December’s meetup was our Christmas special, and it delivered exactly what we hoped for: great games, plenty of laughs, and a generous helping of festive cheer. With mince pies and other sweet treats fuelling the tables throughout the day, it was the perfect way to round off the year.

We kicked things off in style with two tables dedicated to big games. One group settled in with Ark Nova, carefully balancing conservation, zoo design, and long-term planning, while another dove into the sprawling, brain-burning depths of High Frontier, a game based around real world orbital physics. Elsewhere, things began on a lighter note with the adorable Pixies, before taking a sharp (and delightfully bonkers) turn into Cosmic Frog, where chaos, bold moves, and plenty of table talk ruled the day.

Running alongside everything was our traditional Pitch Car competition. Throughout the meetup, each table took turns to compete, flicking wooden discs around the course in pursuit of racing glory. But Pitch Car wasn't the only spectacle, this year Crockinole made an appearance... a very different disc-flicking sort of game to Pitch Car!

Later in the day, the classic German route-planning game Thurn and Taxis hit the table, offering a calmer but no less engaging challenge. The meetup wrapped up with Turncoats, a beautifully handmade game whose stripped-back elegance will appeal to fans of The King Is Dead or A War of Whispers. Its simple rules and shifting loyalties made for a tense and memorable finish.

A fantastic Christmas meetup all round — great games, great company, and a wonderful way to close out the year.

Our next meeting is on 10th January, you can see our upcoming meetings on our calendar and our Meetup group.