Keeping things tense and exciting in tabletop games without just resorting to throwing the players into a fight is a central part of our discussion today on Tavern Watch -- we're talking torches burning down in Shadowdark or Crows, using the spotlight like a TV show director to keep things tense in Monster of the Week, or the Chaos mechanic in Triangle Agency that makes every roll a balancing act. Do you really want to let the director get enough Chaos to flat-out kill an agent?

Before we even broach that idea, though, we have so many upcoming games to talk about. We can't help ourselves! There's EN World's most anticipated games of 2026, of course -- we're all especially anxious to see #10, the Legend of Zelda and Dragon Quest-inspired Twilight Sword, do well -- as well as a number of Kickstarters; everything from the Dungeon Death zine, a 90s video-game-based isekai "setting" for Shadowdark to the Dark Matter Mega Box that gives the deluxe treatment to the 5E science fantasy setting (and includes a crossover with cutesy animal setting Humblewood by way of firing one of its cities into space).

If you're interested in something closer to the games you're more familiar with, you might want to try some new mystical classes for D&D 5E, check out Paizo's upcoming releases for Pathfinder including the return of four fan-favorite 1st Edition classes, or kick back and watch a Baldur's Gate TV show on HBO.... someday. Or you can be like Liz and continue vibrating excitedly over the idea that the Fallen London TTRPG might make it into your hands this year. You never know!

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