November 29, 2010
The publisher of some of the best board games of the decade has opened it's inventory for a full blown holiday sale. Some of these titles are at insanely low prices to clean inventory. And these aren't trashy titles, but high quality and well reviewed board games like Tribune, World of Warcraft Adventure Game Expansions, the Starcraft Board Game expansion Brood War, and BattleLore expansions.
All titles are discounted considerably, some of these titles are 1/5 of their original price. Happy Hunting!
Critical Gamers Staff Permalink
November 26, 2010
Welcome to you one-stop index page for all of our Holiday Board Game Gift Ideas for 2010! The year has been boon year for gaming as boards games have truly hit a new golden age. We'll keep you in the know about all of this year's best releases.
We've organized our 2010 list as spectrum starting with the easily approachable family games all the way down the the strategic and tactical war games. There's bound to be the perfect gift idea for your specific gamer in mind somewhere here on this page.
And if you're looking for even more recommendations then check out our last four Holiday Gift Guides from 2009, 2008, 2007, and 2006.
Let's get started!
 Continue reading: "Critical Gamers' 2010 Holiday Gift Guide - Board and Card Game Gift Ideas "
Critical Gamers Staff Permalink
November 24, 2010
DoTR: The Dragons Expansion [Funagain] is first major expansion for the smash hit cooperative board game Defenders of the Realm has shipped to stores. The expansion adds the obvious new monster bosses - zee dragons - the fantasy themed 'save the world' board game.
Interestingly enough are new rewards that carry over between each plays. How cool is that?
Our only downside is we're used to expansions opening up games to more players, but your defenders experience is still limited. The game still only supports a messily four players which makes this a tight fit for most gaming groups. Come on Eagle Games, get on that!
For cool details about The Dragon Expansion check the Board Game Geek Gencon Interview video above. Also here are the official details:
The King's eyebrows lifted--revealing his disbelief. "More Dragons?" He mouthed the words in an alarmed whisper. The messenger nervously nodded. Dragons had not been in the Realm for centuries. Not since the days when the High Wizard Amarak advised the Royal Court. But now, not only had the Blue Dragon attacked the settlements on the frontier of the Blizzard Mountain Range with an army of her dragonkin, but other new Dragons had been sighted, clearly in the service of the Dark Lord's army. Hemlock, perhaps the most evil of all of the Dragon Generals, was en route from the East. Brimstone was already setting fire and laying waste to settlements near the Realm. And Onyx, the most feared dragon of all, was fast approaching from the North. The King contemplated the bravery and skill of his Heroes. Would it be enough...?
The Defenders of the Realm: Dragon Expansion allows players to increase or decrease the difficulty level of gameplay using variants and scenarios. 3 new Dragons, 3 Agents of the Dark Lord and 4 new minions enter the Realm!
Critical Gamers Staff Permalink
November 22, 2010
 Dominion Prosperity [Amazon, Funagain] is the highest rated expansion to Dominion to date. It's also the latest and greatest in the award lining line of deck building games in a box. If you know a Dominion fan and you're looking for a great, cheap Christmas pickup, then you've just found it. Act fast!
This is quite a deal. Tanga has claimed that Dominion Prosperity [Amazon, Funagain] is on short order at most major retailers. We made a check and it's somewhat true. Amazon has a stash ready to ship. What Tanga has over Amazon, though, is price. Today Dominion Prosperity is cheaper on Tanga than anywhere we can find.
And they even throw in some deck sleeves to boot. Cover those cards before a spilled beer consumes them.
Here are the official details:
"Ah, money. There's nothing like the sound of coins clinking in your hands. You vastly prefer it to the sound of coins clinking in someone else's hands, or the sound of coins just sitting there in a pile that no-one can quite reach without getting up. Getting up, that's all behind you now. Life has been good to you. Just ten years ago, you were tilling your own fields in a simple straw hat. Today, your kingdom stretches from sea to sea, and your straw hat is the largest the world has ever known. You also have the world's smallest dog, and a life-size statue of yourself made out of baklava. Sure, money can't buy happiness, but it can buy envy, anger, and also this kind of blank feeling. You still have problems - troublesome neighbors that must be conquered. But this time, you'll conquer them in style.
This is the 4th addition to the game of Dominion. It adds 25 new Kingdom cards to Dominion, plus 2 new Basic cards that let players keep building up past Gold and Province. The central theme is wealth; there are treasures with abilities, cards that interact with treasures, and powerful expensive cards.
Note: You need to have Dominion the base game to play this game. "
Critical Gamers Staff Permalink
November 19, 2010
Civilization the Board Game [Amazon, Funagain] is now and shipping from stores and to a gaming table near you. Oh joyous joy of joys.. Our favorite board game system on the computer (aka Civilization 5) just got it's board game treatment from the high-quality board game house Fantasy Flight Games. Oh, and it looks awesome.
What does Civilization entail? Simple: grooming your peoples from a small city state in ancient history a full blown world civilization in the not-so-distant future through civic growth, through research, the growth and spreading of culture, and through warfare (of course). Every interesting gaming aspect of that struggle that you can think of is in the Civilization formula, or it has been groomed and reinvented through 5 award winning iterations. And they latest and greatest are in this board game incarnation.
For more information checkout the following links:
And here's Civilization's official details:
"Designed by Kevin Wilson, Civilization: The Board Game is inspired by the legendary video game series created by Sid Meier. Players are tasked with guiding an entire civilization throughout the ages, taking ownership of your people's technology, economy, culture, and military, as well as all the choices that go along with them. There are four different paths to victory, and each is riddled with opposition.
In Civilization: The Board Game, 2-4 players take on the roles of famous leaders in charge of historical civilizations, each with their own abilities. Players will be able to explore a module game board, build cities and buildings, fight battles, research powerful technology, and attract great people by advancing their culture. No matter what your play style is, there is a civilization for you!"
Critical Gamers Staff Permalink
November 12, 2010
 Now here's a movement that we could get behind. Tomorrow in libraries across the United States kids will be able to join together for gaming goodness in what we hope will be a reoccurring national day of gaming. We're not just talking one or two cities, but 1,800 different libraries across the country. How brilliant is this?
Here are some of the details:
"Libraries will offer a variety of activities throughout the day, including modern board games, traditional games (such as chess and checkers) and two national video game tournaments that will pit players at dozens of libraries against each other for bragging rights to the ultimate Rock Band and Super Smash Bros. Brawl crowns.
Through a generous donation from North Star Games, 1,500 of the participating libraries are receiving a free copy of the game Wits & Wagers Family, specifically for play during National Gaming Day."
You can easily check here for libraries near you. For more information check out the official announcement here.
This of course begs the question: why isn't there a library for games? Is your game night coming up ? Check out a game and bring it back the day after! We smell a franchise brewing.
Critical Gamers Staff Permalink
November 10, 2010
Click. The door to the neighborhood's creepy mansion has just locked behind you and your friends. It's up you to search the mansion for a way out.. or is it just to survive? Through the exploration of a modular board you and your fellow players will build the map of the mansion room by room, picking up useful items and discovering evil omens as you go. Everything is eerie but not too dangerous.. at least not until the haunting is revealed.
That's when the betrayer is revealed in The Betrayal at House on the HIll [Amazon, Funagain]. Depending on the omen card drawn, and the player who drew it, one player becomes the Traitor and one of fifty horrific scenarios will be unleashed. Yes, fifty. Hello replay value! Things like a giant blob that grows out of control, converting everyone it touches into a blob person, or a zombie attack, demonic sacrifice, the works! Defeating this ultimate evil is in the cards. Players must scramble through the mansion to search rooms and assemble the correct items to defeat the traitor and his army of evil, either through force or subtlety (depending on the scenario) before it's too late.
This game was a huge success (despite some major misprint problems) when it was released in 2004 but it's lately become short in supply. Now Avalon Hill has reprinted the game, released it with new high-quality materials and tweaked the gobs of scenarios. Despite its age this reprint is one of the forefront releases of the year. The game is just that good.
For more information about the game checkout Betrayal's BoardGameGeek page and the Component Breakdown Video from drakkenstrike (now in HD!)
Here are the official details:
"New spooky nights await you and your friends!
The creak of footsteps on the stairs, the smell of something foul and dead, the feel of something crawling down your back - this and more can be found in the exciting refresh of the Avalon Hill favorite Betrayal at House on the Hill. This fun and suspenseful game is a new experience almost every time you play - you and your friends explore "that creepy old place on the hill" until enough mystic misadventures happen that one of the players turns on all of the others! Hours of fun for all your friends and family.
Designed for 3-6 players aged 12 and up, this boardgame features multiple scenarios, a different lay-out with every game, and enough chills to freeze the heart of any horror fan."
Critical Gamers Staff Permalink
November 4, 2010
 This one took us very much unawares. We had though that the Battlestar Galactica board game line of expansions was dead in the water. First of all, the show's been off the air for quite some time. Secondly the Pegasus Expansion was a bit... too much. It felt as though a fragile layer of complexity was quickly slathered onto every facet of already complicated game, and at the end of the day it didn't sit very well in our stomachs. Kind of like a chili dog milk shake. Two great things that look sweet on a shelf, but blending them together with a bunch of rotating blades and you're in for one nasty looking 3000 calorie meal.
So we're a bit wary of another BS:G expansion. It'll have to tuned to sing right out of the bat or we'll be tossing it aside for some other interesting cooperative board game with a slick dynamic. After all, they're nearly a dime a dozen these days.
So what's in Exodus aside for new cards for every deck? Well it looks like the space combat system has been given an overhaul. The Cylon fleet will no longer be completely dormant while the Galactica is sailing in clear skies. Instead they'll be cranking up the tension dial by amassing ships on a separate board, forming up to pounce all at once.
They'll have to do something to balance this new sudden armada of ships that'll jump (instead of the nigh trickle before) and that's where the new officer title comes into play. Along with the President and Admiral there will be a Combat Air Group (CAG) Officer to call the shots at the tactical level. We haven't been briefed on the full details, but it sounds like the CAG officer will have more control over the the unmanned ships in the Viper fleet once the crap hits the fan. Expect the space combat mechanics to be more on-stage in this new refined BS:G board game system.
Also of note are new hidden aggendas for even the loyal humans, who were pretty vanilla in the past. We don't have any of the specifics on what sort of hidden agendas everyone will have, but we do know that there's a penalty for these loyal humans when they're force to reveal their loyalty card to another player. That means humans and cylons alike will be shying away from the dreaded cylon detectors, which will only make it seem like everyone is a cylon! The paranoia will be mindbogglingly twisted. Best to stay sober for this one.
We'll keep you posted as more details emerge. Until then, checkout the official Battlestar Galactica: Exodus expansion announcement. Also, here are the official details:
"Humanity has escaped from the Cylons and renewed its quest for the the legendary planet Earth... but their former captors will never relent. For the human race to survive, the mighty Battlestar Galactica must protect the handful of ships carrying humanity on their journey through space.
And yet, even if the men and women who serve on Galactica can elude the Cylons, can they outrun their own flaws? When put to the test, will they be able to overcome their own painful secrets and stand together against their enemies? What if one of these individuals were to discover that his memories of a human life were a lie, and that he was instead one of the mysterious Final Five Cylon models?
The Exodus Expansion for Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game brings players to the next chapter of the popular Syfy series. In addition to more characters, Destination, Crisis, Super Crisis, Loyalty, Quorum, and Skill Cards, this expansion offers three exciting new options for play that may be used in any combination. Create the Battlestar Galactica experience you want! "
Critical Gamers Staff Permalink
November 2, 2010
 The original Battle Cry is one of those gems that everyone interested in tactical war gaming recommends you play but man! -- you can't find around anymore. Now here's your chance (and our chance) to get our collective hands on this International Gamers Award winner and grand daddy of the modern tactical war gaming.
The first Battle Cry hosted numerous American Civil War battles and was based on the popular and easy to learn Command & Colors battle system (BattleLore, Memoir '44, Battles of Westeros). The title was a tactical board game breakthrough when it arrived on the scene in 2000 due to its approachability and streamlined play. Now it's returning again with 30 scenarios - that's twice the number as before, new artwork an a few rule tweaks, all set for publication in late November 2010 from Wizards of the Coast (ex Avalon Hill).
We're a bit concerned about how Wizards will handle the components for this release, because they've been.. how do you say... cheap over the last few years. Still, this is going to be a must by for anyone who hasn't tried out Battle Cry and is looking for a good, solid, tactical level historic war board game that will stick out in the sea of fantasy releases over the last few years.
Here are the official details:
"From 1861 to 1865, the United States was at war with itself. The battles of the American Civil War have taken a place in the fabric of American history. And here is your chance to recreate 15 of those Civil War Battles.
Battle Cry elegantly and simply recreates the Civil War experience. The gameboard can be setup with woods, hills, houses, and other features to recreate the specific terrain of the battle. The game system involves using cards to issue orders to specific units on the board. Combat dice decide the outcome of an attack, modified for terrain, distance, and other factors. Whenever a unit is completely destroyed, the victor gets the flag from that unit. Collect six flags first and win the battle.There are also rules for campaign play. "
We'll let you know when Battle Cry starts appearing in stores in just a few more weeks.
Critical Gamers Staff Permalink
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