Area Majority / Influence

Nestlings

In Nestlings, players assume the role of birds competing to gain priority across four biomes: savannah, alpine, freshwater, and desert.

Each round, players roll their biome dice, then place the dice in biomes one at a time, alternating in clockwise order. Once players have placed all their dice or have chosen to pass for the round, each biome is resolved.

The player who first placed dice in a particular biome gains priority and reaps the rewards of doing so: selecting a resource first, and discarding a resource to thwart their opponents' plans. However, if another player places more of their biome dice in that same biome, that player gains priority. Once priority order has been established for the biome, players each claim resources to feed their nestlings and gain the matching segment to add to their resource ring on their player board.

Once all biomes have been resolved – including the wild grasslands biome in the center of the board – players score points based on how many nestlings they fed and how many segments are in their resource ring, regardless of which round they were assigned.

As the game progresses, the tension rises as players must make key decisions along the way, decisions that could secure victory or usher in defeat. Will they feed their nestlings for more immediate points, or take a different resource to complete a section of their resource ring, thus earning a bonus and triggering a powerful chain reaction? Will they use in-game currency to activate another end-of-game nest goal or save it for victory points? Will they place a second die to secure priority or risk it and head to another biome to take other much-needed scraps?

At the conclusion of round four, the game ends and players reveal their endgame nest goals and tally their points.

Lords of Vegas

The Lords of Vegas 6-player base set is a new printing of the classic board game, expanded to support 2-6 players and including modernized graphic designs, plus all of the components from the Up! expansion.

In Lords of Vegas you start out with empty lots, build small casinos, and expand them as your bankroll grows. Your rivals can build next door, and they just might take you over with a clever paint job or a lucky roll of the dice. Buy, sell, trade, and gamble your way to the top as you build your empire along the storied Strip. Channel your inner casino mogul and build your piece of Paradise!

This new edition from the creators of the game features redesigned money, cards, tray, and more. All the rules and components are functionally the same as the classic edition, just with a fresh coat of paint in some cases. The new Lords of Vegas includes updated components and the 5 & 6-player expansion Up!, which lets players build their casinos in three dimensions, adding new stories as their towers compete for control of the sky. Here are some improvements in the new edition.

-Plays with 2-6 players.
-Contains 72 dice!
-Risers and the raise rule are included, at any player count.
-Streamlined property cards work seamlessly with Vegas, as well as the expansion boards for Americana.
-More reference cards with turn orders, replacing the less useful House and Player cards.
-Turn order has been streamlined based on years of player feedback.

Toy Battle

On land, on sea, in clouds, and even in space, battles are breaking out between toys. Your troops need your tactical talent to lead them to victory. Your mission? Be the first to reach the enemy headquarters or control more territories than your opponent.

On your turn in Toy Battle, you either draw two toy troops or place a troop on the board and apply its effect. When you place a troop, you can place it on an empty base, a base that you control, a base that the enemy controls with a lower-valued troop than the one you're placing, or the enemy's headquarters; however, in all cases you must place on a location that has a continuous path to your own headquarters through bases that you occupy, that is, that have your troop on top. If you occupy bases that form a continuous path around a region, you claim the medals within this region. (You don't lose these medals if the enemy later occupies one of these bases.)

The game ends as soon as you occupy your opponent's headquarters or win the required number of medals based on the current game board. If a player cannot draw or place a troop, the game ends, and whoever has the most medals wins.

—description from the publisher

Minos: Dawn of the Bronze Age

In the ancient realm of Crete, amidst the sun-drenched shores and labyrinthine corridors of Knossos, the fate of the Minoan civilization is yet to be determined. As a member of one of the four illustrious Minoan clans, your destiny beckons you to vie for the prestigious title of Minos, the ultimate leader of your people.

But keep in mind - unlike the tumultuous conquests of other civilizations, the Minoans are renowned for their pursuit of peace and prosperity. In this captivating journey, the essence of your quest lies not in the clash of swords, but in the art of governance and the cultivation of your clan’s unique identity.

As leaders of Minoan clans players are in charge of the first European civilization. Build cities, monuments and other structures, open new trade routes, expand and fight off outsiders out of your land, plan your actions with your clan council, research and issue decrees so your actions will be more powerful than your opponents! You have only 4 rounds to prove you are worthy of the legendary Minos title.

Draft and assign the dice to the programming board. With lower value dice you can secure stronger actions but the higher value dice will help you climb on the tracks and gain their benefits. During the action phase each player takes their dice in order from highest to lowest and performing the pre-planned actions. Players also build their tableau - each card has an instant effect and a triggered reward connected to the specific action or die value they can use to make the action more powerful. Moreover, twice in the game players get Victory Points for their civilization progress in the region.

—description from the publisher

Andromeda's Edge

Behold, Andromeda's Edge: A dazzling, uncharted region of space on the edge of the Andromeda Galaxy. Littered with the modular debris of the precursor civilization, patrolled by malicious extragalactic raiders, and bordered by dense nebulae, The Edge is a last resort for the brave and foolhardy who seek a new life beyond the oppressive reach of the Lords of Unity.

In this game, you lead a desperate faction seeking to build a new civilization on Andromeda's Edge. You begin with only a space station, a few ships, and a handful of resources. By carefully placing your ships, you will gather resources, claim moons, acquire modules to add to your station, populate planets and build developments on them. You will battle opponents and compete with others to ascend the progress tracks: Science, Industry, Commerce, Civilization and Supremacy.

On your turn, you either launch a starship or return your ships to your station. Launching sends one of your starships to a region of Andromeda, either collecting resources from planetary systems or taking actions at Alliance Bases. If the region is occupied by your opponents or fearsome raiders, face off in a dice battle, with Supremacy on the line but where strategic manipulation can turn a loss into a reward. Returning to your station allows you to activate your engine, using the modules you’ve acquired to generate energy, gain resources and carry out actions.

Throughout the game you will build up your unique faction, building developments (Observatories, Factories, Spaceports, Cities and Obelisks) and gaining station modules which move you up the progress tracks. Advancement on the tracks is rewarded both during mid-game events and at the conclusion, and is the key to victory.