Tabletop Gaming - June 2022

102 Pages·2022·65.1 MB·English

Welcome
EDITORIAL
EDITOR
Christopher John Eggett
01778 392 400
[email protected]
ONLINE EDITOR
W
Charlie Pettit e’ve got an issue filled with satisfying
01778 395 018 duels this month, with a dive into the
[email protected]
Flesh & Blood competitive scene with
CONTRIBUTORS
national champion Matt Rogers (and you should
Anna Blackwell, Tim Clare, Jenny
have a fresh booster pack in your hands from the
Cox, Ellie Dix, Richard Jansen-
Parkes, Dan Jolin, Andy Leighton, front of this very magazine to get you started). Plus,
C M Lowry, Ben Maddox, David we talk to the game’s designer about the upcoming
Parlett, Alex Sonechkina, Charlie
release, Uprising.
Theel, David Thompson, Matthew
Vernall,Chad Wilkinson And if hand to hand combat between mighty
heroes isn’t enough, how about a world war? We
talk to Thomas Pike about STRIKE HQ – the follow-
up card game to the ever popular Escape the Dark…
series. We find out if we can really do a real time
strategy game on the tabletop, fog of war included.
Plus we take a look at two titans – first in the form
of Shadow of the Colossus inspired Leviathan Wilds,
ADVERTISING and then as a toy, with Masters of the Universe:
TO ADVERTISE PLEASE CALL Battleground – a He-Man skirmish game.
SALES MANAGER
This is also a slightly sad issue, as we say goodbye
Murdo MacLeod 01778 391 129
to one of our longest running columns, First Turn.
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With 59 entries it’s one that’s hard to beat in terms
PRODUCTION MANAGER
Nicola Glossop01778 392 420 of staying the distance. Tune in next month for Dan’s
[email protected] Get in touch reflections on the first times of many great designers.
But to cheer you up, we’ve got 27 reviews
PRODUCTION ASSISTANT
Charlotte Bamford 01778 395081 tabletopgaming.co.uk including District 9: The Board Game, Voices In My
[email protected] Head, and Fjords.
tabletopmag
MARKETING
MARKETING MANAGER tabletopgamingmagazine
Katherine Brown 01778 395 092
[email protected] tabletop_gaming_magazine
MARKETING EXECUTIVE
Luke Hider 01778 395085 tabletopgamingmag Christopher John Eggett Editor
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PUBLISHERClaire Ingram
[email protected] You’re sitting We’re We want
Warners Group Publications PLC
across delivering people who
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Lincolnshire, PE10 9PH
from somebody all that classic are going to really
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that absolutely ‘constructing, engage with the
NEWSTRADE DISTRIBUTION
Warners Group Publications PLC deserves to be deploying, tactical puzzle
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there attacking’ you get
PRINTING
from a traditional
RTS
Matt Rogers on the Flesh & Blood Thomas Pike on creating the Justin Kemppainen of Moon Crab
The views expressed by contributors are not necessarily those
of the publishers. Every care is taken to ensure that the content competitive scene, p20 tabletop RTS STRIKE HQ, p28 on the ideal audience for Leviathan
of this magazine is accurate, but we assume no responsibility for Wilds, p38
any eff ect 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
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to regulate the content of advertisements. Tel: [phone]
© Warners Group Publications Plc, 2021
In this issue
06 AT A GLANCE 28 STRIKE HQ 50 MASTERS OF
THE UNIVERSE:
Can we bring that real time strategy
09 FIRST TURN BATTLEGROUND
game feeling to our tabletops?
Martin Takaichi on Crusader Kings Turning plastic toys into plastic miniatures
for this He-Man punch-up
10 TEN OF THE BEST 34 CARDBOARD MANIFESTO
Get out! Ten escape room style games to Games aren’t just for gamers 57 PLAYED
play at home Looking for you next game? Then read on…
36 INDEPENDENT SHELF
13 ROLE CALL 85 PAINTING GUIDE
We’re against the odds with Long Shot:
Critical Role: Fire, Magic, Shadow
14 HAVE YOU PLAYED? The Dice Game
90 EVENT REPORT
Pit a nearly 120 year old party game
38 LEVIATHAN WILDS
classic We pop in to Portugal for LeiraCon
We climbs some colossi with Moon Crab
16 THE SOLOIST 92 RAINY DAY GAMES
games
David Thompson returns to talk about the This month, weird tech
Resist! series
42 AROUND THE WORLD IN 94 THE DUNGEON
19 MY FAVOURITE GAME 80 PLAYS MASTER’S GUIDE TO
ROLEPLAYING
Peter C Hayward on minimalist This month, Ireland
masterpiece Circle the Wagons We discuss insurmountable odds
44 LUDOLOGICAL
ON THE COVER! 96 SHOP SPOTLIGHT
LAMENTATIONS
20 FLESH & BLOOD
98 TABLETOP TIME MACHINE
We dive into Flesh & Blood competitive
46 ENCAPSULATE: 2006
scene We’ve got a Quandary…
SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE UP TO 10%. PLUS RECEIVE EXCLUSIVE BENEFITS
See page 18 for more details
4 June 2022
28
THE GAMES
50 Clues 10
A Feast For Odin 44
Adventure Skeletons 34
All Outta
Bubblegum RPG 34
Amelia’s Secret 10
Bananagrams 46
Blitzkrieg! 34
Carcassonne 46
Circle the Wagons 19
Crescent Moon 68
Crime Zoom 10
Critical Role 85
Crusader Kings 9
Deckscape 10
Escape Room
The Game 10
38 50 Escape the
Dark Castle 28
Exit: The Game 10
Fidchell 42
Fjord 61
Flesh & Blood 20
Friday 16
Gloomhaven 34
Klask 90
Lincoln 16
Long Shot 36
Pit 14
Radiant:
Offline Battle Arena 42
Resist! 16
Sequoia 34
Shadow of
the Colossus 38
Shogun 46
Skull 34
Tara 42
The Grizzled 16
The Night Cage 81
Through The Ages 46
Twilight Imperium 34
Unlock! 10
85 90
Voices in My Head 58
tabletopgaming.co.uk 5
AT A GLANCE
MASTERCLASSES Odd) will guide you through the process of
turning a general sense of adventure into the
AND WORKSHOP
a playable game.
ANNOUNCED FOR Plus, we’ve got YouTube miniatures mash-
up star Bill Making Stuff joining us to teach
TABLETOP GAMING
us about the fine art of kit-bashing and bead-
LIVE 2022 bot making.
And finally, Ben Maddox join us to put
We’re pleased to announce together the ultimate ‘games to bring to the
a brace of wokrshops for end of the world’ list
you to take part in at with Five Games For WORKSHOPS
Tabletop Gaming Live Doomsday: Live.
2022. The workshops You can find out
will run throughout the more and register
weekend and give you for interest in our
a chance to kickstart workshops online.
TICKET TO RIDE
your game design, mash Naturally you’ll need
up some models, or just a ticket for the show HEADS TO SAN
decide what games you’re bringing that is running in
ttgami.ng/38jLrEV FRANCISCO
to the end of the world. Manchester’s historic
James Wallis (Once Upon A Time, Victoria Warehouse
The Extraordinary Adventures Of Baron on the 17th and TICKETS Ticket to Ride is back, this time taking us on a
mini cable car tour of San Francisco. The new
Munchausen) returns with his Game Design 18th September –
game, releasing worldwide in August of this year,
Masterclass – taking you on a journey from book now and register
is another of the City Editions, such as Ticket to
idea to game over the course of the workshop. you interest to avoid
Ride: London, which are more compact boxes
Guy Sclanders will be running a live Q&A disappointment.
with a shorter play time of around 15 minutes.
session helping up level up your next roleplaying Pick up your
You’ll spot recognisable landmarks in the likes of
session and making you a better GM. Get top tickets now to avoid
the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, The Painted
tips and a new way to look at GMing. missing out on
Ladies and more, and place sculpted mini cable
If you’d prefer to create an RPG, Chris this celebration of
ttgami.ng/ttgl2022 cars rather than trains. The game will initially be
McDowall (Electric Bastionland,Into the gaming.
available in the United States in June at a price
of $24.99.
KNOW YOUR NUMBERS
4,140
100 DAYS 5
T
tall – the scaled of you have cards in Ark Nova, the
F 5
0 leviathans in joined us on days (or so) left until Tabletop game everyone is
8 Leviathan Wilds TikTok Gaming Live! 2 talking about
7
200,000 16,000 $1 MILLION
% new Horus
of our twitter
Heresy
0 voters don’t like
Players of Flesh & Blood in announcements items on DriveThru pledged for Mythic Games’ Anastyr
2 solo games
2021 at Warhammer Fest D&D May sale
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A fully painted miniature can
be a thing of beauty for your
game, even more so when
we’re talking a battlefield full of
painted minis! However, it’s not
always easy to know where to
start – here’s what you had to
GOLDEN GEEK say about what minis and what
paints are perfect for someone
WINNERS ANNOUNCED dipping their first paintbrush:
Winners of the 16th Annual Golden Geek awards You said...
on Board Game Geek were announced, voted for by
members of the community, and seeing some titles Either GW or Army Painter. Both have
scooping more than one win. Winners included Radlands,
complete ranges, and are easy to find
as the best two player game, Sleeping Gods as both
at FLGS, a boon both for getting that
the best artwork presentation and thematic game,
one colour they need, and help and tips.
Undaunted: Reinforcements as best wargame, and Ark
As for figures, I’d go Wizkid’s as well.
Nova taking the Heavy Game of the Year. The full list can
Phillip Stone
be found online.
Probably Wizkids pre-primed
miniatures, saves on assembly and
HIGH SHIPPING PRICES CONTINUE priming with a big range. Then probably
contrast or speed paints, get a decent
Between changes in shipping rates following Brexit, as well as the global pandemic and looking model in no time flat.
supply issues, higher than anticipated shipping costs are rarely newsworthy at this stage. Barney Weston
However, following the largest Kickstarter this year, Marvel Zombies has reignited the
discussion. Amassing over $9 million in funding, with core box pledge costing $130, and an I would suggest splashing out on an
all in pledge at $615, the subsequent cost of shipping was projected at $110 to the UK for
“expensive” brush. It makes the painting
the highest tier. Backers were shocked to find this increase to $227.59 excluding VAT, and
experience so much better and they are
in some cases the cost of postage was an additional 60% the cost of the pledge. CMON
real workhorses. I bought my Windsor
referred to this as “the reality of international shipping nowadays”.
Series 7 size one for about 15 quid and
it does everything. Cheaper brushes
clog up and lose their point super quick
SPELLJAMMER
and will frustrate you so much
COMING TO 5E Ben Maddox
A much loved Second Edition adventure is coming to Dungeons & I’m pretty new to the hobby, Star Wars
Dragons Fifth Edition, with the return of Spelljammer. The Legion seems like an easy access as
adventure, from 1989 places us in a setting which blends space Storm Troopers aren’t too difficult. So
travel with the fantasy we know and love, somewhat Treasure much advice online these days to help
Planet-like but with magic rather than technology. Its return will come too which could guide you to your own
in the form of three, 64 page hardcover books, as well as a double-sided preferred style.
poster map, and a four-panel DM screen, and will be available from @Tonyous_Zee
August 16th. Announced during D&D direct, we can also look forward to
the return of Dragonlance, a new Starter Set, and more. Get in touch
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F I R S T T U R N
MARTIN
TAKAICHI
The Swedish creator of theTales From the Loop board
game looks back at his video-game-adapting debut, 2019’s
Crusader KKiinnggss (co-designed with Tomas Härenstam,
Nils Karlén and Jon Manker)
Interview by Dan Jolin
BACKGROUND
so the graphic design was fairly easy. But something
“My big draw into board games was probably that kept coming up during the game design was the
DungeonQuest – or rather, the Swedish edition, which way warfare worked, because you can’t just invade
was called Dragon Castle. I was maybe seven or eight, someone, you have to have a casus belli. It fits the
and I spent the whole summer playing it and building theme – you have to plot it out, wait, and build
little labyrinths. I started working part-time in game up your troops – but we tested out different
stores as a teenager in Stockholm, before studying film things, and even removed the casus belli
at university. Then I moved to Japan for a bit, which entirely for a while before putting it back in.
put a bit of a break in my gaming habits. But eventually We struggled a bit with that. If I redesigned the game
My
I got to know the guys at Free League Publishing, today, I’d probably do it in a different way.”
interacting through our different blogs, and the first relationship
HOW TO PLAY
game of theirs I playtested was Mutant: Year Zero. I
helped out with bits and pieces here and there, until “Crusader Kings is about your dynasty, your family to the
we got started with Crusader Kings, which was not only in medieval Europe. There is warfare, backstabbing,
the first proper board-game design for myself, but also diplomacy, and of course there are crusades you have game now
the first board game for Free League.” to go on, to keep up appearances. But the main thing is
your family. Having a wedding at the right moment can is like it’s
COMPONENTS
be so much more important than taking over a certain
“It was a bit of a departure for us since it was also not piece of land. I’d say it’s like an intrigue generator, or a the slightly
one of our own IPs. Very early, it was clear we couldn’t soap-opera generator, with a warfare backdrop.”
replicate Crusader Kings the computer game. It’s too wonky fi rst
END OF THE GAME
big! So we focused on what was most fun about it, which
robot friend
was all the personal connections and intrigue in court, “The game’s been doing reasonably well. We’ve pretty
and creating your dynasty. That’s how I had the idea much run out, and we’re thinking about the approach
that I built.
of having this bag of your genes; you put your genes in we should take from now. Do we just do a straight
your bag, and they’re sometimes good, sometimes bad.” reprint, or do we have some other ideas? Of course, we
‘You’re
need to talk to Paradox [Interactive] about it as well.
OBJECTIVE
My relationship to the game now is like it’s the slightly
great. I love
“We had a lot of discussions about who the game was wonky first robot friend that I built. ‘You’re great. I love
for. We knew we had to make it at least partially for the you. But I can see the flaws.’ Though you love the flaws you. But I
fan base that already existed. But at the same time, we as well; they’re there because of the person you were
wanted to stay true to our philosophy that our games then. I’m actually planning to play it again with some can see
should be approachable – anyone can pick up and play friends soon. I hope I’ll crush them.”
and get into them. So, again, that’s why we focused on the
STRATEGY TIPS
the dynasty building and the trait bag, and made the
war-game element almost like a secondary thing.” “One thing that’s important is to not be too protective fl aws.’
of your game. For the most part, a publisher will look at
SETUP
it and say, ‘Wow, this is really cool, but could we maybe
“We wanted to use as many assets as we could from the change this, and have a bit of leeway there?’ I think it’s
IP holder, to emulate the look of the computer game, very important to be open to changes.” *
June 2022 tabletopgaming.co.uk 9
1 2
EXIT: UNLOCK!
THE GAME
A favourite around these parts – Timeless
Adventures is our go-to recommendation
The classic escape room game in a small – but they’ve all got a little bit of the Unlock!
box. The puzzles can range from pretty magic about them. With three scenarios in
simple right up to brain-bendingly tricky. Set your the box players will be coming together to work out a mystery –
group’s expectations based on the rating on sometimes that’s getting out of somewhere, sometimes it’s working
the side of the box. There’s usually a destructive out who stole the clown’s nose at the circus. Unlock! probably
element to the games which is either exhilaratingly widens the scope of what the game will ask
irreverent, or panic inducing, depending on what you to do in terms of rethinking your ideas into
people think a games night is about. After the first a broader point of view – beyond the chopping
cut, you get used to it, after all, you sometimes won’t be able to progress up and box-hunting of the Exit titles. Often
without a little destruction. Particularly good entries are the Orient funny, they’re a great cross-generational game
Express, Abandonded Cabin outings – but for a more sedate pace, go for that can work for everyone around the table.
1the puzzle ve0rsions of the game. The upcoming Lord of the Rings edition is If you’re happy for people to be using an app
also set to provide some new surprises in a robust system. during your gaming night, this one is a winner.
O F T H E B E S T
ESCAPE
ROOM GAMES
Sometimes you just want to get out. And then, sometimes, you want to stay in
but try to get out. Ideal for gatherings of more casual gamers, the escape room
genre of games bridges the gap between a big puzzle and a party. Here’s ten of
our favourite escape room games for you to play at home.
Words by Christopher John Eggett
3
ESCAPE ROOM THE GAME
For those looking for the most amount of plastic prop for their buck, then look no further. Escape
Room: The Game is a classic entry level escape room experience. Inside each box is a large,
somewhat panic-inducing timer and decoder. This is designed so you can enter a certain set of
keys to unlock the mystery and escape, deciding which one are the right ones is the problem. Using
a set of paper and carboard props a group can work on different elements at the same time, making this a great
entry for bigger groups. Oh, and every time you get a key wrong you not only lose time – but you get to be buzzed by
the big plastic box. It’s the closest you can get to an actual escape room ‘party’ experience without locking guests in
the shed. The second box of the series is our favourite.
4
DECKSCAPE
An unassuming and budget priced box of cards makes this one of the better cheap and cheerful
escape room series to have a flutter on. Get out the little deck of cards and work together to
make your way out of whatever situation you’re in. Escape From Alcatraz is probably the one that
fits the bill best, but each adventure sees new mechanics thrown in to the mix such as choose
your own path elements as well as the usual lateral thinking puzzles. Because of the deck of
cards format, players are likely going to have to be around the same table space, so ideally one
for smaller groups (or solo).
10 June 2022