Games Magazine AwardsEach year since 1980, GAMES Magazine has published a Buyer's Guide to Games in their year-end holiday issue. Except for once or twice in the early 1980s, the article has listed and reviewed one hundred games each year, and was thus dubbed The GAMES 100. Early in the feature's history, the article served as a reference to many games available on the market, new and old, listing such long-time classic titles as Monopoly, Clue, and Scrabble--and even the occasional toy like Frisbee. In later years, the feature has focused more and more on recognizing the best and most unique new board and card games. In 1991, GAMES also began recognizing the favorites in each category with a special Best designation, and has selected one game from the whole list to receive the highest honor of Game of the Year. Through the early 1990s, more and more electronic games were included in the list, with the computer game Myst even winning Game of the Year in 1994. Beginning the following year, computer and cartridge games were split off and given their own separate Electronic Games 100 section.
The Pillars of the Earth $39.20
England at the beginning of the 12th century -- Prior Phillip of Kingsbridge has a glorious vision: to build the largest, most beautiful cathedral in England. To accomplish the task, Phillip recruits the most renowned builders in the country. However, the fate of the Cathedral is constantly threatened by all manner of catastrophes and oppositions. Players join together to help build Kingsbridge Cathedral. Using your workmen and resources, you must wisely deploy assets to overcome unexpected difficulties and shortages to prove yourself the greatest builder of them all! Will your efforts be recognized when the Great Cathedral at Kingsbridge is complete? The Pillars of the Earth is based on Ken Follett's best-selling novel.
Easter Island $19.95
Easter Island is a mysterious island in the South Pacific. Its inhabitants have long since vanished without a trace except for the giant Moai. These giant statues are so large and heavy that modern man has had a difficult time recreating them without modern tools. Tools the original inhabitants most certainly couldn't possess. This game speculates that the statues were, in fact, beam weapons created by two very powerful wizards. These wizards used the statues in a giant game, with the island itself as the board. You are now one of those wizards... Easter Island lets you place your statues and move them into position. Then, when everything is ready, call upon the power of the Sun to topple your opponent's statues and thus your opponent.
Khronos $43.95
The Master Clocksmith came to speak to me this morning revealing a fabulous secret... We can travel in time, my friend! Not just dreaming about it like my astrologist does, but actually going there. I can hardly believe it! There seem to be periods in our future where the strength of our walls will be nothing compared to the strength of our collective faith. Or an even stranger future epoch where the people will rule themselves. The Master Clocksmith has convinced me that our power is now limitless. Our lands and domains are ours forever. My opponents will not wait and my Lords have already started preparing for their journeys. My dear friend, come with me, for from this day forward, I will be remembered as the king who forged our own destiny... literally!
If Wishes Were Fishes $27.95
In this game, the fishes really can grant wishes -- but you have to throw them back. Players are fishermen, trying to catch the most valuable fish and sell them in the market for the best prices. With limited space for storing caught fish, players must use their wits to get the right fish to market at the right times. This is where the granting of wishes is most helpful. Just catch the fish who will grant the wish you want, throw it back, and you get your wish. Sounds simple, but the game does require a bit of thinking and planning. The wishes can help you increase the value of fish when sold, grant you extra storage space, and several other useful things. So, now we know that sometimes it is best to let the big one get away!
Bull in a China Shop $7.95
Acquire the most china for your shop before the bull comes running through! If you're careful, plan wisely, and take the bull by the horns, you'll be in the money while your opponents are stuck picking up the pieces!
Shear Panic $23.95
"The Best Game Ewe Ever Herd!" Ah, do ewe long for the life of a sheep? Bright summer days filled with games of tag and attempts to flock closer to Roger, the Heartthrob Ram? But, Watch Out! The shearer wants to drag you away from all the fun and games! In Shear Panic, ewe maneuver your ewes to score points, playing tag, standing close to Roger, or trying to avoid the shearing scissors! Will your brave sheep score the most points, or will it be "Off with the wool" for ewe?
GiftTRAP $23.95
GiftTRAP is a hilarious social conversation starter for people who think they know each other well or want to know each other better. Unlike other party games you don’t need skills in drawing, acting or trivia so it works well when you have a crowd of mixed ages/skills. A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing in the gift giving world! You are sure to learn something as you give from the 640 gift ideas from the basic to the bizarre. Despite there being 100’s of party games, its rare to find one that adults and children both enjoy playing. It’s fun because everyone gets to say what they think about the gifts before they know what they have been given. GiftTRAP has received rave reviews from adults and children alike, making it a great addition to any game cabinet.
DaVinci's Secret: The Clue $31.50
Welcome to the beginning of your journey through 7 unique and cryptic puzzles. Break the codes to uncover the secret scroll entombed deep within DaVinci's greatest mystery and reveal the clues to solving The Equation. Difficulty level: Hard - Genius
Unspeakable Words : $15.95
Deep in the corners of letters, the Hounds of Tindalos wait for the unsuspecting! In this devious Call of Cthulhu-themed word game by James Ernest and Mike Selinker, players use their card hands to form words based on the number of angles in the word. Succeed, and you're safe -- fail, and you're one step closer to madness!
Ran $52.00 Ran is the 12th volume in the Great Battles of History series, and the second game on the battles of the Samurai (following GMT's Samurai (Vol. V)). Ran covers several of the less famous of the Sengoku Jidai, the Age of Warring States (more or less), in which powerful Daimyo -- Japanese feudal lords -- strove to both maintain and extend their power bases while seeking to attain the office of Shogun, the power behind the throne of the Emperor. Ran simulates the highly personal form of warfare developed by the Japanese samurai, wherein formal battles played out almost as backdrops to individual feats of courage, bravery and devotion much of it outstanding, some of it rather foolhardy, all of it very Homeric. Although political and tactical victory was the bottom line, collecting the severed heads of enemy samurai reigned a very close second in importance. In terms of tactics, this was, as in Europe, the Dawn of Modern Warfare, with the introduction of guns -- arquebuses -- by the Portuguese. Even with the revelatory effect of musketry, Japanese battles were still pretty much a swirling, non-linear affair. Ran, the name the famous Japanese film director, Kurosawa, chose for his samurai version of King Lear, roughly means "Chaos".
Age of Empires III: The Age of Discovery $54.95
It is the late 15th century and a new age is dawning. While searching for a new trade route to India, explorers have discovered a new land. The first reports tell of strange creatures, exotic people, and fabulous wealth. Captains and dventurers flock to these new lands in search of gold. They are quickly followed by colonists, soldiers, merchants, and missionaries all seeking wealth of one kind or another. Colonies begin to spring up, and soon competition among the great nations of Europe begins. Take the role of one of Europe's colonial powers and stake your claim in the New World. As the leader of your nation, there are many paths that lead to victory: Discover and colonize new lands; acquire trade goods that will build your economy; develop new technologies and infrastructure in your home country; build your merchant fleet to dominate the trade routes; and build your army to defend what is rightfully yours! The triumphant revel in riches and glory, while the vanquished become a footnote in the history books. It is an Age of Discovery... it is an Age of Empires! Explore the New World, discovering and claiming new lands for your empire Gather resources to develop your economic infrastructure Build structures that give you advantages in resources or victory points Use specialists to give you the strategic advantage over your opponents Go to war to defend what is yours or take what is not
Qwirkle $22.50 This tactile wooden block game combines the logic and strategy of Set with the creative multi-maneuver game play of Scrabble. Easy-to-learn rules mean you'll be creating columns and rows of matching colors and shapes in no time! Look for opportunities to score big by placing a tile that touches multiple pieces and matches both shapes and colors; the player with the most points wins.
Mission: Red Planet $35.95
In Mission: Red Planet, players portray competing corporations recruiting the best scientists, astronauts, spies, and armed forces, and launching rockets and building mining colonies to explore the Red Planet in their quest to gain control of the most promising -- and profitable -- regions on Mars.
Aunt Millie's Millions $11.95
Dear Aunt Millie left behind an estate worth millions. Are you one of her lucky heirs? In this hilarious party game, play the role of one of the colorful characters out to get Aunt Millie's fortune. Use speed, strategy and persuasion to collect the most coveted valuables. Will you get her vintage jukebox or get stuck with a rusty toilet? Claim the same item as another player and you must give the best sob story to convince the judge that you deserve it more! Whoever ends up with the most riches wins the game. Heir-splitting fun!
Cover Your Tracks $15.30
Cover the tracks to avoid being followed! In this high stakes spatial development game, kids must cover their tracks on a journey through mud, sand, snow and cement. As the game play progresses, it will get harder to cover all those tracks! Kids will have to step lightly if they hope to cover their trail.
WordSpot $31.95
Centuries ago, letterpress craftsmen meticulously arranged thousands of letter tiles on a single tray, creating printed documents for the world to read. The masters of this craft hid words within a block of text that would go unnoticed by the casual reader, and then challenged each other to find the hidden words through a simple diversion called vedere parola. Literally, to "see words". Front Porch Classics introduces this timeless game to celebrate the rich tradition of letterpress craftsmen. Find hidden words among the letter tiles and claim them using your WordSpot tokens. Words may go up, down, across, backwards or diagonally, The first player to use all his or her tokens is the winner
Combat Commander: Europe $63.20 Combat Commander is a card-driven board game series covering tactical infantry combat in the European and North African Theaters of World War II. One player takes the role of the Axis (Germany in this first game; Italy & the Axis Minors in later installments) while another player commands the Allies (Russia & America here; Britain, France & the Allied Minors in future expansions). This first game of Combat Commander includes units, cards, and historical scenarios depicting the American, German, and Russian forces. The second game in the series will provide cards, counters, and historical scenarios for British, French, and Italian forces. Each game includes 6-12 historical scenarios as well as a "roll your own" scenario system that provides an almost unending variety of map configurations, force structures, and combat situations. Replayability value for Combat Commander is very high. A game of Combat Commander has no strict sequence of play. Each turn is divided into a variable number of Player Turns, each of which may consist of either: the active player expending one or more Fate cards from their hand for their Actions; or passing, which allows the discarding of one or more Fate cards. Players redraw up to their maximum hand size at the end of each of their own Player Turns. Additionally, Reactions may be played by either player at any time, so long as the prerequisite listed is met.
Terra Nova $23.95
Players lead nations in this new world where the most valuable resource is the land itself. The clever system of movement and boundary-building gives you the tools you need. However, it is your strategic vision which will ultimately decide whether or not you will rule Terra Nova.
Fnap $15.95 Fnap is a blind-bidding, tile placement game. Players bid to play tiles, one at a time. Tiles can score in three different ways
Wayfinder $24.95
Wayfinder is a beautiful abstract game set in the ocean, as players attempt to establish the most villages on islands. Players move their Wayfinder around, placing tribesmen on islands to form villages, and increase their points in this strategic, no luck game. With stunning components, Wayfinder is not only beautiful, but challenging to play, as players must think several moves ahead. A game designed for those seeking a puzzling challenge, Wayfinder allows players to carefully outwit one another as they move their pieces around the board. Note: Gem color issues mentioned in some reviews and game descriptions were fixed in the final production version of the game. Only prototype versions had any gem color issues.
Hermagor $31.95
In a distant land, many and many years ago, rose a big and wealthy city: its name, now forgotten by most, was Hermagor. Commerce was the source of its richness, because from all its territory, countrymen, artisans and also adventurers brought to the city every kind of merchandise: weapons, ancient books, precious relics, and rare dragon eggs. In this city, you can buy and exchange everything. This made Hermagor famous and merchants came from afar to buy and sell all kinds of goods at the market. Some even undertook perilous adventures to acquire especially rare items. They criss-crossed this wealthy region, creating new paths and roads, adding markets to towns, but always with the aim to become the richest!
Gloria Mundi $35.95
The Glory of Rome is fading. You're a Roman statesman struggling to survive in this era of cultural decline and political chaos. While foreign invaders and domestic incompetents devour the last resources of the Empire, you'll try to build your career out of the rubble. You will administer your Farms, Cities, and Legions, trying to score points by deciding which of them will be improved, and which will be destroyed. In the end, the points you've scored may be all you have left.
Canal Mania $55.95 Canal Mania is a game about the great Canal building era of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries that captures the feel of the period and gives players plenty of decision making in their attempts to complete some of the most famous British canals. Players engage brilliant engineers such as James Brindley and Thomas Telford in their efforts to create canals linking emerging manufacturing centers, providing the waterways that supplied the goods generated by the Industrial Revolution.
Hameln $81.95 Players play the part of a family in Hameln around about the year 1284. During the course of the game, families will marry, buy new houses (production and influence), increase their food (meat, ale, cheese and bread) and become more influential in the running of the town. However, no-one can stop the arrival of the rats and the Pied Piper will make an appearance 3 times during the course of the game. Families can bribe the Pied Piper to help him clear their houses of rats but money is scarce and the Pied Piper will take children if money is not available to pay him. The game lasts for just over one hour.
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