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Connie Vogelmann, the designer behind Apiary and Wyrmspan, has announced her latest nature-inspired board game titled Tideward. The title will be officially available for demos starting Oct. 22 at the Essen Game Fair in Germany, hosted at the Avalon Hill and Hasbro booth.
Tideward is a two-to-four player experience where participants guide freshly hatched sea turtles from the beach to underwater algal mats while dodging hungry predators. During each turn, players can perform three actions to hatch eggs, gather food, or move hatchlings, alongside pursuing secret quest cards for extra points. The game concludes when a player successfully moves all their turtles into the water, determining the winner by the highest score.
According to Vogelmann, Tideward is intended to be lighter and more accessible than her previous works, aimed at players ages 10 and up rather than the 14-and-older recommendation for Apiary and Wyrmspan. She conceived the idea while walking the halls of Gen Con, aiming to create a puzzle focused purely on automated movement.
Following its convention debut at Essen, which runs from Oct. 22-25, Tideward is scheduled to be sold at local game stores and other retailers starting Jan. 16, 2027, with a price tag of $39.99.
