June has already been a scorcher, but it’s only going to get hotter with Board Game Bandit’s lineup of hot games this month! When the summer heat gets too much for you, relax in a cool spot with one of these great new titles.

5. Summoner Wars (2^nd Edition)

The fantasy fighting card game has a new edition to check out.

This new edition features updated versions of the much-loved factions, and exciting new ones ready to enter the battle. It also showcases some new art and refined rules.

In Summoner Wars you play the role of a powerful summoner in command of a unique army, committed to taking control of the war damaged planet of Itharia. Exhibit your strategic skills by summoning units to your gates, outwitting your opponent, and cutting down the enemy summoner to declare victory. Be cautious though! The enemy will take advantage of all opportunities to annihilate you and your army.

Numerous units, a wide selection of spells and abilities, and the opportunity to build your own decks, ensure a game full of entertainment with each play.

Preorder Summoner Wars online now!

4. Catan 3D Edition

Catan fans will be excited to get their hands on the new Catan 3D Edition. Bring the Island of Catan alive, rising off your table in full 3D splendor.

Your settlements expand from rich grain fields, and your cities lie on the sides of magnificent mountains. The view of the land is based on terrain tiles hand-sculpted by game designer Klaus Teuber. All the terrain is hand-painted for dazzling color, and the intricately created player pieces are antiqued to showcase history and character.

Preorder Catan 3D Edition online now!

This game looks so gorgeous we had to throw in one more closeup of the board before moving on to the next game...

3. On Mars

On Mars is a high complexity game for 1-4 players, this science fiction strategy and territory building game has been gaining popularity.

Play as an astronaut colonizing Mars in the year 2037, you aspire to be a pioneer in the development of the largest, most advanced colony on Mars by completing both D.O.M.E. mission goals as well as your company’s private agenda.

On Mars is played over multiple rounds consisting of 2 phases - the Colonization Phase and the Shuttle Phase.

In the Colonization Phase, players take turns taking actions. Available actions depend on the side of the board players are on. When in orbit, you may take blueprints, purchase, and develop technologies, and take goods from the Warehouse. When on the surface of the planet, you may create buildings with your bots, upgrade those buildings using blueprints, take scientists and new contracts, greet new ships, and explore the planet’s surface with your rover. During the Shuttle Phase, players can travel between the colony and the Space Station in orbit.

All buildings on Mars depend on each other with some necessary for the colony to grow. Constructing shelters for Colonists to live in entails oxygen; producing oxygen needs plants; growing plants needs water; getting water from ice needs power; generating power needs mining minerals; and mining minerals needs Colonists. Whew! Upgrading the colony’s capability to deliver each of these resources is critical. As the colony expands, more shelters are required so that the Colonists can survive the harsh conditions on Mars.

Throughout the game, players also attempt to complete missions. When 3 missions are completed, the game ends. To win, players need to contribute to the advancement of the first colony on Mars. This is represented by players earning Opportunity Points. The player with the most at the end of the game wins.

Buy On Mars online now!

2. The Crew: Mission Deep Sea

The new trick taking card game The Crew: Mission Deep Sea is one for you is sure to be a hit for fans of the The Crew: The Quest for Plant Nine. This family, 2-5 player game card game plays in 20 minutes and comes out this July.

The Crew: Mission Deep Sea players work together to hunt for the lost continent of Mu. The new adventure takes your crew deep down into the abyss on a quest for the legendary sunken land. How far you get depends solely on how well players work together as a team. Card by card, trick by trick, your search party will uncover the challenges that lie ahead and clear a path to Mu.

The Crew has some exciting new surprises! While communication with crew members is restricted by your submerged state, it’s also important to your success; locating the hidden land in the shadowy depths depends both on winning tricks, and carefully planning the order that they are won. If things don't go as planned, you may just be able to save the operation, but it will take near perfect execution and maybe a little luck to finally reach Mu.

Preorder The Crew: Mission Deep Sea online now!

1. Destinies

Destinies is a new release to recently hit the Board Game Bandit shelves. This new 1-3 player, thematic game is surprisingly a light weighted game full of story telling, adventure and exploration. It also brings an app to the board game play.

This game is set in a dark medieval-fantasy universe, It is also the first in a series of games with a brand-new system named Destinies.

The Destinies system presents a story-driven, app, RPG-like board game experience, without the requirement for a game master. Each scenario portrays a part of a vibrant world, filled with dark stories, impressive NPCs and mysteries to unravel. Players take on the role of a hero on a journey to fulfill their destiny. Each destiny is a final objective of the character with at least two, entirely different paths to victory, complete with branching series of quests. Players compete to push the world in the direction of their own destiny.

Destinies uses an app and the Scan&Play technology to present players with a unique story focused experience of dynamic events, adventures, and an ever-changing game world. Discover new parts of the world depicted on tiles, discover them, and pick one point of interest to visit. There players discover more about the story and make crucial decisions on how they wish to interact with people, creatures or situations faced there. The consequences of each decision are significant and often change the state of the world forever.

Buy Destinies online now!