Chess-like strategy game in the 3M Bookshelf Series utilizing medieval character pieces.
The GENERAL Index Article List:
The GENERAL Vol.15,No.5
“Feudal: A New Approach” (Alternate Rules for Combat Resolution and Movement) Mike Chiappinelli
contents:
-16in. x 16in. map board
-6 armies with 14 characters each
-a divider screen
-4 screen holders
-rulebook.
Forbidden Island is a visually stunning 'cooperative' board game. Instead of winning by competing with other players like most games, everyone must work together to win the game. Players take turns moving their pawns around the 'island', which is built by arranging the many beautifully screen-printed tiles before play begins. As the game progresses, more and more island tiles sink, becoming unavailable, and the pace increases. Players use strategies to keep the island from sinking, while trying to collect treasures and items. As the water level rises, it gets more difficult- sacrifices must be made.
What causes this game to truly stand out among co-op and competitive games alike is the extreme detail that has been paid to the physical components of the game. It comes in a sturdy and organized tin of good shelf storage size. The plastic treasure pieces and wooden pawns are well crafted and they fit just right into the box. The cards are durable, well printed, and easy to understand. The island tiles are the real gem: they are screen-printed with vibrant colors, each with a unique and pleasing image.
With multiple levels of difficulty, different characters to choose from (each with a special ability of their own), many optional island formats and game variations available, Forbidden Island has huge replay value. The game can be played by as few as two players and up to four (though it can accommodate five). More players translates into a faster and more difficult game, though the extra help can make all the difference. This is a fun game, tricky for players of almost any age. Selling for under twenty dollars, oddly, Forbidden Island is a rare game of both quality and affordable price.
For those who enjoy Forbidden Island, a follow-up project by Gamewright titled Forbidden Desert was released in 2013.
From the publisher's website:
Dare to discover Forbidden Island! Join a team of fearless adventurers on a do-or-die mission to capture four sacred treasures from the ruins of this perilous paradise. Your team will have to work together and make some pulse-pounding maneuvers, as the island will sink beneath every step! Race to collect the treasures and make a triumphant escape before you are swallowed into the watery abyss!
Atrévete a descubrir la Isla Prohibida! Únete a un intrépido grupo de aventureros en una misión para capturar los cuatro tesoros sagrados de este peligroso paraíso." La Isla Prohibida es un emocionante juego colaborativo en el que los jugadores tratan de hacerse con los tesoros de una mítica isla misteriosa, antes de que las aguas la cubran por completo.
Chess is a two-player, abstract strategy board game that represents medieval warfare on an 8x8 board with alternating light and dark squares. Opposing pieces, traditionally designated White and Black, are initially lined up on either side. Each type of piece has a unique form of movement and capturing occurs when a piece, via its movement, occupies the square of an opposing piece. Players take turns moving one of their pieces in an attempt to capture, attack, defend, or develop their positions. Chess games can end in checkmate, resignation, or one of several types of draws. Chess is one of the most popular games in the world, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments. Between two highly skilled players, chess can be a beautiful thing to watch, and a game can provide great entertainment even for novices. There is also a large literature of books and periodicals about chess, typicially featuring games and commentary by chess masters.
The current form of the game emerged in Southern Europe during the second half of the 15th century after evolving from a similar, much older game of Indian origin. The tradition of organized competitive chess began in the 16th century. The first official World Chess Champion, Wilhelm Steinitz, claimed his title in 1886. The current World Champion is Magnus Carlsen, Norway. Chess is also a recognized sport of the International Olympic Committee.
Commander-In-Chief is a fun fast-playing abstract strategy war game published by X Plus Products in which a player's Air, Land and Sea military vehicles work as a unified Armed Forces assault team to "capture" their opponent's Commander. The board consists of a traditional 8 square x 8 square checkerboard grid divided into two Land areas separated by a Sea area. Vehicles are restricted to movement within their assigned battlefields: Through the Air, On Land and/or In the Sea.
Pieces transverse the board in a Chess-like manner. Play evolves, turn by turn, with each player analyzing the current battlefield situation, adjusting their game plan accordingly and executing commands (movements of the playing pieces) in a collective effort to achieve the game's objective. Certain Air pieces (Bombers and Helicopters) can Go Over pieces; likewise certain Sea pieces (Submarines) can Go Under pieces. Additionally, certain pieces (Bombers and Tanks) can Block. The complete Original Release Basic Training Game Rules include "Object of the Game" options, "Team Game Play" options and "Advanced Game Play" options. "Future" options will include new movements, expansion pieces, additional damage control options, new attack features, mini wars and expanded terrains as variants to the Original Release Game Rules.
While this abstract strategy war game does not include random chance, it does allow for piece enhancements both during game play and during board set up which increases come from behind opportunities and can be used to level the playing field between players of various skill levels. The game can be played one-on-one or as a social game with teams. The military theme, the terrain feature of Air, Land and Sea areas of the board and the movements of the pieces themselves relative to the military vehicles they represent give the game a real world appeal.
The two Armed Forces consist of the following fifteen pieces per side: one Commander, two stealth Fighters, two army Tanks, one stealth Bomber, two submersible Submarine warships, two Helicopters, four amphibious assault vehicles (Amphibians) and one surface combatant Destroyer warship. This military themed board game, representing two Armed Forces, "Supports Our Troops" as the game of the "Y" by donating $1 to the Armed Services YMCA for every game sold.
Commander-In-Chief is a 3-In-1 board game that includes Chess & Checkers; these Classics are played on the dark and light colored side of the double sided game board. Additional game play options include: Tic-Tac-Toe and The Triangle Puzzle Game. Lastly, the 30 pieces that come with the game are miniatures, 30 Military Toys, designed for play with or without this board game and the 30 bases that the miniatures mount on, when inverted, become 30 Stackable Spinning Tops designed for multiple family fun games.
Imagine that you're a supercomputer. Now imagine that you're bored. So you dream up a little contest for you and a couple of your supercomputing buddies. Your task is to move one of the stupid little robots out on the factory floor through a series of checkpoints scattered throughout the factory. The wrinkle, however, is that the factory floor is filled with all kinds of inconvenient (if not down-right deadly) obstacles located in various locations: conveyor belts, crushers, flame-throwers, pushers, teleporters, oil slicks, pits, et cetera. But the real fun comes when the robots cross each other's path, and suddenly your perfect route is something less than that...
In RoboRally players each control a different robot in a race through a dangerous factory floor. Several goals will be placed on the board and you must navigate your robot to them in a specific order. The boards can be combined in several different ways to accommodate different player counts and races can be as long or as short as player's desire.
In general, players will first fill all of their robot's "registers" with facedown movement cards. This happens simultaneously and there is a time element involved. If you don't act fast enough you are forced to place cards randomly to fill the rest. Then, starting with the first register, everyone reveals their card. The card with the highest number moves first. After everyone resolves their movement they reveal the next card and so on. Examples of movement cards may be to turn 90 degrees left or right, move forward 2 spaces, or move backward 1 space though there are a bigger variety than that. You can plan a perfect route, but if another robot runs into you it can push you off course. This can be disastrous since you can't reprogram any cards to fix it!
Robots fire lasers and factory elements resolve after each movement and robots may become damaged. If they take enough damage certain movement cards become fixed and can no longer be changed. If they take more they may be destroyed entirely. The first robot to claim all the goals in the correct order wins, though some may award points and play tournament style.
The game was reprinted by Avalon Hill (Hasbro/WotC) in 2005.