Area Movement

Axis & Allies

Axis & Allies (2004) aka Axis & Allies Revised Edition is the first Avalon Hill version of the classic light weight war game Axis & Allies. The game simulates the entire scope of World War II.

The game is nominally designed for five players, representing the Allies: United States of America, United Kingdom and Russia vs. the Axis: Germany and Japan. However, it is most often played as a two-player game.

Axis & Allies features a simple dice-based combat system; a small number of types of naval, air and land units; territory control; and technology research to improve unit capabilities.

Major new features of Axis & Allies (2004) include new units (e.g. destroyers, artillery), revised unit capabilities (e.g. armor defend at 3, fighters cost 10 IPCs), directed technology research, and totally new victory conditions (key territories must be controlled to win the game).

Sid Meier's Civilization: The Boardgame

This entry covers the 2002 release of Sid Meier´s Civilization: The Boardgame by Eagle Games. This game is unrelated to the similarly named 2010 FFG game Sid Meier's Civilization: The Board Game.

A boardgame version of the award-winning PC strategy game. Create a civilization to stand the test of time! The game begins in 4000 BC where the players found a pair of villages of a fledgling people.

Each player’s civilization :

Explores the world around them, discovering resources and the native people that defend them.
Expands by sending settlers out to create new cities.
Researches new technologies to gain advantages over the other players.
Builds unique “Wonders of the World”.
Increases the size of their cities (4 sizes from village to metropolis) to increase production.
Builds military units to defend what’s theirs, and to conquer what’s not.

Features:

2 sets of rules (standard, and advanced) allow anyone to play the game.
784 plastic pieces featuring 22 different, professionally sculpted playing pieces that represent cities, settlers, armies, navies, artillery, and air units from 4 different eras.
Over 100 full color Technology and Wonder cards.
A giant 46” x 36” gameboard featuring the artwork of Paul Niemeyer.

This game has been reimplemented in 2007 as Civilization CHR ("open source" project)

Walking Dead Board Game

Waking up in an empty hospital after weeks in a coma, sheriff's deputy Rick Grimes finds himself utterly alone. The world as he knows it is gone, ravaged by a zombie epidemic.

The Walking Dead Board Game is based on the AMC television series, The Walking Dead. The zombie apocalypse is here and the human race is on its last legs. As a survivor, you need to collect all the food, guns, transportation, and allies you can find - but watch out! If any of your fellow survivors get bitten, they'll turn into walkers... and turn against you.

Players take on the role of Rick, Shane, Andrea or one of the other stalwart remnants of humanity as they struggle to survive while learning to live with one another. Innovative gameplay can lead to unexpected alliances, as "every man for himself" blends with cooperative play and players race to get back to camp alive. Ever-dwindling resources make every decision "life or death" ... and as the supplies run out, the tension ramps up in this post-apocalyptic world.

You can play as Survivors and Walkers! Create unexpected alliances to get back to camp alive, blasting zombies with shotguns or crossbows – or stalk your former friends as a risen corpse.

This easy-to-learn game includes two scenarios: Survival Mode and Team Game.

High Noon Saloon

Game description from the publisher:

On a windin' desert road in the middle of nowhere lies a town with no name. In this town you'll find a place where no slight goes unanswered and no fight stays private, the roughest, toughest waterin' hole in the Old West – the High Noon Saloon. If you're lookin' for a fight, you've come to the right place.

In the action-packed game High Noon Saloon, you are a combatant in an all-out brawl fought in an Old West Saloon. Shoot it out from a distance or get in close and beat on your opponents directly. Move between different parts of the saloon to get the upper hand. Whatever you do, make sure to keep your guard up – if you're not careful, you'll get beaten to a bloody pulp, shot full of holes, or both! The last one standin' wins, and there ain't no prize for second.

High Noon Saloon also includes special rules and cards for playing the game in teams.

Sky Traders

Game description from the publisher:

Command your own skyship and become a master merchant in Sky Traders, a board game of commerce and intrigue for two to five players. Evade the ruthless Wind Pirates as you collect influence with the powerful Sky Guild. Manipulate the commodity market using your powers of persuasion. Through clever trades and resourceful captaining, you can seize the title of Master of the Sky Guild!

Each round of Sky Traders takes place in two main phases. In the first phase, players sail their ships and perform actions. To start, each player draws an Ill Wind card, which has a variety of effects that can help or hinder players. The Sky Patrol could attack you for carrying contraband, or the Wind Pirates might try to board your vessel in hopes of plundering valuable goods. If you're lucky, you'll stumble upon a treasure map that leads to riches. It's all up to fate when you draw from the Ill Wind deck.

You'll add new members to your crew to gain various improvements. Skymen lend their blades to fight off Wind Pirate attacks. Other shipmates can help you earn more money when selling goods. Some crewmembers even make it possible to disregard the results of an Ill Wind card. You'll want to be judicious when hiring crew since they take up valuable space on the ship that could be used for trade goods.

If your skyship requires repairs or refueling, visit a city. While there, line the ship's cargo hold with valuable textiles, spices, or even jewels, then deliver the goods to another city where entrepreneurs will pay large sums of money for the items. Make sure to stock up on goods when the price is low and sell them off when their value increases.

In the second phase of each turn, the Guild Council takes place. During this round, players deliberate with each other in hopes of persuading their peers to help influence the price of goods. Strike a deal with your peers and you could force a surge in the value of the commodities you own, but if you've angered your rivals, they may choose to team up and devalue the wares you are selling.

At the end of the Guild Council phase, each captain also has the opportunity to purchase Influence, which increases his ability to control prices and moves him a step closer to victory. Influence is expensive, but you cannot become the Master of the Sky Guild without it.

As captain of your own skyship, you'll have to decide each turn how to best service your needs. Buying cargo at one port and delivering it to another city where the goods are highly desired is a great way to turn a profit. However, a captain also must consider hiring new crew, checking the ship’s phlogiston (fuel for skyships) levels, repairing damage sustained in pirate attacks, and undertaking other important tasks to keep the ship running at peak performance. When money is tight, haul toxic sludge or collect minerals from the countryside to make some quick money.