Over the past month, we’ve seen two great international board gaming conventions take place globally. With these conventions, a number of board games were announced and released. This article is going to take a closer look at some of the more exciting games shown.
First up, SHUX 2022 happened on the 30th of September in Vancouver, Canada. This convention is the brainchild of the team over at Shut Up and Sit Down. It has only run for a couple of years, but more and more publishers are using this convention as a launching platform into the North American market.
To dig into the details from SHUX, Dave from Dude Take Your Turn, wrote up an excellent post-con retrospective that I recommend you check out.
Not to be outdone convention-wise, Essen Spiel 2022 started days after the Canadian convention. This German trade fair has been running for over a decade. As such, its become the go-to spot to learn about the latest and greatest board games Europian publishers have to offer.
We’re fortunate enough to have another fantastic recap from board game blogger The Board Games Chronicle. Who had boots on the ground in Essen to provide us with a look at some of the latest releases.
But enough blabbering on about the events, let’s get to what we’re all here for. The board games!
Revive
Well after humanity dies out and the Earth froze over, there’s a new seed of humanity beginning to bloom. That’s the story behind Revive. A game of exploration and discovery, as you compete against other races to expand and explore across the frozen wasteland. As you explore, you discover artefacts of the old world which give you more options for some slick turns and combos.
However, what makes Revive pop is just the amount of different ways you can power up throughout the game. This number increases throughout a short five game campaign that unlocks player powers as well as a raft of other mechanics.
Federation
If someone watched the Star Wars prequels and thought ‘I want more senate discussion,’ then Federation is the board game for you. You take the role of a new planet wanting to join the galactic federation. But first, you need to win the favour of five different planets.
During your turns, you visit these different planets, help them out, and gain resources and benefits for doing so. Then at the end of the round, everyone votes on a proposal that will affect the outcome of the game. With all your actions being so synergistic, and lots of tough decisions, Federation is one to watch.
Woodcraft
Whenever Vladimir Suchy’s name is on a board game’s box it’s time to get excited. He’s designed several fantastic games over the recent years including Underwater Cities. Woodcraft looks to be another notch in the belt.
In Woodcraft, you’re running a woodland woodshop where your aim is to complete jobs for nuts (victory points). While the main mechanism is action selection, you’ll also be hiring employees, growing your own wood, and a whole range of other activities – as you’d expect from a Suchy game. Don’t be fooled by the box art, this is one crunchy Euro game.
Pampero
With art from Ian O’Toole, and the interconnectivity of mechanics I’d forgive you for thinking that Pampero is a Vital Lacerda game. However, this is from designer Julián Pombo, who worked with Vital on Mercado de Lisboa.
Pampero is a game focused on clean green energy in Ecuador. The goal is to use the winter winds to generate electricity for the country. Therefore, you’ll be building wind farms, completing contracts, and getting bonuses aplenty in doing so. With so much going on, it’s hard to nail down which mechanic is most enticing – they all look so good.
Rise
Upon first hearing about Rise, I immediately thought it would be a more complex version of Khora: Rise of an Empire. Where it’s all about balancing different tracks of resources and gaining victory points in the process. And this seems to be the case, with Rise’s tagline being: Ascend on the tracks and manage your city!
There’s not too much information available right now, but what’s shown so far is good enough for me to get excited. I love resource manipulation and city building, so this is one I’ll be watching for sure.
The Wolves
In The Wolves, you are a member of the wolf pack. However, you’re not the only pack around, and you’ll have to either build up your pack or take on opposing packs to win the game. At its heart, The Wolves is an action selection and area control game, but what makes it stand out is the wonderful theming and accessibility of its mechanics.
Compared to some of the games on this list, The Wolves seems to revel in its simplicity and its ability to choose between playing passively, or aggressively. Here’s hoping it’s a fantastic board game and not a howler.
Daybreak
Not from either convention, but rather from Backerkit. Daybreak is a new cooperative game from Matt Leacock, the genius behind the Pandemic franchise. In a similar save-the-earth fashion, this time you’re trying to solve global warming.
From everything we’ve seen so far, Daybreak looks absolutely fantastic. Using engine building as a core mechanic, there are a lot of tough decisions that will go a long way to solving groupthink issues. I, for one, am very excited about this game as it hits a lot of points I’m interested in.
Cat in the Box: Deluxe Edition
Cat in the Box: Deluxe Edition is a trick-taking game without suits. That’s not entirely true. As while the cards don’t have suits, you must give them one. Except, once you have given a suit to a card of a number, no one can give that number the same suit in the future.
Given how much I am in love with The Crew: Mission Deep Sea, I’m excited to try out other games with the same mechanics. And the way the Cat in the Box: Deluxe Edition changes up trick-taking seems wild!
Turing Machine
The Turing Machine is a code-cracking game that looks like the evolved version of Cryptid. Where you must use deduction to figure out a problem already solved by an algorithm. Only in Cryptid, the clues are relatively simple.
In Turing Machine, getting the information needed to deduce the code is half the battle. You need to manipulate a cardboard computer to get this information. This layered deduction looks like a treat and it will surely destroy my brain. I can’t wait.
Lacrimosa
Lacrimosa is the last piece of music Mozart wrote, and it’s a certified banger. However, he was unable to complete the song before passing away. Now Mozart’s widow has reached out to you, as one of Mozart’s most generous patrons, to find the best composer to complete the requiem.
You’ll do this by using your memories, and money, to relive Mozart’s life. Journeying from place to place, while also paying composers to complete the song. Lacrimosa looks both complex and personal, with a lot of passion put in to make sure Mozart’s story is told correctly.
That’s it for board games, but if you’re in the market for a new piece of art for your board game room. Meeple Design has struck a new deal with Czech Games Edition to create posters based on their games. Including, The Lost Ruins of Arnak, Tash Kalar, Code Names and more. Be sure to check them out!
It’s a little while until the next convention, but even before then, there are a number of great games hitting retail soon including Guilds of Merchant Explorers, Scout, and The Mirroring of Mary King. Is there anything missing from this list? And what are you looking forward to?
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Thanks for linking to my post! Lacrimosa looks really cool. I’d like to try that one sometime
No worries Dave, it was a great post! Lacrimosa does look really cool, though I think I’m most looking forward to Revive and Federation. Hoping they make their way down to Australia soon!