This episode, Bree talks to designer Erica Bouyouris about switching to Plan B in the time of COVID, and Kitty gets spooky with "The Night Cage" and "The Shivers" Kickstarters.

TOP STORIES:

• "Pictures" takes home the 2020 Spiel des Jahres, and "The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine" wins the Kennerspiel des Jahres.
• Giant "Catan" field opens in Germany.
• "Last Light" from the Dice Tower's Roy Cannaday promises 8-player 4X space action in under 90 minutes.
• Upper Deck announces "Legendary: A Marvel Deck Building Game - Into the Cosmos."
• Starling Games alum launch development house Quillsilver Studios.
• "The Umbrella Academy" gets its own card battling game.
• Amazon to crack down on counterfeiting.
• "Usagi Yojimbo Hero Pack" coming to "Arcadia Quest."
• Wizards of the Coast powers down "Transformers Trading Card Game."

THE HOTNESS:

• Cairn
• Renature
• Under Falling Skies
• Fort
• Unmatched: Buffy the Vampire Slayer

SPECIAL REPORT:

• Bree Goldman discusses "Steven Universe: Beach-A-Palooza Card Battling Game" with designer Erica Bouyouris.

NEW & UPCOMING RELEASES:

• Scooby-Doo! Betrayal at Mystery Mansion
• Meza
• A Song of Ice & Fire: Tabletop Miniatures Game - Bloody Mummers Zorse Riders Unit Box
• Harlem Unbound (2nd Edition)

KICKSTARTERS:

• The Night Cage
• The Shivers

OUTPUT RANDOMNESS:

• Corey explores the concept of fun in gaming.

LINKS:

• Follow our curated Twitter newsfeed @DiceTowerNow.
• Find Bree on Twitter and Instagram @BoardGameBree.
• Dig in with Corey at DiceTowerDish.com.
• Check out the Tabletop Game Talk podcast with Chris and Kitty.

In this episode, Corey takes a look at the trials and tribulations of being (or working with) a board game developer. Plus, Chris discusses the “Ascension Tactics: Miniatures Deckbuilding Game” and “Roar and Write!” Kickstarters.

TOP STORIES:

• "Pandemic Legacy: Season 0" features doctors, spies, and Cold War bio-weapons.
• Asmodee acquires Libellud.
• Giochi Uniti releasing US versions of "Bar Barians," "Smiles and Daggers," and "Midnight Brunch."
• Boss Tweed is back in a new edition of "Tammany Hall."
• The Stefan Feld City Collection to launch August 18 on Kickstarter with "Hamburg" and "Amsterdam."
• Three new sets on the way for "A Song of Ice & Fire: Tabletop Miniatures Game."
• Gamegenic to produce new accessories for the 25th anniversary of "Catan."
• Upcoming deckbuilder "Fort" jumps to #1 on the Hotness.

SPECIAL REPORT:

• Corey Thompson speaks with Stronghold Games' Stephen Buonocore, Gaming Rules' Paul Grogan, Breaking Games' Peter Vaughan, and freelance designer/developer Jonny Pac Cantin about the challenges surrounding the role of game developers.

NEW & UPCOMING RELEASES:

• Unmatched: Cobble & Fog
• Unlock! Epic Adventures
• Fafnir
• Babylonia
• Yukon Airways
• Monster Mansion

KICKSTARTERS:

• Roar and Write!
• Ascension Tactics: Miniatures Deckbuilding Game

LINKS:

• Follow our curated Twitter newsfeed @DiceTowerNow.
• Find more of Corey's interviews at DiceTowerDish.com.
• Check out the Tabletop Game Talk podcast with Chris and Kitty.
• Find Bree on Twitter and Instagram @BoardGameBree.

In this episode, we talk to the producers of the new tabletop games documentary, GAMEMASTER, about how the film came to be.

TOP STORIES:

• Tabletop games Kickstarter business up in 2020 despite fewer projects.
• BGG.CON 2020 replaced by a second Virtual Gaming Con.
• CMON investigating the audit issues surrounding its annual report.
• "Magic: The Gathering" in-store play temporarily suspended.
• "The Once and Future Kang" sets his sights on "Marvel Champions."
• "Back the Comeback" charity auction to support retail comic and game stores.
• "Southern Rails" rolling into Rio Grande's station.
• Solo rules let "Sanctum" players face their demons alone.
• "Pandemic Legacy: Season 0" turns back the clock.

SPECIAL REPORT:

• Jasper talks with Jimmy Nguyen, Jason Rose, and Wally Schrass about the origins and challenges of making GAMEMASTER (Twitter: @GamemasterDoc), a new documentary about the world of tabletop games and the people behind them.

THE HOTNESS:

• Pendulum
• Perseverance: Castaway Chronicles
• Dead Reckoning

NEW & UPCOMING RELEASES:

• Spicy
• Keyforge: Mass Mutation
• Aztec
• Arkham Horror: TCG - The Blob that Ate Everything Scenario Pack
• Marvel Champions: TCG - Doctor Strange Hero Pack
• Legend of the Five Rings: In Pursuit of Truth Dynasty Pack
• The Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle-earth - Shadowed Paths
• Decipher
• The Great Cake Escape
• Black Rose Wars

KICKSTARTER:

• Catapult Kingdoms
• Enigmas
• Sorcerer: Endbringer

LINKS:

• Follow our Twitter newsfeed @DiceTowerNow.
• Catch up with Chris and Kitty's Tabletop Game Talk podcast.
• Dig in with Corey at Dice Tower Dish.
• Connect with Bree @BoardGameBree on Twitter.

This week, an ambassador for the hobby hangs up his hat, Corey takes us on a journey to learn what exactly a board game developer does, and Kitty and Chris discuss the Kickstarter campaigns for "Eila and Something Shiny" and "Hybris: Disordered Cosmos."

HEADLINES:

• "Wingspan" takes home the Dice Tower Award for Best Game of the Year, with "Maracaibo" and "Horrified" winning Best Strategy Game and Best Coop respectively.
• Stephen Buonocore to retire as President of Stronghold Games.
• Get ready to welcome the King and Queen in a new card game based on the "Downton Abbey" movie.
• Go off the top rope with "WWE Legends Royal Rumble Card Game."
• Return to Middle-earth in Reiner Knizia's "The Lord of the Rings - Anniversary Edition."
• Will Wheaton takes a ride with Bicycle.
• Plan B announces the final game in the "Century: Golem" trilogy.
• "Sonora" from Pandasaurus Games arrives in retail.

THE HOTNESS:

• Pendulum
• Lost Ruins of Arnak
• Dead Reckoning
• Godzilla: Tokyo Clash

SPECIAL REPORT:

• Corey talks to industry leaders to get to the bottom of what exactly board game developers do.

KICKSTARTER:

• Eila and Something Shiny
• Hybris: Disordered Cosmos

LINKS:

• Follow us on Twitter for the latest updates @DiceTowerNow.
• Check out Corey's interview with "Century: Golem" trilogy designer Emerson Matsuuchi at DiceTowerDish.com.
• Kitty and Chris take a look back at metagaming on this week's Tabletop Game Talk podcast.
• Connect with Bree on Twitter @BoardGameBree.
• You can now find us listed along with all the other great podcasts in the Dice Tower Network.