Welcome to the Gaming Shelf, io9's roundup of tabletop gaming news, releases, updates, and interesting crowdfunding campaignsâfocusing on sci-fi and fantasy games... for the most part. Itâs been quite an eventful couple of weeks, as game companies get ready for the holiday season. We had so many announcements andâŚ
Last month, Russian archaeologists found a secret chamber inside a medieval castle. While exploring this previously unknown area, the archaeologists discovered a clay brick with tracings of what appears to be a medieval board game.
Playing A Game of Thrones: The Board Game was one of the most intense experiences of my lifeâit remains the only board game Iâve ever stormed away from out of anger, sorry family. But if I thought that was an extreme Game of Thrones experience, I too know nothing, Jon Snow. Because thereâs a new Song of Ice and Fire âŚ
So it was written, and so it was doneâ128 years ago to this day, H.P. Lovecraft was born, and with him came the creation of a vast and terrifying world. An ancient place of gods, magic, and monsters. Hereâs a collection of some board games and tabletop role-playing games that took inspiration from everythingâŚ
Welcome back to Toy Aisle, io9's regular round up of all the lovely toys and merchandise weâve spotted on the internet recently. This week, Shuri gets the incredible action figure she deserves, Christopher Robinâs take on Winnie the Pooh gets an adorable toy, and the Dude almost certainly abides. Check it out!
Welcome to the Gaming Shelf, io9's new roundup of tabletop gaming news, releases, updates, and interesting Kickstarter campaignsâfocusing on sci-fi and fantasy games, with the occasional exception of course (Machi Koro is too cute to ignore!). Seeing as weâre on the heels of GenCon, board game companies have beenâŚ
Welcome back to Toy Aisle, io9's weekly round up of the most delightful toys weâve seen tempting our savings accounts on the internet. This week: S.H. Figurarts finally brings Princess Leia to its Star Wars line, Overwatchâs best dad gets the chibi treatment, and honest to god PokĂŠbutts. Check it out!
The Brothers Chapsâ Homestar Runner cartoons are one of the few good things to ever come from this internet thing. It introduced the world to countless quotable characters, but few became as immediately popular as the S-shaped, one-armed, flying, burninating dragon called Trogdor, whoâs now starring in his very ownâŚ
Welcome back to Toy Aisle, io9's weekly round up of all things toy. This week, weâre shipping ourselves off to San Diego and staying in a cramped convention hall with tons of new announcements.. an a few toys that slipped out earlier in the week. Plus, Mario Kart Hot Wheels, the Golden Girls(!), and so much more!
Calling out around the world, are you ready to camp your butt next to an air conditioner? Because summerâs here and the time is right for staying the hell away from all outdoor activities. As summer temperatures continue to break records and raise sea levels, I highly suggest keeping it cool and pull out some awesomeâŚ
Do you watch Disneyâs classic animated films and secretly root for the villains? Do you think Captain Hook was actually a tragic figure, a victim of a flying boy with no sense of responsibility? With Villainous, a new board game by Wonder Forge, you finally get to spend game night playing the baddie, and youâllâŚ
Welcome back to Toy Aisle, io9's regular roundup of the newest, coolest toys we want to add to our collections. This weekâs entries might be a bit hard to acquire thoughâbecause truly, San Diego Comic-Con exclusive season is upon us. Weâve got creepy Yodas! Aquamen! Spaceship cockpits! Oh, and a Swedish chef. Take aâŚ
The most effective way to tell your co-workers you donât want to be bothered is to close your office door. But if youâre stuck in cubicle purgatory, thatâs not an option. Instead, try this Scrabble tile rack desk lamp that lets you spell out seven-letter warnings like âGO AWAYâ, âNOT NOWâ, or other, blunter messagesâŚ
It all started after the 2016 election. The TESA Collective, which makes games and tools about social causes, was in a bind. They wanted to make a game that would inspire players to change the world, but they knew people also needed a break from all the crap. How could they accomplish their goal and combat theâŚ
Welcome back to Toy Aisle, io9's weekly round up of the best toys weâve seen all week. This time weâve got a bumper bunch of Jurassic Park merchandise (and some Jurassic-adjacent attempts too), rocking toys that boldly go, and perhaps the worldâs most absurdly articulated action figure cape ever seen. Check them out!
Itâs neither easy nor advisable to become a member of Hellboyâs Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense, given the unique set of skills it takes to face the kinds of otherworldly threats handled by the organization. But if youâve got your heart dead set on investigating the things that go bump in the night, thenâŚ
If your wallet serves as more of a toolbox than a place to stash a few bucks, alongside a flat-pack knife and credit card-sized multi-tools, you can also slip in this super tiny, 3D-printed chess set. Compared to playing rock-paper-scissors, itâs a far more civilized way to make important decisions.
If you had the board game Fireball Island in the â80s, odds are you never forgot it. Not just because it was a wild game that let you race marbles around and knock out opposing players, but because the box and board were so ridiculously massive. That original game was shelved by Milton Bradley long ago but, as ofâŚ
Welcome back to Toy Aisle, io9's weekly roundup of shiny toys and merch we desperately wish we had the money to waste on. This week is getting a bit life-sized, with a giant Star Wars trooper, a slightly less giant (but still life-sized) baby Groot, and a cool look at Thorâs new Infinity War weapon. Check it out!
Weâve covered a few of Massdropâs unorthodox keyboard upgrades over the years, but none as lovely as this officially-licensed Hasbro Scrabble keyboard that puts every letter of the alphabet at your disposal, instead of just seven you randomly grab at the start of a game.
