Get your 2019 started right with free Fog of Love cards and a look at the first Android RPG in Tabletop Gaming January, coming soon!

Kick off your New Year celebrations early by picking up the next issue of Tabletop Gaming magazine, out on December 28th – that’s exactly two weeks from now!

It’s a real treat of an issue in January (though isn’t it always?) that begins with what’s on the front cover: a pack of promo cards for hit romantic board game Fog of Love that will let you add 12 new occupations to your game, letting you roleplay as a surfer, tax collector and more.

As you’ll have seen from the striking cover art, the big game we’re talking about this month is Shadow of the Beanstalk, the first roleplaying game set in the Android universe shared by New Angeles, Android Netrunner and more. Its designers tell us what to expect as flexible system Genesys goes cyberpunk.

We’re also setting you up for a fantastic 12 months of gaming by picking out ten of the 2019 releases we’re most excited about – flick to our preview of what’s coming up to know what to watch.

Elsewhere, we chat with Ryan Sturm, the co-creator of Trade on the Tigris: the game that began as a joke about the tabletop’s most overused cliché before becoming a proper project that took an emotional six years to finish.

We’ve also added two new regular features: our trip across the globe to meet tabletop designers and creators in Around the World in 80 Plays begins with a visit to Taiwan, while the Microgame of the Month will give you a free game to play inside the magazine itself, every single issue!

Plus, we've introduced a new review system that will let you know exactly what you should and shouldn't be playing each month. It's a bumper crop of new releases we give our verdict on in January's issue, too, such as:

• Azul: Stained Glass of Sintra
• Blue Lagoon
• Everdell
• Planet
• Battlestar Galactica: Starship Battles
• Teotihuacan: City of Gods
• Heroes of Terrinoth
• Speed Freeks
• Dungeons & Dragons – Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mag
• Reykholt
• Solenia
• Guardians
• Camel Up: Second Edition
• 1066, Tears to Many Mothers
• Quacks of Quedlinburg
• The Grizzled: Armistice Edition
• Monolith Arena
• Haven
• Endeavor: Age of Sail
• Overlight
• Between Two Castles of Mad King Ludwig
• GoodCritters
• + more!

That’s just some of what you’ll find inside the packed issue, plus:

Forbidden Games: Veteran designer and Eagle Games founder Glenn Drover takes us inside his new studio to discuss how his time working on smash-hit mobile apps has led to a new wave of accessible, engaging board games.
 
The Power Couple Behind Red Raven Games: From Eight-Minute Empire to Above and Below, Ryan and Malorie Laukat have garnered acclaim as the result of their games’ immersive stories and worlds. They tell us about their unique creative partnership and output.

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood of Venice: After sneaking through World War II in his hit debut, V-Commandos designer Thibaud de la Touanne tells us about taking on the blockbuster stealth-action video game series.

How We Made: Facing the music in the frantic roll-a-thon Escape: The Curse of the Temple with creator Kristian Amundsen Østby. 

LionWing: Meet the publisher bringing must-play Japanese gems to the West.

Converting Miniatures: We explore the committed community of players making wargames their own by crafting one-of-a-kind customised miniatures.

All the Jahres: Take a trip to France as we re-enter the walled city of Carcassonne in the next leg of our continuing tour of every Spiel des Jahres winner.

​We’re letting you know about January’s issue a little earlier than usual because you’ll need to pre-order your copy (available with free UK P&P, making it the same price as in the shops!) via our online store before next Thursday, December 20th, to have it dispatched before 2019. Any orders after that time will be processed after January 2nd.

You’ll also be able to find the January issue on the shelves of your local hobby store, newsagent, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, WHSmith and Morrisons (find your local stockist here) from December 28th. Of course, the best way to get the mag early AND save money is by subscribing, with quarterly, bi-annual and yearly options available.