One of the best things about playing board games with my nieces and nephew is the post-game snack.
Race to the New Found Land
Z-Man Games announced that Race to the New Found Land is now available for pre-order. “It is the age of discovery and everyone is racing to claim the riches across the sea. Assemble your fleet, load up supplies, and deliver commodities to earn wealth and fame for your country.”
Source: https://www.zmangames.com/en/news/2018/6/28/deliver-commodities-and-earn-fame/
Scythe: The Rise of Ferris
The third expansion to Scythe, The Rise of Ferris, hits retail shelves on August 17th, according to the ACD Distribution blog. Two modes are available in this expansion: “Campaign (8 games): The story of Scythe continues and concludes with an 8-episode campaign. While the campaign includes surprises, unlocks, and persistent elements, it is fully resettable and replayable. Modular (11 modules): Instead of—or after—the campaign, the new modules in The Rise of Fenris can be used in various combinations to cater to player preferences. These modules are compatible with all Scythe expansions, and they include a fully cooperative module.”
Source: http://acddistribution.blogspot.com/2018/06/scythe-rise-of-fenris-new-from.html
Terraforming Mars: The Colonies
Dice Tower News reported that the latest Terraforming Mars expansion, The Colonies, will be released in October. The game “will expand out into the rest of the solar system to put space stations in the void and on the moons of other planets. It follows the other Terraforming Mars games and will play with 1-5 players in 2 hours.”
Source: http://www.dicetowernews.com/more-terraforming-mars-is-on-its-way/52880
Stronghold Fall Releases
Along with Terraforming Mars: The Colonies, seven new titles are expected from Stronghold Games this fall, according to ICv2.com. Among these are Fool!, a re-release of Friedemann Friese’s 1995 trick-taking game Foppen and AuZtralia, a Martin Wallace game set in Neil Gaiman’s A Study of Emerald world.
Source: https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/40750/busy-autumn-stronghold-games
Imhotep: Das Duell
Eric Martin wrote on his BGG blog about a new game from Phil Walker-Harding due later this year, Imhotep: Das Duell. “[P]layers take on the roles of Nefertiti and Akhenaten, one of Egypt’s most famous royal couples. Game pieces must be cleverly placed so that players can unload the most valuable tiles from the six boats. While this is happening, each player builds their own four monuments in order to gain as many fame points as possible.”
Source: https://boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/78400/late-2018-kosmos-welcomes-return-imhotep-new-heroe
Digital Alderac Games
According to the Alderac website, Nomad Games has acquired the digital rights to Alderac’s Space Base, Mystic Vale, and Cat Lady. “The studio has created a team to support the new developments on PC and mobile and plans to bring its growing portfolio of digital board and card games to consoles including the Nintendo Switch and Playstation 4.”
Source: https://www.alderac.com/2018/06/19/nomad-games-announces-new-digital-conversions-of-popular-aeg-tabletop-games/
Welcome To … Diary
On BGG Benoit Turpin shared his thoughts on developing his roll-and-write hit Welcome To … “The feedback was rather positive for such an early prototype, even if Alain [Balay of Blue Cocker Games] claimed that it was not his style of game, and this feedback was enough to send me on a design frenzy to bring the game mechanically pretty close to where it’s at now.”
Source: https://boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/78386/designer-diary-welcome
App-Driven Board Games
Anna Blackwell of Pocket Tactics discussed the future of app-driven board games. “companion apps can be used as rules arbiters for high strategy games like Leaders, as opponent-components in games like XCOM: The Board Game, and as a way to bridge the gap between the digital and physical like in Lightseekers.”
Source: https://www.pockettactics.com/articles/boardgame-companion-apps-feature/
Game Design Advice
Over on the Fantasy Flight Games website, the FFG card game team offered advice on game design. “Stop making excuses. Get a pencil, get some paper, make a game. … Don’t be afraid to fail … get involved in your gaming community.”
Source: https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2018/6/29/so-you-want-to-be-a-game-designer/
Board Gaming With Alexa
Nicole Lee of Engadget talked about board games that use Amazon’s virtual assistant Alexa as “rules teacher, scorekeeper and just all-around game master. … Alexa’s instructions were very clear and concise, and as an experienced board gamer, I really liked jumping straight into the game without having to read the rules first. I would love it if Alexa could explain the rules to every board game I had.”
Source: https://www.engadget.com/2018/06/29/alexa-when-in-rome-board-game/
Old School Viking Game
Daniel Crown wrote about hnefatafl, a board game played in Nordic settlements during the Middle Ages. “[T]he game was played on a checkered wooden tablet similar to the modern-day chess board. Once a relative mystery to researchers, archaeologists now believe it held immense symbolic and religious significance.”
Source: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/what-is-hnefatafl-viking-board-game
Upcoming Board Game Conventions
July 4-8. Dice Tower Con. Orlando, Florida.
July 12-15. HistoriCon. Fredericksburg, Virginia.
July 13-15. KantCan. Overland Park, Kansas.
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.
September 8-9. WashingCon. Washington, D.C.
September 13-16. Buckeye Game Fest. Columbus, Ohio.
September 14-16. GrandCon. Grand Rapids, Michigan.
September 21-23. Protospiel Chicago. Chicago, Illinois.
September 27-30. Hurricon. Kissimmee, Florida.
October 5-7. Council of Five Nations. Schenectady, New York.
October 5-7. Great Falls Gaming Rendezvous. Great Falls, Montana.
October 5-7. TsunamiCon. Wichita, Kansas.
October 12-14. CinCityCon. Cincinnati, Ohio.
October 12-14. FlatCon. Bloomington, Illinois.
October 13-14. Congress of Gamers. Rockville, Maryland.
November 1-4. Midwest GameFest. Independence, Missouri.
November 8-11. Gamehole Con. Madison, Wisconsin.
November 9-11. ConQuest Avalon. Sacramento, California.
November 9-11. U-Con. Ann Arbor, Michigan.
November 15-18. Chicago Toy & Game Fair. Chicago, Illinois.
December 27-30. CAP-Con. Atlanta, Georgia.
Visit casualgamerevolution.com for more convention listings.