July 2010 New Specialty Toys — Board Games

Created by Nexus Games, known for War of the Ring, Moto GP, Wings of War and Age of Conan, Micro Mutants is a game of strategy and dexterity that’s fun for players of all ages and experience levels. Micro Mutants: Evolution is the first Micro Mutants game and includes everything up to four players need to do microscopic battle in 30 to 60 minutes, including the Usarthopod, Flyborg, Sovietopter and Chitinian armies. Fantasy Flight Games Sales Associate Rick Nauertz told TDmonthly, "Micro Mutants is surprisingly simple to pick up and learn."

Ingenious is the new abstract placement game from internationally-renowned game designer Reiner Knizia. Ingenious offers players a new way to train their brains by combining the simplicity of dominoes with the strategy Knizia is known for. Players place colored tiles on the hexagonal board, scoring points, blocking opponents’ tile placement, and trying to protect themselves from being blocked by their opponents. Ingenious is suitable for up to four players, as well as for solo play. Rick Nauertz, Sales Associate for Fantasy Flight Games, told TDmonthly, "Marvelously elegant and compulsively replayable, Ingenious is an excellent introduction to German-style abstract board games. It’s ingeniously simple, and simply ingenious!"

In Through the Desert, two to five players each control a tribe of nomads vying for control of the desert. By establishing caravans and taking over oases, the players gain points as their tribes increase in power. Game play is designed to be under an hour. Fantasy Flight Games Sales Associate Rick Nauertz told TDmonthly, "From the award-winning game designer Reiner Knizia comes a game of strategy, patience and cool plastic camels!"

Wings of War is a game series that merges card and board game mechanics to recreate aerial combat. The first series of Wings of War games focus on the "knights of the air" age, World War I, portraying the abilities of the fighting planes of this period. Wings of War: Famous Aces is the first set of the WWI collection. It includes five types of planes: the Spad XIII, Albatros D Va, Sopwith Camel, Fokker Dr1 and the Sopwith Triplane. Each plane was flown by an ace: Baracca, von Richtofen, Rickenbecker, Fonck, Olieslagers and Baker. Fantasy Flight Games Sales Associate Rick Nauertz told TDmonthly, "By selecting from his maneuver deck, each player can plot out the loops, rolls and twists that his dogfighting plane will undertake."

Talisman takes players on a journey through magical lands, as they endeavor to reclaim the Crown of Command. Each turn will see a hero advancing, battling, gaining knowledge and power necessary to defeat the guardians lurking between the Portal of Power and the Valley of Fire. The game is designed for two to six players and is playable in one to two hours. The game includes a revised rulebook, a six-fold game board, 14 character sheets with matching plastic character figures, more than 160 Cards, six, six-sided dice, more than 190 tokens, and 30 gold coins. Rick Nauertz, Sales Associate for Fantasy Flight Games, told TDmonthly, "For those unfamiliar with this classic world of fantasy adventures, Talisman is a game like no other — indeed, it is no ordinary game at all, but a fantastic quest in a world of magic and monsters."

Middle-Earth Quest is set in the 17-year period between Bilbo’s birthday party and the Ring’s departure from the Shire, as described in J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel "The Lord of the Rings." One player takes the role of Sauron, who is attempting to dominate Middle-Earth with his nefarious plots and evil minions, while up to three other players take the roles of heroes who must hold the darkness at bay until Gandalf’s plans have matured. The game includes a rulebook, a 28.25" x 41" game board, five plastic hero figures, five plastic minion figures, 225+ tokens, more than 470 cards, five hero sheets, and eight plastic stands.

Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation is a two-player board game set in J.R.R. Tolkien’s beloved setting of Middle-Earth, in which one player controls of the Fellowship of the Ring, and the other player controls the forces of Sauron. Fantasy Flight Games Sales Associate Rick Nauertz told TDmonthly, "At its heart, Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation is a game of out-bluffing and outmaneuvering your opponent."

World of Warcraft: the Adventure Game is an exciting and fast-paced journey through the world of Azeroth for two to four players. Players choose their favorite hero and embark on an epic journey from humble beginnings to immense power, battling vicious monsters, powerful overlords and treacherous fellow players in order to become the mightiest hero in all the land. The game includes a rulebook, a game board, four plastic figures, 100 Bridge-sized cards, 220 small cards, a blue movement die, two combat dice (one red, one black), four challenge deck organizers, and 100+ tokens. Fantasy Flight Sales Associate Rick Nauertz told TDmonthly, "With 11.5 million subscribers to World of Warcraft, this title should garner some name recognition on your shelves."

World of Warcraft: the Board Game is a fantasy adventure board game for two to six players, based on the popular Massively Multiplayer Online Game from Blizzard Entertainment. Players adventure across Lordaeron, vanquish monsters, gain experience and power, and earn honor for their faction — whether Horde or Alliance. Players select one of 16 heroes from nine classes and eight races, advance their character and gather treasure, battle 13 different types of monsters, and ultimately challenge one of three invincible Overlords to determine the fate of Azeroth. The games includes a rules booklet, a game board, 135+ plastic figures, seven double-sided character sheets, two single-sided character sheets, more than 460 tokens, 450+ cards, three overlord sheets, two creature reference sheets, and 21 eight-sided dice.

Tannhäuser puts players in the middle of a alternate timeline, where World War I never ended and the forces involved have chosen new ways to break the stalemate. Featuring the Pathfinding system, a revolutionary way to mark line of sight, Tannhäuser gets players in the thick of the battle quickly. Each side has unique characters and equipment, and must outfit figures to best advantage in order to win. Each force has a multitude of equipment and weapon options for customization. Tannhäuser is packaged with everything required for two to ten players to begin playing in the u-chronic Tannhäuser universe. The game includes a rulebook, a double-sided map board designed for use with the Pathfinding system, 10 finely detailed pre-painted miniatures, 10 illustrated character sheets, two 10-sided dice, and 162 game counters.

Archeologist Dr. S needs players' help to decipher and uncover secret words. He needs assistance sifting through ancient tiles and linking them together to gain clues to a message. Dr. S has started a Log Book detailing the links between the tiles. According to the legend, when the messages are recovered using the ancient tiles, clues to a secret words will be uncovered. Players find the tiles, build the links, read the writings and claim their reward of wisdom, one word at a time. "The game board is whatever you make it! The tiles will be laid out different each time you play. The game also creates discussions about the books, chapters and verses of the Bible you are trying to create," Todd Jacobs, Vice President of Talicor Inc., told TDmonthly.

Players can join characters Bromley and Cotica on a bilingual journey through the Amazon, learning the names of exotic animals along the way. The game is designed to encourage the development of multi-language, critical thinking and memory skills. The first to reach the ocean wins. "The game board is actually a floor puzzle that you put together before playing the game. This joins the activity of a puzzle and beginner game; both are great for kids just starting to play board games," Todd Jacobs, vice president of Talicor Inc., told TDmonthly.
Awards: 2010 Creative Child Magazine Preferred Choice Award

From the hit Showtime original series comes the Dexter Board Game. The first player to hunt down a suspect that has slipped through the cracks of the justice system wins the game. "This board game follows the story line of the actual Dexter Show," Todd Jacobs, vice president of Talicor Inc., told TDmonthly.

In this game, players shuffle the five discs and place them on the table, then everyone at once tries to find the common object that’s on all five discs. Whoever finds it first gets to mark that object with his or her colored coin and flip over any one of the discs. There will always be only one common object that appears on all five discs, no matter which disc is turned over during the game. This game is for two to four players ages 5 and up.

Deep Sea Diver is a real-life adventure game about diving for treasures and other discoveries. Players need teamwork to plan the dive, share equipment, get each other out of trouble, and divide whatever treasure they bring up. The game includes a 13" x 18" board, diver cards, danger cards, treasure cards, equipment tokens, air tank tokens, a glossary of diving terms, and movers.

Players are a team of magicians performing a series of dangerous illusions, trying not to get trapped in them. Each game played is the performance itself, full of risks. This game includes a 13" x 18" board, manager's chart, magicians, dangers, escapes and magic power cards. "Play as friends, not as enemies! Our games foster the spirit of co-operation," Family Pastimes President Jim Deacove told TDmonthly.

During this "Walk in the Woods," players can observe beautiful things such as wildflowers and butterflies, help each other gather goodies such as apples, berries, nuts and herbs, and keep an eye out for dangers like poison ivy, stinging nettle, biting bugs and even hot sun. The game includes a 12" x 12" board, dangers, remedies, goodies, look-ats, baskets, and rules for basic and hard games. "Play as friends, not as enemies! Our games foster the spirit of co-operation," Family Pastimes President Jim Deacove told TDmonthly.

Automobile™ carries you back to the birth of America’s car industry, when inventors, craftsmen, and entrepreneurs created a wild array of marvels and misfortunes. You step into this rough, romantic trade hoping to create a fortune by building and selling cars. Tapping the talents of men like Ford, Sloan, Kettering, Howard, Durant, and Chrysler, you balance quality versus quantity, mass production versus premium branding, and innovation versus distribution and aggressive sales. Lose your balance and you go bust. Strike the best balance, shift the right gears to best your rivals, and you’ll be rich. You might even win. So, pull up your sleeves and start making cars.

For 3-5 Players. Playing Time 90-120 minutes.

This two-to-four-player addition and subtraction game takes kids on a journey through Sum Swamp. Players make their way over the crocodile shortcut and through the endless loop by adding and subtracting the numbers rolled.

Do Tell is designed for parties, couples, friends and girls' getaways. By inspiring players to participate through words and actions, Do Tell acts as a natural icebreaker and a tool for connection and communication. Players never have to play the card they are given or reveal more than they are comfortable with. Do Tell aims to keep players curious, interested, engaged and rolling in the aisles. "We’re about expansion, diversity, compassion, understanding, coming out of our box, acceptance, love and laughter," Geoff LaPlace, president of Do Tell Enterprises, told TDmonthly.

Each turn, one team flips over a category card and team members quickly brainstorm words that fit the category. The team agrees on a word before the time runs out and then pulls each letter in that word one lane closer to their side of the street. The first team to pull eight letters off the street wins. Word on the Street Junior is designed to encourage vocabulary development, creative thinking and teamwork, and is "great for all ages and all group sizes," Out of the Box VP of Marketing Leah Sugar told TDmonthly.
Awards: 2010 Mensa Select; 2010 Major Fun; 2010 Oppenheim Gold; 2010 Dr. Toy Best Vacation Product; 2010 Parent's Choice Silver
— Verlina Adema of What You Reading Now played Word on the Street Junior with her three children and enjoyed that the game required teamwork and brainstorming. As a homeschool mom, she appreciated that “This game incorporates visual, auditory and tactile learning styles so there is something for every child!”
— The Board Game Family described Word on the Street Junior as the perfect party game because “every time we play it, we can’t stop with just one play…But that’s just great because the second game is always louder, more energetic, and lasts longer for a lot more fun.”

Designed to allow practice and improvement for spelling skills, this 2- to 6-player game comes with a colorful game board, a tri-colored die, six bee playing pieces, 300 Buzzleword cards and 50 Buzzlebee cards. The spelling words are taken from actual school lists, and the adult version is ideal for family game night or play with friends. The game includes spelling words at three levels of difficulty.

Snoots Toots! A Kids Game of Empathy and Manners is a therapeutic board game from Dr. Poppy Moon’s Imagucation Creation Workshop. Kids will role-play their way through a variety of situations requiring manners and empathy skills. This game is designed to help kids learn skills that are critical to social and emotional development. "The use of role playing during the game makes it unique, as does fact that it can be used in a therapeutic, educational, or home setting," YouthLight Inc. Creative Director Amy Rule told TDmonthly. Awards: Dr. Toy 2010 Best Children's Vacation Products

The goal in this Word Golf course is simple – complete each hole with as few strokes as possible. Strokes are calculated by the number of words it takes to finish a hole. Players can work against the course or compete against their friends. Word Golf is portable and is designed to be a fun way to expand vocabulary and spelling skills. "Word Golf combines the challenges and fun of a word game with the excitement of a round of golf!" All the King's Games Owner Kevin Greenberg told TDmonthly.