Description: Historic characters from the American Wild West face off and write new legends across the face of history! Gather your gun, your mount, and your grit as you forge your path into the history books.

Western Legends is an open-world sandbox tabletop adventure for 2-6 players set in the American Wild West. Players assume the roles of historical figures of the era, earning their legendary status in a variety of ways: gamble, drive cattle, prospect for gold, rob the bank, fight bandits, pursue stories, become an outlaw, keep the peace. The possibilities are darn near endless.

Each player's turn starts with drawing poker cards and/or gaining cash. Then they choose three actions. Possible actions include: move on the map (how far depends on whether they have a mount), doing a location-specific action (such as mine for gold if they are at a gold mine, gamble if they're in a saloon, etc.), fight other players at the same location (either duel them, rob them, or arrest them if they're wanted), play poker cards that have action abilities, etc. Legendary Points (LPs) are earned based on the outcomes of many of these actions, and the winner is whoever has the most LPs at the end of the game.

Key Points
- Award-winning gaming experience set in the American West!
- Beautiful artwork, and presentation brings this highly thematic game to life.
- Intuitive gameplay and choices lets you write your own legend every game!

Note: The Russian edition of Western Legends contains two expansions packaged inside the box and thus has its own entry here: Легенды Дикого Запада (Western Legends)

Dimensions: 27.5 cm (W) x 39.5 cm (H) x 8.0 cm (D)

Description: Trick or Treats? Tricky Treats!
Dress up your children with funny and colorful costumes to collect sweets and play tricks!

In the game each player will create the costumes on their board by combining transparent cards with hats, tops and bottoms.

It is possible to create matching outfits in order to score points at the end of the game but also get weird combinations to collect different icons that will be useful during the game to collect more sweets and play tricks.
Tricks will activate end-game scoring mechanisms.

The game ends when a player has visited 8 houses.

—description from the publisher

Dimensions: 26.0 cm (W) x 26.0 cm (H) x 5.0 cm (D) | 1.0 kg

Description: Mission Zero is new climate-themed strategic card game designed for ages 9+ and adults, combining fast-paced strategy with real-world decarbonization education.

Think: renewable energy, carbon capture, disasters, and a bit of greenwashing sabotage — all packed into 20–40 minutes of fun.

—description from the publisher

Dimensions: 13.0 cm (W) x 17.3 cm (H) x 3.8 cm (D) | 0.3 kg

Description: The Thai dessert making competition was announced by the Royal Palace. Everyone is excited and prepared Thai desserts for the Royal Palace Baker's reputations.

Thai Dessert Kitchen is a REAL-TIME competition game for 2-4 players. Play by making Thai desserts, selling Thai desserts for new ingredients, and collecting points from Thai desserts to WIN the Royal Palace competition. Beware! If you stock up on too much ingredients, you may be caught by the Inspector.

Dimensions: 10.0 cm (W) x 14.0 cm (H) x 3.0 cm (D)

Description: Age of the Moon is a competitive strategy game set during the New Space Race, where players take on the role of leaders striving to build the first fully operational, habitable lunar base. Each player must balance resources, infrastructure, and alliances to establish their presence on the Moon. With a focus on the Lunar South Pole’s abundant resources, players navigate between collaboration, competition, and strategic planning to outmaneuver their rivals.

The game is played in rounds, each consisting of several phases that bring players closer to completing their lunar base. On their turn, players receive Lunars (the game’s currency) to expand operations by purchasing assets like power plants, greenhouses, and rovers, as well as rockets to transport them to the Moon. Players can negotiate with one another, forming alliances or creating conflicts using negotiation cards. They then launch their rockets, facing the risks of space travel, including mission failures, determined by dice rolls.

Once assets are deployed on the Moon, players gather resources and operate their infrastructure. Managing production and operating costs is key to progress, though even well-laid plans can be disrupted by unexpected events at the end of each round. Additionally, players earn International Community Points (ICP) through cooperation, adding a diplomatic layer to the competition. The game ends when a player successfully builds and operates all four core modules of a habitable lunar base.

The unique feature of Age of the Moon is its realistic scenarios based on expert research and future projections. Players must balance technological development, resource allocation, and diplomacy, making it a strategic and educational experience.

-description from designer

Dimensions: 24.0 cm (W) x 31.0 cm (H) x 7.0 cm (D) | 1.3 kg

Description: Playing Nemesis will take you into the heart of sci-fi survival horror in all its terror. A soldier fires blindly down a corridor, trying to stop the alien advance. A scientist races to find a solution in his makeshift lab. A traitor steals the last escape pod in the very last moment. Intruders you meet on the ship are not only reacting to the noise you make but also evolve as the time goes by. The longer the game takes, the stronger they become. During the game, you control one of the crew members with a unique set of skills, personal deck of cards, and individual starting equipment. These heroes cover all your basic SF horror needs. For example, the scientist is great with computers and research, but will have a hard time in combat. The soldier, on the other hand...

Nemesis is a semi-cooperative game in which you and your crewmates must survive on a ship infested with hostile organisms. To win the game, you have to complete one of the two objectives dealt to you at the start of the game and get back to Earth in one piece. You will find many obstacles on your way: swarms of Intruders (the name given to the alien organisms by the ship AI), the poor physical condition of the ship, agendas held by your fellow players, and sometimes just cruel fate.

The gameplay of Nemesis is designed to be full of climactic moments which, hopefully, you will find rewarding even when your best plans are ruined and your character meets a terrible fate.

Description: The Empire must fall. Our mission must succeed. By destroying their key bases, we will shatter Imperial strength and liberate our people. Yet spies have infiltrated our ranks, ready for sabotage. We must unmask them. In five nights we reshape destiny or die trying. We are the Resistance!

The Resistance is a party game of social deduction. It is designed for five to ten players, lasts about 30 minutes, and has no player elimination. The Resistance is inspired by Mafia/Werewolf, yet it is unique in its core mechanics, which increase the resources for informed decisions, intensify player interaction, and eliminate player elimination.

Players are either Resistance Operatives or Imperial Spies. For three to five rounds, they must depend on each other to carry out missions against the Empire. At the same time, they must try to deduce the other players’ identities and gain their trust. Each round begins with discussion. When ready, the Leader entrusts sets of Plans to a certain number of players (possibly including himself/herself). Everyone votes on whether or not to approve the assignment. Once an assignment passes, the chosen players secretly decide to Support or Sabotage the mission. Based on the results, the mission succeeds (Resistance win) or fails (Empire win). When a team wins three missions, they have won the game.

Rule Correction:

For first printing (2010 purchases), the expansion rules should read: "Games of 5-6 players use 7 plot cards, games with 7+ players use all 15 Plot Cards." and "...each Round, the leader draws Plot cards (1 for 5-6 players, 2 for 7-8 players, and 3 for 9-10 players)" - This has been corrected in the subsequent printings.

Description: What hue do you think of when we say “apple”? Hues and Cues is a vibrant game of colorful communication where players are challenged to make connections to colors with words. Using only one and two-word cues, players try to get others to guess a specific hue from the 480 colors on the game board. The closer the guesses are to the target, the more points you earn. Since everyone imagines colors differently, connecting colors and clues has never been this much fun!

Gather around with three to ten people to play a quick and simple game with a prism of possibilities! First, a “cue giver” hides a specific color they’ve chosen out of a deck of cards. There are 480 shades on the board in front of you! After getting one- and two-word cues, everyone places their marker on which color they think is being described. “Coffee.” Is it dark brown, as in freshly brewed? “Au lait.” With milk. That means I should pick a lighter shade!

Use examples from everyday life, from nature to pop culture, or materials and moods. Everyone around the table gets a turn to give cues and guess. The better your hints or guesses, the more points you earn. Play off others' experiences to narrow down what they have in mind!

—description from the publisher

Dimensions: 25.5 cm (W) x 25.5 cm (H) x 6.5 cm (D)

Description: In 1880, Sherlock Holmes appointed a group of street children as The Baker Street Irregulars, his unofficial "police force". This is their story, and the story of a particular year that thrusts the Irregulars and the master detective into a series of challenging and dangerous events...

Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective is a cooperative game where the players try to solve mysterious cases by walking the foggy London streets in search of clues. Unravel the thread of intrigue, answer a series of questions, and compare your detective skills to those of the master sleuth himself, Sherlock Holmes.

The Baker Street Irregulars is a standalone game containing ten cases, including introductory cases that are perfect for new players, while also offering novel mechanisms and surprises to give seasoned investigators something different.

Cases:

1. The Curzon Street Kidnapping
2. The Mudlark Mystery
3. The Three Customers
4. The Promise
5. The Red River Valley
6. The Busker of Bridge Street
7. The Tiger's Eye
8. The Heist in Harp Lane
9. The Dog in the Night Time
10. Death of a Detective

Dimensions: 23.5 cm (W) x 31.0 cm (H) x 6.5 cm (D) | 2.0 kg

Description: There is a bomb full of wires and the countdown has started... Who are you gonna call? YOU! To clear the bomb, you need to collaborate with your team of bomb disposal experts! Using the wires on the tile holder in front of you, try and figure out your teammates’ wires. Find and cut identical wires, but watch out, if you cut a red wire: BOOM! Use your equipment wisely to meet the varied challenges which get harder and harder. Tick tock tick tock... Will you figure it out before it’s too late?

In Bomb Busters, there is a set of 48 normal wire cards numbered 1-12 (4 of each value) with some yellow and red wire cards. These are dealt out. Each mission is different, but your goal is always the same: go through all 12 numbers without blowing up!

Players place the tiles on their stands and then take turns pointing at each others’ wires and guessing their values. If the guess is correct, the wires are cut. If not — the detonator advances! If you manage to cut all wires without blowing up — good job, the mission is completed! But if the bomb goes off - Try again!

With 66 missions, there will be:
=> 66 different ways to play depending on your moods (in order, by level of difficulty, favorite configuration)
=> 66 challenges to play over and over (even if you already blew your top!)
=> Plenty of tricky bombs which become more and more dangerous (but don’t get cut up about it!)

Dimensions: 27.0 cm (W) x 27.0 cm (H) x 5.0 cm (D)

Description: As members of The Fellowship and the allies who rise to aid them, you must embark on a journey that may either save or doom Middle-earth. Navigate a world beset by shadow, where every choice forges a new path. The threads of destiny weave together, and the fate of The Free Peoples lies in your valor, friendship, and resolve. Will the One Ring be cast into the fire, or will the bearer be lost to despair?

The Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship is a co-operative game in which each player controls two characters, lending their unique abilities to protect Frodo, battle enemies in pivotal locations, and evade the menacing Nazgûl and Sauron's searching Eye.

Each playthrough presents new challenges with 24 different objectives, 14 events, and 13 playable characters. The game is won if the group destroys the One Ring before Frodo loses all hope.

A solo adventure is included.

—description from the publisher

Dimensions: 27.0 cm (W) x 31.0 cm (H) x 9.0 cm (D)

Description: Crokinole is a traditional two- or four-player dexterity game, played on a circular wooden board, with 3 rings and an inner recessed 'bullseye'. A ring of posts is set around the inner circle, which functions as an obstacle to reach this area. Playing pieces are wooden circular disks similar to checkers pieces. Players take turns shooting disks across the board by flicking them with their fingers in an effort to land them in the highest scoring ring on the board, the highest score (20 points) achieved by shooting a disk into the centre, recessed hole. From the outside in, rings are worth 5, 10, 15 points.

As a traditional game, there are often many variations played, but the following method is based on the National Crokinole Association's rules which also govern the World Crokinole Championship.

Each disk to be shot must be placed on the outer boundary and within the shooting player's quadrant. If there are no opponent's disks on the board, the shot disk must land in the inner ring or it is removed. If there is an opponent's disk on the board, the shot disk must hit an opponent's piece, either directly, or by bumping another disk into it. Disks landing in the centre hole are removed and scored at the end of the round. Disks that lie outside--or are touching--the outer boundary after each shot are removed from play for the round.

The player to score the most points wins the round and scores 2 points, and if a tie, each player scores 1 point. A "game" is usually played to four rounds. The number of "games" in a match is set by the tournament.

Alternatively, play is to a set score, usually the first player or team to 100, and each round is scored by cancellation. For example if Player One scores 250, and Player Two scores 225, then Player One will add 25 to his/her game score.

Description: Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition is an engine-building game in which players control interplanetary corporations with the goal of making Mars habitable (and profitable). You will do this by investing mega credits (MC) into project cards that will directly or indirectly contribute to the terraforming process. In order to win, you will want to accumulate a high terraform rating (TR) and as many victory points (VP) as you can. Players raise their TR by increasing global parameters: oceans, oxygen, and temperature. TR also determines each corporation's basic income, and, at the end of the game TR counts as VP. Additional VP and production capabilities are awarded for building project cards and other actions taken during the game.

The game is played in rounds, and each round the players will choose one of five phases, which determines which activities will take place during that round. This means every round is different, but can consist of building new project cards, taking general and project-specific actions, producing income and resources (plants and heat), or researching to draw more project cards. Every player will take all the phases selected for the round, and will receive a special bonus during the phase that they selected. To speed up the game, within each phase, players can act simultaneously without waiting for each other!

The game board has tracks for oxygen, temperature, and terraform rating, as well as a place for all of the ocean tiles that will be flipped over the course of the game. The game ends when there is enough oxygen to breath (14%), oceans enough to allow Earth-like weather (9), and the temperature is well above freezing (+8°C). It will then be possible, if not comfortable, to live on the surface of Mars!

The winner is the player with the most VP at the end of the game.

Description: Pizza Chef - The Next Generation is a family board game where you battle to become the next pizza chef.

In an ancient Italian village square you'll find an authentic pizza restaurant. The pizza chef retires and as employees you compete against each other to be the next pizza meastro. Whoever earns the most money can call himself the new pizza chef. By creating a delivery plan you can earn a lot of tips, outsmart the other employees and become the winner. There are many different ways to earn tips, so it's important to look carefully at what your strategy is going to be.

—description from the publisher

Dimensions: 26.0 cm (W) x 26.0 cm (H) x 6.0 cm (D) | 1.2 kg

Description: Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza is filled to the brim with hand-slapping mayhem! As in Snap and Dobble, each player places a card from their hand face up into a community pile while saying taco/cat/goat/cheese/pizza in player sequence. When the card matches the mantra — boom! — everyone slaps their hand on the deck, with the last one to slap picking up the cards. Whoever rids themselves of cards first wins!

For extra fun, special action cards – the gorilla, narwhal, and groundhog — force players to make certain gestures before racing to slap the deck!

Description: Welcome to Alula, a mysterious continent with ever-changing geography, shaped after the rhythm of the seasons. Beyond the Sea of Mists lies the mysterious continent of Alula. Roam across the land in search of its secrets, meet its inhabitants, and list its wonders in order to gain more fame than your opponents.

Throughout a game of Faraway, you will play a row of 8 cards in front of you, from left to right. These cards represent the regions you will come across while exploring the lands. Characters on these cards will grant you victory points if you later fulfill the conditions they demand. At the end of the game, you walk back the same way, scoring cards in the opposite order you played them. There lies the heart of the gameplay. Throughout the game, the cards you play will serve both to set new objectives, and to meet the ones you played previously.

Each turn, you play a card from a hand of 3. Then you pick a new card from a face-up river. As play is simultaneous in Faraway, you must take into account a clever priority system in all of your choices – being last to pick a card leaves you with fewer options and often less profitable choices for the next turns.

—description from the publisher

Related Microbadges

Dimensions: 13.0 cm (W) x 18.0 cm (H) x 4.0 cm (D)

Description: My City: Roll & Build is a dice game in which over four chapters, each with three episodes, you create a unique city. The roll of the dice shows everyone which building to draw on their game pad, and from episode to episode, you have to face new challenges. First the land is developed and later gold is found. This brings bandits into your city who must be surrounded and taken into custody.

You can play through the campaign or pick your favorite individual episodes or chapters to play over and over again.

Dimensions: 12.8 cm (W) x 17.9 cm (H) x 4.0 cm (D) | 0.4 kg

Description: Description from the publisher:

The world almost ended 71 years ago...

The plague came out of nowhere and ravaged the world. Most died within a week. Nothing could stop it. The world did its best. It wasn't good enough.

For three generations, we, the last fragments of humanity have lived on the seas, on floating stations called "havens." Far from the plague, we are able to provide supplies to the mainland to keep them (and us) from succumbing completely.

We've managed to keep a network of the largest known cities in the world alive. Things have been tough the past few years. Cities far away from the havens have fallen off our grid...

Tomorrow, a small group of us head out into what's left of the world. We don't know what we'll find.

Pandemic Legacy: Season 2 is an epic cooperative game for 2 to 4 players. Unlike most other games, this one is working against you. What's more, some of the actions you take in Pandemic Legacy will carry over to future games. No two worlds will ever be alike!

Part of the Pandemic series.

Description: 1962 — The Cold War continues as a new threat looms on the horizon, a deadly new Soviet bioweapon, something called "Project MEDUSA". You and your fellow medical graduates have been recruited by the CIA for the critical mission of investigating and preventing its development. Travel the world using carefully constructed aliases to move swiftly between Allied, Neutral, and Soviet cities. Your missions will require you to neutralize enemy agents, acquire specific targets, and set up other CIA agents on location to execute your operations without a hitch. As you complete objectives over the course of twelve months, each success or failure will bring you closer to the truth.

Combatting this dangerous new pathogen is of utmost importance, but it's not the only threat you'll encounter in the field. Enemy agents are taking root in all parts of the world, and it's critical to your mission that you keep them contained before they can escalate international tensions. Luckily for you, you won't be without backup. Coordinate with other covert operatives for assistance and make strategic use of these teams at different locations to clean up the board and keep your eye on your main objectives.

Designed as a prequel, Pandemic Legacy: Season 0 does not require you to have completed Season 1 and Season 2 before diving into this Cold War spy thriller. As in the first two Pandemic Legacy games, each time you play brings new cards, rules, and conditions that affect future games. Each alias you create will gain contacts and other assets to execute your plans more smoothly. And, of course, the CIA will be watching and evaluating your performance in the field. Work together with your fellow agents to prevent this new bio-threat — the fate of the world depends on it. Can you save humanity once again?

—description from the publisher

Description: Welcome to the Iberian Peninsula! Set in 1848, Pandemic Iberia asks you to take on the roles of nurse, railwayman, rural doctor, sailor, and more to find the cures to malaria, typhus, the yellow fever, and cholera.

From Barcelona to Lisboa, you will need to travel by carriage, by boat, or by train to help the Iberian populace. While doing so, distributing purified water and developing railways will help you slow the spread of diseases in this new version of Pandemic.

Discover a unique part of the world during a historically significant time period: the construction of the first railroad in the Iberian Peninsula during the Spring of Nations.

The game comes with two variants that can be added :

Influx of Patients : the cubes, representing patients, will tend to flock to hospitals to try to get cured. Hospitals also are a bit more powerful.
Historical Diseases : instead of being generic, each disease has a specific power to better represent what it is (Malaria, Cholera, Yellow Fever etc.)


Part of the Pandemic series.

Description: Metal Gear Solid: The Board Game is a fully co-operative, miniatures board game. Following the story of the first Metal Gear Solid video game, players take on the roles of Solid Snake, Meryl Silverburgh, Dr. Hal "Otacon" Emmerich, and Gray Fox the Cyborg Ninja and need to use their unique skill sets to avoid detection as they complete objectives across multiple campaign scenarios.

Featuring a highly dynamic A.I. system and sandbox gameplay, missions can be completed in multiple ways and always play out differently.

—description from the publisher

Dimensions: 31.0 cm (W) x 32.4 cm (H) x 9.0 cm (D) | 3.4 kg

tomeric: This is a good game. I played it for 4 hours straight and really enjoyed myself. The way you upgrade cards by turning them into different orientations is fun and original. I just wish I could play it more than once.

Description: You’ve claimed the land. Now let’s get to work, there is a kingdom to build...

Kingdom Legacy is a unique solo campaign full of exploration delight and adventure: Discover new cards and learn how to use them to your advantage and how to survive hardships.

Some cards will be torn, others will be upgraded or enhanced with stickers, whatever it takes to build the ultimate kingdom, your kingdom! By the way, what will you name it? Write the name on the side of the box with the most permanent marker you can find. Your journey starts here...

—description from the publisher

tomeric: I've played the computer game a bit in the past, but was never really a huge fan of it specifically, although I have enjoyed other farming games a bunch. This board game pretty accurately emulates the activities that are present in farming games like that, and the concepts of exploring the mine, fishing, making friends and farming are shared by many other games, so are easy to explain to players familiar with the genre. I like that there are little mini games you can play with a "limited" amount of board game pieces, but I wish there was a little bit of depth to it. Most of the game relies on randomness (dice rolls) as a way to resolve situations and gives you tools to deal with that randomness. I would have preferred if the randomness was limited to the problems that are presented to you and the solution was something that you could solve with gameplay. A game like The White Castle is a good example of that. Even though the game relies so heavily on dice rolls, it does still feel like a game you can get better at. It is also a game that is constantly applying pressure. This is not a 'cozy' game by default, although you can definitely make it feel more like that by tuning down the goals, adding more cards to the seasons, or using any of the other variants listed in the rulebook. Both times I've played this game, I have enjoyed myself. It's not the first game I would pick, but I'm happy if someone else picks it.

Description: A cooperative board game of farming and friendship based on the Stardew Valley video game by Eric Barone. Work together with your fellow farmers to save the Valley from the nefarious JojaMart Corporation! To do this, you'll need to farm, fish, friend and find all kinds of different resources to fulfill your Grandpa's Goals and restore the Community Center. Collect all kinds of items, raise animals, and explore the Mine. Gain powerful upgrades and skills and as the seasons pass see if you're able to protect the magic of Stardew Valley!

The goal of the game is to complete Grandpa's Goals and restore the Community Center, which requires you to gather different types of resources represented by tiles. You have a fixed amount of turns to accomplish this. This is driven by the Season Deck of 20 cards, one of which is drawn each turn to trigger certain events. Cooperatively the players decide each turn where they will focus their individual actions and place their pawn in that part of the Valley. Using their actions, they visit specific locations, trying to gather resources to complete their collective goals. Actions include things like: watering crops, trying to catch fish, rolling dice to explore the mines, and many more. When the Season Deck is exhausted, the game ends.

Dimensions: 29.4 cm (W) x 29.4 cm (H) x 7.9 cm (D) | 2.6 kg

Description: Just One is a co-operative party game in which you all play together to get the best score! Your goal each round is to get one player — the active player — to guess a mystery word based on the clues given by teammates. Can you achieve a perfect score by guessing all the mystery words?

In more detail, everyone who is not the active player sees the mystery word, then each player independently writes a clue on their personal easel. Once everyone has finished, you reveal the clues to one another. All identical clues are removed from play, so try to be original!

After eliminating duplicate clues, reveal the remaining clues to the active player. If they correctly guess the mystery word, your team scores a point. If they decline to guess, you don't score the current card. If they guess wrong, you don't score the current card and you lose one of the points you had already scored. Thus, be original, but not so original that you don't help the active player guess correctly!

Dimensions: 16.0 cm (W) x 23.0 cm (H) x 5.0 cm (D)

Description: Daybreak is a co-operative game about climate action. Each player controls a world power, deploying policies and technologies to both dismantle the engine of global heating and to build resilient societies that protect people from life-threatening crises.

If the global temperature gets too high, or if too many people from any world power are in crisis, everyone loses. But if you work together to draw down global emissions to net-zero, you all win!

tomeric: Only played with two players so far, and am really interested to see how it plays with 5 or more players, as that the mean reason I picked this up is to play it with a group of 6 players. The game plays fast and the tile/dice placing rules are quite easy to explain to new players, so even your first game can be done within 30 minutes. Unfortunately, the mid-game scoring makes it a little harder to explain to new players. I think it can set new players on the wrong path, where they will place dice nilly willy to get a long chain of dice for the first scoring, but then find out that they've worked against their own interests once the 2nd round starts. This is just a little bump in the road, but first impressions are important and I wish that it was handled in a different way.

Description: In Spectacular, you are creating and developing your own animal park for vulnerable species. In order to preserve the species, you must ensure breeding within each habitat. Spectacular provides simultaneous play and ensures interaction between the players, as your opponents’ decisions will affect which tiles and dice are available for you. The game also comes with asymmetric player boards (on their backs).

During the game, you select animal tiles and dice, where the dice represent food for the animals. The color of the dice must match the habitat color of the animal tiles. Each turn provides crucial decision-making where you need to consider whether to draft a die of a certain value or ensure an animal tile which may not be available again.

At game end, for each area of connected tiles of the same habitat, you score points for the sum of your dice of that color. However, points are only awarded if dice values of 1 or 2 are placed on certain “family” tiles within the habitat! Over the course of the game, you will also build watchtowers, which will score you points for all three dice adjacent to them. To make your park even more spectacular, you also aim to collect as many different species as possible, with increasing points awarded for greater variety. Finally, the player with the most points wins the game.

After a few plays, you may challenge yourself by playing with three (of 18) mission tiles. While they offer the potential for a higher score, they also raise the difficulty level of the puzzle.

—description from the publisher

Description: Two rival spymasters know the secret identities of 25 agents. Their teammates know the agents only by their codenames — single-word labels like "disease", "Germany", and "carrot". Yes, carrot. It's a legitimate codename. Each spymaster wants their team to identify their agents first...without uncovering the assassin by mistake.

In Codenames, two teams compete to see who can make contact with all of their agents first. Lay out 25 cards, each bearing a single word. The spymasters look at a card showing the identity of each card, then take turns clueing their teammates. A clue consists of a single word and a number, with the number suggesting how many cards in play have some association to the given clue word. The teammates then identify one agent they think is on their team; if they're correct, they can keep guessing up to one more than the stated number of times; if the agent belongs to the opposing team or is an innocent bystander, the team's turn ends; and if they fingered the assassin, they lose the game.

Spymasters continue giving clues until one team has identified all of their agents or the assassin has removed one team from play.

Description: What are these strange symbols on the map? They are code for locations where spies must contact secret agents!

Two rival spymasters know the agent in each location. They deliver coded messages telling their field operatives where to go for clandestine meetings. Operatives must be clever. A decoding mistake could lead to an unpleasant encounter with an enemy agent – or worse, with the assassin! Both teams race to contact all their agents, but only one team can win.

Codenames: Pictures differs from the original Codenames in that the agents are no longer represented by a single word, but by an image that contains multiple elements.

Description: Order up! Thank you, chef! In Fast Food Fury you and your team of food truck chefs need to work in a chaotic festival environment to prepare orders for hungry customers, while another team tries to fulfil the same orders. For every order you fulfil, you have a happy customer that will pay the bill. So make sure your team serves the most customers and earns the most money.

How does it work?

You and your team are chefs of different food trucks, all attending the same festival.
Every player simultaneously flips open a fast food card and tries to hit the product they need for the order their working on.
If they were the first, they win the product and strategically place it with their order. They need to be


smart with their products, to be quicker and better than the other team(s).

The team that finishes their order first, pleases the customer and wins their cash.
Special sauce cards add an extra dash of chaos and confusion.
The team that wins the most cash, wins the game!


—description from the publisher

Dimensions: 9.4 cm (W) x 11.9 cm (H) x 2.0 cm (D)

Description: Chess is a two-player, abstract strategy board game that represents medieval warfare on an 8x8 board with alternating light and dark squares. Opposing pieces, traditionally designated White and Black, are initially lined up on either side of the board. Each type of piece has a unique form of movement and capturing occurs when a piece, via its movement, occupies the square of an opposing piece. Players take turns moving one of their pieces in an attempt to capture, attack, defend, or develop their positions. Chess games can end in checkmate (when the king cannot escape from the opponent's pieces), resignation (when one player recognizes that defeat is inevitable and ends the game), or one of several types of draws.

Chess is one of the most popular games in the world, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments. Between two highly skilled players, chess can be a beautiful thing to watch, and a game can provide great entertainment even for novices. The 2020 Netflix series, The Queen's Gambit was enjoyed by both chess players and non-players alike. There is also a large literature of books and periodicals about chess, typically featuring games and commentary by chess masters. Chess is so well known and highly regarded that it is often used as a metaphor in journalism, poetry, fiction, and film.

Chess has its origins in the Indian game Chaturanga, which became Shatranj when introduced to the Persians. The current form of the game emerged in the second half of the 15th century when the Persians brought Shatranj to Southern Europe. The tradition of organized competitive chess began in the 16th century. The first official World Chess Champion, Wilhelm Steinitz, claimed his title in 1886. Chess is also a recognized sport of the International Olympic Committee.

Dimensions: 21.3 cm (W) x 29.2 cm (H) x 5.3 cm (D) | 1.1 kg

Description: “Ding-Dong!” The elevator door opens as the bell goes off. Everyone hastily steps into the cabin. It is just another boring morning where all of you have to cramp yourselves into the same old elevator to go up to your office. The very moment the door shuts tight, a rumbling sound breaks the silence. The atmosphere suddenly intensifies. A foul smell immediately hits you in the face. It is as simple as that - an eye for an eye, a toot for a toot!

Fart & Furious is a putridly-amusing party game for 3-8 players where you and your friends will fare against each other in a battle of PFFT!

—description from the publisher

Dimensions: 8.3 cm (W) x 12.0 cm (H) x 4.5 cm (D) | 0.2 kg

tomeric: Very accessible game that is quick to set up and play but offers a lot of depth.

Description: Ra is an auction and set-collection game with an Ancient Egyptian theme. Each turn players are able to purchase lots of tiles with their bidding tiles (suns). Once a player has used up his or her suns, the other players continue until they do likewise, which may set up a situation with a single uncontested player bidding on tiles before the end of the round occurs. Tension builds because the round may end before all players have had a chance to win their three lots for the epoch. The various tiles either give immediate points, prevent negative points for not having certain types at the end of the round (epoch), or give points after the final round. The game lasts for three "epochs" (rounds). The game is easy to learn.

From the Box:
The game spans 1500 years of Egyptian history in less than an hour!
The players seek to expand their power and fame and there are many ways to accomplish this: Influencing Pharaohs, Building monuments, Farming on the Nile, Paying homage to the Gods, Advancing the technology and culture of the people. Ra is an auction and set collecting game where players may choose to take risks for great rewards or... And all this is for the glory of the Sun God Ra!

Description: In the super-fast sushi card game Sushi Go!, you are eating at a sushi restaurant and trying to grab the best combination of sushi dishes as they whiz by. Score points for collecting the most sushi rolls or making a full set of sashimi. Dip your favorite nigiri in wasabi to triple its value! And once you've eaten it all, finish your meal with all the pudding you've got! But be careful which sushi you allow your friends to take; it might be just what they need to beat you!

Sushi Go! takes the card-drafting mechanism of Fairy Tale and 7 Wonders and distills it into a twenty-minute game that anyone can play. The dynamics of "draft and pass" are brought to the fore, while keeping the rules to a minimum. As you see the first few hands of cards, you must quickly assess the make-up of the round and decide which type of sushi you'll go for. Then, each turn you'll need to weigh which cards to keep and which to pass on. The different scoring combinations allow for some clever plays and nasty blocks. Round to round, you must also keep your eye on the goal of having the most pudding cards at the end of the game!

tomeric: Love the game and the asymmetry. It is a little hard to explain to new players, but once you have a good playgroup, it can be a great forever game.

Description: Root is a game of adventure and war in which 2 to 4 (1 to 6 with the 'Riverfolk' expansion) players battle for control of a vast wilderness. Like Vast: The Crystal Caverns, each player in Root has unique capabilities and a different victory condition. Now, with the aid of gorgeous, multi-use cards, a truly asymmetric design has never been more accessible.

The nefarious Marquise de Cat has seized the great woodland, intent on harvesting its riches. Under her rule, the many creatures of the forest have banded together. This Alliance will seek to strengthen its resources and subvert the rule of Cats. In this effort, the Alliance may enlist the help of the wandering Vagabonds who are able to move through the more dangerous woodland paths. Though some may sympathize with the Alliance’s hopes and dreams, these wanderers are old enough to remember the great birds of prey who once controlled the woods.

Meanwhile, at the edge of the region, the proud, squabbling Eyrie have found a new commander who they hope will lead their faction to resume their ancient birthright. The stage is set for a contest that will decide the fate of the great woodland. It is up to the players to decide which group will ultimately take root.

In Root, players drive the narrative, and the differences between each role create an unparalleled level of interaction and replayability. Leder Games invites you and your family to explore the fantastic world of Root!

—description from the publisher

tomeric: Cool engine builder that is easy to explain to new players. It is a little light on player interaction, but that makes it a great game to play when you're in a less competitive mode.

Description: Wingspan is a competitive, medium-weight, card-driven, engine-building board game from Stonemaier Games. It's designed by Elizabeth Hargrave and features 180 birds illustrated by Natalia Rojas and Ana Maria Martinez.

You are bird enthusiasts—researchers, bird watchers, ornithologists, and collectors—seeking to discover and attract the best birds to your network of wildlife preserves. Each bird extends a chain of powerful combinations in one of your habitats (actions). These habitats focus on several key aspects of growth:


Gain food tokens via custom dice in a birdfeeder dice tower
Lay eggs using egg miniatures in a variety of colors
Draw from hundreds of unique bird cards and play them


The winner is the player with the most points after 4 rounds.

—description from the publisher

From the 7th printing on, the base game box includes Wingspan: Swift-Start Promo Pack.

Dimensions: 29.7 cm (W) x 29.7 cm (H) x 7.6 cm (D)

tomeric: A great introduction to story-based campaign games. The mechanics are fun and easy to keep track of, even in a first play through. The big con for this game is the table space it takes up, which is a little annoying, and I would prefer if the storybook(s) were available online somewhere to save some space. I used the Forteller web app for audio, but it was missing some parts.

Description: "Are the stars unfamiliar here?" she asked, and the sky grew suddenly dark, the star's patterns alien and exotic. "This is the Wandering Sea. The gods have brought you here, and you must wake them if you wish to return home."

In Sleeping Gods, you and up to 3 friends become Captain Sofi Odessa and her crew, lost in a strange world in 1929 on your steamship, the Manticore. You must work together to survive, exploring exotic islands, meeting new characters, and seeking out the totems of the gods so that you can return home.

Sleeping Gods is a campaign game. Each session can last as long as you want. When you are ready to take a break, you mark your progress on a journey log sheet, making it easy to return to the same place in the game the next time you play. You can play solo or with friends throughout your campaign. It's easy to swap players in and out at will. Your goal is to find at least fourteen totems hidden throughout the world. Like reading a book, you'll complete this journey one or two hours at a time, discovering new lands, stories, and challenges along the way.

Sleeping Gods is an atlas game. Each page of the atlas represents only a small portion of the world you can explore. When you reach the edge of a page and you want to continue in the same direction, you simply turn to a new page and sail onward.

Sleeping Gods is a storybook game. Each new location holds wild adventure, hidden treasures, and vivid characters. Your choices affect the characters and the plot of the game, and may help or hinder your chances of getting home!

Welcome to a vast world. Your journey starts now.

—description from the publisher

tomeric: Very basic game that can be fun once if players at the table play along with the texts on the cards. Would not recommend.

Description: Moreru is a light-hearted, simple and fun card game that wagers on human dignity!
On the way back home, your guts start to gurgle, and you need to use the toilet. But there is no toilet around! Can you make it home before you poop in your pants?? Who will be the first to lose control and lose their dignity?
The goal of the game is not to be the first player to poop the pants at the point of no return before making it home.
When it is your turn, you need to play a card from your hand. The card can be a number or function card. The total sum on the table is the number of cards played. When you play a card which exceeds the threshold, you poop your pants!
—description from the publisher (translated)

賭上人類尊嚴的卡牌遊戲
回家途中，肚子開始有點異樣，糟糕了我要上廁所！可是，不管怎樣找還是找不到廁所。
到底能不能在安全回到家之前忍得住呢？誰會最先
忍不住，最先喪失作為人的尊嚴？﹗
—description from the publisher

tomeric: Only played the basic game so far, and it's a great game to play with new players because of the easy rules. I think if it's between this game and Quest for El Dorado, I still prefer El Dorado, but Heat has the benefit of being playable at higher player counts.

Description: Based on simple and intuitive hand management, Heat: Pedal to the Metal puts players in the driver's seat of intense car races, jockeying for position to cross the finish line first, while managing their car's speed if they don't want to overheat. Selecting the right upgrades for their car will help them hug the curves and keep their engine cool enough to maintain top speeds. Ultimately, their driving skills will be the key to victory!

Drivers can compete in a single race or use the "Championship System" to play a whole season in one game night, customizing their car before each race to claim the top spot of the podium. They have to be careful as the weather, road conditions, and events will change every race to spice up their championship. Players can also enjoy a solo mode with the Legends Module or add automated drivers as additional opponents in multiplayer games.

—description from the publisher

Dimensions: 29.8 cm (W) x 29.8 cm (H) x 10.4 cm (D) | 2.6 kg

Description: Lands of Galzyr is an adventuring game with an open and persistent world, with everyone's actions having consequences in both the current and future games. Players assume the roles of cunning adventurers traversing the lands while completing quests and trying to gather fame and prestige.

Each game continues where the previous one ended thanks to a clever save-and-load mechanism, with no need for paper-and-pencil bookkeeping. You can play the game as many times as you wish and even swap players between sessions.

Lands of Galzyr is set in Daimyria, the same world as both the Dale of Merchants series and Dawn of Peacemakers. Go adventuring with both familiar and new animalfolks!

—description from the publisher

Dimensions: 29.5 cm (W) x 29.5 cm (H) x 9.0 cm (D) | 2.6 kg

Description: Earthborne Rangers is a customizable, co-operative card game set in the wilderness of the far future. You take on the role of a Ranger, a protector of the mountain valley you call home: a vast wilderness transformed by monumental feats of science and technology devised to save the Earth from destruction long ago. The story of Earthborne Rangers is presented as a branching narrative campaign consisting of a main storyline and a multitude of side stories. In it, you can choose to follow the critical path or to strike off on your own to discover the Valley's many engaging characters, mysterious ruins, and beings both familiar and strange.

You begin by building a deck that reflects your Ranger's interests, personal history, and personality. Then, as you explore the open world and your story takes shape, you augment your deck with improved equipment, refined skills, and the memories of your journey.

Each game session represents one day in the Valley, and you'll pick up in the same location on the map where you rested the night before. Your goal is to either complete one of your available missions or to explore the open world. The session ends when you're either forced to rest (through either fatigue or injury), or you choose to rest for the night.

An individual game session is played in rounds, and those rounds consist of turns. On your turn, you perform one action: either play a card from your hand, or choose an action from a card on the table. Each action allows you to interact thematically and narratively with the world, and each time you take an action, the world comes to life around you. Predators stalk their prey, rain pours from the sky, rocks tumble down the mountain to block your path, and much more.

—description from the publisher

Dimensions: 22.6 cm (W) x 31.5 cm (H) x 5.6 cm (D) | 2.2 kg

Description: It is a time of unrest in 1920s Europa. The ashes from the first great war still darken the snow. The capitalistic city-state known simply as “The Factory”, which fueled the war with heavily armored mechs, has closed its doors, drawing the attention of several nearby countries.

Scythe is an engine-building game set in a 1920s era, alternate-history. It is a time of farming and war, broken hearts and rusted gears, innovation and valor. In Scythe, each player controls one of five factions of Eastern Europe, all of which are attempting to earn their fortunes and claim their stakes in the land around the mysterious Factory. Players conquer territory, enlist new recruits, reap resources, gain villagers, build structures, and activate monstrous mechs.

Each player begins the game with different resources (power, coins, combat acumen, and popularity), a different starting location, and a hidden goal. Starting positions are specially calibrated to contribute to each faction’s uniqueness and the asymmetrical nature of the game (each faction always starts in the same place). Scythe uses a streamlined action-selection mechanism (no rounds or phases) to keep gameplay moving at a brisk pace and reduce downtime between turns. While there is plenty of direct conflict for players who seek it, there is no player elimination.

Scythe gives players almost complete control over their fate. Other than each player’s individual hidden objective card, the only elements of luck or variability are “encounter” cards that players will draw as they interact with the citizens of newly explored lands. Each encounter card provides the player with several options, allowing them to mitigate the luck of the draw through their selection. Combat is also driven by choices, not luck or randomness. Every part of Scythe has an aspect of engine-building to it. Players can upgrade actions to become more efficient, build structures that improve their position on the map, enlist new recruits to enhance character abilities, activate mechs to deter opponents from invading, and expand their borders to reap greater types and quantities of resources. These engine-building aspects create a sense of momentum and progress throughout the game. The order in which players improve their engines adds to the unique feel of each game, even if having played one faction multiple times.

Dimensions: 30.0 cm (W) x 36.5 cm (H) x 9.8 cm (D)

Description: Your goal in Rival Restaurants is to be the first restaurant to get 20 popularity points and be crowned "The Wiener!" Players earn popularity points by buying and trading for ingredients and using them to "cook" (complete) recipes. The more advanced the recipe, the more points it's worth.

Each day, players move through three phases:

1. MONEY and MOVE: Players collect their income for the day and decide where they want to move. Turn economy is crucial as players are not permitted to move for the rest of the day once their location has been chosen.

2) BUY and BARTER: Players have one minute to buy as much as they want but only from the location they're in. Players can also barter/trade with anyone in the game, not just the people in their location.

3) COOK and COUNTER. Any player who has all the ingredients required for their recipe can cook it and collect popularity points.

In addition, each player controls a chef equipped with their own "chef power". Chef powers are asymmetrical and allow players to bend the rules in their favor. The base game of Rival Restaurants has twelve chefs, and additionally, at the beginning of the game, each player must choose a restaurant to play, with each restaurant having a unique level-up structure with rewards for reaching 3, 7, and 12 popularity points. Lastly, players can also choose to buy "action cards", that is, development cards that are typically for one-time use.

Dimensions: 27.9 cm (W) x 27.9 cm (H) x 10.2 cm (D)

tomeric: I recently got to play this game with some colleagues from work and really enjoyed it. We did take out the card that can move the president to the other side of the country to save on time, which might have made the game take an hour longer if we would have drawn it. The game is pretty straightforward, you plan your route at the start of the game depending on the nuclear facilities you drew and hope nobody messes up your plan. After you reach Washington DC, you'll try to convince the president that you're a better leader and you get bonuses based on the number of nuclear facilities you disarmed on the way and the presidential card you draw. I had a lot of fun messing up the plans of my competitors and they had a lot of fun messing up my plan. This does add randomness, but I feel like there are still tactics that you would evolve over multiple play sessions that would help you counteract this. I enjoyed my time with it and have no problem recommending it to friends.

Description: Welcome to your favorite holiday destination: Hawaii! Hawaii is a place to relax, drink lots of cocktails, and do nothing all day — except, of course, if you're a dictator. So what are dictators doing during their holidays? The same thing they do every day: Trying to take over the world! And what is a better place to start then that pesky "Ol' Murica"?

Revenge of the Dictators is a way too competitive board game for 2-5 players. For the course of the game (yes, only during the game) each player becomes a vicious self-loving dictator. The ultimate goal of the game is easy: race across the map of North America, confront the President, take over the USA, and by doing so gain absolute control of America's forces and therefore the world! The only thing the dictators have to do to avoid eminent repercussions is disarm some nuclear facilities in order to remove the nuclear threat targeting their home countries. Sounds simple, right? The only thing is that dictators aren't used to working together — and in the end there can be only one Grandmaster Über Dictator of the world!

In more detail, each player receives a dictator passport with a special ability unique to that dictator. The board shows a map of North America and is divided into four "Nuclear Zones"; each zone consists of several states, of which some include a nuclear facility. Every player receives a unique nuclear facility card for each nuclear zone.

The game is divided into turns, and each turn consists of any possible combination of the following three actions: draw a Command card, play a Command card and Travel (maximum of once per turn). Players start in Hawaii and race across the map towards the White House in Washington DC. During the game, players can disarm any number of the nuclear facilities they received by rolling a die. In the end, the players have to confront the President at the White House and convince him to give up control of the U.S. by rolling a die. The chance of success drastically increases with each individually disarmed nuclear facility. Players are able to gain bonuses by disarming nuclear facilities of Nuclear Zone 4 (Canada and Mexico). In the meantime, the U.S. — that is, the game system itself — fights back by increasing the DEFCON level (with various effects) and with the use of random Founding Father cards which are included in the Command deck.

Dimensions: 29.5 cm (W) x 29.5 cm (H) x 6.0 cm (D)

Description: Pandemic Legacy is a co-operative campaign game, with an overarching story arc played through 12-24 sessions, depending on how well your group does at the game. At the beginning, the game starts in a very similar fashion as basic Pandemic, in which your team of disease-fighting specialists races against the clock to travel around the world, treating disease hot spots while researching cures for each of four plagues before they get out of hand.

During a player's turn, they have four actions available, with which they may travel around in the world in various ways (sometimes needing to discard a card), build structures like research stations, treat diseases (removing one cube from the board; if all cubes of a color have been removed, the disease has been eradicated), trade cards with other players, or find a cure for a disease (requiring five cards of the same color to be discarded while at a research station). Each player has a unique role with special abilities to help them at these actions.

After a player has taken their actions, they draw two cards. These cards can include epidemic cards, which will place new disease cubes on the board, and can lead to an outbreak, spreading disease cubes even further. Outbreaks additionally increase the panic level of a city, making that city more expensive to travel to.

Each month in the game, you have two chances to achieve that month's objectives. If you succeed, you win and immediately move on to the next month. If you fail, you have a second chance, with more funding for beneficial event cards.

During the campaign, new rules and components will be introduced. These will sometimes require you to permanently alter the components of the game; this includes writing on cards, ripping up cards, and placing permanent stickers on components. Your characters can gain new skills, or detrimental effects. A character can even be lost entirely, at which point it's no longer available for play.

Part of the Pandemic series

Description: A game of Eclipse places you in control of a vast interstellar civilization, competing for success with its rivals. You explore new star systems, research technologies, and build spaceships with which to wage war. There are many potential paths to victory, so you need to plan your strategy according to the strengths and weaknesses of your species, while paying attention to the other civilizations' endeavors.

Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy is a revised and upgraded version of the Eclipse base game that debuted in 2011 that features:


New graphic design, while maintaining the acclaimed symbology of the first edition
A full line of Ship Pack 1 miniatures
New miniatures for ancients, GCDS, orbitals, and more
Custom plastic inlays
Custom combat dice
Fine-tuned gameplay

Dimensions: 27.9 cm (W) x 40.6 cm (H) x 8.9 cm (D)

Description: Ahoy is a lightly asymmetrical game where two to four players take the roles of swashbucklers and soldiers seeking Fame on the high seas.

One player controls the Bluefin Squadron, a company of sharks and their toothy friends, who patrol these waters and keep order with shot and sword. Another player controls the Mollusk Union, an alliance of undersea creatures and their comrades-in-arms, who fight to reclaim their ancestral home. In games with more people, some players control Smugglers, maverick captains who run blockades to smuggle luxuries and essentials, delivering them to those with the most need—or the most coin. Explore the seas. As you play, you’ll make a unique map full of treasure troves, dangerous wreckage, and mighty sea currents, using deluxe double-layer region tiles.

Featuring development from the same team that brought you Root and Oath, Ahoy offers deep, interactive gameplay in a fast-playing and easy-to-learn design with a colorful setting brought to life by Kyle Ferrin's gorgeous illustrations.

Description: Wingspan: Asia introduces the diverse and vibrant birds of the Asian continent. As always, the objective is to earn the most points by playing birds, achieving objectives, and laying eggs across your habitats. This release serves multiple roles within the Wingspan universe!

Wingspan: Asia can be played as standalone game:
- 2 players using a new “duet mode,” which includes its own boards and rules tailored for two-player gameplay.
- 3-5 players - this game can be played completely on its own without the base game Wingspan. It includes boards that can be used with or without the nectar resource introduced in Wingspan: Oceania

As an expansion: Wingspan: Asia adds new bird and bonus cards to the original Wingspan and its other expansions.

With Flock Mode: play Wingspan with 6–7 players through the new “flock mode,” which requires the player components from the original game.

Dimensions: 21.5 cm (W) x 29.5 cm (H) x 4.2 cm (D) | 1.3 kg

Description: The heron flies over the Himeji sky while the Daimyo, from the top of the castle, watches his servants move. Gardeners tend the pond, where the koi carp live, warriors stand guard on the walls, and courtiers crowd the gates, pining for an audience that brings them closer to the innermost circles of the court. When night falls, the lanterns are lit and the workers return to their clan.

In The White Castle, players will control one of these clans in order to score more victory points than the rest. To do so, they must amass influence in the court, manage resources boldly, and place their workers in the right place at the right time. The authors are Sheila Santos and Israel Cendrero, the duo known as Llama Dice who also designed the successful The Red Cathedral with Devir. In this case, we leave the Moscow of Ivan the Terrible behind to explore the most imposing fortress in modern Japan, Himeji Castle, where the banner of the Sakai clan flies under the orders of Daimyo Sakai Tadakiyo.

The White Castle is a Euro type game with mechanics of resource management, worker placement and dice placement to carry out actions. During the game, over three rounds, players will send members of their clan to tend the gardens, defend the castle or progress up the social ladder of the nobility. At the end of the match, these will award players victory points in a variety of ways.

The central panel shows Himeji Castle in all its splendor, divided into several zones. The largest is inside the castle, with the Room of the Thousand Carpets, where the courtiers must ascend socially until they reach the circle closest to the Daimyo to enjoy his favor. There is also the pond and the gardens, patiently tended by the gardeners where everyone can relax and contemplate its beauty without restriction. Another important area is the wall and the outside of the castle, where the warriors patrol and stand guard. Finally, we find the area of the three bridges, where the three types of dice that can be used to carry out actions are accumulated, and the personal domain of each player, where they will keep track of their resources and where they will have the reserve of workers.

With accessible rules and a very careful setting, The White Castle is a very versatile title that will fit in with different gaming groups. As is tradition with Llama Dice titles, its sleek and simple design belies a great deal of strategic depth within the grasp of players.

—description from the publisher

Dimensions: 18.0 cm (W) x 23.0 cm (H) x 6.6 cm (D) | 1.3 kg

tomeric: We have the Dutch version of Sounds Fishy, but unfortunately, not everyone in the gaming group has the same level of proficiency in that language, which caused too much friction during play to make it an enjoyable experience. I can see how the game can be fun if everyone is able to converse equally in the same language, mixing elements of bluffing games like Saboteur/Werewolves with party games, but unfortunately that is usually not the case for me.

Description: Sounds Fishy isn't about always knowing the right answer — it's about being able to spot the fake ones. It's like a mix between The Chameleon and Balderdash.

Sounds Fishy is the party game full of strange questions and even stranger answers.

Pick up points by eliminating the fake answers that have been invented by the other players — but be careful! One of them has given you the real answer. Accidentally choose it and you’ll lose all your points and your turn.

Think you can tell which answers sound fishy? You’ll need to think on your feet, get creative and push your luck to win the game where everyone has an answer for you.

Dimensions: 48.3 cm (W) x 69.8 cm (H) x 17.8 cm (D) | 0.6 kg

tomeric: A simple card game where rounds are quick to play. The rules are easy to explain, but there is enough player interaction to keep the game interesting.

Description: The noble Princess is looking for an ideal partner and confidant to help with her royal duties when she one day assumes the throne. You must prove your worth and gain her trust by enlisting allies, friends, and family of the Princess to carry a letter of intent to her. Can you earn the Princess' trust and become her confidant?

Playing cards one at a time, players in Love Letter use the abilities of these key people in the Princess' life to outwit their opponents and successfully deliver their letter and gain her favor. Players must utilize each character's special skill to avoid being caught and successfully deliver their letter to the Princess. Once a set number of favor tokens are acquired, that player wins and becomes the Princess' confidant.

This 2019 edition of Love Letter features new artwork by Citadels artist Andrew Bosley, screen-printed tokens, and two new characters (five cards in total) that allow for games with up to six players. When played, the Chancellor (value 6) allows you to draw two new cards, add those to your hand, then place two cards of your choice on the bottom of the deck. The Spy (value 0) wins you a favor token if you were the only player to play or discard a spy during the round.

—description from the publisher

Description: Carcassonne basic game including 11 expansions!
The game of the year from 2001 and 11 expansions are combined in this new Carcassonne BigBox - the perfect starter set for Carcassonne fans and anyone who wants to get to know the best-selling game in all its diversity.

Now with a new cardboard inlay. It is perfect for sorting the included expansions more easily and finding them again quickly. The tiles of the new BigBox are still unchanged and compatible with the other games and expansions.

You can combine all expansions and with over 180 tiles you can design your own combination of games as you like and experience endless fun.

The included expansions:

Inns & Cathedrals - These make cities and roads more valuable - but only if they are completed at the end of the game! Each player gains a large meeple to allow them to claim features quickly.

Traders & Builders - Traders vie for goods in the cities, while builders allow players to take multiple turns and accelerate the construction of roads and cities. Pigs on a farm can increase a farmer's yield.

The Abbot - The abbot likes to spend his day in the monastery, but he likes to pass the time in gardens in the countryside even more.

The River - The river creates varied setups at the beginning of each game, and winds through the landscape in a beautiful blue course.

The Flying Machine - Resourceful tinkerers have made their dreams of flight come true, and it's time to test their magnificent flying machines. How long the can fly, and they'll land, is still quite unpredictable.

The Messengers - The Queen sends dispatches to her loyal subjects which, if used skillfully, can be the key to attaining wealth and prestige.

The Ferries - There are many small lakes with ferries all around Carcassonne, giving travelers a great deal more variety.

The Gold Mines - We've struck gold! it's a thrilling time, and everyone wants to secure the precious metals. However, you won't know how much each gold bar is worth until the end of the game.

Mage & Witch - Magic spreads across the land! The mage causes cities and other features to flourish, while the witch can curse your opponents' favors.

The Robbers - Robbers are on the prowl, ready to steal points from your high-scoring opponents.

The Crop Circles - Mysterious circles appear in the fields, influencing the lives of knights and farmers in bizarre ways.

Description: Aquatica is a deep, but easy to learn family engine builder about underwater kingdoms.

In the game you will become one of the mighty ocean kings, struggling to bring glory to his realm. To win the game, you need to capture and buy locations, recruit new characters, and complete goals; each of these actions gives you victory points at the end of the game. To do so, you need to play cards from your hand (each with a unique set of actions) and combine them. Don't think it's simple! With a good strategy during your turn, you can take up to ten actions in a row.

You will encounter plenty of mysterious ocean creatures and take them to your hand. With their help you will explore the unknown locations and raise found resources from the ocean depths to your kingdom. Mechanically this is represented with the help of three-layered player board and the unique mechanism of card-rising.

—description from the publisher

Description: During your turn, you assemble your hand, maybe place cards for their effect, and decide if you want to end the round. But do you think you are the one with the most points in hand?
You will have to choose: stop the round immediately or give the others an extra turn to try to extend the gap? Is it worth taking the risk?
The game ends when you reach 30/35/40 points (4/3/2 players).

The excitement of ending the round to catch your opponents off guard

The pleasure of playing your effect cards and making combos

It's a set collection card game like Rummy. The origami created especially for the game is just the illustrations on the cards.

Description: In CATAN (formerly The Settlers of Catan), players try to be the dominant force on the island of Catan by building settlements, cities and roads. On each turn dice are rolled to determine which resources the island produces. Players build structures by 'spending' resources (sheep, wheat, wood, brick and ore) which are represented by the relevant resource cards; each land type, with the exception of the unproductive desert, produces a specific resource: hills produce brick, forests produce wood, mountains produce ore, fields produce wheat, and pastures produce sheep.

Set-up includes randomly placing large hexagonal tiles (each depicting one of the five resource-producing terrain types--or the desert) in a honeycomb shape and surrounding them with water tiles, some of which contain ports of exchange. A number disk, the value of which will correspond to the roll of two 6-sided dice, are placed on each terrain tile. Each player is given two settlements (think: houses) and roads (sticks) which are placed on intersections and borders of the terrain tiles. Players collect a hand of resource cards based on which terrain tiles their last-placed settlement is adjacent to. A robber pawn is placed on the desert tile.

A turn consists of rolling the dice, collecting resource cards based on this dice roll and the position of settlements (or upgraded cities—think: hotels), turning in resource cards (if possible and desired) for improvements, trading cards at a port, possibly playing a development card, or trading resource cards with other players. If the dice roll is a 7, the active player moves the robber to a new terrain tile and steals a resource card from another player who has a settlement adjacent to that tile.

Points are accumulated by building settlements and cities, having the longest road or the largest army (from some of the development cards), and gathering certain development cards that simply award victory points. When a player has gathered 10 points (some of which may be held in secret), s/he announces this and claims the win.

Description: In Andor: The Family Fantasy Game, a.k.a. Andor Junior, each player chooses one of four heroes — magician, warrior, archer, or dwarf — before beginning their quest to rescue the wolf cubs lost in the dwarven mine. However, before beginning the search for the wolf cubs, the heroes must first complete the tasks given to them by Mart, the old bridge guard. Only after you have solved all of the bridge guard's tasks will he let you cross the bridge to the dwarven mines where you believe the wolf cubs are hiding. But watch out! While you are on your way, the sly dragon is getting closer to the castle Rietburg. Should it arrive at the castle before the heroes have completed their tasks and saved the wolf cubs, then all is lost, and you lose the game. If you find all the wolf cubs before the dragon reaches Reitburg, you win!

Gameplay is similar to Legends of Andor, with each game offering new challenges, which you must master together before the dragon reaches Rietburg.

Dimensions: 29.7 cm (W) x 29.7 cm (H) x 7.1 cm (D) | 0.6 kg

Description: A letter/word version of Rummikub, players attempt to create long words and score points to win.

Complete words may be placed on the table, or letters can be added to current words. Words already on the table can be broken apart and the letters used to form new words as long as at the end of a player's turn he has added at least one new tile, all letters on the table have been used to form valid, unique words, and the longest new word contains at least one letter from his rack.

Dimensions: 17.5 cm (W) x 36.0 cm (H) x 5.0 cm (D) | 0.6 kg

Description: The Wolves is a pack-building strategy game for 2-5 players. It's survival of the fittest as you compete to build the largest, most dominant pack by claiming territory, recruiting lone wolves, and hunting prey. But be careful not to expand too recklessly into terrain where your rivals thrive – they may lure members of your pack away.

A clever action-selection mechanism drives your choices. Each action requires you to flip terrain tiles matching the terrain where you wish to take your action. These double-sided tiles mean the actions you take this round will set up which terrain types you can act on in the next round. As you take actions to expand your pack's control of each region, you also upgrade your pack's attributes, allowing you to take more aggressive actions as the game goes on.

In three mid-game scoring phases, power is calculated in each region. At the end of the game, players tally points based on VP tokens earned in these scoring phases and the highest VP number revealed in each of the six tracks on your player board. The player with the most VP wins!

—description from publisher

Description: Discover the exciting world of foraging where new foods and friends await!

Wild Gardens is a strategy game where 1-4 players take on the role of foragers, competing to cook delicious meals for the most discerning of guests. Travel to a variety of locations, carefully planning your moves to gather ingredients, upgrade your skills, complete recipes, and serve up your creations to a host of hungry guests. Personalize your foraging strategy to suit your unique playstyle and turn those tasty dishes and satisfied guests into valuable victory points. The player with the most points at the end of the game wins!

Dimensions: 29.7 cm (W) x 29.7 cm (H) x 7.1 cm (D)

Description: Unmask! is a simple colorful, set collection, hidden role, press your luck game in which your goal is to collect the most victory points. You gain points by expanding your card collection through your "investigations".

Set in the Victorian Era, you take the role of one of the detectives whose job is to find the culprit behind a heist of the noble treasure by gathering information from the witnesses attending the grand event while the villain is lurking about trying to block all your efforts. In this small card game, you will be given the chance to unmask each other in order to nullify an opponent's special bonus through careful deduction before the game ends.

—description from the publisher

Dimensions: 9.7 cm (W) x 14.0 cm (H) x 3.0 cm (D)

Description: In the early 1900s, the Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud established a revolutionary theory called psychoanalysis, related to the study of the unconscious mind. As his work took hold, supporters met at Freud's apartment every Wednesday to discuss psychology and dream symbolism. This group—the Wednesday Psychological Society—marked the beginning of the worldwide psychoanalytic movement. As a member of this society, you aim to formulate new therapeutic techniques, establish a practice, grow your clientele, and become Freud’s most distinguished contemporary. To best accomplish this, you’ll need to share insights, discuss ideas with peers, and publish theories. And to stay invigorated, you’ll likely need some coffee—lots of coffee.

Unconscious Mind is a euro-style game featuring worker placement, engine building, multiple rondels, and cascading effects. On your turn, you may place one or two Ideas (workers) on a central Meeting Table to access a variety of actions, such as adding tiles to your player board, drafting and playing cards, and moving around the city of Vienna. Where you place your Ideas also determines how far to advance your rondel’s inkpot, activating a row or column of tile effects on your player board.

To treat your clients and interpret their dreams, you must work with a supply of Insight resources, which you’ll manage on a multi-level dial. As you work through surface-level Manifest dreams into deep-seated Latent dreams, these Insights will help your clients reach catharsis. This is represented by lifting transparent layers from the client cards—unlocking their ongoing special abilities and end-game scoring opportunities.

Once the group has solidified its reputation, the end of the game is signaled, and the member with the most points wins.

—description from the publisher

Dimensions: 31.5 cm (W) x 31.5 cm (H) x 7.7 cm (D) | 2.4 kg

Description: Tokyo, 1930. The morning wakes up lazy, but you have a lot of work to do. In Tsukiji, each player is a restaurant owner who faces other traders at tough auctions for the best batches of fish and seafood. Understand the logic of prices, manipulate quotes, set traps, sabotage your opponents, and seek the greatest possible profit in this tense fight for the best fish in all of Japan!

Dimensions: 22.5 cm (W) x 22.5 cm (H) x 5.0 cm (D) | 0.6 kg

Description: Splito is a fun and fast card game for 3 to 8 players! Based on a draft principle, at each turn put a card between you and your neighbor on the left... or on the right! Help each other to complete the objectives but be the smartest to be the only one to win.

Each player receives 13 cards at the beginning of the game, and at the end of each turn, each player chooses a card (Objective or Value) from their hand and decides to place it between themselves and their neighbor on the left or right.

At the end of the 13 rounds, each player checks the Objectives in each zone between the players, and the two common Objectives, revealed at the beginning of the game, are also attributed to the zones that have fulfilled the conditions.

The score of each player is calculated by multiplying the points obtained in the area on their left by the points in the area on their right. Throughout the game, it is therefore necessary to balance this double alliance in order to score as well as possible on both sides and emerge as the sole winner.

Description: Sky Team is a co-operative game, exclusively for two players, in which you play a pilot and co-pilot at the controls of an airliner. Your goal is to work together as a team to land your airplane in different airports around the world.

To land your plane, you need to silently assign your dice to the correct spaces in your cockpit to balance the axis of your plane, control its speed, deploy the flaps, extend the landing gear, contact the control tower to clear your path, and even have a little coffee to improve your concentration enough to change the value of your dice.

If the aircraft tilts too much and stalls, overshoots the airport, or collides with another aircraft, you lose the game...and your pilot's license...and probably your life.

From Montreal to Tokyo, each airport offers its own set of challenges. Watch out for the turbulence as this could end up being a bumpy ride!

—description from the publisher

Dimensions: 18.5 cm (W) x 25.5 cm (H) x 5.0 cm (D)

Description: Mister X is back to make London unsafe once again! In Scotland Yard: Das Würfelspiel, you engage in the fast-paced chase for Mister X with the help of dice. Will you travel by taxi, underground, or bus? The dice are moody, so sometimes you get the ticket you need, but sometimes you don't. As in other Scotland Yard games, you need to work together to ensure that Mister X can't get away!

Description: The classic wargame Risk has been updated and revised for 2008. The graphics and components are brand new. Major and minor objectives have been added, along with cities and capitals, plus rewards for completing objectives.

The new version has a drastically changed victory condition: complete three objectives while controlling your capital. This shortens the game playing time to around 90 minutes.

There are three rule sets: Basic Training, Command Room and World Conquest. Basic Training is an introduction to the new Risk rules and includes a pre-existing setup for 3, 4 or 5 players. Command Room adds a randomized setup and rewards for achieving objectives. Both Basic Training and Command Room end when a player controls three objectives. World Conquest is an updated version of the classic Risk game of Global Domination: play continues

Dimensions: 26.7 cm (W) x 40.0 cm (H) x 6.3 cm (D) | 1.0 kg

Description: In Pixies, you move through the seasons to meet little creatures emerging from a flower or sheltering in the hollow of a tree. Choose one of the revealed cards, but be careful which ones you leave to your opponents!

Place that card in your playing area according to its number. Cards placed one on top of another are validated and earn you points at the end of the round, as do your largest color zone and your spirals. Easy...yet you'll find that the other players won't be short of bad advice.

—description from the publisher

Dimensions: 7.3 cm (W) x 10.0 cm (H) x 3.5 cm (D)

Description: In The Lord of the Rings Adventure Book Game, ​​Sauron's shadow has fallen across Middle-earth, and the One Ring must be destroyed. In order to complete their daunting quest, players need to work together to help cherished Lord of the Rings characters journey from The Shire to the fires of Mordor, all while avoiding the Eye of Sauron.

This third entry into Ravensburger's "adventure book" line is broken into eight "chapters" that are experienced over eight different board game "pages". Each new chapter provides puzzles and challenges that players need to overcome to advance the story. The game allows for flexible play for solo or co-operative family gaming, so players can choose their style of adventure, and each chapter takes approximately twenty minutes to play.

Dimensions: 27.0 cm (W) x 27.0 cm (H) x 6.0 cm (D) | 2.0 kg

Description: In L.A.M.A., you want to dump cards from your hand as quickly as you can, but you might not be able to play what you want, so do you quit and freeze your hand or draw and hope to keep playing?

Each player starts a round with six cards in hand; the deck consists of llama cards and cards numbered 1-6, with eight copies of each. On a turn, the active player can play a card, draw a card, or quit. To play a card, you must play the same number as the top card of the discard pile or one number higher. If a 6 is on the discard pile, you can play a 6 or a llama, and if a llama is on top, you can play another llama or a 1. If you quit, you place your remaining cards face down and take no further actions in the round.

The round ends when one player empties their hand or all players have quit. In either case, players collect tokens based on the cards in front of them, whether in hand or on the table. Each different number card in hand gets you white tokens (each worth 1 point) equal to the value of the card while one or more llamas gets you a black token (worth 10 points). If you played all your cards, you can return one token (white or black) that you previously collected to the supply. You then shuffle all the cards and begin a new round.

The game ends the round that at least one player has forty or more total points. Whoever has the fewest points wins!

L.A.M.A. Party Edition differs from the original L.A.M.A. in three ways:


The game includes a single pink llama card that can be played on top of any card; this pink is worth -20 points if in hand at the end of a round.
Some number cards are now "plus" cards, e.g., 4+, and when you play one of these cards, you take another turn immediately.
The game includes pink tokens worth 20 points, so your luck can turn around quickly if you win a round and ditch one of those!

Dimensions: 9.4 cm (W) x 11.9 cm (H) x 2.0 cm (D)

Description: Kancil is a hidden role game for 3-6 players that revolves around the art of negotiation between a farmer and the merchants involved. Players take turns as the farmer with a simple task: Sell their handgrown cucumbers to the merchants and make an honest living out of it. The goal of the game is to earn the most profits through successful deals.

All is well except that a creature called Kancil — a creature who often disguises itself as a merchant — pretends to negotiate business deals with the farmer, while in fact, Kancil would break the whole deal in the end and steal all the earnings away!

Kancil originates from an Indonesian folklore. In the folklore, Kancil is the farmer's arch nemesis as Kancil always steals the farmer's cucumbers away. In this game, Kancil's craftiness is upgraded to a whole new level.

—description from the publisher

Dimensions: 10.5 cm (W) x 17.5 cm (H) x 3.0 cm (D)

Description: A group of close friends one day decided it's a mighty great idea to go on a long trip together, venturing across the country and discovering all the wonderful things people have been talking about all these years! Don't we all deserve a memorable vacation once or twice in our lifetime? Of course we do!

Well, pack your bags because the trip we are longing for is happening! In Jalan-Jalan, everyone gathers to create the most perfect list of vacation plans, with all the destinations to visit. Each destination is categorized differently: some water-related, some cultural places, adventurous choices, and so on. Each player has two random interests, one hidden from the other players. Thus, while one player would prefer to go to cultural places, another wants more adventurous options.

Gather points by convincing the group to add your favorite destination to the list! It won't be easy because in Jalan-Jalan everybody has an equal voice to vote where to go, but with action cards you can (possibly) shift the outcome in your favor. Remember that this is your vacation, too, so make sure you enjoy it the most!

—description from the publisher

Dimensions: 9.7 cm (W) x 13.7 cm (H) x 3.2 cm (D) | 0.2 kg

Description: Hive is a strategic game for two players that is not restricted by a board and can be played anywhere on any flat surface. The base game of Hive is made up of twenty two pieces, eleven black and eleven white, resembling a variety of creatures each with a unique way of moving. Hive Carbon and Hive Pocket include the Mosquito and Ladybug expansions, for a total of 26 pieces.

With no setting up to do, the game begins when the first piece is placed down. As the subsequent pieces are placed this forms a pattern that becomes the playing surface. (The pieces themselves become the board.) Unlike other such games, the pieces are never eliminated and not all have to be played. The object of the game is to totally surround your opponent's queen, while at the same time trying to block your opponent from doing likewise to your queen. The first player to totally surround the opponent's queen wins the game.

Description: This Fantasy Battle Board Game comes with dozens of painted plastic miniatures, each representing a warrior from a different era, and hex-based hard plastic terrain pieces which can be put together in many different ways. The warriors include 30 plastic figures, including World War II soldiers, futuristic robots, aliens, a T-Rex-riding orc, a large dragon, and many more. Each hero or squad has its own card that details both movement and combat abilities.

There are 2 large ruins and 85 tiles of terrain in the base game. Some terrain tiles are large (up to 24 hexes) while others are small (1 hex). There are water, sand, rock and grass tiles (in roughly increasing order). Many different battlefields can be built by attaching and stacking the tiles.

The rulebook features two games: a basic and a master version. In the basic version (designed for younger players < 8 years), characters move, attack, defend, and have range -- but there are no special powers and some other rules are minimized and/or eliminated. The master game includes special powers, wounds, engagement rules, falling rules, and a few other additions.

A battlefield/scenario book shows how to build five battlefields, layer by layer. Each battlefield may have multiple scenarios, where the goals vary. It can be opponent elimination, getting to a certain space, protecting a certain figure, or holding out for a certain number of turns.

Each unit in the Master Set has a movement rating ranging from 4 to 8, which is the number of hexes it can move in a turn. Moving up a level counts as a hex; moving down does not incur that penalty. Moving down more levels than your height when moving from one hex to another counts as falling and you might take damage --unless you are falling into water.

Combat in the game is fairly straightforward. You roll attack dice as listed on your unit's card (1 to 8 dice in the Master Set), and the opponent rolls defense dice equal to the number on their unit's card (1 to 9 dice). Skulls rolled in excess of shields count as wounds (hero figures may have more than one Life).

The master game uses a point system in which players alternate drafting cards until they reach the pre-assigned point value for the scenario. It's possible to bring a "pre-fab" army to the battle in order to save time.

The basic game is for two players. The master game is for 2 to 4 (and more) players.
The game is eminently customizable, with many expansions which add more abilities, terrain, and options. There are also user-created maps, scenarios, custom units and advanced rules available online.

HeroScape: Rise of the Valkyrie is the original master set for the HeroScape series of games.

Dimensions: 53.3 cm (W) x 25.4 cm (H) x 7.6 cm (D)

Description: Here to Slay is a competitive role-playing fantasy strategy card game that's all about assembling a party of Heroes and slaying monsters (and sometimes sabotaging your friends too) from the creators of Unstable Unicorns.

In this game, you’ll assemble a full party of heroes to slay dangerous monsters while working to avoid the sabotage of your foes. The game also includes items you can equip to your heroes, 1V1 challenge cards, and roll modifiers to tip the odds in your favor.

The first person to successfully slay three monsters, or build a full party with six classes, wins the game!

Every player gets to choose a party leader character to represent them throughout the game. Each party leader card has a class and a skill that gives you an edge over your opponents. Whether you enjoy fighters, bards, wizards, or thieves, you'll find a party leader that's right for your play style - but choose wisely, because you only get one party leader for the whole game!

Your heroes are brave adventurers, ready to attack monsters and go head to head with your foes! The game includes over 40 unique heroes. Each hero card has a class and an effect, and each hero’s effect has a roll requirement. In order to use a hero’s effect, you must roll two dice and score equal to or higher than that effect’s roll requirement. Heroes take advantage of items, magic and modifiers to increase their chances of making their dice rolls.
In order to slay that monster, you must roll two dice and score equal to or higher than that monster’s roll requirement.  Be warned: Each monster has a roll range in which they’ll fight back, and if you score within that range, your party might be in grave danger…

Don't like what your opponent just played? Throw down a challenge! Challenge cards can be played instantly to try to stop another player from playing a hero, item, or magic card. Playing a challenge card initiates a 1V1 challenge in which you and another player both have to roll the dice. If they win the challenge, they still get to play their card, but if you win the challenge, you get to send their card directly to the discard pile!

— description from the publisher

Description: Our ancient ancestors created images on the walls of caves to tell stories about the world around them and the animals they shared it with — and perhaps they, like you, played games to make those stories come to life...

Great Plains is a mysterious game about a not-so-mysterious behavior of our kind: two players competing for the dominance over the Great Plains! With help from the spiritual animal world, they overcome hills, cross the lowlands, and invade each other's territory in order to become the tribe who will live on.

Dimensions: 20.2 cm (W) x 20.2 cm (H) x 4.7 cm (D) | 0.5 kg

Description: A new world is about to arise. A horde of GodZ are battling to be the most powerful deity of the pantheon: Will you play the role of Tud, God of Mountains, Mud and Ugly Snouts? Or will you dwell in the ocean bottom with Glu, God of the Sea, of Fried Fish and of Octoguys? Whichever god you are going to incarnate, you will lay the foundations of your brand new cult, creating life, building temples and guiding your mighty Avatar amongst mortals. Lead your followers in epic, god-sized battles, and become the most powerful of the GodZ!

In GodZ, players take control of one of the deities of the world of Super Fantasy: Ugly Snouts Assault. The game takes place on a modular, hexed board that is built up by players as the game proceeds. Victory can be achieved in different ways: controlling regions, conquering cities, fighting, building, or being adored by huge amounts of followers.

The heart of the game is the action system, based on a mechanism that allows players to perform miracles and actions, and even to directly score points, choosing their priorities carefully each turn: the more powerful their actions, the fewer points they will score when their followers pray.

Dimensions: 29.7 cm (W) x 29.7 cm (H) x 7.1 cm (D)

Description: You've been tasked by the city council to put together a plan to transform a whole neighborhood in the city. You have the opportunity to build new housing, office buildings, parks, and leisure areas near the waterfront. It is in your hands to make the city a better place.

Cities is a city-building game in which you draft the best projects and arrange them in your own playing area. With action and resource draft mechanisms, it will give you the opportunity to visit the cities of Sydney, Venice, New York, Barcelona, Rio de Janeiro, Lisbon, Mexico City, and Buenos Aires. Can you design the most magnificent neighborhood?

The game is played over eight rounds (or four rounds in a two-player game). Each round, players use their workers to collect 1 scoring card, 1 city tile, 1-2 feature tiles, and 2-4 building pieces. City tiles are made up of park spaces, water spaces, and building spaces. Building pieces are placed on building spaces of the same color to form buildings, which can be 1-4 stories high. Whenever a player fulfills an achievement, they place one of their discs on the achievement board. At the end of the game, players add up the points they have gained from all of their scoring cards and achievements.

—description from the publisher

Description: Cooperation is key in Cahoots! Play cards to one of four piles by matching color or number. Work together as a team to complete a series of goals — without communicating what's in your hand. Can you make all piles purple or green? Every card lower than four? All cards add up to ten? There's only one way to win before time runs out: Play in cahoots!

Note that the original Cahoots has a player count of 2-4, while Tippi Toppi (Schmidt Spiele's licensed version of the game) has a player count of 1-4. Notes a Schmidt editor: "It is works quite well as a solo game, too."

Not to be confused with the other Cahoots game released in 2018.

Dimensions: 9.5 cm (W) x 12.0 cm (H) x 2.0 cm (D)

Description: You command an army of the undead! Using your zombie horde, beat your opponents to be the first to collect valuable treasures.

Brains! is a graveyard-building game for 2-5 players. Each turn, either DRAW 2 cards, PLAY a card, or DISCARD the top card of the deck.

Discarded cards enter your graveyard, which can trigger powerful effects or unlock ongoing abilities!

When you play a card, either play it to THE PIT (for its ability) or into your collection (for its braaaiiiiiins). The first to have 21 or more brains at the start of their turn is the winner!

The third game in the Treasure Hunters line, Brains! shuffles together with Ninjitsu! and/or Scuttle!, for pirate-ninja-zombie mayhem. It also works seamlessly with the Treasure Hunters Expansions.

-description from designer

Dimensions: 10.0 cm (W) x 14.4 cm (H) x 3.9 cm (D)

fitz_gerald: Overcomplicated manual for an otherwise streamlined experience.

Description: Bardwood Grove is a tableau-composition euro game where each player assumes the role of a fantastical Bard. Set in The Five Realms universe (Merchants Cove, Rise to Nobility, Cavern Tavern), players will adventure to the Halfling Realm, the home to the finest, highly-talented, and most-legendary Bards of all the land.

As Bards, players will manage a unique tempo dial mechanism to build temporary Song tableaus from your deck, while exploring and activating locations around the lush woodland city. Each Bard starts with asymmetric skill decks that match their style, such as the Bardbarian, Sword Dancer, and Wardrummer. Learn new Bardic skills, tell tales and perform gigs, soothe the dissonant creatures invading the Grove, and contend with other Bards for the most Glory and Fame. Once all Glory has been collected, the Bard with the most combined Glory and Fame wins!

Each turn, players draw two cards from their unique skill deck and play one to their Story (discard pile) for instant benefits, while the other is added to their Song (tableau). Bardwood Grove challenges players to carefully craft their Song tableaus, coordinating them with their Composition cycle that governs how frequently they sing. As players strategically use resources to upgrade their decks, Songs will release powerful combos and allow players to interact with multiple locations. This creates a unique ebb and flow to the game, as players build their songs, and then decide when and where to sing them.

Rumor has it that Bardwood Grove is full of hidden secrets. As the game is played and decisions are made, players will unlock content and evolve the game naturally. An achievement system tied to the choices and performances of each game will guide players through a series of unlockable content. As new content emerges through each play, the game will provide players with new content that is based on unique outcomes and player decisions. Grove locations will change, additional Bardic skills can be unlocked, Bard decks become more powerful, new Bards arrive in town, and a variety of characters (both good and bad) can enter the game.

Unravel the mysteries of Bardwood Grove!

Dimensions: 29.7 cm (W) x 29.7 cm (H) x 7.1 cm (D)

Description: Axis and Allies is the most successful of Milton Bradley's Gamemaster series.

It depicts WWII on a grand scale, full global level. Up to five players can play on two different teams. The Axis which has Germany and Japan, and the Allies which has the USA, the United Kingdom, and the USSR. A full map of the world is provided, broken up in various chunks similar to Risk. The game comes with gobs of plastic miniatures that represent various military units during WWII. Players have at their disposal infantry, armor, fighters, bombers, battleships, aircraft carriers, submarines, troop transports, anti-air guns, and factories. All of the units perform differently and many have special functions. Players have to work together with their teammates in order to coordinate offenses and decide how best to utilize their production points. Players also have the option of risking production resources on the possibility of developing a super technology that might turn the tide of war.

Axis and Allies was originally published by Nova Games in 1981.

Re-implemented by:

Axis & Allies Anniversary Edition
Axis & Allies: Global 1940 (Axis & Allies: Pacific 1940 combined with Axis & Allies: Europe 1940)


Expanded by:

Totally Untested Volume 2 of Max's Advanced Rules for Axis & Allies (Unofficial expansion)
Conquest of the Pacific (Unofficial expansion)
Midway (Unofficial expansion)

Dimensions: 21.0 cm (W) x 29.0 cm (H) x 5.5 cm (D)

Description: Arcs is a sharp, tactical space opera game set in a dark yet silly universe. Players represent officials from a distant, decaying and neglectful Empire who are now free to vie for dominance whether through battle, gathering scarce resources or diplomatic intrigue. Ready yourself for dramatic twists and turns as you launch into this galactic struggle.

A deck of cards in 4 suits with ranks from 1-7 (2-6 for fewer than 4 players) defines the action selection system. These cards are played in a trick-taking adjacent system to select actions, take the initiative and declare Ambitions. The 3 declared Ambitions are what will score in that deal. Timing is everything. Bad hands must be mitigated by careful card play and benefitting from other players' card play.

Battles are resolved quickly with the attacker choosing their level of risk. The defenders must be prepared with adequate defensive ships and cards in their tableau.

Each game contains a hundred wooden ships and agents, 18 custom engraved dice, a beautiful six-panel board, and tons of cards with over 60 pieces of unique art. The base game may be played without the optional Leaders and Lore cards (for an easier teach) or with them for a richer, fuller and asymmetric game. It is also the core of the campaign game (requiring the Blighted Reach Expansion), which provides an epic, more thematic experience.

Description: In 7 Rounds you try to collect the most points in 7 rounds.
During the entire game, every player has 4 cards in their hand.
Improve these cards by taking new cards from the draw pile and playing cards or steal the best cards from your opponent.
Every card contains a special effect that can work in your advantage, but you can lose your cards as well! Additionally, every card has a special effect that can turn the game completely.

Try to have the most points in your hand at the end of the game. During the 7 rounds, you take a card from the draw pile and you play a card. Every card contains a unique effect that can turn the game upside down. Steal cards from your opponent, or make every player discard two of their highest cards when they have more than 18 points! The player with the most points after 7 rounds wins the game.

—description from the publisher

Dimensions: 10.0 cm (W) x 13.0 cm (H) x 3.0 cm (D)

tomeric: Fun and easy to learn or teach.

Description: In LLAMA, you want to dump cards from your hand as quickly as you can, but you might not be able to play what you want, so do you quit and freeze your hand or draw and hope to keep playing?

Each player starts a round with six cards in hand; the deck consists of llama cards and cards numbered 1-6, with eight copies of each. On a turn, the active player can play a card, draw a card, or quit. To play a card, you must play the same number as the top card of the discard pile or one number higher. If a 6 is on the discard pile, you can play a 6 or a llama, and if a llama is on top, you can play another llama or a 1. If you quit, you place your remaining cards face down and take no further actions in the round. If all players have quit but one, that player can continue to play, but cannot draw more cards.

The round ends when one player empties their hand or all players have quit. In either case, players collect tokens based on the cards in their hand. Each different number card in hand gets you white tokens (each worth 1 point) equal to the value of the card while one or more llamas gets you a black token (worth 10 points). (You can exchange ten white tokens for one black token at any time.) If you played all your cards, you can return one token (white or black) that you previously collected to the supply. You then shuffle all the cards and begin a new round, in which the first player to play will be the one who emptied their hand or was the last one to quit in the previous round.

The game ends at the end of the round where at least one player has forty or more total points. Whoever has the fewest points wins!

The original title of this game is a German acronym and stands for Lege alle Minuspunkte ab, that is, "discard all minus points", with "Lama" also being the German spelling of "llama".

The Polish game Lato z Komarami features gameplay nearly identical to LLAMA except that the game has one less "llama" card, and the penalty for llama cards in hand is 10 points per card, instead of being 10 points for one or more llama cards.

Dimensions: 9.6 cm (W) x 12.5 cm (H) x 2.6 cm (D)

tomeric: I really like this game and it's expansion. It's easy to describe to people and it's fun to be the saboteur and try to convince other people that someone else is a saboteur. It's quite similar to games like werewolf in that regard, but a little bit more fun because of the tiles you get to put down.

Description: Players take on the role of dwarves. As miners, they are in a mine, hunting for gold. Suddenly, a pick axe swings down and shatters the mine lamp. The saboteur has struck. But which of the players are saboteurs? Will you find the gold, or will the fiendish actions of the saboteurs lead them to it first? After three rounds, the player with the most gold is the winner.

With the help of Dwarf Cards, the players are assigned their role: either miner or saboteur. The roles are kept secret- they are only revealed at the end of the round.

The Start Card and the three Goal Cards are placed onto the table, each seven cards away from the start and one card between each Goal Card. The Goal Cards are placed face-down. The gold is on one of the Goal Cards, but nobody knows which.

Players have cards in hand. On a player's turn, he must do one of three things: place a Path Card into the mine, play an Action Card in front of a player, or pass.

The Path Cards form paths leading to the Goal Cards. Path Cards must be played next to a already-played Path Card. All paths on the Path Card must match those on the already-played cards, and Path Cards may not be played sideways.

The miners are trying to build an uninterrupted path from the Start Card to a Goal Card, while the saboteurs are trying to prevent this. They shouldn't try and be too obvious about it, however, lest they be immediately discovered.

Action Cards can be placed in front of any player, including oneself. Action Cards let the players help or hinder one another, as well as obtain information about the Goal Cards.

Once a player places a Path Card that reaches the gold, the round is over. The miners have won and receive cards with gold pieces as their reward.

The round is also over if the gold could not be reached. In that case, the saboteurs have won and receive the gold pieces.

Once the Gold Cards have been distributed, the next round begins. The game is over at the end of the third round, with the player with the most gold pieces being the winner.

Dimensions: 9.4 cm (W) x 11.9 cm (H) x 2.0 cm (D) | 0.2 kg

Description: In The Quest for El Dorado, players take the roles of expedition leaders who have embarked on a search for the legendary land of gold in the dense jungles of South America. Each player assembles and equips their own team, hiring various helpers from the scout to the scientist to the aborigine. All of them have one goal in mind: Reaching the golden border first and winning all of the riches for themselves. Whoever chooses the best tactics will be rewarded!

Dimensions: 30.0 cm (W) x 30.0 cm (H) x 7.0 cm (D)

Description: Description from the publisher:

After being stripped of all their possessions, a mage, a warrior, an elf, and a dwarf are forced to go rob the local Magic Maze shopping mall for all the equipment necessary for their next adventure. They agree to map out the labyrinth in its entirety first, then find each individual’s favorite store, and then locate the exit. In order to evade the surveillance of the guards who eyed their arrival suspiciously, all four will pull off their heists simultaneously, then dash to the exit. That's the plan anyway…but can they pull it off?

Magic Maze is a real-time, cooperative game. Each player can control any hero in order to make that hero perform a very specific action, to which the other players do not have access: Move north, explore a new area, ride an escalator… All this requires rigorous cooperation between the players in order to succeed at moving the heroes prudently. However, you are allowed to communicate only for short periods during the game; the rest of the time, you must play without giving any visual or audio cues to each other. If all of the heroes succeed in leaving the shopping mall in the limited time allotted for the game, each having stolen a very specific item, then everyone wins together.

At the start of the game, you have only three minutes in which to take actions. Hourglass spaces you encounter along the way give you more time. If the sand timer ever completely runs out, all players lose the game: Your loitering has aroused suspicion, and the mall security guards nab you!

Dimensions: 25.0 cm (W) x 25.0 cm (H) x 6.5 cm (D) | 0.9 kg

Description: Doodle Dash is a party game where the players draw the same word at the same time.
It's a drawing competition where speed can beat skill, so anyone can win!
Win by being the fastest doodler, but watch out – you only score if the guesser can actually tell what your drawing is!

Each round, one player is the guesser, and all other players are drawers. The drawers try to draw a word as fast and accurate as they can.
The guesser takes turns guessing the word for that round from each drawing, beginning with the player who finished their drawing first.
The player whose drawing is the first to be guessed correctly, wins the round, and the guesser and that drawer receive 1 point each.

At the end of the game, the player with the most points wins.

—description from the designer

AWARDS AND HONORS:

2022/23 Norwegian Party Game of the Year WINNER
2022/23 Norwegian Party Game of the Year NOMINEE
2021 Golden Geek Best Party Game Nominee
2021 Dice Tower Best Party Game Nominee

Description:



GAME SYSTEM



This entry is to allow for discussion/rating of the game system as a whole. It is not for a specific product or release. Versions will appear on the individual item pages.




From the official website: In the Magic game, you play the role of a planeswalker—a powerful wizard who fights other planeswalkers for glory, knowledge, and conquest. Your deck of cards represents all the weapons in your arsenal. It contains the spells you know and the creatures you can summon to fight for you.

This is the grandfather of the collectible card game (or CCG) genre. Cards are categorized as common, uncommon, rare, and mythic rare. Players collect cards and build decks out of their collection.

Players build a deck of cards and duel against an opponent's deck. Players are wizards attempting to reduce their opponent's life total to zero. The first player to reduce his opponent's life to zero (or meet another set win condition) wins the game.

An important part of the game is deck construction, which is done prior to the actual game by selecting what cards are included in a particular deck. There are over 25,000 different cards from which to build your deck!

Cards can be lands, which usually generate mana of various colors, or spells, which require a certain amount of mana to be used. Some cards (creatures, artifacts, and enchantments) stay on the board and continue to affect the game, while others have a one-time effect.

Players randomly draw spells to see what they get and can play each turn. Although this limits your choices, there is a lot of strategy in how you play those spells. A robust list of game mechanics, including intricate rules for reactive card play called "the stack," provide for rich tactics and tough choices each turn.

Though traditionally a two-player duel, there are several casual and tournament formats to Magic that allow more players to play.

tomeric: I like this game a lot, but it's hard for us to get a big enough group together to make it really challenging. We usually play with an iPhone app to get an extra player in the game because of this.

Description: No moderator, no elimination, ten-minute games.

One Night Ultimate Werewolf is a fast game for 3-10 players in which everyone gets a role: One of the dastardly Werewolves, the tricky Troublemaker, the helpful Seer, or one of a dozen different characters, each with a special ability. In the course of a single morning, your village will decide who is a werewolf...because all it takes is lynching one werewolf to win!

Because One Night Ultimate Werewolf is so fast, fun, and engaging, you'll want to play it again and again, and no two games are ever the same.

This game can be combined with One Night Ultimate Werewolf: Daybreak.

Dimensions: 13.5 cm (W) x 17.5 cm (H) x 4.3 cm (D) | 0.2 kg