December 3, 2011
Originally posted on IcV2 - http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/21633.html
Cryptozoic Entertainment has announced the Spring 2012 release of Clash of Champions, a new deck-building game that will feature the characters and themes from the hugely popular World of Warcraft MMORPG. Cryptozoic, which publishes the popular World of Warcraft Trading Card Game, has expanded its license by creating a deck-building game, and Cryptozoic's President Cory Jones promises "to put our own spin" on the mechanics of the new deck-building game.
Clash of Champions will include over 400 game cards, and will have a suggested retail price of $45.00. The new game will accommodate from two-to-four players, who begin the game with a small pool of cards that is expanded throughout the game play.
Clash of Champions adds a role-playing element to the deck-building mechanics by allowing players to customize their iconic World of Warcraft characters with special abilities that help them fight off monsters and collect treasures.
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November 30, 2011
Puerto Rico PC game for $2 USD??? Yeah its a crazy blow out sale alright. Go check out the amazing deals they have going.
Eagle and Gryphon Games Sale
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November 30, 2011
Gaming Culture
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RPGs
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November 20, 2011
Free copy of Cargo Noir courtesy of Days of Wonder
Days of Wonder is giving away a free copy of Cargo Noir for anyone who spends more than $50USD in their webstore before Nov. 22. Time is running out on this deal, so get it while it's hot!!
At Days of Wonder
First Expansion for "For the Crown" Available from Victory Point Games
Victory Point Games has released the first expansion for their deck-building game For the Crown, entitled Cover of Night. The expansion comes with 40 new cards including a new sovereign to throw at your opponent!
At For the Crown: Cover of Night
Kickstarter Projects Galore!!
I can't even begin to explain how great Kickstarter has been to the industry and there doesn't look to be any slowing down on this trend. I won't go into explanation for each of these, but please check them all out and support your independent and small publishers!
Kings of Air and Steam from Tasty Minstrel Games
DiceAFARI from Stratus Games
Zong Shi from Gryphon Games
Pizza Theory from Gryphon Games
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November 10, 2011
Tonight's Critical Gamer's 2011 Gift Guide is going to focus on RPGs, the old pen and paper staple. The Gary Gygax inspired, culture changing, hated by old religious ladies around the globe, RPGs. No reason to fiddle around, so let's get right to it!
Dresden Files
I pretty much think the picture covers it, but I'll give you a quick synopsis anyways. Voted as the Best Game and Best New Game for the 2011 ENnies, Dresden Files takes players into Jim Butcher's mythical universe. Using the Fantastic Adventures in Tabletop Entertainment (FATE) system, DF is published by Evil Hat Productions. While also having very popular books and TV show, it's not hard to get into the universe that Jim has put together. Mix that possibility of playing a human, psychics, werewolf, Knights of the Sword,or a White Court Vampire with the FATE system and you have an award winning mix that has everyone excited.
Warhammer 40K: Black Crusade
Deathwatch is the 4th installment of core rules in the Warhammer 40K line and it doesn't disappoint. Not only does it take the established rules from the existing installments, but lets you play Chaos characters, either human Disciples of Chaos or Chaos Space Marines. One of the interesting mechanics in Deathwatch is that characters have a looming end above their heads. They will either accrue enough infamy (set by the GM) to become a Daemon Prince or hit 100 corruption and become a Chaos Spawn, either way that character is finished. I like that aspect as it forces action, no more sitting around in bars waiting for something to happen.
Pathfinder
Ever Paizo Publishing brought Pathfinder to the scene in 2009, it's had a stellar run. Looking to expand upon the D&D; Revised 3rd Edition ruleset using the Open Game License, Pathfinder is meant to be backwards compatible with 3.5. If you have a friend or family member who enjoys D&D; and hasn't played Pathfinder, then this is a must have. In addition they are releasing Bestiaries and Adventure Paths, which only help to expand an already solid and fun system.
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November 6, 2011
One of the best ways for publishers to capitalize on a successful franchise is by creating expansions. Not only does the creative property and lore already exist, but the game mechanics do too. This helps save time and money for the publisher and this is usually reflected in the price to the consumers. Not only that but as consumers we get the ability to continue playing the games we love by keeping things fresh and new. To that end we are going to start out the 2011 Holiday Gift Guide by listing some of our favorite or most anticipated expansions for this year.
Continue reading: "2011 Holiday Gift Guide - Expansions"
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November 3, 2011
We are going to try something different this year for the Holiday Gift Guide. In addition to doing one post that has all of our 2012 favorites, that all gamers should own, we are also going to release a few picks of specific category every few days. Categories like New Titles, Expansions, RPGs, Independent, Under $20 USD, etc. After all the separate categories have been posted, we will compile it into a full list. If you have any suggestions of categories you would like to see, post a comment below or email [email protected] and let us know what you think!
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October 31, 2011
Board Games
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Monthly Round-Up
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October 30, 2011
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!
At Warparty
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October 26, 2011
From - Mansions of Madness Forbidden Alchemy
"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!
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October 21, 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
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October 17, 2011
Recent news out of the Gen Con camp, the True Dungeon groundhog saw his shadow, which means four more years of True Dungeon! Great news for all you Gen Con fans. Here is the official press release -
After a record-setting show in Indianapolis
this August with almost 120,000 turnstile attendance, Gen Con LLC is
building huge plans for the next four years of Gen Con along with True
Adventures, Ltd. Gen Con Indy 2012 is not only the 45th anniversary of North
America¹s largest game convention, it will also be the 10th year of True
Dungeon. Long-term planning together between the two companies has yielded
an unprecedented four-year agreement. True Dungeon is slated to run at Gen
Con Indy through 2015! In a strategic move, True Dungeon will, for the first
time, be hosted entirely within the Indiana Convention Center, directly in
the heart of Gen Con.
³Jeff Martin and the True Adventures, Ltd. team have consistently created
some of the best gaming entertainment that Gen Con fans have ever seen,²
said Jeannette LeGault, director of event programming for Gen Con LLC.
³Thousands of people are wowed every year; many have had to be turned away
in the past, though. With this new agreement, True Dungeon will be in the
expanded Indiana Convention Center with more space and more tickets
available than ever before.²
³Planning for the most immersive fantasy game-play environment possible
takes a tremendous commitment of time. This multi-year agreement with Gen
Con allows us to design incredibly rich and deep experiences that players
will never forget,² said Jeff Martin, CEO of True Adventures, Ltd. ³The
gaming at Gen Con is unmatched anywhere in the world. We are proud to be
partners for the long-term and very excited to be able to present True
Dungeon to even more gamers in a more immersive environment!²
Gen Con grew its presence in Indianapolis in 2011 with the opening of the
renovated and significantly larger Indiana Convention Center. The new space
continues to create more opportunities for game play, family fun, cosplay
activities and shopping for gaming-culture products.
About True Adventures, Ltd.
True Dungeon allows players to experience a role-playing game adventure
within a life-size, walk through dungeon environment. True Dungeon's goal is
to transport you into another world for a few hours. There you will find out
how well YOU stack up against the adventure. You will find out how well you
respond to the challenges that are laid before you, while experiencing
classic gaming moments from your past. True Dungeon is created by True
Adventures, Ltd., a Carbondale, IL based company founded and led by CEO Jeff
Martin. For more details, visit www.truedungeon.com
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October 12, 2011
Minion Games has added four new titles to their lineup recently. Make sure you check them out!
Five Fingered Severance - a take-that humor game
http://www.miniongames.com/nile-deluxore-card-game-and-expansion.html
Grave Business - a blind biding influence game with work-placement
http://www.miniongames.com/grave-business.html
NITRO Dice - a hand management card game using dice as cars
http://www.miniongames.com/nitro-dice.html
NILE deLuxor - new version of NILE a set collection card game
http://www.miniongames.com/nile-deluxore-card-game-and-expansion.html
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October 4, 2011
From the official press release -
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.
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October 1, 2011
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