In an earlier post, I said that I had come up with two board games last week and only talked about one.  The other is only on my phone so far and has 2 hours of me talking about it.  I am going to get these ideas down on paper before I can begin work on it.  It is called, 'The Hunger Games Board Game,' and these are a few ideas so far on this game based on the book by Suzanne Collins.
1. As I have looked at all existing games based on the series, I have noticed that none of them have to do with the actual games.  One is about the three day training process, but it ends after the three days. Another is about people in the capital and is more of a glorifies 'Guess Who.'  The other had such a small description that I could not make a clear mental picture about what it would be like, but it takes place in District 12.
2. This game takes place mostly in the arena with a small training period.
3. If you are a girl, you will be a girl in the game. 
4. The district you are from directly relates to your abilities in the arena.
5. You will be fighting the other players of the game to survive.  The last one alive wins.
6. The board will be huge and most of the time, you will not be able to see the other players.
7. A complex point system will have to be created to adjust for fighting, attaining food, and survival in general.

As you can probably see, this is going to be a complex game, but I intend to keep it as close to the books as possible so that even someone who has read the books will feel satisfied with the way the game is played.

Two new games have come into creation within the past week.  One of them is playable and very simple to set up and get started.  It is a mining game where the players work in a mine and are instructed by their managers to mine out a 10x10 square. Each square has a tile with a picture on the back.  There are rocks, coal, copper, metal, silver, gold, and gems.  Of course, 74% of the tiles are rocks, but the object of the game is to collect the other metals and gems to make money.  Players roll the dice to see how far they can mine that turn and take out as many unmined squares as possible.  At the end of the turn, he/she turns over one square that is not directly around them for all to see.  The turned tile will most likely be a rock, but if a gold is turned over, there will be a mad rush to get it.  Once the board is cleared, the players count up their points and return the tiles to the board to begin again.  Upgrades are available at the end of the day that can be purchased with the things you have collected that day.  For example, a hard hat, which allows the player to move diagonally, costs a coal and a copper.  If you don't have both at the end of the round, you cannot buy it.  Other upgrades include a jackhammer, a better pick axe, and dynamite.
The game has a nickname that I came up with, but no one likes it enough to make it official.  so from now until I can find a better name, we will call it, 'Miner Yores.'  (See if you can catch the wordplay.)

Due to the similarities of versions, Rail Baron and Russian Rail Baron, I will not distribute this game without permission from Avalaon Hill.  However, There are three games that can be counted as the first games from Legacy Board Games.  All of which are in different stages of production at the moment and can use improvement.  These games are a follows:

1.  Jail Break -
     a.  The idea for Jail Break was created in December 2011. I was jotting down some ideas for new games when it came, and I quickly wrote the first notes for the game.  Out of the eight ideas that made it onto that paper, this one stood out.  Here are the notes:
          1. Prisoners in a jail escape and are searching for a way out.
          2. Patrols and unknown hallways challenge the prisoners to be creative in their individual escapes.
          3. Cameras monitor hallways.
          4. Many different people stand between the prisoners and the door.
          5. The first prisoner out the door wins.
     b.  After I recognized that the game had potential, I wrote, "Sounds like a game I have never played. Maze of guards that changes often, different ways to escape."
     c.  It has evolved to a playable game and is now being refined. 

2.  City Strikers -
     a.  This game has no notes, but was born one morning when my wife and I were having a discussion about games.  I told her that I would really like a stock game where the different stocks would change value constantly, and it would be a struggle to sell at top prices.  Originally this was going to be just a card game, however, my wife suggested that I make a board because she is a visual learner.  I designed a board for it, and the changes we have made have been for the better since.
     b.  City Strikers follows a resort town on the coast that has several businesses integrated throughout.  These businesses are all currently for sale, and the players begin to buy a few small businesses and stocks to earn a meager income.  Then, as prices rise and fall,  the players need to know when to sell a property to upgrade to another that produces a higher income.  As the rest of the businesses are purchased, the players make more money. 
     c.  Even though we have mock-played this game a few times, I have not finished the cards to play it a full time through.

3.  "The Card Game" -
     a.  This 'no named' game was started before the other two, but the name has not come to me yet, so I could use suggestions.  As of now, the game consists of an 8x8 grid for a board,  A deck of 71 cards per player and the occasional dice.
     b.  Each player assumes the role of a fantasy race, namely, Humans, Skeletons, Pixies, Dwarves, Elves, Buccaneers, or Undead.  There are five different cards in each deck.  1) Unit cards - These cards are played on the 8x8 grid board as army units and have the ability to move, deal damage to others, and recieve damage.  For example, the Dwarves have axethrowers, warriors, and demolition dwarves, to name a few.  2)  Upgrades - These cards boost a particular stat of a unit.  i.e. The Sword of Justice, which would increase a units attack by four.  3) Action cards - These cards are only used once and are used mostly when attacking.  4) Special cards - These cards affect the entire race for the better throughout the remainder of the game. 5) Curse cards - These cards must be played when drawn and have a negative effect.
     c.  The object is to defeat your opponents.  Though there are many other rules, this is it in a nutshell.  Mages, cannons, and attractive female elves will have to be described in more detail in other posts.

These are only the beginning.  Your suggestions will help improve these games and more will follow.  If anyone wants more information about these games, or a free copy to test for me, let me know.  I need testers who will be able to give me unbiased opinions and ways to improve them.

One Legacy board game that comes to mind is called 'Rail Baron' and is found in my in-law's coat closet.  Its box is tattered and ripped, the board and pieces lost and then replaced with cheaper components, and the paper taped back together with a few layers of clear tape.  Whenever it is taken out, my father-in-law carefully puts the board together and distributes the money.  The amount of care he puts into the preservation of Rail Baron indicates that he is proud of this game and the memories that come with it.  The game was made by Avalon Hill, and has not been printed since 1977.  It is a monopolizing train game taking place in the United States.  Players vie for ownership of different (and actual) railroads ranging from connecting a few cities, to spanning the country.  The goal for a player is to train from city to city to make money.  As one reaches the designated city, they must roll for a new one, then, they must make it to the new city without spending too much money riding the rails of other players.  Essentially, the first to $200,000 and making it back to the home city wins the game.  It was expertly crafted to ensure that no game would ever be the same.

Because of the scarcity of the game (some are sold for $150 on Ebay,) I decided to make a version of my own.  It is set on a map of Russia, and it looks a little sketchy because I am not an artist.  The game is different, but there is enough similar components to really get a feel for the game.  Nicknamed, 'Russian Rail Baron,' my family can play the game without spending the big bucks for an original.