Game Arrivals: Oct. 1st

Here are this week’s board game arrivals:


New Game!
Alma Mater
Eggertspiele

New in is Alma Mater, a tight worker placement game from the designers of Coimbra and Lorenzo Il Magnifio.  With cool plastic books, 2 – 4 players will compete for points in 90 – 150 minutes of game play.
Alma Mater

It’s early Renaissance, universities are emerging and you are needed as headmaster.  In this worker placement game played over 6 rounds, the goal is for your university to become the most successful and prestigious,  i.e. the most in victory points.  To accomplish this goal, you will need to recruit teachers and students both of which cost books – both yours and a combination of other players, and coins.  Each player will have their own set of books to place into their libraries.  You will want to increase their value in these libraries by moving up on the research track as other players will need to purchase them and you will want to gain as much money as possible.  Recruiting students will provide special abilities, immediate benefits, or extra bonus points.  Recruiting teachers will provide end of game points based on their stated value as well as special abilities or extra points.  There is more going on than meets the eye at the start of the game.  Let the semester begin!


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New Game Expansion!
Isle of Cats – Late Arrivals
The City of Games

Isle of Cats: Late Arrivals is an expansion for the base game, Isle of Cats, a polyomino game of rescuing cats to your boat.  The Late Arrivals expansion adds 2 more players, taking the game to up to 6 players, and increases your options with ore unique player boards, cat tiles, treasures and cards.

The Isle of Cats – Late Arrivals


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New Game Expansion!
Sagrada – Life
The Great Facades
Floodgate Games
Sagrada: Life is the second of three in the Great Facades modular expansions line for the base game Sagrada, a dice drafting and window crafting game for 1 to 6 players.  Sagrada: Passion was the first of these.

Sagrada: Life is a modular expansion that introduces new challenges to test your artisanal
skills. Gain helpful abilities through apprentice cards, draft
masterwork dice to gain prestige for tackling tricky new restrictions,
and reap the rewards of rising to the challenge of toil public
objectives. Pick and chose which modules you want to play or include them all.


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Restocks
Isle of Cats – A tile-laying game of rescuing cats – – 1-4 players – – 60-90 minutes play time.
Dice Forge – A dice crafting game, players build their own dice – – 2-4 players – – 45 minutes play time. 
Dice City – Roll Build Win in this dice-crafting tactical game – – 1-4 playes – – 45 minutes play time.
Catan: Cities and Knights – Expand your game with a more complex commodity market and knights to defend your cities  – – 3-4 players – – 90 minutes play time.
Camel Up: 2nd Edition –  A family friendly crazy camel racing game – – 2-8 players – – 30-45 minutes play time.



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Continue to check in for the latest in
board games and jigsaw puzzles.
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Located 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 jigsaw puzzles from Ravensburger, Cobble Hill, Pomegranate, New York Puzzle Company, White Mountain, and Dowdle.

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

Game Profile: Mariposas

 

Publisher:  AEG, 2020
Players:  2-5
Time:  45-75 Min.
 

Mariposas is a boardgame about the migration of the Monarch butterflies from
Michoacán Mexico to as far north as Winnipeg and Quebec City, and then back
again to the Michoacán area.
 
Mariposas begins with set collection of flowers, but not for victory points but
to spend to hatch additional butterflies. 
Using movement cards, butterflies are moved across the map to gather
flowers, hatch butterflies, and explore waystations.  The migration takes off from Michoacán and lasts
three seasons: spring, summer, and fall. 
Each season will bring a different mid-game goal card (drawn
randomly).  Spring season’s goal card is
revealed at the start of the game. 
Summer and fall’s goal cards are revealed either at the start of that
season or earlier if enough butterflies have been hatched.  The objectives on these goal cards are mostly
scored at the end of the season.  Each
player begins the game with a single generation 1 butterfly.  During spring season, this butterfly can
hatch up to two of that players’ generation 2 butterflies.  These generation 2 butterflies then can hatch
up to three generation 3’s and the generation 3’s can hatch up to four of the generation
4’s.  At the end of spring season, all generation
1 butterflies are removed from the game. 
The same goes for the summer and fall seasons: generation 2’s and generation
3’s are removed respectively.
 
The object of the game is to gather the most points.  Points can be gained several ways and are not
easy to obtain.  One is by fulfilling any
of the various conditions on a seasonal goal card.  Fulfilling these objectives by the end of
that season is a challenge.  They tend to
drive players to scatter their butterflies further north and east, farther away
from Michoacán.  Another way to gather
points is by collecting life cycle cards gained by visiting waystations.  Waystations will yield either a particular life
cycle card or an additional movement benefit. Collection of a complete set of a
particular color of life cycle cards will yield points or a special ability. Additionally,
each card is worth one point at the end of the game.  Lastly, at the end of the game score points
for the number of generation 4 butterflies that made it back to Michoacán.
 
Mariposas is a game like no other.  It has
2 types of set collections: One, in flowers to pay for hatchings and Two, in
life cycle cards worth end-game points. 
It uses intermediate scoring goals to direct your migration north and
east which forces you to race back south as fast as possible for significant game
end points.  With the tiles at
waystations randomized and face down, randomized seasonal goal cards: one of 5 for
spring, one of 10 for summer, and one of 5 for fall the game provides a lot of
replay value.

Mariposas




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Continue to check in for the latest in
board games and jigsaw puzzles.
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Located 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 jigsaw puzzles from Ravensburger, Cobble Hill, Pomegranate, New York Puzzle Company, White Mountain, and Dowdle.

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

Jigsaw Puzzle Arrivals: Sept. 29th

 

A new shipment of White Mountain jigsaw puzzles has arrived!




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Continue to check in for the latest in
board games and jigsaw puzzles.
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Located 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 jigsaw puzzles from Ravensburger, Cobble Hill, Pomegranate, New York Puzzle Company, White Mountain, and Dowdle.

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

Game Arrivals: Week of Sept. 21st – 25th

Here are this week’s game arrivals:


New In A Series!
Munchkin Tails
Steve Jackson Games

Munchkin has gone to the dogs . . . plus foxes, mice, and ponies!

Adding to Steve Jackson Games’ popular Munchkin series card game, is Munchkin Tails.  Unexpected pitfalls await in this role-playing card game where hunting for treasure, lining up Allies, collecting Items, and potential backstabbing is all part of the fun and race to be the top.  – – 3 to 6 Players – – 60 to 120 Minutes Play Time.

publisher description

Anthropomorphic animals have always been popular, from the beast-headed gods of Egypt to Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny today. Now you can bring them into the dungeon, fighting off opponents such as the Human Rights Activist, the Robot Vacuum, or even the feared Animal Control Enforcer. Use a Tail Flail or a Cone of Defiance as you work to be the first of your species to reach Level 10!

As with the original Munchkin and all of it’s themed editions, Munchkin Tails can be played as a stand-alone game or combined with other Munchkin card games for a truly crazy game play.


Updated Edition!

7 Wonders 2nd Edition
Repos


7 Wonders is back in stock in a 2nd Edition. Same great game of card-drafting and set collection themed to the 7 Wonders of the World now with updated artwork.

2 to 7 Players – – 30 Minutes Play Time.



New Edition!
Patchwork Americana
Lookout Games

Patchwork Americana mirrors the popular Patchwork game by designer Uwe Rosenberg, a 2-player tile laying game.  2-Player – – 30 Minutes Play Time. 

With Americana-styled quilting pieces, each player will work to complete their 9×9 quilting board before time runs out.  On their turn a player will choose a tile to purchase, place in their quilt, and move along the time track.  Each tile indicates it’s cost, it’s button income value, and how much time it moves that player on the time track. Buttons are currency in the game.  You pay for your pieces in buttons and you receive income in buttons.  The player with the most buttons at the end of the game is the winner.

Asmodee has informed us that Americana is a smaller version of Patchwork with the same makeup of components and similar game play.

Restocks

  • Stuffed Fables – cooperative adventure book game in which players take on the roles of brave stuffed toys.
  • 7 Wonders Duel – 2-player version of 7 Wonders with some changes in the game mechanics.
  • Root – battle for control in a fantstic forest kingdom in an asymmetic game of adventure and war.
  • Love Letter – win the heart of the Princess in this game of deduction.
  • Munchkin Marvel – blends the excitement of whacking monsters and grabbing treasures with the iconic characters from the Marvel universe.




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Continue to check in for the latest in
board games and jigsaw puzzles.
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Located 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 jigsaw puzzles from Ravensburger, Cobble Hill, Pomegranate, New York Puzzle Company, White Mountain, and Dowdle.

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

Game Profile: Fleet Wharfside

 

Publisher:  Eagle-Gryphon Games, 2015
Players:  2 – 4
Play Time:  20-30 Min.

Fleet
Wharfside is a small box card game about fulfilling fishing
contracts worth varying victory points with the right types of seafood.  There are five types of seafood in demand:
king crab, lobster, pacific oyster, swordfish, and tuna.  Seafood is use to purchase contracts and to
complete contracts.

This is a set collection card game that is easy to learn and quick to teach.  A turn involves either going to the market to
gain contracts or to the wharf to claim seafood.  Going to the market is where players obtain
contracts by paying the going market rate in required seafood. 
The market rates change as contracts are purchased and new ones are
added.  There is a limit on how many
unfulfilled contracts a player may have. 
Going to the wharf not only gains you seafood but also lets you allocate
seafood from your hand to your contracts or store king crab.  There are bonuses awarded for being the first
to complete contracts with 3, 4, and 5 required seafoods.  Additionally, there is an end-game bonus for having
stored the most king crab.

Fleet
Wharfside is quick and easy. 
It should take approximately 30 minutes or less to play.  Decisions are pretty straight forward.  There is an element of luck in the random way
seafood becomes available at the wharf, and sometimes the seafood needed to
claim a contract or to fulfill a contract in an inopportune time.  This game isn’t overly deep – it is just fun.

Fleet
Wharfside really does come in a small box.  We frequently take it with us on trips.  It doesn’t take up much room in a backpack or
a travel bag.  The card quality is top
notch and the game play is entertaining.




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Continue to check in for the latest in
board games and jigsaw puzzles.
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Located 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 jigsaw puzzles from Ravensburger, Cobble
Hill, Pomegranate, New York Puzzle Company, White Mountain, and Dowdle.

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

Game Night Home Version: Sept. 18th

During this period of coronavirus, our in-store Friday Night Game Night sessions have gone to a Home Version. We encourage people to play their favorite games at home and then post results, any comments, and maybe a picture to our Off The Charts Games Facebook page. This way we stay connected to our gaming families and share in the fun.

Week 27:  Sept. 18, 2020

Here are the games that our gaming community played during the week and weekend and shared to our Facebook page:


The Castles of Burgundy
Deluxe Edition


Ron and Lynn played The Castles of Burgundy with the new buildings expansion.



Rick and Helen opened and tried out their new game Tekhenu: Oblelisk of the Sun.

Ben and his sons played Firefly: The Game.

            

Quadropolis

 

Lynn and Ron played Quadropolis 
SD Group played
Viscounts of the West Kingdom.


Calico

Mitch M. played Calico.




Great Games and Great Fun!
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Located 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 jigsaw puzzles from Ravensburger, Cobble Hill, Pomegranate, Dowdle, and White Mountain.


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

Game Arrival: Clank! Adventuring Party

Another new arrival this week.  For the deck-building – dungeon crawling – press-your-luck Clank! fans, you can take your game up to 6 players with the Clank! Adventuring Party game expansion. 

publisher description

The thieves’ guild is recruiting!  Clank! Adventuring Party expands your merry band to include up to six players in your dungeon run!  Want a new thieving identity?  Shuffle up as one of six unique characters, each with their own starting deck and special abilities!

  • Dwarf Agnet-  Lead trusty companions.
  • Elf D’allan – Build wonderous collections.
  • Orc Garignar – Smash hordes of enemies.
  • Mage Lenara – Sling arcane spells.
  • Monkey Bot Prime – Amass primate power.
  • Devious CatWhiskers – Stir up a paw full of trouble.

But beware the ravenous hydra Hexavultus won’t give up his treasures easily…

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Continue to check in for the latest in
board games and jigsaw puzzles.
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Located 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 jigsaw puzzles from Ravensburger, Cobble Hill, Pomegranate, New York Puzzle Company, White Mountain, and Dowdle.

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

Game Profile: Crown Of Emara

Crown Of Emara

Publisher:  Pegasus Spiele, 2018
Players:  1 – 4
Time:  45 – 75 Min.
 
The theme for Crown of Emara is to compete
to become the next King.  In order to become
the king, you must score points with the citizens and score building points as
well.  Both kinds of points are tracked
as the game progresses.  At the end of
the game the lower of your citizen and building points will be your final
score.  Balance between the two is
absolutely necessary.
 
Crown
of Emara comes with 2 modular boards with a rondel in the center
of each.  You have a councilor on each rondel.  One board is where your councilor/craftsman
acquires resources (wood, grain, stone, and cloth).  The other board is where your other councilor
spends resources at various locations: castle, cathedral, construction site,
and market.  These locations provide
various actions that include acquiring and exchanging books, coins, signet
rings, and gaining both citizen and building points.  Additionally, it is where you can recruit an
advisor or increase your noble rank. All for the purpose of citizen and
building points.   You have a deck of nine action cards that will
each be played twice during the 18 rounds of the game.  The key to success is to have each of your
councilors in the right spot at the right time to do what you need to do.
 
The game consists of six rounds where each player will play 3 cards
which are drawn randomly from their deck at the start of the round.  Planning is essential to maximize the ability
of each card when it is available to play. 
Play time is supposed to be 45 to 75 minutes.  I feel it takes a little longer – closer to
60 to 90 minutes.

We love this game because it brings a good deal of depth to the game
that is not overly long.  The two boards
look great on the table.  The two rondels
really provide a challenge and we find that the game is well balanced.  End game scores have been close.  Crown of Emara works well with 2, 3, and 4 players. 
It does have a 1-player variant that we have not tried.


Crown Of Emara

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Continue to check in for the latest in
board games and jigsaw puzzles.
~ ~ ~~ ~ ~~ ~ ~~ ~ ~~ ~ ~~ ~ ~~ ~ ~~


Located 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 jigsaw puzzles from Ravensburger, Cobble Hill, Pomegranate, New York Puzzle Company, White Mountain, and Dowdle.

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


New Game: Tekhenu: Obelisk of the Sun

Tekhenu
Obelisk of the Sun

Game designer Daniele Tascini continues to create great games.  Tekhenu: Obelisk Of The Sun is his latest along with co-designer David Turczi.  Some of Daniele’s previous games include Trismegistus: The Ultimate Formula, Marco Polo II: In the Service of the Khan, Teotihuacan: City of Gods, and Tolk’in: The Mayan Calendar.

Tekhenu: Obelisk Of The Sun, a game of building, planning, clever strategy, and
impeccable balance. – – Players: 1 to 4  – –  Play time: 60 to 120 minutes.

publisher description

Join ancient Pharaohs in creating and growing one of the most impressive sites the world has seen, honoring the Egyptian gods Horus, Ra, Hathor, Bastet, Thoth, and Osiris. You must carefully manage the balance of your actions, preparing for the reckoning by the goddess Maat.  Today the site is known as Karnak.

The game board in Tekhenu: Obelisk of the Sun is divided into six sections, each associated with an Egyptian god: Horus, Ra, Hathor, Bastet, Thoth, and Osiris. In the center stands an impressive obelisk (Tekhenu) that casts its shadow onto different parts of the board. As a result, the area around the obelisk is divided into sunny, shaded, and dark sections, depending on how the obelisk casts its shadow at that particular moment. As the game progresses, the sun’s rotation alters which sections are sunny, shaded, or dark.

Tekhenu: Obelisk Of The Sun

Each turn players draft dice from the base of the
Obelisk.  Select a die from the light or
from the shadow to construct a farm, mine, or statue, to obtain a blessing,
harvest resources, raise a pillar in the temple complex, or to honor the gods
with a festival.  Once you are done
performing your action, place the die on your scales.  Where it lands depends on whether it came
from the light or the shadow.  When the
time comes to weigh your heart, compare the weight of your pure and tainted
actions to see what fate holds.  Keep
your eye on the Obelisk of the Sun! 
Depending on the game phase, it will cast its shadow in different
directions – – and on different dice!

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Continue to check in for the latest in
board games and jigsaw puzzles.
~ ~ ~~ ~ ~~ ~ ~~ ~ ~~ ~ ~~ ~ ~~ ~ ~~


Located 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 jigsaw puzzles from Ravensburger, Cobble Hill, Pomegranate, New York Puzzle Company, White Mountain, and Dowdle.

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

Game Night Home Version: Sept. 11th

During this period of coronavirus, our in-store Friday Night Game Night sessions have gone to a Home Version. We encourage people to play their favorite games at home and then post results, any comments, and maybe a picture to our Off The Charts Games Facebook page. This way we stay connected to our gaming families and share in the fun.

Week 26:  Sept. 11, 2020

Here are the games that our gaming community played during the week and weekend and shared to our Facebook page:
    

Mitch is loving his recently purchased game, Rajas Of Ganges.



Marlo played Wingspan, Century: Golem Edition, and Camelot The Build.

          


      
Crown of Emara, one of three games played by Lynn and Ron.

Ticket To Ride: Rails and Sails was the second game played by Ron and Lynn.

  
Castles Of Mad King Ludwig was the third game played by Lynn and Ron.



Great Games and Great Fun!
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Located 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 jigsaw puzzles from Ravensburger, Cobble Hill, Pomegranate, Dowdle, and White Mountain.


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