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At this point I'm still feeling my way around the BGG News stage and figuring out the best way to do things. Let me know in the comments whether you prefer posts that include short descriptions of many new items (such as this post) or separate posts for each item. The goal, of course, is for everyone to find out about the games they might want to find out about, while not being burdened to read every fool thing I might post.
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And now, on to a few tidbits about new or forthcoming games!
• Designer Antoine Bauza has posted info about 7 Wonders: Leaders, on display at the Nürnberg 2011 Toy Fair. The white-backed Leader cards are played at the start of each of the game's three ages, not mixed with the other cards, and they cost money to be played, not resources. The expansion will likely include 35 cards along with a new double-sided wonder.
Bauza also notes that in response to comments from buyers, the next print run of 7 Wonders will have a plastic insert instead of a cardboard one, and cardboard coins instead of wooden ones.
• In more news from Nürnberg 2011, French website Jedisjeux reports that Dixit has sold 350,000 copies so far and will be followed by a new standalone game from designer Jean-Louis Roubira titled Dixit: l'Odyssée. While the game will include new rule variants, including a team option that allows for up to ten players, the cards – once again bearing art from Mary Cardouat – can also be mixed with those in the base game and expansion.
• To confirm an earlier report of a new edition of Samurai Swords/Shogun coming down the pike, yes, the game will once again be available, this time from Avalon Hill. A January 27, 2011 press release announcing Pegasus Spiele as the distributor of Avalon Hill titles in Germany and Austria includes the game in a list of games to be distributed, albeit with the name Ikusa (and the clarifying note "formerly Shogun"). The game is listed at €65 with a publish date of June 26, 2011. Other titles forthcoming from the deal include Risk: 2210 A.D. (due April 2011) and Acquire (in late 2011).
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To submit news, a designer diary, outrageous rumors, or other material, contact us at news@boardgamegeek.com.
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Sun Feb 6, 2011 7:12 am
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Here's the latest from around the web relating to these games we play:
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• The Spiel des Jahres committee has announced that for the 2011 award ceremony, three games will be named "game of the year" instead of only two, which has been the case since 2001 when the Kinderspiel des Jahres award began. According to the committee (in my translation):Quote:The third prize is meant for players who have a lot of experience playing board games and are searching for more of a challenge....As for the Spiel des Jahres itself, that award will still go to a game aimed at all players. The three game of the year awards will be announced June 27, 2011 in Berlin.
The committee is responding to changes in the board game market. Supply and demand have grown for rule-intensive games in the past few years. The critics want to reward originality and innovation, while giving authors and publishers an incentive to continue their creative work in this segment of the market.
• To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Carcassonne and its utter domination of game shelves around the world, Dutch publisher 999 Games is sponsoring a contest in which you must guess the number of games sold worldwide in the entire Carcassonne family. The winner gets a weekend for two in Carcassonne (the city, not the game box), and those who sign up for the 999 Games newsletter have a chance to win a game package worth €250. Deadline for entry is May 1, 2011.
• In an excellent example of how to introduce a game to potential players, GMT Games will host a live online demonstration of Volko Ruhnke's forthcoming game Andean Abyss on February 10, 2011 at 7:30 EST (GMT -5). Head to the GMT website for details on how to access the GMT Ventrilo Voice Server.
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Sun Feb 6, 2011 6:38 am
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It's not my day job, but I run a game publishing company. Pair-of-Dice Games was started in 2001 by me and a couple of my friends. My friends moved on after a few years while I kept the business going, and in the ten years I've been running Pair-of-Dice, I've self-published 12 games that run the gamut from simple abstract games (Knockabout, Warp 6) to a dexterity game involving chopsticks (Chopstick Dexterity MegaChallenge 3000) to a Euro game with the game board housed in a restaurant's menu cover (Restaurant Row).
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The common thread between all of these games is that I make them by myself. When someone orders a game, I go into the Ikea storage bench which houses most of my game bits and dig out the right combination of dice, dyed wooden bits, screenprinted handkerchiefs, bowls, sauce dishes, and eating utensils that comprise one of the seven games that I currently offer.
Every once in a while, I realize that I'm running low on restaurant menu covers (which I order from a restaurant supply company), little wooden stars and spools (which I order from a company in Maine), or plastic bowls and sauce dishes (Dollar Store and Super 88 Asian Grocery store, respectively) and have to get more. How many games I sell is pretty much directly proportional to the effort I put into promoting them. Have I sent reviewers, podcasters and other board game cognoscenti review copies? Should I go to this or that convention to do game demos? Orders trickle in by ones and twos off my web site, or by one or two dozen if Boards and Bits or FunAgain calls. It's not the most efficient way to build a brand, I know, but it's one that lets me concentrate on the part of game design that I enjoy most: Making new games.:strip_icc()/pic459624.jpg)
Chopstick Dexterity MegaChallenge 3000 – game pieces drying after being dyed
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Sun Feb 6, 2011 6:30 am
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Dragon*Con is usually held in Atlanta, Georgia, over Labor Day weekend; for 2010 that was September 3-6. They hail themselves as the "largest multi-media, popular culture convention focusing on science fiction and fantasy, gaming, comics, literature, art, music, and film in the universe." Wow, that's a big tagline – not to mention possibly offensive to certain aliens.
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Memberships usually do not sell out so you may wait to register at the convention. In fact, this year the line was so incredibly long for preregistration that it might even be faster to wait (although next year may see a switch as all those who were in the prereg. line figure this out). I will say that the badges for preregistration are larger and possibly valuable (to those who collect them). On the other hand, hosting hotels sell out very quickly. If you want to book a room in a Dragon*Con block, you should sign up as soon as they open. If you do not get one in a block, you can try to reserve a room anyway. I advise that you do not tell them you are attending the convention since some hotels will not allow you to book a room if they know you are attending the convention. Yes, this actually happened to me. If you belong to an organization like AAA, you can try to get a discount that way, or just ask what specials they have running. Once in a while I get a rate that is better than the convention rate (this may involve paying ahead). You should ask about refund policies before booking.
Fun Facts: (from the Media Relations Handbook) approximate number of attendees 35,000; volunteers 1,700; guests 400; years 24; hotels 5; days 4.:strip_icc()/pic911035.jpg)
Three of the many Lara Croft/Tomb Raiders at Dragon Con. Note the preregistration size badges.
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- CATAN
- Cosmic Encounter
- Formula Dé
- Magic: The Gathering
- Diplomacy
- Star Wars Customizable Card Game
- Munchkin
- Vampire: The Eternal Struggle
- Pokémon Trading Card Game
- Star Trek: The Card Game
- Goa: A New Expedition
- Twilight Imperium: Third Edition
- Arkham Horror
- Railways of the World
- Descent: Journeys in the Dark
- World of Warcraft Trading Card Game
- Middle-Earth Quest
- Le Havre
- Dominion
- Marvel Ultimate Battles
- Dominion: Intrigue
- Battle Spirits: Trading Card Game
- Dominion: Seaside
- Catacombs
- Dominion: Alchemy
- Twilight Creations, Inc.
Sat Feb 5, 2011 6:30 am
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(In this Nürnberg 2011 report from Feb. 3, 2011, Rob Harris ran down what to expect from Queen Games in 2011. Rob has now sent photos from the show, so I'm reprinting that section below with photos in place a few extra details gleaned from the images to give you a better idea of what to expect in the months ahead. —WEM)
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These are all 2011 releases from Queen Games without specific release dates, and yes, the descriptions are sketchy for many of these. The titles are:
• Castelli, by Günter Burkhardt – nothing else known at this time.:strip_icc()/pic914286.jpg)
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Sat Feb 5, 2011 4:35 am
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The last weekend in January means my annual trip to the Canadian Toy & Hobby Fair in Toronto. This is a small trade show featuring toys and games for the Canadian market. Since this show is geared towards the kids market, many of the board games shown are also geared towards that market, though there are exceptions. As usual I found a few games which might interest us hobbyist gamers. Unlike in previous years, I am going to group games by distributor, then in an "Innovators" section for independent designers.
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Îlot 307 inc.
This game distributor out of Quebec had a selection of Euro-style games at the show, the most interesting of which were Sultans of Karaya, Water Lily and Vizia.
• Sultans of Karaya, by Alex Weldon (MJ Games) – This is an interesting Werewolf-like small box game themed around an evil assassin who is trying to kill the Sultan. The game ends when the Sultan is killed by the assassin, the Sultan kills the assassin, or three slaves sit side-by-side, thereby starting a revolution.
At the start of the game, each person is dealt a hidden character; during the game, they can either exchange their character with another player or a neutral card in the middle of the table, or use their special power, revealing their card in the process. Other characters include the seductive dancing girl, the stalwart bodyguards, a seer (who bets on who is going to win), and the slave. This looks to be a fun party game for those who would like a change from Werewolf./pic914065.jpg)
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All credit for the following Nürnberg 2011 report goes to
who contacted me prior to Nürnberg 2011 to see which companies I'd be interested in hearing more about while he was at the show. I said Queen Games and HiG's Pantheon, and that's what Rob sent me. Kudos, Rob! Now, on to the report, which I've edited due to Rob having typed on a phone while being sleep-deprived...
First, let's take a look at the Queen Games line-up for 2011. These are all 2011 releases without specific release dates, and yes, the descriptions are sketchy for many of these. This is a start, though, and we'll build from here. The titles are:• Fresco: The Glaziers, which was released in January 2011 in North America and is also available in Europe. This expansion box consists of modules 4-6 for the Spiel des Jahres-nominated Fresco, with players being able to mix-and-match these modules with any in the base game, in addition to using them individually. (2-4 players, 10+, 60-90 minutes)/pic891308.jpg)
• German Railways (1832-1872), a new edition of Winsome Games' Preußische Ostbahn, a railway game through German history. (3-5 players, 12+, 60 minutes)
• Kairo, in which players build a stall in Cairo's bustling marketplace in order to attract customers and sell wares. (2-4 players, 10+, 60 minutes) (Interesting to think that this game is still on display given all that's happening in Egypt generally, and Cairo in particular, this past week. —WEM)
• Lancaster, with players as English lords who are supporting the King during his conflict with France, while simultaneously trying to build castles for themselves nad increase their influence in Parliament. (2-5 players, 10+, 60 minutes)
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Fri Feb 4, 2011 4:32 am
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Philippe Keyaerts scored gold with Small World, a new version of his Vinci that was released by Days of Wonder in 2009 to great acclaim and numerous awards. With Olympos, coming from French publisher Ystari Games, Keyaerts has another go at the simplified civilization game. The playing time for Olympos is only 60-90 minutes for 3-5 players, but says Ystari's Cyril Demaegd, "Even if it's a short game, it's a gamer's game."
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Players take actions based on their position on a time track, along the lines of Peter Prinz' Thebes. (Says Demaegd, "This is mainly a coincidence because Philippe designed this game years ago.") By spending time, players take actions, with the choices being expansion or development. Expanding brings new settlers onto the game board, which depicts Greece and Atlantis, which lets you conquer territories and thereby acquire resources.:strip_icc()/pic913165.jpg)
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Another round-up of links from around the gaming world, most new and some only sorta new as I continue to clear bookmarks from my two-month hiatus:
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• The nominees for the As d'Or for 2010 – France's Game of the Year award – have been announced and the titles up for consideration are:
* 7 Wonders by Antoine Bauza (Repos Production)
* Cyclades by Bruno Cathala and Ludovic Maublanc (Matagot)
* Djam by William Attia (Asmodee)
* Fresko by Marco Ruskowski and Marcel Süßelbeck (Queen Games)
* Qwirkle by Susan McKinley Ross (Iello)
* Razzo Raketo by Steffen Bogen (Selecta Spiel)
* S.O.S. Octopus by Oliver Igelhaut (Filosofia)
* Skull & Roses by Hervé Marly (Editions Lui-Même)
* Troyes by Sébastien Dujardin, Xavier Georges & Alain Orban (Pearl Games)
* Water Lily by Dominique Ehrhard (GameWorks)
As always, an interesting mix of games among the nominees, with two pure kids' games (S.O.S. Octopus and Razzo Raketo) and a couple of family games (Qwirkle and Water Lily) among more complex fare. (I have no inside knowledge, but I've already predicted that 7 Wonders will win every award for which it's nominated, including Spiel des Jahres and DSP. We'll see how that prediction pans out.) The winner will be announced Feb. 24, 2011 during the Festival International des Jeux in Cannes.
• Purple Pawn has surveyed more than 7,000 companies worldwide that are involved with the analog games industry and posted the results of its 2010 Game Industry Survey as a downloadable PDF, which summarizes the methodology PP's Yehuda Berlinger used to contact these companies. I'm not sure what to make of this partial summary: "Of the companies surveyed, those that did not close reported good results, with 85% reporting that they had done at least as well or better in 2010 than they had done in 2009." So in general the companies are doing great, other than those that are no longer in business.
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Thu Feb 3, 2011 8:02 pm
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NG International, which releases games under the Nexus Games and Tenki Games brands, has announced its lineup for 2011, starting with the highly anticipated return of War of the Ring from designers Roberto Di Meglio, Marco Maggi and Francesco Nepitello.
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Originally released in 2004 in eight languages, War of the Ring has a huge following among gamers as noted by the success of the enormous (and enormously expensive) Collector's Edition released in 2010. For this new edition NG International will incorporate some of the changes and additions from the Collector's Edition, namely "an improved perfect-bound 48 pages rulebook, a new board with new graphics (70 x 100 cm in size) and large, tarot-sized cards". This game is due out September 2011.Wings of War, from designers Andrea Angiolino and Pier Giorgio Paglia, will continue to expand in numerous ways, with two new Airplane Packs (one each for WWI and WWII), new Bombers miniatures (again for both WWI and WWII), Winds of Fire and Ground Attack squadron packs (for WWII only) and the WWII-specific boxed set Rain of Destruction./pic914755.jpg)
Piero Cioni's Magestorm – released in Europe but not yet available in North America – will be expanded by the release of Fallen Shadows in Q3 2011. This expansion adds two new mages to the four included in the base game: "the Water Mage, wielding the healing power of this life-giving element, and the Dark Mage, drawing his power from the realms of frost and shadow".
The second title in the Nexus Designers' Series – the first being Ad Astra – will be released in October 2011 at Spiel, that game being Leo Colovini's Aztlan. Here's the description from NG International:Quote:In the mythical Aztlan, ancestral home of the Nahuatl people, rival god-kings engaged in a struggle to rule the mightiest empire and the highest civilization. This new Euro-style game for 3 to 4 players develops during five different epochs, where each player tries to conquer the largest realm, using an intriguing highly interactive mechanic based on majorities and card playing.The tiddlywinks-inspired Micro Mutants has a spinoff for the junior set in Micro Monsters, due out June 2011. Four armies of alien micro-monsters – Autogators, Bigbears, Finbacks and Turboturtles – will battle it out on Nexus to "close the dimensional gate the rival monsters come from, in an exciting contest, based on strategy and dexterity"./pic912001.jpg)
Finally, two games on display at Spiel 2010 but not previously available are shipping to stores in February 2011: Gabriele Mari and Gianluca Santopietro's Letters from Whitechapel, in which one player controls Jack the Ripper and everyone else is a detective trying to track him down, and Piero Cioni's Dakota, which designer Bruno Faidutti describes as "the tensest and nastiest heavy German-style resource management game I've ever played, and probably one of the best".
Wed Feb 2, 2011 8:29 pm
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