Dice Rolling

Catan: Traders & Barbarians

Traders & Barbarians is distributed as the third major expansion for The Settlers of Catan, although it is actually a compilation of small expansions and variants. (It is independent of the Seafarers and Cities & Knights expansions, but can be combined with them.)

All of the variants and three of the scenarios have been available from various sources in Europe and the United States or through official websites. The Great Rivers and the Fishermen of Catan have been expanded somewhat for this expansion through extra tiles and player pieces.

This compilation includes 5 scenarios:

The Fishermen of Catan - Originally released in the 05/2006 Spielbox magazine and then subsequently released in Games Quarterly magazine. Expanded in this edition.
The Rivers of Catan - Originally released in the Atlantis scenario box, then subsequently in Games Quarterly magazine as "The Great River". Expanded in this edition to include two rivers, one occupying 4 tiles, and one occupying 3.
The Great Caravan - Originally released as a free expansion in Germany.
Barbarian Invasion - New in this edition. - Barbarians are invading Catan and the players have to try to stop them with new knight pieces. This plays very similarly to the flood mechanic in the Atlantis scenario from the Atlantis and Das Buch scenario packs.
Traders & Barbarians - New in this edition. - You get new hexes, one for the castle, one to produce glass, and one to produce marble. You try to rebuild Catan after the invasion. You get gold and victory points if you finish tasks in the castle, but to do so you have to travel back and forth to the castle on roads and undeveloped paths. There are still some barbarians around who interfere with trade routes.

It also includes 4 minor variants:

2-Player Rules - Use the new "Commercial Chips" to force trade with your opponent. Use 3rd and 4th neutral player to block your opponent. Also available online: Klaus2player.pdf
Catan Event Cards - Originally released in the Atlantis scenario box, then subsequently released for sale separately. Replaces the dice with a deck of cards to minimize randomness.
The Harbormaster Card - Originally released in the Atlantis scenario box, then subsequently available online: harbormaster.pdf. Gives two victory points to the player with the most harbor points.
Friendly Robber Rules

This game belongs to the Catan Series.

Dust

Dust is a strategy board game of conquest and control. Seize power sources and capitals, develop your infrastructure, and build and wield vast, high-tech armies in your bid for global domination.

Players will probably recognize the map as that of Earth, but what they will not see are any borders or nations. In the world of Dust, the unending war and the new technologies have altered the political face of Earth beyond all recognition.

At the beginning of each turn, players select a card from their hand. This card represents their strategy for the coming turn and to a large extent dictates the actions a player can take.

During their production phase, players spend production points to buy additional factories and units. Each individual unit type has its own unique statistics and effects, so players have to carefully consider the composition of their armies.

In combat, players alternate rolling dice and destroying units until one side has been eliminated (either due to casualties or retreats) or a cease-fire is declared.

At the end of each game round, players score victory points for power sources, capitals, and majorities they control. The player who controls the most land areas earns bonus victory points, as does the player who controls the most sea areas and the player who controls the most production centers. The first player to amass a set number of victory points while also controlling a capital is the winner.

Only once a player has amassed at least half the victory points required to win can he or she attack an enemy capital. Once the war has been so escalated, however, then all players are free to attack capitals.

Dust English Rules http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/ffg_content/Dust/Dust_Rulebook_Prem_En...
Backstage http://www.kaleidosgames.com

Shakespeare: The Bard Game

This is a game where each player is a play manager who must put on plays at various theaters. The game lasts the span of time agreed upon before the game starts by the other players. The object of the game is to collect acclaim points by putting on a play. To put on a play, you must buy a script from Shakespeare and collect the correct number of props, actors, and patrons for that script.

Everything has a price... You begin with 40 shillings. You must pay for each prop at five shillings each, an actor is five shillings, and a patron is requested without cost at a great house. You may gain a second patron or ten shillings at a great house by answering an easy question correctly. Each script must be bought from Shakespeare if he is not busy.

So, how do you make money in this game? This is the heart of the game.

1. You may recite a speech where your audience decides how much you gain (1-10 shillings) based on your performance.

2. You may show your knowledge by answering an easy, medium, and difficult question about Shakespeare and gain 10, 15, or 20 shillings. These questions can be multiple choice or true/false.

3. You can Busk. Busking is an impromptu performance where you gain five shillings and a fate card.

If you like Shakespeare, and you like boardgames, then this is the game for you!

Microbadge

Buy It

Red November

Red November is a cooperative game in a gnomish attack submarine where everything is going wrong. The sub is descending and the water pressure increasing, the nuclear reactor is overheating, the nuclear missile launchers are pre-igniting, fires and water leaks are everywhere, there's a giant Kraken looming nearby and there’s very little oxygen and vodka left. While the storyline feels more and more like a disaster movie, the players must get organized to solve the problems, divide the tasks among themselves to minimize the risks, and sometimes accept to sacrifice themselves for the common cause.

The game is played on the map of the submarine. The conditions in the submarine are represented by three disaster tracks: Asphyxiation, Heat and Pressure. During the game, these conditions get worse, and if anyone of them reaches its maximum value, the submarine is lost. In addition, various emergencies can occur which have to be dealt with swiftly, or they'll also lead to the loss of the submarine.

Each turn, a player can move to a new location, and perform some action there. Such an action can be repairs (which will improve conditions on the sub and/or fix emergencies), removing obstacles (unblocking hatches, removing flooding or extinguishing fires) or stocking up on equipment (which will help with later actions). Each action is paid for with time. The more time a player spends on an action, the greater the chance of success. After each player's turn, a number of events will happen; the more time was spent, the more events will occur. Such events will be the worsening of conditions in the submarine, or the triggering of emergencies.

If the Gnomes can keep alive long enough, rescue will arrive and the game is won.

Risk

Widely accepted as the first mainstream wargame. Players are given tons of little army units to place onto the map of the world. When it's your turn, you use your units to attack other players' positions, hopefully with superior numbers. Combat is a simple dice rolling affair that stresses attrition, and reinforcements are given to players who collect sets of cards.