News Flash: Stellar Announced by Renegade Game Studios, New Word Game from Osprey Games

Renegade Game Studios Announces Stellar
Stellar is a two player card game about stargazing. "You are stargazers, calibrating your telescopes to bring into view celestial objects of various types — planets, moons, asteroids, interstellar clouds, black holes, even satellites — as you create a beautiful display of the night sky!"
Source: https://www.renegadegamestudios.com/stellar

Osprey Games Announces Letterpress
Letterpess will be a 1-6 player card game about crafting words. "Compete with your rival wordsmiths to craft the most impressive words and win first pick of letters to add to your collection. Choose wisely, for you will find any you leave in the words of your opponents, and the player who uses their stored letters to greatest effect will spell victory."
Source: https://ospreypublishing.com/letterpress

AEG and The Op Announce New Factions for Smash Up
The two game companies have announced they've joined forces to bring new, officially licensed factions to AEG's popular card game Smash Up. “The award-winning “shufflebuilding” game allows fans to draft decks of fictitious dream teams and pit them against other campy collections in a battle to dominate targeted bases. Through ongoing play, players familiarize with and combine mechanics unique to each of their factions to best their opponents’ point values.”
Source: https://theop.games/2019/11/aeg-the-op-partner-for-smash-up-2020/

Amazon's Alexa Augments Ticket to Ride
Days of Wonder and Amazon has announced that Alexa can now be used to help teach and set up Ticket to Ride, as well as adding background music and sound effects. "The skills customize themselves to the number of players and track their remaining trains, the longest route, points, and more. They also act as an additional player for groups looking for an extra person or anyone who wants to get in a solo game against the skill itself. "
Source: http://blog.daysofwonder.com/2019/11/14/

Geek Out! Disney and Munchkin: Disney DuckTales Released
The Op (USAopoly) has released two new Disney-themed versions of well-known games.
Source: https://theop.games/2019/11/geek-out-disney-available-now/ and https://theop.games/2019/11/munchkin-disney-ducktales-available-now/

Board Game Christmas Gift Guide
Empire Online has published a list of board game gift suggestions for the upcoming holidays. "From casual party games to multi-hour sit-down sessions, the Christmas holidays are an ideal time to break out a board game – and an even better time to gift one to your friends and family. If you’ve done the likes of Scrabble and Cluedo to death (in the lounge, with the well-worn set of dice), we’ve gathered together a range of exciting games sure to unite (and divide) any gathering over the Christmas break."
Source: https://www.empireonline.com/shopping/gaming/christmas-gift-guide-board-games/

Reviews
Zorro the Dice Game (The Board Game Family): “If you’re looking for a light, dice-rolling game with a fun theme for your family, Zorro the Dice Game is a solid game to snag.”
Source: https://www.theboardgamefamily.com/2019/10/zorro-dice-game-review/

Queens and Kings (Board Game Quest): “The absolute carnage when playing with four players is a key enjoyable aspect of this remake. New movement and new, deep strategies will have you coming back to play this after your first go.”
Source: https://www.boardgamequest.com/queens-and-kings-preview/

Heist (The Rat Hole): “I was really impressed by this game. The commands change every time which, combined with the multiple difficulty levels, adds to the replay value.”
Source: http://therathole.ca/heist/