Unboxed the Board Game Blog

What would YOU do with a Time Machine? Would you stop the sinking of the Titanic? Prevent the assassination of JFK? Kill Hitler before WWII? These are just a few of the possibilities in Chrononauts, the award-winning card game of time travel. In Chrononauts, you play a time traveler trying to get back to your unique timeline by changing some of history’s biggest linchpins and watching the way those changes ripple into the future. An excellent discussion starter about how historic events are intertwined.

To be selected for the coveted post of Master Builder, you must impress the monarchy by constructing a majestic medieval metropolis. In Citadels, players use the local citizens to acquire gold and build districts to complete their city. Players draft characters each round, looking for those who provide the desired special abilities to further develop their cities—or hinder their opponents' efforts. Hire the elusive Thief and pick one of your rival’s pockets, or commission the Artist to beautify your districts and increase their value. Plot, scheme, and deceive your way to the top as you attempt to predict your opponents’ actions and foil their plans. Only the best city will earn its steward the title of Master Builder.

Eight types of creepy critters are depicted on the Cockroach Poker cards, your job isn't to win, simply to make sure that you don't lose! Players take it in turns to pass a card, face down to one of their opponents and say out load what's on the card. They might bluff, or they might be telling the truth... is it a rat? or is it really a stink bug? The recipient can either accept the card, saying if they think the player is telling the truth or bluffing... or they can peek at the card and pass it on... Cockroach Poker is a funny bluff game with creatures that no one likes! The player on whom four cards of a kind are palmed off will lose this amusing bluff game. One player offers a card to another player stating what creature is pictured on it - correctly or incorrectly. The player who misjudges the other ends up with the card. "This is a stink bug!” You can peek at the card and pass it on: "Oh no, it‘s a spider!” True or false - who knows? Are you a good bluffer?

Simple premise and challenging gameplay with hours of fun to remember! That's Codenames – a fast paced party game that's sure to keep the whole group entertained, great for families, friends, and total strangers alike. Two rival spymasters know the secret identities of 25 agents. Their teammates know the agents only by their codenames. To win the game, your team will need to contact all of your agents in the field before the other team finds their own agents. And watch out for the assassin – meet him in the field and your team is done! Codenames is simple to explain and easy to understand, with no limit to size of the teams – you can play in four people as well as in twelve!

Colossal Arena features gorgeous new art and four brand-new creatures - not included in the original version - making Colossal Arena a new and unique game experience. In this game of gladiatorial mayhem, eight monsters battle in the arena for your amusement, while crazed spectators leap into the fray to help their favorites. Players place bets on the fantasy creatures they think will triumph. But beware! Each creature boasts individual skills and abilities, and players must manage the spectator cards while guiding their bets to maximum payoff. Tension is high as one creature is eliminated every round. Will your favorite prevail? Or will your champion be destroyed and your fortunes lost?

A cooperative version of the game Concept, adapted for play with children aged 4 and up. A game entirely dedicated to the animal kingdom! Get people to guess your favorite animals. But shh, there’s no talking here – words have been replaced with icons!

You are one of the magical Dustbunnies living under the sofa. Each time the vacuum cleaner comes out you strive to be recognised as the most daring of all Dustbunnies by risking the dangers of the vortex. Each round your fate is secretly linked with one of six fluffballs. The closer you can get your fluffball to the vacuum without it being sucked-up the more daring you will seem when the fates are revealed after the contest. Use your innate control of static, charms you found down the back of the sofa and your unique character powers to collectively propel the balls of fluff across the carpet. The furniture, rugs and even pets you encounter will help and hinder your efforts. Keep which colour of fluffball fate has handed you a secret, while working out which one your opponents are linked to and then decide which to send up the tube. Choose correctly and your opponent will be the agonised loser while you will rise to fame and glory in the kingdom behind the skirting boards.

Detective Club is a board game for players who enjoy party games, with simple rules that take just a minute to explain. Intrigue, sudden revelations, limitless creativity, and tons of fun await you in this game! Lead the investigation as a detective, or cover your tracks as the infiltrated conspirator. Discuss, accuse, object and try to convince everyone. In Detective Club, on each round, one of the players secretly teams up with another — the Conspirator — and tries to make them guess a secret word using just two illustrated cards! Other players are detectives, who also know the word, but don't know the identities of each other. Detectives have to find out who the conspirator is, making sure they don't get accused by their fellow players!

Don’t Mess with Cthuluhu is a fast playing social deduction game with secret identities. Players are either Investigators tying to keep Cthulhu from waking and controlling the world, or Cultists tht want to bring the wrld to a distrubing end. Nobody knows who is on their team, or who they can trust. Each turn has the potential to wake Cthulhu and end the world in an instant

It is 1926, and the museum’s exotic curios and occult artifacts open barriers between our world and the elder evils lurking between dimensions. Other Worlds begin to leak through and terrifying creatures of increasing strength steal through them. Animals, the mad, and those of susceptible minds are driven to desperation by the supernatural forces that the portals unleash. In the midst of this chaos, a handful of investigators race against time to locate the eldritch symbols necessary to seal the portals forever and stop evil Ancient Ones from reducing humanity to cinders. Elder Sign is a fast-paced, cooperative dice game of supernatural intrigue for one to eight players by Richard Launius and Kevin Wilson, the designers of Arkham Horror. Players take the roles of investigators racing against time to stave off the imminent return of the Ancient Ones. Armed with cards for tools, allies, and occult knowledge, investigators must put their sanity and stamina to the test as they adventure to locate Elder Signs, the eldritch symbols used to seal away the Ancient Ones and win the game.

Use resources to build a village of critters and constructions in this woodland game. From Everfrost to Bellsong, many a peaceful year have passed in Everdell — but the time has come for new territories to be settled and new cities to be established. You will be the leader of a group of critters intent on just such a task. There are buildings to construct, lively characters to meet, events to host— you will have a busy year ahead of you! Will the sun shine brightest on your city before the winter moon rises?

In Evolution: The Origin of Species, players do the work of nature, putting animals into play and evolving them trait by trait to help them survive and thrive. Each player starts with a hand of six cards that feature an animal on the back and one or two traits on the front. Each round consists of four phases. During Development, players take turns playing one card from their hand either as an animal (face-down) or as a trait on one of their existing animals (face-up and tucked under the animal). Traits include Carnivorous, Camouflage, Sharp Vision, Swimming, Poisonous and Communication; if a card has two traits, the player chooses which trait the animal acquires, hiding the other trait under the animal. Once a player passes during this phase, he can no longer play cards.