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In this week’s news; Rapid Response is unveiled as the brand-new Pandemic game, the nominations are revealed for the 2019 Spiel des Jahres Award, Kodama goes 3D and UKGE is on the horizon.
Pandemic: Rapid Response Revealed
This week, the brand-new Pandemic game was finally revealed. Rapid Response sees players taking on the role of a disease specialist, much like the original game, only in this new iteration, you’re all aboard a jet, working co-operatively to distribute the right amount of aid to different areas across the globe.
The game takes a shift over the real-time mechanic, with players spending dice to perform actions in different areas of the plane. Turns will be taken during a two-minute period, putting pressure on players to make split second decisions. The cities you’ll be assisting will all require different types of aid, such as food, water, medicine and power, and you have to ensure your team work together to deliver just the right amount in the short amount of time you have.
Rapid Response is set for release on June 23 and is definitely going to catch the attention of gamers everywhere. Keep an eye on our store in the coming weeks for pre-order availability.
Spiel des Jahres Nominations
The biggest award in board gaming, the Spiel des Jahres, has had its nominations announced for this year. There are three awards available, the Spiel des Jarhes, the Kennerspiel Award and the Kinderspiel Award.
In the running for the main Spiel Des Jahres award are Just One, LAMA and Werewords. These are three fairly lightweight entries, which is where the Kennerspiel Des Jahres comes in. This award is for the more complex games and this can be seen in the nominations. Wingspan, Detective and Carpe Diem are all up for the award and I have a feeling this will be very tightly fought!
Finally, the nominations for the Kinderspiel are Fabulantica, Tal der Wikinger and Go Gecko Go. Of course, this award is for those games suited to a younger audience.
The Spiel Des Jahres enters its 40th year this year, and continues to be one of the biggest awards in the industry. Both the Spiel and Kennerspiel awards will be announced on July 22, with the Kinderspiel being announce on June 24.
Kodama in 3D
The popular tree-growing card game Kodama has started branching out and is releasing a 3D version. The cards are to be replaced with tiles that slot together in a 3D format, creating a 3D model of the tree. The game will play with up to four players, but will also include rules for a solo mode, based around a high-score objective.
Kodama recently got a two-player variant, Kodama Duo, so it’s nice to see yet another iteration being released! This is currently on Kickstarter now, having already hit its funding target.
D&D Getting Schwifty
The massively popular cartoon, Rick and Morty, is set to enter the D&D Universe, with a starter set being announced, aimed at new players looking to get into the D&D realm. The set will include all the materials needed to run a Dwith up to five players being able to play through a Rick and Morty themed adventure.
This announcement comes after the release of the Stranger Things crossover set, so its clear that there is a big market for these TV crossovers! Unfortunately, no release date has been set for the UK, but it is set to hit US stores on November 29.
UKGE - One Week to go!
Many gamers will be gearing themselves up over the next seven days as the UK Games Expo draws ever closer! The expo, held at the NEC in Birmingham, has consistently grown, year on year to become one of the world’s biggest tabletop conventions, with thousands of visitors descending on the halls each year.
For Zatu, it will be our first year appearing at the convention and we are super excited to attend! Be sure to pop by to stand 1-916 to say hi and check out our many offers and activities! We will also have a team on hand, ready to demo a wide variety of games, so you can all try before you buy! We will have Peter from Breaking Games exclusively demoing Dwellings of Eldervale on our stand as well!