Z-Man Games has announced it will release the board game Helios, as well as several Carcassonne  expansions: Carcassonne Exp 9: Hills & Sheep, My First Carcassonne, and six Carcassonne Mini-Expansions.
 
Helios is designed by Martin Kallenborn and Matthias Prinz.  Players take the role of high priest of the Greek Sun God, and develop their lands by expanding their cities, building temples and letting their civilization advance.  Everything relies on the hope that the Sun God is merciful.  The game is for 2- 4 players and plays in 60 minutes.  MSRP and release date were not announced, but Z-Man said they plan to release the title “before Gen Con.”
 
The ninth expansion for Carcassonne, Hills & Sheep, is planned as another summer release.  Players add the dynamic of sheep herding to the game.  However, wolves are roaming the hillside, looking for untended flocks.  The box contains 18 new Land tiles, 18 Sheep and Wolf tokens, a cloth bag, and 6 shepherds.  As an expansion, it requires the base game to play.  The game is for 2 – 5 players, ages 12 and up, and plays in 45 minutes.  MSRP is $17.99.
 

My First Carcassonne is a rebranding of The Kids of Carcassonne, the child-friendly stand-alone adaptation designed by Marco Teubner, released in 2009.  Players take the role of children in Carcassonne, trying to catch animals set loose for the festival.  There is no point counting, as each turn, participants place a tile to build the city, and when a street is closed with one or more kids of their color, that player gets to put their pawns on the board.  The first to place all their pawns wins.  The box contains 32 pawns (4 colors) and 36 large, sturdy tiles.  The game is for 2 – 4 players, ages 4 and up, plays in 20 minutes.  MSRP is $34.99 and it will release in summer.
 
More immediately, Z-Man will release six Carcassonne Mini Expansions in April: #1--The Flying Machines, #2--The Messengers, #3--The Ferries, #4--The Gold Mines, #5--Mage & Witch, and  #6--The Robbers.  Each expansion is for 2- 6 players, ages 13 and up, and will retail for $5.99.