NZ game artists and designers Nectarine have just sent the Happy Sheep game, their collaboration with IQideas, off to the printers.

Happy Sheep’s a fast, fun game of memory, deduction and bluffing. You can find out more about it here and grab a sneak peak at the graphics and rules.

Wellycon is on next weekend, and Ian Anderson has kindly put together a fantastic guide with everything you need to know about gaming at this brilliant convention:

New Zealand designer Shem Phillips’ game Saqqara (previously called Nomarchs and Pharaohs) has been picked up by White Goblin Games.

They plan to publish Saqqara in February 2011, and it sounds they’ve got a quite famous illustrator working on it (hush hush at the moment thought!).

UPDATE: From Shem’s site:

It’s official – White Goblin have now starting working towards the release of Saqqara. So far we have decided to market the game for 3-5 players (although it can be played with 2, it works better with at least 3). They have chosen Matthias Catrein (Dominion, Phoenicia) to illustrate the game. More details to come soon.

This is fabulous news- it’s great to see another NZ game designer having success on a world stage!

JinJun is an exciting classic strategy boardgame to play with family and friends. The rules are simple enough for anyone to begin playing within minutes, but don’t be fooled! This is a game of ever-deepening strategy and will take a sharp mind and careful concentration to continue to out-think your opponents.

To win you must advance all of your pieces across and off the other side of the board. This is achieved by rolling your pieces from square to square and jumping over yours, or your opponent’s pieces, if correctly aligned, otherwise blocking your opponent.

The First Edition of JinJun is presented in beautiful natural woods including a Macrocarpa board, Jarrah, Kahikatea, Pilularus and Saligna block pieces with black drawstring carrybag, making it a nice edition to your coffee table.

• Ages: 6+
• Players: 2-4
• Play Time: 5min+
• Equipment: 1 x Board, 20 x pieces

Game Website: www.PlayJinJun.com

Developer Website: www.GameMold.com

Battle of the Pyramids is a challenging two-player game for the pure strategy lover that combines the principles of planning, strategic thinking, memory and surprise. Two powerful symbols of ancient Egypt; the pyramid and the scarab, are pitched in a battle of wits in this unique game that forces you to think like the pharaohs, applying all manner of tactics to remain in power.

Battle of the Pyramids website.

If reading and writing skills are the foundations for success, where do you rate your child?

Are you struggling to help your child read and spell easily?

The Weird Word Game is your chance to play a fun and exciting game with your child while teaching them skills that make reading and writing enjoyable and easy.

Help your child improve their reading and spelling skills

The Weird Word Game website.

30 Seconds is the quick thinking, fast talking, fast moving fun game!

• It’s a captivating team game building friendly intense competition for two or more teams.
• It’s simple! One team member attempts to describe up to five famous names for identification by team members.
• But! The 30 second timer is running and that’s all the time you have!
• And! There’s a die to roll that may decrease your score!

30 Seconds website.

Stonewall was developed from the fertile imaginations of three friends and artists living in Katikati, New Zealand. Consumate game players and always on the search for the most fun possible, the trio combined years of experience in their mis-spent youth into what they consider the ultimate board game – Stonewall.

Race by the roll of the dice to the wall-change corner and back. Place walls as you move to amuse and bemuse and be the first home to win (don’t get STOMPED or you’ll start again!)

Stonewall website.

In 1962 Robert Moore, a young pilot in the Royal New Zealand Air Force at Wigram Airbase in Christchurch, was flying a training mission over the city and used the Cathedral in the centre square as a landmark. Some years later the vision of the Cathedral and the toy like buildings surrounding it gave birth to the game.

Cathedral is based on the concept of a Mediaeval city surrounded by a wall. The limited space makes the two factions, light and dark, struggle to gain power in the city. The Cathedral is the focal point that mediates in the struggle and thus prevents one side from becoming too powerful.

Cathedral website.

Tiki Tour website

Tantrix is an elegant coffee-table strategy game from New Zealand. Its intriguing mixture of skill and chance makes Tantrix a fun family game, at the same time as being utterly addictive to the serious player. Tantrix also includes a comprehensive collection of solitaire activities such as the Discovery and Rainbow puzzles.

The Tantrix Game Pack is our flagship product. It is a major improvement compared to the Classic set, the most significant advance being the engraved numbers on the back of each tile for easier identification. The contents of the Tantrix booklet (which accompanies the Game Pack) are also under constant revision, with the english version now on its 8th edition.

The Game Pack includes the best puzzles and games from 15 years of Tantrix development, such as the Discovery, the Super 5 Puzzles, the 2 “Unsolved Puzzles” and of course the multi-player strategy game itself. A complete set of 56 tiles can also be split up into 5 individual “Rainbow Puzzles” according to the colour-coding on the reverse of each tile.

Tantrix website.

Tacklebox® is the fishing game of family fun, laughter, surprises, tactics and problem solving. It comprises up to ten play variants:

1. Tacklebox® Grab the Crab – This is a fast paced game that requires lightning reflexes to Grab the Crab before someone else does.
2. Tacklebox® Fishing Frenzy – This is a fun game which is played at speed. Your adrenalin runs high and the game challenges your reflexes and mind at the same time.
3. Tacklebox® Quick Start – This is an easy version of Tacklebox® ideally suited for first time players and families with small children.
4. Tacklebox® Memory – This is an extended game of Tacklebox® Quick Start but this game will challenge your memory skills in card placement.
5. Tacklebox® Fishing Quota – A quick and challenging version of Tacklebox® using all the equipment in the game.
6. Tacklebox® Selected Fish – A strategically challenging version of Tacklebox® where you need to use patience and cunning to win.
7. Tacklebox® Team Play – Where you can apply all of the above game variations excluding Tacklebox® Solitaire.
8. Tacklebox® Solitaire – Play Tacklebox® and compete against yourself. There are 4 levels of challenge.
9. Tacklebox® Fish Market – This is an extremely active game where you trade cards continuously between players, like trading seen in a Fish Market.
10. Tacklebox® Thom’s Fishing Hole – This is an extremely lively game which is played at high speed. It can become very competitive if your opponents start fishing in your Fishing Hole.

Tacklebox website

New Zealand’s own wildlife card game Nest Egg is a lively game that helps build awareness of the conservation issues affecting New Zealand’s endangered birdlife and guarantees a load of fun along the way.

Features the iconic Kiwi and the Albatross, the lesser known Blue Duck, and the precious Kakapo, Kokako and Takahe. There are Rats and Cats and other threats to their survival but Landcare and Sanctuaries will protect them from danger and a Miracle will always come in handy.

Requires a good memory, strategic thinking and a poker face. There’s opportunity for villainy but ultimately the conservationists should win! So hilarity and surprise are a sure thing for 2 to 5 players aged 8 and over. Never two games the same…
An original concept and design, the 90 card packs are manufactured in NZ on recycled card using vegetable inks, and packaging is kept to an eco-friendly minimum.

Supplied in boxes of 5 packs including complimentary point-of- sale display unit.

ORDERS and ENQUIRIES

PH: NatureNurture 09 3760337

or  email: naturenurture@ihug.co.nz

Trilith is a game of simple rules, complex strategy and cut-throat outcomes! A gladiatorial competition between two opponents that will force you to outwit, outbuild and outmaster the competition in order to claim victory.

If you enjoy complex tactical play and the satisfaction of developing a winning game-plan based purely on strategic thinking rather than chance, Trilith is the game for you.

Ages: 7 years to adult, 2 players.

Trilith website

It’s a jungle out there!

It’s night time at the zoo. All the visitors have come and gone, and the zookeepers have headed home. Amongst the packing crates scattered around their enclosure, the monkeys gather for their regular competition!

Each Sunday night, the monkeys race to push the crates together to build a tall tower. Choose your monkey and by matching food tokens to the colors on the packing crates, climb to the top first. Watch out for the other monkeys who may try and scare you away or block your moves. Make the most of each monkey’s special abilities to help you climb higher. The first one to clamber high enough to leap into a nearby tree, spends a night on the town!

The others stay behind to cover the escapee’s tracks and await the monkey’s return, planning to be the fastest one next time they compete. Plan your moves carefully and you’ll be the one creating mayhem!

Monkey Mayhem website

Ready to take the ultimate journey of discovery?

Travel through time and rediscover New Zealand’s rich historical past.  Answer questions as you go, and earn points by collecting worms, wetas, millipedes and beetles. The player with the largest collection of delicious tuatara treats at the end of the journey wins the game!

• Enjoy some fun family times together for ages 7 to 107!
• Build both knowledge and memory skills
• Perfect for both classroom and home use
• A beautifully presented game – the perfect gift for Kiwis at home and overseas!

Tuatara Trail website

Industry – The New Zealand Game, teaches about geography, economics, history & about the people who helped shape the country.

Objective of the game is to be the first to complete all three of your milestones – Placing all your industries, collecting 5 commodities, & collecting 15 coins.

To complete your milestones, you need to place industries on the main board. Industries generate commodities (via dice roll) that can be sold for coin. Coin can be used to place more industries, & so on.

As you build your industrial empire, you’ll experience the events that shaped New Zealand & its economy. You’ll learn some basic economics & a lot about New Zealand’s history & geography.

Industry website

Time Zone is a NEW educational game that challenges and teaches general knowledge about New Zealand & world events.
Time Zone is:

• The NEW game where players place important historical events in a timeline. The first player to get 10 Event Cards in the right sequence wins.
• 3 games in one – play with all the cards, or just NZ events, or just world events.
• Instructions for solo, group or team play
• Ages: 9+
• Players: 1+
• Supports the NZ School Curriculum
• Full instruction on how to play, including 10 different game variations
• Have fun, compete with other players, and learn more about NZ & the world in this exciting educational game
• 250 NZ Event Cards, 150 World Event Cards, solo game date-shield

Time Zone website

BreakScore® is the board game of skill and chance, and infinite possibilities. Every turn brings challenge, risk, and hopefully reward!

There are no pre-determined winners as much depends on the dice, the cards . . . and the fickle finger of fate! The board game BreakScore® has evolved into a family of games! First published in 1984, the 5th edition also includes Break-Away® and Champ-Play . . . two extra games that also have depth, intrigue and enduring appeal.

In the tradition of the classic games of strategy, chance and skill, all three games, are well suited for adults, family, friends and game players who love competitive, imaginative, mind-flexing FUN!

These are games where players can on occasion face extreme choices that may lead to victory . . . or disaster! Stimulating and exciting, NO two games are ever the same!

BreakScore® site

Linwood is the board game…..without a board! Right from your first step, you decide how the land of Linwood will unravel. Will you rush off in pursuit of the hidden element stones, or patiently wait as others find themselves lost in a dark and unfamiliar forest?

From the starting tile, players expand the forest area, known as Linwood, in search of the four element stones. Each stone has a unique ability which players can use within Linwood. The aim of the game is to be the first player to collect all four element stones and return them to the starting tile.

Each game includes: One illustrated instruction booklet. Sixty hexagonal tiles, including: One starting tile, four element stone tiles, four tunnels and fifty one various forest and river tiles. Three dice (two white, one black). Six coloured pawns. One black pawn (the Forest Bandit). Twenty four element stone cards. Two ability reminder cards.

Linwood is recommended for ages 8 and above. Each game takes approximately 30 minutes, and can be played by 2-6 players. Linwood allows for a good balance of skill and luck. While there is room for strategy and advanced thinking, the game play is still simple enough for a child to pick up in a matter of minutes.

Linwood website

Kiwi Quiz is a great new educational card game designed & made in NZ to support the NZ School Curriculum. Designed for adults & children from Primary age upwards, Kiwi Quiz combines the fun & excitement of a game.

Kiwi Quiz is available for sale now through Schools, Retail Stores & Direct from Edugames.

Kiwi Quiz is a uniquely NZ game, with 400 cards & 1600 questions – ALL about NZ. These questions aren’t trivia, but are good general knowledge questions from a range of areas. The questions are set at 4 different levels – so that anyone from Primary School age upwards can play.

Kiwi Quiz website