Author: OTSG Staff

Zona: The Secret of Chernobyl

| OTSG Staff
Zona: The Secret of Chernobyl

Zona: The Secret of Chernobyl

Zona is an adventure board game designed for 1-4 players. To win the game, player must reach the sarcophagus of Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant before other players. The sarcophagus opens only when player had previously collected 2 Secrets from underground facilities known as Secret Locations. Players must hurry because there is a time limit to the game. When the Final Emission strikes, everything is lost…

GAMEPLAY
Each turn players take 2 Actions (move, explore, combat etc.) and then everyone read an Event Card which contains text for short adventure. At the end of turn, a News Card is drawn by the first player and resolved by him.

MOOD
This board game emphasizes the aspect of survival. Zone depicted on the playing board is an extremely hazardous and isolated area with very limited access to functional equipment and supplies. Players must remember to frequently repair their Items and buy new ones. It is also crucial to rest to reduce Fatigue and heal Damage.

STALKERS
Each player takes role of 1 Scavenger from the 10 included in the game. Each Scavenger has their own Special Skill, set of basic Skills and starting equipment. Values of stats such as Awareness, Agility or Intellect determine how good they are in avoiding dangers and traps, fighting mutants or gathering Artifacts from anomalies. The story of Scavenger explains his/herPersonal Goal – the reason for arriving to the Zone. Differences between Scavengers makes playing each one of them completely unique.

Game Mechanics:

  • Action Points
  • Dice Rolling
  • Push Your Luck

Game Specifications:

  • 1 – 4 Players
  • 120 – 180 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 2.76

Zombicide: Horde Box

| OTSG Staff
Zombicide: Horde Box

Zombicide: Horde Box

The Zombicide: Horde Box contains all the extras added during the Kickstarter campaign for Zombicide: Green Horde and features an exclusive artwork by Jeremy Masson. The following items are included in the box:

  • 15 extra figures from the base game (1 Orc Necromancer, 1 Orc Abomination, 5 Orc Walkers, 4 Orc Runners, and 4 Orc Fatties);
  • 10 Kickstarter Exclusive Abominations with cards ((Werezombie, Siege Breaker, Vault Warden, Horde Brother, Swamp Lurker, The Magenta Covfefe of Aargh, Abominabunny, Gorgomination, Zombie Giant, Chromatiz);
  • 2 Kickstarter Exclusive Necromancers with cards ((Queen Severa, Count Temeraire);
  • 1 Kickstarter Exclusive Feral Dragon with cards;
  • 4 Kickstarter Exclusive Fatty Bursters with cards;
  • 1 Ballista;
  • 12 Kickstarter Exclusive New Equipment and Vault Cards;
  • 1 Kickstarter Exclusive Horde Tile;
  • 31 Kickstarter Exclusive Survivors with cards

Game Mechanics:

  • Cooperative
  • Dice Rolling

Game Specifications:

  • 1 – 6 Players
  • ~60 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 3.00

Yukon Airways

| OTSG Staff
Yukon Airways

Yukon Airways

In Yukon Airways, you will be at the controls of your very own seaplane with the mission of transporting travelers to the different points of the Yukon. Embark your passengers (dice) using a draft system and use your ticket cards to take them to the different locations on the map. For each passenger, you get money and the possibility of improving your plane if the passenger finds a point of interest that satisfies their tastes at the destination (when the color of the die matches the color of one of the cubes at that destination). At the end of the game, you will earn extra money according to the different locations you have visited. The player who has earned the most money at the end of the week wins.

Game Mechanics:

  • Action Drafting
  • Dice Drafting
  • Hand Management
  • Open Drafting
  • Pick-Up and Deliver

Game Specifications:

  • 1 – 4 Players
  • 60 – 90 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 2.83

Yokohama

| OTSG Staff
Yokohama

Yokohama

Once Yokohama was just a fishing village, but now at the beginning of the Meiji era it’s becoming a harbor open to foreign countries and one of the leading trade cities of Japan. As a result, many Japanese products such as copper and raw silk are collected in Yokohama for export to other countries. At the same time, the city is starting to incorporate foreign technology and culture, with even the streets becoming more modernized. In the shadow of this development was the presence of many Yokohama merchants.

In YOKOHAMA, each player is a merchant in the Meiji period, trying to gain fame from a successful business, and to do so they need to build a store, broaden their sales channels, learn a variety of techniques, and (of course) respond to trade orders from abroad.

Game Mechanics:

  • Economic
  • Grid Movement
  • Network Building
  • Set Collection
  • Worker Placement

Game Specifications:

  • 2 – 4 Players
  • ~90 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 3.29

Yohei

| OTSG Staff
Yohei

Yohei

There is a collection of books handwritten by the survivors of the first war against the demons where it’s narrated that under the island of Jiin there are two forged doors that enclose the infernal forces expelled by Arashi “the Exiled”. A hero disowned by the false emperor, who has plunged the country into a punishing civil war facing a population that awaits the return of his hero to rid them of the tyranny of a mad throne and the rumors of demons returning to win back with blood what they once lost.

Yohei is born from the combination of the mysticism of Japanese folklore with a fantasy universe created for a wargame that faces asymmetrical clans in modular boards with numerous and different game modes. It combines mechanics such as dice rolling, grid movement, variable players powers, modular boards and card management to develop our strategy during the battle by acquiring warriors, invoking powerful event cards, legendary weapons and the construction of buildings that lead us to victory in exciting games of 60 to 90 minutes.

Game Mechanics:

  • Dice Rolling
  • Grid Movement

Game Specifications:

  • 2 – 4 Players
  • 60 – 90 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 3.00

Yedo

| OTSG Staff
Yedo

Yedo

Japan, 1605 – Hidetada Tokugawa has succeeded his father as the new Shogun, ruling from the great city of Edo (a.k.a. Yedo), the city known in present times as Tokyo. This marks the beginning of the golden age of the Tokugawa Shogunate and the so-called Edo Period that will last until 1868. Naturally, the most powerful families in Edo immediately try to curry favor with the new Shogun – and this is the opportunity our clan has been looking for, our chance at power and glory. Our clan will prove ourselves to be indispensable to the new Shogun. We will work from the shadows to acquire information about our rival clans. We will kidnap those who might oppose our ascent and assassinate those who prove a threat. We will use cunning to prevent our adversaries from doing the same to us. We will find glory and honor in the eyes of this new Shogun – or failing that we will end his rule by any means necessary.

In the strategy game Yedo, players assume the roles of Clan Elders in the city of Edo during the early years of the Tokugawa Shogunate. The object of the game is to amass Prestige Points, mainly by completing missions. To do so, players must gather the necessary assets and – most importantly – outfox their opponents and prevent them from completing their missions.

There are several ways to reach your goal. Will you try to complete as many missions as possible and hope that your efforts catch the Shogun’s eye? Or will you choose a more subtle way of gaining power by trying to influence the Shogun during a private audience? You can also put your rivals to shame by buying lots of luxury goods from the European merchants. It’s all up to you – but be careful to make the right choices, for in Yedo, eternal glory and painful disgrace are two sides of the same coin…

Game Mechanics:

  • Auction/Bidding
  • Hand Management
  • Set Collection
  • Worker Placement

Game Specifications:

  • 2 – 5 Players
  • 120 – 180 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 3.34

Xenoshyft Onslaught

| OTSG Staff
Xenoshyft Onslaught

Xenoshyft Onslaught

In XenoShyft: Onslaught, a strategic base defense deck-builder, players take on the role of the NorTec Military, charged with defending their base against the onslaught of the alien “Hive”.

XenoShyft: Onslaught combines classic deck-building and resource management with fast-paced combat and unique “base defense” elements. As the game progresses, each player builds up their deck of Troop, Equipment, and Item cards, which they will in turn use to defend the base against incoming enemies in deadly combat.

It is up to the players to work together in order to outlast the horrors awaiting them by coordinating strategy, utilizing the strengths of their unique divisions (Med Bay, Weapons Research, Science Lab, and Armory), and organizing defense tactics to ensure no player is caught off-guard by surprise attacks.

Game Mechanics:

  • Cooperative
  • Deck Building
  • Open Drafting

Game Specifications:

  • 1 – 4 Players
  • 30 – 60 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 2.65

The World of SMOG: Rise of Moloch

| OTSG Staff
The World of SMOG: Rise of Moloch

The World of SMOG: Rise of Moloch

The World of SMOG: Rise of Moloch is a Victorian adventure board game, for 2 to 5 players, set in an alternate England, where magic and technology have taken an extraordinary turn. Playable as a campaign or individual adventures, Rise of Moloch puts one player in the position of the Nemesis, against the intrepid Gentlemen controlled by the other players trying to save the Crown. Secretly activate the order of your characters through different scenarios, enjoy your steam power weapons, and save your special actions for the most opportune moments – you surely don’t want to make your opponent stronger!

Rise of Moloch is a campaign driven adventure, played over a series of missions, each telling part of the overall story of Moloch’s rise to power (or defeat at the hands of the fearless Gentlemen!). Each mission features a unique board setup and goals for both the Nemesis player and Gentlemen players to complete. More so, subsequent missions will be impacted by the outcome of the one before it, weaving the overall story and game-play together to make each campaign unique.

Players will each control one or more of the intrepid Gentlemen or, in the case of the Nemesis player, cunning Agents and Minions, all with unique powers and upgrades they will utilize to complete the various goals of each mission.

Game Mechanics:

  • Campaign
  • Dice Rolling
  • Grid Movement
  • Team Based

Game Specifications:

  • 2 – 5 Players
  • 60 – 90 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 2.93

Wonderlands War

| OTSG Staff
Wonderlands War

Wonderlands War

The Looking Glass has shattered, madness is being drained from the inhabitants, and war has come to Wonderland. Alice, Mad Hatter, Red Queen, Jabberwock, and Cheshire Cat must gather all that they can while playing nice at the Hatter’s Tea Party before going to battle!

In Wonderland’s War, 2-5 players take the role as a faction leader who has been invited to the Hatter’s tea party. Drink tea and eat cake as you move around the table drafting cards to gather your forces, build your towers, upgrade your leader, and recruit Wonderlandians to your cause — but one must be careful as shards of the Looking Glass are spread throughout Wonderland. Once all the plates are empty, the Tea Party is over and war begins. Use the forces you gathered to battle your enemies in familiar locations, but make sure not to draw your Madness chips or your supporters will abandon your cause and you will be out of the fight. Can you muster enough strength to win the battle, or will you just try to complete Quests instead by meeting the right conditions such as gaining region bonuses and set collection throughout the game?

After all the battles have been fought, a truce is called and everyone meets back at the tea party to plot their moves for the next fight. After three rounds, the faction with the most points will be crowned as the new leader of Wonderland!

Game Mechanics:

  • Area Control
  • Deck Building
  • Dice Rolling
  • Open Drafting
  • Push Your Luck

Game Specifications:

  • 2 – 5 Players
  • 45 – 125 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 2.84

The Wolves

| OTSG Staff
The Wolves

The Wolves

The Wolves is a pack-building strategy game for 2-5 players. It’s survival of the fittest as you compete to build the largest, most dominant pack by claiming territory, recruiting lone wolves, and hunting prey. But be careful not to expand too recklessly into terrain where your rivals thrive – they may lure members of your pack away.

A clever action-selection mechanism drives your choices. Each action requires you to flip terrain tiles matching the terrain where you wish to take your action. These double-sided tiles mean the actions you take this round will set up which terrain types you can act on in the next round. As you take actions to expand your pack’s control of each region, you also upgrade your pack’s attributes, allowing you to take more aggressive actions as the game goes on.

In three mid-game scoring phases, power is calculated in each region. At the end of the game, players tally points based on VP tokens earned in these scoring phases and the highest VP number revealed in each of the six tracks on your player board. The player with the most VP wins!

Game Mechanics:

  • Area Control
  • Grid Movement
  • Take That

Game Specifications:

  • 2 – 5 Players
  • ~75 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 2.80