This autumn, Alderac Entertainment Group will release a trio of new card games:  The Master’s Trials:  Wrath of Magmaroth, Sakura Arms, and Junta:  Las Cartas.

The Master’s Trials:  Wrath of Magmaroth is a cooperative game in which the players act as elemental masters who have emerged from their sanctuaries to confront the unspeakable evil of Magmaroth.  By combining their elemental Order, their Class, and their chosen Weapon, they confront the minions of Magmaroth as they explore his volcanic lair.  In time, they must work together to break Magmaroth’s Seals and vanquish their foe.

Created by Vangelis Bagiartakis (Among the Stars, Dice City) and Anastasios Grigoriadis (Lap Dance), The Master’s Trials can be played solo or as a cooperative with up to four players.  The game includes 216 cards, 188 tokens, 20 dice, 13 boards, and 4 player aids.  Intended for ages 14 and up, the game takes 60 to 90 minutes to play.  MSRP is $49.99.  The Master’s Trials will release in November.

Part of Alderac’s “Big in Japan” line, Sakura Arms was created by Japanese designer Bakafire (Tragedy Looper).  In this two-player fighting game, players channel fighting spirits called “megami” through the flowers of the Sakura tree.  By combining the powers of two megami, each player tries to prove that they are the greater fighter.

Sakura Arms comes with 2 player boards, 32 wooden tokens, 7 tarot-sized megami cards, and 80 game cards.  The game is for 2 players, ages 14 and up, and takes about half an hour to play.  MSRP is $29.99 and release is set for October.

Junta, the classic game of politics and intrigue, is revisited as a card game in Junta:  Las Cartas.  Like the original game, the players are the leaders of the very corrupt Republica de las Bananas, trying to stuff their secret bank account with as much foreign aid money as possible by manipulating elections, assassinating rivals, and staging a coup to become the new president.

Designed by Johannes Krenner (Romisch Pokern), Christoph Reiser (Junta:  Viva el Presidente!), and Sebastian Resl (Junta:  Viva el Presidente!) to be a more compact version than the classic, Junta:  Las Cartas includes only 120 cards.  The game can be played by 3 to 6 players, ages 14 and up, and takes about 45 minutes.  MSRP is $19.99.  It will release in November.

These games join an already busy autumn for Alderac, which plans to release a half-dozen games in September (see “Mad Science, World Peril, Cat Collections”).