Re-Roll – GeekDad

Re-Roll: Tabletop Game News for Early September 2022

Rob Huddleston — Fri, 09 Sep 2022 12:00:17 +0000

Here is the board game (and board game-related!) news that caught our attention for the last few weeks.

Gaming News

Ravensburger announced the upcoming release of Disney Lorcana, the first Disney-themed collectible trading card game. According to the press release, the game “will feature beloved Disney characters in both original and reimagined art styles that live in an all-new world with unique and magical gameplay.” The release explains that the game will have players “take on the mantle of Illumineer, a powerful sorcerer, and band together Disney characters from Lorcana’s “The Great Illuminary,” a treasury of all Disney songs and stories ever made.” “Seven characters from Disney Lorcana will be revealed at D23. Disney Lorcana will be released globally in Fall 2023 and will be supported by four new card set releases each year as well as a robust organized play program.”
Stonemaier Games celebrates 10 years this month, and in commemoration of the event they are offering a series of new games and special offers. A new 1-2 player cooperative game, Smitten, was designed by Jamey Stegmaier for this celebration. The game will be included with any order from the company website once it’s available later this month. Between Two Cities Essential Edition, which combines the original game and the Capitals expansion into a single box, three new Rolling Realms promos based on A Feast for Odin, Honey Buzz, and Smitten, plus a digital rulebook featuring all promo realms so far are coming out this month as well. In addition, a 10% discount on all tangible webstore products applied to your cart (in addition to the 20% discount if you’re a Champion), a video showcasing the major events in the Stonemaier Games timelineover the last 3 years (part II of a previous video that covers the first 7 years), and a multiple-choice “how well do you know Stonemaier Games” quiz are available on the site now.
Asmodee has rebranded its digital arm, changing the name to Twin Sails Interactive. The company will “focus more on original content” moving forward.
According to Dicebreaker, Richard Garfield’s next entry in the King of Monsters series will be a co-op game called Monster Island. No other details, other than that the game will be released “soon”, were available.
Dicebreaker is also reporting that Orichalcum, the latest game from Kingdomino designer, is due to be released in the fourth quarter this year. The game, which takes place in the mythical kingdom of Atlantis, has players seeking a new home for their civilization.

GeekDad & GeekMom Reviews

Here’s what we reviewed since our last Re-Roll:

Jonathan Liu reviewed The Comic Book Bubble, Philosophy, RUN, Turtle Splash, and GeekDad Approved Museum Suspects.
Robin Brooks posted a double-header of his podcast, Agents of Sigmar.
Michael Knight reviewed GeekDad Approved Trekking Through History.

What We’re Playing

Finally, here’s what the GeekDads and GeekMoms played:

Angela Leach played Cozy Juicy Real, Tentacle Town, and Battletech Alpha Strike.
Michael Pistiolas played Bardsung, Just One, Azul, Mystic Vale, and Ticket to Ride.
Jonathan Liu played Philosophy, Ahoy, Leviathan Wilds, Master Word, Picture Perfect, Bag of Chips, Clank!, Museum Suspects, Psychic Pizza Deliverers Go to the Ghost Town, RUN, Turtle Splash, Master Word, Catch the Moon, My Father’s Work, Northgard: Uncharted Lands, Oltréé, Ahoy, Dandelions, Dead & Breakfast, Luck: The Game, Just One, Leaf, Mosaic: A Story of Civilization, Museum Suspects, and Oceans: Legends of the Deep.
Robin Brooks played War of the Ring: The Card Game, Cascadia, Fire Team, and Get on Board.
Michael Knight played Almost Innocent, Trekking through History, Tiny Epic Dungeon, and Tiny Epic Zombies.
I played Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition, Terraforming Mars, Deep Sea Adventure, Tricks and the Phantom, Nine Tile Panic, Quacks of Quedlinburg, Ricochet Robots, Slip Strike, Jurassic Park: Legacy of Isla Nublar, Cartographers, Eurorails, Merchants & Marauders, and The Palace of Mad King Ludwig. Ricochet Robots is our featured image.

Re-Roll: Tabletop Game News for Late August 2022

Rob Huddleston — Fri, 26 Aug 2022 13:00:43 +0000

Here is the board game (and board game-related!) news that caught our attention for the last few weeks.

Gaming News

The Op has released Marvel Dice Throne, a “fast-playing, dice-rolling combat game that lets players battle as their favorite Marvel heroes in one-on-one duels, team battles, and free-for-alls.” The game is available directly from The Op or at Target and Barnes & Noble.
eBay has purchased online trading card marketplace TCGPlayer for a reported $295M. In a post on their site, TCGPlayer CEO Chedy Hampson wrote that while it is “technically” an acquisition, “upon close, TCGplayer will continue operating independently. We will have the autonomy and flexibility to continue running TCGplayer just as we always have, and I will continue to lead the Company as CEO, ensuring our commitment to you and the entire collectibles community remains enshrined and protected long into the future.” The deal is expected to be finalized next year.
The next big thing for Catan: holographic augmented reality. According to The Verge, the hit game will arrive on Tilt Five VR headsets next year. Apparently, you will be able to play the game “around a table, solo against ‘classic AI opponents,’ or online” while watching “the island’s wildlife and environment spring to life in holographic 3D.” The headsets, which are currently available only for preorder, run $359 for one, $659 for two, or $959 for three, and at least for now require a Windows-based PC to run the game.
The Embracer Group, the parent company of Asmodee and so, so many others, has acquired Middle Earth Enterprises, one of five recent purchases that cost the Swedish company a reported $576M. Middle Earth Enterprises, formerly a division of Saul Zaentz Company, owns the intellectual property rights to The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. Asmodee-owned studios, including Fantasy Flight Games, already publish popular board and card games based on the Tolkein properties, so it isn’t immediately clear how the acquisition will impact the gaming world. HarperCollins and the Tolkien Estate still own the publishing rights to the books.
McDonald’s current Happy Meal offerings include a 4-card booster pack of Pokémon cards which include a new “match battle” mode, a special way to play with just the four cards in the pack. Many restaurants are limiting quantities of Happy Meals that can be sold, and are refusing to sell the cards without the burger and fries.

GeekDad & GeekMom Reviews

Here’s what we reviewed since our last Re-Roll:

Paul Benson reviewed the Infinity Screen From Dogmight Games and posted a Kickstarter Quick Pick on the Project Ironside gaming table.

What We’re Playing

Finally, here’s what the GeekDads and GeekMoms played:

Jonathan Liu played Museum Suspect and Run.
Michael Knight played Dead Reckoning.
Aaron Spurlock played Now or Never, Mandala Stones, Tiny Epic Dungeons, and Tortuga 1667.
Robin Brooks played 7 Wonders, Takenoko, Tokaido, Hare and Tortoise, and Deep Sea Adventure.
Angela Leach played Castles of Mad King Ludwig and Annihilageddon 2. Castles of Mad King Ludwig is our featured image this week.
Michael Pistiolas played Bardsung, Blokus, and Ticket to Ride.
I played Star Wars Villainous: Power of the Dark Side.

Re-Roll: Tabletop Game News for Early August 2022

Rob Huddleston — Fri, 12 Aug 2022 12:00:25 +0000

Here is the board game (and board game-related!) news that caught our attention for the last few weeks.

Gaming News

Just prior to the start of Gen Con last week, the company released a statement on Twitter stating its support for women’s rights and condemning a bill that at the time was making its way through the legislature in Indiana. The measure, which passed a few days later while Gen Con was happening, is among the most restrictive anti-abortion laws in the country following the Supreme Court’s rejection of Roe v Wade. Gen Con has not released a follow-up statement regarding what, if anything, they plan to do, but Polygon has a detailed piece on the issue, including the challenges Gen Con might face in trying to move and the economic impact a move would have on the city of Indianapolis.
Ravensburger has released Star Wars Villainous: Power of the Dark Side, the latest game in the ever-growing Villainous franchise. The game is GeekDad Approved, and you can read my full review.
Underdog Games and Boardgametables.com are joining forces to give away a board game table along with other prizes. You can enter as many times as you wish before August 31.
Venn, the latest game from The Op, “where clues and art overlap” is now available at Target or directly from The Op’s website.
FoxMind officially launched Match Madness Duo last week at Gen Con. The game, which is a follow-up to Match Madness, combines puzzles and speed-driven dexterity challenges. The game is now available on Amazon.
GeekDad Approved Forgotten Waters will see a follow-up game next year. The “spiritual successor” of the game will have a new theme, but few other details are currently available. The game is due to be released at Gen Con 2023.
Fantasy Flight is developing a Star Wars-themed deck builder as part of its Gen Con Livestream but did not reveal anything else about the game, other than it will be a stand-alone title and not an LCG.

GeekDad & GeekMom Reviews

Here’s what we reviewed since our last Re-Roll:

I reviewed GeekDad Approved Star Wars Villainous: Power of the Dark Side and GeekDad Approved Ted Lasso Party Game.

What We’re Playing

Finally, here’s what the GeekDads and GeekMoms played:

Michael Knight played (and beat me at) Western Legends, Skull King, and Tiny Epic Zombies.
Jonathan Liu played Mosaic: A Story of Civilization, Bag of Chips, Tragedy Looper, Dawn of Ulos, It’s a Wonderful Kingdom, Villagers, Kariba, Papageno, Roll for It!, and Junior Detective.
Michael Pistiolas played Marvel Champions, Camel Up, Love Letter, King of Tokyo, Bardsung, Azul, Hearts, Euchre, Blokus, Bardsung, Unmatched, and The Incredibles: Save the Day Game.
Robin Brooks Azul, Splendor, Sagrada, Marvel Mayhem, Cascadia, Marvel Dice Throne, 7 Wonders: Architects, Tokaido, Machi Koro, Space Base, Dice Throne, Warhammer Underworlds, and Get on Board.
Aaron Spurlock played Tiny Epic Dungeons.
I played (and lost to Michael) Western Legends and Dice Theme Park. Western Legends is our featured image, with a photo taken by Olen Sanders.

Re-Roll: This Week’s Tabletop Game News for the Week Ending July 29, 2022

Rob Huddleston — Fri, 29 Jul 2022 12:00:02 +0000

Here is the board game (and board game-related!) news that caught our attention for the week ending July 29, 2022.

Gaming News

Ravensburger has announced its first single-villain expansion in the Villainous franchise, Marvel Villainous: We Are Venom. No prior expansion in Villainous, whether the Disney, Marvel, or Star Wars flavors, has actually required another Villainous set to play, but in order to be Venom, you’ll need either Marvel Villainous: Infinite Power or Marvel Villainous: Mischief & Malice. The expansion will be available on Amazon in October and everywhere in November and retail at $14.99.
North Star Games has announced a major rebranding and new direction. Moving forward, the company will be NorthStar Gaming Studio—both getting rid of the space in the first word and adding “Studio” to the end—to reflect a new focus on hobby games. In explaining the move, company founder Dominic Crapuchettes said, “Over the years we’ve published exciting, award-winning titles catering to a wide variety of players—everything from party games to kid games to family games to digital apps. I love all types of games, but we were too small to be everything to everyone.” In 2021, they sold the Happy Planet brand to Exploding Kittens, and more recently licensed worldwide rights to the mass market party games Wits & Wagers and Say Anything to Mattel. The company also unveiled a new logo.
Unexpected Games and Asmodee announced 3000 Scoundrels, a competitive engine-building card game set in an alternate reality of the Old West where players use clear cards to construct one of the titular scoundrels.
Flatout Games has announced a follow-up to its extremely popular Point Salad, Point City, an engine-building card game. Point Salad was a GeekDad Game of the Year finalist, and we’re definitely looking forward to this iteration, due out next year. Point Salad is our featured image this week.
Keyforge: Adventures, originally released by FFG as print-and-play elements for the game, will soon have a commercial release that will include both the cards from the print-and-play version along with new cards. Limited quantities will be available at Gen Con, and the decks will be available everywhere later in the fall.
Gen Con is next week, and as a reminder, there will be no GeekDad presence this year. I hope that everyone who decides to attend will have a safe and fun convention, and I very much hope that we will all be able to go back to Indianapolis next year.

GeekDad & GeekMom Reviews

Here’s what we reviewed since our last Re-Roll:

Paul Benson reviewed chess sets from the Noble Collection, Ruins of Symbaroum, and miniatures for the DARK SOULS RPG.
Robin Brooks posted an episode of his Agents of Sigmar podcast, this time about Battlemasters.
Michael Pistiolas reviewed Switch & Signal.

What We’re Playing

Finally, here’s what the GeekDads and GeekMoms played:

Jonathan Liu played Psychic Pizza Deliverers Go to the Ghost Town, Dandelions, Turtle Splash, Dawn of Ulos, Everdell, The Initiative, Quacks of Quedlinburg, Roar-a-Saurus, Sherlock Express, Townsfolk Tussle, Bag of Chips, My Little Pony: Adventures in Equestria, and Transformers Deck-Building Game.
Michael Pistiolas played Hero Realms, The Lord of the Rings LCG, Sunny Day Sardines, Cascadia, Zombicide: Black Plague, and Azul.
Aaron Spurlock played Cartographers, Three Sisters, and Carcassonne South Seas.
Robin Brooks played Machi Koro, Azul, Undaunted, Quadropolis, 7 Wonders: Architects, Marvel Dice Throne, 0200Hours, Cascadia, Quiddler, Quadropolis, Red7, and Unmatched: Redemption Row.

Re-Roll: This Week’s Tabletop Game News for the Week Ending July 15, 2022

Rob Huddleston — Fri, 15 Jul 2022 12:00:05 +0000

Here is the board game (and board game-related!) news that caught our attention for the week ending July 15, 2022.

Gaming News

Roll20, the popular virtual tabletop platform for roleplaying games, and OneBookShelf, the company that manages online marketplaces for DriveThruRPG and Dungeon Masters Guild, among others, have “joined forces” to allow “customers to seamlessly find, share, and play their favorite games.” Roll20’s Ankit Lal will continue as CEO, while OneBookShelf CEO Steve Wieck will join the Roll20 board.
Breaking Games is partnering with Skydance Animation to release a game based on Luck!, the movie coming to AppleTV in August. The game, which is available for pre-order now and will be available in stores “later this month,” combines elements of strategy, bidding, and, well, luck.
And in related news, Asmodee and Netfilx have announced a partnership to produce games based on three of the streamer’s highly popular shows: Ozark, Squid Game and Stranger Things. All three games are due at the end of the month, and all three will be exclusive to Walmart.
And while Breaking Games and Asmodee are busy bringing IP from the screen to the table, the folks at Pokémon are working in the other direction, announcing this week a casting call for an “unscripted” (i.e., reality) TV show built around the trading card game. Anyone in the LA area is welcome to apply, although few details about how the show will work or when or where it might air are available yet.
Funko has announced Disney Kingdomania, an “expandable” game with 8-bit style collectible figures form Disney and Pixar properties. The game is due out this fall.
As was probably inevitable, the super popular online game Wordle (my streak just passed 100 games) is coming to the tabletop. Hasbro is set to release Worlde The Party Game, in which one player writes down a secret word, and the rest try to guess it in the fewest tries. The game is due out at the beginning of October. Presumably you’ll be allowed to play more than one round per day.

GeekDad & GeekMom Reviews

Here’s what we reviewed since our last Re-Roll:

Jonathan Liu reviewed The One Hundred Torii: Diverging Paths.
Paul Benson reviewed GeedDad Approved Rear Window and Epic Encounters: Local Legends.
Michael Knight reviewed Quartermaster General: 1914.
Robin Brooks posted a new episode of his podcast, Agents of Sigmar.

What We’re Playing

Finally, here’s what the GeekDads and GeekMoms played:

Jonathan Liu played WolfWalkers: My Story, Cold Case: A Pinch of Murder, Disney’s Sorcerer’s Arena: Epic Alliances, Jetpack Joyride, Marvel Dice Throne, Wild Space, Wonderland’s War, Dice Throne, The One Hundred Torii: Diverging Paths, Cold Case: A Story to Die For and Decorum.
Michael Knight played Quartermaster General: 1914 and RELOAD.
Michael Pistiolas played Hero Realms, Sleeping Queens, Marvel Champions, The Lord of the Rings LCG, King of Tokyo, and Unlock.
Robin Brooks played Quiddler, Azul, Kingdomino Origins, Oathmark, and Undaunted.
I played Star Wars Villainous (our featured image this week), Ted Lasso Party Game, and Santa Monica.

Re-Roll: This Week’s Tabletop Game News for the Week Ending July 1, 2022

Rob Huddleston — Fri, 01 Jul 2022 12:00:15 +0000

Here is the board game (and board game-related!) news that caught our attention for the week ending July 1, 2022.

Gaming News

Steamforged Games has entered into a partnership with Czech studio Diea Games and has acquired the intellectual property rights to Euthia, an “open-world fantasy sandbox RPG” that is currently out of print. Earlier this year, Diea launched a crowdfunding campaign for the game, but after raising over a half-million dollars in just two days, the campaign was abruptly canceled. While the reasons for the cancellation are still unclear, the partnership will allow Steamforged to bring Euthia back to Kickstarter (the new campaign launches at the end of this month) and use their experience to hopefully bring the highly-rated game back to its fans.
Alice Is Missing, a silent RPG designed to be played entirely via text messaging, has been optioned as a film by Paramount. Currently attached to the project are Becca Gleason, the writer of Amazon’s The Summer I Turned Pretty, and the game’s creator Spenser Starke.
Asmodee and Fantasy Flight have sold Keyforge to Ghost Galaxy, a company founded by Christian Petersen, the original founder of Fantasy Flight. The sale was apparently pushed primarily by Asmodee, as they had lost control of the software used to generate Keyforge cards, while Ghost Galaxy was already in the process of developing replacement software, so the sale of the game ensured that it could continue into the future.
WizKids has announced the upcoming release of Atlantic Robot League, a new game based around betting on giant mech battles. Pre-orders are now available on the company’s website, with the game releasing sometime in the third quarter.
The Op and Scout Comics have entered into a partnership that will allow the game company to mine the comic company’s IP. Scout publishes such titles as Stabbity Bunny, White Ash, Eternal, and Unicorn. No specific projects have been announced as of yet.
Heat: Pedal to the Metal is coming soon from Asmodee studio Days of Wonder. The game is based on Grand Prix racing in the 1950s, supports from 1-6 players, and uses a hand management system to simulate racing. No specific release date is available yet.
Stonemaier teased that the next expansion to Wingspan will focus on Asian birds, but released few other details. However, the company did release a blog post explaining why they’re just releasing the continent, and why we’ll need to wait for more details.
Funko has developed new party games based on hit TV shows. Both Ted Lasso Party Game and Parks and Recreation Party Game are due out in a few weeks. Watch GeekDad for a full review of the Ted Lasso game, which is our featured image this week.
Here at GeekDad, we do our fair share of picking on Monopoly, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s been around the block and is the introduction to gaming for a lot of people. This week, NPR’s Throughline podcast dives into the origins of the game, with a promise to expose a lie behind the legend.

GeekDad & GeekMom Reviews

Here’s what we reviewed since our last Re-Roll:

Michael Knight reviewed Marvel Studios What If…? Miniatures Game and Star Wars Outer Rim: Unfinished Business.

What We’re Playing

Finally, here’s what the GeekDads and GeekMoms played:

Jonathan Liu played Décorum, The Initiative, Oltréé, The One Hundred Torii, Progress: Evolution of Technology, Wonderland’s War, and Word Heist.
Robin Brooks played Unmatched: Redemption Row, Moonstone, and Lord of the Rings LCG.
Michael Pistiolas played Hero Realms.
Michael Knight played Star Wars Outer Rim: Unfinished Business, Marvel Studios What If…? Miniatures Game, and Quartermaster General 1914.

Re-Roll: This Week’s Tabletop Game News for the Week Ending June 24, 2022

Rob Huddleston — Fri, 24 Jun 2022 12:00:00 +0000

Here is the board game (and board game-related!) news that caught our attention for the week ending June 24, 2022.

Gaming News

Asmodee imprint Space Cowboys has announced Splendor Duel, a new two-person version of the classic set collection game. Marc Andre, the designer of the original game, is being joined by award-winning designer Bruno Cathala for Duel, which is set to be released this fall.
In other Asmodee-related news, the company’s parent, Embracer Group, recently got a $1 billion investment from Savvy Gaming Group, an entity wholly owned by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The investment makes the Saudi crown the second-largest owner of Embracer, which not only owns Asmodee but also other media companies including comic publisher Dark Horse. According to Dicebreaker, Embracer’s CEO Lars Wingefors denied that the investment by a country with a problematic human rights record would not change his company’s values, which are “built on the principles of freedom, inclusion, humanity, and openness.”
According to Reddit user FaradaySaint, based on data scraped from BoardGameGeek by Jesse Van Elteren, there were more games published in 2021 that had a solo mode than games that required two or more players. Games that require at least four players remain the least-published category.
Magic Mountain, a co-op game from Amigo and designed by Jens-Peter Schliemann and Bernhard Weber, has won the Kinderspiel des Jahres award for best kid-friendly game. The remaining awards, including the prestigious Spiel des Jahres, will be announced on July 16.
Critical Role has launched a record label, Scanlan Shorthalt Music. Its first album is a fantasy-themed soundtrack, Welcome To Tal’Dorei, of official music from the series.

GeekDad & GeekMom Reviews

Here’s what we reviewed since our last Re-Roll:

Jonathan Liu reviewed The One Hundred Torii.
Robin Brooks published the newest episode of his game-themed podcast, Agents of Sigmar.
I reviewed GeekDad Approved Ticket to Ride: San Francisco.

What We’re Playing

Finally, here’s what the GeekDads and GeekMoms played:

Jonathan Liu played The Initiative, The One Hundred Torii: Diverging Paths, burncycle, Disney’s Sorcerer’s Arena: Epic Alliances, Suspects, Tidal Blades: Banner Festival, WolfWalkers: My Story, Clank!, Disney Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, The Gig, Suspects, Tidal Blades: Banner Festival, and Word Heist
Michael Pistiolas played Marvel Champions, 7 Wonders Architects, Canvas, Switch & Signal, Rolling Realms, Foundations of Rome, Don’t L.L.A.M.A. Dice, Scoville, The Incredibles: Save the Day Games, Hero Realms, The Lord of the Rings LCG, and Cartographers.
Aaron Spurlock played Morels and Butterfly Garden.
Robin Brooks played Moonstone, Lord of the Rings LCG, and Battlemasters.
I played Ticket to Ride: San Francisco.

Re-Roll: This Week’s Tabletop Game News for the Week Ending June 10, 2022

Rob Huddleston — Fri, 10 Jun 2022 12:00:39 +0000

Here is the board game (and board game-related!) news that caught our attention for the week ending June 10, 2022.

Gaming News

Some unfortunate news: our Gaming with GeekDad event at Gen Con has been canceled. The event sold out almost immediately, and I want to thank those who signed up. However, I have just started a new job and will not have enough time off by August. Two of our other writers have decided that while Gen Con has, at last, come out with what seems like a definitive statement that masks and vaccines will be required, the reality is that there will still be a significant amount of time when they have to be in places without mask mandates, including their flights to and from Indianapolis, the ride to and from the airport, the hotel, restaurants, and many more, and since the pandemic is most definitely not over, the risk is just too great. And so, we aren’t going to have enough writers there to adequately staff the event. We very much hope to see the return of the event at Gen Con 2023 and look forward to getting to meet everyone then.
Just in time for the release of the next Jurassic Park movie, Monopoly is getting rid of the T-Rex token (TIL there’s a T-Rex token in the current version of Monopoly) and replacing it with the “Throwback Token” vote winner: the thimble. Anyone who has been holding out on buying a copy of the classic game and loves dinosaurs should probably go get their copy now before it’s too late.
CATAN – Dawn of Humankind is coming later this year. The latest title in the Catan universe, this version of the game “returns to the prehistoric era.” Very few details, apart from a teaser trailer, are currently available, but it does appear to be a redesign of Settlers of the Stone Age.
If you’re already invested in the 3D version of Catan, you’ll be happy to know that you can soon add the Seafarers and Cities & Knights expansions to your game. Your bank account will likely be less happy, though, as the expansions, which will ship together in a box that includes 363 individual pieces, will retail for $400.
Lucky Duck Games is sponsoring a Destinies scenario writing competition. Running through October 1, “any uploaded community crafted scenario” will be automatically entered into the competition, with a top prize of $2500 and the scenario being featured on the game’s application for a week.
The Op had released the Disney Sorcerer’s Arena: Epic Alliances Core Set. The “Disney-themed strategic battle arena game” has players recruiting Disney and Pixar characters to “battle in the Sorcerer’s Arena” based on the popular mobile game.
I reported last time that the Great British Baking Show was getting the board game (or, more accurately, a card game) treatment. Now Dicebreaker is reporting that the game, somewhat oddly, will not be released in Britain, of all places. The reason is, as almost always the case in these situations, licensing. UK fans will already know that the show is called The Great British Bake-Off over there, and Ravensburger doesn’t have the rights to use that name. In the US and Canada, Pillsbury owns the trademark to “Bake-Off,” so the show airs on this side of the Atlantic with the “Baking Show” name, and Ravensburger’s license is that for name, not the British one. I’m sure the lawyers will eventually work things out, money will change hands, and our British friends will get to try their hands at the game eventually.
Deck-building word game Paperback has gotten a new digital treatment. With Paperback Vol 2, players can compete against each other or a more advanced AI to find the best word combinations from the letters in their hands. The game is available for purchase on both Android and Apple devices. The analog version of the game is our featured image this week.

GeekDad & GeekMom Reviews

Here’s what we reviewed since our last Re-Roll:

Jonathan Liu reviewed The Gig, Tsuro: Luxury Limited Edition, GeekDad Approved Downtown Farmers Market, and The Key: Sabotage at Lucky Llama Land.
Robin Brooks reviewed The Horus Heresy and wrote about his new gaming-related podcast, Agents of Sigmar.
Michael Knight reviewed Quirky Circuits: Penny and Gizmo’s Snow Day and Methodologie: Murder on the Links.
Paul Benson reviewed Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons, Batman: Everybody Lies, and Tenpenny Parks.
Aaron Spurlock reviewed Dragonwake.

What We’re Playing

Finally, here’s what the GeekDads and GeekMoms played:

Jonathan Liu played 7 Wonders: Architects, Cartaventura: Vinland, Kabuto Sumo, Catch the Moon, Dead Reckoning, Disney’s Sorceror’s Arena: Epic Alliances, The Gig, Pocket Detective: Season 1, Small Islands, The Comic Book Bubble, Catch the Moon, The Initiative; Oltréé, The One Hundred Torii, So, You’ve Been Eaten, Word Heist, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial: Light-Years from Home, The Gig, Heckadeck, Mystic Market, Shamans, Suspects, burncycle, Cartaventura: Vinland, and Mystic Market.
Michael Pistiolas played Marvel Champions, Ticket to Ride, Switch & Signal, Can’t Stop, 6nimmt!, King of Tokyo, and Feed the Woozle.
Aaron Spurlock played Hues and Cues, Dragonwake, Welcome To, and Vandermist Dossier.
Michael Knight played Quirky Circuits: Penny and Gizmo’s Snow Day, Star Wars: Outer Rim, Reload, Tiny Epic Dungeons, and RELOAD.
Paul Benson played Tenpenny Parks, The Warriors: Come Out to Play, and Dungeons & Dragons Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage
Robin Brooks played Lord of the Rings LCG and Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game.
I played Ticket to Ride: San Francisco.

Re-Roll: This Week’s Tabletop Game News for the Week Ending May 20, 2022

Rob Huddleston — Fri, 20 May 2022 12:00:43 +0000

Here is the board game (and board game-related!) news that caught our attention for the week ending May 20, 2022.

Gaming News

Last week, I reported that GAMA had removed mask mandates for the Origins Game Fair. This week, apparently in response to many complaints, they reinstated it, giving hope to lots of people, including all of us here at GeekDad, that Gen Con would hold firm on their vaccine and mask policies. As of now, there has been no indication that Gen Con is considering a change, but a weakly-worded announcement following GAMA’s initial policy change definitely leaves the door open.
Smash TV show The Great British Baking Show is coming to the tabletop. Ravensburger announced this week that they are developing a card game based on the hit show. The show, which is called The Great British Bake-Off in its native land, has consistently been one of the highest-rated shows on TV in Britain and has been a consistent hit for Netflix, which airs it on this side of the pond under its slightly modified title, which is the one Ravensburger is using for the game. We’ll have more details on the game as it gets closer to launch later this summer.
Speaking of games to make your sweet tooth hurt, the next incarnation of Azul is Azul: Master Chocolatier. The game has pieces modeled after chocolates and other sweets and is due to be released at SPIEL later this year.
Hjalmar Hach, the designer of GeekDad Approved and Game of the Year finalist Photosynthesis, has a new game in the works, and once again, it’s about trees. In Evergreen, one to four players will try to row forests surrounded by biomes and ecosystems. The game is due out in the fourth quarter from Horrible Guild, and a portion of the proceeds of the game will go to Trees for the Future.
Imagine you only had bricks, wool, and wood in your pantry and you needed to cobble together a meal. Or, perhaps you’re on your way to Duluth, only to arrive and find you’re much, much further south than you should be, and you’re also hungry. Hopefully, both of these issues and more will soon be solved thanks to the upcoming release of cookbooks—yes, you heard that right—based on CATAN and Ticket to Ride. According to Dicebreaker, both books will be published by California-based Ulysses Press and distributed by Simon & Schuster, with releases next year.
WizKids is releasing Fantasy Realms: Deluxe Edition. The new edition of the GeekDad Approved, Game of the Year finalist will feature new art and include The Cursed Hoard expansion, as well as promo cards and sleeves. The original Fantasy Realms is our featured image this week.
Funko has announced Hocus Pocus: Tricks & Wits, a fast card-based bluffing game based on the ’90s Disney movie. It is due out this fall.

GeekDad & GeekMom Reviews

Here’s what we reviewed since our last ReRoll:

Paul Benson reviewed Token Sesame.
Jonathan Liu wrote a Kickstarter Tabletop Roundup.
Michael Knight reviewed Star Trek: Missions.

What We’re Playing

Finally, here’s what the GeekDads and GeekMoms played:

Paul Benson played Batman: Everybody Lies, Unmatched: Jurassic Park – Sattler vs T-Rex, Dungeons & Dragons Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage, and Dungeons & Dragons: Ghosts of Saltmarsh.
Jonathan Liu played Progress: Evolution of Technology, 7 Wonders: Architects, Can’t Stop Express, Cantaloop: Book 1, Cubitos, Dice Hospital, Downforce, Downtown Farmers Market, The Dragon Prince: Battlecharged, Glitch Squad, Ni no Kuni II: The Board Game, and Seize the Bean.
Michael Knight played Star Trek: Missions, Methodologie: The Murder on the Links, and Heroes of Normandie: The Big Red One.
Michael Pistiolas played Wingspan, Paint the Roses, Transformers Deck-Building Game, Candyland, The Siege of Runedar, and Santorini.

Re-Roll: This Week’s Tabletop Game News for the Week Ending May 13, 2022

Rob Huddleston — Fri, 13 May 2022 12:00:28 +0000

Here is the board game (and board game-related!) news that caught our attention for the week ending May 13, 2022.

Gaming News

Origins Game Fair and the UK Games Expo, two of the biggest pre-Gen Con conventions, have significantly altered their masking and vaccination policies. UKGE, which opens in Birmingham, England on the first weekend of June, will no longer require proof of vaccination. An FAQ page on the con’s website that had been detailing COVID plans has simply been removed. However, designer Tim Burrell-Saward posted a Twitter thread between himself and the convention’s organizers in which the con says that because the UK government has dropped restrictions on major events, the con would go ahead without restrictions. Meanwhile, Origins, which takes place the following weekend in Columbus, OH, has said that while proof of vaccination is still required, masks are only recommended. San Diego Comic-Con, taking place the weekend before Gen Con in late July, is still holding firm on its vaccination and masking policies, requiring both. As of now, Gen Con has not yet updated their COVID protocols, which still require most proof of vaccination and masking, but as both UKGE and Origins changed their policies mere weeks before their conventions, we can expect that Gen Con might wait as long as possible before updating theirs.
Asmodee has unveiled plans to create a new studio, Access+, to focus on adapting Asmodee’s games “for players with cognitive disabilities.” The studio will begin by releasing Spot It! Access+, Cortex Access+, and Timeline Access+. “Access+ is launched because, at Asmodee, we believe board games are universal. By starting to adapt some of our most popular titles to fit the needs of all, we can strive to make board gaming as inclusive and accessible as possible,” said Stéphane Carville, CEO of Asmodee.
Bag of Chips, a press-your-luck party game, is due out at the end of June. Designed by Shadows: Amsterdam creator Mathieu Aubert and Draftosaurus co-creator Théo Rivière, the game was released in Canada by Mixlore but will be released in the US by Blue Orange Games, both Asmodee imprints.
PBS’s long-running science show NOVA has inspired a new game, Lunar Outpost. Published by Ravensburger, the cooperative game has players working together to establish permanent colonies on the Moon. Astronaut Dan Tani served as a consultant on the game, which also allows an Alexa-connected device to be used to help in gameplay. The game is currently available for pre-order on Amazon.
Z-Man has announced Rattus: Big Box. The game, set during the Black Death in medieval Europe, has players trying to escape the massive pandemic, which may have killed as much as one-third of the population in Europe at the time. The Big Box includes the base game, all three expansions, and “previously unpublished materials and bonus cards.” It is due out in October.
Trollfest is a fantasy game where players manage a rock band and compete to become the best act at the big music festival. The game was designed by Bruno Faidutti and Camille Mathieu and is being published by Trick or Treat Studios. It is due out at the beginning of next month.
Osprey Games is set to release Crescent Moon, an asymmetrical area control game due out later this month. The game, designed by Steve Mathers, has players set as rival powers seeking dominance in the Caliphate.

GeekDad & GeekMom Reviews

Here’s what we reviewed since our last ReRoll:

Jonathan Liu reviewed Tiny Epic Vikings and GeekDad Approved Long Shot.
Michael Pistiolas reviewed Ugly Gryphon Inn.
Michael Knight reviewed Betrayal at House on the Hill, 3rd Edition.

What We’re Playing

Finally, here’s what the GeekDads and GeekMoms played:

Michael Knight played Betrayal at House on the Hill, 3rd Edition, Star Trek: Missions, and Thunderstone Quest.
Jonathan Liu played Shards of Infinity: Shadow of Salvation, Key to the Kingdom, Berried Treasure, and Seize the Bean.
Michael Pistiolas played Unicorn Glitterluck: A Party for Rosalie, Mice and Mystics, and Cat Chaos.
Aaron Spurlock Mandala Stones, Dragonwake, and Wonderland’s War.
I played Disney Villainous: Bigger and Badder and The Artemis Project, our featured image this week.

Re-Roll: This Week’s Tabletop Game News for the Week Ending May 6, 2022

Rob Huddleston — Fri, 06 May 2022 12:00:05 +0000

Here is the board game (and board game-related!) news that caught our attention for the week ending May 6, 2022.

Gaming News

Ticket to Ride is going to the City by the Bay with Ticket to Ride: San Francisco. The stand-alone game will have players racing to visit the city’s iconic landmarks and collect souvenirs. The game will be available in the US in June and the rest of the world in August. No word if one of the landmarks is Oracle Park, but let me just take this opportunity to add: go Giants.
Boardgame Geek announced the winners of their 16th Annual Golden Geek Awards. The winner for 2-Player Game is Redlands. Artwork Presentation went to Sleeping Gods, which also won in the Thematic Game category. Best Expansion was Lost Ruins of Arnak: Expedition Leaders, while Most Innovative game was Oath: Chronicles of Empire and Exile. The Light Game of the Year was GeekDad Approved Cascadia, while GeekDad Approved The Crew: Mission Deep Sea won both Cooperative Game and Medium Game of the Year. Heavy Game of the Year was Ark Nova. Other winners include So Clover! for Party Game, Gloomholdin’ for Print Play, Final Girl for Solo Game, and Undaunted: Reinforcements for Wargame. The two non-gaming awards were for Best Podcast, which went to Board Game Barrage, and Best Board Game App, won by Gloomhaven.
Flatout Games and Mandoo Games have announced Point Salad: Eevee Edition. This Pokémon-themed version of the GeekDad Approved game will be available soon in Korean.
Capstone Games is taking preorders on Catherine: Cities of the Tsarina. The card game should be available at the end of June.
Restoration Games is set to release Jurassic Park: Dr. Sattler vs. T. Rex, a new stand-alone expansion to the GeekDad Approved Unmatched game. The game pits Dr. Sattler and Ian Malcolm against the infamous dino. It is due on shelves at the end of the month.
Embracer Group, the company that recently purchased Asmodee and Dark Horse, is acquiring Square Enix for a reported $300M. With the acquisition, Embracer will acquire the intellectual property rights to Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, Thief, and Legacy of Kain, among others. Board games and comics from those properties are sure to follow.
Fog of Love is getting a COVID-inspired expansion, Love on Lockdown. The game “tells the story of a couple who find themselves locked inside together for months on end with nothing to do” and lets players navigate the struggles that places on a relationship. No release date has been announced.

GeekDad & GeekMom Reviews

Here’s what we reviewed since our last ReRoll:

Paul Benson did a Kickstarter Quick Picks post on Blade Runner: The Roleplaying Game.
I reviewed GeekDad Approved Cuphead: Fast Dice Rolling Game, our featured image this week.

What We’re Playing

Finally, here’s what the GeekDads and GeekMoms played:

Jonathan Liu played Decorum, Castles by the Sea, Cubitos, The Dragon Prince: Battlecharged, Lost Ruins of Arnak, and Tiny Epic Vikings.
Michael Pistiolas played Legendary: A Marvel Deck Building Game.
Paul Benson played Key to the Kingdom, PitchCar, Tenpenny Parks, and Dungeons & Dragons Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage.
I played Windward.

Re-Roll: This Week’s Tabletop Game News for the Week Ending April 29, 2022

Rob Huddleston — Fri, 29 Apr 2022 12:00:40 +0000

Here is the board game (and board game-related!) news that caught our attention for the week ending April 29, 2022.

Gaming News

Firefly may never return to the big or small screen, but Gale Force Nine continues to expand its collection of games based on the cult-favorite series. This week, they announced Firely: Misbehavin’, a deck-building card game that is due out in August. The company has also announced Starfinder: Pirates of Skydock, a spin-off of the popular RPG. Firefly: The Game is our featured image this week.
James Kniffen, co-creator of Forbidden Stars and Star Wars: Armada, is designing Twilight Imperium: Inscription, a roll-and-write in the same universe as the classic sci-fi game. Fantasy Flight announced the game as part of their Twilight Imperium reveal video, although few other details are available at this time.
Oath: Chronicles of Empire & Exile is getting an expansion. In an update on the original game’s Kickstarter page, designer Cole Wehrle revealed that they are in “early stages” of development and that it would be months before any real details were available.
Sushi Go! designer Phil Walker-Harding and his wife Meredith have founded a new studio, Joey Games. Focusing on creating games using sustainable techniques, the studio has already announced three new games, all with an Australian theme: Busy Beaks, a card game about Australian birdlife; Scribbly Gum, a drawing game about the Australian gum trees; and Pass the Party Food, a co-op game about Australian buffets.
Employees of Card Kingdom, a Seattle-based company that is one of the largest resellers of Magic: The Gathering, are seeking to unionize and join Washington-based UFCW 3000, a union that currently includes grocers and retail and health care workers.
The Dungeons & Dragons movie has an official subtitle: Honor Among Thieves. The movie will be “inspired” by the Forgotten Realms and Sword Coast settings. We won’t see the movie for at least another year—its release date is March 3, 2023—so many more details are sure to follow.
The next board game to make the leap to the silver screen is Exploding Kittens, which is being adapted as a series by Netflix. The adult animated series will star Tom Ellis, Lucy Liu, and Ally Maki and will be on the streamer next year. Netflix and Exploding Kittens are also teaming up to create Exploding Kittens-The Game, a video game based on the card game, due out in May.
Classic fast card game Love Letter is getting a 10th Anniversary edition and a second edition. The latter is a brand-new version of the game and will introduce 16 new characters with new mechanics and abilities. It can be played by itself or combined with the original. The 10th Anniversary edition will contain all of the unique rules and components from the original versions. A third title, Love Letter: Stories, is also on its way.
Maui is a game about competitive beach towel placement, for those who seem to have missed the memo that the beach is supposed to be a relaxing place. The competitive puzzle game is being produced by the studio responsible for Azul and should be out this summer.

GeekDad & GeekMom Reviews

Here’s what we reviewed since our last ReRoll:

Paul Benson reviewed the Valhalla GM Screen and the Origins Season 2 game table, along with Dungeons & Dragons Spelljammer: Adventures in Space.
Jonathan Liu reviewed Décorum and Castles by the Sea

What We’re Playing

Finally, here’s what the GeekDads and GeekMoms played:

Jonathan Liu played Decorum, Magic Maze, Cowboy Bebop: Space Serenade, Cubitos, Gen7, The Hunger, Long Shot: The Dice Game, Lost Ruins of Arnak: Expedition Leaders, Go Stop, Castles by the Sea, Hidden Leaders, Tiny Epic Vikings, and Downtown Farmers Market.
Aaron Spurlock played Eight-Minute Empire: Legends, Mandala Stones, and The Shining.
Michael Knight played Reload and Undaunted: Normandy.
Robin Brooks played Lord of the Rings LCG, Warhammer Underworlds: Nethermaze, Marvel Crisis Protocol, Lord of the Rings: LCG, Warhammer Underworlds: Nethermaze, and Ascension: Tactics.
Michael Pistiolas played Mice and Mystics, Tainted Grail, and Wingspan.
Paul Benson played The Warriors: Come Out to Play, Dungeons Dice & Danger, Dungeons & Dragons Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage, and Dungeons & Dragons: Ghosts of Saltmarsh.

Re-Roll: This Week’s Tabletop Game News for the Week Ending April 15, 2022

Rob Huddleston — Fri, 15 Apr 2022 12:00:35 +0000

Here is the board game (and board game-related!) news that caught our attention for the week ending April 15, 2022.

Gaming News

The American Tabletop Awards has announced their 2022 winners. Happy City won the Early Gamers category, Cubitos won for best Casual Game, and Lost Ruins of Arnak won for best Complex Game. Meanwhile, GeekDad Game of the Year Finalist Cascadia won the award for best Strategy Game. (Disclosure: GeekDad Senior Editor Jonathan Liu is on the ATTA committee.) Cascadia is our featured image this week.
Asmodee is launching Unbox Now, a new label that will include a “selection of its best-selling and most accessible board games” aimed at “helping friends and family to find the right board game to play together.” Unbox Now will launch in both physical stores and online with new branding, websites, social media, and in-store displays. The label will initially include titles such as Catan, Pandemic, Ticket to Ride, 7 Wonders, Carcassonne, Splendor, Dixit, and Azul. The label will also introduce a loyalty program, giving players free content and online features, and free access to Asmodee’s Board Game Arena, with each game including a 6-month membership for that title on BGA, or a one-month premium membership to BGA if the title is not yet available there.
Stonemaier’s winemaking game Viticulture is getting a new expansion. In Viticulture World, players will now be able to cooperate with others or play solo. The expansion features a new board, tiles, tokens, and event cards and gives players 6 years of gameplay to achieve their victory conditions. The expansion is compatible with other expansions. The game will be available later this year. Stonemaier is also revising the game’s red and blue “mama and papa” cards to offer same-sex pairings. Future printings of the base game will also have these new cards, and they can be downloaded for free from the company’s website.
D&D Beyond, a digital toolset for the game, is being purchased by Hasbro for a reported $146.3M. The toolset, and the team from Fandom who developed it, will become in-house assets once the deal is complete.
Archon Studio is readying the release of Masters of the Universe: Battleground, a miniatures game based on the ’80s toy and cartoon series. The game will be released in English, German, and Polish in “select” EU countries. No word on when, or if, a US release might follow. The game features 10 highly detailed miniatures of favorite characters from the series, along with terrain elements based on Castle Greyskull.
Ravensburger’s first campaign on crowdfunding site Gamefound, which the company heavily invested in earlier this year, will be a deluxe reprint of Castles of Burgundy. This new edition will feature entirely new artwork and upgraded components and a campaign mode. The campaign is set to launch sometime next month.
Fantasy Flight has announced a new expansion for Cosmic Encounter. Called Cosmic Encounter: Cosmic Odyssey, the first expansion for the game in over 5 years introduces new content and a new campaign mode. The expansion is set for release in August, immediately after Gen Con.
Renegade has announced Birdwatcher, a new wildlife photography game. The competitive game has players taking on the roles of rival wildlife photographers and is now available for pre-order.

GeekDad & GeekMom Reviews

Here’s what we reviewed this week:

Robin Brooks reviewed Root: The Roleplaying Game.
Michael Knight reviewed GeekDad Approved Familiar Tales.

What We’re Playing

Finally, here’s what the GeekDads and GeekMoms played this week:

Jonathan Liu played Decorum, Gen7, and The Initiative.
Michael Pistiolas played Marvel Champions and Cascadia.
Robin Brooks played Lord of the Rings LCG and Elector Counts.
Will James played Horizon: Zero Dawn.
Michael Knight played Familiar Tales, Tiny Epic Dungeons, and High Noon.
Paul Benson played Dungeons, Dice & Danger, Dungeons & Dragons: Ghosts of Saltmarsh, and Dungeons & Dragons Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage.

Re-Roll: This Week’s Tabletop Game News for the Week Ending April 8, 2022

Rob Huddleston — Fri, 08 Apr 2022 12:00:44 +0000

Here is the board game (and board game-related!) news that caught our attention for the week ending April 8, 2022.

Gaming News

The estate of one of the original creators of The Game of Life sued Hasbro to reclaim the copyright on the game. Lower courts had rejected the claim, which would have overturned many entertainment contracts and was supported by groups like the Screen Actors Guild, but the Supreme Court recently decided that it would not issue a ruling in the case, thereby letting the lower court ruling stand and effectively ended the litigation. This piece from Bloomberg Law in February has a good overview of the issues involved.
Scott Bennie, a designer with credits including Dungeons & Dragons, AD&D, the World of Warcraft, and Lord of the Rings RPGs, as well as video games including the original Fallout, passed away last week at age 61 from complications of pneumonia.
Dungeons & Dragons: Onslaught is a new miniatures-based tabletop skirmish game coming out later this year. The game is set in the Forgotten Realms, and lets players take on a character from either the Harpers or Zhentarim factions. The game will include 12 such characters, along with monsters, and include a total of 21 pre-painted miniatures. The game will also be supported by official events and tournaments.
Crowdsourcing site Gamefound is moving to an open beta stage, meaning that any creator can create a project on the site once they complete a background check. The site was started last year by game publisher Awaken Realms, and according to its CEO, has already hosted over 300 projects. Unlike rival Kickstarter, Gamefound plans to remain exclusively for tabletop games and related projects. Details of how to apply to host a project are outlined in a blog post on the site.
Big Sur is a tile-laying game about the famous (and horrible to drive) Pacific Coast Highway. It will be published by 25th Century Games next year.
Azul: Queen’s Garden, the latest title in the ever-growing Azul franchise, is due in stores this month. The stand-alone game had been due out last year, but the shipping crisis kept it off shelves until now. Instead of building tiles in a palace, this edition has players trying to build the most beautiful garden, while relying on similar drafting mechanics as the original game.
Small World of Warcraft is getting a free-to-play expansion focused on the Murlocs. The print-and-play, called Revenge of the Murlocs, can be downloaded now.
Classic game Agricola turns 15 this year, and so it’s no surprise it’s getting a special anniversary edition. Officially called Agricola 15, it will have fresh artwork by the game’s original artist, Klemens Franz, and will contain everything from the original game and some of the expansions and promos. The new edition will be compatible with expansions from the original and is due to be released at Essen in October. Agricola is our featured image this week.
The Princes of Florence will see a new edition this year. Although the title will remain unchanged, the new edition will provide players with more gender options to play, with a double-sided board that lets players choose either a female-presenting character or a male-presenting one. The rest of the game will remain largely unchanged. It is also set to be released at Essen.
Recent rom-com Moonshot includes a scene with characters playing the popular space capitalism game Terraforming Mars. The movie, which includes a terraformed Mars as a key setting, is currently streaming on HBOMax.

GeekDad & GeekMom Reviews

Here’s what we reviewed this week:

Paul Benson reviewed GeekDad Approved Dune: Imperium – Rise of Ix.
Aaron Spurlock reviewed Life of a Chameleon.
Jonathan Liu reviewed Maul Peak and Tidal Blades: Heroes of the Reef.

What We’re Playing

Finally, here’s what the GeekDads and GeekMoms played this week:

Aaron Spurlock played Travis Hill’s Union Station, Life of a Chameleon, and Return to Dark Tower.
Jonathan Liu played Gen7, The Initiative, Return to Dark Tower, Decorum, Herbaceous, and Mind MGMT.
Michael Pistiolas played Azul, Marvel Champions, Ugly Gryphon Inn, 6nimmt!, and Ticket to Ride.
Robin Brooks played Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game and Lord of the Rings LCG.

Re-Roll: This Week’s Tabletop Game News for the Week Ending March 25, 2022

Rob Huddleston — Fri, 25 Mar 2022 12:00:38 +0000

Here is the board game (and board game-related!) news that caught our attention for the week ending March 25, 2022.

Gaming News

More game companies are raising money to help the people of Ukraine. Clash of Decks is offering a “pay want you want” campaign that will include a starter deck and a special “Ukraining Champion” card, with proceeds being donated to the Red Cross. Gamewright is selling a “The Golden Gate of Kyiv” for their game Happy City, with proceeds going to the Global Giving’s Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund. Grand Gamers Guild has created a special Ukraining Ambassador card for Endangered, with proceeds going to The International Rescue Committee. Modiphius’ Roll vs Evil charity organization is hosting a special event this Saturday, March 26, where they are encouraging people to play games—any game—and collect money, which should then be forwarded to Roll vs Evil, who will, in turn, give the money to charities helping the people of Ukraine. Endangered is our featured image this week.
In related charity news, hit D&D show Critical Roll is teaming up with late-night talk show host Stephen Colbert to raise money for Red Nose Day, a non-profit that supports children. In Choose Stephen Colbert’s Adventure … Again, Matthew Mercer will be DM for a one-shot D&D scenario for Colbert. Fans can go online to Tilltify and make donates, along with voting for aspects of the adventure. The choices that receive the most donations will be incorporated into the game, which will be aired on April 28th. As of this writing, the event has already raised almost $43,000.
Actor Chris Pine, one of the stars of the long-delayed D&D movie, did an interview with Collider about it, in which he described the movie as “Game of Thrones mixed with a little Princess Bride, just a smidge of Holy Grail; it’s somewhere in that ballpark.” The movie won’t be out for another year, so the internet has a lot of time to parse that one out.
It seems that stories on Charizard cards selling for ridiculous amounts are becoming a weekly thing here. This week’s entry is one that sold for $420,000, which amazingly is only the third-highest price ever paid for the card.
Wizards of the Coast is testing a new recycling program for MTG boosters. No, it isn’t a way to get rid of all of those land cards. Instead, players will be able to take the plastic wrappers for boosters and deposit them in receptacles at certain stores, which will, in turn, return them to WotC partner Terracycle for recycling.
Prolific designer Reiner Knizia has a new legacy game coming soon. In My Island, a follow-up to My City, players will attempt to develop an entire island over 24 sessions. No other details, including a release date, are yet available.
AEG will have a representative at Washingcon in the DC area this Saturday, April 26, and will be hosting a Pitch Day. They are looking for short, 15-20 minute pitches. Badges for the con are still available.
Yet another game based on Dune is coming soon. Gale Force Nine has announced Arrakis: Dawn of the Freeman, a game set before the events in the original novel. The game is due out sometime later this year.

GeekDad & GeekMom Reviews

Here’s what we reviewed this week:

Paul Benson reviewed Sandy Petersen’s Cthulhu Mythos: Brown Jenkin Pocket 5e Edition and the Origins Board Game Coffee Table.
Jonathan Liu reviewed Fire for Light.

What We’re Playing

Finally, here’s what the GeekDads and GeekMoms played this week:

Paul Benson played Libertalia: Winds of Galecrest, Clank! Legacy: Acquisitions Incorporated, Dungeons & Dragons Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage, and Dungeons & Dragons Ghosts of Saltmarsh.
Jonathan Liu played Decorum, Lost Ruins of Arnak: Expedition Leaders, and Unsettled.
Robin Brooks played Lord of the Rings LCG.
Michael Pistiolas played Marvel Champions, Mice and Mystics, G.I. Joe Deck Building Game, and Massive Darkness 2.

Re-Roll: This Week’s Tabletop Game News for the Week Ending March 18, 2022

Rob Huddleston — Fri, 18 Mar 2022 12:00:26 +0000

Here is the board game (and board game-related!) news that caught our attention for the week ending March 18, 2022.

Gaming News

Board game companies have continued their response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the humanitarian response the war has created. UK-based Games Workshop has stated that they “are terribly saddened by the horrific events” and that they are “suspending all sales of Warhammer products into Russia.” The brief statement acknowledges that this will have a negative impact on hobbyists in Russia who don’t support Putin’s aggression, but ends by saying “we must stand with those suffering.” Meanwhile, Italian-based Ares Games has announced that they will sell off the last nine copies of The Battle of Five Armies: Collector’s Edition. Each copy of the rare game—numbered 1492 to 1500—is available for $1200, and the company will donate the proceeds to the Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders.
Kickstarter, after receiving waves of negative press following its announcement months ago that it would move to the environmentally-unfriendly blockchain, is now hiring for positions on its Kickstarter Community Advisory Council. The paid positions, which will include a $5000 annual honorarium, will put members in a position to advise the company on future initiatives, including the controversial blockchain move, although it’s unclear how much authority the council will really have. Applicants have until April 6 to apply.
Hot on the heels of the very, very exciting news of the forthcoming release of Star Wars Villainous, Dicebreaker is saying that Disney Villainous and Marvel Villainous have combined to sell over 3 million units in just under four years since the original game came out. Publisher Ravensburger is set to release the newest sequel, Disney Villainous: Bigger and Badder, very soon. Bigger and Badder is our featured image this week.
The Op will soon release Venn, which basically combines the mechanics of Dixit and Codenames and sees players using cards with abstract art to get others to guess clues. The game supports both team and cooperative play. No release date has yet been announced.
Following a successful Kickstarter campaign last year in which it raised over $1M, Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood of Venice is getting a retail release. The retail game will feature mostly standees to bring the price down from $239 to “only” $140. The game is being jointly produced by Triton Noir and Synapses Games and is due out in the fourth quarter. Limited quantities of the Kickstarter edition are still available from Triton Noir’s website.
For the first time in its long history, the Pokémon Trading Card Game Championships will be held in the UK in 2022, at the ExCel London event center. The four-day event will run from August 17-21 and will have COVID restrictions in place.

GeekDad & GeekMom Reviews

Here’s what we reviewed this week:

Paul Benson reviewed the Dune: Imperium Deluxe Upgrade Pack.
Michael Knight reviewed Undaunted: Reinforcements.
Robin Brooks reviewed Marvel: Crisis Protocol.
Elizabeth MacAndrew reviewed Animal Adventures: Secrets of Gullet Cove.

What We’re Playing

Finally, here’s what the GeekDads and GeekMoms played this week:

Paul Benson played Libertalia: Winds of Galecrest, Dune: Imperium – Rise of Ix, and Dungeons & Dragons Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage.
Michael Pistiolas played Marvel Champions, Mice and Mystics, Transformers Deck-Building Game, and Can’t Stop.
Jonathan Liu played Mountains Out of Molehills, Proving Grounds, Ascension Tactics, Gen7, Shadowrift, and Unsettled.
Michael Knight Familiar Tales and Lord of the Ring LCG.
Robin Brooks Lord of the Rings LCG and Warhammer Underworlds.
Aaron Spurlock played Travis Hill’s Union Station, Return to Dark Tower, Dark Tower, and Pictures.

Re-Roll: This Week’s Tabletop Game News for the Week Ending March 11, 2022

Rob Huddleston — Fri, 11 Mar 2022 13:00:40 +0000

Here is the board game (and board game-related!) news that caught our attention for the week ending March 11, 2022.

Gaming News

Czech Games Edition, publisher of award-winning games like Codenames, has announced that they are donating all of the profits they have ever made on Russian copies of their games—an estimated €400,000, or about $439,000—to charities supporting the people of Ukraine. Lucky Duck Games has said they will match contributions of up to $12,000 to pro-Ukraine causes, and Awaken Realms is holding a special sale of the remaining stock of This War of Mine, the proceeds of which will be given relief funds. Codenames is our featured image this week.
Villainous, one of the best game systems of the last few years, has already expanded into the Pixar and Marvel universes, but this week publisher Ravensburger announced the most exciting edition yet: Star Wars Villainous. The game, which is due out late summer, will feature Darth Vader, Asajj Ventress, Kylo Ren, Moff Gideon, and General Grievous, and will add rules for both the use of the Force and for ships. We will have a full review of the game as its launch gets closer.
Ares has announced that Fire in the Sky, a game about the war in the Pacific from 1941-1945, is due to hit shelves next week.
A rare Pokémon Charizard card is now the property of the US government after Vinath Oudomsine of Dublin, Georgia pled guilty to wire fraud for falsely claiming $85,000 in COVID relief funds for an “entertainment services business” he claimed to own and then spending $57,789 on the card. In addition to forfeiting the card, he will spend 3 years in prison, pay $10,000 in restitution, and forfeit the relief funds. The card will remain in the custody of US Marshals (although likely not in witness protection) until it is eventually auctioned, with the proceeds going to the US Small Business Administration.
To the surprise of no one, Asmodee is continuing to roll out more of its titles to Boardgame Arena, the online platform it purchased last year. The newest addition is the game that started it all: Catan, which will be available later this year. And in related news, Asmodee’s sale to the Embracer Group has now been finalized.
WizKids will soon release a new edition of Bargain Basement Bathysphere, a solo roll-and-write where players attempt to dive to the ocean’s bottom in a “questionably-reliable vessel assembled from duct tape and spit.” The new version features “an all-new campaign with several different scenarios, new graphic design, and art.” The game is available for pre-order now.
Renegade has announced an expansion for their G.I. JOE Deck-Building Game. Shadow of the Serpent includes “new missions, main deck cards, Cobra Officers and Troopers, and a command center to build and protect.” Pre-orders are available now, and anyone who orders soon will automatically get the “Bonus Box #2,” which includes “two promo Joe cards and a backdrop for the Command Center.” The expansion is due out in the second quarter.
Modiphius is accepting pre-orders for the Solo Game Master’s Guide, written by “the acclaimed host of the Geek Gamers YouTube channel.” The book, as its title suggests, is a guide to running solo RPG sessions.
Funko has announced a new game based on the classic Hitchcock thriller Rear Window. In the game, one player assumes the role of the Director and “Master of Suspense” himself who must communicate using clues and signs (and without ever uttering a word) to help the other players figure out who the murderer is or if there was even a murder. The game is due out this summer.
The Op and AEG are teaming up to release Smash Up: Disney Edition. The latest addition to the ever-growing Smash Up series, the game will introduce Disney heroes and villains and include eight all-new factions.
SaltCon was held this weekend, and GeekDad Aaron Spurlock was there and wrote a great piece on all of the wonderful independent developers who attended.

GeekDad & GeekMom Reviews

Here’s what we reviewed this week:

Paul Benson reviewed The Army Painter’s New Speedpaint Starter Set and Labyrinth of the Goblin Tsar and Web of the Spider Tyrant.
Michael Knight reviewed Bequest.
Jonathan Liu reviewed Motor City and Behext.

What We’re Playing

Finally, here’s what the GeekDads and GeekMoms played this week:

Paul Benson played Dune: Imperium Rise of Ix, Libertalia: Winds of Galecrest, and Dungeons & Dragons Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage.
Michael Pistiolas played Marvel Champions, Codenames, and You Gotta Be Kitten Me!
Robin Brooks played Whitehack, Lord of the Rings LCG, Marvel: Crisis Protocol, and Red7.
Jonathan Liu played BEHEXT, Tales From the Loop: The Board Game, Block Ness, Canopy, Mountains Out of Molehills, and Streets.
Michael Knight played Undaunted: Reinforcements, Tiny Epic Dungeons, and Lord of the Rings: LCG.
Aaron Spurlock played Tang Garden, Founders of Teotihuacan, Nidavellir, Meadow, Wild Space, The LOOP, and Furnace.

Re-Roll: This Week’s Tabletop Game News for the Week Ending March 4, 2022

Rob Huddleston — Fri, 04 Mar 2022 13:00:42 +0000

Here is the board game (and board game-related!) news that caught our attention for the week ending March 4, 2022.

Gaming News

As with most of the rest of the world, we here at GeekDad have been following the tragic situation in Ukraine with heavy hearts. Our thoughts go out to all of those impacted.
Many publishers have taken action in support of Ukraine. Stonemaier Games said in a blog post that they “stand in unity with Ukraine” and have cut off all economic ties with Russian localization partners, resulting in the company having to halt production on “multiple” unnamed products. They say that the decision will cost the company between $30,000 and $65,000, but said that “is nothing compared to the horrors faced by the citizens of Ukraine.” Stonemaier has also written off any payments owed to them by Ukrainian partners. They are also donating over $10,000 to support emergency humanitarian aid—the amount the company says it made in profit from a game that recently shipped from one of the localization partners in Russia. Meanwhile, Polish-based Portal Games is donating $10,000 from the sale of Polish editions of Mysterium, a game designed by Ukrainians Oleksandr Nevskiy and Oleg Sidorenko, and some of the profits from the sales of Polish editions of Skytopia, a game designed by Russian publisher Cosmodrome Games. They have also introduced ways that backers of their ongoing Gamefound campaign to contribute the humanitarian aid.
Ukrainian tabletop publishers themselves have reached out to the gaming community asking for aid and support as well. Desktop Games, the distributor of Arkham Horror, Star Wars: X-Wing, and other Fantasy Flight games, is based in Kyiv. The company is urging supporters to donate blood and contribute financial aid to the Ukrainian special forces. Another Ukrainian publisher, Bombat Games, made a similar plea for donations to the Ukrainian army. Geekach, another localization company in Kyiv that has been responsible for local editions of Scythe, War of the Ring, and Marvel United, posted messages of support on its Facebook and Instagram accounts.
The As d’Or awards have announced their winners, with 7 Wonders Architects claiming Game of the Year and GeekDad’s 2021 Game of the Year Dune: Imperium winning in the “Expert” category. The Children’s game went to Bubble Stories, and the new “Insider” category was won by Living Forest.
While dozens of titles currently exist in the Carcassonne series, publisher Hans im Glück has announced the development of Mist Over Carcassonne, which for the first time introduces a cooperative mode into the game, with players attempting to appease spirits. The game can either be played as a stand-alone title or integrated into other sets as an expansion. It is due in European stores in the fourth quarter of this year, but as of now, no English edition has been announced.
The Op has announced Avatar: The Last Airbender Fire Nation Rising, a new title in their Rising series based on the popular animated series. The game is due out this summer.
AEG has released Mystic Vale: Essential Edition, a collection of the base game and first three expansions. It should be available in stores by the time you read this.
Hasbro is working on a third edition of Betrayal at House on the Hill. The game will be available mid-summer but can be pre-ordered now.
Ares has announced a partnership with Xplored, the makers of tabletop gaming platform Teburu, to bring Sword and Sorcery to the digital platform.
On a completely personal note, last week was the seventh anniversary of my first post on GeekDad. Thanks to everyone at GeekDad for letting me be a part of this wonderful group, thanks to all of the readers who keep checking back every week, and thanks to all of the great publishers and designers who keep making these awesome games. Here’s to many more years.

GeekDad & GeekMom Reviews

Here’s what we reviewed this week:

Michael Knight reviewed Western Legends: The Big Box.
Sarah Pinault reviewed Minecraft: Builders and Biomes.
Aaron Spurlock reviewed Bristol 1350.
Jonathan Liu reviewed Ubongo 3D.

What We’re Playing

Finally, here’s what the GeekDads and GeekMoms played this week:

Sarah Pinault played Minecraft: Builders and Biomes, Scrabble, Upwords, Winter Carcassonne, and Exploding Kittens.
Michael Pistiolas played Aeon’s End: Outcasts.
Jonathan Liu played Fire for Light, Gen7, Ghost Castle, and Tales From the Loop: The Board Game.
Robin Brooks played Lord of the Rings LCG, The Adventures of Robin Hood, and Tumble Tree.
Paul Benson played Super Skill Pinball 4Cade, Caper: Europe, and Dungeons & Dragons Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage.
Michael Knight played Tiny Epic Dungeons, Bequest, and Undaunted: Normandy.
I played Mountains Out of Molehills, our featured image this week.

Re-Roll: This Week’s Tabletop Game News for the Week Ending February 25, 2022

Rob Huddleston — Fri, 25 Feb 2022 14:00:39 +0000

Here is the board game (and board game-related!) news that caught our attention for the week ending February 25, 2022.

Gaming News

Pandasaurus is 10 years old and is celebrating with a sale that runs through March 4.
Zombie-themed video game Dying Light is making its way to the tabletop. Glass Cannon Unplugged released a teaser video for the game on YouTube. Very few details of the game are currently available.
Board game fans of the long-running BBC series Coronation Street got an extra surprise last week when two of the show’s characters, Tim Metcalf and his mother Elaine Jones, poured over the rules and discussed playing Wingspan. Dicebreaker has an interview with the show’s creator, explaining why he chose Wingspan. (Mostly, because he’s just a fan of the game.) Wingspan is our featured image this week.
Prolific designer Reiner Knizia is bringing city-building to the city by the bay. In the aptly titled San Francisco, players work as urban planners in the city during the first half of the 20th century. While not specifically mentioned in the BoardGameGeek synopsis, the 20th century began with the city being almost entirely destroyed by an earthquake, so its growth in the decades that followed would make for some interesting potential. The game will be published by Rebel Studio and is set to be released in the fourth quarter of this year.
The continuing fallout of Kickstarter’s controversial announcement to move to the blockchain entered a new phase this week, as the company published an update to its plan. The new announcement says that the company has heard the criticisms and will seek more community input, but it still fell far short of a full acknowledgment of the environmental impact of blockchain and left many in the community just as upset as before.
According to ICv2, Blue Orange Games, the makers of award-winning Kingdomino, is set to release two new matching games. Disc Cover has players choosing album cover cards to match playlists, while Tongues Out is a game about pugs targeted at younger audiences. Both games should be in stores later this year.

GeekDad & GeekMom Reviews

Here’s what we reviewed this week:

Jonathan Liu reviewed Escape Room in a Box: Time Drifters.
Aaron Spurlock reviewed Patchwork Valentine Edition.

What We’re Playing

Finally, here’s what the GeekDads and GeekMoms played this week:

Jonathan Liu played Escape Room in a Box: Time Drifters, Mind MGMT, Project L, Return to Dark Tower, Team UP!, Tsuro, and Ubongo 3D.
Michael Pistiolas played Aeon’s End: Outcast and Ticket to Ride.
Aaron Spurlock played Ming MGMT, Bristol 1350, Salem 1692, and Bonkers.
Robin Brooks played Lord of the Rings LCG, Marvel: Crisis Protocol, Pokemon: TCG, and Out of Order.
Michael Knight Tiny Epic Dungeons, Tiny Epic Dinosaurs, and Undaunted: North Africa.
I played Mexican train dominos and Rummikub.

Re-Roll: This Week’s Tabletop Game News for the Week Ending February 18, 2022

Rob Huddleston — Fri, 18 Feb 2022 13:00:59 +0000

Here is the board game (and board game-related!) news that caught our attention for the week ending February 18, 2022.

Gaming News

Planned attendance at Gen Con is apparently higher than anticipated, as the housing block sold out completely within only a few hours, leaving many who had late housing pool times unable to secure a room. (Thankfully, all of us who are planning to go from GeekDad were able to get rooms.) In a tweet, Gen Con said that they would work “in the coming days and weeks” to procure more rooms and that those rooms would be available “on a first-come, first-served basis.” If you’re still looking for a room, be sure to follow Gen Con on Twitter, but also regularly check the Housing Portal.
Funko is preparing a host of new games for 2022, including two party games based on popular TV shows. In the Ted Lasso Party Game, players can join the aggressively positive coaching staff at AFC Richmond, while the Parks and Recreation Party Game has players working to “pick one of Pawnee’s famous Parks and Recreation projects, make deals, and recruit help.” The press release did not mention whether or not you’ll be able to play Cones of Dunshire. The Parks and Rec game is due out this spring, with Lasso following in the summer. And remember, Gradarius Firmus Victoria.
In other TV-to-boardgame news, five years after the end of the show, Sherlock is getting a board game. Lucky Duck Games is set to publish Sherlock: Case Connection, by Radosław Ignatów. The game will feature photos from the show, and have players visit locations to gather clues and, of course, solve crimes. The game is due out in the second quarter of this year.
We reported last week that Ravensburger was investing big in crowdsourcing company Gamefound, and so it comes as no surprise that this week, the giant games and puzzle publisher, estimated to trail only Hasbro in worldwide sales, will be funding multiple projects through Gamefound this year.
Speaking of Ravensburger: the company is set to release another sequel to its highly popular Disney Villainous line, bringing Pixar villains Syndrome (The Incredibles) and Lotso Bear (Toy Story 3), along with Sword in the Stone’s Madam Mim, to the mix. They are also expanding their Adventure Book Game line, which began with a very fun game based on The Princess Bride, with the Wizard of Oz Adventure Book Game. Both titles should be in stores soon.
Michael Kiesling, the designer of award-winning Azul, is working on a roll-and-write game, The Border, reports Dicebreaker. The game will have players rolling dice and marking off color-coded hexagons on a dry-erase board to surround areas of the board and score points. The game is due out later this year in Europe, and although no English edition has been confirmed, it’s likely a safe bet one will come eventually.
Two exciting opportunities for people who love collectible card games and have lots of money to burn. First, a sealed box of ten Magic: The Gathering beta edition starter decks is up for auction. While it’s impossible to know what is in them, there’s at least a chance that they could contain ultra-rare cards such as the Black Lotus. Auction site Goldin has the box set at a minimum bid of $250,000, but as of now, no one has bid anything. If Pokémon is more your speed, you can bid on an uncut sheet of first-edition cards, including two shadowless Charizards. As of this writing, the auction on Goldin has 8 bids with a current price of $43,000, up from the $25,000 starting price. The Pokémon auction ends on February 23, with the Magic auction ending the following day.
Hedge fund Alta Fox Capital Management, owner of 2.5% of Hasbro’s stock, has urged the company to spin off Magic: The Gathering publisher Wizards of the Coast, claiming that Wizards is potentially worth as much as the rest of Hasbro combined, reports ICv2. The hedge fund will be nominating directors to the Hasbro board to try to push its idea.

GeekDad & GeekMom Reviews

Here’s what we reviewed this week:

Jonathan Liu reviewed Retrograde.
Michael Knight reviewed Star Wars: Jabba’s Palace – A Love Letter Game.
Robin Brooks reviewed Elector Counts.

What We’re Playing

Finally, here’s what the GeekDads and GeekMoms played this week:

Jonathan Liu played Canopy, Motor City, Retrograde, and Return to Dark Tower.
Paul Benson played Clank! Legacy: Acquisitions Incorporated, Wingspan, and Dungeons & Dragons Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage.
Robin Brooks Pokemon TCG, Warhammer Underworlds, Lord of the Rings LCG, Out of Order, and The Adventures of Robin Hood.
Michael Pistiolas played Aeon’s End: Outcasts.
Michael Knight played Star Wars: Jabba’s Palace: A Love Letter Game and Tiny Epic Dungeons.
Aaron Spurlock played Patchwork Valentine Edition and Obscurio.
I played Mexican train dominos and Rummikub (our featured image this week.)