Tag: Hand Management

Hand Management is a game mechanic in which players are rewarded for playing cards in a specific order. This mechanic often encourages players to hold cards for later turns.

Finspan

| T3d-1978

You are a marine researcher seeking to find and observe an array of aquatic life in the colorful Sunlight Zone, ghostly Twilight Zone, and pitch-black Midnight Zone of the world’s seas and oceans. In Finspan, the fish you discover over four weeks will generate a series of benefits as you dive deeper into the ocean.

Each dive site specializes in a key aspect of expanding your research:

  • Grow your collection of fish.
  • Discover freshly laid eggs.
  • Hatch eggs into young and consolidate young to form schools.

The winner is the player with the most points gained from fish, eggs, young, schools, and achievements.

—description from the publisher

Game Mechanics:

  • End Game Bonuses
  • Hand Management
  • Once-Per-Game Abilities
  • Solo / Solitaire Game
  • Tags

Game Specifications:

  • 1 – 5 Players
  • 45 – 60 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 2.32

Faraway

| T3d-1978

Welcome to Alula, a mysterious continent with ever-changing geography, shaped after the rhythm of the seasons. Beyond the Sea of Mists lies the mysterious continent of Alula. Roam across the land in search of its secrets, meet its inhabitants, and list its wonders in order to gain more fame than your opponents.

Throughout a game of Faraway, you will play a row of 8 cards in front of you, from left to right. These cards represent the regions you will come across while exploring the lands. Characters on these cards will grant you victory points if you later fulfill the conditions they demand. At the end of the game, you walk back the same way, scoring cards in the opposite order you played them. There lies the heart of the gameplay. Throughout the game, the cards you play will serve both to set new objectives, and to meet the ones you played previously.

Each turn, you play a card from a hand of 3. Then you pick a new card from a face-up river. As play is simultaneous in Faraway, you must take into account a clever priority system in all of your choices – being last to pick a card leaves you with fewer options and often less profitable choices for the next turns.

—description from the publisher

Game Mechanics:

  • Constrained Bidding
  • End Game Bonuses
  • Hand Management
  • Open Drafting
  • Selection Order Bid
  • Set Collection
  • Simultaneous Action Selection

Game Specifications:

  • 2 – 6 Players
  • 15 – 30 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 1.91

Fantasy Realms: Deluxe Edition

| T3d-1978

Bruce Glassco’s Fantasy Realms is a modern classic, and this new Deluxe Edition has updated every card with a sleek, intuitive graphic design. The base game cards have also been updated to include new art from Anthony Cournoyer to match his beloved work on The Cursed Hoard expansion, giving the entire game a fresh look!

It includes:

The original base game with all new art and graphic design!
The Cursed Hoard, which includes two expansion modules, also with new graphic design!
The Jester and Phoenix cards, previously only available as promo cards!
100+ art sleeves to protect all the included cards, plus some extras!
In Fantasy Realms, you build your Realm, one card at a time, as you collect Beasts, Armies, Wizards, and more! Each card is unique and scores points based on the other cards in your hand. You start with seven cards, and each turn you’ll draw a new card from the deck or discard, and discard one card from your hand, always trying to improve your Realm! Whoever’s realm scores the most points is the winner!

—description from the publisher

Game Mechanics:

  • End Game Bonuses
  • Hand Management
  • Open Drafting
  • Set Collection

Game Specifications:

  • 3 – 6 Players
  • 20 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 2.05

Fantasy Fluxx

| T3d-1978

Fluxx is a card game in which the cards themselves determine the current rules of the game. By playing cards, you change numerous aspects of the game: how to draw cards, how to play cards, and even how to win.

At the start of the game, each player holds three cards and on a turn a player draws one card, then plays one card. By playing cards, you can put new rules into play that change numerous aspects of the game: how many cards to draw or play, how many cards you can hold in hand or keep on the table in front of you, and (most importantly) how to win the game.

In Fantasy Fluxx, you want to gather your friends for a party — an adventuring party, that is! Pack up your Second Breakfasts, and set off on a classic quest with your faithful companions: the Helpful Elf, the Dwarven Warrior, the Gallant Swordsman, the Wise Old Wizard, and of course, the Humble Young Hero! Learn from the Cranky Magic Teacher how to use your Wand to cast spells like Invisibility or Fireball! You may need them as you encounter the Dreaded Pirate, or when you find out that Captured Princess is actually the Mother of Dragons! Will you and your fantasy favorites survive the Final Showdown with the Dark Lord?

Game Mechanics:

  • Hand Management
  • Set Collection

Game Specifications:

  • 2 – 6 Players
  • 10 – 40 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 1.50

Family Plot

| T3d-1978

In Family Plot, each player strives to build their perfect family while keeping other players by killing them off one by one.
Gameplay begins by a player laying out any “Family Members” in their hand that match their Family Tree. Afterwards a player can launch an assault using REAPERS and ACTION CARDS that could unleash anything from a Zombie Apocalypse to a Psycho Killer, sending their opponents family members to the graveyard! The chosen victim can block the attack on their “Family” by using ANGELS, WEAPONIZED FOOD, or even TEARS OF A UNICORN that they have in their hand. That way when it gets to your turn simply complete your unique Family Tree and YOU WIN!

Game Mechanics:

  • Hand Management
  • Push Your Luck
  • Take That

Game Specifications:

  • 2 – 6 Players
  • 20 – 30 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 1.13

Fairy Tale

| T3d-1978

Players use card drafting and simultaneous action selection to score points while interfering with other players’ ability to do so. The game consists of four rounds. In each of them, players are dealt five cards. They simultaneously select one each and pass the remainder, repeating until done. Then, they start playing cards simultaneously, playing three and discarding two. When the cards are revealed after each selection, card abilities turn other cards face-up or face-down. At the end of the four rounds there are 12 cards in front of each player. The players each score based on their face-up cards.

Game Mechanics:

  • Closed Drafting
  • Hand Management
  • Set Collection
  • Simultaneous Action Selection

Game Specifications:

  • 2 – 5 Players
  • 30 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 1.77

Fado: Duetos e Desgarradas

| T3d-1978

“The Great Day of Fado” is coming.

There is no memory of such an event, thousands of tourists and fado lovers from all corners of the world are expected. Managers from all over the country are working on the organization of the event. From north to south of Portugal, one, two and even three shows are planned simultaneously. It will be days, nights and, sometimes, even early morning parties!
Failure is out of the question, and to organize the perfect show, it is necessary to choose the best artist, the right alignment, the perfect melody and the most appropriate of the scenarios. It is the ideal time for some managers, hitherto unknown, to show how much they are worth.

No one will miss and this is your moment to shine!

—description from the publisher

Game Mechanics:

  • Hand Management
  • Open Drafting
  • Set Collection

Game Specifications:

  • 2 – 4 Players
  • 20 – 30 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 1.75

Ezra and Nemahiah

| T3d-1978

In his first year as king of Persia, Cyrus the Great issued a decree in writing to the Israelite exiles living under his rule:

The God of heaven has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and has appointed me to build a temple for Him in Jerusalem. Any of his people may go up to Jerusalem in Judah to build the temple of the Lord, the God of Israel. And in any place where survivors may now be living, the people of Persia are to provide them with silver, gold, goods, livestock, and offerings for the temple of God in Jerusalem. – Ezra 1:2-4 (paraphrased).

Decades later, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes reign, the king noticed a sadness in his cupbearer, Nehemiah. When asked why he looked so ill, Nehemiah replied:

May the king live forever! Why should I not look sad when the city of my ancestors lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire? If it pleases you, and if I have found favor in your sight, let me go to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so that I may rebuild it. – Nehemiah 2:3-5 (paraphrased).

The aim of Ezra and Nehemiah is to be the player with the most victory points (VP) at game’s end. Points are gained primarily by building the temple, rebuilding the city walls and gates, and by teaching the Torah to the returning exiles. Players may also seek to develop their land, travel to settlements outside the city walls, or stoke the altar’s fire to keep it burning day and night. The prophets Haggai and Zechariah will be doing their part to keep the people focused on what is most important.

Over three weeks (rounds), players will use their hand of cards, workers, and resources to do their part in rebuilding the great city of Jerusalem. After six days of work comes a Sabbath day of rest when food will be needed, and the week’s work will be reflected upon. The game ends after the third Sabbath has been completed.

—description from the designer

Game Mechanics:

  • Chaining
  • Hand Management
  • Multi-Use Cards
  • Solo / Solitaire Game
  • Tech Trees / Tech Tracks
  • Track Movement
  • Variable Set-up

Game Specifications:

  • 1 – 4 Players
  • 90 – 120 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 3.83

Exploding Kittens

| T3d-1978

Exploding Kittens is a kitty-powered version of Russian Roulette. Players take turns drawing cards until someone draws an exploding kitten and loses the game. The deck is made up of cards that let you avoid exploding by peeking at cards before you draw, forcing your opponent to draw multiple cards, or shuffling the deck.

The game gets more and more intense with each card you draw because fewer cards left in the deck means a greater chance of drawing the kitten and exploding in a fiery ball of feline hyperbole.

Game Mechanics:

  • Hand Management
  • Hot Potato
  • Player Elimination
  • Push Your Luck
  • Set Collection
  • Take That

Game Specifications:

  • 2 – 5 Players
  • 15 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 1.08

Expeditions

| T3d-1978

The sequel to Scythe sends players on a new adventure into Siberia, where a massive meteorite crashed near the Tunguska River, awakening ancient corruption. An expedition led by Dr. Tarkovsky ventures into the taiga to learn about the meteorite and its impact on the land. Itching for adventure, heroes from the war privately fund their own expeditions to Siberia, hoping to find artifacts, overcome challenges, and ultimately achieve glory. Expeditions has completely different mechanisms than Scythe, though the goal was to capture some of the same feelings that Scythe evokes, with a slightly darker, more supernatural theme.

Expeditions is a competitive, card-driven, engine-building game of exploration. Play cards to gain power, guile, and unique worker abilities; move your mech to mysterious locations and gain cards found among the tiles; use workers, items, meteorites, and quests to enhance your mech; and use power and guile to vanquish corruption.

—description from the publisher

Game Mechanics:

  • Action Retrieval
  • Deck Building
  • Grid Movement
  • Hand Management
  • Melding and Splaying
  • Modular Board
  • Multi-Use Cards
  • Solo / Solitaire Game
  • Tags
  • Variable Player Powers
  • Variable Set-up
  • Victory Points as a Resource
  • Worker Placement

Game Specifications:

  • 1 – 5 Players
  • 60 – 90 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 3.05