Verdict: Maddeningly Addictive!

In a Nutshell: A competitive bidding board game of strategy and cunning.

(from the game’s website)

“Secretly bid against your opponents to gain the support of the people, win territory . . . and gather more Gold, Blackmail, and Force for the next round of bidding! Will you try to control the tavern or the fortress? The harbor or the plantation? Knowing where to push for support – and where to back away and let your opponents fight – is the key to victory. It’s a game of bluff, counter-bluff, and surprise.”

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Verdict: mind-bending fun

In a Nutshell: This is a group card game of pattern recognition

(from the game’s website)

“SET is a highly addictive, original game of visual perception; a fascinating challenge for either solitaire or competitive play.  To create a SET, a player must locate three cards in which each of the four features is either all the same on each card or all different on each card, when looked at individually. The four features are, symbol (oval, squiggle or diamond), color (red, purple or green), number (one, two or three) or shading (solid, striped or open).  Age is no advantage in this fast paced family game.  SET is great fun for the whole family because there is no previous knowledge required.”

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Verdict: satisfying

In a Nutshell: 2-Player strategic card game of building and expansion of a settlement in a race to 12 points.

(from the game’s site)

“In the Catan Card Game™ you control a group of settlers taming the lands of medieval Catan. Use the unique card mix to create a map of your own principality, then explore and settle new lands, acquiring resources through card play and the luck of the dice. Make use of gold and resource combinations to develop your domain. Expand your settlements and cities, recruit knights, and defend your territory through politics, tournaments, and intrigue!”

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Verdict: spelling-tastic

In a Nutshell: Easy to pick up and play word game.

(from the game’s site)

“My Word!® is the first word game that plays like a party game! Quickly search for words while single and double letter cards are dealt on to the table. The first player to call out a word using at least three cards wins those cards.”

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Verdict: we’ve been playing HOW long?!

In a Nutshell: This is a strategy board game similar to RISK, but more like RISK’s older, more mature, private college attending brother.

(from the game’s box)

“This game of world conquest traces the history of the world from the dawn of civilization to the threshold of modern time. Through 7 Epochs, you’ll lead a different empire, from the ancient Sumerians to the Persians, Romans, and Huns. You may take command of the Vikings, Ming Dynasty, or Germans. You must score as many victory points during your empire’s reign, for it is fleeting. A new power will soon rise to glory.”

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Game:

• Verdict: very nice!
• Fun Rating: Fun
• Players/Mode: 2-4 / Cooperative
• Game Duration: 45 minutes (ish)
• System: Board
• Developer: Matt Leacock
• Website: http://www.zmangames.com/boardgames/pandemic.htm

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Game:

• Verdict: HAHAHAHA!
• Fun Rating: Really Fun (if you have the correct cards to people ratio)
• Players: 3-6
• Game Duration: 6 player games takes about 1.5 hours
• System: Table
• Developer: Steve Jackson Games
• Website: http://www.sjgames.com/munchkin/game/

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