Category: Novelbased

Dune: Imperium is a game that uses deck building to add a hidden information angle to traditional worker placement. It finds inspiration in elements and characters from the Dune legacy both the new film from Legendary Pictures and the seminal literary series from Frank Herbert Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson.As a leader of one of the Great Houses of the Landsraad raise your banner and marshal your forces and spies. War is coming and at the center of the conflict is Arrakis – Dune the desert planet.You start with a unique leader card as well as a deck identical to those of your opponents. As you acquire cards and build your deck your choices will define your strengths and weaknesses. Cards allow you to send your Agents to certain spaces on the game board so how your deck evolves affects your strategy. You might become more powerful militarily able to deploy more troops than your opponents. Or you might acquire cards that give you an edge with the four political factions represented in the game: the Emperor the Spacing Guild the Bene Gesserit and the Fremen.Unlike many deck building games you don’t play your entire hand in one turn. Instead you draw a hand of cards at the start of every round and alternate with other players taking one Agent turn at a time (playing one card to send one of your Agents to the game board). When it’s your turn and you have no more Agents to place you’ll take a Reveal turn revealing the rest of your cards which will provide Persuasion and Swords. Persuasion is used to acquire more cards and Swords help your troops fight for the current round’s rewards as shown on the revealed Conflict card.Defeat your rivals in combat shrewdly navigate the political factions and acquire precious cards. The Spice must flow to lead your House to victory!Some important links: The Official FAQ the Unofficial FAQ and an Automa (solo and 2p) Overview

In War of the Ring one player takes control of the Free Peoples (FP) while the other player controls Shadow Armies (SA). Initially the Free People Nations are reluctant to take arms against Sauron so they must be attacked by Sauron or persuaded by Gandalf or other Companions before they start to fight in earnest: this is represented by the Political Track which shows if a Nation is ready to fight in the War of the Ring or not.The game can be won by a military victory if Sauron conquers a certain number of Free People cities and strongholds or vice versa. But the true hope of the Free Peoples lies with the quest of the Ring bearer: while the armies clash across Middle-earth the Fellowship of the Ring is trying to get secretly to Mount Doom to destroy the One Ring. Sauron is not aware of the real intention of his enemies but is looking across Middle-earth for the precious Ring so that the Fellowship is going to face numerous dangers represented by the rules of The Hunt for the Ring. But the Companions can spur the Free Peoples to the fight against Sauron so the Free People player must balance the need to protect the Ring bearer from harm with an attempt to raise a proper defense against the armies of the Shadow so that they do not overrun Middle-earth before the Ringbearer completes his quest.Each game turn revolves around the roll of Action Dice: each die corresponds to an action that a player can perform during a turn. Depending on the face rolled on each die different actions are possible (moving armies or characters recruiting troops advancing a Political Track).Action Dice can also be used to draw or play Event Cards. Event Cards are played to represent specific events from the story (or events that could possibly have happened) that cannot be portrayed through normal game-play. Each Event Card can also create an unexpected turn in the game allowing special actions or altering the course of a battle.

In Dune: Imperium Uprising you want to continue to balance military might with political intrigue wielding new tools in pursuit of victory. Spies will shore up your plans vital contracts will expand your resources or you can learn the ways of the Fremen and ride mighty sandworms into battle!Dune: Imperium Uprising is a standalone spinoff to Dune: Imperium that expands on that game's blend of deck-building and worker placement while introducing a new six-player mode that pits two teams against one other in the biggest struggle yet.The Dune: Imperium expansions Rise of Ix and Immortality work with Uprising as do almost all of the cards from the base game and elements of Uprising can be used with Dune: Imperium.The choices are yours. The Imperium awaits!

Something evil stirs in Arkham and only you can stop it. Blurring the traditional lines between role-playing and card game experiences Arkham Horror: The Card Game is a Living Card Game of Lovecraftian mystery monsters and madness!In the game you alone or with a friend (or up to three friends with two Core Sets) become investigators within the quiet New England town of Arkham. You have your talents sure but you also have your flaws. Perhaps you've dabbled a little too much in the writings of the Necronomicon and its words continue to haunt you. Perhaps you feel compelled to cover up any signs of otherworldly evils hampering your own investigations in order to protect the quiet confidence of the greater population. Perhaps you'll be scarred by your encounters with a ghoulish cult.No matter what compels you no matter what haunts you you'll find both your strengths and weaknesses reflected in your custom deck of cards and these cards will be your resources as you work with your friends to unravel the world's most terrifying mysteries.Each of your adventures in Arkham Horror LCG carries you deeper into mystery. You'll find cultists and foul rituals. You'll find haunted houses and strange creatures. And you may find signs of the Ancient Ones straining against the barriers to our world...The basic mode of play in Arkham LCG is not the adventure but the campaign. You might be scarred by your adventures your sanity may be strained and you may alter Arkham's landscape burning buildings to the ground. All your choices and actions have consequences that reach far beyond the immediate resolution of the scenario at hand—and your actions may earn you valuable experience with which you can better prepare yourself for the adventures that still lie before you.

In Cthulhu: Death May Die inspired by the writings of H.P. Lovecraft you and your fellow players represent investigators in the 1920s who instead of trying to stop the coming of Elder Gods want to summon those otherworldly beings so that you can put a stop to them permanently. You start the game insane and while your long-term goal is to shoot Cthulhu in the face so to speak at some point during the game you'll probably fail to mitigate your dice rolls properly and your insanity will cause you to do something terrible — or maybe advantageous. Hard to know for sure.The game has multiple episodes and each of them has a similar structure of two acts those being before and after you summon whatever it is you happen to be summoning. If any character dies prior to the summoning then the game ends and you lose; once the Elder One is on the board as long as one of you is still alive you still have a chance to win.The episodes are all standalone and not contingent on being played in a certain order or with the same players.

A dark rumour rises from Mordor. The Eye turns to Middle-earth. The hour has come. The Fellowship is reunited. The Heroes prepare for battle. Will you play as the Fellowship of the Ring to defend the free races and destroy the One Ring? Or will you play as Sauron and pursue Frodo and Sam while deploying your hordes to the gates of the enemy cities? The destiny of Middle-earth is in your hands!A game plays over 3 successive chapters that unfold similarly. On your turn strengthen your Skills hoard your treasure stretch your presence across Middle-earth rally Races to your cause or advance the Quest of the Ring.In each chapter players take cards from a display of face-down and face-up cards arranged at the start of a round. A player can take a card only if it's available that is not partially covered by any other cards. Players can either play the card paying its cost and placing it in their play area obtaining its benefit or discard the card and take as many coins from the reserve as the current chapter.Players can also take a Landmark tile from one of the faceup tiles paying its cost placing it in their play area. They will be able to immediately place a Fortress pawn on the corresponding region of the central board and benefit from its other effects.Immediately win the game by fulfilling one of the 3 victory conditions:If any player gathers 6 different Race symbols on their Green cards they rally the support of the Races of Middle-earth and immediately win the gameIf a player is present in all 7 regions (with a Fortress and/or at least 1 Unit) they dominate Middle-earth and immediately win the game.If none of these three victory conditions are achieved by the end of chapter 3 the player who is present in the most regions of Middle-earth (with a Fortress and/or at least 1 Unit) wins the game. In case of tie share the victory.

Robinson Crusoe: Adventures on the Cursed Island is a game created by Ignacy Trzewiczek the author of Stronghold. This time Trzewiczek takes the players to a deserted island where they'll play the parts of shipwreck survivors confronted by an extraordinary adventure. They'll be faced with the challenges of building a shelter finding food fighting wild beasts and protecting themselves from weather changes. Building walls around their homes animal domestication constructing weapons and tools from what they find and much more await them on the island. The players decide in which direction the game will unfold and – after several in-game weeks of hard work – how their settlement will look. Will they manage to discover the secret of the island in the meantime? Will they find a pirate treasure or an abandoned village? Will they discover an underground city or a cursed temple at the bottom of a volcano? Answers to these questions lie in hundreds of event cards and hundreds of object and structure cards that can be used during the game...Robinson Crusoe: Adventures on the Cursed Island is an epic game from Portal. You will build a shelter palisade weapons you will create tools like axes knives sacks you will do everything you can to… to survive. You will have to find food fight wild beasts protect yourself from weather changes…Take the role of one of four characters from the ship crew (cook carpenter explorer or soldier) and face the adventure. Use your determination skills to help your teammates discuss with them your plan and put it into practice. Debate discuss and work on the best plan you all can make.Search for treasures. Discover mysteries. Follow goals of six different engaging scenarios. Start by building a big pile of wood and setting it on fire to call for help and then start new adventures. Become an exorcist on cursed Island. Become a treasure hunter on Volcano Island. Become a rescue team for a young lady who’s stuck on rock island…Let the adventure live!

Across the globe ancient evil is stirring. Now you and your trusted circle of colleagues must travel around the world working against all odds to hold back the approaching horror. Foul monsters brutal encounters and obscure mysteries will take you to your limit and beyond. All the while you and your fellow investigators must unravel the otherworldy mysteries scattered around the globe in order to push back the gathering mayhem that threatens to overwhelm humanity. The end draws near! Do you have the courage to prevent global destruction?Eldritch Horror is a co-operative game of terror and adventure in which one to eight players take the roles of globetrotting investigators working to solve mysteries gather clues and protect the world from an Ancient One – that is an elder being intent on destroying our world. Each Ancient One comes with its own unique decks of Mystery and Research cards which draw you deeper into the lore surrounding each loathsome creature. Discover the true name of Azathoth or battle Cthulhu on the high seas.While the tasks on these Mystery cards (along with the locations of otherworldly gates menacing monsters and helpful clues) will often inform both your travel plans and the dangers you confront you can find adventure anywhere in the world...even where you least expect it. It is during the Encounter Phase of each turn that players resolve combat or alternatively build their investigators' personal stories by reading an encounter narrative from one of several types of Encounter cards. You might go head to head with a monster in Istanbul or find yourself in a tough spot with the crime syndicate in a major city. Maybe you will embark on an expedition to the Pyramids or research a clue you uncover in the unnamed wilderness. You may even find your way through a gate and explore a dimension beyond time and space.Should you fail an encounter the cost is steep. If you are fortunate you will merely incur physical or mental trauma. However you might also be compelled to take a Condition card which represents a specific injury or restriction gained throughout your journey such as a Leg Injury or Amnesia. You could find yourself getting in over your head to acquire assets and receive a Debt condition – or maybe you'll owe a favor to something far more insidious than a debt collector and enter into a Dark Pact! Whatever your condition you would be wise to find a resolution with haste; many conditions have a reckoning effect which if triggered ensure a much more sinister fate.All the while the arrival of the Ancient One approaches. Its malign influence is manifested in Eldritch Horror as you draw Mythos Cards which govern the appearance of otherworldly gates fearsome monsters and other ominous elements. Mythos cards keep your investigators under pressure introducing new threats even as the arrival of the Great Old One draws nearer! Since the investigators draw a new Mythos card each round they're certain to have their hands full battling foul creatures and following up on strange rumors even as they work to solve their three all-important mysteries.With twelve unique investigators two hundred-fifty tokens and over three hundred cards Eldritch Horror presents an epic world-spanning adventure with each and every game.

Embark on your own adventures in J.R.R. Tolkien's iconic world with The Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle-Earth a fully co-operative app-supported board game for one to five players! You'll battle villainous foes make courageous choices and strike a blow against the evil that threatens the land — all as part of a thrilling campaign that leads you across the storied hills and dales of Middle-Earth.Each individual game of Journeys in Middle-Earth is a single adventure in a larger campaign. You'll explore the vast and dynamic landscapes of Middle-earth using your skills to survive the challenges that you encounter on these perilous quests. As you and your fellow heroes explore the wilderness and battle the dark forces arrayed against you the game's companion app guides you to reveal the looming forests quiet clearings and ancient halls of Middle-Earth while also controlling the enemies you encounter. Whether you're venturing into the wild on your own or with close companions by your side you can write your own legend in the history of Middle-Earth.—description from the publisher

The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game is a cooperative adventure game in which the players attempt to complete a scenario each with up to three heroes of their choice and a deck of allies events and attachments to support them. Each round players send their heroes and allies to quest or to fight with enemies that engage them. However as the heroes and allies exhaust after questing defending or attacking the players' options are typically insufficient to deal with everything at once. Therefore players need to determine whether it is more urgent to quest and make progress in the scenario while the enemy forces gain power or to take down enemies while making no progress not knowing what will come next.The core set contains three scenarios twelve famous heroes from the works of J.R.R. Tolkien (including Aragorn Legolas Gimli Denethor and Éowyn) and four pre-constructed player decks. Players can either use one of these decks or construct their own deck to increase their chances of success and to explore new strategies. Additionally The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game is a Living Card Game with over ten years of content and much of its content has been re-released in the form of Campaign and Hero Expansions. Campaign Expansions contain new scenarios for players to embark upon and Hero Expansions contain new heroes and new cards for players to use in their decks.Although this game is set in Tolkien's Middle-earth most scenarios in the game do not represent scenes from The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings; rather they are set in the seventeen years from Bilbo's 111th birthday until Frodo's departure from the Shire allowing players to create their own stories and adventures in Middle-earth. Scenarios from the game's Saga Expansions do follow the events of the books and in addition to being able to be played individually these scenarios can also be played together in sequence as a Campaign Mode with lasting consequences from game to game arising from the players' actions and decisions.

In battle there are no equals.Unmatched: Cobble & Fog features four new heroes for the Unmatched system. Invisible Man uses fog to dart around the board and strike without warning. Sherlock with the trusty Watson by his side schemes and calculates to ensure victory. Dracula and the sisters slowly drain you of your power. Jekyll & Hyde uses the former's cunning and the latter's brute strength to win the day.Unmatched is a highly asymmetrical miniature fighting game for two or four players. Each hero is represented by a unique deck designed to evoke their style and legend. Tactical movement and no-luck combat resolution create a unique play experience that rewards expertise but just when you've mastered one set new heroes arrive to provide all new match-ups.—description from the publisher

Imagine you can control the forces of a noble family guild or religious order on a barren planet which is the only source for the most valuable substance in the known universe.Imagine you can rewrite the script for one of the most famous science fiction books of all time. Welcome to the acclaimed 40-year-old board game which allows you to recreate the incredible world of Frank Herbert’s DUNE.In DUNE you will become the leader of one of six great factions. Each wishes to control the most valuable resource in the universe - melange the mysterious spice only found at great cost on the planet DUNE. As Duke Leto Atreides says “All fades before melange. A handful of spice will buy a home on Tupile. It cannot be manufactured it must be mined on Arrakis. It is unique and it has true geriatric properties.” And without melange space travel would be impossible. Only by ingesting the addictive drug can the Guild Steersman continue to experience visions of the future enabling them to plot a safe path through hyperspace.Who will control DUNE? Become one of the characters and their forces from the book and . . . You decide!—description from the publisher

Game description from the publisher:King Robert Baratheon is dead and the lands of Westeros brace for battle.In the second edition of A Game of Thrones: The Board Game three to six players take on the roles of the great Houses of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros as they vie for control of the Iron Throne through the use of diplomacy and warfare. Based on the best-selling A Song of Ice and Fire series of fantasy novels by George R.R. Martin A Game of Thrones is an epic board game in which it will take more than military might to win. Will you take power through force use honeyed words to coerce your way onto the throne or rally the townsfolk to your side? Through strategic planning masterful diplomacy and clever card play spread your influence over Westeros!To begin the game each player receives an army of Footman Knight Siege Engine and Ship units as well as a set of Order tokens and other necessary components. Each player also receives a deck of unique House Cards which are used as leaders in battles against rival Houses.Each round in the game is made up of three phases: the Westeros Phase the Planning Phase and the Action Phase. The Westeros Phase represents special events and day-to-day activities in Westeros. There are three different Westeros Decks and each denotes a different global action potentially affecting all players.The Planning Phase is perhaps the most important. Here you secretly assign orders to all of your units by placing one order token face down on each area you control that contains at least one unit (Knight Footman Ship or Siege Engine). This portion of the game emphasizes diplomacy and deduction. Can you trust the alliance that you made? Will you betray your ally and march upon him? Players may make promises to each other (for aid or peace for example) but these promises are never binding. The result is tense and compelling negotiations often ending in backstabbing worthy of Westeros!During the Action Phase the orders are resolved and battle is entered! When armies meet in combat they secretly choose one of their House cards to add strength to the battle. Finally the Houses can consolidate their power in the areas they control and use that power in future turns to influence their position in the court of the Iron Throne and to stand against the wildling Hordes.In addition to featuring updated graphics and a clarified ruleset this second edition of A Game of Thrones includes elements from the A Clash of Kings and A Storm of Swords expansions including ports garrisons Wildling cards and Siege engines while introducing welcome new innovations like player screens and Tides of Battle cards.Tides of Battle cards are an optional mechanism that brings an element of unpredictability to combat representing erratic shifts in the momentum of war due to factors such as weather morale and tactical opportunity. During each combat both players draw one Tides of Battle card from a communal deck and its value modifies the strength of his chosen House card. What's more such a card may also contain icons that can affect the outcome of the battle...all of which delivers a new level of intensity to your military engagements.

In battle there are no equals.Unmatched is a highly asymmetrical miniature fighting game for two or four players. Each hero is represented by a unique deck designed to evoke their style and legend. Tactical movement and no-luck combat resolution create a unique play experience that rewards expertise but just when you've mastered one set new heroes arrive to provide all new match-ups.Battle of Legends Volume One features four heroes. King Arthur sacrifices cards to power up his attacks and gets some timely assistance from Merlin's magic. Alice is back from Wonderland with a giant vorpal blade and the Jabberwock by her side as she grows and shrinks to gain advantages on attack and defense. Medusa is happy to attack from range and let her harpies hound you but just one devastating glance could end the battle quickly. Sinbad grows in power as he gains experience on each of his voyages.Combat is resolved quickly by comparing attack and defense cards. However each card's unique effects and a simple but deep timing system lead to interesting decisions each time. The game also features an updated version of the line-of-sight system from Tannhäuser for ranged attacks and area effects.The game includes a double-sided board with two different battlefields pre-washed miniatures for each hero and custom life trackers that's brought to life with the stunning artwork of Oliver Barrett and the combined design teams of Restoration Games and Mondo Games.

The year is 1926 and it is the height of the Roaring Twenties. Flappers dance till dawn in smoke-filled speakeasies drinking alcohol supplied by rum runners and the mob. It’s a celebration to end all celebrations in the aftermath of the War to End All Wars.Yet a dark shadow grows in the city of Arkham. Alien entities known as Ancient Ones lurk in the emptiness beyond space and time writhing at the thresholds between worlds. Occult rituals must be stopped and alien creatures destroyed before the Ancient Ones make our world their ruined dominion.Only a handful of investigators stand against the Arkham Horror. Will they prevail?Arkham Horror (Third Edition) is a cooperative board game for one to six players who take on the roles of investigators trying to rid the world of eldritch beings known as Ancient Ones. Based on the works of H.P. Lovecraft players will have to gather clues defeat terrifying monsters and find tools and allies if they are to stand any chance of defeating the creatures that dwell just beyond the veil of our reality.—description from the publisher

In The Witcher: Old World you become a witcher — a professional monster slayer — and immerse yourself in the legendary universe of The Witcher franchise.Set years before the saga of Geralt of Rivia The Witcher: Old World explores a time when monsters roamed the Continent in greater numbers creating a constant peril that required the attention of expertly trained monster slayers known as witchers. Five competing schools trained their adepts through brutal regimes and once fully prepared these now-recognized witchers set off to explore the land seeking trouble and adventures and helping others for coin.In this competitive adventure board game 2-5 players travel across a vast map embarking on masterfully penned quests encountering and making ambiguous moral choices fighting monsters — and sometimes brawling with other witchers to defend their school's honor!The game lets players construct their own unique decks of cards by choosing from a wide range of abilities: attacks dodges and witcher combat magic — known as signs. Through card synergy players aim to achieve powerful combos as they utilize their witcher school's hallmark abilities to their full potential. Quests battles and even dice poker allow each player to earn money obtain new items and train their skills.The first player to acquire 4-6 trophies with the number being set at the start of play wins the game instantly. You can obtain trophies by killing monsters instigating and winning chaotic tavern brawls against another witcher training attributes to their highest level and resolving certain quests throughout their adventure.The game will include a Solo Mode that will allow for a solitaire adventure on the Continent.

Jules Verne's classic novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea tells the story of Captain Nemo and his astounding ship the Nautilus. The second edition of Nemo's War Victory Point Games' popular solitaire offering from designer Chris Taylor is a greatly enhanced offering featuring mass-production printing and amazing Ian O'Toole art and graphics throughout.Set in year 1870 you set sail in this amazing electric-powered submarine assuming the role and motive of Captain Nemo as you travel across the seas on missions of science exploration anti-Imperialism and War!With this supercharged second edition of Nemo's War prepare yourself for the adventure of a lifetime!Complexity: 3 on a 9 scaleScale: Time is measured in Action Points which represent approximately 1 week of real time; each encounter is with 1 major ship (its crew and contents) and each area is 1 Ocean.Solitaire Suitability: 9 on a 9-point scaleNormally a solitaire game Nemo's War also provides rules for 2-4 player fully cooperative and semi-competitive variants.

The third edition of Fury of Dracula features all-new art and graphic design crafted to complement the game's intuitive thematic mechanisms. Rounds are now broken into day and night with hunters taking actions during both while Dracula can act only at night. Combat is more streamlined and decisive and new rumor tokens allow Dracula to mislead hunters and extend the terrible reach of his influence. Count Dracula triumphs if he advances his influence track to thirteen; if the hunters can defeat him before then they save the continent of Europe and win the game.The fourth edition of Fury of Dracula contains pre-painted miniatures instead of unpainted figures a different rulebook and different card sizes.

The forces of evil are threatening to overrun Hogwarts castle in Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle a cooperative deck-building game and it's up to four students to ensure the safety of the school by defeating villains and consolidating their defenses. In the game players take on the role of a Hogwarts student: Harry Ron Hermione or Neville each with their own personal deck of cards that's used to acquire resources.By gaining influence players add more cards to their deck in the form of iconic characters spells and magical items. Other cards allow them to regain health or fight against villains keeping them from gaining power. The villains set back players with their attacks and Dark Arts. Only by working together will players be able to defeat all of the villains securing the castle from the forces of evil.—description from the publisher

Sometimes in order to truly appreciate a tale one must first go back to its beginning. Grand adventures and strong fellowships are important and wonderful but the first step of any journey is just as important as the last. With that in mind it’s time to return to the beginning of one of the most epic adventures of all…With increased contents and some quality-of-life improvements this new version of the classic LCG’s core set is the perfect opportunity for a new player to dive into the game.The Revised Core Set includes cards to allow Campaign Mode (previous core set was strictly standalone scenarios) entirely new Boon and Burden mechanics that add cards that persist with the players from scenario to scenario and full support for 4 players in the core box.-description from publisherThis set is 100% compatible with all previously-released The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game content. Players who already own three copies of the original core set will not find any new cards in this box aside from the campaign boon and burden cards which can be downloaded and printed for free on the official website.

In battle there are no equals.Unmatched is a highly asymmetrical miniature fighting game for two or four players. (Note that this set is solely for two players but it can be combined with other sets which all serve up to four players.) Each hero is represented by a unique deck designed to evoke their style and legend. Tactical movement and no-luck combat resolution create a unique play experience that rewards expertise but just when you've mastered one set new heroes arrive to provide all new match-ups.Robin Hood vs. Bigfoot features the titular heroes. Robin Hood and his outlaws excel at ranged attacks and robbing from their opponents. Bigfoot and his pal the Jackalope crash through the forest for quick attacks before disappearing like a figment of the mind.Combat is resolved quickly by comparing attack and defense cards. However each card's unique effects and a simple but deep timing system lead to interesting decisions each time. The game also features an updated version of the line-of-sight system from Tannhauser for ranged attacks and area effects.The game includes a double-sided board with two different battlefields pre-washed miniatures for each hero and custom life trackers that's brought to life with the stunning artwork of Oliver Barrett and the combined design teams of Restoration Games and Mondo Games.

Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: Jack the Ripper & West End Adventures is a standalone expansion to Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective with updated graphics that features ten more cases to be solved in Sherlock Holmes' Victorian-era London England. A London Directory map and newspaper archives are included with the cases.Included are six independent West End Adventures cases (redesigned and updated from the 1995 expansion) and a series of four new cases based on the Jack the Ripper murders.

Beings of ancient evil known as Old Ones are threatening to break out of their cosmic prison and awake into the world. Everything you know and love could be destroyed by chaos and madness. Can you and your fellow investigators manage to find and seal every portal in time? Hurry before you lose yourself to insanity.In Pandemic: Reign of Cthulhu you'll experience the classic Pandemic gameplay with an horrific twist that'll have you face twelve Old Ones each threatening the world with their unique powers. As players take on the roles of investigators attempting to seal a series of portals before monsters of unspeakable horror pour into our world there is of course a high risk of the investigators losing their own minds.Instead of curing diseases like in the original Pandemic players seal portals and shut down cults in the classic New England fictional towns of Arkham Dunwich Innsmouth and Kingsport. Can you and your fellow investigators manage to find and seal every portal in time? Hurry before you lose yourself to insanity and the evil that lurks beneath your feet...Part of the Pandemic series.

In battle there are no equals.Unmatched is a highly asymmetrical miniature fighting game for two or four players. Each hero is represented by a unique deck designed to evoke their style and legend. Tactical movement and no-luck combat resolution create a unique play experience that rewards expertise but just when you've mastered one set new heroes arrive to provide all new match-ups.Battle of Legends Volume Two features four heroes: Yennenga Achilles Sun Wukong and Bloody Mary.Combat is resolved quickly by comparing attack and defense cards. However each card's unique effects and a simple but deep timing system lead to interesting decisions each time. The game also features an updated version of the line-of-sight system from Tannhäuser for ranged attacks and area effects.The game includes a new battlefield with a brand new mechanism pre-washed miniatures for each hero and custom life trackers that's brought to life with the stunning artwork of Zoe van Dijk and the combined design teams of Restoration Games and Mondo Games.—description from the publisher

Arrakis is a desert world seemingly dead and barren yet here lies the most important resource in the galaxy: Spice. Without Spice space travel is impossible and humans become little clusters on isolated planets. The noble House that controls Arrakis and the production of Spice wields great power. The Emperor gave Arrakis to House Atreides but then he conspired to replace them with their old rivals House Harkonnen. Baron Harkonnen crushed the Atreides in a treasonous attack and now rules the planet with an iron fist. But Paul and Jessica heirs to House Atreides are alive and are mounting a rebellion with the aid of the formidable Fremen the mysterious inhabitants of the barren expanses of Arrakis.Only one House will emerge victorious from the coming struggle while the other will be lost in the desert sands. It's into this grim reality that players will be thrust in Dune: War for Arrakis.In this asymmetrical strategy game players fight for control of the planet maneuvering troops like the Fremen the Fedaykin and the fearsome Sardaukar while sending Spice harvesters into the deep desert daring to challenge the great Sandworms. The game features an action dice system with numerous event cards that will enable players to retell the Dune saga differently with each playthrough.—description from the publisher

In battle there are no equals.ONCE UPON A TIME Little Red Riding Hood took her basket of nasty tricks and faced off against the legendary Beowulf in this exciting Unmatched set.What big eyes you have Wulfie!That’s called 'rage' kid!Little Red features a clever card-combo mechanism. Matching icons on the cards she plays to the one in her basket (discard pile) triggers potent effects. Meanwhile Beowulf uses rage to power up his cards for devastating attacks.Unmatched is a highly asymmetrical miniature fighting game for two or four players. Each hero is represented by a unique deck designed to evoke their style and legend. Tactical movement and no-luck combat resolution create a unique play experience that rewards expertise but just when you've mastered one set new heroes arrive to provide all new match-ups.—description from the publisher

Friday the second game in the Friedemann Friese Series: Freitag-Project (Friedemann Friese) is based on the story of Robinson Crusoe and his loyal partner Friday (Freitag). You play as Friday and when Robinson Crusoe crashes his ship on your island your peaceful times are disturbed. You must help Robinson to survive the island and prepare him to defeat the pirates that are coming for the island.Friday is a solitaire deck-building game in which you optimize your deck of fight cards in order to defeat the hazards of the island. During a turn the player will attempt to defeat hazard cards by playing fight cards from their deck. If defeated a hazard card will become a fight card and is added to the player's deck. If failed the player will lose life points but also get the opportunity to remove unwanted cards from their fight deck. In the end the player will use their optimized fight deck to defeat the two pirate ships coming for the island allowing Robinson Crusoe to escape the island and allowing you to finally have your peace back!

Unmatched Adventures: Tales to Amaze which is themed around the pulp adventures tall tales and local legends of the mid-20th century gives you a whole new way to play Unmatched.In the game players work together to defeat one of two villains: Mothman or the Martian Invader. Each villain has a unique battlefield with unique objectives. If the villain completes their objective (or defeats the heroes) the players lose. The villains are aided by a number of possible minions: Jersey Devil Ant Queen Loveland Frog The Blob Tarantula and Skunk Ape. The enemies use special action cards and a simple targeting scheme to control their movement and attacks.The set comes with four new heroes: Nikola Tesla discharges his electrified coils to power up his effects; Annie Christmas gets stronger when she's fighting from behind; The Golden Bat the world's first superhero has a variety of powerful effects; and Dr. Jill Trent Science Sleuth calls on a collection of gizmos.Keeping to the Unmatched brand you may use heroes from other Unmatched sets in Unmatched Adventures and you can use the included heroes and battlefields to play competitive Unmatched.—description from the publisher

The year is 1913. The steamship SS Atlantica is two days out from port on its voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. Its unsuspecting passengers fully anticipated a calm journey to Boston Massachusetts with nothing out of the ordinary to look forward to. However strange nightmares plague the minds of the people aboard the ship every night; rumors circulate of dark shapes following closely behind the ship just beneath the waves; and tensions rise when a body is discovered in the ship's chapel signs of a strange ritual littered around the corpse.Lurking within the depths of the Atlantic Ocean are a swarm of vicious unspeakable horrors: the Deep Ones led by Mother Hydra and Father Dagon. For reasons unknown they have set their sights on the Atlantica and their minions taking the form of human-Deep One hybrids have infiltrated the steamship to help sink it from within. Each game of Unfathomable has one or more players assuming the role of one of these hybrids and how well they can secretly sabotage the efforts of the other players might mean the difference between a successful voyage and a sunken ship.If you're a human you need to fend off Deep Ones prevent the Atlantica from taking too much damage and carefully manage the ship's four crucial resources if you want any hope of making it to Boston all while trying to figure out which of your fellow players are friends and which are foes. Everyone shares the same resource pool but humans will try to preserve them while traitors will strive to subtly deplete them. Being able to tell when someone is purposefully draining the group's resources is harder than you think especially when you take crises into account!At the end of each player's turn that player must draw a mythos card. Each of these cards represents a crisis that the whole group must try to resolve together. Some of these crises such as Food Rationing call for a choice that could potentially put the ship's passengers or resources at risk while others such as Hull Leak call for a skill test in which failure could have disastrous consequences.During a skill test each player contributes skill cards from their hand to a face-down pile shared by the group. Once everyone has contributed (or chosen not to) the cards are shuffled then revealed. If enough of the correct skills were contributed then the group passes the test! But if the wrong skills were contributed they can actually hinder the results leading to failure. Thus skill tests are dangerous opportunities for traitors to sabotage the humans' efforts so you have to stay on your toes at all times.—description from the publisher

Martin Wallace and Treefrog Games present Ankh-Morpork set in the largest city-state in Terry Pratchett's Discworld. Lord Vetinari has disappeared and different factions are trying to take control of the city. Each player has a secret personality with specific victory conditions which means that you're not sure exactly what the other players need to do in order to win.The action takes place on a map of Ankh-Morpork with players trying to place minions and buildings through card play. Each of the 132 cards is unique and the cards bring the game to life as they include most of the famous characters that have appeared in the various books. The rules are relatively simple: Play a card and do what it says. Most cards have more than one action on them and you can choose to do some or all of these actions. Some cards also allow you to play a second card so you can chain actions (Wallace).A team of artists have recreated the city and its residents for the cards game board and box with Bernard Pearson coordinating that team. Ankh-Morpork has been sublicensed to Mayfair Games for the North American market and Kosmos for the German market.

Inspired by the best-selling and award-winning War of the Ring board game War of the Ring: The Card Game allows players to journey to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings and create their own version of the dramatic conflict between the Dark Lord Sauron and the Free Peoples of Middle-earth.In War of the Ring: The Card Game up to 4 players compete in two teams the Shadow against the Free Peoples each player using a specific and different card deck representing the strengths and weaknesses of the different factions involved in the war.The Free Peoples desperately try to complete their quest to destroy the One Ring while at the same time defending their homelands from the encroaching hordes of Sauron and from his evil allies.The Shadow players must strike quickly and decisively before the Ring-bearers can complete their quest; or try to slowly corrupt Frodo burdening him with wounds toil and the sorrow for the loss of his Companions.During the game players will take turns playing cards representing the characters armies items and events of the War of the Ring. Each card they play will help or hinder the journey of the Fellowship as it progresses on its Path; or be used to defend or conquer the strongholds of Middle-earth as they fight to control the new Battleground cards activated in each round.With more than 100 original illustrations from the greatest Tolkienian artists in the world including an amazing gallery of landscapes from The Shire to Mordor by John and Fataneh Howe War of the Ring: The Card Game is more than a game – it also a memorable collection for all lovers of the world imagined by J.R.R. Tolkien.This is your chance to forge the destiny of an age like you never did before!—description from the publisher

Game description from the publisher:The Battle of Five Armies – based on the climax of JRR Tolkien's novel The Hobbit – pits the hosts of the Elvenking the Dwarves of Dain Ironfoot and the Men of the Lake led by Bard the Bowman against a horde of Wolves Goblins and Bats led by Bolg son of Azog. Will Gandalf turn the tide for the Free Peoples? Will the Eagles arrive or Beorn come to the rescue? Or will Bilbo the Hobbit perish in a last stand on Ravenhill?The Battle of Five Armies features a game board representing the Eastern and Southern spurs of the Lonely Mountain and the valley they encircle and a number of plastic figures representing troops heroes and monsters.The Battle of Five Armies is a standalone game based on the rules for War of the Ring which is from the same designers but with the rules modified to function on a tactical level as they describe a smaller battle rather than the entire war. Ares Games plans to expand the Battles game system in the future releasing expansions depicting other battles from the Third Age of Middle-earth narrated in The Lord of the Rings such as the Siege of Gondor and the assault of Saruman against Rohan.

Golem is an engine-building game by Simone Luciani Virginio Gigli and Flaminia Brasini the same team that brought you Grand Austria Hotel and Lorenzo il Magnifico.The game is based on the 16th-century legend of the Golem of Prague an anthropomorphic creature that Rabbi Loew animated from a clay statue to protect his people. In the game players take on the role of rabbis who create and grow these powerful creatures that will be moved around the neighborhoods of Prague under the control of students. Be careful because if a golem becomes too powerful it will destroy everything it encounters on its way. Players can also kill their Golems in order to get bonuses.Players also create powerful artifacts and acquire knowledge by collecting ancient books.The game is divided into four rounds and each round is composed of 7 phases:At the beginning of each round the players will shuffle the colored marbles into the 3D synagogue that will split them into five lines corresponding to the five main actions available in the game:The number of marbles available in the corresponding action line determines how much the player gets from the action. When you choose an action you collect one marble of your choice in the corresponding line and depending on the color of the marble you chose you also move your student forward on one of the districts of Prague.It's important to advance your students on those tracks to be able to keep your golems under control. At the end of the round knowledge can also be used to control a golem that surpassed its students but if one of these creatures is uncontrolled it may become dangerous and destroy the neighborhood after which you will have to destroy and bury it!The marble color also matters because at the end of the round if you get the correct combination of two colors you receive the favor of one of the powerful Prague characters which will differ each round.At the end of the fourth round players score points for active or buried golems artifacts books development on their personal board and collected goal cards.

Conan designed by Fred Henry and based on the Conan universe by Robert E. Howard is a scenario-based semi-cooperative asymmetric miniatures board game. One player is the Overlord playing the opposition forces and the other players (1 to 4) play Conan and his companions: Shevatas the thief Hadrathus the Priest/Sorcerer Belit the pirate queen Valeria the warrior etc. The game is based purely on Robert E. Howard's novels and short stories (and not the movies or other non-Howardian material). The publisher has hired Patrice Louinet a Howard expert to make sure the art and the scenarios are compatible with Howard's vision.Each game is a scenario played on a map. There are 4 maps included in the retail copy of the game and each map can have several scenarios set on it. The game is fast one hour approximately. It's possible to play several scenarios in a campaign but you can also play each scenario individually. There are 9 scenarios in the base box.At the beginning of a scenario players choose their team (Conan and two or three other heroes). The Overlord gathers all the miniatures (picts Necromancer skeleton warriors monsters etc.) tokens and cards from the chosen scenario. The game usually plays in a limited number of turns (ten for instance). Each scenario can have very different objectives: find the princess captured by picts and hidden in a hut and leave the camp before the pict hunters return; find the magical key to open a sealed door steal the jewel and leave; kill the Necromancer by the end of turn 10; survive by the end of turn 10; escape the prison; etc.During their turn the heroes can activate or rest. If they activate they can spend gems from their energy pool to do all sorts of actions: move fight (melee or distance) defend pick a lock reroll etc. If they rest they can move a lot of gems from their spent pool box to their available pool box. When they take an action they throw a number of dice equal to the number of gems they put in their action. There are three different kinds of dice: yellow (the weaker dice) orange (medium) and red (strong). Each character has a color based on their specialty: Conan throws red dice in combat while the Sorcerer throws yellow dice in combat; the thief throws red dice in Manipulation actions while Conan throws orange dice; etc. Each player can have equipment cards (armor magic potions weapons etc.) which give them bonuses on their dice rolls.The Overlord plays differently. He uses a board with eight slidable tiles plus his own Energy gems. Each tile corresponds to one unit (1 to 3 miniatures) on the game mat and all of the miniature abilities are written on this tile (movement armor attack special abilities). The tile position on the board corresponds to the numbers 1-8. The Overlord has a pool of energy gems and each time he activates one unit he needs to spend a number of gems matching the tile placement: tile#1 costs 1 energy gem tile#2 costs 2 gems etc. Whatever tile the Overlord chooses to activate he spends the corresponding energy cost (moving his energy gems from the available pool to the spent pool) then takes the tile out and moves it to the end of the sliding track: If he wants to activate this unit again it will cost him 8 gems because the unit is now on position 8. The Overlord can activate a maximum of two tiles and he regains only a certain number of gems each turn (depending on the scenario).In a typical scenario the heroes need to accomplish something and the Overlord wins if the heroes fail to reach their objective — but in some scenarios the Overlord has his own objectives and the Heroes win if they prevent him from accomplishing his goal.

Unlock! Timeless Adventures features three new escape room scenarios that you can play on your tabletop.Unlock! is a co-operative card game inspired by escape rooms that uses a simple system which allows you to search scenes combine objects and solve riddles. Play Unlock! to embark on great adventures while seated at a table using only cards and a companion app that can provide clues check codes monitor time remaining etc. The three scenarios areNote: Each of these has been released separately in the German market in addition to the box set. Unlock!: Timeless Adventures – Die Noside-Show Unlock!: Timeless Adventures – Arsène Lupin und der große weiße Diamant and Unlock!: Timeless Adventures – Verloren im Zeitstrudel!

Long John Silver's crew has committed mutiny and has him cornered and tied up! Round after round they question him about the location of his treasure and explore the island following his directions — or perhaps his misdirections? Who knows... The old sea dog is surely planning an escape after all after which he will definitely try to get his treasure back.Treasure Island is a game of bluffing and adventure in which one player embodies Long John trying to mislead the others in their search for his treasure. The hunt reaches its climax with Long John's escape when he will make a final run to get the booty for himself!

It's been twenty years since Victor Frankenstein died on a ship in the arctic but his vengeful creature lives on as does Robert Walton the sea captain who vowed to kill the fiend before mercy stayed his hand. It's now 1819 and a sinister darkness descends upon the city of Paris. A mysterious benefactor of gigantic stature has emerged in the scientific community never showing his face claiming to possess the late Frankenstein's research. He sponsors a grand competition offering an even grander prize: unlocking the mystery of mortality!Renowned scientists from around the world come to take part: some drawn to solve this eternal riddle others coerced against their will. But a certain captain comes as well one deeply suspicious of the secretive patron hoping to finally fulfill his vow.Abomination: The Heir of Frankenstein is a competitive game of strategic monster building for 2-4 players inspired by Mary Shelley's classic novel of gothic horror. In the game the creature demands your help to accomplish what his own creator would not: to bring to life an abomination like itself a companion to end its miserable solitude. Through worker placement and careful management of decomposing resources you'll gather materials from the cemeteries and morgues around the city conduct valuable research at the Academy of Science hire less-than-reputable associates and toil away in your lab — all in an effort to assemble a new form of life and infuse it with a spark of being. Do well and the creature may reward you during one of its surprise visits; do poorly and you may come to regret not putting forth more effort. Narrative elements come into play throughout the game guided by your decisions leading to potentially unsavory outcomes.The game ends when you succeed in bringing your creation to life or when the Captain kills the creature whichever happens first. Then the player with the most points fulfills Frankenstein's dark legacy becoming his heir for good or ill...—description from the publisher

A cooperative game of adventure for 1-5 players set in the world of Dungeons & Dragons.It is named after the book series by the same name recounting the adventures of the dark elf Drizzt Do'Urden and his friends.Designed for 1-5 players this boardgame features multiple scenarios challenging quests and cooperative game play. Players explore the game world which is built during the game by laying out tiles using ready-made player characters and encountering enemies with corresponding miniatures. Encounters are generated by drawing cards and resolved using a D20 die. All players win together depending on the scenario by escaping saving others or overcoming a threat.

Jekyll vs. Hyde is a trick-taking game for two players based on the famous novella Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. As Dr. Jekyll you'll need to resist Mr. Hyde's fierce attacks to protect your mind and keep the secret of your dual nature. As Mr. Hyde your goal is to dominate Dr. Jekyll to overcome his identity.One player is Dr. Jekyll ; the other is Mr. Hyde. The game plays in three rounds. At the end of each round Dr. Jekyll's identity will progressively disappear under Mr. Hyde's relentless attacks. Compare the number of tricks that each player has won in this round and subtract the lowest score from the highest one (for instance if Dr. Jekyll won 6 tricks and Mr. Hyde won 4 tricks then the final result is 6-4=2). This result indicates by how many spaces the Identity Marker will move to Mr. Hyde's side.Evil is relentless! Even if Dr. Jekyll won more tricks that Mr. Hyde the marker will progress towards Mr. Hyde's side. As Dr. Jekyll your goal is to keep balance without giving in to darkness!If the marker reaches the last space of the track (far left) then Mr. Hyde instantly wins the game. Otherwise start a new round: remove the three colored tokens from the board and reshuffle all cards including the 5 cards that you set aside at the beginning of this round.Mr. Hyde wins as soon as the Identity Marker reaches the last space of the Identity Track (far left). If the marker did not reach the end of the track after three rounds then Dr. Jekyll wins escaping from Mr. Hyde's dark influence.

Enter the futuristic universe of Red Rising based on the book series by Pierce Brown featuring a dystopian society divided into fourteen castes. You represent a house attempting to rise to power as you piece together an assortment of followers (represented by your hand of cards). Will you break the chains of the Society or embrace the dominance of the Golds?Red Rising is a hand-management combo-building game for 1-6 players (45-60 minute playing time). You start with a hand of 5 cards and on your turn you will deploy 1 of those cards to a location on the board activating that card’s deploy benefit. You will then gain the top card from another location (face up) or the deck (face down) gaining that location's benefit and adding the card to your hand as you enhance your end-game point total. If at any point you’re really happy with your hand you can instead use your turn to reveal a card from the top of the deck and place it on a location to gain that location’s benefit.—description from the publisher

Make your fate! Inspired by character-driven fantasy storytelling Call to Adventure challenges 1-4 players to create the hero with the greatest destiny by acquiring traits facing challenges and overcoming adversaries.Call to Adventure features a unique rune rolling system for resolving challenges a point-based system that encourages storytelling and over 150 unique cards. Players begin each game with an origin card that provides their backstory as well as two starter abilities. Each round they may either acquire trait cards from the board or face a challenge. Challenges each have two possible paths a player can choose from. For example players who encounter the Thieves' Guild may choose to train as a spy or train as a killer. Each challenge has a difficulty that must be overcome by rolling successes on carved runes. The more a player has of the abilities required to overcome the challenge the more runes they will be able to cast.Failed challenges lead players to acquire experience points that may be spent to push through tougher challenges. But beware while some negative experiences will help your hero grow too many tragedies set them on a dark path.As players' heroes grow in ability and experience they move on to harder challenges eventually facing deadly adversaries and acquiring more and more destiny points. The player whose hero has the highest destiny score wins the game.

A Study in Emerald is a game for two to five players based on the award-winning short story of the same name by Neil Gaiman. In this stylistic mash-up of Sherlock Holmes and H.P. Lovecraft the worst has already happened and the world is now ruled by the Old Ones. However a secret war is being fought to free mankind from their servitude. The game A Study in Emerald fleshes out this core idea by including historical figures from the late nineteenth century most being persons involved in the anarchist movement of the time.Deck-building forms the core of the game. You use influence cubes to bid for the right to draft cards and take control of cities. Each player has a secret identity either a Restorationist fighting against the creatures or a Loyalist attempting to defend the status quo. Which side you are on determines what you score points for. An additional twist is that the performance of other players on the same side as you can stop you from winning if they are doing particularly badly so you really want to know who is on which side. More specifically when the game ends – and this can result from multiple causes such as a marker on the War or Revolution track hitting 15 or the assassination of a Restorationist player agent – then the sides compare their scores; which side has the lowest score automatically loses then the player with the highest score on the remaining team wins the game.The game takes around ninety minutes to play and is more complex than most so more suitable for the experienced gamer.

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

The Reckoners a game based on the young adult fantasy novels by Brandon Sanderson allows players to take on the roles of the novels' protagonists and work together to save the world.Background: 10 years ago... A mysterious burst in the sky gave ordinary men and women extraordinary powers. They're called Epics. But every Epic turned out to be evil. Today in the city once known as Chicago (now Newcago) an all-powerful Epic named Steelheart reigns supreme!Nobody fights back... nobody but the Reckoners! This is where you come in. You are a member of the Reckoners a skilled group of normal humans who assassinate Epics. Your mission is simple but not easy. Take down Steelheart and his Epics and save the city.Gameplay: The Reckoners is a simultaneous co-operative game for 1-6 players that plays in 75 minutes. You win by defeating Steelheart. But before you can defeat him you must first discover his weakness. Throughout the game you will work with your fellow Reckoners to research and attack Steelheart but he is not alone. Numerous Epics are scattered throughout the city and they will wreak havoc upon the population if left unchecked. If the Epics manage to destroy Newcago by reducing the population to 0 then all Reckoners lose.The Reckoners determine which actions to take primarily through a simultaneous dice rolling mechanism where each player can keep and reroll results up to three times at their own pace. Equipment Cards and Plan Tokens will also allow you to gain extra actions or improve/manipulate the results of your dice. Actions are resolved simultaneously as well so communication and collaborative planning are key to ensuring optimal outcomes.Your dice can be used to attack Epics research Epics contain Epics attack Enforcement earn money acquire Plan Tokens move around the game board remove barricades and activate special equipment powers. Researching and Attacking Epics will help you earn valuable rewards including clues about Steelheart's weakness. But there will always be more Epics than you so you have to choose your battles wisely. When all actions have been taken by The Reckoners then it's the Epics turn.Each round all of the Epics are going to activate performing an array of actions and then powering up to be even more devastating next round. Each Epic also has a unique set of actions it performs so you're always facing multiple threats that function very differently. The crux of the game is deciding how to resolve these competing threats and prioritize your actions together to eliminate Epics and ultimately win the game. How when and where you act will determine your victory or failure.Summary: In short The Reckoners plays like a challenging ever-shifting puzzle. If you like co-operative games where you carefully manage resources build powerful action combos create tactical plans with your teammates and work together to take down the bad guy while on the brink of defeat then be sure to check out The Reckoners.—description from the publisher

Unmatched is a highly asymmetrical miniature fighting game for two or four players. Each hero is represented by a unique deck designed to evoke their style and legend. Tactical movement and no-luck combat resolution create a unique play experience that rewards expertise but just when you've mastered one set new heroes arrive to provide all new match-ups. Unmatched: Houdini vs. The Genie adds two new heroes: Harry Houdini and The Genie of the Lamp.

The Hare & the Tortoise originally published as Royal Turtle is a card-driven betting game about animal racing loosely based on one of Aesop's Fables.At the start of a race each player secretly bets on up to two of five animals: turtle rabbit lamb wolf and fox. One animal is chosen at random for each player then after receiving a hand of seven cards each player places one of his cards face-down (possibly the same animal) as an additional bet. Players then take turns laying down 1-4 cards with all cards needing to show the same animal then refilling the hand to five cards. As soon as eight total cards have been played or four cards of any one animal the animals move (maybe).Each animal has a distinct characteristic that players can use to their advantage. The turtle always moves one space but it moves two if four of its cards were played. The rabbit always moves two spaces as long as cards are played. — unless four cards are played and it's at the head of the pack in which case it sleeps and doesn't move. The fox moves as many spaces as the number of cards played. The lamb moves one more space than the number of cards played — but if it reaches water it stops moving to take a drink. The wolf moves 1 space if one to two cards are played and one less space than the number of cards if more are played. The wolf also has 3 cards with a howl if one of these is played no one but the wolf moves.(The track consists of eleven road cards two covered with water.)After the animals move players start a new round of card-playing. A round ends when three of the five animals reach the goal after which each player scores points based on the ranking of the animals and how they bet. After three rounds the player with the most points wins.The original title of Royal Turtle is a homage to Reiner Knizia's Royal Turf another betting game about animals racing (albeit horses in that game).

The Han Dynasty founded in 206 BC ruled the central plains and much of modern day China for nearly four hundred years. However by late second century court politics and poor governance has left it in rapid decline. The government was dominated by corrupt eunuchs and officials who levied heavy taxes on the peasants resulting in public discontent. This culminated in the Yellow Turban Rebellion led by Zhang Jiao in 184 AD during the reign of Emperor Ling (168-189 AD).Although the Yellow Turban Rebellion was eventually put down many surviving followers went on to become bandits and continued to create problems for the government. The Han army was unable to control the bandits and Emperor Ling granted direct administrative power over provinces and command of regional military to local lords. Many feudal lords took the opportunity to sever ties with the Han government and ruled independently. The more ambitious lords annexed neighboring territories to expand their power bases. This led to the emergence of the three power blocs of Wei Wu and Shu and ushered in the Three Kingdoms period.Three Kingdoms Redux is a board game that seeks to recreate the tripartite between the states of Wei Wu and Shu. You assume the role of one of the three lords – Cao Cao leading Cao Wei Sun Jian leading Eastern Wu or Liu Bei leading Shu Han. Players start the game from asymmetrical positions reflecting the manpower advantages Wei enjoyed in the early part of the period. The weaker states of Wu and Shu protect themselves by forming an alliance. As a feudal lord you manage the different aspects of running a state whilst guarding your borders against both rebellious border tribes and external enemies. Managing each aspect well earns victory points for your state. But beware for the balance of power shifts constantly during the game. Understand and take advantage of the power shifts and you will fulfill your grand ambition of re-unifying China!In more detail Three Kingdoms Redux is played over a number of rounds up to a maximum of twelve. Players bid for various actions with their general tokens. The highest bidder of each action space obtains the right to carry out the actions.These actions allow players to improve your state’s domestic development gain military strength construct state enhancements increase popularity with your people improve relationships with border tribes and gain promotion for the lord to the next higher rank.The winner is the player with the most victory points (VPs) at the end of the game.

Welcome to H.P. Lovecraft's Arkham in the 1920s. There will be many mysteries to uncover in this storytelling game of Lovecraftian terror. Using the provided newspaper a list of allies the directory of Arkham residents and a map of Arkham your job is to follow the clues from location to location suspect to suspect to unravel the mystery and answer the questions posed at the end of each scenario.Your score in Mythos Tales depends upon the number of clues points you needed to visit the risks you took to your sanity in your investigations and your ability to find the correct answers to the questions. Match wits with Armitage the man who has been exposed to the sanity-blasting truth about the existence of the age old evil! Can you beat his score?With that in mind it is time to collaborate with Armitage's investigations to complete your training. This is not a typical board game: No dice no luck but a challenge to your mental ability.The cases that appear in print edition are:Case 1 - A Grain of Evil Case 2 - Flesh and Blood Case 3 - The King Cometh Case 4 - The Slumbering Solace Case 5 - The Serpent's Vengeance Case 6 - The Star of Tokelau Case 7 - The Vanished Girl Case 8 - Pasquale's Wager

Watson & Holmes is a game of deduction set within the magnificent works of Arthur Conan Doyle. Two to seven aspiring detectives step into the shoes of Doctor Watson working alongside the detective Sherlock Holmes to try to solve a series of so far unpublished cases directly extracted from Doctor John H. Watson's diaries. Those who accept the challenge relive the adventures of the crime-solving duo visiting each of the locations where the inquiries were made. Following the trail each clue brings players closer to solving the case.The objective of the game is to immerse yourself in the Victorian world depicted in each story. Visit the right places decipher the clues and above all find the path that leads you to solve the mystery before anybody else. Victory goes to the player who accurately uses the deductive reasoning so famously and ingeniously implemented by the hero of 221B Baker Street.The game consists of a series of separate cases each of which raises a number of questions that each player tries to solve before anyone else. To do this once the case and the questions have been read aloud players proceed to visit the locations where the clues are located. Each location cannot be accessed by more than one player at any one time so if two or more players want to go to the same place the player who travels there the fastest (i.e. he who uses the largest number of Carriage Tokens) gets the clue forcing the others to go to a different location. Once every player has a destination they proceed to read in secret the clue that was discovered at that location. They can discreetly take any notes they deem appropriate. Once this is done the cards are returned to their place so that others can read them in later turns.This procedure is repeated during each turn until one player believes he has found the solutions to the case; at that time he must go to 221B Baker Street to check if his answers are correct. If all the answers are correct the player wins; if they are wrong he will have lost and retires from the game and the game continues.Each detective will also have the invaluable assistance of a number of Sherlock Holmes' allies above all the good Dr Watson and of course of the detective himself.

Welcome to the Carlton House. Enjoy the luxury and solve the murders! How about a stroll in beautiful Queen's Park? Beware dogs and the occasional crime scene…Return to the streets of Victorian London but also venture into brand new locations in the latest installment in the Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective line: Carlton House & Queen's Park! Like the previously released The Thames Murders and Other Cases Carlton House & Queen's Park introduces ten exciting cases each one drawing players deep into the world of Sherlock Holmes. Among these cases includes two classic long out-of-print expansions which are now revised and updated. Whether you're playing solo or with up to eight possible players you need your wits about you to solve the cases and beat Holmes himself!—description from the publisher

Paint the Roses is a 2-5 player cooperative logic deduction game that automatically adapts to your skill during play.Set in the puzzling world of Alice in Wonderland you and your friends are the newly appointed Royal Gardeners. You are working together to finish the palace grounds according to the whims of the Queen of Hearts. Use strategy logic and teamwork to finish the garden whilst staying one step ahead of the Queen otherwise the last thing you hear will be Off With Their Heads!.The Queen's whims are shared via cards secret instructions each player is given into how the garden should be arranged. Her whims are always changing so as soon as you solve one a new one is in your hand.Every turn together as a team you must guess at least one of these secret whim cards. You can't say what your card shows but by carefully placing a new shrub tile into the garden (taken from those available in the Greenhouse) you are able to reveal clues tokens that will show any matches between the arrangement in the garden and the secret whims each player holds in their hands.Although you can't discuss your own secret whim card you can openly discuss other players'. Share your theories at the table and then make a guess. Correctly guessing a whim will move you forward on the score track but the Queen is always following and her speed automatically adjusts based on your current score. Guess incorrectly and the Queen moves twice as fast her axe ever closer to your neck.—description from the publisher

In The Little Prince: Make Me a Planet each player will build his own planet to provide a beautiful home for the dear animals of The Little Prince – the fox the sheep the elephant and the snake – but make sure there aren't too many volcanoes and baobab trees!Each round the start player chooses one of the four stacks of tiles and takes as many tiles as the number of players. He chooses one of them and appoints a different player to choose another tile. This new player takes the tile and starts building her own planet in front of her. Then she appoints another player and so on until every player gets a tile. The last player must take the only tile that remains. To make up for that this player becomes the start player for the next round.Baobab trees grow on some tiles and having too many of them is bad. If a player has three baobab trees on his planet the three tiles bearing these trees have to be turned face down. Now the items on those tiles won't score you points at the end of the game!By the end of the game four characters will be located around each player's planet earning that player points based on the various items present on the planet. Not everything is risk-free though as the player who has the highest number of volcanoes loses as many points as the number of volcanoes on his planet. The player with the highest score wins!

Once upon a time a witch lived alone in her house in the depths of the forest. Her favorite hobby was baking yummy gingerbread; in fact she loved gingerbread so much that she built her entire house out of it. Unfortunately she wasn't the only one who loved it! Rude fairy tale characters passing by were eating away her walls windows and doors! One day the witch decided that she'd had enough of them all helping themselves and paying attention to which types of gingerbread these greedy intruders liked the most she came up with an idea on how to get rid of them once and for all...In Gingerbread House you place domino-like tiles in a 3 by 3 grid covering symbols that provide you with four different types of gingerbread and special actions. Tiles may also be placed on existing types of tiles forming a 3D structure in front of you. Covering two of the same symbol is extremely valuable as it provides a bonus gingerbread or action. Victory points are awarded for building the tallest structure completing orders by discarding sets of gingerbread as well as being the quickest to achieve certain conditions. In the end the player with the most victory points wins.

Many years after the confrontation with Van Helsing Dracula landed in Whitby England once again. The citizens of Whitby sought help from the vampire hunter Professor Van Helsing. Will Van Helsing defeat Dracula before he transforms all the inhabitants into vampires?In Dracula vs Van Helsing each player controls one of the title characters. Van Helsing must remove all of Dracula's life points to win but if Dracula turns all four inhabitants of the same district into vampires first Dracula wins.The game lasts at most five rounds. Each round players play in turn (starting with Dracula) drawing a card then discarding that card or swapping it with one of the five cards on their rack to trigger the discarded card's ability. Cards come in eight types each with its own effect. Instead of drawing (and discarding) a card a player can call for the end of the round. In order to choose this action at least six cards need to be in the discard pile. After the opponent plays one last turn the round ends; otherwise the round ends when the deck is empty.At the end of a round players compare the five cards on their rack. Each card corresponds to one of the five districts on the game board. If Dracula has the higher-valued card one of the humans in this district is converted into a vampire; if Van Helsing is higher Dracula loses a health point. If one of the game-winning conditions is met the game ends immediately.—description from the publisher

The Fellowship of the Ring: Trick-Taking Game is a co-operative card game that plays out over eighteen chapters that lead players through the events of the novel The Fellowship of the Ring. The chapters can be played in any order but ideally you play them in sequence.In each chapter each player takes a different character role — Frodo Gandalf Sam Pippin Farmer Maggot etc. — and each character has a condition that must be met in order to pass the chapter and advance in the story. Frodo needs to capture ring cards for example while Pippin wants to take as few tricks as possible. As you advance through the chapters new characters items and challenges are introduced to the game.The deck consists of 37 cards with one card being set aside as lost each hand. Whoever is dealt the One Ring becomes Frodo then other players choose from the available characters based on their hand. The One Ring is the game's only trump card but initially rings can't be led until someone plays one off-suit.In the two-player game one hand of cards is dealt to a dummy player with some cards being face up and others face down. This dummy is assigned a character and one of the human players will play cards for it based on which cards are free to be played.In the solitaire game one player plays four hands of face-up cards with each hand being assigned a character and only a few cards being available at a time. After you play a trick deal each hand a new card.

It is 1882 and the Old Ones are already here.They arrived seven hundred years ago and have been ruling the planet ever since. The majority of people just get on with their lives accepting their monstrous rulers. However a growing band of revolutionaries wish to free mankind from their slavery. These freedom fighters call themselves the Restorationists. A secret war has already broken out between the Restorationists and the forces loyal to the Old Ones. The invention of dynamite has changed the balance of power and a lone assassin now has the capacity to destroy an Old One. In this shadow world of assassins informers police agents and anarchists nobody is quite sure who is who and which side they fight for.The game A Study in Emerald draws its central plot from the award-winning short story penned by Neil Gaiman in which the worlds of Sherlock Holmes and H.P. Lovecraft are combined to telling effect. However to create a world detailed enough for players much has been added from real history. The nineteenth century was a time of unrest with many colorful characters fighting both for and against the authorities. A Study in Emerald is the outcome of the merging of these three worlds.This second edition of A Study in Emerald sports new artwork by Ian O'Toole and Tatiana Kuzilova along with a streamlined set of rules that will hopefully help those folks who found the first version a tad complicated. Inconsistencies have been removed and the number of available actions has been reduced to the minimum whilst still retaining the mood of paranoia from the first edition.

The world of Midgaard created by author Jarosław Grzędowicz in The Lord of the Ice Garden novel series is inhabited by a race very similar to humans filled with magic and for a reason stuck at the cultural and technological level of medieval Viking world. The arrival of scientists from Earth disturbs its fragile balance. The power gained by controlling magic changes the scientists – they become possessed by the lust for making this world better. They become gods who are willing to sacrifice any life except for their own of course to accomplish their – great according to them – ideas.Players impersonate the scientists struggling for the domination over The Coast of Sails and also for staying on Midgaard because soon after them another person arrives to this world: Vuko Drakkainen highly trained agent whose task is to find the members of scientific expedition and send them back to Earth — or as a last resort make them vanish. Will the players as powerful gods allow him to do it?From the first turn the players are tossed in the middle of war. They will feel the adrenaline fear pain and the heat of a battle. They will smell blood and sweat hear the clash of arms and the moaning of wounded and dying.The Lord of the Ice Garden takes place on The Coast of Sails which is divided into several regions. The main goal is fighting for the domination over those regions. A region is dominated by the player with the most influence in it. Dominating the region allows players to collect its resources (M-factor gold population) also to win victory points in specific turns and to accomplish their own goals. Each player has unique winning conditions and special units.There is also Vuko who came to evacuate the scientists and clean up their mess. Each turn he goes to the region where the player with least reputation/morality (it decreases each time the player uses magic) has the most influence. Such a visit is nothing nice – Vuko kills one special unit of that player in this region and lowers his/her influence there.INITIATIVE PHASE: During the initiative phase players decide how many action tokens they will have for the current turn and also determine the player order during the Planning Phase. Moreover they can initiate scoring of the regions by moving their initiative tokens. In the advanced mode they also determine the order of action fields resolution.PLANNING PHASE: Players one by one in the order determined in the Initiative Phase place their action tokens on selected action fields.ACTION PHASE: Players perform actions in the action fields in the order determined by the placement of tokens. • Viper's Nest – player receives one token of any resource. They can also exchange resources. • Influence – player may sacrifice up to two population tokens to place as many influence tokens on the region(s) where they already have at least one influence • Move – player may sacrifice up to two gold tokens to make as many moves of their influence tokens and/or special units to the neighboring region(s) • Voracious Mountain – player may sacrifice population to move any number of their influence tokens and/or special units from one region to any other region • Raven's Shadow – player may raise his/her reputation or use a magic token to get rid of the disadvantageous token of contact with Vuko. • Magic – allows the player to do any of the three actions: translocate the M-factor summon special units of the given level add a new ability to the special unit. Each of those actions results in moving the Dead Snow token up on its track and decreasing the player's reputation. • Activation (automatic field) – after resolving the actions players may activate the abilities of their special units. The order of activation of given abilities is strictly determined. After the activation the situation on the board may change drastically. • Vuko Drakkainen (automatic field) – each turn Vuko must go to another region. Its figure is placed in the region where the most immoral player has the most influence. That player receives a conact token decreasing his/her influence and also loses one special unit in this region (provided he/she had any). In the advanced mode players will be able to equip Vuko with more abilities that will activate in specific moments of the game.DOMINATION PHASE: Players collect victory points and resources from the regions and accomplish their unique goals.

The Expanse a board game based on the Syfy television series of the same name focuses on politics conquest and intrigue similar to the board game Twilight Struggle although with a shorter playing time. The card-driven game uses key images from the show along with action points and events that allow players to move and place Fleets and Influence.In more detail players represent Earth's UN forces the military of Mars the rebels of the O.P.A. and the mysterious corporation Protogen Inc. Each player has special abilities that must be maneuvered to gain advantage. Players increase their control over the solar system using characters and events from the universe of The Expanse.

Love Letter: The Hobbit – The Battle of the Five Armies is a game of risk deduction and luck for 2–4 players based on the original Love Letter game by Seiji Kanai. The deck consists of 17 cards with the Arkenstone being valued #8 Bilbo Baggins #7 and so on down to The One Ring at #0.In each round each player starts with only one card in hand; one card is removed from play. On a turn you draw one card and play one card using the power on that card to expose others and (possibly) knock them out of the round. If you're the final player active in the round or the player with the highest card when the deck runs out then you score a point. In LL: The Hobbit The One Ring does nothing during play but it counts as a #7 when the game ends possibly leading to a tie should someone else hold Bilbo.In addition to the one extra card LL: The Hobbit differs from the original game in that the Baron (#3) is represented by two separate cards: Tauriel and Legolas. When you use an elf's power to compare cards Tauriel knocks out the player with the higher valued card while Legolas targets the lower valued card. (This change isn't in the German edition where Legolas and Tauriel have the same text.)Whoever first wins 4-7 rounds with the number dependent on the number of players wins the game!

In February 1895 London woke up to a loud bang. A large pillar of smoke showed that a bomb had exploded in the Houses of Parliament. Security forces were activated immediately and they arrested a suspicious young laborer near the area.Mycroft Holmes at the service of the crown was commissioned to investigate the relationship of the young laborer with anarchist groups. He thinks it will be an easy task that he can do from the comfort of his armchair in the Diogenes Club — until he is informed of disturbing news; his younger brother Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective has been hired by the boy's parents to prove the innocence of his son who believes to be a scapegoat of a dark conspiracy.For the first time the brightest minds in London face each other. Was the young laborer involved in this terrible attack or he is just a scapegoat for a dark conspiracy?A game of Holmes: Sherlock & Mycroft lasts seven turns (days of investigation). At the beginning of each day famous characters extracted from the books of Arthur Conan Doyle appear in London.Each player has three action tokens that move from one character to another to use their special abilities knowing that a player can never have two tokens on the same character. Therefore a character must be freed before reuse. The abilities of each character allow them to obtain Evidence Cards or gain Investigation Tokens in multiple ways. The game has great replay value because it is not known whether a character with a specific ability will make their appearance on the board in the Day 1 or in the final Day 7. Each game is different!

A Song of Ice & Fire: Tabletop Miniatures Game lets players take control of their favorite Houses from the novels — represented by trays of high-quality pre-assembled miniatures — and lead them into battle against their opponents. Players can recreate their favorite moments from the series or create their own stories. What if the Red Wedding never happened and Robb Stark assaulted King's Landing? Now fans can find out!Battles can range from large-scale wars with hundreds of miniatures to simple skirmishes between a few units without complicating the elegantly designed rules. The game features several unique systems including alternating activations that keep the players engaged; a Rank System that changes a unit's capabilities as the battle rages on; a Tactics System that provides strategic powers fueled by a finite resource each round; and most importantly the iconic Heroes such as Robb Stark and Jaime Lannister that can change the course of war both on and off the battlefield.The Stark vs Lannister Starter Set has everything needed for two players to fight epic battles. Containing forces for both House Stark and House Lannister players build their armies select leaders construct their tactics deck and engage in one of five different game modes.—description from the publisher

In Cthulhu Realms each player tries to reduce their opponents to insanity or have more sanity than their opponents when the deck runs out.Each player starts the game with a small deck comprised of initiates goons and followers. Five cards from the deck form a row of available cards on the table; with more than two players place three available cards between each pair of players.Each turn you start with five cards in hand playing those cards in order to put locations into play boost your own sanity or reduce that of others collect conjuring power to acquire new cards and remove cards from the game. You can use the power of your locations once each turn. At the end of your turn discard any cards still in hand and all entities and artifacts that you played.If you lose all of your sanity you're out of the game. If you're the only one at the table who's still sane you win. Otherwise the game ends when the deck runs out and whoever has the most sanity wins.

A heinous crime has been committed. A team of the Kingdom's finest detectives has been assembled and put on the case. They have a prime suspect they have a motive and they know what the opportunity to commit the crime was. Now all they have to do is prove it.Using powers of deduction and communication the players work as a team to eliminate dead leads and find clues to prove who how and why. All the relevant clues are available to them to do so. They just won't know it. On top of that Sherlock Holmes himself is already on the case. Can they solve the crime before he does?At the start of Beyond Baker Street players select one of the crimes to solve and a number of suspects motives and opportunities will be available for the players to convict of the crime. Each player holds a set of clues but they won't be able to see their own clues — only those of their counterparts. Each turn a player must take exactly one of the following actions:Players win together if they can gather enough evidence to make a conviction before Holmes does; otherwise they crumble under the stress of the case.

Description from the publisher:In The Dresden Files Cooperative Card Game players work together to solve cases from the bestselling Dresden Files novels in the ultimate what-if scenario: What if Harry was on the scene with allies who weren't there in the original story? Play Harry Murphy Susan Michael and the Alphas in the first five novels or take on Side Jobs in a random scenario generator based on the short story collection of the same name.Play your hand clear the board and beat the odds in the final showdown at the end of the book. Use teamwork strategy and a wee bit of luck to win the day.The game has plenty of in-jokes and references for Dresden fans (like the unreliable range of the Blue Beetle) but it’s accessible to people who haven’t read the books.This is a tightly tuned strategic cooperative game that feels intense vital and a little bit risky (thanks to dice and other factors) throughout play. At 30 minutes per session gameplay is fast-paced and down to the wire. In this game players take on the role of Harry Dresden and his allies investigating cases and taking on foes from the books. To accomplish this you'll share a common pool of action points (called Fate points) and each player must choose between taking an action or generating Fate points each turn. Solve more cases than there are foes left standing to win!In short each player plays a character from the novels (one of them is always Harry) taking on a shuffled scenario deck based on one of the books in the series. Using a combination of cards dice and teamwork players attack foes investigate cases take advantages and overcome obstacles to make sure they have the best possible odds for a win in the final showdown at the end of the book! Like any good cooperative game it's hard to win (no fun if there's no challenge!) but always rewarding to play and scales smoothly from one to five players.

In Hunt for the Ring one player takes the role of Frodo and his companions who are journeying from the Shire to Rivendell while up to four other players represent the Nazgûl who are trying to hunt down the hobbits. While traveling Frodo and others must resist being corrupted by the Ring that he wears.Hunt for the Ring is a hidden movement game played in two chapters with each chapter being played on a different game board. In the first chapter the Frodo player attempts to move from the Shire to Bree gaining corruption points if they fail to do so after sixteen turns. If the Frodo player succeeds they can either record their exit point (and other game details) to play the second chapter at a later time or they can continue immediately with the second chapter having the Frodo player move from Bree to Rivendell. In this chapter the Frodo player doesn't control the hobbits directly but instead draws cards from a journey deck with each card showing one of many paths to Rivendell.

The Brothers of the Night's Watch seek a new leader from among their ranks. Jeor Mormont wishes to promote one who can improve the infrastructure of the Gift the bountiful and undeveloped area south of the Wall bestowed to the Watch by the Starks thousands of years ago. Drawing sustenance from the unforgiving landscape of the north offers enough challenges but whomever takes up this task must also man and defend the Wall against the onslaught of Wildlings fighting their way into Westeros. Many brothers now compete to build defend and do what they can to protect Westeros but only one shall rise above their brothers to become the new Lord Commander. But be wary — the north holds many dangers and winter is coming.A Game of Thrones Catan: Brotherhood of the Watch is based on the classic Settlers of Catan base game. In this game each area in the Gift supplies one of five resources: lumber brick wool grain and ore. The barren Ice Fields however produce nothing. Players take on the role of Brothers of the Night's Watch and use these resources to strengthen their hold on the north by building roads settlements and keeps; recruiting guards for their patrol; or buying development cards. Each of these acts bring players increased power and recognition through the awarding of victory points. The objective will be familiar to players of the original Catan; the first player to achieve ten victory points wins the game and becomes the new Lord Commander of the Night's Watch.But this is not as easy as it sounds as the area surrounding the Gift can be treacherous. Wildings from north of the Wall have crossed over and follow their own rules of honor which often conflict with the laws of Westeros. One of their ranks Tormund Giantsbane does not respect the Watch's claim to the land as he moves throughout the Gift robbing resources from the Brothers sent to provide for their Order. While Tormund runs amok south of the Wall Wildling forces gather in the Frostfangs awaiting an opportune moment of weakness to breach the Watch's defenses and spread throughout the fruitful lands of Westeros. In addition to building within the Gift players must strategically balance their resources to defend the Realm from Wildling raiders.Each player may recruit up to seven brothers from the prisons of Westeros to don their specific color and man their section of the Wall. When the Wildings attack each player must use their guards to fend off the onslaught. If there are more guards than Wildings the Wall stands. If there are not the Wildings invade the Gift and pillage the settlements and keeps therein. Yet loyalty only goes so far — guards are useless defending the Wall from Climbers who slip past them and if they encounter a Giant at least one guard is bound to desert his post.Each player also has a hero to aide in their toil based on the order of play. The first player will utilize the talents of the Lord Commander himself Jeor Mormont while the second player will enjoy the company of Samwell Tarly the third will work with Bowen Marsh and the fourth will employ the services of Master Builder Othell Yarwyck. Each hero offers a unique ability to each player which they can use up to twice during the game. Once a hero's ability has been used players have a choice to keep that hero or choose another of the eleven heroes to aide them. Players should factor the heroes' abilities into their strategy to quickly earn victory points and gain renown within the Watch.The Wildling invasion marks the truest test of the Brothers of the Watch and your own competency as a commander. A failure at the Wall has a devastating impact on the Gift even if it does not destroy the players. A Game of Throne Catan: Brotherhood of the Watch has two forms of victory though one may feel hollower than the other. Victory occurs when a player has both improved the infrastructure of the Gift and successfully kept it safe from invaders. This is shown when a player has achieved ten victory points by any combination of building keeps roads and settlements; hiring three or more guards to keep the Wall safe; and buying development cards to increase their prestige all while safeguarding the Gift.However if the Wildlings breach the wall three times throughout the game an alternate victory takes place. If this occurs the game ends immediately as the Brotherhood of the Night's Watch can no longer delay their decision. The player commanding the most guards holding their posts on the Wall gains the title of Lord Commander and wins the game.—description from the publisher

Cthulhu: Death May Die is back with a new standalone box and upgraded rules! Designed by Rob Daviau and Marco Portugal Fear of the Unknown marks a new Season of the hit board game that brought a new twist to the mythos universe created by H.P. Lovecraft. Face the challenges of 6 new Episode and 2 new Elder Boxes that bring new insanities and monsters as well as new modular rules in this cooperative board game for 1 to 5 players.—description from the publisher

That flaming column was spouting volcanically. The combustion does not lay warmth but only the clamminess of death and corruption. – The Festival H.P. Lovecraft 1923In the unimaginable darkness of Kingsport silent wanderers are called to a profane celebration. Their goal: to invoke unthinkable horrors! A dread terror that is not of this world or any other — but rather from the spaces between the stars — demands your submission. Meanwhile unwary investigators vainly attempt to halt this appalling chapter in the dark history of Arkham.As the high priest of one of these shadowy cults you must dominate the city. You will invoke cosmic creatures and unholy gods to receive their gifts but you must take care to preserve your sanity and thwart the investigators who seek to stop you. This time you are the bad guys. Why settle for the lesser evil?Kingsport Festival a game of bizarre cults set in the terrifying world of Howard Philips Lovecraft lasts 12 rounds each divided into six phases. All Cultists roll their dice and the one that rolled the lowest sum will play first and so on then (in turn order) each one may invoke an Elder God by using one or more of his dice where the sum of their values is exactly equal to the number of the Elder God or pass. Once all the dice are placed or players have passed in ascending order the Elder Gods give their gifts to the Cultists who invoked them: the Cultists may have to lose Sanity points to receive the rewards. After Cultists have taken their dice back in turn order each one may place his disk on one Building that is connected to another one he has already marked (starting from the House). To do so he must pay the Domain resources required.In turns marked with a blue marker on the Calendar a Raid takes place: first the Event card and then the Investigator card is revealed. Each Cultist calculates his Strength by adding up any modifiers he has due to Spells Buildings and other game effects (such as Events Scenarios etc.). If his strength is greater the Cultist receives rewards; if is less he suffers the penalty.The game ends after the twelfth round is played. If the Scenario has a Festival card it is revealed and its effects resolved at this time. The Cultist who has the most Cult points is the winner.

Wandering through the winding paths of a magic forest Alice stumbles upon a royal garden. Poor gardeners have been rushed off their feet trying to arrange it according to the Queen's wishes. The trees must be as far apart as possible the rose bushes must be the most sumptuous in the whole Wonderland and the chess pieces must have a neat path to walk on. Is it possible to achieve all that and be spared the Queen's wrath?In Alice's Garden you arrange the garden plants in the most advantageous way and help Alice and the gardeners appease the Queen and grow the best garden in Wonderland. To do this you place tiles on your individual player boards with the tiles being of different shapes 'Tetris-style and depicting flowers trees etc. To win more points you should fulfill as many requirements as possible.The game ends after the round in which a player can't place a tile from the supply on their player board. The player with the most points wins.—description from the publisher

1931: Your scientific expedition discovers a new and intriguing mountain range in the middle of the Antarctic polar circle. Under these challenging conditions the survival of your team will depend on your ability to communicate with each other and to coordinate your efforts to overcome each obstacle — but what you discover on the way to the highest peak will strongly test your mental health. Will you even be able to understand yourself despite the madness that gradually insinuates itself into your mind?Based on the novel by H. P. Lovecraft Mountains of Madness is a fully cooperative game with a pinch of real-time gameplay.

Description from the publisher:Walpurgis Night May’s Eve is always a nightmare in witch-haunted Arkham. There are bad doings and a child or two frequently goes missing. This year Miskatonic University students engaged in occult studies have been turning up dead. Arkham Police in deference to your unusual expertise have asked for your help to get to the root of the matter. Time is of the essence because after Walpurgis Night the trail will grow cold and the culprits will retreat to the shadows until the next Witches' Sabbat when the next cycle of deaths will begin.As private investigator Howard Lovecraft you will investigate events based on the stories The Dreams in the Witch House (1933) The Thing on the Doorstep (1933) and The Unnamable (1923).Arkham Noir is a solitaire card game inspired by the interconnected stories of H. P. Lovecraft and other authors re-imagined as noir detective stories. Each case stands alone.Gameplay consists of adding cards to open cases creating lines of investigation in an effort to solve them. The ultimate goal is to score five puzzle clue cards in order to piece together the big picture before running out of time or mental stability. Each newly shuffled deck is the start of a unique challenge with adjustable difficulty levels to accommodate all level of players.•••Como cada año en la ciudad embrujada de Arkham la noche de Walpurgis en las vísperas del 1 de mayo trae consigo malos augurios desapariciones y sucesos inexplicables. Este año han aparecido muertos varios estudiantes de la Universidad de Miskatonic que investigaban temas relacionados con el ocultismo. Una vez más la policía de Arkham reclama tu inusual experiencia para llegar a la raíz de los hechos. Debes actuar con rapidez antes de que las huellas del culto se desvanezcan y los culpables vuelvan a ocultarse entre las sombras donde permanecerán hasta el Sabbat de las brujas cuando comenzará un nuevo ciclo de muertes.Ponte en la piel del investigador privado Howard Lovecraft e indaga los sucesos basados en los relatos: “Los sueños en la casa de la bruja” (1933) “El que acecha en el umbral” (1933) y “Lo innombrable” (1923).Arkham Noir es un juego inspirado en la interconexión de relatos de H. P. Lovecraft y otros autores reinventados como historias detectivescas de novela negra. Cada caso de la serie Arkham Noir es independiente y se juega en solitario. El juego consiste en ir añadiendo cartas de pista a las líneas de investigación de los diferentes casos abiertos con el propósito de resolverlos. El objetivo final es recabar 5 tipos de pista diferentes con el atributo Puzle que al unirlas nos proporcionen la perspectiva general de los sucesos acontecidos cuidando de que no se acabe el tiempo o perdamos la cordura.Cada volumen de la serie nos enfrentará a un reto único con grados de dificultad adaptables para cualquier tipo de jugador.

In The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Deck-Building Game you take on the role of Frodo Gandalf Aragorn or one of their brave and heroic allies in the struggle against the forces of the Dark Lord Sauron! While you begin armed only with basic combat maneuvers you will add new more powerful cards to your deck as you go with the goal of defeating the deadly forces that serve Sauron as you make your way towards Mount Doom. In the end the player who has accumulated the most victory points (VPs) from the cards in his deck wins.Each player takes the role of one of seven iconic heroes from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring: Aragorn Frodo Gandalf Legolas Gimli Samwise and Boromir. Each hero comes with a special power unique to that character and usable only by that player.Each player starts with his own basic ten-card deck and draws a hand of five cards each turn. Power is the currency you will use to buy new stronger cards to add to your deck. The goal of a deck-building game is to craft your personal deck into a well-oiled machine. There are five different types of cards that can be acquired: Enemies Allies Artifacts Manuevers and Locations.To bolster their existing deck of cards players use Power to acquire cards from The Path a large central stack of cards that supplies a five-card line-up from which players make their purchases. Each player will always have five face-up cards from which to choose each turn so every turn there are new options and surprises.When a player has amassed enough Power he or she may defeat more powerful enemies from the Archenemy deck. Archenemy cards are represented by the notable enemies from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring including Saruman and the Balrog among others. When an Archenemy is defeated a new one appears and makes an Attack against each player in the game! Players can defend themselves with Defense cards like Boromir's Shield Mithril Armor You Shall Not Pass! and several others.The objective for each player is to acquire the most VPs by the end of the game. Nearly every card acquired during the game has a VP value with the Archenemy cards providing the most VPs. In the end the player who has accumulated the most VPs from the cards in his deck wins.Cryptozoic's The Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit deck-builder series:

Le Fantôme de l’Opéra is a two-player game based on the Mr. Jack game system – that is the game is an asymmetric affair in which one player wants to reveal which suspect token on the game board represents the opponent with both players taking turns moving all of the suspects to alternately reveal and hide information. That said the game differs in a number of ways from Mr. Jack. In more detail...In Le Fantôme de l’Opéra eight suspect tokens stand in the ten rooms of the Opéra Garnier. Each suspect has a reason to drive the opera singer La Carlotta away from the production and at the start of the game one of the suspects is randomly determined to be the true identity of the Phantom player. The other player is the Investigator and he wants to discover the Phantom's identity; if he does so before La Carlotta flees the Opéra Garnier then he wins. Otherwise he loses. (To balance play between newcomers and experienced players La Carlotta's starting position can changed.)At the start of each odd round eight suspect cards are shuffled and four of them revealed. The Investigator moves one suspect and (likely) uses this suspect's unique ability then the Phantom moves two of the remaining three suspects then the Investigator moves the final suspect. The Phantom player then reveals whether he can or cannot cause a disturbance in the Opéra Garnier thus scaring La Carlotta; he can cause a disturbance only if he's alone or if he's in the room with the blackout token. If he can cause a disturbance the Investigator clears all suspects sharing a lit room; if not the Investigator clears all suspects in the dark or on their own. After this La Carlotta moves one step closer to fleeing for each suspect that hasn't been declared innocent (and an additional step if the Phantom did create a disturbance).For each even round the remaining four suspect cards are revealed and the players again move characters and use their special abilities with the Phantom going first. The game continues until only a single suspect is not innocent or La Carlotta flees France for the safety of Milan.When a character moves it can move up to as many spaces as the number of characters in the room from which it moves. Most characters can move only through open corridors but Meg Giry can use secret passageways that connect many of the rooms. The players must use Meg's ability and the other characters' special abilities to hide or reveal information. One character for example moves a padlock that blocks one corridor while another is responsible for the roaming blackout that allows the Phantom to operate in darkness (or at least provide cover for his activity elsewhere). One sweet character can draw everyone from adjacent rooms to her side while an unpleasant fellow can drive everyone away. Still another reveals (or hides) an alibi card clearing one suspect (or keeping his true nature unknown). Every character is useful in the right situation. You just have to learn what those situations are...

Based upon the stories by Robert E. Howard (creator of Conan) Solomon Kane is a narrative adventure board game featuring exceptional 35mm miniatures. It is a highly innovative co-operative game of storytelling resource management and tactical miniatures play. Players take the part of the invisible powers of good and light who aid Solomon Kane in his quest to overcome the forces of Darkness. Each player is one of the four Cardinal Virtues: Courage Prudence Temperance and Justice each with special powers that reflect their unique role.Drawing upon Howard’s famous tales of the Puritan avenger the core box allows players to tell their own versions of the Rattle of Bones Skulls in the Stars and Blue Flame of Vengeance. Expansions recreate Howard’s other Solomon Kane stories as well as adding original adventures for the hero created especially for the game.In Solomon Kane each of Howard’s tales is told as one or more Acts with each Act comprising a full game session. Shorter stories like Rattle of Bones can be completed in a single session whilst longer tales will take multiple sessions to play through.An Act is broken down into 8-10 Chapters and each Chapter has multiple possible outcomes depending upon the actions of the players. Some Chapters offer story choices whereas others see the action play out on the game board as the players work together to aid Solomon Kane in his quest.Using custom card decks and dice each Virtue can control Solomon Kane or his allies moving them around the board fighting enemies exploring locations and interrogating suspects for information. If the odds get too stacked against Solomon Kane the Virtues can even manifest directly to intervene on the board.Opposing Solomon Kane and the players is the Darkness. This twisted reflection of the Virtues is controlled by an AI deck which determines the actions of enemy miniatures thwarts the player’s best plans and competes with them to drive the story in an evil and unholy direction.The world of Solomon Kane is brought to life through the stunning artistic vision of Guillem H. Pongiluppi and game designer Jake Thornton whose ‘puppet master’ game mechanics break new ground in co-operative gameplay. With multiple versions of every single Chapter Solomon Kane is able to combine immersive storytelling with abundant replayability for a truly unique gameplay experience.Who is Solomon Kane? Solomon Kane is a dour English Puritan and redresser of wrongs. He roams the world fighting against the ungodly and evil works of men and foul magic alike. He follows no master save his conscience though that alone drives him to the ends of the Earth to fulfil his quest.All his life he has travelled aiding the weak and fighting oppression. From the bleak moors of England through the damp forests of Germany to the sweltering jungles and savannahs of Africa – even to the shores of the distant New World of America. He neither knows nor questions why is driven to do this. It simply must be done.To Solomon Kane he is the fulfiller of God’s judgment; a vessel of wrath to be emptied onto the souls of the unrighteous. To his enemies he is an implacable fury armed with flintlock and rapier and armoured in unshakeable faith. The knowledge of the rightness of his cause makes him unstoppable and gives him the ability to overcome any fiend or demon.

In 18Lilliput players try to build up the best railroad network by using action cards to get richer than the other players.Every player starts with a railroad corporation and a character that gives them a special ability during the game. The game is limited to eight rounds of play and every round each player may select two action cards from a common pool to undertake activities on behalf of their railroads. These actions include laying new track upgrading track buying trains buying new shares or opening a new company or simply getting money into one's personal cash or into a company's treasury.After the action selection phase each company runs its trains and earns money which can be withheld for future investments (trains track railheads) or paid out to the shareholders. This decision will influence the share price value of the company in question.At the end of the game players sum their cash on hand with the value of their shares and whoever has the biggest total wins.18xx players will find a lot of used and tried mechanisms as well as many new elements mingled into a quick and exciting card game.—description from the designer

Based on the hit Mistborn novel series by Brandon Sanderson the Mistborn Deckbuilding game takes players into the world of Scadrial! From designer John D Clair players get to control iconic characters from the series and burn metals to unlock Allomantic powers in fast-paced battles.Mistborn is a standalone deck-building game in which you “purchase” cards as you play to build and improve your deck. Burn metals to activate cards. Each metal has its own strengths: damaging opponents earning mission points and manipulating allies. There are multiple ways to win! Defeat your opponents in furious allomantic battles or complete a series of perilous missions before your enemies do.Play head-to-head against your friends or take on the The Lord Ruler in solo or co-op play!—description from the publisher

Call to Adventure: Stormlight is a 120-card standalone game containing everything you need to play. Based on the works of Brandon Sanderson this expansion and others to follow add new challenges new destinies and new paths to follow.Call to Adventure is a hero-crafting game that combines strategy and storytelling. It's similar to some tableau-building games in which you're creating a kingdom or civilization but in this game you're building a character. Each player begins with cards that define your hero's origin motivation and destiny. Over the course of the game you overcome challenges and gain traits. It's a game with points and a clear winner but the highlight of every game is telling your hero's story at the end.

Based on the first novel of the Die Zwerge tetralogy [Eng. The Dwarves] by author Markus Heitz the goal of the cooperative game Die Zwerge is to keep evil from flooding Girdlegard. During set-up players choose one of the dwarves from the novel each of which is equipped with a unique special ability and different stats for fighting crafting and movement.Before each player's turn the forces of evil usually break through one of the four big gates – which are guarded by different dwarven tribes – and further the spread of the Perished Land. On his turn a player spends two action points to use two of five actions. He can:For most of these actions a player must succeed in a dice-driven challenge. If the players cannot control the flood of evil while simultaneously solving the major quests in time they will lose.

Game description from the publisher:Greed Pride Gluttony Wrath Luxury Idleness and Envy – the infamous Seven Deadly Sins. For the faithful they instill horror. For you on the other hand they present a wonderful business opportunity!In The Road to Canterbury you play a medieval pardoner who sells certificates delivering sinners from the eternal penalties brought on by these Seven Deadly Sins. You make your money by peddling these counterfeit pardons to Pilgrims traveling the road to Canterbury. Perhaps you can persuade the Knight that his pride must be forgiven? Surely the Friar's greed will net you a few coins? The Miller's wrath and the Monk's gluttony are on full public display and demand pardoning! The Wife of Bath regales herself in luxury the Man-of-Law languishes in idleness and that Prioress has envy written all over her broad forehead. And the naughty stories these Pilgrims tell each other are so full of iniquity they would make a barkeep blush! Pardoning such wickedness should be easy money right?Not quite. For you to succeed as a pardoner you'll need to do more than just sell forged pardons for quick cash. To keep your services in demand you will actually need to lead these Pilgrims into temptation yourself! Perhaps some phony relics might help? There is also one big catch. The Seven Deadly Sins live up to their name: each sin that a Pilgrim commits brings Death one step nearer and a dead Pilgrim pays no pardoners!So much to forgive so little time. Will you be able to outwit your opponents by pardoning more of these Pilgrims' sins before they die or finish their pilgrimage to Canterbury?

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.

Cowboy Bebop: Space Serenade is a competitive deck-building game with 2 to 4 players in which you play one of the four members of the famous Bebop crew.Each player tries to prove that he is the best bounty hunter by getting the most reputation points at the end of the game. To do so they will have to capture the criminals wanted by the ISSP in a spirit of limited collaboration.During the game players will be able to buy cards that will allow them to improve their personal deck in order to better manage the resources necessary for their victory. They will also be able to move from planet to planet with gas or use their special abilities and even those of other players if they have in the same place as them.The game ends when the terrible Vicious is captured or has fled.—description from publisher

You have an invitation at 5 p.m. at the Mad Hatter’s garden. The table is ready the cookies taste like buttery heaven and the tea is strong and spicy. More sugar? asks the Mad Hatter giving you a bizarre look.Yes plea...Time's up! he yells interrupting you. Sugar cookies and millions of hats fly everywhere. Tea spills all over the tablecloth as he proceeds with a huge smile on his face. It's time to play a game.•••In Hats two to four players compete to acquire the most outstanding hats by exchanging cards in hand with cards on the tea table board. Each card exchange influences how each hat is scored. Naturally at the end of the game the player with the highest score will be declared the maddest!To play everyone draws nine cards. You take your turn by performing one of the following two actions:Optional action: At any time during your turn you may discard a single card of your choice to draw a new one from the draw deck. In a four-player game players will exchange cards with their teammates.END GAME SCORINGHat Collection: Players earn points for the hat cards in their collection based on the position of the matching type on the tea table board. If two or more hat cards on the tea table board are of the same type find the hat card of that type with the lowest position on the tea table board and keep it face up while turning all other cards of that type face down.Favorite Hat: Each player reveals the final card in their hand as their favorite hat type. Players gain points equal to the sum of all cards in their collection that match the type of their favorite hat minus the value of the final card in their hand.The Last Cookie: There is only one cookie left at the table. Players compete for the cookie by having the most different types of hat cards in their collection. Black hats count as a type. During the game pass the cookie to the player who has the most different types of hat cards. The chocolate chip cookie is worth five points at the end of the game.—description from publisher

Jekyll & Hyde vs Scotland Yard is a co-operative trick-taking game for two players that's a standalone spin-off of Jekyll vs. Hyde.You're Dr. Jekyll the kind doctor and valuable friend — but you're also the infamous Mr. Hyde who is hunted by Scotland Yard for the many misdeeds committed in the City of London. Your objective is to maintain the balance in the duality of your personality while staying ahead of Scotland Yard's investigation.This is a story-based game in which you have to achieve the objectives of every chapter of the story to complete the game.—description from the publisher

Who Goes There? is a cooperative game of growing paranoia. At the beginning of the game all players are human and there is no reason not to trust each other completely but as the temperature drops and mistakes are made players start doubting everything and everyone around them.You must build trade and upgrade to prepare yourself for the Antarctic Terrain rabid dog attacks crazed madmen...and most importantly the alien entity that is now loose in the camp. Everything you build and upgrade has one purpose...keeping you alive and human! During the entire game you will want to trade with other players and help each other build stronger weapons and better equipment while also passing food and med kits around. Although make sure your trust them since trade is a huge opportunity for The Thing.Staying inside may keep you from freezing to Death but it won't help you or your fellow humans win. The only way to secure victory is by venturing out of the camp! The problem with that is being away from camp is the number one way to come across The Thing...leaving you vulnerable and exposed to infection. Whether fixing the boiler repairing the door or fighting the frigid temperatures outside you will all need one another to survive. But trust is a hard thing to come by when you must be wary of...Who Goes There?

As a little pig your dearest wish is to build a strong and beautiful house in which you can spend your long winter evenings. But you won’t need trowels nor scaffoldings as only dice will allow you to construct your dream home. Beware the wolf prowling around whose only thought is to literally blow down your comfy house!The Three Little Pigs is an easy and fun dice game for the whole family. On your turn roll the special pink dice up to three times and try to generate symbols to trade for doors windows and roofs made of straw wood and brick. The more beautiful and voluminous your house is the more points you will earn at the end of the game. If you generate two wolf symbols take a huff and puff and blow someone's house down!This original game comes in a box decorated to look like a storybook and includes an illustrated version of the famous tale of the Three Little Pigs.

Fee Fi Fo Fum! I smell the blood of an Englishman! roared the giant as he crashed through the vines. Jack with one arm around his precious stolen harp and the other grasping the beanstalk felt the rush of danger. Will he make it to the bottom in time to chop down the leafy ladder or will the giant successfully catch the thieving beggar?In The Blood of an Englishman players take on the role of either Jack or the Giant. The Giant must maneuver the Fee Fi Fo and Fum cards while Jack tries to create three beanstalks to steal the bag of gold the Golden Goose and the Singing Harp. Each player has different available actions and must carefully arrange the cards to achieve their goal. Are you brave enough to face your fate?

War of the Worlds: The New Wave is an asymmetrical deck-building game with a playing board for two players. The game events unfold several years after the original War of the Worlds story by H.G. Wells.The extraterrestrial invasion is occurring once again but this time the Martians have arrived on a giant spaceship that lands in one of the backwater districts in Scotland. During the game one player commands the alien forces and the other one leads the UK self-defense units. The main objective of the invaders is to completely annihilate the population of Great Britain while the opposite side needs to deal enough damage to the Martian army.The game is played with two asymmetrical decks of cards a playing board tokens and miniatures.

The classic Choose Your Own Adventure series comes to life in the narrative adventure game Choose Your Own Adventure: House of Danger.Will you survive the House of Danger? Gather your friends for a perilous and laughter-filled adventure through the House of Danger itself. Make risky choices collect items as you explore and face off against dire challenges. Play again and again to uncover more secrets and different endings!—description from the publisher

Take part in one of the most famous science-fiction stories of all time. Dune: A Game of Conquest and Diplomacy builds on 40 years of development refinement and evolution from the original classic game. It has the same beloved DNA flavor tension and themes but with new game-board design more spice new streamlined rules and a new market deck from which you can purchase game advantages. Also the brand new two-player mode really opens up new gaming opportunities all making the game more accessible for even the most casual gamer.In Dune you will take control of one of the four great factions—House Atreides House Harkonnen the Fremen and the Imperium—all vying to control the most valuable resource in the universe: melange the mysterious spice only found at great cost on the planet Dune. Ship your forces to Dune harvest spice seize control of strongholds and destroy your enemies. Who will control Dune? You decide!The game is played multiple phases some of which don't have player specific actions like in the Spice phase a Spice Blow card is drawn and spice is added to the board in two territories or else a Sandworm attacks that last two territories where spice was placed. But on the card phase each player draws up to a hand of 4 Battle cards and then may purchase Market cards up to a hand of 3 for 2 spice each. On the Shipping and Movement Phase players take turns adding forces to the board and then moving forces on the board. Each player's faction hasThe game plays 3 to 5 Rounds. Starting on Round 3 the game can end if a player occupies 3 strongholds at the end of the Round. If no one occupies 3 strongholds at the end of Round 5 then the player with the most spice wins (and each stronghold they occupy counts as 5 spice).

The Witcher Adventure Game takes players on a journey across the world of The Witcher a detailed world rich in lore and characters fleshed out by Andrzej Sapkowski's famous series of novels and honed by The Witcher video game trilogy.Players assume the roles of four distinct characters from this series: Geralt of Rivia monster slayer; Triss Merigold cunning sorceress; Yarpen Zigrin dwarven warrior; and Dandelion roguish bard. Each character has unique skills and multiple ways of overcoming obstacles but you decide what to do during the game: Do you fight your way to victory call on your charm or try your hand at diplomacy? You can bring enemies around to your point of view with a sword as Geralt - or bribe them with gold and threaten to call on powerful friends as Dandelion. If a situation calls for strength in numbers Yarpen has his own fellowship of dwarves to command and Triss can rely on her expert skill with magic to save the day.Each character has its own deck of Development Cards so each time you play you can discover something new by trying out varied characters and experimenting with different builds. For example when playing as Geralt of Rivia the main hero of the Witcher franchise you can develop your character either by specializing in brewing and utilizing combat Elixirs or else by growing your ability to cast powerful Witcher Signs.A variety of quests invite players to hunt monsters earn gold and interact with the characters they meet in a web of alliances and treachery. Decide whether you’ll help the other players or look after your own interests first and keep an eye on the progress of your friends while you carefully work your way towards victory.

The citizens of Verona have grown tired of the constant quarrel between the houses of Capulet and Montague. As ruler of the region Prince Escalus has formed a council to help mediate the conflict and bring lasting peace to Verona.In Council of Verona players take on the role of influential citizens of Verona and act to use their influence to either add characters to the council or cast them into exile. Through thoughtful hand management of their cards and clever placement of influence tokens players gain victory points based upon the agendas of the characters at the end of the game. The player with the most victory points wins!We've all heard the story of Romeo and Juliet – now is your chance to steer the story and determine who will rule Verona once and for all!

Codenames: Harry Potter features the gameplay from Codenames Duet with players working together to reveal all the right cards before they run out of time or summon Lord Voldemort or another dark wizard.The cards that players need to guess feature a word or phrase on one side and an image on the other.

Marrying Mr. Darcy is a role-playing game where players are one of the female characters from Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice. Players work to improve themselves and become more desirable as potential wives for the available Suitors. The ladies do this by attending Events and improving their Characters but advantage can be gained by the use of Cunning. All of their efforts are in hopes of securing the husband that will make them the most satisfied character at the end of the game.Game play is divided into two stages: the initial Courtship Stage and the concluding Proposal Stage.The Courtship Stage is when players try to improve their Heroine’s chances of happiness by earning points playing Character Cards and acquiring or playing Cunning Cards. Character Points help you to attract Suitors and also count toward your total number of Character points at the end of the game.Cunning Points do not count towards your building your Character. However the Heroine who has acquired the most Cunning will be the first player to enter the Proposal Stage later in the game putting her at a significant advantage.The Proposal Stage begins when Event Cards have been played. In this stage players will roll to see which Suitor proposes to them decide if they will marry them and calculate their final score.

Randolph Carter is sitting across from your desk. The state police have strongly advised me to stay out of the area. One dead companion and two others missing presumed dead; Carter was old money which went a long way towards explaining why he wasn't in jail. Uh huh is all the enthusiasm you can muster. He continues: We were looking into the creeping death stalking the locals. Poor squatter types descendants of the Dutch colonists that once claimed the land. Typer put me on to it and now he's nowhere to be found of course. Things got out of hand and I wonder if you’d finish looking into it for me? Old money trumps no money when the rent is due so you tell him you'll motor out to the Catskills and poke around. Bring an umbrella. There are an awful lot of storms in the area.Arkham Noir is a solitaire card game inspired by the interconnected stories of H. P. Lovecraft and other authors re-imagined as noir detective stories. Each case stands alone. In Case #2 – Called Forth By Thunder as private investigator Howard Lovecraft you will investigate events based on the stories: The Lurking Fear (1923) and The Diary of Alonzo Typer (1938). New elements such as storm cards and formula cards are introduced which will force players to face the new challenge in a different way.•••–La policía estatal me ha aconsejado encarecidamente que me mantenga alejado de ese lugar. Un compañero ha perdido la vida y otros dos continúan desaparecidos presumiblemente también muertos. Randolph Carter sentado frente a mi escritorio era de familia ilustre lo que en parte explica por qué no estaba en la cárcel. –Ajá ¿eso es todo el entusiasmo que puedes reunir? –continuó. Investigábamos las extrañas muertes de los lugareños gente humilde descendientes de colonos holandeses que una vez reclamaron esa tierra. –Typer me metió en esto y ahora ha desaparecido. Las cosas se nos fueron de las manos… Me pregunto si terminarías la investigación por mí. Mi apellido no ayuda cuando se trata de pagar el alquiler. Diles que te dirigirás al bosque de Catskills y mantén los ojos bien abiertos. No olvides el paraguas. Las tormentas son frecuentes en la zona.Ponte en la piel del investigador privado Howard Lovecraft e indaga en los sucesos basados en los relatos: “El diario de Alonzo Typer” (1938) y “El horror oculto” (1923).Arkham Noir es un juego inspirado en la interconexión de relatos de H. P. Lovecraft y otros autores reinventados como historias detectivescas de novela negra. Cada caso de la serie Arkham Noir es independiente y se juega en solitario.En esta segunda enrtega se introducen nuevos elementos como cartas de tormenta o las de fórmula que obligarán a los jugadores a enfrentarse al nuevo reto de una manera diferente.

EXIT: Das Spiel - Die Känguru-Eskapaden is a bit unusual compared to the other titles in this series as it revolves around your efforts to aid the kangaroo Schnuffies in its entrance test for an asocial network. Will you be able to make it in time? That's not easy as it will request team spirit and a lateral thinking. This is an unusual EXIT adventure set in the world of Marc-Uwe Kling's kangaroo trilogy!Like other titles in the series EXIT: Das Spiel - Die Känguru-Eskapaden includes components meant to be folded written upon or torn so it's marketed as a single-use game.

Manipulate the flow of politics in King’s Landing in this fast-paced card game for 3 to 6 players and lead your House as one of nine iconic characters from the Song of Ice and Fire series. Use your influence to attract new allies and carefully navigate the other players’ allegiances as you strive to have the most powerful small council in Westeros. Just be wary of your own alliances—you never know when someone will stab you in the back!—description from publisher

A Column of Fire is an adaptation of the third novel in Ken Follett's Kingsbridge series following The Pillars of the Earth and World Without End. (The novel is titled A Column of Fire in English and Das Fundament der Ewigkeit (The Foundation of Eternity) in German.)In the game set in Europe during the time of Elizabeth I Catholics and Protestants compete for power and influence in England France Spain and the Netherlands. In this politically unstable environment resourceful operatives and courageous secret agents plot to secure power for their rulers. The balance of power shifts back and forth amidst foiled assassinations successful rebellions and futile invasions — and not infrequently those who sympathize with the weak are expelled from the country.The real enemies then as now are not the rival religions. The true battle pits those who believe in tolerance and compromise against the tyrants who would impose their ideas on everyone else — no matter what the cost. Who will best exploit the changing power conditions in Europe to win the game?

In The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Deck-Building Game players take on the role of Frodo Legolas Aragorn or one of their brave and heroic allies in the struggle against the forces of the Dark Lord Sauron! While you begin armed only with basic combat maneuvers you'll add new more powerful cards to your deck as you go with the goal of defeating the deadly forces that serve Sauron as you make your way towards Mount Doom.While The Two Towers can be combined with Cryptozoic's The Fellowship of the Ring Deck-Building Game it's also playable on its own and unlike that previous game it includes a Wall of Helm's Deep deck that adds a new element to gameplay. If The Wall can't defend the wall from Saruman's forces and it becomes breached the battle will get tougher for the heroes!Cryptozoic's The Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit deck-builder series:

The Witches: A Discworld Game is the second of three games by Martin Wallace set in Terry Pratchett's Discworld the first being Discworld: Ankh-Morpork.The Witches is set in the magically charged land of Lancre. Players take on the role of trainee witches such as Tiffany Aching and Petulia Gristle learning their craft and dealing with all the problems both petty and serious that life on Discworld can throw at them. A subtle blend of headology magic and of course the all-important cup of tea will see our heroines tackle everything from a sick pig to a full-blown invasion of elves. Each player tries to be better at everything than the others while also cooperating to prevent crises from escalating.Life can be tough for a young witch in Lancre. Fear not however as some of Terry Pratchett's most famous characters will be on hand to aid your quest. Along the way you'll meet Granny Weatherwax Nanny Ogg and Magrat Garlick as well as a rich supporting cast of familiar faces from the Discworld series. When things get really tough and you feel you are turning Black Aliss you can always have a cup of tea with one of your fellow witches.The Witches can be played competitively cooperatively or solo.

Goetia: Nine Kings of Solomon is a worker placement resource management game where each players try to contact conjure and worship goetic demons. The game is focusing on the 9 demon kings that appear in the scriptures Lemegeton Clavicula Salomonis.The game is played in clockwise turn order. Each turn the players places one of their 3 followers on a modular board. When placing a worker the players get the depicted resource(s).Players can get more workers from the outskirts by paying all visible resources from that specific row or column. If you buy a worker early in a round the cost is high. If you buy a worker later the cost is low - all depending on how you and your opponents are playing.Players can also pay one resource in order to send their workers to contact demons. By contacting demons players are awarded Demonic Attention. When a Demon has run out of attention a Demon is conjured and players can now pay more resources to worship said Demon in order to get special abilities (Demonic Powers Artifacts Treasures).Demonic Powers are worth Worship Points (WP). The player with the most most coins and WP from demonic abilities and pacts is the winner. When all demonic powers have been awarded to the players new special areas are uncovered where players can earn more Worship Points by exchanging cubes for Attention or making Pacts with Demons.Game ends when a player has 4 active Pacts with a Demon or when a certain number of Pacts have been acquired by all players.—description from the designer

The MAGNATES: A Game of Power a.k.a. Boże Igrzysko: MAGNACI presents the history of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth from its heyday during the Union of Lublin (XVI century) until the collapse of the state (XVIII century). Players take on the roles of the magnates who seek to develop the power of their families in the favorable time: the peak of the Polish and Lithuanian Union.Each player has a deck of cards that depicts celebrities of his family. Some of them are capable of great deeds and some will spoil any project with which they are entrusted — but with a good player's decisions even those small souls could do a lot for his family.During the game players manage the deck of their characters to achieve in competition with others as much as possible on each of the planes of life of the Republic. The fate of the country results from the sum of the activities of the most powerful aristocratic families. If the players fall into a mutual fight for titles and advantages the Republic will fall under the pressure of neighboring powers.This game for 2-5 players with a game time not exceeding 90 minutes reimplements Martin Wallace's Boże Igrzysko from 2010 using the same principal title in Polish edition under an agreement with the author.From the back of the game box:The MAGNATES: A Game of Power is a strategic board game for 2-5 players which is fast and full of historical atmosphere and rich interactions. It takes you into the world of aristocratic intrigues and struggles for power which tore the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth from its heyday during the Union of Lublin until the Targowica Confederation and the fall of the Polish-Lithuanian state.Players take on the roles of magnates who seek to develop their own family's power in a moment favorable to fortune: the prime of the Union of Poland and Lithuania. The most eminent families fight for prestige and landed estates: the Lubomirski the Potocki the Radziwiłł the Sapieha and the Zamoyski.Each player has a deck of cards depicting well-known personages from a given family. Some of these characters are outstanding people capable of great deeds. But there are also less useful people able to spoil any undertaking entrusted them... unless thanks to the player's decisions even those lesser ones will do much for the family.During the game players will manage their deck of characters so that in competition with others they can achieve as much as possible on each of the planes of life of the Commonwealth. Players will clash during the creation of the state's internal policy as well as in response to external threats and opportunities arising from the international situation. And so as it happened in reality the fate of the country will be the result of the sum of actions of the most powerful aristocratic families. If the players lose themselves in a mutual fight for titles and advantage the Commonwealth will collapse under the pressure of the neighboring powers.In MAGNATES players will face many dilemmas. The most prominent members of the family will ensure beneficial rights in the Sejm and prestigious positions in the Senate. Moreover they comply with the Monarch's will easily and thanks to them the family will gain estates and power. But how will a player handle the remaining challenges? Who will undertake an expedition to Livonia? Will the troops protecting the country against enemy invasion in the absence of other candidates be again led by incompetents (like peryna latyna and dytyna”)? Will there be enough determination to hasten to the relief of Vienna? Will the players succeed in saving the Homeland from partitioning?Is your Family ready for a Game of Power?

Who Goes There? is a cooperative game of growing paranoia. At the beginning of the game all players are human and there is no reason not to trust each other completely but as the temperature drops and mistakes are made players start doubting everything and everyone around them.You must build trade and upgrade to prepare yourself for the Antarctic Terrain rabid dog attacks crazed madmen...and most importantly the alien entity that is now loose in the camp. Everything you build and upgrade has one purpose...keeping you alive and human! During the entire game you will want to trade with other players and help each other build stronger weapons and better equipment while also passing food and med kits around. Although make sure your trust them since trade is a huge opportunity for The Thing.Staying inside may keep you from freezing to Death but it won't help you or your fellow humans win. The only way to secure victory is by venturing out of the camp! The problem with that is being away from camp is the number one way to come across The Thing...leaving you vulnerable and exposed to infection. Whether fixing the boiler repairing the door or fighting the frigid temperatures outside you will all need one another to survive. But trust is a hard thing to come by when you must be wary of...Who Goes There?—description from the publisher

In Michael Strogoff based on the Jules Verne novel of the same name players race to deliver a message to the brother of the Czar while simultaneously racing both an assassin sent to kill that man and Tartar forces moving on Moscow. Players must help one another hold off the latter threats while still trying to be the first to deliver that message.

Game description from the publisher:In The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Deck-Building Game you take on the role of Frodo Legolas Aragorn or one of their brave and heroic allies in the struggle against the forces of the Dark Lord Sauron! While you begin armed only with the courage of the free peoples of Middle-earth you will add new more powerful cards to your deck as you go. Your goal is to defeat the deadly forces that serve Sauron as you make way towards Mount Doom to destroy The One Ring.Each player takes on the role an iconic hero from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King including Aragorn Éowyn King Théoden Legolas & Gimli Frodo & Samwise Merry or Pippin. Each hero comes with a special card unique to that character and usable only by that player.Each player starts with his own basic ten-card deck and draws a hand of five cards each turn. Power is the currency you will use to buy new stronger cards to add to your deck. The goal of a deck-building game is to craft your personal deck into a well-oiled machine with the six types of cards that can be acquired: Enemies Allies Artifacts Maneuvers Fortunes and Locations. When a player has amassed enough Power he may defeat more powerful enemies from the Archenemy deck including Shelob The Witch-King and the Eye of Sauron! Each card acquired during the game has a Victory Point (VP) value with the Archenemy cards providing the most VPs. In the end whoever has the most VPs wins.Whether played on its own or combined with the other LotR deck-building games from Cryptozoic The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Deck-Building Game introduces a new feature to the game: a map of The Journey of the Ring. Can you deliver The One Ring to Mount Doom then destroy it? Some of the cards you play will move the Ring of Power towards Mount Doom on the map while the minions of Sauron will delay the Ring on its journey. If you fail to destroy The One Ring Sauron may be too powerful to overcome...Cryptozoic's The Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit deck-builder series:

Discover the ancient art form of Tea Dragon care-taking within The Tea Dragon Society Card Game based on the graphic novel The Tea Dragon Society. Create a bond between yourself and your Tea Dragon that grows as you progress through the seasons creating memories to share forever.Each player's deck represents their own Tea Dragon. From turn to turn players choose to draw a card — triggering effects and strengthening their position — or buy a card improving their deck or scoring points. The game takes place over four seasons starting in spring and ending in winter. At the end of winter the player who has the most points wins.

In Sherlock 13 first published as Holmes 13 the players take the role of a detective trying to unmask the famous thief Arsene Lupin who is among them in disguise.The game consists of 13 character cards with 2 to 3 characteristics each. Each characteristic is shared by 3 to 5 characters. The cards are shuffled and one is drawn and put aside. This card represents the disguise chosen by Arsene Lupin. The other cards are distributed evenly among the players. The players now tally the total of characteristics they have on their cards (e.g. 2 detectives 1 female 0 genius etc) and note them for later use.Players now take turns asking a question to gather new evidence:a.) To all players: Who has (at least one) of (this characteristic)?ORb.) To one player: How many of (this characteristic) do you have?Using these clues the players try to figure out which disguise Arsene has chosen (i.e. which card is missing). Instead of a question a player may announce which character he suspects to be Arsene in disguise. That player then secretly checks the hidden card. If the suspicion was correct this player wins the game otherwise the player is eliminated and the other players continue.

Welcome to another year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry! The House Cup calls for the brightest students to compete in this worker-placement strategy game. In Harry Potter: House Cup Competition use gained knowledge and magic to learn lessons and complete challenges. Players send iconic characters like Harry Potter Cedric Diggory Cho Chang and Draco Malfoy out on the game board to enhance their skills. The player who earns the most points for their House will be named the House Cup Champion!—description from the publisher

As a successful Magician you have been able to fund a lifetime of research by delivering to the petty demands of liars philanderers gluttons and the least of Humanity.How refreshing then when a client should emerge with a commission of horrifying simplicity that has the potential for acquiring a vast amount of knowledge - perhaps the ultimate knowledge - albeit at the expense of many millions.Release the denizens of Hell into the Earth with Baphomet - The Sabbath Goat - at their Head for one night only and let them run amok. Let us see the consequences - for aesthetic reasons only of course.However do not expect this matter to proceed without interference from the Church and/or from Hell itself: the best-laid plans do not always go the way expected.Inspired by the Black Easter novellas by James Blish the aim of Aleph Null is to successfully summon the demonic Prince Baphomet who when he appears expects there to be no cards in your hand the main deck and the discard pile; if there are any cards remaining in these ‘zones’ you lose. However ‘not losing’ in this way doesn’t mean that you have won: any cards still in play also count against you – too many and you shall lose also. The sooner you ‘win’ the better your chance of surviving any due punishment.—description from the designer

Win the Princess' heart!Find the perfect ally to secretly carry your letter to Princess Isadora and win her heart in Love Letter: Princess Princess Ever After a quick game of risk and deduction based on the award-winning Love Letter card game! Entrust your message to the nearly invincible ogre the lightning fast unicorn or her close friends Princess Sadie and Princess Amira!The game includes 21 tarot-sized character cards and 13 acrylic favor tokens.—description from publisher

Adventure Z is a narrative game for one or two players. In Volume 1: Lovecraft players will take on the role of one or two investigators to solve a case cover in mystery and dark powers beyond the human understanding. Inspired in the H.P. Lovecraft literary work this volume has two separate adventures (Color Out of Space and The Shadow Over Innsmouth) with up to 40 different maps where the insight and cunning of the players will be essential to survive and discover up to five different endings per adventure. You will only need the notebook the deck of cards and a few dice unfolding the game quickly to enter the adventure. After each scenario the players will unlock new maps in which they will have to make decisions that will affect to the story similar to what happens in Choose your own adventure books or a role-playing game.Playing through the maps alone or as a pair will challenge players against dark enemies ghoulish puzzles clue investigation and puzzle solving.Adventure Z's mechanics are easy to learn each turn a player will have two actions that can be used to move their character investigate an area on the map or activate a team card trying to free new maps before they run out of time.A turn counter will limit the number of actions a player can do sometimes having to choose between investigating everything or running to the next map. The adversaries have their own artificial intelligence so you will not only have to control the survival of your characters.Delve into the stories of Lovecraft and be the protagonist of your own story!

Game description from the publisher:In The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Deck-Building Game each player takes on the role of a member of The Company as they set out on the long and treacherous path to Lonely Mountain. Play as Bilbo Baggins Gandalf the Grey Thorin Oakenshield or others. Your Hero card will guide your strategy throughout the game or you can break away with a plan of your own.Each player starts with his own basic ten-card deck and draws a hand of five cards each turn. Power is the currency you will use to buy new stronger cards to add to your deck. The goal of a deck-building game is to craft your personal deck into a well-oiled machine and five types of cards can be acquired: Enemies Allies Artifacts Maneuvers and Locations. A large central stack of cards supplies a five-card Path from which players make their purchases. Each player always has five face-up cards from which to choose each turn so new options and surprises await each turn.When you have amassed enough Power you can take on an Archenemy! Each Archenemy has Loot cards you can acquire. Defeat a Troll and you might find Sting Orcrist or Glamdring! Take on The Goblin King and you might find the maneuvers you need to escape from the Misty Mountains. Azog is the final Archenemy and he has unfinished business...In the end the player who has accumulated the most Victory Points from the cards in his deck wins.Cryptozoic's The Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit deck-builder series:

'In the lands of the North where the Black Rocks stand guard against the cold sea in the dark night that is very long the Men of the Northlands sit by their great log fires and they tell a tale... 'So began each of the Sagas of Noggin the Nog in which the crown of Noggin Prince of the Nogs is sought by his wicked uncle Nogbad the Bad who devises evil plots to threaten the safety of the kingdom in order to force Noggin to give up his crown. In this game players are the noble Lords of the north looking to assist Noggin however they can in his adventures with resources and wise council.Players use their influence to take actions on the board which as a back drop is Peter Firmin's classic hand drawn map of the Northlands. The time taken on each action is plotted on a roundel which acts as the game clock changes the turn order and progresses the seasons. However Nogbad is never far away from the source of the Kingdom's troubles and Noggin must use his cleverness intuition and resourcefulness to thwart Nogbad and confirm his position as King of the Nogs. The game ends when Noggin secures the crown or if Nogbad manages to get there first.In Tales of the Northlands: The Sagas of Noggin the Nog players must work together to successfully complete the adventures revealed by the saga cards. By offering much needed resources and making key decisions that effect the progress of the adventures players will if successful add to Noggin's popularity. Should their decision be unwise or they take too long the popular vote might sway toward Nogbad.The game includes all of the characters from the TV series Noggin his Queen Nooka Knut their son Thor Nogson the grumpy Captain of the Royal Guard Graculus the Great Green Bird Olaf the Lofty the Court inventor and Romf the little man from the Hot Water Valley.These adventures are all based upon the books and stories developed by Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin. The game is fully licensed has access to all artwork previously released in books and film and includes over fifty new pieces of new artwork commissioned from Peter Firmin specifically for the game. The game has three levels solo a family game with simplified rule set and a gamer's version with deeper strategy options.

The Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game is the tabletop game for 2 or more players that allows you to play through the events from The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit with your collection of Citadel and Forge World models. Take control of your favourite heroes villains and armies recreate scenes from the movies and books and gather your forces together to do battle with your opponent in a test of wits and prowess. This 208-page hardback rules manual is a comprehensive guide to the hobby of building painting and playing games with your Middle-earth models whether you choose the forces of Good or Evil.IntroductionThis section features an overview of the wider hobby of collecting painting and playing with Middle-earth miniatures from the very basics of choosing your army the items you need in order to run games setting up your battlefield and understanding the rules and profiles you’ll use in-game.RulesHere you’ll be taken through the meat of the Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game – the actual rules that you’ll use to play:Narrative PlayNarrative Play games allow you to recreate your favourite battles and scenes from both the books and the films using your collection of Citadel and Forge World models. Each Scenario – found in The Armies of The Lord of the Rings™ and The Armies of The Hobbit™ – has a selection of special rules that balance them providing an experience closely matching the scenes from the books and films.Open PlayWith no restrictions whatsoever Open Play games have unlimited creative potential and are perfect for beginners and veterans alike. Simply get your collections together and dream up your own scenarios – any combination of army fighting any other combination of army on a playing field of your own devising with objectives unique to your game – the possibilities are literally endless.Matched PlayIn Matched Play games you and your opponent gather your forces of heroes and warriors from your collection up to an agreed points limit before unleashing your armies for the fate of Middle-earth. This section includes advice on building an army to a points limit determining the size of the games you want to play Alliances wargear limits initial priority objectives and Heroic Tiers – the respect and loyalty that Heroes command.This section includes 12 Matched Play Scenarios each providing a different tactical challenge.The Armies of Middle-earthThis section is an inspiring showcase of beautifully painted miniatures from across the Citadel and Forge World ranges showing you just what is possible when painting your own.Example Armies4 example armies – Minas Tirith Isengard Defenders of Erebor Azog’s Hunters – showing you how the army was built the points values they represent and the rules they can leverage.—description from the publisher

Become the head of a Great House of Luthadel in this game of negotiation and betrayal set in the world of Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn novels. Contend with myriad problems plaguing the Final Empire — rampaging koloss disease social unrest even the heroes of the novels — and with every step jockey for the Lord Ruler's favor. At the end of the story will you rise to power and prestige — or fall in ruin and disgrace?Mistborn: House War is a resource-management game set during the events of the first Mistborn novel. Three to five players assume the roles of various factions and must work together to solve the Problems facing the Final Empire. In order to solve these problems players must expend a certain combination of resources but in return they receive Favor from the Lord Ruler.Each round players produce resources (food money prestige skaa warriors and atium) in different proportions and combinations based on their faction. You can convert between different resources to get something that is missing but in the long run the players must work together pooling their resources to succeed.There are four tiers of Problems; at the start of each turn a problem is added to the board in the corresponding column and each pre-existing problem moves up one tier. If a problem passes tier 4 than it is said to Erupt (a reference to the novel) and it causes various problems for the players such as increasing the level of Unrest or giving players Disfavor. The main part of gameplay is the negotiation between players to solve these problems. Anything except Favor gained in previous turns can be negotiated: resources Personality cards (which can have a variety of effects) out-of-game favors etc.The game can end in two ways either the Unrest reaches 8 or a special problem card (Vin) is resolved. If she is not defeated and is allowed to erupt she increases the Unrest by 4. If the players are able to defeat Vin then the player who has the highest amount of Favor wins. If the Unrest reaches 8 then the rebellion occurs and the player with the least Favor (the faction furthest from the Lord Ruler) wins.

Game description from the publisher:Based on the epic HBO series Game of Thrones: The Card Game is a card game in which two players wage war in the fields of Westeros and conspire to crush their opponents at court in King's Landing. Two fixed fifty-card decks allow players to take control of either House Lannister or House Stark. Each deck includes the show's most recognizable characters and locations including Eddard Stark Cersei Lannister Robert Baratheon Littlefinger and Jon Snow.Game of Thrones streamlines the rules of A Game of Thrones: The Card Game the core set of the living card game series to make it more accessible to a wider audience.Rules:http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/ffg_content/game-of-thrones-HBO/Game-of-Thrones-rulebook.pdf

In The Lord of the Rings: Adventure to Mount Doom players follow the story of Frodo's perilous journey to destroy the One Ring in the fires of Mount Doom. He is accompanied by his familiar fellowship who are charged with protecting him from the dangers he will face along the way. The players control the fortunes of this company together by moving the individual figures across the game board on a journey through many well-known places from the beloved Lord of the Rings novels. It is important to beware of the Nazgul while at the same time making sure that Frodo does not lose his confidence and freeze in despair. When Frodo reaches Mount Doom the players have all won together.The movement of the characters is controlled by a special dice mechanism. Colored dice determine which figure can be moved. Your dice value determines the number of spaces a figure can travel. By choosing the dice before and after the roll players are faced with decisions that are seemingly uncomplicated but nevertheless significant for the outcome of the game. Black dice which always must be rolled trigger threats or cause encounters with enemies or friends. The encounter cards ensure the continuous ever-growing threat to completing the quest.As in most co-operative games players must coordinate their moves and actions with each other to ensure the desired outcome.—description from the publisher

October 2 1872 Phileas Fogg is asserting that it’s possible to go around the world in 80 days. The gentlemen of the Reform Club have made a bet on his failure since they don’t believe this eccentric dandy could ever succeed! However the most troubling part of this story is the strange coincidence between the rash departure of Phileas Fogg accompanied by his loyal valet Passepartout and the theft of 50,000 pounds from the Bank of England!The first lady or gentleman to return to London wins the game. However since you left the British capital suspected of stealing from Her Majesty’s bank you will have to return to London without any Rumor cards and 10£ or less in your pocket (or rather in your hand) in order to prove your innocence in the eyes of the world! Players will quickly discover that moving too fast drains their wallet just as fast. To win you will have to alternate between cautious and ambitious advances waiting for the right moment to return to the city!Around the World in 80 Days is a beautiful and modern reimplementation of the first ever Spiel des Jahres winner (the most prestigious Game of the Year award in 1979) thematically revisited around the timeless and beloved novel of the same name by Jules Verne.

You are drifting on a deserted island because your ship has been wrecked. The weather on the island is fickle and getting worse and the island is inhabited by dangerous beasts. You must somehow survive and escape from the terrible island!Dieson Crusoe is a single player dice game. You will have to use your dice wisely to survive on a deserted island and complete your quest. Store food gather resources craft tools and explore the island. But be careful. You'll also need roofs and fences to avoid harsh weather and ward off raids.The core mechanic is Dice Rondel system. Each day (round) uses 3 dice. Players have to think about what order to use them. The dice value determines both the type of action and the effect of the action. You'll have to figure out which sequence works best for you.The sequence also determines the weather and raids of the next day (next round). Actions that are effective today can pay off tomorrow's damage.Will you pursue efficiency today or safety tomorrow? Will you create your own solution to the dilemma?—description from the publisher

A classic of the trick taking-games makes its return! Bottle Imp is back in a new edition adding team modes and a 5 to 6 player variant to the usual 2 to 4 players configuration of the title.In this game inspired by the eponymous novel by Robert Louis Stevenson all players around the table want to acquire the cursed bottle that can grant all wishes... However they need to get rid of it before the end! Score points by trying to take as many tricks as possible but make sure to not finish the game with the bottle or the Bottle Imp will take your points!This new edition features 54 foil effect cards and two bottles with art by Maxime Morin (Faraway Codex Naturalis Next station Tokyo Next station London...)—description from the publisher

Flights disappearances murders ... Business accumulates on the desk of the famous detective. Step into the shoes of Sherlock Holmes or Dr. Watson and solve four particularly delicate investigations.Tracks to follow suspects to question hints to take up make the right choices because the hero is you!Sherlock Holmes: Four Investigations is a comic combined with a game one title in a series subtitled The comic in which you are the hero. You embody a character in a immersive story in which your choices guide your progress. You have a character sheet akin to those used in role-playing games that tracks your possessions your special abilities your coins and your victory points. In general gameplay consists in following the comic's panels — which contain clues riddles and traps — and making choices about where to go and what to do while using your visual perception to collect clues and be smart enough to resolve the riddles. As in any game you can lose — sometimes really badly!—description from the publisher

Tales of Evil is a game for 1 to 6 Braves (the name used for the players from now on) who become one of the members of a group of kids called Pizza & Investigation. During each adventure the young Investigators venture into places inhabited by the forces of evil and need to get out alive—while trying to complete their missions! The Investigators will have to use all of their strength and ingenuity to stop the Demons they meet along the way not to mention the Evil that resides in the places they explore. But that’s not all and here is where the Braves come into play—you and your friends that is—because Tales of Evil is an adventure that based on your decisions can end in many different ways. You will be the protagonists and the sole responsibility for your fate and that of your friends is in your hands!—description from the publisher

What if you could explore books browse the texts of novels cross literary landscapes and their imaginations surprise yourself with a few incredible sentences.Nouvelles ContRées is a cooperative game that invites you on this dreamlike journey. You become novel explorers navigating your best through the jungle of words until you find at the heart of the novel the incredible hidden meaning of the book.At the start of the game players set up their Camp represented by a bookmark somewhere in the book. During the game they will advance the Camp to a Lost City bookmark located further away.One player plays as the pathfinder (Pagefinder): they read the first six lines of one page of any book in your library (as long as it has at least 60 pages). The other players have to guess which fully-illustrated bookmarks among 4 Dixit like bookmarks face up is the one chosen by the pathfinder. If the other players find the good bookmark all the players succeed: they travel through the jungle of words by the same path (they advance pages in the book.).At the same time each player can try to accomplish an individual mission like I guess the text contains 5 words with a X I guess it contains 3 words related to the nature ...To win players will need to successfully explore this city and gain access to the Hidden Meaning of the book.

Sauron threatens to push Middle-earth into eternal darkness in his desire for the One Ring. All hope lies on Frodo Baggins and his friends from the Shire. Your task: Bring the One Ring to Mordor then destroy it in Mount Doom.With each roll of the dice Der Herr der Ringe: Die Reise nach Mordor players make decisions and try to move their hobbits as quickly as possible to get to Mount Doom. They're supported by Gandalf and the community but also potentially blocked by orcs and persecuted by Ringwraiths. Players must be bold enough to choose the right dice symbols and shake off the Nazgul.

As the Second World War raged across Europe tensions brewed within the seemingly monolithic German war machine. Hitler like dictators before him had given his minions overlapping responsibility so that they would plot against each other and keep him the arbiter. Germany’s military leadership worked well enough as Germany’s armies advanced in conquest after conquest. But Hitler's no retreat order in the difficult winter of 1941-1942 was a turning point in the way the war was run. All decisions now had to be approved from the top—a flagrant reversal of the German military tradition of setting objectives and giving subordinates freedom in how to attain them. As victory in the battle for Europe eluded the German generals and final defeat loomed their competing agendas came ever more to the fore. Contravening their overseer military leaders looked to a settlement with the Allies and in a few cases the end of the regime.The Other Side of the Hill is a boardgame that simulates the effects that this struggle for power within the German High Command had on the development of the Second World War. Up to four players represent military leaders cooperating and competing as they manage Germany's wartime strategy. To win they must vie for Prestige by advancing the careers of their favored Army and Army Group commanders grabbing their share of victories while the early-war pickings are easy then avoiding responsibility for battlefield disasters as the Soviets and the Western Allies solidify and push back.Players will pursue hidden objectives to dominate the German Officer Corps on behalf of Interest Groups such as the technically-minded Professionals a traditionalist Old Guard or anti-Nazi Dissidents—all while Allied aircraft bombard Germany’s war industry and Allied armies press in on every front. As in history players must reconcile contradictory roles. The German General Staff’s job is to hold the Allies off but each clique’s priorities can subvert any collective strategy. And beware: a player may in secret be sabotaging the war effort!The Other Side of the Hill offers competition for two three or four players as well as fully cooperative semi-cooperative and solitaire modes. Playing cards include intriguing historical details on World War Two’s real-life German Generals strategic Directives wartime Events and personalities of the “Black Orchestra” plot to assassinate Hitler. Experience the European Theater of WWII as you have never gamed it before—from The Other Side of the Hill!Game modes • Competitive: One player will win even if Germany falls before it historically did. • Cooperative: Players win or lose together. • Solo: You make all the decisions. • Semi-Cooperative: If Germany falls before the historical date everyone loses. Otherwise one player wins. • Campaign Mode: You can play the full campaign in successive shorter and more manageable gaming sessions.Scenarios and Playtime •The Triumph of Blitzkrieg (1939-1941): 3-4 hours •The World Holds its Breath (1941-1942): 3-4 hours •Point of No Return (1942-1943): 3-4 hours •Festung Europa (1943-1944): 3-4 hours •The Decline of the 3rd Reich(1943-1945): 4-5 hours. •Total War (1942-1945): 5-6 hours •World War (1941-1945): 8-10 hours •Armageddon (1939-1945): 10-15 hours¡You can play this game also in Vassal and TTS!—description from the publisher

Dune: The Dice Game is a dice-driven game set in the Dune Universe created by Frank Herbert. The players represent various Factions vying for control of Arrakis the desert planet. Each of the 6 playable Factions has a small set of thematical special abilities that allow them to break certain rules in the game.Each turn you will need to politicize ally and employ the means of Kanly wisely recruit new troops ship them to the surface and attack in just the right spot. Fate in the form of the dice can be controlled to a certain degree but still might thwart your plans; Sandstorms and the mighty Shai-Hulud plague the surface of Arrakis; A charismatic leader might tip the balance in a forlorn combat in your favour.The game ends when one Faction or Alliance is in control of a certain number of Arrakis’ strategic Regions at the end of their turn or after 6 whole rounds.Inspired by and based on both this game tries to find a middle ground between the complexity and duration of Dune and the excessive simplicity of Dune Express while staying true to former’s general feel and steering closer to the lore of the original novels than both. Sounds a bit ambitious I know.

The Battle of Five Armies is a stand-alone board game for two players which recreates the fierce struggle witnessed by Bilbo Baggins at the end of his quest for the Lonely Mountain in “The Hobbit” the world-renowned masterpiece by J.R.R. Tolkien. Developed by the same designer team of the awarded War of the Ring board game (Francesco Nepitello Marco Maggi and Roberto Di Meglio) The Battle of Five Armies is based on the mechanics first used in that game merging action dice and event cards. The system is further enhanced by the addition of the “Fate Track” mechanic handling the arrival of the allies and the triggering of special events. All the key characters in the battle – Bilbo Gandalf Thorin Dain the Elven King Bard Beorn Bolg – are featured with powerful special abilities and unique sculptures.This Collector's Edition will include a high-quality version of all the components featured in the regular and now out-of-print version of the game complemented by 126 hand-painted figures in a special deluxe packaging and with a limited edition certificate of authenticity. It will also include The Fate of Erebor a previously unreleased mini-expansion including rules and components to reflect the outcome of the game in your games of War of the Ring Second Edition.The Battle of Five Armies Collector's Edition will have a single print run with a single print run of 1500.The Collector's Edition of The Battle of Five Armies includes: - 126 painted figures - deluxe large size game board - special hardcover edition of the rulebook printed on high-quality textured paper - 2 deluxe player aids - 13 limited edition action dice - 10 limited edition combat dice - 92 tarot-size limited edition cards - 11 deluxe cardstock character and unit cards - 3 cloth recruitment bags - 1 fate token bag - 170 deluxe counters - War of the Ring: The Fate of Erebor rules and components - numbered Certificate of Authenticity—description from the publisher

Arkham Noir is a solitaire card game inspired by the interconnected stories of H.P. Lovecraft and other authors re-imagined as noir detective stories. Each case stands alone. Gameplay consists of adding cards to open cases creating lines of investigation in an effort to solve them. The ultimate goal is to score five “puzzle” Clue cards in order to piece together the Big Picture before running out of time or mental stability.Each newly shuffled deck is the start of a unique challenge with adjustable difficulty levels to accomodate all level players. In “Infinite Gulfs of Darkness” Howard Lovecraft investigates events based on the stories “From Beyond” (1920) “Nyarlathotep” (1920) “The Haunter of the Dark” (1935) and Robert Bloch’s “The Shadow from the Steeple” (1950).—description from the publisher

The prestigious professor of mineralogy Otto Lidenbrock and his nephew Axel discover a secret parchment scroll written by the alchemist Arne Saknussemm in the 15th century who reveals how to get to the center of the Earth.They both travel to Iceland and there they hire the help of the hunter Hans with whom begin their descent through the Snæfellsjökull volcano towards the greatest adventure that human beings have ever known.Players will draw a route from an entrance volcano to the center of the Earth and from there to one of the exit volcanoes. Each turn two cards are revealed: a coordinate card and a tunnel card (straight curve water springs discoveries... or dangerous creatures). The players draw the tunnel card on a cell of the coordinate indicated.When the tunnel deck runs out players must consume one water point or they will be eliminated. When the coordinate deck runs out one of the exit volcanoes will explode and cannot be used.But you can always ask the protagonists of the novel for help to change the rules.Live the unforgettable adventure created by Jules Verne!El prestigioso profesor de mineralogía Otto Lidenbrock y su sobrino Axel descubren un pergamino secreto escrito por el alquimista Arne Saknussemm en el siglo XV que revela como llegar al centro de la Tierra. Ambos viajan hasta Islandia y allí contratan la ayuda del cazador Hans con el que emprenden el descenso por el volcán Snæfellsjökull hacia la mayor aventura que ha conocido el ser humano.Los jugadores deberán trazar una ruta desde el volcán de entrada hasta el centro de la Tierra y de ahí hasta uno de los volcanes de salida. Cada turno se desvelan dos cartas: una carta de coordenada y otra carta de túnel (recta curva manantiales de agua descubrimientos... o peligrosas criaturas). Los jugadores dibujan lo indicado en la carta de túnel en una casilla de la coordenada sacada.Cuando el mazo de túnel se agote los jugadores deben consumir un punto de agua o serán eliminados. Cuando el mazo de coordenadas se agote uno de los volcanes de salida estallará y no podrá usarse.Pero siempre se podrá pedir ayuda a los protagonistas de la novela para cambiar las reglas.¡Vive la inolvidable aventura creada por Julio Verne!

The magical universe of Harry Potter meets the frantic and hilarious one of Time's up!With Time’s Up! you have 30 seconds and 3 rounds to guess the most words!In the first round you describe the cards without saying what is written there; in the second make the same cards guess with a single word; in the third mimic them to your teammates!

In the Alexandre Dumas novel The Count of Monte Cristo the protagonist Edmond Dantès is imprisoned in the Chateau d'If for fourteen years during which time he learns about a fortune hidden on the island of Monte Cristo. Eventually he escapes boards a smuggling ship then makes his way to the island where he manages to recover the fortune.But did he find all of value on the island? That's not what designers Arnaud Urbon and Charles Chevallier propose in Le Secret de Monte Cristo coming from Filosofia in French with eggertspiele and Z-Man Games releasing versions in German and English.The players are smugglers who learned of the treasure from Dantès while traveling together and now each of them has decided to search the island for any treasure that might remain. Each round players receive cards that show what type of treasure (gems) might be found in the castle with the active player that round placing three smugglers in the castle and all other players placing one.Once new treaure has been distributed in the castle rooms players then take actions based on the order of the marbles showing in the game's action slide – this being a tilted rack with four slots in it with a different action associated with each slot. The player whose marble is at the bottom of slot one takes that action then places the marble at the top of any other slot; then the player at the bottom of slot two takes that action; and so forth.Players can seize treasure from rooms if they outnumber the other smugglers present and they have the right sacks on hand for storing the treasure.

‘Queer things you do hear these days to be sure,’ said Sam. ‘Ah,’ said Ted ‘you do if you listen. But I can hear fireside-tales and children’s stories at home if I want to.’ ‘No doubt you can,’ retorted Sam ‘and I daresay there’s more truth in some of them than you reckon. Who invented the stories anyway?’ The Lord of the Rings J.R.R. TolkienPlayers are Hobbits telling tales in front of a mug of beer at their favourite inn in the Shire. Silent woods and remote mountains Elves Goblins and Giants populate their stories...During the game players take turns as the Narrator and improvise a story using a hand of illustrated cards. The other players try to twist the tale playing hazards and fearsome monsters. Drinks are served smoke-rings are blown and the best narrator is cheered by everyone present.Hobbit Tales is a game for 2 to 5 Hobbits authored by the award-winning designers Marco Maggi and Francesco Nepitello creators of the Tolkien-themed War of the Ring strategy game and The One Ring role-playing game.This game contains a set of rules 1 board 75 Adventure cards 40 Hazard cards 5 coasters a set of cardboard tokens and a twelve-sided The One Ring Feat die.Includes rules to use Hobbit Tales in conjunction with the The One Ring Cubicle 7’s role-playing game set in Tolkien’s Middle-earth.

As nobles at a magnificent masquerade ball you and your friends all vie to improve your social standing. Gossip flies rumors swirl and with each chime of the ebony clock hearts fill with dread and despair. As midnight approaches you begin to realize that something is amiss.Based on Edgar Allen Poe's sinister story Masque of the Red Death pits you and up to six of your friends against each other as you hobnob with the Prince. But disaster strikes at midnight. You must balance your actions carefully between currying the Prince's favor and discovering which rooms the Red Death will visit. After all having the highest social standing matters only if you survive...