooville,
Hampshire, PO8 8RG
HERTFORDSHIRE
DICE AND DECKS
St Mary`s Church Hall, Church
Row, Ross-on-Wye, Hertford,
Hertfordshire, HR9 5HR
Friday, 6:30pm to 10pm
HEMEL HEMPSTEAD
GAMES CLUB
Grove Hill Community Centre,
Henry Wells Square, Hemel
Hempstead, Hertfordshire, HP2 6BJ
Tuesday, 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),
High Street, Potters Bar,
Hertfordshire, EN6 5BT
Tuesday
THOR`S HAMMER
GAMING CLUB
Well End Activity Camp, Well
End, Borehamwood, Hertford,
Hertfordshire, WD6 5PR
Tuesday, 6pm to 10pm
VISIT WWW.TABLETOPGAMING.CO.UK
122_125_clubDirectory_V2 MJ.indd 123
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  Lancashire, L1 6HB
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 Tuesday,
6:30pm to 10pm  Tuesday, 6pm to 11pm
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, 11am to 4pm
HARLEQUINS BLACKPOOL
302, Church Street, Blackpool,
Lancashire, FY1 3QA
Monday, 7pm to 11pm  Upstairs, The Lewis Club -
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
THE LIVERPOOL WARGAMES
ASSOCIATION (LWA)
11, Davies Street, Liverpool,
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
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  WARGAMING CLUB
LONDON
CROSS GAMING CLUB
68, Borough Road,
Southwark, London, SE1 1DX
Thursday, 6:30pm to 10:30pm
SELWG
37, St Laurence Church
Hall, Bromley Road, Catford,
London, SE6 2TS
Friday, 7pm
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
University Hospital Lewisham,
Lewisham High Street,
London, SE13 6LH
Wednesday, 7pm to 10:45pm
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
MID GLAMORGAN
CASTLE GAMERS BRIDGEND
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
Every Wednesday except the
second Wednesday of the
month, 7:30pm until late
NORFOLK
AFTERMATH GAMING CLUB
219, Lazar House,
Sprowston Road, Norwich,
Norfolk, NR3 4HX
Tuesday, 7pm to 11pm; second
and last Thursdays, 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
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
18/11/2016 11:18
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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
Fortnightly on Monday, 8pm
OXFORD ON BOARD
Iffley Road, Oxford,
Oxfordshire, OX4 1EA
Monday, 7pm
OXFORD OUTRIDERS
17, The Mitre, High Street,
Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX1 4AG
Wednesday, 6pm
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 until approx 11pm
Second Sunday of the month, all day
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
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
SHEFFIELD BOARD GAMES
In the room upstairs at The
University Arms, 197 Brook
Hill, Sheffield S3 7HG
Tuesday, 7pm until late
The Red Deer, 18 Pitt Street,
Sheffield, S1 4DD
First Sunday of every month,
12.30am until early evening
LIST YOUR GAMES CLUB FOR FREE – VISIT WWW.TABLETOPGAMING.CO.UK
122_125_clubDirectory_V2 MJ.indd 125
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
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
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, 6/6.30pm
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
Every second and fourth
Sunday, 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 evening
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
CLUB DIRECTORY
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,
10am to 9pm; second and
fourth Fridays, 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 (the old
hall), New Road Side, Rawdon,
Leeds, West Yorkshire LS19 6AS
Saturday, 1pm until late
Thursdays, 7pm
OVERSEAS
BIELEFELD WARGAMES &
MODEL MAKING CLUB
Building 43, Catterick Barracks,
Detmolder Strasse 440, Bielefeld
NRW, Germany, 33605
Thursday, evening from afternoon
Occasionally at the weekend
THE CENTURIONS
WARGAMING
Gaming Group, Source Comics
& Games, 2057 Snelling Ave. N
Roseville, MN, 55113
First and third Saturday
18/11/2016 11:18
SHOP SPOTLIGHT
LUDORATI
Nicholas J Higgins, managing director of the Nottingham board games café, discusses the growing
popularity of mixing the tabletop with tea – and reveals the best dice and drink combinations
How and when did Ludorati come about?
Ludorati had been an idea for some time,
since Snakes & Lattes opened in Toronto
back in 2009. However, it started to become a
serious proposition once I was able to create
some free time from my main business and
had set-up Ergo Sum Games to publish a
number of games.
Ludorati took two years to develop as a
business plan and put into operation.
Why did you decide to open a board
games café?
A number of other cafes were opening in the
UK, and so it seemed a good time to launch.
I’ve been a boardgamer for most of my life
and always dreamed of having somewhere
that people could play many games.
It was also a means of direct contact with
our own published games, which we felt
was important.
What were the key things you wanted to
achieve with Ludorati?
One: a space where people could just come
and enjoy themselves for hours playing board
games and roleplaying games, as well as
buying them, appealing to a wide audience.
126_127_ShopSpotlight_V2 MJ.indd 126
Two: create a social hub with connected
special groups and clubs, which we have
done – we see the café bar as both a social
and game design hub. Three: the base for
having a Ludorati in many cities around
the country and, if possible, internationally
as a tourist attraction.
What makes the experience of a board
game café different to a traditional
tabletop store?
I can only speak for ours, of course. We put a
lot of effort into the customer experience and
ambience – the balance between professional
coffee house/bar and professional board game
library/store.
A big decision was to create a general café
area that appealed to all café/bar-goers that
removed potential barriers. The gaming area is
separate for dedicated gamers but also entices
the curious café-goer, thus trying to appeal to
a far greater audience than perhaps stores do.
Feedback suggests we’ve got it right.
What was your experience of the board
games industry beforehand? Or the food
and drink industry?
Other than being a board game customer for
126
a long time, it was more on the game design/
publishing side.
However, my main background is in
management consultancy and teaching,
and I was able to analyse the food and
drink industry from an external perspective,
which has been useful.
The wider management team does have
food/drink experience.
You’re based in Nottingham. What makes
the city the right choice to set up a board
games café? How does the local tabletop
community differ to, say, London and
other UK cities?
Nottingham seemed the obvious choice for
several reasons; it featured high-up in our top
50 locations in terms of size and university
population, it was local to existing businesses/
management and thus easier to set up, and
the history behind Nottingham and being a
‘happening’, vibrant city, in our eyes.
Our experience, given visits by gamers from
around the UK, suggests communities are
similar in outlook and expectation.
How have you integrated your board
game offerings with your food and drink?
18/11/2016 11:22
 The two tend to be transacted separately,
though various offers do exist through our free
membership which provides discounts and
other benefits.
We have an excellent food/drink selection.
We also have the ‘Biz’ offering which provides
teambuilding-type solutions at the café. These
tend to be more integrated offerings.

What’s been proving most popular in

terms of tabletop games recently?
There’s a range of common games. Of those,
Ticket to Ride is the clear winner to date. Then
Pandemic, Carcassone, Forbidden Island/
Desert, Dead of Winter, Splendor and so on.
Also, with our choice of over 750 games,
Monopoly, Cluedo and Risk in their various
guises remain popular, as does The Game
of Life.

How has your selection of board and

card games changed during the time
you’ve been open? Is there anything
you’re particularly interested in that’s
coming out soon?
We update for new games each week but
it is a constant battle to include them,
as we have to remove a few games to
accommodate them.
Anything that is ‘news’ will normally be
included. We have a selection panel that
meets to decide. There’s probably too many to
mention.

Why do you think there have been so

many board game cafés popping up in
the last few years?
Well, I’d proffer several reasons. Undoubtedly,
the renaissance in board gaming has helped –
which may or may not be linked to Kickstarter.
The continuing growth in people ‘meet-up
places’ or ‘third spaces’, as they’re called.
Also, the growth in coffee houses has led to
increasing differentiation – of which a board
game café is a classic type.
You helped raised money for the
café through Kickstarter. Why was
crowdfunding the right approach?
The business was funded by private
investment and asset finance, as we
believe that a new business should not be
funded through Kickstarter, as that technically
is financial investment with
all the risks associated.
Our use of Kickstarter was to help with
marketing our grand opening by helping to
fill available capacity on the day with other
associated benefits. This worked well – to
a point.
You offer a VIP experience called The
Cube. Could you explain what this is,
why you offer it and how you decide
which games become Cube-exclusive
‘premium’ titles?
The Cube is a dedicated room for private
hire and/or roleplaying games and/or
premium games. Premium games are the
more expensive types or ones which include
a high number of miniatures. For example,
many Fantasy Flight games are situated in the
premium section. Cards Against Humanity
gets played in The Cube due to its content. So
far, we’ve also hosted a number of birthday
parties.
What special events have you held?
We’ve done a number of different events.
These include roleplaying weekends, with
‘Cthulhu’ being a favourite, as well as the
resurgence of D&D.
We’ve held a number of game sales
weekends, which always prove popular.
We hold weekly tournaments with cash
prizes and Friday Night Sessions which
promote new games, particularly with local
game designers.
Two of our more recent events included
Michael Adams, the British Number One
Chess player, conducting a simultaneous
exhibition against 25 local players and the big
visit of Reiner Knizia as part of our new Game
Designers Celebration Day, which we hope
becomes a permanent annual fixture in the
diary for all.
All these events reflect the inclusiveness of
our approach/offering of the café.
What advice would you give someone
thinking about opening their own local
board game café?
Think hard. Do your homework. Take nothing
for granted. Don’t get taken in by the ‘hype’
and be watchful of your cash – there’s always
demand for you to spend it by outside sources.
What’s next for Ludorati?
Hopefully Ludorati’s brand continues to grow
as more and more people get to know about
us. We’re also hoping to become more of a
tourist destination, as well. If all goes to plan,
we will be looking to expand in 2017 into
other cities. ■
LUDORATI CAFÉ
72 Maid Marian Way, Nottingham, NG1 6BJ
0115 959 6998 | ludoraticafe.com

127

126_127_ShopSpotlight_V2 MJ.indd 127 18/11/2016 11:22

SHOP DIRECTORY
ONLINE

Scotland’s leading online retailer

of speciality games. We offer a
range of board games, collectable
card games, miniature games &
The Gallery Level, The Market Hall,
other gaming products.
FIND US AT: Shrewsbury, SY1 1HX
f Red Dice Games Tel: 07804 687884
@RedDiceGames t e-collecticagames@hotmail.co.uk
reddicegames www.e-collecticagames.co.uk
@ecollecticagame
reddicegames.com
ONLINE DERBYSHIRE

Board Game online shop

offering games for the
enthusiast, from hard-to-
get imports and historic
games to pre-orders for
new releases. Shipping
costs are £3.99 per order.
MeeplesCorner
www.meeplescorner.co.uk

CARDIFF BERKSHIRE

excellent gaming
experience guaranteed

The UK’s best boardgame-focussed

Friendly Local Games Shop, dedicated to
finding you exactly the right games and
supporting the gaming community.
5 Union Street, Reading RG1 1EU
@eclecticgames / shop@eclecticgames.co.uk /
www.eclecticgames.co.uk / Tel: 0118 9598250

DERBYSHIRE DEVON MIDDLESBOROUGH

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 STAFFORDSHIRE GUERNSEY

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p128-129_shopDirectory.indd 129 21/11/2016 10:48

 Tabletop Time Machine
MONOPOLY: PRISONERS
OF WAR EDITION (1941)
■ A letter from MI9 to Monopoly
publisher Waddingtons.
■ The 1936 first edition UK
board and box.
■ The Austerity Edition had
cardboard counters and a
spinner instead of dice.
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
T
here are few households that don’t own a copy of
Monopoly and its popularity is exactly what led to
it being used by the British Military Intelligence
(MI9) as a tool to help prisoners of war escape during
the Second World War. Approximately 35,000 British
and Allied servicemen escaped from prisoner of war
camps in Nazi-occupied Europe and roughly half of this
number did so using secret ‘escape and evasion’ maps.
Boredom was a major problem in POW camps and
the German officers knew that bored soldiers in captivity
were far more troublesome. They allowed some recreation
time for their prisoners to listen to music and play games,
which came in parcels delivered by aid agencies from
the UK. These were carefully searched before they were
handed over, but the resistance, in conjunction with
British Intelligence, had a plan to get secret messages
and escape maps through to the prisoners.
The escape maps needed to be designed so they
could fit in small places, be silently unfolded and resist
turning into mush when submerged in water. For
these reasons they were printed on silk squares using
pigments mixed with pectin that created a waxy ink
and formed a permanent waterproof print. Printing on
cloth is not an easy task but it had been done for many
years as a part of board game manufacturing so MI9
conscripted John Waddington Ltd, the country’s leading
game manufacturer, to assist.
Monopoly was an ideal candidate for the
subterfuge as it came in a large box and included
130
a large flat board. It also contained metal playing
pieces that could be used to hide component parts
which could be later assembled into items such as
a flat file or a compass. Monopoly contained play
money under which they could hide real German,
French or Italian currency. Finally, the silk escape
and evasion maps could be laid flat and laminated
into the board itself, creating the perfect ‘get out of
jail free’ kits.
The prisoners were instructed to destroy
everything once the items had been retrieved to
preserve the secret for future use; this unfortunately
means that none of these special boards have survived.
There is, however, evidence to back up this story.
The British Library contains both examples of silk
escape maps and correspondence between MI9 and
Waddingtons requesting the construction of these
sets. To protect the operation from retaliation, the aid
agencies sending the entertainment parcels were fake
and set up with addresses in buildings that had been
already destroyed by German bombs.
Whilst in this instance a board game was being used
for a very serious purpose, for most of us games are a
type of entertainment. Games also provide us with a
form of social interaction and a way to explore different
situations and partake in an alternative to reality.
Whether we are trading property, solving crime or
engaged in all-out wizard warfare, for many of us, games
are a means of escape. ■
18/11/2016 11:23
 IN THE NEXT ISSUE...

We get down with the groovy tabletop take on the cult horror-comedy flick
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.

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OF MECHS VS MINIONS | ESSEN: A DESIGNER’S PERSPECTIVE | FEB 2ND 2017
SEAFALL REVIEW | LABYRINTH PAINTING GUIDE | AND MORE!

131_nextIssue_V2.indd 131 21/11/2016 14:36

 Was William Shakespeare
born early enough to enjoy
the delights of a cup of tea?

And did he wear

a Top Hat?

Britain’s first Prime Minister was

surely at a later date...
...but was that before of after the
Great Fire of London?

Each turn you place one of your

cards where you think it goes
in the Timeline before turning it
over to see if you are right. There
is only one goal - correctly play all
of your cards!

This game contains 110 British

History themed cards and can
be combined with the cards from
other Timeline sets.

EXPLORE THE TIMELINE GAMES RANGE:

www.findyourgamestore.co.uk

Timeline British
p132.indd 1 History - Tabletop Gaming.indd 1 21/11/2016 10:00:41
21/11/2016 10:10