http://forum.agecommunity.com/forums/1022/ShowForum.aspxThis area is for announcements and updates from Moderators and Admins enCommunityServer 2.1 SP2 (Debug Build: 61120.2)http://forum.agecommunity.com/forums/thread/496891.aspxThu, 31 May 2007 16:40:11 GMT50924996-b13e-4713-b45b-a7ea483affa6:496891ES_Thunder0http://forum.agecommunity.com/forums/thread/496891.aspxhttp://forum.agecommunity.com/forums/commentrss.aspx?SectionID=1022&PostID=496891&nbsp; <P><B>Tropical Games Announces the Launch of its First Board Game: <I>Age of Empires III: The Age of Discovery</I></B></P> <P><B>Plainfield</B><B>, IL</B><B>, May 14, 2007 - </B>Today Tropical Games announced the launch of <I>Age of Empires</I>® <I>III: The Age of Discovery</I>. <I>Age of Empires III: The Age of Discovery</I> is the board game version of the multi-million unit selling computer game <A href="http://www.agecommunity.com/home.aspx"><I>Age of Empires III</I></A> from <A href="http://www.microsoft.com/games/">Microsoft</A> Game Studios and <A href="http://www.ensemblestudios.com/">Ensemble Studios</A> . </P> <P><I>Age of Empires III: The Age of Discovery</I> was designed by Glenn Drover, designer of award-winning games such as <I>Attack!</I> and <I>Age of Mythology</I>®<I>: The Boardgame</I>, and founder of Eagle Games, Inc. and is being published by Chukerman Packaging. "There is no question that this is the best game that I have worked on", said Drover. "I can't stop playing it, even after almost a hundred play-testing sessions over the last two years. It's just plain addictive."</P> <P>Bruce Shelley from Ensemble Studios added, "We asked Glenn to create a ‘Euro-style' design for the board game, since many on the team here at Ensemble are fans of that genre. We were involved in testing and provided feedback throughout the game's development. The finished version is exactly what we had in mind. We are very excited that fans of the computer game will now be able to enjoy it in a whole new way."</P> <P>The game challenges players to become the king (or Queen) of one of the great European nations during the age of exploration. On each turn, players allocate their colonists to various actions: exploration, colonization, trade, warfare, merchant shipping, upgrading (merchant, soldier, missionary, captain), or building a unique capital building. Each choice guides their nation toward a unique strategy. </P> <P><I>Age of Empires III: The Age of Discovery</I> is currently shipping to game retailers in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Australia, and will be on game store shelves very shortly. It may also be purchased at <A href="http://www.brownboxinc.com/">http://www.brownboxinc.com/</A>, <A href="http://www.eaglegames.net/">http://www.eaglegames.net/</A>, and from <A href="http://www.funagain.com/">http://www.funagain.com/</A> online. </P> <P>&nbsp;</P> <P>&nbsp;</P> <P>&nbsp;Tropical Games, LLC is a privately held game design company based in Plainfield, IL</P> <P>&nbsp;</P> <P>Microsoft, Age of Empires, Age of Mythology and Ensemble Studios are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies.</P>