Hand Management

Game description from the publisher:

On a windin' desert road in the middle of nowhere lies a town with no name. In this town you'll find a place where no slight goes unanswered and no fight stays private, the roughest, toughest waterin' hole in the Old West – the High Noon Saloon. If you're lookin' for a fight, you've come to the right place.

In the action-packed game High Noon Saloon, you are a combatant in an all-out brawl fought in an Old West Saloon. Shoot it out from a distance or get in close and beat on your opponents directly. Move between different parts of the saloon to get the upper hand. Whatever you do, make sure to keep your guard up – if you're not careful, you'll get beaten to a bloody pulp, shot full of holes, or both! The last one standin' wins, and there ain't no prize for second.

High Noon Saloon also includes special rules and cards for playing the game in teams.

Star Trek: Catan takes two well-known media properties and merges them into, well, into something that is 95% The Settlers of Catan glossed with Trek tropes and spiced with a Trek-themed version of a mini-expansion previously only available in German.

In Star Trek: Catan, players start the game with two small Outposts at the intersection of three planets, with each planet supplying resources based on the result of a dice roll. Players collect and trade these resources – dilithium, tritanium, food, oxygen and water – in order to build Starships that connect regions in the galaxy, establish more Outposts and Starbases (upgraded Outposts) at new intersection points in order to increase resource acquisition, and acquire Development Cards that provide Victory Points (VPs) or special abilities.

On a dice roll of 7, a Klingon ship swoops in to prevent resource production on one planet while taxing spacegoers who hold too many resources.

Star Trek: Catan differs from the basic Settlers in one aspect: a set of Support Cards formerly available only in German as Catan Scenarios: Helpers of Catan. Each Support Card features a special ability and one of Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Sulu, Scott, Uhura, Chekov, Chapel, Rand, or Sarek. Some special abilities make basic actions better, such as reducing the costs of Starbase upgrades or allowing the player to trade a resource of their choice at 2:1 for a turn, while others break rules, such as protecting the player from discarding on a 7 or producing a resource when the player rolls a number that wouldn't otherwise produce for them. Players get a specific Support Card during setup based on turn order, with later players getting generally more useful abilities to compensate for early player advantage. When a player uses a Support Card ability for the first time, they may trade it in for a Support Card of their choice or keep it for a second use, but they may only trade immediately after use.

Two players take on the role of Master Spies as they attempt to use their country's resources to sway the people of six countries into joining their faction.

The two players draw from a communal deck to build their hands in an attempt to create card combinations that will allow the shifting of allegiance in six different countries. Every card may be used offensively, defensively or for a special effect. Careful planning and maneuvering of their master spy pawn results in increased effectiveness of the cards or the ability to trigger an offensive action that catches the opponent off guard.

A game takes between 15 and 30 minutes for experienced players and between 30 and 45 minutes for inexperienced players. The game is marketed for ages 14 and up.

1955: The War of Espionage was released at GenCon 2011 by APE Games and Living Worlds Games.

Be the first to collect 3 large silver presents! Whoever said it's better to give than to receive never played My Precious Presents! In this game it is ALWAYS better to receive. This gift exchange is anything but civilized. Mischief abounds as everyone races to collect the biggest presents. Remember to keep your eyes on your pile of presents or else you'll end up with none!

Play revolves around managing and protecting your presents while sabotaging other players efforts. There are 120 cards in the deck, so a good variety of actions, reactions and other game play is possible. You will have to pay close attention to other players' victory conditions as once they are met the game is over.

Quick easy game play attracts all level of gamers and non-gamers alike. The back stabbing and action/counter action should keep players constantly on their toes.

69 colourful foil wrapped presents create instant buzz from onlookers.

Introduction

The ancient Galactic Realm, ruled from the Core Worlds of the galaxy, is waning. Now, the barbaric kingdoms that lie beyond the galactic frontier are amassing their strength, choosing this pivotal moment to strike at the heart of the fading republic, establishing new empires built upon the ashes of decaying civilizations. But these outer systems are not yet strong enough to engage the forces of the Core Worlds directly. The young kingdoms must first gnaw at the edges of the crumbling frontier, developing new types of units and shrewder tactics. They must build up their energy resources to launch magnificent fleets and overwhelming ground forces. Then, when the time is right, they must strike at the galactic core itself, claiming the most exalted planets for themselves. The barbarian kingdom that achieves these goals will carve out the greatest empire in the galaxy.
Object of the Game

Each player controls a barbarian Star Empire represented by many cards. Throughout the game, players will invade Worlds and draft new Units and Tactics into their Empires. Each card lists its Empire Points in the upper right corner. The player whose Empire contains the most Empire Points at the end of the game is the winner!
Game Terms and Game Play Mechanisms

Core Worlds is a deck-building card game for 2-5 players. The following are the central concepts of Core Worlds:

• Central Zone: Throughout the game, new cards are drawn from the five Galactic Decks and placed face up in the Central Zone, the game's common play area. These cards include new Units and Tactics that the players can draft into their Empires, as well as Worlds that they can invade.

• Empire: Each player represents an Empire that begins with a Home World and a Starting Deck. A player's Empire consists of all of the cards in his hand, draw deck, discard pile, and Warzone (tableau).

• Fleet Strength: Each World possesses a Fleet Strength that represents the starships that defend it from attack. A World's Fleet Strength must be matched in order for that World to be successfully invaded. Many Units possess a Fleet Strength that a player can use to invade a World.

• Ground Strength: Each World possesses a Ground Strength that represents the infantry and other ground forces that defend it from surface assault. A World's Ground Strength must be matched in order for it to be successfully invaded. Many Units possess a Ground Strength that a player can use to invade a World.

• Invasion: In order to add new Worlds to his Empire, a player must launch Invasions. A player performs an Invasion by discarding enough cards from his Warzone to match the Fleet Strength and Ground Strength of the World he is invading.

• Warzone: Each player's Empire includes a Warzone, an area in front of the player where her conquered Worlds are displayed. Players also deploy Units from their hands face up into their Warzones, and later use these Units to invade new Worlds.