Most of the time, when I'm posting about Modiphius, it's about a new RPG book coming out. However, this is a bit different. Did you know that they make board games, too? Well, if not before, you know
Most of the time, when I'm posting about Modiphius, it's about a new RPG book coming out. However, this is a bit different. Did you know that they make board games, too? Well, if not before, you know now. They have released Ravage: Dungeons of Plunder, a new fantasy dungeon-crawl board game that has competitive, cooperative, and solo modes of play.
From the website:
High up in the Blackroot Mountains lives a tribe of orcs. They are ultra-competitive with one another and the Chieftain promotes this in his warriors. They occasionally team up in an uneasy alliance to plunder nearby caverns and outposts.
Many times these raids are purely to plunder them for loot while ridding the nearby area of nasty monsters at the same time. Other times they are formed by the Chieftain to exterminate a specific target.
To keep the peace the Chieftain selects a warrior from each caste of the tribe. The Berserkers, the Shamans, the Headhunters and the Cultists.
In this exciting boardgame from Ian Schofield, you play one of the Blackroot orcs in this chosen raiding party taking on one of the roles in it.
Ravage Dungeons of Plunder: also contains three gameplay modes and styles of play:
Co-operative: Play through quests in this co-op mode.
Solo: One player against the dungeon. Try to survive...
Treachery: Versus mode, the first player to kill 6 heroes is the winner
Well, it's almost like the week is getting back on schedule, even though it's Saturday. I woke up. I got groceries. I'm now typing up the Review Roundup in my living room while listening to music and
Well, it's almost like the week is getting back on schedule, even though it's Saturday. I woke up. I got groceries. I'm now typing up the Review Roundup in my living room while listening to music and contemplating the rest of my day. Sort of nice to get things back to how they should be. What can I say? I'm a creature of habit. Anyway, as it's Saturday, it's time to get you those review articles I know you all so desperately desire. So let's get to it.
Today we have: Knot Dice Deluxe, Via Nebula, Lords of Hellas, 12 Realms: Dungeonland, 1754 Conquest: The French and Indian War, Star Realms: Colony Wars and United Expansions, Tournament of Towers, Manhattan Project: Energy Empire, Tesla vs. Edison: Duel, Balloon Pop, Terra Mystica App, Star Trek Panic, Sagrada, Yokohama, Ravage: Dungeons of Plunder, and EXIT: The Game - The Secret Lab.
theMCGuiRE review takes a look at Lords of Hellas from Awaken Realms. This is the second video in a 2 part series looking at the game play and mechanics. The first video was an overview of the miniatures and components. So if you want to see everything up close - please watch the component overview video.
theMCGuiRE review takes a look at the new kickstarter 12 Realms: Dungeonland from Mage Company. This is based in the 12 Realms universe with all your favorite characters! The difference in this game vs 12 Realms is this is a fantastic dungeon crawler that is very satisfying as you customize your characters with skill tree's available to each character in the game.
Every now and then a game system comes along that delivers a refreshing jolt to all that’s come before it. It’s often something that makes you ask, “Why didn’t I think of that?”
1754 Conquest: The French & Indian War, the latest in Academy Games’ Birth of America Series, manages to bring the familiar game play of its predecessors, but with enough differences to make purchasing this historical gem worthwhile.
Star Realms Colony Wars stand alone expansion and the United expansion attempt to expand the success of releases with new ships and mechanics. Since I am covering several Star Realms in this review, I’ve broken them up more specifically below.
While there are a few different variants on play (family mode, mulligans, etc), the basic game play in Tournament of Towers has players stacking oddly shaped pieces with the goal of creating the tallest tower worth the most points. Using a system of piece values and card drafting, players must make it through two rounds of stacking if they hope to win the tournament.
Players sit in the roles of countries trying to develop industry and energy production over a period of time roughly from the end of World War II to the present day. Throughout the game, players will construct buildings, power plants as dice, and manage the pollution in their environment with the aim of scoring the most points.
Players in Tesla vs Edison: Duel take on the role of rival inventors trying to spread the gospel of alternating or direct current. In the game, each player plays projects and takes control of companies via a shared collection across three regions of the United States. What develops is card play with area control where the player with greater area strength claims the spoils. Players can win instantly or by accumulating points after three rounds.
In Balloon Pop! players try to score the most points by coming close to, but not reaching, the top of the scoring columns on their score sheets. Like Icarus, you want to fly as high as you can without getting too close to the sun. Each score sheet is composed of six columns of numbers, with a column for each side of the dice: the colors yellow, blue, and red, and the symbols star, moon, and diamond.
Terra Mystica (the board game and the app) is an engine- and network-building/resource conversion game for one to five players. Players control fantasy races in the land of Terra Mystica, trying to shape the land into habitable quarters and advance in the elemental religions. The player with the most victory points is the winner.
In many ways Ravage: Dungeons of Plunder is a typical dungeon crawler and in its basic premise I have to say that there isn't a huge amount of original ideas in the game. You'll venture into dark depths, kill monsters, grab loot, level up and hopefully last long enough to take on the story's goal. But Ravage puts a few interesting tweaks into the age old formula and wraps it up in a package of beautiful artwork and striking graphic design.
You may have noticed a surge in the number or Escape Room style board games appearing over the last few months. Fresh on the heels of cooperative puzzle games like TIME Stories comes a whole range of one-time puzzles based on the escape room phenomenon that is gripping the world. If you are like me, and live at the arse end of nowheresville you will most likely not have had an opportunity to visit one of these experiences.
Thankfully system like Unlock, Escape the Room and EXIT allow you to experience these cooperative puzzle sessions at home. We were lucky to receive a copy of EXIT The Secret Lab from Kosmos and so the opportunity of a bank holiday weekend meant I was able to lock ourselves into the dining room after a Sunday roast and see if the Tudor family was clever enough to escape a devious laboratory.
Usually, dungeon delve board games have you as a set of goodie two-shoes looking to clear out some evil from some dark corridors. Sure, the rogue might be a bit of a back stabber and there could be an
Usually, dungeon delve board games have you as a set of goodie two-shoes looking to clear out some evil from some dark corridors. Sure, the rogue might be a bit of a back stabber and there could be an anti-hero in there, but still, you're usually just "the good guys" taking out "the bad guys." Not so in Ravage: Dungeons of Plunder. You are a group of orcs and you're just looking for some loot and some teef. The game is up on Kickstarter now.
From the campaign:
Ain't no Heroes in this game, you play Blackroot Orcs delving the dungeon for loot and teef, that's right you are smashing the faces of your enemies for teef.
Each hero has a set of weapons and ability cards that require energy to use, you gain energy by rolling the attack and defence dice, once you have enough energy you can unleash these devastating attacks on your enemies and that energy you used turns into experience, gain enough experience and you can level up your abilities.
The Kickstarter campaign is up and running now. It's about 1/3 of the way to its goal with still 27 days left to go.
Man, no day has felt entirely "right" this week. Monday was an amalgam of Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Tuesday was like a Monday. Wednesday was kinda like a Friday. Yesterday was like a Saturday, but
Man, no day has felt entirely "right" this week. Monday was an amalgam of Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Tuesday was like a Monday. Wednesday was kinda like a Friday. Yesterday was like a Saturday, but a lot busier. Today's... still getting started, honestly. But it doesn't entirely feel like a Friday. I guess that's what happens when you bookend 2 days at the office with days working from home. Well, one way that today is going to feel like a proper Friday is by serving up some bite-sized gaming stories. Also, pizza for dinner. But that's not until this evening.
Today on the platter we have: Quizmania Coming To Kickstarter, Donate and get a Free Book From Lamentations of the Flame Princess, Expedition RPG Launches Quest-Writing Competition, New Xyston Miniatures Releases Available, Wamp releases two new 1/12th Scale busts, Pipmen Playing Cards Up On Kickstarter, Ravage: Dungeons of Plunder Coming to Kickstarter, and New Legion Armoury Releases Available From Kromlech.
Quizmania - first tabletop party game with VR experience!
We do like tabletop games and technologies. Once we created the game that unites two of our passions. And now we are ready to show it to the world and launch the project on Kickstarter.com
Lamentations of the Flame Princess is offering a free book to anyone who donates US$50 or more to the ACLU.
Conditions: Offer is good for donations made from January 29 2017 onward. One free book per person. Offer good through February 2017, or until we give away 500 books, whichever comes first. (see our social media outlets for the running tally of how many book are left in the offer; if you make a donation and our offer has expired, there will be no refund, as the ACLU is not involved in this offer) Any book available on the LotFP Webstore may be claimed for this offer
(yes, you can pick a t-shirt instead, and if we run out of a particular title you will be asked to pick another) Email proof of your donation to lotfp@lotfp.com along with your desired book and your shipping address. You will not be added to any mailing list, your information won't be passed on, etc.
Expedition, the open-source tabletop RPG that raised $21,000 on Kickstarter, is launching a competition for writers and DM's to create the quest of their dreams. If your quest is chosen, you could win a signed battle axe!
Hi! It was long time till last newsletter, and we have a lot news for you, Marian Romans, new packaging and some WIP of up-coming Early Achaemenid Persians.
So let’s crack on!
Marian Romans The long-awaited Romans, for this month we prepared two packs of them:
New packaging The quality of our products is always important to us. Because of this, we decide to up-grade our trade packing. From now onwards, most of Xyston Miniatures available thru shops will be pack in nice small blister. Our mail orders will be still send in plastic bags, to keep shipping cost for customers as low as possible.
On our workbench (aka “Design Studio”) For those who follow us on our Facebook page, you probably know we just started some work on new Early Achaemenid Persians range. The head sculptor for this line will be John Robertson. We are aiming to release first packs later this year. For the next month we are preparing another two packs of premium quality 15mm figures, and a nice surprise for all our newsletter subscribers.
That’s all for this month, more nice stuff coming soon!
Pipmen: World features fun little stick figures interacting with the suit symbols on the front of each card to create unique scenes. But when all the cards are laid together in sequence, all the individual images join together to make a larger picture of the Pipmen's World! No other deck has ever done this - making a functional deck of playing cards than can also be used as a giant puzzle.
Talented artist Ian Schofield has been designing an anti-hero dungeon crawl where you play orcs fighting for teef! His Kickstarter launches next week so sign up to be the first to hear
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