Roll / Spin and Move

In Casa Grande players try to develop well-located building lots in order to construct large and tall buildings on them. Opponents can use your buildings for their own purposes, and the final result should be one large magnificant house – "casa grande" – after another.

Casa Grande is played on a game board that shows a square grid for the building area, which is framed by a track. At the start of the game, each player receives a number of building blocks and differently-shaped platforms. Each player also receives five bonus points and one pawn, which is placed on the track.

The game is played in turns with some elements being similar to Burkhardt's own Kupferkessel Co. At the start of his turn, the player rolls the die and moves his pawn forward on the track as many spaces as the number rolled. By expending bonus points, the player may move his pawn further. Then, the player must place one building block on the board in the column or row corresponding to the space on the track where his pawn is located. If he now has the building blocks needed to support one of his platforms, he may place that platform on top of the building blocks. If he does so, he gains an amount of money (Casa Grande Lire) based on the size of the platform and the level at which it was built.

After a platform has been added, building blocks may be added on top of the platform. If another player builds on top of your platform, you gain a number of bonus points. You also gain bonus points if your pawn ends its move on a corner (in which you don't get to place a building block). If a player accumulates nine or more bonus points, he receives nine Casa Grande Lire, but loses the bonus points.

The game ends at the end of the round in which a player has placed his last building block. The player who has collected the most money wins.

Several games use the simultaneous action selection mechanism, but this is perhaps one of the best.

Basari is a game of gem merchants competing in a marketplace, racing, collecting, trading, and predicting what the other merchants will do.

To start the game, players receive 12 gemstones (3 each of 4 colors).
Each turn there will be a movement phase and an action phase:

For movement, everyone simultaneously rolls their die and moves their markers around a track.

They then choose one of three different actions to perform. The actions are:
- to take a variety of gems from a market stall,
- to immediately score from between 4 and 7 points, or
- to roll and move again and also collect points.

The action cards are revealed simultaneously. If only 1 player chose a particular action, they simply perform that action. If 2 players chose the same action, they barter back and forth with gemstones. One player will eventually accept the other's offer of gems, and the other will take the action. If 3 or 4 players all chose the same action card, that action is cancelled. Note that in 4-player games, there will always be a conflict in choice of 3 actions, so much more negotiating goes on.

A new turn begins with everyone rolling their die, moving, then choosing and revealing their action cards. When any merchant piece completes a lap around the board, the round ends and bonus points are awarded based on who has the majority in each gem color and who has completed a lap. After three rounds, the game is over and the highest score wins.

Re-implemented by:

Edel, Stein & Reich

From the back of the box

Do you like Treasure Hunts?

Grab your magnifying glass and detective's hat - it's time to travel the world tracking down a Mammoth! Transform yourself into a super sleuth, then armed with dice, a track, clues and a map, pit yourself against your fellow explorers as you search for mammoth footprints and discarded blueberries (our Mammoth's favourite snack)!

Each time you land on a square, try to guess where it is on the map. If you're willing to pay for the information, you can buy extra clues with special Mammoth Money. If you get the answer right, your collection of Mammoth treasure grows and your knowledge of the worlds geography increases.

Experienced explorers can play a second, even more challenging game. Using a set of quiz cards, you can launch a fast-paced battle requiring quick thinking and even quicker answers! Even if you don't manage to beat the competition, you keep the knowledge you have learned, so everyone's is a winner!

(From the back of the box)
Welcome to Kitchen Stadium!
Get ready for codfish and tomatoes to start flying as The Iron Chef: Ultimate Cooking Challenge comes to your home. Based on the hit TV show, Iron Chef, this frantic board game pits four culinary challengers against each other in a race to build the perfect meal!
Do you prefer Chinese? French? Italian? Or how about Japanese? It all begins when the surprise ingredient is revealed. Spin the wheel and race about the board in an attempt to assemble a complete meal - appetizer, main course, and dessert!
The real Iron Chefs chop, dice, and mince - you need to collect, trade, and discard cards to beat your opponents. But pitfalls abound! Watch out for dull knives, burnt vegetables, and stoves that don't work. Complete your meal, enter the inner circle of Kitchen Stadium and await the Judge's decision! Defend your title! Will you be King of the Iron Chef? Allez Cuisine!

Game description from the publisher:

You're one of the Great Old Ones – beings of ancient and eldritch power. Cosmic forces have held you at bay for untold aeons, but at last the stars are right and your maniacal cult has called you to this benighted place. Once you regain your full powers, you will unleash your Doom upon the world!

There's only one problem: You're not alone. The other Great Old Ones are here as well, and your rivals are determined to steal your cultists and snatch victory from your flabby claws! It's a race to the ultimate finish as you crush houses, smash holes in reality, and fight to call down The Doom That Came To Atlantic City!

You and your fellow players are Great Old Ones competing to be the first to destroy the world. There are two ways to achieve this:

Any Great Old One can win by obtaining six gates, at which point the game instantly ends. You have only five gate markers because if you open a sixth gate, you win!

At the start of the game, each Great Old One receives a Doom card providing a shortcut to victory. If you land on one of your gates and meet the preconditions, you may attempt the action listed on your Doom. If you succeed, you win!