Here is the board game (and board game-related!) news that caught our attention for the week ending February 5, 2021.
Gaming News
- While the vaccine provides a light at the end of the tunnel, the reality is that we will all need to continue staying home and keep in those bubbles for the foreseeable future. If you’re staying safe but still missing game night, our own Jonathan Liu has a helpful post this week on virtual gaming in quarantine.
- Here’s a sentence I never thought I’d write: Rapper Lil Yachty is set to produce a live-action movie based on UNO. No, really. They’re also apparently in the process of creating a game show based on the 50-year-old card game, as well as a show based on Whac-a-Mole.
- Atomic Mass Games, the new Asmodee imprint that has taken over publishing Star Wars miniatures games from Fantasy Flight, posted an announcement this week with an update on organized play for 2021 and 2022.
- The next title from Stonemaier Games will be Red Rising, a “hand-management, combo-building game” based on the novels by Pierce Brown. The company is collecting emails for those who wish to be notified on launch and will donate $1 to the ACLU for every email they collect. Preorders will begin sometime in March.
- Renegade is now taking preorders for Aggretusko, a “fast-playing card game for 3-6 players” where players get to work in an office (remember when that was a thing?) and rage at co-workers by turning into their “inner heavy-metal rock star.” The game is due out in the spring.
- Renegade has also announced a new edition of World’s Fair 1893. The new edition features the inclusion of five new playable characters representing Black and other disenfranchised groups—Ida B. Wells, Frederick Douglass, Irvine Garland Penn, Fannie Barrier Wiliams, and Susan B. Anthony. The game can be preordered now and will be available exclusively on Amazon later this month.
- Smash Up: Marvel is now available. The collaboration between The Op and AEG is bringing everyone’s favorite (sorry, DC fans) superheroes and supervillains to the long-running game of minions and bases.
- The Op is also giving people the chance to “win” a copy of Care Bears Monopoly. Yes, you read that correctly.
- Ares Games and Nuts! Publishing have expanded their partnership, allowing Ares to produce English editions of Nuts! games. The first title will be 300: Earth and Water in May, followed by Mini Rogue in the summer.
- Gamelyn Games is selling a promo pack to add to four of their Tiny Epic titles. For only $10, you can get playable characters based on YouTube game reviewers for Tiny Epic Tactics, Tiny Epic Mechs, Tiny Epic Zombies, and Tiny Epic Western.
- Ravensburger has a game coming exclusively to Amazon this month based on meme star Pusheen the Cat. Pusheen Purrfect Pick is a family game and includes a Pusheen figure.
- Iello wants your “most original, romantic, funny, wicked, crazy, and/or fantastic IELLO pictures.” For the remainder of 2021, anyone who sends them their pictures via this form will be entered to be one of the 100 people each week who win “puzzles, mugs, calendars, and other awesome goodies.” The company also posted a preview of their releases for 2021.
- Asmodee has opened a branch office in Seoul, South Korea.
GeekDad Reviews
What we’ve reviewed this week:
- Jonathan Liu reviewed the GeekDad approved Dale of Merchants 3: The Grand Continental Railway, as well as Via Magica.
- I reviewed Groundhog Day: The Game.
What We’re Playing
Finally, here’s what the GeekDads played this week:
- Michael Pistiolas played Lucky Numbers, Hanabi, Just Desserts, Forbidden Island, Veggie Garden, Blokus, Black Sonata, and Marvel Champions.
- Jonathan Liu Three Sisters, Burgle Bros 2: The Casino Capers, Calico, Long Shot: The Dice Game, Marvel United (our featured image this week), Valeria: Card Kingdoms – Darksworn, and Tiny Epic [Redacted].
