Knavecon Boardgame Briefing — Tuesday, 06 October 2026

Big day on the crowdfunding front. If your wallet survived Knavecon 27 ten days ago, brace yourself because October is coming for it hard.

The main event today is Nemesis: Legacy, which goes live on Gamefound at 6pm CEST (5pm Irish time). Awaken Realms are calling it the first full campaign experience in the Nemesis universe, and they’ve brought in Rob Daviau — the man who basically invented the legacy format — alongside Jaime Barriga to design it. The core pledge starts at €269 and there’s a massive bundle option at €419 if you want the whole Nemesis back catalogue included. This will fund in minutes, obviously, but the real question is whether the legacy structure works with a game that’s fundamentally about paranoia and hidden agendas. Daviau’s involvement makes me cautiously optimistic rather than just suspicious. The campaign runs until October 27th. (Gamefound page)

Also launching today on Kickstarter are two smaller games: Excursions: A Galactic Cruise Game from Kinson Key Games (managing space vacations, which is a fun pitch) and The Seekers from Off The Page Games, a hidden movement game. Neither of these are generating the same hype, but The Seekers might be worth a look if you’re into Fury of Dracula-style cat-and-mouse games.

The Dice Tower dropped their Week In Review for October 5th, covering a big stack of recent reviews including Dune Imperium Play System, Marvel Crisis Protocol Alliances, Thunder Road: Ignition, and Lorcana: Attack of the Vine. Dune Imperium Play System is interesting — it’s the revised modular version of the base game that Dire Wolf have been teasing. Tom’s also got a Crowdsurfing episode going up tomorrow covering this week’s launches, which should be useful if you want a quick video overview of what’s hitting crowdfunding.

Looking ahead this month, Stormlight: War for Roshar from Brotherwise Games hits Kickstarter on October 13th. It’s designed by John D. Clair, set in Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive, and the pitch is essentially a War of the Ring / Star Wars: Rebellion-scale asymmetric war game. Coalition vs Odium across the full map of Roshar. If you’re a Sanderson reader this is probably already on your radar, but even if you’re not, the mechanical pedigree is promising. Dice Throne Nexus also launches on the 13th from Roxley. And then on the 21st, Arkham Horror Remastered shows up. October is going to be expensive. (GodisaGeek preview)

The Lord of the Rings: The King’s Gambit from Restoration Games is already live on Kickstarter — Restoration’s reimagining of the legendary Queen’s Gambit (the Star Wars one, not the chess show). It’s set across the final battles of Middle-earth, including a reportedly gorgeous Minas Tirith board. Big Boss Battle called it the easiest recommendation of the month, and from what I’ve seen of the campaign page, the production values look serious. Worth checking if you’re into epic-scale games. (Kickstarter)

Worth watching: Forest Shuffle: Smoky Mountains lands on October 22nd — third standalone in the series, this time with a water/riverside theme that changes up the synergies. Flamecraft Duals and God of War: The Board Game are also estimated for this month. The BGG Hotness is hard to pin down today but the Player Guild’s Collective Acquisition Disorder thread for October is already active, which tells you people are spending money.

Ireland corner

Knavecon 27 is done and dusted — hope everyone who came had a great day. The next thing on the Irish calendar is DARECon 2026 in Naas, Co. Kildare on October 17–18 at the Osprey Hotel. It’s organised by Naas Board Game Club and covers board games, RPGs, wargaming, workshops, and family gaming. Kids under 10 go free with an adult. They’ve put out a nice hand-drawn convention map and tickets are available at darecon.ie. If you’re in Leinster and fancy a weekend con, this is handy.

After that, Gaelcon 38 runs October 23–26 at the Crowne Plaza Dublin Airport in Santry. Ireland’s longest-running gaming convention — 38 years now. RPGs, board games, card games, LARPs, wargames, trade hall, pub quiz, the lot. Details and tickets at iga.ie/gaelcon.

For regular meetups, Board Games Ireland run sessions every Tuesday evening and Sunday afternoon in Dublin (currently at Ryan’s of Store Street on Mondays too). Cork Action League is active on Meetup. And the Corbiala directory at corbiala.world lists clubs across Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick and beyond if you’re looking for something local.

For the Knavecon community: If anyone went to Knavecon 27 and played something that blew them away, post about it on the Facebook page. Those post-con recommendations are always the best ones — you’ve actually sat down and played the thing rather than just watched a review. And if you’re thinking about DARECon or Gaelcon later this month, shout in the group and see who else is going.

One for social:

Nemesis: Legacy launches today with Rob Daviau designing it. The man who invented the legacy format is now putting permanent stickers on your alien-infested spaceship. Either this is genius or we’ll all need therapy. Either way, take my money.

Knavecon Weekly — Friday 2 October 2026

Busy week. October is always when board gaming kicks into another gear and this year is no different. SPIEL Essen is now just three weeks away, the crowdfunding platforms are buzzing, and there’s a stack of new stuff either landing on shelves or launching campaigns in the next fortnight. Plus two Irish conventions coming up this month. Let’s get into it.

The five things worth knowing from this week

The biggest news is probably the Nemesis Legacy campaign going live on Gamefound next Tuesday, October 6th. Awaken Realms have brought in Rob Daviau — the man who literally invented the legacy format — to co-design alongside Jaime Barriga, and this is the first full campaign experience set in the Nemesis universe. They’ve also announced “Recharge Packs” so you can reset and replay the whole thing, which addresses the single biggest complaint people have about legacy games. If you’re a Nemesis fan this is going to be hard to resist. Pre-campaign page is already up on Gamefound.

A week later on October 13th, Brotherwise Games launch the Kickstarter for Stormlight: War for Roshar, an asymmetric strategy war game set in Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere universe. John D. Clair designed it. It’s being compared to War of the Ring and Star Wars: Rebellion, which is a bold comp but Brotherwise have earned some trust with their Cosmere work. They showed it at Gen Con and it picked up a Gaming Trend award. If you’re into big two-player war games with strong theme, keep an eye on this one.

Fantasy Flight have confirmed October 21st as the launch date for their Arkham Horror: Remastered Gamefound campaign — their first ever crowdfunding project. This is the 2nd Edition getting a full remaster with deluxe components, updated art, and the entire run of expansions. For those of us who loved 2nd Edition and watched it go out of print, this is a big deal. It’s part of FFG’s new “Vault Series” where they’re revisiting older titles. Details on the FFG site.

SPIEL Essen 2026 runs October 22-25 and they’re claiming multiple records this year — more exhibitors, more nations represented. If you’re going, tickets are online-only as usual. Notable Essen launches include Forest Shuffle: Smoky Mountains (the third standalone game in Kosch’s series, this time set in the Great Smoky Mountains with a water/river focus), Drillers from CGE which is sitting at #10 on the BGG Hotness right now, and what looks like a massive slate of new releases. SPIEL info here. For those of us not going, expect the usual flood of Essen preview content over the next couple of weeks.

And finally, Dune: Imperium – Conspiracy is confirmed for Q4 retail, with some retailers listing an October 31st date. This is the next expansion from Paul Dennen and Dire Wolf, adding an overthrow mode where one player takes on the Emperor role. It’s timed to land around Dune: Part Three in cinemas, which is smart. Polygon have it on their most anticipated fall list.

What’s trending on BGG

The Hotness list right now is dominated by Essen-adjacent buzz. Braided Skies is sitting at #1, Electrify and Gaudí are right behind it. Timespan, The Lord of the Rings: The King’s Gambit, -60°, and Dorfromantik: South Seas are all in the top positions too. Drillers from CGE has climbed into the top 10 — that’s a deck-building mining game that’s been getting quiet praise. Avalon: The Riven Veil is also generating a lot of chatter, with Tabletop Gaming magazine featuring it in their latest issue. These are all worth watching over the Essen period to see what has real staying power versus hype.

Ireland

Two Irish conventions on the radar this month. DARECon 2026 is October 17-18 at the Osprey Hotel in Naas, Co. Kildare — run by Naas Board Game Club, two days of open play and community tables. Worth the trip if you’re in the Leinster area. darecon.ie for tickets. Then Gaelcon returns for its 38th year, October 23-26 at the Crowne Plaza in Santry, Dublin. Four days covering board games, RPGs, LARPs and wargames. It’s Ireland’s oldest independent gaming con and always a good weekend. iga.ie/gaelcon for info and tickets — bedroom rate at the hotel is available if you email reservations.

Our own Knavecon 27 last Saturday was a great day — thanks to everyone who came out. If you missed it, the next one will be announced in due course.

For the Knavecon community

October is stacked with crowdfunding launches. If you’re the type who backs things, the next three weeks are going to test your wallet — Nemesis Legacy (Oct 6), War for Roshar (Oct 13), and Arkham Horror Remastered (Oct 21) are all launching within a fortnight of each other. Worth having a conversation at the next game night about which ones people are actually interested in playing versus which ones just look good in a campaign video. There’s a difference.

One for the socials

Three massive crowdfunding campaigns launching in October — Nemesis Legacy, Stormlight: War for Roshar, and Arkham Horror Remastered. Plus SPIEL Essen. Plus Dune Imperium Conspiracy hitting shelves. October might be the most expensive month in board gaming this year. Pace yourselves.

Knavecon 27 was three days ago and hopefully you’ve all recovered. Good timing to get back to the news because there’s a decent amount happening this week, mostly driven by Essen Spiel being less than a month out and the crowdfunding cycle turning over.

Essen preview season is properly underway. Asmodee dropped their full SPIEL Essen 2026 lineup last week — the headline is the show launch of Forest Shuffle: Smoky Mountains from Lookout Games and an advance preview of The Lord of the Rings: Circle of Conflict from Office Dog. Shut Up & Sit Down had already flagged Circle of Conflict back in their Board Games Direct coverage over the summer and it looked interesting then. Asmodee are also bringing a LEGO Ninjago game from Dotted Games, which is presumably aimed at the family market. The BGG Essen preview list is now live and self-service, so publishers are adding their games daily. If you’re heading to Essen on October 22–25, now’s the time to start building your hit list. Asmodee announcement via Nasdaq, BGG preview list, BoxedMeeples Essen preview video.

The Dice Tower’s Week in Review dropped yesterday and they covered a pretty solid batch: Heroscape Secrets of the Citadel, Greylune, Minikin City, Glimmerdeep, Kingdomino The Lost Treasures, DECKO, Kronologic Babylon 2500, Carcassonne Labyrinth, and — yes — Monopoly Over Three Generations, which apparently exists now. Of that lot, Glimmerdeep and Greylune are the ones getting the most chatter on BGG. Worth a scan if you’re looking for something new. Dice Tower Week in Review.

Several crowdfunding campaigns are wrapping up today and this week. Barbaric: Crown of the Frost on Gamefound ends today — it blew past its $20k goal and is sitting somewhere north of $140k. It’s an expansion for the post-apocalyptic duelling game Barbaric: After the Apocalypse from Hexa House. Tangled Yarns, a co-op cosmic horror game with adorable sheep (yes, really), ends October 1 on Kickstarter. Over on Meeple Mountain’s crowdfunding roundup, Capitalize (Kickstarter, ends Oct 2), Dinomada (Gamefound, ends Oct 4), and Lionwake are all live and funded. Board Game Quest crowdfunding roundup, Meeple Mountain roundup.

Entropy continues to dominate BGG. Board&Dice’s big 2026 release designed by Luciani, Battista, and Mangone — the lads behind Grand Austria Hotel, Tiletum, and Barrage between them — is still sitting in the BGG Hotness at position 16 after selling out in two hours at Gen Con. It’s a cosmic engine-builder with a double orbital rondel, which is exactly the kind of sentence that makes euro gamers weak at the knees. If you haven’t looked into it yet, it’s probably the most-talked-about heavy game of the year. BGG page, Meeple Mountain review.

Games worth watching: Everdell Journeys is on Kickstarter and seems to be doing well. The Great Sea from Garphill Games (distributed by Renegade) is up for pre-order and promises a heavier, more interactive take on the Ancient Anthology series — that’s SJ Macdonald and Zach Smith rather than Shem Phillips at the design helm. Expected later this year. And the Gloomhaven: Buttons & Bugs – Pub Crawlers expansion is fulfilling internationally through late September, so some of you may have that landing soon.

For the Knavecon community: If you were at Knavecon 27 on Saturday, post your highlights and what you played in the Facebook group. Those posts are genuinely useful — they help people discover games they might not have tried, and they keep the community ticking over between events. DARECon in three weeks is an easy trip if you fancy another convention fix before Gaelcon.

One for social media: “Essen Spiel is less than a month away and the preview list is already massive. Meanwhile Entropy sold out at Gen Con in two hours and is still burning up the BGG Hotness. Good time to be into board games.”

Knavecon Boardgame Briefing — Friday, 25 September 2026

A big week, and an even bigger weekend. Crowdfunding campaigns are wrapping up, Essen previews are flooding in, and — oh yeah — Knavecon 27 is tomorrow. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Here’s what happened in board games this week.

The Clank! 10th anniversary campaign is closing in on $1.75 million on Kickstarter, with the campaign ending around October 1st. The Cube of Holding storage solution and The Forgotten Vault expansion have clearly hit a nerve with the Clank! faithful. Dire Wolf have been drip-feeding content all month — Master Thief Editions, upgrade packs, the lot. If you’re a Clank! person, the clock’s ticking. Campaign page on Kickstarter.

Everdell Journeys closes today. Tycoon Games ran the campaign to over 900% of its $35k goal, landing somewhere north of $319k. It’s a card-drafting spin on the Everdell world rather than a straight expansion — different system, different feel. The deluxe version scales up to 10 players with solo and co-op modes, which is ambitious. Delivery estimated August 2027. If you’ve been sitting on it, today is literally your last chance. Everdell Journeys on Kickstarter.

Horror on the Orient Express is landing in people’s hands. Chaosium’s massive Call of Cthulhu board game adaptation — which Kickstarted back in 2024 — has started shipping. BGG chatter from the “Best of BGG September” video confirms copies are reaching backers now. It’s a 1-4 player co-op adventure designed by Adam Kwapiński, and early word-of-mouth sounds positive. Paul Grogan from Gaming Rules! has already put up a full playthrough on YouTube. One to watch if you’re into narrative co-ops.

Garphill Games’ The Great Sea is heading to Kickstarter soon — their social media says one week out as of September 15th, so the campaign should be live any day now. It’s a Phoenician maritime trade game for 2-4 players, part of their Ancient Anthology series, with Renegade handling retail distribution (pre-orders showing a November 2026 date on their site). If you like what Garphill have done with the West, North, and South Trilogy games, this is very much in that wheelhouse. Renegade product page.

Entropy continues to sit on the BGG Hotness at position 16, which is remarkable for a game that’s been hovering there since it was announced back in January. The Luciani/Battista/Mangone design from Board&Dice — a cosmic civilisation-building Euro about creating life across the galaxy — is shaping up as possibly the most anticipated Essen release. It featured heavily in the 401 Games Essen preview and keeps getting namechecked everywhere. If you’re heading to Essen October 22-25, this’ll be the queue.

Speaking of Essen, the SPIEL Essen 2026 preview list is now live on BGG. Over 1,700 new products listed. The ticket shop is open. All eight halls of Messe Essen will be in use. If you’re planning to go, start thumbing things on the preview list now so you can sort your schedule. It’s less than a month away.

On the review front, Shut Up & Sit Down covered Otter on their podcast on September 10th — a climbing/shedding card game that apparently got a good reception. Their Board Games Direct 2026 series earlier in the summer previewed over 60 upcoming titles across seven themed episodes, which remains a great resource if you’re trying to figure out what’s worth tracking. The Dice Tower’s Week in Review for September 7th covered Wild Magic and a few others. It’s been a quieter week for the big reviewers — everyone’s saving their powder for Essen season.

Worth tracking next week: City of the Great Machine: The Story Unfolds is live on Kickstarter now with $165k raised from 2,300 backers — the expansion to CrowD Games’ asymmetric steampunk game, running until mid-October. Gallery Gambit launches September 28th. And the Food Chain Magnate Special Edition leftover copies campaign went live on Gamefound September 1st — if you missed the original campaign and want that Lucky Duck treatment, check if copies remain.

Ireland

Right then. Knavecon 27 is tomorrow. Saturday, September 26th, Castletroy Park Hotel, Limerick. Doors at 10am, running until the wee hours. €20 adults, €10 students/unwaged, kids free with an accompanying adult. Full games library, free coffee all day, raffle. If you haven’t got your ticket yet, sort it at victorgannongames.com. Cork people allowed under license, as always.

Looking ahead, DARECon 2026 is the next Irish board game convention on the calendar — October 17-18 at the Osprey Hotel in Naas, Co. Kildare. It’s run by Naas Board Game Club and features two days of open play, organised games, and family tables. Tickets are on Fienta and Eventbrite, ranging from free (kids under 10) to €25 for a weekend pass, with half-price concessions. Worth supporting — the more Irish board game events that exist, the better for everyone.

After that, Gaelcon 38 runs October 23-26 at the Crowne Plaza Dublin Airport. Ireland’s oldest independent gaming convention — RPGs, board games, card games, wargames, LARP, the lot. Advance board game bookings are on Warhorn.

So between Knavecon tomorrow, DARECon in three weeks, and Gaelcon a month out, it’s a genuinely good autumn for tabletop in Ireland.

For online shopping, BoardGamer.ie in Waterford continues to operate as a solid Irish-based option with free delivery over €90. Meeps Gaming is another Irish indie shop worth a look. Dublin-side, Rogue Gaming on Instagram looks active for TCG and board game events. If anyone knows of new shops or regular game nights popping up around Munster, drop it in the Knavecon Facebook group — always good to have that info shared.

Talking point for the Knavecon community: Tomorrow’s the day. Sixteen hours of gaming. If you’re bringing a game you want to get to the table, post it in the Facebook group today so people can read up on rules tonight. Nothing worse than spending the first hour of a con teaching a game nobody’s prepped for. See you all in the morning.

One for social: “Knavecon 27 tomorrow. Sixteen hours of board games, free coffee, and Cork people allowed under license. This is what September is for. See you in Limerick.”

Knavecon Boardgame Briefing — Tuesday, 22 September 2026

Four days out from Knavecon 27 and it’s a good week to be paying attention. There’s a new Kickstarter launching today, Essen Spiel is exactly a month away, and a couple of crowdfunding campaigns are in their final stretch. Let’s get into it.

The big thing landing today is Bookwyrm, a cozy midweight strategy game about book-hoarding dragons organising their shelves. It’s 1-4 players, designed by Lizzy Ives at Sword & Rose Press, and it goes live on Kickstarter today. The pitch is charming — it’s a spatial puzzle where new books keep arriving from the bookshop and you’re trying to curate a glorious collection without it descending into chaos. They tried the traditional publisher route, got nowhere, and are self-publishing. A Place For All My Books proved there’s an audience for this kind of theme, and this looks like it goes a bit deeper mechanically. Worth a look if that kind of thing appeals.

The Clank! Cube of Holding and The Forgotten Vault Kickstarter is heading into its final week, sitting at about $707k from nearly 5,800 backers. Dire Wolf are celebrating 10 years of Clank! with a new expansion, a deluxe storage cube, and updated Master Thief Edition components across the whole line. If you’re already a Clank! person this is probably a no-brainer, but the Mastery Pack upgrade path for existing copies is a nice touch — you don’t have to rebuy everything. Campaign page here. Ends September 29th.

Meanwhile, Space King: The Board Game from Flashgitz — the Warhammer 40K parody from the YouTube animation lads — has blown past $4 million on Kickstarter with a few days left (ends September 25th). It’s a HeroQuest-style minis-heavy dungeon crawl thing. The numbers are absurd for what’s essentially a comedy IP board game, with pledges averaging over $370 per backer. There’s apparently a trademark dust-up with Games Workshop brewing too, which is entirely on brand. Tech Times covered the phenomenon here. Not for everyone but the crowdfunding numbers tell their own story.

On the BGG Hotness this month, Entropy from Board&Dice (Luciani, Battista, Mangone) is sitting at #10 and continuing to generate buzz since its GenCon debut. It’s the rondel-driven eurogame about building solar systems and evolving life. Reviews have been broadly positive — Meeple Mountain gave it a “Fair” but BGG ratings are sitting at 7.8 from 500+ ratings, which is solid. If you like crunchy euros from the Teotihuacan/Messina 1347 school, this is the one to track heading into Essen.

Essen itself — SPIEL 2026 runs October 22-25 — and the BGG preview list has been live since early September. Deep Print Games have their pre-order system running through the official app, and publishers are now in full preview mode. If you’re going, or even just tracking what’s coming, the BGG preview list is the place to start.

In Ireland, the only thing that matters this week is Knavecon 27 on Saturday. Castletroy Park Hotel, Limerick, 10am, running into the small hours. Tickets are €20 adults, €10 students/unwaged, kids free with an adult. That includes the games library and free coffee all day. The raffle is reportedly a big one this year. If you haven’t sorted your ticket yet, this is the week. After that, Gaelcon 38 is the next big one on the calendar — October 23-26 at the Crowne Plaza Dublin Airport in Santry. Four days of RPGs, board games, LARPs and wargames. Their online RPG tickets are already on sale. Beyond those two, I couldn’t find any new Irish game shop openings or local event announcements in the last couple of days — if you know of something happening, drop it in the comments.

For the Knavecon community specifically: if you’re coming Saturday, have a think about what you want to play. The library will be massive as always, but if you’ve a game you’ve been dying to try, bring it along and rope people in. That’s how the best Knavecon sessions happen.

One for social media: “Bookwyrm launches on Kickstarter today — a cozy strategy game about dragons hoarding books. Meanwhile Clank! is about to close out its 10th anniversary campaign at over $700k and Space King has somehow cracked $4 million for a Warhammer parody game. Oh, and Knavecon 27 is Saturday. See you in Limerick.”

Knavecon Boardgame Briefing — Friday, 18 September 2026

A properly stacked week in board games, and honestly one of those weeks where there’s enough going on that you could lose an afternoon just reading about it all. Essen season is cranking up, crowdfunding is relentless, and there’s a major leadership change at one of the hobby’s most iconic publishers. Plus, Knavecon 27 is exactly one week away. Let’s get into it.

Steve Jackson steps down. The biggest industry story this week is Steve Jackson stepping down as CEO of Steve Jackson Games after decades running the company. Sabrina Gonzalez, who’s been with SJG since 2013, takes over as CEO, and Allison Page moves up to COO. Jackson says he’ll stay on to help design games, though it’s not clear whether that’s full-time or more of a winding-down role. Either way, end of an era. The man basically defined a corner of this hobby. Gonzalez’s statement was solid — she talked about weathering the pandemic, navigating tariff changes, and wanting to keep developing new titles alongside supporting the classics. No drama, just a clean handover. (ICv2, Tabletop Battles)

Clank! turns 10, makes a million dollars. The Clank! 10th anniversary Kickstarter — “Cube of Holding and The Forgotten Vault” — launched on September 9th and absolutely flew past its funding goal, hitting over $1 million at 2000%+ funded. It’s a deluxe storage solution plus a new expansion, and Dire Wolf are offering Master Thief Edition upgrades for the entire original Clank! line. If you’re a Clank! person, this is as good as it gets. If you’re not, this probably won’t convert you, but the campaign numbers speak for themselves. (Dire Wolf, r/boardgames)

Everdell Journeys hits 912% on Kickstarter. Tycoon Games launched Everdell Journeys on September 8th and it’s now sitting at over $146,000 against a $35,000 goal. This one’s interesting because it’s not just another Everdell expansion — it’s a card-drafting game set in the Everdell world, a different system to the worker-placement core game. Players lay paths of landmark and city cards. The deluxe edition scales up to 10 players, which is mad but could be brilliant for convention play. Campaign ends September 25th. (GodisaGeek, Kickstarter)

Rheinlander is back, and it’s gorgeous. Knizia’s 1999 area control game Rheinlander has been given the full 25th Century Games treatment with Ian O’Toole art and new expansion modules designed by Knizia himself. Game Boy Geek put out a review earlier this month calling it “Acquire with area control,” which is a hell of a pitch. It plays under an hour, it’s card-driven, and O’Toole’s work on it looks stunning. This is the kind of Knizia reissue that could genuinely find a new audience. Due in September/October. (Bitewing Games preview, Game Boy Geek review)

Dune: Imperium – Conspiracy confirmed for fall. Dire Wolf’s next Dune: Imperium expansion is called Conspiracy and introduces an asymmetric “Overthrow Mode” where one player is the Emperor and the rest team up to take them down, 3v1 style. It’s cross-compatible with both Dune: Imperium and Uprising. Pre-orders are showing an October 31st date. If you’re already deep into Dune: Imperium, this feels like a must-have. If you’re not, well, Dune: Imperium remains one of the best deck-builders of the last five years and this might be the excuse to jump in. (Screen Rant, BGG)

Worth tracking next week: City of the Great Machine hits Kickstarter on September 22nd. The Food Chain Magnate Special Edition on Gamefound is down to its last copies from the print run — if you’ve been on the fence, the fence is about to disappear (Gamefound). And the BGG Hotness is currently being dominated by Entropy (Board&Dice), Horror on the Orient Express, Medico, Dewan, and Avalon: The Riven Veil — all jostling for attention ahead of Essen preview season. SPIEL Essen itself runs October 22–25 and the BGG preview list is already filling up (BGG Previews).

Ireland round-up. This is a big weekend. The Glendalough Gaming Retreat run by Board & Brewed is happening right now — September 18–20 in Wicklow, with board games, wargames, and RPGs in the mountains. Non-residential tickets were €40, residential €150pp, but they were selling fast so might well be gone by now (Board & Brewed). Meanwhile Board Games Ireland on Meetup has a game night coming up in Celbridge on the 17th and Dublin on the 23rd (Meetup). Looking further ahead, DAREcon in Naas is October 17–18 (darecon.ie), Gaelcon 38 — Ireland’s longest-running gaming convention — is October 23–26 at Crowne Plaza Dublin Airport (iga.ie/gaelcon), and Comic Con Northern Ireland is this weekend too if that’s your thing (cons.ie). The Irish tabletop scene is in good health — Rogue Gaming opened in Dublin’s Liberties back in June, Board & Brewed continues to be excellent in Dún Laoghaire, and Imirt in Naas is still going strong.

And of course: Knavecon 27 is next Saturday, September 26th, Castletroy Park Hotel, Limerick. Kicking off at 10am and running into the small hours. The raffle is shaping up to be a big one. If you haven’t sorted your ticket yet, now’s the time.

One for social media: “Steve Jackson stepping down from Steve Jackson Games after all these years. Whatever you think of Munchkin, the man shaped an entire corner of tabletop gaming. Meanwhile Clank! just turned 10 and raised a million quid in a week. This hobby doesn’t slow down.”

Solid mid-September Tuesday. Not an avalanche of news but a few things actually worth paying attention to, and a busy week ahead on the crowdfunding side.

Perennial just went live on Kickstarter. Flatout Games — the team behind Cascadia — launched their new one today. It’s a puzzly tile-laying game about building a prairie garden with wildflowers and wildlife, designed for 1–4 players, 30–45 minutes. Beth Sobel did the art, which is gorgeous as you’d expect. The team have said it’s crunchier than Cascadia, which is interesting — that game worked precisely because it was breezy. Worth watching how this funds. If you liked Cascadia but wished it had a bit more bite, this might be your thing. Kickstarter page here. What’s Eric Playing also posted a preview yesterday if you want more detail before backing.

The Dice Tower’s Week in Review dropped for September 14th and there’s a standout. Tom gave Realm of Reckoning an 8.5 and a Seal of Excellence. It’s from IV Studio, and the pitch is player-controlled scoring with area control elements — the kind of thing that sounds like it could be a Knavecon favourite if it holds up. They also covered Citadels Duel, 17 Dice Bets, and the Scythe-meets-Expeditions mashup Duel of Meloch. Full rundown on the Dice Tower site.

Everdell Journeys is running hot on Kickstarter. The campaign launched September 8th with a $35,000 goal and has already blown past $500K — over 912% funded according to GodisaGeek. This isn’t another expansion for the base game. It’s a standalone card-drafting game set in the Everdell world, where you’re laying paths of cards rather than doing worker placement. Tycoon Games are behind it. The campaign runs until September 25th. I’m curious but slightly cautious — Everdell has had so many expansions and editions that there’s a bit of franchise fatigue floating around. But the numbers don’t lie.

Clank! is celebrating 10 years. Dire Wolf launched the Cube of Holding — a deluxe big box set — plus a new expansion called The Forgotten Vault on Kickstarter on September 9th. There are also “Master Thief Editions” of the original Clank! line with upgraded components. If you’re a Clank! household, this is the anniversary package. Dire Wolf’s announcement is here.

Tomorrow: Gift of Tulips: Ribbons hits BackerKit (September 16th). It’s an expansion from Weird Giraffe Games to the light tulip-trading game. Small campaign, probably a quick back-or-skip decision. And looking further ahead, City of the Great Machine launches on Kickstarter on September 22nd and Gallery Gambit on September 28th.

Worth watching: the r/boardgames weekly “What Did You Play?” thread for September 14th has Nemesis, Regicide Legacy, and 7 Wonders Duel getting mentions. Duel of Meloch from Stonemaier continues to generate chatter on BGG — it made BoardGameQuest’s best of 2026 so far list.

Ireland corner. The big one for us: Knavecon 27 is eleven days away. September 26th, Castletroy Park Hotel, Limerick. €20 adults, €10 students/unwaged, kids free with an adult. Full games library, free coffee all day. If you haven’t got your tickets yet, sort that out at victorgannongames.com. And if there are games you want in the library, tell me now — not on the morning of.

Before that, the Glendalough Gaming Retreat is this Friday through Sunday (September 18–20) in Co. Wicklow. Board & Brewed are running a full weekend of board games, wargames, and RPGs at the Glendalough International Hostel. €150 with accommodation or €40 for a day pass. They’ve said more than half the spots are gone. Gorgeous location. If you can swing it, book through Board & Brewed.

Locally, there’s a Templemore Tabletop game night tonight (September 15th) at Templemore Library in Tipperary, 7:00–10:00 PM — free, no experience needed, just turn up. Spotted it on the Board Games Ireland Facebook group. And Gaelcon 38 is shaping up for October 23–26 at the Crowne Plaza Dublin Airport if you’re planning ahead for the autumn convention season. Details at iga.ie.

For the Knavecon community: we’re less than two weeks out. This is your last proper window to request games for the library, volunteer to teach something, or just tell me you’re coming so I can plan tables. Drop a comment on the Knavecon Facebook page or message me directly.

One for social: “Perennial from the Cascadia team just launched on Kickstarter. Crunchier, prettier, and about planting wildflower gardens. Between this, Everdell Journeys, and the Clank! 10th anniversary — September is emptying wallets faster than Essen.”

Quiet-ish start to the week, which is no surprise — PAX West just wrapped up and everyone’s still digesting whatever happened at Dragon Con over the weekend. But there are a few things worth your attention, and September is shaping up to be a busy month on both sides of the Atlantic.

Dice Tower dropped their Week in Review yesterday and it’s a meaty one. They covered reviews of Arkham Horror LCG: Children of Blood, Codenames: Critical Role Adventures, Dice Throne: Vanguard, Sunderfolk, and a bunch more. Tom’s “6 Games I Played So You Don’t Have To” segment is always worth a watch if you want to save yourself some money. Full list at dicetower.com. Meanwhile, Shut Up & Sit Down have been rolling through their Board Games Direct 2026 series — the latest instalment (#4) focuses on co-op and solo games, with a preview of the next game from the BEAST team and something called Animal Rescue Team that SU&SD are apparently co-publishing. That’s a new one. Worth checking out at shutupandsitdown.com.

Spiel Essen launched their new B2B matchmaking tool last week, and it’s now baked into the official SPIEL app as of September 3rd. More than 920 exhibitors from 53 countries are confirmed for the October 22–25 show, with demand apparently up from both returning and first-time exhibitors. About half of Thursday, Friday and Saturday tickets are already sold. If you’re thinking about making the trip this year — and I know some of the Knavecon crowd are — don’t leave tickets too late. The matchmaking system is aimed at trade visitors (€46 business ticket), but it signals that Essen is taking the industry-networking side of things more seriously. Reported by Board Game Wire and Meeplay.

The TTGDA publisher contract benchmark is still making waves since its August release. If you missed it: the Tabletop Game Designers Association scored and compared the standard contracts that publishers offer to designers, looking at fairness around IP, royalties, and designer involvement. It’s a genuinely important piece of work — the kind of transparency that didn’t exist even two years ago. Elizabeth Hargrave, Geoff Engelstein and Sen-Foong Lim are behind it. Full report is a PDF via Board Game Wire. Even if you’re not a designer, it’s interesting reading for anyone who cares about how this industry treats its creators.

On the crowdfunding side, September is picking up. The Food Chain Magnate Special Edition Redux is still available on Gamefound via Lucky Duck Games — the deluxe version with miniatures and double-layer components, estimated delivery December 2026. FCM is one of those games that polarises people on production quality versus gameplay purity, but there’s no denying the original is a masterpiece. Also launching today (September 8th) on Gamefound is a game from Department of Lore — details are thin but it’s a 1–4 player game designed by Anand Gandhi with art from 9B Collective, listed on the BGG prelaunched crowdfunding geeklist. One to watch if you like supporting newer studios.

Worth watching: the broader industry health story continues to be interesting. French distributor Atalia went into liquidation back in July, blaming market saturation and the arms race for bestseller distribution rights. Their statement — “shops no longer have the space, the time or the cash flow to stock all the games arriving each week” — is something every FLGS owner in the world would nod at. The full story is on Board Game Wire. That’s not new news, but it’s still the backdrop to everything else happening right now.

Ireland corner. Three weeks out from Knavecon 27 on September 26th at the Castletroy Park Hotel in Limerick — €20 adults, €10 students/unwaged, kids free with an adult. Full games library, free coffee. Get tickets at victorgannongames.com. Before that though, the Glendalough Gaming Retreat is September 18–20 in Co. Wicklow, run by the Board & Brewed crew out of Dún Laoghaire. A full weekend of board games, wargames and RPGs in one of the most scenic spots in Ireland. Tickets from €40 non-residential or €150pp with accommodation, and they’re saying more than half the spots are gone. Details and booking via Board & Brewed. Looking further ahead, Gaelcon 38 runs October 23–26 at the Crowne Plaza in Santry, Dublin — four days of RPGs, board games, LARPs and wargames. Tickets and info at iga.ie/gaelcon. And if you’re in Dublin this week, the Board Games Ireland Meetup group has their Wednesday session tomorrow (September 9th) at the NYX Hotel in Portobello — details on Meetup.

For the Knavecon community specifically: We’re less than three weeks out. If there are games you want in the library, shout now — don’t wait until the week before. And if anyone’s planning an Essen trip in October, let’s talk group coordination on the Facebook page. There’s always a better deal when a few of us go in together on shipping.

One for social: “920 exhibitors from 53 countries confirmed for Essen this October. Meanwhile a French distributor just went under saying shops can’t stock all the games coming out every week. The hobby is booming and buckling at the same time. Interesting times.”

Knavecon Boardgame Briefing — Weekly Edition, Friday 04 September 2026

It’s been one of those weeks where the news is more about what’s about to happen than what’s already landed. September is stacking up to be a monster month for crowdfunding, Dragon Con and PAX West are both running this weekend with tabletop components, and there’s a growing pile of interesting games hitting shelves. Meanwhile, Essen is now less than seven weeks away. Deep breath.

The September crowdfunding calendar is ridiculous. Tantrum House put out their September overview and the volume is hard to ignore. Food Chain Magnate: Special Edition from Lucky Duck Games relaunched on Gamefound on September 1st — same rules, completely overhauled components, miniatures for the restaurants, the Ketchup Mechanism expansion included. It’s a one-off print run with no retail planned, so if you want it, that’s your only window (Gamefound page). Then on September 8th you’ve got Everdell Journeys hitting Kickstarter via Tycoon Games (everdelljourneys.com), and later in the month there’s Ten Years of Clank from Dire Wolf, City of the Great Machine’s expansion, and more. Brass: Pittsburgh from Roxley is still open on Gamefound too — that campaign has now crossed $11.4 million, which is staggering for a Martin Wallace sequel (Gamefound). Estimated shipping March 2027.

Duel of Meloch is getting reviewed everywhere and the reception is genuinely interesting. Jamey Stegmaier’s idea to combine Scythe and Expeditions into a head-to-head duelling game sounded gimmicky when it was announced, but the reviews are largely positive. BoardGameQuest reviewed it, Board Game Views called it “extremely cohesive” (link), and Shelfside raised some balance concerns around the scoring track but still found it engaging. It plays in about 45 minutes and apparently captures the feel of both games without being a diluted mess. That’s the bit I didn’t expect. It was sitting at #7 on BGG’s July Hotness list and seems to be holding strong on shopping threads into September (BGG).

The TTGDA contract benchmark is the most important industry story of the summer. The Tabletop Game Designers Association published their Contract Scoring Rubric and full Market Contract Analysis in August (report PDF, Board Game Wire coverage). They’ve scored and compared the standard contracts that publishers offer designers, looking at payment fairness, IP protection, designer involvement, and use of names and likenesses in marketing. This is significant. It’s the first time anyone’s done this publicly and systematically, and it gives designers real leverage when negotiating. If you know any aspiring game designers, point them at this.

Shut Up & Sit Down wrapped their Board Games Direct 2026 series over the last few weeks — a video a day covering different categories of new and upcoming games. The co-op and solo video (#4) is worth watching if that’s your thing (SUSD site), and the shorts by Dani Standring have been great bite-sized looks at individual titles. Highlights from their library additions include Citadels Duel (coming fall 2026), Brass: Pittsburgh, and Mechs vs. Minions: Bandle City Edition. Their coverage of The Queen’s Dilemma — a standalone King’s Dilemma follow-up for 3-6 players — caught my eye. That’s available now.

On the convention front: Dragon Con is running in Atlanta right now through Sunday (September 3-7), PAX West is live in Seattle this weekend (September 4-7) with an expanded tabletop area in the Summit building including a board game library, TCG zone, and RPG sessions (PAX West tabletop details). And Spiel Essen tickets are on sale — October 22-25, with close to 950 exhibitors expected (spiel-essen.de). If you’re going from Ireland, now’s the time to sort flights and hotels.

Games worth tracking right now: Revenant from Mindclash Games (set in the Voidfall universe, competitive worker placement, getting strong reviews on Meeple Mountain and elsewhere — BGG page), The Great Sea from Garphill Games (Phoenician maritime trading, pre-orders open for November release via Renegade — renegadegamestudios.com), and Buttons & Bugs: Pub Crawlers from Cephalofair (the Gloomhaven solo spinoff gets its first expansion, shipping this month — Cephalofair). Also keep an eye on the BGG July Hotness video which just dropped — Harmonies: Crescendo, Chivalry from Dávid Turczi, and Altera were all featured alongside the Duel of Meloch (BGG video).

Ireland corner. The big one for us: Knavecon 27 is September 26th at the Castletroy Park Hotel in Limerick. Tickets are €20 adults, €10 students/unwaged, kids free with an adult. Full games library, free coffee all day. You know the drill. Get your tickets sorted at victorgannongames.com.

Beyond that, the Irish convention calendar is stacking up nicely for autumn. Collector Con Ireland is next weekend — September 12-13 at the RDS in Dublin (Eventbrite). It’s more of a TCG/collectibles event than pure board gaming, but if you’re into Pokémon, Lorcana, or sports cards it’s worth the trip. DARECon 2026 is confirmed for October 17-18 at the Osprey Hotel in Naas, Co. Kildare — run by Naas Board Game Club, it’s two days of open play, organised games, and family tables. Tickets on darecon.ie. And Gaelcon 38 runs October 23-26 at the Crowne Plaza Dublin Airport — Ireland’s longest-running gaming convention covering RPGs, board games, card games, LARPs, and wargames (iga.ie/gaelcon). Board Games Ireland’s Meetup group continues to run regular events — check them on Meetup for Dublin dates. And if you haven’t been, Board & Brewed in Dún Laoghaire is Dublin’s dedicated board game café with 700+ games, stone-baked pizza, and BYOB nights on Fridays (boardandbrewed.ie). I’ve heard nothing new from the Munster side beyond our own Knavecon, which tells me there’s still a gap to fill down here.

For the Knavecon Facebook community: September is going to be busy. Knavecon 27 is three weeks out. If there are games you want to make sure are in the library, now’s the time to shout. And if you’re heading to Essen in October, let’s coordinate — there’s always a better deal on games when a few of us pool shipping.

One for social: “The TTGDA just published a public scorecard ranking how fairly board game publishers treat their designers. Every game designer should read it. Every publisher should be nervous about it. This is how industries improve.” (boardgamewire.com)