April 2014 Games of the Week

By Margaret Duncan, Ed.D.

The Histocrats support the idea of incorporating board-games into your personal life as well as in the classroom.  As such, we support and participate in a local board-gaming group.  Any and all board-game enthusiasts are welcome to join the Game Nights that are held every first and third Friday night of the month.  As part of our gaming group initiative, we also recommend history centric games that are fun to play each week to all of our followers.  The selected games receive our “Game of the Week” distinction.  Recommended games are a mix of cooperative, card games, as well Euro style games.

Expedition Northwest Passage, by Asmodee
In 1845, Sir John Franklin led an expedition to discover the route that would connect the Pacific and Atlantic. When he disappeared, explorers from Britain and America set out to find the missing voyage and succeed where Franklin failed - by finding the Northwest Passage. Carefully place exploration tiles, maneuver around ice floes, discover islands and send your crews on sleds across solid land. Be careful - as the seasons progress, the North gets colder and the last thing you want is to find yourself stuck in the ice, losing crews and equipment. Be the first to discover the route to the Pacific to earn the Prestige you need to bring victory for your team!

Kingsburg, Fantasy Flight Games
Players adopt the role of governor, and vie for resources to build up their province, military power to defend their homes, and above all the influence of the King. Over five years (five turns) players rely on various advisors to the King for resources. From tangibles like gold, wood, and stone to soldiers and portents, each acquisition will shape the future of your community.



The Road to Canterbury, Gryphon Games
Greed, Pride, Gluttony, Wrath, Luxury, Idleness, and Envy - the infamous "Seven Deadly Sins". For the faithful, they instill horror. For you, on the other hand, they present a wonderful business opportunity! In The Road to Canterbury, you play a medieval pardoner who sells certificates delivering sinners from the eternal penalties brought on by these Seven Deadly Sins. You make your money by peddling these counterfeit pardons to Pilgrims traveling the road to Canterbury.  To keep your services in demand, you will actually need to lead these Pilgrims into temptation yourself! The Seven Deadly Sins live up to their name: each sin that a Pilgrim commits brings Death one step nearer, and a dead Pilgrim pays no pardoners!  So much to forgive, so little time. Will you be able to outwit your opponents by pardoning more of these Pilgrims' sins before they die or finish their pilgrimage to Canterbury?

Upon a Salty Ocean, Rio Grande Games
At the beginning of the XVI century the city of Rouen is the main French port. The Citys wealth is dependent on fishing and trading salted fish. Salt produced in the mines has to be loaded onto ships and used to preserve herring and cod fished in the Atlantic Ocean. Every week ships full of salt barrels leave Rouen for the fishing grounds of the Atlantic Ocean, and, once back, the goods are sold in the city markets. The players represent City merchants: they invest in ships and City buildings to try to get rich. Who will be the richest merchant of Rouen, when Francis I, King of France, comes to visit the City?

*All product descriptions are from the manufacturer.