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:
- Chai
- Chai: High Tea Expansion
- FUSION: Asteroid Mining
- The Science and Seance Society
This week's new games are all available at https://www.pnparcade.com/collections/new-games
Chai + High Tea Expansion
In Chai, you will step into the shoes of a tea merchant, combining tea flavours to make a perfect blend. Specializing in either rooibos, green, oolong, black, or white tea, you will buy and collect ingredients to fulfill your customers’ orders. Add money to completed card points to determine the best tea merchant!
If you haven’t tried Chai yet, what are you waiting for? It is one of the smoothest teas to drink, and the game is pretty close in experience. There’s a lot of fun in grabbing tea tiles - although the PNPer might have a challenging time coming up with something along the lines of an Azul-like tile in the right colors...but putting them onto cardboard or something similar can and will function well. It supports up to 6 players, has a solo mode, and a really short rulebook to make up for the component crafting you’ll need to do here. The expansion adds asymmetric player abilities, making a good game have even more reason to hit your table.
The Science and Seance Society
You are members of The Science and Seance Society, a Victorian-era clandestine organization devoted to exploring the mysteries of reality. Two of you, each from opposing factions within the organization, have entered into a friendly wager. A particularly nasty bit of chaos has been summoned from the Void and must be dealt with, One of you will conduct a seance to eradicate it and the other will build a scientific engine to bring it to order. These methods are wildly different. The player employing the mystic arts must manipulate a set of double-faced tarot cards in hopes of arranging them correctly. The player committed to the scientific method must be meticulous in establishing order from chaos. They pull dice from a bag, roll them, and place them on engine cards, with specific dice needed for each.
Let’s be honest, if you aren’t already clicking to get this game after reading the opening part about both sides playing differently then I can’t help you? I absolutely love asymmetry, and to have something more than just an unique player power makes this game really stand out. And after reading through the rules, this sounds positively delightful in the most sinister and engaging way possible. Because not only are you taking differing approaches to the same problem, you have plenty of opportunity to affect and interfere with your opponent’s plans. Why are you still reading this? Go, be gone, get this game while you can and thank me later. And then come back to read about the other two you’ll need to get…
FUSION: Asteroid Mining
You are a FUSION Pilot. Your goal is to mine Actium from asteroids and trade it for Credits (Cr). PRISE Peacekeepers will tax your efforts heavily, so avoiding them is paramount.
A delightful little solitaire game of trying to move and explore while avoiding the Imperials. Err, the gorram Alliance. I meant the Peacekeepers.But seriously, this has a clever restriction of a 5x5 grid, sensible rules to define the movement of the Peacekeepers AI pieces, several ways to lose but only one to win, and more that I value in a game. As long as you don’t mind making square tiles to move around for a board, this one is a game you won’t want to miss if you’re a solo gamer. It promises to provide a fun and crunchy experience in a decent span of time.
Check out all of the new games here: https://www.pnparcade.com/collections/new-games
Game of the Week: Night Class (Episode 3) for $1
Dr. Killian Switch, the world-renowned engineer, had been missing for days, before returning with an army of robots. His demands were short and dark - surrender the city to his control or face annihilation at the hands of his minions. Well, former teacher or no, this professor needs to be dismissed. Now hopefully you can stop this madman, because a failing grade is the least of your concerns.
If you recall, I’ve already pronounced myself a fan of the Night Class series of roll and writes (a rare feat, as those are far from my preferred wheelhouse of game), and this one is no different. I love how they all share common traits, yet feel different from each other. So whether you’re already a fan of the series or a newcomer, this is a great chance to grab this 1-page PNP and enjoy the simple yet challenging experience of Night Class.
Check out Game of the Week here: https://www.pnparcade.com/collections/game-of-the-week
See you next week with more information on our newest print and play games!