Outside of some major Kickstarters we’ve covered over the month, November has been a bit of a light month forboard game news. This makes sense considering we’re just coming off of Essen, and PAX Unplugged is happening this weekend in Philadelphia (whichDualShockersis attending). That said, there are a few interesting tidbits to get into from the world of tabletop gaming. Give it a read below.
Board Game News for November 2019
Hype AroundThe MagnificentHits a Fever Pitch After Essen
There’s always one or two (or twenty) games you miss when you’re not on the show floor for a major board game convention. For Essen 2019, that game wasThe Magnificentfor me. This is a new Eurogame from the creators ofSanta Maria. You play as the owner of a theatre trying to put on the most magnificent performances possible. It includes some niftyTetris-like mechanics that remind me a bit of classicResident Evilitem management.The Magnificentsports a unique theme in the hobby, and the gameplay seems fun. It’s definitely a game worth giving a second look.
UnmatchedAdds Sherlock, Dracula, The Invisible Man, and Jekyll & Hyde to its Miniature Fighting Game
Unmatchedis a modern reimagining of the classic board gameStar Wars: Epic Duels. As a kid, my brother and I played that game for hours upon hours, so I was super excited to see Rob Daviau bring back an updated version. The game lets you choose different characters from the public domain (and a few others) and pit them against each other in a relatively lightweight fighting game. The next update adds four new characters. I’m especially interested to see how Sherlock Holmes works in a fighting game. Does he just, like, investigate everyone to death? I guess we’ll find out soon.
Kickstarters to Check Out This Month
Of course, we’ve already covered several Kickstarters this month; however, below are a few more that might tickle your fancy. If you want to read about some of the other stuff this month, we’ve taken a look atSuperclubandDivinity Original Sin: The Board Game.
Loot of Lima
Can I interest anyone in aCluethat also happens to be good? Yes, me too.Loot of Limais a multiplayer deduction game that takes the basic principles ofCluebut makes deduction much harder. You are searching for a hidden treasure on the Island of Cocos. You use a combination of dice and a coordinate board to slowly piece together the treasure’s location. If you have fond memories of playingClueagainst your grandma for hours,Loot of Limais something to check out. As of this writing, the campaign has eight days left, so get over there quickly.
The Great Wall
The creators ofNemesis,Tainted Grail, andEtherfieldsare back with another massive board game.The Great Wallis Awakened Realms’ take on the worker placement genre. You’ll play as the generals of an ancient Chinese empire. While the game is competitive, there are times where you’ll be forced to work with your opponents to fight off the hordes of enemies from taking you all over. It’s not a theme that immediately jumps out to me, but the absurd amount of cardboard you’re getting does. Overproduced games are all over Kickstarter, but the fact thatTainted Grailhas been on top ofBoard Game Geek’s Hotlist for a month or so leaves me feeling confident thatGreat Wallwill deliver a fun, new take on my personal favorite genre.
Car Wars Sixth Edition
Car Warsis the classic car combat game from legendary game designer Steve Jackson. The sixth edition is now on Kickstarter and includes great-looking new car miniatures, completely updated dashboards, car decks, and a new rulebook. I’ve never playedCar Wars, but it has a timeless theme and players looking to hop into the first car combat game should give this Kickstarter a look.
Board Games in the Digital World
This one is for all my RPG fans out there. There’s this nifty tool on itch.io that randomly generates a dungeon map for you called One Page Dungeon, including a few lore tidbits to get your creative juices flowing. Obviously, a hand-drawn map that your DM crafts yourself is going to give you a more immersive experience; however, this tool works incredibly well in a pinch.Give it a look for yourself.
DualShockersis at PAX Unplugged!
Great news everyone!DualShockersis going to have a presence on the PAX Unplugged convention floor. In lieu of me talking about the games I’m playing currently, I want to let you know to keep your eyes peeled on the site for content from the convention next week from our writers in attendance at the show this weekend. Fingers crossed that we finally get some news on theGloomhavenexpansion!
