Stronghold Games
Although both games were available in Essen already, we all know that doesn’t mean you can find them at your friendly local game store. Now you can find Core Worlds and Outpost everywhere in the world. Both games have a science fiction theme, but are very different apart from that: Outpost (James Hlavaty, Timothy Moore) is a reprint of a 20 year old classic building game, you bid for improvements for your outpost ranging from factories to moon bases that give you a wide variety of advantages. Core Worlds (Andrew Parks), on the other hand, is a warlike deck-building game where you take control of a small barbarian empire on the fringe of the galaxy, on your way to conquer the legendary core worlds.
Kosmos
Staying with the science fiction theme, Catan is going back to space. We all remember Starfarers of Catan, an awesome game with slightly breakable components – the new excursion to the final frontier is nothing like it. Actually, Star Trek Catan is a re-themed Settlers of Catan: instead of rock and sheep , you harvest dilithium and tribbles. The game comes with all new art by Franz Vohwinkel and really nifty Enterprise components (link is in German, but check the photos).
Fantasy Flight Games
This week’s news is turning out all sci-fi-y, Fantasy Flight has announced Infiltration, a new card game by Dominion creator Donald X. Vaccarino set in the dystopian future of Android (the game, not your cell phone). The goal of the game is to break into the local CyberSolutions office, randomly created from a deck of cards each game, and make it back out with your pockets stuffed with loot. As usual for FFG, detailed previews will be coming in over the next few months.
Ending the science fiction spree for now, a new preview for Rex has also surfaced. Set in the same universe as Twilight Imperium, Rex deals with the struggle for Mecatol City between the races of the galaxy. The Lazax Empire, as the home team, enjoys some advantages that the preview reveals, but the other factions will have their own tricks up their sleeves.
Enough with the science fiction for now, it’s time for some fantasy as well: the rules for both Wiz-War and Kingdoms are available online now.
MESAboardgames
Gil d’Orey has a wide variety of topics for his games: after games about the age of exploration, vine, trash and the water cycle, one of this year’s releases casts you as a guardian angel, a Ragami, protecting your city from demons and help people solve their conflicts.
Alderac Entertainment
After the announcement of Thunderstone Advance, Alderac is taking a page out of Fantasy Flight’s book and walking us through all that is new: the basic deck you start the game with is all shiny and new, and you will need it because thunderstones are no longer lying on the floor for you to pick up, they now have powerful guardians you have to defeat. I just realised game previews are bad for me: they make me want even more new games.
WizKids
Deck-building games are a dream come true for creating expansions, why should adding dice to the mix change that? Quarriors! (Mike Elliot, Eric Lang) created a very successful mix of dice and deck-building, and with Quarmageddon it’s awaiting its second expansion with 40 new dice, new creatures and new spells.
White Goblin Games
Oops, this one got away from us last week, but there is still time. Time for what? Time to get your name in a game! Go to White Goblin’s Facebook page, tag yourself in one of the newspaper clippings and leave your nationality in a comment, and with some luck – okay, a lot of luck, this contest is popular, you may join your country’s expedition to the dark continent in 1884 to explore, settle, negotiate treaties and foil the other’s plans to do the same. Unfortunately, women need not apply.
Kickstarter
Tasty Minstrel Games have been very successful with their recent games: Martian Dice, Eminent Domain and Belfort have all received great reviews, and the sales numbers seem to be up as well. Their newest project, being kickstarted now, will probably continue that series of successes. For The Win! is an abstract strategy game with the archetypes of all internet entertainment as protagonists: ninjas, pirates, zombies, aliens and monkeys. Despite the silly theme and easy rules, For The Win! might turn out to be quite a strategic challenge.
The cute little fellow at the top of the page is a fire salamander, shared by Leigh Harries with a CC-BY-SA license.