Welcome back to Gaming Shelf, io9’s regular column all about the latest in tabletop games and roleplaying news. Gen Con may have come and gone, but we’re still getting some great announcements and cool campaign expansions. This includes a brand-new class for Dungeons & Dragons, an arena board game where you play as the audience instead of the fighters, and what might be the creepiest-looking chess piece I’ve ever seen in my entire life.
News and Releases
Marvel: Crisis Protocol
It looks like Marvel games are a popular commodity right now. Shortly after Fantasy Flight Games announced Marvel Champions: The Card Game, Atomic Mass Games has unveiled its own game set in the Marvel Universe. Marvel: Crisis Protocol is a tabletop miniatures game that features some of Marvel’s biggest characters in an expanding line of paintable plastic miniatures, which can be pitted against each other in large battles. Marvel: Crisis Protocol comes out this fall with the first core set.
Dungeons & Dragons Eberron: Rising from the Last War
Dungeons & Dragons is getting a new campaign setting and sourcebook for Eberron, a world filled with towering skyscrapers, lightning trains, and plenty of noir mysteries to be solved. The sourcebook includes a campaign for the Mournland, a guide to the city of Sharn, and the first official class to be released for 5th edition D&D since the Player’s Handbook: the artificer, who mixes magic and invention to craft cool stuff. Eberron comes out on November 19, and will cost about $50.
The One Ring: The Lord of the Rings Second Edition
Cubicle 7 Entertainment has announced a new second edition of The One Ring: The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game. According to The Gaming Gang, this edition advances the timeline into the Twilight of the Third Age, bringing it closer to the War of the Ring—meaning players’ actions will play a role in the events that led up to that fateful battle. The second edition is set to come out in November and will cost about $60. In the meantime, pre-orders also start this week for a collectors edition of The One Ring, which will cost about $120.
Chocobo Party Up!
Some of the cutest characters from Final Fantasy finally have a board game of their own—and by that, I mean the second board game of their own. Square Enix is following up 2016’s Chocobo’s Crystal Hunt with a new board game all about the adorable winged pals of Final Fantasy. In Chocobo Party Up!, players work to invite some Chocobo pals into the forest and bring them to their nests. Pre-orders are now available, and the game is expected sometime this month. It’s set to cost around $50.
Wingspan Digital Version
Normally I avoid talking about board games heading to PCs or consoles, as that changes it from a board game to a video game. But in this instance I’m going to make an exception. Wingspan, considered one of this year’s finest games (and the winner of this year’s Kennerspiel des Jahres award), is getting a digital version on Steam for PC. Create happy and healthy nature preserves for your birds to live and thrive in…while competing against other players from around the world. No release date has been announced yet.
Game of Thrones Chess Set
USAopoly has released a chess set inspired by “The Long Night” episode of Game of Thrones (meaning it happens because Daenerys Targaryen breaks bad and destroys an entire city). The heroes of Westeros face off against the Night King and his Queen, Viserion the dragon…awww that’s kinda sweet. It’s a cool-looking, albeit pricey, chess set at $100. But the main reason I’m sharing it is because I’m utterly fascinated with what they did to Brienne of Tarth.
Expansions
Alien: Covenant (Legendary Encounters: An Alien Deck Building Game)
The Upper Deck Company’s latest expansion for Legendary Encounters: An Alien Deck Building Game is now available for pre-order. Based on the recent Alien film, the Alien: Covenant expansion features six new characters (including Walter 1), a new hive, and a bunch of new cards for the Queen Mother game mode.
Cybertooth Monster Pack (King of Tokyo/King of New York)
Ready for the latest monster to join the fight? Cybertooth is the latest Monster Pack creature to be added to King of Tokyo 2nd Edition and King of New York. It’s a giant robot that turns into a terrifying sabertooth tiger. Plus, the new Monster Pack adds the game mechanic Berserk, which sends your monster into a wild and sometimes unpredictable fury. Cybertooth comes out on September 5 and will cost about $10.
Cyber Station 11 (Clank! In! Space!)
The second expansion for Renegade Game Studios’ Clank! In! Space! is now available for pre-order. Cyber Station 11 adds a new board and a creepy new villain, Commander Preon, who’s built a research station to craft new cyberware to augment onto her half-mechanical body. The expansion comes out this November and will cost $30.
Crowdfunding
Realm
Realm is a card game from Pixel Demon Studios where players compete to perform rituals that bind powerful demons to their will. Each demon comes with its own benefits…and consequences. Once a player has satisfied their own secret path to victory, they have won the game. But at what cost? Realm will be on Kickstarter through September 13. The minimum pledge for a copy is $29, and it’s set to deliver in October.
Magical Industrial Revolution
This roleplaying campaign book is set in a magical world on the brink of innovation. Magical Industrial Revolution creates the city of Endon, where magic and invention exist side-by-side but are quickly reaching a boiling point. It’s designed to work with old school roleplaying systems, but can be played with Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition rules, albeit some slight modifications may be required. Magical Industrial Revolution will be on Kickstarter through August 24. The minimum pledge for a digital copy is $10, with a hardcover edition going for $45. Both are expected to ship out in October.
Fired Up
Drawlab’s Fired Up is an arena game where your goal isn’t to fight, but to cheer on the folks who are doing the actual fighting. Players take on the role of audience members at a huge arena event to cheer or jeer the fighters, try to improve their strategy…or even manage to trip them up. It’s a game where you play as the ultimate support class: the sports fan. Fired Up will be on Kickstarter through September 4. The minimum pledge for a copy is $60, and it’s set to ship in March 2020.
Queens of Adventure’s Legendary Journey
OK, so this one is bending the rules a bit, but I couldn’t help myself. I love a good roleplaying podcast. The Queens of Adventure podcast, which uses the rules of Dungeons & Dragons to put drag queens in comedic fantasy roleplaying scenarios, is going on tour and raising money to record more episodes of the podcast and fund some live shows. The minimum pledge to support the project on Kickstarter is $5, and a $10 pledge includes access to bonus episodes and behind-the-scenes material. Queens of Adventure’s campaign will be on Kickstarter through September 15.
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