NEWS…is a bit sparse this week, as I was at Gen Con (and not reading board game news, but rather playing board games). This week the articles I have for you are those I found before I left for Gen Con; I expect to be caught up before next week’s news; thanks for your patience.
Also, for those of you who weren’t able to make it to Gen Con, Joel Eddy of Drive Through Reviews has some excellent game overviews and coverage here.
I’ll have overviews of the new games I played at Gen Con (as well as talk about my favorites) up around lunchtime today. And stay tuned–we hit 1,000 followers on Twitter before Gen Con, and as a result, we’re going to host a giveaway of a new game released at Gen Con. Without further ado, the NEWS.
Pandemic app to be released on iPad [Link] But better news than this, in my opinion, is the formation of a separate entity to develop digital versions of board games. Now if only we can get more Android support…
Jamey Stegmaier on when to bring in a partner [Link] This is a good lesson: not every person can handle all aspects of a business (in fact, there aren’t many people who can). How do you choose and retain the relationship with a partner? Good advice here, hopefully developed further in a later post.
Meepletown interviews Dominic Crapuchettes [Link] This is an interesting interview, particularly with regard to North Star Games. Interesting themes: how Wits & Wagers stays fresh, how North Star Games works to grow, and designing games with the consumer in mind. All in all, a good read.
Fantasy Flight announces new versions of BattleLore and Blue Moon [Link] The previous edition of BattleLore came from Days of Wonder, so this franchise is moving from one high-end component manufacturer to another. The new edition of Blue Moon will have all the cards in a single box. (I see this game all the time in BGG auctions with millions of expansions floating around, so I suppose this is good news.) I don’t know much about either of these two games, but I know some readers will be interested.
Last week on iSlaytheDragon [News Bits, Steve Wood interview, Pixel Lincoln review, War and Peace review, Revolution! review, Guide to trick-taking games] Last week was an overstuffed week, and this week is bound to be moreso. Jason will be handling the bulk of our reviews this week, covering kid’s games with a guide on Friday. I’ll have my overview of Gen Con games up later today, and a preview of The Agents (currently on Kickstarter) up hopefully Wednesday. Keep slaying!
Kickstarters of Note
Lots of stuff launched this week. Here’s what looks interesting to me:
- The Agents: This one has been getting a lot of buzz (everyone, it seems, is talking about it), and after looking at it, I can see why. The game uses a pretty cool mechanic where players play double-benefit cards, keeping one benefit for themselves but granting the other one to all other players. I’m intrigued, and the game has already way, way surpassed its funding. $18 for the base game.
- Click Clack Lumberjack: This is a repackage of the game Toc Toc Woodman (which, actually, my wife and I have been enjoying quite a bit lately–here’s my review). $17 can get you this fun party/dexterity game.
- Tessen: I’ve been closely watching the development of this game from Cardboard Edison. It’s a speed game (like Dutch Blitz) but with strategy as well. $12 gets the game.
- Ancient civilizations Catan bits: This one is technically on IndieGogo, but these bits look too sweet not to share. $45 to add bling to Catan.
- King’s Forge: I’ve not played this one, but it looks awesome…at least if you like rolling fistfuls of dice at a time. (I do.) $39.
- Fleet: Arctic Bounty: Lots of people seem to love Fleet. I’ve not played it. The expansion is up now on Kickstarter, and you can get the base game and promos through the same campaign. $25 for just the expansion.
- Gunship: Afterburners: Here’s an expansion to the super successful Gunship game (earlier funded on Kickstarter). $35 for the expansion.