November 2011 Notable Toys — Card Games

Players have a couple of seconds to observe the little sardines, memorize them and find them again in the box. For 2-4 players; game time is 15 minutes.
— Dean Smith, co-owner of Jazams in Pennington, N.J., told TDmonthly in a September 2011 survey that he sells 12-18 copies of Sardines each month.

TRI : 3-Way Thinking Games "TRI your brains, TRI your words, TRI your luck. Multiple Games for Endless Fun." This is a new game set that challenges players' perceptive, tactical and word powers. Instructions include 4 different games, and will be extensible to other new playing methods in the future. Launch date: October 2011.

July 21, 1861 - the raw untried armies of North and South meet for the first battle of the American Civil War. Players can take the part of General Beauregard of the Confederate States of America defending Virginia, or the part of Union General Irvin McDowell seeking to stop the rebellion of the south and re-unite the nation. Simple game mechanics center on a system where command opportunities are determined by dice, action cards and the frustrations of command are eloquently portrayed. Simply put, the Union Army of Northeastern Virginia must seize Manassas Junction or rout the Southern Army to achieve victory. The Confederate Army of the Potomac & Confederate Army of the Shenandoah win by routing the Union army, avoiding rout, by seizing the Northern town of Centreville, or simply denying the Union victory. For two players; game time averages 45 minutes. Launch date: September 1, 2011.

Ligretto is a fast-moving card game, where players must get rid of their Ligretto stacks as quickly as they can. Have fast hands and quick thinking, as the need for speed is key in this color stacking card game. Everyone plays at the same time, so there's no time to lose. Add different colored sets together for a lightning fast game for up to 12 players. Launch date: 2009.
Awards: Dr. Toy 10 Best Games Winner; 2009 Creative Child Preferred Choice Award; Dr. Toy 100 Best Children's Products Winner; Major Fun Award.

Killer Bunnies Conquest is a follow-up to (and completely compatible with) the popular Killer Bunnies Quest card game series. Includes an entirely new array of wacky weapons, risky P-cards and wince-worthy Terrible Misfortunes. Morden's Metals Exchange is a new market where a player may buy and sell precious metals to earn Dolla. Kaballa's Market Two will sell the Radish and Milk needed to feed the bunnies. Some things are different, but the goal is still the same; survive long enough to claim the Magic Carrot and win the game. Launch date: 2011.

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.

Players are battling to build the biggest, baddest rockets possible and send them soaring into space. Each rocket requires metal, fuel, and the expertise needed for liftoff. As players build their rockets, they must beware of their opponents, who are eager to steal their goods and sabotage their work— players may even have some tricks of their own to thwart their opponents' progress. All the while, the launch pad is being constructed—as soon as it’s ready, the rockets that are “go” for launch will blast off into space, leaving all others behind. For 2-4 players; game time is 30-60 minutes.