2011-09 Sep/Oct Arrivals

In the 20th Century, every region strives to develop. Some become financial leaders, others become centers of learning. Science and commerce propel nations into the future – but what kind of future? Growth produces waste, and advances come with a cost to the environment. How will you mitigate the inevitable cological catastrophes? Your goal is to provide a place where the environment is as healthy as the economy. Only then can you consider your region to be truly developed.

7 Wonders is a fast paced card game that lasts three ages. In each age, players receive seven cards from a particular deck, choose one of those cards, then pass the remainder to an adjacent player, as in Fairy Tale or a Magic: the Gathering booster draft. Players reveal their cards simultaneously, paying resources if needed or collecting resources or interacting with other players in various ways. (Players have individual boards with special powers on which to organize their cards, and the boards are double-sided as in Bauza's Ghost Stories.) Each player then chooses another card from the deck they were passed, and the process repeats until players have six cards in play from that age. After three ages, the game ends.

7 Wonders: Leaders will add 40 new cards to the base game of 7 Wonders, comprising four new guilds and 36 new, white "Leader" cards. At the start of the game, each player takes a hand of four leaders and may play one at the start of each of the three Ages. Unlike the standard cards, leaders cost money (not resources). The expansion will also come with a new Wonder - the ancient city of Rome - and reportedly contain some 6-gold tokens for more efficient money-management.

In a remote land there lies a region with undulating hills and fertile valleys. Widely-traveled settlers have laid the foundation stone for the city of Arkadia. In addition to several other buildings, they want to construct a magnificent castle on a hill. Four wealthy families -- the cloth merchants, the spice merchants, the carpenters and the silversmiths -- want to enhance prestige and augment their influence. For this reason, they compete for the major contribution to the castle's construction. Players act as architects. The four families commission them to plan and realize the build-up of the town and the castle.

A recent find at Miskatonic University has unearthed even more mysteries pertaining to the strange happenings in Arkham, Massachusetts. While the worshippers of the Ancient One grow in strength, the stalwart defenders of this sleepy town are put to the ultimate test. Miskatonic Horror is a new type of Arkham Horror expansion that builds upon the materials found in the ample library of other Arkham Horror expansions. While the components and rules found in Miskatonic Horror can be enjoyed with only the Arkham Horror base game, the more expansions you incorporate, the more aspects of Miskatonic Horror you can enjoy. Part of the Arkham Horror Series.

Humanity has been at each other's throats since time immemorial. Now, in another galaxy, humans wage war amongst themselves again, but this time, with the aid of alien technology found on other planets. Ascending Empires offers a nice mixture of building, exploring, and development, along with combat via a simple dexterity element. Players flick their starships into orbits around planets to defend or attack them or surround enemy ships to destroy them.

Ascension: Return of the Fallen will be the first expansion for the hottest deckbuilding game of 2010! The expansion provides players with a new mechanic, 65 new Center Deck cards, and enough basic cards to expand the base game up to 6 players! In addition to all that, Ascension: Return of the Fallen can also be played as a stand-alone game with two players!

Below the Old WorldÕs cities sprawls a vast network of tunnels, caves, and underground roads. Verminous Skaven skulk within this Under Empire, waiting for the perfect opportunity to rise from the warrens and destroy their enemies for the glory of their sinister god, the enigmatic Horned Rat. Even as the Ruinous Powers work to corrupt the Old World, the Skaven are ever scheming to further their own dark agenda. The Horned Rat expansion for Chaos in the Old World introduces a fifth player to the race toward corruption! With beautifully sculpted playing pieces, all-new powers, and an array of exciting upgrades, the fearsome Skaven stand ready to scurry across the face of the Old World.