Hello Gaming Library Family!
Every year, a slew of new board games are released, with varying degrees of success. Some games perform exceptionally well in the hobby and with mainstream audiences, whereas others remain niche titles with a small fanbase. Modern board games will never achieve the social status of classics like Monopoly, but in a few cases, newer games can sell millions of copies.
"You can live vicariously through these board games as if you are travelling to different places."
With a board game's popularity comes players that want to upgrade their games in some way, which can be accomplished through the use of accessories, 3D printed components, and other means. Board game publishers frequently recognize the overwhelming popularity of a game and release a deluxe version for diehard fans. They are frequently more expensive, but also extremely impressive and is purchased as a collector's item - you really get your money's worth. On top of that, anniversary edition of games celebrate the longevity of these modern classics with a limited print run. Lastly, you can live vicariously through these board games as if you are travelling to different places.
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One of the greater freedoms that, because of further lowering of restrictions, we are slowly being allowed access to once again, is travel. It's been difficult to feel like life isn't as frozen as it was two years ago, but the reopening of borders from country to country represents a more real and tangible shift away from the lives we lived in isolation. As more countries open their doors to Filipino tourists, the desire to travel may stem from a more widespread, all-encompassing residual sense of cabin fever.
We've all lost sight of the inherent adventure that comes with travel. For over two years, we've been seeing the same familiar malls, buildings, establishments, and landmarks; it's all bound to feel tediously repetitive and routine. What makes travel enjoyable is the unique sense of joy that comes from seeing things outside of your daily life, seeing how people, cultures, and places all influence how they're shaped—differently, depending on history and location.
The term "wanderlust" is defined by Merriam-Webster as "a strong longing for or impulse toward wandering" and is commonly associated with the act of traveling. The word's German roots can be traced back to Robert Louis Stevenson's Travels with a Donkey: "For my part," he writes, "I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move." Wanderlust is not associated with a specific destination, but rather with the desire to not be stuck in the same place. The word derives from wandern, which means "to hike or roam about," and lust means "pleasure or delight." With these definitions in mind, it's no surprise that travel is a thrilling prospect for these people.
And, while it may not be as easily accessible to everyone, Gaming Library provides first-class access to board game titles that can soothe travel bug bites. It's almost as good as seeing the Tokyo Tower or Versailles for yourself! These titles are now available in stores and online at the Gaming Library.
Machi Koro 5th Anniversary Edition
Welcome, Mayor, to your new city! In the fast paced game of Machi Koro, two-to-four players, as mayors, compete to develop their version of the city of Machi Koro as fast as they can. This is significant, considering upon your election, the city is basically a wheat field, a bakery, and a single die… But that die is all you need as mayor to build the largest city in the region on your terms! Each player fights to complete each of the landmarks as fast as they can, collecting income from developments, building public works, and sometimes stealing from your neighbors’ coffers. Doing this while protecting yourself from their stealing from you, and you might just build the best version of Machi Koro in record time and win!
Tokaido 5th Anniversary Edition
Tokaido sees two-to-five players in a game with a unique atmosphere and aesthetics, taking a pilgrimage across the legendary East Sea Road of Japan. Players collect beautiful souvenirs, discover breathtaking vistas, participate in enlightening encounters, bathe in soothing hot springs, sample delicious cuisine, and more! At the end of the journey, the goal is to be the most initiated traveler–meaning the player with the widest range of varied experiences wins!
The Deluxe Edition of Tokaido includes the first expansion, Tokaido: Crossroads, and features exclusive material that further immerses you in the calm, ethereal universe of Tokaido.
Ticket to Ride: Europe 15th Anniversary Edition
Like the original Ticket to Ride, this Europe offshoot (the same relatively simple game we’ve come to know and love) takes players from city-to-city across turn-of-the-century Europe. Collect and play various types of train cards in order to place pieces on the board and claim railway routes in Europe, slowly but surely connecting cities using ticket cards. Players earn points both from placing trains and completing tickets, but uncompleted tickets lose them points. The player with the most points at the end of the game wins!
This 15th Anniversary edition contains material from the Ticket to Ride: Europe base game as well as the Europa 1912 expansion, for a vast total of 108 destination ticket cards!
In Catan: Dawn of Humankind, players guide the journeys of the earliest branches of humankind to spread their people over the whole world. Players will have their branches develop certain talents such as advances in the preparation of food to allow your people to spread wider and faster, or hunting techniques to protect your people from danger. All these are possible by collecting enough raw material such as meat, hides, bones, and flint. Players have many paths to victory and strategies they can employ, but the key lies in securing the most productive lands, skillfully trading raw materials with other players, and best claiming the lands of America and Australia.
Catan: Dawn of Humankind is a reboot of The Settlers of the Stone Age, with gameplay rooted in the original Catan and featuring new elements, strategies, and adventures to discover. Will you be the best guide to the first humans on their migration throughout the whole world as they develop their technology and culture?
Carcassonne: 20th Anniversary Edition
This classic game inspired by the medieval fortress found in Southern France is back with a new look, enhanced visuals, and some new gameplay experiences in this revamped 20th Anniversary Edition. Carcassonne is a tile-placement game that has players drawing and placing tiles with pieces of southern French landscapes on them. Featuring either cities, roads, cloisters, grasslands, or some combination thereof, new tiles must be placed adjacent to previously played tiles in order to connect city to city, road to road, and so on. In having placed a tile, players can then place meeples in different areas to represent them and earn them points when the area is complete. Carcassonne challenges players with critical decisions concerning proper meeple placement, weighing of proper tile placement options to optimize city expansion or impede opponent progress, amongst other different problems to tackle mid-game, posing that every move, while small, bears great significance to the way a game might be played. The 20th Anniversary edition comes with the base game upgraded with a high gloss, UV spot print on the box and tiles to allow details to truly shine; tiles also feature fresh new illustrations and are now decorated with characters. Will you be the player to best shape the medieval landscape of France?
Azul finds King Manuel I, inspired by the ornate artistry adorning the walls of the Alhambra Palace in Southern Spain, challenging players as decorative tile-laying artists to embellish the walls of the Great Palace of Evora. The game has players taking turns drafting colored tiles from suppliers to their player boards, scoring points based on tile placement. Extra points are given for specific patterns and completed sets, while wasted supplies affect players’ scores. The player with the most points at the end of the game wins.
Azul: Master Chocolatier features double-sided factory boards: one side being blank intended for gameplay that of the original, while the other side featuring special effects to modify gameplay, putting unique new twists to the original. Tiles are now also modeled to look like chocolates and other treats!
About Gaming Library
Gaming Library aims to be the go-to resource for board games, providing not only titles that can be enjoyed by families, but also to be enjoyed by friends both newcomers and veterans alike. By pulling from different resources from all over the world, we at Gaming Library curate an impressive collection of games for consumers to choose from, suitable for anybody from casual players to hardcore hobbyists. In doing so, we hope to provide the best means to foster activities that strengthen family ties and friendships, while teaching relevant skills and practical critical thinking that can be applied to your everyday life.
