Happy Sunday, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here with another week of Geek News. We’re forgoing any headlines for new releases in board games and video games. I have some family obligations over the next few weeks, so Geek News may need to be new releases for a little while. But it’s games. Who doesn’t like new games? Let’s get to this week’s crop of new board games and video games.

Shiver Me Timbers Launches on GameFound

Shiver Me Timbers is a highly thematic, strategic sandbox game set in the Golden Age of Piracy. The game is heavily Euro-inspired: It uses a tactical card-based combat system and takes lots of strategic planning to use your available actions to optimal effect and become the most notorious pirate of your era.

Each playing will vary as you randomly reveal five of ten vastly different victory conditions: One game, you’ll be rescuing your lost family, the next you might have to conquer enemy ships and fortresses or face the hideous Kraken.

At the beginning of the game, each player secretly chooses two of the revealed conditions as their personal goals. After all players have chosen, they set-up the fully modular board, each of them trying to find a constellation that optimally supports their hidden agenda. Then they outfit their modable ship miniatures, select their starting abilities and equipment and set sails to fight, conquer, trade, loot, hunt for treasure and much more.

During play, every achievement is rewarded with victory points. The game continues until all five victory conditions have been met. There’s a final scoring in which players collect extra points if they managed to achieve the goals they chose, and highest point total wins.

Thank you, Weltflucht Verlag, for Shiver Me Timbers’ description. This game looks amazing. This will be a theme with this week’s board game new releases, but I don’t have too many pirate games. Shiver Me Timbers looks like a pirate game I wouldn’t mind owning. Exploration? Check. Cool pirate ship minis? Check. Shiver Me Timbers even throws in some dice chucking. Except for the description above, I have no idea how this game plays, but I’m interested in Shiver Me Timbers. Players’ ships are supposed to be customizable. What? I like the idea of building my own pirate ship. Yo ho! If you’re interested in Shiver Me Timbers, check out its GameFound page.

Siege Perilous Launches on GameFound

In this expansive (and expandable) Euro-style board game, 1 to 4 players will traverse 12 kingdoms that compose Arthur’s Britain, each kingdom containing unique interactable locations, including castles, churches, training towers, ports, markets, fountains, dungeons, and the famed Forest Sauvage. The map itself changes throughout the game, as new events arise, foreign campaigns become available, and Merlin appears with a task that needs doing.

As a player, you will choose from among 6 Player Characters: Dame Britomart, daughter of King Rience; Sir Claudin, son of the Gaulish tyrant; Sir Galleron, proud son of the Northern wilds; Dame Marfisa, warrior queen of the East; Sir Morien, hailing from distant Africa; Sir Priamus, descendent of Judas Maccabeus and Hector of Troy; Sir Sadok, former vassal of the foul King Mark; Sir Wigalois, a lost son of Camelot. Each character begins with a unique set of statistics, which you will endeavour to increase throughout play, plus a starting quest unique to them. From there, embark upon your knightly career as you see fit.

I don’t know much about Siege Perilous, but Play to Z makes phenomenal games. I don’t have too many Arthurian-themed board games. There are plenty of them on the market. But I personally don’t have too many of these types of games. Siege Perilous looks involved. It’s a heavy Euro-style board game. And Siege Perilous may be worth it for the art alone. The artist, Jay Johnstone, uses traditional medieval art methods to create these images. Ah! Siege Perilous looks amazing. If you’re interested in Siege Perilous, check out its GameFound page.

Sovereign: Shōgun Launches on GameFound

Sovereign: Shōgun is a competitive strategy game set in feudal Japan, where rival daimyos struggle for political dominance, military strength, and imperial legitimacy. Each player leads an asymmetric clan with unique advantages, competing to shape the future of the realm while a young heir sits at the center of shifting power.

On their turn, players select a single action using a River-style action track. Actions grow stronger the longer they remain unchosen, creating constant tension between acting early at lower strength or waiting for greater impact while risking that another player claims the opportunity first.

Core actions include Harvest to generate income from developed lands, Move to reposition armies, Develop to expand infrastructure and territories, Mastery to recruit and strengthen military forces, and Diplomacy to gain favor with temples and increase influence. Timing, positioning, and reading opponents are just as important as raw military strength.

The game ends when a player reaches the required threshold on either the Points or Glory track, or when a Harvest-related condition triggers the endgame. Victory belongs to the clan that best balances economic growth, military power, and political influence.

Thank you, PHALANX, for the game description. Wow! Look at Sovereign: Shōgun‘s miniatures. This looks like a highly interactive dudes on a map board game. Sovereign: Shōgun has the look of Risk or Axis and Allies, but the base building separates the two. I have yet to play Sovereign: Shōgun, but it sounds like players will need to balance their economy, military might, and political influence to win. A lot is going on with Sovereign: Shōgun. Publisher PHALANX is known for Brass: Birmingham and Scythe. Both of those games are near the top of BoardGameGeek’s all-time greatest games list. While I don’t put that much stock in BGG’s Top 100 Games, it is a good benchmark for a baseline great game. PHALANX can deliver on a game like Sovereign: Shōgun. If you’re interested in Sovereign: Shōgun, check out its GameFound page.

Survivalist: The Board Game Launches on KickStarter

Survivalist drops two to six empty-handed players into the brutal wilderness for ten nights. Each day forces a decision: stay warm at the fire, recover in the nearby clearing, or push into the backcountry and gather what’s needed to prepare for seven threats. As the game progresses, these threats grow worse and nearer: thirst, storms, hunger, illness, wildlife, fatigue, and isolation. The game plays out as a tense survival simulation where every round is a balancing act of action selection and resource management, shaped by limited time, limited backpack capacity, and the constant threat of injury.

The game ends when only one person is left standing. Whoever endures the longest is the true survivalist—and the winner.

Thank you, Homestead Games New Zealand, for the game description. I love the idea of a survival board game. Survivalist: The Board Game offers Push Your Luck, Risk Mitigation, Resource Management, and even Worker Placement. I love these mechanisms in board games. I have yet to play Survivalist: The Board Game, but the combination of game elements sounds interesting. The one mechanism that gives me pause is Player Elimination. I don’t care for games that feature player elimination if the game lasts too long. Fortunately, from what I’ve heard, Survivalist: The Board Game lasts no longer than an hour and a half. I hope this is the case, because Survivalist: The Board Game sounds like a game Mrs. Geekly would enjoy.

Survivalist: The Board Game offers plenty of pledge levels, ranging from $60 – $500. The $500 price tag sounds like a lot, but backers who choose this option can offer feedback for Homestead Games New Zealand’s next release. I have yet to see that offered in a KickStarter campaign. Curious. I’m keeping an eye on that to see if it takes off. You never know if Geekly may start a KickStarter campaign. If you’re interested in Survivalist: The Board Game, check out its KickStarter page.

Is That Sheep Looking at Me? Launches on KickStarter

Make sheep out of sheep heads and butts; you can even make weird ones. Use action cards to stymie your opponents or help you build the biggest flock in the flock-building party card game, Is That Sheep Looking at Me?.

Is That Sheep Looking at Me? has a quirky theme and game pieces to match. It sounds as if Is That Sheep Looking at Me? has plenty of Take That. While I’m not the biggest fan of Take That as a game mechanism, Is That Sheep Looking at Me? takes little time to set up and play, so I’ll give it a pass. And the artwork is hilarious. Is That Sheep Looking at Me? also has a reasonable set of pledge levels: $25 and $35. It’s worth a gander–wait, that’s geese. If you’re interested in Is That Sheep Looking at Me?, check out its KickStarter page.

The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales Releases

A brand-new action RPG from the creators of Octopath Traveler and Bravely Default. In The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales, open new paths as you explore this untamed continent and reveal the world’s mysterious history. Enjoy intuitive and rewarding action-based battle with a healthy dose of strategic support abilities from a fairy.

Publisher SquareEnix states that The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales serves as a spiritual successor to Chrono Trigger. I’d like a true sequel to Chrono Trigger/Chrono Cross or at least an HD remaster of Chrono Trigger. In lieu of that, I’m down with a title like The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales. Who knows? If The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales does well, SquareEnix may publish a true sequel in the Chrono series. Regardless, The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales looks amazing. Its HD-2D graphics are on point. What else would one expect from the creators of Octopath Traveler. While I haven’t picked up a copy yet, I will in the coming days. Let us know if you’d like Geekly to write a review of The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales. It’s available on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S/X, and the Nintendo Switch 2.

Turn tactical, turn-based strategy on its side in R-Type Tactics I • II Cosmos! Making its debut on modern consoles, this two-game collection features revamped visuals, multiple campaigns, and branching missions!

I didn’t play the original release of these two games, almost forty years ago today. Yikes! The updated graphics look amazing. R-Type Tactics I * II Cosmos has a rather hefty price tag ($50) for a remaster, but you do get two games for the price of one. From what I’ve heard, R-Type Tactics I * II Cosmos has massive strategic depth. These games challenge gamers to use their wits and adapt to their environment. Experimentation is key. I love the sound of that. While I may not spend $50, especially without a playable demo, I’ve wishlisted R-Type Tactics I * II Cosmos. Like The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales, you may hear more about R-Type Tactics I * II Cosmos. R-Type Tactics I * II Cosmos is available on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series S/X, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch 2.

That’s all the news we have for you this week. Which game sounds the most interesting to you? Let us know in the comments. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.