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The source material for the games in this news update comes from comics (Hellboy), books (Lovecraft), movies (Star Wars), and other types of games (Descent).
Asmodee on the state of counterfeiting
ICv2 have run a very long interview with Asmodee, the gaming giant who’s been expanding recently. One section of this chat concerns an increasingly large issue, and that’s fakes. Here’s a very telling excerpt:
ICv2: "How many consumer dollars in hobby games that were counterfeit were sold last year or in the last six months or any period you want to use?"
Asmodee’s Petersen: "We feel, and this number is speculative (but it's going to be somewhere on that range), that Asmodee North America’s sales are going to be affected somewhere between five and 10 million dollars, this year alone. We believe for some games, that more than 70% of all sales in the U.S. market have been counterfeit."
That’s a big number, and means many people buying games won’t be getting the right quality. The solution is to buy from people you trust. Here’s the full interview.
Mantic are bringing Hellboy to the table
With the success of their Walking Dead adaption behind them, Mantic have secured another iconic licence: Hellboy. Yes, the half demon supernatural detective will be turned into a board game, and key is that it will draw on the comics (Mantic are working with Dark Horse), rather than the movie series, which we assume will decide what art is used.
You’ll be able to play as Hellboy and his Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense allies, exploring, fighting and generally saving the world. Hellboy will go to Kickstarter in April, with plastic figures on the, err, cards.
The Sagrada team tease mystery
Something is happening in the world of Sagrada, but we’re not sure what. Floodgate Games tweeted an image with the caption ‘Sagrada is about to get a bit bigger...’, and the picture looks like a yellow player board. The basic retail Sagrada doesn’t have one of those, so does this mean a fifth player option is coming? (With the extra cards and dice all this would need?) Or is something else on the way? It does say ‘a bit’, so perhaps nothing massive. The truth is we just don’t know, but we’ll tell you when we do.
Newsflash: It's now been confirmed the mystery is a 5 - 6 player expansion with more bits and dice.
Fantasy Flight are ending the Star Wars LCG
The rebels have found the exhaust ports for Fantasy Flight Games’ Star Wars living card game, as the next expansion will be the last and the game will end. This final pack will add characters from the Star Wars Rebels TV show, and then that’ll join their Cthulhu LCG as having come to a natural end (as opposed to the two Games Workshop licenced games which were torpedoed mid-flight in that divorce).
Now we’ve said end a lot here, but there’s absolutely nothing to stop you playing the game for years to come with what’s already out, but the big question is whether Star Wars will follow Games of Thrones, whose LCG ended and then was replaced with a new edition.
Memoir 44 is going through Jungle and Desert
Memoir 44 has a new pack on the horizon, and it’s a lot more welcoming than a Tiger tank. You’ll need the base game as well as the Pacific and Mediterranean expansions to use Jungle and Desert, but if you do you’ll find six normal scenarios (in Burma and North Africa, the former offering a campaign) and two special Overlord ones: Operation Lightfoot in the second battle of El Alamein and Henderson Field in Guadalcanal and.
As well as the maps there is a new pack of combat cards.
Catan journeys to the Americas
There’s a new Catan expansion, and we’re not talking about the iOS game where you play a bird. Catan: The Rise of the Inca is a fully-fledged Catan board game, with familiar mechanics, some tweaks to the produce (cocoa is in) and an all new idea: nature can reclaim settlements, and other players can reclaim that. Yes, Catan is letting you live the rise and fall (and if you win rise) of the Inca.
You’ll get figures fitting in with the theme, and play takes 90 minutes. As with other recent Catan spin-offs, designer Klaus Teuber worked with his son Ben.
Arkham Horror: The Card Game goes back to the future
The Arkham Horror Card Game base box contains the Night of the Zealot expansion, so it’s been attacked by many a starting gamer over the years. Now, however, it’s being remixed as Return to Night of the Zealot and includes ways for experienced players to enter the same scenarios and find some rather harder differences. Different acts, at least one interesting new character, a series of challenges just to tie one hand behind your back (like reaching a target of baseball bat kills).
You’ll get 66 new cards in the box but room to store the rest, and it should be out by mid-2018.
Descent and Runebound are coming to RPG
Descent, Legacy of Dragonholt, Runebound and Runewars have gathered a reputation among gamers as well designed fantasy challenges, and now they’re evolving into an RPG setting. ‘Realms of Terrinoth’ will take the setting of those games and fit it to the Genesys RPG system, so you too can play as an alchemist cat person.
You’ll need a copy of the core Genesys rules as well as the Realms book, but no knowledge of the board games is needed… but they’re so good it’s recommended and the game will massively expand the world. Target release date is by summer 2018.