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oVeR 25,000 pRoDuCtS

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p002-003.indd 1 12/05/2015 14:09

 InClUdInG rAnGeS lIkE tHeSe, aNd tHeSe!

AlSo wItH NeW fRiEnDlY

lOcAl gAmInG sToReS oN
tHe hIgH sTrEeT,
aNd pLeNtY oF
sPaCe fOr gAmInG!

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sTeP oF tHe wAy.

wE hAvE tHe aBiLiTy tO sUpPlY

. yOuR hObBy wHeReVeR yOu aRe.
wWw.wAyLaNdGaMeS.cO.uK
p002-003.indd 2 12/05/2015 14:10

WELCOME
Well, it seems like this has been a long-
time coming but I’m delighted to say
‘hello and welcome’ to the first issue of
Tabletop Gaming magazine. I’m a very
passionate tabletop gamer, who helps run
a local games club and plays a variety of
games, from ‘gateway’ games like King of
Tokyo or Ninja Dice to more serious stuff
like Kings of War or Infinity. One thing we
would often talk about at the club was the
fact there was no magazine that covered
all the numerous games that we played.
During a night you can look around the
room and see people enjoying space
battles in X-Wing Miniatures game, dealing
cards in Marvel Legendary, pretending
to be a werewolf in One Night Ultimate
Werewolf or heading out on a dungeon
crawl in Super Dungeon Explore. So it got
me thinking (which is always a dangerous
thing) why isn’t there a magazine out there
covering all these great games?
It should be fairly obvious that at the
moment we’re going through a cultural
renaissance for tabletop gaming. It’s no
longer confined to gloomy basements and
gamers are no longer afraid to talk about
their increasingly popular hobby for fear of
being called geeky... although it’s not a term
I’m uncomfortable with really. Thanks to
shows like Big Bang Theory and celebrities
like Wil Wheaton and Felicia Day heavily
Rob
Rob Burman
Editor
004_005_welcomeContents.indd 4
promoting tabletop gaming as, not only an
enjoyable hobby, but a cool one too, we’re
seeing more and more tabletop games
being released every month. The choice is
absolutely staggering.
Initially we planned this magazine as a
one-off, a special guide perhaps for those
getting into the hobby who were looking
about what to buy next. So we decided on
the 101 games idea. To choose the titles I
spoke to fellow gamers at my club and we
had a plethora of suggestions from some
very willing contributors. Of course, it’s
no easy task to choose just 101 so if your
favourite isn’t on the list then hopefully
we’ll cover it down the line... that’s right, I
said down the line.
Although Tabletop Gaming was planned
as a one-off we’ve got the go-ahead already
for more issues, thanks to the overwhelming
support of retailers, publishers and
distributors. The next issue will change
slightly to incorporate more news, play
tests of upcoming games, more hobby tips,
shop visits, club spotlights and plenty more.
So stay tuned for that later in the year. In
the meantime, I really hope you enjoy the
first issue because we’ve got some great
exclusive interviews and features that
should hopefully help to celebrate this great
hobby of ours. Thanks to everyone for all the
help with issue one... now onto issue two!
FIRST LOOKS!
044 GUILD BALL
Hot off the press is our first look and
interview with the creators of this fantastic
medieval football game.
128 TERMINATOR GENISYS
Alessio Cavatore lifts the lid on his latest
game, as we go hands-on with the war
against the machines.
134 HALO: FLEET BATTLES
We’re back at Spartan Games again, this time
for a first look at its brand new title inspired
by the iconic videogame series.
FEATURED
018 TICKET TO RIDE
Tom Randell gives you a complete guide to
one of the most popular tabletop games of
all-time.
038 XCOM THE BOARD GAME
Could smartphone or tablet apps become
our future games masters? We play XCOM to
find out.
058 SHERIFF OF NOTTINGHAM
Why a game about lying through your teeth
has turned smuggling cheese into an art form.
072 ANDROID: NETRUNNER
A revival of Richard Garfield’s Magic: The
Gathering has attracted a hardcore following.
078 KING OF TOKYO
One of this generation’s best gateway games
sees you pretending to be Godzilla and
getting all stompy with dice.
084 KINGS OF WAR
We take the latest version of the new rules for a
spin in our exclusive Kings of War battle report.
108 SUPER DUNGEON EXPLORE
One of the cutest tabletop games around, also
happens to be one of the most fun. Find out
why we love this chibi monster-killing fest.
116 DREADBALL
We head pitch side with Mantic Games’
incredibly accessible take on violent
futuristic sports.
122 ARCADIA QUEST
A game about stabbing your friends in the
back and killing their characters is actually
great fun… if you can stand the betrayal.
Contact us...
@ tabletopgaming@warnersgroup.co.uk
www.facebook.com/tabletopgamingmagazine
twitter.com/TabletopMag
18/05/2015 11:33
 REVIEWED
006 DUNGEON ROLL 043 MARVEL DICE MASTERS 091 ONE NIGHT ULTIMATE
006 RIVET WARS: EASTERN FRONT 050 FORMULA D WEREWOLF
007 TAKENOKO 050 STAR REALMS 091 FRANCIS DRAKE
007 SPACE CADETS 051 CYCLING PARTY 098 COLT EXPRESS
008 BIOSHOCK INFINITE 051 GALAXY TRUCKER 098 LOVE LETTER
008 SEASONS 056 SMASH UP 099 SKULL
009 PROJECT PANDORA 056 DEAD OF WINTER 099 THE MAGIC LABYRINTH
009 MACHI KORO 057 AVALON: THE RESISTANCE 106 COSMIC ENCOUNTER
016 CIUB 057 MUNCHKIN 106 FIVE TRIBES
016 BOSS MONSTER 062 DOMINION 107 ELDRITCH HORROR
017 FIVE TRIBES 062 COUP 107 SUMMONER WARS: MASTER SET
017 A GAME OF THRONES 063 PANDEMIC 114 RACE FOR THE GALAXY
022 CARCASSONNE 063 BLACK FLEET 114 SPARTACUS
022 SUSHI GO! 070 NO THANKS! 115 DESCENT
023 CASTLE PANIC 070 SMALLWORLD 115 BATTLESTAR GALACTICA
023 NINJA DICE 071 SHADOWS OF BRIMSTONE 120 KROSMASTER ARENA
028 CAVERNA: THE CAVE FARMERS 071 POWER GRID 120 LEVEL 7 [ESCAPE]
028 SONS OF ANARCHY 076 DUNGEONS & DRAGONS 121 SPACE CADETS: DICE DUEL
029 STAR WARS: IMPERIAL ASSAULT 076 ZOMBIE DICE 121 GET BIT!
029 GLOOM 077 7 WONDERS 126 ZOOLORETTO
036 SPACE ALERT 077 LOST CITIES 126 BATTLELORE
036 SCOTLAND YARD 082 SPLENDOR 127 TERROR IN MEEPLE CITY
037 FLASHPOINT 082 DISCWORLD ANKH-MORPORK 127 BETRAYAL AT HOUSE ON THE HILL
037 DIXIT 083 HEY, THAT’S MY FISH! 132 DOMINANT SPECIES
042 DEADZONE 083 FIREFLY THE BOARDGAME 132 CASTLES OF MAD KING LUDWIG
042 CAMEL UP 090 CASH ‘N GUNS 133 VITICULTURE
043 MARVEL LEGENDARY 090 MICE AND MYSTICS 133 ARKHAM HORRO

INTERVIEWS 092 PLANETFALL 156 SALUTE 2015

010 LORDS OF WAR
Martin Vaux explains what it’s like to launch
a brand new card game in such a competitive
market.
024 MAGIC: THE GATHERING
We head to Chimera in Beeston to find out
why some stores are busier than ever, thanks
to Friday Night Magic.
031 ZOMBICIDE
Find out more about the creation of this
multi-million dollar zombie survival game
from designer Nicolas Raoult.
052 SETTLERS OF CATAN
Documentary maker Lorien Green explains
why Settlers of Catan has conquered the
tabletop gaming scene in America.
064 BEYOND THE GATES OF ANTARES
We get the inside scoop from Rick Priestley,
the creator of Warhammer 40k, about his new
sci-fi wargame.
Neil Fawcett of Spartan Games tells us how Salute has become one of the standout events
the team went about creating a new 10mm in the wargaming calendar and this year saw
science fiction combat game. bumper attendance!
100 X-WING MINIATURES GAME HOBBY
Have you got what it takes to be a champion? 158 HOBBY TIPS
We chat to 2014 X-Wing champ Keith Wilson Andy Leighton of Deathwatch Studios gives
about his X-Wing experiences. you some tips on painting your Plague faction
for Deadzone.
140 DROPZONE COMMANDER
The creator of Dropzone Commander, David OTHER
Lewis, tells us how he created this epic 138 SUBSCRIPTIONS
science fiction wargame. Find out how you could save money by
subscribing to Tabletop Gaming.
146 INFINITY
Gutier Lusquiños, one of the creators of 160 SHOP/CLUB DIRECTORY
the skirmish game, explains the team’s Listings for the shops and gaming clubs in
inspiration behind Infinity. your area.
EVENTS 162 TABLETOP TIME MACHINE
152 INSOMNIA 54 We travel into the past with Phil Robinson
We head to Multiplay’s Insomnia gaming from The Museum of Gaming.
event to see how tabletop gaming is
becoming just as important as videogames. 163 NEXT ISSUE

EDITORIAL ADVERTISING MARKETING PRINTING

EDITOR Rob Burman TO ADVERTISE PLEASE CALL
01778 392400 GROUP KEY ACCOUNT MANAGER
robb@warnersgroup.co.uk
Claire Morris 01778 391179
clairem@warnersgroup.co.uk
HEAD OF DESIGN & PRODUCTION
Lynn Wright
GROUP TELESALES EXECUTIVE
e Warners Group Publications PLC
DESIGNER Emma Czajka 01778 391129
Richard Hallam emma.czajka@warnersgroup.co.uk
ADVERTISING PRODUCTION
Kate Michelson 01778 392420
© Warners Group
Publications PLC, 2015 ADVERTISING DESIGN Cathy Herron
MARKETING EXECUTIVE Sarah Stephens
01778 395007 sarahs@warnersgroup.co.uk
PUBLISHED BY
PUBLISHER Rob McDonnell
The Maltings, West Street, Bourne, Lincolnshire PE10 9PH
01778 391000 www.warnersgroup.co.uk
NEWSTRADE DISTRIBUTION
Warners Group Publications PLC
01778 391150
This publication is
printed by Warners
01778 395111
The views expressed by contributors are not necessarily
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 publication, we cannot be
responsible for loss or damage. While every care is
taken when accepting advertisements, we 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

004_005_welcomeContents.indd 5 18/05/2015 11:35

 RIVET WARS:
EASTERN FRONT
CoolMiniorNot | Wargame | £79.99
2 players | 30 minutes | www.rivetwars.com

W
ho would have
thought the horrors
of the trenches
could be turned into such a
charming board game? Thanks
to Rivet Wars’ unique art style,
the steampunk-style soldiers
and vehicles are more pretty,
than gritty! However, that cute
appearance hides a solid core of
brutal killing and warfare, perfect
for armchair generals. Based,
very loosely, on World War I,
Rivet Wars is a miniatures-based
tactical wargame that sees players
facing off against each other using
a range of soldiers, tanks, vehicles
and even steam-powered robots.
Each player has a deployment
zone either side of the board
and the map initially starts with
DUNGEON ROLL nothing on it. So, depending upon
the scenario, players can then
Tasty Minstrel Games | Fantasy dice | £16 deploy their chosen troops at the
1-4 players | 15 minutes | www.playtmg.com start of each turn. There’s a tactical
soldiers? Thankfully deployment
points are refreshed at the start
of each turn… which is a blessing
because the battlefield quickly
becomes a bloody mess with units
popping their clogs (or should
that be cogs?) all over the place.
Combat itself is a breeze. Each
unit has a range and attack value,
along with a certain amount of
dice that can be used, depending
upon the chosen target. The
latter element is really what helps
Rivet Wars to stand out because
certain units are more effective
against a particular target, e.g. a
rifleman is great against infantry
and can roll three attack dice but is
useless against armoured vehicles,
whereas rocket launchers get
more dice when attacking vehicles
but are poor against infantry. It’s
a clever mechanic that creates
some tactical choices for the
player. Rivet Wars is a brilliant

N
ormally assembling a
band of intrepid explorers
to venture deep into the
bowels of an ominous dungeon
requires a lot of hard work. It
involves trips to inns to find
courageous dwarfs, weapon
crafting, spell weaving and then
back to the inn again for a flagon
of mead. However, Dungeon Roll
boils all that complicated process
down to a few dice rolls.
Following on from a successful
Kickstarter campaign in 2013,
Dungeon Roll sees a player
building their own party of
adventurers by rolling a set
of seven white party dice.
Meanwhile another player rolls
increasing amounts of the more
ominous-looking black dungeon
dice to simulate an increasingly
difficult delve into the depths.
By using the six characters/
items on the party dice –
Champion, Fighter, Cleric, Thief,
Mage and Scroll – the adventurers
can defeat the monsters rolled
by the dungeon master, e.g. a
Champion can easily best a
choice to be made, however, title for real-time strategy or
group of goblins but struggles because the units have different steampunk fans, with simple but
against skeletons. Each round the points values – do you send in tactical gameplay and amazing
explorer must choose which of the expensive, powerful tanks or miniatures, this is certainly one to
their dice to sacrifice to beat the try and swamp the enemy with watch for future expansions.
dungeon monsters and whether
they want to gamble on exploring
the increasingly difficult dungeon.
It’s a great balance of risk and
reward because as the party
dice decrease, the dungeon dice
continue to increase too.
However, that’s not all, if the
dungeon master rolls three
dragon icons the adventurers
must face a challenging encounter
against a powerful dragon, which
requires up to three dice to be
sacrificed. Luckily, adventurers
can earn special treasure tokens
containing extra fighters or
potions on their quest to help
overcome the challenge.
Dungeon Roll is a cracking
little quick game that’s great as
a warm-up to a longer dungeon
crawling boardgame and it comes
in a genuinely awesome box that’s
shaped like a tiny treasure chest…
we’re sure some people probably
buy it just for that!

006_007_games1_4RB.indd 6 18/05/2015 14:32

 TAKENOKO
Matagot | Family | £29.99 | 2-4 players | 45 minutes | www.matagot.com

of coloured terrain, which can objectives, depending upon the

then be used to grow bamboo
on. Each turn the player has two
actions to either place a new
tile, move the panda miniature,
create an irrigation channel to a
plot of land to let more bamboo
grow or draw an objective card.
Knowing when to do what is a
fine balancing act.
Most of the time it’s the
objective card that’ll dictate
what you do. Each player has
secret objective cards that
describe a certain ‘mission’,
e.g. grow a particular amount
players. What adds to the fun,
of course, is that no one else
knows what your objectives are
– so you could be scheming to
build a formation of pink terrain
tiles, only to see it scuppered
by another player who needs
a different pattern; or you may
need to grow five pink bamboo
shoots but another player
wants the panda to scoff the lot
to complete their mission. As
they say “the best laid plans of
pandas and men…”
Takenoko is a superb entry

F
rom the perils of bloody
warfare to the tranquility
of creating a beautiful
Japanese garden, while also
making sure a panda gets
enough bamboo to eat. From
the moment you take Takenoko
out of the box, this is a game that
oozes charm – from the lush
vegetation of the playing tiles to
the little pieces of bamboo and a
delightful little model of a panda.
The game works by players
taking it in turns to place pieces
of pink bamboo or form a
pattern of land by placing tiles
in a special way. Once you’ve
completed your objective,
you score the points and the
game is over when you’ve
finished between seven or nine
level game for families who
want to try something different
than Monopoly or Cludeo
but, put it in front of a group
of experienced gamers and
it quickly becomes a game of
scheming and devious tactics.

SPACE CADETS
Stronghold Games | Co-op | £49.99
3-6 players | 90 minutes | www.strongholdgames.com

H
ave you ever watched an
episode of Star Trek and
thought ‘wow, I could do a
better job than these guys’ while
watching in horror as photon
torpedoes slam into the hull of the
Starship Enterprise. Well, until we
make First Contact, Space Cadets
is probably the closest you’ll get to
joining the Starfleet Academy.
In Space Cadets a team of
players become the crew of a
starship, with each person taking
on the role of a different starship
officer. Do you fancy being the
captain of the ship, making
sure you boldly go where no
one has gone before, or would
you prefer to be hidden in the
depths of engineering tinkering
away with warp drives? Space
Cadets gives you the opportunity
to fulfill your Star Trek dreams
by becoming the Captain,
Helmsman, Engineer, Weapons
Officer, Shield Officer or Sensor
Officer… however the most
important thing is that you’re all
going to have to work together
to complete the directives.
Missions range from exploration
to destroying enemy spaceships
and all require different tasks.
The tasks depend upon the
roles, so while the Captain is
in charge, the Engineer must
play a mah-jong-style game to
create energy, the Helmsman
plots the ship’s course using a
series of movement cards, the
Weapons Officer plays a puzzle
game that’s a bit like Tetris
using shaped cards and so on.
All of these tasks are timed and
everyone plays each round at
the same time and all players
have their own progress chart to
track their success… or failure.
The game provides some laugh
out loud moments when some
people have executed their roles
perfectly, only to find another
player has completely fluffed it.
With a group of friends, this is a
stellar party piece. Live long and
prosper gamers!

006_007_games1_4RB.indd 7 18/05/2015 14:32

 BIOSHOCK INFINITE: THE SIEGE OF COLUMBIA
Plaid Hat Games | Area control | £69.99 | 2-4 players | 60 minutes | www.plaidhatgames.com

Infinite: The Siege of Columbia, to plan accordingly and be ready

to give it the rather long-winded
full name, takes place within
the steampunk-themed world
of the 2013 videogame, where
two factions (Comstock and
Vox Populi) are trying to take
control of the floating air city
called Columbia. That floating
city becomes very important
because you’ve got to travel
between districts using the
Sky-Line. Successfully roll the
dice and you’ll arrive safely, fail
to make the required roll and
your character will plummet
groundwards. This element
of randomness is fun and
to react on the fly to different
situations, which makes for some
challenging gameplay. As well
as moving around the board,
you’ll also be building structures
to boost your controlled areas,
buying or upgrading units and, of
course, getting involved in some
fisticuffs when the time’s right.
Combat is arguably the trickiest
part of the game because it also
requires the use of special cards
that can buff units and require
you to keep track of upgrades
using markers. However, it’s
really a minor grumble for a
game that has such an evocative

I
f you’re a fan of Risk-type
games that see you trying to
gain control of areas on a map
or you like the Bioshock series of
videogames, then it’s likely this
game will appeal to you. If you
like both of those things, then
it’s likely you’ve already got this
game because it combines the
two themes brilliantly. Bioshock
frustrating in equal measure
– fun if it happens to your
opponent and frustrating if it
happens to you. On the other
hand though, it means you’ve got
setting – even if you haven’t
played the game – and some
interesting play mechanics, like
the Sky-Line, that ensure no
game ever plays the same.

SEASONS
Libellud/Asmodee | Strategy card game | £39.99 | 2-4 players | 60 minutes | www.libellud.com

Y
ou can perhaps see the
thinking behind Régis
Bonnessée’s gorgeous
Seasons – strategy games are
popular… card drafting games
are popular… so a game combing
the two… BOOM! That’s right,
rather than learning just one
mechanic to grasp the game,
Seasons sees you needing to get
your head around two. However,
the pay-off is certainly worth
it because this is a beautifully
in-depth card game with some
equally lush components.
Players start with nine cards
that are divided into triples for
the three rounds of the game.
The rounds take place in different
seasons when a token is moved
around 12 spaces covering
Spring, Summer, Autumn and
Winter. Depending upon the
season, the energy tokens used as
the currency will either become
more abundant or decrease, as
those elements become more or
less prevalent during a particular
time of year.
The season also dictates the pass through all the seasons on and prestige points. Seasons is
type of dice you roll (blue for the third year and the winner is certainly a tough game to master
winter, green for spring, yellow based on the amount of crystals but is well worth the effort.
for summer and red for autumn),
which have varying symbols on
each face. These symbols are
then linked to different actions
in the game – gain energy, gain
crystals, increase the summoning
gauge to increase the maximum
number of cards a player may
have, draw a new card and,
finally, turn your stored energy
into crystals.
Next you’ll be summoning
the power cards you’ve got in
your hand, which cost a certain
amount of energy/crystals and
your summoning gauge must
be equal to or higher than the
number stated on the card.
You can summon multiple
cards at once if you meet all
these conditions and cards
allow you to do things like
draw new cards, increase your
summoning gauge and also
effect other players too.
The game ends when you

008_009_games5-8RB.indd 8 18/05/2015 14:34

 MACHI KORO
IDW Games | City building card game | £22.99
2-4 players | 30 minutes | www.idwgames.com

I
f Machi Koro were a person, it
would be the kind of person
you’d want to date and take
home to your parents… just bear
with us on this one. It’s got all
the qualities of a great other half:
cute (thanks to the gorgeous
Japanese-styled artwork), not
too complicated (the rules can
be picked up within minutes),
intelligent (you’ve got to use
tactics to win) and absolutely
loaded (earning cash is key to
the game). To (massively) boil
Machi Koro to an elevator-style
10 second pitch, it’s kind of like
Monopoly but with cards, instead
of a board. Players must try and
earn cash by building different
money on your turn, red steals
money on someone else’s turn
and purple takes money from
someone else on your turn.
The way each utility generates
cash is on the roll of a dice,
as each card has a number at
the top. For example, a one
generates cash from the wheat
field, whereas a two or three
operates the bakery. Initially
you only roll one dice but, after
completing the train station
landmark, you can roll two,
which opens up more options
for complicated structures like
the stadium or family restaurant.
So, the question is do you try and
stretch yourself across multiple

PROJECT PANDORA: utilities (wheat field, bakery,

cheese factory, etc.) to ultimately
numbers or concentrate on
particular buildings… while

GRIM CARGO complete four landmarks (train

station, amusement park,
shopping mall and radio tower).
Mantic Games | Sci-fi dungeon crawler | £20 Depending on the colour of
2 players | 15 minutes | www.manticgames.com the card they all have different
effects – blue earns money on
still keeping an eye on your
opponents to see if they’ll be
pinching your cash. If you fancy
adding an extra layer to your
games, there’s an expansion
available too, allowing five

I
f you’re in the market for a
relatively cheap and simple
science fiction-themed
dungeon crawler then Project
Pandora from Mantic Games
could certainly scratch that
itch. Although released back
in 2012, copies regularly crop
up on Amazon and the like
and it should only set you back
around £20. In a similar vein to
games like Space Hulk, Project
Pandora sees a group of well-
armed humans (in this case the
Corporation) going up against
a terrifying foe. Here that
enemy is a bunch of space rats
called the Veer-Myn, who have
boarded a Corporation starship
to steal its precious cargo. The
game comes with 20 detailed
miniatures (10 Corporation
and 10 Veer-Myn), although
you will need to glue them
together before you can start
playing, a rule book and a set
of cardboard tiles to represent
the spaceship – so at £20 it’s
certainly a bit of a bargain
and a decent introduction to
Mantic’s futuristic universe
before you move onto the likes anyone’s turn, green only earns people to join in on the fun.
of Deadzone or Warpath. Each
turn the players get a set of
action tokens they can spend
on moving their troops or
shooting enemies. Each faction
also has special rules, so the
Corporation can engage an
overwatch-style move to allow
them to shoot in the enemy’s
turn, while the Veer-Myn have
something called ‘shadowbreed’.
This latter certainly adds
to one of the game’s most
interesting mechanics because
the shadowy Veer-Myn thrive
in dark places, which restrict
the Corporation’s ability to
fire. Luckily, you can use flares
to light up rooms or, more
simply, use the light switch but
this sense of a brooding threat
hidden in the darkness really
adds to the thematic quality
of Project Pandora. However,
with some balancing issues
and only six missions, Pandora
isn’t perfect but it still generates
some exceptionally tense and
dramatic moments reminiscent
of films like Aliens.

008_009_games5-8RB.indd 9 18/05/2015 14:34

 LORDS OF W Black Box Games | Deck building card gam | £12.99 | 2+ players | 30 minutes | www.lords-of-war.com

We speak to Black Box Games’ Martin Vaux to find out what it’s like
to try and launch a new card game in such a competitive market.

L
aunching any new game is tough but trying to
launch a new card game must be especially
tricky, particularly with big players like Magic:
The Gathering or Netrunner pretty much dominating
“Magic the market. Yet still new card games are released each
year and while some sink without a trace others have
spells and something a bit special that makes them a little ‘sticky’.
It’s like you pick them up once and then can’t quite put
weather them down again; a unique element ‘sticks’ and without
even realising it you’re hooked.
effects have One such example of a sticky card game is Lords of
War from Black Box Games – a title that boils down
added to the essence of complex miniature wargaming with all
its detailed miniatures, weeks (in my case months) of
the game’s painting, books (and books) of army lists or rules and
games that can stretch easily into hours, then turns it
complexity into a far more straight forward card game. However,
don’t let that fool you into thinking that Lords of War
since isn’t an in-depth strategy game – it’s not UNO with
goblins. Nope, it sees you having to really think about
release.” each move to ensure you maintain the upper hand
and take out your opponent’s troops. What’s more,
with each expansion that’s been released since the
first pack (Orcs versus Dwarves) came out in 2013,
more detailed rules, such as magic spells and even
weather effects, have been released to keep gradually
adding to the game’s complexity.
Thankfully though the game’s core concept remains
deceptively simple, ensuring it can be picked up by a
newcomer in a matter of moments. Two players have
a hand of 36 unit cards that make up their ‘army’ – so
far Black Box has released Dwarves, Orcs and Goblins,
Elves, Lizardmen, Templars and Undead – and must
then face off either side of a mat split into 42 card-shaped
rectangles. The cards themselves, which are illustrated
beautifully by Steve Cox, give you all the information
you need to know about the unit you’re using, including
its class, defence value and name. However, the most
important element on the card is a series of arrows
around the edge of the card with numbers inside them.
These arrows indicate what direction that particular
unit can attack in and how strong that attack is. So,

10

010_014_lordsOfWarRB.indd 10 02/06/2015 14:39

F WAR for example, a lowly goblin spearman only has three
potential directions in which he can attack and each one
only has an attack strength of one. Compare that to Blark
Ironhide, a terrifying orc, who has six potential attacks,
one of which has an attack value of five.
Each turn a player must place one their of their cards
into an empty space adjacent to an opposing player’s
card, ensuring that at least one of those aforementioned
attack arrows is pointing towards an enemy card.
Then, and this is where you might need to use your
imagination a little bit, the cards ‘battle’ it out using their
attack and defence stats. In a miniature wargame this
would most likely be done with a plethora of dice but
here it’s performed in a far more straight forward way –
basically if your attack arrow exceeds the defence of the
adjacent card then it’s killed and removed off the play
grid. If not, it stays on for another turn. Units can also
gang up on opposing troops, e.g. if you’ve played a card
that has an attack of three but the defender has a defence
of four then it isn’t killed but next turn you could place
another card next to your enemy with an attack value of
two and because the combined attack score now exceeds
the opponent’s defence it’s taken out.
Further complexity comes with the addition of ■ Martin Vaux (pictured) co-created Lords of War with Nick Street. Since first launching in 2013
ranged units, such as organ guns that can attack from there have been numerous expansions for the game and Martin can regularly be seen at events like
a distance, cavalary units that can move after ▶ UK Games Expo and Salute demoing the game to newcomers.

11

010_014_lordsOfWarRB.indd 11 02/06/2015 14:38

 LORDS OF WAR
ARTIST’S
IMPRESSION
One of the most striking
elements of Lords of War is
the wonderful fantasy artwork
by Steve Cox but the process
wasn’t easy for Martin and
Nick. “As for finding an artist,
that was a truly drawn out
process,” explained Martin.
“Our budget was very tight,
and although we met with
and solicited work from lots
of different artists – some
from students at art schools,
some with years of experience
in comics and animation –
we found it very difficult to
find someone who could
deliver on our creative vision.
Meeting Steve was extremely
fortuitous. His work has
tonnes of character, and he
understands implicitly that we
want the game to look nothing
like what’s out there. It also
mattered that it appealed to
women, children and core
gamers, but that it still had
edge. Our players, thankfully,
really like it, but distributors
worldwide have had very
mixed views on it. Some
love it but others have
given us quite a lot of
grief precisely because
it doesn’t look like the
other games out there
selling by the bucket-
load.”
■ Steve Cox’s artwork has
a sense of familiarity but
also a sense of originality.
Yes, they’re based on classic
fantasy races but they look
like nothing else in other
established fantasy games.
010_014_lordsOfWarRB.indd 12
they have been placed and Bersekers, which move
into the space vacated by enemies they have killed.
Black Box has also added magic units who can
cast powerful ice spells or buff friendly units with
extra shields, for example. It’s game that keeps
on growing not only in complexity but also in
popularity – in fact, in 2013 it won the Best Strategic
Card Game category at the UK Games Expo, which
certainly helped to boost its visibility and has
since gone on to have two successful Kickstarter
campaigns. Intrigued to find out more about the
origins and future of Lords of War, we recently
caught up with one of the game’s creators Martin
Vaux… just as another Kickstarter campaign had
been successfully funded.
12
Why did you want to create a
game like Lords of War?
Wow – that’s a massive question! I could spend years
answering that one! I suppose it came down to what
we thought we could accomplish as an independent
publisher with absolutely no experience in the business.
We wanted to make something that had mass appeal,
which wouldn’t break the bank for us or for customers.
As we knew we would only really get one chance to
establish our name in the marketplace – you can only
launch your first game once – we wanted to make a
flagship product that really stood out as different and
which offered a huge amount of game in a tiny box.
Hopefully we achieved those objectives, but it hasn’t
been easy.
How long did it take for you to come up with
the core idea? How many different variations
did you go through before you settled on
the gameplay?
Well, the initial concept was Nick Street’s and
was born out of his passion for wargaming. As
miniatures gamers know, setting up and playing a
game can be a fairly lengthy process, so he wanted
to make a game which took the essence of miniatures
war gaming and put it onto cards. He played it with his
group for a while and then, like so many of our games
concepts, it went into his prototypes trunk and was
forgotten about for a decade.
After Nick and I met each other, which happened
through a mutual and very good friend – the author
Niyati Keni – we spent a day sharing concepts back
and forth. Each of us took away a couple of the other’s
ideas to tinker with, and Lords of War was something
that really caught my imagination.
I went away, messed about with the game, and
‘ruined it’ as Nick said at the time! It took a long time
for us to thrash through dozens of prototypes that
used both of our ideas best, with the three fantasy
battles games and their expansion packs seeming to
make the most sensible way to start.
Anything that provided a particular influence? Or
were you keen to make it play like nothing else?
Making it unlike anything else out there was
fundamental. The card game market is extraordinarily
competitive – gamers are spoiled for choice – so our
primary objective was to create something that was
completely unique in terms of gameplay but which
was familiar in terms of theme. That way we could
hopefully trick people into playing the game, and once
they did we knew they would get hooked.
You actually went about launching the game in a
different way to most people, by only launching a
Kickstarter for the third game… why was that?
Well, when we set out to launch Lords of War
we wanted to launch all three core double decks
18/05/2015 11:36
 at once, but we couldn’t afford it. With artwork
costs, print costs, shipping costs and so on, let alone
infrastructure things like our website, we really
struggled to find the money to get the game off the
ground at all.
We worked like dogs to get Lords of War: Orcs
versus Dwarves out the door, but the launch for that
game was completely cold. We had no experience,
nobody wanted to talk to us from within the business,
and the gamble was enormous. Sales were slow, but
we already had Lords of War: Elves versus Lizardmen
artworked and ready to print by April 2013, so we
knew we had to get it out there.
Thankfully, sales took off for Orcs versus Dwarves
after we won the UK Games Expo Award in 2013,
beating some absolutely massive games. Once that
happened, we printed Elves versus Lizardmen,
and then we sold out! We suddenly had lots of new
opportunities to pursue but no money to pay for
them, so going to Kickstarter to help us fund Lords of
War: Templars versus Undead seemed like the logical
thing to do.
How tough was it to get those first two games
out there did you have to put a lot of leg work in
to begin with?
To begin with? My goodness – the leg work never ends!
We both work full time, Nick as a chemistry teacher
and I work as part time teacher and as an administrator
at a school. Every day we come home and hit the
phones, send emails, get on social media and so on.
010_014_lordsOfWarRB.indd 13
I don’t think the average person has a clue about
how much work goes into running a small business
– particularly one in such a competitive industry. We
certainly didn’t when we started.
The best way to explain it is this: customers ask for
what they know and retailers stock what customers
want. If you want to muscle into the business,
you have to somehow disrupt existing patterns
of behaviour. That can be hard, and doing it
without upsetting big players in the industry is
extremely difficult, so – to answer your question
– it was very, very tough, and it continues
to be!
Since you’ve started launching
Kickstarters, how different has the
experience been compared to those
early days and are you surprised
by the support you’re getting on
Kickstarter now?
Oh, absolutely. This latest
experience has been no easier
than previous campaigns, but we
went into it with our eyes more open
than ever. This first time we launched a
campaign, we made mistakes. The second
time, we made fewer. This time, we’ve still
made mistakes, but I think we’ve done as good a
job as we possibly could.
What makes campaigns like ours successful
though is community. The Lords of War ▶
13
15/05/2015 13:35
 LORDS OF WAR
EDUCATION,
EDUCATION,
EDUCATION
Both Martin and Nick
work as teachers and this
actually led to some design
decisions about the game
and about ensuring Lords
of War appealed to adults
and children alike. “Both
of us grew up playing
games in family settings,
so that feeds into our
model of what we envisage
when we put together a
prototype,” said Martin.
“What is the game really
about, and how can we
communicate that message
with the largest number
of people? Not to get too
philosophical about it, but
we both think games can
have an improving effect
on people – on the ways
they think, the things they
think about and how they
interact with one another.
It’s a common idea people
accept with books, films
and TV shows, and games
are as fundamental to
human society as any other
art. They offer opportunities
to test yourself and others,
so for us it seems sensible
to create games that offer
the maximum number of
people the opportunity to
experiment and learn things
about themselves.”
■ Rangers, like below, add an
extra layer of tactics to games.
010_014_lordsOfWarRB.indd 14
community is awesome, but many of our players
don’t use Kickstarter. The Kickstarter community
is also absolutely amazing, but it’s predominantly
based in the US. Every time we meet a new backer,
we genuinely are surprised – who are they? Where do
they live? How did they find us? What can we do to
keep them happy and encourage them to engage even
more with Lords of War and Black Box Games both
now and in the future?
Looking at where you are now, did you ever
expect to be in this situation when Black Box
was founded in 2010?
Ha! No – not really. We thought we would either
be a colossal failure or that we would be multi-
millionaires. The reality is that we neither. We are still
a very young company, and all the money we make
is invested straight back into the business. Nick and
I haven’t made a penny from the game, but we have
players from Tokyo to Los Angeles to Jerusalem to
Sydney. That’s the coolest thing ever.
We love that every day more people are learning
about the game. They are playing it, sharing it, and are
helping us to build a global network of Lords of War
advocates. We started off selling single packs here and
there, now we sell thousands here and there. One day,
hopefully, we will be able to work for the business
and drive the crazy train forward full-time, but when
I look back on 2010 I think to myself, “You idiots had
no idea.”
What was it like winning the award at UK
Games Expo? And how has that helped since?
I think it’s fair to say that it was a game-changer. In the
two and a bit years since Lords of War launched, we
have seen dozens of new companies and new games
flare into life and then disappear. What keeps games
alive is players, and for players to pick up something
new rather than continuing to play the stuff already in
their collection, takes work.
Winning that award not only
got gamers thinking about what
was in our box, but it also
encouraged some of the
world’s largest distributors
to take a look. It started a lot of
conversations, and continues
to do so. In fact, many of the
conversations started back in 2013
because of that award are still ongoing.
Now you’ve released several expansions,
how hard is it to balance the decks to
make sure they’re all still competitive?
Not really! The mechanic is so robust, and
we have created products so far that only
touch on a tiny corner of the places Lords
of War could go. The hardest part is to
14
ensure that bad play isn’t too harshly punished, as
if your mechanic is too unforgiving then you risk
players who lose becoming upset – a dangerous thing
in our modern world of internet forums and review
aggregator websites.
From the very start of the process though, the
objective was to make Lords of War something that
worked straight out of the box but that you could
tinker with and personalise over time. Part of that
links back to the wargaming roots. Do you want more
archers? Go for it. How about some infantry with
huge shield values? Not a problem. They key is to
acknowledge that every single card in the game forces
players to make compromises.
The game works on the principle that although
by deck building you might become stronger in
one area doing so will make your army weaker in
another. Mechanics aside, on top of that you have
to account for player tactics, which layer in a vast
number of other variables and ensure that you can
never make a master deck or build that will always
win. If that was possible, we would consider that a
failure on our part.
What’s the tournament scene like at the
moment for Lords of War? Would you like to
see it reach the level where you can have Friday
Night Magic-style events, perhaps Lords of War
Wednesdays?
That is absolutely our hope. As things stand, we have
clubs all over the place doing bits and pieces, from the
UK to Japan to Germany to the US. You have to hand
it to the likes of Wizards of the Coast and its peers – it
has managed to get its organised play running like a
finely oiled machine.
We are working hard to make life as easy as
possible for players, clubs and retailers to run Lords of
War events, but the hardest part is finding the time to
facilitate everything that needs to be facilitated. With
a bit of luck and a lot of passion we can make amazing
things happen, but – as with all of these things – it’s a
chicken and egg situation.
What’s next for the game?
The next step is to bring our new expansion (Magic
and Monsters for Lizardmen versus Elves) to market,
alongside a number of the accessories we have set to
launch. After those things roll out across the world
during July, the focus will be on the final Lords of
War expansion of this generation – the Magic and
Monsters set for Lords of War: Templars versus
Undead – and our second IP, which we’re really
excited about but haven’t properly revealed just yet.
Beyond that, it will be onto the artworking process
for the second generation of Lords of War products –
new mechanics, new factions… plus there’s the digital
edition that we’re breaking ground on at the moment.
2016 should be very, very exciting! ■
15/05/2015 13:35
p015.indd 1 11/05/2015 10:32
 CIUB
Amigo Spiel | Dice Rolling | £18 | 2-4 players
45 minutes | www.amigo-spiele.de

D
o you like rolling requirement shown on die after each roll – dice
dice? You do? one of the spell cards: that show the dreaded
Well, in that 1,1,1,1, for example, or skull icon must be set
case, Ciub’s the game 1,1,3,3,6,6, or perhaps aside, however.
for you, because it has “20+” (meaning the Failed to cast a
over 60 custom dice, of total value of the dice spell? You get to
various colours. Players must equal or exceed use all the dice you
are wizards competing that number). If a swap currently have on
in spell-casting at their symbol is rolled, the your next turn, and
yearly gathering. Spell player can choose to add an extra one.
cards are laid out in exchange each “swap” Claimed a spell? You
two rows. Only spells die for a coloured die, take the card, and
in the bottom row can and these coloured get the victory points
be “cast”. Whenever dice have different shown on it, but you
that happens, a spell combinations of must discard all but
is moved down from numbers and symbols five of your dice.
the top to the bottom, – and the symbols When the final spell
and the top row is enable players to re-roll in the deck is claimed,
replenished. individual dice, or swap the player with the
Each player starts dice two-for-one, or most points wins.
with five white dice, turn a die to a face of Surprisingly deep
whose faces are 1, 2, 3, their choice. with repeated plays,
4 and two “dice swap” Players can re-roll as this is actually a “dice
symbols. Players “cast” many times as they like, management” game,
a spell by rolling their as long as they either not a gambling game.
dice and matching the set aside a die or swap a (Beresford Quimby)

BOSS MONSTER
Brother Wise Games | Card Game | £14.99
2-4 players | 20 minutes | www.brotherwisegames.com

W
hen you’re playing a dungeon
crawling game have you ever
stopped to think about the
poor monsters you’re slaying along
the way? Or what about the boss of the
dungeon who has spent ages carefully
planning where to place all the cunning
traps and hiding zombies round the
corners ready to leap out at you? No,
of course you haven’t, you’re too busy
celebrating when you find some rare
loot… you heartless swine.
Well Boss Monster is a card game that
tries to change all that by putting you in
charge of building a dungeon and filling
it full of fiendish trap or monster rooms
that will take care of any heroes that
stumble inside. You and up to four other
players must choose from a selection of
cards that represent potential rooms for
your dungeon, e.g. a Brainsucker Hive full
of monsters or The Crushinator, which
is a trap room full of lethal spikes. Your
dungeon consists of five different rooms,
although throughout the game there are
times when you can swap things around
or place new rooms on top of existing
rooms, if you feel they’re not working.
Tactical building of your dungeon is
key to maximising the amount of damage
on any heroes that are attracted to your
deadly home and some rooms will work
together – if placed alongside each other
– to have extra buffs or even potentially
send heroes back through the dungeon.
What’s more, certain rooms will attract
different classes of heroes so when you’re
playing against three other players,
you’ve got to decide whether you’re going
to specialise in a particular type of hero
to attract into your dungeon or go for a
scatter gun approach. The final icing on
this tactical card cake is the superb 8-bit
style graphics that really help to bring
the dungeons to life. Being bad has never
been so good!

16

016_017_games9-12RB.indd 16 15/05/2015 13:41

 FIVE TRIBES
Days of Wonder | Area Control | £44.99
2-4 players | 60 minutes | www.daysofwonder.com
D
ays of Wonder has a
reputation for creating
wonderfully accessible
games such as Ticket to Ride
or Small World, so last year
it decided to take things up
a notch with Five Tribes – a
game that’s simple to learn, like
so many of Days of Wonders’
games, but is a devil to master.
Players take control of one of
the five tribes as they try to take
over the Sultanate of Naqala by
gaining power and influence
over their rivals. But first things
first, Five Tribes is a game that
screams quality when you
open the box (again something
we’ve come to expect from
Days of Wonder) thanks to
30 nicely illustrated board
game tiles that are used to
create the modular board and
wooden tokens that represent
everything from people to
camels and palm trees.
Each turn the players bid to
see who will go first, although
you don’t want to bid too much
because cash is king but if you
bid nothing you’ll always go
016_017_games9-12RB.indd 17
last. On your go you take all
the meeples from a square
and then move them, one at a
time, to new squares. On the
last square you place your last
meeple and then remove any
other meeples of that colour
from the square. Sometimes
the tile you land on will also
require you to place a palm
tree, a palace, which increases
the value of that particular
square, or (if you’ve removed
all the meeples from the
square) you get to pop down
a camel, which gives you the
points for that square at the
end of the game.
Another thing that adds to
the game is that the meeples
have different abilities that
depend upon their colour,
e.g. an assassin is red while
builders are blue. So, as well
as following the instruction on
the tile, you may also need to
execute your character’s ability
too. You can even summon
powerful magical entities
known as Djinns, which can be
a definite game changer.
17
A GAME OF THRONES
Fantasy Flight Games | Area Control | £49.99
3-6 players | 120 minutes | www.fantasyflightgames.com
A
 h, Game of Thrones, the
epic series of slaughter, sex
and political intrigue
which has single-handedly made
dragons an acceptable chat
topic in offices and pubs across
the land. Far from just a cash-
grabbing tie-in, the board game
is a masterpiece of channelling
the ruthless, backstabbing
shenanigans you'll have come to
recognise from the books and telly.
Each player takes control
of one of six great Westeros
houses, including your Starks
and Lannisters of course,
raising armies, building fleets
and grabbing castles across the
beautifully-reproduced map of
the continent. Board and card
game behemoth Fantasy Flight
Games got the first edition out
back in 2003, but the game's main
mechanic has far older roots.
Negotiating with your opponents
before picking secret orders
which all get revealed together is
straight out of 1950s board game
Diplomacy, which has legendary
status as a destroyer of even the
hardiest friendships through
surprise betrayals.
As in the books you win or
you die – there's no sharing
a win in this one, people. It's
a nerve-wracking affair that
sees you sweating over your
thinly-defended fiefdom as
nearby armies swell and tenuous
alliances are brokered. Forging a
concrete treaty with a neighbour
before hanging them out to dry at
the worst possible moment is the
lifeblood of the game.
Before you all rush out and
buy a copy be warned: this game
needs patience. The rulebook
takes its cue from the novels,
weighing in at 29 A4 pages of
text culled from the bottom
of an optician’s sight chart,
and is as hard to navigate as
the sea route to Volantis. New
players will need a half hour
read-through to avoid being
hopelessly lost, and they’ll have
forgotten most of the more
obscure rules by the start of the
second turn. Attempting to pull
this game out as a nice surprise
for family Christmas will
invariably lead to confusion,
anger and ultimately violent
acts. (Mike Didymus)
18/05/2015 15:25
 TICKET TO RIDE
It’s full steam ahead for Tom Randell, as he goes loco for one of the most popular tabletop games around.
Days of Wonder | Family game | £39.99 | 2-5 players | 60 minutes | www.daysofwonder.com

I
■ Even the meeples in Ticket
to Ride have a distinctly train-
themed appearance. The game
has been going strong since 2004
and still seems to be gathering
pace as more people give it a try.
n 2004, games publisher Days of Wonder released
Ticket to Ride onto an unsuspecting gaming public.
Since then, this beautifully unassuming title has
become one of the top “go to” games for gamers
looking to introduce their non-gaming friends to
the hobby. Best described as a gateway game, this
modern-day classic is easy to learn, simple to teach
and is based on a theme or concept that virtually
anyone can get their head around – train journeys.
Designed by Alan R. Moon, Ticket to Ride places
you in the United States of America and tasks you
with claiming rail links between specific cities on the
board. When you complete a route, represented by
a ticket, you earn points. At the end of the game, the
player with the most points wins.
Ticket to Ride was such a dramatic success that it
received the coveted, German title, Spiel des Jahres
or Game of the Year 2004. The award is one of the
greatest honours among the gaming community and
only the most popular of games earn the title. As a
result, reviewers across the globe united in agreement
that Ticket to Ride was, without doubt, a keeper.
Despite its success, it wasn’t until the release of
the game’s online version that the title finally became
mainstream! Available for free through the Days
of Wonder website the game’s popularity steadily
grew as online gamers took to it like wildfire. As the
online Ticket to Ride community grew, so too did the
number of physical copies sold. Familiarity with the
game, provided by the online version, firmly placed
the game in the minds of those looking to purchase a
fun and family-friendly game for their loved ones.
Last year saw the tenth anniversary of Ticket to
Ride. To celebrate the game’s first decade, Days of
Wonder released a brand new Anniversary edition.
Comprising an oversized box and board, uniquely
designed train sets for each player with a storage tin
for each - this edition provides great value for money

18

018_021_ticketToRideRB.indd 18 18/05/2015 11:41

 “The Ticket to Ride community, has always been
one filled with friendly and fair competitors.”
and looks amazing on any gaming table!
Also, to coincide with the tenth anniversary,
Days of Wonder launched its Ticket to Ride World
Championship, which attracted over 25,000 entrants
worldwide. In preparation for the world final, game
stores across the globe held regional qualifiers to put
forward players to the nationals. The UK final took
place in May 2014 at The UK Games Expo. The winner,
Peter Howitt, later went on to represent the UK in the
World Championships in Paris, September 2014.
At the conclusion of the 2014 World Championship,
Erwin Pauelsen of the Netherlands was crowned
champion and awarded the Golden Train Trophy.
Alas, the final game was marred with allegations of
cheating. The event had been broadcast, live, across
the internet and viewers quickly reported concerns
about a number of irregularities. An investigation into
the allegations resulted in the eventual resignation
and surrender of the title by Pauelsen.
Despite the unfortunate circumstances, the gaming
community was pleased to see the title of Ticket to
Ride World Champion pass to Kenneth Heilfron of the
USA. The popularity of Ticket to Ride and its ability to
bring people together from all over the globe is truly
spectacular. Games with such social involvement are
few and far between and without this enthusiastic
community, the irregularities of the final game may
never have come to light. In fact, Days of Wonder
summed it up best in their November 2014 press release:
19
018_021_ticketToRideRB.indd 19
“The board game world, specifically the Ticket to
Ride community, has always been one filled with
friendly and fair competitors. It saddens us that this
dishonest behavior occurred, especially given all
the time and energy put into the Championship –
not only by the company, but by the hundreds of
volunteers who helped run Ticket to Ride events
worldwide. Days of Wonder is thankful to those who
have helped to uncover and resolve this situation in
the most honorable way possible.”
Since 2004, there have been numerous
reinventions and expansions for Ticket to Ride and
each new addition takes you on a new and interesting
journey around the globe.
In 2005 Days of Wonder released the Ticket to
Ride: Europe, standalone, base game that adds new
and interesting decisions and challenges. Ferries
require the use of a certain number of locomotives,
claiming tunnels can become randomly more
difficult, and stations let you use a track that another
player owns.
Not long after Europe, Days of Wonder pulled Märklin
out of the bag. Set in Germany, this version includes
cards that depict various Märklin train models and
adds new mechanics for passengers and merchandise.
Players aren’t just racing to claim route sections, they’re
trying to be the first to claim tokens from the board by
placing, and later moving, their passengers.
Finally, bringing its multi-coloured railway networks
to Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. Ticket to
Ride Nordic Countries uses mechanics seen in both the
USA and Europe, but specifically focuses and tightens
the gameplay to cater for only two to three players.
In 2011, the first of the Ticket to Ride map collection
appeared. Each volume provides expansion rules, new
cards and a double-sided game board. Volume one
- entitled Team Asia and Legendary Asia, introduced
team play and mountain passes. Volume two – India
and Switzerland, introduced tickets that provide bonus
points for connecting cities with two different routes and
the idea of connecting a city to one of the surrounding
countries. Volume three – The Heart of Africa, takes
you into the wilderness of Africa and introduces terrain
cards that double the value of a claimed route.
Volume four – Nederlands, features a multitude
of double tracks that are always active. It also adds
an economic element in the form of bridge tolls and
loans. For each route you claim, you pay a toll to the
bank. However, if someone has already claimed the
first side of a track then you pay that player the toll to
claim the other side. As you’d expect, the coins you
hold at the end of the game are worth points, and
loans act as penalties. ▶
18/05/2015 11:41
 TICKET TO RIDE

If you’ve never played Ticket to Ride then you’re

likely wondering what all the fuss is about.
Why would 25,000 people go out of their way
to take part in a World Championship? Why
do millions of people now own a copy? And
what’s with all the expansions?

The truth is - Ticket to

Ride is so elegant and
easy to learn that virtually
anyone can just pick it up
and play. A single game
weighs in at around 45
minutes to an hour, which
means you can even play
it during a lunch break.
So, with that said, let’s
take a look at how you
play the basic game.
At the game’s start, you receive a
starting hand of four carriage cards
and a set of three destination tickets.
Each destination specifies two
locations you need to link. Before
you begin, you can discard up to two
destination cards, but must always
keep at least one. Tickets that cover
a longer route, for example from one
side of the board to the other, are
harder to complete and worth more
points.
On your turn, you perform one of
three actions.
• Take up to two carriage cards
• Claim a section of track
• Take three new tickets and keep at
least one
When you’ve taken your action, your
turn is over and play proceeds to the
next player.
Taking Carriage Cards
A selection of five, face-up, carriage
cards are placed next to a face-down
draw pile at the side of the board.
These cards come in eight different
colours and there’s a number of
locomotive cards that you can use to
stand in for any colour carriage.
Selecting the right colour
carriages is very important in Ticket
to Ride because you use them on
subsequent turns to claim track
sections and build your routes.
Claiming Track Sections
To claim a track section, you reveal the
carriage cards you’re using to claim
it. You then discard them and place
small plastic carriages on the spaces
that make up the claimed section. For
example, if the track section is three
orange carriages long, you’ll need to
discard three orange carriage cards -
this is where locomotive cards really
come in handy.
The placement of plastic carriages
indicates ownership and when you
own a section of track, other players
cannot claim them. Each destination
ticket card identifies a route you
need to claim. In order to ensure you
score each ticket, you need to claim
different sections of track until you
can trace an uninterrupted route,
of your colour, from the tickets start
location to its destination.
Eventually, when you’ve formed
an unbroken route from one end to
the other, you complete the ticket.
Completed tickets are kept secret
until the end of the game. This
element of secrecy adds tension to
the game because you’re never quite
sure what your opponent has.

20

018_021_ticketToRideRB.indd 20 15/05/2015 14:21


Taking New Tickets
Eventually you’ll complete a
ticket, or find that you can’t
complete a ticket because an
opponent claims a track section
that blocks you. You can’t
discard an incomplete ticket
because they count as negative
points at the end of the game.
However, you can take new
tickets in the hope that you’ll be
able to complete them before the
game ends.
You Have Now Arrived at Your
Final Destination, This Game
Will Terminate Here
018_021_ticketToRideRB.indd 21
As play proceeds, the number of plastic
carriages you have in-hand dwindles.
Eventually a player will place enough carriages
that they’re left with less than three available.
When this happens, all other players get one
last turn and the game ends.
It’s now time to sit back, breathe deeply,
and admire the carriages weaving across the
map. Admire the spurs that break off from the
main line and, above all, admire the network
you’ve created! Ticket to Ride is not only
beautiful through its simplicity, the artwork
and end-game are visually beautiful too!
Once you’re done admiring the view,
it’s time to calculate scores and record
them on the score track around the edge
of the board. To start, the player with the
longest, uninterrupted, line of carriages
receives the ten point Longest Route award.
Next, each player scores the track sections
they’ve claimed. The longer a track section
the more points it’s worth. Available
points range from a single carriage section
earning one point to six carriages earning a
massive 15 points.
Finally, all players reveal their complete,
21
and incomplete, tickets and score, or lose,
their printed value. The player with the highest
score at the end of this process is the winner.
A game of Ticket to Ride starts out as a
friendly train journey across the US and
will suit nearly any family gaming session.
However, the gameplay is flexible enough
to offer a decent level of strategic depth. As
the turns go by, you’ll ask yourself “is my
opponent heading towards Washington?”,
“should I let them get there?” or alternatively
“do I play the peaceful game?”
To be honest, it’s entirely up to you
how you play Ticket to Ride - but always
remember, once you block someone, they’ll
be out for revenge! With globe-spanning,
expansive, gameplay and a community of
players who pull together in celebration of
the game - Ticket to Ride is a title that every
gamer should have on their game shelf in
one form or another. If you’ve never had the
pleasure of playing this multi-coloured route
builder, it really is worth taking the time to
give it a try. Games like this aren’t released
very often and very few turn into one of the
most famous board games in the world! ■
15/05/2015 14:21

Game Wright Games | Family Game | £12 | 2-5 players | 15 minutes | www.gamewright.com
C
hoosing a delicious meal from
a conveyor belt in a sushi
restaurant may not immediately
strike you as fertile ground for a light
strategy card game, but let me assure you
it is. Sushi Go! is a quick, family friendly
card game from Gamewright – who are
masters in that field (see also Gubs, Loot,
Zeus on the Loose etc.). It describes itself
as a “pick and pass card game” which is
non-gamer lingo for card drafting. You're
dealt a hand of cards, pick and play one,
and pass the rest on. Repeat until all the
cards are played. That's round one. Three
rounds and the game is over, and it's
time to count your points.
You get points for different
combinations of cards. So, tempura
only score points for sets of two, and
sashimi for sets of three. Dumplings
score more points the more you collect
of them. Nigiri get you 1-3 points for
each single card, but pair it with wasabi
and you'll triple your points. And don't
022_023_games13-16RB.indd 22
CARCASSONNE
Z-Man Games | Territory control | £25
2-5 players | 45 minutes | www.zmangames.com
R
ather like Settlers of Catan, Carcassonne has become a name
that’s synonymous with tabletop gaming and you’re just
as likely to find it in toy shops sitting alongside the likes of
Monopoly and Cludeo, as you are 7 Wonders or Game or Thrones. As
such, it’s a great introduction to newcomers and the rules are relatively
easy to grasp, no matter what your experience.
Players are tasked with placing different tiles that represent the
medieval French city of Carcassonne, some of the tiles feature
fortifications, while others have roads or just fields on them.
However, along with laying down your tiles you also need to pop
some little wooden people on the tiles as well to act as knights or
farmers and claim those areas. For example, if you’re trying to build
a road you’ll need a coloured person placed on it to show that it
belongs to you. If you manage to complete the road by ensuring
it starts and ends at a village/settlement then you’ll score points
depending upon how long the road is. Likewise if you place a little
chap in a fortification, you’ll get the points depending upon how
large the finished wall city is. Every time you complete a road
or city you’ll get your wooden person back, meaning you can
potentially use them to score some more points – so the risk is do
you try and go for big points but lose your person for several turns
or go for quick, smaller points?
Once you’ve grasped the basics of Carcassonne, which really
shouldn’t take too long, there are countless expansions – in fact the
latest version from Z-Man includes two free mini expansions to take
your game to the next level. But there are plenty of other options that
add things like sheep and even dragons. A definite tabletop classic!
SUSHI GO!
forget to swipe more maki rolls than your
neighbours.
While the theme is an unusual one, it
is a very, very clever integration of theme
and mechanics, with the continual
passing of cards round the circle of
players echoing the sushi-go-round
in sushi bars the world over. Arm
yourself with chopsticks and you
can grab twice as many cards from a
future hand. Puddings are collected
across the three rounds, but only score
for you at the end of the meal - round
3 (+6 points for the player with the most
puddings, -6 for the fewest).
I got this game about a month
ago, and it is already established as a
firm family favourite. It's a delightful
game, with cute, quirky art work, an
accessible theme and quick, simple
gameplay. At £12 a pop, there's frankly
no excuse for not owning a copy!
(Iain Nisbet/@playothergames/
www.stateofplay.org.uk)
22
15/05/2015 13:44

CASTLE PANIC
Fireside Games | Fantasy co-op | £25
1-6 players | 60 minutes | www.firesidegames.com
C
astle Panic sees a team
of monster slayers work
together to defend
their cardboard castle from
an onslaught of goblins, trolls,
and orcs. Players win or lose
together as a team, winning
the game if they defeat every
monster in the bag and losing if
the monsters manage to topple
all six castle turrets.
The board is divided into six
coloured segments - two red, two
blue, two green - and enemies
advance from the forest edges
where they spawn toward the
central castle through a series of
rings. Each ring allows different
cards to be used to defeat
them - archers, knights, and
finally swordsmen at the closest
quarters. At the end of each
player’s turn any undefeated
monsters on the board advance
one ring closer and new
monsters are spawned into the
numbered segments around the
board by rolling a dice.
During each round players
022_023_games13-16RB.indd 23
NINJA DICE
Greenbrier Games | Dice game | £15
2-5 players | 30 minutes | www.greenbriergames.com
I
f you judge your tabletop gaming choices on the box alone,
then it’s certainly likely that Ninja Dice will attract your
attention (that’s certainly how we originally discovered it).
The reason is that Ninja Dice comes in a little cloth box that
resembles a cartoon ninja and looks great on your gaming
shelf. Luckily though, the box is just the beginning as this is a
fun little push your luck dice game that’s great as a warm up
before playing something more in-depth.
In the game you play as a ninja who is trying to get into
a house and steal some treasure without getting caught. To
represent the break-in there are three different sets of dice: six
House dice, five Skill dice and four Threat dice. An opposing
player rolls the House dice to show the obstacles the ninja
must overcome, e.g people who live in the house or guards,
while the active player rolls the Skill dice to try and beat the
obstacles. So players can sneak past a guard by rolling a stealth
icon, for example, or roll a lock pick to undo a lock.
However, the other element that comes into the play are the
Threat Dice rolled by the other players waiting for their turn.
These four dice have an hourglass, arrow and block icon on.
Each time the active player rolls their Skill dice the four Threat
dice are rolled too. If all four Threat dice show an hourglass
then the active player’s turn comes to an end, so active players
must decide how far they want to push on as the number of
hourglasses increases. Plus, if another player rolls an arrow on
the Threat dice that points towards one of the active player’s
Skill dice, then they actually steal treasure from them. It’s a
cool mechanic that keeps everyone engaged with the action.
work together to decide how
best to defeat the hordes of
enemies bearing down on their
castle by trading, discarding
and playing cards. Only cards
of the correct colour and ring
can be used against an attacking
monster so some strategy is key
in order to allow the current
player to deal as much damage
as possible, while setting up
subsequent players with cards
that will eventually be of use
to them. That is of course until
an unexpecting plague kills off
all the knights, or the Healer
appears and restores all the
injured monsters in play back to
full health.
Castle Panic is a quirky
game that tows the narrow line
between being simple enough
that even very young players can
join in, yet also requiring enough
strategy to keep experienced
gamers interested. The result is a
fun game that all the family can
join in with and enjoy.
(Sophie Brown)
23
15/05/2015 13:44
 How Friday Night Magic is helping to keep some Friendly Local Game Stores busier than ever.
Wizards of the Coast | Deck building card game | £ Various | 2 players | 20 minutes | www.magic.wizards.com
M “Up to 300
agic: The Gathering is a tabletop gaming
behemoth. It’s the game nearly everyone has
heard of and a lot of people have dabbled
with at some point. It’s the game that normally takes
up a large amount of space in your local shop and
it’s the game that draws dozens of people into their
store each week for Friday Night Magic. Recently we
went along to a shop called Chimera in Beeston near
Nottingham to experience Friday Night Magic for
ourselves and find out why this weekly meet-up has
become such an important feature in the tabletop
gaming calendar.
But first, just in case you’re a newcomer to tabletop
gaming and have never experienced Magic, we’ll
give a little bit of a rundown and explain the basics.
Published in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast, Magic
broke new ground by being the first ever competitive
trading card game. Instead of buying a set deck of
cards, players would purchase mystery packs – known
as boosters - that contained cards of varying skills/
abilities. The cards themselves feature things like
fantasy creatures such as werewolves or wyverns,
magical spells or special artifacts.
Each player draws seven cards from their deck at the
start of the game. These are then used to ‘duel’ against
an opposing player by summoning the creatures on the
024_027_magicTheGatheringRB.indd 24
cards or using any magical spells. However, there are
numerous cards that can counter attacks or magical
people come effects. Arguably the most important type of card in the
game is the ‘land’ card, which produces the magical
into the shop energy needed to unleash the spells and creatures… if
you haven’t got enough land, then you won’t be able to
in a day to cast the more powerful cards.
They are the absolute basics but the game has huge
buy a new amount of depths, thanks to the way players can build
their decks, the differing colours of magic and their
expansion.” various weaknesses and strengths, plus the numerous
forms of tournament play. It’s the latter element that
has certainly provided one of the key parts of Magic’s
success and more than two million official magic
tournaments have been organised by Wizards of the
Coast. That may sound a lot but in 2011 Hasbro, the
parent company of Wizards, said there were more
than 12 million players of the game… and that was
four years ago! Friday Night Magic is a huge aspect of
tournament play, as players can earn points that can
then be used when entering larger organised events
but it’s also become an important part of the game’s
continued success and growth. Pass a local gaming
shop on a Friday night and you’ll often see dozens of
■ Andy Leach of Chimera in people crammed around tables and the chances are
Beeston, Nottingham. they’re all playing Magic.
24
15/05/2015 14:22
 One of those stores that religiously organises Friday
Night Magic events is the previously mentioned
Chimera store in Beeston and owner Andy Leach
told us that Magic has helped to keep the shop
going. “We’ve supported Magic since day one and it’s
become our most popular game,” explained Andy.
“It’s certainly the biggest social game, with Pokemon
coming in a close second, and we can have up to 80
people playing every Friday night.
“When you’re running a bricks and mortar store
it’s important to choose your areas to specialise in
because you simply can’t cover anything. Here at
Chimera we’ve got four: board games, role-playing
games, pre-painted miniature games like Heroclix or
X-Wing and, of course, card games.”
Our visit to Chimera co-incided with the pre-
release of the latest Magic expansion: Dragons of
Tarkir. Each year Wizards of the Coast tends to release
new sets every three months and these have become
standout dates in the Magic diary and are the busiest
days for Andy with up to 300 people flocking into the
shop to grab their expansion.
The Dragons of Tarkir expansion contained six
booster packs, each containing 15 cards, with a mix
of commons, uncommons, rare and land cards in
each one. During pre-release events players are
024_027_magicTheGatheringRB.indd 25
encouraged to take part in casual tournaments by
ripping open their sealed expansion box and then
building a 40-card deck there and then, ready to play.
Normally tournament decks have 60+ cards in and
can often take hours of careful planning. There was a
great moment in Chimera after people received their
pre-release packs and then fell silent as they tore
open boosters, then sorted through the deck. The only
sound was the shuffling of cards as players created
their decks ready for the games ahead, then everyone
exploded into conversation as they chatted about
what they had received in the pre-release box.
The idea for pre-release events like this is for
everyone to have fun – typified by Wizards of
the Coast sending certain shops a special Tarkir
Dragonfury boardgame to play during games. This
unique minigame saw players rolling a dice towards
plastic character tokens in order to score points.
Whoever scored the highest would win a special
promotional Magic card. ■ Magic: The Gathering has
“Pre-release nights like this are great, not only some exceptionally strong
for encouraging people into the store but also to artwork that, along with its
encourage the social side of play,” explained Andy. populartiy, helps to explain
“The fact you receive special promotional cards why Fox is rumoured to be
during pre-release events also helps to ensure people considering making a film based
come into the shop to get their packs. Wizards of ▶ on the franchise.
25
18/05/2015 11:47
 MAGIC: THE GATHERING

the Coast is certainly clever when it comes to getting ■ Although cards have the same
people into shops to play the game. basic design, many players like to
“We’ve been open five years here in Beeston and customise their appearance with
when we started out, we probably had about eight custom covers or even playmats,
or 12 Magic players. But because of events like this so they don’t damage the cards
and the huge increase in the popularity of Friday when they lay them down.
Night Magic, we now have around 60 people regularly
playing each week. Wizards of the Coast has done a
great job of encouraging the grass roots of gaming, as
well as the tournament side of things.”
Magic has, perhaps undeservedly earned a
reputation for being a game that’ll cost you a lot of
money – thanks to the random nature of the booster
packs – and although it’s true that some cards can
trade for as much as £1,000, it’s an optional choice
for players.
Andy likens it to a professional sports player. Say
for example there’s a guy that starts playing golf. At
the beginning he might use a secondhand set that
cost him next to nothing but as he gets better and
wants to improve his score, he eventually needs to
buy increasingly more expensive equipment. Then
if he wants to make it as a professional and play in
tournaments that will take things up another notch.
But, explains Andy, most people are quite happy to
play casually. ■ Just a typical Friday Night at
“I don’t think Magic really deserves its reputation Chimera. The store isn’t that
because the barrier to entry is actually pretty low, big but on a Friday night Magic
I mean it’s £12.99 for an introductory set and then players cram in to play their
it’s optional how much you choose to spend. Plus, favourite game.

26

024_027_magicTheGatheringRB.indd 26 18/05/2015 11:47

 TIPS & TRICKS
Of course, as you become
more experienced in the
world of Magic, you’ll have
your own tips and tricks for
creating better decks but
here we’ve spoken to some
regular players to get the
basics for newcomers.

1. MANA CURVE
Something you might hear
now and again is the phrase
‘mana’ curve. Putting it
simply this means ensuring
your deck has a pretty even
spread of mana cost. It’s no
good loading up with cards
that require a lot of mana
to summon because the
chances are it’ll be game
over before you finally get to
use. Aim for a backbone of
mid-level cards, then a few
cheap or expensive ones to
back them up.

2. LEAN AND MEAN

Tournament decks have
to be at least 60 cards,
so some new players may
think that having a bigger
deck gives them some
kind of advantage. Sadly,
that’s not always the case
because the bigger your
deck, the less chance you
have of pulling out those
key cards. Steamline your
deck as much as possible
to increase your chances
of getting the card you
need.

3. MEMORISE TO SURVIVE
If you’ve kept close to that
magical 60 cards then
we have a great community here who are more than “That’s one thing that’s really important because you should be able to
remember every card that’s
happy to lend a newcomer a deck to get them started. I’ve heard of some stores not giving away their
in your hand and know
“Some of the rare cards do become valuable and promotional cards, just so they can sell them on which cards are yet to be
they’re the ones that can sell for £100 plus each on eBay for an inflated price or not advertising an drawn. This can be vital
eBay but you only really need those if you’re planning event properly so they have a low attendance and in planning your strategy
because you’ll know what’s
to take it to a new level competitively. There’s not can sell the remaining cards,” states Andy.
up your sleeve.
much point in turning up to one of our Friday “For me that’s totally wrong and the community
Night Magic events with a £2,000 deck because you will get wise to it and could report it back to Wizards. 4. EXPERIMENT!
probably will win every single game but I’m not sure As a store we need people to come back every week Don’t be afraid to tweak
your deck or potentially
how much fun you would have.” for Friday Night Magic because they’ll keep buying
completely change it. One
If you do decide to play more competitively, then products and help to keep the store going. Running a of the worst things you
the tournament structure is really part of the DNA of bricks and mortar store isn’t an easy task and you’re can do is build a deck
Magic and Friday Night Magic is key to that. Stores always watching the bank balance. So, having regular then stick to it – no matter
what. By changing things
that organise weekly gatherings are given access to players that enjoy coming to the store – and know that
now and again you can
Wizards of the Coasts’ reporting system, allowing you organise things properly – is really important. learn new strategies and
them to feedback on how many people were in “It’s also important if you’re just starting out with potentially unlock new card
attendance and the results of any games. Players a store to listen to the advice you get from Wizards combos.
earn Planeswalker Points that are used towards because the team there is incredibly helpful. They
5. YOU WILL LOSE!
entering tournaments. have been doing this for years, so their guidance can A newcomer can often be
However, it’s also a great way for Wizards to be vital to a shop’s long term success.” disheartened by how many
measure how successful the game is at different So, if all this has piqued your interest, Andy reckons times they lose but you
shouldn’t be… as long as
stores. “Wizards rates us as a gateway, core, advanced the best thing is to find out where your nearest Friday
you’re learning what the
or advanced plus store based on how many unique Night Magic event is and head along. “Most stores are problem was. Perhaps you
people we have playing but also if we properly report really friendly and there’s usually someone on hand to fell into a trap or relied on
results, things like that. Depending upon our level, guide you through the basics or just watch a game to see an unlikely combo. As long
as you’re learning then it’s
we’ll potentially get more promotional cards to give how it’s played.” Chances are you’ll be hooked and then
not a lost cause. Chin up!
away during events. it’s time to abandon your future plans for Friday nights! ■

27

024_027_magicTheGatheringRB.indd 27 15/05/2015 14:22

 CAVERNA: THE CAVE FARMERS
Mayfair Games | Worker placement | £74.99 | 1-7 players | 30 minutes per player | www.mayfairgames.com

H
arvesting crops, tending
to livestock, running an
efficient mine or going
on adventures - life as a cave
dwelling dwarf is tough. Taking
control of this small family of
dwarfs you can cut down the
forest outside of your cave and
dig out the mountain in which
you reside to create more living
space. Caverna: The Cave
Farmers is Uwe Rosenberg's
heavy farming worker
placement game following
on in the same mould as its
predecessor Agricola.
Players each start with a
game board and two dwarfs
which count as actions, and
can spend those actions either
by cultivating the land outside
their cave to build pastures and
plow fields ready to be sowed,
or by digging tunnels and
rooms inside the mountain to
increase their living space and
mine for treasures.
Increasing living space is
an important option as having
more bedrooms will allow you
to increase your family size and
therefore gain more actions.
One of the key features of this
game that makes it different
from Agricola is the adventure
aspect, players can mine for
ore to build weapons and then
go off adventuring to find gold,
animals or even pumpkins.
Yes the excellent reward of a
pumpkin, I know! The more ore
you mine the more powerful
you can make your dwarf and
the greater the rewards will be.
The game is played over 12
rounds with more options to
place your dwarfs available will be deciding whether you
with the more players you play want to add an extra dwelling
with. There is also a solo variant and increase your family or
that's just as challenging with build another pasture for yet
the game board made smaller. more sheep. (Greg Hughes)
At the end of the rounds you
will have a harvest phase where
you are required to feed your
dwarfs or pay a penalty, so
spend too long adventuring and
not enough time growing crops
and your dwarfs will starve that
round and lose points at the
end of the game.
Caverna can seem daunting
at first glance with a big
game board, player boards
and hundreds of tokens and
tiles, but its simple worker
placement mechanic makes
this game easy to learn and
teach to others. The most
difficult aspect of this game

SONS OF ANARCHY: MEN OF MAYHEM

Gale Force Nine | Area control | £33 | 3-4 players | 60 minutes | www.gf9.com

R
ight, first of all let’s be clear Sons of
Anarchy is very much a game for
adults who don’t mind themes that
involve producing porn videos, drug dealing
and selling guns but, then again, what do
you expect from something that’s based on
a show about a biker gang? Unlike some
games that may have been distracted by the
gritty nature of the show, Men of Mayhem is
actually a very good area control game with a
bit of violence thrown in for good measure.
Players take on the role of a different biker
gang who must take control of different
locations on the map – a nice touch is that
the map is randomly generated before each
game. Once you’ve claimed a location you
can ‘exploit’ it in different ways, e.g. the docks
give you contraband, while a gun factory, as
you might expect, allows you to make and
sell guns. As a result, keeping hold of these
locations is vital to the game and can result
in some fisticuffs. When you want to try and
take over a location that’s already owned by
another gang you issue a ‘throw down’. First
of all you send over your bikers and then, in
a cool little game of bluff, each player must
grab a fist full of secret gun tokens from
their stash before revealing how many you
have in your hand to your opponent. Each
gun adds three points to your total strength
in the fight. Of course, having control of all
these locations is great but you’ve also got
to earn cash by selling your illicit goods,
however you’ve got to be careful not to flood
the market because prices will drop. Once
again, successful selling can come down to
some good bluffing. Play Sons of Anarchy
with a group who like the idea of being a in
a biker gang and you’ll have a blast throwing
down challenges and dealing drugs… just
remember it’s only a game though and don’t
‘throw down’ at the local pub.

28

028_029_games17-20RB.indd 28 15/05/2015 13:45

 STAR WARS: IMPERIAL ASSAULT
Fantasy Flight Games | Adventure | £79.99 | 2-5 players | 90 minutes | www.fantasyflightgames.com

S
tar Wars: Imperial Assault is actually two games in one – first Flight has done a superb job in capturing the look of the iconic
you’ve got a skirmish game in which you all get access to a characters and, even if you don’t fancy painting them, they still
certain number of Star Wars-themed troops and then there’s look top notch on the tabletop.
a far more in-depth Campaign mode in which one player acts as
the dungeon master, while everyone else chooses their favourite
Star Wars hero ready to duke it out.
It’s great that there are two ways to play because, let’s face it,
that price tag isn’t exactly cheap! Then again, that impressive box
does include 34 figures, including the likes of Darth Vader and
Luke Skywalker, along with more generic Stormtroopers and other
Jedi, plus there are 59 double-side tiles. The latter are particularly
useful when you’re creating your campaign games because they
add a lot of variety and give you plenty of options. If you’re fairly
tabletop gaming savvy then you’ll be interested to hear (or most
likely already know) that Imperial Assault is based on the hugely
popular Descent. However, unlike Descent, this is more accessible
for newcomers and the appeal of Star Wars means that more people
will be happy to give it a go – based on the theme alone.
The theme helps to ensure that many characters have their own
unique abilities (although incredibly Stormtroopers are capable of
shooting straight in this) that tie in with the films, e.g Darth Vader’s
excellent Force Choke, while Jyn Odan basically has an overwatch
ability. Abilities can also be upgraded adding some superb variety
to the longer campaign mode. Meanwhile, if miniatures are your
thing then that’s certainly a huge appeal of this game, Fantasy

GLOOM
Atlas Games | Story telling | £15 | 2-4 players | 60 minutes | www.atlas-games.com

G
loom is a card game published in 2005 by Atlas Games where There’s a very English saying “It’s not the winning, it’s the
you assume the role of narrator over a gothic family who taking part that counts,” and like it or not that’s a great description
wouldn’t feel out of place at an Addams Family reunion. The of Gloom. (Millie Lavelle, millie@GeekOnRadio.com,
aim of the game is to bring about the miserable end to your family as Twitter: @geekonradio)
quick as you can, in the most gruesome ways possible.
You’ll play cards from your hand that may cause
your Cousin Mordecai to be marooned on the
moors, or Bathazar, your families unfaithful hound
to be mauled by a manatee, all the while planning
to cause nice things to happen to your opponents
family. “Ohh, Lord Slogar has had such a terrible
time recently, falling down a well, wasn’t it lovely
that he was delighted by the ducklings he saw down
there!” you’ll smirk as you lay a card across the table,
viciously inflicting happiness upon a player.
It’s these morose and stupid stories make the
game more fun to play, and it’s almost a shame
when one player bumps off the last member of their
family and you all count up your scores. Unfinished
business and happy families still on the table
certainly give you a desire to replay the game.
However the game needs you to buy into this
story telling, and it’s fancy clear plastic cards
won’t be enough to hold your attention past the
first couple of plays. If you’re not the sort of player
who’d give in to a little performance, this may not
be the game for you.

29

028_029_games17-20RB.indd 29 18/05/2015 10:24

p030.indd 1 18/05/2015 13:15
 We get the inside scoop from games
designer Nicolas Raoult about the
multi-million dollar game series.

CoolMiniorNot | Survival horror

£69.99 | 1-6 players | 60 minutes
www.zombicide.com

T
hroughout this magazine, the word Kickstarter
will come up time and time again and, to
some extent, it’s assumed that most people
know what Kickstarter is nowadays. However,
just in case you’ve never heard of it before, it’s
worth a little run down about how (roughly)
it works. Someone comes up with an idea
but realizes they need [x] amount to bring
it to market. With the banks treating
loans like they’re the elixir of ever-
lasting life, you might not be able to
squeeze anything out of them.
Instead you turn to something called
‘crowd funding’, which allows you to
cut out the middle man at the bank
while he sits sipping his sweet elixir
and go straight to your potential
customer. ‘Hey, here’s my great idea,’
you proudly proclaim on websites
such as Kickstarter or IndieGoGo,
“and I need [x] amount to make it
a reality.” If your idea is good and
people actually want to buy it you’ll
quickly reach that goal but if your idea
is terrible, it’ll vanish without a trace like a
completed line in Tetris.
To say that Kickstater has been something of a
revolution is a bit of an understatement. More than
1,980 games (although that category does also include
videogames) were launched on the website in 2014 and
raised a total of more than $89 million. One of those
games that certainly caused a stir in 2014 and added
to that figure was Zombicide: Season 3, after it raised
$2.8m thanks to 12,011 backers. This was on the back of
Zombicide: Season 2 in 2013, which made $2.2m and
the original game in 2012 that raised $781,597.
It’s easy to see why with figures like that, so many
games companies are turning to Kickstarter to fund
their projects. However, Zombicide isn’t just a great
crowd funding success story, it’s also an absolutely
fantastic game that taps into the zeitgeist of zombie
culture perfectly. In the original, you play a group of
zombie apocalypse survivors who must work together
to defeat the brain-hungry hordes. Up to six-players
can take part, with each person taking on the role
of one or more game characters – such as Amy the
Goth, Josh the Thug and Doug the Office Guy. What’s
interesting is that all the people become ▶

31

031_034_zombicideRB.indd 31 15/05/2015 14:23

 ZOMBICIDE

one of the survivors while the game itself acts as the

zombies, with rules detailing how they spawn, move,
attack and die (or undie… or re-die… or whatever
zombies do). It’s great that one player isn’t forced to
become the dungeon master to take on the role of the
evil zombies and everyone can get stuck into some
zombie-bashing action.
This co-operative element of play really works to
emulate that feeling of a group of unlikely allies being
thrown together in the worst possible circumstances.
If you’ve seen films like Dawn of Dead or even
Shaun of the Dead, then you’re on the right track.
But it’s also a game where it feels like the zombies
are integral and haven’t just been tacked onto an
existing mechanic to tap into the current zombie
craze. So, they’ll react to noise, for example, and also
tend to swarm together in terrible hordes. Likewise
the weapons and equipment that survivors can use
are straight out of a Romero film: machetes, baseball
bats, sawn off shotguns and, of course, the obligatory
chainsaw. Where it does depart from the traditional
zombie movie though is that now there are different
zombies from the standard Walkers that shuffle
about like a flesh-hungry granny to the terrifying
Abominations that can withstand multiple attacks. If

“We wanted to create something different to the usual zombie

universes - where survivors would take arms against the infected.”
■ Here you can see the cards
that dictate how the zombies
will behave during their turn -
newcomers can potentially tailor
the experience and take out
some of the more the challenging
zombie cards while they learn
the basics.

■ On the right you can see some

of the different weapons the
survivors can collect during a
typical game. Basic weapons like
the pan don’t do a great deal of
damage but the shotgun can be
devastating. You can also carry
multiple weapons at once.

32

031_034_zombicideRB.indd 32 18/05/2015 11:49


you’ve played the videogame Left4Dead then there’s
certainly a comparison with the different zombie
types in that.
After establishing these mechanics in Zombicide:
Season One way back in 2012, Guillotine Games and
publisher CoolMiniorNot has returned to Kickstarter
twice to fund new updates with new rules, weapons,
minis and zombies. To find out how the franchise has
evolved, we spoke to designer Nicolas Raoult about
how the game was created and what the future holds.
What was your inspiration for creating
Zombicide?
We wanted to create something different to the usual
zombie universes, a game where survivors would take
arms against the infected in a last stand, instead of
running away in terror. In that aspect, we got some
031_034_zombicideRB.indd 33
inspiration from movies like Zombieland or Resident
Evil. Oddly enough, I would say the reference we ZOMBICIDE:
PRISON
used the most though is a book, The Zombie Survival OUTBREAK
Guide, by Max Brooks. Any zombie fan should read it! Kickstarted in 2013, Prison
Outbreak was the sequel
Did you come up with several different to Zombicide and, as
the name implies, is set
concepts before settling on the idea for within the tight, deadly
Zombicide? corridors of a prison full of
We designed the game the other way around, actually. zombies. It’s the perfect
Our distributor partners were interested in working addition to the first game,
offering experienced
with us, and asked for a zombie game. So we made players new options when
one… yes, it’s as straightforward as that! creating their games. In
particular the addition of
Do you think there’s a benefit to having a co- the new Berserker zombie,
which can only be killed
operative game, rather than a game where one with a melee weapon,
player has to be the dungeon master? adds a different strategy
These are two different kinds of games. However, to games because, at
we like the idea of the atmosphere being created by some point, you’re going
to have to get up close
the whole group, and not resting on a game master’s and personal with one of
shoulders alone. them rather than holding
back with your shotgun.
How hard is it to create a game that plays well Another new addition is
the idea of Zombvivors.
as a solo game and also as a six-player game? When your character is
It relies on the way core mechanics are created. In the finally overwhelmed by
case of Zombicide, two aspects come to mind: first, the zombie horde, don’t
the number of players doesn’t dictate the number of worry because they can
come back from the dead
survivors. A game can feature an experienced player as a heroic zombie. A
controlling three survivors, while each of his/her Zombvivor can take more
more casual-inclined friends controls a single one. damage than a standard
Second, Zombicide rules are created to be character but loses a little
skill with their weapon.
modular, and connect to each other according What’s more, new missions
to the players’ wishes. That means that players are added where you have
starting out can use simpler rules and then scale it to capture and hold a
up accordingly. The more obvious outcome of this territory while fending off
wave after wave of hideous
modularity is the way zombie cards can be selected zombie attackers. Certainly
to tune the game difficulty. If you’re experienced not for the faint of heart.
players, you can go for the more difficult zombies to
make it more challenging.
Do you think co-operative games are becoming
more popular?
Yes. People like to hang around with each other again.
People always like to unite against a collective (and
morally simple ‘evil’) threat. That’s especially true
in games: casual gamers are not afraid to get beat
by their hardcore friends because we are all playing
in the same team against the villains – rather than
against each other. That’s entertaining, relaxing, and
proves a great way to socialise. Exactly what people
expect from a board game.
What elements of Zombicide are you most
pleased with?
I like the fact that Zombicide works well as a ■ The details on the miniatures
sandbox-type game. The various parts work together for both the survivors and the
as a team (a bit like the survivors in the game) zombies are superb and get
without difficulty. But the thing I like the most is that better with each release. When
Zombicide is popular, in the most basic sense of the ▶ painted they can look even nicer.
33
18/05/2015 11:50
 ZOMBICIDE
ZOMBICIDE:
TOXIC CITY
MALL
When Guillotine returned
to Kickstarter with Prison
Outbreak, it also funded
the first expansion: Toxic
City Mall, which certainly
plays like those famous mall
scenes in Dawn of the Dead.
Like Prison Outbreak, Toxic
City Mall came with plenty
of additions that could be
added to your games of
Zombicide, in particular the
inclusion of Toxic zombies,
which automatically wound
a survivor when in close
combat. Also to recreate
those classic zombie movies,
rules are now included
for barricades to keep
the zombies at bay… but
unfortunately they have a
tendency to not last very
long! Finally there are also
UltraRed weapons that
can only be used when a
survivor has gained enough
experience by killing the
zombies, opening up a whole
range of incredibly powerful
weapons, like the bizarrely
named Ned’s Atomic
Flashlight.
ZOMBICIDE:
RUE MORGUE
Funded via Kickstarter last
year and making almost
$3 million, Rue Morgue is
the third full game in the
Zombicide universe and
this time there are some
significant changes. One of
the biggest additions is the
fact that now up to 12 players
can grab a survivor and start
hacking the heads off those
zombies. However some of
the zombies have now been
upgraded to ‘Skinners’ and
when a Skinner is taken out
it’s replaced by the vicious
Crawler, which will continue
to pull itself across the game
board to try and chomp the
players. However, if you fancy
taking on your fellow players,
as well as the undead, then
the new Competitive Mode
is likely to catch your eye
too. Here players are trying
to accumulate more points
than their opposing team by
taking out as many zombies
as possible…while also
potentially taking out the
opposing survivors at the
same time.
031_034_zombicideRB.indd 34
word. We thought only male hardcore gamers would game and gave a go to our first rough prototype. We
really play it but, in the end, all kinds of people are don’t forget about this.
happy to delve into zombie hunting. We’re really
happy and proud to entertain so many people. It gives What would you say are the big gameplay
meaning to the hard work we put in. changes between each season of Zombicide
and what’s your favourite edition?
Why did you launch the first game via The biggest changes of each Zombicide Season are
Kickstarter? And what did you learn from that brought both by zombies and survivors. Zombies
first Kickstarter? come with new abilities, like the berserk/toxic combo
We wanted to give some visibility to the game on this of Season Two, or the Skinner threat of Season
increasingly popular platform. To be honest, most Three. Survivors, on the other hand, come with new
of us thought we would not get to the 20k dollars spectacular skills (like Bloodlust or Shove) and new
funding goal so you can imagine the ride it became equipment to hunt their infected foes! I don’t have
as we approached $70,000! The first Kickstater any favourite edition because they are all compatible
taught us people were willing to trust us on our past with each other and create a whole range to me. It’s
experiences. It also taught us to be more prepared for an expanding experience!
this kind of operation!
Are you considering more seasons of
What’s the benefit of launching a game via Zombicide or are you keen to move onto
Kickstarter, rather than going through the more something else?
traditional release method? This is confidential… ok, I’m just kidding. We’re
Visibility! Gamers now go on Kickstarter to learn already working on other projects like The Others,
about the latest projects that have gone live. Most and plan to keep on working on Zombicide as long as
people think Kickstarter steals money from retailers. players want to enjoy the game. ■
That’s wrong. Visibility increases the sales for the
whole sector.
How surprised where you
when the second Kickstarter
raised $2.5m? Why do you
think the figure increased by
such a huge amount?
We thought we would do less than
the first (we are very optimistic
people, ha ha). I only really have hypothesizes about
the reasons it increased that way, and the first of
them is directly linked to my previous answer about
retailers: as people now knew about the game, they
came to enjoy it on a larger scale. That increased
Zombicide’s visibility once more and had a positive
impact on stores.
How has the success of Zombicide changed
Guillotine Games? Have your ambitions
increased? World domination?
We’re not the best judges to answer this question.
You should ask our wives! In my point of view, we’re
the same, just a bit older, and probably a little more
confident in our work. We still wear the same clothes
as everyone, eat and drink the same food as before,
cherish our long-time friends, and listen to the same
music (yes, music is important to us).
What’s it been like working with CoolMiniorNot?
Would you ever consider going it alone for
future projects?
The people at CoolMiniOrNot are our friends. They
trusted us in the first place to create a suitable zombie
34
18/05/2015 11:52
p035.indd 1 18/05/2015 13:15
 SPACE ALERT
Rio Grande Games | Co-op | £40
1-5 players | 30 minutes | www.riograndegames.com

I
n Space Alert your mission is
to explore the final frontier.
But your spaceship, the Sitting
Duck, is no USS Enterprise.
You’ll have to contend with
faulty shielding, temperamental
lasers and malfunctioning battle
droids and that’s before you’ve
even encountered the dozens
of threats lurking in deep space
waiting to destroy you.
Space Alert is a co-operative
game of space exploration from
Czech designer Vlaada Chvátil,
who is pratically board game
royalty. The game is split into
two phases: firstly a ten-minute
CD track informs players of
the various threats they will
encounter (from meteorites and
pace to the game and creates
a genuine sense of nail-biting
tension. Even when things go
spectacularly wrong (which is
more often than not) it’s always
entertaining to watch your
characters bumbling around
your rapidly disintegrating
spaceship; walking into walls,
pushing buttons that do nothing
and staring out of the window
just in time to see the ship being
eaten by a Nebula Crab. As with
most of Vlaada Chvátil’s games,
the rulebook is well produced
and includes a series of training
missions to gradually introduce
players to the game’s different
mechanics. There are also
various difficulty levels, to cater

computer viruses to a psionic
satellite or interstellar octopus),
while they have to plan their
actions and movement through
the ship by playing cards onto
their action board. In the
SCOTLAND YARD
for diferent levels of experience
(or possibly inebriation). The
expansion ‘The New Frontier’
adds new threats, a new Ravensburger | Deduction | £19.99
(incredibly tough) difficulty 2-6 players | 45 minutes | www.ravensburger.com
level but most importantly, a

second phase, players resolve
their actions in order, hopefully
dealing with all the threats and
staying alive long enough to
warp back home in one piece.
The CD track adds a frenetic
campaign mode, which gives
you experience points, unlocks
specialisms and allows you to
complete achievements, if you
can stay alive long enough, that
is. (Andrew Wormald)
T
hey say imitation is the
sincerest form of flattery,
and when the man
who created modern tabletop
sensation Pandemic kneads
your game mechanic into one of
the expansions you know you're
onto a winner. Scotland Yard is
a gloriously simple game which
pits a team of up to five police
players against the nefarious
Mister X, who has outwitted
justice and is on the run in this
nation’s fair capital. The shady
so-and-so is briefly visible at the
start of the game before slipping
quietly into hiding, with only the
mode of transport used to escape
revealed to the police team as
they attempt to corner their prey.
A game of cat and mouse
ensues, with every player taking
turns to use taxis, buses or the
Tube in order to close the net
around Mister X and bring
the ne’er-do-well to book. The
master criminal is forced to
surface every few turns before
disappearing once more,
desperately trying to fool the
pursuers through doubling back,
spending precious secret move
tokens and making occasional
trips on the quaint Thames water
bus, which for some reason the
cops are unwilling to risk.
Scotland Yard won the
well-regarded German Spiel
des Jahres (Game of the Year)
award way back in 1983, and
was rebranded as Mister X in
2009 with the chase transferred
to mainland Europe. It also won
something called Der Goldene
Pöppel in 1983/84, and if that
doesn’t sell it for you I don’t
know what will.
The game is straightforward but
elegant, quick to set up and easily
over within an hour, and generally
a triumph of asymmetrical game
design – it's no wonder Matt
Leacock riffed on the idea for the
Bioterrorist role in Pandemic: On
The Brink. It’s fun with friends,
can be played while really quite
drunk and is exactly the sort of
game which should be busted out
instead of groaning and arguing
your way through another round
of Monopoly. Buy it!
(Mike Didymus)

36

036_037_games21-24RB.indd 36 18/05/2015 14:36

 FLASHPOINT
Indie Boards and Cards | Co-op | £30
2-6 players | 45 minutes | www.indieboardsandcards.com

"
I
t's getting out of Control! We
have possibly four people
still inside and the structure
may collapse at any moment, we
need move fast. And don't forget
to rescue the cat!"Flashpoint is a
fun co-op centred around a team
of fire-fighters working frantically
to control a fire long enough to
rescue the building occupants.
A co-operative board-game
(in which players act together
as a team to defeat challenges
presented by the game itself )
players assume the role of
different firefighters with varying
specialities like the Hazmat
Technician or the Paramedic.
The overall objective is to
rescue seven victims located in
a burning building. The initial
setup places these victims
randomly around the board (a
double-sided board offering
two building locations)and also
places items such as volatile
chemicals (Hazmat Markers).
Finally of course a series of fires
are placed.
On a given turn, players spend
action points to do a variety of
options such as move, extinguish
a fire, hack into a wall if a door
isn't an option or drag a victim
towards an exit. Victim markers
are placed facedown meaning
you can waste time getting to
a victim only to find it’s a false
alarm. As a victim is rescued new
ones are then randomly placed.
At the end of each player’s turn
they also roll to see if new fires
have spread in the building collapses the players lose. make it an attractive option on
and this may trigger explosions A fun co-op with a great exciting your game session. Co-ops need
which may injure you or kill a theme, Flashpoint makes for an to balance difficulty in their
victim. As explosions rip through exciting game session. Simple design, to be challenging but not
the building it takes damage. If mechanics, attractive components impossible. Flashpoint does this
four victims die or the building and a relatively short playtime admirably. (Wayne O Connor)

DIXIT
Asmodee | Story-telling | £29.99 | 3-6 players | 30 minutes | www.asmodee.com

W
hile some tabletop games require
huge amounts of tactical decisions
or rolling countless dice to see
who beats who in a scrap to the death, Dixit is
something very different. Instead you’re armed
with a handful of beautifully illustrated cards
and must best your opposition not with guns or
swords but with your imagination and ability to
tell a story. Are you sitting comfortably? Then
let us begin…
Each turn one player is the storyteller who
must select on of their six cards and then, as
the name might imply, tell a story about it. The
cards themselves are illustrated with a range
of pictures featuring fairly straight forward
elements like dragons or giants to more bizarre
concepts, like a picture of some stairs or an
island contained within a drop of water.
Anyway, on your turn you must think
of a description of that
card and then tell that
to the other players. It can be anything from a
noise, to a short story or even a poem, if that’s
your sort of thing. For example, one card shows
a small boy facing off against a dragon – you
could describe that as ‘fight’ or ‘hopelessness’
maybe even ‘George’. The other players must
then look at their own cards and think of a card
they’ve got that could also mean the same.
All the cards are placed into the middle and
shuffled around.
Next the cards are turned over to reveal
what everyone has chosen and the players
who weren’t the storyteller must secretly
guess which card belonged to the storyteller.
For the storyteller to score points at least one
person must correctly guess their card, but
they’ll receive points for everyone else that
doesn’t – so you can’t be too obtuse with
your description otherwise no one will guess
correctly and you won’t score. Dixit is a game
that perfectly demonstrates the wonderful
variety of tabletop gaming and is a joyous
introductory title.

37

036_037_games21-24RB.indd 37 18/05/2015 10:26

 I
X COM
THE BOARD GAME
Tech meets tabletop as we test out a game that uses a digital games master.
Fantasy Flight Games | Co-operative | £44.99 | 1-4 players | 90 minutes | www.fantasyflightgames.com
n a previous life working for a videogames
publisher I had the opportunity to visit several
developer conferences where videogame makers
from around the globe would show off their wares
hoping they would get snapped up by the publishers.
In 2010 one of the those developers was showing
a boardgame that required an iPad to play. If I
remember correctly the game involved various
monster tokens that did battle on an interactive board
that used the iPad’s camera to check locations… or
something like that.
Due to the fact this was the early days of iPad tech
and the tablet cost around £500 at the time, there
were some confused looks among the gathered
crowd. The general reaction was: “so, you want me
to buy a board game that requires a £500 piece of
tech to actually play it?” Followed by tuts, sighs and
widespread eye-rolling. Although iPad take-up had
been popular at the time, it hadn’t reached the critical
mass of 2015 where most households have at least
one, if not two iPads, so buying one to play the game
was a huge barrier to entry.
Now, of course, iPad ownership is widespread and
that barrier to entry is no longer such a problem. The
world of technology and tabletop gaming is coming
together in ways no one really imagined back in 2010,
with numerous tabletop games actually adopting
companion apps to help with things like scoring,
e.g. the Sheriff of Nottingham app, which is fairly
indispensable to keep track of everything. Of course,
companion apps are optional but earlier this year
a game was released that actually requires a tablet,
“It’s not the first time the worlds of video
games and tabletop games have combined
and it’s unlikely to be the last.”
038_041_xComRB.indd 38
phone or PC to play properly. The title in question is
XCOM and the synergy between tech and tabletop
certainly seems appropriate considering XCOM is
actually based on a videogame series, first released in
1994 when iPads would have seemed like something
from Star Trek.
It’s not the first time the worlds of videogames and
tabletop games have combined though – and judging
by the success of XCOM, it’s unlikely to be the last.
In 2007 Sony released Eye of Judgement for the
PlayStation 3, which was essentially a card
battling game but instead of just imagining
the deadly battles taking place between
the different cards, Eye of Judgement used
the PlayStation camera to bring the battles
to life on the television screen. Although
fun, it was more of a curio to show off the
impressive tech of the recently released PS3.
XCOM on the other hand, takes this
tech integration to new heights to make it
integral to the game. You see, the app in
question actually acts as the games master,
explaining what players should do and
when. What’s more, depending upon the
actions of the players, it will actually adapt
certain aspects of play, ensuring that games
vary considerably. In some ways it’s nice to
have the responsibility of GM taken out of
your group’s hands and everyone can get
involved with fending off the alien threat.
In the videogame series an elite
organisation comes together to repel an ▶
38
15/05/2015 14:25
 39

038_041_xComRB.indd 39 15/05/2015 14:25

 XCOM THE BOARD GAME
alien invasion and the player must guide the team
through a series of turn-based combat missions
that play remarkably like a tabletop skirmish game.
In between missions, players must balance the
budgets and research new weapons based on alien
technology. When XCOM The Board Game was first
announced, many people expected Fantasy Flight
would create a skirmish game similar to Corvus Belli’s
Infinity or Mantic’s Deadzone but instead game
designer Eric M. Lang (the man behind titles like
Quarriors and Arcadia Quest) has chosen to mirror
the entire mechanics of the XCOM videogames.
Instead up to four players take on different roles
similar to those seen in digital form: Commander,
responsible for keeping track of the budget and
deploying jet fighters to attack the alien invaders;
Chief Scientist, needed for researching tech and
upgrading the ground troops; Central Officer,
responsible for controlling the app, placing satellites
in Earth’s orbit and relaying important information
and, finally, the Squad Leader has to protect the base
by sending out XCOM soldiers. However, let’s look at
those different roles in more detail.
The Commander may initially seem like the
most boring position, after all, you’re basically
George Osborne managing the national debt while
everyone else is fighting the alien invasion. However,
controlling the cash each turn is essential because
038_041_xComRB.indd 40
GOLEM ARCANA
XCOM isn’t the first tabletop
game to use an integrated
app and in 2014 Harebrained
Holdings released Golem
Arcana, a game that combines
tabletop warfare with digital
devices. Although the board
game comes with a physical
board, you need to note what’s
happening on the app, which
tells you if you’ve moved too
far, works out hit points and
things like that. Golem Arcana
comes with a special Bluetooth
stylus that connects to an iPad
or iPhone so you can record
where the miniatures are on the
board. As such it does away
with the need for a rulebook, as
everything is easily displayed
on the app. In some ways it’s
the perfect gateway game
for people hoping to get into
large-scale tabletop wargames,
particularly younger players,
as you can learn the basics
but don’t have to worry about
leafing through a potentially
massive rulebook to find stats.
■ Each of the infantry units has
their specialism, as indicated on
their stat card.
40
you’re dictating how many troops the Squad Leader
can send out, the number of satellites protecting
Earth and how many scientists have to look at test
tubes all day. You’ve got to keep abreast of everything
that’s happening in the game, so you’re engaged
throughout and updating people about how much
they’re spending. What’s more, you’re responsible for
stopping the UFOs attacking different continents by
sending out jet fighters and if you fail to do that the
continents descend into madness, which means it’s
game over man.
Likewise the Central Officer, the person in charge
of letting people know what’s happening on the app,
may not sound like a sweet deal but, again, you’re
involved in everyone’s turn. You see, each turn takes
place against a clock that’s counting down on the
app, without the Central Officer shouting at other
players in a loud voice like the opening credits of
Thunderbirds, you lose that element of split second
decisions and increasing amounts of pressure.
The Squad Leader is arguably the most important
role in the game, as they’re responsible for basically
sending out troops to die at the hands of evil aliens.
Each turn cards are drawn from the deck that dictate
what aliens are trying to probe the XCOM HQ. They
range from grunts like the Sectoids to tough guys such
as the Sectopod. Each alien has two or three icons on
their card, e.g. a target or disembodied handshake,
15/05/2015 14:25
 that dictates what soldiers can be sent to fight
them. If you haven’t got the right soldiers with
the right icons then the aliens will eventually
destroy the base and it’s game over. On the
other hand, if you successfully repel the little
green men AND still have enough soldiers to
spend on completing missions (which also
require specific soldiers, depending upon the
icons) then you’ll eventually win the game.
The Squad Leader is ultimately the person
everyone shouts at for failing their dice rolls
and losing the game, while they hang their
head in shame staring at the dice through
tears and mumbling.
Finally, compared to everyone else the
Chief Scientist’s life is a breeze. Sitting in the
comfort of their laboratory, they casually
choose what potentially life saving technology
they’re going to research each turn and the worst that
can happen to them is their worker scientists get tired
– a world away from the screams of the soldiers dying
at the hands of the aliens. If the Squad Leader does
manage to kill an alien, the Chief Scientist rolls up
on his (imaginary) Segway, grabs the lifeless corpse
and gets some sweet alien tech in return, which they
can then give to the struggling troops. If you’ve got a
friend that doesn’t like operating under pressure then
let them be the Chief Scientist. ■ Above you can see those lovely blue XCOM dice
Pressure is a recurring theme in XCOM, from the surrounding the tension creating Alien Threat die. This
constantly ticking counter on the app to the pressure mechanic adds a lot of drama to each dice roll.
of successfully stopping the aliens destroying the
base. Even the dice mechanic involves the creeping
presence of more and more pressure. After each into orbit, READY
player has decided where they’re going to send whether or not PLAYER ONE
aeroplanes or which troops they’re going to use, it’s you get some A bit like the videogames, the
use of the XCOM app means
time to resolve all that by rolling some dice… and much needed that it is possible to play the
here’s where things get a little clever. Say you’ve extra cash, how XCOM board game on your
sent two planes to destroy three UFOs over Africa, many rounds own. Yep, that’s right, you can
you get to roll an XCOM die for each plane (buffs you’ve got left and letting you know whose turn it be a Central Commanding
Science Squad Leader by
are available if you’ve got tech or research from the is next. There’s also a very clever little surprise that taking on all the roles at
scientist, however) and if you roll the XCOM logo comes into play if you’ve got too many UFOs in orbit once… a split personality
then the task is a success. Hooray! But, and here’s the but we won’t spoil that here. As such the app doesn’t is recommended but not
catch, as well as rolling the beautiful blue XCOM die, really feel like a bolt on and is doing lots of rather essential. Of course, it does
lose a little something when
you’re also rolling the wicked red eight-sided Alien complicated things in the background that might be you haven’t got anyone else
Threat die. Each time you make a resolution roll the a little boring for a human player but add a great deal to shout at and instead you’re
Alien Threat tracker goes up, starting from one and to gameplay. Plus there’s a neat tutorial mode on the just watching the seconds of
reaching a maximum of five, and you’ve got to make app that’s a very ingenious method of entry for new the app quickly tick down.
Plus, you’ll probably end up
sure that the Alien Threat die exceeds the number on players. Judging by what we’ve seen with XCOM’s use struggling to keep track of all
the tracker. Of course, that shouldn’t be a problem of digital guidance, it’s likely we might see more and the various cards and buffs you
on your first roll but if you want to carry on attacking more app integration in tabletop gaming, which isn’t can earn during the course of
you’ve got to factor in the fact you’re pushing your necessarily such a bad thing if it works as well as this. play. Yes, XCOM can be played
as a single player, but it’s not
luck. Fail and your ground troops, satellites or planes Admittedly XCOM won’t be for everyone because necessarily an experience you
get killed/destroyed, while the scientists just pack up it can be a particularly stressful game where the odds should rush to try out.
work for the day. As a result each player’s dice rolls seem constantly stacked against the players. However,
become a communal act of celebration or devastation if you really engage with the different roles and
depending upon what happens. don’t mind making split second decisions that will
Meanwhile, the app is ticking away nicely in the ultimately affect humanity’s survival, then you’ll have
background, dictating how many UFOs are coming a blast with XCOM. ■

41

038_041_xComRB.indd 41 15/05/2015 14:25

 DEADZONE
Mantic Games | Skirmish | £60 | 2-4 players | 60 minutes | www.manticgames.com

fiction skirmish games – then it’s worth a look just for that.
Anyway, the game itself sees a range of different factions, including
the space marine-style Enforcers, Marauders also known as space
orcs and goblins or Plague (semi-intelligent zombies that can still use
weapons) going head-to-head on a grid-based environment. The use
of a grid is particularly interesting for a skirmish game as it means
there’s no need for potentially complicated and time-consuming
measuring, instead you just consult your character’s stat card that
tells you how many squares they can move or how far they can
shoot… then you just count the squares. For that reason, this is a neat
introduction for people keen to get into skirmish games but perhaps a
little worried about all those tape measures.
Combat is also pretty simple and normally consists of roll-
offs between the attacker and defender – again it’s just a case
of consulting those informative little stat cards. An element of

D
eadzone is listed here not only for the game itself but also
because it provided the launching point for Mantic’s innovative
customisable plastic terrain, which can be used in a wide
variety of skirmish games. The two-player box set for Deadzone comes
packed with terrain that can be used time and time again, thanks to
an innovative clip system that (sometimes with a little jiggling) can be
easily popped in and popped out to create a wide range of buildings
or walls. If you’re a regular skirmish game player – particularly science
randomness is included thank to ‘exploding sixes’ that count as
a success and allow a re-roll, plus the use of battle cards that can
buff units or give extra dice.
If you pick up the Deadzone starter set then it comes with
everything you need for two-players, including Plague and Enforcer
factions, along with the fairly in-depth rulebook, which ensures it’s
a good intro for those wanting to make the move from boardgame to
full skirmish game.

CAMEL UP
Z-Man Games | Racing | £24.99 | 2-8 players | 30 minutes | www.zmangames.com

"
T
he desert sands sweep
in as the riders grip the
reins on their camels.
The gathered crowd cheers and
hurriedly places their bets. Then
the air rings with a pistol shot as
the starter fires into the air and
the camels charge out!" Z-Man
Games’ Camel Up is an award
winning camel racing game.
The race is broken down into a
series of rounds in which each
player does an action of their
choice. The player who gains the
most money at the end of the
race is the winner. One of the
central game components is a
pyramid in which dice are rolled
and then it releases one die, its
colour denoting which camel
races ahead and the die number
indicating how far. Other
options available on a player’s
turn include placing bets for the
current round winner, bets for
the overall winner or loser or
perhaps even placing a desert
or oasis tile on the track. These
tiles can increase or decrease
movement of a
camel who lands on the square.
When all the dice have been
revealed, a round of the game
ends, bets are tallied and then
the dice are returned and the
game continues until one camel
crosses the finish line.
One humorous touch is that
camels can stack when they land
in a square already occupied. If
a camel at the bottom of a stack
receives movement it moves
but takes all the camels stacked
on top of it along with it. The
camel on the top of the stack is
considered to be the one that is
ahead in terms of placing.
With sturdy components,
colourful card and board artwork,
this game is a light affair that can
easily serve as a family favourite
and ideal introduction to the
world of board gaming. It has
a short playtime of about 30
minutes and ability to fit eight
players. (Wayne O Connor)

42

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 MARVEL LEGENDARY
Upper Deck | Deck building | £49.99 | 1-5 players | 60 minutes | www.upperdeck.com

T
he life of a superhero is one of excitement and adventure,
racing against time to save the city from the latest evil-doers
master plan. Now you get to experience that excitement
using characters made popular from the recent film franchises
such as the Avengers and X-Men with this deck building game from
Upper Deck.
Initial setup is straightforward and is based on the number of
players which helps maintain the game balance which often leads
to nail biting finales. Players start with a deck of basic S.H.I.E.L.D.
agents who can either provide attack power to defeat villains or
recruit points which allow the players to recruit more powerful super
hero cards to ‘build’ their deck.
The main driver of the game however is the Villain deck. This
deck is drawn at the start of each player turn and can result
in the appearance of a villain or a henchman who then
move through the city and eventually escape if not
defeated. It can also produce cards to move the
Mastermind’s scheme a step closer to fruition,
or even allow the Mastermind to attack the
heroes directly. The game is co-operative at
heart with all players losing if the Mastermind is
not defeated, but during the game players are also
gaining personal points by defeating villains and
rescuing bystanders, which are totalled at the end of
the game to determine who the ultimate winner is. To
summarise, if you want a game that closely resembles
taking part in a comic book adventure, this is one of the
best deck builders currently on the market. With plenty
of expansions available you will soon be creating your
own teams of heroes to face the deadliest villains in the
Marvel Universe. (Paul Webster)

MARVEL DICE MASTERS

Wizkids Games | Collectable card/dice | £12.99 | 2 players | 15 minutes | www.wizkidsgames.com

M
arvel Dice Masters is a game that’s a
combination between collectable card and
dice building game for two-players, themed
around famous superheroes such as Wolverine,
Spider-Man and Captain America. Although there’s
a starter set available for £12.99 that’s really only the
start and, in a similar vein to collectable card games
like Magic: The Gathering, you can then buy booster
packs that contain new mystery cards and dice.
The game itself sees players draft their choice
of eight superheroes, or villains for that matter,
from their card pool and each card is represented
by special dice. The dice themselves are a very
cool component of the game as they’re meant to
represent the heroes themselves, so Thor’s has a
little winged helmet on whereas Deadpool’s has his
iconic mask. Along with the hero dice there are also
white support dice that act as the sidekicks to the
more powerful superheroes.
Each turn you draw four sidekick dice from a
bag and roll them to try and generate energy. The
energy is split into fist, bolt, mask and shield
and this energy is then used to potentially
bring the superheroes or villains into play.
Once you’ve finished generating energy and
characters, you’ll be able to place dice into
the attack zone – the active player will attack
their opponent, while they have to defend
against it. Then it’s time to consult the tiny
numbers in the corner of the dice to see how
much damage the attacking dice will cause.
If the attack value matches or exceeds the
defense value of the blocking dice then it’s
knocked out.
Further complexity is added with the
special abilities of the superheroes – listed
on the cards - that can affect the action on
the board, so it’s important to choose your
heroes/villains wisely. The starter packs are
a great intro to the game and come with 44
dice, 38 cards and dice bags. Boosters are
then available for around £2 each.

43

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 GUILD
BALL Steamforged Games hits the back of the net with its
brand new medieval football-inspired skirmish game.
Steamforged Games | Sports | £ Various | 2 players | 90 minutes | www.guildball.com
T
abletop gaming is often about ‘light bulb’
moments, you know, those times when you’re
playing a new game and it all clicks into place.
Or you’re playing something you’ve played countless
times before and suddenly that bulb goes off and you’ll
spot a potential game-winning tactic. Guild Ball is
definitely a light bulb game, not only from when you first
try it out but literally from the moment it was conceived
by designers Mat Hart and Rich Loxam.
“I’ll never forget the moment we thought of it,”
explained Mat. “We were at Smogcon 2013 drinking a
few beers and having a chat. Rich and I had been playing
a lot of the Blood Bowl videogame over Steam and we
were watching someone play Warmachine. I turned to
Rich and said that I could definitely make a game where
you used Blood Bowl models on a Warmachine-style
playing field. We looked at each other and there was a
definite moment where you saw the light bulbs go off.”
And so the basic premise of Guild Ball was born. The
game is based around the idea of Medieval or ‘mob’
football. Unlike the beautiful game we know today, mob
football matches were chaotic and potentially violent
affairs that had hardly any rules… a bit like watching
Wimbledon in the 1980s. These matches tended to be
played between neighbouring towns or villages, with
the idea of dragging or kicking an inflated pig’s bladder
to rudimentary goals at the end of each town. Often the
entire village would end up playing the game as there
was no limit on the amount of players per side.
Mat and Rich took this basic premise but then added
an extra layer to it so Guild Ball sees teams based around
certain professions, like butchers, fishermen and
builders. The teams are backed by the Guilds – who are a
little like trade unions, we guess – to play in leagues and
tournaments. However, unlike the unruly mob football
044_048_guildBallRB.indd 44
of medieval times, Guild Ball teams are limited to teams
of six-players rather than dozens of villagers, and they
play on a 3x3 pitch, instead of an entire town.
“I really wanted the setting to feel realistic, rather
than orcs going up against humans in a sports game
because why wouldn’t the orcs just kill everyone, rather
than playing the game?” said Mat. “We wanted to
create a more adult-themed game that actually felt real
because we’ve got other ideas for role-playing games,
skirmish games and big battle games – so we’ve created
something that’s an amazingly rich playground without
using the typical fantasy tropes.
“I mean, look at Game of Thrones. The HBO series
has really driven home that you don’t need high
fantasy for something to have a fantasy feel to it. Also,
the thing is that the world is full of people who actually
look a bit like orcs or elves anyway. Sitting on the Tube
you’ll see a ‘troll’ or ‘goblin’ without them needing
green skin and pointy ears.”
With the idea of having the guilds, other elements
of the game quickly pulled into focus as Mat and Rich
were scoping out their initial ideas. “Having the guilds
also helped to define what the players should be like,”
Rich told us. “If you say to someone there’s a Butcher’s
Guild, they’ll immediately think bloody aprons and
meathooks or cleavers, while the fishermen have nets
and hooks. Along with the designs, the rules almost
write themselves too because the Fisherman’s Guild
players will have harpoons that can hook people from a
distance, while the Brewer’s Guild will be tanked up on
beer so will love a good scrap. We’ve just got so many
ideas for guilds, it’s hard choosing the ones we actually
want to focus on.”
While the guilds were coming along nicely, the rules
behind the game were also being developed and Mat ▶
44
18/05/2015 10:28
 ■ The artistic
style of each
team perfectly
matches their
background so, of
course, Fishermen
have nets and
harpoons, while
the Butchers have
wicked-looking
cleavers.

“We wanted the setting to feel

realistic, rather than orcs going
upgainst humans in a sports game
because why wouldn’t the orcs just
kill everyone rather than play?”

45

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 GUILD BALL

wanted to stick to some core principles to try to ensure

its success. “We designed this to predominantly be a
second game,” said Mat, “because we recognised from
the start, as a new company, we weren’t going to be
able to come straight out with something that would
challenge Warmachine.
“What we wanted to do was fill a space that a lot of
gamers have for a pick-up-and-play game for when
they don’t have time for larger more time-consuming
sessions. So for me the idea of a second game is that it
always needs to be fast to learn and it needs to be quick
to play. Plus, it can’t be overly complex because, I don’t
know about you, but I can’t cope with having two rules
systems inside my head.”
This philosophy of keeping the game simple has
certainly affected some key principles and, as a result,
you only need six minis per side to play a game (or just
three for Quick Play), you don’t need a lot of space for
a pitch and a lot of the statistics/rules are contained on
the player cards, rather than having to leaf through a
large rulebook. This has made it a great game to demo
for Mat and Rich, as Mat explains.
“One of things that’s been fascinating is when
you demo the game, the first six or seven minutes
are spent mainly going through the mechanics and
people are nodding saying they get it because it’s TEAM TALK
BREWER’S GUILD
super simple. Then you’re looking out for every They tend to stagger around the pitch, rather than run so
couple of minutes after that for those light bulb aren’t the quickest on their feet but the Brewer’s Guild
moments when they say: ah, wait a second, if I do can certainly take a punch. Like a decent session ale, the
Brewers have to bide their time until the late stages of
that, then that means I can do this…”
the game, when they’re likely to have knocked most of
Even some aspects we may take for granted took the opposition out.
months of work to ensure they were as simple as
possible. Take the dice rolls, for example, the mechanic
behind them actually took about three months to get right… when was the last time you thought about the
mathematics and calculations behind each and every
dice roll? Well, for Mat that was one of the things he
agonised over.
“You play some games and even the most basic rolls
can be complicated by buffs or cards, which just means
there are so many interactions going on behind the
■ Each team also has their own scenes and you have to think about each roll. For Guild
mascot who actually plays in the Ball we wanted it to be as simple as possible, so you only
game. Here you can see Marbles really need to understand the defence and armour stats
from the Masons. when attacking the enemy.
“For me the best things in life are the ones you don’t
have to think too much about. It’s like in videogames if
TEAM TALK you start playing a shooter and the aiming is inverted.
MASON’S GUILD If you’ve never played with it inverted then it’s
Pardon the pun, but the immediately uncomfortable but if you’re used to it, then
Masons have some very
solid foundations on which it’s second nature. That’s what we wanted for Guild Ball
to build a decent game. with our dice pool mechanic. The system is so integral
By working together, they for the speed of the game that you don’t notice it, which
can help buff key members allows us to do more complicated things elsewhere.”
of the team and have
competent defensive and One of those more complicated things is the
offensive options in their Playbook, which comes in as a result of the dice rolls
Playbooks. Arguably a great during combat. In many sports games or even skirmish
team for beginners getting games, your player/unit will normally have a few options
to grips with the game.
– attack the enemy or move. However, Guild Ball plays

46

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 around with that by changing attack to ‘TAC’, which Certain actions in the Playbook or things like passing
stands for Tactical Ability. Although TAC is the stat for the ball, increase a team’s Momentum for that turn, TEAM TALK
ENGINNER’S GUILD
engaging with the opponent, thanks to something called which can then be spent to increase the number of dice The Engineers are all-
the Playbook it opens up a wide range of options. in a roll, dodge after passing the ball or even perform a rounders and, although they
On the back of each character card is a series of counter attack, etc. Momentum can be spent by either don’t particularly excel in
one area, they’re decent in
16 small circles with various symbols inside, such as team during their attacking or defending which, again,
combat and passing the ball.
numbers, arrows and special Guild Ball symbols. These opens up a whole load of possibilities for play. Their love for gadgets also
circles represent the options available for the player “The Momentum mechanic was another one of the comes into play thanks to
upon making a successful TAC roll. For example, Ox light bulb moments in the game,” said Rich. “It gave some traps that can help to
restrict the opposing team’s
the Butcher’s Captain is rolling a TAC against Siren us the interaction between what you were doing with
movement around the pitch.
from the Fisherman’s Guild. Ox rolls seven dice and each individual character and the team as a whole.
needs to score 4+ to beat Siren’s defence. The player Although they’re all doing their own thing, they’re all
rolls three successes but rather than just scoring three helping to build up the team’s Momentum. We felt
hits against Siren, he can now choose the resulting it really helped to make things flow and things can
action using the Playbook. With three successes, Ox really turn depending upon when and how a team
has the option to cause one damage, push Siren one spends in Momentum.”
inch away, tackle, use a special ability or push Siren “Yeah, the Momentum is something I’m
two-inches away. It’s certainly a unique mechanism really proud of,” added Mat. “It’s going ▶
that adds an extra layer to play.
“The Playbook shows how Rich and I approached
the game with a top down ethos that looked
at what would make the game as fun as
possible,” says Mat. “Something that we
both agreed on was the opportunity to
make choices and trying to predict what
the best option is in a given situation, then
watching the results play out in front of
you. Basically, that’s a wordy say of saying:
choosing things is fun!
“With most wargames you choose to use
a special ability or you choose to use some
dice and fight someone. But we looked at it and
thought, well why do you just have to damage someone
when you fight them, why can’t you use it to re-
position or change the placement of the other pieces
on the board? As a result Guild Ball evolved into this
game that’s more about discreet positioning and the
ability to manipulate the table or your opponent. That’s
where the real depth comes in to make sure it’s more
than just a dice-rolling contest where you clash your
minis against each other in the middle and whoever
has the best dice rolls wins.”
The clever thing about the Playbook is that it
allows you to do some fairly spectacular things,
particularly if you allocate an individual
several action points, e.g. successfully attack a TEAM TALK
player, dodge out of the way and into a melee MORTICIAN’S GUILD
with another character, successfully attack Morticians can win by
dictating how a game
again, push that player out of the way into the melee
is played, even to the
zone of one of your teammates and then potentially point of choosing when
clear the way for a shot at the goal. This wouldn’t be an opposing coach
possible without the Playbook giving you more options can activate a player.
However, beneath
than just: attack, move or shoot.
all the cold planning
Another key element of the Playbook is the addition and tactics the
of Momentum, which becomes integral to a game. Morticians can also
When you watch real-life sports, you’ll often hear the really pack a punch,
with some wicked
commentator talk about the ‘run of play’ and Guild Ball
combat moves.
attempts to re-create that with the Momentum system.

47

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 GUILD BALL
TEAM TALK
FISHERMAN’S GUILD
“The one that got away,”
is a phrase often uttered
by fishermen but in Guild
Ball it’s any opposing
players that’ll be thinking
that as they watch the
captain Shark dance
around the pitch. The
Fishermen need to get
off the mark quickly and
score some cheeky early
goals before the late game
when they’re likely to
bebattered and bruised.
ALCHEMIST’S GUILD
Whereas the Butchers
like to get up close and
personal, the Alchemists
prefer to stick to a distance
and use area of effect
abilities. The key to being a
good Alchemist coach is to
deny the opposing players
easy movement around the
pitch through area effects
and model placement.
BUTCHER’S GUILD
The Butchers specialise
in one thing: violence.
They’re less likely to go
for the ball and more likely
to go for your throat. The
gameplan for the Butchers
is to take out the opposing
team and then potentially
sneak in a few crafty goals
with players like Boiler,
while the Captain Ox
soaks up the damage.
044_048_guildBallRB.indd 48
back to that idea of the agony of choice. The Momentum
is a really precious commodity that allows you to do
some great stuff but, as an economy, you’re constantly
trying to acquire more Momentum so you can pull off
those spectacular moments. The question is about the
Momentum is when do you spend it? Do you store it up
to help you get the initiative in the next turn or spend
it straight away to get an immediate advantage, which
could potentially back fire.”
With all these mechanics in place and some great
feedback during playtesting sessions, Mat and Rich
decided to launch Guild Ball via Kickstarter in 2014.
“We didn’t have the funds to invest £30,000 to release it
ourselves with a couple of starter teams,” explained Rich,
“but we had seen Kickstarter being used by some other,
much bigger, companies. We thought of Kickstarter as
48
something made for indie developers looking to get a
foothold in the industry and then become a company
that makes miniatures.
“I can now confidently say that season two of Guild
Ball won’t be on Kickstarter and we will go straight to
retail with it because the season one Kickstarter has
given us the foundation to start a company up. I feel
like we’ve used Kickstarter like it should be used. We’re
just so thankful that people backed us and trusted us to
deliver the project.”
Finally Mat added: “This is one of the things that I’m
desperately proud of because both Rich and I have a
burning desire to put our money
where our mouth is because we
will sit there and look at games,
then be critical of them or wish
that they had done something
different. Now is our chance
to show that if you approach
a game development in a
certain way and stick true to
your principles – despite all the
potential arguments – then we can
deliver a great game that we can be
proud of, as gamers. I know that’s
true because I want to play Guild Ball
more than any other game and it’s
not because I’m biased, it’s because I
want to actually play it.”
After the successful Kickstarter
in 2014, Guild Ball is now at retail
with team starter sets costing about
£20. Rules can be downloaded from
the Guild Ball website if you fancy
experiencing some of those light
bulb moments for yourself. ■
15/05/2015 14:27
en

TOLE HAVEN
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Email: tolehavenuk@aol.com
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plus many more brands and products.
Mail order available • Free demos • Gaming club

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p049.indd 1 12/05/2015 10:01


FORMULA D
Asmodee | Racing | £34.99
2-10 players | 60 minutes | www.asmodee.com
E
ven if you’re not a big fan
of Formula One, or racing
for that matter, Formula D
is still a game that’s well worth
your attention. Up to 10 players
can get involved with this game,
which is more about risk versus
reward than it is about racing
cars. It’s also a title that scales
up perfectly from very simple
rules for beginners to more
complex elements, like weather
and different stats for racers, for
experienced gamers.
The basic rules see you rolling
a series of dice that represent
the gears of a car and then
moving the amount of spaces
shown on the dice. The first gear
die only lets you roll up to two
spaces but, if you make it up to
sixth gear, you’ll be able to roll
the massive blue dice that has
a maximum movement of 30
squares… there is no greater
feeling than rolling that amazing
blue dice. NO GREATER
FEELING. You can move up the
gears at the start of each turn,
050_051_games29-32RB.indd 50
however you won’t be able to
just start rattling through the
dice straight away.
That’s because when you
approach corners, you’ve got
to stop at least once within a
clearly marked area, which
means you can’t just blast
around the course. If you
overshoot the corner you’ll ruin
your tyres or engine and if you
do that too many times you’ll be
out of the race.
As a result, you’ve got to
work out what dice it’s going to
be safe to use. Yes, you could
S
go down a gear to make sure
you safely make the corner
but slowing down means your
opponents could speed past
you… but go to fast and you’ll
spin out of control. Even with
10 players, Formula D is still
an engrossing game because,
basically, it’s huge fun to see
someone completely mess up
their roll, although the action
can get a bit more dangerous as
cars crash into each other.
50
STAR REALMS
White Wizard Games | Deck building | £12
2+ players | 15 minutes | www.starrealms.com
ince Dominion was
released in 2008 deck
building games have
become one of the most popular
genres, none more so than 2014
release Star Realms, which
has already blasted its way to
number 58 in BBG’s rankings. So
what is it about this game that
has everyone buzzing?
Firstly, accessibility, at £10-
£15 it’s cheap to buy, is a small
box containing 118 cards and a
rule book and it’s easy to pick
up and learn. Along with that,
it has a short play time, space
theme, and as it’s primarily a
two-player game. You can see
the appeal.
You start with a hand of 10
basic cards (ships), drawing
five to play on your turn, the
basic ships are two types.
Firstly, trade ships allow you to
purchase better ships from a
random selection of five ships
in the centre. The second type
is combat ships, and this is the
big difference in Star Realms,
the object of the game is to
destroy your opponent, each
player starting with 50 Authority
points. Purchased cards come in
four factions each with unique
characteristics and combinations
of trade and combat plus abilities
like drawing extra cards or
scrapping cards in your discard
pile. There are also Bases for
each faction, some of which
must be destroyed before you
can damage your opponent,
additional bonuses also activate
should you play a second card of
the same faction on that turn.
Like all deck builders it has the
random element of when certain
cards get drawn, but you can
understand why this game is
so popular, the chaining of
the cards means that you
can sometimes get huge
hit combos destroying
your opponent in one
massive hit, which can
be very satisfying.
Add that to price,
theme and length,
this game is a lot
of fun a small box.
(Stuart Webb)
15/05/2015 13:52

Snake Eyes Games | Racing | £34.99 | 2-6 players | 60 minutes | www.cyclingparty.com
S
ome of the best tabletop games are
those that can scale up for a range of
abilities, ensuring that youngsters,
adults, newcomers or experienced gamers
can all tailor the experience to suit them. One
of those games is most certainly the recently
released Cycling Party, which can range
from a quick 10-minute casual bike ride to
a hardcore, punishing mountain climb that
makes the Tour de France look like a breeze.
You take on the role of a team manager
of a group of five or six riders. In the basic
version of the game, you’ll pretty much be
rolling dice just to see how far your cyclists
Czech Games | Space exploration | £40 | 2-4 players | 60 minutes | www.czechgames.com
G
alaxy Trucker showcases the less
glamorous side of space exploration. You
compete with other truckers to build
your ship out of a selection of spare parts then
take the resulting hotch-potch of components
on an odyssey through one of the dodgiest parts
of galaxy. There are big bucks to be earned,
providing your ship doesn’t fall apart first.
Each round of Galaxy Trucker is split into two
phases. Firstly, all players simultaneously scrabble
around to reveal various components and add
them to their spaceship. Once everyone has a
complete(ish) ship, players launch into space
and test their hastily-constructed vessels against
whatever the cosmos will throw at them. To
make the most of your journey you’ll need cargo
holds for trade goods, lasers to fight off pirates,
slavers and smugglers, shields to protect against
meteorites, crew to loot abandoned stations,
050_051_games29-32RB.indd 51
CYCLING PARTY
move but in the more advanced rules you the players. There are 54 hexagonal tiles
can assign roles to each rider, e.g. climbers included in the box and these can be
who are better at going up mountains or combined in a number of different ways to
sprinters who can speed past the opposition create short, fast courses or long, winding
on the straights. Getting the right rider in tracks with gruelling mountain sections.
the correct position during a race is key to The tiles themselves are sturdy and nicely
victory and, just like a real bike race, there illustrated… although the first play is going
are numerous tactics involved and choices to involve a lot of set-up as you remove all
about when to try and break away from the the tokens/tiles from their card.
pack to go it alone. Finally, to take things to the next level,
In terms of the course you’ll be riding, there’s a master version of the game in which
once again Cycling Party can be scaled you can upload tours to the game’s website.
up depending upon the amount of time If you take things that seriously, next you’ll
you have to play or the experience of be buying a yellow jersey.
GALAXY TRUCKER
aliens to lend their special expertise and engines to
outrun the competition. In reality, you’ll be thankful
just to make it to the finish line in whatever’s left of
your floating junkyard. Whoever has made the most
money after three journeys is the winner.
The first phase is unfailingly tense as you struggle
to find just the right piece to finish your ship. Even
though there’s a decent amount of luck involved and
it’s not always easy to predict a winner, it’s always
hilarious to watch in horror as a meteor cleaves
your lovingly-crafted ship in two or smugglers pinch
your hard-earned cargo. The rulebook is a delight
to read - owing more than a little to The Hitchhiker’s
Guide to the Galaxy – and adds to the general charm
of the game. The components – astronauts, aliens
and battery tokens – are all well produced and it’s
ultimately just very satisfying to complete a space-
themed jigsaw puzzle, even if you have to watch it get
blown to bits straight afterwards. (Andrew Wormald)
51
15/05/2015 13:52
 SETTLERS O
Mayfair Games | Resource management | £25 | 3-4 players | 90 minutes | www.catan.com
■ Lorien Green is so serious
about documentary making she
uses not one but TWO cameras
at all times.
052_055_settlersOfCatanRB.indd 52
Exploring how a German game about resource management
conquered America with documentary maker Lorien Green.
F
ew tabletop games have broken into the
mainstream quite as much as Settlers of Catan.
Mention the name to people in the street (well,
perhaps don’t because they might think you’re a little
unusual) and a large number of them will have played
it or at least heard of it. The game has won countless
awards since its release in 1995, including the coveted
Spiel des Jahres (Game of the Year) in 1995, and has
sold more than 18 million copies worldwide.
This huge worldwide fame has ensured it’s become
an easy cultural touching point for ‘geeky’ shows
wanting to prove their geek credibility. The ultimate
in geek television series Big Bang Theory references
Settlers in great detail during one episode… although
52
mainly uses it to make jokes about ‘having wood’ –
fnarr, fnarr. However, it’s also used as a reference in
one memorable episode of The IT Crowd when super
geek Moss launches his own online show dedicated
to tabletop games called Game Board. Although not
directly named, it’s clear that the fictional games
Ports of Essen and Textile Merchant: Norfolk Edition
are inspired by the likes of Settlers of Catan.
Finally perhaps the ultimate in-joke came
courtesy of Settlers of Catan’s American publisher
Mayfair Games after it launched the Cones of
Dunshire Kickstarter. Cones of Dunshire appears
briefly in an episode of American sitcom Parks &
Recreation when character Ben invents a new game
18/05/2015 10:29
S OF CATAN
involving giant cardboard cones and players with
names like the Ledgerman and Arbiter. In a bizarre
twist Mayfair then tried to get the game funded
via Kickstarter, however rather than opting for a
miniature version, Mayfair wanted to make a full
size game measuring 33-inches by 44-inches. Sadly,
although not surprisingly, it failed to fund (twice)
but certainly acts as an amusing tribute to games
like Settlers of Catan.
Like the Wooden Cone of Decision from Dunshire,
Settlers of Catan has pierced out of the world of
niche tabletop games and into the public spotlight,
which is quite a feat when you consider Catan is
predominantly about resource management… which
isn’t exactly the most sexy of subjects. Although
originally designed by German games creator Klaus
Teuber, one country where it has certainly found
fame is America and in 2010 Blake Eskin, former
web editor of The New Yorker, said it has “become
a necessary social skill among entrepreneurs and
052_055_settlersOfCatanRB.indd 53
venture capitalists (one tech executive calls it ‘the
new golf’)” and described it as a “mass-market
phenomenon in America”.
Someone keen to explore the influence of “Catan
Settlers of Catan on American culture was
filmmaker Lorien Green, who produced a definitely
documentary called Going Cardboard that explored
the growth of ‘designer’ board games like Catan helped make
in the States. We caught up with Lorien to find out
more about how Settlers has helped the tabletop tabletop
gaming scene in the US.
gaming more
When and why did you first start
playing tabletop games? mainstream,
I first started playing modern board games, of the
Catan type, around 2008. It was my husband who though it
discovered them, and I actually don’t know how he
did. But he joined a local group of gamers, one thing didn’t do it
led to another, and the next thing I know, we’ve got a
closet full of board games! ▶ by itself.”
53
18/05/2015 10:29
 SETTLERS OF CATAN
PACKERS
OF CATAN
Perhaps one of the more
surprising examples of
how Settlers of Catan has
conquered America is the
fact that earlier this year
it was revealed by the
Wall Street Journal that
NFL team the Green Bay
Packers regularly play
the game in their locker
room. From the Wall Street
Journal: “On any day in
Green Bay’s locker room,
you can find starting tackle
David Bakhtiari, who
introduced the game to the
team, rounding up players
for a Settlers get-together
that night—and there’s
no shortage of willing
participants.”
■ As well as resources, the game
also has special events or units
like the ones below.
052_055_settlersOfCatanRB.indd 54
Did you previously think that board games were
pretty much restricted to Monopoly or Clue(do)?
I did, yes, though I didn’t really have a problem with
that. I grew up on good terms with Monopoly (though
we did have ferocious sibling fights over it), and I still
love Clue to this day. Tim Curry might possibly have
been an influence in that, though, since I absolutely
love the Clue movie, to this day. I’ve got a picture
somewhere of the family playing Clue, with the
movie on at the same time in the background. I also
remember growing up with Mousetrap and The Game
of LIFE.
I knew about more serious games like Risk back
then, but that was definitely not my thing. If you
include Magic: the Gathering in the mix, though –
and I think you should, because I certainly include
Dominion – then I was definitely aware of that back in
college. I actually founded the Boston University club
for Magic: the Gathering, back in 1996.
When was the first time you played Settlers of
Catan and what was your first impression?
I wish I could distinctly recall that. I know I liked it
from the start, though when I was first being exposed
to all these games, I tended more toward Goa, and
Bohnanza. But Catan was certainly up there on the
list. One of the things I love most about it is that the
rules are pretty simple.
Why do you think it’s been so popular?
I think there are a number of reasons Catan has done
well. First, it came to the States at a good time, when
people were maybe looking for something a little
more communal to do. Computers were huge, mobile
devices, all these electronic things where you are not
interacting face to face with people. So there’s that.
As I mentioned before, the rules of Catan are
54
intuitive, and that’s important. It’s also got the dice-
rolling element that many American board gamers
were used to. So in that sense it’s a good gateway
game, because it includes the familiar.
Catan’s also a good middle ground. It’s both
competitive and co-operative. You are allowed to
be really into trading, or to forego that and do your
own thing. That flexibility helps make it popular with
different personality types.
How do you think Settlers of Catan
has impacted the tabletop gaming
industry in America… has it helped
make it more mainstream?
Catan definitely helped make tabletop gaming more
mainstream, though it didn’t do it by itself. It’s like
tabletop gaming is the camel. Catan was the camel’s
nose for a lot of people, and once it wriggled its way
under the edge of the tent, there was no stopping all
these other great games from being discovered. Catan
has become sort of the flagship reference game for
talking about the modern tabletop genre, and that’s
well-deserved, but it also helped people realise all the
REST of the great stuff, and all the potential, that was
also there.
I do think the whole German gaming scene helped
encourage designers to be more creative. Some of
them were already on that path, of course. Donald X.
Vaccarino was already envisioning Dominion back in
the Magic: the Gathering days. But you definitely see
an increase in creative American designers now.
Following on from that, what’s the tabletop
gaming scene like now in America?
Well, it’s mainstream enough that it’s showing up on
popular television shows, and to have people like Wil
Wheaton and Felicia Day promoting it with their Geek
& Sundry channel on YouTube. I would say tabletop
gaming has arrived. It’s not a novelty anymore. The
board games presence at events like PAX is huge now.
Of course, that explosion leads to its own problems.
So many games are being produced now, and so very
many board game Kickstarters are popping up, that
it’s hard to keep up. It’s a good problem to have, of
course, but in some ways it does present a problem.
Why did you want to make a documentary
about tabletop games?
I just wanted to make a documentary on the topic
because I was really into niche documentaries at the
time, and this subject hadn’t been covered. I felt it
was more than worthy. It was the perfect topic for a
documentary. And part of why it was a success was, I
didn’t know all that much about the industry, or the
hobby, myself. So I was asking the kind of questions
that make for painting a great picture of the tabletop
gaming landscape. I didn’t even know what Essen was
when I dove into this.
15/05/2015 14:29
 I wasn’t necessarily going to make a film about Catan,
no. In fact, I wasn’t even sure initially that I would get to
talk to Klaus Teuber. I knew it was very important for the
film, but at the same time, here I am, a total no-name, no
prior ties to the industry, no track record, asking KLAUS
TEUBER for an interview. That seemed audacious at the
time. It still does. But he said yes! I definitely remember
the day that happened, I was so excited.
What was it like meeting Klaus
Teuber? Did he seem surprised that
Catan has been such a huge hit?
Klaus Teuber and his son, Guido, are two of the nicest,
most down to earth people you can imagine. For
Klaus, yes, I don’t think he expected things to blow up
around Catan the way they did. It’s not his first game,
you know? And it had been out in Germany for some
time before it caught on in America. I think people
should take inspiration from that, really. If you have a
052_055_settlersOfCatanRB.indd 55
project, or a passion, just keep doing it. Even if it feels ■ Catan has become one of the
like you’re toiling away in obscurity, you should never most popular and recognisable
stop doing something you believe in or just enjoy. But tabletop games available,
yeah, it couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy! inspiring numerous other titles.
What are you working on now?
Well, I found a new hobby to get obsessed with. I’m
now in post-production on a documentary about the SHOOT-OUT
Copies of the Going Cardboard
resurgence of pinball. This is quite a different project,
documentary also come with
though. For starters, there are already half a dozen a nice bonus: a copy of Reiner
great documentaries on pinball. But over the past Knizia’s (creator of the Lost
years, with the revival to some degree of the arcade, Cities card game) Shoot Out.
This simple but fun dice-rolling
the advent of barcades, and of course the drive of
game sees two players taking
nostalgia, pinball’s making a comeback. I find that on the roles of Wild West
exciting, and none of the existing documentaries talk gunslingers in a duel. Each turn
about that, because they’re all from 2009 and earlier. So the shooters move closer to
each other attempting to fire
I’ve partnered with a gifted filmmaker, Blake Faucette,
either their Colt or Winchester
and we’re getting close to finishing that. The film will guns and, if successful, they
be called Shoot Again: the Resurgence of Pinball. ■ can carry on shooting.
55
15/05/2015 14:29
 SMASH UP
AEG | Card game | £25
2-4 players | 45 minutes | www.alderac.com

E
veryone loves ninjas,
right? Of course, goes
without saying. What
about dinosaurs? Clever girl,
they’re definitely brilliant.
Robots? Sure, why not. Hang on,
did we mention pirates? They’re
probably even more popular
than ninjas. But what about a
pirate dinosaur or a zombie
ninja? Surely that would cause
a geek explosion? Well, you’re
right and Paul Peterson’s Smash
Up explores that concept with
truly stunning (and ridiculous)
results.
In Smash Up players
choose from two factions, e.g.
dinosaurs, pirates or ninjas,
and combine them into one
super faction like alien zombies
or robot wizards. The players
then scrap it out to take control
of different bases and the first
to 15 points is the winner. Each
attack the enemy bases.
The factions all play very
differently and, as you would
expect the Ninja minions have
sneaky abilities, while the
dinosaurs are strong but a little
bit stupid. Likewise they all have
different action cards too and
learning how to use those in key
moments is a vital part of the
game, e.g. there are some action
cards that will force opposing
players to return minions to
their hand, potentially allowing
you to take over a base instead
and bag the points.
Like so many great games
what Smash Up does so well
is lure people in with the
silly theme of pirate robots
and then sucker punch them
with an in-depth game full
DEAD OF WINTER
of strategy. Plus, it’s great
Plaid Hat Games | Survival horror| £49.99
experimenting with different
2-5 players | 60-120 minutes | www.plaidhatgames.com
factions and ninja dinosaurs

turn you can play an action
card (giving you fairly simple
instructions like ‘draw two
cards’) and a minion card. The
minion cards are characters
based on the various factions
like the Armor Stego or alien
overlord, who are then used to
Z
really do play differently to
ombies... perhaps one of
zombie wizards, so there’s
the most over used story
plenty of incentive for repeat
elements we have seen
plays. Finally, since first being
in media recently; it takes a lot
released in 2012, there are now
to break the shuffling groaning
numerous expansions to add
mould and race out in front of
to the experience, including
the abundant competition. This
the Obligatory Cthulu pack.
can be said not just for TV, film
and computer games but also
board games of which there are
more than a few. Dead of Winter,
however, is a fresh new thing in
the zombie games market and in
my opinion one of the best.
Published by Plaid Hat
Games of Mice and Mystics
and Summoner Wars fame and
designed by the team of Isaac
Vega and Jon Gilmour this is the
first in their new “Crossroads”
series. Dead Of Winter puts the
players in control of their own
small teams of survivors, trying
their best to avoid becoming
lunch for undead banging on
the colony gates. The game
requires that the players work
together to complete a common
goal which ranges from taking
zombie samples to stockpiling
food as well as working towards
completing a secret objective
themselves. This means that,
well, not everyone will be a
winner at the end forcing the
players to sometimes try and
speed up or even stall the
completion of the main objective
in order to achieve their own
personal goals. Throw in a
betrayal mechanic and boom,
you have a great game of mystery
and intrigue. Is the person beside
you really out for the betterment
of the colony with that move or
are they out for themself?
Now let’s talk about what’s
in the box. Loads and loads of
card is the answer to that; you
get the board itself and locations
and decks of cards to go with
them. You also get 30 zombie
standees that’s right 30! And they
can easily all get on the board if
things go bad but you also get
30 unique survivors to play with,
giving your games a rich variety
and featuring fantastic artwork.
All-in-all I love this game thanks
to its great replayability and
potential to expand in the future,
so if you want a copy grab one
now because these have been
going fast. (Blair Fraser)

56

056_057_games33_36RB.indd 56 18/05/2015 14:37

 AVALON: THE RESISTANCE
Indie Boards & Cards | Party game | £17 | 5-10 players | 15-60 minutes | www.indieboardsandcards.com
K
nights of the Round Table have been
summoned to Camelot to perform five
noble and perilous quests. As a loyal
servant of King Arthur, you are quick to heed
his call to arms. You gaze around the table at
the other summoned warriors, wondering
which of you will be chosen to serve your
King, and which of you may be secretly a
treacherous minion of the enemy, Mordred.
That’s how the game of Avalon begins. You
will be given a secret identity and you’re either
on Arthur’s side (good) or Mordred’s (evil). If
you’re one of Mordred’s minions, you’ll know
who the other minions are. If you’re one of
Arthur’s loyal servants, you don’t know – and
therefore cannot trust – anyone.
This popular party game is a retheming of
The Resistance, which was set in a dystopian
future. As well as changing the setting to a
faux medieval setting of Arthurian legend,
Avalon introduced special characters,
including Merlin, the assassin and others.
These can be added and removed at your
discretion to provide some variety, or to
rebalance the game, making it easier for one
side or other to win.
For each of the five quests one player picks
a group to attempt it. Everyone then votes to
approve or reject that group. Watch carefully
Steve Jackson Games | Card game | £16 | 3-6 players | 60 minutes | www.sjgames.com
056_057_games33_36RB.indd 57
how people vote, as it may give a clue as to the others that it wasn’t you who failed the
where their loyalties lie. quest, or simply lying low and hoping no-one
Each member of the group selected decides will notice your betrayal, you’re always in the
in secret whether the quest should succeed or thick of things. It’s easy to teach, endlessly
fail. Complete three quests successfully, and replayable, relatively accessible for non-
good has won the game, three fails and it’s a gamers and one of my favourite games of all
victory for evil. Just one fail card is enough to time.(Iain Nisbet, @playothergames)
sabotage a quest. You’ll know there’s a traitor
among that group, but you won’t know who
it is. Merlin knows the truth, of course, but
can’t speak freely. If good wins, then evil has
one last chance to prevail – if the assassin can
correctly identify Merlin, then good falls at the
last hurdle and evil triumphs.
That may not sound like much of a game, and
it is pretty simple, but this game is a riot! In
my regular Tuesday night group, this is our
signature game and almost always the last
thing we play of an evening. Avalon produces
lies and laughter in equal measure, shouting,
pointing, accusations and usually a lengthy
post-game analysis as well. The tension that
builds is tangible, as you turn over cards
to reveal the fate of a quest, try to deflect
suspicion from yourself to someone (anyone!)
else, or sweat it out as Merlin hoping to avoid
the assassin’s knife.
Whether you’re voting down a team you
don’t trust, desperately trying to persuade
MUNCHKIN
S
ometimes it’s important not to take yourself too seriously and Munchkin is
the perfect game for role-players who are happy to have a laugh now and
again. That’s because although Munchkin is based on games like Dungeons
& Dragons and will see you exploring a dungeon packed full of monsters, it has its
tongue placed firmly in its cheek, so you’ll be encountering items like the Sneaky
Bastard Sword or Yuppie Water… the latter perhaps indicating the game’s age. It was
first released in 2001 when yuppie was still a word that everyone used.
Anyway, that aside, each turn your character must venture further into a dungeon
by drawing a door card and then looking what’s inside the room beyond. Sometimes
you’ll get a special ability that allows your character to change class or you’ll find
some kind of magic artefact that improves your character. Of course there are
negative discoveries too like curses or monsters. Invariably you’ll find the latter but
rather than being a long, drawn out slog, fighting a monster is just a case of quickly
comparing stats. If the monster is too powerful you can leg it, which is sometimes the
best option because if you kick the bucket then other players get to steal your stuff.
In line with the humorous nature of the game, monsters are pretty ridiculous, like the
Bigfoot, which is literally a big foot and Pukachu, which can vomit on your character.
If you don’t fancy taking on these monsters alone, you can agree to team up with
other players but you’ll have to bribe them with loot. Unfortunately, everyone else
is more likely to stab you in the back because they can give special powers to the
monsters so you get killed and they can nab all your hard-earned treasure.
Although it’s been around for an age, Munchkin is still great fun with plenty of in-
jokes, particularly for Dungeons & Dragons players.
57
18/05/2015 12:19
 SHERIFF OF
NOTTINGHAM A game where smuggling cheese and chickens is turned into a fine art.
Arcane Wonders | Bluffing | £29.99 | 3-5 players | 60 minutes | www.arcanewonders.com

58

58_61_sheriffOfNottinghamRB.indd 58 15/05/2015 14:30

 I
ntroducing newcomers to our hallowed halls
of tabletop gaming can sometimes be a tricky
experience. You know the feeling, a few non-
gaming friends have gathered round at yours and
instead of watching Great British Bake Off you
pause the show and cautiously suggest playing a
game. There are some gasps of horror, your friend
Louise faints and Dennis drops a dish in the
kitchen… the ringing of the pieces as they hit the
floor is the only sound as you slowly reach for the
remote and press play again.
The problem is that the word ‘game’ for some
conjures up images of long Christmas afternoons
playing Monopoly with granny, who keeps asking
the rules, while Uncle Roy takes over the bank and
helps himself, not only to the £20 notes, but the
drinks cabinet too. More often than not, the game
ends up in an argument about who gets the free car
parking money and no one speaks to each other
until the following Christmas when it’s decided to
watch the Only Fools and Horses special instead.
Of course, there are so many really great tabletop
games that don’t play like the potentially boring
slog that is Monopoly that this image of gaming is
totally unfounded. However, it’s getting newcomers
to make that leap from games they may have
known from their childhood to tabletop games that
are available now. The term that’s often used is
‘gateway’ games, so instead of suddenly presenting
new players with the Game of Thrones boardgame
complete with its myriad of rules or Zombicide
with its numerous pieces and zombie killing
gameplay, it’s better to offer up something easier
and often more sociable.
So, step up to the plate Sheriff of Nottingham,
a game that is as simple as the ability to pull a
straight face while lying through your teeth. Sheriff
of Nottingham takes the art of bluffing and does
something rather special with it. A typical came will
see you pleading, bribing, begging, stabbing your
friends in the back, pressuring people to confess
and generally being a thoroughly terrible person…
it’s like House of Cards the Game. Of course, you
can play like a saint and never tell a lie but where’s
the fun in that?
The premise is this: between three and five
players take on the role of a merchant in the
fair city of Nottingham around the end of the
12th century and the beginning of the 13th…
suitable period outfits are optional. Although
you commonly tend to sell products like bread,
“A typical came will see you pleading, bribing,
begging, stabbing your friends in the back and
pressuring people to confess.”
58_61_sheriffOfNottinghamRB.indd 59
cheese or chickens you’re never going to be able ■ This is what it’s all about -
to retire on the proceeds – so where’s the harm lovely wonga. During the game
in smuggling in some contraband like silk or you can earn extra money
crossbows to add some extra coin to your purse? through bribes or fines if you’re
Unfortunately the wicked Sheriff of Nottingham the Sheriff, while merchants
stands in the way of your illicit endeavors and may must rely on pay outs from the
choose to inspect any goods you’re bringing to Sheriff when he gets it wrong.
market. If you’ve got nothing to worry about, great,
the Sheriff will hand over some cash for troubling
you but if you’re a secret silk smuggler it’s time to
pay up!
In the game it plays out like this: each person
takes it in turn to be the Sheriff while everyone
else is a merchant. The merchants draw six cards,
CLOSE TO
featuring legal goods like bread or apples or illicit THE BORDER
items like pepper or mead. Each card is worth a Sheriff of Nottingham is
certain amount of money, e.g. bread is three while actually based on a game
released in 2006 called Hart
apples are two, but the contraband is worth far
an der Grenze (Close to
more… so there’s an incentive to try and smuggle the Border). The premise is
these past the Sheriff. From the six cards in their identical but here instead of
hand, a player chooses whether to discard any and paying the corrupt Sheriff,
players are trying to get
then places up to five cards in a little material purse
past a dodgy security guard
(complete with popper that makes a very satisfying with their luggage full of
‘pop’ noise when opened and closed). The purse contraband. In 2011 the
is handed to the pompous Sheriff who can choose game was then re-imagined
as Robin Hood from
whether or not to inspect the contents… and this
publisher Galápagos Jogos
is where things start to get really fun, particularly and the character of Robin
when you get a little creative. ▶ Hood was introduced.
Once per game the players
can call on the famous
outlaw to steal any produce
they want. Then last year
the game was re-skinned
again as part of Arcane
Wonder’s new Dice Tower
Essentials Series.
59
15/05/2015 14:31
 SHERIFF OF NOTTINGHAM
SHERIFF OF
NOTTINGHAM
COMPANION APP
As mentioned in the feature,
if you’re struggling with the
final scoring phase in Sheriff of
Nottingham, it might be worth
downloading the companion
app that can be used on
smartphones and tablets.
With the app you can enter
the amount of players and
then keep tabs on what they
manage to smuggle into the
market each turn. At the end
of the game, the app will do all
those complicated maths and
let you know who the winner
is. It’s like having a friend who
enjoys long division. One of
the amusing additions are the
random catchphrases that
the app spouts, transporting
you straight back to medieval
Nottingham. There’s even the
option to turn on ‘naughty’
random comments from
peasants… ooh, saucy.
■ Here’s the cast of dodgy
characters you can play as.
58_61_sheriffOfNottinghamRB.indd 60
“I’ve definitely, absolutely only got three apples
in there,” explains the merchant, a fixed look of
calm across his face.
“I see,” says the Sheriff, “so you won’t mind if I
take a look. You know how it is with Robin Hood
and the like getting in here and mucking things up.
We have to be careful.”
The calm on the merchant’s face cracks a little.
“Ah… well… yes… I said three apples, right? Well,
of course. Yes. Nothing dodgy in there. I mean, I’ve
never even met Robin… Wood, did you say?”
“Hmm,” answers the Sheriff with a glare, “I’m not
sure I like the cut of your jib.” He begins to tease
open the purse.
“Wait!” cries the merchant. “You’re a busy Sheriff
and I wouldn’t want you to go to the trouble of
opening that purse, you’ve got other people to
harass… I mean speak to you. Perhaps we can come
to a little agreement… say 10 coins to let me pass?”
“15 and I’ll turn a blind eye,” replies the Sheriff in
a heatbeat.
“15?!” splutters the merchant, “I haven’t got that
sort of money.”
“Fine!” shouts the Sheriff and pops open the
purse and produces… three apples. The Sheriff ’s
face goes white with fury, while a smirk creeps
60
across the merchant’s face.
“I believe you owe six coins for troubling me,
sir?” Giggles the merchant, as the Sheriff angrily
thrusts the money in his hand and sends him away.
“Next!” he bellows, determined to make the next
idiot pay.
That sums up just one of the many potential
exchanges between players taking on the different
roles. Sheriff of Nottingham really is a game about
bluffing, counter bluffing and then bluffing some
more just in case. The way it works is that if the
Sheriff doesn’t believe what items the player has
declared but upon opening the purse finds out
they were telling the truth, he must pay a fine.
Conversely if he discovers the merchant is trying to
smuggle through contraband, the merchant must
hand over a fine instead.
However, to try and counter the Sheriff ’s
questioning gaze, the player can offer to grease his
palm and turn a blind eye. But the way he can bribe
the Sheriff is another super element of the game.
Instead of just saying ‘here’s five coins to give me
back the purse, he can say ‘here’s 20 coins to ignore
my purse but perhaps you want to have a gander
at the player next to me because I’m sure I saw a
crossbow in there’. If the Sheriff agrees he must
15/05/2015 14:30
 inspect the next player’s bag because of the deal.
All deals that can be completed in the same round
must be honoured, although any deals that rely
on a following round can be reneged. It makes for
some wonderful negotiations and betrayals.
Sheriff of Nottingham is certainly a game that
brings out the best… and worst in people. If you
really engage in the part of the merchant or
Sheriff then you’ll have an absolute blast.
In particular it’s interesting to see how
different players take to the role of Sheriff. In
our playgroup one was very kind, believing
most of the merchants and only accepted the
slightest bribe, to ensure that she didn’t have
to hand over any fines. However, the following
player was the proverbial Bad Sheriff to her
Good Sheriff, refusing to believe anyone and
opening every purse, only to discover that
everyone was telling the truth. It was one of
those circumstances when everyone knew
how that player would approach the game, so
kept things straight for that turn.
Of course, you’ve got to really get involved
with Sheriff of Nottingham and the amount of
fun you’ll have will depend on the crowd because,
after all, it’s a fairly simple premise for a
game. But if you immerse yourself in
the role and get involved with the
dirty dealings or multi-level bluffing
then this is a title that will have you
coming back again and again.
61
58_61_sheriffOfNottinghamRB.indd 61
Unfortunately, one of the elements where Sheriff
of Nottingham falls down is at the end of the game.
Throughout the rounds it’s likely you’ll have had an
absolute blast, laughing, shouting and potentially
swearing but once the dust has settled you’re
left adding up all your goods up using a slightly
complicated mathematical system. Now look, we’re
not one to complain about a little adding up, but
in Sheriff of Nottingham it seems to go against the
raucous fun everyone else has been having. Instead
it’s heads down and pens out to work out the scores.
Things are made more complicated by the fact there
are bonuses for the players who have delivered
the most and second most amounts of particular
goods – so there’ll be a gold and silver award for
apples, cheese, bread and chickens. Obviously it’s
not impossible to add up all the scores but it’s just a
downer compared to everything before it. We tend to
house rule the scoring to forget about the awards for
delivering certain goods and only go on the gold and
amount the goods are worth.
It’s the picky scoring system that stops Sheriff of
Nottingham being an amazing game but it’s still
a great game, particularly as an introduction to
tabletop gaming. It’s one of those titles that really
rewards those people that throw themselves into
it and really play the roles. You’ll quickly learn to
dread or delight in that magical ‘pop’ of the purse
being opened because it either means you’ve been
caught out or you’ve just made a huge mistake.
Either way, you’ll still be having lots of fun. ■
15/05/2015 14:30
 DOMINION
Rio Grande Games | Deck building | £29.99 | 2-4 players | 30 minutes | www.riograndegames.com

D
ominion, designed by Donald X. Vaccarino and winner of
the 2009 Spiel des Jahres award, has been heralded as the
first ‘deck-building’ card game. What could be simpler?
You have a hand of five cards, you can play one action and can
buy one of the cards in front of you (either treasure, action, or
victory cards). The action cards can give you more cards, more
actions, more money or let you interact with the other players or
break the rules in some other way. Once you’ve exhausted your
deck, you shuffle all your cards together – including the ones
you’ve just bought - and start again. The skill lies in knowing
when to buy the victory cards, which will clog up your hand but
bring you all-important victory points at the end of the game.
Dominion has a (very) loose medieval theme but it’s the simple
and addictive game mechanics that will keep bringing the box back
to the table. Each game uses just 10 of the 25 different Kingdom
card types, meaning every game will offer a different combination
of cards, bringing new opportunities and requiring new strategies.
As most games take less than half an hour to play, it’s tempting to
keep on playing to try yet another combination.
As might be expected, numerous expansions have been
released for Dominion, each with its own loose theme and a
selection of new mechanics. Most importantly, they bring the
card pool to well over 100, meaning you’ll never play the same
game twice. While countless games have since co-opted this
deck-building motif and have added extra theme and mechanics
(Thunderstone and Trains being two examples at the opposite
ends of this spectrum), Dominion is the daddy of them all and
the one I keep coming back to. (Andrew Wormald)

COUP
Indie Boards and Cards | Card game | £12.99 | 2-6 players | 15 minutes | www.indieboardsandcards.com

S
et in a world where CEOs are now in charge of
governments, imagine Richard Branson as Prime
Minister, Coup sees players trying to bluff their
way to the top and be the last CEO standing. Like Sheriff
of Nottingham, this is a game about smiling sweetly
while jabbing a knife into your opponent’s back.
At the start of the game you’re dealt two cards from a
deck and each will show a CEO. There are five different
types of CEO – Duke, Assassin, Contessa, Captain and
Ambassaor – and there are three cards for each CEO
in the deck. After being dealt the cards, you hide them
from the other players (keep it secret, keep it safe). Each
of the CEOs has a different ability, e.g. the Captain can
claim coins from other players or block players from
taking coins from them, while the Ambassador can draw
two CEO cards from the pile.
However, and this is where Coup gets interesting, it
doesn’t actually matter what CEO you’ve got in your
hand because when it comes to your turn you can still
do any of the CEO actions or do any of the CEO actions
in response to another player’s actions. Say for example
you’ve got a Contessa card and a Captain card, you
could tell everyone you have the Duke card to allow you
to take three coins from the treasury.
If everyone believes you, great! You’ve got away with
it. However, if someone challenges you and you’re lying,
you have to turn one of your cards over. As soon as
you’ve turned both cards over, you’re out of the game. Of
course, if you’re playing it straight and someone wrongly
accuses you, then they’ve got to turn one of their cards
over instead, while you get to shuffle that CEO back into
the deck and draw a new card. You can play the game
without lying at all… but where’s the fun in that? A super
quick card game of bluffing and big business.

62

062_063_games37_40RB.indd 62 15/05/2015 13:54

 PANDEMIC
Z-Man Games | Co-operative | £29.99
2-4 players | 45 minutes | www.zmangames.com

Sometimes the thing that puts have four actions to do a number

people off playing games is they
don’t like the idea of getting
beaten by more experienced
players who have played the
games countless times and know
the rules inside out. Instead,
it’s often better to start off
newcomers with a co-operative
game, where one player’s super
knowledge can help the team as
a whole.
One of, if not the, ultimate
co-operative game is Pandemic
– a title whose fame has almost
spread as fast as the diseases
mentioned in the game itself.
A group of players take on the
role of workers at the Centre for
Disease Control who need to fly
around the globe finding cures
for four doomsday plagues. It’s
a dramatic plot that reads more
like a blockbuster film than a
tabletop game.
Things kick off in fairly relaxed
with the members of the Centre
for Disease Control chilling in
of different things: moving to
different cities, swapping cards
with other players, treating
diseases or trying to find a cure
for a particular disease. The
problem is that you need to
balance the threat of diseases
spreading with also finding the
cures and those four actions per
turn are never quite enough and
you’ll have to make some painful
choices.
That’s because at the end
of your turn you have to draw
infection cards as well, which
dictate the spread of the
diseases and what cities they’ll
pop up in next. Despite their
horrible nature the diseases are
actually represented by rather
lovely looking blocks that look
a little like Kola Kubes… do
not be tempted to eat them.
Although Pandemic isn’t an BLACK FLEET
easy game – you will almost
Space Cowboys | Pickup and deliver | £39.99
certainly lose a lot of the time 3-4 players | 60 minutes | www.spacecowboys.fr
– the co-operative decision

America but things quickly take
a turn for the worst as diseases
begin breaking out in different
continents. Each turn players
making process is a blast and
even when the plague wipes
out humanity you’ll still have a
smile on your pox-ridden face.
B
lack Fleet is a game of
piracy, trading, and
treasure, set in the
early 18th century “Golden
Age” of pirates. It has amazing
components: wonderfully
detailed little plastic ships, real
metal doubloons, and a huge
and colourful board, showing
the Caribbean sea split up into
small spaces, punctuated by
desert islands.
Players each receive a
pirate ship and a merchant
ship, which can carry up to
three small wooden cubes
representing trading goods.
Players also get a set of four
“development cards”, and one
“victory card “. Each has a
cost in doubloons: buying a
development card gives you
its special power, such as the
ability to move ships further;
buying the victory card (which
can only be bought after all the
development cards) is how you
win the game. Each player’s
merchant ship starts next to one
of the five ports on the board,
and loads up with three of the
goods that the port sells. Players
draw a hand of two movement
cards and on their turn, play
one. The card enables the player
to move three ships across the
spaces on the board: his own
merchant and pirate ships,
and one of two navy ships that
are controlled by all players.
Moving a pirate ship next to
another player’s merchant
means you earn doubloons, can
steal a good to bury as treasure
later (for more doubloons!),
and maybe sink the merchant;
moving a navy ship next to a
pirate sinks that pirate and earns
doubloons; and if a merchant
can make it to a port with one
or more goods, they too can
be sold for doubloons.Players
can also acquire and play
Fortune cards, which, like the
development cards, give special
powers. With lots of interaction,
this is a good, solid, family
game. (Beresford Quimby)

63

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 BEYOND
THE GATES
OF ANTARES
Warlord Games | Sci-fi skirmish | £ various | 1-2 players | 60 minutes | www.warlordgames.com

Rick Priestley, the man behind Warhammer Fantasy and 40k

introduces his brand new science fiction skirmish game.

64

064_068_beyondTheGatesOfAntaresRB.indd 64 18/05/2015 11:55

 R
ick Priestley is a man with a reputation. A
reputation that’s well deserved because back
in the 1980s he help to lay the foundations for
two of tabletop gaming’s biggest names: Warhammer
Fantasy and Warhammer 40k. At the time the tabletop
gaming market was in its infancy while role-playing
games like Dungeons and Dragons ruled the roost.
However, thanks to Rick’s work as part of the team at
Games Workshop he arguably helped to create the
world of tabletop gaming we see now. So yeah, he’s a
man with an important reputation.
As a result, when a new game designed by Rick
is announced it gathers a lot of attention and that’s
exactly what happened in 2013 when Beyond the Gates
of Antares popped up out of the blue on Kickstater.
What’s more, like the all-powerful 40k, Antares was
another science fiction game from the pen (or more
likely keyboard, nowadays) of Rick Priestley.
“As you can imagine, I worked at Games Workshop
for nearly 30 years and I’d always been interested in
science fiction games,” explained Rick. “But having
created 40k in 1987 I couldn’t write another science
fiction game for 25 years because I had already
done it and Games Workshop wasn’t interested in
publishing it. approached Beyond the Gates of Antares I wanted
“I spent almost my entire working life writing grim, to ensure it was playable with just a few figures. I
dark stuff but there’s more to science fiction and so I thought wouldn’t it be great to have a game you can
had always had it in the back of my mind that it would play with 20 or so figures at the most, or perhaps even
be great to go back and create another different kind 10 as the minimum and have a perfectly satisfactory
of science fiction. As 40k became a more mature game. I didn’t necessarily want a hyper-detailed
game, I felt a lot of the original fun and some of the skirmish game, of which there are some about, but a
original ideas had become buried so Antares was a game where you have your units of troops, like Bolt
chance to get back to those original ideas, while also Action, and that’s very much what Warhammer 40k
looking at some new ideas.” was like when it started.”
The concept for Antares had actually been With the idea rattling around for some time,
bubbling away in Rick’s brain for a while and even the impetus for Rick to start fleshing out Antares
before he joined Games Workshop he had written came in early 2013 during the early days of tabletop
a game with Richard Halliwell (also of Warhammer games being launched on Kickstarter (before games
Fantasy fame) called Combat 3000. Unlike 40k, like Zombicide started making millions). “I was
Combat 3000 was more of a skirmish game and Rick “Having approached by a chap I used to work with who said:
realised that was a decent foundation, rather than why don’t you do a Kickstarter. To which I said: I
sprawling futuristic armies. created 40k don’t know what that is!” However, after being told
“I thought that was a good place to start in this all he needed to do was come up with an idea and
day and age because now people like bigger figures in 1987, I watch the money start rolling in, Rick sat down to
with more detail and that means they’re going to create a more detailed background for Antares.
be more expensive,” Rick told us. “I mean, when we couldn’t Sadly, although the Kickstarter fell flat, it had given
started doing 40k back in the 1980s, the figures were Rick the boot up the backside that he needed. “It
tiny little things and the amount of detailing and the write another was a bit like writer’s block,” he explained. “The
work required to make them was relatively small – so Kickstarter didn’t work but it got the ball rolling
although they weren’t cheap for their day, they were sci-fi game and I thought it was worth finishing because I was
still relatively cheap to make and to buy compared enjoying exploring this new world.”
to today. And that’s not the case now, most people for 25 years The world itself is very different from the setting
require excellence and the standards have become so Rick created with 40k. Instead of a dirty, very gritty
high, so now it’s taking a designer a week to design a because I and ruthless universe, Beyond the Gates of Antares
figure, whereas it would have taken a day to design a is very futuristic. So, soldiers tend not to have bulky
figure way back in the ‘80s. had already armour, instead they have force field generators and
“That’s exactly the reason why today we get a wheels/cogs are a thing of the past, being replaced
lot more skirmish games and that’s why when I done it!” by magnetic fields that allow vehicles to hover ▶

65

064_068_beyondTheGatesOfAntaresRB.indd 65 15/05/2015 14:34

 BEYOND THE GATES OF ANTARES
FACTION FOCUS
THE ALGORYN
PROSPERATE
Again, the Algoryn are
seeded from the first
humans to explore
the depths of space
but haven’t embraced
integrated technology
to the same extent.
The Algoryn live on the
edges of Antarean space,
surrounded by the Ghar,
Concord and Isorians.
Although they trade with
their fellow humans, the
Algoryn are in an almost
constant warlike state
with their sworn foes: the
Ghar. This focus on war
has ensured they celebrate
military achievements
above anything else and in
battle they prefer practical
equipment like mag guns
and reflex shields.
THE BOROMITE
LABOUR GUILDS
Despite their craggy, almost
rock-like appearance,
the Boromites are also
descended from humans
but their ancestors were
bio-adapted to live and
work on asteroids with thin
atmospheres, low gravity
and high temperatures.
Today Boromite workers
have spread throughout
the many different
worlds and have
formed numerous
criminal gangs – they
are the criminal class
of Antarean space.
Boromite gangers
make use of any
weapon to hand
but also use
mining equipment
as basic but
powerful
weaponry. Their
reflex armour is
hammered directly
into their skin.
064_068_beyondTheGatesOfAntaresRB.indd 66
across the battlefield or weapons to shoot large laser
blasts. The armour in particular helps Antares figures
to stand out against a backdrop of space marines
because the figures can be much smaller and, as a
result, look more dynamic and nimble.
This passion for technological process is writ
large in the game’s background too, which centres
around two highly technical factions: the Panhuman
Concord and the Isorian Shard. Both of these cultures
are heavily steeped in technology to the point where
they’re actually constantly online, thanks to endemic
use of nano technology and their lives are directed by
the Integrated Machine Intelligence known as IMtel.
Rick compares it to Amazon and Google teaming up
to run the world and instead of Amazon suggesting
what book you should read next, it simply suggests
what you should do with your entire life.
In contrast to this are the other, less technologically
advanced factions, such as the Boromites, Ghar and
Freeborn. The Boromites were actually the first range
of models launched within the Antares universe.
Unlike the clean, armour-wearing appearance of the
Concord and Algoryn, these are rocky warriors that
■ Despite this guy’s rocky
appearance, once the
Boromites were human just
like us. However, a series of bio-
adaptations has changed their
appearance over generations.
66
have adapted mining equipment into rudimentary
weaponry. Next are the Ghar, which Rick compares
to being the goblins of Antares, crossed with a little
bit of Daleks. “They’re small and weedy,” laughs
Rick, “unless they’re in their battle suits, which are
powerful but primitive compared to the rest of the
Antares races. They also have a tendency to blow up
because they power their suits with plasma reactors,
which are basically unsafe, so if you hit them and get
a bullseye shot (by rolling a one on a D10), they go
boom.” Finally, the Freeborn are, kind of, the rebels
of Antares, who refuse to live under the command of
the computerised Intel and work as mercenaries and
merchants.
As Rick was forming the background, he often
found that the rules would work hand-in-hand. “I
enjoy coming up with the background for a game
and the mechanics often tend to evolve together.
Sometimes you’ll come up with the mechanics and
then rework them into the background, conversely
there are times when you’ve come up with the
background and have to stick with it.”
Just like the setting, Rick was keen to do something
different from 40k with the rules. “That’s something
I was very keen on,” he explains. “I’ve done 40k
and I didn’t want to do it again. So I’ve gone for
something that’s completely the opposite, which may
compromise it to some extent because some people
will be looking for a game like they’ve played before
and Antares really isn’t like that.
“Then again, the mechanics have changed quite a
lot compared to my first idea and originally I wanted
to use a series of combat statuses to make units more
or less effective on the tabletop. It would have been
a bit like a traffic light system, depending upon how
they were performing in combat.” However, as Rick
was playtesting, it became apparent that another set
of rules might suit the game.
Since leaving Games Workshop in 2011, Rick has
worked with Nottingham-based company Warlord
Games and co-authored World War II skirmish
game Bolt Action, along with fellow ex-Games
Workshop employee Alessio Cavatore.
Warlord is now publishing Beyond the Gates
of Antares and miniatures started to appear
throughout 2014. However, Rick’s work on Bolt
Action has proved to be a phenomenal success
and its impact led him to change the way he
approached Antares.
“The more people played, the more people said:
oh this would be great if it worked like Bolt Action.
So I realised I could replicate the same traffic light
system I had created using the pin system we have in
Bolt Action, plus the Bolt Action order dice give you
a very good way of phasing the game.” In case you’ve
never played Bolt Action, it uses a random activation
mechanic, which sees each player place coloured dice
into a bag for each unit. So, 10 units equals 10 dice.
18/05/2015 11:58
 ■ Thanks to the use of order dice, FACTION FOCUS
you’re never quite sure how battles are THE CONCORD
going to play out - which means you’ll need to The Concord are the
adapt to survive. largest and most powerful
civilisation in Beyond the
Gates of Antares and are a
Players take turns pulling dice out of the bag and then “The beta version has been out since October and
PanHuman society – with
using the dice to assign commands (e.g. rally, fire, we’ve been getting really great feedback. Although the ruling classes being
run, etc.) to their units. Of course, pulling dice out of strangely people really want to get their hands on known as New Humans
the bag blind adds a huge amount of randomness to the models before they’ll even play the game. In (NuHu). The elite have
evolved alongside sentient
play, replicating the chaos of the battlefield. some ways it’s surprising how many people won’t
integrated machine
“In the end I decided to bite the bullet and swallow be prepared to start playing unless they’ve got the intelligence (IMTel) and are
my pride by using the Bolt Action mechanic but it all proper models, rather than having proxies. I guess masters (and slaves) of
clicked into place very quickly after that,” said Rick. it’s a nice testament to how popular the models this benign computerised
intelligence. On the
“The great thing about that mechanic, and something are because people see the concepts and buy into
battlefield Concord Strike
that’s become more popular over the years, is that it the feel of the game, so want the real thing when Troopers are a force to be
ensures you don’t always have the same initiative, they play at home. However, now we’ve had the reckoned with, equipped
with the same units always going first. Plus, instead Boromites and the Algoryn out for a reasonable time with heavy-duty plasma
weaponry and hyper-
of the traditional chess-like ‘you go, I go’ system, you and people are collecting these forces and sharing
light shielding – the most
have something that’s far more fluid and enjoyable. their paint jobs online.” advanced weaponry in
“A lot of games have done away with that because Rick and the team have been gathering feedback Antarean space.
I think people are concerned they will be twiddling from the beta players and the plan is to officially
THE ISORIAN SHARD
their thumbs waiting for their go. But the Bolt Action launch the game in October or November this year.
In the distant past of
order dice completely breaks that apart because “We want to include two starter armies to get you Antarean time, the Isorians
you know that every unit will get a go but you can going,” said Rick. “One of those will be the Concord and Concord were both
never be sure when they’ll get to go. For example, and the other, although we’re not entirely sure, evolved from humans…
although now it’s not so
I’ve had some games where you get a complete run will be the Ghar. The main reason for this is that,
clear. Initially the world of
of luck and get three or four goes on the trot. Now, although the Ghar battle suits aren’t that big, in metal Isori was at the forefront
that can be hugely advantageous but it can also be a they’re going to be quite heavy and quite expensive of human technology
disadvantage too because your opponent is effectively to produce, likewise in resin they would be quite and also adopted similar
machine integrated tech
saving up all his dice to react to whatever you do. It’s a expensive too, so we’re keen to have the starter game
as the Concord. However,
great mechanic that sits really well with Antares.” in plastic.” during a war with an alien
With Warlord starting to release miniatures There are also some other exciting things planned race called the Tsan Kiri,
towards the end of 2014, the beta rules for Beyond for the full release too. “At the moment we’ve mainly the Isorian IMTel absorbed
the alien DNA and became
the Gates of Antares were launched in October and had individual units and guns but the plan for the
incompatible with the
interest has been superb, with thousands of avid future is to have vehicle as well and, in fact, I’ve just Concord operating system.
gamers downloading the PDF rules from the Warlord finished putting the final touches to work in progress Now they resemble aliens
website. The beta rules offer the basics to play the vehicle rules. Plus, we’ll be introducing things like more than humans and their
armour incorporates special
game, without much of the detailed background for multiple order units where one unit can have multiple
space-warping tech.
the races that Rick has been working on. orders played on it during a turn so, for example, it ▶

67

064_068_beyondTheGatesOfAntaresRB.indd 67 18/05/2015 11:58

 BEYOND THE GATES OF ANTARES
■ Here you can see the Algoryn
AI Assault Squad - the elite
fighting force of the beleaguered
Algoryn Prosperate.
FACTION FOCUS
THE GHAR EMPIRE
Descended from genetically
adapted slave soldiers,
no one is sure of the
Ghar’s origins. The Ghar
themselves are small, ugly
creatures that are rarely
seen out of their huge,
armoured battle suits -
apart from Ghar who are
outcasts and become
armourless cannon fodder
on the battlefield. Primitive
compared to the Concord
and Isorian Shard, the
Ghar don’t make anything
themselves, instead
capturing tech from their
foes or forcing slaves to
produce it.
THE FREEBORN
The Freeborn are one of
the few factions that deal
with all the other races
within Antarean space.
Whereas the Ghar look
to conquer, the Freeborn
aim to pursue wealth
by trading commodities
(and power) with the
other factions. As well as
items, the Freeborn can
also provide mercenaries
for their own troops and
others. Their passion for
cash also restricts their
choice of weaponry, opting
for cheaper mag guns and
reflex shielding, although
the Freeborn leaders spare
no expense on Isorian
phase armour or impressive
alien technology.
064_068_beyondTheGatesOfAntaresRB.indd 68
could move and shoot in one turn. A lot of vehicles was too simple. In fact, the older market was quite
will work like that. However, it’s a potential risk scathing about fantasy gaming and it wasn’t seen as
because you could move a vehicle ready to fire and a serious wargame – they kind of looked down on
then not get any more order dice, so the enemy can fantasy gamers as scabby little kids who got bullied
start launching heavy weapons at it. It’ll be fun to see at school. At that time there was no geek culture
how they work.” and it wasn’t cool to play these games, whereas now
So, with things progressing nicely on Beyond the that’s changed a lot.
Gates of Antares – ensuring it’s one of this year’s most “Now 30 years later the world is full of games
anticipated releases – we asked Rick if ever looks and gamers, who aren’t seen as spotty little oiks.
back on his early years in the industry. “Well, when I When I started out, I wasn’t really bothered about
started out there almost wasn’t any science fiction or it becoming cool, I just enjoyed playing the games.
fantasy wargaming, there was really only Dungeons For me it was about getting some mates together and
and Dragons or fantasy roleplay, which came out in finishing your game in time to get down to the pub
the 1970s. for last orders. That was the most important thing
“So the big thing when I started in the ‘80s was about games design – can you play a game quick to
still roleplaying and you couldn’t design a wargame make it to the pub in time!” Watch out Rick, you’ll
without some element of roleplay because you get a reputation… ■
wouldn’t be able to sell it. Everything had to have
the word ‘roleplay’ in so even Warhammer Fantasy
was originally described as mass battle fantasy
roleplay and there’s even a few rules for character
progression and things like that to help it appeal to
roleplay gamers.
“As a result there weren’t many companies
making fantasy models, just a few making models to
use in roleplay and the standards were actually quite
poor. Not just the models but the rule writing and
mechanics too are fairly terrible, which is my fault
because I wrote a lot of them. Plus, we purposely
chose to use D6, rather than larger dice because the
kids that we were trying to appeal to would have
these dice at home – although the roleplayers kind
of looked down on this because they thought it
68
18/05/2015 11:59
 Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire
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p069.indd 1 12/05/2015 14:07

 NO THANKS!
Z-Man Games | Set collection | £12
3-4 players | 20 minutes | www.zmangames.com

C
omplicated set up? No
Thanks! Long rules?
No Thanks! Taking all
night to play one game? No
Thanks! Would the original title
of this game work for this joke?
Geschenkt ...ist noch zu teuer!
Originally published by Amigo
in Germany as “Even given as
a gift, it is still too expensive!”
No Thanks! is delightfully easy
to learn and quick to play. Each
players id given 11 chips, then
all 33 cards, numbered 3 to 35,
are shuffled, nine cards removed
from the deck, without anyone
knowing what their values are.
The remaining twenty-four are
placed in the centre of the table.
Turn the top card over, then
person with the lowest face value
of cards.
However, There are 2 rules
that make this game a little
tricky. Firstly, if you can string
together a run only the lowest
value counts towards your score.
Suddenly, it doesn’t seem such
a terrible idea to take the 35
card, could you snap up a run
to 20 something? Secondly, all
the chips minus one from your
point score at the end. You may
not want the number 16 card,
but if it’s got 12 chips on it then,
technically, it’s only worth four
points. Overall it’s a snappy little
game that will serve as a great
filler until all players are ready
to get into the main game, and

each player either takes the
card, or puts a chip on it. If there
are chips on the card, and you
take it, you keep the chips. If
you have no chips, you have to
take the card. The winner is the
SMALL WORLD
one you’ll still play 10 years from
now. Plus with such a low cost,
and small size, you can’t really
say No Thanks! (Millie Lavelle Days of Wonder | Territory control | £34.99
millie@GeekOnRadio.com, 2-5 players | 60 minutes | www.daysofwonder.com
Twitter: @geekonradio)

I
n Small World you must take
on the role of a number of
different fantasy races who are,
as the title might suggest, trying
to take control of a small world.
However, unlike some games
that see you choosing your
faction and then sticking with
it throughout the game, Small
World allows you to swap and
change as the game progresses.
The idea is to earn the most
victory points by taking control of
different territories but to do that
you’ll need to play as orcs, elves,
giants, dwarves, etc.
An interesting mechanic
that adds a little spice to these
typical fantasy tropes is that they
can be combined with special
abilities, so you might end up
with berserker elves or flying
orcs. On your turn you need to
expand into different adjacent
territories, placing the tokens of
your fantasy race inside it, and
you’ll score points for each one
you occupy. However, you can
also attempt to take over enemy
territory by sending tokens to
‘attack’ them – all but one of the
enemy tokens you defeat are sent
back to the opponent while the
other is removed from the game
entirely.
The problem is that each race
only has a certain number of
tokens for you to use so you can’t
just go throwing them about
willy nilly. However, when you’re
starting to get low on tokens, you
can choose to put that race into
‘decline’, which means you keep
all the tokens on the board and
keep scoring points but can’t
move them around.
Instead you now choose
another race and starting the
territory conquering process
all over again. Knowing when
to switch is key to winning the
game because you don’t want
to get stuck with a race that can
no longer conquer enough land
and they’ll also become a target
for more powerful opponents.
Finally, like the majority of
Days of Wonder’s games, the
production quality of Small
World is superb, ensuring it’ll be
visually appealing to those who
have never played before.

70

070_071_games41_44RB.indd 70 15/05/2015 13:55

 SHADOWS OF BRIMSTONE – SWAMPS OF DEATH
Flying Frog Games | Dungeon crawler | £79.99 | 1-4 players | 240 minutes | www.flyingfrog.net

N
o-one said that life in the Wild West was easy, but it just As with most Flying Frog products this game has plenty of attention
got a lot harder thanks to the appearance of nightmare to detail, the artwork is evocative, the box is bursting with counters,
creatures from other dimensions deep within the local mines. cards, two rulebooks and self-assembly miniatures. There is even an
Somebody needs to do something about it, and that’s where you atmospheric CD included.
come in with an epic trip through the mines to defeat whatever is If you like your Old West with an extra helping of tentacles, undead
lurking within. and things that go bump in the night, then this may be the game you
To begin, players choose from the Sheriff, Rancher, Indian or Preacher have been looking for. (Paul Webster)
archetypes. Each character has its own unique abilities and can be
further individualized with skills and personal objects. The character
miniatures are placed at the mine entrance and the fun begins.
This core set contains 12 missions varying from rescuing kidnapped
children to travelling to other dimensions. The ‘dungeon’ is created
randomly as players explore, utilising beautifully illustrated double
sided tiles. Encounters occur whenever a room is found ranging
from minor incidents to ambushes. Time is also against the players
as they roll to “hold back the darkness” each turn, with terrible
things happening if these rolls are failed, culminating in the darkness
escaping the mine, and the players losing the game.
Campaign play is encouraged as characters gain experience and
level up. The game also increases its difficulty level as player power
increases. Following a mine adventure, the town can be visited,
supplies bought and bounties collected, but even getting to the town
can be hazardous.

POWER GRID
Rio Grande Games | Strategy | £29.99
2-6 players | 120 minutes | www.riograndegames.com

I
f there’s ever a game that looks
unnecessarily complicated then
Power Grid could certainly be
accused of that – the board appears
to be a seemingly random selection
of numbers and pipes stretching
across a multi-coloured map, while
little coloured tokens litter the
bottom of the board. To the unitiated
it must be overwhelming.
However, when you understand
what you’re looking at, Power Grid
actually couldn’t be simpler. In the
game you’re actually the owner of
a power company in a race against
rival companies to supply power
to cities across North America or
Germany. Those grey pipes are the
networks of potential powerlines
that you’re trying to control, while
the tokens are actually resources like
coal or oil. Each turn you get to buy
new power plants to help you supply
the cities on the board through an
auction. The player in the lead has to
bid first while the player in last place
goes last… this is a great mechanic to
help level the playing field if you’re
trailing. Depending upon the type
of power plant, you’ll have to pay
varying amounts – so coal plants are
pretty cheap while nuclear ones cost
more and wind farms cost a fortune
because they don’t require any
resources to power them.
Ah yes resources, as well as buying
new plants you also need resources
like coal or uranium to produce the
energy in those plants. Coal is cheap
but you need a hell of a lot of it, while
uranium is more expensive. Another
interesting mechanic is that the
price of resources goes up as they’re
depleted so even coal can become
an expensive option – so you’ve got
to plan ahead by buying wind farms
or nuclear power plants. Then while
you’re doing all this, you still need to
build powerlines to supply the cities –
let’s hope you’re good at multi-tasking!
Despite the potentially boring
subject matter Power Grid is actually
an electrifying experience that’s
packed with strategy and planning.

71

070_071_games41_44RB.indd 71 15/05/2015 13:55

 ANDROID
NETRUNNER
A revival of Richard Garfield’s Magic The Gathering follow-up has attracted a hardcore audience.
Fantasy Flight Games | Collectable Card Game | £31.99 (for starter set) | 2 players | 45 minutes | www.fantasyflightgames.com

72

072_075_netrunnerRB.indd 72 15/05/2015 14:35

 I
n the shadow of London Bridge sits a reconstruction
of Sir Francis Drake’s Golden Hinde, a 16th
century masted merchant ship. Above it towers
the Shard, London’s iconic skyscraper straight out of
Neuromancer or City 17. Walk into the pub next to
the Hinde, and descend below the river to the pub’s
basement and you could be anywhere in the city, any
old brick cellar. Which is handy for the intense group
of people sat down there, because they’re not really
here. They’re in a world more like the Shard’s than the
Hinde. They’re playing Netrunner.
Android: Netrunner, to give its full title, is
a relatively old game, older than the current
renaissance of board games. Its initial version,
the CCG (Collectable Card Game) titled simply
Netrunner, was designed by Magic: The Gathering
creator Richard Garfield back in 1996. Though it
was very well-received by critics and fans, it never
matched the success of Magic. Its publisher Wizards of
the Coast stopped supporting it before the millenium.
And there it would have ended save for Fantasy Flight.
It licensed the game from Wizards of the Coast and
released a revived version in 2012. Android: Netrunner
was rebuilt to fit a cyberpunk Android universe
(also seen in the Android board game and Android:
Infiltration card game), and rejigged to act as a Living
Card Game - that is, a collectable card game where the
expansion and booster packs aren’t randomised, and
new ones are released on a monthly basis.
Much of the game’s core structure has carried over
from the original Netrunner. It’s a fundamentally
“Much of the game’s core structure has carried
over from the original Netrunner.”
73
072_075_netrunnerRB.indd 73
asymmetric two-player game. One player takes the
part of a corporation, building software defenses for its
servers, and attempting to complete ‘agendas’ projects
that consume time and resources; the other takes the
part of a hacker, attempting to breach a corporation’s
defences with viruses and infiltration software in
order to acquire those self-same agendas. So that’s
one fundamentally defensive player against one
fundamentally aggressive player.
What Fantasy Flight has added to that mix is a
greater depth. In its remix, there are four Corps with
different decks, each with a variety of executives,
and three Runner types, each with different runners.
The Corps are the clone creators Jinteki, the bioroid
creators Haas-Bioroid, the media conglomerate NBN
and the construction firm Weyland. The three runner
types are the destructive and virus-spreading Anarchs,
the greedy and cunning Criminals and the idealistic
and tinkering Shaper.
In play, each player has a very limited number
of actions each turn, called ‘clicks’. The Corp starts
with three ‘servers’ - stacks of cards - called HQ (the
player’s hand), R&D (the player’s draw pile) and
Archives ( the player’s discard pile). They can also
create remote servers by installing cards from their
hand. They’ll defend all these servers by placing a
number of ICE cards in front of them - essentially
software firewalls that cost credits to activate when the
runner encounters them. And they can see all their
cards and all the Runner’s installed ones. They win by
installing Agendas in remote servers and paying to ▶
■ Runners and Corps deep in
thought during a Netrunner play
session at the London City Guild.
The game is proving more and
more popular with players.
18/05/2015 10:32
 ANDROID: NETRUNNER

place publicly-visible tokens on them to advance

them, which normally takes multiple turns.
The runner, by contrast, has much more limited
information, but is trying to find agendas wherever
they might be hiding in the Corp’s servers. They do
this by building up hardware, ICE breakers (software
designed to break down specific ICE types), other even
more specialised software, or acquiring resources
(which can vary from bars to drugs to fake addresses),
then making ‘runs’ on servers. As they encounter ICE
for the first time, the Corp has the option of paying to
permanently activate it or not. If they do, the Runner
has to defeat the ICE’s subroutines or suffer any
negative consequences from not doing so. Then they
can quit the run, encounter the next ICE, or, if they’ve
made it to the server, access the cards therein - the
top card of R&D, one card of HQ, or all of the cards in
Archives or a Remote Server. If they access an agenda,
they immediately score it, and the winner is the first
one to hit seven agenda points.
There are other mechanics that we won’t go into
here, which further complicate every move; meat, net
and brain damage, traces, and bad publicity. They
affect the balance of finances and life; if a Runner runs
out of cards, for example, they lose, so some Corp
identities like Jinteki attempt to do that by killing them
fast. Others, like NBN get cheap agendas or ICE, in
return for bad publicity which gives the Runner extra
credits during runs.
What’s obvious from talking to the players
underneath the Hinde is that though the game also
accepts players of all abilities and experience, it does
reward skill. Both sides need to install cards to succeed,
but these use up both clicks and credits, which gives
the other player a chance to do something themselves.
A Runner without credits or clicks can’t run, a Corp
without credits can’t defend itself. But making credits
takes clicks too. Good players balance board position
against tempo, judging what the other player might
be doing based on their position and bluffing to lure
the opponent into traps. The randomness of the card
draw order can be managed through deckbuilding to
some degree, but will always throw up unwelcome
combinations from time-to-time. Similarly,
there’s enough variations in the existing cards and
enough innovation in the new mechanics to allow
experimentation with new play styles.
Jayson Brown is, by his own declaration the worst
player at the Hinde meet-ups. “I do not do the smart
thing. Players should play as many different styles and
decks as they can, just so they learn how others feel
when they play. I force myself to play card and identities
that have no obvious strength, like Exile and Custom
Biotics.” He would play slow-scoring decks, or play
single copies of cards in large decks, meaning he had
to be very lucky for them to come up when he needed
them. Despite his presumed low win rate, Jayson still
manages to take pleasure in the game, both in winning

74

072_075_netrunnerRB.indd 74 15/05/2015 14:35

 with unfancied hands and the threat his unpredictability
creates for the higher-ranked. “I do not play the meta. So
there are a lot of unknowns and the masters will often
play out against me because of the unknowns. I set out
not to win but to strike fear into their hearts.”
By contrast, we watch Glenn Odom play and we’re
swiftly aware that he knows the metagame inside out
- but that he also plays like Jayson, with experimental
decks. While we’re there he utterly confuses the
equally-experienced player he’s running against with
his new deck and the game goes on much longer than
it should, because his opponent can’t work out what
he should be doing. Afterwards, they take part in a long
conversation, where they demonstrate that they both
understood each other’s constraints.
“Good players know the game very well. You need
to know what is likely in your opponent’s deck to do
well.” says Chris Underwood, who runs a Netrunner
podcast with Tom Eady called Run Last Click. “You can
judge this by the cards they are using, their play style
and what is popular. However I wouldn’t extend that
to knowing when to concede. I only ever see players
concede when they are in a strop about losing or not
drawing the exact cards they want. There is enough
RNG (random number generating) in the game to
make Hail Mary plays worthwhile if you think you’re
really stuck. If you don’t like RNG there are decks you
can build with fewer cards in to make the cards you do
put in come up more often.”
“The London community is thriving,” Odom says,
when we question him afterwards. “We regularly have
upwards of 15 people playing on Tuesdays and groups
meet other times during the week as well. There are
30ish that I see at least once a month. This is enough
to make sure there is variety. They are very welcoming
of new players (they just hosted a newbie tournament
a few weeks back), although there are a few folks who
072_075_netrunnerRB.indd 75
ANDROID THE
BOARD GAME
When Fantasy Flight took
over the Netrunner brand,
it changed the background
to fit in with the Android
board game, designed
by Keith Wilson and Dan
Clark. First released in
2008, Android sees players
attempting to solve a
murder in a fictional version
of Los Angeles called New
Angeles and Heinlein, a
colony based on the moon.
Unlike some games that
have a definitive outcome,
Android is a little unusual
in that the identity of the
murderer is always a little
suspect and anyone, even
an innocent person, can
be framed for the murder
depending upon how the
player chooses to play.
What’s more, you can also
‘win’ the game by solving
the conspiracy behind the
murder, ensuring there’s
plenty of replay value for
repeat plays.
■ A typical game takes around
45 minutes, although that can
stretch longer if one player is
playing a particularly unusual
strategy to break down.
75
really want to play each other each week, who are,
generally, at a higher skill level than most of us and
want that challenge. There are a few de facto leaders
who resolve rules questions and set the tone for
everyone - which is casual, good-natured and fun.”
The continuity of that community is partially down
to a good natured group of people and partially down
to Fantasy Flight’s careful curation of the metagame,
providing counters for popular strategies with its
monthly packs. “Since this is the second edition
(although not marketed as such) all the egregious design
flaws were already ironed out,” says Odom. “They have
not yet banned any cards - and the errata / FAQ is really
less about changing rules than clarifying (for the most
part). Given the rapid expansion of the game, I find this
admirable - they haven’t yet released a broken card.”
That early stability means that decks settled down
around ‘archetypes’, standard builds quickly. “Early
in the game, there were several deck archetypes - like
Fast Advance in which Corporations never placed
any scoring cards on the table for a full turn - that
won every tournament,” says Odom. “Fantasy Flight
has been great about putting in cards that interrupt
the primary archetypes and releasing new cards
that generate new possibilities. I would say there are
roughly four to five archetypes on each side now, with
a fair bit of variation.”
For example, “At the beginning of the game a lot
of Runners were putting all the Corp’s cards into the
Archive (discard pile),” says Underwood. “When
Jackson Howard was released people then started to
move away from that strategy (he lets you save agendas
from your archives and put them back into the deck).”
Howard himself has since been countered. Another
core deck strategy was SeaScorch, which let a Corp kill
a Runner in one turn; this was similarly countered by
Plascrete Carapace.
If you’re looking to get involved in the game,
Odom recommends not buying all the expansions
immediately. “Having gotten in at the start, I only spent
$15/£11 a month, which isn’t much. I watch some of
the new players struggling with the amount of cards
and packs to buy.” His advice is to pick up the Core
deck followed by the deluxe Creation and Expansion or
the What Lies Ahead data pack with Jackson Howard.
Underwood agrees with the latter, adding the Spin
Cycle to get Plascrete Carapace.
As we leave the arched undercroft beneath the
Hinde, the Shard looms, piercing the sky, austere, cold
and lonely. Inside, in that warm ancient basement, half
the people are still quietly playing. The other half are
quietly chatting, eating and drinking - data analysts,
bankers, unemployed, and students, all quietly smart
and friendly, brought together by an endlessly-creative
and smart card game.
If you want to join in with the London Netrunner
meet-ups, search for the London City Grid (Android:
Netrunner) group on Facebook. ■
15/05/2015 14:35
 DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS
Wizards of the Coast | Role-play | £12.99 (starter set) | 4-6 players | 60 minutes | www.wizards.com
H
ave you ever watched a film or read
a book and found yourself thinking,
“I wouldn’t have done it like that” or
“that’s obviously a trap, why are you going
in?” Well with a role play game you are the
hero/heroine and you can make the choices.
I have played the Dungeons & Dragons
role play game in one form or another for
more than 30 years now. It is basically a
group of people getting together to play
ZOMBIE DICE
Steve Jackson Games | Dice game | £11.99 | 2+ players | 10 minutes | www.sjgames.com
The inevitable zombie invasion has begun and,
sadly, it’s already too late for you. That’s right, in
some kind of freak accident you’ve become one
of the walking dead and are now shuffling about
eating brains. Thankfully though, you still enjoy
rolling dice and pushing your luck, so Zombie
Dice is the perfect game for you.
Like so many of the push-your-luck dice games,
this is the perfect introduction before a night of
more in-depth action. Each turn you take three
dice out of the Zombie Dice cup and roll then.
Any brain icons that you roll you get to keep, while
footprints return to the pot and shotgun blasts,
as you might expect, aren’t great for a zombie’s
health. Roll three shotgun blasts and it’s game over
and you lose any points you’ve scored that turn.
The risk for the hungry zombie is in the
difficulty of the dice and how easy it’ll be to scoff
those tasty brains. The green dice are the easiest,
so you should be able to get a brain on those, the
076_077_games45_48RB.indd 76
out tales of adventure similar to those in
Lord of the Rings and similar movies. One
person (usually me) acts as a story-teller/
narrator or Dungeon Master, while the
others play the roles of the heroes of the tale,
saving the villagers from raiding goblins,
exploring ancient ruins for lost treasure, or
even hunting for the great dragon that has
terrorised the kingdom.
The Dungeon Master (DM) sets the scene
and portrays all the people and monsters
the heroes encounter and the players decide
their responses. As with all games there are
rules for creating the player’s characters,
running combat encounters (not everyone
the players meet with will be friendly) and
even rules for the DM to create balanced,
fair and exciting adventures for his players.
Most things are decided by the player’s
ingenuity but for that random element
certain things are done with dice rolls (such
as combat or anything with a chance of
failure) - you swing your sword round at the
goblin - rolls the dice - but your strike falls
short. The wicked creature grins as it raises
its rusty spear and tries to hit you back.
Even though the players are pitted against
foes and scenarios presented by the DM it is
not Players verus the DM to see who wins.
The whole idea is for everyone to have a fun
experience and to enjoy the game. While the
yellow dice are slightly tougher and the red dice
are like Ash from the Evil Dead tooled up with
ally manner of nasties ready to wipe you out. This
means you’re going to have to decide when it’s
time to call quits on your grey matter feasting. If
you’ve already got brains on the red dice, then
it’s probably worth carrying on but if you’ve
got red dice left then you may want to
call it quits. But zombies aren’t known
for their intelligence are they, so
perhaps you’ll want to risk it for
just a few more points?
Gameplay is over once a
zombie scores 13 brains
and then they can chow down
in peace. Zombie Dice isn’t a
tactical game, it’s a game that entirely
relies on luck but, you know what, you’ll
have a blast while playing… hopefully it just
won’t be a shotgun blast.
76
heroes may triumph over their foes or find the
treasure that has been lost for centuries, it can
also turn out the other way with some of the
heroes returning to their homes battered and
bruised, carrying the body of a fallen comrade.
Role play games (and D&D in particular)
have suffered from a lot of negative press over
the years, with religious groups in particular
being against the games, calling them such
things as mind warping and leading to
demon worship. Well in 30 years of playing I
must have been doing something wrong then
I as turned out ok (I think?).
In a television programme on Channel
4 a while back, people voted for the 100
greatest toys, and I was very happy to see that
D&D came third (only beaten by Monopoly
and Lego) and it was great to see some TV
celebrities reminiscing over their former
hobby. People such as Stephen Fry, Jeremy
Clarkson, Eddie Izzard and Jason Bradbury
all played D&D at some time (and how
awesome would it be to see all of them sat
round together playing again).
I believe role play games are great ways to
express creativity and to socially interact with
people who have similar interests. It promotes
working as a team to overcome obstacles and
lets your imagination roam free.
So, who’s brought the dice? Those goblins
won’t go away on their own! (Mik Calow)
18/05/2015 12:05

Repos Productions | Civilisation card drafting | £30 | 2-7 players | 30 minutes | www.rprod.com
Thames & Kosmos | Family card game | £12.99 | 2 players | 30 minutes | www.thamesandkosmos.co.uk
H
ave you ever fancied
being Indiana Jones?
Don’t lie, of course you
have. The whip, the cool hat,
all the glamorous locations…
being an explorer like Indiana
Jones would be sweet. Look,
just forgot about all the Nazis
and that face melting Ark of the
Covenant stuff, being Indiana
Jones is something everyone
wants. Well, just in case you
don’t fancy taking on evil Nazis
or terrible CGI aliens (Crystal
Skull we’re looking at you)
then Lost Cities is a great way
to scratch your exploration
itch, plus it’s a super game
for two-players. Each player
takes on the role of a team of
076_077_games45_48RB.indd 77
7 WONDERS
LOST CITIES
explorers heading to all kinds of
dangerous territories, like the
desert, a volcano, the depths
of the ocean, a jungle and the
chilly Himalayas. Each location
is given a different colour
(yellow, red, blue, green and
white respectively) and there are
10 large cards showing places
in each colour, along with three
special ‘handshake’ cards that
multiply your score. The normal
cards are numbered one to 10
and players must complete
expeditions by placing cards on
their side of a game board. The
only thing is that each coloured
expedition card must be higher
than the last card placed in that
section, e.g. a four could follow
77
C
ivilisations rise and fall but the most successful are
remembered long after they cease to exist. A strong
and powerful civilisation is often built upon four sturdy
pillars - the people, scientific development, trade and commerce
and finally military prowess. Released in 2010 and designed by
Antoine Bauza, 7 Wonders distils centuries of growth into a thirty
minute card-drafting game. This fantastic title invites you to build
and nurture a glorious city of your very own.
To begin, you select a Wonder-board which forms the heart
of your city. The game plays across three ages and at the start
of an age, you deal a set of cards to each player who selects a
single card and passes the rest around the table. Once you’ve
done this, you add your chosen card to your city or use it to
build part of your Wonder.
There are numerous card types, each with a cost and a
benefit. Raw materials and manufactured goods cards enable
you to build bigger and better structures, civilian structures
provide points, scientific structures provide different types of
scientific research, commercial structures improve trade with
your neighbours, military structures enhance your dominance,
and finally - guilds provide bonuses based on the configuration
of your city.
At the end of an age, each player scores or loses points
based on their military strength.
After the third age completes, you add all of your military,
monetary, wonder, civilian, science, trade and guild points
together - and the player with the highest score wins!
7 Wonders is a truly brilliant game, it’s fairly easy to learn and
presents you with some exciting choices. As an added bonus, if
you find you like the base game there’s always the Cities, Leaders
and Babel expansions which add fantastic new gameplay
elements. (Tom Randell www.gamesquest.co.uk/blog/)
a two or a three but could not be whether it’s worth starting
placed after a six. The strategy multiple expeditions because
comes into play when plotting they all cost 20 points, which
how to scupper your opponent comes off your total score. This
by holding onto the cards they is a great tactical game for two
may need, while also completing players but remember to dig
your own expeditions. What’s out a calculator for the slightly
more, you’ve got to weigh up unwieldy final scoring phase!
18/05/2015 12:06
 KING OF
TOKYO They played the monster mash
and it caught on in a flash.
iello | Dice game | £29.99 | 2-6 players
30 minutes | www.iellogames.com

G
ames designer Richard Garfield is best known for
creating Magic: The Gathering, the epic sprawling
collectable card game full of fantasy monsters,
complex tactics and magical powers. He went on to design
similar in-depth games like Netrunner and BattleTech
that, once again, were brimming with strategy. So, you
may be slightly surprised that one of Richard Garfield’s
recent games isn’t, in fact, a collectable card game. Instead
it’s all about giant monsters trying to kill each other
among the skyscrapers and city streets of Toyko in an
effort to be crowned the King of Tokyo.
When we were first introduced to King of Tokyo, the
owner of the game quickly described it as Yahtzee with
monsters and although there is an element of rolling
dice while looking for certain sets, King of Tokyo is
much more than that. Whereas Yahtzee is very much a
solitary experience with everyone watching passively as
you chuck your dice about, King of Tokyo is a game that
engages everyone throughout.
Gameplay-wise it’s exceptionally easy to pick up. You
start the game by choosing your monster. Some are your
more typical giant lizards (Godzilla… sorry we mean
Gigazaur) or huge gorillas like the King, others are slightly
more unusual, such as Cyber Bunny and the Cthulu-like
Kraken. Although all the monsters have the same stats, it’s
amusing how attached people become to their favourites,
with some clamouring to grab Gigazaur before anyone
else (it always appears to be the most popular) while
Cyber Bunny tends to languish in the box. Your job as a
creature of destruction is simple: either kill everyone else
or score 20 victory points.
So, how do you do this? Well, each turn you roll six dice
with a number of different symbols on them: the numbers
one, two and three, a heart, a claw and a lightning bolt. If
you’re going for victory points then, predominantly, you’ll
be looking for those numbers on the dice. To score points
you need to get three or more of the same number – roll
three ones for one point, three twos for two points and ▶

78

078_081_kingOfTokyoRB.indd 78 18/05/2015 10:33

 ■ Picture courtesy of Benjamin Raynal

79

078_081_kingOfTokyoRB.indd 79 02/06/2015 15:20

 KING OF TOKYO
SPACE PENGUIN
In 2013/14 King of Tokyo
publishers iello had a nice
little treat for anyone that
took part in an organised
King of Tokyo tournament
because they could
potentially win a brand
new character – the Space
Penguin. Despite the fact
that the Space Penguin
has no different powers or
stats, it’s become a bit of a
collectors item with some
people paying as much as
£50 on sites like eBay to
get their hands on one.
POWER UP!
Since King of Tokyo was
first released in 2011
there have been a number
of different expansions
released. The first was
Power Up, which added
monster specific evolution
cards, rather than just the
general special abilities
cards that are available to
everyone. It also introduced
a terrifying(?) new monster:
Pandakai… who is a giant
panda. Meanwhile King
of Tokyo Halloween adds
another two characters
(Pumpkin Jack and Boogey
Woogey) along with 12
new costume cards that
let your monster dress up
as a witch or clown, for
example.
“At the
beginning
of the game
everyone is
outside Tokyo,
licking their
monstrous
lips in
anticipation.”
078_081_kingOfTokyoRB.indd 80
three threes for three points. However, for every extra
matching number you roll above three you get an extra
point, meaning you can potentially score six points by
rolling six threes.
Of course, it’s unlikely you’ll do this by just rolling once
and during your turn you’re allowed to re-roll as many
dice as you want two more times. If you’re totally not
happy with the first roll you can re-roll the whole set but
let’s say you’ve rolled three, three, two, lightning, claw and
claw, then it’s likely you’re going to want to keep the threes
and roll the rest. That is, obviously, if you’re going for the
victory points but if you fancy getting a bit more violent
then you might want to keep those claws…
Causing damage to other players in King of Tokyo
is another huge part of the game because you can also
win the game by being the last monster standing. The
way damage works depends whether you’re inside or
outside Tokyo, represented by an illustrated board. At
the beginning of the game everyone is outside of Tokyo,
looking in and licking their monstrous lips, but if someone
rolls a claw they must place their cardboard monster
figure inside Tokyo City. When you’re playing with five or
six monsters, another monster goes into Tokyo Bay.
Once someone is inside Tokyo then things get very
interesting. When any of the monsters inside roll claws
during their turn, the other players outside Tokyo
must take the corresponding damage. However, when
someone outside of Tokyo rolls claws the monsters inside
Tokyo take the damage. The problem for the creatures
■ Above you you see the dice you’ll be rolling each turn, while
on the bottom are some of the special powers your monster
can earn by saving energy points.
80
15/05/2015 15:15
 inside the city is that they’re likely to be outnumbered
and potentially getting hit numerous turns in a row
plus, unlike their rivals on the outside, they can’t heal
themselves by rolling hearts on the dice.
Understandably you may be thinking ‘well, what’s the
point of being in Tokyo, it sounds horrendous’ and yes,
to some extent it is. However, for every complete round
you stay inside the city you’ll receive two victory points
and each time you go into Tokyo you’ll get a victory point
too… so sometimes it makes sense to stick around. If
things get too much and you’re taking too much damage
then you can choose to come out and swap positions with
the monster that last attacked you. There’s a sweet sense
of satisfaction in knowing they’re about to become the
gigantic punching bag, while you can start trying to roll
hearts to recoup your health. Clever use of your time in
Tokyo is key to success because at the beginning of the
game with all the monsters in play, anyone in the city is
likely to be taking lots of damage. But towards the end
of the game when a few have been taken out it becomes
much easier to stay in Tokyo for an entire turn and clock
up those two victory points.
“Hang on, but what about those lightning bolts on the
dice you talked about earlier? Tell us about those!” Ok,
give us a minute. The lightning bolts represent energy and
each time you roll one of those symbols you’re given a tiny
green cube. These cubes can then be traded in for special
powers for your monsters and this is when it gets really
fun in King of Tokyo. Each of the powers costs various
amounts, with the better ones costing more. Some are
discards that have an immediate effect, e.g. Evacuation
Orders, which costs seven energy points but forces all
other monsters to lose five victory points. Others give a
permanent benefit to your monster, e.g. Thunder Stomp,
which makes all other players roll one less dice if you
score four victory points during your turn.
There are some special abilities that really are game
changers, such as Wings, which stops you taking damage
for a turn if you pay two energy cubes. When you’re
in Tokyo with the Wings ability you can quickly start
racking up those victory points. Meanwhile, It Has a Child
effectively gives you an extra life if you get killed. Although
you lose all your victory points and cards, you’ve still got
another opportunity to win. Perhaps the most frustrating
thing is that usually you can only buy super powers on
your turn and there’s nothing worse than desperately
trying to save up the energy needed for a card you really
want, only for it to be snapped up by a rival player.
With the victory points, damage and energy points all
up for grabs each turn, King of Tokyo poses you with some
difficult questions – do you go for the super powers but
someone else could be sneakily scoring victory points
before you even get something good. Perhaps you should
try and kill everyone else… but eventually they’ll put you
in Tokyo and take their revenge. Maybe you should just sit
back and go for the points… as long as you don’t get killed.
What’s interesting about King of Tokyo is the split between
how people play. You’ll get the Hoarder who doesn’t really
81
078_081_kingOfTokyoRB.indd 81
care that much about winning and just wants lots of green
cubes, the Attacker who will go all-out to kill everyone
each turn and the Pacifist who only cares about points.
There’s also the Persuader who will try and negotiate with
others to avoid damage or attack others, “come on we’re
both in Tokyo together, let’s combine our attacks” and
then they’ll leave at the first sign of trouble after scoring
their points.
King of Tokyo really is the quintessentia ice breaker
that’s great to get everyone warmed up before a games
night. The theme is strong thanks to the choice of
monsters and the fantastic superpowers, plus there are
actually some tactics involved to get people thinking…
unless you’re just trying to kill everyone, of course.
KING OF NEW YORK
It’s also worth mentioning that last year Richard Garfield
designed the first follow-up to King of Tokyo and this time
the action has moved to New York. Gone are Gigazaur
and Cyber Bunny, who are replaced by the likes of a robot
called Rob and Captain Fish… who is a little like Cyber
Bunny but is a fish inside a giant suit. Seriously.
Although King of New York still sees you rolling dice
every turn there are now some quite striking differences
between the two games. Firstly the board is much
bigger and now takes in the different districts of New
York – Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, Staten Island and
the Bronx. Manhattan acts a little like Tokyo City with
everyone outside attacking whoever is in Manhattan but
unlike Tokyo the longer you stay in Manhattan the higher
the victory points and you even get energy cubes.
The other big difference in King of New York is that
the victory point mechanic has changed too and the
numbers have been removed from the dice. Instead
they’re replaced by Stars, which add to your fame if you
roll them, the destruction icon and an ouch symbol. These
latter two involve another introduction in King of New
York – buildings and military… that’s right the humans are
fighting back.
Along with monsters on the board there are now
buildings and each borough has three buildings made
from three tiles. The tile shows the type of building and
also how many destruction points it’ll take to destroy it,
then some will give you energy points when destroyed
while others may heal you. The problem is that every time
you destroy a building a military unit appears. If you roll
an ouch symbol then the army units in your borough
attack you, roll two ouch symbols and they attack all the
monsters in your borough, roll three and it’s chaos as
everyone gets attacked.
King of New York is a very different experience to its
predecessor with even more tactical choices about what
to do with your dice. Plus, the great thing about it being
so different is that they compliment each other nicely
– there’s no sense that King of Tokyo is the lesser game
because it’s still a great warm-up. New York is perhaps a
little more complicated and takes a little longer but you’ll
still have some top notch monster mashing fun. ■
15/05/2015 15:15
 SPLENDOR
Space Cowboys | Card game | £24.99 | 2-4 players | 30 minutes | www.spacecowboys.fr

T
abletop gaming does take you into some weird roles and Splendor In some ways the gem dealing storyline is a little thin but it does
is no different, placing you in the shoes of a Renaissance gem provide an excuse for some beautifully illustrated cards showing snowy
dealer… well, at least life is never dull. Each player is try to acquire expeditions or sailing ships cruising to find more rare goods. Ultimately
15 victory points by swapping their gems for development cards or though, this is a quick but enjoyable game that’s a ‘gem’ for gamers of
buttering up some nobles with those precious goods. all experience levels.
On your turn you have a few options: take three differently coloured
gems from the bank, take two gems of the same colour from the bank,
reserve a development card by turning it upside down or purchase a
development card that’s in play or a card you’ve previously reserved.
Buying the development cards costs a certain amount of gems, e.g.
two black and two red tokens. Once you’ve bought the card, a new
one is then put into play, this does add a little random element to play
and keeps things fresh. Plus, particularly when you’re playing with
four players, the fact that everyone is potentially trying to grab the
same cards adds to the tension because although you can buy a card
an even better one might be dealt out for the next player.
As you purchase more cards, it’ll give you gem bonuses that then
allows you to gain access to higher value cards that, you guessed it,
give you even more gems. Eventually your sparkly wares will attract
some wealthy nobles who are looking for particular types of gem, e.g.
two red, three green and five black. Bag those nobles and you’ll score
some victory points and be on your way to that sweet success.

DISCWORLD ANKH-MORPORK
Treefrog Games | Fantasy | £26 | 1-4 players | 60 minutes | www.treefroggames.com

W
ith the sad passing of Sir Terry Pratchett, Discworld and the city
of Ankh Morpork have never been more ingrained in people’s
thoughts. The Discworld universe is one of comic-fantasy,
filled with witches, wizards, dragons and of course – the big man, or
skeleton, himself - Death.
The Ankh Morpork board game, invites players to become influential
Discworld characters as they vie for control of the city. At the start of the
game, you’re given a secret role and win condition. There are seven roles:
Lord Vetinari – Must place minions in a specific number of areas.
Lords Selachii, Rust or Worde – Must control a number of areas.
Dragon King of Arms – Must spread eight trouble tokens across the board.
Chrysoprase – Must collect fifty dollars.
Commander Vimes – Must maintain the peace until the draw deck empties.
On your turn, you play a card and perform actions such as - place
minions, build, assassinate, remove trouble tokens, take money, perform
special actions, play cards or trigger a disaster. When you’re done, you draw
cards and your turn ends.
Well-conceived gameplay, beautiful artwork and a plethora of Discworld
characters make Ankh Morpork an excellent, highly thematic, light to
medium-weight game. In fact, it’s arguably the best Discworld-based board
game out there. The hidden role element adds a degree of suspicion and
you’re always wondering what others are planning. However, you can use
that suspicion to your advantage and trick your opponents into helping,
rather than hindering, you.
Despite the thick theming, you really don’t need to be a Discworld
fanatic to play Ankh Morpork. Sure, you’ll recognise the characters, but the
gameplay is strong enough to ensure that even if you’ve never heard of Great
A’Tuin, or the Disc-shaped world he carries upon his back, you’ll still have
fun.(Tom Randell www.gamesquest.co.uk/blog)

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 HEY, THAT’S MY FISH!
Fantasy Flight Games | Strategy | £9.99
2-4 players | 20 minutes | www.fantasyflightgames.com
T
hey say ‘never judge a
book by its cover’ and
that’s something that
could certainly apply to tabletop
games too. If you spotted
Hey, That’s My Fish! during a
stroll round your local game
store you’d probably by-pass it
immediately assuming that the
Ice Age-style cartoon penguins on
the box mean it’s a game for kids.
Of course the fact we’re
mentioning it here means there
must be something more to it
and there definitely is because,
this is a cracking little game for
young and old players alike.
The game board is made up of
little icy hexagons with fish on
them and you get to play as a
charming penguin avatar. Your
penguin slides along the ice in
a straight line, gobbling up the
fish on the last hexagon they slid
over before they stopped. This
leaves a hole in the board that,
if you fancy getting tactical, can
be used to block your opponents
like some sad penguin-shaped
082_083_games49_52RB.indd 83
iced lolly eating scraps of fish.
As such, for a game that’s got
a cute cartoon penguin on the
box it’s actually pretty cutthroat
– after all, several players could
gang up on someone else to
leave them stranded on a lone
hexagon drifting out to sea
ready to be eaten by a killer
whale. The other problem is that
as you’re zipping about wolfing
down fish, you’ve also got to
think you’re potentially blocking
off your own routes of escape
too. Although we wouldn’t
exactly say you ‘agonise’ over
the choice, there’s still a sense
of contemplation and planning
ahead before each move.
As the game enters its closing
stages, choosing the right path
is key before you’re sent out into
the Arctic to die a sad and lonely
penguin death. This isn’t a game
I
for kids, this is a brutal tale of
survival of the fittest that would
make Darwin himself proud…
just don’t tell any kids playing
that the penguins snuff it.
83
FIREFLY THE BOARD GAME
Gale Force Nine | Exploration | £40
1-4 players | 120 minutes | www.fireflythegame.com
n 2002, director Joss
Whedon, introduced sci fi
fans to Firefly. Named after
an in-show class of spaceship,
this excellent series lasted
only 14 episodes before it was
cancelled by Fox. Firefly the
Game drags tabletop gaming
firmly into the Firefly universe.
Well-themed, and cleverly
implemented, it places you in
the Captain’s seat of your very
own Firefly and sends you out
into the ‘verse.
Players race to complete
objectives that range from
earning large sums of money,
to performing jobs for contacts.
Firefly the Game provides
plenty of paths to victory. You
can carry out legal shipping
operations, transporting
goods and passengers across
the universe for minimal
pay. Or you can head down
the smuggling route and
ship contraband. Although
smuggling is well paid, you’ll
lose favour with Harken and
the Alliance who rigorously
enforce the law. If you’re not
solid with Harken you’ll live
your life in constant fear of
Customs inspections and
warrants. You can play Firefly
the Game in whatever way you
please, but let’s be honest - if
you ain’t misbehavin’ you ain’t
doing it right!
As you travel across the
board, you draw, and resolve
navigation cards which
represent events that occur
during the journey. The
further you travel the greater
the risk of encountering the
infamous Reavers. With an ever
expanding board, Firefly the
Game is an excellent choice for
anyone who has a few spare
hours and wants to sit back
and immerse themselves in
the Firefly universe. Since its
release, a number of successful
expansions have surfaced
including the Breakin’ Atmo
mini expansion, Pirates and
Bounty Hunters, and Blue Sun
which greatly enhances the
threat posed by the Reavers.
With more expansions in the
works Firefly is definitely one
to watch if you’re looking for a
quality space adventure. (Tom
Randell, www.gamesquest.
co.uk/blog)
18/05/2015 10:40
 KINGS OF WAR We test out the beta rules for Kings of War Second Edition with a classic grudge
match between two of fantasy’s greatest foes: Dwarfs and Goblins.
Mantic Games | Fantasy Wargame | £Various (free rules available) | 2+ players | 120 minutes | www.manticgames.com

G
robblar, the self-proclaimed Goblin
King spat in disgust as he watched
the Dwarfs mass their troops on the
outskirts of the village ahead. Somehow
their Rangers must have discovered his
cunning plan to creep through the nearby
forests during the night and take the
settlement by surprise. Still, no matter,
his goblins outnumbered the Dwarfs and
under his brilliant command nothing
could stop him. He chuckled to himself,
thinking about all the Dwarven gold he
would find locked safely away in the
village’s keep
His laughter was brought to an abrupt
halt as a terrible metallic screeching ripped
through the air across the open plains. In
the distance he saw what appeared to a
dragon… surely not? The Dwarfs didn’t
trust these powerful but unpredictable
beasts. However, its movements were
strange, slow and ponderous and Grobblar
realised it wasn’t a dragon at all. No, it
was one of the Dwarf ’s great creations,

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084_087_kingsOfWarRB.indd 84 15/05/2015 14:38


a towering metallic war machine known
as a Steel Behemoth. His scouts hadn’t
mentioned anything about that… still,
the Dwarfs weren’t the only ones with
a surprise in store thought Grobblar as
he heard his giant lumbering up the hill
behind him. The gold would still be his, no
matter what the cost.
SET-UP
The Dwarfs clearly had a plan in mind,
putting their units with the best defense
– two regiments of Earth Elementals and
the Steel Behemoth - in the front flank,
while the Bulwarkers, Organ Guns and
Berserkers, along with their leader the
Warsmith and his Stone Priest, stood
behind them. On the right flank a troop of
Sharpshooters stood on a lone hill, ready
084_087_kingsOfWarRB.indd 85
to pepper the Goblins with shots and keep
them at bay. The plan was simple… let the
Goblin tide crash against their defenses
before moving in and wiping them out.
Grobblar, on the other hand, hadn’t
been prepared for such a resilient force
from the Dwarfs and had his green-
skinned troops spread out at the edges of
the wood. Two Hordes of Fleabag Riders
snapped and chomped in anticipation at
the left and right edges of the sprawling
mass of green, ready to flank the enemy
with their swift speed. A pair of towering
Big Rocks Throwers loomed on hills either
side of the main force, creaking under the
strain of their heavy ammunition. Finally,
Grobblar’s prized-possession, a scrawny-
looking Giant, was lined up ready to smash
the Steel Behemoth.
85
BANESMITH’S DWARFS
Berserker Regiment x 2 360pts
Berserker Brock Riders Regiment 210pts
Shieldbreakers Regiment 130pts
Sharpshooter Troop 105pts
with Piercing Arrow
Earth Elementals Regiment x 2 260pts
Bulwarkers Regiment x 2 310pts
with one Mastiff
Steel Behemoth 250pts
Ironbelcher Organ Gun x 2 170pts
Stone Priest with Bane Chant 100pts
Warsmith (AKA Nordan Banesmith) 105pts
with Talisman of Inspiration
TOTAL 2000pts
GROBBLAR’S GOBLINS
Fleabag Riders Horde x 2 510pts
Sharpsticks Regiment 95pts
Rabble x 2 150pts
Spitters Horde x 2 280pts
Trolls Regiment x 2 250pts
Big Rocks Thrower x 2 160pts
Mincer 80pts
Wiz with Breath x 2 120pts
Biggit with Kevinar’s Flying Hammer 65pts
Giant 190pts
Goblin King (AKA Grobblar) 95pts
with Mace of Crushing
TOTAL 1995PTS
TURN ONE – GOBLINS
Grobblar wasted no time in moving his army
towards the waiting Dwarfs, his Fleabag
Riders dashed towards their enemy, while
the infantry marched forward and the giant
lumbered behind two Hordes of Spitters.
However, with the Earth Elementals and
Steel Behemoth providing such a strong
shield for the Dwarfs, Grobblar would need
to soften them up first – like cracking a nut.
He called for the Big Rock Throwers to target
the gleaming metal dragon. Surprisingly both
the Throwers hit, causing the Steel Behemoth
a few wounds but nothing too serious. Next
the sky briefly lit up with a crackle of magical
energy as both Wizards shot Lightning Bolts
toward the Elementals regiments, causing a
little damage. Finally a hail of arrows from the
Spitters soared across the field peppering ▶
02/06/2015 15:39
 KINGS OF WAR
the Earth Elementals but most uselessly
pinged off their rock-solid armour.
TURN ONE – DWARFS
Sticking to their plan of waiting it out for the
Goblins, the Dwarfs inched forward, sticking
close behind their gargantuan metal dragon
and the shambling Earth Elementals. On
the right flank, a crack of guns echoed as the
Sharpshooters attempted to pin down the
snarling Horde of Fleabag Riders. Out of five
possible hits, the Sharpshooters caused four
wounds, rousing a cheer from the Dwarfs and
a howl of pain from the gathered Mawbeasts
and wolves.
TURN TWO – GOBLINS
Grobblar hadn’t risen through the ranks of
Goblin hierarchy by being stupid. His cunning
was legendary – or so he thought – and he
quickly realised that the Dwarfs were hoping
he would charge towards their defenses. Seeing
an opportunity to confuse his hated enemy he
called a halt to the march, although his Fleabag
Riders on the right flank continued to edge
forward. Instead of moving, he focused all his
attention into shooting the enemy once more.
The left Big Rock Thrower sprung into life
launching a boulder toward the left Earth
Elementals, smashing against them and
causing a handful of wounds. The Wizards once
again let loose their blasts of magical energy,
this time targeting Bulwarker regiments on
084_087_kingsOfWarRB.indd 86
the left and right who had edged slightly out
of cover. One hit, while the other magic blast
dissipated into nothing. Again the Spitters sent
their arrows towards the Elementals, desperate
to weaken them before the charge. This time
they had more success causing a few wounds.
Finally, Grobblar cursed as he heard the rope
snap on Big Rock Thrower to his right, as it
attempted to target the Behemoth.
TURN TWO – DWARFS
Nordan Banesmith was taken aback, this
wasn’t how it was meant to go. The Goblins
should have been in close combat by now
or at least getting closer, ready for a charge.
He couldn’t just stand here watching as his
defensive wall was hit again and again by
artillery, magic and arrows… the plan would
have to change. Still, the Goblins weren’t the
only ones with artillery. He barked at both
regiments of Bulwarkers, the Steel Behemoth
and Elementals to move forward to reveal
a pair of Organ Guns… a most devastating
Dwarven invention. The Organ Guns roared
into life, targeting the two Spitter Hordes but
failed to break their opponents, only hitting
half a dozen times. Again, the Sharpshooters
took aim and fired at the Fleabags causing
four more wounds – the wild mounts started
to panic and the Horde wavered as the Goblin
riders attempted to keep them under control.
One less thing to worry about, thought
Banesmith with a grunt.
86
TURN THREE – GOBLINS
Grobblar screamed in frustration at the
wavering Fleabag Riders, ordering them to
move back while they got their mounts in
order. On the right flank, his Horde of riders
was keen to get into the thick of things as they
charged towards a regiment of Bulwarkers.
“Idiots,” thought Grobblar and screeched at his
two regiments of Trolls to follow them, while
everyone else stood their ground. Grobblar
hoped his long-range strategy would pay
dividends once more.
To his left, the Biggit was keen to try out his
new toy, Kevinar’s Flying Hammer, and sent
it soaring towards some Earth Elementals.
With a thud it hit… and then bounced to the
ground. Grobblar snickered as the Biggit
frowned in disappointment. A neighbouring
Wiz began chanting loudly and suddenly a
large burst of flame roared towards the same
Elementals, only to cause no damage. Keen to
stop the Organ Guns causing too much trouble,
Grobblar ordered his Spitter Hordes to target
both weapons – one exploded under the hail of
arrows, while the other was sent into disarray as
the crew sheltered from the stream of attacks.
Suddenly there was a boom as the Goblin
War Trombone sent a hail of shot at the Steel
Behemoth, followed by pings as most bounced
uselessly off its armour. Finally Grobblar
watched in horror as the Fleabag Riders to the
right failed to do any serious damage to the
Bulwarker regiment. Things weren’t looking
good for his plan to flank the enemy with his
speedy cavalry.
TURN THREE – DWARFS
As he heard one Organ Gun explode behind
him, while the crew from the other shouted
to each other in confusion, Banesmith cursed
the unusual accuracy of the Spitters and their
weedy bows… perhaps they’d received training
from those treacherous elves. Still, there was
no time to think about that now, the fight had
to be taken to the enemy. Bulwarkers, Earth
Elementals and Berserkers all surrounded the
snarling, slavering Fleabag Riders to his left.
He heard the Stone Priest chanting in arcane
Dwarven language and a bizarre glow appeared
around the Berserkers. His Bane Chant spell
had worked perfectly ensuring their hits would
be more devastating. In a flurry of brutal
blows from the Bulkwarkers, Berserkers and
Elementals the Fleabag Riders were quickly
dispatched.
Next it was chance to try out his new
invention, as the Steel Behemoth clunked
and clomped straight at a Horde of those
15/05/2015 14:39

irritating Spitters in front. He could hear the
Goblins squealing in terror as the metal claws
ripped through them, killing most while the
others fled. He hadn’t expected it to be that
successful… however that left him with a
problem because now the ragged-looking Giant
the Goblins had dragged up from somewhere
was free to charge his metallic beast. Still, surely
something that stupid couldn’t destroy his
mechanical masterpiece? His concentration
was broken as heard the sound of barking
dogs… the Bulwarkers had sent their mastiff
war-dogs towards the remaining Fleabag
Riders. However, the barking quickly turned to
yelps of pain as the small but vicious hounds
were eaten by the collection of Mawbeasts and
wolves. Another successful round of shots on
the Fleabags from the Sharpshooters was small
consolation.
With a roar the Giant charged towards the
Steel Behemoth… unfortunately Grobblar’s
command to the neighbouring Mincer must
have gone unheard because its crew refused
to move, quaking at the sight of the steel beast.
The Giant battered the Behemoth with its great
fists again and again until all that remained
was a heap of twisted metal. Grobblar howled
in joy, while to his right one regiment of Trolls
grunted and bellowed as they engaged the final
Elementals with little effect. Another group of
Trolls also proved ineffective against a regiment
of Berserkers. “Stupid trolls,” he thought.
TURN FOUR – DWARFS
Banesmith hung his head in shame… how had
a pack of miserable Goblins overwhelmed his
greatest creation? It was time for vengeance.
He ordered the Sharpshooters to aim for the
Giant instead of the Fleabag Riders, which
he had now sent his Berserker Brock Riders
to deal with. The Giant roared as three shots
hit home but it didn’t topple over. In anger
Banesmith leveled his own pistol at the beast
but cursed as the shot went wide. The Organ
Gun boomed again and again as it blasted
the Goblin’s primitive War Trombone, which
collapsed under the repeated hits.
Banesmith smiled as the War Trombone
crew fled in panic, then his smile grew as he
saw the Brock Riders tear the last Fleabag
Riders to pieces. Over to his left he heard
the Berserkers roaring in celebration as they
wounded the Trolls, while the Elementals also
continued their ponderous punch-up with the
other dim-witted but powerful beasts. This was
a closer and more brutal battle than he had
expected but perhaps the tide was turning in
his favour.
TURN FIVE – GOBLINS
Two Hordes of Fleabag Riders lost… but still
Grobblar had his Giant and he watched as
some of the Trolls’ wounds healed thanks to
their Regeneration ability. Keen to see how
much damage the Giant could do, he ▶

TURN FOUR – GOBLINS

Traumatised by the loss of one Horde of
Fleabag Riders and the continued confusion of
his remaining riders, Grobblar decided it was
time to strike back. The War Trombone fired
into life again, this time targeting a regiment
of Shield Breakers exposed at the front of the
Dwarf force, while the remaining Spitters joined
in the fight. Overwhelmed by the combination
the Shieldbreakers were broken and fled. The
Biggit once again tried his magic hammer, only
to watch it bounce uselessly off the Bulwarkers
to Grobblar’s left. However, the Wiz’s furious
flame attack proved more successful,
enveloping the Bulwarkers in fire and filling
the air with the smell of burning beards. Next
Grobblar watched as a boulder from a Big Rock
Thrower smashed into the same unit, wiping
them off the battlefield.

87

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 KINGS OF WAR
shouted at it to attack the regiment of
Bulwarkers on the left, along with the Biggit…
if only to stop him messing around with that
blasted hammer. The Mincer crew – perhaps
no longer terrified of the Steel Behemoth –
rumbled into life toward the Brock Riders,
who stood firm under a magical flame attack
from the nearby Wiz. The Big Rock Thrower
also attempted to hit the Brock Riders but sent
the lump of stone soaring over their heads,
missing entirely. However, the other Big Rock
Thrower managed a successful hit against
the Organ Gun. Grobblar expected to see the
twisted remains of the deadly weapon but,
instead, he watched in horror as the crew
dusted themselves off and somehow didn’t
waver. Moving beside the remaining Spitter
Horde, Grobblar ordered them to fire at a
regiment of Berserkers. He grabbed his own
bow too… loosing a handful of arrows in the
same direction. He sneered in pleasure as three
hit home. The Trolls continued to bludgeon
their opponents with little effect, while the
Giant, perhaps exhausted from his encounter
from the Behemoth, managed a few measly
wounds on the Bulwarkers.
TURN FIVE DWARFS
With the Giant now trying to kill his Bulwarkers,
Banesmith ordered a regiment of Berserkers to
join the fight with the Bulwarkers and flank the
hideous creature, catching it off guard. Under a
hail of furious blows from the combined effort
the Giant appeared to be down and out but an
Inspiring shout from the nearby Biggit roused
the beast and made it stand firm. Banehammer
groaned in frustration.
However, another source of his frustration,
a Big Rocks Thrower was left useless as the
Sharpshooters took out the crew with their
long-range rifles. In the shadow of the now
pointless catapult, the Brock Riders charged
down a lone Wiz but their charge failed to bring
them into combat with the nearby Mincer too…
that would just have to wait. Finally he heard
joyful shouts from the Berserkers on his left,
who had managed to best a regiment of Trolls.
The battle was hanging in the balance.
TURN SIX – GOBLINS
Grobblar watched in horror as the Bulwarkers
and Berserkers surrounded his beloved
Giant… the last attack had been a close call
and he couldn’t risk another assault from
the Berserkers. He pointed his sword at the
battle-hungry Dwarfs and ordered the last
Big Rocks Thrower and Spitters to fire at will.
Again, he watched in amazement as the
084_087_kingsOfWarRB.indd 88
potentially deadly catapult managed to hit
the target –perhaps the crew had laid off the
mushroom beer last night – while the Spitters’
arrows peppered their target. The Berserkers
suffered too many wounds and, despite their
best efforts, were routed. With the Berserkers
gone, Grobblar grabbed his bow and aimed
for the Organ Gun. This time he watched in
satisfaction as the crew fell to their knees and
the gun was destroyed.
He heard the Giant roar as it struck out at
the Bulwarkers but, again, it failed to break
their spirit and they stood firm. Behind him
the Mincer’s wicked-looking mining drill
screamed into life as it ploughed into the
Brock Riders but despite its lethal appearance
the damage was minimal. However, the Trolls
finally managed to overcome the Elementals,
which crumbled into dust under blow after
blow. Grobblar grinned… the fight was going
in his favour.
TURN SIX – DWARFS
The end of the battle was close and Banesmith
could feel that with the loss of the Organ Gun
and the surprise rout of the Berserkers things
were slipping out of his grip. In a desperate
effort he joined the Bulwarkers in their fight
against the Giant. Up close he could smell
its stinking breath and see bits of metal in
its flesh where it had fought the wondrous,
FINAL THOUGHTS – CHRIS
‘WARSMITH’ PUDNEY
gleaming dragon that Banesmith had “I’m really impressed with the second edition
designed. With a shout he rained blows on the rules and think all the changes made have
Giant alongside his Bulwarkers but despite really helped to give each army plenty of
character. Things like giving the Stone Priest
the roars of agony, it continued to stand. He Bane Chant so he can give the Berserkers
heard the crack of the Sharpshooter’s rifles as, Crushing Strength (2) is fantastic. The new
for once, they missed their intended target of Sharpshooters are good too and I’ll be using
the Biggit and his ridiculous flying hammer. these lots more. As for the game, I did have
a plan but when Rob’s Goblins didn’t move
He stood panting for a moment, catching his towards me, like I expected, then it didn’t
breath for the inevitable strike from the Giant work out as I had planned. Using the Steel
and caught the eye of the Goblin King who Behemoth was huge fun though and in Kings of
had caused so much devastation. A toothy War Second Edition it’s actually a viable unit.”
smirk broke out across the Goblin’s face as FINAL THOUGHTS ROB
he raised his bow and took aim at Banesmith, ‘GROBBLAR’ BURMAN
who prayed to the Dwarven gods for perhaps “Initially when the points increases came out
the final time… for the Goblins in second edition I was a little
surprised because everything seemed to go up
by so much, however, compared to the other
CONCLUSION armies in Kings of War you should always have
It was certainly a scrappy battle between the numerical superiority with Goblins. The new
Goblins and Dwarfs that, really could have Fleabag Riders Horde is really fast and powerful
but they were useless here. Plus the new Breath
gone either way. Certainly the Goblins were attack for the Wiz adds more options for magical
lucky with some unusually successful Big Rock spells when you get close enough. I really liked
Throwers and Spitters Hordes that really did do the Goblin King too, thematically it fits perfectly,
some big damage. Thanks to that the Goblins and he was actually pretty useful with his ranged
attack. Ultimately though Kings of War Second
edged it by destroying 1,325 points, compared Edition is still a very fluid and easy to learn
to the 945 worth of unit points taken by the wargame but now it’s got some cool extra units
Dwarfs. Overall though a thoroughly enjoyable and special abilities. The beta rules certainly get
playtest of the second edition rules. ■ the thumbs up from me.”
88
15/05/2015 14:39
p089.indd 1 11/05/2015 10:41
 MICE AND MYSTICS
CASH ‘N GUNS
SECOND EDITION
Plaid Hat Games | Fantasy adventure | £50
1-4 players | 120 minutes | www.plaidhatgames.com

D
Repos Production | Bluffing | £24.99 ungeon-crawls are ten
4-8 players | 30 minutes | www.rprod.com
a penny in the world of
tabletop gaming. Take a
generic group of heroes, kit them
out with enough equipment to
break their backs, and then send
them into a deep, dark, dungeon.
Mice and Mystics takes a
typical dungeon-crawl, adds a
fantastic story, and transforms
your usual hero stereotypes into
tiny mice. Everything in the game
fits the theme, right down to the
equipment which includes acorn
helmets and toothpick swords!
Playable as a campaign, or as
single chapters, the Mice and
Mystics story begins in Castle
Andon.
Here, the the King has fallen
under the evil influence of the
witch, Vanestra. But before she
can take complete control of the
of vicious cockroaches, spiders,
rats and centipedes.
The Mice and Mystics rules are
fairly easy to follow and generally
involve rolling dice. In fact, you’ll
probably understand the majority
of them by the end of the very
first chapter. Through interesting,
yet simple, gameplay - Mice and
Mystics lends itself very nicely
to family game time and is often
highly recommended by parents
who engage with their children
through play.
In a nutshell, the cute
miniatures look amazing,
the artwork is gorgeous, and
the storyline immerses you
entirely. However, despite the
cute theme, Mice and Mystics
is also a great game for adults
and offers a quality co-operative
experience with some genuinely

R
emember that scene
in Reservoir Dogs
when all the crooks are
holding guns at each other,
then someone gets their ear
chopped off and everybody
dances in slow motion in suits…
or something like that, it’s a
long time since we’ve seen it.
Anyway, fancy recreating that –
at least the bit with the guns – in
the safety of your home with
optional swearing and ear loss?
Hooray! Then Cash ‘n Guns is
the thing for you.
Another one of the perfect
opener games before the main
event on a games night, Cash ‘n
Guns sees everyone taking on
the role of a gangster as you’re
splitting up the money from
a successful heist. However,
the problem with gangsters is
they’re an untrustworthy bunch
so soon they start turning the
guns on each other to get the
moolah.
Each turn loot cards are dealt
out so everyone can see what’s
up for grabs and one player
acts as the criminal boss. Next
players then secretly choose
an ammunition card for their
gun – unfortunately only three
castle’s occupants, Prince Collin exciting challenges.
cards are bullets, while the rest
and Maginos, the resident magic- Finally, when you’re done with
are duds – and then choose who
wielder, escape. the story included in the base set,
they’re going to shoot. This is
Maginos casts a spell that there’s plenty more adventures
where things get particularly
transforms himself, Prince available in the form of the
enjoyable because Cash ‘n
Collin, and a group of fellow brilliant Heart of Glorm and
Guns comes with replica foam
escapees into tiny mice. They Downwood Tales expansions.
handguns! That’s right, rather
then flee into the sewers where (Tom Randell, www.gamesquest.
than pointing your fingers at
they encounter numerous bands co.uk/blog)
an opponent you actually get
a replica gun to point at them.
This tangible element of the
game is a hoot and watching
a group of players all point
cartoon-style guns at each
other is a strangely enjoyable
experience.
If you find you’ve got too
many guns pointing in your
direction, you can back down
but you loose your share of
the loot. However, if you stay
in and someone shoots you
with a bullet you take a wound
–get three wounds and it’s
game over. Of course, you’ve
only got a few bullets, so you
need to convince someone
your weapon is the one that’s
loaded and that’s when the
bluffing comes into play.
Cash ‘n Guns is a great group
game, particularly if you all
get involved… and speak in
gangster voices, obviously.

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 ONE NIGHT ULTIMATE WEREWOLF
Bezier Games | Deduction | £24.99 | 3-10 players | 10 minutes | www.beziergames.com

D
ating back to the 1980s, ‘werewolf’ games are almost a genre Once everyone wakes up they then need to vote on who they all
of their own. In a game of ‘werewolf’ a village is being plagued think is the werewolf. Of course, anyone who is a werewolf must try
by beastly attacks and players must work out who is the shape to throw the villagers off the scent, while the villagers must work
changer hiding among them. Each turn the werewolf kills a different together to identify the killer. After voting, the person with the votes
player until they’re correctly spotted by the remaining villagers… or is killed off and they reveal their card – if they’re a werewolf, hooray!
just kill everyone in a bloody spree. The only problem is that werewolf If they’re a villager, boo! Whereas normal games of werewolf can last
games are a little unwieldy and can last an age. an hour, a game of Ultimate Werewolf is over within 10 minutes, so it’s
Step up to the plate then One Night Ultimate Werewolf, which great for fast-paced bluffing shenanigans.
streamlines the rules into a much quicker 10 minute
variety. At the start of the game, each player is given the
role of a villager such as Troublemaker, Robber or Seer,
while others are the bad guys (Werewolves or Minions)
– another can be the moderator to control the flow
of things. However, if you’re smartphone savvy then
definitely download the app, which acts as the narrator
and ensures everyone can get involved.
During a turn everyone closes their eyes and then,
depending upon their assigned role, for example
the Doppelganger can take on the role of another
character, werewolves open their eyes and indicate
that they’re a werewolf to other werewolves and their
minions, the Seers can look at other people’s cards and
the robber can steal someone else’s card. Meanwhile
the Troublemaker can swap cards and the Insomniac
can check their own card… just to make sure they
haven’t been turned into a werewolf.

FRANCIS DRAKE
Eagle-Gryphon Games | Worker placement | £60 | 3-5 players | 90-120 minutes | www.francisdrakegame.com

I
t has to be said that Francis
Drake has one of the least
eye-catching boxes you
could possibly imagine.
However, despite its lack-
lustre façade, it is a genuinely
excellent game that brags some
superb components. Never has
the old adage “Don’t judge a
book by its cover” been more
applicable!
A game of Francis Drake
consists of three sea voyages.
Before each voyage, you
upgrade your ship, recruit
crew, seek favours, load
cannons or purchase supplies
and goods.
You start at one end of
the dock and take it in turns
to move along - claiming
effects from available spaces.
Sometimes, you might want
to jump forward and claim an
effect before your opponent
can take it. However, if you most points wins! treasure is genuinely quite tense
do this, you can’t go back to Francis Drake plays a lot and can make a game of Francis
spaces you skip. faster than you first expect. It has Drake a really cut-throat affair!
Eventually, everyone sets sail some really tight gameplay and It’s definitely a must-have game
and the distance you can travel an interesting blend of worker if you’re a worker placement fan
is determined by the number placement, set collection and and love quality design or high-
of supplies on-board. First, you combat. The competition for end components.
secretly place numbered disks
at locations on the map. These
disks determine the order of
visits.
During your voyage, you
can spend goods to claim
commodities, dispatch crew
members to fight, or use
cannons to combat forts or
galleons. Beating a location
generates points, and if you’re
the first to do so you receive a
bonus treasure.
After you complete your third
voyage, the game ends and
points are awarded for your
commodities and treasures.
Finally, the player with the

91

090_091_games53_56RB.indd 91 15/05/2015 13:59

 PLANETFALL
After creating the concept for a new game, is it possible to let someone else finish
it off? We speak to Neil Fawcett and Derek Sinclair of Spartan Games to find out.
Spartan Games | 10mm sci-fi | £80 (starter set) | 2+ players | 60 minutes | www.spartangames.co.uk
O
nce you’ve come up with the idea for a game,
what if you realise that actually it’s simply
not working… that there’s something missing
from the product you’ve created? Do you just carry on
regardless hoping to find that magic element down the
line or scrap it entirely and move onto something new?
Then again, perhaps there’s a third option, maybe you
can let someone else work on the concept to bring new
ideas to the table and progress it further. But in that
case, what’s it like to let go of your idea and give control
to someone else?
Well, that’s exactly what happened with Spartan
Games’ Planetfall – a 10mm science fiction wargame
that sees scores of alien and futuristic human troops
taking on each other across the battlefield. After
creating Uncharted Seas, Firestorm Armada and
Dystopian Wars, Neil Fawcett, director at Spartan
Games, was keen to create something new set within
the world of Firestorm Armada.
Whereas Firestorm Armada centres around huge
space battles that take place above the planets, Neil
wanted to explore the potential ground fights on those
planets as well. Even though Firestorm Armada only
features large ships the background for each of the
alien races was extremely fleshed out, detailing what
the creatures looked like and how they behaved. For
example the Sorylian Collective is an ancient race
of large reptiles, the Aquan Prime as you may guess
from the name are aquatic lifeforms, while the evil
Relthozans are giant and terrifying arachnid-style
“The original idea didn’t achieve what I wanted it to
do. It was a good but not a great game.”
092_096_planetfallRB.indd 92
creatures. Although the characteristics of the different
factions do come across in the design of Firestorm
Armada’s ships, there was still a sense they could
be explored further and fans could actually see the
lifeforms up close.
The result was that Neil began working on the
concept and looked to Spartan’s other hugely
successful game system Dystopian Wars for
inspiration. “In Dystopian Wars you’ve got the large
ships that actually get the people to the countries
and then once they’ve landed, we’ve got Dystopian
Legions,” explained Neil. “Firestorm Armada is a
bit like the taxis that bring the troops to the planets,
whereas Planetfall is about hammering the planet
with your armoured assault units and taking what
you want. The next level down from that will be
something we call Spec Ops, which in modern terms
are your Navy Seals or Delta Force squads. All of COUNTDOWN TO
these worlds are connected together – particularly ZERO HOUR
by the Spec Ops who could be the landing party in Planetfall has an interesting
mechanic to determine a
something like Armada and then the specialised game’s length, instead of just
demolition squad in Planetfall. We view it all as one playing until everyone is wiped
big picture with many elements.” out, it uses something called
The first iteration of Neil’s take on the 10mm the ‘Zero Hour’ Tracker. Each
time a player scores ‘Tactical
format was called Invasion and was an idea that he Value Points’ for things like
worked on alone a couple of years ago, however he destroying an opposing unit or
was never quite happy with the system. “Invasion capturing an objective point the
didn’t achieve what I wanted it to do. I mean, it was Zero Hour Tracker moves down
until it reaches zero and one
a good game but it just wasn’t a great game. Likewise force completely overwhelms
the models we had made up were good models the planet’s defences. Watching
the Tracker tick down each
round ramps up the tension,
particularly during the final
stages when both sides could
be close to reaching their goal.
92
15/05/2015 14:40
 but they just weren’t great models,” Neil told us.
However, rather than totally abandoning the idea
he drafted in Derek Sinclair who was a huge fan of
10mm sci-fi wargames and had helped out with the
rules for Dystopian Wars and Firestorm Armada.
But was it a hard decision to hand over the game to
someone else after working on the project for so long?
“I guess some people might have struggled to hand
over something they had created but ultimately it’s
not about my vanity,” said Neil, “it’s about what our
customers want and what they’ll enjoy playing and
collecting. It was interesting to hand it over and give
someone else complete control but I definitely think
it was the right decision to bring some fresh ideas to
the project.
“Of course, I’ve still got ideas about how I think the
Firestorm galaxy should be, so Derek couldn’t go off
092_096_planetfallRB.indd 93
and do completely crazy things but, for the most part, ■ Here you can see how
he had free reign. And, ultimately, he’s done a better Planetfall scales up from the tiny
job of it than I would have done.” ground troops, right up to the
Once Neil had handed over Invasion to Derek he gigantic-hulking Leviathans.
took the rather daring decision to completely scrap However, they all play an
Neil’s vision for Invasion and start afresh. “I’ve got to important role during gameplay
be honest that I didn’t base my version of the game on so having a mix of different units
Neil’s rules because, although I liked Neil’s version, I is key for success.
wanted to approach it slightly differently,” said Derek.
“I wanted to make sure that it suited the company
making the product, the gamer that’s putting the
models on the tabletop and the person that wants to
collect it. One thing I didn’t want was for people to
keep going out and buying loads of separate blister
packs, instead I wanted players to grab something from
the shop shelf and that would contain pretty much
everything they needed.” ▶
93
15/05/2015 14:40
 PLANETFALL

SKY DROPS
During the course of a battle,
a Planetfall commander can
choose to use something
called a Sky Drop, which
allows certain units to be
brought in during the course
of a battle, e.g. emplacements
or crystals (some weapons
use crystals to shoot round
obstacles). These hexagonal
markers come with a tiny die
inside. As the turns progress
the die counts down, the
closer it is to one, the less
likely it is that the unit that
you’re dropping will deviate
off course. Knowing when to
risk using the Sky Drop can
really turn the course of a fight.
There’s even a similar system
for artillery strikes.

■ Each of the different factions

has a distinctive look, like the
Aquan unit below or the Sorylian
troops to your right.

As a result one of the core concepts of the game
was born – the notion of a helix (or hexagon) of
units. “I wanted all the forces to share something
in common and throughout the rules and the game
itself it’s all about hexagons. I had
an idea about how you would
put the army down on the
tabletop, so you put one
hexagon down and that
gives you six options
around it,” explains Derek.
The way it works in the
game is that you start
with a Core Helix of
troops and these are
your basic troops that
form the backbone of
your army. The Core
Helix in turn gives you
access to six distinct
types of Helix: Air,
Heavy Armour,
Assault, Recon,
Leviathan Strike
and Field Support.
So, for every battle
group you want in your army you
must start with a Core Helix but from
there you can get a little creative.
Say for example you want
to take two Air Helixes,
this means you need
to sacrifice a Recon
Helix which is directly
opposite the Air Helix on the Core hexagon – whereas
if you wanted two Recon Helixes you would need to
sacrifice an Air Helix. Basically if you want to take
two of the same Helix type you have to ignore the
opposite Helix on the opposing side of Core Helix,
e.g. Leviathans versus Heavy Armour, Assault versus
Field Support and Recon versus Air, as mentioned.
This was a core concept right from the beginning for
Derek. “Rather than working out points or extra bits,
you just buy a box of models and that’s your list. Each
of the boxes is actually one of the different Helixes,”
he adds. Planetfall released in October last year and
Spartan is quickly adding to the number of Helixes
available, with all factions having access to Core, Heavy
Armour and Leviathan Helixes, while the Alliance of
Kurak and the Zenian League can be used to provide
Air and Recon support.
“Something we were aware of was not overwhelming
retail with lots of products and, once again, that dictated
the design,” explained Derek. “You know, with Dystopian
Wars there are hundreds of products that would take
up lots of shelf space. But, again, we wanted it so that a
shop could have a few boxes of Planetfall and that would
contain all the stuff someone needed to get into the
game or expand their existing army. Plus, the Core Helix
costs around £40 and that actually contains everything
you would need to have a small game of Planetfall, so
you can try it out without a huge amount of outlay.
“Then the great thing about having the units collected
together in different helixes is that you know what to buy
next because it’s bundled in a Heavy Armour or Recon
box. If you spend something like £150 then you would
have a hell of an army that contains loads of small troops
and big, impressive models like the Leviathans.” ▶

94

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 95

092_096_planetfallRB.indd 95 02/06/2015 15:19

 PLANETFALL
BATTLE FOR
PROTEUS PRIME
If you and a friend or a local
games club are interested
in trying out Planetfall, then
you can pick up the Battle
for Proteus Prime two-player
starter set, which contains
Core Helixes for the Aquan
Prime and Directorate. There’s
also a 132-page rulebook,
which guides you through
some introductory missions to
learn the basics, some small
buildings to use as terrain,
dice, Tactical Action cards
and templates.
■ It will be interesting to see how
Planetfall expands over the next
year and Spartan has previously
mentioned there will be new
Leviathans with close combat
weapons rather than long-range
lasers or guns.
Of course, although Derek had the idea for how
the army system would work, he still had to come
up with the ideas for the units themselves and that’s
where Spartan’s in-house design team came in
handy. “One of the benefits I found is that we’ve got
a wonderful design team here and so if I had an idea
for a particular unit they could quickly mock it up.
Potentially if I had been working somewhere else
without an internal design team they might not
have been able to produce demo miniatures for
me to use,” Derek told us.
“Instead, I could pop upstairs here and ask
Chris the designer and within a couple of days I
would have a shiny new model sitting on the desk…
sometimes it would only take an afternoon. And that
really helped to streamline the creation of the game.
The weird thing was sometimes I would speak to Chris
about an idea and he would have actually already
started work on it, which was a little creepy.”
However, although the design process was quick,
that doesn’t necessarily mean it was painless for Derek.
“One of the biggest problems we had when creating
Planetfall is that we had background information saying
the Relthozans measure 35ft… so how on Earth are we
going to get those in Planetfall? And we did think about
doing that but then it goes back to what Neil was saying
earlier about the Spec Ops… because what would the
Relthozan Spec Ops look like?” This is perhaps one
of the few times when the fact it was Derek’s game
96
092_096_planetfallRB.indd 96
taking place within the galaxy Neil had already created
caused some problems.
“There were some fairly heated discussions from
people not wishing to change the canon of the
Relthozans to fit in with Planetfall and people, like
myself, who wanted to evolve that canon to include
smaller special forces,” laughed Derek, while nervously
looking at Neil. “So we had to be creative and think, well
these are insects, surely there would be a larvae stage
or something like that so you get little baby insects,
alongside the giant 35ft ones. Then we adapted it further
to say that, ok as they get older they could be given
certain nanotech improvements or biosuits that would
change their appearance again.”
Likewise the previously mentioned Aquans who
are aquatic by nature needed to adapt their armour
to allow them to go on land, otherwise they would
only be able to attack near seas or the odd large pond.
“The challenge for Planetfall wasn’t the big vehicles,
it was actually the smallest elements in the game
that proved to be tricky because it had to work within
this game and the wider Firestorm galaxy. When we
started it out, we thought it would be the big monsters
that would be the problem, instead it was the little
stuff,” explained Derek.
“The infantry are actually a critical part of the game,
although tanks and vehicles are important, because you
can’t take an objective without them so we wanted to
treat them with the respect they deserve.”
“That’s one of the interesting things,” adds Neil,
“because when I wrote my version of it, I went more
towards the armoured side and afterwards I realised
that was a mistake. The infantry should be a big part of
games like this and shouldn’t be forgotten about. That
was another example of why my version of the rules
didn’t progress to the finish line.”
“I definitely think there’s something in the fact that
wargamers recognise human-like figures, no matter if
they’re 28mm or 10mm,” replied Derek. “They like to
have those characters in their games. If that part of the
game works, then it helps as a way into the game. No
matter what the size, they like to imagine them battling it
out with these huge great vehicles hulking behind them.
“It also helps to give the big guys some scale because
you can compare them to the infantry, which also
helps to give that impression of a cinematic-style army
charging towards the enemy.”
Despite the fact that Planetfall only came out in
October last year, Spartan has certainly hit the ground
running with its model development and there are
currently six forces available, along with two allied
forces. “We’ve got about 120 models in the first batch
of releases and then there will be a further 120 after
that. In 18 months from now we’ll have 15 or 16
complete armies for people to choose from,” says
Neil. So it certainly looks like his potential gamble to
allow someone else to develop his idea has paid off
with superb results. ■
15/05/2015 14:41
 Ramsays Advert – April:Layout 1 25/2/15 12:14 Page 1

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Al M k Pl S k | 01449 612384 P A | Ch dS |V l dA i

p097.indd 1 18/05/2015 13:48


Asmodee | Family game | £27.99 | 2-6 players | 40 minutes | www.asmodee.com
F
 orgot boring 2D boards, they’re the past and Colt Express is the
future because it comes on a 3D playing board. No, we don’t
mean you have to wear those weird cinema glasses while things
pop out at you, we just mean that Colt Express’ board is an actual three
AEG | Fantasy card game | £7.99 | 2-4 players | 20 minutes | www.alderac.com
“
O
nce upon a time, there
was a kingdom in
which lived a beautiful
princess. She was a sweet soul,
kind to all and was thus loved by
the whole of the kingdom. Several
young men had fallen haplessly in
love with the princess, but unable
to enter the castle, all they could
do was to send her letters of their
affection. However, to their dismay,
they found that letters from just
anyone would not reach the
princess. So the young would-be
suitors set themselves on finding
allies among the castles servants,
so that they might deliver their
letter to the princess personally”.
This is AEG’s introduction to its
game Love Letter in the instruction
manual and what a nice little bit
of innocent flavour it is. What it
doesn’t tell you that Love letter is in
fact a cut throat battle of wits and
chance between the players. Trust
no one that’s the core of the game,
because they are out to thwart any
chance you have with the princess.
098_099_games57_60RB.indd 98
COLT EXPRESS
LOVE LETTER
Designed by Seiji Kanai the
game itself is very simple, when
you buy the basic version you
will get a little velvet bag of cards
and some red wooden cubes.
The cards represent the different
servants whose abilities you can
use to help yourself or try to knock
your opponents out of the game.
There are multiples of some of the
servants and some are unique so
in the mid to later stages of the
game you will spend a lot of your
time checking what everyone has
already played in order to work out
what your opponents may have
in their hands. Although nothing
beats guessing the princess on the
first turn and putting someone out
or in my opinion going after those
annoying handmaids to try and get
them out of the game early.
One of the first things about
this game, if you’re like me, is the
fantastic art. The original version
has beautiful painted portrait style
artwork on every card which helps
to capture the time period in which
98
dimensional cardboard train. This is one of those titles when a passerby
is likely to stop and ask what you’re doing because it’s so eye-catching
– there are even fake cacti to dot about around the train to complete the
Wild West feel.
The train isn’t just for show either, oh no – your little meeple will be
dashing through the corridors of the train going from carriage to carriage
and even running about on top of it to recreate your favourite scenes
from action-packed film scenes. Don’t be surprised if you start shouting
‘yee-hah’ while playing and spitting in a bucket.
You play as a group of bandits trying to hold up the train and each
turn you draw action cards that can be used to give instructions to your
bandits. Some allow them to move up and down the train, punch other
bandits or even shoot at them… well this is the Wild West. The number of
action cards you can play is dictated by the game and sometimes you’ll
be forced to play more than once.
Of course, the plan is to outwit your opponents by trying to predict what
they’re going to do and then playing you action cards accordingly. So, you
might want to head into the next carriage and punch someone in the face…
but unfortunately they’ve decided to head up on the roof to get closer to
the treasure, which means you end up swinging your fists into thin air. This
leads to some hilarious moments as your best laid plans go completely
to pot. Don’t take it too seriously and Colt Express is a rip-roaring rootin’
tootin’ robbing ride for rapscallions and any other words that begin with ‘r’.
the game is set. My favorite version and even a Batman one… I can
however is the Kanai factory only assume you have to chat up
limited edition, which not only has Catwoman. For the kids there’s
extra and different cards but has even a letters to Santa edition of
a stunning Japanese watercolour the game. There is so much variety
style for the artwork. that would surely have something
This brings me to the final to suit most people and there’s
awesome thing about Love Letter... more coming, editions based on
there are multiple versions of the the massively popular cartoons
game all based on pop culture Adventure Time and Archer are
subjects. Currently there are eight due for release very soon so there’s
versions of the game ranging from no excuse not to own this fantastic
the original to a Munchkin version little game. (Blair Fraser)
18/05/2015 15:25
 THE MAGIC LABYRINTH
Drei Magier Spiele | Maze | £25
2-4 players | 15 minutes | www.dreimagier.de

T
he Magic Labyrinth
is an innovative
memory game where
the players are magician’s
apprentices racing to pick
up magic items within a
maze. There’s just one
catch – thanks to the
wonders of magnetics, the
maze itself is invisible!
At the start of the game,
players will set up the maze
by placing wooden barriers
in a grid that sits below the
board itself. After doing
this, they’ll replace the
board and spin it around,
so they won’t be able to
remember the orientation
of the maze. From here,
they place the player pieces
SKULL on each corner, with a
metal ball attached to the
Lui-Meme | Bluffing | £15 | 2-4 players | 30 minutes | www.asmodee.com underside of the piece via
a strong magnet, and the
they hit a wall in their
move, the metal ball will be
dislodged and fall to one
of the corners of the table,
and they’ll have to start
again from their corner!
Once a token is reached,
that player takes it and
another is drawn from the
bag. The game is typically
played to five tokens but
can go as long as you have
tokens in the bag if you
want.
Taking a move you
haven’t taken before in the
game is always done with
trepidation. Although even
those moves you’ve already
done can be problematic,
depending on how good
your memory is – you
(and your opponents) will
be howling with laughter
when you confidently take

P
urchasing Skull is a bit of a weird feeling, particularly if you’ve never game may begin! a move you presumed
seen it before but have heard countless other people yapping about Tokens are drawn from safe, only to hear the
it. You pop along to your local game shop, spend around £15 and a bag and placed on the characteristic plunk and
then take it home to reveal what’s basically a box full of beer coasters. Has matching space; these roll of the marble as it falls
someone been having a laugh, you think… no, quite the opposite because are the players’ targets. If from the board.
Skull is a ruthless game of psychological warfare. Or If you’re after a quick
bluffing, mainly it’s about bluffing. memory game that can be
If you’ve ever played the drinking game Liar Dice enjoyed by all ages, the
then you’ll be familiar with the basic concept of Skull Magic Labyrinth will keep
(also known as Skull & Roses). At the start of the game you captivated. (Tim Yates)
everyone is dealt the same hand of four cards – three
show roses and the remaining one has a skull on. Then
you decide how many cards you’re going to put into play
and place them face down on the table. You could be nice
and go for a couple of roses or be nasty and put a skull into
the mix.
Next you go around the table and make bets on how
many roses you’ll be able to find. Of course, you should be
able to remember how many roses you’ve put in there (say
three) so surely someone else has put at least one more in. As
such you make a bid of four roses… a pretty safe bet. The next
player then has to decide whether they can find more than
four. ‘Five roses,” they declare with a flourish and everyone lets
out a gasp of horror.
What follows is a dramatic exchange as you casually
flip your own cards over but then have to work out who
else was lying. Had the first player really played three
roses or were they lying? Find the five roses and you’ll be
a God. Find a skull and you lose one of your cards. Lose all
your cards and it’s game over. Yes, Skull can be played with
dice or even bits of paper but there’s something so tense about
flipping the card coasters in this version. Do you feel lucky punk?

99

098_099_games57_60RB.indd 99 15/05/2015 14:01

 X-WING
MINIATURES GAME UK X-Wing champion 2014 Keith Wilson explains how he made
it to the World Championships and gives some tips for beginners.
Fantasy Flight Games | Sci-fi dogfighting | £29.99 (for starter set) | 2-4 players | 60 minutes | www.fantasyflightgames.com

100

100_104_xWingMiniaturesRB.indd 100 15/05/2015 14:42

 F
orget “may the Force be with you” or “turn to the
Dark Side”, the most common phrase associated
with Fantasy Flight Games’ X-Wing Miniatures
Game is “mistakes were made”. Check the Facebook
groups talking about the game and most will be
posting pictures of their recent pick-ups, along with the
“mistakes were made” caption.
The phrase relates to the fact that initially X-Wing
may seem like a fairly casual game that will take second
place to other more complicated products. Just look
at the starter set, for example, it can be picked up for
around the £20 mark and, according to the description
contains “everything you need to get you started”. That’s
certainly true because it does include a miniature
X-Wing and two TIE Fighters, along with special combat
dice, pilot cards and movement templates.
But, of course, that’s the extremely thin end of the
wedge because aside from the two ships in the starter
set there’s a veritable armada of other ships available,
as Fantasy Flight can happily dip into the exceptionally
rich source material. Soon your X-Wing and two TIE
100_104_xWingMiniaturesRB.indd 101
Fighters can expand with the Millennium Falcon, Boba ■ Keith Wilson won the UK
Fett’s Slave One, A-Wings, Y-Wings, TIE Interceptors, X-Wing Championships in 2014
TIE Bombers, B-Wings… the list goes on and on. What’s and will be defending his crown
more, each of these ships comes with new abilities this year at the UK Games Expo.
and pilots that can be mixed and matched with your His victory last year meant he
existing fighters, adding new tactical options for games. got to take part in the World
Eventually that initial £20 purchase will be taking up Championships in the US!
several cases or boxes and you’ll be inclined to utter
that immortal phrase “mistakes were made”.
In many ways though that couldn’t be further from
the truth because getting involved with X-Wing is
certainly not a mistake as this is, arguably, one of the
best tabletop games to be released in the past couple
of years. One thing that it does so well is scale up
depending upon the experience of the players involved.
Casual players who fancy a fun dogfight can just grab
a few spaceships and get fighting for 30 minutes or so,
while more experienced wannabe pilots can take to
the table with several ships, all tooled up with abilities,
different weapons and Astromechs for a battle that lasts
hours. In a similar fashion the miniatures themselves, ▶
101
15/05/2015 14:42
 “Every few months I’ll fancy a change and fly Rebels, only for me
to realise I prefer the Empire and defect back to the Dark Side.”
which are pre-painted, scale up too. Most people will
be happy with them straight out of the box but others
want to customize them with different paintjobs to
replicate a particular squadron from the films, books
or videogames.
Also, in terms of the way the game plays, it’s great
for those entry level players who just want to empty
something out of the box and get playing. There’s
no need for tape measures or specific playing areas
because the starter set includes movement templates
and a dogfight can literally take place on a table –
although there is a growing market for space-themed
playmats if you want something more ‘realistic’.
Ultimately, it’s the perfect gateway game that’s easy to
get into but can quickly escalate into something more
in-depth and tactical.
The latter is why the game is performing so well
on the tournament scene and, if you follow the
aforementioned X-Wing groups on Facebook, you’ll
regularly spot tournaments that are taking place up and
down the country in different stores or clubs. Fantasy
100_104_xWingMiniaturesRB.indd 102
■ Here you can see how games
can scale up to massive space
battles with multiple ships
and multiple players (Picture
courtesy of War & Peace Games
Club, Nottingham)
102
Flight itself sets up many of these events starting with
the Store Championships then scaling up to Regional
Championships before the Nationals and ultimately
the World Championships, in which the winner can
actually help design one of the cards for the game. A
prestigious prize that will last for all-time. In 2014 the
UK was represented at the World Championships by
Keith Wilson, after he beat off some stiff competition
and also topped the UK X-Wing rankings. We recently
caught up with Keith to find out about his journey to the
World Championships and whether he had any tips for
aspiring tournament players.
Keith’s journey actually started when he
was 12-years-old and he began reading Games
Workshop’s fortnightly magazine Battle Games in
Middle Earth. “I was a big fan of The Lord of the Rings,
so this new game immediately caught my attention,”
explained Keith. “I began collecting the issues,
painting the miniatures and playing the game. I
played it casually with my friends all the way through
secondary school until I went to university and finally
18/05/2015 12:07
 decided to attend one of the grand tournaments. Decimator, Z-95 and Chardaan Refit for the A-Wings
“I finished fourth out of 91 players in my first ever X-TREMELY has given the respective factions what the other had.”
COLLECTABLE
competitive event for the game, and immediately Testimony to X-Wing’s Earlier this year a new faction joined the X-Wing
developed a love for tournament style play. It was success is the fact that range called Scum & Villainy, a group of bounty
only a year after that when Fantasy Flight Games particular ships often hunters, pirates and Black Sun agents. The ships are
announced its tabletop miniatures game based on the become very collectable piloted by the likes of Boba Fett, the strange robot IG-88
and their price on the
Star Wars universe. All throughout my time as a fan of second hand market and Greedo, who had that infamous encounter with
Games Workshop I wished something similar would quickly goes up. A case Han Solo in the Cantina. “I think it will be a while before
appear for Star Wars. And now it was on its way. The in point is the Millennium we see Scum and Villainy have a big impact,” added
following for The Lord of the Rings game died down, the Falcon, which originally Keith. “People have had two years playing with Imperial
retailed for £30 but as
tournaments were becoming less frequent and sparsely stock grew short the price and Rebel ships where as Scum is still new. That said, I
populated and I took a gamble that X-Wing would sky-rocketed to around have seen people flying Scum at tournaments already,
become a bigger game.” £60 on eBay. However, with some having some degree of success.
In fact, Keith was so convinced that X-Wing would it’s not just the ships that “The Scum ships I’m not looking forward to facing
have become sought after
become the next big thing, ahead of the game’s release and last year a promotional in a tournament are Eamon with his crazy bomb
he had actually made his own prototypes so he could Lando Calrissian card dropping abilities and a couple of the Scum HWK
practice before the official launch. When the official featuring alternate artwork pilots. I’ve also already faced Kavil with a Blaster Turret
ships were actually released, Keith went out and spent of Billy Dee Williams in in a tournament and he’s a scary sight to face across
the role sold for $200
£200 and, as he told us, he was “hooked from the start”. on eBay. Even some of the field.”
Interestingly although the Star Wars theme appealed the acrylic tokens have In 2014 Keith’s commitment to the game paid off
to Keith, it also connected with him in another way become collectable, with after he became the National X-Wing champion but
too. When he first played the game he was studying tournament-only pieces the path to success wasn’t easy. “Last year worked
selling for around the $100
mathematics at university and, thanks to a lifelong mark. Who knows, just differently to how it is working this year,” explained
interest in geometry and patterns, the way ships like Kenner and Palitoy Keith. “I knew to enter the finals at nationals I had to
moved mirrored this love of geometry. “The first time I Star Wars action figures qualify via a regional. I had three lined up. I was quite
played X-Wing I could instantly see how my interest in are now worth hundreds, lucky that I managed to win the first one, thus securing
if not thousands, in the
geometry could be applied to the game – moving ships future collectors could be the invite. This meant I had a less stressful month
in formation, navigating around asteroid fields, keeping splashing out for X-Wing leading up to Nationals than I would have if I had been
certain ships at different ranges to the enemy, etc. The miniatures still sealed in competing at all the Regionals. I remember losing my
unique mechanics for movement within the game their original packaging. second game at Regionals, knowing that if I lost one ▶
appealed to my academic side and the Star Wars theme
to my inner child.”
Keith’s first X-Wing tournament was a Kessel Run
event in Sheffield, which acted as a preview event
for the Wave Two releases of ships (which included
the Millennium Falcon, Slave One, A-Wing and
TIE Interceptor) and took place just three months
after the game was released. Keith took along eight
Imperial Academy Pilots in their TIE Fighters and
won all of his three games before the final game using
the new ships, including the Interceptor, which is
Keith’s favourite ship.
In fact, 90% of the time Keith flies Imperials in
tournaments. “Every few months I’ll fancy a change
and fly Rebels, only for me to realise I prefer the Empire
and defect back to the Dark Side,” joked Keith. But
apart from his passion for the Emperor is there a big
difference between the Rebels and Imperials when it
comes to playing the game?
“The differences between the two factions have
narrowed in this past year. Early on in the life of the
game, the Rebels were very much focused around
action advantage and working together as a whole.
The Empire was full of weaker ships, but played with
an advantage in numbers. Rebels could field tanky
turreted ships, which the Empire needed to rely on their ■ It all starts with an X-Wing and a couple of TIE Fighters, then before you know it you’re rushing
weight of numbers to destroy. This is still the case in out to buy new purchases like the TIE Interceptor and A-Wing. Then, of course, you’ll definitely
some sense, but the release of the TIE Phantom, VT-49 need some of the bigger ships like the Tantive IV. Oh and then... and then...

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 KEITH’S TOP TIP
Because X-Wing lets you
customise your spaceships
with abilities, weapons and
even droids, sometimes
it can be a little daunting
trying to build your perfect
combination. Well fret
not because Keith is
here to help: “I’ve been
enjoying using the pilot
Keyan Farlander with the
Stay on Target ability and
Advanced Sensors system
upgrade recently. But with
the release of the new
Autothrusters card look out
for Soontir Fel with Royal
Guard TIE, Autothrusters,
Shield Upgrade and Push
the Limit, and for those
looking forward to the
release of the Imperial
Raider, we could see
Darth Vader with the new
TIE Advanced/X1, Engine
Upgrade, Predator and the
new Advanced Targeting
Computer. Rolling three hits
and a critical on a two attack
dice ship is quite fun!”

■ Keith leans over the table
to make his move during
a tournament. Organised
tournaments are an extremely
popular way to play the game
and most weekends you’ll find
an event going on somewhere!
more then I wouldn’t make the cut to the top that I
needed to make to have a chance of qualifying.
“I remember winning the next two but being
drawn against a really good player in the fifth round.
I was running eight Academy Pilots against his four
X-Wings. I think before I had even killed Biggs I
was down four TIEs. I’ll never understand how four
Academy Pilots took on Wedge and two Rookies,
but that I did. That was a particularly memorable
and tough game for me. As for Nationals itself, I was
drawn against my best friend in the first round. He
had me one the ropes at first, but again, as soon as I
took Biggs out the game changed, much like it does
when playing with a TIE Swarm. The game always
seems to go against you at first, because of the long-
range engagements, but then when close quarters
starts, it swings in the swarm’s favour. That’s still the
only game I’ve gotten upset at the result of, because
I’d beaten my friend at Nationals.
“The second round game was particularly tough. I
was against a tankily-built Chewbacca. Just as time was
running out Howlrunner had a do or die moment. She
needed to finish off Chewbacca or I’d lose the game. I
closed in to what I hoped would be range one, only for
it to be range two. I needed two hits to his two blanks,
and that was what happened. I’d won a close fought
game in that fashion. My third round game was a
rematch of the final at the previous year’s nationals. Me
(second place the year before) against the defending
champion. I felt a great sense of relief when I beat him
this time around, because it felt like I had actually
improved. That was when I started believing I could
actually win the event. When I did win, it felt amazing.
I felt that the six games I played that day were the best
6 games of X-Wing I had ever played, and that I had
earned the win. I’m quite a negative person, so even
after I had won the regional I still wasn’t sure I was
good enough. Winning nationals helped me to prove to
myself I was good at the game.”
So, if you fancy taking on Keith at future events, he’s
got some advice for newcomers. “There are two pieces
of advice I always offer to newer players. First one,
know your squad inside out. Practice playing with it
as much as you can. The TIE Swarm I won Nationals
with and took to Worlds was all Wave One (apart from
a one point upgrade from Wave Two) so I had been
practicing with that squad for almost two years! Losing
with a squad usually gives you more insight than
winning with it. Which leads me on to my next point,
don’t blame the squad, the dice, or your opponent
when you lose. This is the biggest mistake I see people
make. ‘I lost that game because of poor dice,’ they’ll
say. This won’t make you a better player. This will only
see you brush aside your losses as one off dice results.
Instead, have a look at how you manoeuvred. Was
there anything you could have done differently, and
maybe better? Same with target selection. Did you
focus fire? Did you go for the right target first? Always
analyse your losses and you’ll improve.” Follow this
advice and hopefully you won’t be saying ‘mistakes
were made’… at least in terms of your tactics but
perhaps not about your increasing purchases! ■

104

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 HIGHEST QUALITY
RESIN BITS AND MODELS
MASSIVE RANGE
OF BITS AND MODELS
check them all at
www.bitsofwar.com

kromlech.eu

p105.indd 1 12/05/2015 14:10

 COSMIC ENCOUNTER
Fantasy Flight Games | Strategy | £45
3-5 players | 120 minutes | www.fantasyflightgames.com

A
bit like we mentioned
previously with Hey,
That’s My Fish! it’s
important not to judge a game
based on the cover alone. Take
Cosmic Encounter as another
perfect example, which shows
a bizarre-looking alien on the
front and, for some, must look
like another sci-fi snoozefest
full of planets you can’t
pronounce because they’ve got
no vowels. However, although
Cosmic Encounter does feature
alien planets and UFOs it’s still
a game you just have to play.
The premise is simple
you choose from one of 50
different alien races – each
with their own unique and
sometimes ridiculous special
abilities - and then attempt
to colonise the other systems
in the universe so your little
plastic UFOs are spread
across the table.You have five
other aliens and wiping them
out using a series of attack cards.
The attack cards are numbered
to show your strength of attack
and you can add extra ships
from the stock into the fight, e.g.
your attack card says 20 and you
back it up with five ships. If you
fancy playing a bit of politics you
could persuade another player
to join in the fight, like some
kind of intergalactic sidekick.
Next you and the defending
players both flip over your cards
and the one with the highest
total wins, while the other has
all their ships completely wiped.
Yeah, it’s pretty brutal. However,
instead of fighting you can
choose to negotiate and in this
case the losing player doesn’t
lose their ships.
Obviously the tactics are
FIVE TRIBES
based around what cards you
Days of Wonder | Area control | £44.99
play and the number of ships
2-4 players | 60 minutes | www.daysofwonder.com
you send out. If you send over

planets at the start of the game,
along with 20 spaceships and
must then attempt to get five
colonies on planets outside
your home system.
This is done by attacking the
D
five UFOs your opponent
ays of Wonder has a
might rightly assume you
reputation for creating
must have a strong attack card
wonderfully accessible
but, of course, you could be
games such as Ticket to Ride
bluffing in an attempt to get
or Small World, so last year
them to negotiate.
it decided to take things up
a notch with Five Tribes – a
game that’s simple to learn, like
so many of Days of Wonder’s
games, but is a devil to master.
Players take control of one of
the five tribes as they try to take
over the Sultanate of Naqala by
gaining power and influence
over their rivals. But first things
first, Five Tribes is a game that
screams quality when you open
the box (again something we’ve
come to expect from Days of
Wonder) thanks to 30 nicely
illustrated board game tiles that
are used to create the modular
board and wooden tokens that
represent everything from
people to camels and palm
trees.
Each turn the players bid to
see who will go first, although
you don’t want to bid too much
because cash is king but if you
bid nothing you’ll always go
last. On your go you take all
the meeples from a square
and then move them, one at a
time, to new squares. On the
last square you place your last
meeple and then remove any
other meeples of that colour
from the square. Sometimes
the tile you land on will also
require you to place a palm
tree, a palace, which increases
the value of that particular
square, or (if you’ve removed
all the meeples from the
square) you get to pop down
a camel, which gives you the
points for that square at the
end of the game.
Another thing that adds to
the game is that the meeples
have different abilities that
depend upon their colour,
e.g. an assassin is red while
builders are blue. So, as well
as following the instruction on
the tile, you may also need to
execute your character’s ability
too. You can even summon
powerful magical entities
known as Djinns, which can be
a definite game changer.

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 ELDRITCH HORROR
Fantasy Flight Games | Survival horror | £40
1-8 players | 120-240 minutes | www.fantasyflightgames.com

I
n 2013, Fantasy Flight
Games announced Eldritch
Horror, a streamlined
re-implementation of
Arkham Horror. Released
in 2005, Arkham now has
eight expansions - including
an expansion for the other
expansions! Entertaining
as these additions are
though, they often make an
already heavy game more
complicated.
Eldritch moves the action
from the streets of Arkham onto
the world stage. Despite this
difference, an ancient evil still
plots to destroy the world, dark
mission deck. You must then
complete missions one at a
time, and each card provides
details on how to do this.
Completing a mission usually
requires clues which you
earn when you successfully
complete a research
encounter. If you manage to
complete all three missions
before the great old one wakes,
you win.
If you’ve ever played
and enjoyed Arkham, then
you’re most likely going to
enjoy Eldritch. The theme
is the same, the gameplay
seems extremely similar, but

SUMMONER WARS:
cults still strive to bring about overall it’s a far more refined
the end of days and monsters experience.

still spew forth from cosmic
gates that link the worlds.
As a team of investigators,
you seek to prevent the
eradication of mankind and
defeat the great old one. To
MASTER SET
Since release, there have
been two expansions, with
a third on its way. However,
even with these additions, Plaid Hat Games | Deck building | £39.99
you never really feel bogged 2 players | 30 minutes | www.plaidhatgames.com
down or overwhelmed by

achieve this, you move around
the map, encounter gates
locations or monsters and
attempt to collect clues.
At the start of each game
you select three cards from a
the mechanics. They’re not
over-complicated and even
the Mountains of Madness big
box expansion integrates with
the base game without over-
complicating matters.
D
on’t you wish you could
summon things into
existence? The odd ham
sandwich here, perhaps a hot
chocolate now and again… we’re
not fussy. Summoner War is a little
more serious than that and sees
you summoning fantasy creatures
in a fight to the death and there’s
not a ham sandwich in sight.
The Master Set contains
everything you need to get you
straight into some summoning
action, including six factions:
Swamp Orcs, Shadow Elves, Sand
Goblins, Mountain Vargath, Deep
Dwarves and Benders. Each
player has a deck of cards they
must use to summon creatures on
a battlefield in an attempt to chip
away at their opponent’s health.
However, unlike games such
as Magic, here the cards are
actually moved around the
board, ensuring it feels like
a miniatures-based skirmish
game and a card game. Even the
number of cards in your hand
(around 30) feels more like the
troops in a skirmish game than
something like Magic.
Talking of magic (with a
small ‘m’ this time), you have to
summon your creatures using a
stash of magic cards that must be
discarded to bring your units to
life – the cost of the magic varies
depending upon how good the
unit is. You can also add to your
magic pool by killing enemies.
Each of the cards has their own
unique ability, such as revealing
the top card of your opponent’s
deck or moving other units
using telekinetic blasts. Combat
involves a relatively straight
forward dice roll and anything
over a three is considered a hit.
If the card receives too much
damage, it’s removed from the
playing grid. The dice adds a
nice element of randomness to
battles that ensures each game
feels fresh, rather than everyone
always knowing their attack will
be successful.
One of the other advantages
of Summoner Wars is that battles
are over fairly quickly and the
game flows beautifully – no
matter whether you’re moving,
using magic or attacking.

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 “Ember Mage needs food… badly.” Running the
Gauntlet in this chibi-style dungeon crawler.
Soda Pop Miniatures | Co-op dungeon crawler | £74.99
1-5 players | 90 minutes | www.sodapopminiatures.com
I
f you’re a child of the 1980s, it’s likely you’ll have
come across the dungeon crawling arcade game
Gauntlet. Deep in the dark arcades of 1985 came
the weird, slightly fuzzy 8-bit cries of “Warrior needs
food… badly” or “Wizard… is about to die!” The game
allowed up to four players to take on the role of a
Warrior, Wizard, Valkyrie or Elf as they were pitted
against seemingly endless hordes of skeletons, ghosts,
demons, sorcerers and other unspeakable terrors. The
game, at least to us, always seemed incredibly hard so
those cries of “your life force is running out” echoed
in our mind as we fell asleep at night, dreaming about
blocky wizards being chased by horrible grey ghosts.
So… why all this talk of videogames? Don’t worry,
you haven’t picked up a copy of Commodore User from
1985. The reason for this retrospective is that Gauntlet,
and games like it, are the unlikely inspiration for a 2011
co-operative dungeon crawling board game called
Super Dungeon Explore. Rather like Gauntlet, up to
five people can band together to form a party before
venturing deep into a dungeon ready to slay a terrible
dragon. Along the way you’ll face streams of vicious
Kobolds or baby dragons, while looting treasure chests
and collecting equipment to upgrade your character.
Things have moved on a bit from the simple
character selection too and now, rather than just a
Wizard, Warrior, Valkyrie or Elf, players can choose
from the Royal Paladin, Ember Mage, Hexcast
Sorceress, Glimmerdusk Ranger, Riftling Rogue,
Hearthsworn Fighter, Claw Tribe Barbarian and
Deeproot Druid. Each has their own abilities, strengths
and weakness, so it’s important to get the balance right
when you’re forming your party.
108_112_superDungeonExploreRB.indd 108
Still, although the character
selection may have expanded, Super Dungeon Explore
revels in its vintage videogame roots… for example even
the monsters are split into 8-bit and 16-bit versions, while
the manual wouldn’t have looked out of place inside the
case of a SEGA Mega Drive game. Meanwhile, the stat
cards for each character even show little control pads to
indicate movements and joypad-style buttons to inform
how many actions they can perform each turn. Finally,
remember how in videogames like Zelda coins or potions
are often dropped by enemies when you kill them? Well,
that’s replicated somewhat here by the dice rolls, which
will sometimes produce hearts to regenerate HP or
potions to activate special powers or replenish health.
Super Dungeon Explore really is a serious attempt to
replicate the dungeon crawling adventures of videogames
as a tabletop game and, for the most part, it really works.
While a group of players forms the party of
adventurers, the other person becomes the evil
Consul… basically a fancy name for the dungeon
master. The Consul is responsible for spawning all the
various monsters, moving them around the board and
attacking the party. In some other games it can feel like
the dungeon master is getting short shrift while the
adventurers get to have all the fun but in Super Dungeon
Explore being the Consul is actually really enjoyable.
That’s mainly because the Consul will end up
spawning a lot and we mean a LOT of monsters each
turn before sending them towards the players. At
the start of the game, the Consul can place a certain
number of spawn points depending upon the amount
of players, e.g. two spawn points for a two to three player
game and five spawning points for a six-player game. ▶
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18/05/2015 10:45
 109

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 SUPER DUNGEON EXPLORE
EXPANSION:
CAVERNS OF
ROXOR
Released in 2012,
Caverns of Roxor is
the first expansion for
Super Dungeon Explore,
adding a host of new
baddies and rules. What’s
more, if you thought the
original had taken some
heavy inspiration from
videogames then the heroes
in Caverns of Roxor have
clearly graduated from
the School of Nintendo.
There’s Princess Peach,
sorry we mean Princess
Ruby, Link, ah no, that’s the
Deeproot Scout and finally
Mario, also known as Star
Guild Scrapper. Even the
enemies, called the Rocktop
Gang, bear more than a
passing resemblance to
Koopa Troopas. The turtles
have some fun abilities
though, like the ability to
hide in their shells to get
an armour boost, plus the
bigger ‘Roller’ can actually
bash these shells towards
the heroes. Meanwhile the
other monsters in the box
are the Fireflow Denizens,
a group of flame-based
beasties that are immune to
fire attacks. Hot stuff!
108_112_superDungeonExploreRB.indd 110
The Consul can spawn up to four points worth of
monsters from each base, however some of the more
powerful beasties cost more points so you’ve got to
choose wisely. For example the standard Kobold Gouger
costs just one point, while the more powerful Dragon
Priest, which has some magical abilities, costs three. So,
do you spawn a load of cheap monsters and try to bog
down the heroes or spend more on generating expensive
creatures with better abilities? The choice is yours… as
they used to say on Blind Date. Wow, can’t quite believe
we referenced Blind Date, apologies for that!
However, one thing to consider is that it’s not just the
heroes that have abilities and knowledge of the special
powers for the enemies is key too. Kobolds may be weak
on their own but group them together and they get a
bonus die when attacking, so the sensible thing is to wait
to strike while they swarm over the enemy. Meanwhile,
the dragons work nicely together to provide combo
attacks – the Whelp (the larger of the young dragons)
always knocks its opponent down when successfully
attacking, while the Wyrmlings and Hatchlings both
get a bonus attack die if the target it knocked down.
Knowing how to combo the monsters together is key for
a successful Consul.
With all these monsters and abilities on the Consul
side it may seem like the heroes are massively up against
it… but the bad guys aren’t the only ones with some
tricks up their sleeves. Heroes have a number of useful
powers on their cards that can be used to attack, buff
characters and perform magical ranged attacks. The
type of moves depends upon the type of hero you’re
playing as so – as you might expect – the Hearthsworn
Fighter who is a dwarf has the ability to cleave a path
through a line of enemies in front using his massive
axe, while the Ember Mage can create a wave of flames
around her to damage foes or shoot a more powerful
fireball towards the enemy, both of which then set the
enemy on fire. that can be used to upgrade your chosen hero, like Elfin
Although the heroes are always massively Boots that increase dexterity or the Berserker’s Helm,
outnumbered these abilities ensure that they’re never which add an extra die to attacks. Each hero can have
overwhelmed and, as long as the team works together up to four pieces of equipment… er… equipped… so
properly, powers can be combined to escape from the there will be times you need to make choices about what
trickiest situation. Yes, the heroes will take some serious items to keep and what to discard.
damage but, unlike the monsters, they have at least five What adds a clever element to equipment is that no
wounds and can share potions at any time to matter who draws the loot card, they can choose to give
heal themselves, plus several characters it to another team member if they don’t want it… and
can heal allies. Of course, to ensure all this leads to some interesting conversations if multiple
this works smoothly the team has to players want the same thing. “Ah… I don’t really need this
work together and strategic planning Rune of Defense,” says the Royal Paladin, “I’ve already got
is key. a Horned Mace that gives me some extra armour… who
However, one thing that can put a slight wants it?” There then follows a discussion as each player
spanner in the works is that age-old problem of… greed. explains the virtues of them receiving the much-needed
A bit like dwarfs are prone to gold madness, players in loot. “I am about to get beasted by all those Kobolds,”
Super Dungeon Explore can fall victim to loot lunacy. says the Riftling Rogue, while the Ember Mage complains
You see every time the heroes kill an enemy, a token is about hardly having any armour dice in the first place
moved around the Loot Tracker and when it lands on a and being vulnerable to attack. Weighing up decisions
loot icon the player can draw a card from the loot pile. In like these is all part of the fun of Super Dungeon Explore.
this pile you’ll find all manner of wonderful equipment The majority of the equipment cards give you an extra
110
15/05/2015 14:44
 ■ The thing with the skull on
top is the Spawn Point, which
heroes can destroy to stop more
monsters from entering the
battle. Here the Glimmerdusk
Ranger and Deeproot Druid
prepare for a scrap.

EXPANSION:
VON DRAKK
MANOR
First of all, good luck if
you can track this one
down because Super
Dungeon Explore’s
second expansion Von
Drakk Manor is like the
proverbial hen’s teeth.
Released in 2013, stock
always seems to have
been in short supply…
although there’s a second
run of the expansion
due in the second half
of 2015, which is good
news because Von Drakk
adds some great new
characters to the game.
Von Wilding – bearing a
certain resemblance to
Simon Belmont from the
Castlevania videogames
die during armour, attack, dexterity or willpower rolls. face to snout(?) with the boss dragon Starfire they’re not – leads the charge and
The dice mechanic itself is rather ingenious and instead massively underpowered. Typically in the games we’ve can shapeshift into a
of being your typical D6, the Super Dungeon Explore played it tends to be 50/50 who wins. werewolf. Meanwhile
the Consul has a host
dice are a little different and come in three different Finally it’s worth noting that the miniatures for Super
of new monsters up his
colours: blue, red and green. When rolling the dice Dungeon Explore are exceptional. Soda Pop has gone sleeve, including witches
you’re trying to roll more star icons than your opponent for an over-the-top ‘chibi’ style appearance that’s heavily that can turn heroes into
but the maximum number of stars changes on the die – influenced by cutesy anime from Japan. However, it’s toads, a necromancer
that can bring skeletons
blue ones have a maximum of two, red ones have three worth noting that some experience is required with
to life (unless they’re
and green have four. All characters and monsters have a modeling because the majority needs gluing together, stomped on beforehand)
base statistic for dice rolls, e.g. a Kobold Gouger rolls two which can get fiddly. It’s certainly not one of the games and a giant spider with
blue dice when attacking while the Hearthsworn Fighter you can play straight from the box, plus there are lots the ability to spin webs
to slow characters down.
rolls two red dice to defend. Although they’re rolling the of tokens to sort through too. Then again, if painting is
It’s great that Von Drakk
same amount of dice, the fact the red die has a higher your thing then these are a joy to paint because the bold Manor is getting a second
potential maximum of stars means that the dwarf features of the chibi appearance mean you can really print this year because
should beat the Kobold in a roll-off… but, of course, it go to town on elements like the eyes to capture that it’s a super addition to the
original game with some
doesn’t always play out like that. anime-style.
fun mechanics that really
Loot and treasure will invariably add an extra blue die Super Dungeon Explore is one of those games that add to the basic gameplay.
to your rolls but some of the rare treasure will give you appeals on so many different levels, from the cute Plus, Soda Pop is releasing
access to extra icons or even the super powerful green appearance of the models, to the relatively simple rules a special Von Drakk-
themed game board for the
dice. The way that heroes tool up throughout the course with character info displayed all on one card and fun
full ghostly mansion effect!
of the game means that when they eventually come co-operative bad guy bashing. ▶

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 SUPER DUNGEON EXPLORE: FORGOTTEN KING

and minions are grouped together in a gang, the ■ The Forgotten King, seen
stronger monster will gain extra attacks or armour, below, has a range of different
plus when they’re damaged they can actually spread monsters at his disposable,
the wounds throughout the gang rather than just including some rather cute-
taking it all themselves. looking walking plants... surely
During the monsters’ turn, someone draws a they can’t be dangerous, can
Command Card that dictates what any activated they?!
monsters will do next (only monsters on the same tile
as a hero are counted as activated). The Command
Card gives a range of instructions to the beasties,
like move, fight or allows them to perform a unique
move. Monsters will move towards or attack the hero
that’s accumulated the most ‘wrath’ – this is basically
a measure of how many enemies they’ve killed, how
much treasure they’ve acquired or the amount of
potions they’ve used, ensuring they basically become
a monster magnet.
WIN
SUPER DUNGEON
Arcade Mode is a great addition to the Super
Dungeon Explore formula and we’re sure it’ll become
EXPLORE:
a firm favourite in homes and games clubs around FORGOTTEN KING
the country. Even better, you can pick up a Super GOODIES
Dungeon Explore Upgrade Pack that includes new SEE PAGE 157
An exciting recent development in the world of cards for existing characters that allow them to be
Super Dungeon Explore is the launch of the game’s used in Forgotten King’s Arcade Mode. ■
first full follow-up: Forgotten King. The sequel adds
new heroes and monsters, along with new rules like
traps and pets… the latter of which are represented by
some wonderfully cute miniatures.
For those who already own Super Dungeon
Explore, then you’ll be pleased to hear that Forgotten
King is completely backwards compatible with the
first game, as all the monsters/heroes come with
similar stat cards that were introduced in the original.
However, for those just getting into the world of
Super Dungeon Explore, Forgotten King is perhaps
the best method of entry as all the models come
pre-assembled and some of the rules have been
streamlined to ensure that monster slaying is easier
than ever… and we all want easier monster killing,
don’t we?
However, perhaps the most interesting element of
Forgotten King is that it adds the new Arcade Mode
(yes, there still are plenty of videogame references),
which means that one player is no longer forced to
play as the evil Consul to control all the monsters.
Instead, everyone can fight on the side of good to
defeat the Forgotten King and his monstrous minions.
In Arcade Mode the Arcade Deck of cards controls
the movements and attacks of bad guys. For example,
unlike the first game, monsters no longer have attack
and armour rolls when going up against the heroes,
instead they all have static values on their cards that
the players must beat. This certainly helps to make
play quicker and makes sense in Arcade Mode when
you’re all meant to be playing against the computer.
Monsters also work a little differently in Arcade Mode
because weaker minions are bonded to more powerful
elite units, who act as a kind of leader. When the elites

112

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 Buy online
and get
F EE P&P!
R

Games for Knowledgeable,

all ages and friendly and
occasions helpful staff

@rulescardiff /rulesofplay
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www.rulesofplay.co.uk

p113.indd 1 08/05/2015 09:12

 RACE FOR THE GALAXY
Rio Grande Games | Card game | £25
2-4 players | 30-60 minutes | www.riograndegames.com

D
espite being a card game, Race for
the Galaxy plays more like a city
building game like Carcassonne…
just with aliens rather than medieval
knights. The game sees you trying to take
over the galaxy – what is it with aliens
and their obsession with invading – by
building new settlements, building new
developments and consuming resources.
The game comes with 80 cards, four player
decks of seven cards and tokens to keep track
of your victory points. Race for the Galaxy has
an interesting mechanic when it comes to
playing your cards because the cost for building
a settlement or development is actually the
cards from your hand. As a result you’ve got to
really balance your choices between keeping a
card you may require for later on in the game,
whilst not restricting yourself from building
developments or settlements.
As well as using cards as cash, you can
always turn them into resources for your
planets, which will add to your victory
points – again though, the question is what
cards should you keep and what should you
get rid of? Another interesting mechanic
is that after choosing your action in secret,
you all play your action cards at the same
time. The actions are: explore, develop,
settle, consume and produce. If one of your
opponents plays the same type of action
card you both get a bonus, e.g. if you both lay
down an explore card you’ll get an extra card
from the draw pile. Getting these bonuses is
potentially key to winning the game, so the
ability to read your opponent is important.
Unfortunately Race for the Galaxy suffers
from a slight stumbling block in that the
rulebook isn’t always clear, which may
provide a barrier to some – however, get past
that and you’ll be in for a great experience of
space exploration.

SPARTACUS: A GAME OF BLOOD & TREACHERY

Gale Force 9 | Strategy | £27 | 3-4 players | 120 minutes | www.gf9.com

S
partacus is a game that’ll split opinion, rather like the over-the-top So, there you have it, despite the fact that Spartacus’ inspiration may
and violent television show that it’s based on. If you like the idea lead you to the conclusion that it’s a bad game, it is in fact a good game
of taking on the role of a ruthless, scheming Dominus in ancient about being bad.
who doesn’t mind sending gladiators to their death in the arena then read
on… The random starting loyalty means that there might not be a Cylon
at the table. However, once you’re half way to victory, each player draws a
second loyalty, making everyone a potential sleeper Cylon!
Firstly, Spartacus is cheap and can be picked up well under the
£30 mark, which doesn’t make it so painful on the wallet. During the
game you’ll be buying slaves, guards to protect and gladiators to fight
in the arena. You begin by playing intrigue cards that can poison other
gladiators, spread rumours about the other players and generally just
be fairly dodgy. However, intrigue cards cost influence to play. Luckily
though if you haven’t got enough influence you can team up with another
player and combine influence to play the card – very handy to take down
a mutual rival.
Next you’ll be heading to market to bid on certain items like equipment
for your gladiators or slaves. All the players take part in an auction for
the items in question and powerful gladiators are certainly likely to be
popular… and therefore costly.
Once you’ve done all this – blimey, there’s a lot to do – it time to fight the
gladiators. You can choose to host the gladiatorial scrap, which also means
you can stipulate certain conditions such as a payment to enter or choose
someone with weak gladiators.
Those who don’t enter will lose influence. The fights themselves play
out using miniatures and you can move around and attack, just like
you would in a mini skirmish game. Finally if you’ve chosen to host the
gladiatorial combat you can re-create your favourite scenes from Gladiator
by giving the thumbs up or thumbs down… no matter who has won.

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 BATTLESTAR GALACTICA
DESCENT:
JOURNEYS IN THE DARK
Fantasy Flight Games | Bluffing/deduction | £40
3-6 players | 120-240 minutes | www.fantasyflightgames.com

I
Fantasy Flight Games | Adventure | £64.99 n 2004, Sci-Fi channel
2-5 players | 120 minutes | www.fantasyflightgames.com
reimagined the 1978 TV
show - Battlestar Galactica.
The storyline focusses on the
last remaining Humans as they
fight to survive against the
cybernetic Cylons who have
infiltrated Galactica’s crew.
Battlestar Galactica the board
game, brings the show to life
through co-operative play,
hidden-roles and traitors. At the
start of the game, you receive
a loyalty card that determines
if you’re Human, or Cylon.
Humans attempt to reach
Galactica’s destination, whereas
Cylons remain hidden, bide
their time and secretly sabotage
missions until they choose to
reveal their evil intent!
The random starting loyalty
each contribute cards to a
skill check. There are five
different skill types and each
player receives specific cards.
Knowing who has what skills
helps determine who may, or
may not, have sabotaged a skill
check.
Finally, you apply the pass or
fail effects for the crisis, Cylon
ships move or attack and the
Humans might perform a faster
than light jump, taking them
closer to their goal.
Fuel, food, morale and
population indicate the game
state and as you progress, these
numbers drop rapidly. If any
resource hits zero before you
reach your destination, the
Cylons win.
Battlestar is an extremely

O
ne of the appealing
things about role-
playing games is that
sense of a grand adventure as
you and some pals head off
into mysterious environments
ready to slay all manner
of beasties. However, the
problem is that role-playing is
a potentially time-consuming
process with lots of things
to keep track of across a
campaign that can potentially
take weeks.
Step up Descent: Journeys
in the Dark, which takes all the
great stuff about role-playing
– character customisation,
epic adventures and looting
galore – but then breaks it
into a far more accessible
package. Rather than taking
weeks, a full campaign in the
second edition of Descent
can be over in five or six play
sessions ensuring that restless
attention deficit players don’t
wander off and start playing
something else… ooh, shiny…
Something else that’s
interesting in Descent is that
the dungeon master has plenty
of incentive to try and win,
rather than just providing a
dungeon for people to hack
means that there might not be entertaining game if played
and slash their way through.
a Cylon at the table. However, with the right group. It takes
Just like the heroes the
once you’re half way to victory, time to reach its conclusion
Overlord can level up their
each player draws a second – however it’s a genuinely
monsters and has their own
loyalty, making everyone a involving experience laced with
missions too. As such there’s a
potential sleeper Cylon! suspicion. If you’re not sure
definite incentive to not only
During their turn, players about the hidden roles, then
play the heroes but play the
move, perform an action and you really need to find a gamer
Overlord too and potentially
then the whole team face a willing to introduce you to the
even go back to previously
crisis. To overcome this, you game before you buy it.
played missions to experience
the game from either side of
the good versus evil divide.
Take, for example, the
very first mission in which
the heroes need to defeat a
giant ettin, while the overlord
has to get his goblins off the
pitch. It makes for some tense
encounters, particularly when
one side is nearing their goal.
Combat, meanwhile, is also
straight forward thanks to
some colour coded dice with
symbols rather than numbers
– again it’s that idea of boiling
down an RPG into a simpler
form.
Finally, Descent looks and
feels like a wonderful package.
Fantasy Flight has gone to
create a product that oozes
quality – the miniatures, in
particular, are a delight and
certainly help the game’s
visual appeal.

115

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 DREADBALL We go pitch side with Mantic Games’ accessible take on futuristic sports.
Mantic Games | Sports | £49.99 | 2 players | 60 minutes | www.manticgames.com

116

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 “...A
nd we’re here in the 14th rush and it
couldn’t be tighter sports fans. The
Quantum Singularities have just
nudged ahead on one point after a frankly bizarre
rebound that saw the Teraton Jack re-catch the ball
after failing to score a strike and then, somehow,
bundling it into the one-point strike zone. Now, the
Veer-myn team is coming back up the pitch like rats
up a dataflow fibre optic – that means fast. If their star
Striker Mickey Maus can score this three-point Strike
then the Squeakberg Skitterers will win the match
by two points. Here he comes, he raises his glove to
throw the ball and… drops it. He doesn’t even make
the throw. I haven’t seen a game this bad in years but
the crowd is loving it. They don’t care about the score,
they’re just happy to have seen some players smeared
across the pitch in this brutal match up…”
If football is the beautiful game then Dreadball is
the beautiful game but with more punching, players
getting killed and balls that travel at 200mph… oh and
giant teleporting space turtles. Who couldn’t love a
game with giant teleporting space turtles? Created by
serial games designer Jake Thornton and published
by Nottingham-based Mantic Games, Dreadball is
easily the company’s most accessible game thanks to
its relatively straight forward gameplay, plethora of fun
teams and compelling science fiction background.
First released in 2012, after a successful Kickstarter
campaign, Dreadball’s mix of violence and sporting
action was unfairly dismissed by some as a bit of a
me-too Blood Bowl clone. After
all, although Blood Bowl is no
longer officially supported
by Games Workshop,
it continues to have a strong
following and there’s a popular
tournament scene. However, that claim
really can’t be substantiated because
although Dreadball is indeed a sports
game, it doesn’t share a great deal
in common with Game Workshop’s
bloody take on American Football.
Instead this is more like Extreme
Frisbee with a little bit of Tron thrown in
for good measure.
Two teams of (mostly) eight players,
including two subs, face off against each
other on a suitably futuristic-looking
board complete with hexagonal
play grid. The aim is simple – score
more points than your opponent
by bagging goals in the Strike Zone.
At worst you can score one point and
at best you can score a slam dunking
four point strike that’ll have the crowd
going wild in their seats. Score seven
points and you’ll automatically win the game,
no matter how many turns each team has had or
116_119_dreadballRB.indd 117
you can slog it out to see who has the most points at ■ The miniatures for Dreadball
the end of the 14th Rush (turn). The scoring mechanic come in all shapes and sizes from
is certainly one of the most interesting elements of the lumbering Teratons to the
Dreadball because the score tracker can go back and scrawny-looking Veer-mym, as
forth between the teams depending upon who is seen below left. Creating your
scoring, rather than just each team accumulating points own team colours and logo is
every time they score. It becomes a tug of war match to half the fun too - we opted for a
keep control of that scoreboard! garish green and pink.
Player-wise, teams can be made up of three different
types of characters: Jack, Striker or Guard – although
not all teams necessarily have access to all types of
players. Strikers, as their name might imply, tend to
be faster and have higher skill stats for catching or
throwing the ball; Guards are the meat grinders of each
team who can’t even hold the ball but can easily smash
a few jaws and, finally Jacks are a mix of both, they can
potentially duke it out or try to score but they won’t find
it as easy as their specialist team mates.
In terms of how you’ll be performing those throws,
catches or crunching tackles then it all comes down
to rolling dice… potentially lots of dice. Most actions
tend to involve rolling three dice, however certain
characteristic types can add extra dice to the rolls, for
example a Striker gets an extra dice while dodging
or throwing, while a Guard gets an extra dice when
Slamming (tackling). Poor old Jacks tend not to get any
extra dice. Once you’ve determined how many dice
you roll, you’ll need to consult the character’s stats
to see what score you’re going to need. Stats are split
into skill (for throwing/catching), speed (dodging) and
strength (Slamming), e.g. a Veer-Myn Striker requires
a 5+ score for a successful skill roll, whereas a Judwan
Striker only needs a 3+. An interesting element for dice
rolls is the concept of ‘exploding sixes’. When you
roll a six it counts as a success and you get to DREADBALL
roll another dice… score another six and XTREME
Late last year Mantic Games
you get another success and roll another released Dreadball Xtreme, an
dice… and so on… and so underground and violent version
on. The exploding sixes of the glitzy arena-based sports
game that’s more about killing
are particular fun during
your opponent than scoring
tackles because you can Strikes. The game takes place
end up with a ridiculous on makeshift pitches littered
amount of successes and with obstacles and even traps
that can take out your players.
it’s not completely out of
Unlike the original Dreadball,
the question to get nine or 10 which features set teams, in
successes in one roll… making for Xtreme dodgy ‘Sponsors’ put
some very squishy tackles. together a team from a range of
free agents, leading to line-ups
Of course, the exploding
that include a bizarre mix of alien
sixes can also help races. The crowd also plays a
a player who more active role in the game
is significantly and it’s not unknown for them to
invade the pitch or even shoot
disadvantaged when
a player they’ve taken a dislike
trying to counter an to. Mantic is planning 12 new
attack roll. Yes, the teams for Dreadball Xtreme that
lowly Goblin Jack may can also be used in the original
Dreadball, so it’s worth keeping
only get a couple of dice
an eye out for those once they’re
when being marked by released to add some extra
an opposing player and ▶ spice to your matches.
117
15/05/2015 14:46
 DREADBALL

“There’s a palpable
sense of risk versus
reward as you weigh up
your options.”
As a result there’s a definite sense of risk versus
reward in Dreadball that, once again, can lead to some
spectacular plays. For example, it’s the last activation of
an Enforcer coach and a Striker has the ball. The Striker
could move down towards the pitch and attempt a pass
to another Striker who is already standing in the Strike
Zone. However, if he wants the second Striker to score in
this Rush, he’s going to have to make a successful throw
attempt, then double the successes on his catch and
then have to roll for the scoring attempt. In a similar way
to the exploding sixes, these show stopping plays create
some truly stand out moments in a game of Dreadball.
One other element that can give you a little extra
wiggle room when planning your actions are the ‘action
cards’ that can be used by some teams, although not
all teams have immediate access to them. Each Rush
then slammed by a Guard with five dice but if he keeps a coach can ‘buy’ a card with one of his action tokens
rolling those elusive sixes, he might just stay alive for and either choose to play it immediately or hold onto
another rush. This slight sense of unpredictability really it for another turn. Although, as mentioned previously,
adds for some stand out moments in matches, as the players can normally only have two actions per Rush,
underdog somehow manages to pull through despite they can also use a card to give them an extra action.
the fact the odds are completely stacked against him. Depending on the card, you might be given access to a
Although there are these moments of mayhem, free move, throw or slam, which can be vital in pulling
Dreadball is very much a game that requires huge off those last minute scoring attempts. Along with
amounts of tactical play. Yes, a poor dice roll can ruin
a scoring opportunity or fluff a mathematically straight
forward tackle but, as long as you’ve planned properly,
then it shouldn’t totally ruin your game plans. Each
turn a coach gets five activation tokens and up to two
tokens can be played on a player – the activations can
be movement (which can include picking up the ball), a
tackle or a throw. Pondering how best to use those five
activations will certainly cause some furrowed brows…
do you go for the tackle first to try and get an opponent
out of the way, is it worth sprinting a Striker down the
pitch just in case you can lob a cheeky pass towards him
with a later action or should you just attempt to kill the
opposing Strikers? Although Dreadball’s basic premise
is easy to grasp, a skilled player is adept at making the
most of those five activations to effectively shut out
their opponent and boss the game.
However, there are a few elements that can actually
give you a little extra freedom and if you double certain
rolls then your reward is a free action. Say, for example,
an Enforcer Striker requires a 4+ to catch the ball, if
he rolls two successes then he’s rewarded with a free
action, which can be a free movement or a throw. This
means that theoretically it is possible to have more than
five actions in a turn, if the dice are going in your favour.

118

116_119_dreadballRB.indd 118 15/05/2015 14:47


actions, the cards also contain special events that can
mix up gameplay, e.g. cards that will take away a dice
from an opposing player or force a particular player
to go first and then there’s the dreaded ‘That’s Not
Supposed to Happen’ card that sees the ball explode,
even if someone is holding it. Once again, it’s great
fun to have that ace up your sleeve during a Rush and
there’s nothing quite like watching your opponent’s face
fall when they think you’ve finished all your activations
but then you casually produce a free throw card, which
allows you to score a goal.
Finally, it’s worth mentioning league play in
Dreadball because, as you might expect in a sports
game, it’s a huge part of the overall experience. During
games in a tournament or league individual players
will earn experience points for successfully scoring
three/four point Strikes, killing an opponent or injuring
them for three Rushes. Once a player has acquired
enough experience points they can gain access to new
abilities or even improve their basic stats. What’s more,
depending upon the results of matches, coaches will
also earn cash that they can spend on extra action
cards for their team, new players or ‘coaching dice’
that can be added to a normal roll to increase the
116_119_dreadballRB.indd 119
■ A team of Forge Fathers
somehow manages to down a
Teraton player, who quickly
hides in his shell. The teams also
have prone markers to indicate
who has been knocked down
during games... something that
can happen a lot.
chances of success. League play is a superb aspect of CALL THE COACH
Dreadball, particularly as part of a local games club, During league play one of the
and there’s nothing quite like watching your star player things that players can spend
their hard-earned cash on is a
rise through the ranks and become a Swiss army knife
coach for their team. Coaches
of skills and abilities. On the flip side watching as your come in two flavours: offensive
star player gets killed by an opponent is a definite body and defensive. The offensive
blow because you do become quite attached to them… coach allows players to give
a little like characters in RPGs. a character three actions,
rather than the normal two,
Dreadball is a game worthy of any tabletop gamer’s which can be a huge benefit
attention, even if you’re not necessarily into ‘sports’ for teams that only have Jacks
games because it’s a product that’s absolutely brimming and no Strikers. You see,
with ideas and tactical choices. The variety of teams unlike Strikers, Jacks can only
move one hex before throwing
available ensures there’s something for everyone’s chosen the ball, so having an extra
play style, whether you like to bash your opponents into action to move towards the
oblivion or dazzle them with incredible passes. If you’re Strike Zone and then shoot
not that keen on lots of team stats or the action cards with another action is a real
plus point. Meanwhile, the
then there’s a ‘lite’ version available that only comes with
defensive coach gives a team
two teams, no cards and simplified rules that’s called one extra dice to use during
Dreadball Kick Off, which serves as a great introduction any defensive plays, such as
to those new to miniature-based tabletop gaming. dodging a slam attempt or
However, we’re sure that once you’ve made that first making an armour save when
they’ve been knocked to the
game-winning Strike you’ll be hooked and before you ground. Coaches can really help
know it, you’ll be naming your team, identifying your star turn the tide of a match and are
players and even creating your own playbooks. ■ essential for league play.
119
15/05/2015 14:46
 KROSMASTER ARENA
Japanime Games | Fantasy fighting | £64.99
2-4 players | 60 minutes | www.japananimegames.com
B
ased on a free-to-play
MMO that no one has
heard of, Krosmaster is
a super simple skirmish game
that’s great as an intro into the
world of skirmish games. In
particular, young kids taking
their first tentative steps into this
world are likely to be wowed by
Krosmaster’s pre-painted and
brightly coloured cast of quirky
characters.
The characters themselves
certainly help the appeal of
Krosmaster and are along the
current trend of chibi anime
characters, like those seen in
Super Dungeon Explore or
Arcadia Quest. Then again, don’t
let that cute appearance fool
you because, like other skirmish
games, Krosmaster involves lots
of opportunity for customisation.
But how do you play? Well,
each player takes a team of four
characters (the game comes with
eight and extras are available as
expansions) and must try to steal
their opponent’s Gallons of Glory
tokens. Everytime you knock out
an enemy character you snaffle
their Gallons too. However, what’s
120_121_games69_72RB.indd 120
great is that all the characters have
abilities that can combine with
potentially devastating effects.
Say, for example Kassius Kaos
a witch doctor with a spell that
can potentially push the target
three squares. It’s fairly easy to
avoid, unless you place your
Krosmasters around him to stop
a dodge. Elsewhere Queen of the
Tofus can summon three duck-like
creatures on an empty square
that can be buffed to make them
more powerful when attacking
an enemy. Mixing up your teams
to experiment with the way these
abilities can be combined is great
and really adds to the replayability.
Another fun element is that
dotted around the grid – a bit like
a videogame – are little Kama
coins. These can be collected
and traded for new equipment
or spent to steal more Gallons
from your opponent. As such, it
can often to be a race to not only
knock out the enemy but also
grab the Kama coins too. Finally,
Krosmaster’s board is certainly
worthy of praise thanks to the
cardboard trees and crates that
act as obstacles in the game.
120
LEVEL 7 [ESCAPE]
Privateer Press | Survival horror | £44.99
1-4 players | 45 minutes | www.privateerpress.com
O
ut of breath, you
stumble down yet
another corridor…
suddenly in the distance you
hear a scuffling. Surely it can
be another one? You gather
yourself, lungs on fire, blood
rushing through your heart
and begin running. Will this be
the time you’re finally caught?
Fear continues to rise as the
scuffling gets closer… where
the hell is it coming from?
From out of nowhere a bizarre,
alien creature leaps out at you.
You don’t think, you just start
fighting like you’ve never fought
before… punching, kicking…
anything to survive. The thing’s
body goes limp. Panting hard,
every inch of you shaking with
adrenaline you try to compose
yourself. Only to hear the sound
of more screaming echoing
down the corridor… will the
next time be the moment you’re
finally caught?
Level 7 is a story-driven
survival horror in which a
group of people must try to
escape a military facility that’s
been overrun with aliens
and, as if that wasn’t enough,
guards are out to capture you
too. Of course, this would all
be a fairly terrifying situation
so Level 7 uses an innovative
fear mechanic that can see
your level of fear go from one
to eight. When it’s low you
can think clearly and it gives a
bonus to your intelligence stat…
however as the hopelessness
of your situation dawns the
fear begins to rise, giving you
a boost to your fighting skill
and movement but a reduction
in your intelligence. As if that
wasn’t already bad enough,
your fear also attracts more
aliens – they must be able to
smell it or something.
Your health is measured by
adrenaline cards, which are
dealt at the start of the game.
Typically the adrenaline cards
can be used to increase or
decrease your fear, along with
buffing your basic stats. You can
play them during your turn but,
of course, the problem is the
more you play, the closer you’ll
get to death.
There are seven different
scenarios, appropriately, in
Level 7 and each sees you
working your way through
the facility. The first mission
attempts to explain the
mechanics of the game, while
further missions add extra
levels of complexity.
15/05/2015 14:04
 SPACE CADETS: DICE DUEL
Stronghold Games | Co-op dice | £39.99 | 4-8 players | 30 minutes | www.strongholdgames.com

I
magine in Star Trek if Picard
couldn’t shoot the Klingons
because Warf wasn’t able to
roll the right dice to shoot the
photon torpedoes or perhaps
Picard’s desperately pleading
with Data to move towards the
enemy but Geordie La Forge
keeps fluffing his rolls. Well,
imagine no longer because
Space Cadets: Dice Duel is
exactly that game and it’s a
blast that involves shouting,
more shouting and then a little
bit of shouting on top.
The players are split into
teams with each taking control
of a starship and then they’re
all assigned roles within that
ship (very similar to the original
Space Cadets). One player will
be the captain trying to control
the madness, while others
work in engineering (needed
to power other stations), helm
(movement), weapons, sensors
(used to jam the enemy or
target their ship), shields and
tractor beams (grab the other
ships, mines and crystals).
Crystals are important because
they give your ship special
powers.
Each player is then given
a set of dice specific to their
role and then it’s pretty much
a race to roll the right amount
of dice to perform one of the
functions listed above. For
example, as the enemy ship
approaches the missiles may
be locked and ready to fire but
the person rolling the sensors
just can’t get that final roll.
Meanwhile the enemy has just
got their sensors sorted but is
waiting for the missiles.
Every time you take damage
you lose an engineering die
and, because engineering is
used to power the other parts
of the ship, it becomes more
difficult to get the dice you only time the action pauses is crushing blow… particularly if
need. Generally though it’s when someone shouts ‘fire’, you were about to fire instead.
a ridiculously frantic game which adds a dramatic halt to Space Cadets: Dice Duel is
because everything takes place proceedings to see if it hits. mayhem in a box that’s great as
in real-time with each team Towards the end of the game an ice breaker… just don’t play
furiously rolling their dice. The that shout of ‘fire’ can be a while the kids are in bed. ‘FIRE!’

GET BIT!
Mayday Games | Family game | £19.99 | 2-6 players | 15 minutes | www.maydaygames.com

L
ook all you need to know
about Get Bit! is that it
not only features a little
plastic model of a shark but
that shark chases robots and
tries to eat them. Why the
shark has suddenly developed
a taste for processors no one
knows but that’s the way it is.
Oh… you still want to know
more? Did we mention the
shark? Well, fair enough…
In Get Bit! you are a robot
(well, they look like robots)
trying to avoid getting
crunched by a pursuing shark.
Each turn a player takes one
of their numbered coloured
cards and secretly lays it down
on the table. Once everyone
has chosen their card they flip
them over to see who is going
to get chomped.
The player that played the
lowest cards moves their
robot furthest away from
the shark, while the rest are
moved in ascending order
with the highest potentially
being closest. However, if
you play the same number
as another player then
neither character moves. The
swimmer that’s left closest to
the shark loses a limb, which
are detachable, and once
they’ve lost four limbs then
it’s game over. As a result
it’s a very fast game because
each turn someone is going
to lose a limb, whether they
like it or not.
There’s certainly an
element of bluffing involved
because there are times
when it’ll actually be good
to play a slightly higher card
as, hopefully, no one else
will use the same number.
What’s more, each time
you’re bit you put any cards
you’ve previously played
back in your hand, so other
players can start to work out
what you might potentially
play. This means there’s a
surprising amount of tactics
involved for a game that’s
predominately about playing
numbers.
There is a deluxe version
available that comes with
painted pirates rather than
the blank faced robots but
that appears to be out of
stock in most places… then
again, there’s something more
appealing about the little
coloured guys in the original.
Oh and did we mention it
comes with a little plastic
shark? A LITTLE SHARK.

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 ARCADIA
QUEST “Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!”
CoolMiniorNot | Dungeon explorer | £79.99 | 2-4 players | 60 minutes | www.arcadiaquest.com
P
icture the scene, if you will… a city has
become overrun by monsters and it’s up to
an unlikely alliance of guilds to sort it all out.
One of the adventurers and a member of the Panda
Guild, Greensleeves the elf (bearing an uncanny
resemblance to Orlando Bloom as Legolas) is
zipping throughout the city shooting arrows into
hapless orcs and goblins. “Woo, this is great,” he
boasts to Grom, a member of the rival Lion Guild
temporarily forced to work alongside the Pandas
to complete his mission, who grunts in reply as he
staves in the head of an enemy.
The pair charge down an alley towards some
treasure, which Greensleeves snatches up from
the floor. “Woo-hoo,” he cries, “we’ve found some
gold!” Grom grunts while Greensleeves turns ready
to face off against another group of orcs. “Come
on Grom, lets… bleurgh…” A blade erupts from
Greensleeves’ chest and he falls to ground. As he lies
there prone he looks up to see Grom clutching the
bloody sword. “I thought we were working together,”
cries Greensleeves. Grom answers with a grunt and
snatches the gold from the elf before dashing off.
You see, although Arcadia Quest seems like a
co-operative dungeon crawler in the vein of Super
Dungeon Explore, it’s more a game about secret plots
and dirty tactics. One minute different guilds can be
unlikely allies working alongside each other to beat a
common foe and the next they’re stabbing each other
to accomplish their own mission. Arcadia Quest is
about keeping your friends close… close enough so
“It’s about keeping your friends close… close
enough so you can bump them off easily.”
122_125_arcadiaQuestRB.indd 122
you can bump them off easily.
Your experience of Arcadia Quest begins by
choosing the members of your guild. The game
comes with 12 different heroes, including typical
fantasy tropes like Greensleeves the aforementioned
elf, an angry dwarf called Spike and Wisp the thief.
Each of the heroes has different innate abilities that
will effect the way they play, e.g. Grom rolls an extra
die when he’s wounded, Maya the ice mage can use
magic attack cards twice, while Greensleeves can
score an extra hit depending on his attack roll. Putting
together your guild is important because you want to
make sure you’re going to be balanced and aren’t just
putting all your eggs in one big bashy basket.
One of the great things about the game is that
your guild will grow in experience as you progress
throughout the game’s six missions. You see,
in a similar vein to something like Warhammer
Quest, Arcadia Quest involves taking on a number
of increasingly complex missions before you
eventually go up against the big bad guy himself,
Lord Fang, who has taken over Arcadia City with
his scores of monsters. So, although initially your
heroes may only have access to fairly simple
weapons like a rusty blade, eventually they’ll be
able to use the powerful Frostbite sword. As a
result, over the course of play throughs you’ll grow
to love your guild, which will make it all the more
painful when they’re inevitably betrayed.
Once you’ve chosen your guild it’s time to get some
action. Arcadia Quest comes with a number ▶
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15/05/2015 14:47
 123

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 ARCADIA QUEST
of different missions that are all explained in the
Campaign Book. Depending upon the mission, you’ll
get a set layout to build with the game’s gorgeously
illustrated play tiles, along with locations of where
to place treasure icons, objectives and enemies.
One thing to note is that it can take a little time to
get everything set up (particularly on the first play
through) so set plenty of time aside.
However, once you’re up and running, things get
much easier to handle. Up to four guilds can play at
once and each player’s turn sees them activating one
hero. During that activation a hero can move up to
three spaces, attack or move and attack. Your attack
value depends upon the weapons you have equipped,
e.g. a parrying blade gives you two attack dice to roll,
whereas the rusty knife has three attack dice. The dice
themselves have three different symbols – a sword to
represent melee attacks, a bow and arrow for ranged
attacks and a kind of explosion for critical damage.
Critical hits count as a success and allow you to re-roll
a die. The aim is to try and beat an opponent’s armour
value. Do that and you’ll be rewarded with gold,
■ The miniatures are
particularly exquisite and are
remarkably close in appearance
to the anime-style artwork.
122_125_arcadiaQuestRB.indd 124
BEYOND
THE GRAVE
If you simply can’t get
enough Arcadia Quest
action, then definitely
consider picking up
the Beyond the Grave
expansion. This time your
heroes will be going up
against Dr. Spider who has
replaced Lord Fang’s orcs
and goblins with legions
of undead, including the
terrifying Dread King.
There are some great
new elements included
in Beyond the Grave too,
like the ability to control
enemies, ghosts that
move through walls and
equipment that becomes
more powerful the more
times a hero is killed. It also
comes with 22 new monster
models and two new
heroes: Chaz and Darryn.
124
which goes towards your final score. It sounds overly
simple, but having such straight forward dice makes
combat a breeze and saves any potentially time-
consuming faffing about working out attack values or
the like. Just look at your weapon, check the amount
of dice and off you go. Fans of Heroquest will certainly
feel at home here.
One thing to note, however, is that after weapons
have been used once they become ‘exhausted’ and
can’t be used again immediately. Instead you’ve
got to rest your character, which allows the weapon
to be used again. This means you’ve got to make a
choice about when to use more powerful attacks – is
it worth saving them for a killer blow or using them
straight away?
Something that is unusual to some other dungeon
crawling games is the way the monsters work in
Arcadia Quest. During the set up phase all the
monsters are clearly placed on the board so you
can see exactly where they all are. During a normal
turn they won’t actually do anything, they’ll just sit
there looking angry. Instead they’re only activated if
a hero passes them and then they spring to life and
attack immediately. If you’ve played any of the Zelda
videogames, they’re a little like those statues that only
start moving when Link goes near them.
Another interesting element is that as monsters
are killed and removed from the board, instead of
going straight back into the box, they’re popped
onto the Spawn Tile… a kind of dugout for bad guys.
Once the Spawn Tile is full of five monsters, they’re
then spawned back into action. The player rolls two
attack dice, which determines where the monster
is spawned and the process is repeated for all five
enemies in the Spawn Tile. This can create some
amusing moments when a player has removed a
horde of enemies from a room only to be surrounded
by monsters once again.
Along with killing monsters, the other objective in
Arcadia Quest is to… well… complete objectives and
this is where things can get a little backstabby (that’s
definitely an adjective). Some missions require you
to find a particular token on the board, while others
can only be achieved by killing a certain number
of monsters and then there are rewards for killing
members of other guilds. Whoever completes an
objective first gets a bonus coin but anyone who
completes a quest receives a gold coin regardless.
Things certainly get tactical when completing
quests because you can choose the order in which
you complete them…and can also try to scupper
your opponents. Say there’s a mission to get to a
certain token, you could try and block another player
reaching the token or just kill them when they come
close. Then again there could be moments when it’s
actually beneficial to work with a rival guild member
to try and take down a stronger foe because whoever
lands that last killer blow receives the experience.
15/05/2015 14:48
 Then, of course, you can potentially turn your
attentions onto the guild member who was previously
your ally and kill them.
Getting killed doesn’t mean it’s game over for a
hero though and they can return in the next mission.
Instead they’re given something called a Death
Curse, which potentially restricts their ability to level
up before heading out on the next monster killing
quest. Depending upon how many times the hero in
question has been killed, they must draw the same
number of Death Curse cards. Some Death Curse
cards have no effect, while others can restrict your
amount of equipment or attack power, for example.
Luckily the Death Curse only lasts one round but
you’ll certainly be out for revenge against the person
that dared to kill you.
One of the most appealing elements of Arcadia
Quest is the huge amount of replayability and this is a
game you can return to again and again. A campaign
sees you completing six scenarios but there are a total
of 12 different scenarios to choose from, plus the fact
you can make up the guilds with different members
ensures you can keep things fresh and mix things up
a little next time. What’s more, there’s the fact that
heroes level up between scenarios. One play through
may see you failing to complete a lot of objectives,
which means your characters are stuck with the basic
equipment but the next time you could be brimming
with powerful spells or weapons.
Another nice touch from publisher CoolMiniorNot
is the inclusion of blank Arcadia Quest cards on its
website. Don’t like the missions in the box? Well,
122_125_arcadiaQuestRB.indd 125
what about creating your own? You could make ■ Arcadia Quest uses a LOT
things tougher for an experienced group of gamers of tokens, in fact the pile is
or keep things simple for newcomers. Arcadia Quest almost bigger than the minis! If
is really one of those great games that has such tight, you can, get a storage box that
basic gameplay that it’s easy to build upon those allows you to sort them all out
foundations and customise the experience. There are for easy access.
even blank hero and monster cards, allowing you to
bring in your favourite miniatures from other games.
Ah yes, the miniatures. For some Arcadia Quest
is likely to split opinion. If you don’t like the sudden
rise in popularity of so-called ‘chibi’ or cute models
then this isn’t likely to change your mind. Although
really we wouldn’t really described the anti-heroes
of Arcadia Quest as cute… many look like they could
be villains as well as good guys. However, if you’re a GUILD MASTER
Arcadia Quest is one of
fan of anime-style miniatures then these really are the many games we’ve
some of the best around. They come pre-assembled covered that was initially
in the box, so there’s no mucking about putting funded via a Kickstarter
campaign. One of the perks
them together and the detail is exceptionally sharp.
of backing the campaign
In fact, all of the components from the lavishly was the so-called Guild
detailed board tiles to the miniatures themselves are Master pledge, which
exceptional and show why CoolMiniorNot is such a came with 21 Kickstarter
exclusive heroes, such as
big player in this market.
the Monkey King, Chooloo
Arcadia Quest really isn’t your typical dungeon (a chibi Cthulu) and Hitch,
crawling fare then. Although initially it may seem like who looks an awful lot
Descent or Super Dungeon Explore, the player versus like David Bowie’s Goblin
King. These Kickstarter
environment mechanic seen in those is combined
exclusives have gone on to
perfectly with the player versus player elements too. become collector’s items
Yes, you’ll make some uneasy alliances and, yes, and earlier this year a copy
it’s likely you’ll be betrayed by your ‘allies’ at some of Arcadia Quest complete
with all the exclusive heroes
point… but at least you know you can get revenge in
sold for £345 on eBay!
the following scenario! ■
125
02/06/2015 15:16
 ZOOLORETTO
Abacus Spiele | Tile placement | £59.99
2-5 players | 45 minutes | www.zooloretto.com
R
unning a zoo isn’t easy.
You’ve only got so much
room before the animals
presumably start eating each
other. You’ve got to get a load
of vending machines near the
animal closures and stuff them
full of cuddly pandas. Oh, and
then there’s looking after the
animals themselves, which costs
a heap of money even when
they’re hidden away in a barn
eating food and causing a mess.
You start with three pens to
pack with cute captives and you
can buy an extra pen later in the
game. The pens hold differing
numbers of animals and then
beside each cage there’s a plot
of land for a money-spinning
kiosk. Animals are represented
by square tiles that are drawn
from a bag at the beginning of
each turn. The bag also contains
kiosks and occasionally money
– why the animals don’t just eat
the food from the kiosks while in
the bag is anyone’s guess.
Anyway, after being hauled
from the safety of the bag, tiles
are added to trucks around
the board. During your turn
126_127_games73_76RB.indd 126
instead of pulling more tiles
from the bag you can jump into
the driver’s seat of the lorry and
kidnap the animals for your zoo.
Once they’ve arrived all dizzy
from the tranquiliser darts, you
can pop them into enclosures
– ensuring that only animals of
the same type are kept together.
If you don’t want all the animals
you must send them to the barn
– which is where all the unloved
animals go to wither away,
desperate to be seen and loved.
When it comes to the lorries
you can play it tactically by
blocking other players by filling
the trucks with animals no
one wants – such as the camel,
which nobody likes. Filthy
things. At the end of the game
your score depends on the
amount of animals you’ve got in
each enclosure and the more full
they are, the more points you’ll
get. As such, the final turns are
generally spent prodding and
goading the animals from the
lonely barn (any animals in the
barn take away from your final
total) to larger enclosures so you
can get a maximum bonus.
126
BATTLELORE
SECOND EDITION
Fantasy Flight Games | Wargame | £49.99
2 players | 90 minutes | www.fantasyflightgames.com
T
here’s something distinctly
comforting about hexagons
– a shape without too
many sides but just enough to
keep you interested. Plus the way
they all slot together is lovely…
unlike circles, God circles are
rubbish. Anyway, Battlelore is full of
comforting hexagons, which is great
considering all the slaughter and
fighting that’s going on inside them.
Battlelore – if you want one of
those lift-style pitches – is miniature
wargames for beginners. You get all
the miniatures you need in the box
for your army and there’s even a
nicely illustrated board that you can
customise with hexagonal terrain…
ah, those lovely hexagons again.
Plus, rather than worrying about
complicated stats for your units, all
the orders are conducted via cards.
You don’t even have to track down
the tape measure from the garage.
This premise has actually been
around for several years and
was created by Ricard Borg. The
Command and Colours system,
as it’s known, has been used for
numerous games and Battlelore
is the latest. Thanks to the fact it’s
been around since the first board
games crawled from the primordial
ooze, you can rest assured it’s an
exceptionally tight and enjoyable
mechanic for commanding a
battlefield.
For the most part you’ll be using
a series of cards to issue commands
to your troops, e.g. ordering three
archers, move a unit on the right
flank or use a special power. The
randomness of drawing cards adds
to the effect of the confusion of
battle and orders not necessarily
getting through to the troops on the
battlefield. What’s more, it keeps
turns really quick, as you play a
card, do the action and then it’s over
to your opponent.
Another cool mechanic is that the
board is random too. Each player
grabs some scenario cards that show
where to place terrain on their side
of the board. You select the card and
then pop down the trees or rivers.
Likewise, deployment is kept secret
too as you place the unit cards,
rather than the units themselves,
and you can place decoy cards to
trick your opponent. Battlelore is
great intro for new wargamers or
experienced wargamers looking for
a quick battle.
15/05/2015 14:06
 TERROR IN MEEPLE CITY
Repos Production | Dexterity | £44.99
2-4 players | 45 minutes | www.rprod.com

T
he game formerly known
as Rampage, Terror in
Meeple City (somewhere
we would no doubt all like to live)
gives you the chance to live out
your wildest fantasy of being a
monster destroying a city, while
listening to the screams of your
victims and laughing as the
buildings topple to the ground
crushing their inhabitants.
HAHAHAHAHAAAHA. Oh…
that’s just us, is it? Anyway, Terror
in Meeple City sees you trying to
cause the most damage possible
and killing all those meeples
HAHAHAHAHHA… sorry, it’s
been a long day.
Things start off well in the game
here) trying to blow the buildings
down. All of these actions are
done physically within the game.
The wooden monsters are a little
like Subbuteo figures and can
be flicked around the board to
move. If you’re standing next to a
bus or van, you can pick it up and
then flick it towards a building,
while smashing a building sees
you picking up the monster and
dropping it on the board.
As the buildings topple down,
any meeples that are uncovered
in the destruction are quickly
gobbled up, while others still
hidden under building tiles
cower in fear. However, you need
to be careful because although

BETRAYAL AT
as you build a little 3D version of you want to destroy buildings,
the city in question with meeples any meeples that are knocked

HOUSE ON THE HILL

holding up the floors in each
building... health and safety
regulations be damned! This takes
rather a long time, which is all the
more tragic because you’re about
to destroy your creation.
off the board cause you damage.
Plus meeples you knock near to
your opponent will be scoffed by
them instead. Avalon Hill/Wizards of the Coast | Survival horror | £39.99
Someone picking up this game 3-6 players | 60 minutes | www.wizards.com
may be expecting 45 minutes of

On your turn you have a
number of options – moving,
picking up items, smashing a
building or (and we’re not kidding
wanton destruction but, again, it’s
probably got more in common
with Subbuteo as you attempt
pin-point flicks and drops.
I
n Betrayal you appear to have
walked straight into a horror
film, full of creaky stairs,
rooms with blood dripping
down the walls and generally
spooky stuff. Initially though
things get off to a slow start
but as you explore more of
the house, including the first
floor and the basement (surely
there’s always something
horrible in the basement) the
playing area grows and grows.
As you’re exploring the house
you’ll also be encountering
various obstacles that require
you to roll against one of your
skills (magic, speed, knowledge
and sanity) to overcome them.
Plus you’ll hopefully discover
items or weapons that can be
used to your advantage later on.
So far, so what?
Well Betrayal also has one
of the greatest surprises in a
game, which we’re obviously
about to ruin here... you see
as you’re exploring this creepy
house you’ll occasionally
discover omen icons, which
require you to roll some omen
dice. If you roll an amount
lower than the amount of
omen cards that have been
discovered then the ‘haunting’
begins. That’s right, it turns
out that everything isn’t what
it seems and one member of
your party is actually the bad
guy. They can be a vampire or
a werewolf and they then get to
consult the Traitor’s Tome to
choose exactly what campaign
everyone is playing. There are
50 different scenarios to choose
from in the Tome, which adds
huge amounts of replay value.
Meanwhile the other good
guys now consult the Survivor’s
Guide, which details exactly
how they can win the game.
This should all be done in
secret so neither side knows
exactly what the other is trying
to do. Betrayal is an experience
quite unlike anything else and
takes a little to get into but then
things become so crazy once
the traitor is revealed and the
action totally changes.

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 TERMINATOR
GENISYS
THE MINIATURES GAME

Alessio Cavatore explains how destiny appropriately

shaped a game about the fate of humanity.
River Horse | Skirmish | £70 | 2+ players | 60 minutes | www.riverhorse.eu

T
erminator Genisys The Miniatures Game is
very much a game about destiny – the fate of
humanity being key to not only the game but
the film itself. There’s even a fate system used in the
game mechanics, which we’ll explore later, but even
the game’s origins came down to chance.
You see when its creator, River Horse’s Alessio
Cavatore (famous for being the brains behind Games
Workshop’s Lord of the Rings and Mantic’s Kings
of War), set up a meeting with Paramount Films to
discuss a potential licensing deal, he wasn’t even
thinking about Arnie and the Terminators, instead he
was there to discuss a different film entirely.
“The meeting went very well and we agreed on
the other licensing deal, which we will be releasing
next year,” explains Alessio. “Then towards the end
of the meeting they said oh by the way we have this
other thing you might be interested in… did you know
there’s a new Terminator film coming out next year.
Would you like to make a game based on that?
“The only problem was that the time for creating
and releasing the game was extremely tight. The
meeting was around October and the film was
scheduled for July, which didn’t give us long.
Normally I like to spend a year working on something
like this but we only had a matter of months. Still, it
was one of those licenses that we really couldn’t turn
down so I said yes.”
Luckily serial games designer Alessio had a little
trick up his sleeve because he had already designed

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R
a ruleset, currently known as the River Horse
Miniatures Game System, that could be applied
to Terminator, ensuring that he wasn’t starting
completely from scratch. Variants of the same ruleset
could be used in other River Horse games, including
that other mystery license acquired from Paramount.
The tight timeline also affected how Alessio and
the River Horse team had to approach production
too because there simply wasn’t time to go to China
to make the miniatures. “We’ve had to stick to British
companies like Warlord Games and Renedra for
the manufacturing but there are definite benefits to
working with people who are so close to home and I
definitely think that’s helped with the development
process,” added Alessio.
Terminator Genisys The Miniatures Game is a mix
between board game and more complex skirmish
game, with the option of scaling it up into a fully
fledged wargame. Included in the box you’ll find 10
Terminator Endoskeletons, five Terminator Crawlers,
16 Resistance Soldiers and an exclusive Kyle Reese
128_131_terminatorGenisysRB.indd 129
model, plus a double-sided playmat. There’s also
a cracking 128 page rulebook that includes basic
“Normally I
rules along with advanced rules, plenty of different
scenarios and even guides about how to paint the
spend a year
miniatures and make your own terrain.
In the game, one player will take on the role of
on a game
Terminators while the other becomes the Resistance.
Typically the Terminators are, of course, much
but for this
stronger while the Resistance is weaker but has more
soldiers (aka cannon fodder). There are options for
we only had
different weapons too, such as rocket launchers or
plasma rifles.
a matter of
The way turns are structured is a brilliant aspect
of Terminator and goes back to that idea of fate
months.”
shaping the game. Each round players get activation
markers depending upon how many people they’ve
got left on the board, then to decide how many units ■ Eventually you’ll be able
they get to activate they must roll the Fate die. If to create amazing scenes like
the player rolls a one on the die, they can activate the one above, as the game
one unit and then pass the Fate die over to their expands with new rules and new
opponent to see how many they get to activate. ▶ miniatures.
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 TERMINATOR GENISYS: THE MINIATURES GAME

Likewise, if they roll a two the same thing happens Talking of death and destruction, Alessio was
“COME WITH but they get two activations. However, if they roll keen to make the combat system as straight forward
ME IF YOU
WANT TO LIVE” the ‘Fate’ symbol then they can’t activate anything as possible to ensure that gameplay flows at a rapid
In another nod to the that turn, instead play immediately passes over to pace. “We were conscious that some people may pick
game’s action-packed their opponent. Although some force commanders this up because they’re fans of the films but have
inspiration, a number of the can negate the roll of a Fate symbol, it’s still a super never played anything quite like it,” explains Alessio.
special abilities are named
after quotes in the film. So, way to represent the chaos of battle and the fact that, “So we wanted to make sure the combat, which
for example, ‘Come With sometimes, things simply don’t go your way. plays a big part in the game, is as straight forward
Me if you Want to Live’ Another very clever gameplay element, which fits as possible. River Horse’s motto is sophistication
allows a commander to the theme of the films perfectly, is that once per game through simplicity and that’s something you can
hand out extra activation
markers, while ‘Hasta La a player can declare they’re going to travel back in definitely see with Terminator. The core rules are very
Vista, Baby’ gives fighters time to affect the events on the board. For example, simple and you can break the basic rules down to just
the opportunity to blast a Resistance player has just scored a rocket launcher a few pages, however for more experienced gamers
opponents at close range hit on an Endoskeleton that kills it. The Terminator we have the advanced rules.”
if they’ve been knocked
down. This is particularly player declares he is going to travel back in time to To make combat as easy as possible, Terminator
useful for taking out change what’s just happened. A nice touch is that uses range markers – a little like the one used in
the Crawlers, which are the player must explain how they are changing the X-Wing Miniatures Game. By using the template,
Terminators who have lost past, for example the Terminator may travel in time players can easily see whether they’re in point blank
their legs in combat but are
still dangerous opponents. to find out when the Resistance fighter was meant to range, short range or long range, which then affects
be having his rocket launcher training at boot camp the number they need to roll for a successful hit (4+
OF PARAMOUNT and force him to miss it by making him ill. Likewise, for point blank, 5+ for short range and 6+ for long
IMPORTANCE say a Resistance fighter has failed to make his cover range). Depending upon the weapon being used,
Alessio’s brief mention
that River Horse originally saves and gets killed. The Resistance player could you’ll be able to use between one and five dice during
met up with Paramount to travel back in time to ensure he wears an extra layer combat, e.g a pistol can only be used at short range
discuss a different license of armour or doesn’t have a big breakfast to ensure he and has one die, while a minigun has a maximum
entirely brings up some can dodge better and then make the rolls again. It’s long range distance and rolls five dice. These different
interesting questions about
what that game could be... a really cool mechanic that provides some amusing weapons will certainly come into play as the game
so let’s wildly speculate opportunities for story-telling in amongst all the expands beyond the core boxset and new characters
about some of the films that death and destruction. are added.
Paramount has made and
that could work as skirmish
games in a similar fashion
to Terminator. Well, the first
name that leaps out is Star
Trek with its landing parties
heading out to discover
potentially dangerous alien
planets (make sure no one
picks the guys in red), then
there’s Mission Impossible
that could potentially
work and, perhaps most
enticingly, Paramount also
co-produced the Indiana
Jones films. Let the wild
speculation begin!

■ A Crawler creeps towards the

Resistance. Even when they’ve
been wounded, Terminators can
still pose a threat.

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 In a similar fashion to combat, movement is also Genisys campaign in which people will play through ■ Although the boxed set
handled through templates, doing away with the the events of the film. There are two scenarios in does come with a double-
need for measuring. There’s a template for crawling, the book, dealing with an offensive strike on Skynet sided mat to play on, as you
walking and running. Again, it all makes for a great and an attack at an underground base in the ruins scale up to the advanced
introduction to those who are new to wargaming. of Los Angeles International Airport, plus there’s an rules you might want
However, if you’re an experienced gamer then interesting tease about an encounter between the to consider using a big
there’s plenty to get your teeth stuck into thanks to different versions of Arnie’s character – one as Pops wargaming table, like the
the advanced rules. Although the basic rules mainly and the other as seen in the original film. “To be one above.
cover simple shooting and moving, the advanced continued…” concludes that particular section. Once
rules give players a lot more tactical choices to add to the film has been released River Horse will be adding
their games. The advanced rules cover elements such further Genisys-themed campaigns to its website,
as aimed shots, which allows them to roll a die with a likewise new expansion sets are mentioned too… an
better chance of hitting, suppressive fire that targets Arnie figure has just been revealed!
multiple enemies and ambush, which acts a little like As such, Terminator Genisys: The Miniatures Game
overwatch so units can fire at any enemy units that is certainly a product with a bright future ahead of it
move into their line of sight. and judging by our play-throughs it’s a fun skirmish
“I wanted to ensure that Terminator could scale up game that’s helped by interesting mechanics such
to potentially be a full-size wargame,” adds Alessio. as the Fate die and time travelling. As the range of
“Although at the moment we have only created miniatures expands, it’s likely to grow in complexity
infantry models, we have plans for tanks or fliers, too, so we’ll be returning to Terminator in a future issue
depending upon how well the game does… although to see how things are panning out. You could say “we’ll
people have already expressed interest in them. Even be back”… sorry but it just had to be done. ■
though we haven’t made any vehicle models yet, I still
wanted to include rules for them in the rulebook so
experienced players can adapt their games to include
them. This year we will concentrate on infantry but
can expand it further next year.
“We only have the license to make characters or
vehicles that are seen in the Terminator Genisys
movie though but there are plenty of elements in the
film that people will be familiar with.” A quick look
through the rulebook brings up some recognisable
names, such as Sarah Connor, John Connor and
Kyle Reese. Arnie’s in there too, although he’s listed
as ‘Pops’ like his name in Genisys. Meanwhile on
the side of the Machines you’ll find the T-1000 and
Infiltrators, which look like humans and can only be
attacked at short range when it’s clear they’re actually
robots and not people.
River Horse is also planning a full Terminator

131

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GMT Games | Worker placement | £59.99 | 2-6 players | 190 minutes | www.gmtgames.com
W
  hen Darwin was penning Origin of
the Species, it’s unlikely he thought
that his work would go on to inspire a
board game… then again, who knows, perhaps
that’s the only reason he did it? Dominant
Species is Darwin’s work played out on the
tabletop. As the Ice Age approaches birds,
mammals, reptiles, arachnids, amphibians
and insects are all vying for supremacy. To
begin with they’re all on an equal footing
(claw, talon?) but through your actions you’ll
eventually start to wipe out the other animals to
become the dominant species. That’s right, this
is a game in which you wipe out entire species!
As you might expect from a game that’s
about evolution, this is pretty serious business
and the potential three-hour playtime is
nothing to sniff at. Then again, if you’re after an
in-depth and tactical game, then you certainly
won’t go wrong with this.
To help your species take over the planet you
have three distinct phases of play: the planning
phase, the execution phase and the clean-up
CASTLES OF MAD KING LUDWIG
Bezier Games | Tile placement | £37 | 1-4 players | 90 minutes | www.beziergames.com
132_133_games77_80RB.indd 132
DOMINANT SPECIES
phase. In the planning phase you must decide
what actions you’re going to take, e.g. adapting
your species to deal with a new obstacle,
breeding to get more animals or changing the
environment of a hex on the game board. There
are 12 different potential actions, so perhaps
keep a handy reference if you’re just starting
out. The execution phase sees you performing
all the actions and then the clean-up stage is
basic maintenance.
Your actions can be defensive or offensive,
depending upon how you want to place and
it’s possible to win the game doing just one
or a mix of both. Although there are a lot of
actions, the mechanics themselves are actually
pretty easy to get your head round, it’s how you
execute those actions where the strategy comes
into play. However, perhaps Dominant Species’
biggest success is potraying the complex
process of evolution with minimal fuss. Yes,
you’re just moving little wooden tokens around
but you still feel like you’re a group of lizards or
hordes of ants trying to dominate the globe.
K
ing Ludwig II took the throne of Bavaria in 1864, and was
obsessed with building fairytale castles. He spent his entire
fortune on their lavish construction, until he was declared insane
and removed from the throne in 1886. Sometimes the strangest of true
stories make wonderful games.
Like all good royals Castles of Mad King Ludwig comes from good
parentage. Designed by Ted Alspatch, published by Bezier Games, you
feel like you’re in safe hands. But when you realise this is another tile
placement game for one to four players based around a construction
theme, you can’t help wondering is this just Suburbia in a fantasy theme?
You can’t ignore that the game is based on purchasing and placing
tiles to your best advantage, with open goals for players to compete for,
and hidden goals to sway your building choices, and both games have
been worked on by artist Ollin Timm, giving a familiar style to them both
But where Suburbia can feel dry and abstract, Castles of Mad
King Ludwig is immersive. The interaction between players as you
take turns choosing how much new rooms cost and receiving your
opponents money when they buy from you. Then building your castle
is joyously silly. Attaching a garden to a bedroom and squeezing a
banquet suite next to them both, may seem like ridiculous planning,
but you’re dealing with the whims of a crazy royal, it doesn’t need to
make traditional sense.
Castles of Mad King Ludwig is a silly puzzle game, but surprising
in the depth of strategy involved. It’s got enough whimsy and giggles
for casual, or new board gamers, with enough depth and thought
to get them ready for another game, and will still engage a “serious”
board gamer. It’s a must for your collection. (Millie Lavelle millie@
GeekOnRadio.com, Twitter: @geekonradio)
132
18/05/2015 10:50
 VITICULTURE
Stonemaier Games | Worker placement | £41
2-6 players | 90 minutes | www.stonemaiergames.com
V
iticulture is a
dynamic “worker
placement” game about
winemaking, with some tough
choices, and many interesting
routes to victory. You’ve
inherited a vineyard in Italy,
and must build it up to become
the most prestigious in the
region. Each player has a small
board showing fields, “crush
pads” where harvested grapes
are stored, cellars where wines
are stored, plus locations for
structures which can be built
to enable more and better
wines to be made.
You start with a few worker
pawns to assign to various
winemaking activities, and
one “Visitor” card – visitors
are specialists that can be
activated for a one-time
benefit, such as extra money,
harvesting grapes out of
season, or discounts on
building. The game turn
represents a year, and is
divided into four seasons,
Spring, where the player order
for the rest of that “year”
is determined by players
132_133_games77_80RB.indd 133
choosing a "wake up" time
for their workers – if you go
later in the turn order, you
get a benefit to compensate;
Summer, where you plant,
build, etc.; Fall, where you
acquire extra “visitor” cards;
and Winter, where you harvest,
make wine, train extra workers,
etc.. During each turn, players
place workers next to locations
on the beautifully-rendered
main game board, which
depict the actions they want
to take: in the fields to plant or
harvest vines, in the winery to
make wines, and so on.
Wines produced from the
vine cards that you “plant” in
your vineyard, are then used
to fulfil wine order cards, the
main way of getting victory
points. Once someone gets to
20 points, it’s all over.
Viticulture’s easy to learn,
but strategically challenging,
and the gameplay is tied rather
cleverly to the theme, so as
you go through each year, it
really does feel like you’re
building a winemaking empire!
(Beresford Quimby)
133
ARKHAM HORROR
Fantasy Flight Games | Survival horror | £40
1-8 players | 120-240 minutes | www.fantasyflightgames.com
T
he epic works of author
H. P. Lovecraft bring to life
some of the most horrific
creatures ever conceived. Bent
on annihilation, these monstrous
beasts gather to bring about the
ultimate downfall of all mankind.
Arkham Horror embraces the
macabre, Lovecraftian, Cthulhu
mythos and successfully
conjours a tabletop world in
a way that only Fantasy Flight
Games seem able to achieve.
As a co-operative game,
Arkham puts you in the shoes
of a team of investigators,
attempting to prevent the rise
of a great evil. Over a number
of rounds, you battle monsters,
explore Arkham, delve into
strange worlds, and attempt to
seal the gateways that link them
to our world.
There are four phases to a
round of Arkham.
Movement – During this phase
you move around Arkham.
Encounters – Each
investigator, still in Arkham,
explores their current location
and encounters the events and
creatures that lurk there.
Other World Encounters –
Investigators, in other worlds,
encounter whatever horrors
await them.
Mythos – The game fights
back, gates open, monsters
spawn and generally everything
goes hideously wrong for the
investigators.
Play continues until, either the
great old one awakens and kills
everyone, or the investigators foil
his evil plans. It sounds simple,
but woe betide anyone who takes
their eye off the ball!
Arkham Horror is not what
you might call a gateway game,
in fact, it sits firmly in the heavy
thematic camp. There are a lot of
rules and new gamers are often
confused by the sheer number
of moving parts that drive the
game forward. Despite this,
Arkham Horror is one of the most
thematic games you can play and
successfully creates a genuine
sense of fear and hopelessness.
With a tonne of expansions
available, there’s plenty of
replayable horror to be had here!
(Tom Randell, www.gamesquest.
co.uk/blog)
15/05/2015 14:08
 134

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 HALO
FLEET BATTLES
THE FALL OF REACH
We interview Neil Fawcett and Derek Sinclair from Spartan Games
about one of this year’s most anticipated miniatures games.
Spartan Games | Space battles | £80 | 2+ players | 60 minutes | www.spartangames.co.uk
O
ne of the biggest surprises in tabletop gaming
came earlier this year when it was announced
that videogame behemoth Halo was being
turned into a tabletop game. Not only that but rather
than being a skirmish game featuring Master Chief
and the like battling it out across alien planets, it was
actually going to be a large-scale space combat title
with spaceships. Finally, to add some extra icing on
the surprise cake, the Halo tabletop game wasn’t
going to be produced by a big name like Fantasy
Flight Games or Wizkids, instead it’s being made by
Spartan Games – a British company based in sleepy
Somerset, a country perhaps best known for the
Glastonbury music festival and cider.
“It’s funny because a few years ago someone asked
me what my ideal license to work with would be and
I said Halo,” laughs Neil Fawcett, director at Spartan
Games, “but I never really thought it would come
true. I never said it because I was thinking of the
dollar signs or anything, I just thought it was cool and
I would get to make incredible toys. You could have
knocked me over with a feather when we actually
signed the deal.”
Then again, despite the fact that Neil was surprised,
you can certainly see why Microsoft would have
chosen a company like Spartan to create a space
battle game inspired by the Halo canon. That’s
because Spartan has had a huge amount of success
with its existing space-based game Firestorm Armada,
which sees a selection of alien races going up against
each other in spectacular galactic combat. However,
Neil and Derek Sinclair, lead games designer, were
135
134_137_haloRB.indd 135
keen to ensure their Halo game wasn’t just Firestorm
Armada with Master Chief bolted on.
“Because Halo is such a recognisable brand, there
was absolutely no way we could have done a re-hash
of an existing rule set because it wouldn’t have fitted
with the canon or feel of Halo,” explained Derek. “Yes,
there are some things that Spartan Games share in
common, like exploding dice and pre-measuring, but
they’re all built on their own mechanics.”
In fact, Neil and Derek approached the game
slightly differently to their previous products to
ensure that it appealed not only to the wargaming
fanbase that Spartan has already established with
Firestorm Armada or Dystopian Wars, but also to
videogamers who might experience tabletop gaming
for the first time when they play Halo: Fleet Battles.
“The premise of the ruleset was a relatively
simplistic one and the first game will be mass fleet
battles,” said Neil. “This isn’t a game about having
just five spaceships on the table, we want you to have
50 ships on the table. We want you to be able to have
big games but they’re still fun and quick, with fluid
and intuitive rules that can be picked up very easily.
Most importantly we wanted to recreate the image
of a Halo space battle that you might have in your
head from playing the videogames but do it on the
tabletop. So it’s very cinematic like the cutscenes you
see in the videogames.”
“We have to fulfill the expectations of fans of the
videogame, along with fans of tabletop games,” added
Clive. “So if you expect to see a particular ship or a
particular moment that’s from the videogames, we ▶
15/05/2015 14:52
 HALO FLEET BATTLES: THE FALL OF REACH
have to deliver that mechanic in the gameplay. We
also want to make sure it’s fun and give everyone a
fighting chance of winning – although, of course, the
UNSC historically has a bit more of an uphill struggle
compared to the Convenant. But we’ve balanced
that by giving the UNSC more ships and giving them
moments of bravery. We’re not trying to tell the whole
story of Halo because Microsoft has done a wonderful
job of fleshing out the universe. Instead we are giving
you a snapshot of a moment in time, a photograph of
a much larger canvas.”
To ensure the game fitted in with the cinematic
approach of Halo, it was key to make sure it flowed
smoothly but included plenty of explosive action.
An important aspect of that was to ensure that
players didn’t get bogged down in dice counting or
complicated stat lines and, instead, basic gameplay is
as straight forward as possible.
“We sat there looking at the other games and
knew that it had to be accessible, which meant we
had to take out some of the deep mathematical
elements from other Spartan Games, like linking
dice for example,” Derek told us. “Instead we wanted
134_137_haloRB.indd 136
an innovative system in which people don’t even ■ Here are some examples of the
realise there are all these complicated mathematics fully painted ships, which were
going on behind the scenes – so we’ve moved away on display at Salute 2015. The
from the traditional dots on the dice to symbols, detail is stunning, even on the
which videogamers may be more comfortable with smaller fighters.
as symbols play a large part of videogames. Instead
of being a four on the dice, it’s a symbol that we use
to represent that statistic – something that you may
remember from a game like Heroquest.”
The use of easy to recognise symbols certainly
helps to keep things ticking along at a quick pace,
as even when a player is required to roll 15 dice,
they can quickly look for the hit symbol and know
exactly what it means. Meanwhile damage, when the
spaceships do manage to survive, is also represented
by a series of tokens that visually indicate the
damage. “It’s about making it as simple as possible
to visualise what’s going on. At a glance someone
could actually walk into the room during the middle
of a game and immediately see how well someone is
doing,” added Derek.
Of course although the basic gameplay is straight
forward, to ensure that newcomers can jump straight
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15/05/2015 14:51
 in, there are extra layers of complexity for the more
experienced gamer or for people to add into their
question but that would have been pointless. We need
to pay homage and pay our respects to everything
“We’ve even
games as they learn more about it. For example,
there are commanders and admirals who have their
that has come before, not only because of Microsoft
but because of the fans as well. They’ll have certain
gone back to
own special abilities that can be used and elements
like boarding parties who can go inside the larger
expectations, just as much as Microsoft.”
In fact Spartan realised it had quite a surprising link
Microsoft to
spaceships and potentially blow them up.
Just as we were heading to print, Spartan
with the team at Microsoft. “When we were making the
first calls to Microsoft I was thinking that I was going
suggest how
announced that the first Halo: Fleet Battles release
will be a two-player box set charting the Fall of
to be massively star struck because, you know, it’s
Microsoft,” laughs Clive, “but they were actually really
certain ships
Reach. Just in case you’re not aware of the videogame
canon, Reach is an Earth-like planet colonized by
excited to speak to us because they play Dystopian
Wars and Firestorm. It felt utterly surreal. But because
should work
humans and protected by the United Nations Space
Command. The UNSC has been at war with alien
of this they were more interested in the feel of the game
and how it would play, than stuff like the costs of the
and they’ve
races known as the Covenant, which sends a huge
force to destroy the planet in the year 2552. The vastly
models and how much the box set is going to cost.
They were just really excited to actually play it. “
changed the
outnumbered UNSC is overwhelmed and Reach is
bombarded by the attacking Covenant ships.
Halo: Fleet Battles: The Fall of Reach is due for release
this summer but Neil is already planning big things for
Halo canon.”
Because this initial release centres around the Fall the future. “We’ve got the two player box set to start
of Reach, it means that Spartan can concentrate on with and then we will have campaign add-ons that
including certain ships that are seen during cutscenes will take the game up and down the timeline of Halo,
or mentioned in the book Halo: The Fall of Reach which brings in different ships and commanders and HALO GROUND
TROOPS
by Eric Nylund. So, included in the set you’ll get the scenarios. We can have battles like Harvest or the Battle Not only did Spartan
following UNSC ships an Epoch-class Heavy Carrier, of Earth and they all bring their own elements in the Games surprise
four Marathon-class Heavy Crusiers and 27 Paris- universe. In terms of other ships, I would love to be able everyone with its initial
announcement about Fleet
class Frigates, while the Covenant has an ORS Class to make a Super Carrier but I’m not sure how many
Battles earlier this year but
Heavy Crusier, two CCS Class Battlecruisers and 14 gamers would actually use it because it would measure at this year’s Salute event
SDV Heavy Corvettes, along with 25 custom Halo dice 57 inches by 22 inches. Apart from that though there are at Excel it had another trick
and a 100 page rulebook. lots and lots of options for the named character ships in up its sleeve – a previously
unannounced 15mm
“The idea is that once you’ve got the starter box, the future.” But the big question on most people’s lips
ground troops game based
you can escalate things into these potentially huge will be what will happen to that most famous of Halo on the Halo franchise. This
battles,” says Neil, “but even those will be over characters: Master Chief? “It’ll be interesting to see how new game will include
and done with in a couple of hours because this we handle Master Chief… but we’re not going to rush vehicles like the famous
Warthog and infantry like
is going to be a brutal game where big spaceships him because he’s so important to the universe,” says
Spartans and Covenant
are destroyed by big, powerful guns like the Mach Neil, “so Halo fans will just have to stay tuned to see Elites. We’ll hopefully have
Cannon. Stuff has to die and the game is designed to what we do with Master Chief.” ■ more details next issue!
give fairly instant gratification.”
However, we wondered whether it was difficult
to take the spaceships that have
previously only been read about or
appeared in cutscenes, then give
them statistics that made sense on
the tabletop. “It was easy to take what
Microsoft has done with the weapons and
work out how much firepower they should
have,” explained Neil. “Then we would go
back to Microsoft with how we thought
the spaceship or weapon should work
and get their thoughts about what should
make it bad or good. We have spent months
and months looking over the data to get it
right and we’ve even gone back to Microsoft
to suggest how certain ships should work and
they’ve changed the canon of Halo to reflect our
research.
“It’s very much been two-way traffic and
communication has been king. We could have just
gone off and made a wargame without even asking a

137

134_137_haloRB.indd 137 15/05/2015 14:51

 SUBSCRIBE TO THE
DIGITAL EDITION
EXCLUSIVE
HALO
FLEET BATTLES
THE FALL OF REACH
We interview Neil Fawcett and Derek Sinclair from Spartan Games
about one of this year’s most anticipated miniatures games.
Spartan Games | Space battles | £80 | 2+ players | 60 minutes | www.spartangames.co.uk
O
ne of the biggest surprises in tabletop gaming
came earlier this year when it was announced
that videogame behemoth Halo was being
turned into a tabletop game. Not only that but rather
than being a skirmish game featuring Master Chief
and the like battling it out across alien planets, it was
actually going to be a large-scale space combat title
with spaceships. Finally, to add some extra icing on
the surprise cake, the Halo tabletop game wasn’t
going to be produced by a big name like Fantasy
Flight Games or Wizkids, instead it’s being made by
Spartan Games – a British company based in sleepy
Somerset, a country perhaps best known for the
Glastonbury music festival and cider.
“It’s funny because a few years ago someone asked
me what my ideal license to work with would be and
I said Halo,” laughs Neil Fawcett, director at Spartan
Games, “but I never really thought it would come
true. I never said it because I was thinking of the
dollar signs or anything, I just thought it was cool and
I would get to make incredible toys. You could have
knocked me over with a feather when we actually
signed the deal.”
Then again, despite the fact that Neil was surprised,
you can certainly see why Microsoft would have
chosen a company like Spartan to create a space
battle game inspired by the Halo canon. That’s
because Spartan has had a huge amount of success
with its existing space-based game Firestorm Armada,
which sees a selection of alien races going up against
each other in spectacular galactic combat. However,
Neil and Derek Sinclair, lead games designer, were
134
134 135
135
134_137_haloRB.indd 134 18/05/2015 10:52 134_137_haloRB.indd 135
PLANETFALL
BATTLE FOR
PROTEUS PRIME
If you and a friend or a local
games club are interested
in trying out Planetfall, then
you can pick up the Battle
for Proteus Prime two-player
starter set, which contains
Core Helixes for the Aquan
Prime and Directorate. There’s
also a 132-page rulebook,
which guides you through
some introductory missions to
learn the basics, some small
buildings to use as terrain,
dice, Tactical Action cards
and templates.
■ It will be interesting to see how
Planetfall expands over the next
year and Spartan has previously
mentioned there will be new
Leviathans with close combat
weapons rather than long-range
lasers or guns.
Of course, although Derek had the idea for how
the army system would work, he still had to come
up with the ideas for the units themselves and that’s
where Spartan’s in-house design team came in
handy. “One of the benefits I found is that we’ve got
a wonderful design team here and so if I had an idea
Buy an annual digital
for a particular unit they could quickly mock it up.
Potentially if I had been working somewhere else
without an internal design team they might not
have been able to produce demo miniatures for
me to use,” Derek told us.
“Instead, I could pop upstairs here and ask
subscription for just £19.49
Chris the designer and within a couple of days I
would have a shiny new model sitting on the desk…
sometimes it would only take an afternoon. And that
really helped to streamline the creation of the game.
The weird thing was sometimes I would speak to Chris
about an idea and he would have actually already
started work on it, which was a little creepy.”
However, although the design process was quick,
that doesn’t necessarily mean it was painless for Derek.
“One of the biggest problems we had when creating
Planetfall is that we had background information saying
View Offers
the Relthozans measure 35ft… so how on Earth are we
going to get those in Planetfall? And we did think about
doing that but then it goes back to what Neil was saying
earlier about the Spec Ops… because what would the
Relthozan Spec Ops look like?” This is perhaps one
of the few times when the fact it was Derek’s game
keen to ensure their Halo game wasn’t just Firestorm
Armada with Master Chief bolted on.
“Because Halo is such a recognisable brand, there
was absolutely no way we could have done a re-hash
of an existing rule set because it wouldn’t have fitted
with the canon or feel of Halo,” explained Derek. “Yes,
there are some things that Spartan Games share in
common, like exploding dice and pre-measuring, but
they’re all built on their own mechanics.”
In fact, Neil and Derek approached the game
slightly differently to their previous products to
ensure that it appealed not only to the wargaming
fanbase that Spartan has already established with
Firestorm Armada or Dystopian Wars, but also to
videogamers who might experience tabletop gaming
for the first time when they play Halo: Fleet Battles.
“The premise of the ruleset was a relatively
simplistic one and the first game will be mass fleet
battles,” said Neil. “This isn’t a game about having
just five spaceships on the table, we want you to have
50 ships on the table. We want you to be able to have
big games but they’re still fun and quick, with fluid
and intuitive rules that can be picked up very easily.
Most importantly we wanted to recreate the image
of a Halo space battle that you might have in your
head from playing the videogames but do it on the
tabletop. So it’s very cinematic like the cutscenes you
see in the videogames.”
“We have to fulfill the expectations of fans of the
videogame, along with fans of tabletop games,” added
Clive. “So if you expect to see a particular ship or a
particular moment that’s from the videogames, we ▶
15/05/2015 14:52
taking place within the galaxy Neil had already created
caused some problems.
“There were some fairly heated discussions from
people not wishing to change the canon of the
Relthozans to fit in with Planetfall and people, like
myself, who wanted to evolve that canon to include
smaller special forces,” laughed Derek, while nervously
looking at Neil. “So we had to be creative and think, well
these are insects, surely there would be a larvae stage
or something like that so you get little baby insects,
alongside the giant 35ft ones. Then we adapted it further
to say that, ok as they get older they could be given
certain nanotech improvements or biosuits that would
change their appearance again.”
Likewise the previously mentioned Aquans who
are aquatic by nature needed to adapt their armour
to allow them to go on land, otherwise they would
only be able to attack near seas or the odd large pond.
“The challenge for Planetfall wasn’t the big vehicles,
it was actually the smallest elements in the game
that proved to be tricky because it had to work within
this game and the wider Firestorm galaxy. When we
started it out, we thought it would be the big monsters
that would be the problem, instead it was the little
stuff,” explained Derek.
“The infantry are actually a critical part of the game,
although tanks and vehicles are important, because you
can’t take an objective without them so we wanted to
treat them with the respect they deserve.”
“That’s one of the interesting things,” adds Neil,
“because when I wrote my version of it, I went more
towards the armoured side and afterwards I realised
that was a mistake. The infantry should be a big part of
games like this and shouldn’t be forgotten about. That
was another example of why my version of the rules
didn’t progress to the finish line.”
“I definitely think there’s something in the fact that
wargamers recognise human-like figures, no matter if
they’re 28mm or 10mm,” replied Derek. “They like to
have those characters in their games. If that part of the
game works, then it helps as a way into the game. No
matter what the size, they like to imagine them battling it
out with these huge great vehicles hulking behind them.
“It also helps to give the big guys some scale because
you can compare them to the infantry, which also
helps to give that impression of a cinematic-style army
charging towards the enemy.”
Despite the fact that Planetfall only came out in
October last year, Spartan has certainly hit the ground
running with its model development and there are
currently six forces available, along with two allied
forces. “We’ve got about 120 models in the first batch
of releases and then there will be a further 120 after
that. In 18 months from now we’ll have 15 or 16
complete armies for people to choose from,” says
Neil. So it certainly looks like his potential gamble to
allow someone else to develop his idea has paid off
with superb results. ■
96
 PREFER IT IN PRINT?

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 DROPZONE
COMMANDER How one man’s dream became a reality – we chat to
David Lewis, creator of Dropzone Commander.
Hawk Wargames | 10mm sci-fi wargame | £60 | 2 players
120 minutes | www.hawkwargames.com

A
s tabletop gamers how many of us have thought
about creating our own tabletop game? I’ve
typed out and torn up countless versions of
city building games or a convoluted idea about ninja
squirrels (the latter was probably deleted for the best).
We’ve all got great ideas but it’s making those ideas a
reality that is the really difficult part and most people
will stumble at the first hurdle as they realise the enor-
mity of the task. Then, even if you do manage to come
up with a great idea, the norm is generally to keep that
idea nice and small, with perhaps a few expansions
down the line. Launch with Ninja Squirrels (sorry to
bring that up again) in 2015 and then follow it up in
2016 with Ninja Squirrels at the Seaside, for example.
One person who ignored that principle, however,
is David Lewis the creator of Dropzone Commander,
a 10mm science-fiction tabletop wargame featur-
ing humanity’s desperate struggle against, not only
itself, but lethal alien races too. First released in
2012, Dropzone Commander launched with a huge
backstory, dozens of miniatures, four factions and
some incredible photography of the painted models.
For many companies this requires years of work by
multiple teams but, incredibly, David initally did this
all himself. We caught up with David during the last
two-day Dropzone Commander tournament event in
Croydon to find out how he created such a compre-
hensive game from day one… and what advice he’s
got for anyone else trying to do the same.
“I played a lot of wargames before I went to university
but stopped for a few years and played a lot of real-time
strategy videogames instead,” he told us. “I found there
wasn’t really a wargaming title that matched up to how
those games felt on PC, so I wanted to do real-time
strategy on the tabletop, along with creating my own
universe and making something that was mine. So, I just
kind of went for it, locked myself in a basement for a few
years and came out with Dropzone Commander.”
It must have been a hell of a basement because
when David emerged, possibly blinking in the harsh
sunlight and wondering why Kim Kardashian now
dominated the world, he was brandishing the back
story for an incredibly rich science fiction game. It’s
impossible to explain in its entirety here but the game
is set in the far future after Earth has been invaded by
deadly bug-like aliens called the Scourge. Humans
have split into two distinct factions: the UCM who
are determined to wipe out the Scourge and the PHR
(Post Human Republic) who have embraced alien
tech to become the next evolution in mankind’s
existence. Meanwhile, a mysterious alien race known
as the Shaltari have offered to help humanity in its
quest… but no one is quite sure about their motives.
Normally this kind of content is dismissed as ‘fluff’
but the rulebook content is exceptionally well written
and definitely worth a read. So, with such a well-
formed background, we wondered if that had been
the starting point for David.
“Not really,” he answers. “The background and
game really evolved together, so I knew what some of
the races were going to be and what they were going
to be about, while others materialised with the core. ▶

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 “I wanted to do real-time strategy
on the tabletop. So, I just kind
of went for it, locked myself in
a basement for a few years and
came out with Dropzone.”

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 DROPZONE COMMANDER

UCM and Scourge were always going to be the first, ■ A new faction has now been
while the PHR and Shaltari came after those. You dis- added to the game called The
til a background from a bunch of ideas and then you Resistance - humans who
end up with something that works. It didn’t actually have survived under Scourge
take too long to get the core together and then when occupation.
you come to write the book itself, you nail it down.”
Along with the background, David was keen that
his game should offer something different. After all,
other science fiction games have come and gone, so
he didn’t want potential players to immediately com- ■ The models painted below
pare Dropzone to something else that was already were originally painted by David
available. “I wanted to achieve a fun, playable game himself and then he would pho-
that a lot of people wanted to play but I also thought tograph them too.

it was important to have a unique element… in this

case, it was the dropships,” explains David.
“Certain things have been done very well before
and I didn’t want to be another ‘me-too-ist’ and
here’s another game with ‘x’. So the dropships were
always going to be a core focus of the game and a key
part of Dropzone Commander’s success is that it was
designed for these dropships from the outset – not
just from a rules writing process but from a miniature
point of view too. The whole thing was to design all
the models to work with the dropships, for example
all the tanks will physically fit inside a dropship.
What’s more you really need dropships to play the
game properly and the rules are written to assume
you’re going to be using them.”
Unlike some other wargames, Dropzone Command-
er doesn’t necessarily see you deploying all your troops
at once – so it’s not a case of one army lining up on one
side while their opponent is on the other. By using the
dropships, players can choose where to drop some
of their units once the game has started. Even more
interesting are the Shaltari, who use teleportation gates
to send their units onto the battlefield. The latter cer-
tainly creates some unique moments where a Shaltari
unit can enter one teleportation gate and emerge from
another on a different place on the battlefield.
With the background and key game ideas in
place, that was really just the beginning for David.
“Originally I designed everything myself. In fact, I

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did all the miniatures design, all the painting, all the
photograph, all the rules writing, the background,
most of the logos… a lot of work. Thankfully that was
a few years ago and there are more people working at
Hawk now. Although I still do all the vehicle design
and computer-aided design, photography, writing…
so yeah, I still do a lot of the content but there’s more
than just me now.
“I did this because it’s what I love to do. I did product
design at university so could have easily gone into
designing kettles or something for another company
for years, without really enjoying myself. But I thought I
had a chance to do something that I love, so seeing the
game out there on the shelves today is awesome.”
Of course, although initially the game was all
David’s work, once it’s out there and available to the
masses, things become a little different – particular-
ly when it comes to writing new rules or tweaking
existing ones. “It’s very important to listen to the
community and we’ve got quite a few people who are
part of our ‘Secret Squirrel’ playtest group who get
to see the rules early. We run rules past them and we
always listen, so we’ll change rules if we’re seeing the
same complaints over and over again. Saying that,
it’s important not to knee jerk and sometimes after
we’ve released rules we’ll wait for a month to let it
mature a bit because sometimes you’ll get a new unit
that works differently and people are just moaning
because they don’t know how to kill it!”
140_145_dropzoneCommanderRB.indd 143
■ All of the different factions
have very unique appearances.
In particular the Shaltari look
like nothing else in wargaming.
143
Since the game launched in summer 2012, David
and the Hawk team have slowly been adding more
and more units to the game. Recently, each faction
got their own new Commander miniatures, which
also came with new rules. However, David is always
keen to make sure that new units don’t break the
existing game. “It’s hard to balance a game but if you
playtest enough and try to fit unit design around strat-
egy, rather than just making a new unit better, then
you can keep everything balanced,” added David.
“Usually we think of a role for a unit before we
design it. So, for example, a lot of PHR players are
grumbling they don’t have a proper gunship but that’s
because their dropships are gunships too… but there
are enough people asking for it, so there’s clearly a
role for a PHR gunship, which means it’ll probably get
made at some point. You’ve got to think what tactical
role that unit if going to perform and then you come
up with the unit based on that. It’s easy to just design
new models and then work out the rules for them
later but that’s not something that I like to do.
“In particular I think this approach works well for
tournaments because you give players more tactical
options with new releases, rather than just writing off
old ones. This just causes power creep where the new
stuff is better than the old stuff, which means that to be
running a competitive army, you’ve got to pack it full
of new products. I don’t think that ever works properly
for tournaments and that’s not how we want to write a
game.” In fact, things are going so well with Dropzone
Commander that David is now turning his attentions
to another game based within the same ‘universe’.
However, rather than featuring ground troops, this
new game currently codenamed Dropfleet, will be
based around the spaceships vying for position ▶
15/05/2015 15:30
 DROPZONE COMMANDER

outside of a planet’s atmosphere. There will be more ■ Hawk is planning plenty of

details on that in the months to come. new releases for Dropzone this
So, after successfully creating a game himself and year and has been teasing new
with plans in place for another, what advice does Da- infantry for the factions.
vid have for anyone else keen to do the same thing?
“It depends on what game you’re going to write and Hawk Wargames’ Simon
I think it’s really important to have a fleshed out idea
before you start making the models. Edwards gives some
“I think you should have a core idea about what
you want your game to be and try not to be ‘oh, I’m
advice about running your
just going to make another skirmish game or what- own tournament events.
ever but with nice models’. You’ve got to have some

O
idea about how that skirmish game is going to play ne of the reasons behind Dropzone
differently from other similar games. Commander’s success is that it’s become
a fun but competitive tournament
“But I think that people should try things and you
game and every year Hawk Wargames runs
should take risks. It was a big risk doing Dropzone numerous tournaments around the world. One
but I was young enough to take it because I didn’t of the biggest is Invasion, a two-day event that
have as many responsibilities as I do now. However, takes place near Hawk’s offices in glamorous
Croydon. This year more than 40 players took
saying that, it’s an industry that’s prone to failure and
part, including a team that had travelled from
it’s hard work. It requires disgusting hours, many Sweden. Invasion is organised by tournament
late nights and many weekends and you’ve always veteran Simon Edwards, who has run events for
got to go that extra mile to compete. But if you bear numerous different games over the years. With
competitive play becoming more important,
that in mind it can be brilliant when you succeed but
we caught up with Simon to get some tips for
even then you’re only as good as your last release, so anyone else thinking of organising their own
you’ve got to keep feeding the beast… it never stops!” tournament.
But several years on from when David first went
down into that basement to flesh out his idea for a
tabletop game, is David happy he did it in the first
place? “When I look back at that time spent in the
basement and where we are now, I’m really happy,”
he understandably says with a smile. “Of course,
sometimes when you’re still in the office at 3am it
doesn’t feel so great but most of the time it does feel
wonderful. I want Dropzone to run forever and ever
and, if people keep wanting to play it, then I’ll keep
making stuff for it… I just don’t have to lock myself
away in a basement to do it anymore!” ■

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So, first things first, what do people need to
consider when starting out? “It’s always a bit
daunting the first time you run a tournament and,
like most things, you will make mistakes,” Simon
tells us. “But don’t worry, you can always learn
from those mistakes if you go on to run more.”
One of Simon’s top tips is to focus a lot
of attention on terrain, which is essential for
wargaming tournaments. “A lot of people always
forget to think about the terrain when they’re
just starting but that’s a really important part of
the planning. For example, here we’re running a
40-man tournament, which means a lot of boards
and a lot of terrain.
“Buildings or terrain can be really expensive
because you’ve got to buy it from somewhere.
So you’ll often find that a lot of tournaments
actually ask players to bring their own terrain
and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.
Of course, you can buy it yourself but that’s
something you should really build up to. You
would run a few tournaments and ask people to
bring along their own terrain, while building up
the funds to buy your own.
“But, even then, the danger of owning all the
terrain means you’ve got to store it somewhere,
which means you need a lot of space, plus it
could get damaged, so you’ve got to repair it.
The logistics of having lots of terrain does cause
some problems.”
With all this terrain floating around, it’s best to
get some others involved too. Of course, if you’re
a member of a local games club then you can
get them involved to help move tables or terrain
around on the day. Failing that, it’s time to rope in
your family and friends.
“The next thing to consider is how many
people you want to take part,” added Simon,
“and that really depends on the game you’re
playing. I mean, to begin with, I would always go
140_145_dropzoneCommanderRB.indd 145
for something like a 16 man tournament, which
should be fairly manageable. This will typically
involve eight tables and that’s something you
can probably get from a local club. Also, with
something that size you should be able to run the
tournament from a pub or out of a smallish room
that you can hire, like a church hall.
“To begin with it’s all about numbers and I
wouldn’t start by doing something like an 80 man
event out of nowhere because people just won’t
145
TOURNAMENT TIPS
trust you to do it. This industry is very much
based on word of mouth, so you’ve got to slowly
build that reputation. Your first one can be 16
people – with perhaps half of those from a local
club – then if that’s a success the next time you
can increase to 32 and ask members from other
clubs to attend. The temptation is to go big but
you’ve got to gradually build these things.”
Ok, so now you’ve got the tables, the
volunteers and the people ready to play… erm,
what about deciding who actually wins? Simon
reckons it’s important to consider the scoring
system to ensure everyone has fun and, at least,
gets a few points on the scoreboard.
For the Dropzone events, Simon uses a
variation of the 20-nil system, which means that
people can score a maximum of 20 points from
a single game… although this is exceptionally
hard to do. Instead the losing player will always
end up with at least some points, even when
they lose.
“Using the 20-nil system ensures that games
are always exciting and close, which means
you’ve very rarely already won by turn two –
something that I think is always a bit sad,” said
Simon. “The problem with a win or lose scenario
is that you could be having an amazing game
that goes down to the last roll and if you mess
that up, you come away with nothing. Using
something like the 20-nil system ensures that
even if you mess that last roll up, the score could
still be 12-8, which means you’ve come away
with something.”
Finally Simon says that everyone should
give tournaments a go… but perhaps choose
that first game wisely. “There are some gaming
systems out there that are very competitive with
competitive players and I probably wouldn’t
recommend those as a starting point, as it would
put you off for life. Ask around to find out about
some friendly tournaments and go for one of
those first.
“But the main thing is to go in there with the
right attitude – after all, we are adults playing with
toy soldiers. If you go in there thinking you’ve got
to win every game at all costs, then if you lose
one game it’ll ruin your day. But if you go there to
have fun, to meet new people and do the social
things in the evening, then if you do well then
that’s fantastic but if you don’t, then you’ve still
had a really fun experience.”
TOP FIVE TIPS
1. Terrain, terrain and more
terrain! For miniature
wargaming events,
you’re going to need lots
of terrain.
2. Start small – gradually
build up to larger events,
as your reputation in
gaming circles begins
to grow.
3. Be social! Share pictures
and results from the
event on social media to
attract people to future
events.
4. Points mean prizes.
Try to use a scoring
system that ensures
even the losers at least
get some points on the
scoreboard.
5. Have fun! It sounds daft
but you need to have
the right attitude for
tournament play to get
the most out of it.
15/05/2015 15:30
 INFINITY
OPERATION ICESTORM
Game designer Gutier Lusquiños explains the inspiration behind Infinity’s sci-fi themes.
Corvus Belli | Sci-fi skirmish | £74 | 2 players | 60 minutes | www.infinitythegame.com

I
■ Operation Icestorm comes
with starter forces for the No-
mads and PanOceania, as seen
in the illustration above.
nfinity Operation Icestorm is the relatively recently
released introductory two-player set for the intense
science fiction skirmish game, Infinity. Published
by Spanish firm Corvus Belli, Infinity sees small
squads of soldiers, hackers, aliens and robotic pandas
(yes, you read that correctly) going up against each
other in small battles.
Set 175 years in the future when humanity is
struggling to survive, Infinity pits several different
factions against each other in a scrap for victory.
Each faction has their own detailed background, like
the Nomads who are rebels that live on three huge
spaceships, while PanOceania is at the top of the
social ladder, with huge influence and power.
Operation Icestorm gives newcomers the perfect
introduction to this world by offering two starter
sets for Nomads and PanOceania, along with a set of
introductory rules based around different missions.
The missions are a masterstroke because they slowly
introduce different mechanics, so by the end of
number five you’ll be a dab hand at orbital drops,
healing downed allies and thermo optical camouflage.

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 “We always hit, e.g. score more than five on a six-sided dice,
Infinity sees you trying to roll as close as possible
have liked to a target number without going over it. So, if you
need a 13 to hit, anything under that will count,
near future whereas anything over that will be ‘bust’ and miss
the target. However, if you roll the exact target
but not dark number that counts as a critical hit and strikes
your opponent no matter what. The beauty of
sci-fi, and this system is that even a lowly soldier can score
a critical hit against a stronger opponent, which
we felt there makes for some fantastic ‘last gasp’ gameplay.
To find out more about Infinity we spoke to the
were no game’s designer Gutier Lusquiños to see what
inspired him and what’s next for the game.
games that How would you describe Infinity to someone
reflected the that’s never played it?
Infinity is a skirmish miniature game developed in
kind of sci-fi a sci-fi setting. It is a very tactical game, in which
the player has plenty of options to accomplish the
we liked.” mission or beat the enemy.

What inspired you to create Infinity?

We always have liked near future but not dark sci-fi,
and we felt there were no games that reflected the
kind of sci-fi we liked. At that moment, we were
thinking of Masamune Shirow’s Ghost in the Shell
and Dan Simmons Hyperion books series, which
became some of the most important references for all
the four creators of the game. ▶

However, one of the most crucial things about

Infinity is that it does away with traditional ‘you go, I
go’ format in favour of something far more organic.
The tagline of Infinity is ‘always your turn’ and that’s
certainly the case. While your opponent is moving
round the board or shooting, you can choose to react
to whatever they’re doing by returning fire or dodging
out the way. This mechanic always ensures you’re
engaged in the game, rather than switching off for
a few minutes while the other players moves their
pieces around the playing field.
Of course, the result of this mechanic is
that cover becomes extremely important and
Infinity games tend to be played on dense urban
environments with numerous buildings and
obstacles, so you can avoid getting spotted by your
opponet. Thankfully, Operation Icestorm comes
with a selection of card buildings that you can use
and each mission offers placement locations for
the terrain. Once again, it’s a great introduction to
larger games of Infinity, which see players using
bigger playing areas with huge amounts of suitably
futuristic-looking objects (see our next interview
with Micro Arts Studios for some examples).
Another neat element of Infinity is the use
of a 20-sided dice for combat rolls. Rather than
requiring players to roll over a certain number to

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 INFINITY OPERATION ICESTORM

How important was the ‘always your turn’

mechanic to the game?
It is the key part of the game, and one of the most
important elements of the system. We always have
thought the classical system “you play, meanwhile,
I wait” is boring and not realistic. If we join in with
a game, what we want is to play, not look at how the
other person is playing.

Do you think a lot of other skirmish games have

been inspired by the ‘always your turn’ system?
There are several games that use game mechanics
that allow you to play in the adversary’s turn, some of
them are similar to the Infinity mechanics, others not.
We think Infinity demonstrated to people that there is
a different way to play and you don’t have to replicate
the rigid mechanics of the previous successful games.

Is it fun to create the fantastic back stories of

the different factions? How do you come up
with the ideas?
Yes, it is the more fun part of the job for me, and
the most painful, too! There is a constant work of
searching for information and references, web
searching, reading newspapers and books… there
is a point when it’s impossible to watch a movie at
the cinema or just watch a TV series meanwhile
having dinner and not to think, “hey, this
can be useful for Infinity!” It
is difficult to disconnect the
brain from this part of the
job, but I don’t complain!
What’s your favourite
faction and why?
That is a very difficult question because all of them are
my little children. There is a part of me in all of them,
■ Corvus Belli’s miniatures are
some of the most detailed around
and look stunning.
and all of them have interesting background areas to
explore. Maybe Nomads is the closest to my heart as
this faction was my complete personal proposal to the
game, but I’m very close to Haqqislam, which required
a lot of documentation work, and also it was difficult to
compose a Muslim faction that’s set in the future and
not influenced by current topics. Any army that has
any background element required more effort because
they have to be included in a realistic way. In some
ways, these are closer to me because I achieved what
I set out to do and that makes me proud… or at least
that’s what I like to think.
When you look back at the early Infinity
miniatures are you surprised in the difference
in quality compared to today’s minis?
Yes, that happens constantly, we always say:
“hey, when we released this crappy
model we thought it was great!”
Those moments are important and
useful, as we realise we must
keep improving because a great
model of today is a second-
rate model of tomorrow.

■ There’s a wide variety of scales too, from

the typical 28mm infantry units to large
mechs, like the incredible Nomad Iguana
Squadron, as seen here.

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 Last year you released the Operation Icestorm
boxset – do you think it was important to release a
game that offered a starting point for newcomers?
Considering the success of that battle pack, yes. At
the beginning we were reticent as none of us were
comfortable with the idea of forcing people to buy
two different armies, but gamers are used to that so all
of them seemed pleased with that release. Probably
one of the reasons behind the success of Operation:
Icestorm was the quality of the models. We tried very
hard and they are some of the best in the Infinity range.

Would you like to create similar starter sets for

the other factions?
Maybe in the future, but not this year, that is sure.

Also last year, the latest version of the rules

(N3) was released… what were you hoping to
achieve with the new ruleset? Do you think
you’ve achieved it?
When we released the first and the second edition we
still were newcomers, with a lot of things to learn from
the games industry, so there were several points about
how to show and how to teach people to play Infinity.
With N3 we solved that. Even considering it is very soon
to start evaluating it deeply, it is clear the new version
is an improved one, keeping the same spirit and game
mechanics but showing them in a more comprehensible
way, easier to access and to understand.
Anything you’re particularly pleased with in N3?
We have achieved a more coherent and easier to
access ruleset, which will please not only newcomers
but also veteran players, and that is more difficult
than anyone could think.
■ Building your force and the
sheer wealth of weapon options
available to squads can be
confusing but there’s an army
list builder available at www.
infinitythegame.com that really
helps... in fact, it’s essential.
■ Although Infinity takes place
in the future, there’s really no
limit on the type of terrain you
can use... who knows what alien
planets actually look like?
On the subject of rules… for Infinity you can
download the rules, tokens and army lists from
the website – how important do you think it is to
offer these things for free to the community?
It is very important. At Corvus Belli, the greatest
efforts in time and work (which means money) are
always invested in the game rules because that is the
most difficult part of the business, not the models,
and we offer it for free. It is a bit like if Coca-Cola or
Pepsi offered their drinks for free, and you only had
to pay for the straw. And sometimes people are not
aware of that. However, we feel so sure about the
Infinity rules that we are not afraid for people to test
them before they have to spend any money on our
models. And, of course, we release the finest sci-fi
models, so this combined with the great rules is a
difficult combo to beat. ▶

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 INFINITY OPERATION ICESTORM

Have you ever thought about turning Infinity

into a videogame?
Yes, there were at least three projects about that, and
even with major companies, but eventually they were
not successful. It is probably just a question of time
when a company will release an Infinity videogame,
even if it’s just a very simple one for a mobile phone
or tablet. Ultimately though, our business is the
miniature industry, so we are not going to spend too
much time worrying about that.

What’s next for the Infinity universe? Can you

give us any information on Acheron Falls?
Well, I would like to point ‘Acheron Falls’ was a
working title, not necessarily the final one, even it has
been very well known. We want to keep developing
the Tohaa, as they are the newcomers in the Infinity
universe and their players need more units to reach
the same level of other factions. There are a lot of old ■ On the bottom picture you
models that need to be re-sculpted, and the same can see one of the latest factions
released for Infinity: the Tohaa.
happens with previously released rules that need
More releases are expected for
to be optimised to the N3 ruleset. A lot of work and this new addition to Infinity in
interesting times for the Infinity players are coming! ■ the coming months.
As one of Corvus Belli’s
chosen partners, we
found out more about
Micro Art Studio’s range of
Infinity terrain.

A
s we mentioned in our introduction to
Infinity, one of the most important things is
ensuring your troops stick to cover. Thanks
to the ‘always your turn’ mechanic, the minute your
Mobile Brigada or Fusilier pops their head out from
behind a building, it’s likely to get blown off.
Although the Operation Icestorm set comes
with some great cardboard cover, as your games
of Infinity grow, you’re going to need increasing
amounts of buildings and terrain. Thankfully,
numerous companies like Micro Art Studios
Antenocitis Workshop and Warsenal have
partnered with Infinity creators Corvus Belli to
create a range of suitably futuristic-looking pieces
to scatter around your playing table.
In fact, creating your own downtown utopia from
the 23rd century using computer terminals, road
systems, holo ads and houses definitely adds to
the fun of the game. Some people probably spend
more time perfecting their ideal tabletop layout than
actually playing the game!
To find out what it’s like to work with Corvus Belli
on Infinity products, we chatted to Kacper Graczyk
from Micro Art Studio, to find out more about the
process and how hard it is to create detailed terrain
that’s easy to put together.
Micro Art Studio was formed in 2003 by
Sebastian Makowski and Grzegorz Tomaszewski
and was initially an informal group of hobbyists who
enjoyed painting and converting figures for a variety
of wargaming systems. Two years later an official
company was formed offering painting services,
along with making resin products. As Micro Art

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 MICRO ART STUDIOS
■ On the far left you can see
Micro Art Studio’s impressive
Infinity table. In fact, you can buy
it direct from the site, complete
with all the terrain you’re likely
to need. Perfect for a club/shop.

Studio became well known for its resin pieces, the it should be more realistic and good terrain is the imagine, the design process is a long one!”
focus shifted from painting to manufacturing and key to getting more fun out of the models you With all this attention to detail, it should
now the company mainly produces accessories already own.” probably come as no surprise to hear that Corvus
for wargames, including battle dioramas, terrain However, there’s a balance between designing Belli made Micro Art an official partner to provide
elements, battle mats, tokens and lots more. great terrain and then actually creating it. items for use in the game. “It was nice to be
In 2011 it began producing Infinity-themed items Considerations such as material and how it all fits chosen as a partner,” said Kacper. “Corvus Belli
and started with a template set. Kacper explained together need to be considered. “Thinking about has a very good policy with regards to official
that the studio’s interest came from playing the what material to use is sometimes the hardest partners. Thanks to working with different people
game. “Infinity started to be more recognisable because although you may have an idea, choosing it can create a large selection of great products
with the second edition and we started to collect the material can affect certain elements,,” explained to use with Infinity. The team is not selfish and,
the miniatures. The next step was to play and we Kacper. “Do you use resin, HDF or foam? Each thanks to that the game – and the players – benefit
quickly realised the paper templates weren’t the material has advantages and disadvantages, e.g. a lot. There are a lot of new releases from different
best choice to use during the game.” resin is crisp and highly detailed but expensive to companies every month and that allows gamers to
After the templates, the next step was to start ship because it’s heavy; HDF as a material is cheap create some spectacular battlefields.”
making some buildings and cover for the game but it’s time consuming to cut it all out and finally Finally, what does the future hold for Micro Arts?
boards. For this the team looked at numerous foam is light and cheap but a lot of the detail is Over to Kacper: “More science fiction terrain and
areas for inspiration. “All of us at the studio are lost, plus the moulds are expensive. So, as you can more battle mats… so stay tuned!”
reading books, watching a lot of science fiction
videos and playing a lot of videogames. Plus our
boss is a fan of anime,” said Kacper. “We also
try to look at a lot of sci-fi art on the internet.
There are lots of things to inspire us.” This love
for anime and sci-fi is perhaps most noticeable in
the fantastic Infinity Holo Ads, which feature bold
anime-style characters.
As mentioned earlier, terrain for games like
Infinity is becoming almost as important as the ■ Along with buildings,
miniatures themselves, so we asked Kacper if he Micro Art Studio has also
had noticed whether terrain pieces are becoming produced some vehicles that
more popular. “We think it’s one of the most can be dotted around the
important parts of the hobby,” he said. “Each environments to provide
person will see awesome pictures with tables full more cover.
of beautiful areas in rulebooks but don’t know
how to create such great layouts at home on the
battlefield. We know that gamers are like us and
appreciate these beautiful environments, so we
wanted to provide an affordable and quite easy
way of constructing great tables… like you see in
the rulebooks.
“Good terrain helps your imagination – you feel
like you are part of the game. Also, games benefit
from the good terrain because it offers more
strategic options. Wargaming is more than just a
game of chess or a board game, so in some ways

151

146_149_infinityRB.indd 151 15/05/2015 15:32


We report from the latest Insomnia gaming event, which has seen its tabletop offerings grow and grow!
W
hat ostensibly seems like a
videogame festival from the outside
may seem like the last place you
would go to play some tabletop games. After
all, you’re more likely to find Call of Duty than
Ticket to Ride or Minecraft than Magic at most
of the nation’s videogaming events. However,
you may be surprised to hear that long-running
videogaming festival Insomnia has a growing
tabletop element and the organisers have some
big plans for the future!
Admittedly, upon arrival at Insomnia 54 (yes,
there have now been 54 of these events) the
tabletop games weren’t particularly apparent.
The queue around the side of the Ricoh Arena
was mostly full of kids wearing Minecraft shirts
or lugging large bespoke PCs around, ready
to play some furious LAN matches against
their peers. Even the first hall was crammed
to bursting with indie videogame developers,
150_153_insomnia54RB.indd 152
INSOMNIA 54
retailers and, yet more, PCs without a single
dice or game board in sight.
However, after being pointed in the right
direction by a cheerful member of staff, we
headed to a marquee outside the main venue
and was immediately greeted by a large sign
exclaiming “tabletop gaming”… now we were
clearly in the right area! We could almost hear
the dice hitting the cardboard, well apart from
the booming dance music blasting through the
speakers but you get the idea.
The man behind the tabletop gaming area
is Nigel Matthews, director of online retailer
Games Quest although when he was initially
approached about having a tabletop gaming
element at the show, he was skeptical. “To be
honest, I didn’t really believe they were serious
about having tabletop games at a videogames
festival,” said Nigel, “but I agreed to meet up
and see what they wanted to do.” The man
152
Nigel met almost three years ago was Michael
Lambert, events manager at Multiplay, the
company behind Insomnia.
“It was pretty obvious right from the start
that Michael was serious about making this
work and the reason why he had approached
me was actually because he had bought some
board games from Games Quest. He saw our
company card in the box and just gave us a
call,” explained Nigel.
After seeing that Michael wanted to turn
Insomnia into a ‘gaming’ event, rather than
just a ‘videogaming’ event, Nigel realised that
he would need some help pulling everything
together so he approached UK distributor
Esdevium, the company that distributes a
huge range of games from King of Tokyo to
X-Wing, Settlers of Catan, Zombicide and
more. Esdevium has a dedicated demo team
that travels up and down the country demoing
15/05/2015 15:36
 EVENT REPORT
“There’s definitely been a change in the
past few years and people are far more
receptive to trying out board games.”

■ Left: Over the course of the weekend, Games Quest

and Big Orbit Cards organised a well attended
Magic: The Gathering tournament. Insomnia’s
organisers Multiplay are keen to expand elements
such as this in the future.

■ Right top: Camel Up was one of the games people

could try out at Insomnia. Quick games like this are
fantastic for events, so people can dip in and dip out
for a quick play.

■ Right: Numerous people were seen throughout

the day pointing fake foam guns at each other as
they sampled Cash ‘n Guns... another great gateway
product for those new to tabletop gaming.

■ Bottom: However, if you fancied getting stuck in

to something more in-depth then Game of Thrones
was also on offer. Sadly there was no mead on tap to
accompany the slaughter and back-stabbing.

games to members of the public.

“We go to six MCM Expos, three Insomnias,
the UK Games Expo, Carfest, Wychwood
Festival, West End Live, Eurogamer Expo…”
that’s Esdevium’s demo manager Mike Budd
listing just some of the events the team
currently attends – a list that’s potentially
growing thanks to the increasing popularity of
boardgames; something that Mike has been
aware of recently.
“There’s definitely been a change in the past
couple of years and now people are far more
receptive to trying out board games,” said Mike.
“Before our demo team would really have to
work hard to encourage people to come and
play but now we’ll have people happily walking
over and asking to try out different products.
Often they’ll know exactly what they want and
will ask for them by name.
“Videogame events are also a great fit for ▶

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 tabletop gaming because there’s a big crossover
between the two hobbies. Ultimately they’re
both about people playing together, it’s just the
format that’s slightly different.”
On offer at Insomnia was a great selection of
games courtesy of Esdevium, including a first
look at Star Wars Armada, Game of Thrones,
King of Tokyo, Five Tribes, Cash ‘n’ Guns,
Sheriff of Nottingham, the Batman edition of
Love Letter, Marvel Dice Masters, Camel Up
and some others that we’ve probably forgotten.
What’s more, fellow UK distributor 24/7 Toys
was on hand with superb bespoke demo tables
for Sons of Anarchy, Firefly and Homeland,
150_153_insomnia54RB.indd 154
plus a sneaky look at Super Dungeon Explore:
Forgotten King before it had been shipped to
Kickstarter backers.
We also tried out a new game called Cycling
Party that’s being distributed by Games Quest,
following a successful Kickstarter campaign
last year, plus there was another title called The
Institute for Magical Arts (also being distributed
by Games Quest). It was great that ‘indie’ games
like this were sitting alongside big hitters such
as Magic or Star Wars Armada. From a personal
point of view, there’s definitely scope here for
smaller publishers or designers to get their
products ‘out there’ and this could provide
154
an interesting area of expansion at future
Insomnia events.
As well as demo games, Games Quest also
helped organise large social games with a
particularly fun looking unofficial tournament
for Click Clack Lumberjack plus Big Orbit
Cards laid on Magic tournaments across
the weekend. As Nigel told us, it’s all about
everyone working together to benefit tabletop
gaming as whole.
All of the games were being manned by
incredibly helpful staff that explained the
rules in a straightforward way to ensure
that even novices could get underway in a
■ Far left: Along with Esdevium, UK distributor
24/7 was on-hand with a range of games from Gale
Force Nine, including Sons of Anarchy and Firefly.
■ Left: Have you ever seen so many meeple in one
place? Well, yes, if you’re a regular player of Five
Tribes, which was another title on offer for a quick
demo session.
15/05/2015 15:36

matter of minutes. Demos were also tailored
to the individuals by finding out what they
were interested in to ensure they weren’t
thrown in at the deep end. It was great to see
people enjoying the tabletop games, while
surrounded by the lights and noise of the
videogames. “Some parents couldn’t believe
it the first time we had demo games because
the kids were more interested in playing
board games than videogames,” laughed
Nigel. “Now I think they know that both are
available at the event.”
But this is really only just the beginning
for tabletop gaming at Insomnia because
Michael Lambert has some pretty ambitious
plans for the future. The first Insomnia event
took place in 1999, as a round the clock LAN
party for gamers to get together and play in
organised tournaments. Originally held in
Swindon, the event has moved venues several
times and this year changed to the Ricoh
Arena after outgrowing the previous location
at Telford International Centre… but Michael
still wants more!
“For me I want this whole thing to be a
celebration of gaming, no matter what you
play,” said Michael. “I think Nigel was a bit
surprised when I asked him to do this but along
with the team at Esdevium he has really done
150_153_insomnia54RB.indd 155
some great work in pulling this together and
making it an important part of the festival.
“I was keen to include tabletop gaming in
one way or another but, although I do play
tabletop games, I’m not an expert so I wanted
to bring in people that knew what they were
doing. The first time we did it, the tabletop
gaming area was roughly 50 square metres but
it has grown and grown since then.”
Michael was inspired by the Penny Arcade
Expo (PAX) in the States, which caters for
videogame tournaments alongside tabletop
gaming. There are now hundreds of freeplay
tables at the main PAX event, along with a
library of games for people to try out. A format
that could herald the future for Insomnia.
“In the future I want some of the UK’s
big tabletop tournaments to take place at
Insomnia because that’s what we’ve become
famous for in the videogame world, so why
not do the same for tabletop?” asks Michael.
“Currently we let people organise their own
community LAN tournaments and we could
certainly do something similar with Magic or
Netrunner… as long as they’re organised well.
“As far as I’m concerned this is a growing
market and we’ve seen that first hand and
there’s potential for exponential growth
here at the show. At the moment it’s part of
155
EVENT REPORT
another hall but there’s definite scope for a
tabletop-only hall, even a Magic-only hall…the
possibilities really are endless.”
Mike from Esdevium certainly sees the
potential for more demo games at the show
and has seen the reaction first hand as his
team show the various products. “I think that
what quite a few people like is they can come
and sit down and play the board games as
a family. The parents may not understand
the videogames but they can quickly grasp
something like Dobble, which acts as an entry
for others games.
“It’s clear that geek chic is in at the
moment and boardgames are benefitting
because of that. Just look at something like
the YouTube videos from Wil Wheaton. As
soon as he talks about a game on Tabletop,
we know that stock will be in demand the
following week because he’s drawing more
and more attention to the products.”
All of this means that Insomnia is certainly
an event to watch for tabletop gamers.
Multiplay organises three events a year in
Spring, Summer and Winter – in fact, the
summer event (i55) is just around the corner
and takes place at the Ricoh Arena again
from August 28th until August 31st. We’ll see
you there! ■
■ There were
numerous tables ready
for people to sit and
have a few games of
Magic: The Gathering.
Experts were also
there to explain the
rules to newcomers
who fancied having a
go too.
15/05/2015 15:36
EVENT REPORT
SALUTE 2015
We report from one of wargaming’s most important annual events.
Y
ou can judge the popularity
of an event by the size of the
queue. In the case of Salute 2015
that queue was bigger than all of the
rollercoaster lines at Alton Towers put
together. Eager gamers snaked around
an empty hall at London’s Excel,
patiently waiting to get inside and see
the latest releases from a wealth of
games publishers and go home with
their bags bursting with purchases.
Organised by the South London
Warlords and first started way back
in the 1980s, Salute has become the
UK’s biggest independent one-day
wargaming and gaming event and
this year was a record-breaking year
with more than 6,500 visitors piling
through the doors throughout the
day. And you can certainly see why so
many attend, once inside the spacious
venue there were 150 traders – many
of which had special offers and
discounts for Salute – and more than
100 participation games to try out.
The latter is certainly one of the
biggest appeals of Salute because it
gives you an opportunity to try out
games that you may be thinking of
investing in but haven’t had chance
to play. There are plenty of big name
games such as The Batman Miniatures
Game, Dropzone Commander or
Infinity, alongside smaller but equally
compelling titles like Arcworlde or
Anyaral: The World of Twilight.
156_salute2015ReportRB.indd 156
with a space-based game, Spartan is
also making a 15mm combat game
featuring iconic characters like the
Spartans and vehicles such as the
Warthog. It’s due for release in 2016.
Finally on the new front, Prodos
Games was showing off its hugely
anticipated Aliens versus Predator
game, which looks incredible. There
were a couple of demo boards
available for people to finally try out
this long-awaited title and the guys
from Prodos were more than happy to
chat to people about the project. We’ll
certainly be following up on this one in
a future issue.
However, one thing that was
apparent from the smaller companies
like Infamy or the big names like
Warlord Games, is that we truly are
in the midst of a glorious time to be
a gamer. The detail in sculpting on
the miniatures is phenomenal, the
wealth of terrain (particularly laser cut
MDF) is growing and the community
is becoming ever larger. But the best
thing is that there’s now so much
What’s more along with established ■ On one of the choice for gamers wanting to get into
games, some companies also take the participation tables, the hobby or experienced players
opportunity to showcase brand new you could recreate looking for new things. Whatever
products at Salute – an indication, the famous Battle of your interest is, then it’s likely there’s
once again, of its importance within Hoth from the Empire a game based around it and, even
the gaming scene. So at this year’s Strikes Back. better, it was probably on display
event, you had Dropzone Commander during the event. Salute, we salute you
announcing its brand new spaceship and can’t wait for 2016. ■
combat game called, at the moment,
Dropfleet, which takes place in
orbit above the planets upon which
Dropzone Commander battles are
taking place. A handful of sample
ships were displayed at Salute, along
with some details about how the game
will play too. The ships themselves
were locked safely away behind a
glass cabinet but throughout the
day interested gamers were spotted
peering into the cabinet for a closer
look. We’ll have more details on
Dropfleet in a future issue.
Meanwhile, talking of spaceship
combat, Spartan Games was on-hand
with, not only painted examples of
the spaceships from its upcoming
Halo Fleet Battles: The Fall of Reach,
but also demo tables too. Hopefully
you’ve already got the inside scoop
on this upcoming game in our earlier
interview but needless to say, the
Halo tables were busy throughout
the day. However, Spartan also had a
nice surprise with a few models from
its previously unannounced Halo
ground troops game. That’s right, along
156
18/05/2015 15:26
 WIN SUPER DUNGEON EXPLORE:
FORGOTTEN KING GOODIES
Thanks to the guys at 24/7 Toys (the
UK distributor for Super Dungeon
Explore: Forgotten King) and Ninja
Division we’ve got a very cool prize
to giveaway. One lucky winner will
receive all the items from the Always
Super! pledge level from the 2014
Forgotten King Kickstarter, which
is packed to the rafters with loads
of great treats – so many, in fact, it
comes in two boxes.
Take a look at the pictures here to
see all the great models you’ll get,
plus there’s the fun Boo Booty box
and even a colouring book! Just
make sure you stay in the lines.

HOW TO ENTER:
To be in with a chance of winning this
great prize answer the following question:

In Super Dungeon Explore what is the name for the dungeon master? a) Consul b) Nintenlord c) Dreamcaster

Closing date is 31st August, 2015. Send your answer, along with your name, address and contact details to:
Super Dungeon Explore Competition, Tabletop Gaming Magazine, Warners Group Publications, The Maltings, West Street,
157
Bourne, Lincolnshire, PE10 9PH. Alternatively enter online at www.collectors-club-of-great-britain.co.uk/competitions

156_salute2015ReportRB.indd 157 15/05/2015 15:03

 HOBBY TIPS
Andy Leighton of Deathwatch Studios gives you some tips to
get your Deadzone Plague troops looking suitably gruesome.

■ Flesh: basecoat of
Pallid Wych Flesh. Wash ■ Deadzone from Mantic Games centres around a terrible virus that turns
of 3:1 Druchii Violet and people and animals into killing machines. Rather than becoming zombies
some victims of the virus retain basic functions and can operate machinery or
Lahmian Medium. Wait weapons, while others turn into hulking monsters that love nothing more than
for the previous wash death and destruction. Andy Leighton of Deathwatch Studios gives some advice
to dry and add a light about creating an alternative colour scheme for the Plague faction, complete
wash of 3:1 Drakenhof with ghoulish glowing highlights.
Nightshade and
Lahmian Medium. Once
dry add a fine highlight
of Pallid Wych Flesh.

■ Blue trousers: basecoat

Kantor Blue. Highlight
of Altdorf Guard Blue.
Highlight 1:1 Altdorf Guard
Blue and White. Fine
highlight of 2:1 White and
Altdorf Guard Blue.

■ Green spines and armour plates:

basecoat of Caliban Green. Highlight of
Snot Green. Highlight of Moot Green. Fine
highlight of 2:1 White and Moot Green.

tabletop
GAMING
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158

158_159_hobbyTipsRB.indd 158 18/05/2015 12:34

 ■ Weapons: basecoat of Doombull Brown. ■ Clothing: basecoat Tau Light Ochre. Wash
Stipple on Trollslayer Orange then Fire of Agrax Earthshade. Highlight of Tau Light
Dragon Bright. Lightly drybrush Leadbelcher Ochre. Fine highlight of 1:1 Tau Light Ochre
to the edges. Wash of Agrax Earthshade. Fine and Pallid Wych Flesh.
highlight of Leadbelcher to some of the edges
and stippled onto larger areas.

■ Glowing highlights: add a coat of watered down Moot Green on and

around the eyes and mouth. This should be about five parts water to
one part paint. Allow to dry and then add a coat of 3:1:1 water, Moot
Green and White, leaving the outer most parts the original colour. To
finish off add a dab of 3:1 White and Moot Green to the centre.

■ Jackets, straps
and pouches:
basecoat in
Black. Add a
highlight of
Mechanicus
Standard Grey.
Highlight with
Codex Grey.
Fine highlight
of Celestra Grey.
Wash with
Badab Black.

■ Bases: Add a coat of the GW texture

paint Astrogranite. This gives it the
texture, but with enough spacing
between them to feel like a concrete
surface. It also has the added bonus
of filling and hiding the seam around
the circular section around the feet.

159

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SHOP DIRECTORY ONLINE

Scotland’s leading online retailer

of speciality games. We offer a
bonhomiegames.uk
range of board games, collectable Specialising in independent games, and
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Tabletop Games readers use code ‘TTG’ during
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ONLINE CARDIFF

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Games for Knowledgeable,
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Website: www.7thheavengames.co.uk
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www.eclecticgames.co.uk / Tel: 0118 9598250

ESSEX ESSEX

eclectic games.indd 1 11/05/2015 10:30

p160-161.indd 2 15/05/2015 15:38

 STAFFORDSHIRE WARWICKSHIRE

SHOP DIRECTORY
102 High Street
Burton on Trent
DE14 1LJ
01283 511293

salnphil@spiritgames.co.uk
Giving great service to the
Midlands & the World since 1986
www.spiritgames.co.uk
SWANSEA

tabletop
• Accessories
• Board Games
GAMING
To advertise here please call
• Card Games & CCGs
• Roleplaying Games
• Miniature Wargames
• Gaming Room
• D&D Organised Play
• FFG Organised Play
• WPN Advanced Store
• Friday Night Magic Emma on 01778 391129
5 Bellevue Way, Swansea, SA1 5BZ
Tel: 01792 930328
or email emma.czajka@
enquiries@thegamersemporium.co.uk
www.thegamersemporium.co.uk warnersgroup.co.uk
facebook.com/thegamersemporium

CLUB DIRECTORY
■ BAG OF HOLDING (wargames), Fri (Magic), Sat/Sun • Second Sunday of every month from
www.bagofholding.co.uk (general/board games) - until 10pm noon, every Wednesday from 7pm
82 Parkstone Road, Poole,
Dorset, BH15 2QE ■ GAMERZ NEXUS ■ WARRINGTON BOARD
• Every other Tuesday, 7pm to 9pm www.gamerznexus.co.uk GAMES CLUB
12a Station Road, Rayleigh, (www.meetup.com/warringtongamers)
lvl up, 266 Charminster Road, Essex, SS6 7HL The Looking Glass, 41-43 Buttermarket
Bournemouth, BH8 9QJ • Monday (board games), Tuesday Street, Warrington, Cheshire, WA1 2LY
• Sundays 12pm-8pm (Pokémon/Magic), Wednesday (LCG/ • Tabletop Tuesdays from 7pm
D&D), Thursday (RPG), Friday (Magic),
■ ECLECTIC GAMES Saturday (various), Sunday (40k) ■ WAR & PEACE GAMES
www.eclecticgames.co.uk CLUB (www.facebook.com/
36 Market Place, Reading, Berkshire, ■ HORNCHUCH HEROES WarPeaceGamesClub)
RG1 2DE GAMING CLUB Springfield Hall, Station Road,
• Events throughout the week starting at www.tolehaven.co.uk Sandiacre, Nottingham, NG10 5BG
6.30am, weekends from 10/11am Tole Haven, 30 Roneo Corner, • Wednesday, 7pm to 11pm
Hornchurch, Essex, RM12 4TN
■ FIRESTORM GAMES • Fridays, 4pm to 8pm ■ WAYLAND GAMES
www.firestormgames.co.uk www.waylandgames.co.uk
Trade Street, Penarth Road, Cardiff, ■ RULES OF PLAY 17-19 Eldon Way, Hockley,
CF10 5DT www.rulesofplay.co.uk Essex, SS5 4AD
• Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from Urban Tap House, 25 Westgate Street, • Monday (Magic) 7.30pm, Wednesday
12pm until 11pm Cardiff, CF10 1DD (Warhammer/Warmachine) 6pm, Friday
• Mondays, 5pm until 10pm (Magic) 7pm, Sunday 2pm-8pm
■ GAMERS EMPORIUM
www.gamersemporium.co.uk ■ SPIRIT GAMES To advertise here please
5 Bellevue Way, Swansea, SA1 5BZ www.spiritgames.co.uk call Emma Czajka on 01778
• Mon (RPG), Tues (general), 102 High Street, Burton on Trent, 391129 or email emma.czajka@
Weds (D&D/organised play), Thurs Staffordshire, DE14 1LJ warnersgroup.co.uk

p160-161.indd 3 18/05/2015 11:32

 Tabletop Time Machine
HEROQUEST (1991)
B
y the 1980s fantasy role play games with their
tomes of rules and complex combat systems
had created a barrier for new players. Milton
Bradley (MB Games) was the number one name in
family gaming at the time and in partnership with
Games Workshop it created a board game that would
smash through this barrier and make fantasy role play
gaming for everyone.
HeroQuest was the brainchild of Stephen Baker, an
employee of Milton Bradley. He kept the rules simple
and players could only choose from four predefined
characters; Barbarian, Dwarf, Wizard or Elf. This elim-
inated the need for a character creation system and
allowed players to get involved quickly. Players were
then guided through each quest by a Games Master
who revealed the dungeon and its monsters one room
at a time, using the miniatures and props supplied
with the game.
HeroQuest was successful but short lived, the
managing director of Games Workshop at the time
was Bryan Ansell, founder of Asgard Miniatures and
inventor of a game called Warhammer Fantasy Battle.
In 1991 Ansell bought Games Workshop from its own-
ers Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone and from that
point on Games Workshop focused entirely on the
Warhammer product. HeroQuest was actually set in
the Warhammer world but the only reason you would
ever know this is from a map printed on the back of
the Return of the Witch Lord expansion pack.
As a product HeroQuest was extremely well pre-
sented with fantastic artwork throughout by Games
162_tabletopTimeMachineRB.indd 162
■ For many HeroQuest will the first game that introduced
them to fantasy miniatures, which led them to explore larger
fantasy wargames. It’s become one of the classic tabletop
games and sells for potentially large amounts on eBay.
Workshop artists Gary Chalk and Les Edwards. The
dungeon furniture and miniatures were detailed and
helped to create a believable world leading to Hero-
Quest winning an Origins Award for “Best Graphic
Presentation of a Boardgame of 1991”. The game
continued to have some support through several
expansion packs and each brought more miniatures,
overlaid room tiles, and a whole new book of quests.
Even with a static board design, these expansion
packs and the versatile layout of the rooms meant that
playing HeroQuest always felt like you were exploring
a new dungeon.
The fact that HeroQuest was a board game rather
than a role play game didn’t stop the Game Master
from being creative, there was an official “Adventure
Design kit” available for creating your own campaigns
and the initial quest book came with a blank template
to photocopy. The game was officially expanded to
more traditional role play style later when Milton
Bradley brought out its sequel Advanced HeroQuest.
HeroQuest is still popular today with both players
and collectors meaning very high prices are paid for
second hand copies and expansion packs. There is
also an “unofficial” 25th anniversary edition launch-
ing soon from Gamezone. HeroQuest’s popularity
today is justified; it provided its players with a fantasy Phil Robinson is a game
adventure and a slowly revealed environment to ex- historian and the founder of
plore, its world was inhabited by dangerous foes but the Museum Of Gaming, an
organisation that explores
full of treasure, best of all it’s a co-operative game that
and documents the history of
encourages us to work together and reap the rewards gaming through its collections,
of friendship both in and out of the game. ■ exhibitions and research.
162
18/05/2015 12:35
 IN THE NEXT ISSUE...

BEST OF BRITISH
Celebrating the wealth of UK talent in the tabletop gaming industry.

Image © Warploque Miniatures

PLUS!
NEWS | PREVIEWS | INTERVIEWS | REVIEWS | SHOP VISITS
CLUB SPOTLIGHTS | HOBBY TIPS | TABLETOP TIME MACHINE | AND MORE!

AVAILABLE SEPTEMBER

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 ® © & TM Lucasfilm Ltd. The FFG logo is ® of Fantasy Flight Publishing, Inc.

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