Re-Roll: This Week’s Tabletop Game News for the Week Ending May 13, 2022

Here is the board game (and board game-related!) news that caught our attention for the week ending May 13, 2022.

Gaming News

• Origins Game Fair and the UK Games Expo, two of the biggest pre-Gen Con conventions, have significantly altered their masking and vaccination policies. UKGE, which opens in Birmingham, England on the first weekend of June, will no longer require proof of vaccination. An FAQ page on the con’s website that had been detailing COVID plans has simply been removed. However, designer Tim Burrell-Saward posted a Twitter thread between himself and the convention’s organizers in which the con says that because the UK government has dropped restrictions on major events, the con would go ahead without restrictions. Meanwhile, Origins, which takes place the following weekend in Columbus, OH, has said that while proof of vaccination is still required, masks are only recommended. San Diego Comic-Con, taking place the weekend before Gen Con in late July, is still holding firm on its vaccination and masking policies, requiring both. As of now, Gen Con has not yet updated their COVID protocols, which still require most proof of vaccination and masking, but as both UKGE and Origins changed their policies mere weeks before their conventions, we can expect that Gen Con might wait as long as possible before updating theirs.
• Asmodee has unveiled plans to create a new studio, Access+, to focus on adapting Asmodee’s games “for players with cognitive disabilities.” The studio will begin by releasing Spot It! Access+, Cortex Access+, and Timeline Access+. “Access+ is launched because, at Asmodee, we believe board games are universal. By starting to adapt some of our most popular titles to fit the needs of all, we can strive to make board gaming as inclusive and accessible as possible,” said Stéphane Carville, CEO of Asmodee.
• Bag of Chips, a press-your-luck party game, is due out at the end of June. Designed by Shadows: Amsterdam creator Mathieu Aubert and Draftosaurus co-creator Théo Rivière, the game was released in Canada by Mixlore but will be released in the US by Blue Orange Games, both Asmodee imprints.
• PBS’s long-running science show NOVA has inspired a new game, Lunar Outpost. Published by Ravensburger, the cooperative game has players working together to establish permanent colonies on the Moon. Astronaut Dan Tani served as a consultant on the game, which also allows an Alexa-connected device to be used to help in gameplay. The game is currently available for pre-order on Amazon.
• Z-Man has announced Rattus: Big Box. The game, set during the Black Death in medieval Europe, has players trying to escape the massive pandemic, which may have killed as much as one-third of the population in Europe at the time. The Big Box includes the base game, all three expansions, and “previously unpublished materials and bonus cards.” It is due out in October. 
• Trollfest is a fantasy game where players manage a rock band and compete to become the best act at the big music festival. The game was designed by Bruno Faidutti and Camille Mathieu and is being published by Trick or Treat Studios. It is due out at the beginning of next month.
• Osprey Games is set to release Crescent Moon, an asymmetrical area control game due out later this month. The game, designed by Steve Mathers, has players set as rival powers seeking dominance in the Caliphate. 

GeekDad & GeekMom Reviews

Here’s what we reviewed since our last ReRoll:

• Jonathan Liu reviewed Tiny Epic Vikings and GeekDad Approved Long Shot.

• Michael Pistiolas reviewed Ugly Gryphon Inn. 

• Michael Knight reviewed Betrayal at House on the Hill, 3rd Edition.

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What We’re Playing

Finally, here’s what the GeekDads and GeekMoms played:

• Michael Knight played Betrayal at House on the Hill, 3rd Edition, Star Trek: Missions, and Thunderstone Quest.

• Jonathan Liu played Shards of Infinity: Shadow of Salvation, Key to the Kingdom, Berried Treasure, and Seize the Bean.

• Michael Pistiolas played Unicorn Glitterluck: A Party for Rosalie, Mice and Mystics, and Cat Chaos.

• Aaron Spurlock Mandala Stones, Dragonwake, and Wonderland’s War.

• I played Disney Villainous: Bigger and Badder and The Artemis Project, our featured image this week.