Board Game Posts

The card set "The Helpers of Catan" is an expansion for "The Settlers of Catan" for 3-6 players, and is also suitable for use with "Seafarers".

Setup

Each card has a helper with a front side "A", and a back side "B". Some cards also have a number.

Make a stack of the numbered cards, A-side-up. The top card will be A1; the remaining cards will follow in numerical order, i.e. A2, A3, etc.

For now, set aside the cards that don't have a number.

When you build your second settlement in the setup phase, take the top card from the stack and place it in front of yourself with the A-side up. Thus, the 1st player receives card A1; the 2nd, A2, and so on.

Spread out the rest of the helper cards (including any leftover numbered cards) as a display, A-side-up, beside the board.

Using Helper Cards

Each helper card offers an advantage. Once you have used the advantage of a card, you have two options:

• Return the card to the display and take any other card from there. Place it A-side-up in front of yourself, available for use on a subsequent turn.

• Turn the card to its B-side so you can use it a second time (and no more!), when the opportunity arises on a subsequent turn. After you have used the helper a second time, return the card to the display and take a new card.

Important: You can never use a helper card in the same turn that you received it.

When playing with 5-6 players, you may never use a helper card during the Special Building Phase - neither to help with construction nor with buying a development card.

The cards

Merchant: Forced trade

Demand a specific resource from up to 2 players. For each resource you get, give the player any one resource in return.

Mendicant: Help with road construction

1× during your turn, when you build a road, you may replace either the required brick or the required lumber with any other resource.

Mayor: Resource balanse

When a die roll (other than "7") does not earn you any resources, you take any 1 resource card.

Explorer: Street relocation

1× during your turn, you can remove 1 of your terminal* roads, and place it elsewhere in compliance with the rules.

General: Protection from the "7"

With the next "7": If you have more than 7 resources, you don't lose any resources. If you have 7 or fewer resources, take any 1 resource (before placement of the robber).

Architect: Select development card

1× during your turn, when purchasing a development card, you can replace 1 of the 3 resources it costs with any other. Select the development card from the first 3 in the stack. Then, shuffle the stack.

Robber bride: Robber in the desert

On your turn (even before rolling the dice), you can move the robber to the desert. You receive 1 resource from the landscape from which you pulled the robber.

Captain: Free harbor

Select 1 resource type, and exchange it as much as you want during your turn at a 2:1 ratio.

Priest: Swords into plowshares

1× per turn, you can put one of your knights put on the discard pile, and then either build a city for 2 ore and 1 wheat, or build a settlement for 1 lumber and 1 brick.

Noblewoman: Resource for the poor

1× during your turn, after rolling the dice, you may select and take 1 resource card from another player who has more victory points than you.

GIPF is a separate game and should, at first, always be seen as such. In addition, it is also the name of a project of which the game GIPF is the center.

This project consists of a series of games and a number of extra pieces that are all compatible with GIPF, which allows you to combine games and to decide for yourself what, exactly, you would like to play.

Concept

GIPF is the central game project GIPF. It is played solely with basic pieces, but you can add extra pieces to it, which means you can expand it. These extra pieces are called potentials. A potential is a piece that can be grafted onto the basic pieces you use to play GIPF. …

You can use any or all of the following variants to customize I'm the Boss to your tastes. The first two variants are the ones most commonly adopted:

• The turn order does not change following the playing of a Boss card.

• A player who starts his turn with 10 or more Influence cards must try to make a deal on his turn, whether before or after the die roll.

• A player must be the Boss or have played a card in order to receive money from a deal. …

While producing with workers will provide the bulk of most players' resources, trading has some benefits over producing that should not be underestimated. For example, trading for a desired resource is sometimes preferable to moving a worker to a territory that provides that resource. The action that you would have spent on movement can now be used for something more productive. Trading also allows players to access resources that aren't available in their homeland.

Just because an opponent has a lot more power than you doesn't necessarily mean they'll win in combat against you. They don't know how much power you will spend or the amount of power your combat cards will add (combat cards aren't worth anything at the end of the game, so spend them early and often). The puzzle of combat is outwitting your opponent, especially when they think they're going to win. …

Components

• Wonder boards
• 7 Wonder cards
• 49 Age I cards, 49 Age II cards, 50 Age III cards
• 46 Conflict tokens
• 24 value 3 coins, 46 value 1 coins
• 1 score booklet
• 1 rulebook
• 2 "2 player" cards

Object of the Game

A game of 7 Wonders takes place over 3 Ages, each using one of the 3 card decks (first the Age I cards, then Age II, and finally Age III). These Ages are each played similarly, with each player having the opportunity to play 6 cards per Age to develop his or her city and build their Wonder. …

The solo game is based on a 2-player game. You play against a virtual opponent that follows certain rules.

Your objective is to gain more influence than he does. Your final score is the difference between your score and his score.

Level 1

Setup

Setup a 2-player game, but place only 1 Favor token on each Isle and do not use the Time tokens. Do not place any Novices in the Temple, yet. This is done in the Preliminary Round.

Preliminary Round

Your opponent is the start player. Place 1 Shrine and 1 Novice of his color on the Holy Isle with the Master Builder and 2 Novices on each of the other Isles. …

Quest 0: Tutorial: Danse Macabre

Easy / 4+ Survivors / 45 Minutes

War is nothing new for us. Our counts and dukes are always fighting amongst themselves. For the peasantry, it usually just involves a change in taxes and rents, assuming you survive. But this time, the duke and his army went off and were never seen again.

Well, not until the hordes emerged. Pretty sure a lot of the tougher ones came from his troops. Now everything's a brutal mess. Now we're all equals, facing the danse macabre together. There's no time for social snobbery when the hordes are at your door. We stand together, and throw death back in their teeth. …

It is the 25th century. Many generations have passed since humanity made its escape to the stars. Yet despite years of exploration at the far reaches of the galaxy, no other signs of intelligent life have been found. While searching the archives of Old Earth, you discover something strange.

All infor­mation on a planet called Artemia seems to have been wiped from official records and charts. Intrigued, you mount an expedition to investigate. Preliminary scans of Artemia suggest a CLASS-M planet, home to a wide range of flora and fauna and capable of sustaining human life. …

Mighty heroes don't just appear out of thin air - they must be created! Race, class, alignment, skills, traits, and equipment are all elements of the perfect hero, ready to take on the opposition in the quest for glory and riches.

In Roll Player, you compete with your opponents to create the greatest fantasy adventurer who has ever lived, preparing to embark on an epic quest. Roll and draft dice to build up your character's attributes. Buy weapons and armor to outfit your hero. Train to gain skills and to discover your hero's traits, in order to prepare them for their journey. …

It is the beginning of the Meiji era. Once just a sleepy fishing village, the opening of foreign trade in Yokoha- ma and the decline of Edo led Yokohama to become the premier hub of trade in all of Japan. During this period, Japanese products such as copper and raw silk were established in Yokohama to be exported to foreign countries.

In addition, foreign technology and culture were incorporated into Japan, and modernization slow- ly swept over the streets of the city. Behind all of these incredible developments were the capable merchants of Yokohama. …