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New Boardgame, CCG, RPG, Card, Family and Abstract Games News for 2009
New Releases and Previews at Expo in 2010
UK Games Expo is will be the first chance to play these new games. Some are to be released at Expo and others demo versions of up coming titles which will be available to try. Others are JUST out.
Use the quick links below to jump to games from:
| Ragnar Brothers | Medusa Games | Warfrog/Treefrog | MOC Games | |
| Dice Maestro | Hopwood Games | Tied to a Kite | Restami | |
| Inspired Games | ||||
| Cubiko | Twisted Wind Games | Panic Games Ltd | Coiledspring | Eggertspiele |
Ragnar Brothers
‘Workshop of the World’
The latest game from Ragnar Brothers.
3-5 player with alternative rules for 2-player
Playing time - 90 minutes
The game started as a design exercise; could the two transport revolutions (canal and railway) of the Industrial Revolution be incorporated into a game encompassing England, Scotland and Wales.Â
In its earliest stages of development the game proved popular with the wider group of Ragnar testers and consequently the game leap-frogged several other works in progress in being produced. Its accessibility comes from being in two almost identical halves and from having neat inter-locking mechanisms delivering building of industries and transport links. Player interaction comes via auctions to determine turn order and by the positioning of industries and links.Â
Players establish their position on the map-board by investing in ports, heavy industries, textiles, light industries and crafts. Canal networks are built to connect the thriving towns. Expenditure is vast, but capital gains are greater. Next the railways are built and each player seeks to strengthen their industrial base. By game end, towns are linked from London to Wales, Scotland to the Channel ports and wealth decides the winner.
Game components include 580 x 400 mm map-board, 100 wooden playing pieces, 39 Town cards, 100 die-cut counters, a supply of money and Rules book.
Treefrog / Warfrog
Age of Industry - Aiming for release at Expo.
Following on from the success of 'Brass' we will be releasing a new version of the game that allows for play on a variety of maps. For those of you who have played Warfrog's 'Brass' then most of the rules in this game will be familiar to you. If you have not has the pleasure of playing 'Brass' then please take comfort in the fact that the rules to 'Age of Industry' are somewhat shorter (although not necessarily simpler). The game is suitable for three to five players.
This is a business game set during the nineteenth century, when many countries around the world where experiencing their own particular 'industrial revolution'. Your only aim is to build profitable industries. To do this successfully you must divine where the best opportunities are to make such a profit (that's the hard part of the game).
Gettysburg
Coming out a month or two before the 2009 UK Expo, in Birmingham. Play it at Expo!
Having dealt with Waterloo I thought it only reasonable to have a crack at Gettysburg. Cannot give more details as I've not designed it yet. However, it will not be a straight adaptation of mechanics from Waterloo. Just to confirm, this is a two player wargame!
Each player has a set of eight command blocks, numbered from 2 to 5 (just like the ones in Waterloo!). As an action a player can place a command block on the map. This allows him to place order discs in later turns. Order discs can be used to activate units in the vicinity of the command block. Once the number of order discs matches the value of the command block then no more orders can be issued until the block has been removed (along with the order discs) and replaced with a new block, which uses two valuable actions. The key effect of this system is the stutters it creates in controlling your forces. The enemy may have left himself in a vulnerable position but if you are not able to issue the orders to take advantage of that then you will miss that opportunity. The Confederate player has the advantage of being able to issue a certain number of double orders. The Union player is at a disadvantage in that he has a small number of order discs and if he leaves too many on the map then he will be forced to pass for a number of action rounds, which could be fatal.
Assault combat is similar to Waterloo. The main exceptions are that the attacker and defender use different morale check tables. The defender is more likely to retreat than be eliminated, but there is also the chance of a counter-attack to throw back the assaulting forces.
The Confederate player wins by taking two starred areas, or Little Round Top. Each day is divided into four periods and the key locations must be held by the end of one period, so the Union player has the chance to fight his way back into the lost terrain.
Overall the game is simpler than Waterloo, mainly because there are not the complications associated with the interaction of three formations (infantry, cavalry and artillery). Cavalry does appear in Gettysburg but it fights in the same way as infantry, although it does benefit from being able to bug out rather than take damage.
MOC Games
Tactico is a brand new type of boardgame that has been crafted to capture the excitement, drama and outright fun of team sports and bring them directly into your living room.
Tactico Football Edition is the first in this amazing family to be released in the UK!
Medusa Games
Great Fire
More on Great Fire here....
Designer:Richard Denning
Great Fire will be available as a final production version at Expo and for pre orders but will be released in June or July 2010.
September 1666. A careless baker in Pudding Lane forgot to put out his fire and it spread creating an inferno which would destroy 13,000 houses and make 70,000 of London’s 80,000 population homeless. The Lord Mayor fails to act and it is down to the trained bands of militia led by a few worthies to fight the fire and finally put it out. To do so they must decide which districts to demolish to protect others. These same individuals own much of London and making such choices is painful. In the end though it is an opportunity for many. Someone is going to come out of this with the most property intact and someone will be seen to do the most to fight the fire. Could that someone have enough influence and popularity to become the next Mayor?
The players are men of wealth and standing who own property around London. They can use the trained bands to fight the fire, use demolitions to destroy blocks of housing to prevent the fire flowing or turn a blind eye and allow the fire to spread and damage rival’s property. Victory can belong to the player with the most property left but putting out fires can give you a boost. In addition each player will have several hidden objectives which might include helping another player or protecting parts of the city.
Early prototype artwork:
Production artwork:
Games for the World
Football World Cup Card Game
Designer:Shaun Derrick
Already on release - but sure to be a topical with the 2010 world cup.
Coiledspring Games
Coiledspring games will be hosting the European release of the new game by the designer of the smash hit Pandemic. Matt Leacock's new game Forbidden Island will be a game to look forward to.
Dare to discover Forbidden Island! Join a team of fearless adventurers on a do-or-die mission to capture four sacred treasures from the ruins of this perilous paradise. Your team will have to work together and make some pulse-pounding maneuvers, as the island will sink beneath every step! Race to collect the treasures and make a triumphant escape before you are swallowed into the watery abyss!
Other new games and details:
Wazabi: http://coiledspring.co.uk/games/wazabi
Regatta: http://coiledspring.co.uk/games/regatta
Kakuzu: http://coiledspring.co.uk/games/kakuzu
Panic Games Ltd
Tri 3D - the ultimate 3d strategy board game.
it can be played by 2 or 3 players aged 8 to adult.
it is played on the unique Tri 3D board - 3 clear triangular platforms stacked one above the other.
players attempt to capture their opponent's counters by surrounding or cornering them.
the ability to jump between the platforms adds an extra dimension to this exciting game of strategy, skill and cunning.
CUBIKO WORD
Q. Are word games fun?  A. They are with Cubiko Word.  Available to Pre-order now! More info; cubiko1@hotmail.com  |
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Twisted Wind Games
Ants came out in late 2009 and will be at Expo - and there is a possibility of at least a prototype
of the expansion pack.
Eggertspiele
Hamburg around 1900 - the gate to the world. Within the harbour there stretches a unique complex of storehouses: Speicherstadt. The network of canals and bridges houses a terminal for spices, coffee, tea and carpets from all over the world.
As one of Hamburg´s wholesaler at the heyday of the Speicherstadt you acquire shiploads for the storehouses, not too expensive, of course, as you like to make a profit selling them. Who makes the best deals within a year and supplies his clients with the right goods will be the winner of the game. But beware! Sudden fires cause heavy losses. You might be adviced to invest in fire protection early.
Playing Speicherstadt you will be thrilled by the simple and original mechanism of acquiring desired action cards. Very special is the money: attractive heavy coins with hanseatic minting.
Hopwood Games
Niche is a quick, fun and deceptively simple card game. It is a game of bucking the trend, keeping your options open and closing down the opposition. Will you play safe and pick up your points where you can or take a risk and hold out for a better score?
The game is the first publication from Hopwood Games and aims to promote and support The Foundation for Conductive Education. This method works with children and adults who have conditions such as Cerebral Palsy, Stroke, M.S. or Parkinsons, helping them to lead more independent lives.
Andy Hopwood might be also releasing a new game at Expo.
Tied to a Kite
Tied to a Kite are releasing a roleplaying game (Backswords & Bucklers).
.
"Backswords & Bucklers is a new, completely self-contained Swords &
Wizardry: Whitebox variant, designed to run games of Elizabethan Fantasy.
Inspired by works such as Michael Moorcock’s Gloriana and Sir Walter
Scott’s Kennilworth, Backswords & Bucklers is a game of adventure set in
Gloriana’s Britain. The basic game contains complete rules for the game
with Fighting Man, Scoundrel and Wise Woman classes, and focuses on running
games set in the Underworld of London; where Dungeon Delving is replaced
with Tavern Trawling. It contains a modified combat system, appropriate
weaponry (including matchlocks) and money, sample magic items and tables to
inspire the Referee with ideas for jobs; as well as a sample tavern
complete with rumours and a short adventure. Stock monsters and treasure
tables are abandoned in this game, as not being particularly relevant to
the subject matter."
Devine Enterprises
"Footprint; the sustainability challenge." It's a environmental strategy game.
Restami
In Retsami (conspicuously "I master" backward), each player attempts to get a single piece to the center, Home, space. The players' pieces start interspersed along the furthest end of a spiral path on a 9×9 board. Pieces move along the spiral path; however, they can also capture orthogonally or diagonally.
Retsami is similar to Backgammon, but without the element of chance. It is also similar to Chess, but not as long, and much easier to master.
It is a powerful and exciting two player board game of countless possibilities. Using your mind and imagination, you will love Retsami.
Originally designed some years ago the game has been reproduced and rereleased and willl be new to most visitors.
Inspired Games
STARPLAYER The Football Board Game is an action-packed game for adults and children aged 8+, 2-4 players or teams. You're the new owner of a big football club and the race is on to rebuild your club and win The STARPLAYER Cup in this fast-paced fun game for family and friends! To reach the Cup Final, you have to first buy a squad of 11 international footballers, a manager and stadium (a "Club Set") with £150 million of STARPLAYER money! As you race opponents to get your Club Set, you must battle to win five Starplayer Cup matches by rolling the unique Starplayer football dice...be the FIRST to win 5 matches AND complete your Club Set to get YOUR club to the FINAL! Win the exciting Cup final penalty shoot out using the fantastic STARPLAYER GOAL die to win the entire game! Get more of the action and read rave reviews at www.InspiredGames.co.uk
The STARPLAYER Football Card Game is 3 unique, brilliant football card games called, Team Up!, What's the Score? and The System Game! They're all for adults and children aged 7+. What's more, we've included 2 GREAT bonus card games for even more STARPLAYER fun - It's a Match Ref! & Remember the Ref! for adults & kids aged 4+!
Dice Maestro
Featuring stunning computer-generated dinosaur images
Jurassic Wars features 20 different dinosaurs: ten herbivores on green Dinocards and ten carnivores coloured red. During combat herbivores use green dice and carnivores use red. A red die is more likely to score a hit against an opponent than a green die.
The compelling dinosaur combat game
Each player is dealt a hand of dinocards and some combat cards. During the game players must carefully play dinocards from their hand and must judge when to play a combat card, which can alter the outcome of the combat.
Play consists of combats between pairs of players. During combat players take the appropriate combat dice for their dinosaur, which vary according to a few conditions, and start rolling.
The aim is to score hits against the opposing dinosaur. Jurassic Wars uses a unique game mechanism where the combat dice also serve as the number of hit points that each dinosaur can sustain in combat. After a series of rolls between the two players one will be left with no dice to throw and his or her dinosaur has been defeated and is removed from play.
