Here is the board game (and board game-related!) news that caught our attention for the week ending February 4, 2022.
Gaming News
- Tickets are now on sale for Gen Con. The housing lottery opens on February 13. And, good news: at this point, it seems at least likely that we will see the return of the Gaming with GeekDad event.
- Pandasaurus has released Trek 12, a roll-and-write Himalayan trekking game that has been long-delayed due to the global shipping crisis.
- Speaking of the shipping crisis… just when it seemed like we might be making some progress towards working through the backlog, Omicron hit. And according to ICv2, the COVID variant hit longshoremen in California particularly hard, leading to even more delays in the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, which combined account for 40% of all sea freight entering the US. As of last week, more than 90 ships were waiting to unload at the two ports. Thankfully, the worst of the variant seems to have passed, so hopefully, we’ll start seeing that backlog loosen, but if you’re waiting for a game to be restocked or a Kickstarter order fulfilled, you will have to continue to be patient.
- More news on the long-awaited D&D TV series: Rawson Marshall Thurber, who wrote, produced, and directed Netflix’s very, very fun Red Notice, has been tapped as the new showrunner for the series. Thurber will write and direct the pilot episode, along with executive producing the series. The TV show, it should be pointed out, is a separate endeavor from the movie, which will star Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, and Rene-Jean Page, and is due out in theaters in March 2023.
- Superfans of Tsuro can soon crack open their piggy banks for a deluxe edition of the game that will include a fabric board, the rules printed on a bamboo scroll, an embroidered satin bag, and metal figurines. Dicebreaker reports the game will cost a reported $350, and while no specific release date has been announced, you can sign up to be notified of its launch—and start saving up in the meantime. Our review will be coming soon.
- Wingspan publisher Stonemaier Games has officially announced that they are remaking the classic game Libertalia. The new version, to be called Libertalia: Winds of Galecrest, will feature all-new artwork and a new setting but still be based on the design of the original game. The game is due out sometime in the second quarter.
- Gale Force Nine has announced the upcoming release of Tusk!, a game of survival set in the Ice Age where players race against the coming cold to gather resources. It’s the first game from the publisher to use meeples and is due out in May.
- Red Raven Games will release Now or Never later this month. The game is the third in the Arzium storybook series, following Near and Far and Above and Below. The game has players rebuilding their village after monsters scattered their people.
- Programming game Quirky Circuits is getting a stand-alone companion game, Quirky Circuits: Penny & Gizmo’s Snow Day. The family-friendly cooperative game has players working to clean up their house and snowboard down icy slopes with their friendly penguin-bot.
- Portal Games is teaming with Warner and DC to produce a line of games based on Portal’s Detective series focusing on Batman. The first game, Batman: Everybody Lies, will feature a narrative crime-solving game and will include both physical and digital components. The game is due out this spring.
GeekDad & GeekMom Reviews
Here’s what we reviewed this week:
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Paul Benson wrote up a Kickstarter Quick Pick on Thunder Road: Vendetta.
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Michael Knight reviewed Trekking Through History.
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Jonathan Liu reviewed Puzzle Strike 2 and MicroMacro: Crime City — Full House.
What We’re Playing
Finally, here’s what the GeekDads and GeekMoms played this week:
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Michael Knight played Trekking the National Parks, Trekking Through History, and The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game (revised edition).
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Robin Brooks played Kingdomino: Origins, 7 Wonders: Architects, and Warhammer 40,000: Kill Team.
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Jonathan Liu played Tsuro, That Time You Killed Me, Retrograde, Return to Dark Tower, Stella: Dixit Universe, Forbidden Island, and Monsters and the Things That Destroy Them. Tsuro is our featured image this week.
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Michael Pistiolas played Marvel Champions, Mice and Mystics, Unicorn Glitterluck: A Party for Rosalie, The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game, and Escape the Dark Sector.
