Don’t Eat the Meeples, Issue Six

Six issues in, and there’s still plenty of action on Kickstarter, some announcements that have me excited, and a little bit of controversy to brighten your Monday.

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Terraforming Mars: Prelude

It looks like Terraforming Mars is getting another expansion, though this one may be of the smaller variety. It looks like it’ll really change the start of the game, likely by speeding up the game. [Spanish outlet] [BGG]

Kami-Sama

This rotating board looks like it’s fun to play with, but is it fun as a game mechanic? I like the look of Kami-Sama. On another note, it seems like one of the Hot New Things™ in board gaming is asymmetrical powers, which … well, why don’t you just read about that below? [Kickstarter]

Curio: The Last Temple

WizKids is putting out a cooperative puzzle game — a sort of escape room concept — but they are quick to emphasize that it’s “endlessly replayable.” I don’t know exactly how that will work out, but if you’re solving different puzzles, how will they work and flow in the same system? I’d love to give this a whirl. [WizKids]

Forbidden Sky

Via a news post at ICV2, we picked up a few more details about Matt Leacock’s latest non-Pandemic effort, Forbidden Sky: You’re trying to build a power platform so you can launch a rocket. Up next, I assume, is Forbidden Stars, although something tells me that name is already taken. It’s set for a GenCon release, so look for it in August. [ICV2]

Other games

• Mercado — a Thames and Kosmos title where you play as Spanish nobles trying to collect shiny trinkets. July release scheduled. [ICV2]
• Robin Hood and the Merry Men — a semi-cooperative game with, well, Robin Hood. [Kickstarter]
• Golden Sky Stories: Twilight Tales — a supplement for an RPG that seems totally and completely delightful [Kickstarter]
• The Big Score — be the best at heisting stuff. [Kickstarter]
• Deadwood 1876 — a game out of Provo, so it’s just down the road. This game also comes in a book, so you know that’s just about the most exciting thing you’ll see all day. In all seriousness, this is a heist game set in the old west, and I don’t know much about it. But the book thing. Yeah, that. [Kickstarter]
• Edge of Darkness — another card crafting game from AEG! This one involves worker placement. [Kickstarter]
• Donning the Purple — asymmetric 1–3 player game [Kickstarter]
• City of Gears — a steampunk area control game by Grey Fox Games [Kickstarter]
• Luxor — Forgotten Treasures — another Euro from the designer of classics like Istanbul, Goa and Las Vegas. This is being Kickstarted by Queen Games, so, you know … be aware of that, if that’s something that concerns you. [Kickstarter]
• Senshi — an Arcane Wonders title in which you play as monks angling to be the temple’s next master [ICV2]

Awards season! Sort of.

The As d’Or awards were given out last week, with three games taking home awards:

• Azul for the As d’Or Jeu de l’Année, the best game for the public
• Terraforming Mars for the As d’Or Grand Prix, the best game for experts
• Outfoxed for the As d’Or Jeu de l’Année Enfant, the best game for children

Leder Games, Deep and a whole lot of controversy

Alright, so, this is interesting: Deep, an asymmetric game being produced by Leder Games, was cancelled by the company, and the game design was released to the designer, Samuel Bailey. He very quickly cried foul play, alleging a breach of contract and plagiarism by Root, another Leder Games product. He’s very angry and making sure everyone knows about it. [Reddit]

What I’ve been playing

My last three plays have been Scythe, which I’m continuing to enjoy at different player counts. My last game, though, ended with me finishing with 25 points — nearly half of the next player in a five-player game. I was tasked with explaining the rules to three people who hadn’t played, which isn’t an excuse, but teaching games often comes at a cost of really establishing your own strategy in a play.

I also played several two-player games of the terribly named The Game, which was a nice cooperative card game where you’re trying to manage what numbers you play in which piles. Obviously, as a cooperative game, you can’t communicate about everything — it would be too simple that way. I was surprised by this one mechanically. The theme, though? Yeah, I didn’t get it at all.