Category Archives: Board Games

Fireside Games announces Please Don’t Burn My Village!

Please Don't Burn My Village

Fireside Games has announced Please Don’t Burn My Village! This enchanting market game set in the world of Castle Panic will hit stores worldwide in Spring of 2025.

A fearsome dragon is threatening to burn all the villages in the Kingdom! Luckily dragons are greedy, so if you can bribe him with treasures from the battlefield like a Barbarian’s Axe or a Phoenix Feather, you might persuade him to spare your village. Unfortunately, all the other villagers have the same idea!

Bribe with the right treasure at the right time to keep the dragon’s attention while buying treasures at the Black Market and cursing the other villagers’ treasures. When there’s no more treasure left, the dragon will burn all the villages except for one. Will it be yours?

  • Fantasy-Filled Fun: This enchanting game for 2 to 5 players features fantastic treasures and the dragon from the world of Castle Panic.
  • Market Manipulation: Play treasure cards to make or increase the value of a bribe. Or buy cards at the Black Market to curse a treasure.
  • Bribe the Best or Burn: When the deck of treasures runs out, you’ll score points for your bribes and lose points for unplayable cards still in your hand. Only the player with the highest score has their village spared from the dragon!
  • Simple Rules, Surprising Strategy: With easy-to-learn rules, Please Don’t Burn My Village! can be played in about 20 minutes. This makes it accessible to players ages 10+ with different experience levels, while still providing strategic depth.

In addition, every copy of Please Don’t Burn My Village! is packed with a free new promo card for Castle Panic to help your team defend the castle together!

Please Don’t Burn My Village! is available for preorder and will be demoed at GAMA Expo, Origins, Gen Con, and more to be announced.

Please Don't Burn My Village

Pandasaurus Games announces Shackleton Base: A Journey to the Moon – Coming This August!

Shackleton Base: A Journey to the Moon

Pandasaurus Games has announced the upcoming release of Shackleton Base: A Journey to the Moon! This is a thrilling strategy game designed by Fabio Lopiano and Nestore Mangone with art by David Sitbon.

In the very near future, mankind is setting up a base in the center of the Shackleton center at the Moon’s South Pole. Players lead space agencies working together to expand the human presence on the Moon. The mission is sponsored by 3 major corporations, each pursuing its own goals.

Shackleton Base: A Journey to the Moon is a Eurogame strategy game based on a modular sandbox system. The game box contains 7 unique Corporations (which each introduce their own challenges), but only 3 are chosen each game. Throughout the game you’ll use your Engineers, Scientists and Technicians in the various areas of the board to achieve your objectives. The space agency with the most victory points at the end of the game will be declared the winner!

Get ready to take part in the race to establish a permanent base in the Shackleton crater at the Moon’s South Pole. Will you lead your space agency to victory, or will your rivals claim the glory?

How to Play

The game is played over three rounds, with each round divided into three phases:

1. Shuttle Phase
Each player drafts a shuttle tile which determines available astronauts, resources, and turn order for the upcoming phases.

2. Action Phase
Players take turns deploying their astronauts on the moon to collect resources, build structures, or fund projects.

3. Maintenance Phase
Deployed astronauts are assigned to work on the structures (providing a bonus to the player owning them), then players collect income and pay maintenance costs.

Release Date: August 2025
Price: $69.95
Players: 1-4
Playtime: 60-120 minutes
Ages: 14+

Ares Games announces two games in partnership with Red Cat Games

Ares Games will release the English edition of Balconia on February 4th: the first of a partnership with Armenian game studio Red Cat GamesBalconia is a light, 2-player tactical game where players build a 3D apartment complex block by block, balancing strategy and luck to meet balcony-scoring conditions. Another title in partnership with Red Cat will follow later this year: Perfect Mismatch, a fun party game that will test your associative thinking, is scheduled to be released in May 2025.

Balconia

Balconia’s blend of spatial strategy, tactical decisions, and the playful theme of apartment life makes it an engaging, quick-to-play game for both casual and experienced gamers. The players try to fulfill the preferences of quirky residents. Some love flowers, others adore cats, while some just want peace. The goal is to score points by arranging blocks to meet the scoring conditions of the balconies facing you.

Each turn, one player selects a building block, while the other decides where to place it in the grid. The first player starts by revealing a building block and choosing which two adjacent sides will be available for scoring. The other player then picks one of those sides and places the block, ensuring it’s adjacent to previously placed blocks. Players take turns choosing and placing blocks, working to strategically align scoring elements on their side of the building while restricting their opponent’s options.

Balconia is designed by Paul Schulz for players aged 10 and up and is perfect for quick head-to-head play – a game lasts about 20 minutes.


Perfect Mismatch

The next game by Red Cat to be published in English by Ares Games is Perfect Mismatch, a casual game where 2 to 8 players are challenged to guess words from a card using unusual associations of attributes as hints. Is there anything that is equally square and non-stop? Or extremely herbal, but not verbal at all?

Each turn, one player takes the lead and describes a secret word as precisely as possible by swiping beads toward the attributes on the two sides of a tablet – romantic or problematic, fingerless or fragile, wearable or helpful, extremely entertaining or not washable, and so on… Meanwhile the rest of the players should hurry to vote for their chosen word. The faster they are, the more points they will get.

Designed by Alexander Peshkov, Perfect Mismatch can be played both in competitive or cooperative modes, in about 20 to 30 minutes, sharing plenty of laughs while discussing hilarious attribute combinations and the associations they trigger.

Restoration Games announce Battle Monsters… Battle Masters with Godzilla!

Battle Monsters

At PAX Unplugged, Restoration Games announced their next Kickstarter campaign: Battle Monsters!

Battle Monsters is a restoration of Battle Masters, but with a twist. Battle Masters was originally a collaboration between Milton Bradley and Games Wokrshop released in 1992 and took its inspiration from Games Workshops fantasy game, Warhammer.

Battle Monsters will be more epic with licensed monsters from the Godzilla universe!

You can sign up now to get notified of the Kickstarter launch and to snag a backer freebie for the campaign!

The campaign launches in 2025.

Unmatched: The Witcher is available for pre-order

Unmatched The Witcher

The Witcher is getting two releases for Restoration Games‘ tabletop game, Unmatched. Unmatched Witcher – Steel & Silver and Unmatched Witcher – Realms Fall. The two expansions that bring the popular world to the tabletop.

Unmatched is a board/miniature game where you use a cards to decide on moves and battle it out against your opponent. The expansions are varied and can be played against each other. The Witcher could be played against Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Marvel characters, a dinosaur, Bruce Lee and more.

You can get the expansions in a bundle for $100 which comes with a special Geralt in the Bathtub Miniature, or get each for $50 with the Geralt bathtub miniature for $15.

Play as the “White Wolf” himself, lead Ciri to her destiny as the Lady of Space and Time, fight as Eredin – the King of the Wild Hunt, and race across the battlements of Kaer Morhen to stalk your foe. Mix and match heroes and maps from any Unmatched set for endless epic battles!

The exclusive bundle only available by ordering directly from Restoration Games includes

  • Unmatched Witcher: Steel & Silver
  • the Steel & Silver foil promo card pack
  • Unmatched Witcher: Realms Fall
  • the Realms Fall foil promo card pack
  • the LIMITED EDITION promo figure of Geralt in the Bathtub.

You can also choose to order from your friendly local game shop or the links below without the special promos.

Unmatched: Witcher – Steel & Silver
Miniature Market
Amazon

Unmatched: Witcher – Realms Fall
Miniature Market
Amazon

Maestro Media Announces the Launch of The Smurfs Hidden Village – A Cooperative Adventure Game for the Whole Family

The Smurfs: Hidden Village

Get ready to think like a Smurf! Maestro Media has released The Smurfs: Hidden Village, a brand new cooperative adventure game that will have you and your family working together to rebuild the iconic Smurf village! Designed by long-time Smurf fans Antoine Bauza, Corentin Lebrat, Ludovic Maublanc, and Théo RivièreThe Smurfs: Hidden Village is packed with smurftastic artwork and clever strategy, offering players ages 8 and up a chance to immerse themselves in the magical world of the Smurfs while fostering teamwork and problem-solving skills.

In this cooperative game, your goal is simple: help the Smurfs complete three big tasks. You’ll need to rescue all the lost Smurfs from the Dark Forest, rebuild the mushroom houses, and bake some delicious cakes for the party. But watch out—Gargamel and Azrael are hot on your tail and ready to cause trouble at every turn!

Game Features Include:

  • Teamwork Makes the Dream Work: It’s all about working together to achieve your goals. Everyone wins—or loses—together!
  • Smurftastic Powers: Every Smurf has a special ability that can help you outwit Gargamel. But don’t be fooled—some Smurfs might end up causing more mischief than you expect!
  • Perfect for Families: Whether you’re a Smurf expert or a first-time adventurer, this game is designed for players of all ages to have a fun-filled experience.

Whether you’re strategizing to thwart Gargamel’s evil plans or racing to finish the Smurf tasks in time, each playthrough is filled with surprises and laughter. So gather your family, roll the dice, and dive into the whimsical world of the Smurfs—where teamwork is the key to saving the village and ensuring that everyone has a smurftacular time!

Purchase: Miniature MarketAmazon

The Lord of the Rings comes to Pandemic with The Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship

The Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship

Pandemic is a classic game and has been adapted in numerous different versions and settings. Now, Matt Leacock mixes The Lord of the Rings with the game for The Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship which is expected to be released June 6, 2025.

Gather heroes to defend the havens of Middle-earth from advancing shadow troops, complete objectives that will change each time you play, and help Frodo evade the hunting Nazgûl as he travels to Mount Doom to destroy the One Ring.

Like other Pandemic games, The Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship is a cooperative strategy game where you join forces to save Middle-earth. Players must complete evolving objectives and protect the realm from the forces of darkness.

The Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship

As Frodo journeys to Mount Doom, players must work together to help him evade the relentless Nazgûl while preventing the shadow armies from overtaking key havens.

Each game presents new challenges with unique objectives that change every time you play, ensuring endless replayability and fresh strategies.

Created by Matt Leacock, this is the most mechanically rich Pandemic System design to date, offering deep strategic gameplay and thrilling cooperative mechanics.

The Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship is designed for 1-5 players, ideal for ages 14 and up.

The Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship

EXIT: The Game – Adventures on Catan is coming June 2025

EXIT: The Game - Adventures on Catan

KOSMOS, CATAN GmbH, and CATAN Studio have announced plans to release a new edition of Klaus Teuber’s award-winning, wildly popular board game, CATAN, in March 2025 to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the game’s first publication. Thames & Kosmos has unveiled the upcoming release of EXIT: The Game – Adventures on Catan, the newest addition to the award-winning EXIT: The Game line of at-home escape room games, set in the captivating world of CATAN. 

In EXIT: The Game – Adventures on Catan players set out to create a new life for themselves on the beautiful, resource-rich island of Catan. But numerous challenges and riddles await you on your exciting journey! In Adventures on Catan, there are nods to the beloved gameplay of CATAN, as players trade with residents to build out the island and discover more resources. Can you succeed in building a new life in a foreign land? 

The EXIT: The Game series debuted in North America in 2017 and the first three titles were awarded the internationally acclaimed Kennerspiel des Jahres (German for “Connoisseur/Expert Game of the Year”), marking the first time a series of games won the prestigious award. Since then, over 30 unique titles have been released in the US, with varying themes and options for all skill levels. Today, more than 25 million games have been sold worldwide as the series continues to attract gamers and non-gamers alike, with people of all backgrounds and interests hailing the puzzles in the EXIT series as some of the most innovative and engaging puzzles in any line of at-home escape room games. 

EXIT: Adventures on Catan, an exceptional collaboration between two epic brands, is available to pre-order and will be in stores across North America in June. 

Arcane Wonders teases its 2025 releases

Arcane Wonders

It’s a new year and we’re looking ahead at the amazing tabletop games we can expect in 2025. Arcane Wonders has pulled back the curtain showing off not just what’s coming out in January, but beyond as well!

Here is a list of what to expect from Arcane Wonders in 2025:

Coming in January:

  • ito – ito is a cooperative game where you and your friends will each get your own secret number you then have to try to put in order as a group based on the clues you give related to the chosen theme. ito became wildly popular in its native country of Japan and Arcane Wonders is bringing it to English-speaking audiences for the first time.
     
  • Mezen – Mezen is a puzzle tile-based game where players will compete to achieve a series of scoring goals by removing tiles from their 5×5 board, flipping them over, sliding the tiles above them down, then adding the newly flipped tiles from the top. The gorgeous Siberian art makes Mezen’s table presence absolutely stunning.

Coming Q3-4 2025:

  • Call of Duty: The Board Game – Call of Duty: The Board Game brings the Call of Duty experience to tabletops, immersing players in intense competitive combat. Play on authentic Call of Duty maps such as Shoot House or Standoff. Choose from operators like Ghost Riley or Captain Price. Select your favorite weapons and items. Build a custom combat deck with your signature tactics. Then, jump into the action.
     
  • Buffet Boss – In Buffet Boss, pick your food from the buffet and gain points by stacking food onto your plate. But beware – the food with the tastiest point values are also the hardest to stack! Players will also have Character cards that give them bonus points for stacking specific types of food. Buffet Boss also comes in many different modes to suit all diets – a solo/cooperative mode as well as a mode for kids aged five and up.
     
  • Aquatica: Duellum – New Aquatica is in a duel format: deeper, meaner, and more intense. Choose a Turtle King or a Squid Queen and improve your underwater realm by playing action cards and assembling locations on three-layered boards. After decades of turbulent times, it is time to unite the underwater world under the fin or tentacle of a single ruler!

     
  • Leylines – Leylines is a re-imagining/update of the classic game Auf Achse by Wolfgang Kramer set in a brand new world with new rules by Daryl Andrews, featuring beautiful acrylic standees and a circular board filled magical leylines and mystical markets! To win, players must collect resources in the forest and bring them back along the leylines to the markets to sell them. Be aware, though, that the magical merchants pay different amounts depending on what they are interested in!
     
  • Raas: A Dance of Love – Raas is a light-medium competitive strategy game for one to six players. The ‘board’ consists of a set of seven discs connected with an intricate gear mechanism. Each disc has six dice as ‘dancers’ specializing in different tempos and styles of this energetic Gujarati dance form. Players draft dancers from the central dance floor to train up their own personal dance troupe. Plan your moves to matchmake amongst the dancers to go up the love track and earn powerful bonuses.
     
  • If/Then – If/Then is a game of cooperative pattern solving. One player is the knower, who reads the hint and tells the other players whether their guesses are right or wrong. Everyone else is a guesser; they take turns choosing a card from a display and placing it in the line as a guess. The guessers win if they successfully guess the hint before running out of cards.
     
  • Freedom Five – Freedom Five: A Sentinel Comics Board Game is a cooperative strategy game in which one to five heroes race to protect their home city and its inhabitants from an onslaught of villainy from Baron Blade and his criminal cohorts. Each player must master their character’s unique abilities to manage multiple crises throughout the city of Megalopolis. Assemble your friends to face standalone challenges, or mix it up and adventure through a series of campaign comics in which you will gain rewards ⁠— and new threats ⁠— each session.
     
  • Millimemory – In Millimemory, players try to remember the length of everyday household items. Each player has an unmarked ruler to estimate the length and begins the game at 100 points. Players lose one point for each millimeter they are off the correct length. Players are eliminated when they run out of points, and the last player in the game wins.

Head back to the 90s with Arcane Wonders’ Video Game Champion

Video Game Champion

Arcane Wonders has launched of the English version of Video Game Champion. The new tabletop title is part of Arcane Wonders’ Dice Tower Essentials line, featuring products hand-selected by renowned board game reviewer Tom Vasel.

In this family-friendly board game for 2-5 players, take a trip down memory lane to the ’90s, when no weekend was complete without a Friday night visit to Blockbuster or your favorite video game rental store. This game is fully localized by Arcane Wonders from the Brazilian Portuguese version known as “O Bom Do Videogame.”

Through savvy resource management, you’ll navigate earning an allowance, convincing your parents to buy you games, and doing chores to save up for renting the hottest 16-bit titles. Actions are taken via an Action Grid, where you can choose to study, read gaming magazines, or tackle household tasks—all to maximize your gaming time.

As you progress, raid the shelves for new game cards and build your collection with fictional classics like the kart racer “Neow Racing” and the fantasy epic “Dragon Scales.” While the games may be fictional, the detailed 16-bit-inspired box art captures the essence of the era, enhancing the nostalgic vibe.

Video Game Champion is available now in English via online and physical retail stores.

Purchase: Miniature MarketGame Nerdz

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