John's Game Catalog

NO THANKS Player Count:

The rules are simple. Each turn, players have two options: 3-7

• play one of their chips to avoid picking up the current face- ────
up card Playing Time:

• pick up the face-up card (along with any chips that have 20 minutes
already been played on that card) and turn over the next
card ────
Complexity:
However, the choices aren't so easy as players compete to have the
lowest score at the end of the game. The deck of cards is numbered 1.15 / 5
from 3 to 35, with each card counting for a number of points equal
to its face value. Runs of two or more cards only count as the ────
lowest value in the run - but nine cards are removed from the deck Age:
before starting, so be careful looking for connectors. Each chip is
worth -1 point, but they can be even more valuable by allowing you 8+
to avoid drawing that unwanted card.
────
Mechanisms:

Auction/Bidding,
Press Your Luck,

Set Collection

INSTRUCTIONS:

OCEANOS Player Count:

Each player pilots a submarine trying to spot the most underwater 2-5
species and the largest coral reef, sending scuba-divers after
forgotten treasures, collecting precious crystals to upgrade their ────
ship and to escape the fearsome Kraken's gaze... Playing Time:

Each submarine is divided into five parts, each of them 30 - 45 minutes
independently upgradable from level 1 to level 3 and each one of
them controlling a different ability of the player (however, there ────
are no different abilities from one player to another). As there are Complexity:
multiple ways to score points and multiple takes on the
submarine-upgrading order, the game offers several ways to win. 1.82 / 5

The whole game takes mere 15 turns, each one of them ────
simultaneous between all players, which makes it a fairly quick Age:
family game.
6+
Even though the submarines have the same abilities game-wise,
each looks differently, and a special attention was obviously given ────
also to the depiction of marine life. Mechanisms:

Card Drafting,
Set Collection,
Simultaneous Action

INSTRUCTIONS:

QUANTUM Player Count:

In Quantum, each player is a fleet commander from one of the four 2-4
factions of humanity, struggling to conquer a sector of space. Every
die is a starship, with the value of the die determining the ────
movement of the ship, but also its combat power - with low Playing Time:
numbers more powerful.
60 minutes
Each type of ship also has a special power that can be used once
per turn: Destroyers can warp space to swap places with other dice ────
and Flagships can transport other ships. These powers can be used Complexity:
in combination for devastating effects. You're not stuck with your
starting ships, however: using Quantum technology, you can spend 2.47 / 5
actions to transform (re-roll) your ships.
────
You win by constructing Quantum Cubes - massive planetary Age:
energy extractors. Each time you build a new one, you can expand
your fleet, earn a new permanent ability, or take a one-time special 10+
move. The board itself is made out of modular tiles, and you can
play on one of the 30 layouts that come with the game or design ────
your own. The ship powers, player abilities, and board designs Mechanisms:
combine to create a limitless set of possibilities for how to play and
strategies for how to win. Area Influence, Dice
Rolling, Grid
Movement

INSTRUCTIONS:

QUARRIORS Player Count:

Each player starts with an identical set of 12 dice in their dice bag. 2-4
At the start of the game, Creature and Spell dice (Quarry) are dealt
at random to form "the Wilds" in the center of the table. ────
Playing Time:
As play progresses, players roll their dice to attempt to summon
Creatures, cast Spells, and harness the magical power of Quiddity 30 minutes
(the in-game resource) to capture Quarry from the Wilds to add to
their repertoire and into their dice bag. Players draw and roll 6 ────
dice a turn from their bag, making that controlling bag Complexity:
composition is key to victory.
2.22 / 5
Quarriors is a fast-paced game where players must strategically
balance their choices each turn. Do I use my Quiddity to summon ────
Creatures in the hopes of scoring Glory or should I spend it all to Age:
capture more powerful Quarry from the Wilds? Players must
outmaneuver their opponent's through strategic Spell use, the 8+
acquisition of powerful Quarry, and ultimately, by striking down
opponent's Creature in combat. ────
Mechanisms:
If your Creatures survive until your next turn, you will score Glory
points and move closer to victory! Card Drafting,
Dice Rolling,
Deck/Pool Building

INSTRUCTIONS:

QWIRKLE Player Count:

The abstract game of Qwirkle consists of 108 wooden blocks with 2-4
six different shapes in six different colors. There is no board,
players simply use an available flat surface. ────
Playing Time:
Players begin the game with six blocks. The start player places
blocks of a single matching attribute (color or shape but not both) 45 minutes
on the table. Thereafter, a player adds blocks adjacent to at least
one previously played block. The blocks must all be played in a line ────
and match, without duplicates, either the color or shape of the Complexity:
previous block.
1.65 / 5
Players score one point for each block played plus all blocks
adjacent. It is possible for a block to score in more than one ────
direction. If a player completes a line containing all six shapes or Age:
colors, an additional six points are scored. The player then refills
his hand to six blocks. 6+

The game ends when the draw bag is depleted and one player plays ────
all of his remaining blocks, earning a six point bonus. The player Mechanisms:
with the high score wins.
Hand Management,
Pattern Building,
Tile Placement

INSTRUCTIONS:

RISING SUN Player Count:

Rising Sun is a game about honor, negotiation, and warfare in a 3-5
feudal Japan where the ancient gods (kami) have returned to
rebuild the empire. ────
Playing Time:
Tackle negotiations, alliances, and war. Capture hostages and
commit seppuku. The game features an honor track, which rises 90 - 120 minutes
and falls based on your actions.
────
Complexity:

3.19 / 5

────
Age:

14+

────
Mechanisms:

Area Control,
Simultaneous
Actions, Diplomacy

INSTRUCTIONS:

RUNEWARS Player Count:

Runewars is an epic board game of conquest, adventure, and 2-4
fantasy empires for two to four players. Runewars pits players
against each other in a strategic game of battles and area control, ────
where they must gather resources, raise armies, and lay siege to Playing Time:
heavily fortified cities.
180 - 240 minutes
Runewars takes place in the same popular fantasy universe as the
board games Runebound, Descent: Journeys in the ────
Dark and Rune Age, and dozens of fan-favorite heroes and Complexity:
monsters play their part. The wars for the dragon runes are
beginning, and only one faction will emerge victorious. 3.76 / 5

────
Age:

10+

────
Mechanisms:

Variable Powers,
Auction/Bidding,
Simultaneous Action

INSTRUCTIONS:

TINY EPIC Player Count:

WESTERN 1-4

Poker meets worker-placement! ────
Playing Time:
The West is growing day by day, and you’re looking to stake your
claim. To win, you have to gamble your relationships with the most 30 - 45 minutes
powerful bosses in town to win influence. This influence comes in
many forms: Law, Money and Force. ────
Complexity:
If you’re clever enough, you’ll be able to take claim over the
buildings in the ever-growing boomtowns and gain powerful 2.84 / 5
abilities. At the end of the day, the boss who has the best
combination of wit and bluff will become the most powerful tycoon ────
in the Wild Wild West. Age:

If you have the highest stake in the most lucrative industry at the 14+
end, you will be rewarded bonus points. Add these points to the
points you've collected from buying buildings and determine the ────
winner! Yippie kay yay a! Mechanisms:

Worker Placement,
Variable Powers,
Set Collection

INSTRUCTIONS:

TRAJAN Player Count:

Set in ancient Rome, Trajan is a development game in which 2-4
players try to increase their influence and power in various areas of
Roman life such as political influence, trading, military dominion ────
and other important parts of Roman culture. Playing Time:

The central mechanism of the game uses a system similar to that 60 - 120 minutes
in Mancala or pit-and-pebbles games. In Trajan, a player has six
possible actions: building, trading, taking tiles from the forum, ────
using the military, influencing the Senate, and placing Trajan tiles Complexity:
on his tableau.
3.67 / 5

────
Age:

12+

────
Mechanisms:

Area Movement,
Set Collection,
Card Drafting

INSTRUCTIONS:

FOUR ONLY: Player Count:

DESPITE THE 4
SUPPORTED
PLAYER COUNT, ────
THESE GAMES Playing Time:
PLAY THE BEST
WITH ONLY 4 x minutes
PLAYERS.
────
Complexity:

x.xx / 5

────
Age:

x+

────
Mechanisms:

xxx, xxx, xxx

INSTRUCTIONS:

QR CODE
Linked to
Rulebook PDG

ARCADIA QUEST Player Count:

In Arcadia Quest, players lead guilds of intrepid heroes on an epic 2-4
campaign to dethrone the vampire lord and reclaim the mighty
Arcadia for their own. But only one guild may lead in the end, so ────
players must battle against each other as well as against the Playing Time:
monstrous occupying forces.
60 minutes
Arcadia Quest is a campaign-based game for 2 to 4 players, where
each player controls a guild of three unique heroes, facing off ────
against the other players and the various monsters controlled by Complexity:
the game. Players need to accomplish a series of quests in order to
win each scenario and choose where to go next in the campaign. 2.52 / 5

────
Age:

10+

────
Mechanisms:

Grid Movement,
Variable Player
Powers, Dice Rolling

INSTRUCTIONS:

BATTLE AT KEMBLE’S Player Count:

CASCADE 1-5

This is a board game adaptation of a classic shoot 'em up video ────
game. In the game, which is played out on a scrolling space Playing Time:
backdrop, the players take on the roles of brave space pilots
sweeping around in nimble yet powerful fighters, searching the 75 minutes
asteroid clusters for universal glory and ancient technology.
Players compete to obtain the most glory, with glory resulting from ────
carrying out missions, finding lost treasure in asteroid clusters, Complexity:
and destroying alien entities, not to mention other players.
2.59 / 5
In the game, players fly through an ever-scrolling space setting,
which is represented by rows of cards. Each turn, the bottom row ────
is removed and a new row is added to the top. Players move their Age:
spaceships and resolve effects continuously, performing actions
such as collecting power-ups and money, fighting alien cruisers 10+
and titans, blocking and shooting other players, and dodging
asteroids and black holes. The players need to balance the use of ────
their ships' energy as it's used for both absorbing enemy fire and Mechanisms:
boosting their movement speed and fire rate.
Grid Movement,
Hand Management,
Simultaneous Action

INSTRUCTIONS:

BETRAYAL AT Player Count:

HOUSE ON THE HILL 3-6

Suspense and excitement builds quickly as players explore a ────
haunted mansion of their own design, encountering spirits and Playing Time:
frightening omens that foretell their fate.
60 minutes
Betrayal at House on the Hill is a tile game that allows players to
build their own haunted house room by room, tile by tile, creating ────
a new thrilling game board every time. Complexity:

Secretly, one of the characters betrays the rest of the party, and the 2.37 / 5
innocent members of the party must defeat the traitor in their
midst before it’s too late! ────
Age:

12+

────
Mechanisms:

Storytelling,
Player Elimination,

Dice Rolling

INSTRUCTIONS:

BLOOD RAGE Player Count:

Each player controls their own Viking clan’s warriors, leader, and 2-4
ship. Ragnarök has come, and it’s the end of the world! It’s the
Vikings’ last chance to go down in a blaze of glory and secure their ────
place in Valhalla at Odin’s side! Playing Time:

For a Viking there are many pathways to glory. You can invade and 60 - 90 minutes
pillage the land for its rewards, crush your opponents in epic
battles, fulfill quests, increase your clan's stats, or even die ────
gloriously either in battle or from Ragnarök, the ultimate Complexity:
inescapable doom.
2.89 / 5
Battles are decided not only by the strength of the figures involved,
but also by cards played in secret. By observing your opponent’s ────
actions and allegiances to specific gods, you may predict what card Age:
they are likely to play, and plan accordingly. Winning battles is not
always the best course of action, as the right card can get you even 12+
more rewards by being crushed. The only losing strategy in Blood
Rage is to shy away from battle and a glorious death! ────
Mechanisms:

Area Control,
Card Drafting, Action

Point Allowance

INSTRUCTIONS:

CHAOSTLE Player Count:

Chaostle (kâ'os'l) is a combination of the words Chaos and 2-8
Castle. Chaostle is a three-dimensional castle fantasy board game.
────
Each player selects their starting armies that they will use to battle Playing Time:
against their enemies in an attempt to conquer the castle for their
King or Queen. 120 minutes

The armies consist of many different fantasy fighters with unique ────
skills and weaknesses such as wizards, dragons, unicorns, knights, Complexity:
archers, etc. The fighters are custom collectible plastic miniatures.
2.25 / 5
The game has many levels of strategy that can be offset by a wide
range of fates (both good and bad). ────
Age:

8+

────
Mechanisms:

Roll Move,
Dice Rolling,
Variable Powers

INSTRUCTIONS:

CRY HAVOC Player Count:

Cry Havoc is a card-driven, asymmetric, area control war game set 2-4
in a brutal science fiction setting. Each player commands one of
four unique factions with varying abilities and units. The game ────
includes 54 custom miniatures, a large format board, and over one Playing Time:
hundred unique cards, all with stunning new artwork.
60 - 120 minutes

────
Complexity:

3.21 / 5

────
Age:

12+

────
Mechanisms:

Area Control,
Hand Management,

Variable Powers

INSTRUCTIONS:

DINOSAUR Player Count:

ISLAND 1-4

In Dinosaur Island, players will have to collect DNA, research the ────
DNA sequences of extinct dinosaur species, and then combine the Playing Time:
ancient DNA in the correct sequence to bring these prehistoric
creatures back to life. Dino cooking! All players will compete to 90 - 120 minutes
build the most thrilling park each season, and then work to attract
(and keep alive!) the most visitors each season that the park opens. ────
Complexity:
Do you go big and create a pack of Velociraptors? They'll definitely
excite potential visitors, but you'd better make a large enough 2.94 / 5
enclosure for them. And maybe hire some (read: a lot of) security.
Or they WILL break out and start eating your visitors, and we all ────
know how that ends. You could play it safe and grow a bunch of Age:
herbivores, but then you aren't going to have the most exciting
park in the world (sad face). So maybe buy a roller coaster or two 10+
to attract visitors to your park the good old-fashioned way?
────
Mechanisms:

Action Allowance,
Set Collection,

Worker Placement

INSTRUCTIONS:

DOJO KUN Player Count:

In a mystical land, far away from here, two prestigious martial arts 1-4
tournament have been held since the ancient times: the White
Lotus Tournament and the Black Lotus Tournament. These two ────
tournaments are the most important show of legendary martial Playing Time:
arts used by powerful athletes. Extraordinary masters are always
looking for new talented athletes that will be forged into the ideal 60 - 90 minutes
of the Perfect Warrior by exhausting training and life experiences
that will fortify body, mind and soul. ────
Complexity:
Combat between athletes is simulated by throwing a set of custom
dice. There are four different dice, one for each fighting technique. 2.69 / 5
Players will roll dice according their athlete's experience level
(Dan): the higher the Dan, the higher the chance of winning the ────
match! Before a fight, the players that are not attending can Age:
predict the winner of that fight to gain prestige.
10+
The tournament ends with the grand final in which a new
champion will be crowned. At the end of the second season the ────
Dojo with most Prestige Points will win the game. Mechanisms:

Worker Placement,
Betting/Wagering,

Dice Rolling

INSTRUCTIONS:

EXODUS: PROXIMA Player Count:

CENTAURI 2-6

After a devastating nuclear war, six human factions are seeking ────
shelter in the Centauri system. On the verge of extinction, the Playing Time:
humans are saved by a superior civilization, allegedly the
Centaurians, and each faction is given a fresh start on a new 180 minutes
planet. Thus the exodus of humanity seems to have ended on the
planets orbiting the star called Proxima Centauri. When the ────
Centaurians announce their departure, the struggle for power Complexity:
commences once again.
3.60 / 5
In Exodus: Proxima Centauri, the six factions fight for dominance
in an epic empire-building game, striving to build a new human ────
empire on the ashes of the Centaurian civilization. Each player will Age:
build his own space fleet of customized ships and conquer new
planets, fight the Centaurian Resistance and the other players, 14+
negotiate and vote for political decisions, research Centaurian
technologies, and much more. ────
Mechanisms:

Trading, Voting,
Auction/Bidding,
Simultaneous Action

INSTRUCTIONS:

FRANCIS DRAKE Player Count:

Return to a bustling Plymouth Harbor in 1572 as an aspiring 3-5
Elizabethan captain making preparations for three exciting
voyages to the Spanish Main in search of fame and fortune! As ────
captains, players will have to plan their missions and provision Playing Time:
their ships accordingly.
90 - 120 minutes
Francis Drake is a race to see who can set sail and reach the
Spanish Main first. The riches of the Aztec and Inca Empires await ────
these swashbuckling captains. Complexity:

Each new voyage has its own challenges to overcome, but the 2.92 / 5
captured gold, silver, and jewels should greatly please the Queen.
────
Get ready for the voyage of a lifetime! Age:

12+

────
Mechanisms:

Press Your Luck,
Set Collection,

Worker Placement

INSTRUCTIONS:

LOVE LETTER Player Count:

All of the eligible young men (and many of the not-so-young) seek 2-4
to woo the princess of Tempest. Unfortunately, she has locked
herself in the palace, and you must rely on others to take your ────
romantic letters to her. Will yours reach her first? Playing Time:

Love Letter is a game of risk, deduction, and luck for 2–4 players. 20 minutes
Your goal is to get your love letter into Princess Annette's hands
while deflecting the letters from competing suitors. From a deck ────
with only sixteen cards, each player starts with only one card in Complexity:
hand; one card is removed from play. On a turn, you draw one
card, and play one card, trying to expose others and knock them 1.20 / 5
from the game. Powerful cards lead to early gains, but make you a
target. Rely on weaker cards for too long, however, and your letter ────
may be tossed in the fire! Age:

8+

────
Mechanisms:

Hand Management,
Player Elimination,

Deduction

INSTRUCTIONS:

MECHS VS MINIONS Player Count:

Set in the world of Runeterra, players take on the roles of four 2-4
intrepid Yordles: Corki, Tristana, Heimerdinger, and Ziggs, who
must join forces and pilot their newly-crafted mechs against an ────
army of marauding minions. Playing Time:

With modular boards, programmatic command lines, and a story- 60 - 90 minutes
driven campaign, each mission will be unique, putting your
teamwork, programming, and piloting skills to the test. ────
Complexity:
There are ten missions in total, and each individual mission will
take about 60-90 minutes. The box includes five game boards, four 2.48 / 5
command lines (one for each player), four painted mech
miniatures, ability and damage decks, a sand timer, a bomb-like- ────
power source miniature, 6 metal trackers, 4 acrylic shards, 4 dice, Age:
and 100 minion miniatures. There also appears to be some large
object trying to get out of that sealed box... 10+

────
Mechanisms:

Co-operative,
Card Drafting,
Action Programming

INSTRUCTIONS:

RAIDERS OF THE Player Count:

NORTH SEA 2-4

Raiders of the North Sea is set in the central years of the Viking ────
Age. As Viking warriors, players seek to impress the Chieftain by Playing Time:
raiding unsuspecting settlements.
60 - 120 minutes
Players will need to assemble a crew, collect provisions and
journey north to plunder gold, iron and livestock. There is glory to ────
be found in battle, even at the hands of the Valkyrie. So, gather Complexity:
your warriors, it’s raiding season!
2.67 / 5
The aim of Raiders of the North Sea is to impress the Chieftain by
having the most Victory Points (VP) at the game’s end. Victory ────
Points are gained primarily by raiding Settlements, taking Plunder Age:
and making Offerings to the Chieftain. How players use their
Plunder is also vital to their success. 12+

The game ends when either only 1 Fortress raid remains, all ────
Valkyrie are removed, or all Offerings have been made. Mechanisms:

Hand Management,
Set Collection,

Worker Placement

INSTRUCTIONS:

ROBINSON Player Count:

CRUSOE 1-4

You will build a shelter, palisade, weapons, you will create tools ────
like axes, knives, sacks, you will do everything you can to… to Playing Time:
survive. You will have to find food, fight wild beasts, protect
yourself from weather changes… 60 - 120 minutes

Take the role of one of four characters from the ship crew (cook, ────
carpenter, explorer or soldier) and face the adventure. Use your Complexity:
determination skills to help your team mates, discuss with them
your plan and put it into practice. Debate, discuss, and work on the 3.73 / 5
best plan you all can make.
────
Search for treasures. Discover mysteries. Follow goals of six Age:
different, engaging scenarios. Start by building a big pile of wood
and setting it on fire to call for help, and then start new 12+
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… Mechanisms:

Let the adventure live! Co-operative,
Storytelling,
Worker Placement

INSTRUCTIONS:

RUNE AGE Player Count:

This unique deck-building game centers around scenarios. 1-4
Scenarios not only dictate the win conditions, they also determine
which card types will populate Terrinoth (forming the central card ────
pools) and which Event cards will form the Event deck. Playing Time:

Gameplay in Rune Age centers around players working to develop 60 minutes
their individual deck of cards. At the beginning of the game, each
player begins with a small assortment of cards in their deck, ────
drawing five cards each turn to carry out their actions. Each Complexity:
player's deck represents their faction's military strength and
capabilities. These decks will be formed with their faction-specific 2.58 / 5
Unit cards and a central collection of Neutral Unit cards, Tactics
cards, and Gold cards. ────
Age:
While players begin with limited cards in their deck, players can
expand their deck to create a destructive force of their own clever 12+
design. Will you create brutal deck of formidable Units? Or will
you rely on Gold and Influence to acquire neutral forces and ────
powerful Tactics? Mechanisms:

Deck Building,
Hand Management,

Player Powers

INSTRUCTIONS:

SID MEIER’S Player Count:

CIVILIZATION 2-4

Players take on the roles of famous leaders in charge of historical ────
civilizations, each with their own abilities. Players will be able to Playing Time:
explore a module game board, build cities and buildings, fight
battles, research powerful technology, and attract great people by 120 - 240 minutes
advancing their culture. No matter what your play style is, there is
a civilization for you! ────
Complexity:
Players start off with a single city, one army figure, and one scout,
and from these meager origins you must forge through the ages 3.87 / 5
and become the greatest civilization in the world.
────
Will you lead the greatest army in the world to conquer your foes? Age:
Or will you be the first to journey to the stars, becoming the most
technologically advanced civilization known to man? The choice is 14+
yours.
────
Mechanisms:

Trading, Hand
Management, Pool
Building, Drafting

INSTRUCTIONS:

STEAM PARK Player Count:

As owners of a fantastic steam park, you're to build gigantic, coal- 2-4
powered rides to attract as many visitors as you can – but building
attractions won't be enough. You'll also need to manage your ────
employees, invest in advertising in order to attract and please the Playing Time:
different kinds of guests visiting your park, and, above all, keep the
dirt that your park produces under strict control! 60 minutes

In this management game, you'll have to build your own ────
amusement park and make it the largest and most profitable in the Complexity:
region. By constructing the three-dimensional, wonderful rides
designed by Marie Cardouat, you will see your park grow right 2.10 / 5
before your eyes. Choose your strategy! Build Stands to attract
more Visitors, or Toilets to keep the Dirt under control. Whatever ────
decision you take, take it quickly: The less time you spend Age:
planning, the more time you'll have to maintain your park. Thanks
to a clever, original action-choosing mechanism, winning in Steam 10+
Park is as much a matter of being the best as of being the fastest!
────
Mechanisms:

Dice Rolling,
Memory, Action
Selection, Drafting

INSTRUCTIONS:

SURVIVE: Player Count:

ESCAPE FROM 2-4

ATLANTIS ────
Playing Time:
Survive is a cutthroat game where players seek to evacuate their
pieces from an island that is breaking up, while remembering 45 - 60 minutes
where their highest-valued pieces are located to maximize their
score. ────
Complexity:
An island made up of 40 hex-tiles is slowly sinking into the ocean
(as the tiles are removed from the board). Each player controls ten 1.71 / 5
people (valued from 1 to 6) that they try and move towards the
safety of the surrounding islands before the main island finally ────
blows up. Players can either swim or use boats to travel but must Age:
avoid sea serpents, whales and sharks on their way to safety.
8+

────
Mechanisms:

Action Point, Dice
Rolling, Memory,
Secret Unit Deploy

INSTRUCTIONS:

TALES OF Player Count:

ARABIAN 1-6

NIGHTS ────
Playing Time:
Enter the lands of the Arabian Nights alongside Sindbad, Ali Baba,
and the other legendary heroes of the tales. Travel the world 120 minutes
encountering imprisoned princesses, powerful 'efreets, evil viziers,
and such marvels as the Magnetic Mountain and the fabled ────
Elephant's Graveyard. Complexity:

Choose your actions carefully and the skills you possess will 2.17 / 5
reward you: become beloved, wealthy, mighty - even become
sultan of a great land. Choose foolishly, however, and become a ────
beggar, or be cursed with a beast's form or become insane from Age:
terror! YOU will bring to life the stories of the inestimable Book of
Tales in this vastly replayable board game with over 2002 tales 12+
that will challenge, amuse, astound and spellbind you for years to
come. ────
Mechanisms:

Dice Rolling,
Storytelling, Variable

Player Powers

INSTRUCTIONS:

VITICULTURE: Player Count:

TUSCANY 1-6

In Viticulture, the players find themselves in the roles of people in ────
rustic, pre-modern Tuscany who have inherited meager vineyards. Playing Time:
They have a few plots of land, an old crush pad, a tiny cellar, and
three workers. They each have a dream of being the first to call 60 - 150 minutes
their winery a true success.
────
The players are in the position of determining how they want to Complexity:
allocate their workers throughout the year. Every season is
different on a vineyard, so the workers have different tasks they 3.41 / 5
can take care of in the summer and winter.
────
Fortunately for the players, people love to visit wineries, and it just Age:
so happens that many of those visitors are willing to help out
around the vineyard when they visit as long as you assign a worker 12+
to take care of them.
────
Using those workers and visitors, players can expand their Mechanisms:
vineyards by building structures, planting vines (vine cards), and
filling wine orders (wine order cards). Players work towards the Hand Management,
goal of running the most successful winery in Tuscany. Worker Placement,
Variable Phase Order

INSTRUCTIONS:

FOUR PLUS: Player Count:

GAMES PLAY 4+
MANY RANGES
OF PLAYERS, ────
BUT THESE Playing Time:
GAMES ARE
BEST WITH AT x minutes
LEAST 4.
────
Complexity:

x.xx / 5

────
Age:

x+

────
Mechanisms:

xxx, xxx, xxx

INSTRUCTIONS:

QR CODE
Linked to
Rulebook PDG

LORDS OF Player Count:

WATERDEEP 2-5

In this game, the players are powerful lords vying for control of ────
this great city. Its treasures and resources are ripe for the taking, Playing Time:
and that which cannot be gained through trickery and negotiation
must be taken by force! 60 - 120 minutes

Take on the role of one of the masked Lords of Waterdeep, secret ────
rulers of the city. Through your agents, you recruit adventurers to Complexity:
go on quests on your behalf, earning rewards and increasing your
influence over the city. Expand the city by purchasing new 2.64 / 5
buildings that open up new actions on the board, and hinder – or
help – the other lords by playing Intrigue cards to enact your ────
carefully laid plans. Age:

10+

────
Mechanisms:

Set Collection,
Worker Placement,

Take That

INSTRUCTIONS:

RISE OF Player Count:

AUGUSTUS 2-6

In Augustus, you vie with your fellow players to complete ────
"objective" cards for special powers and ultimately for victory Playing Time:
points. Each card has 2-6 symbols which you must populate with
legionnaire meeples in order to complete the card. These symbols 30 minutes
are drawn one at a time from a bag, with all players gaining the
benefit equally, but interestingly, the bag contains more of some ────
symbols than others. Complexity:

So the pivotal skill you'll deploy is in making your choice of which 1.62 / 5
three objectives you'll start the game with (you're dealt six) —
balancing potential difficulty of completion against value of the ────
reward — and then which of five available objectives you'll add to Age:
your plate each time you complete one of your three. The game
ends when someone completes seven objectives. 8+

────
Mechanisms:

Card Drafting, Set
Collection, Variable

Player Powers

INSTRUCTIONS:

SCYTHE Player Count:

Scythe is an engine-building game set in an alternate-history 1-5
1920s period. It is a time of farming and war, broken hearts and
rusted gears, innovation and valor. ────
Playing Time:
In Scythe, each player represents a character from one of five
factions of Eastern Europe who are attempting to earn their 60 – 120 minutes
fortune and claim their faction's stake in the land around the
mysterious Factory. ────
Complexity:
Players conquer territory, enlist new recruits, reap resources, gain
villagers, build structures, and activate monstrous mechs. 3.36 / 5

Each player begins the game with different resources (power, ────
coins, combat acumen, and popularity), a different starting Age:
location, and a hidden goal. Starting positions are specially
calibrated to contribute to each faction’s uniqueness and the 12+
asymmetrical nature of the game (each faction always starts in the
same place). ────
Mechanisms:

Simultaneous Action,
Area Influence,
Variable Powers

INSTRUCTIONS:

SHADOW Player Count:

HUNTERS 4-8

This is a survival board game, set in a devil-filled forest in which ────
three groups of characters—the Shadows, creatures of the night; Playing Time:
the Hunters, humans who try to destroy supernatural creatures;
and the Neutrals, civilians caught in the middle of this ancient 45 minutes
battle—struggle against each other to survive.
────
You belong to one of these groups and must conceal your identity Complexity:
from others since you don't know whom you can trust—at least not
initially. Over time, though, someone might decipher who you are 1.81 / 5
through your actions or through Hermit cards, or you might even
reveal yourself to use your special ability. ────
Age:

12+

────
Mechanisms:

Player Elimination,
Partnerships,
Dice Rolling

INSTRUCTIONS:

SKULL Player Count:

Skull & Roses is the quintessence of bluffing, a game in which 3-6
everything is played in the players' heads.
────
Each player plays a face-down card, then each player in turn adds Playing Time:
one more card – until someone feels safe enough to state that he
can turn a number of cards face up and get only roses. Other 45 minutes
players can then overbid him, saying they can turn even more
cards face up. ────
Complexity:
The highest bidder must then turn that number of cards face up,
starting with his own. If he shows only roses, he wins; if he reveals 1.16 / 5
a skull, he loses, placing one of his cards out of play. Two
successful challenges win the game. ────
Age:
Skull & Roses is not a game of luck; it's a game of poker face and
meeting eyes. 8+

────
Mechanisms:

Auction/Bidding,
Hand Management,
Player Elimination

INSTRUCTIONS:

SMALL WORLD Player Count:

Small World is inhabited by a zany cast of characters such as 2-5
dwarves, wizards, amazons, giants, orcs, and even humans, who
use their troops to occupy territory and conquer adjacent lands in ────
order to push the other races off the face of the earth. Playing Time:

Picking the right combination from the 14 different fantasy races 45 - 90 minutes
and 20 unique special powers, players rush to expand their
empires - often at the expense of weaker neighbors. Yet they must ────
also know when to push their own over-extended civilization into Complexity:
decline and ride a new one to victory!
2.36 / 5

────
Age:

8+

────
Mechanisms:

Area Control,
Variable Player

Powers

INSTRUCTIONS:

STOCKPILE Player Count:

In Stockpile, players act as stock market investors at the end of the 2-5
20th century hoping to strike it rich, and the investor with the
most money at the end of the game is the winner. ────
Playing Time:
Stockpile centers on the idea that nobody knows everything about
the stock market, but everyone does know something. In the game, 60 minutes
this philosophy manifests in two ways: insider information and the
stockpile. ────
Complexity:
In the end, everyone knows something about the stock market, so
it all comes down to strategy execution. Will you be able to 2.08 / 5
navigate the movements of the stock market with certainty? Or will
your investments go under from poor predictions? ────
Age:

10+

────
Mechanisms:

Auction/Bidding,
Stock Holding,
Card Drafting

INSTRUCTIONS:

TRANSAMERICA Player Count:

TransAmerica is a very simple railway game. Each player has a set 2-6
of 5 cities strung across the US that need to be connected by rail.
Players place either 1 or 2 rails each turn. ────
Playing Time:
The game ends when the first player completes a connected route
between his 5 cities. The player who can make the best use of the 30 minutes
other players' networks is generally victorious.
────
Complexity:

1.36 / 5

────
Age:

8+

────
Mechanisms:

Route Building,
Network Building,

Partnerships

INSTRUCTIONS:

TREASURE Player Count:

HUNTER 2-6

Get as much valuable treasure and coins as you can as everything ────
counts at the end of this five-round game! Watch out for treasure Playing Time:
that isn't treasure at all and draft your team of treasure hunters
wisely. Only two treasures are available in each of the three 40 minutes
seasons, so get it while you can!
────
In Treasure Hunter, treasures are placed on the game board first. Complexity:
Then all players are given a hand of nine cards from which to draft,
drawing one card and passing to the left or the right depending on 1.86 / 5
which round is being played. At the end of drafting, all players will
have a hand of nine cards and a little knowledge of what the other ────
players may have in their hands as well. Age:

All players must play any and all cards from their drafted hand of 8+
nine for each season they have cards for, whether they want one of
the two treasures or not. ────
Mechanisms:

Card Drafting,
Hand Management,
Simultaneous Action

INSTRUCTIONS:

XIA: LEGENDS Player Count:

OF A DRIFT 1-5

SYSTEM ────
Playing Time:
Players fly their ships about the system, completing a variety of
missions, exploring new sectors and battling other ships. 60 - 180 minutes
Navigating hazardous environments, players choose to mine,
salvage, or trade valuable cargo. Captains vie with each other for ────
Titles, riches, and most importantly Fame. Complexity:

The most adaptive, risk taking, and creative players will excel. One 3.36 / 5
captain will rise above the others, surpassing mortality by
becoming Legend! ────
Age:

10+

────
Mechanisms:

Dice Rolling, Pick-Up
& Deliver, Action
Point Allowance

INSTRUCTIONS:

FIVE PLUS: Player Count:

GAMES FOR 5+
BIGGER GROUPS.
IGNORE ────
SUPPORTED Playing Time:
COUNT; PLAY
WITH 5 OR MORE x minutes
ALWAYS!
────
Complexity:

x.xx / 5

────
Age:

x+

────
Mechanisms:

xxx, xxx, xxx

INSTRUCTIONS:

QR CODE
Linked to
Rulebook PDG

BANG: THE Player Count:

DICE GAME 3-8

At the start of the game, players each take a role card that secretly ────
places them on a team: The Sheriff and deputies, outlaws, and Playing Time:
renegades. The Sheriff and deputies need to kill the outlaws, the
outlaws win by killing the Sheriff, and the renegades want to be the 15 minutes
last players alive in the game.
────
Each player also receives a character card which grants him a Complexity:
special power in the game. The Sheriff reveals his role card and
takes the first turn of the game. 1.29 / 5

Who'll get his shot off first? Play continues until one team meets ────
its winning condition – and death won't necessarily keep you from Age:
winning as long as your teammates pull through!
8+

────
Mechanisms:

Dice Rolling, Player
Elimination,
Partnerships

INSTRUCTIONS:

CA$H ‘N GUNS Player Count:

In an abandoned warehouse a gangster band is splitting its loot, 4-8
but they can't agree on the split! It's time to let the guns talk and
soon everyone is aiming at everyone. ────
Playing Time:
Each round, one player is the Boss, and he controls the pace of
play. First, loot cards are revealed on the table to show what's up 30 minutes
for grabs. Next, in an opponent's eyes, the Boss counts to three
again and anyone who doesn't want to risk getting shot can ────
chicken out and remove themselves from the round. Complexity:

Everyone who's pointing a gun at someone still in the round now 1.27 / 5
reveals their card, and anyone who's the target of a "Bang!" takes a
wound marker and gets none of the available loot. ────
Age:
After eight rounds, the game ends. Whoever has the most valuable
stash wins! 8+

────
Mechanisms:

Player Elimination,
Take That, Variable

Player Powers

INSTRUCTIONS:

COSMIC Player Count:

ENCOUNTER 3-5

Each player is the leader of an alien race. On a player's turn, he or ────
she becomes the offense. The offense encounters another player on Playing Time:
a planet by moving a group of his or her ships through the
hyperspace gate to that planet. The offense draws from the destiny 60 - 120 minutes
deck which contains colors, wilds and specials. He or she then
takes the hyperspace gate and points at one planet in the system ────
indicated by the drawn destiny card. The offense vs. the defenses Complexity:
ships are in the encounter and both sides are able to invite allies,
play an encounter card as well as special cards to try and tip the 2.56 / 5
encounter in their favor.
────
Players take turns trying to establish colonies. The winner(s) are Age:
the first player(s) to have five colonies on any planets outside his
or her home system. The players must use force, cunning, and 12+
diplomacy to ensure their victory.
────
Mechanisms:

Hand Management,
Partnerships,

Variable Powers

INSTRUCTIONS:

RAISE YOUR Player Count:

GOBLETS 2 - 12

Players take the roles of nobles at a banquet, each one with their ────
own agenda of personal vendetta. Each player has wine, poison Playing Time:
and antidote tokens they can pour into the goblets, trying to
poison their enemies while staying alive themselves! 20 - 45 minutes

In more detail, each character has a plastic goblet, and each goblet ────
is primed in secret at the start of the round with either wine, Complexity:
poison or antidote. On a turn, you take two actions, with actions
being to peek inside your goblet, rotate all goblets left or right, 1.36 / 5
swap your goblet with someone else's, or secretly add one of your
wine, poison or antidote tokens to any goblet. Once someone has ────
"served" all of their wine, they can call a toast on their turn instead Age:
of doing anything else. Each player, including the toaster, takes
one more action, then everyone drinks. If you have more poison 8+
than antidote, you die.
────
Mechanisms:

Hand Management,
Memory, Player

Powers, Partnerships

INSTRUCTIONS:

REX: FINAL DAYS Player Count:

OF AN EMPIRE 3-6

Players vie for control of vital locations across a sprawling map of ────
the continent-sized Mecatol City. Only by securing three key Playing Time:
locations (or more, when allied with other factions) can a player
assert dominance over the heart of a dying empire. 120 minutes

Unfortunately, mustering troops in the face of an ongoing Sol ────
blockade is difficult at best (unless, of course, you are the Complexity:
Federation of Sol or its faithless ally, the Hacan, who supply the
blockading fleet). Savvy leaders must gather support from the local 3.26 / 5
populace, uncover hidden weapon caches, and acquire control over
key institutions. Mechanically, this means players must lay claim ────
to areas that provide influence, which is then "spent" to (among Age:
other things) smuggle military forces through the orbiting Sol
blockade. Those forces will be needed to seize the key areas of the 12+
city required to win the game. From the moment the first shot is
fired, players must aggressively seek the means by which to turn ────
the conflict to their own advantage Mechanisms:

Auction/Bidding,
Partnerships,

Hand Management,

INSTRUCTIONS:

SABOTEUR Player Count:

Players take on the role of dwarves. As miners, they are in a mine, 3 - 10
hunting for gold. Suddenly, a pick axe swings down and shatters
the mine lamp. The saboteur has struck. But which of the players ────
are saboteurs? Will you find the gold, or will the fiendish actions of Playing Time:
the saboteurs lead them to it first? After three rounds, the player
with the most gold is the winner. 30 minutes

With the help of Dwarf Cards, the players are assigned their role: ────
either miner or saboteur. The roles are kept secret- they are only Complexity:
revealed at the end of the round.
1.33 / 5

────
Age:

8+

────
Mechanisms:

Hand Management,
Partnerships, Take
That, Route Building

INSTRUCTIONS:

SHADOWS Player Count:

OVER CAMELOT 3-7

Each player represents a knight of the Round Table and they must ────
collaborate to overcome a number of quests, ranging from Playing Time:
defeating the Black Knight to the search for the Holy Grail.
Completed quests place white swords on the Round Table; failed 60 - 90 minutes
quests add black swords and/or siege engines around Camelot.
The knights are trying to build a majority of white swords on the ────
Table before Camelot falls. Complexity:

But enough words... don your cloak, climb astride your warhorse, 2.56/ 5
and gallop into the Shadows to join us in Camelot!
────
Age:

10+

────
Mechanisms:

Co-operative,
Hand Management,

Set Collection

INSTRUCTIONS:

SPACE CADETS Player Count:

Take on the roles of Bridge Officers of a Starship. Each officer 3-6
must accomplish his specific task in order for the team to
successfully complete the mission. You might be the... ────
Playing Time:
• Helmsman
• Engineer 60 - 120 minutes
• Weapons Officer
• Shield Officer ────
• Sensor Officer Complexity:
• Captain
2.75 / 5
If your crew can work together to accomplish the mission goals,
you just might make it home in one piece. ────
Age:

8+

────
Mechanisms:

Co-operative, Press
Your Luck, Memory,

Grid Movement

INSTRUCTIONS: