Trading

Deal with the Devil

Deal with the Devil is a deeply thematic competitive Eurogame set in a fantasy medieval era. Each of the four players takes on a secret role of a mortal, a cultist, or even the Devil. Due to the asymmetrical roles, players experience the same game but with different game goals every play.

During the blind trading phase, players can offer their resources in exchange for money from another player. The Devil will tempt mortals with goods for a piece of their soul, while the cultist's nature is to sell their soul easily. Only the accompanying app knows who is trading with whom.

But beware! Showing off how well you are doing can attract unwelcome attention and the suspicion of other players. It also may pique the interest of the Inquisition, which is eager to punish those who cannot prove their souls remain intact.

There are many dynamic strategies to experiment with across each playing. Will you sell pieces of your soul early on to boost your city-building prowess at the risk of future punishment from the Inquisition? Or will you carefully manage loan and debt repayment while waiting for others to inadvertently reveal their nefarious nature? Every choice has a consequence, and each role has its own unique strategic approach to explore.

—description from the publisher

Samarkand Bazaar

Sid Sackson's classics Samarkand & Bazaar are now combined as two games in one box with this new edition of both games.

Samarkand is a fast-paced trading and selling game set in exotic Asia Minor. Cunning Merchants buy, exchange, and sell goods to build wealth. When visiting Nomad Camps and after offering gifts for their hosts’ hospitality, Merchants trade for the goods they desire. When visiting Oases, they may purchase random goods. Ultimately, these Merchants travel to the bazaars in Cities such as Samarkand or Isfahan to sell the goods they have acquired. Merchants must plan which desert paths to use to travel efficiently between the Nomad Camps, Oases, and Cities so they can earn the quickest (and greatest) profit!

In Bazaar, players attempt to gain the right combination of colored cubes through skillful trading to purchase the wares displayed in the Bazaar. Values of the various wares are determined by the number of cubes the purchaser has left over following the transaction. Trading is governed by the current rates posted at the Exchange. When the wares from two stalls have been completely sold, the Bazaar is closed, and the game ends. The player with the highest score wins!

-description from publisher

CATAN: Dawn of Humankind

Guide the first humans on their journey as they migrate throughout the world while developing their technology and culture.

CATAN: Dawn of Humankind is a reboot of The Settlers of the Stone Age, with gameplay rooted in the original CATAN, while featuring new elements, strategies, and adventures to discover.

—description from the publisher

World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King

In World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King, players journey to the frozen continent of Northrend to face the armies of the Lich King. This "Pandemic System" game showcases familiar mechanisms and gameplay, now tweaked to embrace the setting of the Wrath of the Lich King. Forts, temples, battlegrounds, and more populate the game board as you and your fellow heroes journey across the cold landscape. Along the way, you'll set up strongholds, complete quests, and do battle with legions of undead.

In more detail, players team up as legendary heroes from across Azeroth, each with their own unique abilities to help in and out of combat. Heroes such as Thrall, Warchief of the Horde; Varian Wrynn, King of Stormwind; Sylvanas Windrunner, Banshee Queen of the Forsaken; and many more are at your fingertips. As the Scourge grows, more undead will populate the board. Throw dice as you enter into battle against the hordes of ghouls and ferocious abominations, using hero cards to add power to your attacks, block incoming assaults, heal wounds, take mounts to far off spaces, and so much more.

As you fight your way to the Lich King, all manner of dark magic and terrible creatures under his control need to be neutralized. This comes in the form of quests, a brand-new mechanism that can be completed as a team through a combination of dice rolls and the hero cards at your disposal. However, each quest comes with its own dangers and hindrances. Complete these quests to move closer to the final assault on Icecrown Citadel, where the Lich King himself resides.

—description from the publisher

Wizard School

Wizard School is like normal school, except it's a card game where you have to carefully manage your abilities and resources to make sure that you don't flunk out of the most prosaic magical academy in all the world.

Wizard School is a cooperative card game in which 2-5 players take turns at passing tests, besting monsters in the most epic group project of all time. And yes, you are graded cumulatively. When one of you fails, you all flunk out.

Difficulty and length of games can be managed by choosing from among 20 different graduation cards, which helps ensure that each game is a new experience.

Your goal may be to graduate, but you can’t let the monsters overrun the school. As they pile up, you’re forced to use your magic just to stay alive, and you may have nothing left to pass the Graduation Milestones. If you reach an F (on the Graduation Card), it’s Game Over.