I want to give a shout-out to the greatest sports announcer who ever lived, Vin Scully. Yesterday he broadcast his final game from Dodger Stadium and the team gave him a Hollywood-type send-off. And his speech after the game? Not a dry eye in Dodger Nation.
Engines of War
The Castle Panic expansion Engines of War hits shelves this November. According to the ACD Distribution blog: “Engines of War introduces an Engineer, who uses new Resource cards to build Catapults, Ballistas, Barricades, and more, to better defend the Castle from the growing capabilities of the Monsters. … they are charging at you with a Siege Tower, War Wagon, and a Battering Ram. And they’ve enlisted the help of a Shaman, Breathtaker, and Goblin Saboteurs.”
Source: http://acddistribution.blogspot.com/2016/09/castle-panic-engines-of-war-coming-in.html
Spyfall 2
ICv2.com reports that the sequel to Spyfall will be available in January and it can be combined with the original. “Spyfall 2 does not change any of the game mechanics, but it expands the experience by adding more of everything. It comes with 20 new locations and location-based roles for the advanced game mode; it is now possible to have two spies in the game at the same time; and the maximum player count has been expanded from 8 to 12.”
Source: http://icv2.com/articles/news/view/35587/take-bluffing-whole-new-level-spyfall-2
Attack on Titan Deck-Building Game
Cryptozoic tweeted more info about its Attack on Titan Deck-Building Game due out November 9th. “This is a cooperative deck-building game for 1-5 players utilizing the popular Cerberus Engine, which powers the DC Comics Deck-building Game and many others. … The Heroes you play are the stars of the show, including Eren, Mikasa, Armin, and several others. Each one has a unique special ability that will help the team in some fashion. In addition to your Hero card, you also have a standee for your Hero. Movement is a factor in this game. You must move your Hero from District to District to buy the cards you want for your deck.”
Source: https://cryptozoic.com/blogs/attack-titan-deck-building-game
Black Plague Releases
According to tabletopgamingnews.com, new Zombicide: Black Plague releases are out now, including the “not specifically Black Plague, but very much Zombicide … Zombicide Compendium #2. It brings together various scenarios and special rules from the first three seasons of Zombicide. This includes things from expansions such as Zombie Dogs and Lost Survivors.”
Source: http://www.tabletopgamingnews.com/latest-black-plague-releases-available-from-cmon/
Czech Games Edition at Essen
Codenames Pictures, Adrenaline, and Alchemists: The King’s Golem, will be highlighted by Czech Games Edition at this year’s Essen. Dice Tower News reports that “CGE will also be showcasing the latest app expansion for Galaxy Trucker, Alien Technologies, as well as the progress they are making on their Through the Ages and Codenames apps.”
Source: http://www.dicetowernews.com/coming-at-essen-from-czech-games-edition/31889
Dream Home Preview
Asmodee’s Dream Home will be out later this year and there’s a preview on their website. In Dream Home, players will “draft rooms to add to your home board, creating your ideal dream home. Players gain points for building certain types of rooms, adding appropriate furnishings, and achieving certain goals, such as having a bathroom on each of the upper floors. … balancing your ideal home with the broader architectural and design notions can add a layer of complexity to the already competitive home-building game.”
Source: http://drafts.asmodee.us/en/news/2016/9/23/fluctuating-floorplans/
New Districts
Also coming later this year from Asmodee is its new edition of the classic Citadels. Their latest preview includes a look at some of the 12 new districts that will be available for play. “The Park beautifies your city, awards you six points, and ensures that you’ll always have at least one card in hand. The Poor House keeps your city’s underprivileged off the streets while keeping you from going bankrupt: if you run out of gold, it gives you a single piece at the end of your turn. Built early in the game, it can easily pay for itself. The Imperial Treasury offers you no benefits until the end of the game, but it does transform your unspent gold into points, motivating you to either hoard or steal gold in anticipation of the final round.”
Source: http://drafts.asmodee.us/en/news/2016/9/23/imagining-cities/
Talents and Talismans
Fantasy Flight Games provided a preview of the upcoming Arkham Horror: The Card Game.
“Each of the game’s investigators belongs to one of five classes, each of which is associated with a variety of player cards that grant it a distinct flavor and identity. … While the cards belonging to these five classes create meaningful differences between the game’s investigators—and their strengths and weaknesses—some player cards are not affiliated with any class.”
Source: https://drafts.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2016/9/23/talents-and-talismans/
Terra Formars
I did a double-take on this title from Japanime Games: Terra Formars. Not to be confused with the hot title from this summer, Terraforming Mars, in this game “Players are a group of Earth-based heroes sent to Mars to take back the planet from monstrous, humanoid cockroaches so that humanity may settle the planet. Designed by Nicolas Badoux (Naruto Shippuden: The Board Game), the game uses a combination of unique dice and cards, a balanced resource management system, and includes elements of player intrigue and treachery.” According to ICv2.com,Terra Formars will be shown at ESSEN before its release in November.
Source: http://icv2.com/articles/news/view/35589/terra-formars-card-game
Conan Unboxed
Over on youtube.com, boardgamegeek.com’s W. Eric Martin unboxed the upcoming Conan board game.
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJUBKixQXv4
Rise of the Tabletop
The Guardian recently did its own article on the board game renaissance.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/sep/25/board-games-back-tabletop-gaming-boom-pandemic-flash-point
Running Zombies
The popular 5K training app Zombies, Run! is being made into a cooperative board game (and I have no idea if you’ll be required to actually run). It will be for “a 2-4 player team, with a real-time, audio-driven adventure playing out that will need you to rescue survivors, uncover secrets, and find a cure. The game will use the Zombies Run app to power the game, so you’ll hear the zombies getting closer, or hear fellow survivors and have to react accordingly. Games can last from 30 minutes, or go as long as 30 hours – how you play is up to you.”
Source: https://ausdroid.net/2016/09/22/popular-running-app-zombies-run-getting-board-game/
Upcoming Board Game Conventions
October 8. Mid Meeple. Las Vegas, Nevada.
October 14-16. Big Bad Con. Walnut Creek, California.
October 15-16. RetroWorld Expo 2016. Wallingford, Connecticut.
October 21-23. What-Khan. Rockford, Illinois.
October 28-30. ConnCon (Falcon 2016). Stamford, Connecticut.
November 11-13. San Diego Historical Games Convention. San Diego, California.
November 11-13. MEPACON. Scranton, Pennsylvania.
November 25-27. Chessiecon. Timonium, Maryland.
Visit casualgamerevolution.com for more convention listings.