News: Vampire Survivors The Board Game - Be the bullet hell

 

Vampire Survivors, the hugely entertaining roguelike shoot-em-up video game published by Poncle, is set to get it's own board game adaptation through collaboration with Grey Fox Games.

Very little information is currently available as to what this will look like, but the video game was a new take on the "bullet hell" genre of games, in which your character levels up to become the bullet hell of the game. How this will translate to the table top setting is anyone's guess but the website is promising the ability to choose from a roster of "beloved" characters (I couldn't tell you any of their names despite having played the video game to death - I just play as the old man who smells of garlic), face an "endless swarm" of relentlessly spawning enemies, and to use and evolve signature weapons to "cut a path through the darkness" (honestly, it'll be a crime if they leave the stinky garlic out of the mix).

In the video game, the Red Death was the final enemy of any level. Unbeatable, unstoppable, and unavoidably final. If the scant amount of information pre-Kickstarter campaign is to be believed, it will be making an appearance in the board game version.

The Kickstarter is set to go live this autumn but those keen to get project updates before then can donate $1 on the Grey Fox Games Vampire Survivors website and unlock a free deck box should they then back it on Kickstarter.

I am a big fan of the video game, which is deliciously moreish, so I'm keen to see what shape the table top adaptation will take and whether it will capture the frantic WTF energy of the early game and the almost godlike power-trip of a well-leveled character. The history of video game tabletop adaptations is one of mixed success but I would love to see Vampire Survivors become a Stardew Valley: The Board Game, rather than a Borderlands: Mister Torgue's Arena of Badassery.

Canterbury Halloween Board Game Club Announcement

 

We are very excited to announce that following our hugely successful Canterbury Pride Board Game Club, we will be hosting another event: Canterbury Halloween Board Game Club, on Saturday 25th October 2025! The event will run from 10:00-16:00, so that's 6 hours of gaming!

This time we're putting our efforts into making a Halloween themed event that is fun for adults and children in a calm and relaxed setting. We'll have a great selection of board games available for people to play. Some scary, others less so, so there'll be something for everyone to enjoy.

Halloween events are more often than not aimed entirely at children, or if they are for adults, they involve heavy drinking and loud pubs. We thought it would be nice to have something a bit more chill. Somewhere to come and soak up some spooky vibes and gain the benefits of table top gaming.

Once again we are very lucky to have access to the Fruitworks Coffee Shop event space, which we loved hosting in for our last event and we will have stalls available from local businesses. So far we have confirmed Board at Home, Ramsgates FLGS, Drawn and Quartered tattoo studio, and Kitsch Flamingo Designs, who ran our hugely successful tombola at our Pride event.

We will also be using this event to launch the Hand Limit Go Fund Me, which we will be using to help raise funds to get Hand Limit set up as a Community Interest Company. It is our goal to expand the reach of our activities and use our resources to support local community groups and schools through the positive effects of table top gaming. However, in order to get there we first need some funding to get ourselves set up.

Last Week of Summer Goes Live on Kickstarter

 

If you've been keeping up with our coverage of Canterbury Gaming Convention you will have seen that we fell in love with the preview of Last Week of Summer, a game all about an 80s summer after graduating high school and your attempts to make the last week of it the most incredible of your life.

As of today, Last Week of Summer, by Allies or Enemies, is live on Kickstarter.

Their campaign page has all the details on why you should be backing this wonderful game but just know that it comes with the Hand Limit seal of approval!

If you want us to try and sell it to you further, drop a comment below!

Canterbury Gaming Convention - Day 2

 

Day 2 of Canterbury Gaming Convention was just as fun-packed as the first. We got to play so many awesome games and one of us even got some light strangulation from Agent 47 (check out our Instagram to find out who).

After such an eventful weekend, it's safe to say we at Hand Limit are suffering from the post-convention blue, but we're already looking forward to next year. Plus details will be announced soon but Hand Limit will be hosting our own event this coming October! Keep an eye on our socials, the blog, and our next zine issue for more details as they become available.

So what did we get up to on the final day of the convention? Well see our roundup below of the games we played!

Last Week of Summer, Shawn Holt - Allies or Enemies

Last Week of Summer was by far the standout game of the whole convention for us. So much so that I will be writing a separate full preview of it on the blog so for now you'll have to make the most of checking out their Kickstarter page, which is due to go live on 19th August.

Ages of War: Battle for the Bronze Age, Mike James - Thiad Games Ltd.

Ages of War was part of the prize bundle Hand Limit won at the Friday night Gaming Quiz so we absolutely had to check it our at the convention and we are so glad that we did.

Two players take on the roles of generals of Bronze Age armies going head to head in a game reminiscent of Summoner Wars and the Civilisation series of video games. The gameplay is incredibly smooth with minimal downtime and the rules are much quicker to learn than you would expect from an asymmetric skirmish game. We were lucky enough to be taught how to play by the game's creator, Mike James.

The units on the board are represented by cards that double as dry-wipe boards for tracking damage, which is a fun and effective design decision. On each players turn they have three actions to move units, attack, and activate the special power that comes with the faction they are playing as. 

The game very effectively provides the feeling of managing an army rather than just a mass of individual units. One of the ways it achieves this is through a mechanic that allows adjacent units to be moved or attack together as one. This effectively creates the feeling of managing a large army on the battle field and helps keep up the pace of the gameplay. 

Mike has really put the work in on making the game feel as though there is a depth to the skill required while keeping the game complexity as low as possible. Additionally, there is a great sense of rubber banding, in that as armies reduce in size it becomes easier to move them around the board. This means that the tables can easily turn multiple times throughout the game, and players always feel they have a chance to come out on top.

As a player that perpetually plays games in a way that I describe as "vibes over strategy" this is a perfect skirmish game. While there is definitely scope to implement long-game strategies, there is a lot to be said for keeping flexible and responding to the ebb and flow of the battle as needed.

Ages of War also gives a lot of flexibility as to the scale of the battle through an adjustable play space, marked out with a grid of cards, and the option to play with more or fewer units depending on what type of game the players want to play.

This game was definitely a highlight for us and we have already played the copy we won and had just as much fun. I think there is a good level of replayability with this and it will become a firm favourite in the group.

Slide, Claude Clement - Gigamic

The aim of Slide is to be the player with the lowest score at the end of the game - you do this by revealing one card at a time, swapping with other players and sliding cards back into your play area (like those picture puzzles you get in party bags as a child!) aiming to put the same numbers next to each other in order to cancel each other out (see the two pink five cards in the image). This is a quick game and probably great if you have good spatial problem solving skills!

Solstis, Bruno Cathala & Corentin Lebrat - Lumberjacks Studio

In Solstis you take it in turns to place tiles to fill a board in front of you, creating paths up a mountain and finding spirits along the way, you score points with your largest connected area of tiles, and through some of the bonuses given by spirits, as well as by finishing paths from the base of the mountain to lit torches at the top. While the card placement was unclear, and some of the rules were not clearly explained, it was a fun and quick game to play. The art style is very pleasing and the spirits are incredibly cute.

Trickerion: Legends of Illusion, Richard Amann & Victor Peter - Mindclash Games

Trickerion by Mindclash Games is an in-depth worker placement game that we were drawn to following the fun we had playing another Mindclash title, Septima, on Day 1 of the convention.

Players play as Magicians looking to raise their own fame on stage by creating and performing the most impressive magic tricks. It was compared to The Prestige by the team demo-ing the game, but sadly this comparison was lost on me as I've never read the book nor seen the film. I understand the premise though and the game provides a very crunchy experience for fans of worker placement mechanics.

Sadly I was not won over by the game, which at times felt cumbersome and long-winded. The ultimate goal was to get on stage to perform tricks, but in order to do that you must first prepare the trick backstage, but in order to do that you must first develop the trick in your workshop, but before you can do that you must learn the trick in the downtown area of the board and acquire the necessary resources from the market. And in order to do any of these things you must have been able to place your workers in the best possible locations in any of the areas. While some of the Hand Limit collective were really warming to the experience by the end of our demonstration, I felt that the game was too far removed from the pizzazz of stage magic. 

Fans of meatier worker placement games would probably get on very well with this but I found that I was left wanting more from the experience. Something with a bit of Wow to tie the mechanics into the theme. It was high strategy and low luck, which in the past has been a turn off for me. 

As with Septima (our favourite game on day 1), Trickerion is heavily stylised and has a fun, almost steam-punk aesthetic, which definitely attracted us to the game.

All in all, this game disappointed me but it clearly showed that a lot of thought has gone into its creation and I have no doubt that there are players out there who would love it for what it is.

Flamecraft: Duals, Manny Vega - Cardboard Alchemy

We are big fans of Flamecraft by Manny Vega so jumped at the opportunity to play Flamecraft: Duals, which has just ended its run of late pledges on Kickstarter.

Players take turns in drawing and placing hexagonal dragon tiles (the dragons are all familiar faces from the main game) and activating their special abilities. The aim of the game is to win the most victory points by laying tiles in the configurations specified on the town cards.

This is an incredibly simple game that is very pleasing to play. The tiles are wonderfully tactile and generally speaking the whole game speaks to a high production value. We are very much looking forward to picking this up from our FLGS on general release.

Three Kobolds in a Trench Coat, James Cooper & Harriet Rogers - FanCrafted Ltd.

With a concept as wonderful as Three Kobolds in a Trench Coat we would have never forgiven ourselves if we hadn't jumped on the opportunity to play this charming little bluffing game. 

Each player has a collection of 3 kobolds that are kept hidden from other players and must take it in turns to reveal event cards and fulfill the requirements on each card. These will sometimes be bribes paid in coin to city guards to keep your identity under wraps, or sometimes minor quests that require a kobold with sufficient skills to complete. The skills follow the same rough template as your average D&D character (strength, dexterity, wisdom, etc). The twist? You don't have to reveal the kobold that you're putting forward for the meeting, so you are well within your right to bluff when it comes to their abilities. It's up to the other players whether they believe you have what it takes, or to call you out. 

Failing these event cards usually results in losing a kobold and the ultimate goal of the game is to knock out all other players through them losing their kobolds.

While the overall production value was fairly standard, this was a fun little game and provided a lot of material for story-telling around the table while playing. If you're looking for something silly to play with friends between heavier titles, this is a good game to go with.

Final Roundup

With that Canterbury Gaming Convention drew to a close. We had an absolutely incredible time and had great fun connecting with people over our shared love of games. We also came away with quite a haul of games that we can't wait to get to the table. Including, would you believe it, a copy of Tribes of the Wind. I felt like it needed a second chance after our failed attempt to learn it on Day 1. It looks like a beautiful game with some wonderful artwork by Vincent Dutrait that definitely deserves a proper go.

Overall we played some really great games and although we didn't gel with some of them, they were all objectively good games. As with all our recommendations, your mileage may vary!

We can't wait for CGC next year and offer our hugest thanks to Darius Twyman for pulling it all together. We love the gaming community and events like this are such a wholesome environment where everyone can have such a joyous time.

If you didn't manage to attend, keep an eye on the Canterbury Gaming Convention website for news on next year's event.

Canterbury Gaming Convention - Day 1

 

The first proper day of Canterbury Gaming Convention got off to an incredible start with crowds of people turning up at opening time to get the first pick of games demonstrations. The sizable hall was filled with stalls, demonstrations, and space to play games, and there was an excited buzz from all attendees. 

Bad Trevor, Mark Hurdle - Fistbump Games Ltd.

We had a busy first day, starting with a game of Bad Trevor by Mark Hurdle, a game based on comic-book villains and heroes battling it out. Players aim to be the first to deplete their hand of cards by handing them off to players, or in the case of civilians, pairing them up and discarding them. Each turn, players present the next player with a choice of 3 face-down "attack" cards. The receiving player chooses one to keep and resolves the action stated on the card. 

Hero cards will generally be good, villain cards will generally bad, and civilian cards will clog up a players hand until they can be discarded. Of course, there is also the Bad Trevor card to contend with. Bad Trevor is a villain so foul that he is even shunned by the other villains. The only way to remove Bad Trevor from your hand is to pass it on to another player. When presenting your attack cards you can use any amount of psychological trickery to get the receiving player to take the card you want them to take, which allows for a lot of fun, underhanded tactics.

This was a great game to start the day with, and taught very well by Mark Hurdle himself. It was quick to learn, quick to play, and acted as a perfect warm up to some of the heavier titles we played. Overall it was good, silly fun and we look forward to an opportunity to play it again.

Stomp The Plank, Florian Sirieix & Benoit Turpin - Ravensburger

This was a very simple game with a straightforward push-your-luck mechanic that is accessible to younger players. Each player has an elephant that starts at the sensible end of a plank (cleverly, the box is inverted to use as the board), and takes it in turns to flip cards from a deck until they either decide to stick or they pull two cards with matching symbols. In the case of the former, they force other players to place wooden weights on the end of their planks, which are secured to the board using magnets. This adds an element of dexterity to the process as being too heavy handed placing these weights will cause the plank to flip off the ship and the elephant tumble into the briny sea. If a player should pull 2 cards with matching symbols they must end their turn and move their elephant one space along the plank, making it more likely that the plank will fall.

There really isn't much more to the game, it was simple, quick to learn, and very accessible while the push-your-luck mechanic was engaging for older players as well. It's not breaking any boundaries but we are writing this not long after playing Flip 7 for the first time, which has set a standard for simplicity in push-your-luck games such as this, so perhaps it doesn't compare well.

Faraway, Johannes Goupy & Corentin Lebrat - Catch Up Games

The third game we played was Faraway, one that I've had my eye on for a while thanks to the eye-catching art style. In Faraway, players place and draw cards to create a tableau representing your travels around the strange and wonderful world in which it is set. The catch with this game, however, is cards are scored in reverse to how they are laid, so cards placed at the beginning of the game act as commitments to meet their scoring requirements before the final tile is laid. 

I don't know if it was the way in which the game was taught but we spent our first game of this in deep confusion about how to effectively choose cards during the drafting phase. At times this lack of clarity, and lack of understanding of the various symbols and scoring requirements was downright frustrating. This frustration definitely coloured our first impression of the game and perhaps with consecutive plays we would look more favourable on it. As with some games though, I don't know if there was enough entertainment to draw me back.

That all being said, the game has some lovely artwork and the twist of scoring cards in reverse was an interesting mechanic.

Tribes of the Wind, Joachim Thome - La Boite de Jeu

This game is more of an honourable mention than an honest review as we never got past the first turn before throwing in the towel. It is a gorgeous looking game with a theme of post-apocalyptic environmentalism that really appealed to me. Sadly we pulled this out at a point in the afternoon where the heat was getting to us and despite our best intentions I don't feel this is a game that can be learned while playing. Given half an hour to just sit somewhere quiet and read through the rules I think I would be able to make a good job of teaching it to others, but with so many moving parts and rules it was just a non-starter. Perhaps we'll try again soon.

Septima, Barbara Benat & Villo Farkas - Mindclash Games

Septima, for me, was the standout game of the day. Aside from anything it's an absolutely gorgeous game with a colour palette and art style that is to die for. Not to mention the adorable meeples representing the witches and witch hunters.

In Septima, players take the role of witches looking to aid their community by gathering ingredients and making potions that will cure the ills of the local townsfolk, and saving accused witches from trial by angry mob. All this must be done without drawing too much attention to yourself, however, lest you attract the unwanted attention of the witch hunters that roam the board threatening to take witches from your coven and put them on trial, or straight out steal victory points from you.

We were lucky to have this game taught to us by a representative of Mindclash Games, which saved us a lot of work. This is a decidedly meaty experience with a lot of rules and mechanics to keep track of. It never felt overwhelming though, which some games manage with far shorter rule books. There is a nice blend of pick-up-and-deliver and bag building (this comes into play when witches are put on trial at the end of each season), which makes the game feel like a unique experience.

Septima is a long game that could easily see the back of the two hour mark with 4 players playing for the first time. But as long games go, the turns are cleverly paced to leave the minimum of downtime. 

There is also the promise of a solo-mode, which is always a draw for me (I'll always get my money's worth if I don't have to wait to get a group together to play a game).

Tomorrow - Day 2

We're really excited to go back for the second day and have already marked out a couple of two-player games that we want to give some attention to. The first, the name of which escapes me, gets players to live out their perfect summer before going away to University. The art style of this was very enticing. Secondly, we want to spend some time at the Yay Games stand, who produce Frankenstein's Bodies, Dark Harvest, The Legacy of Frankenstein (the game so nice they named it thrice), a Hand Limit favourite.

We also managed to hand out all but half a dozen of our summer zines, so we're hoping the lucky recipients are enjoying them. 

Check out our Instagram for more content as it happens.

Canterbury Gaming Convention - The Gaming Quiz

 

Well, it's certainly been an eventful start to the Canterbury Gaming Convention. It all kicked off this evening with a quiz hosted by Fantazma Gaming and That Baldy Gamer, and sponsored by Ralbru Games, and what a riotous time it was!

The quiz went on for 6 rounds that included guessing the video game music, e-sports, the history of gaming, and even a touchy-feely round. The variety of different formats was incredibly fun and the hosting was very entertaining. There was also a fantastic turn-out with over 16 different teams competing to win a huge array of prizes at the end.

The evening also had a fun twist, with each team requiring to nominate one person per round to go into an adjacent space and play a game of the charmingly named, ButtChess. This provided a unique tactical aspect to the evening as each team needed to nominate the person who would be of least help to the quiz round, lest they hinder their chances of getting the questions right.

It was our first time playing ButtChess and we were very taken with the simplicity of its draughts-esque gameplay. Players take it in turns to move their tokens across the board in an attempt to either get 3 tokens to the opposite side, or remove 4 of their opponent's pieces by jumping over them, not unlike in the game checkers.

Hand Limit was well represented with 6 of it's contingency and a varied background in table top gaming and video gaming knowledge. We played under the name Lizards of the Toast, which came from the sleep deprived brain of our most recent dad, Tom, but made us all chuckle.

And from that slightly stupid name we went into the evening not expecting to place in any position at all, but reader, we only went and bloody won! To our surprise we placed just 1 point ahead of second place and took home an amazing stash of new games for the Hand Limit library. But most importantly of all, we got badges marking us out as winners of the Canterbury Gaming Convention Quiz. 

I cannot understate the bragging rights that these badges will give us, so if you see us around the convention this weekend and want us to regale you with tales of our grand victory, be sure to stop us to say hello. And while you're at it, grab a copy of our summer zine!

If you've not got tickets to Canterbury Gaming Convention yet, you can pick them up here.

See you tomorrow for more updates!

Canterbury Gaming Convention - Session Zero

Canterbury Gaming Convention is finally here and Hand Limit got to head over the the University of Kent Sports Arena this afternoon to take a look at the set up. 

Already many stalls are set up and ready for the weekend, we even made a couple of sneaky purchases and played a couple of games. Check out our Instagram for some insight into the games that we played.

The hall is looking fantastic and it's set to be a terrific event with lots of exhibitors and games to play. Darius of Dice & Destiny, our FLGS, and chief organiser of Canterbury Gaming Convention, was in his element, confidently overseeing the set up. New exhibitors were arriving the whole time and there was a buzz of excitement and anticipation in the air.

Hand Limit will be in attendance for the whole weekend, bringing you updates on the various offerings of the convention. If you haven't bought your tickets yet, it's not to late to pick them up here.

The event will kick off in earnest tonight with the Quiz Night, hosted by Fantazma Gaming and That Baldy Gamer, and sponsored by Ralbru Games. The Hand Limit collective has already put together a team, not with the hope of winning, but of losing valiantly.

Expect further updates throughout the weekend on the blog and on our Instagram account.

If you are planning to be there, look out for us in our Hand Limit t-shirts and grab yourself a copy of the Summer Zine while they last!

We cannot wait to get our grubby little hands on as many games as possible!

Czech Games Edition and the Harry Potter Fiasco

 

It has been an eventful few days for Czech Games Edition (CGE) following their announcement of a new Harry Potter themed version of its long-running Codenames series; Codenames: Back to Hogwarts.

Following the announcement on BlueSky on 23rd July, CGE has come under fire from many trans-rights activists and fellow board game media content creators for choosing to release a game under the Harry Potter IP in 2025, the same year that the Harry Potter creator, JK Rowling, publicly boasted about using the royalties from her children's fiction empire to actively harm and campaign against trans-rights.

While there is a nuanced conversation to be had regarding the separation of the art from the artists, CGE has fallen under heavy criticism for failing to adequately engage with this dialogue. There are many ways in which people can engage with Harry Potter, if that is something they really want to do, that does not involve actively lining the pockets of a transphobe who is explicitly using the proceeds to attack one of the most marginalised communities in the world.

Initially CGE responded to the backlash by releasing a statement that many felt fell short of a proper acknowledgement of their concerns. 

As part of the statement they said, "The vast world of magic featured in the upcoming Codenames has been a source of inspiration... 

"We know many people around the world share the same sentiment about this universe, even among those who have been hurt by the public views and actions of its creator. 

"Deciding whether those feelings should also transfer to the once-beloved world is up to everyone, and we fully respect and understand those who do not wish to engage with this game...

"As this is an ongoing conversation, we encourage everyone to approach discussion with care, empathy, and respect - both online and in person."

This statement failed to even provide the space for this "ongoing conversation", however, as comments were quickly turned off following an influx of accounts commenting that the company should do better than this half-hearted response.

A flurry of table top content creators has already vowed to boycott CGE titles until they address the transphobia inherent in releasing HP licenced material. Tom Brewster, editor in chief of Shut Up & Sit Down, told BoardGameWire that he fails "to see Harry Potter: Codenames as anything but a soulless cash grab that's tremendously insulting to the trans folks JK Rowling has been trying her best to oust from public life."

A full account of the various big names that have joined this boycott can be found on BoardGameWire.

As of 31st July, CGE has released another statement:

"We're grateful to everyone who engaged with us over the past few days and took the time to share their perspectives.

"At CGE, our aim was never to cause harm, and we acknowledge that, with our recent Codenames announcement, we have. We are working hard within our constraints to find the best way forward and we will update you as soon as we can.

"We understand that what we have done has caused distress, and are working towards a concrete solution with several members of the affected communities.

"Please bear with us as we figure this out."

It is not yet known how this statement will affect those who have already promised to boycott CGE titles.

Since the release of this second statement, there has been a deluge of JK Rowling apologists commenting in support of CGE and labeling the voicing of concerns for the trans community as "bullying". Let us be clear here, consumer criticism of a company for harmful decision making is not bullying. It is the right of everyone to stand up for their morals and it is impossible for a company to be bullied into reversing a decision such as this. Bullying has a clear dynamic of power imbalance that consumers do not have over corporations in a capitalist society.

Hand Limit promotes inclusivity in the table top community and has already made the decision not to cover any Harry Potter related titles. However, until CGE provide the community with a clear route forward, we have made the decision to remove Codenames from one of our upcoming features.

We believe that it is possible for art to be separated from the artist (case in point: the work of HP Lovecraft), but money cannot be separated from the bank account of someone who seeks harm to our friends in the trans community.

Trans Right Are Human Rights.

Canterbury Gaming Convention

Hand Limit is going to be at Canterbury Gaming Convention!

Canterbury Gaming Convention is Kent's premiere gaming event brought to you by the team at Dice & Destiny, with a host of board gaming, trading card gaming, and role playing available. This year its coing with a larger dedicated venue, a full suite of local exhibitors and special guests, and enough gaming to keep you going for the whole weekend. 

The event will be held on Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th August 2025 at the University of Kent Tennis Hall and The Pavilion Cafe Bar. There will also be a gaming quiz held on Friday 8th August at Dolche Vita on the University of Kent campus.

Get your tickets here.

The event is promising an impressive number of Special Guests along with tournaments, a miniature painting competition, and gaming demonstrations.

Hand Limit will be covering the event on all our social media and the blog to keep everyone up to date with the many exciting things happening over the weekend. If you see us there (we should be wearing some snazzy new t-shirts), stop and grab one of our freshly printed Zines!

Stay tuned to Hand Limit for more news and updates on Canterbury Gaming Convention!

A Bright New Future for Gamelyn Games

Gamelyn Games, the publisher behind the Tiny Epic series, has been sold to Tycoon Games.

Michael Coe, co-founder of Gamelyn, posted yesterday on social media announcing the purchase.

"I'm sharing a monumental milestone: Gamelyn Games, Tiny Epic, and Heroes of Land, Air & Sea are now part of the incredible team at Tycoon Games".

Gamelyn Games was founded in 2011 by Brittany and Michael Coe with the aim of publishing Michael's first game, Lords, Ladies & Lizards. Their first success, however, came from the self-published and crowd funded, Dungeon Heroes in 2013. Also that year, Gamelyn successfully crowdfunded Fantasy Frontier.

The start of the Tiny Epic series came about the next year in 2014 with the publishing of Tiny Epic Kingdoms, designed by Scott Almes. This became their highest funded project to date and was quickly followed by Tiny Epic Defenders.

Since Tiny Epic Kingdoms, the Tiny Epic series has expanded to include exploring galaxies, surviving zombie outbreaks, raising baby dinosaurs, sailing as swashbuckling pirates, and so much more.

In 2020 Tiny Epic Pirates became Gamelyn's highest funded game at over $1.1 million, which was quickly followed by their first straight to retail game, a streamlined version of Tiny Epic Galaxies; Tiny Epic Galaxies BLAST OFF!

Coe wrote on the announcement of Gamelyn's sale that the Tiny Epic series has "become something far beyond what I ever imagined."

Gamelyn Games' mission was to create profound and unprecedented gaming experiences, and their vision was to develop Tiny Epic into the most well-known and respected series in all of board gaming. While that is certainly an ambitious vision, there is no doubt that the Tiny Epic series has had unparalleled success in condensing game genres famed for their complexity and size into surprisingly small and uniform boxes.

Tycoon Games, publisher of Everdell, was founded by Dan Yarrington with the core values to "Be Excellent", "Innovate Always", and "Care Deeply". They also donate extensively to good causes such as Toys for Tots, with over 450,000 games donated to kids and families.

We will wait to see in what new directions Tycoon Games plans to take the Gamelyn collection.

"Dan Yarrington... has been a trusted partner of Gamelyn's for over a decade, helping us fulfill campaigns and representing our games in distribution in the early years. He understands Tiny Epic deeply, and I know the series is in wonderful hands."

Coe confirmed in his statement that Scott Almes will be staying on as designer of the Tiny Epic series.

"The best is yet to come."

 

 

Hand Limit Print Edition Is Coming!

Following the success of our first Hand Limit event during Canterbury Pride, we have decided to increase our in person presence by branching out into print media through the creation of a zine. The talent pool of the Hand Limit Collective apparently knows no bounds.

The launch of the zine, which will be available at a few select outlets for free in the Canterbury city area, will coincide with the launch of our Patreon. We will never hide anything behind a paywall but we are getting to a point now in the growth of Hand Limit as an organisation where we are starting to incur costs related to events and printing, so we thought we would give people the chance to be able to help out if and when they can. This will enable us to continually develop our offer to best meet the needs of the community we serve.

We are very excited about the zine, which is being designed as graphic-heavy, text-light to represent the DIY/punk ethos. Our first issue will be out in Summer 2025 and future issues will be released when they are ready and when we have something that we want to write about. 

If you can't wait and want to support us, you can find our Patreon here.

World's Most Divorced Man Wants to Ruin More Things

You may have heard on the wind recently that the World's Most Divorced Man, Elon Musk, has expressed an interest in purchasing Hasbro as a way of gaining access to the Dungeons & Dragons IP. This follows Musk's public distaste at Wizards of the Coast's (WotC) work to make D&D a more inclusive space and their wishes to distance themselves from the more problematic elements of the game, created by E Gary Gygax.

Musk and his persistent trait of confusing bigotry with freedom of speech took exception to this and suggested WotC "burn in hell" for their perceived trashing of Gygax. After feeling like his criticisms of WotC weren't being taken seriously, Musk took to Twitter to publicly ask "How much is Hasbro?". According to Forbes, shares in Hasbro are currently worth $63.89.

Although it isn't clear whether Musk was serious, or if he was just having one of his trademark tantrums, this would also give him access to toy properties such as Star Wars, Ghostbusters, My Little Pony, Peppa Pig, and Pokemon, among others. Musk purchasing Hasbro just so he can wrestle D&D back into the dark ages might seem ridiculous, but he has already shown the world how petty he can be with his disastrous take over of Twitter.

There has understandably been an outcry from fans expressing dismay at the prospect of Musk getting his grubby little incel hands on D&D, not only because his track record for tanking Twitter as soon as he bought it could spell doom for the hobby, but also because the purchase would likely herald the game becoming a hostile place for minority groups.

While it is easy to jest at the bizarre and manic actions of one of the world's richest men, it must not be taken lightly. D&D has become more inclusive over the years and while WotC still occasionally slip up, there can be no doubt that there has been a generally progressive trend. This would undoubtedly come to an end if Musk successfully purchased the property. One only needs to attempt to write the word "cisgender" into Twitter, to come face to face with Musk's personal brand of free (read: hate) speech.

We are all hoping his tantrum was short lived and will not lead onto anything else, but this story is one worth keeping a close eye on.

An Alternative (but no less troublesome) Perspective

Another take on this is that Musk does not really care about D&D, nor the memory of Gygax, it is just a front that suits the current political narrative for him and his allies. This is just another company that he can strip for assets and profit from the demise.

The exact model is known as the Bust Out playbook and has received notoriety through Bain Capital. The exact plan can be summarised using the seven points below:

1. Identify a target (The Leader).
2. Install or axquire an insider on the board of the company, maybe the CEO/CFO.
3. Spread rumours about the target through the media (The Liars).
4. Create a class action lawsuit against the company.
5. Fire up the printers and flood the market with fake shares of the company, driving share prices through the floor (The Dealer).
6. The company either declares bankruptcy or is delisted from exchange.
7. Perform a leveraged buyout of the company, busts it out, acquires other competition to capture and kill, then when the company is so saddled with debt it can no longer stand, kill the company and let the wolves feed off the carcass (The Butcher).

This is perhaps a grim prediction of what Musk might have planned and very much depends on whether Musk is as intelligent as he wants everyone to think he is, but one that offers even less hope for the future of Dungeons & Dragons.

Personally, I think Musk is not smart, just rich, so I feel it is more likely that if he does get his hands on Hasbro it will be it's ruin through stupidity and political pandering, rather than a grander scheme of venture capitalism.

Preview: Adventures in Ankh-Morpork - A Discworld TTRPG

Fans of the Disc rejoice! A Discworld RPG, Adventures in Ankh-Morpork, by Mordiphius Entertainment, will be launching soon on Kickstarter, and there is already a Quick Start Guide available to give players a little taste of what to expect from the final game! A number of Actual Plays are also starting to appear on YouTube, showcasing entertaining and immersive gameplay.

With an impressive list of credits, this game is already showing an fantastic level of detail and a deep love and respect of the Discworld as penned by the late Sir Terry Pratchett.

"A city like Ankh-Morpork was only two meals away from chaos at the best of times."

The Kickstarter page promises the game will catapult players into "the streets of The Big Wahoonie... Using a brand new, original rules system, Discworld: Adventures in Ankh-Morpork will have you playing pun-filled sessions of misadventure on the streets of its titular city."

With a meaty 45 page Quick Start session, art by none other than Discworld veteren artist Paul Kidby, pre-generated characters, and a unique scenario "Up In Smoke" complete with an impressive number of locations and NPCs, already there feels like more than enough to excite the interests of Pratchett fans.

The core mechanics of the game are interesting and feel like a fresh take on what is often a D20-heavy marketplace. The creators have focused the system on two core premises:

1. The Disc has a story it wants to tell, and left alone will spin on much as it has always done.
2. The players want to change this story to one more to their liking.

In this vein, the players will compete for a mysterious element known only as Narritivium through dice roles in direct competition with the DM (Discword Master). The DM will roll a D8 against the players whenever a skill check is made and the highest roll wins. However, what dice the player is allowed to use will be dictated by the DM based on the player's given reasons as to why they are particularly skilled at doing that action. 

For example, a Troll trying to force open a door would likely be granted a D12 (the highest permitted) as they have the beneficial trait of being, well, a Troll. The DM will only ever use a D8, meaning the player is granted more or less chance of winning depending on what die they are permitted to use. Of course other players can also step in to help with an action and also make a roll, giving the first player the option of choosing which roll to use, much like advantage works in DnD. 

What is particularly interesting is that Adventures in Ankh-Morpork has been designed as a "palette cleanser" for players between epic campaigns. As such, the game is recommended to be run as a single 3-4 hour adventure. Of course the full release will include some advice on how to extend this to a longer run, but the core mechanics of the game will have been designed for short-run, or one-off adventures. 

Furthermore, combat has been omitted entirely from the rules system, encouraging players to engage more with the tone, characters, world, and story. The pre-generated characters for the Quick Start scenario do not have health points but the rules state that DMs should feel free to give players a Brush With Death, provided THEY TALK LIKE THIS. 

We are very excited to follow the progress of this game through its development and Kickstarter campaign. There is clearly so much love given to the source material and with this level of care and reverence it is bound to please both new and experienced Discworld fans. 

It Tolls for Thee: A Eulogy for Dicebreaker

"No man is an island,

Entire of itself.

Each is a piece of the continent,

A part of the main.

If a clod be washed away by the sea,

Europe is the less.

As well as if a promontory were.

As well as if a manor of thine own

Or of thine friend's were.

Each man's death diminished me,

For I am involved in mankind.

Therefore, send not to now

For whom the bell tolls,

It tolls for thee."

    -John Donne

Word broke last week (12/06/24) that popular table top news site, Dicebreaker, has been effectively closed down after 5 years, following redundancy announcements of all key staff:

Matt Jarvis - Editor in Chief

Alex Meehan - Senior Staff Writer

Michael "Wheels" Wheelan - Head of Video

It is understood at the time of writing that Olivia Kennedy and Maddie Cullen, both members of the Dicebreaker video team, have secured positions elsewhere in the organisation.

After a weekend of preparing for, exhibiting at, and participating in the fantastic Medway Gaming Festival, hearing of this news was a real blow.

This move comes on the back of IGN Entertainment acquiring the website portfolio of UK publisher Gamer Network, which operated Eurogamer, Dicebreaker, and other popular gaming news outlets. The terms of the deal were not disclosed, but clues of IGN's intentions were present when Dicebreaker's popular London TTRPG networking event, which formed part of MCM London, was cancelled last month with only a few days notice. This, coupled with the sudden lack of content from both the Dicebreaker website and YouTube channel, both of which could be relied on for new postings every 2-3 days, encouraged speculation that table-top gaming was set to lose a vital news outlet.

It should be noted that UK-based events EGX, MCM, and the digital brand Pop-Verse, were not included in the sale.

Sadly, it appears that the sparse information released from IGN or Gamer Network to fans of the site was mirrored with an almost complete lack of communication with the Dicebreaker team. Mike Didymus-True, writing for BoardGameWire, reported that communication from both former and new owners of the site with those facing redundancy was "extremely minimal". Furthermore, no public statements about the redundancy's or site's future have been made since the takeover.

Original Dicebreaker Line-Up. From Left: Michael Wheelan, Alex Meehan, Alex Lolies, Johnny Chiodini, Sara Elsam, Matt Jarvis.

It is upsetting to hear about the poor treatment of workers in any industry and the lack of respect given to creators by the corporations that buy and sell their work. It is also noteworthy as another possible example of games media suffering upheaval in the wake of the rising tide of the use of AI in journalism. 

While I am sure this acquisition will benefit the pockets of shareholders and CEOs, I can say with some certainty that the table-top industry will be all the less for it. Dicrebeaker was known for regularly providing articles that went beyond simple press-releases and new game reviews. Their staff and contributing writers have been instrumental in providing insight into the industry, such as an exposes of toxic workplace culture at high-profile publishers, industry lay-offs, and controversies such as the D&D OGL update early last year.

Dicebreaker was launched as a YouTube channel in 2020 by veteran games journalist, Johnny Chiodini (who left the organisation 3 years ago to pursue their own career), during a turbulent period in global history when many people found themselves stuck indoors (thanks, Covid) and turning to the rising popularity of table-top gaming. Speaking from personal experience, Dicebreaker provided a fantastic entryway into the hobby and provided trustworthy, high-quality journalism and reviews, without which I may have struggles to find my way into the hobby and community that I adore. I am certain that this will be an experience shared by many others and that there will now be a vacuum in desperate need of filling, not just on an industry-scale, but more specifically within the UK, which often suffers with a lack of reliable communication on a national level.

So with sadness that we say goodbye to Dicebreaker as we know it and the valuable contribution that they made to the industry for creators and audiences alike. It will be interesting to see if, how, and when the void that is left will be filled.