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Unboxed Reviews

Tales From The Red Dragon Inn

Put down your flagons and strap on your swords, it’s time to delve through some dungeons in Tales from the Red Dragon Inn! A new 1-4 player cooperative board game by SlugFest Games! In Tales you will take on the role of one of the famous characters from The Red Dragon Inn series of games as they tackle their day job of being big damn heroes. The multi-scenario campaign pits the players against game-controlled enemies tailor-made for each illustrated fold-out game map. Each scenario will take you to a new map, with new foes and even a few tricky puzzles to solve. You'll need to work together with the other players by equipping hero and item cards to support your allies who have their own unique abilities and roles. Each scenario has specific objectives, so how you and your party beat each one varies from "kill all the enemies" to "survive X turns" to "protect this thing until something happens" to "get to this room on the map". All of the players win the scenario together by completing that scenario's final objective. They can also all lose together if any one of them are defeated in combat, or in the case of many scenarios, the enemies complete their own AI-controlled objective.

Dice Rolling, Multiple Maps, Once-Per-Game Abilities, Scenario / Mission / Campaign Game, Solo / Solitaire Game, Turn Order: Random, Variable Player Powers, Dice, Exploration, Miniatures

Canvas

In Canvas, you play as a painter competing in an art competition. Players will collect art cards, layering 3 of them together to create their own unique Painting. Each card contains a piece of artwork as well as a set of icons used during scoring. Icons will be revealed or hidden based on the way players choose to layer the cards making for an exciting puzzle. Paintings are scored based on a set of Scoring cards which will change each game. Once players have created and scored 3 paintings the game ends. On your turn you may take an Art card or make a painting. Art cards are selected from a row of cards in the center of play. Each of these cards has a cost associated with their position. After selecting an Art card you must pay its cost by placing an Inspiration token on each of the cards to its left. If you do not have enough Inspiration tokens, you may not select that card. Any tokens on the card you have selected are kept for future turns. The far left card costs no Inspiration tokens to take. If you have three or more Art cards you may choose to make a painting. Select 3 of your art cards, arrange them in any order and then score them by comparing the visible icons on your painting to the Scoring conditions. Once all players have made 3 paintings the game ends. The player with the most points wins!

Auction: Dutch, Contracts, Hand Management, Increase Value of Unchosen Resources, Layering, Open Drafting, Set Collection

Gizmos

The Great Science Fair is drawing together the sharpest minds of our generation. However, only one can be crowned champion. They will have to prove they’re the best, by thinking on the fly and building their machines quickly and efficiently. Whose project will rise to the top? In Gizmos, players look to create the most magnificent of machines, taking on the role of inventors at the Great Science Fair. By utilizing four different types of energy marbles, taken from the innovative Energy Dispenser, they will purchase and construct new Gizmos. Players need to plan ahead, because Gizmos will be able to chain-react with each other giving them multiple results from taking a single action. The player with the most victory points is declared the winner.

Contracts, Open Drafting, Engine Building

Runebound 3rd Edition

Welcome to Terrinoth, adventurer! Runebound is a fantasy adventure board game for two to four players, inviting you to play as one of six heroes wandering the realm and taking whatever quests you may encounter. But all is not well in the realm: evil is awakening once more in the form of Margath the Dragonlord or the Corpse King, Vorakesh. Only you and your rival heroes stand a chance of stopping this threat before all Terrinoth is consumed in darkness. Two distinct scenarios give shape to your adventures in Terrinoth, challenging you to battle undead or outwit a dragon, even as you explore lost ruins and forgotten forests and take on quests across the realm. New adventure cards and story cards for each scenario make every game unique, alongside the ability to customize your hero with over one-hundred different skills and assets. Whether you play as a mage bristling with spells or a powerful warrior, every game of Runebound invites you to experience an incomparable adventure. Take your first steps into the world of Terrinoth!

Action Points, Area Movement, Dice Rolling, Die Icon Resolution, Hexagon Grid, Role Playing, Roll / Spin and Move, Stat Check Resolution, Variable Player Powers, Variable Set-up, Deck Bag and Pool Building

Detective Club

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!

Roles with Asymmetric Information, Storytelling, Targeted Clues, Voting, Deduction, Bluffing, Dixit Cards

Freelancers

Congratulations! Humanity is dead! The bad news is that all they left behind is their garbage and a broken gig economy. That's why we need freelancers like you who are ready to take any job, no matter how loathsome. As a freelancer, you will delve into ruins, brave the wilds, and slay the hordes of hideous creatures that litter the dark forgotten corners of the world. All so you can gather loot and return home, ready to blow it all and start over again the next day. It's a lousy gig, so it's perfect for the likes of you. Freelancers: A Crossroads Game condenses the fantasy RPG campaign experience into a single night of fun and mayhem. Create a character, roll funky dice, and blaze your way through multiple stories set in a world of magic, monsters, and murder. Better yet, no game master is required, as a magical companion app does all the storytelling for you! Immerse yourself in fully-voiced, industry-leading audio as you play. Explore hundreds of branching paths in five highly replayable campaigns. Mix and match a multitude of species and jobs to build your own unique character. Pick up and play, simple rules, low commitment and no prep.

Deck Bag and Pool Building, Role Playing, Scenario or Mission or Campaign Game, Worker Placement

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