Anticipated Games of 2021 Part 1

With hundreds of new board games scheduled to be released this year, it's practically impossible to identify which will be among the best. In this series, I will be briefly detailing games that I am personally looking forward to. 

These entries will be in no particular order.

Tortuga 2199- Grey Fox Games

One of the games that brought me into the hobby was the superb party/social deduction game Deception: Murder in Hong Kong. As I delved deeper into the realm of board gaming, I continued to hear about Champions of Midgard. Once I played that I knew it was going to be something finding its way into my collection. With two stellar games, Grey Fox Games became a company I was interested in.

I noticed on their website that they had a page dedicated to upcoming games. After looking through what was there, I was immediately taken by the cover for Tortuga 2199.

Looking into the story of the game, I further realized this was something to be looking for. Space pirates who go around taking over territories, adding crew to their ships, battling monsters and occasionally each other, this was a game for me!

As far as mechanics go, its core is a deck building game with elements of area control. You begin with a deck of ten cards, which will be identical for all players save one card- your individual space ship with a unique ability. These cards will be used for movement, doing actions, and purchasing other cards. As in many deck builders, players will shuffle these ten cards and draw five for their starting hands.

Players are able to scout monster tiles and then fight them. A victory joins that monster and its ability to your deck, or you can trade it in for victory points when it arrives in your hand of five cards. 

Cards are also used to gain control over territories, purchase items at markets, and attacking other players.

The first player to 15 points activates the end of the game, and whoever has the most victory points after that final round is the best space pirate this side of the galaxy.

If you enjoy deck builders with a little more (and that seems to be all the rage these days), definitely look into this one! My guess is that it will be another revered board game from the people at Grey Fox Games. I can't wait to get it on the table! 

Tortuga 2199 should be shipping to Kickstarter backers very soon!

What games of 2021 are you looking forward to the most? Leave them in a comment!