Game Profile: Ticket To Ride India

Name Ticket To Ride India
Byline Embark On An Incredible Adventure

Mechanics Hand Management, Network/Route Building
Theme India and Switzerland
Publicaiton Days of Wonder, 2011
Ages 8+
Time 45
Players 2 -4
Description

Days of Wonder has released another in the Ticket To Ride Map Collection Series.  This latest release, Ticket To Ride India contains a map of India and a map of Switzerland.  As with Ticket To Ride Asia, this is an expansion and requires either Ticket To Ride USA or Ticket To Ride Europe.

The map of India is a 2 to 4 player game.  Ferries come into play and require a locomotive to be played on specific ports of ferry routes.  There are two end game bonuses awarded.  One is the usual ten-point bonus for having the longest continuous path.  The Grand Tour of India bonus is awarded for any ticket whose two destination cities are linked by at least two distinct paths.  The paths may intersect but cannot share trains.  The bonus escalates for the number of tickets that qualify for the Grand Tour Bonus and can yield from five to forty additional points.

Ticket to Ride Switzerland is designed for 2 to 3 players.  Destination tickets in this game can connect city to city, city to country or country to country.  There are tickets to Austria, France, Italy, and Germany.  In this game destination tickets not selected to keep by players are removed from the game.  It is possible to run our of destination tickets during the game.  Wild locomotive cards can only be played on tunnel routes.  Tunnel routes are claimed similar to Ticket To Ride Europe.  Play the cards to claim the route, then turn over the top three cards of the draw deck.  Any cards that match the color used to claim the route must be matched by additional cards from the players hand to claim the route.  The player with the longest continuous route gets the usual 10 point bonus at the end of the game.

Keywords:  Ticket To Ride India, Map Collection, Game Profile

Game Profile: Undermining

In 2247 an incredible discovery was made.

Mechanics Pick Up and Deliver
Theme Asteroid Mining
Publication AEG, 2014
Ages 8+
Time 45
Players 2 – 5
Description



Undermining casts you in the role of rival miners, hollowing out an alien world in your Universal Mining Vehicle (UMV) for fun and profit.  Alongside prized resources like uranium, titanium, diamond and niobium, your’re also likely to find powerful alien technologies left behind by an ancient civilization.




Players drill through solid rock and rubble to find resources and alien technologies.  When their UMV is loaded they drive back to the refinery on the planet surface where they unload their resources, buy expansions to their equipment, and fill mining contracts that ear star bucks.







Upgrading UM equipment allows player to dig deeper
and faster to fulfill more contracts. 

The game ends when most of the contracts have been filled. The winner is the player who has the most star bucks at the
end of the game.  

The key in Undermining  is to be adept at outmaneuvering your opponents in your Universal Mining Equipment.

We have an open copy of Undermining available in our 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, Cobble Hill, and Dowdle.


Game Profile: Vintage

Produce the highest quality port wine – a Vintage!


Mechanics Worker Placement, Card Drafting, Point-to-Point Movement
Theme Wine Production
Publication MESAboardgames, 2011
Ages 10+
Time 60 – 120
Players
2 – 4
Description
Vintage is a game for anyone who has been interested in making their own wine.  Play takes place on a board depicting the Douro River Valley in Portugal where Vintage Port is made.  Players compete to buy estates, plant vineyards, harvest grapes, ship, age and sell Ports of varying quality ratings.  Players use action markers and an overseer marker to develop and maintain a production flow for 7 rounds.  Harvest bonus chips and a dice roll add a level of luck and reality to the variation in product quality during each harvest.  Plan well, plant well, and harvest every round if you want to finish with the most Vintage points.

In each round, players take turns choosing 1
action at a time and placing their action marker(s) or overseer on an
unoccupied circle of that action type in the action table on the game board.
The number of action markers it costs a player in order to execute that action
is determined by the number of players who have previously chosen this
action.  For example, if you are the 1st
player choosing the Harvest action it will cost only one of your action markers.
If you are the 2nd player to choose this action it will cost you 2
of your action markers or your overseer, and so forth.  The shipping action is the only action where
you cannot use your overseer. You have only 6 action markers and 1 overseer to
use per round, so use them wisely.  A
round ends when all players have placed their action markers and overseer or
passed their turn.
Additionally, the round
starts with 4 face-up cards next to the action table. Selecting the Card action
allows players to choose one of the 4 face-up cards, take a blind draw, or play
a card previously obtained. Face-up cards taken during the round are not
replaced.  Each round begins with a new
set of 4 face-up cards. The benefits on these can expand the number of actions
taken during the round and victory points.


Vintage comes with a double-sided board with the main game on one side and a simpler version for those new to strategy games or looking for something less complex on the flip side.

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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.

Game Profile: Wasabi!

Chop! Stack!  Switch!  Spicy!  And the dreaded Wasabi!

 
Mechanics Hand Management, Tile Placement, Set Collection
Theme Sushi
Publication Z-Man Games, 2008
Ages 10+
Time 30 – 45
Players 2-4
Description
 
 
In Wasabi! you are apprentice chefs competing to assemble your quota of unique sushi recipes in a rapidly dwindling space.  Draw a variety of delicious ingredients into your hand from the pantry and play them one at a time onto the board, building off of other previously placed ingredients in the attempt to complete recipes of varying difficulty.  Completing a recipe earns you points towards winning, and your choice of special actions from the kitchen to perform later.  Completing a recipe with style will earn you bonus points, but you might not always have the time to set up such stylish maneuvers.  Players must balance speed with technique in order to win.
 
 
 
 
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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: White Elephant

Name White Elephant
Byline The Gift Exchange Card Game 
Mechanics Card Drafting, Set Collection
Theme Holiday Gift Exchange
Publication MayDay Games
Ages 8+
Time 15 – 20
Players 3 – 7
Description

Some may know the classic White Elephant gift
exchange game as Yankee Swap, Dirty Santa, or Parcel Pass.  The White
Elephant Card Game simulates this classic holiday game for a jolly
good time.  
It’s the classic cheapskate dilemma…you have three people on
your Christmas list and an aversion to opening your pocketbook.  Luckily
you will be attending several White Elephant gift
exchange parties where, if you “play your cards right,” you can swap
some junk you found in the attic for re-giftable treasures.  Viola!
 You fill your gift list for free – the ultimate cheapskate victory.

Each player starts the game with a Gift List Card that is
displayed face-up in front of them; this is the player’s gift list.  Next,
players are dealt a hand of Gift Cards to make up their “attic”. Each
player “brings a gift to the party” by simultaneously placing one
Gift Card from their hand face-down in the center of the table.  Just like
in the actual party, players can either select a Gift Card from the center of
the table or steal a Gift Card from another player.  Be careful, you might
end up with the Really Creepy Antique Frog statue, or Fred the Box Turtle made
with pipe cleaners for your Mother In-Law.  Play continues until all Gift
Cards have been played.  Count the one highest-numbered Gift Card received
that matches each person on a player’s Gift List to tally the points.  In
a tie, victory is claimed by the cheapskate who best explains why their most
excellent offerings will tickle the fancy of the people on their list.

Keywords: White
Elephant, Card Game, Holiday, Game Profile

Game Profile: Whoowasit?

Name Whoowasit?
Byline Reveal the secrets of the talking animals and
find the thief!
Mechanics Co-Operative Play, Deduction
Theme Children’s Game, Animals
Publication Ravensburger, 2007
Ages 7+
Time 30
Players 2 – 4
Description
The people of the castle
are in a panic: someone stole the king’s magical ring! The ring protects the
kingdom against the evil wizard. The castle animals witnessed the thief during
the night and can five clues to what the thief looks like. Only children can
understand the animals when they speak, so it all depends on you to save the
kingdom!
The chest contains intelligent electronics that ensure each game
is different and exciting every time.
Listen as the animals speak with the animals or engage in magic.
Work together as a team to find the magical ring before your time runs out!

AWARDS: 2008 Kinderspiel des Jahres


Keywords: Children’s Game, Cooperative Game, Kinderspiel des Jahres, Game Profile

Game Profile: Wings of War, Famous Aces

Name Wings of War, Famous Aces
Byline Duels In The Skies With The Famous Aces Of World
War 1
Mechanics Hand Management
Theme World War 1
Publication Fantasy Flight, 2004
Ages 10+
Time 30
Players 2 – 4
Description
In Wings of War, Famous Aces
colorful biplanes fight each other in the foggy sky over the front. Can you
manage to shoot down your enemies and become an ace, following in the steps of
men as Manfred von Richthofen, Eddie Rickenbacker, Georges Guynemer and Francesco
Baracca? Wings of War, Famous Aces is based on accurate historical
documentation to give you a fast and furious gaming experience.

Keywords: Wings of War Famous Aces, War Game, World War 1, Game Profile

Game Profile: Zeus On The Loose

A card game of mythic proportions.




Classification Family Game
Mechanics Hand Management
Publication Gamewright, 2006
Ages 8+
Time 15
Players 2 – 5
Description
Catch Zeus if you can!  The great Greek god has bolted and it’s up to you to nab this dashing deity.  Play cards strategically, adding numbers as you climb Mt. Olympus.  Grab Zeus when the total reaches a multiple of 100. To win you must be the 1st player to accumulate the letters Z-E-U-S by holding on to the Zeus figurine.

The game consists of 40 cards numbered from 1 to 10, 20 cards of 8 Greek Gods, and a Zeus figurine.  The game is played in rounds.  On each turn, a player will play a card from their hand to a central discard pile termed “Mount Olympus” and then draw a card from the top of the draw deck.  The objective is to get the numeric value of the Mount Olympus pile to 100.  Numbered card advance the sum total of Mount Olympus.  The Greek God cards have special powers, naturally because they are Gods after all.  These special powers when played, can affect the sum total of Mount Olympus or worse steal Zeus from a player.  Aphrodite likes to round Mount Olympus’ total to a multiple of 10.  Meanwhile, Poseidon will subtract 10 points from the total.  But watch out, Apollo, Artemis, and Ares will steal Zeus from you.  Play continues until the total of Mount Olympus reaches 100 or greater, or the draw pile is exhausted. The winner of the round receives the Zeus figurine and the letter Z for their 1st win.  Shuffle all the cards and begin a new round.  Rounds continue until a player has won 4 rounds giving them the letters Z-E-U-S.

To play is human.  To win is, divine.


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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.

New Arrival: A Board Game of the Canterbury Tales: The Road To Canterbury

The Road To Canterbury –  Newly Released

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, players are medieval pardoners who travel the Road to Canterbury tempting Pilgrims with the Seven Deadly Sins – and then pardon these sins for a fee!  Each sin with which a player tempts a Pilgrim increases the amount of money that will be paid when pardoned, but also brings Death one step closer, which threatens to kill off your customers! These are “deadly sins” after all.

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?

Watch this overview from Gryphon Games from the publisher

For this and other great games come visit us at Off The Charts Games where we have a broad spectrum of board, card, and dice games, as well as jigsaw puzzles.  We are located at 30 NW 2nd St in Historic Downtown Gresham.

New Arrival: Eminent Domain

Greetings, Emperor.  
Eminent Domain is unlike any deck building game you’ve seen before!

Survey the galaxy to expand your empire!  Will you colonize nearby planets, or take them by force?  Harvest resources for trade, and do research to improve your technology.  Build the best empire to win the game!

Eminent Domain is an empire building game in which your empire’s abilities are based on a deck of Role cards.  At the beginning of the game each player has the same deck of cards, with just two cards for each Role in it.  Every turn players must choose a Role to execute and in doing so will add one of those Role cards to their deck.  During the game players gain influence throughout the universe by expanding their empire, doing research, and trading.  The player whose empire has the most influence at the end of the game will rule the galaxy!

You can get a great overview of Eminent Domain in this video by Tom Vasel.

You can find this game and other fantastic games on our shelves.  So come in to Off The Charts Games where the selection of games is endless.  We are located at 30 NW 2nd St in Historic Downtown Gresham.