Conflict-Free Games 11 - Shut Up & Sit Down

Thunderbirds

The co-operative game Thunderbirds, released in 2015 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the cult hit TV show, features the iconic Thunderbirds machines and a high-octane world full of disasters for players to rescue.

Set in the year 2065, Thunderbirds follows the exploits of International Rescue, a secret organization committed to saving human life, secretly founded and funded by the millionaire Tracy family, with the motto: ‘Never give in, at any cost!’ International Rescue has a host of technologically advanced land-, sea-, air-, and space-rescue vehicles and equipment ready to launch at a moment’s notice.

Racing to the rescue from a secret island base beneath the luxurious home of the Tracy family somewhere in the South Pacific Ocean, International Rescue defies government spies and criminals who want the secrets of their incredible machines for their own. To combat this threat, Lady Penelope, the Thunderbirds’ aristocratic English secret agent, and her chauffeur Parker lead a network of agents to uncover those behind the disasters caused by deliberate sabotage.

A criminal mastermind known as “The Hood”, operating from a temple deep in the Malaysian jungle and in possession of strange powers, often engineers events to allow him to spy on the Thunderbird machines with the goal of selling their secrets to the highest bidder.

The iconic Thunderbirds are designed by the Tracy family’s close friend “Brains” and are assigned to each of the five Tracy brothers: – Thunderbird 1, piloted by Scott Tracy – a hypersonic rocket plane used for fast response and rescue-zone reconnaissance, and as a mobile control base. – Thunderbird 2, piloted by Virgil Tracy – a supersonic VTOL carrier which transports their major rescue equipment in detachable pods. – Thunderbird 3, piloted by Alan Tracy – a single-stage, vertically launched spacecraft – Thunderbird 4, piloted by Gordon Tracy – a utility submersible for underwater rescue, launched from Thunderbird 2 – Thunderbird 5, manned by John Tracy – a space station in geo-stationary orbit that monitors calls for help from across Earth.

Finally, Lady Penelope has the iconic FAB 1, driven by Parker – a pink, amphibious car.

Thunderbirds is a cult 1960s British science-fiction television series, created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson. It was produced using a combination of marionette puppetry and scale-model special effects, which was dubbed “Supermarionation”. Two series, totaling thirty-two 50-minute episodes, were produced, along with two films using the same techniques.

Players will work together using Thunderbirds characters and vehicles to complete rescue missions and save the day.

There is a storm of meteors heading directly toward our planet! Estimated time of impact is five minutes. We need to work together to destroy them all or the world will be blown to bits. Are you brave and resourceful enough to save our planet? If even one meteor gets through our defenses and hits the planet, life as we know it will be no more. Good luck citizens. It’s up to you.

Meteor is a real-time, cooperative, resource management card game.

You need to work together building and launching rockets as the time ticks down and the meteors get closer and closer to destroying the planet. Will you blow up all the meteors in time? Only one way to know for sure.

Meteor plays as a real-time card game. Each player has a hand of cards and a build area (build areas are shared in the six player game). A number of meteor cards are placed in the center of the table. Players must co-cooperatively build rockets to launch at the meteors before the time runs out.

Cacao is a quick game of placing workers in a jungle to harvest cocoa, mine gold and claim temples, all the while outmanoeuvring other players for the limited resources found in this colourful climate.

Time Stories offers a unique blend of role-playing and boardgaming experience. It is a decksploring game, and each deck of 120+ cards is a new story to explore.

The players are agents in a futuristic TSA (Time Survey Agency) that detects time discrepancies and sends you on mission, usually to prevent temporal rifts. Each mission is different, being set in a different atmosphere and illustrated by a different artist, with each mission having a core mechanism that differs from the next.

You usually take possession of local hosts to navigate in a given environment, but who knows what you’ll have to do to succeed? Roam a med-fan city, looking for the dungeon where the Syaan king is hiding? Survive in the Antarctic while enormous creatures lurk beneath the surface of the ice? Solve a puzzle in an early 20th century asylum? That is all possible, and you might even have to jump from one host to another, or play against your fellow agents from time to time…

Time Stories is a decksploring game in which each deck makes anything possible!

In Codenames, two teams face a square grid of 25 word cards. Each team has a captain, and both captains can see (via a hidden picture) which cards belong to their team, which cards are neutral, and which single card is the “assassin”.

On a turn, the captain gives their teammates a clue such as “Car 4”. Those teammates then select cards (up to the number given) which they think the captain might have in mind for the clue (perhaps “Wheel”, “Electric”, “Vacation” and “Price”). Choosing a word not belonging to your team ends the turn, and choosing the “assassin” word makes you lose immediately. Assuming neither team falls to the assassin, the winner is the first team to uncover all of their own words.

Funemployed is the satirical job application party game for 3 or more players. Make your best pitch for different jobs using four qualifications not fit for any real job interview. Creativity and the ability to spin a good story are key. It is tricky to justify your “burrito” qualification when applying for the job of astronaut.

After all players have had their “interview,” the interviewer selects the person who created the best story out of their qualifications. That person wins the card and a new round starts.

It’s not always easy to explain why Fairy Dust, Jacked Forearms, Treats, and a Time Machine make you the most qualified to be a Competitive Eater, but we have faith you can do it.

Players create their own kingdoms by skillfully building their settlements, aiming to earn the most gold at the end of the game.

Nine different kinds of terrain are on the variable game board, including locations and castles. During their turn, a player plays their terrain card and builds three settlements on three hexes of this kind. If possible, a new settlement must be built next to one of that player’s existing settlements. When building next to a location, the player may seize an extra action tile that they may use from their next turn on. These extra actions allow extraordinary actions such as moving your settlements.

By building next to a castle, the player will earn gold at the end of the game, but the most gold will be earned by meeting the conditions of the three Kingdom Builder cards; these three cards (from a total of ten in the game) specify the conditions that must be met in order to earn the much-desired gold, such as earning gold for your settlements built next to water hexes or having the majority of settlements in a sector of the board.

Roll for the Galaxy is a dice game of building space empires for 2–5 players. Your dice represent your populace, whom you direct to develop new technologies, settle worlds, and ship goods. The player who best manages his workers and builds the most prosperous empire wins!

Mysterious murders, mad scientists, and secret codes: take on the roles of Edgar P. Jacobs’ famous characters and solve these strange cases to bring about order and justice.

But take care! The villainous Olrik is on the prowl and he’ll try to foil your plans.

Mandrake root and scorpion tail; spongy mushroom and warty toad — these are the foundations of the alchemist’s livelihood, science, and art.

But what arcane secrets do these strange ingredients hide? Now it is time to find out. Mix them into potions and drink them to determine their effects — or play it safe and test the concoction on a helpful assistant! Gain riches selling potions to wandering adventurers and invest these riches in powerful artifacts. As your knowledge grows, so will your reputation, as you publish your theories for all to see. Knowledge, wealth, and fame can all be found in the murky depths of the alchemist’s cauldron.

Thunderbirds

Meteor

Cacao

T.I.M.E Stories

Codenames

Funemployed

Kingdom Builder

Roll for the Galaxy

Witness

Alchemists

Feeds