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.”
Victor Gannon Games 