“Where what you say and what gets heard depends on more than just your words.” Whirled Peas is a game where two teams (six to 12 players total) participate every turn, every time. Each player spins the Pea-King Spinner to select one of five challenges: Minor Draw-backs, Retrace Their Tracks; Drawing Coach, A Telling Approach; PEAple Putty, Mold Your Buddy; Zip-Your-Lip, A Mumble Trip; and Clap-Trap, Slap/Clap/Snap. Teams have 60 seconds to give the correct reaction to every action and earn peas to fill the team pod. The first team to fill their pod wins. The game includes: Pea-King category spinner, more than 600 Challenge cards, two pod-shaped pea holders, 18 Pea markers with pouch, an hourglass timer, two drawing pads with pencils and a foldout instruction card. "The single characteristic that sets Whirled Peas The Game apart is our mission to establish a foundation from at least 40% of our annual profits that support unique organizations nationwide that are often passed over by larger charities," Kevin Werntz, president of Peas-Corp, told TDmonthly. Launch date: February 13, 2010. 11/17/2009 (Price: $35.00) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
In this expansion, players still attempt to complete their Destination Tickets, claim routes, and block each other on the map, but rather than draw and collect Train cards, they roll five custom Train dice each turn. Depending on the outcome they can re-roll some or all, then use the dice to claim routes on the board, grab route Tokens for future use, or draw more Destination Tickets. "The Ticket to Ride: Dice Expansion makes for a shorter but just as intense Ticket to Ride game. It can be incorporated into any of the Ticket to Ride series games, and revitalizes them with elements of luck and strategy," Elizabeth Case, marketing assistant at Days of Wonder, told TDmonthly. Launch date: 2001. 11/16/2009 (Price: $20.00) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
Whether your pizza is pick-up or delivery, this game is designed to add fun to family pizza night and bring everyone closer together. It includes a pizza box packaging, 150 pizza-slice game cards and six game categories: Family Style, Fun Time, Get Creative, Brainy, Action Packed and Talk Town. Launch date: February 2010. 10/29/2009 (Price: $19.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
Sort it Out! is a game of putting things in order, from Australia. It's designed as a great icebreaker for groups of new friends and a battle of wits for old; it is a fast-paced game where knowing just a little about something can help a player win everything. "Sort it Out! offers a new approach to trivia, making it more interactive and better for all levels. Because players are asked to arrange information instead of supply facts, they have a greater chance of scoring points even by guessing or using logic. Every turn involves every player, so there are no pauses between turns to repel energetic player," Maddie Oatman of University Games told TDmonthly. Launch date: 2009. 10/29/2009 (Price: $29.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
Players compete by placing cards to line up three in a row of the shape that matches their secret Goal. The first player to score five Goals wins. But beware ... placing a card can help opponents as easily as it can help you. Triplica includes two multi-player games and an addictive solitaire version. "Triplica is a challenging and competitive game based on the very simple idea of making three in a row," Jeanine Calkin, president of Fun Q Games, told TDmonthly. Launch date: December 2009. 10/29/2009 (Price: $14.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
Armed with an erasable sketch book, an erasable marker and a word card, players get 90 seconds to simultaneously sketch out their own word in their sketch book. When time’s up, everyone passes their sketch book to the player next to them. Every player now looks at the sketch they received from the previous player and writes down what they think the drawing is and passes it to the next player. Each player now looks at that word, sketches it out, and passes it on. This simultaneous sketching and guessing continues until everyone gets their own sketch book back and each player can see if the final guess matches their original word, or like the “telephone game,” see how it becomes amusingly different. The more players, the more laughter, and the crazier it gets for a different game each time. Telestrations is a party game for 4 to 8 players. Launch date: 2009. 10/27/2009 (Price: $39.95) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
When ten little hedgehogs are surprised by some bad-news badgers, they have to roll together to reach the low spot in the hedge where mama hedgehog is waiting. Players help the spiny guys escape by rolling them safely past the badgers. There is only one way all ten can clear the hedge in a single roll. 50 different setups challenge players to foil the badgers. (Watch Video) 10/26/2009 (Price: $19.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
Pool Sharks is an inventive twist on one of the greatest games of skill ever created. The scaled down size combined with the unique shark shooter mechanisms will challenge and delight pool lovers of all skill levels. As they play, kids will learn some elementary physics (action-reaction) as well as hone hand-eye coordination. The game comes with a pool table, six fix pockets, two shark cuesticks, triangle rack and 11 mini pool balls. Launch date: 2009. (Watch Video) 10/20/2009 [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
Polar bears are the world's largest land predator, standing up to 10 feet tall and weighing around 1,000 pounds. Now imagine a pack of them sliding towards you on roller skates. Get out of the way fast! Speaking of fast, Polar Derby is a game of quick decision-making. Should you keep rolling or should you quit while you're ahead? It's also a game where fortunes change quickly. One moment you're on a roll, next moment you're skating on thin ice. For 2 to 4 players. Game time is approximately 20 minutes. It comes with a playing board, 25 wooden polar bears and two custom dice. 10/20/2009 [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
The game where players make up hysterical new lyrics to popular hit music. Are you witty enough to write a song about fast food, homework, doing the laundry or perhaps rabid squirrels? A good sense of humor is better than a great singing voice when you play Smash or Trash. Put your creativity to the test as you compete for top praise from the critics (other players) who will declare each song you write to be a Smash hit or just plain Trash. 10/15/2009 (Price: $29.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
Wizard apprentices develop their powers of premonition by predicting the exact number of tricks they can win in each round of this enchanting card game. Humans, dwarves, elves and giants compete for power, but none can conquer the all-powerful Wizards. The game includes 60 character cards, a scorepad of truth and a set of instructions. "Building on the worldwide popularity of Wizard, this new card game bridges the markets between traditional family card games and fantasy gamers," Lynn Araujo, communications director for U.S. Games Systems, Inc., told TDmonthly. Launch date: September 2009. 10/5/2009 (Price: $9.00) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
In Yikerz, opposites really do attract. Place magnets on the game pad and use the natural forces of 5 different shapes and sizes of magnets to foil your opponent! Play anywhere, anytime, in solo, head-to-head or team formats. Over 20 custom board layouts - design your own for endless variety. Learn the game in less than a minute... easy to play - hard to master! Handy zipper pouch for portable fun! (Ages 14+) 8/31/2009 [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
Ticket to Ride - USA 1910 is a card expansion for the original Ticket to Ride board game. It consists of 181 new large-format cards that include 35 new Destination Tickets, a new GlobeTrotter bonus card for completing the most tickets, and a complete replacement deck of all the cards from the original game. Also included is a new rulebook that gives Ticket to Ride players three new ways to play: games using only the new Destination Tickets; the Mega Game, featuring all the tickets; and Big Cities, which uses only tickets to certain large cities. Launch date: 2001. 8/28/2009 (Price: $20.00) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
The Ticket to Ride Europa 1912 expansion for the Ticket to Ride series includes 101 Destination Tickets — the 46 original tickets, plus 55 new ones that enable three new variants to the Ticket to Ride Europe map. This expansion also introduces Warehouses & Depots — new game rules and pieces that create an additional strategic layer and can be played with any of the Ticket to Ride maps. "Wooden Train Depots are placed on cities selected by each player. Throughout the game, each player's Warehouse will accumulate Train cards and those who have the foresight, clever timing, or just plain good fortune to build a route to a Depot can make off with a fistful of Train cards. Depot placement and skillful Warehouse tactics become a key part of a winning Ticket to Ride strategy!" Elizabeth Case, marketing assistant for Days of Wonder, told TDmonthly. Launch date: August 6, 2009. 8/28/2009 (Price: $20.00) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
In Small World, players vie for conquest and control of a world that is simply too small to accommodate them all. Picking the right combination from the 14 different fantasy races and 20 unique special powers, players rush to expand their empires — often at the expense of weaker neighbors. Yet they must also know when to push their own over-extended civilization into decline and ride a new one to victory. "Designer Philip Keyaerts has expertly interwoven the fantasy worlds with competitive game play to create a game that appeals to casual players of all ages and experience while simultaneously maintaining a complexity that draws in the more serious crowd," Elizabeth Case, marketing assistant for Days of Wonder, told TDmonthly. The game has received the following awards: 2009 Bruno Faidutti's Game of the Year; 2009 Finalist for the International Gamer's Award; and 2009 Spiele Hit (Vienna Game Academy). Launch date: January 26, 2009. 8/28/2009 (Price: $50.00) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
In this game, players are Gypsies trying to earn as much gold as they can and bring it to the Big Gypsy Gathering. They need to finance the various festivities of weddings, baptisms, meetings, feasts and entertainment before border checkpoints are closed, preventing them from traveling and earning a living. Players have only two rounds of events to accomplish their goal of raising money for the Gathering. The game includes a 17" x 22" board, four movers and matching caravan cards, 26 colored wagons, 24 trades, 24 gold payments for trades, 56 events, and rules for regular and advanced games. In this cooperative game, individuals play together, not against one another. Launch date: August 2009. 8/28/2009 (Price: $32.00) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
With 52 questions, this game is designed to let players know how well they you know their BFF, and how well their best friend knows them. Launch date: September 15, 2009. 8/28/2009 (Price: $20.00) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
Players take on the role of lively goblin bodgers as they race around grabbing the parts they need to finish their outrageous contraptions. Getting that perfect part isn’t easy, though, as the conveyor belt is constantly moving valuable parts out of reach. And if that’s not enough to keep the goblins on their toes, they also have to deal with rivals scheming and tussling for parts. Players may be the first bodger to complete their contraption — or fuel the frenzy trying. This family board game is for two to four players. "Scrappers uniquely appeals to any specialty market customer with characters and themes that they recognize and love, while offering game play [that] can be brought home and played with anyone who loves to have a good time," Brent Waldher, licensing and contract manager for Privateer Press, told TDmonthly. Launch date: September 14, 2009. 8/28/2009 (Price: $24.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
Coursing Around's first edition offers 15 activity courses using sidewalk chalk. Designed to motivate kids to get off the couch and be active outside, it also offers an educational dynamic by helping kids learn their shapes, colors, numbers, and lefts and rights. Coursing Around received a 2009 iParenting Media Award in the Outstanding Product Toys and Games Category. Launch date: 2009. 8/28/2009 (Price: $19.95) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
This Rummikub set for preschoolers is designed with shapes that help children self-correct their moves. The game helps children develop number and color recognition skills, teaches players how to build sets of consecutive numbers, and fosters logical reasoning as they learn the basics of Rummikub. It features three levels of game play. Launch date: August 2009. 8/19/2009 (Price: $14.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
At the pole, your penguins are jumping from ice floe to ice floe hunting fish. They’re also trying to block other penguins and secure the best fishing grounds for themselves. The penguin colony that catches the most fish by the end of the game wins. Launch date: December 2008. 8/19/2009 (Price: $40.00) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
Pack & Stack is designed to be a fast and funny, wild and crazy game about moving stuff on all sorts of odd trucks. Every interactive turn is a new adventure, where all the players discover new loads, grab new trucks, and then gamble on their planning and packing skills. Launch date: June 4, 2009. 8/19/2009 (Price: $49.00) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
The Black Heritage Gamebook is an educational gamebook with games that span subjects across curriculum — math, reading, history, writing and more. These games can be played for speed or at a child’s individual pace. Launch date: January 3, 2003. 8/19/2009 (Price: $7.95) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
Each of these question-and-answer games includes 60 question-and-answer cards. As each correct answer is given, players perform a fun task, such as giving the closest person a high-five or hitting an imaginary baseball and shouting, "Home Run!" There are 10 different games: America, American Revolution, Animals, Black History, Conservation, Solar System, U.S. Civil War, U.S. Constitution, U.S. Presidents and Weather. Launch date: January 2009. (Watch Video) 8/19/2009 (Price: $12.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
Kids can learn state facts fast in this card game that's available for 11 states: California, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. Six fun ways to play include matching, trivia, and rummy-style games. The card facts and graphics include more than 40 state facts including state map, symbols, trivia, spelling and true-or-false. Launch date: January 2008. 8/19/2009 (Price: $9.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
