Game Profile: Pillars Of The Earth

A game based on Ken Follett’s novel.

Mechanics Worker Placement, Resource Management
Theme  Medieval,
Novel-Based
Publication Kosmos 2006
Ages 12+
Time 90 – 120
Players 2 – 4
Description

Pillars of the Earth is a worker placement and resource management game that features a blind draw for a class of workers called Master Builders. The game revolves around Craftsmen who turn resources into victory points. The game plays over 6 rounds. Each round represents a period of about ten years and is covered in 3 phases.

Craftsmen and valuable Resources are obtained during the first phase. Careful worker placement is essential to get the right resources. The second phase begins with the assignment of the Master Builders through a blind draw. Players must decide to pay the black market cost to immediately assign their drawn Master Builder or pass for a later assignment. There are 11 different action spots on the board from which players may choose to assign their Master Builders. Player decisions on when and where to make assignments is critical. The 3rd phase involves resolving, in numerical order, these assigned actions and the production of resources by your workers. At the end of each round players use their craftsmen to convert their resources to victory points. How many and which resources that are converted to victory points depends on the craftsmen and their abilities.

The various cards and events flow from the novel by Ken Follett. Pillars of the Earth is a game with many decisions, scarce resources, tight money and a ton of fun.



We
have an open copy of Pillars Of The Earth available for you come in and try.





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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, Cobble
Hill, and Dowdle.

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

Game Profile: Gonzaga

Innovative game of conquest, with the simplicity of the classics.


Mechanics City Building, Tile Placement, Area Control
Theme Renaissance
Publication daVinci Games 2009
Ages 8+
Time 30 – 60
Players 2 – 4
Description
  
In Gonzaga, you are the ruler of a mighty noble family.  Your challenge is to control medieval Europe
by claiming your fiefs in the most valuable regions.  Fiefdoms come in 12 different shapes.  They will be played in the order their card
is drawn.  Each player draws from their
own deck.  Fiefdoms can be used to
capture harbors and/or cities.  In each
round players secretly select two of their planning cards and place them face
down in front of them.  After all players
have made their selections the cards are then revealed.  Turn order will be determined by the planning
cards that have just been revealed. Points are awarded for claiming cities of
the same type, harbors on the same shipping route, and a collection of cities
on a hidden agenda card each player receives at the beginning of the game.  Planning cards used in one round cannot be
used in the next round.  Plan and play
carefully to grab the most cities and the most points. 





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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.

Valentine’s Day Game Quiz

For a bit of Valentine’s Day fun we have paired up characters from 6 games.  Can you identify the 6 games in which the couples come from?

  
1. 
          
    2. 
3a.   and

3b. 

                                             

4a.   and
4b.

5a.    and

5b.
6a.   and
6b.

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 Off The Charts Games!  We are here to help you put fun back on your table.

News Flash: Oz Fluxx

Coming Soon:  For all of you Fluxx and/or Wizard of Oz Fans

Oz Fluxx
from Looney Labs

Oz Fluxx

Next stop…the land of Oz!

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 when you might need to melt a Wicked Witch. Next stop…the land of Oz!

You will be able to add Oz Fluxx to any of the following: Star Fluxx, Zombie Fluxx, Monty Python Fluxx, Pirate Fluxx, Martian Fluxx, Eco Fluxx, Family Fluxx, Fluxx



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 Off The Charts Games!  We are here to help you put fun back on your table.




Game Profile: Piece o’ Cake

A deliciously fun game.


Mechanics Set Collection
Theme Cake
Publication Rio Grande Games, 2008
Ages 8+
Time 20
Players 2 – 5

Description

How about a dessert game to play while you’re having dessert?  Piece o’ Cake is a deliciously easy-to-learn 20 minute game.

Everyone knows the cake rules: one person cuts, the other chooses. In this way, one makes the slices as equal as possible so that one does not end up with the short end. But this rule does not apply to “Piece o’ Cake”. Here a person can cleverly offer larger pieces to the others and still get the most in the end. Five cakes with eleven slices of different varieties are divided.

Each variety awards a different amount of points. One can immediately eat slices to guarantee a number of points, or collect them in the hope of scoring bonus points for having the most of that variety at the end of the game. Only skilled dividers with an eye on their opponents’ pieces can score the most points and win the game.


We
have an open copy of Piece o’ Cake available
in our Demo Games Library for you come in and try.


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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.





This Just In: Power Grid The First Sparks, and The Robots

New Power Grid Releases from Rio Grande Games:

Power Grid The First Sparks
from Rio Grande Games

Power Grid The First Sparks is a new stand alone game based in the stone age and packs the intense decision making from Power Grid.  Players expand their clan, hunt for food, and claim victory in only 60 minutes.

Power Grid The Robots Expansion
from Rio Grand Games

Power Grid: The Robots Expansion – for Power Grid fans here comes another opponent.  Each Robot consists of 5 randomly selected tiles.  These tiles will determine how that Robot will play in each of the 5 game phases.  Players can opt to use as many Robots as desired.





Don’t forget.  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 Off The Charts Games!  We are here to help you put fun back on your table.

Game Profile: Power Grid The First Sparks

The dawn of a new Power Grid era!
 
 
Mechanics Resource Management, Modular Board

Theme Prehistoric

Publication Rio Grande Games, 2011

Ages 13+
Time 60

Players 2 – 6
Description 
 

 Power Grid The First Sparks packs all the intense decision making from Power Grid without the auction mechanic. The goal of the game is to grow your clan to 13 members that you can feed. Not having enough food will lead to losing clan members.  Food comes in the form of crops, berries, fish, bears, and mammoths.  The right technology cards are necessary to harvest food from the various sources. Knowledge cards, like fire, will be useful as well.  There are 4 phases to each round: 1) buying new technology, 2) going hunting and feeding the clan, 3) spreading the clan across the modular board, and 4) bureaucracy.  Bureaucracy consists of refilling the food supplies and determining turn order.  Just like in Power Grid, turn order is critical.  If you’re in 1st place you choose which technology cards will be sold but are then last in turn order to purchase it.  Additionally, being in1st place means you go last in turn order at acquiring available food sources.

While Power Grid The First Sparks plays in less time that Power Grid, it still carries the same level of intensity.  Every decision is important.  The Power Grid game has light but is not lite.

 
We have an open copy of Power Grid The 1st Sparks available for you to 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.

News Flash: War Of The Ring

The long awaited 2nd Edition of War of Ring for Lord of the Rings fans has been released.
War of the Ring: 2nd Edition
from Ares Games

From the publisher, Ares Games:

War of the Ring is the greatest board game based on THE LORD OF THE RINGS™ ever created! WAR OF THE RING is a grand strategy board game that allows its players to immerse themselves in the world created by J.R.R. Tolkien’s and experience its epic action, dramatic conflict, and memorable characters.

As the Free Peoples player you command the proud hosts of the most important kingdoms of the Third Age. From the horse-lords of Rohan to the soldiers of Gondor and the Elven lords of Rivendell, you lead the defense of the last free realms of Middle-earth. Face the evil minions of Sauron on the field of battle in a desperate attempt to delay their onslaught, while you lead the Fellowship of the Ring in the Quest for Mount Doom.
As the Shadow player you lead the hordes of the Dark Lord and his most powerful minions as they try to bring darkness to Middle-earth. Legions of Orcs, Trolls, Wolfriders and the dreadful Ringwraiths await your command. Hunt the Ring-bearer and bring the precious Ring to his Master, or crush your enemies with your unstoppable armies.
This is your chance to forge the destiny of an age…

Don’t forget.  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 Off The Charts Games!  We are here to help you  put fun back on your table.

Play Games: Patrician

Patrician
from Mayfair Games

Patrician is open and currently on one of the demo tables.  It is available to view and will be added to our game library for play.  So come in and try this easy to learn board game.

We played a four-person game last night and enjoyed building towers in the nine Italian cities.  Even though Yellow player thought they were losing throughout the game, Yellow ended up in 2nd place.

Come in and see us for Patrician and all of our other great games. We have lots to choose from and run the gamit from family games, strategy games, Euro-style games, war games, card games, dice games, and puzzles. Let us help you put fun back on your table.

This Just In: Tunnels, Redneck Life, and Family Fluxx

Small World Tunnels
 from Days of Wonder Games

It’s Finally Here! Days of Wonder has released Tunnels a mini expansion connecting SmallWorld to the Underground. Come in and get your Tunnels expansion  free with the purchase SmallWorld Underground.

Redneck Life
from Gut Bustin’ Games

Back by popular demand, Redneck Life will be in stock tomorrow.

Family Fluxx
from Looney Labs

Love Fluxx and it’s many themes?  Want to get kids hooked on this fun ever changing card game? Family Fluxx is easy enough for kids 6 and older and yet challenging enough for adults.  This is the perfect Fluxx game for maximum family fun.

Come in and see us for these and other great games. We have lots to choose from and run the gamit from family games, strategy games, Euro-style games, war games, card games, dice games, and puzzles. Let us help you put fun back on your table.