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Review: Zombie Dice 2 Brings Double the Brains, Double the Fun

Posted 3/9/12 12:00 pm EST by in Hobby Gaming, Reviews


Roll the dice. Eat the brains. Don't get shotgunned. That was the mantra of Zombie Dice two years ago when it burst onto the gaming scene as a short, fun, and easy to learn dice game that's all about eating brains while avoiding the three-strike rule of shotgun blasts. [Original review]

It was the epitome of casual fun "push your luck" dice gaming, yet somehow, Zombie Dice faded into the shadows as other dice games observed the model for success and ran with it. But like any good zombie, this game just won't stay dead. Read More...

Munchkin 8 Aims to Prove That Good Puns Never Die [Exclusive Card Preview]

Posted 3/8/12 11:00 am EST by in Hobby Gaming, Previews



While Steve Jackson Games continuously releases new Munchkin-branded products, the craze that urged players to "kill the monsters, steal the treasure, stab your buddy" started over 10 years ago with original fantasy-themed set. It's been a whole two years since that line has seen any new cards, but that is all about to change with this month's release of Munchkin 8: Half Horse, Will Travel. Rest easy, Munchkin fans, the pun well has not run dry.

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Kickstarter: It's Not Just for Indie Games Anymore

Posted 3/7/12 12:00 pm EST by in Hobby Gaming


When you think of Kickstarter.com and hobby gaming, the mind immediately leaps to the upstart game designer self-publishing a title from his garage. That may hold true in most cases, but the crowd fundraising site is not just for the indie set. Queen Games, one of the industry's most prominent publishers, has shattered this small-publishers-only convention with their attempt to publisher Escape... From the Temple Curse using Kickstarter funds. Read More...

Game of Thrones Board Game to Receive a Dance With Dragons Expansion at "Days of Ice and Fire"

Posted 3/5/12 10:29 am EST by in George R. R. Martin, Hobby Gaming


The third annual gathering of Game of Thrones hobby gaming fans has been announced by Fantasy Flight Games. Set to take place from May 18th through the 20th at the publisher's Roseville, Minnesota-based Event Center, the Days of Ice and Fire event announcement had an interesting bit of news tucked away in it: a new Game of Thrones Board Game expansion will debut there.

Designed to re-theme the game around the most recent novel, A Dance With Dragons, this expansion is being used to spark interest in the weekend event by announcing it in this manner and promising attendees a sneak peek. In fact, all pre-registered attendees will walk away with a free copy of this new 42-card deck and modified rules set. Those who can't make the trip will have to wait until later in the year when this A Dance With Dragons deck will become available as part of Fantasy Flight's Print on Demand expansion program.

A new deck of cards and a few rules twists will transform the Game of Thrones Board Game's setting from the first to fifth book in the A Song of Ice and Fire series.

That's not all that Days of Ice and Fire has to offer, though. Read More...

Review: The Locke And Key Card Game

Posted 3/2/12 3:30 pm EST by in Hobby Gaming, Reviews


Turn a key and twist your fate. Based on the bestselling graphic novel series from author Joe Hill and artist Gabriel Rodriguez, Locke & Key The Game lets players set foot in Keyhouse mansion, where a collection of hidden keys serve up a variety of game-altering effects. A unique blend of competitive and cooperative gameplay forces players to work together in overcoming challenges, but the power of the keys will have them climbing over each other's back for individual success. Read on for the full review:

Just the Facts:

Players: 3-6
Playing Time: 30 minutes
Age: 15+
Publisher: Cryptozoic Entertainment
Game Designer: Matt Hyra
MSRP: $29.99
Release: February 2012

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Monopoly: Street Fighter Collector's Edition Incoming!

Posted 3/2/12 12:00 pm EST by in Capcom, Hobby Gaming, Toys, Video Games


USAopoly has released versions of Monopoly pulling themes from Star Trek, Futurama, Star Wars, Metallica, The Three Stooges, Pirates of the Caribbean, Family Guy, Elvis and even Nintendo. The list just keeps on growing and now another franchise is getting the Monopoly treatment – Capcom's Street Fighter! Read More...

Let Your Gamer Flag Fly With Meeple Jewelry

Posted 3/1/12 11:00 am EST by in Hobby Gaming


Meeple earrings from the Hard Boiled Megg shop on Etsy

Let's be honest, as popular as hobby gaming has become, finding other members of this geeky niche-within-a-niche can pose its challenges. What's a board gamer to do when it comes time to express their love of the hobby? You could slap a bumper sticker on your car, sport a geeky t-shirt, get a giant D20 tattooed across your back (don't think it hasn't happened), or pursue a new option: meeple jewelry.

If you're not familiar with the term "meeple," know that it is loosely defined to represent any board game piece that attempts to represent a humanoid, both in shape and in the gameplay. Take a look above at those earings, which use the classic meeple shape as made popular in games such as Carcassonne. You can grab that game on your iPhone for a few bucks and I promise you'll have a good time. Go on, I'll wait. Congrats, you're a gamer! Now its time to check out some jewelry.

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Review: Catan Enters the Dark Ages in New Card Game Expansion

Posted 2/24/12 11:00 am EST by in Hobby Gaming, Mayfair Games, Reviews


Back in 2011, Mayfair Games went a bit Catan-crazy, publishing a new version of the Catan dice game as well as two different card games, The Struggle for Catan and The Rivals for Catan. Although they all sport the Catan brand name, each contains a completely unique experience. Gamers have been burned in the past with popular franchises such as Carcassonne, which uses the sausage factory model for pushing out expansions and off-shoot games, so the surprise here was that all of the new Catan games were actually quite good.

Just the Facts:

Players: 2
Playing Time: 45-60 minutes
Age: 12+
Publisher: Mayfair Games
Game Designer: Klaus Teuber
MSRP: $15.00
Release: November 17th, 2011

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Toy Fair 2012: PSI's Booth Has New Games from Steve Jackson, Stronghold, and More

Posted 2/23/12 1:00 pm EST by in Hobby Gaming, Toy Fair


You're never quite sure what you'll see from a game publisher at Toy Fair, with the trade show being overshadowed by Gen Con and the Essen Spiel, both of which serve as the launching point for most new game products. Every now and then, though, the timing matches up, and a game times perfectly for a Toy Fair preview. Such was the case at the Publisher Services Inc. (PSI) booth, where the distributor had representatives from Steve Jackson Games, Stronghold Games, and Stratus Games on hand to show off their upcoming releases.

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Toy Fair 2012: Fantasy Flight Takes Gamers on a Trip Through Middle-Earth

Posted 2/22/12 2:30 pm EST by in Hobby Gaming, Toy Fair


It may not be an "unexpected journey" (the Hobbit movie game rights have been split between Wizkids, Cryptozoic, and LEGO), but Fantasy Flight Games has enough Tolkien titles to take you on their own trip through Middle-earth.

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Toy Fair 2012: New Clue Game is About Committing the Crime, Not Solving It

Posted 2/22/12 12:33 pm EST by in Hasbro, Hobby Gaming, Toy Fair, Toys


A packaging mock-up for the upcoming Clue Elimination shown at Toy Fair 2012

Of all the games I was expecting to see from Hasbro at this year's Toy Fair, a dart shooting version of Clue was not among them. Color me surprised, but also color me impressed. Clue Elimination draws more inspiration from the free-form live-action game of Assassin than it does from traditional Clue, but Clue Elimination also looks quite fun.

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Toy Fair 2012: The Game of Thrones Board Game Gets an Upgrade

Posted 2/20/12 12:30 pm EST by in George R. R. Martin, Hobby Gaming, Toy Fair


Think Risk, but with a lot more political back-stabbing. And fun.

In that cool "we read the books long before they were popular" sort of way, Fantasy Flight Games has publishing Game of Thrones board and card games for 10 years. Now don't you feel late to the party?

Lucky for you, we got to chat with Fantasy Flight's sales manager, Bryan Bornmueller, at Toy Fair 2012, where he gave us a rundown on the publisher's history with the franchise, as well as a first-hand look at the newly-released second edition of the Game of Thrones Board Game.

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Toy Fair 2012: Cryptozoic Reveals Several New Board & Card Game Licenses

Posted 2/17/12 4:30 pm EST by in Hobby Gaming, Toy Fair


These games have put Cryptozoic on the map, but are just the tip of the iceberg compared to what the publisher has in store for the remainder of 2012.

One hobby gaming company making their Toy Fair debut this year was Cryptozoic Entertainment, and if first impressions don't lie, the Cryptozoic booth will be a fixture for years to come. The publisher made a splash in 2011 with games based on World of Warcraft, The Walking Dead, Penny Arcade, and even some of their own original creations, but Toy Fair gave us a look into the company's future.

Most of those previously mentioned licenses will continue on this year, but several more will be joining the pack. These include The Big Bang Theory, DC Comics, The Hobbit movie series, and Castle. This is all in addition to the just-released Locke & Key card game and other future releases we have already previewed, giving Cryptozoic quite the 2012 release slate

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Dungeons and Dragons 1st Edition Reprint Covers Revealed

Posted 2/15/12 10:00 am EST by in Hobby Gaming, Wizards of the Coast


Prepare to get your roleplay on like it's 1974. As was previously revealed in the Dungeons & Dragons 2012 product schedule, Wizards of the Coast will be publishing premium reprints of the original Dungeons & Dragons books (Monster Manual, Player's Handbook, and Dungeon Master's Guide).

The new printings will be faithful reproductions of the originals based on high-quality scans of those texts, but with all-new cover artwork to commemorate the re-release. Now, that cover artwork has been revealed.

All three books will be limited-edition hobby store exclusives, available starting on April 17th, with a portion of the proceeds donated to the Gygax Memorial Fund. Established to honor Gary Gygax, the late co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons, the fund is aiming to raise a statue in his hometown of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.

Related Posts:
Lead Developer Mike Mearls Answers Questions About "D&D Next"
Why You Should Care About the Next Edition of Dungeons & Dragons

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Toy Fair 2012: Mayfair Games Demos New and Improved Catan Junior

Posted 2/14/12 4:30 pm EST by in Hobby Gaming, Mayfair Games, Toy Fair


Back in January, Mayfair Games announced that Catan: Junior will be hitting North America, but there were few details on how the game would change from its original Kosmos-published German edition, Die Siedler von Catan Junior. At Toy Fair 2012, I caught up with Mayfair's Director of Sales & Marketing, Bob Carty, to see an early prototype of this new Catan Junior edition.

The changes in this new version run the gamut of gameplay to theme. For one, all of the cards have been replaced with tiles (the sheets of symbols you see on the table are un-punched tile art), which makes more sense since this junior version of Catan doesn't involve stealing resources. The American version of Catan: Junior also incorporates a trade market which you can see has been built right into the game's board.

Thematically, the resources have received a bit of tweaking. Most notably, kids won't be collecting rum anymore, as those barrels have been renamed as molasses. Jack Sparrow might be disappointed, but I'm willing to bet at least a few parents will appreciate Mayfair's change.

Related Posts:
Mayfair Games Mold The Settlers of Catan Into a Social Experiment
Move Over Candyland, Catan Junior is Coming in April

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