Hulk-a-mania

Games Workshop announced that Space Hulk is back in the form of a new 2 player game where players pit the Blood Angels Terminators against the nasty Genestealers. It’s good to see Games Workshop holding true to their extremely unoriginal clan names. From what I’ve read over the last few days, the pre-orders for this game sold out in less than a day. Nostalgia always wins, giving me hope that HeroQuest will return one day.

Games Workshop’s website describes the game as such:

Pit the mighty Blood Angels Terminators against a lethal swarm of agile Genestealers in this two player board game. Inside the cramped confines of a derelict Space Hulk known as the Sin of Damnation, the Blood Angels must fight to save Mankind from the alien menace that lies within.

Games of Space Hulk are played on a gaming area made up of high-quality card tiles which fit together to create the cramped confines of the Space Hulk. Each of the 16 missions included in the boxed game uses a different set-up, or alternatively you can assemble the pieces in any way you like and create your own bespoke games.

The rules to play the game and 16 missions (4 that are brand new) are all contained within two full colour booklets: the Rulebook and Mission Book. There are also 35 plastic Citadel miniatures, including: 11 Blood Angels Space Marine Terminators, 1 Blood Angels Space Marine Librarian in Terminator armour, 22 Genestealers, and 1 Broodlord. Also included are three plastic mission objectives models: a dead Space Marine on throne, a Blood Angels artefact and a Cyber-Altered Task Unit.

In addition to the booklets and miniatures, you will receive a set of high-quality card tiles that make up the gaming board. Included are: 110 gaming counters, 77 corridor and room sections, 2 new boarding torpedoes , a brand new turbo-lift, 20 doors with plastic stands, 1 mission status display, a sand timer and 5 dice.

A good crisis for a change

Looking to keep the momentum going, Dice Tower News is reporting that White Wizard will be releasing Star Realms Crisis, a new expansion for their hit Star Realms Deckbuilding Game. The expansion will contain 48 cards that will be distributed in 4 non-random 12 card packs (why not just put them in one small box?) each containing 1 of 4 new card types for the game: Events, Heroes, Bases & Battleships and Fleets & Fortresses.

‘Cause I’m a Renegade

As report on ICV2, Scott Gaeta, former COO of Cryptozoic, has announced the formation of a new company, Renegade Games. Renegade Games will focus their attention on publishing light to medium weight strategy games beginning in early 2015. The company has also acquired the publishing rights to several of Cryptozoic’s titles including Gravwell, Doom That Came To Atlantic City, ROFL, Word Whimsy and Double Feature.

Kickstarters of Dunshire

Fans of NBC hit comedy Parks and Recreation will be excited to know Entrepreneur Magazine is reporting  that discussions about a Kickstarter campaign to fund the making of a “super-deluxe version” of Cones of Dunshire (approx $100) are under way with a retail copy (approx $70) to follow shortly after. While a giant version of the game was played for charity at GenCon this year, we will have to wait and see how the rules and components translate into the smaller tabletop version.

Small World Gets Larger

Days of Wonders announced a brand new Small World expansion – A Spider’s Web; along with an expansion previously only available as part of the Small World 2 Kickstarter campaign – Royal Bonus; will debut at the Essen Fair in October and will hit retail stores in November. They also announced that the long out of print The Necromancer Island and Leaders expansions will again be available through game stores. A Spider’s Web contains 3 new Races: Ice Witches, Skags and Slingmen; as well as 3 new Special Powers: Copycat, Lava and Soul-Touch. The Royal Bonus expansion contains 3 new Race banners and tokens: Fauns, Igors & Shrubmen and 3 new Special Powers: Fireball, Aquatic & Behemoth.

Dice Masters Anonymous

Marvel Dice Masters fansite, The Reserve Pool is reporting information regarding upcoming Dice Masters Sets including some screenshots of dice, cards and OP kits from a secret “friend of the blog.” The sets they are reporting on include:

• Uncanny X-Men (already announced)
• DC Dice Masters: Justice League (March 2015)
• D&D Dice Masters: Battle of Faerun (Spring 2015)
• Age of Ultron (Spring 2015)

Palaces are so in this season

NSKN Games has announced their 3rd released in 2014, Versailles, from designer Andrei Novac . The game is billed as a territory building game where players take on the role of master builders competing to impress King Louis for the title of main architect. NKSN Games website describes Versaille:

In Versailles 2-5 players become master builders competing over the favour of King Louis XIV and the title of main architect of the legendary palace. Every turn a player moves one or more of their workers through a network of locations. Each location provides valuable resources or a way to spend them on tiles representing parts of the palace and its surrounding gardens, on decorations and technologies that bolster gathering and building abilities. A unique movement and location activation system requires clever workforce management which makes every move count and makes every game tense right to the end, when a single master builder is chosen to be the King’s personal architect.

The official release is October 16, 2014 with expected wide release in Europe by November and United States by December.

Settlers of Africa

And finally, in case your mountains, plains and forests weren’t dry enough, it’s time to Settle…Egypt!? Mayfair Games announced that it’s packing up a camel and heading for the Nile in the new Catan – Collector’s Edition – Ancient Eygpt.

With the help of your oxcart, you build small villages and great temples. And as always – beware of the robber! His chariot can interrupt production at your cattle pastures, papyrus groves and quarries.

Look for this Collector’s Edition to hit stores in November 2014.

Until next time, stay classy and keep your game(s) tight!