CMON has shared information and images for two board games it previewed at Gen Con this summer  (see “CMON Unveils High-Profile Games”). Way of the Panda and Council of 4 are both set to release in Q1.

Way of the Panda is set in the Panda Lands, where the ninja brotherhood has taken over the kingdom. It is up to the Panda Clans to take back control of their homelands. Each clan sends their Champions to defeat the ninja, by clearing roadways between villages and allowing the cities to be rebuilt. Eliminating ninjas and building (pagodas, gates, markets) earns the clan prestige. The player with the most prestige at the end of the game is the winner and will earn the favor of the Emperor.

The box contains 55 double-sided road tiles, 4 player sheets, 52 highly-detailed panda miniatures, 36 quest tiles, 12 colored bases, 10 market building miniatures, 10 gate building miniatures 1 game board 8 city cards, 10 pagoda building miniatures, 6 city bases, 1 map board, 18 bonus mandates cards 6 initial building cards, 24 strength tiles, 12 clan markers, and a rulebook. The game is for 2 – 4 players, ages 14 and up, and plays in 45 minutes. MSRP was not announced.

Council of 4 is designed by Simone Luciani  & Daniele Tascini (Tzolk’in: The Mayan Calendar, The Voyages of Marco Polo). Players are merchants, plying their goods between three kingdoms, but they must obtain special permits to sell in each kingdom. To obtain the permits, they must form alliances and curry favor with the rich families that influence each kingdom’s Councils. The goal is to build trade routes connecting the cities, and if the Councils won’t help, players can always plead with the Queen.

The box contains 1 queen miniature, 24 councilor miniatures, 4 big merchants miniatures, 44 small merchant miniatures, 90 politics cards, 45 business permit tiles, 7 general reward tiles, 5 queen’s reward tiles,  30 servant tokens, 14 city tokens,   8 marker tokens,  4 player aid cards, 1 main board, and a rulebook. The game is for 2 – 4 players, ages 14 and up, and plays in 40 – 75 minutes. MSRP is $59.99.

See multiple game images in the gallery below.