Matagot Unveils a Half-Dozen Titles for 2012 & Early 2013

In 1845, Captain Sir John Franklin led a British Royal Navy expedition to survey and traverse the final link of the Northwest Passage. The Royal Navy spared no expense; Franklin was given command of two sturdy, iron-reinforced ships (the Terror and Erebus), three year's worth of provisions, scientific equipment, one thousand books, and a crew of 148 men. They left England in May and in August met with whalers off the western coast of Greenland while waiting for favorable conditions to cross into Lancaster Sound. From there, they set sail into the unknown.

They were never heard from again.

The disappearance provoked widespread public concern, and led to numerous British and American expeditions. As leaders of such expeditions, the players must venture into the inhospitable Arctic Ocean, attempt to discover the fate of Franklin’s men, and succeed where he did not.

Northwest Passage is played over a number of exploration seasons, with each season comprised of several rounds. Every round, the players receive an allocation of crew points with which they will endeavor to direct their ships and, as a last resort, their sledding parties, through the maze of islands and ice in the Arctic Archipelago. At the end of the final exploration season, players score prestige points by moving their men, by reaching the westmost points, by finding evidence of Franklin, and of course by returning first safely to Canada.

In Les Dragons du Mekong, you want to move your pawn over a system of bridge-like planks to the other side of the board. An easy task! Or at least it would be if everyone were working together, but alas you're not. Instead you're all working on your own right next to one another, each convinced that your way is best.

In game terms, players simultaneously select one card from a set of five actions that's available to each player. The actions allow players to place plank foundations, place planks, move their pawns, cancel other players' actions, or remove planks or foundation stones. As can be expected for a design with simultaneous action selection, the game is rather chaotic.

Trapped in a prison in which each room has four doors but apparently no exit, the players must try to find Room 25, the supposed exit to this nightmare. But some amongst them might be guardians of the prison, waiting for the right moment to strike. In the cooperative game Room 25, not everyone wants to escape from imprisonment – but who is the traitor? Each turn, the player moves are preprogrammed, requiring discussion, negotiation – and possibly betrayal.

Room 25 includes five different playing modes, from full cooperation to a solitaire game.

In Kemet, players each represent an Egyptian tribe and will use the mystical powers of the gods of ancient Egypt – along with their powerful armies – to score points in glorious battles or through invasion of rich territories. As the game progresses, they will use their magic to enroll mystical creatures and unleash their pure divine power. Expect to see lots of detailed components, as in Matagot's Cyclades, to represent the armies and immortals.

Starting from the heart of Africa, players in Origins will set the course of mankind's expansion on our planet. From brothers to cousins, your tribes will gradually grow more diversified while still maintaining the link between all inhabitants of the earth.

By positioning themselves on a map of the Earth, one after the other the players will score points in different fashions for objectives, hunting areas, and technological and geographical discoveries.

Space pirates are battling for honor, glory and wealth! Join them in their exploration of the universe and their quest for victory. Players will explore, challenge each others, and engage in short-term or long-term alliances, but there will be battles and mighty spaceships involved.

In Metal Cards Adventures, you'll use cards to explore, enhance your ship and your crew, and live up to bold challenges. There will be negotiations, battle tactics, and the uncertainty and risk that really make a pirate's life.