by Steph Hodge
▪️ Capstone Games plans to release Rising Cultures this March 2026. This extends their 2-player lineup of games which includes Pagan: Fate of Roanoke, Watergate, Suna Valo, and many more!
Rising Cultures is brought to you from designers Aske Christiansen (Living Forest) & Francesco Testini (Tang Garden)
Here is an excerpt from a recent newsletter:
Rising Cultures is Capstone’s first collaboration with German publisher HUCH! (Trajan, Rajas of Ganges, etc.) and features elegant civilization building gameplay in a compact footprint. The game comes with four unique civilizations, each with their own playstyle and unique deck of cards. Play 2 games at the same time with one box!
▪️ Aquaria is another new release available in the Capstone catalog after partnering with the small Czech publisher Delicious Games.
From Tomáš Holek the designer who brought you SETI: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence and Galileo Galilei you can now control the aquarium.
Strategize to acquire the exotic species for your aquarium, maintaining good oxygen levels as you go. Each species has unique needs, but offers distinct benefits to your ecosystem. Take a deep dive into the encyclopedia to gain an edge with what you find! Design a harmonious habitat and curate your aquatic collection to surpass your opponents. Can you turn a bare tank into a vibrant, self-sustaining, biodiverse ecosystem to bolster your claims? The captivating challenges of Aquaria await!
▪️ Speaking of Tomáš Holek, he has yet another new game just released from Capstone titled Pondscape.
The core mechanisms involve grid building and card management, with pond construction as a spatial puzzle. In each round, players choose cards from a shared display and add one card to their pond, aiming to fulfill specific conditions set by different frog species to earn points, with larger groups of the same frog type yielding even greater rewards.
▪️ Scott Almes is quite the prolific designer who brought us Series: Tiny Epic (Gamelyn Games/Tycoon Games) games, Beer & Bread as well as a brand new game called Angel’s Share. Capstone partnered with Spielworxx to release Angel’s Share in February 2026.
Renowned, world-famous distilleries are your playground. Each year, players age their whiskey barrels, navigate events, and manage upkeep costs to best maintain their stock. Hold on to your assets wisely, as other players may try to compromise the price of formerly valuable whiskey while raising the price of their own holdings. Prudent management of your whiskey is crucial, as everyone is out for themselves in Angel’s Share.
▪️ Finally, the hunt is on in Pirates of Maracaibo because a second expansion has hit the market! Be on the lookout for Pirates of Maracaibo: Bermuda Triangle.
This new expansion introduces a new module that has players going on a treasure hunt, where players need to collect the most treasure. Of course, that is just one small portion of the expansion; there is added content with epic monsters you have to deal with, new improvement cards, and a new solo experience.
Are you ready to set sail?

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