The UK's FIRST Board Game Bar Lands In Cardiff, Brought To You By...US! Yep, you read that right, folks! We at Rules know the importance and sanctity of the marriage between a board game and a beer, so we're teaming up with Urban Tap House, where every Monday night is board game night! Launching on Monday October 20th, 100+ games, demo-ing new releases, from 5pm until 10pm. Check out our Facebook page for more details as we keep you updated, or ask us about it when you pop into the shop! We hope you're as excited as we are - we can't believe we kept this secret for SO LONG! 

A Fashionably Late Dragon. Mike Mearls, the lead designer of the 5th edition Dungeons and Dragons, has released a statement letting D&D fans know that the release date of the Dungeon Master's Guide has been pushed back for 3 weeks to December 9th, and is very, very clear that it's for design reasons to make it look 'as perfect as humanly possible' which sounds calm and composed here, but really it conjures up images of weeping artists and designers sobbing into their pencil pots with the stress. Seeing how much effort goes into a single book alone, it's likely that most fans will be happy to wait a little bit longer. Plus, who gets mad around Christmas?! In a bid to please anxious fans, this preview artwork has been released. Unfortunately, they look exactly like the little one-eyed monster Mike Wazowski from the popular (my favourite) Disney film 'Monsters, Inc.' which pleases me greatly. Guess one Mike likes another...

This Week, In 'Why Does All The Awesome Stuff Happen In America'... If it bears no relevance to Britain or the rest of Europe, then why bother posting it, you ask. Because by sheer persistence and nagging, I hope to force the world to bring the cool stuff to Wales! And maybe England and stuff. I'm talking about Double Exposure, an American company that plan to train 'Heralds' - dedicated staff for teaching you particular games, at events and so forth. It's only in the US for now but you never know! It's unpaid (unless you can count 'fun' as monetary compensation, AND I THINK WE SHOULD) but they get loads of benefits, and the chance to 'level up' and progress to higher stages with better perks. Plus when they're at parties or barbecues and someone asks them what they do, they can say, "It's unpaid, but I teach board games for a living. Please lend me a tenner."

Ooh, a Review! Here's a written review of Warhammer 40k: Conquest, in the Escapist Magazine. And here's a demo video, by DriveThruReview. And another, from Team Covenant! Plus a full video review by The Dice Tower!!! Having arrived in stores yesterday, it's already flying off the shelves. And I bet we'll have more reviews when everyone takes five minutes away from playing it to write the damn things!

Best Thing Since Sliced Pizza. If you needed any more proof that board games are, like, totally the bomb and will be here forever and ever then check out this article on their presence in popular culture. Dungeons and Dragons in the Simpsons? It happened, yo. Celebrities like voice actor Seth Green, British comedian Rufus Hound and Hollywood actress Mila Kunis? All reppin' the board game swagger. Kunis has confessed she's maaad crazy for Settlers of Catan! I'll stop talking like this, but it's all so true! The new and quickly rising US comedy 'Broad City' is the freshest offering here - it only started this year but already it's name dropping Catan and its two female creators are both self-confessed nerds (yay!). I'm just waiting for a Big Brother 2015 task to include a 2 hour session of Arkham Horror. Or perhaps Leo Dicaprio in a film based on Coup. Make it happen, people.

 

New Releases / Restocks / Coming Soon!

New In Store From Next Week - candy canes and cinnamon in Holiday Fluxx; all rules are broken in Crazy Circus; a tricky situation arises with Clash of Cultures - Civilisations; the Mascarade Expansion; more of our favourite monster with Zombies!!! 13 - DEFCON Z; Dungeonquest (Revised Edition); Blue Sun - the Firefly expansion; Raiders of the Fever Sea - Skull & Shackles Adventure Deck; Character Add-On Deck; Bard Class Deck; Cleric Class Deck; Fighter Class Deck; Ranger Class Deck; Rogue Class Deck; Sorcerer Class Deck; Wizard Class Deck, all from the Pathfinder series; Mars Attacks - the Miniatures Game; and the D&D Arcane Spellbook Cards.

New Releases Available Now - the LCG overlord Warhammer 40k: Conquest has arrived; a new velveteen pouch game with Cypher; cutesy pie animals in Bunny Bunny Moose Moose; watery war games with Silent War (reprint); the biggest king in the land in The Last Banquet; Lord of the Rings LCG with Redhorn Gate, Road to Rivendell and Watcher in the Water; Star Wars Dice Bags with Boba Fett, Storm Trooper, Galactic Empire and Rebel Alliance; Invasion - Level 7; Pokemon's big shiny Ancient Power Box; Ozrik the Adept and his Brother Bastian with The Red Dragon inn!

 

Arriving Soon - The final siblings of the D&D family with Rise of Tiamat and Dungeon Master's Guide; beautiful storytelling in The Witcher Adventure Game; Christmas is coming early in the form of 3 new Pandemic expansions, including dice-based quick co-op The Cure, the competitive Contagion and the hotly anticipated Pandemic: Legacy; Fantasy Flight's LCGs take on the mighty legions of Warhammer 40K in Conquest; Dungeons and Dragons shrinks to miniature in a collaboration between Wizkids and Wizards of the Coast for the new Attack Wing Starter Set; From a galaxy far far away comes new Star Wars miniatures games, fleet-based Armada and ground-based Imperial Assault; city-building and Mayor-becoming in the clever and quick Machi Koro; family-friendly bluffing and bribery in Sheriff of Nottingham, and come closer and see, see into the trees in Talisman: The Woodland.... PRE-ORDERS FOR ALL THESE BEING TAKEN NOW!