New Games Let You Rewrite History

Teotihucan: City of the Gods – Kickstarter (April 2023) 

To start off we’re going way back, between 400 B.C. and 400 A.D. depending on who you ask, to the great city of Teotihuacán in what is now Mexico. Back then, Teotihuacán was the city in Mesoamerica. Visitors to the city were awed by its large population, stunning architecture, and vast wealth. Such an impressive culture needed an equally impressive game, and in 2018 NSKN Games delivered with Teotihuacán: City of the Gods.  

But it’s been 5 years since then, and new publisher Board & Dice have decided to give Teotihuacán: City of the Gods a major facelift. For anyone just learning about City of the Gods, one thing to keep in mind is that this 1 – 4 player game is the heaviest of Euro games. Through careful worker placement and engine building, characters try to earn the most VP through resource gathering, technological development, worker advancement, appeasement of the gods, and by advancing construction on the Pyramid of the Sun and Avenue of the Dead. 

With so many moving parts, you can bet there are a ton of actual parts that need moving. It’s these physical components, rather than the rules themselves, which are the focus of the latest Kickstarter. Not surprising considering that Teotihuacán: City of the Gods has never left the Board Game Geek Top 100 Games since its arrival.  

 The Teotihuacán: City of the Gods and all its expansions will be getting boards with updated designs focusing on brighter colors and cleaner lines for clearer distinctions between locations. If you are a fan of the original design, though, don’t worry. The boards are double-sided with the original art on the back. There are also stretch goal rumors of double-layered player boards with recesses to prevent tokens from escaping.  

Speaking of tokens, the tokens and dice are also getting an upgrade, so say goodbye to those generic meeples and colored cubes. They’re getting replaced with tokens that are custom cut and heat printed, making them not only more attractive but also easily identifiable. The new, expanded box will also come with redesigned inserts to hold all of the new components neatly. After all, your workers should be sent to the Avenue of the Dead by you, not because they fell on the floor and were discovered by the dog.  

1793: Patriots & Traitors – Gamefound (June or July 2023) 

You know that old saying about the need to break some eggs to make an omelette? Well the internet says that France loves omelettes, so it stands to reason they have no problem breaking eggs. Which probably explains why, in the 18^th century, the country famous for romance and art also became famous for brutal revolution. Breaking eggs, lopping off heads; tomato-tomahto, amiright? 

1793: Patriots & Traitors from Sound of Drums puts 1 – 5 players smack in the middle of this bloody business and challenges them to make order of the chaos. The players are rivals, each with their own political agenda and vision for the new Republic. But Austria and Prussia, smelling all that blood in the water, are eyeing France with less then honorable intentions. If players can’t work together at least a little, the game will end early and everyone leaves speaking German.  

The game is entirely card driven and plays like a more complex and historically themed game of Flux. Each faction will use their most influential protagonists, all based on actual revolutionary figures, to influence the districts of Paris and the surrounding provinces. At least, they will so long as they aren’t killed or imprisoned first. Ultimately, though, players want to pass laws. These not only change the rules and win conditions, but can also change the board itself! With so much chaos, only the player with the best head on their shoulders will be victorious. Assuming they can keep it there… 

Fighters of Europe – Kickstarter (April 18, 2023)  

Jumping forward further still, the thud of the guillotine is replaced by the boom of anti-aircraft guns and the roar of engines as we take to the skies of World War II. Capsicum Games is launching a new stand-alone expansion to their Fighters of the Pacific game, Fighters of Europe. 

The original Fighters of the Pacific is a 1- 4 player tactical skirmish game that likes to do things a little differently. For instance, there are no dice. Instead, the game is entirely strategy-based and plays more like chess. Players attempt to break up their opponent’s squadron formations through precise maneuvering and the carefully timed application of blazing machine guns! Also, there are no miniatures. Fighters, bombers, and ships are represented by high-quality 2D tokens instead, meaning that you get to simulate massive battles without having to dig too deeply into your war chest.  

Fighters of Europe keeps all the same rules and mechanics from the original but trades the sunny ocean blue for Britain’s famously gray skies. The core set includes 10 different scenarios set in the Battle of Britain, pitting British Hurricanes and Spitfires against waves of German HE 111 bombers and their BF 109 fighter escorts. Points are scored based on mission objectives, and fuel acts as a timer to make sure the scenarios don’t drag. There will also be 2 available expansion packs: Battle of France and Defense of the Reich. Both include 5 new missions as well as new planes like American P-51 Mustangs and B-17 Flying Fortresses against the dreaded German Me 262 fighter jet!  

By Zane Messina