Tag: Area Majority / Influence

Gift of Tulips

| OTSG Staff

In Gift of Tulips, tulip enthusiasts explore Amsterdam’s tulip festival to build colorful bouquets, give tulips to others (scoring points in the process), and manipulate the value of the market.

The deck includes tulips of four colors, with values 2-4. Lay out four festival cards based on the player count, with these cards showing the number of points scored for giving away tulips, keeping tulips, and having a majority of certain colors at the end of the game. Draw two cards of different colors, and place them under the festival cards in first and second place based on their value. Deal two cards to each player; keep one card face up in front of you and add the other face down to the “secret festival” pile.

On a turn, draw a card from the deck and KEEP/GIVE/ADD it, then draw a second card and take one of the actions you didn’t just take. The actions:

  • KEEP: Place the card face up in front of you, scoring points for it if that color is currently ranked third or fourth in the festival.
  • GIVE: Give the card to another player, who places it face up in front of themselves; you score “giving” points based on the current ranking of that color in the festival, plus points equal to the value of that tulip.
  • ADD: Place the card face down in the secret festival or add it face up to the festival, altering the ranking of colors if needed so that the color with the highest sum is first, etc.

When the deck runs out, shuffle the cards in the secret festival, then draw five at random and add them face up to the festival, adjusting the ranking as needed. (If fewer than five cards are in the secret festival, add all of these cards to the festival.) For the three highest ranked colors in the festival, whoever has the most and secondmost cards in these colors scores points as listed on the festival cards; in games with five and six players, the player with the thirdmost cards of a color also scores points. In case of a tie for card count, the tied player with the higher value of a color wins that tie. Whoever has the most points wins.

Game Mechanics:

Game Specifications:

  • 2 – 6 Players
  • ~20 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 1.77

Druids of Edora, The

| OTSG Staff

The Druids of Edora is a game of strategic dice placement. Walk through ancient forests in the footsteps of fairy folk, past monolithic menhirs, and under strands of mistletoe. As druids you will place dice to take actions to gather provisions, gain knowledge, brew potions, and gain bonuses. Build stone structures, collect herbs, and leave your mark in the sacred wood.

Each turn is a few simple steps that with the right strategy will earn you prestige points and bring you closer to victory.

Dive into this fantastic new strategy game from the team behind The Castles of Burgundy.

Prove yourself worthy of the ancient ones and bring glory to your forest.

Game Mechanics:

Game Specifications:

  • 2 – 4 Players
  • 60 – 90 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 3.04

Galileo Galilei

| OTSG Staff

“And yet it moves”, he said.

Galileo Galilei is a Euro-style game in which you take on the role of an astronomer who will discover new planets, find unknown star systems, develop their telescope, and make a scientific breakthrough in the difficult ages of obscurantism.

Use your telescope to select one of the five actions available, with you being able to evolve these actions into better ones. Collect cards of different planets and star systems. Collect lenses of the three main colors to make a discovery. Be wary of inquisitors as they might arrive unwelcomed and ruin your fame in no time. Better find a way to profit from their visit instead.

Game Mechanics:

Game Specifications:

  • 1 – 4 Players
  • 50 – 100 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 3.04

Galactic Renaissance

| OTSG Staff

Following Inis, Galactic Renaissance is the second installment of the “Political Trilogy” by designer Christian Martinez and publisher Matagot.

Throughout Galactic Renaissance, you build your team, adding new specialists — each one unique — to the core in your deck of cards. With this team, you discover new planets and systems, reconnect with lost civilizations, expand your influence, build embassies, and sow disorder in opposing factions — all in an effort to score victory points faster than your opponents. Sending emissaries to new planets, for example, allows you to discover new civilizations or cement relationships on known planets. Opponents may try to convince a planet to join them instead with their own emissaries, causing disorder in the process.

Game Mechanics:

Game Specifications:

  • 2 – 4 Players
  • ~90 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 2.75

Fromage

| OTSG Staff

You are a French cheesemaker in the early 20th century making, aging, and selling your artisanal cheeses. Become the most prestigious cheesemaker in all of France by running a highly successful creamery and crafting exceptional cheese.

Fromage is a simultaneous worker-placement game where players place Workers to make cheese and gather resources from the quadrant of the board facing them. Once all players have placed their Workers, the board rotates, aging any cheese that was made, and presenting each player with a new quadrant to place Workers into. Score Prestige Points by selling cheese to the four locations, and by efficiently managing and upgrading your creamery.

Game Mechanics:

Game Specifications:

  • 1 – 4 Players
  • 30 – 45 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 2.38

From the Moon

| OTSG Staff

In From the Moon, players are representatives of factions trying to complete missions departing from our Moon in order to help humankind survive elsewhere in the galaxy. Indeed, the fate of the Earth is sealed, and time is running out!

The plan is to launch three survival missions before all life on Earth ends. To do that, each faction will contribute by building parts of the ships and build their own lunar base to store the necessary resources.

In the end, which faction will be most suited to lead the future of our race out there, far away in space?

Game Mechanics:

Game Specifications:

  • 1 – 4 Players
  • ~90 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 3.47

Fractured Sky

| OTSG Staff

Fractured Sky is a game of deduction, sneaky strategy, and resource management set on a fantastical island. Players lead their kingdom in the hunt for shards of fractured falling stars, which are rumored to grant wishes to those that can amass enough of them.

Using airships, players send their armies to regions with the star shards, but finding those is not always easy and hiring seers to predict their falls can be worth the investment. Over time, players will increase their presence on the island, placing permanent buildings to give them advantages like extra resources or increasing the size of their troop numbers.

Only one wish will be granted, so who will amass the most shards before the final star falls?

Game Mechanics:

Game Specifications:

  • 1 – 5 Players
  • 45 – 75 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 2.43

Flip Over Frog

| OTSG Staff

The flippin’ frogs are coming! Help your brightly coloured frogs take control of your little corner of the rainforest!

Cleverly place frogs on the game board to flip adjacent tiles, hiding some frogs and revealing others. Each player is given a secret Frog Token at the beginning of the game, determining what colour frogs they are trying to get on to the board. After dealing three tiles to each player, the game begins. Tiles can be placed on any empty space on the 4×4 board, or on the back of any face down tile. Frogs may NOT be placed on top of face up tiles.

When placed, the arrows on the tile which surround the frog tell the player which nearby tiles should be flipped. If a tile is stacked on another, both tiles are flipped together. Only the newly placed tile causes other tiles to flip.

Also included are four Snake Tiles which remove any one face up Frog Tile from the game. Both the Frog and Snake are discarded, freeing up a space for a new tile to be played.

Players keep playing a tile and drawing back up to a hand of three until either no more tiles can be played or the board has sixteen face up frogs on show. This triggers the end of the game, and the player with the most frogs face up is the winner.

Plan ahead, watch out for snakes, and flip your way to victory!

Game Mechanics:

Game Specifications:

  • 2 – 4 Players
  • ~15 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 1.10

Federation

| OTSG Staff

The universe is organized into many federations which trade, intrigue, develop… One of these federations, still not fully developed yet (5 member planets so far) wants a new delegation to join them, but you are not the only one having your sights set on the federation. The Federation challenges you to prove your worth for 5 years. During these 5 years, you must develop strategies, deploy tactics, take the best opportunities but also form the right alliances at the right time… In the end, only 1 delegation will be chosen: the one with the most prestige!

Federation is an interactive Eurogame with innovative double-sided worker placement mechanic..

Federation is played over 5 rounds. Each round is divided into 2 main steps. The first step is player turns where each player plays an Ambassador’s pawn and send a spaceship on a special mission. Once all players have completed their turn, the Executive Phase starts, where players receive their income, fund Major Projects and pass laws.

At the end of the 5th round, the game ends. The Player with the most prestige points wins the game and joins the Federation. In case of a tie, the victory is shared.

Your individual board is composed of the 5 federated actions, 1 spy action, some senate actions and some special senate actions giving prestige points.

Game Mechanics:

Game Specifications:

  • 2 – 4 Players
  • 60 – 120 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 3.75

Ethnos: 2nd Edition

| OTSG Staff

In the faraway land of Ethnos, a new Age is dawning. The ashes of the old Age have left the Six Regions empty, and the twelve Clans scattered to the winds. Now is the time for a clever leader to unite them into a powerful alliance, skillfully using the unique talents of each Clan to control the Regions.
Do you have the wit and the wisdom to become the next Emperor of Ethnos and usher in a Golden Age?

Unite the Clans to Control Ethnos

What was old has been made new again. The land of Ethnos has been rendered empty and a new Age is beginning. Someone must take up the mantle of Emperor. Will it be you?

In Ethnos 2nd Edition, players must take control of the various clans of Ethnos, gathering members and unleashing them into the six regions. Each clan has different special abilities, and depending on who you choose to lead your groups, different strategies can be employed. 2nd Edition includes updated rules and rules for Solo mode.

  • STRATEGIC AREA CONTROL GAME — In Ethnos 2nd Edition, players gather members of various clans and compete for control of six regions, utilizing each clan’s unique abilities to dominate the land.
  • UNIQUE CLAN ABILITIES — Each clan in Ethnos offers distinct powers, adding deep strategy and diverse playstyles as you choose which clan leaders will guide your groups to victory.
  • COMPETITIVE OR SOLO PLAY — Whether you’re challenging friends or conquering regions solo, Ethnos 2nd Edition provides endless strategic opportunities for players of all experience levels.
  • FOR 1-6 PLAYERS — Perfect for game nights or solo sessions, Ethnos 2nd Edition is designed for 1-6 players, offering dynamic and exciting gameplay for ages 14 and up.
  • UPDATED RULES & SOLO MODE — The 2nd Edition features updated rules for streamlined gameplay and introduces a new solo mode, allowing players to enjoy the game on their own.

Game Mechanics:

Game Specifications:

  • 1 – 6 Players
  • ~60 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 2.42