Quirky Deep Blue Paladins

In this edition, I take a look at three upcoming games from some of my favorite publishers, except for one. Which one is it? I’m kidding, these companies put out quality stuff. Let’s go.

Quirky Circuits

You had me at a cat on a Roomba. Quirky Circuits, from Plaid Hat Games, is a robot programming game. It’s entirely cooperative, and the craziness comes from not knowing what commands your fellow players are contributing to the program.

At first glance, Quirky Circuits didn’t stand out to me. But after sampling a few rounds, I fell in love with it. The artwork and miniatures are cute and cuddly like stainless steel robots should be.

Some folks hate programming games when they don’t go according to plan, but that’s my favorite part! For example, I think it’s hilarious in the game Colt Express when I punch someone I wasn’t expecting to, or when I punch thin air like an idiot because I’m in a train car by myself.

Everything will go off the rails in this game, but at least you get to share in the misfortune with your fellow comrades. And if you don’t have a stick up your butt, you’ll probably laugh about it.

Count me in.

Paladins of the West Kingdom

Paladins of the West Kingdom has my attention based on the designers, the publisher, and the continuation of the West Kingdom Trilogy. When good people, who have made good things in the past, announce something new, I anticipate its goodness.

Architects of the West Kingdom, published by Renegade Game Studios and designed by Shem Phillips and S.J. Macdonald, was one of the best worker placement games released last year. Once I heard they were making a follow-up game in the same universe, similar to the way they handled the North Sea Trilogy, I was intrigued.

To be honest, I’m concerned about the playing time and the jump in complexity, but based on past experiences, I’m willing to give it a look.

Deep Blue

I got a quick demo of Deep Blue at the Alliance Games Open House, and I am looking forward to this one.

Deep Blue is a family weight, push-your-luck, engine builder. In Deep Blue, players control a couple of boats, bolster their crews, and head out on diving expeditions.

I think folks expecting a meatier gamer will be disappointed, but I’m not sure why people would be expecting more complexity from Days of Wonder. Outside of Five Tribes, Days of Wonder has almost exclusively operated in the world of easily accessible games.

As always, the artwork and components are outstanding, and I’m anxious to dive into this one. Do you see what I did there? Punny, right?