It’s a Bears vs Babies bonanza in the June issue of Tabletop Gaming, out next week – pre-order your copy now!

The summer’s here! Well, almost – but you can get ready for the rays by pre-ordering the June issue of Tabletop Gaming (or why not subscribe and never miss an issue again?) so it’s through your letterbox in time to be enjoyed in the sun.

If our brilliantly pink cover hasn’t caught your eye already, this month we’re all about Bears vs Babies, the bonkers monster mash-up set to be this summer’s biggest party game hit from the geniuses behind Exploding Kittens. We’ve chatted exclusively to designer Elan Lee about following up the HUGE Kickstarter success of Kittens and making people giggle and guffaw with silly drawings.

Equally colourful is GKR: Heavy Hitters, the debut game from Weta Workshop – the Oscar-winning visual effects crew behind massive movies such as Lord of the Rings, Avatar and Mad Max. It’s a visual treat, and senior concept designer Paul Tobin tells us about getting Giant Killer Robots to smash each other to bits.

Sticking with the movie theme, pop culture art studio Mondo is also taking its first steps onto the tabletop with the first official board game based on John Carpenter’s legendary horror film The Thing. Brand director Jay Shaw helps us survive the Infection at Outpost 31.

It’s UK Games Expo next week, which means plenty of tabletop tournaments will be crowning new UK champions. In our pro gaming special, we speak to international champions in everything from Magic: The Gathering, Catan and Diplomacy to Pokemon, Scrabble and X-Wing about how they turned their hobby into a profession and became the best players in the world.

That’s just a handful of the many, many exclusive interviews, features and articles in the June issue – whether you’re after the latest info on upcoming planetary survival game First Martians and Stranger Things-esque ‘80s-throwback roleplaying game Tales from the Loop or looking for advice to build your ultimate gaming room, we’ve got you covered.

We even enter another dimension, as we examine the legacy of occult parlour games such as tarot cards and Ouija boards on the tabletop. Plus, there’s nibbles, in the form of edible RPG Cooking With Dice.

Not to mention our regular RPG and model painting advice columns, our in-depth dive into the making of X-Wing and our round-up of 10 of the best games you can pick up for under a tenner.   

Of course, we’ve checked out the latest and greatest games and given our verdict on the releases you should consider picking up this summer, including reviews of Gloomhaven, Dark Souls: The Board Game, Great Western Trail, Runewars, Yamatai, Unlock!, Exit: The Game, Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective: Jack the Ripper & West End Adventures, Spiel des Jahres nominee Magic Maze, Plague Inc: The Board Game and more!

We’ve barely scratched the surface of next month’s issue, but there’s so much more gaming goodness in store.

Pre-order your copy now or subscribe to make sure you never miss an issue of the world’s best tabletop and board games magazine!