With baseball’s opening day right around the corner, I’ve been bringing my favorite version of America’s pastime to the tabletop lately. What are you playing lately? Tweet us at @islaythedragon
Star Trek: Galactic Enterprises
According to the ACD Distribution blog, Star Trek: Galactic Enterprises is due out this June. Three to eight players will play as Ferengi, buying and selling goods while trying to corner the market on certain items to increase their profits.
Source: http://acddistribution.blogspot.com/2018/03/new-releases-from-wizkids.html
Dungeons & Dragons Board Game Teased
According to ICv2.com, WizKids’ Dungeon & Dragons board game will be out this August. “[T]he new 2018 D&D Adventure System Board Game will be designed by Kevin Wilson (Descent: Journeys in the Dark, Sid Meier’s Civilization: The Board Game) and will be a cooperative game for 1 – 5 players. The game will feature multiple scenarios, quests, and many adventures.”
Source: https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/39978/wizkids-teases-dungeons-dragons-board-game
Istanbul Dice
Alderac Entertainment Group announced an April release for Istanbul Dice, the dice-version of Istanbul. The rulebook can be downloaded from AEG’s website now.
Source: https://www.alderacsite.com/istanbul/dice/
That ‘70s Expansion
In other AEG news, the company released its latest Smash Up expansion, That ‘70s Expansion. “That 70s Expansion celebrates all the greatest pop-culture memories from the Age of Aquarius” and features Truckers, Disco Dancers, Vigilantes, and Kung Fu Fighters.
Source: https://www.alderacsite.com/smash-up-home/that-70s-expansion/
Asmodee Entertainment Launched
W. Eric Martin posted on his BGG blog about Asmodee’s latest venture: Asmodee Entertainment, “a new division which will leverage the company’s intellectual property to develop new content types such as feature films, TV series, comics and graphic novels.”
Source: https://boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/75018/asmodee-launches-asmodee-entertainment
Fighting Fantasy Legends
Days of Wonder announced its Fantasy Fighting Legends app, based on the Fighting Fantasy books by Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone. “More than 35 years after the release of the first Fighting Fantasy Book, this game intertwines the stories from three of the most epic books. Be aware, no game is ever the same and your choices may have dire consequences.”
Source: http://blog.daysofwonder.com/2018/03/23/join-in-an-epic-adventure-with-fighting-fantasy-legends/
Shoot First
Now that Star Wars: Legion is out, the expansions are available for pre-order, including the Han Solo Commander Expansion, featuring everybody’s favorite scoundrel-turned-general of the Rebel Alliance. “A single unpainted, easily assembled miniature features Han Solo with his DL-44 heavy blaster pistol drawn and ready to fire. Three new upgrade cards give you the tools to outfit Han Solo or another unit for battle, and three command cards let you bring Han’s trademark daring and braggadocio to the field.”
Source: https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2018/3/23/shooting-first/
Games Workshop Success
The Guardian reported on the financial success of Games Workshop. “The Nottingham retailer and model manufacturer was catapulted into the FTSE 250 … The shares have risen more than 160% in the past year, giving the company a market value of £770m.”
Source: https://amp.theguardian.com/business/2018/mar/03/fantasy-miniatures-bring-roaring-success-to-uks-games-workshop
Facade Games
CNBC covered the story of Travis and Holly Hancock, founders of Facade Games, and how they decided to make their board game company their full-time business. “They built their success from … just $500 in seed money. … it was enough for the couple — who had zero prior experience in the industry — to get started funding their first game, Salem 1692, in March 2015.”
Source: https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2018/03/19/facade-games-sold-1-million-in-games-like-salem-1692-and-tortuga-1667.html
Stuffed Fables Variant
Now available from the Plaid Hat Games website: Seasoned Fables, a collection of variant rules for Stuffed Fables. There are seven ways to ramp up difficulty, including “Stuffing Shortage reduces the number of White Dice available in the bag, making it much harder to recover from attacks.”
Source: https://www.plaidhatgames.com/news/876
Upcoming Board Game Conventions
March 22-25. AdeptiCon. Schaumburg, Illinois.
March 23-25. ConnCon. Stamford, Connecticut.
March 30-April 1. Who’s Yer Con. Indianapolis, Indiana.
April 5-8. PAX East. Boston, Massachusetts.
April 6-8. Deaf Board Game Convention. Austin, Texas.
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 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 14-16. GrandCon. Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Visit casualgamerevolution.com for more convention listings.