John's Game Catalog

TWO ONLY: Player Count:

GAMES THAT 2
PLAY AT ITS
BEST WITH (OR ────
ONLY SUPPORTS) Playing Time:
2 PLAYERS.
x minutes

────
Complexity:

x.xx / 5

────
Age:

x+

────
Mechanisms:

xxx, xxx, xxx

INSTRUCTIONS:

QR CODE
Linked to
Rulebook PDG

AGRICOLA: Player Count:

ALL CREATURES 2

BIG AND SMALL ────
Playing Time:
Become an animal breeder of horses, cows, sheep and pigs and try
to make the most of your pastures. 30 minutes

Players start with a 3x2 game board that can be expanded during ────
play to give more room for players to grow and animals to run free. Complexity:

Sixteen possible actions are available for players to take, with each 2.52 / 5
player taking three actions total in each of the eight rounds.
────
The player who amasses the most victory points through enclosing Age:
space with fences and acquiring the largest number and variety of
animals and victory point-generating buildings will be the winner! 13+

────
Mechanisms:

Area Enclosure, Tile
Placement, Worker

Placement

INSTRUCTIONS:

BIOSHOCK Player Count:

INFINITE: 2 or 4

THE SIEGE OF ────
Playing Time:
COLUMBIA
60 minutes
Play as either the Founders or the Vox Populi and build up an
army to fight for control of Columbia. Take ground and complete ────
important objectives. Use influence to sway various events that Complexity:
arise. Both sides will have to deal with Booker and Elizabeth, who
are running around Columbia creating havoc. 2.87 / 5

The game has players combating one another, stealing objectives ────
from under each other's noses, assassinating leaders, destroying Age:
strongholds, bidding against each other for control of unfolding
events, and more. The first faction to 10 victory points wins! 13+

────
Mechanisms:

Area Control,
Betting/Wagering,
Dice Rolling, Hand

Management

INSTRUCTIONS:

THE DUKE Player Count:

LEVY. MANEUVER. 2

CONQUER. ────
Playing Time:
This dynamic tile-based strategy game mixes a feudal theme and
double-sided tiles. Each side represents a different posture – often 30 minutes
considered to be defensive or offensive – and demonstrates exactly
what the piece can do within the turn. At the end of a move (or ────
after the use of a special ability), the tile is flipped to its other side, Complexity:
displaying a new offensive or defensive posture.
2.54 / 5
Each posture conveys different options for maneuver and attack.
Each turn, a player may choose to either move a single tile or ────
randomly draw a new tile from the bag. With fifteen different Age:
Troop Tiles, all double-sided, and nineteen total pieces for each
player (plus special optional tiles), the variety of gameplay is 13+
limitless.
────
If you end your movement in a square occupied by an opponent's Mechanisms:
tile, you capture that tile. Capture your opponent's Duke to win!
Abstract Strategy,
Medieval

INSTRUCTIONS:

QUORIDOR Player Count:

The abstract strategy game Quoridor is surprisingly deep for its 2
simple rules.
On your turn, you may either move your pawn one orthogonal ────
space or place a wall. You may hinder your opponent with wall Playing Time:
placement, but not completely block them off.
Meanwhile, your opponent is trying to do the same to you. 15 minutes
The first player to have their pawn reach the opposite side, wins!
────
Complexity:

1.91 / 5

────
Age:

8+

────
Mechanisms:

Abstract Strategy,
Maze

INSTRUCTIONS:

SCHOTTEN Player Count:

TOTTEN 2

KILL OR BE KILT ────
Playing Time:
Nine boundary stones lie between you and your opponent. In front
of each stone, you will build poker-like formations of three cards. 20 minutes
Whoever plays the higher-ranking formation wins the stone.
────
In a unique twist, you may use your powers of logic to claim a Complexity:
stone even before your opponent has played all three of their
cards. This is achieved when you can demonstrate that the stone is 1.72 / 5
impossible to win, because the card(s) necessary have already been
played to other stones. ────
Age:
You win the game if one of two conditions have been met…either
successfully claim any five stones OR successfully claim any three 8+
adjacent stones.
────
Mechanisms:

Hand Management,
Set Collection

INSTRUCTIONS:

STAR WARS: Player Count:

EMPIRE VS. REBELLION 2

In every game, you and your opponent match wits and resources ────
over key events. If you can thwart your opponent, you claim the Playing Time:
event, bringing you closer to victory. Whether you seek to triumph
through military might, or use diplomacy to achieve your ends, the 60 minutes
fate of the galaxy rests in your hands.
────
To successfully win these struggles and reclaim the galaxy, you will Complexity:
need to utilize all of your resources. Every turn, you can increase
your faction’s presence at the current event by drawing the top 1.71 / 5
card from your deck and putting it into play. Each resource card
you play give you more power and brings you closer to the ────
objective value of the current event Age:

If your total resource value ever passes the event’s objective value, 8+
your forces are discovered and your opponent claims the event.
────
Mechanisms:

Hand Management,
Deck Building

INSTRUCTIONS:

TIDES OF TIME Player Count:

Play as an ancient civilization as they prosper and collapse through 2
time. Build gigantic monuments, raise impenetrable fortifications,
and amass vast knowledge as the ages pass. The greatest ────
civilizations will leave their mark long after their collapse. From Playing Time:
times long forgotten to times recently lost, civilizations will rise
and fall as the tide of time carries them. 15 - 20 minutes

Tides of Time is a drafting game for two players. Each game ────
consists of three rounds in which players draft cards from their Complexity:
hands to build their kingdom. Each card is one of five suits and
also has a scoring objective. After all cards have been drafted for 1.62 / 5
the round, players total their points based on the suits of cards
they collected and the scoring objectives on each card, then they ────
record their score. Each round, the players each select one card to Age:
leave in their kingdom as a "relic of the past" to help them in later
rounds. After three rounds, the player with the the most 8+
prosperous kingdom wins.
────
Mechanisms:

Card Drafting,
Set Collection

INSTRUCTIONS:

TWO PLUS: Player Count:

GAMES THAT 2+
PLAY GOOD WITH
AT LEAST 2 ────
PLAYERS. Playing Time:

x minutes

────
Complexity:

x.xx / 5

────
Age:

x+

────
Mechanisms:

xxx, xxx, xxx

INSTRUCTIONS:

QR CODE
Linked to
Rulebook PDG

CARCASSONNE Player Count:

Players draw and place a tile with a piece of southern French 2-5
landscape on it. The tile must be placed adjacent to tiles that have
already been played, and in such a way that cities are connected to ────
cities, roads to roads, etcetera. Playing Time:

Having placed a tile, the player can then decide to place an 30 - 45 minutes
available meeple on one of the areas on it: on the city as a knight,
on the road as a robber, on a cloister as a monk, or on the grass as ────
a farmer. When that area is complete, that meeple scores points for Complexity:
its owner.
1.93 / 5
During a game of Carcassonne, players are faced with decisions
like: "Is it really worth putting my last meeple there?" or "Should I ────
use this tile to expand my city, or should I place it near my Age:
opponent instead, giving them a hard time to complete a project
and score points?" 8+

Highly recommend playing with a hand size of 3 tiles, and drawing ────
at the end of your turn, instead of at the beginning of it. Mechanisms:

Area Influence,
Tile Placement

INSTRUCTIONS:

CASTLE PANIC Player Count:

Defend the castle. Survive 2-6
the Panic. Become the
Master slayer ────
Playing Time:
The forest is filled with all sorts of monsters. They watched and
waited as you built your castle and trained your soldiers, but now 60 minutes
they've gathered their army and are marching out of the woods.
Can you work with your friends to defend your castle against the ────
horde, or will the monsters tear down your walls and destroy the Complexity:
precious castle towers?
1.81 / 5
Players must work together to defend their castle, by trading cards,
hit and slaying monsters, and planning strategies together to keep ────
their castle towers intact. The players either win or lose together, Age:
but only the player with the most victory points is declared the
Master Slayer. 6+

────
Mechanisms:

Co-operative,
Trading, Hand
Management

INSTRUCTIONS:

CASTLES OF Player Count:

BURGUNDY: 2-4

The Card Game ────
Playing Time:
The Hundred Years' War is over and the Renaissance is looming.
Conditions are perfect for the princes of the Loire Valley to propel 30 - 60 minutes
their estates to prosperity and prominence. Through strategic
trading and building, clever planning, and careful thought in The ────
Castles of Burgundy: The Card Game, players add settlements Complexity:
and castles, practice trade along the river, exploit silver mines,
farm livestock, and more. 2.50 / 5

────
Age:

10+

────
Mechanisms:

Card Drafting, Hand
Management, Set
Collection

INSTRUCTIONS:

CAVERNA: Player Count:

THE CAVE FARMERS 2-7

You are the bearded leader of a small dwarf family that lives in a ────
little cave in the mountains. With a farmer and his spouse, you Playing Time:
cultivate the forest in front of your cave and dig deeper into the
mountain. You furnish the caves as dwellings for your offspring as 30 min per player
well as working spaces for small enterprises.
────
It's up to you how much ore you want to mine. You will need it to Complexity:
forge weapons that allow you to go on expeditions to gain bonus
items and actions. Right in front of your cave, you can increase 3.78 / 5
your wealth even further with agriculture. You can also expand
your family while running your ever-growing farm. ────
Age:
In the end, the player with the most efficiently developed home
board wins. 12+

────
Mechanisms:

Tile Placement,
Worker Placement

INSTRUCTIONS:

CLANK!: Player Count:

A DECK-BUILDING 2-4
ADVENTURE
────
Burgle your way to adventure in the deck-building board Playing Time:
game Clank! Sneak into an angry dragon's mountain lair to steal
precious artifacts. Delve deeper to find more valuable loot. Acquire 30 – 60 minutes
cards for your deck and watch your thievish abilities grow.
────
Be quick and be quiet. One false step and CLANK! Each careless Complexity:
sound draws the attention of the dragon, and each artifact stolen
increases its rage. You can enjoy your plunder only if you make it 2.24 / 5
out of the depths alive!
────
Age:

8+

────
Mechanisms:

Deck Building, Press
Your Luck, Point-
Point Movement

INSTRUCTIONS:

COLORETTO Player Count:

Game play in Coloretto is simple: Either draw a card to play to a 2-5
row or take a row of cards to add them to your collection. A row
can have at most three cards, so at some point everyone is forced ────
to take a row. Once all the rows have been claimed, players start a Playing Time:
new round, drawing or taking once again.
30 minutes
What are you trying to do with these cards? Collect huge sets - but
only in three colors, as every color beyond the third will cost you ────
points. Complexity:

Once only a few cards remain in the deck, the round ends and 1.29 / 5
everyone tallies their score, choosing three colors of cards to score
positively while any other colors count against you. Each color is ────
scored using a triangular number system: the first card in a color is Age:
±1 point, the second card is ±2 points, and so on. The player with
the high score wins! 6+

────
Mechanisms:

Card Drafting, Press
Your Luck, Set
Collection

INSTRUCTIONS:

ELYSIUM Player Count:

Mythic Greece. As an upstart demigod, you want to earn the favor 2-4
of the Olympians and become a figure of legend yourself. Once the
stories are written, only one demigod will be chosen to stand at the ────
side of Zeus. Playing Time:

Elysium is a game of set collecting and combinations in which 60 minutes
players recruit cards representing heroes, items, powers and gods.
These cards have many different powers and you can create ────
powerful combination to earn gold (the help of the gods) and Complexity:
victory points (the favor of the gods). Each card belongs to one of
the eight Olympians gods (a family) and shows a level (1 to 3). 2.79 / 5

During the five turns of the game, players will try to transfer their ────
cards to the Elysium and write their own Legends. The more epic Age:
the Legends, the more favor from the gods they’ll earn. But as they
go to Elysium, most cards lose their power and players will 12+
therefore have to renounce some of their combinations!
────
Mechanisms:

Card Drafting,
Set Collection

INSTRUCTIONS:

LA ISLA Player Count:

Ready to start exploring a previously uncharted island? Good! You 2-4
and the other players each have a team of five scientists, and you
want to capture animal species so that you can study them. ────
Playing Time:
The game board in La Isla consists of a set of oddly-shaped tiles
that are placed in a circular arrangement around a central 30 - 60 minutes
polygonal tile. Thirty-five animal tokens (seven each of five types)
are placed at random on spaces numbered 2, 3, and 4 on the game ────
board. Complexity:

On a turn, a player has three cards that he places face-down in the 2.24 / 5
A, B and D spaces on his card display. Each animal has a points
threshold so that if you move an animal up, say, four times, each ────
animal of this type is worth an extra point at the end of the game. Age:

When the sum of these values for all five animals equals seven, 10+
nine or eleven (based on the number of players), the game ends at
the conclusion of the round. Players then tally their final scores to ────
see who wins. Mechanisms:

Action Programming,
Area Enclosure,

Hand Management

INSTRUCTIONS:

ISTANBUL Player Count:

In Istanbul, you lead a group of one merchant and four assistants 2-5
through 16 locations in the bazaar. At each such location, you can
carry out a specific action. The challenge, though, is that to take an ────
action, you must move your merchant and an assistant there, then Playing Time:
leave the assistant behind (to handle all the details while you focus
on larger matters). If you want to use that assistant again later, 40 - 60 minutes
your merchant must return to that location to pick him up. Thus,
you must plan ahead carefully to avoid being left with no assistants ────
and thus unable to do anything... Complexity:

When a merchant has collected five rubies in his wheelbarrow, 2.59 / 5
players complete that round, then the game ends. If this player is
the only one who's reached this goal, he wins immediately; ────
otherwise ties are broken by money in hand. Age:

10+

────
Mechanisms:

Pick-up/Deliver,
Grid Movement,
Modular Board

INSTRUCTIONS:

KING OF TOKYO Player Count:

In King of Tokyo, you play mutant monsters, gigantic robots, and 2-6
strange aliens—all of whom are destroying Tokyo and whacking
each other in order to become the one and only King of Tokyo. ────
Playing Time:
At the start of each turn, you roll six dice, which show the
following six symbols: 1, 2, or 3 Victory Points, Energy, Heal, and 30 minutes
Attack. Over three successive throws, choose whether to keep or
discard each die in order to win victory points, gain energy, restore ────
health, or attack other players into understanding that Tokyo is Complexity:
YOUR territory.
1.51 / 5
The fiercest player will occupy Tokyo, and earn extra victory
points, but that player can't heal and must face all the other ────
monsters alone! Age:

In order to win the game, one must either destroy Tokyo by 6+
accumulating 20 victory points or be the only surviving monster
once the fighting has ended. ────
Mechanisms:
Zeus.
Dice Rolling,
Player Elimination,

Area Control

INSTRUCTIONS:

OH MY GOODS! Player Count:

In Oh My Goods!, first released as Royal Goods, players are 2-4
European artisans during the Middle Ages who produce tools,
barrels, glass windows, and many other goods. Only if you make ────
clever use of your production chains will you have the most victory Playing Time:
points at the end of the game.
30 minutes

────
Complexity:

2.23 / 5

────
Age:

10+

────
Mechanisms:

Hand Management,
Set Collection,
Press Your Luck

INSTRUCTIONS:

ORLEANS Player Count:

During the medieval goings-on around Orléans, you must 2-4
assemble a following of farmers, merchants, knights, monks, etc.
to gain supremacy through trade, construction and science in ────
medieval France. Playing Time:

You can take trade trips to other cities to acquire coveted goods 90 minutes
and build trading posts. You need followers and their abilities to
expand your dominance by putting them to work as traders, ────
builders, and scientists. Knights expand your scope of action and Complexity:
secure your mercantile expeditions. Craftsmen build trading
stations and tools to facilitate work. Scholars make progress in 3.12 / 5
science, and last but not least it cannot hurt to get active in
monasteries since with monks on your side you are much less ────
likely to fall prey to fate. Age:

In Orléans, you will always want to take more actions than 12+
possible, and there are many paths to victory. The challenge is to
combine all elements as best as possible with regard to your ────
strategy. Mechanisms:

Zeus. Pool Building, Worker
Placement, Point-
Point Movement

INSTRUCTIONS:

RED7 Player Count:

The rules of "Red" are simple: highest card wins! But "Red" is just 2-4
one of seven games you'll be playing in Red7, and if you're not
winning the current game at the end of your turn, you're out! The ────
last person standing wins the round. Playing Time:

The deck in Red7 is 49 cards: each of the colors of the rainbow 5 - 30 minutes
numbered 1 to 7. A hand takes just a couple minutes!
────
Complexity:

1.66 / 5

────
Age:

8+

────
Mechanisms:

Hand Management,
Player Elimination,

Set Collection

INSTRUCTIONS:

SMASH UP Player Count:

Take the 20-card decks of two factions, shuffle them into a deck of 2-4
forty cards, then compete to crush more Bases than your
opponents! Each faction involves a different gaming mechanism, ────
and each combination of factions brings a different gaming Playing Time:
experience.
45 minutes
During the game, basic cards (each with their own difficulties and
abilities) are at stake. You try to have the most power on the basis ────
of your minions when the base is broken. Sounds easy? Is it easy Complexity:
when an opponent's Alien-Ninja decides to tie your minions to
other Bases - flat Murder them? What happens when the Pirate- 2.05 / 5
Dinosaur Full Sails player and frees King Rex to trample your
minions in the ground, or when wizard-zombies use their mystic ────
power to create an outbreak, suddenly flooding minions on the Age:
base of the discard pile? Or if you were facing a Zombie-Dinosaur
player instead and he created an epidemic of massive beasts at the 12+
same time?!?
────
Mechanisms:

Hand Management,
Take That, Variable

Player Powers

INSTRUCTIONS:

SUMMONER WARS Player Count:

Take on the role of Summoners: powerful beings who harness the 2-4
power of mysterious Summoning Stones to lead their race to
conquest on the war-torn planet of Itharia ────
Playing Time:
A Summoner is both Mage and General, and must combine their
wizardly might with clever tactics to defeat the enemy Summoner 30 minutes
on the opposite side of the battle.
────
Strategy shapes the composition of each deck of cards and how Complexity:
they are used. Tactics determine the effectiveness of those cards in
battle. Call walls of stone to protect you in combat and serve as 2.52 / 5
magic portals for you to summon your warriors. Call your forces
forth and send them in a surging wave against your enemy. Cast ────
spells that bolster your forces and cut down those who would Age:
oppose you.
9+
Victory can come only from the death of your opponent's
Summoner... ────
Mechanisms:

Card Drafting,
Set Collection

INSTRUCTIONS:

TOBAGO Player Count:

Tobago is an adventure game, in which the players possess 2-4
different parts of treasure maps. During the game, more and more
information about the locations of the treasures are revealed, and ────
the possible locations are narrowed down. When a player identifies Playing Time:
the location of one of the treasures, they try to reach it as fast as
possible to secure the findings. 60 minutes

The game features a modular game board. ────
Complexity:

2.12 / 5

────
Age:

13+

────
Mechanisms:

Reverse Deduction,
Hand Management,

Press Your Luck

INSTRUCTIONS:

WORLD’S FAIR Player Count:

Acting as organizers of the fair, players work diligently to increase 2-4
their influence throughout the fair and obtain the grand exhibits
that will be put on display. The organizer who has earned the best ────
reputation when the fair begins will emerge the victor. Playing Time:

On each turn of World's Fair 1893, the active player sends a 35 - 45 minutes
supporter to one of the five areas and gather all of the cards by it.
New cards are then added to some of the areas, and the next player ────
takes a turn. Complexity:

The game consists of three scoring rounds, each triggered when 1.96 / 5
players collectively gather a certain number of Midway tickets.
Players gain reputation points for leading in number of supporters ────
in an area and for gathering the most tickets in each round. Age:

Players gain reputation points at the end of the game based on the 10+
breadth and diversity of their approved exhibits.
────
Mechanisms:

Card Drafting,
Set Collection,
Area Influence

INSTRUCTIONS:

THREE PLUS: Player Count:

GAMES THAT 3+
PLAY GOOD WITH
AT LEAST 3 ────
PLAYERS. Playing Time:

x minutes

────
Complexity:

x.xx / 5

────
Age:

x+

────
Mechanisms:

xxx, xxx, xxx

INSTRUCTIONS:

QR CODE
Linked to
Rulebook PDG

51ST STATE Player Count:

The world you know no longer exists. There is no government. No 1-4
army. No civilization. The United States has collapsed, and now
thirty years after the war started, new powers finally try to take ────
control over the ruined country, try to establish a new order, try to Playing Time:
control others and create a new country, a new state: the 51st
State. 60 - 90 minutes

51st State is a card game in which players control one of four ────
powers trying to build a new country. Players put new locations Complexity:
into play, hire leaders, and send people to work in buildings to
gain resources and new skills. To do this, every card in 51st 2.96 / 5
State can be used in three different ways:
────
• Raze a location to gain many resources once. Age:

• Deal with this location to gain one resource every turn. 12+

• Build the location so that you can use its skill each turn. ────
Mechanisms:

Card Drafting,
Hand/Resource

Management

INSTRUCTIONS:

ABYSS Player Count:

The Abyss power is once again vacant, so the time has come to get 2-4
your hands on the throne and its privileges. Use all of your
cunning to win or buy votes in the Council. Recruit the most ────
influential Lords and abuse their powers to take control of the Playing Time:
most strategic territories. Finally, impose yourself as the only one
able to rule the Abyssal people! 30 - 60 minutes

Abyss is a game of development, combination and collection in ────
which players try to take control of strategic locations in an Complexity:
underwater city. To achieve this, players must develop on three
levels: first by collecting allies, then using them to recruit Lords of 2.35 / 5
the Abyss, who will then grant access to different parts of the city.
Players acquire cards through a draft of sorts, and the Lords of the ────
Abyss acquired on those cards grant special powers to the Age:
cardholder — but once you use the cards to acquire a location, that
power is shut off, so players need to time their land grabs well in 12+
order to put themselves in the best position for when the game
ends. ────
Mechanisms:

Set Collection, Hand
Management, Card
Drafting, Auction

INSTRUCTIONS:

AT THE GATES Player Count:

OF LOYANG 1-4

In this trading game, you are able to produce goods by planting ────
them and later selling them to customers. You can use the abilities Playing Time:
of some helpers to increase your income or production.
60 – 120 minutes
Placing one good on a field fills the complete field with goods of
this type. Each round, one unit per field is harvested. After ────
planting, harvesting, and distributing cards, each player can use as Complexity:
many actions as they want, only limited by the number of cards or
the number of goods owned. 3.14 / 5

At the end of a turn, invest the earned money on a scoring track, ────
where early money is worth more than late money. The game ends Age:
after a certain number of rounds, and the player who is highest on
their scoring track, wins. 12+

────
Mechanisms:

Card Drafting,
Set Collection

INSTRUCTIONS:

BELFORT Player Count:

Put your Elves, Dwarves and Gnomes to work in the Village and 2-5
Guilds of Belfort to collect resources and build up the city!
────
Elves collect wood from the forest while Dwarves collect stone Playing Time:
from the quarry. An Elf and a Dwarf together can collect Metal
from the mines, and either one can collect Gold. Build buildings in 120 minutes
the five districts of the pentagonal city and hire Gnomes to run
them to gain their special abilities. ────
Complexity:
Belfort is a worker placement game with area majority scoring in
each district as well as for each type of worker. Buildings give you 3.05 / 5
influence in the districts as well as income, but taxes increase
based on your score so the winning players will have to pay more ────
than those behind! Manage your resources and gold well, choose Age:
your buildings wisely, and help build the city of Belfort!
12+

────
Mechanisms:

Area Control, Worker
Placement, Resource

Management

INSTRUCTIONS:

BLACK SHEEP Player Count:

Players try to corral the best combination of cows, horses, chickens 2-4
and more while avoiding the mischievous black sheep.
────
Players make poker hands from two shared cards (figurines of Playing Time:
ranked animals) and three of their own (these are actual cards).
There are three such hands playing simultaneously, with players 30 minutes
adding one or two cards at a time to any hand on their turn. When
all players have played three cards onto a hand, a winner is chosen, ────
based on the poker ranks. Complexity:

The winner takes the two shared cards (animal figurines), and new 1.40 / 5
shared cards are added. At the end of the game, scores are
calculated by summing numbers printed on the bottoms of the ────
figurines they captured and some bonuses. The black sheep Age:
figurines are worth negative points.
8+

────
Mechanisms:

Hand Management,
Set Collection

INSTRUCTIONS:

BORA BORA Player Count:

The heart of the game is its action resolution system in which 5-7 2-4
actions are available each round, the exact number depending on
the number of players. ────
Playing Time:
Each player rolls three dice at the start of the round, then they take
turns placing one die at a time on one action. Place a high number 60 - 120 minutes
on an action, and you'll generally get a better version of that
action: more places to build, more choices of people to take, better ────
positioning on the temple track, and so on. Place a low number Complexity:
and you'll get a worse action – but you'll possibly block other
players from taking the action at all as in order to take an action 3.74 / 5
you must place a die on it with a lower number than any die
already on the action. ────
Age:
Three task tiles on a player's individual game board provide some
direction as to what he might want to do, while god tiles allow for 12+
special actions and rule-breaking. The player who best watches
how the game develops and uses the most effective strategy will ────
prevail. Mechanisms:

Dice Rolling,
Set Collection,
Worker Placement

INSTRUCTIONS:

CARSON CITY Player Count:

Carson City is a strategic game played in four rounds, and in each 2-5
one of them, the players choose a character from the seven
available that gives certain advantages. ────
Playing Time:
After selecting characters, your cowboys are placed on action track
locations that allow you to construct buildings, houses, or roads; 90 minutes
claim ground; earn money; or score victory points. When more
than one player is on the same location, get ready, it is time for a ────
duel! Roll the dice and see if you are the last one standing and lay Complexity:
claim to the goods!
3.18 / 5
During the game, you can take various actions that earn you
victory points for your plots, pistols (the hired help), and ────
buildings. At the end of the game, your buildings, houses, Age:
mountains, and money contribute to your victory points, and the
person with the most points wins. So go round up your posse of 12+
gunslingers and get ready for some Wild West action in Carson
City! ────
Mechanisms:

Area Control, Tile
and Worker
Placement

INSTRUCTIONS:

CHAMPIONS OF Player Count:

MIDGARD 2-5

Champions of Midgard is a middleweight, Viking-themed, worker ────
placement game with dice rolling in which players are leaders of Playing Time:
Viking clans who have traveled to an embattled Viking harbor
town to help defend it against the threat of trolls, draugr, and 60 – 90 minutes
other mythological Norse beasts. By defeating these epic creatures,
players gain glory and the favor of the gods. When the game ends, ────
the player who has earned the most glory earns the title of Jarl and Complexity:
is recognized as a champion of Midgard!
2.52 / 5
Placing workers allows for the collection of resources and warriors,
which players may then send on journeys to neighboring villages ────
or across the sea to defeat monsters and gain the glory they need Age:
for victory. Resources are used to carve runes, build ships, and
feed your followers. Viking warriors (custom dice) do battle with 10+
the myriad enemies the town faces.
────
Mechanisms:

Pick-up/Deliver,
Grid Movement,
Modular Board

INSTRUCTIONS:

COVERT Player Count:

Control your network of spies, gather intel, and break codes. 2-4
Players race to complete high risk Missions by deploying their
agents and acquiring the necessary equipment, all while keeping ────
an eye on the needs of future missions and the advances of rival Playing Time:
agencies.
45 - 90 minutes
Each round, players roll their dice and in turn allocate them to
different actions, like moving their Agents, acquiring Agency ────
Cards, completing and acquiring new Missions, and more. Dice are Complexity:
placed on action circles that require players to place their dice
numerically adjacent to dice that have already been placed, 3.00 / 5
allowing for rival agencies to thwart their plans — but a good
Agent always has a backup plan, and there are ways around ────
everything that stands in your way. Age:

Utilize your assets. Make your move. Don't let anyone stand in 10+
your way!
────
Mechanisms:

Dice Placement,
Press Your Luck,
Action Programming

INSTRUCTIONS:

EUPHORIA Player Count:

Lead a team of workers (dice) and recruits (cards) to claim 2-6
ownership of the dystopian world. You will generate commodities,
dig tunnels to infiltrate opposing areas, construct markets, collect ────
artifacts, strengthen allegiances, and fulfill secret agendas. Playing Time:

The number on each die represents a worker's knowledge—that is, 60 minutes
his level of awareness that he's in a dystopia. Worker knowledge
enables various bonuses and impacts player interaction. If the ────
collective knowledge of all of your available workers gets too high, Complexity:
one of them might desert you. You also have two elite recruit cards
at your disposal; one has pledged allegiance to you, but the other 3.11 / 5
needs some convincing.
────
Your path to victory is paved with the sweat of your workers, the Age:
strength of your allegiances, and the tunnels you dig to infiltrate
other areas of the world, but the destination is a land grab in the 12+
form of area control. You accomplish this by constructing markets
that impose harsh restrictions of personal freedoms upon other ────
players. You can also focus on gathering artifacts from the old Mechanisms:
world, objects of leisure that are extremely rare in this utilitarian
society. The dystopian elite covet these artifacts—especially Dice Placement, Set
matching pairs—and are willing to give you tracts of land in Collection, Variable
exchange for them.
Player Powers
Four distinct societies, each of them waiting for you to rewrite
history. What are you willing to sacrifice to build a better dystopia? INSTRUCTIONS:

.

FORBIDDEN Player Count:

DESERT 2-5

Gear up for a thrilling adventure to recover a legendary flying ────
machine buried deep in the ruins of an ancient desert city. You'll Playing Time:
need to coordinate with your teammates and use every available
resource if you hope to survive the scorching heat and relentless 45 minutes
sandstorm. Find the flying machine and escape before you all
become permanent artifacts of the forbidden desert! ────
Complexity:
In Forbidden Desert, a thematic sequel to Forbidden Island,
players take on the roles of brave adventurers who must throw 2.04 / 5
caution to the wind and survive both blistering heat and blustering
sand in order to recover a legendary flying machine buried under ────
an ancient desert city. While featuring cooperative gameplay Age:
similar to Forbidden Island, Forbidden Desert is a fresh, new
game based around an innovative set of mechanisms such as an 8+
ever-shifting board, individual resource management, and a
unique method for locating the flying machine parts. ────
Mechanisms:

Co-operative,
Grid Movement,
Pick-up and Deliver

INSTRUCTIONS:

FORTUNE AND Player Count:

GLORY 1-8

Fortune and Glory: The Cliffhanger Game is a fast-paced game of ────
high adventure, vile villains, edge-of-your-seat danger, and Playing Time:
cliffhanger pulp movie action. Players take on the role of a treasure
hunter, traveling the globe in search of ancient artifacts and 90 - 240 minutes
fending off danger and villains at every turn in a quest for the
ultimate reward of fortune and glory! ────
Complexity:
Featuring a beautifully rendered adventure map of the world as the
game board, eight pulp adventure heroes to choose from (such as 2.86 / 5
Jake Zane the Flying Ace, Li Mei Chen the Night Club Singer and
Martial Artist, or Dr. Zhukov Master of Science), an army of ────
ruthless villains and thugs (including the Chicago Mob and the Age:
dreaded occult-hunting Nazis), ancient Mayan temples to explore
with a zeppelin hovering overhead, a wealth of coins to horde as 10+
heroes collect fortune and glory throughout the game, and a
unique mechanism of dangers to overcome and the classic ────
cliffhanger moments of suspense that can result. Fortune and Mechanisms:
Glory is designed to create a pulp serial cinematic feel as the story
and game unfold. Dice Rolling,
Press Your Luck,
So, strap on your adventure boots and goggles, fire up the engines Pick-up and Deliver
on the seaplane, and grab some extra ammo for your revolver...the
Nazis already have a head start and in this race for fortune and INSTRUCTIONS:
glory, and there's no prize for second place!

GAME OF 49 Player Count:

Starting with $49 apiece, players in The Game of 49 bid to buy 2-5
spaces on the 49-square (7-by-7) game board.
────
Randomly drawn number cards are auctioned one at a time, with Playing Time:
the highest bidder placing a chip on the matching board space.
Wild/Payoff cards give players a choice of where to place their chip 45 minutes
and also award cash to all players for their chips on the board: $7
per chip, with a maximum payoff of $49. ────
Complexity:
The first player to claim four spaces in a row, in any direction,
wins. 1.71 / 5

────
Age:

10+

────
Mechanisms:

Hand Management,
Take That, Variable

Player Powers

INSTRUCTIONS:

GOLD WEST Player Count:

In Gold West, players compete as prospectors building their 2-4
mining empires while vying over the precious metals of the
frontier. In a delicate balance of resource management and area ────
control, players must plan their building strategies while carefully Playing Time:
managing their supply tracks to refine the right resources at the
most opportune times. 45 - 60 minutes

The goal of Gold West is to accumulate the most victory points ────
through clever management of your growing mining empire. Complexity:

When gaining new metals and materials, players place them in 2.45 / 5
their "supply track", a mancala-style track in which you will
manage your resources. You get points the further back in the ────
track you place them, as this creates a more refined product, but it Age:
will take longer to get these resources to the front of the supply
track where they can be used. Shipping, investments, and 13+
Boomtown offices often reward players who fulfill them earlier, so
it's a careful balance of risk and reward. ────
Mechanisms:

Mancala,
Area Control,
Set Collection

INSTRUCTIONS:

GREAT WESTERN Player Count:

TRAIL 2-4

America in the 19th century: You are a rancher and repeatedly ────
herd your cattle from Texas to Kansas City, where you send them Playing Time:
off by train. This earns you money and victory points. Needless to
say, each time you arrive in Kansas City, you want to have your 75 - 150 minutes
most valuable cattle in tow. However, the "Great Western Trail"
not only requires that you keep your herd in good shape, but also ────
that you wisely use the various buildings along the trail. Also, it Complexity:
might be a good idea to hire capable staff: cowboys to improve
your herd, craftsmen to build your very own buildings, or 3.70 / 5
engineers for the important railroad line.
────
If you cleverly manage your herd and navigate the opportunities Age:
and pitfalls of Great Western Trail, you surely will gain the most
victory points and win the game. 13+

────
Mechanisms:

Hand Management,
Deck/Pool Building

INSTRUCTIONS:

IMHOTEP Player Count:

In Imhotep, the players become builders in Egypt who want to 2-4
emulate the first and best-known architect there, namely Imhotep.
────
Over six rounds, they move wooden stones by boat to create five Playing Time:
seminal monuments, and on a turn, a player chooses one of four
actions: Procure new stones, load stones on a boat, bring a boat to 40 minutes
a monument, or play an action card. While this sounds easy,
naturally the other players constantly thwart your building plans ────
by carrying out plans of their own. Only those with the best timing Complexity:
— and the stones to back up their plans — will prove to be Egypt's
best builder. 2.02 / 5

────
Age:

10+

────
Mechanisms:

Area Influence,
Modular Board,
Set Collection

INSTRUCTIONS:

JAMAICA Player Count:

This is a pirate-themed tactical race game with player interaction 2-6
and side goals (e.g. detouring for treasure). The winner is the
player who best balances their position in the race with their ────
success at the side goals. Playing Time:

The game ends on the turn when at least one player's ship reaches 30 - 60 minutes
the finish line, completing one circuit around the island of
Jamaica. At that point, players are awarded different amounts of ────
gold in accordance with how far away from the finish line they Complexity:
were when the race concluded. This gold is added to any gold a
player gathered along the way by detouring from the race to search 1.64 / 5
for valuable treasure, by stealing gold or treasure from other
players, or just by loading gold as directed by the cards the player ────
played during the race. The player with the most total gold Age:
acquired through all these means is then declared the winner.
8+

────
Mechanisms:

Hand Management,
Simultaneous Action

Selection

INSTRUCTIONS:

KINGS FORGE Player Count:

The Chamberlain is searching the realm for a new "Craftmaster to 2-4
the King" and sets a contest for all of the smiths and crafters in the
land. The first one to forge four items from a list of the King's ────
favorite weapons and trinkets will be honored as First Among Playing Time:
Crafters and Smiths. But watch out, because the other crafters and
smiths will try to outdo you at every opportunity. Are you ready to 60 minutes
forge your destiny?
────
In King's Forge, players are craftsmen and craftswomen seeking to Complexity:
become the favorite of the King. A variety of dice represent the raw
materials (metal, wood, gems, and enchantment) and those same 2.30 / 5
dice can be used to gather new dice and purchase roll-modifiers, or
saved and rolled in an attempt to meet the requirements to craft ────
the items on the King's list. An early lead is not a sure path to Age:
victory and other players will out-maneuver and out-build you
whenever possible. Careful dice management, advance planning, 10+
fierce competition, and nail-biting luck will carry you to winner's
circle. ────
Mechanisms:

Dice Rolling,
Deck/Pool/Pattern

Building

INSTRUCTIONS:

KINGSBURG Player Count:

The game takes place over five years, a total of 20 turns. In every 2-5
year, there are 3 production seasons for collecting resources,
building structures, and training troops. Every fourth turn is the ────
winter, in which all the players must fight an invading army. Each Playing Time:
player must face the invaders, so this is not a cooperative game.
90 minutes
The resources to build structures and train troops are collected by
influencing the advisers in the King's Council. Players place their ────
influence dice on members of the Council. The player with the Complexity:
lowest influence dice sum will be the first one to choose where to
spend his/her influence; this acts as a way of balancing poor dice 2.47 / 5
rolling. Even with a very unlucky roll, a clever player can still come
out from the Council with a good number of resources and/or ────
soldiers. Age:

Each adviser on the King's Council will award different resources 10+
or allocate soldiers, victory points, and other advantages to the
player who was able to influence him/her for the current turn. ────
Mechanisms:
At the end of five years, the player who best developed his assigned
territory and most pleased the King through the Council is the Dice Placement,
winner. Resource

Management

INSTRUCTIONS:

MEDIEVAL Player Count:

ACADEMY 2-5

In Medieval Academy, a "family+" game, each player takes the ────
role of a squire who wants to outdo the others in the different Playing Time:
training categories to score Chivalry Points. To achieve this goal,
during the six turns of the game, the players must wisely draft the 30 minutes
cards that are the most useful to them and play them at the right
time to move their discs up the training tracks. ────
Complexity:
At the end of turn VI, the squire who has the most Chivalry Points
wins the game and is knighted by King Arthur! 1.80 / 5

────
Age:

8+

────
Mechanisms:

Card Drafting, Hand
Management, Area
Control/Influence

INSTRUCTIONS:

MERCHANT OF Player Count:

VENUS 1-4

Merchant of Venus uses many elements that come together to ────
form a very interesting game. Players take on the roles of space Playing Time:
traders who move their ships through interconnected systems
discovering new alien worlds to trade with. 120 - 240 minutes

As players start to make money delivering commodities in a ────
unique supply-and-demand system, their earnings can be used to Complexity:
purchase better ships and equipment (shields, lasers, engines,
etc...) and construct their own spaceports (which speed up trading) 3.09 / 5
and factories (which create better commodities). Variations
included in the rulebook allow for interplayer combat. ────
Age:
The player who first acquires enough total value ($1000, $2000,
$3000, $4000) in cash and port/factory deeds takes the day. 12+

────
Mechanisms:

Card Drafting, Hand
Management, Area
Control/Influence

INSTRUCTIONS:

NEAR AND FAR Player Count:

Four wanderers search for the Last Ruin, a city that legends say 2-4
contains an artifact that will grant the greatest desires of the heart.
A lost love, redemption, acceptance, a family rejoined-- these are ────
the fires that fuel the wanderers' journeys, but can they overcome Playing Time:
their own greed and inner demons on the way?
60 - 120 minutes
In Near and Far, you and up to three friends explore many
different maps in a search for the Last Ruin, recruiting ────
adventurers, hunting for treasure, and competing to be the most Complexity:
storied traveler. You must collect food and equipment at town for
long journeys to mysterious locales, making sure not to forget 2.76 / 5
enough weapons to fight off bandits, living statues, and rusty
robots! Sometimes in your travels you'll run into something ────
unique and one of your friends will read what happens to you from Age:
a book of stories, giving you a choice of how to react, creating a
new and memorable tale each time you play. 10+

Answer the call of the ruins and begin your journey. ────
Mechanisms:

Storytelling,
Set Collection,
Worker Placement

INSTRUCTIONS:

NINJATO Player Count:

In 12th century Japan, the Minamoto and Taira clans vie for power 2-4
while retired Emperor Go-Shirakawa plays his rivals against one
another. One of the three factions will triumph to impose the ────
coming social order. In the shadow of these elite powers, a few Playing Time:
ninja scheme to exploit the chaos. Daring raids, skill mastery, and
subtle intrigue are essential to establishing one’s honor. When the 60 minutes
new era dawns, one ninja will flourish as the Ninjato, the Invisible
Sword of the ruling family. ────
Complexity:
Ninjato is the newest board game from CrossCut Games, makers
of Galactic Emperor, and published by Z-Man Games, IELLO, and 2.76 / 5
White Goblin Games.
────
Age:

10+

────
Mechanisms:

Worker Placement,
Set Collection,
Press Your Luck

INSTRUCTIONS: