Best new board games for April: Bardsung, Avatar the Last Airbender, more

Spring has arrived, which means that it is time to clear your shelves for new tabletop games. We’ve rounded up the best new board games on sale right now, and narrowed in on some of the most interesting new crowdfunding campaigns launching in April.

Taking our top spot this month is Bardsung: Legend of the Ancient Forge, a massive dungeon crawler with a lot of buzz. You and your friends can become legendary by solving puzzles and fighting monsters as you and your group explore deeper into the depths of the dungeon. Choose your own paths to glory to inspire the bard’s songs and turn into a fabled hero.

What sets this fantasy fighter apart is the freedom to build dynamic characters. There are no restrictions on classes such as paladin and rogue. You can follow pre-made hero paths or create your own. Random board generation is another great feature. This ensures no two games have the same dungeon, enemies, or items. Finally, you determine campaign length. Play a single game, or string several together for a narrative that evolves with your choices. With excellent replay value and great character building, Bardsung is a must-play title.

Currently available on the manufacturer’s site, Steamforged informs Polygon that duplicates are also available at many retailers .

Decorum

Ready for the ultimate challenge? In Decorum, you and a partner have to decorate a home that you both love. They can never tell you what they need — only respond with “love it,” “hate it,” or “fine with it,” (truly a relatable scenario). Both of you will need to compromise until your decor is perfect.

Decorum may seem like a straightforward logic puzzle, but it’s really a game of communication and compromise. Your partner may ruin the strategy you’ve perfected to decorate your room, and you might ruin theirs. Unless both of you can let go of your own strategies and work together, the conflict will lead to failure. All-in-all, gameplay offers a fun, refreshing take on deduction and communication limit mechanics. Grab a copy now to test your roommate, or partner.

Decorum

These prices were correct at the time of publication.

* 2-4 players, ages 13+

* Playtime: 30-45 minutes

* Game Type: Board

* Category: Communication limits, deduction, co-op

* If you like: Decrypto, Spyfall

Cryptid: Urban Legends

Will your role be that of the Moth Man or as the leader to his flame? In a thrilling battle for abstract deduction, go head-to-head. The stakes? An entire city. Avoid capture and cause chaos as a cryptid, or capture and expose them as a scientist in Cryptid: Urban Legends.

Gameplay has high stakes. You only have deduction, foresight and ingenuity. This key mechanism keeps every game exciting as it allows players to develop innovative strategies using limited resources and time. Who doesn’t enjoy a good cryptid hunting game? Snag your copy of Cryptid: Urban Legends from Osprey Games starting April 28.

Avatar the Last Airbender: Fire Nation Rising

Calling all fans of Avatar: the Fire Nation is attacking soon! Take command and fight back to restore balance to the world in Avatar The Last Airbender: Fire Nation Rising. Prepare for the last battle against the Hundred Year War by recruiting heroes and fighting villains. If you fail to fend off the Fire Nation’s attack, all will be lost.

Aside from the novelty of playing as your favorite characters (Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph, or Zuko), the game offers great challenge scaling. Gameplay can be adjusted based on experience and to increase difficulty. This allows for increased replay value, and makes the game more accessible for all players. Grab a copy of Fire Nation Rising when it goes on sale to introduce any ATLA lover to tabletop gaming.

The Dark Quarter

Unravel the ultimate murder mystery in The Dark Quarter. Work together as Beaumont agents to solve the worst crimes in a dark, fantastical 1980’s New Orleans. Watch how the story unfolds, changing with each decision.

Not only are the rich and dynamic story and characters great additions to the narrative genre, but the setting is also a fresh take. Elements like crime and vibrant nightlife ground the story in reality. The widespread usage of magic and voodoo adds a magical tone. Together, they create a blend of fantasy and reality, building on the culture of a real city to create intrigue. The campaign will be a hit due to the variety of enemies and chaos that surrounds it. Back this Kickstarter before May 5 to see The Dark Quarter come to life. Delivery is estimated for October 2023.

Paradox Initiative

Everything is in your grasp with Paradox Initiative. This title reimagines the 2016 game Paradox in a simple to learn (but challenging to master) pattern builder. As a mad scientist, you will attempt to seize spacetime strands. Create matches in your paradox engine to jump into alternate worlds, then collect sets of their timelines for your research. The galaxy’s respect and renown goes to the scientist who has created the most universes.

A mix of mechanics keep gameplay interesting and fresh. Some are familiar, like card drafting and resource management. Others, like the Bejeweled-style pattern matching, are unique to the Paradox series. Although the game appears simple, there are many opportunities to improve and refine your strategies. Back this puzzle game on Kickstarter by April 29 to experience the enigma for yourself. Delivery is estimated for February 2023.

Iconoclash

Platformer fans rejoice! Iconoclash puts you in the middle of intense tabletop platform fighting action. Select your character, map and get ready to fight. You’ll have to move around the stage and dodge dangers, avoid attacks, collect items, as well as attack each turn. Spend power tokens to deal extra damage, and time attacks right for a chance to knock your opponent off the map. A player who has zero hit points wins.

The range of characters, each with 500-plus unique attack combos, makes gameplay a blast. Another nod to classic platformers (and a fun feature) are the multiplayer modes. These support up to four players and include a classic mode, battle royale, and 2v2. With so much variety in the gameplay, replay value is through the roof with this creative title. Platform lovers need to back the crowdfunding campaign before May 6. Delivery is estimated for June 2023.

Escape from Stalingrad Z

Combine tactical combat, zombies, and World War II: You’ve discovered Escape from Stalingrad Z. You can fight as veteran soldiers and escape from the zombie invasion. You can play solo, or together to determine the best way forward. Each scenario will offer you different options and your fate is up to your decisions.

The ongoing story elements help this campaign feel cohesive scenario after scenario. This game is for those who enjoy war strategy with an element of the undead. Back the Kickstarter by May 2 to bring the post-war apocalypse to your table. Delivery is estimated for November 2022.

We hope you enjoyed our latest curated list. We’ll keep scouring crowdfunding forums and game developer pages to keep you up to date on the latest and greatest tabletop games. Keep checking back for more exciting new discoveries.