Sports

Ready Set Bet

In Ready Set Bet, you and your friends head to the races for a day of cheering, jeering, and betting on your favorite horses, whose fates hang on every roll of the dice.

Ready Set Bet is played over four rounds. Each round consists of a race followed by bet resolution. During each race, players freely place their bet tokens on the board while the race is going on. After each race, players win or lose money for each of their placed bet tokens, then receive a VIP Club Card to help them win more money in the following races. After four rounds, the player with the most money wins!

—description from the publisher

First Ascent

First Ascent is a rock climbing-themed strategic board game. The goal in this medium weight, competitive game is to gain the most points by climbing the best route up the mountain and becoming the most skilled climber! Each player assumes the role of a unique asymmetric character, and throughout the game they will be building their route up the mountain, managing resources, achieving objectives, and increasing their efficiency by accumulating skills and gear! This game is for 2-5 players and takes 45-90 minutes to play.

Gameplay overview:
In First Ascent, the goal is to gain the most points by creating the best route! Points are gained in four ways:
1) Climbing pitches — use your climbing skills, gear, water, and psych to pay the requirements to move on to a tile "climb the pitch". Draw a climbing card and resolve the events that may involve resource management, board manipulation, or selfish vs altruistic decisions. Each tile is worth 1-5 points with higher point value tiles requiring more resources.

2) Objectives — achieve shared and personal objectives that relate to the path of your route. Plan carefully and manage resources to execute the path that will contribute towards achieving your objectives.

3) Technique bonuses — the climbing skills and gear cards contain symbols representing climbing techniques of precision, power, balance, and pain tolerance. Match three technique symbols on the cards you play to climb a tile and earn +2 bonus points. These can add up significantly, so choose your resources wisely.

4) Summit — reaching the top of the mountain is great, but climbing is about the journey. Gain +1 summit bonus point for reaching a peak.

If you don't have the required resources to climb, you can "risk it" by rolling the risk dice to climb a tile for one less resource. You may get away with a check mark and succeed without consequence, roll minus two cards and give them to another player, or roll minus one card and one psych which you give to another player. As long as you have the assets to lose, you will climb the tile, but at a price.

When you begin to ascend the mountain start in any tile on the first row. Next climb to any adjacent tile and leave your rope behind to mark the route you've climbed. Two climbers can not occupy the same tile, except for a summit, so you may compete with other climbers on the mountain for the prime locations.

As you climb the mountain you will practice your skills and become a more efficient climber. The engine building component of this game grants you an "earned asset" after you play four cards of a specific skill type or gear. These tokens stay on your climber asset board and count towards fulfilling the required assets of future tiles.

This isn't a race to the top, its about creating a strategic route that will reward your cunning and planning. The game ends when a player has used all seven rope lengths and climbed their eighth tile.

Do you have what it takes to create the greatest First Ascent?

Lucha Wars

Lucha Wars is a two to eight-player dice game, based on the popular world of professional Mexican wrestling, or "Lucha Libre" (a.k.a. free fighting). The game is a new variation with new content to Luchador! Mexican Wrestling dice.
Each player selects a Luchador wrestling character to play and rolls their Grapple Dice to try to either reduce their opponent/s life points to zero to win by a knock-out (KO) or hold the opponent down on the mat for a "count of three" to win by a pin.
Each wrestler has individual Life levels, Pinnable level, and Combo Attack zones. Also, they each have their own Special Attacks that can be used during a match by rolling their Special Attack Die.

Players begin by each rolling their own set of five 'wrestling dice' at the same time, trying to ensure that they land in, or touching the wrestling ring. The results of HITs, DODGES, and MISS rolled are played off against each other with DODGES being re-rolled once which can also be used to target their opponent/s dice. The player with the highest Hits is the winner for that round and the loser takes the difference in damage off their Life track.

Additionally, the winner records the victory by moving their counter up one tile on their Special Attack Track.
The Special Attack track allows a player to do their Special Attack, attempt to PIN an opponent, attack using the Combo Die and attack with a Weapon (Weapons Match).

If a player has reached the PIN tile on their Special Attack Track, the 'three count' begins against their opponent. The player being pinned has three attempts to save, using four of their five wrestling dice or lose the match.

In a tag-team match, players have the choice of trying to tag-out to regain slight strength, but it can also cost them... if they fail to tag and get dragged back into the ring by their eager opponent.

In the Weapons match, four Weapons Tokens are placed face-down in each of the four corners of the wrestling ring. Once a player moves their token to the tile on their Special Attack Track that shows a Weapon, it allows them to take a random Weapon Token and use that Weapon against an opponent at the beginning of any new round. This will often involve dexterity rolls with dice.

The Ladder match is a two-player game about which player gets their wrestler standee to the top of the ladder first to win the match. The game also includes a Changing Alliances match and Cage Match rules.

—description from the designer

Baseball Highlights: 2045

American baseball was on its last legs as a spectator sport. Football had become the predominant national pastime — that is until the year 2032, the year baseball decided to revolutionize the game and regain the throne!

Starting in 2032, baseball games were shortened to six innings. Pitchers were encouraged to have bionic arm implants to improve their pitching. These cyborgs, or 'Borgs as they're affectionately known, were immediately popular and soon ruled the league. In 2041, robotic players were introduced to get more offense back into the game. These robots were similar to designated hitters in that they were used only to bat and did not field. However, recent reports indicate fielding 'Bots are on the way.

Now in 2045, human players are still in the game and known as Naturals. They are the best fielders by far but are sorely challenged when it comes to hitting and pitching. Some Naturals have learned to hit by swinging before the pitcher starts his windup, which gives them a chance to hit the ball. Although it's hard for a Natural to get into the league, those who do are popular. Many Naturals have named themselves after the great players of pre-2032 baseball by taking a first and last name borrowed from different star players of the past. The fans love them, and their presence on the team ensures good revenue!

The stage is now set! The fans are energized and root fanatically for their new favorites, be they 'Bots, 'Borgs or Naturals!

Baseball Highlights: 2045 is like watching TV highlights of early 21st-century baseball games, with the gameplay being full of theme with no outs or innings and without bogging down in a play-by-play baseball simulation. In this quick and interactive game, two players build their teams as they play, combining both strategy (building your team) and tactics (playing the game) without any of the downtime. During each "mini-game", each player alternates playing six cards to simulate a full game's highlights. The mini-game includes defensive and offensive actions, and your single card play may include elements of defensive and/or offensive plays. Do you try to thwart your opponent's pending hits, put up strong offensive action of your own, or use your better players to do both? Players buy new free agents after each mini-game to improve their roster, and the team who wins the most mini-games in the series is the champ!

The contents of Baseball Highlights: 2045 box is:

1 rulebook

4 stadium mats
4 reference sheets

120 cards:

60 starter cards
60 free agent cards

60 wooden pawns:

20 red
20 white
20 blue

12 cardboard markers:

4 triangular markers (visitor/home)
8 circular markers

Long Shot

Long Shot is YOUR ticket to the track. In this exciting family-friendly horse racing board game, up to 8 players bet, buy horses, and strategize as the race unfolds.

Long Shot includes over 100 unique cards allowing players to combine strategies and resources for maximum control of the race. Will you buy a horse or two in the hopes of winning some of the purse, or will you bet it all on the long shot?

Whether a novice or a horse racing enthusiast, everyone's a winner in this interactive strategy game where anytime is post time!