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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Twisted Doors: A Collection of Magic and Unusual Doors for Four Against Darkness
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The Worms Beneath: A Four Against Darkness Adventure
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GRIMLORE Case File #19: Clara Beaumont, Investigative Journalist
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The Beast Bulletin: Volume 5
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Goblin Village Raid: An Adventure for Four Against Darkness
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It Walked With Thunder in its Wake: An Adventure for Four Against Darkness
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Battle Pages: The Kingdom of Vilot, Marching Order 4
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Power Creep: Charlemagne, The Docks 2100
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Dangerous Space: Arthur, Repair Mission
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Mysticana: The Queen’s Interests
https://www.pnparcade.com/collections/new-games
Twisted Doors: A Collection of Magic and Unusual Doors for Four Against Darkness
Twisted Doors is a zine for Four Against Darkness with a complete system for random generation of the doors in a dungeon. From doors made from tied up branches to metal doors, doors laden with magic and mechanicals traps, and unusual magical doors that demand several types of tithes, doors take on a completely new light with this supplement.
I love these little zines and the tables they provide for players to utilize. Whether you use them for 4AD or in your own RPG sessions, this is a valuable resource that lets you just roll some dice and see what happens, giving you a source to generate doors in seconds that provide unique and challenging situations. Who wouldn’t want to encounter a Riddle Door, or some sort of Portal to a darker dimension?
The Worms Beneath: A Four Against Darkness Adventure
A castle steward summons you to investigate the ruins of Castle Marrath, a noble mansion that mysteriously collapsed one week ago. The locals whisper of tremors and monstrous things crawling from the depths. The noble family residing in the castle - Lord Gaulan, Lady Mirelle, their two children and servants - is missing. A reward of 200gp awaits if you rescue the family and discover the reason for the collapse.
A short adventure that you can likely blast through in no time at all, this is going to have you venturing underground and dealing with some fun and unique encounters. I mean, how else will you fight a Wormlion? This adventure is self-contained, and comes with a trove of spells, magic items, and monsters that you can use across your other 4AD content. Whether you’re a long-time fan of the system, or brand new to it, this is an excellent pick-up since it can be adapted for any level party.
GRIMLORE Case File #19: Clara Beaumont, Investigative Journalist
In early 1990s Detroit, investigative journalist Clara Beaumont, 29, is drawn into a terrifying mystery when her mentor vanishes while chasing sightings of the Naine Rouge, a creature rumored to herald disaster. Clara soon learns the truth, the Naine Rouge is no omen, but a guardian fighting a cult intent on awakening the Cthonis Wyrm, an ancient cosmic horror buried beneath the city. Guided by her sharp intellect, resourcefulness, and deep-rooted connection to local folklore, Clara must confront betrayal and eldritch terror, racing to uncover hidden truths before Detroit succumbs to the awakenings of something that should never stir.
Ooh, I love the idea on this one with regards to the story, the challenges you can embark upon, and the final challenge. The Naine Rouge is, of course, not really present on here but there are challenge words you can complete involving the Naine Rouge. Completing these, if I understand it all right, will increase the trigger value on dice and reduce the damage it deals when you face it. Add in synergy with the High Priests, which do more damage if you left any Cultists alive in the previous scenario, and you have some eldritch fun in store for you this week!
The Beast Bulletin: Volume 5
A Collection of Monster Profiles for Four Against Darkness.
This collection provides 18 monsters, complete with images, background text, statistics, and more for use in your Four Against Darkness games. These monsters are able to be printed and collected into a binder, sorted by name or any other method you want to use to organize things. This way you’ll have these beasties in one easy-to-browse location, rather than flipping through books and supplements to find the right monster to encounter. So whether you want to face off against some Wormspawn, a Chaos Minotaur, or take down the Demon Beast of Harukan, there’s a lot of new monsters and bosses in here to challenge!
Goblin Village Raid: An Adventure for Four Against Darkness
Goblins have stolen something important. Your party is tasked with sneaking into their village and recovering the item.
An exciting little mini-adventure of raiding into a village and escaping with an item. I love that this can be played multiple times, and yet feel a little different each and every time based on the layout and the encounters you’ll randomly get. Just beware: the boss you face might be quite a challenge to take down. With a little luck and some skillful planning, you can show those Goblins who’s boss in these parts!
It Walked With Thunder in its Wake: An Adventure for Four Against Darkness
The party receives a desperate plea for help from a remote village in the heart of a tropical jungle. The village has been terrorized by Scarred Eye, a massive thunder-beast (a dinosaur) that has been attacking their livestock and threatening their homes. The party must set out to confront the beast and protect the village.
Dinosaurs! Let’s be honest, your Four Against Darkness game needs to have the random encounter with a dinosaur as a possibility, and this adventure will guarantee that to happen eventually. And that beastie is going to be brutal to take down! It attacks four times per round, but if you can manage to get two of them into the same place they’ll fight each other…now THAT would be a spectacle to behold. Or to utilize to flee and fight another day…
Battle Pages: The Kingdom of Vilot, Marching Order 4
Traders in secrets and spices, the inhabitants also enjoy a good song or story.
The terrain on this marching order is an interesting one, with a large swath of grassland on one side, countered by water and mountains on the other half. You’re going to want to try to funnel your foes into unfavorable situations, crushing those enemies against your own forces as you marshall your defenses for one more stand in The Kingdom of Vilot.
Power Creep: Charlemagne, The Docks 2100
So many years into the new world, with water rising in some locations and fires burning in others.
Charlemagne returns to reclaim the Docks in his weekly set of adventures. One of the coolest things about Power Creep is that you can take a character and almost play a mini-campaign through their four scenarios, gaining a bonus from Explored Locations as you head into a map. So, for instance, if you did this one after Uptown you’d have a health unlock and a barrel unlock. That’s a lot of fun potential to be able to chain plays together, and yet another great reason to look into Power Creep as a system to enjoy week-to-week and month-to-month this year!
Dangerous Space: Arthur, Repair Mission
Arthur would prefer his fellow divers measure him by his record and prowess, instead of his lineage as heir to the moon Khiro.
Arthur is equipped well enough to help repair things. There are going to be really crummy rooms that reduce his movement - a stat that already isn’t fantastic for him - but he should be okay to run and gun his way through. You’re going to want to knock out those Vicious Leeches as soon as you can, since they make you discard odd dice in your pool when they damage you and the last thing you want is more delays than you’re already getting from those leaks and holes…
Check out Game of the Week here: https://www.pnparcade.com/collections/game-of-the-week
Mysticana: The Queen’s Interests
The queen has called a council meeting. As her two most trusted advisors, push your preferred interests to garner her favor and guide the realm’s future.
Maneuver the interest of the Queen against your opponent, playing cards to shift their position along the line of cards and try to get them onto your side. Think of it along the lines of the military track in 7 Wonders Duel, for instance, as a comparison. Movement happens based upon whether your card is weaker or stronger than her current position card, providing chances to time things well as you go. Each player also has unique conditions on their interest which, if you pull off getting the Queen all the way to your side, you can score your points and your opponent points for the round on your way toward victory.
Check out the new Button Shy releases here:
https://www.pnparcade.com/collections/new-games
Game of the Week: Avignon: A Clash of Popes on sale for just $2!
Avignon: A Clash of Popes is a quick influence manipulation card game in which the two players are rival candidates for Pope in the 14th century. Players gain influence by petitioning members of the medieval Church, such as Cardinals, Nobles, and Knights, and using the characters' unique powers to pull the character cards over to their side of the table (their congregation), or force an opponent to push cards towards them. The first player to get three characters into their congregation wins.
An old throwback for the Button Shy fans, and one of the successful games from their catalog. If you want to see what all the hype is about, this is your chance to try out this clever push-pull card manipulation game. Additionally, those familiar with Anthelion: Conclave of Power will be right at home with the gameplay here, as that game was inspired by this classic. Your objective may sound simple: get three characters to your side of the “board” first. However, you will find that this proves harder to accomplish than it may seem as the powers constantly have you trying to balance what helps you get the cards closer to your side versus creeping cards into a prime position for your opponent. This is an easy-to-learn but difficult to master game with enough thinky decisions to make it a delight on the table.
Check out Game of the Week here: https://www.pnparcade.com/collections/game-of-the-week