Here is the board game (and board game-related!) news that caught our attention for the week ending July 9, 2021.
Gaming News
- Machi Koro 2 is now available for pre-order from Pandasaurus. In this new version of the classic game, “players receive a limited budget to choose their own starting establishments. The available cards are pulled from three decks and arranged for all to see.” Pre-orders will include 3 free landmark promo cards.
- The Power Rangers Deck-Building Game is getting a “stand-alone but fully compatible” expansion. With Zeo: Stronger Than Before, now available for pre-order, “some players will be Heroes and some will be Villains.”
- For those planning to attend Gen Con, the Event Catalog is now online.
- In related convention news, Asmodee has announced that it will not be attending Essen Spiel. The massive company had previously announced that it would not be at Gen Con either.
- As several conventions try to figure out how to handle the current phase of the pandemic, the UK Game Expo has decided on its course: “UKGE will not enforce any requirements that are not legally required as we do not believe that will be practical on the day.”
- Restoration Games has announced the upcoming releases of several titles, including Berried Treasure, Key to the Kingdom, Thunder Road Vandetta, and Unmatched Battle of Legends 2. Keep a lookout here on GeekDad for upcoming reviews of several of these. Restoration has also announced the December released of Unmatched: Digital Edition, which will bring the skirmish game to Steam. No price has been set yet.
- Portal Games is taking pre-orders for Million Dollar Script, a new party game where players team up to compete for the right to release the next big Hollywood blockbuster. The game is due out in mid-August.
- Z-Man has a new preview out for the heroes that will team up to save Europe in Pandemic: Hot Zone – Europe. The follow-up to Pandemic: Hot Zone – North America, which is our featured image this week, Europe will feature four different characters and, obviously, a new map. The game is available for pre-order now with a planned late July release and includes “hemisphere” rules that allow you to combine it with Hot Zone – North America.
- In other Pandemic news, Z-Man has released a video trailer for World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lick King, a collaboration between the board game company and Blizzard Entertainment that will see WoW implemented using the Pandemic system.
- The King’s Dilemma is getting a follow-up, appropriately titled The Queen’s Dilemma. A few details of the game are available by its designers on YouTube in a clip from Dice Tower’s Summer Spectacular.
- Less than a month after announcing FC Barcelona soccer star Antoine Griezmann as the official ambassador of Yui-Gi-Oh, Konami has canceled their contract with him after ESPN posted a video showing Griezmann and teammate Ousman Dembele appearing to mock Japanese staff at a hotel. Rakuten, Barcelona’s sponsor, has also demanded a “full explanation” from the club about the incident.
- The studio behind the 2019 Spiel des Jahres winner Just One has its follow-up, So Clover!, now available for pre-order. In the “cooperative word-association game,” players work as a team to score points to try to figure out words from other players’ clues. The game is due out later this month.
- We mentioned here a few weeks ago that a solo logic puzzle version of Ticket to Ride was coming soon, and now we’ve learned that Catan is getting a similar treatment. Designed in partnership with Mixlore, the Catan Logic Puzzle challenges players to “use logic, organization, and critical thinking skills to discover paths to prosperity.” The game is due out in October. Both Catan and TTR have puzzle book editions as well; Catan Puzzle Book is out now, while the Ticket to Ride Puzzle Book is due out in November.
GeekDad Reviews
Here’s what we reviewed this week:
- Jonathan Liu posted a Kickstarter Tabletop Roundup.
- Michael Pistiolas reviewed 5er Finden.
- Paul Benson reviewed Distilled.
- Michael Knight reviewed the final version of Alien Puppies.
What We’re Playing
Finally, here’s what the GeekDads played this week:
- Will James played Boss Monster, Stuffed Fables, Tsuro, Sushi Go, and Heck.
- Michael Knight played Pandemic: Hot Zone – North America, Disney’s Jungle Cruise, Pan Am, and Thunderstone Quest.
- Michael Pistiolas played Marvel Champions and Mancala.
- Jonathan Liu played Torpedo Dice, The 7th Continent, Super Mega Lucky Box, 1-2-3 Cheese!, Atheneum: Mystic Library, Cryptid, Ecos: First Continent, Methodologie: The Murder on the Links, Pendulum, The Specialists, and Wok and Roll.
- I played Pandemic: Hot Zone – North America, Marvel Villaionous: Mischief & Malice, and Splendor.
