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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Dice Clash
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Mint-Tin Monster Mash Up
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GRIMLORE Case File #18: Henry Ainsworth, General Practitioner
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No Good Deed: The Break Room
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Four Against Beasts
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Battle Pages: Kingdom of Vilot, Marching Order 3
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Power Creep: Charlemagne, City Center 2100
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Dangerous Space: Arthur, Diffuse Mission
https://www.pnparcade.com/collections/new-games
Dice Clash
Epic warriors face off in an intense back and forth battle for immortality! Each die placement is both an attack and counter-attack. Will you outthink and outmaneuver your opponent and earn your place amongst the Gods?
A battle game of rolling dice and placing them into a 3x3 grid to trigger either attacking or defending, based on where you place the die and which color you place. The challenge in a game like this isn’t necessarily to hold the best die rolls, but rather to manage the pool more effectively in order to minimize your losses while maximizing your potential gains. Can you defeat the opposition and live to fight again, or will the odds be ever in their favor against you? Something tells me this will be a fun one to pull out and play a round or three to help pass the time!
Mint-Tin Monster Mash Up
Mad Scientists bring their grotesque creations to battle in the Monster Arena. Smash together a Monster and outwit, outplay, or out-bluff your opponent in this head-to-head battler!
I love these little games that offer some interesting, fast-pace choices in a head-to-head format. This one has you splicing together two cards to create a unique monster that you use to do battle, then you’ll roll and decide one of three options for the Boost Phase - locking in at the same time as your opponent. Deal damage, defend attacks, or flat-out panic your way to either defeating that dreadful foe, or surviving long enough for the dice to smile in your favor. My guess is it’ll play so fast that you’ll want to mix and mash ‘em again as soon as the game is done!
GRIMLORE Case File #18: Henry Ainsworth, General Practitioner
Henry Ainsworth, 41, is a general physician in Arkham, respected for his rational mind and calm demeanor. Trained and Miskatonic Medical College, he treats both body and mind - though the latter leaves him weary of delusions labeled as mere trauma. A former field medic in the Great War, Henry carries quiet scars and an unshakable sense of duty. When his friend and patient, Elias Cabot, vanishes during an occult investigation, Henry is drawn into a world that defies diagnosis. Torn between science and something deeper, he must confront what lies beneath reason - and what may reach out from the shadows to claim him.
I love the synergy that appears often between the enemies in these GRIMLORE files - in this case, there’s a tough Sentinel foe that makes you pass Agility tests or suffer from sanity loss…and the Vaathor at the end who does +1 damage for every Sentinel that is still alive. That can add up fast if you are trying to fast-track your way to the end of this one as any boosted damage can be lethal over time!
No Good Deed: The Break Room
At first there was a laughter…
…no one wanted to take a vigilante seriously. But after the number of crimes decreased and the streets started to feel safe again, citizens became proud of their local legend. Now, a new crime lord has set up shop in the business district. Time for you to don your mask and pay him a visit!
If you haven’t tried No Good Deed yet, there’s no better time than this week to jump in as there’s not one, but two entries for the game here to be mentioned today. Each installment provides a map, as you move through and defeat enemies and rescue hostages. Make use of your abilities, unlock combos to make your actions more efficient, and show the baddies that there’s justice in the city.
Four Against Beasts
Massive wars have shaken the Earth of the Four Places. Ykah, the occult science of altering reality with one’s thoughts, is being rediscovered. Beasts are countless, and hungry for flesh… Vicious uuzans experimented on the Beasts, creating aberrations called Kraazas. Half uuzan and half Beast, these creatures are unleashed on settlements. Beastlords command them, imprisoning and enslaving people. Adventurers called “itinerants” explore this world, employed by settlements as a last resort to do the dirty work no-one else would do.
If you want to delve a little darker in your Four Against campaigns, you won’t want to miss out on this one. They wanted to create something with dark places, an ancient and advanced past, and some ludicrous things. There’s no epic deeds or magic coming out of nowhere to help save this one. You use torches, which can be extinguished, rather than lanterns. Weapons and other things break through wear and tear. All in all, if you want something more complex but also more primitive in setting, you’re going to love playing this one!
Battle Pages: Kingdom of Vilot, Marching Order 3
Traders in secrets and spices, the inhabitants also enjoy a good song or story.
Here we have another entry in the Kingdom of Vilot, and you’re going to enjoy this new game system if you haven’t tried it out yet. With a lot of options on how to best utilize your rolls and set up your defenses, this system is going to keep you entertained! If you’ve always liked games like Dangerous Space, Power Creep, and Dungeon Pages, then you’ll certainly want to keep an eye on this one and jump in before you miss out on too many of the kingdoms and their various iterations!
Power Creep: Charlemagne, City Center 2100
So many years into the new world, with water rising in some locations and fires burning in others.
Every time I think I’ve seen the most sinister Threat ability imaginable in this game, they manage to one-up it. This time we have some Agile Dusters, who you’re going to wish were a LOT less agile. Attacking them makes you reroll the die and mark that number instead, which not only means your attack might do no damage, but also has a strong chance of interfering with your plans to collect an item. If you have good health, it might just be easier to detour through waves of radiation instead of trying to deal with these pests!
Dangerous Space: Arthur, Diffuse Mission
Arthur would prefer his fellow divers measure him by his record and prowess, instead of his lineage as heir to the moon Khiro.
You know and love this mission: marking a 1 or 2 in the row or column of an active bomb causes it to explode. That can be REALLY tough to do because, well, that’s a 33% chance for each die rolled to come up with one of those numbers, so you might have to get REALLY creative with your paths as you move through The Grey Lotus ship. Make full use of Arthur’s Risk Taker skill each turn, bumping an unused die by 1, which may be the difference between bombs exploding and just scraping by.
Game of the Week: No Good Deed: Seaport Smuggler on sale for $3!
After traveling the world you thought you could find peace in your old neighborhood. Little did you know that a crime syndicate had moved in and pushed out your friends and family through intimidation and violence. TIme to return the old corner to its original shine.
Let’s confess here: we all have wanted to play the role of a vigilante at some point in time, bringing about justice to those who feel they are above the law. Well, this game has you being a hero vigilante battling criminals through several floors, rescuing hostages. Use the dice to eliminate threats, move across the map, and save the helpless without losing your health. With several floors to play across, and three difficulties to enhance the experience, this is one of those simple, yet satisfying games that is a great addition to most collections.
Check out Game of the Week here: https://www.pnparcade.com/collections/game-of-the-week
Ancient Realm: Leaders Set III Expansion
The course of history can be steered by powerful leaders. Activate their goals alongside other major milestones to make the most of their singular talents.
I love these leaders sets for Ancient Realm, as they add in new ways to experience the game while adding a small amount of extra challenge along the way! You choose a leader and a milestone card at random, and must satisfy the conditions of the leader in order to win, while the milestones provide extra challenges that trigger once you hit a certain milestone or trigger a specific action. If you already love Ancient Realm, you won’t want to miss out on mixing this into your experience!
Check out the new Button Shy releases here:
https://www.pnparcade.com/collections/new-games