“Now, my brothers, I shall be…king” - Excalibur
Where most of the gaming community has kept their eyes firmly on Roxley for the much anticipated next instalment of the Brass series, Brass Pittsburgh; the team has already been hard at work in 2026 to provide backers with another new title of a very different, but ultimately very fun variety.
Excalibur is a 2 to 8 player title of deception, tile drafting, characters, powers and swords! I mean it on that last one, the collectors edition in my hands currently contains three albeit smaller and blunter replica swords of both the titular Excalibur and also two others which anyone familiar with Arthurian legends will recognise.
Speaking of Arthurian legend, I am happy to report that amongst the characters which adorn the 62 game tiles, almost every legendary figure you would want to see is featured, each with their own distinct and unique gameplay effects.
“Now, my brothers, I shall be…king” - Excalibur
Where most of the gaming community has kept their eyes firmly on Roxley for the much anticipated next instalment of the Brass series, Brass Pittsburgh; the team has already been hard at work in 2026 to provide backers with another new title of a very different, but ultimately very fun variety.
Excalibur is a 2 to 8 player title of deception, tile drafting, characters, powers and swords! I mean it on that last one, the collectors edition in my hands currently contains three albeit smaller and blunter replica swords of both the titular Excalibur and also two others which anyone familiar with Arthurian legends will recognise.
Speaking of Arthurian legend, I am happy to report that amongst the characters which adorn the 62 game tiles, almost every legendary figure you would want to see is featured, each with their own distinct and unique gameplay effects.
From those you would expect (such as Merlin, Arthur and the Lady of the Lake) to those surprises you may not (Robin of Roxley anyone?), the cast is rendered in fantastic fashion with art from Manny Trembley (who also had his hands on the Game Design) and James Van Niekerk.
And whilst I stick with the visuals and production value I need to point out how much love and attention has gone into this small package. Between the three metal replica swords (which magnetically slot into dual layered stacks of custom trays), a tile tray which provides easy access to all of the game tiles, an actual miniature metal crown as both a first player marker and victory trophy, wooden or plastic tiles depending on your version, all wrapped in a small package which looks more like a trophy cabinet than a new game purchase.
But how does the game actually play?
Where Roxley has previously brought us rules heavy magnificence in Brass, this time brevity is the true king. The rules can and have been printed onto a sheet which most games would use as a player aid, with another provided for good measure as a guide to the characters which inspired the game.
This game is also an outlier in other ways. Where I have readily enjoyed the Brass series, it is a monster and presents several hours of strategic thinking, analysis paralysis (from my partner at least!) and often, constant discussion and deliberation over the best goals for the hand you have available vs what your opponents may also be doing.
Here instead you find a short, snappy game where there although misdirection abounds, there is absolutely no guesswork required for what any players goals are. You have but a single aim, get the sword. And once you have it, you need to keep it, and control the game towards a swift conclusion. That isn’t to say there aren’t multiple ways to achieve this, but if you have the sword from the start (and someone always does!) then you may want to hide that information for as long as possible unless you want a target on your back.
All this said, play time can vary by player count slightly, but as all of the turns occur simultaneously, there is no opportunity to drag out this game with indecision, and even at the maximum 8 players games will rarely approach much beyond 40 minutes. At the end of the day, there are 62 tiles you are all constantly using and drafting from, and only one third (or two at higher player counts) need to be drafted in order to trigger the end game.
If Brass is Roxley’s heavy euro title, Excalibur is it’s party game. It’s designed to be played quickly, it’s designed to be taught to new players, and with the table presence of actual swords, it’s easy to see this becoming a great addition to any number of game nights.
Cons? The tiles do require an unconventional shuffling (nothing a good card “washing” won’t fix however!), but in comparison to cards its something minor to note. Keeping the game random is key though, as I already suspect that some of the 16 legendary character chips are not all made equal, with some powers being very useful depending on when and how those chips appear.
Another minor concern is the powers description on the chips. The text can be quite small to read and the need to fit it all onto the size of a poker chip means that on a few occasions descriptions are more spartan than they need to be to prevent you reaching for the glossary sheet. Given that this sheet is no bigger than most player aids however, and multiple copies are included in the box, it isn’t that inconvenient to reach for one to clarify before you play, but it may tip your hand as to which wordy power you may have in your possession.
I could also easily see this game catching on for future themed sets or expansions, and there is room in the existing box where a few more character tile packs could keep things fresh. It doesn’t need it, but in this age where almost every game has at least one expansion or spin off, I would not be too surprised to see more content in the years to come.
Anyone who has read some of my reviews before knows I am generally a sucker for something unique, versatile and I am a firm believer that great games can and do come in small packages, and this is another that you should definitely check out when it hits retail later this year.
