Bring Star Trek and Heroes of Might and Magic III to Your Tabletop

Board Game: Star Trek: Super-Skill Pinball

• U.S. publisher WizKids has been releasing Star Trek-themed games for years, and it will release two more such titles in 2022, both being themed editions of previously released games. Star Trek: Super-Skill Pinball makes that connection clear right in the title, with this being another iteration of Geoff Engelstein's roll-and-write game Super-Skill Pinball: 4-Cade.

Here's an overview of this May 2022 release:

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In Star Trek Super-Skill Pinball, choose one of the four unique tables and matching backglass for scorekeeping, then roll a shared pair of dice and get the pinballs rolling! You'll select one of the two die results, then move your pinball to a bumper or spinner, or target one level below with a matching number. Once you reach the lowest level, pick which flipper's roll to use to send the ball right back to the top. Play well, and you'll unlock bonuses like multiball, score multipliers, and more to help you get the high score!

The game comes with four different tables, each with its own unique art and challenges:

—Starfleet Academy features the classic pinball experience in which you'll learn the basics and try to beat the famous Kobayashi Maru!
—The Trouble with Tribbles sees you helping Kirk and the crew keep the rapidly multiplying tribbles from overwhelming the U.S.S. Enterprise!
—Lower Decks will have you join the crew of the U.S.S. Cerritos as they deal with holodeck malfunctions and artificial gravity gone awry!
—Borg Attack asks you to build a fleet of Starfleet's finest ships to take down a Borg Cube and save the Galaxy!

Yes, no matter how well you think you've eradicated them, the tribbles still live on.

• Star Trek: Missions uses the same game engine as Bruce Glassco's Fantasy Realms, with players building a hand of cards that will score points based on the composition of that hand.

In slightly more detail and with far more sales jargon:

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In Star Trek: Missions, you explore all the mystery and excitement of the galaxy, featuring characters, locations, and equipment in familiar groups or in strange new combinations. Assemble a crew with anyone from Commander Riker to DaiMon Bok, grab a Bat'leth, and take on challenges like organizing a Diplomatic Conference, or getting trapped in the Holodeck!

The combinations in each hand create a brand new episode of the Enterprise's continuing mission. Make the best combo to score the highest points and claim victory.

Star Trek: Missions is due out in February 2022.

• In October 2021, Polish publisher Archon Studio announced that it had licensed the computer game Heroes of Might and Magic III for release as a board game under the name — wait for it — Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Board Game, with a Kickstarter planned for November 2022.

Here's an overview of what the publisher has in mind:

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The core game will feature three towns from which to choose: Inferno, Castle, and a yet to be announced town. Each faction will feature two heroes to play as, along with creatures representing each town.

The game will come with over thirty detailed miniatures, including heroes like "Catherine The Ironfist" and "Sandro" as well as iconic creatures like archangels, infamous devils, and all-time classic dragons. Gameplay will combine world exploring that uses hexagonal map tiles with a simple chess-like battle system representing the classic battlefields for which the series is known.

For mock-up images and miniatures, along with a Kickstarter sign-up, head to Archon's HOMM3 website. One of the stretch goals should absolutely be a ten-minute phone card as an homage to the original release...