August 2011 New Specialty Toys — General Games

The Aggravation Game Board is a 20" Hexagon, made of solid Black Walnut, with the addition of (24) Inlaid Birch Pegged Spots, and with a beautiful wood grain enhanced by a non-toxic hand rubbed natural oil finish. The set includes: (24) 25mm (1") dia. solid opaque glass marbles of which there are (4) each of (6) different colors, plus (6) colored Dice to match the (6) sets of colors of the glass marbles. Plus instructions along with a velour pouch with a double drawstring. "The game board is designed to be able to set out permanently on display as a decorative piece when not being played with. This type of setting invites family participation more often. The family that plays together enjoys life a lot more," Charles H. W. Hall, owner of Charlie's Woodshop, told TDmonthly. Launch date: July 2009.

Elder Sign lets players control investigators who must successfully endure adventures within the museum in order to gather clues, items, and the eldritch knowledge they need to seal the rifts between dimensions and prevent the Ancient One’s arrival. A clever and thematic dice mechanic pits their exploration against monsters and the sheer difficulty of staying sane and healthy while investigating the most dangerous exhibits and most terrifying instances of insanity. Elder Sign recreates the Lovecraftian thrills of eerie suspense and mind-numbing horrors in a cooperative game players can finish in one to two hours. Rules, card text, and innovative dice mechanics expertly designed by Richard Launius and Kevin Wilson, the designers of Arkham Horror, all blend in a game that’s quick to learn, quick to play, strategic enough to reward frequent replay, and eccentric enough to immerse players in the museum’s supernatural intrigue. "For those who love Arkham Horror, Elder Sign provides faster gameplay with an easier-to-understand mechanic. Dice add a bit of chance to the fun of it all, and the horror theme brings a bit of spookiness," Molly Glover, sales associate at Fantasy Flight Games, told TDmonthly. Launch date: September 2011.

Shards of the Throne is an epic expansion for Twilight Imperium, adding new races, new units, and many new options to create a power struggle in the far reaches of the galaxy. Mercenaries, Mechanized Units, and all-new Flagship units give players more options for customizing their fleets and Ground Forces, while the Political Intrigue option will crank up the agendas and espionage of the political phase. Also adding Race-Specific Technologies, alternate Strategy Cards, new System Tiles, Space Domains, and an all-new scenario that puts one player in control of the legendary Lazax Empire, Shards of the Throne creates a completely new way to wage galactic conquests. "There are no other games like Twilight Imperium. It's a fascinating game of interstellar diplomacy and strategy that captures the imagination from the first turn," Molly Glover, sales associate at Fantasy Flight Games, told TDmonthly. Launch date: June 2011.

In the second edition of A Game of Thrones: The Board Game, three to six players take on the roles of the great Houses of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, as they vie for control of the Iron Throne through the use of diplomacy and warfare. Based on the best-selling A Song of Ice and Fire series of fantasy novels by George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones is an epic board game in which it will take more than military might to win. Through strategic planning, masterful diplomacy, and clever card play, players spread their influence over Westeros. "Devotees of A Song of Ice and Fire need look no further to get their Westeros fix. This updated edition of the beloved Game of Thrones board game deepens the experience, bringing the intrigue, military might, and cunning of the fight for control of the Iron Throne to players' tables," Molly Glover, sales associate at Fantasy Flight Games, told TDmonthly. Launch date: November 2011.

Deadwood is a board game of cowboys and control for 2-5 players, and is playable in 1-2 hours. Players control a gang of cowboys and send them into the vulnerable town of Deadwood to control businesses and collect as much money as they can. The player with the most cash at the end of the game is the winner. The 26 possible buildings that can be constructed in Deadwood promise variety in each game. With three possible ways for the game to end, your every decision either to stay at a building, instigate a shootout, or build the railroad can change the course of the game. "This fast-paced, family-friendly game is a winner with anyone who appreciates the Wild West, dueling, and immersive gameplay," Molly Glover, sales associate at Fantasy Flight Games, told TDmonthly. September 2011.

Ticked Off is a game that gives players the opportunity  to crush and impress their friends with their vast smartitude. Fast, fun and easy to play. 1. Bet on the first category...highest bid sets the mark to beat. 2. Reveal the Mystery Category. Start the timer. 3. Jot down as many answers as you can before the timer goes off. "A whole new twist on party games involving categories and matching answers, plus it comes with a unique 45 second electronic timer! You just gotta get TICKED OFF!" Frank DiLorenzo, president of R&R Games, Inc., told TDmonthly. Launch date: September 2011.

Players Roll, Pass and Kick their way to victory in this head to head football game. The game pits two football teams in a classic gridiron match.  Playable by 2-4 players, ‘coaches’ call plays using the cards available in their hands. Yardage gained or lost is determined by the roll of the dice. Strategic play calling makes all the difference... The right offensive play might get a lot of yardage... unless the defense sets up correctly to stop it. Fumbles, interceptions, sacks, penalties, deep passes, breakaway runs... it’s all in here. "This is the most fun football board game in a box AND there will be 6 expansion sets available that allow you to completely customize the game with 24 different teams," Frank DiLorenzo, president of R&R Games, Inc., told TDmonthly. Launch date: October 2011.

A plush version of our smash hit Hide & Seek Safari that is especially geared for younger children.  Hidden animal calls out to the child with their own sound while the children race to find it.  New for 2011 are the Panda, Cat, Dog and Cow. It's a "Unique yet simple game that is both a plush friend and an interactive game playable right out of the box," Frank DiLorenzo, president of R&R Games, Inc., told TDmonthly. Launch date: February 2010.
Awards: 2010 Creative Child Top Toy of the Year; 2010 NAPPA Honors

In Cthulhu Gloom, you control a group of Lovecraftian protagonists and guide them down a path of horror and madness to an untimely death, while keeping your opponents happy, healthy, and annoyingly alive. While your characters Gibber With Ghouls and Learn Loathsome Lore to earn negative points, you'll encourage your opponents to be Analyzed by Alienists and to Just Forget About the Fungus to pile on positive points. When one group finally falls prey to the interdimensional doom that awaits us all, the player whose characters have suffered the most wins. Cthulhu Gloom is printed on transparent plastic cards. Cthulhu Gloom is a stand-alone card game that's also fully compatible with Gloom and its expansions. It introduces Story cards and Transformation cards. Includes two decks of 55 transparent cards, and a rules sheet in a tuckbox. Launch date: August 2011.

In FURT, players race to be first into the fiery mouth of the FURT volcano with each roll of the color-coded die. Along the way, they might find themselves speaking like a robot, impersonating a stamp collector, doing fork acupuncture on their neighbor, or acting like a sugar donut, just to name a few. Players win by being the first to make it to the mouth of the FURT volcano and withstanding the ultimate Straight-Faced Challenge, in which other players take turns saying funny words to try to make them laugh. Launch date: August 2011.

The Make It! series are fun construction games that will challenge problem solving and memorization, and will develop fine motor skills of young children as they build their favorite creatures.  Featuring Dinosaurs, Zoo Animals, Farm Animals and Animal Babies, Make It! is a multiplayer game that teaches cooperation skills and animal recognition.  Simply take turns selecting game cards and try to collect the pieces necessary to complete your animal.  Great family games for all ages.  Ages 3+ years.

Enjoy lots of games with SpongeBob and friends. Each tin consists of a color game board printed on the inside of the tin, an activity book with 5 additional play scenes and 2 sheets of magnets.

Enjoy lots of games with Dora and friends. Each tin consists of a color game board printed on the inside of the tin, an activity book with 5 additional play scenes and 2 sheets of magnets.

In this game, the players are prep cooks in a Pizza Shop and have to help Chef fill the pizza orders coming in while keeping an eye on how hot the oven is getting. Players don't want to burn any pizzas. Often one player on a turn will set up the next player for a good move. Next time round, they may get help from someone else. That's the fun of co-oper­ative play. It allows different ages to play together. Comes with three levels of play- The red dot game is for beginners and young players. Add the green dot cards for a tougher game. Add the yellow dot cards for the most challenging version. Includes 36 Cards, consisting of 6 Pizza Orders, 5 Ovens, 25 Ingredients and Rules.

Based on the popular website (ranked in the Top 10 comedy websites by CNN), Awkward Family Photos combined classic and never-before-seen Awkward Family Photos with open-ended questions to inspire laughter and creative discussion among players. 4-6 players.

KATATU, which means ‘three’, is a unique abstract strategy board game, very rich in history, that takes its roots from a 3000 year old game that was played originally in Italy and Egypt and eventually made its way to Southern Africa. KATATU is adapted from this ancient game that has never before been available in a packaged form to the Western part of the world until now. Very easy to learn, but hard to master, KATATU can take some surprising twists and plays in about 15 minutes. Ages 5 and up. Where Tic-Tac-Toe leaves off, KATATU picks up.
Awards: 2012 Game of the Year and 2012 Preferred Choice Award from Creative Play Magazine; 2012 Seal of Approval National Parenting Center; Dr. Toy 2012 winner Best New Products; 2011 Preferred Choice Award Creative Child Magazine; TDmonthly Magazine Staff Pick August 2011

Chaostle is a board game that has many levels of strategy, from picking a starting army to moving throughout the multi-level castle towards victory. Chaostle has many fates that constantly effect the game, ranging from mild setbacks to cataclysmic earthquakes. These unpredictable twists of fate can be either from the card of happiness or the card of doom. Chaostle offers a wide range of fantasy characters to strategically build an army. The game comes standard with sixteen of these custom collectible miniature characters. Chaostle features 23 three-dimensional castle walls that are secured onto the game board. The fantasy fighters can move any direction throughout the castle including up and down stairways to change levels.

This 1500 piece puzzle  features one of Van Gogh's most iconic works. Each piece is unique and fully interlocking.
— In a Summer 2011 survey about best-selling puzzles, Donna Frederick, owner of The Play House Toy Store in Durham, N.C., said that Ravensburger puzzles over 1000 pieces were a best-seller. “There are not a lot of [companies] who cater to older people who like puzzles but not kiddie pictures,” she told TDmonthly.
— In the same Summer 2011 survey, Syd Clarke, owner of Ali Cat in Carrboro, N.C., said that this Van Gogh puzzle was one of his best-sellers in the category.
— As of 7/12/2011 this product had 5 out of 5 stars from 5 reviews on Amazon.com. Pros: "Outstanding quality;" durable; beatiful artwork; challenging.

The object of the game is to be the first player to fill the Shains bracelet with the most stars by using their intuition and how well they know their friends, to figure out “WHAT SHE SAID!” Each game comes with a set of 200 elements (letters, numbers and stars), six orchid tabs with seven holes and six bracelets in pink and orchid, 36 “WHAT SHE SAID!” cards, eight cardboard element holders and carrying pouch. Each player takes a small purple strip and a larger bracelet strap. The bracelet will be used for scoring and is worn on the wrist. The smaller strip will be used to plug in letter elements, to create a word that corresponds to the card played from the deck on each turn. The deck of cards are placed face down in the middle of the playing area, along with the cardboard element holders. Letters are for making words that answer the “WHAT SHE SAID!” cards, numbers are for betting, and stars are for scoring. Launch date: September 15, 2011.

Control the flow - control your opponents. Game for 2 to 4 players. Game time: 30-45 minutes. Control the flow by altering the flow directional tiles. Gain a reward token each time you either push an opponent's pawn out of the board or into an existing infinite loop. Collect most tokens at the end of the game to win.

Burning bridges behind you is not all bad! In this game it's the only way you can win.
Game for 2 or 3 players. Game time: 15 - 30 minutes. Take turns in moving from island to island across a bridge. After crossing the bridge set the bridge on fire. Once the fire is set no one can move or jump over it. The game continues until there are no more bridges remaining, all the scorch points have been awarded. The player with the highest count of scorch points wins.

Each player is a daemon that guides and influences the main character. The game is a struggle between daemons to control main character's mood by using the environment surrounding the character. Daemons take turns playing cards to trigger the environment to shift the mood. Each player's actions directly affect decisions and strategy of the other players. The game ends when Moody enters the mood wheel. Players uncover both mission cards and check how close they are to Moody's final mood determined by the mood marker. Each space gives 1 point. Count how far is the distance from your mission mood to the final mood marker. The player with the least points wins the game. Each game can end up in a draw between 2 players. Play more than one game to truly establish who is the MOOD MASTER.

Players move on a 6 x 6 game grid. Movement is determined by roll of dice and coordinates embedded in each game place. Along the way players can pick up booster cards which can help them get to the target area or hinder the efforts of their opponents. The seemingly simple concept of transferring the game pieces from start to finish takes a different shape in Avodome. The game “twists and turns” after each move and is never decided until the last playing piece of one player lands on the target area. No player is ever in the lead since the boosters add a special dynamic to the game where a player seemingly “in the lead” can be blocked, forced back and actually loose the game to a player who appears to be “dead last”.

Features 36 party gras bead strings, 300 party gras cards, 1 rule sheet, for ages 13 and older. 4 to 12 players. Party gras is a perfect way to spice up any social occasion. Unlike other games, you won’t be stuck sitting around a table. Players stand up, move around and try to cleverly complete the lively mission on their cards. Mind control: make someone refuse to throw away the trash. Caught in the act: catch someone text messaging. Talk it out: find someone who likes werewolves better than vampires. Players must use charm and wit to get those sparkly beads away from others, all while they’re trying to get beads from their opponents. Collect the most beads to win. 10 or more minutes to play. Created by GaZima Games.