Games

5 Second Rule
3-6 Players ages 10+

It should be easy to name 3 breeds of dogs – but can you do it under the pressure of 5 seconds twisting down, and with the other players staring at you, waiting for you to get flustered? Time’s not on your side, so just say what comes to mind and risk ridiculous answers slipping out as time twirls down on the unique twisted timer! It’s all in good fun with this fast-paced game where you have to “Just Spit It Out!”

Clue
2-6 Players ages 8+

The classic detective game! In Clue, players move from room to room in a mansion to solve the mystery of: who done it, with what, and where? Players are dealt character, weapon, and location cards after the top card from each card type is secretly placed in the confidential file in the middle of the board. Players must move to a room and then make a suggestion against a character saying they did it in that room with a specific weapon. The player to the left must show one of any cards mentioned if in that player’s hand. Through deductive reasoning each player must figure out which character, weapon, and location are in the secret file. To do this, each player must uncover what cards are in other players hands by making more and more suggestions. Once a player knows what cards the other players are holding, they will know what cards are in the secret file, and then make an accusation. If correct, the player wins, but if incorrect, the player must return the cards to the file without revealing them and may no longer make suggestions or accusations. A great game for those who enjoy reasoning and thinking things out.

Count Your Chickens
2-4 players ages 3+

The baby chicks have flown the coop! All players work together to help Mother Hen collect her chicks and bring them back to the coop. To start, players place the 40 baby chicks all around the board. Mother Hen is on start. The object of the game is to get all 40 baby chicks back inside the coop before Mother Hen gets to the last space on the board. Players spin and move Mother Hen, counting the number of spaces she travels. For each space travelled, players collect that number of baby chick markers and place them in the coop. But watch out for the fox! If the spinner lands on the fox a baby chick is removed from the coop. Players take turns, but work together – players count aloud together, collect the number chicks together and, if they collect them all, players win together!

Hedbanz : the quick question game of “What am I?”
2-6 players ages 7+

Am I a chicken? How about a bicycle? In this goofy game you never know what you are until you start asking questions! Figure out if the cartoon on your head is an animal, food or a household item. Everybody knows but you!

Kingdomino
2-4 players ages 8+

In Kingdomino, you are a lord seeking new lands in which to expand your kingdom. You must explore all the lands, including wheat fields, lakes, and mountains, in order to spot the best plots, while competing with other lords to acquire them first.

The game uses tiles with two sections, similar to Dominoes. Each turn, each player will select a new domino to connect to their existing kingdom, making sure at least one of its sides connects to a matching terrain type already in play. The order of who picks first depends on which tile was previously chosen, with better tiles forcing players to pick later in the next round. The game ends when each player has completed a 5×5 grid (or failed to do so), and points are counted based on number of connecting tiles and valuable crown symbols.

Leigh Valley in•a•box
2-6 players ages 8+

Romantic covered bridges, rich Moravian heritage, and a door to the beginning of the industrial revolution, welcome to the Lehigh Valley! A treasure of nostalgia, culture and modern industry, she is also a region of natural splendor. Music is celebrated, wine is relished, and colors are born here. In this valley lies a one-of-a-kind sense of challenge on the Appalachian Trail, in the Velodrome, and in the river itself. The Lehigh Valley holds within it the glory of all that was, all that is, and all that will be. Advertising space was not for sale on this game. The board includes authentic landmarks only.

Mad Gab
2-12 players ages 10+

Read a group of simple words aloud, like “ASK RUDE ARRIVE HER”. Do you “hear” the answer? Try saying them again. Sound familiar? Quick, the timer’s tickin’. Did you hear yourself say “A Screwdriver”?!

You and your teammates have 30 seconds to sound out three puzzles. Guess right and snatch that card! Miss it and the other team can steal the point!

O.K., the timer is set, the card flipper is loaded, and everyone’s ready for a laugh riot! Just remember, that when it comes to scoring points in MAD GAB…

“It’s Not What You SAY, It’s What You HEAR!”

Mancala
2 players ages 5+

The game is played on a board of two rows, each consisting of six round pits. The rows have a large store at either end called the Kalah. A player owns the six pits closest to them and the Kalah on their right side.

The game is started with four (4) seeds in each pit. A player takes all the seeds from one of their pits, and then they are distributed one by one, counterclockwise, in the pits and the player’s own Kalah, but not into the opponent’s store (Kalah). If the last seed is dropped into an opponent’s pit or a non-empty pit of the player, the move ends without anything being captured. If the last seed falls into the player’s Kalah, they must move again. If the last seed is put into an empty pit owned by the player, they capture all contents of the opposite pit together with the capturing piece and puts them in their Kalah. If the opposite pit is empty, nothing is captured. A capture ends the move.

The game ends when one player no longer has any seeds in any of their holes. The remaining pieces are captured by their adversary. The player who has captured the most pieces is declared the winner.

Nefarious : the mad scientist game : a strategy game
2-6 players ages 8+

Your genius could have been such a boon to humanity. Your death ray had wonderful pest control applications, and your volcano activator was perfect for fighting global warming. But the fools at the institute, they wouldn’t listen. They called you mad! You built a monster to rend them limb from limb, which your minions assured you was the very worst way to be rended. When it became clear that the only hope for the world was your own benign leadership, you took control of TV to announce this fact. But your broadcast was interrupted by someone else taking control of TV and announcing his own plan for world domination – and then that broadcast was interrupted by yet another interloper. So. Competition. Well, the world will never be as scared of these upstarts as it will be of you. Archimedes once said, “Give me a long enough lever and a place to stand, and I will move the world.” You will be the most terrifying lever the world has ever seen.

Nefarious is a quick-playing game in which the players race to build inventions like a freeze ray, cloaking device, or robotic pet before their opponents can do the same. (Interesting side note: Eighteen different artists contributed to the artwork on the different inventions in the game.)

Nefarious is played over several rounds. In each round the players simultaneously choose and reveal one of their actions that will allow them to allocate one of their Minions to an area on their Lair, obtain money, obtain a blueprint for an invention, or build one of their inventions if they have enough money to do so. The minions that you allocate to your Lair can earn you additional income depending on the actions that your neighbors choose. The first player to build 20 or more points worth of Inventions AND have more points than any other player wins.

There is a twist to the game, though – actually, two twists! At the beginning of the game, you randomly draw two Twist cards, which change the environment so that the game plays differently each time. This means that in order to win, the players will have to revise their strategies each time they play Nefarious.

Really Loud Librarians
2-12 players ages 8+

In this game, your useless knowledge will win you useful points.

Think fast, not hard in this merciless word-shouting board game. Start by drawing a category card. Your team will then shout words from that category that begin with the letter on the race track. Move along the track every time you get a word right and race against your opponents to win. This is a simple game for versatile occasions. Play it as a two-player game for a casual night-in or bring it along as a party game for big groups.

Rory’s Story Cubes
1-12 players ages 6+

Players roll the cubes to get pictures of characters, places, and animals that they can use to create and share stories in this game of imagination.

Splendor
2-4 players ages 10+

Splendor is a game of chip-collecting and card development. Players are merchants of the Renaissance trying to buy gem mines, means of transportation, shops—all in order to acquire the most prestige points. If you’re wealthy enough, you might even receive a visit from a noble at some point, which of course will further increase your prestige.

On your turn, you may (1) collect chips (gems), or (2) buy and build a card, or (3) reserve one card. If you collect chips, you take either three different kinds of chips or two chips of the same kind. If you buy a card, you pay its price in chips and add it to your playing area. To reserve a card—in order to make sure you get it, or, why not, your opponents don’t get it—you place it in front of you face down for later building; this costs you a round, but you also get gold in the form of a joker chip, which you can use as any gem.

All of the cards you buy increase your wealth as they give you a permanent gem bonus for later buys; some of the cards also give you prestige points. In order to win the game, you must reach 15 prestige points before your opponents do.

Taco vs Burrito
2-4 players ages 7+

Taco vs. Burito is a deliciously unpredictable card game where players compete to create the weirdest, wildest meal. On your turn:
Draw one card and:

• Add an ingredient card to a Taco/Burrito – or –
• Add Tummy Aches to reduce the value of a meal -or-
• Add a Hot Sauce Boss to double the value of a meal!

– or –
Play an action card

But beware! The Health Inspector and Order Envy can ruin your meal.

Gameplay continues clockwise with players drawing and playing cards until the draw pile is gone. Once any one player is out of cards the game is instantly over and the player with the most points wins!

Tri-Ominos: Deluxe
2-6 players ages 6+

Triominos is a game similar to Dominoes, in that players are laying tiles that match up to other tiles in the play area, with the goal to get points and be rid of tiles. In Triominoes, the pieces are triangles with numbers that are matched on each side. Each triangle has 3 numbers at the points, so to place a piece next to it, it must match two numbers on the side.

Twister
2-4 players ages 6+

A large vinyl playing mat is placed on the floor, with a 6 x 4 array of spots, each spot about 6 inches in diameter. The spots are colored red, blue, yellow, and green. A player is chosen to moderate, and the rest of the players, up to 4, stand on the play mat with their feet on different spots.

Each turn consists of the moderator spinning a spinner, which gives a result matching a random color with a random element from the set (left hand, right hand, left foot, right foot). Each player must put the relevant bodypart on the relevant color spot. If the bodypart is already on a spot of that color it is moved to another spot of the same color. No two players bodyparts can share the same spot. If a player falls or touches an elbow or knee to the ground they are eliminated.

Iterate until one player remains.

The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Game Junior
2-6 players

How do you keep from spreading your poison oak rash? How do you get an alligator to let go of your friend’s foot? Based on the best-selling books and games, this game brings the Worst-Case concept to kids, to amaze and educate a whole new way. Players have Tool Cards, that feature common items like a broom or water bottle. The kids hear a scenario and decide which tool can get them out of it. Tap the alligator on the nose with the broom to release your friend’s foot. Use the water bottle to rinse off the plant oil and your poison ivy rash isn’t contagious anymore! Just for fun, What’s Worse? Cards give kids icky choices. Like, What’s Worse: giving your cat a bath by licking it all over OR eating a giant bowl of dog food? Comes with a game board, 50 Tool Cards, 170 Game Cards, six What’s Worse Chips, playing pieces and a die. For 2 to 6 players.

Yahtzee
2-10 players ages 6+

Yahtzee is a classic dice game played with 5 dice. Each player’s turn consists of rolling the dice up to 3 times in hope of making 1 of 13 categories. Examples of categories are 3 of a kind, 4 of a kind, straight, full house, etc. Each player tries to fill in a score for each category, but this is not always possible. When all players have entered a score or a zero for all 13 categories, the game ends and total scores are compared.

Wizard: deluxe edition card game
3-6 players ages 10+

The trick-taking game Wizard uses a sixty-card deck that consists of the traditional 52-card deck (1-13 in four suits) along with four Wizards (high) and four Jesters (low).

Players compete over multiple rounds based on the number of players, and whoever ends with the highest score wins. In each round, players are dealt a hand of cards — one card in the first round, two cards in the second, three in the third, etc. — then trump is determined by flipping the top card of the undealt deck; if a suit is revealed, that suit is trump, while if the card turned up is a Jester, it is turned down and there is no trump for that round. If the card turned up is a Wizard, the dealer chooses one of the 4 suits as the trump suit. The dealer cannot choose “no trump”. On the last round of each game all cards are dealt out so there is no trump. Players then state how many tricks they expect to win in the round.

The playing and winning of the tricks uses mostly standard trick-taking rules. If a player leads a suited card, then all other players must follow suit, if possible. If a player leads a Jester, then the second player determines the suit led. If a player leads a Wizard, then those who follow can play whatever they want. However, in all cases a player may always play a Wizard or Jester, even if they hold cards in the suit led.

After each player has played a card, determine the winner of the trick as follows: If one or more Wizards were played, the player of the first Wizard wins the trick, collects the cards, and leads to the next trick. If not, whoever played the highest trump wins the trick. If not, whoever played the highest card of the suit led wins the trick. If all players played Jesters, whoever played the first Jester wins.

After all tricks have been played, players tally their score for the round. If a player matched their bid, winning exactly as many tricks as stated at the start of the round, they score 20 points, plus 10 points for each trick taken. If a player missed their bid, they lose 10 points for each trick that they were off, whether they took more or fewer than predicted.

A common variant in Wizard is to not allow the total number of tricks bid in a round to match the round number, thereby forcing (at least) one player to be off each round.