New Games for May 26th, 2023 - Orphaned iXe Fishing Tales

It's New Game Friday! David Wiley (Cardboard Clash) is here to tell us about the new games.

Here’s what is new this week:

• Tall Tales
• iXe
• Dungeon Pages: Sygrid, Orphaned Hunter

https://www.pnparcade.com/collections/new-games

Tall Tales

We are social creatures, natural storytellers. It’s how we retain memories of life’s important events and share them with our community. Of course, some of these stories become larger than life, taking on a mythic status as details grow and embellishments are added. We give these obviously outsized stories a name: tall tales. In this trick-taking card game, players will begin with modest card values in their hands representing young stories before their repetition. Over the course of several rounds, hands will be sculpted to contain more valuable cards representing the stories’ growth over time. Whomever has the highest card values at the scoring round and the end of the game has won as the best storyteller with the greatest tall tale.

This provides a really neat twist on the concept of trick-taking games, as with every trick you’re going to choose cards from the next set of cards to upgrade your deck for future rounds. Every player will get a chance to upgrade those cards, but the order in which they finish each trick will determine the order they get to select new cards. You can even add a storytelling element to the gameplay, weaving tales to try to one-up your rivals to make a fun and unique experience that fits the theme perfectly. If you enjoy trick-takers, you won’t want to miss this one.

iXe

Step into the digital utopia of iXe, where reality is yours to shape and adventure awaits at every turn. Explore bustling digital cities, fantasy realms, and more in a world where anything is possible. But beware of rogue programs and viruses lurking around every corner. Join the adventure and make your mark on the limitless world of iXe.

If you wanted to role-play in a digital realm, look no further than iXe. With a well-crafted world, you’ll be on your way to exploring an immersive experience that can be done alone, cooperatively with friends, or guided by a game master (like many traditional RPGs). The neat thing here comes in the resolution process, using a fate deck to determine your odds of success as well as how well you succeed or fail based on the outcome in relation to said fate deck. It even has an opening scenario laid out for you so you can quickly craft up an unique character and get underway exploring the world of iXe. Honestly, there’s a ton of stuff packed in here, and you’ll almost enjoy reading about all of this as much as you will playing in the world itself.

Dungeon Pages: Sygrid, Orphaned Hunter

Few know of Sygrid’s tragic past, which has made it hard for her fellow students to understand her temper. The Elders are keeping a close eye on this one, for they know all too well what happens to students who become consumed with the thirst for revenge.

You are going to need all the tricks you can employ to level the playing field this week. The boss is pretty interesting, having 5 copies of the Deadly Assassin boss on the final map…but you get to mark one off for every key collected along the way. The real stumper will be the Spectral Trickster, who cannot be defeated if an odd number is marked next to it. Thankfully, Sygrid brings ways to boost her dice, and to mark a space with a 2 from her boots, and to mark a number equal to the defeated monsters with her Braid. You won’t want to miss this week’s installment, which is sure to be a challenge for some of us (myself included)!

Game of the Week: Fishing Lessons on sale for just $2!

It’s been a year since Leland Williams passed on. A year later, his family remembers his humor, warmth and - especially - his love of fishing. You play a member of his family going out on a solo fishing trip. With a specific sporting goal in mind, you’ll recall lessons and memories from Leland. If you piece together the lessons in just the right order, you’ll have a great day on the lake!

If you enjoy fishing but hate the time commitment, you might just enjoy the relaxing experience of Fishing Lessons. You’re playing cards as Lessons, which will all activate in order each round, to try and manipulate the cards in the lake to match your end-game condition. Having unnecessary cards, or too many of a type of card, showing will cost you the game, though, as fishing requires precision. Or, well, at least these lessons do. If you enjoy the solo line of games by Button Shy, you’ll probably already be inclined to like this one too, as it provides an interesting puzzle that you can play during a work break.