Mid-year Radar
Half of this horrible year is thankfully gone, with still another 5 months of uncertainty ahead of us. I had compiled a similar 'Radar' post at the beginning of 2020, focusing only on Kickstarter projects. Most of them have not launched yet, and the ones that have, I ended up skipping. Now I made a new list with a few games I am interested in checking when they come out. Impossible to say if I will actually purchase them, as I change my mind faster than you can say 'unreliable'. I will, however, take a long hard look at them as soon as they are released.
1) Hallertau
I put this sophisticated euro first, to somewhat mask the minis fest that is about to follow. Never having played an Uwe Rosenberg game before, I wonder if this one might be my first. According to reviews of the prototype, it is a worker placement game about growing crops, breeding sheep and selling your products. Even though Klemens Franz is working on this, he is only responsible for graphic design, while the main artwork will be done by the Reykholt artist Lucas Siegmon. Hurray!
Even though Nemesis is a good sci-fi game, it doesn't provide a satisfying shoot 'em up experience. Will any of these IP-based games be more fun? I honestly can't tell from their descriptions. Both have dice rolling, cards, and minis. Glorious is more minis-heavy. Hopefully they will both come out at the same time so we can compare before committing.
This is by the creators of This War of Mine. You are cooperatively leading colonies of survivors in a post-apocalyptic icy world. You may choose to be an enlightened inspiring figure or a tyrant who enforces child labour. Guess which role I'm going to take, muahahaha. I wonder how cooperation works if you wish to play both characters. According to the description, citizens have demands and react to the decisions you make. Yup, tyranny is the way to go.
4) Massive Darkness 2 vs. Darkest Dungeon
I'm not sure I want either of these. I felt like playing a dungeon crawler the other day, that's why I'm adding them here. Nothing is known about Darkest Dungeon, besides the publisher: Mythic Games. I haven't played the video game, so I don't have any attachment to the product, and the company has raised eyebrows with their releases so far, so I don't know... CMON, on the other hand, is known to charge shipping to Greece as if it's located in Antarctica. The design diaries say that this version of Massive Darkness will have highly asymmetric gameplay, with each hero playing entirely different than the others (one will be bag building, the other using spell cards etc.). I foresee balance complaints. But I'm eager to check it out.
Another big maybe. Exploration of an unknown land, discovery of artifacts, fighting the guardians. The good old Indiana Jones recipe. Gameplay is a combination of worker placement and deck building. It sounds like something I would enjoy but it's too soon to tell. The designer pair is new to the scene, so let's see what they have to offer.
This one will have to wait until I play Season 1 and possibly 2. I also prefer to hear other people's impressions first. I am interested in the Cold War theme, even though the game appears to be one-sided. I don't have an issue with that, and if I want to play an equal sides game, there is always Twilight Struggle.
Honourable mentions: I will study these two games when they launch, but I suspect I will pass. It's also possible that I skip all of the above and only back these two.
I am glad to hear that the new Hoplo is solo-only, and has new artwork. I was never crazy about the arena theme, so maybe this one will appeal to me more? (It seems to be taking place elsewhere). I really like the volcanic eruption on the cover. However, considering that chips are very expensive, if the campaign has no playthrough video, I will skip this.
I like the unique world of Dark Venture, so I will certainly look into Battle of the Ancients. The problem is that the designer made this with multiplayer competitive gameplay in mind. He will make it playable in solo and co-op, but will it be as good? I don't know if it will be ready in time for a 2020 launch either.
Anyway, let's first see if Covid will allow all these releases. Hopefully it will allow us to keep playing games... And where is that miraculous vaccine??