Kickstart Your Week! Nemo’s Dreadmire
Nemo’s War
I’m not what is called a civilized man, Professor. I have done with society for reasons that seem good to me. Therefore, I do not obey its laws.
– Captain Nemo (20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, 1954 film)
Nemo’s War puts you in the shoes of the titular character and his infamous submarine, the nautilus, for a journey through the ocean depths. Perhaps your aim will be to explore, or to discover new creatures. Perhaps your fury against the society you’ve left behind will send you on a collision course against the imperialist desires of the world’s great nations, even to outright war?
Each of these scenarios are, in fact, scenarios in this solo player game, or rather motivations as Nemo’s War does everything it can to help you embody the captain. The events you face, like the giant octopus, and the lost city of Atlantis, are covered in flavour text, and the responsibility of keeping crew and ship in fighting condition will weigh heavily on your mind. Just as it should for a true captain. There is even a special Epilogue book to wrap up your story at the end of the game!
This new edition of Nemo’s War has arisen from the depths of 2009, coated in beautiful artwork and refined gameplay over that original, which was already one of the most highly regarded solo games of all time. This new edition will also ship with rules for 2-4 player co-operative play, turning the classic board game development approach of adding a solo mode later nicely on its head! Nemo certainly does not obey board gaming’s “laws”.
Nemo’s War comes to an end on January 28th.
XenoShyft: Dreadmire
“How are the nightmares?”
“They’re… well they’re still there but the meds help. And the doc said this new posting should help calm my nerves.”
“Another NorTec mining facility? For God’s sake, you barely survived the last one!”
“I know. I know. Apparently the terrain is a bit boggy and the weather’s a little unpredictable but other than that the NorTec administrators say this is a perfectly pleasant place to work. “
“Hmmm…”
“I mean, it can’t be any worse than the last place, can it…?”
Well… that wouldn’t make much of a game now would it? Xenoshyft: Dreadmire transports the action of cooperative deck builder Xenoshyft: Onslaught to a new, soggier, world in which a whole new breed of gribbley nasties want desperately to stop NorTec from completing their strip mining operations, and honestly, who can blame them? But rather than pursuing a peaceful solution the locals have once again decided to make the most of the delectable buffet of soldiers that NorTec provides for base defence.
This standalone expansion adds weather effects, which, unfortunately but inevitably, make the horrors charging out of the swamp at you even more powerful! To counter, new weapons and items can also make the most of the right weather conditions. They’ve also revamped the difficulty curve of the game, allowing for a smoother progression, although certainly not an easier one! Recommended for fans of the original and new players looking for a challenging, cooperative, deck builder.
Xenoshyft change will occur January 31st.
Other Great Games
Gossip – A social deduction game in which some players are maliciously spreading as much gossip as possible while the other players attempt to root out the gossip spreaders. The central mechanic focuses on a hand of gossip cards that can be used to boost or damage company morale, to vote on whether players accused of being spies should be fired, or for the ability printed upon them. There are various roles to gain information on the other player’s hands, as well as locations to make best use of during play. Ends Jan 23rd.
The Exiled: Siege – A 2-player game of defending, or destroying, a new settlement in unfriendly lands. The defender must develop both the town and it’s fortifications with a nice tile system in which elements are replaced with their more advanced counterparts as the game goes on, so long as the attacking player doesn’t overwhelm the defences first! Ends Jan 27th.
Dead Man’s Draw: Captain Carcass – A new edition of Dead Man’s Draw, re-themed to be focussed on diving, rather than pirates, and also in a tin! Which is bizarrely what most of the page seems to be about. Anyway, Dead Man’s Draw is a push your luck, set collection, card game in which each card triggers a special power when selected. Ends Jan 25th.
Liguria – A new edition of the game that finally answers the question on everyone’s lips: where did all the paint in Fresco come from? In this pseudo-prequel, you will be paint merchants collecting and selling paint to the many cathedral painting projects of the Liguria sea. The stand out feature is a very interesting, if impractical to explain in this much space, mechanism of action selection. Well worth a look. Ends Jan 25th.
Nova Aetas – A cooperative tactical miniatures game, featuring a novel renaissance setting and a branching campaign with multiple endings to explore. The game features an activation system that depends on the length of time to perform actions, character levelling with branching classes, 3 dimensional buildings and a “sophisticated” AI, that they don’t bother to explain… worth a look, but consider carefully. Ends Jan 30th.
Image credit belongs to Board Game Geek users Ianotoole, Michael Shinall, matio2007, chilibean and Ludas Magnus Studio, as well as the relevant Kickstarter projects.
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