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There is no let up for board game publishers, even with Christmas fast approaching. The news this week brings a host of new announcements and releases from a range of different publishers, with many of the new games and expansions targeting a release in early 2019.
The fate of two Japanese lovers is in your hands!
Intrigued? We certainly are. WizKids - the publisher that brought us the likes of Mage Knight and Fury of Dracula - has announced a new hidden role game, due for retail release in February 2019. Chiyo’s Secret takes place in feudal Japan, with players deciding the fate of a pair of fugitive lovers.
With the exception of the person playing as Motonoka, the lovers’ son, all players will be given hidden roles at the start of the game. While Motonoka is working to save his parents, the other players will have their own agendas for good or for ill. Through asking Motonoka questions, the other players will attempt to work out who is who and bring themselves closer to their win condition.
Will Motonoka be able to keep his parents’ identities a secret, or will his adversaries bring his parents down? Check out Chiyo’s Secret next spring to find out.
Plaid Hat Games releases keep on coming...
Plaid Hat Games have been prolific in 2018 and the releases are not letting up. The long awaited Gen 7: A Crossroads Game is out today, while a new expansion for Guardians is also out this month.
Gen 7 - the spiritual successor to Plaid Hat’s hugely popular Dead of Winter - has been highly anticipated since it was announced earlier this year. The initial reception has been very good, with players praising the clever campaign-driven system. This is definitely one to look out for if you’re planning on playing some games over the Christmas period.
Their second release, Guardians Hero Pack: Uprising, is a small expansion for Plaid Hat’s 2018 card game, Guardians. This expansion adds four heroes to the game, all of which are fully compatible with the core set. If you love Guardians and want more material, this will be right up your street!
New Releases for Star Wars: Destiny
Fantasy Flight Games is another publisher known for its packed release schedule, and this latest announcement will make fans of Star Wars: Destiny happy. In early 2019, you’ll be able to get your hands on new Obi-Wan Kenobi and General Grievous starter sets, as well as Convergence booster packs.
Much of Fantasy Flight’s announcement focuses on the new themes and mechanics in Convergence, as you would expect. The biggest new mechanics are downgrade cards. Similar to upgrades, downgrade cards can be played on your opponent’s characters.
Alongside the new mechanics is a focus on sub-types like Jedi, trooper and leader. Fantasy Flight indicates that this will add more depth to your choices of characters, going beyond the basic hero, villain and neutral categories.
What are you hoping to pick up from the new set?
SIX Hero Realms expansions over 1000% funded!
Fans of Hero Realms will have been pleased to see the latest Kickstarter fund at over $500,000 earlier this week: more than 1000% of White Wizard Games’ funding goal. The publishers, known for their hugely popular deck-building games, pulled off yet another fantastic campaign to fund the latest expansion for Hero Realms, Journeys.
The Kickstarter launched a total of six different sets for the game. There were new market cards in Hunters and Travelers, quest cards with powerful relics as rewards in the Conquest and Discovery packs, new race cards (dwarf, elf, ogre orc and smallfolk) in the Ancestry pack and a new campaign instalment, The Lost Village.
Ready to Switch up how you play Carcassonne?
The new era of digitalised board games is well and truly upon us, with Carcassonne now available to buy for the Nintendo Switch. The tile much-loved tile placement game has gone from strength to strength since its first release in 2000 and it now becomes one of the first tabletop games to receive a slick new Nintendo Switch implementation.
Asmodee Digital certainly has a lot of experience in digital implementations of board games and you can't help but feel that more Switch games will be on the way, especially if Carcassonne proves to be a hit. The digital version features solo play, local multiplayer and online multiplayer, giving you a host of ways to enjoy this modern classic. And if you don't have a Switch, don't worry! You can still play the game on Steam or Android.
Latest Kickstarter news
As a little bonus segment to round off this week's news, I've got two Kickstarter projects to bring to your attention. One is Dized, an app designed to make learning board games easier. The project is 34% funded with 22 days to go, so every contribution will help if you think this sounds like a cool idea.
And finally, Atlas Games has announced an upcoming Kickstarter campaign for Gloom of Thrones, a new standalone game in the Gloom family. They've been tight-lipped on the details thus far, only offering this mysterious taster: "you win when you die...miserably." If you're a fan of the Gloom games or intrigued by this project, you can sign up for updates on Atlas Games' website.