Contracts

At the end of the 17th century, a French Benedictine monk in charge of the cellar at Hautvillers Abbey made an important contribution to differentiate wines from that region. As a result, it became possible to produce wines of superior quality, particularly in white wines made from black grape varieties. While Dom Pierre Pérignon initially felt the sparkling of the wine was a negative feature, the consequent increase in both quality and quantity created the path that lead to the appreciation and recognition of champagne.

Throughout the 18th century, several "champagne houses" — or Champagne Maisons — were founded, and a new business dynamic grew in the region. These houses replaced small farm and monastery production in leading the evolutionary process of champagne, and by planting more vineyards or buying grapes from other producers or both, they mastered the specialization. To promote their product, the houses hired sales agents to take samples of their champagne wines to the Royal Courts of Europe, a crucial factor in generating the glamorous fashion of drinking champagne.

Despite production growth, improved quality, and increasing popularity, trade did not reach spectacular rates during the 19th century — which is why the game Dom Pierre is much more about winning prestige than earning money. In the game, you are responsible for one of the oldest Champagne Maisons, producing and selling wine all over Europe, not to mention the other side of the Atlantic. The local economy will be boosted, employment increased, and your brand will become universally recognized.

To make all this happen will require a chain of actions that starts in your vineyard. You will need to look for continuous improvement, constantly react to your opponents, and optimize your choices to build the most prestigious Champagne Maison. In game terms, on a turn you move up a disc on the winery game board and perform an action, with the actions become more powerful as the game progresses. You will plant in the vineyards, harvest crops, buy grapes from neighbors, make wines in your cellar (some more valuable than others), allocate salespeople on four market routes and workers in the vineyard and cellar, and acquire the necessary accessories to improve production.

The Industrial Age is starting to boom. You are in need of more workers for your factories, and you also need more workers to build railroad tracks to expand your railway network. This, in turn, will enable you to deliver the goods from your factories to cities with high demand — but be sure to earmark goods for fulfilling profitable public contracts because when the connection to Trieste is made, your net worth is all that matters.

Imperial Steam is a highly strategic yet accessible economic and logistics game that sees you making difficult decisions as you manage your business's operations while navigating fierce competition to ensure your victory!

—description from the publisher

People refer to this vast place only as the desert since no one remembers what was here before. The golden age of human beings has long passed. Now there is only sand, and the only hope is in the humidity.

Travelers cross the desert that stretches from the slopes of the Akaishi Mountains to the cliffs of Seaclaw. Half-ruined ancient cities are home to the last human communities struggling to survive by foraging for what little green remains standing. These desert travelers transport goods on the backs of their caterpillars. Although their only goal is to make as much money as they can, at the same time and in a more or less deliberate way, they are helping to bring life back to the desert by carrying small plants from the artificial greenhouses of the cities to the most remote corners of this ocean of sand.

Designed by Ariel Di Costanzo and Javier Pelizzari and illustrated by Ernest Sala, Sand is a game with a main mechanism of pick-up-and-deliver that can be enjoyed alone or in groups of up to four players in games of about 120 minutes long. Players have to earn as much gold as possible after six rounds (five in a four-player game) to win.

In Sand, players put themselves in the shoes of these intrepid desert travelers who travel the paths of the board and visit the different towns. They collect goods to take them to other places and thus earn gold for the transport service. They cross the dunes on the backs of their faithful caterpillars, which, cared for, will grow and help players complete their tasks more effectively. Along the way they will be joined by helpful companions and be entrusted with missions that, if completed, will bring good benefits at the end of the journey. Help the plants take root again, and perhaps there is still some hope for this desolate place...

—description from the publisher

Welcome to the city of light! Find yourself transported to the glamorous Paris of the roaring twenties. Jump aboard an open platform bus, cruise down Champs-Elysées Avenue, admire the Eiffel Tower, and conclude your day by enjoying a picturesque sunset from a charming terrace in Montmartre — all without leaving your table.

Ticket To Ride: Paris, part of the "Cities" line of Ticket to Ride games, has gameplay similar to the original game, but with a playing time of only fifteen minutes. On a turn, you either collect transportation cards, spend these cards to claim a route on the game board, or draw tickets that show two locations you need to connect with routes.

In Paris, when you claim a blue, white, or red route, you keep a transportation card of this color in front of you instead of discarding all of the cards. When you collect a card of each color, you've made a French flag, then you discard these cards and score bonus points. Vive la France!

When a player has two or fewer buses left to place on routes, each player takes one final turn, then they score points for the tickets they've completed and lose points for those unfulfilled.

Spots is a casual push your luck game from CMYK. On your turn, you'll be rolling and placing dice onto dog cards. Dice you can't place get buried in your yard. Bury too many dice and you bust. Complete 6 dogs and you win!

-description from designer