If you have ever admired the bold, folk-art style of an Owen Davey illustration on a children's book or a board game box, here is your chance to play a game he designed himself. Fame and Fable is a competitive fantasy card game where one to four players race to become the most famous monster-slayer in the realm, and it lands at UK Games Expo this month before reaching shops later in the year.
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Find events near youDavey is best known for his artwork, with a client list that runs from Disney to National Geographic to LEGO, according to his agency Folio, and on Fame and Fable he handled both the illustration and the design. On your turn you buy ally and item cards from a shared market, then send them out to defeat monsters and complete contracts, climbing a fame track while occasionally tripping up your rivals. It is a push-your-luck game at heart. Chase one more monster for the glory, or bank what you have before a fight goes wrong. Sessions run around 45 to 90 minutes and it is pitched at ages 14 and up.
Players clearly liked the look of it. The Kickstarter campaign smashed its modest £8,000 goal in minutes back in February, closing on £289,737 from 5,964 backers, roughly 36 times what Davey asked for.
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Set up your group for freeFame and Fable will be available to demo at UK Games Expo 2026 at the NEC in Birmingham from 29 to 31 May, with a retail release to follow. If a hand-illustrated monster hunt sounds like your group's idea of a good evening, it is worth a look in person before it hits the shelves.
Sources: Owen Davey | Folio Art | Kicktraq | Board Game Bliss
