Here is the board game (and board game-related!) news that caught our attention for the last few weeks.
Gaming News
- The Op has released Marvel Dice Throne, a “fast-playing, dice-rolling combat game that lets players battle as their favorite Marvel heroes in one-on-one duels, team battles, and free-for-alls.” The game is available directly from The Op or at Target and Barnes & Noble.
- eBay has purchased online trading card marketplace TCGPlayer for a reported $295M. In a post on their site, TCGPlayer CEO Chedy Hampson wrote that while it is “technically” an acquisition, “upon close, TCGplayer will continue operating independently. We will have the autonomy and flexibility to continue running TCGplayer just as we always have, and I will continue to lead the Company as CEO, ensuring our commitment to you and the entire collectibles community remains enshrined and protected long into the future.” The deal is expected to be finalized next year.
- The next big thing for Catan: holographic augmented reality. According to The Verge, the hit game will arrive on Tilt Five VR headsets next year. Apparently, you will be able to play the game “around a table, solo against ‘classic AI opponents,’ or online” while watching “the island’s wildlife and environment spring to life in holographic 3D.” The headsets, which are currently available only for preorder, run $359 for one, $659 for two, or $959 for three, and at least for now require a Windows-based PC to run the game.
- The Embracer Group, the parent company of Asmodee and so, so many others, has acquired Middle Earth Enterprises, one of five recent purchases that cost the Swedish company a reported $576M. Middle Earth Enterprises, formerly a division of Saul Zaentz Company, owns the intellectual property rights to The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. Asmodee-owned studios, including Fantasy Flight Games, already publish popular board and card games based on the Tolkein properties, so it isn’t immediately clear how the acquisition will impact the gaming world. HarperCollins and the Tolkien Estate still own the publishing rights to the books.
- McDonald’s current Happy Meal offerings include a 4-card booster pack of Pokémon cards which include a new “match battle” mode, a special way to play with just the four cards in the pack. Many restaurants are limiting quantities of Happy Meals that can be sold, and are refusing to sell the cards without the burger and fries.
GeekDad & GeekMom Reviews
Here’s what we reviewed since our last Re-Roll:
- Paul Benson reviewed the Infinity Screen From Dogmight Games and posted a Kickstarter Quick Pick on the Project Ironside gaming table.
What We’re Playing
Finally, here’s what the GeekDads and GeekMoms played:
- Jonathan Liu played Museum Suspect and Run.
- Michael Knight played Dead Reckoning.
- Aaron Spurlock played Now or Never, Mandala Stones, Tiny Epic Dungeons, and Tortuga 1667.
- Robin Brooks played 7 Wonders, Takenoko, Tokaido, Hare and Tortoise, and Deep Sea Adventure.
- Angela Leach played Castles of Mad King Ludwig and Annihilageddon 2. Castles of Mad King Ludwig is our featured image this week.
- Michael Pistiolas played Bardsung, Blokus, and Ticket to Ride.
- I played Star Wars Villainous: Power of the Dark Side.
