Hi fellow Board Games & Co. Members! This blog is going to take the form of a news brief concerning an upcoming local event, board games and board game expansions I’m looking forward to. So here we go!
Before diving in into all things related to board games, I would like to begin with a quick note on Comicon Malta 2022, which will be held on Saturday the 29th and Sunday 30th of October 2022 at the MFCC in Ta Qali. This will be the first convention of its kind, post pandemic. For most of us the last two years were some of the weirdest we have experienced in our lifetimes! Yet it was during these past two years that I think my appreciation for boardgames grew stronger. Forced periods of quarantine and serious social limitations, highlighted the flexibility and enjoyment you can derive from sharing a physical boardgame experience with those closest to you. As we gradually returned to what has been defined as the “new normal”, the memory of this board gaming epiphany remains relatively strong. For this reason, I believe that Comicon 2022 will be a celebration not only of comic culture but of all subcultures that have fantasy (in all its expressions) and more generally play at their core.
As has been the case in previous editions, I expect Comicon this year to bring us a lot of comic-related fun but also showcase local suppliers offering all things related to comics, fan collectables and... boardgames. Several local importers and distributors are expected to attend this year, including Agenda, Forbidden Power, Malta Comics, Games Plus, Gamebreaker, “MC Toys and collectables”. These retailers will be showcasing their goods during the two-day event and attendees will be able to purchase merchandise straight from their stalls. A few comic book artists will also be making an appearance as well as some interesting guests including actors and actresses.
I will be attending on Saturday the 29th of October, and I will be taking my son along for the ride, fingers crossed he will enjoy it! Initially I was hoping to take part in a short, D&D style roleplaying session, with a cyberpunk theme. However, due to forces beyond the organizer's control this will have to be cancelled. There are, however, plans to hold this session at the W.A.R.S. club in Floriana, later this year.
Speaking of “Games Plus”, I was very much surprised and delighted when I actually paid this little shop a visit a little over a week ago. The shop, situated in San Gwann is chock full of all manner of items fans might desire and when I say chock full, I mean really packed, floor to ceiling. You will find everything from Marvel merchandise to Dragon Ball, Minecraft and even a corner full of all things related to Harry Potter. On the downside, their in-store board game selection is smallish for my tastes, but the available titles are noteworthy. I saw five or six versions of Ticket to Ride among others, as well as the modern asymmetric masterpiece “Root” including several expansions.
Speaking of “Root”, this is officially the newest game in my collection. It is a game that marries well-honed game aesthetics with some witty gameplay. In this woodland-themed battler, you play as one of four possible factions, all vying to achieve their specific goals before the rest. There is combat and there are clashes with some randomness thrown in (there is some dice rolling). All in all, Root is a very thought-provoking, highly enjoyable game. What’s more, the factions themselves are anthropomorphic animal clans, from birds, to cats, to mice, rabbits and foxes. Visually the graphics are very appealing, allowing the game to serve as an excellent, friendly springboard to other combat-related board games. Yet I don’t want to mislead you here, this board game is not all about combat. You will need to make tactical decisions based on your chosen faction, and your faction-specific game objectives will lead you to make equally specific choices, which may not always involve direct conflict. Being asymmetric also means that you can look forward to experiencing this game from very different points of view, making each game unique with its own set of challenges.
Another game I am looking forward to adding to my collection when it becomes available is “Splendor Duel”. This is a two-player-only variation of Splendor, the original game designed by Marc Andre back in 2014. In this two-player version, co-designed with renowned designer Bruno Cathala, game play is fine-tuned to specifically leverage the two-payer dynamic. I would like to invite you to have a look at the game review published by Dice Tower to get a better feel for what this game brings to the table.
Another game I am particularly keen on bringing into my collection when it becomes available is both an expansion and a stand-alone game, Wingspan Asia. This third expansion to the Wingspan series from designer Elisabeth Hargrave, focuses on birds from the Asian continent. Yet what this expansion also adds is a new two-player gaming variant called “Duet”, as well as a further option to play the game with up to 6 or 7 players in what is called “flock mode”. “Duet” introduces some interesting twists to the game including additional ying-yang style game pieces, player boards and duet specific game objectives. Flock mode on the other hand allows you to scale up a standard game of Wingspan to six or seven players without increasing game time significantly. This ingenious, time reducing trick is achieved through simultaneous play. On a specific turn, two players will play their actions and cards simultaneously thus reducing playtime overall. A special turn-taking dial helps facilitate this process by indicating which two players are next during any given turn. As with the base game and previous expansions, this expansion also comes with all the necessary cards to play the solo version called “Automata”. Also, in line with previous expansions, Wingspan Asia will allow players to mix its cards with both the base game as well as the other published expansions for a richer gaming experience. With regards to Duet mode, all you will need to play is just a copy of Wingspan Asia, previous expansions or the base game are not required.
As an aside, the publishers of Wingspan are also releasing what they have called the “Wingspan Nesting Box”. This special box is beautifully designed with some great artwork and is aimed at housing all Wingspan components once all expansions are published. What is more, the “Nesting Box” also comes with a full copy of Wingspan Asia inside, so you won't need to buy this expansion separately. While the idea may sound attractive, the box itself is quite big, so you would need to think seriously about where you will be storing it. Also, once fully loaded with all the planned Wingspan material, I can almost guarantee the Wingspan Nesting box will end up weighing in at around 3.5 to 4 kilograms.
As a last-minute board game related news item, “Dune Imperium” is also getting a second expansion later this year called “Dune Imperium – Immortality”. This expansion will feature the “Bene Tleilax”, an insidious faction within the Dune universe with expertise on genetic manipulation and the production of clones. I am not sure whether I will be getting this expansion. Currently I still have very little information regarding what one should expect from this add-on. The previous expansion “Rise of Ix” received a lot of praise from the board gaming community, some venturing to remark that they cannot envisage playing the base game without it. For now, I will have to take their word for it as I have yet to get my hands dirty with a few runs of the base game.
So that is all the news I have for you today, but I do plan to get back to you with some Comic-Con Malta 2022 news later in November. As always should you have any queries related to board games, your next game purchase or perhaps parts of this or other videos present on our Facebook group, just drop me a line, WhatsApp me or otherwise get in touch. I’ll gladly oblige!
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