Cranio Creations
What could you possibly add to a game like Dungeon Fighter, the game where you throw dice at a target to kill monsters? It already has everything you could ever want: a dungeon with monsters, boss monsters, incompetent heroes, unusable weapons and loads of opportunities to laugh at the other players. Loads of them. So I’m at a loss what could be in Dungeon Fighter: Fire at Will when it comes out in Essen this year, except for one thing that is certain: more chances to hilariously fail in front of your friends!
Days of Wonder
Is it just me, or has it been quiet at Days of Wonder recently? Now a new big box release is on the way: Relic Runners by Matthew Dunstan, a new designer. Taking the roles of up to four explorers, you’ll dash around the jungle trying to discover relics in ancient ruins and temples – and honestly, I don’t care if I win, I’ll just discover those relics and take them home, no matter what the game’s owner says, because they look rather awesome. Game-wise, to explore the jungle your main concern seems ot be resource management to carry your tools and food around and cut pathways to the best dig sites.
Funforge
Tokaido was one of the surprise successes in Essen last year. Well, maybe not so surprising, it’s an Antoine Bauza game and it looks great, two things that get your game noticed in Essen, but publisher Funforge seemed surprised by how successful it was. At least they didn’t have any left when I made it to their booth. Maybe I’ll be more lucky this year and get a base game together with Tokaido: Crossroads, the coming expansion. I have no clue what this expansion will bring, either, but if anyone is at Paris est Ludique this weekend and gets a good look, please let us know.
Watchtower Games
Here’s the next part of the Fallen designer diary. Fallen, the boardless two-player dungeon game, is turning out more complex and involved than I thought at first. It’s not only playing cards to beat the other player, there are many things to keep track of. Take, for example, the Shadow Track. With each victory, it shifts more to the light side for the hero or more to the dark side for the Dungeon Lord and grants bonuses to the player it currently favors. So you really want it to shift to your side. See what designer Tom Green has to say about it:
Fantasy Flight Games
The rules for the Descent: Journeys in the Dark expansion Labyrinth of Ruin are now available. That’s the expansion coming out soon, not to be confused with The Trollfens that was only recently announced.
Jolly Roger Games
One of the meanest, most brutal, most friendship-destroying games ever is coming back. KREMLIN is not one bit friendlier than, for example, Junta, only this time you fight for control of the Soviet Union – and that’s worth losing some friends over, isn’t it? Backstabbing, betrayal and assassination are not nasty surprises but expected, so no one should say they haven’t been warned. The Kickstarter campaign wants to produce a new edition of this game by Urs Hostettler, with both classic editions (by Fata Morgana and Avalon Hill, respectively) included in the box as well as a new setting.
Cryptozoic
A new cooperative game titled The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey by Reiner Knizia is now in stores from Cryptozoic. There were a couple of games with very similar titles since the movie, so just to be clear: this is another one, not a reprint, not a translation, an all new game. Somewhat atypical for Knizia, a whole lot of dice rolling is involved in a way that could be called Yahtzee for Middle-Earth. (Now where did I use the same comparison recently? There seem to be some similarities)
Alderac Entertainment
The line of games in the city of Tempest (Dominare, Mercante, Courtier) will shortly gain another entry with Canalis. In what appears to be a tile-laying game by the short description Alderac posted on Facebook, you’ll play canals and buildings on the board trying to complete missions from various persons of influence in Tempest. The cards you use to build have a secondary function for scheming as well, letting you prepare for future turns instead of building right now.
This week’s photo (CC-BY-SA) was taken by Funky Tee and shows the city of Albi with the impressive Pont Vieux (Old Bridge) and the cathedral. Thanks for sharing, Funky!