In this issue:

- Welcome
- Boardgamegeek Top 10 Update
- NAG Magazine Reviews
- Newsletter Subscription Update
- Award Winning Board Games
- Retailer Update

- Out and About
- Featured Game of the Month
- Competition
- Special Offers
- Subscribe
- That's a Wrap

Welcome

Thank you for subscribing to our Newsletter and for your interest in our board games. This is the third issue of our monthly newsletter. We have had a very busy month expanding our board game selection.

We have now expanded our initial offering of 4 board games to a range of 37 awesome titles. This is great news as we now have a much wider product range for you to choose from. NAG Magazine have also just reviewed two of our games, Risk: Lord of the Rings and Runebound.

Boardgamegeek Top 10 Update

We introduced the boardgamegeek website, http://www.boardgamegeek.com to you in our previous newsletter. This is a very informative website for board game fans and is an invaluable resource to help select that right game for you. Here is an update on the current top 10 games.

Click here for the full games ranking.

NAG Reviews

NAG Magazine Reviews

Runebound and Risk: Lord of the Rings were reviewed by New Age Gaming (NAG) in the November issue of their magazine. Here are those NAG Reviews, courtesy of NAG Magazine.

Risk: Lord of the Rings (Trilogy Edition)

"As stated before, board games are beginning to follow trends set by other entertainment media. Where once upon a time a movie was based on a board game (meaning Clue, of course) we now have a board game based on a movie. One could argue that Lord of the Rings Risk Trilogy Edition is based on the books, but the imagery and feel of the game comes straight out of Peter Jackson's three films. With rules based on the old classic Risk, this game is none the less a more complex and entertaining version of its predecessor. The use of the cards is a major change to the way Risk works as well as the imposition of a "time limit." This limit is determined by the path of the One Ring, which makes its way across the board according to a set route. Once it reaches Mount Doom, the game is over. Additionally, the game is restricted to a maximum of four players. Lord of the Rings Risk Trilogy Edition is a beautifully finished game, with well modelled playing pieces, gorgeous cards and an overall impressive presentation. Give it a try - its classic board game strategy at its best!"

Runebound

"Just like computer games, board games are starting to cross genre boundaries with gay abandon. Once a quest space has been reached, the game turns into something of a card game. These cards are used to determine if the player is successful or not. Beating a quest will result in character growth, as well as treasure rewards. And so the game progresses until one player becomes the ultimate hero of the lands. Runebound is an incredibly interesting game in terms of concept, and is great fun to play. The random element brought into the game through the use of cards keeps things interesting, and the experience induced growth of characters makes the game exciting throughout the play time. This is a great board game for those who want to try something different, and who enjoy the prospect of adventures and hidden treasures within their games."
 

Newsletter Subscription Update

Want to know how to dramatically improve your chances of winning a free board game from us every month? Then hurry up and click here!

Award Winning board games for you

As mentioned above, we have just brought in an expanded range of games for you to enjoy. Here is a list of some of the award winning games that we have recently made available to you in South Africa.

Memoir '44 - IGA 2 Player Game of the Year 2004

Ticket to Ride - German Game of the Year 2004

Settlers of Catan - German Game of the Year 1995

Mystery of the Abbey - Games Magazine 2004 Games 100

Transamerica - Mensa Select Winner 2003

St Petersburg - IGA General Strategy Game of the Year 2004

Retailer Update

We have added The Village Craft Market in Douglasdale as a retailer in the last month. This is significant in that they will be carrying a wide range of our board games which means that you will be able to purchase our games directly from them 7 days a week. The Village Craft Market is located in Douglasdale Village shopping centre on the corner of Leslie Rd and Douglas Drive in Douglasdale Johannesburg. So if you live in Johannesburg you may want to visit them and check out our board games.

Lilliputs in Rosebank has also just expanded the range of our games which are available from their store.

We are also currently working with some other retailers and will give you an update on this next month.

If there is a store that you would like to see our board games in, please let us know and we will contact the store.

Out and About

We have been at the Rosebank Rooftop Market for over a month now and the response has been very positive.

We have a wide variety of games on offer there and you will be able to take a look at all the demo copies of those games that we also bring to the Market.

If you are in the area, please pop in and visit us there.

Featured Game of the Month

Every month we will also be featuring a game in our newsletter. This month it is Ticket to Ride.

Ticket to Ride was this year's recipient of the prestigious German Game of the Year award.

The game is beautifully put together with top quality components and packaging.

It is a very simple game to grasp and is very addictive once you get started with the game.

The goal of the Ticket to Ride is to score points by building rail routes throughout North America. Routes are claimed by handing in a set of cards matching the route colour and length. Points are then scored depending on the length of the route claimed. Longer routes score more points.

Players also have to complete secret missions that their opponents don't know about. The point value of each mission is dependent upon the length of the route. So, a route joining New York with Miami will get a player less points than the route between New York and Seattle.

Players need to decide on one of 3 actions during their turn. They choose from taking more cards, claiming a route or drawing additional mission cards.

Because of this game mechanic, games tend to run quickly with players vying for tracks and building up valuable cards.

The mission cards can also sometimes be poison pills, because if a mission is not completed, then the points for the mission are deducted from the player's score at the end. Ouch! Thus players need to choose carefully when mission cards are drawn.

There is also another twist in the tail. The player with the longest continuous route of trains gets an additional 10 points. This can prove decisive in deciding who the winner is.

The supply of trains that each player has to claim routes with is also limited and when one player has less than 3 train pieces remaining the game ends. One must choose carefully between blocking an opponent vs. completing your own missions.

Ticket to Ride is a fantastic family game that is easy to learn and will provide many hours of fun during the upcoming holiday season. It will make an ideal Christmas present and will be much appreciated by the lucky person that gets a copy!
 

Competition

Every month we give away a board game to one of our lucky subscribers and if they were referred by an existing subscriber, they both win a prize.

This month the winner is Wendy from Cape Town. Wendy was referred to our newsletter by Jason, which means that they both win a free board game. Congratulations on winning! A copy of San Juan is being shipped to both of you and will arrive shortly. Enjoy!
 

Special Offers

From now until the end of November, we are offering a special on our featured game, Ticket to Ride, to all our newsletter subscribers. By clicking on this link you will be able to buy Ticket to Ride for R379 (including VAT and Shipping). This offer is valid until the end of November (while stocks last). Hurry, hurry!
 

Subscribe

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That's a Wrap!

That’s all for now. We will be sending out another update next month. Until then, happy gaming! Hope to see you at the Rosebank Rooftop Market. Please also give us any feedback that you may have for us.

Happy Gaming,

The Crazy Boardgames.co.za Crew

crew@boardgames.co.za