Hasbro is Making a Eurogame

Hasbro is getting into the Eurogame business. Last week, the toy company announced Life in Reterra, a new Eurogame-style board game by Eric M. Lang and Ken Gruhl. The new game is a tile-placement game, in which players gradually grow their community by placing tiles and adding either buildings, gear, or relics on each turn. Having buildings on their community adds extra abilities that go into effect every turn, while other buildings gain extra victory points if they're placed in certain locations or meet other criteria. Players score points by having at least seven blocks of the same terrain on their community or by having certain inhabitants, relics, or buildings at the end of the game. 

What's interesting about the new game is that it marks an attempt by Hasbro to bridge the gap between the mass market and the more dedicated gamer. Lang is perhaps best known for his deep strategy games (which include Blood Rage, Rising Sun, and Cthulhu: Death May Die), but this game combines what appears to be easy-to-learn mechanics with deeper gameplay. Other "gateway games" have found success in the mass market in recent years, with games like Disney Villainous and Wingspan being featured on shelves next to more traditional tabletop games. 

It's also interesting that Hasbro is choosing to release this game under its own label instead of Avalon Hill, its game imprint that produces games like HeroQuest or Betrayal at House on the Hill.

Life in Reterra is already available over in Europe in French, with a German edition available soon, and the English version available exclusively at Target in the US.