News – Page 12 – Stately Play

Nomad Games keeps up with the surprises, now they’re releasing Love Letter next month

September 10, 2018 David Neumann 5

iOS, Android, PC/Mac • We’ve been fans of Nomad Games since the early days when their only title was a solitaire take on Talisman. Since then they’ve been the developer of Talisman: Digital Edition mainly with a few other games tossed in here and there. There was a Fighting Fantasy gamebook and, more recently, a digital version of AEG’s Smash Up. Over the past few months, however, they’re really spreading their wings and hitting the digital board game scene hard. In June they announced that digital versions of Mystic Vale, Cat Lady, and Space Base were in the works and today they dropped an even bigger, juicier morsel: AEG‘s (and now Z-Man’s) mega-hit, Love Letter, is coming to digital in October.

They’re making it harder and harder to not buy a Switch. Civ VI coming to the Nintendo console in November

September 7, 2018 David Neumann 8

iPad, PC/Mac/Linux, Switch • I’m not a Nintendo guy. Never have been. Even when the NES was ruling the roost back in the 80’s, we had a Sega Master System which was followed by a Genesis and, yes, even a Sega CD. Thus, when the Switch was announced I was fairly meh on the system with my interest only really piqued by its mobility. Then I watched as games I cared about–not just Marios and Zeldas–started showing up on the console. Gems like Darkest Dungeon, Hand of Fate 2, Skyrim, and, most recently, Into the Breach were hitting the Nintendo e-shop with regularity. This convinced me to pick up a Switch a while ago, but if you’re still on the fence, maybe this will push you off: Civilization VI is headed to Switch on November 16.

Digital Scythe releases for PC/Mac today

September 5, 2018 David Neumann 3

PC/Mac • Asmodee Digital told us at Gen Con that Scythe for our laptops would be coming out in Q3 and, well, they weren’t lying. Scythe has shed its Early Access shackles and moved onto full release today for both PC and Mac nearly 3 weeks before the third quarter of 2018 comes to an end. What are you waiting for? Details? Oh, okay, check after the jump.

Afghanistan ’11 set to expand with Royal Marine DLC

August 30, 2018 David Neumann 11

iPad, PC • It’s been a while since we’ve talked about Every Single Soldier‘s followup to Vietnam ’65, Afghanistan ’11. I’d like to say it’s because there’s just been so much other content that we haven’t gotten around to it, or there hasn’t been much to talk about regarding the title but neither of those are the real truth. The real reason why I’ve been hesitant to talk about Afghanistan ’11 lies with our resident tank-builder, Alex Connolly. Back in 2017 when he wrote about the game his title contained the best pun every unleashed on any website and I’ve been afraid to follow up and taint his brilliance. Unfortunately (or fortunately if you want more Afghanistan ’11 news), this week ESS announced new DLC coming to Afghanistan ’11, Royal Marines, and it’s coming next week.

Warhammer Quest 2 adds new warriors and goes on the cheap

August 30, 2018 David Neumann 0

iOS Universal, Android • Warhammer Quest 2 arrived as a bit of a problem child, but attention paid to it by its creator, Perchang, since then has turned it into a respectable member of App Store society. That’s a really clunky and sad metaphor, so let me rephrase. Warhammer Quest 2 wasn’t as beloved as the first entry when it arrived, but Perchang has turned it into the belle of the ball via updates and expansion content since then. Still clunky, but I think you get point. Today they added more content to the game in the form of two new warriors which you can buy via IAP. To help offset the price, however, they’ve also discounted the base game so, if you haven’t yet pulled the trigger on WHQ2, now’s a pretty good time.

Into the Breach finally heads to the small screen. No, not iOS or Android…Switch.

August 28, 2018 David Neumann 18

PC/Mac, Switch • Since the moment we first saw Into the Breach, Subset Games‘ follow-up to the still incredible FTL, we’ve been waiting to play it on our phones or, at least, tablets. For a long while it existed only on PC but a Mac version finally appeared last month and, today, it made the leap to mobile…on Nintendo Switch.

Speak, friend, and enter. The digital Lord of the Rings LCG has opened its doors

August 28, 2018 David Neumann 9

PC/Mac • It was over 3 years ago, when Asmodee Digital was just revving up, when we overheard Fantasy Flight was working on a digital version of their popular Lord of the Rings Living Card Game (LCG). We also quickly learned we weren’t supposed to overhear such things and let it drop with the hope that an official confirmation would be coming soon. It took them a couple years, but confirmation came in 2017 with the announcement of a new in-house developing arm of FFG, Fantasy Flight Interactive. Today, their first foray into the world of board game (card game?) ports has gone live. You can now pick up an Early Access version of Lord of the Rings LCG for PC/Mac.

Digidiced nearly done with Stockpile, starts talking next project Indian Summer

August 23, 2018 David Neumann 2

iOS, Android, PC/Mac/Linux • It seems like only a few weeks ago that we learned the frantic stock market manipulation game, Stockpile, was coming to digital via Digidiced. Today they dropped a lot more info about that title, which should be here in a month or so, and their next title as well. Shockingly, it’s another Uwe Rosenberg game, Indian Summer.

Another quick roll-and-write has landed on the App Store: Noch Mal!

August 22, 2018 David Neumann 1

iOS Universal, Android • Remember Yahtzee, that dice rolling game you were forced to play with your grandparents because if you didn’t the only other option was helping them weed the garden? Anyone? Okay, maybe it was just me, but I grew up with Yahtzee as a gaming staple, spending long days at my grandparents’ house while they babysat my brother and I all summer. While it’s somewhat poopooed these days, I don’t really hate Yahtzee. Sure, strategy is almost nil, but there’s something about chucking dice and filling out that score sheet that hits me in the feels. Today, game designers are turning that simple roll-and-write mechanism on its head with games like the recently released Ganz Schon Clever. A similar roll-and-move game with complex rules just landed on the App Store and it too has a German title: Noch Mal!

Blizzard reveals plan to get me playing Diablo III again. Put in on Switch

August 20, 2018 David Neumann 9

Switch • While the original Diablo and its much-lauded sequel are two of my favorite digital experiences, I have more of a love/hate relationship with the third installment. I bought it eagerly when it arrived, even taking a day off work to really sink my teeth into it. Within a week or so I was done. While the graphics were great and the mouse-destroying clicking was at the correct level, the ridiculous story, killing of the only character you give a shit about, and lack of any high-level content made it a bust. A couple years later the (only) expansion was released and I reluctantly crawled back in. Again I stopped after going through the new areas and leveling up a new Crusader. Eventually, however, Blizzard stumbled on the Season model where you could start a new character every few months, race to level up, with new and awesome loot to discover on the way. This hooked me pretty good and had me playing for a month or so at a time, then wait until the next season and start again. I had been doing this for quite a while until last winter when I’d had enough. Blizzard must have sensed my apathy and in a successful bid to get me playing again are going to offer Diablo 3 on Switch starting this fall.