🃏The UKGE Edition
All the best crowdfunding campaigns that the expo had to offer
What’s inside: This week’s roundup features a toe-to-toe toad battle, a vibrant lane battler, a dragon summoning for the ultimate fight, and a could-be-should-be crowdfunding project with stunning art.
1. War of the Toads - AAARGAMES
Upcoming Page | Ribbit-ing tactical depth
War of the Toads was my highlight of UKGE - unassuming, wrapped in gorgeous art, and offering quick gameplay with tactical depth that becomes instantly apparent. The objective? Capture samurai-toads as hostages from two lanes. I asked its creator what inspired the game. “This might sound odd, but Tussie Mussie by Elizabeth Hargrave,” says Alan Wallat, founder of AAARGAMES. “The main mechanic in Tussie Mussie is gifting flowers. I present you with one flower-card face-up and one face-down. Which do you choose? Is the one you’re hiding great or terrible? It’s very elegant and provides so much opportunity for bluffing.”
There’s no mistaking the inspiration, as War of the Toads quickly becomes a game of cat and mouse as you try to remember what your opponent has remaining versus what toads they could have played. The fact that each toad also has a unique ability that affects its ally in a neighboring lane adds further to the depth.
So what about its upcoming Kickstarter? “The UK Games Expo has given me a lot of confidence that there is an audience for the game,” adds Alan. “We doubled in email subscribers across the 3 days. Even crazier, it’s currently rated at 8.6 on BoardGameGeek by fans and this recent review on BGG sums it up well, so I’m pushing ahead with all the steps to bring it to Kickstarter this year in autumn.”
2. Crimson Keep
Upcoming Page | ChaaaAAArrRRRRggGGGGggEEEeee!
There are two things that immediately struck me about Crimson Keep. The first is that the artwork is stunning; the second is that while the board is imposing in size, the dual state of the cards makes for an intriguing and unique proposition.
Crimson Keep is a dark fantasy, tower-building strategy game by Nick Warren that features card placement and set collection, with the ultimate aim of summoning a dragon at the center of the board where it’ll face off against the other clan’s fortress.
“Crimson Keep began as a conversation between myself and a friend about how complicated it could be to make a board game,” says its creator. “Before this, I had just put board games into the realm of ‘this is what other people do,’ but when I started to think about all the possibilities, I was hooked.”
Its Gamefound campaign is joined by Boss Hunters under the Synergic Games banner. When asked about his hopes for the launch, Nick shared just how much went into the project. “I have put so much heart, soul and thought into this game and I genuinely believe people will discover a unique indie gem with so much depth, strategy and replayability. I also have no plans for retail at the moment, so the Gamefound campaign may be the only place to get your hands on a copy.”
3. Muster - The Expansions
Upcoming Page | We came, we saw, we Mustered
Muster: Raise the Banners originally landed on Gamefound back in 2025, wrapped in bright, colorful artwork and cute chibi-style characters. It’s well thought-of, looks gorgeous, and sees players build their force from five factions to create the strongest rows of cards on their side of the board. For its expansion, it’s heading to Kickstarter, a move that often suits small, quick boxed games with short playtimes.
Its two micro-expansions will deliver additional strategic options to the base game as part of Season One. “It’s a perfect complement to the base game, keeping the same ethos of language-free components and intuitive gameplay,” said Spencer Thomas, Founder and Game Designer of Play Monkey Games. “I grew up on Magic: The Gathering, where each new set would introduce fresh but familiar mechanics to a solid core system, along with new lore to immerse yourself in. I’m hoping to achieve the same feeling with Muster.”
It’s definitely one to back if you missed out on the original crowdfund.
4. Catvale
Upcoming Page | The purrrrrrrfect board game?
It was hard to miss the Catvale stand at UKGE, as its beautiful artwork was so inviting. It’s a game where rival cats embark on an adventure that blends dice-driven action selection with player conflict, resource management, and modular map exploration.
“Every part of the game has been shaped through more than three years of development, playtesting, and listening to players. Nothing in Catvale was created by a large studio or committee. It grew organically through countless iterations, experiments, mistakes, and improvements,” says its creator, Łukasz Berdowski.
It shows. The game looks and feels incredibly polished, with a beautifully presented board, tokens, and card set. Inspired by the likes of Everdell, Root and Vindication, the game blends elements from all of them. “Catvale ultimately does its own thing,” adds Łukasz. “One game you might become a respected builder or trader, while the next you end up as a notorious troublemaker whose greatest achievement is making everyone else’s life miserable.”
5. Personal Demons
Upcoming Page | Card placement, soul arrangement
Judson Cowan is no stranger to crowdfunding or creating brilliant board games. His previous title, Deep Regrets: An Unfortunate Fishing Game, had an incredible run on Kickstarter. Judson’s latest project, Personal Demons, looks to not only be his most personal project to date, but also a very special one. “I’ve always been a big proponent of destigmatising mental health issues. I deal with depression and anxiety, and in my previous career, I gave a lot of talks at my company about coping with and identifying different mental health disorders,” said Judson as I chatted with him after the show.
In Personal Demons, players join a therapeutic ritual to conquer their inner demons. Each round, players place a card into their unique summoning circle, then pass their remaining hand to the next player. Wrapped in his trademark style and sitting at 4,364 followers at the time of writing, this looks like another huge hit for the team.
6. The Chronicles Of Erinoth
Official Website | Tales from a dying world
This one’s a little different. The Chronicles of Erinoth isn’t yet crowdfunding, but it likely will be in the future. “I’d like to try and run something for the first miniatures before the end of the year so we can go into the 2027 convention circuit with the real thing,” said Jos, the creator of the game and miniatures. Greyhawk Miniatures sculpt their own figures that can be blended into the TTRPG: a dark fantasy adventure set in a once-glorious world now teetering on the brink of death.
Erinoth is a dying world; its light is fading, its peoples are divided by petty rivalries, and all the while it is coveted by devotees of dark gods who wish to bring about a new age of nightmares.
As for how the game plays and feels? “I suppose the closest, or best-known, games are Mordheim/Necromunda and perhaps the old Lord of the Rings skirmish game (also by Games Workshop). Or maybe the Corvus Belli systems? I don’t really know! I’ve tried to make something that isn’t just a shadow of another system.”
If you haven’t yet, I highly recommend you read through their factions breakdown and look at some of the art they’ve shared. It’s stunning stuff and definitely one to follow for the future.
7. Colostle: The Moat
Live Page | Solo play, ocean-wide depth
With 18 days remaining on its Kickstarter and already funded, Colostle: The Moat is the 5th expansion to Colostle and the fourth book in the series - a solo RPG rulebook set in a castle so big that there are oceans, mountains, and cities within its rooms. Originally crowdfunded, this latest addition continues to grow the franchise. “The Moat specifically came from a desire to echo parts of real castles in the expansions - the expansion before was the Dungeons,” said Nich Angell, the game designer and illustrator behind the series. “There is also definitely some inspiration from Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom,” he adds.
Somewhat comparable to Ironsworn and Storm Weavers, Colostle delivers beautiful artwork that’s Ghibli-esque with incredibly accessible price points.
Where’ve You Been?
Sometimes life just gets in the way, but a very busy GDC (my talk is free and available here), working on my own card game (you can find the Print & Play here!) several game launches, a role change and a trip to UKGE later…normal scheduling will now resume.
Great recommendations! I will go see you gdc talk now, thanks for sharing!!