Here is the board game (and board game-related!) news that caught our attention for the week ending December 10, 2021.
Gaming News
- A very big congratulations to Paul Dennen and the team at Dire Wolf for winning the GeekDad Game of the Year with Dune: Imperium. This is the second win for both Paul and Dire Wolf, who collaborated on our first-ever Game of the Year, Clank! In Space!. You can read about our decision, and please remember that all of our other finalists are very worthy games as well. Dune: Imperium is our featured image this week.
- Kickstarter announced this week that it is founding a new company that will allow it to eventually migrate its platform to the blockchain. The decision almost immediately garnered a negative response from many in the board game community on Twitter, including award-winning designers like Matt Leacock and Elizabeth Hargrave, due to blockchain’s massive environmental impact. Here at GeekDad, we like supporting new and upcoming games; however, we are also parents who like the thought of our kids having breathable air. Should Kickstarter move forward with these plans, we will certainly be having discussions about whether or not we will continue to give the platform visibility on our site.
- Pandasaurus has announced Skull Canyon: Ski Fest, “a set collection and slope-hitting game by designer duo Jason Klinke and Kip Noschese” in which players attempt to be “the ultimate skier by skiing the most difficult runs, collecting the best gear, and earning the highest score!” The game, which will sell for less than half the cost of an average lift ticket, is available for pre-order now.
- According to Dicebreaker, Werewolves of Miller’s Hollow, a game based on the classic social deduction game Werewolves, will be coming to the big screen at some point in the future. The movie is being developed by Asmodee’s entertainment division and French company Radar Films, with a script by Lupin co-creator François Uzan. No release date has been set. The movie will presumably need a new title to avoid confusion with the 2013 German film of the same name.
- Asmodee has also invested in (but not outright purchased, at least yet) Exploding Kittens, the eponymous publisher of the card game. Asmodee was already the European distributor for the company’s game, but the new relationship strengthens the partnership and allows them to “more closely collaborate on game design.”
- Magpie Games, the company behind the extremely successful Kickstarter campaign for the Avatar Legends RPG, has announced that physical copies of the game will not ship until next summer at the earliest, due to, of course, the global supply chain crisis.
- Munchkin Babies is the latest in the never-ending expansions for the dungeon crawler. As the title implies, this time you can play as “sweet, adorable baby adventurers … who are just as good at backstabbing and loot-grabbing as their elders.” The game is due out in January.
- Wizards on the Coast has issued a public apology after the Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos sourcebook for D&D omitted credit for cultural and sensitivity consultant Tanya DePass. Digital editions of the book have already been updated, and future printings will include her credit.
- Following the recent restructuring of their relationship with Mondo, Restoration Games has announced that they will release Unmatched: Battle of Legends, Vol.2 to retail just after Christmas. The new miniatures game includes Yennenga, Achilles, Sun Wukong, and Bloody Mary.
- AEG is putting Mystic Vale back into print with an Essentials Edition, which will include the base game and the Vale of Magic, Vale of the Wind, and Mana Storm expansions. The edition is due out in March.
- Ravensburger has announced another new “expandalone” for the popular Disney Villainous franchise. Next March, they will release Disney Villainous: Bigger and Badder, which will add Syndrome (The Incredibles), Lotso (Toy Story 3), and Madam Mim (The Sword in the Stone) to the game. As with previous sets, these can be played separately or with any other Disney Villainous set.
GeekDad Reviews
Here’s what we reviewed this week:
- Paul Benson reviewed GeekDad Approved Final Girl.
What We’re Playing
Finally, here’s what the GeekDads played this week:
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Jonathan Liu played The 7th Continent, Sabotage, and all of the GeekDad Game of the Year finalists: Dune: Imperium, Whistle Mountain, Fantasy Realms, Horrified: American Monsters, Overboss: A Boss Monster Adventure, Tiny Epic Pirates, Gorinto, The Crew: Mission Deep Sea, Dwellings of Eldervale, and Cascadia.
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Michael Pistiolas played Friday, Coffee Roaster, Azul, Can’t Stop, Aeon’s End, Similo, Mancala, Mice and Mystics, and Marvel Champions.
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Michael Knight played Dune: Imperium, Fantasy Realms, Cascadia, Whistle Mountain, and Dwellings of Everdale.
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Robin Brooks played Overdrive and Kingdomino.
- Paul Benson played all of the GeekDad Game of the Year finalists: Dune: Imperium, Whistle Mountain, Fantasy Realms, Horrified: American Monsters, Overboss: A Boss Monster Adventure, Tips Epic Pirates, Gorinto, The Crew: Mission Deep Sea, Dwellings of Eldervale, and Cascadia.
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I played Cuphead: Fast Rolling Dice Game and all of the GeekDad Game of the Year finalists: Dune: Imperium, Whistle Mountain, Fantasy Realms, Horrified: American Monsters, Overboss: A Boss Monster Adventure, Tiny Epic Pirates, Gorinto, The Crew: Mission Deep Sea, Dwellings of Eldervale, and Cascadia
