FFG: Fantasy Flight Games News

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Manage Your NPCs With Three New Adversary Decks

Add Color and Conflicts to Your STAR WARS (R) Roleplaying Games

Three new Adversary Decks are now available to add color and conflicts to your Star Wars roleplaying campaign!

The galaxy is an incomprehensibly vast place, with more variety than any one being can hope to experience and appreciate during a lifetime. There are thousands upon thousands of inhabitable worlds, filled with hundreds of thousands of intelligent species of every imaginable shape and size. Each of the twenty cards in an Adversary Deck represents an NPC drawn from the Core Rulebooks or other supplements for Star Wars®: Edge of the Empire™, Star Wars®: Age of Rebellion™, or Star Wars®: Force and Destiny™, giving you quick access to a wide range of friends and foes.

Adversary cards ensure that each NPC’s key statistics and information remain readily available, while card art and description text help Game Masters to set the scene and bring these supporting characters to life.

With these cards at your fingertips, you can quickly come up with a Twi’lek Dancer who meets your party at a Corellian cantina, a Hutt Crime Lord who offers your group a chance to smuggle spice and turn a profit, or an Imperial Moff who stops at nothing to hunt your troop of mercenaries through the Core Worlds. Whether you’re a GM or a player who develops an extended network of NPC allies, these cards allow you to create and maintain NPCs with ease.

Each of the three available Adversary Decks offers its own distinctive window into the Star Wars galaxy: Scum and Villainy, Imperials and Rebels, and Citizens of the Galaxy.

Scum and Villainy

On some planets, the criminal underworld is cautious, congregating only in secret. On other worlds, it operates in the open, wielding its influence like a blunt instrument and daring the forces of law and order to oppose it.

With the Scum and Villainy deck you can introduce your characters to gangsters, criminals, and outlaws – both notorious and amateur. Smugglers, slicers, arms dealers, hired thugs, and Hutt crime lords all mingle among the gritty congregation of characters that this adversary deck places at your fingertips.

Imperials and Rebels

Every day, the growing Rebellion threatens the Galactic Empire on new battle fields and political arenas. As their military forces clash throughout the galaxy to win the war for either freedom or oppression, each side must also fight for the hearts and minds of the galaxy’s citizens. Every day, as another reprehensible Imperial action produces new Rebel recruits, many more hope to rise to power through the Imperial ranks.

Rebel cell leaders, starfighter aces, Imperial stormtroopers, Imperial Moffs, and Bothan spies are all choosing sides in the fight for the galaxy. The Imperials and Rebels deck will give you access to all levels of authoritarian enforcers and freedom fighters alike. No matter the tides of battle, this deck will prepare you for nearly anyone you might encounter amid the heat of the Galactic Civil War.

Citizens of the Galaxy

There is no end to the variety of species and individuals you can meet if you travel far enough from home. Throughout the various sectors of the Galactic Empire and beyond, you’ll find potential allies and enemies waiting around every corner.

While other Adversary Decks are better suited to combat NPCs, the Citizens of the Galaxy Adversary Deck allows you to flesh out your campaigns and settings with rich details, oftentimes in ways that can easily transform a random encounter into the start of a fantastic adventure. As your characters wander the galaxy they are sure to run into a variety of individuals, all of whom are bound to have their own needs, desires, and secrets: a physician at a struggling medcenter, a comm operator at the local space station, an aspiring Twi’lek dancer in a slummy cantina, a Lutrillian merchant at the marketplace. These characters may offer vital information, become important allies, or make surprisingly dangerous enemies.

A Wealth of Friends and Foes

Each Adversary Deck’s twenty NPC cards includes information about the character’s statistics, skills, talents, abilities, and equipment, as well as a description that suggests how that individual might fit in to the Star Wars universe.

The Star Wars galaxy is full of adventure and obstacles to be overcome, and these new Adversary Decks are full of creatures you may meet along the way, who seek to either help or hinder your mission.

Gain quick access to a wide variety of helpful NPCs today. Head to your local retailer to pick up your Adversary Decks today, or order yours online through our webstore!

   
• Scum and Villainy

   
• Imperials and Rebels

   
• Citizens of the Galaxy

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Source: Manage Your NPCs With Three New Adversary Decks

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STAR WARS (R): Force and Destiny (TM) Beta Update #3

News From the Developers of the Force and Destiny Beta

Hello Force and Destiny™ beta testers,

This week, we’re still preparing for next week’s Character Creation update, and since there’s no rules update, I wanted to take the chance to talk a little bit about the beta process. Specifically, I thought I would take a moment to address the changes that are made in the beta updates, and those that we work on separately as we prepare for the finalized Core Rulebook.

It’s safe to say that making a Core Rulebook (even one where the basic game rules have already been established) is a long and complex process. Even though we ran Force and Destiny through our alpha playtesting months ago, along with our own internal tests, we’re still tweaking and reviewing items as the beta is ongoing. Of course, at this stage, most of the changes at this stage are based on your feedback.

Because we’re still processing earlier feedback and developing new materials, even as we’re receiving your comments, there are scores, even hundreds, of changes between the beta and the final product. Many of these changes are minor; we correct misspelled words, make small tweaks to item prices, and add the additional content that will eventually flesh out the completed Core Rulebook. Putting all of these changes into the beta updates just isn’t feasible, but it's not necessary, either. A lot of these changes aren’t going to change game mechanics, or don’t need to be reviewed by the playtest community. Let's go over our update criteria to show you what I mean.

   
1. Does the change affect mechanics? Proofreading changes seldom make it into the beta updates, simply because they don’t need to be tested. That isn’t to say we’re not eternally grateful to those of you who post in our proofreading feedback forum! We take all your proofreading changes and make sure they're fixed in the final book.

   
2. Is the change reintroducing old content? This comes up a little less often, but is still important. For example, a lot of you made the good catch that the Exhaust Port talent in the Starfighter Ace has no use in the core rules, because no enemy starships have the Massive rule. That’s definitely something we’ll be fixing (probably by adding either a Dreadnaught or a Victory Star Destroyer into the final book). However, we probably won’t add those profiles to the beta test since they’ve already been extensively tested in the Age of Rebellion beta last year.

Sometimes, however, we do add changes to the beta that break these criteria. If a mistake is glaring enough, we may “fix” it in the errata even while we fix it in the actual book, just to reassure everyone that it’s been noticed and addressed. We hate errors as much as you do, and sometimes we correct them early in the process to say, “Don’t worry; that problem’s been fixed.”

So that’s some of the thinking that goes into deciding what changes get put in the beta updates, and what changes get saved for the final book. Thanks for reading, and thanks for playing!

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Source: STAR WARS (R): Force and Destiny (TM) Beta Update #3

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Controlling the Game - Part I

Zach Bunn on Board Control in STAR WARS (TM): The Card Game

“Impressive. Most impressive. Obi-Wan has taught you well. You have controlled your fear. Now, release your anger. Only your hatred can destroy me.”
    –Darth Vader, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back

In the tumultuous battles of Star Wars™: The Card Game, controlling your opponent is critical. If you can keep your opponent from establishing a firm presence in the game, your path to galactic dominion is assured. Whether you close off any escape route with the galaxy’s bounty hunters or fool your opponent with a Jedi mind trick, controlling your opponent brings you massive advantages.

Today, guest writer Zach Bunn explores how to best control your opponent’s options in Star Wars: The Card Game.

Zach Bunn on Control in Star Wars: The Card Game

As I’ve often said, Star Wars: The Card Game is a very different kind of game. After you play enough card games, you start to see threads of similar ideas, concepts, and methods of winning. What I’ve found extremely appealing about this game, however, is how different its fundamental ideas are from so many other card games I’ve played.

Recently, I’ve had plenty of time to really consider what control means in Star Wars: The Card Game, and I’ve realized just how important it is in this game. To put it bluntly, control is the single most important concept in this card game. I’m serious. If you don’t understand how to control your opponent’s options and his units in this game, you’re going to lose to good players almost every time.

You Must Learn Control

Have you ever encountered a situation in Star Wars: The Card Game where you look across the table and you can’t see a way to do anything beneficial? You can’t win an edge battle, so attacking would be a waste with the units you have. You can’t take the Force or do anything that positively affects your position, other than play a few units. Your opponent might even have units with targeted strike, such as Luke Skywalker (Core Set, 92) or Mara Jade (Lure of the Dark Side, 529), and anything you can play will surely die before your next turn.

This is a very clear example of your opponent having control of the game. The idea of control is simple. Controlling the game means using the cards at your disposal to actively disrupt your opponent, whether by destroying units, consistently winning edge battles, or neutralizing attacks before they even begin.

Of course, it’s possible to win a game and never truly have control, especially when playing as the light side. Inversely, a dark side player can win purely through controlling his opponent’s options, since slowing an opponent and letting the dial tick up ends with a win for the dark side. For a long time, the power of Sith decks was based on their heavy control effects, and they were seen by many as the dominant dark side deck.

Building for Control

But how do you get to the point where you can control the game? Learning how to achieve control is a critical skill that can greatly increase your win percentage, but before we discuss gaining control, it’s important to discuss what leads to gaining control and what cards you can add to your deck to help gain that control.

The largest part of establishing control is, obviously, how you play your cards during the game, but there are two elements you need to include in your deck if you want to be able to seize control.

1. Resources – Having enough resources in your deck is a primary avenue towards gaining control of the game, because the more resources you have in play, the more units and events you’ll be able to afford each turn. Cards like the Deneba Refueling Station (Knowledge and Defense, 555) that remove a focus when you win a Force struggle are fantastic because of their ability to push your resources ahead of your opponent. Developing a resource advantage immediately puts the pressure on your opponent, because you’ll be able to play more than him every turn. The ability to play several units in one turn, or to play units and still have resources for events, is absolutely important.

2. Card draw - In most card games, having access to more cards grants you a huge advantage. In Star Wars: The Card Game, this isn’t less true, but the types of preferable card draw are very specific. Since both players draw to their reserve on their turns, both players often see a similar number of cards and have a similar number of cards in their hand over the course of the game. This means that cards that increase your reserve or reduce your opponent’s reserve, such as The General’s Imperative (Assault on Echo Base, 267) are very important. Card draw outside of the draw phase, such as from Counsel of the Sith (Core Set, 27), can be extremely important as well.

The number of cards you see or don’t see affects everything as you try to seize control of the game. If you are able to see more cards than your opponent, you’ll have more potential units and events to play, more cards to use in edge battles, and more access to your all-important resources. You need to get to the cards that will help you disrupt your opponent’s plans, so card draw cannot be underestimated.

Seizing Control

Controlling the game and reducing your opponent’s options on a significant level doesn’t happen by accident. It starts with the cards that you put into your deck and ends with how well you use those cards. Grabbing control of the game isn’t complicated in theory, though. You’re trying to actively deny your opponent the conditions he’s built in his deck to create a win. For example, your opponent is probably relying on at least some level of units to win the game. Playing Force Lightning (Core Set, 60) to destroy an exhausted unit can help you control your opponent’s path to victory.

Newer players tend to focus purely on how much damage they can deal to objectives every turn. It might seem harmless, but thinking that way focuses on the short-term, and it won’t lead to victory if you’re playing a good player. Once you shift your focus from dealing as much objective damage as you can to gaining superior positioning and control throughout the game, you’ll begin playing quite differently. You begin to see the long-term game perspective and you learn how to bend it to your goals. In actuality, most games will end before turn six. Though Star Wars can be a short game, giving up long term board positioning early to save or deal a few extra damage to an objective is typically a bad decision.

In a lot of games, one player will attack the first turn that he can, while the other player will begin building a board of units, starting to establish control of the game. It may seem that the player who dealt first damage won the exchange, but over the course of most games the player who began establishing control on the first turn is the player who ends up winning.

In my next article I’ll showcase an example of control at work and illustrate that sometimes the obvious plays aren’t necessarily the right ones! Until then, may the Force be with you.

Zach

Battle for the Galaxy

Thanks, Zach!

Zach Bunn is a Star Wars fanatic, a lead member of Team Covenant, and a member of the winning team from the Star Wars multiplayer tournament held at Worlds. In coming weeks, stay tuned for more Star Wars guest articles from Zach and other writers!

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Source: Controlling the Game - Part I

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House of Talons

Announcing the Fifth Chapter Pack in the Wardens Cycle

“It is too dark to see them, but the steps are there. Too steep and narrow for horses, but mules can manage them most of the way. The path is guarded by three waycastles, Stone and Snow and Sky. The mules will take us as far up as Sky.”

   –George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

Fantasy Flight Games is proud to announce House of Talons, the fifth Chapter Pack in the Wardens cycle for A Game of Thrones: The Card Game!

Stand strong with Renly’s Rainbow Guard, ride the sweeping plains of Essos with the Dothraki, or raid Westeros with the Clansmen of the Vale in this Chapter Pack. The major themes of the Wardens cycle continue in House of Talons, offering more support for trait-based decks, limited responses, and high-cost, iconic characters from A Song of Ice and Fire. Aside from offering support to each of the six Great Houses in A Game of Thrones: The Card Game, House of Talons also includes new characters bearing the House Arryn trait, offering new ways to take advantage of Castle plots.

Kings of Mountain and Vale

Castle plots have been gaining strength throughout the Wardens cycle, rewarding you for planning ahead and patiently playing the long game. These plots offer a variety of powerful effects, but unlike most plots, which offer a benefit for the round in which they are played, Castle plots only trigger their effect when they are placed in their owner’s used pile. The unique timing of these plots makes them very difficult to counter – you can rest assured when you rely on the strength of your Castles.

In House of Talons, you’ll find another Castle plot that offers you a way to build card advantage over the long-term: Kings of Mountain and Vale (House of Talons, 100). After Kings of Mountain and Vale is placed in your used pile, you draw one card and discard one card at random from each opponent’s hand. Developing card advantage is one of the most important aspects of A Game of Thrones: The Card Game, and Kings of Mountain and Vale aids your efforts to seize and maintain card advantage over the course of the game.

Of course, if you’re playing the long game with Castle plots, you need some ways to stall your opponent’s power gain. House of Talons offers some help with Bronze Yohn Royce (House of Talons, 97). This character can help you gain power of your own with his renown keyword, and after a Castle plot is placed in your used pile, you can choose and discard one power from any character. Many decks claim power directly to characters with renown or special abilities. With Bronze Yohn Royce or a character like Melisandre (Core Set, 74) supporting your claim to the Iron Throne, you can start working to slow these decks down, giving you enough time to build your armies and plot your own path to victory.

You’ll also find a way to channel your Castle plots into the path to the Iron Throne in House of Talons. You can gain power from your Castle plots by supporting the claim of Robert Arryn (House of Talons, 98). Robert Arryn is free to play, and although he has a power icon, he has zero STR, so his greatest benefit lies in his ability. His text reads, “Response: After a Castle plot card is moved to your used pile, Robert Arryn claims 2 power. (Limit once per round.)” By claiming two power whenever a Castle plot moves to your used pile, Robert Arryn allows you to increase your power intake beyond what you win in your challenges. What’s more, Robert Arryn’s Noble crest means that you can safeguard him (and his power) with The Power of Blood (Core Set, 194).

Gather Your Allies

In House of Talons, you decide which path to victory you will pursue. You may seek vengeance for past wrongs with the Sand Snakes of Dorne, you may devote yourself to duty and honor with the men and women of House Tully, or you may rely on the impregnable Castles of House Arryn to claim power. No matter which path you choose, you’ll find plenty of cards to support your goals in this Chapter Pack.

Look for the House of Talons Chapter Pack in the first quarter of 2015!

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Source: House of Talons

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Join the Aces

The Rebel Aces Expansion Pack for X-Wing (TM) Is Now Available

“Proceed with the countdown. All groups assume attack coordinates.”
     –Admiral Ackbar

The Rebel Aces Expansion Pack for X-Wing™ is now available at retailers everywhere!

Featuring one A-wing miniature and one B-wing miniature – both of which boast bold, alternative paint schemes – the Rebel Aces Expansion Pack adds tremendous speed and versatility to your Rebel fleet!

In our previews, we’ve looked closely at how the expansion’s unique A-wing and B-wing pilots work in conjunction with its host of new upgrades to allow these high-tech starfighters to fulfill a wider range of roles within your X-Wing squadrons. We’ve also seen how the expansion’s new mission, Jump to Subspace, serves both to highlight these starfighters’ strengths and train you as a Rebel squadron leader.

Now, the time has come for you to pick up the expansion’s new pilots, upgrades, and mission and bring them to battle!

Divide and Conquer

Rebel Aces makes it easier for your A-wings and B-wings to perform a wider variety of functions within your X-Wing fleets.

     
• In our preview, “A More Versatile A-wing,” we looked at how the expansion’s talented A-wing pilots can dart and weave across the battlefield to get into position for point blank shots against their foes. We also looked at how the new Chardaan Refit and Proton Rockets upgrades allow you to better define the ways in which your A-wings will function in battle, as dedicated dogfighters or as hard-hitting missile platforms.

 A 360-degree view of the Rebel Aces A-wing miniature

     
• Then, in the preview, “B-Wing Expanded,” we explored how the expansion’s new B-wing aces and the B-Wing/E2 modification make it easier for your B-wings to break out of the formations in which they have traditionally flown. The abilities that Keyan Farlander and Nera Dantels bring to battle, along with the talents of the crew that can join them, mean that your B-wings suddenly become some of the game’s most fearsome flankers.

 A 360-degree view of the Rebel Aces B-wing miniature

Of course, the mere fact that Rebel Aces adds so many pilots and upgrades means that it bolsters the game with even more possible combinations of ships and upgrades, and as more of these possible combinations become viable at all levels of the game, your Rebel squadrons become less predictable.

For example, such unique and highly skilled pilots as Keyan Farlander and Jake Farrell are able to make extremely efficient use of many of the game’s existing elite pilot talents and other upgrades. Here, one of the likeliest options is Opportunist. A squadron built around Opportunist can utilize Jake Farrell’s A-wing as a much harder-hitting starfighter and affords Keyan Farlander consistent opportunities to take full advantage of his unique pilot ability.

   Wes Janson (29)
       Veteran Instincts (1)
       R5-P9 (3)
       Engine Upgrade (4)

   Keyan Farlander (29)
       Opportunist (4)
       B-Wing/E2 (1)
       C-3PO (3)

   Jake Farrell (24)
      Opportunist (4)
      Chardaan Refit (-2)

   Total Squad Points: 100

In this sample squad, Wes Janson is equipped with Veteran Instincts, Engine Upgrade, and R5-P9 because he’s the enabler. When he attacks, he can strip his target of an evade, focus, or blue target lock token. Accordingly, he can help Keyan Farlander and Jake Farrell trigger their Opportunist upgrades by removing evade or focus tokens from their targets. The Engine Upgrade modification helps ensure that Wes Janson gets his shot each round. With his Engine Upgrade, he can either adjust his firing arc to catch a foe, or he can boost out of an enemy’s firing arc, ensuring that he’ll live to fire another round. Likewise, R5-P9 can keep Wes Janson in the battle by helping him recover his shields, and that means more rounds that you’ll be able to trigger Opportunist for one or two more attack dice.

Keyan Farlander may very well be the Rebellion’s most opportunistic ace. Not only does Keyan Farlander gain an extra attack die when he triggers his Opportunist upgrade, he gains a stress token that he can spend to transform all his  results to  results. Also, because Opportunist doesn’t require an action, it leave Keyan Farlander free to use his actions to acquire target locks or perform barrel rolls, and this makes his maneuvers harder to anticipate than those of the average B-wing pilot. Combined with the added resilience that C-3PO provides, this unpredictability can help Keyan Farlander emerge victorious from even the most heated of battles.

Still, for all that Opportunist offers Keyan Farlander in this squad, it may be even more important an upgrade for Jake Farrell. When he’s able to trigger his Opportunist, Jake Farrell fires off primary attacks worth three dice instead of two. Suddenly, Jake Farrell’s A-wing hits as hard as Luke Skywalker’s X-wing, and the Chardaan Refit upgrade ensures that the two ships are similarly costed, even though Jake Farrell still gains the advantages of his A-wing’s tremendous speed and maneuverability. Thus, while Keyan Farlander is threatening  your foe on one flank, Jake Farrell can race around the other flank, performing focus actions to increase the efficiency of his attacks and using his free boost or barrel roll actions to ensure he’s firing from the best possible positions.

Of course, it’s worth noting that the lowest pilot skill in this squad is “7,” meaning that you’ll likely be able to eliminate a good number of enemy ships before they even get you in their sights. However, given the increased importance of pilot skill in the evolving X-Wing metagame, it’s worth considering a few possible substitutions to the squad that would have you dodging even more firing arcs and taking down enemy ships just a couple beats earlier. By trading away R5-P9, you gain three squad points, enough to equip Jake Farrell with the A-Wing Test Pilot Title upgrade and Veteran Instincts and leave two free to help you win initiative. In this way, you field a squad with pilot skills of “10,” “9,” and “7,” most likely winning ties on pilot skill, and you can outmaneuver even the trickiest TIE Phantom pilots.

Graduate to the Next Level

As a rookie pilot, you learned how to fly and fight in formation with your wingmates. However, as you improved in your piloting, you learned how to recognize weaknesses in your enemies’ tactics, and you began to learn how to exploit those weaknesses.

Now, as an ace, you might best serve your wingmates by breaking out of formation and punishing your foes for each and every mistake they may make. You might best aid the Rebellion by racing across the battlefield at top speed and pouncing upon unwary TIEs. You’ve learned how to push your ship to the limit, and where others may not know how to react when their ships straining against them, you do. In fact, you know that the ways pilots guide their fighters through the most stressful of its maneuvers are what ultimately separate the aces from the casualties of war.

It’s time to test the limits of your A-wings and B-wings. It’s time to put them through their paces, to race them across the battlefield, and to blast through screens of Imperial TIEs. The Rebel Aces Expansion Pack is now available at your local retailer!

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Source: Join the Aces

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2014 Worlds Tournament Update

An Explanation of the X-Wing 2014 World Championship Flight Structure

At the end of August, we announced the schedule for all 2014 World Championships at the 2014 World Championship Weekend. To make sure players are as prepared as possible, today’s article outlines the X-Wing™ flight structure players will encounter this year at Worlds.

Why the Split Into Two Flights?

With the increasing popularity of X-Wing and the space the game requires to play, we will be splitting the tournament into flights to accommodate the large number of expected players for the event.
The flight system is one that we debuted at Gen Con this year and worked well. For the X-Wing World Championship we will be making
a few, small changes to improve the system but keep the overall structure. In short, having two flights allows more players to compete in the tournament.

How Will the Flights and Overall Tournament Work?

Each flight will accommodate up to 128 players and be run with six Swiss rounds. At the end of six rounds, the top 16 players in each flight will be invited to compete in the Finals on Saturday. The 32 players invited back on Saturday will compete in a top 32 single-elimination format. The final player standing at the end of the day Saturday will be crowned 2014 X-Wing
World Champion!

How Do I Reserve My Spot in a Flight?

To reserve a spot in one of the flights, you must preregister through our online store. As players register for the 2014 World Championship Weekend, we send out a general survey to each registrant. This survey will include a question asking for your preference on which X-Wing flight you would like to compete in. Once we receive your response, we will reserve a spot for you in your chosen flight. If one of the flights fills completely, we will notify you as soon as possible.

If you have already preregistered, you should have already received the survey. If you did not, please contact us at organizedplay@fantasyflightgames.com immediately.

The day of each flight, and only if space is available, we will accept any players who did not preregister. We strongly recommend you preregister for the 2014 X-Wing World Championship as we cannot guarantee there will be space if you attempt to register the day of the event.

Is There a Difference Between the Two Flights?

Other than the flights being on separate days and the fact that different players will end up competing each day, there is no difference between the two flights.

Do I Have to Play in Both Flights?

No. Players can qualify for the finals on Saturday no matter which flight they play in.

Can I Play in Both Flights?

A player may compete in both flights only if there is room. However, a player can reserve a spot for himself in only one flight. We will accept players reserved for a different flight only after all other players have had a chance to enter that day’s flight. Players who make the top 16 cut in Thursday’s flight cannot play in Friday’s flight.

For example, Karen plays in Thursday’s flight but is unable to make the top 16 cut. She returns Friday morning to try and enter Friday’s flight. 105 players have a spot reserved, and each player checks in on time. 12 other players arrive without a spot reserved in either Thursday’s or Friday’s flight. We register those 12 in the tournament. After all 117 players are registered, we open registration for players like Karen, with space for 11 more players. Karen makes it in!

We will also be hosting X-Wing side events both days for those who are not playing in that day’s flight. Keep your eyes on our website! More details on side events will be announced shortly.

What if I Have a Bye From a National Championship?

Congratulations on winning such a prestigious and challenging event! We are in the process of contacting all
National Champions directly with additional information and the survey. You do not have to preregister for World Championship Weekend, but please fill out the survey when you receive it so that we can reserve a spot for you
in the flight of your choice.

Preregister Today

If you haven’t already, don’t forget to preregister for the 2014 World Championship Weekend. With more people preregistering this year than any year previously, space is sure to be at a premium! If you’re looking to try your hand at piloting in the 2014 X-Wing World Championship, preregistering is even more important. Guarantee which flight you’ll play in and preregister now!

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Source: 2014 Worlds Tournament Update

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2014 Worlds Tournament Update

An Explanation of the X-Wing 2014 World Championship Flight Structure

At the end of August, we announced the schedule for all 2014 World Championships at the 2014 World Championship Weekend. To make sure players are as prepared as possible, today’s article outlines the X-Wing™ flight structure players will encounter this year at Worlds.

Why the Split Into Two Flights?

With the increasing popularity of X-Wing and the space the game requires to play, we will be splitting the tournament into flights to accommodate the large number of expected players for the event.
The flight system is one that we debuted at Gen Con this year and worked well. For the X-Wing World Championship we will be making
a few, small changes to improve the system but keep the overall structure. In short, having two flights allows more players to compete in the tournament.

How Will the Flights and Overall Tournament Work?

Each flight will accommodate up to 128 players and be run with six Swiss rounds. At the end of six rounds, the top 16 players in each flight will be invited to compete in the Finals on Saturday. The 32 players invited back on Saturday will compete in a top 32 single-elimination format. The final player standing at the end of the day Saturday will be crowned 2014 X-Wing
World Champion!

How Do I Reserve My Spot in a Flight?

To reserve a spot in one of the flights, you must preregister through our online store. As players register for the 2014 World Championship Weekend, we send out a general survey to each registrant. This survey will include a question asking for your preference on which X-Wing flight you would like to compete in. Once we receive your response, we will reserve a spot for you in your chosen flight. If one of the flights fills completely, we will notify you as soon as possible.

If you have already preregistered, you should have already received the survey. If you did not, please contact us at organizedplay@fantasyflightgames.com immediately.

The day of each flight, and only if space is available, we will accept any players who did not preregister. We strongly recommend you preregister for the 2014 X-Wing World Championship as we cannot guarantee there will be space if you attempt to register the day of the event.

Is There a Difference Between the Two Flights?

Other than the flights being on separate days and the fact that different players will end up competing each day, there is no difference between the two flights.

Do I Have to Play in Both Flights?

No. Players can qualify for the finals on Saturday no matter which flight they play in.

Can I Play in Both Flights?

A player may compete in both flights only if there is room. However, a player can reserve a spot for himself in only one flight. We will accept players reserved for a different flight only after all other players have had a chance to enter that day’s flight. Players who make the top 16 cut in Thursday’s flight cannot play in Friday’s flight.

For example, Karen plays in Thursday’s flight but is unable to make the top 16 cut. She returns Friday morning to try and enter Friday’s flight. 105 players have a spot reserved, and each player checks in on time. 12 other players arrive without a spot reserved in either Thursday’s or Friday’s flight. We register those 12 in the tournament. After all 117 players are registered, we open registration for players like Karen, with space for 11 more players. Karen makes it in!

We will also be hosting X-Wing side events both days for those who are not playing in that day’s flight. Keep your eyes on our website! More details on side events will be announced shortly.

What if I Have a Bye From a National Championship?

Congratulations on winning such a prestigious and challenging event! We are in the process of contacting all
National Champions directly with additional information and the survey. You do not have to preregister for World Championship Weekend, but please fill out the survey when you receive it so that we can reserve a spot for you
in the flight of your choice.

Preregister Today

If you haven’t already, don’t forget to preregister for the 2014 World Championship Weekend. With more people preregistering this year than any year previously, space is sure to be at a premium! If you’re looking to try your hand at piloting in the 2014 X-Wing World Championship, preregistering is even more important. Guarantee which flight you’ll play in and preregister now!

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Source: 2014 Worlds Tournament Update

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Command Your Fleet to Victory

A Preview of STAR WARS (TM): Armada

“Deploy the fleet so that nothing gets off that system. You are in command now, Admiral Piett.”
     –Darth Vader

Welcome to our first preview of Star Wars™: Armada!

Armada is an epic, two-player miniatures game of large-scale fleet battles set in the Star Wars universe. The time is the height of the Galactic Civil War. As the Imperial Navy’s Star Destroyers move systematically across the galaxy to impose order and crush those who would oppose the evil Galactic Empire, the Rebel Alliance launches its rag-tag fleet of ships and starfighters on daring raids and surgical strikes. Its aim? Weaken the Empire, blow by blow.

In Armada, you enter this ongoing conflict as a fleet admiral with either the Imperial Navy or Rebel Alliance. Your ships have come upon the enemy. Conflict is imminent. Thousands of crew race to their battle stations, preparing for massive exchanges of turbolaser fire. Thousands will die, but it is your job to command the fleet to victory. You must overcome your foes. You must achieve your objective. There is no room for failure.

Even though Armada is a game of capital ships and starfighter squadrons – with battles on a scale large enough to alter the fate of the galaxy – their outcomes still hinge upon you and your decisions. If you wish to emerge victorious, the first thing you’ll need to do is learn how your ships function in battle. Capital ships aren’t nimble like starfighters. In fact, the larger and more powerful your ships, the more time they take to respond to your commands. You can’t react instantly to threats as they arise. You have to plan for the future.

The Command Stack

You begin each round of Armada by entering the Command Phase and secretly assigning commands to each of your capital ships. To do this, you select one of the game’s four possible commands and lock it into your ship’s command dial. You then place the dial facedown at the bottom of your ship’s command stack.

At the end of the Command Phase, a ship’s command stack must always contain a number of facedown command dials equal to its command value. This means that in the game’s first Command Phase, you build full command stacks for all of your ships, assigning them all a number of commands equal to their command values.

 The Nebulon-B escort frigate has a command value of “2,” so the Rebel player assigns two commands to the ship in the first Command Phase.

In the Ship Phase that follows, you and your opponent take turns activating your ships. When you activate a ship, you reveal the top of its command stack, turn the dial faceup and resolve its command or spend the command to gain a matching token. Each command provides a different type of benefit, which we will address in more detail below. For now, it’s just important to note that after you assign commands to your ships in the Command Phase, you reveal one command per ship in the Ship Phase.

As the game progresses, you continue to order new commands in each Command Phase, replacing the command dials that were revealed the previous round. These new commands go facedown on the bottom of the command stack, so when you’re assigning commands, you’re always planning for the future.

The Four Commands

There are four basic commands in Armada. Each command can be resolved for full effect when you reveal your command dial, or it can be spent to assign a command token to your ship.

You can assign a number of command tokens to your ship equal to its command value, though you can’t assign more than a single token for a given type of command. While command tokens can then be spent at any appropriate time, the benefits they grant are less than those you gain from resolving the command directly from the dial.

                                                                                                                                      

Navigate

A ship can resolve a navigate command during the Ship Phase, after it attacks and as it begins to determine its course.

Dial: You can increase or decrease your ship’s speed by one, to a maximum of the ship’s top speed or to a minimum of zero. Additionally, you can temporarily increase your ship’s yaw by one click at one maneuver joint (on the maneuver tool).

Token: You can increase or decrease your ship’s speed by one, as above.

 The game’s unique maneuver tool. (Product image not final. Pending Licensor approval.)

                                                                                                                                      

Squadron

A ship can resolve a squadron command during the Ship Phase, immediately after revealing its command.

Dial: You can immediately activate a number of squadrons at short or medium range equal to your ship’s squadron value. Each squadron activated in this way can both move and perform an attack.

Token: You can activate a single squadron as above.

                                                                                                                                      

Repair

A ship can resolve a repair command during the Ship Phase, immediately after revealing its command.

Dial: Gain a number of engineering points equal to your ship’s engineering value. You may then spend these points to repair your ship:              1 point – Move one shield from one of your ship’s hull zones to another hull zone.              2 points – Recover one shield in any one hull zone.              3 points – Discard any one damage card

Token: Gain a number of engineering points equal to half your ship’s engineering value, rounded up. These may be spent as above.

                                                                                                                                      

Concentrate Fire

A ship can resolve a concentrate fire command during the Ship Phase, after rolling dice during an attack and before all attack effects have been resolved.

Dial: Immediately add an extra attack die to your attack. The die must match a die type already in the attack pool.

Token: You can reroll any one die in your attack pool.

Notably, you can spend a command token for its benefits at the same time that you resolve the same type of command from your dial. For example, you could reveal the concentrate fire command to enhance your attack, adding an extra attack die to your attack pool. You could then also spend a concentrate fire command token to reroll a blank die during the same attack.

 In the Ship Phase, the Rebel player reveals the concentrate fire command for his CR90 corvette. It attacks from its forward arc for two red dice and one blue die. After rolling these dice, the player decides to spend the ship’s concentrate fire command to add a third red die. He rolls a blank, but because the ship happens to have a concentrate fire token, he can spend it to reroll the die. He does, and it generates another two hits!

Alternatively, you could spend a repair token at the same time you reveal a repair command to gain engineering points equal to 150 percent of your engineering value, rounding up any fractions. You can then use these for any combination of repair effects. Since you can’t save any unspent engineering points after resolving a repair command, spending your repair token at the same time you reveal a repair command can open up options not normally available to you. A Victory I-Class Star Destroyer, for instance, could use these repair points to discard two faceup damage cards in a single turn.

Of course, you don’t have to spend your command tokens at the same time you reveal a similar command from the dial. You can spend a command token at any time you could resolve the command from your dial, and if your ship has a high enough command value, you could spend several tokens in a single round, potentially activating a squadron, repairing your shields, and rerolling an attack die – all in the same round that you reveal a navigate command on your dial to adjust your speed and course. In this way, the larger ships can make up for their sluggish responses to your commands with massively impactful rounds. And imagine what such a round can do to the morale of an opponent who has spent the better part of the game battering at your Star Destroyer, only to see it recover the majority of its damage and punch a hole through his CR90 corvette with a single direct hit.

Devising Your Battle Plan

Again, the larger your ship is, and the more that it can do, the more you have to plan ahead. This is also a truth that multiplies as you consider the impact of your commands across the whole of the battlefield: You’re not piloting a single ship, after all; you’re directing the coordinated efforts of an entire fleet.

Your initial commands establish the tone for your early rounds; they might even establish the tone of the entire match. If you find your Star Destroyers are drifting out of position in the early rounds, you can issue a navigate command, but you’ll still know that you’re going to have to spend several rounds doing your best to survive and maintain the semblance of an aggressive stance until you can adjust your speed and course.

Moreover, when you start building larger fleets, your ships may feature an array of command values, and your command stacks may vary a great deal, even among ships with the same command values. If your fleet contains both a Victory II-class Star Destroyer and a Victory I-class Star Destroyer, you might want to position them both to fire upon the same enemy ship within a single round in an effort to blow it out of the skies. However, this plan might require two different command stacks.

Since the Victory II features an armament with both the long and medium range red and blue dice, respectively, you might want it to concentrate fire two rounds in a row. In this case, you can spend the first concentrate fire command to get a token. Then, you resolve the second concentrate fire command directly from the dial. By combining the concentrate fire commands from both the dial and token, you get both the most possible dice and the best possible results.

 Aiming for a third-round barrage of fire, the Imperial player assigns the concentrate fire command to his Victory II-class Star Destroyer for two sequential rounds.

The Victory I replaces the mid-range blue dice with short-range black dice, meaning you’ll need it to draw close to its target in order to unleash its barrage at maximum firepower. Accordingly, you might want to issue it a navigate command the round before it concentrates fire so that it can speed up to be on target.

 To unleash its most devastating volley on the third round, the Victory I has to get closer to its target than the Victory II does, so the Imperial player assigns it a navigate command on the second round, hoping it will be able to get into position before revealing a concentrate fire command on the third round.

By planning ahead – and responding appropriately to your opponent’s actions – you may be able to build toward a single round in which you unleash a single, devastating hail of fire from both ships.

Engaging the Enemy

No battle plan ever fully survives contact with the enemy, and learning how to adapt to the challenges of combat is another massive part of achieving success in Armada. Accordingly, our next preview will offer a closer look at combat. Brace yourself!

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Source: Command Your Fleet to Victory

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Your Adventure Begins

Preview Movement and Actions in The Witcher Adventure Game

“Triss must have sensed it too,” Geralt thought grimly. His witcher medallion twitched on his chest. Some kind of magic nearby, or some creature from another sphere. Either one spelled trouble. So why hadn’t Triss said anything? Their journey to this place had been long and arduous, but now it seemed their adventure was only just beginning.

The world of The Witcher lies before you in The Witcher Adventure Game! In this board game for two to four players, you take on the role of an iconic character from the bestselling Witcher novels and video game series. The Witcher Adventure Game challenges you to prove yourself the most renowned hero of the realm by completing quests, but the Continent is filled with danger. You’ll need all your wits and combat skills just to survive another day.

Whether you’re playing as the witcher Geralt of Rivia, the sorceress Triss Merigold, the bard Dandelion, or the dwarven warrior Yarpen Zigrin, you’ll need to traverse the vast spaces of the Continent and stay alive while doing so. In today’s preview, we’ll take a closer look at the different actions you can take as you strive to complete quests and claim victory.

Start Your Travels

You have much to accomplish if you wish to become the most famous hero in the land of The Witcher, but you have limited time to do so. Every turn, you can take two actions, allowing you to move through the land, gather the resources to complete quests, and experience the world around you.

The first action available to you as a burgeoning adventurer is the travel action. Traveling is your principal means of movement from place to place, and it also allows you to collect leads and other crucial information. When you choose the travel action, you may move your figure along a route connecting two locations. After arriving at a new destination, you receive a lead that matches the color of the lead shown at your destination. Leads are crucial tokens, representing information, important objects, and other items necessary to complete your quest, and they will be explained more fully in a future preview.

Some travel routes may take you to sea, which can be an excellent way to cover ground quickly, but it can cost you dearly in gold. You may also use a travel action to move along two consecutive routes, but beware! Extensive travel is dangerous in the world of The Witcher. Moving along two routes with a single travel action forces you to draw a foul fate card, with potentially dire consequences.

For example, Geralt of Rivia could use a travel action to move from Rivia to Mahakam. Upon arriving in Mahakam, Geralt claims one red lead, which matches the red lead pictured at Mahakam. Because Geralt didn’t move along two routes with his travel action, he does not draw a foul fate card, keeping him safe from some of the dangerous bandits and encounters that fill the Continent.

Investigate Events and Develop Your Skills

The second action that all heroes can use is investigate. When you choose to investigate, you draw the top card of one of three investigation decks: diplomacy, magic, or combat. These decks can yield beneficial encounters, offering you leads, gold, or other boons. But they also contain setbacks, forcing you to fight for your life, delaying you, or bringing the Continent closer to open war. Whether you come under arcane assault or take on a lucrative contract, your investigations immerse you in the world of The Witcher and help to bring you closer to completing your quests.

You may also choose the develop action to enhance your hero’s skills and talents. Selecting the develop action allows you to draw the top two cards from your hero’s unique development deck. These cards can range from potions, to magic spells, to clever companions, to weapons and armor, based on which hero the cards belong to. You choose one of the two cards to keep, and place the other on the bottom of the deck. Once chosen, these development cards provide a long-lasting benefit, enabling you to overcome difficulties that once would have thwarted you.

Your adventures in the Northern Kingdoms are sure to leave their mark on you. Over time, you will take wounds, both minor and severe. When you suffer a wound, you must place it over a certain action. As long as you bear that wound, you cannot choose that action. Thankfully, you may choose the rest action to heal some of your hero’s wounds, freeing yourself to use those actions once more.

In addition to all the actions listed above, each hero also possesses a unique hero-specific action. These unique actions often allow the hero to influence the game in ways that no one else can. We’ll cover each hero’s unique action in later previews, alongside each hero’s special development decks.

First Steps on the Path

As an example of a turn, Triss Merigold begins her turn in Wyzima. Her current quest requires her to be in Novigrad, but before she moves there, Triss wants to see if she can gain another purple lead. As her first action, Triss chooses to investigate, and she draws the top card from the purple (diplomacy) investigation deck. The card is A Chance to Make Some Coin, and Triss immediately resolves its effects. She gains one purple lead, and keeps the card as a task: during a future turn, she may discard any Valuable Information cards to receive five gold apiece. After investigating, Triss chooses to travel, and she moves along two consecutive routes to Novigrad by way of Oxenfurt. Once there, she receives a lead of any color shown at the destination: red, blue, or purple. Triss takes a blue lead, and then draws a foul fate card, because she moved along two routes with one travel action. She draws and resolves the Illness foul fate card.

After resolving the foul fate card, Triss must encounter an obstacle. Obstacles occupy different regions of the map, and can include monsters or foul fate. We’ll explain both monsters and foul fate cards in greater detail later. After Triss encounters an obstacle, her turn ends and the next player begins his turn.

Enter the World of The Witcher

Your greatest quest begins in The Witcher Adventure Game! Can you rise above your opponents to become the most famous hero in the Continent, or will you disappear beneath ravenous monsters and torturous intrigues? Decide your fate and claim notoriety in The Witcher Adventure Game.

Preorder The Witcher Adventure Game at your local retailer today!

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Source: Your Adventure Begins

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For the Greater Good

Announcing the Eighth Deluxe Expansion for Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game

“It was here that an alliance of Federal inspectors and police, Malone with them, entered the case.”
     –H.P. Lovecraft, The Horror at Red Hook

Fantasy Flight Games is proud to announce the upcoming release of For the Greater Good, the eighth deluxe expansion for Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game!

The world of Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game is full of strange and horrifying creatures, many of which are both evil and powerful in measures beyond human comprehension. Some of these lurk in other dimensions, just beyond the boundaries between our realm and theirs, waiting for any opportunity to enter our world and wreak havoc. Others walk among us, disguised and evil, carefully targeting prey and sacrifices to forward their dark masters’ hideous intents.

Still, the vast bulk of humanity knows nothing of these entities, nor of the sinister cults that spring up around them. Instead, they live in blissful ignorance, shielded by the efforts of a handful of government agents and holy orders who have dedicated themselves to rooting out these evils and purging them. For their constant vigilance, these heroic individuals seek no recognition. They won’t even risk drawing attention to their struggles because to do so would be to expose human civilization to the maddening realization that we are threatened on all sides in a universe that doesn’t care. Thus, they commit themselves to their thankless task, placing themselves forever in harm’s way, all For the Greater Good.

With 165 new cards (three copies each of fifty-five different cards), For the Greater Good lends new strength to the Agency, its Investigators, Government officials, and secret Hunters. You’ll find a host of new characters, new synergies between Agency subtypes, new gear, and powerful effects designed to renew the authority of law and order in a world tormented by burgeoning chaos. Moreover, as your Agency characters pursue their leads to all ends of the earth, you’ll uncover several new conspiracies, each of which, if investigated, may help you safeguard humanity’s future.

For the Good of Humanity

There are dozens of Government characters in Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game. In fact, it’s among the game’s most populous subtypes; however, there has historically been very little synergy between these Government characters. They suffered from poor communication between their different departments.

In For the Greater Good, this changes.

Of the expansion’s twenty new Agency characters, nearly half bear the Government subtype. More important, though, is the number of cards that key off of it. By granting an Arcane icon to every Government character, the Military Attaché (For the Greater Good, 15) takes a significant step to compensate for one of the Agency’s notable weaknesses. Then, logistical genius Lt. Wilson Stewart (For the Greater Good, 16) helps you get your Government characters into play more quickly, and By the Book (For the Greater Good, 22) supports your Government efforts by attaching to a story and greatly limiting the impact of any non-Government character committed to it.

Meanwhile, another Government character, The Foundation (For the Greater Good, 20), arrives to oversee your efforts. It also introduces a new ability, shared by several of the expansion’s cards, that allows you to drain multiple domains to pay its cost. Once in play, The Foundation offers your agents an almost unprecedented measure of protection, allowing you to pay one to cancel any effect that would target one or more of your Agency characters.

All told, the Government cards from For the Greater Good provide a new unity of purpose and direction that promise to make the Government subtype one of the game’s most potent.

Those Whom the Monsters Fear

Even as it expands and empowers the Government subtype, For the Greater Good introduces another subtype, Hunter.

If the Government characters’ efforts represent the most efficient tactics that all the various police, military officers, and federal agents can employ, then it’s best to say that methods the Agency’s Hunters employ are far less traditional. Guided by both science and faith, Hunters bring with them an array of miraculous abilities that alter the game’s basic tenets.

For example, the Loyal and Heroic Hunter Grete Wagner-Blackwood (For the Greater Good, 12) gains strength from the purity of her faith. Those lacking a similar measure of Loyal devotion to their causes simply cannot face her gaze and stand against her; they lose the strength of all their struggle icons, and their skills fail them, as well. Because her ability is an ongoing passive effect, it cannot be cancelled, and that means even if your opponent adds struggles or changes the nature of their resolution, Grete Wagner-Blackwood will not be dissuaded from her task.

Similarly, other Hunters thwart other of your opponent’s expectations. Some can decide whether or not they’ll uncommit from stories, some can disrupt effects that target your characters, and others simply render your Hunters immune to your opponent’s triggered effects. With such effects, these Hunters quickly emerge from For the Greater Good as a potent and thematic set of characters around which you’ll be able to build a wide variety of new deck types.

The Global Network

Even though the Agency, its new characters, and its new equipment are the undisputed stars of For the Greater Good, the expansion also contains a treasure trove of new characters and support cards that the game’s other factions may use.

For those forces that might not be inclined to pursue the causes of law and order, these new characters and supports represent the seeds of potential new strategies and deck ideas, especially geared toward players who like warping the standard resolution of icon struggles at stories.

In Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game, you and your opponent compete to win stories. These stories can represent the unearthing of ancient knowledge, the conquest of an important location, or the acquisition of a powerful relic. To win a story, you need to earn five success tokens, but your efforts to win these success tokens comes with a risk: Your opponent can send characters to challenge those you commit to a story, possibly driving them mad or wounding them.

In For the Greater Good, each of the game’s eight factions gain inexpensive support cards that you can attach to a story to tilt the odds of its resolution not-so-subtly in your favor. Combined with a variety of powerful new characters, including a new three-cost Ancient One, these attachments allow you to play to your strengths even as they make the game more dynamic and horrifying.

Face to Face with the Darkness

“Morgan uncased the big-game rifle on which he relied despite his colleague’s warnings that no material weapon would be of help.”
     –H.P. Lovecraft, The Dunwich Horror

The elder horrors of Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game may be beings beyond the scope of bullets, knives, and dynamite, but don’t tell that to the Hunters and Government agents of For the Greater Good. Someone has to protect humanity from the forces that assail it, and they are willing to do whatever it takes. Moreover, with the strength of their convictions and their new leadership, they just might succeed!

Polish your badges, grab your shotguns, and deputize the bravest and best of all the people close to you. Humanity needs all the help it can get…

For the Greater Good is scheduled to arrive at retailers in the first quarter of 2015!

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Source: For the Greater Good

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Ares Games Acquires the License to Publish Age of Conan

An Expansion, Adventures in Hyboria, Will Be Launched on Kickstarter

Ares Games is proud to announce that a deal has been signed with Conan Properties International LLC to re-launch and expand the Age of Conan strategy board game.

"Conan is a classic property with great stories, and the Hyborian world is a wonderful setting for a board game", commented Roberto Di Meglio, Director of R&D of Ares Games, and one of the game authors. "We think that Age of Conan will be a great addition to Ares' catalog, and we have very exciting plan to develop the game."

"We're glad to see a re-launch of this game and that its fans are as excited about this expansion as we are," said Jay Zetterberg of Conan Properties International LLC.

The Age of Conan strategy board game, based on the popular character and the world created by R.E. Howard, is designed by the same team who created the popular War of the Ring board game. In Age of Conan up to 4 players take the reins of one of the most powerful Hyborian Kingdoms – Aquilonia, Turan, Stygia and Hyperborea. Using armies, sorcery and intrigue, each Kingdom tries to gain supremacy over the opponents, while Conan – a powerful character striding across lands and completing countless adventures – can switch his allegiance from one Kingdom to the other, while at the same time progressing in his own path from thief to king.

The game was launched in the English language in 2009 by Fantasy Flight Games. Since its launch, Age of Conan acquired a faithful fan base, clamoring for the game to be expanded.

Thanks to an agreement with Fantasy Flight Games, Ares Games has acquired all the remaining inventory of the 1st English edition of the game, and will relaunch it by publishing an expansion – Adventures in Hyboria – with a strong spotlight on Conan himself, giving a new dimension to his role in the game, and adding new elements to give more character and more flavor to each Kingdom.

Steve Horvath, SVP of Communications, from Fantasy Flight Games commented: “We are certain that Age Of Conan is in great hands with Ares Games and we are excited to see how they develop the line going forward.”

Christoph Cianci, CEO of Ares Games, said: "We are very happy that, thanks to the amicable deal with Fantasy Flight Games, we will be able to offer immediately the current edition of the Age of Conan strategy board game to our customers. We look forward to relaunch this great game with the new expansion. The design elements added by Adventures in Hyboria make the game even more exciting, giving a new depth to the interaction between players and to the adventuring life of Conan."

Age of Conan: Adventures in Hyboria will be launched on Kickstarter in October, 2014, and is scheduled for release in Spring 2015.
 
 About Ares Games

Ares Games is an Italian board game publisher established in 2011 to create quality hobby products for the international audience. Ares Games is the publisher of the award-winning War of the Ring board game, of the Wings of Glory range of airplane combat games and miniatures, recreating aerial warfare in WW1 and WW2, and more recently of the tactical ship-to-ship miniature game Sails of Glory and the cooperative tactical Sci-Fi miniatures game Galaxy Defenders. Ares Games’ catalog also includes Family Games and Euro Games. For further information, visit their website, www.aresgames.eu, and their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AresGames.

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Source: Ares Games Acquires the License to Publish Age of Conan

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Worldeater

Jeremy Zwirn Recounts the Warhammer 40,000: Conquest Tournament at Gen Con

Gather your armies and battle for the Traxis sector in Warhammer 40,000: Conquest! In this new Living Card Game®, you take on one opponent in interplanetary battles, fielding armies and fighting for the future of the sector.

At Gen Con Indy 2014, we hosted the inaugural Worldeater tournament, which was won by none other than Jeremy Zwirn, a World Champion of three other LCGs. Today, Jeremy Zwirn shares his experiences from the tournament, including the choices and strategies that led him to victory.

Jeremy Zwirn on the Worldeater Tournament

Hello, Warhammer 40,000 fanatics! I had the pleasure of participating in the inaugural tournament at Gen Con Indy 2014 for FFG's newest LCG, Warhammer 40,000: Conquest. After an entire day of epic battles and victories, I was fortunate enough to come out on top and I'd like to share my experience with you.

Choosing My Factions
  
 The Worldeater tournament at Gen Con had a unique restriction: only cards from one Core Set could be used when constructing your deck. This restriction created a different environment from regular constructed decks: higher cost curves, fewer multi-shield cards, and a higher degree of randomness were all things that I considered when choosing which factions to play in the tournament. Because each faction can be paired with one of two allied factions – resulting in fourteen completely different pairings – there were a lot of intriguing deckbuilding choices.

With only one Core Set, I had to build a 50 card deck out of roughly 56 possible cards, so every card mattered. In the tournament, I played Space Marines allied with Tau, and I was very pleased with how it played: it provided great depth and consistency, both of which I value highly in a deck. Captain Cato Sicarius (Core Set, 1) has a great resource-generating ability and his signature pack is full of solid cards. Combat tricks can win battles and Space Marines has a good selection of them: Drop Pod Assault (Core Set, 24), Eager Recruit (Core Set, 20), Indomitable (Core Set, 25), and Veteran Brother Maxos (Core Set, 19) all provided the surprise factor. Sicarius's Chosen (Core Set, 8) was definitely great all day – more on that later.

Splashing Tau gave me inexpensive units like Vash'ya Trailblazer (Core Set, 153), Earth Caste Technician (Core Set, 157), and Vior'la Marksman (Core Set, 151). These units, along with neutral units Void Pirate (Core Set, 170) and Rogue Trader (Core Set, 171), allowed me to deploy multiple units on the first turn and win or prevent my opponent from winning several command struggles. Two copies of Experimental Devilfish (Core Set, 161) were valuable both for their high attack and for their ability to ready after committing to a planet, keeping pressure on my opponents. Fire Warrior Elite (Core Set, 154) is a stellar card that helped protect strong but fragile units, like the Devilfish. Tau complemented Space Marines well with a low unit curve and enough command icons to win command struggles.

Eating the World

The sold-out Worldeater tournament had 96 participants and featured six rounds of play before cutting to the Top 8. Space Marines, Astra Militarum, and Eldar were well represented while the Orks and Tau were less so. On the day, I battled against every faction but Orks and Tau. Sicarius's Chosen  was my MVP; he picked off low-health units like Void Pirates or lured important units away from the first planet before a crucial battle. Pulling a Vicious Bloodletter (Core Set, 85) away from the first planet before he decimated my units with Area Effect 3 was amazing. I played several truly intense and epic games against challenging and friendly opponents. My games were full of tough decisions and tense situations which gave me a very satisfying experience.

After a grueling eleven-hour day, the most important piece of advice I would give is: choose your battles wisely. Many games were essentially decided when one player made a suboptimal choice and committed their warlord to the wrong planet.

In one game, my opponent had a couple mediocre units at the first planet and both of us had only a warlord in HQ. With only one icon, the planet wasn’t crucial for either of us to win the game, but I decided to fight for it anyway. I deployed a Blood Angels Veterans (Core Set, 15) and a Tactical Squad Cardinis (Core Set, 13) there and we both committed our warlords there. Having the initiative at a battle with several units is a huge advantage. In this instance, my opponent had initiative, and I quickly realized my mistake. My Blood Angels Veterans was destroyed and I wasted a couple cards with shields trying to salvage a bad situation. I retreated with little to show for the battle and gave my opponent the momentum to take control of the game. I poorly chose to fight for a planet that I should have conceded to my opponent, and I paid for it. Luckily, he also made a mistake later on by committing his warlord and two units in HQ to the second planet, preparing for next turn instead of further defending the first planet. I sent my warlord to the first planet and played an Eager Recruit to win the planet and the game.
  
 During another game, I quickly fell behind and lost the first two planets to my opponent's aggressive start. At the beginning of the third turn, I realized I needed to go all in at the first planet. Although my opponent wouldn't immediately win if he claimed the planet, I could prevent either of us from winning via planets until the last turn of the game if I won the battle there. I deployed several strong units to the first planet, and since I had initiative, my opponent committed his warlord elsewhere and let me have it without a fight. From that point on, I focused on protecting my warlord and winning the final planet by saving several key cards, like Daring Assault Squad (Core Set, 16), until the last turn. If I hadn't pushed so hard to win the third planet of the game, I would have had my back against the wall and given my opponent several chances to win the game (which I’m sure he would’ve done). Even though I depleted all of my resources and had few cards remaining in my hand, I chose the right time to battle and was able to buy myself enough time to recuperate for the epic final battle.
  
 Warhammer 40,000: Conquest is a highly strategic and tactical game and balancing these aspects creates a deeply compelling game experience. Do you focus on winning battles in the present or plan for future conquests by gathering the resources to smash your opponent? Experience will help you decide which to choose and how to command your forces.
  
 Thanks to FFG and Eric Lang for creating another excellent game to add to the outstanding LCGs. I highly recommend giving this game a try and I hope to meet you on a future battlefield!
  
 Claim Your Planets

Thanks, Jeremy!

Jeremy Zwirn is an avid card gamer and has been a World Champion for three different LCGs. You can look for more Warhammer 40,000: Conquest guest articles from other writers in coming months!

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Source: Worldeater

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STAR WARS (R): Force and Destiny (TM) Beta Update #4

News From the Developers of the Force and Destiny Beta

Hello Force and Destiny™ beta testers,

In this fourth week of the Force and Destiny beta, we have our third round of updates (pdf, 308 KB). Now that people have had some time to build characters and submit feedback, we’re pleased to post some updates on our specializations and talents.

Not all of the specializations are seeing changes, but there are some substantial modifications to the Protector, Soresu Defender, and Aggressor, with some minor changes to the Makashi Duelist and Shadow. The Soresu Defender gains Improved Reflect (a potent addition to this highly defensive form) while the Protector gains two ranks of Center of Being. This means it’s possible to build a Protector that is unlikely to suffer critical injuries. Meanwhile, the Aggressor gets a new talent that lets him inflict additional damage when attacking disoriented targets. Not only does this talent offer nice synergy with his Terrify talent, it also allows him to inflict additional damage with any type of combat check, meaning the Aggressor can make more effective use of blasters, blades, lightsabers, or even his fists.

We also made some necessary changes to talents such as Duelist’s Training, and added some clarifying language for talents that specify Lightsaber (characteristic) combat checks.

A Word on Morality

One thing we’d like to mention is that a lot of you have expressed opinions about the option of starting with a lower Morality, specifically that the assumption is that starting with a lower Morality is strictly “bad,” and it should come with a beneficial tradeoff or not be an option at all. However, when we came up with these starting options, one of our design goals was to not assume that everyone would want to play light side Force users (even though we’d like to think most of you play “good guys”). Instead, we had to assume that some people would want to play dark side Force users, and that this was a perfectly reasonable choice for them to make. In this case, any reduction of Morality in exchange for credits or experience would only be a boon for someone who was going to push his or her Morality as low as possible as fast as possible.

For these reasons, we had to assume that any change in starting Morality (whether up or down) would be considered desirable to someone, somewhere, and thus it couldn’t be coupled with additional benefits as well. However, we’ve also revised the status effects for having a low Morality to offer dark side Force users more of a balanced tradeoff for their decisions; they get tougher even as they lose their inner peace.

Looking Forward

We look forward to hearing your feedback on this week’s changes, and we continue to welcome your feedback on character creation and specializations in general. Meanwhile, we plan on focusing next week’s update on gear and equipment. Please give us your thoughts on the new gear and items that we have in this book, with particular focus on lightsabers and lightsaber crystals.

Once again, thanks again for all your hard work and dedication!

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Source: STAR WARS (R): Force and Destiny (TM) Beta Update #4

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Gates of Arkham

Announcing the Second Expansion for Elder Sign

Witch-cursed, legend-haunted Arkham, whose huddled, sagging gambrel roofs and crumbling Georgian balustrades brood out the centuries beside the darkly muttering Miskatonic.
 –H. P. Lovecraft, The Thing on the Doorstep

Fantasy Flight Games is proud to announce the Gates of Arkham expansion for Elder Sign, a cooperative dice game of Lovecraftian horror.

Gates of Arkham takes the struggle against the Ancient Ones out of the museum and into Arkham, where monsters lurk in darkened alleyways and bystanders become the victims of gang rivalries. In the featured Streets of Arkham game mode, new Arkham Adventures and Mythos decks replace the original Adventure and Mythos decks, sending investigators on adventures throughout the city as four new Ancient Ones threaten to arise. Only by braving the city’s ubiquitous perils can you triumph against the ancient and awakening evil.

A City Full of Horrors

From its colonial-era founding, Arkham has been a refuge for witches and criminals, and legends suggest that since prehistoric times it has been home to some of the darkest forces imaginable. The turrets of Victorian homes, classical facades of Miskatonic University buildings, and tall booths of Velma’s Diner concealed inhuman horrors long before monsters came alive inside the museum.

In the Streets of Arkham mode, investigators choose which location in Arkham to visit without knowing what will happen to them inside. Arkham Adventure cards are played facedown, each featuring a specific location on the back. Some locations lure you towards them by offering rewards, such as the chance to regain sanity or gain a unique item. Others make terrible things happen at the stroke of midnight, for example, causing a ravenous Night Gaunt or giant Leng Spider to appear.

When an investigator arrives at a location, the card is flipped over to reveal the Adventure. At Hibb’s Roadhouse, you may participate in dark dealings with suspicious figures, or get caught in a police raid on the Sheldon gang. In the Curiositie Shoppe, you may discover a sealed ornate chest from another civilization, or you may arrive to find the door smashed open and a trail of blood leading inside. Once the adventure is revealed, there is no turning back. If you fail in your tasks, other investigators may come to your rescue, or you may find yourself running back out into the streets, drained of sanity and stamina. Success may reveal an elder sign or, at the very least, provide some clue, item, or skill to help you persevere.

Street Smarts and Occult Knowledge

As you navigate Arkham and survive its unpredictable Adventures, you’ll acquire lasting knowledge and enhanced abilities in the form of skills. For example, you may elicit some Occult Knowledge  from a Miskatonic University professor. Unlike items, spells, and allies, skills may remain with an investigator as long as he lives, or be sacrificed in a moment of necessity to gain an even greater advantage.

Some locations and items give investigators membership in Arkham’s most influential organizations: the ruthless Sheldon gang, a bootlegging syndicate as infamous for their murders as their moonshine, and the Silver Twilight Lodge, an ancient and mysterious organization rumored to practice dark magic in the dead of night. Memberships sometimes allow you to bypass a task and sometimes offer extra rewards, such as an elder sign or an ally, for completing an Adventure.

Given Arkham’s perils, you may want to play one of the eight new investigators who are well versed in Arkham’s secrets or the bizarre physics of Other Worlds. As a cop, Tommy Muldoon knows Arkham’s criminal underworld as well as the Sheldon gang bosses. More interested in helping others than himself, Tommy can prevent another investigator from losing stamina by giving up his own– and gain some sanity in the process. Being a cop, however, doesn’t prevent Tommy from joining the Sheldon gang or the Silver Twilight Lodge. All secret organization have their police contacts.

Unstable Locations and Unexpected Events

Gates of Arkham introduces four Ancient Ones who tear at the fabric of space and time as they begin to awaken. One of them is Atlach-Nacha, who is stirring in his transdimensional home and beginning to weave the worlds together, tugging at time and space, sapping the investigators’ sanity and stamina, and causing gates to Other Worlds to open across the city. Gates tie specific locations to Other Worlds, perhaps linking the Miskatonic Library to the Far Side of the Moon, or Velma’s Diner to the cavernous, underworld Vaults of Zin. You cannot visit a location that has a gate without slipping through to the Other World, and you must resolve the Other World adventure in order to seal the gate and return to Arkham. The more open gates in play, the more monsters spawn, and the faster doom approaches.

Not only do gates breach the physical environment, the awakening Ancient Ones wreck havoc in all aspects of life in Arkham. The social, psychological, and cosmic chaos is  represented by Event cards, which many locations force you to draw before  you undertaking any tasks.  Events create unpredictable conditions that last the length of your Adventure, and may hinder or help you. Overwhelming Fear could cause you to flee from a location in terror, or a sympathetic stranger may come forward and offer you Unexpected Aid.

Can you Survive the Streets of Arkham?

You never know who or what you’ll encounter among Arkham’s crumbling buildings, desolate squares, and unlit roads. At any moment a tentacle could reach out for you. Around any corner may be the entrance to some Other World. As you scour the city for elder signs, you could become involved in criminal rivalries or clandestine rituals, arrested by the police or lost in the halls of an insane asylum. Only one thing is certain: the Ancient One is regaining strength, and it is up to you and your fellow investigators to save not just the museum, but Arkham and the entire world.

Gates of Arkham will appear in stores in the first quarter of 2015. In the meantime, look for further previews of Arkham’s locations, gates, Ancient Ones and investigators on the Gates of Arkham and Elder Sign minisites. Even better, you can demo the expansion at Arkham Nights, our upcoming celebration of Lovecraft-themed games on the weekend of October 17-18 in Roseville, MN.

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Source: Gates of Arkham

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Zogwort's Curse

Announcing the Fourth War Pack for Warhammer 40,000: Conquest

“I meant ta do dat.”

   –Old Zogwort

Fantasy Flight Games is proud to announce Zogwort’s Curse, the fourth War Pack in the Warlord cycle for Warhammer 40,000: Conquest!

Embrace the frenzied power of the Orks with the Zogwort’s Curse War Pack. Now, you can draw on the power of the Waaagh! to conquer the Traxis sector. This expansion continues the major themes of the Warlord cycle, including cards that give greater power and importance to any warlord. In Zogwort’s Curse, you’ll find new cards for every faction, including powerful Vehicles for the Astra Militarum, dark powers for the servants of Chaos, and new Drones for the Tau. No matter which factions you play in Warhammer 40,000: Conquest, there are plenty of beneficial cards in this War Pack.

You also have the opportunity to gather hordes of snotlings and follow the path of a fearsome Psyker with a new Ork warlord and his signature squad!

Blessed by Gork and Mork

The Orks of the Traxis sector gain a new warlord with Old Zogwort (Zogwort’s Curse, 67). This Ork Psyker taps into vast amounts of power, which he wields to spread the dominion of the Orks and conquer the planets of the Traxis sector. Great power has been known to draw many willing underlings, and that is especially true of Old Zogwort. He bears a Reaction that reads: “After this warlord commits to a planet or is declared as an attacker, put a Snotlings token into play at this planet.” With this ability, Old Zogwort has the potential to create several Snotlings in just one battle. These units can quickly become overwhelming in large numbers, picking away at your opponent’s forces, and forcing him to use attacks to destroy them.

Unfortunately, Old Zogwort’s psychic outbursts can prove dangerous to those around him. His Forced Reaction destroys all of your Snotlings tokens at the end of the combat phase. Although your hordes of Snotlings won’t live past the end of a combat phase, they can cause quite a bit of damage during the battles where they can congregate in large numbers. What’s more, Old Zogwort’s signature squad offers plenty of other ways to maximize the amount of Snotlings you control.

This signature squad begins with four copies of Zogwort’s Runtherders (Zogwort’s Curse, 68). This unit increases the amount of Snotlings you can gain in a single combat phase even more. Whenever one of Zogwort’s Runtherders takes damage, you can put a Snotlings token into play at its planet. With three HP, you can potentially get three Snotlings from each of Zogwort’s Runtherders before it dies, increasing the numbers of your Greenskin horde.

Zogwort’s Hovel (Zogwort’s Curse, 69) offers another chance to bring more Snotlings into play. Whenever Old Zogwort is declared as a defender and Zogwort’s Hovel is in play, you may put a Snotlings token into play at the same planet as your warlord, swelling his armies of Snotlings to truly unprecedented levels. Your opponent is forced to attack Old Zogwort if he wants to stop the flow of Snotlings, but every attack against Old Zogwort only spawns more Snotlings with Zogwort’s Hovel in play.

The free Wyrdboy Stikk (Zogwort’s Curse, 70) attachment calls still more Snotlings to Old Zogwort’s banner. This Wargear attachment can be attached to any Oddboy unit, such as Old Zogwort or one of Zogwort’s Runtherders. With this attachment, whenever a Snotlings token is destroyed, you may exhaust the Wyrdboy Stikk to put a Snotlings token into play at any planet, giving your Snotlings greater resilience than ever before.

In Warhammer 40,000: Conquest, Snotlings can pick even a mighty Space Marine apart if there are enough of them. But Old Zogwort’s signature squad gives your Snotlings a greater purpose as cannon fodder with Launch da Snots (Zogwort’s Curse, 71). This event reads: “Reaction: After an Ork unit you control is declared as an attacker, it gets +X ATK for that attack. X is the number of Snotlings tokens at the same planet as the attacking unit.” With the massive amounts of Snotlings that Old Zogwort can easily amass, Launch da Snots can easily add a truly punishing amount of damage to another unit’s attack, crushing all who stand in the way of Old Zogwort and the power of the Waaagh!

Greenskin Assault

Whether you gather numberless hordes of Snotlings with Old Zogwort, track down your prey with the Space Wolves, torture your foes with the Dark Eldar, or lead a Vyper Squad attack with the Eldar, you’ll find the cards you need in the Zogwort’s Curse War Pack.

Look for Zogwort’s Curse at your local retailer in the first quarter of 2015!

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Source: Zogwort's Curse