Under Falling Skies is a solo game with a multi-mission campaign. In each mission, you take charge of defending a besieged city. Your actions are powered by an innovative dice placement mechanic. When you choose an action, you are also choosing which enemy ships will descend. Bigger numbers give better effects, but they also cause ships to descend faster. Expand your underground base to gain access to more powerful actions, allowing you to shoot down enemy ships or deploy robots to increase your workforce, but don't forget to work on your research and watch your energy supply. The mothership draws closer every round, ratcheting up the tension. Can you complete your mission before your base is destroyed?
Through the Ages: A New Story of Civilization is the new edition of Through the Ages: A Story of Civilization, with many changes small and large to the game's cards over its three ages and extensive changes to how military works. Through the Ages is a civilization building game. Each player attempts to build the best civilization through careful resource management, discovering new technologies, electing the right leaders, building wonders and maintaining a strong military. Weakness in any area can be exploited by your opponents. The game takes place throughout the ages beginning in the age of antiquity and ending in the modern age. One of the primary mechanisms in TTA is card drafting. Technologies, wonders, and leaders come into play and become easier to draft the longer they are in play. In order to use a technology you will need enough science to discover it, enough food to create a population to man it and enough resources (ore) to build the building to use it. While balancing the resources needed to advance your technology you also need to build a military. Military is built in the same way as civilian buildings. Players that have a weak military will be preyed upon by other players. There is no map in the game so you cannot lose territory, but players with higher military will steal resources, science, kill leaders, take population or culture. It is very difficult to win with a large military, but it is very easy to lose because of a weak one. Victory is achieved by the player whose nation has the most culture at the end of the modern age.
In SETI: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, a eurogame for 1–4 players, you lead a scientific institution tasked with searching for traces of life beyond planet Earth. The game draws inspiration from current or emerging technologies and efforts in space exploration. Players will explore nearby planets and their moons by launching probes from Earth while taking advantage of ever-shifting planetary positions. Decide whether to land on their surface to collect valuable samples, or stay in orbit for a broader survey. Additionally, by directing your telescopes to gaze into distant star systems, you may detect traces of alien signals or undiscovered exoplanets, and collect promising data to examine and study back home. Back on Earth, you can invest in upgrading your equipment so you can analyze incoming data more efficiently, boost your telescope signal capacity, or increase your supply of resources—all to expand the scope of your search that could lead to a discovery of extraterrestrial life forms. You will also make use of over 200 cards to aid your efforts or focus your research in a particular direction for additional bonuses and rewards. Each card has a unique effect and illustration, and depicts real-life technologies, projects, and discoveries (like the ISS, Large Hadron Collider, Perseverance rover, Voyager probe, and many more). Finding traces of extraterrestrial life is only a matter of time—utilize the resources you have at your disposal strategically and you may well end up being the one to make the biggest scientific contribution towards advancing our understanding of alien life within our galaxy.
Space Alert is a cooperative team survival game. Players become crew members of a small spaceship scanning dangerous sectors of the galaxy. The missions last just 10 real-time minutes (hyperspace jump, sector scan, hyperspace jump back) and the only task the players have is to protect their ship. During play, the central computer will announce the presence of various threats on one of the supplied 10 minute soundtracks that also acts as a game timer. The threats vary from space battleships and interceptors to different interstellar monsters and abominations, asteroids or even intruders and malfunctions on the spaceship. Players have to agree who will take care of which task and coordinate their actions (moving around the ship, firing weapons, distributing energy, using battlebots to deal with intruders, launching guided missiles, etc.) in real time to defend the ship. Only a well-working team can survive 10 minutes and make the jump back to safety. The game offers several difficulty levels, huge variability and a unique experience for one to five player teams. One mission lasts only about 30 minutes, including setup and evaluation.
It is the year 2849, and humanity has harnessed the power of the pulsars. Now we must find a way to distribute this power throughout the stars. In this Euro-style game, players explore space, claim pulsars, and discover technologies that will help them build energy-distribution infrastructure on a cosmic scale. Dice are used to purchase actions, and players choose their dice from a communal pool. There are many paths to victory so you can blaze your own trail to a bright future. Draft dice to explore the universe in Pulsar 2849. Game is only 8 rounds long. Each round, roll dice based on the number of players, sort them based on their values, then draft dice to take actions. Possible actions □ Fly your survey ship □ take a Gyrodyne □ Develop a Pulsar □ Build one or more energy transmitter vectors □ Patent a technology □ Buy a dice modifier □ Complete a special project in your HQ and unlock Gate Run Players score points each round based on what they've discovered and explored, and everyone has common goals that they want to achieve.
Do you laugh at pirates, shrug off combat zones, and meet every meteor with cannons blazing? If you've mastered the basics of Galaxy Trucker, then you're ready for this expansion! Corp Inc has new ships they would like you to try. Ships that will challenge you. Ships that will make you ask, "What were they thinking?!" Your ships will be thoroughly tested by new adventures. And if your flights still seem easy, Rough Roads cards can turn a humdrum milk run into a twisted spatiotemporal nightmare. To meet these challenges, you'll have access to new components offering new tactical options. And you'll be able to fly with new aliens who each have a unique ability. The different parts of the expansion can be mixed and matched, allowing you to choose the combination that will be most fun for you. So whether you're flying with grizzled veterans who miss the thrill of exploding space ships, or teaching newbies who just survived their first flight, this expansion will help you Keep on Trucking! Author: Vlaada Chvatil Players: 2-4 Age: 8+ Time: 30 min Theme: Build a space ship and fly it across the Galaxy. Deliver goods for a profit ... if the pirates and meteors don't blast your ship apart. Mechanics: Players simultaneously build space ships out of tiles, which they grab as fast as they can.
Hailing all Starship Captains! Get ready to embark on a maiden voyage through the cosmos in this euro-style action selection and engine building game for 2-4 players. • Manage a diverse crew of cadets, ensigns, androids, and officers—each with different special roles and capabilities. • Earn medals to promote and train your crew for even greater effectiveness. • Explore an ever-shifting galaxy full of dangerous pirates and interplanetary missions. • Upgrade your ship with powerful engine building technology for maximum synergy. • Boost your reputation with three distinct galactic factions for bountiful rewards. Explore a galaxy full of dangerous pirates and interplanetary missions, as you manage, train, and promote your crew to improve their diverse skills. Then harness the power of cool alien technology to help your crew tackle goofy missions through the stars and beyond. Author: Peter B. Hoffgaard Players: 1-4 Age: 12+ Time: 25 mins / player Theme: Train your crew, upgrade your starship, and take on daring missions as a new starship captain in an ever-shifting galactic adventure.
Authors: M?n & Elwen Year: Q4 2020 Players: 1?4 Age: 12+ Time: 30 min/player Theme: Players lead rival expeditions to a newly discovered island. Explore jungles, find artifacts, and discover the Lost Ruins of Arnak! Mechanics: A unique combination of worker placement and deckbuilding
Once the ships are launched, players encounter dangerous situations while vying for financial opportunities, each hoping to gain the most valuable cargo and finish with as much of their ship still intact as possible. Of course, that's easier said than done since many hazards will send pieces of your ship, your cargo, and your crew hurling into the depths of space. The goal is to survive the trek — hopefully with at least some of your crew and ship intact — and have at least one credit by the end of the game. (Profit, yay!) Players earn credits by delivering goods, defeating pirates, having the best-looking ship, and reaching their destination before the others. This version of ''Galaxy Trucker'' is a relaunch of the original 2007 release by Vlaada Chvátil that features new art, more ship tiles, tweaked card effects, and streamlined gameplay that consists of only a single flight through space. That said, should you want a longer, more challenging experience, you can play a three-flight campaign known as the "Transgalactic Trek". Author: Vlaada Chvátil Year: Summer 2021 Players: 2-4 Age: 8+ Time: 30 min Theme: Build a space ship and fly it across the Galaxy. Deliver goods for a profit ... if the pirates and meteors don't blast your ship apart. Mechanics: Players simultaneously build space ships out of tiles, which they grab as fast as they can.
Authors: M?n & Elwen Year: 2021 Players: 1?4 Age: 12+ Time: 30 min/player Theme: Players lead rival expeditions to a newly discovered island. Explore jungles, find artifacts, and discover the Lost Ruins of Arnak! Mechanics: A unique combination of worker placement and deckbuilding
Is she drawing an elk or a moose? Is he drawing a pegasus or a unicorn? These are the types of questions you will probably be asking yourself during a game of Pictomania! There's no time to draw a complex masterpiece in Pictomania, the drawing game in which everybody draws and everybody guesses ? all at the same time! Players sketch the essence of the word with a few quick lines and try to guess the others' drawings while there's still time. This second edition of Pictomania features revised word cards with a brand new look. One big change for this edition compared to the base game is that only three word cards are in play no matter the player count, allowing you to jump into each round more quickly since you don't have to read as many words to guess who might be drawing what.
The party game That's a Question!, takes the familiar format of challenging others with questions, then voting on what they'll say. In more detail, each player has a hand of hexagonal cards, with words or phrases in three color blocks on the card. On a turn, you choose a player that has a token in front of them, take that token, then present them with a question by choosing one of the three question prompts (which are all color-coded), then choosing two cards from your hand and adding the properly-colored section of those cards to the question. A sample question: "What would you miss more if it ceases to exist: Facebook or doors?" That player secretly votes on A or B, while everyone else but the questioner secretly votes A or B depending on how they think the person will answer; a voter can optionally add their 3x scoring token to their vote. Once everyone votes, you reveal the tiles. Everyone who voted correctly moves ahead one or three spaces on the scoring track, and the questioner moves ahead one space for each person who voted incorrectly. If you pass a certain space on the scoring track, you retrieve your 3x token (if you've used it). Since you can ask a question only of those with a token in front of them, everyone is asked roughly the same number of questions, and whoever has the most points after a certain number of rounds wins.
In Alchemists, two to four budding alchemists compete to discover the secrets of their mystical art. Points can be earned in various ways, but most points are earned by publishing theories ? correct theories, that is ? and therein lies the problem. The game is played in six rounds. At the beginning of the round, players choose their play order. Those who choose to play later get more rewards. Players declare all their actions by placing cubes on the various action spaces, then each action space is evaluated in order. Players gain knowledge by mixing ingredients and testing the results using a smartphone app (iOS, Android, and also Windows) that randomizes the rules of alchemy for each new game. And if the alchemists are longing for something even more special, they can always buy magical artifacts to get an extra push. There are 9 of them (different for each game) and they are not only very powerful, but also very expensive. But money means nothing, when there's academic pride at stake! And the possession of these artifacts will definitely earn you some reputation too. Players can also earn money by selling potions of questionable quality to adventurers, but money is just a means to an end. The alchemists don't want riches, after all. They want respect, and respect usually comes from publishing theories. During play, players' reputations will go up and down. After six rounds and a final exhibition, reputation will be converted into points. Points will also be scored for artifacts and grants. Then the secrets of alchemy are revealed and players score points or lose points based on whether their theories were correct. Whoever has the most points at the end of the game wins.
Alchemists: The King's Golem, an expansion to Alchemists, brings you a new logic puzzle with new rewards and consequences. Can you figure out how to animate a golem? And equally important, can you convince the king you are making progress? The expansions are presented in order of complexity. Startup Funding and Busy Days will be just fine for beginners. The Royal Encyclopedia is for players accustomed to the logic puzzle of the base game. The Golem Project is for advanced players who want a new deduction challenge.
Codenames is an easy party game to solve puzzles. The game is divided into red and blue, each side has a team leader, the team leader's goal is to lead their team to the final victory. At the beginning of the game, there will be 25 cards on the table with different words. Each card has a corresponding position, representing different colors. Only the team leader can see the color of the card. The team leader should prompt according to the words, let his team members find out the cards of their corresponding colors, and find out all the cards of their own colors to win.
Codenames Duet keeps the basic elements of Codenames Give one-word clues to try to get someone to identify your agents among those on the table! But now you're working together as a team to find all of your agents. (Why you don't already know who your agents are is a question that Congressional investigators will get on your back about later!) To set up play, lay out 25 word cards in a 5x5 grid. Place a key card in the holder so that each player sees one side of the card. Each player sees a 5x5 grid on the card, with nine of the squares colored green (representing your agents) and three squares colored black (representing assassins). Three of the nine squares on each side are also green on the other side, one assassin is black on both sides, one is green on the other side and the other is an innocent bystander on the other side. Collectively, you need to reveal all fifteen agents - without revealing an assassin - before time runs out in order to win the game. Either player can decide to give the first one-word clue to the other player, along with a number. Whoever receives the clue places a finger on a card to identify that agent. If correct, they can attempt to identify another one. If they identify a bystander, then their guessing time ends. If they identify an assassin, you both lose! Unlike regular Codenames, they can keep guessing as long as they keep identifying an agent each time; this is useful for going back to previous clues and finding ones they missed earlier. After the first clue is given, players alternate giving clues.
What are these strange symbols on the map? They are code for locations where spies must contact secret agents! Two rival spymasters know the agent in each location. They deliver coded messages telling their field operatives where to go for clandestine meetings. Operatives must be clever. A decoding mistake could lead to an unpleasant encounter with an enemy agent - or worse, with the assassin! Both teams race to contact all their agents, but only one team can win. Codenames: Pictures differs from the original Codenames in that the agents are no longer represented by a single word, but by an image that contains multiple elements.
In Dungeon Lords, you are an evil dungeonlord who is trying to build the best dungeon out there. You hire monsters, build rooms, buy traps and defeat the do-gooders who wish to bring you down. Have you ever ventured with party of heroes to conquer dungeons, gain pride, experiences and of course rich treasure? And has it ever occurred to you how hard it actually is to build and manage such underground complex filled with corridors and creatures? No? Well now you can try. Put yourself in role of the master of underground, summon your servants, dig complex of tunnels and rooms, set traps, hire creatures and try to stop filthy heroes from conquering and plundering your precious creation. We can guarantee you will look on dark corners, lairs and their inhabitant from completely different perspective! Each turn, players use a hand of cards to choose where to place their worker. Actions vary from mining gold, hiring monsters, buying traps etc. Each action has three spots available - with each spot having different effects (e.g. mining gold lets you mine more gold in each spot). When using the cards, two cards will become locked and will not be able to be used next turn. There are 4 turns to place actions for each game "year" and two game years in a whole game. Each turn is identified as a "season". Each season, players will get to see the heroes and events to come in the following season. Thus allowing them to prepare. At the end of each season (after the first), heroes will be allocated to each player according to their level of evil. Heroes range from mighty heroes to sneaky thieves. Each hero has their own power for which the player needs to prepare for. Finally, at the end of each year, the heroes will travel down into the dungeon to fight. Scoring in the game is based upon what you have built, the monsters you have hired and the heroes you have captured.
