SMOOSH JUICE
Jump Onstage, Enter the Chaos Chamber, Fight Zombies, and Call on Tintin for Help | BoardGameGeek News
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▪️ U.S. publisher Arcane Wonders has picked up Onstage, a trick-taking game from Michael Orion that debuted in 2024 from Vietnamese publishers Ngũ Hành Games and Rolling Wizards Studio. Arcane Wonders plans to debut Onstage at Gen Con 2025 in August.
Here’s an overview of this 3-5 player game:
The deck consists of 36 cards, numbered 1-9 for each of the four suits. Each suit has three performers, one each valued at 1, 2, and 3 points, which represent the featured, supporting, and lead actors respectively. The values 1, 4, and 7 of each suit have effects to manipulate the performers onstage and in line, which can change the current trump and scoring opportunities each hand.
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If at the end of the round, you are the only player with no performer tokens, you claim all the performers currently on stage as your score for the round. Keep one card between each round and put all used performers back in line behind the current line before starting the next hand in the new turn order.
After playing an equal number of rounds per player, whoever has the high score wins. In the two-vs-two team variant, partners combine their scores at the end of each round, but they may not discuss their hands during play.
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▪️ In June 2025, Bézier Games will release Xylotar: Unhinged, an expansion(!) for Chris Wray‘s 2024 game Xylotar, which is a revised version of Wray’s 2023 self-published Magic Trick.
The expansion contains two modules that can be used separately or together: Bonus Beats, which are unique player power cards that can be used only once in the game, and Off-Key Cards, which are half-valued cards that will fall between other notes, making it more challenging for players to know exactly what they’re playing. What’s more, Off-Key Cards are worth negative points when captured.
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▪️ In Q4 2025, Bézier Games will release Zombie Princess, a riff on ye olde Spades by Ted Alspach similar to how Rebel Princess is a riff on Hearts. Here’s an overview of this 3-6 player game:
The zombie horde is growing. It began with the princes, but it has spread to the local villagers, the adorable woodland creatures, and even our noble knights! The rebel princesses are the last of us. If they fail, the kingdom will fall forever into darkness — a true and horrific Zombieland!
As legendary princesses in Zombie Princess, players compete individually or as teams! Each princess is armed with a unique player power, giving her or her teammate much needed flexibility or information. Zombie Princess takes place over four rounds, and each round has a special rule, making each game feel fresh and unique. Princesses bid on how many hordes of zombies they will eliminate… er… save each round. Will you eradicate the resident evil of the land, or will this be the dawn of the dead?
▪️ In Q2 2025, Upper Deck Entertainment will release Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands: The Chaos Chamber, the first product to emerge from a licensing deal with Gearbox Entertainment Company. (Limited-edition gallery prints and trading card sets for both Borderlands and Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands will follow.) An overview:
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To play, each player chooses a class to start, then enters the Chaos Chamber. Using a strategic trick-taking combat system, players can blast, slash, and cast their way through the hordes of enemies like Skeleton Warriors, Trolls, Goblins, and other fearsome foes like the Banshee, Dry’l, Ribula, and more to gain legendary loot and victory points.
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▪️ In 2026, Brazilian publisher Black Mamba Games will release The Adventures of Tintin: The Trick-Taking Game, a four-player only trick-taking deduction game(!) by Gaetano Foschini:
As the game progresses, players eliminate false leads in their notebooks until someone reaches a conclusion and correctly deduces another player’s plot card, earning points toward the final score.