Cephalofair Games
The publisher's popularity is not high, but its masterpiece "Yougang Maze" is well known in the board game circle. As the first American game ranked by BGG for many years, it has been the favorite of all players since its launch, and the sequel to this hegemonic masterpiece in 2022, "Frost Maze", is finally going to be shipped!
Frosthaven
Number of players: 1-4 people
Game Features: American-style co-op
This time the story takes place at a small outpost in the north, which is crumbling in the midst of bad weather and invasions by various forces. At this point, a group of mercenaries, our players, decide to rescue the outpost on the brink of collapse.
As a sequel, its basic gameplay is similar to that of the previous game, and the famous battle mechanics in Ghostport Maze have been inherited, and more changes have been made to other systems.
In the game, there are nearly 100 battle stories and new mechanics. Players can discover hidden secrets in mysterious little corners of the battlefield, experience a system of events that change with the seasons, serve as a leader to build this crumbling outpost, and immerse yourself in the crafting system. The actual content is richer than the original, and it is a very cooperative sequel.
The English version is crowdfunded on KS in 2020 and will be shipped in the first half of 2022 if there are no accidents. The Chinese version of the game A has also been officially published, but there is no specific crowdfunding news for the time being, and I hope to have a chance to see it in 2022.
Pearl Games
It's a low-capacity strategy game publisher, but great works like Troyes and Brussels 1893 come from their homes, and in 2022 they unveiled an interesting new book.
Time of Empires
Number of players: 2-4 people
Game features: civilization duel, real-time strategy
In this game, each player controls a civilization and leads it from ancient times into the Middle Ages, through the Industrial Revolution until modern times – but this time it's instantaneous.
All players are tasked with leading civilizations forward in a real-time civilization duel. Each era consists of a preparatory phase, an action phase and a scoring phase.
Players control two 30-second hourglasses for action, including expanding the territory they control, building miracles, and discovering new technologies. Compared to similar games, it is more difficult for players to take care of all areas at the same time, so be careful when building miracles by enemies from corners!
Real-time strategy board games are currently relatively rare, and it is very difficult to adjust the strategy on the fly, so the design of this game has been quite long, and it is hoped that it has been adjusted to the best state when meeting the player.
Sand Castle Games
In 2022, Sand Castle Games, a publisher that launched Battle of Offa, also brought players an interesting empire-themed board game.
First Empires
Number of players: 2-5 people
Game features: Empire Building, Dice Luck, Strategy
In this game, each player controls the fate of an ancient country through player boards, mibao, and cards. The number of rounds in the game is determined by the number of players, and during their own rounds, players will throw dice according to the way they develop their territory.
The six faces of the dice correspond to the five abilities on the player's board. In order to expand new territories and invade opponents, you need to unlock mobility; when annexing territory, the player must have more people than the current occupier, or throw the dice of the "sword" symbol to banish the inhabitants elsewhere.
Players can also further develop their territory by using the corresponding dice, get more dice and additional re-roll opportunities, and unlock achievement cards. At the end of the game, points are earned based on the achievement cards completed, the number of points unlocked by the individual territory, and the total number of cities you control.
The game does not have much public information at present, and it should be a decent light-hearted German style.
Ludonova
With the advent of modern board games, there are a number of people everywhere who are working hard to promote this "alternative" entertainment, Ludonova, a Spanish publishing house, and in 2022 they came up with a very attractive original board game.
Watson & Holmes II
Number of players: 1-7 people
Game features: cooperative reasoning, puzzle solving
It's the sequel to the critically acclaimed multiplayer reasoning game Watson and Holmes, and as a reasoning game, detectives will play Dr. Watson and work with detective Sherlock Holmes to try to solve a series of hitherto unpublished cases, most of which are directly excerpted from Dr. Watson's diary.
Challenged players will relive the adventures of the legendary duo, investigating each location and slowly following the clues to the heart of the case.
New adventures, new special rules, and new challenges are available in the sequel. Can compete, co-op or single-player.
Unexpected Games
Unexpected Games is a board game publisher with "innovation" as its core philosophy, and their goal is to create new, fun and easy-to-play games, and the new games they will launch in 2022 will bring surprises.
Voices In My Head
Number of players: 3-6 people
Game features: card selection, personality system
In this game, creativity is best reflected. In the game, players will go to court, not in the defense bench, not in the jury, but in the mind of a man tried for robbing a bank!
A player will take on the role of prosecutor in an attempt to convict the defendant and send him to jail. Other players play part of the defendant's personality, such as honesty or selfishness, in an attempt to influence the trial. In order to win this lawsuit, each player must achieve their hidden goals.
In each round, prosecutors play a trial card to present evidence, call witnesses, or cross-examine defendants. The player then controls the defendant's actions by deploying control markers onto the brain map, which will affect the jury in different ways and ultimately decide whether the defendant is freed or sent to jail.
The game is conceptually a bit like the personality system of Bliss Disco, presented in the unique form of a board game, and people can't help but look forward to its final performance!