August '06 Roundup

GenCon has come and gone. Although the conference has cemented foundation in RPGs, we were still lucky enough to catch some great glimpses of both the Marvel Heroes boardgame, and gameplay footage of the World of Warcraft Trading Card Game. Also, Tempus shipped in August, which has turned out to be a strong strategic and fun title for a midsummer release. We'll probably be playing it well into the fall.

But of all the gaming news that came out in August, we're most excited about something which some will find small and inconsequential - the pending release of three Eurogames for Xbox Live. There have been other computer game ports of popular board game titles in the past (Days of Wonder has quite a lineup themselves), but never has there been such as an exciting distribution market as Xbox live. That service is teaming with video gamers who are hungry and willing to drop a little bit of electronic cash for a bit of a quieter and more social gaming experience. In a world where social networks are growing faster than grandpa's big toenail, a more cerebral interaction point might be just what XBox live community is looking for.

We can't wait to watch Settlers of Catan and Carcassonne make their splash in that network, which will hopefully resonate into our genre with an influx of new gamers making their way toward a face-to-face style of gaming.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. We'll keep the eye on the ball for September as: Settlers receives an expansion, the World of Warcraft TCG ramps up to release, and we try to get our hands on Lost The Game before the new season starts. Until then, this is what we were Critical about in August 2006:

Board Games & Party Games

• Hands On: War of the Ring Battle For Rohan
• Now Shipping: "Tempus"
• Now Shipping: "Blue Moon City"
• Conan Boardgame in 2007
• International Gamer Awards 2006 Finalists Announced
• Marvel Heroes GenCon Impressions in BoardGameGeek Forums
• Eurogames on Xbox Live
• "Lost The Game"
• Xbox Live Eurogame Screenshots
• Twilight Struggle Wins IGA's Best Historical Simulation 2006
• Coming Soon: "Catan Event Cards"
• Hands On: Tempus

Collectable Card Games

• World of Warcraft TCG Website Reveals Cards
• Xeko Trading Card Game
• A Letter From the Editor - Trading Card Game Fridays
• TCG It's Friday: World of Warcraft Card Types
• Dreambade: A Primer
• World of Warcraft TCG Official Rules
• World of Warcraft TCG Session Video

Gaming Culture

• Checking In with Warhammer Mark of Chaos
• International Gamer Awards 2006 Finalists Announced
• Board Games vs. Video Games. Fight!
• Max Brooks' "World War Z"

Read More in: Board Games | Collectable Card Games | Gaming News | Party Games

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