Board Games: September Releases

So, let’s continue filling our board game section with new releases. This time, we’ll be looking at games released in September of this year.

“Eternal Decks”

An unusual cooperative game with limited communication, in which the team explores an otherworldly dimension by playing cards and using signal tokens to give hints, since success depends not only on decisions but also on mutual understanding. Each player has a personal deck of five numbered cards: on their turn, they must play at least one card whose number matches the cost in life energy, and if this is impossible, the life cycle is interrupted and the entire team loses. Legends in three rows of locations help replenish their strength: when a player plays the last card in a location, they awaken its legend and receive its eight-card deck, but impose a curse on everyone—a special rule or restriction that can be removed by offering a treasure created according to a formula using one to three cards sent to the river. The campaign consists of chapters with their own rules; there is adjustable difficulty and various modes, including solo play, while players must learn to understand hints through two signal tokens and carefully monitor the team’s shared energy supply.

“Jackal: Arkham”

The board game “Jackal,” which has remained one of the most popular choices among fans of truly engaging games for more than thirty years, was created at Moscow State University—giving us every reason to take pride once again in our brilliant compatriots.

Originally, players commanded pirate crews and landed on an unexplored island in search of treasure. Now, sea jackals have been replaced by investigators exploring a constantly changing board made up of city and Otherworld tiles. They open new paths, find treasures, and encounter unexpected events, with every adventure unfolding differently. The goal is to find and bring as many coins as possible to your vehicle, competing for loot and deciding when the risk is worthwhile. On their turn, a player can move an investigator one tile in any direction or move the vehicle along the city boundaries; when an investigator enters a face-down tile, it is revealed and its action is resolved, which may bring a reward, danger, or unusual effect—from magical movement and coins to encounters with supernatural forces. Investigators can occupy the same tile, allowing one to incapacitate another and take their loot, while location abilities and changing movement rules can either help or seriously hinder the search.

“Nature”

A board game in which you manage several animal species, feed them, protect them from predators, or attack other animals yourself. A game lasts four rounds and requires you to preserve and grow your species while protecting them from hunger and threats. Each round consists of the following phases: refresh (adding food to the watering hole, gaining a new species, and drawing 5 trait cards), adaptation (playing cards to add animals, increase a species’ size, and acquire traits, including the ability to become a predator), feeding (species take turns either taking plants from the watering hole or hunting other animals; if an action is unavailable, the animal dies of hunger), and scoring. A species can have no more than 3 traits. Each animal that survives the round earns victory points, while at the end of the game each food token behind your screen is worth 1 point and each surviving animal is worth 2 more points.

“Arkham Horror: The Card Game—Season Two”

Not exactly a new release, but rather a reissue that reimagines the game’s early years. The rules have been revised here, with new actions added; the scenario book has been expanded with a unique adventure, “The Brotherhood of Ash”; and, as a bonus, there are five investigator decks and an updated card design. It is also worth noting that four players can now play without purchasing two sets. Naturally, “Season Two” is fully compatible with the old expansions and campaigns.

A game begins with the selection of one of five investigators. The players then assemble three story decks and lay out the concealed locations and encounter deck, after which rounds proceed through four phases: Mythos (doom tokens are placed on the agenda), encounters (enemies and incidents, skipped during the first round), the investigator phase with three actions (draw a card, gain resources, move, investigate for clues, play asset and event cards, fight, evade, or negotiate—if a different action is taken during combat, the enemy attacks out of turn), and the enemy phase, in which monsters move and attack with damage and horror. The round ends with a upkeep phase in which players replenish their hands, gain a resource, and ready their cards; the cycle continues until the scenario finale.

“Berserk Adventures: Higart”

In September, a fundraising campaign was also launched for the standalone board game “Berserk Adventures: Higart,” where tactical battles form a story-driven campaign featuring hero progression and equipment searches. Higart’s party—including the dwarf Ritbor, the sorceress Argolina, the elf Oranel, and the priest Talinar—travels across Laar. The combat system is based on the classic “Berserk,” with character cards, an emphasis on positioning and action order, support, ranged attacks, and dice that add an element of unpredictability. Scenarios constantly change the conditions and objectives—from defeating enemies and breaking through enemy lines to destroying fortifications, surviving for a set number of turns, and battling bosses. The adventure can be played solo against order cards or by two players, with the second player controlling the forces of evil.

The fundraising campaign ends the day after tomorrow, and shipping is scheduled for November 2026. More than a million rubles have already been raised, so all participants will receive a Higart miniature for gameplay and independent painting.