Unboxed the Board Game Blog

A game of heroes, lies and unfortunate fish for wannabe heroes!. You sit in The Hero's Return, a tavern renowned for its heroic clientele. You're not a hero, but you talk a good game. You and your friends are holding court, regaling the crowds with your tales of derring-do. Can you fight your way through a drunken haze to concoct the best boasts? The most believable? Or at least ones that are funny? Voted card game of the year at the UK Games Expo.

Inspired by the medieval fortress in southern France of the same name, Carcassonne is a tile-laying game in which players fill in the countryside around the fortified city. Players choose from tiles that depict cities, roads, monasteries, and fields; each new tile placed creates an ever-expanding board on which players can then add their followers. Players score points by having followers on features as they're completed. The player who makes the most strategic placements of tiles and followers will score the most points and win the game.

"You are Abelard Lavel, a knight sworn to King Charles VI the Beloved. You live in the city of Paris in a family mansion not far from the famous Notre Dame cathedral. Since you were a child, you had strange, prophetic dreams in which you saw violent scenes of past crimes or even ones yet to be committed. Over time you learned that your unusual gift could be put to good use and you started to solve cases that nobody else could crack. This earned you some reputation in the city and now people seek your help whenever a mysterious crime is committed." The Chronicles of Crime: 1400 standalone game brings back well-known mechanisms of the original Chronicles of Crime game while adding some new twists. Now you can deduce not only from the evidence you find or the testimonies given by various characters but also from the mysterious scenes depicted on new Vision Cards. These scenes can be either from the future or from the past and they usually involve characters and objects yet to be revealed. During your investigation, you can also count on your family members to share their knowledge with you. You can ask your uncle, a monk who has a wealth of knowledge about written texts, your sister a merchant who knows something about almost any object you’ll find or even your brother, a king’s spy, who knows a story or two about many of the people you will meet. Finally, your faithful dog is always willing to trace a suspect for you, just bring him an item belonging to the person in question and he’ll track them down! Part of Chronicles of Crime - The Millennium Series Chronicles of Crime is back with a range of games called "The Millennium Series". Three brand new standalone Chronicles of Crime games, working with the same great system but providing interesting gameplay twists and refreshing universes that span an entire millennium from 1400 to 1900 and finally 2400. All three games are standalone but will offer connecting narrative threads for players to discover.

Chronicles of Crime - The Millennium Series features three standalone Chronicles of Crime games that utilize the same great Chronicles of Crime system, but provide interesting gameplay twists and refreshing settings, that span an entire millennium from 1400 to 1900 and finally 2400. Players will be able to experience Paris like never before as they solve cases across three distinct time periods.

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.

In many ways "Dungeon!" is similar to Dungeons & Dragons, although much simplified and transformed into a board game. Players explore a dungeon that is divided into levels of increasing difficulty, fighting monsters for valuable treasure. As players venture deeper into the dungeon, the monsters become more difficult and the treasure more valuable. Several character classes each have slightly different fighting abilities – most notably the wizard, who can cast spells. Combat is simulated using dice; players roll the dice to attack a monster, and if unsuccessful, the dice are rolled to determine the effect of the monster's counter-attack. The winner is the first player to bring a certain amount of treasure back to the Dungeon's entrance.

Taverns and turncoats, merchants and magic… oh my! Enter the Hooting Owl tavern, where magicians and merchants make their moves, or the Black Cat tavern home of crooks and scheming sorcerers. As a fellow merchant, you will need to bend in, collect and trade magical objects to become the richest merchant in Kameloot. Watch out for turncoats, and traitors, there is no mercy in the taverns!

In the best-selling family classic, you are a king seeking new lands to expand your kingdom. Match tiles, claim crowns and expand your land to build the most impressive Kingdom! But be careful, other kings will try and claim the same terrain!

Roll the dice, create your domino and watch your kingdom grow! Domino by domino fill in your map while entrusting the territories of your kingdom to loyal nobles. Use the power of the wizards to cast spells and strengthen your domain! In this head to head battle, will you be crowned King?

In The Quacks of Quedlinburg, players are charlatans - or quack doctors - each making their own secret brew by adding ingredients one at a time. Take care with what you add, though, for a pinch too much of this or that will spoil the whole mixture!

The bustling market in Nottingham is filled with goods from all over the kingdom. Most of it is entirely legal, however, Prince John is looking to make sure no contraband gets sold. He’s tasked the Sheriff to inspect Merchant’s wares, looking for any illicit goods. The Sheriff’s shrewd, but not above taking a bribe to look the other way. Which Merchant will end up getting the best goods through and make the largest profits in the market stalls?

The kingdom is in total chaos! Work together to guide this brave rolling knight through 20 adventures filled with twists and traps. Players each hold on to a lever and guide the moving platform in all directions, sliding the knight to follow the right paths while beating obstacles. As challenges become more difficult, hold on to your lives to make it to the highest level and win! Slide Quest turned a video game concept into a board game where dexterity and cooperation are keys to success.