The Memoir ‘44 Breakthrough Expansion will take you deep into the battles of World War II with two, double-sided, 9-panel board maps covering all four Memoir ‘44 map environments - countryside, beach, winter and deserts. These oversize boards stretch the limit of current printing technology and are 13 x 17 hexes deep, opening up the Breakthrough format to new, more expansive scenarios.

The Breakthrough Expansion includes 15, never-in-print-before scenarios, created by Jacques “jdRommel” David, and Memoir ‘44 author, Richard Borg. These scenarios cover the Western and Eastern Fronts, as well as the Mediterranean and Pacific Theaters and include classic battles such as: Operation Crusader; Operation Amherst; and two different renditions of Sword Beach - all designed for the 13 x 17 hex Breakthrough format.

The Memoir ‘44 Breakthrough Expansion is an expansion for 2 players and requires a copy of Memoir ‘44. Depending on the scenario being played, additional expansions are highly recommended to fully enjoy the new Breakthrough maps, although players can substitute game pieces if they don’t own a specified expansion. The Memoir ‘44 Breakthrough expansion will be available in April in Europe and in early May in North America from your favorite Memoir ‘44 retailer and the Days of Wonder Web Store.

The Command Staff at Days of Wonder.

Small World has just been awarded the “JsP d’Or”.

Jeux sur un Plateau (JsP) is a French paper and web magazine about board and card games.

Each year, readers vote for their favourite game of the year, and Small World was ranked first for 2009. Ticket to Ride and Shadows over Camelot were also awarded “JsP d’Or” (2004 & 2005).

In Denver at GenghisCon, the Western US Qualifier was won by Thomas Vilfroy of Greeley, Colorado. 2nd Place went to Jason Gorski of Colorado Springs, while 3rd place went to Cheryl Orosz who traveled from Ypsilanti, Michigan to compete.

And the Pacific Qualifier at OrcCon in Southern California, 1st Place went to Mychael Bueno, Gerald Delker took 2nd and Ephraim Silverman placed 3rd.

Congratulations to all and especially to Erik, Thomas and Mychael! They have each qualified for the North American Championship in Columbus, Ohio in April and will compete for a chance to go to Paris for the Ticket to Ride World Championships.

- Doctor Strauss? Did you see? There’s a new web site for Mystery Express!

- Shh! I know, I know! Can’t you see I’m studying the rules already?

Mystery Express is now available for preorder… Book your copy on our online store!

Experience the very pinnacle of stylish and luxurious travel aboard the famed Orient Express…

… until you find the body!

Suddenly everyone on board is a suspect, as you desperately attempt to solve the murder before the train reaches Istanbul.

Over the next weeks we’ll be unveiling more details about the game, how it plays, and the rules. But first…

Welcome to the Mystery Express!

Mystery Express will be available in  English, French and German. It is expected to be available in Europe and in North America in late March…

The Pirate’s Cove board game, which had been unavailable for some time in North America, is now back in stock. You’ll find it at better game stores and from the Days of Wonder Webstore.

Seasons Greetings & Happy New Year
from all of us at Days of Wonder!

In the US, Games Magazine named Small World their 2010 Game of the Year. You can read about Small World and the rest of their Games 100 list in the December 2009 issue of Games Magazine.

Earlier this month, the Community members of Tric Trac - the leading French gaming website - awarded Small World the prestigious Tric Trac d’Or, their annual award for the best board game of the year. You can read all about it (en français) on the TricTrac website.

Congratulations to Small World author, Philippe Keyaerts on these well-deserved accolades!

Designed by Michael Ormesher of the UK as his entry in the Small World Design Contest, this special mini-expansion gives players a new game play option when picking a Race/Special Action Combo. The Leaders expansion was originally only available at Essen (and given as a thank you to all who submitted an entry in the Small World Design Contest).

Leaders of Small World Overview

The Leaders expansion features Leader tokens for all Small World Races, including those in the new Cursed and Grand Dames of Small World expansions. They are neither a Race nor a Special Power. Instead, they are a new option for players: whenever you pick a new Race and Special Power combo, you may opt to also immediately spend 2 Victory coins to attach the services of this leader to your Race.

You then take the corresponding Leader token and add it to the stack of Race tokens you receive. As long as your Race is active, your Leader will act like an additional Race token, with the following exceptions:

• Your Leader is brave and refuses to stay in any Region that is immune (because of the presence of a Dragon, Hero, Hole-in-the-Ground, etc…), at the end of your turn;
• If your Leader is in a Region that is conquered by an opponent, this opponent immediately captures him! You can then pay your opponent a ransom of 1 Victory coin from your own personal stash to get your Hero back. The capture (and eventual ransom) of your Leader occurs in lieu of the normal 1 token loss that happens when a Region is conquered (if any; Elves can still get their Leader captured and ransomed).

At the end of the game, any opponents’ Leader still in the personal Victory stash of a player is worth 2 Victory coins for the player who still holds him captive.
The Leaders of Small World are available worldwide from the BoardGameGeek Store and only while supplies last.

At EuroQuest, sixty-eight players set an all-time record for a tournament held there. The tournament winner was Josh Githens from Piedmont, South Carolina.  Josh went through the tournament undefeated, winning in both of the first two heats, and continuing his streak through to the final game win.  Second place went to Steve Shambeda, third was Tom Dunning, and James Freeman rounded out the final four.

A very happy Josh Githens (right) receives his winner’s plaque
from Ticket to Ride GM Virginia Colin at EuroQuest

In Dallas at BGG.COM, 50 players competed over 2 days with Michael Vandehey of Wichita Falls, TX emerging as the winner. Remarkably, Michael won both his games during Friday’s preliminary rounds, and then won all 4 games he played in the semi and final rounds on Saturday. Brick Amundsen of Round Rock, TX was the Runner-up in the tournament. Congratulations to both Michael and Brick who qualify for the North American Championships in April. Stephen Smith and Amy Garrett who finished 3rd and 4th will serve as alternates.

Congratulations to the winners and all who competed.