Unboxed the Board Game Blog

It has been many years since the Dwarves last heard from Balin. Now the heroes of Middle-earth must search for signs of him and his fledgling Dwarven colony. Khazad-dûm is the first deluxe expansion for The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game, expanding your game with 165 new cards. Two Dwarf heroes offer their services, and players gain the benefit of new player cards (three copies of each) while facing new scenarios filled with perilous locations and a menacing host of enemies.

You’ve found the cures to four deadly diseases. But what happens when those diseases get stronger? Worse yet, what happens when someone spreads them intentionally?! Return to the world of Pandemic with On the Brink and prepare for the unexpected. The three challenges included with this expansion evolve the base game mechanics in exciting ways. One disease might become a Virulent Strain and become more difficult to treat as the game goes on. Or you could introduce an unpredictable fifth disease with the Mutation challenge and watch it pop up in unexpected places. Finally, teamwork is even more important if a fifth player dons the mask of the Bio-Terrorist and spreads panic while moving secretly across the board. Try each challenge individually or combine them all for a major test!

Phoenix Five is a Kickstarter Exclusive expansion that brings a momentous saga to Marvel United. The mysterious Phoenix Force has taken over 5 powerful heroes, turning them into a group of Villains whose unbridled power few can withstand. It will be up to the X-Men, with the aid of Hope Summers, to face a daunting campaign against the Phoenix Five. The outcome of each battle affects the next, and each subsequent foe accumulates more of the Phoenix Force, posing a greater challenge.

Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, and War Machine have finally emerged from the shadows. But the Avengers are tested as never before when dark Revelations force them to question everything they know. The Mandarin manipulates secrets to turn Avenger against Avenger and transforming schemes of deception and corruption make it hard to tell good and evil apart. Scarlet Witch’s fragile sanity cracks, warping the world into the House of M. Soon the Heroes are haunted by dark memories of tragedy that even Quicksilver’s speed can’t escape. Daring to hope, the Avengers prepare their incredible powers for a desperate last stand.

The expansion to the cooperative building game Menara has it all: Spectacular temple floors, golden pillars... and even the tears of the gods try to keep players from shared success. The playing crew always faces a scenario of your own choice. As in the base game Menara, the temple builders get information and advice from their fellow players before each turn. Building plank cards give v12 tear stones, or in which way temple floors have to be filled with columns. The new rituals introduce players to new challenges to encounter with wise cooperation, static sophistication and quiet hands.

Congrats, filmmaker! Your career is finally finding its footing, thanks to your determination, luck, and more than a few questionable scripts. While other filmmakers burden themselves with “important” movies that have “big” budgets and are “good,” YOU are wisely blazing a trail in the opposite direction: the B-Movie! Yes, the B-movie - low on budget, but high on thrills, chills, and bloody spills. This may not be the glamorous side of Hollywood but if you roll your dice right, it could still be profitable! This time around, you'll have access to new roles and specialized equipment to help you get the job done. But your responsibility to produce a watchable film is as demanding as ever! Your movies now have unique genre requirements: crime, fantasy, horror, sci-fi, western -- or some kind of mixed-up genre soup combination. The whole thing is causing more disorganization and chaos than ever before... There's even less time to waste - Roll Camera!!

The haunted mansion hides a turbulent past. It sheds light on the strange events that led to the death of the spirit in Secrets & Lies, the second expansion for Mysterium. The task of the seers will be to discover these disturbing events, using their gifts and the 18 new history cards. The spirit will be able to use the 42 new vision cards to help seers as they investigate new suspects, new locations and new objects (6 of each). Come in, your place at the table is waiting for you.

The Road Darkens is the second Lord of the Rings Saga Expansion for The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game. Its 165 cards introduce three new scenarios to the game, along with two heroes, twenty-seven player cards (three copies each of nine different player cards), eight boons, and seven burdens. Together, these cards allow you to immerse yourself in some of the most pivotal moments of Middle-earth’s Third Age. From the Council of Elrond through the breaking of the Fellowship, The Road Darkens allows you to join Frodo Baggins and his companions on their all-important quest. Along the way, you’ll experience an epic series of memorable encounters drawn directly from the second half of The Fellowship of the Ring!

The Dark Lord’s power grows in the East, and all that stands between him and his conquest of Middle-earth is a missing ring. These are dark times, but there are still some individuals who scour the lands and delve into ancient tomes in search of the knowledge they hope may help them someday oppose the Enemy. Among the mightiest of these is Saruman the White. The Voice of Isengard is the third deluxe expansion for The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game and transports your adventures to Isengard and its surrounding environs. With its 156 cards (including three copies of each player card), The Voice of Isengard introduces three new scenarios in which your heroes must race to gain knowledge of the Enemy while the time remains to strike. Additionally, a wealth of new player cards and new heroes reflect the strength of Orthanc and the neighboring Rohirrim.

Tragic events is an exciting new expansion to flash point: Fire rescue. Included in this expansion are three new specialists, with unique firefighter figures for each: The fire prevention specialist, strategist, and suppression specialist. Also included are the fire and event decks, a new mechanic that makes games more intense and unique. The fire deck replaces the hot Spot mechanic, and ensures that the fire Burns hotter and hotter as the game advances. And then when you least expect it, the fire deck causes events – new and different twists added to your firefighting experience. Forty-two unique events, with 8 Special points of interest, will keep your games of flash point exciting for years to come.

Unseen Forces are at work in the first expansion for Elder Sign, the cooperative dice game for one to eight players set in the world of H.P. Lovecraft’s weird fiction. Mysterious powers subtly grant blessings and level curses at your investigators. Master Mythos cards present horrifying new challenges for veteran players, and Entrance Cards offer players new options and new locations to visit. Two custom dice along with new Ancient Ones, investigators, monsters, and adventures await in Elder Sign: Unseen Forces!

Before the outbreak, many people would complain that their government was full of braindead zombies. Well, now that’s a 100% accurate assessment. The nation’s capital has been overrun, and the U.S. Government has been shut down permanently. But there seems to be a lot of action going on over at the White House. It sounds like there might be some survivors, as well as probably some secure spots to survive against the zombies... hopefully they’re not too infested. In Zombicide: Washington Z.C., players will have all-new challenges facing them during the zombie apocalypse. The set adds new survivors, of course, as well as new missions, but it also brings a new campaign mode where players’ progress is saved between scenarios, letting them start with better gear and skills at the start of the next game. Time is also not on the survivor’s side, as night is falling. Sure, they may be able to stay hidden from zombies in the dark, but it also means that there could suddenly be undead popping up out of the shadows.