Tag: board games

Geekly News: April 20, 2025, 2nd Fantastic Four Trailer

Published on by Kyra2 Comments

Happy Easter if you celebrate the holiday. If not, happy Sunday. We have another week of geek news. What better way to celebrate than to cover the second Fantastic Four: First Steps trailer and reveal its Easter eggs?

Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here. We may go light on geek news this week, Geekly Gang. I’m not going to lie. I’ll be eating my body weight in sweets, but the MCU dropped the second Fantastic Four trailer, so let’s dish.

Fantastic Four: First Steps Second Official Trailer

The biggest reveal the second Fantastic Four: First Steps trailer gave us was the upcoming movie’s basic plot. Speculate no further. The movie will revolve around Galactus visiting this version of Earth. This story looks like it may parallel the Avengers’ Battle of New York during their first movie. Aliens invade. The world’s protectors need to intervene. But while the Avengers were either unknowns or distrusted, the Fantastic Four are treated as celebrities, as evidenced by their appearance on the Ted Gilbert Show and how civilians treat them. I love the interactions we see during this montage. Gilbert says, We can never repay them, but we can celebrate them. And the Fantastic Four are celebrated.

Geekly News Fantastic Four First Steps Stage

I also like that the show host’s name is Ted Gilbert, which is an obvious play on the Ed Sullivan Show. We mentioned in our post about the first trailer that the Fantastic Four are introduced on a stage similar to the Beatles when they played on the Ed Sullivan Show. Ted Gilbert is the perfect name for an alternate timeline Ed Sullivan. I love the Gilbert and Sullivan reference. I may have to rewatch The Pirates of Penzance.

“I am the very model of a Modern Major-General…”

I’ll stop.

Ted Gilbert succinctly breaks down the Fantastic Four’s origin. Four brave astronauts head up into space and come back forever changed. We’ll probably see snippets of the Fantastic Four’s origin, but I like that First Steps won’t go into the team’s origin in great detail. I also like that Fantastic Four: First Steps takes place on an alternate Earth. Moviegoers won’t need to watch (or rewatch) hours of MCU content to prepare for Fantastic Four: First Steps. Sure. There will be nods to the multiverse. The Fantastic Four will approach this subject because they’ll need to mosey over to the main MCU timeline, but there should be little to no “MCU homework.”

The second trailer revisits the dinner scene from the first trailer, but we receive a bombshell of a plot thread. Sue is pregnant with Franklin Richards. This could be huge. First, Franklin Richards is a mutant, so he’ll fit right in with the upcoming Mutant Saga. Second, Franklin Richards would be one of the most powerful characters introduced in the MCU, and that includes Asgardians and even Galactus. Third, there is a storyline where Franklin controls Galactus.

Yes! I like that this Fantastic Four is a veteran team, and we may not need to wait too long for Franklin and Valeria (von Doom) Richards’ mayhem. Oh, yeah. Valeria has a mean streak like her godfather Victor. This should be fun. During the second trailer, Reed Richards mentions that the Fantastic Four may have stretched the boundaries of space, and they (Galactus and his heralds) heard. I like this angle. Typically, Reed gets the Fantastic Four and the Earth at large into trouble that he must then get them out of, but there may be another reason Galactus chooses to visit Earth. The MCU may be setting up a Galactus-Franklin Richards dynamic.

Galactus looks great in the little we see of him. I’m less thrilled about Shalla-Bal’s look. Shalla-Bal is the woman Silver Surfer. In the comics, Shalla-Bal is the empress of the planet Zenn-La, the planet where Norrin Radd (Silver Surfer) originates. Shalla-Bal was introduced as a character in the 1960s (she’s also in the underrated ’90s Silver Surfer cartoon, which is available on Disney+), and she’s Radd’s longtime love interest.

Shalla-Bal has powers comparable to the Silver Surfer and has served as one of Galactus’s heralds, but she is a different character. Shalla-Bal’s inclusion leaves the door open that Norrin Radd could appear in the MCU’s future. Getting back to my original point, Shalla-Bal’s CGI looks rough. I hope this is an issue with the trailer and not the movie, and the final graphics for the movie look better. Movies work on their graphics until the film is released. Fingers crossed.

The second trailer ends with Galactus taking a stroll in downtown New York City. This could be a nod to Godzilla or the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters. Classic.

If you can’t tell, I’m hyped for Fantastic Four: First Steps. This second trailer introduces some great plot points but holds back enough for the audience to discover when the movie releases in July.

Quorum by Devir Games Released

In Quorum, players take on the role of Roman senators who share the power of Rome and its provinces. The goal is to be the most powerful and influential senator by gaining victory points, which are awarded in various areas of influence over twelve rounds.

Designed by Raul Franco and Fran Martinez, Quorum accommodates 2-4 players and lasts about 45 minutes. The game’s double-sided cards show a province on one side (which will score points in that province on the central board) and on the opposite side show one of four groups: military, intrigue, architecture, and commerce, which grant different bonuses when placed in the player’s personal zone. Players are presented with interesting choices each turn. Quorum is easy to learn and quick to play, but offers plenty of strategy.

Check out your local game store or Devir Games’ website.

Hutan: Life in the Rainforest Released

We have another interesting board game release this week, Hutan: Life in the Rainforest. Inspired by the Indonesian rainforest, Hutan allows players to step into the rainforest’s natural splendor.

Each player controls their own patch of rainforest, where they will plant seeds that, over time, will grow into towering trees. When a habitat is created, an iconic forest animal arrives: the orangutan, the Sumatran tiger, the rhinoceros hornbill, the cassowary, or the Sumatran rhino. Hutan plays over nine rounds. All players have two turns each round. On your turn, you may take a flower card from the shared market and place the flowers into your rainforest. If you place a flower on top of a matching flower, you grow a tree. When an area has nothing but trees, the last tree is replaced by an animal. The player with the most animals wins.

Hutan: Life in the Rainforest accommodates one to four players and lasts about 45 minutes. Check your local game store or OP Games’ website.

Nintendo Switch 2 Receives United States Release Date

After several weeks of deliberation (over tariffs and price hikes), Nintendo announced that customers in the United States can preorder their Switch 2 starting April 24, 2025. Pricing for the a la carte console and bundle with Mario Kart World will not change, but prices for accessories like extra Joy-Cons, a Switch 2 Dock, and the new pro controller received price bumps between $5 and $10.

Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered Screenshots Leaked

The rumored Oblivion remaster/remake that will release soon had some screenshots leaked this week on the developer’s website. An Oblivion remaster/remake has been believed to be in production for the past several years. Some wondered if the game would release last year for the holiday season. It doesn’t appear that Bethesda/Zenimax will wait for next holiday season. Check out the screenshot below.

The new rumor is that the Oblivion remaster/remake will be announced and released next week. I may have some gaming to do. If you need me, I’ll be in Cyrodiil.

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

Whatcha Playing, Geekly: April 2025

Published on by Kyra5 Comments

Today marks our first post for Geekly’s Whatcha Playing series. In this series, the Geekly Gang will share which games (board games and video games) they played over the last thirty or so days. We welcome you to join the Geekly Gang and share the games you played this past month.

Kyra’s Games

Before I get started, I’m not going to include any of my prototypes. Of course, I’ve played my prototypes plenty of times this past month, but I’ll include those games with our upcoming “Fifth Wednesday, Personal Updates” post. Until then, I’ll discuss the games I’ve played this past month that I didn’t design.

Video Games

I fell down The Survivalists rabbit hole. For a week last month, I spent almost every day trying to build each structure and cook every recipe. I’ve never played The Escapists. The Survivalists are set in the same world, and I don’t think I missed too much for not having played the game that inspired its world. This game plays like a low-pressure version of Ark: Survival Evolved. Obviously, I like this game. I played almost forty hours in just over a week. Yikes!

I’ve been keeping up with Wuthering Waves and Honkai: Star Rail. Geekly has a review on both of these gacha games. I haven’t played too many video games this past month besides these three games. I’ve mostly played board games.

Board Games

I played Dice Throne for the first time this past month. It’s a little too combat-heavy for me; I would’ve liked a few more things to do besides worrying about positioning, defense, and damage output, but what’s there is intriguing. I like how each character’s dice are unique, but they retain a six-sided die’s classic numbering. Players can trigger abilities by matching symbols or using numbers. This is a clever mechanism. It makes most die rolls useful, and I like purposing my dice each turn.

I also played We’re Doomed! for the first time, too. We’ll have a review on this one in the coming months. We’re Doomed! is a raucous party game with a real-time element. The world is doomed. You need to work together to build a large enough spaceship for everyone to leave the planet, or you could screw over the players. Players take on the roles of world leaders. Each player has the same five options for actions each round, but the role a player has gives them a bonus for one of those actions. The game’s event cards can disrupt the game flow to a point where the game breaks, but We’re Doomed! is dumb fun.

From one silly little game to another. Don’t L.L.A.M.A. Card Game is designed by board game legend Reiner Knizia. It reminds me a bit of Uno with a twist. You attempt to rid your hand of cards by matching the number on top of the discard or playing a card higher than the card showing. The cards are numbered 1-6. Llama cards count as 7s. Don’t L.L.A.M.A. Card Game is a quick, award-winning filler card game. I highly recommend it.

I could list more but I’ll let Season and Skye share their games. Thanks for reading.

Season’s Games

video games

I don’t think I’ve mentioned this before, but I’m a fan of RPG style farming sims (similar to the Harvest Moon franchise). I’ve lost count of how many I’ve played. I picked up Sun Haven during Steam’s spring sale. It’s got a much larger map than what I’m used to from an RPG farming sim and has options for mounts, pets, and accessories. I’m a sucker for all of these things.

One feature I appreciate about Sun Haven is the ability to choose your race, class, and free initial customization options. Your race and class give you bonuses in the game based on how you want to play. When I say, “free initial customization,” I mean you just design a character without picking a gender. You don’t even get the option to pick a gender, like most of these games require. All romance-able characters are available for the player to choose from and you can increase your bond with them based on picking dialogue options they like in addition to gifts.

Always pet Dashie. No exceptions.

I’ve also been playing Honkai Star Rail and Wuthering Waves regularly. They’re a staple of my video game diet, so I won’t go into detail. Good luck on all of your 50/50’s to those of you who play either/both of these games.

board games

Okay. I know this is a collectible card game (CCG). I recently played Magic: The Gathering with a friend and got hit with a wave of nostalgia when I got to play with my fifteen-year-old decks. I’ve only played commander a couple of times in the past, which is the standard way to play Magic: The Gathering now. You have a powerful creature (your commander) who starts the game off the field while the rest of your deck is ninety-nine cards, all of which must be unique (outside of basic land cards). It plays like a normal games of Magic: The Gathering, but you can summon your commander even if it dies, as long as you have the mana.

I’ve played a few prototypes last month, but haven’t played as many board games as I would have liked. I’ve been settling into a new position at my day job, so I haven’t had as much time/energy for board games. I’m hoping to play more this month.

Skye’s Games

Hello, Geekly Gang! Yes. I also enjoy games. So here are some that I’ve been playing lately.

Wuthering Waves and Honkai: Star Rail

Gacha friends, rejoice. I have returned to Wuthering Waves and Honkai: Star Rail. While I’ve always enjoyed these games, they can sometimes be difficult to keep up with. That’s why I took a break from gacha games. Now that I’m trying to loosen up, I thought it was a good time to revisit them. I’m so glad I did!

No gacha game is perfect, but the simple act of building your teams, finding secrets, and yes, owning as many characters as possible is enough to keep me hooked. Since I’ve circled back around to them, it’s been difficult for me to put them down. I’ll admit that grinding gets old. Please implement more multiplayer options. I’m desperate!

Pixel Art

Speaking of loosening up, Pixel Art is my go-to relaxation app. While not technically a game, coloring to your heart’s content is comforting. My favorite aspect of the app is the ability to create your own pixel art creations using images from your phone’s camera roll. Lately, Pixel Art has been my primary method of preserving my memories. Who needs photo albums when you have Pixel Art?

Final Fantasy

Ever since I was a kid, I always loved the Final Fantasy series (even if it was vicariously through watching my parents play it). Lately, I’ve started playing the original Final Fantasy. Since the first Final Fantasy game I played was VII, I’ve taken it upon myself to play each one that came before it. Thankfully, my sister has the Final Fantasy I-VI Pixel Remaster Collection for PlayStation4, so thank you for letting me borrow it. 😉

It’s surreal to see where this behemoth of a franchise started. The story doesn’t always make sense, but the gameplay is still fun. My favorite part is that even though (then) SquareSoft didn’t understand what it was at the time, the game is still clearly a Final Fantasy title. I can see why this is SquareEnix’s golden goose.

The Survivalists

Like other Geekly members, I’ve taken up this quaint yet satisfying game. Since I’ve been a long-time fan of survival sandbox games, it’s been fun seeing Team 17’s interpretation of one. Like most Gen Zers, my first survival sandbox game was Minecraft. It wasn’t hard for me to fall in love with The Survivalists.

Like most survival sandbox games, The Survivalists can become stale after a while. It can take an hour to get things done. If you’re a fan of the genre like me, you’re used to that. The Survivalists will soon join the roster of survival sandbox staples like Terraria, Don’t Starve, ARK: Survival Evolved, and Minecraft. Also, this one has monkeys. Monkey butlers. What more do you want?

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

Geekly News DnD Sigil

Geekly News: March 23, 2025, D&D Sunsets Sigil

Published on by Kyra1 Comment

Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here. We’re a little light on geek news this week. I’m sure things will heat up as we approach convention season, spring replacement shows, and summer blockbusters.

On a personal note, I’ve been preparing for upcoming conventions, so my focus is split at the moment. 😅 I’ll be sharing some updates in the coming weeks.

Dungeons & Dragons Sunsets Its 3D Virtual Tabletop Sigil

Sunset is a fancy and nice way of saying shutting down. Had Dungeons & Dragons adopted a 3D virtual tabletop five years earlier during the pandemic lockdown, Sigil would’ve been used by every D&D gaming group. Sigil uses the Unreal 5 engine while integrating the game’s online database D&D Beyond. The graphics and physics of the system impress, but the product is rough around the edges, and with the announcement that D&D plans to shudder the project, Sigil will never reach its lofty expectations. Wizards of the Coast claimed that Sigil would be like you were meeting in person for a tabletop RPG. But let’s be real. Playing a tabletop RPG is best done in person.

A virtual tabletop can only go so far. If anything, D&D was hoping for a second pandemic or another wave of the previous pandemic and that’s a risky business move. During the pandemic, people were willing to take on new hobbies. They were willing to accept a virtual tabletop with all its flaws and often used virtual tabletops inferior to Sigil. Had Sigil released over five years ago, tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of gamers, would’ve downloaded Sigil. Many of those same gamers may have continued to use the system after the quarantine lifted. Sigil missed its window. Unfortunately, Wizards of the Coast announced that they laid off the 30-person team behind Sigil. Best of luck to these talented designers. They did a great job with an unfinished Sigil.

Point Galaxy and Propolis Available on Kickstarter

The Point series returns with Point Galaxy. Like Point Salad and Point City before it, players draft double-sided cards to build their galaxies in Point Galaxy. This time, whenever you draft a card, you choose to add the card to an existing galaxy or create a new galaxy. The front of the cards will have celestial bodies like planets and suns, but the card backs will feature unique ways for players to score with the galaxies they build. Spaceship tokens add more complexity to the scoring, making Point Galaxy fast-paced and strategic. I’ve always liked Point Salad. Point Galaxy builds on the base game. Flatout Games manages to put a lot of game in a small box.

Propolis, also from Flatout Games, has me intrigued. It combines worker placement and resource management, two game mechanisms found in heavy European games (games with a lot of strategic choices) in another fast and approachable game. The design team of Molly Johnson, Robert Melvin, and Shawn Stankewich is one to keep on a gamer’s radar. They’re also behind the Point series. In Propolis, players control worker bees. You may place your bees on actions and gain resources or use those resources to build structures. Structures give workers bonuses and score points at the end of the game. Simple and fun.

My favorite game mechanism in Propolis is that at the end of each round, players gain a wild resource for each row where they have the most workers. This serves as quick area majority or area control. It can turn the tide but not break the game. Point Galaxy and Propolis are live on Kickstarter and can be purchased separately or together. Individually, they cost $19. Together, players can pledge $35.

RuPaul’s Drag Race Clue

Ordinarily, Geekly wouldn’t report on a new version of Clue being released, but this is RuPaul’s Drag Race, and Season will spend $45 to snag a copy. One of six drag queens has stolen the crown. Figure out who stole the crown, where the crown was discovered, and what dazzling accessory helped the thief escape.

Instead of the standard Clue pawns, Clue: RuPaul’s Drag Race includes standees of the various queens you can play and accuse. The six characters include Madam Mustard, Pepper La Peacock, Crystal White, Sir Lady Scarlet, Marsha P. Plum, and Geraldine Green. All of these drag names are fabulous. My favorite is Marsha P. Plum. I call dibs. Sashay away to iconic Drag Race locations like the main stage, the untucked lounge, and the ladies’ room when Clue: RuPaul’s Drag Race releases later this year.

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

Geekly News CMON Games

Geekly News: March 16, 2025; CMON Games Could Lose $2 Million for 2024

Published on by KyraLeave a comment

Crowdfunding Board Game Giant CMON Games Claims They Could Lose $2 Million for 2024

CMON’s board issued a profit warning to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange earlier this week. It estimates its losses for 2024 at between $1.4m and $2.1m, with the final, audited total expected by the end of this month. $2 Million is a large number. Several factors have contributed to CMON Games claiming a loss for 2024. We’ll give a quick rundown on what led CMON in this direction.

A Quick History

CMON Games quickly bounced back from the pandemic. It suffered a 17.5% revenue drop to $25.1m in 2020 because of the pandemic. In 2022, CMON reached $45.3m and almost duplicated that success the next year due to multimillion-dollar Kickstarter campaigns for its long-running Zombicide series and games based on huge IPs such as Marvel and DC Comics.

Marvel United Box Close Up Board Game Review

Last September, CMON’s mid-year revenue had fallen for the first time since the pandemic, to just over $15.9m with slumping wholesale earnings putting a dent into the company’s H1 results. CMON’s wholesale revenue sank 39% to $5.9m in H1 2024 compared to the same period in 2023, while revenue from its crowdfunding campaigns fell by about 9.7% to just over $9.9m.

What CMON Claims Caused this Loss

CMON Games says the biggest contributing factor to this loss is the rising cost of living, which is eating into its revenue from tabletop game sales. They believe people aren’t buying as many board games because the cost of living has increased. Cost of living can and does play a role in reduced board game sales. But this can’t be the only factor.

CMON Switches from Kickstarter to Gamefound

CMON switched its crowdfunding strategy in February 2024 when it ended 12 years of running campaigns on Kickstarter. They chose to sign an exclusivity deal with Kickstarter’s crowdfunding competitor Gamefound. CMON had raised more than $108 Million in total on Kickstarter.

CMON’s first year on Gamefound began slowly. Large campaigns like DC Super Heroes United and Cthulu: Death May Die, Forbidden Reaches helped push CMON closer to the money they raised on Kickstarter the previous year.

At the mid-point of the year, the 2024 losses would almost wipe out CMON’s $1.8m profits across the previous three years combined, marking the first time the company suffered a loss since the pandemic.

Personal aside: I backed one of CMON’s projects on Gamefound and followed several others. The company had issues navigating Gamefound’s backend. There were growing pains but the year ended better than it could have. Different consumers use Gamefound and Kickstarter. Switching crowdfunding providers could contribute to a dip in sales. Gamefound also offers what equates to layaway, so certain Kickstarter marketing tactics CMON Games has cultivated over 12 years may not work as well on Gamefound.

CMON Bought IPs Last Year

CMON made two significant acquisitions last year. They bought Japon Brand, the Japanese board game collective that published Love Letter and Machi Koro and picked up the intellectual property rights to a pair of stalled Kickstarter projects from Mythic Games in January 2024.

The two games from Mythic Games, Hel and Anastyr, raised a combined $3.2 Million on Kickstarter. Per CMON Games, both games require extensive playtesting and editing to reach their standards for print. CMON Games plans to ship Hel and Anastyr to Kickstarter backers if the customers who originally backed the game are still interested. This created another issue with CMON Games switching from Kickstarter to Gamefound. Original backers of Hel and Anastyr haven’t received a single update since CMON Games acquired the rights to produce these games because CMON no longer uses Kickstarter.

Tariffs on Board Games

Geekly mentioned a month ago that tariffs on Chinese goods have complicated board game production. We belong to several board game groups and know several publishers. Many board game publishers have cited up to $2000 for a crowdfunded board game making $100,000. CMON deals in crowdfunding projects in the millions of dollars, and the company has at least seven completed campaigns that it will fulfill by the end of 2025. The company could lose at least $500,000 in tariffs alone.

CMON Agreed to Sell IPs

CMON started 2025 by agreeing to sell some of its intellectual properties in a $12 Million deal, with two new shareholders investing around $1.39 Million into the business by picking up a combined 16.66% stake in the company. CMON had entered a non-binding agreement to sell the unspecified IPs last August, but terminated the arrangement last month after CMON and the unnamed buyer failed to agree to terms.

CMON also revealed last week that the new shareholders had failed to hand over the money for their stakes and said it was seeking legal advice on how to cancel the process. CMON added at the time that it was now seeking other fundraising means to increase its general working capital in order to enlarge its capital base, increase the overall liquidity of its shares, and strengthen the company’s financial position.

Final Thoughts

Regardless of which factors affected their sales the most, CMON Games finds itself in a tight spot. One of board gaming’s dominant companies (especially post-pandemic) is struggling. But CMON has taken steps to get on the right track.

In January this year, CMON hired the CEO of tabletop gaming YouTube channel Man vs Meeple as its new global director of marketing. David Waybright will work full-time on promoting upcoming crowdfunding and retail releases from CMON while continuing to run Man vs Meeple, which specializes in previewing upcoming crowdfunded games. Fingers are crossed that CMON Games recovers.

Split Fiction Video Game Sells 2 Million Copies Its First Week

Split Fiction is the follow-up to Hazelight’s critically acclaimed It Takes Two (2021). It sold 2 million copies during its first week. Split Fiction was first announced at the 2024 Game Awards by studio chief Josef Fares, but began development immediately after Hazelight released It Takes Two. Like its predecessor, Split Fiction features dual protagonists who must work together, either locally (couch co-op) or online.

Split Fiction’s protagonists are named after Fares’ real-life daughters. Written by director and Hazelight studio chief Josef Fares and Sebastian Johansson, Split Fiction blends fantasy and science fiction, following a pair of authors trapped in the worlds they wrote. Split Fiction features unique gameplay mechanics involving split-screen combat, platforming challenges, and differing abilities for each character.

Steam’s Spring Sale Takes Up to 75% Off Your Favorite Games

Spring starts early, thanks to Valve. Steam begins its annual Spring Sale, and while most of the games featured in this sale aren’t new, there are some classics you may consider purchasing if you don’t already own a copy.

You can pick up a copy of Square Enix’s Chrono Trigger in honor of the SNES RPG’s 30th anniversary. Cyberpunk 2077 is down to $42.76 (almost $40 off), which includes the expansion Phantom Liberty that significantly improves the gameplay. The 2016 Doom reboot is going for $1.99. I may have my eye on some deck-builder games. Slay the Spire is $6.24, while Inscryption is going for $7.99. Both of these games offer great mechanisms and blend in roguelike elements.

Steam’s Spring Sale ends March 20th so be sure to check out the store before then.

Wasteland Degenerates Launches on Kickstarter

Tabletop Role-Playing Game Wasteland Degenerates launched on Kickstarter this week and was funded within hours. Wasteland Degenerates takes inspiration from the MÖRK BORG and CY_Borg systems. It features easy-to-roll-up characters, and dice rolls that can take out a character in seconds. If you want to explore the wastes, finding treasure from trash, and fight gnarly mutants, Wasteland Degenerates has you covered. While Wasteland Degenerates is based on, and compatible with, the award-winning MÖRK BORG and CY_Borg systems, it does not require any other books to play. You can learn more about this project on its Kickstarter page.

Modiphius Announces New Star Trek Adventures Sourcebook

Take your Star Trek Adventures 2nd Edition RPG to the next level with the upcoming Technical Manual. Modiphius Entertainment announced that the new sourcebook will be released in June 2025.

This 129-page full-color hardcover book covers gear from across the Star Trek universe. The Technical Manual will cover details on Starfleet, Klingon, Romulan, Orion, and more technology. Add just about any piece of tech from the Star Trek universe, from universal translators to tricorders. The manual also details medical technology and the engineering elements of transporters.

The Star Trek Adventures 2nd Edition Technical Manual will retail for $46.23. You can order your copy of the base game and the Technical Manual by following this link.

Steamforged Games Announces Helldivers II: The Board Game

Steamforged Games has a history of bringing several video game properties to the tabletop game space, and they continue by announcing a board game adaptation of the hit sci-fi shooter Helldivers II. Manning squads armed with pistols, machine guns, and flamethrowers, players protect Super Earth against alien threats. You’ll complete high-risk missions, navigate battlefields, and overcome enemy swarms.

The crowdfunding campaign will launch on Gamefound on April 8, 2025.

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.

Sushi Boat Board Game Review

Tabletop Game Review: Sushi Boat

Published on by KyraLeave a comment

Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here. It might be a little early for another tabletop game review, but we’re catching up on some of the backlog. Today’s review is one with a high toy factor (a board game with plenty of toy-like features): Sushi Boat.

Sushi Boat leans into its theme; the board is a sushi conveyor belt. Each turn, players perform their choice of actions, including taking plates of sushi off the revolving belt on the board, paying staff tiles for special effects, or buying side dishes. As they eat, players stack plates in front of them. Players score points by eating off matching (color) plates and for eating a variety of sushi types (set collection). The Wasabi Challenge shakes things up by adding a memory component that can swing the victory.

Before we get any further, we’ll set the table and discuss Sushi Boat details.

The Fiddly Bits

Designer: Dario Massarenti, Francesco Testini
Publisher: Japanime Games
Date Released: 2023
Number of Players: 2-5
Age Range: 9 and up
Setup Time: 15-20 minutes
Play Time: 30-75 minutes

Game Mechanisms
Memory
Set Collection
Worker Placement

Game Setup

Place the wooden sushi boat board (with a built-in “conveyor belt”); this board is the central visual element and will draw a crowd when placed on the board.

Mix the Staff tiles and randomly place 1 on each Staff space (these are pictured in the rulebook). Place all of the Wasabi cubes in the Wasabi Bowl (Sushi Boat includes ceramic bowls; the production value is insane). Each player chooses a color and takes the matching pawn and player mat. Place all of the Yen in the change tray (again, a ceramic tray), this is the bank. Give each player 2 Yen; players place their Yen on their player mats.

Put all the colored Plates in the bag and mix them well, leaving the white plates to the side for now. Then, randomly draw Plates and add them to the conveyor belt area of the board one at a time until the board is full. Then, draw 3 more plates and add them to the Trash beside the board. After filling the game board, add the white Sushi Plates to the bag and mix them in.

Separate the 4 Wasabi cards from the Side Dish cards and set them aside for the moment. Shuffle the Side cards. Then, depending on the number of players in the game, you will discard cards at random from this deck. Then, set aside a number of Side Dish cards equal to the number of players. Add the Wasabi cards to the Side Dish cards and shuffle them well. Create a face-down draw deck near the game board, and finally, place the Side Dish cards you set aside (not the discarded ones) and add them to the top of the face-down draw deck.

Game Flow

Beginning with the starting player, you’ll take turns going to the left. On your turn, you do the following steps in order:

1) You must turn over the top card of the Side Dish deck and refill the Sushi Boat
2) You must move your pawn to an empty seat
3) You may perform one action (from a selection of 3)
4) You must eat sushi

Let’s talk about the different steps in detail.

1) “You must turn over the top card of the Side Dish deck and refill the Sushi Boat.”

We’ll set the Wasabi card aside for the time being; they’re their own beast. Every other Side Dish card will have a symbol in the top right-hand corner. This will tell you how many sushi plates you’ll need to add to the belt. At the bottom, you’ll find effect text; this will give you a special ability if you choose to purchase the card (in a later step) and then use the card.

Wasabi Challenge:
The game stops temporarily. Each player tries to guess the color of the 2 plates hidden in the tunnel at the back of the Sushi Boat. First, take all of the Plates in the Trash and return them to the bag, mixing them well.

Then, each player takes 2 Wasabi Cubes from the bowl and secretly places them on their player mat to mark the colors they think match the hidden Plates. You may place both Wasabi Cubes on the same color if you think both Plates are that color. Finally, add Plates to the board until the two hidden Plates are fully revealed (this will most likely push some Plates into the Trash).

Each player compares their guess to the 2 Plates that were revealed. For each color you guessed correctly, you keep that Wasabi Cube. Any Wasabi Cubes on incorrect guesses get returned to the Wasabi Bowl.

2) “You must move your pawn to an empty seat”

You must move your pawn every turn. You can move it to any seat on the board that isn’t already occupied. But you could pay another player 1 Yen to return their pawn to their player board, so you can claim their seat.

3) “You may perform one action” (from a selection of 3)

A) Visit the Staff: If you’re on a space with a staff member, you can pay 1 Yen to perform their special ability.
B) Buy the top Side Dish: Pay 1 Yen to buy the top card of the Side Dish deck; this will most likely be the card you revealed at the beginning of your turn. Note: Players cannot buy Wasabi Challenge cards.
C) Take 1 Yen from the bank.

4) “You must eat sushi”

Take the Plate from the conveyor belt space that is next to the seat your pawn is on. Typically, you will add these plates to the top of your stack of Sushi Plates. (Some Side Dish Cards allow you to break this rule.)

Play continues like this until the Side Dish Deck runs out. When this happens, the game ends. Players score points for the number of consecutive-colored plates in a row, minus 1. So, a stack of 4 red plates would be worth 3 points. You may have multiple stacks of colored plates. (White plates don’t count for or against a consecutive-colored plate stack.) Then, you add up the sets of sushi you claimed (the unique sushi dishes depicted on the plate; there are 7 sushi types). After that, players get bonuses for playing the most Side Dish cards and some Side Dish cards add a victory point. Finally, each Wasabi Cube is worth 1 point each.

Whoever has the most points wins.

Review

Sushi Boat is a great game with an immense toy factor. This game’s production value is over the top. It may even be too nice—if there is such a thing. Ceramic bowls? Are you kidding me? My oldest daughter just returned from Japan and had plenty of real Yen to replace the punchboard Yen included with the game. Even without that, Sushi Boat has fantastic components.

Sushi Boat balances its elements well. I didn’t think memory and worker placement would work, but it does. I’ve found that younger players (ahem, children, ahem) have an advantage during Wasabi Challenges. I tend to focus on the mechanical aspects of the game like special abilities (through the staff and Side Dish cards) and forget to keep track of which plates have slid under the tunnel. This is the one aspect I’ve found most children gravitating toward. This typically gives a child player an extra three or four points.

Speaking of the tunnel and the titular sushi boat, the sushi boat looks fantastic. Sliding Sushi Plates across the “conveyor belt” feels great. I’ve even visited a sushi boat restaurant since playing this game. They use colored plates to tally your bill. Ingenious. And that’s what Sushi Boat’s central board is, too. Ingenious.

The one negative I’ve found is the setup and rules explanation. I’m not lying when I cited the setup time in “Fiddly Bits” as “15-20 minutes.” That’s a little long for Sushi Boat’s weight and game length. I almost feel compelled to play more than one game at a time. The rules explanation for new players can also take a little extra time than what I’d like for a game of Sushi Boat’s length, too. But retaining the rules from one play to the next is easy. Barely an inconvenience. The actions that players perform in Sushi Boat are so thematic that it makes it easier to relearn the game, even if you haven’t played in months.

Verdict

Setup and initial rules explanation can be on the long side, but the effort is well worth it for a game this thematic. While an odd combination, the game’s mechanisms work well together and level the playing field for children. And the board. Look at the board!

Way Overdue Update

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Hey, hey, folks! Long time, no upload. I’m Kyra Kyle, and JK Geekly has returned.

A lot has happened since we last updated this website. Some events spanned the globe like the pandemic and the ensuing lockdown. Glad that’s over.

I had a few personal events occur. I’ve been diagnosed as autistic and ADHD. I didn’t know one could have both, but I’m an AuDHDer. Is that how I spell it? The two don’t always play well with each other. I attended the Origins Game Fair last year and was alternately over and under stimulated. Meltdowns are fun. Other times, the two play too well with each other. I paced a trail into the carpet. It’s okay; we needed new carpet.

Pacing aided me to finish writing a novel or two. I’m pitching my first novel, Crooked as a Dogwood, to agents. I’ve gotten further than I’ve ever gone before with this process, so that’s great. I’m unsure if it’ll get picked up but that hasn’t stopped me from editing the next one and writing the one after that. Just keep writing. Just keep writing. Autism loves the routine; ADHD wants some strange. So, I’ll pace in between stories.

Speaking of stories, my short stories and poems have been published in several journals since the last update. I’ll have to look back and see which ones were published in which journals over these past several years. I’m fighting the urge to backtrack these past few years. No. I’ll do it later. Ack! I’m so bad at making shameless promotions for my work. Consider this a generic, hopefully modified soon plug.

On a somber note, my mom passed away last year. I’m still processing the loss over a year later, but I’ll do something in her memory, perhaps a top five tabletop games that she liked to play on her birthday in November. Or a list of games that I play that remind me of her. There may be at least a few games that have been released around or since her passing that Mom would’ve enjoyed.

Mom also liked that I design tabletop games, and it turns out that I’m also pitching multiple games. I’m less familiar with this medium’s pitch process, but I’ll learn. One company has already expressed interest in Spill the Beans, but as of this post, I have yet to sign a contract, so I’m still pitching until a deal is reached. Here’s an initial Spill the Beans sell sheet.



And here’s the sell sheet for a second game I’m pitching to board game companies, Whistlestop Pets.



Whistlestop Pets factors into one of the books I’m working on as well. There may be some crossover possibilities.

I have several other projects (both game designs and writing) that aren’t as far along or I’m not at a stage where I’m comfortable talking about them here, but I’ll keep you updated. Hopefully.

And that brings me to the last point: What will happen to JK Geekly? In short, I don’t know. The site can go in many directions. I have one article I want to upload this November (love you, Mom), but aside from that I don’t know. I’ll probably try several things. If anyone has any suggestions, leave them in the comments.

I hope that wherever you are, you’re having a great day.

~ Kyra

Getting Started with Cooperative Board Games

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Let’s talk about cooperative board games—cause you’ve gotta have friends. These are games where the players compete against the game, not the other players seated at the table. It also happens to be one of your uncle Geekly’s family’s favorite gaming types. That could be due to a lineage of sore losers.

They’re sore losers, not me. No, really. They’re terrible. I have no idea what you’re talking about. No, you’re a stupid, doodoo face, and I don’t want to play with you anymore because you cheat. Cheater!

You don’t have to worry about cheaters as much with cooperative board games, and there are plenty of these games out there. The problem is that some of these games aren’t that good and others are too difficult to get into. Don’t worry. Your uncle Geekly will point you in the right direction of some good beginner cooperative board games.

pandemic

Pandemic

I almost didn’t put this one on the list, but I’m sure tabletop game purists would cry foul if I didn’t. You made a list of great starter cooperative games and you didn’t include Pandemic? Shame!

Calm down. It’s on the list.

Players assume the roles of people trying to stop a global pandemic. The diseases behave like you’d think diseases may behave and that makes sense, since the game’s designer Matt Leacock happens to be a medical doctor. Come to think of it, I could use a physical. There’s a growth I’ve been meaning to have examined. I should give him a call.

Anyway. The game scales extremely well, meaning that it plays just as well at two players as it does at five, and there are varying levels of difficulty. You’ll see this in other Leacock games—spoiler alert: one will show up later on this list—and the inclusion of easier difficulties allows players to start small and go for something more challenging later. The theme is also one people can get behind. I don’t know how many times I’ve seen players name the various diseases, even though these diseases are represented by little more than cubes.

The one gripe I may have about Pandemic is that there can be a tendency for an alpha gamer (a player who tells other players what to do) but give them a few kicks to the cubes and they’ll stop. Pandemic is one of the games that put cooperative games on the map, and it’s easy enough to learn for new gamers.

hanabi

Hanabi

Hanabi is the odd game on this list. It’s a simple card game for folks who don’t want a more complicated game, so it’s easily the most streamlined game here. It also encourages non-verbal communication. It’s like Freddie Mercury once said, give me your body.

Well, maybe not, but body language and positioning cards a certain way in your hand does come into play here. Hanabi uses a deck of cards numbered 1 through 5 in various colors or suits. Players must place these cards in order by suit, but the catch is that each player’s hand of cards is facing away from them, and the other players must give their teammates clues as to what’s in their hand.

Hanabi forces players to create their own language as they’re only able to give simple clues like “this is a 5” or “this card is yellow.” It’s up to the player receiving the information to figure out what was intended. While “this card is a 5” usually means don’t discard it, idiot, because there’s only one 5 of each color in the deck, “this card is yellow” could mean that the card in question plays on the communal play pile or if yellow is already finished (as in the 5 has already been played), “these cards are yellow” could mean that you need to discard those cards and get new ones.

No one can say anything besides short clues about cards in other players hands. I’ve never seen a more tense game where little is said.

forbiddendesert

Forbidden Desert

Yep, Forbidden Desert is the other Matt Leacock game. I also could’ve gone with Forbidden Island here, but it’s kind of a Pandemic light. Forbidden Island is worth the play if Pandemic or Forbidden Desert sound too complicated. Did I mention that Matt Leacock is the king of cooperative board games? Well, if he isn’t, he’s close.

Forbidden Desert adds moving location tiles and sand tiles to bring home the theme of a desert and its shifting sands. Players can lose four or five ways but can only win if they find the parts to an ancient, Jules Verne style flying contraption and escape. Anything is better when you add a steam punk.

Players also have variable powers like they do in Pandemic and these powers are based on occupation, and the flying contraption is one of the best implementations of a toy piece in a board game. I don’t know the last time I placed one of the pieces in the flying contraption. I usually have the task of dismantling. Your uncle Geekly’s a little salty about that.

Like Pandemic, Forbidden Desert is clever and finds a way to make the desert its own character. That’s always a strong point for a game. I can’t wait to see what Leacock’s third game in the trilogy Forbidden Sky will bring. It just came out at GenCon 2018.

Final Thoughts

Even if a cooperative game is more complicated than the ones on this list, it’s easy to teach new players because players join forces to beat the game. Players want their teammates to succeed so a cooperative game is a great place to begin for a new gamer, but the games on this list are very assessible. If you don’t think so, I’ll dump a bucket of cold water on Jim.

Know of any other great beginner cooperative games? Let us know in the comments.

Geekly News: October 12, 2018

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There aren’t as many big headlines this week in Geekly News, so we’ll go with some short news blurbs followed by new releases. Let’s kickoff this ball game with a New York Comic Con panel and a trailer.

Good Omens

Principal photography on the upcoming Amazon series Good Omens (based on the collaborative novel by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman) began over a year ago, but audiences didn’t catch a glimpse of any video until a panel at last week’s New York Comic Con. This series should be another solid one for Amazon who has slowly garnered a fine collection of native programming.

With American Gods and an upcoming Sandman movie, Neil Gaiman has been on a role with his creations finding their way on the silver and small screens. Is a Books of Magic or a Black Orchid movie far behind?

 

Batwoman Costume Revealed

The CW’s annual crossover event won’t occur until December 9th, but that didn’t stop the network from leaking its first glimpse of Ruby Rose as Batwoman. Like many other heroes in the Arrowverse, Batwoman will make her first appearance this year during the crossover event, but she’s scheduled to have her own series beginning next season.

The Arrowverse has dabbled with an LGBT superhero, Mr. Terrific, in the past, but Batwoman will mark the first take that an LGBT superhero will take center stage.

Batwoman_Costume

Video Games

Friday, October 12, 2018

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 (PS4, Xbox One, PC)

The latest Call of Duty has picked up a few tricks from the popular Fortnite. Previous installments of Call of Duty had player respawn (or have players’ characters revive) shortly after dying. This led to gun combat being fast paced and devalued long-distance shooting or snippers. We’ll have to see how this latest Call of Duty fares.

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Tuesday, October 16, 2018

Starlink: Battle for Atlas (Switch, PS4, Xbox One)

This is another wait and see title. Starlink takes the failing “toys-to-life” video game genre (games like Skylanders that have players buy real-life toys and use them in video games) and makes it new and exciting by adding an open-world—or open-universe—element. The toy spaceships and pilots look interesting, but I prefer the Switch copy for this game, as characters from Nintendo’s Star Fox series will make an appearance. Heck, with Star Fox as part of the cast, I’d do a barrel roll.

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Movies

First Man

This film has received critical acclaim for Ryan Gosling’s performance of the first man on the moon Neil Armstrong and Clair Foy’s as his wife Janet Shearon. It’s also been at the center of an American flag controversy. First Man looks to be a lightning rod of buzz.

That was bad. First Man does intrigue me, and I’ll probably watch it at some point.

Bad Times at the El Royale

The premise may sound familiar (seven strangers who each hide dark secrets manage to stay at the same shady hotel), but the cast make this neo-noir mystery thriller sound like it’ll be fun if nothing else. Bad Times at the El Royale is another one I wouldn’t mind seeing.

Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween

I never watched the first Goosebumps movie, but I heard it was a modest success. Jack Black makes another appearance as R. L. Stine. That’s something, I guess.

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TV

Friday, October 12, 2018

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (CW)

The fourth and final season of this stellar comedy musical begins tonight. Don’t try to text, message, or call me. I’ll be washing my hair—which is code for watching Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.

The Haunting of Hill House (Netflix)

Shirley Jackson knew how to write horror of all kinds. The short story that first garnered her attention and put her on the map was “The Lottery” and it’s a great psychological horror story. “The Haunting of Hill House” is a supernatural horror classic that Stephen King cited as the best horror story written in the 20th century. I’ll go with that and I’ll definitely see if this Netflix offering measures up.

The Romanoffs (Amazon)

I’ve talked about The Romanoffs last week in our 3 Lists of 3. The stellar cast and odd premise (several people believe they’re part of the Russian royal family) has piques my interest.

Titans (DCU)

Titans, as in the adult versions of Teen Titans, was supposed to air on various cable networks before landing on the DCU’s new streaming service. Every company wanting their own streaming service burns my corn, but if DCU streaming can make enough quality programming, I may consider it. I’m most likely to download the app for a free trial and binge everything in a weekend.

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Sunday, October 14, 2018

Charmed (CW)

Truth time: I watched the original. I even watched the original Charmed not that long ago and got embarrassed for ever having watched it. Charmed was a CW (then WB) mainstay and a lot of the tropes and clichés one can find in CW shows today pretty much originated with Charmed. I may watch an episode or two and catch a glimpse of this trio of witchy sisters.

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Monday, October 15, 2018

Arrow (CW)

Yep, the Arrowverse is still at it. I lost interest in these shows for some time, but like Charmed, I may tune in once or twice for old times’ sake.

Constantine: The Legend Continues (CW Seed)

It feels like yesterday when I lamented NBC cancelling the live-action TV show Constantine. Did it have its issues? Sure, but the series picked up steam and got canned before reaching full strength. Fans of the series were ticked, and the CW has brought back Matt Ryan (who played John Constantine) for this upcoming animated series. I think the CW Seed app offers free streaming for certain episodes. I’ll have to check on Monday or Tuesday. Or I could always wait for another free trial period.

Board Games

Solenia

Solenia

Belgian publisher Pearl Games originally intended to release this game as Sun-Moon but settled on the name Solenia. The game consists of 16 rounds where players play cards with holes in the middle of them onto a modular board. The holes reveal a resource that players are trying to pick up or deliver and players gain points for delivering goods.

All of this is fairly standard for gamers, specifically Euro-style gamers, but the most interesting aspect of Solenia—besides the see-through cards—is its modular board. The tiles are double-sided with day and night scenes. These tiles cycle between day and night throughout the game, so players must plan their moves based on when they can perform actions. I’ll try to demo this game before long.

That’s all we have for this week. Be kind to each other and stay geeky.