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Friday Scheduled Games
Acre-foot (Boardgame playtest) 5:00pm to 7:00pm - Hosted by Charles Allen
2-6 Players. This game is in the advanced stages of development. No experience needed. Game feedback is welcome.
Water is the basis of life. That reality is made starkly apparent here in the American West where water supplies are finite. In Acre-foot you take the role of a water manager scrambling to secure water for a number of communities in order to support the ever increasing population. Buy up water from shrinking rivers, build dams to store spring runoff, drill wells to tap aquifers, or desalinate water from the ocean. Rival water managers are eyeing the same water sources you are, so stake your claims on sources quickly to ensure you won’t dry out. But be careful, you may need your rivals’ cooperation later when you look to trade water shares, run water through one of their canals, or need a partner to build costly infrastructure.
Acre-foot is a strategy resource game with a high amount of interaction among players. Each year you race to make water purchases, plan for major expenditures, manage debt, and position yourself to be the first player to fulfill the water needs of your communities. Because of the constrained nature of the system, Acre-foot truly is a contest for the last drop.
2-6 Players. This game is in the advanced stages of development. No experience needed. Game feedback is welcome.
Water is the basis of life. That reality is made starkly apparent here in the American West where water supplies are finite. In Acre-foot you take the role of a water manager scrambling to secure water for a number of communities in order to support the ever increasing population. Buy up water from shrinking rivers, build dams to store spring runoff, drill wells to tap aquifers, or desalinate water from the ocean. Rival water managers are eyeing the same water sources you are, so stake your claims on sources quickly to ensure you won’t dry out. But be careful, you may need your rivals’ cooperation later when you look to trade water shares, run water through one of their canals, or need a partner to build costly infrastructure.
Acre-foot is a strategy resource game with a high amount of interaction among players. Each year you race to make water purchases, plan for major expenditures, manage debt, and position yourself to be the first player to fulfill the water needs of your communities. Because of the constrained nature of the system, Acre-foot truly is a contest for the last drop.
Coal Baron, 5:00pm to 8:00pm - Hosted by Alex Bernard
Two to four players
BGG Description: Coal Baron – or Glück Auf in German, after a greeting German miners use when wishing one another luck – has players sending meeple miners underground to dig tunnels and acquire coal, which comes in four levels of quality and which is used to fulfill contracts.
The game lasts three rounds, and in each round players take turns placing their workers on action spaces; you can go on a space occupied by another player, but you need to place additional workers in order to do so. Each player has an individual elevator shaft, and he'll need to use workers to extract coal and bring it to the surface, while also competing for contracts and scrounging for cash in order to do everything else that needs to be done!
Two to four players
BGG Description: Coal Baron – or Glück Auf in German, after a greeting German miners use when wishing one another luck – has players sending meeple miners underground to dig tunnels and acquire coal, which comes in four levels of quality and which is used to fulfill contracts.
The game lasts three rounds, and in each round players take turns placing their workers on action spaces; you can go on a space occupied by another player, but you need to place additional workers in order to do so. Each player has an individual elevator shaft, and he'll need to use workers to extract coal and bring it to the surface, while also competing for contracts and scrounging for cash in order to do everything else that needs to be done!
Ivanhoe, 5:00pm to 7:00pm - Hosted by Denise Broderick
Two to five players
BGG Description: Take on the role of a knight and join the prestigious tournaments at the king's court. Use your cards to win the jousting competitions, and to fight with your sword, axe or morning-star. Rally your squires, gain the support of a maiden, and play action cards against your opponents.
Clever use of action cards can change the type of tournament that is in progress. One card will 'unhorse' you, forcing everyone still in the jousting competition to switch to a weapon battle of the action card holder’s choice.
Other actions cause you to drop whatever other weapon you are using and resort to hand-to-hand battles in which the player with the most cards- not the highest point total- will win a token. Depending on the number of players in the game, the first player to win four or five different tournaments becomes the overall victor.
There is a lot more strategy involved in the game than first meets the eye.
Two to five players
BGG Description: Take on the role of a knight and join the prestigious tournaments at the king's court. Use your cards to win the jousting competitions, and to fight with your sword, axe or morning-star. Rally your squires, gain the support of a maiden, and play action cards against your opponents.
Clever use of action cards can change the type of tournament that is in progress. One card will 'unhorse' you, forcing everyone still in the jousting competition to switch to a weapon battle of the action card holder’s choice.
Other actions cause you to drop whatever other weapon you are using and resort to hand-to-hand battles in which the player with the most cards- not the highest point total- will win a token. Depending on the number of players in the game, the first player to win four or five different tournaments becomes the overall victor.
There is a lot more strategy involved in the game than first meets the eye.
Risk, 5:00pm to 11:00pm-- Hosted by Kevin Long
BGG description: 2-6 players
Possibly the most popular, mass market war game. The goal is conquest of the world.
Each player's turn consists of:
- gaining reinforcements through number of territories held, control of every territory on each continent, and turning sets of bonus cards.
- Attacking other players using a simple combat rule of comparing the highest dice rolled for each side. Players may attack as often as desired. If one enemy territory is successfully taken, the player is awarded with a bonus card.
- Moving a group of armies to another adjacent territory.
BGG description: 2-6 players
Possibly the most popular, mass market war game. The goal is conquest of the world.
Each player's turn consists of:
- gaining reinforcements through number of territories held, control of every territory on each continent, and turning sets of bonus cards.
- Attacking other players using a simple combat rule of comparing the highest dice rolled for each side. Players may attack as often as desired. If one enemy territory is successfully taken, the player is awarded with a bonus card.
- Moving a group of armies to another adjacent territory.
Airlines Europe, 6:00pm to 8:00pm - Hosted by Jim Kuro
Two to five players
BGG Description: Before Ticket to Ride, before Santa Fe Rails, before Union Pacific – yet after Acquire – there was Airlines, one of the earliest published games from designer Alan R. Moon and publisher ABACUSSPIELE.
More than two decades after the publication of that game, Moon and ABACUSSPIELE present Airlines Europe, the design of which Moon began in 2007. According to the publisher, "He wanted to preserve the feel of the original game and its successor, Union Pacific, while confronting the player with even more exciting choices." The result of that redesign process is Airlines Europe, featuring a reduced playing time, a new point structure, a European setting, and 112 tiny detailed airplanes.
At its heart, Airlines Europe is a stock game, with players earning points for the stock they hold in particular airline companies when one of the randomly determined scorings takes place. On a player's turn, that player either expands an airline and claims a stock, plays stock onto the board and receives dividend, invests in a special airline called Air ABACUS or gets a certain amount of money from the bank. A player scores only for stock in play, but the value of an airline is determined by the value of the route licenses that airline owns – thus, you're torn in terms of what to play when.
Two to five players
BGG Description: Before Ticket to Ride, before Santa Fe Rails, before Union Pacific – yet after Acquire – there was Airlines, one of the earliest published games from designer Alan R. Moon and publisher ABACUSSPIELE.
More than two decades after the publication of that game, Moon and ABACUSSPIELE present Airlines Europe, the design of which Moon began in 2007. According to the publisher, "He wanted to preserve the feel of the original game and its successor, Union Pacific, while confronting the player with even more exciting choices." The result of that redesign process is Airlines Europe, featuring a reduced playing time, a new point structure, a European setting, and 112 tiny detailed airplanes.
At its heart, Airlines Europe is a stock game, with players earning points for the stock they hold in particular airline companies when one of the randomly determined scorings takes place. On a player's turn, that player either expands an airline and claims a stock, plays stock onto the board and receives dividend, invests in a special airline called Air ABACUS or gets a certain amount of money from the bank. A player scores only for stock in play, but the value of an airline is determined by the value of the route licenses that airline owns – thus, you're torn in terms of what to play when.
Bohnanza, 6:00pm to 8:00pm - Hosted by Caleb Broderick
Two to seven players
BGG Description: Bohnanza is the first in the Bohnanza family of games and has been published in several different editions.
As card games go, this one is quite revolutionary. Perhaps its oddest feature is that you cannot rearrange your hand, as you need to play the cards in the order that you draw them. The cards are colorful depictions of beans in various descriptive poses, and the object is to make coins by planting fields (sets) of these beans and then harvesting them. To help players match their cards up, the game features extensive trading and deal making.
The original German edition supports 3-5 players.
The newest English version is from Rio Grande Games and it comes with the first edition of the first German expansion included in a slightly oversized box. One difference in the contents, however, is that bean #22's Weinbrandbohne (Brandy Bean) was replaced by the Wachsbohne, or Wax Bean. This edition includes rules for up to seven players, like the Erweiterungs-Set, but also adapts the two-player rules of Al Cabohnein order to allow two people to play Bohnanza.
Two to seven players
BGG Description: Bohnanza is the first in the Bohnanza family of games and has been published in several different editions.
As card games go, this one is quite revolutionary. Perhaps its oddest feature is that you cannot rearrange your hand, as you need to play the cards in the order that you draw them. The cards are colorful depictions of beans in various descriptive poses, and the object is to make coins by planting fields (sets) of these beans and then harvesting them. To help players match their cards up, the game features extensive trading and deal making.
The original German edition supports 3-5 players.
The newest English version is from Rio Grande Games and it comes with the first edition of the first German expansion included in a slightly oversized box. One difference in the contents, however, is that bean #22's Weinbrandbohne (Brandy Bean) was replaced by the Wachsbohne, or Wax Bean. This edition includes rules for up to seven players, like the Erweiterungs-Set, but also adapts the two-player rules of Al Cabohnein order to allow two people to play Bohnanza.
Dominion, 6:00pm to 7:00pm-- Hosted by James Broderick
BGG description: 2-4 players
In Dominion, each player starts with an identical, very small deck of cards. In the center of the table is a selection of other cards the players can "buy" as they can afford them. Through their selection of cards to buy, and how they play their hands as they draw them, the players construct their deck on the fly, striving for the most efficient path to the precious victory points by game end.
Dominion is not a CCG, but the play of the game is similar to the construction and play of a CCG deck. The game comes with 500 cards. You select 10 of the 25 Kingdom card types to include in any given play—leading to immense variety.
BGG description: 2-4 players
In Dominion, each player starts with an identical, very small deck of cards. In the center of the table is a selection of other cards the players can "buy" as they can afford them. Through their selection of cards to buy, and how they play their hands as they draw them, the players construct their deck on the fly, striving for the most efficient path to the precious victory points by game end.
Dominion is not a CCG, but the play of the game is similar to the construction and play of a CCG deck. The game comes with 500 cards. You select 10 of the 25 Kingdom card types to include in any given play—leading to immense variety.
Splendor, 7:00pm to 9:00pm - Hosted by Remington Stead
Two to four players
BGG Description: 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.
On your turn, you may (1) collect chips (gems), or (2) buy and build a card, or (3) reserve one card. If you collect chips, you take either three different kinds of chips or two chips of the same kind. If you buy a card, you pay its price in chips and add it to your playing area. To reserve a card—in order to make sure you get it, or, why not, your opponents don't get it—you place it in front of you face down for later building; this costs you a round, but you also get gold in the form of a joker chip, which you can use as any gem.
All of the cards you buy increase your wealth as they give you a permanent gem bonus for later buys; some of the cards also give you prestige points. In order to win the game, you must reach 15 prestige points before your opponents do.
Two to four players
BGG Description: 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.
On your turn, you may (1) collect chips (gems), or (2) buy and build a card, or (3) reserve one card. If you collect chips, you take either three different kinds of chips or two chips of the same kind. If you buy a card, you pay its price in chips and add it to your playing area. To reserve a card—in order to make sure you get it, or, why not, your opponents don't get it—you place it in front of you face down for later building; this costs you a round, but you also get gold in the form of a joker chip, which you can use as any gem.
All of the cards you buy increase your wealth as they give you a permanent gem bonus for later buys; some of the cards also give you prestige points. In order to win the game, you must reach 15 prestige points before your opponents do.
Stone Age, 7:00pm to 9:00pm - Hosted by David Broderick
Two to four players
BGG Description: The "Stone Age" times were hard indeed. In their roles as hunters, collectors, farmers, and tool makers, our ancestors worked with their legs and backs straining against wooden plows in the stony earth. Of course, progress did not stop with the wooden plow. People always searched for better tools and more productive plants to make their work more effective.In Stone Age, the players live in this time, just as our ancestors did. They collect wood, break stone and wash their gold from the river. They trade freely, expand their village and so achieve new levels of civilization. With a balance of luck and planning, the players compete for food in this pre-historic time.
Players use up to ten tribe members each in three phases. In the first phase, players place their men in regions of the board that they think will benefit them, including the hunt, the trading center, or the quarry. In the second phase, the starting player activates each of his staffed areas in whatever sequence he chooses, followed in turn by the other players. In the third phase, players must have enough food available to feed their populations, or they face losing resources or points.
Two to four players
BGG Description: The "Stone Age" times were hard indeed. In their roles as hunters, collectors, farmers, and tool makers, our ancestors worked with their legs and backs straining against wooden plows in the stony earth. Of course, progress did not stop with the wooden plow. People always searched for better tools and more productive plants to make their work more effective.In Stone Age, the players live in this time, just as our ancestors did. They collect wood, break stone and wash their gold from the river. They trade freely, expand their village and so achieve new levels of civilization. With a balance of luck and planning, the players compete for food in this pre-historic time.
Players use up to ten tribe members each in three phases. In the first phase, players place their men in regions of the board that they think will benefit them, including the hunt, the trading center, or the quarry. In the second phase, the starting player activates each of his staffed areas in whatever sequence he chooses, followed in turn by the other players. In the third phase, players must have enough food available to feed their populations, or they face losing resources or points.
Thunder Alley, 7:00pm to 10:00pm - Hosted by Denise Broderick
Two to seven players
BGG Description: Thunder Alley is a stock car racing game for 2–7 players with the feel and flexibility of a card-driven simulation. Drafting, teamwork, accidents, yellow flags, pit strategy, working to lead laps, and sprints to the finish are all included and bring the feel of racing to the game. Players control not one car, but a team of 3–6 cars. Thus, each race is not only a run for the checkered flag but an effort to maximize the score for every car on your team. Winning is important, but if only one car crosses the finish line, your team might end up outside the winner's circle looking in.
The game includes four different types of movement, often with many cars moving with the play of a single card, and each type has its place and time:
Cars suffer wear over the course of a race and need to take pit stops. Tire wear, suspension difficulties, fuel issues, and major engine and transmission problems are all modeled in the game. If you feel lucky, you might try to hold it together just a little bit longer in hopes that a yellow flag will come out and cause a mass rush into the pits. Waiting on a yellow that never comes can be maddening as the rest of the pack moves by your worn-out car. What's more, an events deck can make your strategy pay off or punish you for your failure to take precautions. Accidents, yellow flags, worsening track situations, and deteriorating cars are all part of the game. Could all of your perfect strategy be derailed by those incoming rain clouds?
Included in the game are four different race tracks: a tri-oval super speedway for wide-open free-wheeling racing and a short track for a tight wheel-to-wheel bumper car duel. Each track uses the same deck of racing cards but the cards that work best on one may be useless in the other. The game also includes a second board with a road course and and 3 turned (triangle) raceway.
Most racing games call for a large number of players to play the game at its best. An unusual bonus for Thunder Alley is the very playable and exciting two-player version with six cars on a side.
Two to seven players
BGG Description: Thunder Alley is a stock car racing game for 2–7 players with the feel and flexibility of a card-driven simulation. Drafting, teamwork, accidents, yellow flags, pit strategy, working to lead laps, and sprints to the finish are all included and bring the feel of racing to the game. Players control not one car, but a team of 3–6 cars. Thus, each race is not only a run for the checkered flag but an effort to maximize the score for every car on your team. Winning is important, but if only one car crosses the finish line, your team might end up outside the winner's circle looking in.
The game includes four different types of movement, often with many cars moving with the play of a single card, and each type has its place and time:
- Solo movement allows you to break away from the pack.
- Draft and pursuit movement are best used for keeping your team of cars together.
- Lead movement can create a pack of cars that moves toward the front.
Cars suffer wear over the course of a race and need to take pit stops. Tire wear, suspension difficulties, fuel issues, and major engine and transmission problems are all modeled in the game. If you feel lucky, you might try to hold it together just a little bit longer in hopes that a yellow flag will come out and cause a mass rush into the pits. Waiting on a yellow that never comes can be maddening as the rest of the pack moves by your worn-out car. What's more, an events deck can make your strategy pay off or punish you for your failure to take precautions. Accidents, yellow flags, worsening track situations, and deteriorating cars are all part of the game. Could all of your perfect strategy be derailed by those incoming rain clouds?
Included in the game are four different race tracks: a tri-oval super speedway for wide-open free-wheeling racing and a short track for a tight wheel-to-wheel bumper car duel. Each track uses the same deck of racing cards but the cards that work best on one may be useless in the other. The game also includes a second board with a road course and and 3 turned (triangle) raceway.
Most racing games call for a large number of players to play the game at its best. An unusual bonus for Thunder Alley is the very playable and exciting two-player version with six cars on a side.
7 Wonders, 8:00pm to 10:00pm - Hosted by Rip Stead
Two to seven players
BGG Description: You are the leader of one of the 7 great cities of the Ancient World. Gather resources, develop commercial routes, and affirm your military supremacy. Build your city and erect an architectural wonder which will transcend future times.
7 Wonders lasts three ages. In each age, players receive seven cards from a particular deck, choose one of those cards, then pass the remainder to an adjacent player. Players reveal their cards simultaneously, paying resources if needed or collecting resources or interacting with other players in various ways. (Players have individual boards with special powers on which to organize their cards, and the boards are double-sided). Each player then chooses another card from the deck they were passed, and the process repeats until players have six cards in play from that age. After three ages, the game ends.
In essence, 7 Wonders is a card development game. Some cards have immediate effects, while others provide bonuses or upgrades later in the game. Some cards provide discounts on future purchases. Some provide military strength to overpower your neighbors and others give nothing but victory points. Each card is played immediately after being drafted, so you'll know which cards your neighbor is receiving and how his choices might affect what you've already built up. Cards are passed left-right-left over the three ages, so you need to keep an eye on the neighbors in both directions.
Though the box of earlier editions is listed as being for 3–7 players, there is an official 2-player variant included in the instructions.
Two to seven players
BGG Description: You are the leader of one of the 7 great cities of the Ancient World. Gather resources, develop commercial routes, and affirm your military supremacy. Build your city and erect an architectural wonder which will transcend future times.
7 Wonders lasts three ages. In each age, players receive seven cards from a particular deck, choose one of those cards, then pass the remainder to an adjacent player. Players reveal their cards simultaneously, paying resources if needed or collecting resources or interacting with other players in various ways. (Players have individual boards with special powers on which to organize their cards, and the boards are double-sided). Each player then chooses another card from the deck they were passed, and the process repeats until players have six cards in play from that age. After three ages, the game ends.
In essence, 7 Wonders is a card development game. Some cards have immediate effects, while others provide bonuses or upgrades later in the game. Some cards provide discounts on future purchases. Some provide military strength to overpower your neighbors and others give nothing but victory points. Each card is played immediately after being drafted, so you'll know which cards your neighbor is receiving and how his choices might affect what you've already built up. Cards are passed left-right-left over the three ages, so you need to keep an eye on the neighbors in both directions.
Though the box of earlier editions is listed as being for 3–7 players, there is an official 2-player variant included in the instructions.
Codenames Tournament, 8:00pm to 11:00pm - Hosted by Josh Broderick
BGG Description: Two rival spymasters know the secret identities of 25 agents. Their teammates know the agents only by their CODENAMES.
In Codenames, two teams compete to see who can make contact with all of their agents first. Spymasters give one-word clues that can point to multiple words on the board. Their teammates try to guess words of the right color while avoiding those that belong to the opposing team. And everyone wants to avoid the assassin.
Codenames: Win or lose, it's fun to figure out the clues.
BGG Description: Two rival spymasters know the secret identities of 25 agents. Their teammates know the agents only by their CODENAMES.
In Codenames, two teams compete to see who can make contact with all of their agents first. Spymasters give one-word clues that can point to multiple words on the board. Their teammates try to guess words of the right color while avoiding those that belong to the opposing team. And everyone wants to avoid the assassin.
Codenames: Win or lose, it's fun to figure out the clues.
Naturally Disastrous (Boardgame Beta Play Test), 8:00pm to 10:00pm - Hosted by Tyrell Wood
One to six players welcome. Naturally Disastrous is a co-operative dice driven game of peril and adventure. Your mission is simple enough. Arrive at your destination, verify the conditions and then set up a long range communication array to deliver your findings back to your superiors. Easy, right? Your visit to Earth is supposed to just be a quick investigation into how the planet is doing. As you fly into the atmosphere you realize this is not so. Volcanoes are erupting, you see massively destructive storms, earthquakes, thermal gas explosions and flooding are rampant, and what happens next? You and your crew are shot at by some natives claiming that you are violating their air space and your presence is obviously not wanted. As your ship plummets to the desert floor you know that your only chance of survival will be to pick up the pieces of your communications array that are now conveniently scattered across the driest most self-destructing climate you have ever seen. All you have to do is assemble the array at a previously decided target location and call the mother ship to come heal this planet and get you out of here. You will have to navigate around the perilous hazards to achieve this and oh, there are some weird looking hungry guys walking around too. The natives, who are already hunting you down, call them Zombies. Not sure what that means…
One to six players welcome. Naturally Disastrous is a co-operative dice driven game of peril and adventure. Your mission is simple enough. Arrive at your destination, verify the conditions and then set up a long range communication array to deliver your findings back to your superiors. Easy, right? Your visit to Earth is supposed to just be a quick investigation into how the planet is doing. As you fly into the atmosphere you realize this is not so. Volcanoes are erupting, you see massively destructive storms, earthquakes, thermal gas explosions and flooding are rampant, and what happens next? You and your crew are shot at by some natives claiming that you are violating their air space and your presence is obviously not wanted. As your ship plummets to the desert floor you know that your only chance of survival will be to pick up the pieces of your communications array that are now conveniently scattered across the driest most self-destructing climate you have ever seen. All you have to do is assemble the array at a previously decided target location and call the mother ship to come heal this planet and get you out of here. You will have to navigate around the perilous hazards to achieve this and oh, there are some weird looking hungry guys walking around too. The natives, who are already hunting you down, call them Zombies. Not sure what that means…
Tiny Epic Galaxies, 8:00pm to 11:00pm - Hosted by Richie Scott
Up to 5 players. One of the highest rated Kickstarter games ever created. Build, defend, and conquer your way to the top of the galaxy!
Up to 5 players. One of the highest rated Kickstarter games ever created. Build, defend, and conquer your way to the top of the galaxy!
