“With more than 12 million players and fans in more than 70 countries and 500,000 units of Duels of the Planeswalkers sold on XBLA, Magic is experiencing record growth and delivering players a truly integrated gaming experience across both digital and real world.”

There are new modes in the 2012 version of Duels of the Planeswalkers as well as new Planeswalker opponents, decks, puzzle challenges as well as other new features when the game launches this summer.

Duels of the Planeswalkers will have a tutorial mode which will be a good way for new players to learn the game. Players used to Magic: the Gathering will want to check out the new Archenemy mode where you and two friends can combine your forces against one enemy, this is based on the card Archenemy version of the game.

If you’re at PAX East this weekend, you can get your hands on the game, to check out this new Archenemy mode, and if you’re completely new to it, they’ve got card game demos happening as well.

Not only that, but after getting the core game for $9.99, all three expansions are available for $4.99 a pop, adding more playtime to the virtual version of the card game. (That third expansion has yet to hit the 360, if their website is to be believed.

After purchasing the game, you can visit www.duelsoftheplaneswalkers.com to get a free art foil promo card as thanks. Well, as long as they’ve got them, anyway. (Downloading the game nets you a special code to enter to claim your card.) You can also visit that website for more information about the game and an introduction to Magic.

Great Games to Play with Your Family During the Holiday Season

Poo

Here’s a game that is sure to please your family, even if on first glance it seems really gross. Poo is a card game that applies the mechanics of, you guessed it, flinging poo at other monkeys. The rules are simple: fling poo at the other monkeys and try not to accumulate 15 poo (if you do, you’re out of the game). It takes about 15 minutes to play and you can play with anywhere from 2 to 8 players.

Poo is available from Amazon for $12.99.

Munchkin

If the notion of Poo is making you queasy or you’re just not digging the poo flinging, then might we suggest a friendly game of Munchkin. Only, Munchkin is rarely friendly. After all, the whole point of the game is to backstab your buddies all the way to victory. There are a plethora of flavours when it comes to Munchkin. I recently discovered the joys of Munchkin C’thulu.

If you’re just starting out with Munchkin, I suggest trying some of the less rules-intensive versions like regular Munchkin (without its various expansions), Munchkin Fu, and Space Munchkin. The full-list of Munchkin spin-off games is quite interesting.

Munchkin is available from Warehouse 23 for $24.99.

Dominion

This game is the mother-lode. Dominion is a mash-up of a collectible card game and board game but is greater than either. Although the rules can get quite complicated, especially when you throw in the many expansions, it is a game that anyone can pick up by playing a couple of games. The aim of the game is to build the most valuable deck, which represents your Kingdom. You can create this deck by buying useful cards from the 17-20 resource decks or buying up land/titles.

Depending on the cards available, turns can be lightning quick (buy stuff, end turn) or players can chain Action cards for more powerful attacks or deck upgrades. The very nature of the game is unpredictable so even if you’ve played this game many times before, the combination of cards makes highly improbable that you’ll be able to try every combination available.

Dominion is available from Amazon for $44.99.

Apples to Apples

Apples to Apples is a favourite holiday game within my family of gamers. The light-hearted and hilarious nature of the game makes it easy to pick up and enjoy. One player (the judge) draws a green apple card that has an adjective written on it. The players then look through their deck of red apples to choose the most appropriate/interesting/hilarious noun or gerund to match with the adjective.

Judge flips through the players’ choices, chooses his/her favourite, rinse and repeat often to create side-splitting results.

Apples to Apples is available from Amazon for $26.99.

Dixit

Dixit has been on my wishlist since PAX, when I first heard about it. The beauty lies in the game mechanics, which aren’t traditional mechanics at all. This is a game of storytelling. The more creative you are, the better you’ll do. And, from my understanding, this is the kind of game to play with kids that love to tell stories to encourage even more creativity.

Dixit is available from BoardGameRatings.com for $25.95.

Best Games to Buy for Board Game Lovers

Arkham Horror

This is not a game for the faint of heart or the short on time. Arkham Horror is a Lovecraftian board game, bent on destroying players through various means. Unlike many board games, this is a game of co-operation where players pool resources and put their heads together to come up with a plan to avoid the awakening of The Old One. The complex nature of the game means that you’ll be investing anywhere from four to eight hours (yes, you read that correctly) in a single game. All in all, however, the game is a lot of fun to work through (albeit a bit frustration).

Arkham Horror is available from Fantasy Flight Games for $59.95.

Space Hulk

This is the kind of game that people dubbed “Warhammer Lite”. It’ll get you good and hooked on playing tabletop war-games so that when you have the great epiphany to play Warhammer 40K, Games Workshop will be there to hook you up. Joking aside, Space Hulk is an excellent introduction to tabletop war-games without the investment required to start a full on army.

A two player game, Space Hulk takes place on a derelict giant spaceship (known as a space hulk) and pits Space Marines against Genestealers. In order to attain victory, you’ll have to be fast on your feet and make decisions quickly.

Sadly, Space Hulk was a limited release and is now only available through eBay.

Hecho

Hecho from Glowfly games is an all ages, everybody plays at once, game of chaos and fun.  The goal of the games is to build as many buildings as possible.  When the game starts, everyone has 5 resource cards in their hand (resources help you build buildings and consist of: metal, plastic, concrete, wood, brick and glass) and the rest of the cards go in a giant messy pile in the middle of the table.  There’s six stacks of building cards, and the top building on each stack flips over at once and the game begins.  Then it’s a mad dash to try and match the resources you have with the buildings on the table that are available to be built.  It requires a bit of quick math, but you don’t have to be exact about it.  There’s a few other special cards in the mix too: a specialist that lets you use one resource as another (let’s build a glass building out of metal, because our metal specialist is that awesome) and wild cards that can stand in for any of the six resources.

You can play in rounds – as soon as one of the six building stacks has been completely built, that’s the end of a round and then the winner after three rounds, wins the game.  Each building has a point value, so it’s not about how many buildings you’ve built, but what they’re worth that gets you the win.  Games are quick, usually less than 5 minutes per round and are typically sort of madness that’s perfect for family gatherings where everyone can join in on the fun.  Also worth mentioning is that the cards are all in Spanish (with English translations) so Hecho (Made) is also a little bit about learning — but you don’t have to tell the kids that.

Hecho is available from Amazon for $14.95.

Globalization

Globalization by the Brothers Knudson, brought to you by Closet Nerd Games, is a competitive game of world domination, one corporation at a time.  It’s a little like Monopoly, but instead of moving around a board building on spaces, you’re buying up companies in regions on the map.  The best part of globalization (besides outbidding your opponents for companies) is the names and descriptions for the companies themselves.  The whole game is rife with puns and in-jokes.  If you’re a fan of Monopoly because you like making money and hording it so that you can make all the others pay for their crimes against humanity their insolence, then this is the perfect game for you.  There’s a lot of money management involved (obviously) so it’s not necessarily great for younger players.  But if you’ve got a bunch of Wall Street fancy-pants coming to your house for the holidays, then break it out and watch them go insane.

No fancy pants investment bankers or stock traders in your family?  Globalization is still a good time.  Build your multi-national corporation by buying up businesses and trying to figure out the best ways to monopolize regions and industries.  And stick it to the man by blocking your opponents by building their own global corporate empires.  Just make sure you block out enough time to play; time flies when you’re trying to amass a billion dollars.

Globalization is available from Amazon for $39.99.

For the RPG Fan on Your List

D&D Red Box

Welcome to the new hotness in D&D boxed sets, The Red Box. If you have a gamer on your list that has never played Dungeons & Dragons (let alone any other kind of pen & paper RPG), this is the perfect gift to introduce him or her to the game (without overwhelming them with rules). The Red Box comes with all of the tools necessary to start up a game of D&D: an introductory version of the D&D 4th Edition rules, dice, dungeon map, and an adventure.

The Red Box is available from WalMart, Target, and Amazon for $19.99.

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay Boxed Set (or Dark Heresy)

Depending on whether or the gamer on your list is interested in fantasy or sci-fi, there are two games that actively satisfy their (potential? resounding? all-encompassing?) love of Games Workshop: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (WFRP) and Dark Heresy.

WFRP is in its third edition and has completely revamped the rules from a d10 based system to a custom dice system that makes it really simple for anyone to jump into the game at any point. The Boxed-Set (although pricey), much like the Red Box, has everything that a player needs to get started: dice, four rule books, character cards, power cards, and card holders for the characters. The setting is much as the game suggests; it’s set in the universe of Warhammer Fantasy. Your adventures take place anywhere from The Moot to Reikland.

Dark Heresy is, well, dark. It takes the universe of Warhammer 40K and tosses it in the hands of RPG players. Unlike WFRP, this is a true roleplaying experience that utilizes the same d10 system that WFRP used in its earlier editions. The lore is juicy. The writing is crisp. And, best of all, this is an engrossing universe full of opportunities to maim, destroy, and be all kinds of treacherous. Or, y’know, be a goody-goody Inquisitor. Whatever floats your boat.

Both games are available through Fantasy Flight Games. WFRP Box Set is available for $99.95. Dark Heresy’s Core Rulebook is available from $59.95.

Dread

Here’s a game you might not have heard of. The first time I heard of it was during a PAX Panel with Geek Nights called “Beyond Candyland”. Dread is an unusual RPG that doesn’t use dice. Instead, it uses Jenga. Yes, Jenga. At first, I was perplexed. And then I thought about it. Jenga requires a steady hand, an agile mind, and a lot of planning. When combined with the likes of Dread, you get a game that is no longer just about moving blocks. It’s about running from zombies. Or a serial killer. Or a horde of angry villagers after you accidentally set their town hall on fire.

Dread rewards proactive thinking. If your party is about to wipe, you can be the hero (because once someone knocks over the Jenga blocks, that person dies). Knocking them over on purpose means that you die, but you die like a hero; you could throw yourself into the angry mob and save everyone.

Oh yeah. Heroics are awesome.

Dread is available through Tilting at Windmills for $24 (Jenga is extra).

It’s called TweetMTG. And it’s going to be a delicious addition to your weekend multiplayer gaming. That is, if you can tune in for the weekend of July 31-August 1.

How do you join in? Simply follow @TweetMTG on Twitter. Or, for the Twitter-impaired, watch the feed on Wizards.com. From there, get ready for the Multiverse to unfold in ways you’ve never seen before.

Top minds in Magic R&D have compiled some of the finest and most plot-foiling effects they could find and will unleash them on the TweetMTG Twitter feed every few minutes for an entire weekend. Before each game, each player joins the team of one of the five Planeswalkers (Ajani, Jace, Liliana, Chandra, or Garruk) from the Magic 2011 core set. Some tweets provide benefits for players on a certain Planeswalker’s team. There are also a few tweets that are unaligned and will affect everyone equally.

This is a move that is beautifully creative, and I can’t wait to see how much it is going to help or hinder the game.

So hop on board and enjoy this small step that hybridizes collectible card gaming and social networking. For more information, head on over to Wizards.com!

If there’s one thing to be said about Wizards of the Coast, it’s that they know when they’ve found a good thing and that good thing is Twitter. It doesn’t get much sweeter than combining Twitter with Magic the Gathering. You read that right: Magic the Gathering played over Twitter.

Be still my social media fueled heart.

The R&D department over at Wizards of the Coast has been cooking up some nasty plot-foiling effects just to unleash them on the @TweetMTG twitter feed every couple of minutes for two days.

Before each game, each player joins the team of one of the five Planeswalkers from the Magic 2011 core set. Some tweets provide benefits for players on a certain Planeswalker’s team. There are also a few tweets that are unaligned and will affect everyone equally. Some sample tweets:

• Each player gains 5 life. Ajani’s team gains 10 life instead.
• Until next tweet, Jace’s enemies play with their hands revealed.
• Liliana’s team gains 2 life for each Swamp on the battlefield.
• Until next tweet, creatures Chandra’s enemies control can’t block.
• Until next tweet, all creatures gain trample and creatures Garruk’s team controls get +2/+2.

There are also a few tweets that are unaligned and will affect everyone equally.

Check out the complete rules for the full details, but here’s the gist of what’s going to go down during this wild slice of CCG meets Twitter:

Get some friends together.

Make sure they each have a Magic deck. (If they don’t, you can visit one of the many locations that sell Magic! Don’t worry, we’ll wait. We have all weekend.)

Join the team of one of the Magic 2011 Planeswalkers: Ajani, Jace, Liliana, Chandra, or Garruk

Tune in to TweetMTG’s Twitter channel.

Play as normal. The tweets will add randomness to the game every few minutes.

Play again and again, because as soon as it hits July 31 anywhere on the planet, the feed begins and doesn’t stop until the final seconds of August 1. That’s three days of game play! For you time-zone challenged, here’s some help:

• UTC: Starts at noon on July 30, ends at 11:59 a.m. on August 2
• New York City: Starts at 8 a.m. on July 30, ends at 7:59 a.m. on August 2
• Moscow: Starts at 4 p.m. on July 30, ends at 3:59 p.m. on August 2
• Sydney: Starts 10 p.m. on July 30, ends at 9:59 p.m. on August 2

And remember, this is a casual format. Be nice or your friends might take their revenge in a game that really counts

From July 31st to August 1st, get ready to get your Magic on all over the Twitterverse. Follow @TweetMTG to watch the pandemonium unfold.

These decks have been created mainly for people who have been playing Duels of the Planeswalkers online and want a smooth way into playing Magic: The Gathering itself. Wizards of the Coast have come up with a starter deck for most of the mana colours*, and these decks are constructed so that beginners and online fans alike will enjoy them. 

Decklists and descriptions below are from Wizards, and link to Wizards of the Coast’s community blog.

Hands of Flame – The Chandra Nalaar Deck

Burn them all with Chandra’s red deck.  Put your opponent on the defensive, then unload an awesome arsenal of fiery destruction.

Teeth of the Predator – The Garruk Wildspeaker Deck

Harness the power of Garruk’s green deck.  Take advantage of its abundant resources and devastate opponents with awesome creatures.

Thoughts of the Wind – The Jace Beleren Deck

Manipulate the fabric of the Multiverse with Jace’s blue deck.  Watch the fumbling attempts of your opponents as you counter their spells and turn their creatures against them.

Ears of the Elves – The Nissa Revane Deck

Elvish dominance continues with Nissa’s black and green deck.  Decimate your opponents with a legion of elite elvish fighters.

Eyes of Shadow – The Liliana Vess Deck

Rain down despair with Liliana’s black deck.  Master the forces of malevolence and death, and punish opponents with a suite of discard effects.

Sounds like another fun summer activity after the Magic World Tournament in Puerto Rico last month. Looking forward to hearing more about our readers using this deck!

* Many thanks to Brian for pointing out that Wizards have not released a white deck for this series.

Pro Tour – San Juan will be held this weekend (May 28-30), at the Puerto Rico Convention Center.

The Magic Pro Tour is considered to be the highest form of competitive play for Magic: The Gathering, hosting a “main event” for the world’s top players. However, not only will the world’s foremost Magic players be present, but Wizards of the Coast are inviting local fans and friends to the event as well. New and seasoned players will have the opportunity to participate in side events, including tournaments, game demonstrations, and artist signings.

The Pro Tour is also boasting a Massive Multiplayer Magic event, something that sounds creatively chaotic!

There will be a multitude of contests over the weekend, with the ultimate prize being a free trip to the next Pro Tour, to be held in Amsterdam.

For those of us who are stuck at home, you can tune in to the Magic Pro Tour information page for more details and a live webcast on May 30.

With the new expansion, Magic and gaming fans worldwide can play with new decks, experience never-before-seen challenges, and battle new adversaries. The new DLC will allow players to battle the ancient vampire Sorin Markov and boasts these other updates:

- 3 new playable decks, including Nicol Bolas’ “Eons of Evil” planeswalker deck
- 3 new unlockable cards for each of the 8 original decks AND the 3 decks from the first expansion
- 5 new puzzling challenge levels
- 3 new achievements
- host migration for multiplayer
- avatar attire awards

On top of this, players can also put their spell-slinging skills to the test to defeat the new single-player campaign which will unlock Rhys the Redeemed’s and Chandra Nalaar’s new planeswalker decks. For those of you that may want an extra challenge, check out Frag Doll Friday this week (May 14) from 6-8 PM Pacific and try your luck against these awesome ladies as they test out the new expansion themselves.

The last bit of good news? This piece of Magic heaven is going for a cheap 400 Microsoft points. Anyone that hasn’t played this game already and want to learn a bit about the game, the original game and the first expansion are available for download. I might be wrong, but you can get both expansions and the original game for 2000 Microsoft points.

In other news, the winners of the My Magic contest (which I wrote about here) have been announced! Congratulations to everyone that entered, but double congrats to Dan Alpers of Iowa and Travis Hall of Alabama, who took first and second prize respectively. Over the past month, Wizards of the Coast was collecting stories and they gathered almost 100. Both winners, for those of you that don’t remember the contest, have won trips to Pro Tour San Juan which is at the end of May.

The contest challenged entrants to tell their best Magic: the Gathering story. Dan Alpers, the first place winner, told a story about how Magic helped shape him into the man he is today- a father, the founder of Central Corridor Gamers, a prominent member of his community. He began playing Magic at an important point in his life, and in the following years he made some lifelong friendships and partnerships with people he met while playing. He founded Games for Troops as well, which collects donations of video games, card games, and tabletop games for overseas American troops.

Travis Hall, the runner up, shared a story about how Magic played a big part in his life. The game and community helped him create strong, lifelong relationships that helped him through good and bad times. When his infant son was diagnosed with a terminal illness, Travis made sure he shared the love of the game with him before he passed, and he even dedicated his favorite card to his son’s memory.

Both of these Magic fans show a deep belief in the community that surrounds Magic as well as giving it back to not only your community of fellow players, but to all communities surrounding every one of us.

Anaheim Comic Con is next week (April 16-18, 2010) at the Anaheim Convention Center and if the lineup, or the chance of meeting GamingAngels and getting an official GamingAngels button aren’t reasons enough to go, now you can also get free stuff just for being there.

Yes, it’s true that at most comic book conventions you better beware because you may end up spending more than you wanted. But there are two things you can get for free, just for registering.

Wizards of the Coast will be distributing free half-packs of Magic: The Gathering M10 cards.

“The giveaway of the valuable Magic: The Gathering cards will be a big hit with Anaheim Comic Con attendees of all ages,” said Gareb Shamus, Wizard Entertainment CEO. “We are excited that Wizards of the Coast will have such a strong presence at the event.”

For the young ones, Gogos Crazy Bones will be free to Kids 10 and under courtesy of Irwin Toy. Gogos Crazy Bones is a collectible, mini-game.

“Having an international sensation like Gogos Crazy Bones available free to kids is a great bonus for Anaheim Comic Con attendees,” said Gareb Shamus, Wizard Entertainment CEO. “It’s particularly gratifying to be partnering with Irwin Toy, which has been a leader in the industry for more than 80 years.”

Buy your tickets for Anaheim Comic Con in advance online because it’s cheaper.

Can’t make it to Anaheim Comic Con? Here is a list of Wizard World’s Comic Cons that might be somewhere near you…
Wizard World Comic Con Tour:
March 26-28, 2010, Toronto Comic Con, Direct Energy Centre
April 16-18, 2010, Anaheim Comic Con, Anaheim Convention Center
June 11-13, 2010, Philadelphia Comic Con, Pennsylvania Convention Center
August 19-22, 2010, Chicago Comic Con, Donald E. Stephens (Rosemont) Convention Center
October 1-3, 2010, New England Comic Con, John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center
October 7-10, 2010, Big Apple Comic Con, Pier 94
October 15-17, 2010, New Jersey Comic Con, New Jersey Convention and Expo Center
November 12-14, 2010, Austin Comic Con, Austin Convention Center
December 3-5, 2010, Atlanta Comic Con, Cobb Galleria Centre
Cincinnati Comic Con, TBD
Cleveland Comic Con, TBD
Nashville Comic Con, TBD