Blizzard co-founder and former CEO Mike Morhaime The publishing company announced a new game combining elements of Dreamhaven tabletop RPG with party games as Jackbox. Sanderfolk It seems like a more casual pick-up-and-play to get something like Gloomhaven.
The title is “designed for gamers who love tabletop, tabletop and video games.” It’s a dual-screen experience, with players actually controlling many aspects of the game on their smartphone. You know, like the wildly popular Jackbox franchise. The “tactical throne co-op RPG” is advertised as a way for veteran tabletop gamers to introduce the genre to their novice friends.
Sanderfolk can be played by up to four players at once and has six hero classes such as bard, arcanist, ranger and the other usual suspects. The TV is the main screen and the phone acts as a controller while people move around the game board. The story follows a city under siege are attacked by various monsters. In other words, it’s a standard fantasy RPG.
The unique control scheme tries to overcome some of the barriers to entry with this type of game, such as the steep learning curve and long setup time. Like many tabletop RPGs, it is cooperative in nature and not competitive. You and your friends against the world.
As the designer says Sanderfolk designed with couch co-op in mind, it will be an online game. The game will be released sometime in 2025 for Nintendo Switch, PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S with an iOS/Android companion app.
Kotaku I got to try the game during the preview event and was impressed, saying that “working in tandem with other players quickly became an exhilarating spectacle that felt right after a night of TTRPG gaming.” However, the site also said that the complexity of the game may not appeal to beginners. In other words, more Gloomhaven from Jackbox.
