Since most of July’s tabletop game KS campaigns are already up and running, we’ll take a look into what’s coming next month. Today: two games from August and one with an unspecified summer launch date.
Fired Up! – August 8th
We’ll start with something unique: a game about arena fights. Aren’t there already like hundreds of these? There may be, but not many make you play as a member of the audience. The game is actually a rerelease of the 2016’s game with the same title, but: with a plenty of new mechanics and a complete visual overhaul.
The new Fired Up! can be played by 2 to 5 players – each acting as an individual fan of arena fights. The rules were revamped, to make the game more accessible and dynamic.
As the most avid spectators, you can actually influence the gladiators. It’s also possible to make secret bets about upcoming actions and winners. You don’t have to make a certain gladiator win to become victorious yourself. The goal is to have the most fun cheering, and “fun” is actually a numeric value in Fired Up!.
The game comes with some great looking minis and illustrations by Mihajlo Dimitrievski (Architects of the West Kingdom, Valeria: Card Kingdoms) and Nikos Rovakis. There’s also a lot of custom dice included – used to determine the gladiator actions and to add some dice placement / dice manipulation mechanics to the game.
SeaRovers – August 27th
Pirates are one of the most popular themes among board game fans and creators. Majority of pirate games go into the fantasy territory. Historical accuracy is often dropped to create something similar to the Pirates of the Caribbean. SeaRovers attempts to go against the trend and remain as realistic as possible. The work on SeaRovers started in the early 2000s. Van Overbay has been designing the game for years, and looks like we will finally be able to play it ourselves.
The gameplay of SeaRovers takes place during the course of 12 turns. There’s a heavy focus on cards, which apart from containing mechanic related numbers etc., tell various historical stories about pirates and real events of the bygone era. The artwork is also praiseworthy as the game utilizes real XIX-XX century paintings and illustrations depicting (in)famous pirates.
While collecting Pieces of Eight is the main goal, winning is more complex than it sounds. Turns are divided into 7 phases: from Reclaiming Booty to restocking the row of cards available for future purchases. Action Phase allows moving, changing havens or even building new ships and equipment. You are able to choose between a simple and advanced movement systems. The latter requires players to steer their ships with randomized wind directions in mind – leading to even more realism in the game.
Geeknson Board Game Table | QUESTOWER Ads Sytsem
Epic Card Game: Jungle – Summer 2019
Back in June 2015 the creators of the brilliant Star/Hero Realms attempted to create a card game, that would allow playing formats known from TCGs while remaining a single, one-buy box. Players wouldn’t have to spend $10 (minimum) each time they want to play. There was also a game mode with preconstructed decks and another where you created your own. Epic Card Game got 14 expansions, which added some fun while remaining totally optional.
We were positively surprised by the announcement of the new campaign. The game felt finished and the creators seemed to have moved to different projects. Luckily, Epic is far from over. What can we expect from the new edition/expansions?
First: two new decks will be added to cater to players, who are new to card games. The original Epic used plenty of keywords, and if you didn’t spend some of your youth playing Magic the Gathering, it could get really confusing.
Next: new starter set called Gowanna. It’s set in a jungle filled realm, where the power of gods manifests in an incredibly strong manner. Finally: 4 new packs called “Epic Lost Tribe” collectively. These cards are also set in Gowanna and feature tons of new gameplay related to a certain fleet accidentally landing there.
