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.

Review: Tribes of the Wind - Does anyone else smell Ghibli?

 

We recently got a chance to play Tribes of the Wind by Joachim Thome, published by La Boite De Jeu, at Canterbury Gaming Festival, and if you read our roundup of day 1 you'll know that we didn't get past the first turn before throwing in the towel.

Well, I got home and I found that I couldn't stop thinking about the game. The artwork, the pieces, the promise of a satisfying tile-laying, worker placement, strategy game with all the colour, charm, and theme of post-apocalyptic environmentalism, reminiscent of studio Ghibli's Nausicaa: Valley of the Wind (I mean, seriously, someone on the production of this game must have been a fan of that phenomenal film). Plus I was left with the feeling of disappointment at not having understood a game that had such a small instruction booklet for the amount of game that was in the box. 

All of these things left me wanted to take another run at the game. I said to a fellow Hand Limit Collective member that I really felt that given half an hour in a quiet, temperature controlled space, I would make sense of the rules (which didn't seem that complicated, it was definitely a skill issue on my part). Therefore, it was with great delight on Day 2 that I found a copy for sale at Board At Home's "pay what you roll" stand at the event. I rolled a D20 and came away with a copy for £16. I was so sure that I would like Tribes of the Wind if given another opportunity, I was happy to spend the money.

Sure enough, once I got it home and could sit and properly digest the rule book I almost felt foolish that it had bested me a couple of days before. The premise is simple, clear away pollution in order to lay forest tiles on your player map, rewilding the barren landscape, and then populate those tiles with people (known as Wind Riders) to construct villages. As soon as one player constructs their fifth village an additional round is played and the game ends.

Combining a bit of card drafting, a bit of worker placement, and a bit of set collecting, the game (for 2-5 players) plays very smoothly with straight forward actions available on each turn. Players must choose between playing an action card from their hand, placing a temple at the cost of three action cards, or building a village on a populated forest tile. The challenge is collecting sets of cards that allow you to play these action cards. Each card has a specific element associated with it and the requirements to play need certain sets of these elements to work. For example, in order to play a card that would allow you to clear pollution or place a forest tile, you may need one of every element in your hand, or for you to have more water element cards than both of your neighbours.

Victory points are earned in a variety of different ways. The most prominent is through completing objectives on village cards, which are earned whenever you construct a village. These will have specifications such as tiles in certain configurations or temples built in certain locations. Points are also scored for removing as much pollution as you can, and placing all your temples (you are limited to 4).

Working out the best order to play your cards adds a real puzzle element to an otherwise simple game, but it carries it off very well. There's very little downtime between turns and during that time you will find that you are focused on deciding what card to play next to maximise efficiency. While the game is primarily built around constructing villages on your own individual maps, there's a bit of player interaction when it comes to using your neighbour's cards to complete card requirements, and drawing new cards from the same marketplace. This gives scope for working together, or working against each other, depending on who you're playing with.

Despite the straightforward nature of the actions, there's a lot going on in this game that gives it a moderately crunchy feeling but it feels great when you manage to pull off the strategy you had planned. There are a lot of pieces to this game and it's satisfying to get to place them around your board. Generally the game has a very nice feel to it and the quality of the assets is clear.

The only downside we encountered was especially notable at the start of the game. It's very easy to be dealt a starting hand that cannot be used because you've not had a chance to build any sets yet. In this instance it's possible to spend three of the cards to build a temple. However, it does feel like it would be possible to be backed into a corner as only one temple can be placed per tile, and you only start with a single tile. This is frustrating early game, when it feels like your agency is taken away from you, but as the game progresses and sets of cards are accumulated, it becomes easier to fulfill the action card requirements.

In a recent review of Trickerion as part of our Canterbury Gaming Convention Day 2 roundup, I bemoaned the game's chaining of requirements, which made meeting a simple objective feel like a cumbersome task. To an extent this game operates in the same way. Players need to decide what they want to achieve and then slowly work backwards to plan out how they will get there. However, Tribes of the Wind manages to make it feel less clunky and there is more often than not a clear path from point A to B. I do feel that the estimated play time of 20 minutes per player to be a bit unrealistic. For a 3 player game we easily made it last 2 hours, though some allowance must be made for it being our first game.

Overall, Tribes of the Wind is a lovely game that offers an engrossing experience, boosted by some truly lovely artwork and a cohesive theme that works well with the mechanics at play. If you're a fan of worker placement games, then this is a must try.

Games on Location: Episode 2 - Anarchy in the Arctic

 It's been a hot minute since we wrote our last Games on Location article (we took Fungi out into the woods), but today we have an extra special edition. You may remember that last year we previewed the fantastic Arctic Anarchy and interviewed its creators Ricky Baker and Lydia Vadgama. Well, during this interview I suggested that they take a copy of their game with them to play while in the arctic circle to do a special Games on Location for us. At the end of June 2025, Ricky and Lydia voyaged to Iceland's capital Reykjavik and further north to Grundarfjörður, Ísafjörður and Akureyri. They then continued on to Alesund in Norway.

The rest of the article is provided to us by Ricky who made some notes on their experiences travelling north with a copy of Arctic Anarchy in their possession.

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Arctic Anarchy on location in Iceland and Norway

The route of our journey meant that we crossed the Arctic Circle when going around Iceland in a North easterly direction, and again when heading towards Norway going South easterly. Naturally it was only fitting that we brought our creation with us. Whilst we did this in the comfort of a cruise ship, our journey did in some ways help us scope out what we might encounter when we embark on our Arctic Quest voyage in Svalbard and give us inspiration for the possibility of an expansion to our game.

No nighttime and folklore inspire possibilities of expansions

Between May and July is known to those in Iceland and Norway as "Period of Midnight Sun", during which the sun does not truly set, but rather sits on the horizon only to rise again after a few short hours. At 6pm the position of the sun makes it seem like midday, and midnight seems like early evening time.

Icelandic and Norwegian folklore is filled with stories of trolls. Much of the landscape tell the stories of these trolls, including "Naustahvilft" (The Troll Seat) located in Ísafjörður.

Thinking about an expansion for Arctic Anarchy, we knew that we would want to introduce and additional dimension to game play for the more experienced board gamers to enjoy. The period of midnight sun and the legends of the Trolls have inspired the idea of adding a "Trolls" card to the events deck. When drawn, the sight of the trolls cause the animals on the iceberg to go into hiding. This manifests itself in the game play as the players having to turn over the animal cards on the iceberg so that the faces are hidden. Any future cards drawn to replace those taken from the iceberg must also be placed face down. As a result, players will be adding animals to their raft blind, until the next event or another troll card is played, (we are yet to decide how the troll card will be cancelled).

Rainbows in Rekjavik and Wildlife icons

Animal cards within Arctic Anarchy are based on native mammal species within the region of Svalbard. Currently the game comprises of Polar Bears (the symbol of Arctic Quest 26), Arctic Foxes, Reindeer, Arctic Hares, Seals, and Whales.

We were lucky enough to see two of these animals in their natural habitat, having spotted a harbour seal off the beaches in Grundarfjörður and a Whale fin whilst at sea.

Another Icelandic icon is the Puffin, with many tourist excursions available to see these in the wild. If that doesn't float your boat, you can visit "Rainbow Street" in Rekjavik, where the cobbles have been painted in stripes of rainbow colour. The street has been decorated in this way as a sign of joy and support for diversity. The initiative is organised by the city of Rekjavik in cooperation with Rekjavik Pride. The street has become an attraction for many visiting the city, and of course there are many shops along the way filled with all manner of puffin themed souvenirs. The puffin, with its colourful beak, seems right at home in this part of the city, and would be a welcomed addition as a new animal type in the Arctic Anarchy game.

For us as creators, the addition of a rainbow puffin card to our game would symbolise the inclusiveness that scouting strives to provide for all its members. It would also reflect our own personal morals and desire for Arctic Anarchy to be a game that can be played by all.

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Hand Limit loves Arctic Anarchy and strongly recommend checking it out  wherever and whenever you can. Get in touch with Ricky and Lydia via the Arctic Quest 26 website to pick up a copy or head over to the Gilwell Reunion 2025, Gilwell Park Campsite, London from 29th to 31st August. This is a festival for adults scouting volunteers, where the wider Arctic Quest team will be promoting and raising funds for their expedition.

Stay tuned for more updates on this fantastic game and the journey of the Arctic Quest 26 team.

Preview: Last Week of Summer - Make It Rad

 

We all remember the long Summers of our youth. Days that stretch endlessly away from us, so much promise and possibility. Plans to see friends, to hang out, spend time belonging to no one but yourself. But there's always tomorrow to be active, today why not spend some more time in front of the TV?

Then all of a sudden you look at the date and realise that you only have one week left before real life comes screaming back into focus. Perhaps you're moving on to University or College, perhaps you will be getting into the world of work. No matter what's waiting for you, you are suddenly faced with only a week left before responsibility catches up with you.

What is there to do other than make sure that last week of Summer is as memorable and awesome as possible? It's time to get off the sofa and make those memories. 

That is the premise of Last Week of Summer from Allies or Enemies. It's the summer of 1986, you just graduated high school and you have one more week of summer before it's time to head off into the real world.

We came across Last Week of Summer at Canterbury Gaming Convention and we were pulled in by the absolutely gorgeous 80s vaporwave aesthetic. After playing it on Day 2 we all agreed that it was by far the standout game of the whole convention. The game play is smooth and well thought out, offering an engaging and smooth experience that neatly marries the mechanics and the theme. And I can't stress this enough, it is such a visually appealing game that caught the eye of everyone passing by the table.

Last Week of Summer combines worker placement with modular locations that represent different attractions in your town, from the arcade, to the skatepark, to the video rental store. Each location has it's own mechanic as well making the game feel varied and entertaining. The skatepark, for example, involves collecting tetrominoes and compiling them to learn tricks, the fast food joint is a push-your-luck mechanic where you try to eat the most food you can, the arcade is a dice-rolling mini game where you try to complete rows of identical dice. Successfully completing these mini-games awards cassette tokens which act as victory points at the end of the game.

Combining worker placement with so many other mechanics was a big swing from the designer, Shawn Hoult, as handled poorly it could easily have been a messy experience, but the game absolutely hits a home run. Getting a chance to play each mini-game is a real draw to encourage players to spend as much time as possible at each location, rather than just camping out at one.

There's one catch to your plans to having the most amazing last week of summer, and that's money. In order to make the most of your week you're going to need cash, and in order to get that cash you need to take on shifts at the aforementioned businesses. When working shifts you don't get to participate in the mini-games but there are rewards beyond money. If you have a slow shift (if no other players choose to attend the business) you get bonuses towards earning cassettes, such as renting a free video from the video rental, or taking a small tetromino from the skatepark as you practice your skateboard tricks. 

The game takes place over 7 rounds, representing a full week, and each player plans out their days (morning, afternoon, evening) by playing action cards in front of them at the start of each round. Each period of the day is then resolved in the order that the locations are placed around the central board. Additionally, there are cool kids roaming town that score you bonuses if you attend businesses at the same time as them.

At the end of each day is a party and those who had the most impressive day get an invite, scoring them extra cassette tapes.

Overall we were incredibly impressed with the quality and quantity of game play that Last Week of Summer provides, and we are very excited for the launch of its Kickstarter campaign on 19th August.

Keep an eye on our Instagram for an upcoming reel that really shows what a beautiful game this is and give Allies or Enemies a follow to keep up to date on its development. While you're waiting for the game to come out, why not give this playlist of 80s bangers a listen on Spotify, put together by Allies or Enemies to complement their incredible game.

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.

Finally Played: Spirit Island

 Despite having been into table top gaming for a while now, there are a few games that always surprise people when say that I've never played them. These games are modern classics, staples of the table top scene, that almost any board game fan would usually have played early on in their gaming journey. 

In this new series, I am aiming to put that right and get as many of these games to the table as possible. Many are considered entry-level games for those new to the hobby, so will they stand up to someone coming at them from the other end of the spectrum?

Kicking off this series I sought out Spirit Island by R. Eric Reuss. While this isn't often considered a starter-game, it is widely regarded as a modern classic so it surprises me that I'd never had the opportunity to play it. 

Spirit Island, R. Eric Reuss - Greater Than Games

Spirit Island is a cooperative, anti-colonialist game. Players take the roles of the eponymous Spirits to defend the island from destructive colonisers and protect the indigenous population using their mystical powers. The spirits powers range from outright destruction to moving the enemy colonisers around the board, making them easier targets for other players. 

Each round consists of players levelling up their spirits, choosing actions, and then playing them out either before of after the colonists depending on the speed of the action. On the colonisers' turn they explore, build, and ravage different sections of the island, expanding their presence or spreading blight. The amount of blight dictates the overall health of the island and is difficult to remove. If too much blight is placed, the island becomes irreparably damaged, implying that even if you are successful in repelling the invaders, it comes at a cost.

Building on the narrative of the cost of removing the colonists, is the progression of the spirits themselves. As they level up they gain access to more and more powerful actions, which soon start to include negative effects as well. Yes, you can remove all the towns and cities from a space on the board, but you also must place a blight, or you destroy all the natives while you're at it. This helps establish a nuanced story in the course of play that really highlights the short and long term impacts of colonialism on native populations. Even if they are successful and manage to defend their island, it comes at a cost that they will be dealing with for years to come.

The game tells the story of invasion in a way that doesn't hold any punches. Players will start out feeling like the underdog defenders and it's easy to become overwhelmed by the sheer amount that is going on on the board. At the start of the game, the spirits are weak and ill-equipped to deal with the growing problem, but as they grow, more interesting and useful powers are unlocked. Through this progression players find their feet little by little and learn how they can work together to make the most out of their actions. The game is undeniably hard, but in an historical sense, it needs to be. It would be unfair on real-world indigenous populations if repelling colonisers was portrayed as something straight forward or easy. That being said, it did at times feel like the indigenous people, the Dahan, lacked agency and were a passive entity on the board, waiting for the spirits to deal with their problems. 

The game itself is a mixture of strategy, area control, and deck building, all of which are fairly well executed. There was also a satisfying crunchiness to the amount that was going on on the board. There's a lot of game here to sink your teeth into.

That being said, I found myself slightly underwhelmed with the game as a whole. The gameplay often felt a bit clunky and I found that as a new player I was getting frustrated at how difficult it was to take meaningful actions on my turn. There is definitely a high amount of strategy needed and there is very little luck involved. Personally, I like games to have a degree of chance to be truly engaging, and I think that Spirit Island is missing this. The only real element of the game that was left up to chance was which environments would be targeted by the colonisers, but as they were constantly all over the board anyway, it felt like everywhere was constantly under attack

The game generally has a nice art style, portrayed on the player's spirit boards and action cards, but I feel it is let down by the board itself, which looks fairly bland, even when covered with tokens and counters.

Overall, I can completely understand why this game is as popular as it is. There's plenty of scope for improving your skill and strategy on consecutive plays, learning how the game wants to be played. For me, however, the fantastic theme and mostly good artwork failed to stick the landing when it came to gameplay. I never felt like a mighty spirit of nature. More accurately, I felt a little lost and confused. Perhaps it was because we were all new players, but it didn't flow in a satisfying way and at times felt downright messy. I love the theme and would like to see more anti-colonial games, but I don't think Spirit Island is for me. It's possible that with more plays I would learn to love it, but I just don't know if there is enough there to draw me back in. Call it a skill issue, if you will, but the game failed to draw me in.

Regardless of my feelings, I am pleased to have finally managed to sit and play this game.

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!

Review: Citadels - A scheming city builder

We don't tend to worry about release dates when we do our reviews but we may be pushing things a bit with Citadels by Bruno Faidutti, released 25 years ago next month. 

Despite it's age, Citadels stands up as a great experience. We played a game with 7 players (it can accommodate up to 8 with the Dark Cities expansion), and although it was a long game it was a lot of fun. There is plenty of opportunity to interact with other players but the option is also there to just focus on building your own city, without meddling in other people's.

In Citadels, players take turns to gather gold and use it to pay for the construction of new districts to their city from the cards in their hand. Which is an incredibly straightforward premise. There is, however, a small twist to this. Each round, players draft cards that dictate what role they will play during the round. Roles include characters such as the Assassin, the Bishop, the King, and the Warlord. Each role remains hidden but acts in a set order, starting with the Assassin and ending with the Warlord (in a 2-7 player game), and each has their own unique ability that can be used to the benefit of the player or the detriment of others.

 

For instance, the Assassin can assassinate one character each turn, removing their ability to take a turn in that round. The target is chosen by the role, not the player, so there is a bit of social deduction involved if there is a particular player on you want to remove from the round. The Bishop gains extra gold for each religious district in a player's city, the King always chooses their character first at the start of the next round, and the Warlord can pay to destroy districts in other player's cities.

 

These layers of card drafting, hidden role, and social deduction add a great depth to a game that otherwise might be overly simplistic and allow for a lot of underhanded tactics around the table. We played the game with a higher player number, which I feel helped the flow of the game as we had a player for every character, with the exception of one character card each round which is left face down in the middle of the table to complicate the social deduction element. There is the potential that with a smaller number of players, the game would feel less characterful (pardon the pun).

However, with the larger number of players the game did take some time to get through. The end of the game is brought about by the first player able to build 8 separate districts, which can take some time with characters like the Warlord and Assassin in play. Another criticism, though only a very light one, is that the assassin does have the potential to remove a lot of fun from the game if a player is unlucky enough to be targeted multiple times. This is somewhat mitigated by the targeting of the character, which is hidden, rather than the specific player.

All in all, Citadels offers a smooth gameplay experience with some good player interaction and relatively little downtime. It certainly isn't showing its age and will definitely be brought back to our table again soon. 

Review: Book - They Came to Slay: The Queer Culture of D&D

"Queer nerds have always played at D&D tables and also worked in a professional capacity on and around the game."

So begins Thom James Carter's dive into the Queer Culture of Dungeons and Dragons.

Thom takes the role of Dungeon Master (DM) to take us through this brief history of D&D and the impact the game and queer culture have had on each other. It is a short read at just over 100 pages, but it is concise and contains some fascinating insights from queer D&D players and content creators. 

The book starts with a much needed potted history of Dungeons and Dragons, from it's inception by Dave Arneson and Gary Gygax, and Gygax and Don Kaye's creation of Tactical Studies Rules (TSR) in order to get its first iteration published, to the purchase of D&D by Wizards of the Coast, who retain ownership of the IP to this day. 

Thom moves on to take a look at D&D 5th Edition, commonly referred to as D&D 5e, and explores how the renewed accessibility of the streamlined rules made for an inclusive and nurturing space for players to explore things such as gender identity and sexuality. Thom focuses on the development of the game away from outdated concepts such as the strength penalty players would face if they chose to play as female. In the early editions it didn't matter what species or class you played as, if you chose to play as a female character you would automatically have a lower strength than male counterparts. This is not to mention the complete absence of the ability to play as non-binary or a-gender characters.

In 5e, Thom highlights, "the Player's Handbook and Basic Rules prompts the reader to acknowledge" that their characters can be queer. "The text asks the reader to interrogate who exactly they want their character to be".

Thom also draws on the inclusion of queer NPCs in official D&D texts such as The Curse of Strahd in making the case that the game in its current state is an inclusive and safe space for queer players and characters. 

"From a gameplay perspective, having queer NPCs can also help queer players feel more comfortable leaning into their queerness at the table - if there are others like them, even if they're NPCs played by the DM, they're no longer 'the only one'."

The character sheet alone, Thom asserts, can be a powerful, yet low-risk, tool in helping players explore queerness before any commitments are made in real life. Experimenting in such a way in the real world can be "outright dangerous or unpredictable in many places and spaces". Furthermore, Thom states that roleplay can provide players with a safeguarded way to dig deeper into who they are. He talks frequently about how the player can become the character, and in a similar fashion, the character can become the player. Through roleplay the lines between two people are blurred and it can increase our understanding of how it feels to be someone else. Perhaps someone we truly are or want to be.

Throughout the book, Thom writes in celebration of the queer joy that D&D, its content creators, and its homebrewers can bring to the world. His passion for the subject matter shines through and with it so does this joy. His writing is accessible and friendly, and the book hits all the right beats with impeccable pacing. The world could do with more writing of this quality about such an important topic. As Thom himself points out, "homophobia and transphobia are on the rise in the real world".

They Came to Slay does more than just extol the virtues of Dungeons & Dragons, however. Thom takes time to delve into the problematic elements of the official source material, new and old.

"We cannot talk about Dungeons & Dragons' incredible potential and myriad positives without talking about it in its entirety, warts and all... In any consideration of the queer culture of D&D, it's important to look at... how certain aspects of the official materials have been problematic for LGBTQIA+ D&D lovers".

Thom draws on examples such as the 1e (First Edition) "cursed" item, the "Girdle of Femininity/Masculinity" and the 5e adaptation of the "Tomb of Horrors", which both contain problematic themes of unconsensual gender/sex changes to characters (compounding the issue, gender and sex are used interchangeable in the core material).

This book is a must read for any fan of D&D, regardless of whether they are themselves a part of the LGBTQIA+ community. It is written with insight and passion, and manages to get into surprising depth within a very small page count. The use of interviews with queer content creators shows a strong level of research into the subject matter. I have now read this book twice and would happily read a longer book on the same subject.

Review: Pandemic Fall of Rome - All roads lead somewhere

By now it's hard to find someone in the board game hobby that hasn't had some experience of the Pandemic series of games. Be it the original, Legacy, The Cure, or Contagion, it's likely board gamers will have come across the series in some capacity.

Pandemic: Fall of Rome by Z-Man Games, designed by Matt Leacock and Paolo Mori, uses this Pandemic system to create a game all about the sacking of Rome by the barbarian hordes. The marriage of theme and mechanics is a match made in heaven as it produces a smooth, tactics-based experience that will please beginner hobbyists and seasoned veterans alike.

As with Pandemic, Fall of Rome is a cooperative experience in which players take the roles of key positions from the Roman Empire, each with their own unique abilities, to stem the flow of Anglo-Saxons, Goths, Vandals, and Huns and find peace for the empire.

Each player's turn takes the format of 4 actions, chosen from a list of shared actions and their unique character's ability, such as march (move), sail, recruit legions to help defend and attack, and form alliances. Following this the active player draws two cards from the player deck. These cards consist of city cards (as with Pandemic), bonus actions, and the dreaded revolt. Revolt cards cause a revolution to break out in a specified city, air-dropping a battalion of barbarians often deep into Roman territory. After this, barbarian cards are drawn equal to the current invasion level and the hordes progress along preset lines, making their way to Rome. The revolt cards cause the barbarian discard pile to be reshuffled back on top of the deck, making it more likely that places recently attacked will be attacked again. Much like with Pandemic, when there are already three cubes representing a single barbarian nation on a city space, and another needs to be added, the barbarians sack the city and spread to all neighbouring areas. 

In order to win, players must either completely clear the map of barbarians, or make peace treaties with each of the attacking armies within the time it takes to reach the bottom of the player deck, or before any army manages to reach and sack Rome. This is no small feat and our first game ended in failure, though we came tantalizingly close. Close enough to make me want to play again!

The process of making peace treaties with the various hordes relies on assembling hands of city cards matching the colour of the army that you wish to make peace with. This sounds simple but the mechanic that controls the trading of cards so one player can assemble the correct hand is particularly difficult. As with Pandemic, cards can only be swapped between players when they are both in the city that matches the card being traded. On a substantial map, this takes a great deal of planning and cooperation and each of the barbarian hordes requires a different number of cards to appease them.

Naturally, forming a peace treaty does not stop the armies advancing on Rome. Only when you have made peace and/or defeated every single horde is the game won.

The application of the proven Pandemic system to a tactical warfare game feels incredibly natural and there is a nice balance of needing to react to events as they unfold, and making tactical plans. Even on the most basic difficulty there is a real sense of danger in the massing hordes of enemies that makes every turn feel like it counts. The board is always satisfyingly full of colourful cubes and small legion markers so you really feel like you are holding enemies off from all sides.

A particularly satisfying mechanic was that of recruiting legions and leading them to battle. In order to keep the enemy at bay it is essential to erect forts around the map and use these to recruit legions that will not only stand guard against the advancing armies, but can be lead to other locations to fight. The battle mechanic relies on rolling a number of dice depending on how many legions you have with you (up to three) and the results will either remove legions, barbarians, a mixture of both, or activate one of your character's special abilities (which aren't always good!). It's a basic system, but rolling dice and removing cubes remains a satisfying experience.

The only downside I can record is in the special ability of the Barbarian Queen character (I think this is the name of the character). This ability is tremendously useful but relies on peace treaties being made with the various hordes. This is a challenge to achieve so leaves the player with the Barbarian Queen unable to use their special ability for a significant portion of the game.

As with most cooperative games, the rules allow for a solo experience, where the player takes command of multiple roles in order to defend Rome.

Fall of Rome is a fun game that for me stands out among the other Pandemic titles as a fresh experience but with a familiar mechanic that reduces the learning curve and allows new players to get into the real meat of the game as quickly as possible. As cooperative games go, I rate this one very highly. There is plenty of space for joint tactics but also individual decision making. If you've played any other Pandemic game you will feel right at home with this one. Likewise, if you have never played Pandemic, maybe the theme isn't for you, this is a relatively easy game to learn.

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."

 

 

Dungeons & Dragons and Drinking

On 1st August this year I will be one year sober, and while a lot of my own hard work has gone into this achievement, I also recognise the role table top gaming has played in helping me make the change.

I was once a prolific drinker and even more so at social gatherings. Having a drink while playing TTRPGs seemed like the most natural thing to me. Alcohol is a social lubricant, and in a situation where you were required to lower inhibitions and get into character, or many characters if you are the GM, drinking felt like the obvious choice. For a long time I felt like having a drink, or several, while playing, kept me loose and relaxed. It made me feel like I was better at getting into the flow of the game and unleashed my creative side on the fly when responding to the actions of the player characters.

I used to pair my drinks with the games I was playing, not just TTRPGs but board games too. A glass of wine for Horrified, a strong grog with Pirate Borg, and a pint of foaming ale with Dungeons & Dragons. Each game seemed to offer an opportunity to have a drink. Table top gaming was a relaxing pastime so why not share it with a relaxing drink?

I have always had a difficult relationship with drinking and have struggled to keep things in moderation. I always used to say that drinking was thirsty work. One drink would lead to the next and while I was happy and enjoying myself, through gaming I slowly started to realise that my drinking was more of a problem than I realised.

I have discussed before the importance of GMs to take time to decompress after TTRPG sessions, even if they are fairly relaxed. On top of this, there is always something to be gained from seeking some reassurance from your players that they had enjoyed what you had planned. However, when I was drinking, regardless of how much fun was had during the session, I had trouble decompressing and trusting the feedback I was being given from my players. My decompression time would become a spiral of negative emotions as I doubted any evidence before me that I had been entertaining enough. I focused on any and all negative points that my brain could give me. The session was too boring, or I was too intense (usually as a result of my drinking). I found the time I needed to decompress and adjust back to normal life increased the more I had been drinking. Sometimes days would pass and I would still not feel like I had entirely processed the experience.

This emotional hangover was difficult to deal with, often on top of your more traditional hangover. Of course, with hindsight I realise that the solution was simple, but at the time I internalised a lot of the emotions I was struggling with. The extended periods of recovery I needed after each session had me believing that I was not a good GM, that my players were just humouring me, that I should hand over the reigns to someone else. Despite all this I still was unable to come to the conclusion that drinking and DMing was affecting the whole experience for me in massively negative ways.

In the end, however, it was GMing that helped me recognise that my problem was not with the game, or my abilities, but with my drinking. I was getting too generous with magical items for my players and not remembering who I had given what. I was handing out game-breaking spells and magical artifacts that were completely throwing planned encounters. While I don't mind that my players probably enjoyed these boons, it made things very difficult in an almost entirely home-brewed world when I could barely remember what had happened each session. It really made me feel like I could be offering my players a much better experience if I avoided drinking while playing.

There are few better examples than that which transpired recently during a game of Pirate Borg we experienced a character death at the hands of a Sentient Fungus. The killing blow was made and the table fell silent as it became clear that there was no coming back from this for Luca the Zealot, the team's Glass Cannon. It was a truly sobering moment, which was only stopped when Luca played his Charon's Obol allowing him to return to life with 1HP. What troubled me was that I had absolutely no memory of awarding him this relic. The player informed me that I had handed it out many sessions ago when I had been drinking.

Don't get me wrong, it was still a fantastic moment of collaborative story-telling, but it really highlighted to me how much of a problem it was for me to not be remembering our sessions, or even to take notes. This all took place after I had quit drinking but stayed with me as a reminder that I was a better GM now that I had stopped. Drinking was making me sloppy.

Tabletop games didn't just help me realise that I had a problem with drinking, they helped me readjust my life to accommodate my sobriety. Gaming sessions began to revolve around coffee and cake rather than drinking, and our regular meet ups at Fruitworks Coffee Shop became a staple of my week. I found my life shifting away from the pub and towards bright, open cafes instead. Where I used to use alcohol as a social lubricant, table top games began to provide me with the relaxed atmosphere and aid to meet new people. 

During the week when I wasn't able to play with a group, I invested more time into solo board games as a means of unwinding and relaxing, rather than pouring myself a drink. The almost meditative nature of solo gaming was a cornerstone of my mental wellbeing. Through playing games I was able to enter a flow-state where I was completely unconcerned by the outside world and my inner demons. They gave me a rest from thoughts of drinking, as the structure and puzzle-like element of these games kept my mind satisfyingly occupied. 

It has been a journey for me but looking back I can really appreciate the role that table top gaming has played in helping me reach sobriety and providing me with a safe space to continue. This is a personal story for me and I am not using it as a way of saying others should do the same. Drinking is not inherently evil, and most people will never experience the same problems as I did. I just wanted to share my experiences so that if anyone happens to find themselves in a similar position to me, they might gain some encouragement to make the necessary changes. 

Hand Limit: Gaming In Real Life

Hand Limit is going through a lot of growth in recent weeks. We held our first in-person event, launched a Patreon, and announced our first steps into physical print with our new Hand Limit zine. 

We are also gearing up for some more input from the wider Hand Limit Collective. This will take the form of gaming-inspired artwork, articles covering cosy video-games, and reviews of TTRPG Actual Play podcasts. 

With all this exciting new material we put our heads together to come up with a suitable tagline for Hand Limit. We wanted something that clearly stated our intentions and incorporated our core values, but didn't take up a whole paragraph. That wouldn't make for a snappy tagline. If you want to read more about our core values, I recommend taking a moment to check out our About Us page.

Hand Limit stands for a lot of things; we believe in equality, equity, and inclusion, we believe trans rights are human rights, and black lives matter, and we believe in the rights of people with disabilities. We believe in making an inclusive space. We believe that engaging in the act of unproductive play as an adult in a capitalist society is an inherently rebellious act and is therefore political. Most prominently of all we believe in the power of tabletop games to improve mental health and promote community bonds, and a big part of this is the tangible nature of the hobby.

Considering this, we have decided that the tagline for Hand Limit should be "Gaming In Real Life". 

The University of Bath reports that "Loneliness is one of the most significant challenges faced by Western Societies in the 21st century... In the UK, surveys suggest that one in ten people are 'lonely', with loneliness being linked to ill health and premature mortality."

We are living in an increasingly digital age with more of our time than ever before spent consuming social media. However, the AMA Journal of Ethics states that "documented internet use patterns suggest that the internet increases loneliness." It cites an early study of the internet and psychological well-being found that greater use was linked to a decline in communication with family members, a decreasing social circle, and an increase in depression and loneliness. Loneliness, it states, "can be defined as the feeling we get when our need for rewarding social contact and relationships is not met."

While digital technology can "offer connectedness, companionship, and community membership", it cannot be ignored that problematic use of the internet, or internet addiction, is on the rise at the same time as loneliness. 

Tabletop games can offer a remedy to this by offering an opportunity for in-person interaction that has clearly defined parameters. Strangers occupying the same space and engaging in a shared activity, especially one that promotes playfulness, creates a space in which rewarding social contact can be achieved. Writing for meeplelikeus.co.uk, Michael Heron highlights that table top games provide "a healthy way for people to spend mindful time with each other." 

Heron goes on to say that "everything about a board game has a focus on the people around the table... games do it through a conduit that lessens social anxiety." Tabletop games provide a focal point, a common ground, to encourage the players around the table to interact with each other in ways that other social activities such as drinking in the pub or going to the cinema do not. 

Then there's the simple fact that play in both children and adults is a healing activity that allows growth of character. We explore the world around us through the act of play, which provides us with a testing ground for our own actions. It lifts the weight of responsibility, even for a short while, and allows us all to engage in the fantastic, rather than the mundane. This act builds social bonds between us in ways that others take much longer to do. I have already written about how playing board games with strangers offers you a much faster insight into the inner-workings of other people around the table than traditional small-talk enables. How someone acts around the table in both cooperative or competitive situations, provides us with a much better grasp of how someone is likely to behave outside of play. This takes away a great deal of anxiety that people may feel in situations where they are getting to know new people.

Aside from the real-life social element of tabletop games, there is the physicality of the actual games. While online gaming can still offer a sense of community and connectivity, the very real, tangible nature of board games provides a sensory experience that even the most advanced virtual reality cannot replicate. The tactile nature of most board games provides a connection to the real world that boosts a player's sense of wellbeing, and of being present in the moment. 

The digital world can all-to-often feel unreal and disconnected from reality, whereas tabletop games provide a connection to fantasy and imagination, while also being grounded in the physical world. Pieces can be touched, picked up, even tasted if you are so inclined and have the owner's permission. The realness of tabletop games, even theater-of-the-mind TTRPGs, connects players to each other, to their physical location, and to the game itself in ways the digital realm cannot. By being grounded in reality, tabletop games create a space for mindfulness, connectivity, and a sense or presence that boosts our mental health and tackles feelings of social isolation.

All this being considered, it feels pertinent that Hand Limit's tagline should be:

Gaming In Real Life

Review: The Fox In The Forest Duet - A fox took a stroll through the deep, dark wood

The Fox In The Forest: Duet by Foxtrot Games is a cooperative trick taking card game that sees players immersed in a fairy tale world, finding their way through a fantasy forest, and collecting gems along the way. 

Fans of the original The Fox In The Forest will recognise the core gameplay of playing cards to win, or lose, a trick. However, in this cooperative version the winner of the trick will advance a token along a forest board in one of two directions, and collecting any available gems on the adjacent location. Players have three rounds to try and collect all the gems without the forest path shrinking beyond four spaces, which happens should players ever stray too far in any one direction and at the end of each round. 

For those unfamiliar with trick taking games, players take it in turns to play cards, the highest value in the lead suit played wins the "trick". Player one will play any card, which indicates the lead suit and the value to beat, while player two must play a card from that lead suit if they have one, or another suit if they don't. The lead suit always trumps another suit played unless that other suit matches a "decree" card that is visible to all players. As in The Fox In The Forest, some cards also grant additional actions such as choosing the direction of travel on the forest board, or choosing to ignore a certain amount of movement allowance.

The Fox In The Forest: Duet creates a satisfying and challenging cooperative experience. Players cannot discuss tactics or what cards they have, so the challenge comes from the ability to work wordlessly with your partner to traverse the forest, choosing when to win and when to lose, to ensure that you never stray too far from the path. The gameplay feels smooth and while there is a satisfying amount of tension involved, it creates a calming atmosphere thanks to the lovely illustrations and theme. 

A big problem that I often have when it comes to more abstract games is the question of "why". In more thematic games this is less of a problem, there's usually some story line that sets up the intentions of the characters that the players control, but in The Fox In The Forest: Duet the purpose of the game feels clear.

For a price tag of around £15, the game is well worth the expense and offers plenty of replayability. When we first got it out of the box we played two games back to back (one win, one lose) and it left me wanting more. The addition of the forest path board and movement counter was a nice touch and helps the game stand out from the basic The Fox In The Forest.

5 Games That Take Up A Surprising Amount of Table Space

I know you can never judge a game by its box, but usually you can judge the scale of the game from the size of the box. Place a hefty Twilight Imperium or Gloomhaven down on a table and players will instantly brace themselves for a meaty game with lots of pieces, boards, tables, and figures. However, today we're looking at 5 games that come in deceptively small boxes but take up as much space on the table as a big box game.

Tiny Epic Dungeons - Gamelyn Games

We seem to always end up writing about the Tiny Epic series, but that's just because of how many boxes they seem to tick. In this case, Tiny Epic Dungeons ticks the box of being a table-filler. Arriving in a deceptively small box, you would be wise not to underestimate quite how much space this randomly generated dungeon crawl is.

In TE Dungeons, players race to find and battle a number of evil minions in the form of minotaurs, ogres, giant spiders, and more, to unlock the door to the boss' lair before their torchlight runs out and they are plunged into darkness. As Dungeon Crawls go the game is a perfect example of how the genre can be streamlined to just the basics and remain an engaging experience. The combat is satisfying, the loot rewarding, and the enemies deadly. The base game comes with a large number of different enemies to face and characters to play as, each with their own abilities, strengths, and weaknesses. We've had a copy for a few years now and it is one of the more regularly played titles, but no two games have ever felt alike.

This is a table filler of a game, and as the dungeon expands it's likely you'll wish you sat at a bigger table.

Tranquility - James Emmerson

Tranquility by James Emmerson comes in a delightfully small box, with some truly gorgeous artwork, but, you guessed it, takes up a surprising amount of table space. The cards, each sharing a similar footprint to the box, are arranged into a 6x6 grid pattern over the course of the game. This space is marked out at the start with a border of artwork cards, essentially extending the table space required to 7x7 of the box size, which I think beats Gloomhaven, or any of the 'havens, in box-to-table ratio (no I haven't measured this exactly).

Tranquility deserves this level of table space, however, as it is a beautiful and mindful experience. Albiet a very tricky one to get right. Players take turns laying cards down to fill the aforementioned grid with island pictures as you guide a sailor peacefully back home. The catch is that all cards must be placed in ascending order, providing a bit of intuition and guess work to keep things interesting. The game guide also recommends playing the game in silence, or next to silence, to enhance the peaceful tones of the game.

Bandido

O

Bandido is another tile placement game and it really feels like the theme for games that take up an unexpected amount of space require some form of tile placement. In this game, players cooperate to thwart the escape attempts of the titular Bandido as he tunnels his way out of prison. Players will place cards in turn, with limited communication, to guide the tunnels to dead ends, eventually closing off all open ends.

Because the tunnels are randomly generated, there is absolutely no way of knowing at the start of the game which direction it's likely to sprawl off in. Meaning that no matter where you place the starting tile, by about halfway through you'll be desperately trying to reconfigure the table to accommodate the chaotic tunnels.

The pocket-sized nature of this game could easily lull you into the false idea that it would be perfect for a quick game in a cafe. And while that is certainly possible, be prepared to panic when the drinks arrive and they have to be strategically placed around the table!

Lord of the Rings: Duel For Middle Earth

While the other games so far on this list have almost pocket-sized boxes, LOTR Duel is a little bigger from the start. However, we still feel like this game is surprising in the amount of space it takes up, and with good reason.

In LOTR Duel, 2 players take on the roles of the forces of Mordor and the free peoples of Middle Earth in a race for supremacy. Much like its older cousin 7 Wonders Duel, there are multiple ways to win this race. You can focus on uniting the various races, progressing the quest of the ring (or the Ring Wraiths if you are Mordor), or simple military might. It is a terrific game that has done amazingly in condensing the 3 different win conditions into a single game, where each one could have existed in its own right. 

The board itself is only about as large as the game box but the real table hog comes from the card drafting. Cards are laid out in each of the 3 chapters of the game in a configuration that restricts what cards can be drafted at any one time. In a layout that resembles a tarot reading, cards are laid over each other to form shapes that slowly diminish as cards are revealed and drafted.

LOTR Duel is a brilliant game that had us hooked from the beginning, but you'll definitely need more space than the box suggests.

Any TTRPG

Not all Table Top Role Playing Games are created equal. Some are like Lasers & Feelings, requiring little more than a notebook, a pen, some dice, snacks, drinks, fidget toys for those that need them, GM notes, maybe a GM screen. Others, like Dungeons & Dragons, require all that plus the many source books required for playing each scenario, battle maps, miniatures, etc.

Our years playing TTRPGs have taught us one thing, there is never quite enough room for everything that's needed. Players and their bits and bobs, like water, always seem to expand to fill the space they have. Why do you think character sheets always get stuff spilled on them?