Tag: Deck Building

Deck Building is a mechanic where players build a deck of resources that is randomly drawn and used for future turns.

Orleans

| T3d-1978
Orleans

Orleans

During the medieval goings-on around Orléans, you must assemble a following of farmers, merchants, knights, monks, etc. to gain supremacy through trade, construction and science in medieval France.

In Orléans, you will recruit followers and put them to work to make use of their abilities. Farmers and Boatmen supply you with money and goods; Knights expand your scope of action and secure your mercantile expeditions; Craftsmen build trading stations and tools to facilitate work; Scholars make progress in science; Traders open up new locations for you to use your followers; and last but not least, it cannot hurt to get active in monasteries since with Monks on your side you are much less likely to fall prey to fate.

You will always want to take more actions than possible, and there are many paths to victory. The challenge is to combine all elements as best as possible with regard to your strategy.

Game Mechanics:

  • Deck Building

Game Specifications:

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

Northgard

| T3d-1978
Northgard: Uncharted Lands

Northgard: Uncharted Lands

Based on the universe of the Northgard video game, Northgard: Uncharted Lands is a game of conquest and exploration set in the age of vikings. Each player controls a Viking clan, looking to achieve victory by reaping glory in various ways or controlling the most prized territories of this new continent.

The game focus is on streamlined rules and mechanisms, allowing for a fast-paced and smooth rhythm of play. Each turn, players alternate their actions to adapt their strategies to their opponents’ moves and the expansion of the board. Fame (i.e., points) can be earned by exploring, fighting, and controlling and developing territories. The various corresponding actions are played through the cards that the players have in hand. At the end of each turn, they have to choose a new card to improve their personal deck as their clans develop new tactics and technologies.

The conquest of Northgard also requires clever management of resources to build new buildings, improve your warriors’ effectiveness, better your hand of cards, and upgrade your clan’s specificities. The winter phase makes this management more difficult as you have to feed your units to keep them healthy and happy.

The pace of the game is set by the players as the game ends after seven turns, but can also be cut short at any time if one of them is in control of three closed territories hosting certain types of buildings.

Game Mechanics:

  • Area Control
  • Campaign
  • Deck Building
  • Dice Rolling
  • Tile Placement

Game Specifications:

  • 2 – 5 Players
  • 45 – 90 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 2.73

No Honor Among Thieves

| T3d-1978
No Honor Among Thieves

No Honor Among Thieves

No Honor Among Thieves is a competitive/cooperative game for three to six players, in which each player assembles a crew of thieves and sets out to see who can steal the most from the rich and powerful of the kingdom.

Each player is the head of their own crew, which consists of different character cards recruited from an array of thieves available for hire. These characters are then sent on heists to try and overcome defense cards in front of objectives, using their different sets of skills to bypass guards, traps and walls to get to the filthy lucre that they’re after. Players not involved in the heist will, of course, try and stop the thieves in their tracks by playing Scheme cards, which represent the quirks of fate which might cause a heist to fail–unexpectedly alert guards, City Watch patrols, or the simple mistake that leads to disaster.

Staging a heist alone is difficult, but working together with other players leaves you open to betrayal by your so-called allies, or gives you the chance to betray them, and take it all for yourself. Once any player has been betrayed, the game changes, and more dangerous abilities on different cards can now be played. The Assassin begins killing other characters, the Pickpocket starts stealing from players, the Fall Guy takes the blame, and the whole table becomes a little more vicious. Thieves like to believe they have a code of honor, but once that illusion is broken, there is no going back.

What will you risk to be the richest and cleverest thief in this city of rogues?

Game Mechanics:

  • Action Points
  • Bluffing
  • Deck Building
  • Dice Rolling
  • Hand Management
  • Open Drafting
  • Take That
  • Team Based

Game Specifications:

  • 3 – 6 Players
  • 90 – 120 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 2.67

Newton

| T3d-1978
Newton

Newton

The middle of the 17th century was a period of great changes; with the advent of the scientific method came what we now call the Scientific Revolution. Many great scientists, with their theories and ideas, changed and shaped our perception of the universe: Galileo Galilei, Copernicus, Kepler, Bacon and, above all, Sir Isaac Newton.

In Newton, the players take the role of a young scientist who wants to become one of the great geniuses of this era. To reach their ultimate goal, they travel around Europe, visit universities and cities, study to discover new theories, build new tools and work to earn money.

The game is played over six rounds. Each round, every player plays five cards from their hand, and each played card allows the player to perform one of the many actions of the game. An action can have a variety of effects, which depend on the symbols on the board. At the end of the round, a player can take back all the cards except for one. One card has to remain on the board, which means that you give up one possibility of doing that action, but also that that very action will be carried out with greater strength. Fortunately, you can acquire new cards with additional powers to perform more actions.

After six rounds, you calculate your final score, and the player with the most VP wins.

Game Mechanics:

  • Closed Drafting
  • Deck Building
  • Hand Management
  • Open Drafting
  • Tableau Building
  • Tile Placement

Game Specifications:

  • 1 – 4 Players
  • ~90 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 3.40

Moonrakers

| T3d-1978
Moonrakers

Moonrakers

Moonrakers is a game of shipbuilding, temporary alliances, and shrewd negotiation set in a space-faring future. The players form a loose band of mercenaries, but while they are united in name, actual alliances are shaky as players are pitted against each other in the quest to become the new leader of the Moonrakers.

Moonrakers is a deck-building game in which players choose Contracts to attempt alone or with Allies in order to gain Prestige and Credits. After negotiating terms with Allies, players use their decks of Action cards to play Thrusters, Shields, Weapons, Reactors, and Crew to fulfill the requirements on each Contract. Each type of Action card has additional effects such as extra Actions, drawing additional cards, and protecting players from Hazards encountered while attempting Contracts.

Players create powerful decks and gain special abilities by upgrading their ships and hiring Crew Members. This helps them accomplish more difficult and rewarding contracts alone, letting them keep more Prestige and Credits for themselves.

Allies negotiate who will receive the Prestige, Credits, and risk of Hazard from Contracts, but if you don’t make your offers enticing enough players may be tempted to betray you! The first player to 10 Prestige wins, but be careful as hazards encountered on Contracts reduce your Prestige!

Game Mechanics:

  • Action Points
  • Deck Building
  • Dice Rolling
  • Hand Management
  • Negotiation
  • Trading

Game Specifications:

  • 1 – 5 Players
  • 60 – 120 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 3.00

Monumental

| T3d-1978
Monumental

Monumental

In Monumental, each player will control a civilization that will evolve through his city: a grid of 3×3 cards (coming out from the player’s starting civilization deck) that can each be activated to gather various resources such as Science, Military, Production, Culture, and Gold that will allow them to trigger many actions. But there’s a trick: one cannot activate all their cards at once, which means that tough choices will have to be made each turn in order to select the cards that are the most needed.

The resources gathered from the activated city cards will allow the players to acquire cards from a common pool, allowing them to get improved buildings, technologies, wonders, etc. and therefore to leverage their civilization deck to new heights through more and more efficient card combos. As the common pool of cards progresses (either as players have acquired cards or because they didn’t – which leads to one card from the pool to be discarded per turn), the game progresses through eras. Medieval cards are better than classical cards, and industrial cards are even better, but of course those cards are more and more expensive to acquire.

A modular board, at the center of the table, holds each civilization’s army. The board is made of Provinces to be conquered. Unoccupied Province’s inhabitants are barbarians who will provide resources to the player who defeats them. Holding a conquered province also brings victory points.

The player with the most impressive civilization at the end of the game will be remembered for all time (and they also win the game!).

Game Mechanics:

  • Area Movement
  • Civilization
  • Deck Building
  • Hand Management
  • Set Collection

Game Specifications:

  • 1 – 4 Players
  • 90 – 120 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 2.77

Mobile Markets

| T3d-1978
Mobile Markets

Mobile Markets

Congratulations! You are the CEO of a multinational consumer electronics company ready for the new mobile technologies generation. Compete with other smartphone manufacturers for selling as many goods as possible by planning technology researches, marketing campaigns, production and sales for the whole year. Gain advantages while resolving your plans for victory!

Mobile Markets is a standalone game in the line of Smartphone Inc. providing a similar game experience, but it offers players new mechanisms, more complexity, and strategic planning, interaction, and competition.

Join the race to satisfy the various demands of different types of customers all around the world!

Game Mechanics:

  • Deck Building
  • Economic
  • Open Drafting

Game Specifications:

  • 1 – 4 Players
  • 40 – 80 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 2.75

Marvel Champions

| T3d-1978
Marvel Champions

Marvel Champions

“With great power, there must also come great responsibility.”
–Stan Lee, Amazing Fantasy #15

Iron Man and Black Panther team up to stop Rhino from rampaging through the streets of New York. Captain Marvel and Spider-Man battle Ultron as he threatens global annihilation. Do you have what it takes to join the ranks of these legendary heroes and become a champion?

Jump into the Marvel Universe with Marvel Champions: The Card Game, a cooperative Living Card Game for one to four players!

Marvel Champions: The Card Game invites players to embody iconic heroes from the Marvel Universe as they battle to stop infamous villains from enacting their devious schemes. As a Living Card Game, Marvel Champions is supported with regular releases of new product, including new heroes and scenarios.

Game Mechanics:

  • Campaign
  • Cooperative
  • Deck Building
  • Hand Management
  • Tableau Building

Game Specifications:

  • 1 – 4 Players
  • 45 – 90 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 2.89

Margraves of Valeria

| T3d-1978
Margraves of Valeria

Margraves of Valeria

Margraves of Valeria is a hand-building worker-placement game set in the fantasy world of Valeria. It’s the fifth stand-alone game in the series that introduces new twists to Valeria world!

You are a Margrave, a military commander tasked with defending the land of Valeria and building magical Ward Towers at cities. Knights in Valeria can be commanded by you or your fellow Margraves to slay monsters or activate locations in an effort to gain influence over the 4 Guilds: Worker, Soldier, Shadow, and Holy. As you gain influence, you’ll cross thresholds that will earn you privilege tiles which give you bonuses.

At the end of the game, you’ll earn victory points based on how much influence you have over a Guild and how many icons you’ve gained of that Guild. The Margrave with the most victory points at the end of the game will be named a Duke or Duchess and given their own province to protect and grow!

Turns are deceptively simple as you only get to play 1 Citizen card from your hand. Each card can be played for action icons in the pennant (top-left), power text (at the bottom), or played face-down to perform one of the two actions on your player board (Recall your cards or Build a Ward Tower).

Key features include:

  • Hand Building – Much like deck-building, you are drafting cards into your hand increasing your powers, victory points, and options.
  • Multi-use Cards – Each card can be used in one of four ways, leaving you a lot of decision-making room to execute your strategy.
  • Worker-Placement – Each time you move your Margrave or a Knight into a location, you activate the power of that location much like a worker placement game.
  • Shared Workers – The Knights on the game board do not belong to a single player (anyone can use them) so be careful not to setup your opponents with powerful turns.
  • Resource Management – You have limited storage spots on your player board and using them effectively (without wasting tokens) is key to winning the game.
  • Hero Tombs – As you send Knights into battle, they die glorious deaths and are sent to tombs where you can collect bonuses in a well-integrated mini-game.
  • Influence Track – Gain influence over the 4 Guilds by moving your markers across the tracks which will earn you more victory points at the end of the game for icons you collect.
  • Fantastic Art – As with previous Valeria games, the Mico has really outdone himself by creating a rich and dynamic world full of color and life.

Game Mechanics:

  • Area Movement
  • Deck Building
  • Worker Placement

Game Specifications:

  • 2 – 5 Players
  • 60 – 120 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 2.64

Lost Ruins of Arnak

| T3d-1978
Lost Ruins of Arnak

Lost Ruins of Arnak

On an uninhabited island in uncharted seas, explorers have found traces of a great civilization. Now you will lead an expedition to explore the island, find lost artifacts, and face fearsome guardians, all in a quest to learn the island’s secrets.

Lost Ruins of Arnak combines deck-building and worker placement in a game of exploration, resource management, and discovery. In addition to traditional deck-builder effects, cards can also be used to place workers, and new worker actions become available as players explore the island. Some of these actions require resources instead of workers, so building a solid resource base will be essential. You are limited to only one action per turn, so make your choice carefully… what action will benefit you most now? And what can you afford to do later… assuming someone else doesn’t take the action first!?

Decks are small, and randomness in the game is heavily mitigated by the wealth of tactical decisions offered on the game board. With a variety of worker actions, artifacts, and equipment cards, the set-up for each game will be unique, encouraging players to explore new strategies to meet the challenge.

Discover the Lost Ruins of Arnak!

Game Mechanics:

  • Deck Building
  • Worker Placement

Game Specifications:

  • 1 – 4 Players
  • 30 – 120 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 2.88