2010 BoardGameGeek.con Game Convention

Once again, the annual BoardGameGeek.con game convention will take place at the Westin Dallas Fort Worth Airport hotel in Irving, Texas. This year's event is scheduled for Nov. 17-21, and registration is now open. The early bird (before May 31) price is $75.

2010 BoardGameGeek.con Game Convention originally appeared on About.com Board / Card Games on Thursday, March 18th, 2010 at 07:54:26.

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Poker Robbery Suspect Arrested

A suspect in the brazen robbery of a European Poker Tour event in Berlin has been arrested. About.com's Poker Guide, Toby Bochan, has more details.

Poker Robbery Suspect Arrested originally appeared on About.com Board / Card Games on Thursday, March 18th, 2010 at 07:48:13.

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Memoir '44 Breakthrough Expansion

Days of Wonder recently announced a new expansion, Breakthrough, for the World War II game Memoir '44. The expansion includes two oversized boards which are 13x17 hexes big, almost twice as large as a standard Memoir '44 board. The nine-panel board maps are double-sided, with countryside and beach battlefields on one, and winter and desert battlefields on the second.

Breakthrough also includes 15, never-in-print-before scenarios designed by Jacques "jdRommel" David and Richard Borg, with classic battles such as Operation Crusader, Operation Amherst and two renditions of the battle for Sword Beach.

The Memoir '44 Breakthrough Expansion is for two players and requires a copy of the original Memoir '44. Days of Wonder also recommends additional expansions, depending on the scenario being played, although players can substitute game pieces if they don't own a specified expansion. Breakthrough is scheduled to be available in April in Europe for about €30 and in May in North America for about $30.

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Memoir '44 Breakthrough Expansion originally appeared on About.com Board / Card Games on Wednesday, March 17th, 2010 at 06:03:49.

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Campaign Manager 2008 - First Impressions

My wife and I hosted some friends at a nearby bed and breakfast last weekend (we're doing it again this weekend), and a lot of great games were played. One of the highlights for me was being able to play Campaign Manager 2008, a new game based on the 2008 U.S. presidential election between then-Senator Barack Obama and Senator John McCain.

Campaign Manager 2008 opens with players building a deck of 15 cards (out of 45 possible cards), which are used throughout the game to win electoral votes in battleground states like Pennsylvania, Florida and Ohio. The first player to get past 270 electoral votes is the winner.

The game is packed with tough decisions. The most important might be building a strong deck at the start of the game, no easy task given the number of factors to be considered. But players will also have to decide when to give up on a state, when to invest resources in a state that's leaning the other way, and when to go negative -- strong cards which could also help your opponent.

The two games I played were split. In one, McCain roared to victory; the other saw Obama win in a landslide. I look forward to playing Campaign Manager many more times.

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Campaign Manager 2008 - First Impressions originally appeared on About.com Board / Card Games on Tuesday, March 16th, 2010 at 06:15:01.

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Going Cardboard - Board Game Documentary

In 2006, Lorien Green noticed that the number of game boxes in her basement was growing quickly. Her husband Adam had discovered designer board games, and his collection was expanding. Soon, she was hooked on the bean-farming card game Bohnanza and the energy-production board game Power Grid.

A few years later, inspired by films like Spellbound and Word Wars, Green decided to produce a documentary about board games. She is now putting the finishing touches on Going Cardboard, a documentary (she lovingly calls it a "geekumentary") about the designer game industry and the people who play the games. Read more in my interview with Lorien Green.

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Going Cardboard - Board Game Documentary originally appeared on About.com Board / Card Games on Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 at 07:49:55.

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Buffalo Games in Oscar Swag Bags

Celebrities attending the Academy Awards often return home with "swag bags" -- bags packed with free goodies from a variety of companies. This year's swag bags included party games from publisher Buffalo Games, including Likewise, The T-Shirt Game and Truth Be Told. The games were placed next to luxury items like Nicole Paxton Cosmetics, Azura Dawn products, and Jenny B Clothing.

Buffalo Games partnered with producer Suzanne DeLaurentiis, founder of The Cinema City International Film Festival, to provide the games to celebrities attending the show's "Celebrity Gifting Suite." All proceeds from the Gifting Suite will benefit the Marine Corps Veterans Association and The Klass Kids Foundation.

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Buffalo Games in Oscar Swag Bags originally appeared on About.com Board / Card Games on Monday, March 8th, 2010 at 07:36:33.

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