Help
us celebrate the release of one of the year's most anticipated games at
our Battlestar Galactica Release Party. Word is that gamers and
non-gaming fans of the show alike are having a great time with this
game, and we can't wait to get our hands on it! We're
expecting it to arrive in the store on Tuesday, November 11.
- Rolit - The object is to surround your opponents playing pieces and switch them to your color. The person who has made the most pieces their color at the end of the game is the winner. This is similar to Othello but plays up to 4 players, and is an appealing strategy game for families.
- Tayu - In this game, each player trys to create as many water channels from one side of the board to the other while at the same time, blocking his competitor. This was previously published by Kosmos, and is an engrossing strategy game.
- LeBloq - Le Bloq is a game in which you place the Bloqs to try to surround unused squares on the board. The player who can isolate the most of these squares wins. All of the playing pieces in the game are the same but can be played in many different ways to create space to win.
10
Days in the U.S.A. - The goal of this tile game is to be the first
player to have a completed trip, i.e. your rack has 10 tiles that are
connected legally to one another. Connections are made as follows: you can
walk to an adjacent state, so you may have 2 states that border one another
adjacent in your rack; you can drive to another state, which allows you to
drive through a state that borders your origin and your destination
utilizing a car tile between the two states; or you may fly from one state
to a like colored state using the matching color airplane tile between the
two states. 10 Days in Africa, 10 Days in Europe, and 10 Days in Asia
are also available. Visit
Ticket
to Ride - I love train games, and Ticket to Ride is arguably the easiest
one for younger players to get the hang of. The board is a big U.S.
map, and the idea is to build train lines between cities that match your
destination cards. Now, those of you familiar with the board will
realize that there's a problem with this game when it comes to teaching U.S.
geography: the states aren't labeled, because it's the cities that matter in
the game and not the states. That's easily remedied with a Sharpie
(Yes, I'm suggesting you write on your game board!) and some discussion
about what states you're traveling through as you build your rail lines.
The only down side is that my home state of Delaware is obliterated from the
map by a double rail line between Washington D.C. and New York. Maybe
once Biden becomes the VP little Delaware will finally get some respect!
Destruct 3 – One person builds a tower with the blocks and the others try to knock it down with one of three different tools. We have a copy of this sitting out in the store, and people are always drawn to it. How could they not be? After all, it has a catapult and a wrecking ball, you get to build and then smash stuff, and it’s made by a company named Uncle Skunkle.
It all adds up to FUN!
Shut the Box – The wooden box has levers labeled either from 1-9 or 1-12. A player rolls the dice and knocks down levers equal to the combined value of the dice. The player continues to roll, knocking down levers each turn, until he or she cannot use the whole of the dice count because those numbers in the box have already been covered. We often tell parents and teachers what a great game this is for kids learning how to add, but historically it’s been know as a classic pub game, and is a fun game that’s perfect for leaving out on the coffee table.
PitchCar - PitchCar is like slot-car racing, but it’s powered by finger-flicking instead of electricity. Basically, you build the own track, choose a car, and pitch it! Choose the best trajectory using the safety rails, stay on your wheels and don't go off the track if you don't want a penalty! This outstandingly beautiful game of skill is made of wood and is composed of 16 track parts, which allow you to build a vast number of 3.9 meter long tracks. PitchCar will be available in the store in late November.
Say
Anything - Say Anything is a great new party game, and is sort of a
combination of Apples to Apples and Wits and Wagers. A reader asks a
question (perhaps something like "What's going through my mind right now?")
and players need to anonymously write down their answers. They then
bet on which one they think the reader will pick as his favorite. What
makes this game good for gatherings is that it can be played for any number
of rounds, can be played with more than the official number of players, and
you can toss the scoring out the window without sacrificing any of the fun.