Tag: Variable Player Powers

Dungeons & Dragons: Castle Ravenloft Board Game

Castle Ravenloft Boardgame by Bill Slavicsek, Mike Mearls and Peter Lee
The master of Ravenloft is having guests for dinner – and you are invited!
Evil lurks in the towers and dungeons of Castle Ravenloft, and only heroes of exceptional bravery can survive the horrors within. Designed for 1-5 players, this boardgame features multiple scenarios, challenging quests, and cooperative gameplay.

Each player selects a hero; a ranger, rogue, warrior, cleric, or wizard. On their turn, each player can explore further into the dungeon (turn over new tiles), move through the already explored parts of the dungeon, and fight monsters. When a new dungeon tile is revealed, there is typically an encounter of some sort, and new monsters to fight are added. Slain monsters reward the players with treasure, and experience points, allowing them to level up and increase their skills during play. Players must cooperate to stay alive, slay the monsters, and achieve the goal of their quest. Each scenario has a different goal – from retrieving a relic, to slaying a vampire lord.

Game Mechanics:

  • Cooperative Game
  • Dice Rolling
  • Grid Movement
  • Modular Board
  • Role Playing
  • Scenario / Mission / Campaign Game
  • Solo / Solitaire Game
  • Variable Player Powers

Game Specifications:

  • 1 – 5 Players
  • 60 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 2.50

Djinn

Once your ancestors found or created a source of magic – the exact knowledge of its origin, as far as you know, has long been lost. A small community has developed around the source, which seeks to protect this place and keep it as secret as possible.

Unfortunately, some magical beings — half corporeal, half ethereal — have now tracked down this source. These beings of dubious character, which you call “Djinn”, have appeared in various places of the city to dispute your access to the source. You are young members of the Magic Guild, and to prove your abilities, you are tasked with capturing the Djinn so that they can do no harm. You can control them permanently only if you catch them in special Djinn bottles. To seal these bottles, you also need corks made from the bark of a tree near the magic source.

Whichever of you succeeds best in protecting your small town will be accepted into the inner circle of the Magic Guild and will soon be allowed to learn even more secrets…

In Djinn, you take turns moving across a map that shows thirteen locations. These locations are linked to actions where you can get the resources you need and catch the Djinn that are in six locations. In those locations you can do things like receive bottles and corks, collect magical power, buy magical items, hire mages to accompany you, discover secret passages, and more.

In each round, you can reach only one of two or three of the locations, so you must plan carefully to have all the resources you need in time to catch the Djinn. The game ends when all six “Boss Djinn” have been captured and removed from the map, then you score points for all captured Djinn.

-description from developer

Game Mechanics:

  • End Game Bonuses
  • Grid Movement
  • Modular Board
  • Open Drafting
  • Set Collection
  • Variable Player Powers
  • Variable Set-up

Game Specifications:

  • 1 – 4 Players
  • 60 – 90 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 2.92

Divinity Derby

Zeus has invited a bunch of divine friends, including a couple of new ones, from all around the Multiverse for a little get-together on Mount Olympus…and you are one of them! After a few rounds of ambrosia, soon the racing and betting begins, with the Olympic “All-father” as the ultimate judge.

Divinity Derby is a fun and fast betting and racing game for 3 to 6 players, with a clever “shared hand” card mechanism. Players, as god-like beings betting on the race of six flying creatures, share a cardholder with each neighbor, and every turn they play one card from each shared card holder. Are you able to guess what your neighbor’s intentions and secret bets are and make the best use of the shared knowledge to win your bets?

With beautiful components, colorful art, and simple but engaging gameplay, Divinity Derby is suitable for players of all ages and skill levels.

Game Mechanics:

  • Betting and Bluffing
  • Neighbor Scope
  • Open Drafting
  • Track Movement
  • Variable Player Powers

Game Specifications:

  • 3 – 6 Players
  • 45 – 90 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 1.91

Dice Throne: Santa vs. Krampus

Two new and original Dice Throne heroes battle in this exciting, accessible stand-alone dueling game.

Dice Throne is a game of intriguing dice, tactical card play, powerful heroes, and unique abilities.

It’s a fast-paced 2-6 player combat game (1v1, 2v2, 3v3, 2v2v2, or free-for-all). Select from a variety of heroes that play and feel completely distinct from one another. Attack opponents and activate abilities by rolling your hero’s unique set of five dice. Accumulate combat points and spend them on cards that have a large range of effects, such as granting permanent hero upgrades, applying status effects, and manipulating dice directly (yours, your teammate’s, or even your opponent’s).

Dice Throne: Santa v. Krampus introduces two new heroes that can play against each other or any other hero in Dice Throne. Also compatible with Dice Throne Adventures!

This is a stand-alone release supporting 2 players. Additional heroes are required to play with more than 2 players.

Game Mechanics:

  • Dice Rolling
  • Take That
  • Variable Player Powers

Game Specifications:

  • 2 – 6 Players
  • 20 – 40 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 2.06

Dice Throne: X-Men (Marvel)

In Marvel Dice Throne: X-Men, you become one of eight of Marvel’s iconic X-Men, including Wolverine, Storm, Cyclops, Rogue, Gambit, Psylocke, Iceman, and Jean Grey! Featuring all-new mechanisms and asymmetrical designs, these are some of our most innovative and exciting heroes yet!

Marvel Dice Throne: X-Men is a game of skilled card play and dice manipulation supporting multiple modes of play, including 1v1, 2v2, 3v3, 2v2v2, or free-for-all.

Attack your opponents and activate abilities by rolling your hero’s unique set of five dice. Accumulate combat points and spend them on cards with an extensive range of effects, such as granting permanent hero upgrades, applying status effects, and manipulating dice directly (yours, your teammate’s, or even your opponent’s).

All eight heroes are compatible with the entire Dice Throne ecosystem, and features a deluxe, highly functional, Battle Chest storage system, with a set of custom swirl dice for each hero!

Game Mechanics:

  • Dice Rolling
  • Take That
  • Team-Based Game
  • Variable Player Powers

Game Specifications:

  • 2 – 6 Players
  • 20 – 40 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 2.14

Dice Throne Missions (Marvel)

Marvel Dice Throne Missions is an co-operative expansion that allows 1-4 Dice Throne heroes to team up against a host of iconic villains from the Marvel Universe.

Includes double-sided Mission Maps. Mission Rules and enemies are printed right on the map — just unfold and get right to playing!

Game Mechanics:

  • Cooperative Game
  • Dice Rolling
  • Variable Player Powers

Game Specifications:

  • 1 – 4 Players
  • 30 – 75 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 2.25

Dice Throne: Deadpool (Marvel)

It’s not a party without a Wade!

You become one of Marvel’s most (in)famous heroes in Marvel Dice Throne: Deadpool, which includes the Deadpool Hero, 10 Acrylic Tokens, pre-painted Hero Sculpt, and 50 premium card sleeves.

Note: Other Marvel Dice Throne sets will be required to play a full game with Marvel Dice Throne: Deadpool.

Game Mechanics:

  • Dice Rolling
  • Variable Player Powers

Game Specifications:

  • 2 – 6 Players
  • 20 – 40 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 2.00

DC Forever

In the deck-building game DC Forever, you pick two iconic characters pulled from the pages of DC Comics to form your own squad of heroes or rogues. These characters have unique powers that form the starting cards of your deck, along with basic resource cards.

During play, you recruit new characters to your team, each with unique decks and gameplay, and choose which of their cards to add to support your strategy as the game progresses. Heroes and rogues will clash at classic DC Comics locations from the shadowy alleyways of Gotham City to the subaquatic depths of Atlantis.

Rogues want to achieve their master plan by completing five schemes, but they’ll be equally happy to knock out all of the heroes since no one will remain to oppose them. For their part, the heroes want to either capture all of the rogues or place thirty citizens in sanctuary; you may not be able to stop the schemes, but if people are safe, then you’ll still call this a victory.

DC Forever features eighteen playable characters and hundreds of cards from which to choose during play.

Game Mechanics:

  • Deck Building
  • Variable Player Powers

Game Specifications:

  • 2 – 4 Players
  • ~30 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 3.20

Critter Kitchen

In Critter Kitchen, you are a proud restaurant owner determined to set yourself apart during Restaurant Week at Bistro Bay! You’ll do this by completing various ingredient-related challenges over the course of the week and hopefully impressing the celebrity critics with a grand meal at the end of the week. However, you can’t be everywhere at once, meaning you’ll have to rely on your chefs to gather as many ingredients (and rumors!) as they can throughout Bistro Bay. Each round players will simultaneously and secretly decide where to send their workers, and deciding who goes where. Some chefs are fast but can only carry one item, whereas others are slower but can carry much more! Wow the critics and establish yourself as the best restauranter in this adorable game.

Game Mechanics:

  • Contracts
  • Variable Player Powers
  • Worker Placement

Game Specifications:

  • 1 – 5 Players
  • ~60 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 2.45

Crafting the Cosmos

Welcome to Crafting the Cosmos, where you get to construct your very own universe! Each player’s turn is split into two phases: the Energy Phase and the Craft Phase, followed by a collective End Phase. During the Energy Phase, players will move their energy token around the board to gather resources, which they will then use in the Craft Phase to construct their own galaxy. You can create stars, nebulas, and even life to maximize your points and create the best universe!

Game Mechanics:

  • Contracts
  • Map Addition
  • Tile Placement
  • Track Movement
  • Variable Player Powers

Game Specifications:

  • 2 – 4 Players
  • 60 – 90 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 2.93