Board Game Posts

During the Great Depression, an out-of-work architect named Alfred Mosher Butts decided to invent a board game. He did some market research and concluded that games fall into three categories: number games, such as dice and bingo; move games, such as chess and checkers; and word games, such as anagrams.

Butts wanted to create a game that combined the vocabulary skills of crossword puzzles and anagrams, with the additional element of chance. The game was originally named Lexico, but Butts eventually decided to call the game "Criss-Cross Words". …

For a millennium, the Empire was at war. Fueled by military precision and an unprecedented alliance with dragons, the Imperial Armies knew countless victories and few defeats. The Empire grew until its greatest enemy was not any of the barbarian nations to the east, but its own unmanageable size. At the frontier, victories and expansion were replaced by an endless cycle of rebellion and re-conquest.

Weary of war, the Emperor crafted a bold new strategy: peace through trade. One hundred and seventy years ago, he ordered the establishment of Thandar, an independent frontier trading post at the confluence of the four great rivers. …

Components

The box contains the following pieces:

• 1 game board and 1 turn token
• 8 board tiles
• 9 Cauldron markers (3 each against Goblins, Orcs and Trolls)
• 9 Traps tokens (3 Goblin, 3 Troll, 3 Siege Tower),
• Defender Machines tokens (3 Cannon, 3 Pole, 3 Bay Window),
• 1 Marksmen Blessing, 1 Unearthly Glare, 3 Ladders
• 1 Malfunction and 3 Spies tokens

Invader's components:

• 200 Invader units (60 Goblins, 100 Orcs, 40 Trolls)
• 20 Wood counters
• 23 Action cards
• 36 Invader Machine cards (10 Hit, 26 Miss)
• 10 Invader Objective cards
• 3 ballista, 3 catapult, 2 trebuchet tiles
• 3 mantelet, 3 siege tower tiles
• 3 banner, 3 bridge, 3 ladders, 3 poison, 3 sap tiles
• 3 quartermaster, 3 saboteur, 3 trench master tiles
• 3 blood stones, 3 demon, 3 gale, 3 possesion, 3 specters tiles
• 5 Invader orders tiles

Defender's components: …

Components

• 1 Large Game Board
• 1 Small "Beneficial Deeds" Board
• 4 Player Boards
• 4 Followers Bags
• 4 Merchant Tokens
• 40 Trading Stations
• 28 Wooden Cubes
• 104 Character Tiles
• 90 Goods
• 16 Technology Tiles
• 14 Citizen Tiles
• 47 Coins
• 20 Place Tiles
• 18 Hour Glass Tiles
• 2 Overview Cards
• 1 Start Player Token
• 1 rulebook

Setup

1. Each player takes: 1 Followers Bag, 5 coins, 1 Player Board, 10 Trading Stations, 7 markers (wooden cubes), 1 Merchant Token and 1 set of Followers (a farmer, a Boatman, a Craftsman, and a Trader).

   
   
   

   Place your Trading Stations and coins in front of you. Place the 4 Followers of your color on the Market Spaces of your Player Board. …

The Solarus Corporation discovered an infinite source of rare and precious minerals deep in the red crust. Resources that will end the energy crisis on Earth and fuel the deep space expeditions planned as population swells beyond capacity.

You have been chosen to lead an elite crew of Pod pilots who will delve below the surface of Mars in Solarus Corporation's first major drilling expedition. As a part of this maiden voyage, the corporation has agreed to let you reinvest any profit you earn back into training your Pod pilots, increasing their skills and efficiencies. Will you be remembered as the greatest Solarus Corporation employee in the galaxy? …

Components

• Gameboard
• 15 crowns
• 4 armies (each with 35 footmen, 12 archers, 12 cavalry, 4 siege weapons)
• 8 castles
• 21 gold pieces
• 40 silver pieces
• 4 war banners
• First player marker
• 4 reminder cards
• 8 crown cards
• Card box

Game Board

Object of the Game

Control seven or more crowns at the end of a round to win the game.

Setup

First, each player selects an army colour and takes the plastic figures, War Banner, reminder card and eight King's Orders cards for that army.

Next, each player receives five silver coins, one crown and one castle. Place the remaining components in a separate area next to the board. This is the reserve. (Keep your army units in an area near you - this is called your army reserve). …

In Shards of Infinity, players compete to gain mastery of the Infinity Shard, a small fragment of a weapon of unlimited power. You must either be the first to master this powerful artifact, or you must destroy anyone else who has one before it is too late.

Each turn, you will play cards to gain resources. Gems allow you to recruit Allies and Champions. Use Power to attack enemy Champions and players.

Mastery lets you unlock new abilities from your cards, leading to ultimate control of the Infinity Shard. The last player with Health remaining wins the game. …

With the driving of the golden spike in 1869, the first transcontinental railroad was completed in the United States. But this was only the beginning of a rapid expansion of railways that would crisscross the entire country.

Starting from the East Coast, take control of a pioneer railroad company to build routes, pick up valuable cargo, and deliver needed goods to growing towns. Along the way, gain shares in other railroads and watch your reputation soar with each successful delivery. Then make a final push to complete long hauls to the boom towns of the West. …

Each of the 12 Tribes has its own unique ability. Use their abilities wisely and you will soon be the new Lord of Ethnos! Remember that only the Leader of a Band of Allies is allowed to use its ability.

Tribe Of Centaurs

Always swift on their hooves, the Tribe of Centaurs is a group of proud warriors that roam the land far and wide. Many enemies have fallen prey to their wellcoordinated surprise attacks.

By the time they can hear their thundering gallop, it's usually too late. …

Midway into a game, two players are trying to construct quantum cubes on a size 8 planet. The Red (Vulpes) player has already expanded his fleet to 5 ships.

Vulpes Alliance Turn

The Vulpes Alliance wants to move a ship into position to construct a quantum cube. The 6 is in range - the next step is to move it into position and then reconfigure it into the right number.

Action 1 / Move The 6

For the first of his 3 actions, Vulpes decides to MOVE his ship 5 spaces. Ships can neither pass through nor land on planets, and ships cannot pass through other ships. …