Weekly News

3/27/14

Site News:

International TableTop Day is coming up on April 5th! We have an event on their webpage and a Facebook event. If you’re in the Metro North area of Boston and don’t already have plans, consider stopping by and saying hello. We’ll probably have a couple giveaways, and we’ve invited a number of local designers to come and test their new games. (And if you are a local designer we haven’t spoken to, feel free to contact us!)

As if that wasn’t enough, Pax East is the following weekend (April 11-13). We’re arranging a time where people can stop by in the free play area and say hello, but if you are a game designer looking to demo or a fellow reviewer who will be attending, we would love to hear from you!

New Games:

Lords of Xidit is a re-skin more than a new game, but we don’t have a separate section for that. Libellud has re-done his Spiel-nominated Himalaya to fit in with Seasons, his previous (and very popular) game. Lords of Xidit incorporates an interesting scoring mechanism – at the end of the game, players are scored in a number of categories in a way that sounds similar to the scoring in 7 Wonders. The loser of one category is eliminated before the next category is scored, and the order in which this happens is determined at the beginning of the game. Could lead to some interesting tactical choices. It’s due out at Gen Con 2014. (via BGG)

Also by Libellud is Loony Quest, a drawing game due out in 2014. Players study a map containing obstacles for a short period of time, then they’re charged with drawing a path through that map on tracing paper. If their map lines up with the level, they score points. Unfortunately, doesn’t look like it’ll be available in the US. (via BGG)

Citrus, on the other hand, is coming to the US soon. It was a hit at Essen. (via BGG)

Kanban: Automotive Revolution is due out soon from Stronghold Games. It’s a business sim centered around a car factory, and there seem to be plenty of complexities to keep players entertained. In addition to two difficulty levels, there’s a timing mechanic, a market mechanic, and a mechanic designed to promote efficiency, though I’m not sure what exactly that is. (via BGG)

The Battle of the Five Armies is set in Tolkien’s Middle-Earth, specifically along the Southern and Eastern edges of the Lonely Mountain. It’s a standalone based on War of the Ring and it’s due out Q3. (via BGG)

Fantasy Flight has announced The Last Banquet, a game for 6-25 people. It seems to be a hybrid mix between a tabletop RPG and those dinner theater games that are always more interesting on paper than they are in person.

Doomtown: Reloaded is a re-do of the CCG Deadlands: Doomtown. AEG is releasing it at Gen Con 2014. (via BGG)

There’s also an asynchronous-play X-Files game due out in July from IDW and Pandasaurus. I’m a huge fan of the series, so I’m not complaining, but I am curious about why X-Files right now. (via BGG)

Praetor, the followup game to NSKN’s breakout game Exodus: Proxima Centauri, is due out in Q2 of this year. So, soon. In it, players are Roman engineers trying to make the best city they can and earn the title of Praetor. Rome? Worker placement? We’re all over that.

Level 7’s creepy alien-filled universe is expanding with Level 7 [Invasion], a standalone co-op game that takes place after Level 7 [Omega Protocol]. (via BGG)

Expansions:

Ascension: Realms is a new standalone expansion for Ascension, and it should be out this summer. (via Initiative: Tabletop)

Fantasy Flight is releasing Manor of Ravens, a new expansion for Descent 2e. It involves travelling to an abandoned manor house . . . and really, nothing else matters to me. I’m such a sucker for abandoned manor houses. But if you need more convincing, you fight a “terrifying guardian” and face “deadly danger”.

AEG is releasing two expansions for Trains. One is just a map back, but the other is titled Rising Sun. (via BGG)

Crowdfunding Corner:

A new racing game seems to pop up on Kickstarter every month, but Monster Kart Mayhem distinguishes itself through it’s format. It’s not a strict board game, a la Formula D, but more of an RPG/board game hybrid – it uses Fudge Dice and players take on the roles of specific cryptozoological drivers. Other than that, the Kickstarter doesn’t make clear how it combines the two formats.

The 2015 Daily Dungeon Calendar is up on Kickstarter. Each dungeon was initially hand-drawn, and is now being re-done digitally and transformed into a daily calendar for all your last-minute dungeon-crawling needs.

Crone is an RPG that uses a card-based system combined with your more-typical 3d6 + modifier. Players take on the roles of powerful witches and must maintain their reputations (though that does not necessitate that they have a good reputation) while battling dragons, giants, and other legendary foes. $15 gets you a pdf copy of the game.

Board Games: Now Blind Accessible is a new project that aims to create card sleeves with braille text for blind gamers and is a fantastic idea in our books.

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