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Connie Vogelmann, designer of Wyrmspan and Apiary, is set to debut Tideward, a lighter strategy board game about guiding baby sea turtles to the ocean. A report on October 6, 2026, said visitors can demo it at the Avalon Hill and Hasbro booth during SPIEL Essen, which runs October 22–25, 2026. The same report gives a planned retail date of January 16, 2027, and a price of $39.99; those details have not been corroborated by an official Tideward listing.
What is Tideward?
Tideward is a forthcoming board game for two to four players, designed by Connie Vogelmann. Players guide newly hatched sea turtles from a beach toward underwater algal mats, trying to avoid predators along the way. The game’s reported age recommendation is 10 and up.
Those details come from Polygon reporting reproduced by a secondary source. No official Tideward product page or rules were located, so the mechanics and product details below should be read as reported rather than independently verified rules.
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How the reported gameplay works
On a turn, a player takes three actions, choosing from hatching eggs, gathering food to fuel a turtle’s journey, or moving hatchlings. The central puzzle is how to get turtles across the board and arrange them on algal mats: those mats score differently depending on the turtles’ positions. Secret quest cards add private objectives and opportunities to earn points.
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The report says the game ends when one player has moved all their turtles into the water, then the player with the highest score wins. That ending means the race to finish and the effort to maximize points happen together; reaching the water first does not, by itself, establish the winner.
Why Vogelmann describes it as a lighter game
Vogelmann told Polygon that Tideward is “lighter than Apiary and Wyrmspan, but there is a lot of strategy.” She said the idea took shape at Gen Con while she was working on a more complex game involving interlocking rondels. She began wondering what would happen if she removed that complexity and focused the puzzle on automated movement; baby turtles became the theme that brought the concept together.
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The reported age recommendation also distinguishes it from her earlier games: Tideward is aimed at ages 10 and up, while Apiary and Wyrmspan are intended for ages 14 and up. Vogelmann said she wanted to make a lighter game and enjoys bringing new players into the hobby. This is the designer’s characterization, not an independent assessment of difficulty.
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Vogelmann is known for Wyrmspan, a standalone dragon-themed game inspired by mechanisms from Wingspan. Stonemaier Games Europe says Wyrmspan is not compatible with Wingspan. That background identifies her earlier work; it does not establish that Tideward shares mechanics with either game.
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Where and when to see Tideward
The report says the first public demo is planned for the Avalon Hill and Hasbro booth at SPIEL Essen. The fair is scheduled for October 22–25, 2026, in Essen. Its organizer describes SPIEL as a public board-game fair where visitors can try games at exhibitor booths.
Spielwarenmesse eG reported that the 2025 fair drew 220,000 visitors and featured 948 exhibitors from 50 countries, with more than 1,700 new products. Those figures describe the 2025 event, not expected attendance or exhibitor numbers for 2026. No booth number or Tideward demo schedule has been confirmed in the available sources.
Rank #4
Reported price and retail release
The October 6, 2026 report lists a price of $39.99 and says sales through local game stores and other retailers are planned to begin January 16, 2027. These are reported plans, not confirmed current availability: no official Tideward listing or specific retailer page was located. Before buying, check that a listing is for the correct game and confirm its price, region, stock, and release timing.
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Sources
- Polygon reporting on Tideward, reproduced by a secondary source, October 6, 2026.
- SPIEL Essen’s official event information.
- Spielwarenmesse eG’s SPIEL Essen press information.
- Stonemaier Games Europe’s Wyrmspan product page.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
