A decent mid-July Tuesday with a few things worth knowing about, most of them pointing towards Gen Con in ten days’ time.
Dice Tower’s Week in Review just dropped and it’s a hefty one. Tom and crew covered Wingspan Pocket, Aqua Garden Trilogy Edition, Fliptown: New Frontier, and a bunch more. The Wingspan Pocket coverage is timely — Stonemaier launched it on their webstore last Tuesday (July 15) and shared sales data the next day. It’s a compact standalone version of Wingspan designed by Elizabeth Hargrave, not just a shrunk-down repack. Ships from EU fulfilment too, so relevant for us. It won’t hit local retail until mid-to-late August, but if you want one before Gen Con hype makes them scarce, the Stonemaier webstore is the move. Dice Tower Week in Review – July 20, 2026.
Kemet: The Gates of Thonis closes today on Gamefound. If you’re a Kemet: Blood and Sand fan, this is Kolossal Games adding new maps and tiles. It’s been comfortably funded — nearly 3,000 backers and over $318k raised at time of writing, which is 1,692% of its goal. That’s a strong showing for an expansion campaign. Last chance if you want in. Gamefound campaign page.
Gen Con preview season is in full swing. Meeple Mountain put out their 22 most anticipated games list and there’s a genuinely interesting one for the Irish gaming crowd: Moytura from Bitewing Games, a 1-2 player area control game set in ancient Ireland, featuring the Tuatha Dé Danann. Designed by Trevor Benjamin and David Thompson, with art that’s being described as Samurai Jack meets Spirit Island. That’s a combination that should get your attention. Meeple Mountain’s Gen Con 2026 list. BoardGameCo and How I Roll also put out a joint top 10 anticipated Gen Con games video this week if you want more of that. Watch it here.
Eagle-Gryphon are pushing the Kickstarter pre-launch page for Vital Lacerda’s The Resort, his next big design with Ian O’Toole on art. It won’t campaign until 2027, but the cover reveal happened earlier this month and they’re building their notification list now. If you’re a Lacerda person, you already know about this. If you’re not, it probably won’t convert you. Eagle-Gryphon’s Facebook post.
Dune: Imperium – Conspiracy continues to build buzz ahead of its Fall 2026 release. It’s not a standalone — it’s an expansion compatible with both the original Dune: Imperium and Uprising, adding new leaders, cards, and an Overthrow Mode. Dire Wolf are running a Conspiracy championship tournament at Gen Con, which tells you they’re confident in it. If Dune: Imperium is in your regular rotation, this is the one to track. Dire Wolf’s announcement.
Worth watching: Bomb Busters has apparently overtaken everything to become the most-played game on BGA this month according to BGG’s Best of July video. Dice Throne teased their next product line — Nexus, with a cyberpunk theme — coming to Kickstarter this autumn. And the Reiner Knizia Spiel des Jahres clean sweep from two weeks ago (JinxO for SdJ, Rebirth for Kennerspiel) is still generating conversation. Rebirth in particular, published by Malta-based Mighty Boards, is worth getting to the table if you haven’t already. Board Game Wire’s coverage.
Ireland roundup. A few things on the radar. The big one coming up soon is CraiCON in Ballymena — Northern Ireland’s newest board gaming convention, August 1-2 at St Patrick’s College. Two days of pure board gaming. Tickets are available at craicon-ni.com. That’s less than two weeks away. Then there’s the Belfast Anime & Gaming Con on July 25-26 at the Crowne Plaza Belfast, if that’s your thing. Further out, Board & Brewed in Dún Laoghaire are running a Glendalough Gaming Retreat on September 18-20 — a weekend of board games, wargames, and RPGs in Glendalough, Co. Wicklow. Tickets from €40 non-residential or €150 with accommodation. They say more than half the tickets are already gone. Details at boardandbrewed.ie. And of course Gaelcon 38 is confirmed for October 23-26 at Crowne Plaza Dublin Airport. Closer to home, The Gathering in Limerick continues to be the local hub — worth checking their socials for upcoming club nights. thegathering.ie.
For the Knavecon community: Moytura is the game I’d flag. An area control game themed around Irish mythology, designed by two strong designers, from a publisher (Bitewing) that’s been putting out consistently interesting stuff. It’s debuting at Gen Con at the end of the month. If anyone going to Gen Con can grab a copy and bring it to the next Knavecon, you’ll be very popular.
One for social:
“Reiner Knizia winning both the Spiel des Jahres and the Kennerspiel in the same year at age 68 is genuinely remarkable. The man has been designing games since the early 90s and he’s arguably having his best decade right now. Rebirth is the real deal.”
Victor Gannon Games 
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