Board game fans have plenty to look forward to this autumn, as the industry's busy release season converges with Germany's SPIEL Essen fair in October, when many new titles are previewed or launched. Alongside successful crowdfunded projects finally reaching retail, the line-up includes tie-ins to major franchises such as Dune, The Lord of the Rings and Alice in Wonderland, catering to both casual family players and those wanting complex, all-day experiences.

Highlights include an Arthurian area-control game from the makers of Oathsworn that raised $2 million (about £1.6 million) via crowdfunding platform Gamefound, and a worker-placement game by designer William Attia set in a quest-giving border town. Lighter options include a fast, 20-minute dinosaur-racing card game for up to six players, a fantasy strategy title set in a golem-populated 19th-century Prague, and a climate-themed tile-laying game about restoring animal habitats, among others in the ten-strong list.