"Pardon the shortness of this update. I’m out in Reno, Nevada at the GAMA trade show, telling all the retailers about our great games. It’s also a popular time to announce new products. Yesterday, we announced Unmatched, a new take on Star Wars: Epic Duels. But we’re also announcing the next Expansion for Fireball Island: Spider Springs!

This new expansion is another island tray, like Crimson Cutlass, but it actually slots into the main island in one of the gaps between the side trays. You still get to it through the caves, but now it interacts with the main island. Specifically, a broken bridge connects them, with an ember marble on it. When a fireball hits it or when you launch it directly, it drops down into the new tray. At the base of the tray, is a spring-loaded web contains small plastic spiders. When the marble hits, the catch releases, launching the spiders into the air. In short, more mayhem.

Spiders are worth negative points at the end of the game. The new location also offers new treasures (spider eggs!), another snapshot location, and even a new way to get off the island (submarine!).

And I haven’t even mentioned the Arachnoclysm!"