Unboxed the Board Game Blog

Running off IDW Games' miniatures-driven "Adventures Universal Game System" (AUGS) engine, Batman: The Animated Series Adventures – Shadow of the Bat allows players to take the role of any hero in their roster in the game's 24 unique missions, which areall inspired by fan-favorite episodes. Even villains can be swapped out in every mission to change up the threats that players will face. In Shadow of the Bat, 1-4 players take to the streets as Batman, Batgirl, Robin, Commissioner Gordon, and Catwoman, each with their own unique character abilities, skills, and custom dice. They have to work together to take down the likes of Two-Face, The Penguin, Mr. Freeze, The Riddler, Scarecrow, Man-Bat, The Joker, and Harley Quinn. As with other AUGS games, villains can be controlled by the game itself for full co-op play or by a fifth player. AUGS' modularity means that players can even create their own dream scenarios and teams, including bringing in elements from other AUGS products.

Based on the award-winning Betrayal at House on the Hill board game, Betrayal at Mystery Mansion is the mash-up fans have been clamoring for! Play as Scooby-Doo, Shaggy, Velma, Daphne, or Fred as you explore the mansion and its grounds, finding clues, encountering strange occurrences, and maybe even catching sight of a monster! When you find enough clues to learn what's really going on, that's when the haunt starts, and one player will switch sides to play the role of the monster! Will you be able to stop them before they carry out their sinister plan? Betrayal at Mystery Mansion contains 25 new haunts based on popular episodes and movies from the Scooby-Doo oeuvre, with different monsters, items, events, and locations each time you play.

Blood Bowl is a game of Fantasy Football. The basic game features a match between two teams drawn from a number of fantasy archetypes, playing a warped version of American Football. The Blood Bowl boxed game contains two teams: Humans, an all-round team who are flexible enough to adapt to any style of play, or Orcs, who make up in brute force what they lack in finesse. The teams are represented by coloured plastic miniatures, and push-fit assembly is required before use. The game is expandable, and additional rules and teams will be made available through expansion sets and supplements. Actions in the game are resolved through the use of dice. Regular six-sided dice are used to make tests in a number of cases, such as when a player attempts to pick up the ball, pass it, catch it or dodge past an enemy player. Custom dice are used when one player wishes to Block another, using graphics to represent each of the different (but all violent) potential outcomes.

Colour Chess and Lure are stand-alone games that can be combined. The game can be enjoyed by any level of ability, from kids (who enjoy focusing on the colours while they are learning the movement of the pieces), right through to Chess Grandmasters (who expertly incorporate the colour strategies into their existing skill-set). In both games the premise is similar: use the colours to control and predict your opponent’s movements. Each player takes two turns at a time, but on the first turn players must move onto the same colour tile that their opponent moved onto on their last turn. This allows you to bait pieces, force movement and control certain colours on the board. Strategies and skills learned through traditional Chess are directly applicable to Colour Chess, but you must learn to incorporate the use of colours in your strategy and adapt your skills to a new board every game. There is also a strong emphasis on creativity and exploration, whether it is in the construction of the board, the different pieces and game modes you can combine, or how to escape a seemingly impossible situation!

Descent: Journeys in the Dark Second Edition is a board game in which one player takes on the role of the treacherous overlord, and up to four other players take on the roles of courageous heroes. During each game, the heroes embark on quests and venture into dangerous caves, ancient ruins, dark dungeons, and cursed forests to battle monsters, earn riches, and attempt to stop the overlord from carrying out his vile plot. Featuring double-sided modular board pieces, countless hero and skill combinations, and an immersive story-driven campaign, Descent: Journeys in the Dark Second Edition transports heroes to a vibrant fantasy realm where they must stand together against an ancient evil.

Descent: Journeys in the Dark is a "one vs. many" game in which up to four players will choose characters with a wide assortment of skills and innate abilities to be the heroes who will explore dungeons in search of treasure and adventure, while one player will take on the role of the Overlord and will control the dungeon's many traps, puzzles, and monsters. The heroes' goal will be to cooperatively conquer the dungeon, seize its many treasures, and achieve other objectives as set by the scenario. If the heroes cooperate and achieve their goals, they will all win. The Overlord's objective is simply to use all the means at their disposal - from deadly traps to ferocious monsters - to kill the heroes. Each hero has a certain Conquest Point value to the party and if too many Conquest Points are lost through hero death, the party loses and the Overlord wins.

The game is similar to a dungeon crawl from the game D&D, although there is no role-playing involved. Player characters are pre-generated and there are no non-weapon proficiencies. While the quests are pre-determined in a booklet, an empty map framework is included, allowing users to make their own.

The call comes in… “911, what is your emergency?” On the other end is a panicked response of “FIRE!” Moments later you don the protective suits that will keep you alive, gather your equipment and rush to the scene of a blazing inferno. The team has only seconds to assess the situation and devise a plan of attack – then you spring into action like the trained professionals you are. You must face your fears, never give up, and above all else work as a team because the fire is raging, the building is threatening to collapse, and lives are in danger. You must succeed. You are the brave men and women of fire rescue; people are depending on you. This is what you do every day.

Gear up for a thrilling adventure to recover a legendary flying machine buried deep in the ruins of an ancient desert city. You'll need to coordinate with your teammates and use every available resource if you hope to survive the scorching heat and relentless sandstorm. Find the flying machine and escape before you all become permanent artifacts of the Forbidden Desert!

Dare to discover Forbidden Island! Join a team of fearless adventurers on a do-or-die mission to capture four sacred treasures from the ruins of this perilous paradise. Your team will have to work together and make some pulse-pounding maneuvers, as the island will sink beneath every step! Race to collect the treasures and make a triumphant escape before you are swallowed into the watery abyss!

Players will take on the role of a wandering mercenary with their own special set of skills and their own reasons for traveling to this remote corner of the world. Players must work together out of necessity to clear out menacing dungeons and forgotten ruins. In the process they will enhance their abilities with experience and loot, discover new locations to explore and plunder, and expand an ever-branching story fueled by the decisions they make. This is a persistent game that is intended to be played over many game sessions. After a scenario, players will make decisions on what to do, which will determine how the story continues, kind of like a "Choose Your Own Adventure" book.

Hey, That’s My Fish! is an engaging, award-winning board game of strategic fish hunting, in which two to four players control determined penguins hungry for their next meal on a bustling Antarctic ice floe. Do you have the mettle to grab more fishy meals than your feathered foes? Since Hey, That’s My Fish! was originally published in 2003, it has become widely popular as an engrossing and strategic board game for casual family and tactical play, and it was even recommended in 2006 for the Spiel des Jahres award. Now, Fantasy Flight Games is proud to publish this definitive edition of the game, which includes a new box, new penguin miniatures, and new artwork.