Showing posts with label rio grande. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rio grande. Show all posts

Gulo Gulo Review

Gulo Gulo
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Gulo Gulo is the genus and species name of the wolverine, a rapacious beast. In this game, your wolverine is dying to eat the vulture's eggs. Not wanting to lose her brood, the vulture has set an up an alarm to tip her off to clumsy wolverines. In addition, she's kidnapped and hidden the baby wolverine.
Which brave wolverine will rescue that little guy?
THE COMPONENTS
Rio Grande Games doesn't make chintzy products. This game is beautifully made, even down to the sturdiness of the cardboard box! The vulture's nest is a carved wood bowl filled with wooden eggs in five sizes and colors. The board is a randomly assigned set of thick, two-sided octagonal tiles: one side with grass, the other with wolverines clutching an egg that corresponds to the egg colors. Wolverine player pieces in six colors accompany the set, and even those are painted in just the right places.
PLAYING THE GAME
The playing board tiles are arranged randomly, grass side up, leading to the vulture's nest. (The random element means no two games play exactly the same--nice.) A set of five tiles, also grass side up, is placed as the last set before the vulture's nest. An egg atop a slender stick--the egg alarm--is inserted vertically between the eggs in the nest.
The hungriest player goes first, turning over the first tile, revealing a wolverine clutching a colored egg. The player must then grab the corresponding colored egg from the nest without toppling the egg alarm to the playing surface. If successful, the player can move atop that tile. Subsequent players can elect to turn over the next hidden tile or simply move to a tile already turned. (That latter strategy can be based on the state of the eggs in the nest.) A player who fully topples the egg alarm must move back to the previous tile that represents the color of egg whose attempted removal set off the alarm. The eggs and alarm are then reset.
On reaching the final pile of tiles, a player removes one tile on the pile and its corresponding egg (without setting off the alarm) until the baby wolverine tile is uncovered. A player must then successfully remove one of the two purple eggs in the nest to win the game.
PROS:
* Well-made and durable game components.
* Random game tile placements changes the play each game.
* Good blend of play options for both aggressive and cautious players.
* Players who makes a mistake (or even several) are rarely left out of the endgame.
* Because little fingers can more deftly remove the small eggs, kids can beat their parents.
* Though a children's game, adults will definitely enjoy playing.
* Clever game play mixes strategy with dexterity.
* To prevent setting off the alarm when removing eggs, anxious and boisterous kids must still themselves and concentrate--a good skill to learn.
*Once played, the game is simple to later explain to others.
CONS:
* Cost is a bit steep compared with most children's games of this type, but that's almost a spurious con considering the quality of the components.
* At eight pages, the instruction book is daunting on first glance, but it contains instructions in three languages.
* In the beginning, the rules may seem complex, but running through one game will prove how easy it is to play.My son loves playing this game and so do my wife and I. Outstanding quality, excellent design, a changeable board, and easily explained rules make every aspect of this game top-notch. Even if you've never heard of it until now, you won't regret purchasing Gulo Gulo.

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The wolverine Gulo Gulo is always hungry, especially when near a nest of fresh eggs. Young wolverines love swamp eggs just as much as adults, but are not as careful. Thus, junior is caught and the family has to rescue him, while getting eggs for themselves! Whoever can move along the path the fastest will collect the most eggs and rescue junior!

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Antike Review

Antike
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Antike is a fun board game of politics and resource management. The win condition is to be the first player to accumulate 10 "achievements" (represented by cards with historical figures, with individuals correlating to the kind of achievement). There are multiple paths to winning achievements, which can make the route to the victory condition quite complex.
The board is two-sided, consisting of either the Mediterranean (centered on Rome and Carthage) or the Middle East (centered on Babylon). The map is broken up into regions or provinces, roughly congruent to historical divisions. Each region produces a good; marble, iron, or gold. Each player begins in a different civilization capital, such as Athens, Tyre, or Rome. Antike has a particularly interesting method of resouce management. There is a "production wheel" that has the 3 resources that can be produced (marble, iron, gold) and the 3 products that consume those resources (temples, soldiers, science). On your turn you can produce a resource type or consume them on a product type, but you can only move around the dial up to 3 spaces for free (moving farther on the dial costs resources). Also, there is only one production wheel, so your options depend on what your opponents do. There is also a generic payout of resources on every full round (like passing "Go").
Building temples increases the amount of resources that are harvested from a region, and helps to defend the region from invasion. Soldiers are built with iron and are used to garrison new regions (to harvest their resources) or to fight enemy civilizations. Science is bought with gold and gives bonuses like extended movement or better defense.
Achievements come from building temples, destroying other temples, and discovering science. It is possible to win the game just by discovering science. Science can be a double-edged sword; the first discoverer gets the achievement point but pays the full cost. Afterwards, any other player can also get the benefit for a reduced cost.
Overall, Antike is an interesting game of war and resource management. The production wheel has a particularly interesting effect of causing a cyclic nature to the game. There is a lag time in responding to opponents and power consequently ebbs and flows. And a reminder that you don't win by conquering regions, you win by accumulating achievements; you may find that a military only gets in the way of victory.

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Ancient nations create cities and build temples, sailed the seas, do battle and make scientific headway. Their legions and galleys defend their homeland and conquer new territories. Two-sided game board features different theaters of operation. Players choose their nation from among the Greeks, Romans, Germanic Tribes, Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Persians, Arabs, Egyptians and Babylonians. Each nation tries to win ancient kings, scholars, generals, navigators, and citizens. The first to gain a given number of ancient personages wins the game. This game contains a big two-sided game board, each side providing different strategic challenges. Winning depends not on the luck of dice or cards, but on strategic planning and smart diplomacy.

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Vikings Review

Vikings
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If you're into the European game craze the way my husband and I are, then go ahead and have no fear adding this one to your shelf. What we especially enjoy is the fact the game can be played within 45 min. once everyone is familiar with the rules. If you're not into long drawn out games, but still like the strategy-driven games, then Vikings is for you! I gave this to my husband for Christmas and we enjoyed playing it with family members.

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Each player is the leader of a band of Vikings. His task is to scout and then settle the islands off the coast of his homeland. As the Vikings uncover the size and shape of the islands, each band seeks to control as much of these new lands as possible. The bands build yards and churches and invite goldsmiths, scouts, fishermen, and nobles to settle on their island to establish the most profitable settlements. But, warriors are also necessary! As, the islands soon attract ships bound to attack them to pillage the new settlements.

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O Zoo le Mio Review

O Zoo le Mio
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This game is colorful, fast-paced, simple, and smart. Good for a range of ages, my friends and I would even play it in college when we were in a silly mood for something light and amusing. The basic idea is to get the most points from the layout of your zoo based on the arrangement and content of your tiles, which all players silently bid on during each of the five rounds.
Each round counts as a year, and during each round, five tiles are put on the auction block, one at a time. Each player has a certain amount of "coins" from the beginning of the game and receives more for each tile they have at the end of a year, but they bid on each tile by deciding how many coins they are willing to part with, putting it in their closed hand, and revealing their bid at the same time.
The winner keeps the tile and arranges it in their zoo. Different numbers of trees, enclosures, or connecting exhibits allow the player to compete for the most of a category, and at the end of a year, the winner gets two points for each one (number of trees, "orange" exhibits, "yellow" exhibits, "blue" exhibits, etc. -the colors represent types of exhibits like aquatic, primates, etc.) Second place gets one point. Each year the points are worth more (year one, multiply by one, year two, multiply by two, year three, multiply by three...)
The strategy requires players to guess how much a tile is worth, in terms of point possibilities, positioning in their park versus other players' parks, how many coins they and others have left, and where to place each tile in your park. Because each tile is different, and you are not sure what will come up next, there is always planning to be done.
Once you learn the game, which doesn't take too long (it's so much easier than this sounds), it becomes pretty fast-paced and is a lot of fun. Great for many ages, families, and friends!
The thick glossy tiles are durable, as are the solid wood pieces (coins, people, benches, trees). That's about it as far as parts go, though since they are small, it would be wise to save this for an age group not prone to eating everything. The recommended age is 9+, but slightly younger kids could try it out as well.

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Zoo director Edward Boar from Parky Park is concerned.Fred Fischer from Aqua Shark has just installed a sensational new shark pool, George Jungle is building a new chimp enclosure for Villa Gorilla, and in Crocodome, there is an exciting new reptile show.Thus, Ed is seeing all his visitors drift away, leaving him with only his beautiful trees and park benches. The players are zoo directors who create zoos to attract the most visitors with the best enclosures, paths, and green areas, but watch out: the competition is fierce!Players: 2-4 Ages: 9 and up Playing Time: 45-60 minutes

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Australia Review

Australia
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I am in my 30's, and this game is just as much fun for me as it would be for children. There is a good amount of strategy involved in the gameplay, but it is not too complex for kids that are old enough to understand games like Risk and Monopoly.
I really like the gamepieces, and so would children! There are little men, like in Risk, and there are aeroplanes that seem to be very durable. The board is of good quality and the artwork is nice.

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Australia is the fifth and smallest continent at the beginning of the 1920's. The economic crisis is yet to come; Australia is booming. Industrial modernization and development are pursued with vigor to help the economy "down under" progress. At the same time, the government is arranging for countless National Parks to be set up and is initiating numerous projects to support the natural environment. Every player leads a troop of rangers who have been assigned by the government the task of carrying out various conservation and industrialization projects.

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Family Board Games Saint Petersburg Review

Family Board Games Saint Petersburg
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Need I say more? The best game ever! :-)
(My excitement for this game unfortunately hasn't carried over to most of my friends, who groan whenever I mention wanting to play this game again and again)

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Baroque palaces, wide boulevards, and elegant bridges: St Petersburg. On May 16, 1703, Czar Peter the Great lays the foundation for the first building. Quickly impressive buildings are erected that are ever more grand and beautiful. Such buildings bring the aristocracy glory and the players victory points. But you need traders to bring the rubles necessary for all this magnificence, otherwise, the buildings are empty and bare. But the competition never sleeps and may grab needed cards right from under your nose. St Petersburg: the card game of beautiful living on the Neva. Ages 10 and Up - 2 to 4 Players

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Maori Review

Maori
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Easy enough for kids to master (8+), but interesting enough for adults. Doesn't take too long to play, so kids won't lose interest. Rules are pretty straightforward, but the instructions could be a bit more detailed. Overall, good family entertainment.

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MAORI: at first, all we see is an endless sea.But wait, there!!! Land in site! Its an island. An isle with sumptuous palm trees. We must visit this island. There, we can trade what we have for the natives' shells. With shells, we can explore more successfully to gain the islands we seek.In MAORI, the players try to discover their own island worlds. On the islands they find, they can acquire palms and huts of their own. And there is more: boats increase the rate of discovery and shells provide additional options in this simple, yet sophisticated game.Game Contents: * 97 island tiles in the following forms o 10 Individual Islands o 54 End Pieces o 14 Middle Pieces o 17 Water Tiles o 2 Volcanos o Additionally, the island tiles show other symbols: palms, huts, shells, ships and leis. o Note: as there are no curve tiles, only straight islands can be "discovered". * 5 player boards (2-sided) " 30 shells " 1 explorer ship * 5 small ships in the player colors (used only with the variations)

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Power Grid expansion France/Italy Review

Power Grid expansion France/Italy
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This is a two sided map that is an expansion to Power Grid, which you need to already have.
One side is France, which has cheaper Nuclear as well as a little gimmic where Paris is a three city block that has free connections between the three cities. Overall, the cheaper nuclear tends to make all resources cheaper based on supply and demand and leads to an "easier" game. This would be a nice map for beginners.
On the other hand.
Italy. Italy is the exact opposite. Resources are way rarer and you can find yourself really paying a premium to power your plants. Add to that the fact that southern Italy has some pretty high connections, and the game starts to get really competitive. I would classify Italy as a map for more experienced players, and it just might be my favorite so far.
If you're looking to expand past the US and Germany maps included in the base game, then I would for sure start with this expansion. You get 1 "easy" map, and 1 "advanced" map in my opinion.
Oh, and don't be confused by the black and white picture here. The actual maps are full color and the same nice quality art as the original maps.

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This is an expansion pack, so you will need the Power Grid game to use it.As with the original, the board has a different map on each side: France and Italy. Along with the maps are small rule changes to reflect the power culture in these two countries.France, a land that has embraced nuclear power, has an earlier start with atomic plants and more uranium available. Italy has more waste, but fewer coal and oil resources.The result is not just new maps, but new ways to play this great game!

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St. Petersburg Expansion Review

St. Petersburg Expansion
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Our family really enjoys playing this game! Once learned, it goes quickly and this expansion piece adds to the enjoyment with additional cards.

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The New Society adds 36 cards with purple dots to distinguish them and the parts to allow 5 players to play. In addition, the game adds several cards and provides other cards to replace those in the original game.The Banquet adds 12 cards with gold dots to distinguish them. The deck includes 3 "normal" cards and 9 cards that offer special abilities very different from those of workers, buildings, and aristocrats.Each expansion must be played with the basic game. Players may also play both expansions together with the basic game. Of course, creative players may choose to use some, but not all of each to make their own game and play

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Masons Review

Masons
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I like Euro games and have pretty much downloaded every rules PDF I can find. Had never heard of this one and have to be honest, I was impressed initially by the very low price. The photo's implied a quality constructed game and it was from Rio Grande. I couldn't resist.
Two trial games later, with instructions opened and read as we went along, I was hooked. It's a fun little game with a unique rule set. The game piece colors have nothing to do with individual players. But you'll figure that out soon enough.
If you have experienced Euro games and the traditional quality of Rio Grande, you will most likely like the diversity this game adds to your collection.

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In medieval times, famous masons competed to build the most beautiful and impressive cities. As we can see from what they left behind, they were perfectionists, but each had his own ideas about the best ways to design cities. Stately government buildings stand next to noble palaces with massive walls and guard towers surrounding the city to protect it from its enemies. In this beautiful game, the players take the rules of these master masons of old. At the beginning of the game, the board is empty, but quickly fills with houses, palaces, towers, and walls. The guild cards help guide the masons in their building and the special dice offer them the materials they need. Each player decides where to build his houses and palaces. Whenever walls enclose a city, it is scored. The game will determine which mason makes the best use of his materials and guild cards. But that will not be known until the final scoring, when the final scoring is complete and the players learn which of them has scored the most points to earn the victory as the greatest mason! At least for this game! Masons -- no walls, no power! Players: 2 - 4 Ages: 8 and up Playing Time: 45 minutes

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Black-Backed Euro Game Card Sleeves (100 Sleeves/Pack - 59 MM X 92 MM) Review

Black-Backed Euro Game Card Sleeves (100 Sleeves/Pack - 59 MM X 92 MM)
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I purchased these for the Dominion and intrigue game. As a ex-MTG player I am already used to covering the logo side of the card. These sleeves are very durable, out of the dominion/intrigue cards my friend tore only one sleeve so far.
Only one concern:
The sleeves tend to really stick together. My coliges and I speculate that static electricity is holding them in place or grease from our hands since we do play this game three times a day.
Solution:
If you buy these sleeves and they do tend to stick together I found out that the best remedy is to rub the individual decks together. The friction causes the cards to loosen up and make the deck manageable once more.
The Sleeves blend well with the Dominion's black border which I love.
Beside the sleeves sticking together this is a worth buy.EDIT: (1 week later)
Yeah, could not take it any more. Had to go a buy clear plastic Mayday Euro Card sized Sleeves.

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Our latest sleeve, the Euro Card Sleeve -Black Backed (Pack of 100) -59 MM X 92 MM.Yes these do fit Dominion by Rio Grande Games and yes the cards will actually fit back in the box with the sleeves on them! You may have to re-arrange a few copper/silver but the rest of the items will fit back in the slots they are intended to go into! Here is how many packs of sleeves you would need for Dominion:Dominion Base Game - 500 Cards, 5 packs of sleeves.Dominion Intrigue Game - 500 Cards, 5 packs of sleeves.Dominion Seaside Expansion - about 270 Cards, 3 packs of sleeves.In each pack you are getting 100 sleeves that are perfectly sized for 59 X 92 MM Cards, the most popular card size for euro games including Agricola, Balloon Cup, Battlelore, Castle for All Seasons, Cuba, Duel In the Dark, Jambo, Le Havre, Manhattan, Memoir '44, Notre Dame, San Juan, Stone Age, Taj Mahal, Witch's Brew and more!So what is the difference between this and our standard euro sleeve? The sizes are exactly the same, but the back of these are solid black in color so you can't see through them. What good is this? If you buy a game and then play it and then buy an expansion for it then chances are your cards are worn and faded on the first game while the expansion cards look brand new. In other words you can tell where the card came from just by looking at the back, even with clear sleeves. With black-backed sleeves you can sleeve all your cards and you won't be able to tell the difference among sets of worn or new cards. You can also create your own custom cards and use these black-backed sleeves to blend them right in with the game!

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Power Grid: Russia and Japan Review

Power Grid: Russia and Japan
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This expansion includes a board with two new country maps for the popular Power Grid board game. Each new country map comes with some slight rule modifications that affect the strategy in subtle but interesting ways.
For Japan, the rule changes include:
* Players can build two independent power networks starting in different areas of the country.
* A network can only be started in one of six starting cities, which means players are often competing for position from the start of the game. The starting cities can each be occupied by two separate players in step 1, to allow each player an opportunity to start both of their allowed networks.
* Coal, oil, and uranium start out slightly more expensive than in the base game, while garbage starts out cheaper.
For Russia, the changes include:
* The power plant market is more limited. In the first two steps of the game, three power plants are in the current and future markets (instead of four), and the market size in step 3 is four (instead of six).
* The two lowest value garbage plants are removed from the game, and no garbage is available to purchase at the beginning of the game.
* The lowest valued power plant in the market is removed when the first player chooses not to bid (instead of when all players choose not to bid).
* Oil and uranium start out much cheaper than in the base game. Coal is more expensive, and garbage is not available until after the replenishment round at the end of the first turn.
* The resource replenishment tables are different. Coal generally replenishes more slowly than in the base game, oil replenishes more quickly (in the first two steps), and garbage replenishes more quickly in step 1 only.
A nice thing about this expansion is that a small number of rule changes can have a fairly dramatic effect on game strategy. For example, the differences in resource supply on the Russia map can significantly affect the relative value of different power plants. Suddenly a small oil plant becomes more attractive than a small coal plant because coal is scarce and expensive throughout the game.
All in all, both new country expansions are easy to pick up if you're already familiar with Power Grid, and are every bit as fun as the original.

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Two new expansion maps for Power Grid: Russia on one side and Japan on the other.In Russia the market for power plants is restricted. Additionally, the standard rules for exchanging out of date power plants are changed, forcing the leading players to completely rethink their strategies.Based on the crowded geographical surroundings, the players can start two separate networks in Japan. The first connections are restricted to certain cities, guaranteeing a tough fight for the best networks.

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Dominion Alchemy Review

Dominion Alchemy
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Dominion: Alchemy is an expansion to the Dominion card game series. You will need Dominion or Dominion Intrigue in order to play Alchemy.
Dominion: Alchemy is the smallest expansion to date, bringing 12 new kingdom cards and a new treasure card to the table. Alchemy brings a new theme and some very interesting cards to the table, but it can feel awkward to integrate Alchemy cards into a "normal" game without a keen understanding of the cards and a sound strategy. Specifically, the "Potions" resource is implemented, the crux of this expansion. The Potion is a treasure card, costing 4, necessary to purchase most Alchemy cards. Whenever a Potion appears in hand, it nearly forces players to purchase an Alchemy card, and, without extra buys, players often waste treasure purchasing them, as they cost very little but require a potion in addition to the treasure cost. Since Potions have no other benefits, they can easily become worthless cards cycling through the deck.
On a positive note, the majority of the artwork for the Alchemy cards is beautiful. Having been disappointed with many of the illustrations in Seaside, particularly, Alchemy brings some redemption to the aesthetic appeal of Dominion. For those who may be concerned with the content of this specific Dominion theme, it should be known that a few of the cards, whether the art or indicated by the card name, are dark in nature. The cards in question can be, in my opinion, easily avoided (in gameplay with children, for example) or discarded, if you so desire.
In my experience, playing with Alchemy cards makes for a longer game, especially if you are playing with those new to Alchemy. Alchemy lends itself to advanced players and should be avoided in play with newcomers to Dominion. Beware; an Alchemy game may conclude and you might feel as though you only pursued bunny trails the entire time. Is it any surprise though, since the art of alchemy lead to a lot of nothing? Though intriguing, Alchemy is probably the most superfluous of the Dominion series. My opinion is that many will buy this expansion more out of excitement or for a sense of completion for their collection.


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Looking for a way to turn lead into gold, the clever chemists in your basement laboratories keep sending up requests for strange ingredients like barrels of quicksilver and even locks of your hair. They are also working on a universal solvent. If they manage to create the substance and a container to hold it, you will be able to build a castle that can't be dissolved!
Please note: Dominion: Alchemy expands both Dominion, and Dominion: Intrigue and as such, it does not contain material for a complete game. Treasure, Victory, Curse, and Trash cards are not included, so you will need Dominion or Dominion: Intrigue to play. Dominion: Alchemy is also designed to be played with any future expansions that may be published.

Contents of Dominion: Alchemy Expansion:
150 Cards
Box Liner
Inlay
Rule Booklet



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Carcassonne - Princess and Dragon Expansion Review

Carcassonne - Princess and Dragon Expansion
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Princess & Dragon adds an element of random disaster to Carcassonne. The primary addition to game play is a dragon that "eats" pieces, removing them from play. Secondary aspects include, a fairy to protect players from the dragon's attack, magic portals that allow players to teleport to other available map features, and princess tiles to help opportunists capture an opponent's incomplete city.
The Dragon element can be fun and does make for some tense situations as you wait to see if a dragon tile is coming out of the bag, but I find it only really adds to game play of four or more players.
The secondary aspects offer limited enjoyment and really don't add much to game play aside from complicating strategy and making the game last longer.
Overall, I consider it to be one of the lesser Carcassonne expansions and don't play with if very often. It is best suited for a more experienced player looking to add something new to the game. For newer players, I recommend purchasing Inns & Cathedrals, Traders & Builders, and Abbey & Mayor before picking up Princess & Dragon.

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EXPANSION TO CARCASSONNE. IT ADDS A 6TH PLAYER. A DRAGON MAKES LIFE VERY DIFFICULT WHILE KNIGHTS DEFEND THE PRINCESS AND FARMERS BUILD PASSAGES TO MOVE ABOUT UNDETECTED BY THE DRAGON.

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Chicken Cha Cha Cha Review

Chicken Cha Cha Cha
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Chicken Cha Cha Cha is kids' game that is even more fun as a family game and at least as fun at a grown-up games party.
Short-term memory is an important aspect of this game. Which is part of what makes it such a good family game. Considering whose memory is shorter term, it's very likely that they'll have at least as good a chance at winning as you.
The real fun of the game, however, comes from chasing each other around a board of thick, cardboard, egg-shape tiles. There are four wooden chickens (two are supposed to be roosters, but that's where the game begins to get abstract). Each of these chickens have appropriately located places where one can put tail feathers - wooden sticks topped by egg-shaped balls, each corresponding to a chicken color.
Then there are the thick, cardboard, octagonal tiles which are placed face-down, and surrounded by the egg track. The images on these tiles correspond to images on the eggs.
You place your wooden chicken with its one wooden tail feather anywhere on the egg track. When it's your turn, you first have to find the octagonal tile that matches the egg tile in front of your chicken. If you are correct, you move your chicken to that tile, and go again, trying to guess which octagon matches the egg tile that is now in front of you. You can play in teams, even - which makes it more fun, and more likely that your collective recollection might be good enough to find which octagon matches which egg tile.
If you get immediately behind someone else's chicken, and it's still your turn, you can, if you can identify the octagon tile that matches the egg tile that is in front of the opponent's chicken, jump over that chicken, and get his or her proverbial tail feather.
The first chicken with all four tail feathers wins.
Chicken chasing is great fun. It's as fun as playing tag or duck-duck-goose. And, as the game progresses, you remember (especially if you're young enough) more and more of the octagonal tiles, so you can run (or, as the game designers would want you to think of it, "cha cha") further and further. So the chase speeds up. And the tension increases. And sometimes you get so excited you forget where anything is. And sometimes you remember everything. And then you win.
Designed by Klaus Zoch, and graced by the endearing art of Doris Matthäus, Chicken Cha Cha Cha is a remarkably versatile, and engaging game, for a surprisingly wide range of ages. It's one of a relatively few games that kids can play as well as their parents can, that appeals to teens as much as pre-schoolers, that could find as much welcome in a games party for grown-ups as with the kids in the family room on a rainy afternoon.
Because the game is so elegant (there are really very rules) and so easily learned, it is also easily varied. If the game is too hard for some players, you can turn all the tiles over periodically for review. If it takes too long, you can have the chickens cha cha in opposite directions so they encounter each other more frequently. Since you make the board, you can always make it smaller, eliminating some eggs and their corresponding octagons as needed. You can even, if you're playing with people of my memory strengths, you might also consider increasing the number of guesses a player can make when octagon-hunting.
Chicken Cha Cha Cha - available in the US from Rio Grande Games. Not complex. Not profound. Most definitely Major FUN.

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Chicken Cha Cha Cha FUN

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Rio Grande Games Dominion: Prosperity Review

Rio Grande Games Dominion: Prosperity
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I just finished playing this tonight with a friend and our kids. We're pretty quick and vicious players of Dominion. If you've never played Dominion or don't have the base game, skip this review and go directly to Dominion or Dominion Intrigue, read all the rave reviews and buy one (or both) of those. Then later, come back here for this and other rave reviews and buy THIS game. :-)
Quick note on strategy this addition to the Dominion family: The cards in this set lead to wealth dominance (as opposed to attack cards or more subtle manipulations). But then, that figures from the title. I found myself twice amazed to pick up a hand with nothing but 5 treasure cards with enough points to buy an 11 point card with change left over... and no second buy! We played the first suggested set of cards with 5 players and, despite having all new cards and a large group, we finished in about an hour. (Those experienced players of Dominion know a certain frustration in waiting on new players as they absorb the significance of each card.)
As with my review of the original Dominion game, I give this high marks for educational value, not for knowledge gained which is the usual measure of educational games, but rather for its value in learning and exercising critical thinking skills. Every time you play a game of Dominion, you're forced to examine the interaction between cards and invent new winning strategies on the fly. On my first time to play using "Dominion Prosperity," I realized about half way through that I was using entirely the wrong approach to a play strategy. I shifted gears and wound up tying for first with a whopping 66 VPs.
At this point, I'm done with my 5-star review of the game. But now to the negative bit: the price. I have Amazon Prime and thus I buy a lot of things via Amazon that I would typically get from a brick-and-mortar store simply because Amazon gives me both great prices and -- thus far -- good service. However, even with the free shipping, $55 is $7 more than I can get Prosperity locally after taxes. Then, it's a must to have sleeves for the cards and therefore a must that Amazon should carry them directly. But via Amazon, count on $5.50 for 100 sleeves ($2 + $3.50 shipping) and you'll need 300 sleeves. Now we're over $70 for the add-on. As a consequence, I ordered this item elsewhere, 600 sleeves (I wanted extras) and shipping included and I spent just $50. The base Dominion and Dominion Intrigue games are priced on Amazon more-or-less at the street price. I would encourage you to get Dominion Prosperity but only when Amazon has the price closer to the street price.

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The central theme to this Dominion expansion is wealth. The Prosperity expansion adds 25 new Kingdom cards and 2 new Basic cards that let players keep building up past Gold And Province. There are treasures with abilities, cards that interact with treasures, and powerful expensive cards.
Please note: Dominion: Prosperity expands both Dominion, and Dominion: Intrigue and as such, it does not contain material for a complete game. Treasure, Victory, Curse, and Trash cards are not included, so you will need Dominion or Dominion: Intrigue to play. Dominion: Prosperity is also designed to be played with any future expansions that may be published.

Contents of Dominion: Prosperity Expansion:
300 Cards
Storage Tray
9 Mats
8 Coins
31 Tokens
Rule Booklet



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Tobago Review

Tobago
Average Reviews:

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The premise is pretty straightforward: you and your compatriots are hunting the island of Tobago for treasure. The thing is, the maps to these treasures aren't maps at all, but collections of clues that are dispersed among all players via cards. Throughout the game, players add clue cards, one at at time, to four piles, each of which represents a treasure. Each card narrows the possible places on the game board where that treasure might be found. Once the location is narrowed down to a single spot, players can drive their miniature ATV there, pick up the treasure chest, and discover the gold inside. Except that the gold's not all for you; every person who helped narrow down the search gets a part of the booty.
There are other various elements, like creaky statues, the occasional cursed treasure, and magic amulets that help you defend against the curse or help you take an extra turn when you need it. The game ends when all the gold's been parceled out. Winner is the player with the most.
STRENGTHS
-- Beautiful board and pieces. Lots of the elements are made of wood, including some carved and painted items like statues and palm trees. If you're going to be spending an hour staring at and handling a game, it should look good, and Tobago does.
-- Relies more on turn-to-turn tactics rather than an overarching strategy. So it's not too overwhelming, and mistakes made early on can be overcome in later turns.
-- Involves just the right amount of cooperative game theory -- that is, basing your moves on how you think your competitors would play. This is an essential component of any quality game.
-- Variable board configurations. Because of the modular game board, there are 32 possible island configurations to play with.
-- Easy to explain. If you know how to play, it should take you 5-10 minutes to explain to a newbie. If you're starting from scratch, expect 10 minutes more. Which is pretty fast for this genre of game.
WEAKNESSES
-- Just a little too heavy of a reliance on luck. Your power in the game comes from the cards you hold, which are drawn randomly. You can exchange them, but it's a still a random draw. I'm not sure how they could improve this, and to be fair, it's a minor quibble.
-- Relies less on an overarching strategy than turn-to-turn tactics. If you're a veteran of strategy games and want something intense, this may feel too simple.
CONCLUSION
This is a great entry-level game for families and gamers looking for something a step up from, say, Risk. It's roughly on the same complexity level as Settlers of Catan, maybe even easier.

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Tobgo is an adventure game, in which the players possess different parts of treasure maps. During the game more and more information about the locations of the treasures is revealed, and the possible locations are narrowed down. When a player identifies the location of one of the treasures she tries to reach it as fast as possible to secure the findings... This is where the adventure begins! Chests full of gold are buried in the jungle - rumors have it that one of them is hidden next to a hut near the island's largest mountain. Another is hidden where the roar of an untamed river can be heard, it is said. Through the fronds of a palm tree, the proud gaze of a mysteriously scrunching statue casts its spell on the unwary treasure hunter ... Welcome to Tobago! The attractive, top-quality game pieces on the lovingly illustrated game board give the impression of a true mysterious treasure island. Each player contributes valuable clues, which determine where the treasures are located. The excitement mounts as the adventurers strive to be the first to arrive at the treasure sites. The 3-piece game board with its innovative design can be set up with 32 different scenarios, each providing fun and a new challenge.

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