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.

Marvel United: X-Men

| T3d-1978
Marvel United: X-Men

Marvel United: X-Men

In Marvel United: X-Men, you take the role of iconic Marvel Heroes cooperating to stop the master plan of a powerful Villain controlled by the game. Each Villain unveils their unique master plan, with cards that trigger different effects, and threats that pose challenges across the locations. Heroes must choose carefully the cards to play from their unique decks, that not only offer different actions and superpowers to use, but also combine with the actions of other Heroes to do the impossible. Build your storyline, unite your powers, save the day!

Game Mechanics:

  • Cooperative
  • Hand Managment
  • Team Based

Game Specifications:

  • 1 – 5 Players
  • ~40 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 2.00

Marvel United

| T3d-1978
Marvel United

Marvel United

In Marvel United you take the role of iconic Marvel Heroes cooperating to stop the master plan of a powerful Villain controlled by the game. Each Villain unveils their unique master plan, with cards that trigger different effects, and threats that pose challenges across the locations. Heroes must choose carefully the cards to play from their unique decks, that not only offer different actions and superpowers to use, but also combine with the actions of other Heroes to do the impossible. Build your storyline, unite your powers, save the day!

Game Mechanics:

  • Cooperative
  • Hand Management

Game Specifications:

  • 1 – 4 Players
  • ~40 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 1.83

Mahjong

| T3d-1978
Mahjong

Mahjong

Mah-Jongg (Chinese 麻將/麻将 Májiàng [game of the] sparrow) is a traditional Chinese game using illustrated tiles, with game play similarities to rummy. It is a popular gambling game, but wagering real stakes is by no means necessary to have fun playing.

The tiles consist of three suits numbering 1-9 (Dots, Numbers or Characters, and Bamboo, the “Ace” of which almost always looks like a bird), three different dragons (Red, Green, and White [white is unusual in that it may look like a silvery dragon, or like a picture frame, or blank – think “White dragon in a snowstorm”), and the four winds (east, south, west, and north). There are four copies of each tile. This totals to 136 tiles. In addition, special Flower, Season, and Joker (American version) tiles may also be used.

Four players take turns drawing from a stock (the wall), or from the other players’ discards, in an attempt to form sets of numeric sequences (e.g., 5-6-7 of the same suit, which can only be drawn from the player at one’s left, by calling “Chow”), triplets and quadruplets (which can be drawn from the discards out-of-turn by calling “Pung”), pairs, and other patterns. “Pung” takes precedence over “Chow”, and “Mah Jongg” takes precedence over all (and is the only situation one may draw “Chow” out-of-turn.) What happens if a single discard would give two (or more!) players “Mah Jongg”? Precedence goes to the player who would play next in normal sequence.

Game Mechanics:

  • Abstract Strategy
  • Hand Management
  • Set Collection

Game Specifications:

  • 3 – 4 Players
  • 120 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 2.57

Luxor

| T3d-1978
Luxor

Luxor

On the hunt for priceless treasures, groups of adventurers explore the legendary temple at Luxor. Their ultimate goal is the tomb of the pharaoh, but many treasures can be collected as they search. As they explore, the challenge unfolds: The player who manages to quickly get their team of adventurers to the tomb, while salvaging as many treasures as possible, will be the winner.

Luxor offers variable game play as the path that leads to the tomb is different for every game — and will even change during play!

Game Mechanics:

  • Dice Rolling
  • Hand Management
  • Racing
  • Set Collection

Game Specifications:

  • 2 – 4 Players
  • ~45 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 1.91

Lucky’s Misadventures

| T3d-1978
Lucky’s Misadventures

Lucky’s Misadventures

Lucky’s Misadventures
“Episode 42: Lost in Oddtopia”

You and your dog Lucky should not have taken that shortcut through the woods that night. How were you to know that you would be taken through a portal to Oddtopia — a surreal world of Tinkerers, Wickeds, and Oddlings? The Great Mechanical Toad reveals the fates to all.

What is your fate? Will you and Lucky find a way home, or will you stay, build your power, and become the Witchard of Oddtopia?

Game Mechanics:

  • Deck Building
  • Hand Management
  • Set Collection
  • Take That

Game Specifications:

  • 2 – 4 Players
  • 45 – 60 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 2.50

Lords of Vaala

| T3d-1978
Lords of Vaala

Lords of Vaala

A game of power based in the universe of Dragonbond.

Raid as a dragon or raise armies as a general, destroy your enemies, and cast mighty spells, all to collect power. The player who collects 10 Power tokens, wins.

During the game, a general and a dragon entering to the same region peacefully, have a chance of becoming Dragonbonded to unlock a unique ability that interacts with each other, and playing as a team for the rest of the game.

In the planning phase players secretly play action cards in a face-down pile to program their actions across the board until one player passes; in the resolution phase, actions are resolved in order. Through these actions, players move to different regions, attack, collect power or cast spells by spending the Power collected.

Combat has a wargame feel into it due to the dice-based resolution with critical hits, counterattacks and retreats. If Power is scarce on the board, you can steal a Power token from another player entering into combat and dealing more hits than they can take.

Dragons and generals play entirely different in strategy and actions. Generals raise armies and customize them in different regions around the board to control them and harvest Power. Dragons can gain Power by devouring units, they also have a health track and must rest and recover if they get wounded too much. All characters in the game have a unique Vaala deck of spells.

In a world without gods, only you may claim your destiny.

Game Mechanics:

  • Area Control
  • Cooperative
  • Dice Rolling
  • Hand Management
  • Programmed Movement

Game Specifications:

  • 1 – 4 Players
  • 60 – 120 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 2.33

Lizard Wizard

| T3d-1978
Lizard Wizard

Lizard Wizard

Astoria is a land pulsing with magic and intrigue! A handful of Arch-Mages are vying for the loyalty of wizards across the land so that they can wield ultimate power.

Lizard Wizard is a game from the team that brought you Raccoon Tycoon. Aspects of gameplay will be familiar to fans of RT, and will add a bit of extra depth and strategy.

In Lizard Wizard, players compete to recruit wizards from seven unique schools of magic, build mystical towers, research powerful spells, summon helpful familiars, and search dark dungeons for gold and items of power. Only one Arch-Mage will rise above the rest and control the land. Will it be you?

Game Mechanics:

  • Auction/Bidding
  • Economic
  • Hand Management
  • Push Your Luck
  • Set Collection

Game Specifications:

  • 2 – 6 Players
  • 90 – 120 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 2.12

Libertalia: Winds of Galecrest

| T3d-1978
Libertalia: Winds of Galecrest

Libertalia: Winds of Galecrest

In the world of Galecrest, sky pirates set sail on the winds in search of adventure, treasure, and glory. As an admiral, you command a vast and varied crew…but so do your rivals sailing other ships in the pirate fleet. Each day the fleet lands on a different island where you’ll send a crew member to collect your share of the loot, hoping they’ll return to boost your growing group of characters.

Libertalia was originally released in 2012. Ten years later, Libertalia: Winds of Galecrest celebrates the foundations of the original design with a revised and expanded edition that includes all-new art, 40 characters per player, a reputation system to resolve ties, deluxe loot tokens, a robust solo mode, and much more.

Game Mechanics:

  • Hand Management
  • Set Collection

Game Specifications:

  • 1 – 6 Players
  • 45 – 60 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 2.13

Last Night on Earth: The Zombie Game

| T3d-1978
Last Night on Earth: The Zombie Game

Last Night on Earth: The Zombie Game

Last Night on Earth: The Zombie Game is a survival horror board game that pits small-town heroes head-to-head against a horde of zombies. A team of four heroes is chosen by one set of players, and the zombies are controlled by one or two players. Each hero has its own special abilities. The board is modular, which changes the layout of the town and start positions of each hero. The game comes with several scenarios, which include simple survival, rescue, or escape. Differing combinations of heroes, scenarios, and board configurations offer a lot of replayability.

A hero deck and a zombie deck deliver tactical bonuses to each side. Combat is resolved using six-sided dice, modified by the weapon cards with which heroes may be equipped. Many of the cards include zombie movie tropes to achieve a feel of playing out a horror movie. All the game art is photographic, enhancing the cinematic feel. The game also comes with a CD soundtrack of original thematic music.

Game Mechanics:

  • Dice Rolling
  • Hand Management
  • Team Based

Game Specifications:

  • 2 – 6 Players
  • 60 – 90 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 2.29

Kitara

| T3d-1978
Kitara

Kitara

Kitara is a strategy game that mixes conquest, movement, and battle. Manage your cards to plan your actions: the more territories you control, the more options you get! Strengthen your army of hunters, cheetah-centaurs, and heroes! Protect livestock and crops, move your troops, and go to war. Kitara is a dynamic strategy game, full of tension and suspense.

A play turn consists of drafting kingdom cards, recruiting pawns, moving pawns and attacking neighboring areas. A successful attack garners one or more hero tokens which allots victory points. Attacking and retreating is based on the number of pawns in each group. The player with the most victory points wins the game.

Game Mechanics:

  • Area Control
  • Area Movement
  • Hand Management
  • Open Drafting

Game Specifications:

  • 2 – 4 Players
  • ~40 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 2.31