If you saw our list of the best board games of 2016, you'll know what a hot year it was for table play. And the great news is that, in the diametric opposite to real life, 2017 is shaping up to be even better.

Games on the horizon include novel improvements of several tried and tested genres. And there's even a couple of titles looking to break new ground in a hobby oversaturated with brilliance.

So grab your diaries and start pencilling in some dates - those pre-orders aren't going to make themselves. To help, we’ve even put them in expected order of release...