New Game Round-up: Munchkin Legends, A Quartet of Games from AEG & The Start of the Spiel 2013 Deluge

by W. Eric Martin

• As noted in an April 2013 news item, U.S. publisher Steve Jackson Games has had good results placing Munchkin in the Target retail chain in the U.S., noting in its annual stakeholder report for 2012 that "In January 2012, our test of Munchkin in Target stores went system-wide. Almost every Target store now stocks Munchkin. And some are testing Munchkin Zombies!" Apparently the results have been even better than you might imagine as the next Munchkin standalone game – Munchkin Legends– has been revealed, and it's exclusively available now from Target.com, with the game reaching Target stores later in 2013.

In a press release announcing the game and explaining the exclusive, designer and company owner Steve Jackson writes, "In the past few years, Target has done an amazing job with strategy games. They've brought our hobby to the mass market – Munchkin, of course, and other gamer favorites like Settlers of Catan and Ticket to Ride. The adventure game designers appreciate what Target has done to build up our category, and Munchkin Legends is a thank-you!"

• In a June 19, 2013 Facebook post, Alderac Entertainment Group notes that "soon we'll have some exciting announcements about several new games in our Big in Japan and Tempest game lines". In the comments section, the AEG rep later writes, "The first Tempest one deals with canals. The Big in Japan ones deal with... geisha, boats, and legacies. But not all at once (and that's not all the Japanese games we're doing either!)." So we've got Mai-Star, Sail to India, and Lost Legacy– at least that's what I'm guessing, and only Sail to India seems iffy.

• As for the new addition to the Tempest line, AEG later announcedCanalis from designer Philip duBarry. Here's the brief description of that game: "In Canalis, players play building and canal tiles on the board to score points and complete secret goals of powerful citizens of Tempest. Connecting your buildings to worker housing and ultimately to the harbors are the way to win. Cards you play can either build or scheme (which lets you prepare for future turns)."

• Designer Paolo Morinotes on a BGG thread that he's working on an expansion for Libertalia.

• As is his habit following the release of a Dominion expansion, designer Donald X. Vaccarino has posted a "secret history" of the cards in Dominion: Guilds, which debuted at the Origins Game Fair in mid-June 2013.

• Sophie Gravel of Z-Man Gamesnotes that a new, rethemed edition of Susumu Kawasaki's Traders of Carthage is in the works and due out at the end of June 2013. Says Gravel, "As the designer is Japanese, we asked for a Japanese theme".

• To start the ball rolling on news about titles due out at Spiel 2013 – the huge annual game convention in Essen, Germany – Italian publisher Cranio Creations is showing off a rough draft of the cover for its Dungeon Fighter expansion Fire at Will! (Poor Will...) A video showing off various elements from the expansion, which was recorded at an annual event held by German publisher/distributor Heidelberger Spieleverlag, is live on that expansion page. (HT: Meople's Magazine)

• Arnaud from Matagot has posted details on BGG of the oversized version of Antoine Bauza's Takenoko that Asmodee will sell at Gen Con 2013 and that Matagot will sell in Europe at conventions such as Spiel 2013. He later described the item's size and price as well. Eeep!

• Speaking of Bauza, French publisher Funforge has announced an expansion for his Tokaido that will debut at Spiel 2013 in October. For now all that's known is the Tokaido: Crossroads title, the release date, and what's visible in this image. If you plan to attend the Paris est Ludique fair the weekend of June 22-23, you'll be among the first to try out the game. If you do, rewrite my lousy placeholder game description!

• In another tease for its appearance at Paris est Ludique, Funforge posted this image from Eric Zimmerman's Quantum, which it also expects to release in time for Spiel 2013 in October.