Actualol

Forbidden Legacy to Debut at Gen Con 2026 Following the debut of **_Forbidden Island_** in 2010, designer Matt Leacock has taken travelers to the desert, sky, and jungle — and in 2026 he's joining forces with frequent design partner Rob Daviau (Pandemic Legacy, _Ziggurat_, and _Ticket to Ride Legacy: Legends of the West_) to take travelers somewhere new. U.S. publisher Gamewright will debut _**Forbidden Legacy**_ at Gen Con 2026, with a retail release in Q4 2026, and the game will retail for US$50. One of the elements connecting the _Forbidden_ titles is that how you escape from one title leads into your dire situation in the next. In _Forbidden Island_ , for example, you assemble elements to construct an airship, then it crashes in the desert to set off the challenge of _Forbidden Desert_. All of the games are playable independently, but the thread is there for those who want to follow along. In this case, _Forbidden Jungle_ ended with you escaping through a portal to an unknown location — and here you are on the cover of _Forbidden Legacy_ , popping out somewhere unknown. A production mock-up that's nearly final aside from the missing QR code _Forbidden Legacy_ consists of a seven-stage campaign, with each stage being replayable on its own and with the resolution of a stage introducing new elements as you move on to the next, thanks both to six episode boxes that are initially sealed in the box and a large _Chronicle_ box that you will open and tear apart. A production mock-up at Toy Fair 2026 The pages of the _Chronicle_ are quite thick, akin to children's board books, and that's because in some cases, you'll rip pages out of the book so that players can get their hands on info they'll need to know, such as actions available on a game turn. And here's one final spoiler near the end of episode 1. Expect much more along these lines...and along other lines...as you progress through the seven episodes. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Like what you read? Leave a tip to support independent board game journalism! Leave a tip

Matt Leacock and Rob Daviau join forces once again

Today I emailed publishers about a concerning practice a board game media creator engaged in. This will likely become public, so I'm providing the details here to give the full context of what I shared.

1) Document: www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/o8ovt...

2) Video: youtu.be/fHXGWflPj4c

1/2

Jacques Zeimet Has Passed Away <p>Designer <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/144/jacques-zeimet">Jacques Zeimet</a>, best known for the games <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/11971" rel="noreferrer"><strong><em>Cockroach Poker</em></strong></a> and <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/83195" rel="noreferrer"><strong><em>Ghost Blitz</em></strong></a>, has passed away.</p><p>All that's known publicly about Monsieur Zeimet is that he was from Luxembourg. An editor at <a href="https://www.zoch-verlag.com" rel="noreferrer">Zoch Verlag</a> — which published one of his first designs, <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/293" rel="noreferrer"><strong><em>Bamboleo</em></strong></a>, in 1996 — tells me that he preferred not to have his picture or bio on game boxes as he didn't want to be a public person. That said, he has shared his creations with us for three decades, so perhaps you can put <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/903" rel="noreferrer"><strong><em>Hamster Roll</em></strong></a>, <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/206939" rel="noreferrer"><strong><em>Do De Li Do</em></strong></a>, or <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/186302" rel="noreferrer"><strong><em>The Nasty 7</em></strong></a> — which is due out in a new edition in 2026 — on the table and enjoy his legacy through play.</p>

Designer of Cockroach Poker, Geistesblitz, and dozens more games

YouTube video by Actualol The Ultimate Small Games Guide

@actualol.bsky.social gives us his ultimate list of small games. Check it out on his channel on YouTube. #boardgames #cardgames

The chief Board Game News writer has a new home!

Board Game Beat LLC | W. Eric Martin Tabletop and board game journalism with deep-dive news, reviews, interviews, videos, and essays, plus rulebook writing and editing services.

Board Game Beat is officially launched & loaded with content...with more to come as I report on Spielwarenmesse!

If you're into independent board game journalism—articles, videos, interviews, news, reviews & more—please check it out and share.

www.wericmartin.com

#boardgame #spielwarenmesse

Discord wants to know how you feel about AI.

Go tell them: discord.sjc1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

My board game wishes for 2026?

1. Stop the anthropomorphic animal and dystopia themes, please 🙏 that’s honestly enough now.

2. Make more ‘new’ old school style games instead of just rebooting old school games.

The Top 10 Board Games of 2025 This feels strange. I’m usually late with my yearly list, taking my sweet time until January or February to catch up on all of the noteworthy releases. This was a quieter year. Some would say…

My list of the top 10 board games of 2025 is here, just in time. This was a weird year. I struggled with my own self imposed rules, and honestly, I'm not wholly satisfied with my selections as I keep second guessing some exclusions. Too late now, here it is:
playerelimination.com/2025/12/29/t...

YouTube video by Actualol It's Culling Time.

"Sell that and treat yourself to a copy of Patchwork... So the gamers in your new town will respect you." Brutal but not wrong @actualol.bsky.social

youtu.be/DOco8HZocdo?...

🏆

You've played it within the month.

What's this font that you see in rulebooks? If I see this font, I feel safe, I know I'm about to learn some bloody rules.

The Game Changers by Tim Clare | Waterstones Buy The Game Changers by Tim Clare from Waterstones today! Click and Collect from your local Waterstones or get FREE UK delivery on orders over £25.

Hey if you want a Xmas gift for the boardgame lover in your life (even if that person is you) then my book THE GAME CHANGERS (US title: Across The Board) is all about the history & culture of tabletop games. Hopefully it is surprising, amusing & interesting.
www.waterstones.com/book/the-gam...

YouTube video by Actualol 2025 Board Game Gift Guide (For Everyone)

@actualol.bsky.social put together a guide of his top board games to give as gifts this holiday season. Check it out here! #boardgames #cardgames

The cover of Across the Board, with a ladder, pawns and dice

The cover of The Game Changers, showing a Ludo-like board with a spinner at the centre

If you are thinking of gifts for Xmas this year, my book about tabletop games, The Game Changers (UK, other territories) / Across the Board (US, Canada), is out in paperback, audiobook & ebook. I think it is good for anyone who loves boardgames old or new, or who likes stuff on culture & history.

I've also watched High Fidelity

That looks really cool - very exciting.

To anyone in Essen - please leave comments about the games you've played on Board Game Geek. Most new games only have a handful of comments, so it's really useful for small publishers, and, er, content creators who couldn't make it to the show and are a bit sad about it. Spread the hype!

The saddest part of the day is when you realise your Board Game Arena opponents have gone to bed.

A picture of my book The Game Changers out on the table in Waterstones

Hey heads up, The Game Changers paperback is on the shelves in most good UK bookshops right now. If you would like some positive reading about how we are all deeply connected as humans, & how games build communities in the darkest times, you might find something of value in it.

Thanks Aviv ❤️

YouTube video by Actualol Solving Your Board Game Problems

I played roughly one [1] board game in the past year, but I still really enjoy @actualol.bsky.social's videos. He combines deep love and knowledge of board games with a sweet, fun, and funny attitude, plus a very high production value sprinkled on top.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDsU...

Bezzerwizzer (not hugely hobbyist, just Danish), and CDSK are the closest.

logo for The Game Makers, featuring the words The Game Makers surrounded by a cavalcade of various popular enthusiast board games.

a screenshot of the campaign page for The Game Makers. The green banner reads GO TEAM GREEN! It has an image of the wooden tree pieces, and a curious looking cute cartoon panda. The text underneath reads "Part of The Game Makers focuses on the need for modern day manufacturers making efforts to reduce their impact on the environment. Players can even score a significant amount of points if they focus on going green. This is abstracted in the game as swapping components for planting trees or planting trees when certain gameplay milestones are reached." Beneath that there's a gameplay image featuring the tree pieces placed on a game board.

image from the campain page featuring these pieces from the game "46 plastic buildings (in 3 levels), 18 dice (in 3 levels)."

another component image featuring the infamous plastic gametrayz custom insert

so in this board game about making pretend board games you have a sustainability mechanism, you see.

Can't even feed my baby whole grapes these days because of choke.

image of actor Paula Wilcox reading the Wingspan rulebook. she's basically giving it a perplexed stare. the image is a still from Coronation Street

me when the rulebook explains concepts before the structure of the game

YouTube video by Actualol 10 Small Games Perfect For Travel

Both Solstis and Seaside made Actualol's top 10 Travel Games list!

"Seaside is bright, breezy and a lovely way to spend the day."
And Solstis is "The perfect game to play with your partner."

What is YOUR favorite travel game?

youtu.be/zyBOpIt-2Nk?...

Oh, you love cooperative word based party games? Name Just One.