The Champions of Silver Parks

It’s time to take a look at some upcoming games that have caught my eye recently. Some of these may have had a limited release at Gen-Con, others may arrive in the future. Pinning down a release date in the board game world is like trying to bottle the tears of Unicorn, no one is for certain if you did it! I think I’m done with the intro now. On to the games!

Marvel Champions: The Card Game

Fantasy Flight Games announced Marvel Champions: The Card Game at their “In-Flight” Report at Gen-Con and I’m pretty excited about this one. It has a Marvel theme, it’s cooperative, and it’s a living card game (LCG) with a consistent release schedule.

From what I gather, it shares similarities with the LCG’s Arkham Horror: The Card Game and The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game. I haven’t played either, but the theme on this one is enough for me to dive in. I can already hear my wallet screaming at me from my back pocket. Or is because I’m always sitting on him?

One of the most intriguing aspects of the game is the ability to switch between your Superhero and Alter Ego throughout the game. I think this might be the first game to use licensed superheroes that nails the theme. I love a game of Legendary: Marvel, but it annoys me that I can’t play as a single hero, the heroes aren’t that thematic in play, and the scenarios can get stagnant.

I’m hoping that this system will allow Fantasy Flight to explore each character fully and give the designers the freedom to explore gameplay as the game grows.

Parks

Keymaster Games is off to a solid start in my eyes because I love the art direction for all of their games. The art in Space Park, Caper, and Campy Creatures is so delicious I want to eat it. I love their art so much it probably affects my opinion of the games. These games could be terrible (They’re not), and I’d still have drool dripping down my chin.

Keymaster Games is off to a solid start in my eyes because I love the art direction for all of their games. The art in Space Park, Caper, and Campy Creatures is so delicious I want to eat it. I love their art so much it probably affects my opinion of the games. These games could be terrible (They’re not), and I’d still have drool dripping down my chin.

Parks features illustrations from the Fifty-Nine Parks series and is a game about hikers visiting National Parks. I’m not super familiar with the gameplay yet, but it appears to be a family weight game that doesn’t outstay it’s welcome. It looks beautiful, and I can’t wait to give it a try.

Parks features illustrations from the Fifty-Nine Parks series and is a game about hikers visiting National Parks. I’m not super familiar with the gameplay yet, but it appears to be a family weight game that doesn’t outstay it’s welcome. It looks beautiful, and I can’t wait to give it a try.

Silver

Bezier Games is releasing the card game Silver. It merges the werewolf series they’re famous for with the 2nd edition of Cabo, which itself is a reworking of the classic card game Golf. Thanks to Ancestry.com, I was able to determine Silver’s family history.

This game is a little bit of a cheat because I’ve been sampling the free iOS app before the official release, but I can’t wait to play this in the physical world.

The game plays over four rounds. Each round you try to reduce the amount of high-numbered werewolf/beast cards from your hand in an attempt to score the fewest points. The catch is, your cards are face down on the table, so you’ll have to determine the cards you have in front of you as the game progresses.

I usually hate hidden role/information card games like Mascarade or Coup, but this game works for me. Each card has a “power” to help you identify your cards and manipulate your hand. Plus, the game rewards repeated plays as you pick up the subtleties it’s laying down.

That does it for this time. Do you folks have any games you’re looking forward to?