Keltis HD For iPad & iPhone

Found a bit of news about Keltis by Reiner Knizia for iOS from the very cool site iPadboardgames.org…

Last year, we reviewed Keltis on the iPhone. A large portion of the critique at that point related to the fact that there was no HD version, and that it seemed like any further developments would disappear into the ether.

We have now been proven wrong. Keltis HD is not just simply a template update, but rather a revision of the existing iOS property into something that uses the iPad smartly.

Gameplay

As previously noted, the gameplay itself is not overly difficult to comprehend. You have four columns, each with a scale of -4 to 10. Your purpose is to advance your stones up these columns to a predetermined ending point. At the end of the game, your score is the sum of your columns, plus a relevant modifier.

The game works through developing ascending or descending runs of cards. Each column has an associated card suit. You use these suits to build a chain of cards in ascending or descending order. Since the cards you can draw are reasonably random, you have to make a judgement about whether to play a card you have or wait for a better card. You can only progress a stone when you can play a card, and if you dither about too much you’ll be left behind as your opponents streak ahead. As you progress along a particular column, the first stone there will encounter a number of bonuses. These include the ability to advance other stones, and the collection of wishing stones, which are also important to the final score. The trick is to remember that you don’t need to have an optimal game, only one that’s a bit better then the opponents’.

The game ends when there are five stones in the final three rows from any players in the game. It also ends when the last card is drawn.

Visit iPad Board Games For The Rest Of The Story

Merchant Of Venus Reprint Up For Grabs?

Both Fantasy Flight Games and Stronghold Games have announced that they’ve licensed the rights to reprint the 1980s Avalon Hill game Merchant of Venus.  Stronghold announced a license from designer Richard Hamblen, and that its release will be titled Richard Hamblen’s Merchant of Venus.  FFG announced a license from Avalon Hill parent Wizards of the Coast, and that its March 2012 release will be titled Merchant of Venus.

Stronghold believes the license is Hamblen’s to give.  “Stronghold Games feels very strongly that the license is solely Mr. Hamblen’s to offer, and he has selected Stronghold Games for the reprint,” a statement from the company said.

FFG signed its license with WotC/Hasbro over a year ago, according to the company, and has been working on republishing the title since.  FFG’s info on its release implies that some rule changes have been made in its edition.  “We’ve been working hard to produce what will be a fantastic edition of Merchant of Venus, one that remains true to tis magnificently campy core, while expanding the game in surprising ways that will cause even the most hardcore fan to celebrate.”

Original Avalon Hill version

Both companies appear to believe that the other acted in good faith, but is mistaken about who controls reprint rights (designer Hamblen, or Avalon Hill).  A statement by FFG President Christian Petersen says that his company is “in open communication with both Hasbro and Stronghold on this, and will be digging into more details next week to clarify the issue.”

It would seem that the nature of the Avalon Hill rights to the game is the key issue on which this dispute will turn: does Avalon Hill still have publishing rights to Merchant of Venus, or have they reverted to designer Hamblen?

Source

‘A Game of Thrones: The Board Game’ 2nd Edition

Fantasy Flight Games has announced a Second Edition of its A Game of Thrones: The Board Game (MSRP $59.95). Each of the 3-6 players the game accommodates has control of one of the great houses of Westeros in this epic struggle for control of the Iron Throne that is based on George R.R. Martin’s bestselling A Song of Fire and Ice fantasy novels, which are currently being adapted for television in the extremely popular HBO series Game of Thrones. FFG will debut the Second Edition at Gen Con, and release it during the fourth quarter.

The timing could hardly be better. Dynamite and Bantam are launching their comic book/graphic novel adaptation of Game of Thrones in the fall, and given the tremendous impact of the HBO series, Q4 should be the perfect time to debut a new edition of the game and take full advantage of traditionally strong holiday board game sales. Read more

Battleship Galaxies – Board Game From Hasbro Coming Soon

UPDATE: It’s out!  My copy is on the way (should be here by 7/15/11).  It looks fantastic and I can’t wait to try it out.

Advanced Squad Leader Starter Kit #1 – First Game

My son Logan and I began our first game of Advanced Squad Leader: Starter Kit #1 tonight and at the end of the first turn I took a quick snapshot of the map.

ASLSK #1 is a tactical WWII hex and counter wargame that recreates battles on a squad level. The hexes are 40 meters and each squad counter represents between 5 and 10 men.

We are having a lot of fun so far and are probably making a ton of mistakes but that’s all part of the process. He’s playing the Germans and I am playing the Americans.

The scenario is “Retaking Vierville” and the Americans must prevent the Germans from occupying a certain number of buildings in the center of the town by the end of the fifth turn. We are still playing so no winner yet. Stay tuned.

I can already tell that we will be playing more of this, but it will take a few games to get the kinks out of figuring the rules, but it will be worth it.

Advanced Squad Leader Starter Kit #1 is published by MultimanPublishing. Read more

‘Fury Of The Bear’ Expansion Announced For ‘Tide Of Iron’

Fantasy Flight Games announced their next expansion for Tide Of Iron. Here is the word from their website….

It is June 22, 1941…

Operation Barbarossa has commenced and the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union has begun. Employing over 4.5 million troops, Germany’s invasion spreads across an 1800 mile front. Pressing forward, the Germans seek to claim territory up to the Arkhangelsk-Astrakhan line. These two Soviet cities mark the proposed eastern border of the Reich. The Soviets, however, have no intention of going quietly.

Despite Soviet defenses, Germany continued to gain momentum from successes in other areas. Operation Typhoon began, targeting Moscow. But once again, Soviet defense forces pushed Germany back. A counter-attack would soon follow…

Fantasy Flight Games is pleased to announce Fury of the Bear, an upcoming expansion to Tide of Iron! Take command of the Germans or the Soviet forces as war on the Eastern Front begins.

The Fury of the Bear expansion for Tide of Iron builds on an already epic game experience by adding the forces of an entirely new nation, as well as new vehicles, winter terrain, scenarios, and more! Featuring nearly 100 plastic figures for the Soviet army, plus new German figures, tokens, cards, and 9 new Eastern Front map boards, the Fury of the Bear expansion will let you experience Tide of Iron in an entirely new way. Read more

Commands & Colors Napoleonics From GMT Games

Commands & Colors Napoleonics has just gone up on GMT’s P500 list.

Commands & Colors: Napoleonics allows you to re-fight epic battles of the Napoleonic era. In this core volume, the focus is on the French and the British, two bitter rivals in the struggle for European preeminence during the time of Napoleon.

As with other games in the Commands & Colors genre, units in both armies can only move and fight when ordered. The command playing cards supply those orders, providing an element of luck that creates a fog of war and presents players with both challenges and opportunities. You must maximize your opportunities by playing your command cards judiciously. How well you handle the diverse units, their weapons, and the terrain, will determine victory.

Core Game Contents:

·1 Mounted Battlefield Gameboard
·4 Sheets containing 56 double-sided Terrain Tiles and 2 Infantry in Square tracks
·70 Command cards
·8 Battle dice
·French, British and Portuguese Blocks and Label sheets
·3 National Unit Reference Cards
·1 Rule Book
·1 Scenario Booklet containing 15 battle scenarios Read more

Fantasy Flight Games Announces ‘Runewars’ Big Box Game

Runewars is an epic board game of conquest, adventure, and fantasy empires for two to four players. Designed by Corey Konieczka, Runewars pits players against each other in a strategic game of battles and area control, where they must gather resources, raise armies, and lay siege to heavily fortified cities.

Runewars takes place in the same popular fantasy universe as the best-selling board games Runebound and Descent: Journeys in the Dark, and dozens of fan-favorite heroes and monsters play their part. The wars for the dragon runes are beginning, and only one faction will emerge victorious. What would you do to claim the ultimate power?

Runewars includes:

•A thorough 40-page instruction guide
•Nearly two hundred highly-detailed plastic miniatures
•Over two hundred tokens
•Over two hundred cards, both small and standard sized
•13 map tiles, each composed of multiple hexes and including stunning three-dimensional mountain terrain!

Fantasy Flight Games

Valley Games’ ‘Republic Of Rome’ Is At The Printers

Valley Games’ reprint of Avalon Hill’s classic “Republic Of Rome” has headed off to the printers. No word yet on when shipping will take place, but this is positive news indeed…

Robert Haines’ and Richard Berthold’s classic game of political intrigue and diplomacy is back in full form! Republic of Rome is a distillation of 250 years of Roman history, from about 265 B.C., all in one evening!

In Republic of Rome, players are in a constant balancing act between personal advancement and the welfare of the state. Players build the empire from scratch and thus develop and change the political environment in which they are competing.

Players’ Senators vie for political power, military commands and economic advantages against the backdrop of a turbulent world. Deals and counter-offers abound. Short the necessary votes for Consul? Trade the Armaments Concession for a faction’s support. Spartacus has destroyed your villa? Send Pompey off with ten legions to crush him. But is that too much power to entrust to one man? What if Pompey rebels and marches on Rome?

The game contains three scenarios which divide the color-coded cards into decks simulating the Early, Middle, and Late Republic. Those wishing a larger game can combine them into a Campaign Game of truly epic proportions. A solitaire and two-player version are also included for those unable to muster more players.

This new version contains all new artwork by Mike Doyle and re-written rules meant to address and clarify all previous errata. This is a 1 – 6 player game with a playing time of approximately 3 – 5 hours.

See Valley Games’ listing of Republic Of Rome

‘Pegasus Expansion’ Announced For The Battlestar Galactica Board Game

This fall brings the first expansion for Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game. The Pegasus expansion adds two new supplemental game boards featuring the Battlestar Pegasus and the planet of New Caprica, seven new characters, a new Cylon Locations overlay, two plastic Basestars, as well as new Destination, Crisis, Loyalty, Quorum, Super Crisis, and Skill cards.

The new Pegasus board can be used by itself or together with the New Caprica board to create the game you desire – use the Pegasus alone for the additional firepower she provides, or add the New Caprica board to simulate the rebellion on the human colony, bringing the game to an epic level.

New rules introduce the ability to play as a new character type – the Cylon Leader, with a new Treachery Skill card type.

How will the crews of the Galactica and the Pegasus mesh when they join each other on your game table? Will the Cylons be able to subjugate the human rebellion on New Caprica? Will an open Cylon Leader be able to vent the last remaining humans into space, giving the toasters control over the galaxy?

Pegasus will be FTL jumping into your friendly local game store this Fall. Be on the lookout for previews leading up to the expansion’s release.

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