Category: Ω Board Games

The Search for Planet X

| T3d-1978
The Search for Planet X

The Search for Planet X

At the edge of our solar system, a dark planet may lurk. In 2015, astronomers estimated a large distant planet could explain the unique orbits of dwarf planets and other objects. Since then, astronomers have been scanning the sky, hoping to find this planet.

In The Search for Planet X, players take on the role of astronomers who use observations and logical deductions to search for this hypothetical planet. Each game, the companion app randomly selects an arrangement of objects and a location for Planet X following predefined logic rules.

Each round, as the earth travels around the sun, players use the app to perform scans and attend conferences. As they gain information about the location of the objects, they mark that information on their deduction sheets. As players learn the locations of the various objects, they can start publishing theories, which is how players score points.

As more and more objects are found, players narrow down the possible locations for Planet X. Once a player believes they know its location and the objects on either side of it, they use the app to conduct a search. The game ends when a player successfully locates Planet X, and all players have a final chance to score some additional points.

The Search for Planet X captures the thrill of discovery, the puzzle-y nature of astronomical investigation, and the competition inherent in the scientific process. Can you be the first to find Planet X?

Game Mechanics:

  • Action Points
  • Deduction
  • Paper and Pencil
  • Puzzle

Game Specifications:

  • 1 – 4 Players
  • ~60 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 2.35

Scrabble

| T3d-1978
Scrabble

Scrabble

In this classic word game, players use their seven drawn letter-tiles to form words on the gameboard. Each word laid out earns points based on the commonality of the letters used, with certain board spaces giving bonuses. But a word can only be played if it uses at least one already-played tile or adds to an already-played word. This leads to slightly tactical play, as potential words are rejected because they would give an opponent too much access to the better bonus spaces.

Game Mechanics:

  • Hand Management
  • Tile Placement
  • Word Game

Game Specifications:

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

Santa Monica

| T3d-1978
Santa Monica

Santa Monica

In Santa Monica, you are trying to create the most appealing neighborhood in southern California. Will you choose to create a calm, quiet beach focused on nature, a bustling beach full of tourists, or something in-between to appeal to the locals?

Each turn, you draft a feature card from the display to build up either your beach or your street. These features work together to score you victory points. The player with the most points wins!

Game Mechanics:

  • City Building
  • Set Collection
  • Tableau Building
  • Tile Placement

Game Specifications:

  • 2 – 4 Players
  • 30 – 45 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 2.16

San Francisco

| T3d-1978
San Francisco

San Francisco

For San Francisco, the first half of the 20th century is an era of dynamic growth and new opportunities. It’s also a chance for you — junior urban planner — to take part in a contest for the most amazing reconstruction plan of the city. Sit down with your sketchbook and create a project that will make you stand out from the competition. Design a beautiful city in this game by Reiner Knizia, world-famous board game designer.

In the board game San Francisco, you become an urban planner whose goal is to create the greatest redevelopment plan of the famous city in California. Design districts in each of the five types, racing against all the other planners. Choose the right moment to take on new projects — but be careful, if you take on too many projects it’ll be harder to gain more. Earn more prestige by cleverly designing a system of cable car connections. Lay foundations and carefully design the nearby landscape, allowing you to build new skyscrapers. Create a new vision of San Francisco that will gain the most rewards, and win through fame and recognition.

Game Mechanics:

  • City Building
  • Open Drafting
  • Tile Placement

Game Specifications:

  • 2 – 4 Players
  • 45 – 60 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 2.00

Saloon Tycoon

| T3d-1978
Saloon Tycoon

Saloon Tycoon

Players are Saloon owners in an old west gold rush town. They’ve purchased lots on the four corners of the main crossroads and need to expand their small establishments into thriving businesses. Their goal is to create massive centers for commerce and entertainment in the wilds of the West. To boost their success, they’ll need to attract the wealthy and famous citizens of the town while keeping away the less savory characters.

This is a building and tile placement game where the purpose of the game is to build the best saloon. The game is played by each player taking a board and then taking turns going clockwise from the first player earning gold, taking an action, building and collecting bonuses.

The player with the most reputation points at the end of the game wins!

Game Mechanics:

  • Action Points
  • Open Drafting
  • Tile Placement

Game Specifications:

  • 2 – 4 Players
  • 30 – 60 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 2.29

Sagrada

| T3d-1978
Sagrada

Sagrada

Draft dice and use the tools-of-the-trade in Sagrada to carefully construct your stained glass window masterpiece.

In more detail, each player builds a stained glass window by building up a grid of dice on their player board. Each board has some restrictions on which color or shade (value) of die can be placed there. Dice of the same shade or color may never be placed next to each other. Dice are drafted in player order, with the start player rotating each round, snaking back around after the last player drafts two dice. Scoring is variable per game based on achieving various patterns and varieties of placement…as well as bonus points for dark shades of a particular hidden goal color.

Special tools can be used to help you break the rules by spending skill tokens; once a tool is used, it then requires more skill tokens for the other players to use them.

The highest scoring window artisan wins!

Game Mechanics:

  • Dice Rolling
  • Grid Coverage
  • Open Drafting
  • Pattern Building
  • Puzzle
  • Set Collection

Game Specifications:

  • 1 – 4 Players
  • 30 – 45 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 1.92

RWBY Combat Ready

| T3d-1978
RWBY Combat Ready

RWBY Combat Ready

RWBY: Combat Ready is an exciting cooperative game for 2-4 players, with adapted rules for 5 players . It captures the flavor and excitement of the animated web series RWBY from Rooster Teeth, with fast-paced battles, where all players are actively involved and engaged at the same time.

Players play as one of the four main heroines in the series: Ruby, Weiss, Blake, or Yang. Each of them have their own separate deck of cards, representing their attacks, actions, and moves. Each character plays a little differently, using their own unique tactics and strategies. Players record their key stats on their Scrolls (player tracking boards), including their Aura (health), Experience, Battle Fury, and their Semblance (unique special ability).

Before each game, players choose a scenario to play from the scenario book. Each scenario will have them fighting one or more battles. Battles are against a particular Villain, with a particular set of rules and may include one or more objectives. No two battles are ever the same!

Game Mechanics:

  • Cooperative
  • Player Elimination

Game Specifications:

  • 2 – 5 Players
  • 45 – 75 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 2.50

Rush M.D.

| T3d-1978
Rush M.D.

Rush M.D.

You are one of the doctors that were just hired for the brand-new, cutting-edge Medical Center. Alongside your colleagues, you have to cooperate well, to admit, diagnose and treat various patients who need your help. Combine your strengths and treat efficiently the patients arriving at hospital, but be careful, because mistakes can be of the highest value in Rush MD!

‘Rush M.D. is an innovative, real-time, cooperative board game that simulates the challenging and high-pressure nature of medical professions. A worker placement mechanism, using hourglasses as workers allows, but also limits, players to perform a multitude of actions. Each player handles 1 Doctor hourglass running around the hospital, admitting patients, providing immediate medical care, performing different kinds of exams as well as performing surgeries. Additionally, there are 4 more Nurse hourglasses, which can be used by all players. Nurses provide medicines to patients, supply all necessary drugs and equipment that you need to carry out all your exams and medical procedures. Any worker placed on an action space may not be used elsewhere before the sand within the hourglass runs out, making each decision important as time is limited.

The game plays from 1-4 players and lasts for 4 rounds of 4 minutes each. That means you only have 16 minutes in total to treat various patients, overcome many difficulties and challenges and manage to cooperate efficiently with your teammates, combine your forces into helping as many of your patients. A highly thematic experience that is equally rewarding for gamers and families, filled with fun, challenges and sharp decision making!

In Rush M.D. pressure is high as human lives are upon your hands! Can you handle the Rush, doctors?!

Game Mechanics:

  • Cooperative
  • Dexterity
  • Worker Placement

Game Specifications:

  • 1 – 4 Players
  • 30 – 45 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 2.33

Rune Stones

| T3d-1978
Rune Stones

Rune Stones

Rune Stones is a deck-building, hand management game by acclaimed designer Rüdiger Dorn. In Rune Stones, every card has a unique number on it. Two cards are always played together, and the higher numbered card is removed from the player’s deck. You have to be careful which cards you buy and how you play them to not lose your best cards. Players will use their cards to gather gems, forge them into Artifacts, then combine those into Rune Stones, which grants a special ability for the rest of the game. The more artifacts used in making a Rune Stone, the more points it scores, so players must decide whether it is best to gain abilities early or save to score more points.

On your turn, you may choose from one of three options:

1. Summon Creatures: Take new creature cards from the display by playing the appropriate amount of spell power from cards in your hand.

2. Play Cards: Play two cards from your hand, which will give you resources, new cards, or points. However, every card has a unique number, and the higher numbered card of the two is removed from the game (the other is placed in the player’s discard pile).

3. Forge Artifacts: Players spend gems at the 6 different Dwarf forges to make an artifacts. Once they have at least two artifacts of different colors, these may be made into a Rune Stone, which grants a special ability and a significant number of points.

The first player to 65 points triggers the end of the game, and then the player with the most points at the end of the round is the winner.

Game Mechanics:

  • Deck Building
  • Dice Rolling
  • Hand Management
  • Set Collection

Game Specifications:

  • 2 – 4 Players
  • ~60 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 2.35

Rolling Realms

| T3d-1978
Rolling Realms

Rolling Realms

In the early days of the coronavirus, a time of self-isolation for many people, Jamey decided to create an infinitely scaling roll-and-write game to teach and play with people around the world via Facebook Live.

In Rolling Realms, players compete to earn the most stars in a series of minigames over 3 rounds. This is a roll-and-write game, meaning that players will write on the game components using dry-erase markers.

Each turn, one player rolls 2 dice, and all players use the dice results on their realm cards to generate resources and earn stars. After 3 rounds, the player with the most stars wins!

Game Mechanics:

  • Bingo
  • Dice Rolling
  • Paper and Pencil

Game Specifications:

  • 1 – 6 Players
  • ~30 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 1.93