Molly House, a game of queer joy and betrayal set in 18th century London, has won the Complex Games category at the 2026 American Tabletop Awards. The award goes to designers Jo Kelly and Cole Wehrle, with the results announced on 14 April.
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Find events near you"Molly houses" were underground pubs and salons in 18th-century London where queer men could meet in relative privacy, always under threat from the Society for the Reformation of Manners. The game puts players in those shoes, building safe social spaces while an informer mechanic means someone at the table might sell the group out. Over a session, one player may choose betrayal, mirroring the real historical dangers these communities faced.
Wehrle called Molly House "the most controversial game I've worked on", though not for the reasons you might expect. "Players were uncomfortable with the amount of chaos in the design," he told Wargamer. The heavy reliance on dice and random card dealing is intentional, representing the lack of agency that 18th-century queer communities experienced. "I stand by it," Wehrle said. "I think it does its thematic work really well."
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Start organising for freeIf you know Wehrle's other designs, that stubbornness tracks. His credits include Root (BGG #30, over 50,000 ratings), Pax Pamir, Oath, and the recently launched Arcs. Wehrle has a reputation for games that refuse to shy away from difficult themes. Molly House, published through his studio Wehrlegig Games, plays 1-5 players in 60-120 minutes and retails for around £60 ($74.99).
Molly House beat Tidal Blades 2: Rise of the Unfolders and Covenant for the prize. The same ceremony saw CMYK Games sweep both Early Gamers and Casual Games, while Matt Leacock's The Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship took Strategy.
Sources: Board Game Wire | Wehrlegig Games | Wargamer
