Fantasy

Eggs from the dragons of Ridback Mountain are valuable — not quite as valuable as gold following the last market fluctuation, but still TOTALLY worth the hassle, especially since it's not like YOU are climbing the mountain and searching through dragon caves. That's what peasants are for...

All the empires have sent their intrepid adventurers out to collect eggs, but not all will succeed! It gets crowded on Ridback Mountain, and there are only so many dragon eggs to go around — not to mention that the dragons have started mixing exploding eggs into their nests, and those hurt.

In the fast-playing card game Eggs and Empires, players use matching decks of empire cards that contain adventurers numbered 1-10. Starting with a hand of three empire cards, each turn all players select one card from their hand, then play them simultaneously in an attempt to collect egg cards. Typically, the player who played the highest empire card chooses an egg first, then the player with the second highest empire card, and so on until all revealed eggs are collected, if possible. However, each empire card has a unique power that can affect the order in which eggs are selected. The powers interact in strategic and awesome ways so that every hand is exciting and fun!

Outwit your opponents to collect as many good eggs as possible — that is, ones worth victory points (VPs) — while avoiding those nasty exploding eggs! Whoever collects the most VPs over three rounds wins.

Tonight starts the Wizards' Cup, a magical dueling tournament held once every century. As the king of a country, you will select the six best wizards from your kingdom and decide the order in which they will compete. Yes, your role ends there, and all that remains is to watch your trusted wizards battle it out.

In Wizards Cup, you want to build the best team you can, anticipating how your opponent might attack. Each player starts with a set of 18 cards, and your opponent draws a card at random from your deck that must be one of the wizards on your team. You then choose five more wizards, arrange five of the six wizards into a deck, then place the sixth aside in a waiting zone.

Each player reveals their top wizard and places it in the duel zone, then you see who wins. Resolve wizard powers first, then (if needed) compare the elements on these cards (e.g., light beats shadow, nature beats water); if they share the same element, compare values. The losing wizard heads to that player's discard pile, then they draw the next wizard from their deck to go against the opposing victorious wizard. Keep resolving duels until a player has no cards remaining; the other player claims a victory token.

Each player can then swap one wizard from their six with an unused card, after which they again create a five-card deck and duel. Whoever collects two victory tokens first wins.

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100年に一度開催される魔法大会、ウィザーズ・カップが今夜ついに開幕。あなたは一国の王として、王国から最高の魔法使いを6人選び、出場順を決めましょう。
そう、あなたの役割はここで終わり。後はあなたの信頼する魔法使いたちの戦いを見守るだけ。最高のチーム編成と戦略で戦いに勝利し、自国の強さを魔法界に誇りましょう。

In Rivages, players explore the legendary islands of Myr, searching for remains of its long-forgotten wisdom.

Each player starts with their own map of an island that's divided into several colored areas. Every turn, they strike out the available symbols from one of the two cards in their hand, check matching fields on their map, then pass the cards along to their neighbor. By exploring certain areas, achieving goals on the island, looting treasures, and progressing on their own wisdom tree, they gather valuable parchments. Reaching a boat allows them to move to a new island full of new opportunities.

Whoever has the most parchments at the end of the game wins.

—description from the publisher

Res Arcana Duo is both an expansion for Res Arcana (with 35% more cards) and a standalone, two-player game that can be later combined with Res Arcana and its other expansions Lux et Tenebrae and Perlae Imperii.

Gameplay is the same as in the original game: Life, Death, Elan, Calm, and Gold are the essences that fuel the art of magic. Choose your mage, gather essences, craft unique artifacts, and use them to summon dragons, acquire places of power, and achieve victory!

Res Arcana Duo features a new drafting method designed for just two players and a tight set of 16 artifacts. Unlike the base game, it has no attacks, which some couples may prefer.

A game typically lasts 4-6 rounds. In each round, players do these steps:

Collect essences: performs any Collect abilities, and may take essences from components.
Do actions, 1 per turn, clockwise from the First Player, until all players have passed:
place an artifact
claim a monument or Place of Power
discard a card for 1 Gold or any 2 other essences
use a power on a straightened component
pass: exchange magic items and draw 1 card. If you are first to pass, take the First Player token.

Check victory (10+ VPs).

If no one has won: straighten all turned components and begin the next round.

In The Isle of Cats Duel — a competitive, standalone game designed specifically for two players — you are citizens of Squalls End on a rescue mission to the Isle of Cats and must save as many cats as possible before the evil Lord Vesh arrives. Each cat is represented by a unique tile and belongs to a family; you must find a way to make them all fit on your boat while keeping families together.

The Isle of Cats Duel replaces the card drafting from the original The Isle of Cats game with a new movement system. Guided by an Oshax cat, players take turns moving around the island. Where you move determines which cats, treasures, and lessons you can access and will shape the options available to your opponent on their next turn.

In the end, the player who best balances rescuing cats, completing lessons, and limiting their opponent's options will prove themselves as the ultimate cat rescuer.

—description from the publisher