As a gamer, I’m ashamed to admit that I played only one actual game at Gen Con 2009. Fortunately, that one game was Eye-Level Entertainment’s E.T.I. (which stands for “Estimated Time to Invasion”).
E.T.I. is a science-fictioned themed card/board game in which players attempt to defend against an alien invasion. Players don’t know when the invasion [...]
Eye-Level Entertainment’s “E.T.I.”
Ragnar Brothers Producing “A Brief History of the World” Board Game
The Ragnar Brothers web site has announced an upcoming revision of the “History of the World” board game. The design notes posted on their site explain that History of the World was originally produced by Ragnar Brothers, then Gibsons, Avalon Hill, and Hasbro. The rights to the game have returned to Ragnar Brothers and they’ve [...]
Fantasy Flight Games Previews Pegasus Expansion for BSG Board Game
My brother and I had the chance to play Fantasy Flight’s Battlestar Galactica board game during Origins 2009. We had a good time with it, and understood why the game had such a following when it was being demonstrated at Gen Con Indy 2008. Further evidence of that popularity is the upcoming release of the [...]
Fortune Magazine Says Board Games are Back
According to Fortune magazine, as reported on CNN Money’s web site, “Board Games Are Back“. The article says that game and toy maker Mattel is betting that the “Blokus” board game it acquired this year will be a hit. Fortune says that Mattel took on the title to “capitalize on the growing cachet hobby games [...]
Mayfair Games Origins 2009 Report
The good folks at Mayfair Games published their official Origins 2009 report. It includes a slide show of photographs, along with a narrative about their experiences in Columbus, Ohio, this year.
They mention that 2,500 people came through and demoed games at their booth.
They sold every copy of the Steam board game they brought with them.
Impressions of Battlestations Fleet Action by Gorilla Games
Matt and I played through a two-player, two-ships-per-player version of Battlestations Fleet Action at Origins 2009. I’d like tell you a lot more about it than I’m going to be able to do, but I can’t. I can’t tell you more because even after spending a couple of hours at the table with this game, [...]
Impressions of Munchkin Quest by Steve Jackson Games
Wednesday evening at Origins, I played Steve Jackson Games’ new Munchkin Quest board game. For those not familiar with the Munchkin series of games, they’re card-based games loosely based on the roleplaying game concept. The objective of the main Munchkin card games is to collect loot and advance your character to level 10 before anyone [...]
Impressions of “Battlestar Galactica – The Board Game” by FFG
Last year at Gencon Indy, Fantasy Flight Games demonstrated their upcoming board game based on the Battlestar Galactica television series. The tables running the game seemed to be incredibly busy, and the players seated around those tables clearly were enjoying what they were doing. Unfortunately, I never got to play the game – until last [...]
New Martin Wallace Games from Mayfair
The Mayfair Games web site recently announced the availability of two new Martin Wallace games for Summer 2009. The first, Martin Wallace’s Steam: Rails to Riches(tm) is already on store shelves as of June 18. Mayfair’s web site says that “this culmination of Martin Wallace’s classic railroad game series contains a brilliantly balanced standard game, [...]
Mayfair Releasing EuroRails 4th Edition on June 25th
Mayfair Games plans to release the fourth edition of its epic railroading game “EuroRails” on June 25, 2009. This game offers over a million variations. Players decide where to lay tracks, with their only obstacles being rival tracks and Europe’s mountains, channels, and rivers. For more information, see the Mayfair Games web site.
BSG: Pegasus Expansion Coming
At Gen Con Indy last year, there was a LOT of interest in the Fantasy Flight Games “Battlestar Galactica” board game. I wasn’t fortunate enough to get to sit down and actually try the game myself, but my observations indicated that people who were sitting down and trying the game were enjoying it immensely. There [...]
Privateer Press to Release “Scrappers” in September 2009
Privateer Press has announced Scrappers, a family board game for 2-4 players ages 9 and up. In Scrappers, players take on the role of lively goblin mechanics as they race around a factory floor trying to pull parts off a constantly moving conveyor belt to complete their contraptions. It features full-color artwork and is scheduled [...]
New Gamewright Family Board Game Titles
Gamewright has added three new titles to its product line recently:
Polar Derby This game is for ages 8 and up, 2 to 4 players, and requires approximately 20 minutes to play. It contains 25 wooden polar bears, 2 custom dice, and rules of play. Polar Derby is described as “a game of quick decision-making” in [...]
Fantasy Flight Games Releases Innsmouth Horror Expansion for Arkham
Fantasy Flight Games has released the rules for the Innsmouth Horror Expansion for their H.P. Lovecraft-themed Arkham Horror game. This expansion adds the neighboring town of Innsmouth to the Arkham Horror game. It adds new investigators, new Ancient Ones, new monsters, and new cards that may be used with the base Arkham Horror game. It [...]
Bone Games Beta Tests New Marathon Board Game
The Bone Games web site recently announced the beta testing of a new title, Marathon. Marathon is a race game for between 2 and 6 players. Players take the role of gods, secretly influencing six heroes as they strive to complete the mythical Marathon race. You must use subtlety when influencing your hero, because once [...]
New Titles from Twilight Creations
You can tell I’ve been off in my own little world when the great folks at Twilight Creations have released three new titles I hadn’t heard about yet… and they have. New for 2009 are:
Zombies!!! 8: Jailbreak This expansion to the very-popular Zombies!!! board game starts you out in a mental ward, where it seems [...]
BTRC Publishes “Footsteps of the Prophet (pbuh)”
According to an April 27, 2009, post on the Blacksburg Tactical Research Center web site, on April 30 they published a title described as “fun, possibly educational and maybe controversial in some circles” called Footsteps of the Prophet(pbuh). It’s a card game about the Khalifate succession after the death of the Prophet(pbuh). The game is [...]
Bezier Games to Release FITS expansions MOTS, LOTS, and BOTS
According to the Bezier Games web site, three new FITS expansions will be available in May 2009.
Expansion #1: MOTS (More Of The Same) features four new boards with similar mechanics and goals to the set that comes with the original box, extending gameplay.
Expansion #2: LOTS (Letters On The Spaces) takes the FITS game in a [...]
Warm Acre Releases No-Go-Zone
The Warm Acre web site has announced the availability of No-Go-Zone, a miniatures board game from the makers of Hour of Glory. The game is set in Britain’s urban environment. Players choose a side and try to take back the streets. Very little additional information appears to be available on the site about the game.
Zombies 8 to Arrive on April 10
According to the Twilight Creations web site, Zombies 8 “is due in the area around April 10th. We have also been informed that if the shipment has been pulled for inspection, it may be closer to April 20th.” A Zombies promo card is arriving with the Zombies 8 shipment. Twilight Creations expects to be offering [...]
Smirk and Dagger to Release Snakes and Ladders Parody Game
The folks at Smirk and Dagger have announced that they will be producing a second title in their “Games Gone Bad” line. They are currently beta testing “Shootin’ Ladders – Frag Fest”, described as “an amped-up, high-caliber, candy carnage-filled send up of a first-person shooter style game and Snakes and Ladders.”
Two New Titles from Gamewright
The Gamewright web site has announced two new titles, “Can You See What I See?” and “Pool Sharks(tm)“.
“Can You See What I See?” is based on the books of Walter Wick. The game refines visual discrimination skills, sharpens focus, and increases concentration. Players of this “visual game of hide and seek” look for hidden objects [...]
Conquest Gaming to Release Warlords of Europe in June
According to its web site, Conquest Gaming will release Warlords of Europe in June 2009. This medieval period game places you in the role of a leader who must command armies, whip enemies into submission, tax and plunder to build your empire, and do your best to control Europe.
The game features a 24″ x 30″ [...]
4th Street Software is Shipping 4th Street Baseball 2008
According to the 4th Street Software web site, they are now shipping 4th Street Baseball 2008. 4th Street Baseball allows players to use the pitching, fielding, and hitting abilities of their players to dominate a game. It features ball park effects, defensive positioning, pitch selection, pitch “guessing”, cut-offs, throw-throughs, etc.
The game includes a book full [...]
One Small Step Games Back in Action
According to a post on their web site dated February 29, 2009, One Small Step “has been laying low for the past couple of years” and it’s now time to start announcing news of what they’ve been up to. During 2008, they released “Politics as Usual – Unusual Suspects” and it’s apparently selling well. They [...]