Tag: board games

Geekly News: October 19, 2025, The MCU Reveals Some of Their Future Plans

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Happy Sunday, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here with Geek News from last week. We have some more Marvel news. Oh no! Am I going to be writing about Marvel and the MCU until I’m 90.

Feige breaks his silence about who’ll portray Wolverine during the Mutant Saga. All this and last week’s new releases for board games and video games on today’s Geekly News.

The MCU Reveals Some of Their Future Plans

In prior weeks, we mentioned that Marvel Studios CEO Kevin Feige opted for a fireside chat instead of a huge Comic-Con announcement this year. Feige shared numerous things during this chat. One of which is that the MCU will eventually recast characters like Tony Stark (Iron Man), Steve Rogers (Captain America), and Wolverine. But in the same set of chats, Feige insinuated that the time to recast those roles may not be now. We discussed the possibility of two Captain Americas at once in a previous Geekly News entry. In that same chat, Feige mentioned the MCU may have made a mistake moving on from Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man and Chris Evans’s Captain America. And the fact that RDJ is returning to portray a version of Doctor Doom may bode well for Hugh Jackman staying onboard as Wolverine.

RDJ is currently 60 years old while filming the upcoming Avengers movies. Downey intends to continue playing a character in the MCU through Avengers: Secret Wars, which would make him 62 years old. During his fireside chat, Feige mentioned that Jackman could portray Wolverine through the next MCU Saga, which would also make Jackman around 62 years old. Feige doesn’t want to repeat the same mistake with Jackman as the MCU did with Downey and Evans. In fact, Feige has even renewed Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool for the foreseeable future. And that makes sense. Spider-Man: Far From Home and Deadpool and Wolverine are the only post-Avengers: End Game MCU movies to gross over $1 billion.

Brutal truth: Jackman can and will remain in the Wolverine role for as long as he wants, provided his movies continue to make plenty of money. And why wouldn’t Jackman want to remain Wolverine? He’d be allowed to define the character within the MCU. He’ll make plenty of money. And heck, there are rumors that Sirs Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen will reprise their roles as Professor X and Magneto, and they’re well into their 80s. Deadpool may not be joking about playing a comic book character until one is 90 years old. Compared to Stewart and McKellen, Jackman is young. And Wolverine is canonically one of the eldest X-Men.

Cat Nap Bounds Onto KickStarter

Cat Nap kicks off a couple of cute-as-a-button board games that launched on KickStarter this past week. Players take turns placing tiles and building the most kittens. Cat Nap features tight gameplay. On their turn, players may play a tile from their Cat’s Paw (a tile that stores tiles) or draw 2 tiles from the bag, placing one (on the board) and discarding the other into the Litter Box. Whenever you complete a cat (of any color), you take one tile from the Litter Box. Place it on your Cat’s Paw and return the rest to the bag. When the game ends (no legal moves or no tiles remain), players compare Cat lengths–each length awards 1 point. Whoever has the most points wins, and ties go to the player with the longest cat.

The number of quality two-player-only board games surprises me, and Cat Nap looks to be yet another great two-player-only board game. Cat Nap even features a Co-op option for gamers who’d rather “keep the peace.” And the game features cats. Me-Ow! Cat Nap only offers one pledge level at $39. If you’re interested in Cat Nap, check out its KickStarter page.

Bite Me Swims Onto KickStarter

Yes! We have yet another cute board game release on KickStarter. You’re an adorable shark–of course–and you’re starving. You could eat anything. Yes. Literally, anything. Players stuff their shark’s face with just enough tasty food to hit exactly 10 points in their hidden stomach pile. If anyone exceeds 10 points worth of food, Boom! You’re out.

Bite Me has a hilarious theme. The art is familiar, but I can’t quite place where I’ve seen it. The game looks fun, and Burning Fish Games is supporting the heck out of Bite Me. Bite Me already has a handful of expansions in the works (that can also be included in gamers’ pledges) with more planned in the future. Pledges range from $19 to $123. And you may want to add Bite Me’s adorkable shark plushie.

If you’re interested in Bite Me, check out its KickStarter page.

Gone to Gaia Liftoffs on GameFound

In Gone to Gaia, players must safeguard the last remnants of humanity. Dive into an immersive world, filled with tactical combat, evolving storylines, and unforgettable characters. Inspired by video games like Hades and Vampire Survivors, Gone to Gaia features meaningful leveling choices that impact your powers, utility, and flexibility in battle. You’ll need all the skills you can acquire to survive the relentless creatures of The Tide.

Gone to Gaia is yet another 1-2 player board game. From the look of it, Gone to Gaia can get very crunchy with its strategy. Players may construct their own divers, and the fact you can unlock new characters through the gameplay has me intrigued. Since Gone to Gaia is on GameFound, we don’t yet know the pledge levels. It will feature plenty of high-end miniatures, and gamers will get a lot in the box. My guess will be at least $80 for the base Gone to Gaia. If you’re interested in Gone to Gaia, check out its GameFound page.

Badgers Pounces Onto GameFound

The fast-paced Badgers card game pits 2 players against each other to fight for scraps of food and territory. Select your favorite badger (the game includes six badgers with an eleven-card deck) and lead them to conquer their favorite food. Play the right badger at the right time to either defeat a competing badger or strengthen your position. Use special abilities or tunnel as you conquer the field. Each burrow has unique abilities. Whoever owns the most food at the end, wins!

I like how each badger deck features a real-world badger. The art is unique, and each deck in Badgers comes with its personalized reference sheet. Are you ready to burrow and conquer? If you’re interested in Badgers, check out its GameFound page.

Pokémon Legends: Z-A Releases

Pokémon Legends: Z-A follows in Pokémon Legends: Arceus’s footsteps. The Pokémon Legends series deviates from the standard Pokémon formula by adding a lot of action. And Pokémon Legends: Z-A differs from other games in this spinoff series by setting the game entirely in the Kalos region’s Lumiose City.

While Pokémon Legends: Z-A has received good reviews, critics dock several points for the graphics being uninspired at times, and the setting (Lumiose City) is a bit too restrictive. I have yet to play Pokémon Legends: Z-A, but one of our Geekly writers may at some point. The game was supposed to be a Nintendo Switch exclusive, but with Pokémon Legends: Z-A getting delayed, a Nintendo Switch 2 port has been added. I may wait to play Pokémon Legends: Z-A until after I inevitably pick up a Nintendo Switch 2. But what do you think? Would you like one of our Geekly Gang writers to review Pokémon Legends: Z-A? Let us know in the comments.

That’s all the Geek News we have for this week. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Geekly News: October 12, 2025, Will Halo Receive a Third Season?

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Happy Sunday, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here with another week of Geek News. Plenty of board games and video games released this past week, but we’ll kick off this past week’s Geek News with an update about the Halo television series.

Halo Crashes Netflix’s Top 10. Will there be a Season 3?

Halo is the most expensive television series ever produced in Paramount+’s short history, so it made sense for the streaming service to cancel the show after a couple of seasons (17 episodes in total), and it also made sense for Paramount+ to sell the rights to stream Halo on Netflix. Earlier this month, Halo debuted on Netflix. Its reception was immediate as Halo reached number 4 on Netflix’s United States Top 10, outperforming almost all licensed programming, with the exception of popular original shows like Monster: The Ed Gein Story. Halo even held similar numbers internationally. This shows a demand beyond hardcore gamers.

Netflix has a track record of reviving shows like Longmire and Lucifer after a strong streaming performance. Halo’s global numbers and fan campaigns, like the ones found on Change.org, may sway the streamer to green-light a third season. There’s a chance. But there are a few loopholes, Halo must navigate. Netflix only has a year-long streaming agreement for Halo. For a third season to be possible, Netflix must secure a long-term streaming agreement. And Halo has steep production costs. Season 1 was estimated to cost between $90-200 million. Yikes!

But I wouldn’t count out a third season for Halo. Critics gave Halo a 70% on Rotten Tomatoes–does anyone still use Rotten Tomatoes when looking for reviews–with many appreciating Halo’s production values, while questioning narrative choices like an odd romantic subplot and unmasking Master Chief. Still, #SaveHalo has trended on various social media platforms, and if Halo’s numbers hold strong, Netflix may need to consider a third season, regardless of the cost.

Rolling in Wonderland Launches on KickStarter

This week has seen a lot of dice drafting games (games where players pay to add dice to their dice pool), and Rolling in Wonderland is a great place to begin with board game new releases. Channeling the whimsy of Alice in Wonderland, Rolling in Wonderland features quirky art and vibrant colors.

The game suggests that players may adapt the game’s play how they want. You may play a light and breezy or tight and tense game of Rolling in Wonderland. I don’t know exactly how Rolling in Wonderland attempts to do this (undoubtedly two sets of rules for both playstyles), but I’m intrigued. Rolling in Wonderland offers an affordable $39 entry-level pledge, but players may spend $79 for the deluxe version or add various expansions a la carte. If you’re interested in Rolling in Wonderland, check out its KickStarter page.

Cretaceous Rails Reprint Lands on Gamefound

In preparation for Gen Con, we reviewed Cretaceous Rails a few months ago. If you want to see an extended look at our thoughts, check them out here. Dinosaurs and trains together at last. If you’ve ever wanted a game that combined these two elements (or think this mash-up sounds awesome), then you should consider backing Cretaceous Rails.

The core game is amazing. I love Cretaceous Rails’s dual-action selection mechanism. I even tried my hand at designing a game that did something similar (I mentioned this in the most recent game design brain dump). Cretaceous Rails’s reprint will include the first expansion, Cretaceous Skies, which I’m not too fond of, but it adds the second expansion, Cretaceous Seas, and I’ve enjoyed every iteration of Cretaceous Seas. I can’t wait to see the final version.

Bring on the sea hexes and plesiosaurs. You can pick and choose which rewards you want a la carte. Since I have the base Cretaceous Rails, I’ll most likely pick up Cretaceous Seas for $30 (plus shipping). The project launches in two days. If you’re interested in Cretaceous Rails, check out its GameFound page.

Raas Dances Onto GameFound

Raas adapts the dazzling folk dance of Gujarat to a vibrant dice-drafting, tableau-building game. Players recruit dancers, represented by colorful dice, where each color and pip shows off their style and rhythm. Collect stunning dress swatches, give them dandiya sticks, and match the style of the song to create shining performances.

Raas’s moving dials remind me of the interlocking gears of my design Rustbucket Riots. I may need to keep an eye on this title; I do like that it’s competitive instead of cooperative. I love Raas’s theme. The tight board looks amazing, and I’m always down for splashes of color. Raas looks as if it captures the vibe of its subject matter. As of this write-up, we don’t yet know Raas’s price points. If you’re interested in Raas, check out its GameFound page.

Vampire: The Masquerade, Palermo Conspiracies, Lands on GameFound

The theme Vampire: The Masquerade piqued my interest (I’ve always enjoyed this IP’s mythos), but the statement that Teburu may be the future of tabletop gaming places Vampire: The Masquerade, Palermo Conspiracies in my sights. Per its description, the Teburu system integrates physical and digital gaming, while keeping players focused on the board and its components. Evidently, players won’t need a rulebook. What? You may save your game progress and continue later. Vampire: The Masquerade, Palermo Conspiracies offers immersive storytelling and audio support. You may save player data with smart-technology miniatures.

This all sounds fantastic, and it could be “the future of board games,” but I’m cautious. The Teburu system will most likely be patented and only be available from the company of the same name. As of this write-up, we don’t know the cost of this game, and Palermo Conspiracies sounds as if it will be at least $100 at its cheapest price point. Since it’s launching on GameFound, which offers payment plans, I wouldn’t be surprised if Vampire: The Masquerade, Palermo Conspiracies is upwards of $150-$200 or more (board game meets video game pricing) before shipping. I’m also leery of a game playing itself; I like to know why NPCs take specific actions in tabletop games. But this game looks and sounds amazing.

The miniatures are stunning. And there’s tech in those bases. Yowza! If you’re interested in Vampire: The Masquerade, Palermo Conspiracies, check out its GameFound page.

Battlefield 6 Released

I’ve never been into the Battlefield series. Later titles have leaned into online only, player-versus-player brawls. I have to admit that I’m interested in Battlefield 6 because of the return of campaign mode. It’s been some time since Battlefield has featured a robust campaign mode, and judging from Battlefield 6’s early reviews, it looks as if the game delivers.

I may wait another week or two, or even for the first price decline, before venturing into this highly touted first-person shooter. Battlefield 6 is available on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.

Little Nightmares III Releases

Popular puzzle-platform horror adventure game series Little Nightmares returns just in time for Halloween. I see what you did there, Supermassive Games. Little Nightmares III follows two new child protagonists, Low and Alone, as they navigate through The Nowhere and escape from a looming threat.

While I am more interested in the Little Nightmare series than I am in Battlefield, Little Nightmares III has received mixed to average reviews so far. I may wait on Little Nightmares III for a very different reason than Battlefield 6. I’m waiting on Battlefield 6 for the hype to die down a bit. But Little Nightmares III may need an update or two. Still, I’m all for another journey into Nowhere. Little Nightmares III is available on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. Fingers crossed for cross-play and cross-saving between platforms.

That’s all the Geek News we have for this week. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Game Design Brain Dump: October 10, 2025

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Hey, hey, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here. Last week, we began a series called–for the time being–Writing Brain Dump, and this week is the time to roll out Game Design Brain Dump. The title is a work in progress. Let’s hope I can express my board game design process with this series. Fingers crossed for a cogent thought or two. Strap in for a Board Game Design Brain Dump.

Rustbucket Riots Origins

I’m going a different route from last week’s writing brain dump. Recently, I attended a panel about board game design at Nuke-Con (Omaha’s board game convention) and figured we could begin with what prompted me to begin designing Rustbucket Riots.

I knew Mega Man: The Board Game by Jasco Games wasn’t the best when I purchased it at a severe discount. Honestly, I wanted the bits. Jasco Games did an amazing job with Mega Man’s miniatures and the look of the game. But good luck finishing a game of Mega Man in under 10 hours. Each robot stage plays like five games of Munchkin played back-to-back, with every other player doing their best to prevent you from completing the stage. And you need to complete multiple boss stages. 10 hours may be too few hours to complete this game. You may need to dedicate a table to preserve your month-long game of Mega Man.

I hope I won’t get copyright claimed for any images. Eek! I began with a simple dice chucker of a game. Players would roll standard six-sided dice (I don’t recall the exact number, but it was likely around four or five) and then place the dice on their player boards. Each space on the player board would grant different abilities, with the final four slots variable for powers obtained by defeating robot bosses. Players could place multiple dice in a single space to combine the rolled result. A six may be played with a single die showing a six or with a two and a four or any other combination of six.

I chose dice chucking because rolling dice and placing them with predetermined spaces made for quick turns. Quick turns lead to a game that one can finish within ten hours. This game worked well. Heck, I even tried it as a real-time game, and it worked extremely well. Games lasted less than 15 minutes. I even saw this Mega Man variant as a game that could be played in tournaments of speed runs. Now that I think about it, I may revisit this variant in the future and give it a reskin. Sorry, the ADHD took the wheel for a second.

For some reason, I abandoned the above game concept and went in a different direction. I love Cretaceous Rails. Unlike Jasco’s Mega Man, there isn’t much I’d change with this title. Cretaceous Rails makes this list because I wanted to try using one of its core game mechanisms: dual action selection. I even asked Cretaceous Rails’ designer, Ann Journey, if it’d be okay if I borrowed this game mechanism before trying the next Mega Man remix iteration. The result was a game I nicknamed Rondelande.

Oh my goodness. This game wasn’t just a different direction from my first Mega Man remix; it was different in every possible way. I didn’t keep any of Rondelande’s hardcopy versions. I only have the digital files, and it’s difficult to recreate what the game looked like without a physical copy. But I’ll try my best.

That’s a lot of color going on. Those are supposed to be three rondels (a circular game mechanism with pie wedges representing which actions one may take) stacked on top of one another. Each turn, players would place their gear tokens on one of the hexagon-shaped spaces and take the actions indicated. But before placing gears, players could play up to two cards (depicting one of the actions run, slide, jump, shoot, or climb) underneath the spaces on the outer edge. Players would then be able to take all the actions, including actions on cards, during their turn.

Note: The trapezoid spaces had different actions like draw cards or oil cans (that functioned as wild actions) or even rotating one of the top two rondels, so the action selection could vary.

Rondelande was a lot of fun. It ventured far from what I had originally intended to make. That’s the ADHD brain taking the wheel again. Unfortunately, Rondelande was a space hog. The image above is at least a twentieth of the size of the original game. Despite its size, Rondelande may have been a great game if I had stuck with it. I liked how players could build up the board as they went, benefiting themselves for a turn, but also allowing an opponent to take the same action in a future turn. Players could even refresh (take back their gear tokens) or choose not to refresh for a turn to prevent someone from taking an action their token is currently occupying. Rondelande was great. But something felt off. I wanted interlocking gears for the board because it made sense for a robot theme. I had chosen rondels because they were easier to build. And then I found gears that would work.

I found a file that could work for interlocking gears. Yay! As an aside, I was working on making this file work while producing my Mega Man variant and Rondelande, so a lot of what we’re about to discuss happened concurrently with the previous two games.

At first, I was using a lot of memory foam. Rondelande’s rondels were comprised of foam. I’d print out the digital files (of that rainbow nightmare above) onto full sheet labels and then sticker them over the foam and cut them out. I tried the same concept with the gear pictured above. And it worked…for like one playthrough of the game. Foam likes to shred under friction. Who knew? So, I put the interlocking gears aside until I found a set of wooden gears on Amazon.

Yes! I was in business. I could continue with Rustbucket Riots. The picture above is a modern version of the game; the first version still used foam for its board (the gears haven’t changed too much). I still have a version of the first game and will include a picture of it in a future post. Rustbucket Riots combines multiple ideas. I brought back dice chucking from Mega Man, only this time, I used specialty dice that included run, slide, climb, shoot, and jump. And I always thought Tzolk’in’s gears didn’t move enough. I could fix two issues I saw in other games. Jasco’s Mega Man took too long, and Tzolk’in (Tzolk’in is an amazing game that earns its spot in BGG; I’m nitpicking) could have gears that frequently turn.

The name Rustbucket Riots came swiftly. Originally, I wanted to make a better Mega Man board game, but I couldn’t copy Mega Man exactly. So, I wondered if I could make the player characters villainous. The Boss Robots attempt to free themselves from an oppressive corporocracy and the humans using them as cheap labor, while the players assume the role of corporate robots tasked with bringing the rogue robots under control. Even though the Boss Robots would view what’s happening as a revolution, we’re playing this game from the viewpoint of corporate robots, and they’d see it as riots. Throw in a slur, and you get Rustbucket Riots.

I think that’s everything up to the idea of Rustbucket Riots materialized. We’ll cover early iterations of the game in the next board game design brain dump. If you’ve made it this far through my rambling, you’re awesome. You know it. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Geekly News: October 5, 2025, MCU Cancels 2027 Movie

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Happy Sunday, Geekly Gang! By the time this post goes live, I should be participating in a board game design panel at Nuke-Con, so I’m writing this Geek News post in advance. It may be shorter than usual, but I’ve said that in the past and ended up with a standard-length post. Let’s start this week’s Geek News with the MCU canceling its Unnamed Fall 2027 film.

MCU Cancels Untitled 2027 Film

The movie slot in the fall of 2027 Marvel Studios has been holding for years has just been cancelled this past week. Per Variety, The Simpsons 2 movie takes its place. There are a couple of things to unpack with this tidbit of news. First, by the time the sequel releases, The Simpsons will not have had a movie in 20 years; the first Simpsons film was released in 2007. That’s a significant gap between films. The first Simpsons film wasn’t as bad as some say, but it wasn’t stellar either. While I’m willing to give The Simpsons 2 a chance, I don’t have high hopes. At this point, The Simpsons are a four-decade-old property (the show debuted in 1989, and the family first appeared earlier than that). Multiple generations of television watchers has yet to live in a time without The Simpsons. Second, I like the MCU’s direction.

In a recent interview, Marvel Studios’ CEO Kevin Feige mentioned that the public needs to miss the MCU. As the old saying goes, absence makes the heart grow fonder. No one can miss the MCU if the franchise pumps out multiple movies every year. According to some interviews, Feige never intended the MCU to release as many films and shows as it did in the previous phase or two. With the launch of Disney+, Disney pressured Marvel Studios (and the Star Wars franchise) to produce more shows and movies. Feige has insisted the MCU will slow down its production schedule. The announcement of the 2027 film cancellation solidifies Feige’s position. There will be no MCU film that releases between Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.

Honestly, I love the break. The MCU squeezed in two films in between the last Avengers’ crossover event. Captain Marvel and Ant-Man and The Wasp were released in the gap between Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Those two releases felt rushed. Any film released between Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars could face the same fate.

And I agree with Feige. Make the public miss you. It’s difficult to miss someone or something when it never leaves.

Don’t Starve: The Board Game Launches on KickStarter

Glass Cannon Unplugged launches its latest board game adaptation of a video game classic, Don’t Starve. I’ve playtested a few rounds of this game’s prototype. It was so long ago, I thought the game had already been released. By the way, if you’re interested in playtesting upcoming Glass Cannon Unplugged (GCU) board games like Apex Legends and Frostpunk, feel free to join their Discord channel. GCU has a great habit of uploading its upcoming board games online, so you can remotely playtest.

Anyway, Don’t Starve: The Board Game does a fantastic job of translating what made the video game fun into a board game format. It’s a 1-4 player rogue-like, cooperative game worthy of the name Don’t Starve. If you’re a fan of the video game, you owe it to yourself to at least check out Don’t Starve: The Board Game’s KickStarter page. Pledges range from $79-129. The game features beautiful miniatures/standees–standard with most GCU games–exploration, survival, and crafting. Oh, yeah.

Heroes of Might and Magic: The Card Game Storms GameFound

We go from one board game company (GCU) known for its video game adaptations to another one in Archon Studios. Heroes of Might and Magic: The Card Game is the brainchild of the same company that gave us the Wolfenstein and He-Man: Masters of the Universe Board Game. Unlike Don’t Starve, I can’t speak to Heroes of Might and Magic: The Card Game’s quality, but Archon Studios has an amazing track record.

Heroes of Might and Magic: The Card Game gives me similar vibes to the classic card battler board game, Summoner Wars. Akin to Chess meeting Magic: The Gathering. Heroes of Might and Magic: The Card Game touts numerous video game references–even small ones–and the card art (and design) looks spot on. Heroes of Might and Magic: The Card Game sports a ton of expansions. I’m certain gamers will have plenty of pledge options to choose from once the campaign launches in the middle of next week. We don’t yet know what price points Heroes of Might and Magic: The Card Game offers, but if you’re interested in the game, check out its GameFound page.

Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles Releases

Final Fantasy Tactics is one of my favorite games. I’ve picked up the title each time it’s been remade/remastered, so it’s only a matter of time until I return to Ivalice. In Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, players assume the role of Ramsa, a forgotten warrior who brought peace to the land. Players recruit party members and train them through a job system in this tactical JRPG. Western Zodiac signs dictate how well your team synergizes and how much damage they deal to enemies. Most strong enemies in Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles have a fire sign, so picking a birthday (for Ramsa) with a water sign puts the game on easy mode. I didn’t know this until recently. My birthday happens to be under a water sign, and it would confuse me when folks would say Final Fantasy Tactics was difficult.

Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles is available on PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch 2. DLC (pictured above) is available. If you’ve never played the classic JRPG Final Fantasy Tactics, I highly suggest giving this game a try.

Ghost of Yotei Releases on PlayStation 5

As of writing this post (I’m writing this early), Ghost of Yotei has yet to be released, but it will be in time for the weekend. I can’t wait to play this PlayStation 5 exclusive. Skye swears by Ghost of Tsushima. She covered the first game in this series in a previous month’s Watcha Playing. This series’ combat is second to none. I was about to borrow Skye’s copy of Ghost of Tsushima and begin playing when I remembered Ghost of Yotei was on the horizon. I’m unsure if I’ll miss anything if I begin with the second game in the series. We’ll have to see.

That’s all the Geek News we have for this week. By the time this write-up posts, I’ll be at a board game design panel at Nuke-Con. If you’re in the Omaha area, stop by and say hello. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Whatcha Playing, Geekly: October 2025

Published on by Kyra1 Comment

Happy Wednesday, Geekly Gang! Today, our writers share the games they’ve been playing over the last month. Feel free to share what you’ve been playing, because we’re all part of the Geekly Gang. I’ll get things started.

Kyra’s Games

Kyra’s Video Games

Slime Rancher 2 received a full release this past week, so I’ve returned to Rainbow Island. First, I’m overjoyed with the return of drones. This must be a relatively new addition to Slime Rancher 2. While I appreciate the ability to quickly accrue more drones in the original Slime Rancher, even the smaller number of drones makes managing your ranch a lot easier. I started a new game and refuse to build up a second or third location (even though I’ve purchased them) before I have enough resources to build another drone to help me manage my cutie slimes. Slime Rancher 2 is addictive.

Balatro is a fabulous rogue-like poker deck-building game akin to Slay of the Spire. It has all the trappings of an addictive game, and I sunk plenty of hours into Balatro this past month. In short, there’s a reason Balatro is one of the highest-rated games on Steam. But I do have one gripe. There may be too many options. Balatro shares this issue with Auto Chess. Balatro requires players to balance Planet cards (upgrading the point value for Poker hands), Joker cards (giving a constant point-value boost), and the cards in the deck. Certain combos require specific cards, and Balatro’s staggering number of options means you may never see the cards you need for a combo. Despite this minor issue, I love Balatro.

Speaking of Auto Chess, I’ve played plenty of Auto Chess over the past month, too. The issue I listed in my Balatro write-up rears its head here, but certain game modes (like Solo mode) in Auto Chess allow players to limit the type of units they will receive from the bank. Unfortunately, I don’t care for Solo mode. It’s too slow for my taste. Auto Chess has players buy units, upgrade those units by purchasing three of the same unit, and combo units together with like species (like elves, dwarves, and undead) and classes (like Hunter, Warrior, and Mage). And this last feature introduces yet another issue: balance.

Not all combos are created equal. You can have up to 10 units (if you buy experience to increase your unit count) on the field at one time. Some of the synergies (combos) can be as high as 9 units of the same type. These 9-unit synergies can be overpowered, specifically undead (named Egersis in Auto Chess). A 9-unit undead synergy has an opponent’s dead units resurrect into zombies of the same level. This can double your unit count during battle. It’s unfair and unfun. I’ve played as Egersis, and it’s unfun to play with these unit types. Despite this added issue, Auto Chess is a lot of fun, so long as no one in the lobby plays Egersis. I love setting up my army, leaving for a while to do something else, and then managing my team in between rounds. Heck, I’ll read while my units take care of business.

Kyra’s Board Games

Skye’s going to mention Raccoon Tycoon in her write-up; I’ll let her go into more detail about the game. I love Raccoon Tycoon’s variable market, dual-purpose cards, and auction system. Each card a player uses will increase a resource’s value (or resources’ values) and allow the player to produce resources. Whenever a player sells a resource, they do so at the resource’s current value, and then the player lowers the resource’s value by the amount of those resources sold. And the auction system is simple but great. You can drive up the price of a railroad your opponent wants, but if you raise the price too much, you may get stuck with the railroad. Raccoon Tycoon is a ton of fun.

I’ll be running Raccoon Tycoon and Flamecraft for a charity event during Nuke-Con in two days, so I played both to remind myself how to play so I can teach each game. If you’re in the Omaha area this weekend, feel free to stop by my table. Anyway, Flamecraft is a game Season will mention in her write-up this week, but I’m including it. It’s a great gateway game. Flamecraft features enough common game mechanisms in modern board gaming, while introducing them in a lighthearted, easy-to-understand manner. And the art is adorable. Who doesn’t want to make artisanal crafts with cute dragons?

And yes, I will be playtesting and demoing my prototypes at Nuke-Con as well. Rustbucket Riots and Whirligig Pets are on the official schedule, but I’ll bring a few other board and card games I’m working on. If you’re going to Nuke-Con, make sure you stop by the Extra Life tables and say hi. We’ll have badge ribbons and prizes.

That’s all I have for the games I’ve played this past month. Let’s see what Skye has been playing.

Skye’s Games

Skye’s Board Games

Who wants to be an entrepreneur, trash panda? I do. Now you can live out your dream with your friends and family in Racoon Tycoon. I played Racoon Tycoon for the first time and really enjoyed it. The straightforward mechanics, simple gameplay and charming theme make Racoon Tycoon a game that I’d happily return to. Like most games I play for the first time, I sucked, but that doesn’t matter. I may have lost the battle, but the animal economy war has only just begun. Walrus St. isn’t ready for this determined ring-tailed faux cat.

Ah, the wonders of being eaten by a shark. That’s Get Bit’s scenario. Get Bit is easy enough to understand. Don’t get eaten, and you win. The gameplay itself is different than what I was expecting. The goal is to stay as far away from the shark as possible (duh), but you accomplish this by playing cards that are numbered 1 through 7. The person who played the lowest card gets to move the farthest away first, followed by the next lowest card, and so on. Get Bit is a bit odd, but there are fair amounts of strategy and luck involved to keep you on the edge of your seat. Just make sure you sort out your least-favorite limbs ahead of time.

This month was the most fun I’ve had with Formula D in a while. We played Formula D with a large group of people, and it was a completely different experience. When I’ve played Formula D in the past, I’ve only played with 2 or 3 other people at most. With 8 players, we were cracking jokes, being ridiculous, and generally having a good time. The only downside was that the game took much longer than usual because of the number of players. I was so into Formula D, my car and I went to sleep with the fish. It was relaxing.

Skye’s Video Game

Speaking of relaxing, Sudoku never fails to make me chill out and vibe. I don’t always play Sudoku regularly; I came across a puzzle in my local library that I’ve felt compelled to play online puzzles again. Sometimes I’ll get the urge to test my brain power, and Sudoku has been my go-to. Honestly, there isn’t much to say about it. It’s Sudoku. Y’all know what I mean.

Season’s Games

season’s board games

Of course, I’m mentioning Flamecraft. I won’t go into too much detail, so here’s a quick overview. Your goal is to fill shops with dragons who produce resources. You use the resources to create enchantments and gain reputation. Many different dragon effects affect your score, and the game ends when you’ve run out of dragons. I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed this game until it hit the table last Monday.

I’m a certified dragon lover, and the small dragons in Flamecraft are adorable. ‘Nuff said.

Broken and Beautiful is a set collection game. However, it has a unique way of increasing your score–if you play it correctly. Broken and Beautiful’s theme is based on kintsugi, a Japanese art form of repairing broken pottery with lacquer mixed with gold, silver, or platinum. It makes the object useful again while highlighting its imperfections to celebrate them. In Broken and Beautiful, players draft cards from a tableau using the snake draft method (starting with the first player and reversing player order after the last player). They try to collect sets of pottery based on type (sometimes pattern). The remaining card that doesn’t get drafted and the card on the top of the deck dictate which types of pottery break at the end of the round. Players can spend gold to fix their broken pottery and generate more points.

Normally, I’m not a huge fan of card drafting set collection games since I rarely feel the theme of the game. As in, if I play Sushi Go!, I don’t feel like I’m making a plate of sushi. In Broken and Beautiful, the theme of kintsugi is more evident to me. I also enjoyed the extra layer of strategy in Broken and Beautiful.

season’s video games

I’ve been playing a lot of Cell to Singularity on my phone. I love learning, and I enjoy idle games. That’s exactly what Cell to Singularity is. You start with discovering amino acids and work your way through evolution. The premise revolves around the game being a simulation of evolution, so some what-ifs about evolution crop up the further you progress. There are also offshoot simulations. The two permanent ones are Mesozoic Valley (dinosaurs) and Beyond (outer space). Every few days, limited simulations are available to play, too. I’ve just finished learning way more about mushrooms than I ever planned to learn. Worth it.

I go in and out of playing Ark: Survival Evolved. No. I don’t have Ark: Survival Ascended. I don’t think my PC can run it. Eh-heh. I enjoy taming my favorite creatures and building different bases every time I play. I have a few mods to spice things up. There are many fun, player-made maps to play on, and unique creatures, too. There are also mods that improve quality-of-life and let players build things that aren’t part of vanilla Ark: Survival Evolved. There’s no better feeling in Ark: Survival Evolved than starting a new game and seeing what happens.

Don’t forget to swing by Nuke-Con this weekend at the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs, IA, and visit Kyra at the Extra Life booth. They’d love to meet you. What are you playing this week, Geekly Gang? Let us know in the comments.

Geekly News: September 28, 2025, New Releases

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Happy Sunday, Geekly Gang! We have another week of Geek News with plenty of new releases. Let’s begin with board games.

SkIIkS Slaloms Onto GameFound

Hop on the ski lifts, race down the slopes, and dive into an apres-ski with no limits. But beware of other skiers and their sneaky moves, as well as your own indulgences. Opponents may force you to fall or cause you to lose credits. I love the inclusion of fondue overload. I hate it when I do that before hitting the slopes.

SkIIkS features plenty of special cards. It plays quickly, and that’s a fantastic thing for a game with strong take-that elements. Two pledge levels exist: $35 for one copy or $60 for two copies. If you’re interested in SkIIkS, check out its GameFound page.

The Wandmaker’s Apprentice Crafts Its Way Onto GameFound

Craft your legacy or wield the shadows. The choice is yours in The Wandmaker’s Apprentice. The game takes place after a falling out between a master wandmaker and their apprentice. In this game for 1 or 2 players, players have the choice of assuming the role of The Wandmaker, crafting genuine wands from resources like wood, gems, dragonbone, and stardust, or The Apprentice, who perfects the art of persuasion to peddle dark magical objects, while avoiding the Magical Authorities.

The Wandmaker’s Apprentice takes about an hour to play. Its asymmetric gameplay sounds unique and exciting. It features quick turns and high player interaction. Judging by the tight board, players will have plenty of opportunities to foil their opponent’s plans. If you’re interested in The Wandmaker’s Apprentice, check out its GameFound page.

Kalypso Emerges on KickStarter

Kalypso combines tile-laying and survival gameplay in a cozy board game. The waters continue to rise, and you must band together to rescue survivors. Each round, players draft tiles and expand their settlement, manage resources, place structures, and guide survivors across platforms of rusted metal and driftwood.

I love Kalypso’s versatility. You can play solo, cooperatively, or competitively. What? Kalypso features gorgeous watercolor art. Watercolor? That’s a nice touch. You can catch fish by enclosing them in your structures. Nice. And I’m a sucker for any game that uses simultaneous action selection. Players simultaneously place their tiles, which should speed up game rounds.

But wait, it gets better. Kalypso’s tiles feature Holdfast Coating technology, which may be a game-changer. Holdfast tiles stick (like magnets) to the game board, so you won’t ruin a game by knocking into the table. That’s amazing. Kalypso offers two pledge amounts: $119 for the Deluxe Edition and $54 for the Standard Edition. If you’re interested in Kalypso, check out its KickStarter page.

Silent Hill f Travels to a New Fictional City

Silent Hill f shakes up its usual formula. The newest game in the long-running horror survival series takes place in the fictional village of Ebisugaoka, Japan, during the 1960s. But Silent Hill f takes more than a few new swings with its formula. The newest Silent Hill game features plenty of melee combat. And according to Silent Hill f’s creative team, the series had become too westernized. Silent Hill f is 100% Japanese horror. And just in time for Spooky Season.

Silent Hill f has received favorable reviews. It’s available on PlayStation5, Xbox Series S/X, and PC. There’s no word yet if Silent Hill f will get ported to the Nintendo Switch 2. Fingers crossed. I haven’t played a Silent Hill game in several years. Silent Hill f may be right up my alley. I’m sure Season wouldn’t mind delving into the Japanese culture Silent Hill f explores.

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds Turns Heads

In a year that saw Mario Kart World release, I was shocked to read some video game reviewers (like Game Informer) state, “Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is the most well-rounded kart racer of the year.” What? Could Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds give the latest Mario Kart a run for its money?

When I saw Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds plastered on the PlayStation Store, I dismissed it as a Mario Kart clone, but judging by the rave reviews this game has received, I may need to take notice. To be fair, plenty of video game reviewers haven’t cared for Mario Kart’s creative direction in the past two entries, so the high ratings make sense with Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds taking a classic approach to kart racing. I’m all for an old-school Mario Kart-style racer.

And take a look at some of the featured characters/intellectual properties above: Pac-Man, Mega Man, Spongebob Squarepants, Yakuza, Persona 5, Hatsune Miku, and Minecraft. Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds has a stellar cast of characters available at launch, with more potential characters to be added in the future. Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is available for PC, PlayStation4, PlayStation5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, Nintendo Switch, and Switch 2. I may need to drive some karts. Tee hee!

That’s all the Geek News we have for this past week. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Geekly News: September 21, 2025, MCU Update

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Happy Sunday, Geekly Gang! We have another week of geek news. This week saw plenty of new releases for board games and video games, and we’ll get to them in a minute. But first, we have a little news from the MCU.

MCU Updates

First, Avengers: Doomsday completed filming this past week. Future reshoots could occur, but principal photography has been completed, and that’s great news, considering Avengers: Doomsday experienced a lot of issues while filming.

According to industry insider Alex Perez (via The Cosmic Circus), with a good track record for getting MCU rumors correct, we should receive a Wanda Maximoff (Scarlet Witch) variant in Avengers: Doomsday. Magneto will be established as the ruler of Genosha, and there should be a mutant royal family (of sorts), which will include Magneto, Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, and Polaris. This idea has been in the works since Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The main story the MCU would like to explore is Scarlet Witch and Magneto’s relationship as father and daughter.

There are a few potential issues with this news. How is the MCU going to be able to explore a dynamic like this in a movie with a massive cast? Will Sir Ian McKellen portray a Magneto who’s also Elizabeth Olsen’s father? The MCU must be casting younger actors for these upcoming X-Men roles. But everything we’ve heard over the past several months leans toward McKellen (Magneto) and Olsen (Scarlet Witch). We’ve seen images of Avengers: Doomsday filming at a castle. At the time, we thought the castle was meant to represent Castle Doomstadt (Dr. Doom’s castle). Combining the rumor of a mutant first family, the castle may be meant for Magneto and his family.

As evidenced in The Marvels’ closing scene (with established MCU characters and Kelsey Grammer’s Beast), the MCU has shown that it will mix and match characters from multiple timelines as if they’d known each other for decades, so a father and daughter reunion in Avengers: Doomsday isn’t out of the question. Even though I love the story, I doubt we’ll get a storyline as dense and layered as House of M. The MCU won’t have enough time to do that story justice. Avengers: Doomsday will be packed.

The Sheep Stalks KickStarter

The Sheep may be the funniest horror board game I’ve heard of yet. Sheep are the apex predators, and shepherds (each player chooses from one of six unique shepherds) must guide their flock during the day, while avoiding the Sheep, who transform into apex predators at night.

I love The Sheep’s premise. Using their equipment, traits, and curses players work together to stop the Sheep before they can reach the caravans. The Sheep sounds like a baaad aaaass game. It plays 2-4 players with 40 minute playtime for each player in the game. Pledges range from $35-$240, and there is an option to just purchase The Sheep’s adorable Eldritch Sheep Plushie with posable tentacles. Season may need one of those. If you’re interested in The Sheep, check out its KickStarter page.

Making Monsters Shambles onto KickStarter

Players take the role of mad scientists in Making Monsters. Featuring a unique push-your-luck bag-building mechanism, Making Monsters has player simultaneously draw (from the bag) and assemble monster parts. You try to complete powerful creatures. If you play things too safe, you’ll fall behind. If you try to build too fast, you’ll watch your monsters crumble.

Making Monsters is another goofy horror board game. This one is designed by board game veteran Jonathan Gilmour-Long (Dead of Winter, Dinosaur Island, and Wasteland Express Delivery Service). Unlike many other board games on crowdfunding sites, Making Monsters has a quick turnaround. The files are complete, and game production is underway, so backers can expect the game in about six months (typically, wait times are at least a year). If you’re interested in Making Monsters, check out its KickStarter page.

SandCastle Launches on GameFound

Build the most beautiful sandcastle by managing your time between construction, fishing, collecting seashells, and handling whims. Use your equipment strategically and defend yourself against the waves by reinforcing your walls. Whoever builds the most impressive SandCastle, wins.

I love the concept of this cozy game. SandCastle. Bro Games Edition is a relatively new company, but they feature several eco-friendly production practices and employ people with disabilities. SandCastle tries its best to cause minimal ecological impact and may show the way to a more ethical way to produce board games. If you’re interested in SandCastle, check out its GameFound page.

A-Mazing Game of Gears’N Guffaws Chugs onto GameFound

In A-Mazing Game of Gears’N Guffaws, players navigate a shifting clockwork maze, control hidden characters, and outwit your opponents. On your turn, move, reveal, and rotate your way through a city on the brink–but your true allegiance remains secret…for now. A-Mazing Game of Gears’N Guffaws features a solo mode, but you can also play semi-cooperatively or fully competitive with others. Players don’t know who belongs to which faction. Trust no one.

I love A-Mazing Game of Gears’N Guffaws options. I’m unsure how a game could support semi-cooperative and fully competitive game modes, but I’m here for it. The theme is fun. I like how you may choose to reveal characters and/or rotate tiles so they match your goals. A-Mazing Game of Gears’N Guffaws may have one of the longest names, and I’m hoping its replay value is just as long. If you’re interested in A-Mazing Game of Gears’N Guffaws, check out its GameFound page.

Pink Soup Game Cooks on GameFound

Steeped in Lithuanian heritage (and culinary arts), Pink Soup Game has players hunt for ingredients and cook up the strangest–and most iconic-Lithuanian recipes to become the ultimate Chef Champion. But beware, your opponents are waiting for the perfect moment to sneak a hot chili pepper into your pot, and ruin your dish.

There’s a lot to like about Pink Soup Game. While I don’t know exactly how the game is played (GameFound isn’t always as forthcoming with gameplay as KickStarter), Pink Soup Game features language-independent play, which is always a plus. I love the theme. Cooking themes are always a plus, and the fact that Pink Soup Game showcases Lithuanian cuisine (a culture I’m less familiar with) puts this game on my radar. I even love the idea that followers can pick which Lithuanian dessert enters the final game. If you’re interested in Pink Soup Game, check out its GameFound page.

Stranger Antiquities Releases

I’ve been on a shop management game kick lately, and Strange Antiquities scratches that itch. Strange Antiquities puts the player in the role of a store dealing in occult antiquities. Similar to Tiny Bookshop, Strange Antiquities has players explore a quaint town, but Strange Antiquities amps up the mystery to a thousand. Find and identify arcane artifacts and use your collection to aid the townsfolk with their unusual problems.

I love the puzzle Strange Antiquities presents. Strange Antiquities is the continuation of Strange Horticulture. If you love that puzzle, you’ll love Strange Antiquities. I haven’t yet dived into Strange Antiquities, but something tells me it’ll be a great ride. I’ve added it to my wishlist on Steam, and after I purchase the game, I’ll most likely write a review. Strange Antiquities is available on the Nintendo Switch and PC. If you’re interested in Strange Antiquities, check out its Steam store page.

Dying Light: The Beast Releases

After years of brutal experiments, you want revenge. Dying Light: The Beast features a unique blend of open world and survival horror as you hunt down the man who transformed you into half man, half beast. Dying Light: The Beast makes for a great spooky season video game, and the critics hold Dying Light in high regard.

Dying Light: The Beast continues the Dying Light series’ story. In fact, Dying Light: The Beast puts players in the role of Kyle Crane, who was the protagonist of the first Dying Light game. I have yet to play Dying Light: The Beast, but the premise sounds interesting–taking the Dying Light series to an open-world map. You had me at survival horror and open-world. The game supports a 4-player cooperative multiplayer mode. We’re unsure if Dying Light: The Beast is cross-platform yet. It’s available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

Wander Stars Releases

In Wander Stars, unleash custom attacks by combining words in this Super! Anime! Turn-Based! RPG! Collect all 200 words, earn Pep Ups from honorable victories, and become a Kiai master. Befriend your rivals, uncover dark mysteries, and seek out the pieces of the Wanderstar map in a wild race across the universe.

Young martial artist Ringo searches for her brother, and Wolfe, a mysterious scoundrel running from his past, as they join forces in an unlikely partnership to collect the pieces of the fabled Wanderstar Map. Wander Stars follows a 10-episode anime-inspired adventure. Ringo and Wolfe must work together to find answers, make up for past mistakes, and travel across the universe in search of their goal. Wander Stars is available on Nintendo Switch and PC.

That’s all the Geek News we have for this week. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Tabletop Game Review: Marvel United: X-Men Core Set

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We’ve discussed many Marvel United expansions from the game’s initial set; it’s time to talk about Marvel United: X-Men. This version of Marvel United adds team play and a one versus many option, where one player controls the villain while the others play the heroes. This increases gameplay options and allows for a fifth player to join in on the fun.

Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here. In Marvel United: X-Men, players act as iconic X-Men heroes who work together to stop the master plan of a powerful villain controlled by the game and in some cases another player. Each villain has a unique master plan, cards that trigger various effects, and threats that make clearing locations difficult. Heroes clear missions, making the villain vulnerable, and finally take on the big bad villain before they complete their master plan. Can you save the day in time? Marvel United: X-Men adds Marvel’s merry mutants to the fray.

Before we get any further, we’ll take a side quest and discuss Marvel United: X-Men’s less heroic details.

The Fiddly Bits

Designer: Andrea Chiarvesio, Eric M. Lang, and Francesco Rugerfred Sedda
Publisher: CMON Global Limited and Spin Master Ltd.
Date Released: 2021
Number of Players: 1-5
Age Range: 8 and up
Setup Time: 5-10 minutes
Play Time: 30-40 minutes

Game Mechanisms

Cooperative Play
Hand Management
Modular Board
Solo / Solitaire Game
Team-Based Game
Variable Player Powers

Game Setup

We already covered the Game Setup and Game Flow in our original Marvel United review (here’s a link to that review), so we’ll go over the basics in the following two sections. Let’s cover an abbreviated review of the game setup and rules.

Marvel United: X-Men’s setup can change depending on which Villain(s) and Heroes you choose to play. Each game consists of six locations. Eight locations are included because Marvel United: X-Men is a core set. You may choose your locations or shuffle them and choose six at random. Each Location card has spaces at the top for civilians and thugs and a rectangle with a block of text that will state “End of Turn” at the top of the box.

Place civilian/thug tokens on their matching spaces. Shuffle the Villain’s Threat deck and deal out each Threat face-up so that it covers the rectangle at the bottom of each location. You must clear this threat before gaining the “End of Turn” effect printed on a Location. Place health tokens where signified on threat cards and on the Villain dashboard. Place the three mission cards (Defeat Thugs, Rescue Civilians, and Clear Threats) face up under the villain dashboard where the text reads “Unlocked.”

Each player shuffles their hero decks and then draws three cards to form their hands. Shuffle the Villain’s Master Plan deck. Leave the Master Plan deck face down. This will be the villain’s draw pile.

Players place their miniatures on one of the six location cards, usually the centralmost location for each player (easy access). Then, they place the villain on the location card opposing the heroes. If one player chooses to play as the villain, hand the Super Villain cards to them, and the Heroes gain access to Super Hero cards. These new card times can be played if the game state triggers their use (for example, “You play a Master Plan card” or “Any Hero has 4 or more cards in their hand at the end of the Hero Turn.” Timing is key.

Game Flow

The villain(s) play first. Draw the top card of their master plan deck. The villain moves the number of spaces indicated. Resolve any BAM! Effects and these effects will be printed on a space within the villain’s dashboard. Then, place the civilian/thug tokens (if any) indicated at the bottom of the card. If a player has taken the role of the villain, they get a hand of cards and can choose which card they play. The heroes get their turn after all the villain’s effects are resolved.

Heroes pick who goes first, and hero turns will continue around the table clockwise. At the beginning of each game, Heroes will get three turns before the villain receives another turn. During their turn, heroes play one card from their hand.

Marvel United Sample Hero Turns Gacha Game Review

Resolve actions and the symbols printed at the bottom of the hero’s card in any order. The symbols at the bottom of a hero’s card will be shared with the next player, but any printed action will not be shared. Heroes will use these actions to complete missions. The game begins with three missions in play: Defeat Thugs, Rescue Civilians, and Clear Threats. Each mission card will have spaces for the tokens they require to complete. As soon as these spaces are filled, the card is discarded, and the mission is considered complete. Mission cards can be completed in any order.

After the heroes complete the first mission, the villain panics and will act (play a card) every two hero cards instead of every three hero cards. After the heroes complete the second mission, the villain becomes vulnerable to damage. The heroes can complete the third mission, but it isn’t necessary. If the heroes do complete the third mission, each hero immediately draws 1 card, increasing each player’s hand size by one.

Play continues back and forth until either the villain wins (by completing their unique master plan or anyone, heroes or villains, runs out of cards) or the heroes win by dealing enough damage to the villain after the villain becomes vulnerable to damage.

Review

Marvel United: X-Men features many new game concepts for the United game system. Having one player take on the role of the villain is the most obvious. I like that Spin Master and CMON games include a chart that allows gamers to play villains from the previous set. Since X-Men characters have a knack for flip-flopping their allegiance, it makes sense that Marvel United: X-Men began the trend of purple miniatures (anti-heroes who can be played as heroes or villains). This feature is crucial to the game design, as I forgot it began with Marvel United’s second wave (X-Men). Marvel United: X-Men also adds a team element with its Blue and Gold Team expansions. That doesn’t factor in too much with the core set. We’ll talk more about the X-Men Blue and Gold Teams in the future.

Power creep is a real thing in Marvel United: X-Men. In the original set, players were lucky if they had three unique abilities and anything more than three cards in their deck with special abilities. Marvel United: X-Men heroes have a minimum of four cards in their deck with special abilities and at least two unique special effects, but there are plenty of heroes with way more than four special ability cards. Marvel United: X-Men also includes plenty of powers that deal with crisis tokens. The original set had a few ways to deal with crisis tokens; most of the methods came in the form of Location “End of Turn” abilities. I like the inclusion of heroes with crisis token abilities. The heroes in Marvel United’s second way had plenty of new ways to affect the game state.

Beginning with the anti-heroes (the purple miniatures who can be heroes or villains), let’s get into specific heroes you can find in the Marvel United: X-Men Core Set. Mystique features few Heroics but plenty of Move and Attack. Her two special abilities (two copies of each card) allow her to prevent new tokens (Thugs or Civilians) from being added by the next Master Plan card, and she can redirect damage from herself to Henchmen or Thugs. This plays into Mystique’s ability as an infiltrator. Typically, Marvel United: X-Men does a good job of showing each anti-hero as their heroic and villainous selves. Magneto is the other anti-hero included in the Core Set. Like Mystique, he has little Heroics but can zoom around the board and deal copious amounts of damage. I like Magneto’s ability to convert symbols into Wild symbols. This makes him versatile.

Perhaps because of the increased number of powers within hero decks, Marvel United: X-Men does an even better job of capturing its heroes. Wolverine begins the game with a healing factor. Cyclops uses Leadership, while Beast also has a regenerating factor (not as persistent as Wolverines) and he specializes in heroics and movement. So far, far thematic, but I really like Storm, Jean Grey, and Professor X. Storm can reposition the entire team, Jean Grey can manipulate the Storyline with Telekinesis, and Professor X may be the most powerful hero in the X-Men Core Set. He’s surprisingly mobile with a penchant for heroics. He can also use Telepathy to manipulate the Storyline, give tokens with Leadership, turn symbols into Wilds, and even turn Thugs into Civilians.

In short, the heroes of Marvel United: X-Men have more personality than the previous set. Professor X may be overly powerful. Half of the cards in his deck possess special abilities, and two of the other six cards feature wild symbols. The villains in the X-Men Core Set provide plenty of twists for gameplay, but that’s to be expected from Marvel United villains. The villains have always represented this game’s most intriguing design space. Sabretooth hunts heroes, while Juggernaut charges from one location to the next, damaging everyone in his way. Magneto is especially difficult to stop. He can nullify all Hero effects and hand out crisis tokens to heroes, damaging them for each crisis token the hero possesses. But Mystique may be the most interesting villain from this lot. She targets Senator Kelly, and the heroes lose if she carries out her assassination.

Marvel United: X-Men’s Locations have varied “End of Turn” abilities. Token draw, healing, moving to another location, rescuing a Civilian, and dealing damage to a Thug/Henchman are standard fare by this point, but Marvel United: X-Men’s Locations gives these mechanisms a few twists. But my favorite “End of Turn” ability may be Sentinel Space Station’s. You may discard 1 card from your hand to the bottom of your deck to swap a card from your hand with one of your face-up cards in the Storyline. This ability is a hint of what one can expect in other Marvel United: X-Men expansions. The Marvel United: X-Men Core Set does enough to show what the second United wave of games offers. It does a great job of building on a solid foundation.

Too Long; Didn’t Read

Marvel United: X-Men adds numerous wrinkles to the United Series’ gameplay. A player can take the role of the villain, team play is possible, and antihero characters can be either heroes or villains. The heroes within Marvel United’s second wave have more personality, while the villains remain stellar. Mystique’s mission of assassinating Senator Kelly is fantastic.

Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Geekly News: September 14, 2025, Two Captain Americas at Once

Published on by Kyra1 Comment

Happy Sunday, Geekly Gang! Today’s another good day for Geek News over the past week. We begin with some quotes from Marvel CEO Kevin Feige and the latest gossip from Marvel Studios and the MCU.

Two Captain Americas in the MCU

Marvel CEO Kevin Feige opted for a Marvel HQ sit-down instead of a massive Comic-Con Announcement this year. During this sit-down, Feige answered several reporters’ questions. One of his most notable responses was Eventually, we will have to recast Tony Stark and Steve Rogers. The way Feige phrased his response made it sound as if the recast of the MCU’s original Avengers would occur years into the future, but one industry insider (a relatively new one named James Mack WL) believes a Tony Stark and Steve Rogers recast could occur much sooner than we think. According to this source, they believe the MCU will commit to two Captain Americas (a new Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson) post Avengers: Secret Wars.

There’s a lot to unpack here. Feige has stated that he believes this year’s Captain America: Brave New World flopped because it didn’t feature Steve Rogers (or Chris Evans). This could sound like a knock against Anthony Mackie. Honestly, Mackie was by no means the main reason why Captain America: Brave New World underperformed. I don’t think Feige even meant to imply that. He may have been lamenting his letting Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans go prematurely from the MCU. Downey leaped at the opportunity to rejoin the MCU, and Chris Evans might not be too far behind.

But what does this mean for the Captain America character? The comics have had two simultaneous Captain Americas, and it worked. Having a second Cap shouldn’t detract from Mackie’s Sam Wilson. Heck, it could be interesting to see two heroes compete for the throne of best Cap. My guess is that Mackie and another actor could portray the Star Spangled Hero. The MCU could recast Steve Rogers while Mackie’s still in the Sam Wilson role, but it doesn’t make a lot of sense to have a different actor portray the character opposite Mackie’s Sam Wilson, because Mackie’s Sam has such a long history with Evans’s Steve. My guess is that Evans could return to the Steve Rogers role.

No matter who portrays Steve Rogers, we should be seeing the character return to the MCU. And sooner than we think.

Robo Rescue Lifts Off on KickStarter

Years after humans left a Martian Research Facility, four abandoned robots embark on an adventure to reunite with their human creators on Earth. Robo Rescue puts gamers in the roles of one of these robots. Program and move your robot pal, collect resources with board actions (in an ever-changing warehouse), convert resources to essential parts, and repair all rocket engines, so you can return home.

Robo Rescue uses a unique programmable movement mechanism. Its ever-changing board looks amazing and should facilitate multiple play-throughs. The pictures we see above are from Robo Rescue’s prototype. The final product should look even better. Pledges range from $56 to $99. If you’re interested in Robo Rescue, check out its KickStarter page.

Zairoo Launches on KickStarter

Tabletop roleplaying game Zairoo showcases a Pan-African Fantasy world. Five vibrant kingdoms rise from the ruins of a cataclysmic past. In this alternate 17th-18th century, where African and New Afrikan Myths come alive, players step into a land where science, spirituality, and the supernatural intertwine.

I learned about Zairoo several months ago and have been waiting for its release. The game looks amazing. The concept has me intrigued. Zairoo blends classic African and New Afrikan myths. It offers a fantasy world seldom and desperately needed to be explored. Pledges range from $20 to $300 (many of the larger pledges include charitable donations). If Zairoo interests you, check out its KickStarter page.

Gamusinos Skitters onto GameFound

In Gamusinos, players take on the role of unique animals, trying to find their way to a sanctuary. Players attempt to score the most points by playing experts for their animal, but you’ll also need to discover which hunter freed the animals to prevent them from taking the precious chamois.

Gamusinos features adorable art and hidden roles. Can you deduce which animal is which? If Gamusinos sounds interesting, check out its GameFound page.

Snorkeling Launches on GameFound

Featuring stunning art, Snorkeling pits gamers against each other in an underwater, fast-paced, card-shedding game. During a turn in Snorkeling, players can play as many cards as they want from their hand that are exactly one value (numerically) higher than the top card of the center pile and the same color as the top card in the center. Then, you may strike your rivals by placing a card exactly one value lower than the top card in their personal pile, forcing them closer to the dreaded surface.

A round ends when one player receives a 0 value “Beach” card in front of them. Everyone scores points based on the card on top of their pile. The first to reach 12 points wins the game. Snorkeling has a simple concept and should be easy for gamers new to the hobby. We don’t yet know much about Snorkeling’s price point–although I can’t see it being too much–but if you’re interested in Snorkeling, check out its GameFound page.

No More Dead: New York Shambles Onto GameFound

No More Dead: New York puts players in the driver’s seat to either lead the rebirth of civilization or watch its downfall. Blending area control, resource management, and tactical decision-making, No More Dead: New York has players traverse NYC’s iconic neighborhoods in their vans, strategically deploy their team to gather resources, or conquer and restore key locations by eliminating threats.

No More Dead: New York offers plenty of replay value. Each survivor has their own unique capabilities. Can you build the perfect team to survive the Zombie Apocalypse? If you’re interested in No More Dead: New York, check out its GameFound page.

Borderlands 4 Released

The next installment in Gearbox and 2K’s fan-favorite co-op looter shooter Borderlands launched this past week. Borderlands 4 is the largest and most important video game launch from this past week, so we’ll break down all we know about the crossplay capabilities, because let’s face it, you’re going to want to play a co-op looter shooter like Borderlands 4 with friends.

Borderlands 4 was released on PlayStation 5, PC, and Xbox Series X/S and will be released on the Nintendo Switch 2 early next month. Borderlands 4 will support crossplay, but this gets a little tricky. If you and your friend are on Xbox and PC, you can play together easily, provided you both have free Gearbox Shift accounts. Unfortunately, neither cross-save nor cross-progression will be available on day one. But there’s hope these will be added at a future date. In classic Sony PlayStation fashion, Borderlands 4 may not support crossplay on PlayStation 5 on day one, but like cross-save and cross-progression, players may gain this capability in the future.

The future looks bright. Borderlands 4 has received above-average reviews. We may have to open the Kairos Vault. See you soon.

Those are all the new releases we had for video games and board games from the previous week. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Tabletop Game Review: Roll Camera!: The Filmmaking Board Game

Published on by KyraLeave a comment

Get ready to make a cinematic masterpiece by rolling dice and placing them in Roll Camera!. Players work for a struggling film production company. The company’s on the verge of bankruptcy and one successful film can turn around the company’s fortunes. It’s up to you to make the best movie you possibly can before time—and money—run out. We’ll get into Roll Camera! in just a bit, but let’s cover some of Roll Camera!’s details.

The Fiddly Bits

Designer: Malachi Ray Rempen
Publisher: Keen Bean Studio
Date Released: 2021
Number of Players: 1-6
Age Range: 10 and up
Setup Time: 5-10 minutes
Play Time: 45-90 minutes

Game Mechanisms

Cooperative Game
Dice Placement
Events
Open Drafting
Pattern Building
Set Collection
Solo/Solitaire Game
Variable Player Powers

Game Setup

Roll Camera! doesn’t have the best rulebook; it’s a little cluttered. I’ll mention this again in the review section. Fortunately, the game board is easy to navigate, and the company (Keen Bean Studio) produced How-to-play and Turn-by-Turn Walkthrough videos. These videos help a lot. I’ll do my best to convey the information contained within the rulebook.

1) Place the main game board in the middle of the table.

2) Choose or randomly assign one player board to each player. You may use either side. Give each player the Player Aid card that corresponds to their player board.

3) Shuffle the top and bottom script cards separately, then randomly select five of each to form two Script decks. Place each deck face-up in the corresponding spots on the board. Return the remaining Script cards to the box; they will not be needed.

4) Shuffle the Problem deck and then place it in its space above the board (the space marked with a red triangle and exclamation point).

5) Shuffle the Idea deck and then place it in its space below the board (the space marked with a yellow lightbulb).

6) Shuffle the Scene deck and then place it on the topmost Storyboard space on the board with the “sketch” side up. Draw two Scenes from the top of this deck and place them in the two empty Storyboard slots below the Scene deck.

7) Deal each player three Idea cards. Even though Roll Camera! is a cooperative game, keep these cards hidden. You will always have three Idea cards in your hand.

8) Mix up the Set Piece titles and place them face-up in two even stacks on their designated grey spaces on the main board, above the Set.

9) Adjust the Budget and Schedule dials according to the difficulty setting and number of players. The Difficulty settings are printed on the reverse side of the dials.

10) Place the pink Quality marker on the START space on the Quality track.

11) Place the “Blocked” tokens next to the Problem deck within reach. 12) Choose someone to be the starting player, giving them the six Crew dice and the Budget/Schedule dials.

Game Flow

Player turns in Roll Camera! consists of five simple steps:

1) Draw a Problem Card
2) Roll the Crew dice
3) Assign the Crew dice and take actions
4) Clear the Crew dice
5) Advance the Schedule and pass the dials

1) Draw a Problem Card

Draw one card from the Problem deck and put it in the slot immediately to the right of the Problem deck.

The Problem Queue has three slots. New Problems are added to the leftmost slot. Any existing Problems are pushed to the right. Problems never move back to the left, even if others are resolved to create a gap in the left or middle space.

If the Problem queue is filled with three problems, you don’t need to draw another one at the start of the next turn. However, you also cannot take actions, play Idea cards or gain bonuses that require drawing a Problem card if the queue is full.

2) Roll the Crew dice

Roll the Crew dice, which determine what cast and crew you’ll have available this turn.

Usually, you’ll roll all six Crew dice, but it is possible that some Crew dice have been “locked in” onto a Set Piece during a previous player’s turn. If so, you’ll roll fewer dice. At any point, you may choose to re-roll and reassign dice that were locked in on a previous turn.

Each Crew die has six faces: Camera, Light, Sound, Actors, Art Department, and Visual Effects (or VFX, whose symbols are white to denote that it’s considered a “Wild” die face).

3) Assign the Crew dice and take actions

Take as many actions as you have dice to assign for available spaces. You can use the blue action spaces on the main board, on Set Pieces (tiles), and on your player board. You cannot use the actions on another player’s board, nor can you use an action again if its space(s) are already filled with dice.

Actions will require specific dice. Refer to the following pictures, keeping in mind that the VFX die face is wild and can be used as any die face.

You don’t have to use all the Crew dice on your turn if you can’t or don’t want to; however, the next player will still re-roll any unused dice on their turn.

Locking In Dice)
You may also choose to “Lock in” any of the dice you place if you aren’t able to complete an action’s requirements. Another player could then complete those requirements on a future turn.

If you do this, the next player will roll fewer dice.

4) Clear the Crew dice

Once you’ve taken all the actions you want, clear the dice, leaving any locked-in dice on their spaces, and hand the dice to the next player.

5) Advance the Schedule and pass the dials

Turn the Schedule dial to lower your remaining time by one and hand the dials to the player to your left. Your turn is over; it’s now the next player’s turn, and they begin with Step 1).

Ending the Game

Play continues as above until players finish five scenes in the Editing Rooms and the movie is in one of the white sections on the Quality track. It is possible to create a “So Bad, It’s Good” movie. The game can also end if you run out of time on the dial. If this happens, you don’t get to finish your movie. Sad times.

Review

I’ll begin by reiterating that Roll Camera!’s rulebook is—at best—confusing. Thank goodness there are multiple videos explaining how to play the game. I recommend watching the rules video at least before attempting to play the game or even reading the rules as written.

The cluttered rulebook runs counter to Roll Camera!’s game board. One could almost figure out how to play by the symbols on the board.  That’s the mark of great graphic design. I’m shocked this didn’t carry over to the rulebook. I get it. Writing a rulebook is my least favorite part of designing and developing a board game, but Roll Camera!’s rulebook is borderline unreadable.

That’s a lot of text for a few images. Yikes!

There are a lot of individual mechanisms contained within Roll Camera!’s gameplay, but they all work together toward a cohesive whole. Player boards (with their unique abilities) make sense for player roles. Production design can improve the movie’s quality by expending an art department die face, the editor can move scenes around after they’re shot to meet requirements set by the script, and the producer can cut corners, generating money and an extra problem. Since the player abilities are tied neatly within Roll Camera!’s theme, it makes the abilities intuitive.

The requirements for placing dice are similar to those used in numerous dice placement games (like Alien Frontiers). That’s a strength. Similar symbols added with me learning how to play Roll Camera!. The Set Pieces made for an interesting puzzle the group must solve. Do we build a Set Piece with more blue, but specific blue spaces (like only actors can be placed on a space), or do we go for limited spaces with which to place dice, but when we do place dice on those spaces, you gain a bonus (like more money or more time)? These may seem like small choices, but these small choices add up to plenty of variables.

Roll Camera! even includes bad die roll mitigation. A player may choose the “Get Intern” action, setting a die to any die face but gaining a problem. Ah! The dangers of hiring interns. Roll Camera! uses its theme with most—if not every—design decision.

The most interesting action a player can choose during a turn may be “Production Meeting.” Players (including the active player) donate one idea card each to the active player. The active player will then choose which idea card to play, which one to save for later (you can replace another saved idea card if needed), and which idea card to discard. This is an interesting way to keep players engaged even when it’s not their turn as the active player. I may have to steal this game mechanism for a future game. Lol. Technically, the active player could play more than one idea card in a single turn. Saved idea cards can be played by placing dice on the spaces above their save space. The concept that you can play one die at a penalty versus playing an idea card for no penalty if you place two dice is brilliant.

Idea and problem cards uphold the theme. I don’t know how many times I chuckled when an editing-specific problem occurred while I played as the Editor or a directing-specific problem happened during the Director’s turn. Roll Camera! does what it sets out to do. It takes the world of cinematography and applies it to a fast-paced dice placement game.

I don’t even mind when my team and I fail, and we make a “So Bad, It’s Good” movie. In fact, those may be the best games of Roll Camera!.

Too Long; Didn’t Read

Dreadful rulebook aside (watch the how-to-play video instead), Roll Camera! takes the world of movies and turns it into a fast-paced dice placement game. Roll Camera! incorporates a lot of mechanisms, but each one works to form a cohesive whole that captures the essence of the game’s theme. Roll Camera! may be one of the few games I don’t mind losing. Heck! I like making a movie that’s “So Bad, It’s Good.”