WizKids Games has announced a new starter set for DC HeroClix, the first product that is completely new following the NECA takeover. This set is designed around the Blackest Night storyline, and features seven supers in their deputy lantern costumes. Hal Jordan is present as Green Lantern, with Lex Luthor, Mera, Scarecrow, Wonder Woman, The Flash and The Atom all appearing as well.

 Days of Wonder is publishing a new train game, but this isn't Ticket To Ride. This game puts the players on the luxurious Orient Express, traveling from Paris to Istanbul. However, a murderer has struck, and the players need to decipher the clues before the train reaches its final destination. A joint creation of Serge Laget (Mystery of the Abbey, Shadows Over Camelot, Ad Astra) and Antoine Bauza (Ghost Stories, Pocket Rockets), this April release should make for a fine night of sleuthing.

 Z-Man Games has released their latest newsletter, including a list of games we can expect in January. Foremost among these is the eagerly anticipated Dungeon Lords. One of the hits to come out of Essen 2009, Dungeon Lords reverses the usual fantasy adventuring theme: rather than playing an intrepid party of adventurers out to sack the dungeon and win treasure and glory, you are a dungeonlord bent on building a proper dungeon to show up your fellows and keep out the pesky riff-raff.

The recently revived WizKids has announced a release date for their next DC HeroClix set: The Brave and The Bold. This set, the first produced by the new team, will hit stores on April 14th. The set will introduce new dual figures, new characters and (according to ICv2), a new mechanic: Alter Egos. These Alter Egos will start out the game in their mild-mannered guise, only to transform into their cape-wearing persona when the time is right. No word on if phone booths will be required or just strongly suggested...

Privateer Press has announced their newest expansion for Monsterpocalypse: Big in Japan. Due to be released in April, this expansion brings monstrous destruction to the Tokyo skyline, as well as expanding the Now factions with new Monsters and Units. So if you've been waiting to recreate the destruction of Tokyo that occurs in, well, about 50% of all monster movies ever made--your wait is almost over.

Fantasy Flight Games (FFG) has announced their first big expansion for Warhammer: Invasion. It is the promised starter for the High Elves and Dark Elves, entitled Assault on Ulthuan. With 40 card starter decks and a capital board for each of the elven races, this will bring them into numerical parity with the four main races from the initial release. Just as for the initial release, the non-featured factions will see a few new cards as well. Add in a few new neutral cards, and this set should make a nice addition to the Warhammer: Invasion lineup. Look for it this spring.

 GAMES magazine has announced their games of the year, culled from the variety of excellent choices this year. The results for board games are listed below, as published on their website:
Game of the Year: Small World
Best New Abstract Strategy Game: Blox
Best New Advanced Strategy Game: Le Havre
Best New Family Game: Roll Through the Ages: The Bronze Age
Best New Family Card Game: Amerigo
Best New Family Strategy Game: Dominion/Dominion: Intrigue
Best New Party Game: Dixit
Best New Puzzle: La Ora Stelo

 Mongoose Publishing (Mongoose) has published their State of the Mongoose 2009, detailing how they did in the past year and what they plan to do in the upcoming one. Check out the full report at www.mongoosepublishing.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php . Some highlights, though:

 Fantasy Flight Games (FFG) has announced the first deluxe expansion for the Call of Cthulhu Living Card Game (LCG). This game is in its second six-month cycle of asylum packs, which have kept the game expanding. But the new expansion, Secrets of Arkham, will introduce 50 new unique cards to the game: 6 for each faction, and 8 neutral cards. Each of these cards will come with two copies, for a total of 100 new deck-building opportunities in the box. In addition, there will be a new 10-card story deck, to give players new mysteries to explore and battlefields to contest.

 Steve Jackson Games (SJG) has announced two new dice games for March. But clearly, they had Halloween in mind when they were at the design table: the two games cast the players as zombies and Cthulhu cultists.