For those that know their Shakespeare, Merchant of Venus might sound slightly familiar. Same for anyone who knows their board game history, because Merchant of Venus is a reboot of the classic Avalon Hill board game. This second edition of Merchant of Venus contains a new re imagined game design as well as Richard Hamblen’s classic design.

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In Merchant of Venus, one to four players take roles of intergalactic merchants competing to trade goods with alien cultures. Will pirates, space junk, or sabotage end your business? Or can wheel and deal your way to financial superiority.

Any self-respecting Pathfinder GM needs to pick up a copy of the new NPC Codex. Quickly becoming an essential volume, this hardcover contains information on over 300 characters! A go-to guide to running, equipping, and stating out opponents and allies for your players to face, the NPC Codex will easily alleviate set-up time or on-the-fly awkwardness as you grope for enemies. Plus, the book comes with multiple versions of classic Pathfinder characters for easy pre-generated play. Pathfinder releases a ton of great books over the course of a year, but this is certainly one of the most essential!

Your fleet is growing! Wings of Glory today releases four new WWII fighter planes, each pre-painted, assembled, and packed with all the necessary elements to incorporate it into any Wings of Glory WWII games. This new set includes four miniatures, two American, two German. The North American fighters are B-25 Mitchell model planes, while the Germans are Heinkels. For easy-to-learn, mechanically inventive war games, Wings of Glory is the best out there.

It only gets worse in the world of Thunderstone. After defeating Mowtil and collecting three thunderstones in the Caverns of Bane expansion, players are now faced with an even worse threat as Doom’s ultimate plan is revealed. Root of Corruption is the second expansion for the Thunderstone Advanced base game, this time introducing a co-op as well as six new monster groups, seven new heroes, new village cards, and a new poster map board. If you’re going to continue crawling through this dungeon, you’re going to need to get to the Root of Corruption.

Deathwatch has made it to the Outer Reach.

With this new hardcover edition to the Deathwatch corpus players can take the Dead Stations Vigil and serve alongside the Dead Cabal, learning all their ancient secrets. Face the Necrons Suhbekhar Dynasty, an ageless foe clawing to earn back their fallen empire. And once your done defeating the Necrons, explore worlds beyond the reach of the Achilus Crusade, rich with weapons capable of defeating the coming darkness. This hardcover supplement to the base Deathwatch rule book details all the information GMs and players need to explore and conquer the Outer Reach.

Time to get all shirtless up in this Enterprise!

The captain’s log needed a little Shatner-ing up, so Bandai decided to publish an original series Star Trek Deck Building Game to go along with their Next Generation games. This new base game can be combined and played with the previous two Next Gen releases or simply as a stand alone game. Either way, players begin as a captain of a starship, controlling a standard crew and basic weaponry. From there, however, you choose to improve various aspects of your ship and crew, attempting to complete the mission directives of two diverse scenarios. If you want to go boldly where no other deck builder has gone before, go on a Star Trek.

 

If it ain’t broke, reprint it.

Or, at least, that seems to be Wizards of the Coast’s motto. Two weeks ago, all three of the original Advanced Dungeons & Dragons books were reprinted in beautiful remastered hardcover packaging. The DM’s Guide, Player’s Handbook, and Monster Manual are untouched rules-wise while also reprinting all the original artwork. Plus, each purchase puts part of the funds toward furthering the Gygax Memorial Fund.

Crossing the street for a visit to Paizo, the new Pathfinder Player Character Folio. Coming with sixteen pages that will help you to organize and track your character’s progression and abilities. Broken into boxes and sections for listing feats, class features, familiars, cohorts, and items, as well as quick reference charts and folder flaps, this folio is all you’ll ever need to stay on top of all your character’s developments.

Chasing dragons is usually not advised as they are regularly unfriendly when caught, however the new Game of Thrones LCG Chapter Pack of the same name actually advises it. As with the other Chapter Packs, the Chasing Dragons pack comes with 60 new cards for the Beyond the Narrow Sea cycle. If you haven’t played any of the LCG games before, each chapter pack is designed to advance the story and alter the gameplay, so, in short, keep the game fresh and interesting.

Agricola is easily one of the best resource management games ever created, but it is a long game and it is intented for multiple players. But don’t worry, Z-Man is on top of it. The new Agricola two player game has parred the playstyle down, adapting Agricola for a quick head-to-head, stand-alone experience. Players compete by working to fence in the most animals over the period of eight turns.

It is, in fact, not a small world after all.

Days of Wonder releases a new addition to their popular Risk-style board (featured on Will Wheaton’s Tabletop) this week, Small World Realms. This edition to the game is a collection of map pieces, tokens, and original rules scenarios, allowing players to create their own board for use by races and powers from either the original Small World or Small World Underground. So, maybe the real answer to whether it’s a small world after all is: it’s up to you.

Two millennia after the dawn of space travel, the galaxy hums with prosperity and peace. But as mankind and its neighbors colonized the stars, the burgeoning need for resources becomes apparent. As a plucky entrepreneur you must explore the edges of space searching for precious minerals. Will you buy the fastest ship in the sector? Can you afford to hire the best pilot in the galaxy? Shall you choose to purchase the latest state-of-the-art gadgets, invest in planetary refineries or pay off your rising debt? The cargo you haul could be worth fortune, so grab your helmet and suit up! So are the stakes in Starship Merchants!

You can’t teach an old war new tricks. But you can update them.

Axis & Allies releases two updated and altered versions of its classic wargame structure today with Axis & Allies 1942 Second Edition and Axis & Allies 1941. The 1942 edition is an updated, heftier version of the previous edition, complete with new units. 1941, however, is an entirely new Axis & Allies release featuring the same popular mechanics in a different theater of war.

 

The odds are in your favor today, dear readers, for we have two Hunger Games…uh, games…freshly in stock.

The Hunger Games: District 12 is strategy heavy survival game where you and up to three other players attempt to remain alive in the harsh conditions of District 12. Fight to collect clothing, food, and other items as you try to avoid The Reaping. Or be sent to the Hunger Games as punishment.

Or, option 3, you could try the Jabberjay game. This Hunger Games…game (there’s no good way to say that) is two card games in one. The first game is similar to BANG! in that players each control a different Capitol or District Citizen, hiding their identity from all other players as they also attempt to make them flee. As the first game plays 5-12 people, a second 2-4 player game is also included. It is a cooperative game where players work together to protect citizens from the Peacekeepers.

If you remember the instantly addictive tile battling game, Pocket Battles, from a year or so back, you’ll be excited to hear there’s a new expansion deck out today. This time around it’s Macedonians versus Persians. If you haven’t played the game, it’s based around opponents creating armies out of their various tiles, then pitting against each other on three separate fronts. Pocket Battles is an easy game to pick up, in large part due to the fact that you can begin with any of the Versus Packs.

Next up we have two new additions to the insanely popular Agricola. These two individual decks of cards add a completely new experience to the classic board game. First, is the World Championship WM Deck. This deck was created at the first ever Agricola World Championship by its very own fans and players. The deck contains 115 new cards divided into five individual decks comprised, overall, of 60 Minor Improvements and 55 Occupations. Second, we have the NL Deck with 120 new cards. This deck adds a whole new thematic setting to the game, introducing players to the Netherlands. Both of these will expand and enliven the game, adding a whole new level of play.

Booze can also enliven any gaming experience, especially a full glass of wine. But what about a game about wine? Vinhos is just that game, being a resource control scenario where each player builds a wine empire over the course of 6 years/rounds by purchasing vineyards, gaining a reputation, and establishing a market. If you’re a lover of games like Belfort and Le Havre, Vinhos is you cup of…wine.

Similar in mechanics, but vastly different in theme is Lords of Waterdeep, a Dungeons & Dragons board game. Controlling a Lord of Waterdeep, players compete by purchasing buildings in the city, assigning agents to do your bidding, and spreading your influence further over the city. Offering a play style you’ve never experienced in the world of D&D, Lords of Waterdeep combines fantasy with strategic gaming.

 

New comic March continues this week with another onslaught of inventive Indy fair. Here’s the rundown:

-Dominique Laveau Voodoo Child: New Orleans, voodoo, and ghosts come together for this new Vertigo ongoing. Dominique, a young grad student, finds that she’s wanted by the magic community of New Orleans…for murdering their Voodoo Queen.

-Hoax Hunters: A take off of popular Ghost Hunting shows, this miniseries revolves around a team of reality TV personalities who hunt and explain mysterious creatures around the globe. Issue #0 focuses on a long lost Russian astronaut ghost. Creeeeepy.

-Ragemoor: In line with classic Gothic tales from Poe and Lovecraft, this new horror miniseries from legendary Heavy Metal artist Richard Corben focuses on a living mansion with an insane owner and an unholy secret.

-Rebel Blood: Riley Rossmo, artist of Cowboy, Ninja, Viking, lends his writing and illustrative talents to this Image Comics horror series where demonic, zombie creatures, both human and animal, are roaming the Southern landscape, chewing on the living.

-Rocketeer Adventures 2: Following in the same style as the first series, each issue of this miniseries contains short Rocketeer stories from the industry’s best writers and artists. With guys like Darwyn Cooke, Peter David, Art Adams, and Bill Sienkiewicz, creating new pulpy stories how can you go wrong?

-Smoke & Mirrors: Akin to the recent IDW series Memorial, this fantasy miniseries incorporates actual slight of hand and stage magic tricks into its tale of a lost soul in a world where magic has advanced past technology.

-Supercrooks: Mark Millar, the sensational author behind Kick-Ass, Nemesis, and The Ultimates, offers this new take on the supervillain. When a villain team from America feels the heat, they relocate to Spain for a little overseas badness.

Oh my Thanos! So, many comics!

And how ’bout some more?

Nick Spencer is a man of many talents. He can write zany, wordy alternate world hopping tales like Infinite Vacation while also being able to manage subtle, minimal spy books like Thunder Agents. And he can write political cape and cowl fair like a mofo! The new collection of Ultimate Comics X-Men will prove this to you. If you haven’t kept up with the Ultimate universe, one, this is a good book to get in on and, two, how about a little backstory? The X-Men are in tatters after most of the team has died (that’s Xavier, Wolverine, Cyclops, and others, folks) and the government is out for mutant blood. That leaves the ragtag team of Kitty Pryde, Wolverine’s son, Johnny Storm, Iceman, and Rogue to face off against William Stryker, the country’s most recent religious zealot who’s murdering mutants indiscriminately. Unlike any other X-Men book you’ve ever read.

Finally, let’s end the night with one of Vincent Van Gogh’s classic paintings: TARDIS Mid-Explosion. And if that doesn’t suit your refined tastes, maybe a Weeping Angel t-shirt will.

 

If the idea of boxing seems attractive to you, outside of the getting your face punched in thing, then Jab: Realtime Boxing might just be your speed. And speaking of speed, it’s a rather important element in how you play the game. As the game has no strict turn structure, play is based off how fast and how strategically you play your cards/fists. You can either KO you opponent with haymaker punches or wow the officials with your skill. For a quick two-player fighting experience, this is the champ!

Maaaaaaaps! They don’t love me like I love you! Maaaaaaps!

They do however love Steam like Steam loves you. Or so I’m guessing; they’re all inanimate objects. Anyway, insanity aside, the newest Steam Map Expansion Pack has arrived. This time around the pack comes with three new maps, China (2-4 expansion), California 2090 (3 player expansion), and Great Britain (3-4 expansion). Get to shoveling that coal, folks!

Just like the Jimmy Johns of interstellar delivery, the Rocket Jockey makes his supply run in a flash. Unless those pesky aliens get in their way. That’s the premise of the fast to learn, easy to play card game known as Rocket Jockey. With artwork from legendary comic artist Cliff Chiang, Rocket Jockey is a racing game which pits currier against currier for the fastest delivery time. Have you got the nerve?

Using our summoner powers we’ve summoned a hefty restock on Summoner Wars…summon…summoning…sum…um…yeah. So, not only do we have the Summoner Wars Master Set back in stock, but also the rereleases of the Dwarves/Cave Goblins and Phoenix Elves/Tundra Orcs expansion packs. Along with all this, the new Taliya’s Spirit and Piclo’s Magic Reinforcement Packs are in stock.

Team work is put to the test in Mayfair GamesWhitewater. Players control two rowers in two different rafts of four rowers each (try to say that three times fast). So, it becomes a careful decision of how much energy to exert and in which raft, all while trying to avoid obstacles in your path. Quite the family outing.

Pergamemnon travels far, far back in time to a point when the Carthagians, Romans, Hellenes, Egyptians, and Persians ruled the world. They also didn’t get along very well. A card based battle game where players square off, nation to nation, with soldiers, war machines, and creatures of legend. Containing 110 cards and all the rules you’ll ever need, Pergamemnon give you all you’ll need to rule the world.

Another P card game from Iron Games, who made the above Pergamemnon, Pax takes place during the Spartacus uprisings. More on the card management side of things alonside tactical decisiveness. If you’re a fan of 7 Wonders, you should give it a look see.

© 2013 Pulp Fiction Comics & Games Suffusion theme by Sayontan Sinha