July 2010 Notable Toys — Board Games

You are all employees of Glenn’s Gallery, a prestigious art gallery where you are learning the ins and outs of the business of selling fine art. Your job is to look at trends in the art world, and recommend to Glenn the types of art that are going to attract the most customers. Customers are represented by cards, and at the beginning of each turn, you have a certain amount of information about the customers that will show up this month.

These hardwood maple and cherry chess pieces are made in Vermont. The pieces are blocks with a traditional characters engraved on two sides. All the pieces are 1" wide and 1" deep, varying in height depending on the strength of the character. The pawn stands at 1.25" tall and the Queen is 2.25" tall. Each set comes with a cloth pouch for piece storage when not in use. Barbara Rainville, marketing manager for Maple Landmark Woodcraft, told TDmonthly, "Each piece has a diagram to show how that character moves engraved on the bottom — for new players or those just a bit rusty." Launch date: March 13, 2010.

In this game, children work together to solve world and human problems presented in a simplified way. Players are divided into simulated social groups (tribes, nations, etc.). Each group gets World Problem Cards and a share of Solution Cards. Through discussion, trade agreements and world councils, the players try to solve all the problems facing them. The debriefing session at the end allows for everyone to learn from each other. Together includes two decks of cards, grouping tokens and rules for teacher preparation, interaction and final evaluation. Launch date: 1971.

In this game, six "Nations" must solve internal affairs without creating conflicts within their own borders. As the game progresses, hot spots can develop — and by game’s end several or all of the Nations may be at war. The game is then lost. Each Nation creates a balanced territory so that a balanced world results in which population does not exceed land and resources and work is available for everyone. On the religious, cultural and political side, all sectors are also in balance with no particular sector dominating another. The key to achieving this balance is Right Education, in which intelligence and compassion are nurtured. How well the players use Right Education and deploy the other factors within their borders while making trades to assist each other across borders will determine the degree of success in establishing firm and lasting peace in our time. The game includes six nation charts, two sets of cards (110 total) consisting of population, land/resources, work/technology, religion/culture, politics/military and right education, one die, and rules of play. Launch date: 2006.

This game is designed to nurture imagination, listening, self-expression, collaboration and clear thinking, using a story-telling format. The setting is science-fictional and the issues presented everyday and real, tackled by players with role-playing, values discussions, dialogue, problem-solving, and creative writing. Not an Island is adaptable to any group situation and includes 55 situation cards, 55 resource cards, six life force markers, two booklets of scenarios, and rules for basic, medium and hard levels of play. Launch date: 2003.

In this cooperative game, players try to develop a series of balanced patterns. The moving principles are simple, but the variations and complexities of play are almost infinite. This is a game for those who like abstract, meditative endeavors. A simpler game, Clarity, is included for the beginner or younger players. The game also includes a 12" x 12" board, three sets of colored "pebbles," and scoring sheets. Launch date: 1973.

This values-oriented, moral-dilemma game of discussion and evaluation presents challenges an individual encounters from childhood to old age. The situations and questions appear on cards with choices to make. Players can create their own responses and more situations to enter into the game. This game is a useful tool to stimulate values discussion in a non-competitive framework and includes a 14" x 18" play pad, four sets of questions (for childhood, adolescence, middle years and old age), mover, die, game and complete rules. Launch date: 1976.

Starwords is a cooperative word game in which players make words to cover as many Star Spaces as they can. Each word must be about what players see in the picture. The picture changes, letters get recycled, and letters are given away. Players can discuss, share and compare ideas in a natural, friendly way. Word wizards can play the Advanced Version in which dice are rolled to see what kind of word has to be formed. The game includes a 13" x 17" board, die, reference chart, 100 letter tokens, and a collection of unusual pictures. Jim Deacove, president of Family Pastimes, told TDmonthly, "Our games foster the spirit of cooperation. Players help each other climb a mountain, make a community, bring in the harvest, complete a space exploration... They are never against each other." Launch date: 1983.

In this coordination game, teams must imitate the robot movements shown on the cards. The team that is the best at controlling their 'robot' teammate with gestures and reaching the robot position faster than their opponents wins. Asmodee Marketing Manager Ruby Nikolopoulou told TDmonthly, "The price point is interesting for gifts." Launch date: October 2009.

This cross between Pin the Tail on the Donkey and darts allows the user to take a snout peg and snout their enemies on the Pig Board. It can be played as a novelty party game, individually or used at the office. Snout A Pig founder Sue LoGuercio told TDmonthly, "There is nothing out there like it that is fun, satisfying, hilarious and therapeutic — which is harmless and not harmful." The Pig Board has been featured in the Oscar celebrity gift bags , the Teen Choice celebrity gift bags, and on the Ellen Show in 2010. Launch date: 2010.

In this card game, players enter a small dense forest, hidden from humans, filled with hobgoblins, elves and leprechauns engaged in a fierce struggle to see who will become Grand Master of the Woods. The cards show the various inhabitants of the forest and in each round, one plays a card to immediately apply its magical power. Depending on the powers, played cards will be stolen, swapped, lost, regained. Ruby Nikolopoulou, Marketing Manager at Asmodee, told TDmonthly, "The pocket format makes it easy to take on vacation." Launch date: October 2009.

Designed to help children listen and improve their behavior, The Ticket Store Game allows kids to earn tickets for positive behavior at home or school — for example, doing a task when first asked instead of having to be told repeatedly. They can then redeem those tickets for rewards, such as ice cream or TV time.
Awards: 2010 iParenting Award for Excellence

In this game, players must take a card and stack the blocks without making the towers fall. The winner is the last player standing.  When a player knocks over any blocks they receive a panic token and when they have three they are out of the game. For two to six players. Jennie Robinson of Goliath Games told TDmonthly, "It’s more than just stacking blocks, it has rules and has twists and turns that other 'block' games don’t have." Launch date: 2010.
— Candice Broom of Mom Most Traveled called Panic Tower! “a great, no-tech game for kids that need to be unplugged and use their minds!”
— Even without children of her own, Krystal of Krystal’s Kitsch found Panic Tower! to be “easy to play and explain” for “fast-paced” fun and “fierce competition.” She recommended the game “for anyone — especially young adults.”

Flip the switch and this battery operated mouse starts speeding away in zig-zag patterns. Kids must chase the swerving, turning, crafty little mouse until they hook his tail with their cat’s paw and collect their cheese. First to get three cheeses wins the game. For two to six players. Jennie Robinson of Goliath Games told TDmonthly, "There is no other board game like it in the market at this time." Launch date: June 15, 2010.

Roll the LEGO® Dice to select one of four exciting building categories (vehicles, buildings, nature or things) in this interactive game for three to eight players. With three levels of difficulty, this game allows families and friends to test their imagination, creativity, building and guessing skills. Game includes one buildable LEGO Dice, one LEGO minifigure, one LEGO microfigure, 96 cards, 1 rule booklet and 341 building pieces. Launch date: 2010.

Players are charged with the challenge of rescuing a baby dinosaur stuck in a canyon threatened by a flash flood. Players must work as a team to save little Dino by lowering the water level until he is dry and also help give him his favorite food. Bambino Dino is simple to grasp, with color-coded dice that indicate when to pick a helpful Tool or some Food and also when to build the Water higher and higher. The game includes a 6" x 12" board, water pieces, rules, bucket and food cards, dice and stickers. Launch date: 2001.

In this game, a winter storm hits Little City. Granny and Grandpa, Uncle and Aunt, Mom and Dad, and Best Friend's Family have things to do, places to go and errands to run. Players must help them complete these tasks together by driving to the places on their lists and returning them safely home. Deep snow? Bad ice? Players decide when and where to do some plowing or spreading of sand while the weather constantly changes. The game includes one 12" x 12" board, weather reports, errands, cars, places, snow and ice, and service trucks. Launch date: 1994.

DGA-TV is a co-operative game about running a TV station. Players are producers who run 7 Studios, featuring everything from children’s shows to current affairs, working together to bring award-winning programming to the viewing public. They must deal with the critics, ratings, sponsors and the actions of people behind and in front of the cameras while putting together as popular a TV program as possible in order to avoid cancellations and earn awards. The game includes eight player game boards, rules, six movers, seven success markers, a program marker, 41 thumbs up and 45 thumbs down cards, and a rules summary chart. Launch date: 2006.

This board game is designed particularly for young children who have an interest in stars, planets, astronauts and space travel. Players are among a team of astronauts sent out into the universe to find another planet with new sources of energy, food and minerals as a suitable environment for earth's growing population. Dark and Dangerous Skies includes two more games of increasing complexity, making it a game youngsters can start off on and then grow with, well into adult years. Jim Deacove, President of Family Pastimes, told TDmonthly that one of the notable features of the game is that one can "play as friends, not as enemies!" The game includes a 12" x 12" board, four explorer craft, four matching astronaut movers, a die, rules, and 10 equipment, 19 danger and 12 info tokens. Launch date: 2006.

This board game has a strategic engagement style of play, where players must use historical figures and sailing warships from the era 1750-1805 to battle for the seas. Bunky Gress, President of Bunky's Enterprises, Inc., told TDmonthly, "The game is designed by the players in regards to length and complexity." Launch date: June 2010.