• When you think of legacy games, two designers probably come to mind thanks to their groundbreaking work on Risk Legacy and Pandemic Legacy: Rob Daviau and Matt Leacock.
This duo is the creative team behind Ziggurat, a legacy game coming in September 2024 from U.S. publisher MindWare.
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Here's the pitch for this 2-4 player game:
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When you look at the game board and components, you might recognize elements from Mole Rats in Space, a 2017 Leacock design from Peaceable Kingdom. (MindWare acquired Peaceable Kingdom in September 2017.)
In that game, players had to co-operate to collect needed equipment, then all move to the escape pod at the center of the game board without getting bit by snakes or shunted into outer space. Mole Rats in Space included cards that let you bump up the difficulty of the game, but Ziggurat goes further, while also including anthropomorphic animals among the game's twelve heroes to mark this design forever as an early 2020s release.
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• Another recently announced co-operative legacy game that's built on an earlier release is Flash Point: Legacy of Flame from Ken Franklin, Chris Leder, Kevin Rodgers, and Kevin Lanzing, the latter being the designer of the 2010 game Flash Point, which was reimplemented into 2011's Flash Point: Fire Rescue.
Publisher Indie Boards & Cards plans to Kickstart this 1-6 player game in March 2024 with the release scheduled for 2025, and here's the basic info:
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• And we'll round out this post with another co-operative "fire" legacy game. Yes, a third one!
On Feburary 28, 2024, Catalyst Game Labs announced that later this year it will crowdfund Runefire, a design based on 2014's Shadowrun: Crossfire from the creators of 2017's Dragonfire, which was itself based on Shadowrun: Crossfire.
In the video announcement, Catalyst's managing developer Randall Bills— who led the work on Dragonfire— noted that just as Dragonfire was 20-30% different from Shadowrun: Crossfire, Runefire will be 30-35% different from that first game. Bills says that Catalyst Board Game creative director Mike Richie has been playing the Pathfinder RPG for a decade, so he's a great resource for Runefire.
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Runefire is being developed in partnership with Paizo and its Pathfinder team, and it bears this short description for now: "Based on action-packed, team-based mechanics, every adventure can shape up differently based on your decisions and what cards you draw!"
This duo is the creative team behind Ziggurat, a legacy game coming in September 2024 from U.S. publisher MindWare.
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Here's the pitch for this 2-4 player game:
The ziggurat has been abandoned for centuries. It is old and crumbling. Vines crawl up its sides. The winds and rains have washed away its vibrant colors. The village that surrounds the structure has dwindled. People have moved away — but something stirs within its depths. Something awakens...
According to legend, a dragon once lived in it but that was hundreds of years ago. Now it's a place where weeds grow.
People have been seeing fire spirits on the ziggurat's levels. The elders are asking for volunteers to investigate. Finally, it's your chance to be a hero! You hope to find a dragon.
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Ziggurat is a co-operative legacy game, with the story of the ziggurat unfolding over six chapters and with you making decisions during play that affect all of your games to come. As the story progresses, you will make permanent changes to the game, adding new rules, materials, and pieces to the board. Work together to complete the challenges that each chapter brings. The result is a co-operative adventure that you can play again and again!
According to legend, a dragon once lived in it but that was hundreds of years ago. Now it's a place where weeds grow.
People have been seeing fire spirits on the ziggurat's levels. The elders are asking for volunteers to investigate. Finally, it's your chance to be a hero! You hope to find a dragon.
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Ziggurat is a co-operative legacy game, with the story of the ziggurat unfolding over six chapters and with you making decisions during play that affect all of your games to come. As the story progresses, you will make permanent changes to the game, adding new rules, materials, and pieces to the board. Work together to complete the challenges that each chapter brings. The result is a co-operative adventure that you can play again and again!
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In that game, players had to co-operate to collect needed equipment, then all move to the escape pod at the center of the game board without getting bit by snakes or shunted into outer space. Mole Rats in Space included cards that let you bump up the difficulty of the game, but Ziggurat goes further, while also including anthropomorphic animals among the game's twelve heroes to mark this design forever as an early 2020s release.
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Publisher Indie Boards & Cards plans to Kickstart this 1-6 player game in March 2024 with the release scheduled for 2025, and here's the basic info:
Step into the heat of the action with Flash Point: Legacy of Flame, an immersive narrative-driven co-operative board game in which every decision counts and time is of the essence!
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Legacy of Flame is an interconnected series of games, with players guiding a team of firefighters as they progress from rookies to seasoned veterans, unlocking upgrades and special abilities throughout the campaign. Uncover hidden information with sealed envelopes that are unveiled at pivotal moments and with a rulebook that adapts and transforms with each playthrough. The impact of player decisions in each game resonates across future sessions, creating a unique gameplay experience.
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Legacy of Flame is an interconnected series of games, with players guiding a team of firefighters as they progress from rookies to seasoned veterans, unlocking upgrades and special abilities throughout the campaign. Uncover hidden information with sealed envelopes that are unveiled at pivotal moments and with a rulebook that adapts and transforms with each playthrough. The impact of player decisions in each game resonates across future sessions, creating a unique gameplay experience.
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On Feburary 28, 2024, Catalyst Game Labs announced that later this year it will crowdfund Runefire, a design based on 2014's Shadowrun: Crossfire from the creators of 2017's Dragonfire, which was itself based on Shadowrun: Crossfire.
In the video announcement, Catalyst's managing developer Randall Bills— who led the work on Dragonfire— noted that just as Dragonfire was 20-30% different from Shadowrun: Crossfire, Runefire will be 30-35% different from that first game. Bills says that Catalyst Board Game creative director Mike Richie has been playing the Pathfinder RPG for a decade, so he's a great resource for Runefire.
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Runefire is being developed in partnership with Paizo and its Pathfinder team, and it bears this short description for now: "Based on action-packed, team-based mechanics, every adventure can shape up differently based on your decisions and what cards you draw!"