Airecon 2026 - Our Highlights From Harrogate
Airecon 2026 - Our Highlights From Harrogate
From 12th to 15th March 2026, Games Lore returned to Harrogate for another fantastic year at Airecon - marking our third consecutive time attending the convention. And honestly? Each year somehow manages to top the last. Airecon continues to be one of the most welcoming, vibrant, and exciting board‑gaming events in the UK, and we were thrilled to be part of it again.
A massive thank you to everyone who placed an order for venue collection ahead of time - your support always makes these events a joy for us. And an equally big thank you to everyone who stopped by the stand for a browse and a chat. Getting to talk games with fellow enthusiasts is one of the highlights of the entire show.
Saying Hello to Publishers Around the Hall
One of the best parts of Airecon is stepping away from the stand and exploring the hall - catching up with familiar faces, discovering new designers, and hearing the passion behind their creations. Here are a few highlights from our wanderings.
No Drinks On The Table - Divide and Conker
The first friendly face we encountered was Kathrine from No Drinks On The Table and her charming game Divide and Conker. She's done something genuinely impressive: adapting the beloved childhood game Conkers into a clever, light‑hearted board game while perfectly preserving the spirit of the original. Your conker still hangs from a string; you're still trying to smash your opponent's conker; and everything feels satisfyingly tactile and thematic.
But this is modern conker‑combat:
It's nostalgic, funny, and surprisingly strategic.
Check out Divide and Conker HERE
Cloudrunner Games - Book of Skulls: Slayers of Eragoth
At the opposite end of the gaming spectrum - where heavy metal meets dungeon crawling - we spoke with Andy from Cloudrunner Games about his thunderous creation: Book of Skulls: Slayers of Eragoth.
This 2–4 player experience splits players into two teams, and each team controls both sides of the conflict - Slayers and Demons.
While one team is guiding their Slayers across the overland, the opposing team takes charge of the Demons waiting to ambush them. Then the roles reverse.
Some standout features:
It's intense, thematic, and gloriously brutal.
Join the Slayers and crush your opponents HERE
Molinarius Games - Time Troopers and Family Strategy Gems
Last but certainly not least, we visited the folks at Molinarius Games, who showcased a lineup that feels both accessible and full of clever depth.
Time TroopersTheir showstopper was the upcoming Time Troopers, a solo campaign game where you travel across eras - from the Dinosaur age, through Ancient Egypt and the Aztecs, all the way to distant future warzones. Your mission: collect relics across time. Atmospheric, adventurous, and full of variety, it promises a highly engaging solo experience.
But the surprises didn't stop there. Molinarius brought several small-but-mighty family-friendly games packed with strategy and replayability.
The LakesA cosy yet competitive two‑player journey through the Lake District, where you hike, complete missions, and plan efficient routes to score points. Chill on the outside - sneakily tactical underneath.
Shoal
A vibrant 2-4 player game of laying cards by following four simple placement rules. You want your fish visible, you want to hit the right scoring conditions, and the wide mix of scoring cards gives the game huge replay value.
Flippers
A lively 2-6 player puzzle‑tactics game where you play one of two cards from your hand into the shared area, triggering all your "explorers." They'll bump others around, rotate them, swap places, block opponents, and - most importantly - set up clever plays to score points.
A huge thank you once again to everyone who made Airecon 2026 unforgettable - from customers and friends to the brilliant publishers showcasing their hard work. We're already excited for next year.
