Sunday Board Game Briefing – 7 June 2026

A decent weekend for news, mostly because we’re in that sweet spot between UK Games Expo wrapping up last week and Origins kicking off on the 17th. Yesterday was International Tabletop Day, which is always a nice excuse to get people to the table even if they don’t need one.

The big story still reverberating is UK Games Expo smashing past 51,000 attendees last weekend, more than doubling its pre-pandemic numbers. BoardGameWire reported the figures and OnTableTop put out a solid recap video with exhibitor and attendee reactions. The Broken Meeple podcast made a fair point that maybe it’s time to consolidate rather than keep growing — there’s a ceiling where “biggest ever” stops being a good thing and starts being an overcrowded hall. Games that got a lot of buzz on the floor included Symbiosis, a Plants vs Zombies prototype with a legacy element, and Gaudi with its rondel mechanic. Worth keeping an eye on what filters through to retail from the show.

BGG dropped their June Hotness video on Thursday (watch it here), and Corey Konieczka’s Cozy Stickerville is sitting at #10 — not bad for a game that’s also nominated for the Spiel des Jahres. Speaking of which, the SdJ nominees are still generating plenty of chat. The Kennerspiel lineup is genuinely interesting this year: Moon Colony Bloodbath from Donald X. Vaccarino (yes, the Dominion guy) is a shared deck-builder about a moon colony that’s doomed from the start, and the jury statement praised its social criticism. Rebirth from Knizia and Mighty Boards is the other one to watch. Winners announced in July. Full nominee list via ICv2.

On the crowdfunding front, Concordia Special Edition from Awaken Realms is live on Gamefound and getting plenty of attention, as you’d expect for one of the best Eurogames ever made getting the deluxe treatment. You may remember the drama a few months back when early images showed AI-generated art and BGG users went after it hard — Awaken Realms pledged no AI art in the final product. Also still live: Earthborne Trailblazer, a cooperative open-world adventure in the Earthborne Rangers universe, and Kemet: The Gates of Thonis from Kolossal Games adding six-player support and god miniatures. Big Boss Battle has a good roundup of what’s live this month.

Over at Shut Up & Sit Down, the current front-page review is Regicide Legacy, and they’re calling it “absolutely delicious.” If you liked the original Regicide — and loads of people did — this campaign version apparently delivers. Multiple reviewers have flagged it as a contender for game of the year. Read/watch it at SU&SD.

Things worth watching: Origins Game Fair runs June 17–21 in Columbus and should bring a wave of previews and announcements. Asmodee’s Zombicide: Dead Men Tales Gamefound campaign closed at over 2,000% funding ($4.1 million) — their first crowdfunding under the Asmodee banner after acquiring the IP from CMON. That’s a significant signal about where big publishers see crowdfunding going.

Ireland corner. The next big date on the Irish calendar is Q-Con Belfast on June 20–21 — it’s volunteer-run, based at Queen’s University, and covers board games, RPGs, card games, cosplay, the lot. Tickets are available now at q-con.org.uk. Later in the month there’s also the Irish Competition Galecon in Limerick on June 27–28, which is a miniatures wargaming event (Mortem et Gloriam). For Dublin folks, Board Games Ireland continues their Monday night meetups at Ryan’s Bar — free to attend, just buy a drink. And Gaelcon 38 in Dublin is confirmed for October 23–26 with Rob Brennan and Denis O’Connell directing. Beyond that, DagdaCon and Darecon (Naas Board Game Club) both have 2026 dates TBC. I didn’t find any new shop openings or major local news this week — if you know of anything, drop it in the Knavecon group.

For the Knavecon community: Q-Con is only two weeks away and it’s a handy trip from Limerick. If you’ve never been, it’s a good time and Belfast is always worth the visit. Worth organising a crew.

One for the socials: “Moon Colony Bloodbath is nominated for the Kennerspiel des Jahres. A game where your moon colony is guaranteed to be destroyed and you’re just trying to squeeze out some points before the end. The jury praised its ‘surprising social criticism.’ Vaccarino is having a moment.”

Thursday Board Game Briefing – 4 June 2026

Decent midweek for news. The dust is still settling from UK Games Expo, International Tabletop Day is Saturday, and there’s a good bit happening on the crowdfunding and review front. Let’s get into it.

The big story this week is still UK Games Expo smashing its attendance record. The 20th anniversary edition at the NEC pulled in 87,837 people across the weekend, with 51,196 unique ticket holders — more than double the pre-pandemic numbers. Geek Native reported that the infrastructure actually buckled a bit under the crowd — melted air conditioning, Wi-Fi blackouts, the works. There was also the inaugural Patrick Campbell Award presented at the closing ceremony. BoardGameWire has a good write-up with industry reaction. If you were there, you already know it was rammed. If you weren’t, the takeaway is that this hobby continues to grow at a rate that’s genuinely surprising.

Shut Up & Sit Down dropped their Regicide Legacy review and they’re calling it “absolutely delicious.” That’s high praise from them. For anyone who’s been playing the original Regicide — which is massively popular in the Knavecon crowd — the Legacy version turns it into an evolving campaign with new characters and unlockable packs. SUSD and the podcast (#289) both covered it recently and the buzz is very positive. Badgers From Mars have nailed this one by the sounds of it. Worth checking out the review.

The Dice Tower put out their latest Crowdsurfing episode yesterday (June 3rd), covering what’s currently live on Kickstarter, Gamefound, and Backerkit. The big crowdfunding campaigns running in June include the Kemet: The Gates of Thonis expansion on Gamefound from Kolossal Games — adding 6-player support, new maps, and a crystal pyramid mechanic that sounds properly mad — and the Concordia Special Edition from Awaken Realms, also on Gamefound. Worth noting on the Concordia front: Awaken Realms had to publicly commit to no AI art after a BGG review-bombing incident back in March. The campaign includes a new Mare Nostrum expansion designed by PD-Verlag. If you’re a Concordia fan, it’s worth a look, but go in with your eyes open on the Awaken Realms pricing and box size situation — the YouTube coverage from the Biggest Crowdfunding Board Games of June video flagged that even getting a rulebook out of some AR boxes is a production in itself. Big Boss Battle has a decent roundup of what’s live.

Stonemaier retail drops are coming mid-June. Both Finspan: Sharks & Reefs and the Euphoria Essential Edition hit the Stonemaier webstore in May but are expected in local retail around June 12th. The Finspan expansion adds sharks and coral reef habitats — Tom Vasel’s already reviewed it and seemed to enjoy it. The Euphoria Essential Edition combines the base game with the Ignorance Is Bliss expansion and revises the board layout. If you bounced off the original Euphoria years ago, this might be the version that clicks. Details on the Stonemaier site.

A quick reminder that International Tabletop Day is this Saturday, June 6th. Game shops and libraries everywhere are running events. If you’re in the Limerick area and fancy some gaming, it’s a good excuse to get a group together.

Games worth watching: The Spiel des Jahres and Kennerspiel nominees are out and worth tracking as we head toward the July announcements. Cozy Stickerville (Corey Konieczka), JinxO, and Morty Sorty Magic Shop are up for the SdJ. On the Kennerspiel side, it’s Boss Fighters QR, Moon Colony Bloodbath (Donald X. Vaccarino), and Rebirth (Reiner Knizia). Moon Colony Bloodbath is probably the most interesting name to appear on a Kennerspiel shortlist in living memory. Full nominee list from ICv2 and the Spiel des Jahres site. Also, Asmodee’s Zombicide: Dead Men Tales campaign closed at over 2,000% funded — $4.1 million for a pirate Zombicide. BoardGameWire covered it. Asmodee doing their own crowdfunding is a trend worth keeping an eye on.

For the Knavecon community: With Origins coming up June 17–21 and Dice Tower East in early July, we’re entering peak convention season. If anyone’s heading to either, shout in the Facebook group — always good to know what’s catching people’s eyes. Closer to home, International Tabletop Day on Saturday is the perfect excuse to get a few games in. And if you’ve played Regicide Legacy, I’d love to hear how your campaign is going.

One for sharing: “Moon Colony Bloodbath is nominated for the Kennerspiel des Jahres. Donald X. Vaccarino really woke up one day and said ‘what if Dominion, but on the moon, with blood.’ And the German jury said ‘yes, this is fine.’ What a time to be alive.”