New Games (?) for History Buffs

     Well, Hello There! Yes, you're right it's been quite a while since the last Histocrats post about games and gaming. Almost four years, in fact. Why? Well, I was never the Histocrat with the gaming expertise. And there are a couple of reasons for that.

    1. I don't have any friends.

    2. Maybe partially or wholely due to #1, whenever I'm faced with games that have books of rules and dozens of pieces, my brain shuts down. I just can't. Even card and domino games lose me, too many numbers, too many rules, too many things to remember. I also don't like games that go on for hours or days. Unfortunately, it seems that many games that would seem, at first glance, enjoyable to history buffs like me usually have rule books and lots and lots of tokens and pieces.

    I actually used games in my classroom, like the Oregon Trail card game, but I basically let the students figure it out on their own. I do have a firm grasp on the Timeline card games, which I also used, but they're pretty simple, cut and dry chronology.

    I reached out to the creator of a game called Franklin's Fortune a few months ago to be the subject of one of our "7 Questions" blogs ( https://chattingwiththehistocrats.blogspot.com/2022/07/7-questions-with-shane-newell-historian.html ), and he graciously offered to send me a copy of the game. When I received it, it looked great, and the reviews online are awesome, but I was overwhelmed, and haven't played yet. But I'm sure it's awesome, and I highly recommend that you give it a try.

    While in a Barnes and Noble the other day, I found some other games based on history that looked interesting and might even be accessible to someone like me.

    

    

    I know the Donner Dinner Party has been out for a while, but it looks like fun. History and cannibalism: how can it miss?  

• Who will avoid becoming tonight’s dinner and make it off the mountain alive? And who are the suspicious scoundrels hungry for human flesh?
• A fast-paced game of social deduction in which cannibals and pioneers face off in a fight for survival
• A party game that's rowdy, outrageous, and full of playful deception
• Ages 12 and up, 4-10 players
• Includes game board and 62 identity (Pioneers, Cannibals, and more!) and playing cards

    Then I saw these historically based games, all created by Facade Games.

• THE WILD WEST: It’s 1876 in Deadwood, a town in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The gold rush is on in this lawless town, and only those with the sharpest wit and quickest gun will win the gold.
• LAST ONE STANDING: Team up at the Bella Union Saloon, Gem Theater, or Grand Central hotel. The team with the most gold-filled safes makes the final showdown, and the teammate who shoots best wins all.
• GREAT GAME: This high quality card & dice game is a unique strategic & social deduction game. This game is perfect for any party, family activity, or game night group. It’s fun for teens and adults.
• WESTERN BANDITS: This original 1800s game is for 2-9 players and lasts 20-40 minutes. For ages 14 years old and older. Teenagers and adults can gather around for fun betrayal, fights, and robbing.
• CONTENTS: faux book box (magnetic closure), 9 wood star pawns, 3 wood platforms, 10 engraved dice, 50 playing cards, 9 character cards, 25 safe cards (includes Mystery Safe expansion), linen bag

• SET YOUR SAILS: become a pirate and deceive your friends at game night with Tortuga 1667. This board game is a unique strategy and social deduction game.
• ALL HANDS ON DECK: plunder treasure using cards, strategy, deceit, and a bit of luck. Take this game to any party, family activity, or game night group and see what fun you have.
• PIRATES BEWARE: this original game is for 2-9 players and lasts 20-40 minutes. Players must be 14 years old or older, so tweens, teens, and adults can gather for interesting intrigue and façade.
• BEHOLD THE TREASURE: this high quality game comes in a magnetically-closing faux book box with a simple design. Everyone plays as one of 9 pirates with character illustrations and biographies.
• CONTENTS: includes 75 cards, 1 rubber playing mat (disguised as a treasure map), 9 wood pawns, 8 wood treasure tokens, 1 wood explosion token, 1 cloth bag, 1 rulebook (with character biographies)

• The Hunt Is On: In Salem 1692, the witch hunt is heating up. Who is friend and who is foe? Where are the witches hiding? This card game is a unique strategic and social deduction game.
• Flying Accusations: Accuse your friends of witchcraft using cards, strategy, deceit, and a bit of luck. Take this game to any party, family activity, or game night group and see what fun you have.
• Dark Magic: This original game is for 4-12 players and lasts 20-40 minutes. Players must be 14 years old or older, so tweens, teens, and adults can gather around for interesting intrigue and façade.
• She’s A Witch: This high quality game comes in a magnetically-closing faux book box with a simple design. Play as one of 15 villagers from the old Salem town with character illustrations and bios.
• Contnents: 1 magnetic faux book box, 128 cards, 1 wooden gavel token, 1 thirty-second black sand hourglass, 1 rulebook (includes biographies). For ages 14 and up.

BRISTOL 1350: The dreaded Black Death has descended upon Bristol and you need to escape! To win, be on the first cart out of town while avoiding players who are secretly infected with the plague.

SOLO & PARTY GAME MODES: Bristol 1350 is a light strategy and social deduction game for 1-9 players ages 13 years and older. Learn in 10 minutes and play in 20-40 minutes. Includes solo play mode.

CONTENTS: 1 magnetic book box, 9 character cards, 27 remedy cards, 28 symptom cards, 3 miniature carts, 1 linen pouch, 1 rulebook, 9 wood pawns, 1 rubber playing map, 6 custom apple/rat dice.

FAST PACED GAME: Avoid those with the Black Plague (or try to infect others if you already have it!) in this medieval themed game of racing and deceit. Game includes quick turns with full-group interaction.

GAMEPLAY: Begin in 1 of 3 carts & try to be the first out of town. If anyone on your cart has the plague when you finish, you die! Play until an all-healthy cart crosses or everyone has the plague.

August 2016 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.

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?

 

Early American Chrononauts, Looney Labs

Win by changing the timeline to fit your alternate history goal, by collecting Artifacts, or by diligently patching the timeline. The TimeLine begins just before the American Revolution in 1770 and continues through the Civil War, stopping at 1916.  Players travel through time to change linchpin events, patch paradoxes, and collect artifacts. This is a stand-alone game, but Early American Chrononauts’ TimeLine can fit together with the Chrononauts TimeLine to combine the two games into one huge game.

The Oregon Trail Card Game, Pressman Toy

All sorts of gruesome deaths await you and the rest of your wagon party in this official multi-player card game version of the classic computer game. To win you’ll need to keep one player alive all the way from Independence, MO to the Willamette Valley. But between rattlesnakes, starvation, dead oxen, broken bones, dysentery, and a host of other calamities the odds are long . . . almost as long as the Oregon Trail itself.  Players work together to move along the trail, fording rivers and playing Supply Cards to overcome calamities. But be warned–there will be times when it makes sense to let one of your wagon mates succumb to a calamity rather than expend precious supplies.

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.

*All product descriptions are from the manufacturer

July 2016 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.

Golden Snitch: The Quidditch Board Game, Wizarding World of Harry Potter

It's Gryffindor vs. Slytherin in this fast-paced wizarding game of Quidditch. Outmaneuver the opposing team with authentic Quidditch tactics. Use spells and potions to confound and outwit your opponent. Each high-flying game is a battle of strategy and magic.

 

The Grizzled Cooperative Card Game, CoolMiniOrNot

Through what tragedies can friendship endure? The Grizzled is a fast paced, fully cooperative card game that takes place in the trenches of World War I. Already a best seller in Europe, The Grizzled is an elegant game of avoiding threats and leading a team, and is a cooperative game. Featuring art by French artist Tignous.

Holmes: Sherlock & Mycroft, Devir Americas

Two brilliant London minds meet to determine the involvement of young Chapman. Is he part of an anarchist group, or just a scapegoat? London, England – It is the year 1895, and a bomb has exploded in the Houses of Parliament. A young anarchist has been accused and blamed for this heinous act. The crown has hired Mycroft Holmes, the older brother of the famous Sherlock Holmes, to prosecute their case. Sherlock, hired by the young man’s parents, is out to prove his innocence. Between the two, a duel quickly develops, pitting brother vs. brother in a contest involving the greatest deductive minds of the era. The case, and the fate of one young man hangs in the balance; only the player who holds the most clues can determine the outcome.

Nuns on the Run, Mayfair Games

The novices are on the loose. Temptation has lured them out of their cells, and they hope not to be caught by the abbess and the prioress. But the guards are swift and their hearing is excellent, so it will take craftiness and a bit of luck in order to make it back to their beds without being caught. Players explore the exciting nocturnal world of a grand abbey filled with intrigue and deception. As the old abbess, the noble prioress, or a simple novice you become hunter or prey. Everyone gets a special “blessing,” but only the novices try to fulfill a “secret wish.” They must sneak through the dimly lit halls, corridors, and gardens, seeking keys and treasures unique to their goal. Meanwhile, the vigilant abbess and prioress patrol their routes, ever watchful of young novices who should be fast asleep in their austere cells. Are you wily enough, or sneaky enough to fulfill your quest and win the night?

*All product descriptions are from the manufacturer

June 2016 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.

 

Indigo, Ravensburger

Indigo features a hexagon shaped game board on which players develop gem routes to move precious stones along paths that they develop into their collection. Players can work together or separately to lay the route tiles that provide the paths they must travel on their way to exit the board with the most gems. Players can share routes and exits so that they can both benefit, but the game is won by the player who collects the most points from the gems successfully removed from the board.

 

Warriors of Japan, Multi-Man Productions

From 1336-1392, all of Japan was aflame with war. After the fall of a corrupt and ineffective emperor, the two great courts of Japan dueled to determine the future ruler of the country. Warriors of Japan covers the vital period following the destruction of the Kamakura shogunate and the fight to find a successor. 

Tokaido: Collectors Edition, Passport Game Studios

Each player is a traveler crossing the "East sea road", one of the most magnificent roads of Japan. While traveling, players will meet people, taste fine meals, collect beautiful items, discover great panoramas, and visit temples and wild places. At the end of the day, when everyone has arrived at the end of the road you'll have to be the most initiated traveler – which means that you'll have to be the one who discovered the most interesting and varied things.

*All product descriptions are from the manufacturer

May 2016 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.

 

Twilight Squabble, Alderac Entertainment Group

In 1947, the superpowers of the United States of America and the Soviet Union began a new sort of conflict, a struggle in the twilight of World War II. This war centered on the increasing development of nuclear weapons, and as the years passed it seemed like the war would never end. But no one wants to play a card game for decades. So you hold in your hands the abridged version of the Cold War—less of a twilight struggle, and more of a Twilight Squabble.

Timeline: American History Asmodee

Which happened first, the Salem Witch Trials or the foundation of Harvard College? Was Watergate before Woodstock? Sure, it's easy to know whether the discovery of America came before the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, but how well can you remember everything that happened in between? Players have hands of cards and take turns attempting to place the cards correctly into the growing timeline. Easy at first, but rapidly growing more difficult, Timeline: American History will test your knowledge and help you learn the history of the nation.

Loot N Run, IELLO

Loot cards to collect treasures. But some treasures come with guardians of the pyramid. Run out of the pyramid with your treasure before other players awaken the guardians and rob you of what you have rightfully plundered! Tense choices make this light game a frighteningly good time!

Stones of Fate, Cosmic Wombat Games

Each game uses only a subset of the 78 card deck so no two games are ever the same. The game starts with a face-down spread of 9 cards. Cards are worth a varying number of points and players compete to win them by peeking at cards, placing their stones strategically, and flipping cards. New cards are placed face down into the spread as cards are won, creating an ever-changing landscape. Some cards have special effects which occur during play, adding to the overall strategy and creating additional opportunities to interact with your opponents.

*All product descriptions are from the manufacturer

March 2016 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.

Queen's Architect, Queen Games
You‘re in demand all over the realm! Villages, monasteries and towns need your help to construct important buildings and establishments. Players assume the role of an architect and assemble a competent band of craftsmen. Raise buildings and assist the people with small repairs or farm work. The Queen will reward you with her appreciation and with coins. Gain the privilege of constructing the new royal palace, and you will win the game as the land‘s most successful Architect!










Medicine Whoops, Analog Evolution Games
A game of medical disasters where players each take on the role of doctors at a poorly supplied hospital. The doctors compete with each other to treat patients using whatever tools they happen to have on hand. Sometimes these doctors try to actively hinder each other in the middle of surgery. Sometimes they all just agree to play a golf while the patient expires. Patients will begin to stack up fast...both cured and killed. Add them up at the end to determine who among you is the best doctor under the worst conditions imaginable.





Archaeology, Z-Man Games
Great quick card game where you are an archaeologist who must discover the lost treasures of Egypt in order to make your fortune. You will search for the right pieces to complete torn parchments, broken pots and other priceless artifacts. Explore an ancient pyramid hoping to uncover a huge stash of treasure. Trade shrewdly at the local marketplace to increase the value of your collection.










Ion: A Compound Building Game, Genius Games
Ion is a simple card drafting game where players select from a number of available ion cards and noble gas cards, with the object I've of forming either neutrally charged compounds or sets of stable noble gases!

*All product descriptions are from the manufacturer

February 2016 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.

1960: The Making of the President, Z-Man Games
In 1960: the Making of the President, you take on the role of Kennedy or Nixon in vying to lead America through an era of turbulent change. The candidates must contend with all the great issues of the day, from the cold war to civil rights to voters' pocket books. This is an election that will turn on positioning and momentum. The contest is fought on an electoral map of the United States as it stood in 1960. As with a real election campaign, the challenge is to adapt your game plan as the ground shifts out from under you. There are never enough resources or time to do everything, but you need to make the tough calls to propel yourself into the White House.

Kill Shakespeare, IDW Games
Protect the realm from King Richard, Lady Macbeth and their dark army! Based on the acclaimed comic book from IDW Publishing, this co-op adventure brings the greatest characters of Shakespearean literature to life in a shared universe rife with peril. Players will go on quests assigned by the bard himself in an attempt to prove themselves worthy of taking over the title of Scribe of the Land.










Pandemic: The Cure, Z-Man Games
Pandemic: The Cure, a dice-based version of the popular Pandemic board game. As in the board game, four diseases threaten the world and it's up to your team to save humanity. You and your team must keep the world's hotspots in check before they break out of control, while researching cures to the four plagues.  Players roll dice each turn to determine the actions available to them. Each player takes on a different role that has its own unique set of dice and abilities - and players must take advantage of their specializations if they are to have any hope of winning the game. If the players can discover the cures to the four diseases, they all win and humanity is saved!






Snow Tails Game, Renegade Game Studios
Snow Tails is set in the snowy world of the Arctic Circle, where brave sledders compete in a test of skill and endurance. Action is fast and furious and not all sleds may make it to the finish. Huskies only have one setting and that is full speed! Hang on to your furs, the reins, your sled and anything else you can get hold of. The game contains modular track pieces which can be fitted together to form different courses. Players have their own Dog Decks which they draw from and play on to their sled mat. Movement is rarely in a straight line as the sled may drift left or right. Losing control or speeding into a corner results in Dent cards being acquired which will limit a player's hand size.

*All product descriptions are from the manufacturer

January 2016 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.

Cold War: CIA vs KGB, Fantasy Flight Games
Cold War: CIA vs KGB places two players in control of the world’s greatest superpowers in an age of fear. In this tense, standalone card game of politics, guerilla warfare, and dirty tricks, each player must establish the dominance and superiority of his country’s worldview while bringing about his own vision of the future. But what kind of future?










Thunderbirds, Modiphius Entertainment
Set in the year 2065, Thunderbirds follows the exploits of International Rescue: a secret organization committed to saving human life, secretly founded and funded by the millionaire Tracy family, with the motto: 'Never give in, at any cost!'. International Rescue has a host of technologically advanced land-, sea-, air-, and space-rescue vehicles and equipment ready to launch at a moment's notice. Racing to the rescue from a secret island base beneath the luxurious home of the Tracy family somewhere in the South Pacific Ocean, International Rescue defies government spies and criminals who want the secrets of their incredible machines for their own. To combat this threat, Lady Penelope, the Thunderbirds' aristocratic English secret agent, and her chauffeur Parker lead a network of agents to uncover those behind the disasters caused by deliberate sabotage. A criminal mastermind known as "the Hood", operating from a temple deep in the Malaysian jungle and in possession of strange powers, often engineer’s events to allow him to spy on the Thunderbird machines with the goal of selling their secrets to the highest bidder.



Beowulf, King Post
Beowulf is a strategy game that uses the Anglo-Saxon epic poem as a point of entry into a vast interpretation of the Viking Age. As the legend of Beowulf's life and death unfolds on the game's board, players will trade, scheme and raid one another to grow their own kingdom's influence and power. After the death of Beowulf at the fangs of a dragon, the game moves forward in time, as players scramble to preserve the brave legacies of their kingdoms in the face of a quickly changing religious landscape and the relentless tides of history.







Mille Bornes, Asmodee/Hasbro
Rev the engine eagerly, waiting for the green light to send you hurtling across the countryside. Keep the tank full, find your way around the speed limit and avoid the accidents that will slow you down. Keep the pressure on full and be the first to make it 1,000 miles! Mille Bornes is the classic card game of cross - country racing. Keep a green light handy in case you get stopped and play a tire puncture on your opponent to keep him from getting ahead. Protect yourself with safety cards and save one for the classic Coup Fourre. Play your cards right and you'll be the first to cross the finish line and be the master of the Mille Bornes!




*All product descriptions are from the manufacturer

December 2015 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.

Salem: A Card Game of Deception, Facade Games
Accuse and defend your fellow townsfolk as you hunt down the witches of Salem. Act fast, before conspiracy turns you against your own. Before long, accusations will be flying, and screams of "She's a WITCH!" will wake the neighbors. Will you be the hero who purges your town of witches, or will you be wrongly accused and hung for witchcraft? Or perhaps you will be a witch yourself, escape conviction, and bring Salem to the ground.










Black Gold, Fantasy Flight Games
The year is 1922, and there’s wealth to be claimed deep within the soil. Prepare to head West to survey the Permian Basin in a race to become the wealthiest son of a gun in Texas! Black Gold is a game of drilling and discovery for 2-5 prospectors, in which you’ll try to gain more wealth than your fellow competitors by exploring the terrain for oil wells, surveying the possible sites, and building derricks. You’ll earn the most money if you can transport your oil to one of three companies and win the right to sell at auction. Meanwhile, a ruthless Oil Baron draws ever closer, his train counting down the rounds of the game’s thrilling ride. Race against your opponents to earn the most wealth before he reaches his last track. Outbid, out-bluff, and out-strategize your opponents to become the next tycoon!



Letters to Santa, AEG
If you want all of your Christmas wishes brought by the big guy, you'll need to make sure your letter makes it to him.  The closer you get the letter to Santa, the more likely you are to win!  But watch out for the wily Krampus, out to dash your yuletide dreams! Letters to Santa is a Christmas edition of the award winning Love Letter. 


 




Samurai Sword, Da Vinci
In the land of the Rising Sun, faithful Samurai protect the Shogun. Now, a lone Ronin is plotting his revenge. Will you honor the way of the warrior? Put down your Colts and take up your katanas in Samurai Sword, the latest addition to the Bang! family of card games!

*All product descriptions are from the manufacturer

Some of Our Favorite 2015 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 part of our gaming initiative, we 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.  The following are some of our favorite games we played in 2015. 

Shadows Over Camelot, Days of Wonder
A lone swallow flies across the grey skies of Cornwall. The forces of evil are gathering around Camelot. The Black Knight was sighted atop a desolate ridge; a scheming Morgan plots her revenge; the Saxon troops are on the move; and acres of timber are being felled for the siege engines. And yet Lancelot has all but vanished, with Excalibur yet to be recovered. Will you, young squire, come forth and pledge allegiance to your fellow Knights of the Round Table.  Players work together to defeat the forces closing in on Camelot. But beware, players must be vigilant for a traitor in their midst who is biding his time-secretly sowing the seeds of havoc and destruction. Yet too much suspicion will undermine the knight's efforts to protect the kingdom. These are dangerous times indeed.

Jaipur, Asmodee
My kingdom for a camel! Work hard, earn more than your opponent and become the official merchant of the Maharaja. At the beginning of the game, three camel cards and two merchandise cards are on the table between the players, who already have five cards in hand. On your turn, you can take some cards or sell some. Each time that you take cards, you can take one or more, however if you decide to take more, then you will have to trade in the same amount of cards from your hand that you take. If you decide to take all camel cards, then they can be used later to trade. You can sell all the merchandise that you want, as long as they are all the same type. For each sale, you will receive tokens with various point values. At the end of the game, the player who has the majority of the camels also wins points.

Machi Koro, IDW Games
You've just been elected Mayor.  Congrats! Unfortunately the citizens have some pretty big demands: jobs, a theme park, a couple of cheese factories and maybe even a radio tower.  A tough proposition since the city currently consists of a wheat field, a bakery and a single die. Armed only with your trusty die and a dream, you must grow Machi Koro into the largest city in the region. 

7 Wonders, Asmodee
In 7 Wonders, you lead an ancient civilization as it rises from its barbaric roots to become a world power. Lead your troops to a military victory or create a nation of artisans and philosophers. Establish a powerful merchant state or master the mysteries of science and technology. Build an architectural wonder that will fascinate for eons to come, and rule the most powerful civilization on Earth!

Metro, Rio Grande Games
The eve of the 1900 World’s Fair is approaching, and excavations are taking place across the city. Bizarre-looking scaffolds arise everywhere. Tunnels are built in the streets to later be covered with earth. Take part in the construction of the Paris Metro. Each player works to complete a set of lines across Paris and scores points based on the length of the lines, after all, we want to show the tourists as much of our fine city as possible. When you complete your lines, you tally your points and the player with the most points when the fair opens, is the winner.

Vikings Board Game, Z-Man Games
You are the leader of a clan of Vikings. You are tasked with the scouting and settling of undiscovered islands off the coast of the mainland. To expand your territories and clan, you will need to master the game's clever rotating wheel. The price for islands and Vikings will change as players acquire more of them. The game will be tense until the end and you will need to protect your islands against the ships that sail on the horizon. Are you the leader whose clan will rise above the others?

Lady Alice, Hurrican / Asmodee
Lady Alice is a game of intrigue, flair, bluffing, and mischief.  The players are the Baker Street Kids, children under the tutelage of Sherlock Holmes who must deduce the culprit behind the kidnapping of Henry Morton Stanley as well as the time and place the kidnapping occurred and which object was stolen at the same time.

Lanterns, Renegade Game Studios
The harvest is in, and now it's time to celebrate! Lanterns: The Harvest Festival is a tile-- placement game set in imperial China. Place tiles, adorn the palace lake, and dedicate lanterns in this fast paced board game. Players act as artisans decorating the palace lake with floating lanterns. The artisan who earns the most honor before the festival arrives wins the game.

Moonshot The Game, Limited Edition
This board game is part of a Limited First Edition series, dedicated to the crews of Apollo I and the Challenger Space Shuttle, with a gold-colored sticker on the front of the box signed by game designer Van Overbay. "Moonshot The Game" puts you in command as you develop rockets, launch spacecraft, avoid hazards and earn mission patches in a thrilling race to be the first player to land on the Moon.  The game combines the strategy of a classic board game with the tactics of a collectible card game. 

Axis & Allies 1942, Wizards of the Coast
It’s spring 1942, and the world is at war. Five major powers struggle for supremacy: Germany and Japan are aligned against the great alliance of the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, and the United States. Controlling one of the Axis or Allied powers, players will command both their country’s military forces and its war-time economy, with the chance to plan attacks, marshal forces into embattled territories, and resolve conflicts. Victory will go to the side that conquers its opponents on the field of battle and liberates or occupies the greatest cities of the world. Change the course of history in a few short hours!

*All product descriptions are from the manufacturer

Gaming in Toronto

By Margaret Duncan, Ed.D

In Toronto, there is a great place where you can mix lattes and playing tabletop games.  While traveling through the city recently, I was able to stop in at the local gaming café, Snakes and Lattes. I have always been a gamer and even helped launch a local game club in our community at a neighborhood hamburger joint.  So, I am happy to find a place devoted to food and gaming.


Snakes and Lattes is a board game cafe and currently has two locations in Toronto.  We visited the main café on Bloor Street.  It is a very inviting place and the staff is quick to answer any questions.  When we sat down, our server gave a rundown of the rules of the café.  For example, everyone pays a cover charge of $5 to stay and play board games for as long as they like.  The café has a huge collection of board games.  Really, just about any game you could think of was on the shelves. We managed to play two different games, a quick couple of rounds of Loonacy before dinner. Then we played Tokkaido while waiting for our food to arrive and as we ate. 


Looking around the café, it was clear that everyone in Snakes and Lattes is all about playing games and socializing with friends.  Although the name implies coffee, it does serve a variety of café food and beverage items.  The place we got to visit is a larger version of what opened in 2010 by owners Aurélia Peynet and Ben Castanie. We had put it on our Toronto to-do list after seeing Steve Tassie’s videos on the DiceTower YouTube channel.  Considering we have seen all of Steve’s videos about games and Snakes and Lattes, we were excited to actually meet him in person and talk about our love of gaming with him. 






So, the next time you are in Toronto, make sure to stop by for a latte and a game. It will make for a gaming good time!

  
 
 

November 2015 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.

1775 – Rebellion, Academy Games
The year is 1775. The American colonies have begun to stockpile arms and organize militia in outrage over new taxes imposed upon them by Great Britain. On April 18th, militia members ambush a column of 700 British Redcoats ordered to seize stockpiled arms. 273 British soldiers are killed or wounded before they reach safety in Boston. The American Revolution has begun! Players take the roles of the American Continental Army and Patriots against the British Army and the Loyalists. Each side tries to control the colonies, provinces and territories. They call on the aid of Native Americans, as well as the German Hessians and French Army in order to successfully birth a revolution or quell the rebellion. When the game ends with the signing of the Treaty of Paris, the side with the most flag markers is the winner.


Axis & allies 1942, Wizards of the Coast
It’s spring 1942, and the world is at war. Five major powers struggle for supremacy: Germany and Japan are aligned against the great alliance of the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, and the United States. Controlling one of the Axis or Allied powers, players will command both their country’s military forces and its war-time economy, with the chance to plan attacks, marshal forces into embattled territories, and resolve conflicts. Victory will go to the side that conquers its opponents on the field of battle and liberates or occupies the greatest cities of the world. Change the course of history in a few short hours!



Defense of Lwow
It's the Polish-Soviet War of 1920 and you must block the Bolsheviks at Bug River. The object of the game is different for each player. The Bolshevik player’s goal is to conquer Lwów (which was a Polish city up to 1945, and is now Lviv, Ukraine). To achieve this, one of their cavalry units must occupy the space with Lwów. The Polish goal is to use airplanes to keep the cavalry out of Lwów for 8 days (game turns). The game ends when the Soviets are out of time or they managed to capture Lwow.








Bottom of The 9th Card Game, Dice Hate Me Games
It's the bottom of the ninth inning. The game is tied. It's down to the home team to score one run to win it all. Unfortunately, the home team is staring down the league's best closer. With variable player strengths, bluffing/deduction and die-rolling, only the pitcher knows what's coming and the batter needs to keep his eyes peeled. Bottom of the 9th is played over the course of three outs, or four hits (for one run scored) - whichever occurs first.

*All product descriptions are from the manufacturer