Shivers of Anticipation: 10 Games I'm Looking out for in 2019

You’ve got a few in here that I’m interested in.

I have no idea how to anticipate games these days. There’s just too much coming out and I won’t know how much it interests me until I see it, unless it’s based on an IP that I think will make for a cool game.

Not on your list that I’m excited for:
-GF9’s Aliens game (more for my GF9 love than my substantial Aliens love)
-Restoration Games new Conspiracy
-Whatever “Project Blue” is From Restoration (I’m really pulling for Thunder Road)
-Bunny Kingdom expansion
-Vulcans and Andorians for Ascendancy
-Hopefully a TI4 expansion that consists of a retooled Distant Suns
-Supposedly Deep is finally getting a release. This is the game that was being put out by Leder games but was suddenly dropped and the designer claims they reworked his game into Root. I’m interested to see how close the two are.
-Star Wars: Outer Rim, no sarcasm, don’t @ me.

Joebot wrote:

jpat wrote: I wish there were a Laukat design that I really liked, because his art and world building are excellent, or at least they appeal to me, which is why I keep trying and hoping.

I love Laukat's art (I even have a framed print of his hanging on my bedroom wall) ... but I agree with you about his designs. I've played a bunch of them, and there's always some element that frustrates me, or keeps me from really loving the game the way I love his art. He tends to sand off the really sharp edges of his game, to make losing less punishing, or to make conflict less interesting. Just as an example, if you lose a fight in Empire of the Void II, you don't lose your ships. Your ships simply retreat to your nearest controlled planet. It dumbs down the risk/reward calculation because there essentially is no risk. If you win, great. If you lose, fuck it, no harm dome.

Yeah, that's kind of it, or part of it, for me also. To be fair, I think, even in that game, with all its "X" trappings, he's really just looking to tell stories in the form of the event cards and in the interactions. Like, if A comes and attacks B, something cool or funny might happen, but substantially changing the game-state isn't central, and it's that kind of constraint overall, not just with conflict but also with limits on what can happen and on game length, that chafe to a greater or lesser extent. But Near and Far is one I do like fairly well, even though I won't go out of my way to dig it out, because it plays to those instincts in an obvious, literal way. Anyway, carry on.

RolandHemisphere wrote: Now I want a game made entirely of footnotes!

So a Phil Eklund game.

None of these are on my radar at all. All I know of coming out that I'm looking forward to is the Pret-a-Porter re-release and the 51st State expansion. I don't know of anything else that's upcoming.

Despite not fully exploring all of the characters in the Vast expansion yet, I'm excited for The Mysterious Manor too.

From other's comments, +1 to the Bunny Kingdom expansion. That game is always great and my group has really taken to it. And, +1 to Pret-a-Porter re-release. I'm hoping the rules clean-up and edits will make the game even better.

I've had Imperial Struggle on my P500 list basically since it was announced. I don't care if it's "better" than Twilight Struggle, I just want it to be good. That's enough for me.

The Jonathan Strange one is a wait-and-see for me. I like the idea, but I doubt it will translate to a game.

Most of the other stuff listed I'm ambivalent about. Gandhi in particular is not an evolution of COIN I'm itching for. I've already skipped most of the COIN games, but I'll be interested to see how peaceful protest things are handled. I just don't need to find out with my own cash.

Not on this list, I'm excited for second edition Pax Pamir, and that's about it. My buying is way down, but I do like to see what other people are interested in. It's better than an "everything sucks" narrative any day.

Yeah, Pax Pamir is looking good.

Gary Sax wrote: Yeah, Pax Pamir is looking good.

We're on as soon as there's a Vassal module.

Re-reading this, my take on COIN came off as harsher than I meant it. I like the COIN mechanics. The F:AT Andean Abyss game was immensely fun, and is responsible for me buying the game. I have a couple of others from the early iterations, but as it went on it started getting chromier and less appealing to me. I look at stuff like Pendragon with the forts and shit all over it, and realize that this is already a shelf toad, it doesn't need more wartiness.

If I'm going to magically play one it might as well be Andean Abyss, which I already own.

Anyone want to buy an original 1st ed hardback of Jonathan Strange, in the limited ed white dust jacket, autographed by the author?

Had it for years. Got it autographed at the Borders (RIP) in Seattle during the author’s North American book tour. Don’t anticipate reading it again anytime soon.

Can confirm it has footnotes.

In on Pax Pamir vassal if that happens at any point.

I didn't back it. It was as likely to get played as 1e, so couldn't justify. I enjoyed 1e thoroughly though.

Like others I'm curious about Strange but can't see it can really hit the essence of the book.

I get this feeling that people have cooled on ROOT, but I'm still pumped to play as Crows and Moles.

Anyone wondering if they'll ever bring the woodland ARTHROPODS into the fold? First suggestion: The Wood Wide Web (Spiders).

JonathanVolk wrote: I get this feeling that people have cooled on ROOT, but I'm still pumped to play as Crows and Moles.

Anyone wondering if they'll ever bring the woodland ATHROPODS into the fold? First suggestion: The Wood Wide Web (Spiders).

The Root expansion is at the top of my very short 2019 anticipation list. More. More Root. Root forever.

I think Root will become legitimately important game, not only for its fun factor but as a teaching tool. Simulating various forms of combat/factions without historical attachment allows for great scenarios/what-ifs that a normal wargame would just never have. The new factions look to introduce some really spicy stuff. I'm excited.

I would say that spiders would make a great espionage faction but that's what crows are going to be. I'd love to see Ferrin take on bugs in his art style. Here's hoping.

Why is it that I always feel perpetually behind almost everyone else on this site about expansions or re-releases? Is it because I don't pay attention to Kickstarter or don't spend any time on BGG except when I'm trading?

So, stupid question: What/when is it?

Heck yes, more Root. I tried five different COIN games and certainly admired and enjoyed them but the reality is that I've played one game of Cuba Libre in the past two years and more than twenty games of Root in just the past couple of months. Both my kids are really into Root too so it's inevitable that we will go in on the additional factions.

I didn't realise there was more 51st State on the way either, I still haven't picked up the Scavenger deck. It's one of those games that seems to be a really hard sell yet everyone enjoys it when we finally play so might not be something that I rush to pick up.

Jackwraith wrote: Why is it that I always feel perpetually behind almost everyone else on this site about expansions or re-releases? Is it because I don't pay attention to Kickstarter or don't spend any time on BGG except when I'm trading?

So, stupid question: What/when is it?

I don't use BGG for hardly anything outside of blogs. For me it's a combination of having friends that work in the industry that are up on things, podcasts/youtube, and twitter. I've contemplated axing the last one multiple times.