Here is the board game (and board game-related!) news that caught our attention for the week ending June 24, 2022.
Gaming News
- Asmodee imprint Space Cowboys has announced Splendor Duel, a new two-person version of the classic set collection game. Marc Andre, the designer of the original game, is being joined by award-winning designer Bruno Cathala for Duel, which is set to be released this fall.
- In other Asmodee-related news, the company’s parent, Embracer Group, recently got a $1 billion investment from Savvy Gaming Group, an entity wholly owned by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The investment makes the Saudi crown the second-largest owner of Embracer, which not only owns Asmodee but also other media companies including comic publisher Dark Horse. According to Dicebreaker, Embracer’s CEO Lars Wingefors denied that the investment by a country with a problematic human rights record would not change his company’s values, which are “built on the principles of freedom, inclusion, humanity, and openness.”
- According to Reddit user FaradaySaint, based on data scraped from BoardGameGeek by Jesse Van Elteren, there were more games published in 2021 that had a solo mode than games that required two or more players. Games that require at least four players remain the least-published category.
- Magic Mountain, a co-op game from Amigo and designed by Jens-Peter Schliemann and Bernhard Weber, has won the Kinderspiel des Jahres award for best kid-friendly game. The remaining awards, including the prestigious Spiel des Jahres, will be announced on July 16.
- Critical Role has launched a record label, Scanlan Shorthalt Music. Its first album is a fantasy-themed soundtrack, Welcome To Tal’Dorei, of official music from the series.
GeekDad & GeekMom Reviews
Here’s what we reviewed since our last Re-Roll:
- Jonathan Liu reviewed The One Hundred Torii.
- Robin Brooks published the newest episode of his game-themed podcast, Agents of Sigmar.
- I reviewed GeekDad Approved Ticket to Ride: San Francisco.
What We’re Playing
Finally, here’s what the GeekDads and GeekMoms played:
- Jonathan Liu played The Initiative, The One Hundred Torii: Diverging Paths, burncycle, Disney’s Sorcerer’s Arena: Epic Alliances, Suspects, Tidal Blades: Banner Festival, WolfWalkers: My Story, Clank!, Disney Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, The Gig, Suspects, Tidal Blades: Banner Festival, and Word Heist
- Michael Pistiolas played Marvel Champions, 7 Wonders Architects, Canvas, Switch & Signal, Rolling Realms, Foundations of Rome, Don’t L.L.A.M.A. Dice, Scoville, The Incredibles: Save the Day Games, Hero Realms, The Lord of the Rings LCG, and Cartographers.
- Aaron Spurlock played Morels and Butterfly Garden.
- Robin Brooks played Moonstone, Lord of the Rings LCG, and Battlemasters.
- I played Ticket to Ride: San Francisco.
