Stratus Games' 1 Year Anniversary  Stratus Games is celebrating its first full year as a company. The Stratus Games president has issued a letter to commemorate this event: Dear fans,
One year ago, Stratus Games was officially born. Its inception was fueled by a love of board games and a desire to spread that appreciation to more people.
The mission of Stratus Games is to produce games that can be easily learned and appreciated by both casual gamers and hobby game enthusiasts alike. Our games provide a harmonious balance of luck and strategy and are intended to unite, not alienate, new gamers to the world of board games and strategy card games.
At the same time, experienced gamers will appreciate the depth of our games, as they are not simply "roll and move" board games. They require thought and planning in order to make them engaging. Each game is built upon an expansible framework where official and unofficial optional rules can be added at will to introduce more complicated strategies for those who desire it.
Through the use of our games, we hope to bring friends and families together to interact and enjoy quality time with each other. There is nothing like the face-to-face interaction that table-top games provide, and we are dedicated to creating products that will encourage that interaction and provide a fun, unique experience every time they are played.
Thank you for being a part of our dream. With your help and support, we hope to continue onward for many years to come!
Sincerely,
Chris James, President Gold Mine Reviews With the upcoming full release of Gold Mine, Stratus Games has been pursuing reviews with several well-known game reviewers. The reviews will begin to trickle in as each reviewer has a chance to play and analyze the game and publish the results. One video review has been released so far, published by Board to Death TV. They have done a great job explaining the gameplay and have given it a positive review. Out of their 81 videos currently on Youtube, Gold Mine ranks as the fifth-highest rated. Customer reviews of pre-release games have also been very positive so far, with a rating of 8.17/10 on Board Game Geek and 5 stars on Amazon.com. Everyone who has played Gold Mine is encouraged to share their opinions, good or bad, on their review site of choice so that other customers can benefit from them. Other notable reviews that are expected to be released soon: Stratus Games would like to express their appreciation to all of the reviewers, as it takes time and effort to produce a thorough review. Latest Optional Rules The Optional Rules section of the Stratus Games website contains a wide variety of rule variations of varying complexity. New rules are constantly being added in order to enhance the experience of those who want to try out new possibilities. Many of the Optional Rules can be used simultaneously in a single game. Customers are encouraged to take advantage of the new rules, rate them, and submit their own. Optional Rules add additional value and replayability to each game without requiring additional purchases. The following are a few of the latest additions for Gold Mine: Special Abilities
Each Miner has a different ability that gives him an advantage over other Miners. At the beginning of the game, players decide which ability they want and choose the Miner that corresponds to that ability. Read more 
Cave-in Sixes
If a player rolls a six during the Miner Movement phase of his turn, he may choose to cave-in any tile by flipping it upside down. If a player rolls a one during Miner Movement, he may choose to revert any caved-in tile by flipping it back over. Read more
Token Collection
Instead of dealing out Challenge tokens equally to each player, they are placed on the board and collected in the same manner as Gold Nuggets. Read more
More Optional Rules Monthly Game Nights Stratus Games holds an official game night on the 3rd Saturday of each month. So far, the game nights have been a great success. Attendees may play any of the provided games, playtest new ones, or bring their own to share. Everyone is welcome to attend and join in on the evening of fun and games! Game nights are held at the Sunny Daze Cafe at 4980 S. Campbell Ave. in Tucson, AZ (click here for a map). They take place on the 3rd Saturday of each month, from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. Please plan ahead for the following dates: 10/16, 11/20 and 12/18. Launch Pad Coming Soon Stratus Games' exciting new rocket building card game, Launch Pad, is on track for a November release. With its unique game mechanic, cutthroat competition and rocket theme, it is generating quite a bit of excitement. Here is the official description: The space race is on!
You are battling to build the biggest, baddest rockets possible and send them soaring into space. Each rocket requires metal, fuel, and the expertise needed for liftoff. As you build your rockets, beware of your opponents, who are eager to steal your goods and sabotage your work—you may even have some tricks of your own to thwart their progress.
All the while, the launch pad is being constructed—as soon as it’s ready, the rockets that are “go” for launch will blast off into space, leaving all others behind!
Do you have what it takes to make your rockets soar before it’s too late? Review copies of Launch Pad will be shipped out soon. If you are interested in reviewing it, please let us know. | 
