David Thompson and Trevor Benjamin, the board game designers behind Osprey Games' hit Undaunted series, have just unveiled their latest project, Moytura, a two player game about vying for control of Ancient Ireland with the help of various deities.
The game, which looks to be coming out in 2026 according to BoardGameGeek, is part of Bitewing Games' Mythos line. This is a series of two-player strategy board games featuring myths and gods from various cultures.
In Moytura, you play a leader of the Tuatha Dé Danann, a supernatural humanlike race from Irish mythology. It's an area control game where you draft gods from a central 'market' to trigger special powers.
In a BGG post, Nick Murray of Bitewing Games compares Moytura to both El Grande and Pandemic. While it's not a co-op board game, the Pandemic comparison is still apt because you have a third party to contend with, an AI opponent representing the cursed Fomorian giants, that you both have to keep in check.
According to designer Thompson, "these enemies don't just harass the players. They score. They can win. This changes the psychological and tactical landscape of the game. Sometimes you and your opponent will tacitly cooperate to keep them in check. Other times you'll deliberately let them surge, just to drain your rival's resources."
Murray says Moytura is a little less complex than Undaunted, but points to the designers' proven track record of condensing deep strategic wargames into an extremely streamlined experience.
Moytura is expected to begin its crowdfunder on Kickstarter soon. Interestingly, Bitewing is launching another Mythos game in the same Kickstarter campaign.
Azure is a tile-laying game featuring the Four Auspicious Beasts of Chinese Myth. Together, these games form 'Wave 2' of the Mythos series.
Which mythological pantheon or story would just like to see in two-player board game form? Tell us on our Discord - I want a competitive Sisyphus boulder-rolling game. And check out our guide to the best board games if you're looking some great new recommendations.