Board / Card Games: Ticket to Ride - Game Review

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Ticket to Ride - Game Review Nov 30th 2011, 23:58 A week ago, I suggested that Incan Gold is a great game to include on your holiday gift lists. Today, I'm adding another to my list of can't-miss gifts: Ticket to Ride. In this tremendously popular game, players compete to earn points by collecting cards and then playing them to build railroads on a map of the United States (or Europe, or Switzerland...). It's a perfect light strategy game for families and casual gamers -- with plenty of strategic depth to attract more serious gamers as well. Here's my review of Ticket to Ride. Image courtesy of Days of Wonder

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Board / Card Games: Texas 42 - Domino Game Rules

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Texas 42 - Domino Game Rules Nov 30th 2011, 23:36 I'm a big fan of trick-taking games (here are my favorite trick-taking traditional card games), and my entire family lives in Texas -- so it's probably no surprise that I enjoy playing Texas 42, a trick-taking domino game which just happens to be known as the National Game of Texas. In fact, earlier this year it was officially named the State Domino Game of Texas. Here are the complete rules of Texas 42.

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Board / Card Games: Mexican Train Dominoes - Complete Rules

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Mexican Train Dominoes - Complete Rules Nov 30th 2011, 20:44 With a good set of dominoes, you can play a lot of great games. One of the most popular is Mexican Train, or Trains. Although the name might make you think otherwise, Mexican Train is played primarily in the United States. Here are the complete rules for Mexican Train Dominoes.

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Board / Card Games: The Complete Guide to Monopoly

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The Complete Guide to Monopoly Nov 30th 2011, 13:44 One of the most popular games ever published, Monopoly will be played in countless homes around the world over the next month. If you're getting ready to pull out the classic real estate game, check out my Complete Guide to Monopoly for strategy tips, ideas on how to make the game better, and much more. Image courtesy of Hasbro

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Board / Card Games: Celebrities - Free Party Game

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Celebrities - Free Party Game Nov 30th 2011, 09:25 One of my favorite party games is Time's Up, where teams compete to give clues and guess well-known personalities over three increasingly difficult rounds. It always generates a lot (a lot!) of laughs, and I still remember moments from some games played years ago -- which is why it's #1 on my list of the best games for family gatherings I linked to earlier today. Time's Up is based on a parlor game known as Celebrities (or Celebrity, or even Lunchbox), and you can play Celebrities with just some paper and pens. Here are the complete rules for the party game Celebrities.

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Board / Card Games: What's Hot Now: International Gamers Awards

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International Gamers Awards Nov 30th 2011, 13:01 The International Gamers Awards, created to recognize outstanding strategy board games in several categories, are chosen by a panel of gamers from around the world. This game award began in 2000 and was known as the Gamers Choice Award until 2003. Games published between July 1 and June 30 are eligible for consideration. (For example, to be eligible for a 2009 IGA, a game had to be published between July 1, 2008, and June 30, 2009.) Here's a complete list of the games which have won the International Gamers Award and the individuals who designed those games. General Strategy Game, Multi-Player 2011: 7 Wonders (designed by Antoine Bauza, published by Asmodée Editions and Repos Productions) 2010: Age of Industry (designed by Martin Wallace, published by Treefrog / Mayfair Games) 2009: Le Havre (designed by Uwe Rosenberg; published by Lookout Games) 2008: Agricola (designed by Uwe Rosenberg; published by Z-Man Games and Lookout Games) 2007: Through the Ages (designed by Vladimir Chvatil; published by Czech Board Games) 2006: Caylus (designed by William Attia; published by Rio Grande Games) 2005: Ticket to Ride: Europe (designed by Alan R. Moon; published by Days of Wonder) 2004: Saint Petersburg (designed by Michael Tummelhofer; published by Rio Grande Games and Hans im Gluck) 2003 (2): Age of Steam (designed by Martin Wallace; published by Winsome Games) 2003 (1): Puerto Rico (designed by Andreas Seyfarth; published by Rio Grande Games and Alea) 2002: San Marco (designed by Alan R. Moon and Aaron Weissblum; published by Ravensburger) 2001: The Princes of Florence (designed by Wolfgang Kramer and Richard Ulrich; published by Rio Grande Games and Alea) 2000: Tikal (designed by Wolfgang Kramer and Michael Kiesling; published by Rio Grande Games and Ravensburger) General Strategy Game, Two-Player 2011: A Few Acres of Snow (designed by Martin Wallace, published by Treefrog.) 2010: Campaign Manager 2008 (designed by Christian Leonhard and Jason Matthews, published by Z-Man Games) 2009: Day & Night (designed by Valentijn Eekels, published by Mystics.nl) 2008: 1960: The Making of the President (designed by Christian Leonhard and Jason Matthews; published by Z-Man Games) 2007: Mr. Jack (designed by Bruno Cathala and Ludovic Maublanc; published by Hurrican Games and Asmodée Editions) 2006: Twilight Struggle (designed by Jason Matthews and Ananda Gupta; published by GMT Games) 2005: War of the Ring (designed by designed by Roberto Di Meglio, Marco Maggi and Francesco Nepitello; published by Fantasy Flight Games) 2004: Memoir '44 (designed by Richard Borg; published by Days of Wonder) 2003: Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation (designed by Reiner Knizia; published by Fantasy Flight Games) 2002: Dvonn (designed by Kris Burm; published by Rio Grande Games) 2001: Battle Cry (designed by Richard Borg; published by Avalon Hill / Hasbro) 2000: Lost Cities (designed by Reiner Knizia; published by Rio Grande Games) Historical Simulation Game 2009: Unhappy King Charles (designed by Charles Vasey; published by GMT Games) 2008: Asia Engulfed (designed by Jesse Evans and Rick Young; published by GMT Games) 2007: A Victory Lost (designed by Tetsuya Nakamura; published by Multi-Man Publishing) 2006: Twilight Struggle (designed by Jason Matthews and Ananda Gupta; published by GMT Games) 2005: The Sword of Rome (designed by Wray Ferrell; published by GMT Games) 2004: Lock 'N Load: Forgotten Heroes Vietnam (designed by Mark H. Walker; published by Shrapnel Games) 2003: Hammer of the Scots (designed by Jerry Taylor; published by Columbia Games) 2002: Wilderness War (designed by Volko Ruhnke; published by GMT Games) 2001: Drive on Paris (designed by Alan Wambold and Dean Essig; published by The Gamers) 2000: Paths of Glory (designed by Ted Raicer; published by GMT Games)

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Board / Card Games: What's Hot Now: Top 5 Auction Games

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Top 5 Auction Games Nov 30th 2011, 13:01 Auction games require players to bid against one another to obtain the things they need to win. These games are about resource management -- but you also have to respond quickly to market forces. 1. Ra Image courtesy of Rio Grande Games For 3 to 5 players, ages 12 and up. Designed by Reiner Knizia, published by Rio Grande Games. I've probably played Ra more than 100 times through the years, and have come to appreciate it as an absolute masterpiece. In each of three rounds of auctions, players have a limited number of bids (the exact number varies depending how many players are involved). Some of the items being acquired have short-term value, some long-term, and a few in between. You can't ignore any of them, but you also can't focus on them all. The random elements in Ra are more pronounced than in some other auction games, which I view as a good thing. There's more ability to take big chances and either succeed grandly or fail miserably. 2. Hollywood Blockbuster / Traumfabrik For 2 to 5 players, ages 10 and up. Designed by Reiner Knizia, published by Uberplay. The Golden Age of Hollywood. Alfred Hitchcock. Marilyn Monroe. Jimmy Stewart. And with Traumfabrik (German which translates to Dream Factory), you are the head of a studio trying to put together the best movies by hiring directors, stars and crew members. You might wind up with Monroe starring in King Kong, but if it earns you points that's a good thing. Note: The U.S. edition, Hollywood Blockbuster, uses fictionalized actors and films. The original German version, Traumfabrik, uses real names. 3. Pizarro & Co. For 3 to 6 players, ages 12 and up. Designed by Thomas Lehmann, published by Rio Grande Games. Francisco Pizarro was an explorer in the early 1500s. In this game, players bid for the services of Pizarro, Magellan, Columbus, Marco Polo and other famous explorers. Three rounds with lots of auctions make it an auction-lovers dream. The game also features double-sided game boards, enhancing its replay value. Publisher's SiteRead Review 4. Modern Art For 3 to 5 players, ages 10 and up. Designed by Reiner Knizia, published by Mayfair Games. Knizia, who also designed Traumfabrik, has created a variety of excellent auction games. In Modern Art, the trick is that there are many kinds of auctions (open, "in the fist," once-around, etc.) and the final scores depend on the relative popularity of each artist. Another Knizia auction game worthy of mention is Medici. 5. You're Bluffing For 3 to 5 players, ages 7 and up. Designed by Rudiger Koltze, published by Ravensburger. Players try to collect sets of four identical farm animals in this clever little game. On a turn, you can auction off the top face-down card on the deck, or you can compete with one other player in a blind-bidding contest in an effort to acquire some of their animals. The blind bidding system is the strongest part of You're Bluffing.

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Board / Card Games: What's Hot Now: Dominion Strategy: Trashing Cards

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Dominion Strategy: Trashing Cards Nov 30th 2011, 13:01 Dominion, as a deck-building card game, may seem to be all about adding good cards to your deck. However, an important thing to remember is that another way to improve the average card in your deck is to trash the bad cards. Here are some beginner strategy tips on how to thin your deck. Why Deck Thinning? In a game that's all about buying more and more cards to add to your deck, it may seem counter-intuitive to destroy your own cards. But the important thing to keep in mind is that you are trying to improve the average draw in your deck. And whenever you want to improve an average, you can either add things at the high end, or remove them at the low end. Ideally, you do both. Your starting deck consists of seven Copper and three Estates. Almost every card on the board, including the Silver that is always available for purchase and affordable in your first two turns, is better than your Copper and Estates. Once you start buying cards, your new cards are trying to push your average card value up, while your Coppers and Estates hang around and pull that average value down. To look at it another way, imagine that you bought two Silver on your first two turns. Your deck is now 2/12 Silver, so you have a 1/6 chance of any card you draw being Silver, and slightly less than 50% odds that any given 5-card hand will have a silver. But let's say you manage to thin your deck and trash six of your starting cards. Now your deck is 2/6 Silver, so you have a 1/3 chance of any card being Silver, and a guarantee that your 5-card hand has a least one Silver, with a good chance of both. In short, trashing your bad cards puts your good cards into your hand more often. So now that you understand the advantage of trashing cards, what cards in the base set allow you to trash things? Chapel is, bar-none, the most powerful deck-thinning card in the game. Chapel lets you trash up to four cards in a single action, and as such, is the perfect card for any serious deck-thinning strategy. Chapel users should remember to buy Silver, lest you find yourself with not enough buying power once you've trashed all of your Copper. But if you want to get rid of your starting cards fast, Chapel is the best way to do it. The other cards will only let you trash things one at a time. Moneylender trashes a single Copper, and gives you $3. In effect, this gives you as much buying power as a Silver would have, but lets you get rid of a Copper from your deck at the same time. This helps you improve your average card value in two ways at once, by removing a lowly Copper from your Deck, and serving as a boost to your buying power to acquire a new powerful card. As with the Chapel, if you are lending all the Copper out of your deck, it is important to remember to buy some Silver (or Gold, if you can afford it) so your deck maintains buying power. Remodel allows you to trash any card, and then gain a card worth up to $2 more than the card you trashed. This can be as simple as turning a Copper into a Cellar, or as big as turning a Gold into a Province. The versatility of Remodel makes it a card worth playing the whole game through, from the early game to the late game. You can use it in the early game to get rid of your starting cards, and Estates can be turned into more Remodels. This strips your deck of a hand-clogging green card, and gives you even more Remodels to improve other cards faster. Mine is unique in that while it technically trashes a card, what it really does is improve it. The Copper (or Silver) you trash from your hand is immediately replaced with any treasure costing up to $3 more, which in the base set means a Silver (or Gold) that goes right back into your hand. In effect, the Mine accomplishes three things: It trashes a worthless Copper, it gains you a Silver, and it improves your buying power by $1. Later in the game, mining Silver into Gold is even more valuable.

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Board / Card Games: What's Hot Now: Scrabble

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Scrabble Nov 30th 2011, 13:01 Gameplay in Brief: Players compete to build high-scoring words on a crossword-like board in Scrabble, which originated as Lexico and became Criss-Cross Words before eventually becoming a hit as Scrabble. The Basics: Scrabble, designed by Alfred Mosher Butts, was first published commercially in 1948 by James Brunot. The U.S. manufacturing rights were licensed to Selchow and Righter in 1953. Today, the Scrabble brand is owned in the U.S. and Canada by Hasbro, and elsewhere in the world by Mattel. Designer: Scrabble was designed by Alfred Mosher Butts. Publisher: Scrabble was first published commercially in 1948 by James Brunot. The U.S. manufacturing rights were licensed to Selchow and Righter in 1953. Today, the Scrabble brand is owned in the U.S. and Canada by Hasbro, and elsewhere in the world by Mattel. Genre: Scrabble is a word game. Here are my picks for the best word games. Why Scrabble is Part of the Games Timeline: Scrabble is the most popular word game in the world. More than 100 million Scrabble games have been sold in 29 languages. Check out the other games I've chosen as the most culturally and historically significant games published since 1800. Scrabble Resources: How to Win Scrabble Scrabble Tile Distribution Scrabble Two-Letter Words Scrabble Words with No Vowels Scrabble Words - Q Without U Top 5 Scrabble Books

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Board / Card Games: Great Games for the Entire Family

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Great Games for the Entire Family Nov 30th 2011, 07:12 In this holiday season, there are a lot of family gatherings and sometimes a lot of moments when people wonder, "What should we do now?" If you find yourself asking that question, I have some suggestions. Here are my picks for the best games to play at family gatherings, including a variety of genres (and one movie recommendation in case the whole "let's play a game" idea fails). On top of that, visitors to this site have recommended these games for family gatherings. (Make your recommendations here!) Finally, if you don't have any of those games on the shelf, just grab a deck of cards and try one of the games listed on my picks for the best traditional card games for families. Happy holidays!

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Board / Card Games: What's Hot Now: Are Monopoly's Rules Online?

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Are Monopoly's Rules Online? Nov 28th 2011, 19:46 Question: Are the official Monopoly rules available online? Answer: Yes. Hasbro has several editions of official rules available as PDF documents at its web site. (Click on the link and then scroll down to find Monopoly.) Editions with online rules available include standard Monopoly, Spanish, French, 60th Anniversary, Deluxe Edition, Here & Now, and more.

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Board / Card Games: What's Hot Now: 7 Wonders

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7 Wonders Nov 28th 2011, 19:46 Gameplay in Brief: In each of the game's three ages, players are dealt seven cards, from which they choose one and pass the rest to an opponent. The selected cards are revealed simultaneously and either "constructed" or exchanged for three gold. This continues until each player has six cards in play during an age. At the end of the third age, the player with the most victory points wins. Cards can sometimes be constructed without a cost but most require resources (such as raw materials and manufactured goods) or gold. Structure types include civilian, scientific, commercial, and military. The Basics: For 2 to 7 players, ages 10 and up. About 30 minutes per game. Designer: 7 Wonders was designed by Antoine Bauza. Publisher: 7 Wonders was published by Asmodée Editions and Repos Productions in 2010. Genre: 7 Wonders is a simultaneous action game with a card-drafting mechanic and a civilization theme. Also by Antoine Bauza: Bauza also designed or co-designed Ghost Stories (my pick for the #2 board game of 2008), Mystery Express (my pick for the #9 board game of 2010), Pocket Rockets (2009), Pony Express (2009), and about a dozen other published games and expansions. Awards: 7 Wonders won the 2011 Deutscher Spiele Preis, a 2011 International Gamers Award, the 2011 Kennerspiel des Jahres, the 2011 Readers' Choice Award for Best Strategy Game of 2010, and a 2010 Meeples Choice Award. It was also my pick for the #2 card game published in 2010.

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Board / Card Games: What's Hot Now: Cancellation Hearts - Rules

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Cancellation Hearts - Rules Nov 28th 2011, 19:46 This version of the card game Hearts is for large groups. Players Cancellation Hearts is for 6 to 11 players. Deck Two standard 52-card decks are shuffled together. Rank A (high) to 2 (low). Goal At the end of the game, the player with the lowest score wins. Your goal in each hand is to: Avoid winning any tricks including a heart or the queen of spades (aka the Black Maria), or Win all 13 hearts and the Black Maria. Setup Deal the cards as evenly as possible to all the players. Any extra cards are placed face down on the table. The winner of the first trick takes those cards (making it extra dangerous to win the first hand). Passing Cards After looking at his or her hand, each player chooses three cards and passes them face down to another player. All players must pass their own cards before looking at the cards received from an opponent. The passing rotation is: (1st hand) to the player on your left, (2nd hand) to the player on your right, then repeat. Tricks The player to the dealer's left leads the first hand. He can lead any card other than a heart or the Black Maria. Each player must follow suit if possible. If a player has no cards in the suit led, a card of any other suit may be played. The highest card of the suit led wins a trick. The winner of the trick keeps all cards won in a single stack in front of himself or herself, face down. The winner of a trick starts the next trick. Hearts may not be led until a heart or the Black Maria has been played (this is called "breaking" hearts). The Black Maria can be led at any time. If two players play the same card (which is possible since two decks are shuffled together before cards are dealt), those cards cancel each other out and neither can win the trick. If two pairs are played on the same hand (e.g., Al plays the 10 of spades, Beth plays the 9 of hearts, Charlie plays the 9 of hearts, and Dave plays the 10 of spades), then no one wins the trick and it is set aside. The next player to win a trick also collects those cards. (If the last trick is cancelled in this way, no one collects the cards.) There is no trump suit in Hearts. Scoring Use a score sheet with a column for each player. At the end of each hand, count the number of hearts each player has taken, as well as the Black Maria. Hearts are 1 point each; the Black Maria is 13 points. If one player has won all 26 hearts and both Black Marias (a truly remarkable accomplishment), that player can choose to subtract 26 points from his or her score, or to add 26 points to every other player's score. Cancellation Hearts is often played to 150 points (any score can be agreed on before the game begins, but 100 is a good minimum). When one player reaches or passes the agreed-upon score, the game ends. The player with the lowest score wins.

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Board / Card Games: What's Hot Now: The Complete Guide to Euchre

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The Complete Guide to Euchre Nov 28th 2011, 19:46 Many people believe that Euchre was introduced into the United States in the 1800s by German settlers in my home state of Pennsylvania. Today, it is probably most popular in the midwest United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and Ontario, Canada. These resources will help you learn how to play Euchre, and how to become a better Euchre player. 1. Euchre Rules The rules of Euchre are relatively simple, but there are some quirks which are vital to understand. (For example, the Jack of the trump suit is the "right bower," and it's the most valuable card.) 2. How to Bid in Euchre Euchre is subject to some of the same strategies as other trick-taking games. However, two big differences change Euchre strategy quite a bit. Learning how to bid in Euchre is the first step to becoming a better player. 3. What Card to Lead in Euchre There are a few different schools of thought on what card to lead in Euchre. Regardless of what you end up leading, the biggest consideration on your mind should always be Trump. Here are some tips on how to decide what you lead in Euchre. 4. How to Cheat at Euchre Euchre is perhaps a unique card game in that cheating is considered a normal and legal part of play in many circles. While obviously you should never cheat against people likely to take it badly, there are many cases where cheating is perfectly acceptable among the group you will be playing with. 5. Three-Handed Euchre Three-Handed Euchre is a version of the card game for three players. In this game, also known as Cutthroat, there are no permanent partnerships. Players win or lose on their own. 6. Railroad Euchre These rules are variants based on standard Euchre. They are all designed to make the game quicker. (They are collectively known as "Railroad Euchre" because many were developed by commuters to play on a train.)

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Board / Card Games: Incan Gold: Best Press-Your-Luck Game

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Incan Gold: Best Press-Your-Luck Game Nov 25th 2011, 08:10 I am an unqualified fan of Incan Gold, a press-your-luck game designed by Alan R. Moon and Bruno Faidutti and published by Gryphon Games. In fact, it tops my list of the best press-your-luck games ever published. In a recent review for The Opinionated Gamers, my friend Greg Schloesser says Incan Gold "has proven popular with just about everyone with whom I've played, both gamers and non-gamers." I've had the exact same experience. So if you're looking for a surefire holiday hit, I don't think you can go wrong with Incan Gold. Image courtesy of Gryphon Games

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Board / Card Games: Black Friday Game Day

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Black Friday Game Day Nov 25th 2011, 08:00 Here's a great game event if you're anywhere in the area of Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, today: the 8th Annual Black Friday Game Day hosted by the Berks Boardgamers. Things kick of at 10 a.m. and continue until midnight; the location is the YFC building at 1691 Grace Rd., Lebanon. I've attended several times (and plan to be there this year), and always had a great time. The games that tend to hit the table the most are designer games / Eurogames. Wherever you are today, I hope it includes some great games!

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Board / Card Games: 2011 Golden Geek Award Winners

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2011 Golden Geek Award Winners Nov 24th 2011, 15:45 The 2011 Golden Geek Awards, voted on by the users of BoardGameGeek.com, have been announced. The biggest award, Game of the Year, went to Dominant Species (designed by Chad Jensen, published by GMT Games). Other winners included: Best Strategy Game: Dominant Species Best Family Game: 7 Wonders (Antoine Bauza, Asmod�e Editions and Repos Productions) Best Two-Player Game: A Few Acres of Snow (Martin Wallace, Treefrog Games) Best Wargame: A Few Acres of Snow Best Party Game: Dixit Odyssey (Jean-Louis Roubira, Asmod�e Editions) This list includes all of this year's Golden Geek winners, along with every winner from previous years. Image courtesy of GMT Games

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Board / Card Games: What's Hot Now: Ticket to Ride Review

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Ticket to Ride Review Nov 23rd 2011, 10:17 The Bottom Line Ticket to Ride is an absolutely top-notch game with broad appeal, playing in less than an hour and providing a lot of depth without being complicated. Players must make a variety of strategic and tactical choices, giving it considerable replay value. Pros Great game for families and for gamers. A variety of paths can lead to victory. Wonderful game components, including plastic trains and gorgeous board. Cons Some players find the possible point swings to be too dramatic. Description For 2 to 5 players, ages 8 and up. Published by Days of Wonder, designed by Alan R. Moon. Plays in about 30 to 60 minutes. Won the 2004 Spiel des Jahres, Germany's Family Game of the Year award. Comes with 240 plastic train cars, 144 cards, five wooden scoring markers, and the game board. Also available are TtR: Europe, TtR: Marklin Edition, TtR: CD-ROM, and the TtR: USA 1910 expansion. Guide Review - Ticket to Ride Players compete to build railroads across the United States and Canada in Ticket to Ride, both developing their own plans and disrupting the plans of others. The board -- which lives up to the gorgeous standards now expected from publisher Days of Wonder -- shows cities connected by rail lines of 1 to 6 in length. At the start of the game, each player is given three goal cards; each goal card lists two cities that the player will try to connect (e.g. Los Angeles to Pittsburgh, or El Paso to Winnipeg). Players must keep at least two of the three goal cards, but may choose to keep all three. At the end of the game, you get positive points if you've connected your cities and negative points if you haven't (longer routes are, naturally, more valuable but also more risky). Each player is then dealt four train cards, which come in the colors of the tracks on the board. On your turn, you may (1) draw two more train cards, or (2) play a set of cards that matches a line on the board and build trains on that line. Players earn points for each line built, with longer lines being worth more than shorter lines. A third option is to draw three new goal cards, keeping at least one. This continues until one player has less than three train cars remaining, when each player gets one more turn before the final scores are calculated. Ticket to Ride quickly earned a place among my favorite games, one of only a very few to receive 5 stars. I give it an enthusiastic recommendation.

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Board / Card Games: What's Hot Now: Best Places to Buy Used Games

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Best Places to Buy Used Games Nov 23rd 2011, 10:17 Thrift stores and yard sales are great places to look for used board games, but of course what you find there is almost completely unpredictable. When you're looking for a specific out-of-print board game or card game, these are the places I recommend you check first -- my picks for the best places to buy used games. Do you agree with my picks? Or are there better places to find used games? Please share your thoughts here! 1. BoardGameGeek.com Marketplace Photo © Erik Arneson BoardGameGeek.com is a large community of people from around the world who are interested in board games, and many of them have listed games of all types for sale. The BGG Marketplace is a great place to start your search for any used game. Highly recommended. 2. Gamers Alliance Photo © Erik Arneson Since 1986, Gamers Alliance has maintained a master catalog of what they believe is the world's largest selection of out-of-print games (and I have found no evidence to contradict them). A small annual membership fee gets you access to the games in their catalog, along with a quarterly newsletter that's packed with game reviews and news. Also highly recommended. 3. Darwin's Game Closet Photo © Erik Arneson Darwin's Game Closet boasts a large catalog of used games, mostly (but far from entirely) classic American board games and card games. 4. D'Antiques Photo © Erik Arneson D'Antiques is a general antiques store but maintains a good selection of used games, mostly classic American releases. 5. Vintage Toy Box Photo © Erik Arneson Located in the United Kingdom, Vintage Toy Box has a decent selection of used games, primarily mass-market games published by larger companies. 6. eBay Photo © Erik Arneson Although what's available at any given time is completely dependent on what sellers are offering, eBay can be a great source for used games. Searching completed auctions can give you a sense of what you might expect to pay.

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Board / Card Games: What's Hot Now: Games Mag's Games of the Year

Board / Card Games: What's Hot Now These articles that had the largest increase in popularity over the last week // via fulltextrssfeed.com

Games Mag's Games of the Year Nov 23rd 2011, 10:17 Every year, Games Magazine publishes its "Games 100" list of the best new games. And one of those games is named Game of the Year. Here are my picks for the best games to ever win Games Magazine's Game of the Year award. 1. Torres Building castles and trying to occupy high points in the largest of them is the basic theme of this game by Wolfgang Kramer and his occasional design partner Michael Kiesling. It also won the Spiel des Jahres in 2000, Germany's award for Family Game of the Year. Torres ranks among my favorite games. 2. BuyWord Designed by master game designer Sid Sackson, BuyWord challenges players to buy letters and then sell words at a profit. Naturally, the better letters cost more money. Players have to have good word skills, but it also helps to understand the concept of "buy low, sell high" in this game. 3. New England Players in this game by Alan R. Moon and Aaron Weissblum have plots of land in three types: pasture for animals, farmland for crops, and land for settlements. Bidding for turn order is very clever here. There are coins valued from 1 to 10, and the player who takes the highest coin goes first. But you must also pay the price on your coin for each card or land token you purchase. 4. Vegas Showdown Building a casino in Las Vegas cannot be as much fun as playing this game. Players must bid against each other to acquire slot machines, restaurants, and other casino-related necessities. Collecting a good combination allows you to increase your revenue, services, and fame. 5. Pillars of the Earth This board game is based on Ken Follett's best-selling historical fiction novel about the construction of Kingbridge Cathedral during the 12th Century. 6. Evo You control -- or try to -- the evolution of dinsaurs on a remote island in this board game. In addition to dealing with major climatic shifts, you have to survive fights with other dinosaurs. Evo won the 2002 Games Magazine Game of the Year award, and it was nominated for several other awards. For three to five players. 7. Aladdin's Dragons Players each place numbered tiles face down, bidding for various treasures. At the end of a bidding round, the tiles are revealed and the player who bid the most total points wins the treasure. There's plenty of opportunity to bluff your opponents in this game. For three to five players. 8. Fossil Players try to collect sets of related fossil fragments in this archeological game. Fossil was Games Magazine's Game of the Year in 1999. For two to six players. 9. 25 Words or Less This is a great team-based word game. You must get your teammates to say five words printed on a card. Your first task is to bid as few words as possible... then you have to actually do it. 10. Quoridor Players compete to move their pawn from one side of the board to the other, but they can also erect fences to make their opponent's journey more difficult. For two to four players.

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