Area Control

  • Review: SETI – Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence

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    Lead a scientific institution tasked with searching for traces of life beyond planet Earth. By launching probes to investigate nearby planets and moons, directing telescopes toward distant star systems, and developing your team on Earth, you will explore the Solar System and beyond, searching for signs of life outside our planet.

    This is how SETI: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence is presented to us, a design by Tomáš Holek (Galileo Galilei, Tea Garden). First published in 2024 by CGE in an English version. The illustrations are done by Ondřej Hrdina, Oto Kandera, Jiří Kůs, Jakub Lang, Michaela Lovecká, Jiří Mikovec, Jakub Politzer, Petra Ramešová, František Sedláček, Petr Štich, and Josef Surý.

  • Review: The Lord of the Rings – Duel for Middle-earth

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    Play as Sauron or as the Fellowship of the Ring: whichever you choose, the fate of Middle-earth is in your hands! Build your strategy and lead your side to victory. But pay close attention, as in this epic duel there are 3 conditions that grant an immediate victory, and all of them will require you to make crucial decisions on every turn.

    This is the premise of The Lord of the Rings: Duel for Middle-earth, designed by Antoine Bauza (Takenoko) and Bruno Cathala (Five Tribes). First published in 2024 by Repos Production in English and French versions. The illustrations are done by Vincent Dutrait (Heat, Augustus, El Dorado).

  • Review: Dune – Imperium

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    Arrakis. Dune. The Desert Planet. Raise your banner above the vast wasteland that stretches before you. Now that the Great Houses of the Landsraad are gathering their forces and their spies, whom will you influence and whom will you betray? A tyrannical Emperor. The inscrutable Bene Gesserit. The shrewd Spacing Guild. The fierce Fremen of the Deep Desert. The power of the Imperium can be yours, but war is not the only way to seize it.

    This is how Dune: Imperium is presented, designed by Paul Dennen, responsible for the Clank! series, Wild Tiled West, or Eternal: Chronicles of the Throne. First published in 2020 by Dire Wolf Digital in an English version. The illustrations are handled by Clay Brooks, Brett Nienburg, Raúl Ramos, and Nate Storm.

  • Review: War of the Ring (Second Edition)

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    But wherever he looked he saw signs of war. The Misty Mountains were crawling like anthills: orcs were issuing from a thousand holes. Under the boughs of Mirkwood there was deadly strife of Elves and Men and fierce beasts. The land of the Beornings was aflame; a cloud hung over Moria; smoke rose on the borders of Lórien. Riders were galloping on the grass of Rohan; wolves poured from Isengard. From the harbours of Harad ships of war put out to sea; and out of the East Men were moving endlessly: swordsmen, spearmen, bowmen upon horses, chariots of chieftains and laden wagons. All the power of the Dark Lord was in motion.

    This is how War of the Ring (in its second edition) is presented to us, a design by Roberto Di Meglio, Marco Maggi, and Francesco Nepitello (The Battle of the Five Armies, Age of Conan). The game was first published in 2004 by Ares Games, receiving a second edition in 2012. The illustrations are handled by John Howe (Ethnos).

  • Review: Root

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    Root is a fast-paced game of adventure and war. You will play as one of four factions fighting to prove you are the most legitimate ruler of the vast Woodland. Lurk as the Vagabond, seize the initiative with the proud Eyrie Dynasties, rule over your subjects as the Marquise de Cat, or organize the Alliance to establish a new order, and you will achieve dominance in this asymmetric game of adventure and war.

    This is how we are presented with Root, a design by Cole Wehrle (Pax Pamir, John Company). The game was published in 2018 by Leder Games thanks to a successful crowdfunding campaign via Kickstarter. The illustrations are handled by Kyle Ferrin, who had already shown his talent in games like Vast: The Crystal Caverns, Dungeon Mayhem, or Deep: Enemy Frontier.

  • Review: Scythe

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    The ashes of the Great War still darken the snow of 1920s Europa. The capitalistic city-state known simply as “The Factory,” which fueled the war with heavily armored mechs, has closed its doors, drawing the attention of several nearby countries. With characters from five different factions converging on a small but highly coveted piece of land, who will achieve fame and fortune and establish their empire as the leader of Eastern Europe?

    This is the premise of Scythe, the latest design from Jamey Stegmaier, the man behind Euphoria: Build a Better Dystopia and Viticulture. The game was published in 2016 under the usual Stonemaier Games label following a highly successful crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter. The illustrations are provided by Jakub Rozalski, who had already proven his skills in games like Hero Brigade or Legacy: The Card Game.