MNG-AJM Games and Collectibles

 

Nov 2008 Catalog

 

While I don’t publish my latest catalog on the internet, this older catalog is available for you to look through to get an idea of the sort of thing I generally have.  Please be aware that many of the games in this catalog will have already sold, and if they haven’t then the prices are not necessarily still valid – the prices are only valid in the month the catalog comes out!  However, if you do see something of interest email me and I’ll let you know if I still have it.  Also getting the monthly catalog by email is free and without obligation, so why not just ask to be added to my subscription list, or ask me to send you the latest catalog by email? 

 

Note: There was a big listing of games fresh from Spiel 08 here, but they have now either sold or been entered into a more recent catalog with a full description so they are no longer listed here.

 

Agricola. Published by Lookout Games. 2007. Box. In shrink. £27

Designer: Uwe Rosenburg. No. players: 1-5. Country: German, Duration: 2 hrs, Desc. by Andy.

Special notes: This is my last copy of the German edition, but I am including a set of all the cards from the US edition, as well as English rules, summary sheets and an English board overlay, making this very playable for English speakers, and quite a bargain too.

Superb game of agricultural development.  Players start with an empty farm and two people, who are used to perform actions which extend and improve their farm and provide food for the end of the year.  Uses a clever action system, and a vast number of cards only a few of which are used each game, in order to ensure a different experience each game.  Players can plough fields, plant grain or vegetables, create pastures, obtain animals, learn specialist occupations, and build improvements. Highly recommended. 

 

Aliens + Expansion Set. Published by Leading Edge. 1989. Box. Good. £70

Designer: Barry Nakazono. No. players: 1+. Country: American, Duration: 90 mins, Desc. by Andy.

Very rare film related wargame, deleted soon after release due to contractual problems. Includes the even rarer Expansion Set. Players can recreate the main battles from the S.F. film of the same name: The Reactor Room, Operations & Air Ducts, Ripley vs The Queen, DropShip, Rescue of Newt, etc. The game is intended for play by one or more players taking the roles of the Marines while the game system controls the Aliens. The components all feature stills from the movie.

 

All About Acol. Published by Unwin. 1978. Book. Good. £2

Author: Bewn Cohen, Rhoda Lederer. Country: British, Desc. by Andy.

Softback, 20x13cm, 266 pages.  Subtitled: All You Need To Know About The Acol System of Contract Bridge. Chapter titles: Hand Valuation & Definitions, Acol Light Opening Bids & The Sign Off, The Limit Bids, 1NT Opening Bids & Responses, 1NT & The Club Suit, Prepared Minor Suit Opening Bids, Change of Suit Responding Bids, Opener's Rebids, Responder's Rebids, Trial Bids & Cue Bids, Strong 2 Opening Bids & Responses, 2 Club Opening Bids & Responses, 2NT or higher Opening Bids & Responses, Pre-emptive Bidding, The Double, The Competitive Auction, Quantitative Bids, Slam Bidding.

 

Alles Futsch. Published by F X Schmid. 1998. Box. Excellent. £5

Designer: Hermann Huth. No. players: 2-5. Country: German, Duration: 45 mins, Desc. by Andy.

Card game. Players trade collectable goods like paintings and sculptures. The interaction is intriguing as you do not simply bid and add items to your sets, but once items have been bought, if you already have enough of that type of item you can perform a forced sell to another player with that type of item and get a good price, and potentially reduce the value of their collection as well, thus quite a bit of tactical bidding can be involved.

 

Amusing Games For Three Players. Published by W. Foulsham & Co. Ltd. ca.1938. Book. Good. £5

Author: Tom King. Country: British, Desc. by Andy.

Softback with dustcover, 18x12cm, 64 pages. A collction of 37 games which are ideal for play with 3 players.  Most of the games are card games, but there are also a few others, such as word games, domino games and dart games.

 

Antiquity. Published by Splotter Spellen. 2004. Box. New. £50

Designer: Jeroen Doumen, Joris Wiersinga. No. players: 2-4. Country: Dutch, Duration: 3 hrs, Desc. by Andy.

Special notes: 2nd Edition (in dark green box)

Substantial strategy game from the company that created Roads & Boats. Set loosely in Italy in the middle ages each player starts with a small town which they must develop in a variety of ways by making use of the countryside around it, gathering resources, and making use of these.  There are also a variety of patron saints, and during the game one of these must be selected as the game goes on. Victory is achieved in different ways depending on the saint selected.  The game requires careful planning to do well as the land gets slowly depleted making resources more difficult to come by later in the game.  Comes in a large box with a veritable trove of components, which is what makes this expensive.

 

Battle Masters. Published by Milton Bradley. 1992. Box. Good but box corners taped. £30

Designer: Steve Baker. No. players: 2. Country: British, Duration: 1 hr, Desc. by Andy.

Mammoth fantasy war game played on a huge vinyl mat that you lay on the floor. Over 100 plastic figures are used in a game that owes a lot to figure wargaming but never forgets it is a board game. Uses neat movement rules (using special cards). Truly amazing bits.

 

Book Of Puzzles. Published by Saxon & Co.. ca.1895. Book. Good. £10

Author: The Sphinx. Country: Brtish, Desc. by Andy.

Softback, 21x14cm, 122 pages.  A very nice period item packed with puzzles of every type: word puzzles, mathematical puzzles, geometrical puzzles, riddles, etc.  The font is small and there are two columns per page, so over 700 puzzles in all. Solutions provided at the end. As usual with books of this age, the adverts at back and front are also fascinating.

 

Brainline. Published by Palitoy Bradgate. ca.1983. Box. Good. £2.50

Designer: Unknown. No. players: 2. Country: British, Duration: 15 mins, Desc. by Andy.

Strategy game in which the players try to get their 4 pegs into a straight line with no opposing pieces in between.  The game is played on a hexagonal grid. Pieces may be moved any distance in a straight line, but cannot jump another peg or land on another peg.

 

Britannia. Published by Avalon Hill. 1987. Box. Good. £24

Designer: Lewis Pulsipher. No. players: 3-5. Country: American, Duration: 3 hrs, Desc. by Andy.

This is a superior version to the original British edition, more user friendly when it comes to knowing what scores where.  An excellent game (particularly for four players) that encaptures 1,000 years of British history. Map board of mainland Britain. Game lasts for 16 turns, which is roughly divided into groups of 4 turns where one player out of the four has the most influence in that period, and the best chance to score victory points.  Bookcase box. Classic game.

 

Bunkered!. Published by Wellingtons Ltd. 1987. Box. Good, but 1 corner taped. £0.75

Designer: Unknown. No. players: 1. Country: British, Desc. by Andy.

A 3-D golf themed puzzle.  This consists of 8 cubes (3.5cm a side) each side showing a section of a golf course. The objective is to assemble the cubes so that they show the same golf course twice over the various faces. Comes with a solution sheet.

 

Business Game. Published by Waddingtons. 1972. Box. 2 copies available:

1) Good. £2. Box shows slight indentation due to stacking

2) Good but 1 corner taped. £2

Business Game. Published by Waddingtons. 1972. Box. Good. £2

Designer: Unknown. No. players: 2-6. Country: British, Duration: 90 mins, Desc. by Andy.

The first edition by Waddingtons, being a reprint of a game called Mine A Million. Players mine for ore, then have to get it to the sea, and finally, get it abroad where they can turn it into dollars. Interaction provided by the fact that there is always hot competition for the various modes of transport available.  One player will hire a barge (say), but others can still make use of it, but must pay for the privilege.

 

Cairo. Published by Schmidt Spiele. 2002. Box. Excellent. £13

Designer: Gunter Burkhardt. No. players: 2-5. Country: German, Duration: 45 mins, Desc. by Andy.

Unusual game in which players vie for majorities in various building sites beside the river Nile.  As the players' ships move up and down the river their owners get to flick building cubes from the ship hopefully into the building sites.  Each player has a selection of cubes - most small, but one large and one dice, each which score differently.  If a player gets sufficient small cubes into one area then a pyramid can be constructed which will add to the influence they have at that site.  When the game ends first and second places are scored in each site to determine the winner.  Rather neat and unusual combination of mechanics which I very much enjoy.

 

Campaign. Published by Waddingtons. Box. 2 editions available:

1) 1971. Good, but corners taped. £4. 1st edition, in the brown 'parchment-feel' box.

2) 1974. Good. £2.50. There is a little damage to the base which has been taped up.

Designer: Unknown. No. players: 2-4. Country: British, Desc. by Andy.

Board game reproducing the Napoleonic wars at a strategic level, but in a rather abstract way - the sides are all equal.  Victory is either by outright defeat of your opponents or by capturing towns which control large areas of territory.  The board is large and attractive and represents Europe from Spain to Western Russia and includes various terrain features. Introductory and standard rules included.  Movement allowance is determined by dice roll and different pieces move in different ways (cavalry, infantry and the general).  Defeating enemy pieces is by overwhelming their forces on or next to a space.  Reinforcements arrive in your capital city, and alliances are permitted (and have rules).

 

Candamir: The First Settlers. Published by Mayfair. 2005. Box. Excellent. £15

Designer: Klaus Teuber. No. players: 2-4. Country: American, Duration: 2 hrs, Desc. by Andy.

A Catan Adventures game - ie. set in the world of the Settlers of Catan, but with different mechanics. Players move their settler out into the wilderness on a series of trips to the plains, woods or mountains.  Returning to the village from a successful trip, the items obtained can be used to further advance your village and gain victory points.  As experience is gained and skills improved, more dangerous trips can be made.  The first player to get 10 VPs wins.

 

Candidate. Published by Shaw Games. 1979. Box. Good. £12

Designer: Tom Shaw. No. players: 2+. Country: American, Duration: 90 mins, Desc. by Andy.

Election game, based on the American electoral system. Played for a predetermined number of turns with a shorter 40 minute game being quite possible. Each turn the players can choose two of three possible cards types to draw. Campaign cards give you votes in the state where you currently are.  Fundraising cards give you money which can be spent secretly.  Dirty tricks cards allow you to hurt your opponents, but these can sometimes backfire.

 

Capone. Published by Amigo. 1994. Box. Excellent. £11

Designer: Mark Caines. No. players: 3-6. Country: German, Duration: 1 hr, Desc. by Andy.

Also published as The Mob by Gibsons. Mafia themed game. Players have a hand of cards (mobsters or locations) which are placed around the town to earn money. Confrontation occurs when two of you want to control the same area. The idea is to make as much money as possible with your illegitimate activities, and then reinvest this money into legitimate businesses.  In this game a 'hostile takeover' involves machine guns rather than stockbrokers.

 

Car Capers. Published by Spear's Games. ca.1980. Box. Box shows wear. £0.75

Designer: Unknown. No. players: 2+. Country: British, Desc. by Andy.

Twelve cars have been divided up into 6 parts each and players must reassemble them into complete cars.  The player with the most complete cars at the end of the game wins.  Play is by rolling dice and selecting which car parts to take using the dice rolls.  Parts must be obtained in the correct order, and it is also possible to steal parts from other players.

 

Channel X. Published by Pepys. 1964. Box. 2 copies available:

1) Box edges show wear. £8. Cards show light wear.      2) Good. £10.

Designer: Unknown. No. players: 2-6. Country: British, Desc. by Eamon.

Card game, 52 cards plus 12 smaller cards and a quantity of play-money. Made in the infancy of commercial television, the new competition to the BBC. Players attempt to fill their schedules with a mix of programmes and advertisements.

 

Coloretto Amazonas. Published by Abacus Spiele. 2005. Box. 2 copies available:

1) Excellent. £4        2) Good. £3.50

Designer: Michael Schacht. No. players: 2-4. Country: German, Duration: 20 mins, Desc. by Andy.

Card game which is different to the original game Coloretto. In this game players try to collect sets of animal cards which come in four different colours.  Cards are either played from your hand onto your own display to add to your sets of cards, or into an opponent's display to damage their display.  When the deck runs out points are scored using the scale familiar to Coloretto players for the number of animals in each set, with bonuses for completed sets as well.

 

Colossal Arena. Published by Fantasy Flight. 2004. Box. New. £7.50

Designer: Reiner Knizia. No. players: 2-5. Country: German, Duration: 45 mins, Desc. by Andy.

Special notes: This version has German text on the cards, but supplied laminated English crib sheets make it entirely playable.

Card game with 150 very attractive cards featuring various monsters. This is a reprint of Titan: The Arena, but with 4 extra creatures for added variety. The players are gamblers, betting on and also influencing which of the creatures will survive the longest as the day's battles progress.  Each round one of the creatures will fall, until only 3 remain standing, and bets on these creatures pay out.  Combat is decided by playing cards on the creatures, and also by using special abilities for each of the creatures if you are its main backer.  Recommended.

 

Colosseum. Published by Days Of Wonder. 2007. Box. In shrink. £26. Desc. by Andy.

Designer: Wolfgang Kramer, Markus Lubke. No. players: 3-5. Country: German, Duration: 2 hrs.

Special notes: English rules provided - components are language free.

Substantial board game set in Rome in which the players recruit artistes of various sorts (gladiators, chariot teams, musicians, animals etc), in order to put on progressively more impressive shows.  The game uses auctions but also senators move around a track and getting them to visit your stadium will help you considerably. Players have a limited number of actions to use to improve their stadia, and purchase the plan to new shows.  Unusually it is not the player who does the best series of shows who wins, but the player who puts on the single best show.

 

Cube Farm. Published by Cheapass Games. ca.2003. Packet. New. £2

Designer: James Ernest. No. players: 2-5. Country: American, Duration: 45 mins, Desc. by Andy.

Card game in which the players add cards to a communal layout and place tokens on the cards to claim offices.  The idea is that the cards show office units which have been partitioned into 'cubes'.  The office also has vital facilities such as the coffee machine, water cooler, printer etc, and players want their people to be as close as possible to these facilities.  Play is tactical - you want to set up opportunities for yourself while not giving too much away to your opponents. As usual with this company, you will need to supply your own counters for each player.

 

Culbertson On Canasta. Published by Faber & Faber. 1950. Book. Good, but cover shows some wear. £2.50

Author: Ely Culbertson. Country: British, Desc. by Andy.

Spiralbound, 21x14cm, 90 pages. This authoritative book on Canasta first presents the rules in an easy to learn way for the beginner before the bulk of the book goes on to examine many of the subtleties of play, thus allowing both beginners and advanced players to improve their game.  The book also includes Canasta variants such as two handed play.

 

Culbertson: The Man Who Made Contract Bridge. Published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson. 1985. Book.

Good. £5. Author: John Clay. Country: British, Desc. by Andy.

Hardback with dustcover, 24x17cm, 242 pages.  A biography of this very influential man in the Bridge world, who fled Tsarist Russia as a revolutionary to become a legend in the Bridge world.

 

Cwali 5th Year. Published by Cwali. ca.2001. Tube. Excellent. £4

Designer: Corne van Moorsel. No. players: 2. Country: Dutch, Desc. by Andy.

A promotional game given away to customers at Spiel by this small Dutch company.  The rules say it has been formerly known as Stapel, and Dutch Mountains.  It is an abstract game in which each player tries to construct a tower of pieces on their home space.  This is done by moving stacks or partial stacks of pieces according to restrictive rules.  Very neat.

Demon's Run. Published by Yaquinto. 1981. Double LP Case. Good - counters unpunched. £6

Designer: Michael S. Matheny. No. players: 2-4. Country: American, Desc. by Andy.

Race game set in space. Players start by designing the ship they wish to race.  The ships then race (and fight) based on the abilities they were designed with. The area of space the race goes through contains various pitfalls such as radiation zones, black holes, and 'null zones'.  Points are scored in the race for: recovering marker buoys (the more dangerously located ones being worth more points), fuel remaining, and finishing before other ships. Ship features which can be altered in the design stage include: fuel level, structural integrity, pilot integration, main engines, manoeuver engines, tractor beam, lasers, scrambler and shields.

 

Demonstealer. Published by Puffin Books. 1991. Book. Excellent. £1.50

Author: Marc Gascoigne. Country: British, Desc. by Andy.

Softback, 18x11cm, 227 pages.  Fantasy novel based on the Fighting Fantasy series of game books, and 'presented by' Steve Jackson & Ian Livingstone. The story starts with a thief bourne on the wings of an immense bat stealing an arcane scroll. Chadda Drakmane and friends follow the trail and have a suitable set of adventures in trying to get the scroll back.

 

Detour. Published by Parker. 1994. Box. 2 copies available:

1) Box shows wear. £2      2) Good. £3

Designer: Unknown. No. players: 2. Country: British, Desc. by Andy.

Beautifully presented game in which players try to be the first to claim 6 coins. The game is a little like Downfall, but with a greater variety of options at any point.  The playing area is a clear plastic vertical circular enclosure into which a number of pegs are initially placed.  Players may then either add a coin into one of the slots at the top, or add / remove a peg, or rotate the circle one step or move deflectors below the playing area to ensure that falling coins fall their way.  A player cannot undo the move just made by the opponent.  Very stylish design.

 

Die Fursten Von Florenz. Published by Alea. 2000. Box. Good. £12. Desc. by Andy.

Designer: Richard Ulrich & Wolfgang Kramer. No. players: 3-5. Country: German, Duration: 100 mins.

Special notes: For £2 extra I can supply a Rio Grande set of English bonus, prestige, recruiting and profession cards to ease play.

Aka. The Princes of Florence. Each player must develop their estates, erect buildings, lay out landscapes, and bring artists and scholars to their location. All this brings prestige and / or money.  Money is needed during the game, but prestige is what you need to win.  Each turn various improvements to your estates are auctioned and then players get to choose the actions they wish to do.  However, there is always far more you would like to do than you have actions to do, so choosing wisely is vital. Excellent game - highly recommended.

 

Dilbert: Corporate Shuffle. Published by WoTC. ca.1998. Box. Excellent - unused. £3.75

Designer: Richard Garfield. No. players: 4-6. Country: American, Duration: 30 mins, Desc. by Eamon.

Card game, 60 cards each featuring an individual full colour Dilbert cartoon. Dilbert is a character in a newspaper comic strip, a geeky computer programmer with an uncomprehending boss. The game itself is a new version of the company’s game The Great Dalmuti.  It is a 'climbing' game in which players play increasingly strong combinations until no more can be played, and then a new round starts.  The objective is to get rid of all your cards as quickly as possible.

 

Dominating Dominia. Published by Wordware Publishing. 1996. Book. Excellent. £2

Author: George H. Baxter. Country: American, Desc. by Andy.

Softback, 23x15, 211 pages.  Subtitled: A Type II Tournament Player's Guide for Magic: The Gathering.  The book intends to improve the deck construction and play skills of the reader, with particular consideration of type II deck construction and play.  The book is divided as follows: Deep Magic Recap, New Strategies, Fast Mana, Tier Theory of Deck Ranking, Confronting The Metagame, Transition of Type II, Disk Decks, Tome Decks, Millstone Decks, Powersurge & Manabarbs Decks, Zur's Weirding Decks, Winter Orb Decks, Stasis Decks, Changes In The Five Basic Decks, Misc Tournament Decks, Card List with Spoiler.

 

Dos Rios. Published by Mayfair. 2004. Box. Excellent. £19

Designer: Franz Benno Delong. No. players: 2-4. Country: American, Duration: 75 mins, Desc. by Andy.

Set in a valley of two rivers the board can be reconfigured each game for variety. Players move their campesinos into fertile areas which the rivers flow through in order to grow their crops.  However, opposing campesinos can chase away the existing ones by coming in greater force, and a clever mechanism allows the rivers to be diverted using dams, changing which areas are irrigated. The types of area which will produce can be seen a few turns in advance to allow for planning.  However, occasionally desperadoes come out of the hills and chase away some of the campesinos to the city.  The first player to build their five income producing buildings wins the game.

 

Drachengold. Published by Descartes Editeur. 2000. Box. In shrink. £8.50

Designer: Bruno Faidutti. No. players: 3-6. Country: French, Duration: 45 mins, Desc. by Andy.

Defeating a dragon is no problem for a well prepared adventuring party.  However, deciding how to divide the treasure is far from simple.  Players must cooperate enough to defeat the dragons, but then negotiate for the best share of the treasure making use of magic items and special abilities to get one up on your co-adventurers!  This is the German edition - I will provide a set of laminated English magic item cards to ease play.

 

Dragon Parade. Published by Z-Man Games. 2007. Box. Excellent. £11.50

Designer: Reiner Knizia. No. players: 2-5. Country: American, Duration: 30 mins, Desc. by Andy.

The players have a hand of six cards, four of which will be played, and two discarded.  The cards indicate which direction and how much the Dragon will move in the parade.  Players take it in turn to play a card, move the dragon, and place a seller on one of the spaces on the board - the idea is to predict where the Dragon will end up at the end of the parade.  Sellers who are next to or close to the Dragon will score well, while those who are far away will score little or nothing. The most successful player after several rounds is the winner.

 

Dungeonquest. Published by Games Workshop. 1987. Box. Good. £18

Designer: Dan Glimne & Jakob Bonds. No. players: 1-4. Country: British, Duration: 1 hr, Desc. by Andy.

Special notes: Original figures missing - but good replacements provided

Players explore the ruins of Dragonfire Castle trying to reach the treasure chamber in the center of the dungeon and escape alive with as much treasure as possible. Time pressure forces the players to take risks because anyone left in the dungeon when the game ends dies! The dungeon is created with tiles to produce a maze-like dungeon and ensures no two games are ever the same. Recommended.

 

Duplicate Contract Complete. Published by The Bridge World / Mack Printing. 1933. Book. Good. £6

Author: Alfred M. Gruenther. Country: American, Desc. by Andy.

Hardback, 23x16cm, 328 pages. Introduced by Ely Cuthbertson, this book gives a short history of Duplicate Bridge and then covers: The Technique of Duplicate Play, Pair Contests - 6+ Pairs, Net Cumulative Scoring, Match Point Scoring, Howell Movement For Pair Contests, Determining The Winner Of A Series, Team of Four Contests, Teams Of More Than Four, Schedules For Different Numbers Of Players, Tournament Organization & Suggestions, Penalties, The Laws of Duplicate.

 

Fantasy Wargaming. Published by Patrick Stephens. 1990. Book. Excellent. £4

Author: Martin Hackett. Country: British, Desc. by Andy.

Hardback, 24x16cm, 232 pages. Profusely illustrated book which looks at Fantasy RPGs and Wargaming, with a fair amount of focus on the use of miniatures.  The contents cover: What Is Fantasy Role Playing, History Of Fantasy Gaming, Moral Tales & Education, The Role Of The Controller, Rules, Figures, Mass Battles, A Sample Scenario, Enhancing The Game, Creating Your World, Science Fiction, Campaigns, The Realm Of Taakae, Extensive Appendicies.

 

FBI. Published by Phalanx Games. 2004. Box. In shrink. £7. Desc. by Andy.

Designer: Wolfgang Kramer, Horst-Rainer Rosner. No. players: 2-5. Country: Dutch, Duration: 30 mins.

Card game in which the players are federal agents who want to arrest villains in a series of raids, and must avoid arresting innocents.  The game uses some clever mechanics where you have to first limit your options for the turn by choosing just two places to raid, but then they are resolved one at a time.  There is a significant element of bluffing your opponents, but depending on the turn order, there will sometimes be definite good moves if you can spot them.  At the end of the game there are bonuses for the agent who arrests more of each of the various gangs. Plays especially well with 3 players, and recommended for that number. Published as Comissario in Germany.

 

First Impressions. Published by Waddingtons. 1989. Box. Good. £6.50

Designer: Tom Kremer. No. players: 3-6. Country: British, Desc. by Andy.

An game ideal for play after a civilised dinner with friends . Players assess each other’s traits and, using over 400 cartoon illustrated cards, attribute these cards to the others. Unusual mask-like devices used for voting - a dial behind the eyes is rotated to indicate the player who you think the card most applies to.  By the end of the game each player has a profile indicated by the cards they have collected, so perhaps you might be: Nero + Benedictine + Racing Driver? Good game of the 'get to know your friends better' type.

 

Foresight. Published by Eng’s I.Q. Co.. 1987. Box. Good. £1.50

Designer: Unknown. No. players: 2-4. Country: Hong Kong, Desc. by Andy.

Game based on the principles of Nim, in which you take away counters from a line and the loser is the last one left to take a counter. Dice are used purely to set the game up, ensuring it will be different every time you play. This is more complex than Nim, as there are several lines in play simultaneously.

 

Frank's Zoo. Published by Rio Grande Games. 1999. Box. In shrink. £6.50. Desc. by Andy.

Designer: Doris Matthaus, Frank Nestel. No. players: 4-7. Country: American, Duration: 45 mins.

Card game which is a 'climbing game'.  This means that players can play any card combination which beats the current card combination on the table.  In this game the cards depict animals, starting from the lowly mouse, through hedgehogs and foxes up to lions and finally the mighty elephant.  However, elephants can be beaten (scared off) by mice...  The objective of the game is to get rid of your cards rather than winning 'tricks', although winning gets you the lead which is often vital. The game can be played individually or (better) in partnerships.

 

Game Of Life. Published by Milton Bradley. 1984. Box. Good. £2.50

Designer: Unknown. No. players: 2-8. Country: British, Duration: 1 hr, Desc. by Andy.

The original British version of this classic game. The game involves moving random amounts along a track, but with some choices to be made on what strategy to go for, but a great deal of luck in the dice and cards.  The board has 3-D elements adding to its attractiveness. Players start having just left school and get jobs or take further education, and will get married and have children, buy shares and advance their careers, trying to achieve most before retirement.

 

Giant Book Of Games. Published by Arco. 1958. Book. Good. £10

Author: Frankel & Masters. Country: British, Desc. by Andy.

Hardback, 20x13cm, ~630 pages.  This is actually a compilation of 5 books in 1.  The books it contains are: 101 Best Action Games For Boys, 101 Best Games For Girls, 101 Best Games For Teenagers, 101 Best Party Games For Adults, 101 Best Stunts And Novelty Games.  The general focus is on party / parlour type games and activities, but there is huge amount of material here!

 

Go For Gold. Published by Webster's Yorkshire Bitter. ca.1980. Box. Box corners split, shows wear. £1.50

Designer: Unknown. No. players: 2-6. Country: British, Desc. by Andy.

Promotional sports quiz game in which players answer sports trivia questions to progress around the qualification ring, then the bronze ring, and finally the silver ring to get the gold medal and win.

 

Gone Fishing. Published by Rio Grande Games. 2005. Box. Excellent. £10

Designer: Michael Rieneck. No. players: 2. Country: American, Duration: 30 mins, Desc. by Andy.

Tactical game which also involves bluff and memory elements.  One player controls two anglers who move around the edge of a pond trying to catch fish, while the other player controls the fish and miscellaneous items of junk in the pond.  Only the fish player can see what is what in the pond, and gets to move them around a bit between the angler's attempts to hook a fish.   The angler player is restricted as to how he can move his anglers and how far across the pond his rod can reach, but in a clever and interesting way.  When the hand is finished players swap roles and play again to see who wins.

 

Grand Prix. Published by Ravensburger. 1998. Box. Good. £5

Designer: Unknown. No. players: 2-4. Country: German, Desc. by Andy.

Children’s race game ages 6-12, with four wonderful cars (large with moving wheels). The track is made up during the game by laying out tiles.  Play involves choosing whether to extend the track or roll a die for movement. The race is to the last tile and then back to the first.  There is also scope for blocking other players and special event tiles affect any car landing on them.

 

How To Beat Your Chess Computer. Published by B.T. Batsford. 1991. Book. Excellent. £3.50

Author: Raymond Keene, David Levy. Country: British, Desc. by Andy.

Hardback, 22x14cm, 104 pages. This Chess book describes weaknesses in the play of most computer programmes at the time, and therefore methods by which you can defeat them.  Thus you can learn to play a computer-hostile game of chess. Whether these methods will still work against modern chess programmes I have no idea.  However, the book is also instructive for normal play as it examines nuances of the game you might not otherwise have considered.

 

How To Become A Professional Money Bridge Player. Published by Educator Books. 1969. Book.

Good. £10. Author: Kim Carpenter. Country: American, Desc. by Andy.

Softback, 21x17cm, 160 pages. Subtitled The Stat System.  Intended for the player who wants to improve their chances in money tournaments, this book goes through the system presented much as you would expect. The system is based on a statisical analysis of many many contracts, so that bidding can be as close to optimal as possible...

How To Play Solo Whist. Published by Chatto & Windus. 1888. Book. Good (very good for its age). £11

Author: Abraham Wilks, Charles Pardon. Country: British, Desc. by Andy.

Hardback, 18x13cm, 166 pages.  Subtitled: Its Method And Principles Explained And Its Practice Demonstrated.  The chapters cover: The Game, The Laws, Propositions & Acceptances, The Solo inc. Adversaries Play, The Misere inc. Adversaries Play, The Abondance,  The Misere Ouverte, The Abondance Declaree.

 

Iliad. Published by Asmodee Editions. 2006. Box. In shrink. £13.50

Designer: Dominique Ehrhard. No. players: 2-6. Country: French, Duration: 45 mins, Desc. by Andy.

Special notes: Fully english language edition.

Card game with an Ancient Greek theme in which the players must use their cards wisely in order to win victory in a series of battles. The cards represent warriors, archers, chariots, ballistae, elephants, and more. These can be deployed to increase your own forces and/or deplete those of your opponents.  There are two types of battle - one in which the winner takes all the VPs, and the more common one in which position matters - the game uses a neat system of card play which encourages players to drop out early to get the aid of powerful heroes. The first player to gain 12 VPs wins.

 

Imperial Canasta. Published by Eyre & Spottiswoode. 1950. Book. Good. £6

Author: Ralph Michaels, Charles Goren. Country: British, Desc. by Andy.

Softback, 18x12cm, 107 pages.  Subtitled: The only book which contains the Official British Rules. Includes the following sections: How To Play Canasta, Q&A, Timing & Strategy with 4 players, The Official British Rules, Canasta Tournaments.

 

Italia. Published by Phalanx Games. 2006. Box. In shrink. £29

Designer: Andreas Steding. No. players: 3-4. Country: Dutch, Duration: 3 hrs, Desc. by Andy.

A new take on the classic game Britannia. Set in ancient Italy the game assigns several different 'nations' to each player, and as turns go on each nation rises and falls, but the players try to ensure their position (considering all of their nations) is as strong as possible.  The player who best does this over the whole game will win.  There are two different scenarios.  The first for 3 players starts in ancient times finishing in 80BC.  The second is for 4 players and starts in around 390AD when the Western Roman Empire fell, up until medieval Italian times. The game is fully in English.

 

Jekyll & Hyde. Published by Waddingtons. 1980. Box. Good. £5

Designer: Alex Randolph. No. players: 2. Country: British, Duration: 20 mins, Desc. by Andy.

Game of skill, but nerve and bluff required. All the pieces look like they are the same, but are marked differently on the back so that only the owning player knows what is what. Four of each player's pieces are Dr Jekyll and four are Mr Hyde. Players take turns moving one of their pieces with the option of capturing opposing pieces by moving onto them.  However, the game can be won by capturing all four of your opponent's Jekyll's, but is lost if you capture all your opponent's Hydes! The game can also be won by getting one of your Jekyll's to one of your opponent's corner spaces and then moving it off the board.

 

Kai Piranja. Published by Abacus Spiele. 2004. Box. 2 copies available:

1) In shrink. £7       2) Excellent. £6.50

Designer: Oliver Igelhaut. No. players: 3-6. Country: German, Duration: 15 mins, Desc. by Andy.

Light but fun filler.  The cards show three different types of fish which each come in large and small varieties as well as showing hungry and normal ones.  Players take it in turn to form a row of fishes, and any which don't match either in type or size must be passed on to another player.  At any point a row can be kept, but if a hungry fish is drawn it eats many of the other fish in the row, forming a pile in the centre, though these piles can be won by getting three of that type of fish into your row.  The player with the most fish at the end wins.  Essentially a game of pressing your luck, with attractive cards and fast play.

 

Kanto. Published by Milton Bradley Games. 1975. Box. Good. £4

Designer: Unknown. No. players: 2. Country: Dutch, Duration: 20 mins, Desc. by Andy.

Tactical game played on a 5x8 board.  Each player has wooden tiles numbered 1-19 and a special tile called the Kanto. These are initially face down at random on the board.  Players turn over pieces and attempt to capture opposing pieces and ultimately their opponent's Kanto.  A number piece captures its own number and any lesser number, and the Kanto can capture any piece except the 1, which is the only piece which can capture the Kanto.

Karten Misch Maschine. Published by Amigo. ca.2004. Box. In shrink. £12

Designer: Unknown. Country: German, Desc. by Andy.

This is a card shuffling machine. It is hand driven (with a handle you turn), and is designed for standard size playing cards. There are adjusting screws designed to allow you to shuffle cards with different thicknesses.  The machine essentially works by taking a deck of cards and splitting it semi-randomly into two halves, and you then put them together and repeat a few times.  Sort of like a reversed riffle shuffle!  Nice item for card players who have never mastered the art of a good shuffle.

 

King Arthur Kartenspiel. Published by Ravensburger. 2005. Box. In shrink. £11

Designer: Reiner Knizia. No. players: 2-5. Country: German, Duration: 30 mins, Desc. by Andy.

Card game.  Players collect and play knight cards in sets in order to defeat various foes for victory points.  When a suitable set of foes have been defeated then a quest card can be claimed for even more victory points. The optional rules which make timing important make the game more interesting, so you have to watch what your opponents are up to more.  An enjoyable light game.

 

Knightmare. Published by Milton Bradley. 1991. Box. Good. £2.50

Designer: Steve Baker. No. players: 2-4. Country: British, Desc. by Andy.

TV related, based on the children's adventure game-show, where participants have to get through a series of rooms by solving puzzles, riddles, etc.. The show was inspired by the success of role-playing games. This board game follows the theme of the show, with each player having to explore a network of rooms in a race to find treasure. The main game mechanic is answering riddles, nearly 300 of which are included in a booklet.  In addition helm tokens are collected and used at various points to increase your options or chances in combat.  The game is packaged and presented as a fantasy adventure board game.

 

La-Trel. Box. 2 editions availavke:

1) Published by ASS. 1994. Good. Country: German. £3.

2) Published by Millenium 2 Games. 1994. Box. Good. Country: British. £3

Designer: Richard Morgan. No. players: 2. Duration: 45 mins, Desc. by Andy.

High quality abstract game with 2 teams of 18 multi-shaped plastic pieces. A chess-like feel to it with special moves for each type of piece. Includes three levels of play. German edition. It was very well received by magazines such as Games & Puzzles when it came out. Unlike chess, capture is by jumping over a piece, rather than landing on it, so defence is by occupying the spaces behind other pieces.

 

Legend of the Five Rings - The Battle of Beiden Pass. Published by Five Rings Publishing Group Inc.

1996. Box. Good. £3. Designer: Alderac Entertainment Group. No. players: 2.

Country: American, Desc. by Andy.

A box of goodies for the Legend of the Five Rings CCG.  It doesn't contain what it is supposed to according to the box, but what it does contain is a selection of posters and articles on this CCG, 2 rulebooks and about 375 cards, roughly half green backed and half black backed.

 

Let's Do Lunch. Published by Hasbro. 2000. Box. Good. £5

Designer: Unknown. No. players: 2. Country: Spanish, Duration: 20 mins, Desc. by Andy.

Special notes: This set was originally from Hasbro Spain, but has had English stickers applied by Hasbro and English rules inserted, making it quite unusual.

The game looks from the box to be a trivial children's game, but actually it is a tactical game played with dice on a 7x7 grid, and rated age 12+! Players take it in turn to roll 3 dice with the numbers 1-3 on each, and place a man anywhere on a column with the correct total. If this encloses one or more opposing men between yours then they are captured. Rolling 1-2-3 loses your turn and three of a kind gets another go. The objective is to place all your pieces. The (pretty irrelevant) theme is about two competing tribes of cannibals, though the plastic cannibal figures are quite cute.

 

Lifetime. Published by Amigo. 1996. Box. Excellent: cards shrinkwrapped. £3

Designer: Uwe Rosenberg. No. players: 3-6. Country: German, Duration: 45 mins, Desc. by Eamon.

Card game, 104 attractive double-sized cards. During the game players must play cards with two digits which correspond to years when a given celebrity was alive.

 

Lotus. Published by Ravensburger. 1988. Box. Excellent. £5.50

Designer: Dominique Tellier. No. players: 2-4. Country: German, Duration: 20 mins, Desc. by Andy.

Abstract race game in which players have to try to get their playing pieces from the start area to the finish area first. Pieces can stack and the higher a stack the further the piece on top can move.  There is also a 'trampoline' space which doubles movement for a piece landing on it.  The board and pieces have been given a Chinese look which is quite attractive

 

Maestro. Published by Hans Im Gluck. 1989. Box. 2 copies available:

1) Good. £12.50      2) Good, but 1 corner taped. £11.50

Designer: Rudi Hoffmann. No. players: 2-4. Country: German, Duration: 40 mins, Desc. by Andy.

On the nomination list for the German Spiel des Jahres 1989.  A family friendly tile placement game with a theme of collecting together musicians suitable for a variety of different bands.  Players run a talent agency and keep up to ten musicians on their books.  The more musicians kept the more options you will have, but it is important not to be left with them at the end of the game.  The musicians are added to the bands on the board only when a maestro is available to start the band. A gentle game with decisions to make but not too stressful.

 

Maestro Leonardo. Published by DaVinci Games. 2006. Box. In shrink. £23

Designer: Acchittocca. No. players: 2-5. Country: Italian, Duration: 90 mins, Desc. by Andy.

The players are inventors in renaissance Florence, and each tries to create amazing inventions in order to impress the rich patrons of the city.  To do this the players will need to obtain the right raw materials, attract more apprentices to work in the laboratories, or perhaps build mechanical men to do these jobs.  The favour of the town council is also useful from time to time. Once work on a project is completed the invention card is claimed and money obtained from a rich patron.  By the end of the game more and more impressive (and valuable) creations will be made.  Excellent development and resource management game - recommended. This is the German edition - components are language free.

 

Magdar. Published by Fantasy Flight Games. 2003. Box. In shrink. £8

Designer: Kevin Wilson. No. players: 2-4. Country: American, Duration: 30 mins, Desc. by Andy.

Fantasy themed game which clearly takes its ideas from Tolkien's works.  The dwarves have delved too deep in their mines, and have woken Magdar, a terrible magma demon. The playing area is set out using boulder tiles placed in four rows. The players move dwarves from boulder to boulder and can mine gems and mithril.  The longer spent in one place mining a gem the more valuable it becomes, however each turn Magdar moves and destroys a bit more of the mine, so any dwarves dawdling too long are likely to be destroyed along with their part finished gems. At the end of the game only gems which have a matching piece of mithril score.

 

Magellan / Pizarro & Co. Box. 2 editions available:

1) Magellan. Published by Hans Im Gluck. Country: German. 2002. Good. £7.50

2) Pizarro & Co. Published by Rio Grande. 2002. Country: American. Excellent. £9

Designer: Tom Lehmann. No. players: 3-6. Duration: 1hr, Desc. by Andy.

An auction game with a theme of backing famous explorers' expeditions. Players bid for the services of different explorers, some of whom reward with riches, some fame, some victory points and some a mixture. Some interesting ideas to make it harder to judge the value of the different explorers, and there are alternate rewards on the reverse of the game boards for a greater variety of games.

 

Maginor. Published by Fantasy Flight. 2001. Box. Excellent. £7

Designer: Reiner Knizia. No. players: 2-4. Country: American, Duration: 1 hr, Desc. by Andy.

The Wizard's Council needs a new High Wizard and the players vie for that privilege.  This is done by going to various Oracles and securing votes.  Each oracle will choose its favoured candidate in turn, but noone knows exactly when each oracle will make its choice, only the order they will choose in.  Thus players have to decide when and where to spend their time gaining votes.  Smaller oracles will need less persuasion, but their choice carries less weight.  Also each oracle provides a one off special power to its favoured candidate.  The game pieces look rather odd, sort of cogs into which vote tokens slot.

 

Maya. Published by Abacus Spiele. 2003. Box. In shrink. £11.50

Designer: Bernd Eisenstein. No. players: 3-5. Country: German, Duration: 75 mins, Desc. by Andy.

Card and board game in which players vie to contribute most toward building 4 Mayan pyramids in order to win the favour of the gods.  Firstly cards are played at the quarries to claim building blocks and gain special actions and then the building blocks are built into pyramids.  There are a number of clever rules to give additional tactical decisions and bonuses for majorities in either quarries or pyramids as well as special rules you need to keep an eye on in the pyramids lest your blocks collapse and become useless.

 

Monopoly The Card Game. Published by Winning Moves. 2000. Box. Good. £3.50

Designer: Unknown. No. players: 2-6. Country: British, Duration: 20 mins, Desc. by Andy.

Special notes: Original rules missing - printout supplied.

Monopoly themed card game.  Players try to collect sets of cards showing the Monopoly properties plus hotels and houses which increase the value of sets. Other cards provide quick points. Players can choose to draw from either the draw deck or from other players' discard piles in a sort of forced trade. Money is provided, and is used to keep track of the score.

 

More Chances To Win With Mecca. Published by Mecca. Box. Excellent. £3

Designer: Unknown. No. players: 1+. Country: Unknown, Desc. by Andy.

A rather nice travel games set with a good set of 6 pip dominoes which are a pleasure to handle, a pack of regular playing cards, folding wooden cribbage board and a set of 5 poker dice.  Rules are provided only for one game with the poker dice.

 

Munchkin Fu. Published by Steve Jackson. 2003. Box. Excellent. £7

Designer: Steve Jackson. No. players: 3-6. Country: American, Duration: 45 mins, Desc. by Andy.

Humorous card game parody of Kung Fu movies .  Very light and silly - the players have to try to get their character as powerful as possible, using the daft items available eg. 'Ebony Nunchuks Delivering Typhoon of Blows' and 'Excellent Bamboo Nose-Spreader'. Beware though as monsters and traps abound, such as 'Long Tong the Drool Demon' and the evil 'Generosity Potion'!  It is also compatible with Munchkin should you wish to combine the two sets.

 

Mystery Rummy Case No. 2: Murders In The Rue Morgue. Published by US Game Systems. 1999. Box.

In shrink. £7.50. Designer: Mike Fitzgerald. No. players: 2-4.

Country: American, Duration: 30 mins, Desc. by Andy.

Card game, 62 cards with which players must prove the innocence of Edgar Allan Poe's detective, C Auguste Dupin, and prove that the Orangutan did the crime! Subtitled Murders in the Rue Morgue. Part of this very well regarded series of card games based on the ideas of Rummy, but with various twists which fit in with the theme. This game introduces a kitty - during the hand players can place additional cards into a secret pile which is won by the first player to go out in addition to scoring for their melds.

 

N.F.W.I. Games. Published by N.F.W.I.. 1928. Booklet. Good, but edges a little worn. £3

Author: Unknown. Country: British, Desc. by Andy.

Softback booklet, 22x14, 12 pages. Produced by the National Federation of Women's Institutes, this booklet describes games suitable for play at W.I. meetings, and is the revised edition.  The book is divided into the following sections: Games Which Can Be Played In Institutes Where There Is Little Space For Moving About (15), Games Which Can Be Played In Large Institutes (15), Other Games (6). They are generally parlour or party games, and can be played by men as well as women!

 

Nix Fur Ungut!. Published by F X Schmid. 1996. Box. Excellent. £4

Designer: Jurgen Grunau. No. players: 2-5. Country: German, Duration: 45 mins, Desc. by Eamon.

Special notes: The board has been amended to the English language.

Card game, with players trying to match poker style combinations to score points.  However, only the three last declared sets of each category get any points. The trick is deciding when to declare your more powerful combinations and when to instead just use a weaker one as a delaying tactic.

 

No Room At The Zoo. Published by Artstraws Ltd. ca.1990. Box. Good. £3.50

Designer: Unknown. No. players: 2-4. Country: British, Duration: 20 mins, Desc. by Andy.

Players each have a selection of animals which they attempt to place onto spaces in the zoo.  The zoo is divided into 4 sections, each colour coded, and within these sections there are several interlocking rings each of a colour of a different board section.  When an animal is placed onto a space this will block off several other spaces, and the next player must play in the section indicated by the colour the last ring was played on.  If there is no free space to play on then all animals in that section must be taken back into your hand.  The winner is the first to place all their animals in the zoo, or if you play according to a friend's house rule you can also win by collecting a certain number of animals.

 

Nuba. Published by Amigo. 1995. Box. Excellent. £5

Designer: Reiner Knizia. No. players: 2. Country: German, Duration: 10 mins, Desc. by Andy.

Skillful game by Reiner with an unusual theme. Evidently based on practices in the Sudan, each player’s pieces count as wrestlers, trying to clear a path for other pieces to become musicians! Game play involves playing pieces which are either good wrestlers or good musicians (or somewhere in between) on the board and then trying to get them to the far side.  The player who gets the best musician to the far side wins.

 

Olix. Published by Spiel Spass. 1998. Box. Good. £7.50

Designer: Reiner Knizia. No. players: 2. Country: German, Duration: 30 mins, Desc. by Andy.

Abstract game from this first class designer.  Players take turns playing pieces onto a grid and try to form patterns in the shapes if the letters 'O'. 'L', 'I', and 'X'.  You have to watch what your opponent is doing and both counter them and build

your own patterns at the same time.

 

Pac-Man. Published by Milton Bradley. 1982. Box. Box corners split. £1

Designer: Unknown. No. players: 2-4. Country: British, Duration: 20 mins, Desc. by Andy.

Board game version of the popular early 1980's video arcade game.  Players each have their own Pac-Man which gobbles marbles as it is moved around the board.  However, the ghosts must be avoided as they will steal your marbles.  Great bits. Great for kids.

 

Panzerzug. Published by Winsome. 1998. Packet. Excellent. £7

Designer: Max Michael. No. players: 2-6. Country: American, Desc. by Andy.

Card based game, with pretty basic components as usual with Winsome. Each player flies either an American or British plane, on missions to destroy the German railroads. Cards represent fuel, guns, and bombs.  Each turn a target is drawn and the players attempts to destroy it, or refit their planes ready for next turn.  Players interact trying to stop opponents while maximizing their own attacks.

 

Paris Paris. Published by Rio Grande Games. 2003. Box. Excellent. £12

Designer: Michael Schacht. No. players: 2-4. Country: American, Duration: 45 mins, Desc. by Andy.

Placement game played on a map of Paris with 5 intersecting bus routes shown.  Businesses are built at various points on each of the lines according to the tiles which are available.  Left over tiles indicate what is scored each turn and when a special scoring occurs. You score best for having clusters of businesses around key intersections, but there are other ways to score too.  Clever game, plays pretty quickly too. On the nominations list for the German Spiel des Jahres 2003.

 

Phoenicia. Published by JKLM. 2007. Box. In shrink. £24

Designer: Tom Lehman. No. players: 2-5. Country: British, Duration: 90 mins, Desc. by Andy.

Special notes: For £1.50 extra I can print and laminate a set of player aid sheets which help a lot.

Updated version of the excellent Outpost system.  The players each build up a small Phoenician village from a basic hunting and farming based community eventually to a large city with a port, city walls, iron smelters and so on.  Players use their money to improve their income by hiring workers and investing in buildings which will give prestige (VPs) and additional income each round.  There are many different routes to building a thriving city, but each player tries to do so in a more efficient way than anyone else.  Highly recommended.

 

Phunology. Published by Abingdon Cokesbury. 1923. Book. Good, but cover shows some wear. £10

Author: E.O. Harbin. Country: American, Desc. by Andy.

Special notes: 1st and last pages taped to spine.

Hardback, 20x14, 454 pages. Subtitled: The Book Of Good Times, A Collection Of Tried And Proved Plans For Play, Fellowship And Profit. The entertainments and games are divided up as follows: Games and Activities appropriate for each month of the year, Enterainmenmts by category (Socials; Prize Socials; Games A-Z; Assembly Stunts; Misc Stunts; Relays; Icebreakers; City Union Socials; Banquets; Plays, Cantatas, Pageants & Operettas; Songs).

 

Poker Face. Published by Piatnik. 1993. Box. Excellent. £3.50

Designer: Gerhard Kodys. No. players: 3-6. Country: Austrian, Desc. by Eamon.

Special notes: Autographed on the front by the author.

Card game, 25 colourful cards are used in this game of bluff (you must keep a 'Poker-Face' as hinted in the title). Players collect cards from each other, hiding their true worth and action cards cause changes in the normal routine of play.

 

Popular Card Games. Published by W. Foulsham & Co Ltd. ca.1950. Book. Good. £2.50

Author: B.H. Wood & F.R. Ings. Country: British, Desc. by Andy.

Softback, 18x13cm, 96 pages. The book covers 20 of the favourite card games of the time. which includes Nap, Whist, Brag & Poker, Contract and Auction Bridge, Solo, Euchre, Pontoon, Baccarat, Bezique, Piquet, Glewstone Donkey, Pelmanism, Pounce, Black Maria, Rummy & Coon-Can, Fan-Tan, Cribbage and Canasta.  Includes hints and tips on good play.

 

Quadrum. Published by RoJo Games. 1985. Box. 2 box corners taped. £5

Designer: J.F. Turner & R Taylor. No. players: 1-8. Country: British, Duration: 45 mins, Desc. by Andy.

Special notes: Box shows slight indentation due to stacking

Tile laying game which is related to dominoes.  The tiles show different numbers / colours on each side, with some sides often blank.  A board is provided onto which the tiles are played, and points are scored for matching sides with those tiles already played. In addition there are various bonus spaces which give bonus points and others with optional special abilities.  Around the edge of the board there are also colours / numbers to match, and doing so will tend to be quite hard, but will give big bonuses.  There are variants for children as well as a solitaire puzzle to solve using the game too.

 

Quiz Kids. Published by Whitman. 1945. Box. Good. £1.50

Designer: Louis G Cowan. No. players: 2+. Country: American, Duration: 20 mins, Desc. by Andy.

Set No. 3. Card game, radio related, based on an American radio game-show of the same name. 36 double sided cards featuring questions, and the rules sheet also doubles as an answer check. One player takes the role of quizmaster and reads the questions and the others put up their hands to give answers. Played in 10 minute rounds after which the highest scorer takes over as quizmaster.

 

Razzia!. Published by Amigo. 2004. Box. In shrink. £10

Designer: Reiner Knizia. No. players: 2-5. Country: German, Duration: 45 mins, Desc. by Andy.

A reissue of Reiner's very popular, and excellent, game 'Ra', but in card game format. This time the theme is the Mafia, and players use money tokens to bid for cards which represent bodyguards, thieves, various businesses, valuable trinkets, cars and chauffeurs.  The game is played over three phases and each phase ends after seven raids by the police.  The game gets tense towards the end of each phase as players try to second guess when the round will end so they can make good purchases before then. Recommended.

 

Rhino Rush. Published by Peter Pan Games. 1996. Box. Good, but box shows some wear. £6

Designer: Unknown. No. players: 2-4. Country: British, Duration: 15 mins, Desc. by Andy.

Special notes: There is some tape on the joins of the board.

Children's game (age 5+) which is essentially just a roll and move game.  However, what makes this fun is that there is a large (6 inch long!) motorised plastic rhino which moves around the board erratically and moves the playing pieces as well!

 

Rum & Pirates. Published by Rio Grande Games. 2006. Box. In shrink. £21

Designer: Stefan Feld. No. players: 2-5. Country: American, Duration: 75 mins, Desc. by Andy.

Fun board game in which players must make best use of their supply of pirates while in town.  Each turn you can choose where to lead the Red Corsair, but must assign your pirates to lead the way, so longer routes use up more of your resources. At each location you gain some benefit - perhaps money, treasure maps, rum, an invitation to a romantic rendezvous and more.  Ultimately all these options result in VPs, and the objective is to get as many as possible.  At the end of each round there is a fun dice-off for VPs, with the odds favouring the players who have left more of their pirates back on their ships, rather than using them on the board.

 

Runes. Published by Eon. 1981. Box. Good, but box very slightly indented. £12

Designer: Bill Eberle, Jack Kittredge, & Peter Olotka. No. players: 1-4. Country: American, Desc. by Andy.

This is a word game with a difference.  The basic idea is that players each select a word, and the other players have to work out what it is, but rather than using the letter as the basic unit, all letters are broken down into shapes: short and long straights, and small and large curves.  Each letter is made up from a fixed set of these pieces.  Players try to deduce letters and the the whole word by finding out what letter segments are and are not in each letter.  Extremely original, as you would expect from the Eon team. Later reprinted as Buzzle.

 

Saboteur. Published by Amigo. 2004. Box. Excellent. £4.50

Designer: Frederic Moyersoen. No. players: 3-10. Country: German, Duration: 30 mins, Desc. by Andy.

Card game in which some of the players are dwarves who want to find a treasure in the mines, while others are saboteurs who try to stop the treasure being found - the players' identities are secret.  Passage cards are played onto the table to extend the passage system, and there are three potential sites of the treasure.  Players can also play cards which will stop another player extending the passages until they have fixed their problem, and of course other cards let you fix these problems. The card mix is well thought out making it possible but difficult to get to the treasure, so the end result of each round is generally very close.

 

Schweinerei. Published by MB Spiele. 1984. Box. Good. £4

Designer: David Moffat. No. players: 2+. Country: German, Duration: 20 mins, Desc. by Andy.

Special notes: German rules missing, but English rules supplied.

German version of Pass The Pigs. The game where you throw two plastic pigs, and the way they land determines your score. You can go on throwing building up your total, but risking throwing an Oinker and losing all your points. A nice variation on similar dice games, and which is a great game to play down the pub.

 

Sensationen. Published by Walter Muller. 1992. Box. 2 copies available:

1) Excellent. £8      2) Good. £7

Designer: Helmut Huber. No. players: 2-4. Country: German, Duration: 20 mins, Desc. by Andy.

Unusual race game with reporters racing to get the top story theme. There are three tracks along which playing pieces will be moved, but at one time only one of these is active, and at the start of the game players secretly decide which pieces they want to win on each of the tracks. Cards are played to move the pieces along the current track, but special cards can be played to cancel other cards, double them or change the currently active track.  When two of the tracks have been won points are awarded to players who correctly stated the winners.  Uses Walter Muller's characteristic graphic style.

 

Skallywaggs. Published by Bent Castle Workshops. 2005. Box. Excellent. £8.50

Designer: Chris Pallace, Ben Crenshaw. No. players: 2-4. Country: American, Duration: 1 hr, Desc. by Andy.

Pirate themed card game with a difference.  Players try to recruit a viable crew and the first to set sail wins. Most of the cards show the body parts (legs / body / head) of a pirate, and these can be put together any way you fancy - making some very odd characters.  However, there are advantages to making pirates out of matching body parts - they are less easily affected by unpleasant event cards and often give their owner special abilities as well.  The event cards let you swipe pirate parts from other players, as well as do other assorted helpful and unhelpful actions.

 

Sorcery Series Of Game Books. Published by Penguin Books.

Author: Steve Jackson. No. players: 1. Country: British, Desc. by Andy.

Softback, 20x13cm, 400+ paragraphs. Fighting Fantasy solo adventure book.  You don't need to own all the books in the series to play, but can carry your character forward from one to the next if you do. This is a paragraph based fantasy adventure book in which after setting up some basic character stats you read a paragraph telling you what is going on and then you decide what to do next and turn to the appropriate page.  Includes a spell system. 

Sorcery 1: The Shamutanti Hills.  1983. Book. Excellent. £3.50

Sorcery 2: Khare - Cityport Of Traps. 1985. Book. 2 copies available:

    1) Good, but cover shows use. £2.25

    2) Good. £2.50

Sorcery 3: The Seven Serpents. Published by Puffin Books. 1984. Book. Good. £2

Sorcery 4: The Crown Of Kings. Published by Puffin Books. 1985. Book. 2 copies available:

    1) Good but cover shows use. £2.25

    2) Good. £2.50

 

Sorcery: The Sorcery Spell Book. Published by Penguin Books. 1983. Book. Excellent. £6

Author: Steve Jackson. No. players: 1. Country: British, Desc. by Andy.

Softback, 20x13cm, 107 pages. Supplemental book to the Sorcery! series of Fighting Fantasy paragraph based solo adventure books. This book is rarer than the adventure books themselves, and contains details of the 48 spells which can be used in the adventure books. It is a very useful book to have if you intend to play the series as you won't need to keep referring to the spell pages at the back of each book, and wil have access to all the information about the spell system in one place.

 

Spiel '97 Taschenbuch. Published by Friedhelm Merz Verlag. 1996. Book. Good. £2

Author: Rosemarie Geu. Country: German, Desc. by Andy.

Softback, 15x11cm, 829 pages.  Pocket guide book to the Spiel 1997 fair in Essen, with lots of useful information to collectors such as: Company addresses for all the exhibitors, PBM magazine addresses, German games awards lists, Journalists' and magazines contact details, Lists of the games being shown at all the stands that year, Lists of games authors with their ludographies, Games index, Games groups and so on.  It is all in German of course.

 

Star Fleet Missions. Published by Task Force. 1992. Box. Good. £8.50

Designer: Leanna M Cole. No. players: 2-6. Country: American, Duration: 90 mins, Desc. by Andy.

Card game based on the Star Fleet Battles universe. Players build fleets from various races (Federation, Klingon, etc.) and compete to fulfil various missions. The basic idea is that cards from the mission deck have various requirements in order to be fulfilled, and starship cards have various abilities which can be used to fulfil these requirements.  Points are awarded by fulfilling missions.

 

Steeple Chess. Published by Ravensburger. 1976. Box. 2 copies available:

1) Good. £3      2) Box shows wear. £2.50

Designer: Alex Randolph. No. players: 2-4. Country: German, Duration: 45 mins, Desc. by Eamon.

Race game with wooden pieces. A special die with chess symbols on its faces is rolled and this indicates how one of your pieces may move that turn. Pieces can capture others on the way round.

 

Stop The Train. Published by Spears. 1986. Box. Good. £5.50

Designer: Unknown. No. players: 2-4. Country: British, Duration: 25 mins, Desc. by Andy.

Special notes: The dice is not the original one, but an entirely suitable replacement.

Children's game (age 5+) in which the players have to get 3 playing pieces around the board and back home again - first to do so wins. A dice is used to dictate movement options, but it does not have pips, but colours, and rather than indicating how the playing pieces move it determines how two trains move about the board.  The board has a clip-in clear plastic railway track and two large train overlays which fit onto the railway track and can be slid around the track.  These trains cover several spaces and at the end of each turn when the trains are stationary and playing pieces next to them get on, or if at a detour space, get off and move backwards a bit.  Good children's game.

 

Stortebeker. Published by Hans Im Gluck. 2000. Box. Excellent. £7.50. Desc. by Andy.

Designer: Andreas Wetter & Thorsten Lopmann. No. players: 2-4. Country: German, Duration: 1 hr.

Each player is a pirate, out to loot galleys. To do this you need to have the right provisions cards and a bit of luck.  You will also need a strong crew to make sure no other pirates come and take the booty from you. The cards you get determine what options are available to you, but the roll of the dice may yet foil your plans. Plenty of interaction as players can compete for valuable galleys. Also published as Corsairs in America.

 

Survival Of The Witless. Published by Avalanche Press. 1996. Box. Good. £6.50

Designer: Unknown. No. players: 3-8. Country: American, Duration: 1 hr, Desc. by Andy.

Special notes: 2 out of 60 identical markers missing (but a maximum of 40 would ever be needed, so this does not affect play)

Satirical game in which the players are all academics and write articles and try to impress the senior members of their university department, with the objective being to publish a book and have the faculty board so impressed that they offer you a permanent position - a sure way to a life of bourgeois living and never having to do any work!  The players are given a gender, class, race and sexual orientation, and these affect their standing with each faculty board member.  The game is then driven by card play, with over 200 cards and plenty of humorous takes on academic life therein.

 

Surviving On The Edge. Published by Atlas Games. 1995. Book. Excellent. £3.50

Author: Various. Country: American, Desc. by Andy.

Softback, 20x14cm, 288 pages. This the Player's Guide for the On The Edge CCG. The book gives an introduction to the game, a detailed rundown of the different factions and groups in the game, Errata and FAQ, various rules for group play, many appendices (rarity lists and trait lists).

 

Tactics II. Published by Avalon Hill. 1973. Box. Good. £7

Designer: Charles Roberts. No. players: 2. Country: American, Desc. by Andy.

An early wargame, and a good introduction to the genre. Sort of a military chess played on a mapboard, with units having different capabilities, and each turn all units can be moved and then battles resolved.  The mapboard shows a fictional continent over which the blue and red forces are battling with various terrain features including roads, rivers, woods, mountains, beaches, sea and cities.  The rules include a basic game and a more advanced game.

 

Thats Life. Published by Palitoy. 1978. Box. Good. £2

Designer: Unknown. No. players: 2-4. Country: British, Desc. by Andy.

Family board game based on Esther Rantzen's TV programme of the same name. Players try to be the first to acquire a TV set, cooker, car, bath and dog for their home. Play involves moving around a circular track and actioning the spaces landed on.  These allow players to trade goods, as well as forcing players to get items repaired, which involves other players, and should a repair not be possible Esther Rantzen can be called in to expose the dodgy dealer who provided that good, which can result in that player being penalised. Includes nice plastic playing pieces for the cookers, baths, cars, dogs, TVs etc.

 

The Beginner's Book Of Contract Bridge. Published by C. Arthur Pearson Ltd. 1939. Book.

Good, but dustcover shows wear. £2.50. Author: Joy Weston. Country: British, Desc. by Andy.

Hardback with dustcover, 19x13cm, 167 pages. This book aims to teach the absolute beginner how to play Contract Bridge, and does so using a variety of characters rather than just dry prose.  The book covers: Mrs Newbegin decides to take up Bridge, Simple Bidding & Quick Trick Values, What Are Trumps, Consulting One's Partner, Simple Bidding Examples, Raising Bids, No Trump Distribution, Showing a Strong Hand, Pre-emptive Bids, The Attack, The Defence, Defending a No Trump Contract, Doubling, Partial Scores, Vulnerability, Importance of Distribution, Two Club Convention, Slam Bidding.

 

The Complete Home Entertainer. Published by Odhams Press Ltd. ca.1920. Book. Good. £8.50

Author: Unknown. Country: British, Desc. by Andy.

Hardback, 22x14cm, 512 pages. The cover and spine are embossed, and there are over 400 illustrations, but the date is a guess. The book covers: Getting Together (Icebreakers), Action Games, Word Games, Games With Pencil & Paper, Party Stunts And Jokes, Word Puzzles, 1 Minute Teasers, Fun With Intelligence Tests, Potted Personalities, Character Quizzes, Amateur Detective's Casebook, Brain Twisters, Family Craft, Songs For Home & Party, Simple Conjuring, Card Wizardry, Scientific Magic, Fun with Matches String & Coins, Card Games, Board & Table Games, Picnic & Garden Games, Children's Fun Book.

 

The Education Of A Poker Player. Published by Sphere Books. 1970. Book. Good. £7

Author: Herbert O.Yardley. Country: British, Desc. by Andy.

Softback, 18x11cm, 138 pages. From the back page blurb: A gambling classic... brilliant instruction ... and a hatful of some of the finest gambling stories I have ever read.  The book has zest, blood, sex and a tough, wry humour...

 

The Ins & Outs Of Peg Solitaire. Published by Oxford Univerity Press. 1985. Book. Excellent. £6

Author: John D. Beasley. Country: British, Desc. by Andy.

Hardback, 22x14cm, 275 pages.  A very thorough examination of Peg Solitaire.  The game is introduced and the history given, then a mathematical approach to the game is given, and this can then be used to solve many peg solitaire problems. Peg solitaire on different shaped boards and even infinite and 3D 'boards' are also considered.  Great if you really want to understand peg solitaire mathematically. The book contains over 200 problems for you to attempt (with solutions).

 

The Official Encyclopedia Of Bridge. Published by Crown. 1971. Book. Good. £8

Author: Edited by Richard Frey. Country: American, Desc. by Andy.

Hardback with dustcover, 25x17cm, 793 pages. Stunning piece of work, a reference library of all matters relating to Bridge, from personalities to bidding, from events to the history of the game. The book is organised with keyword entries ordered alphabetically.

 

The Settlers Of Catan. Published by Mayfair. 2007. Box. In shrink. £21

Designer: Klaus Teuber. No. players: 2-4. Country: American, Duration: 90 mins, Desc. by Andy.

Special notes: 2007 Edition.

Perhaps THE classic eurogame. Each player starts with two settlements on an island of terrain hexes each of which allow production of one resource or another for settlements and cities around them.  Players collect goods, trade them with other players and build more roads, settlements, and cities and recruit knights and buy development cards to enhance their position. First to 10 VPs wins.  Every game plays differently due to a new layout of hexes and production disks every game. Highly recommended.

 

The Sicilian Defence: Taimanov System. Published by B. T. Batsford. 1989. Book. Excellent. £4

Author: Mark Taimanov. Country: British, Desc. by Andy.

Softback, 22x14cm, 90 pages.  Chess book which gives a detailed analysis of the Taimanov variant of the Sicilian Defence family of openings.

 

The Viking Game. Published by History Craft. 1987. Box. 2 copies available:

1) Good. £2.50      2) Excellent. £3

Designer: Unknown. No. players: 2. Country: British, Duration: 20 mins, Desc. by Andy.

Nice historical reproduction of the ancient Norse strategy game called Hnefatafl (King's Table). The pieces are delightful little replica carvings which appear to be made of resin. The board is made of cloth, and the box is compact. There are several games in this family of games, and this one uses 12 + the king on one side and 24 on the other side. The objective for the white player is to get the king to a corner space, and for the dark player to capture the king.

 

Theophrastus. Published by Mayfair Games. 2001. Box. Good. £12.50

Designer: P.R. Chase. No. players: 2-5. Country: American, Duration: 1 hr, Desc. by Andy.

Card based game in which the master alchemist Theophrastus takes on the players as apprentices, and concocts elixirs which the players must try to copy as accurately as possible. The players take it in turn to contribute to Theophrastus' recipe secretly and make their own elixir.  Action points are used to draw extra cards, play cards openly or secretly transmute ingredients and occasionally mess with other players' elixirs.  The game ends after three elixirs have been completed and scored.

 

Thinking Man's Golf. Published by 3M. 1966. Box. Good. £7

Designer: Frederick A Herschel. No. players: 1-4. Country: American, Duration: 45 mins, Desc. by Andy.

Very innovative golf game when it was published - one of the first games to use chinagraph pencils and laminated boards. The 18 hole course is laid out on the wrap-around box, and it features 18 famous holes from various American golf courses. To play, you first determine wind speed and direction, then pick your club and place the range-finder on the board. Dice are rolled for your shot to determine distance and direction, and the location marked on the board.  This is repeated until the putting table can be used instead.

Tom Jolly's Cargo. Published by Wingnut Games. 2004. Box. Good. £9.50

Designer: Tom Jolly. No. players: 2-4. Country: American, Duration: 45 mins, Desc. by Andy.

Each player controls a team of dockhands, which include regular workers, a burly worker, a mule and an elephant.  Each player also has a selection of tea crates.  The objective is to load your tea crates onto your ship while pushing other players' tea crates into the sea.  It is also possible to squash other players' regular workers between two crates, and this is worth doing too.  Each turn you have three movement points to split amongst your dockhands as you see fit, and each type has its own abilities. eg. An elephant can push up to 2 crates and move up to 2 spaces, while a regular worker can push only one crate and move only one space.

 

Tour Of London. Published by Waddingtons. 1984. Box. Good. £1

Designer: Pauline Frances. No. players: 2-4. Country: British, Desc. by Andy.

Players try to collect a full set of souvenir cards and then return to the hotel.  This is done by moving around the board according to dice rolls.  There are chance cards and opportunities to swap souvenirs with other players as well as using buses or taxis.

 

Toys Of The Sixties - A Pictorial Guide. Published by Cap'n Penny Productions. 1992. Book. Excellent. £13

Author: Bill Bruegman. Country: American, Desc. by Andy.

Softback, 28x22cm, 206 pages. A guide to toys and games from 1960s America, with a picture of most items, as well as a description and a valuation.  There is also an article of survivors from the 60s such as Etch-A-Sketch, Barbie, Frisbees, and Play Doh.  A fascinating book for collectors or for anyone who remembers these toys and games from their youth. The book covers: Mattel, Survivors, Gold Nuggets, Cartoons, Games, Military, Monsters, Music Movie & Personality, Secret Agents, Space, Superheroes, TV.

 

Trading Routes. Published by Van der Veer. 2005. Box. Excellent. £6

Designer: Jacque Deul. No. players: 2-8. Country: Singapore, Duration: 30 mins, Desc. by Andy.

Card game set in the jungle, each card showing part of a trading route between tribes.  The cards must be played adjacent to other cards, domino style so that the trade route continues on.  If a player manages to play so that the symbols at each end of the trade route are the same then they have completed the trade route and win those cards.  There are also cards which increase the value of a trade route, but don't change the values at the ends, and war and peace cards which stop a trade route from being finished or remove a war. The player who claims the most cards wins.

 

Trans America. Published by Rio Grande Games. Box. In shrink. £16

Designer: Franz-Benno Delonge. No. players: 2-6. Country: American, Duration: 30 mins, Desc. by Andy.

Railway game in which the players are given cards showing cities in different areas of the U.S.  Track is then laid connecting the cities, all track is communal, and the first player to connect to all of their cities wins the round.  Fast, light and fun.  On the German Spiel des Jahres nomination list for 2002. Recommended.

 

Trans Europa. Published by Rio Grande Games. 2005. Box. In shrink. £15.50

Designer: Franz-Benno Delonge. No. players: 2-6. Country: American, Duration: 30 mins, Desc. by Andy.

Same game as Trans America (see above), but on a European map. Recommended.

 

Traumfabrik. Published by Hasbro. 2000. Box. Good. £18

Designer: Reiner Knizia. No. players: 2-5. Country: German, Duration: 90 mins, Desc. by Andy.

Special notes: There is no music CD included in this set.

This is the limited availability version which came with a CD of film music.  The game was withdrawn for legal reasons and re-released as Fabrik Der Traume without the music CD.  The game itself is about completing films as quickly and/or as well as possible.  Films require actors, special effects, music, directors, camera, and stars and these are obtained both by participation in auctions and by going along to parties!  There are awards presented for the best (and worst!) films at the end of the game and at a couple of points during the game. Essentially it is an auction based game with money circulating between the players.

 

Trivial Pursuit - Best Of Genus - Electronic Quiz Machine. Published by Horn Abbot International. 1998.  Good. £3.50. Designer: Unknown. No. players: 1+. Country: British, Desc. by Andy.

This is a hand held electronic gadget with a LCD screen.  The gadget has been programmed with a vast number of questions from the Genus edition of Trivial Pursuit.  There are 4 quiz games which can be played: Triv Knockout Multiple Choice / Traditional, Team Play, Just Questions & Answers. The questions are in the traditional Triv categories, but there is no need for a board or playing pieces - just the gadget!

Tyranno Ex. Box. 2 editions available:

1) Published by Avalon Hill. Country: American. 1992. Good, 1 corner taped. £11

2) Published by Moskito. Country: German. 1992. Box. Good. £9.  First edition.

Designer: Karl-Heinz Schmiel. No. players: 2-4. Duration: 2 hrs, Desc. by Andy.

Game about the evolution of the dinosaur. Players attempt to ensure that their species will be dominant by placing climate change markers which will hopefully ensure the climate favours their dinosaurs rather than those of their rivals. However, as well as surviving the climate it is necessary to weather attacks from other species. Clever systems as you would expect from this designer.

 

Way Out West. Published by Warfrog. 2000. Box. 2 copies available:

1) In shrink. £9      2) Excellent - unpunched. £8.50

Designer: Martin Wallace. No. players: 3-5. Country: British, Duration: 90 mins, Desc. by Andy.

Players attempt to outplay each other by building up towns, herding cattle, and hiring cowboys. If somebody has something you want then you can fight for it!  Banks can be robbed, cattle rustled and farmers shot.  However, you must be careful not to make too many enemies. The game uses a clever system ensuring only a certain number of each action can be performed each round.

 

Whiplash. Published by Peter Pan. 1988. Box. Box corners taped + mark where label was. £2

Designer: Unknown. No. players: 2. Country: British, Duration: 5 mins, Desc. by Andy.

Special notes: No rules included, though the box says all you need to know to be able to play.

Fast action game, a sort of two player bagatelle!  The board has a central scoring section into which players try to get their marbles.  Each player also has a bagatelle style ball shooter and each ball lane curves around the board and then up a ramp which hopefully will send the ball into the scoring area.  First to get 100 points wins.  Play is simultaneous, so pretty frantic!

 

X Pasch. Published by Fanfor Verlag. 1996. Box. In shrink. £9

Designer: Valentin Herman. No. players: 3-6. Country: German, Desc. by Andy.

Special notes: This is the 'Deluxe' edition.

This game is about gaining control of businesses, which are represented by cards. Players gain income from companies where they have the most board members, and then roll three dice and use them for various purposes such as bringing a new business into the game, adding board members to existing businesses, or drawing new cards.                                                                                         

 

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