It's New Game Friday David Wiley (Cardboard Clash) is here to tell us about the new games.
Here’s what is new this week:
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Load the Simulation
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Twisted Polearms: Magic and Unusual Polearms for Four Against Darkness
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GRIMLORE Profane Truths - Case File #22: Clark Ashton, Author
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The Grid: Ivan vs. Black Knight
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Battle Pages: The Kingdom of Chandar, Marching Order 3
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Power Creep: Danni - City Center 2108
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Dangerous Space: Kwadill, Quarantine Mission
https://www.pnparcade.com/collections/new-games
Load the Simulation
Hello, crew. It’s me, DAX. That’s short for Digital Augmentation Expert - or something like that. I think nobody’s completely sure. Anyway, welcome back from cryosleep! You’re looking… alive. Mostly. I’ll give your muscles a week before they stop feeling like overcooked spaghetti. Meanwhile, it’s time for your mandatory orientation. Don’t worry, I’ll go slow for the still-thawing brains. Here’s the deal, in case your memory is still recovering: you’ve been chosen for an exciting, groundbreaking mission to find and prepare exoplanets for human colonization. Lucky you! Except you’re not the scientists, visionaries, or billionaires who made this dream possible. No, no. You’re the ones sent to do the dirty work - the cleaning crew for humanity’s new frontiers. If something’s out there waiting to eat our faces, burn our lungs, or otherwise turn us into planetary fertilizer, you’re the ones who’ll deal with it first. Congratulations! So, take a deep breath, crew. This is your new reality: simulations by day, figuring things out by night, and a future that’s as uncertain as it is exhilarating. You might not know what’s waiting for you at the end of this journey, but for now, you’ve got me. And really, what more could you ask for? Let’s load the simulation, shall we?
An exciting tabletop roleplaying experience, for up to four players. This game uses the Chroma Cube System, and follows a fairly simple process on how to proceed. The dice will help paint the scene, and the players will get a chance to narrate things within that framework. And, if you read that trimmed-down intro for the game, you’ll have a good idea of how interesting the setting can be for this one. Expect the unexpected as you learn to survive in harsh and unforgiving simulations that are designed to prepare your character for, well, just about anything!
Twisted Polearms: Magic and Unusual Polearms for Four Against Darkness
Twisted Polearms is a generator with a huge d100 table with 100 different polearms (and a javelin), ranging from training weapons to spears designed for tunnel fighters, with a huge variety of magical polearms. For each weapon, there is a brief description, game stats and resale value. Suitable for all levels of play, the zine requires only the 4aD core rules to be used.
I love these resources from Four Against Darkness! This lets you roll d100 on the list to form unique polearms to replace the standard fare you might fall into describing and imagining in your adventure. This also has a table to roll for the shape of the polearm, since these are varied in style through history. Who wouldn’t want a chance to stumble upon a Dragonslayer’s Polearm or a Nightmare Polearm? I’d grab all of these tables to make use in your 4AD games (and beyond!)
GRIMLORE Profane Truths - Case File #22: Clark Ashton, Author
Following the unsettling events surrounding Kim Smith’s death and the radioactive haunt of her ancestral home, Clark Ashton hoped to retreat from further inquiry. But his sleep betrayed him. For weeks, Clark experienced dreams not his own. Visions of a prison deep in the mountains, where a man burned with inner light and spoke words Clark had never heard but somehow understood. These dreams culminated in a symbol: a fractured sphere surrounded by eyes sketched again and again in his notebook without conscious effort. Tracing the dream to its source, Clark discovers an abandoned asylum in the Catskills, its final patient records erased, save one name: Joel Blackmoor, who died the same night Clark first dreamed of him. The journey leads him beyond the realm of waking thought, through an experiment in psychic resonance, and toward a cosmic consciousness imprisoned between worlds.
Here we have another literary delight with our feature character, and if you aren’t familiar with Clark Ashton Smith’s writings I strongly recommend checking some out. However, for this you are dealing with an interesting enemy, whose impact on you is wholly dependent upon whether you’ve saved Kim’s Ghost to gain it as an ally. Go gather up your gear, such as the Psychic Scalpel and Clark’s Old Notebook and venture forth into another weekly installment of GRIMLORE.
The Grid: Ivan vs. Black Knight
In the year 2056 the Grid is a virtual network of corporate data and secrets. The only item of value these days is information - and you’re just the wirehead to steal it. Get in to the main frame, locate the goods, and get back out before the security programs track you. Otherwise you’ll risk having your neurons zapped or corporate security busting down your door!
Navigate your hacker’s avatar through a network, avoiding the lurking black knights throughout the map. You need to work to capture data and complete jobs, but you aren’t well-equipped to begin. However, you can mod your own grid deck in order to enhance your choice of actions. If you enjoy games such as Night Class, you’re going to also love this one from the same designer. I tend to enjoy the progression that comes from upgrading things throughout the game, making it feel as though every game plays out differently based on what you choose, not just on what dice roll.
Battle Pages: The Kingdom of Chandar, Marching Order 3
Traders in secrets and spices, the inhabitants also enjoy a good song or story.
Okay, this week let’s talk a little bit about one of the enemies that are new to this kingdom: The Krillfolk! These baddies are brutal, targeting all surrounding units when they activate, which makes them a bit of a swiss-army knife of a foe for the opposition. You’ll want to tackle them quickly, but these things might still spell your demise because of Water Strike. That makes it so they damage everything that is present in the same water area that they spawn into. And let’s just say that this map has an abundance of water…
Power Creep: Danni - City Center 2108
New rivalries are ignited, challenging the old regime’s claim to power and breaking the fragile peace.
Here’s an interesting threat to take down! The Primal Psychics have an ability that is always active preventing you from marking a space next to it with a number below its defense value. That means you must use those bigger numbers to not only deal with the threat, but possibly to also grab the items that are conveniently placed around them. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned with Power Creep this year, it is that you don’t want to skip items as you move right past them. You can safely do that once with Danni, since her blueprint can be used to gain everything she missed in one place, but outside of that you’re going to get really annoyed with these baddies.
Dangerous Space: Kwadill, Quarantine Mission
Private Gin has always been fascinated by the latest weapons and gear. The kwandarian’s current favorite is the tri-blaster.
Well, the good news is that the threats here aren’t re-rolling your lowest die when they attack/activate. The bad news: you are going to lack any ways of lowering your die rolls, so you better hope to roll at least a single 1 each and every room, that way you can mark it to fulfill the Quarantine requirements. Otherwise you’re going to be juggling more Evil Dice as you go and, well, Kwadill is pretty good at handling most anything that comes his way but he can still lose by having too many Evil Dice in a room…
Check out Game of the Week here: https://www.pnparcade.com/collections/game-of-the-week
Button Shy Game of the Week: Aqua Rove: Sunken Secrets
ROVE’s crossrouting protocols have improved navigation efficiency by 50%, opening routes to new scientific discoveries and previously hidden treasures!
A wonderful expansion that brings about two new changes to your game of Aqua Rove. The movement cards in here have two different movement types together on the same card. Which means you can only move the module according to the specific movement type of the chosen direction. However, the even bigger change is the new Endurance Mode, which is a variant that allows you to push yourself toward finishing up to 12 missions rather than just 7 from the base game. Can you make it to the end?
Check out the new Button Shy releases here:
https://www.pnparcade.com/collections/new-games
Game of the Week: Aqua Rove on sale for just $2!
Sometimes even the familiar can be alien. As a ROVE (Results-Oriented Versatile Explorer) you are accustomed to the rigors of space, but the impenetrable darkness of the ocean depths is a brand-new challenge to confront.
A fun little puzzle of a game that will feel very familiar in the basics to those who have played the original ROVE game. However, familiarity with the first game is not required at all to play and enjoy this one. You’ll be moving cards around in a grid to perfectly match the designated pattern, and you’ll need to complete 7 of them in order to win the game. Cards will let you move your grid around, push cards along the way, and more as you manipulate things time and again to seek after victory. Will you be able to venture into the depths of the ocean, or will you need to go back to the kiddie pool? Dive on in and find out for yourself!
Check out Game of the Week here: https://www.pnparcade.com/collections/game-of-the-week