by: Michael Barnes

I miss the good old days when we had no clue at all what games were coming out. Going to the game shop almost always revealed some new title that you had never heard of before. Like when you walked into the shop and they had this game called MAGIC and you had no idea what it was. These days, we’ve been trained to anticipate releases way in advance, sometimes even years. That being said, it’s also fun to anticipate upcoming releases so this edition of the Cracked LCD Countdown is my list for the top ten games that I’m most looking forward to playing. Some of them are just around the corner and a couple are a little further out. Don’t blame me if I spoil any surprises if you read this column.

1) Castle Ravenloft (Hasbro/Wizards of the Coast; ETA: just released)

By the time this Countdown sees print, I’ll likely already have my hands on this new Dungeons & Dragons board game along with thousands of other gamers eager to see if this game proves itself worthy of the brand. CASTLE RAVENLOFT looks like a fairly simple, easy-to-play dungeon crawler with a very light version of the 4th edition D&D rules driving it. Early reports have been sort of mixed, with some feeling that it’s too simple or that it lacks flavor, but I’m in the market for something at exactly this weight level and with this setting so I have high hopes. The dungeon crawl genre is pretty saturated right now, but this game might find its niche due to its ease of play and familiar license. I also think the game represents a great value, packing in a host of high quality plastic miniatures, modular components, and the promise of expansion through the upcoming standalone game WRATH OF ASHARDALON. It looks like Wizards has their eye on expanding the D&D property into board gaming in a big way, and I’ll be watching.

2) War of the Worlds (Victory Point Games; ETA: unknown)

I barely have any information on this upcoming Victory Point Games title other than a mention at FortressAT.com from inside man John Welch. All I know at this point is that it’s a Chris Taylor game, and I’m assuming that his exemplary ability to convey theme, setting and narrative (witness NEMO’S WAR) will translate into another great game based on a classic Victorian sci fi novel. I’m hoping that Mr. Taylor retains the novel’s original setting, and I’m interested to discover if this is going to be a solo, two players, or multiplayer game. Regardless, I’m totally on board. Also upcoming from VPG is a great-looking game about climbing Mount Everest. Autobuy!

3) High Frontier (Sierra Madre Games; ETA: October)

Phil Eklund is game design’s resident mad scientist. His games approach their subject matter with the kind of scientific rigor usually reserved for academic papers but he also uses his designs to present his interpretation of scientific fact. It’s very compelling, and it demonstrates the high level of conceptual communication that games can accomplish in the right hands. His follow-up to 2008’s outstanding ORIGINS: HOW WE BECAME HUMAN is HIGH FRONTIER, a “reality”- based science fiction game about exo-globalization and exploitation of extraterrestrial industrial and mining prospects. In short, it’s like a gold rush game but in space. The rules, already available online, are only 11 pages but they’re dense, detailed, and full of terms like “in-situ resource utilization” and “carbon buckytube whiskers”. Mr. Eklund’s games usually have some terrible graphic design, but the subject matter and the raw experience of playing them makes up for it. I’m a little scared of HIGH FRONTIER, but I’m also intrigued.

4) "DUNE" (Fantasy Flight Games; ETA: Sometime around the release of DUKE NUKEM FOREVER)

I’m really, really worried about this game, but I’m anxious as all get out to play it. DUNE is the greatest board game ever published; a perfect example of all that is best in game design. It’s a simple game where the complexity comes more in human interaction than through the rules and its integration of setting and mechanics is literally as good as it gets. Fantasy Flight’s reprints of high profile games have been of two varieties: the respectful updates of games like COSMIC ENCOUNTER and TALISMAN and the more radical revisions of FURY OF DRACULA and DUNGEONQUEST. The latter game has me worried because FFG saw fit to shoehorn in an overly complicated combat mechanic replacing a much simpler one in an attempt to make their mark on the design. And since there hasn’t been mention of DUNE from the FFG camp in nearly two years it’s made me nervous that it’s because they are working on “modernizing” it or somehow altering it. Or worse, that they simply bought the license to keep someone else from releasing such a strong game to market. It’s widely expected that a FFG version game will not carry the DUNE license, so the setting is still up in the air. The TWILIGHT IMPERIUM world would seem to be a great fit and I think I could get behind that, but any sort of major mechanical revisions are not going to be met with open arms. They better not screw around with a 30 year old, hugely influential and seminal design. You hear me, FFG?