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 EDITORIAL
EDITOR
Christopher John Eggett
01778 392 400
christopher.eggett@warnersgroup.co.uk

MINIATURES EDITOR

Welcome
James Winspear
01778 395 018
james.winspear@warnersgroup.co.uk

CONTRIBUTORS
Matt Bassil, Anna Blackwell, Dave
Chapman, Sam Desatoff, Owen Duffy,
Robert Florence, Richard Jansen-

S
pace is a dangerous place, especially the parts
Parkes, Dan Jolin, Andy Leighton,
David Parlett, Alex Sonechkina,
full of nightmarish aliens attempting to nosh on
Charlie Theel, James Wallis, your brains. Like those areas of the cosmos,
Chad Wilkinson this issue is full of those dangers – with an in-depth
HEAD OF DESIGN & PRODUCTION interview with the creators of the new Alien: The
Lynn Wright Roleplaying Game. We’ve also reviewed the RPG and
DESIGN Richard Hallam, the love letter to the nasties-in-space genre that is
Mike Edwards Nemesis, which has finally come to retail. And yet more
COVER IMAGE
aliens abound in our feature on Mega Games – games
Alien: The Roleplaying Game set on a truly massive scale, and it’s exactly as fun and
messy as you would expect.
ADVERTISING
TO ADVERTISE PLEASE CALL We get down to plastic bits, rather than brass
ACCOUNT MANAGER tacks, with Anvil Industry, the creators of many of
Murdo MacLeod 01778 391 129
Now Playing... the wargaming ‘bitz’ that bring miniatures to life. For
murdo.macleod@warnersgroup.co.uk Ankh’or
those looking for fresh twists on the games they love,
MULTI MEDIA SALES EXECUTIVE our investigation into Osprey’s Blue Books series
Elizabeth Ridge 01778 395 059 should spark some ideas about hacking game rules.
elizabeth.ridge@warnersgroup.co.uk
And if you’ve ever wanted to know what would happen
ADVERTISING DESIGN if someone tried to make Monopoly strategic, then
AND PRODUCTION
Nicola Lock 01778 392 420 Magnate might be your answer.
nicola.lock@warnersgroup.co.uk

MARKETING
Get in touch
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PUBLISHED BY tabletopgamingmagazine
PUBLISHER Claire Ingram
claire.ingram@warnersgroup.co.uk tabletop_gaming_magazine

Warners Group Publications PLC Christopher John Eggett Editor

The Maltings, West Street,
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The views expressed by contributors are not necessarily
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everyone
the content of this magazine is accurate, but we assume Tomas Härenstam on your chances Sébastien Pauchon on Jaipur’s Matt Bassil relives his Mega
no responsibility for any effect from errors or omissions. of survival in Alien RPG, p22 joyful market, p30 Game experience, p50
While every care is taken with unsolicited material
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regulate the content of advertisements. Tel: 020 7429 2222 tabletopgaming.co.uk 3
© Warners Group Publications Plc, 2020
 In this issue ON THE COVER! 47 AROUND THE WORLD
06 AT A GLANCE 22 ALIEN RPG IN 80 PLAYS
We talk horror, space and death with the
09 FIRST TURN creators of Alien: The Roleplaying Game 50 MEGA GAMES
Jonathan Ying on Star Wars: Imperial Assault Reporting on the Mega Games trend from a
28 THE INDEPENDENT SHELF sixty-player game of Watch the Skies
10 TEN OF THE BEST We try to Escape From Hades
Time Travel games to take you through to a 53 UNEARTHED ARTEFACTS
new year 30 HOW WE MADE
We talk to Sébastien Pauchon trading spice 54 ANVIL INDUSTRY
13 ROLE CALL and camels in Jaipur Making a living from making miniatures

14 HAVE YOU PLAYED? 35 THROUGH THE AGES 61 PLAYED

Drawing cards from the deep dark in Abyss
37 CARDBOARD MANIFESTO 83 PAINTING GUIDE
16 MAGNATE: THE Theme, you’re doing it wrong Critial Role’s Vox Machina, Trinket and all
FIRST CITY
We talk boom, bust and Monopoly with 38 MICROGAME OF THE 88 DUNGEON MASTER’S
James Naylor
MONTH: NINJA VS ROBOTS GUIDE TO ROLEPLAYING
18 ALL THE JAHRES
Hanabi is a small package offering a big bang 40 BLUE BOOKS 91 EVENT REPORT
Welcome to the world of games hacking
21 MY FAVOURITE GAME 95 SHOP SPOTLIGHT
Michael Fox of Hub Games on the thrill of 44 SAFETY FIRST
hostile takeovers in Aquire Making safe spaces out of your tabletop 98 TABLETOP TIME MACHINE

4 January 2020
EXTRA CONTENT IN
YOUR DIGITAL EDITION
LOOK OUT FOR THESE ICONS AND ENJOY EXTRA REVIEWS,
Y O U T U B E V I D E O S A N D M O R E ! A L L J U S T O N E C L I C K AWAY ! THE GAMES
Abyss 14
Adventure Games 73
Alien RPG 22, 63
More info Kickstarter Gallery Zoom Panoramic 360˚ Sound Video YouTube Aquire 21
Critical Role: 83
Vox Machina
Dale of Merchants 72
Decrypto: Laserdrive 76
Doctor Who: 11
Solitaire Story Game
Dreams of Tomorrow 68
Eberron: Rising from 71
the Last War
Ecos 77
Election 98

16 30
Escape From Hades 28
Ganymede 65
Gaslands 40
Hanabi 18
High Frontier 53
Horrified 67
Jaipur 32
Kung Fu Panda 79
Last Bastion 75
Magnate: The First City 16
Marvel Crisis Protocol 78

40 54 Necromunda:
Dark Uprising
81

Nemesis 62
Ninja Academy 66
Paupers’ Ladder 64
Shardhunters 68
Time Stories 11
Toy Story: Obstacles 70
and Adventures
Tragedy Looper 11
Trogdor!! 69
The Board Game
Tussie Mussie 66
Unlock! 74
Timeless Adventures!
Volcanic Isle 76
83 Yggdrasil Chronicles 80

tabletopgaming.co.uk 5
 AT A GLANCE
LUDOQUIST RETURN TO TABLETOP GAMING LIVE
WITH A 400+ GAMES LIBRARY
Play hundreds of games at Tabletop Gaming Live thanks to Ludoquist board game cafe
Tabletop Gaming Live wouldn’t be a Gaming Live 2020 has to offer.
celebration of everything tabletop The show gives you a chance to
gaming related without our huge get up close with new releases
open gaming area. In 2019 this and even some that are waiting in
area of the show was buzzing with the wings. Demo areas and even
people playing games together – in a wargaming section allow players
no small part thanks to Ludoquist, to get involved with the games
who provided the entire games before they buy.
library for the show. We also have talks from some
And Ludoquist are returning to of our favourite designers, giving
Tabletop Gaming Live for 2020 you the inside story on how they
to bring their library of over 400 make the games we love, as well
games. So whether you want as tournaments to take part in
to play the latest Kickstarter or just enjoy from the sidelines!
and imports, or just settle Taking place at Alexandra Palace,
down with fancy versions London, on Saturday the 26th
classics like Smallworld and Sunday 27th September
Designer’s Edition, Catan 3D 2020, join us and Ludoquist for a
or Pandemic 10th Anniversary massive weekend of gaming.
edition for an afternoon of
good cheer, then Ludoquist’s
game library will be there
to help. For a small deposit,
gamers can borrow any games Watch our
they like from the library. Of
course, the impossibly helpful
Tabletop Gaming
Ludoquist staff will be around Live preview
to guide you if you’re having
trouble deciding.
The open play area is just
a small part of what Tabletop

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1.5 20FT TALL

The new update the size of
2.3M2

the size of the boards in World in Flames,

to the Song a giant cat now recognised by the Guinness Book of
of Ice and Fire that will be ‘set alight’ at the Exploding Kittens World Records as the largest board game
miniatures game creator’s new giant games event ‘Burning Cat’ commercially available

66
78

$1M
the number of the number of cards in the amount raised
properties on the the April-Fools-gag-made- on Kickstarter
new Monopoly real that is Barkham for the Divinity:
Longest Game Horror: The Meddling of Original Sin
Ever board Meowlathotep Board Game

NEW YEAR DEALS!

OFFICIAL SH
OW GUIDE 2
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TAPESTRY REMAKES
TABLETOP GAMING LIVE 2019 PICTURE SPECIAL SCYTHE AND CHARTERSTONE CREATOR JAMEY STEGMAIER
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35 34
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UNMISSABLE MOMENTS FROM OUR LONDON CONVENTION

2 019 O F F I C I A L S H O W G U I D E

30%
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EXTRA DIGITAL CONTENT INSIDE 28th and 29th September

IT

2019
tabletopgaming.co.uk November 2019 Alexandra Palace,
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AY I T | B U Y
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EMPIRES OF THE NORTH | SMALL WORLD | PAX PAMIR
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10
ESSENTIAL
GAMES AT
OINK GAMES ESSEN
Meet the Japanese SPIEL
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MAGIC: THE GATHERING

OFF TABLETOP GAMING MARVEL PLAYED TOP

CHAMPIONS
Captain Marvel! Spider-Man! Black Panther! Iron Man!
The Avengers assemble in the superpowered card game
Fairytales and fantasy collide in the
card game’sPLAYED
ISHTARD & D :
legendary next set
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Roll-and-writes

I N T O AV E R N U S WA R C R Y
Kingdomino’s designer CYBERPUNK RED
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 For the latest news from the world of gaming visit
tabletopgaming.co.uk/news We asked…
While we dreamed of
cracking open our biggest
games on Christmas
day, we’re quite sure
GLOOMHAVEN 2.0 necromancer has ‘permanent summons’ which aren’t
lost when defeated, only being added to the discard pile.
Nan doesn’t want to play
Gloomhaven. What were
– FROSTHAVEN IS The trade-off for the necromancer is that summoning the you playing instead?
COMING 2020 undead will cost the character health. The deathwalker
offers a strange shamanistic shadow army for players
while The drifter, the Inox has charged abilities that need
What we know about the new
Gloomhaven game
to be balanced by players. The blinkblade offers time
manipulation, allowing high-speed stabbing. The harrower is
You said…
It has to be something super
We all already thought that we’d been treated enough with a swarm of bugs controlled by two conflicting minds, a kind simple for all the family, so I’ve got
the announcement that there would be a new Gloomhaven of dual-class character which runs two decks. All of these a new copy of Just One ready to
expansion coming in the form of Jaws of the Lion. Now, to new characters are about balancing an ability resource. get out.
make your Christmas even more special Cephalofair Games There’s a split event deck based on the season, with a Matthew Hayward
has announced Frosthaven, a full sequel to Gloomhaven. winter and summer versions. Naturally, the worst things
The game is set in a remote location, far to the North of come in the winter. There’s a few monsters too. The Algox, I specifically have some festive
themed games to cover this.
the capital. This is a harsher world to inhabit in many ways. Lurkers and even Robots are all races that start as threats
Destination Christmas, Christmas-
Isaac Childres revealed more at PAX: Unplugged, informing in Frosthaven, but over time may be brought on to your opoly and Santa’s Workshop.
the crowd that the game will be one of scarcity. The side. It’s unclear what the robots are doing in Frosthaven, Ronnie Bradley
distant setting of the game makes trade much trickier, and so there’s plenty
importing goods from elsewhere will have to be unlocked. to uncover. The Dixit is always popular, as are a
A new crafting system is one of the ways that players will Kickstarter is set few hands of Sushi Go.
be able to combat this scarcity, creating their own items as to launch in 2020. Joshua King
they go out of the raw materials available to them locally.
The six new characters include the bannerspear – a Who would want to be hunched
over a table on Christmas Day
tank style character with ‘formation attacks’ where the
playing board games? Christmas
placement of your allies makes the attack possible. The Day is for punching, bagging and
reading the rules.
Dave Chapman

PAZIO TO BRING STARFINDER TO ALEXA Dungeon Mayhem is likely,

Hogwarts Battle is a possible,
Alexa, play Starfinder
Starfinder is the latest game to come to Alexa. After Ticket to Ride War of the Ring has no chance.
and River Horse’s Voidwarper, we can now use our voices to further Richard Lee
delve into the stars. The game is fully voice acted, and you’ll be asked
I’ve asked for Tiny Towns and
to add yours to the chorus to guide the adventure on.
Quacks, so fingers crossed it’ll be
The solo adventure, which is available right now, is called those. I’m pretty sure I’ve been
Starfinder: Scoundrels in the Spike and takes a player’s Starfinder good this year!
hero into the guts of Absalom Station – where something is going Roberto Jones
very, very wrong. The adventure was adapted by James L. Sutter and
includes a number of atmospheric sound effects and a musical score. I’ve got a copy of Age of Steam
This first episode is free, with future outings likely to cost at least that I’m hoping to play on Xmas
some spare change. Still, this is a simple and novel way to introduce day, channeling Monopoly vibes
someone to the world of RPGs. Want to have a go? Just say “Alexa, with a bit of ruthless track laying.
Charles Pritchard
play Starfinder!” to your Alexa-enabled device and you’ll be taken
straight into the new adventure.

Get in touch
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Back for a third year, Tabletop Gaming

Live is taking place at Alexandra Palace,
London on 26th and 27th September
2020. Get your tickets today from
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 FIRST TURN
JONATHAN YING
The designer of Bargain Quest and Power Rangers: Heroes of the Grid made a bigger
debut than he ever could have expected with 2014’s Star Wars: Imperial Assault.
Interview by Dan Jolin
BACKGROUND
“I studied storyboarding at CalArts, and honestly I
expected to be either an illustrator or storyboarder or
comic-book artist. Game design was always a bit of a
hobby. I’d just left an animation job when I saw a post
on the board-game subreddit that Fantasy Flight was
hiring. Conveniently, working in animation gave me
experience of the Adobe Creative Suite and storytelling
and working with IP… all these skills other than game-
design experience! But fortunately the application
involved a game-design test, and I got hired.”
COMPONENTS
“When I joined, they had just started working on
Star Wars: Imperial Assault. They asked me, ‘Are you
familiar with Descent: Journeys in the Dark Second
Edition, and do you know much about Star Wars?’
Well, I am a very large Star Wars nerd. I was more
familiar with Descent First Edition, but that meant I
was a little fresher to the system. Because Descent is a
fantasy dungeon crawler, it didn’t quite fit Star Wars,
which involves more ranged combat, so another big
influence was XCOM, and other tactical games like it.”
OBJECT
“There hadn’t really been a game like Imperial
Assault, which dealt with the adventure part of Star
Wars. They had done the space battles, we had a
Star Wars miniatures game, but nothing had this
fantasy-adventure element that Star Wars is built
on, and we really wanted to capture that flavor. I had
a strong opinion that I didn’t just want this to be
Descent Third Edition with a Star Wars coat of paint.
We wanted it to be generally approachable, but with
really tight mechanics and deep gameplay for both
competitive and casual gamers. Which is a super-
hard needle to thread!”
SETUP
“I got really lucky. It’s not the usual process for Fantasy
Flight to put a first-time designer on a project like
this. I was put on Imperial Assault in a developer role,
supporting the two lead designers Justin Kemppainen
and Corey Konieczka. But I suggested several changes
to the core system — such as the way heroes are
defeated, because the way it works in Descent is an
issue. And pleasantly, many of these ideas made their
way into the game, to the point where Justin and Corey
said my name should be on the box!”
January 2020
HOW TO PLAY
“Imperial Assault is an asymmetrical tactics game
where up to four players take control of heroes in
the Star Wars universe — like a smuggler, or a Jedi,
or a Wookiee with a big axe — and go on missions,
playing against a single player who controls all of the Nothing
Imperial forces. It is somewhat similar to Dungeons
& Dragons, except it’s more gamified. The Imperial had this
player is actively attempting to defeat the players in
a series of campaign missions that eventually form a fantasy-
narrative arc.”
adventure
END OF THE GAME
“It succeeded beyond our wildest expectations. element
It became a flagship product and has had a very
long, very successful lifespan — it was only that Star
recently announced that FFG are stopping physical
production of new content. Eventually I transitioned Wars is
onto other projects as a designer and they hired
full-time developers to continue working on the built
Imperial Assault system, so I had to let go of my
baby. I was a nervous wreck about it, but they did a on
great job. I’m super-proud of the game. It taught me
a huge amount of lessons, not least because I had
these two incredible mentors in Corey and Justin.
I learned more from Imperial Assault than
literally any project I have done since.”
STRATEGY TIPS
“Playtest your rulebook early is always my
advice to designers. It’s very easy to teach
someone how to play a game when
you’re there, but it’s much harder to
write the players a letter of how to
have fun with this box of stuff. There
are so many amazing games that are
let down by being hard to learn and
having a weak rulebook. The sooner
you can get a rulebook in front of
playtesters, the better. Because the better
your rulebook is, the more easily players
will get into the game.”
tabletopgaming.co.uk 9
 2
TIME
AGENT
The best thing to do with
time travel once you have
it? Uninvent it. Then,
you’ll always have been
winning. This is the victory
condition of Time Agents

1 T.I.M.E STORIES and if that doesn’t make it

appeal to you, I’m not sure
More or less the time travel game for many. Spend your time what kind of time traveller
wisely in this story-deduction game of travelling through time you are. Identify the key
and space solving a mystery. Each turn your time team can events from the past to
decide to spend your time visiting a location, gaining information make your faction stronger
from cards, and slowly unravelling the tangled narrative. You’re racing and once this is achieved,
against time, and failure means you need to start again, armed with new attempt to turn time travel
knowledge. T.I.M.E Stories also, ingeniously, has a way for you to save your into science fiction, rather
progress when you put it back in the box. Now that’s time travel. than science fact.

10 OF THE BEST
TIME TRAVEL GAMES
As we time travel forward, one second at a time, towards 2020, it feels like the
moment to take a look at some of the games that have tried to make it work.
So, strap yourself in as we attempt to reach 88mph as the clock strikes twelve
Picked by Christopher John Eggett

KHRONOS
3 A game of gaining influence by changing what has already been. The game
is played across three boards, representing each time period. Creating a
building in an early period makes it exist in later periods, if it is of large
enough size. This shows you a ripple of your actions through time. If you
use this building mechanic wisely you can even knock down building in the
future (or rather, make them never to have existed). Alternatively, you might be setting your
opponents in the future up for a windfall of points. An interesting, tactical tile-layer.

TEMPORUM
4 The forking narrative of time travel attracts some players to the theme. The existence of
alternative realities where things went a little differently. You could have done this, but
you decided to do this – the cost is what you didn’t do. Temporum is an attempt to create
this butterfly effect feeling by allowing you to throw switches in the past to create different
futures. As the shape of the game is a forked diagram, changing something further back can
have big effects on the future as the path to now flickers out.

10 January 2020
5
DOCTOR WHO:
SOLITAIRE STORY GAME
It’s lonely being The Doctor.
Which, we suppose, is why this
is a solitaire only game. More
like an RPG than a board game,
it’s worthy of inclusion for its
theme. You really are going to be
time travelling around fighting
the disruptive forces of evil. All
6
LOOP INC.
Replay a day at work over and over – hold on! hear me out… in Loop Inc
you’ll have at hand is this book you’re competing against your colleagues for a bonus with the use of a
and a sonic screwdriver. A story time machine. Luckily you’re not alone, you have the previous day’s self
game with a choose-your-own- by your side helping you (or, are you helping them?) Take extra actions
adventure element that is perfect on top of your previous day’s work and time it just right to come out on
for fans, whichever Doctor is top. If time travel is a fantasy about a fully optimised life, then this may
your favourite. be a good version of it for your tabletop.

7 TRAGEDY
LOOPER
An asymmetric scenario-led deduction game, where
a tragedy happens every day. But don’t worry, this
isn’t just a whodunit, it’s a whodunit-
then-stop-them-dunning-it-in-the-
first-place game. The game plays
out with a handful of protagonists
versus the mastermind who is there
to stop our heroes from influencing
the tragedy. Each side plays out
their cards, and it pushes the small
narrative along, effecting the location
and mental state of each character. If
someone dies, including the players,
everything is reset in an Edge of
Tomorrow kind of way. Bonkers, but
definitely high stakes!
LEGACY:
8 GEARS
OF TIME
Make leaps back in time to ensure your
people already have the technology they
need to survive and thrive. This game
plays out like an arms race across time –
create something in the past to already
have it now, while your opponent tries to
do the same. The risk comes in managing
the distance between you and your
technology. While it’s beneficial to have
already completed many upgrades, you’ll
need to spend as much as the distance
you are from the technology. As such this
can give players a satisfying game of back
and forth between generations.

9 10 CHRONONAUTS
Take on the
identity of a time
traveller with a
secret mission –
usually to snaffle a series of priceless
historical artefacts or to change the
ANACHRONY
Worker placement games aren’t always full of drama. But what if your workers
course of history by flipping cards.
A simple game where you’re trying
are going back in time to help themselves avoid a huge catastrophe? That’s to play cards to get cards, but with
Anachrony. The system is two-tiered as you need to send back specialists such the fun of seeing various tentpole
as scientists, as well as exosuited workers designed to protect said scientists. moments of history altered. While
Plan whether you’re going to try and avert the cataclysm or simply become these alterations remain a binary,
the most powerful faction after it happens. This is a heavy worker placement without the intricate ripples of change,
game and as such, some of the time travel dressing can disappear, like a tree it does give you a little taste of the
you forgot to plant in the past. feeling of changing history.

tabletopgaming.co.uk 11
Role Call
It’s a quiet time for new systems out there, but we can expect a wonderful harvest
of supplements and expansions in the first few months of 2020.
Words by Richard Jansen-Parkes
GENESYS -
EXPANDED
PLAYER’S GUIDE
With slick rules and endless
room for customisation,
Genesys has become one
of the best setting-agnostic
RPGs out there. Where
earlier supplements have
been aimed at expanding
certain genres, the
Expanded Player’s Guide
doubles down on its generic
nature with a whole load of
new options and guidelines
for customising your world.
Fantasy Flight | £23.99
January 2020
CYPHER SYSTEM: JIM HENSON’S THE EXPANSE RPG WARHAMMER
THE STARS ARE LABYRINTH THE ABZU’S BOUNTY FANTASY RPG:
FIRE ADVENTURE GAME Where many sci-fi DEATH ON THE
There aren’t too many Grab a handful of weird games promise an entire REIK
hard sci-fi games out puppets, put on the galaxy of adventure, The second chapter
there, but with The spandex and roll out The Expanse’s first full in the Enemy in the
Stars are Fire Monte your best David Bowie campaign promises to Shadows campaign
Cook Games are looking impression – it’s time squeeze a just as much launches the players onto
to bring semi-realistic to enter the Labyrinth. excitement into one little the beautiful river Reik,
space opera to the Coming from the solar system. Though which definitely won’t
Cypher System. The designers of the My Abzu’s Bounty kicks off turn out to be filled with
book promises ship- Little Pony RPG, this with a mundane mission cultists, rat-people and
to-ship combat rules, take on the classic (and aboard an ice miner, murderers. As well as
strange and wonderful thoroughly weird) movie expect to be running into adventures, expect some
new gear and a seriously looks to be interesting conspiracy with danger new rules on running
beautiful front cover. at the very least! around every bulkhead. games on the water.
Monte Cook Games | £41.99 River Horse | £34.99 Green Ronin | £27.99 Cubicle 7 | £29.99
tabletopgaming.co.uk 13
 h, the abyss. So deep, so dark,

A so full of terror. And so homely.

Abyss is a game of trying to gain
enough influence to become the
king of the abyss by convincing
others lords to support you, and in turn,
gaining control of specific locations. Open the
purposely off-putting box (a large, close-up
grumpy fish-man face) and meet the beautiful
and darkly dramatic deep-sea lords and the
various grim vistas that they could net you. In
the same way that Disney’s classic villains are
all extremely evil and gorgeously rendered,
your new hand full of fishes is too. Abyss is
a game that looks so good and is so nicely
themed that often players around my table
expect more from it. That’s not to say that
they’re disappointed, only that the production
values suggest that there should be something
very tricky at the deep dark heart of the abyss.
And there is! It’s you!

WHAT IS IT ABOUT?
The game is all about attracting the fishy
lords of the deep to your cause. You do this by
collecting cards into your hand and then using
them to buy up the influence of the available
lords. Each turn you have one of three actions

H AV E Y O U P L AY E D ? to take – explore the depths to recruit small-

fry allies (your main currency in the game),
recruit a lord from the available pool, or seek

ABYSS
The depths hold many fearsome dangers. And
politicians. See how far you’ll sink into the deep
to claim your victory.
Words by Christopher John Eggett
support from the council (which mean taking
a stack of unwanted allies from exploration).
Each exploration takes the form of a kind
of auction. Turn a card, offer it around before
offering it to yourself. If anyone else wants
it, they can pay a pearl for the first one. Two
for the second – making this bidding phase
a kind of push-your-luck mechanism. These
pearls, and the clam-shaped holders, are just
one of the small high-quality touches that
the game gives the players around the table
a sense of “Triple A” production. You want
to buy this crab-friend? That will require you

14 January 2020
rolling a lovely pearl across the table please.
Any unwanted allies go into race-themed piles
called the council. This council can be picked
up instead of exploring or buying a lord, giving
you the chance to stock up on many of a single
race, ideally for using as wildcard fodder or to
save up for one expensive lord from the court.
The lords themselves are bought with the
allies you’ve picked up from exploration by
matching their stated requirements. Once
you have proven yourself a leader of smaller
sea-creatures then you can convince one of the
extremely ugly lords onto your side. Once you
have them in your set they’re likely to activate a
power, or provide an ongoing benefit. This can
be something like obtaining a pearl for every
different race you send to the council when
exploring, or more insidious, like forcing your
opponents to turn a lord 90 degrees making
it only worth the endgame points, nullifying
their power. Other effects include discarding
a stack from the council, or a pearl tax on your
opponents. With these effects it’s easy to see
how your cabinet of underwater advisors builds
an engine of interruption for your opponent’s
plans. So, it’s more Finding Nero than Finding
Nemo, and all the better for it.
Sargosso, so good. The final element of your
points-making engine comes in the form of
the locations which you can bring under your
control using keys gained from exploration
(fighting monsters) or from lords themselves.
This part of the game is all about your timing.
While it’s usually good to pick up a lord with
a key, when you have three keys you must
take control of a location. You can do this
by picking the one visible location from the
pile, or pick a small handful and choose one.
In the second case here all of the unselected
locations become face up options for your
opponents, meaning your speed gives them
strategic options. To play the value of a key
from your lord you must slide them into the
location – covering their powers, making them
inactive. The locations themselves are game
winning in terms of points, so it can be worth
it – if you time it right. But go in too early and
you’ve just turned your supporting lords into
distant freeloaders.
Which is what it’s all about – making sure
you’re playing your hand, engine, and board to
only just give enough away.
WHY SHOULD YOU TRY IT?
This lord and land management is all dealt with
by extremely simple turns of only taking one
of previously mentioned actions. You always
take an action at a cost – which comes in the
form of giving options to other players. When
you explore you’re always offering others the
chance to buy the ally before you do, when you
draw location tiles, the ones you leave behind
might be useful to your opponents. Equally,
taking a lord depletes the supply of the court
which on one hand stops your opponent from
taking them, but does speed up the refresh,
giving them new and unknown options.
So, it’s about balancing out what you’re
giving away versus what you’re gaining with
any one of your actions. The game ends when
someone has seven lords in their collection,
so there is a temptation to try and rush out a
victory, but often this doesn’t work as your
actions are desperate and often leave options
open for the other players. It gives you a sense
of very relaxed deep-sea poker. But rather than
playing the hand and the river, you’re playing
the entire board state. As such it’s a great one
for its lightness, and once people have the
rules down it allows for a very low-pressure
experience. All of the player interactions are
set up by the game to causes little bubbles
of risk and reward to float up from the ocean
floor. These little bubbles are quickly popped
and moved on from, allowing the players
to manoeuvre back and forth, denying one
another the things they want from the game. It
bounces along as you all build your engines. All
the players are able to have good back and forth
over the game, especially with a few drinks.
And finally, it’s a beautifully put together
game. Every aspect of what, ultimately, is a
pleasant card game, is wonderfully produced.
The previously mentioned pearls are one
thing, but even the art on the cards and the
locations makes for a feeling of quality, all
tightly clustered around the deep theme of
the game. Quite uniquely repulsive, the lords
themselves offer a sense of being characters
with a dark past that lead them to their current
position. Whether that’s the strange nobility
of Sargasso farmers, or the stretched smiles of
the politician class. It’s not about the winning
or losing in Abyss, it’s about these horrible
friends you made along the way.
tabletopgaming.co.uk 15
 LOCATION,
LOCATION,
LOCATION
We talk to James Naylor about the art of greed in his
new hubris simulator, Magnate: he First City
Words by Christopher John Eggett
wanted to see it crash. I wanted to see what
I happened when we pushed this economic
model a bit too far. If I could last one more turn
I’d be able to cash in one more round of rent
and then sell up. hen I would have a chance
of winning. I couldn’t last. It did crash. And rather
than being a multi-multi-millionaire, I was merely
a millionaire. A tragedy to be contemplated
between bottles of champagne.
I meet James Naylor at Croydon’s gem of a
gaming café, Ludoquist. he café, provider of
the almost Alexandria-level of gaming library
at Tabletop Gaming Live, is buzzing with that
lovely low hum of people doing a lot of worker
placement, card shuling, and occasionally softly
clattering dice into trays.
We’re here to play Magnate: he First City. A
game about developing property and making huge
16 January 2020
sums of money before the bubble pops and brings
the value of our assets down to around our ankles.
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
he game’s genesis comes from a desire to mesh
the idea of a classic with a certain idelity. “[I
wanted to] capture the feeling of looking forward
to playing Monopoly” says Naylor, “So, not
even the spirit of the game itself, but what the
game promises to be”. Monopoly, while much
maligned, does at its heart have the promise
of something intrinsically pleasurable in the
building of an empire and placing of houses
and hotels. his feeling in conjunction with
wanting to create something that is strategic
while answering the question “can you make a
property game based on the way property really
works?” is the root of Magnate.
And with this clear line which leads all the way
back to Monopoly and the he Landlord’s Game
there is a strong element of satire in Magnate. It is
a deeply funny game if you enjoy realising all the
systems in the game encourage you towards acts
of developmental hubris.
“Property crashes and big market corrections
are just inherent to the world of property.
hey are key part of it,” says Naylor, discussing
how the game’s satire comes from a desire to
avoid presenting a fantasy to players. “It’s the
Keynesian idea of the animal spirits” Naylor
continues, referencing the economists’ concept
of spontaneous optimism driving activity and
speculation “whatever happens, people will
overvalue things and then it will crash. It’s
inevitable.”
And this is how the satire of Magnate comes
to the players. You’re incentivised by the systems
in place to act in your own best interests, not
for the city. “he satire for me is what it does to
people, what their mindsets are” says Naylor.
When you take actions in the game that are purely
in your own interest, and not that of the wider
community, it’s only afterwards that you realise
you’re playing out the joke. You are the punchline.
You could be building a huge apartment block
when no one wants to live in it as the supply
has been drained, or putting a factory up near
residential streets to lower your opponents’
chances of illing those dwellings with tenants.
Catch yourself in the mirror and you’ll ind there’s no real escape from becoming part
yourself resembling a Hogarth fat cat rather
than your usual attractive self.
It is compelling for of the joke as you play.
he game is crunchy and complex.
“[Players] get to build pretty buildings
and, just like real developers, they get to
people because here’s quite a lot of maths to do
sometimes (although the handy reference
have these grand vistas of ‘Oh this is my they’re both pushing their sheet actually does all the calculations for
neighbourhood where I’ve got this amazing you), but once you’re in, you’re in. his
oice block development of, of shops luck, and they’re also along satisfying weightiness is further explored
around and I built this apartment complex through expansions boxed in with the
nearby.,” says Naylor, “hey get to enjoy all for the ride at the Kickstarter. he three expansions include
of that, but just like real developers it’s not an additional luxury apartment block,
about a municipal vision.” Unlike other city same time expanding the game’s plastic placement
builder games the collaboration here is in scope, an introduction of blind bidding
the system, not between players. You can’t with screens, and most excitingly, a
plan for the city you’re going to build, only deck of employee cards which look to
your wallet. rungs the property value drops. his latter part is introduce clever combos. While you’d never want
important as at the end of the game you’re going to use these for your irst games, it’s immediately
BOOM AND BUST to be forced to have a ire sale at the new, lower evident how they provide depth to regular players.
he game is as simple as property development market rate. Another feature of the game the an “AI”. his,
itself – buy land, build properties, attract tenants “he whole centre of the game is built around a a set of cards with ‘if this then that’ statements
and make money. Straightforward in theory, right? push your luck mechanism,” says Naylor, “but it’s which allow you to solve the game for the AI. his
Like the real world, you’re not going to be doing not me pushing my luck. It’s all pushing the luck produces surprisingly human results and allows
this in a vacuum. Instead, you are part of a cycle – of the market. I’m both an agent, in the sense that the players to interact with it in the way they
an initially virtuous cycle – that encourages you to I’m somewhat causing it, but I am also subject would with a human player. While it can be used
make the most out of the land and opportunities to it.” Which is true. he players can, to some for solo play, can also be added into games of any
in front of you. he most what? Money, obviously. degree, push for a bust situation. Equally, with use number of people.
he game takes place over a grid of grids. For of certain elements of the game, like advertising With a massive Kickstarter success behind
the game we played there was a central pre-set tokens (a way to improve rolls for tenants) you Magnate, and the game scheduled for release
tile illed with a set of commercial, residential, can stabilise the inlation. “I can manipulate how in October 2020, we had to ask what is next. he
industrial and oice blocks. While you can many risk cards get drawn. I can manipulate games Naylor has in mind for the next project
build any of the up-for-sale locations (or spots whether the price is going up based on my actions wild and varied. A deck builder built around
adjacent to you for double the market value), to some extent.” Explains Naylor, “hat has been one turn kills, a game in tribute to Railways of
when it comes to attracting tenants their desires quite compelling for people because they’re both the World with a powerful modelling of a supply
are afected by the surroundings. Neighbouring pushing their luck, and they’re also along for the chain ecosystems, and maybe most surprisingly
districts dictate the number of dice that can be ride at the same time.” a dinosaur game hoping to tap into the hubris
rolled to attract tenants. Depending on what his sense of being able to cause a crash at the at the heart of Jurassic Park. But until then
you’re building you check the chart for the right time is another one of the satirical needles we’re just going to have to keep an eye on the
number you need to roll and count any bonuses in the game. Much like the systems themselves, changing skyline.
for adjacent locations. Cash in your dice and
take tenants from the limited but randomly
replenished pool. Once they’re in you can claim
rent from them at the end of the turn. Collecting
rent seems like a great idea, until you start getting
anxious about the bust track.
We should talk about the property values, and
the bust counter. Nearly everything that happens
in the game pushes the property price up a rung.
his makes it more expensive to buy land but
makes consulting (a way of making money with
one of your actions equal to the current property
value) worth more. Also, of course, when it comes
to selling your property (which you can do for the
lump sum payout) you multiply the various values
and bonuses of a tile which you are selling from by
the current market price. In this then, there is the
conlicting temptation of lipping your property,
or collecting another turn’s worth of rent.
Your actions can also trigger the lipping of
risk cards which do two things. During the game
they can move the bust counter down towards
the crash, and after they indicate how many

tabletopgaming.co.uk 17

James Wallis replays the winners of the Spiel des Jahres so you don’t have to
he winner of the 2012 Spiel des
T Jahres may have closed the curtains
on the style of game that had
exemplified games in the 1990s and early
2000s, but the jury’s choice for the 2013
winner of the most important games prize
in the world was something completely
new. Antoine Bauza’s Hanabi was not only
the first proper co-op game to win the
Spiel des Jahres, it was only the second
card game (after 2009 winner Dominion)
and, at 12×9.5cms and a tiny 136 grammes,
easily the smallest.
It’s also one of the least known. That may
be because its theme isn’t that immediate
– you’re organising a fireworks display – or
because that theme is only loosely tied to
the gameplay, which is about playing cards
by suit (colour) in ascending number order.
Most likely it’s because it’s hard to make
it sound thrilling in a description. Are you
thrilled yet? Didn’t think so.
This wasn’t Antoine Bauza’s first trip to
the racetrack. In 2011 he’d picked up the
Kennerspiel (the SdJ’s sibling prize for
expert games) for 7 Wonders, and in 2012
his pandariffic game of bamboo-farming
Takenoko had garnered a wokful of awards.
The latter had also established one of his
recurring game-design features: games
with a Japanese theme but that could have
been set anywhere. Tokaido, Bakong, Dojo,
the Kickstarting-as-I-write-this Namiji…
it’s a surprisingly long list.
Bauza had actually started out as
an RPG designer. His first board game
Chabyrinthe, a post-Labyrinth tile-based
game about rotating paths to guide cats
home, wasn’t released until 2007. Hanabi
had actually started life the same year
18 January 2020
All the
Jahres
Words by James Wallis
HANABI
Year of win: 2013
Designer: Antoine Bausa
Number of players: 2-5
Playing time: 20-30 minutes
Worthy winner? Yes
Worth playing now? Yes
Availability: Various editions in print
Price: Basic set is £10, deluxe is £20,
deluxe II is £50
as 7 Wonders as half of another pseudo-
Japanese title, Hanabi & Ikebana, which
used a single deck of cards to play two
different games: the co-operative Hanabi
and the competitive Ikebana, which is about
flower-arranging.
It was released in France in 2010 to an
almost unanimous response: Ikebana kind
of sucked. One shortened title later, Hanabi
reappeared solo a year later. However it
wasn’t eligible for the Spiel des Jahres until
it had been published in Germany, which is
why it had to wait another two years.
The genius heart of Hanabi is to take
one of the basic concepts of card games
and flip it – literally. You hold your hand
of cards backwards, so you can’t see
what you have but everyone else can.
So one of the things at the centre of the
game is remembering the scant pieces of
information you’ve been given. You’re only
holding four or five cards, and each one
has just three pieces of information: its
colour, its number, and its position in your
hand. Surely our mighty brains should
have no difficulty with such a trivial task?
Oh, my friend, you have no idea. And you
have never felt the pain of staring at the
backs of five cards and going, ‘I know I have
a red three… and I know it’s one of these
two… but…’
Cognitive load, the amount of
processing power a game takes up in the
mind of its players, is an underrated part
of game design. It’s related to complexity
but it’s not the same thing, it’s much
more about how playing the game makes
us feel. Some people enjoy games with
almost no cognitive load at all: Snakes
and Ladders and Cards Against Humanity
more or less play themselves. The bigger
the game, the more likely it is to be a
brain-burner, and some people love that
sense of having nothing in their minds
except the game, with not even enough
room to think about pizza toppings.
Despite its tiny package, diminutive
rulebook, and general impression that
this is going to be light entertainment,

Hanabi showed that the Spiel des
Jahres was still prepared to
champion new and exciting design.
Hanabi is a brain burner—and one with an
edge of sudden death about it.
Because in Hanabi, if you play a card and
there’s nowhere for it to go then you lose
a life, and ‘you’ means everyone. And you
have three lives, and no way to get more.
This is seat-of-the-kimono stuff, where every
decision may doom you all. It’s far more fun
than the hokey fireworky theme would have
you believe.
The air of tension is increased by the
tight limits the game imposes on you. On
your turn you can put down a card, which
must be either a 1 of an unplayed colour
or the next number of a colour-suit already
in play; or give another player one piece of
information about their hand at a cost of one
information chip, or discard a card and get
one chip back. So there’s a tight economy
of information chips and you collectively
don’t want to run out, but if you accidentally
discard the only remaining white 4 then
that’s the white pile dead and everyone is
giving you death-stares across the table.
LEFT The cards
that go into
creating the
fireworks display in
Hanabi
BELOW The
mahjong-style
tiles of the deluxe
edition
It’s a delightfully ticklish puzzle of a
game. It doesn’t outstay its welcome, it
makes you feel clever, and the temptation
to try once more to get a better score is
strong. And because it exhorts players
not to talk to each other about their
hands and the spread of information is
decidedly imperfect, it resists any attempts
to quarterback, so every player is equally
important to making the display work.
Crucially, though, Hanabi showed that
the Spiel des Jahres was still prepared to
champion new and exciting design. There
had been clever small card games before,
and some like 6 Nimmt! had made the SdJ
list of recommended titles, but the choice of
a co-op title for the winner was new territory.
The only loser was Matt Leacock, who in
the last five years had been shortlisted for
his co-ops Pandemic and Forbidden Island,
and would be shortlisted again for the
Kennerspiel in 2016 for Pandemic Legacy
Season One, and wouldn’t win that either.
Maybe he’d have done better if he’d given the
games a Japanese title.
There are deluxe and super-deluxe
editions of Hanabi, with mahjong-
style tiles that land on the table with a
satisfying clack. However the original card
version has a purity and simplicity that’s
hard to beat, if only for the sensation
of holding five cards backwards in your
hand, aware that everyone else knows
exactly which one you should play next –
and you have no idea.
Next issue: it’s time to get stacking
dromedaries as we try to answer the age-old
question: is it Camel Up or Camel Cup?
tabletopgaming.co.uk 19
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ttgami.ng/jan20
Our digital edition is available to download to all devices,
including a mobile-friendly edition (hooray - no more zooming!)
The first roleplaying game set in the world of Android: Netrunner will put you right at
the centre of New Angeles’ cyberpunk dystopia. Step into the Shadow of the Beanstalk
Words by Matt Jarvis
ndroid: Netrunner is dead, long
A
live Android.
When Fantasy Flight
announced last summer that
its living card game reboot of
Richard Garfield’s ‘90s CCG
Netrunner would be coming to
an end after six years, the news
was unsurprisingly received with an amount of shock
and disappointment among fans. Disappointment
that one of – if not the – most acclaimed competitive
tabletop games ever made was being cut off in its
prime, combined with the surprise of the timing
mere months after the game had been updated
with a revised core set and long-awaited rotation for
tournament play.
Even those working on the game seemed surprised
Go to: pktmags.com/ttg-january20
at the decision of Wizards of the Coast – the Magic: The
Gathering maker that owns the rights to the original
Netrunner – not to renew the licence it had granted to
Fantasy Flight to work on Android: Netrunner.
“It seems like the timing couldn’t be worse to
announce the end of the game line,” studio head
Andrew Navaro wrote in a blog post at the time, while
lead developer Michael Boggs described his own “mix
of sadness, confusion and nostalgia” at being told the
game was to be brought to a close.
Both designers added their hope that Netrunner’s
passionate community would keep the game alive after
its final expansion, Reign and Reverie, wrapped up its
impressive six-year run.
“I hope and believe the community will keep it alive
for years to come,” said Boggs.
“Just because we won’t be printing it anymore
doesn’t suddenly turn it into a game that’s not worth
playing,” Navaro added, pointing out the continued
popularity of the original Netrunner among fans long
after it too had stopped being updated: “Their patience
and dedication were eventually rewarded by the
resurrection of the game they loved.
18 January 2019
for all digital offers
Unfortunately, digital subscribers are unable to receive exclusive promo gifts, subscriber covers or discounts at this time.
THE BEST KIDS’ GAMES LITTLE WARS
EX NTSID
CO IN
TR EN E
T O P L AY W I T H T H E Y O U N G ( A N D O L D ) T H I S S U M M E R H O W WA R G A M I N G M A D E I T B I G
A T
tabletopgaming.co.uk August 2019
“Personally, I hold out hope that one
day Netrunner will return, and that our part in its
history will be regarded as a significant chapter of its
much longer journey.”
TAKE BACK CTRL
While Android: Netrunner’s fate had been sealed,
buried amongst the bittersweet reminiscences lay
a flicker of hope for the future of the wider Android
universe – the futuristic setting Fantasy Flight had
relocated its reboot of the card game to in place of
Netrunner’s origins in the world of ‘80s tabletop RPG
Cyberpunk 2020.
“While Android: Netrunner is coming to an end, the
worlds of Android will continue to be explored, from
the gritty streets of SanSan to the warring colonies of
Mars,” Fantasy Flight vowed.
The next journey into the cyberpunk world would
turn out to be the deepest exploration of the Android
universe yet. Shadow of the Beanstalk is the first
roleplaying sourcebook to take place in the setting,
giving players the chance to live out their adventures in
both the near-future real world depicted in murder-
mystery series starting point Android and its follow-up
board games New Angeles and Android: Infiltration, S U M M E R O F R O L E P L AY I N G S P E C I A L !
and the Matrix-like virtual space known as the
Network that served as the battlefield for Netrunner
and cyber bank heist Android: Mainframe. Where
those games each focused on just one slice of the
connected world, Shadow of the Beanstalk brings all of
the parts of the universe together for a closer look at its
&
technological and social strata than ever before.
“Up until now, you’ve seen Android in either a big-
picture view – the Worlds of Android [book] and the
Android and New Angeles board games – or through
a lens that’s very focused on the Network: Android: Shadow of the Beanstalk
Netrunner,” says developer Samuel Gregor-Stewart. is the most intimate look
“In the board games, you’re flying over New Angeles at at Android’s cyberpunk
a very high level – quite literally in some cases – then universe to date
swooping down to have specific interactions.”
Hell yeah! Return to Baldur’s Gate and face the demons
of the Nine Hells in the RPG’s wicked next adventure
tabletop
PATHFINDER:
tabletopgaming.co.uk 19
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my favourite game
MICHAEL FOX
Creator of the tactile dexterity real-estate game, Megacities:
Oceania, tells us a little about hostile takeovers in Aquire
what to do with your shares. You can either sell
your shares, trade them in at a two for one rate, or
keep them in the hope that the company may be
relaunched at some future time. You can do any
combination of the three options but the skill to
getting ahead in Acquire is knowing when to switch
It’s late-
strategies, pull the trigger and just go for cash. It’s
late-capitalism in game form, companies getting
capitalism
larger and larger, leaving a few major corporations
standing, followed by a mass payout session and
in game
selling of shares at the end of play.
I’ve been playing Acquire for years and every game
form,
feels different. Yes, I prefer the free-for-all massacres of
five and six player games, but it really doesn’t matter
companies
how many people you have sitting around that table.
Each time is a different experience even though the
getting
simple, beautiful gameplay remains constant – tiles are larger and
always placed, mergers always happen – but the story
hen everything else is gone, is always different. larger,

W Acquire will still stand tall.

Originally released by 3M
way back in 1962, this release
from legendary designer Sid
Sackson still feels fresh and clean compared to many
of today’s releases.
Tile drawing is Sackson’s only nod to randomness,
emulating the shady machinations of backroom
business. Sometimes the game just won’t go your way,
but clever share purchases will keep you in the running
even if you have little control over mergers. Acquire is
a game that rewards careful, clever play that improves
leaving a
few major
corporations
The premise is simple: invest in some (or all) of
the seven available companies, grow them, organise
with experience, maturing as you play more and more,
learning when to merge companies and – often more
standing
takeovers and get paid. Whoever has the most cash at importantly – when to hold off.
the end is the winner; it’s so straightforward it hurts. I Choosing to play with secret information adds yet
can’t imagine what it would have been like to see this hit another level to the game: keeping your shares and cash
a table in the early sixties. Even now it feels spectacularly under wraps brings in the need for a good memory, but
tight to play, a near perfect game with just a little hint of that’s really for those who enjoy a more masochistic
randomness to keep you on your toes… table. Regardless of how you choose to play, Acquire can
Turns are simple. A single tile is placed from a be described in a single word: perfection.
player’s hand of six. If that tile is adjacent to another
that isn’t part of a group, a new company is formed
(as long as there’s one available). That player receives
a free share in the new start-up, then is allowed to
purchase a further three shares in any of the currently
active companies on the board. A new tile is drawn and
play moves on… see? Easy.
If a tile is placed that links two (or more) companies,
it’s merger time. Players only have a limited amount of
cash at the start of the game and mergers are the only
way you can get more money for further investment.
It’s really easy to find yourself high and dry with stacks
of shares but not a penny to spend. Eventually though,
mergers will occur: the larger company eats up the
smaller one, then investors in the soon-to-be defunct
concern will get some much needed money.
The two players with the most shares get a bonus
payout, then folks go round the table and decide

January 2020
tabletopgaming.co.uk 21
22 January 2020
MOTHER KNOWS BEST
In space, only the GM can hear you scream
Words by Christopher John Eggett | Images courtesy of Free League
T
he other members of the crew
had descended into the dark and
cavernous belly of the ship, hoping
to find the captain of our original
vessel. Here, in the medical bay,
something very unfriendly has emerged
from an NPC. Recklessly, a member of the
crew attempted to kick it hard. This was the
same character who had injected herself with
what she assumed would be some kind of
inoculation. She managed to snatch it from the
hands of the scientist, but injected it into the
wrong part of her body. Its effectiveness will
be unknown without ocular application. In the
end, this wouldn’t matter. The company man
with a gun standing behind her fancied taking
a shot at the newly emerged horror. He’s not
got a great aim. He misses it, and in the process,
shoots her in the back.
This isn’t the way I expected the first character
to die in my playthrough of Alien RPG’s
standalone cinematic scenario, Chariot of the
Gods, but it speaks to the breadth and depth of
death options in the new game from Free League
Publishing. The Swedish developers of Mutant:
Year Zero and Tales from the Loop have taken on
the tense space horror of the Alien franchise and
found so many wonderful ways for us to die on
the outer edges of the cosmos. I spoke to Tomas
Härenstam, the co-founder and CEO of Free
League, who directed and designed the rules for
Alien RPG, about how the publisher made the
vast and threatening universe of Alien into a place
where people would want to have adventures.
“Really, what we wanted to do with this RPG
is two things. First off, to give a really cinematic
experience of playing in an RPG of an Alien
movie. To get that sense of space horror – mainly
from the first Alien movie – in the scenarios and
also in the mechanics. And the second objective
of the game is to give players a chance to really
dive into the Alien universe,” says Härenstam,
alluding to the two game modes which come
packed in with the roleplaying game. The latter
is the traditional campaign mode of the game,
designed for longer play, and giving players the
chance to get into the nitty-gritty of life out in the
frontiers. The first is the brutal, quick, and deadly
cinematic mode. These are ‘one-shot’ scenarios
which are designed to be played out over a few
sessions at most, and contain dramatic elements
that wouldn’t work in the longer campaign
mode, like player death.
APPROACHING HORROR
Once you’re over the initial excitement of the
very idea of an Alien roleplaying game at all,
there comes the question of how it could be
implemented. It’s almost an impossible brief
– creating a sci-fi horror scenario where the
most famous antagonist in the universe is an
unstoppable killing machine, a pure expression
of primal terror. What attracts so many to the
Alien films, especially the first, is the sense
of the sublime in the horrors that are being
faced. The feeling of godless insignificance of
human actions, and existence, when faced with
something that represents a fundamental and
awesome threat. While in many RPGs there
is conflict, there’s often a good chance of the
protagonists surviving – the ‘overcoming the
monster’ narrative is so well trod that we now
often expect to overcome the monster. Here
we’re not often afforded quite so much leeway.
And with multiple storytellers, how can a game
approach this kind of horror collaboratively?
“That was the big question,” says Härenstam,
“Horror in RPGs is always quite tricky because
horror is such a visceral emotion. In an RPG that
can be hard to get across. And before you can get
the actual horror, you have the tension building.”
Free League approached this problem by
including swathes of accessible direction within
the book, as well as baking in the required ‘stages
of horror’ for effective terror into the mechanics
of the game. The guidance for the ‘Games
Mother’ (a very good, if obvious pun on the
name given to the central onboard computers
of many ships) includes developing a sense of
tension. It encourages those running the game
to take time building up the threat of the things
in the shadows. The environmental details are
also all there to offer the haunted house sense
creaking and groaning hallways. Debris strewn
medical rooms, and personal quarters all but
destroyed in a long-forgotten incident.
tabletopgaming.co.uk 23
 ALIEN T H E R O L E P L AY I N G G A M E
STAGE IV:
SCOUT
And in that, it’s also about a sensory
experience. The world of Alien RPG is dangerous,
and not only because of what we do know, but
because of what we can’t quite make out in the
darkness. Hearing a hiss of an airlock somewhere
nearby when everyone is accounted for, or of
what sounds like footsteps in the shadows or
in the walls can trigger all kinds of low-level
tension for players. There is scope too, to create
a misunderstanding of something in the dark
as threat – believing your eyes is the best you
can do, and that only goes so far. The ships and
systems themselves are also obscuring for player
characters. A GM can easily have something
reported from the ships systems designed to
throw players off, or to alert them to the potential
of a threat approaching somewhere in the ship.
And this brings us on to body horror. It
wouldn’t be Alien without the plastic reality
of scrungy things bursting forth from NPCs.
Härenstam defers to Andrew E. C. Gaska, the
writer of the Chariot of the Gods cinematic
scenario on this aspect. Gaska created much
of the setting work for the game, and as such,
conjured a great deal of the physical reality
players face. In these scenarios there are a
number of powerful descriptions for GMs to
use that provoke visceral reactions from players.
24 January 2020
STAGE V:
SOLDIER
Often these disgusting events happen to NPCs,
which is a helpful part of the cinematic mode for
GMs, as it’s not always going to be easy to find
the right tone. “Running scenarios with body
horror elements can easily tip over and become
too much. You kind of have to hit the right note. I
think that can be a challenge. But a fun one.” Says
Härenstam. Getting this tone right is important
because they are often the pay-off of longer-
term environmental threats. If the whole game
is about building tension to the point of conflict
and drama, then overdoing these moments of
nastiness could leave things falling flat. Helpfully
there is a mechanic built into the game to ensure
tension is always being built upon.
“So, it’s this kind of increasing tension that
will eventually explode in one way or the other,”
says Härenstam “It’s a key thing in the game
mechanics themselves. You get these stress dice,
which will actually make you more effective.
They will help you to an extent – but then if you
get too many of them, they will trigger panic
effects.” The stress and panic system is one of
the most important tweaks to Free Leagues
own Year Zero system. This system is one of
dice pools. You gain dice for your relevant skills,
attributes and gear and generally you want to
roll sixes. In Alien RPG a stressful situation will
STAGE VI:
QUEEN
give you stress dice to roll as well – this works the
same way as the other dice for rolling success but
rolling a one triggers a panic effect.
“The more stress you have, the more effective
you become. But you also increase the chance
of rolling ones, which can trigger panic,”
says Härenstam, “so that’s the trade off.” This
functions with the push mechanic too. If you
fail a roll in Alien RPG you can always reroll
once, but you will add a stress dice to your dice
pool. Players have to ask themselves whether
they really want to push the dice roll – is it
really worth it? With that, there’s a risk-reward
in every dice roll. Panic can cause knock-on
effects for players and their party. These effects
can range from developing a nervous twitch
that increases the stress levels of nearby player
characters, through to freezing in place, going
berserk or even turning catatonic. On top of this,
rolling too much panic can give you permanent
psychological damage in campaign play. “If you
suffer really extreme stress effects, you can get
permanent psychological damage. That’s true.
But then this doesn’t happen too quickly, but it
can happen,” says Härenstam.
The effects of stress are one of the background
threats, like the rest of the environment. The
ships that most of the action takes place on are
clunky, huge beasts. Oil refineries moving When we do come face to face with an Loop. “But in Alien, just to sort of get the sense of
through space like slowly drifting trash. They Xenomorph, seeing and understanding it the movies. I mean, characters must be able to
are brutal machines made for utility that our more doesn’t necessarily make for a better die and they should die quite a lot. In cinematic
human characters rattle around within, and chance of survival. There are no smart choices mode you should be really lucky if you actually
yet, being in the bellies of these beasts feels in that moment. Meeting with an alien doesn’t make it through alive. Just like in the alien movie,
like home in comparison with the gaping always spell death, but it is unpredictable. most of the crew, they will die along the way and
emptiness of space. That emptiness that you “The xenomorphs, the way they attack and you have to have that sense here as well.”
and your crew are floating in dangerous, and the damage they do, that all depends on these This is certainly true of my experience in
your ships comparatively fragile. As such, signature attacks that are randomized,” says cinematic mode. The players I was ‘mothering’
exploring the rotten space hulks between the Härenstam “which means you’re never really through the experience didn’t last all that long.
stars is exactly as dangerous as you would sure what they will do. It’s never going to be that They’d split up and ended up in a stressful
expect it to be. the xenomorph is just going to do another attack, situation where they made some poor choices
“There’s more general dangers like blowing just like the one they did the round before. And and bad rolls. It wasn’t a problem though,
a hole in the hull that will decompress an you just know what’s going to happen.” Theses eliminated players don’t stay out for long.
entire section of the ship,” says Härenstam, signature attacks are right out of the films, from “The cinematic scenarios usually have a
“and that’s something that we felt needed to tail spikes and head bites to the facehugger’s number of NPCs that are easily transformed
be a part of the game. Alien is semi-hard sci-fi extremely evocative ‘The Final Embrace’ – which into player characters. You can actually pick up
I guess, so it’s not super realistic in every detail is exactly what you think it is. another character and play to finish the scenario,
– but we did still feel that space and being on a and not have to leave the game,” explains
spaceship needs to feel dangerous in itself. Like THIS TIME IT’S WAR Härenstam. There’s something videogamey
radioactivity or a vacuum, there is just a danger All of this is to say, you’re going to die, a lot. At about the way that death is treated in this mode.
to being in space.” This makes any actions least in cinematic mode. Yet character death in Insert another coin, and pick up where you
you take while playing the game seem more an RPG doesn’t always fit well with the level of left off in another body with new agendas and
threatening and your life more precarious. investment players may have in their characters. allegiances. It’s great. And, what’s more, it’s an
Your resources are limited too. Not only in “That’s such a big thing in many games, how important and satisfying part of play. “That felt
the obvious, such as ammunition, but also to handle character death,” says Härenstam, like an important thing to do. The player death
in the amount of air in your tank – a danger citing the various games from Free League where is much more part of cinematic play. And those
compounded by the fact that when you remove characters cannot die, such as Tales from the are only meant to last one to three sessions,
your helmet in an unknown ship full of alien
eggs, you don’t know what you’ll breathe in.
“I think what can really work is when
you suffer both [the xenomorph and
environmental threats] at the same time.
Maybe you start off with facing a xenomorph,
and then, something happens that also
decompresses part of the ship. Or the other
way around; you’re out space walking to fix a
damaged engine and then something happens
with the xenomorph.” says Härenstam “you
can get that doubling effect that can be really
troubling for players and a lot of fun.”
With the whole environment against you
as well as occasionally being hunted, games
of Alien RPG can quickly spiral out of control.
“I think the difference may be that even
though the vacuum and these [environmental
threats] are very dangerous, they’re kind
of dangerous in a way that you can know.
At least you have an idea of how it works.
Whereas, the xenomorphs are much more
unpredictable,” says Härenstam. In this there
is a statement about how the whole of Alien
RPG relies on characters taking calculated risks
based on information that’s obscured from
them, whether that’s by the dark shadows of
a groaning hull or the sometimes unreliable
readouts of machines.

tabletopgaming.co.uk 25
 ALIEN T H E R O L E P L AY I N G G A M E
probably not more than that. And they are one-
shots. So you’re not meant to continue playing
with these characters.”
The deaths you experience, because there is a
chance to rejoin later actually feel like a satisfying
end to some of your characters. This is in part
because of the conflicts you’re experiencing
while playing, and also because of the speed of
play. Cinematic mode is rapid, like returning to
a facehugger that you’ve left in the kennels for a
week while you were on holiday. Each scenario
takes place over three acts, with a rising tension
throughout each. What’s more is that each
pre-generated character has their own secret
agenda dealt out by the GM which changes with
each act. This allows for very natural play, and a
cranking up of the tension when it’s needed.
“In the final act things really start to
unravel,” says Härenstam, “the idea is that it’s
fine for characters to die because that’s just
part of the finale. It’s part of the climax of this
scenario.” In the final stages, these scenarios
can be high-conflict free-for-alls that see
nearly every aspect of a story resolved, even if
that means in a very permanent way for your
character “If your character dies, that can be
as rewarding in a sense as him or her living on.
That’s part of the philosophy.”
A LONG LIFE ON THE
FRONTIER
Game mothers have a lot to do in cinematic
play, simply because there is so much
going on. While often a roleplaying game is
deeply collaborative, here there is a sense of
interruption from the GM. It’s less that the GM
is railroading the story and more that they’re
encouraged to throw spanners in the air-vents
to keep the players on their toes. Campaign play
on the other hand is designed to be much more
26 January 2020
of a slow burn, with a more traditional give and
take between players and their GM.
For those that have only seen the films, they
may be unaware of the extended Alien universe
of comic books and videogames. This universe
is only hinted at in the main line of Alien films.
“It’s not very clear what’s actually canonical”
says Härenstam, talking about building this
world. This fact has been turned to Free League’s
advantage in the RPG, where the wildest
excesses of the films can be ignored (think Alien
vs Predator, some of the Prometheus silliness,
Characters
must be able to
die and they should
die quite a lot
Resurrection) and the conflict comes from more
human aspects of the setting. In many ways the
book ties up some of the loose ends that the
canon of the films had left sprayed about like so
much acidic xenomorph blood.
“The whole game is set shortly after Aliens –
the second movie – where there’s an escalating
conflict between the different colonies of this
universe. This is a sort of ‘wild west’ situation
where there are different powers; corporations,
but also governments and colonies,” says
Härenstam “there’s an increasing amount of
conflict between them. In the campaign mode
you really are free to explore these conflicts using
that big star map that we have. You can explore
the current situation as you see fit, whether
you’re a colonial marine, an explorer or a space
trucker or something else entirely.”
The game is set in a specific year, 2183, around
four years after the events of Aliens. The potential
for world building is huge. Small directions to
the GM for building worlds in solar systems
like “Human presence in a star system will be
established on the most lucrative planet, not
the most Earth-like,” tell you a lot about how
this setting remains hostile, but in a much more
human way.
For players in this mode, there’s likely to
be a lot less death, at least, when it comes to
player characters. The xenomorph is used
differently here, and GMs are advised not
to use them all the time. That’s one of the
reasons that a full range of xenomorph types
have been included, allowing for a variance
of threat level – and the amount of conflict
from the second most dangerous creatures
in the Alien universe, humans.
“The core system is the same, but a
campaign mode doesn’t necessarily involve as
lethal threats. It can, I mean you can run into
the worst kinds of horrors – but you can also play
missions that don’t involve xenomorphs at all.”
Explains Härenstam, admitting what we might
have suspected, “You cannot have xenomorphs
in every single planet you go to. I mean, they can,
but it will just get, you know, boring.” Instead,
to keep interest up, they should be teased off-
screen, be an adjacent part of the story that gets
slowly revealed.
And this is a key challenge facing the team at
Free League. How to make an Alien game that
can be played as a campaign? After all, once
you have seen an xenomorph, it can’t just go
back into its box, egg, or chest. But that’s the
beauty of it really. Players are tempted into
imagining the worst during campaign play
because of knowledge outside of what their
characters know. While character knowledge
of an xenomorph can take away or soften
the feeling of danger if used repeatedly, the
lingering threat of knowledge only held by
the player can play a part in keeping longer
campaigns full of fear.
“It’s actually a double-edged sword in a way,”
says Härenstam, “because also having that
knowledge can also increase tension. You don’t
know exactly what’s going to happen, but you
know, it’s going to be bad because you’ve seen
the movies.”
This is balanced with the use of downtime,
a mysterious art in the world of roleplaying
games. “You’ll need to find some downtime
between the intense action sequences because
you need to relieve the stress and lose those
stress dice” says Härenstam. Here, the benefit of
reducing your stress dice gives an obvious place
to settle between high intensity action that is
really desired by players, mechanically. There’s
a narrative appeal which is also important to the
genre, “downtime gives that kind of ebb and flow
between horror or action. Downtime with some
banter and that – you have to have that, even in
cinematic scenarios. In campaign of course you
can have longer periods of downtime.”
Downtime in campaigns brings us on to the
next expansions and cinematic scenarios, both
of which are already in the works for Alien RPG.
The first major supplement to the game covers
colonial marines – and includes systems for
dealing with downtime, although, it is stressed,
that this isn’t an update to the core rules, simply a
way of adding additional systems into the game.
This expansion is being worked on by Härenstam
along with Gaska and Paul Elliot (HOSTILE) and
promises more lore, gear and to be an “open
campaign.” This is a sandbox style campaign that
provides a plot and a narrative, but with massive
scope to deviate from the main through-line of the
story. In addition, Gaska is creating a cinematic
scenario that in some way follows on from Chariot
of the Gods – although of course, not with any of
the characters from that scenario, for very obvious
‘third act’ reasons.
We’ll have to wait until August 2020 next year
to find out more about the fresh horrors waiting
for us beyond the Outer Veil.
Until then we’ll have to settle READ OUR
with making our way through REVIEW OF
ALIEN: THE
space, and trying not to think ROLEPLAYING
about that sound coming GAME ON
from the vents. PAGE 63
tabletopgaming.co.uk 27
 the independent shelf
ESCAPE FROM HADES
Hot as hell! Break out from Hades in this two-part
space princess smash and grab game
The two boards of Escape From Hades represent the initial orbital assault and exploring the underground base
ollandspiele is a quirky publisher.
H Birthed in 2016, they offer small
press wargames and oddities –
both of which accurately describe
Escape From Hades. This combines the
daring appeal of a 50s golden sci-fi era
adventure with a hex and counter wargame
of judicious tactical discernment. Better yet,
it’s a solitaire design so you won’t be sharing
this weirdo with anyone but yourself.
The concept is simple: the Solar
Hanseatic League has intercepted a
message from their Nastian adversaries
revealing the location of the recently
captured Laylian Princess. She’s being held
on the prison facility known as Hades and
your rag-tag cluster of squads and heroes
has been given the job to break her out.
Despite the clichéd pitch this one is
surprisingly forward presenting. Minorities
are represented among the protagonist
units and the princess herself is quite
capable once extracted. Great care was
obviously taken to avoid lazy tropes.
There’s a general feeling of Buck Rogers
meets the Dirty Dozen which proves a
fantastic blend. While the chits and paper
maps are what you would expect from
28 October 2020
January 2019
Words and photographs by Charlie Theel
an indie in this genre, the illustrations and
graphical presentation are a cut above. The
entire package exudes its exotic personality.
The arc of play is wonderful. You begin by
dropping troops onto the prison and must
battle with surface defenses and troops on the
exterior. Enemy AI for units is dead simple as
they move in a straight line and only rarely
change direction. The installations however
will fire upon your ship, The Vittles, forming a
sort of dual theater approach to the game. You
will need to engage the game with a flexible
strategy as you can maneuver your ship away
from danger, but this also places the craft’s
trusty railguns out of range.
Once you’ve punched a hole in the surface
defenses you can start filtering troops to the
underground portion of the base. Here you
will break into cells in search of the princess.
In addition to other captives you will come
across loot, mechanical installations such as
the engine room and power grid, and even
hostile aliens that want to tear the ship apart.
It’s a wild ride.
The experience wobbles between smooth
tactical decisions and procedural repetition.
The best moments – those filled with relentless
drama – are punctuated with phases of moving
the many AI controlled Nastian forces as
well as flipping many resolution cards
for attacks. The latter can become a bit
monotonous if a given round features a
large number of engagements, however, it
is a slick improvement on the traditional
combat resolution table featured in many
classic wargames.
At the other end, the strong moments
are fueled by discovering the imprisoned
weirdness as well as the many small
touches among your military force.
Mechanisms such as the SWAT units being
able to jet-pack around the surface, at the
risk of exploding or flying off course, really
cement the tension and wonder at the
heart of this release.
Escape From Hades is weird in all
the right ways. It reminds me of Nate
Hayden’s recent line of magazine games
(Psycho Raiders, Freakface!!!) as it
captures a similar sense of bizarre while
maintaining complete dedication to the
small format product. Those who are
interested in seeking out the games at the
far edge of our hobby which challenge
expectations will find the cold bleakness
of Hades warm as can be.
tabletopgaming.co.uk
 JAIPUR
We talk to Sébastien Pauchon about his competitive
camel and spice trading game, Jaipur.
Words by Owen Duffy | Imagery courtsey of Space Cowboys

30 January 2020
T
wo-player games are some of
the most valuable entries in any
player’s collection. Whether you’re
looking for something to play on a
quiet night in with your significant
other, or you find yourself unable to put
together a group for something bigger and
more ambitious, it’s always useful to have a
few go-to options for head-to-head play.
From the chess-like strategy of Hive to
the Tetris-style spatial puzzle of Patchwork,
the explosive space battles of Star Realms to
the back-and-forth card drafting of Tides of
Time, there’s an ever-growing selection of
releases that cater specifically for one-on-
one competition. But few two-player games
have achieved the kind of lasting recognition
as Swiss designer Sébastien Pauchon’s 2009
release Jaipur.
With its elegant core, taxing decisions and
tight, economic gameplay, it has found favour
with countless gamers in the decade since
its release. And more recently it’s reached a
new audience via a slick app adaptation for
smartphones and tablets.
We spoke to its creator to discover the story
behind its creation, and how his simple idea
became a perennial two-player favourite.
CAMEL UP
Where many game designers are immersed
in the hobby from an early age, steeped in
adolescent games of Dungeons & Dragons,
Sébastien Pauchon came to gaming by a more
circuitous route.
“I studied Asian languages for a while in
college before deciding to dedicate all my
time to playing pool,” he explains. “I even
wrote a book on the subject. But I only really
encountered ‘modern’ board games in around
2003. I already knew and played all the
classics: chess, Stratego, Mah Jong, Pictionary,
Trivial Pursuit, Scrabble – all the usual
suspects. I had even had a go at designing
some games of my own. In 1998 a friend of
mine approached me with some game ideas,
so we met on a weekly basis for about a year
and invented… nothing. Or rather, nothing
worth much.
“As with many very new designers, we
had no clue what we were doing, or about
modern board games. You couldn’t find them
in regular stores back then, you didn’t really
have that many game shops, and the internet
definitely wasn’t what it is today. So we ended
up trying to update some classics, came up
with an abstract design that almost worked,
and that was about it.”
Once he encountered the new wave of
games, though, his design aspirations
became more focused. Armed with a
newfound appreciation of what tabletop
games could be, he scrapped his previous
projects and returned to the drawing board.
“I certainly did enjoy the process as well
as the collective brainstorming,” he says.
“And I ended up playing a huge number of
games between 2003 and 2005 – I had so
much to catch up on! When I came back
to designing after that gaming frenzy, my
gaming knowledge was infinitely bigger.”
He embarked on a creative splurge,
releasing games including Yspahan, which
cast players as traders in ancient Persia;
Jamaica, a pirate-themed game which
saw competitors racing ships around the
Caribbean island while taking occasional
detours to do some sneaky plundering;
and the city-building game Metropolys,
in which players became urban planners
battling for prestige in a city that looked like
it could have been plucked from the pages
of a Jules Verne novel. Along the way he also
co-founded publisher GameWorks, which
would go on to release not only his own
games, but work by the likes of Marc André,
the creator of Splendor, and the influential
German design duo of Michael Kiesling and
Wolfgang Kramer.
“That was when games became a
profession for me,” Pauchon says.
He was pleased with his early success, but
today he’s probably best known for his 2009
game Jaipur. Like Yspahan before it, it cast
players as enterprising merchants aiming
to turn a profit in one of the great cities of
the ancient world. This time, though, the
focus shifted to India. An elegant, stripped-
down two-player economic challenge, it saw
players buying and selling goods, attempting
to make the most lucrative trades possible
and make more money than their opponent.
He says the idea for the game arose after
he played one of the best-selling titles in
the hobby.
“I had played many, many versions of
Catan,” he says, “and one thing I like in the
series is the trading phase.”
Released in 1995 by former dental
technician Klaus Teuber, The Settlers of
Catan is widely credited with popularising
the European school of game design
– which prizes mechanical elegance
and prioritises skillful play rather than
direct antagonism between players –
around the globe. It revolved around a
tabletopgaming.co.uk 31
 HOW WE MADE JAIPUR
I wanted there to be a central dilemma, which is the
meat and potatoes for a simple game.
This or that? Go for it, or wait for it?
newly discovered island, with players all
attempting to harvest resources, build cities
and become more prosperous and powerful
than their rivals. Crucially, it incorporated an
element of trade into its design. Opponents
could strike deals with one another,
exchanging goods like livestock and wheat
for wood and bricks.
A big part of the game’s strategy depended
on negotiating beneficial trades. And as an
added bonus, it ensured that players stayed
involved in the contest throughout the game,
with important decisions to make even when
it wasn’t their turn.
“I enjoyed it a lot,” Pauchon says. “Except it
can be quite long and sometime even tedious
if all the players take a long time negotiating
32 January 2020
with one another, treating every decision
as though they were fighting for their lives.
That’s what sparked the idea of the market in
Jaipur: a trading phase that is very rapid, as
the market will always automatically trade
with you.”
TRADE IN
Pauchon’s idea was simple. On their turns,
players could either take cards representing
goods like leather, silks, gems and spices from
a shared central marketplace, or sell their
stock of a particular commodity in the hopes
of making a tidy profit. What made things
tricky, though, was the deceptively simple way
the game represented the concept of supply
and demand.
Jaipur granted players higher numbers
of victory points for selling goods in greater
quantities, meaning that it made sense not
to sell in small amounts but to spend several
turns building up supplies and cashing
in once they had enough to earn a bigger
reward. But it also gave a bonus to players
who brought their goods to market before
their opponent, meaning there was also
a compelling argument for selling before
their rival had a chance to. It created a
tactical dichotomy, where there were valid
reasons for taking two completely different
approaches. Players found themselves
simultaneously pulled in two opposing
directions, and striking the right balance took
some very careful thought.
 “As with almost all of my games, I came
up with the mechanical ideas for Jaipur
before the theme,” Pauchon says. “I’m a
poor historian, a poor geographer and not
much of a story-teller. I also never got to play
roleplaying games, so my game ideas are
always very mechanical, never thematic.
“Part of the reason for setting the game in
ancient Rajasthan was that as a designer I
had never been happy with the quality of the
components in Yspahan,” he adds. “I thought
that I would get the rights back somewhere
down the line, and I could publish it as both a
prequel and a spin-off of the same game. But
as it turned out, that never happened.
“As I said earlier, the trading phase in Catan
was the spark behind the game, even though
it my main goal was to try to get away from
elements of its design. I wanted there to be
a central dilemma, which is the meat and
potatoes for a simple game. This or that? Go
for it, or wait for it? The bonuses for bigger sets
and the decreasing rewards for selling types
of goods later than your opponent all work in
that direction. More of this, less of that, and
vice versa.
“You need to have good timing, keep an eye
on your opponent’s hand, have a bit of an idea
of what they might be trying to collect. And
sometimes you just need to be plain lucky.”
He adds that while the game’s core
simplicity made for a straightforward design
process, he did make some changes to his
original idea before he considered it ready
for release.
“The design of the game was pretty smooth,”
he recalls, “no real hiccups or setbacks. But of
course it’s a light game, so there weren’t that
many different elements to work on.
“One change that really rounded the game
off was the introduction of scoring tokens.
The earlier version had a board where you
kept track of the stocks remaining as well
as a scoring track. There were several issues
with that: you had to add things up all the
time – ‘I just sold five, four, two and two
for a total of 13, plus a bonus of five is 18. I
currently have 14 points, so 32 in all.’ It also
meant you knew the score at all times, which
led to end games where you could just quit
because you knew there was no way to catch
up with your opponent.
“Hidden tokens pretty much took care of
that. Yes, you can still count everything in your
head if you’re some kind of mutant, but the
hidden bonuses make that point moot as the
swing provided by the tokens is often enough
to make any calculation useless. The tokens

tabletopgaming.co.uk 33
 HOW WE MADE JAIPUR
make for a longer set-up, but the playing
experience is way smoother so we decided it
was worth the trade-off.”
The tweaks paid off, and the game met
with an enthusiastic reaction on its release.
Players praised its fast-playing elegance,
and it received a recommendation from the
jury in the prestigious Spiel des Jahres prize,
generally considered the top award in the
analogue gaming industry. What’s perhaps
most impressive, though, is how consistently
popular it has remained in a hobby where hot
new games are released at a rate that’s almost
impossible to keep up with, and players’
attention is constantly drawn towards the new
titles flooding store shelves.
“It’s always hard to say why a game sells
well,” Pauchon says. “If we knew, we’d only
publish those kinds of games!
“One thing I’ve often read, though, is
that Jaipur is easily explained, the goal is
straightforward and that players can play
it with their better half even if she or he
isn’t much of a gamer. The accessibility, the
absence of direct conflict, and sometimes the
element of luck seem to do the trick.
“I’m not sure why games that include
markets and economic elements seem to be
so popular, but if I had to make an educated
guess, I’d say amassing wealth and treasures
and cool stuff is probably something that
appeals to everyone. It’s also a very easy
game goal to grasp. And, it often allows for
competition that is not too direct, or violent
or head-on. You can of course make the
competition in your game violent if you
choose to, but you can also avoid it, and that’s
more difficult in a game where you compete
for territories, throw your armies at your
opponent and so on.”
Today, Jaipur remains one of the most
popular two-player games on the market.
And Pauchon says that as a designer, he
finds them simpler to create than those
with higher player counts.
“I’ve never really thought about how
difficult each type of game is to design, but
generally speaking I think it’s more delicate
to balance a game for more players. For
instance, you have to avoid down-time
and make sure there is no possible
king making.”
He points to a crop of
other designers’ games as
examples of great two-player
options, including Reiner
Knizia’s Lost Cities, a card
game in which players lead
34 January 2020
rival archaeological expeditions; 2006’s Mr
Jack, which casts one player as the notorious
serial killer Jack The Ripper and the other
as an investigator attempting to track him
down, and The Rivals for Catan, a card-based
two-player take on the game that originally
inspired his work on Jaipur.
He’s also a fan of Roma, designed by Stefan
Feld, in which players fight for dominance of
the ancient Roman empire.
JAIPORTABLE
But while he’s quick to acknowledge other
designers’ work Pauchon’s own biggest hit
continues to reach new players, not least
because of its polished digital adaptation for
smartphones and tablets.
“I like the digital version a lot,” he says,
“but I’m certainly subjective as Eric,
the owner of developer Meeple Touch,
approached me and we worked on the
interface together. I also worked with Vincent
Dutrait for the artwork, and as usual it was a
very smooth collaboration.
“We’ve made several games together
– Water Lily, Tschak!, Tikal II, A Prophecy
of Dragons, the most recent edition of
Jaipur – and it’s always a pleasure. It was a
fun challenge for him. Since he paints in
a traditional way, it was a kind of reversed
process: painting on paper and ending up
on screen. Usually nowadays it’s the other
way round for games: paint on screen, end
up on paper. I think it gives a great light to his
already colourful artwork.
“Eric came up with a Jaipur campaign
mode, which I would never have thought
of, and that is a very nice feature for an app,
I think, as it provides an experience you
can’t really get with the ‘normal’ game. I
don’t know with any certainty what impact
digital versions have on the actual games,
but Jaipur has been on Yucata.de and
Boardgamearena.com for several years now,
and has been played more than 900,000
times. It’s hard to believe it hasn’t had a
positive impact on the sales. One never
knows, but I think digital games in general
support the cardboard versions.”
In the years since Jaipur’s release, Pauchon
has designed a number of other well-
received games. He’s been involved in the
development of game studio Space Cowboys’
Unlock! line of app-enhanced escape room
puzzle titles as well as Days of Wonder’s
family-friendly The River and Corinth, a
roll-and-write game based on his original
design Yspahan. His recent release Ankh’or is
an Egyptian-themed game co-designed with
Frank Crittin and Grégoire Largey. A fast-
playing game of set collection, tile-placing
and resource management, it aims for the
same kind of slick, tight gameplay that made
Jaipur such a long-running success.
For the moment, he’s put his own company
GameWorks on hiatus to focus on designs for
other publishers.
“I should have five or six new games
coming out, and after that we’ll see what
happens,” he says. “I’m not very good with
long-term plans.
“I’ve had several releases last
year, have several scheduled for
next year and a couple in 2021. The
next one should be another game
in the Space Cowboys two-
player collection. It’s called
Botanik, and like Ankh’or it’s
created in partnership with
my fellow Swiss designers
Greg Largey and Frank
Crittin. Stay tuned!”
THROUGH THE AGES
SPORTS GAMES
The games that step up to the plate
Words by Sam Desatoff
ne of the best things about the board
O gaming hobby is the breadth of themes
the medium encapsulates. Fantastical
worlds, the far reaches of space, and the
great expanse of world history all mingle on game
shelves across the globe. Occasionally, though, it’s
nice to experience something more grounded and
relatable, like the universal pastime of sport.
Sports occupy an interesting space on the
tabletop. It can be tough to put a board game spin
on a mode of entertainment that is itself beholden
to numerous rules and restrictions. Additionally,
how do you adapt something that takes place in
real time into a traditionally turn-based climate?
These conceits have not stopped designers from
trying. And succeeding.
American football got its first board game
adaptation in 1880 via Parker Brothers’ Game of
Football. It was an abstracted vision of the sport
that shares a lot more in common with Checkers
than with its real-life inspiration: you have to move
a “ball” to the goal by jumping over opposing
pieces and eliminating them from the game.
Publisher Games Workshop put a bloody
and fantastical spin on football in 1986 with
Blood Bowl, a sort of amalgamation of the
sport and traditional miniature wargames. This
mechanically-fascinating mashup plays out on a
field overlaid with a grid, and largely adopts the
rules of the Warhammer Fantasy Battle system.
Considered cumbersome and unintuitive, Blood
Bowl rules were refined over four different
editions. The most recent, published in 2016,
continues to receive expansion content even today.
Pizza Box Football, published in 2005, puts an
emphasis on playcalling. The defensive player
1960 1986
begins, and secretly chooses a die. The die’s
color determines if the player is anticipating
a run, short pass, or long pass. After this, the
offensive player calls out what play they’ll be
running. Both players then roll dice and check
the results. In 2008, the Pizza Box line of game
extended to include baseball as well.
Speaking of Baseball, America’s pastime has
also seen its share of board game adaptations.
One of the first appeared sometime in the late
1800s, and is simply titled Reed’s Game of Base
Ball. It’s a dexterity game that sees players
using a small wooden bat to knock a ball onto
a board. Where the ball lands is the result of
the play.
One of the most famous baseball board
games – and perhaps one of the most famous
sports board games of all time – is Strat-O-Matic
Baseball. First released in 1962, it’s a game of
fantasy baseball reliant on player statistics and
manager know-how. New updated rosters are
released every year. You’ll select your lineup
and batting order, and match them against your
opponent’s players. The winner is typically the
one whose players performed better during the
previous year’s season. Strat-O-Matic has since
extended to other sports like football, basketball,
and hockey, and the original baseball version is
now in the sport’s hall of fame.
If it’s tension you’re after, Bottom of the 9th
simulates the final three outs of a tied baseball
game. Released in 2015, it’s a dice and card
driven contest for two players where one takes
on the role of the dominant pitching team, and
the other plays as the scrappy underdogs. The
batting player attempts to guess what kind of
1995
pitch their opponent has chosen on their tokens,
making Bottom of the 9th a game of wits as much
as it’s about overcoming the odds.
Racing is another sport that has gotten its
share of attention from board game designers,
beginning in the late 1800s with Regatta-Spiel.
It’s a simple roll-and-move sailboat racing game
published by Werner & Schumann. 1960 saw the
release of Go-Kart Racing, another roll-and-
move race, this time in motorized go karts.
In the late 1980s, however, racing games
got a bit more complicated. Ave Caesar tasks
players with racing chariots around the Roman
Coliseum by selecting cards that dictates how far
they’ll move on a turn. The track itself is rife with
bottlenecks and restrictions on lane changing,
which has influenced a number of more
contemporary racing games like 1996’s Top Race
and Flamme Rouge from 2016.
Published in 1995, PitchCar is a dexterity
game where players build the track themselves
puzzle-style from several included parts. The
cars in PitchCar are actually little wooden discs
that you flick around the track. It’s as much
about patience and restraint as it is about
actually winning the race.
The ancient concept of sport has entertained
humanity for centuries. Today, there exist
thousands upon thousands of sports-themed
games, and this article has not even begun to
scratch the surface. As daunting as it sounds,
that volume should actually make sports fans
feel more comfortable – like choosing a beloved
team or player, the genre is full of potential new
favorites. All you have to do is step up to the
plate and swing for the fences.
2005 2015
tabletopgaming.co.uk 35
 CARDBOARD MANIFESTO
CA
‘THEME’
C
We try and unknot the difference between what a game looks like, and what it is
Words by Charlie Theel
e’re doing it all wrong. In
W common discussion, average
Joe board gamer uses the
M
word ‘theme’ to reference a
game’s setting and artistic framework. Quips
such as “I’m sick of the dungeon crawl theme”
or “the Star Wars theming is strong with this
one” are common and I can’t help but cringe.
We need to stop this, immediately.
Outside our tabletop sphere critical
discourse utilises the word ‘theme’ to greater
effect. In film, literature, and art we use
this word to describe a work’s unifying or
dominant idea. It’s the central expression
and vision of the creator, adding meaning
to what we just experienced. 2001: A Space
Odyssey boasts a central theme exploring
humanity versus technology. Harry Potter
explores many themes but its central thread
is death. We wouldn’t say the theme of that
film is wizards. Or rather, if I did you’d push
me to the streets and shun my existence as a
cream-faced loon.
And this is exactly how we should be
discussing board games. Playing a game
is not always primarily about fun. No,
Patchwork may not have some greater
concept or motif threaded into the design by
January 2020
the creator, but there is a growing swathe of
cardboard titles that do.
One of the most classic examples is Reiner
Knizia’s seminal work Tigris & Euphrates.
It’s often derided as a theme-less abstract
that could represent literally anything. This
is not at all the case. This beautiful work
perfectly captures its underlying themes of
the integration and collision of disparate
societies. You could certainly swap out the
setting of ancient civilisations for something
like corporations or animal populations, but
it would still express a similar concept of
destruction and rebirth.
This War of Mine is perhaps more overt.
The themes of this game touch all kind of
It’s the central
expression
and vision of
the creator
YOU’RE
USING IT
WRONG
uncomfortable topics. It puts you in the
tough position of choosing between your
own and helpless outsiders. Do you bring
in the frail old woman you just found in the
abandoned flat, even if it costs you more
food and results in your wife starving?
This is heavy stuff capable of moving the
participant. Board games can achieve a
similar level of emotional and cultural
significance as film and literature and don’t
let anyone tell you different.
So this leaves us with ‘setting’, the term
we should be throwing out instead of the
oft-incorrectly used ‘theme’. Setting is still
mighty important as it’s a participant’s first
impression of a game and later helps tie those
unifying thematic elements together. Setting
can also do the leg-work in helping teach
the fundamentals of a game by marrying our
common understanding to mechanisms.
A system of devaluing of money over time
simply makes sense when woven to concepts
of inflation for instance.
This is a complicated and dense topic
fraught with nuance. Nevertheless, hopefully
next time you discuss a game you may give
some second thought to the words you use
and the potential for rich conversation.
tabletopgaming.co.uk 37
MICROGAME OF THE MONTH
A F R E E G A M E F O R YO U T O P L AY I N S I D E E V E R Y I S S U E O F TA B L E T O P G A M I N G !
NINJA VS ROBOT By Experimental Playground
HOW TO PLAY
ALL YOU NEED TO PLAY:
Two six-sided dice
OBJECTIVE
You win by reaching the castle before you die from the
robot attack.
SETUP
Place the ninja token on the starting dot, place the heart
token on ‘10’ on the HP (Hit Point) track and place the
shuriken or start token on ‘1’ on the Skill Point track.
Place all the robot tokens face down into an area
within the player’s reach to make the robot pile (e.g. In
a cup, bowl, container).
GAMEPLAY
This game is divided into three phases.
PHASE1: GAIN ENERGY
You receive two dice to your energy pool.
PHASE2: MOVE!
Move your ninja token one space ahead.
Note: If you are still in a battle, you may not move.
PHASE3: BATTLE!
In this phase you will battle against an army of robots.
There are four steps in battle to follow.
1. Randomly draw the number of robots according to
the number beside the name of the place.
2. Target 1 of the robots that you will attack first, roll a
dice (this means that you actually use an energy),
You hit the enemy when you roll the number
according to the weight of the robots.
Light [L] -
Medium [M] -
Heavy [H] -
3. If you successfully destroy the targeted robot, that
robot token is put into the XP track to indicate that
you gain 1XP and you gain 1 dice. If there are still
38 January
December2020
2017
robot tokens left to kill, repeat steps 2-3 until there are
no more robot tokens left or until there are no more
dice or energy left to spend, then continue to step 4.
3.1. If you successfully destroy a bomb, that bomb
token is discarded into the XP track alongside
another token of your choice (the bomb effect)
that is also in the battle and you gain 1 dice. If you
choose another bomb token, choose again another
token to bring alongside the second bomb token.
Note: Each time you destroy a robot you gain 1 dice
to your energy pool.
4. If you have no more energy left to spend. The
remaining robots will now attack you.The number
of robots left = the number of damage will be dealt
to you, then end your turn. Thus, for the next turn
you will skip the MOVE! Phase and step 1 of the
BATTLE! Phase and battle against the same robots
until they are all destroyed. If you have destroyed
all the robots, you end your turn.
NINJA SKILLS
Each ninja skill will cost 1SP and can be used anytime.
Each time you use a ninja skill reduce your SP by 1.
SKILLPOINTs are earned whenever your XP reaches
‘6’, the accumulated robots on the XP track is then
returned to the robot pile.
Cut and store
these tokens
to enjoy this
ninjalicious
game
WHO MADE THIS?
Jason Sondoh together with his brother Roberston Sondoh Jr are
Experimental Playground. The pair initially focused on making one-page
print-and-play board games and have made 18 games between
2008 and 2013. Experimental Playground still makes games
Download a
but have moved into the world of RPGs. Find more games at
free PDF of
experimentalplayground.blogspot.com and facebook.com/
Ninja vs Robot
experimentalplaygroundgames at ttgami.ng/
ninjavsrobot
tabletopgaming.co.uk
ON SALE NOW
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definitive reviews of all the must-play board games,
RPGs, card games, miniature games and tabletop
titles from throughout 2019.

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t t g a m i . n g /t b g 2 0 1 9
 THIN BLUE LINES
Wargaming is a realm of endless possibilities. Osprey Games’
Blue Book series is mapping these uncharted waters for
players to bring battles to every genre and period.
Words by James Winspear

40 January 2020
 ABOVE Soldiers march to war in Lion Rampant. Photograph copyright Perry Miniatures
s a genre of games, wargaming
A has a lot more in common
with RPGs than they may first
seem. In both, players agree to
a sort of joint delusion. Unlike
a boardgame, where the rules and playing
pieces are generally self-contained universes
with strictly defined boundaries, both
wargames and roleplaying games are more
akin to DIY manuals or even a collected set
of guidelines. Both provide a set of tools that
players tacitly agree to use to create the basis
of a game, and abide by their strictures as
they adapt them to a specific instance.
The open-ended nature of wargames means
that player’s imaginations are the only real limit
when it comes to doing a game. Want a siege on a
fortified position? A night-time raid? A desperate
last stand or an epic tank battle? Sure – why not
go further? Why not have clockwork automatons
fighting Prussian zombies, or pterodactyl-riding
cavalry firing lightning guns, or any other weird
and wacky form of combat you can imagine? In the
last resort all it requires is a set of rules. Miniatures
can be substituted, terrain can be scratch built –
you can even replace both with simple bits of card
and tokens if needs be. Only the rules matter, and
in this spirit of limitless potential one company is
making strides. For nearly a decade, Osprey Games
has been producing wargame rulebooks covering
multiple time periods and settings, becoming an
outlet for innovative designers to bring their worlds
to life.
OLD HISTORY
Many outside the gaming world – and a few in it as
well – are only aware of wargaming through Games
Workshop’s juggernauts of science fiction and
fantasy – Warhammer 40,000 and Warhammer:
Age of Sigmar. If they are aware of other wargames,
it’ll likely be those set in other fictional universes,
such as Star Wars: X-Wing (Fantasy Flight Games),
Warmachine and Hordes (Privateer Press) and
Infinity (Corvus Belli). Osprey, meanwhile,
approached wargaming from the other end of
the spectrum; not through the worlds of fiction,
but the days of the distant past. Osprey Games is
part of Osprey Publishing, a publisher of military
history books founded in 1968 that first began by
producing illustrated cards of military aircraft to
go with packs of Brooke Bond tea. This proved so
popular that they moved into doing illustrated
books detailing historical uniforms, unit and
equipment guides from various historical periods
of warfare. In this way Osprey gained traction with
the historical wargaming crowd, as Phil Smith –
head of Osprey Games – explains.
“Osprey has always had a relationship with the
wargaming community”, he says, “whether as a
reference for painting and sculpting [miniatures] or
as inspiration or research for scenarios – our earlier
Campaign [series of] book used to include specific
‘wargaming the battle’ guides.”
It wasn’t until the late 2000’s, however, that
Osprey decided to take the plunge and enter
the wargames market themselves, producing
its own original wargame – Field of Glory - in
2008 in collaboration with videogame developer
Slitherine. Field of Glory and the supplements
that followed proved popular, and the company
subsequently began looking for a way to begin
producing more rulesets. A few years after the
success of Field of Glory they hit upon the idea of
publishing rulesets created by designers looking to
get their work out to the gaming public.
“The Osprey Wargames series – the “Blue
Books” were conceived in 2010 or so, with the first
title publishing two later,” Smith recalls. “I can’t
remember what the game was, but I’d just picked
up a title that had a great little system but was
pretty much run out on a home printer – the game
was far superior to the physical package. That was
essentially the moment that the Blue Book series
started – I wanted to offer an option that could get
that kind of game in front of a wider audience.”
With that, Smith went about finding a game to
publish. Smith had been a fan of designer Daniel
Mersey’s Arthurian wargame Glutter of Ravens,
and got in touch to see if he’d be interested in
revisiting the period. After meeting up at the British
Museum (and a nearby pub), Mersey ended
up producing Osprey’s first book in the Osprey
Wargames series, Dux Bellorum. It caught on well
and in 2014, after releasing a few more historical
wargame rulesets, Osprey set up its dedicated
gaming division, Osprey Games.
DESIGN SPACE
The obvious question for any budding designer
(and perhaps a few of Tabletop Gaming’s readers)
is how, exactly, do they go about getting their idea
for a wargame put into black and white? What
arcane and mysterious rituals do they have to
navigate to have their idea heard? The answer is
surprisingly straightforward.
“Just drop us an email and start talking to us
about your game!” says Smith. “A summary of
the project is the key starting point, but we really
don’t play hard and fast with rules for submissions.
Full rulesets, elevator pitches, ‘hey, have you any
interest in a game on X?’ – it doesn’t really matter.
Just get in touch and we can take the conversation
from there.”
This flexible approach is made possible in
part by the fact that none of Osprey’s wargame
rulebooks rely (commercially or mechanically) on
players owning a specific set of miniatures from
one particular manufacturer. Instead, players
can rely on the grand wargaming tradition of
‘proxying’; using miniatures from any company to
represent the appropriate unit.
“All wargames are miniature-agnostic if you
want them to be,” says Smith. “I have a Mordheim
[an old Games Workshop skirmish game] gang
made up of Border Reiver figures, for example.
Gaming is only half the hobby – the other half
is collecting and painting the figures you like.
If I put in hours painting a figure, you’d better
believe I’m going to use it! If you like the official
line of figures, that’s great; if you don’t and would
rather use something else, that’s fine too – just
have fun. It cuts the other way too – figure ranges
tabletopgaming.co.uk 41
 O S P R E Y WA R G A M E S S E R I E S

are rules-agnostic, and you might like the figures
but hate the associated ruleset. In this case, we
offer alternatives that might better scratch that
gaming itch.”
These two facts – not being tied to a particular
miniatures line and having an open-minded
approach to subject matter – has allowed Osprey
to explore more experimental rules systems in a
way that other established wargames with their
own figure ranges can’t. One success cited by
Smith is the Rampant system, a wargame system
created by Mersey and Michael Leck which
has proved flexible enough to simulate battles
in medieval periods (Lion Rampant), Fantasy
(Dragon Rampant), the Colonial era (The Men
Who Would Be Kings), the Renaissance (The
Pikeman’s Lament), and the American War of
Independence to the American Civil War (Rebels
and Patriots). Alternatively, the Terry Pratchett-
esque Kobolds and Cobblestones – a skirmish-level
wargame pitting fantasy factions against one
another as they try to become criminal kingpins
of the city of Ordinsport – sees the traditional dice
and rulers of standard wargames replaced with a
deck of cards, adding a new twist to the wargames
formula whilst evoking the setting’s roguish feel.
Perhaps the best example is Gaslands, which takes
the idea of a Mad Max style car-based skirmish
game and applies it to the world of toy cars. It’s
an innovative idea, and one that’s paid off, as it’s
proved to be Osprey’s best-selling wargame title.
“It’s an odd one; in many respects, it’s the least
obviously ‘wargamey’ title in the range,” remarks
Smith. “From what we’ve seen, that has helped it
reach beyond the purely wargaming community
– it’s broken out amongst board gamers and more
casual gamers as well, and even had a guest-
appearance on a recent episode of South Park!
For me, the real appeal is its accessibility and low
barrier to entry – got a few Hot Wheels cars? You’re
pretty much good to go. It’s also a good game –
interesting mechanically yet simple to pick up.”
UNBOUND ADVENTURE
When it comes to future possibilities for the
Blue Book series the sky’s the limit – in this
case literally. Having recently released Zona
Alfa, a skirmish title heavily inspired by the
S.T.A.L.K.E.R and Metro videogame series,
Osprey’s next book will be A Billion Suns, a
fleet-level game of starship combat from Mike
Hutchinson, the designer of Gaslands. In the
meantime, the Blue Book series continues to do
what it was intended to.
“I think the niche it has found is the one for
which it was conceived – fun, affordable, and
attractive games,” notes Smith. “The format
allows us to accommodate smaller games, or
genres that might not have the appeal to make a
larger, more expensive rulebook viable. They’re
not a huge investment for players, so there’s
little risk involved in trying out a new ruleset or
something a little off-the-beaten-path, and the
money saved can be spent on more figures!”

BLUE BOOK TOP 5 The most popular Blue books of all time

GASLANDS DRAGON RAMPANT ROGUE STARS RONIN LION RAMPANT

Wit-ness meeeee! Gaslands
brings post-apocalyptic
vehicular carnage to the
tabletop in a mayhem of guns
and gasoline. Better yet, it
uses toy cars for miniatures.
Using a fast and cinematic
ruleset, players compete
against one another in deadly
televised races across
the wastelands of a ruined
earth. Originally a Blue Book,
the game has been given a
revised and expanded edition
with Gaslands: Refuelled.
Osprey’s most popular
wargame, Gaslands has been
even been featured in Penny
Arcade and South Park.
Dragon Rampant lets players
wage epic fantasy battles
from the comfort of their own
living room. Commanders can
choose from a host of fantasy
armies, from shambling
undead and savage orcs to
hardy human warriors and
noble elves. Unleash your
inner evil overlord, or goody
two-shoes Defender of Light
(we know which one we’d
choose), with a game that
uses a low model count to
get players from the painting
station to the tabletop in
as fast a time as possible,
without having to invest in
massive numbers of models.
Pew-pew-pew! If you’ve ever
wanted to be a defender
of the cosmos (a “guardian
of the galaxy”, if you will)
Rogue Stars is well worth a
look. This character-centric
skirmish game puts players
in control of a crew of their
choosing, from daring bounty
hunters to dogged planetary
police. With a detailed suite
of scenario rules, players can
create nearly any science
fiction set up they wish, from
running contraband to rebel
factions to fighting in zero
gravity environments. Just
remember, in space, no-one
can you hear you roll dice.
Set in late 16th Century
feudal Japan, Ronin has
players enter a world of
feuding samurai, wandering
swordsmen and warrior
monks. The rules are
designed to let players
reenact historically accurate
conflicts as well as the stylish
fights of classic samurai
films like Seven Samurai and
Yojimbo. Players assemble
a warband of characters
and lead and lead them
through the perils of multiple
scenarios, with a combat
system that forces them to
make strategic decisions in
the heat of combat.
This medieval skirmish
game has something for the
historical enthusiast and
the Hollywood spectacle
lover alike. Ideal for those
interested in medieval-era
wargaming who don’t want
to invest masses of time
(and money) in collecting
enormous armies, Lion
Rampant focuses on battles
of about six to eight units a
side, usually comprised of
six to 12 miniatures each.
Play as Robin Hood, Richard
the Lionheart, Gamelyn or
William Wallace and other
legends as you lead your
armies into battle.

42 January 2020
 ®

Take control of mighty champions

in a bid to battle and claim the
powerful tears of perished gods
in this tabletop skirmish board game

2 players Age 14+ 45-60 mins

Available Now!
find out more at your local
®
®
gaming store or online at
STEAMFORGED.COM
 SAFETY FIRST
Making your gaming table a safe space
Words by Dave Chapman
abletop roleplaying games take
T you anywhere your imagination
desires – from the darkest
dungeon filled with orcs, traps
and dragons, to the farthest
reaches of space populated with the strangest
aliens, evil empires and brave adventurers.
You can go anywhere, be anyone and do
anything. This freedom offers players the
chance to really stretch the imagination and
do things that you could never, and would
never, do in reality – like leaping into battle
against the forces of darkness or exploring
that spooky, abandoned hospital. However,
44 January 2020
this freedom means that you can sometimes
be exposed to experiences that make you
uncomfortable or distressed.
In the comfort of your own gaming group,
most of the time your game master and the
other players will know you well enough
to ensure your game remains enjoyable.
At a convention, with an unknown game
master and unfamiliar players, that can be a
different matter.
At a recent UK gaming convention a
game about teenagers investigating the
weird quickly degenerated into a distressing
storyline of kidnapping and extreme abuse
that was so upsetting that reports of it made it
onto the national news.
So, how can you be sure that a game remains
fun, entertaining and exciting without venturing
into areas of violence, horror or sexual content
that you do not wish to experience?
As we’ve become more aware of our
responsibility to each other’s mental and
emotional health, it should be easier for us
to discuss these things, and a number of
incredibly useful and effective tools have
been created by gamers that can be employed
at the table to ensure everyone stays safe,
happy, and comfortable.
THE X-CARD
The X-Card is probably the most
recognisable safety tool for the gaming table.
Created by John Stavropoulos, it is a very
simple device that allows players to instantly
indicate when a game is straying into
uncomfortable territories.
The idea is that at the start of your game you
place a card with an X on it in the middle of
your gaming table. If anyone has a problem
with the game becoming too graphic, or
touching upon themes or concepts that they
find uncomfortable, they simply tap the
card, or lift it up. The player doesn’t need to
explain why, but the game master and the
other players take this as an indication to
edit out that aspect, to rewind and rewrite
that element, allowing the game to continue
without much interruption.
If it’s not instantly obvious what has
prompted the X-Card’s use, and the players are
unsure what they should be avoiding, take a
quick break. The game master and the player
can take a moment to have a chat in private to
explain the issue, understand what needs to be
removed, and the game can resume quickly.
The most important thing about the X-Card
is the concept of introducing it into your
game. By doing so you indicate that your
game is going to be fun for everyone, and that
it’s a safe space for you to immerse yourself in
the imaginary worlds of your game and enjoy
the experience.
LINES AND VEILS
Lines and Veils is another useful tool for the
game table which comes into play before you
even start your game. This tool avoids any
surprises that would require enforcing the
X-Card, but it does require a discussion before
the game where you may have to think about
the very things you’d prefer to avoid.
The idea behind Lines and Veils is that the
players discuss the themes, ideas or content
of the game that is about to be played and set
some ground rules that everyone adheres to.
Lines are definite hard lines which cannot
and should not be crossed during the game.
They are not mentioned, hinted at, or even
referred to ‘off screen’ so-to-speak.
Veils are things that occur that the players
are okay with happening, but would prefer
not to go into any detail. The scene fades to
black, pans away, and the game moves on
to the next scene without dwelling on the
details. For example, in classic movies when
the romantic couple finally get together, the
camera pans away to the fireplace, then we
cut to the next scene without an awkward or
unnecessary sex scene. Or it could be an NPC
is going to be tortured or injured to motivate
the group into action. The villain closes the
door on the torture scene, and we don’t go
into the gory details. We move on, and get to
the next scene without dwelling on anything
that could make the players or the game
master uncomfortable.
Setting out clearly defined parameters before
the game starts means that everyone can enjoy
the adventure and the excitement, knowing that
nothing will come as a nasty surprise.
SCRIPT CHANGE
Created by Brie Beau Sheldon, Script Change
is a set of cards with symbols like an old VHS
player – rewind, fast-forward, pause and
play. These cards can be placed on the table
when scenes need some editing – whether it
is rewinding a scene to remove an issue, to
fast-forwarding through a scene to avoid the
content and just skip to the next scene.
OKAY CHECK-IN
Originally employed in LARPing, the Okay
Check-In sytem (developed by Maury
Brown, Sarah Lynn Bowman, and Harrison
Greene) means that you simply look at
another player at the table and make the
OK sign. The player then can gesture with
a thumbs up, wavy hand, or thumbs down.
Anything but a thumbs up results in a
pause in the game and the game master
can check in with the player to see what
can make them more comfortable.
CONSENT IN GAMING
Consent In Gaming by Sean K. Reynolds and
Shanna Germain helps you employ some of
these tools, from preparation to actual play,
along with a checklist of topics to address
when considering Lines and Veils.
We asked the authors about its inception
and how to use the booklet.
“I was writing specifically about consent in
horror games – things like ‘you might be fine
with descriptions of in-game extreme gore, but
OPPOSITE
The X-Card in use,
allowing players to
indicate that this
scene has gone
too far
LEFT
A handy consent
checklist from
Consent in
Gaming by Sean
K. Reynolds and
Shanna Germain
not fine with child NPCs being put in danger,’”
says Reynolds “and the chapter ended up
having a broader focus than I initially planned.
When Monte Cook read it, he felt it would be
helpful as a stand-alone PDF.”
As with every game’s rules, there’s
always room for customisation, “There is
no single way to handle safety and consent
in your game,” advises Germain “Use the
tools that work for your table, adjust them
as you see fit, and ignore the ones that
don’t make sense for you and your group.”
AFTERCARE
It is just as important after the game has finished
to check in with your players and make sure
everyone is okay. After all, when we become
excited from playing the game, that excitement
can last with us after we’ve moved away from
the game table. This same ‘bleed’ into real life
from the game can stick with us for things we
don’t like either – whether that’s in the form of
anger, stress or anxiety. Being aware of how the
game will effect others beyond the confines of
the tabletop can be the most important thing to
remember when setting up a game.
If we keep checking in with our players
– before, during, and after – then we can
continue to enjoy our games and be sure our
tables are safe for everyone.
SAFETY
RESOURCES
CONSENT IN GAMING
By Sean K. Reynolds and Shanna Germain
ttgami.ng/Consenting
X-CARD
By John Stavropoulos
ttgami.ng/Xcard
SCRIPT CHANGE
By Brie Beau Sheldon
ttgami.ng/scriptchange
tabletopgaming.co.uk 45
available at
around the world in 80 plays
GUYANA
Words by Chad Wilkinson
ne of the early stops made
O during our tabletop tour around
the world was to the expansive
country of Brazil. Today we’re
heading back to South America to take a look
at how games are being used in one of the
continent’s smallest countries – Guyana.
In contrast to our examination of the
rapidly blooming scene in the neighbouring
Brazil, Guyana‘s relationship to the modern
board gaming hobby is considerably less
commercial. Instead, this month‘s trip to
Guyana sets out to show how a hobby in its
infancy is being promoted for personal and
societal benefits.
Like many other countries, Guyana’s
early traditional games were largely physical
and reliant on strength, speed or dexterity.
Zootal is a simple game played with sticks of
different sizes. Each player must flick their
shorter stick with a larger stick, aiming to
send it soaring further than their opponents’.
Kush or Lyng is another throwing game but
at a smaller scale. Using a circular ‘board’
drawn into the ground, players must toss
buttons, scoring for any remaining in the
circle whilst those falling outside went to
the next player. Similarly dexterous is Gam,
a pitching marbles type game often played
with awara seeds. The aim of Gam was to
throw or roll your marbles into a series of
holes whilst knocking other players marbles
further away.
Throughout the 18th and 19th century,
the British colonisation of Guyana brought
with it a number of traditional card
games, checkers and chess. Games were
largely played as a means to pass time
in newly colonised areas lacking other
Maths Ops hopes to help numeracy with games
forms of entertainment, but for the elite
classes, gaming became a regular form of
after dinner socialising. A number of Chess
clubs were formed from 1864 onwards in
the country’s capital of Georgetown – again
catering to the elite members of the colonies
– with local newspapers even including
impressive chess moves.
It has not been until the recent formation
of the Guyana Chess Federation that the
game has been torn away from the ghosts of
its colonial past, with efforts being made to
improve inclusivity for the women, young
people and varied ethnic groups throughout
Guyana. The federation hopes that through
the playing of chess, an appreciation for the
value of time, concentration, patience and risk
taking will develop for the Guyanese people.
This mindset has been further applied to
schools, with the federation seeking the help
of Grandmaster chess players to assist and
compete against students.
Whilst chess is commonly believed to
enhance math ability, alongside other benefits
such as social interaction and relaxation,
educators are now looking for fun ways to
increase language skills through the
introduction of Scrabble to schools.
Currently rolled out across nine
schools, the Schools’ Scrabble
Initiative supported by the Guyana
Association of Scrabble Players, is
rejuvenating students’ approach to
language through teaching sessions
and tournaments.
W
N
Despite the revival of chess and Scrabble
in the country, recent statistics have
highlighted an arguably inefficient education
system in Guyana, with the country holding
the lowest levels of literacy in South
America. Furthermore, approaches to math
education have proved challenging, with
roughly half of students failing exams. To
combat this, Guyanese teachers such as
Clyde Pestano have sought ways to disrupt
traditional teaching methods through the
power of board games. Currently residing
in Canada, Clyde Pestano is the forward-
thinking designer of Math Ops – an engaging
race game with a focus on mathematical
questions. With his game available in three
separate editions covering various age
ranges, Math Ops promises to help a broad
spectrum of students engage with over 300
fun questions on arithmetic, probability and
more. Always looking to further his students’
interest in education, Pestano is now hoping
to expand his game design across different
subjects, alongside plans to make a digital
app implementation of Math Ops.
In these times of extravagant Kickstarters
and expansive gaming festivals it’s easy to
forget the simple pleasures and benefits
that can be gained from just a handful of
select games. Whilst it’s nice to be spoilt for
choice, our trip to Guyana has shown that just
the process of playing a well designed and
easily attainable game within the learning
environment, has the potential to engage and
educate, and perhaps even change lives.
tabletopgaming.co.uk 47
 HOW I
SAVED
THE
WORLD
FROM
ALIENS
IN WATCH
THE SKIES
WELCOME TO EARTH
We dive into the world of Mega Games – the trend emailed to each team several days before the
event, it’s up to each of us to come up with our
for huge, collaborative gaming events – with a report own goals for the game.
This is where megagames share DNA with
from the front lines of an alien invasion RPGs. While much of the moment to moment
action is directed by the rulebook, players
Words by Matt Bassil also have opportunities to get creative and
try things not considered in the rules, from

“D
on’t worry if you don’t
know what’s going on, no
one does really,” they tell
me as I enter the hall. It’s
advice I’m thankful for as
I’m immediately overwhelmed by the sound,
the heat and the number of people wearing
silly hats. And it turns out to be prescient:
towards the end of the day I’ll be used to the
costumes and the chaos, but the feeling of
being more than a little lost will remain.
I’m in Reading to play a megagame, a
mutant hybrid of board game, D&D and model
United Nations called Watch the Skies. My first
impression is that it’s all a bit bonkers. You
might think you’ve played complicated board
games before, but I’d be willing to bet none
of them have required the hiring out of an
entire parish hall for the space. True to their
name, megagames are immense. The one I’m
attending involves 60 players, multiple rooms
and so many different cards, counters and
mechanics that trying to keep track of them all
would be an exercise in futility. And this is just
a medium-sized megagame, the largest can
have up to 300 people playing at once!
Watch the Skies simulates the arrival of
aliens on Earth. We, the nations of the world,
are trying to work together to uncover the
motives of our interstellar visitors and, if
necessary, go all Independence Day on them.
Beyond this and some vague objectives
assassinating a rival leader to inviting an alien
to star on reality TV. The consequences are then
determined by ‘Control’ – the game’s referees.
According to organiser John Mizon, the
decision not to include a clear win condition
was down to a desire for realism. “In life there
are no clear winners or losers. You have to not
let people get distracted by things like victory
points,” he says. “It’s a story-telling game at the
end of the day and it’s about you making your
personal story mean something to you.”
A MODERN MAJOR GENERAL
The human teams – countries, corporations
and journalists – are spread out across the
hall, each with their own table decorated with

50 January 2020
miniature flags and well-stocked with snacks.
Meanwhile, the aliens lurk behind a curtain
on one side of the room, pursuing their own
mysterious agenda.
I’m playing China, along with my three
team mates. We have John, minister for
science, in charge of some sort of research
mini-game; Mandy, foreign minister, who
votes in UN sessions on important global
issues; and Jon, our president, whose job it is
to make decisions, allocate resources and do a
bit of wheeling and dealing on the side.
Truth be told, I’m not entirely sure what
the rest of my team are doing once the game
begins. There are restrictions on what each
role can witness, so I can’t enter the room
where the UN meets and the others can’t
approach the strategy map. In the 10 minutes
dedicated to team discussion at the end of
each turn, they give confusing reports of
foreign aid, peace-keeping missions and
science prizes, but much of it goes over The United Nations in session
my head. There’s a lot going on and, as
commander of China’s military, I have my own
job to do. central table; UFOs show up on it each month, it than that, with secret operations, diplomacy
Luckily that job seems quite familiar, at and I have special UFO-hunting fighter jets I and warfare complicating matters, but at the
least at first. There’s a map of the world on the can deploy. So far, so XCOM. There’s more to start all of this is secondary to the jets. We
need to shoot down UFOs so we can steal alien
technology, you see, otherwise we won’t stand
a chance.

COLLUSION AND CONFUSION

The first couple of turns go swimmingly, but
after that things take a turn for the worse.
Without warning, the aliens abandon whatever
sinister aims they were pursuing in other
countries and move all their UFOs to hover
over Brazil. This is a problem because, while
we have all come to an unspoken agreement
that violating the airspace of the poor NPCs
is a necessary evil, Brazil is controlled by real
people. If we don’t want to risk a war, we have
to ask nicely if they want our help.
They don’t. I am warned, in no uncertain
terms, to back off.
The UFOs remain above Brazil, whose
commander seems far too calm about
the whole ordeal. “Is anyone going to do
anything?” a member of Control asks, when
it’s time for players to launch their fighters.
“No?” Not wanting to start a conflict without
my team’s approval, I dither. We all dither,
and turn by turn the number of UFOs in Brazil
grows. When the country starts to get hold of
bigger, better (alien-funded?) jets I feel rising
panic. If we don’t act soon, it might be too late.
“What’s going on in the UN?” I ask Mandy
in one debriefing session, “Can’t we get
someone else to help?”
“People keep telling me the aliens are nice,”
she complains. “It’s so suspicious!”

tabletopgaming.co.uk 51
 MEGA GAMES
If anyone at the strategy map knows what
the aliens are planning, they’re keeping very
quiet. Four hours in, Germany has begun
sheltering UFOs too, and I’m convinced the
nations of the world are, one by one, falling
to some kind of mind control. At one point
I catch wind of a miracle cure-all vaccine
that the aliens are handing out in a show of
friendship and desperately urge the other
countries not to take it. I try to cajole my fellow
military leaders into action, but I’m not sure
what we should do or who I can trust. And
there’s so much happening at once: each half
hour turn seems to go by in a flash.
Eventually I learn to embrace the
confusion. I discover it’s more fun teaming
up to work on smaller goals, planning joint
spy trips to Brazil with Alice, the Japanese
war leader, or trying to broker an alliance
with India’s war minister (yet another John).
In one notable turn John conspiratorially
beckons me over. “I probably shouldn’t be
showing this to you,” he says, revealing a card
with a crude drawing of an archetypal ‘grey’
alien on it, “but we’ve captured a live one.”
I’m honestly not sure what to make of this,
but it’s nice to be included.
In the final turn, all hell breaks loose. I
join the US in an invasion of Brazil. Alien
52 January 2020
mechs descend from the skies to defend them.
Somebody nukes the moon. A phenomenon
known as ‘last turn madness’ has taken hold,
where everyone throws caution to the wind
and tries to cram half a day of activity into
their final turn. It’s a glorious crescendo of
chaos to end on, but we’ve been going for
nearly nine hours now and I’m exhausted.
After completing my actions I return to our
table and let it all wash over me.
BACK TO REALITY
Later on in the pub, I find out the truth. There
was no grand conspiracy: the aliens truly had
been offering peace and prosperity. The one
UFO I successfully shot down had in fact been
delivering medicine to Angola.
It turns out at the UN Mandy had repeatedly
vetoed an otherwise unanimous vote to let a
representative of the aliens attend. Couple that
with my attempts to stir up trouble and in the
eyes of the pro-alien countries, we were Public
Enemy No. 1.
A regular player tells me the moral of Watch
the Skies is that communication is really
difficult. That sounds about right. If we had
hashed things out properly with Brazil or
Germany, or talked more as a team, the game
might have played out very differently.
LEFT It might look as
though everyone is just
milling about, but important
work is happening here
BELOW Preparing to
protect the planet
Organiser John Mizon says it’s quite
common for players to assume they’re the
good guys. He explains, “Often a team will say,
“We were just trying our best to do the right
thing, and this other team were screwing us
over,” and the other team will have the exact
same perspective but the other way around.”
As we discuss our different perceptions
of the game, one of Brazil’s players tells me
she finds the pub trip at the end the most
enjoyable part. “You find out there’s a whole
other set of stories that you had no idea about,”
she says.
That’s inevitable when megagames have
so many players, but it’s part of what makes
them so fascinating. While in most games
you’re the protagonist, or at least centre
stage, megagames give you the chance to
play a small part in something larger. It can
sometimes be frustrating, but every impact
you have on the game feels hard-earned and
each experience is personal to you. Every
player comes away from a megagame having
had some influence on the bigger picture, but
with their own unique story to tell.
On the whole I was content with mine: that
of an unseasoned leader, so determined to
save the day that he brought the world closer
to destruction.

<UNEARTHED ARTEFACTS>://
HIGH FRONTIER
++YEAR 3152++INCOMING TRANSMISSION++
Found Sector A9: Pastime x17 – Board Game
- “High Frontier”
Message intercepted by Robert Florence
s you receive this broadcast,
A we are relocating all of our
facilities to our off-world
structures. The attacks launched by the
Flesh Devils have been unsuccessful,
but the correct procedure at this point
must be to relocate and re-assess. The
last broadcast you received should
be deleted from any database you
have access to – it was Flesh Devil
propaganda, and we cannot be sure that
it did not contain subliminal messaging
designed to deceive and corrupt.
As I output this broadcast, this unit sits
alone on the sleep-cycle deck of the Doune-99
Factory Ship, staring out at the planet’s moon.
The moon, as beautiful as it is, represents a
significant Flesh Devil achievement and so it
hangs before us like the dead white eye of a
corpse. Human feet landed there, against all
odds, and it makes one doubt our expectation
that the war will be finished quickly and
definitively. I fear the war may last a lifetime.
Before me sits the board game High Frontier.
It is a game we discovered some six years ago,
but only recently have we worked out exactly
how to play it. The rules we found with the game
were incomplete, but even if they had been
intact I fancy we would have struggled. This is a
board game of great complexity, demanding an
investment of time and patience from its players.
It is almost more of a simulation than a game.
Here is one human being, a creature named Phil
Eklund, attempting to express his understanding
of space travel, and the industrialisation of space,
to a wider group of human beings. Why would
he do this?
It is a game – consider this – that attempts
to simplify the complexities of the rocket
equation, allowing players to simulate
the perils (and the number-crunching)
of rocket flight. Human beings could sit
down, after dinner, and take to space. Truly,
the simplification is a success. But, even
simplified, however admirable the design of
this game is, it is too much for some. Many of
the units here in the facility simply refused to
learn how to play the game. One played with
me for four hours, then walked away calling
High Frontier “the worst game the Flesh Devils
ever created.”
And yet... As I sit alone here, staring out
at the stars, I am filled with wonder that a
game like High Frontier could even exist. I am
fascinated by the piece. I send rocket after
rocket into space, activating the burners,
attempting to slingshot around planets. I learn
of the Hohmann Pivot, and in turn I learn
about the Hohmann transfer, a crude, brutish
method of attaining orbit that the humans
devised on their own.
The game is intelligent, brilliant, frightening.
It is beautiful on the table and taxing on the
mind. It is the work of creatures that were
not handed anything. Everything they had,
and have, they built from scratch. And we, as
a species who were gifted intelligence and
knowledge from our creators, must never
forget that our enemy is so capable. The
human race embraced the notion of reaching
their high frontier so tightly that they could
even turn that endeavour into a game. Even
at play, they dared to be adventurers and
scientists. And all of this from cardboard and
paper, from dirt and soil, from sand and water,
and not long before – from nothing.
tabletopgaming.co.uk 53
 ANVIL INDUSTRY
BITS A LIVING!
hink running a miniatures business sounds like hard work?
Try running a business making bits for miniatures! We talk to
Joel Pitt about how Anvil Industry did just that.
Words by James Winspear
argaming as a profession
W is an uphill struggle,
no bones about it. Law,
accountancy, software
development, medicine;
compared to these paths making a living from
little toy soldiers looks like an immensely
improbable – and dismal – proposition, with
long hours, low pay and the perennial threat
of job insecurity. Whilst Games Workshop,
the undisputed titan of tabletop amusement,
has posted record proits over the last few
years, the idea of anyone else turning a
handsome buck seems in such a relatively
small sector hard to believe. So it is even more
extraordinary that there can exist companies
yet still more niche. his is the curious world
of ‘bits’; cosmetic gubbins and add-ons
used to enhance or alter existing miniatures.
Originally a purely personal aspect of
wargaming, this sub-element of the pastime
has evolved to such an extent that it now
54 January 2020
supports its own businesses. One of the larger
operations is Anvil Industry, a London-based
company of a dozen staf founded by Joel Pitt.
We recently caught up with Joel to uncover
how he went about earning a crust from his
hobby. he answer, we learnt, was with a lot
of hard graft.
A GUY IN A SHED
One of the most intriguing questions is
how exactly something like Anvil Industry
took of in the irst place. Like quite a few
businesses, Anvil Industry was the result
of an attempt to turn a hobby into a source
of income, and like many more, started life
with a single employee working in conined
spaces. In 2010, Pitt was living in his parent’s
house to work on business idea revolving
around making technology products for
cocktail bars. he idea didn’t take of, and
Pitt began ishing around for another wat to
make an income.
“he idea I had wasn’t going to make me
any money any time soon, and I’d quickly
discovered that I needed a secondary source
of income,” recalls Pitt. “Having been a
long-time wargaming hobbyist, I started
selling accessories for miniatures – I was
selling them on eBay and manufacturing
them in my parent’s garden shed. And it
quite quickly became apparent that this was
making more money than the bar business
so I canned that idea.”
With that, Pitt dedicated himself to
becoming a full-time wargames accessory
manufacturer. he initial few months were
a decidedly low-key afair, though slowly
and painfully Pitt worked his way up the
diiculty curve of learning the technical
side of making miniatures.
“It was very basic,” he says. “I started
of hand-sculpting everything, using a
combination of plastic card and plastic rod
and Milliput – the oldschool methods. I
was never very good at that, and realised
quite quickly that computer was the way
forward. So initially I worked with a few
other people who knew how to do
it – I’d send them a pencil sketch
and they’d send me back a CAD
sculpt. Then I taught myself do
to CAD sculpting essentially by
a process of trial and error and
swearing at my computer until
it did what I wanted.”

INDUSTRIOUS WORK
Six months after Anvil’s initial
inception, as Pitt slowly learned the arcane
art of digital sculpture design, he recruited
an old school buddy – Charlie Rawnsley – to
come on board. Rawnsley had been working
part-time at a local college and had originally
been lending a hand with photographing
ABOVE Anvil Industry’s modular Regiments range allows wargamers
the products and getting a website set up.
to create their own uniquely weird and wonderful infantry
Pitt went into business with him and the

tabletopgaming.co.uk 55
 ANVIL INDUSTRY
Bits and miniatures start life as a CAD
sculpt created by a talented digital designer
operation began to take off. In 2012 the pair
moved to London, renting one, and later two,
studios in Trinity Wharf.
The next few years saw the gradual
expansion of the team as Anvil Industry
made a name for itself in the wargaming
space and brought the technical elements of
design inhouse.
“It’s been a journey of starting by hiring
freelancers design stuff, then learning the
skill yourself, then paying other people to
make bits, then buying the machinery and
manufacturing it all yourself,” explains Pitt.
“We’re only now at a point after eight years
where we’re completely self-sufficient; from
the first pencil sketch to the finished product
going out the door we do everything in one
building, and that gives us complete control,
letting us keep the quality high and the lead
time fast.”
The real turning points for Anvil Industry
came in 2016, when it launched its innovative
regiments system. A range of heads, torsos,
arms, legs, weapons and accessories for 28mm
scale human infantry, the regiments system
was designed to be completely modular,
I take great pride in being
there for hobbyists who want
a particular component they
can’t get elsewhere
56 January 2020
The sculpt is 3D printed in resin and then The sculpt is then put into a mould box, and
carefully cleaned up using files and knivies a mould is made from silicone rubber
allowing for a range of exotic and unusual Nonetheless, Pitt cites the three Kickstarters
infantry miniatures. Choosing from hundreds Anvil Industry has run as the most challenging
of different parts, wargamers can create such aspect of the business.
unusual combinations as Prussian-era jetpack “there’s always that high at the beginning
troops, World War One-esque Tommies with where you’re like, ‘well, yes, we’ve got all this
plasma carbines or tricorne-sporting redcoat money upfront and that’s great.’ And then
mercenaries armed with Kalashnikovs and the realisation sort of sinks in that you’ve
grenade launchers. The range proved so inevitably bitten off a bit more than you can
popular that Pitt estimates that it now makes chew and you’ve got this huge mountain of
up roughly 70% of Anvil Industry’s sales. At the orders. It does get a bit soul destroying when
same time, Anvil has also managed to navigate you’re in the middle of shipping and there
the thorny world of Kickstarters. seems to be no end in sight.”
“There’s sort of two wargame Kickstarters,”
explains Pitt. “You’ve got the very small
startups that are doing a Kickstarter to
essentially launch their business and there’s
a lot of danger of running out of funds – you
hear horror stories where pledges are never
delivered and so on. We’ve always been in the
other group, which is companies who already
have a sustainable product range and are
using Kickstarter to raise revenue to develop
a new product line. We’ve always been able to
use revenues from our regular sales to support
our Kickstarters so we’ve never had financial
worries in that sense.”
 Several pieces are commonly mounted on a
single sprue to make casting quicker
THE ART OF THE CAST
Since the beginning Anvil Industry has
specialised in making resin bits and
miniatures. Like all materials, resin brings
with it its own challenges, and the journey
from initial concept to finalised product is
a complicated and technical one. Any idea
first starts out as a piece of concept art – a
pencil sketch from either Pitt or one of the
design team. After that, the images is created
digitally using CAD (Computer Aided Design)
software, being compared with existing digital
aspect to ensure that the level of detail and
scale remains consistent.
After being designed in the virtual world,
the item is given life in the physical one by
way of a high resolution 3D printer. As well
as any possible minor imperfections, this 3D
printed version – known as the master copy –
will also be surrounded by support structures
created during the 3D printing process. These
structures have to be removed, an arduous
process in of itself.
“We use files and knives and it’s very
detailed, painstaking work,” explains Pitt. “You
know, one gun can take half an hour to an
hour to prepare for casting because it’s going
to potentially be duplicated thousands of
times, so it has to be as perfect as possible. We
really have to put in the time at that stage to
get the quality right.”
When it’s finally ready, the master copy is
then set on a stand in a box in order to make a
master mould. Silicone rubber is then poured
into the box; after the rubber sets, it’s gently
cut open with a knife and the master copy
removed. A two-part liquid polyurethane
Two-part polyurethane resin is used to
create pieces from production moulds
resin is then mixed together and poured into
the master mould to create several copies of
the item in question. Vacuum chambers and
pressure pots are used at this stage in order
to remove the bubbles that get trapped in the
liquid resin, allowing for near-flawless casts.
When four or five copies of the item have
been created, they’re lined up on a sprue and
further molds are cast from that. These are the
production moulds, which allow for multiples
of an item to be cast instead of just one at a
time. It’s these production moulds that are
used to create the actual products consumers
buy, and are the reason that Anvil (and other
resin casters) can keep up with demand. As
a general rule of thumb, Pitt estimates that it
would be possible for Anvil Industry to create
around 40 or 50 sprues of a given item over the
course of an average working day, although
at maximum capacity it would be possible
to double that. Demand varies across their
range; some bits will only need 10 sprues
for a month’s worth of sales, whereas others
(ankle-length greatcoat legs, for example, are
one of their most popular products) need to be
manufactured almost constantly.
HAMMERED ANVIL
One of the most prominent features of Anvil
Industry’s story is how much hard work has
had to go into making a viable business out
of a product that at first glance seems so
deceptively simple.
“I’ve worked very, very hard for these last
eight years,” says Pitt, “and ultimately I’d like
to work a little less hard because my work-life
balance is a bit messed up. I’d like to spend
Moulds filled with resin are placed in a
pressure pot to get rid of air bubbles
more time on actual hobby time. If we can
get the company to the point where it’s sort
of self-sustaining, where it runs itself, that’d
be good.”
In the meantime, Anvil Industry is as busy
as ever. The company has recently moved
into new premises, and was in the middle of
renovating the place at the time of interview.
In the long run, they hope to be able to open
up the office as a small shop-cum-gaming-
space, where members of the public will
be able to come in and interact with staff
directly. They’re also introducing an electronic
stock taking system that’ll allow them to
keep track of product quantities in real time.
Above all, the line of new products coming
out keeps on growing, as miniatures from a
recent Kickstarter become available and new
ranges are designed. It’s tough work, but Pitt
maintains that the workload is worth it.
“Running your own small company is
really hard work, and it’s frequently poorly
paid, and there have been some times when
we’ve been genuinely worried about the state
of the business,” he admits. “Demand for
our products fluctuates and the industry’s
changing all the time so we’ve had to adapt
to that. But there’s also that excitement that
comes from running your own business;
you deal with all the negatives, but you also
benefit from the positives. So if the business
is doing well it’s because of what you did
and the decisions that you made. I take
great pride in being there for hobbyists who
want a particular component they can’t get
elsewhere, and knowing that their recreation is
enhanced by the products we offer.”
tabletopgaming.co.uk 57
 A CELEBRATION OF
BOARD GAMES, RPGS,
CARD GAMES & MINIATURES
ALL UNDER ONE ROOF!
TWO DAYS, ONE VENUE, HUNDREDS
OF GAMES = HOURS OF FUN!
THE PLACE
TO PLAY!
» See, play and buy the
hottest blockbusters
» Participate in roleplaying and
miniature games within our
participation and demo area

S E E I T | P L AY I T | B U Y I T

26th and 27th September 2020

Alexandra Palace,
London PLUS! HUGE
OPEN GAMING
AREA AND
FREE BOARD
TICKETS FROM £16 GAME LIBRARY
KIDS UNDER 10 GO FREE » Revisit an old classic or
discover a new favourite
VISIT:
ttgami.ng/ttgl2020
TICKET HOTLINE:
0844 338 0338
WANT TO
PRESEN T ING PAR T NER KNOW MORE?
 TAKE PART IN…
» Hands on workshops
» Inspiring talks
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WATCH OUR PREVIEW VIDEO HERE:

FALLOUT ZONE SET: pre-painted resin scenery
www.gamemat.eu
PLAYED
71

62 66 78

62 NEMESIS 72 DALE OF MERCHANTS

63 ALIEN: THE ROLEPLAYING GAME 73 ADVENTURE GAMES:
MONOCHROME INC.
64 PAUPERS' LADDER
74 UNLOCK!
65 GANYMEDE TIMELESS ADVENTURES
66 NINJA ACADEMY 75 LAST BASTION
66 TUSSIE MUSSIE 76 VOLCANIC ISLE
67 HORRIFIED 76 DECRYPTO: LASERDRIVE
68 SHARDHUNTERS 77 ECOS
68 DREAMS OF TOMORROW 78 MARVEL CRISIS PROTOCOL
69 TROGDOR!! THE BOARD GAME 79 KUNG FU PANDA:
THE BOARD GAME
70 TOY STORY:
OBSTACLES AND ADVENTURES 80 YGGDRASIL CHRONICLES
71 EBERRON: 81 NECROMUNDA:
RISING FROM THE LAST WAR DARK UPRISING
S H O U L D Y O U P L AY I T ? M U S T - P L AY | Y E S | P R O B A B LY | M AY B E | N O

January 2020 tabletopgaming.co.uk 61

 P L AY E D
NEMESIS
Intruder alert! Intruder alert!
Designer: Adam Kwapinski | Artists: Various
Y
ou are rudely awoken from
hypersleep. There’s a body on
the floor nearby: one of your
crewmates, horrifically mauled. And
something nasty is lurking in the
shadowy corridors, rooms and ducts
of your big, echoey spaceship.
It’s a familiar scenario.
Reminiscent, of course, of Ridley
Scott’s Alien, to which Awaken
Realms’ latest, big-box, miniature-
packed theme-driven game
owes a great debt. But it might
also ring bells to anyone who
played the recent Lifeform, which
also translated its reverence for
xenomorphy cinema into an
elaborate tabletop survival horror.
The core difference between
Nemesis and Lifeform is here no
player has to take the role of the
alien. Or rather, aliens; there is far
more than one slimy interloper. Yet
this is not a straight cooperative
game. Each character — captain,
pilot, scout or scientist, among
others — starts with a pair of secret
objectives. One of these is personal,
and the other corporate. The first
time an extra-terrestrial Intruder
appears on the board (usually as
the result of making too much noise
while exploring the board), every
62 January 2020
WHAT’S IN
THE BOX?
◗ 1 Two-sided board
◗ 6 Character boards
◗ 1 Intruder board
1-4 Hr 1-5 14+ £125 ◗ 1 Intruder bag
◗ 1 Scanner
◗ 20 Room tiles
lightspeed, which will ◗ 2 Six-sided
kill all humans on combat dice
board unless they get ◗ 2 Ten-sided noise dice
themselves back into ◗ 6 Character
hibernation first. miniatures
Designer Adam ◗ 20 Intruder
Kwapinski (Lords of miniatures
◗ 5 Plastic card
Hellas) has calibrated
holders
the game with a ◗ 6 Coloured
powerful narrative plastic rings
drive, delivering twists, ◗ 2 Room sheets
turns, intrigue and ◗ 18 Status markers
climactic moments. ◗ 50 Ammo/
Whether you’re playing the injury markers
game’s superb solo mode ◗ 30 Noise markers
(for the ultimate against-the- ◗ 8 Fire markers
◗ 8 Malfunction
odds survival experience),
markers
or the regular multiplayer, it ◗ 12 Door tokens
really does feel cinematic — ◗ 6 Engine tokens
something that’s helped by publisher ◗ 2 Five injury tokens
Awaken Realms lavishing its usual ◗ 4 Escape pod tokens
player has to choose which objective attention on the components, which ◗ 8 Intruder egg tokens
to commit to. Some will require a are of incredible quality. ◗ 20 Exploration tokens
more ‘heroic’ route. Others demand However, with a tricky-to-navigate ◗ 5 Character
some skulduggery: perhaps trying 28-page rule book and heavyweight corpse tokens
◗ 27 Intruder tokens
to sneak an egg off the ship, or even complexity, games do run slow, long
◗ 8 Intruder
arranging for another character to and not always smoothly. Also, there is carcass tokens
have a little, shall we say, accident. player elimination, with only the first ◗ 1 Depressurisation
This Battlestar Galactica-ish twist player out given the option of taking token
ramps up the tension to a thoroughly over control of the Intruders. And you ◗ 1 First player token
entertaining degree. You all need to don’t have to die to be out of the game: ◗ 60 Action cards
work together to survive — following if you swiftly complete your objective (10 per character)
your crewmates into rooms doesn’t and place yourself in hibernation or ◗ 18 Objective cards
generate noise, for instance — and an escape pod, you’ll have to sit out ◗ 7 Soo/Co-op
Objective cards
each character has its own strengths, until everyone else is done, too. This is
◗ 27 Contamination
represented by their own deck of unfortunate, for sure, although it may cards
10 action cards. But you also never come as some relief to hear that, with ◗ 20 Intruder
know if you can entirely trust your the game’s action-horror theme oozing attack cards
friends. They tell you they’ve fixed through so effectively, even being ◗ 16 Serious
the engines… But maybe they’ve reduced to a spectator doesn’t take as wound cards
secretly sabotaged them. Perhaps much away from the experience as you ◗ 20 Event cards
they’ve programmed the ship to might fear. ◗ 5 Help cards
return to the safety of Earth… But DAN JOLIN ◗ 8 Intruder
weakness cards
really set the coordinates to Mars.
◗ 8 Coordinates cards
Meanwhile, those terrifyingly toothy
monsters keep springing out at you,
❚ PLAY IT? Y E S ◗ 120 Item cards
It’s knotty, lengthy and involves player ◗ 6 Character
gradually whittling down your health elimination, but Nemesis is still hugely Draft cards
and resources, while the ship itself impressive in the way it implements ◗ 10 Intruder
is on an automatic countdown to its sci-fi survival-horror theme. action cards
TRY THIS IF YOU LIKED… LIFEFORM
If you played that because you wanted Alien (or Aliens) in a game, then you
must check Nemesis out, too.
ALIEN: THE ROLEPLAYING GAME
The Terror of the Deep (Space)
here are plenty of horror games
T on the market, but few manage
to tap into the unsettling,
bone-gnawing terror that Alien: The
Roleplaying game can conjure up with
just a few well-chosen descriptions and
careless dice rolls.
From an initial movie about a bunch
of space-truckers and their run-in with a
single monster through to the expanded
timeline of Prometheus, the Alien
universe has always revolved around fear
of the unknown; the fear, appropriately
enough, of the alien. This isn’t the easiest
thing to capture at the tabletop, but with
a few clever decisions and a stark focus
on cranking up the tension the Alien
RPG does everything it can to summon
up feelings of dread, whether you’re
in a darkened kitchen or a crowded
convention hall.
This is achieved with a core ruleset
based on the same, simple system used
by several other games developed by
Free League, including Tales from the
Loop and Forbidden Lands. Skills and
stats add dice to a pool, and when you
want to try something risky you throw
them all and try to get sixes. If you
get at least one you succeed, whether
that means sneaking past a handful of
egg-sacs without rupturing them or
clobbering a merc over the head with
a wrench.
The biggest twist that Alien adds to the
system is one that ties the rules neatly
into the idea of rising, creeping horror.
As characters press themselves or watch
their friends be torn apart by monsters,
they accumulate an extra pool of stress
dice. These dice can generate successes
just like their skills and stats – adrenaline
pushing them to new heights – but if they
roll poorly the terror can overwhelm
their character, causing them to freeze,
empty their entire magazine or run into
the open.
It’s a neat little addition to the rules
that does a wonderful job of raising the
tension, and not just in-game either.
Passing checks with just your basic dice
pool can be tough, so you’re encouraged
to push for re-rolls and stress dice right
from the start of the adventure, but in
the back of everyone’s mind lingers the
knowledge of what that stress can cause
when the real dangers appear.
This isn’t the only twist to Alien,
however. Perhaps the most interesting
aspect of the game is that it’s actually two
games in a single book. Kind of.
One of these is a fairly conventional
sci-fi RPG designed for campaigns that
might run for weeks or months at a time.
The other – known as ‘cinematic mode’
– is specially built for one-off scenarios.
You aren’t really expected to ever run a
second game using the same characters,
because most of them are probably
going to be dead.
The rules don’t really change between
the two, but while campaign mode
is where the meat of the details and
character options lie, cinematic mode
is where strengths of Alien shine their
brightest. It’s here that the terror is at its
most accessible, the rules at the slickest
and the tone at its darkest.
392+ 15+ £39
Some of this can be attributed to
the punishing, lethal nature of the
pre-written cinematic scenarios, but a
lot of the sleek efficiency comes from
the careful decision of which rules and
ideas to cut out. There’s no character
creation, no umm-ing and ahh-ing over
weapon loadouts and no need to fiddle
about with any systems that don’t relate
directly to the situation at hand. You just
turn up, roll your dice and pray that you
survive the night.
Of course, this ease of play is balanced
out by the sky-high stakes when a
campaign game eventually stumbles
into a truly deadly threat, but the crew
probably won’t be facing these every
TRY THIS IF
week. For every tense showdown with YOU LIKED…
monstrous aliens, you can probably CALL OF
expect a couple run-ins with pushy CTHULHU
Colonial Marines or some corporate Though the settings
drones, and while these can still be fun are about as
they aren’t exactly the reason why most different as you
of us pick up an Alien game. could imagine, Alien
When you’re in one-shot cinematic RPG captures the
same despair, dread
mode, Alien is an incredible game. If you
and pile of dead
have just one night to play and are after characters created
some seriously scary roleplaying, it’s one by classic Call of
of the best choices out there. Campaign Cthulhu adventures.
mode has the potential to eclipse even
this, but if you go down this road you’ll
need to accept that between the peaks of
an excellent horror game lie a few sessions
of merely okay sci-fi adventure.
RICHARD JANSENPARKES
❚ PLAY IT? Y E S
An incredible horror experience that
absolutely excels at one-shot scenarios.
tabletopgaming.co.uk 63
 P L AY E D

it. As such, when you move into a region

and place a region card, you’re always
in danger of laying something useless to
you, helpful to someone else, or straight-
up dangerous. Each player’s turn the land
shifts beneath you as locations turn up
for quests, items you want for your recipe
appear on a distant shore, and a region
is suddenly guarded by a local beastie. It
gives this great flowing sense of building
toward something big that you’ve set
your sights on – and while it’s competitive
there’s no direct conflict, meaning it very
much has a lazy afternoon vibe about it.
While some games without direct conflict
do feel a bit like playing separate games,
this is more like sharing the Sunday
supplements – and someone else has the
bit you want to read.
The disarmingly wonky art is cohesive,
holding this little world together while
its layer of ever-changing cards on its
surface offers the sense of a living board.
Traipsing around the map can feel a little
PAUPERS’ LADDER bit like the original Pokemon Gameboy
games, or even Earthbound – finish your
Kleptomania is a virtue weird and personal goal to progress the
story and change the world a little. This
60-90m 2-4 14+ £33
happy bouncing between roadblocks and
crossing the board for your own particular
t doesn’t get much more indie than you win, and it gets added to your trophy quest gives players a sense of their own

I calling your game studio Bedsit Games.

Despite the small space though, Paul
Stapleton has put together a game with
room. Get enough mythical corpses and
you can trade it in for a virtue. This collect
and discard is the mechanism for cashing
charming, emergent narrative.
CHRISTOPHER JOHN EGGETT

really quite epic scope, even if it is set in a in any actions for virtues, whether that’s
pocket universe. quests, money, or knowledge.
❚ PLAY IT? Y E S
A gentle game of choosing your
In Brighthelm the benevolent ruler If you didn’t defeat that previously own destiny that will leave everyone
has died, and the terms she has out for mentioned dragon, it hangs around in the around the board feeling a little
her replacement are for the most virtuous region, forcing anyone who enters to fight more virtuous than they started.
amongst the poorest in her realm. The
WHAT’S IN
THE BOX?
game is one where you wander around ◗ Game board
as a giant pauper meeple (and bird ◗ 4 Pauper cards
companion) exploring a pleasing little ◗ 4 Bird cards
map in an attempt to complete a number ◗ 144 Outcome cards
of ‘virtues’. These are the long-term goals ◗ 36 Recipe cards
within the game – get three and you win. ◗ 240 Region cards
To learn a virtue you’re probably going ◗ 50 Equipment cards
to need to upgrade your character by ◗ 4 Rarity cards
◗ 35 Quest cards
collecting potions or completing recipes
◗ 4 Pauper meeples
to provide you permanent abilities. ◗ 4 Bird discs
Exploration is fast as you get two moves ◗ 50 Gems
every turn, using your bird and pauper ◗ 4 Virtue markers
independently – although, of course, the ◗ 1 Charm dice
bird cannot use your equipment (“your
canary can’t use a sword” as we had to
remind one another).
When it does come to canary-on-
dragon combat, we turn a card from the
outcome deck for your pauper, and if TRY THIS IF YOU LIKED… TALISMAN
the number displayed matches or beats If it’s the light, card-based combat and exploration of Talisman that you enjoyed,
then Paupers’ Ladder offers a new, askew, take on this kind of mechanic.
that displayed on the enemy encounter

64 January 2020
GANYMEDE
This sci-fi standout is Splendor in space, on steroids
Designer: Hope S. Hwang | Artist: Oliver Mootoo
S
pace has provided fertile
ground to game designers
over the decades. From the
diplomacy of Cosmic Encounter
to the empire-building of Twilight
Imperium and the far-future horror
of Warhammer 40,000, the stars are
packed with civilisations to discover
and alien monstrosities to confront.
Ganymede is the latest release
offering the chance to explore the
cosmos. But where most space games
set their sights on grandiose themes
of exploration and conquest, this
one’s all about running a public
transport service.
Named after one of the moons
of Jupiter, it puts you and your
opponents in the shoes of rival
spacefaring corporations, all using
Ganymede as a base to launch
missions to the stars. As you play,
you’ll aim to recruit a variety of
colonists on Earth – engineers,
scientists, administrators and
medics, all represented by different
coloured wooden meeples – and
ferry them to your far-off launch
facilities.
Getting them to their destination
isn’t straightforward, though. From
Earth, you’ll first need to get them to
Mars using shuttle craft represented
by a row of randomly drawn cards.
From there, you’ll need to charter a
second shuttle to Ganymede itself. It
means your meeples move gradually
along a sort of interplanetary
conveyor belt, and getting them from
A to B as quickly as possible takes
some careful planning.
Different shuttles will only accept
certain combinations of meeples,
meaning you’ll need to recruit the
right ones and get them to the right
place at the right time to get them
aboard. It feels similar to the jewel
trading game Splendor, with you and
your rivals all racing to assemble the
collections of colonists you need to
40m 2-4 12+ £34
claim the various spaceship cards.
But while the two games might
share a similar mechanical core,
Ganymede adds a handful of other
elements to consider.
Different shuttles grant a variety
of bonus actions to the players who
manage to charter them, letting
you recruit extra meeples, transport
extra travellers or enhance your
company’s reputation. It means that WHAT’S IN
as well as thinking about the types THE BOX?
of settlers you want to send to the ◗ 52 Wooden
Settler Meeples
stars, you’ll need to work out which
◗ 4 Wooden Cubes
of the available add-on abilities are ◗ 90 Shuttles and
most advantageous to you at any Settlers Ship Cards
given time. ◗ 4 Player Boards
Shuttles also come in various ◗ 1 Rulebook
classes, and whenever you use one,
you’ll also set off the abilities of
any of the same type you’ve already
played. It adds what feels like a very
subtle engine-building element to
proceedings as you create chains
of bonus actions – never powerful
enough to skew or unbalance
the game, but still helpful and
undeniably satisfying when you
pull it off.
Then there are your Ganymede-
based starships themselves. They
take off whenever you fill them
with meeples, and each one you TRY THIS IF
successfully launch boosts your score YOU LIKED…
at the end of the game in different SPLENDOR
ways. It means your strategy is likely Like the beloved
to diverge from everyone else’s, jewel-trading game,
and with everyone chasing their Ganymede revolves
own goals, there’s plenty of room in around building
resources and
the solar system for a bit of tactical
chasing rewards
brilliance. over time. But it
OWEN DUFFY builds on this simple
premise to offer
layers of new depth.
❚ PLAY IT? Y E S
Ganymede may be a little thin on
thematic immersion, but it presents
a constantly evolving puzzle of
the best kind. While the available
options on your turn are simple, your
decisions gel together over time
to allow for real strategic flexibility.
It’s fast-playing and thoughtful, and
its distinctive geometric art gives it
impressive presence on your table.
tabletopgaming.co.uk 65
 P L AY E D
NINJA ACADEMY
pen Ninja Academy’s box and
O you might wonder whether
there are pieces missing.
This tiny dexterity game comes with
just a handful of cards and wooden
bits. But its four-strong design team
uses them in some inventive ways to
create a collection of fast and furious
mini-games.
The game casts you and your friends
as students in a ninja dojo. Over a series
of rapid-fire rounds, you’ll compete in
challenges for the honour of becoming
the top student.
Each task uses the game’s
components in different ways. In
one, you’ll each place a meeple in
a standing position on the back of
your hand then try to shove your
opponents’ over without toppling your
own. In another, you’ll place a wooden
log in the centre of the table before
flicking ninjas at it, attempting to place
yours closest to the target like a kind of
tabletop lawn bowls.
TUSSIE MUSSIE
ollowing Wingspan with Tussie
F Mussie feels like the tabletop-
designer equivalent of directing
a small, personal, indie flick after
making a blockbuster. Where
Elizabeth Hargrave’s bird-collecting,
engine-building debut came in a
box packed with and 170 unique
cards, her flowery second game is
a small wallet holding only 18. But
66 January 2020
Other mini games see you trying to
throw ninjas into the game box from a
distance, chucking them at a wall of logs
trying to knock as many over as possible,
or racing a rival to balance five ninjas on
the tips of your outstretched fingers.
Some challenges involve everyone
around the table, while others pit
two players against each other
it is no less indicative of this rising
designer’s knack for theme and talent
for elegant mechanisms.
Over three rounds, each player
must create flower arrangements
represented by a quartet of cards,
which must be placed left-to-right
and score according to each card’s
rule (such as “+1 point for each
of your different colour cards”).
Essentially, you’re building a micro-
engine. However, its construction
is complicated by the way you play
the cards. First draw two from the
deck, then offer them both to the
player to your side: one face up, the
other face down. Clearly there’ll
be one you’ll prefer to keep, but do
you try to hide it, or put it on show
as a bluff? The neat conundrum of
this ‘I pick, you choose’ element
is complicated by the fact that
face-up cards are added to your
arrangement face-up (forming
your “bouquet”), while face-down
20m 3-5 8+ £14
head-to-head. But even when you’re
not included, you can still gain points by
betting on the outcome of the contest.
And with each mini-game lasting
between a few seconds and a minute,
the pace of the fun never slows down.
OWEN DUFFY
❚ PLAY IT? Y E S
30m 2-4 8+ £10
cards stay face-down (creating
your “keepsakes”). This further
affects scoring, as some cards
only synergise within bouquets,
and others with keepsakes. Which
means, despite the gentle, fragrant
theme, Tussie Mussie can actually
be quite cut-throat, as you guess at
other players’ strategies and try to
subvert their arrangements.
Inspired by the Victorian trend
of giving flowers a secret language,
Hargrave also encourages players to
read the flavour text of their face-up
card when offering it, explaining each
flower’s meaning. A Snapdragon, for
example, means: “You have deceived
me.” It’s well worth doing, adding
flavour to the game itself. And in
the Snapdragon’s case, what you’re
saying will often be true, in the most
entertaining way.
DAN JOLIN
❚ PLAY IT? Y E S
HORRIFIED WHAT’S IN
THE BOX?
◗ 1 Game board
Doing the monster smash ◗ 6 Monster mats
◗ 7 Monster figures
Designer: Prospero Hall | Artist: Uncredited 60m 1-5 10+ £35 ◗ 7 Hero badges
◗ 7 Hero movers

R
avensburger have really been
knocking it out of the park and
into the movie studio with recent
Hollywood tie-ins. 2019’s Jaws and the
Disney based Villainous have shown us
that it doesn’t just have to be a cash-grab
when it comes to bringing big names to
our tabletops.
So then, in shambles Horrified, part
of a Universal Studios deal that puts the
classic monsters of the silver screen firmly
in the centre of your attention. And it’s
really quite good.
The game is one of running around
collecting items of specific colour
and value to complete the selected
monster’s quest while trying to avoid
said monsters. Each quest is defined
by the monster card, presenting a kind
of mini-game. This could be finding
and smashing Dracula’s various coffins
around the town, playing a kind of slide-
puzzle with The Mummy, or to teach
both Frankenstein’s monster, and the
bride of said monster, a little about how
to be human. While sometimes you can
be blocked from completing quest by a
bad series of draws, or an unlucky attack
by a monster (your items are also a kind
of health system in the game) it only
adds to the overcoming-the-odds theme
of the game.
All of the quests need to be completed
not only against the clock – something
set by the number of monster cards in
the deck – but also against the monsters
themselves who will cause terror by,
er, terrorising you and the villagers. If a
villager is killed or a hero hospitalised
you move the terror meter up. While you
take a number of actions each turn of
your own choosing, at the end of your
turn you flip a monster card to show you
which monsters are on the move, and
how much they’re attacking for when
they land on the same space as a hero
or villager.
It’s a light game that does a great job
of not cutting off your options. You can
do pretty much anything you can think
of during play. As it’s a collaborative
experience you can work out the best
plan together, share items, and even have
really quite cinematic “leave me, take this
and complete the quest!” moments as the
cards tick down.
◗ 10 Villager movers
The monster design is quite nice, ◗ 20 Bases
even if the figures are the most generic, ◗ 60 Item tokens
but that’s kind of expected. Certain ◗ 1 Terror marker
monsters mark players and follow them, ◗ 1 Frenzy marker
whereas the duo of Frankenstein and ◗ 30 Monster cards
Bride can be drawn to one another. ◗ 20 Perk cards
◗ 5 Reference cards
Thematically it’s tight enough and the
◗ 1 Item bag
quests are simple to understand quickly ◗ 3 Dice
enough that you’ll want to set up a
different combinations of monsters
and heroes on the board as soon as
you finish your first game. The second
game in my group was the predictable
“let’s use all the most difficult monsters”
option that saw the terror meter spike
alarmingly quickly. Which is exactly
what you’d expect when caught in
something of a bro-hug between
Dracula and the Wolfman.
CHRISTOPHER JOHN EGGETT
❚ PLAY IT? Y E S
A surprisingly replayable, jolly,
collaborative game that lends itself
to occasional cinematic moments.
While not full of depth and complexity
it has just enough moving parts
to provide some tactical fun.

TRY THIS IF
YOU LIKED
ELDRITCH
HORROR
And you want to get
some of your friends
or family into co-op
monster defeating,
before moving on
to something with
more depth.

tabletopgaming.co.uk 67
 P L AY E D
SHARDHUNTERS
f nothing else, Shardhunters provides a
I great test case of how a game that plays
pleasingly can be let down by its choice
of theme. As a quick-play battler, it works
well, with some neat twists introduced
by its wide selection of hero cards, each
with its own rule-tweaking power. Each
player starts with a hero, hoping to earn
Bloodshards from winning monster
hunts and spend them to recruit further
heroes to their party. If you win a hunt
DREAMS OF TOMORROW
rom the description I hoped
F Dreams of Tomorrow was going to
be one of those rare games where
the future is dreamy, but instead the
future is terrible as usual and must be
saved with dreams. You play a Dream
Engineer tasked with travelling the
Collective Conscious, collecting dreams
68 January 2020
with five heroes in your roster, you win
the game. But only two heroes can be
active at a time, encouraging you to think
hard about which powers you activate
per hunt.
The hunts involve playing down
monster cards from a hand of seven,
across four combats. Each has a value
between one and four, with four
categories of monster: undead, pirates,
rats and lycanthropes. In the first and
and weaving them into sequences to
send back to the past.
Which is to say that this is a rondel
game (you go round and round the
board) with set-collection elements,
pretty art and some of the least intuitive
graphic design I’ve seen in a long time.
It’s a confusing muddle of more than
twenty icons and symbols that aren’t
clear, attractive or well laid out. This isn’t
a game of weaving dreams, mostly it’s
trying to remember what the icon with all
the rectangles lets you do.
A shame, because there are nice
touches here, and the mechanics are
intelligent, well balanced and varied.
The Collective Conscious lets you gain
resources to catch dreams and weave
them, but it also lets you trigger the power
of the topmost dream in your sequence,
which can rearrange the pieces of the
rondel, give you extra stuff or more moves,
or let you swap dreams with other players.
20m 1-4 12+ £10
fourth combats everyone simultaneously
plays a single card; in the second two
cards; and in the third three cards. The
aim is to play the highest total value, with
a majority of coloured cards breaking ties
(undead have no colour). However, any
played rats switch the win condition to
the lowest value — unless a lycanthrope is
played, which negates that power.
It’s as simple as that, offering some
lightweight tactical fun that should make
this game ideal for playing with children.
But Shardhunters’ creators settled on a
dark fantasy theme which apparently
required many of its female heroes to
be portrayed as bosom-thrusting (or
revealing) sex objects, from Shena The
Damned to (ugh) Natasha The Seducer.
It’s a bit sad really, and you don’t need to
be a prude to find it offputting. With a very
different visual style (what’s wrong with
cute and cartoony?), this could have been
a commendable family-friendly game.
DAN JOLIN
❚ PLAY IT? M A Y B E
30-45m 1-6 10+ £28
But it’s not as simple as collecting
powerful dreams. If you can create a
sequence of dreams with matching
symbols you get points for resonance, and
with the game’s tight scoring it can often
make the difference. And the conflict
between the two leads to interesting
choices and emergent strategies.
The game comes with two modes:
pleasant night and troubled night, which
unleashes a nightmare onto the rondel,
plus a solo variant in which you compete
against an algorithmic robot. It’s a nice
package for several styles of play.
Dreams of Tomorrow never engages
directly with its theme but its tone is never
fierce or combative, and collecting the
dream-cards is a pleasant way to spend
some time, even if they never add up to
anything more than points.
JAMES WALLIS
❚ PLAY IT? P R O B A B L Y
TROGDOR! THE BOARD GAME
Watch the World BURNINATE!
30-60m 1-6 14+ £58

WHAT’S IN
THE BOX?
◗ 16 wooden meeples
◗ 16 miniatures
◗ 25 double-sided
cardboard
terrain tiles
◗ Cardboard
Trog-meter
◗ 36 Trogdeck cards
◗ 45 movement cards
o fantasy story is truly complete Every turn is a tug-of-war, where for all the characters as well as usual

N without the presence of a

dragon. Misty Mountain
would be an inconvenient hike without
Smaug, Harry Potter would simply be
a boy on a broom without a Hungarian
Horntail to guard the golden egg and
Khaleesi would struggle to cross the
Narrow Sea and fight for the throne in
Game of Thrones. Now a new challenger
descends to eat peasants and burn
villages – Trogdor The Burninator, a
comic character, an 8-bit video game
and the epicentre of the board game
with the same name.
If it isn’t obvious from Trogdor’s title
– The Burniator – or its looks – a large
green dragon with a bulging muscular
arm – this cooperative game does not
take itself seriously. Each turn players,
esteemed members of the aptly named
cult the Keepers of Trogdor, use their
actions to guide Trogdor and burn,
excuse me, burninate everything on a
five by five randomly generated tiled
board. In order to win the game Trogdor
will have to lay waste to all tiles, huts and
have eaten or burninated all villagers on
the board. Unfortunately, pesky knights
and archers stand in the way of this
explosive endeavour. They travel around
the tiles through AI deck drawn routes,
trying to catch Trogdor and defeat him.
Additionally, they can also repair tiles and
huts that have already been burninated.
players play cards unleashing Trogdor
using the action points displayed on
them to move and burn, along with any
other special abilities available, and then
villagers, knights and archers move in an
attempt to deal damage to Trogdor and
also repair everything in their path.
Seasoned co-operative board gamers,
who are used to the high-stake strategies
that are involved in winning games
in this genre, might find Trogdor!! The
Board Game frustratingly luck-based.
Very minimal pre-planning can be done
as the villagers’, knights’ and archers’
movement is completely random each
turn. Certain assumptions can be made
on which tiles are less likely to be in their
path, but these are not exact predictions.
Trogdor!! The Board Game is not
about pin-point precision. It is about
having a laugh. Starting with the rule
book full of silly slapstick humour to its
entire gameplay where burning villagers
get Crowns of Flame and frantically run
around the board setting tiles in their
path on fire. Even if Trogdor is defeated,
he gets one last chance at a win with a
Fiery Rage burning everything along the
path of five randomly deal movement
cards. With any luck, this last hurrah can
meet the win conditions, but even if not,
it never feels like a let-down or a failing.
The deluxe version of the game comes
with beautifully painted miniatures
wooden meeples used in the standard
edition. Seemingly just to underline,
that Trogdor!! The Board Game doesn’t
◗ Nine Keeper of
Trogdor cards
◗ Nine magical
items cards
◗ Bag for stacking
like to take itself seriously, players can
play a stacking mini game with the mini game
wooden meeples (reminiscent of Meeple
Circus but simplified), the rules of play
for which are included in the main
rulebook. It has absolutely nothing to
do with the main game but is fairly well
done and entertaining!
With most modern co-operative
games being as tough as nails,
sometimes it’s nice to play one that TRY THIS IF
is about having silly fun with friends, YOU LIKED…
rather than putting all team efforts into FORBIDDEN
strategies and objectives. The downside ISLAND
of a game that leads with its humour is If you are used to
that any joke at some point will likely the hard work of
get old. Trogdor!! The Board Game may digging up flooded
not have a long table-life, but it will lift tiles, you may find
that burning them
spirits and bring laughter and joy with
instead is much
every play. more fun
ALEX SONECHKINA
❚ PLAY IT? P R O B A B L Y
The main goal of Trogdor!! The Board
Game is not to win, it is to have fun.
That may come at the expense of
robust strategies, that many have
come to expect from co-operative
games, but once in a while it’s fun
to be a big dragon with a muscly
arm watching the world burninate.

tabletopgaming.co.uk 69
 P L AY E D
TOY STORY: OBSTACLES AND ADVENTURES
It’s not exactly flying, but it is falling with style
Designer: Prospero Hall| Artist: Disney Pixar
I
n the crowded boardgame market
of today, one of the better ways to
find titles you’re going to enjoy is to
follow the work of a particular designer.
One name that’s been increasingly
prominent in the last few years is
Prospero Hall, responsible for a bevy
of licensed hits including Harry Potter
Hogwarts Battle, Bob Ross: Art of Chill
and Disney Villainous.
But caveat emptor because Prospero
Hall is not a person, it’s a Seattle-based
company, part of Forrest-Pruzan
Creative which in turn is now part
of Funko. All the same, if Toy Story:
Obstacles and Adventures comes from
the same team who created Villainous,
a tremendous blend of theme and
gameplay that lets you be a Disney
baddie bringing off your diabolical
scheme while throwing heroes at your
adversaries, it must be worth a look.
Plus, it’s a campaign-based co-
operative deck-builder with Disney
Pixar’s most loved cast of characters,
Legacy-style gameplay for kids,
and at the very least that’s got to be
interesting, right?
As it turns out Toy Story: O&A has
less in common with Villainous and
more overlap with another of Prospero
Hall’s titles: Harry Potter Hogwarts
Battle. Because it’s basically the same
game, or at least the same game-engine,
re-skinned with brightly coloured
70 January 2020
toys. There are five characters instead
of four (and two girls instead of one)
and six adventures instead of seven,
plus some sweet adventure-track
mini-boards with the dinkiest zinc
tokens you’ve ever seen, but at its heart
WHAT’S IN this is the Harry Potter deck-building
THE BOX? engine – or what I’m fairly sure we’ll
◗ 198 regular cards come to recognise as the Prospero Hall
◗ 21 oversized cards generic co-op deck-building engine for
◗ 4 dice licensed movie franchises.
◗ 6 adventure boxes Which is not to say there’s anything
◗ 1 rulebook
wrong with it. This is a nice solid,
◗ 5 rule sheets
◗ 11 dividers balanced, engaging piece of game
◗ 6 adventure tracks design. Everyone starts with their
◗ 5 player boards own deck of cards specific to their
◗ 6 zinc tokens character, and builds it up to overcome
◗ 35 insight chips a succession of group hazards and
◗ 25 imagination chips dangers, which must be beaten before
◗ 5 health chips the token reaches the end of its track.
In the first adventure it’s the removal
van heading to the family’s new home,
in adventure two it’s luggage moving
through the airport, and so on.
The sense of risk is palpable, players
work together to optimise their strategy
and the whole experience zips along.
The problem comes with the choice of
licence the game engine is applied to.
You see, the Harry Potter world is
filled with living, breathing enemies
TRY THIS IF YOU LIKED… HARRY POTTER HOGWARTS BATTLE
If you’re looking for more of the same but with a different theme, this is literally that.
20-60m 2-4 10+ £40
who must be defeated in a very literal
way. The Toy Story world, not so much.
So where the Harry Potter game has
you spending resources to get new
spells to beat Slytherins and Voldemort,
Toy Story: O&A has you getting new
toys, mainly three-eyed aliens, to
overcome ‘Trapped in a Crate’ and
‘Struggle with Jealousy’.
It doesn’t gel. It never
comes together to feel like an
unfolding story, nor to make you feel
like you’re inside the world of the
game. You’re gathering a collection
of cards with pictures of your Toy
Story friends on them. Any sense of
immersion never got on the removal
truck. This is the wrong game-engine
to tell these toys’ story.
Having said that, my family had a
thoroughly good time with it, and in
the category of A Young Person’s Guide
To Deck Building it’s an excellent
introduction. The gameplay quickly
becomes intuitive and although the
first adventure is ludicrously easy
to beat, the challenge ramps up
pleasingly as you work through the
different card packs.
In a nutshell, the game’s subtitle –
‘Obstacles and Adventures’ – says it all.
It’s a little bit unwieldy for the job it has
to do, and the adventures take second
place to getting past random stuff in
your way. But if you know a family
with kids who are looking to jump
from casual games into something a
bit more meaty, this is a cracking late
Christmas present.
JAMES WALLIS
❚ PLAY IT? P R O B A B L Y
The gameplay is absolutely solid,
but the Toy Story theme feels like
it’s layered on top rather than
properly integrated. Still, the
pleasure of playing as Woody, Buzz
and Jessie shines through.
EBERRON: RISING
FROM THE LAST WAR
Weird, Wonderful New Worlds
Designer: Wizards of the Coast
I
t’s been said that the art of originality
lies in taking something that everybody
already knows and putting a twist on it.
By this definition, Dungeons & Dragons’
Eberron must be one of the most original
game settings out there – one that’s
perfect for spicing up a table growing
tired of classic fantasy tropes.
Rising from the Last War is easily the
most substantial and robust setting guide
to be added to D&D since its latest edition
launched five years ago, and aims to
give players and GMs alike a whole new
world to play about in. This means a heap
of new rules, including races and class
options, as well as a pile of magic items
and monsters to pick from, but the meat
of the book is a big pile of worldbuilding.
And what a world it is.
The simple elevator pitch for Eberron
paints it as a world still recovering from
the horrors of the titular ‘Last War’,
both enjoying the arcane technology
it spawned and reeling from the
industrial-scale violence their creations
wrought. However, this only covers the
slightest sliver of what makes the setting
great – its commitment to creatively
ripping off pop culture.
If that sounds like an insult, it really
isn’t. As you read Rising from the Last
War, you get the impression that writers
asked a hundred different people to
think up something cool, and then
tossed the results into the game world
regardless of how well it seemed to
mesh with the game’s sword and sorcery
aesthetic.
Magical trains? Done. Shapeshifting
assassins? You bet. Halfling
dinosaur-pirates? Here are some ideas
for playing one.
The result is a mash-up of steampunk,
noir, pulp adventure and high fantasy
that is – in all honesty – a bit of a mess.
However, you’d be hard pressed to deny
that it’s a gloriously enjoyable mess, and
one that somehow seems to work. Every
nook and cranny of the game world is
stuffed with ideas all-but guaranteed to
get someone at your table excited about
the upcoming campaign.
For some people this will come in
the form of the setting itself, while other
will be drawn in by the new characters
options, which include a handful of races
and the first full class to hit this edition of
D&D. Of these the robotic warforged are
perhaps the most instantly fascinating
– who doesn’t want to play a kick-arse
steampunk adventurer? – but the
shapeshifting changelings also instantly
inspire countless takes on old stories.
The magical tricks and tools of the
new artificer class also allow players to
play out a grab-bag of steampunk tropes,
which can range from mad scientist to
gunsmith depending on what choices you
make. It’s possibly the most flexible class
available to adventurers at the moment,
and while this comes at the cost of some
complexity it makes up for it by feeling
incredibly fun and thoroughly embedded
in the high-magic world of Eberron.
Indeed, the section immediately
following the rules for the artificer are
all about a new way to get your entire
campaign tied neatly into the game world,
with a dozen or so ideas for patrons that
320 13+ £38.99
could lead – or force – the party into
adventure. This is a wonderful set of
concepts, many of which turn the old “you
meet in a tavern” idea firmly on its head.
While there’s plenty of room for
traditional adventuring parties, Rising
from the Last War also set out plans
for playing as a band of roving tabloid
reporters, a squad of crime-busting
investigators or a team of spies. It’s hard
to guess how many of the ideas would
play out in a long-term campaign, but
every single one of them provides a jolt
of inspiration squarely to the part of the
brain that plans adventures.
The weakest part of the entire book
might actually be the parts that look
to explain and explore the nitty-gritty
details of Eberron itself. Part of this is
the inevitable dry tone, and part of it is a
TRY THIS IF
rather boring layout. If you want to bone YOU LIKED…
up on the politics of the world you need GUILDMASTER’S
to plough through 50 pages of mostly GUIDE TO
plain text that feels like more of a primer RAVNICA
for returning players than something If you liked the
made for newcomers. cosmopolitan, high-
Behind this, however, you’ll find a truly magic weirdness
exciting world that can bring incredible of Ravnica then
Eberron is probably
flavour to your D&D table. It’s not quite
right up your street.
the classic dungeon-crawling heroism
that most newcomers expect from the
game, but if you’re after something new
it’s hard to beat.
RICHARD JANSENPARKES
❚ PLAY IT? Y E S
An absolute delight of a setting that
comes with a slice of new rules that
you can drop into any world you feel like.
Just be prepared for a lot of reading.
tabletopgaming.co.uk 71
 P L AY E D
DALE OF MERCHANTS:
COLLECTION
Deck building for all
n the kingdom of deck-building
I games, Dominion rules proudly,
rarely being bothered by other
pretenders to the throne. That isn’t
to say there aren’t other worthy
contenders, but through the test
of time Dominion has remained
the exemplar by which all deck-
building games are measured. Dale
of Merchants, originally released in
2015, may not have come to usurp
Dominion’s position, but it certainly
offers an alternative for players who
crave the smoothness of the latter’s
gameplay but are not entirely satisfied
with its fairly pastiche theme.
Dale of Merchants is set in a world
resembling Brian Jacques’ Redwall
novels, with anthropomorphized
animals illustrated beautifully on
the cards with a whimsical fairy-
tale approach. Each deck has its
own unique character that reflects
the nature of the animal it belongs
to. For example, the Black-Headed
Gull focuses on filling opponents
with junk cards, low-cost cards that
saturate their deck, making it hard to
draw cards with useful abilities and
higher values. The Tasmanian Devil
is very playful and likes to mess up
72 January 2020
20-60m 2-4 10+ £40
other players’ plans, making them
discard cards or mixing up their
decks, so it is harder to plan ahead.
There is a deck for every type of
player. Those who are feeling a bit
mischievous will find characters that
have high levels of player interaction
and take-that powers. While others
WHAT’S IN who do not like confrontation and
THE BOX? want a more pacifist game experience
◗ 120 animalfolk will be able to do that as well.
cards The gameplay will be familiar
◗ Two wooden dice to anyone who has played deck-
◗ Clock builders before. Players start with
◗ 20 junk cards basic decks that include junk cards
◗ 27 deck selection
and animal cards from each set used
cards
◗ 20 trap cards in the game. They will buy more
◗ 55 character cards powerful cards from the market and
◗ 42 specialty cards during the course of the gameplay
◗ 32 dividers use their abilities – techniques – to
◗ Market board eventually create stacks of cards in
◗ 40 coins
numerical order. The first player
◗ 40 tokens
to place eight stacks of ascending
value wins the game. The gameplay
loop, although simple, is very
satisfying and while some thinking
and planning ahead is beneficial,
TRY THIS IF YOU LIKED… DOMINION
Dale of Merchants Collection has an elegant, swift gameplay reminiscent of
Dominion but it’s theming has more imagination.
players will not suffer from
analysis-paralysis.
Dale of Merchants Collection
acts as a standalone game and
an expansion at the same time,
introducing new animals to the
game as well as adding a couple of
mechanics and variants. These decks
can be played completely on their
own, but Collection also unites all
previous games together, but in more
ways than simply providing enough
space for them in the same box.
On the gameplay level, it adds
almost boundless replayability. The
game varies not only based on the
decks, but players can also pick from
the large collection of characters,
whose unique powers make the
gameplay easier or harder. For an
added layer of challenge, players
can also include trap cards, that
spice up the gameplay again. Each
new element is more of a flavouring
and doesn’t overburden the core of
the gameplay, keeping it swift and
easy-flowing.
On a practical level, Collection
includes everything to make set up
and play as effortless as possible –
from dividers to special cards that
summarise qualities of all the decks
ever released, including their ease
and style of play. It makes the already
gorgeous cards feel special, and the
game a joy to take out and pack back
in the box.
A lot of effort and thought has
been put into making this collection
inclusive, suitable for all types of
players. Seasoned deck-building
fans and newcomers alike will find
something in the game that fits
their play-styles. That together with
adorable animal illustrations is why
you should really consider adding this
game to your collection.
ALEX SONECHKINA
❚ PLAY IT? Y E S
Dale of Merchants Collection does
not stray too far from the establish
deck-building format, but it does a
great job at making sure that it’s
gameplay and artwork are appealing
and memorable to players of all
types and levels of experience.
ADVENTURE GAMES: MONOCHROME INC.
An engaging mystery whose puzzles are stronger than its plot
90m 1-4 14+ £15

he growth of story-focused As you play, you’ll reveal a collection makes a decent stab at presenting an

T games has been one of the most

fascinating developments in
the tabletop hobby. From the intimate
two-player improv of Fog of Love to the
branching fantasy plotlines of Legacy
of Dragonholt and the binge-worthily
episodic Pandemic Legacy, a growing
number of designers are experimenting
with board games as a narrative medium.
The newly launched Adventure Games
series is the latest addition to the bunch,
and within a few minutes of getting it to
the table it’s clear that its co-creators must
have spent a considerable chunk of the
1990s playing point-and-click adventure
video games like Broken Sword and
Monkey Island.
Like the revered PC titles, it
sees players exploring mysterious
environments, piecing together bits of
information and attempting to solve
a succession of puzzles to advance
through an unfolding narrative, and it’s
impressive just how faithfully it replicates
the experience in an analogue form.
Monochrome Inc. – one of two standalone
games released to kick off the series –
casts players as a team of thieves and
hackers engaged in a spot of futuristic
corporate espionage, attempting to
steal valuable secrets from a shady
pharmaceutical company.
of locations within the company’s HQ,
picking up an array of potentially useful
items and trying to figure out how to use
them to sneak your way into top-secret
laboratories. In some cases it’s pretty
obvious: keys fit into locks, pilfered
security passes override electronic entry
systems. But others are less clear-cut;
how are you supposed to overcome high-
tech security measures using a length of
rubber hose, a cigarette lighter and an
empty soft drink can?
Working it our requires observation,
logic and lateral thinking, and
cracking each problem feels like a little
triumph. As you sneak through the
building you’ll incrementally open up
more of the environment, and there’s
a real sense of discovery as each new
room brings you more information,
with new characters to talk to and
new clues to guide you through the
deepening mystery.
This atmosphere of exploration is
reminiscent of publisher Kosmos’s other
small-box series, EXIT: The Game, which
attempts to recreate the experience of a
real-life escape room. But where those
games focused primarily on puzzle-
solving, the new Adventure Games come
with much more of an emphasis on plot.
And for the most part, Monochrome Inc.
engaging techno-thriller.
While its evil-corporation-vs-
band-of-outlaws premise isn’t exactly
groundbreaking, it knowingly and lovingly
embraces genre tropes. It lacks the deep
characters and living setting of Legacy of
Dragonholt – unsurprisingly as it’s a much
smaller game. But it compensates with
puzzles which really draw players in to its
air of mystery, contributing powerfully
to the atmosphere around the table. It’s WHAT’S IN
a one-and-done adventure, and once THE BOX?
you’ve run through it there’s no point ◗ Story book
◗ 4 cardboard
going back for another go. But with no
character standees
legacy-style torn-up cards, you can always ◗ Adventure cards
pass it on once you’ve finished. It’s an ◗ Level cards
intriguing start, and it’ll be interesting to ◗ Rulebook
see how the series develops from here.
OWEN DUFFY
❚ PLAY IT? Y E S
Monochrome Inc. stumbles in places,
particularly with some clunky dialogue
and characters who lack real personality.
But it makes up for it with puzzles
which tickle various bits of your brain.
There’s a sense of exploration as you
steadily reveal more of its environment,
and it also offers a compelling single-
player experience, and its optional
companion app streamlines things by
saving you looking up chunks of text
in the accompanying story book. TRY THIS IF
YOU LIKED…
TIME STORIES
Like the time-
travelling series,
Adventure Games
recreates the feel
of classic point-and-
click adventures.
But where TIME
Stories suffered
from some clunky
repetition, this
latest take on the
concept is a little
more elegant.

tabletopgaming.co.uk 73
 P L AY E D
UNLOCK! TIMELESS ADVENTURES
Time's up!
nlock! Is a long running series
U of escape room style games. If
you’ve played them before there’s
nothing all that new for you to discover
aside from the narrative itself. Equally, if
you have played them before, you know
they’re extremely good fun scenarios for
one-off experiences.
The threat of a throw-away game does
linger. You better enjoy it, you think. What
do you get then? A box with some cards
and a few props. I’ve written that like I
don’t love the props. The three scenarios
in this collection are themed as: a circus
arrives in town, a race a find a diamond in
early 20th century Paris, and a wonky time
machine. I’m not sure how the circus fits
into the “timeless” theme, but it hardly
matters once you’re rolling.
These games play out as a series of
lateral thinking puzzles combined with
some number spotting. When you spot
a number you flip that card, moving
the story on. You can add red and blue
numbers together to get another card.
Flip them and it’s like you combined
them or applied them somehow.
It works a little like magic when it
works. While I am usually sceptical
about app-enabled games, and you do
really need the app here, it did add an
74 January 2020
WHAT’S IN additional layer of flavour and fun to the
THE BOX?
◗ Rulebook
◗ Tutorial (10 cards)
◗ 3 Adventures
game. Some cards are “machines” which
means opening their number in the app
and interacting with it there. There is
an element of split attention with this
(180 cards)
however and it’s easy to expect the app
◗ 3 Props
to hold all of the answers to the story,
rather than the cards because of some
kind of internal bias towards something
electronic having the answer. As such
it’s the very clever machines or the ones
where you have to pick a code from
somewhere else that work the best. The
app also plays some fitting ambient music
that changes along with each scene and
can offer hints if you’re really stuck.
The scenarios themselves are a
mix. The first and easiest scenario is
probably the best for its use of lateral
thinking puzzles, eliciting a number
of “oh!” moments around the table
as something shifts into focus. The
second may be the weakest for its use
of dead ends via a rival gang, costing
you a minute’s penalty every time you
misunderstand the advice and fall into
TRY THIS IF YOU LIKED... TIME STORIES
But want something a fair bit more tongue in cheek. While it’s nowhere near the
level of personal investment as TIME Stories, Unlocked! Timeless Adventures
gives you a similar buzz.
60m 1-6 10+ £27
their trap, wasting time. Sometimes this
felt a little arbitrary.
The fun of the game comes with the
cooperative puzzle solving. As there is a
variety of puzzles in each adventure of
you to tease out with your group there’s
likely to be something that everyone
can solve. In that, it’s very inclusive.
Those who work best solving contextual
common sense problems will balance
out for those who are three steps ahead
adding the numbers of different things
in the room together, or those carefully
looking at the pictures to find hidden
numbers. Unlock! Timeless Adventures
then is just like its previous outings and all
it comes down to is whether you want to
play these particular scenarios.
CHRISTOPHER JOHN EGGETT
❚ PLAY IT? M A Y B E
As with all games of this type you’re
probably going to buy it with a group
of friends for a party or a single
day’s worth of playing, and then
forget about it. For that, it’s great.
LAST BASTION
Release your inner Leonidas
45m 1-4 14+ £40

ast Bastion is a re-work and send additional nastiness the players’ In some ways, Last Bastion could

L a re-theme of Ghost Stories, a

co-operative game beloved for
its toughness. The former has a more
modern aesthetic and its playtime is
slightly less, however, the main principles
of the game largely remains the same.
Set in a fantasy setting, players in Last
Bastion are a group of eclectic heroes
trying to defend their four-towered
bastion from the horde of monsters
assaulting it. The bastion is composed of
a random three by three grid of tiles, each
with their own unique ability that help
heroes keep waves of enemies at bay.
Each character also has a special power
that is either a passive ability or activated
as a bonus action. While that’s plenty
of power to throw at the enemy, players
will need to take full advantage of all of
it, because the monsters hit back just as
hard – and they have the numbers.
In fact, as the game begins, it is easy
to be lulled into a false sense of security.
You feel all-powerful and are just about
managing to dispatch monsters as soon
as they come up. But as the horde of
monsters grows around the bastion
the first semblance of panic begins to
set in. They also have special abilities:
some are triggered when the cards are
first added to the board, others have
an ongoing effect and even with their
last dying breath some monsters can
way. One unlucky draw or ability that was
not dealt with in time can cause a cascade
that overruns the whole board. Suddenly,
players find that their resources are too
few and their own abilities, as powerful as
they are, barely manage to dispense the
most dangerous enemies.
Last Bastion is not a game players
will likely win on their first try. In fact, it
may be many games later that they will
secure their first victory. As in any tough
co-operative game, there are many ways
to lose and only one to win – defeat the
powerful warlord that appears towards
the end of the game. Doing so will require
tactical precision and preparation from
players, where every move is meticulously
planned, and every available resource
accounted for.
This is slightly undermined by the
dice combat, as the element of luck
adds frustration to gameplay that is
already tough. To kill monsters, players
will need to roll the number of symbols
matching the monster card or failing that,
supplement it with resource tokens. The
probability of rolling the colour you need
is low, so having resources as back-up
is always a good idea, yet they come in
limited supply as well. Failing to defeat a
monster essentially wastes players’ turn,
and when every move matters, this can
be devastating.
be an entry-level game. Its rules are
easy to learn, iconology is clear and the
rule book (a big improvement on the
WHAT’S IN
THE BOX?
Ghost Stories’ rule book!) does a really ◗ Nine bastion tiles
good job of walking players through all ◗ Four enclosure tiles
the minutia. However, it requires the ◗ Four horde boards
experience of seasoned co-operative ◗ Eight hero boards
players versed in their strategies and with ◗ Four colour bases
well-oiled teamwork to win. It is easy to ◗ Eight hero figurines
◗ 47 tokens
understand what you need to do in the
◗ Four combat dice
game, but extremely hard to learn how to ◗ Corruption dice
do it well. ◗ 64 cards
In many ways, that is a positive ◗ 3 equipment figures
for Last Bastion. Players will want to ◗ 15 Grasp of
come back and try their luck at beating Evil figurines
it, experimenting with character
combinations and being more mindful
of monster behaviours. However,
sometimes the fight can feel tough,
unfair and even impossible, discouraging
players from returning. Last Bastion may
not be a game for those who are looking
to relax for an hour, but it welcomes those
are ready for a challenge
ALEX SONECHKINA
❚ PLAY IT? Y E S
Last Bastion is one of the toughest
cooperative games out there.
To win it, one will need a robust
plan of action, well-coordinated
teamwork and just a bit of luck, a
challenge that many will relish.

TRY THIS IF
YOU LIKED…
GHOST
STORIES
A modern remake of
Ghost Stories, Last
Bastion successfully
recaptures its
essence while being
more approachable
and offering a new
theme.

tabletopgaming.co.uk 75
 P L AY E D

VOLCANIC ISLE
30-60m 2-4 13+ £47

he history of Easter Island is one rules questions? Unaddressed.) The

T of desolation. One of the most

remote communities on the
planet, it’s spent the last three hundred
components are plentiful, plastic
and cartoony.
The game is decent
years having its people and history but it never gets to grips
shit on by colonial powers. There is with two core questions.
a game set on the island that treats Firstly, if raising moai causes
its subject – the raising of the famous fissures and eruptions that
moai statues – with proper respect, but are destroying the island, why
that game is Giants (Fabrice Besson, do it? And secondly, if you’re
2008). Volcanic Isle is nonsense about making a game about Easter
statues, settlers and volcanoes that Island using its religious art,
nicks the moai and attaches them to don’t you have a responsibility
a completely made-up mythology for to stay close to the actual history and
the island. mythology of the place instead of
To be fair, if you take all the Easter cause a random volcano to erupt, making up a lot of crap?
Island stuff out of it, this isn’t bad. You sending fresh lava down to destroy Volcanic Isle is stealing from the
play tribes settling an island made of what lies below. culture of one of the most exploited
tiles, eight of them volcanic. You spend (Easter Island’s three volcanoes were peoples in the world. If you don’t
action points to move settlers, build long extinct when the first humans care about that, if you can play the
villages and moai from lava, and raise arrived there around 1200 CE.) game without its gross cultural
the statues on geysers, which is what Everything works and it’s all appropriation making the experience
gives you victory points. balanced and has interesting tactical a bit grim, you’ll probably enjoy it. For
However every moai you raise choices and strategies, if you’re able the rest of us, best avoided.
causes a fissure to appear between to work around the rulebook’s lack JAMES WALLIS
tiles, and when fissures link up they of clarity and annoying omissions.
cause parts of the island to sink (Geysers? Never defined. The ship
forever. Raising a moai may also tokens? Not mentioned. Important ❚ PLAY IT? M A Y B E

DECRYPTO: LASERDRIVE
15-45m 3-8 10+ £15

he 2018 party game Decrypto information when slotted into semi- round has to be related to the subject

T put players in the shoes of

spies trying to pass messages
to their teammates using coded
communication. Based around clever
allusions and word association,
it earned praise not just for its
gameplay but for its production,
with artwork inspired by 1960s
technology – giant floppy discs! –
and cards which revealed hidden
transparent holders.
Now its designer has returned with
an expansion, catapulting players
into a new era of high-tech espionage.
Introducing the storage medium of
the future: LaserDisc!
The new add-on doesn’t mess much
with the base game’s formula. It still
sees players divide into teams with a
set of secret codeword-bearing cards
mounted in front of them in slots
numbered one to four. Each round
still revolves around spymasters giving
opaque hints to guide their teammates
towards combinations of cards.
Now, though, you’ll have a new
restriction to work around. On each
turn you’ll draw a card dictating
a category like “a book title,” “an
animal” or “something found in a
bathroom.” At least one hint on each
on the card, making life a little harder
for the clue-giver. There’s also a new
sudden-death victory condition where
teams can earn chances to guess some
of their opponents’ codeword cards.
Neither is a bad addition to the
game, but LaserDrive doesn’t really
change very much. It tinkers at
the edges rather than introducing
anything strikingly new, and you have
to ask whether that makes it worth
spending your money on.
Decrypto’s base game was so tight,
tense and clever that it’s difficult
to build on its minimalist frame.
LaserDrive makes some tweaks, but
it doesn’t particularly improve on the
original offering.
OWEN DUFFY
❚ PLAY IT? N O

76 January 2020
 WHAT’S IN
THE BOX?
◗ Rulebook
◗ 6 Dial Tokens
◗ 75 Map tiles
◗ 15 Mountain tokens
◗ 25 Forest tokens
◗ 66 Energy cubes
◗ 6 scoring cubes
◗ 1 scoreboard
◗ 105 game cards
◗ 102 animal tokens
◗ Storage containers
for tokens and
animals
◗ 40 element stones
◗ 1 Element bag

ECOS: FIRST CONTINENT

Law of the jungle
Designer: John D. Clair | Artists: Sabrina Miramon, Matt Paquette 45-75m 2-6 14+ £58

W
e’re going to create a world.
It’ll take a few days. No pay,
but great exposure. You can
have Sunday off. You in?
In Ecos we play competing creative
beings doing the actual graft of creating
the land, seas, mountains and forests as
well as the creatures that live in them. Yet,
as we do so, we are in competition. You
might think that that forest goes well with
that ocean just there, but to me, it clashes
horribly. To remedy this I’ll activate one of
my cards that allows me to replace it with
more ocean, or a desert. Of course, you
might change that back when you next
get a chance to redecorate.
The game consists of one player
drawing delicious tokens out of a bag,
declaring each as they go. This allows all
players to use their energy cubes on the
cards they already have laid out in front
of them. Naturally you have to match
with the most recently drawn token, and
you’re building up these powers each
turn. Once complete you say “Eco!”
and then the game pauses while you
enact your power. This can be simple
things like laying more tiles, or placing
an animal on a valid space. You might
gain some points for this, or some extra
energy that can be immediately played,
causing a chain reaction of cards, if
you’ve tee’d them up right.
It’s not all peaceful though – your
actions can be more disruptive. A sea
full of fish and gentle creatures can
suddenly be set upon by a shark. For the
player that did this, and in truth, laid out
the fish and manatees, this was a huge
swing in points, pushing them closer to
the magic points threshold which allows
them to finish the game. Other versions
of this might be enacting one power to
move animals out of the desert, and then
claiming points for every barren and
sandy space in the habitat. So, it’s not
exactly one for those who don’t like that
bit in Bambi.
The cards themselves also only have
so many uses. Rotate with a use and soon
you’ll be discarding it. This makes Ecos a
game of managing your engine in front of
you, and striking when the time is right to
get you the maximum number of points.
You can make things easier for yourself
by playing out various future bonuses
(often the previously mentioned buffet of
manatees) – but these too could be used
by another player to their own advantage.
Or they could flip the board in a way that
leaves you with two smaller deserts rather
than one large one – which is less good for
claiming certain tile-based points.
Yet, despite how simple this sounds,
Ecos is difficult to understand a lot of the
time. There’s just such a variety of ways
that a player could be planning to gain
their points. This is good, but it means
those swings come out of nowhere from
your opponents. Yes, you can announce
the card when played to the board
but this requires understanding why
someone has done everything they have TRY THIS IF
up until then. For a game with board-state YOU LIKED
changing conflict the “oh, I was sure there ISHTAR
When it comes
was a manatee here earlier…” moments
to creating a new
feel a bit limp. As such, it’s difficult to world, we’d prefer
recommend to someone who isn’t to be creating The
planning on playing it endlessly. Gardens of Babylon.
CHRISTOPHER JOHN EGGETT
❚ PLAY IT? M A Y B E
Ecos, despite the entirely wonderful
design, feels ever so slightly aimless.
There are great moments in the game,
but they just didn’t make anyone feel
powerful enough to keep them drawn in.

tabletopgaming.co.uk 77

MARVEL: CRISIS PROTOCOL
Like popcorn – enjoyable, if a bit bland
rash! Zoom! Thock! Pow! As comic
for an entirely new approach to skirmish
games you’re going to be disappointed,
but if you take a ‘don’t fix what ain’t broke’
attitude the basic mechanics will get you
along just fine.
Besides the gameplay are the box’s
contents themselves. The game’s hard
plastic 40mm miniatures are larger in
scale than standard figures such as those
from Games Workshop, being obviously
aimed at a more casual audience who
may not be used to painting figures.
Detail is crisp and the visuals are all
appropriately on-brand, although
assembly can be a bit finicky. One strange
quirk of the box is that the rules are
split between a physical rulebook and
1-4 Hr 1-5 14+ £125 an online version; only in the latter will
you be able to find the pre-game setup
WHAT’S IN action, sometimes slightly weaker, but instructions, for example. Besides this,

C book adaptations continue to

hold sway over popular culture,
Atomic Mass Games have sought to enter
the world of miniature gaming with the
force of the Marvel IP behind them. The
result is Crisis Protocol, a skirmish game
that sees players assemble a team of 3-5
characters and duke it out in suitably epic
fashion whilst pursuing various objectives
like retrieving cosmic cube fragments or
rescuing civilians.
The real meat of combat is the energy
system. Each character accumulates
energy tokens, which are spent to activate
one of their special abilities or team
tactics cards. A character only receives
a single energy token per turn, which is
rarely enough to afford a power on its
own, so more have to be earnt either
through special effects or through taking
damage. At first glance it’s a little counter-
intuitive to imagine damage conferring
anything but penalties on a character,
but it arguably makes sense thematically,
in that inexplicable way in which
superheroes always seem at their most
powerful after having several shades of
shit kicked out of them. More to the point,
it’s the core mechanism by which combat
remains varied and avoids becoming an
I-hit-you-you-hit-me-back affair, and is
one of the two gameplay features which
stops the losing model from suffering
cumulative disadvantages as a fight wears
on. The other is the dazed mechanic, in
essence a device for giving characters
two lives. After taking a certain number
of hits a model becomes dazed and can
no longer activate that turn. However,
their character card gets flipped and the
following turn they’re right back in the
THE BOX?
◗ Black Widow
◗ Captain America
◗ Captain Marvel
other times with buffs depending on the
character in question. It’s an innovative
feature that allows characters to get
back up swinging and – more crucially –
◗ Iron Man
prevents heroes getting one-punched out
◗ Spider-Man
◗ Baron Zemo of the game.
◗ Crossbones Aside from this, the only other notable
◗ Doctor Octopus feature is the role terrain plays in the
◗ Red Skull proceedings. Whilst there is a limited
◗ Ultron cover and line of sight system (often
◗ Nine terrain pieces ignored anyway by the characters’
◗ 170 tokens various powers), terrain’s real purpose
◗ 20 team tactics cards is as a weapon in combat, either as
◗ Three map cards
something to be thrown or have figures
◗ Two affiliation cards
◗ Ten character thrown against. It’s a fun and characterful
stat cards feature, conjuring up images of the
◗ Six crisis cards archetypal comic book battle in which
◗ Three movement tools heroes and villains throw debris and one
◗ Four range tools another around the environment like
◗ 10 dice rag dolls. Though it’s slightly odd that of
◗ 16 Serious all environmental effects, fall damage
wound cards isn’t one, it’s nonetheless undeniable
◗ 20 Event cards
fun bouncing a character off a wall or
◗ 5 Help cards
◗ 8 Intruder lamppost like a costumed pinball.
weakness cards Much of the rest of the game is pretty
◗ 8 Coordinates cards standard fare. Turns use alternating
◗ 120 Item cards activation, with each character being able
◗ 6 Character to perform up to two actions each round.
Draft cards
Some attacks confer statuses (things like
◗ 10 Intruder
bleed, stun and so forth) and movement
and attacks are measured with custom
range sticks of the kind you’d find in Star
Wars Legion. None of it’s revolutionary,
so take that as you will. If you’re looking
TRY THIS IF YOU LIKED…
RAGNAROK: HEAVY METAL COMBAT IN THE VIKING AGE
Forget the obvious link of Thor and Loki; this skirmish miniatures game sees mighty
warriors infused with Godsparks (superpowers by any other name) duke it out amidst a
fully destructible environment, and is worth a look if you want to play a superhero game
where you get to design your own characters.
however, the box offers much more of a
complete experience than many other
miniatures games starter boxes. It’s worth
noting that a game of Crisis Protocol out
of the box has the same qualitative feel
as one where you’d purchased more
miniatures. Compare this to the fact that
for many miniatures games, especially
wargames, starter sets often only give you
a shallow taster of the game’s mechanics.
Overall Crisis Protocol is best described
as a solidly built game. The dazed and
energy token mechanics are its most
innovative features, whilst the rest of the
gameplay is competently put together if
not exactly groundbreaking. Undoubtedly
fans of the IP are going to be the ones
who’ll get the most out of the game,
though if you’ve got an evening to spare
and even a passing interest in pretending
to be a superhero you’ll like as not have a
good time.
JAMES WINSPEAR
❚ PLAY IT? YES
A competent if fairly standard skirmish
game, Crisis Protocol offers an
entertaining way to see your favourite
comic book characters duke it out
on the tabletop for 90 minutes. It
may not push the boat out much, but
hey, how can taking out Red Skull by
beaning him in the face with a trashcan
not offer entertainment value?

78 January 2020
 P L AY E D

KUNG FU PANDA: THE BOARD GAME

We all know kung-fu
10-30m 2-4 8+ £45

ung Fu Panda: The Board kinetic scenes of the films. This is All of this does provide some funny

K Game is one of frantically

rolling dice against the clock.
While the box describes it as a
cooperative game, it’s cooperative
in the way a bouncy castle is a team
sport. You move your characters
through each scene using dice rolls,
spending and saving matching rolls
against the task at hand. That could
be a simple single movement roll to
enter an open room, or matching
harder rolls to break down a wall or
climb on to a rooftop. You do all of this
as fast as you can while a sand-timer
trickles away. This speed can be your
undoing of course, as rolling the claw
symbol ends up moving your dial
on one more segment, which in turn
can trigger further enemy spawns
or damage your hero. The way this
all comes out on the board is a lot of
shouting what you’re trying to roll so
that someone else doesn’t aim for the
same target, a loud clattering of dice,
and snatching away defeated enemies
from the board and placing new ones
as they spawn.
It’s a kind of chaotic, fun nonsense
which ends up feeling like the more
reflected in board states are all set
out for you nicely in the rule book,
so a variety of authentic feeling
missions can be tackled straight out
of the box. Some are ingenious, like
a scenario where you’re taking part
in a rickshaw chase in which the play
area extends as the chase continues,
while others do feel a little samey with
repeated objectives from one mission
to another.
The downside is that it does feel
extremely light. This is in part to
with some of the mission design –
the missions can feel focused and
linear, so there’s not much in the
way of making strategic choices
together. There’s little of the “we
should split up” conflict you might
expect, although a few of the missions
include multiple switches that have
to be hit to progress, or items that
need to be moved to locations.
Throwing switches and moving
carts is something that can be done
collaboratively however, meaning that
often the best policy is to move room
to room as a kind of kung fu blob,
consuming everything in your wake.
narrative elements however. Climbing
on to the roof, finally, to find that
your team has just beaten everyone
and leapt into the next room does
seem fitting considering the source. It
does also feel good to come together
as a team and defeat a boss against
the odds, expressing a high amount WHAT’S IN
of intention in a game with a lot of
THE BOX?
◗ 6 Character figures
ricocheting about. ◗ 6 Character boards
With a variety of modes available ◗ 2 Boss figures
it’s possible to make the game easier ◗ 28 Minion figures
or harder depending on the group. ◗ 20 Double-sided
The low barrier to entry in any case scene tiles
makes it ideal for mixed groups, ◗ 16 Action dice
making it a great family game. And ◗ 12 Special
who knew you could get a sweat on move cards
◗ 4 Double sided
rolling so many dice?
dials of destiny
CHRISTOPHER JOHN EGGETT ◗ 3 Enemy
reference tiles
◗ 6 Spawn tokens
❚ PLAY IT? P R O B A B L Y ◗ 6 Wall tokens
If a light and chaotic afternoon ◗ Coloured base clips
where it only sometimes feels like
you’re working together suit you,
and let’s be honest, some younger
members of your gaming circle
– then this with whittle away the
hours. Just don’t expect to be playing
campaigns in it for years to come.

TRY THIS IF
YOU LIKED
ESCAPE THE
CURSED
TEMPLE
When it comes to
real-time action dice
games, this is where
it all started.

tabletopgaming.co.uk 79
 P L AY E D
YGGDRASIL CHRONICLES
Norse Mayhem Reaches New Heights
he time for Ragnorok is nigh.
T Fenrir is set to bound from his
cage whilst other unyielding
forces of evil descend upon the nine
worlds. Together, the mighty norse
gods of Asgard must prevail against the
imminent onslaught and save Yggdrasil,
the world tree.
Hot from Essen this year is Cédric
Lefebvre’s bold reimagining of
2011’s much lauded but long out of
print Yggdrasil. More than a fresh
lick of paint, Yggdrasil Chronicles
comes packed with new mechanics,
campaign play and a gloriously
imposing new look. Not content
with merely transcending realms,
publisher Ludonaute has opted to
transcend dimensions, with gameplay
bounding to life atop a new 3D board.
Like a totem honouring the exciting
world of modern board gaming,
Yggdrasil Chronicles’ World Tree
stands tall and proud, its branches
grasping out at inquisitive passers by
and sprouting seeds of curiosity. It’s
certainly got our attention, but how
does it play?
80 January 2020
Yggdrasil Chronicles is a cooperative
game for one to five players. As one of
seven gods, each player will take turns in
any order as they fight against evil forces
invading the nine worlds of Yggdrasil.
Turns will usually involve moving
WHAT’S IN around the board and preventing
THE BOX? certain enemies from either advancing
◗ 3D World
too far up the tree or becoming too
Tree board
◗ 12 Enemy standees powerful. Being on the same world
◗ 7 God standees as an enemy offers the opportunity
◗ 44 Meeples to fight and repel, but combat can be
◗ 18 Artifact cards a dangerous business. If a god is ever
◗ 18 Creature cards reduced to zero health all players lose.
◗ 18 Iotunn cards Often players will make use of the
◗ 7 Double sided various action spaces on each world,
god sheets which can empower the gods with
◗ 1 Wheel of Enemies
mighty artefacts, Elven warriors, or aid
◗ 5 God dice
◗ 13 Vanir dice from brave heroes bound for Valhalla.
◗ 3 Runic stone Turn-by-turn gameplay is dynamic
tokens and tactile, as standees and meeples
◗ 7 Devestated flitter about the tree and its rotating
World markers mid section. It’s thematic too, with
◗ 25 Life Point tokens each unique enemy activation cleverly
◗ 9 Promise tokens evoking aspects of Norse lore. Loki, for
◗ 4 Hel’s Limb tiles example, appears out of nowhere on
◗ 1 Pad of experience
the active player’s location, summoning
charts
◗ 1 Sagas Book Frost Giants to meddle throughout the
nine worlds and increase his strength.
Yggdrasil Chronicles makes use of
an innovative ‘wheel’ system to handle
the encroaching evil forces. At the start
of each turn all players will play the
top card of their personal enemy deck
to the centre of the wheel facedown.
The chosen first player will then reveal
their card and place it in the wheel’s
corresponding slot. Whenever two
matching enemies appear on the wheel,
that enemy will activate. If ever an
enemy can’t carry out it’s action - either
by invading Asgard or reaching their
full strength - the game is lost, reducing
Yggdrasil to ashes. There’s a Pandemic-
esque tension to this mechanism,
relieved only by the appearance of
Nidhogg, whose movements along the
track in the game’s saga book usually
push the players ever closer to victory.
TRY THIS IF YOU LIKED… PANDEMIC LEGACY
Its gripping campaign mode may not share the Legacy mechanics, but Yggdrasil
Chronicles’ edge of your seat tension and reliance on teamwork will appeal to
fans of the cooperative classic, whilst still offering something new.
90m 1-5 14+ £40
Nidhogg’s movement also plays into
the game’s various modes. In an easy
game, Nidhogg skips along the track
without too many hiccups - perfect for
getting a grasp on the rules - whereas
hard mode has players dealing with
multiple enemy activations as the
game advances.
Making things even more interesting
is the campaign mode. Stretching over
six games made up of various ‘steps’,
the campaign game lays out new win
conditions which players must fulfil
before Nidhogg comes to a punishing
halt. Each chapter of the campaign
also introduces new components and
mechanics which helps keep things
fresh whilst piling on the tension.
Whilst the game succeeds at
providing a unique and challenging
thematic experience, it is not without
its faults. Setup can be a bit of a chore
and there are some discrepancies
between the quality of some of the
design choices and components. At
first glance the standees can look very
similar, often getting lost in the midst
of the busy 3D tree. Furthermore,
the game relies on a fair amount
of iconography meaning plenty of
trips back to the rule book in early
play-throughs. That aside, Yggdrasil
Chronicles is a tense and explosive romp
through Norse mythology, with enough
clever mechanics and variety to keep
its relatively short campaign ripe for
repeat plays.
CHAD WILSON
❚ PLAY IT? Y E S
Yggdrasil Chronicles admirably lives
up to its table presence, offering a
deeply involved and unique cooperative
experience. Getting to grips with all
the moving parts can be overwhelming
at first - especially with the game’s
over reliance on symbols - but get
stuck in and turns will soon zip
by, giving Yggdrasil Chronicles a
great sense of momentum.
 WHAT’S IN
THE BOX?
◗ Double-sided
play surface
◗ Deck of 70
Game Cards
◗ Range Ruler
◗ 16 Necromunda
Dice
◗ 15 Corpse Grinder

NECROMUNDA: DARK UPRISING miniatures

◗ 11 Palanite
Enforcer/
Guts and glory? Subjugator
miniatures
60-180m 2+ 12+ £175
◗ Six frames of Zone
Mortalis columns
midst the clanking machinery and dead being torn apart into bloody concealed Judge Dredd knockoff look ◗ Four frames of Zone

A of the manufactorums, the

soot-streaked back-alleys of the
lower hives and the stinking sewers of the
city’s underbelly, something sinister is
afoot. Hulking, savage cultists jibber and
howl in service to fell powers as a full-
scale rebellion breaks out. With typical
ruthlessless, the Imperium responds with
the long arm (or more aptly, fist) of the
law, attempting to bringing order to the
chaos through a rain of shotgun shells,
bolter rounds and shock maul blows.
Thus is the setup for the latest
expansion of Games Workshop’s popular
skirmish spinoff of Warhammer 40,000,
and they’ve spared no expense in pulling
out the stoppers. For many, the box’s
main draw will be the contents first
and foremost, but it’s worth spending
some time looking at rulebook as well. A
massive 124-page tome, the book spends
considerable time establishing the lore of
the uprising, in particular the new faction
the box introduces – the brutal Corpse
Grinder Cult.
It’s with the Corpse Grinder Cults
that the biggest complaint lies. Former
workers from Necromunda’s corpse
recycling industry, the Corpsegrinders
are cannibalistic maniacs in service
to the Chaos God Khorne (the lord of
bloodshed and war), who’s sole aim is
killing and consuming others. Though the
Warhammer 40,000 universe has always
defined itself by its famous ‘Grimdark’
tone, the fluff for the faction comes across
as being in poor taste (no pun intended).
It is not particularly pleasant to read
endless accounts of victims both alive
chunks, and the vivid prose often pushes
descriptions to pornographic excess.
It may seem arbitrary to draw a line in
a setting focused on mass conflict, but
the tone is a marked departure from
the slightly tongue-in-cheek approach
Warhammer 40,000 has taken to violence
in the past, and not for the better.
The rules themselves are broken down
into several chapters, covering basic
principles of play, game rules, campaign
play, scenarios, faction composition lists
for the Enforcers and Corpse Grinder
cults and weapon and skill lists. The
rules themselves remain unchanged
from the base Necromunda system and
the campaigns and varied scenarios
offer a meaty (again, no pun intended)
amount of variety, though it’s a singular
shame that for a box of this size and price
rules for the other Necromunda factions
weren’t included as well. Additionally,
whilst the Enforcers have a large arsenal
of tactical weaponry at their disposal, on
occasions the Corpse Grinder cults feel
comparatively limited, being focused
squarely on melee only.
Finally there’s the miniatures and
scenery. In contrast to their vivid
descriptions, the Corpse Grinder
miniatures themselves are a rather bland
affair, consisting of muscled behemoths
in skull masks wielding chainsaw axes,
a look that by now is pretty much de
rigueur for the Warhammer 40,000
setting. The Palanite Enforcers, by
contrast, are an existing faction based
on the old Adeptus Arbites miniatures,
though they’ve swapped the barely
of their predecessors for a more ‘tacti-
cool’ look with bulky ablative amour,
grenades and weapon rails. Both sets of
Mortalis platforms
◗ Frame of Zone
Mortalis doors
◗ Frame of Sector
miniatures are up to the usual flawless
Mechanicus thermic
Games Workshop standard, though the plasma conduits
big hook is the vast amount of plastic ◗ Frame of
modular scenery the game comes with. Necromunda
It’s a truly massive amount, though barricades and
there are times when you can’t help but objectives
wonder whether cardboard might have
been a more feasible option. Then again,
from a certain cynical perspective, it
seems that both Games Workshop and its
core customer base have come to a tacit
agreement that large amounts of plastic
terrain are a best seller, and the core
attraction of boxes like these.
Necromunda: Dark Uprising is one
of those games most clearly aimed at
existing Games Workshop fans, and it
should always be borne in mind that TRY THIS IF
there exists non-Games Workshops YOU LIKED…
games of a comparable physical size WARCRY
and price that offer far more depth than Another weighty
Games Workshop
what’s offered here. If you’re onboard
box set, Warcry
with Games Workshop and Necromunda contains a
this’ll likely be a blood-soaked wonder of comparable amount
plastic, though if you’re new to the world of miniatures and
of Warhammer it may be worth looking at terrain to Dark
other, cheaper starter sets to begin with. Uprising, and offers
JAMES WINSPEAR a fast, tactical and
satisfying fantasy
conflict experience
❚ PLAY IT? P R O B A B L Y to boot.
A Games Workshop signature style
plastic extravaganza, Dark Uprising
is a super weighty expansion to
Necromunda that’ll appeal to fans of
the setting, but whose price may prove
too rich a meal to the unconverted.

tabletopgaming.co.uk 81
ASSEMBLE YOUR TEAM
FA L L 2 0 1 9
LEARN MORE AT
ATOMICMASSGAMES.COM

© 2019 MARVEL © AMG

CRITICAL ROLE
We cover more than the bear necessities with Critical Role’s
first season miniatures outing: Vox Machina
Words and photographs by Andy Leighton

PAINTS & TECHNIQUES

» Abaddon Black » Gauss Blaster Green » Skrag Brown Each model is split up Stage 2 is shading. During line of paint to the raised
» Agrax Earthshade » Gehenna’s Gold » Squig Orange into 4 stages, each with this stage we apply washes areas and straight edges of
» Averland Sunset » Genestealer Purple » Steel Legion Drab a list of colours and the and glazes to the more the area.
» Balor Brown » Grey Knights Steel » Stormhost Silver corresponding paint that was shadowed areas of the
» Cadian Fleshtone » Ironbreaker » Sybarite Green used for it. Each stage uses a miniatures, particularly Stage 4 is for final details
» Caledor Sky » Kabalite Green » Tau Light Ochre different technique to achieve the lower edges and and highlights. This stage
» Celestra Grey » Karak Stone » Teclis Blue a similar effect on each undersides. involves adding the finishing
» Ceramite White » Khorne Red » Temple Guard Blue element but with different touches, sometimes just
» Dark Reaper » Kislev Flesh » Thunderhawk Blue colours. Stage 3 is layering. This small details like the eyes,
» Dawnstone » Macragge Blue » Ulthuan Grey stage involves applying a or adding small highlights to
» Deathclaw Brown » Mephiston Red » Waaagh! Flesh Stage 1 is basecoating. Base layer of a lighter colour, increase definition.
» Dechala Lilac » Moot Green » Warpstone Glow colours are applied using flat generally focussed
» Dorn Yellow » Mournfang Brown » Wazdakka Red colours. Since the models towards the top of the If you find yourself unsure of
» Drakenhof Nightshade » Nuln Oil » Wild Rider Red are primed a lighter colour model, avoiding the areas where to apply the highlights
» Dryad Bark » Pallid Wych Flesh » Xereus Purple these initial coats are applied previously shaded. This or spot highlights, look over
» Evil Sunz Scarlet » Reikland Fleshshade » XV-88 slightly watered down, guide also features a lot of the images alongside the
» Fire Dragon Bright » Retributor Gold » Zandri Dust around 2 parts paint to 1 line highlights at this stage. guide and compare that
» Flayed One Flesh » Russ Grey part water. This involves applying a thin stage to the last.

January 2020 tabletopgaming.co.uk 83

 CRITICAL ROLE - VOX MACHINA

BASECOATING BASECOATING BASECOATING

PIKE TRICKFOOT, THE GNOME CLERIC

KEYLETH, THE HALF-ELF DRUID

PERCIVAL DE ROLO, THE HUMAN GUNSLINGER

Ironbreaker: Apply Kabalite Green: Cadian Fleshtone:
a basecoat to the Apply a basecoat to Apply a basecoat to
armour. the dress. the skin.
Kislev Flesh: Apply a Waaagh! Flesh: Ulthuan Grey: Apply a
basecoat to the skin. Apply a basecoat to basecoat to the hair.
Ulthuan Grey: Apply the interior of the Macragge Blue:
a basecoat to the cloak and collar. Basecoat the robes.
hair. Khorne Red: Apply a Skrag Brown: Apply a
Caledor Sky: Apply a basecoat to the cloth basecoat to the boots
basecoat to the cloak at the waist and the and gloves.
and tabard. back of the cloak. Dryad Bark: Apply a
Averland Sunset: Wild Rider Red: basecoat to the straps
Apply a basecoat Apply a basecoat to and pouches.
to the gloves and the hair. Grey Knights Steel:
armour detailing. Steel Legion Drab: Basecoat the metals.
Apply a basecoat to Xereus Purple: Apply a
the straps, staff and basecoat to the cravat.
crown. Averland Sunset:
Kislev Flesh: Apply a Apply a basecoat to the
basecoat to the skin. detailing.

SHADING SHADING SHADING

Agrax Earthshade: Reikland Fleshshade: Agrax Earthshade:
Apply a wash to Apply a wash to the Apply a wash to
everything but the skin. everything but the
hair and face. Drakenhof face and metals.
Reikland Fleshshade: Nightshade: Apply Reikland Fleshshade:
Apply a wash to the a wash to the dress Apply a wash to the
skin. and cloak interior. skin.
Drakenhof Agrax Earthshade: Nuln Oil: Apply a
Nightshade: Apply a Apply a wash to the wash to the metals.
wash to the hair. staff, hair, crown and
pouches.

LAYERING LAYERING LAYERING

Stormhost Silver: Sybarite Green: Kislev Flesh: Apply a
Apply a layer to the Apply a line highlight layer to the face.
metals. to the dress. Ceramite White: Apply
Kislev Flesh: Apply a Warpstone Glow: a layer to the hair.
layer to the skin. Apply a layer to the Caledor Sky: Apply a
Ulthuan Grey: Apply cloak. layer to the robes.
a layer to the hair. Mephiston Red: Deathclaw Brown:
Teclis Blue: Apply a Apply a line highlight Apply a line highlight to
layer to the cloak and to the cloth at the the boots and gloves.
tabard. waist and the back of Steel Legion Drab:
Averland Sunset: the cloak. Line highlight the
Apply a line highlight Squig Orange: Apply straps and pouches.
to the gloves and a layer to the hair. Ironbreaker: Apply a
armour detailing. Zandri Dust: Apply layer to the metals.
a layer to the straps, Genestealer Purple:
staff and crown. Apply a layer to the
Kislev Flesh: Apply a cravat.
layer to the skin. Averland Sunset:
Apply a line highlight to
the detailing.

HIGHLIGHTING HIGHLIGHTING HIGHLIGHTING

Flayed One Flesh: Gauss Blaster Green: Flayed One Flesh:
Apply a line highlight Apply a spot highlight to Apply a line highlight
to the face. the dress. to the skin.
Ceramite White: Moot Green: Apply Teclis Blue: Apply a
Apply a line highlight a line highlight to the line highlight to the
to the hair. cloak. robes.
Temple Guard Blue: Evil Sunz Scarlet: Line Tau Light Ochre:
Apply a line highlight highlight to the cloth at Apply a spot highlight
to the cloak and the waist and the back to the boots and
tabard. of the cloak. gloves.
Dorn Yellow: Apply Fire Dragon Bright: Karak Stone: Apply a
an edge highlight Apply a spot highlight to spot highlight to the
to the gloves and the hair. straps and pouches.
armour detailing. Karak Stone: Apply Dechala Lilac: Apply
Mephiston Red: a line highlight to the a line highlight to the
Apply a layer to the straps, staff and crown. cravat.
centre jewel. Flayed One Flesh: Dorn Yellow: Apply a
Apply a line highlight to spot highlight to the
the skin. detailing.

84 January 2020
 BASECOATING BASECOATING BASECOATING
GROG STRONGJAW, THE GOLIATH BARBARIAN

SCANLAN SHORTHALT, THE GNOME BARD

VEX’AHLIA, THE HALF-ELF RANGER

Celestra Grey: Apply Celestra Grey: Apply a Kislev Flesh: Apply a
a basecoat to the basecoat to the shirt. basecoat to the skin.
skin and skull. Genestealer Purple: Teclis Blue: Apply a
Leadbelcher: Apply Apply a basecoat to basecoat to the cloak
a basecoat to the the waistcoat and and tabard.
metals. trousers. Skrag Brown: Apply
Khorne Red: Apply a Dryad Bark: Apply a a basecoat to the top
basecoat to the loin baseoat to the hair. and boots.
cloth. Kislev Flesh: Apply a Dark Reaper: Apply
Dark Reaper: Apply basecoat to the skin. a basecoat to the
a basecoat to the Skrag Brown: Apply a trousers and straps
trousers and furs. basecoat to the boots, Grey Knights Steel:
Dryad Bark: Apply straps and lute. Apply a basecoat to
a basecoat to the Averland Sunset: Apply the metals.
boots, gloves and a basecoat to the lining Pallid Wych Flesh:
straps. on the trousers. Apply a basecoat to
Retributor Gold: Apply the fletching.
a basecoat to the
metals.

SHADING SHADING SHADING

Nuln Oil: Apply a Agrax Earthshade: Nuln Oil: Apply a
wash across the Apply a wash across wash to the whole
whole model. the whole model model except the
except the skin. skin, cloak and
Reikland Fleshshade: tabard.
Apply a wash to the Drakenhof
skin. Nightshade: Apply
a wash to the cloak
and tabard.

LAYERING LAYERING LAYERING

Celestra Grey: Apply Ulthuan Grey: Apply a Flayed One Flesh:
a layer to the skin. layer to the shirt. Apply a layer to the
Ironbreaker: Apply a Dechala Lilac: Apply skin.
layer to the metals. a line highlight to Teclis Blue: Layer the
Mephiston Red: the waistcoat and cloak and tabard.
Apply a line highlight trousers. Deathclaw Brown:
to the tabard. Mournfang Brown: Apply a line highlight to
Thunderhawk Blue: Line highlight the hair. the top and boots.
Apply a layer to the Kislev Flesh: Apply a Thunderhawk Blue:
trousers and furs. layer to the skin. Line highlight the
Steel Legion Drab: Deathclaw Brown: straps, and apply lines
Apply a line highlight Apply a line highlight down the trousers.
to the boots, gloves to the boots, straps Stormhost Silver:
and straps. and lute. Apply a line highlight to
Pallid Wych Flesh: Averland Sunset: the metals.
Apply a layer to the Apply a line highlight Ceramite White: Apply
skull. to the lining of the a line highlight to the
trousers. fletching.
Gehenna’s Gold: Apply Dawnstone: Apply a
a layer to the metals. line highlight to the hair.

HIGHLIGHTING HIGHLIGHTING HIGHLIGHTING

Ulthuan Grey: Apply a Ceramite White: Temple Guard Blue:
line highlight to the skin. Apply a line highlight Apply a spot highlight
Stormhost Silver: Line to the shirt. to the cloak and
highlight the metals. XV-88: Apply a spot tabard.
Wazdakka Red: Apply highlight to the hair. Tau Light Ochre:
a spot highlight to the Flayed One Flesh: Apply a spot highlight
tabard. Apply a line highlight to the top and boots.
Russ Grey: Apply a to the skin. Celestra Grey: Apply
line Highlight to the Dorn Yellow: Apply a a spot highlight to
trousers. spot highlight to the the hair.
Dawnstone: Apply lining of the trousers. Russ Grey: Apply a
a spot highlight to line highlight to the
the furs. trousers.
Karak Stone: Line
highlight the boots,
gloves and straps.
Abaddon Black: Apply
a layer to fill in the
tattooed areas.

tabletopgaming.co.uk 85
 CRITICAL ROLE - VOX MACHINA

BASECOATING BASECOATING STAGE 1

TRINKET, THE BEAR

VAX’ILDAN, THE HALF-ELF ROGUE

EYES
XV-88: Apply a Dark Reaper: Apply a Abaddon Black:
basecoat to the fur. basecoat to the main Begin by adding an
Grey Knights Steel: clothing and cape. oval over each eye.
Apply a basecoat to Dryad Bark: Apply
the armour. a basecoat to the
Dryad Bark: Apply boots, gloves and
a basecoat to the hair.
straps. Leadbelcher: Apply
a basecoat to the
metals.
Kislev Flesh: Apply a
basecoat to the skin.

SHADING SHADING STAGE 2

Agrax Earthshade: Nuln Oil: Apply a Ceramite White:
Apply a wash over wash over the whole Apply another oval
the entire model. model. within the first,
Nuln Oil: Once the leaving a little of the
previous wash is dry, black showing around
apply a wash over the the edges.
armour.

LAYERING LAYERING STAGE 3

Ironbreaker: Apply a Thunderhawk Blue: Abaddon Black:
light drybrush to the Apply a line highlight Apply a small dot
armour. to the clothing and to each eye for the
Balor Brown: Apply a cape. pupil.
layer to the fur. Mournfang Brown:
Steel Legion Drab: Apply a highlight to
Apply a line highlight the boots, gloves
of the straps. and hair.
Abaddon Black: Ironbreaker: Apply a
Apply a layer to the layer to the metals.
eyes and snout. Flayed One Flesh:
Apply a layer to the
skin.

HIGHLIGHTING HIGHLIGHTING
Stormhost Silver: Russ Grey: Apply a
Apply a line highlight spot highlight to the
to the armour. clothing and cape.
Balor Brown: Apply XV-88: Apply a spot
a layer to the top half highlight to the boots,
of the fur. gloves and hair.
Karak Stone: Apply a Stormhost Silver:
spot highlight to the Apply a spot highlight
straps. to the metals.
Pallid Wych Flesh:
Apply a spot highlight
to the skin.

86 January 2020 tabletopgaming.co.uk

 T H E D U N G E O N M A S T E R ’ S G U I D E T O R O L E P L AY I N G
PLAYING BALL
Snorri Cheerisdottir was an oddity, even among her own adventuring party. Where
her friends were quiet, cautious and tight-lipped, she was loud and confident to a fault.
Words by Richard Jansen-Parkes | Image courtesy of Wizards of the Coast illustration by Zoltan Boros
S
ometimes they balked at her
willingness to trust shady
characters offering mysterious
deals, or to blindly pick a
passageway after they’d spent
half a day deliberating at the fork, but over
time they came to trust her instincts. If
nothing else, they learned to make the most
of the distractions caused when a grinning
gnome burst into a cult ceremony and started
enthusiastically shaking hands.
Outside of battle, Snorri also led the way in
getting the scattered band of misanthropes to
talk to one another and open up about their
litany of tragic backstories. She had a way of
asking shamelessly personal questions about her
friends’ half-hidden scars, cursed magical items
and weird powers that encouraged them to open
up and reveal details to the group at large
Honestly, Snorri was never the most effective
warrior in the world, but she contributed in
another way. Rather than lead the heroics
herself, she simply pushed and prodded her
allies into seizing the opportunities the world
presented.
If that’s not the sign of a good hero, I don’t
know what is.
HELP WANTED
When everything is going well, being a GM
might just be one of the greatest and most
satisfying experiences in gaming. Sitting there as
story threads knit together before you, watching
the joy and horror pass across your players’
faces is a truly incredible feeling that can make
you forget how much your throat hurts and how
badly you need to use the bathroom.
However, GMing can also be tough. Even if
you aren’t forced into arranging the time and
place for your game, buying all the books and
printing off the character sheets, simply running
the show can be a taxing experience. There are
plenty of ways that you can help to minimise this
stress yourself, but that’s not what this particular
column is about.
88 January 2020
BITING THE HOOK
No, this time around we’re going to talk
about what we can do when we’re on the There’s a weird stigma in the RPG world about
other side of the screen – when we’re sat following obvious story hooks. Decades of
down as players. discussion over the evils of railroading players
I realise this isn’t exactly a brand new topic, down linear paths has given people the
but if you take a look online you’ll soon find impression that taking the bait and allowing
that most of tips floating around out there are
pretty basic: remember your character sheet,
take notes, don’t miss a session without telling
the GM, that kind of thing. Rather than look at
table etiquette or spitting out a list of things you
shouldn’t do, I’d rather take the time to take a
look in a more positive direction. I want to talk
about the many ways that we can help our GM one of the
and improve the game as players.
best ways
PUSHING THE PLOT
There are a fair few things we need to keep in
to start
mind when we roll up a new character, but one
of the best ways to start smoothing out our GM’s
smoothing
life is to make sure that we’re playing someone
that will actually do things.
out our
Okay, that’s a little reductive – a character who
doesn’t do things is closer to a plank of wood
GM’s life
than a hero – but what I mean by “do things” is
to take the lead, make decisions and generally
is to make
get the plot rolling under their own steam. This sure that
doesn’t mean they have to be a leader or even
particularly confident, but it does mean they we’re
should have a goal in mind and be constantly
working towards it. playing
Handling the pace of a game can be one of
the hardest aspects of running an RPG session, someone
and having someone willing to keep things
trucking along at a decent pace can take a lot of
that will
the pressure off.
Sometimes this means asking the GM about
actually do
a way to work your long-lost sister into the
story, and sometimes it means opening the
things
mysterious chest rather than tossing it in a sack
and forgetting about it. In any case, managing
a story becomes a heck of a lot easier when you
can rely on the players – and the characters – to
actively move forward with the stories and forge
their way through the world.
yourself to follow the GM’s adventure is a sign
of weakness.
This is real, real stupid.
There are some games and some campaigns
that are completely designed around the ideas
of open worlds and freeform storytelling, but
if you’re playing a campaign built with some
semblance of a plot in mind, do your GM
a favour and give it a try. Make no mistake,
there’s still plenty of room for off-the-wall
plans and improv within the boundaries of a
pre-written adventure.
Of course, this isn’t to say that we can’t get a
little grumpy when the world utterly overrides
our agency in favour of telling its own story, but
so long as our decisions still matter we’re going
to have a lot more fun by embracing the plot
than by ignoring it outright.
In short, if a nearby building explodes,
go to investigate it. Don’t just call the fire
brigade and then wonder why nothing
interesting is happening.
BUILDING THE WORLD
One of the great joys of playing RPGs is the fact
that it’s a collaborative experience. You aren’t
just building a story on your own, but creating it
alongside a band of friends and colleagues. With
this in mind, making an effort to contribute to
the world can take a little bit of the pressure off
the GM – usually assigned the lofty role of reality
manager – and hook you deeper into the stories
you’re crafting.
As a disclaimer, this one is actually a matter of
personal taste and preference for most people.
There are some GMs out there who have a
crystal-clear vision of their game world and don’t
particularly want the players to meddle in it.
As far as I’m concerned, however, few
things make me happier than having players
invent new customs, new characters and new
secrets for the world we’re building together. If
nothing else, it helps to cut down on the amount
of details I need to memorise if I can pass
responsibility onto a player.
NOT THE ONLY PLAYERS
Sometimes I think that the way we
describe the different roles at the table –
that of players and GMs – isn’t particularly
useful. It causes some of us to forget the
fact that the GM is actually a player too.
With this in mind, we can help out
GMs to actually have a good time by
actually treating them as though they
were another player. We wouldn’t
interrupt someone else at the table
while they’re doing a dramatic speech
(hopefully, anyway), so why do we feel
compelled to start slinging spells at the
villain while they’re still declaiming their
evil plans?
This is perhaps the most important point
in this entire piece. If you want to help out
your GM, remember that they’re playing a
game too. They might have slightly different
rules and goals on their side of the screen, but
they’re still there to have fun.
tabletopgaming.co.uk 89
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EVENT REPORT
RAIDERS OF THE
GAME CUPBOARD
We don our fedora and whip and set
forth with organiser Paul Roberts
Interview by James Winspear
When did Raiders of the Game Cupboard first
start? How did the event first get started?
“Raiders of the Game Cupboard” started after
a conversation with friends in a local pub, back
in 2007, over how to ind more time to play
games avoiding obstacles life was putting in
the way. Fortunately – or unfortunately – some
people remained sober and remembered this
conversation, meaning we had to actually
organise something. We found a local Church
hall and booked the irst event for December
29, a date all felt was a good spot between
family Christmas duties and New Year. he
heating was broken for that event, leaving
everyone taking turns huddling around the
cooker in the kitchen, despite that the event
went really well. he committee thought that
quarterly would be suitable, so on that irst
event passed out feedback forms and the
consensus agreed with that time-scale.
What’s changed for the event since then?
he December 29 event was a regular ixture
for quite some time, however since the last
venue change this had to be moved to January,
as the current hall closes over Christmas.
he event has moved twice now due to hall
closures, every time we have rallied scouring
the area for alternative locations and each
one better than the last. It has always strived
to be a friendly event, sometimes maybe too
friendly as it seems to have become a tradition
sweeping around someone playing some
mega game or other well past closing time.
hat said plenty of the regular attendees will
muck in during the tearing down helping
to put away tables and chairs etc, which is
January 2020
UPCOMING EVENTS
STABCON
Friday January 3rd to Sunday 5th
Britannia Hotel, Stockport, SK2 6AG
A twice-yearly general tabletop games
event with roleplaying games
bookings@stabcon.org.uk
RAIDERS OF THE
GAME CUPBOARD
Saturday January 4th
Waterside Community Centre,
Heath Road, Burton upon Trent,
Staffordshire, DE15 9LF
raidersofthegamecupboard.co.uk/
ROLE PLAY GAMES DAY #1
Sunday January 12th
Manascrew, Chancery House, 52 Sheep
Street, Northampton, NN1 2LZ
always appreciated. It has seen a good steady A day of roleplaying from 9am to 6pm
attendance over the years, as word spread, roleplayday.moonfruit.com/
helped by our friendly local gaming shop,
Spirit Games in Burton on Trent. HANDYCON WINTER
Friday January 17th to Sunday 19th
Holiday Inn, Manor Lane, Berkshire,
What’s new this year?
Maidenhead, SL6 2RA
Over 12 years we have only had to raise our Boardgames event with open gaming
entrance fee twice, with 2020 seeing this rise handycon.co.uk
to £4, which we still feel is great value for a full
day of gaming, with free tea and cofee! GRAND CLASH
he support over the last 12 years has been WARHAMMER WORLD
much appreciated and our hope is that we can Saturday January 18th to Sunday 19th
repay that by continuing to run Raiders for the Warhammer World, 20 Lenton Lane,
enjoyment of all. Nottingham, NG7 2NR
Warhammer Underworlds tournament
warhammer-community.com
What are some of the most popular titles at
your event? CONTINGENCY
Originally two of the organisers ran regular Wednesday January 22nd to Sunday 26th
sessions of Arkham Horror and this continued Searles Leisure Resort, South Beach,
for quite a while. Some older games are regulars Hunstanton, Norfolk, PE36 5BB
such as Settlers of Catan, Powergrid, Glass Road Five day convention with roleplaying
etc – everything and anything really. Wings games, board games, card games
of War makes regular appearances as well as and LARP
con-tingency.co.uk
Scythe. here is usually a great mix of games
from light to heavy as well as old to new. CRUSADE WARGAMES SHOW
Sunday 26th January
What are your plans for the future? St Cyres School, Sully Road, Penarth,
To keep on gaming and hopefully bringing Vale of Glamorgan, CF64 2TP
smiles to as many people as possible. As the Wargames show with DBA competitions
world continues to go through troubled times, penarthwargames.co.uk/crusade
people need something to help bring them
together, ind joy in life and come together no BASTION
Thursday January 23rd to Sunday 26th
matter your background or belief. Gaming has
YHA Conwy, Conwy,
the ability to allow all to participate in something North Wales, LL32 8AJ
inclusive and fun. I applaud the time and efort Gaming event with boardgames,
people put into running these events. It can be miniatures games, card games and RPGs
hard work, but the rewards are immeasurable. bastionwales.com
tabletopgaming.co.uk 91
 CLUB DIRECTORY

ABERDEENSHIRE PETERBOROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT GAMING EAST YORKSHIRE HAMPSHIRE HITCHIN HERETICS
ABERDEEN WARGAMES CLUB WARGAMES CLUB Redruth, TR15 3QY WOLDS WARGAMERS ARBBL Hitchin, SG5 1XL
Aberdeen, AB15 4YQ Peterborough, PE1 1NA Driffield, YO25 6SS Andover, SP10 1DQ
COUNTY TYRONE LOST ARK GAMES RPG CLUB
BROCH BOARDGAME NIGHT ROLL WITH IT! OMAGH WARGAMES CLUB ESSEX BLACK HOLE WARGAMERS Stevenage, SG1 1EE
Fraserburgh, AB43 9AH Huntingdon, PE29 3TF Omagh, BT78 1HL BASILDON WARBOYZ Petersfield, GU32 3HS
Basildon, SS16 4NW LOST LEGION WARGAMING CLUB
OLDMELDRUM SONS OF WAR CAMBRIDGE CUMBRIA CHINEHAM BOARD GAMERS Hitchin, SG5 2PG
WARGAMES GROUP Cambridge, CB1 3QU THE WIZARDS OF WINDERMERE BILLERICAY BOARD Basingstoke, RG24 8LT
Inverurie, AB51 0AA Windermere, LA23 1DY GAME CLUB NORTH HERTFORDSHIRE
ST. IVES TABLETOP Billericay, CM12 9BQ DARK WORLDS WARGAMES CLUB
ANGUS St. Ives, PE27 5AD DERBYSHIRE GAMING SOCIETY Hitchin, SG5 1XL
ANGUS WARGAMES CLUB CONSORTIUM GAMES BRENTWOOD CRUSADERS Fareham, PO15 6TL
Forfar, DD8 3AQ THE CHATTERIS WARLORDS CLUB @GHQ Brentwood, CM13 1LP NORTH LONDON WARGAMES CLUB
GAMES CLUB Chesterfield, S40 1JW FARNBOROUGH BOARD Waltham Cross, EN8 9AJ
DUNDEE LIBRARY Chatteris, PE16 6NA COLCHESTER WARGAMES GAMES CLUB
WARGAMES CLUB DERBY ON BOARD GAMES ASSOCIATION Farnborough, GU14 0LE POTTERS BAR GAMES CLUB
Dundee, DD1 1DB THE GAMES TABLE Derby, DE1 1QH Colchester, CO3 5RH Potters Bar, EN6 5BT
Cambridge, CB24 4RP FARNBOROUGH
KAMPF GRUPPE GROWN UP’S GAMES NIGHT ESSEX WARRIORS WARGAME SOCIETY ST ALBANS BOARD GAME CLUB
OST BERVIE CARMARTHENSHIRE Matlock, DE4 3FQ Chelmsford, CM1 3DU Farnborough, GU14 7LE St. Albans, AL3 5PE
Montrose, DD10 0RD CARMARTHEN OLD GUARD
Carmarthen, SA31 3AD SUNDAY NIGHT BOARD GBCON QUARTERLY FIRESTORM CARDS OPEN ST ALBANS WARGAMERS [SAW]
KIRRIEMUIR WARGAMES CLUB GAMING AT THE OLD GAMING DAY GAMING NIGHT St. Albans, AL3 5PE
Kirriemuir, DD8 4HN TOWY VALLEY TYRANTS (TVT) KINGS HEAD BELPER Loughton, IG10 4LF Basingstoke, RG24 8FB
Carmarthen, SA31 2JE Belper, DE56 1NP STEVENAGE BATTLEGROUP
AYRSHIRE LOUGHTON STRIKE FORCE FORDINGBRIDGE GAMING CLUB Stevenage, SG1 1NA
NORTH AYRSHIRE CHESHIRE DEVON Loughton, IG10 1LH Fordingbridge, SP6 1AS
WARGAMES CLUB ALTRINCHAM WARGAMING CLUB BARNSTAPLE SLAYERS THOR’S HAMMER GAMING CLUB
Irvine, KA12 0BA Altrincham, WA14 4PG GAMING CLUB SAFFRON WALDEN GARY DONALDSON Borehamwood, WD6 5PR
Barnstaple, EX32 8LS GAMES COLLECTIVE Waterlooville, PO8 8RG
BEDFORDSHIRE CHEADLE BOARD ROOM Saffron Walden, CB10 1HQ TRING WARGAMES CLUB
AMPTHILL ON BOARD Cheadle, SK8 1DW CULLOMPTON BOARD GOSPORT WARGAMING CLUB Tring, HP23 6BA
Bedford, MK45 2JS GAMES GROUP SOUTHEND-ON-SEA Gosport, PO12 3BU
CHESHIRE GAMERS Cullompton, EX15 1JX ROLEPLAYING SOCIETY WARLORDS WARGAMING
BEDFORD BOARD GAMING Crewe, CW1 4NJ Southend-on-Sea, SS1 1BD MUSKETBALLS 1812 ST ALBANS
Bedford, MK40 2SX DARK STAR GAMING WAR GAMING St. Albans, AL3 4DJ
CHESTER CENTURIONS Plymouth, PL4 0AL THE HORNCHURCH Southampton, SO15 3FQ
BEDFORD GLADIATORS BOARDGAMES CLUB (CHESTER) WARGAMES CLUB WATFORD WARGAMES CLUB
Bedford, MK41 7TW Chester, CH3 5LN DEVON WARGAMES GROUP Romford, RM3 9LB PHOENIX BOARD GAMERS Watford, WD17 4PN
Exeter, EX4 8AW Bordon, GU35 0LR
LEIGHTON BUZZARD CONGLETON AND DISTRICT THE OVERLORDS WELWYN WARGAMERS
BOARDGAMES CLUB LIGHT BOARD GAMES GROUP EAST DEVON TABLETOP Dagenham, RM8 2HQ PORTSMOUTH ON BOARD Welwyn Garden City, AL8 6PS
Leighton Buzzard, LU7 2NR Congleton, CW12 1AH & RPG GROUP Portsmouth, PO1 1PT
Honiton, EX14 1HR THE PHOENIX GAMES CLUB INVERNESS-SHIRE
LEIGHTON BUZZARD ELEMENT GAMES NORTH London, E13 0AD RINGWOOD ASSOCIATION INVERNESS TABLETOP GAMERS
GAMING CLUB WEST GAMING CENTRE EXMOUTH IMPERIAL OF WARGAMERS Inverness, IV1 1LU
Leighton Buzzard, LU7 1ES Stockport, SK2 6PT WARGAMES CLUB THURROCK TABLETOP GAMES Ringwood, BH24 1DW
Exmouth, EX8 4SW Grays, RM17 6FJ ISLE OF MAN
SAXON GAMES & CRAFTS ELLESMERE PORT CENTURIONS SOLENT WARGAMERS CLUB KB TABLETOP GAMING
Bedford, MK40 4FU BOARDGAMES CLUB MONDAY NIGHT FIFE Portsmouth, PO1 1PT - ISLE OF MAN
Ellesmere Port, CH65 8DP GAMING; PLYMOUTH DUNFERMLINE WARGAMING Isle of Man, IM4 4LA
VINTAGE & MODERN Plymouth, PL4 0DN AND ROLEPLAYING FELLOWSHIP SOUTHAMPTON SLUGGAZ
BOARD GAMES CLUB GUARDIANS OF THE GAMES Dunfermline, KY12 7DS Southampton, SO17 2JZ KENT
Dunstable, LU6 2PJ (TABLETOP GROUP) NEO TIVERTON GAMING CLUB ALL AROUND THE BOARD
Macclesfield, SK11 6UB Tiverton, EX16 5JJ EAST NEUK TABLETOP GAMES THE GAMING DEN Westgate-on-Sea, CT8 8RE
BERKSHIRE Anstruther, KY10 3DJ Basingstoke, RG21 7NT
BROAD STREET GAMERS MUG AND GAME PLYMOUTH ASSOCIATION ASHFORD (KENT)
Wokingham, RG40 3AQ Congleton, CW12 1PG OF WARGAMERS KIRKCALDY MEEPLE CLUB THE SOUTHAMPTON GUILD BOARDGAMES CLUB
Plymouth, PL3 5TB Kirkcaldy, KY2 6LF OF ROLEPLAYERS Ashford, TN24 9AJ
NEWBURY & READING POYNTON BOARD GAME DAY Southampton, SO14 0LH
WARGAMES ASSOCIATION Stockport, SK12 1RB RED DRAKE GAMING FLINTSHIRE BEXLEY REAPERS
Newbury, RG1 4PS Plymouth, PL4 7DJ DEESIDE DEFENDERS THE THIRD COALITION WARGAMING CLUB
VARIABLE MAGERS Chester, CH4 0DR WARGAMES CLUB Bexley, DA5 1AA
THATCHAM TABLETOPS Stockport, SK4 3BS TORQUAY BOARD GAME CLUB New Milton, BH25 5BT
Reading, RG7 6QH Torquay, TQ2 7AD FGC FLINTSHIRE GAMING CLUB BROMLEY BOARD GAMERS
WARRINGTON BOARD Mold, CH7 6SZ WATERLOO TABLE TOP GAMERS Bromley, BR1 1TS
THE READING GAMES CLUB DORSET Waterlooville, PO8 8RG
BOARDGAMES SOCIAL Warrington, WA1 2SX SOUTHBOURNE TABLETOP GLASGOW CANTERBURY CRUSADERS
Reading, RG1 5DE & BOARDGAMERS ANTONINE BOARD GAMERS WESSEX WARGAMERS Canterbury, CT1 1RT
WINSFORD TABLETOP Bournemouth, BH6 3AA Glasgow, G64 4EN WINCHESTER
WARFIELD BOARD GAMERS GAMING CLUB Winchester, SO22 4QB CANTERBURY DRAGONS
Bracknell, RG42 2DD Winsford, CW7 4AT WESSEX WYVERNS GLASGOW GAMES GROUP (G3) Canterbury, CT1 2DR
WARGAMES CLUB Glasgow, G20 7QE WESSEX WARGAMES
WARGAMES ASSOCIATION CLEVELAND Ferndown, BH22 9AN WINCHESTER DICE ON THE HILL
OF READING HARTLEPOOL WARGAMES UNPLUGGED GAMES CLUB Winchester, SO22 4QB London, SE18 3EG
Wokingham, RG41 5DU SOCIETY WEYMOUTH LEVELLERS CLUB Glasgow, G41 3AB
Hartlepool, TS24 7DH Weymouth, DT4 0AR WESSEX WYVERNS GOLDCHEST GAMING CLUB
BUCKINGHAMSHIRE GLOUCESTERSHIRE GAMING CLUB Dartford, DA12DX
AYLESBURY BOARDGAME CLUB REDCAR IRONBEARDS WORLDS AWAY GLOUCESTER TABLETOP Ringwood, BH24 2NP
Aylesbury, HP19 8SR Redcar, TS10 1RH Bournemouth, BH2 5RQ GAMING COMMUNITY GRAVESHAM WARGAMING
Gloucester, GL4 0RS HEREFORDSHIRE AND TABLETOP GAMING CLUB
MILTON KEYNES CO ANTRIM DUMFRIESSHIRE DICE AND DECKS Gravesend, DA11 9EU
WARGAMES SOCIETY BOARD MEETING ANNAN GAMING CLUB GLOUCESTERSHIRE Ross-on-Wye, HR9 5HR
Milton Keynes, MK11 1JQ Belfast, BT1 5FF Annan, DG12 6EF GAMES BUNKER GREENWICH & BLACKHEATH
Cheltenham, GL51 4XA HEREFORDSHIRE BOARD GAMES AND BEER CLUB
NEWPORT PAGNELL DRAGONSLAYERS THE FIVE ARCHES BOARDGAMERS London, SE3 7JQ
BOARD GAMES CLUB Belfast, BT7 1NN GAMING CLUB IWARPUK Hereford, HR4 9EA
Newport Pagnell, MK16 8AN Dumfries, DG1 3JR Gloucester, GL2 9EB HYDRA GAMING CLUB
LISBURN GAMING CLUB HERTFORDSHIRE Tunbridge Wells, TN4 8RA
THE CHESHAM Lisburn, BT28 1NY DUNBARTONSHIRE LECHLADE BOARD BISHOP’S STORTFORD TABLETOP
GAMING SOCIETY DUMBARTON WARGAMES CLUB GAMES CLUB Bishop’s Stortford, CM23 3BQ MAIDSTONE WARGAMES
Chesham, HP5 2NN QUB DRAGONSLAYERS Dumbarton, G82 1QQ Lechlade, GL7 3HA SOCIETY
Belfast, BT7 1NN BLACK WOLF Maidstone, ME17 4AW
WYCOMBE WARBAND DURHAM LINCOMBE BARN WARGAMES CLUB
Beaconsfield, HP9 1LG CO DURHAM DWG WARGAMES SOCIETY Hitchin, SG5 1XL MEDWAY AREA BOARDGAMERS
DARLINGTON`S DOGS OF WAR Durham, DH1 1QG Bristol, BS16 2RW Maidstone, ME14 1ED
WYRMBERG GAMES Darlington, DL3 7LX CALAMITY COMICS HATFIELD
Aylesbury, HP21 9DT DYFED PORK CHOP GAMING Hatfield, AL10 0JJ MEDWAY WARGAMES SOCIETY
DURHAM RAIDERS GAMEPARK GAMING Cheltenham, GL50 3HA Chatham, ME5 9HG
CAITHNESS Croxdale, DH6 5HJ Aberystwyth, SY23 2JS CHESHUNT WARGAMES CLUB
NORTHERN KNIGHTS QUICK FIRE GAMES CLUB. Waltham Cross, EN7 5EG MILTON HUNDRED
WARGAMES GAMERS@HART WELSH WEYR Bristol, BS5 7RF WARGAMES CLUB
Thurso, KW14 8HN Hartlepool, TS26 9DE GAMING GROUP FINCHLEY GAMES CLUB Sittingbourne, ME10 4BX
Ammanford, SA18 1DX THORNBURY BOARD London, N12 7JE
CAMBRIDGESHIRE CO LONDONDERRY GAME GROUP SEVENOAKS & TONBRIDGE
2D6 LODGE THE SIEGE BUNKER EAST SUSSEX Bristol, BS35 2EG FRIIDAY NIGHT GAMING ASSOCIATION OF
Cambridge, CB1 8NN Londonderry, BT48 7JL 1066 WARGAMING CLUB Letchworth Garden City, GAMERS (STAG)
St. Leonards-on-Sea, GREATER MANCHESTER SG6 1FP Sevenoaks, TN15 9HA
FENLAND RPG CLUB CORNWALL TN38 8BL TABLETOP MANCHESTER
Ely, CB7 5NG CORNWALL MINIATURE Cheadle Hulme, M15 4ST GAMES CAFE CLUB TUNBRIDGE WELLS
WARGAMES ASSOCIATION FAMOUS COLLECTABLES St. Albans, AL3 4BL WARGAMES SOCIETY
HEFFERS GAMES - Newquay, TR8 4LA Bexhill-on-Sea, TN40 1DU GWENT Tunbridge Wells, TN3 0PR
BOARDGAMES AT GWENT REAVERS TABLETOP HEMEL HEMPSTEAD
THE BOOKSHOP SMIPHEES GAMES CLUB UCKFIELD TABLETOP GAMERS GAMING CLUB WARGAMING CLUB WHITSTABLETOP
Cambridge, CB2 1TY Callington, PL17 7AN Uckfield, TN22 5DT Abertillery, NP13 3DJ Hemel Hempstead, HP1 1LD Whitstable, CT5 1DA
NEWMARKET KNIGHTS THE DICE AND DAGGER WADHURST WARGAMERS GWYNEDD HERTFORD BEER & LANARKSHIRE
GAMES CLUB GAMING CLUB & ROLEPLAYERS CONWY WARGAMES CLUB BOARDGAMES CARLUKE WARGAMES CLUB
Ely, CB7 5HS Bude, EX23 9BL Wadhurst, TN5 6UL Llandudno, LL30 3LB Hertford, SG14 1HH Carluke, ML8 5JQ

92 January 2020

GLASGOW BOARD GAMERS
Glasgow, G2 5AP
LANARKSHIRE GAMERS
Motherwell, ML1 1BS
ML2 GAMERS
Hamilton, ML3 6BU
LANCASHIRE
BLACK TOWER WARGAMING
Blackpool, FY4 4ND
BLACKWELL’S GAMING
MANCHESTER - GAMING
SATURDAYS
Manchester, M13 9GP
BURNLEY BOARD GAMERS
Burnley, BB10 3LF
BURNLEY WARGAMES CLUB
Burnley, BB10 3EU
DECKS & DICE
Manchester, M25 1AW
DICED TEA
Oldham, OL1 2DB
DUNGEONS & FLAGONS
Manchester, M1 7HL
ELWA: EAST LANCASHIRE
WARGAMES ASSOCIATION
Blackburn, BB6 7DD
FAN BOY THREE
BOARDGAME NIGHT
Manchester, M1 1EL
GECKO GAMES CLUB
Accrington, BB5 3QW
HARLEQUINS BLACKPOOL
Blackpool, FY1 3QA
HOUSE LANCASTER
GAMING GROUP
Lancaster, LA1 1EE
LYTHAM ST ANNES GAMERS
Lytham St. Annes, FY8 4BX
PRESTON’S GAMERS GUILD
Preston, PR1 7DP
SALFORD AND MANCHESTER
GAMING HAVEN
Salford, M8 0TW
THE HUNGRY DRAGON
GAMES NIGHT
Manchester, M21 0AE
THE LIVERPOOL WARGAMES
ASSOCIATION (LWA)
Liverpool, L1 6HB
THE NEGG ( NORTH OF
ENGLAND GAMING GROUP )
Accrington, BB5 3EE
THORNTON CLEVELEYS
BOARD GAMES CLUB
Thornton-Cleveleys, FY5 2TY
THURSDAY SCYTHE
BOARD GAMERS
Liverpool, L3 8HE
LEICESTERSHIRE
CHARNWOOD ROLE
PLAYERS GAMING CLUB
Loughborough, LE12 8DT
GEEK VILLAIN
GAMING CLUB
Leicester, LE19 2HE
LEICESTER ALL SCARS
Leicester, LE1 3JR
LEICESTER PHAT KATZ
Leicester, LE3 0QY
MARKET HARBOROUGH
WARGAMES CLUB
Market Harborough, LE16 7JU
SECTION 31
Leicester, LE1 1PA
SONS OF SIMON
DE MONTFORT
Loughborough, LE12 8TX
THE LEICESTER WARGAMES
AND FANTASY GROUP
Leicester, LE3 0QU
LINCOLNSHIRE
BOSTON TABLETOP GAMERS
Boston, PE21 6QQ
GRANTHAM FRIENDLY GAMERS
Grantham, NG31 6LJ
GRIMSBY WARGAMES SOCIETY
Grimsby, DN32 9HT
LINCOLN BOARD GAME GROUP
Lincoln, LN1 3BJ
LOUTH STRATEGY
GAMES CLUB
Louth, LN11 8DB
SPALDING WARGAMES CLUB
Spalding, PE11 2RA
LONDON
LONDON ON BOARD
London, W1F 9LD
SELWG
London, SE6 2TS
TANELORN WAR GAMING CLUB
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BOARDGAMERS
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BRYNCETHIN TABLETOP GAMING
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Uxbridge, UB8 1PJ
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DUNGEONS AND
DRAGONS - UXBRIDGE
Uxbridge, UB8 2EW
HESTON AND EALING
WARGAMERS
London, W13 9SS
LONDON WARGAMING GUILD
London, WC2H 9LA
TABLETOP TUESDAYS
London, N16 8BX
THE GAMES CLUB
London, NW1 2JU
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EDINBURGH LEAGUE
OF GAMERS
Edinburgh, EH7 5EA
SOUTH EAST SCOTLAND
WARGAMES CLUB
Edinburgh, EH7 4EW
NORFOLK
AFTERMATH GAMING CLUB
Norwich, NR3 4HX
KINGS LYNN RPG &
WARGAMES CLUB
King’s Lynn, PE30 4DN
NORWICH BOARD GAMERS
Norwich, NR2 4AL
TAS GAMING CLUB
King’s Lynn, PE34 4SJ
NORTH SOMERSET
POSSETT GAMING CLUB
Bristol, BS20 7AN
NORTH YORKSHIRE
BOARDED UP
Selby, YO8 8QE
HARROGATE WARGAMES CLUB
Harrogate, HG1 5LT
SCARBOROUGH GAMES SOCIETY
Scarborough, YO12 7BY
YORK GARRISON
WARGAMING CLUB
York, YO32 4AQ
List your club for free and see full club details
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NORTHAMPTONSHIRE WARGAMING @ RADSTOCK CROYDON BOARD GAMERS WEST YORKSHIRE
BATTLEFIELD HOBBIES Radstock, BA3 4BD Croydon, CR0 1DP BOARD IN THE VILLAGE
Daventry, NN11 8RB Bradford, BD14 6RE
WESTON WARGAMERS CLUB EAGLE GAMING CLUB
DESBOROUGH ROLEPLAYING Weston-super-Mare, London, SW18 2PT GAMING CLUB BRADFORD
AND WARGAMES CLUB BS23 1NF Bradford, BD1 2DX
Kettering, NN14 2NQ GUILDFORD BOARD GAMES CLUB
WSM BOARD GAMING CLUB Guildford, GU1 4LH HALIFAX BOARD GAMERS
PHOENIX GAMING CLUB Weston-super-Mare, Halifax, HX1 1SJ
Rushden, NN10 9YE BS22 8PD HAMPTON COURT GAMES CLUB
East Molesey, KT8 0BT KEIGHLEY TABLETOP COMBAT
THE BRACKLEY & SOUTH HUMBERSIDE Keighley, BD20 6EB
DISTRICT GAMERS GRIM DICE TABLETOP GAMING KINGSTON GAMES GROUP
Brackley, NN13 6LF Grimsby, DN32 7EG Kingston upon MIDLIFE DICES
Thames, KT2 6LN Shipley, BD18 4SJ
THE PIT GAMING CLUB SCUNTHORPE TABLETOP
Wellingborough, NN9 5TU GAMERS REIGATE WARGAMES GROUP OTLEY BOARD GAMERS
Scunthorpe, DN16 1DQ Reigate, RH2 0NA Otley, LS21 2AU
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BOARD TO DEATH SOUTH YORKSHIRE STAINES WARGAMES PENNINE RAIDERS
Alnwick, NE66 3NP MALTBY AND DISTRICT ASSOCIATION Halifax, HX3 6AW
WARGAMES CLUB Egham, TW20 0QT
NOTTINGHAMSHIRE Rotherham, S66 8JB PUDSEY BOARD GAME CLUB
K.I.A GAMES CLUB STAY ON TARGET Pudsey, LS28 6AT
Nottingham, NG17 8LA ROTHERHAM WARGAMES Woking, GU21 5BG
SOCIETY STOD FOLD BOARD
NOTTINGHAM BOARD & Rotherham, S60 1JE SURREY GIRL GAMERS GAME NIGHT
WARGAMES CLUB Woking, GU21 4AL Halifax, HX3 5AX
Nottingham, NG2 1NB STEEL CITY WARGAMING
Sheffield, S13 7LL SUTTON GAMES CLUB WILTSHIRE
RETFORD LIBRARY Sutton, SM1 1DT BOSCOMBE DOWN &
TABLETOP GAMING DAY VAULT 14 AMESBURY WARGAMES CLUB
Retford, DN22 6PE Doncaster, DN1 3JU SUTTON GAMING CLUB Salisbury, SP4 7LN
Sutton, SM1 4DP
THE CLUB WITH NO NAME ZONE OUT GAMES CLUB CHIPPENHAM BOARD
Nottingham, NG2 1NB Doncaster, DN1 2PX SWIGGERS GAMES CLUB
London, SE1 2TF Chippenham, SN15 3WL
WAR & PEACE GAMES CLUB SOUTHWARK
Nottingham, NG10 5BD DICE CULT THE SOUTH LONDON WARLORDS DEVIZES & DISTRICT
London, SE1 4GZ London, SE21 7BT WARGAMES GROUP
WILDSIDE GAMING Devizes, SN10 5AD
Newark, NG24 1ER STAFFORDSHIRE THE WOKING WEIRD BOYZ
ALL ABOARD GAMING CLUB Woking, GU22 7TA SALISBURY ROLE
ORKNEY Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 1JB PLAY GROUP
ORKNEY WARGAMES CLUB TOLWORTH 1ST FOUNDING Salisbury, SP2 8HB
Kirkwall, KW15 1PA CHASE WARGAMES CLUB Chessington, KT9 1PF
Burntwood, WS7 0JL SPIRE TABLETOP GAMING
OXFORDSHIRE SUSSEX Salisbury, SP1 1DT
ABINGDON WARGAMES CLUB GAMING POTION BRIGHTON WARLORDS
Abingdon, OX14 5AG Stoke-on-Trent, ST10 4JY Brighton, BN1 1UB WEDNESDAY KNIGHT GAMERS
Salisbury, SP1 3TA
AMBROSDEN GAMING CLUB LICHFIELD GAMERS AND RPG WARWICKSHIRE
Bicester, OX25 2LZ Lichfield, WS13 6EB AFTERNOON PLAY WORCESTERSHIRE
Birmingham, B15 1AY BROMSGROVE
BICESTER BOARD GAMERS TAMWORTH GAMES CLUB BOARD GAMERS
Bicester, OX26 3HA Tamworth, B79 7DJ BOARD GAME CAFE Bromsgrove, B60 2DZ
SUMMERFIELD
GWEEPLES TAMWORTH LIBERATORS Birmingham, B16 0EZ KIDDERMINSTER AND
Didcot, OX11 6GR GAMING CLUB AREA ROLEPLAYERS
Tamworth, B77 3AE BRAVO ONE GAMING Kidderminster, DY11 5QA
NORTH OXFORDSHIRE Birmingham, B1 1QP
WARGAMING CLUB THE ARTISANS’ GALLERY PERSHORE GAMING
Banbury, OX16 9AF GAMING CLUB COCKED DICE GAMING Pershore, WR10 1EQ
Stoke-on-Trent, ST8 6AP Coventry, CV5 9EQ
OXFORD GAMING CLUB POSTAL ORDER GEEK MEET
Oxford, OX2 7DP THE VINE INN GAMERS DREAMDEALERS GAMING CLUB Worcester, WR1 1DN
Rugeley, WS15 2AT Coventry, CV6 4FE
OXFORD ON BOARD REDDITCH TABLETOP GAMERS
Oxford, OX4 1EA TRITEX GAMES GRANGE LIVE GAMING Redditch, B97 5YE
Stafford, ST16 1BG Birmingham, B1 1QP
OXFORD OUTRIDERS WORCESTER BOARD
Oxford, OX1 2AU STIRLINGSHIRE NUNEATON ALTERNATIVE GAMERS (WOBOG)
FALKIRK DISTRICT GAMES ASSOCIATION Worcester, WR1 2DP
RENFREWSHIRE WARGAMES CLUB Nuneaton, CV10 8LJ
GLASGOW AND DISTRICT Grangemouth, FK3 8QR WYRE FOREST GAMERS
WARGAMING SOCIETY OCTOBER WARGAMES Kidderminster, DY10 1RP
Glasgow, G41 4AD LENNOXTOWN GAMING HUB ASSOCIATION
Glasgow, G66 7LL Birmingham, B29 6DX YORKSHIRE
SHROPSHIRE AIREBOROUGH
BIG ORBIT GAMES STIRLING WARGAMERS SCIMITAR WARGAMES GROUP COMMUNITY GAMERS
SHREWSBURY Stirling, FK8 1QJ Coventry, CV3 5GT Leeds, LS19 6AS
Shrewsbury, SY1 1PH
SUFFOLK WEST MIDLANDS BEYOND MONOPOLY
E-COLLECTICA GAMES BECCLES BOARD GAMERS BIRMINGHAM WARGAMES York, YO24 1AQ
Shrewsbury, SY1 2DT Beccles, NR34 9AB AND BOARDGAMES CLUB
AKA DRAGOON’S DEN EAST LEEDS MILITARIA
GAMES @THE BIRD BURY ST EDMUNDS BOARD Birmingham, B13 9EA SOCIETY WARGAMES CLUB
Shrewsbury, SY1 2DT GAMING GROUP Leeds, LS25 2HD
Bury St. Edmunds, IP30 9LH DUDLEY DARKLORDS
STAGS TELFORD Kingswinford, DY6 8AP HEADINGLEY GAMES CLUB.
WARGAMING SOCIETY HAVERHILL AREA BOARD LEEDS, WEST YORKS
Telford, TF1 1LU GAME GROUP PLAY MORE GAMES Leeds, LS6 3HN
Haverhill, CB9 8AU Solihull, B91 3TB
TELFORD BOARDGAMERS CLUB HOLMFIRTH GAMING CENTRE
Telford, TF1 2BW HAVERHILL WAR GAMES CLUB PLAY MORE GAMES! Holmfirth, HD9 7HP
Haverhill, CB9 9JE Solihull, B90 3GG
SOMERSET HULL’S ANGELS
ABBEYWOOD IRREGULARS IPSWICH BOARD GAMERS WEST SUSSEX Hull, HU1 3HG
Frome, BA11 1PU Ipswich, IP3 0FS BOGNOR REGIS GAMING
ASSOCIATION IRELAND WOOD GAMES
BATH GAMING GROUP IPSWICH COUNTY LIBRARY Bognor Regis, PO21 5EU COMMUNITY
Bath, BA2 6AA BOARD GAMES LIBRARY Leeds, LS16 6BS
Ipswich, IP1 3DE CRAWLEY GAMING CLUB
MID SOMERSET Crawley, RH10 5DF LEEDS GAMING
WARGAMES CLUB MID SUFFOLK GAMING CLUB Leeds, LS1 3DL
Wells, BA5 2PU Stowmarket, IP14 4SH DUNGEON CRAWL-
EY GAMES CLUB LEEDS NIGHT OWLS
PIGMAR WARGAMING CLUB SKYWARD FIRE GAMES Crawley, RH11 7QG Leeds, LS6 1LJ
Bath, BA1 6AB Lowestoft, NR32 1TY
HORSHAM GAMERS SHEFFIELD AND
THE ESCAPE COMMITTEE WHITE EAGLES Horsham, RH12 3LD ROTHERHAM
WARGAMES CLUB WARGAMES CLUB WARGAMES CLUB
Burnham-on-Sea, TA8 2ET Ipswich, IP2 0RG MID SUSSEX MEEPLES Sheffield, S2 2TP
Burgess Hill, RH15 8DX
THE FROME BOARD SURREY SHEFFIELD BOARD GAMES
GAMES CLUB BELLUM KNIGHTS POUND HILL BOARD GAMING Sheffield, S3 7HG
Frome, BA11 1PU Surbiton, KT6 5NJ Crawley, RH10 7EQ
SHEFFIELD WARGAMES
TRINITY WARGAMING CLUB CROSS GAMING CLUB SOUTH DOWNS SIEGEBREAKERS SOCIETY
Taunton, TA1 3JG London, SE1 7RW Pulborough, RH20 4DR Sheffield, S8 0PS
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ANKH: GODS OF EGYPT | MUTANT CHRONICLES | KINGS OF WAR RPG

TEN OF THE BEST

29
GAMES
STOCKING FILLERS
Get your Christmas
sorted with our
small game guide
REVIEWED
IN THIS
ISSUE THE BOOK
C H O C O L AT E OF THE GAME

Read on any
FACTORY
DIE HARD
Turning tabletop
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I S H TA R : page turners
GARDENS
OF BABYLON
S TA R WA R S
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C L O N E WA R S
TAV E R N S O F
TIEFENTHAL
THE HISTORY
OF MUTANT
CHRONICLES
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OCEANIA
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We travel to the
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SHOP SPOTLIGHT
TABLETOP CORK
Owners Chris Heinhold and Emer Kelly talk about cofee and Keyforge in fair Éire
Interview by James Winspear
How did the store first get started?
We (Emer & Chris) were travelling in
Poland, in Kraków, when we happened
across the board game cafe, Hex. Inspired,
we decided that this was just the thing
that Cork needed! With years of hospitality
experience and a love of games, we knew
we could make this work, and it has so far!
What’s changed in the time it’s
been running?
We opened our Cork city store at
Christmas 2017 and recently opened a
second location, tabletop West, in Bantry
West Cork, on the beautiful Wild Atlantic
Way. Board games and amazing scenery,
with excellent cofee, food and craft
beer – what more could you want from a
holiday!?
What’s the gaming scene like in Cork?
Varied. here are stores speciically
catering to Magic the Gathering, a
Warhammer shop which is always hosting
great events, a big roleplaying community,
and many small groups meeting regularly
across the city to play games. We feel
that Tabletop Cork ofers a space to both
experienced gamers to ind the new hot
games, but also to people that have never
played games before and are looking for a
diferent type of social experience.
January 2020
What titles have you found popular recently?
Our most popular titles include games that are
easy to pick up and fast to play. Onitama and
Cobra Paw are irm favourites in the cafe. At
both our stores Keyforge has been a massive
hit with staf, and thus is being taught a LOT!
We are super excited for the next set to release.
What are some of your personal
favourite games?
Chris loves Scythe very much, although recently
you’ll most often ind him forging keys (or
trying to!). Emer loves Purrlock Holmes and
more ‘thinky’ social games. With two stores
now open, and a small baby at home, we don’t
get a lot of time to game ourselves, so will most
likely reach for Love letter or Schotten Totten
when we have a moment to play!
What events do you run for the local
gaming scene?
We run regular Come To Play events,
introducing new players to bigger games
which they may not regularly get to the table,
or may not even have heard of before! We also
host regular Keyforge nights, and introductory
Dungeons and Dragons events.
WHERE CAN I FIND IT?
9 Castle Street, Cork City, T12 CF2R Ireland
tabletopcork.ie
info@tabletopcork.ie
tabletopgaming.co.uk 95
 GAMES
STORE
NOW OPEN!
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D I R E C T LY F R O M U S !

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 SHOP DIRECTORY
ONLINE HAMPSHIRE TYNE & WEAR EDINBURGH

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 12
1 11
2

10
9
3

8
4

5 7
6

ELECTION
write this exactly one calendar month before the next As you lay these tiles your share

I general election. Which, by the time you read it, will

be over and, hopefully, done with.
How was it for you? If not great, here’s how you can
put things right.
Election was one of the best products of the short-lived
company Intellect Games that ran between 1970 and
1980. A diceless game of skill and judgment, it enables
of the potential vote goes up in the
popularity chart at top right of the
board. The game ends when one
player tops this poll, whereupon
a General Election is called. An
ingenious counting system, using
the charts printed across the
up to six players (designated Conservative, Independent, English Channel, ensures the
Labour, Liberal, Nationalist, Socialist) to move their topmost player won’t always win,
candidates round the UK campaigning in each of ten as some of the tiles are turned up
distinct regional areas. and revealed to be duds (‘hollow
First piece of realistic cleverness: the set-up is essentially promises’), whose only purpose
asymmetrical. Reflecting the population, voting areas vary was to deny campaigning squares
in size from seven ‘constituencies’ in N Ireland to 29 in to your opponents. Furthermore,
the Midlands, and in socio-economic groups appropriate you do better in the final count
to each, with industrial workers numerous in the north, if your voters are evenly spread
small businessmen in the south, and retired people in throughout the ten regions
the West country. Housewives, happily, are evenly spread rather than concentrated in
throughout; also featured are students, professionals, white- one or two – so it’s no use, if
collar workers, and executives. you’re playing Tory, making a
Each square in each area is a constituency equivalent to beeline for London and the south and
200,000 voters, and campaigning consists in moving your concentrating all your firepower there.
candidate from area to adjacent area laying tiles on the Besides campaigning as described, you may also ABOVE the electoral map
little squares. While you each start with 23 tiles of your own play, and then replace, any one of your five campaign we’ll be squabbling over in
party colour, these also vary in composition (second piece or ‘smear’ cards against any opponent you specify. Election
of realistic cleverness), so the Tory candidate, for example, These include such instructions as ‘Make extravagant
has an excess of executives and businessmen over industrial promise to build more homes – 200,000 white-collar LEFT the box art in classic
workers, vice versa for Labour and Socialist (the latter’s workers move from present party’ and ‘Daughter of 1970s style.
colour is red rather than pink). rival politician found shoplifting – 200,000 voters
leave party’.
Each region has one floating vote square. Landing
on it entitles you to take and keep for the final count
one floating vote tile from the box. Each also (except
Wales) has an absentee vote square: you collect
one such tile when you reach a certain level in the
popularity chart. David Parlett is a games
Election was brilliantly worked out and way ahead of inventor and historian,
its time. No inventor is credited, but the Intellect team author of The Oxford
consisted of David Drakes, Roland Jarvis, Malcolm History of Card Games and
Gluck, and Martyn Walsh. Commercially, of course, its sequel on board games,
it would have been of no international interest. But and a visiting professor
of games design at the
it remains the ideal game not to give as a Christmas
University of Suffolk.
present to dear old Brenda of Bristol.

98 January 2020 tabletopgaming.co.uk