Stronghold Games and Portal Games will jointly release a new edition of their award-winning castle siege game Stronghold in November.  Stronghold Games will follow up in December with an expansion set for its critically-acclaimed The Golden Ages game.

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Originally released in 2009, Stronghold pits a small force of castle defenders against an unlimited horde of fantasy creatures.  The defenders score points based on how long they can hold out against the attacker, who in turn must penetrate the castle defenses as quickly as possible, using a combination of siege engines, black magic, and attacking creatures.  The 2nd Edition version features updated and streamlined game rules, and all-new wooden pieces to depict the walls and soldiers in the game.

Stronghold 2nd Edition is for 2 - 4 players, ages 10 and up, and plays in about 2 hours.  MSRP is $64.95.  The new edition was announced in February (see “‘Stronghold 2E’”).

Owners of the original version of the game can update their copies with the Stronghold Upgrade Pack for 1st Edition, releasing separately in early 2016.  MSRP has not yet been announced.

In December, Stronghold Games will release Cults & Cultures, the first expansion for its new civilization-building board game The Golden Ages (see “Stronghold Brings ‘The Golden Ages’ to North America”).

This expansion set includes pieces and rules that allow the addition of a fifth player.  It also features new Civilizations, Wonders, and Future Technology cards, as well as new Culture cards.  New rules allow players to develop the religion of their civilizations, in addition to the social and technological options of the basic game.

With the expansion, the game is for 2 - 5 players, ages 12 and up, and plays in about 2 hours.  MSRP is $39.95.