Re-Roll: This Week’s Tabletop Game News for the Week Ending September 10, 2021

Here is the board game (and board game-related!) news that caught our attention for the week ending September 10, 2021.

Gaming News

• Pandasaurus has posted an update on the delayed release schedule for The Loop and Wild Space. Originally scheduled for an August release, the continued global shipping crisis forced the company to push them back to September. But while the games have arrived in the US, the backlog at the Port of LA has made it impossible for the company to give an exact date when they may become available. Some stores may be receiving them sooner than others, so if you’re excited about getting the games into your hands, Pandasaurus recommends that you pre-order them from your local game store, which can sell them as soon as they do arrive.
• George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Fire and Ice is getting yet another game adaptation as Fantasy Flight has announced the upcoming release of A Game of Thrones: B’Twixt. The “fast-paced card game” is for 3-6 players, and, of course, centers around gaining allies and holding off your opponents long enough to claim the Iron Throne. Of course, there’s no telling when, or even if, Martin will complete the next book in the series.
• Arcane Wonders will be releasing a retail version of Mother of Frankenstein, a game inspired by the life of Frankenstein author Mary Shelley. The three-volume narrative game lets 1-6 players solve puzzles, construct jigsaw puzzles, parse documents, and examine artifacts. The game was designed by Tommy Wallach and Terry Pettigrew-Rolapp, who also created the LA escape room “Lab Rat”. The game had a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2020 and is due to arrive to backers early next year, with the retail release to follow.
• While Van Ryder delayed its plans to release an NFT with an upcoming game, CMON has decided to forge ahead with the controversial technology. The company will partner with Monsoon Digital to create an “NFT trading platform.” Monsoon will be the exclusive platform for “CMON digital collectible items, cards, artwork, and games.” 
• Ravensburger is bringing Super Mario Labyrinth to North America after the game has already enjoyed success in Europe. A retheme of the classic moving tiles game, this version brings Peach, Bowser, Donkey Kong, and, of course, Mario and Luigi to the franchise. The game should already be on store shelves.
• Epic Encounters is expanding. Steamforged Games has revealed Arena of the Undead, a new boxed set for the series. As you might guess, the game pits human fighters against skeletons, specters, and other undead nasties. No specific release date has been set.
• Munchkin is going to the zoo… well, the petting zoo, anyway. The new mini-expansion for the classic Steve Jackson game, due out early next year, adds things like the Mostly Harmless Snake, Obligatory Tiger Photo, and even a Fuzzy Bunny. 
• I don’t often cover Kickstarter news here, but every now and then a campaign comes along that’s too big to ignore. Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game finished its campaign last week. After setting an initial funding goal of $50,000, the campaign ended slightly above that, at $9,535,317. It now stands as the most-funded RPG ever on the platform and is on the list of the all-time top tabletop games at #3 behind Frosthaven and Kingdom Death: Monster 1.5. If Magpie, the company behind the campaign, can stay on schedule, the over 81,000 backers of the game should have it in their hands by January. 

GeekDad & GeekMom Reviews

Here’s what we reviewed this week:

• I reviewed The Artemis Odyssey. 

What We’re Playing

Finally, here’s what the GeekDads played this week:

• Michael Pistiolas played Sword & Sorcery, Unmatched, Ugly Gryphon Inn, Sleeping Queens, Cauldron Quest, and Rubik’s Race.

• Robin Brooks played Space Marine Adventures: Doomsday Patrol.

• Jonathan Liu played Dunhuang: Pearl on the Silk Road.

• Z. played Dungeons & Dragons: Curse of Strahd.
• I played The Artemis Odyssey, Taco Bell Party Pack Card Game, and Stool Pigeon (our featured image this week.)