Eruption: Can You Take the Heat?   Stratus Games' new strategy board game, Eruption, is officially scheduled to hit stores this October!
Eruption Preorders are available now. By purchasing a preorder package, you will save a bundle of money, be among the first to receive the game, and help us fund more great games.
To find out more about the complete design process from start to finish of Eruption, be sure to read the Designer Diary on BoardGameGeek.com, entitled "Eruption - Can't Touch This (Lava)".
Below is a trailer video and some previews of the game artwork.
   
More Information about Eruption 
Download the Eruption instruction booklet (PDF) Gold Mine Wins a Parents' Choice Award  Last month, the Parents' Choice Foundation announced the winners of their Spring 2011 toy awards. Stratus Games is proud to announce that Gold Mine was one of the award recipients, a winner of the Recommended Seal. Along with the award, a review was published on the foundation's website.
According to the foundation, the Recommended Seal "implies our approval and, even beyond that, our thorough recommendation for reasons of production, appeal and fulfillment of its clear intent." The review itself states that "Gold Mine encourages players to engage with the game and interact with each other. The gold pieces have that certain "gold" appeal to them, so players will become competitive. Meanwhile, they will have to use problem solving skills and be creative with their winning strategies. It's lots of fun, and if you're looking for a new and different board game, this is one kids will enjoy." More Information about the award Gold Mine and Launch Pad Receive High Praise at the MENSA Mind Games Competition In April, Gold Mine and Launch Pad were entered into the prestigious MENSA Mind Games competition. In the event, 58 new game titles competed for the MENSA Select® seal, which is given to the top 5 winners. While Gold Mine and Launch Pad didn't quite win the competition this time, very positive feedback was received.
Following the event, the scoring and comment cards that were filled out by the judges and guests were provided to Stratus Games for analysis. The games were rated based on 5 characteristics: aesthetics, instructions, originality, play appeal, and play value. The rating data and comments, as provided below, are taken directly from the score cards and reflect the high caliber of games that Stratus Games produces.
Gold Mine
- Average ratings for all 5 categories, on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest (note the very high bell curve - click to enlarge):
 - Some of the comments from the judges and evaluators: "VERY fun game! Enjoyable for kids and adults, good strategy elements, challenging. NICE JOB!!!" "A delightful strategy game. Easy to get started and play. Lots of fun and laughs. Not too difficult or complicated." "It's clever. Anyone can play. Very enjoyable. Well-constructed, sturdy pieces." "LOVE this game. Found all directions very clear." "Awesome "guys" (gold miners)! Really enjoyed the movement and the challenge mechanism." "I like the challenges and secret water passageways. Alternate rules make for fantastic repeatability." "Great game! Enjoyed all aspects. Nicely done. One of my top 5 choices." Launch Pad
- Average ratings for all 5 categories, on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest (again, note the very high bell curve - click to enlarge):
 - Some of the comments from the judges and evaluators: "Easy to understand, challenging, lots of strategy. Fantastic instructions!!!! Would play over and over." "This is a great game! It's really good and fast paced." "Great game. Lots of fun and challenge. Educational." "Fun, fast-flowing game, great replay value." "We had a blast!" "Fun to play and good balance of strategy and chance." "Very original. The variation cards - steals/sabotage make the game more than just building rockets blindly." "Original, great detail. Good instructions." "I really liked this!" "Good use of theme, attractive cards, firm mechanics." StratusGames.com is Now a...Game? Stratus Games is testing out a new feature that allows visitors to have game-like interactions with the website. By logging in using an existing Facebook account, users can unlock badges, gain victory points, compete with other users for spots on the leaderboard, and eventually earn prizes. The MiniBar at the bottom of each page offers controls and stats for each user. To kick off the new feature, Stratus Games is giving away $75 worth of gift certificates! The players in the top 3 spots on the leaderboard as of noon (MST) July 15, 2011 will each win a gift certificate for use on any game or preorder package.
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