Happy Sunday, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here with another week of Geek News. We’re still taking a break from headlines. I’m in the middle of the Novel in November Event. More than half way there. Woot! we do still have plenty of new releases in board games and video games for this week. Let’s talk about new games.
Cubyria: Architects of a Lost City Launches on KickStarter
Cubyria is a 3D tile-laying game. Players take turns drawing cards which correspond to physical Building Components, and add them to the structure to maximize their point total and stave off the Vizier’s displeasure. The game board is on a rondel/lazy susan so players are able to look at the structure from every angle.
Players are competing architects who are vying for the Vizier’s approval by adding rooms, stairs and roofs to a castle structure on the game board. Each Building component card has a number of points to be awarded which aligns with the preference for where the Vizier would like the room to be. After all, who would want the dungeon on the top floor of their castle? Or the grand suite underneath all the other rooms without a view?
The game ends once all cards have been drawn and each player has played all cards they are able to. Whoever contributed the most to the Vizier’s tastes wins!
Wow! Cubyria: Architects of a Lost City looks amazing. Just look at that 3D board. And players build this city as you go along. What? Cubyria’s game mechanisms sound standard fare for a game of this ilk. That’s probably for the best. Being able to rotate the playing space on a rondel forces players to consider each of their moves in three dimensional space. I have no idea how Cubyria scores. It looks as if all players build on the same city, and this is a competitive game. This game has me intrigued. How could it not? Just look at it. Cubyria offers pledge levels ranging from $89 to $318. Honestly, Given the look of the game, I thought the pledge levels would skew higher. If you’re interested in Cubyria, check out its KickStarter page.
Don’t Croak Launches on KickStarter
In Don’t Croak, players guide frogs across a pond, collecting Dragonfly Tokens while avoiding a roaming crocodile. A frog must reach the Finish Dock with exactly five Dragonflies to win, and more than one player can succeed.
Players roll separate movement dice for the frogs and crocodile, choose routes across lily pads, and use Frog Cards to influence movement and interfere with rivals. Whirlpools provide alternative routes, while the crocodile creates a moving threat across the board.
Thank you, Burning Fish Games, for the description. Don’t Croak looks like it remixes the classic roll/spin and move mechanism. Plenty of games have modernized this game mechanism, and I’m all for it. The rest of Don’t Croak’s mechanism sound simplistic enough. The artwork is fun. Don’t Croak has multiple pledge levels, ranging from $45 to $214. If you’re interested in Don’t Croak, check out its KickStarter page.
Red Alert: New World Order Launches on GameFound
Red Alert: New World Order is a strategic, alternate-WW2 history board game that captures the explosive, over-the-top warfare of classic real-time strategy games. Players command powerful factions, build sprawling bases, manage resources, and unleash powerful units and structures — from tank divisions to Tesla-powered weapons — in a race for rare earth minerals with shifting alliances.
Red Alert: New World Order blends territory control, base construction, and tech-tree advancement into a deeply tactical tabletop experience. You’ll harvest resources, deploy, tanks, and air units, and upgrade your arsenal with experimental super-weapons. Whether you choose to align with the Allied Nations or the Soviet Bloc, your path to victory lies in striking the balance between defense, expansion, and overwhelming force.
Combat is fast-paced and cinematic, with streamlined mechanics that replicate the feel of real-time strategy while offering deep strategic choices. Every battle is dynamic—your opponents may deploy devastating bombardment form the Aurora Bomber, launch an Iron Shield defensive grid structure, or electrify an entire battlefield with advanced Tesla tech. Commanders must adapt quickly, or face annihilation.
With European classic battlefield maps, cities, snow terrain, naval assault maps and more, the gigantic maps, asymmetric factions, faction-specific abilities, and scenario-driven campaigns, Red Alert: Mew World Order delivers a nostalgic-yet-modern board game experience. It’s a tribute to the golden era of RTS games — now reborn on the tabletop with explosive detail and alternate-history flair.
Thank you, Wolf Storm Entertainment, for the description. I’ve never been a fan of “dudes on a map” games, but I’m not gonna lie, Red Alert: New World Order has my interest. This game is over-the-top. Does the base game need hundreds of miniatures. No. But also, yes. We’re rewriting history here. Notice that I said, “base game.” From what I’ve heard, Red Alert: New World Order will have plenty of expansions, at least one for Paris. It is launching on GameFound and it’s a preview, so we have fewer details, but expect at least one major expansion. If you’re interested in Red Alert: New World Order, check out its GameFound page.
The Thing: Board Game Launches on GameFound
The Thing is a game that mixes different mechanisms to create an experience that is as faithful as possible to that of the original film. It is a “hidden role” game, in which one player is initially the Thing and the others players are humans. The purpose of the Thing is to infect others, to prevent the survivors from escaping from the base (which can happen three different ways), or to try to escape with them by behaving as a human.
In addition to these elements, players also have to manage Outpost 31. On the map are the same rooms as seen in the film, and each of these rooms allows players to perform a different action. Human players have to feed themselves and keep the boiler and the generator on to avoid being in the cold and dark. The Thing will try to sabotage these places to make life difficult for humans…or not, trying to camouflage itself among the humans and infect them when the perfect opportunity presents itself.
The goal of the game designers was to bring the same personal emotions and paranoia that the protagonists of the film experienced to the gaming table.
Thank you, Pendragon Game Studios, for the description. I’ve never played The Thing: Board Game. It’s on my board game bucket list. I’ve heard great things about this game. One player infecting others. Survivors fighting the clock, while scrounging up food. The Thing: Board Game gives me a Dead of Winter Advanced vibe. The fact that the player playing as the Thing can win by escaping with the others and pretending to be human is a great touch. This element reminds me of Among Us. Plenty of board gamers I’ve run into have sworn by The Thing: Board Game. If you’re interested in The Thing: Board Game, check out its GameFound page.
Sea of Shadows Feed the Kraken Expansion Launches on GameFound
Feed the Kraken: Sea of Shadows is a modular expansion for Feed the Kraken that adds new twists, hazards, and uncertainty to the hidden-role voyage.
Rather than replacing the core game, the expansion lets groups customise each session with optional modules, increasing replayability and unpredictability. Players still compete as Sailors, Pirates, and Cultists to control the ship’s course, but the added content introduces fresh opportunities for suspicion, manipulation, and sudden reversals.
Designed especially for experienced crews, Sea of Shadows makes each game feel more dangerous, chaotic, and strategically varied while preserving the social deduction and mutiny-driven heart of the original.
Thank you, Funtails, for the description. Sea of Shadows Feed the Kraken is the second game on this list that leans in hard with asymmetric powers and a traitor mechanism. It’s the second game in a row that I’ve heard great things about but have yet to play. Random observation: I like the idea of the draw discard trays clipping together to form a storage box. Clever. More games should do things like this. Anyway, Sea of Shadows Feed the Kraken offers plenty of strategy within an hour playtime. I love games with shorter playtimes. That’s a plus in this game’s favor. I also love the production value. I don’t have nearly enough pirate-themed games. Yarr! If you’re interested in Sea of Shadows Feed the Kraken, check out its GameFound page.
Marco Polo Deluxe Master Set Launches on GameFound
In The Voyages of Marco Polo, players recreate the expedition that Marco Polo undertook with his father and brother in 1271.During five intense rounds, each player commands a unique character, roll the dice and take actions such as: trading, fulfilling contracts, and travelling across a vast map stretching from Venice to the distant East.
The adventure continues in Marco Polo II: In the Service of the Khan, an epic successor that expands both the scope and the story. Having reached the legendary court of Kublai Khan, players are now entrusted with new missions that send them back toward the West, to the farthest frontiers of the empire.
But the journey is far from over. The campaign will also feature the acclaimed expansion Agents of Venice, opening the gates to the legendary city itself. Venice offers additional spaces where players can get powerful bonuses and exclusive city actions. With its own unique movement system, the city introduces fresh strategic choices and a new way to navigate your influence across the board. New contracts, goal cards, and a set of city actions expand the opportunities to experience the game deeper by bringing greater variety, replayability, and new paths to victory.Contents of the Marco Polo: Deluxe Master Set
- The Voyages of Marco Polo
- Marco Polo II: In the Service of the Khan
- Agents of Venice expansion
- All published promos
- Brand new content
- Solo mode
- 5th Player in both games
Thank you, Board & Dice, for the description. Marco Polo is another modern classic board game that’s receiving a facelift on GameFound. Board & Dice are known for depth strategy games. Few other publishers can capture what makes Marco Polo a Euro game classic. It also looks like they’re including every ounce of content ever produced for Marco Polo. Marco Polo Deluxe Master Set will include all published promos. What? That’s coconuts. Not only that, it adds a solo mode, a fifth player, and new content. That’s ridiculous. I’m keeping an eye on this campaign. If you’re interested in Marco Polo Deluxe Master Set, check out its GameFound page.
Croquetalipsis Launches on GameFound
Unfortunately, the end of the world has arrived. We couldn’t do anything to stop it, but we’re grandmothers—and that was never our goal anyway. Our true mission? Making sure our grandchildren leave this world with full bellies, and what better way to do that than with our famous croquettes!
Put on your apron and race to the supermarket for ingredients. Just remember: resources are scarce. If another grandmother snatches that fish, she’s taking it right out of your grandchildren’s mouths! Forget your manners and grab whatever it takes.
In Croquetalipsis, the grandmother who makes croquettes with the most ingredients wins. Game turns are quick and simple: draw until you have a hand of 5 cards. Each card features ingredients on one side and actions on the other. Use them strategically—either as ingredients to fry up croquettes, or as action cards to steal, trade, and disrupt the other grandmothers’ plans! And then draw again until you have 5 cards.
Thank you, Croqueta Games, for the description. I love Croquetalipsis’s use of dark humor. It’s the end of the world, so eat up. LOL I also love the idea of playing as grandmothers wanting to make those final meals. I even like Croquetalipsis’s use artwork; it reminds me of Courage: The Cowardly Dog. It fits the theme. If you have a twisted sense of humor like me, you may need to put Croquetalipsis on your radar. If you’re interested in Croquetalipsis, check out its GameFound page.
Wielders of the Essence Releases
Single-player horde survival with a touch of incremental base building. Cast spells, command troops, and take your town from puddle to paradise. Eight-minute runs. Eight hours to complete.
Wielders of Essence looks adds some element of Starcraft (base building) with the heart-thumping action of a bullet heaven game. There will be blood. Gallons of blood. Wielders of the Essence plays super fast. Eight-minute runs and eight hours to complete. But the game’s roguelike elements give it plenty of replay value. You may have dominated one run, but that doesn’t mean a thing for the next one. Wielders of the Essence has receive solid early reviews. It’s available on PC.
World of Warcraft Forever Releases
World of Warcraft Forever builds on the success of 2019’s World of Warcraft: Classic. This new version of the world famous MMORPG uses the original game’s setting and adds plenty of new features, like the Skyborne Elves as a playable race. Personally, I never got into World of Warcraft. By the time I had the inclination, the game had already had multiple expansions. I could’ve used a factory reset for the game. World of Warcraft Forever does serve as a factory reset for World of Warcraft. Now, if I can only find time to dedicate to a new MMORPG. Hmm. Most weeks, World of Warcraft Forever would be the biggest new video game release, but we have one other massive release this week.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake Releases
Yes! The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake may be the next game that’s making me want to own a Nintendo Switch 2. This isn’t a remaster; it’s a remake. Who wouldn’t want to play this classic fantasy game taking full advantage of the current generation’s graphics and processing power? The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is many Zelda fans’ favorite game of the series. Early reviews has this game as a game of the year candidate. Grand Theft Auto VI may have something to say about that before the year concludes, but still, you don’t need much of a hype train to sell fans on The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. It’s a classic for a reason.
That’s all the geek news we have for this week. Which game has you the most excited? Let us know in the comments. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.
