News Collider: Blood Bound, Dropzone Commander models and Games Workshop skirmish game rumours

It’s hot here in the UK this week, I mean proper hot and there’s only one way to cool down in the sun, an ice cream. You could follow Simon Pegg and Nick Frost and treat yourself to a cornetto but the connoisseur’s ice cream is the mint chocolate Feast. So feast on blood as you bluff your opponents in Fantasy Flight Games Blood Bound, feast your eyes on Hawk Wargames latest Dropzone Commander beauties and feed your curiosity on the latest rumours of a Games Workshop standalone game.

Fantasy Flight Games announce Blood Bound

Fantasy Flight Games have announced the release of a new secret identity card game, Blood Bound. Takings its cue from games such as The Resistance and Werewolf, Blood Bound will have players taking on the roles of vampires as you try to determine the identity of the opposing clan’s leader.

“Fantasy Flight Games is proud to announce the upcoming release of Blood Bound, a game of deduction, bluffing, and strategy for six to twelve players. You and your clan of vampires must work together to capture the leader of your rival clan. However, your adversaries won’t sit idle as you work. They will be simultaneously working to identify and eliminate your leader.”

The method of play in Blood Bound looks deceptively simple, you can attack a player and they then have to reveal one piece of information about themselves, such as their affiliation or rank. Play then passes to the next player who can choose to attack or pass. These games work best in large groups and a party game is something missing from Fantasy Flight Games repertoire but is it  good enough to compete with the convention favourites.

Blood Bound will be released towards the end of 2013.

Hawk Wargames Dropzone Commander new units

Over the past week Hawk Wargames have been previewing a bunch of new models over on twitter. To put it simply these are some of the prettiest minis I’ve seen in some time and it would be a shame not to share them.

Are Games Workshop making a one off boxed set?

Not really news I know, but the rumour mill about if Games Workshop are producing a one off boxed game is going crazy lately. The theory is that Space Hulk 3rd edition came out in 2009 and Dreadfleet in 2011, so if we extrapolate the curve then Games Workshop will be releasing a standalone game in 2013. Beasts of War have placed their bets on a re-issue of Blood Bowl. 2013 will be the 25th anniversary of the second run of Blood Bowl, we don’t mean the original version but the version that came with the polystyrene pitch and which many consider to the iconic version of the game, and since Space Hulk was an anniversary version this would make some sense.

Pins of War however have a completely different story. They suggest that Games Workshop are making a skirmish level game based on Warhammer 40,000. Not only would this be a low model count game, around 5 to 10 models per side but it was also act as a mini starter kit; all the miniatures would be in standard 40k scale.

It could be that Games Workshop are looking at the success of Kickstarters such as Sedition Wars and Dead Zone and wanting a piece of the action. Personally I don’t see this; both Warhammer Fantasy Battles and Warhammer 40,000 have been moving more and more towards massive armies and huge centrepiece miniatures. The Elder Wraithknight, the Tau Riptide and the recent release of Apocalypse all suggest a bigger and bigger models. This is all rumours and as soon as something is confirmed it will be hitting News Collider!