Author: OTSG Staff

Quartermaster General 1914

| OTSG Staff
Quartermaster General 1914

Quartermaster General 1914

Quartermaster General: 1914 is the next title in the critically acclaimed Quartermaster General series by Ian Brody and creates a narrative of the First World War in Europe, reflecting the military, technological, and social changes that occurred over the following four years.

In Quartermaster General: 1914, each card has two different uses: one when played, and another when prepared. On your turn, you have the opportunity to both play and prepare a card. You can also spend cards to draft more troops, or use cards to attrition your opponents. However, your deck represents your overall resources, so moving too quickly through your deck early might result in your unsupported armies being swept away in the final rounds of the game. This is worth it if you can capture Berlin or Paris in 1915, but if your gambit fails, you may have a tough road ahead.

The game ends after 17 rounds of play, or earlier if one side has a commanding lead.

Game Mechanics:

  • Area Control
  • Campaign
  • Deck Building
  • Hand Management
  • Open Drafting
  • Team Based
  • Wargame

Game Specifications:

  • 2 – 5 Players
  • 90 – 120 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 2.63

Puzzle Strike 2

| OTSG Staff
Puzzle Strike 2

Puzzle Strike 2

The cast of Fantasy Strike has acquired magical gems which give power, but at what price? Those who hold too many gems are cursed forever. What’s worse, the ultimate gem to rule them all has been forged into a single, mighty scepter. Whoever holds it wields even more power at an even greater price.

In Puzzle Strike 2, players build their deck as they play, giving them the tools to arrange and manipulate their set of colored gems. These gems can be “crashed” (destroyed) in order to build up power for four different super moves as well as to flood other players with more gems. As this process unfolds, gems will fly back and forth between players as they desperately try to remain under the threshold of corruption. Holding the scepter “helps,” but can also doom the greedy.

Game Mechanics:

  • Deck Building
  • Hand Management

Game Specifications:

  • 1 – 4 Players
  • 20 – 30 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 2.75

Pulsar 2849

| OTSG Staff
Pulsar 2849

Pulsar 2849

It is the year 2849, and humanity has harnessed the power of the pulsars. Now we must find a way to distribute this power throughout the stars.
In this Euro-style game, players explore space, claim pulsars, and discover technologies that will help them build energy-distribution infrastructure on a cosmic scale. Dice are used to purchase actions, and players choose their dice from a communal pool. There are many paths to victory so you can blaze your own trail to a bright future.

Draft dice to explore the universe in Pulsar 2849. Game is only 8 rounds long.
Each round, roll dice based on the number of players, sort them based on their values, then draft dice to take actions.

Possible actions
□ Fly your survey ship
□ take a Gyrodyne
□ Develop a Pulsar
□ Build one or more energy transmitter vectors
□ Patent a technology
□ Buy a dice modifier
□ Complete a special project in your HQ and unlock Gate Run

Players score points each round based on what they’ve discovered and explored, and everyone has common goals that they want to achieve.

Game Mechanics:

  • Dice Drafting
  • Dice Rolling
  • Open Drafting
  • Worker Placement

Game Specifications:

  • 2 – 4 Players
  • 60 – 90 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 3.35

Puerto Rico: 1897

| OTSG Staff
Puerto Rico: 1897

Puerto Rico: 1897

Puerto Rico 1897 takes place the year after Puerto Rico achieved political autonomy and separated itself from the colonial Spanish government. In the game, you take on the role of an independent Puerto Rican farmer in this new era and compete against others to hire workers to grow, sell, and trade valuable crops. You will also be in charge of resurrecting parts of the country as you attempt to build vital city infrastructure. Your goal throughout the game is to acquire more wealth and prestige than your opponents and become the most prosperous farmer across the country.

Each player has their own small board with spaces for city buildings, plantations, and resources. Shared between the players are three ships, a trading house, and a supply of resources and doubloons.

The resource cycle of the game is that players grow crops that they exchange for points or doubloons. Doubloons can then be used to buy buildings, which allow players to produce more crops or give them other abilities. Buildings and plantations do not function unless they are staffed by workers.

During each round, players take turns selecting a role card from those on the table (such as “Trader” or “Builder”). When a role is chosen, every player gets to take the action associated with that role. The player who selected the role also receives a small privilege for doing so; for example, choosing the “Builder” role allows all players to construct a building, but the player who chose the role may do so at a discount on that turn. Unused roles gain a doubloon bonus at the end of each turn, and the next player who chooses that role gets to keep any doubloon bonus associated with it. This encourages players to make use of all the roles throughout a typical course of a game.

Puerto Rico 1897 uses a variable phase order mechanism in which a token is passed clockwise to the next player at the conclusion of a turn. The player with the token begins the round by choosing a role and taking the first action.

Players earn victory points for owning buildings, for shipping goods, and for occupied “large buildings”. Each player’s accumulated shipping chips are kept face down and come in denominations of one or five. This prevents other players from being able to determine the exact score of another player. Goods and doubloons are placed in clear view of other players, and the totals of each can always be requested by a player. As the game enters its later stages, the unknown quantity of shipping tokens and its denominations require players to consider their options before choosing a role that can end the game.

Game Mechanics:

  • Action Drafting
  • Economic
  • Tableau Building

Game Specifications:

  • 2 – 5 Players
  • 70 – 120 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 3.00

Public Market

| OTSG Staff
Public Market

Public Market

Head out to sea and fish to fulfill contracts in order to gain points and emerge as the winner in this tile-laying, engine-building game.

In Public Market players bid on and draft tiles to play into an ice chest. Once the ice chest is full, players can go to the market to sell their latest catch based on the current market values and to complete contract goals. They then get a new ice chest and go back out on the open water to fulfill new contracts. Play continues until the ocean bag is empty.

Game Mechanics:

  • Auction/Bidding
  • Open Drafting
  • Puzzle

Game Specifications:

  • 2 – 4 Players
  • 45 – 90 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 2.91

Power Rangers Deck Building Game: Zeo

| OTSG Staff
Power Rangers Deck Building Game: Zeo

Power Rangers Deck Building Game: Zeo

Power Rangers: Deck-Building Game – Zeo: Stronger Than Before is a competitive deck-building game that pits 1-2 heroes against 1-2 villains. In this asymmetrical game, the hero and villain sides play a bit differently, but in the end, they both have the same goal: Crush your enemies! This is playable as a standalone game or can be combined with the Power Rangers Deck-Building Game Core Set for even more possibilities!

During your turn, you play cards to generate shards and energy. You use shards to buy cards or battle adversaries and gain rewards. You can attack the opposing team using attack cards, and when you are attacked, you can defend with block cards. At the end of your turn, you perform any “end of turn” actions, discard cards played that turn, take one damage for each adversary in “The Grid”, then refill your hand to five cards.

The first side to reduce their opponent’s hit points to 0 wins.

Game Mechanics:

  • Deck Building
  • Team Based

Game Specifications:

  • 2 – 4 Players
  • 30 – 70 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 2.71

Power Rangers Deck Building Game

| OTSG Staff
Power Rangers Deck Building Game

Power Rangers Deck Building Game

It’s Morphin’ Time! Or is it time to conquer the world instead?

Power Rangers: Deck-Building Game is a competitive deck-building game that pits 1-2 heroes against 1-2 villains. In this asymmetrical game, the hero and villain sides play a bit differently, but in the end, they both have the same goal: Crush your enemies!

During your turn, you play cards to generate shards and energy. You use shards to buy cards or battle adversaries and gain rewards. You can attack the opposing team using attack cards, and when you are attacked, you can defend with block cards. At the end of your turn, you perform any “end of turn” actions, discard cards played that turn, take one damage for each adversary in “The Grid”, then refill your hand to five cards.

The first side to reduce their opponent’s hit points to 0 wins.

Game Mechanics:

  • Deck Building
  • Team Based

Game Specifications:

  • 2 – 4 Players
  • 30 – 70 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 2.71

Power Grid

| OTSG Staff
Power Grid

Power Grid

The objective of Power Grid is to supply the most cities with power when someone’s network gains a predetermined size. In this new edition, players mark pre-existing routes between cities for connection, and then bid against each other to purchase the power plants that they use to power their cities.

However, as plants are purchased, newer, more efficient plants become available, so by merely purchasing, you’re potentially allowing others access to superior equipment.

Additionally, players must acquire the raw materials (coal, oil, garbage, and uranium) needed to power said plants (except for the ‘renewable’ windfarm/ solar plants, which require no fuel), making it a constant struggle to upgrade your plants for maximum efficiency while still retaining enough wealth to quickly expand your network to get the cheapest routes.

Game Mechanics:

  • Auction/Bidding
  • Network Building
  • Tableau Building

Game Specifications:

  • 2 – 6 Players
  • ~120 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 3.26

Posthuman Saga

| OTSG Staff
Posthuman Saga

Posthuman Saga

You are a survivor in a near-future Europe that has collapsed under the weight of its own political errors, in the wake of a bloody class-war fueled by genetic modifications. In Posthuman, you journeyed to the last bastion of organized human society in the area: The Fortress. A year down the line, you have become an active part of that society and honed the skills you need to fulfill your role there, but the mutants are gaining ground…

Posthuman Saga is a standalone survival game in the Posthuman universe. You play a seasoned member of the Fortress’ militia, sent out beyond the defensive perimeter to explore and hopefully reconnect with outposts the Fortress has lost touch with, while searching for scavengable sites along the way. You have to forge across a crumbled land where resources are spare and mutants roam the ruined mansions and forests alike.

Like the initial Posthuman, this is a sandbox-style survival journey, but the game system in Posthuman Saga differs from that of the first game in the series. Players win by completing various objectives that suit different characters and playing styles. It has an emphasis on tactical choices on two levels: the journey expressed through an innovative modular tile map puzzle and the individual story and combat encounters. The latter are fast, card-based affairs involving tough choices with future consequences. Posthuman Saga boasts over one hundred, finely crafted story scenes with a simple, push-your-luck mechanism that supplements the emergent narrative afforded by the game. Mutation is a way of life in the Posthuman world, and it can have its advantages, but it can easily get out of control…

Game Mechanics:

  • Auction/Bidding
  • Deck Building
  • Dice Rolling
  • Pattern Building
  • Push Your Luck
  • Role Playing
  • Storytelling
  • Tile Placement

Game Specifications:

  • 1 – 4 Players
  • 30 – 120 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 3.10

Plunderbund

| OTSG Staff
Plunderbund

Plunderbund

You lead a guild striving to dominate the market for illegal goods in the Sprawl, a city rich in history and lawlessness. Recruit and task an army of agents, racketeers, spymasters and others to build your reputation by selling your goods and causing chaos for your rivals. Through a light deck building mechanism you attempt to create the strongest network of agents, racketeers and the most desirable black market goods. Winners and losers are determined by a fun, yet sophisticated, supply & demand mechanic.

Plunderbund combines the innate corruption and profiteering of prohibition Chicago and the lawlessness of the fantasy setting, the Sprawl.

It’s an era before cell phones, e-commerce and customer relationship management tools, an honest guild had to get business the hard way: thieving, sorcery, money laundering and bribery.

Plunderbund is your chance to lead your guild to fame, fortune or disaster as you navigate the whims of the notoriously picky Sprawl consumer and deal with underhanded tactics from rivals determined to steal your business.

Each player will lead a guild with the power to decide where your finite resources are invested. A light deck building mechanic enables you to acquire and improve your black market goods, add agents, add racketeers, disrupt your rivals’ operations or just wreak havoc. Cards are added to your deck through a simple snake draft from a limited selection of over twenty different recruits.

Your guild gains reputation (VPs) as a sophisticated yet simply implemented supply and demand mechanic helps you sell your black market goods to merchants. At the end of the game you will be compared to your rivals on the strength of your network of agents, number of racketeers and black market goods qualities. All this growth comes at a cost, you have to take favors as you try to build your operation without the benefit of any gold in your coffers. As they say “paybacks are hell”. Fail to payback your favors and you pay the price as you see your reputation diminished at the end of the game.

Over the course of twelve months, divided into four seasons, you will build your reputation on the backs of your guild recruits and their abilities.

All seasons have three months. Each month players:
1) Place demand coins
2) Draw cards and payback favors
3) Determine cards to put into play and pay for them
4) Calculate and receive goods

After three months have been played:
1) Compete for demand
2) Recruit guild member using a limited snake draft
3) Start the next season

After the end of the fourth season, the game is over and final reputation is tallied.

There are two key concepts in Plunderbund. The first is the supply and demand mechanism. The game starts with the placement of demand at open merchants. The demand generated is correlated with the products being offered by the guilds. In the early game, demand is mostly based on the appeal and ingenuity of the products. Later, as with any market, quality and price become more important. Each demand coin expresses a customer’s preference. Some customers want the best appeal, some want the best ingenuity, some want the best quality, and some want the lowest price.

Your goal is to win more demand coins than other guilds by having the best network of rogues and the best product. The rogues are your sales team. The more rogues you have in place, the more deals you can win and the more your guild reputation soars. Over the course of the game you will build out your ability to compete for demand.

To win a merchant’s demand coin, you must have an “Agent” on that merchant. If you have the only agent on a merchant, you are nearly certain to win. If another guild’s agent is on that merchant, then you must compete. The winner is the player who is leading in that product attribute. So, if the customer has expressed an interest in high quality then the guild with the best quality has a chance to win.

You can only win a demand coin if you can supply a good. Goods are earned (stolen, fenced, you name it) at the end of each month. The number of goods you generate each month is based on your investment in your supply chain (which lowers price) and quality. For each competition you win, you decide whether you want to take that specific demand coin or pass. If you pass, the demand coin either stays on the board or is won by a rival guild. Suffice it to say, you need goods to have a chance win Plunderbund.

The second key concept is the favor economy. Instead of paying money to get things done for your guild, you take favors. These favors are used to put your guild members to work (each card has a favor cost ranging from zero to four). These favor cards go in your discard pile. Fortunately, paying back a favor is easy. As soon as you draw the favor card into your play area, from your draw pile, it is immediately considered payed back. In this way, favors are an opportunity cost. If you end the game with favors that are not paid back, they are deducted from your end of game score. Favor management is an essential part of Plunderbund.

If you understand these key concepts, then you are ready to build your guild reputation and win Plunderbund.

Game Mechanics:

  • Area Control
  • Deck Building
  • Economic
  • Open Drafting
  • Worker Placement

Game Specifications:

  • 2 – 5 Players
  • 60 – 150 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 2.83