Stronghold Games will release Valparaiso and Encore! aka Noch Mal this summer.

Valparaiso is a Euro game designed by Stefan Malz and Louis Malz (Edo), which features artwork by Michael Menzel (Dominion, Stone Age, Rococo).Set in 1811 in the city of Valparaiso, Chile, players take the role of prominent citizens, who wish to develop the city. Players direct merchants to engage in international trade by procuring goods and trading them for things the city needs to prosper. Everyone plays simultaneously, and players must keep an eye on what their opponents are trading, because their actions can affect the market and shift interest in goods. For more advanced players, there is also a variant that uses a sand timer.

The box includes a double-sided gameboard, 4 repository boards, 25 market tiles, 70 coins, a starting player marker, 40 action cards, 24 achievement cards, 20 wood merchants, 20 wood houses, 5 wood ships, 5 wood counters, 75 wood resource cubes, a sand timer, and a rulebook. The game is for 2 – 5 players, ages 12 and up, and plays in 45 – 90 minutes. MSRP is $59.95. Release is set for July.

Encore! aka Noch Mal! Is a ‘roll and write’ game designed by Inka and Markus Brand (Village, Exit: The Game series). All players participate simulaniously. One player rolls the 6 dice, picks 2 and crosses out the results. The other players select 2 of the remaining dice and also cross out their results. Points are earned by completing a column, with bonus points available for crossing out boxes of the same color.

The box includes a scoring pad, 3 custom color dice, 3 number dice, and 6 felt-tip pens. The game is for 1 – 6 players, ages 8 and up, and plays in 20 minutes. MSRP is $19.95. Release is set for September.

Stronghold is also releasing three ‘roll and write’ games in June (see “'Twice as Clever,' 'Dizzle,' and 'Brikks'”).