Abstract Strategy

Monolith is a fast-paced, confrontational, and exciting worker placement game that will reward players who make use of thoughtful and creative gameplay strategies. No two games will play the same as changing Fate and Rune cards are introduced to create a variable game board offering phenomenal replayability. Players will be executing exciting combinations and managing valuable resources, all while cautiously engaging other players.

To begin the game, the game board is seeded with five Starting Rune cards, six Rune cards at random, and one randomly-drawn Fate card. Once the first player is determined, they gain the powerful Primus Token and randomly determine the placement of the starting "Round 1" card, while all other players receive one Skill card or one gem.

Players then take turns placing or socketing one die at a time onto a Rune card of their choice, yielding Skill and Power cards, gems or victory points, and they can even attack other players. After all dice have been placed, the cards on the board are resolved in sequential order. As each die is removed, the effect of that placement is resolved. This sequence makes for exciting combinations and rewards strategic play.

All resources of the game are finite, so players need to play carefully in order to avoid wasting placements. The game ends after five rounds or immediately if any player reaches Victory on the Score Track.

As legendary warlords meeting in the fabled arena of Ortus to decide who is superior, both players command a band of handpicked warriors, all schooled in one of the prime elements. The Ortus arena is believed to be the origin of all things, the place where the prime elements were fed with the raw energies to shape the world as we know it. How true this is can be debated, but this is the only place where energy still flows freely in its purest form. Players must harvest these energies and channel them to their warriors as fast and unpredictable Wind warriors, clever positioning of supporting Fire warriors, and devastating blows from lethal Water warriors will all be necessary to claim victory.

Ortus takes place on a hexagonal board, with each player starting with eight warriors (two of each element) on the back row (the "Haven") in an order of their choice. Ortus is played in rounds, which each consist of four stages:

Collect energy: Each warrior on an energy well generates energy, which flows into the player's general pool.
Maneuver warriors: Players can spend 1 energy per hex to move warriors to better locations or attack opposing warriors.
Return the fallen: When the active player returns his fallen warriors to his Haven, his turn ends.
Defend: Energy remaining from the maneuver phase can be used to defend warriors against incoming attacks; more specifically, each attack has a certain power, and if the defender is unable or unwilling to pay energy equal to this power, the warrior falls.

When a player occupies five energy wells at the start of his turn or has removed all eight opposing warriors, he wins.

Ortus has a gentle learning curve, starting with the Basic game, which can be taught in around eight minutes. From there, players can introduce the special rules for each of the elemental warriors one at a time to learn the full Advanced game. Each warrior has two unique skills that differentiate it from the others. Being able to move all of your warriors on the board gives an enormous amount of tactical options. The excitement of the game lies in the careful planning of your attacks, knowing when to advance and when to withhold Energy as well as knowing whether to save or sacrifice your warriors.

London, 1901. At the world famous Portobello Market, the goal in the morning is to secure the best places to build stalls. Try to place your stalls in the most lucrative manner, cut off your opponents, and grab the most profitable alleys for yourself. You can build only where the Bobby stands—but a little cash will make the Bobby stand where you want him to!

East India Railway was the prototype title for this game, and it became Portobello Market when published by Schmidt.

From the Publisher:

Hive is a highly addictive strategic game for two players that is not restricted by a board and can be played anywhere on any flat surface. Hive is made up of twenty two pieces, eleven black and eleven white, resembling a variety of creatures each with a unique way of moving.

With no setting up to do, the game begins when the first piece is placed down. As the subsequent pieces are placed this forms a pattern that becomes the playing surface (the pieces themselves become the board). Unlike other such games, the pieces are never eliminated and not all have to be played. The object of the game is to totally surround your opponent's queen, while at the same time trying to block your opponent from doing likewise to your queen. The player to totally surround his opponent's queen wins the game.

Online Play

Boardspace.net (real-time, AI option)
BoardgameArena (real-time)

In the game of Dragon Caster, you take on the role of a powerful sorcerer who fights other Casters for glory and conquest. Your casting numbers represent either the dragons you can summon to battle, or the type of mana that your dragons may obtain. This mana can be used to grant your dragons a variety of special powers. In order to gain victory, you must destroy the area containing your opponent's Caster.