Unboxed the Board Game Blog

Exploriana is an exciting game of exploration and discovery set towards the end of the 19th century. The players control the destiny of intrepid explorers setting out on expeditions to far off regions of the world. Fantastic animals, beautiful orchids, glittering treasures, lost explorers, maps and more all await discovery. However, fame and fortune will only come to those brave enough to trek into the untamed wilds. Exploriana is played over several rounds, each split into a number of phases. Each round, players recruit explorers, ranging from photographers and detectives to scholars, medics and more. They then decide which of three far flung regions of the world they wish to send their explorers; South America, Africa or The Far East. Those explorers then lead expeditions into the deep jungles, endless savannah and mist swathed mountains of these strange new lands. Exploration is a dangerous pursuit, perils lurk around every corner waiting to doom an expedition to failure! Explorers rely on their skills and wit to get them through, but if their expedition runs into too much trouble they could become lost, perhaps never to be seen again! The players must decide just how far to push their luck and see if fortune really does favour the bold!

Once upon a time there was a marvelous forest full of gorgeous fruits. These fruits came in vivid colors with the sweetest tastes. And the best part was the fruits could be squeezed and mixed into the most delicious juices. You are animals living in this forest, searching for the most savory fruits. You find them with the help of friendly forest-dwellers. They give you fruits, trade them with you or help you in other ways. It is most advantageous to be the first at these locations. If you are already at a location, you get a fruit from the animals arriving after you. You are greedy and thirsty. Who will be the first to satisfy their appetite for fabled juices?

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!

Do you cooperate and risk getting outsmarted by a greedy player? Or do you compete and risk losing everything? You are pirates who just looted a ship and must negotiate how to split the treasure. There are seven types of loot with values from 1 to 3. At the end of the game, you only score the treasure types you have the most and least of.

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!

Sauron’s influence is spreading across the land, corrupting those without the will to stand against him. If he manages to recover the One Ring, the people of Middle-earth are surely doomed—forced to live out their lives in vile servitude. And now the One Ring, along with all hope of salvation, rests in the small hands of a hobbit. The Lord of the Rings: The Board Game is a unique cooperative board game for two to five players. Legendary designer Reiner Knizia puts players in the roles of hobbits on a perilous quest to destroy the One Ring. Their journey is brought to life by world renowned Tolkien artist John Howe, whose illustrations make this game an immersive work of art. Spanning the entirety of J.R.R. Tolkien’s timeless book trilogy, The Lord of the Rings lets players relive the Fellowship’s heroic journey again and again.

In Mandala Stones, you use artists to collect colorful stones in towers that you then score.

Experienced nature observers bravely roam the area in search of plants, animals and various curiosities. They eagerly use their knowledge - in the meadows, among the grasses, they can spot small rodents, and since they are here, maybe a buzzard, a fox or even a viper will appear in a moment! Meadow is a board game in which players take the role of wanderers watching nature. Equipped with a map, they stroll through the picturesque surroundings, looking for inspiration and capturing breathtaking views. Players are driven by passion and curiosity, but also by competition for the title of the keenest nature observer! It will be awarded to whoever scores the most points from the observed species of animals and plants, landscapes and souvenirs collected from the hike. Competition continues by the fire, where players compete in achieving the goals of their expeditions.

Ohanami - the beauty of flowers. Create gardens and round for round, decide which objects and plants are suitable. After all, only the correct configuration can turn everything into one harmonic whole. Ohanami may be an easy game to play, but it is one full of tricky decisions.

As skilled members of a disease-fighting team, you and the other players work together to keep the world safe from outbreaks and epidemics. Only through teamwork will you have a chance to find a cure. Pandemic is a cooperative board game in which players work as a team to treat infections around the world while gathering resources for cures. First published in 2007, the game's unique combination of cooperative gameplay, engrossing premise, and compelling design have proved a hit with everyone from hardcore gamers to casual players. The Pandemic game line now includes multiple expansions and stand-alone titles.

It starts simply. A virus tougher than the rest. Nothing your team can’t handle. But as January turns to February, things take a turn for the worse. This is no ordinary virus. What results is a year that will never be forgotten. Pandemic Legacy: Season 1 is a unique and epic cooperative game where your decisions in one game carry over into future games. Over the course of the campaign, you will open sealed packets, reveal hidden information, and unlock secrets that will change your world in unexpected ways. Characters will gain scars, cities will panic, and diseases will mutate. Adapt to each new challenge and save humanity before it’s too late. The world will never be the same again.