It's the kind of attention to detail I wish we got from the official D&D Monster Manual. Alongside video game-inspired behaviour loops it features cues your party can pick up on to anticipate attacks. Throw in an impressive model you can use for all manner of homebrew content and Epic Encounters: Symbaroum – The Corrupted Coloss delivers on its promise.

Features & design

• Features a ready-to-run boss battle
• Includes a high-detail (but unpainted) model
• Can be used standalone or in a series

All Epic Encounters packs provide you with a combat scenario, a mat to play on, and miniatures to use in your games. The Corrupted Coloss is no different, but it's a 'boss' box – and that means you get one massive showpiece model rather than multiple foes.

This adventure takes us deep into the forest's heart in pursuit of an enormous tree-being that's gone mad. These creatures – known as Coloss – are normally bound to the witch who created them and seek to protect the Davokar woods. However, that connection is broken when the witch dies, leaving the Coloss to wander aimlessly in search of food. While this can be enough of a headache for locals (the book describes lost Coloss like hungry bears just trying to find a meal), it's so much worse if the tree-being has been corrupted. Then it actively starts hunting people down and twisting the landscape.

I'll give you one guess as to the state of the Coloss you have to fight in this pack.

Because this is designed to work with the best tabletop RPGs (be that the Ruins of Symbaroum or D&D), you get multiple routes into the encounter and have plenty of options to spice it up with more powerful foes. It can also be used by itself or as a sequel to Epic Encounters: Symbaroum – The Gem in the Barrow.

For the miniature itself, you don't need to worry about assembly; it's ready-made. All you need to do is add a lick of paint, should you so desire.

Gameplay

• Monster behaviour loop is a fantastic addition
• Plenty of cinematic moments to shake things up
• Some attacks feel a little unfair

Seeing as this is a boss fight in every sense of the word, it shouldn't come as a surprise that the Corrupted Coloss hits hard. We're talking 'dump truck driving at full speed down a hill' hard; even at lower levels, its legendary action on top of bludgeoning hooves will make short work of the unwary. Meanwhile, versions of the monster for higher-level parties will absolutely wreck shop. This thing has three legendary actions to use on top of mutations that can be used at the GM's discretion.

The latter are particularly exciting, and remind me of mid-battle boss buffs in video games. Oh, so you thought you'd gotten the hang of this? Sorry, the big bad evil guy is gonna throw in an extra attack or effect to kick your ass. Happy birthday! Anyway, the Corrupted Coloss has the ability to boost its armor class, regain health, get an extra attack for a limited number of turns, and more.

This video game-style approach is one of the best things about this encounter, if you ask me. Alongside the above, single-use mega-attacks (called 'Cinematic Moments' here) can pull the rug from under your players in a suitably epic way. Equally, Coloss Abilities are available if you want to keep the party on the edge of their seat and ensure "the combat doesn't just become a series of rolls." GMs are advised to use these sparingly because they're so powerful.

The downside? I'm not sure these are always fair. Don't get me wrong, characters can almost always avoid these attacks if they roll well. One Cinematic Moment sees the Coloss crash to the ground in death, for example, crushing whoever is in the way with 10 times standard bludgeoning damage if they fail a Dexterity save. That seems entirely reasonable, and you could probably anticipate it if you think things through. But anyone within 30 feet also receives five times bludgeoning damage from falling debris if they fail a Dexterity save. I understand the logic, but it feels somewhat underhand after your characters have survived what will probably be a tricky fight. There's no way to predict that this will happen, either.

Similarly, the 'Seething Corruption' ability deals damage even if you succeed the associated Wisdom save. I know these are to shake your players up, but I'm personally not a fan of attacks that automatically get you regardless of skill, tactics, positioning, or rolls.

Still, that's the only complaint I have – and these issues can be easily modded with minimal effort.

The way the creature's behaviours are laid out is top-tier, too. You're given a flowchart describing what the Corrupted Coloss will do in specific situations, like when characters stay at range (meaning you break out the ol' Wooden Darts) or are obviously the most heavily-armed (it tries to take out the biggest threat quickly with multiattacks). These are all accompanied by flavor text describing what the monster does or sounds like at that moment, so canny adventurers can start to work out what's coming before it hits. I love this. It makes the encounter so much more alive, and provides a far more structured fight that avoids the monotony of "I roll to hit you, you roll to hit me." It's reminiscent of Monster Hunter World: The Board Game – Wildspire Waste, and I wish we had more of this in the D&D Monster Manual.

Should you buy Epic Encounters: Symbaroum - The Corrupted Coloss?

If you're looking for a good boss fight with high stakes, a memorable foe, engaging combat, and vibes all the way down, The Corrupted Coloss will be your jam. Thanks to a comprehensive guide to monster behaviour and plenty of surprises to keep your party on their toes, it'll serve as the perfect cap to an adventure.

Is it perfect? No, but there aren't any problems that can't be fixed with a quick edit. It can be easily modified to fit with your own homebrew campaign or setting as well, especially if you want a stand-in treeant/woodland fey model.

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

If you're asking yourself whether Wingspan is really worth it, and if it's really one of the best board games, you'll be surprised at the breadth of play styles this game affords as an asymmetric game. With each player's individual spread taking on a life of its own as a unique avian machine, there's enough strategic variety for your mind to become caught in an updraft.

Let's take a gander, shall we?

Features & design

• Your goal is to attract birds to your wildlife reserve
• Collect birds to earn resources that allow you to collect even more birds
• Work toward shared goals on your own personal board

In Wingspan, players take on the role of avian enthusiasts whose goal is to collect birds, growing their habitats to gain the most points. The standard goal board makes for a less competitive game, while the green goal board increases direct conflict. There's also a solo mode.

In multiplayer, players work toward their own personal bonus, as well as shared, per-round goals that are visible to everyone. Whoever gets the highest score will win.

Unsurprisingly, birds are a big part of that equation. You attract them to their preferred habitat with the right food and egg cost listed on their card, and these feathered friends often have special abilities that earn you more resources when activated. After collecting a selection of birds in each habitat, you'll be able to chain powers in a domino effect.

This is where the magic happens. During your turn, you move down your row of birds from right to left, activating any powers on cards placed there. There are a few powerful combinations, with some even being passively activated by other players.

The art is every bit as strong. Wingspan is famously pretty; the watercolor bird paintings are beautiful, while the boards and components are a pastel rainbow. Tiny plastic eggs you'll use in-game are a highlight, as is a cardboard dicetower made to look like a birdfeeder.

That tower is something of a pain to put away (it doesn't fit neatly into the box unless you take it apart), but everything else about the game's storage solutions is top-notch. Numerous plastic containers are on-hand to help you keep things neat and tidy in-between sessions.

Gameplay

• Steadily increasing tension keeps every stage exciting
• Opportunity for powerful and satisfying ability combos
• Phenomenal replayability

The game is paced well, gently but steadily increasing tension as players forfeit an action cube per round to indicate their current score from shared goals. Not only does this give everyone an idea of how close the final score will be, ramping up the competitive action, it also means earlier rounds are more forgiving of mistakes, while the lack of actions in the late game make it feel more tense as you work more carefully toward your goals. This reduction also negates the extra length of later turns.

Still, there's a certain momentum to Wingspan that keeps everything rolling along. You never feel entirely blocked in as you might in the best family board games like Catan, for example. There's no end to the strategies you can form, and while you might end up relying on randomness for one to play out, failure never leads to an inability to move. You may just have to deal with making the less efficient move.

Efficiency is important to economics gamers, and it can be disheartening to have your plays thwarted by randomness. Wingspan combats this feeling with heaps of player agency. You are in complete control of your own board and plays. There's also less direct conflict and more indirect cooperation thanks to passive (between turns) bird powers inadvertently helping but never hindering.

There's also something to be said about the incredible replayability. Thanks to the incredible number of bird cards, and power chaining potential, no two games are ever the same and you'll be left wanting to come back and test new strategies every time. It does mean that people who prefer to stick to a strict strategy every game will have to adapt. But, of course, in a game about ecology adaptation is king.

The main drawback for me is the convoluted scoring in competitive mode, in that when players tie they must "add the values of the tied and next places and divide by number of players, rounded down." The math checks out, but it does feel like an unnecessarily complex layer to an otherwise simple scoring system.

Otherwise, it's clear that the community agrees five players is too many for a game with this much going on. Rounds can already take up to half an hour with four players, and since four already reduces replayability and momentum a lot, five really feels like a stretch.

Should you buy Wingspan?

If you want a deeper strategy game that you can still enjoy as a family, Wingspan fits the bill (sorry). It's more complex than other family-friendly games like Carcassonne, but it'll keep you so much more engaged once you've got the hang of it.

Not convinced? Photosynthesis is a slightly more straightforward alternative that shares a lot of the same DNA. Similarly, its spiritual successor Finspan uses many of the same mechanics but is pitched as a more accessible entry-point.

Those who are patient enough to learn Wingspan's ins and outs won't regret it, though. This is one of the greats.

Ratings

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

How we tested Wingspan

We played Wingspan numerous times with different player counts over a course of weeks to get the most complete overview of its gameplay and longevity. Our reviewer also examined the game in context now that it is a few years old.

For a more in-depth look at our process, see this guide on how we test board games. You can also find out more via GamesRadar+ reviews policy.

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Magic: The Gathering is one game that sits on our best card games list for good reason. So of course, the thoughtful Sanderson has been soul searching to understand the root of his apprehension over the upcoming set. "I'm trying to analyse why, because they've had a few sets recently that have really knocked it out of the park", he says. "So why should I not be excited for the upcoming set?"

"They're doing a death race, so it's like Wacky Racers", as he puts it. That's a pretty accurate description of Aetherdrift, which is essentially a racing-themed set that draws on popular vehicular tomfoolery – everything from Mario Kart to the gritty world of Mad Max.

It's one fans have been asking for for some time. And while Sanderson makes it clear he "Thought that their Redwall inspired set was just really cool", he was "very skeptical of their giant slasher haunted house one, but the gameplay was excellent."

As far as Aetherdrift goes, his worries seem to be winning out. "One of the things I loved about Magic is they would go to a new plane, you'd explore this new plane and all of its local wackiness – this is the strength of Magic storytelling", he says. "I don't think their actual story can ever be as strong through the cards as their environmental storytelling.

"It's why storytelling in Elden Ring works the way it does, you can tell a really cool world through a bunch of art and occasional little snippets, and watching their characters who are from offworld interact with it" which is something he reckons Magic hasn't quite captured in some of the more recent sets. And perhaps it doesn't need to try to convey stories in the same way because, as an entirely different medium, it should lean on its strengths in environmental storytelling.

In trying to better understand his own doubts, he recalls "The Western set, which [he] really liked". The problem was that the characters seemed to "Just put on cowboy hats, and they started riding horses, and became outlaws." In Sanderson's opinion, it was almost like they were actinging the story out "Like they were on a holodeck."

"It seems to really lose something," especially, he says, when the massive demonic demigod Rakdos the Defiler comes along and is shoehorned into the narrative as the "Bruiser in a heist band."

"It doesn't make any sense at all," Sanderson laments. "And now in [Aetherdrift] they're all just getting on motorcycles and cars and joining in a giant race. It feels like [...] instead of going to a cool place and experiencing that world, they're play-acting," he says.

"Something about it is not clicking with me."

Whether Sanderson agrees with the narratological aspects of Magic's new Aetherdrift set, it's still going into pre-release today, with the full MTG Arena dropping on February 11, and the tabletop release set for Feb 14.

For more suggestions, there's a Magic the Gathering movie in the works, and there are plenty of competitive board games to pick from if you're feeling a change from card games.

Sure, it's not made it onto our best board games list, but right now the game is the cheapest we've ever seen it going for on Amazon at half price. That's $17.49 against its usual $34.99 price tag. It's a game with a lot of replayability, too, so you're really getting your money's worth.

For those in the UK, you can still get 20% off, with the game sitting at just £23.60 over at Wayland Games right now.

Should you buy the Expeditions: Around the World?

This is a delightful-looking game. One that's not only family friendly, but also easy to learn, and will sneakily teach players geography in the process. It's one of those gateway games that can enthrall even the less board game inclined.

Of course that means it won't necessarily win the hearts of board game enthusiasts who are used to extremely convoluted rulesets. It's a chill time, from what I've seen of the reviews, but with enough 'take that' action and thoughtful consideration to really give the game depth.

For more discounts, be sure to check out the latest the board game deals. Or why not drop by our gifts for gamers guide?

Either way, Glumdark seems to offer everything we twisted souls desire from a sourcebook, in a way that it's not tethered to any of the best tabletop RPGs in particular. You might even use it along with Exalted Funeral's own Dolmenwood TRPG by Necrotic Gnome, if creepy-as-heck fairytales are your bag. I expect it works exceptionally well when paired with a setting like that of Mork Borg, since the vibes are similarly abominable. *Smiles creepily*

The book includes over 2,500 items and ideas spread over 140 fully illustrated pages of roll tables and original fiction based around the Glumdark setting. You're getting roll tables for "Totally Ridiculous Magical Items", "Bizarre and Banal Characters", and "Bleak and Unique Quests", to name just a few.

What's more, the creators have made a statement around their use of AI, which is always appreciated. It says "The Glumdark book does not contain a single piece of AI-Generated content. We made it all with our grubby little hands and unfortunate brains."

Over on the original Glumdark site there are a host of random roll tables that generate sadistic and twisted (handwritten) goodies each time you refresh the page. There's everything from Peculiar Potions that might have your PCs' skin hardening into steel, and roll tables that'll see them meeting their maker in some incredibly dumb ways.

For this we have Matt McGlintlock and Christopher Drellow to thank, so think of them as you send off your player characters as the accidental target of drunken hunters, or as a wrongly-assumed friendly dog's dinner.

Fun fact, the project was almost called "Blocko's Wild Imaginarium", but Glumdark won out. I'm not entirely sure how to feel about that little tidbit from Drellow in his interview with The Vintage RPG Podcast.

If that sounds like something that floats your freaky boat, you can back the Glumdark Kickstarter campaign until February 22. It's $24 for the digital PDF plus an STL file for the little Glumdark spider mascot that you can 3D print at home, and full access to the Glumdark site that you'd otherwise have to be a patron for. Otherwise it's $36 for the physical copy, plus all of the above, as well as the option to add stickers, T-shirts and even a patch for your jacket onto your pledge.

For more recommendations, why not check out the best D&D books.

So, seeking some insider knowledge on this super exciting rustic tabletop RPG, I've been chatting to Son Of Oak's CEO, lead designer, and creative director Amit Moshe, who speaks very frankly about the trials of the design process, and some of the ways they've learned from their players along the way.

Steering away from crunchiness

Having been surrounded in the tabletop space by "Super crunchy and mathy" games, Moshe decided to design the Mist Engine. They "Originally came up with the tags system after a while trying to create a system that would let me play the character I wanted every time, without cramming my creative ideas into preset abilities. I looked at games like FATE, but they felt too handwavy sometimes, and I felt players wanted more structure. Eventually the game that made it all click for me was Lady Blackbird". You may recognise this title as an indie tag-based game by John Harper, creator of one of the best tabletop RPGs around, Blades In The Dark.

For a little context, a tag-based system is one that, rather than relying on numbered stats, players instead utilize a list of tags to overcome obstacles. These can be both positive and negative, and are far more roleplay-centric than the likes of D&D's ability scores.

In Legend in the Mist, the Apple Picker's 'Scrappy' tag, for example, gives them a bonus when attempting to be charming but means they "Never Listen", so there's a lot of potential to bring characters to life with tags. It's a system that's used in all Son of Oak tabletop games, from Legend in the Mist's urban predecessor City of Mist, to cyberpunk fantasy :Otherscape, and even their anime superhero TRPG, QUEERZ! so it's easy to translate to a range of different settings.

"Since it's based on words, you can tell any story with it. It works best for games where players want to let different aspects of their characters shine, not just their limited combat abilities but also motivations, emotional state, and even catchphrases – all these things can have real gameplay effects. You can still have a very tactical game, if you wish, but it gains more depth," says Moshe.

When asked about whether it was difficult to balance a tag-based system, Moshe says "Yes and no. It definitely took some brain wrecking, but once we had it it was simple, and then it was a matter of communicating this to players."

Moshe admits the system has changed a lot since their first game, City of Mist, in which players were limited to a singular Broad Tag. Legend In The Mist instead uses many tags, and while broader tags are more versatile they take time to prep. Design a more specific tags, and it will be far more reliable. "That solved the balance issues," says Moshe.

When it comes to weakness tags, there's something special about the game's mechanic of sacrificing one Power to gain Experience. "Interesting characters have flaws" says Moshe. "Growth comes from facing these flaws."

With a system so bent on helping people build interesting narratives and character arcs, players have taken the game in all kinds of interesting directions. "People create their own character creation theme books, and Challenges and even settings on the Garage", says Moshe. "My favorite is Wulin Rivals by Tony Pi and Colin Wilson which is a wuxia hack."

"I get most excited when players invent new ways to use tags that I didn't think of, I guess that's called emergent gameplay," he notes. Emergence is something I've been writing about over on my own MythMash blog, and is a super fascinating topic on its own. Learning how players have adapted and reimagined your game is one of the most rewarding moments as a tabletop designer.

As Moshe recalls "I learned from players about status-offsetting tags, which are tags you have like Ignore the Pain that kick in only when you have negative conditions, and offset them by adding Power. It's brilliant."

Legend in the Mist's rustic setting

In designing Legend in the Mist, Son of Oak has moved away from the predecessor's urban aesthetic, opting for a more rustic setting. I wanted to understand why they made the choice to recede into the countryside, and what the term rustic really means to them as a concept.

Taking inspiration from popular games like the Witcher and its gritty, political and high magic setting with "Folkloric roots and rural particularities", Moshe notes that it's a case of deciding "What to publish that comes from what I find personally cool, with what I see in the zeitgeist." It's something you struggle with as a designer: balancing what your audience wants with the stories you love to tell.

Moshe admits, "I love stories like Princess Mononoke, where most characters have no magic but it's the most magical tale ever.

"Then you look at Honor Among Thieves, the D&D movie, which I think is great but it has that same problem D&D has - it's great for shits & giggles, but it's so saturated with magic that magic doesn't matter. Lord Of The Rings has ample magic, but the heroes don't wield it so much, and it always remains a mystery to them."

That was the sweet spot for Moche, a sense that magic really matters because it's rare. It's something that works well in making a game that's designed around a "Sense of nostalgia that comes with details to the natural world and [...] a sense of mystery, of revealing a world that is bigger than your character."

Supporting this is the game's Might mechanic. It's a way for players to split their aspects into Origin, Adventure, and Greatness, which "Allows you to create a party that is mostly wide-eyed villagers, while still having one extraordinary individual like Aragorn or Gandalf, and they all have specific things they can do better than one another."

Of course, that doesn't stop players from creating an entire party of characters that ooze Greatness, but suck at basic tasks like raking hay or folding socks.

When is Legend in the Mist going to drop?

Moshe and the rest of the Son of Oak team are confident they're on track for a spring release for Legend in the Mist - March is the projected time frame for digital copies. They note as an indie team anything can push the timeframe back, but they "Take extra care to protect [the] team and give everyone space to breathe and live, so there can be unexpected changes." Legend in the Mist is currently available on the City of Mist online store. Physical copies aren't expected to drop until the summer, but do keep an eye out on their Kickstarter updates page for more info.

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While TRPGs published this way rarely get picked up by large publishing companies, and would have a heck of a time getting onto the best tabletop RPG list, events like this give creators an opportunity to show off their hard graft and wonderfully ingenious systems to a larger crowd than they would usually be beholden to. So now might well be the time to launch your own Zine, if you've been sitting on an idea for a while.

The call for zine-style tabletop RPGs is a nod to a long legacy of indie journalism and literature, with zine roots in anti-authoritarian and anti-capitalist media going back as far as the 1930 and beyond. Though zines themselves have historically been a platform for positive social change, tabletop zines' roots are also sadly steeped in negative themes such as sexism. As Aaron Trammell notes in a post on the Analog Game Studies blog, one of the first tabletop zine creators Len Lakofka was also the author of an essay entitled 'Notes on Women & Magic', which denotes how the "female body should be understood and regulated within Dungeons & Dragons". Perhaps progressive for the '70s, it's a dark window into just how far TRPG zines have come over the past half-century, and how different the space is today.

All the more reason for us progressive tabletop designers to finally get our LGBTQ+ infused ideas out into the wild, if you haven't already. Because my little queer heart yearns for more goodies to overshadow the shitshow that once was.

So far there are some fantastic queercoded TRPG zines crowdfunding this month, so you can go off and support queer creators like Jaclyn Lewis, one of the brilliant minds behind Imagine Queer Worlds - A Thoughtful Guide to Inclusive Worldbuilding. This is one such zine that's already fully funded having been hosted on Kickstarter's Zine Quest Created by a host of queer designers, it's a guide encouraging TRPG designers and worldbuilders to explore gender and sexuality in their creations, by presenting them with terminology, concepts, and worldbuilding prompts to pull them out of their limited human perspective. It's a clever little zine aimed at those wanting to explore such concepts in a mindful and inclusive way, while also getting pretty far-out with their ideas.

Other queer creators featured this year are Allison Kyran Cole, whose zine is a collection of Gay Games to play in the car. I love this concept because now long drives won't be a drag, but will instead help me be a queen (sorry). Drink My Sweat is another delightful looking zine from queer creator Dora Dee Rogers is a "storytelling game about messy attraction and queer, feminine transgression, expressed through the ritualized violence of a fight club." Yes, and I can't stress this enough, please.

There aren't many on Crowdfundr as of yet, but previous year's entries to Tabletop Nonstop included a folio of sexy Fantasy Men from queer creators Steve Kenson and Micah Weltsch, who want you to let your male-presenting NPCs' sensual side show.

If you've been waiting to launch a crowdfunding campaign, now is definitely the time to do it. Especially for us in the queer space in light of… current events. All you have to do is launch a simple Kickstarter and fill in the form for consideration, or for Crowdfundr you just need to register your interest and raise a minimum of $100 to be featured.

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The real culprit behind Dungeons & Dragons' descent into "uncool", Mearls argues, is the 2023 D&D OGL controversy and the reputational damage that followed: "D&D was something that was interesting and fun and creative and different. And I think what the OGL did was take that concept – that Wizards and this idea of creativity that is inherent in the D&D brand because it's a roleplaying game – and I think those two things were sundered. And I don’t know if you can ever put them back together."

While backlash towards the OGL draft led to proposed limitations on third-party D&D content being rolled back, there's still a sour taste left in the mouths of some players and developers alike. Most of all though, the incentive to create within Dungeons & Dragons' world and rule systems is fading due to some players' feeling that the game's time in the sun is slowly but surely coming to an end. As Mearls puts it: "I thought, "Well, maybe I could start doing 5E-compatible stuff." And now what I’m finding is I just don’t want to. Like, it just seems boring. It’s like trying to start a hair metal band in 1992." What exactly the TTRPG equivalent of Nirvana will be remains to be seen.

Looking for the perfect present (or just want to treat yourself)? Check out our round-up of the best gifts for gamers.

In a similar vein to Exploding Kittens on our best card games list, Fluxx is one of those simple yet speedy games, and it's ever-so chaotic. With this upcoming word-based edition, as one of the Instagram post teasing the game notes, "The alphabet is now in Fluxx". That means there are now twice as many Keeper cards in the deck, in order to accommodate all those letters.

Goals are set to include spelling out one of the player's names, making up some three letter acronym, or just spelling out "I WIN" to win the game. The rules are, of course, in flux (hence the name) and could net any number of bonuses, such as allowing you to draw a card on completion of a word.

Not only is this a great addition for writers and word lovers everywhere, it looks like it's also going to be useful for teachers looking to hammer some learning home. One of the Goals I spotted, asks players to make a word that includes an H Digraph (like 'This' or 'Chill' or 'Phone') which, even as a writer, is something I'd forgotten was a thing.

The game will also include cards that refer to Nouns, Silent Letters, and even Roman Numerals, so there's plenty of learning to be done among all the rule-switching chaos.

There are countless versions of Fluxx out there already, many of which are tied to a host of different IPs. There's a Firefly Fluxx, a Doctor Who Fluxx, and even a Monty Python Fluxx. But as a lover of language, none have caught my eye like Word Fluxx. The game is set to release in March for around $20, so if words are your thing, too, you can keep an eye out for updates on the Looney Labs site.

For more recommendations, why not check out the best competitive board games or even the best party board games.

That doesn't stop it being a gorgeous design, and one surely worthy of a place in the High Elf ranks. It certainly has the potential to make players of the best adult board games quiver in their boots, anyhow.

In a Facebook post last year, Warhammer miniature design veteran Trish Carden outlines the design process, and how much of a faff it was. She explains that "The Merwyrm was the first creature [she] sculpted for Forgeworld when [she] joined them".

"It’s still one of my favourite sculpts", says Carden. And it's no wonder with the Warhammer blog spouting lore like this to back up the creature:

"Distant, watery cousins of the dragons, among the most ancient beasts in the Old World. The Sea Lords sometimes summon and bind them to their will, letting them loose in battle, battering and eviscerating the foe with their heavy bulk and sharp claws – a dark, watery foil to the nobility of the dragons above."

This beast stands unwaveringly monstrous against its High Elf compatriots, touting an Abyssal Cloak ability that makes ranged attacks harder and Enfeebling Cold which reduces the Strength characteristic of all those in base contact with the beast.

Carden says the shipwreck the monster is seen sitting on was designed by Stuart Williamson, and was the perfect foundation for the Merwyrm, but she still needed to make the base for it all to sit on. For the base, Carden says she "Used real pebbles and also carved some from polyurethane sheet, which Stu had used to make the wreck."

The post goes on, "I detailed up the rotten wood of the wreck and the base with barnacles, seaweed and small sea creatures, adding some gold coins and a skeleton for good measure! I intended to echo some of these details on the body of the Merwyrm to really tie it into its environment."

As for designing the creature itself, it was a case of constantly checking the armature as Carden bulked it out with putty, making sure it would be sitting in the right place. "I certainly wished I had two pairs of hands at some points" she says, noting that "The most difficult part was positioning the creature on the wreck."

"It took a lot of adjusting and a fair bit of unladylike language," she makes clear. "I sculpted it all in one piece, baked it and then cut it up which allowed me to make any small adjustments needed to make sure that it fitted on the wreck properly."

Sounds like the process was super fiddly, then. I think it's important to recognise the hard work that goes into these Warhammer designs, and it looks like Carden really gave it her all. Just something to remember when you're complaining that Warhammer kits are awkward as heck to put together: the designer probably had it worse.

For more recommendations, why not check out our best board games list, or even some fancy gifts for gamers.

Oh, but these aren't just cyberpunk teddies with a bloodlust, these are the remnants of humanity who uploaded their consciousness into their teddy.

There are more than 46,656 possible teddy combinations, with classes that include the Phantom, Tank, Pyro, and Hacker, and a range of exciting weapons all with their own dice manipulation mechanics "To keep combat exciting and chaotic. Like rolling 10 dice at once!!" Whether it's enough to win a place on the best tabletop RPG list, only time will tell.

One thing about these teddies is that they always land a hit. You don't roll to hit at all, just roll for damage and watch the carnage unfold. Only sixes deal damage, the rest are deflected, so you don't have to worry about calculating your teddy's armour class at all.

Leaning into the rules-light side of TRPGs, Fluff n' Fury uses a D6 dice pool system that players roll, with the GM adding success-cancelling F* dice to the mix when players are met with super difficult situations. I'm not entirely sure what the F stands for in this case, but I'll let you take a wild guess.

The ruleset contains several modules, meaning you can add or remove things like levelling up mechanics and defects depending on how deep you want to get into it. For a one shot you might decide less is more, for example.

One thing that looks really enticing to a gremlin GM such as myself is what the Kickstarter page calls "Game-Breaking Special Moves". These are daily abilities that give the game that "WTF" factor. There's one for every class, such as the Tank's ability to 1-hit-kill enemies in a single punch and the Hacker's ability to take over another teddy's body.

Whether you want to take on the elite Landlord Conclave, dive into the Piranha Express, or hack into the Fluffnet, there are three oneshots for your messed up teddies to adventure in. You can back the Fluff n' Fury Kickstarter right now, or download the one-page, simplified taster version for free, called Teddy Bear Holding a Freaking Machine Gun, on the Weird Place itch page.

For more recommendations, why not check out the best nerf guns to make your TRPG night all the more chaotic, or check out the best D&D books if those are more your thing.

If you're tuned into the player base, you've likely seen your fair share of criticisms about the perceived mismatch between Aetherdrift's core premise (i.e. race car go zoom) with the established conventions of Fantasy fiction. Or you might have come across those whose bugbears are at an even more micro level, like a recent question levied at Lead designer Mark Rosewater which criticized the MTG Aetherdrift symbol as "standing out in a negative way from other set symbols". This oddly specific sentiment is echoed across a number of Reddit posts in a far less diplomatic way too, with one user, in particular, calling the chequered flag symbol "the worst in years".

Despite what may be your base desire to paint everyone in this camp as just a garden-variety negative Nancy, I reckon it's worth engaging with this sect's arguments to some degree. I mean, at the very least they're worth reflecting on.

Yet with that said, I've found that despite all the huffing around how MTG Aetherdrift deviates from classic Magic in style, I've yet to see anyone latch on to what is probably one of the most significant shifts we've seen in substance. It comes courtesy of one of Aetherdrift's racing teams; the Guidelight Voyagers, who are the first ever of their Creature type to appear in a canon set. That's right – there are robots in-universe now.

Robots have had their time in Universes Beyond sets and other non-canon Magic: The Gathering releases in the past and there are plenty of robot-flavored creatures that have graced cards in mainline sets. Show a random person art of the majority of artifact creatures and you'll likely have them label them some kind of bot. Still, there's a subtle yet important lore distinction between Golems, Constructs, and full-blown typal Robots.

Notably, Rosewater stated that his perception of what distinguishes a Robot from its artifact creature siblings is that it is a non-organic, non-magical, programmed creature that is solely reserved for use in "more modern settings". So, while there are those who've rang death knell of Magic: The Gathering's Classic Fantasy world upon seeing Duskmourn's CRT televisions or Kamigawa's mechs, these all have in-world magical justifications. The real threat has a lot in common with the fears of many real-world tin-foil hat wearers: the robots are taking over. Welcome to the future, old man.

Ahead of the set's release, catch up on everything you need to know about MTG Aetherdrift. For ideas on what to play in the meantime, check out our best board games list.

MTG Aetherdrift is revving its engines as launch day approaches, and we're now just a few weeks away from the racing-themed set. What makes it stand out from other Magic: The Gathering releases, though? And is it worth betting on?

Our team is here to give you the lowdown on this multiversal death race, from the exact release date to new mechanics being introduced for MTG Aetherdrift. We've also included the full product lineup and where to get the goods for less (our price-matching software is always on the lookout for deals, so any bargains will appear below).

Basically, this is a pitstop for anyone wanting to swot up on all things Aetherdrift. We'll update this page with tips from our in-house experts as we approach the finish line too, so keep an eye out if you're looking to master one of the best card games.

What is MTG Aetherdrift?

• The first main set of 2025
• Racing-themed
• Visits multiple MTG worlds

Aetherdrift is the first major, main-line Magic set of 2025. That means it includes a couple of premade Commander decks, a Bundle, and alongside the usual Play and Collector Boosters.

In terms of what it's about, this is a racing-themed product that draws on everything from Mario Kart to Mad Max. That means you'll find racers from multiple worlds we've visited before in MTG lore, not to mention a few we haven't. Plenty of existing characters are skidding onto the racetrack for MTG Aetherdrift as well; Chandra and Loot are amongst the returning faces we'll see behind the wheel.

MTG Aetherdrift release date

We don't have long to wait until MTG Aetherdrift screeches past the finish line; it's only a few weeks away, and will actually arrive in tabletop form on Valentine's Day. Who says romance is dead?

Here's the exact release schedule, including the launch window for MTG Arena:

• Story: January 14, 2025
• Debut: January 21, 2025
• Card previews: January 21 - 31, 2025
• Pre-release: February 7 - 13, 2025
• MTG Arena release: February 11, 2025
• Tabletop release: February 14, 2025

As an aside, it's worth pointing out that the digital version for MTG Arena is coming out early. Rather than dropping on Valentine's day, mobile and PC players will get it a couple of days early on February 11.

MTG Aetherdrift products

• Two Commander decks
• Play & Collector boosters
• Bundle & Pre-release

As the first major set of 2025 (and unlike MTG Innistrad Remastered), Aetherdrift gets everything publisher Wizards of the Coast can throw at it. That means Play Boosters, Collector Boosters, Commander decks, a Bundle, and more.

Want the full lowdown? Here you go.

Commander decks

MTG Aetherdrift includes Commander decks like all other main releases, but it breaks the mold by having two instead of the usual four. It's not clear why Wizards of the Coast have stripped things back, but perhaps this will avoid one particular deck being so popular it becomes wildly overpriced while the others languish in its shadow.

Oddly, neither of these decks focus on driving or racers to any great degree.

Play Boosters

As always, Play Boosters are available for this MTG set. They're perfect for Limited formats like Draft and Sealed, though you can of course use them to build up decks.

Collector boosters

As the name would suggest, these are made for the collectors amongst you thanks to including cards you won't get anywhere else. However, they're more expensive as a result.

Bundles & Prerelease

If you want the best possible kickoff to Aetherdrift or are buying a present for the Magic fan in your life the following options will be perfect:

MTG Aetherdrift mechanics

As the first 'main' set of 2025, MTG Aetherdrift introduces a raft of new and returning mechanics to spice up your games. Unsurprisingly, these are all racing themed. Here's a brief overview.

• Speed: Appropriately, the biggest addition for Aetherdrift is Speed. You gain a point of Speed whenever an opponent loses life during your turn, and if you reach Max Speed (a score of 4), certain abilities might trigger. 'Streaking Oilgorger' gains lifelink at Max Speed, for example.
• Start Your Engines: Cards with this ability allow you to start building up Speed.
• Exhaust: This is all about giving you a much-needed boost, representing the old saying "pedal to the metal." However, it can only be used once per card.
• Vehicle: Unsurprisingly, a set about racing includes vehicles. This returning mechanic introduces cars and more that can be crewed by other cards for specific effects.
• Mount & Saddle: These aren't new mechanics, but they are appropriate for this set's high-speed theme. Saddling a mount (by tapping cards) usually gives that creature a bonus.
• Cycling: Racing along on your... bicycle? Here's another returning mechanic that lets you discard a card and draw another one.

MTG Aetherdrift story

• Story revisits Kaladesh, now called Avishkar
• Involves a death race across the multiverse
• Prize is an Aetherspark which can make anyone a Planeswalker

Because this is Magic's first major set of 2025, a multi-part story is available to provide context for all the shenanigans you'll be getting up to over the next few months.

Things kick off on Avishkar (a steampunk plane that used to be called Kaladesh) following a revolution that deposed the former, corrupt government. As a way to usher in this fresh start, the new rulers are throwing the multiversal Ghirapur Grand Prix - a legitimized version of a once-illegal street race. The winner earns the 'Aetherspark,' a mystical treasure that turns its bearer into a Planeswalker (AKA someone with the ability to travel the multiverse at will).

Numerous characters from Magic: The Gathering history are approaching the start line, including Chandra Nalaar, an interdimensional critter known as Loot, and Winter - a survivor from the horror-themed realm of MTG Duskmourn. All of them have a reason to seek out the Aetherspark, but only one can get there first. You can catch up on the official plot here.

Best MTG Aetherdrift deals

Hoping to save on Aetherdrift? Not a problem. Our price-matching software is always on the lookout for the lowest possible price, and you'll find these displayed below.

If you're new to the hobby, don't miss our guide on how to play Magic: The Gathering. For those wanting to break into the game's premier match type, be sure to check out this feature on how to play MTG Commander as well.

Being a draftable set, and one looking upon the history of Magic: The Gathering, it has already proven to be quite popular if price gougers are anything to go by. However, not being purely Innistrad, this is a set that many will prefer for its singles than its boosters, and there are a few cards you'll really want to keep an eye on to get the highest value. If you ask me, these are the best Innistrad Remastered cards overall and well worth prioritizing.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on what you think of remastered sets), most of this list comprises classic cards that are just worth looking out for. You likely won't find any picks to be too revelatory, but they will give you another reason to think about where your money and deck-building energy goes when it comes to MTG Innistrad Remastered. Taking into account pricing history, favourability in legacy formats like Commander, and just pure flavour, these are the cards you should keep an eye out for when you visit your LGS.

Edgar Markov

People want him, Commander players fear him. Edgar Markov is the very best vampire Commander, and the single most broken use of the eminence ability. For three colourless, one white, one black, and one red, you get a 4/4 creature that puts 1/1 counters on all vampires every time you attack. This is solid by itself, but he is also not too vulnerable to spot removal because every time you play a vampire spell, you create a 1/1 vampire. This ability happens whether he is on the battlefield or in the command zone. To top all this off, he has first strike and haste, so he can swing immediately for a bunch of damage.

The only real problem with building an Edgar Markov deck is that he previously cost you as much as pretty much any precon by itself. There are four separate versions of this vampire legend in the Innistrad Remastered set so now could be a great time to pick one up.

Emrakul, the Promised End

Emrakul, the Promised End is an absolute showstopper, not only being a 13/13 for 13 mana but also giving you the ability to play your opponent's next turn. Usually, this means fizzling all of their spells and firing all their most important creatures straight into your army of soldiers. With flying, trample, and protection from instants, it is also hard to get off the field once it lands.

However, what often brings this from an interesting card to a quick game-ender is the fact that it costs one mana less for each card type among cards in your graveyard. This means it can cost as little as five in legacy formats and six in draft. If you are playing a graveyard deck all about throwing your own library into the great beyond, you can get this great behemoth out on the field in just a handful of turns.

Avacyn, Angel of Hope

The protector of Innistrad, Avacyn, Angel of Hope had an important job in Magic: The Gathering's lore, and she has the stats to back it up. An 8/8 for five colorless mana and three white, she has flying, vigilance, and gives both herself and other permanents you control indestructible. This is excellent for making your creatures better fighters but also gives you particularly good protection from most board wipes and makes her a pain to get rid of too.

There are only really a handful of exile board wipes, and many of them are quite expensive so you either go drastic to get rid of Avacyn, or she stays until the game is finished. She is a great assurance in any white deck and one of the most iconic white creatures ever.

Snapcaster Mage

Hear me out. Snapcaster mage isn't the staple it used to be with MTG's power creep over the last few years, but it's still situationally great and iconic enough in its own right. For one colorless mana and one blue, this flash creature is just a 2/1. Though not very tough, playing Snapcaster allows you to recast any instant or sorcery card in your graveyard. In a control deck, this allows you a lot of versatility and gets a body on the field for blocks. If you've already run through four legal counter spells and your opponents reckon that last card is a bluff, this can catch them by surprise. However, it also shines in singleton formats like Commander.

See, Snapcaster Mage is often better than an extra counter or creature, as it allows you to dynamically react to the battlefield. For just two mana, you get out of committing to a single effect, and now have as many as you have in your graveyard.

Craterhoof Behemoth

A Triumph of the Hordes style effect, this card does what green does best: make creature big and make creature smash. For five colorless mana and three green mana, this 5/5 haste creature gives all your creatures trample and +X/+X, where X is the number of creatures you control. This means that, with just four creatures on your field, all your creatures get +4/+4 and trample. 16 extra damage, this is often enough to win a game right there.

However, being a mono green card, the color identity known for its incredible ramp abilities, you will get up to the eight necessary mana very quick. This is a card that can turn the tide on pretty much any battle and is an awesome way to close out a game.

The Meathook Massacre

Continuing the trend of Innistrad showstopper cards, The Meathook Massacre is a board wipe and win condition in one. For two black mana and X mana, you give all creatures -X/-X until the end of turn. The kicker is that when one of your creatures dies, opponents lose one life, and when an opponent's creature dies, you gain 1 life. This means you can technically place this down where X = 0, just as an assurance against a board wipe. If you have enough minions on board, just letting them die could win the game without you even attacking anyone.

The sequel (creatively titled Meathook Massacre II) launched in MTG Duskmourn but this card gives you the ability to say you "like their early work more" — a joy of many a horror fan.

Want to try something a little different? Don't miss the best card games.

Should you buy Blockbuster Trilogy?

Big Potato is the king of party games and their reign continues with Blockbuster. As mentioned in our Blockbuster: The Game review, this 90s-nostalgia-laden crossover between Five-Second-Rule and Charades is a pick you can rely on every time to get the party started.

You'll love Blockbuster if you're into movies but you don't have to be a total cinephile to keep up. Whether you have a Letterboxd watchlist as long as your arm or you just enjoy munching a bucket of popcorn to the latest big-budget flicks, Blockbuster is a whole lot of fun to pick up and play. It can be enjoyed as a two-player head-to-head experience or as a larger group split up into teams but either way, prepare to get competitive.

This trilogy of board game goodness includes Blockbuster, Blockbuster Returns, and Blockbuster and Chill so it's the best value way to get your hands on all three games. Given you can enjoy them both as standalone titles or mix-and-matched, you're in for some serious replay value. Don't expect this board game combo to collect dust on your shelf.

If you're on the hunt for even more savings on tabletop goodies, you oughta take a peek at our roundup of the top board game deals. If bricks and building is more your speed, checking out our best lego sets list should be next on your agenda.

The card game is a 2-4 player, fast paced skirmish that lasts around 60 minutes, with a bunch of different factions to choose from as you smash through enemy lines and destroy your foes. In each box available you get everything needed to play a single faction, including a bunch of STL files that come pre-supported, so there's no need to jump in and edit. These include characters as well as terrain pieces, all of which are looking absolutely stunning and super-detailed. That's certainly enough to set it apart from most of the best card games.

The game itself also looks to be supported by some interesting lore. Helping bring the lore of Malediction to life, renowned Dragonlace co-author Tracy Hickman developed a fully fleshed-out universe of warring factions, magic, and monsters, so you know you're getting some fascinating worldbuilding along with the game.

From the Order of the Shattered Throne's "Last bastion against evil and corruption", to the Conclave of the Spheres' mages who "Drink deeply from the fountain of knowledge – and the powers that come with it," there are plenty of armies to choose from. My personal favorite, and the one that's going to use up the most 3D printing material no-doubt, is the Primal Blood faction. They seek to "Shed however much blood is necessary to claim victory!" Metal.

If you manage to jump on the Backerkit before it ends, you'll get not only a special pricing for each faction, but also early access. We've actually been speaking to the Malediction designers, so you can expect to see that interview popping up on the site this week, too.

For more recommendations, why not check out the best board games or even the best two player board games.

The game comes from Evil Hat Productions, the same publisher that brought us one the best tabletop RPGs, Blades in the Dark, as well as Thirsty Sword Lesbians and Monster of the Week. So you know you're in for a good time with Stewpot. The game was fully funded on Backerkit in May last year, and the first round of books have already started shipping.

The full game will hit stores on February 10, but for now I thought I'd take a look at the Stewpot sample PDF to get a better idea of what we can expect from the full rulebook when it finally lands in our battle-weary laps.

The system

Stewpot takes inspiration from minigame collections including The Sundered Land, Mobile Frame Zero: Firebrands, and The King is Dead. Rather than a single system for rolling, there are several slice-of-life minigames to keep you and your tavern-managing party busy, each with their own simple set of rules.

These minigames all feed into the running and upgrading of your beloved tavern and while there is dice-rolling involved, much of the game is played by answering freeform prompts that encourage players to interact with one another and build a picture of their tavern, backstory, and trials in their heads.

Of course, as much as you and your pals are reaching for the cozy life in Stewpot, being a business owner can be a tough undertaking, even for grizzled former adventurers. One day you might find yourself stuck with a host of random ingredients attempting to make something barely palatable for your patrons. The next you could be serving troubled souls, or quelling a tavern brawl that's broken out in your fine establishment.

Putting your past experiences to the test is how you'll find solutions to the minigame's obstacles, exchanging your past Adventurer Experiences for Town Experience as you go. Each time you let go of your past experiences, you'll describe how you gain your newfound wisdom.

Character creation

As a retired adventurer, you'll need to lay out your previous profession and how it led you here, as well as another Town job you may have dabbled in on your way into the tavern business. Stewpot character creation comes with a host of queries to get you thinking about your character's past and how it might show through their looks, the things they carry, and that which they've worked hard to change.

To start, player characters get a name, a weapon, and some armor, as well as a quirk that could be anything from "A preference for sitting in dark corners" to "A smile that doesn't reach your eyes". Everything in the tables is beautifully flavorful, and steeped in intrigue. Even the armor you start with could be "crafted from a giant insect shell", while your weapon may be "covered in unknown mechanisms".

As you play you'll gain Keepsakes, which could be the remnants of a friend's destroyed weapon or something far more precious. But the real star of the show is the tavern itself. That's your dream, after all, and all that's left of your strength will go into giving it the glow-up it deserves.

Your Tavern

Before you can start drawing in customers, there's three little obstacles you'll need to overcome as a party: Location, location, location. Whether you decide to set up in a bustling city with heaps of competition, or an isolated village carved into the side of a cliff, you'll first go around the table adding details to your tavern's locale.

Is the environment littered with enormous bones? Does it kiss the snowbanks of a frozen lake? Are there any megafauna you need to keep an eye out for, or are you setting up atop a gargantuan wandering creature yourself?

Then there's your tavern's initial look and feel to consider. It might be based inside an ice palace, a crumbling stack of shanty buildings, or a weathervane with its own tourist's shop. That'll all feed into your tavern's name, which might even change during play.

In order to improve your tavern you'll need to play a round of three initial minigames, then together decide what needs adding or fixing up in the Wear and Tear phase. This is where you might come up with a perfect idea for a new recipe to serve and figure out its secret ingredient, or lift your party's spirits as they flag through a frustrating stretch of work.

Improvements not only act as story generation, but will also build your tavern's reputation, gaining levels in Cuisine, Atmosphere and Service ratings. You start off with a cramped but workable kitchen, a comfortable but boring atmosphere, and an inexperienced NPC to help you serve. But as you play you'll work toward fresh specialised meals, comfier beds and better decoration, and more prestigious chefs and waiting staff.

All this sounds like a fantastic way to unwind with some fantasy design shenanigans, but it can just as easily help you flesh out an idea for a tavern for another TRPG altogether. Stewpot's Sampler Platter Edition is currently available to download at DriveThruRPG, and pre-orders are still available for the full game. You can even get the quickstart on Roll 20.

For more, why not check out the best tableto RPGs, or learn about some of the D&D Monster Manual revamps.

Currently on our best tabletop RPGs list, Blades in the Dark has a huge following. And as much as we didn't expect a '60s sequel, I can certainly see where they're going with it. This is a zippy, engaging TRPG, and one that's sure to work well with revolutionary '60s counter-culture references and, of course, a swingin' aesthetic.

Using the same core mechanics, and compatible with Blades in the Dark: Deep Cuts modules as well, there have been a few changes to the system outlined in the playtest document.

One of the main changes to note comes in the form of the Gameplay Cycle. This is split into three parts: Crew business, trouble engine, and personal business. Crew business is the quickfire setup of a situation, and the runthrough of the score (which sees players overcoming obstacles, having flashbacks and maybe completing an operation).

Previously in the later Downtime phase, the payout, heat, harm, and complications come in here, with a moment to debrief before the trouble engine revs up and the GM moves forward faction clocks, generates and updates trouble for the Crew to encounter.

Blades in the Dark's original 'Downtime' phase now comes under 'personal business', which forms the second half of the gameplay cycle in Blades '68. In it, players can "indulge their vice to remove stress, recover harm, work on a long-term project, or achieve other goals."

One of my favorite things is that you can be a Swinger, who handles the complex social landscape with "audacity, charisma, and panache". Their list of questions to ask the group, to get a feel for how everyone knows each other, include:

• Which one of you went to that big party with me the other night?
• Which one of you is my competition on the dance floor?
• Which one of you comes to me for fashion advice?

As for the lore, a lot has happened since the start of the Unity Era. Still set in Doskvol, the times have changed greatly in 100 years. The Imperial fleet has seen its last successful leviathan hunt lead into "Dark years of failing lightning barriers, famine, and panic"; the Age of Consensus had Shattered Isles nations collaborating in a time of "peace, rationality, and stability through conformity"; and Imperial troops were sent to invade a separatist city set up in a bastion by Severosi radicals in The Sevrin Invasion.

Right now you can sign up for the Blades '68 playtest materials from Evil Hat Productions, which outlines the full round of changes in a fully playable draft of the game. Just be aware that the final draft could see changes to the system as it currently stands, based on player feedback.

For more recommendations, why not check out the some solo RPGs, or work your way through the best D&D books.

Monster Hunter fans will be all too familiar with what the Monster Hunter World board games have to offer. Despite being far more rudimentary (as the medium often necessitates), Steamforged Games' interpretation of the beloved franchise is exceptionally well executed, and with heaps of comic relief to boot. Considering how long they've been making some of the best board games based on video games, including the Resident Evil series, that may not come as a surprise.

Even coming at the review from a more TTRPG-heavy background, as opposed to JRPGs, I've had great fun exploring the wilds and taking on ever more deadly challenges in this adventure style combat game. That's thanks not only to its accessibility in spite of its complexity, but also the intriguing narrative facets that work to turn what could have been a simple battle simulator into a versatile, replaybable board game with a little something for everyone.

Features & design

• Co-op arena game
• New core set taking place in the desert
• Compatible with other sets

Monster Hunter World: The Board Game – Wildspire Waste is run in three phases. There's the Gathering phase in which you follow clues to find a monster in a choose-your-own adventure style segment; the Hunting phase that involves slaying said Monster; and the HQ phase in which players use the parts scavenged to upgrade their Hunter's weapons and armor.

As you progress, you're able to take increasingly difficult jobs tracking and killing significantly more deadly marks. The game is meant to be played over several sessions, though you must kill a four star Monster before the specified number of campaign days is up, or you lose the game. There's a bit of choice around how to get there, including deciding which level monster you feel confident enough to take on next.

After selecting your Hunter and finding their starter cards, players head into the Gathering phase of the starter mission. One player reads aloud the narrative and you all agree how to proceed. This stage could involve anything from looting lost packs but potentially losing ground as you linger, examining the massive remains of an even bigger monster's kill, or attempting search and rescue missions. As you step through the narrative you might gain potions or ores, or suffer damage before you even get into a fight. You'll also gain Track tokens that are revealed at the end of the Gathering phase. These contribute to your Scoutfly level, which can affect the Monster's behaviour for better or worse.

When you hit the Hunting phase, it's you against the Monster in a timed battle event. Minis come out, Hunters are randomly assigned a Threat Level, the monster is set to max hitpoints, and depending on your Scoutfly level, different Behaviour cards are shuffled into the Monster's deck. Play is tracked with something called Time cards in this phase, which could throw a status effect or other random event at you at the end of your turn. Players take it in turns to Walk, Sprint and/or play Attack cards in any order. Any number of Attack cards can be chosen to fill your Stamina board as far as you dare – one of which is usually discarded at the end of a turn. Once you run out of cards, you'll need to use the Sharpen action to replenish your Attacks with those discarded.

As for the Monster, they act autonomously targeting whoever is stated on their Behaviour cards and attacking with the body part telegraphed on the back of the face-down pile. Sometimes, however, a Time card might direct you to discard the top one, having Misread the Monster's apparent next move. Terrain cards will also affect play here, reducing Hunter threat level or giving the Monster somewhere to heal, for example.

The goal is to take down the Monster before the Time cards deplete, breaking as many Monster parts as possible to gain more loot in the process. Once the monster is dead, time is up, or one of the Hunters has fainted three times, the fight is over and you enter the Return to HQ phase. You either gain the loot on the loot table from each of the broken Monster parts, then freely trade it amongst yourselves and use it to upgrade your gear or, if you failed, you can reattempt it… or try your hand at a different Quest.

That's the basics, though there are special rules for how to play each Hunter – such as the Insect Glaive Hunter's Kinsect: Harvest Extract cards that add extra bonuses when certain Attack cards are played. One to two player campaigns also gain the benefit of Palico compatriots who add special bonuses, too.

Gameplay

• Monster combat is phenomenal
• Narrative & RPG elements to break up combat
• A faff to set up

All this will seem very familiar to anyone who's played a Monster Hunter video game. There are recognizable monsters, Hunter types, and gear. Thanks to the extremely detailed miniatures, it's even possible to tell which parts of each monster have been used to detail the gear on each of the Hunter's miniatures. If you're in it for the minis, this is one game that won't disappoint. They're high quality and snap together with no need for glue which is fantastic, and I'd happily repurpose them in the best tabletop RPGs.

I have noticed a little wear on the board folds after only a few sessions but that's not something that affects playability, only aesthetics. Though since games are expected to last up to 25 sessions, that's a lot of putting away and getting out that could cause some unwanted wear.

It can be a little hard setting up, too. Finding everything among the masses of very similar looking decks is a little daunting, though thankfully there's a helpful guide as to how to store everything back in the game box. The rest of the manual is well-headlined, step-by-step information as well. The layout is easy on the eyes, and doesn't overload you with information you won't need until you hit the next phase either.

Speaking of which, I love that Monster Hunter World: The Board Game – Wildspire Waste is broken down into distinct phases. A game that relies entirely on battle segments can start to get stale, and only appeals to a certain kind of board gamer. The phases break up that monotony with narrative-fueled segments and downtime activities that add a new dimension to the game. The Gathering phase especially does wonders to distinguish the game from your average battle sim, while managing to cleverly ramp up the tension with tough choices that affect the outcome of the Hunting phase, such as shuffling detrimental cards into the time deck or making the monster's behaviour deck more powerful.

It took me a moment to get my head around the way Scoutfly level was presented, with paragraphs of text as opposed to what could have been an easy-to-reference table, but it's a great mechanic that supports the game's theme really well and gives it another element of surprise, as well as something solid and numerical to work toward.

The Hunting phase also feels really well balanced between known variables and procedural elements. A good example is the randomly drafted Hunter tokens that give your Hunter a threat rating, which act as a tie-breaker as to who monster is going to target next. These are sometimes shuffled around, and your rating can be reduced by hiding in a bush – something my TTRPG brain latched onto, giving my Hunter the nickname of BUSHMAN.

While there aren't masses of roleplay intensive elements, there are little moments that bring the story to life, which, coupled with the well-paced gameplay, have a fantastic effect on the game's tension building. There's also enough player agency that it gives player's choices real weight – be that the kind of quest you select, your Hunter's positioning and chosen attacks, or just what you choose to do in your downtime.

The main issues for me are in remembering the order of events, how the monster is supposed to move, and which symbols mean what (there are a ton). The game attempts to help out with printed reminders on time cards, and a useful key and appendix in the rulebook, but you will likely need to reference them a whole lot for the first few quests, and it can start to get tiresome.

Should I buy Monster Hunter World: The Board Game – Wildspire Waste?

Once you get used to how everything works and enter a flow state with your pals, Monster Hunter World: The Board Game – Wildspire Waste can be a truly rewarding gameplay experience with a great deal of replayability. Its push-your-luck style mechanics tempt you against the clock, adding tension alongside refreshing story elements that pull you in new directions with each and every playthrough.

It's not going to be a game for everyone, but it does well to offer a variety of rewards for the more bloodthirsty, or loot-motivated players, and even those with roleplay frivolity as their main goal. While the rulebook can be clunky with the wording in places, and set-up is a bit of a slog, the game makes fumbling through it all a worthwhile endeavor even for those who've never played a Monster Hunter game in their lives.

Ratings

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

How we tested Monster Hunter World: The Board Game - Wildspire Waste

Our reviewer played Monster Hunter World: The Board Game multiple times and with different numbers of people to better understand how its systems performed.

To find out more, don't miss our guide to how we test board games or the in-depth GamesRadar+ review policy.

It's a conversation that can get pretty heated, especially with big players like Wizards of the Coast sitting at the top of our best tabletop RPG list and desperately trying to please everyone with the latest changes to the Dungeons & Dragons 5e system (we'll get to that in a moment). It's had me lamenting not just the way certain species are associated with good or evil, but how good and evil are often so cut-and-dry in tabletop systems. So many still overlook the nuances of that glorious grey area that encourages players to see new perspectives, and empathize with those lashing out.

Then into my life wandered the anime-inspired Break!! TRPG from Grey Wizard Press & Naldobean Games. This is a game that handles moral alignment in such an inspired way that it perfectly exemplifies how I feel morality should be approached in tabletop RPG design. Their system has reminded me why I started playing tabletop games in the first place – to get away from wretched preconceptions and see the world from a new perspective.

So I thought I'd have a chat with Break!! designers Reynaldo Madriñan and Carlo Tartaglia to see where their minds were at when designing the game, and what drew them to handling moral alignment the way they did. First, though, a bit of background.

The problem as it stands

In case you're not aware of how split the views on moral alignment in TRPGs are, on one side of the argument are those who believe fantasy species' moral alignment should be based on their physiology – an outdated and incredibly problematic worldview in any context. The usual justification is a permutation of "it's just a fantasy setting," because no fantasy prejudice has ever spilled over to affect a real human, no sir. From what I've seen, their reasoning tends to revolve around the need for at least one sapient species to be easy to dehumanise and use as cannon fodder. Because getting involved in an ethical quandary every session would be too puzzling over the usual riddles-three.

The other side rejects the bioessentialist view that morality should be based around a creature or character's genetic makeup, and should instead be established by their actions – the "content of their character" to quote Martin Luther King JR.

Race-based morality is something players saw a lot in tabletop RPGs when they first popped up, including previous versions of D&D. Back then, some races (now renamed species) such as Orcs were listed with an inherently evil alignment. And while there have been some changes throughout the years, the current 2024 Monster Manual has seen Wizards of the Coast add a disclaimer to the alignments listed beside each of the creatures in the compendium.

"The alignment specified in a monster's stat block is a default suggestion of how to roleplay the monster, inspired by its traditional role in the game or real-world folklore," it says. It then goes on to invite DMs to "freely change a monster's alignment to suit your storytelling needs." And while many have taken the changes to be a step in the right direction, one could just as easily see it as hand-waving the problem altogether.

Mending what was broken

As a ten-year project, Reynaldo and Carlo put a lot of thought into Break!! and especially into distinguishing it from its roots as a D&D B/X inspired system. Here, a mechanic known as Allegiance replaces alignment with a spectrum that oscillates between the Profound Dark and the Invincible Bright, neither of which are expressly associated with good or evil. Dark and Light are only given real significance as an aesthetic tool to flavour your character's actions or, more accurately, their spells.

In Break!!, the major force that pushes a character toward a certain Allegiance is their choice of magic. In other words, Allegiances are more like "Different wells of magic individuals draw from", Reynaldo notes. "I've always liked Light/Dark as odd mystical forces that need to be interpreted, rather than things that were inherently one thing or another."

Importantly there are no restrictions on which spells you can take in Break!!, with each new Rank of a magic user's Calling (similar to D&D's Class system) offering a host of both Light and Dark spells, each as devastating as the other.

The Heretic Calling, for example, gives players access to both Light and Dark 'Sealed Names' (self proclaimed Gods) that they can summon to help them on their journey. Because no matter which way you lean, you're always a Heretic to someone. This lack of restriction means your character may swing wildly between the two ends of the spectrum, leaving a lot of space for positive and negative character arcs to form and play out.

Reynaldo notes that their decision to separate Allegiance from morality altogether means you really "have to get to know an individual in-game to decide what kind of person they are rather than just knowing because they use a certain kind of magic."

What's fun is that leaning into either the Profound Dark or Invincible Bright too far will see your character gaining different Gifts – visible attributes that change your character's physiology – which, at either end of the spectrum, make them rather unsettling for the unaffiliated to behold. But the only real detriment to choosing one magic over another is that your character may become more susceptible to whichever magic they are less familiar with.

To defy the laws of tradition

Something that makes a huge difference is that players are presented with Callings as a base for their character design. It's the first thing you roll up, rather than starting your character creation journey with species. "We felt like the Calling being first was important as it's kind of the skeleton of your character that everything builds off of", says Reynaldo. And while it might seem inconsequential, it puts more weight into the content of character as opposed to their physiology.

When it comes to the way your character acts and what they're good at, their Species does come with some Outlooks that are seen less as absolutes, and more as wisdom passed down through their culture. These are meant to "Give players an idea of what their character could be like but can just as easily be ignored", says Reynaldo. The example he gives is that, while many Prometheans might act recklessly since they're able to regenerate limbs, a Promethean with the Jumpy quirk "Certainly does not share that aforementioned lack of concern for danger".

Even when you meet a mega boss monster as a wild encounter in the Outer World, their mood table could push the meeting entirely one way or another. A humongous, horned Giga Gruun might be found furiously stampeding in a boredom-induced rampage, but there's just as much chance that he'll be "accompanying a local child out on an errand".

All this is couched in the vagueness of the 'probable' history of the Outer World, which leaves a lot of stuff around morality and alignment open to interpretation. Was the Wondersmith really an evil betrayer, or is that just one scholar's version of ancient history? It's this nebulous lore that makes it easy to see the Bright and Dark forces as beliefs that clash, rather than undeniable good versus the definitively evil.

That is exactly the kind of thing I want to see from my TRPGs: nebulous alignment that encourages you to dive into a character's beliefs and reasoning, rather than judging them based on their external appearance. I hope more tabletop games take Break!! as an example, because this kind of nonsense makes my little goth heart very happy.

For more, why not check out some solo TRPGs or some free content I spotted for Break!!

There are two bundles available: A basic starter collection that includes $70 worth of games for $12.95, or if you push your contribution up past the $24.20 mark, you get another $72 worth of games. That would mean a saving of $117.80 for the levelled up bonus collection, and altogether 10 Nazi-punching titles to offer your table on game night.

Importantly, in purchasing you'll be fighting the good fight. 5% of your contribution after the gateway fee goes to the Center for Constitutional Rights charity, an institution "dedicated to advancing and protecting the rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights."

Should you buy the Punch Nazis TRPG bundle?

With the starter bundle, you get a collection of tabletop roleplaying games about fighting authoritarian regimes. Included is mecha game Apocalypse Frame, in which you can pair nine unique mech frames with 18 different Armaments and 18 Systems for superior customisation when fighting against The Collective. That's alongside subversive Star Wars games galactic 2e and Going Rogue; a game that sees 16 year olds pushing back in Nazi occupied Poland, Grey Ranks; and punky dystopian game Misspent Youth that sees players "redeem the future from this pack of assholes trying to fuck it up."

With the bonus bundle, you'll also get Eat the Reich with its easy-to-learn d6 system and cracking artwork; Forged in the Dark game, No God's Country that sees players grappling with a "Grass roots struggle for freedom in the wake of the theofascist overthrow of their society"; Moonpunk, a game set in a retrofuture Moon colony where you "Spread the truth about corruption, protest the corporate, or just punch some moon nazis"; and two expansions for Misspent Youth: Fall in Love, Not in Line and Sell Out With Me.

These are all games that are rated very highly, and should deliver that little seed of hope you're looking for.

For more suggestions, why not read about how Reddit is dealing with the Nazi salute situation, or try out some adorable solo RPGs instead.

And man, are these designs really pulsing with energy both terrifying and disgusting.

Subject to playtester feedback (opening February 4), there could be some exciting things coming in the next series of upcoming D&D books for 2025. With this latest playtest content comes psionically bonded Dragon Knight Fighters who grow and bond with their dragon hatchling companion; silver-tongued Moon College Bards weaving fae tales to sap enemy saving throws; and Rogues riding the sanguine waves of Bloodlust to teleport and terrify their enemies.

First off, we'll take a look at some of the returning subclasses to see the proposed changes and new additions to well-loved favorites from the 2014 Player's Handbook, Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide, and Tasha's Cauldron of Everything. Then we'll get into the all new subclasses that could take D&D in some seriously unexplored directions with phantasmal Rangers and Paladins aligned with powerful elemental Genies

Revamped Subclasses

Cleric Subclass - Knowledge Domain

Changes have been made to the Knowledge Domain Cleric since the 2014 Player's Handbook, which now emphasises the otherworldliness that comes from mastering knowledge of the divine. "Clerics who tap into this domain study esoteric lore, collect old tomes, delve into the secret places of the earth, and examine the process of the mind itself."

Blessings of Knowledge, which comes at level three, grants the Cleric proficiency in Artisan Tools, as well as Expertise in two of the following: Arcana, History, Nature, or Religion. This is a fantastic way to give the Cleric access to the new crafting rules coming with the 2024 Player's Handbook.

Knowledge Domain Clerics now have a far larger spell list than the rest of the Cleric Subclasses, too. And there's been a bit of a revamp when it comes to their Prepared Spells, which now includes far more combat spells, and spells that damage.

At level three, the Mind Magic ability allows you to use a Knowledge Domain spell without expending a spell slot or needing any Material components. Then once you hit level six, you can use Unfettered Mind to straight up start a telepathic group chat with your pals.

It really kicks off at level 17 with Divine Foreknowledge, which grants advantage on D20 Tests for an hour as you "magically expand your mind to the possibilities of the future" with a Bonus Action.

Fighter Subclass - Purple Dragon Knight

Here be dragons – dragon companions to be exact. The Purple Dragon Knight has had a full makeover since it first appeared in the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide, with the main addition being the fact the Knight "psionically bonds with an amethyst dragon hatchling" as opposed to partnering with a matured amethyst dragon later down the line.

Your dragon will learn and grow along with your character from level three, fighting alongside you and even continuing to fight if you become Incapacitated. Most importantly, your dragon companion can be Resurrected if they die, with the use of your Second Wind ability or an hour-long ritual during a rest.

Of course, once your dragon is big enough at level seven you are able to ride on its back with the Dragon Rider ability, which also allows you to heal your dragon with your Second Wind. Its Gravity Breath is also improved at this level, causing 2d6 Force damage to anything failing a saving throw within a 30-foot cone.

Higher level improvements include level 10's Rallying Surge, which lets up to three allies take a reaction to Advance – making a free attack – or Retreat without provoking Opportunity Attacks. There's also Amethyst Pinnacle at Level 15, which sees your dragon growing bigger, and less awkward in its movement allowing you to properly fly together. This is alongside the ability to forgo one of your own attacks to give your dragon a Rend attack, or two of your attacks to let it use Gravity Breath.

Wizard Subclass - Bladesinger

Since Tasha's Cauldron of Everything, the Bladesinger has seen some quality of life improvements, such as allowing them far earlier (level three) to add their Intelligence as opposed to Dexterity modifiers for their attack and damage rolls.

Also at level three, their Training in War and Song ability now grants a choice of Proficiency with any Martial weapon that isn't two-handed or heavy, on top of which they can use any weapon they have proficiency in as a spellcasting focus.

At level six you gain an extra attack that could also be a Wizard Cantrip, and at level 10 your Song of Defense shields you when your Bladesong is active, allowing you to React with a spell and reduce incoming damage. At level 14, Bladesingers can add a weapon attack as a Bonus Action to the end of a single action spellcast.

New Subclasses

Bard Subclass - College of the Moon

The College of the Moon leans into the lore of The Moonshae Isles of Faerun, where there's a lot of Fae and Druidic influence. It's going to see Bards drawing "from the isles’ Fey magic and the primal power of the moonwells."

At level 3, College of the Moon Bards can gain a Druidic cantrip of their choice to use as a Bard Spell. You'll also gain access to their Moonshae Folktales – powerful stories that a Bard can imbue themselves with to aid their allies. It gives you some clever new ways to utilize that Bardic Inspiration for healing, hiding, or being altogether tricksy.

• Tale of Life: "A tale of vitality and thriving earth."
  Buff up one of your healing spells with a Bardic Inspiration die once per turn.
• Tale of Gloam: "A tale of mystery and secrets."
  When giving Bardic Inspiration to an ally on a Bonus Action, you can also disengage or hide in that same action.
• Tale of Mirth: "a tale of merriment and fey guile."
  Expend a Bardic Inspiration die as a reaction in order to lower a creature's saving throw by that number, provided you can see them.

At level 6, Moonbeam becomes a permanently prepared spell that, when used as a Bonus Action, doesn't expend a spell slot. For each creature that fails a Constitution saving throw in its pale light, you can regenerate an ally of your choice.

And at level 14 your Bolstered Folktales add power to your Moonshae tales, swapping a 1d6 in place of your Bardic Inspiration die for Tale of Mirth and Life, and gain the ability to teleport during your Tale of Gloam Bonus Action.

Paladin Subclass - Oath of the Noble Genies

This is a very magic-focussed take on the Paladin, who's encouraged to steer away from the heavy armor archetypal playstyle. Through their Oath, they've dedicated themselves to the raw and beautiful destructive power of the earth dao; air djinn; fire efreet; and water marids of the Elemental Planes. Channeling their power through your level three Elemental Smite, immediately after casting Divine Smite you can also crush enemies grappling them with stone restraints, or take on a mist-like form to teleport out of danger, among other elementally flavoured delights.

Also at level three, you start to collect a bunch of always-prepared Genie spells that lean into your elemental affinity. That's alongside new skill proficiencies, and a Charisma bonus added to your AC via your newfound Genie's Splendor.

Level seven adds an Aura of Elemental Shielding which, per turn, can shift between granting acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder Resistance to anyone within it. Elemental Rebuke at level 15 lets you halve incoming damage with a Reaction and throw it back, in the form of one of the above damage types, at your attacker using your Charisma modifier.

Hitting level 20 nets the Paladin Bonus Action abilities to straight up fly, or use a Minor Wish to let those within your Aura of Protection succeed a D20 Test rather than failing it.

Ranger Subclass - Winter Walker

Rangers just got cooler somehow thanks to the Winter Walker's "frequent exposure to malignant entities that gives them their fearsome powers." These cursed beings gain frost resistance at level three, and the ability to cause extra cold damage through normal weapon strikes that somehow ignores any resistance to cold their target might have, and increases in power at level 11.

Along with gaining Temporary Hit points from casting Hunter's Mark, you gain new spells, such as Pass Without Trace and Remove Curse, as you move through the levels.

A level seven Winter Walkers' rugged exterior grants them a Fortifying Soul, to heal allies after a short rest and give them Advantage on saving throws against the Frightened condition. And with level 11 comes Chilling Retribution, that lets you become the scariest thing out there as a Reaction.

Further leaning into the Winter Walker's paranormal expression, you can adopt a ghostly form at level 15. Either your Ranger bursts with cold energy dealing damage as you take your ghostly form, which grants you Immunity to Cold damage; or you become Partially Incorporeal and gain the ability to move through and Force blast anything, or anyone, you end your turn inside. Ew.

Rogue Subclass - Scion of the Three

The Scion of the Three lets Rogues "Become a Gruesome Agent of Malice". It's a subclass that lets you "Really feed off that death and destruction around you" as you utilise the powers of the Dead Three, Bane, Bhaal, and Myrkul.

At third level you're granted a Bloodthirst that gives you a bonus against Bloodied enemies, as well as the ability to teleport to make a melee attack as a reaction whenever you witness an enemy fall to zero Hit points. Basically getting high as balls on all the carnage unfolding around you. Even at level three, you gain a damage resistance (either Psychic, Poison or Necrotic) and a cantrip pairing from one of the Dead Three.

Striking fear into your enemies at level nine, you gain the ability to Frighten anyone who fails a Wisdom saving throw. And at level 13 you can use your Aura of Malevolence to use your Intelligence modifier to call your chosen of the Dead Three to blast enemies in range with their damage type, ignoring their Resistances.

Level 17 lets you gain Advantage against Frightened enemies, along with the Murderous Intent ability that lets you treat a Sneak Attack's damage roll showing one or two on the die as a three instead.

Sorcerer Subclass - Spellfire Sorcery

Spellfire Sorcerers are plugging right into the Weave and acting as a conduit to expend that raw unadulterated power both defensively and offensively. From level three, spending a Sorcery point allows you to unleash Bolstering Flames to give allies Temporary hit points, or Radiant Fire to bombard enemies with the Weave's intense power, either as part of the Magic action or as a Bonus Action. That ramps up at level 14, witn increased hit points or damage, too. Spellfire Sorcerers also get a bunch of spells as you move through the levels, such as Wall of Fire at level seven and Flame Strike at level nine.

From sixth level, you'll have Counterspell always prepared, with anyone failing its saving throw netting you 1d4 Sorcery points. Level 18 Spellfire Sorcerers can use their bonus action to gain Burning Life Force and reduce their damage, using their Charisma modifier to reroll Hit Dice. They can also hover, and fly around at a speed of 60 feet.

All this comes alongside some high-level Spell Avoiding tomfoolery that lets you negate damage entirely when affected by spells that would otherwise let you roll to take half damage.

For more, why not check out the best tableto RPGs, or learn about some of the D&D Monster Manual revamps.

According to the project page, Scourge of the Sarafan "comes complete with six playable character classes, Sarafan weapons and spells, and a bevy of nocturnal horrors to battle. With a simple d20 dice system, both players and the Game Master alike can stay present in their shared adventure without having the action and atmosphere broken by complex mechanics, while high lethality keeps combat risky, forcing players to pick their battles carefully."

Scourge of the Sarafan is available as a pledge reward through the project's Backerkit, where it has managed to crush its £32,500 funding goal to a fine dust within one day (at £176,000 at time of writing). The TTRPG's Standard and Deluxe editions make up a variety of pledge tiers for the project. However, also included among these is The Book of Nosgoth, a 200-page "encyclopedia and archive" that provides both an in-depth collation of the game world and story. Alongside this, it features an exploration of the series' development through behind-the-scenes materials, concept art, and interviews with developers like Michael Bell and Simon Templeman.

Both The Book of Nosgoth and Scourge of the Sarafan appear to be continuing publisher Lost In Cult's pattern of producing stunning game-centric artsy books that are just begging to wind up on your bookshelf. Each one is hardcover, sewn-bound, and filled with the kind of gorgeous design that reminds me that flicking through TTRPG books is almost as fun as actually playing TTRPGs. This is a deeply unfortunate reality for my bank account.

I'm a decent bit too young to have experienced this cult classic series at launch and so I'll admit the Legacy of Kain games are sort of trapped in my jam-packed gaming backlog. That said, I do have a deep love for Gothic fiction and an irresistible urge to try out anything even slightly Mörk Borg-flavored, so I think I may have just accidentally given myself an excuse to pick up the recently released Soul Reaver 1 & 2 remaster to prepare myself ahead of the TTRPG's release.

For recommendations of what to play next, check out the best board games or the best adult board games!

The Disney Lorcana Gateway box – a starter set by any other name – just received a discount that is, to speak frankly, absurd. You can currently pick it up for $6.24 at Amazon instead of the usual $24.99, which is a 75% markdown. That's the cheapest it's ever been. As for UK readers, it's £10 at Amazon rather than £22.99 (a 57% price cut overall).

Considering how popular the game has become just a couple of years after launch (it's already made its way onto lists of the best card games, including ours), that level of reduction surprises me. I'm sure as hell not gonna look a gift horse in the mouth, though; if you're looking to break into the hobby or get a friend started, there's no better opportunity than this.

Should you buy Disney Lorcana Gateway?

I've been digging into Gateway recently now that the Christmas rush is over, and I'm impressed with how well it onboards new players to the game. Trading card games and 'accessible' don't always go hand in hand (just look at Magic: The Gathering if you want an example of that), so that's an impressive feat.

It achieves this thanks to a clear and concise rulebook that gets right to the point. Two booklets of tips on how to play the specific decks included in this box are another feather in the cap; players are able to quickly find out how best to use their cards. When combined with a well laid out board and decks that can be used in actual games of Lorcana (or mixed and matched for new combos), Gateway gives newcomers everything they need.

Will experienced players get much out of it? No. For them, grabbing individual starter decks – or booster packs they can use to make decks of their own – is going to be more effective. But if you're a beginner, you can't do much better.

I'd be very surprised if it ever became available for less, either. This is a faintly ridiculous saving that you wouldn't normally see outside of sales season, so I can't say for sure how long it'll last.

For recommendations of what to play next, why not check out the best board games or the best adult board games?

If you haven't dipped into Star Wars: Unlimited before, just imagine something that mixes the collectibility and competitive fun of the best card games with all your favorite characters from throughout the Star Wars universe. It's super easy to get to grips with and could very easily wind up being your next TCG obsession.

We're looking at a combination of mighty fine discounts on both the Shadows of the Galaxy set and the most recent addition to the series, Twilight of the Old Republic. For example, the Star Wars: Unlimited Shadows of the Galaxy Starter Set is currently $18.41 at Amazon, where it would usually set you back $34.99. Tell me that's not just begging to land in your basket. Find more stellar deals below.

Should you buy Star Wars: Unlimited?

If you have a soft spot for other TCG titles like Disney Lorcana, you and Star Wars: Unlimited will click together like Han and Chewie (although without the whole 'starting out as Imperial prisoners' bit … that sounds like a bummer).

There are a couple of ways to add your Star Wars: Unlimited collection once you figure out it's for you. The two 50-card decks that come with the Starter Sets are not only a super quick, simple way to experiment with different characters and abilities but they can be broken down and added to custom-built ones once you get an appetite for deck-building.

If you'd rather skip directly to cracking open packs, you can buy boosters instead. While these can be bought individually for less than $15, if you want to secure the best value, buying these in bulk with a 24-pack display is the way to go.

Each Star Wars: Unlimited set has a little something different to offer depending on your favourite chunk of the Star Wars franchise. The two most recent sets focus on The Mandalorian and The Clone Wars but those prior to that had plenty in the way of the original trilogy and the prequels. Luckily, you can mix and match cards from across every release to customize your deck to fit your preferred playstyle.

For recommendations of what to play next, check out the best board games or the best adult board games!

A new sourcebook for the steampunk setting of Eberron was revealed during our visit to Wizards of the Coast's Renton studio this month, and it'll hit shelves on August 19. Called 'Eberron: Forge of the Artificer,' it revisits the D&D location with all-new adventure outlines, alongside the revised Artificer class and a major change to one of Eberron's more iconic elements – Dragonmarks.

Although they're still recognizable to fans of Eberron, Dragonmarks (essentially a magic tattoo) are now being treated like Feats from the new 2024 Player's Guide. That means species other than the ones originally specified in 2019's Eberron: Rising From the Last War can use them. This is very much in line with Wizards' efforts to make one of the best tabletop RPGs less restrictive.

As for the Artificer class itself (which originated in Eberron books), it will presumably build on the playtest version seen during last year's Unearthed Arcana. Because this was already a "much needed upgrade," it should do wonders for one of the game's least-played classes.

There aren't any other details available for what those adventure outlines will look like, or what the majority of the book will involve, but developers James Wyatt and Jeremy Crawford say that this will serve as a companion to Rising from the Last War – to the point that Wizards is releasing digital and physical sets bundling the two together. With that in mind, I suspect this one could be more adventure-focused… particularly thanks to the concept character lineup artwork shown during the press visit.

Either way, we should find out in a few months. Until then, time to start dusting off that hardboiled warforged detective character I've had in my back pocket…

For ideas of what adventure to play next, try the best D&D books.

So, when the chance presented itself to head to Wizards of the Coast’s headquarters recently to check out their upcoming slate of goodies that will upgrade one of the best tabletop RPGs, I plane-shifted myself right over to check them out. Here is what you can expect to be incorporating into your D&D nights in 2025.

Monster Manual - February 18

Releasing on February 18, Wizards is finally completing their trio of revised core D&D books that finally let players and Dungeon Masters take full advantage of their hard work with the release of the Monster Manual. As a Dungeon Master myself, I fell in love with the tweaks the team has made to improve the organization and general usability of the MM, along with the adjustments and redone monster stats that keep it feeling fresh. This revised manual contains more than 500 creatures to throw into your adventures, with more than 85 of them being brand new. This is a massive book — the largest MM the team has ever put together — and both DMs and players will find things they will love and fear in this book.

After scouring and admiring the critters in the book, I’m most impressed with the improvements to the structure of the book and monster blocks in general. Little things, such as the index at the beginning of the book organizing monsters alphabetically or lair actions of specific monsters being paired alongside the monster’s stat block, make it far more streamlined to set up encounters. Encounters feel fresh and exciting thanks to the redone stats, which see monsters losing and gaining new abilities. Even classic creatures, such as dragons, feel new and fearsome again. And on the topic of dragons…

Dragons Delve – July 8

Following up the Monster Manual, Wizards is turning up the heat... and cold... and thunder, and acid too, with the release of the dragon-centric Dragon Delves: The Adventure Anthology on July 8. This collection brings together 10 shorter adventures — each one focusing on a different type of the classic 10 chromatic and metallic dragon varieties (sorry, fellow gem dragon fans) — that can be put together in a way that creates three potential campaigns.

As neat as this sounds on its own, perhaps what excites me is that this book will also serve as a celebration of the game’s title creature, showcasing the giant lizards throughout Dungeons & Dragons history. Artwork from all the editions will be on display, along with fascinating lore, making this a wonderful recommendation for not only players but also folks who enjoy the history aspect of the game.

Eberron: Forge of the Artificer – August 19

From dragons to dragonmarks, players will return to Eberron on August 19, home of Artificers, the Warforged, and Dragonmark houses, with Eberron: Forge of the Artificer. As someone who has run a Warforged Artificer character before (RIP T4-I — aka Tai), the prospect of revisiting one of my favorite planes is exciting. One of the significant changes that Wizards is taking with this release is adjusting how Dragonmarks work, treating them now as feats, opening them up to species outside of the previously predefined ones. While some longtime Eberron enthusiasts may take issue with this change to the long-held norm, Wizards feels this adjustment will allow for greater freedom and more diverse stories for players and DMs to tell and experience. To help folks along, this book will also contain some outlines of adventures to set you and your players on their way, highlighting various aspects unique to Eberron, such as gritty detective work.

Astute players may have been tipped off that this was coming, thanks to Wizards pulling back the curtains on their Artificer rework in the Unearthed Arcana release back in December. However, it is still a welcome surprise to get this return officially announced. For owners of the previous Eberron: Rising from the Last War, released back in 2019, you don’t have to worry that this release of Forge of the Artificer will replace it or make your previous purchase worthless. In fact, speaking with this supplement’s creators, James Wyatt and Jeremy Crawford, Forge of the Artificer will actually serve as a wonderful companion piece to Rising from the Last War, so much so that Wizards will be releasing bundles — both digitally and physically — that include both Eberron books.

Starter Set: Heroes of the Borderlands – September 16

New core rulebooks call for a new onboarding set for prospective players, and Wizards is answering the call with an updated, revised Starter Set, this time featuring fresh adventures in the Borderlands. The Borderlands is a classic D&D location, first explored back in 1979 with the adventure module The Keep on the Borderlands. But this Starter Set isn’t just a reworked set of character sheets and a new beginner campaign. Starter Sets do a great job of introducing players to the basics of the game, but there is one fundamental aspect they have always shied away from tackling: letting the player create characters and instead opting for premade character sheets. This new set looks to remedy that. Heroes of the Borderlands will introduce a new tile-based system that lets players create their own characters in a streamlined yet meaningful way, giving them that sense of ownership and excitement.

Many details are being kept under wraps for now, but I already love the idea of constructing a character by mixing and matching tiles. Another game that has taken this approach, which I enjoy, is the Divinity Original Sin: Board Game, and if it manages to be as successful, I would love to see this approach expanded. Give me tile sets alongside each new module to expand the options, a nice dual-layer cardboard character board to slot them in, or let me organize my items like I’m playing Resident Evil 4 with little cardboard tiles of potions and equipment. I think this approach, along with Wizards’ initiative to deliver starter sets to schools, will do wonders for bringing more kids into the world of tabletop roleplaying games in a far more tactile and personal way.

Forgotten Realms – November 11

Closing out this year is the one-two punch of the Forgotten Realms Players Guide and Forgotten Realms Adventure Guide, two large tomes that will give fans perhaps the best look at the various realms that compose this magical place to date. While already popular, the release of Larian’s goliath Baldur’s Gate 3 has shone a bright light on the region of the Forgotten Realms. But as described by Wizards themselves, this is a place of “realms within a realm,” with each being unique and a perfect setting for different styles of campaigns. These books aim to help both players and DMs take advantage of this versatility.

For players using the Player’s Guide, they can look forward to eight new subclasses to experiment with, a tour guide of the Forgotten Realms, and perhaps most excitingly, a new way to cast spells: Circle Spellcasting. This new method of spellcasting combines the power of multiple spellcasters working in unison on a single spell. These empowered spells can be brand new or stronger versions of existing ones. The book will also provide a template and guide for adapting any existing spell into a Circle Spellcasting version, which is especially exciting. I can’t wait to see what happens when you circle cast the Fireball spell!

The Adventure Guide, on the other hand, provides a plethora of new options for DMs to have fun with in their games, including monster stat blocks and magic items. One key distinction with this release, however, is that players won’t have access to the same information. By splitting this content into two books, Wizards has cleverly separated important and spoilery information from the players, which is something previous similar releases didn’t do. It’s a smart move, and as a DM, I can appreciate it.

There is still a lot of time before these books release, so we’ll have to wait for more nitty-gritty details.

There is little doubt about the impact Dungeons & Dragons has had on nerd culture and, thanks to the likes of Baldur’s Gate 3 and the Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves film, on pop culture in general. This upcoming year, Wizards is pushing the franchise to be more approachable for both longtime adventurers and first-time heroes with its mix of releases.

2025, more than other years, feels like a celebration of many of the cornerstones of the Wizards brand — from dragons to the Forgotten Realms and even its return to the Borderlands. As someone who loves the Artificer class and the history of Eberron, I can’t wait to crack open Eberron: Forge of the Artificer and see what new goodies await. Everything I’ve seen suggests that Wizards of the Coast’s focus this year is on making it easier for players to jump in and start adventuring, and I’m optimistic they’ll reach that goal.

For recommendations on what to play before these new books drop, why not check out the best board games?

Right now at Amazon, you can get this legendary board game that paved the way for Eurogames for $29 off. Where usually you'd find Catan skirting the $45-50 mark, you can currently get Catan for $25.49 at Amazon. According to our preferred price tracking software, it hit its lowest price (since 2016 at least) around the sales period in 2022, but has only been this cheap once since then. That was back in 2023.

UK folks will be pleased to learn Catan is also available for a deep discount over here in ol' Blightey, with the price having dropped to a tasty £39 at Amazon.

Should you buy Catan?

There are plenty of reasons to have Catan in your compendium, not least because it's a game with a massive legacy behind it. Catan was pivotal in spreading the Eurogame genre across the globe, and making the world see that Economics games were good, actually.

It's a simple setup, with easy-to-explain rules and a shortish game time compared to many eurogames today. While it can feel rudimentary against a backdrop of complex games, as I noted in my Catan review, it's one that the whole family can still enjoy without having to spend ages explaining everything.

For more recommendations, why not check out the announcement of a Catan version of the Exit board game, or some advice for artists from someone who worked on Catan 6th Edition.

Recently, controversies arose over the ENNIES submission policies, which allowed submissions to use generative AI in their project, provided that which was generated had nothing to do with the category to which it was submitted. So submissions using Large Language Models (LLMs) to generate a narrative were not allowed to submit to the Best Writing category, but could still make a play for Best Cartography.

As of yesterday, this policy has been revised following backlash from the tabletop community.

"The ENNIE Awards will no longer accept any products containing generative AI or created with the assistance of Large Language Models or similar technologies for visual, written, or edited content" says an official post on the matter. "Creators wishing to submit products must ensure that no AI-generated elements are included in their works."

The announcement also makes clear that "it is not feasible to retroactively alter the rules for the 2024-2025 season," so the new AI policy won't be taking effect until the 2025-2026 submissions roll around.

Comments on an r/RPG Reddit post detailing the policy revision indicate a collective sigh of relief.

User OnlyOnHBO notes that this is a "Good change," but says its "Pathetic that they had to be yelled at to make it happen. Still don't trust 'em to be a good source of product recommendations as a result."

"With more awareness of companies trying to cut out creatives with algorithmic generated content, I agree that any company that does that shouldn't be eligible for awards meant to celebrate creators" says user rzelln.

Another commenter, Mr_Venom, chimes in with "Brilliant. Now creators won't disclose what tools they've used. What a masterstroke."

While there is still a lot of discussion around whether this is a wise decision, or whether it will make a difference at all, the consensus in the community is that this is at least a step toward avoiding a minefield of stolen artwork.

For more recommendations, why not check out the best tabletop RPGs or maybe something on solo RPGs.

Instead of centering their mechanics and theming around the kind of multiplanar Wacky Races business you might expect, both of the Aetherdrift Commander precons are firmly planted in their respective planes of Amonkhet and Avishkar. With very few vehicle cards to speak of, they're probably not going anywhere either. True to the vision of MTG's head designer, Mark Rosewater, Aetherdrift's Commanders are really giving the "travelogue" experience.

While the backdrop of the Ghirapur Grand Prix certainly plays its part, this multiplanar death race is largely just a vehicle that allows the Aetherdrift set to inhabit multiple planes at once – and allows the designers to create two decks that simultaneously embody the mechanical identity and aesthetic of each one. This world-building, combined with the strength of decklists themselves (I'll get into that soon, just you wait), means that I really can't be too vexed by the relative lack of vehicles.

Eternal Might probably isn't going to knock Wilhelt, The Rotcleaver out of its position as fan-favorite Zombie precon anytime soon. However, it's still an impressive precon that houses some seriously formidable new and returning cards alike.

Both monetarily and gameplay-wise, you're getting pretty good value with reprints. For example, you have Rot Hulk, a beastly $26 card that's particularly well-suited to the multiplayer format of Commander. Pay seven mana for Rot Hulk (or you know, cheat him out, that's always preferable) and you'll have 5/5 Zombie with menace whose enter the battlefield effect rewards you with a reanimated zombie for each opponent you have. With a healthy host of discard triggers in cards like Cryptbreaker and Temmet, Naktamun's Will, you're likely to have a graveyard chock-full of goodies for Rot Hulk to return too.

Whether you intend to tweak Eternal Might with upgrades or transform it entirely, there are plenty of mechanically strong and thematically rich cards that make it a deck worth picking up – doubly so if you have a soft spot for Esper (white-blue-black) color identity or the plane of Amonkhet.

Then there's Living Energy. With this being the third Energy-centric Commander deck released in the last year, you might feel sort of glutted on the mechanic. You may even be one of those Magic: The Gathering players who don't vibe with Energy at all. For those who are on board with the concept, Living Energy promises to be a solid offering.

Again, you're offered some fancy reprints like the gorgeously 'busted-in-Blue-decks' land, Academy Ruins (currently $16.40) and Elder Gargaroth ($13.79), a super powerful, stompy Green creature that provides a range of benefits to your game state every time it attacks or defends. Not only does Living Energy have a less distinct and unique deck identity, it also seems like it will need more TLC in the way of upgrading than Eternal Might. That said, if you're in the market for a project (or you happen to be specifically yearning for an energy-touting Temur Artificer deck), this could be the one worth popping in your basket.

Wondering what to play next? Don't miss the best board games. If you need to know more about the new set, check out these exclusive MTG Aetherdrift cards.

For the unaffiliated, Diamond has been the sole distributor for many of the best comics. For around 25 years it distributed Marvel and DC comics until, back in 2020, it lost the rights to DC with Marvel following suit in 2021. Citing these breaks in partnership in a recent FAQ around the company's restructuring, Diamond notes "unexpected loss of certain exclusive publisher relationships, compounded by an overall contraction in consumer spending, increased inflation, and a loss of margin on key print product lines" as its major reasons for filing for bankruptcy. Diamond doesn't just owe WotC and Hasbro money, it also has debts to BattleTech and Shadowrun publisher Catalyst Games ($401,483), TRPG and board game distributor Publisher Services, Inc ($223,141), and Army Painter ($316,296), to name a few.

The FAQ makes it clear that, "Post-pandemic, the comic book industry at large has seen a decrease in consumer activity paired with rising operating costs", though it doesn't mention the widely criticized approach Diamond had taken to trading that seemed to benefit the company above its publishers.

As outlined by IGN, Diamond's middleman approach, that saw comic book store owners having to place orders through its distribution network as opposed to going straight to the publisher, meant store owners were forced to be more conservative with their orders to avoid money lost on unsold comics.

This was alongside concerns that Diamond was monopolizing the market, and the company's requirement for a book to net them $2,500 before being included in their Previews catalog. All of which could be considered reasons for breaking with Diamond, and potential contributing factors in its eventual bankruptcy.

"As part of the restructuring process, Diamond has received a $39 million stalking horse bid from an affiliate of Universal Distribution (“Universal”) for Alliance Game Distributors" says the official press release detailing the news. Alongside DIP financing from JP Morgan Chase to fund post-petition operating expenses, the company has also "entered into a Non-Binding Letter of Intent (LOI) with Universal to acquire Diamond UK". All this will go a long way to finally getting the companies paid that Diamond owes money to.

For more recommendations, why not check out the best D&D books or check out some Marvel Merchandise.

Should you buy Villainous expandalone games?

Just when you thought you'd seen the limits of Disney's influence, the big mouse went and took the board game world by storm with Villainous, its range of family-friendly asymmetrical strategy games based on the dark side of the Disney, Star Wars, and Marvel universes.

While mainline Villainous titles allow up to four players to take up the role of cinematic baddies, the Villainous expandalone games usually contain two villains instead. As a result of their smaller scope, they are easier to learn to play, have a reduced price point, and will take up a decent bit less space in your board game collection. I can say from experience, that last factor is a big ol' win if you too have a tiny apartment but can't help falling in love with new board games.

While Villainous expandalone games can put a fun twist on your usual Villianous experience, these titles can be played separately from the core Disney Villainous, Marvel Villainous, and Star Wars Villainous games. As a matter of fact, you don't have to have ever played any of the original Villainous installments to get to grips with these spin-offs. So, all the best Disney Villianous expansions are ready for you to dive into whether you've played Disney Villainous previously or not.

However, there are plenty of benefits to mixing sets of Villains together. The only issue you might run into with this mix-and-match approach is that villains have to be from the same cinematic universe. For example, villains from Star Wars Villainous and its spin-offs can't be pitted against those from Marvel or Disney. Beyond that though, go nuts – it feels good to be bad!

For more great discounts, be sure to check out the latest from our roundup of the top board game deals. If you're looking to treat a fellow nerd (or just treat yourself), why not drop by our guide on the best gifts for gamers?

You can currently pre-order the MTG Aetherdrift Play Booster Box for $109.95 via Walmart rather than the $150 or so I'm seeing elsewhere, and even though it's not listed as a deal, I can't find a better offer. It's currently $148.69 at Amazon, for example, and $114.99 at Miniature Market.

Such a gulf in pricing isn't unusual where Magic: The Gathering is concerned. Despite it being one of the most popular and best card games around, stable MSRPs don't seem to be a thing where MTG is concerned. While booster boxes and Commander decks hover around the same ballpark with every set, costs between retailers can vary wildly. That makes it difficult to tell what is and isn't a good deal at times, but this is the lowest I've been able to find on Aetherdrift's premier product.

Should you buy the MTG Aetherdrift Play Booster?

Whether you should pick up this pack will depend on what you're looking for with the new set. Are you mainly interested in collecting the cards, playing Limited matches like Draft, or getting enough to build your own decks? This is a no-brainer, because it's the easiest (and cheapest) way of getting MTG Aetherdrift cards in bulk.

However, anyone who wants the rarer card designs or alt-art should opt for the Collector Boosters instead. In addition, it's no good for those who mainly play with precon Commander decks. Unless you're interested in tweaking decks or constructing entirely new ones, it'll feel like overkill.

I doubt the Play Booster Box will dip much lower than this before release, though – and probably not for a long time afterward, if previous sets are any indication. Even then, you're unlikely to see them breach the $95 barrier. In other words? Now's as good a time as any to dive in.

For recommendations on what to play next, don't miss the best board games. As for what we can expect from the new set, check out these exclusive MTG Aetherdrift cards.

MTG Innistrad Remastered is here like a bat out of hell. Indeed, the horror-themed set just launched with a bevvy of products underwing. But what's it all about, and should you bother signing up for this gothic encore?

To help you navigate Magic's eeriest setting, our resident tabletop nerds have weighed in with everything you need to know about MTG Innistrad Remastered. You'll find everything from release dates to mechanics here. We've been sure to include the cheapest available deals as well.

Unsure of which cards to prioritize? Not to worry. We've also consulted with Magic: The Gathering experts to fill you in on what an ideal MTG Innistrad Remastered deck should look like. If you're hoping to dominate the battlefield in one of the best card games, these tips should help.

What is MTG Innistrad Remastered?

• The first release of 2025
• Revisits classic setting & cards
• Gothic horror-themed

As the name would suggest, this set revisits the eerie world of Innistrad - a realm of vampires, werewolves, undead, and all things baroque. It was introduced in 2011 and has featured in numerous expansions since then. Indeed, there have been more than six sets in total. (It seems as though publisher Wizards of the Coast subscribes to the "if it ain't baroque, don't fix it" school of thought.)

However, Remastered isn't an entirely new entry. It revives cards from every previous set alongside adding some retro frames to help fans relive the glory days.

Innistrad Remastered isn't like normal MTG releases, though; it doesn't include any premade Commander decks and is instead limited to Play and Collector booster packs.

MTG Innistrad Remastered release date

The wait for MTG Innistrad Remastered is over! The set is now available, and launched on January 24, 2025.

Here's the exact schedule:

• Premium Preview Events: January 17 - 23
  Full tabletop release: January 24

It's worth pointing out that this is only available as a physical product; Innistrad Remastered is not available on MTG Arena.

MTG Innistrad Remastered products

• Only Play & Collector boosters
• No precons, pre-release, or bundles

What's available for MTG Innistrad Remastered? Unlike so many Magic launches, the horror set has just a couple of items available; there aren't any of the usual bundles, pre-release packs, or precon Commander decks.

Here's what's available.

Play boosters

The ever-reliable Play boosters are your main way of getting MTG Innistrad Remastered cards. These can be used to create decks of any type or to play Limited formats like Draft or Sealed.

Collector boosters

If you have a soft spot for the prettiest cards or want to collect alternate art, Collector Booster packs should be on your radar. These are more expensive on the whole, particularly when bought individually, but they offer card designs you simply can't get elsewhere.

MTG Innistrad Remastered mechanics

Seeing as it's a rework rather than an entirely new set, MTG Innistrad Remastered shouldn't surprise fans. Still, that doesn't mean it's business as usual. There are a few returning mechanics of note players may wanna pay attention to.

• Transforming double-faced cards: Because this is a world of monsters, it's fitting that Innistrad debuted a special kind of double-sided card. Werewolves are a good example. One half will feature the creature's human form, while the other shows them as a monster. This is normally activated by a particular trigger, like no sorceries being cast on your turn.
• Meld: This is a particularly nasty effect that will ruin your opponent's whole day. Meld cards are double-sided, and they combine to form a super monster.
• Blood: These tokens can be discarded to draw cards, or transform certain creatures.
• Disturb: As is only right for a ghostly world, Disturb lets you cast the back side of a card from your graveyard by paying its Disturb cost rather than the mana cost.
• Undying: If a card with this dies and it doesn't have any plus counters, it's returned to your hand with +1/+1.
• Flashback: Like the name suggests, this ability allows you to bring a card back from the graveyard if you pay the Flashback cost. It must then be exiled.
• Emerge: You're able to cast this card by sacrificing a creature, all simulating nasty things bursting from a body. Yuk.
• Investigate: Players who use Investigate are able to create a Clue token, which can be discarded to draw a card.
• Soulbond: You can bond two cards together if you like for specific benefits.
• Madness: If your cards have Madness, you can cast them when they're discarded.
• Miracle: Players who draw this card first can cast it for the Miracle cost rather than the mana cost.
• Escalate: Pay a certain amount to choose one of multiple effects.

MTG Innistrad Remastered tips

What should you look out for when it comes to MTG Innistrad Remastered? I brought the matter to an expert Magic player and writer on our sister site, PC Gamer (James Bentley), to find out. While you can get a full overview in our guide to the best Innistrad Remastered cards, here's an overview.

"The best and worst part of picking out the best cards from a remastered set is that the cards in question will either be staples of the genre or have some sort of appeal through sheer iconography. You won’t see too many surprises but long-term value is there, because it was already there. From this set, I recommend keeping an eye out for..."

• Edgar Markov: "Prioritize this elder Markov for his excellent vampire synergy and remarkably strong eminence effect. He can build even more vampires without even being on the field and buffs them whenever he attacks, which he is very good at thanks to haste and first strike."
• Emrakul, the Promised End: "Alright, putting in a big splashy Eldrazi might feel like cheating, but Emrakul, the Promised End is worth of inclusion despite it. A 13/13 for 13 mana that can be cheated out with some funky graveyard shenanigans, that also take control of your opponent for a turn, is already strong. But give it trample, flying, and protection from instants and it's on another level."
• Avacyn, Angel of Hope: "An indestructible beast that makes all your other permanents indestructible too. Pair this with a 'destroy all creatures' effect and watch everything but your board get taken out."
• Snapcaster Mage: "This blue creature gives a sorcery or instant in your graveyard flashback, a versatile spell that also gives you a chump blocker on the field. What's not to love?"
• Craterhoof Behemoth: "If you like big stompy creatures, Craterhoof Behemoth is the pinnacle of them, being a 6/6 trampler that buffs other creatures for the amount you have on the field. It's strong, but also just iconic."
• Meathook Massacre: "Finally, Meathook Massacre is arguably better than its recent sequel, not only being a board wipe with the right mana but also giving you health and ping enemies for damage with every creature that dies. This can end a game instantly if your opponents don't have a response."

MTG Innistrad Remastered story

• No story for this set
• Based in a world of vampires & undead

Because this isn't a mainline MTG set, Innistrad Remastered doesn't feature a story in the traditional sense. However, you will find fun asides on some cards as always that should provide some much-needed flavor.

The artwork provides atmosphere to spare, too. This is a grim world filled with vampires, zombies, ghosts, werewolves, and other terrors inspired by Gothic literature a la Dracula, so the realm's humans spend much of their time living in fear. Although there are a few noble heroes who seek to push back the tide (like the late Archangel Avacyn, RIP), Innistrad's most notable character is the vampiric planeswalker Sorin Markov.

Best MTG Innistrad Remastered deals

Want to save some cash when collecting MTG Innistrad Remastered? No problem. We've set our bargain-hunting software the task of rounding up the best available prices. You'll find these below from a variety of trusted retailers.

New to all this? Be sure to check our guide on how to play Magic: The Gathering, or this feature on how to play MTG Commander.

Made with "thematically rich cooperative gameplay" in mind, according to Leacock, players actually dual-wield characters to fill out the Fellowship. Each player controls two characters who will help keep Frodo safe on his journey to destroy the One Ring, and evade the Nazgûl. Whether it'll be best board game material is hard to tell at this stage, but I do love the little references I've seen so far.

Appropriately, I've just spotted that on the Frodo and Sam character card, it says that with 'Sam's Aid' players can spend hearts to improve their search rolls. I suppose that tracks. He does appear to have pretty high perception, and certainly a lot of heart to give.

You might see your duo heading to Rivendell to "Attain the Blessing of the Elves", or confronting Saruman himself, all while you try to prevent your hope from falling too low and avoiding the gaze of Sauron's eye as it sweeps across the landscape of Middle Earth.

With 13 playable characters, 24 objectives to complete, and 14 events to keep you on your toes it looks like there's going to be a lot of replay value with this one. Plus, there's an Eye of Sauron dice tower included which is worth the price of admission alone for me.

If that all sounds particularly interesting to you, you can head on over to the Z-Man Games store now to pre-order the game, and be one of the first to experience Pandemic, only it's Lord of the Rings and the virus is the forces of evil. The game is expected to drop in June, so keep your eyes lidless and wreathed in flame.

For more recommendations, why not check out the best cooperative board games or best two player board games.

As one of the first subreddits in the tabletop gaming space to enact the Twitter ban, r/OSR moderator amp108 had this to say in a post detailing their outlook.

"I said originally not to call anyone a Nazi unless they literally had Swastika tattoos, but doing a Nazi salute, twice, in public, then trying to convince people to doubt the evidence of their own senses, is at least the equivalent of that."

They suggest that anyone in opposition of the decision should go "create [their] own subreddit" and, addressing those calling the ban 'woke' or using the term unironically, says that "It must be exhausting trying to find immigrants, or people with different skin tones, or folks with alternate sexual identities, to blame the consequences of your own poor life decisions on."

When moderators over on the D&D subreddit put out a poll over the subject, an "overwhelming" majority of respondents voted to ban links to Twitter outright. That's 90% of 15,253 people, meaning that around 1,525 people voted that "Twitter/X should not be limited in any way."

On the official r/DnD post, moderator Iamfivebears says "The full mod team is also in support. We will immediately set automod to start removing all links to x.com, t.co, twimg.com, and twitter.com. These rules will likely be refined over the next few weeks so please bear with us. In the meantime please report any screenshots, missed links, or attempts to circumvent the filters."

As moderator EldritchBee, AKA the Dread Mod Acererak, admits in the comments, "This discussion has been a hell of a time to moderate, but it's done a great job pulling all the shitheads out of the woodwork for us to ban."

In an adjacent poll on the D&D subreddit, respondents voted 85.2% in favour of banning any kind of AI-generated content as well.

Among more than 50 other subreddits moving to ban links, r/Fantasy has gone as far as to ban everything Twitter related, stating that "No links. No screenshots. No embeds" should be posted anywhere on the subreddit.

Following this, r/Fantasy moderator rfantasygolem says "We have no interest in driving traffic to or promoting a social platform that actively works against our values and promotes hatred, bigotry, and fascism.

"Once more so that people don’t think we’re "Roman saluting" somehow not serious about this - No Twitter. Fuck Musk, who is a Nazi."

For more recommendations, why not check out the best D&D books, or some other tabletop RPGs if you're looking to lighten the mood a little?

As with all things MTG Aetherdrift, they gotta go fast. Well, theoretically. Although these cards tie into the racing theme present across this set, they aren't burning rubber. Instead, they're distinctly prehistoric additions to one of the best card games. First up, have a high-speed mammoth – as a treat.

OK, so the 'Autarch Mammoth' might not be the fastest mount out there. But it packs enough of a punch to send rivals flying thanks to its 5/5 rating and ability to spawn a 3/3 green Elephant token whenever it attacks if saddled. That makes it a great late-game play.

Next, we have a Very Good Boy who'll defend your creatures or create Pilot tokens.

Just like it says on the tin, 'Defend the Rider' will protect high-value cards. It allows you to either make a target permanent you control hexproof and indestructible until the end of the turn, or make a 1/1 colorless Pilot who can saddle Mounts and crew Vehicles as if its power were 2 or more. Thanks to the card's single-mana cost, it lets players quickly and easily activate saddle or crew triggers.

More details for MTG Aetherdrift will continue to drop as we march toward the February 14 release date. We'll keep you updated as and when more info becomes available, but in the meantime you can get some discounts on the set via Amazon.

For more recommendations, race over to our guide to the best board games or the best 2-player board games.

There I was, flipping through the almost 500 page rule book, wondering if the Break!! TRPG might be one to make it onto our best tabletop RPGs guide, when I happened across Madriñan's Blogspot. This thing is positively brimming with free supplemental content, and I now have enough lore to keep me going while I wait for the tutorial adventure zine 'Start' to launch on Kickstarter.

If you're in the same boat, perhaps looking for something a bit less vague than the sourcebook's 'possible' world history, the Break!! RPG Blogspot is chock-full of everything from new species designs, to advice on creating your own Outer World histories and quick re-skins of adversaries, to Outer World Holidays meant to spice up your game world with some commonly held festivities.

The most recent post, and one that really got me going, outlines some more of the lore behind the entity known as the Wondersmith. Not only that, it also hints at the existence of another entity for all you lorehounds to latch onto. Just as a spoiler warning, players may want to steer clear in case your GM plans to use any of this as a big reveal moment in your campaign.

The Core Rules note that the Wondersmith is said to have created the Outer World and the Sun Machine against the will of the true Creator. He sides with the Unshaped and steals the people away from the mythical land of Promise, to be used as playthings on the Outer World, or so many believe.

In the blog post, Madriñan goes into more detail around how "Descriptions of the Wondersmith are extremely varied. A bouncing, jocular toymaker. A plump and kindly baker. A wiry blacksmith who lets their craft speak for them, just to name a few. The only consistency is flowing red clothing and a golden mask of some kind." While players might assume those spouting such rumours are mistaken, Madriñan makes it clear that "they are not - these individuals and more are all the Wondersmith. They are simply one of their 7 masks."

In a Voldemort-esque twist, players might come into contact with one of the Wondersmiths many masked constituent parts, whose existence was a sure way for the Wondersmith to "outmaneuver Ending".

Ending is something fans have begun to notice is capitalised, too, and in questioning this ominous capitalisation Madriñan pops into the comments to say they're "Glad to see people caught that". They go on to explain that "Ending is both a concept and an individual, something I'm saving for later."

If that isn't a tease for the upcoming Start adventure I don't know what is.

For more recommendations, why not check out the best D&D books, or some cool D&D gifts for your TRPG loving friends.

For just $19.79 at Amazon you can grab Sounds Fishy and start the obscure family fun at your table. This isn't the first time it's gotten a discount like this, and certainly isn't the cheapest it's been, with some discounts dropping all the way to $16, but it's still a great price against recent price hikes that have seen it skyrocket to around $29. And its a fair bit cheaper than Big Potato's own price of $23.

If you're over in the UK, you an also get Sounds Fishy for a discount, so there's no need for you to miss out. Right now, the game is £19.93 at Amazon.

Should you buy Sounds Fishy?

Sounds Fishy is the kind of game you can pull out over the Holidays when the whole family gets together. First off it won't take you ages to explain the rules, as they're simple as can be, and it can be played by up to 10 players so no one has to feel left out.

Players start with a question, something like "In South Dakota where is it illegal to fall asleep?" Then one player reads the true answer, while others make up plausible answers. Picking out the true answer can be really difficult, especially if your pals are good liars.

It's a great little game, with heaps of replayability. Not to mention you actually feel like you're learning stuff in the process!

For more discounts, be sure to check out the latest the best board game deals. For more for present ideas, why not drop by our gifts for gamers guide?

Based on the show's reveals, this is going to be a busy year. First came glimpses of packaging and art for the initial set of 2025, 'Archazia's Island' – including original character Archazia herself in a mind-bending setting. Then we got our first peek at June's 'Reign of Jafar,' complete with its tease of a more villainous focus. Finally, Lorcana's Q3 release ('Fabled') broke cover. Although there's not much to go on where the latter is concerned, it leans into a fairytale theme and promises a good jumping-on point for new Disney Lorcana players.

Here's a breakdown of everything we saw.

Archazia's Island

In terms of Archazia's Island, artwork indicates that things are getting weird for one of the best card games. The owl-like Archazia is already a trippy concept with their glowing eyes and mask-like face, but it's their home that's frying my noodle. This is a place M.C. Escher would be proud of, and it openly laughs in the face of gravity. Or logic. I dig it. Throw in this set's focus on cute critters and I will very much be seated.

We also got to see the designs for this set's product range. Encanto's Mirabel returns for an encore here, and she's joined by Bolt the dog (remember them?) across booster pack illustrations. As for the precons, we're getting a mix of either steampunk Belle and scholarly Beast or a Godzilla-sized Iago alongside Jafar in his Reign of Jafar getup. Speaking of which…

Reign of Jafar

We didn't receive too much info on the second set of 2025, but we know it'll feature the titular baddie getting up to no good. Indeed, it feels as if this is going to be more villainous than other releases; the blurb states that "Jafar has taken over Archazia’s Island, corrupting the beautiful haven into his menacing fortress. His reign may just be the greatest threat that Lorcana has faced!"

Fabled

Players got a glimpse into the future with the final tease of London Toy Fair, and a poster for a Lorcana set due to arrive later in 2025 was shown off. We know next to nothing about Fabled beyond its fairytale style (artwork depicts Mickey and Minnie in fantasy costumes riding a carousel) and a blurb on the official Lorcana site that says it is a "welcome to Lorcana, a realm where magical stories come to life. Whether this is your first time playing the game, or you're returning to team up with a few new pals, there's something for everyone in Fabled!"

Want to know what to play while you wait for these new sets? Check out the best board games or the best family board games.

You’ll have to wait just a tad longer to get a complete picture of the Aetherdrift Commander decklists, as they're not set to drop until tomorrow, January 23. In the meantime though, the MTG team have given us Face Commanders and Alternate Commanders to mull over.

The four Aetherdrift Commanders revealed include those from Living Energy (a Green-Blue-Red deck that seems focused on leveraging energy counters) and those from Eternal Might (a White-Blue-Black deck which appears to prioritise Zombie Typal play and reanimation mechanics).

Saheeli, Radiant Creator serves as the Face Commander for Living Energy and provides an ability similar to that of Satya from Modern Horizons 3. This card allows you to use energy to copy permanents that can swing big for a single turn before being destroyed. The transience of these copies is a bit of a bummer. However, you don’t even have to attack on your combat phase to trigger this ability, the copies are all 5/5s, and Saheeli is a pretty reliable cog in an energy engine. So, all this more than makes up for that fact.

Living Energy’s Alternate Commander is Pia Nalaar, Chief Mechanic. This Commander leans hard into an Artificer play style (i.e. a board chock full of artifacts) and her variable energy cost ability allows her to really grow in power as the game progresses. While Pia Nalaar, Chief Mechanic would be right at home in any Artificer deck you might decide to build, it’ll be key to see what kinds of artifact creatures are in the Living Energy decklist to judge the feasibility of this as the Commander within the precon.

Energy is a resource that has undergone a bit of renaissance in the last year of Magic: The Gathering. While it first made a splash with the Kaladesh expansion in 2016, there was distinct lack of love for the mechanic until its reappearance in Universes Beyond: Fallout and Modern Horizons 3 in 2024. Following on from that trend (and considering that Aetherdrift takes place in the plane formerly known as Kaladesh), it makes a whole lot of sense that we would see that familiar lightning bolt making a regular appearance on upcoming MTG Aetherdrift cards, especially across the Living Energy decklist.

On the other hand, Commanders from the Eternal Might precon seem firmly planted in another plane featured in Aetherdrift's story: Naktamun. This magical pastiche of Ancient Egypt is abound with mummies and other kinds of mythical monsters, but for the sake of clean categorization and typal integration, the creature type that these fall under is Zombie. This allows for a deck with crystal clear Zombie typal design and a reliance on reanimation mechanics.

While Temmet, Naktamun's Will (the Face Commander) is no doubt a formidable card with the capacity for powerful synergies, the Alternate Commander is a great choice to take the helm in my opinion. If you're playing any deck looking to strategically discard cards and especially if your gameplan involves reanimating back from the graveyard, Hashaton, Scarab's Fist is a tempting choice that's worth throwing in your Command Zone.

To start, Hashaton, Scarab's Fist has a two-mana cost, which is ideal for those who like to get their Commander out early in the game and continually return them to the battlefield despite being increasingly bogged down by Commander Tax. Once Hashaton is on the field, he provides a transformative creature-copying ability that not only aligns the copy token with the zombie type but also makes it a 4/4 for just three mana.

Of course, this new addition to your Zombie army has all the same abilities and effects as the card it’s copied from too. Meanwhile, the original creature isn’t exiled but instead goes to your graveyard to lie in wait for their reanimation. The only real downside is that your copy is tapped when created but as soon as you get to untapping it, you can start to cause some havoc.

Time will tell what other key game pieces are included in the MTG Aetherdrift Commander decklists and how they’ll bolster the different playstyles of Living Energy and Eternal Might. However, what we have seen so far offers a pretty strong indication of what we can expect, as well as delivering insight into which Aetherdrift Commander precon you might want to pop in your basket when the set releases next month.

Looking for what to play next? Check out our guide to the best board games. If you're stuck on getting a full party of players together, our choices for the best two player board games have got your back.

Right now, you can get hold of it for half price, that's just $40 on Amazon, against the usual $80 for this comprehensive strategy game. Having released just last year, the game hasn't seen that many drops in price yet. So this is a great opportunity to nab it for a deep discount.

If you're a fellow UK-based caveperson, you can also grab it for just under £20 off at Zatu games, so there's no reason for us to miss out on the fun overseas. Appropriately, that's sort of what Doggerland is all about: exploring the the stretch of land that once connected the British Isles to the rest of Europe, back in the days of wooly mammoths and cave paintings.

Should you buy Doggerland?

There's a lot to love about this game that dives deep into the lives of Prehistoric folk, not least the fact that every game of Doggerland is different. With procedural tiles laid out to be explored, and various goals that change every time you play, there are countless combinations that'll have you pulling Doggerland out of the cupboard time and time again.

The game sees players accumulating points through the seasons by strategising around the limited resources on the map. You grow your clan, migrate across the map hunting wild animals, and uh *checks notes* create megoliths and invoke twin births with the help of your Shaman. Okay, so it's not entirely historically accurate, but a mystical twist never hurt, did it?

As you play, you add to your fresco paintings with great deeds, create tools, as well as statues and necklaces that all add to your point score depending on the current goals. It's a deep and ever-changing game, Doggerland, and one that I can't wait to get hold of for review myself.

For more discounts, be sure to check out the latest the top board game deals for January 2025. As for last-minute present ideas, why not drop by our gifts for gamers guide?

And a great deal is exactly what you're getting if you treat yourself to the Mycelia board game right now, as it's managed to majorly sink down in price as part of a limited time offer. At the moment, you can pick up Mycelia for $26.59 at Amazon where it would usually set you back $39.99.

I don't know about you but that 34% discount sounds pretty tempting to me. As a matter of fact, Mycelia sitting pretty at its lowest ever price probably makes it one of the top board game deals you'll come across all week.

Should you buy Mycelia?

Be sure not to confuse this Mycelia from Ravensburger with its identically-titled counterpart from the publisher Split Stone Games. While both games feature super charming illustrations of fungus friends, they differ in complexity and gameplay style.

The Mycelia from Split Stone Games is more strategy focused and a tad more likely to leave casual players scratching their heads in confusion. Meanwhile, Ravensburger's Mycelia is a more family friendly deck-building game that isn't going to alienate newbies. If you do fancy a bit more of a challenge, Mycelia does provide variable difficulty.

In this way, Mycelia really meets you where you're at. This makes sense, given its creator said that one of his core inspirations was producing an introduction to deckbuilding for his mom, who had never played anything in the genre before.

Wow, even the backstory of Mycelia is adorable. Just when I thought it couldn't get any cuter.

If you're totally taken by deck-builders, why not check out our round-up of the best card games? Or for for last-minute present ideas, drop by our gifts for gamers guide.

Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons will take on the same shape and feel of previous Horrified games, with parties of one to five crawling across the map and making moves to thwart monsters and save citizens. Though, some mechanics will lean more into D&D-style gameplay. (For a little refresher of what that might look like, why not check out the best D&D books?)

Rather than trying to avoid your average monsters from folklore and popular horror like previous Horrified games, players will cooperatively take on D&D baddies. Which monsters exactly has yet to be announced, but we can at least guess there will be a Beholder involved since there's one writ across the box – and about as close up as you can get to one before you're rolling a new character.

Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons was designed by Dungeons & Dragons board game mastermind Peter Lee, who also worked on the original Horrified: Universal Monsters. So this is someone with an intimate knowledge of D&D and the best cooperative board games that should be able to do justice to the four iconic monsters included here. Speaking to Polygon, Ravensburger's game development manager Mike Mulvihill hinted that a D20 mechanic will also be included because of "how essential a d20 is to gameplay" in Dungeons & Dragons.

Coming some time in the summer of 2025, Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons will cost around $30. So keep an eye out for more updates as to the kind of monsters we can expect to see.

For more recommendations, why not check out the best board games or best two-player board games.

Sounding very much like something I would nominate for the best tabletop RPG list, failure is key in this storytelling game. Designer Austin Walker puts a great deal of emphasis on player characters' specificity of intent – a lack of which could cost you dearly. Realis seems like the kind of system that will really hammer home the belief that the pen is mightier than the sword.

Player characters are built with a collection of sentences that give your actions weight. These are known collectively as your character's Means, and consist of Class Sentences that describe their general behaviour, a couple of important Bonds, and a Dream to give your character purpose.

The more vague your Means, the weaker your actions will be. Over time, your character's intentions become sharper through their failures. As the sentences are Realized you modify them, drilling down from "I do lots of damage" to a far more pointed "When my friends' lives are at stake, a great wave of power overtakes me."

Speaking to Rascal news, Walker goes over some of the more mechanical aspects. He notes that more specific Realized sentences add up to a +3 to their character's interactions, and potentially give them an edge when they have to square up to a Counteractor.

The world itself is described as an "uncanny solar system where a thousand satellites orbit a massive, incandescent planet" from which "only the saint-like Radiant have ever returned." It's sandwiched by a great churning void and a corpse sun shining dimly in its death throes.

With additional design from Jack de Quidt and some writing by Janine Hawkins, Realis looks like a fascinating system. And while it takes away the much-loved act of rolling, Realis brings a more purposeful feeling to characters as they manifest their internal reality, rather than relying on the fates to guide their story.

Still in development, Realis is available for pre-order now but won't be shipping physical copies until some time in late 2025, or 2026.

Until then, why not check out the best D&D books or best cooperative board games if you're into games that encourage your table to work together.

Like actual space research, SETI is complex and time consuming. Even with player guides for everyone that explain the various actions you can take, how technology upgrades work, and what the end-of-game scoring tiles mean, it’s easy to make mistakes on a first playthrough. It’s more satisfying on a second or third attempt, though even then it’s going to require several hours of commitment since even setting up the board involves a fair amount of work.

If that doesn’t deter you, SETI is a deeply rewarding play experience that forces you to think strategically and take into account what other players are working on and how the moving of the Solar System will impact your future actions. It also has one of the best solo modes I’ve seen in a competitive game, using an evolving deck to replicate the feeling of your opponent’s engine ramping up as the game progresses. If you value head-to-head tactics, this may just be one of the best board games in recent years.

Features & design

• About searching for intelligent alien life
• Solar system board looks amazing but takes up lots of space
• Five different aliens to encounter, with two chosen secretly each game
• Cards all have flavor text to teach a bit about astronomy

SETI is a table-hungry game, centering on a spectacular modular game board that replicates the Solar System. You can scan a QR code in the rulebook to get a random starting orientation when setting up for each game, which will determine trajectories for your exploration of different planets. The positions will shift regularly, with three different tracks representing the planets, comets and asteroids revolving around the sun.

The other highlight is the large deck of cards which can be played for a wide variety of effects, spent for immediate benefits like earning publicity or moving a probe, or turned into income that you’ll generate each of the game’s turns. The cards are based on real innovations or projects like the Herschel Space Observatory and Mariner 10 Mission, complete with high quality art and a bit of flavor text.

Each player has a small board that represents what they can do with their actions, unlocking more options for scanning distant stars, deploying probes, and crunching data as they upgrade their technology. While the types of technology you can unlock is consistent across games, the kicker prizes you get along with your research is determined randomly during setup so the resources you need are likely to impact what you prioritize.

Similarly, the five aliens have their own boards and decks that offer fresh objectives and strategies when revealed, complete with small decks of cards and their own rules sheets.

Each player board also has a second side representing a level of difficulty for an AI opponent in SETI’s excellent single player mode. Your virtual academic rival has their own deck that upgrades over the course of a game and based on what aliens you encounter, a dynamic that feels richer than the usual way of increasing difficulty in solo play by denying the player resources.

The pieces are equally well designed, from little microphones representing each player’s publicity score to clear data pieces marked with ones and zeros that you collect from scanning.

Gameplay

• You need to find your ideal mission window based on Solar System movement
• Actions get more complex and competitive as turns go on
• Be sure to build up a good engine rather than just going for big points

Turns in SETI start relatively fast and simple and ramp up in complexity as players build out their engines, gathering more income that can be used to take more actions. Energy and credits are highly limited resources, with credits mostly being used to play cards while energy allows you to move and land probes. Cards give you a huge amount of options and provide major benefits for completing objectives. They can also significantly add to your score at the end of the game so figuring out what to play when is a huge part of SETI's strategy.

The main way you gain more resources is by increasing your income, which gives you an immediate reward and the same resource again at the start of each of the game’s five turns. In early rounds, players will want to prioritize gathering data and putting probes into orbit to increase their income while earning publicity by flying past planets and comets in order to research new techs that will make their actions more efficient. Unfortunately, if you don’t get a good engine going early in the game, you’re likely to fall behind and have a hard time catching up, which can feel very frustrating given how long SETI takes.

Many researchers can gather data on a given star, but only one researcher actually gets full credit for the discovery. That means you’ll want to plan carefully based on what you think your opponents are going to do and even what position the Earth is likely to be in on future turns when you take your actions in order to make the most out of your research. The relative value of scanning versus landing on planets and moons changes depending on the number of players, with more players meaning additional chances to complete scans and fewer offering less competition for key spots for probes.

When a certain amount of discoveries have been made by crunching data, landing on planets and scanning stars, an alien species is discovered. These aren’t as transformative to the game as you might think, but can favor different strategies. For instance, the insectoid Mascamites encourage players to focus on landing probes on Jupiter and Saturn, while the fossilized remains found on Oumaumua provide another place to scan.

SETI also has one of the best solo modes I’ve seen in a competitive game. The AI starts with a simple four-card deck but replaces cards when the aliens arrive to suit the circumstances and also gains cards that allow them to take more powerful actions over the course of the game. Their difficulty ramps up faster if the player doesn’t complete randomly determined objectives, which are mostly things you probably wanted to try to do anyway, so will shape your priorities. Because so much of the game is based on the location of the Earth and other planets in the Solar System, the AI’s actions never seem too random and you might even get help from them completing scans.

Should you buy SETI?

If you find playing highly complex strategic games by yourself or with a small, dedicated group of friends satisfying, SETI would be a great option to add to your collection. It’s especially appealing to fans of astronomy and space faring science fiction, providing rich flavor to compliment the strong design.

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

How we tested SETI

Our reviewer played SETI multiple times and with different player counts (including by themselves) over a number of days to get the best sense of the game's systems.

To learn more, be sure to check out this guide to how we test board games. As for a broader overview, see the GamesRadar+ review policy.

For more recommendations, be sure to check in with our guide to the best 2-player board games and the best cooperative board games.

I genuinely think this game should be somewhere on our best board games list, and I only wish I knew there was a 15th aniversary edition of Agricola going for $113 on Amazon before we spent money on the standard version of the game. That's around $26 cheaper than its usual price. Generally it sits somewhere around $120, but it has been known to go down to $100 during major sales events and the like. It's only been that low once in the past year, though. It seems to be on an upturn, so now might be the time to buy before it shoots back to full price.

If you're based in the UK, while I cant find the Aniversary edition on offer, you can still get the two player big box edition for £32 on Amazon, as opposed to the standard £37-ish.

Should you buy the Agricola 15th Aniversary Limited Edition?

Agricola is an economic strategy for up to four players. With a simple concept, but countless layers of interest, it doesn't take long to explain and dive in. You take on the role of farmers in the middle ages, competing for points gained by expanding, upgrading and otherwise improving your farm. Head to the cattle market and get into animal husbandry, build yourself an oven so you can bake bread with the wheat you lovingly harvested, and make an "Urgent wish for children" before the 14 rounds are up.

This Aniversary Edition of Agricola includes not only addons and two lovely cardboard inlays for keeping your resources organised, it also comes with "former promo items that were previously unavailable". That means you can show off to all your other economics board game loving pals.

Having only discovered this game mere weeks ago, I've been playing it nonstop with my family, and I finally have a game that sates my apetite for both social interaction and economic strategy.

For more discounts, be sure to check out the latest the board game deals. As for last-minute present ideas, why not drop by our gifts for gamers guide?

January can be a miserable time on the whole, so forces of evil hogging the spotlight in the Warhammer Las Vegas Open 2025 show feels appropriate. It was basically wall-to-wall bad-guys up in here, regardless of whether we're talking Warhammer 40K or Age of Sigmar.

While the forces of Chaos took center stage, the ever-reliable undead also received some much-needed reinforcements. Necromunda got more wastelanders of questionable sanity as well, so even though Games Workshop's more morally-upstanding factions enjoyed some backup during the Warhammer Las Vegas Open show, they were in the minority. And that doesn't seem to be changing any time soon; we also got a handful of teases for what's still to come with Warhammer 40K and Age of Sigmar.

Because a lot was announced, I've broken it all down into bite-size chunks here.

Warhammer 40,000

• Emperor's Children are getting a revamp
• Teases for Salamanders, and more Chaos

This won't come as a surprise to anyone that's been following the Games Workshop social channels recently, but this year's show was pretty Chaos-focused. The teases we got for the near future show that hype train isn't about to stop, either; we've got the Word Bearers, Plague Marines, and Thousand Sons to look forward to.

Emperor's Children

They're back, baby. The most OTT Warhammer 40K faction has returned with a selection of suitably outrageous models, and although they're in line with what we've seen before, these replacements provide a much-needed overhaul of classic minis.

Not sure who the Emperor's Children are? In essence, they're Space Marines who fell in with the demon god of excess and pleasure, Slaanesh. That means they're always on the lookout for greater highs and bombard themselves with all kinds of sensation… as demonstrated by the faction's most iconic unit, the Noise Marines. Here's a breakdown of what we saw.

• New Noise Marines: These guys cart around noise canons that do exactly what they say on the tin – they use weaponized sound to burst your brainpan or turn your innards to jelly. (I like to imagine that they're playing heavy metal really, really loud.) In terms of gameplay they're the equivalent of the heavy weapon-weilding Havoks, and their guns can be tuned to different foes depending on who you're facing.
• Revamped battleline & close combat: Noise Marines are joined by the army's standard battleline, the Tormentors (who can apparently "defile" objectives, according to the live stream – ew), close-combat Infractors that move faster than normal Space Marines.
• New leaders: All of the above feature in the upcoming army set, much like the equivalent for the Death Korps of Krieg, and they're led by the Lord Exultant who can boost his performance in battle when needed (presumably thanks to numerous illicit stimulants). If you'd rather go for something else, you can buy the Lord Cacophonist – who basically walks around with a pipe organ on his back – separately to support your Noise Marines.
• Lucius the Eternal: This guy… damn. He was gross before, and now he's even more disgusting. The best swordsman in the cosmos – who takes your body over if you manage to kill him – has a brand-new model for 2025, and while he's a good addition to a unit, he's a better solo operative who will make mincemeat of enemy leaders.
• New Elites: The Flawless Blades are the best of the best when it comes to the Emperor's Children, and they have demonic patrons that they can call upon in combat for boons. However, if they don't get any kills they're eliminated by those same patrons.

Plague Marines

It was a small addition, but followers of Nurgle did get thrown a (gross) bone during this year's event – the Lord of the Pox, an absolutely gorgeous model that is hopefully a tease of what's to come. These putrid troops wear a massive "miasma turbine" on their back that spews noxious nastiness into the air, which covers the army's advance and also infects the enemy. Nasty.

Upcoming forces

Alongside all these new models, we got a hint of what's still to come in 2025 (and potentially beyond). World Eaters, Death Guard, and Thousand Sons are all coming back in the not-so-distant future, followed by cropped images of giving a hint of what else will follow. I'm sure I can see Salamanders in there, but the others are less clear. My best guess would be Grey Knights, maybe the Space Wolves, and possibly Chaos Undivided or Chaos Knights.

Black Library models

As part of the Black Library publishing celebration, we were treated to a look at the Hell's Last Command Squad – a band of hard-bitten characters led by Minka Lesk, who fans may recognize. Naturally, you can always use these as something else within your Astra Militarum force.

Warhammer Age of Sigmar

• Skeletons stole the spotlight
• More Chaos and Kharadron Overlords on the way

There were fewer reveals for Games Workshop's fantasy setting than 40K, but what we got was still impressive… if you're a fan of the undead. The Soulblight Gravelords have been revitalized (metaphorically speaking) thanks to a renewed focus on skeletons, alongside a returning hero/villain. We got teases for a few long-awaited factions too, however.

Soulblight Gravelords

I maintain that the Cursed City undead miniatures are some of the finest that Games Workshop has ever produced, particularly the skeletons, and now we're getting a full army in that style for Age of Sigmar. Here's what was shown off.

• Deathrattle Army Box Set: The focus for this edition is that old faithful foe, skeletons. This army box contains entirely new sculpts based on the dead of ancient barrow kingdoms, with the mounted Wight King or Lord (depending on the variant you build) leading Barrow Knights that replace the old Black Knights, and they're 'cursed to rise' so can replace losses without a dice roll. Similarly, the elite infantry Barrow Guard supersedes the classic Grave Guard, and is able to protect characters due to being their security detail. Both of the old units were in need of a facelift, so these well and truly deliver.
• Returning Character: Welcome back to Prince Vhordrai, Master of the Crimson Keep. Compared to his previous, much less eye-popping model, this thing is a monster. Sat upon an enormous 160mm base and riding an undead dragon, the vampire lord is ready to tear sh*t up big time. You can also build this kit as a plain old zombie dragon without a rider, though.

Upcoming armies

As with 40K, there are plenty of factions on the march for Age of Sigmar's future. Following on from the Soulblight Gravelords, it looks as though the Idoneth Deepkin will be up to bat. After that, and based on the zoomed-in images Games Workshop revealed, I'm pretty certain we're looking at Khorne and the long-awaited Kharadron Overlords next. Seriously, I can't wait for the latter. Steampunk dwarves have always been a cool-as-hell pitch, and they've been left out in the cold for way too long.

As for the final teases, I'm uncertain. Vampires? Maybe. There was also a silhouette with glowing eyes, which would suggest Slaanesh or the Ossiarch Bonereapers to me.

Black Library models

Novel character Maleneth Witchblade is getting her own model. This character has hung out with Gotrek, of Gotrek and Felix fame, so is a big deal on the whole. They also trained as an assassin, so are able to hide in units and leap out to attack on the tabletop.

Necromunda

• New Ash Wastes troops
• New sourcebook and terrain on the way

Games Workshop's take on Mad Max-style chaos is getting a modest update for the new year, a new threat that I'm calling the 'bug enthusiasts.' Known as the Sha'dar Hunters with Arthromite Spinewyrm pets, they're hooded trackers and hunters with weapons made from monsters. These folks are all about close combat so don't utilize long-range firearms, and they call upon monster centipedes that can tunnel through impassable terrain. You can find out more about them in the next sourcebook, Tribes of the Wastelands.

Speaking of terrain, a new set is coming to Necromunda soon – the Fortified Hab Module. This continues the game's emphasis on tall scenery from which to rain hell upon your foes, and it's joined by a combo pack bringing together the Ruined Underhive Sector pieces.

Old World & Horus Heresy

• High Elves shown for The Old World, with new heroes
• New Siege Automata shown off for Horus Heresy

It wasn't all about 40K, Age of Sigmar, and Necromunda during the show; The Old World and Horus Heresy got a look in too. The latter showed off the Thanatar Calix Siege Automata that focuses on beating up singular, well-armored targets, while the former saw the High Elves ride out once again. The big-helmeted lion fans we know and love from yesteryear are back, and every plastic kit that was widely available before has been promised a return. They're being joined by two new heroes this time, though; Ishaya Vess, an expert warrior who looks like she's been through a battle or two, and a rather noble Lord of Chrace. The Beastmen got a similar treatment thanks to an all-new shaman, but we didn't see much else.

That will likely change soon; Games Workshop is promising that the Beastmen and Wood Elf Realms are next to launch.

Want something to play while you wait for these new models? Check out the best board games or maybe the best tabletop RPGs.

Still, if you're in the market for Wizard's of the Coast's latest installation of the official bestiary for the best tabletop RPG, now is the time to head over to Miniature Market and pre-order the Monster Manual for $40, as opposed to its expected retail price of $50.

For those in the UK, you can still nab it on Amazon for £37.69, which will jump up to around £41.45 once the pre-ordering stage is over.

Should you buy the D&D 5e Monster Manual (2024)?

Of course, it depends what you're after from your D&D campaigns. If you're happy with the way WotC presents monsters in the 2014 Monster Manual, then you might not feel the need to grab the new version.

There have been some interesting improvements since the last version, however, and heaps of new content added. We're talking 80-something new monsters, Legendary-level bastards, and more. In fact, it's the biggest Monster Manual to date.

WotC has added everything from more terrifying dragons and legendary creatures, to better CR balancing, and some fantastic additions to some monsters companies such as Squires for the Death Knight, and Vampire Familiars. There's a whole heap of monster variants tweaked for different level parties, too, like Primeval Owlbears.

For more discounts, why not check out the best D&D books or best D&D gifts?

Kickstarted back in 2022, Dragonbane was an ode to Sweden's first and biggest tabletop RPG system, Drakar och Demoner. Launched in celebration of the original game's 40th anniversary, it was another in a long line of old-school-revival (OSR) games that nod to a fierce and deadly heritage. While usually far lighter on rules than most of the best tabletop RPGs today, old-school systems are often far more challenging when it comes to combat.

Take Dolmenwood as an example, or Free League's very own Mork Borg. As OSR games, they're simple, easy to get into and design characters, with heaps of creative freedom, but make a wrong move and you could quickly be dealing with a to a total-party-kill (TPK).

The Dragonbane Kickstarter actually launched along with Riddermound, a free introductory adventure that's super user-friendly for new players. The Sinking Tower adventure turns the heat up a little to further hammer home that old-school lethality with a 'tournament-style' dungeon crawl. It's a quickfire delve into a sinking tower that only emerges and becomes accessible for a limited time. As such, your players will need to get as far as possible, and get out, in just two hours.

The idea of playing a TRPG on an actual timer sounds terrifying to me, as both a GM and a player. Maybe because I tend to play with incredibly cautious friends who spend twenty minutes of real time debating whether to open a door or not. Deliberate for too long in The Sinking Tower, and you'll likely end up underwater.

Dragonbane is, as the Kickstarter notes, "a game with room for laughs at the table and even a pinch of silliness at times – while at the same time offering brutal challenges for the adventurers." If that sounds like something that you might be interested in, you can grab The Sinking Tower on the Free League store, or spend a little dollar to get hold of the official sourcebooks.

For more recommendations, why not check out the best D&D books or best D&D gifts if you're buying for someone special.