An age of innovation and discovery is at hand. With war on the horizon and whisperings of a prophetic storm approaching, now is the time to gather all your strength and set out to forge your place in Terrinoth’s book of legends!
Rune Age is a deck-building game of adventure and conquest for [...]
Horrific monsters and spectral presences lurk in manors, crypts, schools, monasteries, and derelict buildings near Arkham, Massachusetts. Some spin dark conspiracies while others wait for hapless victims to devour or drive insane. It’s up to a handful of brave investigators to explore these [...]
DungeonQuest is a re-imagining of the classic board game of dungeon exploration for 1-4 players. Set in the vibrant fantasy realm of Terrinoth (first popularized by Runebound), DungeonQuest retains the peril, tension, and brutality of the beloved original game while updating both mechanical and thematic elements. Players take on the roles [...]
The Skycastle Games website is currently undergoing structural renovations. All information on the site is still valid, although it might not necessarily be in the same place you usually find it. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, feel free to contact us at sales@skycastlegames.co.za.
We apologise for this temporary inconvenience and thank you for your patience.
Regards,
The Skycastle Team
From the award-winning game designer Reiner Knizia comes a game of strategy, patience, and cool plastic camels! The desert is still treacherous, mysterious, and without mercy. But for those willing to risk the dangers of the shifting, sun-baked sands, the desert holds riches beyond compare.
In Through the Desert, two to five players each control a tribe of nomads vying for control of the desert. By establishing caravans and taking over oases, the players gain points as their tribes increase in power.
Strategy is essential in deciding how and where to build your tribe’s caravans. There are multiple ways to gain points and several ways to win. Should you try to build the longest caravan? Or should you dominate the desert’s oases? Don’t forget to keep an eye on your opponents’ caravans, or you may find your own tribe cut off from valuable water holes.
Through the Desert is playable by ages 10 and up, and is suitable for the whole family. You can play an entire game in under an hour.
Through the Desert includes:
In Kingsburg, players are Lords sent from the King to administer frontier territories.
The game takes place over five years, a total of 20 turns. In every year, there are 3 production seasons for collecting resources, building structures, and training troops. Every fourth turn is the winter, in which all the players must fight an invading army. Each player must face the invaders, so this is not a cooperative game.
The resources to build structures and train troops are collected by influencing the advisers in the King’s Council. Players place their influence dice on members of the Council. The player with the lowest influence dice sum will be the first one to choose where to spend his/her influence; this acts as a way of balancing poor dice rolling. Even with a very unlucky roll, a clever player can still come out from the Council with a good number of resources and/or soldiers.
Each adviser on the King’s Council will award different resources or allocate soldiers, victory points, and other advantages to the player who was able to influence him/her for the current turn.
At the end of five years, the player who best developed his assigned territory and most pleased the King through the Council is the winner.
Many alternate strategies are possible to win: will you go for the military way, disregarding economic and prestige buildings, or will you aim to complete the big Cathedral to please the King? Will you use the Merchant’s Guild to gain more influence in the Council, or will you go for balanced development?
Designed by Andrea Chiarvesio and Luca Iennaco, Kingsburg is a briskly paced game for 2-5 players.
Players adopt the role of a governor, and vie for resources to build up their province, military power to defend their homes, and above all the influence of the King. Over five years (five turns) players rely on various advisors to the King for resources. From tangibles like gold, wood, and stone to soldiers and portents, each acquisition will shape the future of your community.
Kingsburg includes:
For twenty years, from 1796 until the final defeat at Waterloo in 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte and his generals fought on the battlefields of all Europe.
Battles of Napoleon is a gaming system that allows two players to recreate the most important historical battles the era. The Eagle and the Lion, the first game in the Battles of Napoleonseries, gives you all you need to recreate many of the major clashes that saw the French and English armies –sworn enemies – face each other on the battlefields of Belgium, Spain and Italy. No less than 10 battles are featured, each of them based on a major historical event.
In Battles of Napoleon – The Eagle and the Lion, the two players control the French and English armies (sometimes supported by allies of other nationalities) in a specific battle.
Battles of Napoleon includes:
The Hobbit is a novel that tells the tale of a diminutive hero that, with the help of a group of stalwart dwarves, sets off to infiltrate Smaug’s lair in an effort to plunder the dragon’s vast hoard of treasure. Now it’s your turn to take on the roles of the dwarves, aiding Bilbo in his monumental quest to defy the odds and become a legend…
The Hobbit is a board game of adventure and treasure for 2-5 players. On his quest to the Lonely Mountain, Bilbo Baggins will need assistance and guidance from his stoic dwarf companions. As one of these dwarves, it is your responsibility to aide Bilbo on his journey and ensure that you recover the treasure that is destined for you.
Conceived by acclaimed designer Reiner Knizia, The Hobbit features elegant gameplay, combining strategic card play with the unpredictability of dice rolling. The objective of the game is to be the player that accumulates the most treasure by the end of the adventure. Treasure is won through Adventure Cards, which are drawn when Bilbo enters an Adventure Space. Adventure Cards present players with a challenge that can be overcome by using the game’s custom dice.
Bilbo’s dwarven companions have three stats that influence their ability to complete Adventures: Cunning, Strength, and Initiative. Cunning allows the player to re-roll dice when resolving Adventure Cards, Strength provides a number of axes to Adventure checks, and finally Initiative determines which player draws the Adventure Card first and how many shields they will contribute to battle.
Contents:
It is a time of growing darkness and despair. Sauron the Great, the Dark Lord of Mordor, has returned to his ancient fastness of Barad-dûr. From there, his evil and corruption has spread across the lands once more. Alas, in the West, there is little strength left. The Elves have all but abandoned Middle-earth, and the blood of Númenór has run thin; that which remains now dwells in Minas Tirith, or with the lonely rangers that haunt the ruins and wild country of Arnor.
Yet, there is still hope. Gandalf the Grey has learned that the One Ring, the master–ring which Sauron desires and fears above all, is with the hobbit Frodo in the Shire. And there are heroes! Heroes to aid Gandalf in his hunt for the creature Gollum, and in his quest for the lost knowledge of Isildur’s Bane. Heroes, whose strong arms guard the Shire from the enemy. Heroes, who venture into the forests of Ithilien, or even into the Land of Shadow itself, there to disrupt the schemes of Sauron, wherever they may be found.
Middle-earth Quest is set in the seventeen-year period between Bilbo’s birthday party and the Ring’s departure from the Shire, as described in J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel The Lord of the Rings.™
One player takes the role of Sauron, who is attempting to dominate Middle-earth with his nefarious plots and evil minions. Up to three other players take the roles of heroes who must hold the darkness at bay until Gandalf’s plans have matured. To do so, the heroes must embark on dangerous quests and consult with the famous characters of Middle-earth to gain favor and knowledge.
Will you play as Sauron and claim Middle-earth as your own? Or will you play as a hero and stand against the Dark Lord?
The fate of Middle-earth rests in your hands!
Middle-earth Quest contains:
Runewars is an epic board game of conquest, adventure, and fantasy empires for two to four players. Runewars pits players against each other in a strategic game of battles and area control, where they must gather resources, raise armies, and lay siege to heavily fortified cities.
Runewars takes place in the same popular fantasy universe as the board games Runebound and Descent Journeys in the Dark, and dozens of fan-favorite heroes and monsters play their part. The wars for the dragon runes are beginning, and only one faction will emerge victorious.
Runewars includes:
Before you lies a vast bounty of land, ripe for the plucking. Your meager beginnings will influence the paths you must take. Lead your people well and they will take you to infinite heights of greatness. If civilization manages to endure the ages, your name will hang in every whisper of its legacy…
Will you lead the greatest army in the world to conquer your foes? Or will you be the first to journey to the stars, becoming the most technologically advanced civilization known to man? The choice is yours. Forge an empire to stand the test of time using innovative game mechanics with multiple paths to victory.
Designed by Kevin Wilson, Civilization: The Board Game is inspired by the legendary video game series created by Sid Meier. Players are tasked with guiding an entire civilization throughout the ages, taking ownership of your people’s technology, economy, culture, and military, as well as all the choices that go along with them. There are four different paths to victory, and each is riddled with opposition.
In Civilization: The Board Game, 2-4 players take on the roles of famous leaders in charge of historical civilizations, each with their own abilities. Players will be able to explore a module game board, build cities and buildings, fight battles, research powerful technology, and attract great people by advancing their culture. No matter what your play style is, there is a civilization for you!
Fans of Sid Meier’s classic video game franchise will find familiar footing in Civilization: The Board Game. Staying true to the foundations of its video game predecessor while creating a new and unique way to play, Civilization: The Board Game captures the spirit and grandeur of carving out a magnificent empire from modest beginnings.
Players start off with a single city, one army figure, and one scout, and from these meager origins you must forge through the ages and become the greatest civilization in the world.
Those unfamiliar with the video game series will find Civilization: The Board Game a great way to enter into the world of Civilization. The strategy and tactical decisions involved in Civilization: The Board Game will appeal to strategy gamers and war gamers alike, and the ability to win through culture and technological advancement will give those who only wish to focus on their own empire a chance at victory as well.
The year is 1926, and it is the height of the Roaring Twenties. Flappers dance till dawn in smoke-filled speakeasies drinking alcohol supplied by rum runners and the mob. It’s a celebration to end all celebrations in the aftermath of the war to end all wars.
Yet a dark shadow grows in the city of Arkham. Alien entities known as Ancient Ones lurk in the emptiness beyond space and time, writhing at the gates between worlds. These gates have begun to open and must be closed before the Ancient Ones make our world their ruined domination.
Only a handful of investigators stand against the Arkham Horror. Will they Prevail?
Arkham Horror was originally published by Chaosium, Inc., in 1987. This new, updated edition features stunning new artwork and graphical design (including a new gameboard, counters, cards, and playing pieces) as well as revised and expanded rules from the game’s original creator, Richard Launius.
Players can select from 16 unique playable investigator characters, each with unique abilities, and will square off against the diabolical servants of 8 Ancient Ones, including Ithaqua, Hastur, and the terrible Cthulhu! No fan of the Cthulhu Mythos will want to miss the opportunity to acquire this classic Call of Cthulhu board game!
Arkham Horror is a cooperative game for 1-8 players ages 12 and up, and can be played in 2-3 hours.
If you’re looking to expand your Twilight Imperium experience, look no further. The Shattered Empire expansion adds new races, more system tiles, as well as new cards, tokens, and enough plastic units to support up to eight player games. In addition, Shattered Empire introduces new variant rules that incorporate artifacts, shock troops, space mines, and much more! Pick up Shattered Empire to expand, and inevitably conquer the universe. You can also expand your Twilight Imperium experience with the Shards of the Throne expansion. An epic journey, it adds new races, new units such as all-new Flagship units that allow players to customize their fleets, and many new options to create an even more incredible power struggle in the far reaches of the galaxy. Wage you galactic conquests in a completely new way with Race-Specific Technologies, alternate Strategy Cards, new System Tiles, Space Domains, and an all-new scenario that puts one player in control of the legendary Lazax Empire. The galaxy could be yours for the taking with Shards of the Throne!
Twilight Imperium is an epic board game of galactic conquest for 3-6 players. Taking on the role of one of ten ancient civilizations, players compete for interstellar supremacy through warfare, trade, uncertain allegiances, and political dominance. Each civilization provides a unique game experience with different abilities and play styles. Will you play as the Emirates of Hacan and preside over every trade agreement made in the galaxy, or will you be the Federation of Sol and rapidly take over worlds in hopes of dominating the entire galaxy? In Twilight Imperium many roads lead to Rome (or Mecatol Rex), but no road is without its bumps.
As the prominent leader of your civilization, you must make enemies and allies with the other respected leaders that sit around you. Alliances can be made and broken in an instant. War can be waged, and then rescinded in the matter of minutes. The galaxy isn’t stable, so how you will be the beacon to guide your people through? Turn after turn, you must decide what is in your peoples best interest. Choosing a political path may allow you to use your votes which you’ve accumulated in passing a bill on Mecatol Rex. But what will you do next turn when your defenses are broken and your homeworld is invaded? Or, will you stage an all-out fleet assault on a bordering colony? These are all just examples of the tough decisions you’ll have to make in Twilight Imperium.
Gameplay is divided into a series of rounds, which are broken down into three phases. During the Strategy Phase, players take turns (starting with the Speaker) choosing one of eight strategy cards. These strategy cards dictate turn order as well as Strategic Actions that can be taken by the players during the proceeding Action Phase. The Action Phase is lets players carry out their plans, be it moving their fleet, producing more units, resolving space combat, or invading planets. Once all actions are resolved, players move on to the Status Phase, which is comprised of refreshing Planet Cards, discarding Command Counters from previous activations, repairing damaged ships, and general up-keeping.
A game of Twilight Imperium continues until one player gains ten victory points. These victory points can be gained by completing objectives, both public and secret, or by taking the Imperial Strategy card. Objectives consist of spending resources or influence, gaining technology advances, planetary domination, and many other tasks. It is more than likely that players will be rewarded for being in the lead in one of the aspects of the game, be it military strength, territory control, or political finesse. In this sense, it is a good idea to find a niche in the game and exploit your opponents’ weaknesses.
For more information on expansions for Twilight Imperium 3rd Edition, click on the titles below:
