Tabletopia News

[p][/p][h3][/h3][p][/p][h3]An Island for Two
[/h3][p]The original Tokaido invited players on a tranquil journey along the legendary "Eastern Sea Road," which connected Kyoto and Edo. Players took on the roles of wanderers, striving to have the richest and most diverse experience on their path: admiring landscapes, meeting interesting people, tasting local cuisine, and collecting souvenirs.[/p][p]Tokaido Duo transforms this philosophical pilgrimage into a duel - a more personal, tense, and precise contest where every stop becomes not only a step toward harmony but also toward superiority over an opponent.[/p][p]The action now moves to the island of Shikoku, and instead of a crowd of travelers, there are only two. In this confined space, every move takes on special significance. The path is no longer an endless road - it is a map where the players' routes inevitably intersect, and each step can shift the balance between them.[/p][p]Tokaido Duo preserves the recognizable spirit of the original - the aesthetics, the meditative pace, and the visual purity - but rethinks it all within the format of a confrontation. This is not just a "mini-version" or a "two-player adaptation," but a self-contained game with three independent roles united in a single strategic network.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Three Paths to Harmony
[/h3][p]The main innovation of Tokaido Duo is its system of three roles, each controlled by the players. Instead of a single traveler, you now have three characters, and each one follows their own path to harmony.[/p]

• [p]The Traveler moves around the island's circle, discovering new landscapes and earning impression points.[/p]
• [p]The Artist creates paintings, gradually filling them with symbols of the world that reflect the surrounding beauty.[/p]
• [p]The Merchant travels between towns, making exchanges and collecting souvenirs that award points for thoughtful planning.[/p]

[p]Each role is its own small world with its own logic and goals, yet they are all closely intertwined. By developing the Artist, you might weaken the Traveler; by getting carried away with the Merchant, it's easy to miss a crucial moment on the route. This interconnectedness makes the game dense and multi-layered, especially in a duel format.[/p][p]A key element remains the action dice mechanic. Players roll three dice with different symbols and choose the order in which to use them. This creates constant tension between randomness and control. Even choosing the first die becomes a step between strategy and risk.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Silence as a Weapon
[/h3][p]This is no longer a meditative journey along a straight road, as in the original, but an intellectual duel where you must constantly assess not only your own path but also your opponent's intentions.[/p][p]Instead of simply "collecting experiences," players must synchronize three lines of action, maintaining a balance between harmony and tactical calculation. Mistakes are almost unforgivable: a single wrong decision can give your opponent a chance to complete a cycle sooner or seize a key position.[/p][p]And yet, despite the competitive spirit, the game retains a surprising sense of inner equilibrium. There is no aggression or direct conflict - the rivalry unfolds in silence, as the fate of the island is forged from the decisions made.[/p][p]Tokaido Duo is not just a "sequel" or a compact version, but a standalone work with its own philosophy.[/p][p]If the original Tokaido taught us to see beauty in the journey, then Duo shows that even face-to-face with a rival, one can achieve inner harmony - simply through a different kind of balance.[/p][p]Visually and structurally, the game looks like a continuation, but it feels like a reimagining. There is no rush, but there is a need to foresee.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Traveler, Walk Your Path
[/h3][p]Who is this journey meant for:[/p]

• [p]For Couples. It is an ideal choice for a two-player game night. The game combines a beautiful, tranquil atmosphere with a clever competitive process free of direct aggression, making it an excellent alternative to more confrontational dueling games.[/p]
• [p]For Fans of the Original Tokaido Seeking More Strategy. If you loved the atmosphere of the original but wanted more control, depth, and less randomness in a two-player game, this version is made for you. It preserves the spirit but makes the contest more tactical.[/p]
• [p]For Lovers of Clever Dueling Games. In Tokaido Duo, the contest is built on subtle calculation, effective planning, and the skill to get ahead of your opponent rather than on direct attacks.[/p]
• [p]For Strategists and Tacticians. The need to balance the development of three different characters (the Pilgrim, the Merchant, and the Artist) and anticipate an opponent's moves.[/p]
• [p]For Admirers of Beautiful and Aesthetic Games. The signature minimalist style makes Tokaido Duo not just a game, but a true work of art.[/p]
• [p]For Players Who Dislike Direct Conflict. This is a competitive game, but the entire struggle happens in "silence" - through more effective planning.[/p]

[p]The fate of Shikoku Island depends on your vision and your pace. Feel the rhythm, rediscover the world - and prove that harmony and rivalry can go hand in hand.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Join the journey on Tabletopia and experience the path of Tokaido Duo for yourself.[/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[p][/p][p][/p][h3]An Island Where Legends Are Born[/h3][p][/p][p]Remember those childhood days when we devoured books about fantastic beasts, dragons, and mythical leviathans? Many of us imagined being mighty wizards or brave explorers discovering creatures the world had never seen. Now it’s time to bring those dreams to life.
Today we invite you to discover a board game that lets you create your own sanctuary full of awe-inspiring creatures — welcome to Wondrous Creatures. This vibrant and visually stunning strategy from Bad Comet takes players to a mysterious island where they compete to collect and tame the most wondrous beings. Grab your butterfly nets, prepare your magical elixirs, and embark on an unforgettable adventure.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]First Step onto Uncharted Land[/h3][p][/p][p]Players become explorers, landing on a hex-based island map teeming with unusual life. On your turn you send a team member to an empty hex. But here’s the trick: your worker doesn’t activate the hex they stand on - it activates all adjacent hexes. That turns every placement into a clever puzzle. Where should you place your meeple to gain the needed resources, snatch the creature card from the market, or pick up a precious dragon egg? All while watching rivals - the best spots don’t stay free for long.[/p][p]The island itself isn’t static - resources depend on neighboring terrains, and as new areas emerge, familiar routes can become useless. Players aren’t merely chasing points - they build an ecosystem-engine where each creature, each ability, and each card can shift the course of a game.[/p][p]Key mechanics shaping Wondrous Creatures:[/p][p]Worker placement - place workers on island hexes, but effects depend on adjacent environments rather than the chosen space.[/p][p]Achievements - seven types of goals (creatures, eggs, habitats, etc.). The first player to meet a condition earns a bonus and unlocks their captain’s ability.[/p][p]Creature deck - over 100 unique creatures with diverse effects: one-time abilities, persistent bonuses, and recharge mechanics.[/p][p]Recharge / recall phase - after all workers are placed, the recovery phase begins: workers return, charged creatures activate, the time track advances, and the creature market refreshes. [/p][p]Time track & endgame - once a set number of trophies is earned or the time track ends, the final round triggers.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]How the Island Breathes[/h3][p][/p][p]Wondrous Creatures doesn’t use strict rounds. The flow feels organic - as long as you have workers, you explore, gather, and expand. When your crew is spent, the recall phase begins: creatures “wake up,” abilities recharge, and the island subtly shifts its rhythm.
This natural tempo is one of the game’s most elegant choices. It feels like time flows - like a river, not a chess clock. But don’t be fooled by the calm: beneath the surface lies a race for trophies, discoveries, and milestones. Sometimes the smartest move is to end your action early just to stay ahead.
Adaptability is central. New areas appear, routes close, and every decision can ripple through your strategy. Players don’t just collect points - they cultivate a living system where every element matters.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Our Expedition’s Findings[/h3][p][/p][p]Who this island is for:
 - For collectors of beauty and detail - those who value stunning art, rich components, and immersive worlds.
 - For strategists seeking thoughtful, euro-style competition without direct aggression.
 - For builders at heart - players who love watching small early choices evolve into powerful late-game engines.
 - For those who enjoy a meditative pace - where each session feels like a journey rather than a frantic race.
 - For solo adventurers - the single-player mode is fully realized and offers the same sense of discovery.
If you’re looking for a game that lets you think, admire, and feel like a true explorer, Wondrous Creatures deserves your attention. It’s not just about points - it’s a story of creation and balance, where every move shapes the ecosystem and every creature has meaning.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Step onto the island where nature and magic live in harmony. Create your own legend — Wondrous Creatures awaits on Tabletopia.[/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[p][/p][h3][/h3][p][/p][h3]Five Steps to Becoming a Legend[/h3][p][/p][p]Stonemaier Games presents Origin Story - a fresh and inventive take on the classic trick-taking genre. Designed for 1–5 players and lasting about an hour, the game unfolds as a story of how an ordinary person becomes either a hero or a villain. [/p][p]Each player starts with a basic character and gradually builds up abilities, shaping their personal journey. The familiar trick-taking framework gains new depth through character development and role selection. Every trick you play influences not just the current round, but the long-term growth of your character. [/p][p]The game spans five rounds - five chapters in your legend. Each round, players play cards of four suits that represent traits like Mind, Might, Speed, and Love (the highest suit). At the end of a round, you add a Story Card to your character board, unlocking new abilities. Managing stamina tokens becomes a key strategic layer: spend too much too early, and you may shine now but falter later. [/p][p]At the start of every round, players decide their alignment - hero or villain. Heroes score points for winning tricks, while villains gain points for avoiding them. This single choice completely changes your playstyle and keeps every game feeling distinct.[/p][p]By the fifth and final round, the story reaches its climax. Powerful abilities come into play, and your character’s journey - from humble beginnings to full realization - concludes with a flourish. It’s not just the end of a session, but the end of a story you’ve built from the very first card.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]When the Game Becomes a Story[/h3][p][/p][p]Origin Story is a bold reimagining of the genre, blending the dynamic rhythm of trick-taking with the depth of character development. Its simple mechanics take on new meaning as every card becomes a step in your hero’s journey. [/p][p]The game masterfully conveys a sense of growth - from those first uncertain moves to the moment your character gains true power and personality. Yes, the balance between roles or events could be refined in places, but that hardly detracts from what makes the game stand out. Origin Story gives the genre new life - a sense that every action you take carries weight and contributes to a fully realized story. [/p][p]Who is destined to create their own origin:[/p][p] - For those who are familiar with trick-taking mechanics and want a deeper experience - with elements of engine-building and resource management.[/p][p]- It shines best in a group of 3–5 players; there are solo/duo variants, but the main interactivity emerges with a larger group.[/p][p]- It will suit fans of the superhero theme who are not expecting licensed characters but prefer to create their own story and playstyle.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Try creating your own hero or villain biography on Tabletopia and watch as one card game turns into a personal legend.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[p][/p][p][/p][h3]A New Chapter in the World of Cascadia
[/h3][p]Cascadia: Alpine Lakes is a standalone follow-up to the award-winning tile-laying puzzle game Cascadia from Flatout Games. This time, the setting shifts upward — into the mountainous landscapes of the Pacific Northwest. While it retains the core principle of selecting and placing a pair of habitat tile and wildlife token, this expansion introduces several key innovations.[/p][p]The most notable change is the introduction of multi-layered gameplay. New habitat tiles come in a double-hex format and can now be stacked on top of existing tiles, introducing the concept of elevation. Alpine terrain types and unique lake tiles are also added, and their scoring depends on both level and surrounding elements.[/p][p]The game includes five new types of wildlife, each inspired by high-altitude flora and fauna, along with a set of new scoring cards that account not only for habitat types and animal groupings, but also for elevation. The turn structure remains familiar: players take turns selecting a tile-and-token pair and placing them on their board — but now, placement requires considering verticality and long-term elevation planning for both animals and lakes.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]New Priorities: Height vs Connectivity
[/h3][p]The elevation mechanic adds a new layer of strategic decision-making. In the original game, the focus was on building wide, connected areas and optimizing animal patterns. In Alpine Lakes, height becomes a third variable. Animals placed at higher elevations and lakes that are fully surrounded score additional points. This forces players to decide between spreading out horizontally or investing in stacked formations.[/p][p]The new double-hex tiles speed up board coverage but also impose tighter spatial constraints, as each tile affects two hexes at once. This emphasizes long-term planning: is it better to grab a few quick points now, or to build a plateau that will pay off later with elevated animals and surrounded lakes? The result is a more tactically dense experience, while the game still maintains its core simplicity — keeping it accessible to new players.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]A View From Above[/h3][p]Alpine Lakes feels like a natural and thoughtful evolution of the original concept. It adds meaningful gameplay changes rather than cosmetic extras: height and lakes reshape the structure of decisions and increase the number of viable development paths.[/p][p]Visual design and component quality remain strong points — in line with the series’ standards. For players looking for greater variability and new tactical challenges, this expansion significantly deepens the puzzle without overcomplicating its foundation.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]An Invitation to the Mountains: Is There Room for You?
[/h3][p]Who is this new chapter of Cascadia for?[/p]

• [p]Collectors interested in standalone variations on beloved mechanics.[/p]
• [p]Aesthetic-focused players, who will appreciate the quality artwork, the alpine lakes, and the subtle transitions in terrain.[/p]
• [p]Family gamers looking to add a layer of strategy without overwhelming the ruleset.[/p]
• [p]Experienced Cascadia players, who may now need to rethink their usual approach to building ideal habitats.[/p]

[p]The Kickstarter campaign in fall 2025 has been an overwhelming success: launched with a funding goal of $8,000, it has already surpassed $200,000 and attracted over 4,600 backers. There’s still time to join until December 6.

Cascadia: Alpine Lakes is a step upward from the familiar harmony of nature. Its new elevations demand a fresh perspective on landscape building — and an intuitive approach to vertical placement. For those ready to rework their strategies and master mountainous ecosystems, the game offers both tactical depth and aesthetic reward.[/p][p][/p][p]Show your skill in crafting alpine environments — and explore the experience now on Tabletopia.[/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][p]Fear has evolved. Terrorscape 2 brings back the tense, asymmetric hide-and-seek gameplay of the original, now with deeper strategy, fresh maps, and terrifying new villains to outwit - or be hunted by. And yes - your favorite heroes and killers from Season 1 are fully compatible, making this a must-play sequel for fans and newcomers alike.[/p][p][/p][p]The Rhythm of the Hunt[/p][p][/p][p]In Terrorscape 2, a team of survivors must either escape or defeat the monster hunting them down.[/p][p]The board is divided into two mirrored halves - one for the survivors, one for the monster - separated by a building screen that hides each side’s actions. Both sides see the same map, but from their own perspective, creating a tense game of hidden movement and deduction.[/p][p]Survivors have several ways to win:[/p]

• [p]Repair the car and drive away.[/p]
• [p]Fix the radio to call for help.[/p]
• [p]Find five key cards and escape through the main or side exit.[/p]
• [p]Defeat the monster in combat if they are well-armed and ready.[/p]

[p]The monster wins by either:[/p]

• [p]Killing one survivor, or[/p]
• [p]Winning the final showdown if the survivors decide to confront it.[/p]

[p]
Each round is split into two phases. Survivors act first, moving across the map, searching rooms for useful items, and performing actions. Some actions are quiet, but the most important ones create noise, leaving clues for the monster. After every survivor has acted, noise tokens are placed on the board, revealing which areas were disturbed.[/p][p]Then the monster takes its turn. Using the noise clues, it tries to track the survivors down - blocking passages with barricades, sniffing out their approximate location, and moving quickly to close the distance.[/p][p]The tension builds with every round. The longer survivors stay hidden, the closer they get to finishing their objectives - but the monster grows stronger over time, gaining new abilities and becoming harder to evade. By the final rounds, both sides have powerful tools, the monster is closing in, and every move could decide the outcome.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Frozen Fears: What’s New in Season 2[/p][p] [/p][p]Terrorscape 2 takes the fear north - to a remote polar research station. But this is more than just a reskin. The new map introduces unique mechanics, including a two-level environment: survivors can leap through windows to escape outside, but they can’t come back in unless they find a rope.[/p][p]Season 2 also brings two new ways to win.[/p][p]Repair the snowcar: survivors must perform six repair actions, refuel it, and then start the engine - but once it roars to life, the noise will immediately alert the monster. The team must survive one more round under heavy pressure. If all survivors manage to stay alive and gather at the snowcar’s location by the end of that round, they escape.[/p][p]Face the monster in a final showdown: all survivors must agree to gather in the same location as the monster and initiate combat. Every weapon they’ve collected during the game can be used in this fight - but there’s a twist. At the start of the game, the monster’s strengths and weaknesses are secretly set: one location where it’s more powerful, and one type of weapon it’s vulnerable to. Survivors can only discover its weakness, leaving the final battle full of tension and risk.[/p][p]You’ll also find new item decks, with weapons and medical gear to prepare for the climactic battle. [/p][p]Five new survivors join the roster, each with unique abilities - some are experts at quiet repairs, others can distract or fight more effectively. [/p][p]And of course, three brand-new monsters stalk the frozen station, each with its own terrifying hunting style.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Try It Now on Tabletopia[/p][p]You don’t have to wait for the campaign to end - you can already experience the core Terrorscape 2 gameplay online! The Tabletopia edition includes the base game with the terrifying Orion monster ready to hunt your group.[/p][p]Set up a room, gather your friends, and dive into the tension of hidden movement and deduction - all without shuffling cards or setting up components manually. Whether you’re a veteran of Season 1 or new to the game, Tabletopia makes it easy to jump in and start playing.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]