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30 SECONDS
At first glance the South African game 30 Seconds looks a bit like Trivial Pursuit. Players play in teams of two. Every turn, a player takes a card with five famous names on them, and tries to describe those names to his partner, who tries to guess what is being described. The goal is to guess as many words as possible in, you guessed it, 30 seconds. Players: 3-24 Playing time: 30 min age: 12+
45
Werewolf
Werewolf (also known as Mafia) takes place in a small town where a minority of the townsfolk hold a dangerous secret. Each player is secretly assigned a role - Werewolf, Villager, or Seer (a special Villager). There is also a Moderator who controls the flow of the game. The game alternates between night and day phases. At night, the Werewolves secretly choose a Villager to kill. Also, the Seer (if still alive) asks whether another player is a Werewolf or not. During the day, the Villager who was killed is revealed and is out of the game. The remaining Villagers then vote on the player they suspect is a Werewolf. That player reveals his/her role and is out of the game. Werewolves win when there are an equal number of Villagers and Werewolves. Villagers win when they have killed all Werewolves. Werewolf is a social game that requires no equipment to play, and can accommodate almost any large group of players. Recommended age 8 and up Number of players: 5 to 75 Game time: 30 minutes
50
Coup
You are head of a family in an Italian city-state, a city run by a weak and corrupt court. You need to manipulate, bluff and bribe your way to power. Your object is to destroy the influence of all the other families, forcing them into exile. Only one family will survive... In Coup, you want to be the last player with influence in the game, with influence being represented by face-down character cards in your playing area. Each player starts the game with two coins and two influence – i.e., two face-down character cards; the fifteen card deck consists of three copies of five different characters, each with a unique set of powers Recommended age 13 and up Number of players: 2 to 6 Game time: 15 minutes
48
Splendor
Splendor is a game of chip-collecting and card development. Players are merchants of the Renaissance trying to buy gem mines, means of transportation, shops—all in order to acquire the most prestige points. If you're wealthy enough, you might even receive a visit from a noble at some point, which of course will further increase your prestige. On your turn, you may (1) collect chips (gems), or (2) buy and build a card, or (3) reserve one card. If you collect chips, you take either three different kinds of chips or two chips of the same kind. If you buy a card, you pay its price in chips and add it to your playing area. To reserve a card—in order to make sure you get it, or, why not, your opponents don't get it—you place it in front of you face down for later building; this costs you a round, but you also get gold in the form of a joker chip, which you can use as any gem. All of the cards you buy increase your wealth as they give you a permanent gem bonus for later buys; some of the cards also give you prestige points. In order to win the game, you must reach 15 prestige points before your opponents do. Recommended age 10 and up Number of players: 2 to 4 Game time: 30 minutes
115