If you have been around Critical Gamers in the last month or so, you might have seen a post for Warparty, an independent title out of Connecticut, and if you haven't seen it, then you need to! (here) In that link are additional links to a 4 part write up about my experience playing the game during Total Con back in March. I am excited to tell you all that Warparty is available for funding on Kickstarter. I'm a little late to the bandwagon, but there are still 32 days left and it is almost halfway to its goal. There is plenty of information about the title on my write up and on the Kickstarter page, so make sure you read about it! It is a fantastic mix of town building, resource management, rpg, exploration, and head to head battles. Go watch the video and support this project!
"The sciences, each straining in its own direction, have hitherto harmed us little; but some day the piecing together of dissociated knowledge will open up such terrifying vistas of reality, and of our frightful position therein, that we shall either go mad from the revelation or flee from the deadly light into the peace and safety of a new dark age."
-H.P. Lovecraft
Inside abandoned hospitals, secret laboratories, and forgotten cellars, scientists are conducting depraved experiments that will drag humanity to the brink of the abyss. Only a small group of investigators can discover the truth and put an end to these mad plots before it's too late...
Fantasy Flight Games is pleased to announce the upcoming release of Forbidden Alchemy, an expansion that adds even more mystery and horror to your Mansions of Madness experience! This exciting expansion provides players with new investigators, as well as new Trauma, Mythos, and Combat cards for use in any story. Forbidden Alchemy also includes three new tales of scientific horrors, in which investigators will encounter new rooms, monsters, items, clues, locks, and obstacles. Try to solve the new Alchemy puzzles, if you dare. But be warned, the side effects may prove deadly!
New Investigators, New Challenges
Forbidden Alchemy introduces four new investigators to your horrifying tales. Cameraman Darrell Simmons is no stranger to the peculiar goings-on of Arkham, and the bone saw-wielding Doctor Vincent Lee brings the steady hands of a veteran surgeon to your adventures. Meanwhile, the skilled illusionist Dexter Drake aspires to greater arcane powers, and psychologist Carolyn Fern bases her arts in more rational, scientific endeavors. With its range of characters, abilities, and equipment, Forbidden Alchemy further bolsters Mansions of Madness' already significant replayability.
Ready for new tales of eldritch horror? Forbidden Alchemy features three horrifying stories of scientific discovery gone horribly awry.
In "Return of the Reanimator," the investigators are tasked with entering a vermin-infested manor to seek the whereabouts of Doctor Herbert West, a reportedly insane scientist whose legendary experiments in reanimation led to his untimely demise. Meanwhile, "Yellow Matter" tells the grim tale of research into strange extraterrestrial beings. But who is the experimenter, and who is the subject? Finally, "Lost in Time and Space" takes your Mansions of Madness experience to mind-bending new heights with the introduction of time travel! Travel back to the mid-nineteenth century or ahead to the mid-twenty-first in your search for the truth behind a strange and dangerous device.
Guard Your Sanity
With four clever new investigators, two terrifying monster types, nearly 250 new cards, 40 tokens and markers, and six detailed map tiles, Forbidden Alchemy introduces a host of new enhancements to your Mansions of Madness experience.
Do you dare face the eldritch horrors that lurk within the laboratory? Visit our Forbidden Alchemy website, and keep watching in the coming weeks as we present detailed previews. Then, look for Forbidden Alchemy on store shelves in the fourth quarter of 2011!
Following the success of TC Tennis, Victory Point Games (VPG) tries its hand in the sports world again with a baseball title, High & Tight. I think this is the right way to go considering baseball's following tends to be larger than tennis in most countries. Given the gameplay of every other game VPG has released that I have played thus far, I have no doubt that High & Tight will be nothing short of a grand slam.
From the Victory Point Games press release -
It is said that every baseball team will win one-third of its games and lose one-third of its games. Now, step onto the field and find out what it takes to win "that other one-third"!
A favorite pastime has finally found its way into the ballpark of VPG's Sports Series. High & Tight, from designer Hermann Luttmann, is a simple, two-player game of baseball strategy for two players, utilizing teams to the fullest and going head to head in the field, anywhere from spring training to the intensity of the World Series.
Focus on how to best form your team line-up, and battle inning by inning in an effort to emerge victorious! Think you have what it takes to efficiently manage your players, maximizing their specific talents as well as utilize Strategy cards to subtly increase the odds of scoring and preventing runs? Manage your team's assets, take advantage of the opportunities, and knock it out of the ballpark on the "field of dreams." Step up to the plate with High & Tight ... And let's play ball!
For more details and to order High & Tight - Click Here
Small World fans have been clamoring for a smooth mechanism to connect
Small World to the Underground, so with a little help from the Gnomes, we
started drilling!
The result: Small World Tunnels, a free mini expansion that connects
the original Small World game board to the subterranean Small World
Underground game board. By connecting the two worlds, this expansion makes
the Races and Special Powers from above and below ground more universally
compatible.
Small World Tunnels enables 2- to 6-player games in various board
combinations. It will debut at Essen Spiel in Germany, October 20-23,
where Small World users can pick it up for free at the Days of Wonder
booth (Hall H, #1268).
According to the product page (here) the expansion requires both the base game and the Underground expansion to use and essentially is a link between the two. Regardless, pretty cool to be able to extend the playing field.
Couple of pieces of news out of Mayfair Games recently. They have opened a GmbH in Germany that will run distribution throughout Europe starting in November; great piece of news for the Euros. Also they have announced the release of Test of Fire Bull Run 1861.
From the official announcement -
Let Mayfair Games' new board game transport you back in time to July 21st, 1861 to take command as the raw, untried armies of the North and South as they clash in the first battle of the American Civil War!
Will you take the part of Confederate General Beauregard and defend Virginia or the part of Union General McDowell and reunite the nation? Simple game mechanics center on a system where command opportunities are determined by dice and action cards, eloquently portraying the frustrations of command. Suitable for ages 10+, this 2 player game can be completed in under an hour, allowing you to play- and replay the first battle of the American Civil War again and again.
Days of Wonder is now accepting pre-orders for the latest expansion to the Ticket to Ride series, which has been generally accepted to be one of the top board games ever produced. Ticket to Ride: Asia is going to be great for two reasons: first, it is a long awaited addition to the analog version of the series, although technically the Alvin & Dexter expansion came out this year. However if you only include true board based expansions, then the last official release would be the Nordic expansion in 2007. Since then Days of Wonder has been more focused on bringing the title into the digital space with Xbox LIVE Arcade version in 2008 and the iPad version released last May. Second, on the back side of the map will include a second map which will be a printing of François Valentyne's, one of the contest winners, submission called Legendary Asia. So not only is this a long awaited addition, you get double your money's worth. Priced at $30 USD, you can't ask for a better value.
Great news for Stratus Games as both Barnes and Noble Booksellers and Target have picked up distribution of a few of SGs titles. B&N; patrons can now purchase Launch Pad and purveyors of Target will be able to pick up a copy of Gold Mine. It's nice to see these games being available for the masses. Hopefully the will understand the value of the products, make their purchases (holiday or whatever reason) and help Stratus Games produce additional great products like their latest upcoming title Eruption, which just so happens to have a contest for right now! Check it out!
If you were a reader during the March timeline, you might have read a 4 part article about an fairly unknown title called Warparty that I had the pleasure to encounter during my trip to the 25th revision of the annual convention known as Total Con held in Mansfield, Massachusetts. For a recap or if you would like to check out the articles you can find them here:
As I go back and recount my descriptions of Warparty, I don't think I really explained the breadth of the game and more of recounted my experience with it. While the experience aspect is important, it is only a piece of the whole that the user needs to know in order to fully realize what is at stake with support for the title. That is where the Youtube demo video comes into play. Being able to understand the mechanics of the game will help you understand what the game is all about and the 4 part series will help you understand what it feels like to play it. I cannot stress how polished and balanced this game is and how passionate the creators are for the game. I urge you to go out and meet Larry at a convention, pick his brain, and try the game. Without you, the player, this title cannot fully come to realization as it should be. If you haven't pre-ordered it for a discount at Lock N' Load, go do so!
The Locusts, so named by human scientists for their immense numbers, are a race of humanoids from deep within the subterranean tunnels of Sera. These relentless killers seem bent on destruction, and all attempts at negotiation with them have ended in violence. As mankind approaches its final stand, what new horrors does their mysterious enemy hold in store?
An Emergence Hole has opened at your local game store, and you and your team are humanity's last hope of survival. Gears of War™: The Board Game is now on sale at your local retailer and on our webstore!
Gears of War: The Board Game, designed by Corey Konieczka, is based on the wildly popular third-person shooter by Epic Games. One to four players take on the roles of COG soldiers cooperating to destroy the Locust horde, and must work together to complete missions against an ingeniously challenging and varied game system. In Gears of War: The Board Game, you'll relive classic moments from Gears of War™ and Gears of War™ 2. Roadie Run into cover, spray your enemy with blind fire, or rip him in half with your Lancer's chainsaw!
Stand together or die alone
Teamwork is essential in Gears of War: The Board Game, as you and your fellow COGs will secure areas in an ever-expanding and randomized map, lay down suppressing fire to support each other's movements, and rush to the aid of fallen allies - all in an effort to complete your mission objective.
Also essential is the careful use of the tools at your disposal: a range of tactical options and devastating weapons. Your hand of Order cards represents your COG's spectacular battle prowess, and on each turn you'll discard one to either use its listed ability, move across the map, or attack.
You can even hold on to these versatile Orders, discarding them to dodge or guard against incoming attacks, or to follow closely behind a teammate. Communication is key, and the most successful COGs recognize that together, they form a deadly machine.
GSI announces the release of Death Ride - Hafid Ridge, a small, fast paced, short, tactical simulation of the Battle for Hafid Ride during Operation Battleaxe in June 1941 in North Africa. This game can be played within a few hours and should be perfect for your Friday night gaming events or weekend tournament. It will have you on pins and needles from the first turn to the last. Price is $39.00 plus applicable taxes, for Texans, and shipping.
And if that's not enough Death Ride - Halfaya Pass is scheduled for release at the beginning of October 2011. This is another small, fast paced, short, tactical simulation oriented on Operation Battleaxe. Price is approx $45.00 plus applicable taxes, for Texans, and shipping.
If you have been around for the last few months you will have noticed that we here at Critical Gamers enjoy seeing the little guy, the unexpected success, the underdog, rise up and conquer. I mean how else do we get to where we are today? Someone has an idea, devotes themselves to it, and gathers support from their peers to bring it to fruition. What makes Carnival from Dice Hate Me Games even more special is that this idea comes from a direct peer of ours here at Critical Gamers. Not only is this DHMG's first offering it is coming out of a fellow gaming blogger site Dice Hate Me. It is ideas and passion like theirs that continues to drive our industry forward with fresh and creative ideas that just overflows with love for what they do. Check out the video about the game, visit the Kickstarter page, and pledge today!
In honor of the impending apocalyptic doom that is about to hit the East Coast of North America in the form of Hurricane Irene (whoa is us!), I bring you Survive: Escape from Atlantis. Survive is an 2 to 4 player game that takes 45 to 60 minutes to play where players must escape from an island that is breaking apart and sinking into the ocean. Each player must work their way over to an adjacent island either by swimming or taking a boat; if only it were that easy. While in the water, players must avoid sea serpents, whales, sharks, and if you have the latest expansion, giant squid.
GMT Games announced in their newsletter email today, that they plan on expanding their relationship with Victory Point Games after the resounding success of the No Retreat: The Russian Front Deluxe Edition. The deluxe edition included a mounted board, bigger counters, and a color treatment. The two groups are now coordinating to take some of VPG's more successful titles and giving them the same deluxe treatment. The next title to get the treatment and hit the P500 list will be Circus Train: Deluxe Edition. There are also plans on adding two more titles by the end of year and a one more mid to late 1st quarter of next year. If you are a fan of VPG and GMT like I am, this should be a marriage made in heaven.
Warparty Available on Kickstarter!
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