Humor For Day

We got a kick out of the Pearls Before Swine cartoon in Saturday’s Oregonian.

Source: Oregonian March 31, 2012

At Off The Charts Games  we have a wide selection of family games, strategy games, euro games, war games, card games, dice games, and puzzles.   Our goal is to help you put fun on your table. We are here to serve Gresham and the greater Portland and Vancouver area.

New Game Arrivals: Mar. 25th – 31st

NEWEST GAMES

Games received for the week of March 25th ~ 31st

In the store this week are these two fun card games:

Oz Fluxx
From: Looney Labs

Does life seem drab and humdrum?  Let the cyclone of the ever-changing card game, Fluxx, whisk you away to a magical world of fun.  Mingle with Munchkins, make new friends, and follow the Yellow Brick Road to see the Wizard – but keep a bucket of water handy: you never know ehne you might need to melt a Wicked Witch.  Next stop…the land of Oz.  Oz Fluxx is a wonderful whirlwind of fun!

~AND~

Weinhandler
From: Mayfair Games

Shiraz or Chardonnay?  Chianti or Cabernet?  In the world of wine auctions, you need to know when to buy and sell for the most profit.  In Weinhandler, you compete to create the most valuable wine cellar.  Buy the best wines you can acquire and arrange your wine groups to increase their overall value.  Use your business sense and your wine stock to become the ultimate Weinhandler!

Here is an overview of Weinhandler by Mayfair’s “Glover”
Come into the store and see us for these great games.  At Off The Charts Games  we have a wide selection of family games, strategy games, euro games, war games, card games, dice games, and puzzles.   Our goal is to help you put fun on your table. We are here to serve Gresham and the greater Portland and Vancouver area.

Game Goes “Off The Charts”: Carcassonne The Castle

Carcassonne the Castle
From: Rio Grande Games

Carcassonne The Castle is an exciting tile-laying competition between 2 players.  Turn by turn, the players place castle tiles within the castle walls. You create paths, towers, houses, and courts, on which you place your followers in order to score points.  The player who makes better use of his followers will lead the race around the castle walls, which is the scoring track for the game.  There are several items waiting on the castle wall for the first player to reach them.  Each will prove useful to the player who lands on the space. 
Points are scored during and at the end of the game.  The player with the most points wins.

What could be better than a clear day along the coast, whale watching, and playing a 2-person strategy game of Carcassonne The Castle?



We have Carcassonne The Castle in stock and open for play or a demo.  So come on in and check out this fun game.



At Off The Charts Gameswe have a store full of fabulous board games.  If you’re looking for strategy and Euro games – come see us.  War games more your style, then our store is the place.  Throw in card games,  dice games, and party games and you’ve rounded out our game collection.  And, for the puzzle-minded we have a great selection of Ravensburger and White Mountain puzzles.  We serve Gresham and the greater Portland and Vancouver area so come on in and see what’s in store for you!  We are here to help you put fun on your table. 




Coming This Summer: Hex Hex XL

Hex Hex XL
From: Smirk & Dagger

For those who have been asking.  Hex Hex from Smirk & Dagger Games has been out of print for over a year.  It was announced at the GAMA trade show that we recently attended that an updated version of Hex Hex is planned for release in July 2012 and will include two new variants.

We will continue to provide updates as we learn more information.

At Off The Charts Gameswe have a store full of fabulous board games.  If you’re looking for strategy and Euro games – come see us.  War games more your style, then our store is the place.  Throw in card games,  dice games, and party games and you’ve rounded out our game collection.  And, for the puzzle-minded we have a great selection of Ravensburger and White Mountain puzzles.  We serve Gresham and the greater Portland and Vancouver area so come on in and see what’s in store for you!  We are here to help you put fun on your table. 

More New Game Arrivals: Mar. 21 – 24

NEWEST GAMES

Games received for the week of March 21st ~ 24th

Dragon Valley: Rise of Corundia
From: Diamond K Games



Not so many years ago, a great war for the crystal rich mountain of Dragon Valley raged.  Dragon Valley is a game set in the mythical kingdom of Corundia.  A place overrun by Dragons and Orcs.  Now you and select others have been chosen to lead the defenses of mountain passes in exchange for lands and the title of Baron.  



High Noon Saloon
From: Slugfest Games



On a windin’ desert road in the middle of nowhere lies a town with no name.  In this town you’ll find a place where no slight goes unanswered and no fight stays private…. the roughtest, toughest waterin’ hole in the Old West… the High Noon Saloon.
High Noon Saloon is a fast-paced Shootout.  Players are combatants in an all-out brawl fought in an old west saloon where the last one standi’ wins, and there ain’t no prize for second.



Red Dragon Inn
From: Slugfest Games

You and your adventuring companions have spent all day slogging through the dungeon, killing monsters and taking their stuff.  Now you’re back in town, healed up, cleaned up, and ready to party at the Red Dragon Inn.
Drink, gamble, and roughhouse with your friends.  But don’t forget to keep an eye on your gold.  If you run out, you’ll have to spend the night in the stables.  Oh….and try not to get too beaten up or drunk.  If you black out, your friends will continue the party without you, after they loot your body for gold of course!  The last conscious adventurer with gold wins the game.





Bullfrog Goldfield
From: Numbskull Games

In 1905, the last great North American gold and silver rush took place near Death Valley, in Nevada.
Bullfrog Goldfield is a stock trading game where players attempt to cash in on the discovery of this ore.  Players must develop mines to acquire the ore, construct towns to support the miners, and lay railroads to ship the ore away.  Competition can be brutal as fortunes ebb and flow on the mercy of mineral veins.

Looney Bin
From: Numbskull Games



Diagnose and cure the most patients while avoiding the bedlam that is the Looney Bin.  Deduction combined with fast action and reaction card play result in horrendously funny and unpredictable results.







Pass The Pigs
From: Winning Moves

In Pass the Pigs: Pig Party Edition players compete by rolling their pigs against the other players.  Roll yours and try to be the first player to match the pigs pictured on the Roll card in play.  Claim the card if you do.  Roll a match on your first try and earn a bonus roll with all eight pigs.  Look out for the dreaded “Pig Out” and don’t roll an “Oinker”.  Be the first player to rack up 100 points and you’ll win. 








Come into the store for all of these fun games.


At Off The Charts Gameswe have a store full of fabulous board games.  If you’re looking for strategy and Euro games – come see us.  War games more your style, then our store is the place.  Throw in card games,  dice games, and party games and you’ve rounded out our game collection.  And, for the puzzle-minded we have a great selection of Ravensburger and White Mountain puzzles.  We serve Gresham and the greater Portland and Vancouver area so come on in and see what’s in store for you!  We are here to help you put fun on your table.


 

Game Profile: Red Dragon Inn

The adventure is over, but the party’s just getting started!




Mechanics Hand Management, Betting, Variable Player Powers
Theme Medieval, Bar Party
Publication Slugfest Games, 2007
Ages 13+
Time 30 – 60
Players 2 – 4
Description

You and your adventuring friends have spent the day slogging
through the dungeon, killing monsters and taking their treasures.  Now you’re back in town, healed and cleaned
up, and ready to party at the Red Dragon Inn.  Go ahead and drink, gamble, and rough house
with your friends.  But, keep an eye on
your gold.  Run out and you’ll have to
spend the night in the stables.  And try
not to drink too much, for if you black out your friends will party without you – – after they have stolen all of your gold.  The
last conscious adventurer with gold wins the game.

The Red Dragon Inn features 4 characters with their own deck of
cards.  Each turn players will draw and
discard, play action cards, buy drinks for their friends, and have a drink for
themselves.  Normal play can be
interrupted when someone plays the “Gambling , I’m In” action card.  Hopefully, you have a “Winning Hand” card
that doesn’t get trumped by a “Cheating” card. Once you have accumulated as
much gold as possible gambling make sure that all your friends have well
stocked drink piles.  Then you will be
the last player standing and the winner of The Red Dragon Inn.



Additional Red Dragon Inn’s:
For more humorous characters, try
these additional Red Dragon Inn versions. 
They can be played as stand-alone games, combined to increase the
number of players, or to provide a variety in characters:

Red Dragon Inn 2

Provides these heroic fantasy adventurers:

Gog the Half Ogre – big, green, and dumb.
Fleck the Bard – a dashing half-elf with a song and a smile.
Eve the Illusionist – who knows what she really looks like – it’s all an illusion.
Dimili the Dwarf – loves gold, axes, and ale.

Red Dragon Inn 3

Provides these heroic fantasy adventurers:
Wizgille the Tinkerer– the best gnome artificer.
Brewmaster Phrenk – a troll alchemist. His skills as a potionmaster is unmatched.
Kaylin the Renagade – a tiny pixy enchanter with a big chip on her shoulder.
Serena the Pious – an Orc Paladin who must be vigilant to stay on the righteous path.

Red Dragon Inn 4

 
Set out on a voyage across the high seas aboard the Crimson Drake.  This time the party’s at sea!
Captain Whitehawk – she is master of the ship.
1st Mate Remy – honor-bound swashbuckler from a faraway land.
Bryn the Boatswain – tough as nails and knows how to keep the ship afloat.
Tara the Navigator – blind but with the gift of 2nd sight.









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Continue to
check in for the latest in board games.
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Come and visit us at 30 NW 2nd Street
in Historic Downtown Gresham
. We have a full
range of family games, strategy games, Euro-style games, war games, card games,
dice games and more. Also for the puzzle enthusiasts we carry quality puzzles
from Ravensburger, White Mountain, and Cobble
Hill.

We
proudly serve Gresham and the greater Portland and Vancouver
area.

Game Profile: Bullfrog Goldfield

A Mining and Railroading Stock Trading Game



Mechanics Variable Phase Order, Commodity Speculation,
Action Point Allowance

Theme Gold Mines and Railroads
Publication Numbskull Games, 2011
Ages 10+
Time 120
Players 2 – 5
Description
Bullfrog Goldfield is a stock investing game built around the rail
lines and gold mines in the last major gold rush in North America. The Bullfrog
Goldfield is an area in southern Nevada including Las Vegas.

Bullfrog Goldfield focuses on the interactions between railroad
and gold and silver mining companies. When railroads are connected to mines,
both profit.  Multiple railroad
connections to a mine increase the mine’s income while decreasing the earlier
railroads’ income.  Towns are required to
support the miners, which is represented through stock value limits that can
only be overcome through placement of sufficient buildings.  Connecting railroads to towns also increases
the railroads’ income value.  When mines
become deplete and worthless, the connected railroads’ stock values
decrease.  The goal of the game is to
have the highest value of cash and stock holdings at the end of the game.

The start of each turn
cycle is the selection of a character card that will give each player a
different ability for that cycle. Each cycle allows players to perform three
actions. The possible actions are buy stock, sell stock, purchase buildings,
lay track, and haul ore.  The first player
to buy stock in a company owns the company charter and will make decisions for
that company for as long as they hold the majority of that stock.  Maintaining control of a company charter is
important because railroads and mines can acquire assets which are essential to
increasing company value and company income. 
Additionally, the controlling player of a company determines when and if
dividends will be paid.  Dividends are
the primary means in which players increase their personal funds.  Increasing personal funds is necessary in
order to acquire additional stocks and assets. 
It may be necessary for railroads to borrow from the bank in order to
expand their rail lines.  Interest on
these bonds is steep at 10% and must be paid during each round.  Any railroad company with outstanding bonds
at the end of the game is worthless. 
Mines produce income early but become riskier as they excavate
deeper.  Eventually they will become
exhausted and lose all of their value. 
The end of the game is triggered when one company’s value reaches
$100,000.  Whoever, has accumulated the
most net worth will be the winner.

Bullfrog Goldfield is one of those games that may take a number of
plays to grasp all of the subtle decisions that need to be made.  The timing of purchases of stocks,  rails, mines, and buildings all interact to
make decisions as risky as gold mining the the 
early 1900’s.

Here is a very good explanation of how the game plays.

We have an open copy of Bullfrog Goldfield available in our Store Demo Library for you come in and try out.




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Continue to check in for the latest in board games.
~~ ~~ ~~ ~~~~ ~~ ~~ ~~


Come and visit us at 30 NW 2nd Street in Historic Downtown Gresham. We have a full range of family games, strategy games, Euro-style games, war games, card games, dice games and more. Also for the puzzle enthusiasts we carry quality puzzles from Ravensburger, White Mountain, and Cobble Hill.

We proudly serve Gresham and the greater Portland and Vancouver area.

Game Profile: The Farming Game

Name The Farming Game
Byline The Game Invented on the Seat of a Tractor















Mechanics Roll & Move, Commodity Speculation
Theme Farming
Publication Weekend Farmer, 1979
Ages 10+
Time 120
Players 2 – 6
Description
The
Farming Game
is a classic board game
dating back to 1970.

The object of The Farming Game is to accumulate a
net worth of $250,000 so that you can quit your day job and farm
full-time.  Each player starts with 20
acres of inherited land and a bank line of $50,000.  The bank generously lends each player $5,000
and hands them the Bank Note to be repaid. 
Players also get 2 option to buy cards. 
The option to buy cards will be necessary to buy land or equipment.
The board is divided
into weeks so one circuit equals a year. 
As in real life, purchasing land only happens in the winter when farmers
have time.  Harvest times are exact and
crop yields are determined by dice rolls, which is just about as risky as in
real farming.  When players make a full
circuit of the board and complete a year they receive $5, 000 for their part
time job in town.
Yes, it is possible to
go bankrupt in the farming game. 
However, with a little luck, good planning and possibly some clever
negotiating with your neighborly farmers you reach the magical $250,000 level
first, win the game and the job you always wanted… being a full time farmer!

If you want a fabulous selection of family games,
strategy games, Euro-style games, war games, card games, dice games, and
puzzles in Gresham and the greater Portland and Vancouver area visit us
at our store,  
Off The Charts Games!  We are here to help you put fun on your
table.

This Week’s Game Arrivals: Mar.16 – 21

NEWEST GAMES

Games received for the week
of March 16th ~ 21th


Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game
From: Fantasy Flight Games

H.P. Lovecraft’s horrors live, in Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game! a Living Card Game.


Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game is a 2-player, customizable dueling game in which players command both human and monster factions.  Agency detectives, Miskatonic University students and faculty, and the members of the mysterious Syndicate all join the fight against otherworldy beings including Cthulhu, Hastur, Yog-Sothoth, and Shub Niggurath.



D&D: Lords of Waterdeep
From: Wizards of the Coast

Lords of Waterdeep is a fast-paced game of constantly changing fortunes, where players take on the role of a Lord of Waterdeep.  Through their agents, they recruit Adventurers and send them on quests designed to win favor and spread their influence throughout the city.  Expand your treasury, purchase buildings, assign agents – choose your actions wisely and you can become the supreme Lord of Waterdeep!





Frog Juice
From: Gamewright

Frog Juice is a clever card game of spells and concoctions.  Cast spells, brew concoctions, melt witches… Use a smidgen of math and a pinch of probability.  Capture cards by matching or adding cards from your hand, then count the ingredients and measure the powers.  A splash of strategy, and the potion is magic!  The player with the most points wins.





Airlines Europe
From: Rio Grande Games

The age of passenger aviation has begun.  In Airlines Europe, courageous entrepreneurs establish airlines and compete for the few available licenses in the European air space.  The rapidly growing market and the chance for high gains attract high-powered investors.  But only the ones that use their influence skillfully and their cash wisely will turn their investments into the most profitable airlines.





Backseat Drawing
From: Out Of The Box

Backseat Drawing is the hysterical game of sketchy directions!  Two teams race to identify drawings done by their own team members.  But the artists don’t know what they are drawing.  They can only follow the instructions given by another team member.  Laughter erupts as players attempt to follow directions and guess what is being drawn.


With Backseat Drawing, there is no time to stop and ask directions!



The Farming Game
From: Weekend Farmer Co.

By popular demand is this classic game invented on the seat of a tractor, The Farming Game.


Start with 20 acres of land, a line of credit at the bank and hopes of independence.  See if you’ve got what it takes to make a farmer.  Whether you are a real life farmer or an apartment dweller this game can make you laugh at some of life’s calamities.  Now two years on the farm are ever the same.

Food Fight
From: Cryptozoic

“Out of the frying pan, and… into the Line of Fire!!!”  Your favorite foods have gone to war!  Draft glorious food warriors into your army and march them onto battlefields from watermelonloo to spaghettis-burg.  Food mascots lord over the mealtime chaos, searching for a new champion.  But who will reign supreme?  Who will be the most cunning, the most savage, the most… yummy?!  That rumble in the pit of your stomach means you’re hungry for a Food Fight!





Q-bitz
From: MindWare

Three different types of visual challenges makes Q-bitz the perfect game.  Players race to recreate patterns on the game cards with their set of 16 cubes. Three fast-paced rounds of play require different skills each time: quick thinking, lucky breaks or memory muscle power.  Each round is a race in which the first player to correctly match the pattern claims the card as victory.  Collect the most cards and you win!








Come into the store for these fun games.  At Off The Charts Games, we have a fabulous selections of family games, strategy games, Euro-style games, war games, card games, dice games, and puzzles in Gresham and the greater Portland and Vancouver area so come and visit us at our store!  We are here to help you put fun on your table. 

Game Profile: Airlines Europe

The Age of Passenger
Aviation has Begun

Mechanics Network Building, Set Collection, Stock Holding
Publication Rio Grande Games, 2011
Ages 13+
Time 75
Players 2 – 5
Description


Airlines Europe is another networking game from Alan R. Moon, the designer of Ticket To Ride.  The networks are airline routes across Europe owned by 10 different airlines.  Players construct the networks for the airlines and not for themselves.  Players are investors in the various airlines.  Airline values increase by increasing the size of their route network.  Players increase their wealth by investing in the most successful airlines.  Even at the start of the game not all airlines are created equal.  Some can create a large network of routes.  Others can create a smaller route network but gain value through bonuses completing specific routes.  All routes are populated by colorful planes except for Air Abacus.  Air Abacus exists only as an investment, but can provide significant points during each of the game’s 3 scoring rounds.  Victory points are split among stockholders based on relative size of stock holdings for each airline.  Points escalate as airline values escalate.


On each turn players must decide which one of 4 actions to take: 1) buy a route license to expand an airline, 2) play share cards to increase their ownership of one or two airlines and collect dividends for that investment, 3) buy Air Abacus shares, or 4) take cash.  Players will be forced to make good tactical decisions on each of their turns.  Cash is limited and must be managed carefully.  Special attention should be paid to which players may be gaining an ownership advantage in the airlines, especially Air Abacus.


Airlines Europe is a deeper game than Alan Moon’s other games that include the Ticket To Ride series, Elfenland, and the 10 Days Series.  He set out to take the first game he ever published, Airlines and make the decisions tougher.

We have an open copy of Airlines Europe available in our Store Demo Library for you come in and try out.



~~ ~~ ~~ ~~~~ ~~ ~~ ~~
Continue to check in for the latest in board games.
~~ ~~ ~~ ~~~~ ~~ ~~ ~~


Come and visit us at 30 NW 2nd Street in Historic Downtown Gresham. We have a full range of family games, strategy games, Euro-style games, war games, card games, dice games and more. Also for the puzzle enthusiasts we carry quality puzzles from Ravensburger, White Mountain, and Cobble Hill.

We proudly serve Gresham and the greater Portland and Vancouver area.