This is quite a release announcement from Fantasy Flight. First off, as you can tell from the Featured Image, the much-anticipated Marvel Champions card game is now available. But if you're wanting something else, there's a bit more going on. There's the new Final Hour stand-alone Arkham Horror game. Or, for you Mansions of Madness players, you can pick up Path of the Serpent. Want some Star Wars: Legion? There's that too with the BARC Speeder and Droideka kits. I told you it was quite an announcement.
This is quite a release announcement from Fantasy Flight. First off, as you can tell from the Featured Image, the much-anticipated Marvel Champions card game is now available. But if you're wanting something else, there's a bit more going on. There's the new Final Hour stand-alone Arkham Horror game. Or, for you Mansions of Madness players, you can pick up Path of the Serpent. Want some Star Wars: Legion? There's that too with the BARC Speeder and Droideka kits. I told you it was quite an announcement.
From the website:
Marvel Champions and More FFG Products Are On Sale Now
Take a look at the latest products from Fantasy Flight Games, now available at your local retailer or online through our webstore!
Path of the Serpent, new expansion for Mansions of Madness, is soon to hit game shelves. As always, intrepid Investigators will be trying to stop the nefarious forces of evil from bringing harm to humanity. But who are these stalwart defenders? In this preview, we get a look at exactly that, checking out the four new Investigators coming in this box set.
Path of the Serpent, new expansion for Mansions of Madness, is soon to hit game shelves. As always, intrepid Investigators will be trying to stop the nefarious forces of evil from bringing harm to humanity. But who are these stalwart defenders? In this preview, we get a look at exactly that, checking out the four new Investigators coming in this box set.
From the website:
The jungle makes its way to Arkham in Path of the Serpent, the latest expansion for Mansions of Madness! In three new scenarios that bring you to a cursed South American expedition, a lavish garden party for Arkham’s social elite, and a forgotten temple chosen as the set for a terrible rite, you must work alongside your team of investigators to battle monsters and solve eldritch mysteries before it is too late. If you wish to survive your journeys, you will need to team up with the most skilled professionals in their fields and prepare for any challenge that you may face.
Today, we would like to take the opportunity to introduce you to the four investigators who will be joining your expedition team in the Path of the Serpent expansion for Mansions of Madness—now available for pre-order at your local retailer or online through our website with free shipping within the continental United States!
Snakes! Why'd it have to be snakes!? Well, because they're cool, and there's plenty of myths and legends surrounding them. The Investigators in Mansions of Madness: Path of the Serpent will certainly come across a few during their exploration. But being prepared is important. So, what will they be coming across? That's what we get a look at in this preview of the scenario from the upcoming expansion.
Snakes! Why'd it have to be snakes!? Well, because they're cool, and there's plenty of myths and legends surrounding them. The Investigators in Mansions of Madness: Path of the Serpent will certainly come across a few during their exploration. But being prepared is important. So, what will they be coming across? That's what we get a look at in this preview of the scenario from the upcoming expansion.
From the website:
Adventure calls to you from the darkest corners of the jungle in Path of the Serpent. This expansion for Mansions of Madnessthrows your team of investigators into dangerous adventures the likes of which you have never encountered before in Arkham. A simple garden party turns deadly when a sudden rumble shifts the landscape into a tropical forest; a mission to assist an expedition team is threatened by a mysterious entity hidden in the dark; and an eldritch rite within the halls of an impossibly ancient temple threatens to destroy the world as we know it.
Each of these scenarios will bring you face-to-face with new monsters and mythos events and force you to confront the reality of things that go against everything you thought you knew. But before you set out to discover new truths of the Earth, you must take steps to prepare for the dangerous journey ahead.
Today, we're pleased to offer you a preview of the Lost Temple of Yig scenario from the Path of the Serpent expansion for Mansions of Madness—now available for pre-order at your local retailer or online through our website with free shipping within the continental United States!
While the game may be called Mansions of Madness, those mansions aren't always in New England somewhere. In Path of the Serpent, the new expansion announced by Fantasy Flight, the investigators will be making their way to the Amazonian rainforest, braving biting insects, ancient curses and traps, and huge snakes (as one would expect from the expansion's name). There's new tiles, new investigators, new monsters, and just a lot of new everything for you to check out.
While the game may be called Mansions of Madness, those mansions aren't always in New England somewhere. In Path of the Serpent, the new expansion announced by Fantasy Flight, the investigators will be making their way to the Amazonian rainforest, braving biting insects, ancient curses and traps, and huge snakes (as one would expect from the expansion's name). There's new tiles, new investigators, new monsters, and just a lot of new everything for you to check out.
From the website:
For all its beauty, the jungle conceals many perils. From unrelenting heat and dwindling supplies to cursed idols and booby-trapped temples, any who would dare face these dangers are sure to long for the relative safety of the city they knew. Now in Mansions of Madness, you take on the role of Arkham’s bravest investigators who must step into the unexplored wilderness of the Amazon jungle and explore crumbling ruins, discover the secrets of lost civilizations, and stop a serpent’s curse before the world descends into chaos. In three new scenarios, you will battle horrifying serpent creatures, face stone monstrosities that come to life, and beat the ever-present danger of being lost to the jungle forever. Are your ready for a new challenge?
Fantasy Flight Games is pleased to announce Path of the Serpent expansion for Mansions of Madness—now available for pre-order at your local retailer or online through our website with free shipping within the continental United States!
In Horrific Journeys, a quartet of new investigators hit the streets, looking to thwart the Great Old Ones and their follower's machinations. In this preview, we get a look at them and find where their strengths and weaknesses lie. While some might not fight what many people's mental picture of "anomaly investigator" may look like, they have what it takes to get the job done.
In Horrific Journeys, a quartet of new investigators hit the streets, looking to thwart the Great Old Ones and their follower's machinations. In this preview, we get a look at them and find where their strengths and weaknesses lie. While some might not fight what many people's mental picture of "anomaly investigator" may look like, they have what it takes to get the job done.
From the website:
A new team of investigators must journey far from Arkham in Horrific Journeys! In three new scenarios set aboard a transatlantic airship, a countryside train, and a luxurious ocean liner, these brave souls must solve eldritch mysteries and battle unspeakable terrors, all with the knowledge that one false move could destroy the very vessel they are trying to save. Only the bravest or most foolish souls would even accept such missions, so the question arises: just who are these people? What changes someone from an average citizen to a hero of humanity?
Today, we're pleased to introduce you to the four investigators who will be joining your team in the Horrific Journeys expansion for Mansions of Madness—now available for pre-order at your local retailer or online through our website!
Mansions of Madness is getting a new expansion. It's called Horrific Journeys, and looking at the state of that train on the cover, I'd say that looks like exactly what you'll be getting. But if you want some more details, you can check out this preview, wherein Fantasy Flight shows off the scenario from this new box set.
Mansions of Madness is getting a new expansion. It's called Horrific Journeys, and looking at the state of that train on the cover, I'd say that looks like exactly what you'll be getting. But if you want some more details, you can check out this preview, wherein Fantasy Flight shows off the scenario from this new box set.
From the post:
To protect your city, you must leave it behind. In Horrific Journeys, you and your team of investigations are tasked with solving three eldritch mysteries—aboard a bustling transatlantic airship, a luxury ocean liner, and a scenic countryside train. You will contend with cultists, hideous amphibian monsters, and even interdimensional creatures tearing holes in the fabric of reality in three brand-new scenarios that will challenge you like never before.
In the first of three scenarios, a simple train ride to Arkham quickly turns perilous when passengers begin to disappear! You must solve the mystery of your fellow passengers’ final fates before you, too, are lost forever. But before you climb aboard, we invite you to take a closer look at the thrills and the dangers ahead.
Today, we're pleased to offer you a preview of the 10:50 to Arkham scenario from the Horrific Journeys expansion for Mansions of Madness—now available for pre-order at your local retailer or online through our website!
We're halfway through October. The temperatures are dropping along with the leaves from the trees. It's the season of scares, and Fantasy Flight is celebrating with an event entirely dedicated to their spooky games like Eldritch Horror,Mansions of Madness, End of the World, and more during Arkham Nights, coming next weekend.
We're halfway through October. The temperatures are dropping along with the leaves from the trees. It's the season of scares, and Fantasy Flight is celebrating with an event entirely dedicated to their spooky games like Eldritch Horror,Mansions of Madness, End of the World, and more during Arkham Nights, coming next weekend.
From the website:
The sun’s light grows weaker with each new day as the shadows begin to lengthen, reaching to catch an unwary traveler in their grasp. A creeping mist rises from the ground and curls around your ankles, waiting for the time when it can tighten its grip and pull you to the realm of nightmares. The creatures that dwell just out of sight have been waiting patiently, and soon their moment will arise.
In one week, Arkham Nights 2018 will be held from October 19 – 20 at the Fantasy Flight Games Center in Roseville, MN! We invite you to join in the revelries and unite with investigators from across the mythos during the ultimate celebration of Lovecraftian horror. Even if you missed pre-registration, you can still attend the event and register onsite!
Finally... Finally, the temperature is starting to go down. Monday is supposed to be 10 degrees cooler than today. And by then, we'll have more night than day. The season of scaring will be here. And Fantasy Flight is ready to celebrate with their Arkham Nights event. It's all things horror and Lovecraft.
Finally... Finally, the temperature is starting to go down. Monday is supposed to be 10 degrees cooler than today. And by then, we'll have more night than day. The season of scaring will be here. And Fantasy Flight is ready to celebrate with their Arkham Nights event. It's all things horror and Lovecraft.
From the website:
The heat and light of summer have passed away once again. In its place, the ghosts of autumn take to the streets, haunting the smoke that curls from chimneys and lonely fields ready to be reaped for the harvest. You cannot help but feel a tinge of sadness as the trees drop their leaves in a vibrant death throe of red and gold, and there is something else in the air… something sinister that you can’t quite put your finger on.
The wind has turned from a playful friend to a prowling imp, snatching scarves and cutting through warm flesh to the bones beneath. In the evenings, the shadows stretch to catch your ankles as you hurry for home. You can tell yourself that it’s just the season, that you’re being silly and there’s nothing waiting in the dark. But you know the truth. You know that the divide between worlds weakens with each day, and once the cold sunlight dips beneath the horizon, the creatures of nightmares will arrive.
Fantasy Flight Games is proud to announce that the ultimate celebration of Lovecraftian Horror returns with Arkham Nights 2018, which will be held at the Fantasy Flight Games Center in Roseville, Minnesota on October 19 – 20! You can purchase your tickets for the event here, and read on to learn about the horrors and thrills that await!
One thing about having a digital app for your game is that you can add to it pretty easily. In this instance, it's a new scenario for Mansions of Madness from Fantasy Flight. Altered Fates sends investigators to merry old England in order to safeguard a precious family heirloom. Too bad by the time you get there, it's already gone.
One thing about having a digital app for your game is that you can add to it pretty easily. In this instance, it's a new scenario for Mansions of Madness from Fantasy Flight. Altered Fates sends investigators to merry old England in order to safeguard a precious family heirloom. Too bad by the time you get there, it's already gone.
From the website:
The evil that has taken hold of Arkham spreads across the sea in Mansions of Madness! The Miskatonic River Valley has always been a magnet for the strange and the occult, luring the curious and the foolish to the seemingly sleepy town of Arkham, where the eerie becomes the everyday. But after years of defending this town that teeters on the madness, you must leave behind the New World for the Old, as your expertise is needed in England. What terrors will you find when you leave Arkham behind? There is only one way to find out…
The evil of the Great Old Ones is not kept to just a mansion in Arkham. It has managed to head out in every direction. The usually quaint countryside is full of peril. Out to sea, monsters attack. Even the skies are not safe from horrors. You'll have to deal with all these issues in the next expansion for Mansions of Madness, entitled Horrific Journeys.
The evil of the Great Old Ones is not kept to just a mansion in Arkham. It has managed to head out in every direction. The usually quaint countryside is full of peril. Out to sea, monsters attack. Even the skies are not safe from horrors. You'll have to deal with all these issues in the next expansion for Mansions of Madness, entitled Horrific Journeys.
From the announcement:
Evil haunts strange, far-flung places in Horrific Journeys, the newest expansion for Mansions of Madness! Reality has begun to deteriorate in the New England countryside, danger rains from the skies, and even the seas are not safe as evil emerges from the depths. In the countryside, a speeding train desperately flees from a threat that defies all laws of reality. In the clouds, a dirigible’s voyage is interrupted by a vicious murder as a storm rolls in. And on the waves, a luxury ocean liner has been sabotaged by some madman planting explosives to sink the vessel.
Fantasy Flight Games is proud to announce Horrific Journeys— which you can pre-order at your local retailer or online through our website today!
As if Arkham didn't have enough issues already, the secretive Order of the Silver Twilight has been increasingly gaining control behind the scenes. Paying off police officers, installing their own politicians, enacting policies that specifically help them... They've got to be up to something. But what? That's for you to find out in the new Sanctum of Twilight expansion for Mansions of Madness, now available from Fantasy Flight Games.
As if Arkham didn't have enough issues already, the secretive Order of the Silver Twilight has been increasingly gaining control behind the scenes. Paying off police officers, installing their own politicians, enacting policies that specifically help them... They've got to be up to something. But what? That's for you to find out in the new Sanctum of Twilight expansion for Mansions of Madness, now available from Fantasy Flight Games.
From the release:
Evil threatens Arkham from within with the approach of the Twilight Fair. The organization behind the festival, the powerful Order of the Silver Twilight, controls the city from the shadows, using their money and influence to forge alliances, lobby politicians, and conduct strange rituals behind closed doors. Those who seek out the truth of their operations often find themselves disgraced, arrested, or simply disappearing altogether. What is the Order trying to hide?
The Sanctum of Twilight expansion for Mansions of Madness is on sale now at your local retailer or online through our website!
Several of my friends are huge fans of Mansions of Madness. However, it's a game that has a bit of a notorious reputation in terms of set-up time. Having a digital version of it would really cure a lot of those issues. Well, your prayers have been answered, as Asmodee Digital is working on a digital version of the game.
Several of my friends are huge fans of Mansions of Madness. However, it's a game that has a bit of a notorious reputation in terms of set-up time. Having a digital version of it would really cure a lot of those issues. Well, your prayers have been answered, as Asmodee Digital is working on a digital version of the game.
Asmodee Digital, the industry leader in digital board games, announced today that it will publish a brand-new adventure game based on Fantasy Flight Games’ Mansions of Madness, an award-winning board game celebrated for its high production values, Lovecraft-inspired art, and unique fusion of physical and digital gameplay mechanics. Developed by Luckyhammers, the Mansions of Madness: Mother’s Embrace video game is the next evolution of the iconic game and is scheduled to hit Steam (PC/Mac) early 2019.
In Mansions of Madness: Mother’s Embrace, players will lead a team of investigators through an eerie mansion while uncovering its dark secrets. Everything is not what it seems as the investigators encounter traps, monsters, and other Lovecraftian horrors, and descend deeper into the depths of madness. Will your team solve the mystery and make it out alive?
“At Asmodee Digital, we’re focused on creating new digital experiences based on beloved board-game IPs. The characters, adventures and universe introduced in the Mansions of Madness board game lend themselves well to an adventure video game, and we look forward to bringing the IP to life in a new way,” said Philippe Dao, Chief Marketing Officer of Asmodee Digital. “We have a passion for board games and want to take risks to elevate the genre. Working alongside great partners like Fantasy Flight Games and Luckyhammers allows us to do that.”
Secret societies. What're they hiding in there? Are they up to no good? Or are they just harmless? Well, it would seem as though the Order of the Silver Twilight is looking to do something with Arkham. But what? That's what the investigators will have to find out in the upcoming Sanctum of Twilight expansion for Mansions of Madness.
Secret societies. What're they hiding in there? Are they up to no good? Or are they just harmless? Well, it would seem as though the Order of the Silver Twilight is looking to do something with Arkham. But what? That's what the investigators will have to find out in the upcoming Sanctum of Twilight expansion for Mansions of Madness.
From the announcement:
Arkham is under threat once more, but this time, evil is not emerging from beyond the veil that divides worlds. It comes from within the city itself. The Order of the Silver Twilight is a powerful, esteemed society within Arkham, but their secretive nature naturally incites your curiosity. What are they really up to and what are their motives? Fantasy Flight Games is excited to announce the upcoming release of Sanctum of Twilight, a new expansion for Mansions of Madness Second Edition, now available for pre-order at your local retailer and online through our website here!
Well, it would seem as though the system took a vacation over the long holiday weekend, as it ate the Review Roundup post. Such things happen occasionally. It's alright... I'll just make a new one this morning for you.
Today we have: Dragons Hoard, Andoria Battlefields, Masters of Elements, Rhino Hero Super Battle, Dragon Tower, Wyrmwood Gaming Dice Vault, Slide Blast, Vikings Gone Wild, Avalanche at Yeti Mountain, Vinhos: Deluxe Edition, Horizons, Mansions of Madness 2nd Edition, and Runewars.
Well, it would seem as though the system took a vacation over the long holiday weekend, as it ate the Review Roundup post. Such things happen occasionally. It's alright... I'll just make a new one this morning for you.
Today we have: Dragons Hoard, Andoria Battlefields, Masters of Elements, Rhino Hero Super Battle, Dragon Tower, Wyrmwood Gaming Dice Vault, Slide Blast, Vikings Gone Wild, Avalanche at Yeti Mountain, Vinhos: Deluxe Edition, Horizons, Mansions of Madness 2nd Edition, and Runewars.
theMCGuiRE review takes a look at Drachenturm or Dragon Tower and what a fun game that utilizes dexterity, quick thinking, memory and speed skills! We have had a great time with this one and I would definitely recommend this title for younger kids and families.
theMCGuiRE review takes a look at Wyrmwood's Purpleheart wood dice vault and this thing is awesome! I absolutely love the Wyrmwood products and craftsmanship - this dice vault does not disappoint. It is made from the rare and beautiful purpleheart wood from Central and South America. Also featured in this video is a quick highlight on the dice tray and the epic new gaming table they have just released during Gen Con 50.
Choose a player color, shuffle the slide tiles, draw one and you are good to go. Much like a day at the water park, learning to play Slide Blast is a simple and casual affair.
Every player starts with their meeple at the top of their slide on the start tile. On a player’s turn, they draw one tile (giving them two to choose from) and choose one to add to their slide. There are three rules that must be followed:
You must extend your slide Your slide cannot loop back a start entrance chute You can’t connect with another player’s slide, causing a collision.
After you place your slide tile, move your meeple along the slide (making the obligatory “whoosh” sound) to the end. If you placed a tile so that you also move another player’s meeple, you collect a token. These awards points at the end on a sliding scale.
Vikings Gone Wild is a game that straddles two deck building design paradigms. The “river” based deck builders similar to Ascension are present, as well as the static card pile deck builders akin to Dominion. With this combination, Vikings Gone Wild adds the additional concept of “attacking” and “defending” as a victory point mechanism.
Players can play cards to acquire two main resources in the game: gold and beer. These resources allow players to buy the four primary card types in the game: buildings, attacking units, defending units, and river cards.
Apparently, in the game world that designer Matt Wolfe envisions, there’s a place named Yeti Mountain. What’s more, it’s got a ski resort with technologically advanced Rocket Skis. Furthermore, this resort has inferior snow management because the skiers are traveling down the mountain at a breakneck pace to avoid an approaching avalanche. It all sounds perfectly reasonable.
To accomplish the theme above, a row of cards depicting a ski path are laid out and a vertical Avalanche Card is placed at the end. The skiing meeples (skeeples?) are placed right in front of the avalanche with the Yeti figure placed nearby.
In Vinhos, each player takes the role of a wine producer in Portugal. You can develop multiple estates to create and promote a variety of wines. Similar to other Vital Lacerda designs, it is a take on worker placement where you have only one worker. This worker moves around a grid of 9 possible actions. The game takes place over 6 years and you are able to take two actions each year. You must make the most out of the 12 actions you get throughout the game.
Horizons is an area control game set in unexplored space. Players attempt to explore, adapt, and inhabit this uncharted region of the universe. They are also utilizing the assistance of alien allies to simultaneously control the newfound star systems while completing secret objectives.
The first player will select two actions from a pool of five available actions. The same action can be used twice.
I know there are a few people out there who believe that cardboard and technology should be kept completely separate, that by adding an app via a tablet or computer to their board game domain that they have somehow sullied their table top collection. If you think this way then you are missing out on quite possibly the best cooperative game to come out in 2016 and the most thematic Cthulhu Mythos game that Fantasy Flight Games have ever made, because Mansions of Madness Second Edition may have some minor issues, but otherwise is a superb and deeply thematic adventure game that perfectly marries technology and table top.
When reviewing miniatures games, one must consider the holy trinity of table top miniatures; the lore (or the fluff), the miniatures and the rules. Because a miniatures game isn’t as straightforward as a board game, not only do the rules need to be solid but you also need to have miniatures you want to paint and a background that wants you to fight. We mostly review board games here at Polyhedron Collider, where game mechanics and gameplay rule the roost, and plastic models and pages of backstory are merely stage dressing. But a miniatures game has to draw you in, it needs to make you want to play, want to paint and most of all, want to pay most of your salary on more tiny plastic men.
How you rate your miniatures game is going to depend on which of these factors influences you the most. I certainly have friends who have bought entire game systems for the miniatures alone and Warhammer 40,000 has traded on the fan speculation of which Primarch would beat each other in a fight for some 20 odd years.
Unfortunately, people go missing all the time. It's a sad reality of life. But when people go missing around Arkham, there's an extra layer of mystery associated with it. What sort of otherworldly horror is at work this time? That's what players will have to figure out in Dark Reflections, a new DLC scenario for Mansions of Madness.
Unfortunately, people go missing all the time. It's a sad reality of life. But when people go missing around Arkham, there's an extra layer of mystery associated with it. What sort of otherworldly horror is at work this time? That's what players will have to figure out in Dark Reflections, a new DLC scenario for Mansions of Madness.
From the announcement:
Mansions of Madness Second Edition is a cooperative, app-assisted horror game that leads one to five players through the twisted world of H.P Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos. Dark Reflections expands the Arkham universe and offers players hours of new gameplay with a new adventure as investigators must solve the mystery of a young woman’s sudden disappearance. The mystery's level three difficulty invites both new and experienced players to leave behind the world they know to save an innocent soul, even if it costs them their lives or their sanity.
Three months ago, Ada Miller inherited the estate of her great-aunt, including a house in the country. With this new windfall, she decided to quit her job as the Arkham Advertiser’s society columnist to write her first novel. According to her publisher, Ada soon began to experience strange happenings in this secluded setting and insisted that there was something wrong with the house. Now, the young writer has disappeared. Fearing the worst, the publisher has contacted Arkham's finest investigators to discover the fate of the unfortunate Ms. Miller.
The strangeness of Arkham isn't just limited to its creepy buildings like the Asylum and Miskatonic University. It's making its way out into the streets. Everyday people are becoming corrupted by the malevolent forces at work. Before everyone becomes scaled, tentacled, slime-spewing... things, the various investigators in the town will have to figure out what's causing all of this and stop it. That's just what you'll be doing in Streets of Arkham, a new expansion coming for Mansions of Madness.
The strangeness of Arkham isn't just limited to its creepy buildings like the Asylum and Miskatonic University. It's making its way out into the streets. Everyday people are becoming corrupted by the malevolent forces at work. Before everyone becomes scaled, tentacled, slime-spewing... things, the various investigators in the town will have to figure out what's causing all of this and stop it. That's just what you'll be doing in Streets of Arkham, a new expansion coming for Mansions of Madness.
Evil extends its reach and spills into the Streets of Arkham, the newest expansion for Mansions of Madness Second Edition! The city’s façade of normalcy fails as strange happenings begin to infect key places around town. You're likely to find odd circumstances at many areas, including the Miskatonic University, the hidden gang-run speakeasies, and the curious storefronts that populate the once quiet neighborhoods. As an invested citizen with a penchant for noticing when "odd" becomes "too odd," you gather a team of likeminded investigators to examine these supernatural threats. It'll take all of your wits, grit, and the occasional bit of luck to do what needs doing, but somebody has to.
Fantasy Flight Games is excited to announce Streets of Arkham, a new expansion for Mansions of Madness: Second Edition. Three new digital scenarios build upon the Arkham Files universe with yet unseen tiles, mythos events, investigators, and cards to expand upon your investigations.
Streets of Arkham will be hitting the... umm... streets... in Q4 of this year.
Hello, Saturday! It... was quite a week, I have to say. Very busy. With all the goings-on for GAMA, I almost forgot that PAX East was going on. Hope everyone is having a good time out there. I'm, obviously, not there. I will be at Adepticon in a couple weeks, though. That'll be fun. Love going back to Chicago (my homeland). But that's a bit away. In the meantime, let's get you the reviews you so desperately desire.
Today we have: Inis, Dungeons of Infinity, War of the Ring: Anniversary Edition, Warhammer Quest: Shadows Over Hammerhal, Fidelitas, JrassAttack, Wok on Fire, Avalance at Yeti Mountain, Citadels, Council of Blackthorn, Escape from Colditz, Stratos, Adrenaline, Mansions of Madness 2nd Edition, Flag Dash, Snowblind: Race for the Pole, The Money Pit of Oak Island, and Dice Stars.
Hello, Saturday! It... was quite a week, I have to say. Very busy. With all the goings-on for GAMA, I almost forgot that PAX East was going on. Hope everyone is having a good time out there. I'm, obviously, not there. I will be at Adepticon in a couple weeks, though. That'll be fun. Love going back to Chicago (my homeland). But that's a bit away. In the meantime, let's get you the reviews you so desperately desire.
Today we have: Inis, Dungeons of Infinity, War of the Ring: Anniversary Edition, Warhammer Quest: Shadows Over Hammerhal, Fidelitas, JrassAttack, Wok on Fire, Avalance at Yeti Mountain, Citadels, Council of Blackthorn, Escape from Colditz, Stratos, Adrenaline, Mansions of Madness 2nd Edition, Flag Dash, Snowblind: Race for the Pole, The Money Pit of Oak Island, and Dice Stars.
In Fidelitas, players take on the role of faithful citizens in a medieval city who are exerting influence in order to gain the credibility needed to lead the charge against the corrupt crown.
Players play character cards to various locations that make up the city in order to meet conditions of hidden objectives. Each type of character card is associated with a unique action that manipulates cards in the game: the Butcher bullies other characters to new locations, the Student gains more cards, the Soldier keeps the peasants from loitering too long, etc. In this game where keen maneuvering is key, attentiveness to the opposition may uncover hidden motives that seek to foil your bid for power.
The first player to gain a certain number points (depending on the number of players) is determined worthy to lead the revolt and also wins the game.
In JurassAttack!, two players face off in an epic face-to-face dinosaur battle!
In the game, each player chooses a dinosaur or pack of dinosaurs of the same type from their hand, then they reveal them simultaneously to compare Ferocity values. The player with the highest total Ferocity wins the round, taking their rival’s dinosaurs into their score pile. Different types of dinosaurs are worth varying amounts of victory points, so it’s important to plan well and make sure not to give away too many points in the event of a knockout!
These fierce, prehistoric beasts each have their own special effects as well. Some hunt alone while others may pack with dinos of different types. And sometimes, with a well-placed bluff, players may even be able to sneak some of their precious eggs into their own score pile to protect the future generation.
Are you ready to cook a pot of delicious food? We all get to take a turn being chef in Wok on Fire!
You can eat meat, fruits and vegetables in bulk, or make small delicious dishes of rice and noodles. Whatever you do, pick the best combinations of food to get a high score!
It’s a race to the finish when some super-smart, yet somehow clueless, engineering students invent rocket-powered skis and decide to test them out at Yeti Mountain!
In Avalanche at Yeti Mountain, players play multipurpose cards — the same cards used to make up the ski slopes of Yeti Mountain — to determine their speed in a race down the mountain. If players collectively exceed the speed limit, which is determined by the number of players, the fastest players crash, only moving one space forward towards the goal. Players may also activate rocket jumps to overshoot the competition but at the expense of causing an avalanche to begin chasing them down the mountain. If that’s not enough tension, rocket jumps are possible only if the Yeti, awoken from his slumber by all of the rocket-powered racket, doesn’t attack and deactivate players’ rocket-powered skis! The last skier standing, or the skier who makes it to the bottom of Yeti Mountain, wins the game.
In Citadels, players take on new roles each round to represent characters they hire in order to help them acquire gold and erect buildings. The game ends at the close of a round in which a player erects their eighth building. Players then tally their points, and the player with the highest score wins.
The King of Blackthorn rose to power on the strength of his sword, gaining the devotion of the people as he forged a nation and purged the ravages of war. Once a much needed beacon of strength for a foundling kingdom, he has now grown old and is no longer a vital part of a now robust and powerful country. Others have risen to prominence and power within his council. Adept in their machinations and plots, the councillors have their own self serving ambitions. In a shadowy battle of subterfuge they ruthlessly vie against one another for true control of Blackthorn. In this dance of treachery, each must seize as much power as able without drawing suspicion for whispers of treason echo through the halls of the King of Blackthorn. Whispers from fellow councillors designed to implicate and see the competition shortened by a head. The King will call for the axe for any he deems a traitor and there is always the risk that he is not as ignorant of the schemes as he seems.
One player takes the part of the German Guards, whilst the others play “Escape Officers” who are responsible for organizing escape attempts by their team of prisoners. Generally, the winner will be the Escape Officer who achieves the most successful escapes; but it might be the German Forces, if they are able to limit the number of escapes.
The game has been reedited in 2006 by Devir in Spain, with a totally new graphic design and a rewritten rulebook based in the original edition by Gibsons Games . This new edition has been supervised and approved by the original designer, Brian Degas.
Stratos is a wonderfuly constructed piece of art as much as it is a game, everything about this game just looks great, from the character design to the board pieces! The was sent to me by Board&Tale to play and review, and to be honest, I’ve not put it down since I got it! The base board game will play from 2-5 players, and with the expansion “light in the darkness” it will bump it up to a 6 player game as well as being a 2 player game on its own! So I would highly recommmend getting hold of both of these and having all options available!
Now, the avid Polyhedron Collider readers and podcast listeners (and why wouldn’t you be?) will know that this isn’t the first time we have encountered this particular cardboard shooty fun, indeed we actually got a playthrough of an advanced beta courtesy of Paul Grogan at the UK Games Expo in 2016. Anyone with half a working brain may start to put two and two together and work out that after playing a beta then buying a copy for himself, there’s a good chance we may have enjoyed ourselves. Perhaps. Or maybe Steve just forces me to play games or I won’t get fed. Don’t let the happy-go-lucky bearded façade fool you; he’s quite the slave driver when it comes down to it.
Mansions of Madness is an adventure game based in Fantasy Flight’s Arkham Files universe. You know, the one with all the horror and the Cthulhu. The game is scenario-driven, but each scenario is self contained and there is no overarching campaign.
In Flag Dash you and a teammate devise and execute a plan to sneak, rush or otherwise overrun your foe’s territory and abscond with their team’s banner. All while defending your own, of course.
Teams actually comprise three characters with unique abilities. Each player represents and controls one – called runners – while partners share in moving their team’s third member – the defender, who cannot pick up flags. To win the game, a runner must capture the opposing team’s flag and cross back safely into their territory. Alternatively, every character carries personal flags and any runner can claim victory for their side by stealing one of these from all three characters on the other team.
In Snowblind, players are trying to be the first to make it to the South Pole with their captain, and then back to their ship. This is accomplished through the use of dice actions. There are a variety of different dice in Snowblind, and each action requires the player to roll an increasingly larger pool of dice. The dice results may cause you to spend supplies or even kill explorers as the elements take their toll. Once the Pack Ice weather card is revealed, the game ends and the player with the most points is the winner.
Armed with a fixed budget, the players in The Money Pit of Oak Island represent various individuals with theories about what the Money Pit means. Each player starts the game with a set of artifacts required to prove their theory and progress through various dig sites to discover what lies beneath the island.
In Dice Stars, players are trying to earn the most points by the end of the game. Each turn, players will be pulling up to three dice from the bag, rolling them and adding the results to a communal dice pool. After rolling, a player will then be required to collect either numbers, colors or stars from the pool and adjust their score accordingly.
A very good friend of mine is getting married today. Tradition has it that he'll carry his new bride across the threshold later. I'm hoping that his evening doesn't turn into a Lovecraftian horror story after that point... Though I have a feeling he'd find that pretty cool. Well, now you can go Beyond the Threshold, yourself, as the first expansion for Mansions of Madness' new edition is now available.
A very good friend of mine is getting married today. Tradition has it that he'll carry his new bride across the threshold later. I'm hoping that his evening doesn't turn into a Lovecraftian horror story after that point... Though I have a feeling he'd find that pretty cool. Well, now you can go Beyond the Threshold, yourself, as the first expansion for Mansions of Madness' new edition is now available.
From the release:
The horrors of Arkham continue to haunt you in Beyond the Threshold, the first expansion to Mansions of Madness Second Edition. Featuring two new investigators, one new monster type, and dozens of cards and tokens, this expansion integrates seamlessly with the existing components and scenarios. These components introduce both new gameplay elements and unique insanity effects for the investigators who were unable to bear the terror. Two brand new scenarios will become available with Beyond the Threshold, leading to countless hours of suspenseful investigation and thrilling terror.
Pick up a copy of Beyond the Threshold at your local retailer or online through our webstore, then update your Mansions of Madness app to access the new scenarios, Vengeful Impulses and Gates of Silverwood Manor.
Early next year, Fantasy Flight Games is coming out with the first full expansion for Mansions of Madness, 2nd Edition. Beyond the Threshold brings you all new investigators to the horrific house that is Arkham. But along with just some new investigators, they'll also be coming out with new scenarios for you to go through. They've got a preview of one of them, Gates of Silverwood Manor, here.
Early next year, Fantasy Flight Games is coming out with the first full expansion for Mansions of Madness, 2nd Edition. Beyond the Threshold brings you all new investigators to the horrific house that is Arkham. But along with just some new investigators, they'll also be coming out with new scenarios for you to go through. They've got a preview of one of them, Gates of Silverwood Manor, here.
Now, obviously, they don't want to give away too much. However, they will give you a bit of the set-up. This scenario is a level-4 difficulty one. It also is made to take full advantage of the new mechanics in the expansion. That is, it makes use of a map that will change from turn to turn, as well as having to find and use key tokens. You can expect to be playing this scenario for up to a couple of hours.
As board games and technology look to merge together more, I foresee this type of story becoming more regular than they are now. Fantasy Flight Games has released the first DLC expansion for Mansions of Madness Second Edition. There's no new figures or cards or anything physical to get, but you do have a new scenario to go on when you play.
As board games and technology look to merge together more, I foresee this type of story becoming more regular than they are now. Fantasy Flight Games has released the first DLC expansion for Mansions of Madness Second Edition. There's no new figures or cards or anything physical to get, but you do have a new scenario to go on when you play.
This isn't some simple, "we'll be done in a minute" sort of scenario, either. It's a challenge rating 4 and you've got 2 hours of spine-tingling events to figure out. Murder is the word of the day. Murder most foul. How foul? Even the police are going, "Yeah... no..." And did we mention the strange happenings, disembodied voices, and strange apparitions? I feel those should be mentioned as well. Take on What Lies Within if you dare! *thunder* Muahahahahahaaaa!
Mansions of Madness 2nd edition will soon be getting their first full game expansion. They've had some bits that simply bring 1st edition things to the new version, but this one's got some all-new content for you. If you want to greatly expand your Mansions experience, you'll be wanting to check this out, as there's plenty of new items to help you go crazy.
Mansions of Madness 2nd edition will soon be getting their first full game expansion. They've had some bits that simply bring 1st edition things to the new version, but this one's got some all-new content for you. If you want to greatly expand your Mansions experience, you'll be wanting to check this out, as there's plenty of new items to help you go crazy.
What sort of materials can you be getting? Well, there's two new investigators that haven't been in the game before. Beyond that, there's a set of Thralls that will happily attack your sanity. Add to that, there's new double-sided game tiles. Just don't get too used to where you initially place them. You sometimes felt that the mansion, itself, was alive. Now that will actually come into play as those tiles move all around the map. There's also a new mechanic in the form of key tiles. Keys to what? Well, you'll just have to find them to figure it out. Will it be the savior of your game or cause brain-melt? Not-knowing is half the fun.
The Beyond the Threshold set will be available early next year, but there will be a new DLC scenario for the game available sometime mid-December.
It seems no matter where you go, there's always another otherworldly horror looking to destroy everything you know and love. It's enough to make even the strongest of minds begin to crack and strain under the pressure. But you know that your goals are true and that you must save the world again. Thankfully, there's more help to take on the strange creatures looking to breach the barrier that keeps the sane from the truly insane. That's what you'll have to do in Beyond the Threshold, the new expansion coming for Mansions of Madness.
It seems no matter where you go, there's always another otherworldly horror looking to destroy everything you know and love. It's enough to make even the strongest of minds begin to crack and strain under the pressure. But you know that your goals are true and that you must save the world again. Thankfully, there's more help to take on the strange creatures looking to breach the barrier that keeps the sane from the truly insane. That's what you'll have to do in Beyond the Threshold, the new expansion coming for Mansions of Madness.
This expansion to the game will greatly increase your options for play. That includes two new investigators to figure out what is going on. There's also a new creature to learn about, study, and hopefully defeat. Of course, there's plenty of other pieces as well, in the form of new locations, cards, and all-new scenarios to always keep you on your toes.
Expect to see the new expansion on store shelves early next year.
Sort of two ends of the spectrum for this batch of releases from Fantasy Flight Games. On one side, you've got starships flying around in a galaxy far, far away. On the other, you've got investigators searching through an old house. Well, both involve "hokey religions" anyway. There's new releases for both the X-Wing Miniatures Game as well as Mansions of Madness available from Fantasy Flight Games.
Sort of two ends of the spectrum for this batch of releases from Fantasy Flight Games. On one side, you've got starships flying around in a galaxy far, far away. On the other, you've got investigators searching through an old house. Well, both involve "hokey religions" anyway. There's new releases for both the X-Wing Miniatures Game as well as Mansions of Madness available from Fantasy Flight Games.
For X-Wing, you've got the 9th wave of ships. That include the ARC-170, Special Forces TIE, Protectorate Starfighter, and the Shadow Caster. Meanwhile, for Mansions of Madness, they've got a new pair of figure and tile packs with which you can expand your 2nd Edition gaming experience.
All of these are available at your local gaming shop, as well as the Fantasy Flight online store.
And we've once more made it to the weekend successfully. The natural order has been maintained. I mean, just think if we woke up the day after Friday and it was, like, Wednesday or something. Man, that'd be a mess. But, as I said, that's not happened. As such, we should get on with the regular Saturday routine and get you some reviews.
Today we have: Kill the King, Captain Sonar, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, Mansions of Madness 2nd Edition, The Dragon & Flagon, No Honor Among Thieves, Via Nebula, Behind the Throne, Star Trek: Ascendancy, Antarctica, Costa Rica, Heroes of Normandie iOS, Lost Woods, Battle Gnomes, and Ice Cool.
And we've once more made it to the weekend successfully. The natural order has been maintained. I mean, just think if we woke up the day after Friday and it was, like, Wednesday or something. Man, that'd be a mess. But, as I said, that's not happened. As such, we should get on with the regular Saturday routine and get you some reviews.
Today we have: Kill the King, Captain Sonar, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, Mansions of Madness 2nd Edition, The Dragon & Flagon, No Honor Among Thieves, Via Nebula, Behind the Throne, Star Trek: Ascendancy, Antarctica, Costa Rica, Heroes of Normandie iOS, Lost Woods, Battle Gnomes, and Ice Cool.
During the boardgame convention “GiocoForza” in Petriolo (near Macerata, in Italy), we have had the chance to play one of the latest games by Maggi-Nepitello (War of the Ring, The Battle of Five Armies,Marvel Superheroes, and many others): “Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell” (JSMN for short). Based on the successful book by Susanna Clarke (that has been also adapted for a BBC TV show) telling the tale of two Magician gentlemen with different approaches to the Magical arts, that act in a Napoleon-age London, JSMN will be published by Sophisticated Games, and we played an advanced prototype of it. Maggi and Nepitello are well known for their keen attention to details, and their deep researches into the background of any game they design, in this JSMN being no exception for the designers (formally named FM Game Studio). Players of JSMN take the role of gentlemen that dabble in magic in this gothic and eldritch London of the XIX century.
Mansions of Madness Second Edition is one of the most profoundly improved new editions of any game that I can remember. The engrossing, challenging narrative game was in serious need of a reworking that enabled players to focus on the good things instead of the minutiae. Mansions of Madness 2E delivers.
Imagine you spent your day slaying trolls and goblins. You saved your fair share of princesses (or princes) from tall towers guarded by evil wizards (or witches). After a long day of questing, you just want to go where everybody knows your name. Barring a trip to Boston, a tavern, known world-wide for their brews, will have to do.
This particular tavern’s brew is The Dragon. The Dragon is so highly coveted that the tavern’s customers are willing to fight tooth and nail for a single sip, let alone the last flagon left in the joint. That is exactly where we find ourselves at the start of a game of The Dragon & Flagon.
No Honor Among Thieves, a game of daring heists in a fantasy city where you will assemble a crew of rogues and an arsenal of equipment and skills to aid you in stealing swag from a number of high profile targets. Even with a well tooled up crew the chances of taking down the Lord's Manor or the Treasury on your own are rather slim, so you'll have to employ the assistance of your fellow thieving crews. They will be able to lend you crew members and play their cards to help you in the heist. To entice another crew to your job you're going to have to negotiate and this must be agreed up front, that is until the sudden but inevitable betrayal.
In Via Nebula players help to rebuild the once prosperous valley by harvesting resources, transporting them to building sites and converting them into buildings to fulfill contracts. Through an action selection mechanism standard to many Wallace designs, and a competitive pick-up and deliver element, players earn points for exploring, exploiting and building. After the first to complete five contracts, the builder with the most points is heralded as the Hero of Nebula. Architects as heros? Yeah, these people must be desperate…
Antarctica is an area control/resource majority game. In order to win, your scientists are going to have to control whole sections of Antarctica, build research stations and other buildings, and conduct the most/best research to leap ahead of your opponents. In the wilds of Antarctica, it’s every scientist for himself.
Costa Rica is a push-your-luck exploration set collection game. Players have explorers in six expeditions and are trying to collect the best photos of rain forest animals. The player with the most points at the end of the game wins.
Heroes of Normandie is a casual romp through World War 2. The game make no pretenses that it’s not an super-serious war simulator with it’s cartoony graphics and cheeky humor. However if you are as serious gamer, don’t let that dissuade you, there is actually a lot of depth here to be enjoyed. Combat happens quickly and often in Heroes of Normandie, so expect a lot of intense action in your games.
Players wake up in the middle of the Lost Woods. Each turn, players may move along the map or build unexplored areas by drawing a map card from one of the decks: North, South, East or West. Map building leads players to new weapons, potions, magic spells, pesky gold stealing gnomes and enemy battles for gold.
In Battle Gnomes!, players will take turns recruiting gnomes, organizing their gnomes or yards for attack and defense, and sending the gnomes out to battle. Each player may use action and battle cards to help turn the tide in their favor and foil their rivals. Players will also use weapon and defense items to equip their gnomes and yard items to bolster their offenses and defenses. The winner of a battle will collect a defeated gnome and the first player to collect three will win the game!
In Ice Cool, one player acts as the hall monitor while the other players take on the role of the students. As a student player, you are trying to collect your three fish from around the schoolhouse. The hall monitor, in turn, is trying to catch all of the students and collect their ID cards. As players achieve their goals during the game, they’ll draw victory point cards. At the end of the game, the player with the most VPs wins.
When you come out with a new edition of a game like Mansions of Madness, you're going to have a lot of gamers wondering what's going to happen to all that material that you came out with for the previous edition. New gamers, who might take the new edition as a jumping-on point for the game are going to be wondering the same thing. Well, with Recurring Nightmares, Fantasy Flight Games is going to be bringing things from the first edition into your second edition world.
When you come out with a new edition of a game like Mansions of Madness, you're going to have a lot of gamers wondering what's going to happen to all that material that you came out with for the previous edition. New gamers, who might take the new edition as a jumping-on point for the game are going to be wondering the same thing. Well, with Recurring Nightmares, Fantasy Flight Games is going to be bringing things from the first edition into your second edition world.
So, what sort of things can you be expecting in this updated set? Well, there's 8 investigators from the original core box. With investigators comes monsters (or, I guess, technically, it'd be the other way around, but still...). There's 18 of those, too. Want to increase the size of your potential games? There's 15 double-sided game tiles included. This set will greatly expand what you can do with your Mansions of Madness games. Oh what fun you can have going insane!
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