Hey, PI-Fans!

While we grapple with the ramifications of miniature Gundams on the tabletop (see our previous announcement for details), the store continues to chug along on the board game front with another heaping scoops of goodness.

This helping of releases includes the two-player vegetable planting pattern matching game Garden Rush as well as an expansion pack for the Lord of the Rings Duel. Party game wise, there is the auction game Puerto Banana for anyone wanting to gamble on undercutting each other. Meanwhile, fans of trick takers can look into Panda Spin, a unique trick-taker where sometimes the optimal play is not to win and those who favor cooperatives can look into Wave or the Exit: Catan!

– Kenneth, PI Games Manager

 

Garden Rush is a two-player, tile-placement battle game in a vegetable garden in which players race to grow vegetables in their garden and fill their basket before their neighbor. Careful planning is needed to plant each vegetable in its unique pattern for future harvesting, while keeping an eye on the conveyor belt shared between the gardens.

Players place one tile per turn to build their garden, following the harvesting patterns for each vegetable. Extra abilities, including Take That options, can be gained by using special tiles on the board or on the scoring track. The first player to reach 40 points or who has the highest score when the tiles run out, wins.

Garden Rush
2 Players, 30 Minutes Playing Time, Ages 10+

 

In The Lord of the Rings Duel – Allies Expansion, Heroes now face vile creatures, and each side welcomes their Allies: 14 beautifully illustrated cards by Vincent Dutrait, along with Power tokens and epic effects.

Who will best command their Allies to rule Middle-earth, seize the One Ring, or unite the Free Peoples?

The Lord of the Rings Duel – Allies Expansion
2 Players, 30 Minutes Playing Time, Ages 10+ (This expansion requires The Lord the Rings Duel core game)

 

In Puerto Banana, the moment you’ve been waiting for all year has arrived! The quays of Port Banana are lined with crates of freshly-harvested bananas and you want to leave with your cargo ship full to bursting. You’ll have to be shrewd and maybe throw caution to the wind to outbid your opponents and end up as top banana!

Your goal in Puerto Banana is to be the first player to collect 200 bananas. Each player starts with 10 bananas, and the first lot up for bid is 10 bananas. You can secretly bid any amount for this lot — even far above 10 bananas!

Players then reveal their bids, and if the player who bid the most would be able to–after adding the current lot first–pay the difference between their bid and the next highest bid, they pay this difference to whoever made the second-highest bid. If nobody else can afford to pay then the player who bid lowest gets the lot for free. If bids are tied, players split the banana pot (or bonus).

The next lot is for an amount of bananas equal to whoever has the most bananas. Continue to auction lots until someone has at least 200 bananas on their cargo ship, thereby winning the game.

Puerto Banana
2 – 6 Players, 15 Minutes Playing Time, Ages 10+

 

In EXIT: The Game – Adventures on Catan, times are rough and life in your village is getting harder than you ever imagined it could be. One day, sailors tell you about the beautiful and fertile island of Catan. The people speak with admiration about the lush vegetation and the variety of resources. Hoping for better times, you set off with a few friends to explore this new world and build a new life.

What adventures await you there?
Set sail for Catan now and find out!

Exit: Catan – Adventures on Catan
1-4 Players, 60 – 120 Minutes Playing Time, Ages 10+

 

Vote and play: Wave is a cooperative card game won by everyone together – but only if everyone is on the same wavelength! Two to four players take turns placing a card onto the shared discard pile. The card must always increase either its number or its color. Simple enough, but here’s the twist: some of the cards are held face down. Only the other players can see the front and know if it matches the current wave. To win, everyone needs to coordinate well. If someone can’t play a card, the game ends prematurely. Will the team manage to crack the code and ride the perfect wave? A cooperative game with an innovative mechanism for ages ten and up. Includes rules for beginners and special rule variations for experienced players.

Wave
2 – 4 Players, 25 Minutes Playing Time, Ages 10+

 

One night, a panda bear sat among bamboo plants, chewing leaves and gazing at the night sky. Wondering why he wasn’t one of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals, he thought, “I’ll create something to be as special as them.” As he munched on another leaf, the idea for Panda Spin was born.

Panda Spin introduces a unique double-sided card mechanic that keeps players on their toes. Each card presents a different challenge or opportunity, forcing players to constantly reassess their strategies and adapt to the everchanging game state. Are you ready to embrace the chaos and emerge as the bamboo champion?

Panda Spin
2 – 5 Players, 25 Minutes Playing Time, Ages 14+