Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 90 i Tabletop Gaming

You may remember from last issue that I had a delightful time talking Star Wars: Shatterpoint with Will Shick. So much so that after the Salute Wargaming show at this time of year, it seems the perfect time to dive into the world of miniatures. It’s an area we don’t always cover in much detail, but as the line drifts in and out with miniatures games, and it’s part of our gaming promise – board games, card games, miniatures, and RPGs –I hope that you’ll join me in finding something new today. From the return of Guild Ball, to the emergence of Halo: Flashpoint, to how to make minis on a budget, there’s tons to check out. Not for you? Don’t let it stop you! We’ve got some brilliant features…

Players have always wanted a physical representation of the campaign they are playing. For some, it’s easier to make choices or guide a party, if the adventure is playing out in front of them. Miniatures are fantastic for helping us create our RPG characters, and bring them to life in unexpected ways. The history of miniatures within the RPG genre is therefore rich and varied, and they have been intrinsic to its journey. ORIGINS IN WARGAMING The concept of wargaming far predates the notion of a roleplaying game. Many point to ancient iterations of chess, like chaturanga, as one of the earliest wargames since it takes on the same tactical manoeuvres while simulating basic battles. By simply adding character archetypes and narrative beats to these wargames, players were actually helping…

FACE BEHIND THE MASK The Pokémon Company International revealed the newest expansion of the Pokémon Trading Card Game this month: Twilight Masquerade. Set for release on May 24th it features the debut of Ogerpon from the Teal Mask DLC with four different Tera Pokémon ex and a handy new item card Oger’s Mask that allows you to switch between them at will. It’s not just Ogerpon though, the Teal Mask DLC features heavily in the expansion with the loyal three (Okidogi, Munkidori and Fezandipti) also confirmed to make their debuts in the set. After their reintroduction in Temporal Forces, Ace Spec trainer cards return in Twilight Masquerade with more powerful one-per-deck item and Special Energy cards leading to more deck-building decisions. The usual assortment of illustration rare, special illustration rare…

Designer: Paul Schulz | Publisher: Oink Games “Is this even a game?” my partner scoffed when I pulled out DroPolter for a board game evening. Admittedly, when you open DroPolter, it looks a little…eclectic. There are a few cards packed into that tiny packaging, and then an assortment of random junk. There’s a bag of tiny bells, little plastic sea shells, see through rings that would have been a staple of a childs jewellery box, amongst others. And yet, like some weird recipe (let’s be honest, one you would get off TikTok where strange combinations merrily reside), it all cooks into one incredibly fun game. The premise is in the name – ”Drop” and “Poltergeist”. Players are going to gather a selection of items into their hand. When you overturn…

Designer: Eric Chen | Publisher: MoCo Games Boba (n): Those small, oddly textured balls of tapioca used in bubble tea Sabotage (v): To deliberately break, destroy, or obstruct. On purpose. Because you’re a meanie. Anthropomorphised tapioca was not on my tabletop game bingo list for 2024. Now that it’s in my collection, I’m delighted by how much fun it’s having jumping into teas alongside the red beans and lychee jelly. I haven’t seen ingredients this happy about being on the table since Sushi Go!. These bright, cheerful cards make for an uplifting start to any games night and it’s about the right size to take with you to play in a restaurant or on a train. Plus, you can finally answer the age old question: do you have what it…

Designer: Tim Armstrong | Publisher: Portal Games Imperial Miners is sold as a game within the Imperial Settlers universe, (well, insofar as the words Imperial Settlers in the original game’s font are plonked on the front of the box without explanation) which is an existentially-weird proposition, since the factions are civilisations like the Romans, Egyptians, Scots and Japanese. Apparently, we were living in Portal Games’ intellectual property all this time without knowing it. In practice, the tacit claim being made is that you can expect some light card-based engine building themed round charming, cutesy cultural stereotypes – who, in this case, are concerning themselves with digging as far as possible into the depths of the earth. Over ten turns, you’ll place a card into your growing tableau of mines, then…

Designer: Wolfgang Kramer and Michael Kieslin | Publisher: Game Brewer The amygdala is a small, almond-shaped area of the brain (actually, two areas – you have an amygdala in either hemisphere) that, for a long time, was popularly thought of as the brain’s ‘fear centre’. A famous case study identified in research only as ‘Patient S.M.’ had no amygdalae due to a rare genetic condition, and seemed incapable of feeling fear – even when, once, she was held at gunpoint. Monkeys with one amygdala removed only responded to snakes with fear when the eye their remaining amygdala was wired to was open; when a patch was put over it, they approached, unafraid. These days our understanding of the brain is a little more nuanced – neuroscientists shy away from…

Designer: Klaus Teuber, Benjamin Teuber | Publisher: Catan Studios Catan: Starfarers Duel was the last game the legendary Klaus Teuber oversaw with his son, Benjamin Teuber, before his passing in 2023. Whilst not exactly a straight-up port of Klaus’ 2001 game Starship Catan, Catan: Starfarers Duel is, for the most part, the same game: players are intergalactic explorers, stranded in an unknown quadrant of space with critically damaged ships. To make it back home they must prove themselves worthy to the Galactic Counsel by establishing trade deals and colonies with the game’s four alien races. Essentially, much like Catan, this a race to claim ten victory points in a variety of ways. The first thing you might notice, though, is that this doesn’t look much like Catan. Each player sits…

Designer: Euijin Han | Publisher: Korea Boardgames Ever dreamt of becoming the best barista in town? No? You soon will after playing Coffee Rush. Although it will take a bit of training not to suck at its blend of movement planning and contract fulfilment. The premise places players behind the counter of a hip café, the sort of establishment that, according to Korea Boardgames, “trends on social media”. Attentions are divided between meeples who move around the ingredients board (very reminiscent of Splendor Duel), picking up food to complete drink order cards that are drawn into the serving area. Each player starts with basic movement rules for how meeples are permitted to navigate: up, down, left, right, and only one ingredient collected per space. Yet after completing three orders, players…

Designer: Mathieu Bossu, Thomas Cariate and Timothée Decroix | Publisher: Sit Down! Taking the role of freelance cartographers, players are dispatched to a mysterious island with commissions to map it for their clients. Every player has their own board on which they’ll create their map. Players pick up terrain cards and place them on their board building out a picture of the island. At the end of the game, you’ll score points based on how accurately your map board matches the island board. This is not a co-op game however and everyone is trying to ‘map’ the island in a different direction. Somewhat confusingly the act of mapping creates the island rather than the island defining the map. As terrain cards on your map board, terrain tiles are placed on…

Designer: Jason Durall & Steve Perrin | Publisher: Chaosium Inc. Basic Roleplaying: Universal Game Engine is far from a conventional RPG book. It doesn’t contain a fictional world for players to inhabit, nor is it packed full of specific lore to ponder over. It isn’t brimming with named NPCs to utilise, and it cannot act as a standalone book without the player’s input. It is in fact the ultimate guide to building an RPG from the ground up, using a system that has been perfected and applied to a whole host of pre-existing titles. Originally deployed by Chaosium in RuneQuest in 1978, the BRP formula is now integral to games like Call of Cthulhu, Elfquest and Stormbringer. Basic Roleplaying is thus not a game unto itself, but instead acts as…

Designer: Will Shick | Publisher: Atomic Mass Games After a relatively slow period for Shatterpoint releases, Atomic Mass has been ramping it up recently. You can’t move for squad packs featuring the likes of Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, murderous Ewoks and now Jedi Master Plo Koon. You know, Plo Koon. The dude that sits next to Samuel L. Jackson in the prequels and doesn’t really say anything. Plo Koon! He gets killed immediately when Order 66 is executed. PLO KOON! Ok, perhaps that’s a bit unfair. Plo Koon does have a significant part to play in the Clone Wars animated series, which is better than the prequels anyway, right? Despite the fact this Jedi Master may not have the pull of some of the bigger names, the dynamism of the…

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James M. Hewitt is one busy designer, with an enviable gaming CV. His work with Games Workshop included Necromunda, Adeptus Titanicus, Blood Bowl, and Warhammer Quest: Silver Tower. With Mantic Games, it was Dreadball. His own company, Needy Cat Games, co-owned with Sophie Williams, offered board game consultancy, and also worked on Devil May Cry: The Board Game, and Hellboy: The Board Game. If you didn’t think him busy enough, we were delighted to find him over at Modiphius, working on Fallout: Factions. THE BEGINNING OF THE END OF THE WORLD The alarms have rung, the sky is on fire, and you’ve had no choice but to descend into an underground bunker to survive the nuclear destruction that’s long been feared. What awaits you when you open the door to…

There’s always tons to do at AireCon. Whether you spend your time mooching around the retailers, dabble in the playtesting section for upcoming games, or just enjoy playing games all weekend with friends, you’re bound to be busy. But AireCon offers a lot more, from seminars to shows, to learn-something sessions. Two Thin Coats Paint & Take is one of those. Much of the experience is in the name. You pop along to the stand and put your name down against a time. Sessions are 45 minutes, and run on the hour, every hour. It’s hosted by artists from Trans Atlantis Games, using Two Thin Coats Paints (more on that in a moment), where you’re essentially offered a seat in front of a miniature, a range of paints, a paintbrush,…

Terrain and scenery can make or break a good game board, and there are so many ways to bring it to life. It might be that you use existing terrain, utilise new tools like 3D printing which have helped make specific builds far more accessible, or turn to your own skills in crafting memorable structures, foliage, and rubble that aids in crafting a more immersive experience. That’s what terrain and scenery are all about after all. It’s not just for the visuals. It’s about creating something that works practically for the game being played, while also thematically matching the miniatures that are on the board. These approaches to elevating your own game boards are accessible, varied, and vital for all those war gamers and RPG players who like to take…

WHAT IS DIORAMA MAKING? In its purest form, diorama making is the process of creating a statue, scene, or location from scratch. Hobbyists use a variety of tools and equipment to create their own dioramas, but whether it’s household items like matchsticks, or professional crafting kit like sculptamold, you’ll be surprised at how many ways there really are to create convincing sculptures. Miniatures are often a huge part of that. Oftentimes, the concept around a diorama will be based on a miniature of some kind. Whether it’s an old D&D character, a Warhammer 40k soldier, or maybe just a cowboy found in a local hobby store, these manufactured scenarios usually come to life once a miniature has been brought in. Diorama making combines many of the skills that those that…

THE LOCATION In any era, on any world, there’s a need for entertainment. Whether it’s in a dystopian far future, where war wages on, or a chaotic fantasy world, where dangerous quests are part and parcel of average life, soldiers and peasants alike look for escapism. The Phantasmic Travelling Troupe are universally known for their spectacle and daring feats of athleticism and whimsy. The Big Top, known infamously as the Deadman’s Stage due to a fatal accident that took place during a show, hides a dark secret. Wherever the Big Top goes, the Travelling Troupe follows and thus the location continues to evolve. Performers follow the giant black and yellow tent, lugging their belongings around in vehicles appropriate for the time period, landscape and RPG world. Every time The Phantasmic…

Designer: Will Thompson | Publisher: Absurdist Productions In this entertaining family game, you play as skilled vets with a roar-some specialisation. You’ve answered the distress call, and your expertise is needed to take in and treat a field full of sick dinosaurs. You may be here to help, but these loveable giants are still a handful. Before letting them into your hospital, you’ll want to tranquilise them. Oh, and make sure they don’t wake up again before you’ve fully treated them. Nobody wants grumpy dinosaurs running round the corridors causing mayhem. Players take turns to roll their dice, admit Mesozsoic patients, and cure them by matching rolled dice to the symbols on the cards. One by one, you cure animals and add them to your stack of success stories. Be…

Designer: Frédéric Henry, Corey Konieczka | Publisher: Zygomatic Timeline Twist: Star Wars describes itself beautifully in the name – it’s Timeline, the game of putting historical events in order made competitive and tricky (because it turns out none of us really know the order things came in), the Twist Variant (which means it’s cooperative), and Star Wars themed (which means… you get the idea). The game covers the prequel trilogy to the sequels including the likes of Rogue One. I think it’s probably designed to be an easy buy – here’s a light-looking game that Star Wars fans will enjoy – but the force isn’t strong with this one, it’s just… around. The premise is relatively simple. You have cards in your hand, and so do your fellow players. You’re…

Designer: David Amorin, Ramón Redondo | Publisher: Blue Orange The perfect ‘filler’ game is almost the holy grail of board gaming. That constant quest to find something that can be thrown in your bag while travelling, can be set up in minutes, has easy to understand rules and can be played before your meal arrives in a pub. Games like Scout and Love Letter are a perennial filler favourite in our house… but can Snack Match slot into our selection to make it a delicious gaming sandwich? Let’s find out! Snack Match sees you trying to make the perfect picnic and features small, thin cards with three cartoon illustrations of food on a brightly coloured tablecloth. Your aim is to create a 4x4 grid of cards that groups together the…

Designer: Stefan Dorra | Publisher: Deep Print Games The triquetra is an ancient symbol, roughly triangular in shape and composed of three pointed loops. Its use on stone carvings dates back to the fourth century BC, with its pagan meaning believed to represent the three stages of life; youth, adulthood, and old age. Later, the symbol was coopted by Christianity to conveniently represent the holy trinity, whilst today it has come to represent any number of things within the Celtic Neopaganism movement. Whatever its mysterious ancient meaning was, though, it’s likely that its vanguards never expected it to tenuously inspire a board game hundreds of years in the future. Nevertheless, here we are with an abstract set-collector for two to five players. The Triquetra in Triqueta manifests in both the…

Designer: Max Wikström | Publisher: Lautapelit Agemonia is a planet with two moons populated by a variety of exotic species. A world of squelchy fungi and sharp bladethorn underfoot but also of ancient technology, strange devices and many many rune stones. Despite adopting an overall dark versus light trope, this is not a superficial or banal fantasy adventure. But first things first. It’s a very large box, and will take a few hours to sort out, but is well organised and explained, making set up and tear down reasonably fast. Table space is medium. You are guided through three tutorial scenarios which do a fine job of gradually introducing gameplay elements. Everybody chooses one of the 7 pre-defined characters with their individual backstories and motivations. There are no guidelines for…

Designer: Matt Gilbert | Publisher: Mantic Games Mantic Games did something very unique last year with Dungeon Saga Origins. They ran a successful crowdfunding campaign that they fulfilled within the same year. Those who dabble in Kickstarter will appreciate that this is as rare as glittery rainbow unicorn poop. Their range of games still give the impression of a series of passion products and the owner Ronnie Renton being very hands-on with their range. Much to their credit, their rulesets are some of the most easily accessible and solid out there on the market. Which takes us to Dungeon Saga Origins, which is their follow up to their own Dungeon Saga, an adventure game with quests and treasure and well sculpted miniatures. Dungeon Saga Origins aims to be the adventure…

Publisher: Square Enix The Final Fantasy Trading Card Game Anniversary Collection Set 2024 has a very long name but when you look at the 253 cards contained therein, that’s pretty long too. Is it worth buying though? The Final Fantasy Trading Card Game has been continually releasing products since October 2016 with the recently released Hidden Hope being the 22nd booster pack and various starter decks and other products keeping fans happy and entertained for seven and a half years. How much you’re going to get from this anniversary collection really depends on what kind of a fan you are or want to be. The box itself is your classic medium-sized storage box (any self-respecting TCG fan has many of these lying around) featuring art from the recently re-released Crisis…

Designer: Taylor Navarro | Publisher: Self Published Sometimes when you’re on an epic quest to save the world or planning daring heists in an industrial dystopia, it’s nice to take some time off and have a good cook out with your friends. One of my early experiences with fantasy adventure was reading The Hobbit and enjoying the appetising descriptions of feasts and banquets as a respite from the dangers Bilbo and friends faced on their journey. Chefs de Partie provides opportunities to bring that same hearty respite to your tabletop gaming. This co-op cooking minigame allows you to cook up some tasty treats for your adventure party in your favourite tabletop roleplaying games. The game makes use of the Iron Core system that translates rolls of a d6 into assets…

Designer: Wizards of the Coast | Publisher: Wizards of the Coast The Deck of Many Things is a well known in-game item for D&D where card draws trigger game changing events. This box set goes far beyond that, creating a resource that you can do anything from crafting a whole campaign around to a one off fun hyjinks session. The Deck of Many Things Box Set features stunning illustrations of the original 22 cards, plus an extra 44 making up the “Deck of Many More Things” in a beautiful box. It also includes two books, one that’s a simpler Card Reference Guide of each cards meaning and another called the Book of Many Things that delves into how to use it and the bulk of the content. Its original use…

Brought to you by There’s always been a treasure trove of goodies hidden in people’s attics. It’s so easy when you need more space in the house to just pop a few things you haven’t used for a while, up into the loft, and all of a sudden they’re forgotten. Before long, they’re vintage, rare, and worth a small fortune… at least, we hope so. Not all of us stored our first edition Pokemon cards. But of course, it’s not all about the monetary worth of the item, but the sentimental value, or fun reminder that it once lived on shelves everywhere. From collectors editions, to second generation players, to utterly naff but totally cool games, we’re taking one last look back. MONOPOLY: STAR WARS LIMITED COLLECTOR‘S EDITION We started…

If I had a Warhammer miniature for every time I heard the phrase “I used to play Warhammer”, I’d have armies upon armies. Warhammer is the goliath of miniature gaming, and with such a huge variety of options to suit every style of player, it’s no wonder it’s remained that way. Add in the fact that schools are frequently running Warhammer clubs, the existence of the likes of Warhammer World – it’s a huge, incredible gateway. If you’re one of those people who used to play Warhammer and no longer does, we’ve got some alternatives to the 40K universe that scratch a similar itch… BATTLETECH Arguably a cheaper investment than Warhammer represents, BattleTech has entered it’s renaissance. There’s a full, in depth look at what it is, and how it’s…

Whether it’s the tiny panda in French games as a joking nod to award winning Takenoko that they might be needed to win – or seeing your favourite person immortalised in game form, or more. One of the best known easter eggs are hidden Mickey’s, which are the iconic three circles immortalised everywhere in Disney properties. Of course, with Disney Lorcana, we expected to see plenty, and we haven’t been let down – you can even find a nod to Ravensburger in the blue corner line on the back of the cards! Here are a few of our favourites, but can you spot the Mickey’s?…

Board games tend to involve many small pieces. Granted, these are usually very nice small pieces, but still – games are full of stuff. We board gamers can be rather like magpies, constantly looking for a new game with lovely shiny components to add to our collections. So, how then do we reconcile owning games with being green? Is it possible to be environmentally friendly and still own a lot of games? THE ANSWER One of the first things to point out is that neither of the questions above have a straight answer. I don’t think we should all stop buying games (although board game cafes’ would benefit). We need to debunk the idea that things are either 100% environmentally friendly or 100% not. Real life is more often made…

C0-OP/COOPERATIVE Definition: A game where you work together to beat the game itself, or improve on previous scores. There are two types of board gamers. Those who love playing, not phased by winning or losing. And those who don’t believe the first type exists. Whether your table has sore losers, sore winners, or just finds removing competition increases their enjoyment, cooperative games have shaken up the possibilities. In a co-op game, it’s you and me against the world. There is still the exhilaration of overcoming challenges and the ever-present risk of missing the mark, but here both success and failure are a team achievement. In most co-ops, unless not communicating is a special feature of the game, table discussion is encouraged. Games like Forbidden Island can feel like a soft…

Designer: Nicolas Poncin | Publisher: Blue Cocker Games It’s your first day at chivalry school but you’re not going to be learning all that rubbish stuff, like maths (yawn!), English (Shakespeare who?) or science (gimme a break!). No, at this school you’ll be jousting, heading out on quests, serving the king and… cooking? Still, it’s got to be better than double history, right? Before we get onto the nitty gritty of the review, you may be thinking the name Medieval Academy seems familiar - and you’d be right! This is a new edition of the 2014 version with a fresh art style and upgraded components. Of course, artwork is always a subjective topic but this version definitely appealed more to a younger audience, thanks to the cute cat illustrations and…

Designer: Malachi Ray Remote & Maxime Rioux | Publisher: Ginger Fox Itchy Feet is a small boxed card game. I usually find these fall into one of three categories; “casual fun”, “slightly-too-crunchy-for-the-format” and, sadly, “not very good”. Itchy Feet is aiming firmly at the first of these, and performs… reasonably well. The premise of the game is to travel to countries, reaching the central location on the table before your opponents. Through a single action each turn, you must pick up, trade or steal cards, collecting the set on a location, enabling you to travel there. You must also keep hold of your passport to do this! It’s not a particularly unique concept, although the addition of the passports is quite novel-it’s not common to have a card in your…

Designer: Ryan Hendrickson, Simone Luciani, Virginio Gigli | Publisher: Lookout Games There are certain hotels that people return to, time and time again. Rather than broadening their travel horizons, they are perfectly content on repeating identikit holidays year in, year out. Board games are the same. And in the Cox household, Grand Austria Hotel offers such a 5-star experience that it’s revisited on a regular basis. The prospect of High Season, a roll and write spin-off, is therefore very enticing. Yet whilst I’d pictured a riff on the original set in a previously unseen part of the hotel (or adopting a different role to guest management… or launching a sister site in Salzburg) we are merely offered a mini-break version of the original. You’re doing the same as before –…

Designer: Pim Thunborg | Publisher: Game Brewer I lived in Germany as a child, close to the Black Forest, and one of my core memories is coming home from kindergarten to find a troll doll placed on my bed. As cute as these shock-haired plastic figures were though, my more entrenched vision of the troll stems from the dark yet strangely welcoming art of John Bauer and the accompanying Scandinavian folklore. To my delight, it’s exactly this that Trolls and Princesses seems to aesthetically and thematically honour, and as a further thrill, it is us who play as the titular antagonists. Trolls and Princesses is a two to four player euro game which sees players controlling competing clans of trolls as they seize church bells, overrun human outposts, and, of…

Designer: Adam DeYoung | Publisher: Pandasaurus Games It’s the artwork that first draws you into this game. Just looking at the box it feels as though something great is about to happen as you approach the volcanic island. The calm of the earthy tones is given motion from the little spurts of lava in the distance. An excellent description of Emerge itself: mostly tranquil as an ocean, with little spurts of excitement. In Emerge, you are a researcher on a trip across the ocean where you compete with your fellow scientists to discover the biggest and best new islands, full of plant and animal life. Inside the box, the pastels of the island remain, complemented by the characterful animals, who each have a cheeky smile as if there’s something they…

Designer: Kevin McPartland & Jerry Shiles | Publisher: GMT Games The ‘Dark Ages’ are framed for most of us as much of Europe’s slip from enlightened Roman rule into the mud of local mismanagement. There’s plenty of disagreement around using the term itself, in part because the lights weren’t going out everywhere. While the rest of the British Isles were turning pagan (according to a track in this game at least) Ireland was becoming Christian at the hands of St. Patrick. With that Christianity came the scribes whose records make up a great deal of our modern understanding of the period. Banish The Snakes is a Euro-ish game from GMT that sees players wandering about the countryside debating with pagan druids, converting the people and convincing the leaders of a…

Designer: Ash Barker | Publisher: Osprey Games Joseph A. McCullough’s The Silver Bayonet was a gothic wargame set during the Napoleonic conflicts, designed to repurpose military miniatures. The title boasted a robust set of rules and compelling world-building, and the expansion pack The Carpathians: Castle Fier did a solid job of building on that landscape. However, McCullough has now handed his creation over to Ash Barker, who has been allowed to bring an imaginative twist to this well-rounded title. Barker brings Canada to the Silver Bayonet line, an expansion book that focuses not on the European skirmishes of the time period, but on new battles raging across North America. While the main antagonists of the series continue to be the infamous Harvestmen, who feed on the fear and misery of…