The movie industry continues to dig for stories based on preexisting franchises in an effort to capitalize on fandom. The Hollywood Reporter recently reported that Lionsgate has optioned the movie rights for the sci-fi strategy board game Dust from Fantasy Flight Games.

The steampunk-themed game is set in an alternate universe where World War II never ended. Players spend production points to buy factories and invest in research and development. The goal is to have the most victory points by building strong armies and invading other player’s territories. Victory points are awarded for power sources, capitals, and majorities that a player controls. The first player to reach a set number of victory points wins the game.

Rawson Marshall Thurber is attached to direct the film. His credits include “We’re the Millers” and “Dodgeball.” Lego film franchise producer Dan Lin is also on board to produce Dust.

The Hollywood reporter notes that Thurber has “geek cred.” His name is also attached to an adaptation of two popular comic books, “Elfquest” and “The Umbrella Academy.”

“It’s a cool spin on a genre that I’ve loved for a long time and it opens up narrative avenues that are just thrilling,” Thurber told the Hollywood Reporter. “It’s all my 9-year-old fantasies wrapped in one thing, a World War II mashup.”

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Do you have an extra $100 just laying around? Already paid all your bills, and made sure your children have food to eat? You’re in luck! Fantasy Flight Games has just released the Imperial Raider for the Star Wars X-Wing Miniatures Game. They will gladly take that $100 from you in exchange for this marvelous, and gigantic, addition to your Star Wars miniatures obsession. Better yet, they’re also tossing in a teeny TIE fighter in the package, and a maneuver template so you can accurately try to move the lumbering Raider through space.

The X-Wing Imperial Raider set also contains rules for energy to fuel your shields and abilities. It comes out in March, and will retail for … $99.95 (so you can keep a nickel from that $100 you have. Until you figure in tax.)

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Asmodee Games, having acquired Fantasy Flight Games and Days of Wonder in 2014, has purchased Paris-based Ystari Games and Belguim-based Pearl Games, according to a news posting by Marabunta, a sub-brand of Asmodee. Products published by Ystari Games include Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective, Caylus, and Endeavor. Pearl Games publishes Troyes, Ginkgopolis, Deus, and others.

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Fantasy Flight is releasing Start Wars: Armada next month, much to the delight of X-Wing fans. Armada plays on a bit of a larger scale than it’s predecessor, and I’m sure we’ll be seeing some impressive ships.

The core set will contain: a Victory-class Star Destroyer, Nebulon-B frigate, and CR90 Corellian corvette. All of these are pre-painted and as amazing looking as you’d expect.

Since we’re talking about a larger scale here, we should also mention a larger scale price. This set will run you $100 when it hits store shelves.

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Setting against the Eldritch mysteries of H.P. Lovecraft, the second expansion of co-op game Elder Sign leads players into Arkham, an ancient refuge of criminals and dark forces. In over twenty different locations throughout the dangerous city, players have to face 4 never-seen-before Ancient Horrors and it is their task to purge the awakening evils. To assist players on their quest, 8 new investigators who possess useful powers to assist fellow members of the team are introduced.

Elder Sign: Gates of Arkham plays 1 to 8 players in about 90 minutes. MSRP $24.95, expected to be released in Q1 2015.

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Being the fourth deluxe expansion for The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game, The Lost Realm leads players into the wild reaches of the north, where the brave Dúnedain rangers have been protecting the land from the evil servants of the Dark Lord. With a total of 165 cards, the expansion introduces a new version of Aragorn, two Dúnedain heroes and a wealth of their allies. Players can choose from three different scenarios which lead to distinctive challenges and rewards.

The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game – The Lost Realm is expected to be released in 2014 for an MSRP of $29.99.

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Asmodee is on a roll, aren’t they? After announcing that they were acquiring Days of Wonder only a short while ago, they’ve now announced that they’ve acquired Fantasy Flight. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Asmodee is quickly becoming one of the largest hobby game companies around.

Fantasy Flight has always seemed like the big kid on the block to me, so I’m a little surprised to see this come across my desk today!

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Originally published by Fantasy Flight Games, Age of Conan will be seeing a re-release through Ares Games. Also, and expansion called “Adventures in Hyboria” will be Kickstarted this month.

Part of the deal is that Ares Games will acquire all remaining inventory of the game from Fantasy Flight Games.

There’s no word yet on pricing, the actual 2nd edition of the game, or when said 2nd edition will actually be released.

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Remember the plastic miniatures from the 1st edition of Descent? Miss them? Here’s your opportunity to bring that wonderful, plastic goodness to your copy of 2nd edition.

Guardians of Deephall Hero & Monster Collection includes four heroes, two crypt dragons, three wendigos, and four dark priests along with two brand-new quests chronicling their battles for Deephall.

MSRP is $34.95.

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Some new roleplaying games were announced recently…

Modiphius Entertainment is bringing back Mutant Year Zero, a post-apocalyptic RPG out of Sweden that was the precursor to Mutant Chronicles. The game, scheduled for release in December, focuses on heavily mutated humans living in an isolated settlement known as The Ark.

The Ark, your home in the dawnworld. A nest of intrigue and Lord of the Flies-style power struggles, it’s far from a safe haven. But it’s the only home you know, and just maybe the cradle of a new civilization. The game rules let you improve and develop the Ark in the areas of Warfare, Food Supply, Technology, and Culture. It is up to you, the players, to decide which projects to embark on.

Working with Matt Forbeck, Outland Entertainment is developing the author’s Shotguns & Sorcery novels in to a roleplaying game and series of enhanced ebooks. Shotguns & Sorcery is described as “fantasy noir”—detective stories set in a dark fantasy world. Outland plans to launch a Kickstarter for the project in October, with the goal of delivering the game in time for Gen Con 2015. Outland also indicates that Matt will be writing a majority of the game book.

From Fantasy Flight Games is coming The End of the World, a series of four independent but compatible games all built on apocalyptic themes but each with a different threat. In order of release, the four games are Zombie Apocalypse, Wrath of the Gods, Alien Invasion, and Revolt of the Machines.

As interesting as that sounds, what really looks to set The End of the World apart is the fact that players in the game will have themselves as characters. Players will be asked to rate their own physical, mental, and social attributes, describe their own positive and negative traits, and identify in-game equipment based on what’s immediately around them in the real world [you know I’ll be showing up to game night with MREs and a sword].

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