Board Game, 2-4 Players, Ages 13+ by JK&LM Games
A variant in the 18xx series of railway economics games, 1860 offers unique twists to the tried-and-tested system. In confronting players with the challenges of managing the companies and running the railways in a small and idyllic environment, it is a good challenge for business gamers and railway enthusiasts alike.
Counter review
Board Game, 3-5 Players by JKLM
1861 (formerly known as 18RU) is a member of the "18xx" series of games. The series is based on 1829, designed by Francis Tresham and published by Hartland Trefoil. 1861 is set in Russia prior to the Bolshevik revolution. Three to six players represent investors in railway companies, spending their initial capital to buy wholly owned Private Railways and Minor Companies, and later shares in Public Companies. The Public Companies are each controlled by the largest shareholder (its Director). Minor Companies and Public Companies build track and run trains in order to earn revenues. Public Company revenues can be paid out as dividends to shareholders or retained to fund further track and rolling stock. The value of shares will rise and fall in relation to the fortunes of the companies. A feature of 1861, as with all the other games in the series, is that the interests of the Director and the interests of its shareholders are not identical, so minority shareholders need to be careful in their investments.
"It's AD 42 and Britain is ripe for invasion by Claudius' legions. You are a young Celt on the brink of adulthood and you have visited the High Druid who has foretold your destiny. In this game each player attempts to win by gathering victory points and fullfilling their destiny. Along the way you'll improve your abilities, trade with settlements, complete quests and help enchant the land. The game uses double sided hextiles so each game is different."
Counter magazine review
As the streets and blocks of a medieval city are built up with the various guilds’ buildings, players will want to speculate on the more successful guilds, and also invest in their buildings themselves.
Fruit Bandits is a fun little card game, where you try to either produce the fruit from your orchard without having it stolen or steal someone else's fruit when they try to produce theirs. It is a very quick game which can be played over several rounds or you can increse the number of players by adding an extra deck of cards and play in pairs. This adds an unusal twist to an already intriguing game.
Board Game, 2-5 Players by JKLM Games
After the success of City and Guilds, Steve's new game Kings Progress was inevitable. This game is based upon the typical life of a late medieval English court. Many Kings came under the influence of a select inner group of courtiers who used their influence to gain gifts of land, titles, money etc. This game recreates the desperate race to get the best and the most gifts for yourself. The game is played over three rounds; each round the King visits a royal castle or house (The Kings Progress). Your aim is to gain the most prestiege for your family by collecting courtier cards, melding them to build your influence and thus gain control of the courtiers, advancing those courtiers to the royal castle and then using the courtiers to select various gifts for yourself. Gifts and courtier control gain victory points at the end of each round. As the game progresses gifts become more valuable. Each courtier also has a character ability which can be used by the player in control to gain extra actions or other advantages.
The game of machiaveLlian media rivalry, building a multi media empire across the world, atrcting the citizens from all corners of the society, and then blasting them with advertising that will provide you with the finance for your next media outlet. If you play your cards right and you win the audience you planned for then you will be well on your way to being the next big media king of the world.
The goal of the game is to build the most successful Underground lines and in doing so gain the most points. The player who has best balanced the demands by the time that the deck of destinations is exhausted will be declared the winner.
England in the 5th century; Saxons against Celts!
The players try to gain control over England. Knights and magicians in their service are sent to the provinces to conquer their opponents.
But the methods of magicians and knights are very different. The knights turn to their swords and must slog overland from province to province. Meanwhile, the magicians can make use of the secret magical places and appear by surprise in an area that the knights believe is already secured for their own side. And so the struggle surges to and fro until one side attains power.
What is unique in ‘Power & Weakness’, is that two games are played at once; one game for magical control and one game for military control. Each player must decide whether to concentrate on the military or the magical field - or to try to be equally good in both - in order to attain power and gloat over the weakness of the opponent.
Power and Weakness is played in ‘cycles’. There is a Sword cycle and a Magic cycle. Each cycle has slightly different rules. The length of a cycle varies. During a cycle the players take turns alternately – until the end of the cycle when one of the players will receive a victory point.
At the end of a cycle you check whether one of the players has won. If neither player has won, the next cycle begins.
Counter magazine review.
In the race to the White House, the players represent Democrat and Republican candidates aiming to sway the voters and win the American election. Either advancing your policy pieces to pander to the middle ground of public opinion, or passionately making the case for more radical ideas, are options for this. Cleverly using dominoes to both move your pieces along the track and to form the track itself, Presidential Election is an elegant and fun game!
It's 1773. Following the battle of Culloden, the victorious English have suppressed Scottish customs like clan colors, kilts, bagpipes, tartan plaids and even the Scottish language. Particularly loathsome to the simple Scots, however, are the intolerably high taxes on the national beverage: Whisky! After all, everone knows this is more a medicine than a drink! The sly Scotsmen have a plan, though. In the spring they will hold a race along the River Spey. Each participant will carry a heavy pack in honor of Saint Columba, patron saint of the Scots, who carried all of his own gear over the Highlands – and then still had the strength to tangle with the Loch Ness Monster! The English allow this seemingly harmless race, not realizing that the Scots are using it to smuggle whisky, since their packs are loaded with nothing other than that most beautiful beverage. Three to six players may join the race. Each secretly decides how many Malt points he will spend – the „fuel" in this race. On the way players may sell Whisky at a Pub or buy more whisky barrels. Jealousy and Envy may provoke Duels and losers will have to surrender a barrel. All of this will happen right under the not so watchful eye of the Englishman. Take care that he not inspect your pack! Outguess, outwit and outplay up to 6 opponents over a treacherous course to win the tricky Whisky Race, but always beware the nefarious Englishman!
