Castle Combo is an abstract family game with an open draft.

The concept is that players take cards from the board into their tableau, forming a 3x3 at the end, as players take one card per round for 9 rounds (even if one or more are turned over).

Cards are paid for with money (some cost zero) and when added to the tableau they can provide money and/or keys, and more importantly, points at the end of the game depending on the conditions on the card. Players must take a card from the row where the pawn is located, but can pay keys to move the pawn to another row or discard all existing cards and replace them. Players can take a card at any time and place it face down on the board, earning 6 dollars and 2 keys.

Cards are open, combos are readable by everyone around the table, and it is a very pleasant game to chill.

Castle Combo is a fun game that offers a lot of options and variety in a fairly short time, as the game is quick- also quick to learn. You do not trust me? Click the link below to learn more about it, or simply try the tutorial provided to get a glimpse of it:

https://boardgamearena.com/gamepanel?game=castlecombo

Let's thank CatchUp Games , Grégory Grard & Mathieu Roussel for their authorization to adapt this game to BGA, and let's celebrate another fine release from our developer, thoun!

That's it for your Wednesday Release Time.
We're happy to release some easier and simpler games, mostly because, you probably know, we try to keep the balance. So any lightweight game release could mean a heavier one is coming. Any guesses?

Lastly, note that you can also check the statistics about the Summer Calendar from this year in the related forum post. Thx to all for paticipating!

Thanks for your time, and as always: Take care and play fair!

See you next week.

Make your debut as a gardener! You must develop your bamboo grove, create watering places, and attract fish and ladybugs to make your garden a little piece of paradise resplendent with color.

Each turn, one player throws four colored pencils (green, yellow, pink, and blue) then chooses one. The other players choose one of the remaining pencils in turn, then all players simultaneously color on their sheet, one bamboo section corresponding to the same color and to the same symbol as the pencil ring they chose: circle, square, or triangle.

Who will finish their bamboo grove first? Who will be the best gardener? Click below to start a game or do the tutorial to learn how to play this new game:

https://boardgamearena.com/gamepanel?game=takenokolor

Let's thank of course the game designers, who are no less than Antoine Bauza & Corentin Lebrat, as well as Bombyx publishing.
And please celebrate the work done by thoun to make it playable on all devices, and the fantastic rendering of the game on browsers.

If you are back from vacation, we wish you the best for this year to come.

But that's a very good start for the 1st release of September!

Let's enjoy the last few weeks before autumn by celebrating colors...

And as always, take care and play fair!

A nice blend of strategy, beautiful artwork, and a balance between relaxing and challenging gameplay.

In Harmonies you will build landscapes by placing coloured tokens and creating habitats for animals. The goal is to earn the most points by incorporating habitats wisely into your landscapes and settling as many animals as possible.

How does it play? Easily! You can take these actions in the order of your choosing:

• Take and place tokens: Draw three tokens from any one space on the central board. Then place them on your personal board following specific placement rules. Tokens can be stacked to create trees, buildings, or mountains.
• Take an animal card: Choose one animal card from the five face-up cards and place it above your personal board. You can have up to four cards simultaneously.
• Place an animal cube: Place animal cubes on your personal board according to the habitat patterns depicted on the animal cards. Each animal card indicates the required pattern and the specific token colors needed to place the animal cubes.
  
  The game ends when either the pouch is empty when you need to refill the central board, or there are two or fewer unoccupied spaces on any player’s personal board. At the end of the game, players tally their points based on the landscapes created and animals placed. The player with the most points wins!
  
  Harmonies offers a wealth of variability that contributes to its sustained engagement across numerous sessions. Each playthrough introduces fresh challenges and opportunities, thanks to its randomized setup and the diverse array of animal cards and tokens. Players must continually adapt to varying token placements and habitat configurations, which invigorates the gameplay. Furthermore, the exploration of different strategies, such as concentrating on particular habitat types or optimizing the arrangement of animal cubes for maximum scoring, affords players multiple avenues for mastery.

Harmonies stands out as a meticulously designed and highly captivating board game, excelling in both solo and multiplayer formats. Although some may find the solo scoring system less gratifying, this minor drawback does not detract from the game's strategic complexity and its potential for replayability.

Immerse yourself in its charming world, explore its varied strategies, and see how your landscapes evolve with each game, click the link below to play it NOW, from solo up to 4 players:

https://boardgamearena.com/gamepanel?game=harmonies

We would love to thank the game designer, Johan Benvenuto, and the Libellud publishing team for their authorization to develop and host this amazing title on our platform, using the wonderful artworks made by Maëva Da Silva. Let's also mention the fantastic work done by Mizutismask for you all to play on most devices. Try it now!

Only a few days are remaining on the Summer Calendar. Did you check the front page?
And that's all for today.

See you next week for more games, more fun and more animals!

Until then, as always, take care and play fair!

The Fox in the Forest is a trick-taking game for two players. Aside from the normal ranked- and suited-cards used to win tricks, fairy characters such as the Fox and the Witch have special abilities that let you change the trump suit, lead even after you lose a trick, and more.

You score points by winning more tricks than your opponent, but do not become greedy! Win too many tricks, and you will fall like the villain in so many fairy tales...

What makes this game special is the scoring.

It is not a simple majority-wins-all situation. The player must either avoid collecting many tricks (0-3 tricks) or a set number of tricks (7-9) to score a maximum 6 points for each round. You do not receive any points if you overshoot and win ten or more tricks. If you win all 13 tricks and score zero points, your opponent will also score the maximum points! Collecting between 4-6 tricks will score you between 1-3 points.

The tug of war between the two players is truly innovative. It is usually important to have some weaker cards to lose some tricks. It is possible to score 0-3 tricks if your cards are low enough. To avoid collecting tricks is not easy, considering your opponent can see this coming a mile away.

There are so many more possibilities here that you will probably need to crawl through the tutorial to learn the game quickly and discover why it's so good, or simply click the link below:

https://boardgamearena.com/gamepanel?game=thefoxintheforest

But wait, there's more!

What if you want to play a cooperative rule? And get a whole different game based on the same spirit of THE FOX IN THE FOREST?

We have you covered, as the publisher and his team are also providing THE FOX IN THE FOREST: DUET!

Discover it right now by clicking the link below, or simply learn it through the included tutorial by Nekonyancer:

https://boardgamearena.com/gamepanel?game=thefoxintheforestduet

We would love to thank Renegade Game Studios and Foxtrot Games, as well as Joshua Buergel for these games to happen on BGA, as well as the very nice work done by ufm to bring them here, online, for all to play.

This is the 26th release for the Summer Calendar. Only a few left for this event!

But whatever happens next, see you on Wednesday for another amazing release.
Until then,

Take care and play fair!

The game Glass Road commemorates the 700-year-old tradition of glass-making in the Bavarian Forest. (Today, the "Glass Road" is a route through the Bavarian forest that takes visitors to many of the old glass houses and museums of that region.) You must skillfully manage your glass and brick production in order to build the structures that help you keep your business flowing. Cut the forest to keep the fires burning in the ovens and spread and remove ponds, pits, and groves to supply yourself with the items you need. Fifteen specialists are there at your side to carry out your orders...

In more detail, the game consists of four building periods. Each player has an identical set of fifteen specialist cards, and each specialist comes with two abilities. At the beginning of each building period, you choose a hand of five specialists. If during this building period, you play a specialist that no other player has in hand, you may use both abilities on that card; if two or more players play the same specialist, each of them may use only one of the two abilities. Exploiting the abilities of these specialists lets you collect resources, lay out new landscape tiles (e.g., ponds and pits), and build a variety of buildings, which come in three types:

• Processing buildings
• "Immediate" buildings with a one-time effect
• Buildings that provide bonus points at the end of the game for various accomplishments

Mastering the balance of knowing the best specialist card to play and being flexible about when you play it- together with assembling a clever combination of buildings- is the key to this game.

You can try this game right now from your browser by clicking the link below:

https://boardgamearena.com/gamepanel?game=glassroad

We're happy to welcome another game by Feuerland Spiele on our platform, and thank Uwe Rosenberg for the authorization to have this game online here. Also, let's celebrate the work done by bartoleo & Sir Heo for adapting it to #BGA.

That's it for your Wednesday Release Time!

What's up next? Did you check our daily releases on the front page SUMMER CALENDAR?
There's so much more to discover!

See you next week and until then, as always...
Take care and play fair!

In Mountain Goats you work to move your goats to the top of 6 different mountains where they can score points as long as they stay there. You can share spaces with other goats on the way up, but there is only room for one goat at the top of each mountain. If someone else's goat moves to the mountain top, they will kick you off and you will have to start your trek over.

It is a game about timing. You need to not just get to the top of the mountain, but get there when no one else is in position to knock you off.

It is also a game about keeping your eye on your opponents. Maximizing your score, but also making sure you do not let anyone else score too much.

There is the fun chance to knock each other off the mountain. But it does not feel too mean because you can only knock back goats that are in a scoring position, and it is not a huge setback. It is just a normal part of the cycle of the game.

Curious? Yes you are! Click below to know more and start a game right from your browser:

https://boardgamearena.com/gamepanel?game=mountaingoats

Let us thank Allplay publishing, as well as Stefan Risthaus for their authorization to bring this game to the platform, and celebrate the work done by pasko92 to make it work flawlessly: it's a cool game to play on mobile devices!

That's it for today!

Where are you in our SUMMER CALENDAR challenge?
Already got a trophy? Or two?
There's 15 more days to try it right from the front page.
Thanks for your time, and as always, take care and play fair!

It is always like a small keynote to release such a tool of fun and entertainment.

The middle of the 17th century was a period of great changes; with the arrival of the scientific method came what we now call the Scientific Revolution. Many great scientists, with their theories and ideas, changed and shaped our perception of the universe: Galileo Galilei, Copernicus, Kepler, Bacon and, above all, Sir Isaac Newton.

In Newton, the players take the role of a young scientist who wants to become one of the great geniuses of this era. To reach their ultimate goal, they travel around Europe, visit universities and cities, study to discover new theories, build new tools and work to earn money.

The game is played over six rounds. Each round, every player plays five cards from their hand, and each played card allows the player to perform one of the many actions of the game. An action can have a variety of effects, which depend on the symbols on the board. At the end of the round, a player can take back all the cards except for one. One card has to remain on the board, which means that you give up one possibility of doing that action, but also that that very action will be carried out with greater strength. Fortunately, you can acquire new cards with additional powers to perform more actions.

After six rounds, you calculate your final score, and the player with the most VP wins.

That's it. No updates, no additional stuff to connect: you can play it right now on #BGA by clicking the link below:

https://boardgamearena.com/gamepanel?game=newton

And you can also play it alone with the SOLO mode!

We would love to thank Cranio Creations as well as Simone Luciani & Nestore Mangone for their authorization to bring this game online, and the fantastic work done by xevizero for developing it.

But wait, there's more...

We have a great tutorial included (thx Nekonyancer) for you to learn it in no-time, even if you are not logged in. Like magic!

Share the link below with your friends before asking them to join to help them prepare : https://boardgamearena.com/tutorial?game=newton

Do not forget about the SUMMER CALENDAR on the front page: we are close to the halfway point this month!

That's it for today. As always...
Take care and play fair!

(and just out of curiosity: who is using an iPhone for the news readers? Or Android? Or else? Let us know in the comments!)

Coal Baron- or Glück Auf in German, after a greeting German miners use when wishing one another luck- has players sending miners underground to dig tunnels and acquire coal, which comes in four levels of quality and is used to fulfill contracts.

The game lasts three rounds, and in each round players take turns placing their workers on action spaces. You can place on a space occupied by another player, but you need to place additional workers in order to do so. Each player has an individual elevator shaft, and will need to use workers to extract coal and bring it to the surface, while also competing for contracts and scrounging for cash in order to do everything else that needs to be done!

This worker-placement game plunges you into the fascinating and complex world of 19th-century mining in northern France. The mechanics have not been altered from the original version and remain as the two authors intended. One of the strengths of this game is that you can outbid your meeples to avoid getting stuck.
There's a real sense of immersion thanks to the game board, which allows you to descend to the bottom of the mine with its mobile lift.

If you are ready to get down to the mines with 2 to 4 players, follow the link below:

https://boardgamearena.com/gamepanel?game=coalbaron

We would love to thank the publisher, Passe Ton Tour Games, joined by game designers Michael Kiesling & Wolfgang Kramer for their authorization to adapt this game to your favorite platform. Obviously (cause there's no games here without developers), we should give a huge shoutout to Tisaac and Jonathan2004 for their huge work to bring this game to Board Game Arena.

That's it for this Monday!

We're close to halfway for this month: Have you checked the Summer of Games Calendar on the front page?
If you haven't already, please have a look at it: there are some trophies available!

See you on Wednesday and until then...
Take care and play fair!

Purchase goods, upgrade your distillery, and craft the world's finest spirits.

Distilled is a strategy card game about crafting spirits in a distillery, with resource management and push-your-luck elements. In the game, you have inherited a distillery and are hoping to someday achieve the title of master distiller through purchasing goods, building up your distillery, and creating the world's most renowned spirits.

Purchase new ingredients and invest in upgrades to your distillery, all while eventually distilling the spirit and sending it to the warehouse. Once in the warehouse, age your spirit to enhance its flavor and bottle it to sell it for major profits!

Achieve the title of Master Distiller by having the most spirit points at the end of the game!

You can play this game on our platform or read the rules by clicking below:

https://boardgamearena.com/gamepanel?game=distilled

We would love to thank c12h22o11_ for developing this game to our platform, and we need to send our love to Dave Beck and the Paverson Games publishing team for bringing this title to all of us!

That's it for this Wednesday: a spicy game with a lot of taste for the most experienced players out there!

Let's keep clicking the Summer Calendar on our front page for your daily release,

and don't forget:

Take care, and play fair!

See you next week for more awesomeness.

In Open Season, you play as a monster- a little cruel, but wishing to do things right- who has decided to take revenge on the groups of adventurers who come to disturb their peace. After getting rid of them, you still have to decorate your living room properly, so you try to assemble a nice collection of heads on the wall.

The game takes place over 11 or 9 rounds, then players score. Players take turns clockwise, doing the following on their turn:

1. Fill the market to five face up cards.
2. Take a card from the market, and place it on a free space on their board.
3. Trigger any bonus actions; these three actions are associated with the top three slots of your player board, and you trigger one when you place a card in your reserve matching a person associated with one of the three actions. If by activating a bonus action, a new card is placed in your reserve, it can trigger another bonus action.

On your player board

• All slots in the top row must contain different people and/or face down cards.
• The two cards on either side of the "Different" symbol must be of different people and/or face down cards.
• All slots in the bottom row must contain different people and/or face down cards.

After nine rounds, the game ends, then players count their points.

You can play it right from your browser, and there's also a tutorial included for you to learn the rules:

https://boardgamearena.com/gamepanel?game=openseason

Let's thank the game designers, Amélie Assié & Romain Lisciandro, as well as the publisher Sit Down! for their authorization to develop and host this game on our platform!

What else? Galeelox was in charge of this adaptation so you can expect it to work beautifully. So we should also send some kudos here to celebrate the work done.

That's it for today.
Don't miss the next days of the Summer Calendar event in progress.
How many trophies are you gonna get?
Let's find out!

That's it for today.
As always, take care and play fair!