The Cove is coming. Archon Studio's Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Board Game is getting three new expansions, and the one most fans have been waiting for is the Cove, the seafaring pirate faction from the Horn of the Abyss fan mod.
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Start organising for freeFor the uninitiated, Horn of the Abyss is a fan expansion for the original 1999 PC game that's been in active development since 2008. It's widely considered the definitive way to play HoMM III today, and the Cove faction, with its pirates, sea serpents, and the kingdom of Regna, is its flagship addition. The mod earned official recognition when GOG released it on their platform in 2025.
Now Archon Studio, working directly with the HotA development team, is bringing the Cove to the tabletop. The expansion adds new sea tiles for creating island maps and whirlpools, aquatic and pirate-themed creatures including nymphs and corsairs, and a solo campaign following two brothers hunting for the Horn of the Abyss artefact.
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Find events near youThe base board game is an adventure-driven strategy game for 1-4 players that recreates the PC game's loop of hero levelling, army building, and map exploration. If you spent your childhood (or, let's be honest, last Tuesday) conquering the land of Erathia, the board game nails that feeling.
The Cove launches alongside the Stronghold and Conflux expansions through a Gamefound campaign.
Sources: Archon Studio | Gamefound Campaign | Horn of the Abyss
