Gen Con was busier than ever, and there were a multitude of big announcements over the course of the event. Whether it was a tease of what’s coming for franchises like Dungeons & Dragons, Riftbound, and Vampire the Masquerade, unexpected franchise crossovers, the return of a classic game with a modern refresh, or new characters and scenarios for already established games, there was a little bit of everything at this year’s Gen Con. Here are the announcements that stood out most.
8. Marvel Champions Shadowland Scenario Pack
Let’s start with a staple Marvel game in Fantasy Flight Games’ Marvel Champions, which has been leaning heavily into the Daredevil and Defenders corner of the Marvel Universe as of late. That’s why it’s perfect timing for a new Daredevil-themed Scenario Pack, and the new pack will adapt a famous Daredevil storyline in Shadowland.
Shadowland was a story that had Daredevil taking control of The Hand, and while it started out okay, the corruption of the demon Krahilak sent it all downhill fast. Now a new 90-card Scenario Pack will bring that story to life in Marvel Champions with three new scenarios to challenge your favorite heroes, and they can either be played by themselves or together as part of one epic campaign.
The scenario puts a special focus on positioning to the main villain, and features a number of notable characters from Daredevil’s world, including White Tiger, Elektra, The Gorgon, Lady Bullseye, and more. After you and your allies make your way through all of the challenges, it’s time to face the leader of the Hand and his dark magic, and he will quickly stack the odds against you as he attempts to inflict more corruption counters on the party. The Marvel Champions: The Card Game – Shadowland Scenario Pack releases on October 16th.
7. Mercenaries Wanted
Next up is the next adventure in the Gloomhaven universe, which fans got their first look at during Gen Con. The game is titled Mercenaries Wanted, and comes from one of the lead designers of Gloomhaven, Dennis Vögele. Mercenaries Wanted will task 1 to 6 players taking on the role of a mercenary company leader, and over the course of the game, you’ll recruit mercenaries to complete jobs for you and hopefully earn the most gold.
This is a mercenary company after all, so between turns you’ll also figure out which mercenaries to keep on your roster, who to let go, and who to promote, all while completing jobs and then competing l then compete in a series of tournaments to earn fame and fortune.
There are 61 mercenaries for hire that can be drafted to your roster, and 32 jobs are available for completion. If you’ve been waiting to return to the Gloomhaven universe or have wanted to try it out for the first time, Mercenaries Wanted might be exactly what you’re looking for.
6. Riftbound 2027 Sets
Riftbound continues to be one of the hottest games in the TCG genre, and that doesn’t show any signs of stopping next year. At Gen Con, Riot Games revealed more details on Riftbound: Radiance (Set 5), which will hit later this year on October 23rd, but it had even more to share about next year’s lineup.
First, there is Riftbound: Legacy (Set 6), which is the game’s first draft-focused set and features a League of Legends Classic crossover. The set will get 2027 started with a release on January 29th, but it gets better, as launching right after Legacy is Proving Grounds 2nd Edition, which will hit stores on February 19th, 2027.
After Legacy, it’s time for Riftbound: The Reckoning (Set 7), which will include some of League of Legends‘ biggest Champions and will hit stores on April 30th, 2027. We then have two more sets revealed, though we don’t have names for them yet. Set 8 will take place in Bandle City and will hit in Quarter 3 2027, while Set 9 will hit in Quarter 4 2027.
5. Unmatched: Slay The Spire
Restoration Games had a lot to reveal during its Blueprints presentation, but it saved its biggest surprise for last. That’s when Restoration revealed that its next licensed set will be Unmatched Slay the Spire, and Restoration couldn’t be more excited to team up with Megacrit on this fan-favorite franchise.
Slay the Spire has already been adapted into a critically acclaimed board game, and now it will be brought into one of tabletop’s premier franchises in Unmatched. There’s no release date for the set yet, but the good news is there’s even more to get excited about for Unmatched fans.
Slay the Spire was the last of three new Unmatched sets announced, and the first one up to bat will be Unmatched: Once Upon a Time. Once Upon a Time will be a classic set and feature popular fairy tale characters like Snow White, the Big Bad Wolf, Mulan, and Pinocchio. The second new set is Unmatched Adventures: A Study in Terror, and this will be part of the cooperative line. There will be plenty of twists and turns and two new villains, but no release date has been revealed for either set.
4. Vampire The Masquerade V6
Vampires are experiencing a bit of a renaissance at the moment, so it feels like there’s no better time for a new Vampire: The Masquerade to step out of the darkness. That’s exactly what’s happening too, as White Wolf announced during Gen Con that they are working on a new edition of the game with Creative Director Jess Lanzillo at the helm.
More details are coming to light on the new edition of the game, but there will be a reworked rules engine and more options for both players and storytellers. That includes a new resource called Quickening, which can be earned when rolling well and can then be spent to enhance rolls. Storytellers also have access to a play-generated resource called Drama, which they can spend to trigger events, boost NPCs, and increase the stakes for players’ actions.
There’s also a reimagined Tension system, which will now feature a Beast and Nature Tracker and a revamped Humanity Scale. Then there’s a new mechanic called Devil’s Bargain, which allows a player to make a deal with the storyteller to get a success by paying a price, though there’s also Choose Your Pain, which in dire moments allows the player to choose how they suffer and which complication they will have to deal with. You can try out the Alpha Playtest for V6 right now.
3. Hellbreak And Jason
Hellbreak made quite the impression at Gen Con, and Spin Master and Ghost Galaxy’s new TCG seems primed to make an even bigger impact when it finally hits stores. The new game will feature classic Universal Monsters and iconic horror characters like Dracula, the Bride of Frankenstein, Jaws, and the Headless Horseman, but it’s also getting another iconic killer added to the roster in Jason.
The Friday the 13th icon is the first additional character to join the game’s roster, and adds yet another classic film and franchise to the lineup as well. As with all of the characters in Hellbreak, Jason will have his own playstyle and weapons to utilize in matches, and he will of course have his patented hockey mask.
That hockey mask will give the attached card Bloodlust 1, which will gain 1 blood when Jason kills a minion. One of Jason’s Unleashed Actions is Savage Blow, which boosts your attack for each location you control. Jason’s monster card allows you to add damage for every item attached, and he’s even got a Frozen with Fear asset that you attach to a minion, and that minion cannot ready. Jason looks like a perfect addition to the game, and we can’t wait to see the chaos he can cause.
2. Dungeons & Dragons X World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft has allowed fans to experience the world of Azeroth across many adventures since its launch, but now Blizzard is giving fans a completely different way to experience the world though its new World of Warcraft Season of Champions product line. Season of Champions will allow players to create a character in every WoW class and species, with the book containing 11 species and 9 subclasses, of which 6 are completely new to Dungeons & Dragons.
The Season of Champions book will also feature 30 dungeon boss states, 60 spells, 26 magic items, mounts, companion creatures, and professions. The book also includes over 40 specializations, 50 new monsters and iconic bosses with stat blocks, dungeons, mounts, and companions.
The special Collector’s Edition of the book will feature one side with a Horde Insignia and an Alliance logo on the other side. There will also be a gameplay expansion, a map pack, miniatures, and a GM screen in the mix as well, and the best part is that the new Dungeons & Dragons X World of Warcraft crossover will launch this November.
1. Dungeons & Dragons X Star Wars
The new Dungeons & Dragons X World of Warcraft crossover is part of a newly announced branch of D&D titled Universes Beyond. If the name sounds familiar, that’s because it’s already massively popular over in Magic: The Gathering, and this line of products will operate in a very similar way. Wizards of the Coast saved their next entry in this lineup for the very end of the presentation, and that was none other than Star Wars.
After the lights went out, all that could be seen was Darth Vader holding a red lightsaber, which cued up the Dungeons & Dragons X Star Wars logo. No artwork or details were revealed for the Universes Beyond set, but it was revealed that the crossover will be released sometime in late 2027 during the Season of Rebellion.
If you watch the presentation, the reaction from the crowd seemed to be minimal, but the announcement had people buzzing online, as one would expect with a crossover that involves two giants like Dungeons & Dragons and Star Wars. If the Magic: The Gathering Universes Beyond releases are anything to go by though, this should end up being massively popular, and if Starfighter ends up getting a great reaction from the fanbase, it could make the hype for this crossover even bigger.
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