by Herb Levy
The annual International Toy Fair held from February 15 through the 18th in New York City is an event that Gamers Alliance looks forward to each year. This year was no exception. The weather proved cooperative as temperatures hovered around the 40s for most of the fair which is pretty balmy weather for New York in February. As always, the best part of the fair is connecting and re-connecting with friends, both old and new (you know who you are). But for the majority of the readers of this report, the focus is on games. So, with some assistance from Contributing Editor Steve Kurzban, here is our comprehensive view and YOUR advanced peek at what's new and planned for the year ahead. Where available, we've included brief descriptions, number of players, game length and suggested retail price. Critical commentary and evaluations are reserved for upcoming issues of GA REPORT. (And if you're not reading GA REPORT, you're missing the best written and most insightful reviews around! You are invited to correct that oversight right now and join Gamers Alliance today!)
Now let's get down to it (in alphabetical order)!
ACUMEN ASSOCIATES LLC - Er•u•di•tion - Reading game as players embark on an adventure through literacy-land complete with common landmarks and street signs. First to reach the library wins. For ages 3 and up, $26.95.
ARK BRAND - Charge Large - Monetary boardgame that focuses on credit card management and financial success. Each player starts with an entry-level Gold Credit Card and cash and must upgrade by making strategic investments and managing their cash and credit in the quest to become a Black Card member.
ASCENDED GAMES INC.
- Displaying the first game in a proposed series of fantasy board games
featuring powerful dragons.
is a fantasy strategy game where up to 4 players are mages in charge of a
powerful dragon. Eliminate your enemies to win. April, $34.99
ASMODEE - Asmodee will now be distributing Ystari Games in North America with the first game under their wing being the new Ystari release Bombay designed by Cyril Demaegd who also designed Ys (featured in the Winter 2005 GA REPORT) and Amyitis (Winter 2008 GA REPORT). In Bombay, players are travelling Indian merchants in search of fortune. April.
Also on tap:
Bakong - Players are audacious adventurers looking for emeralds in the Cambodian jungle. While filling their gem pouches, they will have to avoid traps before being able to enter the temple of Bakong where the most precious - and most cursed - gems are found. Get back to camp safely to win. Antoine Bauza design for 2 to 6 players, ages 7 and up, 30 minutes, April.
Giants - Inspired by the statues of Easter Island known a moais, players work to relive the building of these statues. From Matagot edition, distributed by Asmodee. April.
Too Mush - Asmodee will publish and distribute this re-titled edition of Snow Tails, a sled racing game by the Lamont Brothers and Fragor Games. Available second quarter, 2009.
Also planned for release later this year: Formula D Expansions (Sebring and Chicago streets), Dicetown and Pick Pocket.
BRAIN BENDER GAMES - Simplexity - All wooden two player abstract game challenging players to get 4 pieces of their shape OR color in a row. The twist here is that half of your pieces are your opponent's shape so you have to be careful to avoid setting up your opponent for the win. $34.99
BUYMOGUL.COM - Joel Harden's Mogul - Real estate boardgame designed by real-life real estate mogul Joel Harden, designed to teach real estate and investing fundamentals including itnerest rates, cap rates, mortgages, zoning, due diligence and money management. For 2 to 4 players, ages 15 and up. $99.99.
DISCOVERY BAY GAMES - Hink Pink - Party game where players try to decipher 1, 2 or 3 syllable word combinations (such as "obese feline" would be "fat cat") to score points (2 or more players, ages 8 and up, Spring); LOL-The TXT MSG Game - Players draw letter tiles and then have 3 minutes to create text message phrases in a crossword style grid (2 or more players, ages 8 and up, Spring); Crush! - Dice game where players take turning rolling special "vino" dice and try to score. Each round a player must decide between banking their points or rolling again to score more. (For 2 or more players, ages 18 and up, Fall); Guesstimation! - Trivia game where you don't need to know that answer, just be the closest with your best guess. (For 2 or more players, ages 8 and up, Fall), Locale - Game of world geography and cunning as players make up the story behind places with unusual names and vote on the most believable story. (For 3 or more players, ages 8 and up, Fall)
EDUCATIONAL INSIGHTS - Blurt! - Roll the die, read the corresponding word clue on the card and then everyone "blurts" out a possible answer. First player to guess the correct answer advances on the board. Be the first to circle the board to win. For 3 to 12 players, ages 10 and up, $29.99.
FAMILY GAMES AMERICA - A bunch of colorful wooden abstract games including Stratum (reveal or conceal pieces), Sprocket (about movement and mechanics) and One Up (a "calculating game" of mounting moves). Also Quantumino - More solitaire puzzle than game as the challenge is to fit 16 of the 17 wooden 3D pentomino pieces into the playing frame. (One different piece is removed each time you play.)
5th DIMENSION INTERNATIONAL - 5th Dimension - An 80 card deck created by Christian Provost which introduces a fifth suit (stars) and additional cards in each suit - a 1 card and a Princess, a new face card valued between the Jack and the Queen - and an individual color for each suit (black Spades, green Clubs, yellow Diamonds, red Hearts and blue Stars) and jokers tied to each suit. $7.77 Also on display - Yes We Can - Promotional version of 5th Dimension tied in to President Obama.
FOXMIND - Displayed a line of wooden abstract games (in red and black) including:
Linja - Boardless 2 player abstract in which each player tries to be the first to place 6 of their pieces on their opponent's "camp" (the back rank) while making sure remaining pieces are not far behind. August, $20.
Six - 2 player abstract game of shape and strategy. In turn, players place their hexagonal shaped pieces so that they touch in order to create a winning formation consisting of six pieces. $25.
Also planned is a June/July re-issue of the abstract game Octi (featured in the Summer 1999 GA REPORT) designed by Don Green with a retail price of about $35.
FUNDEX - Among the new releases:
A re-launch of the 1991 Milton Bradley game Dream Phone. Each girl pick's out a boy's picture and ring his number using her hand-held phone. Players pick up clues to find the "right" admirer. For girls, ages 8 to 14.
Kaboom - Family word game where players must make words from a series of displayed letters. In the meantime, a ticking bomb is being passed from player to player and you never know when it will go off! For 2 to 6 players, ages 8 and up.
Privacy - Party game designed to test your knowledge of friends and family. Questions are asked but all answers are either yes or no and secretly placed in a "ballot box". Be the best at guessing the number of yes answers and win. For 4 to 12 players, ages 12 and up.
Heist - Family card game where players have a secret combination code to a vault. By playing vault, code and tool cards, players attempt to align the vault numbers with their own combination. For 2 to 6 players, ages 8 and up. April, $7.99.
Two dice/card games: Blackout and All In. In Blackout, players roll the dice and, if any rolled number matches the numbers on five different cards, those numbers get covered. Be the player to cover all five cards to win. In All In, players try to predict the NEXT number to be rolled, using one card from their hand to predict it. Win or loss chips depending on whether or not you predicted - or bluffed - successfully. Both games for ages 8 and up.
GAMEBROTHERZ - Mister Mailman - Boardgame about delivering the mail.
GAMEWRIGHT - 8 new games including:
Walter Wick: Can You See What I See? Finders Keepers Game - Reveal a "Find Me" tile and try to find the featured object among your set of "Keep Me" cards. For 2 to 6 players, ages 4 and up. $14.99. March.
Ring-O Flamingo: The Frantic Fling-a-Ring Game
- Fling your lifesavers as fast as you can to ring them around the flamingoes
but watch out for alligators! Ring up the most points to win. For 2 to 4
players, ages 6 and up. $24.99. March.
Too Many Monkeys - Primo the Monkey was happily asleep until his friends swung by for a surprise party. Help Primo chase away the primate pranksters by flipping and swapping cards in numerical order in this card game. For 2 to 6 players, ages 6 and up. $10.99. March.
Funny Business - Randomly select two different business cards and then try to come up with a clever name for their unlikely merger. If you name wins the most votes, you're the boss! For 4 to 8 players, ages 12 to adult, $27.99. March.
Say Cheese! - Race to the photo finish in this dice game. Quickly roll your dice to match the characters on the photo booth cards. When you match a pair, shout "Cheese!" and collect the game. Win cards to win the game! For 2 to 4 players, ages 6 and up. $6.49. February.
Pool Sharks - Shoot like a shard in this game of underwater billiards. Shoot the most balls into the fish pockets and you rule the pool. But beware of the slippery Eight Ball! For 2 or more players, ages 8 and up. $26,99. February.
Polar Derby: The Roller Bears Dice Game - Roll the colored dice to collect high scoring polar bears from the rink. Roll doubles to trip up your opponent or "Free Skate" to take your pick of the pack. For 2 to 4 players, ages 8 and up, $14.99. March.
This Big! - Card game of big fish and bigger fish tales. Cast a lure card from your tackle box, then pick from your opponents' cards in hope of landing the big one. For 2 to 5 players, ages 8 and up, $10.99. March.
GO ZONE GAMES - Showing three sports-related dice games which use multi-sided dice to recreate all the possibilities of each of the three sporting themes including GoLong! (football), GoLo (golf) and Go500 (auto racing). $14.95 each.
GOLIATH - Pop the Pig - Skill & Action game as players throw a die, take the right color burger and feed a large plastic pig. As the pig eats, his stomach gets bigger. When he belt explodes, you lose! For ages 4 and up. $29.99; KenKen - Mathematical puzzle game (along the lines of Sudoku). For 1 to 4 players, ages 7 and up, $24.99.
GRIDDLY GAMES - Griddly Headz Football for the younger sports fan. The goal is to be the first to reach 10 touchdowns while learning decision-making, consequences, counting, reading, strategy and cooperation. $29.99.
GRYPHON GAMES/EAGLE GAMES
- Gryphon Games, exclusively
distributed by FRED Distribution, was showcasing a series of 9 nicely produced
bookshelf games, the first five already available, the latter four to be
released later this year. The titles include
Money
(reissue of Reiner Knizia's game originally featured in the Summer 1999 GA
REPORT), For Sale
(Stefan Dorra design originally featured in the Fall 1999 GA REPORT),
High Society
(Reiner Knizia), Gem Dealer
(a re-themed production of Reiner Knizia's
Attacke),
Roll Through the Ages
(new game by Matt Leacock),
Incan Gold (Alan Moon/Bruno
Faidutti design, Fall 2007 GA REPORT),
Birds on a Wire,
Masters Gallery
(the Modern Art
card game by Reiner Knizia) and
Looting London
(Knizia deduction game). All of these games carry a $24.95 retail price except
for Money
($21.95) and Roll Through the
Ages ($29.99).
In addition, Gryphon Games is releasing Stringo!, a new edition of Peter Burley's classic abstract game originally released as Hextension and later as Take It Easy (Summer 1995 GA REPORT), 1-6 players, ages 6 and up, 20 minutes, $24.95, July, as well as Tumblin' Dice - tabletop game combining dice and shuffleboard as players try to land their dice on the lowest and smallest scoring platform with the highest number side of the dice up, all the while knocking you opponents' dice off the board. For 2 to 4 players, ages 8 and up, 10-15 minutes, about $30-$35, July.
Eagle Games, also distributed by FRED Distribution, displayed the new edition of Age of Steam by Martin Wallace originally featured in the Winter 2003 GA REPORT ($59.95) while announcing the third edition of Through the Ages (Fall 2007 GA REPORT) for July release, $69.95. Also on display: Stop Lights - Card game using a deck of 55 cards. Each player takes a set of 4 cards with either red, yellow or green. You win by being the first to place 5 cards in a row diagonally or horizontally, NOT vertically. Designed by Sean Brown, for 1 o 3 players, ages 4 and up, 10-15 minutes. $9.95
HASBRO - Nothing on display this time around from the Avalon Hill or Wizard of the Coast labels. However, new games were on hand including:
Monopoly Deal Cad Game - Small packaged card game inspired by Monopoly with emphasis on on-the-fly real estate negotiations to game play. Beware of the Debt Collector, Forced Deal and Deal Breaker cards, which allow players to “steal” cards and can reverse a player’s fortune in an instant. "Bank” money in personal accounts to buy up properties. Collect three complete color property sets to win the game. For 2 to 6 players, ages 8 and up, scheduled for Spring release (but available already in some markets), 30 minutes, $7.99
Scrabble Slam Card Game - Players are locked in a high-speed race to build a chain of four-letter words and be the first to get rid of the cards in their hand. Starting with a word such as “G-A-M-E,” players slam a letter card on the table to create new words, such as “S-A-M-E.” For 2 to 4 players, ages 8 and up, scheduled for Spring release (but available already in some markets), $6.99
Pictureka! Card Game -
Card game
version of the board game where you try to quickly find the hidden pictures. For
2 to 7 players, ages 7 and up, Fall release, $5.99
Clue: Secrets and Spies Edition - A new Clue game as players take on the roles of top international spies assigned to infiltrate the Criminal League for Ultimate Espionage (C.L.U.E.) to stop its evil scheme for world domination by intercepting the nefarious Agent Black. True identities of Agent Mustard, Agent Scarlet and crew are kept secret as players work independently to complete missions by using clues from the game and real-time tips sent via optional cell phone text messages while an ultraviolet, secret decoder reveals hidden missions to the players. The agent who completes the most missions before being discovered by Agent Black will be known as the world’s number one spy and wins the game. For 2 to 5 players, ages 9 and up, $24.99, Fall release. (FYI: Standard text messaging rates apply for players who elect to use the game’s optional text messaging feature [cell phone not included]. Hasbro is committed to maintaining text messaging support through 12/31/11.)
Monopoly City - A change to the traditional game as this game comes with over 80 3D structures (including industrial blocks, stadiums, skyscrapers and parks) which will be built in the center of the board to add another layer to the game play. This edition allows you to set the length of game play and start buying and selling right away. (You don't need a set to build houses or hotels.) Rents can be boosted through investment but other players can sabotage your best efforts by building hazards (such as polluting power plants) to cause your rents to plummet. For 2 to 6 players, ages 8 and up, $34.99, Fall. (Monopoly City Streets, an online version of the game, will be released in July or August to tie-in with the release of the boardgame.)
Monopoly Go! Pause and Play Edition - Portable version of Monopoly using clips as movers and houses and hotels that attach to the game board. Comes in a travel case. For 2 to 6 players, ages 8 and up, $19.99, Fall.
Monopoly: Disney Edition - Buy and sell classic Disney properties such as Lady & the Tramp, Pirates of the Caribbean and more. (Top spots? High School Musical and Hannah Montana). For 2 to 6 players, ages 8 and up, $19.99, Fall.
Monopoly: Family Game Night Championship Edition - Available in October to coincide with the Monopoly World Championships to be held in Las Vegas, the game includes tournament rules, score sheets, gold- and silver-toned houses and hotels and a trophy for the top family Monopoly Player. For 2 to 6 players, ages 8 and up, $19.99.
Star Wars: Clone Wars Epic Duels - New edition of Star Wars Epic Duels (Fall 2002 GA REPORT) with "streamlined" game play.
Trivial Pursuit TEAM - Instead of traditional right or wrong answer, players will now be able to answer six different types of questions including multiple choice, name six, go for broke, reference, more or less and "are you the expert?" And now, you'll be able to earn partial credit for answering the credit mostly right or on the second or third try. Players choose from subcategories from the traditional topics. For example “Writers in Jail” from Art & Literature, “Pucker Up” from Entertainment, “Here Kitty Kitty” from Science & Nature or “Fashion of the First Ladies” from History. The game is played in four rounds with six questions in each round (no wedges collected). Teams earn anywhere from 1 to 6 points per question. For ages 12 and up, $29.99, Fall.
JEEZLE PETE'S! - You might have seen the ad shown during this year's Super Bowl that won the Doritos million dollar contest. The guys who won were showing their new game Triviathon, a combination of trivia and a race game as players race around the board, at speeds of zero to three spaces, based on the multiple choice questions you answer. $29.99
KONAMI - To complement their Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game, Konami has released their Blue Dragon Role Playing Card Game. In this 2 player game, each player has his own card deck and takes turns attacking and defending. To win, leave a player with none of his 20 Life Points left or leave without any cards to draw. Two unique starter decks: Dark Shadow Wielder and Light Shadow Wielder, $9.99 each.
LETTER CARRIER GAME - Letter Carrier Game is about delivering the mail using a modular board consisting of 16 two-sided neighborhoods. Players roll dice and move to delivery locations shown on cards to earn merits. Rolling a 7 or 11 forces a chance card draw which may help or hinder. Return to your home postal station after earning 10 merits to win. For 2 to 6 players, ages 8 and up. $45.
LOONEY LABS - World War 5- Strategic war game in the spirit of Risk and Diplomacy. This game comes just with a 7.5" x 10" board and rules and requires three Treehouse sets plus 6 standard dice. For 2 to 4 players, ages 8 to adult, $6.
MAYFAIR GAMES - New and upcoming releases include:
Catan Germany - New geographic series moving The Settlers of Catan mechanics into Germany. Game comes with a 6-panel fixed set-up and 3D monuments. $55. (Additional entries in this series are planned with the next one next year to be the United States.)
Steam - New edition of Wallace's acclaimed Age of Steam rail game (featured in the Winter 2003 GA REPORT). Martin Wallace has streamlined the game creating two new versions! The first version for players new to the game has rules that emphasize ease of play and a shortened play time. The second version is more challenging and introduces auctions and maintenance costs. This new edition's components are compatible with previous editions of the game so current players can use their own maps with this edition. This base set gives you all of the parts you need for 3 to 6 players to explore the world, starting with this set's maps of New York and Germany's Ruhr Valley. For 3 to 6 players, ages 10 and up, around 90 minutes. Mid to late quarter 2009, $55.
And further down the road: Martian Rails, a new edition of Eurorails, Ablaze (fire fighting game, May), Cliffhanger (Amigo card game of two games in one; one like Hearts, one like Spades), Stack 'n' Pack (Kosmos truck loading game), Nuns on the Run (described as the inverse of Scotland Yard for 8 players and with a playing time of about 45 minutes to 1 hour) and Monkey Business (a new 4 player card game from Richard Garfield but this may not be the final title, August).
MATTEL - Out of Sight - Roll 3 dice and match that number of cards before time runs out. The twist here is that the game timer is out of sight!
MERILLIAN GAMES - Flibbix - A "build the board" board game as players use magnetic tiles to create the board and check off the rules you want to use on a rules sheet. $39
MINDTWISTER USA - Seen last year, Element, a two player abstract game by Michael Richie where players use the unique power of the elements of earth, air, fire and water to isolate the opposing sorcerer is now available. 10-45 minutes, ages 6 to adult, $30. Also on display: Sushi Roll!! - 3 to 8 players take turns rolling the 4 Sushi dice and try to match as many of the cards in their hands to the dice rolled. Collect the most cards to win. $14.95.
MINDWARE - New spin-off from Qwirkle (featured in the Spring 2007 GA REPORT): Qwirkle Dice. In Qwirkle Dice, the play is the same but the differences are that rather than keeping tiles hidden, the dice rolled used are visible to all AND you can reroll the dice. $25. April.
NORTH STAR GAMES - New expansion pack for Wits & Wagers (featured in the Summer 2008 GA REPORT) with 700 new questions. July release.
OUT OF THE BOX - Word on the Street - Letters are placed in the center of the board ("the street"). On each turn, a category card is revealed and teams must agree on a word that fits the category. Letters in that word will pull the letters on the street towards them and away from their opponents. 2 to 8 players, ages 12 to adult, 20-30 minutes, $24.99; Letter Roll - Roll 3 special letter dice and race to list words that contain those three letters - but only score for words that NO ONE ELSE matches! For 2 to 8 players, ages 8 and up, 20-30 minutes, $24.99.
PK CARDS - New collectible card game PK Cards - The Broken Seal consisting of four core decks (yellow, green, blue, red, 366 cards total, $19.95 each) with booster packs of 10 cards ($4.99) available. Handles any number of players and game comes with redeemable coupons good for prizes and internet play.
PLATYPUS GAMES
-
Jumbulaya
- Multi-faceted word strategy game in which each player works with five letter
tiles on his/her tray and all the letters on the board, rearranging, adding and
trading them, building longer and longer words each turn. Simultaneously, as
players build words horizontally, the also look for a "Jumbulaya" - a seven,
eight or nine tile word that can be spelled vertically on the board. Players
earns points for all lines they claim, bonus points for using letter-combo tiles
and more points for the being the first to find a Jumbalaya. $29.95.
PLAYROOM ENTERTAINMENT - Following their first two "Gateway Games" releases, Portolbello Market (featured in the Fall 2007 GA REPORT) and Ilium (Winter 2009 GA REPORT), comes the third in the series: Livingstone. In Livingstone, players find themselves in 1885 Africa as part of the Dr. Livingstone expedition. Their goal is to strategically set up tents in various regions while collecting gemstones found along the Zambezi River. Gain the most Victory Points and Queen Victoria's favor to win. Designed by Benjamin Liersch. For 2 to 5 players, 35 minutes, $40. In addition, several card games including:
Baker's Dozen - Family card game from Reiner Knizia. Players choose a donut card from their hand to add t one of three piles being careful not to let the total go over a value of 13. Go over and that player takes all of the card s in that pile trying to avoid talking any "moldy" donuts that may be mixed in. Have the most or none of a donut type and you're safe. Otherwise... $12.
Macau - Predict how you will score in each round and may use a "community card" to help. Predict right and get chips, predict wrong and get nothing. For 3 to 6 players, ages 8 and up, 30 minutes. Maureen Hiron design. $20.
On the Double - All cards are divided in two by color and shape. Players must rid themselves of their cards as fast as possible by matching played cards on BOTH sides. For 2 to 4 players, ages 8 and up, 10 minutes. Maureen Hiron design. $12.
Ligretto - New American edition of this European multi-player speed color stacking card game with 3 different four player sets (red, green and blue with 160 cards in each set) to accommodate up to 12. $12 each.
PYWACKET GAMES - Revised and streamlined edition of Cromlet as players strategically play cards on rows to claim as many gold coins as possible. For 2 to 5 players, ages 8 to adult, 25-40 minutes, $21.99.
RAVENBURGER - A
new Reiner Knizia design:
Fits. 4 player Tetris-like game as a card is drawn,
matching shape selected by all and then placed onto each players slotted
vertical board. Completed rows score.
As
you move up the levels of the game, certain spaces earn bonuses if left open,
others will cost you points. About 20 minutes, about $32.
R & R GAMES - Two new party games:
Pants on Fire - Cards are flipped over and players are faced with three events in their lives. Everybody races to write down a little something about each event and then, one by one, reveal their secrets. True or false? Get is right to win. A Stephen Glenn/James Kyle design for 2 or more players, ages 10 and up, $19.95.
Pressure Point - In this party game designed by Brad Fuller, the object is to find out who will stay cool and who will crack by seeing how fast they can spit out answers to pressure-packed questions. For 3 or more players, $19.95.
Also, R&R is offering their first Euro-style strategy boardgame: Masters of Venice designed by Frank DiLorenzo (who also designed Overthrone featured in the Summer 1999 GA REPORT). In Masters of Venice, players trade in spices, silks, gems, iron and grain to bring in great wealth. Fulfilling orders from the Guild Hall craftsmen provide even more gold and prestige. However, the city of Venice is fickle in demand and politics and help from powerful people such as the Guildmaster, Harbormaster and the Gondoliers is critical. May, $35.
SLANGUAGE GAMES - On display, a series of party games: Catch My Drift?!?! - Team game where players have to guess the correct slang expression when given clues; LOL! - Roll the die, pick up the card and make someone guess the "net lingo" (the abbreviations commonly used in text messaging and e-mail). First to 500 wins; Name That Vanity - Decipher the meaning of vanity license plates. Contains 250 cards.
ST GAMES - Ninja Galaxy - In 3017, the Ninja Elders discover that four major star systems are unstable and only one can be saved. To decide four Ninja clans battle on a circular board with concentric paths, advancing deeper into the center to win. Family space battle game; Soccer Tactics World - Soccer game with all the elements of a real soccer match. For kids and adults.
STEVE JACKSON GAMES - Revolution! - Euro style game designed by Philip DuBarry involving 4 different factions trying to control as much of the city as possible using individual bidding boards using gold/force/blackmail to gain influence over 7 areas. For 2 to 4 players, 45 minutes, May, $39.95, with an eventual expansion to 6 players.
STRATEGIC SPACE - New releases include Master Spy (find your opponent's spy using a Battleship type pegboard, $34.95) and Star Hopper (be the first to colonize four star systems to win, $24.95)
TAILTEN GAMES - Pluck the Peacock - Each player tries to pluck matching pairs of feathers for their peacock. For 2 to 4 players, ages 74 and up. Pluck the Peacock Memory Game - Similarly themed game for younger players with an added memory element. For ages 4 and up.
TMTTC GAMES - Take Me to The Cleaner$ - Interactive couples boardgame created by Frank Janicek. The general play of the game is spouse vs. spouse and revolves around the minor indiscretions and the quirky traits and habits found in relationships. Planned for a later spring/early summer release.
TOTAL FUN TOYS - A line of wooden sports games including Baseball, Pool, Hockey, Shuffleboard and Squash using magnetic pieces. $75 each.
TOYSMART - Two abstract games: Path (2 player tile laying game where each player attempts to connect - make a path - between his starting point and one of several destination points, 30-90 minutes) and Con6 (2 player game using two part triangular pieces - a base and a "rider" insert. Get 6 riders in sequence so they are connected to win. 2 players, 10 minutes.)
UNIFIRST CREATIVE - Inspired by the election of Barack Obama: Obama-Mania: The Race to the White House Game. Players travel a path following the campaign experience of Barack Obama from the start to his finish in the White House. Includes 120 historical question cards. $35.
UNIVERSITY GAMES - Akumulate - Players play tiles on the board to create number equations but are constrained by the geometric shape of the tiles, $29.99; TotemLand - Stacking game where players race to build the highest scoring towers. $29.99. In related news, Front Porch Classics has been purchased by University Games. They plan to keep the upscale look of the line but no new boardgames on display.
VARDO GALLERY - Shape the World - Drawing game invented by 11 year old Nathan VanDeVelde where you turn over 7 shape cards, roll for your category, flip the one minute timer, draw a picture using your shapes and score. $39.95
WINNING MOVES - 25 Random Things About Me: The Game - Inspired by Facebook. Party game where players try to fill up a sheet of 25 facts about themselves. May, price to be announced. King Me™ - Checkers variant. When it’s time to create kings, players twist the pieces and the crown literally pops up! Three games in the box: race across the board in the Coast-To-Coast version, climb to new heights in Stack ‘Em, and play traditional checkers as well. Double-sided board. For ages 2-4 players, ages, 8 and up, $17.95; Risk® 1959 - Re-issue of the ORIGINAL game of Risk, first launched in 1959. For 2-6 players, ages 8 and up, $39.95.
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