Here is the board game (and board game-related!) news that caught our attention for the week ending April 17, 2020.
Gaming News
- With almost every in-person con being canceled, even now through the summer, several online alternatives are starting to pop up. One is in fact happening this weekend: Cryptozoic Con started yesterday (April 16) and runs through today (April 17). Best of all: it’s free.
- Fantasy Flight has suspended all organized play for Legend of the Five Rings, Keyforge, and X-Wing Miniatures. All in-store events are canceled through September 1 and premiere level events through July 29. That last is an interesting date, as it’s the day before Gen Con is scheduled to begin, so the company is clearly leaving open the possibility that Gen Con will still happen as scheduled.
- Weird City Games is joining a growing list of publishers who are donating a portion of the proceeds from online sales to local game stores. Please support these folks who are trying to help local businesses survive.
- For those stuck at home alone (or stuck at home with non-gamers), Ares has released solo play rules for Wings of Glory, for both the WWI and WWII variants. Both rely on a companion app to provide an AI for enemy planes.
- Ares has also announced that they will be publishing an English edition of the post-apocalyptic game Last Aurora.
- One of the year’s most anticipated releases seems to be Forgotten Waters from newly-re-independent Plaid Hat Games. Unfortunately, they have sold out of their pre-order stock and have reported this week that the shipment for the rest of the copies of the games is being delayed indefinitely. In the meantime, though, you can check out GeekDad writer Michael Knight’s review of the game below.
- News hit late last week that CMON was reporting financial difficulties, but in a press release, the company clarified some of the scarier language that had been out there and said that while of course they, like pretty much everyone else, are struggling, the company is on stable footing overall.
- Bruno Cathala is reportedly working on a “spiritual sequel” to the classic semi-cooperative game Shadows Over Camelot. The new game, Shadows Over Brooklyn, will reportedly be set in 19th century America. To date, it seems he is having a conflict with SOC publisher Days of Wonder about the direction of the game, so at this point, it’s very much in the “thinking about it” stage of development. As a big fan of the original, I for one hope that he can work out a way to bring the new game out.
- The Op has released Trivial Pursuit: Horror Ultimate Edition. The game includes 1800 horror-related questions.
GeekDad and GeekMom Reviews
- Michael Knight reviewed Forgotten Waters.
- Jonathan Liu reviewed Excavation Earth.
What We’re Playing
Finally, here’s what the GeekDads played this week:
- Rebecca Angel Maxwell played Fealty and Drawing Telephone.
- Michael Pistiolas played Gloomhaven, Marvel Champions, Magic: The Gathering, Reef, and Feed the Woozle.
- Robin Brooks played Pathfinder: Adventure Card Game and Warhammer Underworlds: Beastgrave.
- Michael Knight played Forgotten Waters, Trainmaker, Disney Villainous, and Disney Codenames.
- Sophie Brown played Elder Sign and Machi Koro.
- Jonathan Liu played MetroX, Abandon All Artichokes, Cat Lady: Box of Treats, Just One, Pandemic, and Storm Hollow.
- Greg Howley played Dungeons and Dragons, Lost Cities, and Codenames.
- I played Half Truth, Abandon All Artichokes, Last Night on Earth (our featured image this week), Really Bad Art, Santa Monica, and Horrified.
