Five days into the new year and I’ve started my year with two great games: Santorini and Clank! What have you played so far? Tell me on Twitter.
Runewars Preview
The Runewars Miniatures Game can be pre-ordered now. According to the Fantasy Flight Games website, it is “epic, rank-and-file, fantasy warfare for two players, [and]you have the chance to achieve greatness by leading your army onto the field of battle and crushing your foes. … You’ll need to strategically command every unit, guiding them through forced marches, charges, ranged volleys, and vicious melee combat.”
Source: https://drafts.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2017/1/3/take-command-2/
Asmodee Acquires
Asmodee has acquired German publisher and distributor Heidelberger Spieleverlag, Spanish/French company EDGE Entertainment, and Spanish distributor Millennium. W. Eric Martin posted the press release on boardgamegeek.com: “The range of products from both companies also complement each other perfectly, allowing customers to offer an even wider range of games. Dixit, Codenames, Zombicide, X-Wing, and new hits like Star Wars: Destiny, Final Fantasy Trading Card Game.”
Source: https://boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/61090/asmodee-absorbs-heidelberger-spieleverlag-edge-ent
Renegade Recap
Renegade Games Founder and President Scott Gaeta looks back at the company’s 2016: “We were constantly being nominated for awards but almost always losing to Codenames. Not to say that we would have won otherwise but it was pretty funny.”
Source: http://www.renegadegamestudios.com/blog/2017/1/2/renegade-recap-2016-part-1
Upcoming Stronghold Games
Slated for February and March releases from Stronghold Games are Coal Baron: The Great Card Game and Stronghold Undead. According to ACD Distribution, “Coal Baron: The Great Card Game is a standalone game based on the very popular board game, Coal Baron, originally published in 2013” and “Stronghold: Undead is a re-balancing of the original Stronghold: Undead expansion for the second edition of Stronghold.”
Source: http://acddistribution.blogspot.com/2016/12/coal-baron-great-card-game-stronghold.html
Braintopia
Asmodee previewed its upcoming party game Braintopia, “a heart-pounding game of brain-benders and hyper-awareness, in which you and your opponents race to solve each puzzle the fastest. The eight different card types in the game feature various challenges that will test your puzzle-solving skills.”
Source: http://drafts.asmodee.us/en/news/2017/1/4/braintopia-is/
Frozen in Terror
Asmodee also shared an early look at the Expedition: Endurance expansion for T.I.M.E Stories. “[Y]our receptacle is one of the crew of the doomed Endurance. Something has gone wrong with the expedition, and you must travel back to the year 1914 to close whatever temporal rift you may find aboard the ship or in the Antarctic wilds beyond.” Expedition: Endurance is available for pre-order.
Source: http://drafts.asmodee.us/en/news/2017/1/3/frozen-in-terror/
Back Online
Dominion is back online. According to boardgamegeek.com, the new developer is Shuffle iT and the “browser-only product that doesn’t appear to be mobile-friendly” at this point.
Source: https://boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/61166/app-news-dominion-online-back-online-solforge-dies
Ethnos
Dice Tower News reports that Ethnos will be available in April. Players are trying “to take control of the land not through battling and direct war, but through influencing different tribes and peoples in the world to your side.”
Source: http://www.dicetowernews.com/ethnos-is-coming-in-april-from-cmon/35133
Interview with Scott Nicholson
Professor and game expert Scott Nicholson was interviewed by The Red Bulletin. “I encourage my students to design games that let people find their own meaning in a game. Real gamers will lose interest if it is just about scoring points or nabbing prizes. And if a good game has a connection to the outside world, then it can change that world.”
Source: https://www.redbulletin.com/int/en/culture/games-expert-scott-nicholson-on-why-games-make-us-smarter
Upcoming Board Game Conventions
January 20-22. Rocket City Gamefest. Hunstville, Alabama.
January 27-29, 2017. Polar Vortex Convention. Glen Ellyn, Illinois.
January 27-29. Eugene Games Gala. Springfield, Oregon.
January 28-29. GCOM Winter Games Fest 2017. Rockville, Maryland.
February 17-20. Orccon 2017. Los Angeles, California.
February 20-26. PrezCon 2017. Charlottesville, Virginia.
February 24-26. Fire & Ice Gaming Convention. Manitowoc, Wisconsin.
February 24-26. Gamicon Iron. Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
March 2-5. SaltCON. Layton, Utah.
March 3-5. GAD-Con. Aberdeen, Maryland.
April 7-9. Gaming Hoopla. Gurnee, Illinois.
April 22-23. QC Game Fest. Davenport, Iowa.
May 18-21. Geekway to the West. St. Charles, Missouri.
May 26-29. Gamex 2017. Los Angeles, California.
June 14-18. Origins Game Fair. Columbus, Ohio.
August 17-20. Gen Con 50. Indianapolis, Indiana.
September 1-4. Gateway 2017. Los Angeles, California.
Visit casualgamerevolution.com for more convention listings.
