Hello everyone, Darryl here with this week’s gaming news! Announcements for the Origins Game Fair including Origins Award nominees and a controversy over Guests of Honor, the first Spiel des Jahres nominees announced, big Warhammer news, and more!
Origins Game Fair announced their Guests of Honor this week, including game designers Ken St. Andre, Eric Lang, and Mike Elliott and artist Tony Steele. Initially announced was also author Larry Correia. However, the immediate public outcry over Correia (along with author Brad Torgersen) originating the “Sad Puppies” movement after he was nominated for a Hugo Award and didn’t win caused Origins to disinvite Correia, citing their anti-harassment policy and stance on inclusion and diversity. The revocation of the invitation was initially announced on the Facebook post where the guests were announced, but the post has since been taken down following a flood of harassing comments. The Origins Game Fair, organized by the Game Manufacturer’s Association, will take place in Columbus, OH, from Wednesday, June 13 to Sunday, June 17.
Speaking of Origins, the Origins Awards nominees were also announced this weekend. The full list is available in the link, but it’s a very good year for Adventures in Middle Earth with three nominations as well as Blue Rose, Castles and Crusaders, Call of Cthulhu, and Cypher System which each got two. The Origins Awards are given out in two categories, Roleplaying Game and Roleplaying Supplement, along with a third fan-favorite award voted on by attendees of the Origins Game Fair.
Speaking of award nominations, the Spiel des Jahres announced the nominees for Kennerspiel des Jahres (hobbyist/enthusiast game of the year) and Kinderspiel des Jahres (children’s game of the year. The link above is to the German site but for simplicity, I don’t speak German so forgive me if any of the names or game companies are incorrect (and please leave a comment so I can fix it). For Kennerspiel des Jahres, the nominees are Heaven & Ale (distributed by Eggertspiele), Ganz Schön Clever (distributed by Schmidt Spiele), and Die Quacksalber von Quedlinburg (distributed by Schmidt Spiele). Neither of the latter two games has distribution in North America at this time, but even a nomination for an award as prestigious as the Spiel des Jahres is an honor and I’d expect a quick distribution deal for global release soon. The Kinderspiele des Jahres nominees are Emojito (distributed by Desyllas Games), Funkelschatz (aka Dragon’s Breath, from distributor HABA), and Panic Mansion (aka Shaky Manor, from distributor Blue Orange Games).
EN World’s own Morrus went on Twitter after getting his hands on Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes in order to answer ten questions from Twitter followers about the book. And then, later on, went ahead and answered ten more. Again, the full information is in the links, but he gives tidbits on what subraces to expect, which of the Lords of Nine are given stats, new feat options, which campaign settings are specifically referenced, and some details on the monsters. One question asked was “Is the Giff a playable race?” It is not, simply a monster stat block. Which now has a Change.org petition to Jeremy Crawford to make the Giff a playable race.
I said it months ago and no one believed me. Anytime I said it, 40K fans would pat me on the head and say “Sure, whatever you say” because I don’t really play 40K myself. But guess who was right! At this year’s Warhammer Fest, Games Workshop not only confirmed that plastic Sisters of Battle miniatures are on their way for Warhammer 40,000, but provided a preview of the sculpts. The long-time request for the Adepta Sororitas as plastic miniatures has reached an almost memetic status in the Warhammer community as something everyone’s wanted but never materialized to the point that even the announcement in March was met with “We’ll believe it when we see it” reactions. Well now it can be seen, with the Battle Sister pictured above the first to be released as a preview ahead of the main wave.
The other big Warhammer news is a release for the second edition of Warhammer: Age of Sigmar. In addition to new rules, the new edition of the original Games Workshop fantasy wargame will expand on the lore following the “End Times” by giving more depth to the history of the different Realms in the surviving lands of Sigmar, including “lots and lots of maps”. The rules themselves received a fine-tuning to focus on speed of play and clean, clear rules including an expanded hero phase and the addition of a new command points system. In traditional Games Workshop fashion, the announcement comes very soon before the new edition’s release, which is due this June (yes, next month).
Game accessory manufacturer Ultra PRO announced an exclusive deal with Steve Jackson Games to produce accessories for Munchkin and Munchkin: Collectible Card Game. If the name sounds familiar but you can’t place it, check your Magic: The Gathering sleeves and you’ll probably see their logo. This does, however, imply that the current line of accessories produced by Steve Jackson Games directly will go out of print, so I’d recommend picking those up if there’s any you’ve had your eye on. The new line will be expanded, featuring playmats, card sleeves, deck boxes, gaming cases, dice bags, life counters, dice, and tokens. In addition, Ultra PRO will produce exclusive, limited-run prize items for Munchkin: Collectible Card Game organized play events. The first products in this line are expected to hit store shelves later this year.
Science Fiction Writers of America has partnered with Humble to offer an ebook collection, the Super Nebula Author Showcase 2018. The bundle includes books from Fritz Leiber, Harlan Ellison, Piers Anthony, Octavia Butler, Peter S. Beagle, and many others and includes the 2017 anthology of The Year’s Best Science Fiction & Fantasy. This bundle is available until May 23. And just in time for convention season, Humble has a bundle of ebooks for cosplaying and prop-making perfect for convention costumes or for LARPs. The books included take you from basic sewing and foam prop/costuming all the way to advanced costuming, books specifically for fantasy/science-fiction/superhero costumes, 3D printing, and the book Primer: Moldmaking by professional special effects artist and Mythbuster Adam Savage. This bundle is available until May 30 and benefits Doctors Without Borders.
Monte Gook Games is crowdfunding a second printing of the Origins and ENnie Award-winning No Thank You, Evil! boxed set. The adventure roleplaying game is specifically focused on rules for young children for ages five and up as a way to encourage teamwork, cooperation, imagination, and introduced the concepts of roleplaying. The rules have been specifically designed to be easy to follow for younger children while still offering enough depth that the system can grow with them and allow entire families to play together without anyone getting confused or bored. The Kickstarter also includes the new expansion Bee Mail! with three new adventures. The Bee Mail! Expansion alone in PDF is available for a $15 pledge, the basic box set (with everything needed to play the game) for $40, both for $55, and several other levels for educators and retailers. This Kickstarter has until Tuesday, June 5 to reach its goal and start unlocking stretch goals.
Alhambra, one of the most well-known games of the board gaming renaissance, is getting a special Designers Edition. The 2003 Spiel des Jahres winner is celebrating its 15th anniversary with this limited edition including new art, larger tiles, brand new expansions, a tile dispensing tower, and more upgrades. You can get the base game for a pledge of €39 (about US$46), the new expansions without the base game for €60 (about US$71), and the Mega Box Designers Edition with everything included for €140 (about US$166). And at the time of writing, there appears to be a few Early Bird backer levels remaining (possibly due to cancellations) so act fast if you want to save some money. This Kickstarter is fully funded and unlocking stretch goals for upgraded components and more expansions until Friday, May 25.
Sovereign Stone - the campaign setting designed by industry legends Larry Elmore, Tracy Hickman, and Margaret Weis - is coming to Savage Worlds. The setting takes place in the world of Loerem, a beautiful world full of clashing kingdoms fighting over the one thing that should have united them, the magical artifact of the Sovereign Stone. Originally divided into four parts to unite the peoples of human, ork, elf, and dwarf, the human’s part was (according to legend anyway) destroyed when one of the King’s sons marched on the city resulting in an explosion that destroyed the capital of the formerly-united humans. Much of the art is from Larry Elmore himself with the story from the original novel trilogy from Weis and Hickman which is still in print after all these years. The Player’s Guide in PDF is available for a £8 (about US$14) pledge, the core setting book for £16 (about US$22), the softcover available for £19 (about US26), the core book for £37 (about US$50), and hardback and bundle-PDF backer levels also available. This Kickstarter is fully-funded and runs until Friday, June 1.
That’s all from me for this week! Find more gaming crowdfunding news by following our Kickstarter news tag, and don’t forget to support our Patreon to bring you more gaming news content. If you have any news to submit, email us at news@enworldnews.com. You can follow me on Twitter @Abstruse where I’ve been talking a lot about the BattleTech video game following my return to live streaming (and I’ll be streaming some more later today), follow Gamer’s Tavern on YouTube featuring videos on gaming history and Let’s Plays, or you can listen to the archives of the Gamer’s Tavern podcast. Until next time, may all your hits be crits! Note: Links to Amazon, Humble Store, Humble Bundle, and/or DriveThru may contain affiliate links with the proceeds going to the author of this column.
Origins Game Fair announced their Guests of Honor this week, including game designers Ken St. Andre, Eric Lang, and Mike Elliott and artist Tony Steele. Initially announced was also author Larry Correia. However, the immediate public outcry over Correia (along with author Brad Torgersen) originating the “Sad Puppies” movement after he was nominated for a Hugo Award and didn’t win caused Origins to disinvite Correia, citing their anti-harassment policy and stance on inclusion and diversity. The revocation of the invitation was initially announced on the Facebook post where the guests were announced, but the post has since been taken down following a flood of harassing comments. The Origins Game Fair, organized by the Game Manufacturer’s Association, will take place in Columbus, OH, from Wednesday, June 13 to Sunday, June 17.
Speaking of Origins, the Origins Awards nominees were also announced this weekend. The full list is available in the link, but it’s a very good year for Adventures in Middle Earth with three nominations as well as Blue Rose, Castles and Crusaders, Call of Cthulhu, and Cypher System which each got two. The Origins Awards are given out in two categories, Roleplaying Game and Roleplaying Supplement, along with a third fan-favorite award voted on by attendees of the Origins Game Fair.
Speaking of award nominations, the Spiel des Jahres announced the nominees for Kennerspiel des Jahres (hobbyist/enthusiast game of the year) and Kinderspiel des Jahres (children’s game of the year. The link above is to the German site but for simplicity, I don’t speak German so forgive me if any of the names or game companies are incorrect (and please leave a comment so I can fix it). For Kennerspiel des Jahres, the nominees are Heaven & Ale (distributed by Eggertspiele), Ganz Schön Clever (distributed by Schmidt Spiele), and Die Quacksalber von Quedlinburg (distributed by Schmidt Spiele). Neither of the latter two games has distribution in North America at this time, but even a nomination for an award as prestigious as the Spiel des Jahres is an honor and I’d expect a quick distribution deal for global release soon. The Kinderspiele des Jahres nominees are Emojito (distributed by Desyllas Games), Funkelschatz (aka Dragon’s Breath, from distributor HABA), and Panic Mansion (aka Shaky Manor, from distributor Blue Orange Games).
EN World’s own Morrus went on Twitter after getting his hands on Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes in order to answer ten questions from Twitter followers about the book. And then, later on, went ahead and answered ten more. Again, the full information is in the links, but he gives tidbits on what subraces to expect, which of the Lords of Nine are given stats, new feat options, which campaign settings are specifically referenced, and some details on the monsters. One question asked was “Is the Giff a playable race?” It is not, simply a monster stat block. Which now has a Change.org petition to Jeremy Crawford to make the Giff a playable race.
I said it months ago and no one believed me. Anytime I said it, 40K fans would pat me on the head and say “Sure, whatever you say” because I don’t really play 40K myself. But guess who was right! At this year’s Warhammer Fest, Games Workshop not only confirmed that plastic Sisters of Battle miniatures are on their way for Warhammer 40,000, but provided a preview of the sculpts. The long-time request for the Adepta Sororitas as plastic miniatures has reached an almost memetic status in the Warhammer community as something everyone’s wanted but never materialized to the point that even the announcement in March was met with “We’ll believe it when we see it” reactions. Well now it can be seen, with the Battle Sister pictured above the first to be released as a preview ahead of the main wave.
The other big Warhammer news is a release for the second edition of Warhammer: Age of Sigmar. In addition to new rules, the new edition of the original Games Workshop fantasy wargame will expand on the lore following the “End Times” by giving more depth to the history of the different Realms in the surviving lands of Sigmar, including “lots and lots of maps”. The rules themselves received a fine-tuning to focus on speed of play and clean, clear rules including an expanded hero phase and the addition of a new command points system. In traditional Games Workshop fashion, the announcement comes very soon before the new edition’s release, which is due this June (yes, next month).
Game accessory manufacturer Ultra PRO announced an exclusive deal with Steve Jackson Games to produce accessories for Munchkin and Munchkin: Collectible Card Game. If the name sounds familiar but you can’t place it, check your Magic: The Gathering sleeves and you’ll probably see their logo. This does, however, imply that the current line of accessories produced by Steve Jackson Games directly will go out of print, so I’d recommend picking those up if there’s any you’ve had your eye on. The new line will be expanded, featuring playmats, card sleeves, deck boxes, gaming cases, dice bags, life counters, dice, and tokens. In addition, Ultra PRO will produce exclusive, limited-run prize items for Munchkin: Collectible Card Game organized play events. The first products in this line are expected to hit store shelves later this year.
Science Fiction Writers of America has partnered with Humble to offer an ebook collection, the Super Nebula Author Showcase 2018. The bundle includes books from Fritz Leiber, Harlan Ellison, Piers Anthony, Octavia Butler, Peter S. Beagle, and many others and includes the 2017 anthology of The Year’s Best Science Fiction & Fantasy. This bundle is available until May 23. And just in time for convention season, Humble has a bundle of ebooks for cosplaying and prop-making perfect for convention costumes or for LARPs. The books included take you from basic sewing and foam prop/costuming all the way to advanced costuming, books specifically for fantasy/science-fiction/superhero costumes, 3D printing, and the book Primer: Moldmaking by professional special effects artist and Mythbuster Adam Savage. This bundle is available until May 30 and benefits Doctors Without Borders.
Monte Gook Games is crowdfunding a second printing of the Origins and ENnie Award-winning No Thank You, Evil! boxed set. The adventure roleplaying game is specifically focused on rules for young children for ages five and up as a way to encourage teamwork, cooperation, imagination, and introduced the concepts of roleplaying. The rules have been specifically designed to be easy to follow for younger children while still offering enough depth that the system can grow with them and allow entire families to play together without anyone getting confused or bored. The Kickstarter also includes the new expansion Bee Mail! with three new adventures. The Bee Mail! Expansion alone in PDF is available for a $15 pledge, the basic box set (with everything needed to play the game) for $40, both for $55, and several other levels for educators and retailers. This Kickstarter has until Tuesday, June 5 to reach its goal and start unlocking stretch goals.
Alhambra, one of the most well-known games of the board gaming renaissance, is getting a special Designers Edition. The 2003 Spiel des Jahres winner is celebrating its 15th anniversary with this limited edition including new art, larger tiles, brand new expansions, a tile dispensing tower, and more upgrades. You can get the base game for a pledge of €39 (about US$46), the new expansions without the base game for €60 (about US$71), and the Mega Box Designers Edition with everything included for €140 (about US$166). And at the time of writing, there appears to be a few Early Bird backer levels remaining (possibly due to cancellations) so act fast if you want to save some money. This Kickstarter is fully funded and unlocking stretch goals for upgraded components and more expansions until Friday, May 25.
Sovereign Stone - the campaign setting designed by industry legends Larry Elmore, Tracy Hickman, and Margaret Weis - is coming to Savage Worlds. The setting takes place in the world of Loerem, a beautiful world full of clashing kingdoms fighting over the one thing that should have united them, the magical artifact of the Sovereign Stone. Originally divided into four parts to unite the peoples of human, ork, elf, and dwarf, the human’s part was (according to legend anyway) destroyed when one of the King’s sons marched on the city resulting in an explosion that destroyed the capital of the formerly-united humans. Much of the art is from Larry Elmore himself with the story from the original novel trilogy from Weis and Hickman which is still in print after all these years. The Player’s Guide in PDF is available for a £8 (about US$14) pledge, the core setting book for £16 (about US$22), the softcover available for £19 (about US26), the core book for £37 (about US$50), and hardback and bundle-PDF backer levels also available. This Kickstarter is fully-funded and runs until Friday, June 1.
That’s all from me for this week! Find more gaming crowdfunding news by following our Kickstarter news tag, and don’t forget to support our Patreon to bring you more gaming news content. If you have any news to submit, email us at news@enworldnews.com. You can follow me on Twitter @Abstruse where I’ve been talking a lot about the BattleTech video game following my return to live streaming (and I’ll be streaming some more later today), follow Gamer’s Tavern on YouTube featuring videos on gaming history and Let’s Plays, or you can listen to the archives of the Gamer’s Tavern podcast. Until next time, may all your hits be crits! Note: Links to Amazon, Humble Store, Humble Bundle, and/or DriveThru may contain affiliate links with the proceeds going to the author of this column.
