5 on Friday 24/04/26

It’s Friday, and here on No Rerolls that means it’s time for an all-new 5 on Friday. We’re going to start with 5 exciting releases for this week before moving on to our usual digest of some of our favourite articles from the past week. Of course, we’re slow readers, so don’t be surprised if there are some articles that are a little older – these are just some of the great articles we happen to have actually read in the past week.

Releases & Previews

Every week there are many games, books, and miniatures released. This will probably be a mix of previews, preorders, and releases, and with release dates being the way they are in this industry, it’s always pretty approximate. Excuses out of the way, here are 5 of the releases that caught our attention this week:

Archon Studio is taking preorders for their new Starcraft miniatures game – The Founders Edition two player starter set drops you straight into the Terran-Zerg war with premium components, exclusive early extras, and everything you need to hit the table fast. It’s a sleek, limited‑run launch box that showcases Archon’s sculpting and gives players a head start in the fight for the Koprulu sector.

Built as the definitive on‑ramp for the new StarCraft minis game, this set pairs two fully playable forces with terrain, rules, and founder‑only bonuses — a collector‑grade starter that doubles as a competitive core for anyone ready to command, swarm, or bunker down from day one.

Affiliate Links:

Element Games
Wayland Games

Battle Logic Labs releases their Cyber Strike wargame rules – I need a good set of cyberpunk skirmish rules, given my efforts earlier this year in painting a bunch of cyberpunk miniatures. Cyber Strike popped up among the new releases on Wargame Vault, so I thought it might be worth a look:

What’s interesting about this package is the formatting. It’s not a traditional PDF, as we’d expect from most digital versions of tabletop gaming rules. It looks like the rules and crew builders are both HTML-based packages. Interesting.

Affiliate Links:

Wargame Vault

Themeborne Ltd to release Escape the Dark Forest – As I mentioned last week when we looked at the upcoming second edition of Escape the Dark Castle, I really like this system. I actually went and chucked in a late pledge for both Escape the Dark Castle and this new game, Escape the Dark Forest.

This game is based on the second edition of the underlying system, so it uses the newer rules that aim to minimise some of the randomness in favour of a more coherent, roguelike, narrative experience. I love the idea of this game being set in some gnarly, twisted woods with new rules for fear and darkness. I’m looking forward to my copy arriving!

Affiliate Links:

Wayland Games

Chaosium releases Campfire Tales supplement for Call of Cthulhu – I think that throughout this current 7th edition of Call of Cthulhu, Chaosium has just hit it out of the park with book, after book, after book. It’s been a great edition with such good supplementary material. This latest offering looks fun!

New adventures? Kids in peril? A tonal shift for the series? Yes, please! This book looks like it’ll be a lot of fun..

Affiliate Links:

DriveThruRPG (PDF edition)
Wayland Games (physical edition)

BANDAI is taking preorders on Gundam Assemble Starter Set 01 (ST01) – Oh, this is a big release! I’ve got folk at club who will be all over this. The Gundam Assemble Starter Set 01 (ST01) is the perfect on‑ramp into Bandai’s new tactical minis game, pairing iconic mobile suits with streamlined rules and everything two players need to hit the table fast. It’s a tight, accessible launch box that shows off the system’s fast turns, crisp sculpts, and classic Universal Century flavour.

With pre‑assembled units, scenario play, and a ruleset built for quick, decisive skirmishes, ST01 delivers a complete head‑to‑head experience straight out of the box. It’s a sharp starter for anyone wanting to dive into Gundam tabletop battles without a huge amount of hobby overhead.

Affiliate Links:

Wayland Games

Blog Posts & Articles

The meat of 5 on Friday, the articles are listed in no particular order, so let’s get into some recommendations:

Grant’s Top 10 Solitaire Wargames of 2025! @ The Players’ Aid – As usual for these lists, I’ve not heard of most entries. I’m just not that up to speed on wargames or solitaire games. There are a few interesting titles here. If I were to pick one out to try first, it would probably be Onoda.

New to Me – March 2026 @ Dude! Take Your Turn! – There are two games in here that really interest me. First of all, Speakeasy looks excellent. I’d be keen to try that. I do have one Vital Lacerda game that I need to get to the table. I’d also be keen to try out Expeditions. Stonemaier are always pretty reliable.

Hacking #Borg Games @ Burn After Running – A quick, practical rundown of house rules that make Mörk Borg one‑shots punchier and less disposable. These range from starting advances to armour tweaks and boosted player options. It’s a smart tune‑up for anyone running a #Borg game.

Wyrmspan: Dragon Academy review @ Scent of a Gamer – Wyrmspan is sitting unplayed on my shelf. Seeing folk enjoying it, and the expansions that have started to surface, whets the appetite to get it to the table. I’ve never played any of the ‘span’ games. I’ll try and get it out at club at some point this year!

Spearhead City of Ash Review – Warhammer Age of Sigmar @ Sprues & Brews – A full tour of Spearhead: City of Ash — from its excellent new Skaven and Cities of Sigmar minis to the standout terrain, relic mechanics, twists, and linked campaign — plus a breakdown of both forces’ rules, strengths, and tactics. It’s a generous, fast‑play starter packed with great models and smart additions, held back only by the lack of unit cards.

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There have been a few posts here since my last 5 on Friday: