March 2012 New Specialty Toys — Board Games

Each of the 16 pieces has 4 different attributes. The aim is to line up 4 pieces which share the same attribute. The problem is players can't choose which piece they're going to play - their opponent chooses for them.

From Basher, the illustrator who showed the periodic table in a whole new light and gave us his fresh spin on physics, biology, astronomy, rocks and minerals, planet earth and chemistry, comes a book that shines its light into our magical and mysterious oceans. Not content to stay on dry land, Basher takes to the high seas in this friendly guide to everything above and below the oceans. Meet the members of the Shoreline Gang, the Deep-down Dandies, and the characters in the Open-water Crew. Encounter deep trenches, curious creatures, mountains taller than any one will find on land, and the mixers and stirrers that keep the water flowing. Throughout it all, Basher’s bold, cheerful artwork pairs with rock solid scientific information to personalize readers’ understanding of Earth’s mysterious underwater world. Bonus: includes a pull out poster of the oceanic characters. Launch date: March 27, 2012.

World of Warcraft Collector's Edition Monopoly features a custom game board with iconic locations from the World of Warcraft virtual world! Also included in this edition are 6 collectible Warcraft-themed tokens voted on by the fans, 'Treasure Chest' and 'WOW Chance' cards replacing classic Community Chest and Chance Cards, and Custom Towns and Cities replacing traditional Houses and Hotels.

Like how every great inventor has a lab, the Nanopad is the ideal platform for Nanodot creations. Made from a fusion of ferrous metal and fabric, the Nanopad is a flexible double-sided surface that is attracted to magnets but isn’t magnetic. Each Nanopad features an imprinted grid on one side making it an ideal play surface for chess, checkers, go, as well as role-playing and card games. Available in two sizes: 16" and 26".

Fishing Camp is a game where both children & adults can play & learn fun facts about Fishing. The game is designed to grow with the player, starting at level one questions, which are primarily identification of fish and fishing tackle. As the players increase in their knowledge about Fishing, they grow into the higher level questions. A fun & educational game where parents & children can play to see who catches the first fish and gets back to the docks. Game includes: 1 game board, 200 game cards(400 questions, and 100 fun facts), 1 decoder, 8 game characters, 1 die, 16 level cards, and 1 GPS card. Launch date: 2012.

Kids will share thoughtful, personal responses, and really listen to each other in this family-friendly game that includes game board, 7 character pieces, 7 token holders, 7 sets of tokens, 12 Wild Ernie tokens, and 1 pair of “Ear-Resistible” Jumper Rabbit ears. For 3–7 players. Launch date: April 2012.

There's a party tonight, and the players have been asked to bring the cupcakes. Be the first player to mix, bake, frost, and top the cupcake by visiting all 4 corners, and collect sprinkles along the way. The first player to reach the part with a completed cupcake and a sprinkle of each color wings the cherry to put on top. Launch date: June 2012.
Watch Video from ASTRA 2012

Dixit Journey is the version of the award-winning game of storytelling through imagination and clues where one picture is worth a thousand words. In this new version featuring a gallery of artistically designed cards that offer simple images for easy individual interpretation, younger players now have the chance to stretch their imaginations and incorporate their best vocabulary skills, all in the fun of creative play. The challenge is for the leader of the round to give a clue that is subtle enough to ensure that at least one player (but not all) will understand which card is his/hers and vote for that card. Points are scored in relation to the identification of the storyteller’s card. The players move their icons on the scoring track based on the number of points they earn each round. Launch date: June 2012.

Barbecue Party an action-packed game for preschoolers. It’s all about action-reaction as players try to load up the grill with all kinds of funny food before it pops a gasket.  Kids have to be very careful not to jiggle the grill when they lay an ear of corn, a tomato, or any of the other food pieces on top because it can jump at any time. Includes 16 plastic food pieces, 18 cards, & 1 pair of tongs/pliers. Launch date: June 2012.

Hey, That’s My Fish! is an engaging, award-winning board game of strategic fish hunting, in which 2-4 players control determined penguins hungry for their next meal on a bustling Antarctic ice floe. Since Hey, That’s My Fish! was originally published in 2003, it has become widely popular as an engrossing and strategic board game for casual family and tactical play. Hey, That’s My Fish! includes 60 hexagons to create an ice floe with new artwork renditions of fish, 1 rules sheet, and 16 newly sculpted colorful and animated penguin miniatures.

In the game White Water each player directs the actions of four courageous rafters. Each raft in the race contains four crew, with two crew from one player and two from another player. Players control the crew within a raft, but also may use Energy cards to additionally help one raft or the other. Dice represent the effects of hazards they encounter, and even the best-laid plans can be spoiled by another raft pushing players in a direction they don't want to go. Launch date: May 2012.

The Joker is up to his usual tricks, and he must be stopped. Superman, Batman, Green Lantern and The Flash team up, calling on their special powers – X-ray vision, the Batarang, force fields and lightning speed – to dodge The Joker’s gags and stop him in his tracks before he reaches the getaway car. The Fun House game board is packed with preschool play power: a wacky rolling ball, secret messages, and a launching Batarang will draw young super heroes into the action. Launch date: 2012.

Kids must work together to make as many cupcakes as they can before it’s time for the party. Follow the recipe cards to pick the perfect fancy liner, frosting, and topper. Each cupcake creation is fit for a princess in this sweet game of matching and sharing. Launch date: 2012.
— In a May 2012 survey, 25% of retailers told TDmonthly that Disney Princess was their best selling licensed brand.

The wicked vampire hunter secretly flew above the old castle and emptied a whole sack of stink ygarlic over the ruins! It is Leo Longtooth's job to watch over the sleeping vampire children in the castle's basement, and he must protect them from the horrible stench in the air. Players must help Leo clear the smelly garlic out of the ruins. With the help of the little glowing bat, players can magically clear the garlic out of the castle without touching it. They must be careful, though -- if the garlic falls through the cracks in the floor, it will spread its nasty smell into the basement where the vampire children sleep. "It glows in the dark and uses reverse magnetic polarity," Russell Gershman, sales rep at Playroom  Entertainment, told TDmonthly. Launch date: 2012.
Awards: 2010 Kinderspiel Des Jahres Nominee
THIS PRODUCT IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE FROM THIS COMPANY

In this unique memory game, players can help the little magicians navigate through the secret maze using their magical magnetic pawns to discover the right pathway, while remembering where the invisible walls are located. If players forget their way, their magician must start back at the beginning. Launch date: 2010.
Awards: 2009 Kinderspiel des Jahres Winner

Kaboom! A colorful cloud of smoke billows out of the cauldron in the old Magician's Kitchen, where the magician's little apprentices are learning the art of cooking up magic potions. Each ingredient must be tossed carefully into the pot, but hidden areas in the board may trip yplayers, causing their ingredients to go flying. Once all the ingredients are in place, its time to light a fire under the cauldron for the final test to see who can make the potion the fastest. Launch date: 2011.
Awards: 2011 Kinderspiel Des Jahres Nominee

Wits & Wagers Party is the latest version of the award-winning party game.  It mixes the fun of Vegas-style betting with hilarious new trivia.  Do you know what percent of bank robberies are committed by women? Of course not, and you don't need to! That's the fun. No one knows the answer, but everyone can take a guess.  Wits & Wagers Party will instantly get large groups of people playing and laughing together. "Wits & Wagers Party is the simplest and most accessible version of the Wits & Wagers brand, the original trivia game where you do not need to know trivia to win," Luke Warren, PR Director for North Star Games, told TDmonthly. Launch date: July 2012.

This expansion to Dominion adds 25 new Kingdom cards to Dominion, plus 2 new Basic cards that let players keep building up past Gold and Province. The central theme is wealth; there are treasures with abilities, cards that interact with treasures, and powerful expensive cards. For 2-4 players; takes about 30 minutes to play.
— As of 1/23/2012 this product had 4.9 out of 5 stars from 37 reviews on Amazon.com.

The Scrambled States of America Game is based on the book "The Scrambled States of America" by Laurie Keller. Kids learn learn the names, capitals, nicknames, shapes and positions of the states through a myriad of visual teasers, language riddles and geography challenges. Collect state cards by matching them to a Scramble challenge. Or “Go the Distance” and find a state’s closest neighbor. Collect the most cards to win. New deluxe edition features new art, new challenges, and a copy of The Scrambled States of America book.
Awards: 2012 Dr. Toy Best Classic Toys, 2012 Dr.Toy Best 20 for $20
— In a February 2014 survey, Mark Rosenblum from Hobbytown in Fairfield, C.T., told TDmonthly that Scrambled States was one of their best-selling games.

By creating a path from Start to Finish, 2 to 4 players try to beat the Ogre to the treasure. Along the way they need to collect 3 keys to open the treasure’s lock before the Ogre gets there. Players strategize, cooperate and build the path as a team. If they make it down the path before you-know-who, they all win! By playing this game, children master math grid concepts, emotional development, shared decision making, strategy techniques and of course, have fun! Board game includes a pair of wooden dice, 37 game cards, 4 key tokens and an Ogre snack. Launch date: 2012.

The latest Pentago utilizes the sleek design style of the Multi-Player version in the compact ready to go, two-player version. Pentago is a two-player game in which the object is to create a row of five markers, in any direction, before your opponent does, but with a twist. Each move consists of placing a marker and then twisting one of the four game blocks; simple yet ingenious.

This is the 6th addition to the game of Dominion. It adds 26 new Kingdom cards to Dominion including 20 Actions 3 Treasures 3 Victory cards and 3 Reactions. The central theme is cards that do something immediately when you buy them or gain them. Dominion: Hinterlands is an expansion and cannot be played by itself; to play with it you need Dominion or a standalone expansion to Dominion (e.g. Dominion: Intrigue). Those provide the Basic cards you need to play (Treasure Victory and Curse cards) as well as the full rules for setup and gameplay. Dominion: Hinterlands can also be combined with any other Dominion expansions.
— As of 1/02/2012 this product had 4.5 out of 5 stars from 10 reviews on Amazon.com.

A lightning fast shape and color recognition game for kids, families and gamers alike. In Ghost Blitz, five wooden items sit on the table waiting to be caught: a white ghost, a green bottle, a cute grey mouse, a blue book, and a comfortable red chair. Each card in the deck shows pictures of two objects, with one or both objects colored the wrong way. With all players playing at the same time, someone reveals a card, then players grab for the "right" object - but which object is right? The first player to grab the correct object keeps the card, then reveals the next card from the deck. If a player grabs the wrong object, she must discard one card previously collected. Once the card deck runs out, the game ends and whoever has collected the most cards wins. Launch date: 2011.
Awards: 2011 Deutscher Lernspielpreis "6 years and up" Nominee; 2011 Golden Geek Best Children's Board Game Nominee; 2011 Spiel des Jahres Recommended.

The Gate is a challenging strategy game for 2 to 5 players. It’s two games in one: beginner and advanced. The Gate combines the fun of a classic board game with the fantasy of a role-playing game. Fight dragons and other monsters, escape encounters, or buy weapons from the gnome. The stakes intensify as players advance through 3 exciting levels. Earn special fighting dice; battle friends for treasure. The first player to the Gate wins, but they mustn't forget their key. Launch date: November 2011.