PAX Unplugged—Winning Moves

Winning Moves’ newest games include an original abstract and two revived classics.

The abstract is Triple Cross ($20), which has players filling a vertical device with orange and green pieces to score the greatest number of three-in-a-row sets. The pieces slide in to horizontal rows and can be used to push an opponent’s pieces out the other side. Or a player can snap a clip on the end to fix that row.

Clue Master Detective ($30) is a super-sized version of the classic deduction game, with additional rooms, weapons, and suspects. The mansion board also has snoop spots, which allow a player to look another player’s cards.

A Milton Bradley title from the early ’90s, 13 Dead End Drive is kind of the inverse of Clue. Players divide up the game’s 12 characters in secret and then try to kill off all but their own. Each turn they can move any of the characters around a three-dimensional game board. When they manage to maneuver a character pawn in to one of the various danger spaces, they can press a little lever or switch and literally topple a statue or drop a chandelier on the piece to kill it. 13 Dead End Drive is exclusive to Go! Calendars & Games until January.

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Earlier today, in a ceremony held at The Strong’s National Museum of Play, Clue, the Wiffle Ball, and paper airplanes were inducted in to the National Toy Hall of Fame. Selection for the Hall of Fame recognizes toys that have “inspired creative play and enjoyed popularity over a sustained period.”

Clue, modeled after murder-mystery dinner parties, was invented by a British couple during the war years but did not see publication by Waddingtons, under the name “Cluedo”, until 1949. The game was soon thereafter purchased by Parker Brothers and released in the United States as “Clue”.

The Wiffle Ball, a hollow, plastic baseball replacement, was invented in the 1950s. Holes cut in the plastic ball slow its movement, allowing play in more cramped spaces and with fewer broken windows, as well as some mean curves even by amateur pitchers [all still important features when we played on 180th Terrace back in the late 70s and early 80s].

The origin of paper airplanes is said to date back to 1909, just a few years after the Wright brothers’ first flight.

These three toys were chosen by a panel of industry judges from a field of 12 finalists. Among the 62 previous inductees are marbles, Dungeons & Dragons, the Slinky, Barbie, puppets, and alphabet blocks.

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Boards to Bytes

Tokaido, a game from publishers Funforge and Passport about traveling the East sea road in Japan, is now available in digital form (Android and iOS). At first glance, it appears to do a good job of maintaining the tabletop version’s beautiful aesthetic. There’s strategy for sure but the board game, at least, I enjoyed as much for the journey as for the winning. Single player, pass-and-play, and online multiplayer options are all available.

Zynga, in collaboration with Hasbro, has released Boggle With Friends. Available on Android and iOS, Boggle With Friends has both head-to-head and solo game modes, and is free-to-play with in-app purchases.

Also licensed from Hasbro, Marmalade Game Studio has released mobile versions of Clue (A.K.A. Cluedo) for Android and iOS. Right now, it’s single-player only but a multiplayer mode is planned.

Dungeons & Dragons-based Planescape: Torment is coming back in an Enhanced Edition from Beamdog playable on PC and mobile.

 

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Clue Comic Book

The ongoing partnership between IDW Publishing and Hasbro will next visit the board game Clue with a five-issue comic series beginning in June. The story is said to put a comedic spin on the game but will feature Miss Scarlet, Colonel Mustard, Mrs. Peacock, Professor Plum, and all the classic characters.

The new series opens after the doomed Mr. Boddy is murdered at his own dinner party and everyone is a suspect! Will Boddy’s body be the last to fall, or is it just the beginning? Readers will have to follow the clues to solve the mystery, which deepens even further as issue one will feature three alternate endings!

That’s right, variant covers will be backed by different unfolding stories with unique clues.

Clue is being written by Paul Allor (Guardians of the GalaxyG.I. JOE) and illustrated by Nelson Dániel (Dungeons & DragonsThe Cape). The covers are by Gabriel Rodriguez (Locke & Key).

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Toy Fair 2017—WS Game Company

The folks at WS Game Company were busy with buyers from store chains large and small at Toy Fair this year and it’s no wonder. The company makes high-end versions of classic boardgames. These are games that put presentation above all else, whether it’s something as inexpensive as their $25-$30 Nostalgia Tin line or their top-of-the-line Franklin Mint Collector’s Editions of Scrabble and Monopoly (both available now, $500).

Yesterday, we showcased the Monopoly Miami Edition with art from Romero Britto. Next to that game was a Scrabble set, featuring the artwork of Charles Fazzino. This set, the Scrabble 3D World Edition (available now, $500), features layered elements creating a 3D piece of artwork below the playing surface. The glass letter tiles are larger than your standard Scrabble set. Like the Monopoly set, this art edition of Scrabble is limited to 2000 copies.

Perhaps you want a simple “luxury” edition of Scrabble, Monopoly, or Clue? On April 15th, they will be available for $250 apiece. Both Monopoly and Scrabble come with gold foil-stamped play elements (the outer path, houses and hotels, and tokens in Monopoly, the raised grid, sand timer, and tile holders in Scrabble). Monopoly has the central area sunken for dice rolling on a faux-leather surface while Scrabble has faux-ivory letter tiles. Of this line, the one that really caught my eye was the Clue edition with sunken, three-dimensional mansion rooms beneath the glass surface. The murder weapons and the bases of the suspects are gold foil-stamped as well.

But then there’s the glass versions of Monopoly and Scrabble that will be available in August at a price point yet to be determined. The game art on these is printed on tempered glass. The Scrabble set’s board rotates and the tiles have non-slip coatings to keep them in place. The Monopoly board has more glass elements: not only is the board glass, but the houses and hotels are as well. These are sharp-looking games, even though they come with rounded corners.

The Monopoly Transformers Edition appears to be a piece of artwork featuring Generation 1 Transformers, but the frames swing open to reveal the themed outer track. Instead of properties, you’re purchasing transforming robots that… you place houses and hotels on to collect rent? Okay. Unlike most licensed Monopoly games, there is no Go! space — here, it’s ROLL OUT! (and collect $200). To be released in August, the price hasn’t been determined yet, but you can mortgage Megatron for $160 to help save up.

WS Game Company’s line of vintage bookshelf games did amazingly well for them last year. At a $40 price point for Monopoly, Scrabble, and Clue, these games in book-like boxes is inspired by vintage graphics. Coming out later this year (August, again) at a price point that’s unknown (but probably $40 like the currently-available batch) are Yathzee’s 1956 edition, The Game of Life’s 1960 edition, Trivial Pursuit’s 1981 Genius edition, and Scattergories’ 1988 edition.

Twister joins the Collectible Tin line, alongside Candy Land, Chutes & Ladders, Scrabble, Monopoly, Clue, Sorry!, and Mystery Date. Twister, available in August as well, will retail for $30, like the majority of the line. Candy Land and Chutes & Ladders are the only outliers at the $25 level.

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Clue, The Movie, The Stage Play

clue-movie-castClue, the cult classic movie (1985) based on the board game, will see a resurrection of sorts next year in the form of a stage play. This theatrical adaptation will be the next project out of a partnership between Hasbro and Araca Group, which previously announced plans for a Monopoly Broadway musical.

Clue is scheduled to premier in May 2017 at the Bucks County Playhouse in Pennsylvania and then tour the U.S. and U.K.

[via Playbill]

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Screen Games

Ready for a board game origin story on the big screen? Not one about a plucky inventor. Instead, Ouija: Origin of Evil tells a tale of 1965 Los Angeles and how “a widowed mother and her two daughters add a new stunt to bolster their séance scam business and unwittingly invite authentic evil into their home.” In theaters October 21st.

Recently released on Netflix is The Dwarvenaut, a documentary about the founder of Dwarven Forge and the company’s Kickstarter campaign.

Disney’s Queen of Katwe, based on the true story of Ugandan Chess player Phiona Mutesi, is in theaters now.

It appears that the Jumanji remake replaces the board game with a video game. On the other hand, star Dwayne Johnson claims it’s not a remake but rather a sequel.

A new Clue movie is in the works, being developed by 21st Century Fox. Unlike the 1980s Clue, this one will be a “worldwide mystery” action-adventure story.

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2016-national-toy-hall-of-fame-finalists

The National Toy Hall of Fame at The Strong National Museum of Play has announced 12 finalists for potential induction in the class of 2016. The finalists are:

  • Bubble Wrap
  • Care Bears
  • Coloring Book
  • Clue
  • Dungeons & Dragons
  • Fisher Price Little-People
  • Nerf
  • Pinball
  • Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots
  • Swing
  • Transformers
  • Uno

Final selection of inductees will be made by a national advisory committee and the results announced November 10th. Usually 2-3 are chosen. Criteria include:

  • Icon-status—the toy is widely recognized, respected, and remembered.
  • Longevity—the toy is more than a passing fad and has enjoyed popularity over multiple generations.
  • Discovery—the toy fosters learning, creativity, or discovery through play.
  • Innovation—the toy profoundly changed play or toy design.

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Hasbro logoUnder pressure by foreign exchange rates, Hasbro’s second quarter net revenues were down 4 percent compared to last year (to $797.7 million). The results, however, were better than expected by analysts, moving the company’s stock price to close up 6 percent on Monday.

Before the impact of foreign exchange, Hasbro’s revenues were up 5 percent. The girls category dropped 22 percent compared to the same quarter of last year, games 6 percent. However, when comparing the first 6 months of 2015 to that of 2014, the games category was flat. This difference was driven mostly by the change in Magic: The Gathering’s release schedule. In 2014 the major release was in the second quarter. In 2015 it was in the first. A “restaging” of Duel Masters in Japan was also a contributing factor.

Results in the second quarter were mixed among Hasbro’s franchise brands as well. Magic: The Gathering, Transformers, and Furby were down. Littlest Pet Shop, Monopoly, My Little Pony, Nerf, and Play-Doh were up. So were Marvel and Jurassic World.

CEO Brian Goldner said traditional board games in particular were up “a bit” in the second quarter. In addition to Monopoly, Clue, Trouble, and Twister performed well.

Looking forward, Goldner spoke optimistically about Monopoly Here and Now, Pie Face, games for the Minions and Star Wars movies, and the…

Magic: The Gathering Arena of the Planeswalkers game, which gives us a new footprint in the strategy board gaming category.

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ToyFair15Horizontal

usaopolylogoUSAopoly surprised me at Toy Fair. I mostly know them for their licensed versions of Monopoly, Clue, Risk, Yahtzee, etc…, but a handful of original titles filled their booth this year. Before I get into those, I’m going to post a gallery of all the licensed products that are new.

OK! There’s a lot of material to cover above.

Monopoly

The Legend of Zelda version is new as of last year, and has been an excellent seller. New to the scene are Mass Effect, Pokemon, Jurassic World, Doctor Who: Villains, Firefly, and Penny Dreadful.

Yahtzee

There’s Back to the Future (the Flux Capacitor case lights up!), Firefly, The Legend of Zelda, and new versions for The Avengers, Age of Ultron. These I wasn’t allowed to take pictures of, but the dice come in either an Iron Man or Ultron head.

Clue

Doctor Who. It rhymes.

BANG!

It was really cool to see that there’s a Hereos of the Storm version, and a comic book Walking Dead version. Also, Halo.

Munchkin

A Walking Dead expansion for Munchkin Zombies was shown, as well as Adventure Time Munchkin. I actually took a copy of the latter home from a Steve Jackson party, and it’s pretty sweet. USAopoly did an excellent job of capturing the feeling of the show and fitting it in with the equally zany world of Munchkin.

Puzzles

Two beautiful Legend of Zelda puzzles. One is of the Hyrule Map, and the other is a colorful piece from The Wind Waker.

Risk

I wasn’t able to take pictures of either Risk title I saw, but they’re both very exciting. The first is an Avengers: Age of Ultron version that comes with little painted miniatures of the Avengers. The packaging said something about “collect them all,” but the rep showing me around didn’t know what that was about. It could be a pretty interesting mechanic if there were an element of randomness to the figures in the box.

The second, and by far one of the most exciting licensed products, was the Game of Thrones version of Risk. This thing was huge. It comes with 2 giant boards depicting Westeros and Essos, and the game is played over both maps at once. The pieces were amazing in their detail, and the box was minimal and beautiful. This is one I’d go out of my way to purchase.

 


 

OK. That horizontal line above is where we break from the licensed copies of classic and well known board games and get into original titles USAopoly is putting out.

TacDex – $9.95

TacDex is a newer game to the USAopoly line, and is a War-style card game developed by Richard Borg. Already having a Pirates! deck, they’ve now added a Super Mario Brothers deck, Walking Dead deck, and Halo deck. I was told you can mix and match the decks, if so desired. Right off the bat I’m interested because of Richard Borg’s involvement.

Rollandia

Rollandia is a really cool looking game where you’re rolling dice to try and build your castle. You need to roll groups of numbers to build each piece, and there’s a component of using your already-claimed numbers to effect other players. The whole look and feel of the game caught be totally by surprise after seeing such a huge amount of licensed Monopoly, Clue, Yahtzee, etc… games. Nothing against those, but it’s always nice to see new and innovative titles hit the market.

Nefarious – $29.95 – Ages 13+

Nefarious

Rollandia was really cool looking, but one look at Nefarious and I had already moved on. In Nefarious you’re playing evil scientists trying to take over the world. You do this by inventing devices, performing espionage, and doing research. Visually stunning, designed by Donald X. Vaccarino, and slick looking game play make this one to keep an eye on.

Pass the Blame : The Party Game for Irresponsible and Telestrations 8: After Dark  – $29.95 and $19.95 – Ages 17+

Two adult games following the new trend in the wake of Cards Against Humanity. Both party games involve compromising situations and foul thoughts. Pass the Blame has situations cards that players must write excuses for. Not as filthy as Telestrations After Dark, but it can get a bit dicey. Telestrations After Dark has you playing a game of Telephone, but with sketches. One player sketches a phrase, the next guesses what the phrase is and tries to draw it again, and so on. This one is a bit more intentionally dirty with terms like “doggie style”, “human centipede”, and more.

Wonky

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Wonky comes with a box of mostly-cube-like pieces and cards that tell you what color cubes to place and where. Players have to follow the directions on the cards and build a tower as high as they can without it falling. A quick, easy, family game.

Tapple

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A word game with an interesting twist. A card is drawn with a category, after which each player takes turns naming something in the category and tapping down the letter the word started with. Once a letter is tapped down it can’t be used again. Players who can’t think of a word are knocked out.

Lift It

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This one had a pretty cool hook to it (pun intended.) Lift It has you trying to build certain structures with the pieces provided, but you must do in within a time limit, and by only using your hook on a string to pick up and place pieces. Some challenges are even cooperative, where 2 players need to each hook pieces and work togehter to build something. I gave this a shot, but was met with an almost insurmountable challenge trying to get my shaky, carpal tunnel ridden hands and wrists to do as I asked.

 

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