Hand Management

Bohnanza is the first in the Bohnanza family of games and has been published in several different editions.

As card games go, this one is quite revolutionary. Perhaps its oddest feature is that you cannot rearrange your hand, as you need to play the cards in the order that you draw them. The cards are colorful depictions of beans in various descriptive poses, and the object is to make coins by planting fields (sets) of these beans and then harvesting them. To help players match their cards up, the game features extensive trading and deal making.

The original German edition supports 3-5 players.

The newest English version is from Rio Grande Games and it comes with the first edition of the first German expansion included in a slightly oversized box. One difference in the contents, however, is that bean #22's Weinbrandbohne (Brandy Bean) was replaced by the Wachsbohne, or Wax Bean. This edition includes rules for up to seven players, like the Erweiterungs-Set, but also adapts the two-player rules of Al Cabohne in order to allow two people to play Bohnanza.

Note: As mentioned above, the Rio Grande Games edition supports more players than the Amigo release, and also sports two-player rules. You should keep that in mind when perusing the ratings.

Hiding in these woods, there lies not just one Bigfoot, not a few Bigfoots, and not a gaggle of Bigfeet — but an entire community of Bigfootses. Now it's time to go in the woods with your trusty Bigfootses's call, cloak your scent with Bigfootses's urine, and get ready for adventure with aliens, yeti, the Loch Ness monster, and every other legendary creature you can think of.

Bigfootses, The Card Game consists of two decks: the Woods Deck (70 cards) and the Thingies Deck (55 cards). In the Woods Deck, you encounter Bigfootses and creatures to battle, and draw events that can dramatically change the game. You can even find your true calling and take one of six professions. The Thingies Deck is full of equipment, items, actions, and card modifiers to help you along in your quest.

Your goal? Be the first player to corral ten Bigfootses to win the game!

A low complexity game of a variety of civil war battles. Modular terrain through the use of hexagonal tiles allows for the setup of several famous civil war battle fields and a plethora of plastic civil war miniatures are used to represent the various forces during the conflict (infantry, cavalry, artillery and leaders). Players manage a hand of cards that provide different orders to your troops in the right flank, left flank and center position of the battlefield.

This game is the first to use what would evolve into Richard Borg's Command and Colors system.

The game rules include the following scenarios:
First Bull Run--21st July, 1861
Pea Ridge--7th March, 1862
Kernstown--23rd March, 1862
Shiloh--6th April, 1862
Gaines Mill--27th June, 1862
Brawner's Farm--28th August, 1862
Antietam--17th September, 1862
Fredericksburg--13th December, 1862
Murfreesboro--31st December, 1862
Chancellorsville--3rd May, 1863
Gettysburg--2nd July, 1863
Gettysburg--3rd July, 1863
Chickamauga--20th September, 1863
New Market--15th May, 1864
New Hope Church--25th May, 1864

This abstract game consists of 108 wooden blocks with six different shapes in six different colors. There is no board, players simply use an available flat surface.

Players begin the game with 6 blocks. The start player places blocks of a single matching attribute (color or shape but not both) on the table. Thereafter, a player adds blocks adjacent to at least one previously played block. The blocks must all be played in a line and match, without duplicates, either the color or shape of the previous block.

Players score one point for each block played plus all blocks adjacent. It is possible for a block to score in more than one direction. If a player completes a line containing all 6 shapes or colors, an additional 6 points are scored. The player then refills his hand to 6 blocks.

The game ends when the draw bag is depleted and one player plays all of his remaining blocks, earning a 6 point bonus. The player with the high score wins.

A Few Acres of Snow is a two-player, card-driven game about the French and British conflict in North America.

The card-play contains a focus on a deck-building mechanic similar to Dominion, and like many card-driven war games, each card will have multiple uses. The players have to choose only one aspect of the card to use when it is played. Each space captured by a player will add another card to the capturing player's deck.

From the box description:

A war fought at the edge of two mighty empires. For over one hundred and fifty years Britain and France were locked in a struggle for domination of North America. Thousands of miles from their homes, settlers and soldiers were faced with impenetrable forests, unpredictable American tribes, and formidable distances. Despite these obstacles they were able to engage in bitter warfare, with the British ultimately taking the prize of Quebec. A Few Acres of Snow is a two-player game that allows you to recreate this contest. You can change the course of history by your decisions.

A Few Acres of Snow takes an innovative approach to the subject, using cards to represent locations and manpower. As the game progresses you add to your selection of cards, increasing the range of actions available to you. There are many strategies to be explored. How quickly should you build up your forces, do you employ Native Americans, what energy should be expended on your economy?

The game is about more than just fighting – you must successfully colonize the land to have a chance.