Category: Ω Board Games

Harmonies

| OTSG Staff

In Harmonies, build landscapes by placing colored tokens and create habitats for your animals. To earn the most points and win the game, incorporate the habitats in your landscapes wisely and have as many animals as you can settle there.

Starting with the first player and proceeding clockwise, each player will choose a set of 3 terrain tokens from the central area to place on their personal board. They may optionally choose an Animal card from the 5 displayed and/or place an Animal cube from their Animal card(s) on any completed patterns on their board that match their personal Animal cards. There is a 4-card limit per player. After their turn, refill with a new set of 3 tokens and a new Animal card if needed.

Placement of the terrain tokens will depend on the personal Animal card goals, and scoring rules for the various terrain types (mountain, field, forest, etc). For example, mountain tiles score based on how high they are (1 tile scores 1, while 3 tiles stacked score 7), but the mountain scores zero if it is not adjacent to at least one other mountain. If all the cubes on a given Animal card have been placed, the card is set aside and a new card can be drawn. The cards are scored at game end based on the highest number that isn’t covered by a cube.

The games ends when there are no tokens left in the bag to refill the central area, or at least one players has 2 or fewer empty spaces on their player board. Play continues until all players have had an equal turn that round. The player with the highest points is the winner.

Optionally, you can use Nature’s Spirit cards for richer gameplay. During setup, each player chooses 1 of 2 spirit cards and places a Spirit cube on the card. They follow the same placement rules as Animal cards, but tend to have an ongoing effect once completed. The spirit card does count towards the 4-card hand limit.

—description from the publisher

Game Mechanics:

Game Specifications:

  • 1 – 4 Players
  • 30 – 45 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 2.01

Hare & the Tortoise, the (Tales & Games)

| OTSG Staff

The Hare & the Tortoise, originally published as Royal Turtle, is a card-driven betting game about animal racing loosely based on one of Aesop’s Fables.

At the start of a race, each player secretly bets on up to two of five animals: turtle, rabbit, lamb, wolf and fox. One animal is chosen at random for each player, then after receiving a hand of seven cards, each player places one of his cards face-down (possibly the same animal) as an additional bet. Players then take turns laying down 1-4 cards, with all cards needing to show the same animal, then refilling the hand to five cards. As soon as eight total cards have been played or four cards of any one animal, the animals move (maybe).

Each animal has a distinct characteristic that players can use to their advantage. The turtle always moves one space, but it moves two if four of its cards were played. The rabbit always moves two spaces as long as cards are played. — unless four cards are played and it’s at the head of the pack, in which case it sleeps and doesn’t move. The fox moves as many spaces as the number of cards played. The lamb moves one more space than the number of cards played — but if it reaches water, it stops moving to take a drink. The wolf moves 1 space if one to two cards are played, and one less space than the number of cards if more are played. The wolf also has 3 cards with a howl, if one of these is played no one but the wolf moves.(The track consists of eleven road cards, two covered with water.)

After the animals move, players start a new round of card-playing. A round ends when three of the five animals reach the goal, after which each player scores points based on the ranking of the animals and how they bet. After three rounds, the player with the most points wins.

The original title of Royal Turtle is a homage to Reiner Knizia’s Royal Turf, another betting game about animals racing (albeit horses in that game).

Game Mechanics:

Game Specifications:

  • 2 – 5 Players
  • 15 – 20 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 1.37

Happy Mochi

| OTSG Staff

Be the first to empty your hand!

In Happy Mochi, all cards must be played in pairs, and you can never rearrange your hand.

To play, you must follow value restrictions — unless you have two matching cards! In that case, shout “Happy Mochi!” and break all the rules!

Special abilities and color-matching add an extra layer to this strategic party game, where luck and tactics go hand in hand.

—description from the publisher

Game Mechanics:

Game Specifications:

  • 2 – 6 Players
  • 20 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 1.20

Hanamikoji: Geisha’s Road

| OTSG Staff

“Yoko… What lies ahead for us?” asked her friend Tomoyo.
Yoko stared out into the sea, calm and serene. “Today we are just maiko. But one day, we will complete our training and become known as geisha.”
“Yes, artists of the highest order. But then what?”
“Okaasan said that one day, perhaps some of us may be lucky to inherit the teahouse… if fortune favors us and our hard work.”

Welcome back to Hanamikoji! In Hanamikoji: Geisha’s Road is a two-player based on “Hanamikoji” with a new Geisha movement and roundel system added to the game design to make the strategy more diversified. It’s competitive strategy game full of implicit intentions, veiled messages, and hidden actions, players represent rival but friendly patrons supporting Yoko, Tomoyo, and others along their journey from apprentice (maiko) to full geisha (artist) and perhaps even the owner (okaasan) of their own establishment.

To do so, players help their favored geisha advance and build prestige through performing their art at different teahouses. Geisha start as apprentices (maiko) but become full geisha and score prestige points after accruing the necessary patronage to return to their original teahouse (ochaya) for the graduation ceremony (erikae). Some geisha may continue their path further and eventually inherit the teahouse (upon a second return) to become the new okaasan, recognized with more prestige points.

At the end of the game, the player who provides the most support to each geisha is recognized. The player who has supported the most prestigious group of geisha wins the game.

Game Mechanics:

Game Specifications:

  • 2 Players
  • 25 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 2.18

Hanabi

| OTSG Staff

Hanabi—named for the Japanese word for “fireworks”—is a cooperative game in which players try to create the perfect fireworks show by placing the cards on the table in the right order. (In Japanese, hanabi is written as 花火; these are the ideograms flower and fire, respectively.)

The card deck consists of five different colors of cards, numbered 1–5 in each color. For each color, the players try to place a row in the correct order from 1–5. Sounds easy, right? Well, not quite, as in this game you hold your cards so that they’re visible only to other players. To assist other players in playing a card, you must give them hints regarding the numbers or the colors of their cards. Players must act as a team to avoid errors and to finish the fireworks display before they run out of cards.

An extra suit of cards, rainbow colored, is also provided for advanced or variant play.

Hanabi was originally published as part of Hanabi & Ikebana.

Game Mechanics:

Game Specifications:

  • 2 – 5 Players
  • 25 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 1.69

Hamster Roll

| OTSG Staff

Imagine a hamster’s exercise wheel made out of wood that’s divided into numerous segments, with these segments being separated by low fences. That’s the playing surface for Hamster Roll, a dexterity game in which players compete to play all of their pieces first.

Everyone starts with seven wooden pieces. On a turn, place one of your pieces somewhere within the wheel, which might move and rotate as a result! If any pieces fall out of the wheel, you must add them to your supply, so try to keep the rolling of that hamster wheel to a minimum…

 

Game Mechanics:

Game Specifications:

  • 2 – 4 Players
  • 30 – 40 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 1.07

Guillotine

| OTSG Staff

The French Revolution is famous in part for the use of the guillotine to put nobles to death, and this is the macabre subject of this light card game. As executioners pandering to the masses, the players are trying to behead the most popular nobles. Each day the nobles are lined up and players take turns killing the ones at the front of the line until all the nobles are gone. However, players are given cards which will manipulate the line order right before ‘harvesting’ heads, which is what makes the game interesting. After three days of chopping, the highest total carries the day.

Game Mechanics:

Game Specifications:

  • 2 – 5 Players
  • 30 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 1.27

Guildhall Fantasy: Box of Holding

| OTSG Staff

Guildhall Fantasy: Box of Holding contains 4 Guildhall Fantasy games all in one spot! Feel free to mix and match the different sets for new experiences each time you play!

Guildhall Fantasy: Fellowship

Do you have a thirst for adventure? Is your middle name danger? Do you just like treasure? Form a party of adventurers to help you be victorious! The more members of each class you have, the greater the bonus they’ll give you – but be careful; your opponents might try to poach your party members!

In Guildhall Fantasy: Fellowship, 2-4 players compete to create the perfect party by recruiting adventurers into their guildhall chapters. Collect sets of cards with unique abilities to control the table, and complete a full chapter to claim victory cards. Will you go for points quickly, or build up your special powers? Which will lead to ultimate victory? Only you and the gamemaster know!

Guildhall Fantasy: Alliance

In Guildhall Fantasy: Alliance, each profession grants you special abilities, and these abilities grow stronger the more of that profession that you collect. When you cash in that profession set for victory points, however, you lose the ability until you can build it up again.

Guildhall Fantasy: Coalition

In Guildhall Fantasy: Coalition, each profession grants you special abilities, and these abilities grow stronger the more of that profession that you collect. When you cash in that profession set for victory points, however, you lose the ability until you can build it up again.

Advanced Guildhall Fantasy: The Gathering

There can be only… Wait! There is another!

Guildhall Fantasy: The Gathering is a standalone game in the Guildhall series, featuring six never before seen professions. Additionally, this set contains two mini expansions: “The Chapter Masters” and “The Master Houses”.

Game Mechanics:

Game Specifications:

  • 2 – 4 Players
  • 30 – 45 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 2.00

Guild of Merchant Explorers, the

| OTSG Staff

In The Guild of Merchant Explorers, each player starts with one city on their personal map board.

Shuffle the deck of terrain cards, then reveal most of these cards one by one. Based on the terrain revealed, each player places on their board cubes that are connected to their starting city or other cubes. You want to complete areas on your board, cross the seas to new land, and establish new cities on the board. You can explore capsized ships for treasure — which gives you special placement capabilities — and create linked connections between locations to score bonus points. Common objectives can be completed by all players, with those who complete it first scoring more points.

At the end of a round, all cubes are removed from each board, leaving only the cities behind, so if you don’t establish new cities, you’ll be stuck in the same places.

The Guild of Merchant Explorers contains multiple copies of four different maps, and the game is designed so that you can play remotely with one or more copies.

Game Mechanics:

Game Specifications:

  • 1 – 4 Players
  • 45 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 2.05

Guild Academies of Valeria

| OTSG Staff

You and your fellow Headmasters are trying to build out your academies, recruit the best students, hire talented guildmasters, and influence important council ministers. Only select graduates can be tasked to fulfill quests ordered by the King, while the so-so graduates are sent to the capital city to make their own way.

GAOV uses action selection, dice drafting and dice manipulation (Students), tile drafting, resource management and engine building (Academies), contract fulfillment (Quests), and a unique system where players choose which game aspects they want to score (Council Ministers) to bring a new aspect of the Valeria Universe to life.

—description from the publisher

Game Mechanics:

Game Specifications:

  • 1 – 4 Players
  • 90 – 120 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 2.94