![New Game Round-up: Fighting with Naruto, Flooding with Slime, and Freezing with Zombies](https://cf.geekdo-images.com/CGVGJx3731a3al1KrcuBYg__medium/img/dbuGEsGkEnazuhb4AQC2mZuCRRM=/fit-in/500x500/filters:no_upscale():strip_icc()/pic2928481.jpg)
The Akatsuki, a criminal ninja organization, are hunting Jinchuriki: humans who are host to tailed beasts, of which Naruto is one. Taking on the roles of Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi, Rock Lee, Sai and Shikamaru from the Hidden Leaf Village, players attempt to stop the Akatsuki from extracting the tailed beasts from their bearers and using them to power their ultimate weapon: The Gedô Mazô.
In more detail, the Akatsuki start at one of the nine villages on the game board, spend at most three turns in that village, then (if they're not defeated there) move to the next village. Each Akatsuki character has its own strengths and weaknesses. The villages are distant from one another, so players can't race from one village to another after them, but must divide their forces to prepare for conflict, encountering unexpected events along the way.
Each player has a character card showing Combat Ability, Chakra Reserve, and Strategy Value, as well as an experience track that allows them to power up over time. Each character also has a deck of fourteen ability cards, some common to each deck but most unique to that character.
Each turn a character takes two actions from move, meditate, or fight. When you fight, you roll dice, hoping for shuriken. You can play cards to increase the number of dice you roll, but you must spend Chakra to play them and both cards and Chakra are limited. The enemy fights back if you don't deal enough damage to it, possibly triggering special powers and additional effects in the process.
Once the Akatsuki arrive at Hidden Leaf Village, players must face Tobi and the Gedô Mazô, with their power being greater for each tailed beast that they stole on their way to this final showdown.
Naruto Shippuden: The Board Game features three levels of play and a large variety of enemies, making each game a unique experience.
• Cool Mini Or Not, which took over distribution of the Krosmaster line in Dec. 2015, has announced a March 26, 2016 U.S. street date for the long-awaited Krosmaster Quest.
• Cryptozoic Entertainment has announced that a Kickstarter campaign for Ghostbusters: The Board Game II will launch in April 2016. Here's what has been made public about the game so far:
This standalone game features new game elements such as Slime Blower Pack Ghostbusters, Ooze entities that can split apart and join back together, allies, new equipment like Ecto Goggles and Portal Destabilizers, and much more.
• Plaid Hat Games has announced that preorders for Dead of Winter: The Long Night will open Wednesday March 16, 2016, with those preorders including an exclusive Rich Sommer character along with standee and Crossroads card. Preview articles for the game will start on the PHG website on April 13, 2016.
PHG notes in its press release that some copies of the game might be available at the 2016 Origins Game Fair ahead of those preorders making it to buyers, but the games are coming on separate shipments, so it's not possible at this point in time to know exactly what will be available where first.