USD ($)
EUR (€)
The world turns, my friends.
We rotate ever onwards towards the future, and we find ourselves once more in Autumn. A glorious season full of mists and mellow fruitfulness (my thanks to school for bashing Keats so far into my head his poetry will never leave, no matter how hard I try). It’s a time of woodland walks, of falling leaves, of games of conkers where you crack at least one knuckle. It’s also an excellent time to whack the heating on, grab a hot toddy, and get a good game on the table. We’ve all got our old favourites, but maybe you fancy something new for the season.
If that’s the case, might I make a few suggestions?
Story of Many
I’m a writer. Stating the obvious, yeah, I know. I write this. This is (apparently) classed as writing. I also write novels, always have done. I was writing waaaaay back. One of my earliest short stories was something I committed to a single notepad page when I was seven. It was called Ssssnake. It must have been a massive 150 words, and I was beyond proud that I reached the very last line with a full story. The tales run a bit longer these days, but Story of Many from Haunted Mill Games contains over 400.000 words of adventure. That’s a fair bit. That has the sound of a game that will keep you going for a while.
Story of Many from Haunted Mill Games is a cooperative fantasy adventure board game - that crosses paths somewhat with TTRPGs - for 1-4 players about exploring a vast land, combating deadly foes, and delving into mysterious adventure sites. There's an emphasis here on exploring the world with lore that expands ever more as you push further into the campaign. The story will pull you further in, the combat will challenge, and you'll have freedom to create and advance your character as you see fit.
As you venture across the expansive open world of Varda, you will stumble upon many unique landscapes, challenges, and opportunities, and adventure across dense rainforests, uncharted islands, desolate ruins, sprawling eldritch cities, and treacherous dungeons. As players progress, they will influence the unfolding story, and their choices will lead to different branching paths and outcomes.
Combat is fast, unforgiving, and delivers a fresh experience every time, as the players will come up against more than 200 unique enemies. Character development is achieved through a massive, interconnected web of nodes encompassing passive traits, abilities, spells, trigger actions, setting it apart from any other game of the genre. No fighter will ever be the same!
Yeah, sounds like there’s a lot to do here. Head on over to this page and sign up to be alerted when Story of Many goes live.
Command of Nature
We’ve all enjoyed Winnie the Pooh and The Wind in the Willows where a bunch of animals hang out together and have fun but gentle adventures where things always turn out alright in the end and everybody gets along… It’s not the truth! They’re all bloody mental, fighting each other all the time, and I have the proof!
Command of Nature from Unstable Games is a strategic deck-building game for 2 or 4 players wherein you’ll harness the magic of the forest and go head-to-head with your rivals. You’ll play as a powerful Sage, summoning warriors (see, told you!) from the Twig, Leaf, Droplet, and Pebble factions and fighting to prove your prowess. As the battle continues, you’ll level up and gain access to extraordinary abilities and fierce new recruits. Protect your Sage at all costs and vanquish your opponents to earn the title of Master of the Elements! On your turn you'll be able to select powerful Elementals, strategically arrange them in formations, and buy and sell cards in the Market in an attempt to out-maneuver your opponents. Then, initiate combat using Attack Commands in an effort to take down your rival’s formation and claim victory.
I’m pretty keen on deck building games, so I’m digging Command of Nature. And if you need one more reason to make a pledge, one tree will be planted for every person who backs the project. Get yourself over to this page where there’s loads more info and cool artwork.
Arkham Horror: The Roleplaying Game
The world of Lovecraftian horror has a lot to answer for. It influenced my taste in horror books, and it got me hooked deeply into the board game hobby. Some lunatic (my wonderful Other Half) got me Arkham Horror LCG for my birthday and as a result ruined her own life (sorry about all the shelves, love). It’s a perfect setting for a game. The horror, the tension, the odds stacked against you. The complex characters, the even more mysterious enemies. Now, there have been quite a few other board games before and since – the lore of Arkham and the Ancient Ones is deep and wide – and now we’re to be graced with an RPG based in this world of cultists and Cthulhu.
From the developers themselves: An ancient force has come to the city of Arkham that threatens to consume everything in Hungering Abyss, a starter set in the world of Arkham Horror. In this all-in-one box up to five players take on the role of talented and bold investigators as they try to unravel the mystery behind empty graveyards and the sense of lurking dread that has fallen over the city of Arkham in the height of the 1920s. Whether you are brand new to collaborative storytelling table-top games or a veteran role-player, this learn-as-you-play adventure is an excellent way to get a feel for both roleplaying games and the unique Dynamic Pool System.
Sounds like the kind of thing we’re here for, right? No messing, I’m going to send you straight here to pick up the starter set, because the longer we mess around, the further those cultists will get their nasty claws into your family members.
Happy Home
I’ll tell you what a happy home is (and if you’ve been paying attention you should be able to guess). Everyone in the house has found something they enjoy doing – including the cats, which usually means being curled up on the humans’ favourite seats. There is no-one coming to the door. I’ve got the table, and a game is underway. Oh, yeah.
Alley Kat Games, the makers of Happy Home, think differently. This is a polyomino strategy game about home decorating (I’ll gladly play a game about it, just don’t expect it to happen in real life). Your house is divided into 4 different rooms, and each room has 3 different objects that will suit thematically - for example, your bathroom works best with a sink, a toilet, and a bathtub. You'll score points for how many of these objects end up in the right places. Decorations gain extra points, as does colour coordination. You can even fit carpets (maybe not in the bathroom, but you do you).
This, then, is a light and cozy game that’s probably more suitable for family game night, where the game is easy to pick up for players of all abilities. Happy Home has been out for a couple of months, but in case you missed it, check it out here if you think it’ll suit your crew.
Puerto Rico Special Edition
You may have heard of this. It’s now considered a worker placement classic in which you play the part of a Puerto Rican family working to amass more wealth and prestige than your rivals. Each player uses a separate small board with spaces for city buildings, plantations, and resources. Shared between the players are three ships, a trading house, and a supply of resources and doubloons.
You'll grow crops which you can sell for points or doubloons. That cash can then be used to buy buildings, which allow players to produce more crops or give them other abilities. Buildings and plantations do not work unless they are manned by colonists - which is where the worker placement element comes in.
Awaken Realms and Ravensburger have teamed up to bring what will be the definitive version of Puerto Rico, and they aren’t messing around. It will include all expansions ever released, a brand new expansion for this edition, a specially designed solo mode, and a whole bunch of quality of life improvements, which will include improved component quality, streamlined mechanics and a variety of tweaks that should make setup and gameplay smoother than ever.
Check this out: there’s a special edition of the special edition (George Lucas would bust a gasket) which comes with some excellent miniatures, including three beautiful cargo ships to replace the standard cardboard ones. Yes, it is more money. You must make your own decisions. To help you, here’s a link to the crowdfunding page, and let’s see how long you can resist.
Get your orders in, and whilst you await your deliveries, stock up on your favourite snacks and ban your household from putting anything but board games on the dining table. We’ve got to have priorities! Perhaps – somehow – nothing here has tickled your fancy. Fear not, my friends, for I shall return shortly with yet more offerings…
Soiled
We’ll finish off with a game whose Kickstarter is about to wind up and could do with a little bit of love. My garden is essentially a wildlife haven. It is important that the hedge is allowed to get a little frizzy, and that it’s left tall. Very tall. Like, only giraffes could see over tall. Wildflowers are given the freedom to do as they wish. The hedgehogs appreciate it, the birds love it, and the cats have one heck of a time. Real world gardening, then happens rarely for me. I could sure as heck appreciate a game about gardening, though.
Soiled, from Eat Dirt Games (love it) is a 2-4 player competitive card game In which, players will take on the roles of neighbours cultivating a garden over twelve months. You'll plant seeds, water the seedlings, and harvest fully grown plants to earn points. You'll take three actions each turn. Alongside tending your garden you'll also sabotage your neighbours’ plots with weeds, pests and overwatering (they'll be doing the same to you, so watch out! (whatever happened to community spirit, eh?)). There'll be unique plants to choose from with their own powers, so you'll have to be strategic in your choices.
Head over to the Kickstarter to get your pledge in, but go quick, there’s only a couple of days left.
Get your orders in, and whilst you await your deliveries, stock up on your favourite snacks and ban your household from putting anything but board games on the dining table. We’ve got to have priorities! Perhaps – somehow – nothing here has tickled your fancy. Fear not, my friends, for I shall return shortly with yet more offerings…