Releasing on June 1, Aura is the creation of designer Michael Orion (Kovas). In this game, each player begins with their own deck of cards. The color of each card, but not its value, is visible on the card back as well as the front, representing the card’s “aura,” which other players can read. Cards are played face down, then revealed, with players trying to eliminate their opponents’ cards, hoping to have the most cards left at the end of the game.
Aura is intended for 2 to 4 players, ages 8 and up, and plays in about half an hour. MSRP is $25.00.
The King’s Abbey, the first published design by Randy Rathert, is scheduled to release on June 15. In this worker placement style game, players compete to build abbeys for King Sivolc during the 11th Century, using dice to represent their workers (“monks” in the game’s parlance). The players must use their monks to gather resources and construct their own abbey, while also defending it from the warlords that ravage the land.This game is designed for 1 to 5 players, ages 14 and up, and takes about two hours to play. MSRP is $60.00.
See the gallery for images of the game components from both games.
Breaking Games recently announced a deal to sell five titles through the Barnes & Noble chain (see “Breaking Games Cracks B&N”).