Aviation / Flight

Capturing the real-world thrill and challenges of planetary exploration, XTRONAUT™: The Game of Solar System Exploration gives 2 – 4 players ages 7 and up the chance to develop space missions and explore the solar system. The game is based on real planetary missions and rocket science. It also contains elements of politics and strategy that are inspired by the real-life situations that space missions face.

How do you complete your space mission?

Each player selects a Mission Card from the deck. This card determines the player's mission – the mission destination, type of spacecraft needed, the amount of Delta-V needed to achieve the mission, the potential to obtain gravity assists, and the points earned for completing the mission. Delta-V stands for change in velocity, and as applied to space missions and this game, it means the change in velocity necessary for a spacecraft to complete a selected mission.

Game play is straightforward. On their turn each player draws a playing card, plays up to three Action Cards, trades with other players, and places components on their game board. The Action Cards add real-life issues to the game that space missions often encounter - project cancellations, audits, government shutdowns, and other exciting twists and turns.

To complete a mission you must populate your game board with the right combination of cards for mission success. Each player needs to collect the Playing Cards that give them the right spacecraft, first and second stage rockets, and matching fairings. Gravity assist and solid rocket booster cards are available to provide additional Delta-V if needed to complete the assigned mission. Once the mission is complete, the player earns the points for the mission, which varies based on the size of the spacecraft and the target, and starts work on their next mission. The first player to score 10 points wins.

In Celestia, a revamped version of Cloud 9, you board an aircraft with a team of adventurers to perform many trips through the cities of Celestia and recover their wonderful treasures. Your journey will not be safe, but you will attempt to be the richest adventurer by collecting the most precious treasures!

At the beginning of a journey, all players place their pawns within the aircraft; the players start the game with six cards in hand (or eight depending on the number of players). At the beginning of each round, one player is chosen to be the captain of the trip and he rolls 2-4 dice to discover the challenges that they will face: fog, lightning bolts, killer birds, or pirates. He must then play the appropriate cards — a compass, a lightning arrester, a foghorn, or even cannons — to continue on the journey and reach the next city. But before the captain plays the appropriate cards, each player must decide whether to stay within the aircraft:

If you exit, you're guaranteed the victory points that come from exploring the current city.
If you stay on board, you hope to make it to the next city in order to catch more precious treasures. If the captain can't overcome the challenge, though, everyone comes crashing down empty-handed and you'll need to begin a new trip with all passengers on board.

During the journey, each adventurer can try to pull out of the game with fabulous objects (a jetpack, astronomy glasses, etc.) or by changing the trip (modifying the travel or abandoning an explorer in the city). As soon as a player earns treasure worth at least fifty points, the game ends and this player wins.

Looping and turns - dive and roll. Each player is an aerobatics pilot who does their daring stunts in front of an enthusiastic audience. Play cards to set up the difficulty level and roll dice to succeed. The more dangerous a stunt is - the more more points it gives, but it is of course harder to roll on the dice.

Description from the publisher:

Villainous rats have allied with vicious hunting birds to pillage the humble mouse settlement across Meanderfield. But look! Brave mice, mounted on starlings and blue jays, swoop in to wage war against this evil alliance! The Downwood Militia soars into action against the Vermin Raiders!

Plaid Hat Games proudly presents Tail Feathers, the exciting new miniature skirmish game by our very own Jerry Hawthorne set in the beloved world of Mice and Mystics. Soar across the table, send your troops on dangerous missions, lock beaks with opposing birds, and defend your nest!

Featuring the beautiful hand-sculpted miniatures by Chad Hoverter Mice and Mystics fans have come to love, Tail Feathers raises the stakes with 13 dutiful ground troops, 5 headstrong birds that tilt for launching and turning, plus 5 daring pilots. Players will recreate the famous battles for aerial supremacy that shaped the Mice and Mystics world.

Outwit and outfly your opponent in stand-alone scenarios, or play a full campaign and see your units gain skill from one battle to the next.

Tail Feathers is a stand-alone game, not a Mice and Mystics expansion, but you can use your Mice and Mystics: Sorrow and Remembrance miniatures in Tail Feathers right out of the box.

Tail Feathers offers cinematic gameplay and a fresh, whimsical setting for tabletop skirmish gaming. Players must balance the use of both flying and ground units to achieve victory. Here are some highlights:

Compatibility! If you already own Mice and Mystics, you're in luck! Tail Feathers includes cards which allow you to use your Mice and Mystics figures in Tail Feathers! Bam!
Story driven campaign! Tail Feathers includes a scenario book with story rich scenarios all designed to be played either as both stand-alone experiences or linked together as a campaign.
Unique and challenging flight system! Tail Feathers includes 5 beautiful bird miniatures that are mounted on a special flight stand that allows the birds to 'tilt'. This tilting is a mechanism used to determine your flight direction, but the skill of effectively maneuvering your birds is up to you!
Everything you need! No empty box here. Tail Feathers comes with enough content for two players to field fully-realized, battle-ready forces, as well as cards that allow you to utilize your Mice and Mystics: Sorrow and Remembrance figures as Tail Feathers ground troops right away.

Tail Feathers expands the Mice and Mystics universe, introducing fans new and old to the battles on birds that secured peace and safety for the Downwood Forest. Tail Feathers' innovative game system will provide hours of fun and excitement in the world of Mice and Mystics.

From the rails to the air — well, hopefully. Planes puts you in the role of a group attempting to push your way through a crowded airport to reach your plane before takeoff. Other players' families or groups, as well as neutral travelers, will cause all sorts of congestion in the terminal and may keep you from boarding.

With cards that affect play and allow bonus scoring, in addition to variable airport maps, Planes is the next phase in global travel from AEG, publisher of Trains.