Board Game News 38: Zombies, Trolls and Robots

This weeks news is full of new fantasy titles, from the postapocalytic wasteland of Tracker to the high fantasy realms of Allegiance and Clash! Dawn of Steam. Not to mention the fantastic artwork scattered about in here, whether it’s the cutesy style in Beastie Bash or the geometric simplicity of Baffledazzle there is literally something for everyone.

Also we have another UK offering in the form of a simple card game Grim End Manor. So dive in and see what tickles your fancy, but don't forget to stick around at the end for Paul’s new releases.

Tracker

Tracker is a competitive post apocalyptic board game. The game where even the dead still have a chance... 

… Years after apocalypse. A group of survivors are locked in battle for the astonishingpower of artefacts. In a constantly changing environment they must adapt their strategy and tactics just to stay alive, let alone secure final victory.

 

Starting positions are determined by a die roll, and then the first mission objective is revealed. While playing, each roll of dice determines the number of moves (actions) a player may perform. Players may choose to move around the board, shoot other players, or gather items that are laid out on or around the board.

Survivor, choose your strategy! Either arm yourself to tackle other players or aim to gather as many artefacts as possible. Either way, being prepared to finish missions can be pivotal. Picking up points from each success is a start, but can you seize the opportunity for ultimate victory?

If, during a game, a player is killed, the game does not end. The eliminated player resurrects as a zombie with only one mission to complete: to kill a living player. This is the only way to come back to life. The winner is either the player who collected 8 winning points or the only survivor left.

For more info, a chance to pledge and how to play videos head on over to the Kickstarter page.

Roll D6 Games

Everybody run - it's the trolls! They might not be the brightest crayons in the box, but they sure can wreak havoc in the neighborhood.

Luckily they have a weakness! All you need to do is shine a ray of sunlight at their eyes, and the beasts turn to stone immediately!

It's up to you and a handful of other troll hunters to use your magical lanterns and mirrors with such cunning that you can outwit a troll — which is not saying much really, but that won't stop the celebrations that shall take place to glorify the greatest troll hunter!

In Troll Hunt, the players try to guide rays of light from their lanterns into the trolls' eyes by placing and moving reflecting mirrors around the board. At the end of the game the hunter who has managed to turn the most trolls to stone wins. To put shortly, it is a tactical tile placement & movement game with grizzly trolls.

Troll Hunt includes a modular game board depicting the countryside with meadows, lakes, mountains and troll keeps. Because you construct the board before every game, no two games are the same! The trolls don't even have the decency of showing up in a predictable order. You never know where the next one will pop up...

Check out the Kickstarter for more details but hurry, it ends soon!

Allegiance

A fantasy-themed, tabletop board-game/card-game of strategy and tactics, where players assume the roles of powerful warring heroes.

The continent of Anstrus has been warring within itself for generations. With its nations locked in a struggle for power, a sudden invasion of dark forces from unknown lands is sweeping across the realm. While war rages, chaos reigns, and no ties of loyalty are left unbroken. Out of the turmoil, powerful heroes have arisen and are gathering forces to fight for their cause - some fight for good, some for evil, and some for purposes unknown. Choose your hero and emerge victorious, in Allegiance: A Realm Divided.

Allegiance: A Realm Divided is a fantasy-themed, fully self-contained tabletop game for 2 to 4 players. It is a unique board-game/card-game hybrid that is deeply strategic in nature, and usually takes between 30 and 60 minutes to play.

In Allegiance, each player assumes the role of one of 10 powerful heroes fighting in a realm divided by war. Each hero represents a different fantasy character class, and plays according to that character’s style, strengths, and weaknesses. Players can customize and level-up their hero’s unique abilities, enlist allied units, and play tricky action cards to defeat their enemies.

Allegiance is a fully self-contained tabletop game, containing everything you'll ever need to play within the box.

Allegiance comes with:

• 10 Hero Boards (2mm thick cardboard, 12" x 8", double-sided)
• 4 Resource Boards (2mm thick cardboard, 12" x 5")
• 10 Hero Summary Sheets (thick card stock, double-sided)
• 60+ card Basic Unit Deck
• 30+ card Elite Unit Deck
• 70+ card Action Deck
• 80+ Special Cards
• 20 double-sided Weapon/Armor Cards
• Over 250 playing cards in total (blue-core)
• 30 Red Dice (12mm)
• 30 Blue Dice (12mm)
• 60 Glass Beads (12mm)
• 1 Rulebook

To see more great artwork and learn more about the game visit the kickstarter and pledge today.

 

Homemade Game Guru

The guys at Homemade Game Guru would like you to know about their new project Superpowerful Bonanza and it is a ‘three-dimensional, comic book based, side-scrolling video game inspired’ board game currently listed on Indiegogo.com

Check this video for more info or visit the link above to pledge.

Baffledazzle — Puzzles that baffle the mind and dazzle the eye

Baffledazzle puzzles combine solid wood jigsaw puzzles with clever riddles that lead solvers on a quest to uncover the story that lives beyond the images and shapes. Five puzzle series were developed for this campaign:

La Plage—Reconstruct a moment in time through the creations of people that lived it.

Ozuzo—Uncover the camouflage and bravado of animal patterns.

Cirkusu—Piece together seven games from history, then sleuth out their identities.

Lucharán—Explore the imagery of luchadore wrestling masks.

Biurko—Solve nine riddles from around the world by picking out the answers from a field of decoys.

La Plage, Ozuzo, and Cirkusu are available for $99 during the campaign ($125 after the campaign), Lucharán and Biurko are available for $49 during the campaign ($60 after). There is also a set of 4 mini-puzzle coasters, called Code Breakers, available for $25.

All Baffledazzle puzzles are made from solid wood, acrylic, or 100% wool felt and cut with a laser. Each series comes with illustrated riddles that guide you through the puzzle.

The experience

Every puzzle leads you to something real: a moment in history, a scientific discovery, a hidden culture, a tradition forgotten by time, an ancient joke. So there are endless ways to solve the puzzle. Most of what you need to get to the solution doesn’t come in the box, but can be found by searching the world around you.

Dozens of wood, acrylic, or felt puzzle pieces start you off. You start to gather clues from the piece shapes and textures, from the images they form, from the words etched into their face. A cryptic printed riddle helps you along; it gives your efforts direction and nudges you back onto the trail when you get lost. Mysteries and information gaps challenge you to look closely, think deeper, and search for sources that bring you closer to the solution. No two paths to the answer are exactly the same.

The creator

For creator Rachel Happen, Baffledazzle puzzles are the culmination of a lifetime of developing experiences for others. Trained as a dancer, she grew from performing others’ choreography to creating her own performance art. Now, she uses business infrastructure to capture the exploratory nature of art in products like clothing, footwear, and now puzzles. These products aim to deliver creative experiences, like solving a mysterious puzzle worthy of Indiana Jones, that help all of us see the world a little differently.

The details

The Kickstarter Preview page can be seen here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2134561303/1932217978?token=b6203a32

This all-or-nothing funding campaign must raise $12,000 by May 4th for the funding to be collected and the puzzles to be produced. The puzzles are fully designed and ready for production. The campaign will help cover the cost of a laser cutter.

Baffledazzle is all about discovery and exploration. More puzzles, experiments, and experiences can be found on:

Tumblr: baffledazzle.tumblr.com

Twitter: twitter.com/baffledazzle

Grim End Manor

A swift tactical card game, Massacre your friends, Steal from rivals and claim ownership of the manor for yourself!

The deed to Grim End lies unclaimed after its last occupant met an unexplainable demise. Luxury manors like these are hard to come by and are worth killing for, the rules are out the window, it's time to play dirty!

Use people to your advantage to hinder your rivals and accumulate enough gold to claim the manor for yourself! Will you take the road of fame and fortune by rubbing shoulders with lords and ladies to gain your riches or will you rise your way to the top using the working folk to earn an honest revenue. Maybe you will Influence your rivals pawns to execute your master plan or maybe, just maybe, you will take the darkest path of all; killing and stealing from your competition to assure your victory!!!

2-6 players will take turns playing cards from their hand that represent their associates expertise to affect how others play. Your cards are secret but nothing stops you from revealing them or lying about what you have if it gains you an ally... until you stab them in the back!

The rounds are short, intense and fierce. One moment you may think you have the winning hand until it all comes crumbling down, while other players sneak up from the shadows to take the lead.

The deck size is dependent on how many players are participating, providing the optimum spread of cards which keeps the game strategic and fast paced. Each card can be as valuable as the other, presenting a different tactical advantage to each game. Knowing what you are passing on can influence your play style.

Target the strongest player or take the pressure away from you by aiding another, its all up to you.

An average game lasts around 15 minutes where longer games can last up to half an hour. We can insure that you have an enjoyable, tactical card game which has been balanced through countless play tests.

 

Highway Hustle

You are a humble yet musically astute mayor with one goal in mind: Be the first to the Big City by building a road of epic proportions!

Players: 2-4

Average Game Time: 20 mins

Recommended Age: 8 and up

Mechanics: Drafting, Tile Placement, Route/Network Building, Simultaneous Action Selection.

Enter Groovopolis – the world in which the 70’s never died. You are the humble yet musically astute mayor of a small local town with one goal in mind – to be the first to the Big City and make sure your favourite music, Disco or Rock ‘n’ Roll, is crowned the greatest tune maker of all time! But the mayors of the surrounding towns all have the same goal in mind.

The game is split into rounds. During a round, play follows in a clockwise direction starting at The Foreman, then followed by each other player, one at a time, until everyone has played a tile. Each round is broken into 3 steps – Plan, Play, Pass. The three P’s, baby! 

You PLAN by selecting a tile from your hand, 

Then PLAY it, 

And PASS on the rest. Simple!

Play takes place on a variety of maps that can be customised to add or decrease the difficulty. Objects may also be placed on each map, creating a new game experience every time!

The first player to reach all the designated locations is the winner! 

HOW TO PLAY VIDEO

http://blueroom.labvc.com.au/wiki/images/3/3e/Hh-instructions-V4.pdf - LINK TO DOWNLOADABLE PDF INSTRUCTIONS (REQUIRES ADOBE ACROBAT TO VIEW)

Check it out on Kickstarter

Beastie Bash!

Beastie Bash! isn’t just a card game for kids, it’s outside-the-box thinking -- in a box. (Ages 7+)

Beastie Bash! is a silly character creation game for 1-4 players. It’s 15-20 minutes of family fun created by children’s book author/illustrator, Eric Wight. 

WHO IS BEASTIE BASH! FOR?

Beastie Bash! is for kids with wild imaginations. For families who prefer silly to serious. For parents & educators who think the world needs innovators, not fill-in-the-bubblers. 

BEASTIE BASH! contains six categories:

Each category has six characters (for a total of 36) that can make over 1000 unique combinations. Each card has a point value, a color-coded category symbol, and silly text that changes with each match.

Combine the highest scoring Head card with a Body card to win the cards for that round. The game winner is the player who collects the most Beasties.

LEARNING BONUSES
Beastie Bash! isn’t just fun to play, it’s also a great tool for learning both at home and in the classroom.

• READING: Each card contains funny flavor text that brings the characters to life. With each new match, the text changes creating countless new reading experiences.

• MATH: Kids practice addition skills as they play each round of the game. Older kids can multiply instead of add to make the math more challenging.

• WRITING: Create your own adventures using the mix-and-match cards as writing prompts.

Check it out on Kickstarter right now.

 

Clash! Dawn of Steam

An asymmetric strategy card game set in an evolving fantasy world. Burn the city to the ground, or defend it to your last breath!

In each game of CLASH! Dawn of Steam the players will either fight to tear a location to shreds one piece at a time, or stand up to protect it. Here are some highlights of the game that may pique your interest:

-Asymmetric game play. Meaning that within the game itself there are two different sides, each with its own separate win condition.

-Beautifully Illustrated Full-Art Cards. With a team of world class artists on board we opted to have our art on showcase, as such the card layouts feature the artwork proudly rather then hiding 80% of it behind filler design space.

-No randomized sets or packs. So you always know exactly what you're getting. No chasing rares or useless commons.

 

Check out the video below or visit the Kickstarter for more info.

Custom Dice

Quality custom dice you can afford and a design process that's easy - even if you're not a graphic designer.

Help us provide the gaming community with customized 16mm (standard size) D6 dice - with more colors, shapes, and sizes available when we reach higher funding levels!

Right now, if you want to make custom dice for a game prototype, print-n-play game, or just to customize your old Yahtzee! game, it'll cost you several dollars per die - before shipping.

We see a way to provide the same quality engraved custom dice at a fraction of the cost. But we can't do it without your help, we need funds to purchase the necessary supplies and equipment (primarily meaning thousands of dice and a Trotec laser engraver)!

Better still, with an easy to use website, we want to simplify the actual design process to a point where ANYone can design their own custom dice easily. Our site includes thousands of stock graphics plus the ability to use your own graphics (as long as you own the copyright). In fact, all of the graphic elements we used in designing this project page below are available for use in designing your dice on our website - plus thousands more!

 

To make this project a realty go to Kickstarter and pledge

PRIME TIME: The Ratings Game

Take your Network to the Top!

Toronto, ON - A card game from new company Duck Duck Games launched on Kickstarter, April 7th.

Daniel Perlmutter designed and developed Prime Time: The Ratings Game and is now taking to Kickstarter to launch the card game.

Players take on the role of Network Executives who must create and schedule TV shows in a variety of different genres to beat out their rivals in the ratings. Prime Time: The Ratings Game is a deck building and tableau creation game. 

The Kickstarter campaign will feature the game at $35, including shipping to the US and Canada. The target goal is $6,000, with stretch goals at the $10,000 and $15,000 mark.

Daniel Perlmutter has had previous success with crowd funding, raising over $50,000 for his feature film Big News From Grand Rock from indiegogo  (imdb page here - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2071464/ ) and he hopes to repeat this success with his first game.

ABOUT THE GAME:

Players start the game with a blank schedule and a small stable of actors. They will have to create shows for Monday to Friday night, choosing the genres, actors, commercials and special twists to include in each program. Players buy cards from the centre of the table and will have to decide if they want to keep those cards in their deck to earn money or if they want to program them to start building up shows.

Number of players: 1 to 4 (special rules for solo play.)

Recommended Age: 8+

Duck Duck Games website: www.duckduckgames.ca

Duck Duck on facebook: http://tinyurl.com/ob5sq7n

Duck Duck on Twitter (@DuckDuckGames): https://twitter.com/DuckDuckGames

ABOUT THE DESIGNER:

Daniel Perlmutter is a Toronto based writer and director for film and television. His upcoming feature comedy, Big News From Grand Rock, will be released next year. He is also a trained game designer and has worked for mobile development, most recently at Blammo Games. He founded Duck Duck Game in 2013 to bring interesting and unique games, both tabletop and digital, to the market.

ABOUT DUCK DUCK GAMES:

Duck Duck Games is an independent gaming company dedicated to making games that are fun to play.

PRIME TIME: The Ratings Game is the first game from Duck Duck Games and many more are underway. From hardcore strategy games to party games to collectable card games, a wide variety of new gaming experiences are in the works from this new company.

 

Out This Week

And finally, here’s Paul from Board Game Guru to play us out with this weeks releases, take it away Paul…

Arriving next week

I missed ‘Quantum’ at Essen and it seems that was a big mistake – designed by Eric Zimmerman (of the scholarly book on games design -  ‘Rules of Play’) it is a dice based  space conquest ('2x') game that has been described as  ‘parts of Alien Frontiers and King of Tokyo - and also a little of Primordial Soup’. My pick of the week and I will rip the cellophane from the first copy that arrives on Tuesday. An excellent review can be read here.

‘Crossroads’ is an expansion for ‘Tokaido’ (base game back in stock on Tuesday)

‘Last Night on Earth : Blood in the Forest’ adds new zombies and terrain and my favourite new hero  , Sister Ophelia , the reformed nun.

‘Jackpot!’ (Zombie survival card game)

'The Phantom Society’

‘Madeira’  reaches UK distribution on Tuesday and the new copies are slightly cheaper than the copies I imported in January.

In stock now

‘Camel Up!’ – a gamer family race round a pyramid (which doubles up as a dice dispenser). Looks like fun.

‘Port Royal’ – winner  of the 2013 Austrian game design competition.  An excellent review (of the original 2013 edition) can be read here.

‘Istanbul’ – Rudiger Dorn’s latest trading (near) the Mediterranean game. Looks like an interesting logistical challenge.

‘Pagoda’

I sold out of' 'Fungi' but will try and get some more next week.

E-Raptor 'Agricola' and 'Game of Thrones' player board holders

Also, Legendary Paint the Town Red is now in stock!

Restocks

‘Citrus’, ‘6 Nimmt Anniversary Edition’, 7 Wonders - 'Leaders', 'Cities' and 'Wonder Pack'

Happy Gaming

Paul