Publisher: Seajay Games
Player Count: 3-5 Players
Game Length: 120 Minutes
Kickstarter: September 30-October 30

Click here to see the Kickstarter campaign

Era of Atlantis is a worker placement and area-control board game by Seajay Games set in a distant mythical-scifi past.

The unique twist about this game is that you control two nations at the same time and share each one with another player! The lesser valued one at game end determines your score.

You are playing a secret society seeking to expand the two powerful nations you control during the mythical antediluvian age, 12000 years ago. This includes legendary civilizations such as Atlantis, Lemuria and Hyperborea.

Cooperate and compete with your rivals to become the most successful one before the Era of Atlantis ends either in glory or in cataclysm!

In Era of Atlantis, you are a secret society seeking to expand the powerful nations you control during the mythical antediluvian age, 12000 years ago. You have two of these under your control and share each one with a rival. You also have a secondary goal trying to bring “light” or “darkness” to the world. Working with and against your rivals you must prove to be the most powerful secret society in the world before the Era of Atlantis ends either in glory or in cataclysm.

This is an area-control and worker placement game with a unique twist. You control two nations with the lower-valued one counting for your score at game end. This means you will usually try to balance the two. You also share control of each one with another player, who has the same interest in the success of that nation as you do. Switching control of a nation is also possible, but difficult.

There are ways to score a few additional points for yourself only, such as with your remaining mystical energy or by fulfilling secret objectives.

The game is played over a variable number of rounds, with each player taking a turn per round. There are two main ways to gain new areas for your nation: militarily or politically. You can also expand your abilities by constructing buildings or acquiring powerful special actions. A nation will grow more successfully the better its two controlling players can cooperate.

Era of Atlantis is the successor game to Galactic Era and plays in the same universe (chronologically the prelude). There is also a campaign game mode where you can play both games together.

The post Kickstarter: Era of Atlantis appeared first on Unfiltered Gamer.

Thames & Kosmos has announced it slate of 2021 games including new EXIT games and follow up to the hit The Crew: The Quest for Planet 9!

Escape Room Games for the Home! 

The EXIT: The Game series allows you to bring the excitement, intensity, and team spirit of an escape room to your living room. In each EXIT game, your team starts out locked in an imaginary room or trapped somewhere. You must solve a series of riddles and puzzles in order to unlock doors and objects, and reveal new riddles. Each correct solution brings you to another riddle and eventually to freedom.

EXIT: THE GATE BETWEEN WORLDS 

An ancient map has led you deep into a cave and through a strange gate to another world. Can you solve the riddles and find your way and back home? 

EXIT: THE CURSED LABYRINTH 

During a tour of a historic castle, your attention is diverted to an intriguing labyrinth in the middle of the castle’s garden. When the gate slams behind you, the only way out is through. Can you solve the riddles and escape the impenetrable labyrinth? 

EXIT: KIDNAPPED IN FORTUNE CITY 

Criminal activity is rampant in Fortune City, and now the sheriff has disappeared. Can you solve the riddles and stop the kidnapping before it’s too late? 

EXIT: THE DESERTED LIGHTHOUSE (WITH PUZZLE)

You trudge along the dark, rocky coast seeking shelter from the raging storm. Drenched to the bone, you look up to see a brilliant beam of light pierce the curtains of rain. A lighthouse! But suddenly and inexplicably, the light goes out. You glance out into the water and spot a ship. It is heading straight for the cliffs! You realize that it is up to you to race to the top of the lighthouse and turn it on again before the ship crashes on the cliffs! But many puzzling obstacles stand in your way. 

In this EXIT game, there are riddles within riddles, hidden within four 88-piece jigsaw puzzles. Like other EXIT titles, The Deserted Lighthouse has no game board, but it also has no riddle cards. Instead, there are four jigsaw puzzles that you will find and assemble, one at a time. Each completed puzzle reveals a location containing more riddles to decipher.

EXIT: THE SACRED TEMPLE (WITH PUZZLE) 

Crooked treasure hunters have broken into the office of your university’s archaeology department! Your professor has disappeared without a trace — and so has a book with old records about a hidden temple. You must act quickly and chase down the criminals. Your pursuit will take you deep into a mysterious jungle on a small island. You must find the professor in time and save the revered treasures of the temple before they fall into the hands of the devious robbers! 

In this EXIT game, there are riddles within riddles, hidden within four 88-piece jigsaw puzzles. Like other EXIT titles, The Sacred Temple has no game board, but it also has no riddle cards. Instead, there are four jigsaw puzzles that you will find and assemble, one at a time. Each completed puzzle reveals a location containing more riddles to decipher. 

THE CREW: MISSION DEEP SEA 

In this highly-anticipated follow-up to the original cooperative card game — winner of the 2020 Kennerspiel des Jahres — players work together to search for the lost continent of Mu. This new adventure takes your crew deep down into the abyss on a search for the fabled sunken land. How far you get depends entirely on how well you work together as a team. Card by card, trick by trick, your search party will discover the challenges that lie ahead and forge a path to Mu. This new version of The Crew has the same innovative cooperative trick-taking mechanic as the highly lauded original game — but with some exciting new surprises! 

While communication between your crew members is severely limited by your submerged state, it is also critical to your success; finding the hidden land in the murky depths depends not only on winning tricks, but also on carefully negotiating the order in which they are won. If things don’t go as planned, you might just be able to salvage the operation. But it will take near flawless execution and perhaps a little luck to finally reach Mu. 

UBONGO: THE BRAIN GAME TO GO 

In this fast-paced, addictive, and easy-to-learn puzzle game, you race the clock to fit a set of interlocking tiles perfectly into a specific area. Based on the original hit board game Ubongo, this compact version features 15 colorful plastic tiles, 20 puzzle cards with over 200 puzzles, and a plastic game board that doubles as a durable travel case. Slide in a puzzle card and give your brain a workout! The puzzles get progressively more challenging as you go. Pass the game around to challenge your family and friends. Who is the master layout artist and who is spatially challenged? 

ANDOR: THE FAMILY FANTASY GAME 

Venture into a land of fantasy and legend! In this cooperative family role-playing game, each player chooses one of four powerful heroes: the magician, the warrior, the archer, or the dwarf. Your heroic journey begins with a mission to rescue some wolf cubs that are lost in a dangerous mine. But, before embarking on your search, your party must get past Mart, the bridge guard, by completing all of his tasks. Only then will he let your party cross his bridge and enter the mine. However, danger still lurks on the horizon, as a dragon encroaches on the castle Rietburg just as you approach the mine. Should he arrive at the castle before your heroes rescue the wolf cubs, your party will lose the mission — and the game. If your party rescues the cubs first, you win! Andor: The Family Fantasy Game features gameplay that is similar to the popular Legends of Andor, but more approachable to younger players, making it a great introduction to the entire Legends of Andor series of games.

ANNO 1800 

Anno 1800 is an epic city-building strategy board game based on Ubisoft’s popular PC game of the same name. Players strive to build up their industrial might as they develop an island society at the dawn of the industrial age. Investing in their nautical fleets enables trade and expansion to new territories in the old and new worlds, but players must focus above all on maintaining the health and happiness of the citizens of their home islands. While the population is initially satisfied with food and clothing, in time it will demand valuable luxury goods. Players must plan their development strategies and supply chains carefully while keeping an eye on the distribution of specialized roles within their territories. The objective of the game is to plan for an even distribution of farmers, workers, craftsmen, engineers, and investors. But beware, because the competition never sleeps. Players may steal new achievements out from under each other’s noses at any time! Whose island will prosper and whose will fall? 

THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD 

The year is 1193, and the county of Nottingham, England is suffering under the oppressive rule of the corrupt Prince John and his henchmen. In this cooperative family board game, players take on the roles of Robin Hood and his Merry Men as they battle the wicked rulers in the city and throughout Sherwood Forest. Designed and illustrated by Michael Menzel, the award-winning creator of the Legends of Andor game series, this game features a beautifully illustrated gameboard that changes over the course of the game and a gorgeous, faux-leather-bound, 216-page hardcover storybook that narrates the story and advances the gameplay. 

An innovative game mechanic allows you to move your character figures freely around the gameboard; you do not need to follow one set route. The gameboard also has interactive panels that are flipped to reveal hidden characters and new gameplay elements during play. As your quest progresses, you open these panels and speak to various characters who alter your course. A quickstart game in the rulebook effortlessly launches you into the action. Grab your bow and arrow and join the fight for justice and equity!

FANGS 

What team is the player sitting next to you on? Are they a blood-sucking vampire? A ferocious werewolf? Or just a hapless chump trying not to get bitten? And what team do they think you’re on?! 

In FANGS, it’s werewolves v. vampires v. humans. This thrilling social deduction party game challenges players to determine which one of these three secret roles each other player has assumed. Since you don’t know who you can trust when the game begins, you must attempt to conceal your role from the other players while working to identify your allies and your enemies. Werewolves are out to expel vampires from the game; vampires aim to expel werewolves; and the humans are just trying to avoid detection and survive until the end of the game. Throw in some secret weapons and ulterior motives, and this party game for 5 to 8 players makes for a howling good time. 

FANGS is an amped up werewolf-style social deduction game that is playable without a game leader and without an app. With lots of information to suss out and analyze, it elevates the social deduction game to the next level. Each player has a specific role with unique goals and win conditions, forcing players to act in ways others might not expect. On a player’s turn, they choose between multiple actions, but limiting factors make it so there are justifications and excuses for any action. The addition of a strong storyline gives this social deduction game the added feeling of a role-playing game. The design of the gameboard makes the game easy to learn and play, so all your friends and family can get in on the action. 

LOST CITIES ROLL & WRITE 

Begin your expedition on one of six colored paths by rolling the smallest possible numbers on the dice. Each turn, decide whether to continue an expedition or start a new one. Acceleration fields and artifacts provide opportunities to advance quickly, but you’ll have to carefully consider which paths to take on which roll. If you make good progress, victory beckons — but if an expedition gets stuck, you will lose points just as quickly as you earned them! This small and portable format is the perfect Lost Cities game for on-the-go fun. Simple rules and a short play time make this game ideal for family game nights. 

The post Coming Soon: Thames & Kosmos 2021 Lineup! appeared first on Unfiltered Gamer.

Unfiltered Games announces the launch date of Moonshell: A Mermaid Game! This strategy puzzle game will launch on the Kickstarter platform on March 2, 2021.

Ideal for 1-4 players ages 8+ and taking under 30 minutes to play, Moonshell is a puzzle game with a low barrier to entry, making it a great game for families and introducing new hobbyists to modern games. Optional elements add to the strategy of the game, allowing strategy-minded players to dive deep into spatial reasoning and multi-step problem solving to prove themselves the cleverest mermaid of them all!

At the core, Moonshell is a game about collecting seashells of various colors and shapes and arranging them in your treasure chest to fulfill various open objectives.

Additional elements you can add to the game include variable mermaid powers, secret objective cards, a wild moonshell piece, and that’s not including the stretch goal and expansion content that will be revealed during the campaign.

If funded with our March 2 launch, we anticipate a fulfillment date before the end of 2021.

Aspiring mermaid players can sign up for updates on moonshellgame.com and on the Kickstarter pre-launch page.

GET NOTIFIED ON KICKSTARTER

Follow the Moonshell creation process

• Favorite the BoardGameGeek Listing
• Join the Facebook Group
• Follow on Instagram: @moonshellgame

Follow Unfiltered Games

• Like the Facebook Page
• Join the Facebook Group
• Join the Discord

The post Moonshell: A Mermaid Game Coming to Kickstarter on March 2, 2021 appeared first on Unfiltered Gamer.

Bezier Games has announced that Silver Dagger will be hitting stores this October just in time for your Halloween game night! Silver Dagger is the fourth stand-alone game in the engaging Silver card game series by Ted Alspach.

The Silver games possess the basic mechanics of the traditional card game Golf; the main objective is to shed cards and points as fast as possible however, this series introduces tons of unique abilities making the strategies ever-changing and very interesting!

In Silver Dagger you’ll find 14 all new roles & abilities, some of which will have you changing up the direction of game play as part of your overall strategy! Both the Dagger token and the #11 Reverser will allow you to do this – extremely helpful when there are threatening Zombies approaching your village! The #4 Zombies in Silver Dagger are an interesting twist in this particular deck – they are almost impossible to discard, even in matching sets! Once they become faceup in a village, they are able to be given to the previous player in the rotation; you’ll be scrambling for a Reverser once your neighbor reveals one!

Fortunately, there are some extremely helpful roles to help you like the Debt Collector, which subtracts a point for each card held by your opponents at the end of the round, and the Halfling, who has the power to divide your entire score for the round in half! Like in all Silver games, you may call for a vote when you think you have the least amount of points at the table to achieve a score of zero for the round and gain possession of the dagger token…however, with the possibility of getting negative points with a Debt Collector, your strategy may be to NOT call!

Each of the Silver games is unique in their own way but, they are also fun to mix and match to create a custom deck of your favorite abilities! Pre-order Silver Dagger now on the Bezier Games website; join the Bezier Games Wolfpack today and score the whole series for just $70 throughout the month of September!!!

https://beziergames.com/collections/silver-1

Want to try before you buy? Download the Silver game app on iOS or Android for FREE today, recently updated with all of the fun abilities from Silver Bullet!

The post Coming Soon: Silver Dagger appeared first on Unfiltered Gamer.

It’s no secret, we here at UnfilteredGamer.com are big fans of Wolgang Warsch’s Clever series. Countless nights have featured both That’s Pretty Clever and Twice as Clever on the table and on the app. We’re happy as a clam at high tide to hear a third installment is headed our way called Clever Hoch Drei (Three Times Clever).

According to the Board Game Geek page:

Clever hoch drei features the same gameplay as Ganz schön clever and Doppelt so clever, but with new categories in which to score — sometimes with several dice at the same time.

Your goal: Choose dice, then place the numbers into the matching colored area, put together tricky chain-scoring opportunities, and rack up the points. The dice you don’t use are as important as what you do because every die that’s smaller than the chosen one can be used by the other players, keeping everyone in the game at all times.

We’ll keep you updated as more info becomes available, but I think it’s suffice to say alongside the original Star Wars trilogy, The Lord of the Rings and Back to the Future… we now have a new legendary trilogy to define our time! (Is that over the top? I can never tell).

The post Clever Hoch Drei (Three Times Clever) appeared first on Unfiltered Gamer.

Games are for everyone!

My goal is to help build the board game community and expose a wider audience to the joys of games. One way I am working on my goal is by creating informative and conversational videos called Calli’s Corner.

Another way is designing games that appeal to a wider audience.

When I started playing a LOT of games (our collection is over 1,000 now), I noticed a lack of games with one of my favorite themes: mermaids.

When I had an idea for a set collection tile game (the first concept) I knew collecting seashells as a mermaid character would be a viable thematic connection.

Collecting seashells of different types and colors seemed appealing to my fantasy-obsessed self – and perhaps could be for many others, including women and girls.

I love when the theme and mechanics of a game go hand-in-hand and just work together.

So when I imagined these seashells shifting in the ocean, it made sense for the board to rotate and the waves to move the seashells around so you can collect them.

It all came together rather quickly!

The harder part is everything that comes after that: play-testing, iterating, components, project management, art direction, ack!

But I am glad to be going through this entire process and learning along the way.

I am excited to share this journey (art, design, insights) on our instagram @moonshellgame and facebook group community as well. And, if you just want to know when we go live, sign up for emails at moonshellgame.com.

Thanks for supporting me as a game designer – it is much appreciated!

The post Moonshell: A Mermaid Game | Designer Insights appeared first on Unfiltered Gamer.

Live variously through us as we share some of the interesting games, art and people that stood out to us this year.

Warning: photo-heavy post ahead!

The new werewolf party card game, Growl! I love playing our prototype of this game, and it keeps getting better. Check out our review of Growl.

Obscure Reference Games was present, showing off Overlords of Infamy. Go, evil corgi Waffles! I mean, who doesn’t want to take over the land?

Magic Meeple Games brought the wizardry spirit!

Darkrock Ventures, a mining and worker placement game by Magic Meeple Games.

Sentient Cow Games was in the house, offering demos of their Kickstarter game, Secret Unknown Stuff: Escape from Dulce. It’s a quirky dungeon crawler featuring a multi-level dungeon. Yes, there is a sentient, two-headed cow.

Filibuster, one of few political themed games I like!

Dungeon Brawl, a deck-builder fighting game, comes to Kickstarter on March 30.

Merchant Green Leather Works shared their custom and pre-made leather gaming accessories.

The miniatures gaming section was strong, too. Take this set-up of Relic Worlds Showdown. I love how they used fish tank decor as landscape!

There was a massive battle underway on these tables!

Awesome miniatures from Mythic Battles Pantheon by Mythic Games. All of these miniatures are Greek gods, goddesses, creatures and heroes from myths!

Sea of Nadia, by Maclay’s Games, coming soon to Kickstarter.

Crystal Fortress showing off these modular display cases for miniatures.

Eternal Kings, a successful Kickstarter game with a new twist on the classic Chess.

An ambassador from Rio Grande Games showing off Rob ‘N Run.

What’s up next? Check out the Southern California board game events list, and stay tuned for the following two Strategicon events for the rest of 2018:

• Gamex – Memorial Day Weekend – May 25-18, 2018
• Gateway – Labor Day Weekend – August 31 – September 3, 2018

Thanks and happy gaming!

The post Strategicon’s Orccon 2018 Recap from Los Angeles appeared first on Unfiltered Gamer.

In only their second year of putting on the event, the folks at Arizona Game Fair did a great job creating compelling programming and providing a space for people in the Southwest community to meet and play games! The fair took place at the Mesa Convention Center just outside of Phoenix, AZ last weekend. Here are a few of the highlights from the four-day event, and what you can except if you’re looking to attend or get involved next year.

Featured Guest: Paul Dean, Shut Up & Sit Down

The highlight of Friday night was getting to be involved in Edward’s (Heavy Cardboard) interview of the featured guest, Paul Dean, from Shut Up & Sit Down, a prolific writer and reviewer in the board games community.

Posing with Paul Dean of Shut Up & Sit Down

So, You Want to be a Board Game Reviewer?

The guest list for this panel was great and hit on many different niches in the tabletop community.

Board game reviewers at Arizona Game Fair

Meeple Lady – Reviewer with a blog and a podcast, Hooked on Geek.

Heavy Cardboard – Edward from Heavy Cardboard reviews the heavier side of tabletop games via video and podcasts.

Gloryhoundd – Gloryhoundd is one of the leading podcast reviewers.

GameBoyGeek – A very prolific board game reviewer with hi energy!

Boardgame Corner – Board game reviewer for the Dice Tower specializing in Kickstarter previews. 

Unfiltered Gamer – Newer on the scene, Michael Wright is a Kickstarter and indie board game reviewer.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mkdy0QBRBqM[/embedyt]

Games, Games and More Games

The library of games had a great selection! While I did not get a chance to play the much-coveted and snatched-up-in-three-seconds Sagrada, there were quite a few other great titles that caught my eye as well.

We met Nancy from Set games and she shared a ton of round games, which are mini versions of their games that are travel friendly! I am in love with Set and we can’t wait to share a review on this later. It is a visual puzzle game where you collect sets based on number, shape and color.

One of the game designers that stood out was the young designer from Yolo Monkey Studios – he had published two games and was selling them at the con. Talk about a young entrepreneur!

Gobico shared a few of their snazzy and concise card games – including Kuzushi and 18 Card Sushi. I think Jeremy from Gobico went easy on me because I won by one point in Kuzushi, the abstract strategy game. I liked that Kuzushi was much more accessible than traditional games in this genre.

We also got to play a quick round of Click Click Boom! by Thing 12 Games, they also created Dice of Crowns, which we’ve reviewed. It’s a Russian roulette bluffing party game in which you’re attempting to stay alive and make your opponents go boom. The character art is super cute – there’s a nice surprise when your character is eliminated. Look out for a review from Unfiltered Gamer soon!

More vendors and designers at the event included Dinomight, Eagle-Gryphon Games and Top Caliber Gaming (pictured in the featured image). Check our interviews below:

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fIoPA1RJLc[/embedyt]

If you’re like us, and you spent most of the day chatting and going to sessions, you can still get some quality gaming time in the after hours event at The Oak Room, a local restaurant a very short walk from the convention center. We stayed up until about 1 am both nights playing party games like Growl and Sparkle*Kitty as well as a very intense few hours with The Thing. The Thing was awesome – we were still hyped up talking about the intricacies of our game even as we’re walking back to the hotel for the night. If you like intense traitor-style games like Dead of Winter and Dark Moon, you’ll love The Thing.

Looking forward to next year. Save the date for March 29-31 at the Mesa Convention Center for next year’s event!

The post Southwest Tabletop Community Emerging at Arizona Game Fair 2018 appeared first on Unfiltered Gamer.

We were surprised by the amount of board game and card game exhibitors, and the massive positive response from the PAX South audience.

Live vicariously through us as we bring you highlights, news and what’s up and coming for many of the tabletop designers and publishers who attended. Even if you attended PAX South for a day or three, there was so much to see and do, you might’ve missed some of this great stuff!

Warning: image-heavy adventure ahead!

Tabletop Indie Showcase

Every year PAX South features what they consider to be the best indie tabletop games and gives them a free exhibitor booth at the event. This area was packed all three days – we didn’t even get in to play any of the games at the convention (granted, we had many interviews we had to do also).

Skulk Hollow: Pencil First Games, the creators of some of my favorite card games like Herbaceous and Sunset Over Water, featured this 2 player tactical combat game, where one player plays as the giant and the other as a band of foxes, each trying to eliminate the other. We were lucky enough to chat with Pencil First Games (Producer) Eduardo Baraf along with Keith Matejka – designer of Skulk Hollow (their latest game coming out) and the ever popular Roll Player.

Sagrada: This is a dice set collection/display game that has gotten a lot of great feedback from the community. We didn’t get a chance to play this yet, but it is definitely on my list to check out soon! You can purchase Sagrada on Amazon.

Drawing Dead: We got a chance to chat with John Fiorillo, founder of Gold Baby Games and creator of the creepy card game, Drawing Dead. Look for the interview soon!

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGRDa3MRvpQ[/embedyt]

Mountaineers: With the unique 3D board set up in Mountaineers by Massif Games, you’d think the objective is to get to the top of the mountain, but this game is actually about the journey, not the destination. Check out our interview with creator Corey Wright above!

Larklamp System: Another very unique mechanic, this game platform uses a lantern and cutout sheets to create the game board. Each sheet is movable and flipable, creating endless combinations of light and shadow. The team at Lumo Amuzo already has two games built with the lantern platform, with more coming out soon.

CodeWorld: The CodeWorld prototype by Dreamstruck Games was on display and capturing the eye of many a passerby. We like how the characters can scale the “walls” of the code and even jump in the air to perform attacks. We’ll be watching for this one on Kickstarter.

Innovative Highlights: Pushing the Definitions of Board Games and Card Games

These are some highlighted games we saw using interesting mechanics, format and/or technology to take tabletop gaming to the next level.

Photo from Lightseekers

Lightseekers: What started as an rpg app game evolved to include smart action figures and now a complete card game. In addition to being a competitive card game suitable for tournaments in the style of Magic the Gathering or Yu-Gi-Oh, the cards themselves can be scanned to your  game account and give you extra abilities and options in the game! This is what we’re looking forward to as technology and tabletop intermix together. Check out our interview with Lightseekers‘ Willie Wilkov coming soon.

Secret Unknown Stuff: Escape from Dulce: Well-constructed prototypes of Escape from Dulce, by Sentient Cow Games, drew many an eye to the exhibit. The three levels of board game play is a unique draw, not to mention, the preface “Secret Unknown Stuff” gets my curiosity going. Watch out for the Kickstarter and our review arriving February 28th!

Master of Wills: Looking at their booth, you’d never guess that Master of Wills is Stormcrest Games’ first board game. The game is a political tug of war, where each player (or team) is trying to entice supporters to their side, which has the effect of drawing and repelling others on the field. The deep strategy inherent in this mechanic singles out Master of Wills. Everything looked crisp, sharp and cohesive, including the game, mat, app and booth. Check out our review of Master of Wills.

Solid Picks at PAX South

These are our tried and true solid designers and publishers we love to work with. We’ve played multiple games from them, and highly recommend checking them out if you haven’t already heard of them.

SolarFlare Games is the master of strategic and compact card games. They’re behind the titles Archmage Origins, the Nightmare Forest games, Lords of Rock and more. We interviewed designer and owner Dave Killingsworth to hear the big news about SolarFlare Games‘ (many) upcoming Kickstarters.

Mayday Games publishes some awesome family-friendly games. We interviewed David Peterson and got the fastest, adrenaline-filled walkthrough of several of MayDay‘s highlighted games, including Coconuts, Macroscope, Garbage Day and Get Bit!

Northstar Games are a well-known publisher. You may have heard of Evolution, or Evolution: The Beginning, which is available at Target (and Amazon sometimes)! We also got to play a bit of Happy Salmon and got an inside look at the new Vegas: Wits and Wagers when we interviewed Nicole Marino – check it out soon!

Direwolf/Renegade Game Studios, the creators of fan favorites Clank and now Clank in Outer Space as well as family-favorites Lanterns and Lotus. Direwolf brought the digital side to PAX South with app versions of both Lanterns and Lotus. I look forward to writing a review just about Lanterns and how it compares to the board game!

Studio Woe was in attendance, sharing their card game, Gruff: The Tactical Card Game of Mutated Monster Goats, as well as the expansion, Gruff: Clash of the Battle Goats. We interviewed designer Brent Critchfield to get the low-down on what’s next for Studio Woe.

Level 99 Games series and games include titles such as Pixel Tactics (here’s our review of Mega Man Pixel Tactics in the series), Argent: The Consortium, and Millennium Blades. Check out our interview with Brad Talton. Next up, we’re excited to try Noir Automata from Level 99 Games!

Mind Bottling Games‘ and Roxley‘s action-packed battle game, Dice Throne, was featured at PAX South’s Indie Showcase last year and then funded on Kickstarter. We got to chat with Manny Trembly and learn and play through the game; I just gotta say, the Moon Elf rocks!

Yanaguana Games must’ve been celebrating at their booth; their Kickstarter campaign for Re-chord, had already funded on the first day. Well done, good sirs. Check out our review of Re-chord, and there’s still time to back the campaign! Next up, we’re playing a sleek and small card game from Yanaguana Games, Stir Fry Eighteen. 

Indie Board & Cards showcased a solid lineup of games, including The Resistance, Avalon, Kodama, Coup and more. Check out Indie Board & Cards.

Games We Can’t Wait to Try from PAX South

These games caught our interest and we can’t wait to try out the games and give our opinions!

Grimm Forest and Sorcerer City from Druid City Games. We already love Barnyard Roundup so we got an interview with James Hudson to see what Sorcerer City was all about.

We were excited to finally get our hands on Evil Genius Death Ray and the expansion pack by Vile Genius Games. We interviewed Mark Sierens where he shared a prototype of his upcoming Kickstarter game, Loot & Shoot.

Photo from Zafty

Gingerdead House by Zafty. A tower defense board game with a dark Grimm fairytale theme? Yes, please! If like us, you can’t wait to play, you can get Gingerdead House on Amazon now.

Quick and Dirty, described as an offensively fun party game. This game could replace Cards Against Humanity, especially as a drinking game that doesn’t require as many cards. Check out Quick and Dirty on Amazon or their website.

Although we had not heard of Fable’s End before, that’s part of the excitement of going to these cons, right? Described as a unique and competitive customizable card game for two or more players, we look forward to trying it out.

Dragon Dice and Daemon Dice by SFR, Inc. In Dragon Dice, the dice are the playing pieces of your army, terrains and dragons. Play as a specific fantasy race to seize control of the battlefield.

Upcoming Kickstarters You Don’t Want to Miss

Loot & Shoot – January 30th.

Dice Throne Season 2 – February 14th.

Secret Unknown Stuff: Escape from Dulce – February 28th.

Fable’s End – possibly February.

CodeWorld – Spring 2018

Skulk Hallow by Pencil First Games – 2018.

Churrascaria from Absurdist Productions, coming soon to Kickstarter.

Other Stuff of Interest at PAX South

There was too much content for even the two of us to cover everything at PAX South, but here are a couple of other exhibitors of interest!

Greater Than Games: We haven’t fully played any of the games from Greater Than Games yet, but we did manage to get an interview with their social media manager, who shared all about their latest game, Fate of the Elder Gods.

Breaking Games: They had a solid display of games from many designers, but we didn’t get a chance to interview anyone from Breaking Games. Better luck next time! In the meantime, check out my review of Sparkle*Kitty by designer Manny Vega.

Rock Manor Games: We’ve reviewed Brass Empire and Maximun Apocalypse by Rock Manor Games. Unfortunately, we didn’t get a chance to interview this time around.

Carolina Game Tables: If only we had an actual dining room or dining area, we would definitely invest in one of these luxe but affordable tables from Carolina Game Tables. Since they double as your regular nice dining table just by adding the tabletop on, you’re really getting two tables for the price of one (that’s my pitch to the hubby).

Wrymwood: These artisans shared their beautiful boxes, created to highlight the natural beauty of the wood and fit your dice. Wrymwood also had unique magnetic dice towers that disassembled for easy travel.

Illimat is described as an interesting evolution of a classic card game. And it looks stunning. We hope to get a chance to play Illimat one day.

Fowers Games: You may have heard of Word Domination or Paperback, and Fowers Games is accepting pre-orders for the prequel Hardback, as well as the Paperback Expansion, Now Boarding and Wok Star, 3rd Edition.

Thank you for reliving the journey of PAX South with us! Did you go? Did we miss any great news or games? Leave a comment below!

Some games were provided to Unfiltered Gamer for review. Our reviews are our honest opinions of the games. We were not compensated for attending PAX South or writing this blog post.

The post The Ultimate Tabletop Recap of PAX South 2018 appeared first on Unfiltered Gamer.

All the Lists: Top Board Games of 2017

Unfiltered Gamer and the Cardboard Stacker collaborated on a list this year, each contributing their top five board games of 2017, as well as their top five Kickstarter games of 2017.

Man vs. Meeple also create a video showcasing their top ten of 2017. Top picks include Azul, Ethnos, Gloomhaven, Gaia Project, Heaven & Ale, Bunny Kingdom, and the 7th Continent.

Drive Thru Review‘s top ten list includes The Expanse board game, Heaven & Ale, and Hunt for the Ring.

Radho‘s top ten games of 2017 includes Gloomhaven, Santa Maria and Jump Drive, among others.

We like how Pair of Dice Paradise created a top ten list of overlooked board games in 2017. Included are Container: 10th Anniversary Jumbo Edition, Heroes of Land, Air & Sea and more.

The GameBoyGeek also had a couple of unusual picks in his top ten board games – sharing his opinions on DropMix and Dragon Castle, but also popular picks like the 7th Continent.

Roll for Crit shares their top ten board games of 2017 – showcasing This War of Mine, Spirit Island and the popular 7th Continent.

Edo shares his top ten games he’s played in 2017. He included Kingdomino and Jaipur, among others.

Adam’s Boardgame Wales‘ list of top ten board games features storytelling games such as Untold Adventures Await, Magic Maze, and Dice Forge.

Board Game Quest‘s Tony Mastrangeli compiled his top ten board games of the year and shares his thoughts on Fallout, The Quest for El Dorado,  Wasteland Express Delivery Service and more.

On Ars Technica, Aaron Zimmerman, Nate Anderson and Tom Mendelsohn share a lengthy post detailing the best board games of the year.

The Dice Tower recorded a podcast and listed out their top ten picks. Fairly straightforward and well-known, their top picks include Gloomhaven, Unlock and the 7th Continent.

Here’s a playlist with all of the year’s top board game lists that we could find:

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/embed?listType=playlist&list=PLmIIYFy7QwO7qRZnFfojv1GtSAGNPDAAP&v=TS_BxZ9Zvw4[/embedyt]

Highlighted Board Games of 2017

These games appeared in many of the lists above. Here’s a little bit more information about each one and where to buy it. Please note: our amazon links are affiliate links that help us keep this website up —thank you for supporting Unfiltered Gamer!

Gloomhaven

The second printing of this game on Kickstarter raised nearly $4 million this year, and the game has recently attained the coveted #1 spot on Board Game Geek. With credentials like that, it’s no surprise that this dungeon crawler made quite a few top ten lists this year. If you missed the Kickstarter, you can get Gloomhaven on Amazon (will be released this January).

The 7th Continent

A huge cooperative adventure game that funded for $7 million on Kickstarter, it’s no surprise that this game was mentioned on many lists this year. The good news? You can still late pledge for the 7th Continent on Kickstarter and experience the hype for yourself.

Santorini

Unlike the above games, this strategy board game is great for younger and older players alike (ages 8+). And, it’s a bit more affordable than most of the others on this list; you can purchase Santorini on Amazon.

Azul

This game is on my personal list to play or find very soon. A tile drafting and placing game, players compete to complete a beautiful design on the walls of a palace. The art of the game looks amazing! Check out Azul on Amazon.

DropMix

DropMix has a super unique technology component to the game that makes it a unique hit for the year as well as a sign of the type of games we will be seeing in the near future. Play DJ by mixing your own tunes, or play cooperatively in a game of speed, communication and matching that will have you nodding your head to the beat. You can buy the DropMix gaming system on Amazon.

Are we missing a list or your favorite board game of the year? Leave us a comment to let us know!

The post Top Board Games of 2017: The List of Lists appeared first on Unfiltered Gamer.