Is your zweihänder rusting in the attic? Are birds nesting in your best suit of armour? Has lack of battle seen your warhorse pile on the pounds? Well, we can’t promise a real clash of arms, noble knight, but we do have a trio of tabletop titles to get those chivalric juices flowing. Fancy competing with fellow bluebloods to forge the greatest dynasty in Crusader Kings, stamping your authority on fantasy continents in Heroes of Land, Air & Sea or exploring the perilous secrets of Vast: The Mysterious Manor? Then read on…

CRUSADER KINGS – THE BOARD GAME

Having spent a distressing number of hours oppressing peasants, backstabbing allies and throwing rebellious relatives down oubliettes in Paradox’s Crusader Kings, we’re stoked to see that the Swedish developer has teamed up with Free League Publishing to adapt the strategy videogame for the tabletop. Crusader Kings: The Board Game sees 3-5 players take charge of the historical dynasties of medieval Europe – developing domains, waging wars, conducting diplomacy and, of course, curating that all-important family tree. Featuring a 2-3 hour playtime, Crusader Kings emphases characters, intrigue and juicy medieval drama …and if it proves half as successful at doing that as its computer game big brother, you can count us in!

HEROES OF LAND, AIR & SEA

Highly-rated fantasy 4X title Heroes of Land, Air & Sea returns with another crowdfunding campaign, as Gamelyn Games gives people a chance to bag the second edition of last year’s RTS-flavoured base game, first major expansion Order & Chaos and a brand new big box expansion – Pestilence. This latest addition introduces a pair of new factions – Merfolk and Birdfolk – along with 20 new spell cards, 24 new exploration tokens, a Sunken Continent tile and a very cool-looking Floating Continent that sits on little stands above the rest of the board. And just in case you’ve still got some cash to spare after all that, Gamelyn Games is also offering a special set of pre-painted Heroes and Mercenaries.

VAST: THE MYSTERIOUS MANOR

Like 2016 dragon-robbing Kickstarter success Vast: The Crystal Caverns, Leder Games’ follow-up title Vast: The Mysterious Manor is an asymmetric adventure game where players take on unique roles with dramatically different goals and abilities. Set in a haunted house, The Mysterious Manor’s characters include a paladin determined to slay a giant spider; skeletons out to thwart his pious quest; the shape-shifting spider in question, seeking to escape the house; an enchanter who likes messing with people’s minds and even the manor itself, attempting to keep an ancient evil sealed away! Sporting high replayability, a tonne of player interaction and the ability to integrate content from The Crystal Caverns, The Mysterious Manor has already blasted way past its funding target.