Portal Games planning for a busy 2018 with launch kits and expansions
December 24, 2017 - 2:32pm
Portal Games is planning for a busy start to the year with a pile of expansions and retail launch kits ready for players. Alien Artifacts, Robinson Crusoe, and Imperial Settlers will all have new content being released in the first quarter of 2018. Portal Games had already announced a slew of new expansions for 2018, but now players are getting release dates and details of additional in store event kit surprises.
Imperial Settlers
Imperial Settlers by designer Ignacy Trzewiczek and artist Tomasz Jedruszek will receive an expansion deck of cards, We Didn't Start the Fire, on May 16, 2018. The new empire pack introduces the concept of conquest to Imperial Settlers. Contesting introduces borders to Imperial Settlers. When a player completes a conquest they move the border between empires and can take the left-most faction from their neighboring empire and built it into their own empire. The empire pack will include 50 new cards and support all previous factions.
Portal Games is also planning for the release of a retail support kit for Imperial Settlers prior to the launch of We Didn't Start the Fire. Releasing on February 2nd, 2018, the In-Store Event Kit will help retailers planning for local tournaments. The retail support kit will include three cards for each of the original 4 base factions that feature a panoramic layout. The three cards in each faction can be placed side by side for a seamless and massive view of the world of Settlers. The kit will also include an Imperial Settlers playing mat (23" x 13") to be used as a prize in local tournaments. Winner of the 2014 Golden Geek for best solo game and now almost four years old, Imperial Settlers continues to build a fanbase of players.
Alien Artifacts
Alien Artifacts: Discovery will be released March 21st, 2018 as the first expansion to Alien Artifacts by designers Marcin Senior Ropka and Viola Kijowska. The first expansion begins to move along the storyline of the Alien Artifacts universe.
By accident, humanity discovers a mysterious resource hidden under the thick crest of one of the planets. The race for the wealth and new possibilities begins!
The expansion introduces the Alien Resource card which will allow players to harvest additional resources from planets and gain new abilities. The Discovery expansion will add 50 new cards to the game, including planets, technologies, ships, Alien Artifacts, and Alien Resources.
An Early Launch Kit will release on March 3, 2018 for brick and mortar stores. Participating stores will receive 10 copies of the expansion, 10 promo materials, and an Alien Artifacts poster. Most importantly, participating retailers will receive the expansion a full two weeks before the official release date.
Robinson Crusoe: Adventures on the Cursed Island
Robinson Crusoe will see the The Lost City of Z big box expansion in 2018, but prior to that players will have the chance to travel through time with Robinson Crusoe though an In-Store Event Kit on March 21st, 2018. The In-Store Event Kit will allow players to take part in a new time travel themed scenario. The kit will include:
- a new scenario about time travel
- 8 unique player characters
- four sets of custom wooden pieces representing the food resource
- one poster
Released in 2013, Robinson Crusoe Adventures on the Cursed Island won the Golden Geek Best Thematic Game award, the Gra Roku Advanced Game of the Year and the Swiss Gamers Award.
The game has also appeared on a number of Dice Tower Top 10 lists including:
- Top 10 Worker Placement Games
- Top 10 Exploration Games where Eric ranked it number 5, Tom ranked it number 2 and The People ranked it number 1
- Top 10 Cooperative Games
- 2017 Top 100 Games of All Time
