Tellstones: King's Gambit

Lore & Background

Tellstones is set in Runeterra, the fictional universe of the video game League of Legends, and is described as being based on a traditional game played in the fictional region of Demacia. The game was developed to promote the League of Legends universe, as Riot Games released numerous related projects throughout 2019 and 2020. Following the success of Mechs vs. Minions in 2016, Riot announced the creation of an internal studio, Riot Tabletop, in January 2020 to develop further tabletop games. Creative director Chris Cantrell conceived the core gameplay idea at Gen Con 2017 and decided to differentiate the game by providing 'heirloom quality' game pieces. The studio tied the game into League of Legends by working around what Demacian symbols might look like and represent.

Reader's Guide

Tellstones: King's Gambit represents Riot Games' continued expansion into physical tabletop gaming, building on the foundation of Mechs vs. Minions. The game's significance lies in its attempt to bring the League of Legends narrative universe into a tangible, memory-based party game format. Its legacy is mixed: reviewers praised the game's presentation and build quality, with some calling the pieces 'exceptional' and 'premium', but criticized the gameplay as short, uninteresting, and one-note. Critics noted that the game felt fast and disposable, like a playground game, and lacked mechanics beyond its memory-based components. Some reviewers also found the connections to the League of Legends universe to be minimal. The game's release was slightly delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As Riot's second tabletop product, Tellstones demonstrated the company's commitment to diversifying its game offerings, though it did not achieve the same acclaim as its predecessor.

Did You Know?

• Tellstones was released on September 16, 2020.
• The game includes a 'boast' mechanic where a player can claim to know all hidden tokens and win or lose the game on that guess.