Events Archives - Blue Orange Games Blog

Category: Events

Become the Kingdomino World Champion!

Posted on February 22, 2023February 24, 2023 by Corinne

Become the Kingdomino World Champion!

Starting on Tuesday February 28^th, 4 tournaments on Board Game Arena will determine champions for these zones:

USA
Canada
Australia
New Zealand

You need to register based on your country of residence.

Look for these tournaments on BGA or follow these links:

Kingdomino USA Championship by Blue Orange Games: https://boardgamearena.com/tournament?id=197108

Kingdomino Canada Championship by Blue Orange: https://boardgamearena.com/tournament?id=197110

Kingdomino Australia Championship by Blue Orange: https://boardgamearena.com/tournament?id=197111

Kingdomino New Zealand Championship by Blue Orange: https://boardgamearena.com/tournament?id=197112

The winner of each zone will win a one year membership on Board Game Arena!

They will be invited, along with winners from many other countries in the world, to participate to the Kingdomino World Championship, organized by Blue Orange Europe, on March 26, 2023, also on Board Game Arena.

The big prize:

The World Champion will receive 2 passes for Essen Game Fair in Germany (October 2023), ‘’Comfort Plus’’ 2-days tickets (Saturday+Sunday), a poster featuring an exclusive illustration by Cyril Bouquet, a bundle of new Blue Orange games as an exclusivity, a selection of goodies and a trophy!

IF YOU ARE NEW TO BOARD GAME ARENA:

Registration is free. Create your account, and play a Kingdomino game to get familiar with the online adaptation, which is so similar to the table top game! You normally need 100 ELO points to be able to register to the tournament, unless we invite you directly. Send us a message through Board Game Arena and we will invite you to join. Or play and win a few games to get to 100 and you can register directly.

Kingdomino is our 2016 tile board game for 2-4 players designed by Bruno Cathala. In this 15-20 minute, family-oriented game, players build a five by five kingdom of domino-like tiles, making sure as they place each tile that one of its sides connects to a matching terrain type already in play. For 2 players, the kingdom can be seven by seven.

Kingdomino won many awards including the 2017 Spiel des Jahres, and was followed by several spin-offs and expansions: Queendomino, Kingdomino Age of Giants expansion, Kingdomino Duel, Kingdomino Origins and Dragomino.

Blue Orange at Gen Con 2019

Posted on July 26, 2019July 29, 2019 by Corinne Marcot-Jones

Gen-Con-2019 With summer in full swing, this is our favorite time of the year! Gen Con, the convention where we release many of our best board games, is the place we love to connect with our fans. This year is no exception! We have six exciting new titles to share with you: Detective Club, Kingdomino Duel, Pappy Winchester, Dragon Market, Planet, and Slide Quest.

We are also organizing the first ever Kingdomino USA Championship at Gen Con and registrations is officially open! We will crown the USA Champion and send them to France all expenses paid for the World Championship next year.

2019 is a year rich in new games for Blue Orange, and Gen Con will be all the more exciting because of it!

Visit us, Booth # 1813!

Slide Quest

The kingdom is in total chaos! Work together to guide this brave rolling knight through 20 adventures filled with twists and traps. Players each hold on to a lever and guide the moving platform in all directions, sliding the knight to follow the right paths while beating obstacles.

As challenges become more difficult, hold on to your lives to make it to the highest level and win!

Slide Quest turned a video game concept into a board game where dexterity and cooperation are keys to success.

Planet

2019 Mensa Select® winner!

A world is taking shape in the palm of your hands. Take on the role of super beings and compete to create perfect worlds with the ideal conditions for wildlife to flourish. In this very unique game, each player’s board is a 12-sided 3-dimensional planet core. Throughout 12 turns, select landscape tiles representing oceans, deserts, mountains or frozen lands, and arrange them on your planet to create the best ecosystems. Win Animal Cards while fulfilling your own ‘’Natural Habitat’’ objective and create the most populated planet in the universe!

Several events are planned throughout Gen Con to learn how to play the game and participate to tournaments. Register fast, some events are already sold out:

https://www.gencon.com/event_finder?search=blue+orangeus

Detective Club

Detective Club is a social deduction party game featuring beautiful, surreal artwork and intriguing player interactions! Each round, one player secretly writes a word in all-but- one of the other players’ notebooks. The player who does not know the word is the Conspirator this round. All players then take turns playing cards they feel best represent the word. When the word is revealed at the end of the round, each player explains why their cards make sense with the word. The player who didn’t know the word will have to quickly come up with an explication in order to not be detected!

Learn how to play Detective Club in the Event Hall on Thursday afternoon or Friday morning:

https://www.gencon.com/event_finder?search=blue+orange

Kingdomino Duel

Roll the dice, choose the ones you want, and put them together in pairs to create your dominoes. Domino by domino, fill in your map while entrusting the territories of your kingdom to loyal dignitaries. Gather favors from wizards in order to cast powerful spells which will allow you to rule without having to share. Kingdomino Duel is a completely independent game which preserves the essence of the acclaimed original Kingdomino. In this game, instead of adding dominoes to your kingdom, you will choose two dice to combine into a single “domino” which must then be drawn into your kingdom.

Pappy Winchester

Pappy Winchester has kicked the bucket! Poor thing, he was the king of swindlers and everyone knows he was filthy rich! His final wish was that his descendants would share his fortune and the plots of his ranch, with the richest becoming the new head of the family. After all, for him the most important thing was that his money stayed in the family! Pappy thought of everything and left an outline of his belongings. You and the other heirs are now assembled around this map to share out Pappy’s possessions.

Dragon Market

The royal wedding at Dragon’s Bay is set to commence in a few days time, so you have sent your eldest heir on a quest to gather gifts from the Dragon Market. This will be quite a fun adventure: running and jumping from boat to boat, collecting all the best treasures out from under the other families’ grasp!

In Dragon Market, players move river boats around the board in order to gather up the items they wish to present to the princess. On your turn, you will roll 2 dice and then make a number of moves equal to the dice result. Your options for moving are to either move your heir token, collecting any items you pass or to move a boat in straight line, or to rotate a boat 180 degrees. The first player to collect their items and return back to the start is the winner.

Learn how to play Dragon Market in the Event Hall on Sunday at 11am, 12pm or 1pm:

https://www.gencon.com/event_finder?search=dragon+market

Kingdomino USA Championship at Gen Con 2019

Posted on July 11, 2019July 11, 2019 by Corinne Marcot-Jones

Citizens of the domino kingdom! The time has come to show off your prowess. The queen has declared the opening of the US Kingdomino championship!

Enter for your chance to win a trip to the World Championship in France in August, 2020!

Blue Orange Games is hosting the Kingdomino USA Championship at Gen Con, Indianapolis, on Saturday August 3rd, 2019 in the Hall C of the Indiana Convention Center.

Anyone wishing to participate needs to be a Gen Con ticket holder and needs to register for the Kingdomino USA Championship on www.gencon.com in the Event section.

The Kingdomino USA Championship is a free event.

This is a multi-stage tournament. It is limited to 144 participants.

The top two players each hour (3:00-4:00pm, 4:00-5:00pm, 5:00-6:00pm and 6:00-7:00pm) will go on to compete in the Grand Finals (later that evening from 7:00pm to 9:00pm).

During each hour, 36 participants will be divided into 8 groups of either 4 or 5 players. Groups of 5 players will play with the Kingdomino expansion Age of Giants. The winners of each group will be divided in 2 groups of 4 and will play another game. The 2 winners of those groups will have to come back at 7pm for the Grand Finals.

The Grand Finals consists of 2 groups of 4 playing the base game of Kingdomino. The winners of each group will play a final game using the Mighty Duel rule variation (building a 7×7 kingdom).

Each of the 144 participants will receive:

– 1 USA Championship sticker

– 1 Kingdomino Crown

The 8 finalists (participating in the Grand Finals) will also receive:

– 1 Kingdomino Trophy KINGDOMINO-CHAMPIOSHIP-USA_Website_Gif

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The prize for the USA champion includes:

One round trip ticket from the US to Paris, France, plus local transportation around France (from the airport to the hotel and event) the site of Championship location in August 2020 (dates to be determined).
Blue Orange will also offer accommodation for 2 nights (including one night at the Championship castle), lunch and dinner the day of the Championship, and breakfast the following morning.
Additional nights and meals will be the individual’s responsibility.

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*No game purchase necessary.*

The prize cannot be exchanged for monetary value or any other item.

Blue Orange will be responsible for booking an airplane ticket in collaboration with the winner.

In the event that the winner cannot travel to France for any reason, the first prize will be offered to the 2nd place.

ELIGIBILITY

The winner must hold a valid passport for international travel.

This championship is open to legal residents of the 50 states of the United States and D.C. and participants must be 18 years or older by July 31st, 2020 in order to participate.

The participant must be a Gen Con valid ticket holder.

Limit one entry per person.

Additional limitations:

Blue Orange has the right to adjust or shut down the contest at any time, and maintains the right to investigate possible cheating or tampering before determining a winner. Any individual who cheats during the tournament will be penalized by disqualification.

Bannières – King Domino Championship USA – 34x92cm_IMPRESSION Any questions regarding the contest should be directed to Blue Orange Games at info@blueorangegames.comBannières – King Domino Championship USA – 34x92cm_IMPRESSION

Blue Orange sponsors Maths in Jeans: a rich experience for passionate middle school students!

Posted on July 11, 2019September 28, 2020 by Corinne Marcot-Jones

image_mini At Blue Orange, we love to create partnerships that directly benefit children while also promoting the value of play. A few months ago, Math in Jeans reached out to us looking for games for their Treasure Hunt activity, and for downtime play during their annual event. We were happy to say yes and to sponsor the Maths in Jeans conference hosted by the French school in San Francisco (LFSF). During this 3 days event, 270 middle and high school students, 34 teachers and 6 researchers and doctorate students gathered in the beautiful city by the Bay.

Sponsor hard work 2

Maths in Jeans is a project that aims to connect middle and high school students to the world of mathematical research. It is carried out by an association that has existed for hard work 30 years. Back in September, researchers gave Maths in Jeans nearly 50 research topics. Students from 10 French schools in North America and Singapore, chose a topic and worked on it for 6 months. Groups of students working on the same research were matched across schools to promote exchange and discovery. The groups presented their research to all the students during the event.

Matthieu Schavsinski, one of the Math teachers leading the organization, explains the benefits of the event and all the work going into it before the presentations: ‘’For our students, it’s a unique learning experience. This project is a way to learn about the research process, to experience collaboration with peers, overcome difficulties and find solutions when we are faced by very large problem we have to solve. It’s also the opportunity to show them how math relates to real life. For example, they work on modeling traffic jams, how to organize flights in an airport, or also how to identify the shortest road to link 4 cities anywhere on a map.’’

A treasure hunt with a pinpointer was organized to help students discover the area around the school, the perfect team-building activity. A selection of brainy Blue Orange games were set-up as challenges: racing to complete a Dr. Eureka or a Dr. Beaker challenge for example were part of the hunt! Each team was made of 10 students of different ages and backgrounds and a chaperon. The best team was rewarded with board games and calculators!

During the breaks, students had access to more Blue Orange games and we were told they loved the diversion from math to games.

We are glad this event was a big success!

If you are interested by the organization Maths in Jeans, please contact Matthieu Schavsinski: mschavsinski@lelycee.org.

If you organize an event for which Blue Orange could be a key partner by providing games, do not hesitate to present your project by emailing marketing@blueorangegames.com.

Dr. Beaker Challenge!

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If you could make your own Planet, what would you do? Find out on Earth Day, 4/22/2019

Posted on March 8, 2019 by Corinne Marcot-Jones

Our new game, Planet, is a unique board game featuring 3-dimensional playing boards representing the earth, in which you compete to create the most populated planet. Release date will coincide with Earth Day on April 22, 2019.

A year and a half ago we launched Photosynthesis at Gen Con, a visual striking strategic board game in which players plant trees, collect sunlight to grow them and harvest the tallest trees to earn points based on the richness of the soil they grew on. The success of Photosynthesis was unprecedented and one of the reasons why we wanted to expand this line of earthy board games celebrating the beautiful planet we leave on. Just like Photosynthesis, Planet makes a visual statement with an eye-catching graphic on the box which carries over to the uniqueness of its components; making for an impressive accessory on the playing table. Urtis Sulinkas, the game creator is known for his clever mechanics, and surely has stood up to his reputation with this game. Planet is also exceptionally illustrated by Sabrina Miramon.

Photosynthesis was bestowed numerous awards over the last year including the coveted Mensa Select. Following in its steps, Planet has already been selected for the Mensa competition taking place in mid-April and we will be entering Planet into the ring for various other awards including the Spiel des Jahres.

We couldn’t think of a better day to launch our new game than Earth Day 2019 – April 22^nd.

Planet_GameOpen01_Lyrs

In Planet, players take on the role of super beings and compete to create perfect worlds with the ideal conditions for wildlife to flourish. Each player’s board is a unique 12-sided 3-dimensional planet core. Throughout 12 turns, players select landscape tiles representing oceans, deserts, mountains or frozen lands, and arrange them on their magnetic planet core to create the best ecosystems. They win Animal Cards at the end of each turn based on who matches the Animal Card requirements better, and they try to fulfill their own ‘’Natural Habitat’’ objective all throughout the game to win additional points at the end.

Planet is a 30 minute game for ages 8 & Up.

Each box includes:

4 Planet Cores
50 Magnetic Continent Tiles
45 Animal Cards
5 Natural Habitat Objective Cards
1 First Player Token
Illustrated Rules

Planet_GameOpen2_Lyrs

Pre-orders are available through our website or at your local game store.

http://www.blueorangegames.com/index.php/games/planet

Blue Orange invites you to visit your Neighborhood Toy Store on Saturday November 10th, 2018!

Posted on November 6, 2018November 6, 2018 by Corinne Marcot-Jones

Neighborhood Toy Store Day is held on the second Saturday of November every year and is designed to kick off the holiday season with special events that introduce consumers to the benefits of shopping local.

Neighborhood Toy Store Day was created by the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA), a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting local toy shopping and creative open ended playtime for children.

Independent toy stores around the country participate by hosting fun, free and family friendly events, such as face painting, craft projects, live performances and more.

Independent toy stores offer multiple advantages to shoppers:

A carefully curated selection of toys, selected with local families in mind.
A focus on providing unique selections and the kind of quality not always found at national chains. Local toy stores select from brands both large and small, including little known brands that are not advertised on TV.
Because they observe kids at play day in and day out, independent toy stores can offer the best advice on the right selection for individual kids.
Independent toy store owners are toy experts who understand the value of play and what types of toys encourage the best kind of play.
By offering a personalized approach and additional customer service, local toy stores make holiday shopping easier.

Independent toy stores also provide many benefits to the community as a whole, by:

Creating jobs and preserving neighborhoods.
Compared to chain stores, putting a significantly larger share of revenue back into the local economy in the form of taxes, salaries and more.
Supporting environmental sustainability, by helping to maintain vibrant, walkable town centers, essential to reducing sprawl, automobile use, habitat loss and air and water pollution.

For more information on Neighborhood Toy Store Day and to find a participating retailer near you, visit http://ntsd.astratoy.org.

Content provided by the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association.

Toy Fair and ToyFest West 2017 Wrap-Up: The Top 5!

Posted on March 8, 2017January 10, 2018 by Corinne Marcot-Jones

Toy Fair and ToyFest West 2017, our two most important trade shows this time of the year are over, and the 13 new games that were unveiled at our booths will be in stores and online in the coming weeks. This year we debuted an expanded “Doctor Collection”, as two of our newest games, Dr. Beaker and Dr. Microbe, have joined our 2016 bestseller, Dr. Eureka. These science-themed games fell in perfectly with the STEM trend that was seen all over Toy Fair. We also introduced games with unique play patterns that would entertain a wide variety of ages, like Tumble Tree and Dice Stack. They are a little different but stay true to Blue Orange’s simple-to-learn and easy-to-play mission. Read below to learn about these and the other stand outs that the attendees raved about at the show!

Top 5 New Games

Dr. Microbe
Ages 8 & Up | 2-4 Players

What our customers loved:
• STEM themed speed logic race
• Gummy microbes make for easy pick-up!
• Tweezer components promote fine motor skill and dexterity development

Dr. Microbe has important research to do and she needs help! Using a pair of tweezers, players race to grab the correct colorful microbes and place them into their petri dish to solve an incomplete challenge card. Make sure to follow the research rules and finish first to impress Dr. Microbe and win the card as a point. The unique concept and components will make this your new go-to!

Dr. Beaker
Ages 8 & Up | 2-4 Players

What our customers loved:
• Unique mechanism means the beaker really rotates!
• Colorful components
• High quality materials so you can play again and again without worry!

Stir up excitement in the third installment to the Dr. Collection! In this logic race, players move molecules around the compartments of their beaker to try and match solutions on flipped challenge cards. Players must think quickly and work fast as they rearrange the molecules with their stirring rods. The first to finish wins the card as a point! A special rotating platform at the bottom of the beaker makes this race unlike one you’ve ever tried!

Go Go Gelato
Ages 6 & Up | 2-4 Players

What our customers loved:

• Cute, kid-sized gelato stand display
• Colorful gelato theme
• Large components and simplified logic for little hands and minds
• Easy to explain rules and quick game play

Become a gelato mixing master in GoGo Gelato! Players fill their customer’s orders armed with 4 scoops, 3 cones, 2 hands, and 1 challenge card in this delicious game of rearrangement. Happy customers are the ones whose orders are filled quickly and efficiently, so speed and thinking ahead are a must. This logic race has the perfect recipe for a good time!

Tumble Tree
Ages 6 & Up | 2-4 Players

What our customers loved:

• Original, eye-catching package
• Unique gameplay, each card is added to the treetop in a different way
• It’s self-contained, you play on top of the tin that stores the cards!

Build your own baobab tree in this card placement game. Each animal card has its own way to be added to the ever-growing canopy, but place them carefully! If the branches are overburdened the tree will fall. Avoid penalties and be the player with the least amount of cards at the end to win, but most importantly… don’t let the tree-top topple!

Eye ‘N Seek
Ages 6 & Up | 2-6 Players

What our customers loved:
• It’s size and gameplay make it a great travel and card game
• Different levels means all ages can play!
• With 6 wheels, everyone can join in on the fun!

Spin to win! Flip a card and then rotate the wheel to find its matching icon in the windows. Hurry, it’s a race! Spot the match before your opponents to win the round and a point. With 6 double-sided wheels, 100 icons, 3 levels, and 6 games to play the searching fun is endless!

Honorable Mention

These unique dice games were very well received for their portability, high-replay value, and quick to explain rules!

Dice Stack
Ages 7 & Up | 1-6 Players

Pile up your points in this stacking dice game. Roll the tilted dice and then carefully stack them up in numerical order. Stop at any time to win the number of points in the stack, or take a chance and try to stack all 6. Once you have stacked all 6, do you dare to try and double your points with the Golden Die? Just make sure to not let them fall or you’ll lose it all!

Rally Roll
Ages 8 & Up | 2-6 Players

Will you risk it all? Roll all 6 dice and win the number of points that match the big colored die. Decide to bank your points, or take a risk and roll again. Keep scoring as long as you have numbered dice that match the colored die. If nothing matches, forfeit all points won that round and try again next time! Take big risks with this fast and fun dice game!
View the entire Blue Orange 2017 catalog online here

For more information about Blue Orange, visit: http://toyfair.vporoom.com/BlueOrangeGames