March 2010 New Specialty Toys — Board Games

The Mystic Treasure Chest the players seek sits on the altar behind the Guardian Ghoul. Players must complete challenges of the ancients to earn the right to try and open the Chest. They must also choose a mystic key carefully, as only one will unlock the chest to reveal the gold coins and any other key will wake up the guardian bringing the sleeping skull to life. The skull’s teeth grind, clatter and bang while his eyes wobble and shrieks a warning at the player who dares try to steal his treasure. For 2 to 4 players.

Take a trek through the deserts of Arabia. Traverse the desert, capturing wild animals to sell at the city markets. The journey is harsh and the desert sands can shift without warning. Can you make the biggest offering when the pilgrim arrives in Mecca? Don't get too far behind, or you'll be lost in the desert. For 3-6 players. Play time: 45-60 min. For ages 10 and up.

It's Fair time. Send your pickers and gardeners into the orchards for the best fruit. But watch out for the raccoon, or they may return empty handed! Pick the most fruit to attract special visitors to your farm. They'll help you send your fruit on to the fair. Whoever makes the best showing wins first prize. For 3-5 players. Play time: 45-60 min. For ages 10 and up.

Fly the crowded skies of Europe. Claim important airlinks from city to city across the countryside. Assign your airplanes to a path that satisfies the public demand for air travel. To keep adding planes to your fleet will take money, and that means claiming some of the profitable short flights before you can try for the more valuable long flights. In the end, the player who can best manage both money and airlines will be the winner. For 2-6 players. Play time: 90-120 min. For ages 12 and up.

This is a two-color chocolate and pink version of the company's gift bingo bridal shower game for up to 50 guests. "Introduced in 2002, BadaBadaBingo is the leader in original, upscale shower games providing quality, thoughtful games which connect people at events. Time and again we hear: 'Women typically do not like playing games at showers, but your products make playing games fun!'" Susan Newton, CEO, BadaBadaBingo Fun Games Co! LLC, told TDmonthly. Launch date: October 2009.

In this subtle competition, the forest is ablaze, the smoke is thick, and the flames are spreading. The only inhabitants seem to be a few courageous firefighters, their supporting planes and fleeing animals. Ablaze consists of three distinct games. In Wild Fire!, one to four players lead a crew of firefighters who are attempting to contain a rapidly spreading wildfire. The crew must cover the largest area of forest while always maintaining a link to water. In Volcano!, players pilot an air tanker struggling to help extinguish a conflagration initiated by an erupting volcano. They extinguish or isolate the most forest fires to earn honor and victory. In On the Run!, a lighting strike has started an intense brushfire, forcing fluffy forest fauna to flee the inferno in an effort to escape a fiery demise. Players shall decide the fate of some of the frantic forest fauna, and saving the most animals will win the game. Ablaze includes 48 pawns (firefighters) in four colors, 47 forest tiles, one volcano tile, one plane tile and rules. It is made in the USA and is not sold in the mass market, according to Robert T. Carty, Jr., VP of Sales and Marketing, Mayfair Games. Playing time is about 45 minutes. The game was designed by Heinrich Glumpler with art by Franz Vohwinkel. Launch date: March 11, 2010.

Aliens are on the loose and it’s up to the players to capture them. Everybody’s got aliens, but there are only two capture markers. The goal is to catch as many aliens as possible before the next player grabs the capture marker. The first to capture all of his or her aliens wins the game. Launch date: July 15, 2010.

Three bands of pirates have discovered an island brimming with treasure. The goal is to conquer the island by capturing the gold and silver, or by eliminating the enemy pirates. Players must position their pirates carefully, as enemies are all around and they are hungry for treasure. "Unique pirate figures make the game very attractive out in the store," Leah Sugar, VP Marketing, Out of the Box Publishing, told TDmonthly. Launch date: June 15, 2010.

Players should gather their sunglasses, snowshoes and mosquito spray for travel to the Americas. Players use destination and transportation tiles to chart a course through North, Central and South America and the Caribbean — touring by airplane, cruise ship or on foot. With a little luck and clever planning, they just might outmaneuver their fellow travelers and be the first to make connections for a complete 10-day journey. It's "exclusive to the specialty market, great for families and educational settings," Leah Sugar, VP Marketing, Out of the Box Publishing, told TDmonthly. Launch date: May 7, 2010.

For two to four players, Stranded is a fast-paced light strategy game where being last will make one first. Players remove randomly placed game pieces from the platform in hopes of trapping their opponents. But each piece that is removed changes the game surface, creating new moves for some and different strategies for others. Suspense will mount with every move or remove as players try not to fall into their own trap. "Each game played has different moves you can make to either win or set yourself up for losing. The clear box top packaging gives the consumer a perfect look at the colorful playing board. This attractive and intriguing design draws consumers to the product," Todd Jacobs, Vice President, Talicor, Inc., told TDmonthly. Launch date: May 15, 2010. Awards: 2010 Creative Child Magazine Preferred Game of the Year Award

Reminiscing is the game for people over 30 and the younger people they let play. Asking pop culture questions from 1950-2009, this fun family game includes questions that allow players to reminisce about their own personal past. "In this game, older is better, but [it] plays best with teams of mixed ages," Sandy Bergeson, Exec. VP of TDC Games, told TDmonthly. Launch date: May 5, 2009.

Wits & Wagers Family takes the unique trivia-betting game play of Wits & Wagers and makes it more family-friendly, for three to 10 players. The simplified, faster game-play and kid-friendly questions are designed to level the playing field and provide instant fun for all ages. "Previously found in hobby oriented board games, meeples have been gaining in popularity as gaming pieces. These cute wooden pieces serve as the perfect family-friendly replacement for the poker chips found in the classic Wits & Wagers game," Matt Mariani, Director of Marketing, North Star Games, told TDmonthly. Awards: Parent's Choice Award 2010; Mom's Best Award 2010. Launch date: March 2010.

In this game designed by Klaus Teber, three to four players who are immigrants to Catan must develop their colony on the island by establishing roads, villages and settlements and making strategic trades of bricks and lumber, livestock or other commodities to obtain necessary resources. Play takes about 60 to 90 minutes. The first player to 10 points wins. "The new edition was released three years ago and has sold more copies in those three years than the first, second or third editions combined," Bob Carty, Sales & Marketing Director, Mayfair Games, told TDmonthly in early 2010.
— In August 2010, five percent of 43 retailers surveyed named The Settlers of Catan an overall top seller. The same month, Steven Levy, owner of Toy City in Keene, New Hampshire, told TDmonthly his store sells approximately three Settlers of Catan games per week.
— “It's real easy to teach, and then you just develop strategies from there," Mike Snyder, owner and manager of Cville's Hobbies, Games and Toys in Charlottesville, Va., told TDmonthly in a February 2012 survey about best selling games. Cville's sells 16-20 copies of the game each month.
— As of 12/17/2012 this product had 4.7 out of 5 stars from 632 reviews on Amazon.com.

Celtic Challenge is a timeless strategy game for one or two players. Crafted in an old-world style, the game features rustic tiles, a Celtic "rune" staff for scoring, and an elegant hardwood playing board. Players try to remove as many tiles from the board as possible in the turns allowed. Legend has it that no one has ever accomplished the nearly insurmountable "Celtic Challenge" — sweeping all tiles from the board in one game. Rich with Celtic symbols, this game is designed for families, dads, or anyone looking to expand their library of classics. "While it is evocative of mah jong or solitaire, our Celtic Challenge game can be learned in less than five minutes, and played in 10-15 minutes. The sheer beauty of the game, and the look and feel of the playing tiles, set the product apart as deserving of an everyday place on the coffee table or anywhere in the home," Brian Maggio, Sales, Find It Games, told TDmonthly. Launch date: May 2010.
Awards:  2010 Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Best Toy Award, Gold Seal.

Do Tell Family game takes five minutes to learn and requires no knowledge of anything. The game sets up quickly and the average play time is about an hour. In this game, players get to reveal themselves using both words and actions, some thought-provoking, some side-splitting. DO cards invite you to step into the spotlight and demonstrate your talents, TELL cards invite you to share your thoughts and feelings, RISK cards add excitement to the game, and WILD cards shake things up. Contents include four decks of cards, eight tokens, two dice, scorepad, pencils, timer, and instructions.

In this game for three to six players, each participant in turn is given a picture card, while the other players receive a hand of six pictures. The designated storyteller uses a word or phrase to strategically hint at his picture (without being too obvious), and the other players each choose one of their cards that best fits the description. Everyone then bets on which picture belongs to the storyteller.

One hundred giant elephants are running amok, but one tiny mouse has got their number! Roll the dice and move the mouse around the board, searching high and low for elephants that are either higher or lower than the number on your card. If you spot a mouse hiding on a card, shout “Eeek!” and grab the mouse figurine before it scampers away! You’ll need to have a memory like an elephant and be quick as a mouse to win. Includes 100 elephant cards, 2 custom dice, 1 mouse figurine, Rules of Play, and Instrucciones en Español. For 2-6 players. Launch date: Spring 2010
Awards: 2010 Creative Child Magazine Preferred Choice Award, Major Fun Award, Tillywig Best Family Fun Award, Dr. Toy’s Best New Products Picks, Parents’ Choice Recommended, Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award.

In this interactive party game, players must quickly come up with the most unique answers pertaining to fun and entertaining topics, in order to earn more points and be the first to reach the center of the gameboard. There are hundreds of options on the included 150 cards (with 450 categories), and it comes with a one-minute timer.

In this game, players take turns tiles with leaf designs on the playing field so as to benefit their plays and thwart their opponents.' In turn, after laying down three drawn tiles, each player strategically turns over two. The goal is to make sure there are not three tiles in a row with the same color leaves; the number of leaves indicates potential point values.

This eco-friendly board game has children compete to create their very own garden. Each player travels around the board visiting different vendors to pick up vegetables, flowers, herbs, and more for their garden. The first to gather all items and head home to tend to their garden wins. Game board folds out to 18x18" and all game pieces are made without plastics.  For 2 to 4 players.

Using the two captivating books included in CHESS: Once A Pawn A Time, this kit is designed to help children enjoy learning and playing chess. The endearing chess characters and story-book style are created to engage them in the game. "This imaginative approach to teaching chess was developed by author Patzi Stewart over her 20 years as a chess teacher in the San Francisco Bay Area. The box opens so that customers can examine the books and understand the uniqueness of this chess product prior to purchase," Rachael Norman, Sales, Norman & Globus, Inc., told TDmonthly. Awards: 2010 Dr. Toy Best Toys Award. Launch date: February 15, 2010.

CATTURA is played with Italian cards — the player to collect the most cards wins The Royals on the board stop the players from collecting cards, and players must fight them off in order to win the game. "The imported Italian cards set this game apart from any other," Kristine Troiano, Owner, Italian Games, told TDmonthly. Launch date: March 15, 2010.

The object of Cattura is to "capture" as many cards as you can. The player with the most cards wins. Cattura comes with imported Italian cards and instructions on how to play.