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“Kooky” deck-battling board game Challengers arrives in autumn

Board game companies Z-Man Games and Asmodee announce card battler and deck management game Challengers, with pre-orders open from September 1

Challengers board game announced - photo of Challengers box and contents from Zman Games

As of September 1, you can pre-order the next board game from Asmodee and Z-Man Games on their online stores. A Z-Man Games press release describes Challengers as “a fast-paced auto battler and deck management game” for one to eight players.

“Challengers stars over 70 kooky characters from diverse locales like Hollywood, outer space, and the monstrous deep sea – or your bathtub”, Z-man says. “Players draft character cards with unique abilities and must make tough deck-building choices between rounds, as each character combination opens up new ways to win.” The game involves up to four simultaneous battles, and it takes place over seven rounds. The two players with the most trophies and fans then reportedly have one final face-off to decide “the ultimate champion”.

Challengers will debut at Spiel, a gaming convention held in Essen, Germany, with the game available to buy from October 6 to 9. The game will reportedly see a retail release in America, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany sometime in November. According to Asmodee and Z-Man, Challengers will be available for $39.99 / £34.57.

“Challengers is developed by Z-Man Games in collaboration with 1 More Time Games, a Vienna-based indie board game studio”, Z-Man says in Thursday’s press release. While Z-Man has games like Love Letter and Pandemic under its publishing belt, 1 More Time Games is so far only known for publishing duelling card game Riftforce.

Challengers board game announced - Challengers cards and tokens (image from Zman Games)

Z-Man says Challengers is designed for players aged eight and up, and the game is meant to last around 45 minutes. The press release has already promised future expansions for the game, meaning future deck lineups and strategies may be available before too long.

Challengers can be found for pre-order on the Z-man Games website.

While you’re waiting for Challengers to arrive, be sure to check out our guide to the best card games for adults. We also have a guide to the best family board games that everyone can enjoy.