New Game Round-up: Trollfens for Descent, Space Maps for Star Trek: Catan & No More LEGO Games for Anyone

New Game Round-up: Trollfens for Descent, Space Maps for Star Trek: Catan & No More LEGO Games for Anyone
Board Game: Descent: Journeys in the Dark (Second Edition) – The Trollfens
• With the Labyrinth of Ruin expansion now bearing a July 2013 release date, U.S. publisher Fantasy Flight Games has unveiled yet another expansion for the second edition of Descent: Journeys in the Dark. Here's an overview of The Trollfens, due out in Q4 2013:

Quote:
The Trollfens introduces new heroes, monsters, classes, quests, and more. Heroes can discover and investigate secret rooms and rumors while the overlord spreads infection and brings a powerful new lieutenant into play: the massive troll Bol'Goreth!

The two new heroes are Roganna the Shade, a Scout of unparalleled cunning and valor who has considerable willpower and speed at her disposal, and Augur Grisom, a healer whose very presence provides solace to his allies; after all, it's rumored that he can see into the future.

In addition to new Shop and Relic cards, two new classes will enhance your character selection process. The Stalker, a class for the Scout archetype, is a master of the hunt who excels at laying traps of all kinds. The Healer class gains a Prophet, whose mind is his greatest tool; by sharing his insight with those around him, the Prophet bolsters the effectiveness of his fellow adventurers.

The new monsters include Plague Worms and Harpies, but most troublesome of all is Bol'Goreth, a single-minded killer devoted to the will of the overlord. This massive troll is capable of flattening farmhouses and devouring livestock whole. His uncanny resilience allows him to shrug off bodily ailments that would be lethal to lesser creatures, while his fits of unchecked rage make him a force to be reckoned with.

The new overlord class "Infector" features a wide selection of powers centered around spreading pestilence and disease.
Board Game: Star Trek: Catan – Federation Space
• Following word of a new edition of The Downfall of Pompeii, U.S. publisher Mayfair Games has announced another August 2013 release, the Star Trek: Catan - Federation Space Map Set. Here's a brief description of this item, which carries a $30 MSRP:

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During its original mission, the Enterprise, Captain Kirk, and his intrepid crew visited many strange new worlds and discovered many new life-forms and civilizations. Now you and your friends can boldly go and explore this galaxy, too, with the Star Trek: Catan - Federation Space Map Set, which includes two maps depicting the Known Galaxy.

Based on the "Known Galaxy" map seen in Kirk's ready-room itself, these maps allow you to settle the famous worlds of Federation Space using pieces from your Star Trek: Catan base game.
• This is more of a "no new games" item, but French game site Tric Trac reports that the LEGO game line is dead. Tric Trac credits LEGO blog All About Bricks with first reporting the death of the LEGO games line in April 2013, although at that time the news was merely a rumor. Søren Lund, VP of Sales at LEGO, has now confirmed the discontinuation of the LEGO games line, noting that it didn't meet "the requirements of the LEGO Group for a sustainable and long-term business branch". LEGO's Legends of Chima game was released in early 2013, but the press release notes that nothing new will be released in the second half of 2013. All About Bricks notes that the cancelled games from LEGO include Story Mixer and at least one themed on Batman.

Board Game: Rallye Photo
Board Game: Give Me Five
• In the category of organized activity/game, French publisher Cocktail Games is releasing Julien Sentis' Rallye Photo on July 1, 2013. Here's an overview of the activity/game/challenge/curiosity:

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In Rallye Photo, players split into two teams – each with the same list of items – and they race through the city streets trying to photograph those items as quickly as they can. A flag, a helmet, a car parked on the sidewalk – whichever team has found the most objects after twenty minutes wins!

In addition to more than two dozen cards focusing on items found in cities, the game includes a half-dozen cards for the countryside, beach and mountains. (Cameras not included.)
• Another Cocktail Games release – Give Me Five from Jacques Bariot and Dominique Della Scaffa – is due for release in September 2013, but attendees at the Paris est Ludique game festival (taking place June 22-23, 2013) receive a copy free when paying for a ticket. A summary of gameplay:

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In Give Me Five, your teammates have five seconds to guess a word – but first you need to figure out the word to be guessed and how to clue them in to that same word.

The game is played with all players active in each round. A round starts by revealing a theme card and a letter card. Once a player has a word in mind that fits that theme and starts with that letter, she taps the card and gives a clue to her teammates. She and the other players then count down from five to zero - but instead of saying zero, she and her teammates must say the word at the same time. If they do, they claim the card; otherwise players on the other teams try to come up with a different word and clue to get their teammates to guess properly.

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