It's New Game Friday! And David Wiley (Cardboard Clash) is here to tell us about the new games.
Here’s what is new this week
- Chain Mail: A Problematic Pest Adventure Kit
- Dungeon Ball
- Four Against Darkness: Breachers of the Bone Belfry
This week's new games are all available at https://www.pnparcade.com/collections/new-games
Chain Mail: A Problematic Pest Adventure Kit
You come across an odd creature and take on the task of returning it to its owner. Unfortunately, the creature will go anywhere but where you want it to.
The next installment of Chain Mail is ready for you to try out. This provides a new map (Heart of the Chasm), pair of monsters (Silver Robot/Temporal Spiders), treasure card (Cavern Map), and quest card (A Problematic Pest). In this quest you are escorting a creature across the map in search of its owner. The twist? Every turn you are located with it, you’ll roll a die to determine which direction it moves. This will also advance one of four direction cubes on the quest card, and once 2 of the cubes passes a certain point you’ll be able to determine the location of its owner and attempt to trek back across the map to that location. Success will reward you with...well, it’ll get rid of that pest. Might as well make it someone else’s problem, right? Who doesn’t like an escort side quest?
Dungeon Ball
While the monsters wait for more heroes to wander into the dungeon to meet their untimely end, they bide their time by playing games they learned through torturing adventurers. For the most part, they understand how to play, but they’re a little hazy on things like the rules against cheating and whatnot.
If you are seeking a 1-2 player game that plays out almost identical to an NFL football game, Dungeon Ball is something you’ll want to look into. While there are restrictions on play calling (choosing an orthagonally-adjacent play from your previous one) and a luck factor via dice rolling, this game pays homage to the sport that inspired the game. It even comes with a way to have dexterity-based extra point attempts using the box lid and a die. A clever use of momentum tokens allows both sides of the ball to use a handful of ability cards to manipulate things in their favor. Lacking a friend to play against? There is an AI deck to allow you to play this one solitaire against the game itself, practicing your moves to perfection like I used to with Tecmo Super Bowl on my old NES.
Four Against Darkness: Breachers of the Bone Belfry
Breachers of the Bone Belfry stands out from other adventures for Four Against Darkness in two ways. First, it is set in the Netherworld. Second, and most importantly, is the fact that the characters in your party are dead.
Specifically, you are invited to play your former characters who have died in a dungeon - from those who suffered a medusa’s stone gaze, who fell to wicked traps, gnawing vermin or other grisly ends. The Netherworld being an unforgiving place, their soul-selves, enslaved by demons, are destined to be ground into soul cubes. This adventure offers them a chance, however slim, to escape that grisly fate.
Looking for something to provide a unique twist to your Four Against Darkness experience? This might be the entry you’ve been waiting for. All you need is the core rules. Even a dead character is optional (you can make a Level 1 to use if needed), but the real draw is to make use of those deceased parties you grew to love in the regular campaign. Like other entries, this one comes with a book but this is done in a style familiar to those who remember Choose Your Own Adventure books. This experience is designed to be brutal, harsh, and unforgiving. You’ll begin unarmed with only wits to assist you. With every failure comes a chance to start over and try to do better. This also provides three new classes to use: Paladin of Zur, Succubus, and Necromingo. Are you bold enough to escape from a fate worse than death? When you fail, will you be brave enough to try again (and again)? Find out, 4AD adventurers!
For all of the new games, visit https://www.pnparcade.com/collections/new-games
The game of the week is Sprawlopolis!
Jackhammers chattering, trucks beeping, engines roaring, the sounds of construction are everywhere. Sprawlopolis is growing and YOU are in charge of it all. The last team of planners couldn’t cut it, so the city turned to your team, the best of the best. If anyone can turn this tiny town into a thriving civic center it’s you.
If you want to feel hopelessly incompetent, this is the solitaire experience you’ve been looking for. Or maybe I’m just that bad at the game, boasting about a 20% win rate. I’m not complaining, though (okay, maybe I am a little bit) because this game is quick and clever and exactly what you hope for in a pocket-sized city-building game. The variable scoring conditions ensure hundreds of possible combinations to try without ever repeating the same game, and each presents a unique challenge for how to maximize your points in conjunction with the other objectives. Technically this can be played cooperatively with up to four players, but the risk of invoking a blood feud over poor play is much lower when playing by yourself. In all honesty, this game is (in my humble opinion) one of the best games of the previous decade and if you haven’t tried it yet, you should do yourself a favor and print this out to try today. The amount of variety in 18 cards is mind-boggling and enjoyable.
Check out Sprawlopolis here: https://www.pnparcade.com/collections/game-of-the-week
See you next week with more information on our newest print and play games!