Fans of spooky roll and write games have another destination to look forward to!
Crowd Games has announced the next entry in its Guidebooks series, with players heading to the eerie streets of Kingsport in Kingsport: A Guidebook. The upcoming title continues the publisher's Lovecraft-inspired line of games and is designed for one to four players.
If you've already explored Arkham and Innsmouth, there's now another mysterious town waiting to be mapped!
Another journey into the Mythos
The Guidebooks series has steadily built a following by combining classic roll and write gameplay with locations inspired by H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos.
Previous entries have sent players through the twisting streets of Arkham, where ancient horrors lurked around every corner, before travelling to Innsmouth to contend with its unsettling seaside secrets.
Now it's Kingsport's turn to take centre stage.
Known in Lovecraft's stories for its strange atmosphere and lingering mysteries, the town provides the latest backdrop for players looking to put their route planning skills to the test.
Not just guiding tourists anymore!
Like earlier games in the series, Kingsport: A Guidebook revolves around rolling dice and drawing routes across the map.
This time, though, things are a little more complicated.
Rather than simply creating paths for tourists, players will also need to guide cultists through the town, carefully balancing two separate routes at the same time. Keeping everyone moving efficiently is only part of the challenge, as frightened tourists will also need to be escorted to shelters before they lose their sanity.
Along the way, magical artefacts can be collected to help improve your final score.
It's a familiar roll and write formula, but with a few extra decisions layered into every turn.
Rituals add another twist
Once the routes have been completed, the game isn't quite over.
Players must also resolve a ritual at the end of the game, which can either reward clever planning with extra points or punish mistakes by costing valuable tourists.
It's another element that encourages players to think beyond simply drawing the most efficient path across the board.
Fans of the earlier Guidebooks games should find plenty that's familiar here, while the added mechanics look set to give Kingsport its own identity within the series.
Plenty of replayability
Crowd Games has also revealed what's included inside the box, and there's a healthy amount of variety packed in.
Players will find four different cults, each offering a different level of difficulty, alongside six unique rituals that can change how each session plays out.
The game also includes eight objective cards and eight fog cards, which alter the starting conditions before the first turn even begins.
With different combinations available each time you play, no two games should unfold in exactly the same way.
It's the sort of modular setup that works particularly well in roll and write games, where small rule changes can create fresh puzzles without adding too much complexity.
One box for the whole collection
There's another nice touch for returning players too!
Crowd Games has confirmed that the Kingsport box has enough room to store both Arkham and Innsmouth alongside the new game.
For anyone collecting the series, that's a handy way to keep everything together without needing separate boxes on the shelf.
It's a small feature, but one that plenty of board gamers will likely appreciate.
Arriving in 2027
There's still a bit of a wait before players can start exploring Kingsport for themselves.
Crowd Games is currently planning to release Kingsport: A Guidebook in early 2027.
While an exact date hasn't been announced yet, fans of the series now have another Lovecraftian adventure to keep an eye on over the coming months.
With its mix of route building, evolving objectives, and eerie theme, Kingsport looks set to continue the Guidebooks formula rather than reinvent it. For players who have enjoyed the previous entries, that's likely to be exactly what they're hoping for!
