Games Day

Ahoy is a lightly asymmetrical game where two to four players take the roles of swashbucklers and soldiers seeking Fame on the high seas. 
Target Ages: 14+
Expected Time: 45-75 Minutes
Complexity to learn: 6/10
From: Leder Games

The most talented architects in ancient Greece stand ready to achieve this goal. Build housing, temples, markets, gardens and barracks, so you can grow your city and ensure it triumphs over the others. Raise its prestige with harmonious planning that conforms to specific rules, and enhance it by building plazas.
Target Ages: 8+
Expected Time: 20-30 Minutes
Complexity to learn:  4/10
From: Gigamic

Introduced by the Moors, azuleijos (originally white and blue ceramic tiles) were fully embraced by the Portuguese when their king Manuel I, on a visit to the Alhambra palace in Southern Spain, was mesmerized by the stunning beauty of the Moorish decorative tiles. The king, awestruck by the interior beauty of the Alhambra, immediately ordered that his own palace in Portugal be decorated with similar wall tiles. As a tile-laying artist, you have been challenged to embellish the walls of the Royal Palace of Evora.
Target Ages: 8+
Expected Time: 30-40 Minutes
Complexity to learn:  4/10
From: Plan B Games

It’s the eve of the French Revolution, and you are the leader of a revolutionary group, trying to best position your faction to be ready for when the revolution inevitably begins. To do so, you need money, influence, revolutionary leaders, weapons to arm them, and much more.
Target Ages: 12+
Expected Time: 60 Minutes
Complexity to learn: 5/10
From: Queen Games

Brass: Birmingham is an economic strategy game sequel to Martin Wallace’ 2007 masterpiece, Brass. Brass: Birmingham tells the story of competing entrepreneurs in Birmingham during the industrial revolution, between the years of 1770-1870.
Target Ages: 14+
Expected Time: 1 -2 Hours
Complexity to Learn: 8/10
From: Roxley Games

Cascadia is a puzzly tile-laying and token-drafting game featuring the habitats and wildlife of the Pacific Northwest.
Target Ages: 10+
Expected Time: 30-45 Minutes
Complexity to Learn: 4/10
From: Flatout Games

The catacombs of the skeletal dragon Umbrok Vessna are mysterious and dangerous. Portals transport you all around the dungeon depths. Wayshrines offer vast riches to intrepid explorers. Prisoners are counting on you to free them. Ghosts, once disturbed, may haunt you to death. Despite all that, it’s time to leave the board behind with Clank! Catacombs, a standalone deck-building adventure.
Target Ages: 13+
Expected Time: 45-90 Minutes
Complexity to learn: 5/10
From: Dire Wolf Games

Dead of Winter is a meta-cooperative psychological survival game. This means players are working together toward one common victory condition, but for each individual player to achieve victory, they must also complete their personal secret objective, which could relate to a psychological tick that’s fairly harmless to most others in the colony, a dangerous obsession that could put the main objective at risk, a desire for sabotage of the main mission, or (worst of all) vengeance against the colony! Games could end with all players winning, some winning and some losing, or all players losing. Work toward the group’s goal, but don’t get walked all over by a loudmouth who’s looking out only for their own interests!

Target Ages: 13+
Expected Time: 1-2 Hours
Complexity to learn: 6/10
From: Plaid Hat Games

In Deep Rock Galactic: The Board Game, an authorized tabletop game adaption of the popular computer game, players take the roles of up to four dwarf miners in space: the Scout, the Engineer, the Gunner, and the Driller. Players must work together to mine precious minerals deep below the surface of a hostile planet where indigenous insectoid predators — the Glyphids — await, aggressively defending their caves against the intruders. Will your team be able to meet the mineral quota set by the company, or will you all end up as dinner for the Glyphids?

Players move around the board while throwing dice to fight monsters and mine rare minerals in order to escape in time with the required amount of minerals needed to win the current mission.

Target Ages: 12+
Expected Time: 1-2 Hours
Complexity to learn: 6/10
From: MOOD Games

Within the charming valley of Everdell, beneath the boughs of towering trees, among meandering streams and mossy hollows, a civilization of forest critters is thriving and expanding. From Everfrost to Bellsong, many a year have come and gone, but the time has come for new territories to be settled and new cities established. You will be the leader of a group of critters intent on just such a task. There are buildings to construct, lively characters to meet, events to host—you have a busy year ahead of yourself. Will the sun shine brightest on your city before the winter moon rises?

Everdell is a game of dynamic tableau building and worker placement.

Target Ages: 13+
Expected Time: 45-90 Minutes
Complexity to learn: 6/10
From: Starling Games

In Firefly: The Game – based on the popular Firefly television series created by Joss Whedon – players captain their own Firefly-class transport ship, traveling the ‘Verse with a handpicked crew of fighters, mechanics and other travelers. As a captain desperate for work, players are compelled to take on any job — so long as it pays. Double-dealing employers, heavy-handed Alliance patrols, and marauding Reavers are all in a day’s work for a ship’s captain at the edge of the ‘Verse. Firefly: The Game is a high-end thematic tabletop boardgame from Gale Force Nine (GF9) and the first in a series of tabletop hobby board games and miniatures games from GF9 set in the Firefly Universe.
Target Ages: 13+
Expected Time: 1-2 Hours
Complexity to learn: 6/10
From: Gale Force Games

Artisan dragons, the smaller and magically talented versions of their larger (and destructive) cousins, are sought by shopkeepers so that they may delight customers with their flamecraft. You are a Flamekeeper, skilled in the art of conversing with dragons, placing them in their ideal home and using enchantments to entice them to produce wondrous things. Your reputation will grow as you aid the dragons and shopkeepers, and the Flamekeeper with the most reputation will be known as the Master of Flamecraft.
Target Ages: 10+
Expected Time: 1 Hour
Complexity to learn: 4/10
From: Cardboard Alchemy

“Lemonade? They want lemonade? What is the world coming to? I want commercials for burgers on all channels, every 15 minutes. We are the Home of the Original Burger, not a hippie health haven. And place a billboard next to that new house on the corner. I want them craving beer every second they sit in their posh new garden.” The new management trainee trembles in front of the CEO and tries to politely point out that… “How do you mean, we don’t have enough staff? The HR director reports to you. Hire more people! Train them! But whatever you do, don’t pay them any real wages. I did not go into business to become poor. And fire that discount manager, she is only costing me money. From now on, we’ll sell gourmet burgers. Same crap, double the price. Get my marketing director in here!”

Target Ages: 14+
Expected Time: 1-2 Hours
Complexity to learn: 9/10
From: Splotter Games

Gear up for a thrilling adventure to recover a legendary flying machine buried deep in the ruins of an ancient desert city. You’ll need to coordinate with your teammates and use every available resource if you hope to survive the scorching heat and relentless sandstorm. Find the flying machine and escape before you all become permanent artifacts of the forbidden desert!
Target Ages: 10+
Expected Time: 45 Minutes
Complexity to learn: 4/10
From: Gamewright

Dare to discover Forbidden Island! Join a team of fearless adventurers on a do-or-die mission to capture four sacred treasures from the ruins of this perilous paradise. Your team will have to work together and make some pulse-pounding maneuvers, as the island will sink beneath every step! Race to collect the treasures and make a triumphant escape before you are swallowed into the watery abyss!

Target Ages: 10+
Expected Time: 30 Minutes
Complexity to learn: 3/10
From: Gamewright

Soar to dizzying heights in the electrifying cooperative adventure. Work as a team to explore a mysterious platform that floats at the center of a savage storm. Connect a circuit of cables to launch a secret rocket — all before you are struck by lightning or blown off to the depths below. It’s a high-wire act that will test your team’s capacity for courage and cooperation. One false step and you all could be grounded…permanently!

Target Ages: 10+
Expected Time: 60 Minutes
Complexity to learn: 5/10
From: Gamewright Games

Formula D is a high stakes Formula One type racing game where the players race simulated cars with the hope of crossing the finish line first. 

Target Ages: 8+
Expected Time: 60 Minutes
Complexity to learn: 4/10
From: Asmodee

Fort is a 2-4 player card game about building forts and following friends.

In Fort, you’re a kid! And like many kids, you want to grow your circle of friends, collect pizza and toys, and build the coolest fort.

By doing this cool stuff, you’ll score victory points, and at the end of the game, the player with the most victory points wins! Your cards not only let you take actions on your own turn, but also let you follow the other players’ actions on their turns. Will you devote yourself to your own posse, or copy what the other kids are doing?

But be careful as your carefully constructed deck might start losing cards if you don’t actually use them. After all, if you don’t play with your friends, why should they hang out with you anymore?

Target Ages: 12+
Expected Time: 1-2 Hours
Complexity to learn: 6/10
From: MOOD Games

The game is based on the 16th-century legend of the Golem of Prague, an anthropomorphic creature that Rabbi Loew animated from a clay statue to protect his people. In the game, players take on the role of rabbis who create and grow these powerful creatures that will be moved around the neighborhoods of Prague under the control of students. Be careful, because if a golem becomes too powerful, it will destroy everything it encounters on its way. 

Target Ages: 12+
Expected Time: 1-2 Hours
Complexity to learn: 6/10
From: MOOD Games

Based on simple and intuitive hand management, Heat: Pedal to the Metal puts players in the driver’s seat of intense car races, jockeying for position to cross the finish line first, while managing their car’s speed if they don’t want to overheat. Selecting the right upgrades for their car will help them hug the curves and keep their engine cool enough to maintain top speeds. Ultimately, their driving skills will be the key to victory!

Drivers can compete in a single race or use the “Championship System” to play a whole season in one game night, customizing their car before each race to claim the top spot of the podium. They have to be careful as the weather, road conditions, and events will change every race to spice up their championship. Players can also enjoy a solo mode with the Legends Module or add automated drivers as additional opponents in multiplayer games.

Target Ages: 10+
Expected Time: 30-60 Minutes
Complexity to learn: 4/10
From: Days of Wonder

The stakes have been raised. Imagine living in a place so wretched that it’s not plagued by one, two, or even three monsters — but seven of the most horrifying fiends!

In this game, you’ll come face to face with them all as you work together to rid the town of the maniacal or misunderstood creatures…before it’s too late.

Horrified includes high-quality sculpted miniatures (Frankenstein, The Bride of Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, Dracula, The Mummy, The Invisible Man, Creature from the Black Lagoon). Its innovative, easy-to-learn, cooperative gameplay has players working together against the monsters with varying levels of difficulty. Just as each monster is unique, they require different strategies and tactics to be defeated.

Target Ages: 10+
Expected Time: 60 Minutes
Complexity to learn: 5/10
From: Ravensburger

“This year, we want the best, or nothing at all. We don’t want tradition. We want to live in the present, and the only history that is worth a tinker’s **** is the history we make today.” The famous founder is standing in front of his team giving a motivational speech. “You all know our first customer was a lunatic, and the second had a death wish. So they bought our brakeless bangers. So there were a few accidents. But the only mistake is the one from which we learn nothing. This year, customers demand safety. Of course, active safety features include rapid acceleration for safe overtaking! I know it will be hard to add the new motorblock section to the factory, but before you say you cannot do something, try it! To every engineer, every planner, every mechanic, and every salesperson in this great company I say: If I can dream it, you can do it!”

Horseless Carriage is a game about the dawn of the automobile, a time when cars were invented, and no one quite knew yet what this new contraption would look like and what features would be essential. Early cars sometimes used levers or pedals to steer and a wheel to accelerate. Brakes were not always seen as essential, but sometimes an outside spot to take along an onboard mechanic was. This early, super innovative period occurs in the development of many new product categories. Players are cast as aspiring industrialists trying to find out what features the public will value when buying these new, expensive, and utterly unfamiliar horseless carriages.

Target Ages: 14+
Expected Time: 3-4 Hours
Complexity to learn: 9/10
From: Splotter Games

The Isle of Cats is a competitive, medium-weight, card-drafting, polyomino cat-placement board game for 1-4 players (6 with expansions).

In the game, you are citizens of Squalls End on a rescue mission to The Isle of Cats and must rescue as many cats as possible before the evil Lord Vesh arrives. Each cat is represented by a unique tile and belongs to a family, you must find a way to make them all fit on your boat while keeping families together. You will also need to manage resources as you:

• Explore the island (by drafting cards)
• Rescue cats
• Find treasures
• Befriend Oshax
• Study ancient lessons

Each lesson you collect gives you another personal way of scoring points, and 38 unique lessons are available. Complete lessons, fill your boat, and keep cat families together to score points, and the player with the most points after five rounds wins.

Target Ages: 8+
Expected Time: 60-90 Minutes
Complexity to learn: 5/10
From: The City of Games

In King of Tokyo, you play mutant monsters, gigantic robots, and strange aliens—all of whom are destroying Tokyo and whacking each other in order to become the one and only King of Tokyo.

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 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 YOUR territory.

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!

Top this off with special cards purchased with energy that have a permanent or temporary effect, such as the growing of a second head which grants you an additional die, body armor, nova death ray, and more…. and it’s one of the most explosive games of the year!

In order to win the game, one must either destroy Tokyo by accumulating 20 victory points, or be the only surviving monster once the fighting has ended.

Target Ages: 8+
Expected Time: 30 Minutes
Complexity to learn: 4/10
From: Iello

In Kingdomino, you are a lord seeking new lands in which to expand your kingdom. You must explore all the lands, including wheat fields, lakes, and mountains, in order to spot the best plots, while competing with other lords to acquire them first.

The game uses tiles with two sections, similar to Dominoes. Each turn, each player will select a new domino to connect to their existing kingdom, making sure at least one of its sides connects to a matching terrain type already in play. The order of who picks first depends on which tile was previously chosen, with better tiles forcing players to pick later in the next round. The game ends when each player has completed a 5×5 grid (or failed to do so), and points are counted based on number of connecting tiles and valuable crown symbols.

Target Ages: 8+
Expected Time: 15-30 Minutes
Complexity to learn: 2/10
From: Blue Orange

Legends of Andor is a cooperative adventure board game for two to four players in which a band of heroes must work together to defend a fantasy realm from invading hordes. To secure Andor’s borders, the heroes will embark on dangerous quests over the course of five unique scenarios (as well as a final scenario created by the players themselves). But as the clever game system keeps creatures on the march toward the castle, the players must balance their priorities carefully.

At the heart of Legends of Andor is its unique narrative, the linked scenarios of which tell an overarching story as the players successfully complete objectives. For each scenario, or “Legend”, a legend deck conveys the plot of an ever-unfolding tale…one in which the players are the protagonists. A wooden marker moves along the board’s legend track at key points during each scenario, triggering the draw of a new legend card, the introduction of new game-altering effects, and the advancement of the story’s plot. In the end, the players must endeavor to guide the fate of Andor through their heroic actions, bringing a happy ending to their epic fantasy tale.

Will their heroes roam the land completing quests in the name of glory, or devote themselves to the defense of the realm? Uncover epic tales of glory as you live the Legends of Andor!

Target Ages: 10+
Expected Time: 60-90 Minutes
Complexity to learn: 5/10
From: KOSMOS

Waterdeep, the City of Splendors – the most resplendent jewel in the Forgotten Realms, and a den of political intrigue and shady back-alley dealings. In this game, the players are powerful lords vying for control of this great city. Its treasures and resources are ripe for the taking, and that which cannot be gained through trickery and negotiation must be taken by force!

In Lords of Waterdeep, a strategy board game for 2-5 players, you take on the role of one of the masked Lords of Waterdeep, secret rulers of the city. Through your agents, you recruit adventurers to go on quests on your behalf, earning rewards and increasing your influence over the city. Expand the city by purchasing new 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.

Target Ages: 12+
Expected Time: 1-2 Hours
Complexity to learn: 5/10
From: Wizards of the Coast

On an uninhabited island in uncharted seas, explorers have found traces of a great civilization. Now you will lead an expedition to explore the island, find lost artifacts, and face fearsome guardians, all in a quest to learn the island’s secrets.

Lost Ruins of Arnak combines deck-building and worker placement in a game of exploration, resource management, and discovery. In addition to traditional deck-builder effects, cards can also be used to place workers, and new worker actions become available as players explore the island. Some of these actions require resources instead of workers, so building a solid resource base will be essential. You are limited to only one action per turn, so make your choice carefully… what action will benefit you most now? And what can you afford to do later… assuming someone else doesn’t take the action first!?

Decks are small, and randomness in the game is heavily mitigated by the wealth of tactical decisions offered on the game board. With a variety of worker actions, artifacts, and equipment cards, the set-up for each game will be unique, encouraging players to explore new strategies to meet the challenge.

Discover the Lost Ruins of Arnak!

Target Ages: 12+
Expected Time: 1-2 Hours
Complexity to learn: 6/10
From: Czech Games Edition

Meadow is an engaging set collection game with over two hundred unique cards containing hand-painted watercolor illustrations. In the game, players take the role of explorers competing for the title of the most skilled nature observer. To win, they collect cards with the most valuable species, landscapes, and discoveries. Their journey is led by passion, a curiosity of the world, an inquiring mind, and a desire to discover the mysteries of nature. The competition continues at the bonfire where the players race to fulfill the goals of their adventures.

Target Ages: 10+
Expected Time: 60-90 Minutes
Complexity to learn: 4.5/10
From: Rebel Games

In Oath, one to six players guide the course of history in an ancient land. Players might take the role of agents bolstering the old order or scheme to bring the kingdom to ruin. The consequences of one game will ripple through those that follow, changing what resources and actions future players may have at their disposal and even altering the game’s core victory condition.

If a player seizes control by courting anarchy and distrust, future players will have to contend with a land overrun by thieves and petty warlords. In a later game, a warlord might attempt to found a dynasty, creating a line of rulers that might last generations or be crushed by the rise of a terrible, arcane cult.

In Oath, there are no fancy production tricks, app-assisted mechanisms or production gimmicks. The game can be reset at any time and doesn’t require the same play group from one game to the next. A player might use the fully-featured solo mode to play several generations during the week and then use that same copy of the game for Saturday game-night with friends. There are no scripted narratives or predetermined end points. The history embedded in each copy of Oath will grow to be as unique as the players who helped build it.

Target Ages: 10+
Expected Time: 45-150 Minutes
Complexity to learn: 8/10
From: Leder Games

You are a Marine Biologist with research objectives to achieve for points. To do this players must draft dice resources from various Oceans such as Krill, Cephalopods (squid & Octopus), Crustaceans (Crabs & Lobsters), Fish and Pinnipeds (Seals).

These resources are exchanged to attract Whales and Dolphins to your pod by paying the resource cost for the animal cards in the open pod deck.

However each turn the boats move to different Oceans blocking your options and plastic pollution leaks into the sea. Too much Plastic and the game will end. Players have to work semi-cooperatively to clean the plastic or they all lose. Should you sacrifce a turn to clean the Ocean?

In this beautiful game only one player can win but all could lose!

Target Ages: 11+
Expected Time: 30-45 Minutes
Complexity to learn: 3/10
From: Molinarius Games

The sun shines brightly on the canopy of the forest, and the trees use this wonderful energy to grow and develop their beautiful foliage. Sow your crops wisely and the shadows of your growing trees could slow your opponents down, but don’t forget that the sun revolves around the forest. Welcome to the world of Photosynthesis, the green strategy board game!

Target Ages: 10+
Expected Time: 30-60 Minutes
Complexity to learn: 5/10
From: Blue Orange Games

In The Quacks of Quedlinburg, players are charlatans — or quack doctors — each making their own secret brew by adding ingredients one at a time. Take care with what you add, though, for a pinch too much of this or that will spoil the whole mixture!

Each player has their own bag of ingredient chips. During each round, they simultaneously draw chips from their bags and add them to their pots. The higher the face value of the drawn chip, the further it is placed in the pot’s swirling pattern, increasing how much the potion will be worth. Push your luck as far as you can, but if you add too many cherry bombs, your pot will explode!

At the end of each round, players gain victory points and coins to spend on new ingredients, depending on how well they managed to fill up their pots. But players whose pots have exploded must choose points or coins — not both! The player with the most victory points at the end of nine rounds wins the game.

Target Ages: 10+
Expected Time: 45 Minutes
Complexity to learn: 4/10
From: Scmidt Spiele

In England in 1193, the county of Nottinghamshire suffers under the yoke of evil Prince John and his henchmen. Can Robin Hood and his companions escape the sheriff’s guards and complete their adventures successfully?

In The Adventures of Robin Hood, players take on the role of Robin Hood and his companions, with the action taking place on a living game board with no set paths. The board changes over the course of each adventure, and the movement of the characters is handled via an innovative mechanism that uses different length wooden character pieces. Various actions and secrets are integrated into the game levels and are revealed only in the course of the story. The game board “remembers” what players have already explored or found, and thanks to the special materials, the entire game can be set up and dismantled quickly.

Instead of using cards as in the author’s Legends of Andor, the game tells the story of Robin Hood in a high-quality hardcover book, and depending on the decisions the players make, the story changes…

Target Ages: 10+
Expected Time: 60 Minutes
Complexity to learn: 4/10
From: KOSMOS

Nottingham 1100 A.D.: The True King is away in the Holy Lands and the town is under rule by the evil tyrant, Prince John. He has forced matrimony upon Maid Marian and locked her in his castle against her will. The young princess sends word of her captivity to fabled outlaw and her true love, Robin Hood.

He vows to save her with help from his Merry Men — faithful souls who would follow him to hell and back! But this time, Robin sees doubt in their eyes. Little John, Will Scarlet and the other Merry Men deem the mission so perilous—it could plunge Nottingham into turmoil. Torn between love for the princess and his town, Robin devises a plan to save both! He proposes a challenge, betting his men that none can protect Nottingham as well as he. If one of them bests him at this task, he will bestow his mantle of leadership to the victor! They accept his wager, and pledge to rescue Maid Marian, no matter the outcome.

Their quest will require bravery, cunning and all the wits they can muster! Will one of the Merry Men become Nottingham’s newest hero, or will Robin live up to his own legend?

Robin Hood and the Merry Men is a semi cooperative, but a highly competitive board game set in the folklore we all know and love. It’s a thematic euro style game that perfectly blends worker placement, hand management, set collection and dice rolling into a one big exciting crossover.

In Robin Hood and the Merry Men, players take on the role of a famous outlaw such as Robin Hood, Little John, Will Scarlet and Jane Fortune, and their mission is to protect the town of Nottingham from the tyranny of infamous ruler Prince John and the notorious Sheriff of Nottingham throughout 5 rounds of onslaught. If they succeed, a winner is declared-the player with the most VP becomes Nottingham’s greatest champion.

Each round consists of two phases: A Merry Men phase and a Hero phase.

In the Merry Men phase, you will call upon your faithful friends who are famous for their abilities to build and set various traps. In order to stay one step ahead, you will send The Merry Men to acquire resources and weapons, and lay traps to catch the Sheriff’s endless army of Guards. Assigning Merry Men is done through playing Merry Men cards that offer variable actions.

With King Richard being away on the Crusades, Prince John has given the Sheriff of Nottingham power to tax the villages in and around Nottingham, so you must order your Merry Men to build barricades on the roads to prevent the heavily guarded and gold-filled carriages from entering the castle.

Before he went on his crusade, King Richard gave you certain tasks. In the midst of his struggles, he would welcome the news that his brave heroes have completed them.

In the Hero phase you will send your Hero to fight the Sheriff’s guards, ambush and rob the royal carriages of their treasures, enter archery tournaments, rescue prisoners from the castle’s darkest dungeons and much much more.

Target Ages: 13+
Expected Time: 60-90 Minutes
Complexity to learn: 8/10
From: Final Frontier Games

Root is a game of adventure and war in which 2 to 4 (1 to 6 with the ‘Riverfolk’ expansion) players battle for control of a vast wilderness.

The nefarious Marquise de Cat has seized the great woodland, intent on harvesting its riches. Under her rule, the many creatures of the forest have banded together. This Alliance will seek to strengthen its resources and subvert the rule of Cats. In this effort, the Alliance may enlist the help of the wandering Vagabonds who are able to move through the more dangerous woodland paths. Though some may sympathize with the Alliance’s hopes and dreams, these wanderers are old enough to remember the great birds of prey who once controlled the woods.

Meanwhile, at the edge of the region, the proud, squabbling Eyrie have found a new commander who they hope will lead their faction to resume their ancient birthright. The stage is set for a contest that will decide the fate of the great woodland. It is up to the players to decide which group will ultimately take root.

Root represents the next step in our development of asymmetric design. Like Vast, each player in Root has unique capabilities and a different victory condition. Now, with the aid of gorgeous, multi-use cards, a truly asymmetric design has never been more accessible.

The Cats play a game of engine building and logistics while attempting to police the vast wilderness. By collecting Wood they are able to produce workshops, lumber mills, and barracks. They win by building new buildings and crafts.

The Eyrie musters their hawks to take back the Woods. They must capture as much territory as possible and build roosts before they collapse back into squabbling.

The Alliance hides in the shadows, recruiting forces and hatching conspiracies. They begin slowly and build towards a dramatic late-game presence–but only if they can manage to keep the other players in check.

Meanwhile, the Vagabond plays all sides of the conflict for their own gain, while hiding a mysterious quest. Explore the board, fight other factions, and work towards achieving your hidden goal.

In Root, players drive the narrative, and the differences between each role create an unparalleled level of interaction and replayability. Leder Games invites you and your family to explore the fantastic world of Root!

Target Ages: 10+
Expected Time: 60-90 Minutes
Complexity to learn: 8/10
From: Leder Games

It is a time of unrest in 1920s Europa. The ashes from the first great war still darken the snow. The capitalistic city-state known simply as “The Factory”, which fueled the war with heavily armored mechs, has closed its doors, drawing the attention of several nearby countries.

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

Target Ages: 14+
Expected Time: 90-120 Minutes
Complexity to learn: 8/10
From: Stonemaier Games

In Sea of Clouds, as captain of a flying pirate ship, recruit a cutthroat crew, collect relics and unearth the best rum by gathering shares of Loot. Then send your pirates aboard enemy ships to plunder their treasure!

Target Ages: 10+
Expected Time: 45 Minutes
Complexity to learn: 4/10
From: Iello Games

You are a leader of one of the seven greatest cities in Antiquity. Develop your city by increasing your scientific discoveries, military conquests, commercial agreements, and prestigious structures to lead your civilization to glory! All the while, keep an eye on your neighbors’ progress since they share similar ambitions. Will your wonder transcend the millennia to come?

Target Ages: 10+
Expected Time: 30 Minutes
Complexity to learn: 5/10
From: Repos Production

In the most distant reaches of the world, magic still exists, embodied by spirits of the land, of the sky, and of every natural thing. As the great powers of Europe stretch their colonial empires further and further, they will inevitably lay claim to a place where spirits still hold power – and when they do, the land itself will fight back alongside the islanders who live there.

Target Ages: 13+
Expected Time: 90-120 Minutes
Complexity to learn: 8/10
From: Greater Than Games

Splendor is a game of chip-collecting and card development. Players are merchants of the Renaissance trying to buy gem mines, means of transportation, shops—all in order to acquire the most prestige points. If you’re wealthy enough, you might even receive a visit from a noble at some point, which of course will further increase your prestige.

Target Ages: 10+
Expected Time: 30 Minutes
Complexity to learn: 3/10
From: Space Cowboys

All Aboard! — The Cooperative Train Game

You begin this cooperative, family-friendly train game by controlling just a few trains on the tracks. At first, it’s easy to make them travel where you like. As more trains arrive, you have to plan and coordinate your train schedules. Is the signal green? Where is this train going? Oh no, the switch wasn’t set! If your train heads off in the wrong direction, your goods won’t arrive on time! Only by working together to schedule and move your trains efficiently, will you and your team of conductors be able to win the game.

The two different gameboards, Central Europe and North America, each bring fun challenges to overcome. In this cooperative strategy train game work with your teammates to build a network of trains that run at different speeds to transport goods as efficiently as possible. It has simple rules that are easy to learn and allow you to jump right into the action. Switch & Signal features a double-sided game board, city tile variants, and customizable difficulty levels.

Target Ages: 10+
Expected Time:  45 Minutes
Complexity to learn: 5/10
From: KOSMOS

A long time ago at the Japanese Imperial court, the Chinese Emperor offered a giant panda bear as a symbol of peace to the Japanese Emperor. Since then, the Japanese Emperor has entrusted his court members (the players) with the difficult task of caring for the animal by tending to his bamboo garden.

In Takenoko, the players will cultivate land plots, irrigate them, and grow one of the three species of bamboo (Green, Yellow, and Pink) with the help of the Imperial gardener to maintain this bamboo garden. They will have to bear with the immoderate hunger of this sacred animal for the juicy and tender bamboo. The player who manages his land plots best, growing the most bamboo while feeding the delicate appetite of the panda, will win the game.

Target Ages: 8+
Expected Time:  45 Minutes
Complexity to learn: 4/10
From: Bombyx

In the village of Tiefenthal lies “The Tavern of the Deep Valley”. There, all citizens from the area gather, but it’s important to attract new, wealthy guests for only then is there enough money to expand the tavern, which will then lure nobles into the tavern as well. But which tavern expansion is best? Should you focus on money? Or rather ensure that the beer will keep flowing?

In The Taverns of Tiefenthal, the challenge is to skillfully choose the dice and develop your personal deck of cards as profitably as possible. The game is structured with five modules so that your group can add extra levels of complexity as you become more familiar with the game.

Target Ages: 12+
Expected Time:  50 Minutes
Complexity to learn: 5/10
From: Schmidt Spiele

In the 2400s, mankind begins to terraform the planet Mars. Giant corporations, sponsored by the World Government on Earth, initiate huge projects to raise the temperature, the oxygen level, and the ocean coverage until the environment is habitable. In Terraforming Mars, you play one of those corporations and work together in the terraforming process, but compete for getting victory points that are awarded not only for your contribution to the terraforming, but also for advancing human infrastructure throughout the solar system, and doing other commendable things.

Target Ages: 12+
Expected Time:  2 Hours
Complexity to learn: 7/10
From: Fryx Games

America in the 19th century: You are a rancher and repeatedly herd your cattle from Texas to Kansas City, where you send them 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 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 might be a good idea to hire capable staff: cowboys to improve your herd, craftsmen to build your very own buildings, or engineers for the important railroad line.

If you cleverly manage your herd and navigate the opportunities and pitfalls of Great Western Trail, you surely will gain the most victory points and win the game.

Target Ages: 12+
Expected Time:  1-2 Hours
Complexity to learn: 6/10
From: Eggertspiele

This War Of Mine: The Board Game is the tabletop adaptation of the award-winning video game that pictures the drama of civilians trapped in a war-torn city.

You will enter this experience as a group of civilians trapped in a besieged and conflict-ridden city, enduring many hardships that often test the essence of humanity.

During day time you will take shelter in a ruined tenement house, which you will care about and manage by: removing rubble, searching through various rooms (often behind barricaded doors), you will build beds, improvised workshops, stoves, tools, water filters, small animal traps, you will cultivate an improvised vegetable garden, fix the tenements’ shelled facilities, reinforce the security of your shelter and should winter come, you’ll try to keep it warm.

Upon nightfall your main duties will consist of guarding your shelter and what little possessions you can accumulate against bandits and raiders. Those in your group fit for such a task will use the cover of the night to carefully explore dozens of the ever-changing locations scattered throughout the dangerous city in search of all the things that a person needs to survive (materials, food, meds, equipment, etc.). On your way you will meet tens of characters, each with a unique story (residents of the locations you visit, thieves, bandits, soldiers, war victims, refugees, neighbors, traders and members of local communities), each encounter is a potential, unique adventure. To guide you through all these events you will have the special SCRIPTS mechanism, responsible for implementing the deep and complex story and a coherent plot (each game will be unique and different than the previous).

Your goal is to SURVIVE until the cessation of war hostilities.

Target Ages: 18+
Expected Time:  1-2 Hours
Complexity to learn: 7/10
From: Eggertspiele

With elegantly simple gameplay, Ticket to Ride can be learned in under 15 minutes. Players collect cards of various types of train cars they then use to claim railway routes in North America. The longer the routes, the more points they earn. Additional points come to those who fulfill Destination Tickets – goal cards that connect distant cities; and to the player who builds the longest continuous route.

Target Ages: 8+
Expected Time:  30-60 Minutes
Complexity to learn: 4/10
From: Days of Wonder

Ticket to Ride: London features the familiar gameplay from the Ticket to Ride game series — collect cards, claim routes, draw tickets — but on a scaled-down map of 1970s London that allows you to complete a game in no more than 15 minutes.

Target Ages: 8+
Expected Time:  10-15 Minutes
Complexity to learn: 1/10
From: Days of Wonder

Set in the titular city in the 16th century, Venice lets players take the role of wealthy, influential merchants as they ride their gondolas up and down the city’s canals, train their assistants, complete contracts, and leverage their influence to gain political power. But business is anything but usual. As they broker contracts and flirt with crime, merchants must avoid arousing the suspicion of the Venetian Inquisition, lest they find themselves arrested and their businesses shut down.

Target Ages: 14+
Expected Time:  60-90 Minutes
Complexity to learn: 6/10
From: Braincrack Games

In Villainous, each player takes control of one of six Disney characters, each one a villain in a different Disney movie. Each player has their own villain deck, fate deck, player board, and 3D character.

Target Ages: 10+
Expected Time:  45-120 Minutes
Complexity to learn: 5/10
From: Ravensburger

You’ve built housing for humanity in neighborhoods and New Las Vegas. Now you need to save humanity through space colonization

Target Ages: 10+
Expected Time:  25-30 Minutes
Complexity to learn: 5/10
From: Blue Coker Games

Wingspan is a competitive, medium-weight, card-driven, engine-building board game from Stonemaier Games. It’s designed by Elizabeth Hargrave and features over 170 birds illustrated by Beth Sobel, Natalia Rojas, and Ana Maria Martinez.

Target Ages: 10+
Expected Time:  40-70 Minutes
Complexity to learn: 5/10
From: Stonemaier Games

In Yak, the village elder has given you (and others) the task of constructing a great stone tower to guide the merchants and their yaks in the Himalayas. Each turn, a yak pulls its cart into your village. Will you find stones for your tower, or food for your reserves? Or will you need to visit the market to find what you need?

Target Ages: 8+
Expected Time:  30-60 Minutes
Complexity to learn: 3/10
From: Pretzel Games