Hand Management

Ticket to Ride: Northern Lights

Welcome to the North! While traveling through Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark, you will get to know the most beautiful places in the Nordic countries. Relax in the bustle of the countries' port cities or be charmed by the wonderful fjords on the north side of the Arctic Circle. Build railways through the forests, countryside and fells that mark the region. Establish ferry lines between the picturesque Turku archipelago and the colorful city of Bergen. Create the greatest transport network in Pohjola!

Ticket to Ride: Northern Lights is standalone game in Ticket to Ride series. It's designed for 2–5 players and introduces various end game bonus cards – 4 of 11 are selected every game, so now there are games where, for example, longest route gives extra points, but in other games you will score some extra, if most unused trains are in your supply.

Red Carpet

The stars shine on the red carpet. Once again, the Academy Awards ceremony is held and as a photographer you have the goal of capturing the best portraits of the most famous figures from the golden age of Hollywood. Get a good spot, find the perfect angle and take the photos that will be on the front pages of all the newspapers tomorrow.

In Red Carpet, you play as a photographer who seeks to capture the best portraits of the celebrities who arrive in limousines and parade down the red carpet to the awards gala. Players will use their mobile phone, which they will place on pedestals around the board, to take the photos. Depending on a number of criteria (whether the celebrity is facing forward, whether they are in the foreground, whether there is advertising in the background, etc.), you will add or subtract points for each portrait. You will also influence the awards by voting for your favourite nominees in each category, and at the crucial moment of the awards ceremony, the value of the winners' portraits will be doubled.

In each turn, players will use cards to perform various actions, such as placing their tripod in a space in the press area or moving the characters parading down the red carpet. In addition to the celebrities, there will also be anonymous people in the scene, so it will be key to get the best angle to take the best portraits.

—description from the publisher

12 Rivers

You are the leader of a tribe whose people explore the fabled twelve rivers flowing from a mystical lake high in the mountains. Your goal? To find the magical coloured pearls that roll down the rivers in the current. Perhaps a helpful fairy may help you on your quest! Where the rivers converge there is a village where many people and animals live in harmony. There you can make life-long friends and deliver the pearls you have collected, to be used to heal, grow, and ensure another prosperous year for all.

In each of 5 rounds of play, take turns paying camp cards (resources) to place your 3 tribe tokens into various slots along the rivers, to get the magic pearls you need. Pay more camp card resources to place higher up the rivers to pick pearls earlier. However, with clever placement and use of camp card powers, you can still get valuable pearls efficiently downstream. Use your Tribe tokens to block then collect magic pearls that flow down the 12 rivers. Collect pearls needed by villagers to ensure prosperity for the village at the bottom of the 12 Rivers.

Once all tribe tokens are placed, release the magic pearls to roll down the rivers. Then collect a pearl at each tribe token you placed, and store it on your Alpaca for now. Remaining pearls roll downstream to be blocked and picked at other tribe tokens, or end in the lake.

Along the way you will pick up helpful fairy tokens, and try to match Alpaca goals that reward you with points for collecting sets of particular pearl colours first.

To score the pearls you collect, transfer them to villagers you recruit from the village, and strive to score their bonus goals too. After 5 rounds the player with the most points wins.

—description from the publisher

Agent Avenue

Agent Avenue is a competitive card game that combines bluffing, strategic set collection, and a race to uncover your opponent's identity. Set in a colorful anthropomorphic world, players assume the roles of retired spies in a suburban neighborhood, outsmarting each other with cards that can score points or trigger special effects. The game's art brings to life a quirky neighborhood of animal spies.

Use a unique "I split, you choose" mechanic to play one card face-up and one face-down each turn. Your opponent chooses one, influencing both your strategies. Cards feature different agents and tools that impact scoring and game progress on a track, advancing the "catch me" race to uncover the opposing spy.

Outwit your opponents by strategically collecting agent sets and effectively using spy tools. The game ends when a player successfully uncovers their opponent, combining both strategic depth and bluffing elements.

Perfect for those who love a mix of strategy and lighthearted competition, "Agent Avenue" challenges you to think like a spy and act like a friendly neighbor.

—description from the publisher

Naishi

In Naishi, you will seek to improve your Japanese state as efficiently as possible. However, you will not be free to change the positioning of your cards at will. You must replace the cards in your hand and in your tableau with cards from the central river while respecting their positioning. You will also have the possibility to send your emissaries to reorganise states, create new opportunities or force your opponent into a trade