GQM Settlers of Catan Expansion - Last Chance!

Funagian games has just restocked their shelves with the fall issue of Games Quarterly Magazine which contains the official Settlers of Catan [Funagain,Amazon] expansion: The Great Rivers of Catan. You can only get this expansion in GQM #10, so get it while the getting is good!

Holidays are coming, and this is a good four dollar expansion that could make a pretty sweet Christmas present for the die hard Cataniac who doesn't keep-up on these things as much as you do.

The Company Line: The Great River of Catan™ is a must for every player. It’s die cut with three new hexagonal board pieces exactly matching the game, ten new counters & special rules. Courtesy of designers Klaus and Guido Teuber and the great folks at Mayfair Games.

Gold! No word can inspire in quite the same way. Eager prospectors rush to the banks of the great river, pans in hand, hoping for a glimpse of the storied yellow powder! The gold rush in on in Catan. Can you profit from it? Find out with The Great River variant for The Settlers of Catan. A unique tile introduces the river to the island. Those who build along it’s banks stand to profit from the gold craze sweeping the land. But will it be enough to push you to victory?

We'd like to take this time to remind that you GQM issue #11 will contain a twelve tile expansion to one of our all time favorites: Carcassonne. Issue #11 is set to ship this November.

Now Shipping: "World War Z"

A few weeks ago we reported on "World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War" [Amazon], an upcoming Max Brooks' novel interviewing survivors of a zombie apocalypse. We thought you like to know that the book ships today!

The Company Line: "Ten years after the human victory over the world wide Zombie epidemic, referred to as World War Z, Max Brooks scours the world collecting the stories and experiences of those who have survived the conflict that almost eradicated humanity." ... Max Brooks’s previous book, The Zombie Survival Guide, formed the core of the world’s civilian survival manuals during the Zombie War. Mr. Brooks subsequently spent years traveling to every part of the globe in order to conduct the face-to-face interviews that have been incorporated into this present publication."

There's also an audiobook version of the novel for you elliterate types.

Again, we're not sure if every gamer loves zombies, but we sure as hell do. Well, maybe love is the wrong word, but were defiitely fascinated by anything that: is mindless, just won't die, wants to gnaw on our brains, and turns us into something that's mindless, won't die, and gnaws on brains. Yep, Zombies rate pretty and high on the anti-bladder-control scale of 1 to Whoops!!

Max Brooks also wrote the Zombie Survival Guide, a hilarious and informative reference that's a must for any zombie aficionado.

Days of Wonder Announces "Battlelore"

Days of Wonder, publisher of a boat load of great games such as Ticket to Ride, Shadows Over Camelot, and most importantly the highly successful Memoir '44 WWII tactical boardgame series, has announced a new tactical wargame for this fall. BattleLore is based on the historic military combat from the age of the Hundred Years War, but then skews down a path of alternate history which includes a bit of the fantastic. The game starts with a touch of fantasy elements (dwarven units) and then becomes heavily themed in a fantasy setting through a series of boxed and supplemental expansions. There are at least two expansions already slated for release, so the announcement of Battlelore is more like the unveiling of a new franchise than just a new board game title.

According to the designers, BattleLore was inspired by such greats as Warhammer, Chainmail and one of our favorite computer strategy game - Master of Magic (they really don't make games like that anymore). Funnily enough, Days of Wonder discovered an early version of BattleLore at a trade show, but then sat on it because they didn't have the experience to publish games of such complexity. But now that Memoir '44 is going strong, and now that they have semi complex games like Shadows of Camelot under their belt, they've finally been given the nod to put the finishing touches on BattleLore and get that puppy shipping.

Here's the word from the official Days of Wonder press release:

The Company Line: The world of BattleLore meshes history and fantasy together - putting players in command of a vast array of miniature troops on the battlefields of a Medieval Europe Uchronia at the outset of the Hundred Years War.

Drawing on the strengths of its own best-selling and critically acclaimed Memoir '44™, Days of Wonder's newest game takes the time-tested, card-driven mechanics to a whole new level and offers gamers and role-players a unique twist on epic fantasy. Game play takes place on a large-scale hex board filled with armies, legendary races and monstrous creatures that fight over varied terrain and landmarks to capture the enemy's banners in a series of unique Adventures.

Powerful Lore Masters, such as Wizards, Clerics, Warriors and Rogues gathered in customizable War Councils; Mercenary bands chosen from among mythical races such as the Iron Dwarves of Northern England; and Monstrous Creatures all complement the dizzying array of possibilities and tough choices that will face players as they venture in the World of BattleLore.

Building on years of experience producing the industry's most appealing board games, Days of Wonder raises the bar several notches higher with this new release. BattleLore's over two hundred miniatures use a new patent-pending, Banner Bearer™ mechanic to provide both a visually stunning new look to a players' armies and to display all the unit-specific information that was traditionally compiled in unwieldy army booklets, reference sheets, or hard-to-read wheelbases.

"Not just another game, or the latest game system fad, BattleLore is a foundation game for us - something we first envisioned long before we even started the company and that hearkens back to the days we first discovered Chainmail™", said Days of Wonder CEO, Eric Hautemont. "As a project, BattleLore has been years in the making, yet what we are delivering this fall only lays the groundwork for the future. The coming years will hold many surprises for both resellers and game enthusiasts worldwide."

BattleLore includes: over 210 highly detailed plastic miniatures, including 58 banner bearers; an extensive Player's Guide, with separate Adventures Booklet; a double-sided battlemap; 46 Terrain and Landmark tiles; 60 Command cards; 60 Lore cards; 48 Summary cards; 2 War Council sheets; 24 Lore Master Tokens; 12 Battle dice; and a Days of Wonder Online Access Number, giving players free access to the BattleLore Online Adventures Editor. BattleLore is for 2 players (or 2 teams), ages 10 and up and takes approximately 60 minutes to play.-From Official Battlelore Press Release

If the game follows the same format as Memoir '44 , then expect boxed terrain packs at least once a year. This could be something huge, potentially bringing in the fans of Memoir '44 and the fans of fantasy war gaming under the same umbrella. That's a large audience.

As a preview of BattleLore, Days of Wonder has opened a blog where designers will post news and previews.

Battlelore is set to ship in late November. We'll keep you posted of any cool preview developments as we get closer to release.

Magic The Gathering: Time Spiral

The four day week means it's TCG It's Friday again, and guess what! Wizards of the Coast has opened the lid on the latest Magic the Gathering block: Time Spiral.

For those new to Magic - WotC has a tradition of introducing new card blocks in the fall months. The first release sets the theme and contains about 200-300 cards. A smaller expansion then plays off the same theme in the Winter with about 100-200 cards. A final expansion caps it all of in the Spring, just as the crappy weather subsides and the outdoors become welcoming again. Yes, even the Wizards marketing team, of all people, hint that Magic Players should get some sun and fresh air in the summer weather.

Last year Wizards of the Coast shook up the design team a bit, and scored a hit with the block design of Ravnica: City of Guilds. Head Designer Mark Rosewater is also leading the way through the Time Spiral block, but this time he's not constructing an entirely new world from the ground up. Instead, he's revisiting the original Magic The Gathering world of Dominaria. We won't completely dork out on Magic The Gathering source materials, lore, etc, but for those of you who want to catchup on the story so far checkout the article "Time (Spiral) Is On My Side". It will fill you in on just about everything.

So what's new in Dominaria? Well, due to a few explosions at the tin foil mill, and an instant coffeee accident at a microwave factory, a fissure has emerged in the fabric of space time. The past has caught up with the present, the present has folded over the past, and it's raining bionic toads from the future. Total bummer, we know -- those things dent cars. So is there anything good to fall out of this Magic chronological stew?

Continue reading: "Magic The Gathering: Time Spiral"

Now Shipping: "Wings of War: Recon Patrol Deck"

"Wings of War:Recon Patrol Deck" [Funagain] from Fantasy Flight Games expands the standalone title "Wings of War: Famous Aces", a hybrid of board game and card game set in the frontier of WWI air combat. We haven't covered Wings of War [Funagain] yet, so if you're scratching your head right now then it's probably not lice (... probably). To solve that problem of the unknown, let's dive into some of the original Wings of War game play before covering the What's New in the Patrol Deck expansion.

The Company Line on Wings of War: Wings of War is a game series which merges card and board game mechanics to recreate aerial combat. The first series of Wings of War games focus on the "knights of the air" age, World War I, portraying the abilities of the fighting planes of this period. Each Wings of War set is a complete game for 2 to 4 players, which may be combined with additional sets, or with other copies of the same set, to play larger games. For that purpose, 23 planes with different colors are included in each box. Each plane comes with accurate historical documentation. Wings of War uses an innovative card-based movement mechanic. By selecting from his maneuver deck, each player can plot out the loops, rolls, and twists that his dogfighting plane will undertake. Each plane has a specific maneuver deck with its own unique options, so you'll fly differently from game to game. Outwit and outmaneuver your opponent, and you will reap the rewards!

In Wings of War players control planes of various classes. Some are more maneuverable, some faster, others can soak up the damage. During each round players play 3 maneuver cards from their deck. Some maneuvers may have their planes fly straight, others can have them pulling off loops, barrel rolls, stalls, etc. After each maneuver in the round the players will push their plane cards into position across the table, then check to see if their opponent is in range in one of their plane's firing arcs. If so, then the target player draws a damage card and applies physical damage, or they adhere to the special damage rules on the card such as gun jams, explosions, etc. The game is all about outwitting your opponent through feints and maneuvers, while predicting your opponent's actions in your attempts to line-up another shot.

Wings of War has three base sets: "Wings of War: Famous Aces" is the first title in the series; also "Wings of War: Watch Your Back" and "Wings of War: Burning Drachens" are both boxed stand alone games that can be used as addons to the original. Each title adds more planes and more scenarios.

That brings us today. Wings of War: Recon Patrol is an expansion (not a stand alone game) that adds to the card sets for any of the three boxed additions of the game. Here's the official info.

The Company Line on Wings of War: Recon Patrol: Wings of War: Recon Patrol includes the popular D maneuver deck, as well as the new K deck, for two-seater aircraft. It includes a variety of airplanes, from the Sopwith Triplane of Naval 1, planes from Richthofen's "Flying Circus," and even a Turkish Breguet Br.14 B2. Recon Patrol is a suitable addition to any of the three Wings of War base games.

Wings of War: Recon Patrol [Funagain] is shipping from stores now. The game will also break into the WWII era in October with "Wings of War: Dawn of War."

World of Warcraft TCG: Downloadable Demo Decks

Want to get started playing the WoW TCG? Then pick up a Starter Deck and a few booster packs. Also check-out Our Review.
The official website of the World of Warcraft Trading Card Game has released two 100% complete, printable decks of for your downloading pleasure. The demo decks preview the Protection Warrior Dwarf named Warrax versus the omnipresent World of Warcraft media personality Ta'zo, the Fire Mage Troll.

Here's a the official line from the WoW TCG website:

Following the hugely successful, exclusive demos at Gen Con Indy, many motivated WoW TCG fans put together their own copies of the Ta’zo and Warrax demo decks. Armed with only paper, glue, and a dream, these dedicated players constructed their own makeshift demo decks to try out the WoW TCG themselves, and what they saw was good!

For the benefit of everyone else, however, we decided to make it a bit easier.

On this page, you’ll be able to download the two demo decks and try out the game for yourself. Soon enough, you’ll be burning with Mage abilities, or cracking skulls with Warrax’s Arcanite Reaper. - From "Download WoW TCG Demo Decks Here!"

The decks come in four printable sheets each in full-color PDF formats. They can be played as-is (after some cutting), but we recommend pasting them onto higher-stock, or at least slipping them into card sleeves to avoid the wet noodle feeling of regular paper. Nobody likes a sloppy, floppy, spineless deck.

It's cool to see some of the Warrior ability cards in action, not just warrior armor and weapons. Battle Shout and Demoralizing Shout seem a bit weak, but Cleave leans into an opponent pretty hard - it allows the warrior to hit two targets, dealing each of them weapon damage +1. When you consider the warrior's weapons weigh in at 3-5 damage, Cleave can be some powerful stuff.

Once you've printed your cards, make sure you take a look through the rulebook to figure out what's up and what's down. And, as always, play WoW responsibly.

The World of Warcraft Trading Card Game is scheduled for an October 2006 release.

August '06 Roundup

GenCon has come and gone. Although the conference has cemented foundation in RPGs, we were still lucky enough to catch some great glimpses of both the Marvel Heroes boardgame, and gameplay footage of the World of Warcraft Trading Card Game. Also, Tempus shipped in August, which has turned out to be a strong strategic and fun title for a midsummer release. We'll probably be playing it well into the fall.

But of all the gaming news that came out in August, we're most excited about something which some will find small and inconsequential - the pending release of three Eurogames for Xbox Live. There have been other computer game ports of popular board game titles in the past (Days of Wonder has quite a lineup themselves), but never has there been such as an exciting distribution market as Xbox live. That service is teaming with video gamers who are hungry and willing to drop a little bit of electronic cash for a bit of a quieter and more social gaming experience. In a world where social networks are growing faster than grandpa's big toenail, a more cerebral interaction point might be just what XBox live community is looking for.

We can't wait to watch Settlers of Catan and Carcassonne make their splash in that network, which will hopefully resonate into our genre with an influx of new gamers making their way toward a face-to-face style of gaming.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. We'll keep the eye on the ball for September as: Settlers receives an expansion, the World of Warcraft TCG ramps up to release, and we try to get our hands on Lost The Game before the new season starts. Until then, this is what we were Critical about in August 2006:

Board Games & Party Games

• Hands On: War of the Ring Battle For Rohan
• Now Shipping: "Tempus"
• Now Shipping: "Blue Moon City"
• Conan Boardgame in 2007
• International Gamer Awards 2006 Finalists Announced
• Marvel Heroes GenCon Impressions in BoardGameGeek Forums
• Eurogames on Xbox Live
• "Lost The Game"
• Xbox Live Eurogame Screenshots
• Twilight Struggle Wins IGA's Best Historical Simulation 2006
• Coming Soon: "Catan Event Cards"
• Hands On: Tempus

Collectable Card Games

• World of Warcraft TCG Website Reveals Cards
• Xeko Trading Card Game
• A Letter From the Editor - Trading Card Game Fridays
• TCG It's Friday: World of Warcraft Card Types
• Dreambade: A Primer
• World of Warcraft TCG Official Rules
• World of Warcraft TCG Session Video

Gaming Culture

• Checking In with Warhammer Mark of Chaos
• International Gamer Awards 2006 Finalists Announced
• Board Games vs. Video Games. Fight!
• Max Brooks' "World War Z"

Coming Soon: "Catan Event Cards"

If you're looking to add a little extra oomph to your Settlers of Catan [Funagain,Amazon] gaming experience, then you'll find a cheap way to do so this fall. Introducing Catan Event Cards [Amazon,Funagain] - the deck adds a new system for determining the resource production of Catan tiles, while also introducing random events for extra oomph and flavor to the straight-forward Settlers turns.

The Company Line: Drop the dice and spice up your Settler's of Catan or Cities and Knights games with this new set of cards. The Catan Event Cards feature thirty-six cards that act as a deck of dice, replacing the need for dice in your Catan game. Special events are triggered by these cards each time they are turned over, adding an exciting new element to your Catan play. Also included are 6 scorekeeping cards, the rules card, and a reshuffle card.

Now, we realize that the company's product description is a rather vague on the "Special events" front, here they are broken down a bit further:

• Calm Seas: Whomever has the greatest number of sea ports receives a resource card of their choosing.
• Conflict: Whoever has the largest army strong arms a resource card from each opponent.
• Earthquake: Every player must damage one of their road segments. That road will be out of commissions until the the owner pays one brick card and one lumber card to repair the damage.
• Epidemic: For one turn Cities (which normally produce two resources from each adjoining hex) only produce one resource per hex.
• Good Neighbors: All players choose a resource card from their hand and pass it to their neighbor to their left.
• Neighborly Assistance: The person who is currently in the lead gives each other player one resource card each.
• Plentiful Year: Each player draws a resource card of their choice.
• Robber Flees: The robber retreats back to his desert tile.
• Tournament: The player with the largest army draws a resource card of his choice.
• Trade Advantage: The player who currently controls the longest road 'taxes' a resource card from a player of his/her choice.

There are two other card types: one where no special action occurs on the turn (which is the most common draw); and as noted in the company line, one card that triggers a premature reshuffle of the exhausted cards back into the deck. The reshuffling recycles the rare numbers back into the mix in an attempt to conceal the fact that that rare dice numbers (12, 2, etc) cannot be drawn more than once in the 36-card system.

Gaming purest might scream bloody murder over the lack of true randomness - the card system follows the number distribution a bit too closely, and provides no chaos along the dice result distribution curve. Did we just dork out a little too much? - No! It's only after a reshuffle that a rare number will appear again. For instance, if the "12 card" has been drawn early in a game - then the players are certain that a tile with a 12 marker won't produce resources again for a very, very long time, at least until after a reshuffle (30 turns or so), and then who knows how long after that. When Settler's is played with dice, however, there is always a chance that 12 will appear on any roll, so long term forecasting will always be a game of odds.

Those who enjoy the spice of random event card will probably love this expansion. Those who love the chaos and the chance of dice might also want to pick it up anyway, if only to roll the dice for turn-production and then use the cards as a random event scheme. After all, what jerk said you couldn't use both?

Catan Event Cards [Funagain] is set to ship in October.

Twilight Struggle Wins IGA's Best Historical Simulation 2006

A few weeks ago we reported on the International Gamers Awards list of nominees for 2006, including the 2-player game, multiplayer strategy game, and historical simulation categories. Twilight Struggle (2005) [Funagain], the acclaimed title that simulates the forty-five year dance of Soviet and American influence around the globe, was nominated twice, once in the Two Player game category, and once in the Historic Simulations game category.

Today the IGA committee has announced the winner for the Historical Simulation Category, and Twilight Struggle brings home the bacon. Here's the official press release.

RECIPIENT OF THE 2006 INTERNATIONAL GAMERS AWARDS ANNOUNCED!

The International Gamers Awards committee is extremely proud to announce the recipient for the 2006 IGA in the Historical Simulations category:

The award goes to Twilight Struggle by designers Jason Matthews and Ananda Gupta and publisher GMT Games. Using a card-driven mechanism that recreates the most critical events of the US-Soviet Cold War, Twilight Struggle pits two players in a struggle to exert influence throughout the world in a bid to make their philosophy dominant. Each player must watch closely as the battle for ideology is raged, the Space Race is launched and advanced, and the DefCon track (Defense Condition) monitors the globe's stability. A beautifully-balanced game with multiple strategic levels, Twilight Struggle gets better with each play as further depth is revealed.

The International Gamers Awards were founded in 1999 for the express purpose of recognizing outstanding games, their designers, and the companies which publish them. The awards have gained widespread acclaim and have helped bring these outstanding games to the public's attention.

The individuals who serve on our General Strategy and Historical Simulation committees are extremely qualified, knowledgeable and respected within the gaming hobby. Each and everyone have extensive experience in the playing, reviewing and critiquing of games.

You can learn more about the International Gamers Awards by visiting our website at: www.internationalgamersawards.net

Unfortunately it seems that publisher GMT Games didn't expect all of this great press for their title - the game is pretty darn hard to get a hold of these days. Thankfully there's another printing of the game scheduled to hit storeshelves this October. We'll keep you posted on it's release, or if this date slides either way.

Xbox Live Eurogame Screenshots

Last week we reported that the Xbox Live service was going to launch three Eurogames for your Xbox 360 gaming pleasure: Settlers of Catan, Carcassonne and Alhambra. At the time we had no media to share with you of the upcoming releases, but some images have been leaked to the net (thanks to Ozymandias) and without further ado, here they are! (click the images to enlarge them.)

Settlers of Catan [Amazon,Funagain]

"The Catan series is one of the best-selling and most widely played game lines ever developed. Over 11 million Catan games have been sold since the brand’s debut in 1995. Millions of people will testify that it is one of the greatest games ever! Then try one, or even combine, its many expansions. Some let you explore new aspects of the game. Others let you add more players.

The “Game of the Year” in Germany, the U.S, and a host of other countries, The Settlers of Catan is a classic, stand-alone game for 3-4 players. You journey to the unsettled wilds of the grand new world known as Catan. It’s an exciting frontier, one rich in opportunity. No place could be more perfect for casual adventure. Compete with your opponents to discover and settle the choicest lands and seaports. Gather resources, trade with friends and foes, and build roads and settlements—all in a quest to be master of Catan.

Catan is a little different every time you visit. You’ll always find it a land full of intrigue and surprise. Careful trade and clever building are your keys to success. Plenty of fast-paced player interaction is guaranteed. Win or lose, adventure always awaits in Catan!" From MayfairGames.com

Carcassonne [Amazon,Funagain]

The southern French city of Carcassonne was founded on an important trade route between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. Because of its strategic location, the city was often conquered and has known many rulers. As a result of this varied history, the city is famous for its unique mixture of Roman and Medieval fortifications.

The players develop the area around Carcassonne by placing land tiles. Each turn the area becomes larger as the players expand and add roads, fields, cities, and cloisters. The players may also deploy their followers as thieves, farmers, knights, and monks to control and score points for the roads, farms, cities, and cloisters. As the players have only a few followers, the wise player will plan his moves carefully and deploy followers when and where he can earn the most points.

Carcassonne is a simple, clever tile laying game that brings new challenges with every turn.

Alhambra [Amazon,Funagain]

In Granada, one of the most impressive building projects of the Middle Ages has begun: the construction of Alhambra. A palace, fortress, and a small city -- all-in-one -- Alhambra is made up of the world's most beautiful gardens, pavilions, chambers and towers.

The most prominent builders in all of Europe and Arabia want to demonstrate their skills. Employ the most talented teams of builders to construct your Alhambra. Hire stonemasons from the north and gardeners from the south, who all want a fair wage and insist on being paid with their native currency. With their help, towers can be constructed, gardens designed, pavilions and mezzanines erected, and manors and royal chambers built. Compete against your opponents to build the greatest and most impressive Alhambra.