If you've been eyeing The Last Spell: The Board Game but haven't pulled the trigger, April might be your month. Ares Games is rolling out free demo events across roughly 100 stores throughout the month, with locations spread across 30 US states plus a handful in Canada and Poland.
The Last Spell started life as a tactical roguelite video game by French studio Ishtar Games, where it earned a 92% positive rating on Steam from over 6,000 reviews. The board game adaptation, designed by Nestore Mangone and Alessandro Veracchi and published by Tabula Games, translates that desperate tower defence energy into a cooperative tabletop experience for 1-4 players.
The setup: humanity's reckless use of magic has nearly destroyed the world, and your band of heroes must protect the last remaining mages while they cast a final spell to rid the land of magic for good. Over branching campaign scenarios or standalone missions, you'll fortify defences during the day and fend off monstrous hordes at night. Think tactical RPG meets cooperative tower defence with a roguelite twist.
Of the roughly 100 demo locations, dates vary by store, so check the full list on the Ares Games website for specifics. Black Dragon Games, for example, has a demo night scheduled for April 30.
If your group is into co-op tactical games with a campaign structure, playing for free before committing to a campaign game is about as good as it gets.
Sources: Ares Games | Steam | BoardGameGeek | Black Dragon Games