If you’re lucky enough to have a tabletop gamer to buy for this holiday season, we’ve found the perfect presents for them—including the most popular new games, incredible gifts for Dungeon Masters and Dungeon & Dragons players, and even a game designed to get you outside to literally touch grass.

And if you’re the tabletop gamer? Give someone one of these picks from our Holiday Gift Guide and you’ll immediately have someone to play with! Win-win.

The Deck of Many Things

The Deck of Many Things is a D&D magic item so legendary that most Dungeon Masters shudder when they hear its name. (Or they cackle, which is much worse.) Just in time for the holiday season, The Deck of Many Things is now available as a gorgeous gift set with updated rules, a 66-card deck (which includes the 22 classic cards), its own supplement guide for incorporating the reimagined deck into your game, and more.

Dungeon Masters will love its ability to create adventures on the fly complete with traps and puzzles; D&D players will find new character backgrounds, spells, and star-signs inside. ($99.99, available digitally on November 14 with the physical copy release date TBD)

Disney Lorcana

Lorcana is a Disney-themed trading card game that’s taking the tabletop by storm! While the first starter sets quickly sold out, more are on the way to stores everywhere. Rise of the Floodborn, the second chapter of the game, is due out in December.

In Lorcana, players take the role of Illumineers and use character and item cards to collect 20 lore and win the game. This trading card game is easier to learn than most, but still encourages thought-out strategy and card collecting. And have you seen some of the art? Pick this up for the Disney or TCG fan in your life, and be sure to grab a starter pack for yourself while you’re at it. (2 players, Ages 8+, $5.99-$49.99)

Linkee

Part trivia, part lateral thinking, and part party game, Linkee is the perfect gift for the social butterfly in your life. (It also has two-player rules if your gift recipient prefers to cocoon at home.) Each Linkee card features four short trivia questions. Players remember the trivia answers as they’re revealed, and once they see the connection between them, they shout, “Linkee!” The first team to successfully find the common link for the answers wins the card.

Work together as a team to find the connection and earn bragging rights for eternity. Well, maybe until the next game night. (2+ players, Ages 12+, $8.45)

Magic: The Gathering – Doctor Who

All we really have to say is “Doctor Who Magic cards” and you’ll know immediately who to give this to for the holidays. But, if you need a little more info, we have you covered. The new official “Universes Beyond” set features gorgeous art of 13 Doctors and their companions. These cards with Doctor Who-themed mechanics are now available to join the Magic lineup.

Choose your gift recipient’s favorite Doctor to find the perfect 100 card Magic: The Gathering – Doctor Who Commander Deck, and allons-y! (2 players, Ages 13+, $59.99)

Nine Arches

Nine Arches might be designed like a tabletop card game, but it’s intended to take you and your friends and family away from the table. The game includes a 54-card deck similar to tarot cards that are used to choose your next adventure. Cards feature activities like “dance party,” “caravan,” and “ghost.” With the drawn cards and input from each player, the group adventure’s is talked out. Will you do the activities all at once? One at a time? It’s up to you and the group. Then you’re all off on a real-life journey based on the prompts on the cards!

If your recipient is the type who appreciates experiences instead of plain gifts, you’ll wow them with this one. (1-5 players, Ages 13+, $34.99)

Potion Pack – Cantrip Candles

Whether your lucky gift recipient is a fan of tabletop role-playing games or video game RPGs like Baldur’s Gate 3, this three-candle set from Cantrip Candles will be met with delight when it’s unwrapped. The Potion Pack comes as a lovely gift set of 10 ounce soy wax candles in decorated glass containers.

The Health Potion, Stamina Potion, and Magicka Potion candles are sure to heal and reenergize any weary adventurers (or office workers) who lights them. And how can you pass up the opportunity to give someone a container labeled “Dragon’s Blood”? ($80.00)

The Practically Complete Guide to Dragons

Do you remember being a kid and re-reading your favorite book so many times you had every page memorized? This is your chance to give the youngest Dungeons & Dragons or fantasy fan in your life that same experience!

The Practically Complete Guide to Dragons is exactly what it says on the cover: an imaginative, in-depth look at the dragons that populate the D&D setting of Dragonlance. Written in-character by the kender Sindri Suncatcher, this guide to dragons is packed with personality—along with, you guessed it, lots of dragons. Dragon facts, dragon stories, dragon lair maps, it’s all here. Your lucky gift recipient will spend hours staring at the gorgeous art alone. ($39.95)

Sea Salt & Paper

The stocking stuffer-sized card game Sea Salt & Paper is a delightful set collecting game with a dash of luck to keep things exciting. Collect and play pairs of cards to score points and use their effects to earn even more points. If the player thinks they have enough points in hand, they can call for the end of the round or give everyone one last chance to try to beat them for bonus points. Reach the necessary number of victory points to win the game!

Not only does each card feature charming and original origami art, Sea Salt & Paper includes bold icons so that colorblind players aren’t excluded from the fun. (2-4 players, Ages 8+, $14.95)

Kelly Knox is a pop culture writer and the author of Star Wars Conversation Cards, Be More Obi-Wan, and the upcoming Star Wars Dad Jokes. You can still find her on Twitter at @kelly_knox.

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Usually it’s a bad thing when new characters turn your favorite fantasy world into a dystopian wasteland. This is not one of those times. In fact, this is one of the very rare occasions when that will be a good thing. Magic: The Gathering has announced its latest crossover will bring a beloved post-apocalyptic video game world to tabletops. The trading card game is partnering with Fallout for a big S.P.E.C.I.A.L. new collection.

Load up your Pip-Boy with plenty of mana (you figure out how!) because Magic: The Gathering – Fallout is coming next year. When it arrives it won’t show up with just a few fun cards like some other Magic: The Gathering collaborations, either. This is a considerable union of two very popular games. Here’s how Wizards of the Coast describes its upcoming Fallout collection:

Magic: The Gathering – Fallout celebrates elements of all Fallout games since 1997 and represents the first “modern view” of some of the classic Fallout games, including updates to characters and settings from Fallout and Fallout 2. We hope to pay homage to Fallout‘s high-energy, high-action, post-nuclear RPG roots. Whether you join the side of some of Fallout‘s most infamous characters or choose to play as a Vault survivor fighting gangs of raiders, super-mutants, irradiated monsters, and pre-war robots, life in the wastes won’t be easy!

The Fallout collection will feature four Commander decks, each with its own theme. That will include the Dogmeat-centered Scrappy Survivors deck, Mutant Menace, Hail, Caesar, and Science! They’ll be sold individually and as a bundle.

They’ll be supplemented by Collector Boosters with Booster Fun. Collector Boosters will come in both traditional foil and surge foil cards. They’ll also be where fans can find non-foil, full-art basic lands that depict five “isometric environments like those seen in the classic Fallout games.” And Magic: The Gathering – Fallout Collector Boosters will see the return of extended-art cards in non-foil, traditional foil, and surge foil.

As if all of that wasn’t enough, the collection will also include cards for Bobbleheads, which are getting the “serialized treatment.” That will include seven cards with serialization on 500 copies each. They’ll look too good for a wasteland, too. These cards are getting the double rainbow foil treatment.

In addition to providing an early look at many cards in the set, Magic: The Gathering also went deep with a video on what fans can expect.

Magic: The Gathering – Fallout won’t be available until March 8, 2024. However, you can already pre-order your decks and Boosters now.

While you wait we recommend playing both Magic: The Gathering and Fallout as much as you can. Preferably at the same time. That way it won’t be jarring to realize it’s a good thing your favorite fantasy world has become a post-nuclear dystopia.

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One of the best parts of roleplaying games is sinking into the storytelling and letting loose with friends. And one of the more challenging parts of roleplaying games is finding a consistent game master who will do all the work and preparation to create the space for storytelling. Enter Sharkbomb Studios’ The Mending Circle. This gentle-sounding roleplaying game doesn’t require a game master or extensive prep. Made for exactly three players, The Mending Circle takes the group on a journey of healing.

The Mending Circle‘s designer Martin Nerurkar started working on the game when he was recovering from burnout. It took time for Nerurkar to finish the first edition, released digitally. Now he’s back with the second edition, a cozy and wholesome roleplaying game in which the players come together as a coven of three witches sent to help someone in need. The Mending Circle‘s full synopsis is as follows:

In The Mending Circle you tell healing stories together.
At their heart is always one or more of the Torn: someone in a state of pain or anxiety and in need of support. Most likely they are scared, poor, isolated or marginalized in some way that makes it difficult for them to access help themselves. This pain does not come from a physical ache but rather from a metaphorical, emotional wound. If it persists it often leads to more suffering radiating outwards.
But this Wound catches the attention of three witches that set out to help. Using your magical charms you will help and guide the process of healing. As a first step the Torn needs to reach a state of relative safety and stability. Only after this is achieved can they confront the source of their pain and gain awareness. Finally, they have to make a new meaning for themselves to move forward.

The game features a D6 system, quick start scenarios, and a 130+ page sourcebook. Given the vulnerable nature of the game, you’ll likely want to play with people you already know and feel comfortable being open with.

The Mending Circle is available to back on Kickstarter now.

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One of the beautiful things about tabletop gaming is variety. A board game that matches your specific interests and preferred play style very likely exists. For example, if you like cooperative gameplay and you have a passion for Greek mythology, Ravensburger’s Horrified: Greek Monsters is for you. Structured around the same format as the game company’s first release in the Horrified series, Horrified: Universal Monsters, and this version is geared towards Greek legends and monsters. As we slide towards the release of Percy Jackson and the Olympians TV series, Horrified: Greek Monsters is an ideal game to get in the mood.

The premise is straightforward enough. You and your fellow players choose a hero to play. Each hero has a special ability, and one of the heroes is a Traveler—a crown-wearing pegasus. Yes, I absolutely chose to play the pegasus for obvious reasons. I also picked the pegasus because that particular hero has the most actions of the group. You’ll choose the monsters based on the difficulty level you desire. Horrified: Greek Monsters comes with Minotaur, Cerberus, Basilisk, Chimera, Medusa, and Siren. Working together, you and your fellow players have to stop the monsters before your horror level hits the max. You win or lose together. Along the way, you can guide legends such as Daedalus around the board to gain perks.

Horrified: Greek Monsters is relatively simple to set up and get into, even if you haven’t played another Horrified game. And if you have played Universal Monsters or American Monsters before, you’ll find it even easier to start. You can use your heroes’ actions to choose from a long list of possibilities, and you and your cohorts will have to determine the optimal strategy. Will you try to collect as many items as possible to meet the requirements necessary to stop the monster(s)? Or will you try to focus on guiding legends to their destination in order to acquire more perk cards that could be handy later? The multi-tasking aspect of this game, like so many, is both a satisfying challenge and a frustration. It can be hard to choose what to focus on, especially when the monsters are coming at you after every turn.

In playing (and losing) a two-player game, I lost sight of the primary strategy: keeping the horror level from climbing. Well, that and we didn’t focus on stopping the more challenging monster first. Your mileage may vary, but I think if we would have turned our attention to stopping Cerberus sooner—his defeat requires precise dice rolls that can be challenging to achieve—we could have been in a stronger place.

Even with losing to Cerberus, Horrified: Greek Monsters was an enjoyable romp of a game. Like its Horrified predecessors, the storytelling around the various monsters’ abilities connects well to what we know about their mythology. The monster miniatures are detailed and would be a blast to paint. Heroes have cardboard tokens, like with the other Horrified games, and I hope one day we’ll see minis offered for those characters as well. I need a miniature of the Traveler to paint.

Horrified: Greek Monsters is set to release on October 1.

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Critical Role is branching into a new, spooky direction. The company announced an original horror tabletop roleplaying game: Candela Obscura. Premiering at the end of May, the game brings together investigators with a mission. Running on Darrington Press’ (Critical Role’s publishing arm) Illuminated Worlds System, Candela Obscura has a cast full of your favorites. Watch the trailer:

Created by Taliesin Jaffe and Chris Lockey, with Spenser Starke and Rowan Hall serving as lead designers and writers, and Steve Failows and Maxwell James as producers, Candela Obscura is a new ongoing show. Critical Role keeps bringing us different settings to explore, and we’re not mad about it. Related, they’ve shared a free Candela Obscura Quickstart Guide. You can download everything as PDFs (the full rulebook will be out later this year). The system is built on 6-sided dice and focuses on “narrative, arc-driven play.”

Candela Obscura‘s synopsis is as follows:

Set in a fictional turn-of-the-century inspired region known as the Fairelands, Candela Obscura follows an esoteric order of investigators as they use centuries of knowledge to fight back against a mysterious source of corruption and bleed. At the beginning of each episode, an inciting incident occurs, prompting a team (or “circle”) of investigators to uncover and solve the mystery at hand. The general public is unaware of the otherworldly truths of these paranormal phenomena, and the organization known as Candela Obscura works to maintain that secrecy and keep the world safe.

The cast includes Laura Bailey, Ashley Johnson, Robbie Daymond, and Anjali Bhimani. Matthew Mercer joins as the first chapter’s game master. The first chapter of Candela Obscura premieres on May 25 at 7:00 p.m. PT. You can watch it on Critical Role’s Twitch and YouTube channels. New episodes will drop on the last Thursday of the month.

Originally published on May 9, 2023.

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Mass combat has always been a tantalizing idea for storytellers, but it can be difficult in execution. Imagine two (or more) armies waging a lethal battle with all the magic at their disposal. It certainly makes for an epic backdrop to highlight the player’s actions. However, once the characters join as generals it often falls apart. Most game systems hinge on around three to six second combat rounds. This mechanically falls apart once you start using big armies. Long term spell effects or other class features that can be used endlessly spark fun conversations, but they make running mass battles hard.

Typically, storytellers will simply make the rest of the battle a cinematic backdrop and let the players do small scale or goal-orientated missions on the field. This works very well if the outcome of the battle is already predetermined, or you have multiple tables that can each hit some major objectives. Some game systems (like Legend of the Five Rings or Dungeons & Dragons) have books and chapters dedicated to running mass combat but the mechanics can be confusing. So here’s a GM tip for a quick way to run mass combat between system agnostic armies.

Let’s Crunch Numbers

Your first step is to write down the two “generals” and their army size. The generals could be a council of wizards on one side versus a single war veteran on the other. Let’s say they each have an army size of 100,000. Give each general an arbitrary leadership score based on your game system and gut feeling. In Dungeons & Dragons you might use their charisma modifiers. In Vampire: The Masquerade you might simply use their leadership score. Finally, determine general army advantages and simply increase the generals’ leadership score by a flat amount based on them. If one army has more magic they might get a +2. If another has better-trained soldiers, add +2 to that general’s score. Even army size can be a factor! Be as robust or as simple as you prefer.

Next, you want to write down each main “player” on each side of the battlefield. This step is really fun and where this system shines. The “enemy” side gets a mini-hero to match each of the main armies and they can be as customized as you want or as simple as “battle wizard 1.” Of course the more flair you add, the better it is. You don’t need to have their full stats, just use their “leadership value” on your note sheet. It will be different than their generals. Everyone should have some variety because your players will have variety as well. If the characters have allies and enemies, this is a great spot to slide them in as well.

The war begins! At the start of the first turn, have all the listed characters (but not the generals) roll their leadership score versus the other. Again, your specific system determines how this is rolled, be it a simple D20 with a modifier, or a bucket full of D10s. Go through the whole list and record what each person rolled. You aren’t looking to total them up, just simply if they bested their “opponent.”

Each mini-victory adds a simple +1 or +2 modifier to their generals’ dice pool. Finally, using all the modifiers, have the two generals roll against each other. The winning side loses 5% of their army, and the losing side loses 10% of theirs, plus an extra 5% if the roll was particularly lopsided (i.e. one general rolled 30 and the other 5). This entire turn takes about one hour of in-game time for the party, and most armies are typically routed when they lose 40% of their troops.

All said, this is a very simple way to add some gamification to the battlefield. Once you roll the dice for the party, you can play matchmaker behind the screen as a GM. If you notice two people rolled the same dice, you might elect to have the two generals duel. Other fun tasks could include sneaking into the reserve or using clever party tricks to gain a battle edge. Run those tasks as you would normally in between these combat rounds. If they are successful, give more bonuses to the respective general.

By running mass combat in this way, the players can continue to be as creative and have real battlefield impact, but also feel like they are part of a larger machine in the entire army.

Originally published on September 19, 2019.

Rick Heinz is the author of The Seventh Age Series, Dread Adventures, and a storyteller with a focus on D&D For Kids, Wraith: The Oblivion, Eclipse Phase, and an overdose of LARPs. You can follow the game or urban fantasy related thingies on Twitter or Facebook or reach out for writing at RickHeinzWrites@gmail.com.

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Darrington Press, the publishing arm of Critical Role, previewed its 2023 projects on Thursday. In its first “State of the Press” update, Matthew Mercer and Mica Burton announced Darrington Press will be at Gen Con in August. There, the company will have playable demos for its three new titles. Those new Darrington Press games include a deck-building board game and two RPG systems. While Critical Role mostly spends its time in the world of Dungeons & Dragons, the company’s Darrington Press imprint continues to explore and invent in the world of tabletop games.

Darrington Press’ announcements include Queen by Midnight, Illuminated Worlds, and Daggerheart. Here’s what we know about each game:

Queen by Midnight

Launching this summer in the Critical Role shops, Darrington Press Guild stores, and other friendly local game stores, Queen by Midnight is a battle royale deck-building game by Kyle Shire, where you play as powerful princesses battling it out in a magical free for all! When the clock strikes midnight, the most powerful princess left standing will be crowned the next Midnight Queen. Each princess has their own unique vibe and playstyle, so there’s a little something for everyone, whether you’re familiar with deck-building games or not.

Illuminated Worlds

Created by Stras Ascimovic and Layla Alderman, the Illuminated Worlds System is a d6 dice pool and is designed for much shorter, arc-driven campaigns and flexible enough to be used with any type of setting. More information on Illuminated Worlds will be available soon.

Daggerheart

A fun and fresh update to the fantasy genre of RPGs, Daggerheart has been designed for long-term campaign play and character progression. More information on Daggerheart will be made at a later date.

I’m particularly excited about Daggerheart, even with scant details. Illuminated World intrigues me, too. I know long campaigns aren’t for everyone’s schedules. It sounds like this system could be an excellent option for those short on free time.

Keep an eye on Darrington Press for further updates on these new games and previously announced titles.

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Board games and tabletop games continue to rise to new heights of popularity, so there’s no better time to get that special someone on your holiday gift list a new game for their collection! Below you’ll find the world’s greatest role-playing game, small indie TTRPGs, easy-to-learn board games inspired by beloved franchises, and much more. And best of all, any gift on this list will make your next game night with friends even better.

Animal Adventures

A Persian cat warlock? A Labrador fighter? What else do we have to say? Animal Adventures from Steamforged Games is a 5e supplement that’s ideal for kids or casual players new to Dungeons & Dragons. The box set comes complete with a full adventure and filled-out character sheets, and affordable miniature box sets can even get your recipient on the road to painting their first minis.

Arcadia

MCDM Productions knocks it out of the park every month with the digital magazine Arcadia. MCDM invites some of the TTRPG community’s best and brightest talent to contribute. The cover art alone is worth every penny. Inside you’ll find D&D 5e adventures, subclasses, NPCs, and more incredible campaign content that you won’t find anywhere else. If you’re looking for a last-minute gift for your Dungeon Master, send them a digital gift card and they can pick up the issues that will fit right into your campaign.

Campaign Case: Terrain

Another great gift to get you on your Dungeon Master’s good side is the Campaign Case: Terrain from Wizards of the Coast. If your DM isn’t the crafty type, or they can’t carry around large pieces of map terrain, these official terrain tokens will do the job on the go. (The Campaign Case: Creatures is just as handy.) It includes a double-sided adventure grid, 30 interlocking terrain tiles, and reusable stickers for the tiles to make dungeons, campsites, tombs, and more.

Crescendo of Violence

Swords and magic? Sure. But if your friend’s favorite movies include Blade Runner and John Wick, the indie TTRPG Crescendo of Violence from Osprey Games can make a seriously cool stocking stuffer. The setting is neon-noir, which is different from cyberpunk but set in the same futuristic neon-lit cities. (Think gun fu, femme fatales, and rainy nights.) The system uses 10-sided dice, so throw some of those in the stocking as well to complete the experience.

Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set: Dragons of Stormwreck Isle

The newest Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set has everything the lucky recipient needs to get the adventuring party started. The one-stop box contains all the rules, character sheets, and even dice they’ll need to begin their very first campaign. All they need to find is more players. If you have a friend who is intrigued by the game but isn’t ready to pick up the rulebooks quite yet, this is the perfect gift.

Dungeons & Dragons: How to Be More D&D

Perform an insight check on yourself? It’s possible with How to Be More D&D by Kat Kruger! Whether you’re buying this handy tome for yourself, your friend, or your Secret Santa, every kind of reader can benefit from adding more adventure to their lives. Personality quizzes based on character classes, advice for navigating the difficult terrain of real life, gorgeous art, and more make this book one to pick up again and again.

Eye and Hand of Vecna

Whether that friend on your gift list is a D&D aficionado or a Stranger Things fan—or better yet, both—they’ll be delighted when they unwrap this eye-catching collectible from WizKids. The Eye and Hand of Vecna are famous artifacts that go all the way back to the early days of Dungeons & Dragons. The ghoulish hand and eye are encased in glass and rest upon a wooden platform. Will the lucky recipient laugh or shriek when they open this present? Part of the fun is finding out.

Marvel Dice Throne

Superhero fans will love to take on the mantle of their favorite Marvel characters in one of this year’s biggest tabletop games. Marvel Dice Throne pits hero against hero. Players use their hero’s special abilities and dice to whittle down their opponent’s hit points. Components are colorful and chock full of useful info; the game even provides a helpful FAQ for those times when a question about the rules arises. Marvel fans and board game enthusiasts will both find a lot to love in this ultimate “who would win in a fight.”

Phantom Ink

Phantom Ink is a party game perfect for that one friend who always keeps a Ouija board in the closet. (You know the one.) The beautifully thematic deduction game is for four to eight players divided into two teams. One player is the spirit, and the others are mediums; the spirit shares clues about a secret object to the mediums in the hopes that one will guess it. Use as few letters as possible to discover the secret object, and your team wins!

RockLove x Dungeons & Dragons Jewelry

Ready to splurge on the D&D player in your life? RockLove Jewelry’s D&D collaboration is guaranteed to elicit a gasp when the recipient opens the box. The intricately detailed silver rings and pendants range from monstrous beholders to delicate daggers. There’s even a bejeweled spellbook necklace that opens to reveal mystical text inside. You’ll be tempted to get a piece for yourself when browsing this one-of-a-kind jewelry collection.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars – A Pandemic System Game

Veteran board gamers on your gift list have likely played Pandemic, so they’ll be thrilled to see the iconic co-op strategy game combined with Star Wars. The sprawling tabletop game takes Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, Yoda, and more to key locations in the Clone Wars conflict. They’ll face your favorite prequel villains in battles to reclaim the planet from their control. Missions are named after iconic episodes of The Clone Wars, a delightful detail for longtime fans of the animated series.

ZWEIHÄNDER Fantasy Horror RPG: Starter Kit

Indie horror role-playing game Zweihänder may not scream “joyful holiday season” to you, but this new kit makes it easier than ever to get a new player started in the medieval fantasy world. That sword-and-sorcery buff you know will be delighted to open this one. The RPG is darker and more ruthless than most high fantasy TTRPGs, but that doesn’t mean it’s difficult to play. Rulebooks, dice, a game master screen, pre-gen characters, and a detailed map are all included to get a new player going on their first supernatural adventure.

Kelly Knox is a pop culture and entertainment writer in the Seattle area. She’s the author of Star Wars: Be More Obi-Wan and co-author of Star Wars Everyday. Follow her on Twitter at @kelly_knox to talk Star Wars, pop culture, and bad dad jokes.

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The multiplayer board game The Settlers of Catan, has been one of the most popular games for over 25 years. In the game, players build cities and roads on the titular island of Catan. And now, this ever-popular game is about to take a big leap into the future. According to a report coming from The Verge, Catan is transforming into a new augmented reality gaming system, Catan — Tilt Five AR. You can check out the announcement video below.

In this 3D holographic version of the game, players can use wand controllers and interact with virtual content brought to life on the game board via a pair of AR glasses. An augmented reality version of Catan has been in development for nearly ten years now. But they finally ironed out all the kinks and made this happen. Tilt Five is creating this game in conjunction with the original Catan creators, and it is due to arrive in spring, 2023.

Back in March, Tilt Five announced a partnership with Asmodee Group, the French publishers of several games, including Catan. Together, they plan to bring several of their classics out as AR augmented reality games using holograms. Aside from Catan, they’re working to update other games in their library to this new format. These include Gloomhaven, Pandemic, Ticket to Ride, and Terraforming Mars.

According to the original report, these next-generation AR headsets project their light onto a retroreflective game board. One that bounces it right back at you. This allows for a wide range of different kinds of games getting this augmented reality upgrade, including 3D board games, video games, and interactive RPGs. This is the kind of stuff we saw the Jetsons do in TV as kids, and now, it’s a reality. There’s no actual gameplay footage yet, but with Catan coming next year, we imagine fans won’t have long to wait.

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Need an escape from the drudgery of day to day life? How about a complete table top role playing game that reimagines the Norse apocalypse with a sci-fi twist? Sound up your alley? Well you’re in luck as Outland Entertainment’s new Kickstarter for their new Vikingverse RPG When Comes the Wolf is now live! 

When The Wolf Comes is a game of storytelling, heroism, and epic struggle set during a reimagined Norse End of Days. A complete tabletop role playing game in one 250 page, 8.5″ x 11″ hardcover book, When The Wolf Comes provides everything you need to create and play characters, form warbands in pursuit of fame and plunder, and tell sci-fi sagas with your friends. The book also gives Game Masters all the tools they need to create adventures, a bestiary full of deadly creatures, a detailed history of the Níu Heimar, and extensive advice to help run the game.

Based on Ian Stuart Sharpe’s Vikingverse, “a parallel timeline where the Norse rule seas and stars with restless fleets and Christianity has been put to the Viking sword,” When the Wolf Comes looks to be a rip-roaring RPG. You might recognize Sharpe from his work on that sprawling series. He’s also worked on the exceedingly fun Norse quotations book, Old Norse for Modern Times. When the Wolf Comes is a collaboration, not just between Sharpe Outland Entertainment, but also with D&D legend Robert Schwalb. The game uses his Shadow of the Demon Lord game system. 

Both creators were effusive about the collaboration and final game, sharing their thoughts in a press release. “I couldn’t be more excited to work with Rob’s rules to help people battle against my reimagined Ragnarök. He is the perfect partner with whom to face the end of all things.” Sharpe said. “The Norse setting is so timeless, it really is the wellspring of all modern fantasy. I love the way the Vikingverse setting takes archetypes we know and love, and holds up a dark mirror to the genre,” Schwalb adds.

Jeremy Mohler, Publisher at Outland Entertainment said, “We are delighted to continue to build out the Vikingverse Worlds project with the support of such a respected name as the legendary Rob Schwalb. I’d say that the future is bright, but apparently it’s all going to be over any day now what with all the demon lords and ravenous wolves.”

Sounds like exactly the kind of cosmic Norse escape that we need in our lives! 

The When the Wolf Comes Kickstarter is live now! 

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Arkham Asylum is as important a location to Batman as the Batcave. The menacing old institution that houses most of the Dark Knight’s worst enemies already spawned a series of video games. And now, it’s a premium puzzle box game too. The Arkham Asylum Files: Panic in Gotham City combines augmented reality tech with tabletop board gaming. And it tells an original narrative that draws from decades of Bat-lore.

The folks at Infinite Rabbit Holes, creators of Why So Serious?, have launched a countdown to a Kickstarter campaign for The Arkham Asylum Files. And you can see the game’s first trailer right here, along with several images:

Bat-fans will be able to solve a series of epic mysteries devised by the Joker himself. And they’ll also be able to sift through evidence, as well as interact with over 100 game pieces, secret documents, and artifacts. All in a 6-hour escape room style experience.

The puzzles take the forms of cyphers, jigsaws, word games, spectrographs, and blacklight images. The game comes with an iOS/Android app that facilitates the gameplay with original animation and live-action content. All creating a brand new experience.

Players will be able to unpack a series of amazing collectibles, among them Arkham Asylum patient files, Joker playing cards, detailed schematics, police evidence bags, and newspapers. And all of them are in-universe and in service of a linear storyline.

Players can work alongside Dr. Harleen Quinzel herself. Yes, in this game, Harley Quinn has persuaded the authorities to let her return to practicing psychiatry to unmask the Arkham’s most infamous residents. Panic in Gotham City even comes with randomly packed Batman or Joker masks.

The game is said to be production-ready and good to go for a December 2022 release. For more information, be sure to head on over to The Arkham Asylum Files’ official Kickstarter page.

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Who could have known, when they first appeared in the pages of Ultimate Fantastic Four back in the early 2000s, that the Marvel Zombies would take on such an un-life of their own? Since then, the Marvel Zombies have starred in their own comic series (from Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman) to most recently, an episode of What If…? Soon, they’ll even get their own animated series on Disney+.

But before all of that brain eating starts, CMON is hoping to bring a superpowered undead rampage through a new Zombicide tabletop game. And the Kickstarter project has already smashed its goal.

Here’s the official synopsis for the game:

When the zombie plague strikes, not even Earth’s mightiest heroes are safe. Marvel Zombies is a cooperative board game for 1 to 6 players, based on the core mechanics of the smash hit Zombicide series, bringing non-stop zombie action to the Marvel universe. They bring the original art by comics legend Marco Checchetto to life in amazing game pieces. Each depicts the iconic Marvel characters in glorious (and often gory) detail. Fight the insatiable hunger, for heroes never die. They just change.

You’ll be able to play as zombified heroes such as Iron Man or feed off famous bystanders. (Poor Agent Coulson can’t catch a break!) Say you want to keep things traditional and non-rotting. You can also take on the role of one of the last living heroes in the Marvel Universe. Not to mention all those pesky (yet delicious) S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. But the pièce de résistance of this game? That’s the giant Galactus, Devourer of Worlds Day One expansion. You thought he had an insatiable hunger before. Now that he’s a zombified corpse.So good luck evading that cosmic appetite.

The project has already surpassed its $500,000 goal by a long shot. As of this writing, it’s already raised more than $3.5 million. So it certainly looks like we’ll see this game in the near future.

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It’s the day before Gen Con kicks off in Indianapolis. The convention celebrates all things tabletop gaming and usually comes with a plethora of announcements. But you don’t have to wait for exciting news because we’re kicking things off early here at Nerdist. We have the exclusive reveal for two Funko Games titles: Jurassic World Legacy and The Warriors: Come Out to Play. Keep scrolling for details about the games and some tantalizing first looks.

Jurassic World Legacy

Behold, Jurassic World Legacy (title pending). This title from Prospero Hall covers the entire Jurassic Park franchise—going back to the inception of the dinosaur park. Players will explore a whole new experience designed from the ground up. Take a look at the impressive T.rex mini!

Funko Games

More details about Jurassic World Legacy will come in the future. For now, sign up for the Funko Games newsletter to get the latest updates.

The Warriors: Come Out to Play

The 1979 movie The Warriors, the novel of the same name by Sol Yurick, and the Greek story Anabasis all influence Funko Games’ The Warriors: Come Out to Play. The two to four player tabletop game digs into the story and themes that made the film a cult classic. The premise: you have to prove your innocence and return to your home of Coney Island—all while being hunted. It’s a cooperative gameplay experience, so players will move together as a group and fight together against enemy gangs… unless a player chooses to take the risk of going off on their own.

Funko Games

You can pre-order The Warriors: Come Out to Play now for $24.99. It arrives on January 1, 2022.

Featured Image: Funko Games

Amy Ratcliffe is the Managing Editor for Nerdist and the author of A Kid’s Guide to Fandom, available now. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

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We all have moments when we’ve simply had enough of people. Maybe you had a long day at work or just got back from a particularly loud outing with the family. No matter the reason, there’s nothing wrong with wanting a little time to yourself. But five minutes into your quiet retreat, you’ll probably find yourself wondering, “Now what?” That’s the best time to break out a solo tabletop game that you can escape into—alone.

Forget Solitaire. We’re talking mystery, murder, monsters, and minotaurs to take on all by yourself. We have five picks to get you started on your adventures while you recharge during “me” time.

Field Guide to Memory

Jeeyon Shim and Shing Yin Khor

Many solo tabletop games employ quiet journaling and creative bouts of imagination as gameplay mechanics. Field Guide to Memory easily stands out as one of the best in this category as a keepsake game. The brilliant connected path game from Jeeyon Shim and Shing Yin Khor explores the life of the fictional Dr. Elizabeth Lee. You’ll stretch your imagination to create dreams, draw cryptids, collect real artifacts, and more. When you’re done, you’ll have a unique book chronicling your journey through the story.

Field Guide to Memory comes with writing prompts and accompanying short fiction in one digital download.

Hunt a Killer: Murder at the Motel

Kelly Knox

You probably already know all about Hunt A Killer and their incredibly immersive mystery subscription boxes. But did you know they also offer detective experiences packed into a single box? Murder At The Motel is their most recent murder-in-a-box that you’ll find only at Target and Target.com.

The non-linear experience begins however you want it to. Simply open the box and dive into letters, evidence, and a tantalizing locked box to start unraveling the mystery. Murder At The Motel is the story of the fictional Sunset Motel and the grisly fate of its handyman. As you go deeper, the details begin to form the big picture, and you’ll find yourself completely engrossed in an investigation that feels very real. If you’ve never tried to solve a mystery on your own before, Murder At The Motel is a fantastic way to start your detective career. (Sorry, Mr. Handyman.)

Into the Dungeon

Simon and Schuster

Remember Choose Your Own Adventure? Into the Dungeon blends the branching path concept beautifully with a good ol’ fashioned dungeon crawl. All you need is a pencil to begin your adventure.

Creator Hari Conner crafted a story in the crumbling ruins of a gorgeously illustrated castle that feels like all of your favorite sessions of D&D. Choose your character or roll your own. Then embark on your fraught-filled journey into the dungeon where you’ll find treasure—or your doom!

Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective

Space Cowboys

Ready to take your detective career to the next level? Step into the world of Sherlock Holmes! Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective is a classic tabletop game that will put your deduction skills to the test. There are several installments in the iconic mystery series. Pore through notebooks and maps of the London streets to chase down leads and crack a case worthy of Holmes.

While designed to be cooperative for a team of detectives, a solo player will find a worthy challenge in every case. The most recent entry in the series, Irregulars of Baker Street, is a standalone game with a playable demo to test your sleuthing skills before you buy.

Solve Our Shirts

CU Adventures

This isn’t a t-shirt from an escape room; the t-shirt is an escape room! Read that sentence more than once? We don’t blame you. An entire escape room and puzzle experience on just a t-shirt sounds unbelievable, but CU Adventures has done it with Solve Our Shirts.

While this isn’t your typical tabletop game, we think you’ll love the experience just as much. Suss out the hidden clues in the details of the two-sided shirt as you escape from the minotaur’s maze. The deluxe edition comes with additional puzzles and clues to complete the experience.

Starting to feel lonely? Almost all of these solo tabletop games can also be played cooperatively for extra brainpower. No matter how you play, adventure is waiting for you!

Featured Photo: Kelly Knox

Kelly Knox is a freelance entertainment writer in Seattle, WA who writes for Star Wars, DC Comics, and more. Her book Marvel Monsters comes out in July from DK Books. Follow her on Twitter for bad puns, pop culture coverage, and more.

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Bring the escape room experience to you with this blend of historical fact and compelling fiction! Do you count history, puzzles, and gothic romance among some of your favorite things? Then just stop reading right now and go support Mother of Frankenstein on Kickstarter before time runs out. You can play the intriguing narrative puzzle game solo or with up to six players ages 13 and up.

To help you unlock the story, you’ll find high-quality replicas, props, and actual puzzles. They all have parts to play. Explore Mary Shelley’s tumultuous life from a forbidden romance to the creation of Frankenstein with this one of a kind game that combines your favorite elements of escape rooms, role-playing games, and mysteries.

Hatch Escapes/Prodigal

The cooperative puzzle is separated into three different chapters. Each comes in its own hollowed out book. And you don’t need any prior gaming experience to play. The story begins with a letter. Shelley has a secret, she writes to her son, and only through the clues in these boxes can it be revealed. Piece together the hints inside and “you’ll be treated to a heartbreaking story that culminates in a shocking reimagining of the truth behind Mary Shelley’s famous novel,” says the campaign description.

Each chapter focuses on a different time of Shelley’s life. The first covers her teenage years; you’ll have to complete her schooling assignments before piecing together her blossoming romance with poet Percy Shelley. Then the story moves forward to a night in 1814. Shelley is at a ball at Castle Frankenstein, and you must put together a 300-piece puzzle to make sense of the floor plan and advance the story. Finally, a completed 3-D puzzle of the castle itself in the final chapter gives you the last clues to put it all together.

Hatch Escapes/Prodigal

Mother of Frankenstein has already started capturing imaginations and has blown past its initial fundraising goal. And the narrative game even has a glowing recommendation from none other than author Neil Gaiman, who is quite the fan of Frankenstein himself. All together, this is a can’t-miss campaign for anyone who loves tabletop games, classic gothic tales, or a good puzzle.

Featured Image: Hatch Escapes/Prodigal

Kelly Knox is a freelance entertainment writer in Seattle, WA who writes for Star Wars, DC Comics, and more. Her first book, Marvel Monsters, comes out in 2021 from DK Books. 

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You listened to every episode of My Favorite Murder. You binge watched the entire new season of Unsolved Mysteries in one night. You’re ready… to Hunt A Killer! If you want to tackle a fictional mystery without waiting for the clues to be slowly revealed, rejoice. There’s now an all-in-one experience just for you. Hunt A Killer: Death at the Dive Bar is a complete mystery in a box packed with clues, props, and a harrowing tale of foul play. Put that detective hat on and let’s dive in!

Hunt A Killer

You might already be familiar with Hunt A Killer‘s fictional murder mystery subscription box. Sign up to get clues every month (or faster, if you’d like). Then you can watch the story unfold with the help of high quality props and peripherals that add incredible detail. Death at the Dive Bar is a similar experience but with everything you need in just one box.

Unlike the monthly boxes or other tabletop games, Death at the Dive Bar has no turns and no real rules other than not peeking at the included solution. Simply crack open the box and begin sifting through the clues to piece together what happened that fateful night. The goal is to find the suspect with the means, motive, and opportunity to kill the proprietor of a local tavern. His death has been ruled an accident by the police, but his loyal friend and employee knows there is more to the story. You and your fellow players take on the role of the investigator assigned to the case.

The non-linear gameplay makes this more of an experience than a game. However, Death at the Dive Bar is still a solid option for an informal game night with just a few players. If your friends and family tend to chat more than play when you gather to game, this Hunt A Killer story might be the perfect way to spend an evening.

Hunt A Killer

That’s right. We said friends and family. Even kids as young as preteens can join in the fun. The props don’t include any gruesome crime photos, and the tale that unfolds isn’t graphic. There is, of course, murder, but you already know if your young detective can handle a story that serious.

Death at the Dive Bar takes about an hour to play and can even be enjoyed solo. If you’re looking to treat yourself or you’re already on the hunt for the gift to give the mystery fan in your life, Hunt A Killer‘s all-in-one mystery box will slay this holiday season. Find it online at Target and Amazon at a retail price of $29.99.

Featured Image: Hunt A Killer

Kelly Knox is a freelance entertainment writer in Seattle, WA who writes for Star Wars, DC Comics, and more. Follow her on Twitter.

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There’s a brand-new universe just waiting to be explored in Bardshark’s upcoming tabletop game, Antematter. The turn-based strategy game, described as an art deco mashup of elements from Settlers of Catan and Texas Hold ‘Em, is now on Kickstarter. Gather your loyal crew, deploy your ships, and get ready to take off in a multimedia sci-fi adventure ten years in the making.

Bardshark

Three to six players, ages 13+, take command of a crew. Each one seeks to control their criminal corner of the Conflux, a star system of six planets. “They’re all after something different,” says the game description, “from the Malleon Privateers who are only interested in coin, to the Catallax Missionaries who seek the Booth’s connections to fast-track their research.”

Antematter begins with players choosing their unique crew. Each one brings their own characters, abilities, strengths, and gameplay style to the game, so choose wisely! Next, players chart a course around the board to gain loot, salvage, and cargo. Then it’s on to Texas Hold ‘Em style gameplay to add to their loot haul.

Bardshark

Along with the tabletop game, Bardshark plans to create comic books and an action RPG co-op video game set in the same universe. The stories are part of the “The Engine Star Universe,” and each one promises adventures that stands out in the sci-fi crowd. Backers of Antematter will be the first to get their hands on a one-shot comic book to get a feel for the art nouveau “deco punk” universe.

Take a look at the official Antematter website for more details about the crews under your command, an early look at how to play, and so much more. Add your support to the crowdfunding campaign now so you don’t miss your chance to take to the stars in style.

Featured Image: Bardshark

Kelly Knox is a freelance entertainment writer in Seattle, WA who writes for Star Wars, DC Comics, and more. Follow her on Twitter.

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Jinkies! What’s that spooky sound coming from the dining room? Why does this house even have a Hall of Mirrors? And what is that moving around in the creepy basement? Could it be a g-g-g-ghost?!

Zoinks, Scoob! What do you mean it’s someone sitting here at the table with us?

Avalon Hill and Hanna-Barbera

Betrayal at Mystery Mansion, coming soon from Avalon Hill, combines all of your favorite things about classic Scooby-Doo cartoons with the now iconic gameplay of Betrayal at House on the Hill and Betrayal Legacy. This incarnation of the critically-acclaimed tabletop game brings Shaggy, Velma, Daphne, Fred, and of course Scooby-Doo to the table for a family game night that’s much more Scooby than spooky.

This Betrayal is for three to five players ages 8 and up. The game starts with two areas to explore, the outside of the house where the Mystery Machine is parked, and the inside rooms of the mansion. Moving through these areas reveals rooms and locations that might hide possible clues to the mystery chosen at the beginning of the game.

Avalon Hill and Hanna-Barbera

Gather enough clues and the next phase of the game called the Haunt begins! If your favorite part of the Scooby-Doo cartoons was the chase between the Mystery Inc. gang and the monster, you’re going to love the Haunt. The gang and the monster, who is one of the players at the table, each have their own objective. Use items and tokens to outsmart the other and you just might make it out of the mansion in one piece.

If you’ve played House on the Hill or Legacy before, you have a good idea of what to expect in gameplay. But there are some welcome differences to encourage younger players. Omens are called Clues, and no one is eliminated from the game. And once the Haunt begins, all players set it up together. Best of all, a player can volunteer to be the monster when the Haunt starts, so no one player is stuck in a role they didn’t want. (Which might otherwise be a dealbreaker for some kids, and even some grownups!)

Players can also be awarded Scooby Snacks from items and clue cards for a chance to re-roll dice. Altogether, these changes make the game fun for players of all ages while still keeping the Betrayal atmosphere and gameplay elements that veteran gamers know and love.

Avalon Hill and Hanna-Barbera

Betrayal at Mystery Mansion is available July 24, 2020 at your favorite local game store. If you’ve never played a Betrayal game before because you might be a bit of a scaredy cat, grab your meddling kids and give this one a try.

Featured Image: Avalon Hill and Hanna-Barbera

Kelly Knox is a freelance entertainment writer in Seattle, WA who writes for Star Wars, DC Comics, and more. Follow her on Twitter.

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What do you get when you combine clever pop-up book mechanics with a good mystery and compelling tabletop game elements? You have the wildly inventive family-friendly tabletop game The Shivers, currently looking for backers on Kickstarter. The project, which immediately reached its funding goal, skillfully brings together these concepts. The Shivers looks to be a promising game filled with adventure, mystery, and perhaps best of all, gorgeously illustrated paper pop-ups to bring out the kid in every player.

The Shivers is created by veteran product designer Andy Logan. The role-playing game, created for two to five players ages seven and up, begins with an unsigned note in the mailbox. There’s a haunted house waiting to be explored and a mystery to be solved, but only if you and your companions leave no pop-ups unturned as you hunt for the truth.

Andy Logan / The Shivers

One player, designated as the Storyteller, acts as the guide for the others. Each player takes on the role of one of four characters. (Dibs on the cool mom.) As players explored the haunted house, new rooms pop open and connect to the existing layout with magnetic tiles. The rooms continue to change and rearrange as more of the house is explored. Take notes, find clues, and solve puzzles to uncover the truth in this haunted house.

The base game comes with eight episodes that should each take about an hour to complete. The deluxe edition adds an expansion with even more stories and characters. And that’s it–no stretch goals to manage or keep an eye on! If you want to see what you’re getting before you pledge, the campaign even offers early looks at the instructions and a sample episode guide that the Storyteller might use.

Andy Logan / The Shivers

There’s still plenty of time left in the The Shivers crowdfunding campaign to join in the fun of this unique adventure. Don’t miss your chance to see the mystery unfold!

Featured Image: The Shivers

Kelly Knox is a freelance entertainment writer in Seattle, WA who writes for Star Wars, DC Comics, and more. Follow her on Twitter.

The post THE SHIVERS Is a Unique Pop-up Mystery Game appeared first on Nerdist.

Your next game night can double as a movie night when you celebrate the 35th anniversary of Back to the Future! Back to the Future: Dice Through Time is a cooperative adventure through time for two to four players. Doc Brown needs your help collecting items Biff Tannen stole from 1885, 1955, 1985, and 2015 to restore the timeline. It will take teamwork and a little luck to restore temporal balance–and watch out for those Biffs! (That’s really some evergreen advice there).

Ravensburger

Ravensburger’s Dice Through Time is a neon-colored love letter to everyone’s favorite time-traveling movies. Each timeline on the game board features five iconic locations from the venerable Back to the Future films. Of course there’s the clock tower, Twin Pines Mall, Café 80s, and more.

You’ll move your DeLorean from location to location to resolve the event cards on each space with a roll of the dice. Match the icons on the card, and you’ll clear the event and claim an item Biff has stolen. But you might need a little luck on your dice rolls and some smart planning with your friends to tackle each event as the timeline begins to crumble.

Ravensburger

Dice Through Time boasts detailed mini DeLoreans, bold illustrations on the item and event cards, and player mats that are as helpful as they are fun to look at. Plus, Doc’s dog Einstein even gets his own tokens. How can you resist that? All of the high-quality, colorful components make playing Dice Through Time an unforgettable game night experience that will make you want to re-watch the movies the moment you open the box.

Back to the Future: Dice Through Time is available now exclusively at Target at a retail price of $29.99. Pick it up, blast some Huey Lewis, and get ready to roll through time with the family.

Featured Images: Ravensburger

Kelly Knox is a freelance entertainment writer in Seattle, WA who writes for Star Wars, DC Comics, and more. Follow her on Twitter.

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Originally a best-selling strategy and resource management game by Fantasy Flight Games, A Game of Thrones: The Board Game puts you at the head of Westeros’ Great Houses. Lannister, Stark, Greyjoy, and more are at your command as you set your sights on the Iron Throne.

Dire Wolf / Asmodee Digital

Based on the events of the books rather than the television series, players can go solo against AI in A Game of Thrones: The Board Game or play with a total of six players online. King Robert Baratheon has just died and the Iron Throne is up for grabs. Naturally it will take wits, resources, and money to conquer King’s Landing and claim it for your own.

Dire Wolf / Asmodee Digital

“Winning requires more than just military might to win: players must either take power through force, use honeyed words to coerce their way onto the throne, or rally the townsfolk to their side,” says the game’s press release. “Through strategic planning, masterful diplomacy and clever strategic decisions, players can spread their influence over Westeros.”

If resource management and war strategy is your cup of milk of the poppy, A Game of Thrones: The Board Game might be the epic PC game you’ve been waiting for. Through ten rounds of diplomacy and warfare, about an hour of gameplay, you’ll find out if you have what it takes to claim the throne. Will you win, or will you… you know.

Featured Image: Dire Wolf / Asmodee Digital

Kelly Knox is a freelance entertainment writer in Seattle, WA who writes for Star Wars, DC Comics, and more. Follow her on Twitter for bad dad jokes and more.

The post The Sprawling GAME OF THRONES Board Game Goes Digital appeared first on Nerdist.

Have you ever wanted to put pen to paper and finally create the Dungeons & Dragons adventure bouncing around in your head? The RPG Writer Workshop is here to turn that dream into a reality! Even if you’ve never written an adventure—especially if you’ve never written an adventure—this online workshop is here for aspiring narrative designers as they take their first steps into the tabletop role-playing gaming industry.

Wizards of the Coast

Staring at a blank piece of paper is always daunting. The RPG Writer Workshop lesson writers know that feeling all too well, which is why they offer the “Write Your First Adventure” online workshop for budding designers. Some of tabletop’s brightest minds and most successful narrative designers put their experience to work for you, offering how-tos and tips on everything from the first outline to the layout design.

“The goal of our ‘Write Your First Adventure’ course is always to help aspiring authors complete and publish an adventure so that they feel empowered and excited to continue creating,” says creator Ashley Warren.

RPG Writer Workshop

I took the course myself last year, and even published a little adventure with the guidance of the workshop’s invaluable lessons! Whether you’re looking to start small or create a sweeping, epic dungeon crawl, you’ll find ‘Write Your First Adventure’ the motivation you’ve always needed to get started.

(Already an experienced adventure writer? You’ll find resources for your next project with RPG Writer Workshop as well.)

The online “Write Your First Adventure” lessons begin in July. There are three pricing tiers available, from free to premium, so find the one that’s right for you. Scholarships are also available. Registration is open through June 30.

Featured Image: Wizards of the Coast

Kelly Knox is a freelance writer in Seattle, WA who writes for Star Wars, DC Comics, and more. Follow her on Twitter.

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Finding new games can be hard when you’re stuck at home self-isolating. But a team of archeologists at the University Museum of Bergen discovered a new (old) game that is almost two millennia old! How cool is that?

As reported by Kotaku , the crew “excavated a site in Norway last month, and among the pots and glass they found there was also something a lot cooler: the remains of a board game dating back 1700 years. They found 18 double-sided pieces, or tokens, and one die, which rather than being the squat, cube shape we’re used to was an elongated, skinny rod. The game was found in an Early Iron Age grave cairn at Ytre Fosse, in Western Norway, and is thought to have been both inspired by the Roman game Ludus latrunculorum, while also serving as a predecessor of a more famous Viking age game Hnefatafl.”

If you’re familiar with either of those archaic games then you’ll be one step ahead of the rest of your competitors!

University Museum of Bergen 

It’s always intriguing to see the origins of things that we love. While this game looks miles away from our favorites, it’s an awesome artifact. There’s also a chance that we may get a playable version at some point. Both Hnefatafl and Ludus latrunculorum have been quite widely played since their discovery. How do you think this game would have been played? Would you want to play it if you could? We would definitely give this unexpected die a roll if we had the chance. With the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, we’re open to unconventional ways of entertaining ourselves. And what better way to entertain ourselves than by playing an ancient game we’d never even seen before today?

If you need us we’ll be carving some pieces and putting our gamemaster hats on!

Header Image: University Museum of Bergen 

The post We’re Obsessed With This 1700-Year-Old Game appeared first on Nerdist.

If you’re a board game enthusiast, all we have to say is “the sequel to Gloomhaven is now on Kickstarter,” and you’ll click the link faster than you can say Euro game. For everyone else: there’s a sequel to a smash hit fantasy game just in the beginning of its crowdfunding campaign, and it’s already raised over $5 million from fans who can’t wait to get their hands on it! Welcome to Frosthaven.

Cephalofair Games

Gloomhaven is a cooperative European-style inspired game of tactical combat. To say the 2017 tabletop game was a huge success is an understatement in more ways than one; not only did it also blow away its first funding goal, it made millions in its second printing Kickstarter campaign. Gloomhaven lived up to the hype with innovative gameplay and an immersive campaign players wanted to return to time and time again. (Our friends at Geek & Sundry played it for hours on end.)

Also, the box itself is literally huge.

Cephalofair Games

Frosthaven is the highly anticipated companion game played in the same world. The stand-alone campaign takes players to a brand new region in the Gloomhaven settting, a frigid land with biting winds and roaming monsters. A desperate outpost on the northern coast needs formidable mercenaries to protect it from its lurking horrors. That’s where you and your brave friends come in.

Like its predecessor, the game box is filled with a staggering amount of components. With hundreds of markers, maps, tiles, card decks, miniatures, and more, the massive fantasy game promises hours of storytelling and adventure. In the Kickstarter campaign you’ll also find Forgotten Circles, an expansion pack, along with additional campaigns and components as add-ons.

If you’re a fan of open worlds and dungeon crawls, tactics and fantasy, this board game could be the tabletop experience of your dreams. Frosthaven is a game for 1-4 players ages 14 and up; shipment is planned to begin in March 2021.

Featured Image: Cephalofair Games

The post This Board Game Has $5 Million In Crowdfunding And Climbing appeared first on Nerdist.

Get ready to summon the power of the elements to outsmart your opponents! Becca is joined by Noura Ibrahim, Mike Richie, and Mark Streed to play Element Silver Edition from Rather Dashing Games. Each player must maximize the mystical elements at their disposal to capture the opposing sages.

This video is made in paid partnership with Rather Dashing Games. Learn more here: http://bit.ly/2uBNnEj

Want a primer on the rules? Check out How to Play: https://youtu.be/0umCIdIJuc8

The post Element Silver Edition | Game the Game appeared first on Nerdist.

Do you have what it takes to command the elements? We’re digging into Element Silver Edition from Rather Dashing Games! This strategy board game calls on players to utilize various elemental stones with unique properties to protect their own sage while surrounding the opposing player.

This video is made in paid partnership with Rather Dashing Games. Learn more here: http://bit.ly/2uBNnEj

The post How to Play Element Silver Edition appeared first on Nerdist.

Salve Amicis! In this episode of How to Play we’re taking a trip back in time with Foundations of Rome from Arcane Wonders. This meticulously detailed city builder puts you in the role of an ancient architect competing to construct the most marvelous structures in the Eternal City.

And check out the teaser for the upcoming Monuments Expansion here: http://bit.ly/2t5xfL7

This video is made in paid partnership with Arcane Wonders. Learn more here: http://bit.ly/foundationsofrome

Please note: the game used in this video is a prototype, so game pieces and rules are subject to change in the final version. In the final rules, buildings that have coins with VP values printed on the player boards are scored at the end of each round in addition to the end of game scoring.

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The Adventure Zone

Bureau of Balance uses twenty-sided dice and storytelling cards to craft, well, an adventure in The Adventure Zone. Two to five players (ages 12 and up) can join in the fun to spend an hour or so to collaboratively tell a story. Naturally, there will be obstacles to overcome, challenges to face, and you’ll probably even find yourself in a dungeon or two. While it is a role-playing adventure, the game focuses more on the story than the rules. It makes it accessible to game players of all stripes. Here are the nitty-gritty gameplay details from Twogether Studios:

TAZ: Bureau of Balance uses a modular system to dynamically generate missions. One night you may find yourself fighting sarcastic specters as you make your way through haunted caverns, while your next mission might pit you against cunning gerblins on a train racing towards a perilous destination. With 12 decks of double-sided cards as a foundation, TAZ: Bureau of Balance provides players with over 120 hours of unique challenges.

If you’ve never heard The Adventure Zone, there’s no better time to start listening! Starring brothers Justin, Travis, and Griffin McElroy and their father Clint McElroy, the Dungeons & Dragons actual play podcast is currently in its third season. The successful show has already spawned two graphic novels based on the party’s early adventures, both of which quickly became bestsellers.

The Adventure Zone

If you want to see Bureau of Balance in action before you preorder, you’re in luck! Catch these livestreams (live or on video on demand) to see the game in action. Then preorder now to join the Reclaimer Club and unlock exclusive item cards, a special edition of the game, and more. Preorders are only open from December 11, 2019 though January 24, 2020. Not all friendly local game stores will have the game in stock, so be sure to pre-order. You definitely don’t want to miss your chance to go on the cooperative adventure of a lifetime!

The Adventure Zone is a biweekly comedy and adventure actual play podcast based loosely upon the popular Dungeons & Dragons game series, along with other role-playing games. The Maximum Fun network distributes the show, from brothers Justin, Travis, and Griffin McElroy, and their father Clint McElroy.

The McElroys released a special episode of their flagship podcast, My Brother, My Brother and Me, called “The Adventure Zone” on August 18, 2014. It featured the brothers playing a game of Dungeons & Dragons with their father, Clint, and was released in lieu of a new episode of My Brother, My Brother and Me due to Justin being on paternity leave. “The Adventure Zone” was later developed into its own podcast on the Maximum Fun network.

Featured Image: Twogether Games / The Adventure Zone

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In the ’90s heyday, VtM included a television show Kindred: The Embraced. Expanded world content included Changelings, Wraiths, Werewolves, Hunters… eventually mummies and more. Collectible card games like Jyhad (later changed to Vampire: The Eternal Struggle), and Rage were as common as Magic: The Gathering. The card games would phase out of print, and as of 2018, swing back with updated versions. Novels, dice, T-shirts, and most importantly: Live-Action Roleplaying communities completed the immersion. If you wanted to play, watch or read within the World of Darkness sandbox; you could.

While communities and fandoms of Vampire: The Masquerade have never faded completely, they did have a bumpy road. In 2019, White Wolf is on a full renaissance.  New announcements, new products, multimedia, major video games and more. If it’s been a while since you’ve seen what they’ve been up to, here are some awesome projects on the horizon.

V:tM Swansong

In a projected 2021 release, Big Bad Wolf Studio, will release Swansong. A narrative RPG set within Vampire: The Masquerades fifth-edition canon. Big Bad Wolf Studios is known for their work The Council—a heavy narrative RPG that also was a woefully underrated game (everyone should check it out if RPGs are your jam). Meanwhile, Vampire’s fifth-edition advances the meta-plot with the rise of the Second Inquisition. Thanks to the panopticon of modern technology, the CIA, FBI, and other world intelligence agencies are fully aware of vampires. Forced to take extreme measures to maintain secrecy (and thus survival), the fifth-edition world of Vampire is heavily steeped in conspiracy and controversy. Making it perfect for a multi-branch narrative arc. Swansong will join two other V:tM video games, both Coteries of New York and the iconic Bloodlines 2 which is due out late 2020.

Chicago By Night

The original Chicago By Night was a White Wolf sourcebook for the first edition of Vampire: The Masquerade. Released in 1991, and revised in ’93, it was an early RPG book that featured relationship charts and sandbox methods of storytelling between two ancient powers.

In October of 2019, Chicago By Night for 5th edition was released! A key city in a spiderweb of influence, greed, power, and predators. Updating and advancing the city’s story since it’s original material, you can find how the world of Vampire has changed since the last edition. Chocked full of the metaplot, Clan Lasombra, coteries, local Chicago urban legends, and brilliant writing—it’s no wonder the Kickstarter was so successful. Even better, Onyx Path always has great tabletop roleplaying content released on a consistent schedule.

L.A. By Night

Professional shows and streaming of tabletop games are a growing form of geekery. Vampire: the Masquerade is no exception and L.A. By Night is hosted by Jason Carl.  Streaming every Friday night on Twitch, L.A. By Night has three seasons under its belt. The hook? Three Anarch vampires and one rookie try carving their piece of the city while beset by enemies on all sides. A tense and dangerous chronicle, each season keeps ratcheting up the stakes. Compelling drama aside, it’s a great way to learn about the V5 meta-plot and changes to the global settings in the World of Darkness. Getting caught up is easy, but if you want to binge-watch; start here.

Blood Feud

Blood Feud is an ambitious board game that needs to be put on a stream. Produced by Everything Epic (Grindhouse, Big Trouble in Little China), Blood Feud is a four to thirty-two player epic board game. Thirty-two players! With one city to battle for control, players take on the role of the Vampire Clans and different teams and battle using diplomacy, trade, combat, and more over one massive city-wide map.

What makes this game even cooler, is that each team has their group dependent goals, so victory for one clan is different from the next. When you have a full thirty-two players (like we saw at Gen Con), the game becomes a hybrid tabletop, LARP, and CCG experience. If you’re attending a convention and you notice a Blood Feud event here is my tip: Clan Toreador is more powerful than many realize.

These products are just a fraction of the media that White Wolf is involved in over the next few years. For more information, you can always check out White Wolf’s webpage.

What’s your favorite Vampire: The Masquerade game? Let us know in the comments!

Featured Image: Vampire: The Masquerade by White Wolf

Image Credits: Swansong Announcement, Chicago By Night, Blood Feud

Rick Heinz is a storyteller with a focus on D&D For Kids, and an overdose of LARPs. You can follow RPG or urban fantasy related thingies on Twitter or reach out for writing at RickHeinzWrites@gmail.com

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Enter a world of suspense, terror, and otherworldly horror in this heart-pounding episode of Game the Game! Becca is joined by Nox Berf, Havana Mahoney, and Katie Michels to play Horrified: Universal Monsters from Ravensburger. Be amazed as together to banish evil from the land, battling classic creatures across various haunted locations. Each monster presents a unique set of challenges that our heroes must overcome, and danger is always lurking in the shadows. Come along, if you dare!

This video is made in paid partnership with Ravensburger. Learn more about Horrified: Universal Monsters here: https://amzn.to/2oJFgCN

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In this week’s How to Play we’re taking a magical tour of Sorcerer City from Skybound. This whimsical deck-building and tile-laying strategy game puts the player in the role of a magical architect endeavoring to conjure the greatest city. Compete against your fellow players to gather resources and upgrade your burgeoning mystical metropolis (just be careful not to attract monsters!). Do you have what it takes to construct the most prestigious Sorcerer City?

This video is made in paid partnership with Skybound Games. Learn more about Sorcerer City here: http://bit.ly/SorcererC

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Want a primer on the rules? Check out How to Play: https://youtu.be/O2–eWGHW80

Will you achieve artistic immortality? In this episode of Game the Game, Becca, Jordan Pridgen, Havana Mahoney, and Nox Berf vie to become masters of the 19th century art world in Atelier: The Painter’s Studio by Alderac Entertainment Group! In the game, each player must manage their own painting studio, cultivate a class of brilliant art students, and please patrons by creating timeless works of art. Boasting a fast-paced European-style gameplay, Atelier challenges you to complete your masterpiece.

Check out AEG and learn more about Atelier here:

Atelier

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It’s time to create your own work of art! In this week’s How to Play we take a look at Atelier: The Painter’s Studio by Alderac Entertainment Group. In this fast-paced game, each player assumes the role of a 19th century artist and studio manager in a quest to become the most famed painter of the age. Manage your assets, cultivate the talents of your students, and create the masterworks that will define an era.

You can learn more about the art and craft of Atelier: The Painter’s Studio by AEG here: https://www.alderac.com/atelier/

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With the Fourth of July right around the corner, now’s the perfect time to hone your knowledge of United States history. The beginnings of the country were filled with strife and turmoil, first through the revolution to become independent of England, then in the war within the union, as the vile institution of slavery threatened to divide the nation.

While the nuances of history are best learned through textbooks and other more encompassing resources, you can gain a broad perspective of U.S. history and learn something through tabletop games. Two titles from Academy Games, 1775: Rebellion and Freedom: The Underground Railroad, offer gamers a way to experience seminal moments in U.S. history. Both games put players right in the middle of the action, allowing them to make decisions based on the actual events of history.

In 1775: Rebellion, players battle as the English and the colonists during the start of the American Revolution, hoping to gain control of the colonies. In Freedom: The Underground Railroad, players work cooperatively as abolitionists to end American slavery. While historical knowledge of each game’s subject isn’t needed to play, the experience is enhanced by having some familiarity of the subjects. Here’s a look at how both games provide engaging, informative, and sometimes challenging history lessons on the tabletop.

1775: Rebellion

Whether you’re the British side, trying to quell the insurrection in that land far across the pond, or the colonists, fighting for your independence, 1775: Rebellion offers a streamlined war game that’s perfect for those who’ve never played war game before. You and your opponent are trying to gain control of the most colonies before a truce is declared; the player with the most colonies wins.

Each turn you’ll play cards from your hand to move and fortify your troops in this area control game. You’re always in danger of your troops deserting you, but thankfully you’ll have reinforcements from other countries available (French for the Americans, Hessians for the British). There’s also the Native American forces who can be allied with either side. As your forces grow, you’ll gain more dice for combat; which is a straightforward resolution with your opponent.

It’s this streamlined game play that will appeal to new war gamers, coupled with features like event cards based on the actual events and people of the time. For example, playing as the American side you’ll run across historical figures like George Washington and the Sons of Liberty as you attempt to establish a nation. Through smart card play and movement you’ll be able to control the most colonies when a truce is declared. Doing so garners you the victory as you declare your independence … or come to terms with living under British rule.

Freedom: The Underground Railroad

There’s no other cooperative game like Freedom: The Underground Railroad. Unlike other games that deal with slavery in an abstract manner, Freedom: The Underground Railroad deals with this stain on American history head on. You and your fellow abolitionists are trying to get enough slaves out of the South via the Underground Railroad.

While the game’s cooperative mechanisms will be familiar to veteran gamers, it’s the subject matter that stays with you long after you’ve finished. I’ve never experienced anything like Freedom: The Underground Railroad. It’s a fine game mechanically; you’re trying to move the slaves to freedom while manipulating the slave catchers to more favorable locations on the map. You’re also hoping to garner sympathy for your cause to raise funds to help more slaves survive.

But they’re not all going to make it. Slaves will be captured, put back on the market, and die. Like the ugly truth of history, the game pulls no punches; no other game causes this type of stress. The slaves are represented by plain cubes, but losing one feels more brutal than having an entire fleet of ships blown to smithereens in Twilight Imperium.

It’s this historical immersion that brings everything together in Freedom: The Underground Railroad. Because you know the history, you know how much is at stake.

Both 1775: Rebellion and Freedom: The Underground Railroad provide outstanding game play, solid components, and an informative history lesson. While gamers may try to focus strictly on the mechanisms in each, you’ll be hard pressed to ignore the history in your hands, whether it’s a card describing an important event, or the cubes representing the lives lost during a low point in American history.

The games have accompanying books (Teaching the American Revolution Through Play and Teaching the Underground Railroad Through Play) that offer curricula based on these two historical eras. Students learn through game play while reading more in-depth about the events portrayed on the tabletop. Winning or losing a game truly doesn’t matter here. It’s the act of playing that can help inform the students of today as they become the leaders of tomorrow.

What are your favorite historical games? Tell us in the comments!

WANT MORE HISTORICAL GOODNESS?

• WHO’S SHE? Is a Guess Who of Notable Women in History
• Relive History With These 5 Incredible Graphic Novels
• Add a History Section to Your Tabletop Library With These Books

Image Credits: Ruel Gaviola

Ruel Gaviola loves board games, books, food, travel, Star Wars, and date nights with his wife. He writes about games for iSlaytheDragon, podcasts about games for The Five By, and his name rhymes with Superman’s Kryptonian name. Follow him on Twitter and read his blog here.

The post Learning Through Play: Board Games Lessons in U.S. History appeared first on Nerdist.

Usually when you want to take along some of your favorite tabletop games on the plane or in the car during a summer vacation, that means wrestling with boards, plastic baggies, and tiny pieces, many of which end up lost in that crack in the seats. But if you want to bring an absolute classic game with you on your trips this summer, Asmodee Digital and Nintendo have teamed up to give you the perfect travel companion: Catan, now on the Nintendo Switch.

Wool? Check. Grain? Check. Bricks? You get the idea. The robber, development cards, buildings, everything you know and love from Settlers of Catan are here in the video game adaptation. Whether you’re a settlin’ veteran or new to the game, be sure to start with the tutorials just to learn the controls. While it’s mostly intuitive, chances are your brain will be so busy scheming your next move that you forget which button to press to roll the dice or make a trade.

While many tabletop players aren’t fans of making the change to a screen, there is something to be said for effortless setup and cleanup. Catan on Switch even has that handy little card for the right resources you need to build, and won’t let you place a road or settlement anywhere you’re not supposed to. You can also play against AI opponents, which is always a nice feature when you’re lying awake in bed at 2AM and could use something to take your mind off the day.

Soothing music plays in the background while you make your moves, adding to the overall low-stress feel of the digital tabletop game. If you want to add some higher stakes and competition, however, simply connect to WiFi when you get wherever you’re going and find an online game with real-life players.

Catan is available now on the Nintendo eShop for just $19.99, along with a “Cities & Knights” DLC for an additional $5.99.

All Images: Asmodee Digital

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The Dreamscape portal has broken open again and delirium is taking over the world of New Vigil. As threats rise, new heroes have embraced the Dreamscape energy, using it to their advantage in an attempt to bring peace back to the world.

As one of the heroes looking to free New Vigil from the Dreamscape madness, you’ll recruit Dreamborn heroes to defeat these powerful monsters. Will you be hailed as New Vigil’s savior?

Ascension: Deliverance is a standalone expansion to the popular deck-building game series, Ascension. It’s the conclusion to the Dreamscape trilogy, which introduced Insight and other mechanisms to the base game.

Like other deck-builders, each player begins with a set of starting cards and plays five per turn. Cards with runes are used to recruit heroes from the center row while cards with power are used to defeat monsters in the center row. As heroes are added to your starting deck, you’ll have increased powers and additional abilities, allowing you to recruit better heroes and crush more powerful monsters. Be the first to collect the set number of Honor tokens and you’ll trigger the game end. Players add up their tokens and the Honor listed on the cards in their decks and the most Honor wins.

As you battle to save New Vigil you’ll have to manage the Dreamscape portal. What powers will it unleash and will you be able to harness those powers to help you in your quest? The Dreamborn cards are back from the previous expansions in this trilogy (Dreamscape and Delirium) as well as the Insight tokens which you’ll use as a second currency to gain runes and power.

While the game-changing Events from Dreamscape aren’t here, neither are the clunky Fate auctions of Delirium. Players in Deliverance can use the Phantasm ability (via spending Insight tokens) to “fast-play” certain cards in the center row without adding them to their decks. Some monsters may now be added to players’ decks by paying a Dreambind cost (Insight tokens) after defeating them. There are also Transform cards available that allow players to pay Insight to change cards into much more powerful versions of themselves. Finally, the Great Pasytheak, the protector of the Dreamscape, can be recruited by the first player to earn 16 Insight.

With the all-powerful Pasythea card there’s a race element to Deliverance that contributes to its quick feel. The player who adds Pasythea to their deck gets to draw a card, gain two runes, two power, and two honor tokens every time they play Pasythea. It’s a big advantage, but there are ways to mitigate its power, such as using the Transform ability of certain cards to power up your deck. For example, players can pay Insight to transform the Psyonic Apprentice into the Psyonic Paladin and gain the ability to defeat any monster without paying the power cost.

Ascension: Deliverance is a fine end to the Dreamscape trilogy. With its ever-changing center row of heroes and monsters, the same straight-forward game play of Ascension remains intact, but the game remains fresh and maintains its quick pace. Fans of the Ascension series will find plenty to like here, while newcomers can easily dive into deck-building in the world of New Vigil.

What are your favorite deck-building games? Tell us in the comments!

WANT MORE DECK-BUILDING GOODNESS?

• What Makes Clank! Tick And Why We Love This Deck-Building Adventure Series of Games
• Three Superheroic Ideas for the DC Deck Building Game
• CARTHAGE is a Deckbuilding-Fueled Gladitorial Triumph 

Image Credits: Ruel Gaviola

Ruel Gaviola loves board games, books, food, travel, Star Wars, and date nights with his wife. He writes about games for iSlaytheDragon, podcasts about games for The Five By, and his name rhymes with Superman’s Kryptonian name. Follow him on Twitter and read his blog here.

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Fresh off their record-smashing success with Avengers: Endgame, the Russo Brothers are setting their sites on the small screen! They’re teaming up with Wizards of the Coast and Netflix for a Magic: The Gathering animated series, and we’ve tapped Jessica to tutor us in the details on today’s Nerdist News!

Are you looking forward to an MTG animated series? Let us know in the comments!

The post Endgame Directors Are Taking on Magic: The Gathering for Netflix! appeared first on Nerdist.

Want a primer on the rules? Check out How to Play: https://youtu.be/D_bRIKukkyQ

Come on a journey with us to fullfill your destiny! In this week’s Game the Game, host Becca Scott is joined by Aki, Paula Deming, and Laura Sams to play Tales of Arabian Nights by Z-man games. This groundbreaking storytelling game, takes players to the lands of the Arabian Nights alongside Sindbad, Ali Baba, and the other legendary heroes of the tales.

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With Godzilla: King of the Monsters hitting theaters May 31, 2019, we’re in the mood to make like our favorite kaiju (“strange beast”) and terrorize the nearest city. From wreaking havoc downtown as citizens scatter and hide, to battling other monsters in order to stake our claim as the biggest and baddest, we can get our fix of city-stomping action right on our very own tabletops.

Check out these games that feature giant monsters duking it out to see who is the greatest boss monster of them all!

King of Tokyo

Like Godzilla tormenting Tokyo throughout so many of the classic kaiju films, you and your opponents will stomp your away around the city in an attempt to be crowned King of Tokyo. Taking the classic Yahtzee roll-up-to-three-times-and-score-the-results mechanism, you’ll toss a fistful of big chunky dice to deal damage to your opponents, heal yourself, and/or gain energy cubes. Those energy cubes come in handy since they’ll allow you to gain cards that give you additional abilities and bonuses, from dealing extra damage to your opponents to gaining valuable victory points. There are two ways to become the King of Tokyo: be the last monster standing or be the first to score 20 victory points.

King of New York

King of New York is to King of Tokyo what The Empire Strikes Back is to Star Wars: while the original set the tone and established its universe, the sequel took everything and made it better. This time, you and your fellow giant monsters are in New York. However, there’s more to think about since you can knock down buildings for extra points, move throughout New York’s different boroughs, and deal with the military taking shots at you and all of the other beasts demolishing the city. Along with a fun superstar card that can be passed among players for extra points, King of New York takes the basic roll and re-roll mechanism of the original and makes it into something a bit meatier for more diehard gamers.

Terror in Meeple City

This dexterity game was formerly known as Rampage before lawyers from the classic video game got involved. Terror in Meeple City has you and your fellow monsters literally destroying a city: in this case, you’re crashing through the various buildings and meeples on the game board. Flick your monster’s feet disc to try to knock over buildings, which will spill innocent meeples everywhere. You’ll eat those meeples for points, hoping to collect a complete set of six different colors (variety is the spice of life, after all). Each monster has an ongoing special power as well as a one-time superpower that’ll help you demolish and eat more of the city, and every player has a secret objective for more points. Rawr!

GKR: Heavy Hitters

Among the great giant monster movies is Johnny Socko and his Flying Robot, aka Giant Robot for those of us who used to watch Saturday morning monster movies. In GKR: Heavy Hitters you control a big ol’ robot fighting other big ol’ robots. These Heavy Hitters are matched with three robotic support units: Combat, Repair, and Recon. You’ll use your entire team to power your Heavy Hitter and outwit your opponents in this game of deckbuilding and card management. Only the strongest and smartest will bash their way to victory.

What are your favorite monster games? Tell us in the comments!

WANT MORE MONSTER MADNESS?

• A Godzilla For All Seasons
• Let’s Get Ready to Robot Rumble with Critical Mass
• WATCH: Wil Wheaton and Friends Play King of Tokyo

Image Credits: Ruel Gaviola, Crytozoic Entertainment

Ruel Gaviola loves board games, books, food, travel, Star Wars, and date nights with his wife. He writes about games for iSlaytheDragon, podcasts about games for The Five By, and his name rhymes with Superman’s Kryptonian name. Follow him on Twitter and read his blog here.

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Have you ever wanted to be one of the masked rulers of Waterdeep? In this week’s How to Play, host Becca Scott teaches Lords of Waterdeep by Wizards of the Coast. In this immersive strategy game, players delve into the world of Dungeons and Dragons, working to outwit the other players to become the most powerful Lord.

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Spend any time in Metro Manila, home of the capital of the Philippines, and you’ll probably experience the region’s infamous traffic and stifling heat. You might hitch a ride on a jeepney or a tricycle, the preferred modes of public transportation, before finding a place to cool your heels.

For gamers, TableTaft Board Game Cafe is an ideal spot to take a break from the non-stop commotion. Located upstairs in a small shopping center, TableTaft offers cold drinks, hot food, and a wide variety of board games, from classics like Monopoly to the latest incarnation of Zombicide.

It’s the kind of place co-owner Lance Lim and four high school friends dreamed of opening in the Metro Manila area, close to where they went to school.

“As we played more games,” he said, “we realized we wanted to open a business where people could enjoy the same games we did.”

Now in its third year of operation, TableTaft Board Game Cafe provides a place of rest and relaxation for local customers, many of whom attend the nearby university. “Students love to play Avalon and One Night Ultimate Werewolf,” Lim said. “Also, Secret Hitler, Splendor, and Exploding Kittens.”

Along with its growing library of board games, TableTaft offers a wide selection of Filipino and Filipino-influenced food and drinks as well.

“We want our customers to enjoy themselves with the best gaming, food, and drinks,” Lim said.

TableTaft’s milkshakes are a popular choice, as customers look to beat the heat with custom-crafted concoctions such as Smores and Salted Caramel. For those looking for something to munch on between turns of Champions of Midgard or Dead of Winter, the menu offers a tantalizing array of dishes. Customer favorites include TableTaft’s signature Buttered Garlic Chicken (chopped fried chicken slathered in a buttery garlic sauce served over steamed rice) and Apple Turon a la Mode (apples in a fried spring roll wrapper, served with ice cream and chocolate or caramel syrup).

All of the delicious eats and drinks help keep gamers fueled for their next tabletop adventure. A self-described Marvel fan, Lim’s favorite game is Legendary and he enjoys teaching it to new gamers. He talked about the importance of customer service and how the staff is always available to help customers.

“We have our Game Coaches who can teach every game that we offer,” he said. “A lot of customers are new to these types of games,” he said. “It’s different than the typical games they’ve played, like Monopoly. We want to level up their game play and also their knowledge about board games.”

“We have our regular customers who’ve made their way to other [hobby] games,” he said. “One of the most played by our regulars is Betrayal at the House on the Hill.”

Along with providing a quality gaming experience, supporting local game designers has been an important part of TableTaft’s mission. “We want to show the best of local games,” Lim said.  In addition to well-known titles such as Catan and Ticket to Ride, gamers can play and purchase games such as the abstract-based Indigo Hack or Love Letter-influenced Darna at ang Nawawalang Bato, which we’ve covered previously here on Geek & Sundry.

But it’s the cafe’s focus on providing a unique dining and gaming experience that brings people back. One of the game coaches, A.J. “Happy” Rodriguez, talked about his passion for gaming. A former Muay Thai fighter and RPG player, he likes sharing his tabletop knowledge. “I really enjoy teaching the social deduction games to people,” he said. “Werewolf, Deception: Murder in Hong Kong; the mechanics are simple to teach.”

“It’s a nice feeling when you see people enjoying the game you just taught them.”

For more information on TableTaft Board Game Cafe, visit their Facebook page. 

Image Credits: Ruel Gaviola, TableTaft Board Game Cafe

Ruel Gaviola loves board games, books, food, travel, Star Wars, and date nights with his wife. He writes about games for iSlaytheDragon and tabletop-test.com, podcasts about games for The Five By, and his name rhymes with Superman’s Kryptonian name. Follow him on Twitter and read his blog here.

The post Eat, Drink, and Game in the Capital of the Philippines appeared first on Nerdist.

Host Amy Dallen is joined by Kelly Lynne D’Angelo to discuss the best ways a GM can manage and balance the emotional spectrum within their campaign.

Thanks to The Deck of Many and Level Up Dice for partnering with us on this video.

Learn more about The Deck of Many: https://thedeckofmany.com/collections/shop
Learn more about Level Up Dice: https://levelupdice.net/

Are you a new GM? Or want to learn some new techniques? Twelve of the best RPG Game Masters will share tips, tricks, and insights into their expertise. Whether you’re an experienced GM or looking to get started as a storyteller, Game Masters Hall will set you at the top of your game.

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The fate of humanity is in your hands! In this week’s How to Play, host Becca Scott teaches Pandemic by Z-man Games. In this co-op strategy game, players must strategize together to prevent outbreaks of infectious diseases that threaten the globe!

The post How to Play Pandemic appeared first on Nerdist.

Whether you enjoyed the new Hellboy film or found yourself missing the magic of Guillermo del Toro, the style and vision of Mike Mignola’s seminal work have found their match in Hellboy: The Board Game. Courtesy of U.K. publisher Mantic teaming up with designers James M. Hewitt and Sophie Williams of Needy Cat Games, this is Hellboy as it was meant to be.

In this cooperative game, 1-4 players (yes, it plays solo quite well) embody members of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (BPRD). While Hellboy himself may be the main draw, the other protagonists each have interesting supernatural powers, such as pyro Liz Sherman or half-fish-man-weirdo Abe Sapien. The characters’ asymmetrical abilities and personalized equipment offer a high degree of atmosphere and crunch for you to dig into.

Following in step with the colorful cast is the collection of frog men perpetrating the sewers and ruins you will be investigating. There are different minions, each with various temperaments and effects, as well as a couple of large hulking beasts for you to pound, or maybe give you a pounding.

Quality is extremely high. Alongside The Walking Dead: All Out War, this is the best product Mantic Games has produced. The illustrations and graphic design are excellent and the miniatures are crisp. As a complete package, Hellboy: The Board Game will have fans giddy.

This is sort of a dungeon crawler with investigation elements, and it contains a strongly varied enemy pool including bosses with unique deck compositions and behavior. They’re utilized across six scenarios, each sealed in a plastic envelope to hide its secrets until you’re ready to launch into the paranormal noir.

The scenario structure is perhaps the most interesting bit of design space. You will work your way through oversized cards, setting up the room tiles and building the enemy set. As you progress, traps will be sprung and surprises will be had. Rooms are explored to reveal unsuspected contents and you will trigger specific cards based on conditions.

So, for instance, you may have a card in play that suggests you flip it once you’ve explored every room and cleared the board of enemies. What occurs afterward is a mystery. Some scenarios will branch and offer alternate paths. Yet another card will instruct you to flip it once the doom track reaches the sixth spot. Both could occur or even neither if another condition is met. The paths here don’t tend to be wild or extremely divergent, but they will often lead you to a boss fight through alternate vectors. The road you take may affect the difficulty of the encounter or offer additional weapons or knowledge to fight the monstrosity.

All of this is terribly exciting. It keeps you on your toes and ties the narrative into the actions of play. The downside is of course that the branches are finite. Upon replaying a scenario the edge of certain encounters will be worn a little. This is not a deal-breaker as stories remain enjoyable and varied due to a slew of tools such as unpredictable dice-based combat and randomized room contents. Still, this narrative trigger of events comes at a cost and you will enjoy a scenario most upon your first playthrough.

Some may also object to the light nature of the storytelling. While triggers are scripted, flavor text extends to a couple of sentences. Dialogue is non-existent and the designers did not take a heavy hand in exposition. Much of the story is left to you and your actions as you navigate the road.

The other quirk is that the game is so steeped in its own colorful existence that those unfamiliar with the content may feel a sense of detachment. Why is The Creature From the Black Lagoon working for the BPRD? What’s up with this red dude’s big fist? The game won’t help you.

Hellboy is realized in a way that is potent, which has the side-effect of possibly distancing those already distant. This won’t be a problem for most as the common themes of violent heroics are a staple in the comics genre, but it may cause a few to stumble or lack interest.

The care and attention to detail is vast. Beyond the excellent stories are dozens of flourishes and quirks waiting to be teased out of the maelstrom. Little touches such as literally throwing bad guys into each other to inflict boatloads of damage are extremely gratifying. The dice system is absolutely fantastic as you utilize weapons and resources to upgrade dice and boost the upper end of the odds spread. Manipulating character bits to maximize potential, such as Liz Sherman’s Inferno track, really ties the system to the intellectual property in a mesmerizing way.

Hellboy’s focus on investigation is also handled expertly. Most scenarios will have you racing the doom clock to collect clues through the various tiles. This is a small injection of detective work amid the more typical dungeon crawl revolving combat, but it’s compelling due to the reward cycle. Seeking out those clues is important as it weakens the final boss and will give you a fighting chance against a foe that is often incredibly strong.

All of this ties into the dramatic heart of this release. As an experience, it’s one of building excitement and constant atmosphere. You will bust through obstacles and set the house ablaze. You will load explosive ammo into your honkin’ revolver and chuck a harpoon into a frenzied toad’s face. 2019 may not be the year of Hellboy on the big screen, but it may just be the year of Hellboy on the table.

More Hellboy Goodness!

• Hellboy Creator Mike Mignola Reflects on All Eras of His Comics Career
• EXCLUSIVE REVEAL: Hellboy Celebrates His 25th Birthday with New Titles
• 5 Mike Mignola Heroes You Should Meet After Hellboy

Image Credits: Charlie Theel, Mantic Games

In addition to Geek & Sundry, Charlie Theel writes for Ars Technica, Tabletop Gaming, Player Elimination, and co-hosts the gaming podcast Ding & Dent. You can find him on Twitter @CharlieTheel.

The post The HELLBOY BOARD GAME is Here and it’s Fantastic appeared first on Nerdist.

This is one of those fancy app-driven board games. But don’t fret, for it’s not an entirely new concept fraught with bugs or precarious budding concepts. No, this is Lord of the Rings by way of H.P. Lovecraft, or more accurately, it’s a Fantasy Flight Games big box adventure game driven by the electronic DNA of Mansions of Madness 2nd Edition.

It’s a game as we’re used to, with many tiles–amusingly oddly shaped–plenty of cards, and even a nice selection of plastic Middle Earth miniatures. You will journey around an expanding area as you explore the countryside, encountering people and places and battling orcs and undead. It’s an adventure game in the same image as Talisman or Runebound or the recent Fallout board game. It does have the marked distinction of being a fully cooperative design.

These types of games are wonderful as they give a wide scope condensing miles of travel to mere turns. They tend to be very content driven, typically relying on huge decks of cards and grabbing many hours of your time to complete an epic tale. Journeys in Middle Earth is an attempt to smooth some of these quirks and provide a more immersive experience. Its weapon is one of the 21st century.

The free and necessary application is a pretty substantial iteration of the Mansions of Madness 2nd Edition version. The flow of game play is also similar, as you explore new tiles and populate them with points of interest–denoted by generic tokens. Instead of a stream of event cards or an encounter deck to plod through, the app spits out bits of story and prods stat checks. This is where the game really gets a mind of its own and seeks separation from its influence.

There’s a strategic layer that’s pretty enticing. Each character has a deck of cards built from several sources. Everyone receives a set of basic actions, as well as five for their character and three for their class. This notion of role is as it sounds, it’s very much a D&D-inspired occupation for your character to embody. There’s the Captain who is great at supporting and leading the group, the Pathfinder that focuses on mobility, the Hunter that wants to dish out the pain, and of course several others that are thematically on point.

This combined deck is shuffled and forms dual purpose. At the beginning of each round you will draw two cards and choose one to put into play. This may be spent at any point later in the game to perform a bonus action or influence a skill test. You can even leave it there for many turns and let your options stack up as each round you add to your tableau.

The one you don’t choose may be placed back on top of the deck or on the bottom. This is of key import because the game utilizes these tiny cards to resolve tests. No, you won’t find dice or anything of the sort, instead you draw a certain number of cards from the top of your deck and look for success symbols. Some feature a stoic leaf which allows you to spend Inspiration and convert them to successes. Inspiration is primarily attained from exploring, but can also be acquired through different events and in-game triggers such as pursuing side quests.

This card system is very solid. It’s not as dramatic as a dice pool, but it affords a more strategic layer to the game. You will manage your odds and struggle with micro decisions of keeping great cards versus placing them back on top to ensure success on the next test.

The deck is also tweaked slightly during play as certain story outcomes can add dead “weakness” cards to your allotment. Between scenarios you will spend experience you have earned to add better options and more varied abilities. You have the choice to even change to a new class and pursue alternate vectors during your character growth, ultimately resulting in a multi-class system that’s keen and certainly interesting.

Ultimately this type of content-driven game is heavily dependent on said content. The writing here is decent although not quite special. There’s a somewhat bare feel of Middle Earth which suffers due to operating in a time period outside–or rather between–the established fiction. The pace of the narrative and context for your action is adequate, but the decision to include a mixed cast of established protagonists detracts from the design’s potential. Just as Peter Jackson’s take on the trilogy feels a step distance from its source due to numerous tweaks and uncharacteristic shifts, this feels one step beyond even that, resulting in a developed fiction two degrees removed from its source material. This doesn’t snuff the whole thing out, but it does pose a challenge you must grapple with.

Variability is also a concern. Each scenario is randomly generated from an uncountable bushel of options, but the general feel is similar. The card system does provide a bit of a prod towards replaying the campaign and tinkering with new builds, but it’s only one facet of play and not the driving force. The format does offer two distinct scenario types of the more common overland adventure and a small skirmish on two boards with a touch of terrain. This helps vary the experience and present new challenges, but those hoping for the depth of a well-rounded or intricate skirmish design will not find it here.

This is a very prudent iteration of the Mansions of Madness experience with its own sense of atmosphere. The game system is a touch more complicated, although still pretty light, and it feels generally smoother in terms of how it handles enemy attacks and tests in the app. Those who abhor a phone or tablet interfering with their cardboard play will certainly not be converted here. Nearly every action in the game requires input into the device and translating that feedback to the group. Unsurprisingly, it works quite well as a solo endeavor as it’s very easy to handle two heroes and keep up with the flow of play.

The focus on the campaign format is a boon. It helps provide distance from other similar adventure titles and it also manipulates the incentive structure a bit. In addition to earning experience for completing the mission, you can earn lore for resolving side-quests and triggering events. Lore is later spent to upgrade your equipment which is a joy. This smooth system offers incentives such as trekking to that shrine at the Northern edge of play instead of following the bandit’s trail Eastward. It also provides reason to split your party at times which means everyone has something to do at larger player counts.

Overall, the app-based play is an improvement upon Mansions of Madness’s formula. There’s a general sense of refinement in systems and there’s a number of subtle tweaks. It possesses some of the inherent weaknesses of those ported mechanisms as well, such as the inherent lack of variety in enemy behavior. Its forefather has never solved this conundrum and its likely that solution won’t poke its head out of the Shire.

The bottom line is this is a story-driven game of mostly simple mechanisms with a touch of deck management depth. It’s not likely to grab those seeking overarching strategic variation as the narrative is somewhat linear and possesses minimal branching paths in the demo version I have tinkered with. Yet, for those seeking a Lord of the Rings cooperative adventure with a touch of flavor and an exciting heap of potential, this is certainly a design worth consideration.

I feel like I’m parroting my Mansions of Madness mantra, but Journeys in Middle Earth is a very solid design of quality fun, but its legacy is ultimately up to its evolution as a product and how it continues to integrate its technological advantage into future content.

More Lord of the Rings Goodness!

• Fantasy Flight Announces App-Driven Lord of the Rings Cooperative Game
• The Bombastic Lord of the Rings Miniatures Game
• The Fantasy RPG That Takes Lord of the Rings and Adds Zombies

Image Credits: Charlie Theel, Fantasy Flight Games

In addition to Geek & Sundry, Charlie Theel writes for Ars Technica, Tabletop Gaming, Player Elimination, and co-hosts the gaming podcast Ding & Dent. You can find him on Twitter @CharlieTheel.

The post JOURNEYS IN MIDDLE EARTH Is LORD OF THE RINGS Meets Lovecraft appeared first on Nerdist.

Sam De Leve is joined by Amy Dallen as they chat about the nuances of house rules and all things involving home brewing content!

Thanks to The Deck of Many and Level Up Dice for partnering with us on this video.

Learn more about The Deck of Many: https://thedeckofmany.com/collections/shop
Learn more about Level Up Dice: https://levelupdice.net/

The post Home Brewing Content appeared first on Nerdist.

Want a primer on the rules? Check out How to Play: https://youtu.be/mvUaKySjQ14

Hire your apprentices and lay down some marble! In this week’s Game the Game, host Becca Scott is joined by Alcuin Gersh, Bonnie Gordon, and Hector Navarro for Architects of the West Kingdom by Renegade Game Studios. In this worker placement game, players take on the role of an architect seeking to be the most prolific designer in the land.

Thanks to Renegade Game Studios for partnering with us on this video. Learn more about the game here: https://www.renegadegamestudios.com/architects

Tabletop games are super fun, but learning the complicated directions and rules can be a challenge. Becca Scott is your game tutor, explaining the game mechanics in an easy to follow way, so you can get to playing the games faster.

The post Architects of the West Kingdom appeared first on Nerdist.

Join Eric Campbell and Sam De Leve as they talk all things crunch. From streamlining game mechanics to tips and tricks on how to absorb all the info in a crunchy system, Eric and Sam have you covered!

Thanks to The Deck of Many and Level Up Dice for partnering with us on this video.

Learn more about The Deck of Many: https://thedeckofmany.com/collections/shop
Learn more about Level Up Dice: https://levelupdice.net/

Are you a new GM? Or want to learn some new techniques? Twelve of the best RPG Game Masters will share tips, tricks, and insights into their expertise. Whether you’re an experienced GM or looking to get started as a storyteller, Game Masters Hall will set you at the top of your game.

The post Crunching Game Mechanics | Game Masters Hall appeared first on Nerdist.

Hire your apprentices and lay down some marble! In this week’s How to Play, host Becca Scott teaches Architects of the West Kingdom by Renegade Game Studios. In this worker placement game, players take on the role of an architect seeking to be the most prolific designer in the land.

Thanks to Renegade Game Studios for partnering with us on this video. Learn more about the game here: https://www.renegadegamestudios.com/architects

Tabletop games are super fun, but learning the complicated directions and rules can be a challenge. Becca Scott is your game tutor, explaining the game mechanics in an easy to follow way, so you can get to playing the games faster.

The post How to Play Architects of the West Kingdom appeared first on Nerdist.

When Games Workshop first re-launched the Warhammer Quest line, one of the great hopes was for a stream of compartmentalized expansions. I still have a warm nostalgic cavity in my midsection that fondly recalls trekking to the hobby shop and back-ordering the Witch Hunter or Pit Fighter expansions for the original title. Unfortunately, that nostalgia was never tickled with the new Age of Sigmar games. Things change though, and now we’re getting our first boxed addition in the form of The Dreaded Ambull entering the Blackstone Fortress.

If you’re not familiar with the school of old, you likely don’t even know what an Ambull is. Their origins date back multiple decades to Rogue Trader. They are enormous beasts that burrow and can withstand scorching temperatures. The enormous mandibles and hunched stature are the defining characteristics as they come across as sort of a 40k Umber Hulk. You may not be defecating in your trousers but I can guarantee you Janus Draik and his crew will be.

The box itself is quite small, particularly for the price. The Ambull mini is a beauty, and even better it utilizes the push-fit technology found in the Blackstone Fortress box. There are a couple of additional Borewyrm Infestation small minis, which are basically a cluster of maggots full of hate.

While the plastic makes up the bulk of the product, the real value arises from the cardboard. We have new exploration, discovery, encounter, and hostile cards. There’s material to spec out the Ambull in its more docile, “normal” mode, or as an enraged psychopath which will rend you limb from limb.

How you integrate this material is the interesting part. The manual suggests you embark on a new mini-campaign to track down the Ambull layer and fell the beast. This is a perfect introduction to the adversary and it’s a wonderful quest in its own right. The variability it brings to play, functioning as a new fortress to assault and a new type of clue to pursue, works flawlessly within the pre-existing scenario structure.

The best aspect of this new mission is the sealed envelope. I adore this small nod towards the current trend of Legacy-style board games as it affords a small reward that feels like a real-world treasure. There’s mystery surrounding the thing and it’s a joy to open a sealed packet and find something unexpected.

Your journey doesn’t end once you’ve successfully conquered the terror. You can then start mixing in these new cards with your existing encounters as the threat has awakened. In all honesty, you could even go right ahead and do this from the get-go. It’s probably a stronger thematic experience to follow the booklet’s suggested approach, but nothing will be harmed by adding some enemy variety right away.

This release will likely not blow your hair back, but it’s a very strong entry as the first extension. The enemy itself forms a boss-like encounter that can turn up unexpectedly. Its role as an apex predator is on point in the Blackstone Fortress setting and the entirety of the content feels as though it smoothly integrates without a rough edge.

Encounters with the beast are interesting. They will force you to adopt new tactics and challenge your wits. Of course, one of the qualities of this game is its swingy challenge level where it can sometimes become too easy or too difficult depending on your item acquisition and team makeup, and this doesn’t really change that. I’ve had encounters where the Ambull ripped my fragile dudes apart, and others where I’ve stomped the ugly bug’s face in. Fortunately, the majority of play has been a tense and even-handed affair.

Upon first blush it does appear as a very expensive product, particularly for those more accustomed to the cost of board game content and not Games Workshop’s pricing. When you compare the miniature itself to other high quality designs of similar detail and size that criticism fades a touch. Furthermore, the printed material is the real get of the package, as it will provide additional life in your campaign and helps to keep this wonderful game fresh and inventive. There’s even some greater opportunity to field the beast in your standard games of Warhammer 40k with the included data card.

The Dreaded Ambull is ultimately an interesting and unique addition. Hot on its heels is the recently announced Traitor Commissar and Ogryn bodyguard release. With such a wealth of material to draw from, the horrific bowels of the Blackstone Fortress have a very bright future.

More Warhammer Goodness!

• How I Joined the War with Warhammer 40k 8th Edition
• Warhammer 40k Goes Back to the Board With Heroes of Black Reach
• Warhammer 40k’s Rogue Trader is Back After 31 Years

Image Credits: Games Workshop

In addition to Geek & Sundry, Charlie Theel writes for Ars Technica, Tabletop Gaming, Player Elimination, and co-hosts the gaming podcast Ding & Dent. You can find him on Twitter @CharlieTheel.

The post This 40k Umber Hulk is the First Expansion to BLACKSTONE FORTRESS appeared first on Nerdist.