Game Profile: Martian Dice

Swoop, scoop, and score!

Mechanics Dice Rolling, Set Collection
Theme Humor, Sci-Fi
Publication Tasty Minstrel Games, 2011
Ages 8+
Time 10 – 30
Players 2+
Description

In Martian Dice you are Martians invading
Earth to abduct humans, chickens, and cows. Rolling the 13 custom dice will
yield a combination of pesky Tanks, sizzling Death Rays, and terrified fleeing
Humans, Cows, and Chickens. The tanks will defend the earthlings unless you
have set aside enough Death Rays to defeat the tanks.  On each roll you
can abduct one type of earthling or claim death rays.  Only one type of
earthling can be abducted per roll.  Continue rolling your remaining dice
until you are satisfied with your haul or you run out of dice.   Claim a
bonus at the end of your turn if you have abducted at least one of each type of
earthling.  The game end is triggered when a Martian reaches a total score
of 25 points or more.  Be the winning Martian by scoring the most points!

We have an open copy of Martian Dice available in our Store Demo
Games Library for you come in and try.



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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: Mermaid Beach

Name Mermaid Beach
Byline A Very Splashy Card Game by Portland’s Emily
Ehler
 Mechanics Counting, Matching
Theme Mermaids
Publication Gamewright, 2011
Ages 6+
Time 15
Players 2 – 5
Description

They say that the ocean is the inspiration for countless works of
great art. Such is the case with Mermaid Beach, a game that
came about while 8-year-old Emily Ehlers, of Portland, Oregon spent
an entire year living aboard a sailboat and travelling the world by sea. Emily,
along with help from her brothers, Jake and Drew, came up this wildly
imaginative card game that has all elements of a great Gamewright game:
fantastic art, whimsical characters, and a set of rules that are easy to learn,
yet engaging enough to lure you back for more. No word whether Emily visited a
real Mermaid Beach during her trip, but if so, we hopes she returns there
someday to teach the mermaids her game!

Soak up the fun down at Mermaid Beach! Swim
along with Swirly Shirley, Betsy Bubbles, Rip Rider, and a colorful cast of
undersea characters as you try to collect the most seashell cards. Watch out
for sneaky waves and icky seaweed along the way. Most of all – don’t get caught
holding the sea monster at the end of the game!

Keywords: Mermaid Beach, Children’s
Game, Local Game Designer, Card Game, Game Profile

Game Profile: Mr. Jack

Clever mystery game finding the elusive Mr. Jack.
Mechanics Variable Powers, Deduction
Publication Amodee,
2006
Ages 9+
Time 30
Players
2
Description
Mr. Jack pits the wiley Mr. Jack against the clever investigator.  One of the 8 characters will be randomly selected as Mr. Jack.  Streetlamps illuminate sections of the city.  Other sections remain in the dark.  Each turn both the investigator and Jack will move two of the characters.  The investigator must try to separated Jack from the other characters to identify him.  Jack will be doing his best to blend in with the other characters for as long as possible. Jack is very clever.  He can even hide in the dark and slip out of the city to win the game.

Awards:
  • 2007 International Games Award
























We have an open copy of Mr. Jack available in our Store 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.

Game Profile: Munchkin Booty

Name Munchkin Booty
Byline Kill
The Monsters, Steal The Treasure, Make Your Buddy Walk The Plank
Mechanics Dice Rolling, Trading, Variable Powers
Theme Pirates
Publication Steve Jackson Games, 2008
Ages 10+
Time 60
Players 3 – 6
Description
Munchkin
Booty is one of a long line
of Munchkin
games from Steve Jackson.
In Munchkin Booty players
sail the seven seas as a pirate, naval officer, or merchant. Taunt your foes
with your awful accent – British, Spanish, Dutch or French. Adorn your Galleon
(or your Half-Galleon) with a figurehead. Slay Blackbeard, Redbeard, or even
the fearsome Nobeard, and take their stuff! Reap the rewards of the seafaring
life, like the Booty Boots, the Swishy Swash Hat and the Cutlass (or Cutlad,
for the gents). Just watch out for the Sharks – from the feared Great White,
through the not-so-feared-but-certainly-still-dangerous Adequate Brown, down to
the Lousy Pink.
Keywords: Munchkin
Booty, Pirates, Game Profile




Game Profile: Mystery Garden

The guess what I see children’s game.

Mechanics Search and Find
Theme Mystery, Children’s Game
Publication Ravensburger,1989
Ages 4+
Time 30
Players 2 – 6
Description

Enter Mystery Garden with all its fascinating scenery and various
magical inhabitants. Try to stop the Gardener from reaching the castle by guessing what object he/she is hiding. Players take turns being the Gardener on a path to the castle.  The game starts with the Gardener drawing a mystery card that depicts an object located somewhere on the board.  This card is kept secret from the other players.  The other players, in turn order, will try to figure out what the mystery item is by asking a “yes” or “no” question (example: Is it in the water fountain?).  For every questioned asked, the Gardener moves one space up the path towards the castle. Players will have to remember the answers to all the questions in order to figure out what the mystery object is.  On their turn, a player may guess what the mystery object is by pointing to it on the board and saying is it this (example:  Is it the unicorn?)  If they have correctly identified the mystery object they keep the card and then become the next Gardener.




Solving the mystery
supports deductive reasoning and the process of articulating questions.

We have an open copy of Mystery Gardens available in our Store 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.




Game Profile: Nuts! The Card Game

You are a squirrel in the game of Nuts!



Mechanics Hand Management, Set Collection
Theme Squirrels, Humor
Publication Sandstorm Productions, 2011
Ages 13+
Time 15
Players 2 – 6
Description

 From the minds of Poo comes another quick-playing,
light-hearted causal card game, Nuts!.

Squirrels, they love their nuts.  They’d do anything to get
their paws on nuts.  They will sometime mess with each other to get their
paws on each others’ nuts.  In the end, for a squirrel, it really is all
about the nuts.

Get ready to protect your Nuts in this fast and furious card
game!  Try to gather and steal the best nuts for yourself, while doing
everything you can to leave the other squirrels out in the cold!



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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: Oh Gnome You Don’t!

Get ready for a Gnome-tastic adventure.



Mechanics Roll and Move
Theme Gnome Racing
Publication Gut Bustin’ Games, 2011
Ages 13+
Time 90
Players
2 – 5
Description

Oh Gnome You Don’t! is the third game designed by local game designer, Lisa Steenson. 

This game is an adventurous time for gnomes as they travel the forest trail.  To acquire beautiful gems, the gnomes mine, collect goods, and sell them at businesses along the way.  Typically cheerful and friendly, the gnomes often let greed and aggression get the best of them as they brawl, play tricks, and set traps to have the most gems at the end of the game.


Overview by Gut Bustin’ Games:

Oh Gnome You Don’t! has 104 beautifully illustrated draw pile cards. There are green cards which are the items that the gnomes can play (table) on their turn. Items are found in the forest (Deer antler, baby field mouse, firewood, etc) or harvested (berries, nuts, mushrooms,honey, etc) or items that gnomes make (Woven basket, whittled flute, etc). Purple cards are actions or attacks that gnomes can play on their turn to affect themselves or another gnome. Red cards are attacks, defense, or interrupts that can be played on other gnomes’ turns. Each gnome gets two green titled cards to start the game. Turns consist of Roll Move Play a card Draw a card. No card is played or drawn when visiting a business. If playing the advanced rules with Brawling (gamers: this is a must!) then the turns include the brawl” Roll, Move, Brawl, Play, Draw. No brawling in a business. It is bad manners.

Other Lisa Steenson games include:

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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: Oregon

Name Oregon
Byline The Way The West Was Won . . .
 
Mechanics Card Drafting, Tile Placement
Theme American West
Publication Rio Grande Games, 2007
Ages 8+
Time 45
Players 2 – 4
Description
We write of the year
1846. Gunslingers, lawmen, pioneers and whole families left their homes in the
east and mid-west to try their luck in the West. They loaded their covered
wagons with all they could and headed west across steppes, deserts, and mountains.
Many chose to settle in Oregon, where the farming and hunting was plentiful and
they could stake out a bit of land for themselves. The players have already
reached Oregon and gaze upon the rich farmland below and the potential gold and
coal reserves of the mountains. they build ports on the lakes and rivers,
churches, warehouses, post offices, and train stations on the plains. And, of
course, they must farm the rich land to grow the food necessary for the area to
grow and thrive. To win, a player must choose the right times to farm and the
right times to build, for planning is necessary even here in the untamed
wilderness of Oregon!

Game Profile: Ten Days In The Americas

The unpredictable game of making connections.

Mechanics Set Collection, Hand Management
Theme Travel
Publication Out Of The Box, 2010
Ages 10+
Time 20
Players 2 – 4

Description


Ten Days in the Americas
is one of 5 games in a series of games about traveling. The goal is to
plan a 10 day trip linking locations by walking, flying, or sailing to the
next location.  In some versions players can also drive to locations. The trip must
start and end in a country.  A map game board of the Americas is placed in the center of the play area.  At the start of the game players randomly select
tiles and place them in any day of the trip they would like. Once in place the
tiles cannot be rearranged. When play begins players choose one of three tiles
that are face up or randomly draw a face down tile. Next they can replace and
discard any tile in their player rack with the selected or drawn tile.
Discarded tiles are played face up and are available for other players to take
and add to their trip plans.  The first player to put together a ten-day trip
with good connections wins.


Although not pertinent to game play, each country tile includes some interesting facts about that country.  The facts include capital, population, and size in square miles.

Other Ten Days themes include:


Ten Days
In The USA

Ten Days
In Europe

Ten Days
In Africa
Ten Days
In Asia

Awards: Mensa Select


We have an open copy
of Ten Days in Europe 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, Cobble Hill, and
Dowdle.

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

Game Profile: Pandemic

The fate of humanity is in your hands!



Mechanics Cooperative Play, Hand Management, Variable Powers
Theme Medical
Publication Z-Man Games, 2008
Ages 13+
Time 45
Player 2 – 4
Description


Pandemic is a cooperative game where you all win or you all lose.  You and your fellow players are members of a disease control team, working together to research cures and prevent additional outbreaks.  Each of you will assume a unique role with the team, with special abilities that will improve your team’s chances if applied wisely.  The object is to save humanity by discovering cures to 4 deadly diseases (Blue, Yellow, Black, and Red) that threaten to overtake the planet.


Players all start at a research station in Atlanta.  Infection has broken out in 9 different cities scattered throughout the world.  Players will use their unique abilities to fly around the world, build research stations, discover cures, and treat the deadly diseases.  At the end of each players’ turn infector cards will continue to add to the challenge of the game.  If you and your fellow players aren’t able to keep the disease contained before finding the necessary cures, the planet will be overrun and the game will end in defeat for everyone…Do you have what it takes to save humanity?


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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.