Here is the board game (and board game-related!) news that caught our attention for the week ending February 18, 2022.
Gaming News
- Planned attendance at Gen Con is apparently higher than anticipated, as the housing block sold out completely within only a few hours, leaving many who had late housing pool times unable to secure a room. (Thankfully, all of us who are planning to go from GeekDad were able to get rooms.) In a tweet, Gen Con said that they would work “in the coming days and weeks” to procure more rooms and that those rooms would be available “on a first-come, first-served basis.” If you’re still looking for a room, be sure to follow Gen Con on Twitter, but also regularly check the Housing Portal.
- Funko is preparing a host of new games for 2022, including two party games based on popular TV shows. In the Ted Lasso Party Game, players can join the aggressively positive coaching staff at AFC Richmond, while the Parks and Recreation Party Game has players working to “pick one of Pawnee’s famous Parks and Recreation projects, make deals, and recruit help.” The press release did not mention whether or not you’ll be able to play Cones of Dunshire. The Parks and Rec game is due out this spring, with Lasso following in the summer. And remember, Gradarius Firmus Victoria.
- In other TV-to-boardgame news, five years after the end of the show, Sherlock is getting a board game. Lucky Duck Games is set to publish Sherlock: Case Connection, by Radosław Ignatów. The game will feature photos from the show, and have players visit locations to gather clues and, of course, solve crimes. The game is due out in the second quarter of this year.
- We reported last week that Ravensburger was investing big in crowdsourcing company Gamefound, and so it comes as no surprise that this week, the giant games and puzzle publisher, estimated to trail only Hasbro in worldwide sales, will be funding multiple projects through Gamefound this year.
- Speaking of Ravensburger: the company is set to release another sequel to its highly popular Disney Villainous line, bringing Pixar villains Syndrome (The Incredibles) and Lotso Bear (Toy Story 3), along with Sword in the Stone’s Madam Mim, to the mix. They are also expanding their Adventure Book Game line, which began with a very fun game based on The Princess Bride, with the Wizard of Oz Adventure Book Game. Both titles should be in stores soon.
- Michael Kiesling, the designer of award-winning Azul, is working on a roll-and-write game, The Border, reports Dicebreaker. The game will have players rolling dice and marking off color-coded hexagons on a dry-erase board to surround areas of the board and score points. The game is due out later this year in Europe, and although no English edition has been confirmed, it’s likely a safe bet one will come eventually.
- Two exciting opportunities for people who love collectible card games and have lots of money to burn. First, a sealed box of ten Magic: The Gathering beta edition starter decks is up for auction. While it’s impossible to know what is in them, there’s at least a chance that they could contain ultra-rare cards such as the Black Lotus. Auction site Goldin has the box set at a minimum bid of $250,000, but as of now, no one has bid anything. If Pokémon is more your speed, you can bid on an uncut sheet of first-edition cards, including two shadowless Charizards. As of this writing, the auction on Goldin has 8 bids with a current price of $43,000, up from the $25,000 starting price. The Pokémon auction ends on February 23, with the Magic auction ending the following day.
- Hedge fund Alta Fox Capital Management, owner of 2.5% of Hasbro’s stock, has urged the company to spin off Magic: The Gathering publisher Wizards of the Coast, claiming that Wizards is potentially worth as much as the rest of Hasbro combined, reports ICv2. The hedge fund will be nominating directors to the Hasbro board to try to push its idea.
GeekDad & GeekMom Reviews
Here’s what we reviewed this week:
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Jonathan Liu reviewed Retrograde.
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Michael Knight reviewed Star Wars: Jabba’s Palace – A Love Letter Game.
- Robin Brooks reviewed Elector Counts.
What We’re Playing
Finally, here’s what the GeekDads and GeekMoms played this week:
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Jonathan Liu played Canopy, Motor City, Retrograde, and Return to Dark Tower.
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Paul Benson played Clank! Legacy: Acquisitions Incorporated, Wingspan, and Dungeons & Dragons Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage.
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Robin Brooks Pokemon TCG, Warhammer Underworlds, Lord of the Rings LCG, Out of Order, and The Adventures of Robin Hood.
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Michael Pistiolas played Aeon’s End: Outcasts.
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Michael Knight played Star Wars: Jabba’s Palace: A Love Letter Game and Tiny Epic Dungeons.
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Aaron Spurlock played Patchwork Valentine Edition and Obscurio.
- I played Mexican train dominos and Rummikub (our featured image this week.)
