November 2011 Notable Toys — Board Games

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.

The Domino Express Maxi Power Plus set combines the fascinating action of falling dominoes with even more exciting stunts. It comes with a rocket tower, 2 straight and 2 curved speed tracks, a plane launcher, 36 speed dominoes and over 100 regular dominoes to stack up and watch fall. This set is hours of fun for both new domino fans, as well as the experienced pro. Launch date: July 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.

The Horned Rat expansion for Chaos in the Old World introduces a fifth player to the race toward corruption. With beautifully sculpted playing pieces, all-new powers, and an array of exciting upgrades, the fearsome Skaven stand ready to scurry across the face of the Old World. Players of the existing Ruinous Powers can meet the foul vermin head on with a host of new gameplay options, including alternate upgrade and Chaos cards. Meanwhile, veterans will find engaging challenges with new expert-level Old World cards and gameplay variants. Prepare to join the battle for dominance. Launch date: June 2011.

This hungry Dino has stolen another dinosaur’s eggs. Roll the die to choose which egg to rescue first, then carefully reach in and take out the egg…but watch out. No one knows when this intimidating Dino might leap out. Win the game by rescuing the eggs before the Dino attacks. Launch date: July 2011.

Wordsearch!™ is the word search race game. The game is played on a board that rotates to reveal the new words to search for. The first player to find the word marks it with their colored tiles. This game is fast-paced and fun. It also has some twists and turns where players can remove words found by their competitors. The game includes 20 different word search puzzles. Launch date: July 2011.

The apprentices to the Master Wizard have accidentally lost some objects in The Magic Labyrinth. Now, they must try to collect them before the Master notices that they are missing. However, this magical maze has invisible walls that the little wizards keep bumping into, forcing them to start all over again. Players become one of the wizard apprentices and make their way through the Magic Labyrinth to collect as many of the lost objects as they can. "With it's unique game mechanics, the maze that players are trying to navigate is actually hidden below the board instead of above," Rebekah Zetty, director of operations at Playroom Entertainment, told TDmonthly. Launch date: 2010.
Awards: 2009 Kinderspiel des Jahres, Major Fun Award, 2010 Arets spill, Parent's Choice Recommended.

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.

Gold Mine is a unique tile-laying game in which players build a maze of mine tunnels and control miners that traverse the mine collecting gold nuggets. Players race to be the first to collect enough gold to exit the mine and stake a claim. It may sound easy, but the greedy miners have several tricks up their sleeves in order to gain an advantage—including sneaking through secret passages, fighting for gold, and scaring away other miners with bats. With a different game board every time, a great balance of luck and strategy, and the addition of optional rules, this game doesn't get old. For 2-6 players; game time is 30-60 minutes.

The volcano on the players' island has sprung back to life, unleashing rivers of molten lava in every direction. Players direct lava from the volcano at the center of the island toward the surrounding villages. If lava enters a village, it will heat up and eventually burn. Occasionally, lava will spring up from anywhere on the island and cause even more devastation! To hold back the lava, players can build walls of various materials or play cards to rotate, replace, and remove lava tiles as well as cool down and fortify their own villages.  After the volcano has finished erupting, the player whose village is at the lowest temperature wins. For 2-6 players; game time is 30-60 minutes. Launch date: October 2011.