Tabletop Gaming 119 For the King!
Hello gamers!
Issue 119 of Tabletop Gaming magazine took us to some interesting places. If you’re yet to make it up to Edinburgh for Tabletop Scotland, we can highly recommend it. We had a pleasant trip north of the border, to a board games convention that ticks all the right boxes (see p20). Also, Scotland has whisky. Very, very good whisky.
While Scotland might sound like a fantasy setting (its official national animal is the unicorn, after all), the legendary realm of Avalon offers a true mystical treat. Avalon: The Riven Veil by Shadowborne Games picks up where Arthurian legend ends, as King Arthur’s body is transported to the Misty Isle following his final battle. But as Game Designer Jamie Jolly reveals (p16), Arthur’s knights are not alone in this area-control board game that blends exploration with combat.
And with 30 games reviewed this issue, by the most honest reviewers in the business, your next great play might be just a few pages away – head to p51 to see which titles are worthy of your precious cash this month.
Happy gaming!
Full highlights of Issue 119 of Tabletop Gaming magazine include…
WHAT’S HOT
The latest and greatest games capturing everyone’s attention, including Blood Hunt, 26.2 and Hell of a Deal.
POKÉMON 30TH CELEBRATION
The world’s most popular trading card game is finally getting the party started for Pokémon’s 30th anniversary.
25 YEARS OF THE T’AU EMPIRE
A quarter of a century after the Warhammer 40K faction joined the perpetual war, the alien race’s designers explain how they were created.
INDIE RPG ROUNDUP
Previewing upcoming projects such as Islands of Weirdhope and chatting with Microscope designer Ben Robbins.
GAME ADJACENT
This month’s coolest gaming gear and accessories includes a game board printed on a bandana and Baldur’s Gate III playing cards.
AVALON: THE RIVEN VEIL
The king is dead but the war is far from over, as Game Designer Jamie Jolly pits fantasy factions against each other in the Arthurian epic from Shadowborne Games.
TABLETOP SCOTLAND
A snapshot of our time in Edinburgh, as the con king of the North returned for 2026.
THE STONEMAIER BLUEPRINT
Steve Conoboy examines the shared DNA of titles created by Stonemaier Games.
COMMUNITY CHATTER
Being a nerd is about passion, agree the friends who began gaming club Herd the Nerds.
HARE & TORTOISE
Games Inventor and Tabletop Gaming columnist David Parlett looks back on his classic racing game, which scooped the first ever Spiel des Jahre award!
ON THE CARDS
Disney Lorcana announces an upcoming digital client for players, putting every TCG without one on notice.
ACCESSIBILITY IN BOARD GAMES
Expert Alysa Thomas highlights the issues that can plague board game designs.
FROM THE VAULTS
We pore over 11 years of Tabletop Gaming issues to relive Fantasy Flight’s early woes and get lured in by the spice.
10 OF THE BEST: GAMES FROM THE 2000s
We return to a decade that gave us several of the most important tabletop titles in history!
GLOSSARY
Dotting the Is and crossing the Ts with a close look at contract fulfilment.
MAGIC: THE GATHERING REALITY FRACTURE
Jace loses the plot in MTG’s latest set, hatching a scheme to rewrite the entire multiverse!
UNBOXED: AZUL
Veteran games designer Michael Kiesling reveals the quirky inspiration behind his tile-laying puzzler.
TRY THIS IF YOU LIKED
What to play if you enjoyed Cozy Stickerville.
TABLETOP TIME MACHINE
David Parlett can’t help feeling that someone is pulling his leg about the abstract game Jarmo.
REVIEWS
Our legendary reviews section tells you where to spend your gaming cash, with Coriolis The Great Dark: The Fractured Library, Doomlings (Third Edition), Dragonbane Arkand, Drillers, Dungeons & Dragons Arcana Unleashed, Final Titan, LA-1, Mythic Baths, Not Mush Room, Propeller Islands, Wingspan Pocket and XCOM: The Miniatures Game in our sights this issue.
Released: 18 September 2026
