Dive Right In
Late last week, Tasty Minstrel Games sent out their newsletter with a few of the big ideas and titles headed our way. One that many will be excited for is AquaSphere, the latest and greatest from Stephan Feld. The game itself has been announced for some time; the big news here is that sometime this month, a brief Kickstarter will be going live to gauge interest in the game. What this basically means is, devout Feldians, get your bank accounts ready because this game is coming soon. The official projected release is Q4 2014, so you won’t have to wait long between backing the project and having a go at the life aquatic.
For more details on the game, check out this detailed overview from BGG’s Eric Martin.
The Dead Get Bored of Winter
Dead of Winter from Plaid Hat Games has been the talk of the town for some time now. A cooperative survival game with hidden personal objectives and a traitor mechanic, Dead of Winter has turned this game genre on its head and made it something that a lot of game players can find engaging. Storytellers, competitors and social gamers will all find things to love about this game.
Those interested in seeing what the hype is all about can head over to YouTube and watch the crew from Board With Life go through a full game. Between the game, the production value, and the players, it’s an hour well-spent.
Kickstarter Explodes with Tasty Minstrels
Back to Tasty Minstrel news, it seems that Kickstarter has no choice but to rename their site “TastyStarter” as this company will have yet another project hitting the crowd-funding platform in August of this year. Bomb Squad will be TMG’s first cooperative title, one that is described to be “Hanabi and RoboRally in a blender.” Not much else was revealed, but demos will be available at GenCon 2014.
No one can deny that TMG does great work, so I suppose we’ll keep our eyes peeled and credit cards in hand for this title.
Android Controls the Stars
Every now and then, the downtrodden Android-using board gamers get just enough hope to go back to the internet and proclaim “We are the best!” And for once, they actually win-out, as Star Realms, White Wizard Games’ smash-hit deck builder, has gone live on Android devices first. Fans of the game can now enjoy a 6-mission campaign mode and PvAI on-the-go. Those willing to shell out $4.99 will get an additional 9 campaign missions, as well as pass-and-play, online challenges and 3 different AI difficulties.
Though the launch was met with a few problems, those who have been able to access the app report smooth and clean visuals, addictive game play, and an all-around successful port of the physical game. If you haven’t played Star Realms, this may be an excellent way to get in on the fun, as the next printing is currently lost somewhere in the aether. iOS users, well, we’ll have to wait an undisclosed amount of time for our shot at galactic control.
Fund the Future (of deck building…)!
If sci-fi deck builders aren’t your thing….you’re a silly person. But only because the Kickstarter for the digital version of Core Worlds, from Stronghold Games, goes live TODAY. Twitter has been rife with teasers and previews, so hop on the social medias and check it out!
For those who don’t know, Core Worlds is a deck builder in which players use military force to conquer as much of the interstellar system as possible. Decisions must be made on when and how to improve your forces, and which worlds to fight for. The game culminates in a fight for the Core Worlds, which offer huge benefits in terms of victory points. It’s an excellent game and having a digital version will be a great option for those who can’t get it to the table as often or haven’t played yet!
Play with Stone Blades on Your Dek
Okay, the title was a little weak – I admit. But, remember when I said it’s space deck builders or bust? You’re in luck because Playdek and Stone Blade Entertainment have renewed their partnership, meaning the very popular Ascension will continue to be supported on mobile platforms. Though iOS has been the sole option for mobile Ascension players, it has been confirmed the the entire game line will be available for Android this summer. What this means for the $185k raised by backers from Stone Blade’s previous Kickstarter for a internally developed implementation is unclear, although they have promised that all rewards will be ‘made good’.
Check out more about this story at Dice Tower News.
More Cards. More Space. More Orks.
Fantasy Flight Games has released a preview of the Orks faction from their upcoming Warhammer 40,000: Conquest Living Card Game. Yes, this is another card game in space, but this one won’t fit inside your phone. Likely hitting shelves around GenCon, Conquest will pit the various factions of the 40K universe against each other in a struggle for control of different planets. While Space Marines are cool and all, we finally have a peek inside one of the non-human options available to players – the Orks.
As you might expect, these somewhat crazed and barbaric creatures love to deal damage, both to their opponents and themselves. Fortunately, doing so will often get them more ramped-up, ready to dish out a killing blow right through some Space Marine armor. For a full look inside this faction and the game overall, head over to Fantasy Flight’s website.
Next Time On: Dungeons and Dragons
It’s time to press the ‘reset’ button on your RPG sessions, as the fifth edition of Dungeons and Dragons, aka D&D NEXT, is here for people to enjoy…or hate. Probably a little of both. This edition is supposed to make a hard U-Turn away from the 4th edition that garnered Wizards of the Coast a dungeon-treasure-room-full of flak, as it was intended to draw in new fans from the more digitally inclined gamer pool. NEXT harkens back to simpler times, putting more emphasis on story-telling, role-playing, and not having to do math.
Likely the most interesting news is that it’s free! Kind of. The basic rules, found here, are free to download and enjoy. Featuring the rules and character creation tools for four different races, and offering the info needed to progress from level 1 to 20, this is an awesome new step for the D&D line. Increasing accessibility seems like a pretty savvy step in a market full of excellent RPG options (many of which are also free…). Oddly though, the Dungeon Master’s Guide is not on store shelves yet, so I’m not quite sure how you’ll play…unless you grab the now available Starter Set, which is not free, but provides some preset characters, an adventure path and enough goodies to get a game going.
June 30 – July 7
Quarriors: Light vs. Dark Expansion – Wiz Kids Games
Ogre Pocket Edition – Steve Jackson Games
Memoir 44: D-Day Landings Battlemap Expansion – Days of Wonder
Shadowrun: Run and Gun – Catalyst Game Labs
Mage Wars: Forged in Fire – Arcane Wonders
Legendary Deck Building Game: Villains – Upperdeck Entertainment
Star Wars RPG: Age of Rebellion – Fantasy Flight Games
