Economic

Speakeasy

Speakeasy will transport you to the roaring 1920s during the era of Prohibition. Manhattan was under the firm control of Lucky Luciano, a prominent mobster. To strengthen his grip on the territory, he implemented a well-structured system. He divided Manhattan into different districts, each assigned to a specific mobster responsible for handling their "business" operations.

In this worker-placement and card-management game, you take on the role of one of those mobsters, managing and operating your very own speakeasy empire in Manhattan. To do so, you'll need to use all your cunning and resources to stay ahead of the competition. As you improve your operation, become more infamous, and upgrade to more lavish speakeasies and even casinos, you'll attract the attention of the outside mafia and the police. You need to use your leverage to keep your business running and receive your share from Lucky Luciano.

You need to hire goons to help you take over Manhattan during this exciting and dangerous time. You can associate with outside mobsters — and even attack and rob rum runners to gain valuable resources to gain an edge over your rivals. You need to manage your cards carefully, placing your workers strategically to deliver illicit liquor and reach Manhattan's goals to earn income. You will cook your books to fill your safes with free tax money by achieving some goals.

The ultimate goal is simple: accumulate the most money and become the most successful mobster in the city. Do you have what it takes to rise to the top of the speakeasy scene and take over Manhattan during Prohibition? It's time to grab your fedora and find out in Speakeasy.

The First Tsar: Ivan the Terrible

The First Tsar: Ivan the Terrible is a thematic sequel to the popular board game Rurik: Dawn of Kiev.

In this board game you will lead the boyar families competing for power and honor in the 16th-century Tsardom of Russia. Over four decades, you’ll collect income from estates and equip troops, trade with foreigners and fortify cities, seek privileges and carry out royal assignments. Use your influence on the tsar, bribe his minions, and perhaps it is your family that will succeed in taking the Russian throne in the next century.

The game is played over four rounds, each one representing approximately a decade of Ivan the Terrible’s reign. At the beginning of each round the players send their boyars to the Kremlin chambers, choosing their actions for the current decade.

Then the players perform the chosen actions:
receive income from cities;
place boyars and warriors on the map and move them;
gain and complete construction, trade and military projects;
exchange goods;
acquire new titles and estates.
At the end of the round, the players with the most influence in the four regions receive additional rewards.

An important element of the game is the Tsar’s favor,
which is used to resolve all ties.

At the end of the game, the player with the most victory points wins.

Kanal

The Oranienburg canal, which gave this game its name, was built between 1832 and 1837 in Brandenburg. The Havel River was difficult to navigate near the Oranienburg mills, so a canal was built from the Havel that crossed the older Ruppin canal, thereby forming the Oranienburg canal cross. During the industrialization in the 19th century, lots of companies and businesses were formed at this important waterway. Moreover, additional streets and railways were built.

In Kanal, you erect new industries and shape the infrastructure by building pathways, streets, railways, and canals. Most important of all are bridges that connect buildings. To do all of this, you have access to various actions that you select in the right moments.

At the end of the game, the player with the best industrial area and the best infrastructure wins.

Angel's Share

The term Angel's Share refers to the portion of an alcoholic beverage, particularly whiskey, cognac, or wine, that is lost to evaporation during the aging process in barrels. This evaporation occurs naturally as the beverage matures in wooden casks.

Angel's Share is a poetic term for an inevitable and essential process that plays a key role in creating high-quality spirits. The term originates from the idea that the evaporated liquid rises to the heavens and is "taken" by angels.

Typically, around 2–5% per year, depending on climate, humidity, and storage conditions, are lost.
The Angel's Share contributes to the concentration of flavors, as the remaining liquid becomes more intense. For producers, the loss due to evaporation is a significant cost factor, as less product remains, especially for spirits aged for a long time.

In Angel's Share – the game - you are a shrewd investor looking to make the most money in the rapidly growing whiskey industry.
You will be purchasing barrels from renowned distilleries in hopes of turning a large profit. However, as time goes on a bit of each barrel evaporates - the Angel’s Share - which can leave you with a prestigious whiskey, or a low volume of a broken down spirit.

You have to manage your limited actions, aging barrels, and tight budget to make the most money chasing the perfect whiskey.

Nippon: Zaibatsu

Nippon: Zaibatsu is a new edition of Nippon, a fast-paced, area-majority economic game. Players control "zaibatsu": massive conglomerates of interconnected companies driving Japan's economy in the Industrial Revolution era.

During the game, players invest in new industries, build factories and railroads, and produce goods to saturate local markets and fulfill contracts — all to grow their influence and power and to become rulers of the new modernized country. Players are free to choose their playstyle and winning strategy: They choose what they score victory points for, control the game's pace with income turns, and race each other to get the most beneficial factories, markets, and bonuses.

All the core mechanisms of the original Nippon are present, but the components, art, and design are upgraded, and many gameplay features are reworked to get the game in line with modern trends. Nippon: Zaibatsu features new resource types, ships are heavily revised with new Iwakura mission rules, factories are much more variable, consolidation turns provide players with new rewards, and much more. Also, the game now has an automa-driven solo mode.