News Collider - Board Game News 5th September 2019

In a world full of unpredictable tariffs, trade wars and the seemingly never ending Brexit saga we can at least rely on board games for some stability…

I beg your pardon?  They’re changing Cluedo? Cludeo!?  And the Origins awards?  And what are those cute figurine things...D&D Funko Pops!  Has the world gone mad? 

Fans get to pick the new Cluedo Room

Cluedo, or Clue, celebrates its 70th birthday this year, and to mark the occasion, Hasbro are remodeling Tudor Manor.  Quite literally in fact, hiring the home design and renovation site, Houzz to aid in the alterations.

You can vote online for your favoruite alteration which will replace the Hall with options including a guest room, bathroom, drawing room or spruce up of the original Hall.

Earlier this year Hasbro also announced that they were killing off one of the original cast of usual suspects; Mrs. White.  All copies manufactured after August 2019 will no longer feature the mild mannered housekeeper and will instead add Dr. Orchid.  This change was made as part of an overall refresh taking many years off most of the characters (except Colonel Mustard) and adding a little more ethnic diversity.

These changes probably aren’t enough to have many readers of the News Collider rushing to their local toy store to buy a copy but I for one find it interesting that Hasbro are making these types of changes now to a game so late it its lifetime.

Pandasaurus Games Acquires next Elizabeth Hargrave Game

Wingspan designer and Kennerspiel des Jahres winner, Elizabeth Hargrave’s next game will be published by the people who bought us The Mind, Wasteland Delivery Service and Dinosaur Island.

They are all being very cagey with details, but Liz did say this about the game in an interview with ICv2:

It’s based on a story I fell in love with the first time I heard it, and I think gamers will too.

Expect more details to be drip fed to us over the forthcoming months and until then there is just rampant speculation that I will start with the board game adaptation of Margarett Attwood’s Oryx and Crake.

Dungeon & Dragons Funko Pops

Funko Pop! Mind Flayer anyone?

From February 2020 you’ll be able to pick up one of these adorable and terrible monsters to add to (or start) your Funko collection.  The new license between Funko and Dungeons & Dragons will see the series of super-cute figurines start with the Lord of the Nine Hells, Pop! Asmodeus, a Pop! Mind Flayer and a Pop! Minsc & Boo because the only thing cuter than a miniature giant space hamster is a Pop! miniature giant space hamster.

Changes to Origin Awards

The Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design are making a range of changes to the awards process.  "Best Role-Playing Game Supplement." is being scrapped and the somewhat dreadded "Best Digital Adaptation of a Physical Game," is being introduced, there is also the return of former categories, "Best Historical Game" and "Best Historical Miniatures Game."

Further to these changes are some adjustments to how games are voted on and submitted.  The highly prestigious, “Game of the Year” which has previously been voted on by the GAMA staff (from recommendations by the Academy) has been altered to now include all active Academy members.  From this year onwards, nominees will now be selected by a jury from games submitted by their publishers where academy members are “encouraged” to only nominate games from “within their categories of expertise”.