One of the things we like to do here at The Malted Meeple is give some extra attention to our favorite board game publishers and designers. In our monthly Publisher’s Spotlight we provide a bit of background on the publisher, discuss a few of their games, and may even announce a visit to The Meeple by some of the publisher’s representatives!
As the year comes to a close, we shine our spotlight on our friends from Ares Games. Originally specializing in war games, this Italian-based company was founded in July of 2011 by a group of entrepreneurs interested in the gaming world. Ares engaged the design and production team of NG International and brought them on board along with the licenses for the War of the Ring and Wings of War. They immediately began working on new editions of each.
War of the Ring: Second Edition was released in December of 2011. It quickly sold out and has enjoyed several reprints since. The War of the Ring line now includes two expansions: Lords of Middle-earth and Warriors of Middle-earth, the stand alone Battle of the Five Armies, and a new game to-be-released Hunt for the Ring.
Wings of Glory, the rebranded Wings of War, was released in March of 2012. It now includes both WW1 and WW2 lines and offers a wide range of products from starter kits to squadron packs and even gaming mats. The system also inspired the award-winning Sails of Glory a game of naval ship-to-ship combat set during the iconic Napoleonic Age.
Other famous games by Ares include Galaxy Defenders, and the recently released Sword & Sorcery. Their catalogue includes everything from Family Friendly Games and Card games to Euro and Thematic Games. The company decided to take their name from Ares, the Greek God of War which is fitting as many of their games tend to deal with conflict on a massive scale, such as the War of the Ring and Wings of Glory lines.
The goal of Ares Games is to create quality hobby products for the international audience. They put a lot of care into every game they produce. There are no fillers in their catalogue and as such there are few new releases from Ares Games each year. But each year they set the bar higher and higher for themselves, creating unique games and setting precedents in quality and innovation for other publishers to follow.
We look forward to seeing the newest titles from Ares Games! First up is the new game from the War of the Ring line: Hunt for the Ring, a hidden movement, deduction, and adventure game. Wings of Glory will be receiving a new release for a “Weird War” setting called Tripods & Triplanes (think War of the Worlds meets World War I). The setting will be fully compatible with existing Wings of Glory lines. Ares has also acquired the rights to develop a combat game based on a very popular science fiction property. It is a little too early for them to announce, but we are excited to see what it could be!
The next time you visit The Malted Meeple or Ravenwood Castle, raise a pint to the Gods of War with some gaming from Ares Games!
Karington Hess is a lifelong gamer whose passions for hospitality and all things game-related led him to Ravenwood Castle, where he served as an Innkeeper before joining The Malted Meeple. When not pouring beers, crafting milkshakes, or teaching boardgames, Karington can be found behind the DM’s screen, weaving intricate stories for his fellow gamers.