Card Drafting

Translated from the publisher's website:

Deep below the world of wasteful humans lies another yet uncharted world, oblivious of the ado of surface dwellers. Only the most courageous creatures from the world above will descend to the mysteries of the underground and board one of the legendary sewer frigates to challenge destiny and to amass immeasurable treasures.

In Sewer Pirats, deep underground in a maze of domed caverns, narrow tunnels, and piped passages, a motley cast of rodents, insects, and other vermin sail the treacherous waters of human refuse aboard bizarre vessels in search of discarded booty. In order to claim the best haul from the abandoned flotsam, players must make careful use of the unique abilities of their crews' rats, cockroaches, weasels, and other critters. Don't settle for less than left-over fast food and dumped toys. Go for your goal to become a true legend among the sewer pirates.

Players compete in deception and tactics to fill the best positions aboard the three pirate frigates. A pirate's rank determines his share of the expected loot – but even the best crew ain't worth nothing without their talismans. Each of the three frigates has its special fetish, and no pirate would dare to board her without the matching talisman for fear of terrific calamities.

Sewer Pirats includes three levels of difficulty as well as thirty detailed pirate figures, twenty Color-Click™ bases, and a rich assortment of game boards, tokens, and cards. Starter rules get you into the game quickly, and a Crew Member Auction variant increases the strategic depth and lighthearted action.

The citizens of Verona have grown tired of the constant quarrel between the houses of Capulet and Montague. As ruler of the region, Prince Escalus has formed a council to help mediate the conflict and bring lasting peace to Verona.

In Council of Verona, players take on the role of influential citizens of Verona and act to use their influence to either add characters to the council or cast them into exile. Through thoughtful hand management of their cards and clever placement of influence tokens, players gain victory points based upon the agendas of the characters at the end of the game. The player with the most victory points wins!

We've all heard the story of Romeo and Juliet – now is your chance to steer the story and determine who will rule Verona once and for all!

Designed by Bruno Cathala and Ludovic Maublanc, Cleopatra and the Society of Architects is a fun and engaging family game that includes a true, three-dimensional palace that players compete to build. Players strive to become the wealthiest of Cleopatra’s architects by constructing the most magnificent and valuable parts of her palace.

Players, however, will be tempted to deal with shady characters and trade in materials of dubious origins in order to help them build faster. While these corrupt practices might allow an architect to stay a step ahead of the rest, they come with a high price – cursed Corruption Amulets honoring Sobek, the Crocodile-god. When Cleopatra finally strolls into her new palace, at the end of the game, the most corrupt architect (the one with the most amulets) will be seized and offered as a sacrifice to her sacred crocodile! Only then will the wealthiest architect, from among those still alive, be selected and declared the winner of the game.

“The component design in Cleopatra is the most innovative we’ve undertaken to date,” said Days of Wonder CEO, Eric Hautemont. “While it’s still a board game, the dozens of 3D pieces – Column walls, Doorframes, Obelisks, Sphinxes, and Palace Throne – all create the sense that you’re constructing a royal palace.”

“The game play really forces players into continually weighing the risks and rewards between taking enough corruption to enhance your position in the game, but not so much that you are forced out of the game at the end,” said the game’s co-designer, Bruno Cathala. “It’s a classic ‘push your luck’ dilemma that continually raises the tension level higher and higher until the game reaches its climax.”

Description from the publisher.

Sylla was the name of a Roman Consul and dictator; the name of the game is a reference to his person. The designer tried to bring together "Res Publica Romana" and "Saint Petersburg," furthermore playable in one hour.

The players will try to become the premier Consul of Rome. Each of the five years (turns) is subdivided into seven phases in which the players take their actions. It will be semi-cooperative as one player alone cannot influence all parts of the Roman social or political life. They also have to prepare for negative events like epidemic plague or persecution of the Christians and also decadence.

The Ystari games website has downloadable rules for the game for 2 players.

Ticket to Ride: Europe takes you on a new train adventure across Europe. From Edinburgh to Constantinople and from Lisbon to Moscow, you'll visit great cities of turn-of-the-century Europe. Like the original Ticket to Ride, the game remains elegantly simple, can be learned in 5 minutes, and appeals to both families and experienced gamers. Ticket to Ride: Europe is a complete, new game and does not require the original version.

More than just a new map, Ticket to Ride: Europe features brand new gameplay elements. Tunnels may require you to pay extra cards to build on them, Ferries require locomotive cards in order to claim them, and Stations allow you to sacrifice a few points in order to use an opponents route to connect yours. The game also includes larger format cards and Train Station game pieces.

The overall goal remains the same, collect and play train cards in order to place your pieces on the board, attempting to connect cities on your ticket cards. Points are earned both from placing trains and completing tickets but uncompleted tickets lose you points. The player who has the most points at the end of the game wins.

Part of the Ticket to Ride series.

Online Play

Xbox LIVE Arcade