Days of Wonder announced today that Small World Underground is available for pre-orders. My guess is that if there is a limited availability, they won't last long. Remember that Underground is a stand alone title that can be played outside of the base game or can be played in conjunction to give you the flexibility of size and scope of your play experience. The expansion takes players into the underground and includes new terrain types, races, powers, and maps. In addition, the neutral monsters now guard places of power and artifacts that the players can use to their advantage. Head over to the Days of Wonder store and pre-order your copy!
One of the greatest things about our society is that there is always fresh content and ideas being put out there for the world to enjoy. The analog gaming industry is no different in this aspect The industry has a long and storied history that has given our and many other generations the creativity and drive to turn ideas into products that have brought families and friends closer together, and sometimes even farther apart (sorry about that John). With Kickstarter the power has been put into the hands of the common man, check out some of the latest and greatest submissions and decide whether you want to be a part of bringing these ideas to life!
Shards of the Throne [Amazon, Funagain], the latest expansion for Twilight Imperium 3rd Edition, is now on sale. The latest expansion includes three new races: the Ghosts of Creuss, beings made of light and energy; the Nekro Virus, a machine whose sole purpose is to destroy biological life forms; and the Aborec, a plant based sentient ecosystem. Also included are new alternate Strategy Cards, units, and the Political Intrigue option which allows you to influence the Galactic Council; however, be warned that your enemies might try to undermine you. Want even more? Not a problem with Shards of the Throne as it comes with a scenario that allows one player to take on the role of the Lazax, Race-Specific Technologies, Preliminary Objectives, new Domain Counters, and new System Tiles, there is tons of new content to conquer and control the galaxy with.
Death Ride Kursk - 11th Panzer (DRK-11Pz) expands on the DRK series and will be released by 28 May. This game covers the operations of the 11th Panzer Division, as part of the XXXXVIII Panzer Korps, as the right flank of Gross Deutschland during the Battle of Kursk. Players do not need to own the DRK-GD game to play this as it uses different maps. 11th Panzer parallels Gross Deutschland north toward Oboyan and Kursk. The division ran into 31st Tank Corps and elements of the 309th Rifle, 52nd and 13th Guards Rifle Divisions. The game features such rules as Overwatch, Patrols, Reserves, and uses obstacles extensively. Elite forces in this game include the Red Army Guards (52nd and 13th GRDs) that are shoved into the battle.
To say this sale is huge is an understatement. As of this posting there are approximately 1300 different toys, puzzles, book rpgs, board games, and card games on sale from about 30-50% off the regular price. They have even included a filtering system to help sort through all the goodness. There is one catch though, some of the items on sale are in limited quantities, so you have to get them quick! They promise to update the site every 5 minutes so the games that are out of stock should be removed from the list. Head over to the site and check out all the amazing deals. Now is a great time to catch up on some titles you may not have been able to afford the first time around.
The 2010 hit game Forbidden Island, designed by Matt Leacock (Pandemic) and published by Gamewright, has been nominated for the prestigious Spiel de Jahres (Game of the Year) award for 2011. The nominations were released earlier today and Forbidden Island is nominated among two other greats in Qwirkle and Asara.
Here is the full list of Spiel de Jahres Nominees for 2011 - Forbidden Island
Qwirkle
Asara
Kennerspiel de Jahres - 7 Wonders
Strasbourg
Lancaster
Kinderspiel de Jahres - Da ist der Wurm drin
Die kleinen Zauberlehrlinge
Monster-Falle
Magestorm is a 2010 European release by Nexus Games (NG) International and was designed by Piero Cioni. Earlier this year, the game saw a North American release and Nexus Games was kind enough to send a review copy to us here at Critical Gamers, to which we would like to thank them. Magestorm is a 2 player head-to-head fantasy wargame that marries the excitement of spell casting with the strategy of army unit coordination. Magestorm is meant for players aged 12 and up and takes about 60-90 minutes to setup and play.
Fantasy Flight Games has announced the plans to bring the hit 3rd person shooter Gears of War, from Epic Games, to shelfs and tables across the land. Designed by Corey Konieczka (Mansions of Madness, Battlestar Galactica), Gears of War will pit the COG against the hordes of the Locust in memorable battles from the first two games of the series. We know what Corey is capable of and we know how awesome Gears of War is, so we are super excited about what this could be. However, there are not a lot of video game to board game adaptations out there so this could mark a start of a new genre cross-over or deserve to be at the chainsaw end of a Lancer. Head over to the Gears of War product page for more details.
Days of Wonder have announced the release of Ticket to Ride for the Apple iPad, the fastest growing mobile and gaming device on the market. This release puts Ticket to Ride on at least four different types of media including the original board game, Xbox LIVE Arcade, and online. Ticket to Ride has been called one of the best gateway games for families and the fact that it exists now in multiple forms only serves to expand the success of Euro Games. Ticket to Ride will be available for $6.99 from the iTunes App Store for the base game and for a short time offer, the additional maps of Europe, Switzerland, and USA 1910 will be available as in-game purchases for an introductory price of $0.99 per map.
For additional information check out the official announcement over to the Days of Wonder website.
Eagle Games has announced their latest title, Dragon Rampage, a cooperative, but competitive, fantasy dice game that couples dice rolling with some more traditional board and card game mechanics. Dragon Rampage is designed by Richard Launius who has brought us some of our favorite titles in Arkham Horror and Defenders of the Realm.
Here is more information from the official release announcement about what we can look forward to with Dragon Rampage -
Dragon Rampage is a strategic dice game for 3 to 5 players. Each player becomes one of the adventurers (all with different abilities) trying to score the most points at the end of the game by fighting against, and/or running from the dragon that just woke up, and by tallying up the treasure and gold obtained in the dungeon. Players roll 7 specially designed dice and choose whether to focus on: grabbing treasure (from the dragon or from another player); fighting the dragon; protecting themselves (and their treasure); or running for the exit. Try not to draw the dragon's attention as you make your way, and note too that your fellow adventurers may hinder (or aid) your strategy. Beware, the final scoring changes depending on how the game ends...so watch your step!
"Sure, the treasure around the sleeping dragon looked like it would be easy to get. At least the Rogue was convinced that sneaking in and grabbing an arm load of loot would be a cinch...things were going well until the Barbarian knocked over a stack of golden platters and the Dragon awoke. Needless to say, he was not too happy to see us going through his treasure. The first to run was the Rogue, as usual -- hide in the shadows is her motto -- but a Paladin never runs when a fight is at hand. So I hefted my sword and attacked, expecting to see lots of help, minus the Rogue of course. Instead, as I was bringing down my sword, I saw out of the corner of my eye, the Wizard AND the Dwarf edging toward the door...it was going to be one of those days."
If you live near or plan on visiting Roseville, Minnesota from tomorrow, May 17th to the 22nd then I highly suggest you stop by the Fantasy Flight Games Event Center for their Spring Forward Sales event. FFG will be offering fantastic deals on their extensive catalog and their partners: Games Workshop, Cipher Studios, Nexus Games, and Sophisticated Games. You can expect discounts of 50% or more on hundreds of the titles and if you get a ridiculous deal, make sure you buy some for us!
Courtesy of Victory Point Games release announcement - From designer Nathan Hansen comes a quick paced, deep decision rich, abstract strategy BattlessonTM game, Battle of 4 Armies.
Match your skills against up to three opponents, for your goal is the Crown of Chip! Through the judicious used of unit placement and maneuver, you struggle to capture opposing units to knock them out of play, or hold the majority named spaces on the board.
With pressure for the center of the map and maneuver around its edges, players have myriad ways to approach every turn of this absorbing game!
Make your move and be the one to restore the crown in the Battle of 4 Armies!
Members of Mensa get together at the Mensa Mind Games and announce 5 titles that earn their prestigious Mensa Select award. The award is given to games that are "original, challenging and well designed" and that is exactly what you get with Pastiche. An innovative title that takes the players into the world of art, which is seldom traveled in our industry. Players must combine primary colors to create the appropriate palette required for one of 34 of the most exquisite European artworks of the last six centuries. This beautiful game has been heralded by many to be one of the best family gateway games since Alan Moon's Ticket to Ride.
Pergamon is the highly anticipated new game from designer Stefan Dorra (For Sale) and Funagain Games is letting us get in on the action by providing a discount and free shipping until midnight EST on Monday May 16th. Pergamon is an archeological expedition title where players must secure funding to begin excavation on the ancient ruins of Pergamon. Depending on how fast you get funding and how much funding you can get, will determine if the players are able to secure lucrative dig sites. Head over to Funagain Games and get in on this sweet deal before time runs out!
Castle Panic was released by Fireside Games back in 2009 and is the type of story that I personally enjoy; seeing a small unknown designer/publisher produce a title that makes a big splash in the industry and that is exactly what you have here. Meant for 1-6 player and takes about an hour to play, Castle Panic puts the players in the center of the board trying their their hardest to defend off waves of monster attacks from all sides of the board. What is great about this game is that it is cooperative but still competitive. Players must work together to defend the castle, but the person who has the most victory points from the battle is declared the Master Slayer. If you enjoy fast paced, frantic games, that build up suspense but require cooperation and coordination (think Pandemic), then Castle Panic will be right up your alley.
Gamewright (Forbidden Island, Rory's Story Cubes) has recently announced a new game line that focuses on portability and quick fun. Dubbed the "Port-a-Party" line of games, this month will see Joe Name It and Who Would Win titles released. Joe Name it features a fast-playing "name it to claim it" quiz game that will find out if you are smarter than the average Joe. Who Would Win looks to take that age old question and twist it around a bit. Like "who would win a shuffleboard match: Bob Marley or Confucius?" Players must convince the judge their answer is the best.
FlipOut from Gamewright is a recent re-release of a title previously known as Patchwork designed by Daniel Weaver back in 2008. FlipOut is a family game meant for 2-5 players, ages 8+, and takes about 15 minutes to setup and play. I am not familiar with the original version but from what I have gathered from my research, the only difference between the original and the Gamewright release are the holders. The holders are made of wood and are one solid piece in Patchwork; whereas in FlipOut they are plastic and separated into two pieces for easier storage. A special thanks goes out to Gamewright for supplying a copy for review!
Confusion: Espionage and Deception in the Cold War is now available for preorder on the Stronghold games web store. The game can be bought in two different offerings: a non-packaged deal and The Robert Abbott Special, which includes Confusion and Code 777. If you hurry and are one of the first 500 preorders, the game will cost $38.97, which is 35% off the MSRP price of $59.95. If you purchase the Robert Abbott Special, you will get 35% off both titles which is a pretty sweet deal. If you want to know more about Confusion: Espionage and Deception in the Cold War, check out Jeremy Salinas' (Drakkenstrike) Components Breakdown Video Review in HD at the bottom of the post. Jeremy does a great job of breaking the game down into its components, mechanics, and then gives his thoughts on it.
Also, if you are a Survive: Escape from Atlantis fan, Stronghold will not disappoint you as well. They have also announced that they will be taking orders on the 5-6 player mini-expansion and the Giant-Squid mini-expansion is also back in stock. However please note, that any orders made in conjunction with a Confusion preorder, then the order will not be shipped until early June, according to the site.
Nerds and Geeks rejoice! Tomorrow is a great day for all of us. Not only is it Free Comic Book Day but gaming stores all over the world will be holding New Phyrexia prerelease events giving us TCG fans a look at the new set a week before the decks go on sale. In addition, players will receive the exclusive Sheoldred, Whispering One promo card (while supplies last) just for experiencing the latest Wizards of the Coast offering. If you can, I suggest you attempt to attend one of the larger regional events which will offer additional attractions such as single-card dealers, artist signings, and Magic game celebrities. Please note that the attractions will vary upon each location so check the Regional Prerelease Schedule for any available regional events near you.
For more information regarding Free Comic Book Day, head over to the official website at www.freecomicbookday.com.
For more information about what New Phyrexia Prerelease events are happening near you and additional information about the events, visit Wizards of the Coast information page - New Phyrexia Prerelease
The latest issue of the Z-Man Games newsletter has been released and can be found on their website (Z-Man Games). The newsletter gives us insight into three of their upcoming titles: Mondo, Palenque, and Guards! Guards! which is a game based off Sir Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels. Read on for more information about these great upcoming titles!
From designer Tom Decker comes the next challenge - Climbing and conquering to survive the Disaster on K2! As an internationally renowned expedition leader, you are anxious to gain prestige by leading a group of high profile climbers from your country to the top of the most difficult peak in the world, K2. While some of the climbers have been selected for their climbing abilities, others have been assigned to your team for various political reasons.
Certainly if you can accomplish this feat, your name will go down as one of the greatest expedition leaders of all time and your fame and fortune will be assured.
Play solitaire or compete against another player to lead your climbers to the summit of K2 and back down safely. Or take on the challenge of climbing both Everest and K2 in the campaign game by adding VPG's Disaster on Everest.
Small World Underground Available for Pre-Order
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