All we ever talk about here is board games. It makes me look a tad one dimensional, doesn’t it? It’s okay, you can be honest with me, I won’t take offense (much). I’ll prove to you that there’s more to me than a collection of recent, new and upcoming releases on a variety of themes and employing addictive game mechanics. We’ll change the subject for once. Let’s be very ‘adult’ and chew over the latest developments in politics. Ahem. What a world, eh? Idiots voting in rick, selfish people who will only look out for other rich, selfish people, although really the world is controlled by oil and gas companies who think we’re stupid and they can make us believe their actions aren’t destroying the world…
Well, that was depressing. I wonder what can cheer us up?
Civolution
How about a game where you can have a go at sorting civilization out yourself?
We’ll open today with something best described as ‘a bit of a beast’. You may find that you’re gonna need a bigger table for this chonker. The player console alone is nuts. Fair warning for those of you with an overactive imagination (like me), the backstory for this one may bring back all of your fears that we’re all living inside a computer simulation (certain people in the public eye must be bugs if this is true). You’re basically in some kind of extra-dimensional university and you’re learning how to seed and develop civilization. You’re about to sit your final exam.
Civolution is a medium heavy to heavy euro-style game in which dice selection triggers actions on a tech tree-like structure. As you figure out how to best use your dice and put your unique cards into play, tons of strategies and paths to victory emerge, though each time you play, you will only explore a fraction of the possibilities that the game’s system and many cards provide. We’re essentially in sandbox country here, and you’re free to approach your aims however you see fit.
A humanoid scenario has been prepared on an isolated continent (!), and each player will play the part of a local deity which is closely linked to its very own civilization and must lead it to
success over the other civilizations. Your developmental possibilities are endless and reach from cultural and technical progress to evolutional adaptations. For example, what would you consider more beneficial to your tribes: inventing the wheel or growing wings? Demonstrate your ability to operate your civilization console and show us how well you can adjust to changeable environmental conditions and mild creational chaos. Does this scratch that megalomaniacal itch? Go here.
HiFi
This board game appears to have been built entirely upon an amusing pun. I have massive respect for this sort of thing. The backstory ain’t half bad either.
In 1974, the band The Meeples – see what I mean? Brilliant – broke up during the recordings for the “Vinil” album. The A-side of the unfinished album became legendary amongst fans, the subject of much discussion and rumour, turning into one of the most intriguing legends of rock-and-roll history. Fifty years later, the band has finally reunited to finish the B-side with the help of a team of the best musical producers in show biz. That’s you!
In HiFi, players start their turn by spinning the record’s rondel on the turntable to choose an action within their reach – the various parts of this game are very thematically designed – or they can spend production points to achieve one of the other actions. After resolving these actions, players allocate audio cards to the five studio tracks, earning points based on the buttons in that producer’s equalization track and what’s in the studio track. When a player allocates a guitarist card, each player who collaborated with the equalization of the guitar earns points. When elements such as sound wave or time-track positions match, players can perform bonus actions.
Each round represents a song recorded on the A-side of the album that will help players gather information to aid B-side recordings. After listening to all of the songs on the A-side – 6-8 rounds depending on the player count – the game ends. Whoever contributed most effectively to the construction of the tracks on the album’s B-side wins.
HiFi looks fab (get it? The Fab Four? Come on…), and if you’ve got any music lovers in your life who aren’t board gamers yet, this could be the ideal way to draw them in. Just sayin’. Bop on over here for a closer look.
Ecosfera
There’s two things to be said about nature-based games: they are very much on-trend right now, and they have a habit of being some of the best looking games out there. This one is no exception, with cards that look stunning both back and front. You know, games make it seem simple to solve all the world’s problems, and it isn’t… but I’ll tell you what is easy: wising up, and accepting that the people and companies in charge are not the best suited for the job of looking after our world’s future. They care only about their own pockets, people, and you’re an idiot if you believe a single world they say. Anyway…
Ecosfera from Julibert Games is a cooperative deck-building game with different levels of difficulty where we must restore nature before it’s too late. Water, time, earth, air and sun: these are the elements that you will use to get cards from the plant and the fungi kingdom. But be aware! There are also natural disaster cards. Luckily we have extra abilities such as changing cards, extra cards and passing a card to another player. With the right combination of plant cards you will get animals and with the right combination of animals, you will achieve biome tiles and hopefully you will rewild the world together.
So, what’s in the box? A few decks of fantastic looking cards, that’s what. This looks amazing on the tabletop, and the bright and colourful artwork will be a big reason to keep bringing this game off the shelf. You’ll get 30 animal kingdom cards, 30 plant and funghi kingdom cards, 60 element cards with funky symbolic designs that blend nicely with the animal and plant decks, seven biome tiles, 50 disaster cards – which cover the likes of forest fires, twisters and more – along with thematic tokens and a chunky scorepad.
Thematically resonant, artistically beautiful, and with mechanics that will surely lead to a case of one-more-goitis, this beautiful game is available right now, and it’s available here.
Wild Gardens
This is one I missed upon its release last year, and there’s a chance you missed it too, so let’s bring it into the light! (Light, because that’s what plants and flowers thrive on, innit? Well, I thought it was a good line.)
In Wild Gardens from Rose Gauntlet Entertainment, 1-4 players take on the role of a forager, carefully planning their movements around a path to find flavorful ingredients, cook delicious recipes, and serve fascinating guests. (Do not do this in real life: if you have a similar level of at-one-with-natureness that I have, then someone will die, or at the very least destroy your toilet paper supply.) Explore the multiple paths to victory by carefully crafting your skills to become the best forager you can be! Designed by Isaac Vega, the award-winning designer of Dead of Winter, Forgotten Waters, and Ashes Reborn.
Immerse yourself in a world where you’ll gather wild ingredients, craft delectable dishes, satisfy your guests’ appetites, and expand your knowledge at the library. Discover countless cozy avenues to earn points and savour the experience. You can cook over 40 different unique recipes, encounter a cast of 48 eccentric guests and travel through 12 captivating locations, so there’ll be a real variety to keep you coming back. With just three steps per turn, Wild Gardens is easy to learn and enjoy. Players select one action token from their set of five, maneuver their forager along the path, and activate a chosen set of skills. Players can upgrade skill sets based on their unique strategies.
This looks amazing. Some games have fab table presence, and this one has it in spades (spades, gardens, geddit?). Even more eye-catching than the stunning cozy artwork is the dedicated solo mode that comes with the game. And I mean dedicated. There’s a 46 page campaign book to follow. This seals Wild Gardens’ position near the top of my want list (and we all know how long a want list can be). Grab your gardening gloves and make your way to this bloomin’ marvellous page.
Vineyard
I’d like to own a vineyard. Particularly somewhere around the Med (might as well make a good life of it, eh?). The thing is, it would go wrong. I’d have to test the product. A lot. Can’t send out sub-standard product, not if I want to get on the shelves at Asda! But… yeah, all the product would get tested and I’d be dead. However, there is another way!
Vineyard from Pencil First Games is a 1-4 player strategy game that lets you experience winemaking from harvesting grapes to aging wine in the cellar (which is where you will find my wine-bloated corpse). Outshine your friends by combining the right worker and upgrade-as-you-play action into clever and exciting turns!
So, how’s this all going to work? Shared worker placement allows all players to move every worker and build off of other players’ turns to make the best choices and the best wine. Quick, engaging turns keep the game moving for everyone with easy-to-follow rules and smooth gameplay through the winemaking steps. Unique location actions provide advantages and allow you to leverage other players’ decisions to create strategic and satisfying turns. Ongoing upgrade choices give you ways to upgrade-as-you-play with worker abilities and improved action cards to create exciting turns.
There’s plenty of variety packed into the box, keeping the replayability high. Mix and match the included modules to find your favorite way to play and try out all new strategies. Unique Flavors give each player a secret objective to complete. Irena the Apprentice adds new ways to get more from your action cards. And Jasper the Cat offers location action bonuses for even better combos. There’s also a fun solo mode in which Aunt Mabel rocks up and tries to steal all the glory of your efforts.
You’ll need to get on this quick as the crowdfunding page ends very, very soon. Head to Kickstarter, my fellow plonkies.
Terminus Frontier
Let’s end on a biggie, and with this particular game I mean that in every way. Big gameplay, lots of miniatures, big storyline, big box, big pledges. If you’re a proper sci-fi nut, this may be very, very hard to resist…
Terminus Frontier from Forgeborne Games is a cooperative adventure game for 1-4 players featuring tactical squad combat missions, impactful narrative choices, and open-world space exploration.
Take on the role of a Drift Hunter, an elite vigilante and soldier of fortune! Travel the stars collecting bounties on wanted fugitives and performing contracts for competing stellar factions. Your squad will perform heists on maximum-security compounds, engage in deadly firefights with xeno kill teams, and fly to the uncharted reaches of deep space on their mission for fortune and glory. You will be forced to make difficult decisions and face treacherous betrayals as you do business with the notorious denizens of the outer planets. You’ll discover over 200+ Weapons, Armor, and Gear cards through the game’s loot system. Customize your Drift Hunter crew and upgrade your starship to brave the dangers of this lawless star frontier.
Winning a firefight against a xeno kill-team takes guts, squad coordination, and clever tactics. Each Drift Hunter has a skill deck that can be upgraded to add fearsome combat techniques and abilities to their arsenal. Hunt deadly bosses, each with their own reactive AI. Each boss has its own AI Deck with custom attacks and behaviors. Break the boss’s body locations to expose its weakness!
Take the helm of your ship and prepare to discover your destiny among the stars! Experience over 60 hours of game play in this massive space odyssey! Progress along a persistent story campaign over multiple sessions, unlocking new secret content that can only be discovered by the choices you make along the way. Your progress is easily saved between sessions.
There’s a lot more to learn about Terminus Frontier, a game that I expect to make big waves this year and beyond. Set your guidance computer on a course for Kickstarter asap.
That cheered us up, eh? Forget the real world, my fine friends, leave it to the fools. Lose yourself in some good games, and come back here very soon for more. Find me on Insta and drop me a line if there’s anything you’ve enjoyed here or anything you want to see covered in future editions.
About the author:
Steve is currently a freelance board game blogger, but often dreams of life as a pirate, or as a ghost herder in the Lake District, or as an evil estate agent who sells haunted houses for his own dark pleasure. Instead of figuring out how to do these jobs in real life like a normal lunatic, he tries to write about them instead, and releases the resultant books upon the unsuspecting world via famous digital bookstores. More books are bound to follow. Find this peculiar entity here.
