BEST GAMES OF 2017

EVERY UNMISSABLE RELEASE OF THE LAST 12 MONTHS, RANKED!

NEW
LOOK!
December 2017 tabletopgaming.co.uk

TWILIGHT
IMPERIUM 4
We speak to its creators
RE VIE WED and give our definitive
verdict on the sci-fi epic
PANDEMIC LEGACY:
SEASON 2
FLICK ‘EM UP:
DEAD OF WINTER
D&D: TOMB OF
ANNIHILATION
WARHAMMER:
SHADESPIRE
NMBR 9
WHISTLE STOP

STAR WARS
THE EXPANSE
DOWNFORCE

LEGION
OUTPOST: SIBERIA
AND MORE

Bigger than X-Wing?

We reveal all about the massive miniatures
game with the full power of the Force

WARHAMMER RETURNS
Display until 28/12/17

£5.25

TO ROLEPLAYING
Not just one, but TWO new RPGs!
 LONDON
SECOND EDITION

From acclaimed designer Martin Wallace

and the team at Osprey Games comes
London: Second Edition.

After the devastation of the great fire,

many competing developers want to see
their vision for the city realised. Will you
combat poverty and increase employment,
build iconic monuments as a testament to
your ingenuity, or simply make the trains
run on time?

2-4 14+ 60-90

MINUTES Grow your city through the decades, as
PLAYERS AGES PLAY TIME
you vie to become an icon of London.

Star Cartel is a space trading game

of making the right bets at the right
time. Players take on the role of traders
and smugglers, trying to maximise
the value of the goods they have
stockpiled, while minimising the value
of other player’s goods.

Trading goods to the cartel increases

their value on the black market, but
you can’t stash what you’ve traded
away. Upgrade your ship, stockpile
3-6 14+ 30-45
MINUTES
your loot and remember...
PLAYERS AGES PLAY TIME
In space, no-one can hear you scheme.

O R D E R T O D AY AT W W W. O S P R E Y G A M E S . C O . U K

p002.indd 1 10/11/2017 12:12

 EDITORIAL
EDITOR Matt Jarvis
01778 392 400
matt.jarvis@warnersgroup.co.uk

Welcome
CONTRIBUTORS John Dodd,
Owen Duffy, Holly Gramazio,
Sam Illingworth, David Jagneaux,
Richard Jansen-Parkes,
Dan Jolin, Andy Leighton,
Joseph A. McCullough,
Phil Robinson, Alex Sonechkina,

I
Paul Wake, James Wallis
n June 2015, Tabletop Gaming began life as a single
HEAD OF DESIGN & PRODUCTION issue counting down 101 must-play games. Just over
Lynn Wright
two years on, the magazine has gone from being
DESIGNER Richard Hallam published every three months to every two months
and, now, it will be landing on the shelves of shops and
COVER IMAGE FROM
STAR WARS: LEGION doormats of thousands of subscribers around the world
every single month. It’s a testament to the flourishing
ADVERTISING popularity of the gaming hobby, but also to readers just
TO ADVERTISE PLEASE CALL
GROUP ADVERTISING MANAGER like you that have supported us by picking up, reading
Claire Ingram 01778 391 179 and enjoying every issue.
claire.ingram@warnersgroup.co.uk This issue is no exception, with a first look at the
GROUP TELESALES EXECUTIVE Now Playing... massive minis game Star Wars: Legion, a deep dive
Ben Jackson 01778 391 129 Queendomino into the return of space epic Twilight Imperium and our
ben.jackson@warnersgroup.co.uk countdown of the 10 best games of 2017, plus the
ADVERTISING DESIGN usual exclusive interviews and features, latest reviews,
AND PRODUCTION and in-depth coverage of games you’ve come to expect.
Nicola Lock 01778 392 420
nicola.lock@warnersgroup.co.uk Get in touch We’ve overhauled the magazine’s look with a new
style that we hope you’ll love as much as we do, with our
tabletopgaming.co.uk
MARKETING world-beating content underneath just as good as ever.
MARKETING BRAND MANAGER tabletopmag With Tabletop Gaming going monthly and now
Nicola Lumb
available in more stores than ever before, and our
tabletopgamingmagazine
MARKETING ASSISTANT London event Tabletop Gaming Live happening next
Katherine Brown 01778 395 502 tabletop_gaming_magazine September, it’s never been a better time to be a gamer.
katherine.brown@warnersgroup.co.uk
We can’t wait for 2018.

Matt
PUBLISHED BY
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
Claire Ingram
Warners Group Publications PLC
The Maltings, West Street,
Matt Jarvis Editor
Bourne, Lincolnshire, PE10 9PH matt.jarvis@warnersgroup.co.uk | @liquidmatt
01778 391 000
www.warnersgroup.co.uk Q U I C K S TA R T
NEWSTRADE DISTRIBUTION
Warners Group Publications PLC
I’d love for it This isn’t I feel it’s
01778 391 150 to be as big just the best almost a
PRINTING as something game of 2017; it’s legend of how
This publication is like Warhammer very possibly one daunting this
printed by Warners
01778 395111 or Warhammer of the greatest game is.
The views expressed by contributors are not necessarily 40,000. That’s board games
the dream. ever made.
those of the publishers. Every care is taken to ensure that
the content of this magazine is accurate, but we assume no
responsibility for any effect from errors or omissions. While
every care is taken with unsolicited material submitted for Andrew Navaro hypes up We reveal our favourite Corey Konieczka tackles
publication, we cannot be responsible for loss or damage.
While every care is taken when accepting advertisements, we
Star Wars: Legion, p18 Game of the Year, p26 Twilight Imperium, p44
are not responsible for the quality and/or the performance
of goods and/or services advertised in this magazine. The
Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) exists to regulate the
content of advertisements. Tel: 020 7429 2222
tabletopgaming.co.uk 3
© Warners Group Publications PLC, 2017
 In this issue
06 AT A GLANCE
A 30-second guide to the latest in gaming
08 FIRST TURN
Legacy superstar Rob Daviau dives into
his debut, Atlantis: Pathways of the Deep
10 10 OF THE BEST
It’s nothing naughty, everything nice in our
Christmas gaming gift guide for 2017
13 ROLE CALL
The upcoming RPGs to keep your eye on
14 ALL THE JAHRES
Our tour of Spiel des Jahres winners
continues with Klaus Teuber’s Barbarossa
17 MY FAVOURITE GAME
Master of Magic Richard Garfield on
why poker is the perfect card game
ON THE COVER
18 STAR WARS: LEGION
Behind the scenes of the sci-fi miniatures
game that could be bigger than X-Wing
26 GAME OF THE YEAR
The TTG team and designers weigh in
on their top picks of the last 12 months
34 HAVE YOU PLAYED?
Join us on a trip to the 7 Wonders
37 KICKSTARTING
FROM SCRATCH
The latest chapter in Art Deck’s
journey from concept to crowdfunding
38 HOW WE MADE
The unbeatable ingredients of Splotter’s
delicious Food Chain Magnate
44 TWILIGHT IMPERIUM
The epic space opera’s creator and
designers look back on a tabletop legend
Awesome games club
two nights a week - and weekends!
We’re close to Junction 1 of the M6 & Junction 18 of the M1
004_005_contents_v8 MJ.indd 4
51 PLAY IT SMART
Our pair of academics get caught up
in ethical dilemmas posed by games
52 WARHAMMER RPGS
Cubicle 7 tells us what’s in store for its
two Warhammer roleplaying titles
55 GHOST ARCHIPELAGO:
THE FIRE SWAMP
An exclusive scenario for the Frostgrave
spin-off, only in Tabletop Gaming
56 WAR ROOM
The creator of Axis & Allies returns
with another World War II epic
58 THE EXPANSE
How the hit series went from tabletop
to books to TV show – and back again
61 PLAYED
Reviews of the latest and greatest
games you should be playing
83 PAINTING GUIDE
Brush your way into Valhalla with our
Viking-inspired tips for Blood Rage
88 DUNGEON MASTER’S
GUIDE TO ROLEPLAYING
Using tech to enhance your RPG session
91 EVENT REPORT
How Dragondaze does good with gaming
92 CLUB DIRECTORY
95 SHOP SPOTLIGHT
Beanie Games reveals how Pokémon
led it to a special mayoral award
98 TABLETOP
TIME MACHINE
We take a trip back to 1975’s Amoeba 18
16/11/2017 10:11
 THE GAMES
7 Wonders 34
Abandon Planet 77
Amoeba 98
Art Deck 37
Atlantis: 08
Pathways of the Deep
Barbarossa 14
Blood Rage 83
Century: Spice Road 26
Downforce 77
Dungeons & Dragons 88
D&D: Tomb of Annihilation 68
The Expanse 58, 76
Flick ‘em Up: 69
Dead of Winter
Food Chain Magnate 38
Frostgrave: 55
Ghost Archipelago
Ghost Court 79
Gloomhaven 26
Gloom of Kilforth 26
Hanamikoji 80
Indulgence 73
Magic Maze 26
NMBR 9 75
Outpost: Siberia 72
Pandemic Legacy: 26, 62
Season 2
Poker 17
can be played by 2-5 serious gamers in 2-4 hours.
management system. Players compete on a variable city map through purchasing, marketing and sales, and on a job market for key staff members. The game

52
Food Chain Magnate is a heavy strategy game about building a fast food chain. The focus is on building your company using a card-driven (human) resource

Same crap, double the price. Get my marketing director in here!”

Scythe 26
wages. I did not go into business to become poor. And fire that discount manager, she is only costing me money. From now on, we’ll sell gourmet burgers.
“How do you mean, we don’t have enough staff? The HR director reports to you. Hire more people! Train them! But whatever you do, don’t pay them any real
every second they sit in their posh new garden.” The new management trainee trembles in front of the CEO and tries to politely point out that...
Home of the Original Burger, not a hippie health haven. And place a billboard next to that new house on the corner. I want them craving beer
“Lemonade? They want lemonade? What is the world coming to? I want commercials for burgers on all channels, every 15 minutes. We are the

Starfinder 26

English/ Deutsch
Star Wars: Legion 18

from/ab 14

14+
Served with
your choice of Stop Thief! 80
44
n way
the moder ned strategies!

120-240 minutes/ Minuten

Tales from the Loop 26
hio
to old fas ing

2-5 players/Spieler
good gam

This War of Mine 26

Tortuga 1667 72

“Limonade? Sie wollen Limonade? Wo kommen wir denn da hin? Ich will Werbung für Burger auf allen Kanälen, alle 15 Minuten. Wir sind die Heimat des
originalen Burgers und kein Zufluchtsort für Gesundheitsapostel. Und stellt eine Reklametafel neben das neue Haus an der Ecke. Ich möchte, dass sie jede
Sekunde nach Bier lechzen, die sie in ihrem piekfeinen neuen Garten sitzen.” Der neue Management Trainee erzittert vor dem CEO und versucht vorsichtig
darauf hinzuweisen, dass… „Was meinen sie damit, wir haben nicht genug Personal? Der HR Director berichtet an sie. Stellen sie mehr Leute ein! Schulen sie sie. Aber was
auch immer sie machen, zahlen sie ihnen keinen reellen Lohn. Ich bin nicht Geschäftsmann geworden, um arm zu werden. Und feuern sie die Discount Managerin, sie

Food Chain Magnate ist ein anspruchsvolles Strategiespiel über den Aufbau einer Fastfood-Kette. Der Fokus liegt auf dem Aufbau des Unternehmens mit Hilfe eines
kartengetriebenen Management-Systems für (menschliche) Ressourcen. Spieler konkurrieren auf einem variablen Stadtplan mittels Einkauf, Marketing und Verkauf und
Tournament at Camelot 26
Twilight Imperium 26, 44, 64

kostet mich nur Geld. Ab jetzt verkaufen wir Gourmet Burger. Gleicher Mist, doppelter Preis. Schafft meinen Marketing Director hier rein!”
Game design by:

auf dem Arbeitsmarkt für Mitarbeiter in Schlüsselpositionen. Das Spiel kann von 2-5 ernsthaften Spielern in 2-4 Stunden gespielt werden.
Wasteland Express 26
Joris Wiersinga & Jeroen Doumen

Graphic design by:

Delivery Service
Ynze Moedt & Iris de Haan

Published by:
Splotter Spellen BV

Whistle Stop 71
The Netherlands
www.splotter.nl

Warhammer: 52
Better
ingredients,
Age of Sigmar RPG
ern way
better
52
thetomoloddfashioned
game Warhammer
Fantasy Roleplay
ming
good ga 100%
dice free Warhammer: Shadespire 67
Producing high quality, well-tested, original burgers is one of our main jobs here at
War Room 56
26 38
Gluttony Inc. There's no such thing as luck. Skill wins every time. Hold your future in
your hand with our burger and soda special, as advertised on radio and in well-known

Yamatai 26
magazines. We at Gluttony, Inc welcome groups of 2-5 diners. Available only in limited
quantities, our good old-fashioned meals are served with your choice of strategies and
take 2-4 hours to digest.
© 2015 Splotter Spellen BV

Served with Don’t cook

your choice of tonight, play
strategies! Splotter’s
delight

Central location. Free parking.

tabletopgaming.co.uk 27

Comfortable facilities.
We’re close to Junction 1 of the M6 & Junction 18 of the M1
 AT A GLANCE
ECLIPSE OF THE HEART
The sci-fi masterpiece is getting
a huge second edition next year
Touko Tahkokallio’s 2011 space-warring
strategy hit Eclipse is returning next year
with an overhauled second edition subtitled
Second Dawn for the Galaxy.
The new version will leave the original
gameplay largely untouched, with publisher
Lautapelit.fi insisting it will just be ‘fine-tuned’.
Instead, the focus is being put on
boosting Eclipse’s visual panache by adding
in extra miniatures – including the 108
ship models previously released as a
separate upgrade pack – and introducing a
refreshed graphical style that will preserve
the iconic symbology from the first edition.
Introducing the universe will be a short
story authored by award-winning Finnish
sci-fi novelist Johanna Sinisalo.
There’s also new custom dice and
custom box inlays, so you can expect a
premium set – and price tag, we’d wager.
Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy is
due for release in autumn 2018.

KNOW YOUR NUMBERS

25%
More than a quarter
of D&D players choose
40,000
6 $845,258
The number of Legend of the Five
Rings expansions launching in
Dice Masters outlet as many weeks this winter – a The amount raised on Kickstarter by Monte
WizKids has announced big change from Fantasy Flight’s Cook’s sequel to 2013 RPG Numenera,
a Warhammer 40,000 normal six-month LCG schedule currently planned for release next summer

3
to roleplay as humans dice-building game and
– with fighters being two further board games How much Batman: The Board Game
$250

the most popular Uwe Rosenberg’s Cottage Garden is

set in the grimdark would cost if it was sold in shops,
class – according to now the first part of a puzzle trilogy,
universe, plus reprints of according to studio Monolith, after
data analytics site thanks to the arrival of autumn-
Fury of Dracula and Relic revealing it will be exclusive to Kickstarter
FiveThirtyEight themed sequel Indian Summer

Dedicated
war room
We’re close to Junction 1 of the M6 & Junction 18 of the M1

006_007_atAGlance_v3 MJ.indd 6 15/11/2017 10:27

 We asked…
What’s been your
favourite game of 2017?

You said…
“Bärenpark. I can play it against my
five-year-old and it’s a fun spatial
awareness game with cute bears
ELDRITCH HEAVEN in it or I can play it with my gaming
mates and it’s a vicious knife fight
A terrifyingly good roleplaying about who gets what species.”
adventure will return in 2018 Andy Thompson

Call of Cthulhu’s Masks of Nyarlathotep is often “Century: Spice Road. Beautiful

considered one of the finest roleplaying adventures card art, easy to understand and
of all time, with its epic globetrotting campaign fun game pieces.”
setting a high bar for tabletop storytelling. Matthew Stevens
Even more people will get the chance to
pursue cultists around the world next year, “New Angeles: A co-operative
because not only is an expanded version of exercise in extortion and bribery.”
Masks returning for Call of Cthulhu’s seventh George Barker
edition, but the campaign is also being adapted
for Lovecraftian board game Eldritch Horror. “Spirit Island! I have played it solo
The original adventure’s interconnected and co-op and it’s been brilliant.
chapters have inspired a new campaign mode, There’s much variety in how to
with players’ actions in multiple games deciding play the game and everything feels
the ultimate fate of the Earth. We’re doomed, then. very thematic.”
Masks will be out for Call of Cthulhu and Costas Taliadoros
Eldritch Horror in the first few months of 2018.
“Valletta. It’s a pared-down Euro, but
still quite thematic, easy to teach
SILVER SCREEN and play, and with a fair amount of
SETTLERS variables to add to the replayability. It
Catan is being lined also has just enough deckbuilding to
be interesting, but not so much that I
up for a movie series want tear all the cards up and stamp
on them in a fit of pique, which is how
A film adaptation of tabletop deckbuilders usually make me feel.”
classic Catan is said to be in Beresford Quimby
the works.
Among those working on “My fav so far is Downforce by
the flick is the writer of the Restoration Games. Brilliant.”
upcoming Playmobil movie and Barry John McCardle
producers behind Stephen

Get in touch
King’s It and The Lego Movie.
Reports suggest the
Catan film is planned as the
tabletopmag
first part of a series – will we
see a Seafarers sequel? tabletopgamingmagazine
tabletop_gaming_magazine
For the latest news from the world of gaming visit tabletopgaming.co.uk/news

Perfect venue
for large events
We’re close to Junction 1 of the M6 & Junction 18 of the M1

006_007_atAGlance_v3 MJ.indd 7 15/11/2017 10:28

 FIRST TURN
ROB DAVIAU
The master innovator behind Pandemic Legacy
and SeaFall scrutinises his debut game, 2001
Disney tie-in Atlantis: Pathways of the Deep
Interview by Dan Jolin
BACKGROUND
“I’m weird, because I went from full-time advertising
copywriter to full-time game designer without the
usual curve of building a body of work, earning
royalties and eventually getting to the point where
you’re self-sustaining. I got a job at Hasbro as an in-
house designer back in 1998. Before then, I made, like,
$100 writing a Dungeons & Dragons article for Dragon
magazine. So I sort of fell backwards into it in a way
that, in retrospect, I’m eternally grateful for, because I
kinda got a job as an apprentice who was surrounded
by masters and got a chance to do a lot of development
in addition to original design.”
COMPONENTS
“Atlantis: Pathways of the Deep is based on a mostly
forgotten Disney movie called Atlantis: The Lost
Empire, and I was influenced by a maze-building game
called Pathfinder – which was one of my favourite
childhood games. This has a very light sense of it.”
OBJECT
“At Hasbro you get these very tight design briefs. They
were like, ‘We need a game for seven-year-olds to fit this
$15 price point, that should take half-an-hour to play
and focus on this part of the movie.’ And I’m like, ‘Okay,
so you’re looking for something lost and it’s a race.’ It’s
not like you’re halfway to a game, but you certainly
can’t go off and do something radically different.”
SETUP
“There were other original designs I’d had a hand in
before Atlantis: Pathways of the Deep. Like, on the Buffy
the Vampire Slayer game, I was somewhere between
a developer and playtester and designer. There was a
Pokémon Master Trainer game, and I had designed a
fun podracing game for Star Wars: Episode I – then the
film came out and they shelved it. But Pathways of the
Deep was the first one I took from start to finish.”
I look at it and go, ‘Oh,
Year 2000 Rob, you
should have spent a
little more time on this.’
8 December 2017
008_firstTurn_v2 MJ.indd 8
HOW TO PLAY
“It’s a tile-laying game. You put Atlantis in the middle Pathways of the Deep
and put out the framework, the edge of the board and was inspired by Daviau’s
you’re gonna put tiles in between. There’s a nine-by- childhood love of Pathfinder
nine grid and you have to get your bathysphere, or – the Battleship-like maze-
submarine, from a corner to the centre tile. On your turn, building game, not the RPG
you’re gonna play tiles, or move tiles, or rotate tiles, and
then move your bathysphere to try to get to that centre
space. There’s also some special tiles in there that let
you do things that are unexpected. That’s really it.”
END OF THE GAME
“It was designed for six- or seven-year-olds, so it’s
supposed to have just enough decision-making to not
make it rote. But it’s nothing very deep or interesting.
It’s a game where there’s a lot of ‘take that!’, thanks
to the special tiles. It has a smashing 4.3 rating on
BoardGameGeek. The movie didn’t do well, kids
weren’t clamouring for it. I won’t say I’m embarrassed
by it now, but I look at it and go, ‘Oh, Year 2000 Rob,
you should have spent a little more time on this.’”
STRATEGY TIPS
“I think this game is a wonderful
example of one of my worst
habits. Which is, in general
for anything I create, that my
first draft is usually better than
average, which gives me the false
sense of security that it’s closer
to done than I think. When Matt
Leacock and I worked on our
Pandemic Legacies, we got to a
certain point – it was on Season
One or Two, I can’t remember
– and I said, ‘I think we’re about
80% done on this’. And Matt said,
‘Yes, it’s the next 80% that’s gonna
be hard...’”
tabletopgaming.co.uk
15/11/2017 10:51
 SHOP
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Check out our full product range,
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CALL 01327 702 001

VISIT We’re close to Junction 1 of the M6

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GET SOCIAL @BFHobbies Battlefield

Hobbies

p009.indd 1 08/11/2017 15:57

 1 DUNGEON
CRAWLERS
SOCIAL CLUB
HOODIE
The dank corridors of fantasy dungeons can get a bit
chilly, so this zip-up hoodie will keep you warm during
adventures if you’re lacking a wizard with the ability to

2
conjure fire. Not to mention it’s also pretty stylish, with a
snake, daggers and d20 design
on the back and the pithy
catchphrase ‘It’s the pits!’ on BOARDGAMEGEEK
the front. Why not buy one
each for every member ARTIST SERIES
of your roleplaying group
and get their names
emblazoned on the
ART PRINTS
Given the abundance of incredible artwork across the tabletop, it’s a wonder
front like a real club? why it’s so tough to find high-quality prints based on board games. This run of
illustrations is proof that good game artwork belongs up on the wall, showcasing
Secret Santa budget: takes on Blood Rage, Agricola, Mysterium and Galaxy Trucker by acclaimed
£30 artists Vincent Dutrait, Jacqui Davis, Ian O’Toole and Kwanchai Moriya.
Best for: Dedicated
followers of fashion, Secret Santa budget: About £22

10
tabletop adventurers Best for: Students wanting to replace that Scarface poster, budding gallerists
Where? gametee.co.uk Where? boardgamegeekstore.com

OF THE BEST
CHRISTMAS
GAMING GIFTS
Whether you’re stuck with a Secret Santa or looking for
something to plump out the stocking of a tabletop diehard,
we’ve got you sorted with our pick of perfect presents
Picked by Matt Jarvis

3 SCYTHE
JIGSAW
PUZZLES
Okay, so they’re not official Scythe jigsaws, but
they are based on the same World of 1920+
setting devised by artist Jakub Różalski that
served as the inspiration for the hit board game.
4 THE INVESTIGATORS
OF ARKHAM HORROR
If you’ve learnt nothing from countless games of Eldritch
Horror, Arkham Horror: The Card Game or Mansions
of Madness and still want to delve into the forbidden
knowledge of the games’ Lovecraftian horrors, this
264-page hardback tome is the definitive
guide to the connected Arkham Horror Files
Five different designs are available, universe. Filled with gorgeous artwork and
and each 1,500-piece puzzle details on the games’ ill-fated investigators,
includes a collector’s poster – as well as the alternate 1920s world they
presumably so you can see what explore, the book features 52 short stories
you’re meant to be making – as to expand your understanding of the series’
well as a book introducing the atmospheric setting. A nightmare before
alternate-history universe. Christmas, indeed.

Secret Santa budget: About £15 Secret Santa budget: £35

Best for: Patient puzzlers, Best for: Horror fans who didn’t plan to sleep
Scythe obsessives before Christmas anyway, Eldritch experts
Where? cdp.pl Where? fantasyflightgames.com

10 December 2017

010_011_tenOfTheBest_v3 MJ.indd 10 15/11/2017 10:55

 5 MONOPOLY
GAMER
It just wouldn’t be Christmas without Monopoly, but that doesn’t
mean you have to suffer the all-too-familiar run of Old Kent Road
to Mayfair again. This Mario-themed version is
much more than another reskin, too – as well as
buying up property in the Mushroom Kingdom,
you’ll need to beat bosses and collect coins to rack
6 MEEPLE TREE
ORNAMENTS
What are you doing? Get down from there! Oh,
wait, they’re just meeple stuck in the Christmas
tree. These charming blown-up versions of
the iconic person token seen in games such as Carcassonne
add a touch of the tabletop to your seasonal decorations.
The plain colour of the
up your high score before taking on Bowser. A rubber ornaments can be
power-up die brings the special abilities of the video customised to match your
games to the tabletop, with Mario, Princess Peach, other decorations or can
Yoshi and Donkey Kong replacing the classic player even be bought in the guise
pieces. An added bonus is that it plays much quicker of Father Christmas and two
than the long hours of the gruelling classic, so you elves if you want to go all-in
can move on to enjoying better games even faster. on the winter theme.

Secret Santa budget: Under £30 Secret Santa budget:

Best for: Parents trying to tear Between £7 and £12
their kids away from screens, Best for: Carcassonne
those who can’t completely kick the devotees, tinsel haters,
Monopoly habit tree huggers
Where? hasbro.com Where? meeplesource.com

7
SOCKS
OF CATAN
As Christmassy as mince pies,
family squabbles and getting drunk
on booze you wouldn’t drink during
the rest of the year, socks are
often a welcome – if dull – present
from loved ones. This Catan-
8 CONVERTIBLE
themed hosiery is guaranteed
to raise more of a smile from
a Settlers fan, as well as giving
them a way to celebrate their
love of a modern tabletop classic
on the sly. Just try not to roll a 7.
Secret Santa budget: About £11
Best for: Cold toes, stinky feet
Where? catanshop.com
FAST TRAVEL
BAG OF HOLDING
ThinkGeek’s original Bag of Holding became somewhat legendary
among gamers for being both a handy way to carry stuff and a subtle but stylish
way of acknowledging your devotion to the tabletop. The outlet has since spun out
with a whole range of Bags of Holding, including a handbag, compact show survival
pouch and this design sized for stashing under airplane seats as you fly to your
next convention or tournament (or whatever).
It’s big enough to fit a Euro board game, but
also has a laptop and tablet section if you also
want to take your library of digital games on
the go with you. What’s more, it transforms
from messenger bag to backpack and is lined
with a fetching d20 pattern, so you can rock
the geek chic look wherever you end up.
Secret Santa budget: Under £40
Best for: GMs on the go, convention visitors
Where? thinkgeek.com

10
HERO FORGE
CUSTOM

9 D20 STUD 3D-PRINTED

EARRINGS
We wouldn’t recommend rolling these
particular d20s, but you can stick
them in (through?) your ears to show
off your love of roleplaying – and maybe give you a boost
if you need to attempt any skill checks in the real world,
given that they both show the critical roll of 20 at their
centre. There’s a variety of colour options available,
including a luminous glow-in-the-dark green so you can
light up like a Christmas tree throughout the season.
MINIATURE
Sometimes, a generic elf, dwarf or orc just won’t cut it. If you
want to fully immerse yourself in a tabletop adventure, why not
put yourself in the game – literally? Hero Forge’s online tool
lets you create a custom-made miniature by picking from a
selection of genres, appearances, apparel, equipment, mounts and
poses that will then be 3D printed and sent to you in the post. (If
you have a 3D printer already, you can just buy the digital file and
do it yourself.) The options range from a standard 30mm plastic
figure up to an enormous 1:15 scale statue or a steel or bronze
figurine if your budget stretches far enough.

Secret Santa budget: £10 and under Secret Santa budget: £11 and over
Best for: Lucky high-rollers, real-life roleplayers Best for: Wannabe dungeon explorers, narcissists
Where? cardboardclothing.com Where? heroforge.com

tabletopgaming.co.uk 11

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p012.indd 1 10/11/2017 12:12
 Role Call
With Christmas just around the corner, there’s everything
from Mancunian cyberpunk to high adventure on the edge
of the United Federation of Planets headed to the tabletop
Words by John Dodd

STAR TREK THE FALL OF PAX CTHULIANA STARFINDER: VURT

ADVENTURES:
THESE ARE THE
VOYAGES –
VOLUME 1
The first release for Star
Trek Adventures, These
are the Voyages presents
eight new scenarios to test
the bridge crew around
your home table that range
from rescuing a Federation
ship inside the neutral zone
(don’t worry, the scenario
is winnable without
reprogramming the
simulator) to responding to
distress signals on worlds
in open revolt.
Modiphius | £30
DELTA GREEN
In 1928, the US
government uncovered the
existence of the Cthulhu
cult and, in the light of that
discovery, created the
Delta Green Agency to
seek out and destroy the
things that would do harm
to mankind. This was to be
accomplished no matter
the cost – even if the cost
was mankind itself.
With all you need to play
the game in one book, this
is the official GUMSHOE
adaptation of the award-
winning RPG Delta Green.
Pelgrane Press | £TBC
TEMPLE OF
From the minds that
THE TWELVE
brought you the Insight
Fantasy system comes
a mini campaign set in
1927 about the forces
of darkness trying to
break the London seal
that keeps Cthulhu from
invading our world. While
it’s possible to run it in
a single (long) evening, it
would be best savoured
over several nights
and has an optional
soundtrack that can be
used to enhance the
atmospheric gameplay
and setting further.
NEVR | £10
Applying the Cypher
system to the world of
In the second episode the Arthur C. Clarke
of the Dead Suns Award-winning novel
adventure path, the Vurt, this book contains
players find themselves everything you need
heading towards to play in the multiple
Castrovel, a research realities of an alternate
world with more than Manchester. Includes a
information on its large amount of never-
surface. The revelation seen-before artwork,
of an ancient elven a beginner’s guide for
temple city attracts all those people who’ve
the attention of other never sucked a feather
parties, and it becomes (it makes sense, trust
a race to see who will us) and a host of new
live to use the secrets material fresh from the
for themselves. pen of Jeff Noon himself.
Paizo | £17 Ravendesk Games | £45

December 2017 tabletopgaming.co.uk 13

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Replaying the winners of the Spiel des Jahres in order
T
he history of the Spiel des Jahres, the
most celebrated board game prize in the
world, at least in its early years, is the
history of two legendary game designers. One
of them is Wolfgang Kramer, who still holds
the crown for most wins and who in 1988
was riding high on the first ever back-to-back
wins – in 1986 for the great Heimlich & Co.,
and in 1987 for the less great Auf Achse. He
had been nominated again, this time for the
crowdpleasing Forum Romanum. It looked
like a hat trick could be on the cards.
But there was a new contender, an unknown
dental technician coming out of left field with his
first published game, Barbarossa. In the next four
years he will win the Spiel des Jahres three times,
and then once more in 1995 for a little item you
may have heard of, Settlers of Catan. He is Klaus
Teuber, the other legendary designer, and his
arrival on the scene marks the start of the second
act of modern game design. Hold onto your
hats: things are about to start really moving.
14 December 2017
014_015_allTheJahres_v3 MJ.indd 14
All the
Jahres
Words and pictures by James Wallis
BARBAROSSA
Year of win: 1988
Designer: Klaus Teuber
Number of players: 3-4
Playing time: 45 minutes
Worthy winner? Debatable
Worth playing now? If your taste is quirky
Availability: The Mayfair Games
re-release is still out there
Price: Around £20
So what’s it like, this Barbarossa? Is it an
interplay of finely matched mechanics and
carefully balanced competition and co-
operation – not to mention wood and sheep?
In a word: no. It is an altogether stranger beast,
and there are three key things you need to know
about it. Firstly, this is not the Japanese game of
the same name that features cute anime Nazis
invading Russia. Secondly, it was published by
a company called ASS. In capitals. Thirdly, it
involves plasticine. If you open the box and find
no plasticine but cards featuring Nazi panty-
shots, you have the wrong game. ASS, correct.
Nazi ass, deeply incorrect.
Hearing ‘plasticine’, you probably assume
it’s a bit like Rapidough, or Pictionary with clay.
Although Clay to Win, the first game of that type,
was published the same year and Barbarossa
is fundamentally about guessing what other
players have modelled, this is a very different
game with a lot more going on. Whether that
makes it a great game is debatable.
Everyone starts by making two or three
objects from plasticine and putting them in
the middle of the board. You’ll score points by
guessing what they are, but your opportunities
to guess are restricted: if you land on a
question mark space you can ask yes-or-no
questions until you get a ‘no’ answer, and if
you land on a dwarf space you can ask for one
of the letters from an object’s name. Yes-or-
nos are asked and answered out loud so every
16/11/2017 09:56

player can hear; letters are written down so
only the asker sees the answer.
When you identify a piece you stick an arrow
in it (arrows are provided) and win points,
but the sculptor’s score is also affected. Here’s
the clever part: if the objects you made are
guessed too early or too late, you lose points.
If they’re guessed in the middle of the game,
you gain points. So your models shouldn’t
be either too obvious or too obscure. Tactical
play depends on your abilities as a plasticine-
wrangler and your knowledge of the other
players’ artistic talent. If you have no ideas, the
game provides a list of possible things to make,
though best of luck moulding a ‘typewriter’,
‘redcurrant’ or ‘powerpoint’.
That’s not the whole game. Squares on the
board may give you guesses or your opponents
points, so you’ll want to remove the randomness
by using your elfstones to buy movement points
instead, but your supply of elfstones is limited.
You also have three ‘curse tokens’, that let you
guess at an item even when it isn’t your go and
which (like elfstones) replenish, but not often.
The actual process of asking questions is more
complex than I described; it’s over two rounds,
but you can only try to guess an item on the
second round, and you can’t guess out loud
– you have to write it down and show it to the
014_015_allTheJahres_v3 MJ.indd 15
It sounds tiny, but sticking arrows
in a model you’ve guessed is a
genuinely great piece of design.
sculptor. There are paper pads and pencils in the
box. The pencils say ‘Barbarossa’ in gold letters.
It’s a classy presentation.
Classy, but also cumbersome. Being a games
designer, I recognise a rules kludge when
I see one, and roughly half of Barbarossa’s
mechanics are kludges that exist to make the
other half work properly. The whole elfstone-
based movement thing is a massive kludge.
The movement track itself doesn’t need half the
spaces it has – later editions have recognised
and modified that. The guessing system is
needlessly fiddly. It feels to me that large parts
of the gameplay only exist to make it look and
feel like a proper game with some tactical
thought alongside its puzzles. The core of the
gameplay is identifying the sculpts; the rest
adds a little resource management but nothing
that pushes the game to a higher level. It’s a
more ‘gamey’ game than a pure party game
like Rapidough, but the added complexity
isn’t satisfying. The best bit? It sounds tiny, but
sticking arrows in a model you’ve guessed is a
genuinely great piece of design.
Evidently the Spiel des Jahres jury saw
something in Barbarossa that I haven’t –
novelty or creativity were both rare in games
at the end of the 1980s, and the jury had high
praise for the game’s combination of tactics and
puzzling. Klaus Teuber scored his first win, and
the rest is history – not to mention secondhand
copies with congealed lumps of aged clay
lurking in their bottoms. Remember to check
for ASS before you buy.
Next month: 1989’s Cafe International, a
game that mixes dining etiquette and racist
overtones in equal measures.
tabletopgaming.co.uk 15
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p016.indd 1 08/11/2017 16:00
 my favourite game
RICHARD
GARFIELD
The master of Magic, Netrunner guru and
King of Tokyo on the simple perfection of poker

P
oker is an amazing game, and its strengths
are not often improved on, or sometimes
even found, in the mostly excellent modern
game market.
I am not talking about Texas hold’em,
which took over the poker world 20 years ago. If I
didn’t love Texas hold’em so much I would hate the
game for the way it has narrowed people’s focus. It
used to be you could have an evening of a vast variety
of different versions of poker, now it is almost always a
Texas hold’em game, and the only question is whether
it is a tournament or not. This gives a huge advantage
to honers at the cost of innovators. A game for which
no-one has memorised vast quantities of probabilities
or played over 10,000 hours will appeal more to players
who like to experiment and try new strategies.
Poker is like a sleek and powerful operating system
for a game. I learned a lot about games by creating
poker variants and seeing how they worked. My
experimentation with poker was not limited to just
making variants – one of my friends got the bright
idea of jazzing up an otherwise drab economic game
by inserting poker into it as something you could do
with your money within the game.
After this I was keen to put
poker into any game, which
can have a good game with both casual and
serious players playing together.
Games for more than two players generally risk
becoming political, meaning that players can gang up
on each other. Many players have a limited interest in
political games. A consequence of that is that modern
multiplayer games often either feel like parallel solo
games, like golf or Yahtzee, or have an interaction that
feels indirect – an interaction I like to call passive-
aggressive. For a game to have a lot of interaction that
feels direct and yet not very political almost seems
like it should be a contradiction – and yet that is how I
would describe poker.
Poker is built on hidden information: things one
player knows that the others do not. At its best, hidden
information allows for one of the types of play I love
the most: trying to figure out what my opponent knows
based on their behavior. I also like the other side of
that coin: behaving in such a way as to mislead my
opponent, painting a false picture of what the game
state is. If board gaming has grown in importance as
a way to interact directly in this day where so much
interaction is moderated by electronics, then this is
even more meaningful. Reading a hesitation from
across the table is almost primally human and social.
Scoring in poker is usually gain or loss of money.

Poker is like
jumpstarted my love of Culturally this has made poker interesting, because
crossbreeding games. you will consider yourself a winner even if you

a sleek and
Poker has a blend didn’t win the most. Players often, in fact, consider
of luck and skill that themselves winners even with moderate losses, saying

powerful
is intoxicating and it was worth it for the entertainment. There is nothing
rarely equalled. wrong playing for a single winner, but there is real and

operating
Often modern game interesting game space made available by playing for
design sensibility second, or playing not to lose, or playing for a score

system for
push games toward where the size of the score means something beyond
determinism. This just being a little bigger than all the other players. This

a game.
narrows the breadth isn’t about actually playing for money – it is about how
of players that can the points are viewed and what constitutes victory.
play together. A Many games that I play regularly my group pretends
game like poker has to play for money, and it always changes the way the
enough luck that game is played in an interesting way.
anyone can win a There is no game I have drawn so much
hand, but enough skill inspiration from, and it is a good reminder that
that the better players the wonderful world of games we have built is
often end up ahead not entirely our creation – but, like any cultural
over the session. achievement, built on an ancient foundation. In fact,
This makes poker is a relatively recent brick in this foundation
it so you that goes back millennia.

December 2017 tabletopgaming.co.uk 17

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 18
18 December 2017

018_025_starWarsLegion_v5 MJ.indd 18 15/11/2017 11:01

 RETURN OF
THE MINI
The next Star Wars game
is every fan’s dream,
recreating the battles of the
original trilogy with armies
of Stormtroopers, Rebels,
speeder bikes, walkers and the
clashing lightsabers of Luke
Skywalker and Darth Vader.
Could Legion become
bigger than X-Wing?
Words by Matt Jarvis

19
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 S TA R WA R S : L E G I O N
I
n the five-plus years since X-Wing debuted at Gen
Con 2012, the spaceship dogfighting miniatures
game has become a phenomenon of the modern
tabletop scene. 13 waves of its iconic pre-painted
ships have taken it to almost every corner of the
Star Wars universe, while players continue to flock
in droves to the regional and world championships
held each year, posting their fine-tuned loadouts
online and analysing the ‘meta’ of each ship in
staggering depth.
Earlier this year, Fantasy Flight tried to apply the magic
touch of X-Wing to one of its own creations, the fantasy
world of Terrinoth first explored in Runebound, in the
form of miniatures spin-off Runewars. Co-opting X-Wing’s
distinctive dial-driven gameplay to a rank-and-file wargame
of clashing swords, charging cavalry and mystical creatures,
Runewars was engaging to play but lacked the captivating
world and characters needed to find a place in players’
hearts. Undead skeleton warriors and four-armed golems
just couldn’t match the roar of X-Wings and TIE Fighters as
they blasted and barrel-rolled through space.
There was perhaps only one thing that could possibly
equal or even outmatch X-Wing for epic, fan-pleasing
spectacle: a full-blown Star Wars infantry miniatures game,
with squads of Stormtroopers and Rebels exchanging
blaster fire among whizzing speeder bikes and stomping
AT walkers across the snowy wastes of Hoth or forests of
Endor. The dream of countless children – and adults – from
1977 to 2017.
It had been an ambition of Fantasy Flight itself since it
first secured the rights to make Star Wars games in 2011. But
there was a problem: putting out an epic sci-fi miniatures
game would undoubtedly upset the publisher’s relationship
with Games Workshop, the maker of wargaming icon
Warhammer 40,000, another universe that Fantasy Flight
had been expanding with board game spin-offs for a
number of years.
“I think, technically speaking, we had the idea pretty
much right away when we got the licence,” recalls studio
head Andrew Navaro. “But for obvious reasons because of
our other relationship with a different licensor we decided
to not pursue that.”
For more than half a decade, it seemed that the prospect
of a Star Wars infantry miniatures game had gone the way of
Alderaan. Then, in late 2016, there was a new hope: Fantasy
Flight and Games Workshop announced that, after close to
a decade working together, their relationship would come
to an end in early 2017. Navaro carefully acknowledges:
“When that relationship came to its amicable conclusion,
we decided that the time was now.”
READY FOR WAR
Star Wars: Legion will be for many exactly the game that
springs to mind when someone suggests a Warhammer-like
wargame set in a galaxy far, far away. The core set includes
33 figures, split between Imperial Stormtroopers and
Rebel soldiers, who – unlike X-Wing’s ready-to-fly models –
require full assembly and painting.
20 December 2017
018_025_starWarsLegion_v5 MJ.indd 20
“There’s no way we could do pre-assembled, pre-painted
miniatures with Legion and have it be remotely affordable,”
Navaro admits frankly.
As with the similarly DIY prep of Runewars, though,
Fantasy Flight’s experience with board games is clear – this
isn’t your typical box of plastic soldiers.
“If you’ve never built a mini before, it’s not a sprue full
of 32 pieces that you have to glue together,” stresses lead
designer Alex Davy. “Most of the infantry models are two
or three parts and they have these really great sockets that
just plug right in. So if you’ve never done it before, if you
can dab a little drop of glue on a post you can build the
entire core set.”
“We colour-coded the bases so right out of the box you
can get your figures out on the table and tell which side
is which,” adds miniatures manager John Shaffer. “It feels
like a more complete experience than just playing with
bare plastic. Right out of the box you can have all of those
miniatures assembled – we timed it once, it was about half
an hour to get everything put together. We tried to make the
game more easily accessible right out of the gate with some
simple considerations.”
Although Legion shares its setting with X-Wing and its
larger-scale space battle sibling Armada, the game’s action
is vastly different from the use of hidden dials to select and
reveal the manoeuvres of ships – a setup that Runewars took
further with dual dials to dictate both the movement and
actions of its units. In fact, Legion is surprisingly dial-free.
“There’s one!” Davy laughs. “There’s a round counter and
it goes from one to six. That’s it. It’s not dial-based, it’s a bit
of a departure from our other systems, although it shares a
number of other elements of the FFG DNA.
The sky’s the limit for Legion.
I’d love for it to be as big as
something like Warhammer or
Warhammer 40,000. That’s
the dream.
“The essence of a dial-based, manoeuvre-based
system is this constant sense of momentum. The reason
X-Wing and Armada work so well using the dial system
for their manoeuvres is that every ship in both of those
games has to continue moving forward. Which is really
convenient for a miniatures game because it propels both
players into the action simultaneously. But if you look at
trying to capture the theme of infantry combat, it’s fantasy,
it’s Star Wars obviously, but it’s more of the sort of modern
combat feel, especially in light of, like, Rogue One. You have
to take and hold objectives. You don’t necessarily want all of
your forces moving at all times. It just didn’t seem as natural
a fit for that kind of dial-based, manoeuvre-based system.
So we pursued a little bit more of a stripped-down,
15/11/2017 11:01
 streamlined approach where you have more control over
your forces, and if you want to claim some ground, hold it
and defend it for the whole game you can certainly do that.
A different theme and a different style of warfare deserved a
different spin on gameplay as well.”
Instead of moving based on a dial, units – whether a
squad of troopers, a speeder bike or a named character –
activate based on the initiative of command cards revealed
at the outset of each round. Players can order the activations
of a certain number of troops, choosing to use the next
unit in the queue or throw chance to the wind and draw
a random activation token on each of their turns for a
dramatic and tactical twist.
An evolution of the trusty manoeuvre tool from
Armada returns as a movement ruler, but the tedium of
measuring every figure’s movement to a millimetre is
nowhere to be seen.
“Unlike in other games where you have to measure
each individual figure as you move them around, you
use your unit leader as the anchor for the rest of the unit,”
Shaffer explains. “That one figure moves around and you
can just place everyone else liberally around them. That’s
refreshing; that you can just move your units up easily
that way, as opposed to having to be so exact with every
single movement.
018_025_starWarsLegion_v5 MJ.indd 21
“The unit leaders play an important role in that they’re
pretty much like the reference point for the rest of the ABOVE Characters are
unit and they’re the last figure you take away as a casualty a suitably formidable
when that unit suffers wounds. By and large, it’s largely presence on the battlefield,
based around focusing on the characters and their heroics but they’re not invincible
over the course of the game.”
LEFT Fantasy Flight studio
HERE COMES THE GENERAL head Andrew Navaro
Legion’s battlefields will be filled with Stormtroopers and
Rebels fighting fiercely for victory, but we all know why you’re
here – you want to see Luke and Vader lock lightsabers a la
Return of the Jedi, or slice through an entire squad of their foes
like a hot knife through blue butter. You’re in luck; Vader and
his Jedi son (spoilers!) are the commanders for the forces in the
core set and play a significant role in the flow of each skirmish.
“The Star Wars saga is very heroic,” enthuses Davy. “If
I can get Greek for a minute, it’s almost Homeric because
the principle characters have such a dramatic impact
on every scene that they’re in; Vader can turn the tide of
battle single-handedly. So even though this is a wider-
scale battle game – even though this is pulling back and
you’re looking at the exploits of 30 to 40 soldiers, it’s a
much wider view than, say, Imperial Assault – even in that
context of a larger war, the individual exploits of Star Wars
characters and heroes are everything.
tabletopgaming.co.uk 21
15/11/2017 11:01
 S TA R WA R S : L E G I O N

“You see Luke single-handedly grapple up to the belly of go around that is a commander is required, so there’s a
an AT-AT and take it down. You see in [TV spin-off] Rebels certain baseline investment in your leader that you have
Kanan Jarrus using his lightsaber to disable another large to make. So the question really becomes: how strong do I
vehicle. Any game that we designed we knew it was going to want my leader to be? Do I want to go full on with Darth
have to really compellingly feature these heroes and make Vader and eat up a bunch of points in him, his Force
them a vital part of the gameplay.” powers and battlefield presence? Or do I want to take a step
“I’ve heard plenty of stories of you guys talking about back and take someone like General Veers, who has a more
your playtests where Vader’s eviscerating your squads,” modest impact on the battle but allows you to field far, far
Navaro says. more Stormtroopers and support vehicles and the like?
“He can do that!” Davy laughs. Hopefully that choice will allow players to field the level of
“Thematically it feels pretty accurate,” Navaro effuses. character they are more interested in commanding. There’s
To put it another way: if you want to recreate the instantly a huge range there between a very low-level Imperial
iconic ending of last year’s Star Wars prequel movie Rogue officer and Darth Vader.”
One, you can. Shaffer concurs that the characters’ power of the Force –
“That happens almost every game, actually,” chuckles or luck of the die – will run out eventually.
Davy. “Vader in melee combat throws six of the best “One thing to say about the commanders is that,
possible die and automatically cancels three defence results. unlike in other games where you can hide them away
So generally speaking if he gets into base-to-base contact from your opponents and they have to kill all the other
with a squad of Rebel troopers, they just evaporate in a surrounding troopers around them, you can target them
single round.” at any point if you really wanted to,” he says, hinting
As if sensing the disturbance of a million gamer voices at the changes in Warhammer 40,000’s recent eighth
crying out ‘balance’, the designer quickly adds that Vader’s edition rules that allow major characters to use models
dominance as a melee fighter is offset by his suitably in front of them as bullet shields.
ominous movement. “So though they’re vital to your battle plans, they’re also
“He’s very slow – he’s the slowest speed in the game, he’s vulnerable and you’re really committing if you throw them
very deliberate,” Davy continues. “He can’t duck for cover; out in the middle really aggressively out toward the front.
there’s a suppression mechanic in the game and most If your opponent decides they want to focus all this fire on
troopers can benefit from ducking down behind cover and one character, they can very easily them down. So you have
getting low. Vader literally can’t take suppression tokens, so
he can never be stopped but he’s also never going to hide
behind something and dodge bullets. He’s got a very slow,
purposeful, totally murderous character to him. That was
really fun to design around. Luke, on the other hand, is not
as strong in close combat, but he’s faster, he can jump over
tall obstacles, he’s got a lighter but more flexible feel to him.
So even though they’re very comparable characters – they
both have lightsabers, they both have a lot of the same
keywords and abilities – their different command cards and
the duking of a couple stats like that really gives them a
totally different feel.”
It’s hard to imagine a group of Rebels taking
down Darth Vader with blaster fire or Luke
being bettered by nondescript Stormtroopers.
Yet, while it is true that the icons of Star Wars will
have powers and abilities befitting their heroic
or villainous standing and feel suitably mighty to
control, Davy insists that the troopers on both sides
of the battle will rise above their cinematic status as
lightsaber fodder.
“It’s something we spent a lot of time on – we
wanted to make sure that even the really powerful
characters were defeatable,” he acknowledges. “We
didn’t want them to be single-handedly taking on the
entire enemy army. It’s important for the Jedi to feel
cool and to feel powerful, and certainly if you do field
Vader he’s an enormous percentage of your army and
his power on the tabletop reflects that, but we didn’t
want them to just dominate play. Part of the way that we

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to be careful in how you use those resources when you go
forward with them. There are certainly very powerful pieces
in the game, but they’re also a bit of a liability at times –
sometimes they can really work against you when you
overcommit with them.”
Although Luke and Vader are the first two main
characters confirmed for Legion, you’ll hardly be surprised
to learn there are plenty more planned to join the game,
who will be able to join forces with their Rebel or Imperial
companions as matches increase in scale. A standard
800-point showdown supports up to two characters per
side, but even bigger games mean that it will technically be
possible to recreate battles from the films using Luke, Leia
and Han Solo together.
“We thought: you know, this is Star Wars, it’s pretty
crucial that we get these main characters together,” Davy
confirms. “If you want to field Luke, Leia and Han you can
do that – you just have to go up to a certain scale of game.
But even in the standard game you can take up to two, so
Vader and Veers or Luke and Leia or any of the main
trilogy characters you can think of who we’ll probably
do at some point. You can mix and match in that
respect, and that adds a lot of strategy, too, because
when you do include two characters you get to choose
between all their different command cards. You
build a hand of seven cards, and each commander
feel cool and to feel
comes with three cards and there are also generic
cards, so when you’re building your army, when
powerful, but we didn’t
you’re building your command hand, the characters
want them to just
dominate play.
018_025_starWarsLegion_v5 MJ.indd 23
ABOVE Squads move with
their leaders, making it
faster to move models
you choose allows you more flexibility in terms of what
around the environment
strategies you’ll bring to the table.”
With the central conflict of Star Wars neatly split down
LEFT Command cards
the middle into the Rebel and Imperial sides, as opposed
dictate what players are
to the multitudes of warring races in a game such as
able to do on each of their
Warhammer 40,000, the influence of the commanders
turns, giving each character
and their distinctiveness is the heart that Legion’s deeper
a different strategic style
strategy and flexibility is fleshed out around. The idea, it
seems, is to pack the tactical punch and diverse play style
BELOW Legion lead
of a completely different faction into a single model and a
designer Alex Davy
handful of cards – rather than having to invest in a brand
new army. All while bringing to life characters with decades
of fiction and fandom behind them.
“Every time we do a new commander we get to
say, ‘Okay, well, who are we working on today?’” Davy
beams. “If we were to pull a name out of a hat – that is not
necessarily indicative of something – and look at, say, ‘Okay,
what’s Ahsoka all about or what’s Grand Admiral Thrawn’s
It’s important
for the Jedi to
tabletopgaming.co.uk 23
15/11/2017 11:01
 S TA R WA R S : L E G I O N

It’s really important

to add an element
of customisation and
personalisation to
these kind of games.

deal?’, you can really have a lot of fun with tailoring the The terrain won’t just be for looks, either. Complementing
game design to your sense of who that character is and what the free-form movement of the models and their ability to
their capabilities might be. That’s a really cool part of the take cover are rules that make Legion’s settings as much a
system and we hope that as the game goes on we’ll be able presence in the battle as troopers, walkers and Jedi.
to do a ton of really cool content and have a lot of different “Unlike Runewars where everything is based around
commanders to choose from.” templates of terrain and the 3D element is not necessary, ABOVE LEFT Fantasy
but you can apply it if you wanted to, it’s very necessary Flight’s John Shaffer
SOME LIKE IT HOTH in Legion,” Shaffer continues. “True light-of-sight is used ABOVE Inveliqu oditionsenti
It’s not just Star Wars’ cast of characters that have found throughout the game, elevation and height play a role, ABOVE Rebels
debisque am, cusand
ent adit
their way into fans’ hearts. The landscapes and buildings of there’s mechanics in there to move over obstacles. It’s just Stormtroopers
rem are far
is a conse sinihic
the series are just as iconic, from the arid sands and domed a little bit more fleshed out to allow people to more readily more than fodder
ienimendesti volore– ad
they
houses of Tatooine to Bespin’s floating Cloud City. tell these stories and develop their own terrain collection canilbe
mi, kitted out
inciendel with
is suntium
In X-Wing the unmistakable ship designs were the centre and modify their figures however they want to. It’s really some seriousdolupti
facerferfero firepower
te ab
of attention against the black and star-speckled backdrop of important to add an element of customisation and
space – give or take an asteroid or two. In Legion, that focus personalisation to these kind of games. It’s challenging with BELOW Inveliqu
Unlike X-Wing’s
is widened to include the almost limitless lay of the land on Star Wars in that so many things are already prescribed ready-to-fly ships,
oditionsenti all ofam,
debisque
one of the myriad planets in the galaxy. As with historical for that kind of game, that are already established in how Legion’s
cus models
ent adit rem come
is a conse
wargames set in the trenches of Flanders or the plains of they look, but I think people will invariably take the existing unassembled
sinihic and volore
ienimendesti
Gettysburg, each hill, wall, building, obstacle, tree and world that they love and add their own personal elements unpainted,
ad allowing
mi, il inciendel is you to
suntium
river in a Legion battle will drastically impact the strategy of and personal flair to it. It just makes it a more rewarding dress your armies
facerferfero doluptiupteasab
players and the fate of their forces. experience over all.” you see fit. (Best invest in
“We wanted to make Legion open-ended enough to allow Completing the cinematic feel of Legion’s skirmishes RIGHT
some white spray
Inveliqu paint)
oditionsenti
people to customise and create their own 3D environments is a set of scenario cards that provide a backbone of debisque am, cus ent adit
using model train scenery or scratch-built materials or storytelling to each encounter. As with the narrative rem is a conse sinihic
the barriers we include in the core set, things like that,” drama of the assault on the Death Star’s shield generator ienimendesti volore ad
Shaffer explains. “Star Wars has so many rich and detailed on the forest moon of Endor during the climax of Return mi, il inciendel is suntium
environments, and people are so latched onto the IP, the of the Jedi, there’s a sense that each player is fighting for facerferfero dolupti te ab
stories that are told there and the visuals of the films and something greater. Exactly what they’re fighting for is
other media, that we wanted to allow people a lot of space to agreed between the players by collaboratively selecting
create and develop that if they wanted to.” objectives, win conditions and deployment guidelines

24 December 2017

018_025_starWarsLegion_v5 MJ.indd 24 15/11/2017 11:02

 STAR
TREKS
Not sure where to set your
first Legion battle? Here are
some of our favourite places to
visit in the galaxy far, far away...

MUSTAFAR
Best known as the only good
bit of Revenge of the Sith, the
volcanic planet is notable for
its spurting lava flows and for
being the place where troubled
Jedi Anakin Skywalker truly
became Darth Vader after his
devastating lightsaber duel
with Obi-Wan Kenobi. Come
for the history, stay for the
toasty temperature.

DAGOBAH
during setup, eliminating cards from the battle deck one the game line it would be very cool to do like a Battle of The swampy home of Jedi
at a time until one in each category remains. Scarif scenario or a Hoth scenario. I think the community Master Yoda and teeming
For the moment, the scenario cards remain generalised will certainly step up and provide that stuff very, very with the mystical energy of
goals but, with the scope of Star Wars’ expanded universe quickly, I have no doubt.” the Force, Dagobah swallowed
before them, Davy doesn’t dismiss the suggestion that Luke Skywalker’s X-Wing
in Empire Strikes Back and
future expansions could simulate specific battles from GALACTIC CONQUEST escaped the clutch of the
across the saga. In the half-decade since Fantasy Flight began making Star Empire in the original trilogy
“They’re a little bit more broad and generic, at least in the Wars games, the publisher has helped prove once and – but that doesn’t stop you
core set,” he details. “That’s not to say that we won’t do Star for all that movie spin-offs are no longer the brainless, from making use of its tough
Wars-based scenarios, specific scenarios in the future, but throwaway cash-ins of old. X-Wing and Armada also terrain on your tabletop.
the initial offering is a little bit more abstract so that you can showed that miniatures don’t need to be exhausting, hours-
put your own story onto whatever the objectives are. long experiences full of rulebook checking and arguing YAVIN 4
“Even with just the 12 cards, four in each different over millimetres – they can be breathless, gripping battles One of the moons orbiting
category, that come in the core set, you have this huge able to be picked up and played within minutes. the planet Yavin, Yavin 4 was
famously the launch pad for
amount of variability. You can imagine these stories taking Legion looks to be the rightful heir to both thrones,
the successful Rebel attack on
shape in different ways based on the battle cards that continuing to showcase the very best that cinematic worlds the first Death Star. Covered
both players arrive at. There’s an element of that sort of can bring to the tabletop while cementing miniatures as far in steamy jungles and forests,
storytelling narrative component to things, but there’s also more than a nostalgic throwback. it could make for the perfect
a cool– like, you feel like two generals choosing the best “As a company, we’ve just sort of had our expectations guerrilla warfare showdown.
location for your clash and what to go after. That system exceeded,” Davy says. “If you look at X-Wing, for example,
requires a bit more abstraction, but certainly as we continue we knew that was going to do well. We probably figured CORUSCANT
we would do all the ships in the core trilogy and maybe If you’re after an urban
do a little bit beyond that, but now we’re on what? 65 battleground, look no further.
The capital planet of the galaxy
ships or something, and it’s still going. If we can get
and home of the Galactic
close to that level of success this game will have a ton of Republic – and then Empire
options in the future.” – Coruscant is covered in
As for the breakup that inspired the publisher to finally dense cities that serve as an
make its long-held dream a reality, Navaro is confident that interesting contrast to the
there’s now nothing holding Legion back. rural environments of other
“We’d like to have a game that’s enormous,” he asserts. places in the universe.
“We want it to be as gigantic and grand, and really our only
limitations are our resources. We do a lot with a little at FELUCIA
Filled with weird and wonderful
FFG. That goes for everything that we do, so in my mind
plants and semi-transparent
the sky’s the limit for Legion. I’d love for it to be as big as beings, this jungle hub of
something like Warhammer or Warhammer 40,000. That’s natural life was explored in TV
a really tall order, but that’s the dream – for this to be as show The Clone Wars. Just
huge as possible.” remember to pack bug spray.

tabletopgaming.co.uk 25

018_025_starWarsLegion_v5 MJ.indd 25 15/11/2017 11:02

 GAME
YEAR
OF THE

2017

Shelves heaving from a bumper year for

the tabletop, we look back on the ten top
titles (and more!) that kept us playing
all year round and ask designers for
their favourite picks of 2017
Words by
Sam Illingworth, Richard Jansen-Parkes, Matt Jarvis,
Dan Jolin, Alex Sonechkina, Paul Wake

26 December 2017

026_033_gamesOfTheYear_v4 MJ.indd 26 16/11/2017 10:36

 numbers that are
sometimes invisible

GAME
for me, even if I know
where to look!

YEAR
OF THE SANTORINI
I’m a fan of two-player
abstract games. This
2017 one is incredibly well
FLAMME ROUGE produced, easy to
Simple, elegant, easy learn, hard to master.
to learn, fun to play. High replay value; my
What else! most played game
last year.
UNLOCK!

10
Innovative, clever, CAPTAIN SONAR
addictive. Everyone Unique and incredible
has to play this at game experience. I
least one time. really felt like an actor
My only concern in a movie like The
is about hidden Hunt for Red October!

THIS WAR OF MINE: Bruno Cathala

THE BOARD GAME
Michał Oracz and Jakub Wisniewski’s This What’s most striking perhaps is the compelling
(7 Wonders Duel, Kingdomino, Five Tribes)

Despite a couple of niggles (its long setup

War of Mine: The Board Game is a remarkable
achievement. There’s no denying its claim to being
one of 2017’s most notable games. Set during the
Siege of Sarajevo, the game – an adaption of 11 Bit
Studios’ video game – stands out for the depth of
its storytelling, its artistic vision and the unsettling
nature of the choices with which players are faced.
marriage of the game’s ‘emergent’ mechanics with
its civilian-survivor theme. Uncertainty is built into
both, as player-survivors contend with the game’s
unknown and uncompromising environment.
For those used to games with easily-quantifiable
outcomes and clearly laid out routes to victory,
the game will be a (possibly stressful) revelation.
time and the occasionally frenetic cross-
referencing), This War of Mine: The Board Game
pushes the boundaries of what tabletop games
– and indeed play – are capable of, offering an
experience that you’d be hard pressed to find
anywhere else.
SI, PW

Jason Morningstar
(Fiasco, Grey Ranks, Night Witches)

Here are five games the surreal, and this

I found particularly collection pushes all
delightful in 2017. the boundaries further
outward. I just love it.
FATIMAH’S BUSY DAY
This is a lyrical MONSTERHEARTS 2

9
little game about The second edition
a woman and her cut out the tiniest
anthropomorphic bit of fat, elegantly
burqa with strong improved gameplay
and heartfelt Miyazaki and sensitively
overtones. I love what broadened the scope.
it says about the form
and themes we can
Monsterhearts was a
great game and now it TWILIGHT IMPERIUM:
FOURTH EDITION
explore in RPGs. is even better.

HOPE INHUMANITY SECRET HISTORIES

20 years after Christian T. Petersen’s table- while still managing to cram in 17 unique alien
Terrible title, great Basically a fun
game! This card-based idea written in a filling space blockbuster made its debut, races and countless interlocking gameplay
RPG has strong notes pamphlet, Secret there’s still nothing quite like it on the tabletop. factors – from politics and conflict to exploration
of Cormac McCarthy, Histories transforms Grand, absurd, genius, flawed and frustrating and economy – that bring the universe to life.
so be advised you a social walk into in equal measure, it’s a game so long that it’s The small but significant changes, such as
are in for a grim and an adventure in often hard to find the time to play it, but lands encouraging more interaction between factions
unforgiving post- transformative with such a crowd-pleasing bang that it’s and re-establishing Mecatol Rex as a political
apocalyptic ride. storytelling. impossible not to admire. powerhouse to be battled over – mean that the
This year’s Fourth Edition may very well be social elements of trading, bribing and warring
ITRAS BY:
the best iteration yet, trimming down the last that have long been the game’s best aspects can
THE MENAGERIE
Itras By is a game iteration’s excesses to minimise the difficulty of come to the fore even further, opening up the
(the only game – I learning how to set forth into the galaxy with your expansive cosmic sandbox for players to craft
will fight you!) that space empire and reducing the time needed to stories that will stay memorable for years to come.
gleefully embraces play to a more reasonable (if still epic) length, MJ

28 December 2017

026_033_gamesOfTheYear_v4 MJ.indd 28 16/11/2017 12:56

 8
Dr. Gordon ‘Gord!’ Hamilton
(Santorini)

10 Minute Heist: not suit my perverse

The Wizard’s Tower desire for slow,
only has a 6.6 rating strategic development
on BoardGameGeek, so I approached
but it’s my favourite Eric Lang’s The

YAMATAI
When you hear ‘a Days of Wonder game’, Yamatai may just miss the boat of being
new game this year.
It plays in a blazing
10 to 20 minutes
Godfather:
Corleone’s Empire
with scepticism. I
and is fast to learn ended up having a
you know you are guaranteed a solid gaming a gateway game, but it is a beautiful and
with elegantly minimal great time – one of
experience with beautiful artwork and tactically challenging gaming experience for rules and a brilliant my favourite single
components of the highest quality. Yamatai those who are in the mood for a slightly more core mechanism. game experiences of
delivers on all those fronts and more. meaty board game. the last year.
While on the surface this game might look AS The theme and
like a mix between Ticket to Ride and Five gameplay in Not As a mathematician
Tribes, the feeling of playing it is completely Alone were great looking for games
unique. There is a bit of everything in this up to the point to recommend to
game: pattern recognition, worker placement, where we humans teachers and parents,
were sure to win Bruno Cathala’s
collecting and strategy. The game eases you
because the rescue Kingdomino is one
in by carefully limiting your decisions at token automatically of my strongest
the start but then opens up to the myriad of advances at the end recommendations
possibilities and moves that will require some of every round. That is ever. That game just
careful planning. mechanistically wrong. made me happy.
There will be a point, somewhere mid-game, The game should be
when the board fills will colourful ships, houses, recalibrated so the
palaces and arches tokens looking so irresistibly rescue token or the
stunning it is impossible not to stop and admire. alien token moves
forward each round
It feels almost a shame to finish the game and
– never both. Forget
pack up this carefully designed palette of colour that flaw – the game
and shapes. If the theme of a Japanese empress of is a gem if you have

7
Yamatai seems tangential at first, when everything the right group of
is laid out on the board, it all comes together. wisecracking friends.

The mayhem of
Kristian gang warfare does
Amundsen Østby
(Escape: The Curse of the Temple
Temple,
Automania, Santa Maria)
Automania

THE QUEST FOR EL DORADO

El Dorado is Reiner Knizia’s
take on the deckbuilder
genre. The core idea is
somewhat similar to
that of Clank!, one of my
favourite games from
last year, in the way that deckbuilding is used
for movement. Planning your journey through
the South American continent, and building
your decks with cards that let you traverse
jungle, rivers and other types of terrain,
is surprisingly satisfying. The slight player
interaction that comes from players blocking
each other is just enough to make the game
incredibly tense at times. El Dorado is one
of my most played games from 2017, and I
cannot wait for the expansion.
TALES FROM THE LOOP
Sometimes you come across an idea that
works so well you can’t seem to work out why
people didn’t do it years ago. Tales From the
Loop is one such idea.
Where many other big RPG releases this
year have provided new spins on the old tropes
of wizards and warriors, Tales saw players
explore a world where inventive children solve
sci-fi mysteries. However, while there’s always
danger lurking around the corner it owes less
to bombastic action than children’s adventure
films of the ‘80s – more E.T. than Aliens.
Based on an artbook by Swedish painter
Simon Stålenhag, the game harkens back to a
nostalgic view of childhood friendships and
falling-outs. The players may run into robots
and dinosaurs hiding in the woods, but they
also have to manage divorcing parents and
drama at school.
Of course, there’s much more to a game
than its setting, so it helps that the mechanics
underlying it are elegant and easy to pick up.
They’re nothing revolutionary, but provide
a good balance between dice-rolling and
more free-form storytelling that feels like a
compromise between traditional combat-
heavy RPGs and raw improvisation.
RJ-P

BÄRENPARK
In my view, Phil Walker-Harding is the reigning
monarch of quick, accessible Euro-style games,
and Bärenpark is a definite highlight from
2017. Filling your player board with Tetris-style
tiles might not sound very fun or original. But
the clever twist is that the placement of each
tile dictates which tile you get next. So the
game turns into something that feels almost
like an engine builder: each tile should ideally
be placed so that it provides the tile you need
on the next round, which in turn should provide
the tile you need on the round after that. And
so on. All the while, you must of course make
sure you fill that player board. To my brain, that
is the very definition of fun. tabletopgaming.co.uk 29

026_033_gamesOfTheYear_v4 MJ.indd 29 16/11/2017 10:36

 My favourite game but Sidereal’s
of the year so far audacious

GAME
has been Sidereal asymmetrical
Confluence. powers – not as
I’m not a huge fan pronounced as

YEAR
of the name, but Vast’s, but still
OF THE everything else about quite bold – its
the game is fresh, open and clear
2017 bold and unique. scoring model, and
I’m not normally its mind-bending
a fan of trading and conversions push it
negotiation games, into new ground.

6
Games like
Chinatown and
Genoa are in
similar leagues,
but this game’s
variable player
powers really push
it over the top.

GLOOM OF KILFORTH
Tristan Hall’s debut is hardly the first to try and
squidge the feeling of an entire fantasy roleplaying
campaign into a single night’s play. But few games
have managed it so eloquently and evocatively.
The key is its saga mechanic. While all players
work together to vanquish the Hellraiser-ish
demons threatening the eponymous realm,
each has to level up via their own personal
questline. This provides a crucial sense of narrative
card-turning exploration, dice-hurling combat and
race-against-the-Gloom propulsion.
It’s a game that absorbs and immerses, making
its usually four-odd-hours playtime feel half as
long. And there’s something wrong with you if you
don’t get a tingle of excitement every time you
waggle your fingers around in Hall’s lucky-dip-style,
drawstring loot bag. However it turns out, you’ll
want to delve back in again as soon as you can. Gil Hova

5
progression and character development, which Much as you will Kilforth itself. (The Networks, Wordsy)
only boosts the drama and joy of the game’s DJ

James M. Hewitt
(Warhammer Quest: Silver Tower,
Gorechosen, DreadBall, Blood Bowl)
THE 7TH
CONTINENT
Blades in the Dark is There’s so much
a fascinating hybrid. to say about this
It has the grace game. I’ve mentioned Ludovic Roudy and Bruno Sautter’s ingenious
and malleability of nothing about its choose-your-own-adventure system is a
narrative-led games clever mechanics or hugely ambitious and impressive creation,
like Apocalypse World fascinating setting. using almost 1,000 numbered cards
and FATE, but packs Or how the rules to create a mysterious world that
in the sort of setting ensure a well- feels completely alive as
information you’d rounded narrative, players reveal new sections
expect to see in a focusing on what’s of the map and encounter
D&D sourcebook. interesting. I’ve not puzzles, creatures and
Designer/artist/ explained how the challenges on their journey
writer Jon Harper has setting is engineered to cure a deadly curse.
deliberately left plenty to create conflict and In practice, it’s
of gaps, encouraging interest at every turn. shockingly simple to do
groups to add details Just take my everything from attempting to
as they go and make word for it, pick up climb a sheer rock face to hunting the local
the city of Duskvol a copy and try it out. fauna for food to survive, as players pull a
their own. The game You owe it to your certain number of action cards and see if they
demands a fair bit of gaming group! succeeded – but risk being injured in the process
improvisation from and, eventually, dying permanently if they use once, but can be replayed while finding new
the GM, but provides up all of their vital life force too quickly. events and outcomes for dozens more.
such a wealth of Add to this the ability to craft items from With the scope of a D&D campaign, the
tables and prompts materials left around the island and the tight mechanics of a card game and the
that the flow is never chance to discover secrets hidden in the very mystery of a Lovecraftian horror story, The 7th
broken for longer than cards themselves, and you end up with one of Continent is a land you’ll be dying to get lost in
it takes the players to the most enthralling and unique adventures time and time again.
stretch their legs and in years, which can take over 15 hours to finish MJ
refill their glasses.

30 December 2017

026_033_gamesOfTheYear_v4 MJ.indd 30 16/11/2017 12:56

 4
JAMEY STEGMAIER
(Scythe, Charterstone, Viticulture)
(Scythe

NEAR AND FAR you’re going to

This is my carry up the
favourite campaign mountain and how
experience of it impacts your
the year; I really speed. Also, I love

STARFINDER
Nobody could fault you for accuracy if you boiled Starfinder
loved the journey
through the various
maps, the colorful
that it plays up to
six players.

encounters and the CHIMERA STATION

down to ‘Pathfinder in space’, but at the same time you wouldn’t
interesting Euro- This game has my
quite be doing it justice. While it certainly draws heavily from style decisions. favourite component
Paizo’s fantasy RPG – to the extent that you can easily transfer of the year, the
characters and creatures from one game to the other – ROLL PLAYER plastic workers that
Starfinder is very much its own beast. For one thing it has This is my favourite you can pop apart
a fascinating setting that mixes pulp sci-fi tropes with classic ‘twist’ of the year. and add segments
fantasy (not to mention ramshackle fleets of spacebound Instead of designing to. They’re essentially
goblins) that give it a thoroughly unique feel. More than a character and plastic toys, but it’s
that, it expands the already deep ruleset to account for using that character not a gimmick: the
for most of the segments give the
battles between starships, technomantic powers and a
game, the entire workers new abilities.
whole array of weird and wonderful alien races. game is character
It’s not what you would call a rules-light building. I particularly SPIRIT ISLAND
experience, but for many gamers the ability to tinker love the decisions This is my favourite
with every aspect of your character and their equipment is during setup. game of the year
among the biggest draws out there. By mixing and matching that made me feel
a whole galaxy of familiar tropes and clichés, Starfinder SAGRADA powerful. Unlike
carves out its very own niche in the packed RPG genre; one This is my favourite many co-operative
where swords and shields can live alongside robotic snipers, light game of games, which make
the year. The you feel more and

3
while brave adventurers power through the darkness of space
mechanisms, theme
in search of glory. and art direction are
RJ-P all just so welcoming.
FLIP SHIPS
In a year of great
co-op games,
I think this is
more helpless, Spirit
Island empowers
players through
a number of
mechanisms that
feel amazing.
NEW YORK SLICE

CENTURY: SPICE ROAD

my favourite This is my favourite
specifically as it comfort food of
relates to the co- the year, and not
Although it travels by roads safely paved by of the right cards, played at the right time, in operative element. just because it’s
Splendor, Century: Spice Road easily pleases the right sequence that creates a well-oiled I love cheering for pizza-themed. I love
the most capricious board gaming taste buds. game-winning engine. my friends as they ‘I cut, you choose’
Never has taking a bunch of cubes of Although, at times the amount of choice flip their ships, and mechanisms, and this
one colour and changing them for cubes of can feel overwhelming, when Century: Spice it feels good when I is the ultimate game
different colours been more exciting, and – if Road ‘clicks’, it becomes an excellent gaming land a direct hit for for that mechanism.
timed successfully – rewarding with silver or experience. In addition, the game has beautiful the team.
gold coins, that you almost wish were real. artwork and, as a final ‘tick’, the box is designed COLDWATER CROWN
THE 7TH CONTINENT This is my biggest
However, the most appealing part of the to fit all components perfectly, including the
While I’ll tip my cap surprise of the
game is its accessibility, that nonetheless bowls for each spices (cubes), that magically do to Gloomhaven, year. I backed it on
allows a lot of space for strategy and planning, not spill inside the box. Century: Spice Road in which I played six Kickstarter because
peppered with a bit of luck. While you are a simple engine-building Eurogame that you or seven times, the designer is local
essentially just collecting cards to change one absolutely must sample the flavour of. this is definitely my to my area, but I
type of cube into another, it is the combination AS favourite ambitious was delighted to
game of the year. find that there are
The scope of this a ton of interesting,
game is incredible, innovative mechanisms.
TRISTAN HALL and I love the
(Gloom of Kilforth; 1066, Tears to Many Mothers) stories it enables
you to tell.
5. THE LOST EXPEDITION
Nostalgia for Lost Valley of the Dinosaurs SUMMIT
made me buy it! This is my favorite
4. 878: VIKINGS – INVASIONS OF ENGLAND free-form game of
From the genius of the year. There are
Uwe Rosenberg. plenty of restrictive
3. MASSIVE DARKNESS mechanisms, just
like any game,
Minis porn heaven.
but there’s true
2. NEAR AND FAR freedom to
Beautifully produced, beautifully choose how
designed – just beautiful. much stuff
1. THE 7TH CONTINENT
A truly stunning achievement.
tabletopgaming.co.uk 31

026_033_gamesOfTheYear_v4 MJ.indd 31 16/11/2017 10:37

 GAME
YEAR
OF THE
2017
Don Eskridge
(The Resistance, Avalon,
Abandon Planet)
I love how The Quest for El Dorado blends
deckbuilding and spatial movement. I’m all
about games with natural-looking modular
terrain, so the aesthetics really worked for me.
More importantly, the hexes provide a type
of forecast for the players that isn’t in other
deckbuilders: ‘A lake is coming up, better get
paddles!’ ‘Should I get more machetes to cut
through that forest coming up, or stock up on
gold to pay the desert nomads?’ The theme
and the mechanics blend so well here.
I love that there are always the same ten decks
used for the deckbuilding. Players have the ability
to understand the entire scope of the game, but
continually find new challenges from the custom
maps included in the manual, as well as what I’m
sure will show up online. I’ll play this any day.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
BEST STYLE
WASTELAND EXPRESS
DELIVERY SERVICE
It takes a whole lot of bravado to include the
words ‘delivery service’ in your title and not
expect players to be instantly put off, but
WEDS has more swagger than Mick Jagger
on a rocking boat, so it pulls it off with
gusto. Every inch of this Mad Max-ian
wasteland rat race is shit-hot, from the
gallery-worthy comic-book artwork
of Riccardo Burchielli to the darkly
absurd writing and even the way
its gameplay keeps the pedal to
the metal with an ingenious
momentum mechanic. Playing
in anything less than a leather
jacket and sunglasses will feel
inappropriately square.
MJ
RUNNERS-UP: Unearth, Pandemic
Legacy: Season 2, This War of Mine,
Dice Forge, Tales from the Loop
32 December 2017
026_033_gamesOfTheYear_v4 MJ.indd 32
2
GLOOMHAVEN
Enormous, foreboding, beautiful – and
that’s just the box! Isaac Childres’ sprawling
fantasy adventure combines the depth and
freedom of roleplaying campaigns with the
exciting permanence and evolving world of
legacy games, complete with a tight hand
management card game at its core.
Whether you’re just exploring the
titular town and bumping into its locals or
encountering monsters and bandits during
one of its dozens of unique dungeon-crawler
scenarios, Gloomhaven never fails to be
anything but completely enthralling, driven by
2017’S HIDDEN GEM
TOURNAMENT AT CAMELOT
If you overlooked this
Arthurian-themed
trick-taking card game
then you missed
a real treat. With
gorgeous period-
appropriate
artwork and pacey
play, it somehow
captures the
blow-by-blow
feel and thrill of a medieval melee in
card form. But it really comes into its
own with the literally game-changing
Godsend cards, gifted to each scrap’s
losers. As soon as you’ve learned the
simple rules, you find you’re breaking
them – in the most enjoyable ways.
DJ
RUNNERS-UP: Escape from 100
Million B.C., Wibbell++
the drama of its events (tearing up cards never
gets any easier) and heavy atmosphere.
It’s one of the best attempts to inherit the legacy
crown from Pandemic Legacy yet but, despite its
copious influences from Dungeons & Dragons
to Descent, Childres’ vision feels wholly original,
building on multiple genres at once rather than
just chucking them together. With over 100 hours
of storytelling and limitless corners of the world to
discover, Gloomhaven wasn’t just one of the games
we kept returning to during 2017 – it’s something
we’ll be going back to for years to come.
MJ
BEST ‘WOW!’ MOMENT
TELLING A PLAYER
TO ‘DO SOMETHING!’
IN MAGIC MAZE
Pop quiz, hotshots: You’re racing
to escape Magic Maze’s fantasy
shopping mall. The sand timer’s
down to its last few grains. You can’t
perform the required action. The
rules say you can’t speak or point to
let your fellow player know that
they need to save the day. What
do you? WHAT DO YOU DO?
That’s right, you grab the lovely
big, red ‘Do Something!’ pawn
and bash it down on the table,
right in front of your buddy.
Co-op gaming has never been so
exquisitely intense…
DJ
RUNNERS-UP: [REDACTED] in Pandemic
Legacy: Season 2, retiring a character in
Gloomhaven, time-travelling in Anachrony
16/11/2017 10:37
 Phil Walker-Harding
(Sushi Go!, Bärenpark, Imhotep)

KINGDOMINO JUMP DRIVE

Kingdomino is a little The simplified version
masterpiece. It feels of Tom Lehmann’s
classic and timeless, Race for the Galaxy
yet somehow it was the game I played
emerged from the most this year. It
Bruno Cathala’s boils tableau-building
brain in 2016. The way down to just a
game is utterly few key elements, but
accessible – just there’s a surprising
about anyone can number of strategies
be up and playing to explore here with
in a few minutes. relatively few unique
As the players lay cards in the deck.
domino tiles to build Engines snowball
their kingdoms, the incredibly quickly in
system allows just this game so every
enough space to plan single decision will
ahead, hope and risk. matter. At only 15
An ingeniously simple minutes long, it’s very
worker placement easy to play
mechanism forces this multiple

1
trade offs between times in a
turn order and tile row hoping
preference. The for that
unique illustrations perfect
on each tile are also card
wonderfully fun. The combo to
super-sized two-
player version is my
pay off.
PANDEMIC LEGACY:
favourite way to play.
SEASON TWO
The second season of Pandemic Legacy the players, its evolved character creation
isn’t just the best game of 2017; it’s one of and progression deploying the emotional
the greatest board games ever made. If you investment and agency of roleplaying games
consider that the first entry in Matt Leacock with a confidence that so many board games
and Rob Daviau’s genre-defining series was could only dream of.
already the all-time top pick for many gamers, Equally remarkable is how the familiar
that might not be surprising. But what is so world of Pandemic is made anew as an
breathtaking about Pandemic Legacy: Season unknown land of exploration and discovery,
Two is just how fresh and ingenious it feels – the gradual reveal and transformation of new
despite being a sequel to one game and just regions executed in a way that makes even
THE ‘WE one of many spin-offs to another. the first season seem relatively unimaginative
SHOULD’VE It’s hard to fully explain without spoiling in hindsight.
HAD THESE LAST YEAR’ what’s in store when you crack open that Having firmly proven that their ambitious
AWARD FOR 2016 yellow or black box (don’t worry, we’ll concept of a legacy Pandemic game was
GAME OF THE YEAR preserve the excitement), yet that alone more than just a pie-in-the-sky experiment,
SCYTHE serves as just one of the reasons that Season Leacock and Daviau push the way that new
Scythe looked almost too good to be true, thanks Two is such an incredible experience; how systems and components can be revealed
to the jaw-dropping artwork from illustrator Jakub many games are there that are so exciting and used to drive their refined narrative
Rózalski that originally inspired its alternate- that even reading the full rulebook has to be forward, thinking up both one-off moments
history 1920s universe. Below the visuals, though, eeked out sticker by sticker? and folded-in layers that will keep you
there lurked a masterpiece of design from Most impressively, Season Two manages laughing, guessing and gasping until the
Jamey Stegmaier – a slick engine-builder with to double-down on the thing that Pandemic final box is scratched, card torn up, package
the perfect mix of tight strategy and atmospheric Legacy such a revolutionary force by opened and sticker applied.
storytelling that never slows for breath but doesn’t handing even greater control of its story to MJ
require hours of rulebook reading to dive into.
Our team almost unanimously agreed on its
position as the best game of last year, cementing OI, WHERE’S MY FAVOURITE GAME?
Scythe’s position as an instant modern classic. As you might have noticed, our countdown is missing several of the games mentioned by the
MJ designers and that have picked up other awards. As well as the list being based on the personal
opinions of the team (and what we’ve played), to try and keep things consistent, we’ve only
RUNNERS-UP: Terraforming Mars, counted games that were officially released in 2017 – which means that Kingdomino, Captain
Sonar, Santorini and others, which technically came out last year, weren’t eligible. With so many
Kingdomino, A Feast for Odin, Great Western
amazing and diverse experiences out there, there’s no perfect way of recognising every great
Trail, Star Wars: Rebellion, Mansions of game, but we hope we’ve come close. Let us know on social media what your own list looks like!
Madness: Second Edition, Arkham Horror: TCG

tabletopgaming.co.uk 33

026_033_gamesOfTheYear_v4 MJ.indd 33 16/11/2017 12:57

 H AV E Y O U P L AY E D ?
7 WONDERS
Antoine Bauza’s family-friendly phenomenon takes players from
the beginning of civilisation to seventh heaven in less time than it
takes to order a pizza. Here’s why you should wander into its midst
C
Words by Matt Jarvis
ivilisation is a slow beast. After
all, humanity’s been at it for
thousands of years and it’s still
working on nailing down some of
the basics.
With such a span of time and change
between the invention of the wheel and the
proliferation of the internet, civilisation-
building games often tend to skew towards
being epic, complex simulations of culture,
technology and conflict – not quite running
through the development of modern society
in real-time, but still managing to rack up the
number of hours needed to fully understand
the nuanced strategy of, say, learning to write
before creating hand tools. Don’t get us wrong,
many of these are some of the best experiences
the tabletop has to offer, from epic card-drafter
Through the Ages: A New Story of Civilization
to the classic that started it all, Civilization,
and its PC game-inspired spin-offs – but
sometimes don’t you wish you could hurry the
advancement of humanity along just a little?
Like the apple to Newton’s head or
Archimedes in the bathtub, 7 Wonders’
arrival in 2010 was a eureka moment
for the tabletop. Created
by Antoine Bauza, who
picked up the very first
Kennerspiel des Jahres
(‘Expert Game of
34 December 2017
034_035_haveYouPlayed_v3 MJ.indd 34
the Year’) in 2011 for his design and would
later go on to win the 2013 Spiel des Jahres
for the ingenious Hanabi, 7 Wonders took the
card drafting core and millennia-spanning
scope of Through the Ages and condensed
it down from multiple hours to a snappy
30-minute game that doesn’t require a degree
in history to understand.
WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT?
7 Wonders takes place over three ages,
represented by three decks of structure cards
based on each period in human history.
As well as the smaller structures, each
player takes command of one of the Seven
Wonders of the Ancient World (hence the
name!) on their individual player board,
which also gives them a unique power to use
during the game. Pop trivia: if you’re looking
to visit the Seven Wonders, it’ll be a short trip
– only the Great Pyramid of Giza remains.
As in bigger civ-building titles, 7 Wonders
splits the progression of society into key
resources, including the gathering of
natural resources, the acquisition
of scientific knowledge, the rise
of military power and the
production of goods. All
of these concepts are
included on each
structure card,
making it easy to keep track of what each
building costs and what it’ll give you –
whether it’s extra gold or handy victory
points. While most of the structures need
to be bought using a combination of
resources, such as wood, stone and ore,
some can be constructed for free if you
already own another building that relates to
it – so a scriptorium will help you upgrade
to a library and courthouse, for instance.
Each player starts with seven cards
(naturally) and gets to lay down six cards
during each age, but must pass their hand
to their neighbour between each play, not
unlike other card-drafting favourites such as
Sushi Go!. In a twist, the side that you pass
your remaining cards to alternates with each
age, so you’ll be juggling your relationships
with both your neighbours throughout –
especially when playing with four or more
players. This is especially important because
each age ends with wars between all of the
civilisations on the table, earning or losing
victory points depending on how your
empire’s military might matches up to the
nations on either side of you.
At the end of the game, bonus points are
earned for completed wonders, significant
scientific progress, wealthy treasuries
and more, before the player with the
most victory points wins – and the losing
16/11/2017 10:41
 civilisations are consigned to the footnotes
of history forever.
HOW DO YOU PLAY?
Each turn is as simple as choosing a card from
your hand and choosing to do one of three
things with it.
The first is to build it normally, which
adds its resources to your city if you have the
materials – or existing structures – listed on its
build cost.
The second is to use the card to advance the
completion of your wonder, which places the
card under the next stage of the wonder on
your board – the steps must be performed in
order – if the city has all the resources needed
to finish the stage. Each stage of a wonder then
grants an ongoing bonus, from extra victory
points to bonus resources or actions. The
boards are double-sided with different abilities
for added variety between matches.
The third way to use a card is to discard
it in exchange for three coins, which can be
used to buy some structures or trade with
neighbouring cities to purchase missing
resources needed to build a structure or
wonder stage for two coins each. Trading
can’t be refused, so it’s a useful way to exploit
your neighbours to pull ahead. (Resources are
never discarded when they’re used, so the city
doesn’t lose anything.)
Players reveal their cards all at once,
making for an exciting and fast flow between
rounds leading up to the end of the third
age. Although there’s a few symbols to learn
when you first start out, 7 Wonders is very
easy to understand, making it a good pick for
families – especially as younger players (and
some adults) could learn some history as
they play!
CROWN DUEL
The first 7 Wonders was for three to seven
people, but included an ‘expert’ variant in
034_035_haveYouPlayed_v3 MJ.indd 35
its box for those wanting to play with two
people. The game proved so popular that in
2015 a two-player-only sequel followed: 7
Wonders Duel.
Co-designed by Bauza alongside
Kingdomino and Five Tribes creator Bruno
Cathala, Duel made some significant changes
to 7 Wonders’ format that cemented it as one
of the best two-player games around.
Instead of drafting cards – which makes less
sense with just a pair of people – the players
choose cards from a pyramid of cards in the
centre of the table. The cards can be face-up
and facedown, and can be overlapped by
other cards, which makes them unable to
be picked up until uncovered, introducing a
crucial element of timing to outplaying your
opponent – especially as some moves present
the chance to grab a second card right away.
Each player starts with four wonder cards,
which can be built to grant a bonus ability –
rather than just constructing a single wonder
on the board. “Wait,” I hear you say, “Four and
four makes eight!” Don’t worry – we’re not
inventing a parallel universe where there’s an
eighth wonder. Instead, only seven wonders
can be built, meaning one player can be left
short if they’re not quick enough.
The main decisions during each turn are
the same, consisting of building structures or
obtaining resources, which this time around
increase the cost for your opponent as you
build up your collection of materials. You can
still buy resources, but from the bank rather
than your solo rival.
The head-to-head showdown of Duel means
there’s a couple of new ways to win, too.
Having the most victory points counts if the
game ends naturally, but a player can claim an
early victory by overpowering their opponent
with military – represented by a moving
marker that shifts back and forth between the
two as military cards are played – or swiping a
scientific domination by acquiring six of seven
different symbols on the cards.
Like the original 7 Wonders, Duel plays
in half an hour and boasts the same
level of excitement and tension, but it’s
quite a different game with a little deeper
strategy to it. The hit design was ultimately
Recommended for the Kennerspiel des
Jahres and is currently ranked as the ninth
best game of all time on BoardGameGeek,
while 7 Wonders sits at the still respectable
position of 39 (although it’s top spot in the
family rankings) – so no matter whether
you’re playing with just one other person or
a group, you should be in for a good time.
WHY SHOULD YOU TRY IT?
Both 7 Wonders and 7 Wonders Duel are
proof that complex themes and decisions
don’t have to mean complicated gameplay
and hours of investment. The games have it
all – an engrossing theme, beautiful artwork
by illustrator Miguel Coimbra, mechanics
that can be taught in a matter of minutes and
enough longevity to last the ages.
If you want to add even more to the
games, there’s a number of expansions
– including many fan-made add-ons –
available for 7 Wonders. Our pick would
be Cities, which introduces support for
an eighth player, new types of cards and
effects, and optional team rules. Leaders,
meanwhile, adds the presence of historical
figures, who throw their unique talents into
the mix. The latest expansion, Babel, brings
in the acquisition of laws that modify the
rules for all players once they’re passed.
Duel’s first and only expansion, Pantheon,
calls on the powers of ancient gods who
can be activated for special powers if you
manage to gain their favour.
After years of development troubles, the
long-awaited digital version of 7 Wonders
finally made its debut on iOS this year (the
Android app is due out in late December),
meaning there’s more ways than ever enjoy
one of the wonders of the tabletop world.
tabletopgaming.co.uk 35
16/11/2017 10:41
 THE SCI-FI ADVENTURE BOARD GAME
FOR 1-5 PLAYERS

Featuring strong story-telling elements

and immersive game scenarios, Star
Saga: The Eiras Contract will see players
guide a team of mercenaries on a mission
to retrieve stolen technology from a highly
guarded research facility deep beneath
the surface of the planet Eiras.

www.manticgames.com

Star Saga Ad
p036.indd 1 265x200.indd 1 01/11/2017
08/11/2017 15:57
16:01
 KICKSTARTING
F R O M S C R A T C H
With Art Deck’s crowdfunding debut fast approaching,
Holly Gramazio and her team polish up the
drawing game by testing and testing again

N
ow that we have a date planned for our Art Two: The players who have the most fun might
For real Deck Kickstarter, our next priorities are
smoothing all the rough edges off the rules,
be your future supporters, but they’re not your most
valuable players.
feedback and making sure as many people know
about the game as possible.
Some people will always be eager to make a game
work, no matter what. They might even make choices
you Luckily for us, the two issues have a single
solution: playing the game with strangers, as often
that they know aren’t good for them as an individual
player, in order to make the game as a whole more fun
want the as humanly possible.
It’s important for the game itself, of course. Playtesting
for everyone. These people are treasures of the world.
They are the friends I want to make; the people I wish,
whiners, with friends is great, but strangers have that all-important
playtester quality of not caring about you as a person.
late at night, that I could be. They’re also really terrible
playtesters. For real feedback you want the whiners,
the It’s important for fundraising as well. People who’ve
played and enjoyed the game are more likely to back it,
the pedants, the people who didn’t want to play in the
first place.
pedants, and even people who’ve walked past the playtesting table
and vaguely noticed the game’s name are more likely to
Three: Sometimes playtesting events take place in a
bar or at a party. Drinking is fine – but, ideally, take it at
the people click on a link, come campaign time.
So over the last couple of months, we’ve played
least a little slower than your players.
Four: When people suggest a change to the game,
who didn’t Art Deck in bars and pubs and playtesting events
everywhere that we could. And we learned, and re-
just make thoughtful noises. Don’t tell them you’ve
already tried it and it didn’t work, even though you
want to learned, quite a few things.
One: At a small-scale work-in-progress night, people
definitely have, and it definitely didn’t.
Five: Have a mailing list for people to sign up to.
play in the might be happy to play a full 30- to 45-minute game.
But at something like Indiecade, with dozens of games
Don’t just give them a piece of paper to take away!
Sure, some players might take a postcard or a pin, but
first place. jostling for attention, having a shorter variant of the
rules is really helpful.
they’ll lose it or throw it away or forget what it was
for. You’re the one who cares about your game; these
strangers couldn’t give two hoots. So the burden of
making contact when the campaign goes live or the
game goes on sale needs to be on you.
Six: Streamline your ‘Here’s what this game is’ and
‘Here’s how to play’ spiel, because you’re going to be
going through them both a lot.
And seven: Running your game so often is
exhausting, but it’s also exhilarating. Over the past
few weeks with Art Deck we’ve seen one guy lick the
entirety of a piece of paper; we’ve seen half a dozen
people take off their shoes and draw with their feet;
we’ve seen a couple pour their last quarter-bottle of
wine over a page; we’ve seen friends give each other
piggybacks while clutching paintbrushes. We’ve also
seen players create some really gorgeous pictures. We
didn’t tell anyone to do any of those things. People
just played, and found ways to respond to the game’s
prompts that went beyond anything we’d expected.
These unpredictable moments, the interactions where
the structures and systems that you made up are brought
to life, may be the very best part of designing a game.

December 2017 tabletopgaming.co.uk 37

037_kickstartingFromScratch_v3 MJ.indd 37 15/11/2017 12:19

 HOW WE MADE
FOOD CHAIN
MAGNATE
Splotter’s brilliant strategy game turns convenient cuisine
into a hardcore competition that’s as meaty as a quarter
pounder and as heated as chip fat. Who knew working
in fast food could be so much fun?
Words by Owen Duffy
A
mong hardcore board gamers,
Dutch publisher Splotter Spellen
has something of a reputation.
Where some studios chase
simplicity and mass-market
appeal, the company has carved out a niche
with complex, strategic releases. Their games
consume entire evenings, taxing players’
brains with hours of tough decisions and
difficult dilemmas.
38 December 2017
038_042_howWeMade_v4 MJ.indd 38
It’s enough to leave a faint-hearted gamer
trembling in a corner desperately clutching their
copy of Munchkin. But while Splotter’s relentlessly
elaborate gameplay might not be for everybody,
it’s found a receptive audience among players
who relish a challenge, and in 2015 the
company hit on its biggest success to date.
Food Chain Magnate casts players as CEOs
of rival fast food companies vying to dominate
their local market. Starting from almost nothing
they battle to recruit staff, build an efficient
corporate structure and sell more waistline-
expanding snacks than their competitors.
It’s become something of a breakout hit,
lauded by critics and rapturously received
by fans. Along the way it’s also picked up
multiple awards and secured a coveted spot
on the Top 100 list at online gaming hub
BoardGameGeek. We spoke to its designers to
discover the story behind its creation and find
out about the appeal of unabashedly brain-
burning games.
ALL WORK, ALL PLAY
Food Chain Magnate is the brainchild of
co-designers Jeroen Doumen and Joris
Wiersinga. Wiersinga co-founded the
Splotter brand in 1997 and, alongside
Doumen, designed games including
the transport-centric civilisation-
builder Roads & Boats, Far-
Eastern trading game Indonesia
and the medieval Antiquity.
While their previous games
have garnered the company
a loyal following, their most
recent release is their most
successful yet.
On first inspection, Food
Chain Magnate looks a
bit like, well, actual work.
Players deal with recruitment,
hiring employees from restaurant
managers to kitchen staff. They
oversee marketing campaigns,
organise training sessions, set food prices
and pursue a variety of goals for their
business. It all adds up to a formidable
15/11/2017 11:19
 challenge, a complex array of strategic choices
and a game that revels in diving into nitty-
gritty details.
Surprisingly, in its creators’ original vision
the game had nothing at all to do with burgers
and fries.
“It wasn’t about the fast food industry
initially,” reveals Wiersinga. “The idea was
to make a game about marketing. It was
originally called Candy and the theme was
marketing unhealthy sweets. We needed
something to differentiate the product, so we
added fatty snacks.
“At one point, we threw away half of the
game and made a new board. We ditched the
sweets and kept the fat.”
The design was the culmination of a lifelong
interest in gaming for both of its designers.
Wiersinga says he caught the game-making
bug at an early age.
“I made my first designs in primary school,”
he says. “I’d make enormous boards on the
back of old maps from my father’s office. I used
a whiskey box to put the materials in and the
plastic from boxes of cookies as an inlay,
so my parents had to work, drink and eat
sugar to help me develop my talents.
“The first complicated games I
played were roleplaying games. Then
I discovered Talisman and played it all
through high school, sometimes three
or four times a day. When I was 15 or 16 I met
038_042_howWeMade_v4 MJ.indd 39
some students from a nearby town who
played [economic railway game] 1830
and Advanced Civilization. I also visited
my first convention – my father tagged
along as he thought the concept
of grown men playing games and
inviting his son was a bit odd.”
For his part, Doumen recalls a more
conventional introduction to gaming.
“I also played games from when I
was quite young,” he says. “We played
all the traditional family games – and then
some less traditional ones. I also played quite
a lot of computer games back then - starting
out on our trusty ZX81. I learned quite a bit of
English by playing text adventures on it.
“Then at some point I noticed a small
advert for some strange mail-order
company with interesting-sounding titles.
So I thought, ‘Let’s try this Civilization
thing. It sounds interesting.’”
LEFT Players start
with just a CEO
in their hand and
must build up their
fast food empire
over the course of
several hours
tabletopgaming.co.uk 39
15/11/2017 11:19
 HOW WE MADE F O O D C H A I N M A G N A T E

Civilization proved to be a lasting influence on
both men. The 1980 Avalon Hill release handed
players control of fledgling empires battling
to establish themselves as dominant cultures
over the course of millennia. Players expanded
their territory, founded cities and guided their
empires to technological discoveries. The
game could take six hours or more to play, and
it influenced a generation of designers in the
analogue and digital gaming industries.
ON THE ROADS
Doumen and Wiersinga both became
dedicated gamers, and eventually met
through a student games club. It wasn’t long
before they were collaborating on design
projects, and looking to turn their ideas into
actual products.
“We started publishing our first game
find some creative ways to keep costs down.
Their first games were produced by hand; the
founders photocopied components, cut them
into shape and released games in production
runs as low as 30 copies. To avoid the expense
of printing cardboard boxes, they packaged
their games in VHS video cases.
It was hard work, and Wiersinga says it
didn’t immediately pay off.
It was originally
called Candy
and the theme
was marketing
“The very early video box games did not sell
easily at all,” he says. “We made few copies and
sold even fewer. During the first two or three
years, we all invested very small amounts of
money to keep Splotter running. We didn’t have
the cash to invest more but, as we had put so
little money into the company, we didn’t lose
much. It allowed us to learn what people liked. It
turned out that for us it made no sense to make
the type of games other people
were already making – we sold
much more when we produced
the ‘unsellable’ Roads & Boats.”
Over time Splotter used a series
of successes to up their print runs
and production quality. The team
stored piles of games in their
own homes, and when they ran

because my girlfriend at the time, Tamara – a

co-founder of Splotter – pushed for us to do
unhealthy sweets.
something with the designs we had made,”
says Wiersinga.
“Her father was an entrepreneur and it was
her idea to make a company to publish our
designs. We rented a stand in Essen along with
two other startup companies, then we set out
to decide how to actually turn our designs into
physical games we could sell. Jeroen was not
officially part of Splotter yet that first year, but
we had already made a design together called
Transport – now known as Roads & Boats.”
The pair had tried to pitch the design to
existing publishers, but Wiersinga says the
game’s unforgiving complexity made the
companies they approached wary.
“We did briefly try to get our games
published,” he says. “We tried hard with Roads
& Boats, but we had a lot of people tell us
it was impossible to publish and that there
was no market for it. People in the industry
told us the game was too long, too boring,
too complicated, too expensive. They almost
talked us out of publishing the game at all. But
we really liked it and we had a lot of positive
reactions to our prototype in Essen, so we
decided to go ahead.”
The new company pressed on, but with
no budget to work with, its founders had to

40 December 2017

038_042_howWeMade_v4 MJ.indd 40 15/11/2017 11:19

 out of space they started filling their parents’
houses. The company turned modest profits
– Wiersinga points out that he made more per
hour delivering newspapers in high school –
but it set up its own web store and established
itself as a firm favourite with fans of heavy
games and, after years of persistence, the team
hit on its biggest success to date.
FOOD FIGHT
Food Chain Magnate was born out of a
desire to do something different with the
deckbuilding concept popularised by the 2009
Spiel des Jahres winner Dominion.
Over the years numerous designers have
taken the idea in different directions, from the
card-crafting ingenuity of Mystic Vale to the
snappy space combat of Star Realms. Doumen
says one game in particular helped to spark the
idea for Splotter’s take on the concept.
“It’s hard to say which games were
influences,” he says. “Maybe in the back of my
mind, one particular influence was Master
Merchant by [Love Letter designer] Seiji Kanai.
It made no
sense to
make the type
of games other
people were
already making.
038_042_howWeMade_v4 MJ.indd 41
As far as I know it introduced the ‘handbuilding’
variant on deckbuilding games and removed the
need to continually shuffle your deck.”
Food Chain Magnate incorporated complex
cardplay in the form of employees that players
could recruit to their growing businesses.
Each granted their employer a useful new
ability. Waitresses generated small amounts
of cash by serving customers. Kitchen staff
produced food. Marketers attempted to lure
diners with tantalising ad campaigns. Just like
a real company, each employee slotted into
a corporate chain of command, and players
were constrained by the need to place the right
people at each level on the ladder. After hiring
staff, players could opt to use them for their
abilities, or train them to become better at their
jobs, missing out on immediate benefits in an
effort to reap rewards later in the game.
Doumen says this HR element added a
feeling of realism.
“Pretty quickly, we had figured out the
hierarchy bit,” he says. “It looked great and it
felt like a real company structure, which I liked.
ABOVE The placement of restaurants becomes
highly strategic as demand for different foods
surges around the city (Henk Rolleman)
LEFT Joris Wiersinga and Jeroen Doumen
The training option gave an interesting trade-off
between using a card and upgrading it. Overall,
we wanted people to always feel that it would be
easy to ‘do something, if I just can get...’; to give
the feeling that success was close but just out of
reach – the way a real business feels.
“For a long time, we started the game with
a hand full of employee cards. One of our
playtesters, Gerard Mulder, came up with
the idea to start with just the CEO. That was
a masterstroke, because it
makes you feel like you are
starting a business from
scratch, even if the first
turns are a bit more
scripted than before.”
tabletopgaming.co.uk 41
16/11/2017 10:45
 HOW WE MADE F O O D C H A I N M A G N A T E
Hiring staff was a challenge in itself, but
it was only one aspect of the game. Players
could also interact with their city, represented
by a board that filled up with restaurants and
houses over the course of play. They could
generate demand for different types of meals by
running well-placed advertisements, or snatch
customers from one another by viciously
undercutting rivals’ prices.
“There’s a very nice interaction between
the complexity on the board and the way your
strategy can influence what happens,” says
Doumen. “The strategic layer and the tactical
layer have been almost forcefully separated
because your strategic decisions will always
take effect one turn later. At the same time,
tactics are complicated enough that they aren’t
trivial. They depend on what others are doing,
but not too much, so it still makes sense to plan
things out. It somehow works well.
“Before we got the timing and complexity
right, you’d end up with a game that was either
about tactics – reacting to the current situation
– or strategy – planning ahead. Now it’s neither
too random nor too rigid.”
The result was a game that featured little in
the way of direct interaction between players,
but still managed to be ruthlessly competitive.
One player could invest all of their efforts
in generating demand for pizzas, only for
another to take advantage of their hard work
by producing them at a lower price, or taking
advantage of their restaurants’ locations in the
city to hoover up hordes of hungry diners.
“A lot of this came about naturally,” says
Wiersinga. “I started out with a very plain
concept: people would go to the nearest
restaurant. Lower prices will attract more
people. The rest kind of followed.
42 December 2017
038_042_howWeMade_v4 MJ.indd 42
“Interestingly, we had more playtesters than
ever before warning us about this game; they
felt it was too aggressive. We were genuinely
afraid people would hate the game because
of this. It was very surprising to us that in fact,
people loved exactly this aspect!”
JUST DESSERTS
The pair added other elements to the game,
most notably a set of milestone cards, which
were awarded to the first players to achieve
certain goals: placing a billboard in the city,
using certain types of employees or making
different amounts of money. Each milestone
tweaked the game in different ways for
the players who achieved them, granting
them new abilities and strategic edges that
altered the way they played. It meant that
players’ businesses became more distinct
over time, allowing them to evolve their own
path toward victory. But it also meant that,
rather than simply focusing on having the
most money at the end of the game, players
were continually competing over a set of
incremental goals.
The game also adopted a distinctive
visual style, with artwork inspired by 1950s
American diners.
“We care a lot about how the game looks,”
says Wiersinga. “With the exception of some
of the very early games, we have always
deliberately chosen for a specific design.
“When we have the game 95% finished
we present it to our graphic designer, Ynze.
He goes incommunicado for a few weeks
and comes back with what he calls a design
language – basically a concept
that governs the graphical
design of the game. In
this case, he was inspired by the ‘50s and we
loved it. As always, this idea was then quite
rigorously applied to the whole game.”
The final result is a game that’s found favour
with Splotter’s existing fans, but also with a
much wider section of the gaming community.
“After being known for years as the
publisher that made Roads & Boats, Antiquity
and Indonesia, now we meet people who have
never heard of these games and only know us
because of Food Chain,” says Wiersinga.
It suggests a bright future for the designers,
and Doumen was recently signed up to create
Pandemic: Rising Tide, the latest in a series
of historical spin-offs based on the virus-
battling bestseller. Unlike the original, the
game won’t see players eradicating diseases.
Instead it uses Pandemic’s core mechanisms
as the basis for a game about protecting the
low-lying Netherlands from the threat of
destruction by flooding.
“[Pandemic creator] Matt Leacock had
deliberately sought out a local designer
to collaborate with for Pandemic: Iberia,”
says Doumen. “He asked me if I wanted to
collaborate on the next game as the 2017
release was planned to be in the Netherlands.
It has nice twists, but it is much simpler than
our usual Splotter designs. As a result, it was
much quicker to get the game right.”
While the chance to work on one of the
tabletop industry’s biggest properties has been
a career highlight, Doumen and Wiersinga are
still focused on Splotter’s future.
“We plan to make a nice new game
every couple of years for the next 20 years,”
Wiersinga says simply.
“Preferably things that have not
been done before.”
15/11/2017 11:19
p043.indd 1 08/11/2017 16:02
 Notoriously long, infamously complex and adored by those who dare to
play it, Twilight Imperium has defined epic gaming for the last two decades.
As the sprawling space opera returns with a fourth edition, its creator and
the designers who inherited its legacy look back on a universe like no other
Words by Matt Jarvis

44
44 December 2017

044_049_twilightImperium_v4 MJ.indd 44 15/11/2017 11:22

 45
tabletopgaming.co.uk 45

044_049_twilightImperium_v4 MJ.indd 45 15/11/2017 11:22

 TWILIGHT IMPERIUM
T
wilight Imperium.
Even the name
sounds imposing, the
lingual equivalent
of the Star Destroyer
drifting into sight at
the beginning of A
New Hope. Next is
the box, a cardboard
block solid enough
to survive re-entry to the atmosphere.
Inside, more than 1,000 miniatures, cards,
tokens and player boards, crammed with
the details on 17 completely different
races, from the peaceful lion-like Hacan to
the tech-infused L1z1x, all of which have
individual backstories and play styles. Don’t
worry – you’ll have plenty of time to learn
their ins and outs during a game that lasts
anywhere from four to 12 (or more) hours
and involves the careful juggling of politics,
military conflict, exploration, resource
production, economics and diplomacy. It’s
little wonder that Fantasy Flight’s strategy
space opera has earned a reputation as one
of – if not the – tabletop’s most daunting and
grandest experiences.
Like any epic accomplishment, Twilight
Imperium had modest beginnings. It
started as the dream project of Christian
T. Petersen, a Danish gamer turned
entrepreneur who during college had
started up Fantasy Flight Publishing as a
comic book distributor bringing European
Players inhabit a galaxy filled
with planets surrounding the
political hub of Mecatol Rex
46 December 2017
044_049_twilightImperium_v4 MJ.indd 46
oddities to the US. The company quickly
floundered, losing all the money it had within
two years, prompting the need for a change in
direction. Petersen had previous experience
importing games into Denmark and running
conventions, and had self-taught himself
game design and production on the side.
He approached the board of directors and
investors with an ambitious proposal to turn
the company around.
“I always wanted to do this big space game,
but there wasn’t a game like that,” he recalls
today. “So I said, ‘Let me make a game here,
I want to call it Twilight Imperium and I want
to create this epic space game with conquest,
technologies, politics, backstabbing and
grandiose hyperbole and alien races. That whole
thing. Mixing all this wealth of influences across
the ages of science-fiction – whether Asimov,
Dune, Star Wars, Star Trek, etc.’”
With its multi-layered gameplay inspired
by classics such as Junta, Axis & Allies and
Civilization – and pinching its pre-Catan
hexagonal tiles from Magic Realm – Twilight
Imperium was through-and-through the
product of Petersen’s imagination, at the
time the sole employee of Fantasy Flight, who
almost died after inhaling paper dust from
cutting out the game’s components by hand.
“I more or less had to do everything myself
because we had no money,” he says.
In the summer of 1997, the first edition
of Twilight Imperium made its debut. A
cinematic saga in a box, Petersen’s vision
was unlike anything else at the time and
heralded the arrival of a new age with a fresh
perspective on what board games could offer
in terms of scale and complexity. Against
all odds, its success saved Fantasy Flight,
completing its transformation into a tabletop
force to be reckoned with.
“Unlike the comics it actually sold,”
Petersen laughs. “Just because it sold does
not mean it’s a rose garden path from there
on out; it’s certainly one with lots of thorns
because the games business is quite difficult
and at the time it came out a huge success
was to sell 2,000 copies. It certainly has been
a fact of where we really came out with a
product at the right time, because just a few
years after, during that period, the scope of
board games and the vision for how board
games could materialise in the hobby really
started growing and we were one of the early
companies to really embrace that format and
push that forward.”
AN AMAZING THING
Twilight Imperium: First Edition was
unbounded by Petersen’s countless ideas for
the universe, but the realities of being a one-
person first-time publisher living off ramen
in a cheap apartment meant the finished
game could never quite match its creator’s
grand ambitions
“We were proud of the first edition, but
there was no doubt that I was looking at some
of the amazing productions that were coming
15/11/2017 11:22

out of the Milton Bradley Gamemaster line
and so on,” Petersen admits. “That’s really
what I wanted, but that was just not within
the scope of what could be achieved.”
A second edition in 2000 advanced the
concept with new approaches to tech,
actions and politics, but it would take
another five years and Twilight Imperium:
Third Edition for Petersen to feel his idea had
been fully realised on the tabletop.
“I wanted to make the first edition Third
Edition, you know?” he reflects. “We
had a grand vision and we wanted it to
be beautiful and immense with lots of
fantastic bits, but that wasn’t a reality at the
time. The amount of copies that could be
feasibly sold in the hobby was very small,
my knowledge did not extend to the kind
of manufacturing, engineering, tooling,
sculpting, whatever that was required at
the time to get into anything like plastics.
Certainly from a game design school of
thought, I also evolved quite a bit over the
following ten years.”
Third Edition markedly improved on the
framework of the first two editions with
TOP There are 17
playable factions in
Fourth Edition, each
with a distinct feel
RIGHT Players earn
VP from public and
secret objectives,
encouraging
everything from
exploration to
aggressive conflict
044_049_twilightImperium_v4 MJ.indd 47
I don’t think it was until
the third edition that the
game really came out with an
edition that I’d always
wanted to put out.
fresh inspiration drawn from Puerto Rico,
Catan and Attack that drastically evolved
the way players managed their factions,
worked towards dynamic victory objectives
and interacted with rival races, introducing
the iconic use of strategy cards to dictate the
actions players could perform each round. As
if symbolically, the box ballooned to around
twice the size of the original game, becoming
the now unmistakeable two-square-foot
colossus. Twilight Imperium’s reputation
similarly boomed in stature, becoming
one of the best-rated games of all time in
BoardGameGeek’s rankings and widely
considered a modern classic.
“I don’t think it was until the third edition
that the game really came out with an edition
that I’d always wanted to put out,” Petersen
reiterates. “Third Edition was a very, very
important release for us because it not only
synthesised the vision for Twilight, but it kind
of synthesised what Fantasy Flight Games is all
about; the production qualities and scope of
publishing that we wanted to achieve: no fear
of price, no fear of the box. Try to create an
amazing thing.”
A NEW AGE DAWNS
More than a decade after Petersen had
supposedly perfected his vision in Third
Edition, Fantasy Flight suddenly announced
in mid-2017 that it would return to Twilight
Imperium with a fourth edition. For the first
time in the series’ history, Petersen wouldn’t
be helming the new iteration alone; taking
over the reins for much of the journey
would be veteran designer Corey Konieczka,
who had helped with the creation of Third
Edition’s expansions, and relative newcomer
Dane Beltrami.
“There’s certainly a degree of pressure,
yeah,” Beltrami confesses. “But, honestly,
Chris was very reasonable throughout the
whole thing. He’d check in with us on certain
milestones and give his feedback and was
really not overbearing on the project at all.”
“The stressful part for me was just that
TI3 is a very highly regarded game,” adds
Konieczka. “You’re working on a new edition
of a game that people already like – and
honestly, they don’t have many requests for
things that they want to change, they kind
of like it the way it is. So how do you make a
game that’s going to satisfy those fans and
invite new fans to the game? Doing some new
and interesting things without upsetting the
status quo. We’re walking a fine line between
keeping the parts that were really good
tabletopgaming.co.uk 47
15/11/2017 11:22
 TWILIGHT IMPERIUM
and solid and also inventing some new stuff.
It was a little nerve-wracking just knowing:
what if people view this edition as worse than
the previous one? That would be a disaster.”
Despite the pressure of handling his
two-decade passion project and contending
with one of the greatest legacies in tabletop
gaming, Petersen is quick to praise the
substantial changes the pair introduced in
Fourth Edition.
“They did a wonderful job taking a 10-year-
old game and coming up with some very good
both physical and intellectual advances to
try to make the game more to the story and
emotion that it was intended,” he insists. “I’m
especially happy with the new trading system
that they came up with, I think it really is a
significant improvement.”
Although perhaps not as revolutionary as
its predecessor, Fourth Edition feels like a
distinctly different experience, with a focus
put on sanding down the abrasive edges
rather than removing them completely.
We weren’t
going to
sacrifice the
game’s core identity
for the sake of a
new edition.
48 December 2017
044_049_twilightImperium_v4 MJ.indd 48
“One of the goals was to make the game
more approachable, more accessible, without
actually changing much of the game,”
Konieczka reveals. “I feel it’s almost a legend
of how daunting this game is and people
just hearing about it and how long it takes,
they assume it’s really complicated. But even
Twilight Imperium: Third Edition,, if you boil
it down to just the core experience, there’s
a lot of simple systems – there’s a lot of
different systems, but they’re actually pretty
simple. Just trying to make the simplicity
drawn to the foreground as opposed to
hiding it.”
“One of the core things that I wanted to
make sure came through in the design of
the new edition is that I didn’t want people
to ever have to refer to something else in
order to play the game,” Beltrami agrees.
“Everything for the game is displayed or
easily intuitable from the components
themselves. Which is kind of what drove the
changes to tech and the ship upgrades.”
One of the most notable changes is the
renewed importance of the galactic hub of
Mecatol Rex, which plays a prominent role
in the Twilight Imperium lore. The game’s
political phase was previously triggered by
the use of the politics strategy card, but is
now sparked once a faction claims Rex and
subsequently takes place at the end of every
round, allowing players to vote on laws to
impact the flow of the action. It’s a simple
tweak, yet one that intensifies the immersion of
the deeply thematic experience.
“People always like the idea of politics in
Third Edition, but it wasn’t super impactful
and it was never as exciting as it was kind of
promised to be,” stresses Konieczka.
“It was difficult to have the political phase be
very meaningful early on in the game because
people didn’t have the ropes or they weren’t
really in contact with each other sufficiently to
create that dynamic where the politics matters
and who wins and who loses vis-à-vis whatever
vote is taken,” Petersen adds.
“We looked at what things can’t change,
what things are central to the identity of the
game and things that honestly work so well we
probably couldn’t invent something that would
work better,” Konieczka continues. “Once we
established the things that are going to stay
the way that they were – because they work
and people like them – what are the things that
maybe feel dated now or could use freshening
up or being reinvented?”
UNAPOLOGETICALLY EPIC
Not everything was as easy to spruce up. 20
years of built-up mechanics and optional
variants from various expansions had sagged
down parts of the game to the point where
it had become a running joke among fans
that Third Edition’s stated three- to four-
hour playing time was more accurate when
multiplied by the number of players.
Among the more contentious design
decisions was the treatment of a mechanic
known as Distant Suns, which had debuted
in the first edition’s second expansion and
contributed heavily to the sense of galactic
exploration. It took the mechanic’s original
creator to wield the knife.
“We had a pretty substantial [amount of]
work that they put into getting that done,”
Petersen says. “I think my lasting contribution
was to say, ‘This is an enormous module for
this game, it’s very interesting and fascinating,
but that initial game experience becomes
significantly heavier. This is something we
should park a little bit so people can get straight
into the experience of rubbing up against each
other in terms of strife and political discussion
and that roleplay that you get into by having to
interact with the other players.’”
The overall aim is that Twilight Imperium:
Fourth Edition still unmistakably feels like
Twilight Imperium, albeit in a sleeker shell. This
isn’t a game to squeeze into a Friday lunchtime,
unless you plan on counting dinner and
Saturday breakfast as part of the same meal.
“From the outset it was, in Christian’s words:
‘This game is going to be unapologetically
epic,’” Beltrami recalls. “Because that is how
TI is and we weren’t going to sacrifice its core
identity for the sake of a new edition. We
intended to keep that scale and that size; that
was part of it from the beginning.”
“That said, Fourth Edition is a little bit
shorter than Third Edition,” Konieczka quickly
interjects. “Just because some of the systems
15/11/2017 11:22
 FOR THE LOVE OF LAZAX
The universe of Twilight
Imperium is filled with
weird and wonderful races
Twilight Imperium is an event. It’s for players to take control
of. Its three co-designers
had turned into cyborgs
and created this other
empire themselves on the
other side of the galaxy.
So, if you actually

not something that you want to reveal their favourite

interstellar factions
look at the story that’s
being told in Twilight

play two or three games of in a night.

Imperium, the backstory
Dane Beltrami: My is thousands of years of
favourite part of the lore stuff that’s going on and
is the story surrounding you’re kind of jumping into
are a little bit faster than they used to be. So “It seems like everybody is chasing the the transition of the Lazax, it right at the end of a dark
the ancient race that’s age of technology at which
you still get the same amount of action and shorter games and, like, ‘We want an epic
gone, into the L1z1x point they’re discovering
epicness but you shave off an hour or two.” 4X game that you can play in an hour!’” cyborg race and then that the galaxy again.
For Petersen, that tremendous scope and Konieczka remarks. “But there are plenty of splitting off into the L1z1x
the ability for the game to inspire stories and fans who want that meatier experience and and the Nekro Virus, who Christan T. Petersen: I’m
discussion both inside and out of the box is as Twilight Imperium, every time I’ve played have purged all the flesh sort of fond of all of them!
central to Twilight Imperium as dreadnoughts, it, it’s an event. It’s not something that you from their body, and their If you look at those
lion people and space being blue. want to play two or three games of in a night, civil war. I love that there stories on the back of the
“Where I start off with is more the it’s like, ‘No, we’re going to, like, plan for this are three races that are race sheets, I wrote all of
experience, more the emotional experience weeks in advance and meet up.’ all the same race sort of them and really tried to
turned into something make everything unique.
and the fun experience and the experience of “It loses something if you try to shorten
completely different and Now, of course, to
immersion that I feel like I want to have and it; you don’t get the sense of drama and shaped the whole history make anything unique you
I hope that people will want to join me in,” you lose the epic scale of it. People still of the universe. have to be grounded with
he considers. “Then I kind of take that and crave those games, too. Honestly, there are some kind of what we
I start narrowing that down into mechanics probably fewer games like that then there Corey Konieczka: I was know. You want all these
and experiences. are of the shorter games. So, if anything, it going to say the same things to feel somewhat
“Really the hope is in the end that a story helps it stand out and be the unique beast exact thing, Dane! familiar but also
comes out of it, some sort of a sense that people expect it to be.” The whole story that somewhat new. So they’re
you live through a narrative of some kind, A decade ago, it seemed that Petersen’s the Lazax were the kind of grounded in sort
emperors of the universe of archetypes of plants
whether it’s a small funny one or an epic childhood dream had been fulfilled. The
and there’s this backstory or machines or lions or
long one.” third edition of Twilight Imperium could about them that you see in whatever, then you try to
have passed into the annals of history as a the game Rex: Final Days dress them in different
GOLDEN HOUR masterpiece, the perfected design of its auteur of an Empire where they clothes that make them
In the years since the last iteration of creator after a decade of work. The arrival were the emperors of the somewhat unique.
Twilight Imperium, Kickstarter has blown of Fourth Edition isn’t just a demonstration galaxy, things went bad, Every race has some
open the doors for epic, immaculately- that Twilight Imperium still has a place in the over time the bureaucracy interesting ideas. I had
produced experiences with dozens of hours heart of the modern gaming world, it’s the eroded everything and it fun writing the story
of unique storytelling, whether the legacy symbolic passing of a baton from the series’ just collapsed under its about Mordai, who’s a
whole weight. L1z1x character who
roleplaying campaign of Gloomhaven or author to a new wave of visionaries prepared
Their race was chased sort of worships the
the sprawling choose-your-own-adventure to push the space opera further than it’s ever throughout the galaxy and machine more than
of The 7th Continent. Yet, despite these been before, redefining the very definition of brought to the point of the flesh and ends up
and gameplay-focused sci-fi strategy an epic tabletop experience. extinction – or so people creating this virus and
spiritual successors such as Eclipse, there’s “I’m positive that as long as FFG exists, thought. But then it turns people who decided to
still nothing out there that quite tops the there will be Twilight Imperium,” Beltrami out that a small fraction augment themselves
singular enormity of Twilight Imperium. says. “That will be eternal.” of them that had escaped mostly with technology.

There are
fewer optional
rules in
Fourth Edition,
resulting
in a faster
and more
accessible
game without
sacrificing
depth and
atmosphere

tabletopgaming.co.uk 49

044_049_twilightImperium_v4 MJ.indd 49 15/11/2017 11:23

p050.indd 1 10/11/2017 12:13
m2+y
y2+z3
c
cc 180
∏r 2
Play it smart
From Scruples to This War of Mine, some games don’t shy away from placing their
players in difficult ethical dilemmas where right and wrong aren’t always so clear-cut
Illingworth to an end. However, as the game amply
Doctors Paul Wake and Sam
A
“
fter your guests leave, you
discover a pound in change
on a sofa where one was
sitting. Do you make a point of non-standard ethical decisions, each of
returning it?”
So asks Henry Makow’s classic game of
moral dilemmas A Question of Scruples.
Released in 1984, this was a different world,
one in which sitting down at the dinner table
and quizzing your guests about the contents of it worth sacrificing precious food to support
their soft furnishings apparently represented
the height of gaming sophistication. Despite
its glib Ferrero Rocher vibe, the game has
been used to teach managed care ethics to
medical students to encourage trainee doctors
to overcome knee-jerk responses and to
ensure thorough discussion around ethical
dilemmas. This approach was found to force
students to develop arguments to support
their assigned positions regardless of personal
viewpoints, enabling them to come to terms
with their own prejudices when dealing with
ethical dilemmas in their future practice. To
date the game has sold over seven million
copies and been published in five languages,
so it must be doing something right.
Fast-forward 30 years or so and, while
games may have changed dramatically,
December 2017
051_playItSmart_v3 MJ.indd 51
√z
a+b
Es
the underlying ‘horns of a dilemma’
premise is still going strong. Stronger
than ever perhaps, if Michał Oracz and
Jakub Wisniewski’s This War of Mine:
The Board Game is anything to go by.
Released earlier this year, This War of Mine
situates players as civilians during the
Siege of Sarajevo (1992-1996). Sheltering
in a ruined tenement house, they must
scavenge and steal resources, refit and
defend their shelter, and do their best
to prop up their fragile morale. The
main objective of the game is ‘simply’ to
survive until the surrounding war comes
demonstrates, there’s nothing simple
about survival.
Alongside some fairly standard worker
placement and resource management, the
game presents players with some entirely
which carries its own risks and rewards;
should a drunken stranger singing on the
streets be encouraged inside to protect
him from snipers? Should the group steal
medical supplies from the local hospital? Is
the city’s other starving inhabitants? These
decisions are, of course, hypothetical but
(a) 2
+
6 (b)
Y
P
La
Ga
Am
nonetheless they provoke reflection on the
nature of ethical behaviour, setting players the
uncomfortable task of reconciling the conflict
between abstract ethical standards and an
ethics that is situated in the world away from
the tabletop.
Certainly the solo game affords a more
coherent narrative to emerge, and perhaps
also provides the solitude needed to reflect
on ethical choices, but it does so at a certain
cost. Played in company the game becomes
distinctly unsettling. While Scruples renders
awkward decisions playful with its bluffing
mechanism, This War of Mine affords no
such evasion of responsibility. Decisions
must be weighed and owned. Laughing off a
confession that you’d pass off sparkling wine
as Champagne (while pretending you don’t
really mean it) is easy enough; explaining your
motives for turning away a starving stranger is
rather challenging.
This War of Mine is not a game that you win;
it’s a game that you endure, and its success so
far indicates an appetite for games that move
beyond managing workers and resources –
however brilliant their mechanics may be – to
games that encourage players to reflect on
their own ethical choices on both the gaming
table and beyond.
Paul Wake and
Sam Illingworth
are Manchester
Metropolitan
University
academics and
co-directors
of the Games
Research Network
This War of Mine recreates the challenge of
surviving in a warzone with unflinching accuracy
tabletopgaming.co.uk 51
16/11/2017 10:48
 A NEW OLD WORLD
Warhammer is fighting its way back into roleplaying with a fresh fourth edition
of ‘80s classic Fantasy Roleplay and the first RPG set during the Age of Sigmar.
Cubicle 7’s Dominic McDowall reveals his personal quest to bring back a tabletop icon
Words by Matt Jarvis

52 December 2017

052_053_warhammerRPGs_v3 MJ.indd 52 15/11/2017 11:50

 D
ominic McDowall
discovered Warhammer as a
ten-year-old after finding his
cousin, fellow game designer
Simon Lucas, painting
plastic skeletons. It was an encounter
that would change his life. Soon, the
young fan was seeking out every Games
Workshop title he could get his hands on,
from Warhammer 40,000 to Talisman and
Adeptus Titanicus. Then came the game
that would lead him to pursue a career in
roleplaying game design and ultimately
co-found RPG publisher Cubicle 7:
1986’s Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay.
“It’s enormously important to me
personally, and the first roleplaying game
I played,” McDowall recalls today. “I
didn’t know of anyone playing RPGs so I
read it through and ran it for my friends,
and that was that. The Rocky-style training
montage of my adolescence would be
sponsored by Games Workshop.”
Set in Warhammer’s Old
Age of Sigmar is
World, Fantasy Roleplay
translated the warring
awesome in scope,
armies of the miniature
wargame’s sweeping
limitless in potential and
battles to an atmospheric
adventure. The first edition
definitely turned up to 11.
adapted the combat system
from its Fantasy Battle
inspiration, but expanded
the role of characters with
a deep career system that helped define
players’ backstories and skills. Delving into
the hidden corners and detailed history of
the Old World, Fantasy Roleplay brought
the background of Warhammer to the
front of the stage and cemented the fantasy
realm as a living, breathing universe.
“They are such deep, rich settings that
have been developed for over 30 years
by a huge cast of fantastic creators,” says
McDowall. “There’s a breadth that lets
everyone find the part that appeals to
them the most, and all those different bits
fit perfectly into the broader Warhammer
experience. For many of us, they are
places that we have exploring since
childhood and we quite simply love them.”
It took close to two decades for a second
edition of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay
to arrive, which reimagined and evolved
the role of magic wielded by characters,
but otherwise stuck close to the format
of the first edition. A third edition
created by Fantasy Flight made far more
052_053_warhammerRPGs_v3 MJ.indd 53
drastic changes, completely rebuilding the
RPG’s rules to gravitate around the use
of seven custom dice and leaning more
on the idea of party members sharing
abilities. The studio declared its 2009
version of the game ‘complete’ five years
later, leaving the future of the RPG in
doubt. Further uncertainty was cast on
the series at the end of 2016, following
the news that Games Workshop and
Fantasy Flight had dissolved their
partnership after almost a decade.
Fresh hope arrived this spring, when
Cubicle 7 revealed that it was working
on a fourth edition of Warhammer
Fantasy Roleplay. McDowall is leading
the efforts to revive the game that had
sparked his own passion for roleplaying,
with a particular focus on bringing back
the RPG as he remembers it.
“We are building on what has gone
before, taking first and second edition as
the starting point for the game system,
with the Cubicle 7 treatment applied,”
he reveals. “My main goal is to make an
elegant system that lets the setting shine
through and enhances the fun.”
While Fantasy Roleplay’s next version
will pay homage to its origins, McDowall
is quick to point out that the fourth
edition will still feel like a new game built
for players today, rather than simply a
throwback to roleplaying games of old.
“I love how RPGs have developed
so much now that we have a cool retro
movement as well as the cool indie
movement!” he enthuses. “For me though,
it’s about doing my own thing, otherwise
what’s the point? I am definitely influenced
by my gaming roots, so I’m sure that love of
‘80s Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay will be
evident, but it’s most important to make
an immersive, fun Warhammer game.”
ANOTHER AGE
Fantasy Roleplay isn’t the only
Warhammer RPG being developed by
Cubicle 7. Also in the works in a brand
new title inspired by Age of Sigmar, the
2015 successor to Fantasy Battle that
takes place after the complete destruction
of the original Warhammer world and is
set in eight planes of existence known as
the Mortal Realms.
“If Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay is the
grim European fairytale told by a loveable
rogue you wouldn’t trust with your least
favourite spoon, Age of Sigmar is like the
mother of all creation myths,” McDowall
suggests. “It is awesome in scope,
limitless in potential and definitely turned
up to 11. We are going to have a lot of fun
making and playing it!”
Built from the ground up with a fresh
set of rules rather than being based on
the foundations of Fantasy Roleplay,
McDowall is confident the Warhammer:
Age of Sigmar Roleplaying Game will reflect
the markedly separate tone of its world,
which, unlike the original Warhammer,
was created with a more
narrative-driven focus
from the beginning.
“There’s a huge
difference in theme and
focus between Fantasy
Roleplay and Age of
Sigmar, so they both have
their own stories to tell
and legends to create,” he
enthuses. “The Old World
means such a lot to so many people,
me included, so it’s great to be a part of
showing that its story continues. And
it’s hugely exciting to be working with
Games Workshop on Age of Sigmar, a
thrilling setting of astounding scope.”
With Fantasy Roleplay due out next
spring and Age of Sigmar arriving at the
end of the summer, the games’ release
don’t just mark a return to roleplaying
for Warhammer – they also represent
a passing of the torch for a fan who fell
in love with the universe as a child and,
three decades on, is now taking the
chance to share his passion with a new
wave of fantasy lovers.
“My RPGing branched off in many
different directions over the years, but I
never left Warhammer behind, and it’s
been a part of my life for almost 30 years,”
McDowall reflects. “Now I’m answering
my son’s questions about the setting as he
learns to paint miniatures – it’s great to be
passing it on to the next generation.”
tabletopgaming.co.uk 53
15/11/2017 11:50
 e enjoyed
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p54.indd 1 14/11/2017 12:08

 The Fire Swamp
A N E X C L U S I V E N E W S C E N A R I O F O R F R O S T G R AV E : G H O S T A R C H I P E L A G O
Written by Joseph A. McCullough
O
ne of the best aspects of writing
Frostgrave: Ghost Archipelago was
drawing on some of my favourite works
of fiction for inspiration. Certainly the game
owes a lot to the legends of Sinbad, the fantasy
tales of Robert E. Howard and the pirate stories
of Robert Louis Stevenson and Rafael Sabatini.
For this scenario, written specifically for
Tabletop Gaming, I have taken my inspiration
from one of the greatest ‘fun’ fantasy novels
and movies of all time: The Princess Bride.
INTRODUCTION
The pack of saurian monsters chased your
crew across the plain for nearly half-a-
mile; only when the ground became
boggy and the trees grew closer
together did they finally abandon
the chase. Now, as you continue
onward, the dark, gnarled trees are
so thick that little sunlight reaches
the ground. Somewhere in the
distance you can hear strange
Artwork by Dmitry Burmak
and Kate Burmak from
Frostgrave: Ghost Archipelago
© Osprey Publishing
December 2017
055_ghostAScenario_v3 MJ.indd 55
popping noises, and you can feel numerous
eyes watching you from the shadows. You are
just about to propose turning around when
your guide gives a startled cry and disappears
into the ground!
SETUP
This scenario is played on a normal three-by-
three-foot table. The table should be close-
packed with terrain: mostly trees, boggy pools,
rocks and small streams. There should also be
several areas of quicksand, including one area,
approximately three inches in diameter, in the
exact centre of the table. Two R.O.E.S (Rodents
of Enormous Size) should be placed adjacent
to the quicksand in the centre.
Treasure should be placed as normal for
this scenario, with the central treasure sitting
in the middle of the centre quicksand.
If the scenario is being played by two
players, they should set up their figures within
two inches of opposing board edges. If it is
being played by three or four players, each
player should set up their figures within six
inches of one board corner.
SPECIAL RULES
At the start of every turn, each player may
nominate one figure to be the target of a ‘fire
spurt’. This figure hears a strange popping noise,
and has just seconds to move out of the way
before a jet of flames shoots up like a small
geyser. This figure should make a move roll with
a target number of 12. If successful, this figure
may move one inch in any direction, including
out of combat. No figure may force combat
during this move. If the figure fails its move roll,
leave it where it is and immediately make a +5
fight attack against it. If the nominated figure
is currently in combat, every figure in combat
with the nominated figure must also make a
move roll or be hit by the fire spurt.
Roll for initiative as normal; however, if
either player rolls a one for initiative, they may
immediately place a R.O.E.S. anywhere on the
table, including in combat with a figure.
Do not roll for random encounters during
this scenario. Instead, one additional R.O.E.S.
will enter the table at the end of every even-
numbered turn (so the end of turns two, four, six
and so on). R.O.E.S. follow all of the normal rules
for creatures with one exception; any R.O.E.S.
Move Fight Shoot Armour
R.O.E.S. 5 +2 +0 8 +0
that is called upon to make a random move
will instead make one move directly toward the
central treasure (regardless of line of sight). If
there are no crewmembers in line of sight at this
point, the R.O.E.S. will finish its turn. Otherwise
it takes its second action as normal. If the central
treasure is no longer on the table, R.O.E.S. will
make a random move as normal.
The areas of quicksand are treated as deep
water for the purposes of this scenario, with
two additional modifiers: no figure may move
more than two inches in quicksand in any
one move action, regardless of their move
score, and all swimming rolls made while in
quicksand are at -4.
TREASURE AND EXPERIENCE
Roll for treasure as normal for this scenario.
Experience is gained as normal for this
scenario with the following additions; each
of these bonuses can be gained by both the
Heritor and Warden:
◗ +10 experience if the Heritor or Warden
ever makes a move roll to try and avoid a
fire spurt (regardless of whether the roll is
successful).
◗ +10 experience if the Heritor or Warden
ever has to make a swimming roll because
of quicksand (regardless of whether the
roll is successful).
◗ +10 experience if the Heritor or Warden ever
has to make a fight roll in hand-to-hand
against a R.O.E.S.
R.O.E.S (RODENTS OF
ENORMOUS SIZE)
These large, hairy rodents can grow to lengths
of nearly four feet, not counting their tails.
They feature long snouts, mouths filled with
jagged teeth and clawed hands. They are
scavengers and opportunists and will attempt
to eat just about anything they can catch. On
occasion they will climb into trees and drop
down on unsuspecting prey.
In addition to the danger of their teeth
and claws, R.O.E.S. are also known to carry
a variety of nasty diseases. Any figure that
takes damage from a R.O.E.S. must make an
immediate health roll with a target bumber of
10. If they fail, they must miss the next game
while they recover from the disease. Heritors
are immune to these diseases.
Will Health Notes
10 Animal, Diseases
tabletopgaming.co.uk 55
16/11/2017 12:57
 ABOVE Players issue and
reveal their unit orders at the
same time, simulating the fog
of war
OPPOSITE (TOP) War Room
takes place on a table-filling
42-inch circular board
OPPOSITE (BOTTOM) Axis &
Allies and War Room designer
Larry Harris
56 December 2017
056_057_warRoom_v3 MJ.indd 56
MAN O’ WAR
Axis & Allies creator Larry Harris is returning to WWII with his
latest wartime simulation: the imposing, impressive War Room
Words by Matt Jarvis
“I
t’s my belief that a game should take you on an
adventure, tell you a story,” muses Larry Harris.
“It should place you in a situation that you may
never experience in real life but would like to.”
Harris knows better than the most the power that
gaming has to immerse players. In 1981, he created
Axis & Allies, the sweeping World War II wargame that
depicts the conflict on a global scale akin to an advanced
successor to Risk, with two teams controlling the
production and military strategy of the opposing sides
over the course of several hours. It went on to sell more
than one million copies and spawn a series of sequels
examining specific theatres of the war, as well as time
zones different from the original’s 1942 start point.
For the last four years, Harris has been working on a
different project – his first to venture outside of Axis & Allies
in decades. Still, War Room remains very much a spiritual
successor to Harris’ crowning creation, offering another
fresh perspective on the Second World War.
“Axis & Allies was a groundbreaking game when it first
came out so many years ago,” Harris considers. “Being
way ahead of its time, the original inception aged slowly
like a fine wine. It took the gaming industry a while to
catch up with this game style; a style that bridged the
gap between the niche market of wargaming and the
mass market of, for example, Monopoly. A game with
hundreds of pieces and 30 pages of rules. War Room is
a totally different experience. It deals with an endless
16/11/2017 10:53
 fascination of what occurred in – and those who filled
the chairs of – the war rooms of World War II.”
War Room casts players as the supreme commanders of
nations during WWII, controlling land, sea and air forces
while also attending to the needs and morale of their
civilisation. The action plays out on an enormous 42-inch
circular map that Harris claims is so key to the experience
there are no plans to create a more compact edition.
“The map is no larger or smaller than it has to be,” he
insists. “This is truly a labour of love. The evolution and
development of this jewel has taken years. We have lost
count of the many iterations it has gone through over the
past four years.”
Gone are the individual miniatures of Axis & Allies,
replaced by stackable counters that symbolise groups
of units commanded together and which can assume
defensive or offensive stances to influence the outcome
of the dice-driven combat. Much of War Room’s tension
hinges on the simultaneous secret issuing and reveal of
orders designed to simulate the fog of war, not unlike Allan
056_057_warRoom_v3 MJ.indd 57
B. Calhamer’s hugely influential 1950s discussion-driven
wargame Diplomacy.
“Since the beginning of time, military commanders
have had to deal with limited military intelligence about
the enemy’s operational plans and movements,” Harris
details. “I felt that any game with the title of War Room
absolutely required its players to experience this challenge
when commanding his or her nation’s military. This system
was not an afterthought but rather one of the central design
pillars of which the rest of the game was designed around.”
Although War Room has the scope and tone of weighty
simulation titles – “It’s going to be heavy!” Harris gleefully
confirms – its creator insists that his sleek translation of real-
life aspects to dice and card means it’s not a slog. In fact,
the constant pressure to juggle both military and civilian
management means there’s more room to fail than in Axis
& Allies, meaning matches should wrap up quicker than its
predecessor’s notoriously lengthy showdowns
“A wargame of this epic scale and subject matter would
seem to require much more complexity to play, but none of
that seems to be there,” Harris stresses. “At the same time,
the challenge and the depth remain! With so many elements
combined, and so many wheels turning, the game remains a
fast-moving, historically-based exercise in strategic problem
solving. I like to think that the game system does all the dirty
work so that you, the commander-in-chief, don’t have to.”
Central to the players’ overview of their nation is the
battle status board, which tracks and resolves the various
conflicts around the globe, whether on land, air or sea.
Meanwhile, interactive charts track resources, homeland
morale and military production. With War Room’s realism
the outcome of various intermeshing mechanical cogs, it
was a slow process to fine-tune the ambitious model.
“Imagine designing 12 games with each new iteration
going forward with only the best designs, graphics, rules
and mechanics that the previous games had to offer,”
Harris says. “When it became time, endless playtesting
was conducted, each resulting in both small and large
design direction changes – with the entire game being so
interlinked even the smallest changes beget other changes.
Change this and you must change that.”
War Room in many ways represents the culmination
of not only four years of work for Harris, but the last near-
four decades of his career as a designer. It is the ultimate
embodiment of the dream that Axis & Allies set in motion
for countless teenagers and enthusiasts: experiencing the
scale, tension and drama of the world’s greatest conflict
in a way that goes beyond words on a page or a flickering
black-and-white film.
“My vision, and this of course goes beyond the ‘game’
itself, is for owners to construct their own war room, space
permitting,” Harris says passionately. “You know: recreate
their own war room with all the trappings. Hang a few lights
above [the map]. Place the command tokens on it and
watch it come alive. I have visions of this game and this map
as the cornerstone to thousands of these special places.
Oh, and, yeah, be sure to hang that poster of Churchill and
Roosevelt on one of the walls.”
tabletopgaming.co.uk 57
16/11/2017 10:54
 FROM T
V show The Expanse is a sci-fi darling
that comfortably fills the gap between
the utopian universes of Star Trek and

TABLETOP
the dread-filled tension of Battlestar
Galactica. Part of the series’ success
and critical acclaim is due to its diverse characters
and universe-changing mysteries, but the
other part is its world-building. It is complex

TO TV
AND BACK AGAIN
The Expanse’s success as a series of novels and
TV show has led to a tabletop tie-in and RPG,
but the sci-fi phenomenon actually began life as
a game. We tell the story of how it navigated the
leap between worlds
Words by Alex Sonechkina
and layered, yet – like all good sci-fi – it feels
distinctly truthful and relatable to us, the state
of our world and how we live today.
The story of how The Expanse came to be has
a surprising origin that began, in part, on the
tabletop. Before it came to the screen it was a
popular book series by James S.A. Corey – a pen
name for a collaboration between writers Ty
Franck and Daniel Abraham. Before then, it was
an RPG and, even before that, it was supposed
to be a video game. At the very beginning of
it all, though, it was simple a made-up world
living in the mind of a sci-fi devotee.
Now, with the development of a board
game based on the show and newly conceived
RPG based on the books, the franchise has
come full circle. However, every step of its
development has left its mark on the universe,
its story and characters, making it richer, more
complex and alive.
IN THE BEGINNING
Ty Franck was the first to envision The
Expanse’s universe. Inspired by sci-fi he had
read since he was a child, he began thinking of a
near-future setting, where people have managed
to colonise the solar system but were yet to travel

58 December 2017

058_059_theExpanse_v4 MJ.indd 58 15/11/2017 11:55

 deeper into the stars. Franck was ultimately
approached to help design an MMO (massively
multiplayer online) video game which, amidst
the popularity of PC titles such as World of
Warcraft and EVE Online, was a genre rapidly
gaining traction during the early 2000s.
Franck’s world would have been an almost
perfect fit for the genre, and the backbone of the
MMO can be still clearly seen in The Expanse.
The universe is based on three power factions:
the U.N., based on Earth and Luna; M.C.R.N.,
a military republic of Mars; and the O.P.A.
government of people living in the Asteroid
Belt. In the video game, they would have acted
as players’ starting factions. All the factions
had a reason to be in conflict with one another,
trying to get control and power to achieve their
separate goals – the people of the Asteroid Belt
wanted independence from their oppressors,
Mars and Earth, while the Martians dreamed of
terraforming their lifeless red planet into a green
one, leaving Earth trying to regain control over its
ex-colony and stations in the Solar System.
THE PEN IS MIGHTIER
Unfortunately, the computer game was
not meant to be, but the world of The
Expanse continued to exist and develop. Franck
brought it to a post-and-play gaming forum as
a tabletop roleplaying game, where an active
community soon developed around it.
It was in these sessions that the first
characters of the story started to emerge,
including the crew of the spaceship Rocinante,
who would afterward become central to the
plot of the books. On this forum, the broad
narrative structure began to take shape and
locations, character developments and even
deaths – if players had to leave the game early –
formed the base on which the first book in the
series, Leviathan Wakes, was built. Eventually,
after several runs of the game, the forums went
quiet. The setting and the characters were great,
but the page-turning story was not yet there.
Afterwards, Franck ran the game for his friends
in the local science-fiction writers group, including
A Song of Ice & Fire creator George R.R. Martin, The
Milkweed Triptych author Iain Tragillis and, later,
Daniel Abraham. Abraham roleplayed as detective
Miller, a character who would eventually become
essential to the story of The Expanse. Abraham was
so impressed with the depth and complexity of the
world that he proposed that he and Franck should
write a book together, forming the partnership
that would become James S.A. Corey.
Leviathan Wakes was published in mid-2011,
eventually picking up a Hugo Award nomination
and being followed by five sequels, plus this
058_059_theExpanse_v4 MJ.indd 59
year’s upcoming Persepolis Rising and a further
two novels planned for release in 2018 and 2019.
As the story crossed from one medium into
another certain changes had to be made. While
roleplaying, it wasn’t fun to roll for the actions
of a character to sit and sulk in their room, but
in the books internal monologues would flesh
out the narrative and characters’ intentions.
When the series transitioned onto the screen
in late 2015, the visuals could serve a similar
purpose. When the opportunity to come back
to the tabletop arose, another set of exciting
opportunities presented themselves.
THE RETURN
Six books and two seasons of the TV show later,
the franchise has formed a loop by returning
back to the tabletop. Green Ronin is working on
an entirely new The Expanse RPG based on the
books and set to be published in August 2018. In
the meantime, designer Geoff Engelstein’s The
Expanse Board Game has come riding in on the
popularity of the TV show.
Engelstein was reading
through the fourth book in the
series and was already a watcher The desire was for the
of the show when publisher
WizKids approached him for the players to represent
project. Having studied physics
at university, the science of The the big factions, not
Expanse really appealed to him.
However, it wasn’t so easy to individual characters.
translate to the board game format.
“Instead I focused on my other favourite part:
the realpolitik as the different factions move into
and out of alliances as the situation and their
goals change,” he says. “It’s very much about
political manoeuvring and posturing. While the
threat of war is ever-present, war really doesn’t
break out – at least not in the part of the series
that was going to be covered by the game.”
What was at the centre of The Expanse’s story
– the vying for influence within the Solar System
– became the heart of the board game.
“The scope needed to be big, as the desire
was for the players to represent the big factions
in the game, not individual characters having
adventures,” Engelstein says. “The key feeling
I wanted to capture was one of spreading
influence and pressure, which naturally
translated into an area control game.”
Engelstein also decided to bring a fourth
power group more prominently into the light:
ProtoGen, a scientific corporation, which was
the first to discover the alien protomolecule
that was going to change everything
humanity knew about the universe. In the
books and the TV show, ProtoGen was always
part of the mystery, viewed only through the
lens of the main characters. In The Expanse
Board Game, players are able to choose
ProtoGen as one of the main four factions,
and through them experience the conflict
for the first time in the series. Due to the
game’s mechanics, this ultimately meant
that Rocinante and its crew, the ‘goodies’,
could fall under control of ProtoGen, the
‘baddies’ – an unprecedented move.
Engelstein wanted to make sure that this
would not go against the spirit of the characters,
and consulted Franck on the matter.
“My rationale was that the Rocinante
crew does several things they think are
morally right, but which end up playing into
the hands of ProtoGen, so they were being
subtly manipulated behind the scenes. Ty
was 100% behind that, so I moved ahead
with a clear conscience.”
Franck provided other details on
characters, locations and faction
motivations, many of which were translated
into events on the cards that serve as one of
the game’s core mechanics.
While the board game takes its primary
inspiration and look from the TV show,
Franck’s original RPG laid tracks in
gamifying the universe, in turn helping
create The Expanse Board Game.
“While I haven’t seen or played the RPG, its
creation gives such depth and texture […] that
made it easy to just set up the political situation
in the Solar System and let the players evolve
the situation from there in a natural way,”
Engelstein comments. “If the setting was less
robust, it may have been required to include
specific gating events to push the players down
a certain path, rather than just be a sandbox.”
It may seem as if the Expanse franchise has
ended up back where it began, but in every
step of the way and in each fresh iteration, the
universe has become richer from the diverse
mediums it has adopted, learning, developing
and benefiting from the experience. The
Expanse Board Game is just another example
of an exciting creation that can emerge from a
world that is so rich and vibrant.
tabletopgaming.co.uk 59
15/11/2017 11:55
PLAYED 69

71

68 78

62 PANDEMIC LEGACY: 72 OUTPOST: SIBERIA

SEASON TWO
73 INDULGENCE
64 TWILIGHT IMPERIUM:
FOURTH EDITION 74 NMBR 9

67 WARHAMMER UNDERWORLDS: 75 THE EXPANSE BOARD GAME

SHADESPIRE 77 ABANDON PLANET
68 D&D: TOMB OF ANNIHILATION 78 DOWNFORCE
69 FLICK 'EM UP: DEAD OF WINTER 79 GHOST COURT
71 WHISTLE STOP 80 HANAMIKOJI
72 TORTUGA 1667 80 STOP THIEF!

December 2017 tabletopgaming.co.uk 61

061_080_played_v6 MJ.indd 61 16/11/2017 11:12

 P L AY E D

PANDEMIC LEGACY: SEASON TWO

Can the [REDACTED] sequel to the [REDACTED] masterpiece live up to the hype?
Open this spoiler-free package of our thoughts and find out…
Designer: Rob Daviau, Matt Leacock | Artist: Atha Kanaani, Chris Quilliams 60m 2-4 13+ £80

M WHAT’S IN
att Leacock and Rob Daviau
have done the impossible.
Not only does Pandemic
Legacy: Season Two match the
expectation set up by its astonishing
2015 predecessor, it exceeds it,
presenting a breathtaking experience
that proves the co-designing pair
continue to understand and apply the
groundbreaking interactive storytelling
format better than anyone else.
A huge part of Pandemic Legacy’s
singular atmosphere comes from
uncovering its story and ever-changing
gameplay, so we’ll be steering clear
of spoilers here. The out-of-the-
box situation is that seven decades
after the first season the world has
fallen into complete disarray, with a
single incurable plague – rather than
Pandemic’s iconic four diseases – now
THE BOX? threatening the scattered remnants
◗ Game board of humanity. In the background
◗ 10 character cards lurk the mysterious Hollow Men, an
◗ Four pawns antagonistic force that tears down the
◗ Nine supply centres players’ supply centres between games
◗ Five tokens
(a thematic bit of logic that neatly
◗ 36 supply cubes
◗ Eight plague cubes
explains the need to reset) and casts a
◗ 53 player cards shadow over the unfolding narrative,
◗ 27 infection cards which once again takes place over the
◗ 82 legacy cards course of 12 in-game months, each
◗ Four haven consisting of up to two matches. Win or
worker cards lose (and you will lose – this is a much
◗ Six dossiers less forgiving game than Season One),
◗ And more... the story keeps ticking on, avoiding
any frustration of feeling like you’re
missing out on important story beats
or gameplay unlocks – eventually,
you’ll see almost all the game has to
offer, albeit in a unique order.
That Season Two is set in a world
already gone wrong is significant.
You see, while Season Two looks like
Pandemic and bears its name, its
action feels distinctly different from
the well-worn globetrotting battle
against spreading sicknesses. Where
Pandemic has long been a game about
minimising the number of cubes
on the board, Season Two turns the
formula on its head, with the majority
of plastic pieces now representing
vital supplies distributed to each
crumbling city and floating haven – if
supplies start getting low, there’s the
risk of the unstoppable plague taking
hold and finishing off the few people
left, reducing the population in any
cities affected. This becomes tougher
and tougher as the year wears on and

CE
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O R'S C H OI

62 December 2017

061_080_played_v6 MJ.indd 62 16/11/2017 11:12


the available provisions drop with
each successive month – December’s
stark ‘0’ is a reminder from the off that
you need to find a way to survive, fast.
Searching for this means of survival is
a double-edged sword, as discovering
new locations means stretching
supplies thinner and thinner but also
offers the chance to bolster the pool of
abilities and upgrades available.
In that sense, then, Season Two
becomes a game even more focused on
pre-emptive planning than reaction.
In standard Pandemic, a disease
cube or two on a city wasn’t much
of a problem. Here, even a single
plague cube becomes a huge issue,
immediately pushing the players one
step towards failure and risking the
chance of character exposure – leading
to permanent negative ‘scar’ effects
and death – as well as the depletion of
a city’s population. Because they can’t
be removed, making sure as many cities
are protected as possible is crucial.
Driving this drama is the free ability
to pick up supplies from another
location, resulting in players needing
to run around the map, redistributing
their paltry stocks in a futile effort
to hold off the plague while they
simultaneously race to build supply
centres. The heightened tension is
matched by the more claustrophobic
setting, with a smaller number of
cities being bombarded more often by
the relentless infection deck.
Each individual change to the core
gameplay is relatively minor – this is
061_080_played_v6 MJ.indd 63
still Pandemic, after all – but they add
up to an experience that’s much more
revolutionary than it first appears,
meaning even Pandemic pros should
make use of the practice prologue to
get to grips with the changes in store.
The sense of exploration is what truly
sets Season Two apart from its forebear.
The main board begins almost entirely
hidden, with only a handful of cities in
four regions open for access. As players
use the new recon skill, they uncover
chunks of land that join the game,
connecting to extra locations that can be
searched using a second action to scratch
off panels on their cards and trigger
constantly surprising secrets, ranging
from extra atmospheric dressing to major
twists and gameplay additions. Unlike
Pandemic’s fixed map, players here can
create their own structure of routes,
resulting in a world that – even more so
than in the first game – feels dynamically
shaped by the actions of each group.
Season Two can be jumped straight
into and enjoyed if you’re new, but if you
completed the original Pandemic Legacy
you’ll find many of the story reveals
especially rewarding, as they fill in the
gap between the games and show what
happened to some of the locations and
characters after the conclusion of the first
season. One late-game beat had our group
literally gasping out loud as we realised
its wider implications for the world.
TRY THIS IF YOU LIKED… GLOOMHAVEN
The pair that defined what a legacy game could be return to prove they’re
still the most exciting designers working with the innovative format today.
What a world it is, too. This isn’t just WE SAY
the best Pandemic game ever made
Season Two doesn’t
when it comes to gameplay – it's also just improve on
the best-looking Pandemic to ever the astounding
grace the tabletop, alongside last year’s experience of the
sumptuous Pandemic Iberia. There’s a first Pandemic
wonderfully lo-fi radio aesthetic to the Legacy; it takes
main board and cards, with fuzzy static, things in a direction
twiddly knobs and frequency dials that feels true to
tying beautifully into the rebuilding- the series’ universe
while exploring fresh
from-the-ground-up plot and old-
gameplay concepts
style reconnaissance of the story. and storytelling with
The art is most eye-watering resounding success.
when it comes to the characters, It’s an incredible
who now start as more than pre- achievement that
fab tropes. Each character sheet absolutely everyone
begins completely blank, with should play.
players picking a role and related
talent – such as a farmer able to
create supplies with greater ease, for
example – before deciding a name,
age and home for their avatar. (Rather
ominously, there’s also a space for
place of death.) Completing the
character is a picture sticker – a small
change from the set appearance of
past Pandemic characters, but one
that intensifies the emotional link
between player and pawn. In another
sharp change from the fixed ‘three
scars means death’ injury system of
the original, each character sheet has
a series of small boxes scratched off
one at a time as they’re exposed to the
plague – but the application of scars
and death is different on each sheet,
meaning your heart will be in your
mouth with every tense reveal.
The first Pandemic Legacy excelled
in its weaving of a story for its players
to remember. It was more than a game
– it was an experience shared between
friends, lovers, strangers. There are few
other titles that could inspire fans to
frame their individual end-game board
and hang it on their wall. Season Two
is an even more personal game; yes, it
has the gasp-out-loud surprises and
twists you’d expect from its creators,
and a much stronger narrative thread
than the first season, but it’s in its
storytelling outside of the box that
the game continues to stand alone.
Pandemic Legacy may no longer be
one of a kind, but the act of playing it
remains unlike anything else.
MATT JARVIS
tabletopgaming.co.uk 63
16/11/2017 11:12
 P L AY E D
TWILIGHT IMPERIUM: FOURTH EDITION
The sci-fi epic returns in a sleeker form for its 20th anniversary, but has it come
back to our universe to find its galactic throne usurped?
Designer: Dane Beltrami, Corey Konieczka, Christian T. Petersen | Artist: Various
T
here are few games where the
release of a new edition is an
event in itself. In 2005, the
release of Twilight Imperium’s third
iteration was a momentous occasion,
radically overhauling Christian T.
Petersen’s already well-regarded
space opera and transforming it into
a true modern classic, respected
and feared in equal measure for its
scale and complexity. The release of
Twilight Imperium’s fourth edition
this year, then, was not something to
be taken lightly.
Fourth Edition isn’t quite as drastic
a transformation as its predecessor.
If Third Edition souped up the
engine under the bonnet of Twilight
Imperium, Fourth Edition replaces the
panels around the outside, cleaving
off awkward angles and unnecessary
weight to ensure every ounce of
thrust produced by the heated core of
strategic galactic conquest is used to
full effect.
Twilight Imperium has long
been regarded as one of the most
foreboding games to bring to the
tabletop, a sprawling simulation of a
deep sci-fi universe with more than a
dozen unique races featuring different
talents, hundreds of components, a
64 December 2017
061_080_played_v6 MJ.indd 64
WHAT’S IN rulebook with a word count closer to
THE BOX? a novel and the need to set aside an
◗ 17 faction sheets entire day – or weekend – to finish a
◗ Six command sheets single match. The big secret is that
◗ 51 system tiles
Twilight Imperium isn’t actually all
that complicated; as this brilliantly
◗ 354 plastic units
streamlined edition proves, it’s all in
◗ Eight strategy cards
the delivery. There’s no doubt that
◗ Eight ten-sided dice
there are a lot of interlocking cogs
◗ Victory point track
turning within the engine, but given
◗ 59 planet cards the right opportunity to understand
◗ 40 objective cards each one separately, it all falls into
◗ 80 action cards place in a way that makes perfect sense
◗ 50 agenda cards rather than becoming overwhelming.
◗ 41 promissory The two included rulebooks here
note cards (a third tome details the lore of the
◗ Speaker token universe) do a fantastic job of easing
◗ 122 technology cards new players – as well as returning
◗ 62 unit upgrade cards fans needing to see what’s changed –
◗ Two Creuss alpha/ into the flow of Twilight Imperium’s
beta wormhole tokens juggling of military and political
strength, helped along by informative
◗ Naalu ‘0’ token
player boards and component
◗ Custodians token
iconography that means there’s a
◗ Two Nekro X/Y
shocking lack of rules-checking, even
assimilator tokens on your first few times through.
◗ 272 command tokens The core gameplay remains largely
◗ 289 control tokens untouched, still being driven by the
◗ 48 trade good and selection and execution of eight
commodity tokens strategy cards that both determine
◗ 49 infantry tokens turn order and the abilities of each
◗ 49 fighter tokens player for that round. The cards can be
CE
ED
IT
O R'S C H OI
4-8h 3-6 14+ £135
understood in general terms – pick this
one if you want to focus on combat,
this one to broker trades and so on –
and, crucially, grant a secondary ability
to other players. This serves a strategic
role, as the player with the card is
forced to hand a potential advantage to
a rival, but also helps to keep everyone
engaged during what could otherwise
be long and boring gaps between their
own turns. Combined with the way
that players only take a single action
on their turn, rotating until everyone
passes, Twilight Imperium keeps a
surprising level of momentum up,
despite its length – though there is
admittedly the risk of analysis paralysis
if one player begins to pick apart the
grand tapestry thread by thread.
It’s the interaction between players
that marks this space giant out against
equally fantastic, yet philosophically
different, space-faring strategy
epics such as Eclipse. New to Fourth
Edition are commodities, a resource
that exists only to spark trading,
bargaining and bribing between
players, as they’re useless until given
to someone else, at which point they
become helpful trade goods. Add to
these promissory notes, more specific
pacts between players that provide
16/11/2017 11:12
 a written contract for agreements
such as ceasefires – not that they
stop double-crossing and subterfuge,
as they can be subsequently traded
away again, or even broken with the
risk of negative repercussions. These
are small elements that seed the
potential for interesting discussion
and dynamic storytelling between
friends, allowing every match of
Twilight Imperium to become a hub
of interesting twists and tales without
needing to stretch beyond what
comes in the already ample box.
Some of the very best moments
come from the agenda phase, which
only activates once the galactic centre
of Mecatol Rex has been settled by a
player. From then on, a regular vote
occurs on two agendas, which have
the ability to shake up the standing
of the players by triggering instant
effects or introducing ongoing
laws that remain in effect for the
rest of the game. These could be as
straightforward as gaining or losing
VP, or forcing players to sacrifice
their own units when researching
technology. What makes the vote
especially entertaining is that
players can swing the outcome by
employing the varying influence of
their colonised planets (especially
if tempted by the ever-present
chance for a bribe), which can be
used for both resource production
and influence in a single round in
another small but significant change
from Third Edition that stops players
feeling too limited during either phase
(and makes more thematic sense).
Because there are two separate votes,
exhausting the influence of too many
planets during the first decision can
lead to disaster during the second,
leading to many of the game’s
many laugh-out-loud instances and
reversals of fortune.
With the right group of players,
Twilight Imperium never becomes
tiring to play, as its sprawling
universe continually throws the
opportunity for new stories and
moments at the players. One minute
you’ll be slingshotting a fleet of
dreadnoughts and destroyers
across the galaxy using a gravity
rift – with the risk of losing some
ships to the crushing forces based
on a particularly tense die roll – or
springing an ambush by firing a
061_080_played_v6 MJ.indd 65
space cannon through a wormhole,
the next you’ll be negotiating with a
neighbour for goods or adding new
worlds to your empire by transporting
and landing ground forces between
planets. Each of the 17 factions is so
well-established within the wider lore
that the way different specificities
collide would be fascinating to
watch and explore alone, outside
of the universal mechanics that
propel players towards completing
the public and secret objectives
necessary to amass the winning 10
victory points. These objectives do
a nice job of allowing the universe
to feel like more than just a battle
simulator, too, rewarding the
acquisition of technology, resources
and planets as, if not more, often than
simple conflict-orientated goals.
This is especially good because one
of Twilight Imperium’s weaker areas
is combat. The reliance on simple
dice-chucking and a relatively basic
back-and-forth trading of blows helps
to stop multi-vessel clashes becoming
hour-long slogs, but watching two
players roll and slowly whittle down
their army of plastic miniatures is
a noticeable dull spot compared
to the gleaming polish of its more
entertaining and absorbing political
and exploration systems – fortunately,
conflict often takes a backstage to the
TRY THIS IF YOU LIKED… ECLIPSE
Eclipse downplays many of Twilight Imperium’s social aspects, focusing instead
on combat. For unforgettable memories, the original remains one-of-a-kind.
Cold War-style diplomacy of players’ WE SAY
space colonies, becoming a final
It may be 20 years
resort rather than the be-all and end- old, yet Twilight
all. The other glaring misstep is the Imperium remains
box, which has been condensed from as powerful and out-
Third Edition’s desk-sized monstrosity and-out enjoyable as
but fails to do a decent job of keeping ever when it comes
the hundreds of tokens for each player to inspiring stories
colour and race properly separated, between friends. This
leading to overly long setup times latest edition makes
it easier than ever
and the risk of a mess on a tabletop
to experience a true
already filled to the edges with the tabletop icon for the
main map, player boards, decks first time – if you do,
of cards, trackers and all the other you won’t regret it.
debris required to play. Despite the
messy organisation, there’s enough
quantity and quality in the more than
350 plastic models and various bits of
card to make you feel the heavy cost of
entry is a solid investment.
Twilight Imperium is not a perfect
game, but without its quirks and
eccentricities it would lose the unique
place it holds on the tabletop. It’s a
sprawling strategy epic, an engrossing
sci-fi universe that begs to be dug
into and explored, and, above all else,
a social talking point that provides
hours of amusing stories and in-jokes
to be told between friends during the
months and years while finding the
time for the next match. In that regard,
it’s perhaps one of the finest examples
of what board games can achieve.
MATT JARVIS
tabletopgaming.co.uk 65
16/11/2017 11:17
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Sam Illingworth Words by
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 P L AY E D
WARHAMMER
UNDERWORLDS: SHADESPIRE
This fast, furious and fun slugfest serves as a perfect intro
to the fantasy miniatures universe
Designer: David Sanders | Artist: Various
I
t’s strange to start a game
review by talking about the
publisher’s share price, but Games
Workshop’s shares are four times
higher than this time last year, the
highest they’ve ever been, and
there’s a reason for that. The new
broom that CEO Kevin Rountree
swept in on has given the colossus
of the miniature wargaming field a
new, energetic direction. Shadespire,
its ‘tactical arena combat’ (read:
skirmish) game, is a powerful
statement of its new intent.
Shadespire is the £40 core
of a new game line set in the
Warhammer Underworlds, with
Stormcast Eternals facing down the
Bloodbound of Khorne in grand
style in the ruins of the eponymous
city. The heart of the game is still
in battering each other’s team to
a pulp, as you’d expect from the
publisher, but it’s been paying
attention to modern game design;
this is a minis game for everyone.
For your money you get a lot in
the box: minis, boards, counters,
cards and dice. There are also
instruction sheets for making
December 2017
061_080_played_v6 MJ.indd 67
30m 2 12+ £40
the models and a stripped-down
quickstart set of rules on two pages.
Newcomers to miniatures gaming
will have their hands comfortably
held while they get their heads
around the core rules and assemble
the minis, which even unpainted
are spectacular.
Each character has their own
card, with basic stats and sometimes
WHAT'S IN a special ability; if a character
THE BOX? becomes ‘inspired’ the card is
◗ 32-page rulebook flipped to show better stats and
◗ Two game boards powers. Each side also gets a hand
◗ Eight clip-together of power and objective cards, from
miniatures a pre-built customisable deck. You
◗ Three card decks
get glory points for completing
◗ Three counter sheets
◗ Eight custom dice objectives, as well as by killing
◗ Quickstart rules opponents, and racking up the most
◗ Ziplock storage bags points is how you win.
The game zips along nicely. The
hex grid keeps movement fast but
tactical. Each game is only three
rounds, and each round consists of
four ‘activations’ per player, so you
have to manage your troops carefully.
TRY THIS IF YOU LIKED… X-WING
This is a game of elegant, thoughtful combat and an interplay of great
characters with unique abilities – not unlike the Star Wars dogfighter.
Combat is based on rolling the right
symbols on the custom dice, though
ploy and upgrade cards play an
important part, as do options like
support. Every single decision is full
of interesting choices.
Games last half an hour,
and you’ll want to play again
almost immediately. It’s
enjoyable as a basic slugfest,
but developing tactics and
understanding your warband’s
strengths and deck will pay
dividends. The game builds this in:
there are optional rules, and you’re
instructed not to open the third card
deck until you’re comfortable with
the first two.
Games Workshop has learned
well. There are nods here to Fantasy
Flight’s design ideas, and the debt to
deckbuilders is obvious. But these
elements are integrated smoothly
into a core game that plays to the
strengths the Warhammer outlet has
been honing since the 1980s. This is
a very polished, slick piece of work,
in both design and production. It’s
an exciting box to open, fun to play
and rewarding to replay.
It’s not perfect. Some of the
wording on the cards and the
terms in the rulebook could be
clearer. I’d have liked a little more
in the way of narrative; I’m sure
some would prefer less. The box
art is a bit A-Level, unusual for a
Games Workshop product, but I
suspect it was carefully chosen to
not scare parents in the run-up to
the holiday market.
Still, Shadespire is a strong
introduction to this style of gaming
and the Games Workshop hobby,
with clever design and rewarding
gameplay, and if it ends up under a
hundred thousand Christmas trees
then it’ll make a lot of gamers very
happy – to say nothing of Games
Workshop’s shareholders.
JAMES WALLIS
WE SAY
Shadespire is a terrific package,
with enough detail and crunch to
please an audience wider than just
miniatures gamers.
tabletopgaming.co.uk 67
16/11/2017 11:17
 P L AY E D

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS:

TOMB OF ANNIHILATION
Rumble in the jungle with dinosaurs and the undead
Designer: Will Doyle, Adam Lee, Christopher Perkins, Steve Winter | Artist: Various 3+ £40

all, the setup essentially ensures that
there are no second chances if you
send your character bumbling into a
spike trap.
As the campaign begins to develop,
however, it becomes clear that the
main draw of Tomb of Annihilation
isn’t the quest but rather Chult itself.
Where the iconic Sword Coast –
home of most of the previous D&D
5E adventures – has tangled forests
and ice-bound mountains, Chult
turns to thick jungles and wide,
sluggish rivers. It’s a land inspired by
African mythology and Indiana Jones,
where you’re more likely to run into
dinosaurs than dragons and journeys
can be thwarted by tropical storms as
well as hordes of undead.
The campaign itself could fairly be
divided up into two major parts, the
first of which involves exploring and
mapping the region in a bid to find
the titular Tomb of Annihilation.
This is completely open-ended
and can include everything from
professional dinosaur racing to a
battle against evil snake people in
an ancient temple, but invariably
region’s somewhat suspect history,
and how it ties into D&D’s wider
culture. After all, D&D is a game
mostly developed by and for white
western audiences, and when the
region was first being designed it
relied heavily on stereotypes and
classic ‘dark continent’ adventure
stories with results that could
charitably be described as insensitive.
There have been concerns raised
over a return to Chult for this very
reason, but it certainly seems as
though efforts have been made to
correct the mistakes of the past.
While a few things here and there
could still raise a few questioning
eyebrows, Tomb of Annihilation
definitely reflects Wizards of the
Coast’s considerable efforts to
overhaul the hobby’s record on
race, gender and sexuality.
Every aspect of the adventure is
enjoyable and well-designed, but
the exploration aspect of Tomb of
Annihilation stands out as some of
the most fun to be found in official
campaigns. The imagination on display
is second to none, some of which can

T
he latest campaign for D&D's
fifth edition takes your heroes
from the mountains and forests
of high fantasy and throws them
into an exciting world of steaming
jungles, ancient ruins and madcap
pulp adventure.
The major hook for Tomb of
Annihilation is a simple but effective
one. For some reason, all attempts at
magical resurrection are beginning to
fail and those who have already been
brought back are starting to lose their
grip on life. Naturally, this represents
a major problem in a world where
many important people are on their
second, third or fourth shot at living.
It’s not a wildly elegant way
of setting the party off on their
adventure, but it does the job with a
bare minimum of fuss and raises the
stakes of the entire campaign. After
involves a whole lot of travel and probably be attributed to Adventure
unexpected encounters with the Time creator Pendleton Ward, who is
denizens of the jungle. credited as a story consultant.
The second part sees the The sheer scale of options and
adventurers work their way through potential outcomes can be a little
the tomb itself. It’s a labyrinthine intimidating, especially to new
deathtrap that draws on classic D&D dungeon masters, but with some
puzzles, traps and monsters to create careful preparation and a willingness
an incredibly nostalgic experience to go with the flow most should soon
for old hands, and something new for find their feet.
players who have cut their teeth on the RICHARD JANSEN-PARKES
more wilderness-based adventures
that have been a staple of recent years. WE SAY
Regardless of the path any Perhaps the best long-form campaign
adventurers take, Chult itself is the put out for D&D's fifth edition to
highlight of the campaign. As such, date, Tomb of Annihilation focuses on
it would feel unfair to write about it exploration and adventure rather than
without at least acknowledging the a more scripted story experience.
TRY THIS IF YOU LIKED… PULP CTHULHU
Tomb of Annihilation is the closest modern D&D has come to the action-
packed adventure Pulp Cthulhu also aims for – albeit with less chance of
insanity and more of contracting an undead plague.

68 December 2017

061_080_played_v6 MJ.indd 68 16/11/2017 11:17

 of Winter is a riot. Propelling plastic
bullets – the spread shot of the shotgun
makes a welcome return, alongside the
high-accuracy blast of the sniper rifle –
across a table is as fun as always. Adding
to the chaotic joy of watching figures
slide and tumble around and into objects
is the zombie tower, which replaces the
shambling movement of most walking
dead with a cascade of corpses that come
bouncing down when a survivor makes
noise and at the end of each round. It’s
tense and hilarious in all the right ways
as your survivors take cover from the
bouncing bodies – although it can be a
little irritating and shatter the often tense
atmosphere (every shot counts!) when a
heavy truck needs to be reset after being
sent flying by raining zombies.
Dead of Winter’s iconic Crossroads

FLICK ‘EM UP:

cards are cleverly implemented as fun
one-off events that are triggered in later

DEAD OF WINTER
Fingers at the ready to take down the dead with dexterity
in this gloriously messy mashup
Designer: Beaujannot, Gilmour, Monpertuis, Vega
stages of the campaign, while zombies
and survivors battling inside of buildings
is dealt with by using a random deck of
cards that gradually marches them closer
before they bite, with the element of
luck heightening the tension as the hero
takes a do-or-die shot each turn. Even
45m 2-10 14+ £50 Dead of Winter’s betrayer cards make

B
ullet-flicking cowboy gunfight
Flick ‘em Up and dice-rolling
zombie survival game Dead of
Winter may not seem the most natural
of pairings, but this new crossover
proves that it’s an odd coupling that
somehow works.
Whereas the original Flick ‘em Up was
solely a team-based shootout, Dead of
Winter’s semi-co-op survival is added
to the mix here, resulting in ten story
scenarios split equally into five co-op
missions and five competitive duels.
Instead of blasting rival gang
members in the Wild West, it’s the living
against the dead in a post-apocalyptic
world here, with the Dead of Winter
cast returning to take down zombies
with a combination of guns, throwing
knives and baseball bats – all of which
have their own unique and pleasing
flickability as they’re pinged about.
In news that will disappoint those
enamoured with the original Flick ‘em
Up’s warm wooden pieces, the box
comes stacked full of plastic bits. A
sheet of stickers adds more character
and personality to both the living and
dead, but the overly-exact sizing of the
stickers can make them frustrating to
WHAT'S IN apply without ending up with unsightly
THE BOX? edges. Even worse are the backpack
◗ 18 zombies stickers for the survivors, which began
(with stickers) to peel off during our very first match –
◗ 11 survivors
hardly a promising sign for a game you
(with stickers)
might want to keep around for years.
◗ 11 backpacks
(with stickers) The components aren’t the only
◗ 11 survivor boards letdown: the rulebook simply doesn’t do a
◗ Four vehicles good enough job, with widespread typos
◗ Six buildings and more gaping holes in its rules than
◗ Time marker a rotting cadaver. Flick ‘em Up isn’t the
◗ Acid template kind of game that needs to have detailed
◗ Two barricades appendices about every possible situation
◗ Three street lamps
– it’d kill the chaotic energy dead – but at
◗ Shotgun template
least clarifying the basics would help stop
◗ Sniper rifle template
◗ Four city limits things freezing up every now and then to
◗ 63 cards consult the manual, only to find no answer.
◗ Zombie tower The box is equally poor, with the game’s
◗ Six invasion markers otherwise outstanding environmental
◗ 102 tokens props and buildings needing to be partially
◗ 37 other pieces
deconstructed each time it’s packed away,
◗ Rulebook
stretching out the prep time without need.
Luckily, once you’re set up and the
rules have been cleared up (or, in some
cases, house-ruled to make up for the
lack of explanation), Flick ‘em Up: Dead
TRY THIS IF YOU LIKED… CATACOMBS
If you’re looking to flick stuff with (or at) your pals, this zombie-themed
crossover is a fitting follow-up to the dexterous dungeon-crawler.
an appearance here in the competitive
missions, doing a surprisingly great job
of combining the two games’ contrasting
styles without feeling like a case of
in-with-the-kitchen-sinkitus.
Despite the disappointing components
and messy rules, Flick ‘em Up: Dead of
Winter is bursting with so much goofy
charm it’s impossible not to smile as you
take down a zombie with a pinged knife, or
see your squad wiped out by an avalanche
of cartwheeling infected. The added depth
of Dead of Winter’s gameplay doesn’t
obscure the fast and loose dexterity
challenge, and proves that Flick ‘em Up is
more than just a clever name. Despite all
the undead, few games feel so full of life.
MATT JARVIS
WE SAY
Silly, funny and occasionally frustrating,
this combination of two opposite ends
of the gaming spectrum shouldn’t work,
but somehow it does – and then some.
There are some clever ideas going on
behind the flickin’ fun gameplay ; just
don’t take it too seriously.

tabletopgaming.co.uk 69

061_080_played_v6 MJ.indd 69 16/11/2017 13:00

 P L AY E D
WHISTLE STOP
Here's why you should choo-choose another train game
Designer: Scott Caputo | Artist: Jason Boles, Stephanie Gustafsson
I
f there is one thing board games have
taught us, it’s that trains are really fun.
Every year sees wagons of new train
games – card, dice, co-op, deckbuilding,
party, Euro, you name it – pulling into our
shelves, and Whistle Stop is another one
to add to the collection.
Luckily, Whistle Stop ticks a lot of
boxes. It has mechanics that will look
familiar to seasoned board gamers.
You lay down hexagonal tiles with
railroads snaking and coiling onto
themselves, Tsuro-style. As the trains
move on the tracks, they take pit stops at
stations, where resources are gained and
exchanged, shares of train companies are
bought, and coal is acquired to facilitate
more journeys. Basically, your standard
worker-placement setup. If you are feeling
particularly cheeky, you can even block
opponent’s trains, as Whistle Stop takes
notes from Ticket to Ride. Normally,
mixing and matching time-tested game
mechanics would raise questions of
originality, yet in Whistle Stop they
work exceptionally well together,
making those concerns disappear two
turns in – especially as the game offers
other mechanics that feel fresh and
make gameplay more interesting.
December 2017
061_080_played_v6 MJ.indd 71
Trains travel from the east across
the board to the west, where they make
their final stop and are taken out of the
game. Getting the train to the destination
rewards players with bonus resources
– however, the downside is that they
now have one less train, limiting their
pool of available actions. This is just one
set of decisions players have to make:
WHAT'S IN
THE BOX? do they steam through the board to get
◗ Game board victory points and extra resources as soon
◗ 25 wooden trains as possible or do they take their time,
◗ 96 coal tokens diligently visiting every possible stop?
◗ 20 gold nugget tokens There are a lot of decisions to be made
◗ Eight town tiles while playing Whistle Stop. Most of them
◗ Five player boards
◗ Five wooden
will be informed by the resources a player
already has and the paths or upgrades
score markers
that are available to them on that
◗ 12 upgrade cards
◗ 30 railroad shares
particular turn. Others will depend on
◗ 60 wooden the opponents’ movements around the
resource cubes board. The upside to this is that there are
◗ 24 whistle tokens a lot of different ways to win the game.
The downside is that turns can take a
long time. When starting the game for the
first time, inevitably analysis paralysis will
TRY THIS IF YOU LIKED… TICKET TO RIDE
For a break from hunting down locomotives and figuring out routes upside
down, Whistle Stop offers more abstract gameplay than the train-laying
classic. While it is less accessible, it is just as competitive and challenging.
75m 2-5 13+ £60
play its part. Even for players who know
the rules well, it will take some time to
decide on and take all their available
actions. Having at least four actions per
round may feel liberating at first, as it
eliminates the need to be too precious
about moves, but it makes the downtime
between the rounds quite significant – at
least long enough to go away and prepare
a sandwich. This is elevated by the
inability to pre-plan your movements.
Each player has several trains to move
around, and the board may change
significantly from one turn to another.
This might not be as pronounced in a
two-player game, but the more players
you have the longer the wait.
Whistle Stop is unquestionably a
good-looking game, so don’t be fooled by
its box art with unattractive encroaching
white boarders. The game uses a
pastel colour palette that works very
well, unless you are in a dimly lit room,
and has a variety of components, both
cardboard cutouts and familiar wooden
cubes. The most satisfying element are
upgrades, shaped like wheels that can be
slotted perfectly in the player game board.
While there are definitely elements
of the game that can be nit-picked,
this is undeniable: play Whistle Stop
once, and you will want to try it again.
From travelling along the snaking
railroads to picking up company
shares, resources and upgrades, the
sense of familiar gameplay finds a
perfect mix with the new.
ALEX SONECHKINA
WE SAY
Whether or not you believe that
the train theme is overused in
board games, Whistle Stop is
deserving of attention. It combines
familiar favourite mechanics with
original ideas that make for challenging
and layered gameplay. It might take a
long wait for your turn to arrive, but it
will be worth it once it does.
tabletopgaming.co.uk 71
16/11/2017 11:17
 P L AY E D

TORTUGA 1667 The limited pool of actions means

Designer: Travis Hancock | Artist: Sarah Keele
20-40m 2-9 13+ £25
two teams of pirates secretly working
to loot more treasure than their rivals –
the problem being that nobody knows
who’s part of their crew.
The game is small but near-
perfectly formed, packing a rubber
playmat, wooden pieces, fabric bag
and the deftly-illustrated cards into a
magnetically-sealed faux book case.
The flashy yet compact design is
echoed by the gameplay, as players can
only choose to take a single move each
turn, whether it’s moving between two
ships and the titular island, triggering
events or voting to attack and steal
more gold from the central Spanish
galleon before distributing it to either
that Tortuga plays best with a bigger
crowd, as a single player’s agency
can feel a little limited without some
hidden teammates helping to shift
things around and keep things flowing
at a good clip. Drama is stoked via
event cards, which provide often
random effects with equally hilarious
and frustrating outcomes.
Though the game’s tension is
meant to hinge on the deduction
of other player’s allegiances, there
is the risk of becoming a turn-fest
of event card reveals, losing some
of the conviction of its more social
aspects in the fun and chaos of
constantly shaking things up. These
can be propped up a bit by the
option for a hidden lone wolf in
odd-numbered groups, who works
to balance the scales and intensify

“I
t’s the honest ones you want
to watch out for,” says Johnny
Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow
in the first Pirates of the Caribbean
movie. Tortuga 1667 takes this piratical
philosophy of distrust and applies it to
a entertaining, if occasionally overly
chaotic, social deduction gem that sees
the British or French holds. A basic but
amusing hierarchy system that denotes
certain players as captains, first
mates, cabin boys and the governor
of Tortuga, each with unique powers,
helps to fuel antagonistic and ever-
changing play as crews mutiny and
maroon their shipmates in an effort to
claim the bullion for their own.
the layers of suspicion.
Tortuga swaps the pure tension of
the best in the social deduction genre
for a sense of just-about-managed
anarchy and unpredictability that,
when it comes together, is ripe for
a royally entertaining time. It’s not
always perfect, but it’s rarely boring.
MATT JARVIS

OUTPOST: SIBERIA
Designer: Daryl Andrews, Jonathan Gilmour | Artist: Ron Joseph 30m 2-6 12+ £20

cards cycle back around. Even on

its ‘easy’ setting, Outpost: Siberia is
unbelievably difficult and overly reliant
on luck, crippling a strong concept
and otherwise solid system with a
disappointing feeling of futility as
creatures tear through your group with
little chance for strategy or recovery.
Things are especially frustrating with

P
laying Outpost: Siberia is about
as much fun as freezing to death
while a bear chews on your ankles.
Essentially a card game reimagining
of John Carpenter’s The Thing, a group
of players attempts to survive the
mutated creatures and unforgiving
wastes of the frozen tundra, fighting off
attacking monsters with ice picks and
flamethrowers as they scavenge for food
and water.
The action is driven by two decks of
cards, one of which slowly builds up
the group’s available equipment and
combat power while the other triggers
dangerous encounters that quickly
dwindle said supplies. In an example
of cardboard economy, the same cards
make up both decks, with the opposite
ends of a card serving as threat and boon
simultaneously. This can be visually
confusing, but the use of shared discard
pile results in a satisfying sense of reward
as defeated dangers return later on as
beneficial items.
At least, it would be satisfying if
there was much of a chance you’d
hold out long enough to see the
smaller groups, as the game doesn’t
scale at all for fewer people (it’s
presumably the reason there’s no solo
option – though even two people feels
impossible), handing a huge advantage
to those who can find the full five
companions to join them.
It’s such a shame, because the
comic-book artwork nails the B-movie
feel and there are flashes of a gripping
co-op challenge frozen deep beneath
the icy surface. The issue is there’s
nowhere near enough warmth in what
remains to thaw it out.
MATT JARVIS

72 December 2017

061_080_played_v6 MJ.indd 72 16/11/2017 11:18

 INDULGENCE
Dare to sin, get shiny jewellery
Designer: Jerry D’Arcey, Rob Daviau, Justin D. Jacobson | Artist: Chelsea Harper
R
estoration Games is doing
a good deed, bringing
older, forgotten games
back into the light. Among
them, 1981’s Dragonmaster and
1966’s Coup d’Etat have got a new life
as Indulgence, a trick-taking game
with an Italian Renaissance theme.
Trick-taking serves as the base
for many successful traditional
card games for a reason. It is an
ingenious fun base mechanic that fits
well within games with a variety of
complexities, as simple and accessible
as hearts to as layered and complex
as préférence. Adopting this system
as its base, Indulgence is already off
to a good start. However, excitingly,
it did not stop there and added a
breath of modernity to the gameplay
with its ‘edict’ mechanic. With one
simple deck of cards, the game gets a
extra splash of variation and strategy
with a push-your-luck mechanic,
making Indulgence immediately stand
out against similar card games.
The ruler for the round chooses
an edict that all other players have
to obey. This could be as simple as
‘Don’t take the first or the last tricks.’
061_080_played_v6 MJ.indd 73
WHAT'S IN If anyone breaks the rule, they pay
THE BOX? coins to the ruler – important as the
◗ 36 family cards player with the most money wins
(nine cards in each the game. However, all players have
of the four families) an opportunity to turn the game on
◗ 20 double-sided
its head. One player may choose to
edict cards
◗ Four papal bull cards commit a 'sin' by playing the opposite
◗ Four strongbox cards of the edict and, if successful, then
◗ Edict deck cover card everyone else will pay coins to that
◗ 20 five-florin gems player. The latter is much harder to
◗ 26 one-florin coins do, so a sinner gets the 'Indulgence',
◗ Indulgence ring a ring that allows a player to turn one
of their cards into a ’10’, the highest
number in the game. The ring is also
really fun to wear!
There is a good variety of edicts, as
well as an optional advanced set, and
they keep the gameplay competitive
and fresh as every round plays
differently. Edicts help to move the
game along, as sometimes you do
not need to play a complete round. If
a player claimed they would collect
all Medici cards, and failed to do so
within two hands, that’s the game over
for that round and there is no need to
TRY THIS IF YOU LIKE… HEARTS
If you are new to trick-taking, hearts is a great starting point. All you need is a
simple deck of playing cards and at least one more person to play with.
45-60m 3-4 14+ £20
stretch it out. Sometimes rounds are
quick and easy, and sometimes they
are slower, full of tension – it's good to
have this variety.
Indulgence looks absolutely
stunning, from the gorgeous tarot-sized
cards – featuring Renaissance figures
from the Medici, Borgia, Sforza and
Orsini families – to the coins, colourful
gems and the shiny ring itself. One has
to wonder if some of the components
are slightly excessive, unnecessarily
inflating the price of the game; did we
need gems of five different colours
(confusingly the colour itself serves no
gameplay purpose) which only signify
a value of five coins? Did we need a
toy ring that could have been easily
replaced with a simple token? The
answer may be in the very name of the
game. Sometimes, we need to indulge
ourselves with sparkly, pretty things.
If you want austerity, get a deck of
playing cards; if you want a bit of flashy
excess, Indulgence has you covered.
Yet, in prettying the game up, some
elements have taken a backseat. The
biggest graphical oversight are the
cards themselves, which, based on
the location of the signs, are not left-
handed player friendly. The problem
is exacerbated by the red-blue-violet
colour scheme, making it harder
to distinguish between the suits,
especially in dimmer light.
Graphical nit-piking
aside, Indulgence is hard to fault
for much else. It brings back all the
best childhood memories of playing
trick-taking card games, and adds a
well-needed bit of freshness with the
edict mechanic.
ALEX SONECHKINA
WE SAY
Indulgence is a great card game that,
while not doing anything particularly
revolutionary, brings more than enough
new and interesting ideas to the table.
The quality of the art and components
also add to the appeal.
tabletopgaming.co.uk 73
16/11/2017 11:18
 P L AY E D
NMBR 9
Simple ideas and tricky solutions add up to a perfect puzzler
Designer: Peter Wichmann | Artist: Fiore Gmb
T
ake John Lennon’s favourite
number, subtract the vowels and
what does it equal? The brilliantly
easy-to-grasp, hard-to-master tile-
placing puzzle NMBR 9.
The name is a bit of a fib: there are
actually ten numbers here, from 0 to
the titular doctor’s orders. Each tiled
numeral is crafted from an eye-catching
grid of colourful squares, bringing to
mind the interlocking jigsaw of Tetris
as a card is drawn and each player
connects the same digit into their
individual display.
This is where the magic starts
to happen. You see, you’re not just
building your arrangement of abstract
shapes outwards. Oh, no, that would
be far too easy. You’re also building
upwards, with each layered tile needing
to be completely supported by the digits
underneath to be placed.
What’s important about this is that
each number is worth an amount of
points equal to its shape multiplied
by the level on which it sits – with the
bottom floor earning a big fat zero for
every tile laid there.
This is where the deceptively simple
game becomes a head-scratching
puzzler for the ages, as players try
to build up their foundations from
low-scoring digits to pave the way for
bountiful 8s and 9s on the top of their
74 December 2017
061_080_played_v6 MJ.indd 74
heap. Getting a modest 3, 4 and 5 on
the first level is all very well, but is easily
outclassed by engineering a platform for
a doubled – or even tripled – 7, 8 or 9 on
the next floor up.
It’s a genius concept that summons
a mind-boggling number of variations
and options from just a handful of tiles
and cards. There’s a real joy in finding
yourself with the space for a 9 high
up, just as there’s a crushing sense of
WHAT'S IN regret when you fill a space with one
THE BOX? number only for the next card to offer
◗ 80 number tiles up an even better alternative. The light
◗ 20 number cards randomisation of the cards keeps things
◗ Rulebook endlessly fresh, and it’s all kept fair
within the context of a single match by
the whole group laying each number
down at once. (This does mean there’s
the chance of someone cheating by
copying a more experienced player, but
only if you play with spoilsports.)
The almost limitless number of
combinations – horizontally and
vertically – can be overwhelming
for new players or those prone to
overthinking. Yet, with so few rules or
restrictions on how each tile can be
placed – plus the spice of luck – going
with your gut can sometimes be nearly
TRY THIS IF YOU LIKED… KINGDOMINO
After another pacey tile-layer that’s a joy to play? NMBR 9 offers an abstract
alternative with more verticality – and brain-busting – than its family-friendly peer.
CE
ED
IT
O R'S C H OI
20m 1-4 8+ £25
as effective as planning ahead, stopping
each turn from sticking for too long.
The climax can be a tinsy bit mathsy (if
you play well enough, at least) as each
player tots up their score, but if you can
remember your nine times table to four
or so you’ll be fine. Speaking of which,
it’s a perfect game for kids looking to
sharpen their mental maths.
All 20 cards are drawn in a single
game, but matches can still be over in
as little as 10 minutes depending on
who’s playing (the simultaneous play
means it doesn’t increase with bigger
groups), and very rarely oversteps the
20-minute mark. Setup and pack-
up is another minute tops, with 30
seconds or so to explain the rules with
newcomers. In other words, this is an
ideal filler game for spare moments
– and you’ll want to be filling every
moment you get with it.
MATT JARVIS
WE SAY
Proving that simple doesn’t mean
brainless, NMBR 9 can be learnt
in 30 seconds and played in 20
minutes but provides hours of head-
scratching puzzling.
16/11/2017 11:18
 THE EXPANSE BOARD GAME
Conquer the expanse and control the Solar System in this
clever adaptation of the hit TV show
Designer: Geoff Engelstein
2
00 years in the future, humanity
has colonised the solar system.
Two major super powers – the
Earth-based U.N. and Martian M.C.R.N.
– are battling for control of the system
and its people. The people living in the
Asteroid Belt are forming their own
government, the O.P.A., to fight against
their oppressive inner-planet overlords.
In the shadows, a power scientific
organisation ProtoGen has discovered
a new form of life and are looking to
weaponise it.
The Expanse Board Game is based
on two seasons of the TV show – itself
adapted from a series of six chunky
books (with more to come) – but that
brief introduction is just about all you
need to understand about the universe
to get going in the game.
Universes and franchises tend to be
vast and complex, making it hard to
translate them into board games with
thematically relevant gameplay that
also happen to be welcoming to new
audiences, all of which The Expanse
Board Game is trying to do. The game’s
primary focus is on gaining influence
over planets, space stations and
satellites. Each player takes control of
one of the power groups – Earth, Mars,
061_080_played_v6 MJ.indd 75
60m 2-4 14+ £50
WHAT'S IN Belt or ProtoGen – with their own set of
THE BOX? unique abilities and space fleets. While
◗ Game board there are concepts of destroying enemy
◗ 52 action cards ships or using the spaceship Rocinante
◗ Six bonus and its crew (central characters in the
sector tokens
Expanse story) to achieve various goals,
◗ Four initiative tokens
◗ Six score cards
these aspects of gameplay are stripped
◗ Four faction mats to their bare bones. Fans of The Expanse
◗ 12 faction tech cards may be disappointed by how much the
◗ Rocinante mat game simplifies its universe, but a lot
◗ 18 fleet tokens more care and thought has been put into
◗ 73 influence tokens it than it may seem at a cursory glance.
◗ Rocinante token Although the same mechanics could
◗ Two battleship tokens be applied to basically any theme, the
◗ Two scrap ship tokens
game has enough touches to make
◗ Two protomolecule
tokens gameplay and the theme click. For those
◗ Three diplomat tokens unfamiliar with the story, these details
might not mean much in themselves,
but they are good little nods for fans.
For example, M.C.R.N. have the
strongest, most advanced navy in the
system – therefore in the game, they
have two powerful battleships in their
fleet. Similarly, the other three factions
have their own asymmetric abilities that
reflect the in-universe lore.
The game gets one key aspect of
the universe absolutely right: the
atmosphere of factions struggling for
control, with each having their own
certain advantages and constraints.
The cards help to bring the human
element into play, too. Each represents
a character or a situation, where the
event of the card relates to their story.
Sometimes it is a loose connection, but
in general the correlation between the
character and event is spot on.
During their turn, players choose to
use either an event or action points on
the card. If the event has not been picked
by the active player, their opponents,
in initiative order, may decide to use it
instead. This is the main gamble within
the game; action points are great – they
can be spent on spreading influence or
building fleets – but events are powerful
enough not to be given away lightly,
especially since they can be used against
you. This mechanic makes the three- or
four-player game deliciously tense, but is
severely lacking in the two-player variant.
The cards are a prominent feature
of the game, and it will take some time
to read through and understand the
significance of their abilities. Therefore,
The Expanse will be better on your
second or third time playing. Learning
won't take long – because almost all
actions affect every player, there is little
downtime between turns and everyone
discovers everything at the same time.
The Expanse is certainly not the
prettiest board game, although
its components are entirely
functional. Its slightly generic look
is overpowered by the clever and
strategic gameplay, as well as the
great symbiosis with its theme.
ALEX SONECHKINA
WE SAY
The Expanse manages to balance
appealing to new audiences with
providing enough nods to fans of the
franchise. Its asymmetric struggle
for area control is deep enough
mechanically to keep players engaged
throughout, while the rules are simple
enough for anyone to pick up.
TRY THIS IF YOU LIKED…
TWILIGHT STRUGGLE
The Expanse Board Game takes the
tense back-and-forth struggle for
domination from
Twilight Struggle,
but subtracts two
hours of gameplay
and adds two
extra players and a
theme that is less
close to home.
tabletopgaming.co.uk 75
16/11/2017 11:18
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figures first

p076.indd 1 08/11/2017 16:05

 P L AY E D
ABANDON PLANET
The latest from the creator of The Resistance and Avalon is
a game worth getting stranded with
Designer: Don Eskridge | Artist: Bobby Reichle
E
veryone’s your enemy but
someone has to eventually
become your friend in Abandon
Planet, the latest devious design
from The Resistance and Avalon
mastermind Don Eskridge.
The premise is simple, but
ingenious: stuck on a planet, each
player needs to build a rocket and
escape before the world is turned into
little more than space rubble by an
unrelenting meteor storm. The issue is
that, unsurprisingly, one person alone
isn’t enough to construct and pilot
a complex spacefaring machine, so
players are forced to escape in pairs.
The couples aren’t fixed, mind, so
your allegiances will shift depending
on whoever has the bits you need – as
well as who has double-crossed you
in the past.
Finding the parts for your spaceship
on a strange world is remarkably easy.
Every turn, players secretly select then
simultaneously reveal one of six paths
to travel down and collect resources,
from food to fuel, with short clashes
and the potential for resource stealing
when two players end up on the
same tile. The intriguing combination
of light worker-placement and
resource-gathering mechanics with
December 2017
061_080_played_v6 MJ.indd 77
40-80m 4-8 14+ £39
Eskridge’s signature social deduction
gives Abandon Planet a unique
level of strategy that goes beyond
similar games that only focus on the
deceit and betrayal. Sometimes it
ends up being not quite as brutal or
conversation-stirring as you’d perhaps
like, but the constant search for an
escape companion means the social
WHAT'S IN elements are never lost in the mix;
THE BOX? somehow, it all ends up working just
◗ 88 wooden tokens
◗ 25 meteorite tokens
about enough.
◗ 48 path cards At the end of every round, a meteor
◗ Eight rockets comes hurtling down and completely
◗ Die destroys one of the tiles at random,
◗ Base hex replacing it with a special ability –
◗ 12 resource tiles that is, until a prong takes too many
◗ 20 aftermath chevrons
(plus two blanks)
hits and is completely decimated,
reducing the number of options
◗ Eight inventory sheets
available on subsequent turns. As
◗ Four quick
reference sheets well as being a delightfully tense
countdown timer and tying into the
◗ Two double-sided
goal sheets drive to flee the planet (it can be that
nobody escapes if the entire board
is blown up), it acts as an elegant
way of gradually clicking up the heat
throughout the game, forcing players
into more and more collisions with
TRY THIS IF YOU LIKED… SECRETS
Abandon Planet lacks the proper hidden deception and tension of Secrets, but takes the
concept of shifting alliances in a completely new direction with a good deal of success.
each other on the ever-shrinking map
and encouraging more of the frantic
persuasion, bribery and thievery
that really brings the game to life.
What makes this even funnier is that
one player each round knows where
the meteor will land, presenting the
chance to lead unwitting foes into
a trap and force them to lose their
collected items.
The amusing – if absurd – theme is
mirrored by the bright, hard-hitting
visuals, which bring to mind the
vivid colours of pop art and evocative
design of sci-fi comic books during
the space age. The multi-armed layout
and unique spaceship pawns make for
a great setup on the tabletop, although
the diddly resource tokens and quirky
shape of the aftermath cards can also
make it a little more fiddly than it
needs to be at times.
Running in at up to just over an
hour, Abandon Planet lacks the
immediate punch of shorter social
deduction games, allowing players
to somewhat slowly build up their
stocks over the first few rounds before
things really start to boil over. That
doesn’t mean there’s no chance for
intense debate and accusation, but it’s
an overall mellower pace – although
those used to the instant suspicion of
The Resistance may find things drag
just a tiny bit too much.
What Abandon Planet lacks a little
in terms of intensity, it makes up for
with a personality that sets it apart
from the crowd. It’s a subtly smart
collision of traditional gameplay with
social aspects that results in a game
that’s a great deal of fun with the
right people. Sometimes, that’s all
you need.
MATT JARVIS
WE SAY
Not quite worker placement and
not quite social deduction, Abandon
Planet is a mashup of disparate parts
that somehow pulls it all together. It
can lack tension at moments and go
on a little too long, but the top-notch
presentation and slippery loyalties
mean things stay
entertaining and
engaging throughout.
tabletopgaming.co.uk 77
16/11/2017 11:19
 P L AY E D
CE
ED
IT
O R'S C H OI
DOWNFORCE
Ready your engines for this exhilarating
tune-up of an ‘80s racing classic
Designer: Daviau, Jacobson, Kramer | Artist: Coburn, Crampton
I
n 1974, Wolfgang Kramer – board
gaming’s first celebrity – released a
game called Tempo. It was an abstract
racing game that involved players
revealing cards to propel six pawns down
a straight track, while betting on which
pawn would place first. It wasn’t until
Tempo was reborn in 1980 as Niki Lauda’s
Formel 1 that it would cement its place in
gaming history, capturing the speed and
spirit of breathless motor-racing around a
circuit with its straightforward but utterly
captivating gameplay. After a Daytona
500-themed re-release over in the US in
1990, the game dropped its licences and
returned as Top Race in 1996, picking up
a Spiel des Jahres nomination – before
disappearing completely from the public
consciousness. Until now.
Downforce is a reboot of Top Race from
Restoration Games, a studio devoted to
digging up forgotten tabletop treasures
and dusting them off for a modern
audience. As such, Downforce focuses
more on applying a fresh coat of paint
to Top Race than completely stripping
out its engine – and with good reason,
78 December 2017
061_080_played_v6 MJ.indd 78
30-45m 2-6 8+ £40
because the game remains an utter
delight to play.
Downforce’s card-powered driving is the
showy squealing tyres and flaming exhaust
of the game. Most of the cards don’t just
boost a single car along the track – they
often force players to move a group of cars
in order, with each vehicle going a different
WHAT'S IN distance. The subtle but significant
THE BOX? difference this makes is the crux to the
◗ Double-sided board otherwise simple concept, as cars nose
◗ Six race cars
ahead of each other on the straights and
◗ 42 regular speed cards
sprint to cut off their opponents around
◗ Six speed-8 cards
◗ Six power cards the single-lane corners. It’s a hilarious,
◗ Six driver plaques joyous translation of the high-octane
◗ Score sheet pad rivalry of motor-racing that manages to
keep its foot on the pedal throughout every
race thanks to no car being left behind.
While the driving is the flashy shell of
Downforce, the real fuel in its tank comes
from its second system: the bidding. Every
game begins with an auction for the six
cars on the grid, each of which comes with
TRY THIS IF YOU LIKED… WINNER’S CIRCLE
Downforce’s high-octane theme, outstanding visuals and card-fuelled driving
will grip you to the track and leave the horseracing favourite in the dust.
a unique random power from a separate
deck of cards and is bid for using a hand of
speed cards. The setup means each player
has at least one car on the track, giving
them a personal stake in the action once
the lights turn green. This matters, because
the whole group must place secret bids
three times during the race on who they
think will finish first in order to recoup
some of their investment. This means
Downforce becomes more than a simple
case of wanting to see your own cars finish
on the podium, as an obvious frontrunner
can benefit your rivals, while hedging
your bets or firing an underdog from the
back of the pack for a surprise photo finish
can rake in the money needed to claim
overall victory. The bidding framework
and hidden secondary motives not only
absorbs every player in the moment-
to-moment drama of the race, but also
gives the game a far deeper scope than
you might expect, keeping the excitement
running high until the last score is totaled.
With the gameplay so strong, the
presentation of Downforce completes the
package, with the lavishly-illustrated board
popping with colour on both its unique
tracks. It would’ve been nice to have the
cars to feature a little more detail, but that
doesn’t hamper the childlike joy of weaving
them between rivals and screeching their
plastic tyres around bends. The speed and
driver cards similarly burst with colour,
keeping things easy to read while capturing
the spectacle. Not to mention that the
drivers themselves boast a commendable
level of racial and gender diversity – which
is clear even with their racing helmets on.
Like watching an F1 car throttle down
the home straight, Downforce is fast,
exhilarating and – above all – a lot of fun.
The gameplay may be a few decades old,
but there’s no need to fix something that
already runs like a dream.
MATT JARVIS
WE SAY
With the original engine of Top Race
purring beautifully under its bonnet,
Downforce is a majestic return for
the captivating racing series. The
fantastic presentation brings to life the
breathtaking speed and glee of watching
high-end cars battle for position on
the track, with the background bidding
meaning things never hit the brakes.
16/11/2017 11:19
 GHOST COURT
All rise… from the grave
Designer: Jason Morningstar | Artist: Richard Sala
G
host Court bills itself as a
ridiculous improvisational
party game about a spectral
small claims court and, while it
certainly fulfils the first few parts
of the description, there’s room for
debate over whether it really counts
as a game.
In true legal fashion, however, it
seems that the fair thing to do is to
examine the evidence to see how
well each one of the game’s claims
are supported.
First, we have ‘ridiculous’, and
luckily all the evidence we need for
that can be found in the setup – a
courtroom where a ghostly judge
061_080_played_v6 MJ.indd 79
6+ £25
WHAT'S IN presides over cases concerning
THE BOX? undead spirits. Sometimes this means
◗ A simple rulebook a dispute between a recently evicted
◗ One-minute and poltergeist and the human who
three-minute timers bought her house, or it could be an
◗ Four tarot-sized
argument between two ghosts over
role cards
◗ 30 cases (including
haunting rights.
tarot-sized Each case takes about five minutes
defendant, plaintiff to run, with the two players taking the
and summary cards) roles of the plaintiff and defendant
getting a chance to present their
arguments before a judge asks
questions and presents a decision.
In practice, it feels like a daytime TV
court series like Judge Judy, only sped
up and tinged with the occult.
The cases generally have a good
twist of madcap weirdness, but
also get you thinking about real-
life parallels. Sometimes this can
be thought-provoking, but it can
also verge a little too close to reality
considering the wacky premise. It
turns out that bickering over who
cares for a dog in the wake of a divorce
isn’t particularly livened up by the fact
that it can walk through walls.
This brings us on to the second
claim – ‘improvisational’. Again, this
is hard to argue against as, while
each case comes with a smattering of
information, most of the game consists
of spinning tales and bouncing off your
fellow players. For example, the bare
facts may explain that the defendant is
very attached to a haunted necklace,
but winning the case will probably
require you to weave a story of lost love
and precious memories.
While this may sound simple
enough, anyone who has tried improv
comedy, theatre or whatever else
will know that producing something
entertaining can be incredibly tough.
Even if you put together a heart-
wrenching tale that’s guaranteed to
secure your victory in the case, it may
be for naught if leave your opponent
with nowhere to go and nothing to
work off.
TRY THIS IF YOU LIKED… FIASCO
Ghost Court is filled with imagination, and getting together
with a big group of roleplayers familiar with Fiasco-esque
storytelling is probably the best way to enjoy it.
This can cause a conflict with the
‘party’ aspect of Ghost Court, and
all the evidence you need for that
claim can be found in the six-plus
player count listed on the box.
The rules call for a full court staff,
ranging from a judge to a reporter
who chronicles the case and even
interviews the participants once
everything is finished.
Finding the numbers to fully stock
every role can be tough, but the game
shines when you have a lot of people
willing to commit to the experience,
as well as props and a decent amount
of time to play. It’s entirely possible
to cut a few participants – honestly
everything but the judge and the
defendants is optional – but the
lack of an audience eats away at the
entertainment value.
This brings us – finally – to the
most contentious claim of all. Is Ghost
Court really a game?
To be honest, the answer is ‘not
really’. It’s fun and it’s got some
neat ideas, but it feels as though it’s
caught it a weird place between an
improv workshop and incredibly
loose roleplaying game.
Perhaps this is understandable,
considering that it comes to us from
the creator of heist-gone-wrong
RPG Fiasco, but if there was more
information on the cards so that
players could expose lies and marshal
arguments against the clock it would
feel more completive. As it is, the
information only really represents
a framework and a few prompts for
players to run with.
If you have some friends over and
they’re willing to commit to some silly
fun, you’ll probably have a good time
with Ghost Court. However, the same
argument could be made for Plan 9
from Outer Space, and at least that
doesn’t involve fiddling around with
egg timers.
RICHARD JANSENPARKES
WE SAY
Some great ideas
and an intriguing
premise fall short
in execution.
tabletopgaming.co.uk 79
16/11/2017 11:19
 P L AY E D
HANAMIKOJI
Designer: Kota Nakayama | Artist: Maisherly
N
amed after the famous geisha
street in the Japanese city
of Kyoto, Hanamikoji is a
swift battle of the charms as its two
STOP THIEF!
Designer: Rob Daviau, Robert Doyle, Justin D. Jacobson | Artist: Roland MacDonald
1
979’s Stop Thief was a forerunner
to the app-powered board games
of today, with the blocky mobile
phone-like Electronic Crime Scanner
barking out bleeps and bloops as clues
to an invisible criminal’s nefarious
doings as they snuck around the map
stealing valuables. It’s fitting, then, that
this reboot not only adds an exciting
new exclamation mark to the title but
also shifts the tech side of things to a free
companion app – complete with actual
sound effects of breaking glass, footsteps,
bustling crowds and creaking doors.
The action stands as a fully
competitive alternate to semi-co-op
hidden movement games such as Letters
from Whitechapel and Fury of Dracula.
With the baddie now a computer-
controlled goon, players each race to
apprehend the crook to claim the reward
first, dictated by a randomly-drawn thief
card and increased if the robber manages
to steal even more while fleeing or
triggers their ability. This also means that
the game doesn’t end if a single target
is caught, but when a certain amount
of money is earned by an investigator,
80 December 2017
061_080_played_v6 MJ.indd 80
15m 2 10+ £17
players try to ply seven of the female
entertainers with gifts of flowers, tea,
music and more.
This is more than a simple race to
impress, though. Key to the game’s
enrapturing allure are its four action
tokens, all of which can – and must
– be used once and only once by
each player during a round. Two are
straightforward: discard two item
cards and hide one to reveal during
the end-of-round scoring. The other
two are where Hanamikoji’s magic
really lies, as they force each player to
politely present a choice of cards to
their opponent, who picks either one
of three individual items or decides
between two sets of two to add to their
own offering.
Attracting the favour of a geisha
is as straightforward as having the
most items on your side, so knowing
making the game more of a fast-paced
foot chase than a slow and methodical
manhunt – reflected by the forgiving
difficulty and explicit audio cues.
With little time to build tension, the
action is less intimidating but can be
a little one-note. Fortunately, things
are kept interesting by each detective’s
unique deck of movement cards and
abilities. The audio clues are played to
the group, introducing a fun level of
collective memorisation and deduction
to the hunt, but players can also choose
to get a private hint to give them an
edge over their adversaries and avoid
the frustration of running in circles.
The sumptuous main map and cards
are packed with amusing details and
Easter eggs, while the production values
across the rest of the components sparkle
– even the meeples feature a surprising
amount of detail. The app itself is snappy
and pleasantly fully-featured, with
support for custom setups (including the
retro original sound effects). The options
menu currently teases future support for
one-versus-all, co-op and solo modes,
a testament to the updatability of apps.
what to offer your rival – and when –
involves an absorbing combination
of bluffing, strategy and luck. The
tension is heightened by the hidden
card on either side and one item
that remains in the box each round,
keeping the outcome just a little
unpredictable to the last reveal.
Hanamikoji plays quick, teaches
quicker and can end in a single round,
although there’s the chance to come
back at any point if the action spills
over to a second or third thanks to two
different ways to win. Although the
consequence of each action can lead to
pauses to consider your next move, the
limited pool of choices keeps things
moving and never overwhelms, while
still being significant and strategic
enough to encourage play after play.
All of this comes in a set that is
achingly beautiful to look at, with
sumptuous cards and exquisite
illustrations. Enchantingly designed
and immaculately presented,
Hanamikoji is a must-have.
MATT JARVIS
30-45m 2-4 8+ £30
We’d also love for alternate audio packs,
as the small range of effects can become
a little monotonous.
Stop Thief! is a lavish return for a
groundbreaking game. It may not
boast the same level of complexity or
tension as modern successors, yet its
lighthearted cat-and-mouse pursuits
remain an easier-going alternative
for those who still want to experience
the excitement of hidden movement
without the more daunting elements.
MATT JARVIS
tabletopgaming.co.uk
16/11/2017 11:19
 The event you’ve
all been waiting for...

29–30th September 2018

Alexandra Palace
THE LONDON SHOW FOR BOARD GAMES, RPGS & MINIATURES

Sign up to our free newsletter for the latest show news at

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From the team that brings you Tabletop Gaming & Miniature Wargames

tabletopGamingLiveFP.indd 8 16/11/2017 11:22

 BLOOD RAGE
Follow our tips to give Eric Lang’s brutal Viking board game a suitably epic makeover
Words and pictures by Andy Leighton
T
his month I’ll be showing you how to
paint a selection of the models that
come with Cool Mini or Not’s Blood
Rage, a game set during Ragnarok, with
various Viking clans fighting for glory to
earn their place in Valhalla.
Alongside the Vikings comes a healthy
dose of Norse mythology in the form of gods
and monsters, and it is these creatures that
I’ll be focusing on in this month’s guide.
The four largest models in the box
– the frost giant, fire giant, troll and
083_087_paintingGuide_v4 MJ.indd 83
sea serpent – tower over the rest of the
models and look amazing painted up for
your games night.
The sculpts perfectly capture the
essence of the artwork that created them
and, much like our last guide for Scythe,
this game has had its universe created
through the work of a renowned artist.
Adrian Smith has managed to create a
beautiful vision of the Vikings’ end of the
world and the use of a single artist really
ties that world together.
The models that come with the game add
to that unifying feel. Each one feels like it is
pulled straight from the artwork which, if
you want to keep to the theme, provides a
fantastic painting guide in and of itself.
While the whole selection of models
found within the Blood Rage box look
exceptional, it is these giant creatures that
really catch your eye. Painting them up will
add a special element to the game, with
every player vying for an allegiance with
these beasts.
tabletopgaming.co.uk 83
16/11/2017 11:25
 BLOOD RAGE

PAINTS & TECHNIQUES

PAINTS USED ZENITHAL HIGHLIGHTING STAGES
Abaddon Black Lothern Blue Zenithal highlighting at its core is a much more complicated process Each creature is split up into four stages, each with a list of
Agrax Earthshade Mechanicus Standard Grey than what I am going to show you in this guide. I will show a basic version colours and the corresponding paint that was used for it. Each
Averland Sunset Mephiston Red that helps apply a simplified version of highlighting. This begins at the stage uses a different technique to achieve a similar effect on
Baneblade Brown Nuln Oil basecoating stage, while preparing the model for the later stages. each element but with different colours.
Beil-Tan Green Pallid Wych Flesh Stage 1 is base colours. Base colours are applied using a mix
Blue Horror Pink Horror Begin by basecoating the miniature black. of glazes and flat colours.
Cadian Fleshtone Rakarth Flesh This is easiest with a black spray paint. Stage 2 is applying shading. In this stage we use various
Castellan Green Rhinox Hide washes and glazes to add an element of shading to the models.
Ceramite White Russ Grey Stage 3 is highlighting. This stage involves applying a line of
Dawnstone Screamer Pink your colour along the hard edges and ridges of the area. I would
Doombull Brown Steel Legion Drab recommend using a fine brush and adding a tiny dash of water
Dorn Yellow Sybarite Green to your paints.
Drakenhof Nightshade Thousand Sons Blue Once the black is dry, apply a light spray of Stage 4 is a final highlight. This involves adding a small dot or
Fenrisian Grey Thunderhawk Blue white from the top around the model. dash of a colour, generally in the same area as the previous
Flash Gitz Yellow Troll Slayer Orange This will create a light element of highlighting highlight, but focusing on corners or where folds in cloth meet.
Flayed One Flesh Ulthuan Grey and shading straight off the bat, that will For hair or fur it involves adding a dot to the tip of each strand.
Gauss Blaster Green Valhallan Blizzard either provide shading and highlighting in If you find yourself unsure of where to apply the highlights or
Kislev Flesh Yriel Yellow later stages or a guide as to where they spot highlights, look over the images alongside the guide and
Krieg Khaki XV-88 should be applied. compare that stage to the last.

SEA SERPENT
1 BASE COLOURS
Sybarite Green: Mix with four parts water and apply over all of the flesh,
except the tentacles. With only a very light amount on your brush, pull
the brush along the tentacles towards the head to create a gradient.
Thousand Sons Blue: Mix with two parts water and apply over the waves.
Pink Horror: Paint the entire mouth.
Rakarth Flesh: Apply to the teeth.

2 SHADING
Castellan Green: Mix with five parts water. With only a very light
amount on the brush, apply to the recesses and undersides of the flesh.
Temple Guard Blue: Mix with four parts water and apply over the
tentacles, using only a very small amount where it joins with the green.
Agrax Earthshade: Apply across the mouth and teeth.
Biel-Tan Green: Apply to the bottom half of the
waves, adding small touches to the top half.

3 HIGHLIGHTING
Pallid Wych Flesh: Mix with five parts water and apply a small
amount up the centre of the serpent’s belly. Also use this mix
to apply lines across the tentacles and random intervals.
Use pure Pallid Wych Flesh to apply a highlight to the teeth.
Lothern Blue: Apply a drybrush to the top half of the waves.
Screamer Pink: Add a line highlight to the tongue
and the gums where they meet the teeth.

4 FINAL HIGHLIGHT
Gauss Blaster Green: Apply a highlight to
the top edges of the flesh, as well as adding
a few small dots on the body.
Ceramite White: Make a mix with two
parts water and apply a light coat down the
centre of the belly, the centre of the tentacle
stripes and as small dots over the body.
Pink Horror: Apply a spot highlight
to the tongue and gums.
Abaddon Black: Paint the rim of the
base up to where it meets the waves.

84 December 2017

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 1 BASE COLOURS
Rhinox Hide: Mix with around four parts water with
and apply liberally over the flesh and dreadlocks.
Averland Sunset: Apply one to two thin coats
until you have a nice flat colour on the jewellery.
Mephiston Red: Mix with one part of water and
apply over the blade, flames, mouth and eyes.
Mechanicus Standard Grey: Paint the metal
clasps between the dreads and skulls.
Rakarth Flesh: Paint the tusks.

2 SHADING
Nuln Oil: Apply into the deep crevasses and
underside of the muscles of the flesh areas.
Rhinox Hide: Mix with four parts water and, with
only a tiny amount on the brush, paint onto the lower
half of the jewellery, pulling your brush towards
the bottom. This allows more to pool in the lower
areas, heightening the effect of the shading.
Troll Slayer: Mix with four parts water and apply across
the blade, eyes and towards the back of the mouth.
Wait for the first coat to dry and apply a second.

3 HIGHLIGHTING
Steel Legion Drab: Add stripes to the
raised muscles and creases in the flesh.
Flash Gitz Yellow: Add a highlight to
the top edges of all the jewellery.
Yriel Yellow: Mix with three parts
water and apply across the centre of
the blade, the back of the mouth and
the pupils of the eyes. Wait for the
first coat to dry and apply a second.
Russ Grey: Add a line to the top
and bottom of the metal clasps.

4 FINAL HIGHLIGHT
Krieg Khaki: Add another line towards the centre of
those previously applied with Steel Legion Drab.
Dorn Yellow: Add a mix of spot and line highlights to
the top edges of the jewellery, as well as some spot
highlights on any corners found near the bottom.
Ulthuan Grey: Apply a spot highlight

FIRE GIANT
to the top of the metal clasps.
Pallid Wych Flesh: Apply a layer to the tusks,
as well as adding a dash to each tooth.

FIRE GIANT BASE

Rhinox Hide and Troll Slayer
Orange: Paint the whole base
Rhinox Hide, but add a 1cm
ring of Troll Slayer Orange
around the giant’s foot.
Yriel Yellow: Apply a line Abaddon Black: Drybrush Steel Legion Drab: Apply Krieg Khaki and Abaddon Flocking: Use a small amount
around the foot, leaving some over the orange and a heavy drybrush over the Black: Apply a light drybrush of PVA to apply small tufts of
of the previous coat showing yellow areas. areas previously painted of Krieg Khaki and then paint static grass.
around the outer edges. with Rhinox Hide. the rim with Abaddon Black.

tabletopgaming.co.uk 85

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 BLOOD RAGE

FROST GIANT

1 BASE COLOURS
Lothern Blue: Make a mix with three
parts water and apply over the skin.
Rakarth Flesh: Apply a light
coat over the hair.
Mechanicus Standard Grey: Apply a coat
over the rock and metal arm bands.

2 SHADING
Thousand Sons Blue: Mix with three parts
water and apply to the underside of the
muscles and deep recesses of the skin.
Nuln Oil: Apply a coat to the metal arm bands.
Drakenhof Nightshade: Apply a coat to the rock.

3 HIGHLIGHTING
Pallid Wych Flesh: Mix with three
parts water and apply a light layer to
the top of the muscles and hard edges
of the skin. Apply another layer after
the first, but focus only on the very
top of the muscles and hard edges.
Also add a coat of pure Pallid Wych
Flesh onto each strand of the hair.
Russ Grey: Apply a light drybrush to the
rock and the edges of the metal armbands.

FROST GIANT BASE

Thunderhawk Blue: Paint a
coat over the entire base.
Dawnstone: Apply a drybrush.
Ulthuan Grey and Abaddon
Black: Apply a light drybrush
of Ulthuan Grey and then
paint the rim of the base
with Abaddon Black.
Valhallan Blizzard: Add
patches across the base,
leaving some of the sand
showing through. Also apply
small blobs to the rock.
4 FINAL
HIGHLIGHT
Ceramite White:
Add a line highlight to
the top edges of the
muscles and a spot
highlight to the hard
edges of the skin.
Ulthuan Grey: Add a
spot highlight to the
metal arm bands.
Fenrisian Grey: Add
a line highlight to
the topmost hard
edges of the rock.

86 December 2017

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 TROLL BASE

Doombull Brown: Basecoat XV-88: Apply a drybrush. Kreig Khaki and Abaddon Foliage: Use a small amount
the base. Black: Apply a light drybrush of of PVA to add some static
Krieg Khaki and paint the rim of grass of various shades.
the base with Abaddon Black.
1 BASE COLOURS
Cadian Fleshtone: Mix with four parts
water and apply a light coat over the flesh.
Rhinox Hide: Mix with three parts water
and apply over the hair and belt.
Averland Sunset: Apply one to two thin coats
over the jewellery until you have a flat colour.
Mechanicus Standard Grey: Paint
a coat onto the head of the hammer
and the links in the hair.
Steel Legion Drab: Apply a coat to the
necklace and the handle of the hammer.

2 SHADING
Kislev Flesh: Apply a layer over the flesh,
focusing towards the topmost areas of
the muscles and ridges in the flesh.
Rhinox Hide: Mix with three parts water and apply
to the bottom half of the head of the hammer.
Rakarth Flesh: Apply a coat to the
teeth and necklace elements.
Baneblade Brown: Apply a line
highlight to the hair.
Agrax Earthshade: Apply a coat
over the hammer handle.

3 HIGHLIGHTING
Beil Tan Green: Mix with two parts water and apply carefully
under the muscles, and in any of the deep recesses in the skin.
Russ Grey: Apply a line highlight to the hammer
head and the links in the hair.
Yriel Yellow: Apply a line highlight to the top edges of the jewelllery.
XV-88: Apply a line highlight across the top
edges of the wood grain in the handle.

4 FINAL HIGHLIGHT
Flayed One Flesh: Apply a fine highlight across the flesh, focusing
around the areas previously highlighted with Kislev Flesh.
Ulthuan Grey: Apply a spot highlight to the hammer head and links in the hair.
Dorn Yellow: Apply a spot highlight to the topmost edges of the jewellery.

TROLL
Fenrisian Grey: Apply a spot highlight to the topmost
edges of the hammer head and links in the hair.
Krieg Khaki: Add a fine highlight to the ridges in the grain of the hammer handle.

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 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

USING TECHNOLOGY
We venture out of the dungeon and swap our pens and paper for touchscreens
and the internet as we discover how modern tech can enhance your next session
Words by David Jagneaux

B
eing a good DM requires patience,
creativity and preparation, but
it’s also good to be versatile and
flexible. That’s why we always try
to enter every session with a small
collection of ideas that we can pull from when
we’re in a pinch. Sometimes, though, it’s just
as useful to turn the page towards the modern
era and look at all of the ways real-world
technology can enhance and improve your
gaming sessions.
It’s easy to feel trapped by the confines of
pen and paper when running a roleplaying
game campaign. The traditional way of doing
things asks DMs to write stats down by hand,
keep track of dice rolls by counting, only play
with people in the same room or simply use
your imagination for things like ambient
noise, music and sound. Luckily the year is
now 2018 and you don’t have to be limited
like that anymore. There are tons of options!
We’re going to cover five specific ways
that DMs can enhance and improve their
dungeon mastering efforts through the use
of technology. You’ll learn how to use both
official applications from RPG publishers
and third-party digital tools, why keeping a
tablet nearby is essential, how to amplify the
ambiance of a room, and why living far away
doesn’t mean you can’t continue to play.
MAGIC IN THE PALM
OF YOUR HAND
The quickest and easiest way to enhance any
tabletop roleplaying game campaign is to
use one of those magical little devices that
everyone carries around in their pocket: a
smartphone or, if you’d prefer (and have even
bigger pockets), a tablet and/or laptop. Just
having one of these devices handy will go a
long way towards opening up your possibilities
as a DM, even if you own every rulebook and
campaign guide under the sun.
The fact of the matter is, no matter how
many times you’ve read over rulebooks and
character guides you don’t have everything
memorised. In a lot of cases, it’s faster to
Google or Ctrl+F something in a PDF than
it is to manually flip through pages. Going
a step further though, Wizards of the Coast
has an official D&D app and website known
as D&D Beyond that can really amplify your
game nights.
On D&D Beyond you can do everything
from check rules and look at items to search
for monster stats or even use a step-by-step
builder to create brand new characters. If

88 December 2017

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you’re playing with a group of first-timers
then this toolset is extremely useful.
WORLD WIDE WEB
OF MYSTERIES
Going beyond just that single portal is a whole
host of other ways mobile apps and websites can
be used to boost your roleplaying experience.
Let’s say, for example, that someone in your
game group didn’t bring dice – there’s an app for
that! Or what if you don’t have enough scratch
paper for taking notes, marking initiative order
or keeping track of hit points? There are plenty
of apps you could use for that, too!
However, my favourite way to use
smartphones and tablets to enhance my
DMing is a bit more flavourful. If your players
are slowly creeping through a dark forest at
night time they’d probably expect to hear wind
088_089_dMGuideToRPGs_v3 MJ.indd 89
howling, trees rustling or perhaps the caw of
a crow in the far-off distance. Or how about
the hustle and bustle of people in a busy castle
town? Using free websites and apps with sound
effects and ambient noises you can accomplish
the exact mood you’d need for any situation.
The last touch I like to use the internet for
right before or during a campaign is for name
generation. Just look up any number of free
fantasy name generators online and give all of
your NPCs a name in the world. This has the
added effect of making your world feel more
alive and helping your players remember and
connect with NPCs individually.
THROUGH THE
LOOKING GLASS
Taking things a step further, let’s talk about how
to use the internet to play with people that may
Add to the atmosphere of a setting with music
and audio effects (Wizards of the Coast)
not be in the same city (or country!) as you.
Just because your group isn’t together doesn’t
mean you can’t play. The least advanced way
of doing things would be to have your remote
player(s) call in via Skype, Google Hangouts
or something similar and set up a webcam so
that the DM can see their dice rolls, as well as
having another webcam show the table at the
main location so the player can direct what’s
going on. It’s not ideal, but it gets the job done.
If you want to go a bit further with it you can
try out online applications like Roll20, which
feature officially licensed D&D materials and
can let you simulate everything you’d ever
need all within your web browser. As long as
the DM owns the materials anyone can play
with them for free and it’s constantly getting
updated. This is a great option if everyone in
the group is a remote player.
tabletopgaming.co.uk 89
16/11/2017 13:00
 䄀圀䄀刀䐀            圀䤀一一䤀一䜀 䜀䄀䴀䔀 䴀䄀吀匀

嘀䄀刀䤀伀唀匀 䐀䤀䘀䘀䔀刀䔀一吀 䰀伀吀匀 伀䘀 䘀䰀䄀吀 刀䄀吀䔀

匀䤀娀䔀匀 䴀䄀吀䔀刀䤀䄀䰀匀 䐀䔀匀䤀䜀一匀 䔀唀 匀䠀䤀倀倀䤀一䜀

p090.indd 1 08/11/2017 16:08


EVENT REPORT
DRAGONDAZE
Event co-ordinator Simon Powell discusses the
Welsh gaming convention’s three-decade history
and charitable belief in supporting young players
Interview by Matt Jarvis
How has Dragondaze changed since it started
back in 1984?  Why is it important to give back like this?
Dragondaze was begun as part of a week of
youth activities organised by the People and
Work Unit. YouthSpeak brought together
young people from all over the county of
Gwent and threw them into many different
activities and challenges. The event went so
well it was decided by the original organisers
to run it every year on and off until 1991. The
first ‘new’ Dragondaze, which ran in 2014, was
30 years on from the original event.
The first Dragondaze was in a small church
hall, probably about 75 square metres. We
have 2,500 square metres at the new venue of
Newport Centre.
How is the ‘new’ Dragondaze different from the
original convention?
The original show didn’t have trade stands and
artists, just games. The new Dragondaze has
over 40 trade stands each year and five rooms
for gaming in beside the main hall.
 
What makes the event unique?
Dragondaze is a great place to bring your kids
and introduce them to gaming, a great family
day out. We have a good mixture of gaming
and cosplay; we offer a £50 prize for the best
costume. We also host the Welsh national
BattleTech tourney.
Many companies in the process of setting
up come to Dragondaze to test their new
games on the public – this means that you can
often get to meet the designers and sometime
contribute to the play of the game being tested.
December 2017
091_eventReport_v2 MJ.indd 91
You donate proceeds towards charity every year.
Donating to local charities helps to bring in
your local community and help take the ‘geek’
out of gaming.
Dragondaze’s focus has always been on
helping the youth of south Wales and showing
them something other than computer games
or hanging around on the street. This is why
we chose Barnardos Young Carers as the
charity to benefit from our event and, in the
third year, we added Sparkle, a local charity
that raised funds for a local children’s hospice.
We like to help the children of Wales at our
event. These are our future gamers; without
them, gaming will die out.
Other than gaming, what is there to do?
We have a cosplay competition and re-
enactment groups from the local area that
people can meet; this year we had Roman
soldiers, Vikings, knights, Napoleonic soldiers,
WWII soldiers and the local 104 regiment of
the TA, plus future soldiers, too.
 
What’s the tabletop community like in the
local area?
We have around six or seven games clubs
within a 20-mile radius of Newport, so I
would say that we have a healthy gaming
community here.
 
What can you tell us about your plans for next
year’s show – and beyond?
As for what the future holds for Dragondaze,
well, we hope to get bigger and better!
UPCOMING EVENTS
DRAGONMEET
Saturday December 2nd
Novotel London West, London
The UK’s friendliest games convention,
going strong for several decades and
offering something for every type of gamer.
This year there is twice the space that
there was last year. One floor is dedicated
solely to trade and another to games,
RPGs, the best of Essen releases, Playtest
UK and several tournaments, as well as a
full seminar schedule.
dragonmeet.co.uk
WINTER STABCON
Friday January 5th to Sunday 8th
Britannia Hotel Stockport, Stockport
A three-day convention that sells out fast
every year, Stabcon has all types of gaming in
its halls, but is more geared towards board
games in general. It’s a welcoming convention
with a well-established venue and is certainly
worth checking out, even if you don’t stay all
three days.
facebook.com/events/1314903291941444
CONTINGENCY
Wednesday January 17th to Sunday 21st
Sandy Balls Holiday Village, Fordingbridge
ConTingency took over from the now sadly
ceased Conception and is now in its second
year, having made several improvements from
the first. It’s primarily a roleplaying convention,
with a lively evening social scene. The
convention centres around Sandy Balls holiday
park in the New Forest and has a range of
games, as well as a dedicated children’s
games centre to cater for all interests.
con-tingency.uk
BASTION
Thursday January 18th to Sunday 21st
YHA Conwy, Conwy
Starting as a small convention last year
and so popular that they’ve come back for
a second, Bastion is four days of all types of
gaming held in north Wales, including board
games, miniatures, CCGs and RPGs. Taking
place in a youth hostel, you can book a bunk in
a room shared with fellow attendees for some
late-night gaming – or just turn up each day.
bastionwales.com
HANDYCON
Friday January 19th to Sunday 21st
Holiday Inn High Wycombe, High Wycombe
Another multi-discipline convention that has
been running for a few years. Taking place
in High Wycombe, and with many people
having attended for the duration that it’s
been running, it’s an excellent convention for
beginners and has a full range of activities
including a Playtest zone, bring and buy,
trade hall, tournaments, and a games library
for those wanting to try before they buy.
handycon.co.uk
tabletopgaming.co.uk 91
16/11/2017 13:01
 CLUB DIRECTORY
ABERDEENSHIRE CARMARTHENSHIRE CULLOMPTON BOARD ESSEX DARK WORLDS WATFORD
ABERDEEN CARMARTHEN GAMES GROUP BASILDON WARBOYZ GAMING SOCIETY WARGAMES CLUB
WARGAMES CLUB OLD GUARD Cullompton, EX15 1JX Basildon, SS16 4JW Fareham, PO15 6TL Watford, WD17 4PN 
Aberdeen, AB15 4YQ Carmarthen, SA31 3AD
DARK STAR GAMING COLCHESTER FIRESTORM CARDS HIGHLANDS
OLDMELDRUM TOWY VALLEY PLYMOUTH WARGAMES OPEN GAMING NIGHT DINGWALL
WARGAMES GROUP TYRANTS (TVT) Plymouth, PL4 0AL ASSOCIATION Basingstoke, RG24 8FB WARGAMES CLUB
Oldmeldrum, AB51 0AA Abergwilli, SA31 2JE Colchester, CO3 5RH Dingwall, IV15 9JZ
EAST DEVON TABLETOP FORDINGBRIDGE
AVON CHESHIRE & RPG GROUP ESSEX WARRIORS GAMING CLUB KENT
WESTON WARGAMERS ALTRINCHAM Honiton, EX14 1HR Chelmsford, CM1 3DU Fordingbridge, SP6 1AS ASHFORD (KENT)
CLUB WARGAMING CLUB BOARDGAMES CLUB
Weston-super- Altrincham, WA14 4PG EXMOUTH IMPERIAL SOUTHEND-ON-SEA GARY DONALDSON Ashford, TN24 9AJ
Mare, BS23 1NF WARGAMES CLUB ROLEPLAYING SOCIETY Waterlooville, PO8 8RG
CHESHIRE GAMERS Exmouth, EX8 4SW Southend-on-Sea, SS1 2AL BEXLEY REAPERS
AYRSHIRE Crewe, CW1 2DF PORTSMOUTH ON WARGAMING CLUB
NORTH AYRSHIRE GAME NIGHT @ CARPE FIFE BOARD Bexley, DA5 1AA
WARGAMES CLUB CONGLETON AND Plymouth, PL4 8EU DUNFERMLINE Portsmouth, PO1 1PT
Irvine, KA12 0BA DISTRICT LIGHT BOARD WARGAMING AND CANTERBURY
GAMES GROUP PLYMOUTH ROLEPLAYING RINGWOOD CRUSADERS
BEDFORDSHIRE Congleton, CW12 1AH ASSOCIATION OF FELLOWSHIP ASSOCIATION OF Canterbury, CT1 1RT
BASEMENT WARGAMERS Dunfermline, KY12 7DS WARGAMERS
GAMING CLUB WARRINGTON BOARD Plymouth, PL3 5TB Ringwood, BH24 1DW GREENWICH &
Luton, LU3 3AN GAMES CLUB EAST NEUK BLACKHEATH BOARD
Warrington, WA1 2SX DORSET TABLETOP GAMES SOLENT GAMES AND BEER CLUB
BOARD GAMES SOUTHBOURNE Anstruther, KY10 3DJ WARGAMERS CLUB London, SE3 7JQ
IN BEDFORD WINSFORD TABLETOP & Portsmouth, PO1 1PT
Bedford, MK41 0TU WARHAWKS BOARDGAMERS FLINTSHIRE MAIDSTONE
WARGAMING CLUB Bournemouth, BH6 3AA DEESIDE DEFENDERS SOUTHAMPTON WARGAMES SOCIETY
BEDFORD BOARD Winsford, CW7 4AT Chester, CH4 0DR SLUGGAZ Maidstone, ME17 4AW
GAMING WESSEX WYVERNS Southampton, SO17 2JZ
Bedford, MK40 2SX CLEVELAND WARGAMES CLUB FGC FLINTSHIRE MEDWAY AREA
REDCAR IRONBEARDS Ferndown, BH22 9AN GAMING CLUB WATERLOO TABLE BOARDGAMERS
LEIGHTON BUZZARD Redcar, TS10 1RH Bryn-y-Baal, CH7 6SZ TOP GAMERS Maidstone, ME14 1ED
GAMING CLUB WORLDS AWAY Waterlooville, PO8 8RG
Leighton Buzzard, CO ANTRIM Bournemouth, BH2 5RQ GLASGOW MERRYCHEST CAFE
LU7 1ES DRAGONSLAYERS ANTONINE BOARD WESSEX WARGAMERS GAMING CLUB
Belfast, BT7 1NN DUMFRIESSHIRE GAMERS WINCHESTER Dartford, DA2 8AH
BERKSHIRE ANNAN GAMING CLUB Glasgow, G64 4EN Winchester, SO22 4QB
NEWBURY & CO DURHAM Annan, DG12 6EF MILTON HUNDRED
READING WARGAMES DARLINGTON’S GLASGOW HEREFORDSHIRE WARGAMES CLUB
ASSOCIATION DOGS OF WAR THE FIVE ARCHES GAMES ROOM DICE AND DECKS Sittingbourne, ME10 4BX
Newbury, RG14 Darlington, DL3 7LX GAMING CLUB Glasgow, G20 7Q Ross-on-Wye, HR9 5HR
2RA/RG1 4PS Dumfries, DG1 3JR TONBRIDGE
DURHAM RAIDERS UNPLUGGED HERTFORDSHIRE WARGAMES CLUB
WARGAMES Croxdale, DH6 5HJ DUNBARTONSHIRE GAMES CLUB HEMEL HEMPSTEAD Tonbridge, TN9 1ER
ASSOCIATION DUMBARTON Glasgow, G41 3AB GAMES CLUB
OF READING DURHAM WARGAMES WARGAMES CLUB Hemel Hempstead, WHITSTABLETOP
Wokingham, RG41 5DU Durham, DH1 1QG Dumbarton, G82 1QQ GLOUCESTERSHIRE HP2 6BJ Whitstable, CT5 1DA
GLOUCESTERSHIRE
BRISTOL GAMERS@HART EAST SUSSEX GAMES BUNKER HERTFORD BEER & LANARKSHIRE
HALL OF HEROES Hartlepool, TS26 9DE 1066 WARGAMING Gloucester, GL51 4XA BOARDGAMES LANARKSHIRE
GAMING CLUB CLUB Hertford, SG14 1HH GAMERS
Bristol, BS16 1NU CO LONDONDERRY St Leonards-on- LINCOMBE BARN Motherwell, ML1 1BS
THE SIEGE BUNKER Sea, TN38 8BL WARGAMES SOCIETY HITCHIN HERETICS
BUCKINGHAMSHIRE Londonderry, T48 7JL Bristol, BS16 2RW Hitchin, SG5 1XL LANCASHIRE
MILTON KEYNES EASTBOURNE BLACK TOWER
WARGAMES SOCIETY CO TYRONE ELEMENTAL PORK CHOP GAMING NORTH WARGAMING
Milton Keynes, OMAGH WARGAMES Eastbourne, BN21 3XQ Cheltenham, GL50 3HA HERTFORDSHIRE Blackpool, FY4 4ND
MK11 1JQ CLUB WARGAMES CLUB
Omagh, BT78 1HL FAMOUS GWENT Hitchin, SG5 1XL BURNEY WARGAMES
WYCOMBE COLLECTABLES GWENT REAVERS Burnley, BB10 3EU
WARBAND CORNWALL Bexhill-on-Sea, TN40 1DU TABLETOP NORTH LONDON
Beaconsfield, HP9 1LG THE DICE GAMING CLUB WARGAMES CLUB DICED TEA
AND DAGGER EAST YORKSHIRE Abertillery, NP13 3DJ Cheshunt, EN8 9AJ Oldham, OL1 2DB
CAMBRIDGESHIRE GAMING CLUB WOLDS WARGAMERS
2D6 LODGE Bude, EX23 9BL Driffield, YO25 6NX HAMPSHIRE POTTERS BAR HARLEQUINS
Cambridge, CB1 8NN ARBBL GAMES CLUB BLACKPOOL
DERBYSHIRE EDINBURGH Andover, SP10 1DQ Potters Bar, EN6 5BT Blackpool, FY1 3QA
NEWMARKET DERBY ON EDINBURGH LEAGUE
KNIGHTS BOARD GAMES OF GAMERS BLACK HOLE THOR’S HAMMER HOUSE LANCASTER
GAMES CLUB Derby, DE1 1QH Edinburgh, EH7 5EA WARGAMERS GAMING CLUB GAMING GROUP
Soham, CB7 5HS Petersfield, GU32 3HS Borehamwood, WD6 5PR Lancaster, LA1 1EE
DEVON SOUTH EAST
PETERBOROUGH BARNSTAPLE SLAYERS SCOTLAND CHINEHAM BOARD TRING WARGAMES PRESTON BOARD
WARGAMES CLUB GAMING CLUB WARGAMES CLUB GAMERS CLUB GAMERS
Peterborough, PE1 1NA Barnstaple, EX32 8LS Edinburgh, EH7 4EW Basingstoke, RG24 8LT Tring, HP23 6BA Preston, PR1 7DP

92 December 2017

92_93_clubDirectory_v3 MJ.indd 92 16/11/2017 11:33

 PRESTON’S THE ROLE PLAY HAVEN WAR & PEACE SHEFFIELD TOLWORTH 1ST OTLEY BOARD
GAMERS GUILD Lewisham, SE13 6LH GAMES CLUB WARGAMES SOCIETY FOUNDING GAMERS
Preston, PR1 7DP Nottingham, NG10 5BD Sheffield, S8 0PS Chessington, KT9 1PF Otley, LS21 2AU
MANCHESTER
SALFORD & TABLETOP WILDSIDE GAMING STEEL CITY SUSSEX WILTSHIRE
MANCHESTER MANCHESTER Newark, NG24 1ER WARGAMING BRIGHTON WARLORDS CHIPPENHAM BOARD
GAMING HAVEN Castlefield, M15 4ST Sheffield, S13 7LL Brighton, BN1 1UB GAMES CLUB
Salford, M8 0TW OXFORDSHIRE Chippenham, SN15 3WL
MERSEYSIDE ABINGDON ZONE OUT GAMES CLUB WARWICKSHIRE
SCYTHE BOARD FORGEMASTERS WARGAMES CLUB Doncaster, DN1 2PX BOARD GAME CAFE DEVIZES & DISTRICT
GAMERS GAMING CLUB Abingdon, OX14 5AG SUMMERFIELD WARGAMES GROUP
Liverpool, L3 8HE Birkenhead, CH63 6HD STAFFORDSHIRE Birmingham, B16 0EZ Devizes, SN10 5AD
AMBROSDEN CHASE WARGAMES
THE LIVERPOOL LIVERPOOL LION GAMING CLUB CLUB DREAMDEALERS WED KNIGHT GAMERS
WARGAMES BOARDGAMERS Ambrosden, OX25 2LZ Burntwood, WS7 0JL GAMING CLUB Salisbury, SP1 3TA
ASSOCIATION (LWA) Liverpool, L3 9NS Coventry, CV6 4FE
Liverpool, L1 6HB NORTH OXFORDSHIRE LIBERAL GAMING CLUB WORCESTERSHIRE
SOUTHPORT BOARD WARGAMING CLUB Tamworth, B77 3AE GRANGE LIVE GAMING BROMSGROVE
LEICESTERSHIRE GAMES GROUP Banbury, OX16 9AF Birmingham, B1 1QP BOARD GAMERS
LEICESTER ALL SCARS Southport, PR8 1NH LICHFIELD GAMERS Bromsgrove, B60 2DZ
Leicester, LE1 3JR OXFORD ON BOARD AND RPG NUNEATON
MID GLAMORGAN Oxford, OX4 1EA Lichfield, WS13 6EB ALTERNATIVE GAMES WYRE FOREST
LEICESTER PHAT KATZ BRIDGEND ASSOCIATION GAMERS
Leicester, LE3 0QY ROLEPLAYING AND OXFORD OUTRIDERS STAFFORDSHIRE Nuneaton, CV10 8LJ Kidderminster,
BOARDGAMES CLUB Oxford, OX1 4AG WARGAMING GUILD DY10 1RP
SECTION 31 Bridgend, CF31 2PJ Stone, ST15 8AS SCIMITAR WARGAMES
Leicester, LE1 1PA SHROPSHIRE GROUP POSTAL ORDER
CASTLE GAMERS BIG ORBIT GAMES TAMWORTH Coventry, CV3 5GT GEEK MEET
SONS OF SIMON BRIDGEND Shrewsbury, SY1 1PH GAMES CLUB Worcester, WR1 1DN
DE MONTFORT Bridgend, CF35 6AU Tamworth, B79 7DJ WEST MIDLANDS
Loughborough, LE12 8TX SOMERSET BIRMINGHAM REDDITCH
MIDDLESEX BATH GAMING GROUP THE VINE INN GAMERS WARGAMES AND WARGAMING SOCIETY
THE LEICESTER BATTLEUX Bath, BA2 6AA Rugeley, WS15 2AT BOARDGAMES CLUB Redditch, B97 5YE
WARGAMES AND WARGAMES CLUB AKA DRAGOON’S DEN
FANTASY GROUP Uxbridge, UB10 0RY MID SOMERSET STIRLINGSHIRE Birmingham, B13 9EA YORKSHIRE
Leicester, LE3 0QU WARGAMES CLUB FALKIRK DISTRICT BEYOND MONOPOLY
DICE CLUB Wells, BA5 2PU WARGAMES CLUB PLAY MORE GAMES! York, YO24 1AQ
LINCOLNSHIRE Uxbridge, UB10 0RY Grangemouth, FK3 8QR Solihull, B90 3GG
GRIMSBY PIGMAR WARGAMING HEADINGLEY
WARGAMES SOCIETY NORFOLK CLUB SUFFOLK STOURBRIDGE & GAMES CLUB
Grimsby, DN32 9HT AFTERMATH GAMING Bath, BA1 6AB BURY ST EDMUNDS DISTRICT WARGAMERS Leeds, LS6 3HN
CLUB BOARD GAMING Stourbridge, DY8 4DL
LINCOLN BOARD Norwich, NR3 4HX THE FROME BOARD GROUP HOLMFIRTH
GAME GROUP GAMES CLUB Rougham, IP30 9LH WEST SUSSEX GAMING CENTRE
Lincoln, LN1 3BJ KINGS LYNN RPG & Frome, BA11 1AF BOGNOR REGIS Holmfirth, HD9 7HP
WARGAMES CLUB IPSWICH BOARD GAMING ASSOCIATION
LOUTH STRATEGY King’s Lynn, PE30 4DN TRINITY WARGAMING GAMERS Bognor Regis, PO21 5EU LEEDS GAMING
GAMES CLUB CLUB Ipswich, IP3 0FS Leeds, LS1 3DL
Louth, LN11 8DB NORWICH BOARD Taunton, TA1 3JG CRAWLEY
GAMERS MID SUFFOLK GAMING WARGAMES CLUB LEEDS NIGHT OWLS
LLANDUDNO Norwich, NR2 4AL WARGAMING@ GROUP Crawley, RH11 9BQ Leeds, LS6 1LJ
CONWY WARGAMES RADSTOCK Stowmarket, IP14 4SH
CLUB NORTH YORKSHIRE Radstock, BA3 4BD DUNGEON CRAWL- OVERSEAS
Penrhyn Bay, LL30 3LB YORK GARRISON MID SUFFOLK EY GAMES CLUB BIELEFELD
WARGAMING CLUB WESTON WARGAMES Crawley, RH11 7QG WARGAMES & MODEL
LONDON York, YO32 4AQ WARGAMERS CLUB ASSOCIATION MAKING CLUB
CROSS GAMING CLUB Weston-super-Mare, Milden, CO10 9SG SOUTH DOWNS Bielefeld, Germany
Southwark, SE1 1DX NORTHAMPTONSHIRE BS23 1NF SIEGEBREAKERS
BATTLEFIELD SURREY Pulborough, RH20 4DR THE CENTURIONS
HESTON AND HOBBBIES CLUB WSM BOARD HAMPTON COURT WARGAMING
EALING WARGAMERS Daventry, NN11 8BR GAMING CLUB GAMERS WEST YORKSHIRE Roseville, USA
Ealing, W13 9SS Weston-super-Mare, East Molesey, KT8 OBT AIREBOROUGH
THE BRACKLEY & BS22 8PD COMMUNITY WARGAME CLUB
SELWG DISTRICT GAMERS GUILDFORD GAMERS GIUSEPPE GARIBALDI
Catford, SE6 2TS (AKA THE BAD SOUTH YORKSHIRE GAMES CLUB Leeds, LS19 6AS Genoa, Italy
GAMERS) BROTHERHOOD OF Guildford, GU2 8DU
TANELORN WAR Brackley, NN13 6LF THE DICE GAMING CLUB
GAMING CLUB Barnsley, S75 1JR STAINES WARGAMES BRADFORD
London, E11 3DB THE PIT GAMING
CLUB ROTHERHAM
ASSOCIATION
Egham, TW20 0QT
Bradford, BD1 2DX
LIST YOUR
THE PHOENIX GAMES Irthlingborough, WARGAMES CLUB HALIFAX CLUB FOR FREE
CLUB NN9 5TU Rotherham, S60 1JE STAY ON TARGET BOARD GAMERS AND SEE FULL
Plaistow, E13 0AD
NOTTINGHAMSHIRE SHEFFIELD
Woking, GU21 5BG Halifax, HX1 1SJ
CLUB DETAILS
THE ROLE PLAY NOTTINGHAM BOARD BOARD GAMES THE WOKING KEIGHLEY ONLINE AT
HAVEN AND TABLETOP CLUB Sheffield, WEIRD BOYZ TABLETOP COMBAT tabletopga ming.co.uk/clubs
Gibbins Road, E15 2HU Nottingham, NG1 6DA S3 7HG/S1 4DD Woking, GU22 7TA Keighley, BD20 6EB

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SHOP SPOTLIGHT
BEANIE GAMES
Not many gaming stores can boast of a special award
from the town mayor, but this Stockon-upon-Tees
outlet has exactly that. Manager Stephen Carter
reveals how Yu-Gi-Oh! and Pokémon led to greatness
Interview by Matt Jarvis
When did Beanie Games first open? Could you tell
us about its first few months?
It wasn’t planned! We moved to our current location
in November 2013. My eldest daughter Laura had a
small unit in the local shopping centre selling board
games and she needed somewhere to run her very
first organised play event, a Yu-Gi-Oh! sneak peek.
We only intended to hire a room for a day, but after
a lot of searching we found our current premises,
an old nightclub, and, after very little hesitation,
decided to take it on a permanent basis. We soon
had several organised play programmes up and
running and, when an adjacent unit became
available, we moved the retail business there too
and it became the Beanie Games we have today
with over 8,000 square feet of gaming heaven.
You have a seriously sizeable store! How do you
make the most of the room for players?
We’re fortunate in that the space we have
comprises of four rooms of different sizes. We can
open/close areas depending on numbers and
reconfigure the spaces quickly for tabletop, card or
miniature gaming. With a capacity of around 400,
we never have to turn anyone away through lack
of space, which is a pretty awesome facility and a
great resource for North-East gamers.
How has the shop changed since you first opened
its doors?
It’s grown. A lot. The first time we opened on a
Saturday for gaming there was myself and one
other customer – hi Toby! Now we have hundreds
playing in-store on Saturdays and we’re open for
December 2017
095_shopSpotlight_v3 MJ.indd 95
gaming seven days a week with eight staff and over
30 organised play programmes.
You’re especially popular among the Pokémon,
Yu-Gi-Oh! and Magic: The Gathering communities.
Could you tell us more about that?
Yu-Gi-Oh! was our first venture into organised play
but at the request of our customers we soon ran
Friday night Magic and a Pokémon league. With
Yu-Gi-Oh! we have worked closely on developing
and improving the organised play experience and
we were the first official tournament store in the
UK when the programme launched this year.
We have the largest Magic community in the
North-East and our Friday nights regularly feature
three or four concurrent events, including a regular
Legacy tournament.
Pokémon? Well that’s been phenomenal for us.
It’s taken three years, but we now have the largest
Pokémon league in Europe, with over 200 regular
players and possibly the world’s largest pre-release
events. We run Pokémon after-school sessions for
We have the
largest Pokémon
league in Europe,
with over 200
regular players.
local schools, colleges and libraries which, along
with our Saturday events, earned us an award
for services to the community from the mayor of
Stockton. Our Pokémon community is also rather
special in that most players are kids. We make
special efforts to make our store family-friendly
and that philosophy appears to be working very
well. We even have an area for the parents to sit
and chat while the kids are playing.
What other events do you run for local gamers?
We also have regular sessions for Dungeons &
Dragons, X-Wing, Armada, Cardfight!! Vanguard,
Final Fantasy, Destiny, HeroClix, Warhammer
40,000, Age of Sigmar, Star Trek: Attack Wing, all
the living card games, board games including
tournaments for Ticket to Ride, Catan, Pandemic
and many more. Plus, we have a large board game
library of over 300 games which is available to
anyone playing in the shop.
What games have proved most popular for you
this year?
Our surprise hit this year has been Warhammer
40,000, mainly as we’ve not considered ourselves
to be a ‘miniatures’ store. Destiny has been great,
and of course the unstoppable Pokémon, whose
growth continues unabated. Board game-wise,
Dark Souls has proved popular, as have the new
junior Ticket to Ride: First Journey games and the
amazing ‘don’t tell the kids this is a maths game’
City of Zombies. We have a wall dedicated to our
family games, and it’s always great to see new,
high-quality additions in that genre.
What are your future plans for the shop?
We’ve still got a lot of room for growth in Stockton.
In the short term, we’re looking at expanding
our facilities for miniatures gaming with a
sizeable investment in new scenery and tables.
Further ahead, we’ve had some extra special plans
on the back-burner for a while now, including
spreading the Beanie Games experience
further afield. We’re on the lookout
for a second location, we just haven’t
quite found the right spot – yet.
tabletopgaming.co.uk 95
16/11/2017 11:31
SHOP DIRECTORY

30 Roneo Corner, Hornchurch Essex, RM12 4TN

• Tel: 01708 475051 • Email: tolehavenuk@aol.com
All your wargaming needs available through us!
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Mail order available • Free demos • Gaming club

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HERTFORDSHIRE GUERNSEY

A new and exciting centre for many different types of

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what’s in store and join in many events and activities!
Stockists of Board, Card, Computer, RPG & Video Games.

1 Church Square, St. Peter Port, Guernsey, GY1 2LD

Tel: 01481 712240 Facebook: Facebook.com/JustGamesGsy
www.justgamesgsy.co.uk
OXFORDSHIRE LEICESTERSHIRE

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105 Cowley Road, Oxford, OX4 1HU 11 - 6 Mon - Sat
01865 721348 www.gameskeeper.co.uk
Map & Dice Playing Cards

p096_097.indd 96 15/11/2017 15:37

 SOMERSET
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Subscribe for JUST £3.50 by monthly direct debit. NO MINIMUM CONTRACT
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p096_097.indd 97
Scotland’s leading online retailer
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reddicegames.com
Board Game online shop offering
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Come and see us at
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WALES
02/06/2017 12:22
Friendly Local Table Top Game
12 Buckwell Street, Plymouth, PL1 2DA Store specialising in Pokemon,
Phone: 01752 604414 Magic, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Games
Facebook: G.I. Games Workshop and Board Games
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Small but well stocked and
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Find us on Facebook for more details
15/11/2017 15:37
 12
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AMOEBA
T
his is one of those games that is way more fun to
play than you would ever have thought just by
looking at it. There are 49 plastic tiles placed into
a seven-by-seven grid and each tile is embossed
with the same pattern of two quarter-circles
in opposing corners. These tiles allow for a great variety
of patterns to be made by simply rotating pieces by 90
degrees. As the pieces are symmetrical the direction of
rotation makes no difference to the outcome and the
pattern will always connect up with the pieces next to it.
This simple but interesting design was created by
William Barrington Pink, who filed for a patent in
1974 for the game Amoeba. It was picked up quickly
and published in the UK in 1975 by Louis Marx and
Company Ltd, an American toy manufacturer formed
in New York in 1919. Marx originally produced toy
cars, but by the 1950s was at the peak of its success and
aiming for a global market. Marx opened a factory in
the UK to produce for the British market and set up in
Swansea, Wales. While William pitched his game design
to Marx he simultaneously published it in Germany with
Ravensburger under the name Tantalus.
The play is simple; the board is set out so that the tiles all
make circles. Each player draws three cards that contain a
pattern and a number. The number represents the amount
98 December 2017
098_tabletopTimeMachine_v3 MJ.indd 98
of points the player will win if they match the pattern.
The higher the number of points, the more complicated
the pattern will be and the greater the difficulty. On each
player’s turn they get to rotate any piece on the board by
90 degrees except for the one that was last rotated – this
means that you can’t undo the previous player’s turn. If
a player manages to create the shape illustrated on their
card then they get the number of points shown. They
also draw a new card and get another turn. If a pattern
is made by another player or just happens to be on the
board you still get the points so long as you’re the first to
shout “Amoeba!” The winner is the first player to reach a
set number of points or to burn through a set number of
cards that should be agreed upfront.
What makes this game stand out is the amount of
competition that it generates – especially when more
then two players are involved. A small rotation can have
a large effect and, when players are trying to create Words Phil Robinson
Phil Robinson is a game
different patterns in the same area of the board, it can historian and the founder
get quite heated. The number of patterns on the cards of the Museum of Gaming,
are limited so you do get to know them quite quickly and an organisation that
often realise the pattern your opponent is attempting to explores and documents
make before they get the chance. This leads to attempts the history of gaming
through its collections,
to deliberately sabotage your opponent’s patterns and
exhibitions and research.
brings in a strong element of competitive play.
tabletopgaming.co.uk
15/11/2017 12:14
 IN JANUARY’S ISSUE ON S AL E DEC EMBER 29 T H

It’s the end of the world

and we love it! We take
a Rad-X and explore the
miniatures game based on
the post-apocalyptic
WASTELAND WARFARE roleplaying series

STUFFED
FABLES FREE
We battle the stuff of nightmares
in the next game from the visionary
creator of Mice & Mystics
GIFT
Shh! We’ve got two

COUNTERFEITS exclusive promo

cards for sneaky
FOR CHRISTMAS
Find out if you’re at risk from dangerous fakes
game Secrets –
only for Tabletop
Gaming readers!
as we reveal the world of phoney board games

GOING LIVE WITH TABLETOP STREAMERS | VENGEANCE |

HNEFATAFL: THE ANCIENT VIKING BOARD GAME tabletopgaming.co.uk 99

099_nextMonth_v4 MJ.indd 99 16/11/2017 11:36

 Chris Darsaklis

Briefs

Dinosaur
C.B.

With When I Dream, take the time to dream.

When I Dream is a dreamlike board game to play with all the family.
© Sombreros Production 2017 • Illustrations : Gaël Lannurien • Cyrille Bertin • Loic Billiau • Cyril Nouvel • Anne Heidsieck REPOS
PRODUCTION

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