Splashes of dark ink on a blank page, the characters illegible - or are they? The line that seemed like a scribble, could it perhaps be the letter N, or is it a Z on its side? And that circle, is it an O or a Q, or maybe part of a B? You can't know for sure, but you might have an inkling... Inkling is a word game for 3 to 6 players with an innovative twist. Each turn you will play your letter cards in front of you, hoping the players next to you can glean the words you're trying to convey - but without the perfect letters you will need to get creative! How you go about that is up to you: rotate your cards, play them upside down or on their side, or have them overlap one another - whatever it takes to get your meaning across. Players: 3-6 Playing Time: 20 minutes Ages: 14+ Contents: 200+ Cards, Scorepad

It's the first day of spring, and there's only one thing on everyone's mind - the Village Green of the Year competition! In just a few months, the judges of this prestigious contest will be visiting, and the village council have finally put you in charge of the preparations. With your newfound authority, you can show those snobs from Lower Aynesmore just what a properly orchestrated floral arrangement looks like! In Village Green you are rival gardeners, tasked by your respective communities with arranging flowers, planting trees, commissioning statues, and building ponds. You must place each element carefully - time is tight and the stakes couldn't be higher! Split your days between acquiring and installing new features for your green and nominating it for one of the competition's many awards. Will your village green become the local laughing stock, or make the neighbouring villages green with envy? Players: 1-5 Playing Time: 30 minutes Ages: 14+ Contents: 96 cards

There's something hiding among us: an elusive cryptid is prowling our city streets. The evidence is clear but, without definitive proof, the scientific community will never believe you. There's nothing else to be done - you must track down this cryptid yourself! Play as a determined Scientist manipulating heat, movement, and sonic sensors to scan the city, identify your quarry's true location, and capture them. Or take the role of a Cryptid, snaking your way through the shadows and back alleys of the metropolis that surrounds you, eliminating all evidence of your existence as you go, desperately avoiding capture. Emerging victorious in this high stakes cat-and-mouse chase, played out across a sprawling urban landscape, will require all your ingenuity and foresight. Cryptid: Urban Legends is a tense asymmetric game of competitive deductive reasoning for two players from the creators of Cryptid. Players: 2 Ages: 14+ Playing Time: 20-40 minutes Contents: 41 cards, 10 plastic cubes, 9 plastic discs

The computer has changed the way top players think about chess. The silicon mind has no psychological barriers. It is "willing" to check moves that most humans, including top players, consider absurd and reject instantly. Thus this brave, new computer era inevitably leads to a reassessment of old axioms, principles and evaluations. In this book the reader will discover the incredible power unconventional moves can have. These moves contradict the most fundamental principles of the "old chess", and yet most of them played by leading grandmasters. At first sight these moves look so strange that the reader can not avoid asking, "Was this grandmaster was inspired or drunk?" The answer will definitely surprise you.

Whether you're an American Mah Jongg newbie or an intermediate player looking to gain an edge over your opponents, American Mah Jongg for Everyone is the perfect book to help you start practicing your game! Experienced international Mah Jongg instructors Gregg Swain and Toby Salk walk you through the basics of American Mah Jongg--introducing readers to the tiles, rituals, history, rules and winning strategies of the game. Using the humor, warmth and professional tips they share with their own students, this narrative-style instruction book offers an accessible way to learn this popular game. Topics include: Recognizing Mah Jongg tiles in different types of sets Building the walls and dealing the tiles Organizing your tiles and planning your play Understanding table rules and etiquette Winning strategies for various types of hands National Mah Jongg tournament director Gladys Grad contributes a foreword that explains why so many people love the game. Grad also has written a chapter that outlines the rules of Siamese Mah Jongg, a fun two-person game she created that you can't find in any other Mah Jongg book! This book comes with everything you need to get started playing, including: A timeless sample Mah Jongg scoring card A paper set to cut out and use while learning Easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions Over 80 color illustrations Helpful practice exercises and quizzes that reinforce the lessons Access to a website that provides up to date information about the game A glossary of terms that every Mah Jongg player needs to know From the many different types of tiles and how to recognize them, personal stories about the game and historical trivia, American Mah Jongg for Everyone has something for anyone interested in this fascinating game.

Ireland is awash with would-be kings, power-hungry pretenders, and self-professed rulers. The provinces are in disarray, and the common folk are paying the price. The land needs a leader. In Brian Boru, players will strive to unite Ireland under their domain, securing control through might, cunning, and matrimony. Join forces to fend off Viking invaders, build monasteries to extend your influence, and gather support in towns and villages throughout the land. To become High King of all Ireland, you will need to navigate a web of shifting alliances, outmanoeuvre your enemies, and grab history by the reins. Includes rules in English and German. Number of players: 3-5 Ages: 14+ Play time: 60-90 minutes Components: Board, 46 cards, 139 tokens, 125 wooden discs

Making a great board game and pitching it to publishers are two completely different things. If you've got a game that you want to share with the world but don't know what to do next, this book will help you navigate through exactly what steps to take. You'll discover: How to find the right publisher Exactly what publishers are looking for How to create a sell sheet that will actually sell your game How to negotiate the best deal and get paid more for your game What to look out for in contracts to make sure you don't get exploited You'll learn from Joe's experiences as a full-time board game designer and instructor, along with tips and stories from a dozen other published designers, plus the exact things that publishers want. Direct from 16 established publishers.

Are you thinking about working in the board game industry? Here's what you need to know. There are so many jobs and roles that need to be filled in the board game industry. You might just have the right skills and experience to excel. But first you need to know what opportunities exist and what the hardest gaps are to fill! In this book, you'll discover * What jobs are really in demand * How you can get your foot in the door with a publisher * Jobs in the industry you've never even thought of * What other opportunities exist for people with skills just like yours With insights from over 40 industry pros, as well as the author's many years of experience, you'll be able to put your own skills and experience to great use in an amazing, growing industry.

Are you thinking about working in the board game industry? Here's what you need to know. There are so many jobs and roles that need to be filled in the board game industry. You might just have the right skills and experience to excel. But first you need to know what opportunities exist and what the hardest gaps are to fill! In this book, you'll discover * What jobs are really in demand * How you can get your foot in the door with a publisher * Jobs in the industry you've never even thought of * What other opportunities exist for people with skills just like yours With insights from over 40 industry pros, as well as the author's many years of experience, you'll be able to put your own skills and experience to great use in an amazing, growing industry.

Making a great board game and pitching it to publishers are two completely different things. If you've got a game that you want to share with the world but don't know what to do next, this book will help you navigate through exactly what steps to take. You'll discover: How to find the right publisher Exactly what publishers are looking for How to create a sell sheet that will actually sell your game How to negotiate the best deal and get paid more for your game What to look out for in contracts to make sure you don't get exploited You'll learn from Joe's experiences as a full-time board game designer and instructor, along with tips and stories from a dozen other published designers, plus the exact things that publishers want. Direct from 16 established publishers.

The Ruy Lopez is arguably the most classic of chess openings. White immediately starts the battle for the centre, fighting for the initiative. This strategic clarity has made the Ruy Lopez, or Spanish Opening, an eternal favourite with chess players at all levels. Inevitably, this popularity has also led to a wealth of opening theory. In this book, Fabiano Caruana takes you by the hand and lays out a complete and practical White repertoire for club players. He avoids complicated chaotic lines, but doesnt shy away from sharp battles. Caruana loves to find and use the tactics to punish Black for risky choices. This one-volume and crystal-clear repertoire covers fifteen main variations, from the classical lines to the anti-Marshall (8.a4), and from the Schliemann (3f5) to the Modern Steinitz. In an easy-to-grasp manner Caruana explains general characteristics, such as permanent weaknesses long-term goals, and is always looking for an advantage for White. The insights of the World #2 in this classic opening, will not only greatly improve your results in the Ruy Lopez, but also sharpen your general chess knowledge. Inspired by Caruanas ChessBase Series Navigating the Ruy Lopez.

A Real Simple gift guide pick for 2017 A fun board game based on the best-selling Listography journal series: Listography: The Game invites players to create and share lists based on fun and thought-provoking topics - from geography and pop culture to toothpaste and constellations! With the goal of being the first around the game board, players score points according to the number of similar or unique answers. Every round in the game results in creative thinking, surprise outcomes, and lots of laughs. May the best list win! * Small and compact for travel and to take to dinner parties * Game makes a fun and unique housewarming gift * Lisa Nola is the creator of the Listography book series and the popular list-making website, listography.com. With over one million copies sold, her books inspire creative auto-biography and reinvention through list-making Listography: The Game will appeal to list-lovers who want to have a good time laughing with friends. * For 3-6 players, ages 12 and up * Includes: 300 cards (300 list topics), game board, 6 player tokens, sand timer, 6 list pads * Great ice-breaking game and for groups to get to know each other

The games of Mikhail Botvinnik, world chess champion from 1948 to 1963, have been studied by players around the world for decades. But little has been written about Botvinnik himself. This book explores his unusual dual career--as a highly regarded scientist as well as the first truly professional chess player--as well as his complex relations with Soviet leaders, including Josef Stalin, his bitter rivalries, and his doomed effort to create the perfect chess-playing computer program. The book has more than 85 games, 127 diagrams, twelve photographs, a chronology of his life and career, a bibliography, an index of openings, an index of opponents, and a general index.

A tense, economic eurogame for one to four players, charting the rise and fall of the 12th Century's greatest city.

The ancient city of Merv. A gateway between the East and the West. A hub of scholarship and trade. The greatest city in the world.

In Merv: The Heart of the Silk Road players are vying to amass power and wealth in the prosperous city at the centre of the land. Through careful court intrigue, timely donations to the grand mosque, and securing favourable trade deals, players attempt to redirect as much of that prosperity as possible into their own pockets.

Meanwhile, beyond the city walls Mongol hordes approach. If you help construct the city walls you give up on precious opportunities to build up your own stature, but leave it unprotected and you will burn with the city. Every decision is weighty and the consequences of each misstep are dire. Will you rise to prominence or fade into oblivion?

Number of players: 1-4
Ages: 14+
Play time: 90 - 120 minutes
Components: Board, 25 tiles, 48 cards, 100+ wooden pieces, 100+ tokens

This reference work continues a comprehensive series chronicling men's chess competitions. Listed in this volume are the results of chess competitions from all over the world-including individual and team matches-from 1986 through 1990. Entries record location and, when available, the group that sponsored the event. First and last names of players are included whenever possible and are standardized for easy reference. Compiled from contemporary sources such as newspapers, periodicals, tournament records and match books, this work contains 1,419 tournament crosstables and 194 match scores, and is indexed by events and by players.

Throughout its hundred-year history, the game Jetan has influenced many writers and game designers. Invented by author Edgar Rice Burroughs for his 1922 novel The Chessmen of Mars, Jetan has been played by enthusiastic fans and serious gamers alike. This first-ever book on Jetan explores the game's rules in depth and provides new interpretations based on up-to-date research. It chronicles the game's history, explores tactics and variants and provides a complete standard for notating games. Also included are three annotated Jetan playthroughs and several practice exercises. Over 80 diagrams and photographs are used as illustrations, and an essay about Edgar Rice Burroughs' lifelong interest in sports and games further contextualizes the game.