Vikings: Warriors of the North

 Board Games  Comments Off on Vikings: Warriors of the North
Dec 282013
 

vikingsVikings: Warriors of the North
$49.00 SRP

In Vikings: Warriors of the North, players take the roles of Viking jarls, fighting for control over the North and the Konung Crown. The first one to pillage all of the villages and take the daughters of their thanes to his home port as warranty of recognition of jarls authority will be declared the winner. To do this, the jarls will have to brave the stormy northern seas, battling each other along the way, and watch out for the sea monster that lurks beneath the waves! The most cunning and vehement of them all – that is, the one who the Gods favor – will throw a great feast and become the Konung of the North.

Vikings: Warriors of the North is a card-based game. Players draw cards from a common deck. Wind cards are used for moving a drakkar around the board that depicts the cold north sea. Players can move the drakkar to a village (to sack it), to an enemy drakkar (to attack it), or to their own ports, where they can throw a feast for the Gods.

A player can also use cards to drastically change the gameplay: He can increase his chances in an attack, re-roll the dice, sail further with his drakkar, or steal cards from an enemy’s hand. All of those cards represent story events that have tangible effects within the game. Some cards represent heroes who can become part of a drakkar’s crew. As long as a hero stays on the ship, he grants his owner a permanent effect. Each drakkar has three open slots for heroes. Daughters of the thanes are also considered heroes, so they also occupy drakkar slots. With only three slots, players have to think hard about their crew composition.

On a turn, a player can play any number of cards from his hand and take one action: attack, sack a village, throw a feast, etc. Attacks are resolved by a roll of a six-sided (d6) die, although many cards influence the combat result, so each battle is exciting. When a player take three daughters of the thanes (each of a different, opposing player color) and brings them to his own port, the game is over and that player wins.

The gameplay is fast, furious and fun, full of twists and comebacks; it really lets you feel like a Viking chieftain.

Enhanced by Zemanta

Catan Europe From Mayfair

 Board Games, Mayfair  Comments Off on Catan Europe From Mayfair
Oct 062012
 

In the late Middle Ages, trade flourished in Europe. Economic groups like the Hanseatic League, the Welser and Fugger families, and merchants from Northern Italy established trading posts and factories in all of the important cities throughout Europe. These businesses provided the population with goods of all kinds, such as fur from the north, cloth from Flanders, wine from the south, and spices from India. The most important commodity of all was salt. In the Middle Ages salt was highly prized it was used to preserve food.

You are a powerful merchant! Start your trading posts in three cities. Recruit new merchants and send them to distant cities to establish trading posts and expand your interests. The more trading posts you have, the more commodities are at your disposal which you can sell profitably in foreign cities.

To ensure that your commodities arrive safely at their destination, you must open up trade routes and equip caravans. You win the game if you are the first to deliver all of your commodities to foreign cities.

Continue reading »

Coming soon from Rogue Games

 Gaming News, Rogue Games, RPG's  Comments Off on Coming soon from Rogue Games
Mar 262012
 

Colonial Gothic: The Templars

$ 10.99 SRP

 

From Parzival through Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade to The da Vinci Code, the Knights Templar have had an enduring hold over the popular imagination. At dawn on Friday, October 13, 1307, they went from being one of the most powerful organizations in medieval Europe to prisoners and fugitives. They were questioned under torture and their leaders were executed for heresy. Officially disbanded in 1312, the Knights Templar ceased to exist. The legend of the Templars has proved harder to destroy. Rumors persisted of hidden treasure, of a curse that blighted a dynasty, and of a secret so powerful that it threatened the very basis of the Church. New organizations such as the Freemasons looked back to the Templars, and became shrouded in myth and conspiracy theory themselves. The Templars is the first in a series of Colonial Gothic sourcebooks covering secret societies and other organizations. Within these pages you will find detailed and authoritative information on the activities of the Knights Templar in the world of Colonial Gothic, including their acknowledged and secret histories, their structure and organization, their goals in the Thirteen Colonies and around the world, and the implications of membership. Although they do not show their hand openly, the Knights Templar remain a force in the world of Colonial Gothic. Their hand is seldom seen, but it pulls on many strings. Written by Graeme Davis

 

Colonial Gothic: The French & Indian War

$ 17.99 SRP

 

It was a different time; a time when Washington was a militia colonel, a time when Franklin was best known as a scientist, a time when Bostonians drank tea, a time when the British were the good guys. Welcome to a new era for COLONIAL GOTHIC, as the pages of history are tuned back to a time prior to the American Revolution. In THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR, players and gamemasters are presented with the tools and sources they need to run their games during this critical time of American history. Join General Wolfe at the Siege of Quebec. Walk the woods with Hawkeye, Chingachgook and Uncas. Raid with Rogers’ Rangers. Or pair this book with the NEW FRANCE sourcebook and fight to drive the British out of North America! THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR includes historical background, new rules, adventure seeds, and game statistics for the leading personalities of the period 1754-1763.

 

Shadow, Sword & Spell: Threats

$ 16.99 SRP

 

The World is a danger filled place. Monsters lurk in the shadows waiting for the moment to strike upon the unsuspecting. The Jungles or Moran teems with threats both mundane and magical. Though most threats are from the physical world, there are many threats originating from nether realms. Shadow, Sword & Spell: Threats is your guide to the dangers that lurk upon The World. Here you will find numerous monsters, and other dangers inspired by pulp fantasy and myth. Each monster is fully fleshed out, and ready to be used as is. For Gamemasters wanting to create their own unique creatures, new traits are introduced giving you more options in your own creations. Beside threats of a more mundane sort, you will also find fully detailed threats that serve as the springboard for any campaign. From an ancient dragon who runs a cult, to a giant mustering forces so that he can control all trade through the mountain passes, to a group of thieves who use the cover of a bakery to profit in a special type of “dough,” Threats is your guide to the unique adversaries found in Shadow, Sword & Spell’s The World. Grab your swords, summon your cohorts, and prepare yourself to face some of the most dangerous threats found in The World today!

 

Enhanced by Zemanta