Traders Dilemma is a card base game set in the early 1800's in which players must negotiate and barter amongst each other to achieve their end goal and win the game. The game can be played from anywhere as small as two players and up to as large as eight. The game is better played with larger amounts of people as more people can trade, strike alliances and agreements and backstab other players if a lucrative opportunity comes their way. At the beginning of the End Goal Deck is shuffled and placed out in a fan like shape, each player then chooses one card from random to be their objective. End Goals range from generating a certain amount of wealth to building a specific building or dominating the economy by owning a certain amount of trading posts.

The game begins with players starting out with a single trade post card which generates income every turn which can then be spent to gather resources or purchase laborers to expand your trading post into thriving towns. As the game progresses players may build trading posts in other players' towns for a portion of their profit every turn. Every second trade post built allows the player to draw an extra card each turn to a maximum of three. This can allow players to gain a quick lead but also increase the risk of drawing hazard cards.

Hazard cards are cards inside the normal with buildings etc. that take effect immediately in the owning players' trading posts and will specify if one or more are affected. These effects will always impact your income in some way, either by reducing for a set amount of turns or requiring the player to pay a lump sum for repairs etc., some may even force the player to abandon a trading post if they don't have the funds required to save it. The player may also elect to not fix the problem but effects will increase in potency each turn.

Players may trade between one another for resources or construct buildings to increase resource acquirement or income. Each building has a maximum that each player can build so if a lumber that provides two wood every turn has a maximum of two, a player can only build two of them in each trade post they own.

Once a player decides to build a town their income can increase dramatically but towns also come with an increased risk of hazard cards. Every fourth turn that the player who owns a town must draw from the separate town hazards deck which is more powerful than those encountered in the normal deck.

The more players there are, the more is to be had and also potential frustration. Trader's dilemma is a game for most age groups over 12.

Image attribution: image retrieved (31 August 2015) from http://www.oldwestrealtyandauction.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/trading.jpg

Hunting Lodge is a board game for up to six players. Plyers begin the game in the center of the board, each represented by a unique hunter figurine. Surrounding the lodge are numerous hunting areas that the players can choose to hunt in. The object of the game is to score as many points on your trophy card as possible. To fill up their trophy card, a player needs to venture into a hunting ground, kill one of the monsters plaguing the area and return with it to the lodge. They must follow a path to get there which can take one to several turns to arrive dependant on dice rolls for movement across the tiles.

Simple? Yes. However, depending on the type of hunting ground, the monster within may be tougher or weaker than others and the player must roll a dice to see if they are successful in their hunt: the stronger the creature, the harder it is to hunt and the more trophy points it is worth. The player has three attempts to capture the monster before being forced to retreat and set out again. If successful the player may then return to the lodge following along the path that led them there. However, competing hunters may try and intercept you on your way back to the lodge and steal your kill! If this happens both players roll off on a dice, the person who scores the highest wins.

The first person to fill up their trophy card wins.

There will also be differing weapons with different effects on the game. For example, a blunderbuss will increase your chance of winning hunts or player encounters by increasing the result on all of your offensive dice rolls by one. You may also come across some caltrops which prevent pursuit while on your way to the Hunting Lodge.

Key Features:

- 30 – 40 minutes gameplay per session.

- Interesting equipment cards to make each game a unique experience.

- Intense last minute scrambles when a player begins closing in on their victory.

- Fun for everyone who endeavours to play.

Image Attribution:

Image of Evolve characters and monster: 2K Games Evolve (2015) retrieved (5 August 2015) from http://blogs-images.forbes.com/jasonevangelho/files/2015/02/a19a359d7d4216b3.jpg

Yes, this is what you think it is, but with added AWESOMENESS!!!! Rather than the boring slide down the snake when you land on its head or climbing up the ladder from the base, you can now draw cards when you land on the question mark and even pick up weapons! Landing on the question mark tile can enable you to do a variety of things, from forcing your enemy to land on a snake head, to boosting you forward several spaces to super powering you or your next weapon! Take control of one of eight characters and go nuts whacking the other players around the board or form tactical alliances to get yourselves ahead, then when the other player least expects it, hit them over the head with a baseball bat and make them skip their next turn! Enjoy the thrill and suspense that is Snakes and Ladders: Extra!

(Warning: friendships may be lost during game play and side effects may vary)

Key Features:

-The classic snakes and ladders

-Power ups!

-Weapons

-Heaps of players! Up to eight even!

-And as always, loads of fun.

Image attribution:

Image of Snakes and Ladders retrieved (24 July 2015) from http://www.laetusinpraesens.org/docs10s/images/begging_files/snakes_and_ladders.jpg

Image of Question Mark Cards retrieved (24 July 2015) from https://images-cdn.fantasyflightgames.com/ffg_content/organized-play/2013/Season-One-kits/card-fan-question-mark.png