Medieval

Scholars of the South Tigris

Scholars of the South Tigris is set during the height of the Abbasid Caliphate, circa 830 AD. The Caliph has called upon the keenest minds to acquire scientific manuscripts from all over the known world. Players will need to increase their influence in the House of Wisdom, and hire skilled linguists to translate the foreign scrolls into Arabic. In this Golden Age of wisdom and knowledge, be mindful not to neglect one in pursuit of the other.

The aim of Scholars of the South Tigris is to be the player with the most victory points (VP) at the game’s end. Points are gained by translating scrolls, increasing knowledge in various areas of science and mathematics, influencing the 3 guilds, and by retiring translators after their years of faithful service. The game end is triggered once all 4 caliph cards have been revealed.

—description from the publisher

El Grande

In this award-winning game, players take on the roles of Grandes in medieval Spain. The king's power is flagging, and these powerful lords are vying for control of the various regions. To that end, you draft caballeros (knights) into your court and subsequently move them onto the board to help seize control of regions. After every third round, the regions are scored, and after the ninth round, the player with the most points is the winner.

In each of the nine rounds, you select one of your 13 power cards to determine turn order as well as the number of caballeros you get to move from the provinces (general supply) into your court (personal supply).

A turn then consists of selecting one of five action cards which allow variations to the rules and additional scoring opportunities in addition to determining how many caballeros to move from your court to one or more of the regions on the board (or into the castillo - a secretive tower). Normally, you may only place your caballeros into regions adjacent to the one containing the king. The one hard and fast rule in El Grande is that nothing may move into or out of the king's region. One of the five action cards that is always available each round allows you to move the king to a new region. The other four action cards vary from round to round.

The goal is to have a caballero majority in as many regions (and the castillo) as possible during a scoring round. Following the scoring of the castillo, you place any cubes you had there into the region you secretly indicated on your region dial. Each region is then scored individually according to a table printed in that region. Two-point bonuses are awarded for having sole majority in the region containing your Grande and in the region containing the king.

Kutná Hora: The City of Silver

Join other ambitious guild leaders in mining and developing the famous City of Silver during its period of rapid economic growth and expansion in the 14th century — from the first discovery of silver near the Cistercian monastery to the construction of Kutná Hora, which quickly became one of the most important cities in central Europe.

Kutná Hora: The City of Silver is a historical city-building Eurogame for 2-4 players that features a real-life supply and demand experience in which every action you take has an impact on the game's dynamic economic systems.

In each round, players take turns selecting actions from a hand of double-sided cards to engage strategic plans like mining, purchasing plots of land on which to build, gaining permits, raising buildings for their affiliated guilds, gaining profit from their production, and of course working towards the construction of Saint Barbara's Cathedral.

The asymmetrical nature of each player's available guilds makes for highly interactive rounds in which each decision impacts the economy and other players in interesting ways as they expand their mines and build infrastructure across a shared board.

Mine ore and smelt it into a fortune of silver for expanding this beautiful historic city, but take care to balance your personal goal advancement with the need to further the city's growth. Everything is connected, and sometimes the path to personal victory relies on the prosperity of the many.

—description from publisher

Disney Villainous: Introduction to Evil

Disney Villainous: Introduction to Evil features the same gameplay as Disney Villainous, but this game features only four villains instead of six — Maleficent, Captain Hook, Ursula and Prince John – in a limited-edition version that features streamlined gameplay crafted to help first-time players.

In the game, each player takes control of a villain with its own villain deck, fate deck, player board, and 3D character. On a turn, you move your character to a different location on your player board, takeing one or more of the actions visible on that space (often by playing cards from your hand), then refill your hand to four cards. Cards are allies, items, effects, conditions, and (for some characters) curses. You need to use your cards to fulfill your unique win condition, which sometimes involves overcoming the hero from your villain's particular Disney film.

Disney Villainous: Introduction to Evil is meant to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Disney, with the new box design featuring Ursula, lustrous movers, and platinum rainbow-foil packaging as well as a Disney100 sticker.

Sabika

On the hill of Al-Sabika in Granada, the Nasrid dynasty created one of the most impressive constructions in history, the Alhambra.

In Sabika, you play the role of one of the Nasrid nobles who contributed to the construction of the towers, gardens, and palaces of this ancient monument. In addition to this honorable task, you have to establish trade routes through Europe and the Maghreb. These routes will provide you with sufficient income to be able to take on the demanding tribute that has been commanded by the Catholic Monarchs. In exchange for your work, you will receive military protection against the various conflicts of the Taifas Kingdom.

Sabika implements a novel mechanism that integrates three interrelated rondels. Each rondel focuses on a different scenario: the construction of the Alhambra, the carving of poems in its halls, and the export of goods along the trade routes. All of this takes place over five eras (rounds), and at the end of the fifth round, the player who has accumulated the most prestige points takes the victory.

—description from the publisher