The Village Square: December 14, 2017

Greetings…!
Diverse entertainment publisher – including board games – Cryptozoic has announced a partnership with tinyBuild, LLC, and Dynamic Pixels, to produce the Hello Neighbor Channel on Quidd, a fast-growing digital trading platform for iOS and Android.  Based on the “stealth horror” video game by the same name, the channel will include trading cards, stickers and 3D collectibles…all digitally, of course…from the popular game.
Source: https://www.cryptozoic.com/articles/cryptozoic-and-tinybuild-announce-launch-hello-neighbor-channel-quidd-app

Close encounters…
Steamforged Games announces a new cooperative deck-builder to release in the 2nd quarter 2018.  Dark Souls: The Card Game tasks players to evolve their decks to collect souls and treasure as the fight through deadly encounters on their way to a fearsome boss.
Source: http://steamforged.com/ds-tcg

The prophecies unfold…
The Masters’ Trials: Wrath of Magmaroth is now available from AEG and Artipia Games. In the cooperative dice placement game, players band together as masters, building their characters and fighting to stop an evil foretold.
Source: https://www.alderacsite.com/the-masters-trials/

In the beginning…
Ankama Games releases two titles this month dealing with the beginning of time.  First help create the universe in Stellium, an abstract modular pattern design.  Then laugh it up with the dinosaurs in Dino Party, the dexterity game in which you attempt to save a species from extinction!
Source: http://acddistribution.blogspot.com/2017/12/dinoparty-stellium-releasing-in.html

Not the end…
Next month, Indie Boards and Cards releases the second expansion to Aeon’s End, 2nd Edition.  The addition adds two new nemeses and breach mages as well as gems, relics, spells and minions.
Source: http://acddistribution.blogspot.com/2017/12/aeons-end-void-new-from-indie-boards.html

Meanwhile at the tavern…
A new expansion to Slugfest Games’ Red Dragon Inn will introduce Adonis and the Lich King in January 2018.  The two new characters amp up the fun…and mischievousness.
Source: http://slugfestgames.com/look-over-there-its-the-lich-king/

Down with the humans…
Dude Games will release ARGH in January. An anacronym for Animals Revolt Against Humans, you must find allies and components to build a bomb while avoiding humans and their scum pets in this bluffing, deduction and negotiating game of animal revolution.
Source: https://dudegames.us/catalogue/product/DGAR01

Dual releases…
Also next month, Button Shy Games will release two small box tile-laying card games in their Select Games Line.  The limited run titles Feat on the Ground and Jewelers Row will first be available to patrons of their Board Game of the Month Club and then will be released for general sale.  The former is a resource management design while the latter is an inspired Match-3 game.
Source: https://buttonshygames.com/blogs/news-1/introducing-the-next-two-select-tiles-i-mean-titles

Bestsellers..
Mostly available only since November 21, Wizards of the Coast’s book Xanathar’s Guide to Everything is topping bestseller lists on the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Publisher’s Weekly and Amazon. In fact, the first major expansion to Dungeon & Dragons 5th Edition is now the fast-selling book in the franchise’s 43-year history.
Source: http://ddoplayers.com/2017/12/08/dd-xanathars-guide-to-everything-shatters-records/

Doing maths…
Game design and systems are generally about mathematics masked by theme.  That can be intimidating to new and budding designers. In this audio, J.T. Smith of the Game Crafter offers some hands-on working models and exercises to create for hypothetical games.
Source: http://news.thegamecrafter.com/post/168470923196/a-mathematical-model-isnt-as-scary-as-it-sounds

Upcoming Board Game Conventions
January 11-14. Midwinter Gaming Convention. Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
January 12-14. OrcaCon. Everett, Washington.
January 12-14. PAX South. San Antonio, Texas.
January 12-14. PAX West. Seattle, Washington.
January 13-14. Congress of Gamers. Rockville, Maryland.
January 19-21. Cascade Games Con. Bellingham, Washington.
January 19-21. HexaCon. Denver, Colorado.
January 19-21. Protospiel Minnesota. Bloomington, Minnesota.
January 26-28. EsCon. Escondido, California.
February 16-18. Con of the North. Minneapolis, Minnesota.
February 16-19. Orccon. Los Angeles, California.
February 19-25. PrezCon. Charlottesville, Virginia.
February 23-25. Great Plains Game Festival. Lincoln, Nebraska.
March 9-11. Granite Games Summit. Nashua, New Hampshire.
March 16-18. MeepleCon. Las Vegas, Nevada.
March 22-25. AdeptiCon. Schaumburg, Illinois.
March 23-25. ConnCon. Stamford, Connecticut.
April 5-8. PAX East. Boston, Massachusetts.
April 19-22. Kingdom-Con. San Diego, California.
April 27-29. QC Game Fest. Davenport, Iowa.
April 27-29. Gaming Hoopla. Mundelein, Illinois.
May 4-6. Heroicon. Decatur, Illinois.
May 11-13. CMON Expo. Atlanta, Georgia.
May 17-20. Geekway to the West. St. Charles, Missouri.
May 25-28. KublaCon. Burlingame, California.
May 25-28. Gamex. Los Angeles, California.
June 1-3. NashCon. Nashville, Tennessee.
June 13-17. Origins. Columbus, Ohio.
June 24-30. Rocky Mountain Gaming Vacation. Park City, Utah.
July 4-8. Dice Tower Con. Orlando, Florida.
July 12-15. HistoriCon. Fredericksburg, Virginia.
July 21-29. WBC. Champion, Pennsylvania
August 2-5. GenCon. Indianapolis, Indiana.
August 24-26. MegaMooseCon. Richburg, South Carolina.
August 24-28. Coulee Con. La Crosse, Wisconsin.
August 31-September 3. Gateway 2018. Los Angeles, California.

Visit casualgamerevolution.com for more convention listings.