The new open-world Dungeons & Dragons video game from Wizards of the Coast isn't going to be as big as beloved RPGs like Skyrim, it seems – but there's a good reason why.

Warlock was first unveiled last year by the D&D publisher as a brand-new open-world game featuring Tasha, an archmage and demonologist well known to fans of the tabletop series.

We haven't heard too much about it since, but we did get to see a whole 10 minutes of its Dragon's Dogma-esque gameplay in August – and, now, Invoke Studios head Dominic Guay is sharing more about the exciting project.

Speaking in a new edition of Edge, Guay describes how the developers don't want to guide players around Darkon. You know, the whole dreaded yellow paint thing? They're not a fan, and that's why they're opting for an open world that's a bit smaller than most folks familiar with the genre might expect.

"Because we wanted this to be exploration-driven, we didn't want the player just to follow a waypoint around," as he says.

So, while the world is "small," it's not lacking in substance. As Guay puts it, "By having a bit more density, we can afford to pull back a little bit on the handholding." That's good to read, honestly – and there's plenty to discover as well.

"There's a lot of really cool spells. Maybe you won't find them, and that's ok, because you'll find others." You know what that sounds like to me? More reason to play through the game again.

The controls sound exciting, too, as Guay describes Warlock's system as one that simulates a "real-time expression of magic instead of something that feels a bit slower."

That should also make the world feel far more alive, if you ask me, and a bit more action-packed to boot – once more reassuring me that size might not matter after all.

It certainly didn't in Baldur's Gate 3, perhaps the best D&D experience to date… and it wasn't even open world.

Baldur's Gate 3 is "a great game," but Warlock devs say their own virtual D&D experience is "very different" from Larian's RPG

It took them four editions, but Warhammer 40K creators Games Workshop have finally nailed one of their most divisive factions.

I was a massive grump when the Adeptus Custodes became a proper faction in 8th edition Warhammer 40K. These were supposed to be demigods on the battlefield — as superior to a Space Marine as they are to regular humans — so it made no sense to suddenly see an army of these guys on the tabletop, getting gunned down by Tau Fire Warriors like a bunch of scrubs.

That cat is out of the bag now, though, and the Adeptus Custodes are a staunch member of the 40K faction lineup. So, if we're going to do the Emperor's best golden boys (and girls), we should at least do them properly. And good news on that front, because the new 11th edition Adeptus Custodes codex is here, and they've finally nailed it.

One of the biggest issues with Custodes has been the disparity between their stats on the tabletop and their impressive depictions in the lore. In one short story, six Custodians defeated an entire Tyranid splinter fleet — well over a million bugs — with one of them even living to tell the tale. That's the kind of badassery that's hard to replicate in a tabletop game,

and while their new statlines won't quite take them to those heights, the 11th edition codex will definitely make the "Ten Thousand" feel like the elite warriors of legend.

Let's look at the statlines: At a minimum, you're looking at Toughness 7, 5 wounds, a 2+ save, 4+ invulnerable save, and a 5+ feel no pain against mortal wounds. That's for your basic rank-and-file (if you can call any Custodes model such a thing). They're tougher than a Space Marine captain, and that's just the basic troops; the tougher units, like the Aquilon Terminators and Gyrfalcon Jetbikes, put even chapter masters like Marneus Calgar to shame. It is going to take serious concentrated firepower to put these lads in the ground now, and even that might not be enough.

Almost every weapon profile has been improved in this codex. The Sentinel Guard's blades have gained an extra attack and increased to damage 2; the Castellan axes wielded by Wardens and Terminators have gone to strength 10 and damage 4, and almost all ranged weapons have gained strength and doubled their shot count. When you get hit by a Custodes unit, you're going to know about it… briefly, before you're dead.

Not to be outdone by the techmarines of the Adeptus Astartes, the Custodes vehicles have also had a substantial glow-up for 11th edition too. Sure, they lost the Land Raider (RIP to a real one), but their own unique tanks are now a step above the competition.

The Pallas Grav Attack's main gun has seen perhaps the biggest upgrade in 40K history, going from a one-damage chaff clearance option into a terminator-deleting machine, and the dreadnoughts are truly terrifying now. With one of the upgrades available in the dreadnought detachment (more on them in a second), the Telemon dreadnought can rival a C'tan for durability.

And as a filthy Xenos player who's going to have to face off against these golden demigods, you know how that makes me feel? Honestly, elated, because I finally get to battle against the Custodes from the stories. In 10th edition, Custodes were an army of jumped-up Space Marine Terminators. These are the Emperor's personal bodyguards, and now they have the stats to back it up.

It's not just the stats that are getting a buff in this new book; the army rule of Martial Ka'tahs — affectionately known as karate amongst fans — gets a big upgrade. Custodes units now start each turn in a "readied" state and can expend this to use one of six Ka'tahs as needed. These range from tactical manoeuvres like being able to perform an action and shoot or move through enemy models, to combat buffs like gaining lethal hits or rerolling hit rolls of 1 in combat.

The codex also adds 13 new detachments that let Custodes players build armies to suit the units and playstyles they prefer. Long-time Custodes fans should be thrilled to see the return of the Shield Hosts — subfactions of the army with their own specialisations — with each of their unique detachments bringing some powerful rules, enhancements, and stratagems.

For example, the Shadow Keepers get tougher on objectives, the Solar Watch have increased mobility, and the Dread Host are masters of manipulating movement around melee combat. They also all have a favored Ka'tah, meaning units who activate that Ka'tah get a bonus. This brings a lot of the flavor that was lost in the 10th edition codex back to the army.

So, how will the new Custodes fare on the tabletop? We're missing one key piece of information at the time of writing: the points costs. They've been thoroughly overhauled, and the army will play very differently now, running a few hyper-elite three-man units instead of the bigger units of Allarus Terminators and Wardens you typically see now. If the points are too low, everyone else is in danger; if the points are too high, Custodes players might find themselves stretched too thin.

Given how strong the first two Codexes — Space Marines and Orks — have come out of the gate, I'm expecting the Custodes to be a little overtuned. But points can be fixed in later balance updates. For now, Games Workshop has nailed the most important thing: the feeling of the Custodes. The vibes are correct; everything else can be fixed in post.

Not your vibe? You can always go for standard Marines instead. I've been hands on with all the new Warhammer 40K Space Marines, and these are the ones you should buy. With any luck, some will go on offer for Black Friday Warhammer deals...

• See the latest offers on Adeptus Custodes models at Amazon

The League of Legends trading card game Riftbound is set to get a bit more radiant when its newest and final 2026 set, Riftbound: Radiance, releases later this month on October 23. As with other Riftbound sets, there are several new mechanics, and GamesRadar+ has its very own preview of a card from the upcoming set that features one of them: Jarvan IV, Martian Paragon. Plus his beach skin alternate art!

Riftbound: Radiance specifically includes three new mechanics: Deploy, Show Off, and Disarm. Deploy lets you play a Gear to a Battlefield, but be wary: if an opponent holds said Battlefield, that Gear is killed. Show Off is basically just revealing a card from your hand or on your board for some stated benefit, and Disarm reduces an enemy Unit's Might when attacking. You can read all about these, and more, in the official Riftbound: Radiance overview.

Jarvan IV, Martial Paragon

Our exclusive reveal for this Riftbound set, Jarvan IV, Martial Paragon has 4 Might and costs 4 Energy in addition to a recycled Body rune. Fairly standard for Champion Units, and certainly in line with our previous reveal of Zed.

What sets Jarvan IV, Martial Paragon apart are his Gear-related abilities. First and foremost, any Gear with Deploy also has Action, which means they can be played during showdowns and are therefore much more versatile than just being played on your turn. Additionally, whenever he conquers a Battlefield, if there's a friendly Gear with Deploy also at that Battlefield in the end, you can channel an exhausted rune.

In other words, our princely lad wants to constantly be conquering Battlefields and playing Gear using Deploy (and therefore Action) whenever possible to essentially create his own combos. If you're at all familiar with his League of Legends gameplay, it's all a bit "flag and drag."

Additional Riftbound: Radiance cards are set to be revealed through October 9, and you can keep up with all of those through the official Riftbound: Radiance card gallery. As noted above, Riftbound: Radiance – which is the final Riftbound set to release in 2026 – is scheduled to officially release on October 23, 2026.

It's been a busy few days for trading card games; for starters, MTG is getting KPop Demon Hunters cards, and they're drop-dead gorgeous. Elsewhere, an absurdly rare Pikachu card just sold for $8.4 million.

• See the latest Riftbound offers at Amazon

KPop Demon Hunters are making their way to MTG as part of an all-new, limited Secret Lair collection that sees them rubbing shoulders with undead Captain America and David Bowie from Labyrinth. (Sounds like a damn cool party to me.)

Magic: The Gathering is gearing up for spooky season with its 'Corn Maze' superdrop this October, and while some of its contents are supremely Halloween-coded, this is an eclectic roundup to say the least. MTG KPop Demon Hunters is a great example, with seven returning cards that have been given a makeover featuring major characters from the movie.

As with most Secret Lair cards, these feature highly stylized art that stands out from standard MTG sets – including other crossovers, like the upcoming Star Trek set which is currently preparing for launch in November.

Speaking of crossovers, the Corn Maze also provides a twisted version of 2026's Marvel Super Heroes set (which is moldering with some rather good discounts via Amazon now that it's a few months old). As you may expect from the title, Secret Lair x Marvel Zombies brings in the undead for a particularly grim drop. Comic artwork has been combined with particularly fitting cards here, with the likes of zombie Wolverine being used for 'Unstoppable Slasher' - a Duskmourn card that keeps coming back from the dead, much like Marvel's merry mutant.

All eight drops will be available from Secret Lair on October 12 in Traditional Foil ($39.99) and Non-Foil ($29.99) while supplies last.

Here are all the sets featured within the Corn Maze superdrop.

• Jim Henson's Labyrinth: Should You Need Us
  • 1x Jodah, the Unifier as “Sarah, Champion to the Lost”, 1x Kogla, the Titan Ape as “Ludo, Rock Caller”, 1x Shigeki, Jukai Visionary as “The Wiseman, Eccentric Oracle”, 1x Wort, Boggart Auntie as “Hoggle, Heart in Conflict”, 1x Kami of the Crescent Moon as “The Worm, Sagely Guide”, 1x Lu Xun, Scholar General as “Sir Didymus, Rider of Ambrosius” // “Sir Didymus, Faithful Companion
• Jim Henson's Labyrinth: Fear Me, Love Me
  • 1x Muxus, Goblin Grandee as “Jareth, Goblin King”, 1x Boggart Shenanigans as “Call Out the Goblins!”, 1x Dance with Calamity as “Dance with Goblins”, 1x Goblin Rabblemaster as “Goblin Cradle-Thieves”, 1x Claim the Firstborn as “The Kidnapping of Toby”, 1x Trinisphere as “I’ve Brought You a Gift”
• Jim Henson's Labyrinth: Through the Labyrinth
  • 1x Timely Ward as “Rescue in the 13th Hour”, 1x Chronomantic Escape as “Under Jareth’s Spell”, 1x Delayed Blast Fireball as “Frenzy of the Fireys”, 1x Tempt with Discovery as “The Goblin King’s Offer”, 1x Rogue’s Passage as “Shaft of Hands”, 1x Planar Temporal Gateway as “Doors of Indecision”, 1x Leveler as “The Cleaners Leveler”
• KPop Demon Hunters: How It’s Done
  • 1x Dawn’s Truce, 1x Unbreakable Formation, 1x Freed from the Real, 1x Swan Song, 1x Demonic Counsel, 1x Tempt with Immortality, 1x Underworld Breach
• Marvel: Zombies
  • 1x Unstoppable Slasher, 1x Zombie Apocalypse, 1x Vogar, Necropolis Tyrant as “Zombie Giant-Man”, 1x God-Eternal Bontu as “Zombie Thor”, 1x Wilhelt, the Rotcleaver as “Zombie Captain America”, 1x Varina, Lich Queen as “Zombie Scarlet Witch”
• Artist Series: Veronique Meignaud
  • 1x Bloodsoaked Champion, 1x Voldaren Pariah // Abolisher of Bloodlines, 1x Ashnod’s Altar, 1x Cabal Stronghold
• Manufactured Grounds by See Machine
  • 1x Ancient Den, 1x Seat of the Synod, 1x Vault of Whispers, 1x Great Furnace, 1x Tree of Tales
• Peace, Love, & Treefolk
  • 1x Dauntless Dourbark, 1x Leaf-Crowned Elder, 1x Timber Protector, 1x Treefolk Harbinger, 1x Doran, the Siege Tower

Elsewhere in the world of the best card games, an absurdly rare Raincoat Pikachu Pokemon card just sold for $8.4 million.

• See the latest Magic: The Gathering offers at Amazon

Hoping to buy Pokemon TCG Delta Reign? You and everyone else, my friend. The latest set (due to launch in November) is already making waves despite having only been announced a month ago, so the race is on to find stock.

That's what I'm here to help with. I've been tracking Pokemon card availability for a long time now, so I've picked up a trick or two on where to look... and how much to spend if you want to buy Pokemon TCG Delta Reign. I've listed all of this advice below, including where to go first on your quest to rustle up stock for one of the best card games.

No matter what, move quickly if you find cards in stock. They're unlikely to last long, so if they're a reasonable price (which I'll go into later), strike as fast as a ticked-off Arbok. After all, I doubt we'll be swimming in products and there's no chance you'll be able to buy Pokemon Delta Reign for less as part of this year's Black Friday Pokemon card deals.

Where to buy Pokemon TCG Delta Reign in the US

Now that the set is drawing closer, I've been keeping a close eye on retailers to see where we can buy Pokemon TCG Delta Reign. These are the stores I'd recommend having on your own watch list.

Miniature Market

Walmart

Amazon

Best Buy

Target

TCGPlayer

eBay

Where to buy Pokemon TCG Delta Reign in the UK

The chances of being able to buy Pokemon TCG Delta Reign before mid-to-late October are slim, as the UK is typically slow to the punch. However, there are a few indie retailers that get stock earlier than everyone else. Watch out for the following!

Amazon

Wayland Games

Magic Madhouse

Zatu Games

Smyths Toys

Argos

Where to buy other Pokemon TCG sets

Even though it's tough to buy Pokemon TCG Delta Reign, that doesn't mean all sets are off-limits. The longer an expansion is around, the more the novelty wears off... and thus, the easier it is to find in stock. Pitch Black, Chaos Rising, and beyond are more widely available as a result.

That's why I've set our dedicated software the task of rounding up the best offers below. These are updated automatically 24/7, so they'll provide up to the minute pricing.

Pokemon TCG Delta Reign FAQ

Want something to play while you wait for stock? Don't miss the best board games or the best tabletop RPGs.

• See all Pokemon TCG offers at Amazon

A hyper-rare Pikachu card just sold for $8.4 million, making it the second-most expensive Pokemon card to ever hit auction.

Dubbed 'Raincoat Pikachu' by fans because it shows the electric mouse dressed up for a downpour with umbrella in hand, it's rarer than a shiny Mew; this was the result of a global competition so only 100 were ever made as a personal prize, meaning it was never sold in stores. That goes some way to explaining why this Pokemon card in particular fetched such a high price. Indeed, it's now the second-most expensive card to go to auction behind Logan Paul's Pikachu Illustrator card that sold for an eye-watering $16.4 million.

Sold on September 28 via Fanatic Collection (as spotted by Men's Journal), it was rated PSA 10 Gem Mint and earned a whopping $8,400,000 with buyer's premium. The charming Pokemon card was created by artist Fujishima in response to a 2015 competition inspired by Pokemon Art Academy for 3DS (which taught players how to draw Pokemon, unsurprisingly), and their design won under the 'Dress-Up Pikachu' category. As a prize, they received 100 officially printed versions of their card that were never made available to the public or sold anywhere. That means they're exceedingly rare even for one of the best card games.

Because of their rarity, these cards have been sold for a good amount of money before now – but never to this level. Indeed, our friends at Dexerto worked out that a version of the same card with a similar PSA 10 GEM rating sold for $19,200 back in 2025. So, why did this one balloon in value a year later? I suspect the 'Mint' addendum for the 2026 equivalent may have something to do with it; it's that much more desirable for collectors.

No matter the valuation, this card has the distinction of being downright freakin' adorable. There's something very sweet about its goofy, cheerful smile and an aesthetic that looks like it's been taken from a picture book. It certainly cheered me up this morning.

If you're excited about upcoming sets, have you seen our exclusive card reveal for Delta Reign? In the here and now, Pokemon TCG 30th Celebration looks surprisingly generous, which is great for fans in more ways than one. Hopefully that means some cards will turn up in this year's Black Friday Pokemon card deals...

• See all of the latest 30th Celebration offers at Amazon

This year's Black Friday Warhammer deals will land like drop pods onto a battlefield in just a few weeks, so now's the time to prepare. After all, we're staring down the barrel of price cuts on miniatures, army sets, rulebooks, and more that are due to enact a pincer movement on our wallets throughout Fall.

If you're looking to score some pricey plastic at the best possible price, the GamesRadar+ team and I are here to help. We've been tracking sales like this for years so have got all the advice you need to take full advantage of 2026's Black Friday Warhammer deals. It's all to play for; I'm expecting bargains on everything from Warhammer 40K to paints.

You won't even have to wait until November to get a bargain; even though official Black Friday Warhammer deals won't kick off for a few weeks, the savings have already started to appear. Think of these like a vanguard before the full army's arrival...

Quick links

• Amazon: Save up to $30
• Miniature Market: Up to $40 off
• Walmart: Browse the range
• Warhammer 40K: Up to $30 off at Amazon
• Age of Sigmar: Up to $10 off at Amazon
• Horus Heresy: Get up to $10 off at Amazon
• Kill Team: Up to $10 off at Amazon
• Old World: Save up to $5 at Amazon
• Paints: Up to $15 off at Amazon
• Brushes: From $7.98 at Amazon
• Airbrushes: Up to $20 off at Amazon
• Books: Savings up to $20 at Amazon

UK

• Amazon: Up to £10 off
• Wayland Games: Up to 20% off
• Magic Madhouse: Save up to £13
• Zatu Games: Up to £15 off
• Warhammer 40K: Up to £20 off at Amazon
• Age of Sigmar: Up to £10 off at Amazon
• Horus Heresy: Up to £15 off at Amazon
• Kill Team: Up to £5 off at Amazon
• Old World: Save up to £5 at Amazon
• Paints: Up to £5 off at Amazon
• Brushes: From £6.39 at Amazon
• Books: Savings up to 31% at Amazon

Best Warhammer deals ahead of Black Friday

Black Friday Warhammer deals FAQ

Want to prepare for other savings? Don't miss the upcoming Black Friday Magic: The Gathering deals and the Black Friday Pokemon card deals.

Black Friday Magic: The Gathering deals are slowly but surely approaching like a troll lumbering over a hill. Considering how many good sets have been released this year (from Lorwyn Eclipsed to The Hobbit), there should be plenty to look out for.

That's why the GamesRadar+ team and I are gathering up every scrap of advice we can on how to make the most of Black Friday MTG offers. This includes the retailers you should be paying attention to, which items traditionally get discounted around this time of year, and when the savings will end. I've been covering Black Friday Magic: The Gathering deals for years now, so have a few tricks up my sleeves.

If there are early savings to be had on one of the best card games, you'll also find them below. I'm posting the best bargains I can uncover before the event right here, so keep popping back every now and then if you want to secure the most tempting discounts.

Quick links

• Amazon: $10 off MTG Hobbit
• Miniature Market: Best prices
• Walmart: Price cuts up to $15
• Best Buy: Up to $10 off
• Target: Get older sets for less

UK

• Amazon: Save up to £10
• Magic Madhouse: Check for price cuts
• Wayland Games: Up to 10% off
• Zatu Games: Get up to £12 off

Today's best Magic: The Gathering deals ahead of Black Friday

Black Friday Magic: The Gathering deals FAQ

Want to find more savings? Don't miss the Black Friday Pokemon card deals.

Black Friday Pokemon card deals probably aren't the first thing you think of when it comes to this sale. After all, the November discounts are better known for tech price cuts on laptops and TVs. However, Fall hits us with some genuinely good offers on accessories or older sets like Pitch Black.

Alright, so you shouldn't expect to get a bargain on brand-new expansions. Those are in very high demand, and resellers flogging whatever they can pushes up the overall cost. As such, any Black Friday Pokemon card deals on the likes of Delta Reign will still wind up far above the recommended price.

That doesn't mean you should give up on saving when it comes to one of the best card games, though. Binders, playmats, deck boxes, and more enjoy big discounts this time of year. You can also save on previous sets in Black Friday Pokemon card deals, because the rush has already passed them by. That's why I'm scouring the long grass for good offers before and during the sale. If you gotta catch 'em all, this is the place to be.

Quick links

• 30th Celebration: Best prices at Miniature Market
• Accessories: Up to $5 off at Amazon
• Playmats: From $5.64 at Amazon
• Binders: From $15.99 at Amazon
• Amazon: Up to $10 off tins
• Walmart: $7 off Journey Together
• Miniature Market: Best price on new sets
• Best Buy: Check for price cuts
• Target: See the offers

UK

• 30th Celebration: Now available at Amazon
• Accessories: From £6.07 at Amazon
• Playmats: From £12.94 at Amazon
• Binders: From £9.97 at Amazon
• Amazon: Save up to 11%
• Wayland Games: Save on accessories
• Magic Madhouse: Check for price cuts
• Zatu Games: Browse the offers
• Smyths Toys: Get new and old sets

The best Pokemon card deals ahead of Black Friday

Black Friday Pokemon card deals FAQ

There are plenty of other offers to choose from, including Black Friday Magic: The Gathering deals and Black Friday Lego deals. Want the latest Pokemon cards, on the other hand? Here's where to buy Pokemon TCG Delta Reign.

The crowdfunding campaign for a Lord of the Rings RPG has proven to be so popular that it's needed to create all-new stretch goals to keep up.

Earlier this week, publisher Free League launched a Backerit page for a couple of new books along with a rules update to The One Ring, the popular Lord of the Rings RPG it's been running since 2022. However, the campaign was so popular that it smashed its crowdfunding goal by 32 times in less than a day, and has now reached $2 million in pledges. Because it only provided stretch goals up until the $1.4m mark, the team has had to create a host of new ones – and even those look as though they'll be surpassed before long.

"As the initial stretch goals were unlocked quicker than we could imagine, we have now added five more goals, trying to strike a good balance between what has been requested and what is doable without jeopardizing the timeline of the entire project," Free League writes in an email to anyone that's followed the campaign. These new stretch goals range from bonus maps to an all new location.

The latter is probably the most interesting; it will take us to The Tower of Triumph in Umbar. This is a place we've only ever heard about in passing, so being able to go there is tantalizing. That's because it's a stronghold of humans that serve Sauron where "seers and sorcerers of the city keep watch upon Gondor, and work many dark designs".

The most recent stretch goal to be unlocked is optional rules for setting up camp. These are made to complement instead of replace the existing travel mechanics, and "can be used to enliven shorter traveling sequences, or whenever the Company’s choice of campsite and preparations for the night are likely to matter."

Two more stretch goals remain: a digital art compilation unlocked at $2.2m, and a map of Bree in the new Core Rules book that becomes available at $2.4m. Considering how quickly we hit the previous marks (the pledge number has literally jumped several hundred dollars while I've been writing this story), I doubt it'll take long to reach them.

While we're on the subject of Middle-earth, these new Warhammer Mordor Orc models are reeling me back into the Lord of the Rings wargame again.

• See the current One Ring lineup at Amazon

Just like the real world, it's easy to be dazzled by the bright lights and skyscrapers in Disney Lorcana Hyperia City – but the thing that excites me most about this expansion is far smaller.

The game is gearing up for its final set of the year ahead of launch this October, so we're finally getting a good look at what Disney Lorcana Hyperia City involves. It's all suitably impressive; there's a bold new setting where metro meets magic, Coco characters are finally being added to one of the best card games, and two new Iconic rarity cards will end up being the most sought-after pulls in the expansion. But under all this is a major change I'm not seeing many people talk about: ink drop tokens.

These give you single-use inks to spend on cards or abilities, and while that may seem like a small addition both figuratively and literally, it's actually seismic. For starters, they let you rush ahead; even if you're low on ink, they can provide an early boost that lets you get ahead of rivals. It's also a means of applying a well-timed coup de grace that might put your opponent off-balance. If you're smart about how they're used, ink drops can be a devastating strategic lever to pull on.

Crucially, ink drops can also be a last-minute hail mary that may get you back in the running if you've fallen behind. I think that's the most valuable benefit; as a trading card game that's so accessible, it provides Lorcana with another avenue to even the odds rather than feeling left in the dust.

"Ink drops can completely change the tempo of a game," lead game designer Lukas Litzsinger says in the Disney Lorcana Hyperia City press release. "We really wanted to focus in on a single mechanic in this set, and we're excited to see how players will experiment with using them in their decks."

As a final feather in the cap, ink drops are a fun blend of real-world mechanics with in-universe invention. Rather than just being a system designed for players, lore positions them as the creation of students from Hyperia City's "Multidisciplinary Academy for Genius, Imagination, and Creativity" (M.A.G.I.C.). Basically, they're as important within the story as they are for us. If you ask me, that's a neat bit of synergy.

You'll be able to try the set for yourself on October 23, or from October 16 for pre-release.

Sadly, it's not all been positive in the world of TCGs this week; the MTG Star Trek Beginner Box has been cancelled in all regions.

• See all Disney Lorcana offers at Amazon

The new Warhammer Tone Pro paint range seems to be breaking all the rules, but in a very good way – and fans are excited.

This range was one of the more surprising Big Autumn Warhammer Preview reveals, and it promises to change the game with superior pigmentation, better coverage so you aren't putting on multiple thin layers, and improved flow. However, there's no argument better than actually seeing it in action. Professional painters like Louise Sugden (Savage Ork Guy) have been hands-on with the range, and their findings are blowing minds. In one video, Sugden decides to "stress test" Warhammer Tone Pro and its self-leveling properties by splodging on as thick a coat as possible. Rather than obscuring all the details when dry (a common issue with classic Warhammer paints, especially for beginners), it totally levels out into a strong basecoat that doesn't obscure anything.

"What sorcery is this," asks a thread by kamikazee786 with 8.9K upvotes. I'm equally speechless. I've been painting Warhammer models for decades, and this is straight up witchcraft. It used to be outright impossible, so I don't know what deal with the devil the design team made to pull this off. I've never seen anything like it, even from rivals such as Army Painter that are known for their beginner-friendly solutions. (They offer everything from Speedpaint to Speedpaint Markers on Amazon, for example.)

"The age of two thin coats is over. The time of the one thick coat has come," writes niclyx in reply to Sugden's video, referencing everyone's favorite scumbag orc from Return of the King. Because of how time-consuming it was to apply the much-memed two thin coats to a model before now for a smooth finish, this is a huge deal. Indeed, I think these could become the new go-to for beginners as well as experienced painters; it seems so much easier to manage, with great results stemming from absolutely zero effort or skill. That's a big difference even compared to Speed/Contrast paints that essentially stain the model with inbuilt highlights and shadows; while they're generally straightforward to use, they do require a specific technique to utilize properly.

Speaking of Contrast, Warhipster – one of my favorite painters – has built their whole online presence around the medium on YouTube, but they're equally impressed by Warhammer Tone Pro. They were one of the few to go hands-on with this range ahead of their reveal, and have nothing but praise for the concept.

I've yet to try the range for myself, but some Warhammer Tone Pro samples are apparently in the post for me to test and fill you in on as we speak. I'll let you know what I think as soon as I've got the paints in hand, but until then, I'll continue to gawk at these early previews. As Galind_Halithel put it on reddit, "It finally happened. I'm watching paint dry."

Wondering what to use these paints on? I've been hands on with all the new Warhammer 40K Space Marines, and these are the ones you should buy. Alternatively, you could always try these new Warhammer Mordor Orc models or the Legion of the Damned set fans are going wild for.

• See all Warhammer paints at Amazon

I think it's safe to say that the community is keen to play a D&D-style Lord of the Rings RPG, because a crowdfunding campaign for one is approaching $2.1million in pledges with the speed of an airborne Nazgûl.

Developed by Free League, The One Ring is a tabletop roleplaying game like D&D set between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. This crowdfunding campaign provides a beginner-friendly update to a system that's been earning industry acclaim since it launched in 2022, but the overhaul also provides a full bestiary for the first time alongside a campaign expansion that takes us to Gondor and Rohan. This Lord of the Rings RPG revamp was aiming for $50K in crowdfunding, but hit $500,000 in around an hour. As I write this, the Backerit page is now sitting pretty at $2,089,055. I suspect it'll have jumped up again by the time you read this.

Thanks to this level of support, the crowdfunding campaign has already blown past all of its stretch goals (including cardboard standees for use on battlemaps, extra monsters, and previously unseen locations) so had to make new ones. These will either be added into the relevant books or, in the case of separate items like special dice, provided as rewards with certain pledge levels.

It isn't just The One Ring that's being given a new lick of paint, however. The system has already been adapted for D&D under a different name (The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying), and this ruleset is also getting the same three books… albeit with tweaked names as well as unique covers. They'll include the stretch goals mentioned above.

Here's what's featured within the campaign:

• Core Rules: No matter whether it's for The One Ring or its D&D equivalent, the new Core Rules provide re-ordered, clarified, and refined mechanics to make learning or reference easier. That includes tweaked combat and character creation, alongside a solo game mode – Strider Mode. This had been released previously, but was digital-only.
• Bestiary: The One Ring is finally getting a bestiary. Called "Creatures Strange and Foul" (or "Of Orcs and Evil Things" for the D&D version), this tome brings together all sorts of foes the party can cross swords with. While orcs and trolls obviously feature, you're also getting rules for the Nine Ringwraiths, Oliphaunts, dark powers like the Balrog, and more. Not all of the entries are villainous, of course; beings like Ents also feature here.
• Gondor/Rohan campaign guide: The game has largely focused on northern realms until now, so this is the first time we're getting rules to explore the southern kingdoms of Men. Besides offering detailed breakdowns of Gondor and Rohan, it's full of adventure hooks to hang new quests on. It's called "The White Tower and the Hall of Gold" for The One Ring, or "Realms of the South" for D&D.

Considering how far over the goal this campaign is, I think we can assume fans are excited about it. Frankly, I don't blame them. The One Ring has been one of my favorite roleplaying games for a long time, and it's got pride of place on our list of the best tabletop RPGs. Part of that is down to its accessible yet cinematic rules, yes, but the thing that really appeals to me as a Lord of the Rings nerd is how true to Tolkien it feels.

The novels have a specific vibe that's hard to replicate without getting carried away and veering into swords 'n' sorcery, but The One Ring manages to thread that needle. It's not just about emulating how Middle-earth should look (judging by Tolkien's writing, Dark Ages chic) or sticking to the rules of its world; it's about capturing the story's theme and heart. As an example, it turns the feeling of fellowship and encroaching shadow into key mechanics.

There's no release date for these three books yet, but the hardcover versions are estimated to ship in October 2027. You'll also receive PDF versions of them with most Backerit tier levels, though there's no date for delivery on those. If it's anything like other tabletop RPG campaigns or releases, it could well be sooner.

You can check out the campaign for yourself at Backerit.

This isn't the only cool Middle-earth shaped reveal today; these new Warhammer Mordor Orc models are reeling me back into the Lord of the Rings wargame again.

• See the current One Ring lineup at Amazon

It looks as though newcomers won't be learning the Magic ropes with MTG Star Trek, because its Beginner Box has been cancelled.

Publisher Wizards of the Coast has put out a short statement explaining that the product is no more; more specifically, "Due to delays in production, logistics, and shipping, we will no longer be producing the Magic: The Gathering® | Star Trek™ Beginner Box. This product has been canceled in all regions." It looks to be the only MTG Star Trek product impacted by those delays, and the rest of the range is still up for pre-order at the likes of Amazon.

Fans who pre-ordered the Beginner Box have been urged to contact their local game store or retailer for information. Plans are also being updated for any events that were scheduled to use it (such as MagicCon Atlanta), with more info to follow.

The best card games community has been predictably quick-witted on this. "Boldly not going anywhere," potatodavid quips on the MTG subreddit's thread on the subject. I have no notes; it's the perfect response.

No matter what, it's disappointing news for anyone who was hoping to introduce a friend to the hobby with this starter set. However, Wizards' promise that no other MTG Star Trek products are affected means we've got alternatives. If you can get to a local store there are always Welcome Decks, for instance – these are smaller packs that contain "everything you need to start learning, playing, and loving Magic." While the Commander decks throw you in at the deep end, they're also a valid entry-point due to being premade, self-contained sets with distinct strategies. You can find them easily enough at Amazon.

No matter what, I suppose we better give a Vulcan salute to the Beginner Box; it neither lived long nor prospered.

Still, at least it's not all bad in the world of card games. This new Pokemon card from Delta Reign is 'shockingly' powerful, get an exclusive first look here.

• See all MTG Star Trek at Amazon

Warhammer has a bad habit of making me want to drop everything and grab its shiny new models, and the revamped Mordor Orcs make me want to dig out my old collection of minis for Lord of the Rings (or Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game, to give its full legal name).

Even though they missed the Big Autumn Warhammer Preview last week, don't think these Mordor Orcs have been shoved under the rug because they're not up to snuff; they look phenomenal. As someone who only truly got into Warhammer thanks to 2001's Lord of the Rings wargame (before then I'd mainly dabbled), they make me feel all kinds of nostalgic. These take the old design and improve on them with modern advancements that provide greater dynamism and detail, all while holding on to what made the originals special in the first place.

For starters, these models look as though they've marched off the screen; besides perfectly recreating Weta Workshop's brilliantly designed armor and costumes, a few of the models have clearly been based on movie extras you can spot throughout Peter Jackson's trilogy. I immediately clocked that roaring orc from Fellowship's prologue with staples on his nose, for instance.

In addition, they don't completely abandon those old miniatures; they mimic many of the same poses, but they feel less stiff. It's a similar approach Warhammer took with the revamped Warriors of Rohan, and it's every bit as effective. Like those models, you can also arm them with a variety of melee weapons or bows. There will be some alternate heads too, letting you personalize your squad.

In essence, looking at these models makes me feel rather misty-eyed – and I'm already drawing up plans for a new army ready to serve the Dark Lord.

It's unclear when these new models will arrive, but they'll launch as a separate box as well as a Mordor Battlehost with a full army. Besides 24 of the refreshed Orcs, you're getting a handful of Warg Riders and the Witch King of Angmar, both on foot and horseback. (These are older miniatures, but they still hold up.)

In addition to all this, Warhammer has announced a Battle Companies book that allows you to upgrade and personalize your forces across a longer campaign.

There's a lot to look forward to when it comes to Warhammer; fans are already hyped for the new Legion of the Damned Kill Team, for example.

• Browse Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game at Amazon

It's time to play "Who's that Pokemon?" again, because we've got an exclusive Pokemon card reveal for the upcoming Delta Reign set.

If I wanted to go full dad mode on you, I could say it's an 'electrifying' announcement – shocking, even. However, I'll spare you some time and cut to the chase. This Pokemon card reveal is downright beautiful, not to mention powerful... though that strength comes with a catch. Enter Raikou ex.

Illustrated by Oku (an artist whose Pokemon cards show off a painterly style and rich, vivid color), it's clear from one look that Raikou ex isn't to be trifled with. This Legendary Pokemon is charging through a gorge on the back of lightning strikes, and it feels like it's been added to a centuries-old landscape painting you'd find in some stately home. It certainly feels like a departure for one of the best card games anyway, and I think that's why it's so attention-grabbing.

That intimidating nature is reflected in its abilities, with an attack that deals a whopping 200 damage in one go. To keep things fair, there's a catch; on a tails coin flip, Raikou ex can't attack again during your next turn. Plus, your opponent takes 2 Prize cards if they defeat Raikou ex. It's a big risk, with a big reward.

Still, at least their other power might soften the blow. If you go first, 'Thunder-Clad' allows you to search the deck for an Energy card that attaches to Raikou ex on your first turn. You're not going to have this chance every game, true. But when you do, it'll get the ball rolling quickly.

Delta Reign will be available in November, so keep an eye out for this card in booster packs come launch day.

Speaking of which, it's worth watching out for pre-orders over the next few weeks. While I've not yet seen them in the wild, we can't be far off. I'd keep a very close eye on Miniature Market if you're based in the US and Amazon UK for those across the pond as a result. They tend to be reliable sources of cards at a reasonable price, in my experience. Sure, you'll find stock at Walmart and the like. But they tend to overcharge.

OK, that's enough electric-themed puns for now. I'll see myself out.

Hopefully Delta Reign will be as good to fans as the recent anniversary set; Pokemon TCG 30th Celebration looks surprisingly generous, which is great for fans in more ways than one.

• See the latest Pokemon TCG sets at Amazon

I think it's safe to say that the Warhammer 40K and Kill Team community is excited for Legion of the Damned, and fans aren't being quiet about it – but there's already concern that the box set they come in will be a victim of dreaded resellers.

Due to arrive as part of the Kill Team: Armageddon box set (which was one of the many Big Autumn Warhammer Preview reveals), the Legion of the Damned are cursed, flaming Space Marines who emerge from deep space to help humanity when all hope is lost. Whether it's their love of bone decor in their armor or the potential for conversion, fans across reddit are in agreement that these models rock. However, as u/SalaryWooden5346 writes on a Warhammer 40K subreddit, "Good luck to all of us trying to beat the scalpers."

Considering how difficult it was to get sets like Kill Team: Tomb World (the last 'core' box with two teams and terrain), I suspect they're right. These releases typically get snapped up instantly come launch day, at which point they appear on eBay with radically inflated prices. Judging by the buzz around those Legion of the Damned models, I expect the same thing will happen here.

I appreciate that it's not always an issue, but it's becoming enough of a pattern that I wish Warhammer addressed the problem head on with more stock, or at least greater checks to deter resellers. I know the latter is far easier said than done, and I don't know where we'd even start in that regard. However, it is possible – the Pokemon Center has been giving it a good go where the TCG is concerned, albeit with mixed results.

Still, at least we know we'll be able to get our hands on these models even if the box set sells out. Warhammer has confirmed that the Legion of the Damned and Ork Nobz they'll be fighting against will be sold separately. Plus, the terrain in the box is normally sold by itself afterward too… So all we're missing is the rulebook that drops alongside Kill Team: Armageddon.

Because of how gorgeous all these miniatures are, that's something. Aside from the Age of Sigmar Khazalite Holds, they were my favorite reveals of the show so I'm happy we'll be able to enjoy them even if resellers do their worst. Besides being phenomenally atmospheric and far spookier than Space Marines normally get, they're also excellent fodder for part swaps.

"Hot damn. These guys are going to be ravaged by salamander kitbashers," writes u/TheSlayerofSnails in a thread discussing the matter on Warhammer 40K subreddit. They're not wrong; the Salamanders chapter is well known for their association with fire, so this theme is the perfect fit. As others point out in the replies, they'd also be great proxies for the Night Lords Chaos Space Marine faction as well; they play well with the latter's gothic, lightning-struck theme. That makes the Legion of the Damned highly desirable even if you aren't a Kill Team fan.

Will you be trying to pick up the Kill Team: Armageddon box set, or wait for when they launch separately? Let me know in the comments.

Want more grim darkness? I've been hands on with all the new Warhammer 40K Space Marine models, these are the ones you should buy.

• See the latest Warhammer 40K offers at Amazon

As the poster children for Warhammer 40K, Space Marines usually get the best toys. I mean that both literally and metaphorically; besides having some of the coolest-looking models, they've got an extensive army list with tremendous variety. That army list just got a facelift for the game's 11th edition, and I've been hands-on with every new model in the range.

So, how do they hold up? After the faction was overshadowed in the Armageddon box set by those gorgeous Ork models, 11th-ed Space Marines have a two-pronged attack strategy: nostalgia and versatility. Sure, they aren't as wild as the new Warhammer 40K Orks. But they do pull on the heartstrings with retro throwbacks that will make old-timers like me declare "you son of a bitch, I'm in." They also feel more flexible than ever, making this an incredibly accessible yet nuanced Warhammer 40K army.

To get you up to speed on all-things new for the Space Marines, I've broken down each addition and analyzed what they're like to play as well as build. That way, you should be able to prioritize the right unit for you.

Note: While these models are available to pre-order now from the Warhammer store, it's worth checking on indie retailers like Miniature Market in the US and Wayland Games or Magic Madhouse in the UK. These typically offer 10-20% reductions on new models, so they're worth dropping in on.

New Space Marines: Kaius Konorious

Space Marines have no shortage of heroes, so this poor guy - cool though he may look - is paddling upstream to gain attention. That's a shame, because he's actually got a lot to give in terms of gameplay (and sheer aura, c'mon). As champion to the Ultramarines Chapter Master Marneus Calgar, Konorious is a bone fide ass-kicker within the lore. That translates to gameplay, because he's who's tailor-made to mess up enemy units or leaders up close. Last but not least, he's also a great choice for new players because of how easy he is to construct.

Gameplay

• Buy if: You want a hero-killing melee character

As you'd expect for a close-combat specialist, Kaius is a monster in melee. His weapons (Severance and Rebuke) are used in a single strike and deal five or six attacks at once depending on which type you choose – Strike [Precision] or Sweep [Cleave 2]. With a weapon skill of 2+ and an armor piercing value of -3 to go with the 2 or 3 damage each hit inflicts, he can make a mess of foes in short order.

He also helps spur on his friends in a big way. When attached to a unit, he provides them with Feel No Pain +4 (already a very good buff). And when he's attacking a character unit, he's allowed to re-roll hit/wound rolls of 1.

All this makes clear what his battlefield role is; charge forward, get in close, and decapitate the head of the army by tackling enemy heroes.

Build

• Complexity: Low
• Build time: 5-10 mins
• Customization: Alt head

I know he looks as welcoming as a two-by-four to the face, but Kaius is a genuinely nice model to build – he'd be great as a beginner's first hero after they've tackled the starter sets or Armageddon. While it's a step beyond push fit, it's not complicated in the slightest.

Just watch for those blocks on the feet; because of how they're attached to the sprue, it's easy to assume they're connections and trim them off. Yes, I did this. No, I'm not proud about it.

New Space Marines: Captain on Bike

Is a motorbike the most practical frontline vehicle? I'm not sure, even if it's got guns strapped to it. However, I do know it's damn cool – and the Captain on Bike ups that cool factor several times.

If you're hoping to run a vehicle-heavy force or you want someone to lead your high-speed wing, this is your guy.

Gameplay

• Buy it if: You want a fast-moving leader for your high-speed army

Naturally, the usefulness of a Captain on Bike will vary depending on the style of army you hope to run. If you want a fast-moving force dominated by Outriders, tanks, Landspeeders, and other vehicles, it makes total sense to field this guy.

You certainly won't regret doing so. As with all Captains, this one is a solid all-rounder who can lead your force efficiently. No matter whether he's firing on foes with the usual sidearms or crushing skulls with a Thunder Hammer/Master-Crafted Power Weapon, he can more than hold his own. However, this option adds the bike's twin bolter rifles for that extra bit of range. The usual "Strategic Acumen" ability (which lets you activate one combat doctrine for the unit until your next Command phase) is also bolstered by "Into the Fray." This provides you with Cleave 1 if you charged this turn.

In other words, this hero epitomizes 'lead from the front.' Charge him headlong into the foe before they know what's hit them.

Build

• Complexity: Moderate
• Build time: 25 mins
• Customization: Alt heads, weapons, poses

I always approach bikes with some wariness, because they often end up being quite complicated – but not here. This is mostly straightforward to construct, even if some bits are tricky. The arm with the cape is a piglet to assemble because it's not clear where it goes, for instance, and it can nudge other bits out of line if you're not careful.

Still, there's plenty of customization to make up for any awkwardness. You can have the bike tilting certain ways, sure, but the real joy is using a multitude of different heads or weapons to personalize this character. I used some separate Dark Angels pieces I had to differentiate my Captain on Bike even more, and it seems easy to add chapter-specific pieces if you have them.

New Space Marines: Intercessor Squad

There's a lot riding on the Space Marine Intercessors. It may seem like a simple box of rank-and-file troops, but this will probably end up becoming one of Warhammer's most popular kits. If you didn't already know, the standard Space Marine unit sells far better than almost everything else the company makes, and this is replacing it. That means the pressure's on not to disappoint.

After some time putting these guys together, I think the team's nailed it. This is a deceptively ambitious and comprehensive set, allowing you to make whatever you can imagine.

Gameplay

• Buy it if: You need flexible, reliable troops that can adapt to any situation

You wouldn't think that these warriors have changed all that much since the Armageddon box set, but that's not the case. It's true that they're still incredibly versatile in terms of weaponry choices, but their Toughness has actually increased from 4 to 5. Their abilities are new too.

First up is "Bolter Discipline." Rather than the Armageddon equivalent's "Hail of Bolts" that added +2 Attacks when firing at a specific target, they get a +1 to hit rolls when in range of an objective or if their target is close to one. On top of this, Intercessors have "Tactical Mainstay" that basically means they're still eligible to start an action when engaged/battle-shocked, and an action doesn't prevent them from being eligible to shoot. In short, these guys are your reliable ride-or-dies.

Build

• Complexity: Moderate
• Build time: 1 hour+
• Customization: Alt heads, weapons, accessories, poses

This is the kind of project that's deceptively complex. You might assume it'd be simple, but you'd be wrong. There's a staggering amount of customization available here with countless pieces you simply won't use, so it's easy to personalize each squad.

I'm not just talking poses or weapon designs. There's an impressive variety of armor pieces drawn from Warhammer history along with numerous heads, so you can really lean in to specific elements should you so choose. Want a squad using lots of old-school helmets, from the classic grimace to that beaked version? Go for it. Looking for a cobbled-together, battleworn aesthetic where your Marines have clearly scavenged old armor from the battlefield? For sure. Want a pristine squad of off-the-shelf warriors? You bet. It feels like the most comprehensive take on this mega-popular box set yet, with plenty of bones thrown to old-timers like me. A leader with a back banner? Be still, my beating heart.

New Space Marines: Outriders

Behold, one of the most rad-looking squads in Warhammer 40K. Outriders operate on rule of cool rather than common sense; yes, you'd be horrendously exposed charging into battle on a motorbike like this, and the sheer size of it means riders should be far from nimble. But hey – it looks awesome, so gets a pass.

While modern Outrider kits already exist, those models were push-fit. By contrast, these are multi-part plastic. That means they're incredibly customizable, allowing you to pose and equip them however you want.

Gameplay

• Buy it if: You want a cheap but hard-hitting fast assault unit

Want a fast-moving army that hits hard in combat? Deploy a squad or two of these bike riders. Although Vanguard Veterans with Jump Packs can move just as quickly (which feels odd, to be honest), Outriders tend to be cheaper in terms of points cost. Besides a decent range of 24in on their vehicle's Twin Bolt Rifle array, they also hit hard in close combat. If a unit charges that turn, those with a Thunder Hammer get a +1 to hit rolls, while other melee weapons have +1 damage and Sustained Hits 1. Nasty.

Build

• Complexity: Moderate-High
• Build time: 45-50mins
• Customization: Alt heads, weapons, poses

I always find bike-riders particularly tricky to make; ensuring the character sits properly on the seat with their legs in the right place and their hand/s on the handlebar can be a nuisance. The same is true here, and I ended up having to redo a few just to make sure their feet weren't hovering over the pedals.

Make sure you bring along some tweezers or add those extra grenades/pouches/accessories before you place your Marine onto the bike, too. I found it too tight a squeeze to fit them by hand after the model was in place, so consider that a PSA.

Still, I will say that they're much more satisfying than the push-fit equivalent. These provide far more room for personalization, and that'll help avoid the same handful of poses if you field a lot of Outriders.

New Space Marines: Vanguard Veterans with Jump Packs

If you live to become a Space Marine veteran (festooned with honors and combat awards), it means you're a certified badass. All Astartes warriors are deadly masters of warfare, so being a step above that speaks volumes.

What would make these fighters even more dangerous? Slapping a jump pack on them, of course. We already got a new version of the Vanguard Veterans in Armageddon, but these new ones aren't push-fit – they're multi-part plastic. They also come with more equipment options, including shields, so they're ripe for customization.

Gameplay

• Buy it if: You want a deadly assault unit to make a mess behind enemy lines

If you really wanna make sure something dies, you break out some Vanguard Veterans with Jump Packs. Besides having Deep Strike and a slew of very nasty close-combat weaponry (both sidearms and power swords/axes/hammers), their "Vanguard Assault" ability ensures that you make your mark. If your unit charges this turn, all its melee strikes have +1 attacks. When combined with Master-crafted Power Weapons at a bare minimum, you should be able to reduce foes to a fine paste.

I'd recommend taking a squad of these horrors if you want to secure far-off objectives fast, or enjoy being able to outflank your foe and cause havoc behind enemy lines… potentially allowing the rest of your army to clean up elsewhere while your foe is distracted.

Build

• Complexity: Moderate
• Build time: 40mins
• Customization: Alt heads, weapons, poses

After struggling a little with the Outriders, I was very pleased to tackle these models. Despite looking complex, they aren't a struggle to make and are far more sturdy than they seem. It's easy to make them look very dynamic too, so they'll probably end up as a centerpiece of your force – not least because they'll tower over normal Space Marines, looking dope as hell in the process.

Looking for the latest announcements? Don't miss our guide to everything revealed at the Big Autumn Warhammer Preview.

• See all Space Marine models and gear at Amazon

Social media has lit up over the past few days with fans sharing surprisingly good pulls from Pokemon TCG 30th Celebration, and they're not alone.

Flabbers have truly been gasted within the community, because supposedly hard-to-find cards are popping up all over the place. A quick browse through the Pokemon TCG subreddit shows a very common theme: that the new anniversary set is more than generous with its hit rate on SIR (Special Illustration Rare) cards. I've seen reports of three Mewtwo SIR cards drawn one after another, for example, not to mention the new effect Mew ex card alongside a sought-after Pikachu ex via reddit. While I didn't initially want to jump to conclusions, the volume of posts like these makes me think Pokemon TCG 30th Celebration is pulling an Oprah with "you get a rare, you get a rare, and you get a rare." That's really encouraging for fans who struggle to pick up packs at all thanks to resellers snapping up more than their fair share of products.

"From what I’ve seen so far the hit rates seem absurd," writes SkeettheVandelBuster on a thread appropriately titled 'The hit rates are cranked.' "Hope that equates to dirt cheap singles!"

Judging by how lucky fans have been getting, I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case. And honestly, it'd be a very good thing if it was. For many, the TCG is little more than a rat race where sellers attempt to shift high-value cards for as much money as possible. That kind of attitude drains oxygen from the room; Pokemon stops being a game and becomes coldly transactional. Indeed, Pokemon card fans seem to agree that card grading culture sucks and makes the hobby "a lot less enjoyable." However, if there are loads of rare cards circulating, their value radically decreases because there's no demand. It nips the whole thing in the bud.

It's a small victory, yes, but those can be in short supply right now. I'll take it.

Have you managed to pick up the set yet? If you're still on the lookout, check our guide on where to buy Pokemon TCG 30th Celebration.

For more to play, why not check out the best card games or the best board games?

• See all of the latest 30th Celebration offers at Amazon

Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons ditches the quest and objective waypoints seen in many large games, and even lets you disable its small compass, to prioritize organic exploration. It's music to my ears.

General manager Dominic Guay of Warlock developer Invoke Studios spoke to IGN about the game's approach.

"We wanted them to engage with the world, to figure things out and feel that when they found things, it was based on their actions and not just blindly trusting a waypoint,” he says.

Guay, like the other former Watch Dogs developers at Invoke, speaks from experience. With a "heavy-handed guiding approach," he says, "a lot of players will just blindly follow the waypoint, and then you lose that agency, you lose that feeling of curiosity."

Before the launch of Red Dead Redemption 2, players gathered around a rumor that Rockstar had added pro-exploration settings that would disable waypoint-like hints and add additional, grounded clues into the game's world, like NPC comments or map details. Warlock uses a system that sounds a little bit like that.

As Guay explains, "Mysteries" can be uncovered through exploration and various interactions. "Not only are there multiple entry points, but depending on how you stumble upon them, it might change how you interact with them," he says. My read is that it's sort of an inverted tree structure: lots of branches to find, all leading back to the core.

This discussion on player agency and direction comes as Marvel's Wolverine, the latest from Insomniac Games, fields criticism of overdone guidance. Amidst the discussion, Insomniac says "we have been 100% listening" and "cooking hard today in response to some of the feedback." (Our own Marvel's Wolverine review mostly docks the game for messiness in its story and features, with combat never becoming good enough to carry the experience.)

Last month, we got a fresh, extended look at Warlock gameplay. Very different from D&D standard-bearer Baldur's Gate 3 and with hints of Dragon's Dogma 2, the game is shaping up to be, if nothing else, interesting.

Warlock escapes Baldur's Gate 3's long shadow with a very different take on D&D that I'm happy to roll my dice on.

I appreciate that there's a lot more to D&D Arcana Unleashed than finally being able to play as a proper Necromancer, but come on. Yes, being able to summon a dinosaur (?!) is all good and well. But being able to boss around what may as well be a skeleton butler, presumably while cackling like a supervillain? That's too delicious.

A pair of mysticism-infused books just hit shelves, and they boast some killer options for players who want to add a dose of magic to their game. The first, D&D Arcana Unleashed, provides a host of new subclasses (including the aforementioned Necromancer), mystical backgrounds, and feats for spell-slinging fans while also offering plenty of options for Dungeon Masters. Meanwhile, D&D Arcana Unleashed: Deadfall is a high-stakes campaign for levels 11-20 that's pitched as a wizard spy thriller.

I've been hands-on with both of these, and they do feel like a treasure trove for anyone wanting to play magically-themed characters – or DMs who'd like to give their world a more mystical feel. I've got plenty of thoughts on this below, but the TL:DR version is that Arcana Unleashed will be a worthwhile purchase if you love spellcasting characters, or want to create a homebrew world/campaign bursting at the seams with arcane shenanigans. Especially because publisher Wizards of the Coast seems to have cast 'discount' in honor of launch; the books are currently available at record-low prices via Amazon.

Arcana Unleashed is likely to get the most attention, and that's fair enough. It provides eight arcane subclasses for Wizards, Clerics, Fighters, Monks, and Warlocks, not to mention magic-themed backgrounds and a host of original Feats to go with them. These feel worth the price of admission on the whole, especially due to that excellent Necromancer build. While I've got a soft spot for the Arcane Archer (who can use magical arrows to pull off nonsense like sending a foe to an alternate dimension for one turn), the Necromancer comes out of this particularly well.

Before now, it was harder than it should have been to create a fully-fledged Necromancer Wizard; you only got access to key Necromancy spells at a higher level. Arcana Unleashed fixes that, and it makes some clever tweaks that let you lean into those tropes right away. To begin with, it gives you the first-level 'Find Familiar' spell and lets you summon a zombie or skeleton with it instead. That's huge; you no longer need to wait for the third-level Animate Dead to call on deceased corpses for aid. In addition, you can use them as a syphon to regain health. Then, at level six, you can cast Animate Dead once per long rest without expending a spell slot. I could go on, but you probably get the idea. Our own Guides Editor and all-round D&D fan Joel Franey used the Necromancer subclass in a oneshot I ran this month, and he called it the most fun he'd had with the game for a while.

When combined with a host of new spells, magic items, and patrons that can give your party direction, there's a surprising amount here despite the book's comparatively small size. I enjoyed leafing through the world-building section, for example; it was thought-provoking and sparked my imagination.

Speaking of which, the campaign – Deadfall – is also passing the smell test so far. I'm still knee-deep in it, but from what I've read it's a fascinating deep dive into Thay that feels radically different to so much of the Forgotten Realms. As a thoroughly twisted place where mages rule with cruel abandon, it's the perfect adventure site… and the adventure being a "spy thriller" gives it a radically different air too. As a case in point, one of the early missions reminds me of Hitman; you've got to take out a cadre of villains, but how you do so is up to you. Cue an Ocean's Eleven 'planning' montage.

In short, I'm having a lot more fun than I'd expected with this duo of books; even though they're shorter than many typical D&D releases, they provide endless options.

Hopefully this is a sign of things to come; D&D head promises to fix "very loud, very public missteps" with "a new spirit and energy" for the game.

• See all upcoming D&D products at Amazon

Head of D&D Dan Ayoub has gone on record to discuss the knocks Dungeons & Dragons has taken to its reputation over the past few years, and how it's working to fix those problems.

"Bluntly, we're recovering from a lot of missteps - very loud, very public missteps," Ayoub told Wargamer in an enlightening interview on the state of D&D today. "We're not going to fix it in one year [...] I'm very conscious that it's going to take a lot of time to win back the trust to the extent that I would like."

Although Ayoub joined D&D after the decisions that upended this industry (like the OGL controversy, the loss of external partners, and major talent abandoning ship), his focus seems to be on reversing those mistakes. First up? Listening to what the community wants, and making sure fans are at the forefront of the game going forward. According to Ayoub, the brand "lost sight of who our audience was" and made the mistake of assuming that "there's a one-size-fits-all for D&D." Throughout the interview, he makes a point of reconnecting with the community and listening to fans, consumers, retailers, and more.

A key part of mending that relationship is introducing a community council and bringing back beloved outside voices, as demonstrated by D&D Icons resurrecting Greyhawk, Dragonlance, and more with new books from legendary creators.

"I look back on my own memories of when I thought D&D was at its greatest, it was when we had all these other voices. And I know not one voice works for everyone. We can't make every product we release be for everyone, but everyone should see something for themselves in our roadmap," Ayoub says during that same chat.

Apparently, there's plenty more to come; this is "a new direction, a new voice, and a new spirit and energy behind D&D." Judging by the fan-pleasing slew of announcements for upcoming projects, it certainly seems like that might be the case.

You can find out more via Wargamer's full, excellent interview.

There's plenty to get excited about in the world of Dungeons & Dragons; besides the return of the iconic Dark Sun setting, Star Wars is also coming to D&D.

• See all upcoming D&D products at Amazon

A Big Autumn Warhammer Preview show has been announced for Friday, September 18, and that means an battalion's worth of reveals are on the way. What can we expect to see from the show? That's a good question, so I've broken out my magnifying glass bionic eye to decipher the many teasers we've been left with.

Publisher Games Workshop likes hinting at what's to come via cryptic images (it's what they did ahead of the Big Summer Warhammer Preview 2026), and this week's show is no different. A short video and a series of spray-painted icons hint at everything from Custodes to a particularly grim Necromunda gang, so I've been busy working it all out for you below. The Big Autumn Warhammer Preview is looking stacked as a result, but there's one thing that excites me more than anything else: a possible comeback for Legion of the Damned, hinted at by a certain flaming skull.

Here's everything the team and I have been able to piece together for the show (which features new content for Warhammer 40K, Age of Sigmar, Horus Heresy, Kill Team, The Old World, Blood Bowl, Darkwater, and Necromunda) when it goes live this Friday at 11am PDT, 2pm EDT, and 7pm BST.

• Legion of the Damned (40K/Kill Team): That 'skull on fire' symbol is very similar to old Legion of the Damned iconography from several editions ago. If you're unfamiliar with this group, they're more or less a 40K twist on the Flying Dutchman; they're cursed warriors who emerge from the dark reaches of space to help humanity when all hope is lost, then vanish again. Oh, and they're permanently on fire. Y'know, no big deal. Because they're firmly set in the Warhammer 40,000 time-period, that means they'll either be showing up as a faction/offshoot for 40K (which I suppose is possible, seeing as Space Marines are getting an imminent revamp) or Kill Team. Both games are featured on the show lineup, so it could be a little from column A, and a little from column B.
• Corpse Grinder Cults (Necromunda): The 'Corpse Starch' tin presumably references this grimly-named cannibal group, and we know we're getting an appearance of some kind from Necromunda during this Friday's show. Seeing as we just got a new edition (which is currently discounted at Miniature Market), revisiting other factions makes sense.
• Khazalites Holds (Age of Sigmar): This was less a tease and more an outright confirmation. On the Warhammer reveal post for the show, it confirmed that Age of Sigmar is getting a brand-new dwarf/duardin faction that, by the looks of things, will be a more traditional spin on the fantasy trope. (We're talking mountain holds and runic creations, like the new Gholem unit.) I'm not sure what's referencing them in the teaser, though. Maybe the rune-like double X?
• Custodes (40K/Horus Heresy): That golden banana can only mean one thing… more Custodes (if you're not sure why, it's thanks to those long, banana-shaped golden helmets). Warhammer accidentally revealed a new Custodes Terminator type via a Warhammer Academy video a while ago, so I suspect this will be what we'll see during the show. If it's anything like the other Custodes releases this year (which you'll be able to find at a discount via stores such as Miniature Market), it'll be available for both Horus Heresy and Warhammer 40K.

• Nehekhara (The Old World/Blood Bowl): This one's a surprise. Nehekhara refers to the Tomb Kings faction in The Old World, but that game actually launched a few years back with Tomb Kings as a major force (as demonstrated by the wealth of box sets at Amazon). These were mostly old models, though, so we could finally be due a revamp. Of course, the alternative is that it could just be a handful of heroes... or that it's something to do with Blood Bowl.
• Alpha Legion (40K/Horus Heresy): Those crossed Xs could potentially mean a return of the 20th Legion, the Alpha Legion, for Horus Heresy or maybe even Warhammer 40K. This Chaos Space Marine group is as mysterious as they come, and it's been a long time since they've got any love in the latter game.
• Inquisition/Imperial Agents (40K): It looks like the Inquisition/Imperial Agents symbol appears up there with 'Ready' written over the top (the one that looks like an I, or a II). Could this faction be next to get some love in 40K?
• Squigs (Blood Bowl/Darkwater): This one threw me at first. Those are clearly ork/orruk/goblin-owned squigs bouncing across the screen, but I'll be damned if I know what they're referencing. Because we've already seen a lot of love for the greenskins across 40K and Age of Sigmar, I'd assume they'll be leaping into the Blood Bowl fantasy football game or Warhammer Quest: Darkwater. The latter could be an especially good fit; the board game was largely focused on Nurgle-worshipping foes, so an expansion featuring orruks could be the fresh update it needs to bring everyone back to the table.

I'm sure there's more to come that we haven't seen yet, but even if not, we've certainly got enough to be excited about.

Personally speaking, the thing that intrigues me most is the Legion of the Damned... and the possibility that they could be included in a Kill Team box set. We're due a new season of the skirmish game with fresh teams and terrain around about now, so "haunted Space Marines" would certainly kick things off with a bang.

No matter what, we'll get answers soon; the show takes place in just a few days. You can tune in on Friday September 18 at 11am PDT, 2pm EDT, or 7pm BST.

• See the latest Warhammer 40K offers at Amazon

I'll be interested to see what those Khazalites Holds models look like, because the Age of Sigmar team's been on fire recently; the new Sons of Behemat models are exactly what the faction needs, and the Ogors range is delightfully hard-hitting.

I remember stumbling across the original Everdell a number of years back while meandering through the board game area at PAX East. With its striking box art, featuring a badger alongside other woodland critters all in an idyllic forest, I was sold before I even knew what sort of game it was, and it would quickly go on to become one of mine and my wife’s favorite board games. Now, Emerland, the latest standalone title in the series, has been released, and this new jungle-themed romp does far more than apply a new coat of paint on Everdell. The clever tweaks and new mechanics make the old Everdell formula feel fresh all over again, so it'll go over well even if you're a long-in-the-tooth veteran of the best board games.

It's a jungle out there

At its core, Emerland is still an Everdell game with its general gameplay and fundamental mechanics remaining largely untouched. On their turns, players will be placing out their workers to gather the resources needed to build Constructions and recruit various Critters into their burgeoning city, which serves as your main point-scoring engine. Each round, portrayed as a single season, you will send your workers to the various locations or even onto other players' city cards in order to collect the resources required to build or bring new cards into your town or gain additional benefits to help earn you points for the endgame. New to Emerland are special realm cards that can also increase the number of buildings or townsfolk you can add to your town, in essence replacing the event cards from previous iterations of Everdell.

Alongside the players’ wooden animal meeples – this time picking from capybaras, tree frogs, chameleons, and monkeys – you also get a little group of smaller bug helper meeples in your player color, including beetles, caterpillars, dragonflies, and ants. Aside from just looking adorable, these helpers will either double the goods you get from a spot when deployed alongside one of your main pieces, or allow you to go somewhere another player is already visiting. By placing down a bug per player at the space, your little buddy will act as a negotiator, allowing you to gain the benefit from the space! As someone who has only really played base game Everdell and adores it, this blew my mind, and I quickly fell in love with my buzzing buddies. Just like your normal pieces, you do earn more as you progress through the seasons, and playing at an especially powerful spot with a lot of players already there will quickly eat up your bugs for the turn.

I've always found Everdell to do a great job balancing how "mean" it is while also being a pretty chill and low-hostility game. Sure, it was always a little frustrating to have another player take a spot you had been planning to take that turn, but that situation rarely happened because that player was specifically out to spite me or someone else. The addition of these cute little helpers just adds a new layer of flexibility and allows you, if you really need a spot, that you can still go there. Albeit for a greater cost. It manages to increase the options players have, without it ever feeling like it "breaks" the systems that Everdell fans have come to love.

The next jungle-inspired addition found in Emerland is the mysterious ruins, a separate track of sorts that you can spend one of your actions on to explore. By exploring and working your way through the ruins, you can find artifacts that will net you a range of points at the end of the game.

A signature centerpiece

In addition to the realms and helpers, Emerland features a host of other tweaks that slightly change up the formula that may intrigue Everdell aficionados. Hand limits are down from eight cards to only six, and a (starting) city limit of 12 instead of 15. As someone who had only previously played the original game, these reductions at the beginning felt restrictive, but other elements balanced out the experience. There are no longer common or unique critters or constructions and similar cards in the store, or plateau, stack on each other, making each spot a different choice to pick from.

The last of those new mechanics are upgradable cards and a new variety of card, the Artisan cards, that provide benefits when cards are tucked underneath it. Each card that you can build from the center store or draw from the deck to add to your village is now double-sided, featuring an enhanced side with better effects. Strangely enough, the new Artisan cards actually suffer the most from the new upgrade mechanic. You would think that, seeing as they are both introduced here, maybe there would be more synergy together.

The issue stems from the tuck limit that each Artisan card has. When you upgrade one of these new orange cards, the previously tucked cards don't suddenly go away, and you don't get any additional slots either. The fact that neither of those things happens turned me off from ever using these new cards unless they were upgraded, feeling like it would be detrimental to do so otherwise. I wish that upgrading would let you scrap a card previously tucked underneath if you wanted, because at least then there is some incentive to utilize the card's un-upgraded side.

Even with the smaller hand sizes, fewer land plots at the start, and fewer cards to pick from (or more depending on whether you could use the reverse upgraded sides as their own card or not), Emerland is a more complex game. In original Everdell, on your turn you really only had three actions – place a worker, play a card, or prepare for a new season – with the last one only being occasionally used. Emerland, by contrast, gives you six: placing a worker (either with or without one of your helpers), placing a helper by themselves, playing a card, tucking a card under an Artisan card, using your archaeologist to explore the ruins, or preparing for the next season. I love the fact that it gives me more options of things to do after I have placed my last worker, but if you or someone in your game group is susceptible to "analysis paralysis," just be aware this new version will present you with more options. I fall on the side of I’d rather have the options available to me, and more avenues to think up strategies. Plus, my game group is no stranger to using timers to keep games moving along.

While this may sound a bit blasphemous to other Everdell fans, my biggest issue with the base game is the Everdell tree, more specifically, having to build the damn tree every time I want to play. Gorgeous as it is, the slight inconvenience of knowing I have to put it together and disassemble it at the end has steered me away from tabling it at least a few times during game nights. It's fun to bring out every now and then, but by and large, games have enough set up as it is for me to have to take extra time to construct a superfluous doohicky just so it looks nicer on my table.

With that background, imagine my delight and surprise when I discovered that Emerland's centerpiece ruins come in both the series' signature 3D centerpiece and a simple flat version. This simple little board has made Emerland so, so, so much more appealing for me, with all the neat new mechanics, features, and beautiful components really just being delightful extras for me. The fact that this feature is also not unique to Emerland, with some of the other standalone Everdell evolutions (a fact I only discovered after playing this), piqued my interest in those as well.

Should you buy Emerland?

When it comes to the modern era of board games, it's hard to imagine the Everdell series not being viewed as a classic years from now. Emerland's twists and tweaks to the tried-and-true formula were a breath of fresh air and gave me that same sense of excitement in discovering strategies and combos as when I first tried Everdell.

For veterans of Everdell who are looking for something new to spice up their game night, I never found that the additions in Emerland diluted the satisfying engine-building and worker placement formula that has endeared the original to so many players; instead, they did the opposite. There are a few added layers of complexity here compared to the original game, so if you aren’t sure and want to instead dip your toe in the waters before you head deep into Emerland’s jungles, then trying out Everdell first may be a better option.

For my wife and me, I don’t know if I will go back to the original game anytime soon since Emerland manages to give me everything I love about that version and then more on top of it. I can’t wait to see what the Wilson duo works up next for the critters of Everdell!

This review was conducted using a sample provided by the publisher. For more details on our process, check how we test board games or the GamesRadar+ reviews policy.

There's something deeply satisfying about switching off your brain and stomping across the battlefield with a Sons of Behemat army. OK, yes, there are still strategies to draw up unless you want to get swiftly overwhelmed by those smaller, punier factions. But this is an army all about stomping everything into submission, Godzilla style – it isn't subtle.

That's changing with the latest models and Battletome, though. This update for Warhammer Age of Sigmar's fourth edition introduces a surprise addition to the formula: versatility. Before now, the faction has been focused on getting in close and smacking stuff so hard it disappears into a fine red mist. And that's still the case… but with the update, you can do so from a distance – or magic up a spell that lets your gargants hit even harder. Suddenly, the Sons of Behemat have gone from feeling a bit one-note to a force with nuance.

I was able to get my hands on the new models and Battletome early, so here's what I thought after piecing them all together. Should you add these new units to your army, and what are they like as a hobby project? Let's dig in.

Note: You'll be able to order these models direct from Warhammer, but I'd recommend checking out indie retailers like Miniature Market in the US and Wayland Games in the UK. They traditionally offer a discount of 10-20% on new miniatures, so should hopefully provide money off these new additions.

Ma Maegran

The Sons of Behemat are usually brawn and brute strength, so we're breaking new territory here with "creepy pagan witch." Besides being incredibly unnerving to look at, even unpainted, Ma Maegran fills a role that no other model in the range can – a spell caster. That makes her worth considering straight out of the gate, and these powers are going to come in very handy during games. She's a support character first and foremost, so she'll make your army hit even harder than before.

Gameplay

As the only magic-wielding model in the entire Sons of Behemat army, Ma Maegran already has a lot to commend her – she fills a unique role not met by anyone else. She isn't going to be slinging spells or throwing fireballs at foes, but she can help turn the tide with her 'Creepy Cantrips' ability that adds 1 to rampage rolls (a series of faction-specific boons) and 1 to hit rolls for a nearby gargant of your choice. As an icing on the cake, she can also draw on three generic spells from the Lore of Behemat section of the Battletome. These enhance your gargants' prowess, reduce the strength of foes, or provide Crit (Mortal) to lucky units, so Ma has access to a reliable library of buffs/debuffs.

She's not just a wizard, though; she's also a 'Chooser of the Mighty.' Rumor has it that she can bless 'Little' gargants so they grow to monstrous sizes, and this translates in-game to a power that lets gargants deal mortal damage on 6s or will resurrect a Big gargant that was slain. (The way she does this is quite thematically fitting – you remove a Little model and replace it with the slain Big model, representing the Little one 'growing'.)

Her other abilities revolve around those Ancient Gyrochs that follow her around. These are nasty enough in themselves and are very difficult to kill due to regenerating three wounds each turn, but she can also add 1 to their damage, get them a bonus move (potentially into combat), or draw on their lifeforce to increase her spellcasting ability.

In short, she's a great backline asset that'll keep foes on the backfoot while your other troops do the grunt work. There's nothing else like her in the army list, so I'd certainly recommend adding her to your force.

Build

• Complexity: Moderate
• Build time: 60mins
• Customization: None

For a leader figure, Ma Maegran is pretty straightforward to make. Most bits went together quickly, and while some leg details are too close to connections on the sprue (making it hard not to hit them with clippers), the rest of the process was a breeze.

The Ancient Gyrochs aren't too bad either. One was quite 'bitty' with lots of extras to stick on, but that niggle is the only criticism I've got. For such a seemingly-complex model, Ma Maegran was far easier to build than I expected.

Boss-stompers/Rock-hurlers

While they may seem like standard gargants at first glance, these are as close as we'll get to rank-and-file footsoldiers; they're described in the Battletome as giants that take pride in some organization and better-kept weaponry (though that doesn't say much). This makes them reliable all-rounders with more attacks than similarly-sized Mancrushers, even if the latter have more unique abilities.

Actually, their overall similarity to the Mancrushers makes me wonder if we're looking at the latter's long-term replacement. The Boss-stompers are very similar in design and function but come in a pack of three rather than a single model, so it'd make sense for the Mancrusher to finally retire in the next edition. Which is only right; the poor guy is 20 years old, seeing as he first launched for Warhammer Fantasy Battle back in 2006.

Gameplay

As you might have guessed from their enormous weapons, these guys aren't tremendously complicated; they like to smash stuff, be it up close or from a distance.

To begin with, the Boss-stompers aren't to be messed with; their core club strike offers seven attacks that hit on a 4+ and wound with a 2+, causing 2 damage each. They also pack a health of 12 and can goad Big gargants into using a fight ability immediately after theirs, representing how annoyed everyone else gets at these spunky upstarts.

As for the Rock-hurlers, they have the potential to score even more damage from a distance because the "Hurlin' Rocks" ability provides three attacks that deal d3 for each blow. You can then customize this ability with a selection of modifiers like being able to Shoot in Combat or adding +1 to hit rolls, and these guys have a potent melee option too.

In terms of which one to choose, the Boss-stompers fit better with the overall "smack first, ask questions later" approach, and they're undoubtedly more powerful on paper. However, the Rock-hurlers are some of the only ranged units in the faction and provide valuable cover fire for everyone else. (Plus, a single trio of Rock-hurlers make up the Sons of Behemat Spearhead). With that in mind, I'd actually recommend making Rock-hurlers if you already have melee-first units on your list. They'll fill a much-needed gap.

Build

• Complexity: Moderate
• Build time: 40mins
• Customization: Alt. weapons, heads

It was surprisingly straightforward to build these goliaths; despite being huge compared to other miniatures, they came together much faster than I'd expected. Although there were a couple of moments with an arm or two that made me go "huh?" out loud, I was quickly able to figure it out… largely by rotating the piece in question and waiting until it 'snapped' into position. The instructions could be slightly clearer with those parts as it's not always obvious how everything fits, but these snags are few and far between.

Even if you're relatively new to Warhammer and Age of Sigmar, you shouldn't find these to be much of a struggle.

There's a lot of fun to be had here too. Much like the old Mancrushers, there are loads of references to other Age of Sigmar factions scattered across the build. Stormcast Eternal armor, Soulblight Gravelord coffin lids, and even Helsmiths of Hashut shields are being used as makeshift gear for these guys.

Just be aware that, with so much exposed skin, there are a lot of prominent mold lines to remove.

These early samples were provided by Warhammer.

For more tabletop warfare, be sure not to miss our Duel of Meloch review - it combines two beloved games into one streamlined package.

• See all Age of Sigmar deals at Amazon

It seems as though the Discworld RPG is growing, because a new expansion starring some of the setting's most beloved characters has just been revealed.

Modiphius Entertainment is pulling back the curtain on Discworld: Adventures in Lancre and Überwald, a new sourcebook for its Discworld RPG system that emerged last year. As the name would suggest, this tome will let you explore Lancre (home to witches like the famous Granny Weatherwax) and the vampire-riddled Überwald. You'll also be able to explore The Chalk, where the tiny Wee Free Men live.

It isn't just a tour across some of the late Terry Pratchett's best-loved locations, though; this book allows you to create new kinds of characters including witches, trolls, vampires, and werewolves. It also marks the first time we're getting rules for ongoing campaigns within the Discworld tabletop RPG.

While you can mix this with the previous book, Discword: Adventures in Ankh-Morpork, this is a standalone product. It isn't just one item, either; there's a full core rulebook, a Game Master Toolkit, supplements, and dice. Finally, there's also a book containing a series of linked adventures that the press release describes as "a whirlwind tour of the Ramtops."

There's no word yet on when Discworld: Adventures in Lancre and Überwald, but the Gamefound crowdfunding campaign is going live in October.

In other tabletop news, have you seen this exclusive MTG Reality Fracture card reveal yet?

• See all the Discworld novels at Amazon

Jamey Stegmaier is both a publisher and game designer. He’s best known for Scythe, which cleverly blends a complex resource optimization puzzle with the pushing and shoving of area control, delightfully packaged in a novel steampunk universe with giant mechs. But that universe also features in another of his games, Expeditions, where players take the part of explorers, controlling individual mechs, delving into darkest Siberia in search of a mysterious meteorite.

Multiple games set in the same shared universe is nothing new. But Stegmaier’s latest offering, Duel of Meloch, is a very novel take worthy of the best board games in terms of ambition: it’s a stand-alone game that allows two players to go head to head, one using the rules from Scythe and the other the rules from Expeditions, with a little judicious tweaking. You don’t need to have either of those titles to play but, if you do, you can use their factions or characters in the duel, and vice-versa.

Triple the rules

This means, as you might have guessed, that playing Duel of Meloch requires you to learn three different sets of rules: one for Scythe, one for Expeditions and one for the Duel itself, which is mercifully simple compared to the other two. Neither of those games are particularly lightweight so, unless you’re already familiar with one or both of them, this is a fairly herculean task. Neither are their rules included, so you’ll have to crib them from the internet if you need them.

Running a game with two entirely different rules sets feels like it shouldn’t work, but the secret sauce is that both titles use similar hex-map boards and have similar victory conditions. In Duel of Meloch, each hex space has double the number of icons, some of which are used in the Expeditions rules and some of which are used in the Scythe rules. The latter, for instance, is an engine-building game, so the hex icons you need to pay attention to are what kind of benefit they provide if your workers take a “produce” action there as you spread your miniature empire across the board. The former, meanwhile, is more about card management and allows you to take actions to play or refresh those cards based on the icons of the hex your mech is currently in.

In both games players race to earn stars by fulfilling certain conditions, and the same is true of Duel of Meloch, which hands victory to the first player to gain four stars. The included “triumph track” has eight possible spaces for stars, with different conditions for both players printed on each. Both games have a coin resource, for example, so there’s a star available for the Scythe player earning 12 and the Expeditions player earning 9. Often the requirements are very different however: another star is available for the Scythe player deploying their fourth mech, and the Expeditions player upgrading their mech three times. Importantly, and unlike the base games, these stars are exclusive. So once one player has taken a slot, it’s blocked to the other player.

This immediately makes the game more directly interactive than either of its parent titles, but that’s not the only point of interaction. The two players can also fight directly in Duel of Meloch, basically using the card-based combat system from Scythe. The Expeditions player can gain these cards from using certain map icons and combat is triggered if their mech moves into a hex containing mechs or workers belonging to the Scythe player which, given the relatively small board, is pretty common. In combat each player secretly selects how much of their power resource they're willing to spend, plus bonuses from optional combat cards, one per unit in the fight. This gives the Scythe player an edge in fights, as the Expeditions player only ever has one unit.

Double the fun

The most astonishing thing about Duel of Meloch is how well these two entirely different systems work together. It’s a bold experiment, and mechanically speaking it’s entirely successful. Both Scythe and Expeditions are very enjoyable games in their own way, and this Duel version preserves that enjoyment near-perfectly.

The Scythe player is still focussed on the complexities of building their engine through optimal movement and resource management. Indeed, arguably, Scythe here is marginally more fun than it is in the original game, particularly for beginners, as the sheer scope of the full board can feel overwhelming. Expeditions is still about the struggle for card management and collecting upgrades that fit your strategy as you try and tame corruption across the board. This portion of the game suffers a little from the smaller board and the lack of face-down hexes that give the original a real feel of exploration, but it’s still plenty fun enough.

However, the degree to which the two games meld into one in Duel of Meloch is almost too perfect. There’s a nagging question as to why, given the smoothness of the translation, you’d choose to play this format over simply playing one of the original games with two. It’s true that both parent games work better with more than two, but that feels like a relatively thin reason to have to internalize both different rules sets, plus modifications, to play a single game. You can, however, use the small maps here to play quickfire two-player games of just Scythe or just Expeditions, if you own that particular original game.

A potentially more compelling reason is the degree of interaction in this head-to-head version. Expeditions isn’t a very interactive game at all. Scythe is more so but it’s deceptive; although it looks and feels like an old-fashioned combat game, growing your engine is a far more important plank of victory than combat. The relatively cramped maps in Duel of Meloch - there are two, on opposite sides of the lovely neoprene mat that serves as a board - do ensure more interaction, but not as much as the game seems to promise. The Expeditions player can stop the Scythe player’s workers from producing in a hex, so it’s tempting to use that blocking power on undefended hexes. But because they’re weaker in combat they need to pick their battles very carefully, making actual fights relatively rare.

It’s a similar story with the triumph track. While, in theory, having each space as mutually exclusive should invite competition, it also makes it dangerous. If one player draws ahead in a race for a particular slot, it’s generally wise to stop competing for it, otherwise you’re potentially wasting precious actions. As a result, the bulk of each faction’s gameplay is still very much focussed on doing the core things from their own parent game rather than engaging with the things that make Duel of Meloch stand out.

Where this box really shines, though, is when you own and are already familiar with both of its source games. Having a new faction for Scythe and a new character for Expeditions is great, and both are designed to feel distinct from the existing options. Plus the miniatures for these new options look great, really adding to the visual pop of the original games. Similarly, having both parents allows you to swap their factions and characters into Duel of Meloch, giving you a ton of variety to mess around with. While you’ll mostly be sticking to the rules and actions of the source box, lining different options up against each other in the included “Tournament of Meloch” campaign version.

Should you buy Duel of Meloch?

There’s a pretty simple path to recommending Duel of Meloch: if you have access to, and enjoy, both Scythe and Expeditions, it’s entirely worthwhile. Having it as an expansion to the base games is reason enough. The option to play a two-player Duel campaign, or use the included components for fast, two-player variants of the originals, is just gravy.

If you’re not, or if you only own one of the games, not only is there not really enough here to engage with but the entry barrier is frustratingly high. You’ll need to learn an entire new game to enjoy Duel of Meloch and the results feel too similar to the original games to stand out. While it’s a fascinating experiment in mechanical blending, you’re better off simply picking up one of those games, or sticking with whichever you already own.

This review was conducted using a sample provided by the publisher. For more details on our process, check how we test board games or the GamesRadar+ reviews policy.

Magic: The Gathering poster boy Jace Beleren has gone off the deep end in MTG Reality Fracture, and as demonstrated by a card GamesRadar+ can exclusively reveal, things are coming unstuck.

The Planeswalker is attempting to overwrite reality with his own, 'better' version called Echoverse, and the set's conflict revolves around everyone teaming up to stop him (they understandably take issue with being written out of existence). That includes our card reveal's Budding Insurgent, who is doing their best to sow discord in the alternate world of MTG Reality Fracture (which is up for pre-order now via Amazon ahead of an October 2 release date).

A 3/3 green Dryad Scout, Budding Insurgent costs three mana (one green, two generic) and has the 'Vigilance' keyword that means they don't tap to attack. However, that's not the interesting thing; they also have a special power that should level the playing field. Take a look:

This is very thematically fitting. Although you're sacrificing Budding Insurgent in the process, you destroy an enchantment or artifact in the process (representing them lifting the wool from an Echoverse citizen's eyes, I assume). If that permanent was a legendary artifact, you also get to draw a card. Handy.

Basically, Budding Insurgent could be a real pain in the ass when used correctly. If you're running a standard green ramp and building up to larger creatures, it also lets you harry the foe while gaining strength… or keep them off-balance.

This card should be available via Play and Collector Boosters, both of which are available to pre-order at Amazon.

While there's plenty in the offing for one of the best card games in 2027, one thing we can guarantee won't arrive to Magic is the Wizarding World – an MTG Harry Potter set is "very unlikely" according to Magic: The Gathering head designer.

• See all Reality Fracture offers at Amazon

It's a swings-and-roundabouts kinda day, because the Pokemon Center seems to be cancelling countless reseller/bot orders… but genuine fans may have been caught up in the Pokemon card crackdown too.

Social media is abuzz today with news that bot purchases from the official Pokemon Center store have been automatically shut down. Indeed, I've already seen numerous screengrabs of emails reading "your order has been cancelled." Considering how much of a scourge resellers are for fans of the best card games, this is cause for celebration. (It's near impossible to buy Pokemon TCG 30th Celebration right now because they keep scooping up items to flog at a higher price, with Miniature Market being one of the few places I've seen that isn't absurdly inflated.) However, there are also reports that innocent fans are being burned as well. I've seen just as many complaints that normal Pokemon card orders are being swept up in the cancellation spree.

The where-to-buy account Poke Signals reported on Twitter/X that "Pokemon Center woke up and chose violence! THOUSANDS of bot orders in a gigantic wave have just been cancelled." This was posted with an accompanying screenshot, which was quickly picked up on reddit where the story is fast approaching 4K upvotes. Unfortunately, both threads are full of comments from fans who claim that their orders have been stopped too.

It doesn't seem to be an isolated incident. Reddit's Pokemon TCG thread are full of these stories as well – I scrolled for thirty seconds and found half a dozen. The response is usually the same; the person in question only bought one of an item, and it was all under one account (resellers often use multiple accounts and cards to sneakily get as many products as possible). We obviously can't tell for certain whether these reports are genuine, but the sheer number of them makes me think it's a legitimate problem.

So, what's happening here? The community seems to agree it's one of two things; either a small number of fans are collateral damage in a new push to deter resellers, or the Pokemon Center oversold so is having to cancel orders. Neither is particularly great.

I've reached out to The Pokemon Company to learn more, and will update this story if/when I get a response.

In other card game news, Magic: The Gathering's head designer promises that an MTG Harry Potter set is "very unlikely."

• See all of the current 30th Celebration offers at Amazon

It says a lot that I'd consider recommending Wingspan Pocket to someone over the original. Don't get me wrong, the first game is a modern classic that's earned its glowing reputation. (We called it "one of the greats" in our Wingspan review.) But this bite-size version fixes some of the original's most common criticisms, so it's hard not to be won over.

After running multiple test sessions with friends and family, I'd go so far as to say Wingspan Pocket is the perfect introduction to this series. It's also ideal for existing fans who want a shorter alternative or something they can play on the go.

Corvid combos

Wingspan is often listed amongst the best board games for a reason, so this pint-sized version doesn't mess with the formula; your aim is still to collect resources and buy birds from a central market that provide points alongside special abilities. Whoever earns the highest score at the end will win.

However, it streamlines the process. Rather than using multiple biomes that require specific kinds of birds, you play all of them in a single row beside your 'nest.' So long as you can pay their cost (be it specific resources, eggs, or a mix of both), you're allowed to place birds without restriction. Plus, the way you gather those resources is much more straightforward than before; each bird card has a random resource symbol printed on the back, and these can be drawn from the central market as well. It's a far more elegant solution than the OG game's dice.

Wingspan Pocket ends once someone has played six birds, so it's important to choose your lineup wisely. That's because most birds have unique abilities that help you throughout the game. These are incredibly varied; some might allow you to earn extra resources each turn, while others let you hunt birds for bonus points later on. No matter what, these powers stack and (usually) activate at the end of every turn, so it's possible to construct some very clever combos if you're careful.

Because all birds have an end-of-game points score, you'll have to weigh up their value versus how useful their ability is going to be. This is where the game gets clever.

Nip and tuck

If you're patient, you can create some incredibly powerful match-ups. As an example, I played a bird early on in one session that earned no end-game points… but it allowed me to choose two extra cards (resources or birds) each turn if I discarded something. I combined this with another bird that let me swap a resource to 'tuck' cards underneath for points. Using the two in tandem allowed me to build momentum fast.

It's true that you're at the mercy of whichever cards are available in the market. But the key is recognizing combos and being flexible enough to act on them. If you win, it's because you were skillful – not because you got lucky.

When you act is also crucial. Putting down a card at the right time can spell the difference between victory and defeat. For instance, that bird I used early on would be useless if played near the end of a match. But played right away? It got the ball rolling.

This is the kind of clever gameplay that makes Wingspan so beloved… albeit at a faster pace, with fewer obstacles to surmount. That's why I became so enamored with Wingspan Pocket after just a couple of tries; it has all the brilliance, with fewer barriers to entry.

Should you buy Wingspan Pocket?

If you're new to the franchise and want an easy-to-understand entry point, you won't find a better option than Wingspan Pocket. While the likes of Finspan are just as accessible, Pocket is faster to play and more streamlined on the whole.

As for existing fans, this is a great choice if you want something quicker or more portable. It loses none of the original's strategic splendor, but addresses many of its criticisms. Wingspan Pocket isn't as deep, I'll admit, but it captures enough of its predecessor's magic that you won't mind.

This review was conducted using a sample provided by the publisher. For more details on our process, check how we test board games or the GamesRadar+ reviews policy.

It looks as though we won't be getting an MTG Harry Potter crossover any time soon, because a Magic: The Gathering designer is clear that Wizarding World sets aren't on the cards right now.

Following Hasbro acquiring the rights to make toys and games based on the franchise earlier this year, there was a lot of talk about whether an MTG Harry Potter set was on the way. However, Magic head designer Mark Rosewater has made it clear on his personal Tumblr that this crossover isn't being conjured up by publisher Wizards of the Coast – and more to the point, it might not ever be a part of the 'Universes Beyond' initiative.

On Rosewater's Tumblr, a fan asked "How likely is a Harry Potter UB [Universes Beyond] product?". Rosewater's response was to the point; he simply replied "Very unlikely."

While this doesn't necessarily preclude a one-off Secret Lair drop (e.g. a batch of limited cards that are only available via the Secret Lair store for a short period of time), it does seem like an open-shut case. I don't know about you, but that took me by surprise. Although Rosewater is traditionally very willing to discuss all things Magic with the community (a trait that got him in hot water when he said fans must adapt or "walk away" if they don't like Universes Beyond), it's uncommon for designers or company reps to talk so openly about potential products. With that in mind, shutting the possibility down this firmly is notable.

Indeed, everything before this has been more vague. On a reddit thread discussing whether Wizards would use Harry Potter earlier this year, the official community team noted that "The Magic Multiverse has its own school of Magic at Strixhaven with plenty of secrets still to explore. Our Universes Beyond roadmap currently doesn't have us visiting any others." The word currently left the door ajar for a future collaboration, whereas this new stance shuts it.

Even though Rosewater doesn't have final say in what products Magic produces, it's fair to assume he's entrenched in Wizards' internal politics. As such, saying a Harry Potter crossover is "very unlikely" feels telling. In a reddit thread discussing the matter, the most upvoted comment (by user Imnimo) addresses this directly: "I'm of course not surprised at the answer, but I am a bit surprised Mark is willing to actually say it, since he's previously been pretty hesitant to speculate about future UB franchises. I know this is a bit of a special case, but still." User ThoughtseizeScoop agrees, adding that "This is about as hard a no as he can give."

The 'why' of it all is a different matter, of course. While it's possible that the controversy surrounding Harry Potter due to author JK Rowling's publicly-stated views regarding the rights of transgender people is enough to make Wizards leery, we can't say for sure. It's also plausible that behind-the-scenes rights issues are getting in the way, for instance.

However, there is one thing we do know: that we won't be getting the boy wizard on Magic cards any time soon.

Magic may not be making Harry Potter-related MTG sets, but Lego is going ahead with new sets based on the HBO show.

GamesRadar+ acknowledges the role of J.K. Rowling in the creation of the Wizarding World, as well as her publicly-stated views regarding the rights of transgender people. If you'd like to offer your support to the communities affected by Rowling's rhetoric, consider donating to the National Center for Transgender Equality in the US, or Mermaids in the UK.

• See the latest offers on MTG at Amazon

Beloved D&D board game Castle Ravenloft has risen like a vampire from its coffin, and a new version is due to terrorize fans again early in 2027.

Resurrected by Renegade Game Studios, the publisher responsible for Heroscape and Unstoppable. Although it brings back that classic co-op gameplay that sees you battling your way through Castle Ravenloft in a bid to defeat vampire lord Strahd von Zarovich, it gives the board game a total visual overhaul to match modern D&D.

Alongside a standard edition with unpainted miniatures for $100, there will also be a premium version of Castle Ravenloft which contains pre-painted models ($200). Both will release in February 2027 and are up for pre-order via Renegade Game Studios now.

According to the press release, this new spin on Castle Ravenloft (which originally came out in 2010 and has been incredibly difficult to find in the years since then) "refreshes the game's artwork, logos, and graphic design to align with the current Dungeons & Dragons ruleset while preserving the gameplay that made the original a modern classic."

If you're new to Castle Ravenloft, it's a classic dungeon-crawler; 1-5 players will plumb the depths of the eponymous fortress battling monsters and finding treasure before eventually facing Strahd himself. Like many of the best board games, it isn't a one-and-done affair either. There are 13 replayable adventures here in total.

This board game adapts the Curse of Strahd campaign's final challenge, an epic dungeon-crawl through the vampire's castle before fighting its master in an all-or-nothing brawl.​ As such, it's a solid alternative for anyone who wants a slice of that magic without needing to commit to a months-long adventure. It's also a nice way of revisiting that world if you've already played Curse of Strahd; it's like a victory lap.

The game will launch this coming February, so I guess you better start gathering your party now – there's a vampire to slay.

Strahd's popularity is carrying over to TV, too; Neflix orders Dungeons and Dragons TV show based on Ravenloft from Children of Men director Alfonso Cuarón.

• See the latest offers on co-op board games at Amazon

In 2011, Iello and Richard Garfield released King of Tokyo, a kaiju-centric game in which players wrestled for control of Tokyo. The heart of the game used a Yahtzee-like mechanic, in which players repeatedly rolled a set of six dice. Different symbols translated to different results, ranging from gaining resources, dealing damage to other monsters, or gaining victory points. While the game has seen several variant versions over the years, it always wore its largest inspiration on its sleeve – the iconic monster franchise Godzilla.

After 15 years, Godzilla is now part of the King of Tokyo franchise. This summer, Iello released a new King of Tokyo: Godzilla game, featuring six monsters from the Godzilla series. The new edition is a loving homage as a result, with dozens of art pieces made by Markus Erdt. Not only does the new game pay proper respect to the monster IP that inspired what is one of the most enduring and arguably best board games, it also wisely retains the core King of Tokyo franchise, making it extremely accessible to players of all skill levels.

Power up

King of Tokyo: Godzilla sticks with a time-tested game formula that has held true for the last 15 years. Each player controls a single monster, each of which comes with a bespoke game board and an evolution deck. The game board tracks a player’s overall health and victory points. In certain conditions (which we’ll get to later), players can draw from their evolution deck and choose an evolution that upgrades their monster in some way. Each monster has their own evolution deck, with abilities that range from one-time uses to persistent buffs.

The final "piece" of King of Tokyo: Godzilla is the power deck. The power deck consists of generic abilities that any player can purchase if they have enough energy. These range from one-time use abilities to persistent power-ups that stay in play for the rest of the game.

So far, so familiar.

The one new wrinkle in King of Tokyo: Godzilla's gameplay is the use of Event cards. These enter play when placed into the power card marketplace. Every Event comes with an effect that impacts all monsters for the duration that the card remains in play, as well as a discard ability. Players can purchase the Event with energy and discard it, gaining some kind of benefit.

While this is the game's major change, it's not the only addition. Another way that King of Tokyo: Godzilla stands out is its premium wooden components. The dice, and energy markers are all made of wood, and even the cardboard standees are built from sturdier material than other games in the series. While King of Tokyo: Godzilla isn’t billed as a premium edition, it certainly feels like one solely due to the quality of the game components.

Be prepared

King of Tokyo: Godzilla’s gameplay is precisely the same as the base version of King of Tokyo, so your mileage will vary depending on how familiar you already are with that system.

Players take turns rolling a pool of six dice, setting aside the results they want to keep. You can usually re-roll your dice up to two times, and every result returns different effects. A monster footprint deals damage to other players, a heart restores life, energy symbols gain energy that can be used to purchase power cards, and victory point symbols score victory points (but only if a player gets three of the same number). If a player rolls three hearts, they can bypass the healing and opt to gain an evolution instead. It's nice and simple.

Outside of rolling dice, players also battle for control of Tokyo. You score victory points for entering the city and gain more for remaining in control of it at the start of your turn, so it's the prize everyone's got their eye on. This is where the game's strategy rears its head; while in Tokyo, a player’s attacks can target all other monsters, thus dealing waves of damage to each opponent. However, you'll also be the target of every other player’s attacks and can’t heal on your turn either. Because you can leave Tokyo at any time, you've got to weigh up risk versus reward. How long do you stay?

There's an added layer to contend with as well. If a player cedes control of Tokyo, whoever's turn is next will immediately enter the city, so you need to always be prepared for the potential of taking a round of attacks from others. There's more to juggle than you might think.

Gameplay continues until one of two victory conditions are met. Either a player gains 20 victory points or one player is the last monster standing. I’ll note that in all my years playing King of Tokyo, I’ve never seen a game go until 20 victory points. That’s not to say that it can’t happen, but it’s far more likely that the game becomes an all-out monster brawl instead of a strategic race for victory points.

While King of Tokyo: Godzilla isn’t technically a party game, it’s enjoyed best in large groups. The game can be quite chaotic and a lot of the game is outside of a player’s control. Sure, players can take advantage of power cards and evolution cards, but there’s no way to mitigate bad dice rolls, and there’s few ways to block damage. The key to enjoying the game is to just embrace the chaos – you’re not going to win every game of King of Tokyo, but if you don’t take it too seriously, you’ll have a good time.

Should you buy King of Tokyo: Godzilla?

King of Tokyo: Godzilla is essentially a premium version of King of Tokyo. It has better components, better artwork, and actual recognizable monsters instead of generic homages to different sci-fi movies.

However, it’s still King of Tokyo, one of the more popular board games released over the past 20 years. If you have a base version of King of Tokyo, this version features a few new mechanics found in various expansions. If you’re a King of Tokyo fanatic, all this game offers is some new monsters and a single new novel mechanic.

Still, this was an easy buy for me. My family loves King of Tokyo and Godzilla, so this was a day one purchase for me. The artwork is fantastic and gives the game a very unique vibe that, when coupled with the premium components, makes this game feel a bit different from the base version. Even my veteran board game group ooohed and ahhed when I pulled this game out, precisely because it looks and feels so nice. So, if you like Godzilla or want a premium King of Tokyo experience, this game is definitely for you.

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Looking for another new spin on an old favorite? Horrified: Ravenloft is a slam-dunk for D&D fans, but innovation is starting to be 'mist'.

This copy of the game was bought by the reviewer. For more details on our process, see this guide on how we test board games or the GamesRadar+ reviews policy.

It goes without saying that TCG availability is dire across the board right now, but it seems as though there's no escaping this card game rat race; even an accessory company is adding chase editions for its latest binder.

Revealed on Twitter/X, accessory maker Vault X has announced that it's celebrating its 30 year anniversary by releasing the "ultimate collector’s binder" for a limited time. Besides only being available for 30 days (between September 1-30), each size features "just 500 Chase Editions, hidden at random." According to the product listing page, these include gold detailing, a gold-pattern microfiber lining, and individual numbering.

Don't get me wrong, the binder looks beautiful regardless of whether you're getting the 4, 9, 12, or 16-pocket version. Thanks to a crisp white design and a golden zip, it's very sleek. More power to you if the idea of a chase edition has you excited as well – I'm not here to judge. I actually think it'd be neat if not for the state of the industry. However, the limited nature of this drop has me feeling tired to my bones.

I've spent a long time reporting on how absurdly difficult it's been to get hold of new sets for Pokemon, Lorcana, Riftbound, and more (as demonstrated by our guide on where the buy Pokemon TCG 30th Celebration), so seeing a company lean hard into that same scarcity while using it as a marketing ploy is… well, it's exhausting. It makes the whole hobby feel like a grind which thrives on fear of missing out. TCGs seem more obsessed with resale value and rarity than ever these days, and it's as though this VaultX chase edition celebrates the very thing that's sucking the air from the room for those of us who just want to play.

What do you think? Are you game for an exclusive chase edition binder, or are you feeling as tired of the grind as I am? Let's get that discussion started in the comments below.

Want a break from that endless battle with resellers? Check out our guide to the best card games.

• See the best prices on VaultX products at Amazon

I think the cursed monkey paw just curled a finger, because a beloved Warhammer 40K model – the Space Marine Thunderhawk – has returned in plastic… but not as you might expect.

I'd say that the community is very 'broken up' about this, but it's really the Warhammer 40K ship that's in pieces. Literally: the Thunderhawk is back with a brand-new plastic model, but it's a ruined pile of slag. The "Thunderhawk Impact Site" is a terrain kit that splits the Space Marine transport into multiple ruined pieces you can scatter across the battlefield. Considering how the post showing this off is tantalizingly titled "Revealed: The plastic Thunderhawk gunship," I have to applaud Warhammer's bravado. That's some mighty fine trolling.

The community seems to agree. It's putting its hands together for this thoroughly silly bait and switch, with one of the most upvoted comments on a reddit thread discussing the reveal from ThatAdamGuy summing the whole situation up nicely: "Some top tier shitposting, and I love it."

They're not wrong. Fans have been waiting decades to get their hands on a plastic Thunderhawk, because this venerable troop transport has only ever been featured in small-scale games like Legions Imperialis or as an enormous, unwieldy beast made from metal or resin for Warhammer 40K/Horus Heresy. These latter models were also prohibitively expensive, so the community has been patient in its hope for a cheaper alternative. I guess we'll just have to keep dreaming for now.

It's unclear when this Thunderhawk scenery kit will arrive, and Warhammer claims it's "still a way off in the future." However, it should make an appearance in photos from the upcoming Space Marine Codex, so I guess it can't be too far away.

As many have rightly pointed out, there also seems to be a knowing wink to this announcement – which makes me think an actual plastic Thunderhawk model is coming to Warhammer 40K in the not-so-distant future. We'll just have to wait and see, but I guess it couldn't hurt to keep our fingers crossed.

The latest edition is well under way, and the new Warhammer 40K Ork models are good enough to make me want to declare WAAAGH on all other factions.

• See the latest Warhammer 40K offers at Amazon

Warlock, the next big D&D game after 2023's Baldur's Gate 3, made a big splash at this week's Gamescom Opening Night Live 2026, straight-up spoiling RPG nerds with a nearly ten-minute showcase including breathtaking cinematics as well as combat and exploration-focused gameplay. And while there's zero doubt Warlock is a D&D game through and through, featuring an original story pulled from established lore, developer Invoked Studios is very much designing the game as a standalone RPG bearing the developer's unique trademark.

"We're working really closely with the TTRPG folks as well as Wizards of the Coast to try and see how we can bring our own secret sauce to the game," Warlock creative director Jeffrey Hattem tells GamesRadar+ during Gamescom 2026.

"We're not just there, right? We respect the brand of D&D. We're building on the shoulders of giants, obviously. It's a 50-plus year game that has a collaboration of many storytellers, writers, artists, and we're looking to put our own contribution to the world of D&D as well. We're adding new spells as well. It's not just what you're typically expecting."

In the same interview, Hattem made a point to distance Warlock from Baldur's Gate 3 despite calling Larian's award-winning RPG "a great game" and expressing anticipation for Divinity. He also confirmed you'll be able to enjoy Warlock completely without any previous knowledge of D&D, which is great to hear as someone whose only experience with the franchise is Baldur's Gate.

"We're building a game that is intended for players that could have never played Dungeons and Dragons," he says. "It's not required to come in. [Protagonist] Kaatri is a stranger in a strange land ... players can go along that journey with her as well at the same time and learn what they need to know, but if you're a fan of D&D, I hope that you're going to find a lot of Easter eggs and secrets and realizations of things that you would expect and find familiar as well."

Warlock escapes Baldur's Gate 3's long shadow with a very different take on D&D that I'm happy to roll my dice on

Yesterday, the Gamescom Opening Night Live 2026 showcase graced us with a neat, nearly ten-minute-long look at Warlock, the next big Dungeons & Dragons-inspired video game to come after Larian Studios' own Baldur's Gate 3 back in 2023.

Warlock was first unveiled last year when D&D publisher Wizards of the Coast revealed that it was working on a new open-world game featuring Tasha, an archmage and demonologist you might recognize from various other adventures within the Forgotten Realms.

Last night, Gamescom 2026 offered us a deeper peek at the mysterious project – one that shows how so very different it actually is from Baldur's Gate 3… and developers agree.

Speaking to GamesRadar+ in a new interview, vice president of creative at Invoke Studios Jeffrey Hattem explains as much when asked about Baldur's Gate 3 and the influence it might have had on Warlock – seeing as, you know, it's arguably one of the most influential RPGs to date.

"What we're doing is very different as [what] you saw from From Baldur's Gate," the lead admits, going on to praise Larian's record-breaking Game of the Year winner.

"It's a great game," Hattem says. "I enjoyed it as well when I played it." It's no Warlock, however. "We're set in a different part of Dungeons and Dragons," as the VP describes, "so we're in the Domain of Dread, going into the realm of Darkon."

That checks out. Darkon is in fact the largest domain in Ravenloft, one of my favorite (and many other players') D&D settings – it's no Faerûn, as it's in an entirely separate plane.

Regardless, I'm incredibly excited to dive into Wizards of the Coast's big game – and ready to enjoy D&D in a non-turn-based setting, too. What little we've seen so far makes me believe that Warlock's new take on the tabletop classic will, in fact, work… and it'll work well.

Searching for other new games to hop into? Here are the best tabletop RPGs you and your pals can enjoy this year – there's more than D&D out there, after all.

Tonight's Gamescom Opening Night Live 2026 showcase brought many an intriguing reveal and sneak peek – including a nearly ten-minute long look at Warlock, the next big Dungeons & Dragons-inspired video game to come after Baldur's Gate 3.

Late last year, D&D publisher Wizards of the Coast unveiled that it was working on a new open-world game dubbed Warlock – a game that features Tasha, an archmage and demonologist you might recognize from various other adventures in the Forgotten Realms. We've not seen too much of Warlock since, but the brand-new trailer highlighted today at Gamescom 2026 provides us with a solid eight minutes of the game – and I can't get enough.

At the beginning of the trailer, we get a good look at experienced warrior Kaatri and, of course, Tasha, who is also voiced by Maggie Robertson – the Maggie Robertson, who plays Orin the Red in Baldur's Gate 3 and Lady Dimitrescu in Resident Evil Village.

The new trailer is also letting us get to know the story of Warlock a bit better. As per Wizards of the Coast's description, Warlock follows Kaatri after she "makes a dangerous pact with Tasha to find someone she has lost."

As Kaatri, we'll "combine forbidden magic, spells, rituals, and otherworldly weapons to open paths, create advantages, uncover secrets, and defeat monsters creatively" – you know, D&D-style. The setting itself places us in Darkon, the largest domain in Ravenloft.

I'm impressed by the gameplay as well, with all of its gritty RPG vibes. It's giving Dragon's Dogma 2 in the best way possible, with D&D flair to boot. Hopefully, when Warlock arrives sometime in 2027, it delivers – and something tells me it will.

Searching for other new games to hop into? Here are the best tabletop RPGs you and your pals can enjoy this year – there's more than D&D out there, after all.