Thames & Kosmos has announced plans to release five new games into the U.S. market in the period from May to July, including Anno 1800 and Lost Cities Roll & Write in May, The Adventures of Robin Hood and Fangs in June, and a new game in the Adventure Games line, The Grand Hotel Abaddon in July.

Created by veteran designer Martin Wallace, Anno 1800 translates Ubisoft’s PC game into a board game setting, challenging players to guide their island nations through the dawn of the industrial age.  Players must balance expanding their economies, maintaining fleets of ships, and ensuring the happiness of their people to create a balanced society. 

Anno 1800 is intended for 2 to 4 players, ages 12 and up.  Games take about 2 hours to play.  MSRP is $69.95.

Dr. Reiner Knizia returns once again to the world of Lost Cities with a roll-and-write version in the aptly named Lost Cities Roll & Write.  For this expedition, players try to roll low numbers on the dice to advance along six different colored paths, taking advantage of artifacts and “acceleration fields” while trying not to get bogged down and losing points. 

Intended for 2 to 5 players, ages 8 and up, games of Lost Cities Roll & Write take about half an hour.  MSRP is $14.95.

The literary hero of Sherwood Forest inspired Michael Menzel’s (Legends of Andor) story-based The Adventures of Robin Hood.  Players take on the role of Robin and his Merry Men, moving their characters around an illustrated map of the forest and flipping over interactive panels to reveal hidden elements during play.  Much of the game is guided through the 216-page faux-leather hardcover storybook included.

The Adventures of Robin Hood was designed for 2 to 4 players, ages 10 and up, and games take a little over an hour to play.  MSRP is $59.95.

The creatures of the night are teaming up in the social deduction game Fangs, created by Yasutaka Ikeda, a new version of his earlier Shadow Raiders.  Split into three teams, the players try to deduce the secret roles of the others:  are they werewolves, vampires, or humans?  The werewolves and vampires each seek to expel the other, while the humans merely hope to survive.

This Werewolf-style game requires no moderator and supports play with 5 to 8 players.  Intended for ages 10 and up, games take about an hour to play.  MSRP is $19.95.

Continuing the Adventure Games line launched in 2019 (see “Thames & Kosmos Reveals New Game Lines and Refreshed Titles”), The Grand Hotel Abaddon puts players in the mysterious hotel where strange goings-on threaten to disrupt their quiet vacation plans.  In this fully-cooperative game played over three “chapters,” players explore the hotel and investigate the mystery.  Their choices guide the story to one of the multiple endings.

The Grand Hotel Abaddon was designed for 1 to 4 players, ages 12 and up.  Each of the three chapters takes about an hour and a half to play.  MSRP is $19.95.

The new games expand the company's announced releases for the year to 15 (see “Thames & Kosmos Sends ‘The Crew’ on New Adventure,” “More ‘Exit’ Titles in the Works,” and “Family Version of ‘Andor,’ New ‘Ubongo!’ Games”).