Big week. Gen Con just wrapped up last weekend in Indianapolis and the dust is still settling — the recaps, the hype, the “this is the next Arnak” chatter are all rolling in. Meanwhile Shut Up & Sit Down ran their Board Games Direct event showcasing over 50 new and upcoming games across themed days, and the BGG Hotness is buzzing with fresh Gen Con releases. There’s a lot to dig through, so here’s what actually matters.
Drillers is the Gen Con darling. Czech Games Edition’s new deck-builder about sending mechs into an abandoned mine sold out before Saturday at Gen Con, and the early buzz is enormous. Wargamer’s review already called it their board game of the year so far. It’s getting constant comparisons to Lost Ruins of Arnak — same publisher, similar weight — but with a push-your-luck depth mechanic where going deeper means risking not having the fuel to get back up. BoardGameQuest flagged it as one of their most anticipated titles going in, and the Gen Con recap from Meadow Party had it at number one. CGE says retail copies will be available shortly after Gen Con. This is one to keep an eye on — it’s going to be everywhere at Essen. Wargamer review, CGE info.
Shut Up & Sit Down’s Board Games Direct was a firehose. They ran a full week of themed showcase videos — thematic games, crunchy games, chill games, co-op & solo, card games, two-player games, and more. The kickoff revealed Mechs vs. Minions: Bandle City Edition. The full shorts list on their site covers a massive spread including Thunder Road: Ignition from Restoration Games (debuted at Gen Con, coming August), Rattlesnake, Points for Everything, The Elder Scrolls: Betrayal of the Second Era, and The Lord of the Rings: Circle of Conflict. If you missed it, the individual day videos are well worth going back through — the “Chewy & Chunky” and “Chill” episodes in particular seem to have the most Knavecon-relevant picks.
Container is back in the wild. Allplay’s new edition of the classic 2007 economic game is now shipping, and reviews are landing. The Dice Tower has a video up on the deluxe edition. Container has been one of those grail games that was impossible to find for years without paying silly money on the secondary market. The new version comes in standard and deluxe (with metal ships), and the word is that the production quality is excellent. If you’ve ever wanted to try one of the purest economic games in the hobby, this is the cheapest and easiest it’s ever been to get your hands on a copy. Allplay store.
The BGG Hotness is packed with Gen Con heat. As of this week, the top trending games on BoardGameGeek include Kingdom Come: Deliverance – The Board Game (Czech Games again, pre-orders open until August 16, shipping around Essen), Wingspan Pocket (Stonemaier’s compact standalone that launched in mid-July and is already everywhere), Drillers, Duel of Meloch, and Container. Also notable: Crab Rage jumped 9 spots, Tigris & Euphrates climbed 4 — looks like the Knizia wave from the Spiel des Jahres win is still carrying momentum. Rebirth winning the Kennerspiel back in July was a big moment for Knizia and for Mighty Boards, and it’s clearly still driving interest in his catalogue. BGG Hotness.
Restoration Games brought the noise at Gen Con. Fireball Island is back with a reprint (available to order now from their website — surprise drop), and Thunder Road: Ignition debuted as a standalone, more accessible version of the award-winning Thunder Road: Vendetta. SU&SD featured Ignition in their thematic games showcase and seemed genuinely excited about it. Restoration Games recap.
Worth tracking over the coming weeks: DOOM Arena Board Game from Modiphius is due in October from the Kickstarter fulfillment. The Crew: Journey to the Ends of the Earth (the third installment) is expected Q3. And Essen Spiel ticket sales are open — October 22–25 in Essen. The preview list on BGG is already live and publishers will be ramping up announcements from here. If you’re thinking about Essen this year, now’s the time to start planning.
Ireland corner. Dublin Comic Con Summer Edition is literally this weekend — August 8–9 at the Convention Centre Dublin. The IGA/Gaelcon crew will have a fan table there on level 2, so if you’re going along, stop by and roll some dice for merch. Speaking of Gaelcon, their 38th year is confirmed for October 23–26 at Crowne Plaza Dublin Airport — they’ve made a push to improve the RPG offering this year with more rooms and earlier scheduling. Gaelcon info. CraiCON, Northern Ireland’s newest board gaming convention, ran last weekend (August 1–2) up in Ballymena — good to see a new event up there getting going. CraiCON. Board Games Ireland continue their weekly Sunday meetup at The Black Sheep on Capel Street in Dublin — free to attend, runs all day, just buy a drink. Meetup page. There’s also a thread on the BGG Ireland forum from someone looking to start a game group in East Cork / Midleton — if you’re down that way, worth chiming in. And for anyone in or near Limerick this weekend, the European Sport for All Games are running in the city August 7–10, which is mainly traditional sports but worth knowing about if you’re wondering why the city centre is busier than usual.
For the Knavecon community: Knavecon 28 was a great day back in April and the next one hasn’t been announced yet. In the meantime, Dublin Comic Con this weekend has the Gaelcon table, the Board Games Ireland Sunday meetups are a solid option if you’re ever in Dublin, and keep an eye on the site for any Knavecon news. If anyone went to CraiCON last weekend I’d love to hear how it was.
One for the socials: “Drillers sold out at Gen Con before Saturday. Czech Games Edition keeps doing this — quiet announcement, elegant design, then everyone loses their minds at the convention. It’s basically the Arnak playbook all over again and I’m absolutely here for it.”
Victor Gannon Games 
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