Fibonachos

 Fibonachos is a trick taking card game with trump based on the Fibonacci sequence. Play takes place over three rounds. Players score by taking tricks, winning the round and scoring the Spicy Card for that round. Cards in the Fibonacci sequence 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, and 13 become trump cards when the second of that card gets played during the round. 2-5 players, 30 minutes. now in the game library.

Flip 7

 Flip 7 is a card game originally released back in 1994. Player flip over cards and score points based on the number of the card shown on the flipped card. However, if you flip over a second card with the same number, you lose the points you accumulated that turn. The more points the card is worth, the greater the quantity of that card in the deck. Good for ages 8 and up as it teaches number recognition and plays in about 20 minutes.

Gloom Card Game

 Just got an email from Atlas Games, publisher of Gloom, that the company will be increasing the price as of the first of September. If you are wanting to get a copy of the core game or any of the supplments, now would be the time to buy them.

Good Cheap Gift Games

 

. For these, you want a game that provides a lot of fun without melting down your pocketbook. Here are some suggestions:

1.       Love Letter from AEG. This is Castle Perilous Games & Books Selected Stocking Stuffer of the Season for several reasons.  First, Love Letter is a lot of fun, plays quickly and offers quite a bit of replay value, especially with the number of variants that AEG has released.  In addition, it boasts a great price point at $9.99 for the basic game and only $10.99 for the Batman, Hobbit and Adventure Time variants. There’s even a Letters to Santa version if you want to get really thematic. Add in that the game is attractively packaged in both boxed and clamshell versions and you have a great stocking stuffer.

2.       Timeline from Asmodee. Gnome Games picked this one as its Stocking Stuffer of 2015 for the same reasons Castle Perilous Games & Books chose Love Letter (In fact, Gnome Games selected Love Letter as its Stocking Stuffer for 2013).  Timeline comes packaged in an attractive tin that fits neatly into a stocking, has an equally attractive $14.99 price point and offers plenty of replayability. Add in the fact that it actually teaches a bit of history and you have an all-around great choice.

3.       Fluxx from Looney Labs.  At $16 to $20, Fluxx is a bit more expensive than the first two options but still comparatively cheap and comes in a wide variety of variations. You can buy Nature Fluxx, Stoner Fluxx, Star Fluxx, Cthulhu Fluxx, Pirate Fluxx, Batman Fluxx or even, should your tastes run that way, just plain Fluxx. The number of Fluxx games make it relatively easy to find a version that would appeal to anyone on your Secret Santa or gift exchange list. In addition, since the rules change with every game, even with every hand, Fluxx, whatever version you buy, offers immense replayability.

4.       Happy Birthday from North Star Games.  Though Happy Birthday doesn’t have the name recognition of North Star Games’ other games such as Evolution and Wits and Wagers,  or even the other games on this list, it is an enjoyable game in its own right, which is one of the reasons it makes the list. Also, surprisingly given the size of North Star Games’ other products, Happy Birthday comes in a compact 3’ x3’ box with a nice heft to it, perfect for tucking into a stocking. Add in the extremely reasonable $12.99 price point and that fact that Happy Birthday is a game that younger children especially like to play, the age range is 6 and up and the game can handle up to 8 players, making it good for family get togethers and you have one more great stocking stuffer.

Updated List of Used Board and Card Games

Since We had a request for a list of the games we have, we will start working on posting them on the store blog.  Since we have seen the most interest in used board and card games, we will start with them here. Email the store at castleperilousgames@gmail.com, message us on FB or call the store for more information about a gameYou can pay for them via paypal to castlep@aol.com or by calling the store. Prices do not include tax which is an additional 9.75% and there is a $5 charge for shipping or delivery if the total is $25 or less. Listing has the publisher, title and price. If a game is not complete, there is a note after the price

Cardinal  Shark Tank The Game $14.99
University Games Smart Ass The Board Games $9.99
Sisters 2 What's A Dame to Do $14.99
RoosterFin Wild Dash $14.99
Parker Brothers Pictionary $19.99
CMON Krosmaster Arena $39.99
Out of the Box  Word on the Street Jr. $22
Briarpatch Astro Boy Saves the Universe $19.99
Level 99 Games War of Indines $19.99
Pressman Tri-Ominos  $9.99
Granna Civilizations $19.99
UberPlay Motley Fool Buy Low Sell High $14.99
Golden Anyone's Guess $9.99
Eagle Games Bootleggers $24.99
Pressman Tri-ominos  $9.99
HL Games Amuse Amaze (MENSA Select) $14.99
Rio Grande Games Ricochet Robot $29.99
WizKids  Heroes of Dominaria (missing one black token) $29.99
Portal Games Alien Artifacts $19.99
Grey Fox Games  Rising 5 Runes of Asteros  $19.99
Passport Game Studios  Kingsport Festival $19.99
AEG  Fantahzee  $14.99
Classic Games Cheers The Trivia Game $29.99
Awaken Realms Lords of Helas  $74.99
FFG Tide of Iron Fury of the Bear Expansion $39.99
FFG Warhammer Invasion Base Set (missing 1 damage token) $19.99
Golden Egg Games  Prime Time $14.99
NSKN Games Versailles $19.99
Waddingtons 4000 A. D  $24.99
Ravensburger  Master Labyrinth $24.99
Michael Glenn Productions Wheeler Dealer (no box lid) $19.99

Used Board and Card Games

Since We had a request for a list of the games we have, we will start working on posting them on the store blog.  Since we have seen the most interest in used board and card games, we will start with them here. Email the store at castleperilousgames@gmail.com, message us on FB or call the store for more information about a gameYou can pay for them via paypal to castlep@aol.com or by calling the store. Prices do not include tax which is an additional 9.75% and there is a $5 charge for shipping or delivery if the total is $25 or less. Listing has the publisher, title and price. If a game is not complete, there is a note after the price

Cardinal  Shark Tank The Game $14.99
University Games Smart Ass The Board Games $9.99
Sisters 2 What's A Dame to Do $14.99
RoosterFin Wild Dash $14.99
Parker Brothers Pictionary $19.99
CMON Krosmaster Arena $39.99
Out of the Box  Word on the Street Jr. $22
Briarpatch Astro Boy Saves the Universe $19.99
Z-man Games Pandemic 1st Edition $29.99
Z-man Games  Pandemic On The Brink 1st Edition $24.99
Level 99 Games War of Indines $19.99
Pressman Tri-Ominos  $9.99
Granna Civilizations $19.99
UberPlay Motley Fool Buy Low Sell High $14.99
Golden Anyone's Guess $9.99
Eagle Games Bootleggers $24.99
Pressman Tri-ominos  $9.99
HL Games Amuse Amaze (MENSA Select) $14.99
Rio Grande Games Ricochet Robot $29.99
WizKids  Heroes of Dominaria (missing one black token) $29.99
Portal Games Alien Artifacts $19.99
Grey Fox Games  Rising 5 Runes of Asteros  $19.99
Passport Game Studios  Kingsport Festival $19.99
AEG  Fantahzee  $14.99
Classic Games Cheers The Trivia Game $29.99
Awaken Realms Lords of Helas  $74.99
FFG Tide of Iron Fury of the Bear Expansion $39.99
FFG Warhammer Invasion Base Set (missing 1 damage token) $19.99

Once Upon A Time

Once Upon a Time is a great interactive and cooperative card game from Atlas Games. Players have a hand of cards including an ending card and start off by saying "Once Upon a Time" . First play tells a story using the cards from their hand. For example, if  a player had a "princess" card in their hand, they could start "Once upon a time, there was a princess" and play the princess card. If another player had a card allowing them to steal after a character card is played, they could play it and take over telling the story.

The players take turns controlling the storyline through playing cards from their hands and stealing the story from other players with the object of telling a good story, emptying their hands and finally playing their ending card such as "And they lived happily ever after" or "And the enchantment was broken."

There are several expansion sets for the game, including Seafaring Tales and Knightly Tales. Games Magazine counted the game as one of its Top 100 games and Pyramid Magazine rated it one of the best games of the Millenium

Happy Birthday Would Make a Great Secret Santa Gift

1.       Happy Birthday from North Star Games.  Though Happy Birthday doesn’t have the name recognition of North Star Games’ other games such as Evolution and Wits and Wagers,  or even the other games on this list, it is an enjoyable game in its own right.  Also, surprisingly given the size of North Star Games’ other products, Happy Birthday comes in a compact 3’ x3’ box with a nice heft to it, perfect for tucking into a stocking. Add in the extremely reasonable $12.99 price point and that fact that Happy Birthday is a game that younger children especially like to play, the age range is 6 and up and the game can handle up to 8 players, making it good for family get togethers and you have one more great stocking stuffer.

Consider Fluxx for Christmas!

1.       Fluxx from Looney Labs.  At $16 to $20,  is a great game, comparatively cheap and comes in a wide variety of styles, making it comparatively easy to find a version to appeal to everyone. You can buy Nature Fluxx, Stoner Fluxx, Star Fluxx, Cthulhu Fluxx, Pirate Fluxx, Batman Fluxx or even, should your tastes run that way, just plain Fluxx. The number of Fluxx games make it relatively easy to find a version that would appeal to anyone on your Secret Santa or gift exchange list. In addition, since the rules change with every game, even with every hand, Fluxx, whatever version you buy, offers immense replayability.

Who Is Genius Games

Reached out to Genius Games with 5 questions about their company and games:

What type of games does Genius Games publish?

1. Genius Games publishes science-accurate hobby games. Every game deals with a specific scientific concept, like cell biology or subatomic particles. We then design the game around that concept so that the mechanics encapsulate the scientific process. Before we release each game we make sure it's completely accurate to the science and the gameplay is engaging for people both new and familiar to the topic.

How did Genius Games start?

2. I've CC'd John Coveyou here, he's the founder and CEO of Genius Games. John had been teaching chemistry and kept running into students' perceptions of the hard sciences as intimidating concepts. So John decided to use gamification to make science concepts more approachable and fun to interact with. He launched Genius Games's first title, Linkage (one of the few titles we no longer publish) on Kickstarter, and Genius Games has been growing ever since. If you want to ask him any specific questions feel free to shoot him an email.

I like worker placement games. Which of your games would you recommend?

3. If you like worker placement games, I highly recommend Cytosis: A Cell Biology Game. It's a worker placement game that takes place inside of a human cell, and it's completely accurate to all the organelles and molecules inside a cell. It's been awarded the Dice Tower Seal of Approval and endorsed by the Journal of Cell Science.

How do your games support STEM?

4. All of the newer games (Cytosis, Subatomic, Periodic) include Science Behind the Game documents that have been outsourced by us to experts in their field, including many PhDs. We essentially have them play the game, and then write sections on the actual natural process and how it's represented in the game. It's really useful to show how the content in the games matches up to curriculum. Plus, Ion was recommended by the National Science Teaching Association for classroom use. It's quick, easy to learn, and covers chemical bonding, a subject taught very early on in chemistry classes.

What upcoming games do you have?

5. We've just released Periodic: A Game of The Elements, which is a tactical pickup game played out on the periodic table of elements. On October 16th we release Lovelace & Babbage through our Artana brand (more info on that below), which is a mental math and set collection game about the world's first computer and its programmers. And later this year we'll be releasing Ecosystem, a quick card-drafting game about drafting organisms and environments and placing them into an ecosystem, and Nerd Words: Science, which is a party word game with teams giving clues and trying to guess the science word based on the clues given to them. Our full line includes:

• Peptide: A Protein Building Game
• Ion: A Compound Building Game
• Covalence: A Molecule Building Game
• Virulence: An Infectious Card Game
• Cytosis: A Cell Biology Game
• Subatomic: An Atom Building Game
• Periodic: A Game of The Elements

We've also acquired the Artana brand, which has focused on moments and people in science history. It's a good corollary brand for us as people interested in science are interested in the history of science and luminaries as well, but it's distinct from the Genius Games brand which focuses on the natural processes themselves. The Artana line includes:

• Tesla vs. Edison: War of Currents
• Tesla vs. Edison: Duel (a lighter 2-player version)
• Einstein: His Amazing Life and Incomparable Science
• The New Science
• Speakeasy Blues
• Lovelace & Babbage (releasing Oct 16)

Pandasaurus Games The Mind

The Mind is an interesting little card game that we have had a hard time keeping in stock. In fact, suppliers have had a hard time keeping it in stock since it is such an ingenious idea. It plays in less than 15 minutes but is addictive enough to play over and over again.

Essentially, you start with a hand of cards equal to the number of players in the game, so with 2 players you would start with two cards. Without saying anything, each player plays what they think is the lowest card in anyone's hand. As long as the card played is the lowest, you keep playing. If someone has a lower card, you discard the cards in your hand and lose one life. Complete a level and you get bonus lives. Lose all your lives and you lose the game. Like I said, addictive, which is why we keep selling out.

Jay's Favorite Games: Red Dragon Inn

I like Red Dragon Inn because it's a fun party game about drinking and gambling. It can be played with two or a near infinite amount of people and anywhere in between. It's a great game for people ages 13 and up with very simple or very complex rules. Over all I love it a lot and think you will too.

- Jay

Star Trek Fluxx

Or is that Fluxxes? Anyhow, Looney Labs has announced they have the licese to produce a series of Star Trek Fluxx games releasing later this year:

We are very excited to announce three new Star Trek Titles from Looney Labs - two standalone card games and an expansion pack that allows you to shuffle both decks together!
 
Star Trek Fluxx: Featuring characters from the Original Series,
including Spock, Uhura, and Scotty!

Star Trek: The Next Generation Fluxx: Featuring TNG characters,
including Troi, Riker, and Worf!

Star Trek Fluxx Bridge Expansion: 12 cards that allow Kirk to meet Picard,
Spock to meet Data, and the Past to meet the Future!
 

Card Game of the Week: Protested Game

When people think of game protests, the first game that comes to mind is generally Dungeons and Dragons, which had quite a track record of people protesting it during the 1980s and 1990s. More recently, people have protested the racism in Cards Against Humanity. We had a few people protest D&D back in the 1990s but the only other game I ever recall having protested is the one above:  Atlas Games Lunch Money.

Lunch Money is a game of school yard combat. Each player has 15 points and a handful of "Hit"  cards, such as Kick and Punch, to do damage to your opponents. The image on the card is that of a pre-teen girl generally staring angrily at you.

Some years ago, while set up at a convention, I sold a copy of the game to a pair of teenage boys, since the theme of this game typically appeals to teenagers. They took it off and about an hour later, I had an angry mother dragging a con staff member up to the table, wanting to know  if I knew the contents of the game I was selling and why I was selling something that her 5 year old daughter was watching people play. The staff member and  I finally managed to point out to her that:  1. It was a card game and 2. we had no control over what her daughter did. Somewhat mollified, she finally left with the staff member and I heard no more about it. Still, that and D&D are the only two instances of protested games we have had. So, if you want the opportunity to own a protested game and don't want to go the Cards Against Humanity route, I recommend Lunch Money.

Card Game of the Week Stocking Stuffer of 2017

Each year the store selects a Stocking Stuffer of the Year, a game that is fun, inexpensive and small enough to fit in a Christmas stocking, In 2015, it was Love Letter, in 2016, TimeLine. This year, "You Gotta Be Kitten Me. You Gotta Be Kitten Me is a bluffing game that plays in less than half an hour, sells for $9.99 and easily fits in a stock. In addition, it had pictures of cute kittens and puppies. What more do you want? If you want testimonials, it is a favorite of several of the students at Brehm Preparatory School.

Boardgame of the Week: Wonky

USAOpoly has retired the basic all Ages Wonky but still makes the 21+ version. In this version, you are member of the HAZMAT team who must follow directions on the PROTOCOL cards to stabilize the Wonky element cubes. Follow the instructions on all your PROTOCOL cards and have no cards in your hand at the end of your turn to win. Needless to say, the cards are spill proof as consuming liquids can play an important part in the game.

Stocking Stuffer of the Year

Since 2014, the store has selected a Stocking Stuffer of the Year. The games winning this honor have to meet three criteria:

1) cost less than $20
2) easily fit in a stocking
3) Be a lot of fun to play

2014's Stocking Stuffer of the Year was Asmodee's Timeline

And 2015's was AEG's Love Letter

This year we chose Antidote from Bellwether Games because it fits all three criteria. On several occasions, we have played the game at the store and players wanted to start another game as soon as they finished the first one. Add in the fact that the publisher, Bellwether Games, is located here in Carbondale and you can see why Antidote is our choice for Stocking Stuffer of the Year

Too Much Nostalgia

There is such a thing, I think, as too much nostalgia. Did anyone really demand the return of Rom, Micornauts or the ThunderCats as comic book or The Crow boardgame? At least those are characters from the relatively recent past and properties that today's adults would remember from their youth.

Has there been some demand I have missed for the return of Captain Action though? The character premiered 50 years ago, meaning that the kids who played with the figure then are in their late 50s and early 60s now.  I remember the first go round of Captain Action, whose main selling point was that you could dress him up as Superman, Batman, Captain America and other super heroes of the day. Now, he has reincarnated in today's comic book as an action adventure spy, without the changeability that made him unique. Is that enough to create demand for the comic, let alone a new card game?

Firefly Games

The release by Upper Deck of its Firefly Shiny Dice and the announcement by the company that it will release a Firefly deckbuilding game using its Legendary game engine means that there are now four different companies that have released games based on Firefly:

-Upper Deck has the dice and deckbuilding games, as noted above
-Margaret Weis Productions released the Firefly roleplaying game, the company also released the Serenity RPG back in 2005
-Gale Force 9 puts out the Firefly board game
-Finally Toy Vault produces the Firefly Out of the Dark card game

No idea how this happened as typically a company gets a license for a property and then has the rights to produce all products within a category for that property. Having different companies produce games using the same license at the same time is very unusual.

Pathfinder Adventure Card Game Guild Delayed

Yet again.  Here's the email from Paizo:

Unfortunately, the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game Class Decks, which are required for playing in the Pathfinder Society Adventure Card Guild Organized Play program, have been delayed yet again, and the new retail release date for the Class Decks will be October 1. As a result, the Adventure Card Guild retail launch is delayed to the same date. Additionally, delays with Adventure Deck 2 have caused it, and all future Skull & Shackles decks, to be delayed by a month, so we'll be spacing out releases a bit differently than we had previously planned.
The first adventure in Season of the Shackles consists of 6 separate scenarios, while future adventures will be composed of 4 scenarios each. Here's the current release schedule:

Date	Release
October 1	Adventure 1 Scenarios 1–4
October 8	Adventure 1 Scenario 5
October 15	Adventure 1 Scenario 6
October 22	Adventure 2 Scenario 1
October 29	Adventure 2 Scenario 2
November 5	Adventure 2 Scenario 3
November 12	Adventure 2 Scenario 4
November 19	Adventure 3 Scenario 1
November 26	Adventure 3 Scenario 2
December 3	Adventure 3 Scenario 3
December 10	Adventure 3 Scenario 4
December 17	Adventure 4 Scenario 1
December 24	HOLIDAY
December 31	HOLIDAY
January 7	Adventure 4 Scenario 2
January 14	Adventure 4 Scenario 3
January 21	Adventure 4 Scenario 4
January 28	Adventure 5 Scenario 1
February 4	Adventure 5 Scenario 2
February 11	Adventure 5 Scenario 3
February 18	Adventure 5 Scenario 4
February 25	Adventure 6 Scenario 1
March 4	Adventure 6 Scenario 2
March 11	Adventure 6 Scenario 3
March 18	Adventure 6 Scenario 4