by W. Eric Martin

▪️ Spanish designer Unai Rubio has had a few titles published since 2016 — Caper, Caper: Europe, and It’s Mine — and in 2026 he’ll launch his own publishing company, Unair Games, with The Idles…which is not about a member of Monty Python, but instead a particular time period in the United States:

If you do find yourself in that position, just remember:

Rubio is detailing the game’s backstory in the game’s forum on BGG, posting twice so far.

▪️ Let’s turn to another head-to-head confrontation in The Cask, a Scott Rogers design from WizKids that currently bears a September 2026 release date:

Here are a few of the Montresor cards that fiend might use:

▪️ Unlike the previous two games, Schooled is a two-player game in which both players have the same goal: Score the most points.

In this Cecil Oakton design from Analog Game Studios, players take turns placing one of their three visible fish — valued 1-6 — on an empty space on the game board. Initially you can place only next to yourself, but once a player has three fish on the board, you can place a fish next to their fish as long as the value of your fish tops the sum of the opposing adjacent fish or your fish is a 1 against a lone 6. In this case, you flip the opposing fish to their dead, skeletal side.

To refill your “hand” of fish, look at the top token on your three restock piles, then choose one and add it to your hand. Instead of placing a fish, you can remove a dead fish to open a space for future plays. As the rules state: “Dead fish pose no threat.” Seems like a good life lesson there.

At game’s end, either after all fish have been placed or a player can no longer play, players score points equal to the sum of their living fish, with bonuses for occupying certain spaces on the game board, with two board designs included in the box.

▪️ We’ll end with another two-player in which players have the same goals, but this time that’s because the game is co-operative. Let’s jump ito an overview of The Glasgow Train Robbery, a design from Eloi Pujadas, Ferran Renalias, and Salt & Pepper Games:

The Glasgow Train Robbery is a co-operative game for two players inspired by one of the most infamous crimes in British history. Set in 1960s Scotland, you and your partner take on the roles of two key members of a criminal crew determined to intercept and rob a high-value train — without getting caught.

Over the course of the game, you’ll work together to plan the heist, gather the right equipment, mislead the authorities, and finally execute the robbery in a high-stakes finale. Communication is limited, tension is high, and every decision counts. Will you manage to synchronize your actions, stay ahead of the investigation, and escape with the loot? Or will a single misstep derail the whole operation?

Designed for tight cooperation and replayability, The Glasgow Train Robbery challenges players with unexpected twists and a constantly shifting landscape of risks and rewards. The game is played over an undetermined number of turns, ending successfully if you manage to complete all five plan cards before the train reaches London, with the Coordinator needing to complete the first four, and the Operator the final one. Fail to complete the plan in time or leave too many clues behind, then the police will catch you and you’ll lose your freedom…and the game.

Salt & Pepper Games has released multiple games inspired by historical events — The Hunt, Onoda, The Battle of Versailles, Operation Barclay, and more — and while The Glasgow Train Robbery fits into this category, the publisher notes that it’s also “the first title in a new series of games inspired by the most legendary heists in history”. The publisher continues:

My first thought: Did Salt & Pepper Games pull off the Louvre heist to sell more games?