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Game |
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18xx Games
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18xx Games
Publishers: Various
Designers: Various
A number of small publishers are presenting their 18xx games at Essen - they will be at the Winsome Games booth.
Here is a description of the games from John Bohrer of Winsome Games:
Deep Thought Games, Double O Games and other small publishers will offer the following 18xx games at the Winsome Games stand (5-95) starting at 2pm on Thursday through the rest of the Spiel at Essen. Demo games will be run at the stand. For further information or to reserve games, please send an email in either English or German to: 18xx-games@online.de.
All the listed games are RTP (ready to play):
1832
1841
1846
1850
1889
18FL
18GL
18Mex
18Scan
18TN
1824
1854
18AL
18GA
18VA
18EC
18NL
1847
18SX
18Rhl |
|
 2F-Spiele
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 Fiji
Publisher: 2F-Spiele
Designer: Friedemann Friese
Artists and Graphic Designers: Maura Kalusky and Fréderic Bertrand
Players: 2-5
Ages: 10+
Playing Time: 45 Minutes
Other Language Versions:
English - Fiji (Rio Grande Games)
Dutch - Fiji (PS Games)
Price: 15.00 €
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
| Dutch gamers have had had a lot of fun with the prototype. Fiji is a 'super auction game'. The players offer natives fake pearls in exchange for shrunken heads. The offer is compared with four positions (?) which allow new fake pearls to be obtained. After four rounds of bidding, the amounts of fake pearls that the players own are compared and heads are awarded. After four rounds, the player with the most shrunken heads wins. |
Here is a description of the game from 2F-Spiele:
Overview:
The south sea, AD 1777! Three years after James Cook visited the islands, the islands are embroiled in a contest for possession of legendary shrunken heads. The players’ only desire is to acquire these “head attractions� for shipment to museums in Europe. Although the islanders are very interested in trading their treasures with the Europeans for the glass beads they offer, their traditions require that such exchanges be done during a special KAWA ritual. Thus, the players must submit to this ritual by playing against each other using their beads to acquire the prized shrunken heads. The winner will leave the island with the treasure. The losers may remain to provide further treasures.
Idea of the game:
In Fiji the players can make tricky trading businesses in an exotic environment. With a single bid they must fulfill four conditions simultaneously as best as possible. Sometimes the residents want to get the most green glass beads and at the same time have a nice prize for the lowest total bid, too. In several game rounds the players will find a lot of surprising results during the auctions.
Components:
5 player screens, 40 shrunken heads, 84 glass beads, 37 playing cards, 1 rules sheet |
First Impression by Rick Thornquist (after reading the rules):
Fiji is a new game designed by Friedemann Friese and published by 2F-Spiele (it will be published in English by Rio Grande Games). The idea of the game is that the Fijian islands are in a contest for possession of shrunken heads and the player with the most shrunken heads at the end of the game wins. Only Friedemann Friese would come up with a theme like this!
This is a light to middle weight bidding game that is played in four rounds. At the beginning of each round, players start with a set of differently colored glass beads that they hide behind a screen.
Then, four condition cards are dealt face-up on the table. These condition cards show a particular combination of beads that you need the most or the least of. Beside each condition card is dealt a face-up effect card. These effects can give you additional beads, or have some other effects.
There are then three closed-fist bidding phases where you bid with your beads. The idea is that when you bid, you try to match your bid to one or more of the condition cards. Whoever’s bid best matches a condition card gets the card’s effect (and usually more beads).
After the bidding, players reveal all their beads. They compare them to a set of goal cards that were dealt face-up on the table at the beginning of the round. These goal cards show a color of bead plus indicate whether you want the most or the least of that color. Whoever best matches the goal cards (by having the most or the least of a color of bead) gets the most shrunken heads, the second best player gets one less, and so on. Four rounds are played and whoever has the most shrunken heads at the end wins.
The game is a blind-bidding and bluffing game. It looks fairly easy to explain and quick to play. Sorry to say, there are no actual shrunken heads in the game - the heads are tokens, though the illustrations are quite funny. I’ll be sure to get in a game while at Essen.
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front (German Version) |  The Box Back (English Version) |
|
 Funkenschlag Erweiterung: Benelux / Zentraleuropa
Publisher: 2F-Spiele
Designer: Friedemann Friese
Players: 2-6
Ages: 12+
Playing Time: 90-120 Minutes
Other Language Versions:
English - Power Grid Expansion: Benelux / Central Europe (Rio Grande Games)
Here is a description of the game from Rio Grande Games:
| Two new maps for Power Grid. This is an expansion pack, so you will need the Power Grid game to play with it. As with the original, the board has a different map on each side: Benelux on one side and Central Europe on the other. Along with the maps are small rule changes to reflect the power culture in these two countries. As the Benelux countries support ecological power, players may have greater opportunities to acquire such power plants. Also, oil is more available and coal less available in these countries. As Poland has large coal supplies, coal will be much more plentiful then elsewhere in Central Europe. However, due to political stands taken by some countries, players may be limited in their access to nuclear power. The result is not just new maps, but new ways to play this great game! |
Here is a short description from Grzegorz Kobiela via BoardGameGeek:
| The expansion will come out with new supply charts and extra rules for II and III phase (i.e. buying power plant and resources). |
Here is another short description from Mik Svellov via BoardGameGeek:
| Players in Vienna will be able to buy and use Garbage at reduced prices from East-Europe to reflect real-life Vienna. And a couple of the regions cannot use nuclear power. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Front Cover (English Version) |
Links:
O Wysokim Napięciu słów kilka on Lacerta - In Polish but with close-up pictures of the board
Funkenschlag – Expansion Central Europe/Benelux at 2F-Spiele |
 Fürchterliche Feinde
Publisher: 2F-Spiele
Designer: Friedemann Friese
Artists and Graphic Designers: Maura Kalusky and Fréderic Bertrand
Players: 2-6
Ages: 10+
Playing Time: 90 Minutes
Other Language Versions:
English - Formidable Foes (Rio Grande Games)
2F-Spiele is aiming to release this game at Essen, but it may slip to Fall 2006.
Here is a description of the game from 2F-Spiele:
Overview:
Once again, our unfortunate friends find themselves foreigners trapped within the frightful Fortress Furor of the fanged Prince Fieso who would, with felicity, see them flounder and faint. These fine fighters could feasibly face their finish in this forbidding fortification, whose fearsome floors even now flow frighteningly from beneath their feet as the famished Furunkulus forages the fringes, fixing to feast on the foreigners’ flesh. Forthwith, must our fighters fashion their flight from this foulest of fates! But what’s this? By the light of their fallow and flickering flares, our friends find the depths fraught with the most furious of fiends and the fiercest of freaks! With fleet feet, the fearless foreigners follow these ferocious fellows through the fortress, with its multifarious footpaths and their frustrating forks, forging fervently forward toward freedom and fame. Our fighters must not falter from whatever feud or fracas would foil their function: to finally furnish the forlorn Faerie Fabula her freedom from feckless Fieso’s fists.
Idea of the game:
Fürchterliche Feinde finishes the trilogy of games supporting Fairy Fabula. After crossing the fjords in Fische Fluppen Frikadellen and successfully leaving the Fearsome Floors the furious final follows in the frightful Fortress Furor. Never before the players were so close to free Fairy Fabula - and this time it is payback time for the freaks. In this exciting game the goal should be to successfully finish Prince Fieso and Furunkulus, and to let other players be remembered for the title “Dumbest Player�. Only the best player will free Fairy Fabula…
Components:
6 playing figures, 6 wisdom tokens, 75 playing tokens (incl. Fairy Fabula and the “Dumbest Player�), 1 monster die, 1 player die, 42 spell cards, 85 power chips, 5 gold coins, 1 rules sheet |
First Impression by Rick Thornquist (after reading the rules):
Next up is another Friedemann Friese game published by 2F-Spiele - Fürchterliche Feinde (this one will be published in English by Rio Grande Games as Formidable Foes). When I read the rules for this one I was a bit surprised - it does seem more of an American-style game than a German game. This is a classic dungeon crawl game where you are roaming through a dungeon battling monsters and collecting treasure.
I won’t go into too much detail here, as this is a bit more involved a game. Basically, on your turn you can move and battle, move twice, or take power chips (for your battles with the monsters). Each player has a wisdom level which you can increase by battling (there is another way as well). Each monster requires a certain amount of wisdom to attack so you can’t attack the big ones until you get more wisdom.
The battles are dice-rolling affairs. The outcome of the dice rolling indicates the amount of power chips you have to spend to defeat the monster. If you win a battle, you get gold pieces plus a magic spell card, which gives you a special power. You also will gain some wisdom.
When the final monsters are defeated the game ends and whoever has the most gold wins.
It really does sound like a classic dungeon crawl. It’s a more involved than Fiji, I’d call it middle weight, but still seems fairly straightforward. I’ll be sure to get in a game of this one as well.
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |  A Monster Tile (Small Picture) |  A Treasure Chest Tile (Small Picture) |  A Player Figure (Small Picture) |
|
 Monstermaler (Monster Painter)
2F-Spiele is publishing Monstermaler in cooperation with BeWitched Spiele and Casasola. See the game listing under Monstermaler (BeWitched Spiele).
|
 999 Games
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 De Val van Rome
999 Games is publishing a Dutch version of Kampf um Rom (Kosmos) to be titled De Val van Rome.
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 Paniek in de Wei
Publisher: 999 Games
Designers: Fraser Lamont and Gordon Lamont
Players: 2-4
Ages: 8+ (this may be 10+)
Playing Time: 30 Minutes (this may be 45 Minutes)
Rules Languages: Dutch and French
Other Language Versions:
English - Shear Panic (Mayfair Games)
Price: 30.00 US$
This is a new version of Shear Panic, originally published by Fragor Games in 2005. This rules in this version are pretty much identical to the original. The sheep figures in this version are the same as the original. The designers developed a two player variant which is included in this version of the game.
Note that this version of the game is different than the one being published by Zoch.
Here is a description of the game from Mayfair Games:
"The Best Game Ewe Ever Herd!"
Ah, do ewe long for the life of a sheep? Bright summer days filled with games of tag and attempts to flock closer to Roger, the Heartthrob Ram? But, Watch Out! The shearer wants to drag you away from all the fun and games! In Shear Panic, ewe maneuver your ewes to score points, playing tag, standing close to Roger, or trying to avoid the shearing scissors! Will your brave sheep score the most points, or will it be "Off with the wool" for ewe?
Shear Panic includes:
9 sheep figures
1 Roger figure
1 Shearer figure
4 player boards
1 scoring board
1 sheep panic die
1 "return to flock" die
5 track markers
48 "mutton buttons" (12 each in four colors)
Rules sheet |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box (Dutch Version) |  The Box Front (English Version) |  The Roger Ram Figure |
|
 Abacusspiele
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 Anno Domini Osterreich
Publisher: Abacusspiele
Designer: Urs Hostettler
Players: 2-8
Ages: 10+
Playing Time: 30 Minutes
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
| New for all friends of Urs Hostettler's Anno Domini: Austria, the name of the newest edition. As usual, events must be brought into the right timeline. So there are no ansers to give, instead, the goal is to decide whether "the Austrians want to protect their Charm as an intangible conribution to world culture through UNESCO" came before "Kottan Ermittelt" (a popular Austrian TV show). In turn, each player extends the list of often-unusual events and tries to be the first to get rid of all his/her cards. If a player is caught playing incorrectly, though, he/she gets penalty cards from the deck. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |
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Coloretto - Wettbewerb (Coloretto - Competition)
Publisher: Abacusspiele
Designer: Michael Schacht
This is a boardgame version of Coloretto. It will be available at Essen only as a prototype. On Saturday, the designer will be available to play the game.
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 Figaro
Abacusspiele is distributing Figaro (daVinci Games) in Germany.
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 Gloria Mundi
Abacusspiele is publishing a German version of Gloria Mundi (Rio Grande Games).
|
 Koala
Publisher: Serpentarium Games
Players: 3-10
Ages: 10+
Playing Time: 30 Minutes
This game is being distributed by Abacusspiele.
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
Koala is a card game by the Italian publisher Red Glove, and Abacusspiele is distributing it in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. What's it about? The players are hungry Koalas. There is room for up to 6 Koalas at the table. Each space is a supply cave. When there are more than 6 players, some caves are doubly occupied! That means, each 'extra' player must form a koala-ition with another player. He sits on their lap, stands behind him, or whatever... Players at the table are called 'white koalas', while second-tier players are called 'black koalas'. Now, each player gets a secret team card in hand, because 2 to 3 players always play together as a team and score points as a team. Quickly take 3 cards in hand and you're off! The start player reveals the top card from the deck. If he reveals a food card, the players try to play cards that match it, in order to claim all of the cards played out. The black koalas have an advantage, in that they can also use cards in the white koalas hands - but not the other way around.
If a player has enough food cards, he can trade them in for an eating card. Eating cards are safe for players until the end of the game; if the player switches supply caves, he takes his eating cards along. Action cards also ensure that, for example, koalas switch spots or that the black koalas become white ones and vice versa. The game ends when the deck is exhausted. Then the players reveal their team cards and scoring occurs. Now each player would like to be in front of a well-stocked supply cave, since each food card and each eating card is worth one point for the team. Naturally, the team with the most points wins. Thanks to the frequently-changing positions and the koala-itions, Koala is a very unusual card game. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Game |
Links:
Koala - English Rules on Abacusspiele (in PDF format)
Koala - German Rules on Abacusspiele (in PDF format)
Koala - French Rules on Abacusspiele (in PDF format)
Koala - Italian Rules on Abacusspiele (in PDF format)
|
 Maestro Leonardo
Abacusspiele is publishing a German version of Leonardo da Vinci (daVinci Games), to be titled Maestro Leonardo.
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 Medici vs Strozzi
Abacusspiele is publishing a German version of Medici vs Strozzi (Rio Grande Games).
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 Project Kells
Publisher: Tailten Games
Players: 2
Ages: 8+
Playing Time: 30 Minutes
This game is being distributed by Abacusspiele.
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
Murray Heasman was at Essen previously in the late 1990's. Initially his game was called "The Game of Kells", then "The High Kings of Tara". A subsequent development called Project Kells - Tara is now being distributed by Abacusspiele.
Sacred Hill, the 'holy hill', is another name for the 'Hill of Tara', the ancient capital of Ireland. Sacred Hill is also the name of the first game in the Project Kells - Tara series. It represents the first step in a series of increasingly challenging games to come out of the project. Players try to place their pieces, called 'fortifications', so that they form a single region, called a 'royal realm', at the end of the game. At the start of the game, the players take turns placing their fortifications. Once a specified separation can't be maintained any more, the second phase of the game begins: Each player now tries to encircle the opposing players' fortifications and so add to their domain. At the same time, each player tries to get the other player to add new fortifications to the new royal realm!
The second level of the game deals with the number of knots that are formed through placing fortifications. The rules are at www.tailtengames.com. There are also demo movies, strategy tips and rules for two other games that can be played with the materials provided. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |  The Game |
Links:
Tailten Games
|
 Taj Mahal
Abacusspiele is publishing a German version of Taj Mahal (Rio Grande Games).
|
 Tichu - Limited Edition
Publisher: Abacusspiele
Designer: Urs Hostettler
Players: 4
Ages: 10+
Playing Time: 30-90 Minutes
Other Language Versions:
English - Tichu - Limited Edition (Rio Grande Games)
Price: 8.99 €
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
Tichu is now being released in a limited special edition in a metal box. It includes cards with gold backs and a heavily-illustrated, four-colour rules insert.
Not much more needs to be said about Tichu, the card game that has reached cult status in many circles. In case some still don't know the game: Tichu is a four-player game. Players play in teams of two. The deck consists of 52 coloured cards and 4 special cards with different functions. Each player tries to be the first to get rid of all his cards. A player plays out a single card or an allowed combination of cards (for example, runs or pairs). The other plays must beat the cards played with a higher combination of the same type or pass. Unlike typical trick-taking games such as Skat, the trick doesn't end after going around once - it only ends when nobody can or wants to play a higher set of cards. So a player can have a turn multiple times per trick. The round ends when only one player has cards left in hand. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box |
Links:
Tichu - Limited Edition - German Rules on Abacusspiele (in PDF format)
|
 Adlung Spiele
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 Die Kutschfahrt zur Teufelsburg (Stagecoach Ride to Devil Mountain)
Publisher: Adlung Spiele
Designers: Michael Palm and Lukas Zach
Players: 3-8 (10)
Ages: 12+
Playing Time: 30-60 Minutes
Here is a description of the game from Adlung:
Die Kutschfahrt zur Teufelsburg is a communications game for large groups. Players take on different roles and must find out, over the course of the game, who is friend and who is foe.
The coachman drives the horses at breakneck speed while rushing to Devil Mountain, because the guests within his carriage are not kosher. They belong to two powerful secret societies, but nobody in the carriage knows who is part of the same group and who is part of the opposing group.
And exactly that is what is to be found out, because only with members of the same group is it possible to obtain the powerful objects required to ensure victory. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Game |
|
 Im Bann der Pyramide (Under the Spell of the Pyramid)
Publisher: Adlung Spiele
Designer: Wolfgang Kramer
Players: 2-5
Ages: 8+
Playing Time: 20-30 Minutes
Here is a description of the game from Adlung:
Im Bann der Pyramide is a tactical and yet simple card game for the entire family.
In the game, players play as archeologists, exploring in a newly-discovered pyramid and looking for the royal chamber. In the pyramid’s labyrinth, they must overcome many obstacles, but only those with the right equipment in hand will make it to the goal.
While will overcome all the hidden traps and find the royal chamber first? |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Game |
|
 Manimals
Publisher: Adlung Spiele
Designer: Bernhard Naegele
Players: 2-6
Ages: 6 (4)+
Playing Time: 10-20 Minutes
Here is a description of the game from Adlung:
Manimals is a beautiful animal game that is also well-suited for learning in the classroom or for use in kindergarten. Through the game, the children learn the attributes of animals.
In the zoo, Sarah and Dinah are standing in awe in front of the sea lions: There’s one with feathers on his back!? „Does a sea lion have feathers like a bird or fur like a dog?“ Suddenly someone claps their hands and the ducks which were hidden behind the sea lion fly off in a flutter.
Who knows their animals the best? |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Game |
|
 Speed Fußball (Speed Soccer)
Publisher: Adlung Spiele
Designer: Reinhard Staupe
Artist: Jürgen Martens
Players: 2
Ages: 6+
Playing Time: 3-5 Minutes
Here is a description of the game from Adlung:
| The fastest game in the world now has a soccer edition. With Speed Soccer, our successful game gets a little brother made specially for the World Cup. This edition is meant for soccer fans, because the 6 patterns fit that theme. Two players once again try to get rid of their cards as quickly as possible. Again, the only rule: When playing a card, it has to be higher than the one on the table in at least one category. |
Here is another description of the game from Adlung:
Speed is a game in which reactions, observation and concentration are demanded and tested. It is being used more and more in therapeutic and learning situations.
Two players try, as quickly as possible, to get rid of their cards. In the process, three things must be noted: Pattern (6 different soccer-related patterns), Colour and Quantity.
Who can overview the cards the best and will be first to get rid of them all? |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box |
|
 Teamwork Fußball 1 (Teamwork Soccer 1)
Publisher: Adlung Spiele
Designer: Michael Andersch
Artist: Jürgen Martens
Players: 4+
Ages: 10+
Playing Time: 10-30 Minutes
Here is a description of the new Teamwork games from Adlung:
Teamwork is is a game for large groups in which communication and turn-taking teamwork are important. A game with real attraction, since the game was played again and again during playtest rounds. In addition: Where else can games for so many be found that fit in someone’s pants pocket?
What happens when a team of two explainers have to describe a term, but can only say a single sentence between them? But it gets better: the two can’t discuss beforehand and must form the sentence while taking turns saying the words! A good time is guaranteed and all others try at the same time to guess the term.
Who will get the most points?
- Fußball 1 (360 terms about soccer)
- Fußball 2 (360 more terms about soccer)
- Mozart (360 terms about Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
- Urlaub (360 terms about vacations) |
Here is a description of the game from Adlung:
| After the success of Teamwork, there are now, especially for the World Cup, now there are additional groups of soccer-related phrases: Team Work Soccer 1 and 2. Both games include about 360 phrases, to make sure that soccer fans get their money's worth. The games can be played either on their own or mixed in with other Teamwork sets. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box |
|
 Teamwork Fußball 2 (Teamwork Soccer 2)
Publisher: Adlung Spiele
Designer: Michael Andersch
Artist: Jürgen Martens
Players: 4+
Ages: 10+
Playing Time: 10-30 Minutes
Here is a description of the game from Adlung:
| After the success of Teamwork, there are now, especially for the World Cup, now there are additional groups of soccer-related phrases: Team Work Soccer 1 and 2. Both games include about 360 phrases, to make sure that soccer fans get their money's worth. The games can be played either on their own or mixed in with other Teamwork sets. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box |
|
Teamwork Mozart
Publisher: Adlung Spiele
Designer: Michael Andersch
Artist: Jürgen Martens
Players: 4+
Ages: 10+ (this may be 12+)
Playing Time: 10-30 Minutes (This may be 20 Minutes)
|
 Teamwork Urlaub (Teamwork Vacation)
Publisher: Adlung Spiele
Designer: Michael Andersch
Artist: Jürgen Martens
Players: 4+
Ages: 10+
Playing Time: 10-30 Minutes
Here is a description of the game from Adlung:
| For those who aren't interested in soccer or the World Cup, there's now Teamwork Vacastion. The game includes about 360 phrases and can be played on its own or together with other Teamwork sets. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box |
|
 Wer hat's? (Who has it?)
Publisher: Adlung Spiele
Designer: Hartmut Kommerell
Players: 3-5
Ages: 6 (4)+
Playing Time: 10-20 Minutes
Here is a description of the game from Adlung:
Wer hat's? Is a game in which speech and memory are trained. Two objects always for a rhyming pair, so that the player has to listen carefully if, for example, "Track" or "Rack" was said. But the rhyming pairs aren’t what are sought, the two matching items are instead.
Chaos in the children’s room! Louisa and her friends had just finished sorting her posessions, but suddenly her little brother showed up and threw everything into disorder again. So they have to start over again with the collecting and sorting.
Who has the matching item? |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Game |
|
 Aktuell-Spiele-Verlag
|
 3 Tage im Mai (3 days in May)
Publisher: Aktuell-Spiele-Verlag
Designer: Hanno Babelotzky
Players: 3-5
Ages: 13 (6) +
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
3 Tage im Mai (3 days in May) is the name of the new historical game by Hanno Babelotzky. It will be presented for the first time at Essen. The game is set in Germany in the 19th century and uses historical materials for its appearance.
Germany, 1832. The land is in ruins. Princes and Kings are ruling with iron fists, suspicious burghers are being followed and arrested. In this situation, a handful of unafraid patriots organize a protest march in May 1832. Tens of thousands of men, women and children march to Hambacher Castle and demonstrate there for freedom, democracy and a unified Germany.
Delve into the 19th century. Slip into the role of a courageous democrat and lead the citizens to the castle during these three historical days. Move a character with special skill and bring your playing figures (citizens) towards you. You now have 3 days (nine rounds) time to lead the figures from the market to the castle. You move your figures with coloured march cards. Occupied spaces are jumped. At meeting places, epoch cards provide special assignments (questioning, actions, etc.). Via balance cards, at the end of each round new march cards are given out according to varying principles. Additional flavour is given to the game through three stern policemen and a flag...
A junior variant makes the game playable from age 6 and up. Additional information is at www.aktuell-spiele-verlag.de |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |  The Box Back |
|
 Alea
|
Notre Dame
Publisher: Alea
Designer: Stefan Feld
Artist: Harald Lieschke
Players: 2-5
Ages: 10+
Playing Time: 75 Minutes (action-filled)
This game will be available at Essen only as a prototype.
Here is a description of the game from Alea:
Essen is rapidly approaching! Essen, from 19 to 22 October, will be like previous years - a late prototype of the new Alea game will be available to see: Notre Dame.
The game is for 2 to 5 players 10 and up, and was created by Stefan Feld - who also designed Rum & Pirates. The illustrations are by Harald Lieschke. On the Alea complexity scale between 1 and 10, the game is a 3 (trending to 4).
Players play as well-off Parisians in the 15th century who wish to improve the importance and appearance of the city quarter around the famous Notre Dame cathedral. The primary game concept is original but simple card play which players use to permanently improve their influence in the quarter. However, turn after turn, round after round, players must make choices that can have major implications. Because if one does one thing, then the other can't be done any more. Concentrating on one aspect means automatically ignoring another. Which, above all others, is particularly dangerous in the case of the gradually approaching plague...
After 9 exciting rounds and about 75 action-filled minutes, Notre Dame is over. The 'maitre' who has made the most of his cards and has garnered the most prestige points is the winner.
The game includes 5 game boards, 75 wooden bits, 66 cards and a large quantity of prestige counters and money.
As always, all are heartily invited to play Notre Dame at Alea's booth (11-55) at the fair. |
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|
alphaBIT GmbH
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History of War: Finnland-Polen
Publisher: alphaBIT GmbH
|
 Allumbra
|
 Wayfinder
Publisher: Allumbra and Funagain Games / www.funagain.com
Designer: Benjamin Corliss
Artist: Benjamin Corliss
Players: 1-4
Playing Time: 45 Minutes
Price: 25.00 €
The designer will be bringing 25-30 copies to Essen. The game will be shown at the Sunriver Games booth.
Here is a description of the game from BoardGameGeek:
Wayfinder is about four Polynesian tribes who, while voyaging, got mixed up among a group of islands. Each player plays a Wayfinder (navigator-priest). The goal for the Wayfinder is to go on a series of voyages to unite the people of the tribes and form villages.
On the player's turn, the player must execute a voyage where the wayfinder is located - picking up all the residents of that space and voyaging (mancala like) placing one tribesman on each spot along the way.
You get points for creating villages (exactly 5 men of one color in a space) - but more points for villages of your own color. Huts mark created villages - which is used in end game scoring.
There is a real time part of the game play. That is, when it's not your turn, you must race to place your Wayfinder to mark the beginning of your next voyage before the beginning of your next turn.
The game ends when there are no more moves possible. The player with the highest score wins. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Cover |  The Game |
|
 Amigo
|
 Der Elefant im Porzellanladen (The Elephant in the China Shop)
Publisher: Amigo
Designer: Michael Schacht
Players: 3-5
Ages: 8+
Playing Time: 30 Minutes
Price: 6,29 €
Note that there an error in the rules for this game. Here's a note on the error from Amigo (Translated by W. Eric Martin):
As with much of life, instructions are not always perfect -- as is unfortunately the case with the instructions for Der Elefant im Porzellanladen.
As some players have already noticed: Used elephant cards should not be removed from the game as the instructions indicate. Instead they should be shuffled together when needed to form a new draw pile. Now there will be enough elephants for the fourth scoring round.
In the next printing, this mistake will be corrected, and we will soon place a corrected PDF in the game instruction area of our website. |
Here is a description of the game from the rules (Translated by W. Eric Martin):
| Elephants and china don't go together especially well, and playing this card game will only strengthen that prejudice. The players collect china cards, and the collection grows through additional purchases. But players must take elephant cards in order to make more purchases, and elephants can lead to embarrassing consequences for their china collection, and therefore their score. The goal of the game is to score as many points as possible by collecting china cards. |
Here is a description of the game from Amigo:
Elephants (or bulls, in English) and china shops don't go well together. That's the case here: Players buy porcelain cards which bring points. If the money gets tight, then they have to buy elephant cards. Sadly, the damage they cause isn't covered by any sort of insurance. Clever tactics are required to decide when the elephant should run through the shop and when not. The player with the most points at the end of the game wins.
Contents: 99 cards, 1 score pad, 1 rules insert
How to play Der Elefant im Porzellanladen:
- A particular method is used to build a draw pile of china and scoring cards. A second pile of elephant cards is also created.
- Each pile is placed into the middle of the table. The top five cards of each draw pile are revealed and placed in front of their respective pile.
- Each player gets a money card to start as well as two start cards.
- Players must either buy china or take an elephant - a decision that should be carefully considered.
- Elephant cards might bring danger to china cards that a player has, but china cards are expensive - while the money cards are tight. However: china cards bring points to a player.
- Scoring cards trigger a total of four scoring rounds in the game. Each scoring round, a player selects one of the possible scoring methods.
- After the fourth and last round, the game ends. Players total up their points and the player with the most points wins. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |
Links:
Der Elefant im Porzellanladen - English Rules (in Word format) at BoardGameGeek
Der Elefant im Porzellanladen - German Rules (in PDF format, including illustrations) at Amigo
|
Il Principe
Publisher: Amigo
Designer: Emanuele Ornella
Players: 2-5
Ages: 12+
Playing Time: 90 Minutes
Price: 17,99 €
This is a new version of Il Principe, originally published by Mind the Move in 2005.
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
| Last year's Il Principe, by Emanuele Ornella, was the first 'big box' game that Italian publisher Mind the Move presented at Essen. As with its highly successful predecessor, Oltre Mare, Il Principe is now being published by Amigo as well. The game takes place during the Renaissance era. As heads of the most influential families of Italy, players strive for riches, power and prestige. Cities must be built, regions settled and important posts competed for, in order to strengthen one's own position - because those are the only ways to get victory points. The player with the most victory points at the end of the game is the winner and a true "Principe". |
Here is a description of the game from Adam Spielt:
The game is set in Italy during the Renaissance. Several important families (the players) are trying to gain the greatest influence over the city states so as to become the most influential Principe (prince). To reach this goal, buildings are to be built, cathedrals, markets, city halls, for example, multiple roles are to be filled, such as bishop, banker, magistrate, and the areas around the cities are to be controlled.
The game moves forward via quick auctions for contracts and building phases. The player who played the most cards gets a larger or smaller role assigned to him. Whenever something is built in a city, protective tiles are placed in the surrounding countryside – these tile are worth victory points at the end of the game.
The primary game mechanic is auctioning off building cards. Money is required to be able to bid on certain types of buildings. If a player wins the auction, then the player may immediately build something. Once built, the cards allow players to obtain roles – a majority rule determines who gets the right to play a role. There are 10 roles: five small and five large. So just about all players will have multiple roles over the course of a round. A master, the main role of the cultural realm, even obtains victory points when another player builds a cathedral, the main building of the cultural realm.
Ties in assigning roles are resolved via auctions. When a player gets a role, they also get the privilege of that role: a banker or merchant gets 2 extra money, a notary gets to draw an additional building card.
Special Notes:
One particular aspect of the game is that when a player builds a city, plays matching building cards and obtains victory cards, he is also giving other players an advantage. It all depends on the roles that players have at a given moment. Trying for only a few roles is an important part of the game, since if one player has too many roles, then the other players may choose not to bother building! Additionally, the role privileges and choice of placement of protective tiles should not be overlooked. |
Here is a description of the game from Amigo:
As a Principe (Baron) of the Italian Renaisassance, you are striving for riches and power. You will fight for influential positions in politics, trade and culture and assist in the building of cities. For that, victory points are awarded. The player with the most victory points at the end of the game wins.
Contents:
120 building cards
60 shields
40 money pieces
10 role cards
1 "Il Principe" - Figure
1 game board
1 rules insert
How to play Il Principe:
- The game board is placed into the middle of the table. Each player chooses a family and receives the matching family card, shields, starting capital and counter for the victory point track
- The building cards and city cards are split into separate piles and well shuffled. They are then placed as separate face-down piles next to the game board. Four city cards are revealed.
- The role cards are placed in two rows next to the game board. The start player receives the „Il Principe“ marker.
- The game lasts for multiple rounds; each round is split into four phases.
- In the first phase, each player gets four new building cards in hand. Subsequently, each player chooses two buildings cards which he places face down onto the table, adding them to the so-called pot.
- In the second phase, the buildings in the pot are auctioned off among the players. Each auction is for all buildings of a single colour.
- The highest bidder wins the auction, pays his bid and may build a city.
- In the third phase, all players may build a city or place building cards in front of themselves.
- A player who builds a city pays the „costs“, and receives as reward the number of victory points indicated as well as the right to place as many of his shields onto the game board as the number indicated on the city card.
- As an alternative, a player may place building cards of a single colour in front of himself.
- In the fourth round, the role cards are distributed among the players. The player with the most building cards in a given colour in front of himself gets the main role in that colour and puts it in front of himself.
- As soon as a player gets a role card, he must carry out the special power of the role.
- The game ends when, in the first phase, fewer than 4 city cards are face-up next to the board or when the number of building cards in the building card pile has decreased below a certain number.
- Now, each region on the board is scored and the players receive victory points for having certain arrangements of shields on the board. Additional victory points are awarded for role cards, building cards and money.
- The winner is the player with the most victory points. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |  The Game |
Links:
Il Principe - German Rules (in PDF format, including illustrations) at Amigo
|
 Lukas - oder wie man eine Schleife bindet (Lukas – or how to tie a shoelace)
Publisher: Amigo
Designer: Dirk Hanneforth
Artist: Kerstin Völker
Players: 2-6
Ages: 4+
Playing Time: 15 Minutes
Price: 15.59 €
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
| Not an Essen 2006 release but a summer one that’s already available is Lukas – oder wie man eine Schleife bindet (Lukas – or how to tie a shoelace). Dirk Hanneforth invented this teaching game for the very young. Each child gets a coloured shoe as well as a matching shoelace. The shoe has holes which have coloured edges. Now, the colour die comes into play. The first player tries his luck: If the die shows his own colour, then he gets to thread his shoelace into one of the next two free holes in his shoe. If it’s a different colour, then he has to look carefully: If red was rolled and a free hole is also red, then he gets to thread the lace. If, however, none of the next holes are red, then he gets to give away the colour by choosing an opponent who needs the colour and can use it to continue threading his lace. As soon as a child has succeeded in completely threading his shoelace, he wins the game. If he can then also tie a knot, he’s laughing. The others can practice via the illustrated instructions. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |  The Game |
|
 Megastar
Publisher: Amigo
Designer: Friedemann Friese
Artist: Maura
Players: 2-5
Ages: 10+
Playing Time: 45 Minutes
Price: 6,29 €
Other Language Versions:
English - Megastar (Mayfair Games)
This is a card game where players are promoting musical acts.
Here is a description of the game from the rules (Translated by W. Eric Martin):
| Whether boy band, hip-hop duo or rock group, you want to bring your favorite stars to the top of the hit parade. Each player starts with five cards in hand and collects one more card each round. With each evaluation of the hit parade, musicians rise or fall from their previous positions. Try to collect the musicians who soar on the hit parade -- the higher the ranking, the more points you'll score for your musician cards. The player with the most points wins. |
Here is a description of the game from Amigo:
Be they a mellow boy band, a cool hip-hop duo or a hard rock band - ensure that your favourite stars make it to the top of the charts. The better a placement for the musicians, the more points you'll get for collecting their cards. The winner is the player with the most points.
Contents: 91 cards, 1 rules insert
How to play Megastar:
- In this competition, seven different bands are vying for the top positions. Each band has twelve cards in the game; additionally there are seven chart position cards - one for each band.
- During play, the players collect cards from the bands in their hands. They will use these cards to try and top the charts at the end of the game.
- The chart position cards are shuffled and placed in a row in the middle of the table. This determines 1 to 7 place at the start of the game.
- Each player is dealt five band cards; each player chooses one to place face-down in front of them.
- On a player's turn, he must perform the following actions in the following order: Take the face-down card and place it face-up into the matching card pool, draw a new card from the deck, and choose one of the face-up cards from the so-called market.
- Over the course of the game, band cards are added to pools next to the chart. As soon as one band has three cards in their pool, a scoring round occurs which changes the positions in the chart.
- After scoring, the cards in the pool are moved to the market to the right of the chart.
- The game ends when the last card is drawn from the pile. Each player will now have 16 band cards in hand.
- The cards that players have for bands at the top positions are worth points. The player with the most points wins the game. |
First Impression by Rick Thornquist (after one playing of a prototype):
Megastar is a simple card game. There are seven cards representing seven musical acts which are arranged in a column on the table. You get a hand of cards and each card corresponds to one of the acts. You start with one card face down in front of you. There is also a face-up pool of cards plus a draw pile.
On your turn, you turn up your face down card and play it beside the corresponding act. You then take on card from the pool and one from the deck. Finally, you place a card face down (which will be played on your next turn).
When one act gets three cards beside it, play stops for the 'Hit Parade'. Starting from top to bottom, each act moves up a number of spaces equal to the cards played beside it (this can push acts it passes down the column). The cards played are put into the pool and play continues.
The game ends when the deck runs out. You get points for the cards left in your hand - if you have cards for the act at the top of the column you get five points each, for each card for the second act you get four points, etc. Whoever has the most points at the end wins.
The game is light and quite easy. It didn't appear that there was much strategy to me, but Mayfair's Alex Yeager, who taught me the game, assured me that after a play or two some strategies begin to reveal themselves. I think I'll reserve my judgment on this one until I've had another play or two.
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |
Links:
Megastar - English Rules (in Word format) at BoardGameGeek
Megastar - German Rules (in PDF format, including illustrations) at Amigo
|
 Null & nichtig (Null & Void)
Publisher: Amigo
Designer: Reiner Stockhausen
Players: 3-5
Ages: 8+
Playing Time: 30 Minutes
Price: 6,29 €
Note that there an error in the rules for this game. Here's a note on the error from Amigo (Translated by W. Eric Martin):
Part of the game rules for Null & nichtig has recently led to misunderstandings among some players. For this reason, we've lightly
revised this game rule.
From the original version of the instructions:
"The player who wins the trick gathers the played cards. He separates these cards by color and stacks cards of the same color in the sequence that they were played -- starting with his own played card -- face-up on the table before him."
We've now corrected this vagueness in the game rules as follows:
"The player who wins the trick gathers the played cards and places them face-up before himself. While collecting the cards, the player starts with his own card and goes in a clockwise order from there."
The revised version of the game rules for Null & Void can be downloaded immediately as a PDF file from the game instruction area on our website. |
Here is a description of the game from the rules (Translated by W. Eric Martin):
| The players collect cards by winning tricks, and these cards are sorted in a special way. The players divide cards into piles by color during the course of the game, and only the point value of the topmost card in each pile counts at the end of the round. The goal of the game is to score as many points as possible. |
Here is a description of the game from Amigo:
In this card game, you shouldn't be too concerned with your opponents' welfare: When the player opposite you has collected lots of high number cards in a particular colour, you can declare them to be worth 'zilch' by covering them with zeroes. The goal, of course, is to have as many points as possible.
Contents: 65 cards, 1 score pad, 1 rules insert.
How to play Null und Nichtig:
- There are a total of 65 cards in five colours: blue, purple, red, green and yellow. Each has cards valued from 0 to 11, with 0 occurring twice.
- Players collect number cards by winning tricks. The tricks that are won are collected in a special way that needs to be followed carefully. Over the course of the game, the players sort their cards into piles of different colours.
- Each player receives 13 number cards. Three of these cards are face-up in front of them, separated by colour.
- In turn order, players play out number cards in front of themselves. The player with the highest number wins the trick and gets to lay them face-up in front of himself.
- The player who won the trick lays the cards he won out, separated by colour and in the order that they were played, starting with the card he played himself, onto his colour piles (or starts new piles for colours he doesn't have yet).
- At the end of the game, only the topmost number cards on the piles are counted. Whoever has the most points wins. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |
Links:
Null & nichtig - English Rules (in Word format) at BoardGameGeek
Null & nichtig - German Rules (in PDF format, including illustrations) at Amigo
|
 Personology
Publisher: Amigo
Players: 2-4
Ages: 8+
Playing Time: 55 Minutes
Price: 39.95 €
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
| Personology is a DVD-based game. The multimedia quiz game invites you to a fast-paced quessing session! The TV screen shows a blurry image or a tricky question - those whose turn it isn't currently can guess along and wait for their chance to chime in. The DVD offers more than just a thousand-plus questions, it also provides sound and picture effects to ensure the proper quiz atmosphere. The mix of classic board game and multimedia experience is what makes the game fun! |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box |
|
 Project Skyline
Publisher: Amigo
Designer: Jung Je Ho
Players: 2-4
Ages: 10+
Playing Time: 45 Minutes
Price: 26.99 €
This game appears to be a new version of Jung Je Ho's Tripla, which originally published by Asian publisher Whowins Games in 2004.
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
| Project Skyline by Jung Je Ho allows players to play as big-time investors. A new city is being built. First, the Architect draws up his vision, then buildings are built using playing pieces. It's good to try and secure lots of adjacent property as quickly as possible, better still when it's near the street. Because the larger and more valuable a property is, the more rent can be demanded from the other players. Be careful about your opponents' plotting, however; no building is safe from takeover. Who will be the richest property owner of the new city? |
Here is a description of the game from Adam Spielt:
In PROJECT SKYLINE, players act as wealthy investors overseeing the development of a city. The game board consists of a square building area surrounded by streets split into multiple spaces. To start, all players place a high-rise in the middle of the board as well as a total of 3 story markers onto any free building spaces. Players each receive 700,000 in starting capital, then the game begins.
On a player’s turn, he rolls two dice. The white die is used to move his playing figure along the street spaces. Anyone who lands next to an opponent’s building site must pay rent. This depends on the number and heights of the neighbouring buildings. So players should try and get as many buildings next to each other on the street as possible. Those who think at this point that this is a simple Monopoly clone will now have their error corrected. With the black die, the architect is moved, a figure which always stands on a building space. If the architect lands on a free building space or on a space on which at least one story marker of the current player is located, then either a new building can be built or an existing building can be expanded upwards. If this results in a 2 or 3 story building, then the player must now move 2 or 3 spaces further along to tear down a smaller opponent’s building! Finally, he trades a 3-story building in for a high-rise; these are immune from being torn down. Naturally, high-rises also bring in the most rent. The game ends when one player has either used up all of his markers or one player has to pay more rent than he has in cash. The player with the most cash wins.
PROJECT SKYLINE is an engaging building battle about large rents and the highest buildings. In spite of the dice mechanic, there are enough strategic options for the players through the correct placement of their own story markers and targeted takeovers of opposing buildings. 4 special spaces with action cards add some more uncertainty. All in all, Project Skyline is the right mixture of luck and tactics. |
Here is a description of the game from Amigo:
A new city is being built. First, the architect steps onto the board, afterwards the buildings are built as the game progresses. As wealthy investors, you are part of the project. Get as many neighbouring parcels of land as possible, preferably next to the street. Because the larger and more valuable a property is, the more rent it will bring. But be mindful of conspiracies, no building is safe from takeover. Who will become the richest landowner in the new city?
Contents:
100 money bills
80 wooden playing pieces
20 action cards
5 playing figures
2 dice
1 game board
1 rules insert
How to play Projekt Skyline:
- The game board is placed in the middle of the table. The action cards are shuffled and placed next to the board in a face-down pile.
- Each player receives a playing figure, all story markers in his colour, between 5 and 7 high-rises (depending on the number of players) and 700,000 Euros from the bank.
- The playing figures are placed together on one of the round action spaces on the street.
- Before the game begins, each player must, in turn, place one high-rise and 3 story markers on the game board. The black architect figure is placed on the same space as the last story marker placed.
- On a player’s turn, he carries out the following actions. Roll the dice, more the playing figure, move the architect, build a story marker and finally move a building and tear an opponent’s building down.
- Both dice are rolled at once. The white die moves one’s own playing figure, the black die moves the architect.
- The playing figure is moved over the street spaces. If the playing figure ends up next to an empty building space or own occupied by that player, then no rent is owed. If the figure ends up on a round action space then an action card must be drawn. If the figure ends up next to an opponent’s building space then rent must be paid.
- The rent amount is determined by the number and height of adjoining buildings on the building spaces.
- Buildings are adjoined when they stand, side by side, on neighbouring building spaces. For 1-story buildings 10 thousand Euros must be paid, 2-story buildings will cost 20 thousand and high-rises will cost 100 thousand.
- After one’s own figure has been moved, then the architect must be moved. The player moves the architect horizontally or vertically (not diagonally) over the building spaces according to the number shown by the black die. Wherever the architect ends up the player places a new story marker.
- If, in the process, the player has increased the height of one of his buildings, then he must move the building and tear down an opponent’s building.
- Whenever a player has made a 3-story building out of a 2-story building, he moves three spaces and then tears a smaller opposing building down.
- Afterwards, on the building space where the opposing building was located, he trades his three story markers in for a high-rise from his own supply.
- The game ends as soon as a player has either used up all of his high-rises or a player must may more rent than he can afford. When the game ends, each player receives a 100 thousand Euro bonus for each high-rise they have on the board.
- The player with the most money wins the game. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |
Links:
Project Skyline - English Rules (in Word format) at BoardGameGeek
Project Skyline - German Rules (in PDF format, including illustrations) at Amigo
|
 Relikt (Relic)
Publisher: Amigo
Designer: Rudiger Dorn
Players: 3-5
Ages: 10+
Playing Time: 40 Minutes
Price: 6.29 €
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
| Relikt (Relic) by Rudiger Dorn invites you to an adventurous treasure hunt! Who hasn't dreamed of riding through the middle of the jungle on the back of an elephant? Plagued by mosquitoes, sweat beading your brow, experiencing the most dangerous adventures and, at the end, to be rewarded by gemstones of incredible value? In this card game - admittedly, with a little imagination - all this is possible. Players play as treasure hunters and, over the course of the game, try to find the most valuable treasures while giving the cursed treasures to their opponents. The player who can call the most valuable treasures his at the end of the game wins. |
Here is a description of the game from Adam Spielt:
With Relikt, Rudiger Dorn is not just re-releasing the card game previously published by Ravensburger under the name Ex & Hopp, he is releasing a game with new and improved rules to go along with the new graphics. Players play as treasure hunters seeking, over the course of the game, the most valuable treasures while passing the cursed ones onto their opponents. But watch: two cursed treasures of the same type turn into positives! Relickt is a card game in which players try to cleverly play number cards (adventure cards) so that they obtain the majority in one of the rows of cards on the table. A number card is always counted for the player whose colour it it. The number of gems on the treasure card shows how many victory points it is worth as well as how many adventure cards must be added to claim it. Depending on whether a row has a positive or negative treasure assigned to it, the victory points are also positive or negative. Gameplay is simple: draw a card, add it to a row and draw another card. There are a total of 60 cards with values 1 through 12 in five colours. Since the cards are all shuffled and dealt evenly to the players to start, each player will only have a limited number of his own adventure cards in hand. These must be assigned as best as possible to positive treasures. The cards of opponents’ colours should be assigned to negative treasures to cause as much damage as possible. Additionally, each player owns an identical set of 7 action cards which may be played one per turn. The game ends when all but one treasure have been claimed. The player with the most victory points wins.
Relikt is a tactical card game, but naturally there is also a certain amount of luck which doesn’t overwhelm since even low cards can be cleverly used. More pep is added to the game via the action cards, and players have significantly more influence on the card rows. An additional exciting mechanic is the fact that two negative treasures act as positives. This opens up additional tactical possibilities. |
Here is a description of the game from Amigo:
What would it be like to ride on the back of an elephant through the jungle, searching for treasure? As intrepid treasure hunter, you try to claim valuable treasures while foisting the cursed ones onto your opponents. But careful: your opponents also have a few tricks up their sleeves to get the treaures.
Contents:
120 cards
1 rules insert
How to play Relikt:
- Players play as treasure hunters and try, over the course of the game, to claim the most valuable treasures while passing the cursed ones off on their opponents.
- Each player chooses a colour and receives 4 number cards in colours matching those of the players along with 3 action cards. The players take these cards into their hands.
- 4 treasure cards are laid out in preparation for claiming. The blue treasures are positive points while the red ones count as minus points most of the time.
- On his turn, a player takes a number card from his hand and adds it to any row of his choice. He then draws a new number card.
- A treasure is claimed when as many cards are played into its row as the value of the treasure. The player who has the highest sum of points in that row gets the treasure.
- Before playing a number card a player can also play an action card that lets him get closer to the desired treasures.
- The game ends when all but one treasure has been claimed. The player with the highest total value in treasures wins the game. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |  The Game |
Links:
Relikt - English Rules (in Word format) at BoardGameGeek
Relikt - German Rules (in PDF format, including illustrations) at Amigo
|
 Sitting Ducks
Publisher: Amigo
Designer: Keith Meyers
Players: 3-6
Ages: 10+
Playing Time: 20 Minutes
Price: 6,29 €
This is a German version of Sitting Ducks Gallery, originally published in English by Playroom Entertainment in 2005. The game be published with four different box covers. A promo card will be available for the game (see the description below).
Here is a description of the game from the rules (Translated by W. Eric Martin):
| Do you know the game at the state fair where you try to catch rubber ducks that swim around in a circle? This game works the same way, except with cards on the table. Each player tries to protect his or her own ducks from being shot, while simultaneously sinking the ducks of other players. The feathers are going to fly! |
Here is a description of the game from Amigo:
In these waters, no duck is safe. The goal of the game is to maneuver your ducks such they don't come into the line of fire. Players try to make life particularly difficult for their opponents' ducks. The player whose ducks are still swimming at the end of the game wins.
Note: This game comes with four different box covers.
Contents: 105 cards, 1 rules insert
How to play Sitting Ducks:
- The goal of the game is to have at least one duck left at the end of the game, once all opponents' ducks are gone.
- Each player chooses a duck colour. The duck cards are shuffled and six of them laid into a row - the so-called firing line.
- Each player gets 3 action cards from the pile in hand - the hunt can begin.
- On a player's turn, he plays an action card, carries out the action and then draws a new action card.
- Players try to use their action cards such as "Aim!" and "Fire!" to remove opponents' ducks from the firing line, while trying at the same time to protect their own ducks by altering the order of the line, hiding a duck, shifting the crosshairs, etc. |
Here is a description of the promo card from Spielbox:
| For the proud owner of a Sitting Duck, the motto for this fair is: you have the package, we have the ducks! What that means is: Each person who owns a copy of "Sitting Ducks" can come to the AMIGO booth to get a promotional card. Just show the cover of the game box at the booth, get the interior stamped, and the promo card is yours! |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Fronts and Game |  The Game |
Links:
Sitting Ducks - German Rules (in PDF format, including illustrations) at Amigo
|
 Walhalla (Valhalla)
Publisher: Amigo
Designer: Alessandro Zucchini
Players: 3-4
Ages: 12+
Playing Time: 60 Minutes
Price: 19,99 €
Here is a description of the game from Amigo:
In this board game, you play as a tribal chief, leading your Viking fleet while engaging in well-planned attacks.
But your opponents are also trying to conquer as much land as possible. Naturally, wild battles can’t be avoided. Only the bravest warriors may move in to Valhalla. Therefore, you’ll need to use tactical savvy when using your men to plunder and steal. Only through successful besieging of villages and reaching other countries will you gain the most victory points and win the game.
Contents:
56 playing pieces
32 action cards
24 landscape tiles
12 dragons (ship tiles)
4 score markers
1 game board
1 rules insert
How to play Valhalla:
- The game board is placed in the middle of the table. Thereafter, the landscape tiles (villages, wheat fields, cult spots and forests) are mixed up and added to the coastal side of the board such that three tongues of land and fjords are created.
- The ship tiles, called dragons, and the action cards are separated and well shuffled and placed next to the board in face-down piles.
- Each player chooses a player colour and receives the corresponding Vikings and score marker. Additionally, each player also receives one action card in hand.
- The game is played over three game rounds (pillagings) with scoring thereafter.
- A player’s turn is split into three phases.
- In the first phase, a dragon is drawn from the pile and manned with between 0 and 3 Vikings.
- In the second phase, the dragon is sent to besiege an area. The active player moves the dragon between the tongues of land until the dragon reaches the coastal side of the board or encounters another dragon.
- In the third phase, the landscape tiles that lie adjacent to the dragons are besieged. If the landscape is free, the player places his Vikings on it. If the landscape is already occupied, then a battle ensues.
- The player who currently occupies the landscape decides if he wins or loses the battle.
- If he wants to lose the battle, then his Viking moves to Valhalla. If he wins the battle, then he must take one Viking out of Valhalla.
- After each attack, victory points are warded for occupied landscapes. The game ends after the third attack. The player with the most victory points wins. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |  The Game Setup (From the German Rules) |
Links:
Walhalla - German Rules (in PDF format, including illustrations) at Amigo
|
 Angelo Porazzi Games
|
 HappyAnimals
Publisher: SilToys and Angelo Porazzi Games
Designer: Angelo Porazzi
Artist: Angelo Porazzi
Players: 2-18
Ages: 5+
This game will be available at Essen only as a prototype.
Here is a description of the game from Angelo Porazzi Games:
HI! I am the Pig and I am HAPPY near the Farm and near the Water. If I stop on other places... I become SAD! When Happy i can pick up the YELLOW HAPPY NUMBERS, when Sad I take the PURPLE SAD NUMBERS!
Mooo! I am the Cow and I am HAPPY near the Farm and near the Grass: In these places I can pick up THREE HAPPY NUMBERS and if I get + then I can add them up! 5 + 4 = 9 so I can move up to 9 squares!
Hello! I am the Lion and when I am behind an animal I can bite it! This makes me happy and the animal... SAD!:)
Who will be an HAPPY ANIMAL?
Who will arrive first? Maybe you will stop some square before, to stay on places that make you happy and allow you to pick up the HAPPY NUMBERS, higher than the SAD NUMBERS!
The choose is yours: always run till the last step or stay happy and win! |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |  The Box Back |
Links:
HappyAnimals at Angelo Porazzi Games
|
 Warangel - 10 Years Edition
Publisher: Angelo Porazzi Games
Designer: Angelo Porazzi
Artist: Angelo Porazzi
Players: 2-6
Ages: 10+
Playing Time: 60-90 Minutes
Price: 35.00 €
Here is a description of a contest that will be run out of the the Angelo Porazzi Games booth:
Spielepizza isn't a publisher, it's the website from Jost Schwider, who has made it his goal to make Italian games, authors and publishers more known in Germany. To this end, he will also be at Essen (booth 9-28, the Angelo Porazzi booth). And he's also running an unusual promotion: the Giro d'Italia Ludico.
How does the 'Giro' work?
Each visitor will receive a list of Italian new releases. For each game, there is a question is several possible answers, the solutions can be obtained very easily by visiting the corresponding publishers' booths (where the games can also be tried out). Each evening at 5 pm, a winner from those who got the most right answers for that day will be selected. There are many nice prizes to be had: BauSquitMiao, Bolide, Bolide Tracks #1, Daimyo, Esagek, Fast Mindstalkers, Figaro, High Voltage, HysteriCoach, Krumble, Maestro Leonardo, Mamma, SharkPark, SnakeLake, TATATA!, WrestAngel.
So get a form at the Spielepizza booth, find the right answers, and win one of the many prizes! The entry form will be available for download after October 9th from www.spielepizza.de/giro. |
Here is a description of the game courtesy of Andrea Ligabue:
Warangel is a wargame created and illustrated by Angelo Porazzi.
First edition in Italy was on 1996 as collectible issues. On 2000, the first boxed edition was produced. This 2006 edition celebrates first 10 years of this home-made game, it has a sturdier box of previous four self-produced editions 2000-2005.
Contents
- New A4 format revised rulebook, full color, in English
- 10 New A4 format Reference Sheets, full color, in English
- pre cut, laminated counters of 1st Generation, 10 complete Armies all these materials are collected in A4 plastic folders copybook to perfectly protect them.
- 2 laminated A3 hexed maps |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |  The Game |
Links:
Warangel 10 Years Edition at Angelo Porazzi Games
|
 WrestAngel
Publisher: Angelo Porazzi Games
Designer: Angelo Porazzi
Artist: Angelo Porazzi
Players: 2-10
Age: 6 and up
Playing Time: 15-30 Minutes
Game Languages: Italian and English
Rules Languages: Italian, English and German
Price: 10.00 €
Here is a description of the game from Angelo Porazzi Games:
| WRESTANGEL is a fast paced, interactive game up to 5 players with 2 warriors each, up to 10 players with 1 warrior each. All cards have double use: they can be used to Move, Fight, Avoid hits, play Special Actions OR to Pin an opponent down on the ground for the three seconds count. It is up to you to balance them well: it is not useful to Throw down an opponent if you are not able to Pin it: One, Two… THREE!! |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |  The Game |  Some Cards |  Some Cards |
Links:
WrestAngel at Angelo Porazzi Games
|
|
AoS Team
|
 Age of Steam Expansion - 20 000 Rails Under the Sea
Publisher: AoS Team
Designer: Ludovic Gimet
Players: 3-6
Price: 15.00 €
This is an expansion map for Age of Steam. The maps have sold out, but you can get on the waiting list in case some aren't picked up (see the description below).
Here's a description on how to pre-order the expansion from Aos Team:
If you're interested, you may reserve a set by e-mail at aosteam2006@free.fr, with your name, firstname, quantity and e-mail adress. The cost is 15 euros per map. Maps must be got in Essen, on the Warfrog booth, on Saturday between 12:00 and 14:00. Any left map will be sell after 14:00. This year, we'll list 180 reservations and a waiting list of 30 people in case of left maps. No postal sendind will be done.
Bonus : any people who bought the Reunion island map in 2005 can come at the booth and a small expansion will be given for this 2_players map (limited stock of 180ex.). This expansion constits of 10 tiles of lava.
Be careful : in 2005, the 180ex. were sold out in 10 days. |
Here's a description of the expansion from Aos Team:
| For the second year, a new map will be proposed in Essen, with only 180ex. This map is particular because it isn't a limited geographic one. This map is particular because you won't build railways on the land. This map is particular because there is no colour for cities. This map is a modular one, located 20 000 thousand leagers under the Sea and cities are ports which ask for what they want. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Cover |  The Game |  The Game |  The Game |
|
 Argentum-Verlag
|
 Seenot im Rettungsboot (Distress in the Lifeboat)
Publisher: Argentum-Verlag
Designer: Ronald Wettering
Players: 3-6
Ages: 12+
Playing Time: 90 Minutes
Other Language Versions:
English - Lifeboats (Z-Man Games)
Price 49.99 US$
This is a new version of Rette Sich Wer Kann (commonly known as The Lifeboat Game), originally published by Spielewerkstatt Walter Müller in 1993.
Here is a description of the game from Good Game Guide:
| Not really new (originally released in 1993 as Rette Sich Wer Kann by Walter Mueller's Spielewerkstatt), but worth mentioning. No changes to the rules are planned, but the game components should be significantly improved. For example, no selection disks and their easily-accidentally-shifted pointers will be included; instead the choices will be made with cards. The boats are also planned to be redone. The game is expected to be released in the Summer. It's worth saying yet again - anything good comes again. |
Here is a description of the game from Z-Man Games:
| Z-Man Games is proud to announce its new relationship with Argentum Verlag in a coproduction of the killer negotiation game, Rette Sich Wer Kann, also known as The Lifeboat Game. The new version, called Lifeboats, will feature wooden boats and sailors and will pretty much be like the original. The main difference (aside from graphics) is that we are replacing the vote wheel with cards. The English language version is scheduled to be released after Essen or by early November. More news and images will appear as it becomes available. |
Here is another description of the game from Z-Man Games:
In uncharted waters, the ship, Santa Timea, has collided with a reef, and the sailors set off in the old lifeboats for a hair-raising journey to sheltering shores. As the lifeboats move closer to the islands, water rushes in and sailors get thrown overboard. But it's all done democratically and the majority rules - unless you happen to play the Captain’s Hat at the right time to overrule everyone.
In Lifeboats, players use their cards to vote for which boat moves closer to safety, which boat springs a leak and who gets thrown overboard. Negotiation skills are a must and backstabbing will not be uncommon - after all, you will do whatever is necessary to get your sailors to shore... and so will everyone else!
Contents: 7 wooden lifeboats, 61 cards, 42 wooden sailors, 15 wooden leak discs, 1 start player token, 1 gameboard. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front (English Version) |  The Game (English Version) |  Some Cards |
Links:
Spielewahnsinn in Herne 2006 - Scroll down to the Seenot im Rettungsboot entry for a picture of the box
|
 Top oder Flop (Top or Flop)
Publisher: Argentum-Verlag
Designer: Martin Schlegel
Artist: Dennis Lohausen
Players: 2-5
Ages: 10+
Playing Time: 30 Minutes
Here is a description of the game from Argentum-Verlag:
As heads of the film industry, the players use their influence to try and create the next box office hit - but also to try and send the competition awry.
Through bluff, tactics and partnerships you ensure your success. Because at the end the winner is not whoever did the most for a movie, but who can claim the most success. And that can change long after the final curtain has been drawn...
Over the course of the game, you use your influence either on one of the five movies laid out in the middle of the table (which increases or decreases their worth) or into your own tableau - which doesn't change the values of the movies but will increase the effort required to have the movie's worth accounted to you at the end of the game.
If an influence card is played on a movie, then first off the title must match - most influence cards have two titles to choose from. The card is placed on either the top or flop side of the movie, depending on the player's wish, which results in the movie's value changing according to the value shown on the card played. Up to three cards can be played on either side; thereafter a new card can be played only if it is used to replace a lower value card. Once three cards are on both sides of the card, the movie is finished and the movie card turned over - no more changes to that movie's value are possible. However, additional influence on the movie can still be gained via the players' own tableaus.
At the start of the game, each player receives 8 cards, of which two are placed face up into that player's tableau, as well as one or two special chips depending on number of players. Subsequently, players take turns playing one card either onto a film or into their own tableau. However, drawing a new card is only permitted when playing onto the movies in the middle. So, in order to systematically increase your influence in the movies without emptying your hand very quickly requires exchanging cards with ones in the middle, since the exchanged card can be added to one's personal tableau and a new card can still be drawn (since a card in hand was played onto a movie).
In addition to the special chips, which can be used to either double the value or or prohibit additional cards from being played onto the top or flop side of a movie, there are also special cards in the game which allow already-played cards to be moved. There is (almost) nothing that cannot be changed in this game, provided enough players don't have anything against it - swimming upstream on your own is a losing proposition, however.
60 influence cards
10 exchange cards
6 markers
5 movie cards
1 scoring pad
1 rules insert |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Game |
|
 AZA-Spiele
|
MotorChamp Course-Collection I
Publisher: AZA-Spiele
Rules Languages: German, English and French
Price: 17.50 €
This is a set of expansion tracks for MotorChamp, published by AZA-Spiele in 2000.
Here is a description of the course collection from AZA-Spiele:
| The additional set (MC Course-Collection I) will be at the latest published in October 2006. It consists of the racetracks Hungaroring and Magny-Cours. The below pictures of the prototypes are showing the courses modelled on the original tracks and give you already an idea of the difficulties to be mastered alike the “real thing�. We are still working on the illustrations to bring the true Formula 1 atmosphere on your table. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 Hungaro Ring Track (Prototype) |  Magny-Cours Track (Prototype) |
|
TurfMaster DeLux
Publisher: AZA-Spiele
Players: 2-8
Ages: 12+
Rules Languages: German, English and French
Price: 69 €
This is a new edition of TurfMaster, originally published by AZA-Spiele in 1998.
Here is a description of the game from AZA-Spiele:
| Our first game published in 1998, which became an instant hit with board gamers around the globe, is currently sold out. However, the new edition of the basic game will be at the latest published in October 2006. It consists of 8 handpainted pewter miniature horses with matching sets of cards and dice and the oval standard racetrack. This is exactly equivalent to the previous “Exclusive Version�. A new is a triangle styled further additional racetrack, so that you now can play to different tracks with the basic game. All of those, who already are in posses of the previous basic game, can order the new board separately. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Game |  The Box with Components |
|
TurfMaster Course-Collection II
Publisher: AZA-Spiele
Artist: Peter Roeseler
Rules Languages: German, English and French
Price: 17.50 €
This is a set of expansion tracks for TurfMaster, published by AZA-Spiele in 1998.
Here is a description of the course collection from AZA-Spiele:
| At the same time the Course-Collection II containing the racetracks Frankfurt and Leipzig will be published. Both courses are based on the original tracks and guarantee again new tactical challenges. Peter Roeseler has transferred the illustrations with a lot of love for details, which provides racetrack atmosphere that keeps you in suspense right from the start to the final stride.
|
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 Leipzig (Germany) Track |  Frankfurt (Germany) Track |
|
 Bambus Spielverlag
|
 Greentown
Publisher: Bambus Spielverlag
Designers: Michael Uhlemann und Günter Cornett
Artist: Ro Sato
Players: 2-4
Ages: 10+
Playing Time: 90 Minutes
Here is a description of the game from Good Game Guide:
| This game is about building attractions in a city through which tourists will later move. The game board consists of hexes, and both new hexes as well as new paths on existing hexes can be added. Various buildings are placed onto the tiles. The player figures move over the paths, although only over certain spaces as dictated by assignment cards. A 4-player playtest had some downtime, but the game should appeal to thinkers. The game should be ready by Essen '06. |
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
| Greentown is a tactical game for 2-4 players by Michael Uhlemann and Gunter Cornett. In the forest, there are trees and soon there will also be winding paths, shopping centres, sport facilities and cultural attractions, all of which are designed to extract greenbacks from the pockets of tourists. A photo of the prototype can be seen at GoodGameGuide. Editor's Note: See the Links section below. The final art is by Ro Sato. The game has had some final tweaks do make it play faster. Instead of 5-9 stations, there are 4-8 as well as (at least) one different starting configuration. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |  Some Pieces |
Links:
Spielewahnsinn in Herne 2006 - Scroll down to the Greentown entry for a picture of the prototype. Note that since this report there have been some some minor changes that speed up the pace. Instead of 5-9 stations there are 4-8 as well as (at least) a different starting setup.
|
Lanko-88, Lanko-103
Publisher: Bambus Spielverlag
Designers: Andrzej Korzcak, Krystyna Korzcak Landowska
Players: 2
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
Lanko is the name of a game by Polish authors Andrzej Korzcak und Krystyna Korzcak Landowska. It is played on two different game boards, Lanko-88 and Lanko-103. The game will come in two different editions:
Lanko-88 and Lanko-103 with folded game board
Lanko-99, Lanko-103, Checkers, Checkers 100 and possibly Alva on a fixed game board with wooden frame |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 Lanko-88 Game |  Lanko-103 Game |
Links:
Lanko website in Polish, English and German
|
 Tactic Blue
Publisher: Bambus Spielverlag
Designers: Dieter Stein, Jaroslaw Cichocki, Alvydas Jakeliunas
Players: 2
Ages: 8+
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
| Tactic Blue is the title of a game collection that includes 6 tactics games for 2 players: Accasta, Abande and Attangle are by Dieter Stein. The last two can be played online at superdupergames.org. Atraktion is by Jaroslaw Cichocki, this game is also playable online at jarchico.webpark.pl. Alva is by Alvydas Jakeliunas, the author of Hey! That's my Fish! And finally, the game collection also includes one classic: Dame-100, which is Checkers played on a 10x10 board. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Cover |
|
 BeWitched Spiele
|
Linq
Publisher: BeWitched Spiele
Designer: Erik Nielsen
Players: 4-8
Ages: 10+
This is a German version of Linq, which was originally published in English by Endless Games in 2004. This game will be available at Essen only as a prototype.
Here is a description of the game from BeWitched Spiele:
| At the games fair in Essen players can try a German, reworked version of Linq. The game by Erik Nielsen / USA has been published in the US by Endless Games. Andrea Meyer edited it and is preparing its publication in German. At its core Linq, which combines bluffing elements with associative gaming, is a deduction game. 4-8 players aged 10+ try to find their changing partners by freely associating with their LINQ-words. An intuitive scoring mechanism shows who was best at linqing with the others. |
|
Monstermaler (Monster Painter)
Publishers: BeWitched Spiele, 2F-Spiele, Casasola
Designers: Friedemann Friese, Marcel-André Casasola Merkle, and Andrea Meyer
Artist: Marcel-André Casasola Merkle
Players: 4+
Ages: 10+
Playing time: 20-30 Minutes
Game Languages: German (English version is to be published)
Price: 2.90 €
BeWitched Spiele is publishing Monstermaler in cooperation with 2F-Spiele and Casasola. This game is billed as a "A creative fun-game for 4 and more wannabe-artists".
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
| A game for partys, for warming up, cooling down and for those who do not play games at all. A game by Friedemann Friese, Marcel-André Casasola Merkle, and Andrea Meyer. A game for funny game rounds, for funny hours and for only 2.90 EUR. You wonder where you can get such an amazing game? |
Here is a description of the game from 2F-Spiele:
Overview:
What do you do if you are supposed to quickly draw the left side of Queen Elizabeth II? You draw half a crown, a dress ... but already everybody but you has shouted stop and you only just started to draw the Queen's face. And you still wanted to draw Buckingham Palace in the left corner ... Now it's up to your left neighbour to save you both. Unfortunately, you hear her mourning once she reads whom she's supposed to draw. But maybe some good idea will strike her?
Idea of the game:
4 and more players try simultaneously to recognizably draw one side of a person chosen before. If you are ready, you shout "Stop!". The slowest player must not finish. Fold the sheet, and let your left neighbour complete the right side of the person chosen - without looking at the left side.
Monstermaler ist the perfect game for the party, for warming up or cooling down and for people who don't like games. By the way, it's rather a disadvantage to know how to draw when playing Monstermaler.
Contents:
1 A6-pad of 120 sheets, German rules are printed on the inner side of the cover. Add a pen and if needed a shade for every player. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |
|
 Bezier Games
|
 Age of Steam Expansion: Disco Inferno
Publisher: Bezier Games
Designer: Ted Alspach
Players: 3-6 (Best with 3-4)
Note for all Age of Steam Expansions: Preorders to be picked up at Essen must be prepaid by October 13th, 2006 ($25 per set, payable via Paypal to orders@bezier.com). The only time these pre-ordered maps may be picked up at Essen is on Thursday, from 10-12 at the Winsome booth Hall 5, Stand 5-95. If you cannot pick the maps up at this specific time and location, please include shipping ($5 US, $12 outside the US for up to 4 sets) and the maps will be sent to you the week of Essen. If there are any extra non-preordered maps available, they will be sold from 10-2 on Thursday at the Winsome booth.
This expansion is sold as a set with Age of Steam Expansion: Soul Train.
Here's a description of the expansion from Bezier Games:
This Age of Steam expansion takes place in a Disco Inferno, where “satisfaction comes in a chain reaction� and everyone keeps shouting “Burn, baby, burn� as you set up routes for disco dancers (goods cubes) to be shuttled between various discothèques (colored cities) on a map covered with flames. Unique features for this map include:
Disco Infernos: Once a discothéque no longer has dancers, it burns to the ground and is no longer a delivery location. Players take a track tile and turn it upside down on the burned down discothéque (or simply flip a "New City" tile if it was a lettered city that burned), creating a city that can't be delivered to or have any cubes placed on it via the production action.
Chain Reactions: Players have the ability to deliver a "chain" of dancers, up to the players' locomotive length. For instance, a player with a locomotive length of 5 could deliver a dancer three links, and then pick up another dancer at the same location and deliver that new dancer two more links. This unique twist on delivery has a profound change on the way you view deliveries in Age of Steam, yet is a fairly simple rule change to understand.
Instant Population of Urbanized Towns: When a town is urbanized into a discothéque, it come with three dancers on it already.
Production Directly on the Board: Players choosing the production action are able to place dancers directly on the discothéque of their choice, which can be critical for keeping important delivery location alive for another turn. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Logo |  The Game |
Links:
Age of Steam Expansion: Disco Inferno page at Bezier Games
Age of Steam Expansion: Disco Inferno and Age of Steam Expansion: Soul Train Rules (in PDF format)
|
 Age of Steam Expansion: Soul Train
Publisher: Bezier Games
Designer: Ted Alspach
Players: 3-5 (Best with 4)
This expansion is sold as a set with Age of Steam Expansion: Disco Inferno.
Here's a description of the expansion from Bezier Games:
Souls are in jeopardy, and only you can save them! Build a train to carry souls (goods cubes) from Hell to Earth, and then deliver them to their final resting spot in Heaven. This Age of Steam expansion uses a three-part board in a unique “flip� fashion, with a linear delivery system that provides a strategic challenge to Age of Steam players. Unique features for this map include:
3 Part board "flip": The first part of Soul Train uses the bottom of the Age of Steam Expansion: Disco Inferno board, along with the Earth portion of the Soul Train board. Initially, players focus on delivering souls from Hell to Earth; when 10 or fewer souls remain in Hell, track, cities and any remaining souls are removed from Hell, and Hell itself is picked up and flipped over to reveal the Heaven side of the board, which is placed above Earth. Players then have two turns to deliver as many of the Earth-bound souls to urbanized towns in Heaven. No turn marker is used, with each game taking on average one turn less than a turn-metered game for the same number of players.
Track Costs and Engineering: While track on Earth is the typical Age of Steam cost ($2 for standard spaces, $4 for mountains), building track in all of Hell is $3. Heavenly track costs only $1. Each player may build up to six pieces of track per turn, but all track must begin and end in a city or town. To help offset the cost of so much track, the Engineering action now reduces the cost of track to half the total cost rounded up.
No Production Action or Goods Growth: The only souls in the game are the ones on the board. When souls are delivered to Earth, they remain on the board, awaiting transport to Heaven in the second part of the game.
Urbanization and New Cities: There is only one city per color for the new cities that may be urbanized. When the board is flipped cities in Hell are placed on towns in Heaven in player order, one per player, providing a dynamic city placement phase that changes with each game.
Income bonus at flip time: Instead of getting victory points at the end of the game for track built in hell, players receive income when their track is pulled up as the board is flipped, at 1/3 of an income point per track, rounded down. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Logo |  The Game |
Links:
Age of Steam Expansion: Soul Train page at Bezier Games
Age of Steam Expansion: Disco Inferno and Age of Steam Expansion: Soul Train Rules (in PDF format)
|
 Age of Steam Expansion: Sun
Publisher: Bezier Games
Designer: J C Lawrence
Players: 3-6 (Best with 3 or 4)
This expansion is sold as a set with Age of Steam Expansion: London.
Here's a description of the expansion from Bezier Games:
Welcome to the exciting business of mining solar flares and sunspots for energy. Link the magnetic vortices of sunspots to drain their rich supplies of energy, creating new sunspots in the process. As a competing faction within the Solar Energy Commission, you are responsible for constructing the most extensive and profitable sunspot mining network; the comfort and decadence of billions of people depends on you. This Age of Steam expansion includes the following unique features:
Dynamic Town Creation: The Sun initially doesn't have any towns. Instead, any time a player upgrades existing track a new town is created. This results in a constantly-evolving map that puts an entirely different twist on traditional Age of Steam strategies.
Restationing: The Urbanization action has been replaced by the Restationing action, allowing a player to move one city from its current location to a town. All eight cities in the game are fully mobile in this way.
Links Capacity: Instead of just increasing Links Size (how many segments of track a good can be delivered across), players have the option to increase Links Capacity, allowing for more than one good to be delivered simultaneously.
Instant Production: As soon as a goods cube is delivered, it is replaced on the map immediately with a cube from the production chart.
Custom Playing Mat: A custom playing mat designed specifically for Age of Steam Expansion: Sun is included. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Logo |  The Game |
Links:
Age of Steam Expansion: Sun page at Bezier Games
Age of Steam Expansion: Sun and London Rules (in PDF format)
|
 Age of Steam Expansion: London
Publisher: Bezier Games
Designer: J C Lawrence
Players: 3-6 (Best with 3 or 4)
This expansion is sold as a set with Age of Steam Expansion: Sun.
Here's a description of the expansion from Bezier Games:
From the outrageous real estate prices to the fees associated with the unions, building a railroad network in London is incredibly expensive, challenging veteran Age of Steam players to properly balance their debt and asset (track) investments. This exceptionally ruthless and unforgiving Age of Steam expansion includes the following unique features:
Union Overtime Fees: Building track has never been more costly, as London's unions charge outrageous overtime fees that escalate wildly for each additional tile that you build. The engineering action streamlines the building process, reducing these costs dramatically.
Additional Track Builds: Each player may build up to five tiles of track each turn. At the end of the game, track is worth 50% more than in a standard Age of Steam game.
Instant Production: As soon as a goods cube is delivered, it is replaced on the map immediately with a cube from the production chart.
Custom Playing Mat: A custom playing mat designed specifically for Age of Steam Expansion: London is included. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Logo |  The Game |
Links:
Age of Steam Expansion: London page at Bezier Games
Age of Steam Expansion: Sun and London Rules (in PDF format)
|
Age of Steam Player Mats
Publisher: Bezier Games
Price: Free
These are custom Age of Steam player mats that Bezier is giving away at Essen.
Here's a description of the mats from Bezier Games:
I'll be giving away custom-designed Age of Steam player mats (one for goods, and one for scoring/shares/etc.), printed in full color on sturdy cardstock (heavier than the included AoS mats that come in the box) to the first 200 people who ask for them on Thursday, October 19th at the Winsome booth Hall 5, Stand 5-95, starting at 10am. No purchase is required, one per person please. No reservations will be accepted for these mats.
Not only are the mats in color, increasing clarity during your Age of Steam games, but they also include little faded-back circles for placing your markers during turn order bidding and action selection, making both processes much clearer and efficient. In addition, the mats have everything you need to play all Warfrog maps (like the Ferry action for Scandanavia) and a 7th player turn order circle for the Winsome maps released last year. These mats work perfectly with Ted Alspach's Age of Steam maps as well (Sun and London include custom mats).
If you absolutely have to have one of these full color mats and won't be able to pick it up at Essen, you can download the PDFs for them here. They will print to any color printer (I wouldn't recommend printing them to a black and white printer, as they're designed for color only). |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Main Scoring Mat |  The Goods Mat |
|
 Start Player
Publisher: Bezier Games
Designer: Ted Alspach
Artist: Ted Alspach
Players: 2+
Playing Time: Less than 10 Seconds
Prices:
10 US$ - Starter Deck
5 US$ - Booster Pack
45 US$ - Booster 10 Pack
18 US$ - Essen Limited Edition
18 US$ - I'm Not Going to Essen Limited Edition
This is a game that used for determining the start player of a game. The cards are illustrated with cartoons featuring the characters from the Board 2 Pieces gaming comic. The Essen Limited Edition is now sold out - no more orders for that edition will be taken. However, the I'm Not Going to Essen Limited Edition is still available at and may be pre-ordered from the Start Player website.
Here's a short description of the game from the publisher:
| The Board 2 Pieces characters are now starring in their own game! Start Player is a game that you play to determine the Start Player for your next game. No, really. It consists of tons of cards with different criteria on them, and each card has a unique Board 2 Pieces comic panel on it. You can pre-order decks, booster packs and 2 special limited editions now; the game will be shipping at Essen 2006. |
Here's a longer description of the game from the publisher:
How much valuable gaming time is lost by figuring out the start player to your next game? By our calculations, more than 5,300 games of Monopoly, 22,000 games of Scrabble and up to 60,000 games of Magic: The Gathering could be played each year if gamers took less time choosing a start player.
Start Player-A Kinda Collectible Card Game solves this problem: Just turn over the first card and you’ll KNOW who the start player is. Maybe it’s as simple as the tallest player, or the player with the most buttons. It might be a little more challenging, like the player who owns the most games, or even the player who claims to have the lowest IQ. Regardless, you’ll know within seconds who will start your next game. There’s even a built-in tiebreaker system in the unlikely event of a tie. It’s the most comprehensive, foolproof system ever devised for determining who starts a game.
“Start Player is the ultimate gaming accessory,� says Ted Alspach, the game’s designer, “it’s a game for a game, and an incredibly satisfying way to determine who goes first. You often learn something about your fellow gamers that’s really interesting in the process.�
Start Player can be played by as few as 2 players, and by as many gamers as you can gather in one place. The basic game takes less than 10 seconds to play, and each card is self-explanatory; there’s no time spent looking up rules. Just flip a card and start your next game, confident that the Start Player has been chosen effectively.
Each Start Player card is uniquely illustrated with characters from Board 2 Pieces (www.board2pieces.com), the boardgame comic strip from Start Player designer Ted Alspach. The Board 2 Pieces characters, including meeples, tokens, dice and other gaming pieces, humorously and irreverently discuss the card they’re on as well as other gaming topics.
There are common, uncommon, and rare cards, as you would expect in a collectible card game. Players can get started with a basic Starter Deck, and purchase additional Booster Packs to enhance their Start Player deck. There are more than 160 different cards with just as many different topics that determine the start player.
Starter Decks retail for $10, while 13 card Booster Packs retail for $5. Preorders are being taken at www.startplayer.com. Anyone who preorders Start Player has the option of ordering one of two special collector’s editions, priced at $18 each, both of which include a Starter Deck and two Booster Packs, as well as two unique rare cards. The Essen Limited Edition contains two unique rare cards, including a special “Essen Addict� card, and can only be picked up at the Essen 2006 show in Essen, Germany, on October 19th, 2006. The I’m Not Going to Essen Limited Edition contains two unique rare cards, including a special “Essen Wannabe� card, and is available for direct shipping only (not at the Essen show).
Hank Drew, a playtester for Start Player, says, “Not only does Start Player solve the problem of who starts the next game, but you can also use the cards to quickly determine who should call for pizza, who has to get drinks for the group, who gets to pick the next boardgame you play, and for a whole bunch of other decisions that subtract from valuable gaming time.�
Start Player is more than just a gaming accessory; enclosed with the game are rules that allow for competitive deck building for any number of players, with quick and easy rules for tournament play. Who goes first in a Start Player tournament? It couldn’t be easier: just flip a card from the Start Player deck.
Once you start using Start Player to determine a start player for your games, you’ll never go back to the old antiquated dice-rolling, coin-flipping, frustrating process again.
For more information and to pre-order copies of Start Player, visit www.startplayer.com, or email orders@bezier.com. |
First Impression by Rick Thornquist (after many playings of a pre-production version):
Ted Alspach of Bezier Games was kind enough to send me a pre-production copy of Start Player, his new 'kinda collectible card game'. It's not really a game, though, it's a way of determining the start player for what ever game you are playing.
Basically, each card defines some criteria for who will be the start player - 'The player whose birthday is next is the Start Player' or 'The next player to show off their disco moves is the Start Player'. Many are quite goofy and funny. There is also a Board 2 Pieces cartoon on each card. It's a very original idea and I think Ted's done a great job with it.
It is sort of collectible - Ted is selling booster packs with additional cards, but it works fine with a starter deck (unless you play a lot of games and start getting repeats - then it may be time to get the boosters). I used it for most of my games last week and it made for a very fun way to start a game. The only criticism I have is that the cards are just okay quality, but the publisher assures me that the production cards will be improved a bit. This isn't a game where you are going to be handling the cards a lot anyway. I'm glad I have a copy (notwithstanding the card with the cartoon that makes fun of me!) and I intend to use it a lot (hmm… I may just have to get a few boosters).
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Starter Deck Box |  The Rules |  Some Sample Cards |  A Card |  A Card |
Links:
Start Player website (with information, pictures, rules, and information on pre-ordering the game)
|
 Braun-Kohl Verlag
|
Affentennis (Monkey Tennis)
Publisher: Braun-Kohl Verlag
Designer: Jürgen Kohl
Players: 2
Playing Time: 30-40
Price: 39.90 €
Here's a description of the game from Spielbox:
Affentennis (Monkey Tennis) is a tactical dexterity game invented and self-published by Jurgen Kohl. The game is played on a tennis court split into hex-shaped spaces. The hexes are used for the movement points that the players use to reach the ball. To play the ball, dexterity is required.
The game comes in a 40cm long cloth bag, and includes the playing surface as well as two monkey-shaped playing figures, a wooden volley block, a scoreboard, a serving dish, two rackets and a lobrampe. More information abou the game, including tournament reports and announcements, can be found at www.affentennis.com. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Game |  The Ball and the Figures |
|
 Brettform
|
 Brettform 640
Publisher: Brettform
Designers: Various
Players: Various
Ages: Various
Playing Time: Various
Brettform is a Korean game publisher. Brettform 640 a game system with a base game plus expansions that supply additional components and rules for additional games. One of these additional games is a new version of Pueblo, designed by Michael Kiesling and Wolfgang Kramer and originally published by Ravenburger in 2002.
Here's a short description of the game, courtesy of Shin Yoo (note that though the description uses the "hardware" and "software" metaphors, this is a board game):
Brettform 640 is a new gaming system developed and published by Brettform Co. The name Brettform means "brettspiel" + "platform". The system separates the gaming components shared by most of the games from the parts that are unique to each game. The result is a base set of gaming "hardwares" which can be used in multiple ways, and an array of boardgame "software" which can be supplied at lower prices.
The base set, Brettform 640, will provide the essential gaming gadgets like a set of dice, dice cups, magnetic player pieces and board bases which can be converted into game boards of any game using additional board sheets. The base set also comes with classic games like Backgammon, Chess, and Draught. The base set is also a nice storage system which can store all these components, along with other software.
Then you can add additional "software" packages to the base set at a very affordable price. The current line-up of the software packages consists of : Sudoku, Orapa Mine (a deduction game using tangram pieces), Dudo (a South-American dice game), and a reprint of Pueblo. The reprinted Pueblo contains an additional solitaire puzzles created by Wolfgang Kramer himself. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Base Game Box Front |  The Sudoku Expansion Box Front |  The Orapa Mine Expansion Box Front |  The Dudo Expansion Box Front |  The Pueblo Expansion Box Front |
|
 Burley Games
|
 Take it to the Limit!
Publisher: Burley Games
Designer: Peter Burley
Players: 1-6
Ages: 10+
Playing Time: 25 Minutes
Rules Languages: English and German
This game is an advanced version of Take it Easy.
Here's a description of the game from the box back:
Take it to the Limit is two games in one! Choose either the Nexus board, for that ultimate challenge, or the stylish Orchid board, for a quicker and distinctly different game. Both options can be played by up to six people, but can also provide hours of fun when you attempt to beat your ‘personal best’ score by playing Take it to the Limit as a solitaire game!
The Nexus Board: Score points by building continuous rows of colour from one side to the other. Just place one tile here and another one there, expanding and connecting your rows, but always remember that your plans may be ruined by that ‘rogue’ tile which refuses to fit in anywhere. It may seem easy at first, but awkward decisions will be just around the corner! Enhance your score by skilful use of ‘gold’ and ‘silver’ bonus tiles and by cunningly interlacing ‘sunrays’ and ‘moonbeams’ with your other scoring rows. If it all seems to be going desperately wrong, you can dispose of unwanted tiles in your ‘scrapyard’. But beware - an ‘untidy’ scrapyard can cost you penalty points! Towards the end it gets tricky as you cover up more and more spaces on your board. All players start with an equal chance and will use exactly the same tiles, but with careful planning, discerning strategy and a little bit of luck, you can score more points than your opponents and win the game!
The Orchid Board: Choose either the ‘sun’ or ‘moon’ tiles to play a shorter game on this attractive board. The special orchid symbols allow you to set aside unwanted tiles, with an option to increase your score by relocating them at the end of the game. With all the fun and excitement of the larger game, the Orchid board is the ideal alternative when there is a shortage of time or space! |
First Impression by Rick Thornquist (after two playings of a prototype):
Take it to the Limit! is very easy to sum up in a few words - this is an advanced version of Peter Burley's classic Take it Easy! I played two games of a prototype with the final rules and what looks to be the final graphics.
The boards that come with Take it to the Limit! actually have two sides - this is because there are different variations on Take it Easy! included in the game.
The first variation is called the Nexus board - this one is Take it Easy! on steroids. First of all, the boards are bigger - 7 hexes wide instead of 5. Next, there are more pieces - 64 instead of 27 for each player. Of the 64 tiles, half of them have a sun symbol on them and half have a moon symbol (as well as the usual lines and numbers). The tiles also have bonus numbers on them that can score in certain ways. Finally, each player also gets a Scrapyard board - a board 3 spaces wide.
The Nexus game plays the same as Take it Easy!, but you will not only play on your new big board, you can also play on your Scrapyard board. Once both boards are full, the game ends and you score. Scoring is the same as Take it Easy! with some added bonuses for the sun/moon tiles, bonus numbers, and the Scrapyard. The Scrapyard scoring is neat - if your score on the Scrapyard board is greater than or equal to 60 then you get nothing, but if it's less then 60 you lose 60 points! If you are looking for a longer and deeper version of Take it Easy!, the Nexus game is your man.
The second variation is the Orchid board and this one is smaller and shorter than the Nexus version. Here you only play with 32 tiles on a smaller board, and there's no Scrapyard. In this variation, you are allowed to set aside three tiles during the game instead of playing them on your board. At the end of the game, you can place these tiles on your board on certain spaces. This allows you to delay the placement of some tiles and place them ideally at the end of the game. The sun/moon tiles don't score anything in this one, but the bonus numbers do. As usual, the player with the highest score wins.
All in all, two very nice variants on Take it Easy!. If you are looking for some variation on the standard game, Take it to the Limit! should be what you are looking for. If you don't have Take it Easy! at all, this one gives you two variations of the game in one box.
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |  The Box Back |  The Game |  A Board in Play |
|
 Cafe Games
|
 Ave Caesar
Cafe Games is publishing an English version of Ave Caesar (Pro Ludo).
|
 Ramparts
Cafe Games is publishing an English version of Spiel der Türme (Pro Ludo) to be titled Ramparts.
|
 Tempus
Cafe Games is publishing an English version of Tempus (Pro Ludo).
|
|
Cardinal Games
|
 Lost - The Game
Publisher: Cardinal Games
Designer: Keith Tralins
Players: 2-8
Price: 19.99 US$
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
This publisher specializes in trivia games based on TV shows such as Sex in the City or Friends. Now, Lost – The Game, based on the eponymous TV show is being released, although it is quite different mechanically from the other titles. According to the game’s author, Keith Tralins, it contains elements of Talisman, Magic: The Gathering, Settlers of Catan and Chess.
The board is made up of hex tiles. There are a total of 75, although only 16 are used to start. The are only revealed in the course of play. Players choose one of the16 characters from the TV show. Each has special abilities, but the strong characters also have disadvantages. Also included are 160 cards: equipment, events, encounters. If the game sells well, then expansions are not out of the question. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |
Links:
Lost - The Game website
|
 Casasola
|
 Julchen und die Monster (Julchen and the Monsters)
Publisher: Casasola
Designer: Marcel-André Casasola Merkle
Artist: Marcel-André Casasola Merkle
Players: 2-5
Ages: 8+
Playing Time: 20 Minutes
Casasola is the new publishing company of designer Marcel-Andre Casasola Merkle. Casasola won't have its own booth at the fair - you will find the games either at the 2F-Spiele or BeWitched Spiele booths.
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
| And then there's another card game with simple rules and thrilling monster tension, which will only be available at Essen as a special cut-and-build edition: Julchen und die Monster (Julchen and the Monsters). When Julchen is home alone, the monsters awake at night and creep out from behind drawers and under beds. They have their sights set on a tasty midnight snack. With flashlight and fly swatter, Julchen sets out to defend. Will they last until morning? There are two ways to the goal: Save Julchen or eat her! Somewhere amongst the cards, she is hiding. Draw from your opponents, combine the clues and get onto Julchen's trail. Send your monsters out or grab Julchen and protect her from unwanted snack attacks. Those who know how to read their opponents' eyes won't have any problems solving this game's secrets. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Front Cover? |
|
Monstermaler (Monster Painter)
Casasola is publishing Monstermaler in cooperation with BeWitched Spiele and 2F-Spiele. See the game listing under Monstermaler (BeWitched Spiele).
|
 Clemens Gerhards
|
ConHex
Publisher: Clemens Gerhards
Designer: Michail Antonow
Players: 2
The publisher and their wooden games are to be found in Hall 11 (booth 11-8) this year.
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
| ConHex by Micchail Antonow comes in a beautiful package – hardwood and semi-precious stones. The game is a high-quality majority and connections game. Michail Antonow will be at the booth part-time. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Game |
|
Kariba / Kalak
Publisher: Clemens Gerhards
Designer: Frank Stark
Players: 2
Ages: 5+
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
| Kariba by Frank Stark is a game for hunters and gatherers. The game is played with semi-precious stones including treasure and guard stones on a beechwood game board. The same board can be used to play Kalak – a dexterity game for young and old. The board is made up of two puzzle pieces and can be combined to create either Kariba or Kalak. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 Kariba Game |  Kalak Game |
|
Meta
Publisher: Clemens Gerhards
Designer: Frank Stark
Players: 2-4
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
| Meta is also by Frank Stark. The board has many holes and can be used to play 4 different strategy games for 2-4 players. The board is placed in different orientations depending on the game: in the middle of the table, next to a player or even sideways. The playing pieces are colourful wooden cylinders. Frank Stark will also be at the publisher’s booth. |
|
 Clicker Spiele
|
 Blue
Publisher: Clicker Spiele
Players: 1-5
Ages: 8+
Price: 20.00 €
This game as described as a "crazy puzzle game".
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |
Links:
Blue - English / German Rules (in PDF format)
|
 fleet 1715
Publisher: Clicker Spiele
Players: 1-5
Ages: 10+
Price: 9.95 €
This game as described as a "deduction card game about the fall of the Spanish fleet in the year 1715".
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |
Links:
fleet 1715 - English / German Rules (in PDF format)
|
 Fliegen naschen (Fly Snacking)
Publisher: Clicker Spiele
Designers: Stephan Riedel and Gabi Weisser
Players: 2-4
Ages: 7+
Price: 20.00 €
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
| Stephan Riedel is releasing the previously-announced children’s game Fliegen nashen (Fly Snacking) under his own label. The goal of the game is to quickly succeed in remembering a path across a Memory-based board. |
Here is a description of the previous version of the game, from Clicker Spiele:
The players jump their frogs from lily pad to lily pad. In the process, they must decide which of the four lily pads they wish to land on. After landing, the pad is turned over. If the lily pad colour matches the colour the frog on it, then the frog gets to jump again. If the colour doesn't match, however, then the player has to put his frog back onto the pad from which it came and it is the next player's turn (if the pad has a frog, a fly or a stork on it then a special action is carried out).
The players try to move their frogs onto the lily pad with the fly on it. If they make it, they get a fly chip. The first player to claim four fly chips wins. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |
Links:
Fliegen naschen - English / German Rules (in PDF format)
|
 Cranium
|
 Cranium - Familien Edition (Cranium - Family Edition)
Publisher: Cranium
Players: 4+
Ages: 8+
Playing Time: 40 Minutes
This is a German version of Cranium - The Family Fun Game, originally published in English by Cranium in 2005.
|
 Cranium - Hullabaloo
Publisher: Cranium
Players: 1-4
Ages: 4+
This is a German version of Cranium - Hullabaloo, originally published in English by Cranium in 2003.
|
 Cocktail Games
|
 Cosmic Attack
Publisher: Cocktail Games
Designer: Roberto Fraga
Artist: Sofi
Players: 4-6
Ages: 8+
Playing Time: 15 Minutes
Here is a description of the game from Cocktail Games (Translated by Jasen Robillard):
| You are an alien from the planet KRAKTON. You’ve decided to holiday on Earth since you love the little blue planet and its inhabitants. Since you want to make the visit memorable, you collect souvenirs and sign up for exciting adventures which will put your legs, hands, breath and perhaps your voice to good use… Go to the four corners of the room to collect objects, run around the table with a card balanced on your forehead, beat your arms and imitate the clucking noises a chicken … A small sampling of the challenges proposed in this crazy party game. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box |
|
Versailles
Publisher: Cocktail Games
|
 Cwali12-40
|
 Factory Fun
Publisher: Cwali
Designer: Corné van Moorsel
Artist: Marco Jeurissen
Players: 2-4 (+)
Ages: 11+
Playing Time: 45 Minutes
Rules Langauges: English, German, French and Dutch
Price: 24.00 €
This is a game about planning/building/managing a factory. Note that the number of players is listed as 2-4(+) - the + means you can use additional copies of the game to add players (four more for each additional copy).
The website for the game will offer a fifth player board. The website will also offer a solitaire version of the game.
Here is a description of the game from the box:
BUILD YOUR FACTORY!
Search for the best machines for your factory. Connect input and output reservoirs smart to your machines to build the most profitable factory!
In the factory game-picture (Editor's Note: See the picture below) you see one factory floor with in the middle a relief pillar. At the start each player has such an empty factory and you purchase machines to place in your factory. The products the machines can handle or which the machines produce are divided in 4 groups, coded yellow, blue, red and brown (and end products, coded black). Of each product group you have one (at the start) reservoir (the yellow, blue, red and brown reservoir in the picture). You must always connect all reservoirs and machines right by using the connectors (the pipelines in the picture). That starts easy, but becomes more puzzling during the game. On the machine-tiles you see the revenue of each machine. Connecting machines to each other ((input on output)) makes more advanced products which brings extra profit. Building connectors and reservoirs brings costs. You try to have the most money at the end.
CONTENTS: 4 factories - 48 machines - 47 reservoirs - 129 connectors - 4 relief pillars - 4 colored discs - 25 transparent discs - 1 money track |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |  A Player's Factory in Mid-Game |
Links:
Factory Fun page on Cwali (with descriptions, pictures, an links to a fifth player board)
|
 Czech Board Games
|
 Through the Ages
Publisher: Czech Board Games
Designer: Vladimir Chvatil
Players: 2-4
Ages: 12+
Playing Time: 180 Minutes
Game Languages: English, Czech
Note for all Czech Board Games games: you can now pre-order the games through the Preorder page on the Czech Board Games website.
There will be 500 English copies of this game produced for Essen.
Here's a description of the game from the designer Vladimir Chvatil:
Development of human knowledge and history of the mankind as such – no other theme for a game is such a monumental and such a believable and close to players at the same time. Contrary to most of the games built on it, that follow the classic wargame patterns, Through the Ages is a true modern board game, utilizing well-balanced combination of both unique and proven mechanics.
Instead of usual rather realistic mix of diplomacy, trade, conquer and elimination, the game offers modern gameplay with wide array of options and strategies for the player. The goal is to develop your own civilization, not to destroy the other ones. The military strength is just one aspect of your nation, as well as population, production or science. It is up to you which one you will concentrate more or less, but you have not to underestimate any of them to build an efficiently working nation.
The game goes from the ancient ages to the modern time. There is only one measure of success at the end – the amount of culture your nation produced during the entire game. However, there are many ways how to produce culture: through religion, literature or drama, by building wonders, by utilizing cultural persons etc. Considerable amount of culture can be gained even by wars or aggressions; note culture is not necessarily something positive here – just something that influences the image of the world (thus even Fast food chains produce lots of cultural points). As in most games, where VPs are separated from economy, there is a classic game dilemma – at which moment I should slow the development down and concentrate on the culture?
Although there are many options a player can do, he is given only very limited amount of actions per turn, thus every single action is significant. During the game, this amount can be increased (switching to more advanced government models), but still, every action matters. There is no best strategy for the game, as players have to adapt their strategy to the actual situation. Anything a player can build or develop appears on the cards in common display at the table. Taking the card that just appeared costs more actions that taking the longer displayed ones. It is up to player whether he will spend his actions for the card he really need for his strategy, or whether he will use them to improve his economy rather.
Beside these civil cards, there are also politics cards for each age of the game. These allow some players interaction. The most unique is system of the “random� events. Players themselves prepare them to the stack, from which they are randomly drawn later. It is up to you to prepare events that will help you more than your opponents (or that damage you less than them). It is up to you to keep in mind what you have put there. And it is up to you to guess what other players might to put there.
Yes, there are wars and aggressions, too, as well as they were in the real history. However, they are abstracted very interesting way, that usually leads to a situation where all players are building their military strength, but no one is waging wars in fact. It is just another aspect of your economy – how to build your army to match the opponents strength spending as few resources as possible.
The mechanics are built not on numbers, but on tokens that are moving between the cards. The players are taking cards, handling their economy, and also planning their next actions, at the time the other players are playing their actions, so everything goes as smoothly as possible. The entire game usually lasts about three hours, during which you develop your civilization from pyramids to space flights.
There is an enlightened version for the first game. It is shorter (played till renaissance), easier to explain, and especially it is easier to manage your nation in it, as it ignores most of advanced game concepts (like wars, corruption or unhappiness). However, even the full game is easy to get in; once you play one game, you will understand it, and you will love it. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |  Some Wonder Cards |  Some Leader Cards |  The Game (Prototype)
|  The Scoring Track and Card Selection (Prototype) |  A Player Area (Prototype) |
Links:
Czech Board Games website (in English)
|
 Graenaland
Publisher: Czech Board Games
Designer: Vladimir Chvatil
Players: 3-5
Ages: 12+
Playing Time: 90-120 Minutes
Game Languages: English/German, English/Czech
Note that though the pictures below are of a prototype, a production version of the game is to be available at Essen.
Here's a description of the publisher from Ladislav Smejkal of Czech Board Games:
www.czechboardgames.com is an association of Czech board game players and authors. Our main goals are to support playing and especially creation of modern board games in the Czech Republic and introducing original Czech board games abroad. We are going to pick the best board games recently created or already published in our country and present them at international market through this web and taking part on the international game fairs, especially in Essen. The games that we present are divided into two basic categories:
- Games already published in the Czech Republic, we are looking primarily for foreign distributors
- Games recently created, either published in limited number by us, or existing only in a form of prototypes, we are looking primarily for foreign publishers.
Quality of the games that we present is guaranteed by group of the most experienced Czech board game players. |
Here's a description of the game from game designer Vladimir Chvatil::
In 982, a Viking jarl called Erik the Red sailed from the western coast of Iceland and discovered a new land. He named it Graenaland, a green land. Four years later the first colonists arrived to Greanaland and founded settlements that lasted more than four centuries.
Take the role of one of the jarls leading their clans to the new home. You have to settle the coast and to agree with your neighbours on how to distribute the spare resources the land is giving away. As Eric wants no fights amongst Vikings, any conflicts are solving by voting. You could improve your position in order to gain more votes; however, you can also try to be righteous and to keep good relations with all your neighbours. Cooperating with them, you can fertilize and improve the land easier than when struggling for influence; just keep your position strong enough for the case something goes wrong.
At first glance, it might remind you just another settler-like game – there are tiles of different terrains, there are villages and other buildings built on the tiles, and there are resources produced to build more of them. However, Graenaland uses these elements by very unusual way, and offers brand new player interaction.
The main difference is that villages produce no resources; the tile produces them. They remain placed next to the tile, until players agree how to distribute them. Every village on the tile gives one vote to its owner, as well as the traveling heroes just visiting the tile – and you need more than half of the votes total for your proposal how to distribute the resources.
A tile produces only one resource per turn, no matter how many villages of how many players is built on it. Building more villages on the same tile strengthens your position here; however, if another player does the same, you both are spending lots of efforts and resources struggling for still the one resource card. May be it would be wise to live in peace rather. If you are able to come to an agreement, you can take turn taking the resource. You can vote together in the case an intruder appears. You can build some improvements on the tile together, increasing its resource production. You can spread your villages to other tiles and let your hero travel where it is more needed, rather than struggling for influence on this tile.
If you trust each other, you can work much more efficiently. However: does your neighbor deserve your trust? What if he returns with his hero unexpectedly, and confiscate the whole harvest of several turns? What if he builds another villages here instead of the improvement he promised? And especially – what would you do if you get such an opportunity yourself?
The game mechanics – simultaneous movement of heroes, small anomalies in player roles (one player has special role every turn), and decent randomness and uncertainty in resource harvesting (each terrain produce resources of more types, with different probabilities) lead to enough interesting asymmetric situations, and it is up to you whether you take any advantage you have, or whether you try to appear fair and righteous to the others rather. As the others take it in account when searching for partners for their deals. |
First Impression by Rick Thornquist (after two playings of a pre-production prototype):
The first game I’d like to talk about is Graenaland from Czech Board Games. Ladislav Smejkal was kind enough to send me a prototype of the game all the way from the Czech Republic. I’ve played the game twice so far and I must say that I’m very impressed.
In Graenaland, each player is leading a clan who are settling the coast of Greenland. You get resources from the land and with these resources you build settlements, buildings, armies, and other units (which can move between regions). Players can also create public works in regions, which can be created cooperatively, and benefit all players who occupy the region where it’s built.
The way the resources are distributed is the core of the game. Basically, a player proposes how to distribute the resources in a region - who gets what. There’s no negotiation at this point, the player just makes a proposal. Then everyone votes on the proposal (there can be negotiation here). The more settlements / buildings / armies, etc, a player has in a region, the more votes he gets. If the vote passes, the resources are distributed as proposed, otherwise they stay there for the next proposal. I very much liked the way this worked - the mechanic eliminated endless negotiations but kept things fun and interesting.
In the basic game, there are five victory conditions - things like building 8 settlements total or building two buildings. The first player to reach three of these five victory conditions wins the game.
The game does have many Settlers-like qualities to it - the whole idea gathering of resources and building stuff. Whether this is a plus or a minus depends on whether you like the familiarity, or dislike the unoriginality of a game that has similar qualities to Settlers.
In my opinion, though, the game has so much good in it I don’t so much mind it being similar to Settlers. As far as complexity is concerned, it’s medium to perhaps medium-heavy. The game has many aspects to it - resource management, building, negotiation, bluffing, and much more. I thought it was sleekly designed, with interesting mechanisms and a good amount of strategy. The game moves fairly quickly and there’s a lot of interaction.
One more thing - I was very impressed with the rulebook. I know it’s very hard to write good rules, but the rulebook for Graenaland was excellent - very clear and well written.
Obviously I like this one a lot - it’s one of my favorites of the Essen lot so far.
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Game (Prototype) |  A Player Card (Prototype) |
Links:
Czech Board Games website (in English)
|
 Legie (Legion)
Publisher: Czech Board Games
Designer: Zbynek Vrana
Players: 2
Ages: 10+
Playing Time: 10-30 Minutes
Here's a description of the game from Czech Board Games:
Legion – What do you imagine when you hear that word???
Never ending drill, steel, blood, sweat... Glorious victories and cruel loses… The armors glittering in the morning sun… Marching night and day without any rest… Dusty roads of exotic countries… Dry deserts and sky high mountain trails… Death waiting on the battlefields and on the roads… And all of this is a part of life of the simple soldiers as well as the generals… All of this is Legion.
In this game you become the leader of the group of soldiers not scared of any battle or any enemy, faithful to the death. Your quest might seem to be simple - defeat the enemy and acquire the land. But it is far from being that simple. The enemy has the same goal and his army is committed to it. The order has been given, it's time to win the battle… or die.
Legion is an abstract strategy game for two players. Simple rules, easy to learn during the first game do not limit the amount of options of the game development. Every game is unique, has different evolution and different ending. You can play attacking strategy, try o acquire as much land as possible and push the enemy away form it. On the other hand you can decide to build strong and maybe unbreakable defense. Don't get frustrated by losing some of your units, in this game, they can return to the battlefield as strong as they were before.
- Simple and elegant rules can be explained in five minutes.
- Unique mechanisms you are going to like.
- The situation on the battlefield changes every minute. Great losses do not mean certain defeat.
- Included scenarios for advanced players bring the feeling of the real battles.
- The landscape might mean either advantages or disadvantages. Do not forget to consider it while making your battle plans.
- Great amount of options, that assures very high level of replayability.
- Compact box and game components are ideal for traveling. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |  The Game |
Links:
Czech Board Games website (in English)
|
 daVinci Games (dV Games)
|
Figaro
Publisher: daVinci Games
Designer: Reiner Knizia
Artist: Daniele Barletta
Graphic Designer: Roberta Barletta
Players: 3-6
Ages: 8+
Playing Time: 20-30 Minutes
Rules Languages: Italian and English / German, French and Dutch
North American Distributor: Figaro (Mayfair Games)
German Distributor: Figaro (Abacusspiele)
Here is a description of the game from daVinci Games:
Can your fool help the King? Figaro wants to be hired by the King as cook, painter, soldier, singer and wizard! But that's really too much even for a talented... goofy guy as Figaro who always gets into mischief!
CONTENTS:
60 cards
15 road pieces
castle wall
King figure
Linen bag
rules |
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
| The cards have values between 1 and 3 in five different colours. On a player’s turn, he must play a card from his hand – that is, play it in front of himself or another player. However, players may only have cards in one colour and as long as that colour is in front of them, no other colours may be added. As soon as a player has a sum of 6 or more, he has to take all cards that are in front of himself as well as the other players. And so it goes, until nobody has any cards left. The round then ends and path tiles are distributed. |
First Impression by Rick Thornquist (after one playing of a production version):
Figaro is a new card game from daVinci games and Mayfair that’s designed by Reiner Knizia. This is a bit of a change of pace for daVinci as most of their games are from Italian designers.
Figaro is a light card game for 3-6 players ages 8 and up and plays in 20-30 minutes. Players are dealt out cards that are numbered 1, 2 or 3 in a number of different colors. On your turn, you play a card in front of a player (you can even play one on yourself). The restriction: if a color has already been played on a player, it cannot be played on another player - one player will always have the same color cards played on them. Once the total of a player’s cards is six or over, they take all the face up cards on the table (this is bad, you don’t want cards).
Once one player has run out of cards the round ends and players score. The scoring is fairly unique. There are a set of cardboard roads of different lengths and whoever took the most cards gets the longest round - second most cards gets the second longest road etc. You play three rounds and after three rounds you put your roads together in a line - whoever has the SHORTEST line wins.
The game has a few aspects to it. There is a ‘take that!’ element to it - unusual for a Knizia game. It’s simple but there is a little bit of strategy to it - you can make some nice plays to reduce your chances of getting cards (and the long roads).
I actually thought it was a pretty good light game. Don’t go expecting a deep game here - it’s supposed to be fun and light with just a dollop of strategy. I’m personally not wild about the ‘take that!’ aspect, and because of that probably wouldn’t play it that much, but for those who don’t mind that kind of thing I think it may make a nice light family game.
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |  The Game |
Links:
Figaro - English Rules (in PDF format)
Figaro - Italian Rules (in PDF format)
Figaro - German Rules (in PDF format)
Figaro - French Rules (in PDF format)
Figaro - Dutch Rules (in PDF format)
|
 Leonardo da Vinci
Publisher: daVinci Games
Designers: Flaminia Brasini, Virginia Gigli, Stefano Luperto, Antonio Tinto
Developer: Andres J. Voicu
Artist: Stefano De Fazi
Graphic Designer: Stefano De Fazi
Players: 2-5
Ages: 12+
Playing Time: 60-90 Minutes
Rules Language: Italian
Other Language Versions:
English - Leonardo da Vinci (Mayfair Games)
German - Maestro Leonardo (Abacusspiele)
French - Maestro Leonardo (Tilsit)
Note that if you already have this game, or are thinking of getting it, make sure you get the FAQ. There are a few problems with the rules that the FAQ clears up. See the links section below to obtain the FAQ.
Here is a description of the game from daVinci Games:
You are an ingenious Renaissance inventor in the 15th century Florence. You build amazing machines for the Lord of your city. Become a protagonist of this age of unbelievable discoveries, by realizing your inventions! Can you marshal your workers in the most advantageous laboratories, workshops, shops and in the palace plots? Only the best one can compete with the great Leonardo!
CONTENTS:
1 board
5 masters
45 apprentices
10 laboratories
10 work counters
15 mechanical men
25 inventions
60 Component cards
60 Florin cards
Leonardo and 1 Lord of the City, both with base
1 turn marker
1 money marker
4 invention markers
2 summary tables
rules |
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
| Players build inventions in their labs. To accomplish this, they first need raw materials. Then, they have to give their assistants specific instructions. After everything is ready, everyone gets to work. Those who have completed an invention at the end of their turn will be rewarded. |
First Impression by Rick Thornquist (after one playing of a prototype):
daVinci is known as a publisher of smaller family-type board games or card games - this one looks to be their first foray into the world of big box boardgames for gamers. The game plays from two to five players.
In Leonardo daVinci, players are creating inventions in their laboratories. Each player has a set of guys plus a master craftsman that they use to create these inventions. The inventions that are created yield cash and the player with the most money at the end of the game wins.
At the beginning of every turn, players can allocate some of their resources (wood, brick, glass, etc) to create an invention. The rest of the turn is sort of Caylus-like. Players take turns allocating their guys to different tasks - working in the labs, recruiting more guys, gathering resources, upgrading their labs, etc. After all the guys are allocated they are resolved. The resolution is somewhat unique - many players can allocate their guys to one thing and they are all able to do the action, but some may have to pay (due to a unique sort of auction). At the end of the turn, any inventions which are complete are scored and get money.
There's a bit more than that to the game - it is a bit involved. It's medium / heavy weight and I actually found it played very nicely and had some nice strategies. I quite liked it. Note that the version I played is still being tweaked and may be different when it finally comes out. The game is to be released in the August / September timeframe and I'm looking forward to picking up a copy.
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front (English Version) |  The Game |  The Board |
Links:
Leonardo da Vinci- English Rules (in PDF format)
Leonardo da Vinci- Italian Rules (in PDF format)
Leonardo da Vinci- German Rules (in PDF format)
Leonardo da Vinci- French Rules (in PDF format)
Leonardo da Vinci- Dutch Rules (in PDF format)
Leonardo da Vinci- English FAQ (in PDF format)
Leonardo da Vinci- Italian FAQ (in PDF format)
Leonardo da Vinci- German FAQ (in PDF format)
|
 Days of Wonder
|
 BattleLore
Publisher: Days of Wonder
Designers: Richard Borg in collaboration with Days of Wonder
Players: 2 (or 2 Teams)
Ages: 10+
Playing Time: 60 Minutes
Language Versions: English, French and German
Price: 70.00€ / 70.00 US$
This game will be presented at Essen only as a demo.
Here's a description of the game by Boardgame News editor Rick Thornquist, from an interview with Eric Hautemont and Mark Kaufmann of Days of Wonder:
BattleLore is going to be Days of Wonder's next big box game and this one is going to be very big. At its core, BattleLore is a fantasy version of Memoir '44 but the game goes way, way beyond that. It's actually the beginning of a completely new open-ended game system that has been in development for a number of years now.
The theme of the game is historical fantasy battles. The setting will start in late medieval Europe and then progress beyond reality into a fantasy setting. The first of the scenarios, which are called adventures, will feature the Battle of Agincourt. Subsequent adventures will add more fantastic creatures such as dwarves, goblins, and much more. Each adventure allows players to customize their forces, allowing for greater replayability.
The BattleLore box will have the same footprint as the standard Days of Wonder big box, but it will be 50% deeper and packed with components. Days of Wonder is already planning to support the game with many expansions and these expansions will take a number of forms. There will be traditional boxed expansions, a la Memoir '44, and currently there are two waves of these planned - one for June of 2007 and the other for October 2007 (Essen). There will also be blister packs with additional cards, creatures, or other game components - these are to be released monthly, starting in March 2007.
Days of Wonder is planning to support the game in a big way via their website www.battlelore.com. Leading up to the release of the game, they will be posting information about the game in the BattleLore Chronicles weblog on the site. Days of Wonder is looking to foster a community around the game and have players use the game as a toolbox to create their own adventures via the BattleLore Online Adventures Editor, which will be available free of charge to every owner of a single copy of BattleLore. Player created adventures may also be published as expansions by Days of Wonder.
And yes, this is the game referred to by 'The start of something big, very BIG!' teaser card in Days of Wonder's recent games. The big foot on the teaser card refers to a Hill Giant promotional miniature that will come in a blister pack along summary cards explaining how the creature works as well as the creature's lair - an illustrated hex with unique terrain effects. This miniature will be shipped to retail stores in Mid October 2006 and will be available in advance of the release of the game - you will get it from your retailer right when you pre-order the game (those that pre-order the game from Days of Wonder will be mailed the miniature). Also available in advance of the release will be The BattleLore Primer, an 8-12 page booklet that will describe the game system, available for free from your retailer or by downloading it from Days of Wonder.
BattleLore will be demoed at the Essen game fair and will be generally released in Late November 2006. |
Here's a description of the game from the Days of Wonder press release:
Days of Wonder announces BattleLoreâ„¢ - a game of Epic Fantasy Adventures
New game system bridges the world of board games and miniature games.
Los Altos, CA; Paris, France – September 8, 2006. Days of Wonder, a leading publisher of top quality board games, today announced their newest, most ambitious project to date, the BattleLore™ game system. The world of BattleLore meshes history and fantasy together - putting players in command of a vast array of miniature troops on the battlefields of a Medieval Europe Uchronia at the outset of the Hundred Years War.
Drawing on the strengths of its own best-selling and critically acclaimed Memoir ’44™, Days of Wonder’s newest game takes the time-tested, card-driven mechanics to a whole new level and offers gamers and role-players a unique twist on epic fantasy. Game play takes place on a largescale hex board filled with armies, legendary races and monstrous creatures that fight over varied terrain and landmarks to capture the enemy’s banners in a series of unique Adventures.
Powerful Lore Masters, such as Wizards, Clerics, Warriors and Rogues gathered in customizable War Councils; Mercenary bands chosen from among mythical races such as the Iron Dwarves of Northern England; and Monstrous Creatures all complement the dizzying array of possibilities and tough choices that will face players as they venture in the World of BattleLore.
Building on years of experience producing the industry’s most appealing board games, Days of Wonder raises the bar several notches higher with this new release. BattleLore’s over two hundred miniatures use a new patent-pending, Banner Bearer™ mechanic to provide both a visually stunning new look to a players’ armies and to display all the unit-specific information that was traditionally compiled in unwieldy army booklets, reference sheets, or hard-to-read wheelbases.
“Not just another game, or the latest game system fad, BattleLore is a foundation game for us - something we first envisioned long before we even started the company and that hearkens back to the days we first discovered Chainmail™�, said Days of Wonder CEO, Eric Hautemont. “As a project, BattleLore has been years in the making, yet what we are delivering this fall only lays the groundwork for the future. The coming years will hold many surprises for both resellers and game enthusiasts worldwide.�
BattleLore includes: over 210 highly detailed plastic miniatures, including 58 banner bearers; an extensive Player's Guide, with separate Adventures Booklet; a double-sided battlemap; 46 Terrain and Landmark tiles; 60 Command cards; 60 Lore cards; 48 Summary cards; 2 War Council sheets; 24 Lore Master Tokens; 12 Battle dice; and a Days of Wonder Online Access Number, giving players free access to the BattleLore Online Adventures Editor. BattleLore is for 2 players (or 2 teams), ages 10 and up and takes approximately 60 minutes to play.
The game is expected to be available in late November in both North America and Europe in English, French and German. Suggested retail price is US $70.00 and €70.00.
A promotional miniature, the Hill Giant, packed in a blister complete with figure, banner and lair, will be available through friendly local game stores and the Days of Wonder web site to any customer who pre-orders the game ahead of its actual release. A second promotional miniature, the Earth Elemental, will be available through a variety of sources including conventions and demo events leading to the game's release. The BattleLore Primer, a printed piece that further describes the BattleLore game system, will be available free of charge through the same channels starting in early October. Additional game information will also be posted online weekly in the newly launched BattleLore Chronicles weblog at www.battlelore.com. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |  The Game |  Spider Illustration |  Swordsman Illustration |  A Dwarf Banner Bearer Miniature |  A Landmark Tile |
Links:
BattleLore website
|
 Memoir '44 Pacific Theatre
Publisher: Days of Wonder
Designer: Richard Borg
This is an expansion for Memoir '44 that includes the Japanese army.
Here is a description of the expansion from Days of Wonder:
From the jungles of Japanese-occupied Burma to the desolate slopes of long-forgotten atolls, discover this latest exciting expansion for Memoir '44! The Pacific Theater expansion introduces new units (Chindits, Japanese Giretsu Special Forces, US Marines), new weapons (Mobile Artillery, Flame throwing Tanks), new terrains and features (rope bridges, aircraft carriers, warships, caves...) and new figures (Japanese Infantry, Ha-Go Light Tanks and 75mm AA Guns), and more...
Revive some of the most ferocious battles of WWII like Iwo Jima or Okinawa! Use new rules, like the Japanese "Banzai!" war cry or the Marines' "Gung Ho" rally cry to win the battle!
Each copy of the Pacific Theater will include its own Web Card code. When used in combination with an existing M44 Web Card code, this number will give you access to the Scenario Editor.
The cardboard of the inner box will be of a thicker stock than previously released expansions. Reprints of these will also use this new, thicker stock.
While there won't be any summary cards in this expansion, we will release a full, updated summary deck covering both the core game and all its expansions, later this year. This deck will be available free of charge at all conventions we attend, and for a simple shipping and handling charge from our web site.
Richard Borg has really outdone himself again with this new expansion! Come back soon for more information, as we will be posting the rules shortly. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |  The Box Back |  The Game |
Links:
Memoir '44 Pacific Theatre website
|
 Ticket to Ride - USA 1910
Publisher: Days of Wonder
Designer: Alan R. Moon
Price: 15 € / 15 US$
This is a small Ticket to Ride expansion for the original Ticket to Ride game.
Here is a description of the expansion from Days of Wonder:
| Ticket to Ride - USA 1910 is a new card expansion for the original Ticket to Ride board game. It consists of 181 new large format cards (the same size as Ticket to Ride Europe and Marklin), that include: 35 new Destination Tickets, a new "GlobeTrotter" bonus card for completing the most tickets, plus a complete replacement deck of all the cards from the original game deck. Also included is a new rulebook that gives Ticket to Ride players three new ways to play the game including 1910 rules - games using only the new Destination Tickets; the Mega Game, featuring all the tickets; and Big Cities, which uses only tickets to certain large cities. Ticket to Ride - USA 1910 will come in a distinctive, 2-piece metal box. |
First Impression by Valerie Putman (after one playing of a prototype):
Players who find they are anticipating their opponents' moves based on their knowledge of the destination tickets in the original Ticket to Ride will enjoy having an entirely new set of destination cards to learn. The game play is completely unchanged with no additional rules. For gamers that use this version of Ticket to Ride as a gateway game, it will have a fresh feel for the experienced players without changing the complexity for new gamers.
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |  A Ticket Card (Small Picture) |  The GlobeTrotter Card (Small Picture) |
|
 Der Knetmatz
|
 Farbteufel (Colour Devil)
Publisher: Der Knetmatz
Designers: Nicole Stiehl, Till Meyer, Volker Nebel
Players: 2-6
Ages: 6+
Playing Time: 10-30 Minutes
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
Farbteufel (Colour Devil) was developed by Nicole Stiehl, Till Meyer and Volker Nebel. The players mix their favourite colours out of the primary colours red, blue and yellow. The player who mixed the best wins.
Sadly, there is only a single paint pot in which all players must mix and so sometimes a colour comes out that nobody can use. The object, then, is to take the other players' plans into account and make use of them. In the process, players learn what a primary colour is, which primary colours combine to make orange or green, and what a complementary colour is.
In its simplest form, Farbteufel is a game for children 6 and up, but in its most difficult variation tactical elements are added that make it a challenging game even for adults. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box |  The Game |
|
|
Don & Co.
|
GIPF Set 3
Publisher: Don & Co.
Designer: Kris Burm
Players: 2
Here is a description of the game from Don & Co.:
| We will have a small quantity of GIPF Set 3 ready for the fair in Essen. Set 3 will contain 6 white and 6 black YINSH-potentials, 6 white and 6 black PÃœNCT-potentials, and 3 white and 3 black extra GIPF-pieces to play "Ultimate GIPF". For the very brave amongst you: that is GIPF with 21 basic pieces and all 5 different kinds of potentials. |
|
 Doris & Frank
|
Arche Extra Mix
Publisher: Doris & Frank
Designer: Frank Nestel?
Artists: Doris Matthäus?, Christoph Tisch, Harald Lieske, Viktor Boden, Oliver Freudenreich
Other Language Versions:
English - 'Ark Expansion' (Rio Grande Games)
This is an expansion for Arche Opti Mix, published by Doris & Frank in 2005 (the English edition was titled Ark and was published by Rio Grande Games) .
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
| After releasing Arche Opti Mix last year, Doris & Frank noticed that there were still too many endangered species left behind, such as the dreaded woodworm and the aggressive feed. Thanks to helping hands from artist friends, this year brings Arche Extra Mix, an additional set of 20 cards illustrated by Christof Tisch, Harald Lieske, Viktor Boden and Oliver Freudenreich. Also included is a rules summary card. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Dreaded Woodworm Card |  The Aggressive Proviant Card |
|
 Drei Magier Spiele
|
 Das Geheimnis von Mont Saint Michel (The Secret of Mont Saint Michel)
Publisher: Drei Magier Spiele
Designers: Kappler and Rüttinger
Players: 2-5 (This may be 2-4)
Ages: 10+
Playing Time: 30 Minutes
Here is a description of the game from the distributor, Schmidt Spiele:
| Have you heard? Secret messages are recing back and forth across the famous monastery mountain. But which are true? And which are lies? No wonder that mistrust dominates the secret proceedings. Only with intuition and logic can you get on the right track to the secret. And it could all be so easy - after all, the mesages really are hiding within the playing figures. The Secret of Mont Saint Michel: on the search for truth. |
Here is a description of the game from Adam Spielt:
Secret messages are being sent around the mountain monastery. But which ones are lies?
Suspicions are casting a shadow over the meeting. Only with intuition and deduction will you be able to get on the trail of the secret. And it could have been so easy, since the messages actually do reside within the figures.
Entertaining deduction game with breathtaking mood! |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |
|
 Edition Erlkönig
|
Tschuck
Publisher: Edition Erlkönig
Designer: Heinrich Glumpler
The game will be at Essen only as a prototype.
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
Tschuck…
…should be
a little puzzle
just for you,
but also – for two. |
|
 Eggertspiele
|
 Imperial
Publisher: Eggertspiele
Designer: Mac Gerdts
Artist: Matthias Catrein
Players: 2-6
Ages: 12+
Playing Time: 120-180 Minutes
North American Distributor: Imperial (Rio Grande Games)
Price: 59.95 US$
Note for all Eggertspiele games: Eggertspiele will be located in three places at this year's fair: Stand 12-46 is the main booth for the press and dealers and is where Spacedealer and John Silver will be shown. 12-02 is for the newly-outfitted Antike, and 9-34 is where the new game Imperial will be shown off.
This one as described as a 'sister game' to last year's Eggertspiele game Antike.
Here is a description of the game from Rio Grande Games:
Europe in the age of imperialism. Internationally operating financial investors aim for the highest political influence in Europe. Great Britain, German Reich, Russian Empire, Austria-Hungary, Kingdom of Italy, and Republic of France are each controlled by different investors. The six imperial nations build factories, troops and fleets to expand their power in Europe. They collect taxes from occupied regions to pay interests to their investors. As financial control over the imperial nations changes, there are always new strategic alliances and conflicts emerging between them.
The players represent internationally operating investors who stay in the background. There are always six imperial nations acting in the game, no matter how many investors take part. Only the investor who gets the best return on his investments, who controls the most powerful imperial nations, and who shows the best diplomatic skill, may win the game!
Imperial is a challenging strategy game without any luck of cards or dice. 2 to 6 players take over the role of internationally operating financial investors and control European diplomacy in imperial times. Playtime is about 2 hours. |
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
| Imperial is a 'sister game' to last year's Antike and is by the same author: Mac Gerdts. It is a strategy game without cards or dice. It is set in Europe during the age of Imperialism. The six European powers (England, France, Russia, Italy, Austria-Hungary and Germany) are controlled by financial investors. They build factories, fleets and troops to expand their power. Occupied territories must pay a tax so that the investors can show a profit. |
Here is a description of the game from Eggertspiele:
Europe in the age of imperialism!
International investors compete to exert the greatest influence in Europe. With their wealth and granting of credit, they control the politics of the great European powers prior to World War 1. The nations build factories, fleets and armies. They expand, wage war, and levy taxes to pay the interest to their investors.
Each player becomes an international investor, and at the start, controls at least one European power. Through new credit, the control over nations can change, as can the number of nations controlled by a single investor. The changes in the European balance of power constantly lead to new playing situations, strategic alliances, and conflicts.
Imperial is an event-packed strategy game, independent of the luck of cards or dice. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |  The Game |
|
 John Silver
Publisher: Eggertspiele
Designer: Martin Schlegel
Artist: Malte Olbertz
Graphic Designer: Birgit Stolte
Players: 2-4
Ages: 10+
Playing Time: 30 Minutes
Here's a description of the game from Eggertspiele:
Naturally you want to grab most coins. And gladly gives you many apples to your right neighbour. However not from generosity, but because you with John Silver around the corner think must. But even if you worry intensively about coins and apples, you may not lose sight of the letters with the black mark!
With John Silver slips each player into a role as pirate and receives six cards. There are 3 categories: treasure chest, pirate und pirate ship. The players form a row for each card category and player, into which the respective cards are put down. If a row is full, it comes to a judgement. The card with the second highest number is put to the card with the highest number and the secondarylowest card moves to the lowest. The two players, with whose pirates cards lie now, take the cards.
Each apple and each coin bring pluses to you, Cards with the black mark against it points of minus. Deceitful is however the apple: This is passed on to the left neighbour and brings there the points.
John Silver is a tactical game, with which you around the corner think must. 2-4 players must lay their cards out carefully considered. And if it go wrong: At one duration of 30 minutes you make it better with next time. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |  The Box Back |  The John Silver Card |  The Pirate Card |  The Pirate Ship Card |  The Treasure Chest Card |  An Example Card |  An Example Card |
Links:
John Silver Picture
|
 Space Dealer
Publisher: Eggertspiele
Designer: Tobias Stapelfeldt
Artist: Patrick Schoden
Graphic Design: Birgit Stolte
Players: 3-4 (-8)
Ages: 10+
Playing Time: 30 Minutes
This is a new game from the co-designer of Neuland, published by Eggertspiele in 2004.
Here is a description of the game from Eggertspiele:
| The players equip their planet, explore and use technologies, and produce goods. With their spaceships, they fly to the other players' planets in order to satisfy their demands by delivering required goods. While they are doing all these things, time is running as all players play simultaneously, and each player has only two sand timers to coordinate all actions. As soon as a sand timer, standing on a specific spot, has run out, the appropriate action takes effect. |
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
| In 2004, Tobias Stapelfeld made his debut with Neuland. This year comes Space Dealer, an interplanetary real-time game: Near-endless raw material reserves, enormous mining complexes and sprawling megacities - your planet has developed into the most important trading entity in the entire star system. Your most important ally in this rise: time. You direct the story of your planet by tactically using running sand timers in conjunction with your opponents. Time determines the production of goods, the movement of spaceships and the construction of buildings. Only the player who keeps the best oversight of which actions will occur where and when will win. After exactly 30 minutes, the answer to who best developed their planet's trading might will be found. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |
Links:
Space Dealer Prototype Picture at Reich der Spiele
|
 Elven Ear Games
|
 Tavern
Publisher: Elven Ear Games
Designer: Thomas Jansen
Players: 2
Rules Languages: English, Dutch and German
Note that Elven Ear Games will not have their own booth at Essen, but the game will be available at the booth of the distributor Vendetta (5-101).
Here is a description of the game from Elven Ear Games:
What does an adventurer do who is tired of treasure hunting defeating dragons and saving the world? Exactly! He will find a tavern to sit there and enjoy a lovely drink… or two… or more…
Goal of the game
Tavern is a game for 2 players. Each player is the owner of a tavern. They try to attract customers. They collect points by serving their guests drinks and keeping them in their tavern as long as they can. The player who has collected most points after two rounds (day and night) is the winner of the game.
What's the game about?
Dwarfs, elves, orcs and other strange beings visit your tavern. Try to serve them enough drinks and keep the good atmosphere. Unfortunately, you can't control everything. Some times customers drink to much and get drunk. Then, a tavern fight is inevitable.
Play it smart. Try to send bad customers to your opponent's tavern, so others will leave.
At night the crowd gets worse. Trolls, goblins and maybe even a dragon will visit your pub. When the night is over, we'll see who is the best tavern owner!
|
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |  The Box Back |  Some Guest Cards |
|
 Esagek
|
 Esagek
Publisher: Esagek
Designer: Claudio Gelosa
Players: 1-6
Ages: 8+
Playing Time: 5-20 Minutes
Rules Languages: German, Italian and English
Claudio Gelosa will have 200 limited, numbered and signed copies of the game for sale at booth 4-65. Price is 27 Euros, unless you pre-order, in which case the price drops to 25 Euros. To reserve a copy, send an email with the subject "Reserve for Essen 2006" to info@esagek.com, including your name and address (including country) as well as how many copies you would like (max. of 3 per person).
Here is a description of the game from Esagek:
Esagek is the game where the board is active part in the strategy. This is the secret and the innovation of Esagek: the game board, it's composed by seven bordering hexagons where a simple, but clever, mechanism allows every and each hexagon to spin without changing the position of other six hexagons.
That's the idea who gets very interesting this game and who challenges the opponents until the game is finished, because in every moment the presumable defeated player can turn his status so to aspire to the victory.
The second. but not secondary. characteristic of Esagek is to allow enthusiastic challenges to a variable number of players; this because Esagek is thought to be played alone, one versus one and for several people (till six players).
Last, but not least, the characteristic who places Esagek as the unique: the "convertability"
Esagek is provided in its standard version (it looks as a classic game board), but more than 10 different "expansions" are already created; with the simple substitution of seven hexagons you can play a completely new game, so Esagek is able to satisfy every kind of player's needs inside a family: from the kids to the "great strategist". |
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
Esagek isn’t actually a publisher, it’s the name of a game that author Claudio Gelosa is still looking for a publisher for. The game board for Esagek consists of seven adjacent hexes, fastened so that they can be easily rotated while not moving / disturbing the adjacent hexes. Esagek offers many challenges for 1 to 6 players.
In the basic version, Esagek offers 4 different games. 10 additional ‘expansions’ are planned so that a multitude of games are possible. Thus, the gaming wishes of the entire family can be satisfied, from the smallest to the largest. |
First Impression by Andrea "Liga" Ligabue (after two playings of a final version prototype):
Esagek is an abstract game that is reminicient of Chinese Chekers. My first impression is based only on the Invasion game, but you can play Esagek in many different ways, with different rules. I think we have to think of Esagek more as a more of a special tricky chessboard than as a standalone game. The chessboard is made with 7 rotating hexes: one central and six all around it. Every hex is divided in 6 triangular boxes.
In the Invasion game, for 2 to 6 players, you start the game with 6 pawns in one of the six external hexes and to win you have to put 3 of your pawns in the central hex.
You move your pawns from a triangular box to another one across the sides. Instead of moving you can just rotate 60 degrees one hex that contains at least one of your pawns. You are not allowed to rotate an hex that was just rotated by another player. To capture an enemy pawn it must be in an adiacent (side by side) triangular box and you just have to jump over it finishing in the empty opposite triangular box (the one that touches the corner opposite to the side you come form). Like in checkers you can capture more than one enemy pawn just making a series of combined regular jumps. You are not limited in moving just ahead - you can go in any direction. As soon as you lose your 4th pawn you are out of the game but your pawns stay on the board. The first player whose 3rd pawn is in the central hex or the last one having at least three pawns on the board is the winner.
The way you capture enemy pawns is not immediate (since you usually are not allowed to move along the corners but just only along the sides) and what’s also very nice is that the capture movement is not symmetric (so you can just reach a triangular box by capturing an enemy pawn but you are not allowed to go back in the box occupied by the enemy pawn in the following movement).
The two games I have played has been fun. I’m not really attracted to abstract games but the Esagek board is very nice and having the possibility to rotate the hexes instead of moving pawns really opens a lot of new strategies and possibilities not usually allowed in other chessboard games. I think it could be a nice game for people that like abstract games and also the great number of variants could improve the game’s longevity.
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |  The Box Back |  The Board |  The Game |
Links:
Esagek website (in Italian and English)
|
 Eulenspiele
|
 Doppel(s)pass
Publisher: Eulenspiele
Designer: Jürgen Michel
Players: 2
Ages: 10+
Playing Time: 30-45 Minutes
Price: 22.90 €
Here are the rules for the game from Eulenspiele:
Win the World Cup in One-Two-Fun©
Combination Soccer for 2 clever kickers
by Jürgen Michel
Translated by Bruce Allen
Introduction - short version
A player wins by scoring more goals than his or her opponent.
Both players play with the same 3 markers. Each marker represents both soccer player and ball. Markers move in a straight line along the lines on the board, counting distance from intersection to intersection. It is not allowed to jump onto or over a marker, or to move a marker towards your side of the board (Except: corner kick).
For kick-off place the 3 markers on the centre line within the kick-off circle and set the cubes on the scoring tracks to ’0’.
A turn consists of moving 2 markers. (Except: penalty kick, free kick, corner kick)
The player rolls both dice. The result of each die determines how far a marker of the player's choice moves. No marker may be moved twice during one turn.
With the result of one of the dice, the player moves the first marker either to the left, to the right, or diagonally forward towards the opponent's side. With the result of the other die, the player must move one of the other markers diagonally forward towards the opponent's side, so that it travels across the line that connects the marker moved first to the marker that remained stationary. As long as the player can complete his/her turn according to these rules, s/he can take another turn. If the result of the dice roll prevents a valid play, the markers are left in their positions and it is the opponent's turn.
Scoring (a goal): To score a goal, a marker must, within the same move, first cross the line connecting the other two markers, then cross the goal-line. Only the marker moved second may score a goal (Except: direct free kick, penalty kick). When scoring a goal (and only then!), the die roll used to move the scoring marker may be higher than necessary. After a goal has been scored and marked on the scoring track, the opponent sets the 3 markers on the centre line in the kick-off circle and takes his/her turn.
Dice Roll: "Two-of-a-kind" result
The player may choose one of the following:
1. "Advantage": Play on as usual, but with a "two-of-a-kind" result in this case.
2. "Direct free kick": The player is allowed to add the results of the dice and move one marker only: This move must be diagonally forward towards the opponent's side, and across the line connecting the other two markers. It is possible to score a goal, if the goal-line is crossed too.
3. "Indirect free kick": The player re-rolls the dice.
"1-1" Roll: Penalty kick, if at least one marker is in the opponent's penalty area.
The player chooses one marker, sets it on the penalty point, moves any other marker from inside the penalty area to any space adjacent to it, and rolls one die. If s/he rolls a "1" or a "2" s/he misses (falls short), with a "3", "4", "5", or "6" s/he scores. Missing a penalty kick always results in a turnover; the markers are left in the positions they take after the kick and it is the opponent's turn.
Corner kick: If one of the markers is in a corner-kick position at the beginning of a turn, the player is allowed to choose one or both of the dice to move this marker straight backwards, or diagonally backwards, or along the goal-line. S/he is not allowed to move another marker in this turn after taking this option; the player has to roll the dice again to continue play with his/her next turn.
End of the game: The first to score 7 goals wins.
For Professional Soccer Players:
Goalkeepers are introduced to the game. The player may move his/her goalkeeper one space in any direction, before the player whose turn it is rolls the dice. The goalkeeper blocks only the space he occupies, other markers can jump over the goalkeeper - even lob over him - to score a goal.
Blocking a penalty kick. The goalkeeper blocks a penalty kick if his player rolls the same as the shooter did.
Variants: (for a longer match!)
1. The goalkeeper blocks any scoring shot that passes over him if his owner rolls the same result as the shooter used for the shot. When defending against a "direct free kick", the player can choose whether to roll both dice or only one die, only the totals are compared (e.g. 4+6 defends against 5+5; or 6 against 3+3). If successfully blocked, the marker is set on the goalkeeper, whose player takes his or her turn.
2. Only the marker moved first can jump over the goalkeeper.
3. Only the marker moved second can jump over the goalkeeper.
4. No marker can jump over the goalkeeper.
Please notice: Further details in the complete game rules! |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |  The Game |
|
 Face2Face Games
|
 Genesis
Publisher: Face2Face Games
Designer: Reiner Knizia
Artist: Paul (Prof) Herbert
Players: 2-4
Ages: 10+
Playing Time: 30-45 Minutes
Rules Languages: English and French
Genesis is a new Reiner Knizia game.
Here is a description of the game from Face2Face Games:
The time is 250 million years ago, the place is the super-continent Pangaea. A devastated Earth has just undergone its greatest extinction and now Pangaea itself is splitting up. But this is not the end, it is a new beginning. As time passes the continents take shape. Forest, savannah, mountains and wetlands appear. Animals evolve, and strong species compete for their territories. As life battles life, the question “Who will rule the earth?� remains unanswered.
In Genesis you play the part of great reptiles, dangerous dinosaurs, powerful mammals or cunning man establishing yourself in the new ecosystems on the barren earth as you strive for world dominance. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |  The Game |
Links:
Genesis Rules (in PDF format)
|
 Fanpro
|
 Drachenjäger von Xorlosch (Dragonhunters of Xorlosch)
Publisher: Fanpro
Designer: Folker Jung
Artists: Zoltan Boros / Agentur Kohlstedt, Gabor Szugyi and Laszlo Liptak / Agentur Kohlstedt, Michael Nietzer
Players: 2-6
Ages: 10+
Playing Time: 60 Minutes
Price: 24.95 €
Release Date: Released
Here is a description of the game from the rules:
Game Idea
The presence of dragons is a constant threat for the dwarf kingdom of Xorlosch, and everyday the Dragonhunters are doing their best to protect the population. Each day brings countless new tasks, each of them more important that the previous one, and with not a second to waste. Solve them! Let your group of trusted dwarfs be the fastest one! For their own fame but also for their friends and families in the kingdom of Xorlosch they will make sure that nobody has to live in fear of the dragons. Everyone is counting on you.
The Goal
The Dragon Academy has prepared 13 difficult Quests, huge challenges that are made up of many single Tasks. Lead your group of dwarfs with skill and cleverness to achieve as many quests and tasks as fast as possible. With every successful quest your group‘s experience will grow to allow you to solve the later quests with greater skill. The group that fulfills the most tasks will win the game. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |  The Box Back |
Links:
Dragonhunters of Xorlosch - English Rules (in PDF format)
Drachenjäger von Xorlosch - German Rules (in PDF format)
Dragonhunters of Xorlosch - Production Diary - in German, but with lots of pictures
|
 Fantasy Flight Games
|
Blue Moon - Buka Invasion
Fantasy Flight Games is publishing an English version of Blue Moon - Die Buka - Invasion (Kosmos) to be titled Blue Moon - Buka Invasion.
|
Perikles
Fantasy Flight Games is distributing Perikles (Warfrog / Esdevium Games) in North America.
|
 Fata Morgana
|
 Millionen von Schwalben (Millions of Dives)
Publisher: Fata Morgana
Designer: Urs Hostettler
Players: 3-6
Ages: 10+
Playing Time: 2 Hours (This may be 2-4 Hours)
Price: 24.00 €
This looks to be card-based soccer game.
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |
|
 Ferti
|
 Polarity
Publisher: Ferti
Price: 27 €
Note for all Ferti games: You can preorder any game by emailing rody@ferti-games.com, with your first name and last name.
FERTI has become the exclusive distributor of Polarity in Europe (except
in England). There will be only 97 copies of the game at the fair.
Here is a description of the game from Ferti:
The new edition of Polarity will be shown at the fair : the game material is exactly the same as the game you know, but the rules have entirely been rewritten (there are now very clear), and the packaging is more attractive (the box has been totally redesigned).
A short description :
Polarity is much more than just a Game: It truly is a unique and incredible experience! You won’t believe your eyes as you watch magnetic forces enabling play disks, in face up positions, to gently float or lean in mid air!
To win, a player must use skill and strategy to cause the faults of his opponents. The magic of Polarity is to enable all players young or old, experienced or inexperienced to feel and see the wonders of this remarkable game of magnets. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box |  The Game |
|
  Pitchcar Expansion 2 (Regular and Mini)
Publisher: Ferti
Price: 26 € (Regular) / 17 € (Mini)
This expansion is available for either the regular or mini versions of the game.
Here is a description of the expansion from Ferti:
| PitchCar Expansion 2 contains:
- 4 new 45° curves,
- 2 new curves to be able to do crossroads,
- 2 classic straight lines. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box (Regular) |  The Box (Mini) |  A Track Example |  A Track Example |
|
Pitchcar Special Long Straights (Regular and Mini)
Publisher: Ferti
Price: 17 € (Regular) / 13 € (Mini)
This expansion is available for either the regular or mini versions of the game.
Here is a description of the expansion from Ferti:
| This expansion is a set of two long straight lines. Each long line is equivalent to 4 normal straight lines. Be careful, it's a very limited edition. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Special Long Straights |
|
 Siam de Luxe
Publisher: Ferti
Price: 52 €
This is a new, large and luxurious version of Siam. It is 36 cm long.
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box |
|
 Siam Travel
Publisher: Ferti
Price: 23 €
This is a new, smaller travel version of Siam. It is 17 cm long.
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box |
|
 Whoopies
Publisher: Ferti
Price: 24 €
This is a new, smaller travel version of Siam. It is 17 cm long.
Here is a description of the game from Ferti:
Our new game for children is Whoopies, a game which won in the past the french designer contest of Boulogne-Billancourt.
Here is a description of the game :
The Whoopies are strange and untameable creatures from a distant planet. To tame them, you have to steal their gems, only by catching them by the end of their tales. To play the game, throw the Whoopies on the table. The cords now form a maze. Catch the Whoopie pointed out as quickly as possible. To win the game, prove your sense of observation and be like a flash. Electrical atmosphere guaranteed in every home. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box |  The Game |
|
 Fragor Games
|
Hameln
Publisher: Fragor Games
Designers: Fraser Lamont and Gordon Lamont
Players: 3-5
Ages: 12+
Playing Time: 60 Minutes
Price: 35.00 €
This is Fragor Games' third game after Leapfrog and Shear Panic. This game, as opposed to the first two games, will be professionally produced. The theme is based on the folk tale The Pied Piper of Hamelin.
The print run for this game is 1000 copies. The game was available for pre-order, but as of August 31, 2006 all of the copies have been spoken for - the game has sold out. We've been informed by Gordon Lamont of Fragor that another print run wouldn't be ready in time for Essen, but they are otherwise considering their options.
Here is a description of the game from BoardgameGeek:
Welcome to the 14th Century town of Hameln (Hamlyn). Townspeople go about the business of living - buying houses, having children, marrying, earning an honest coin and trying to get one up on their neighbours.
However, their way of life is under threat...a plague of rats has arrived. As the number of rats rise the levels of food and romantic thoughts dwindle.... where is the Pied Piper when you need him ? Beware though, the Pied Piper plays his music at a price and his talents stretch beyond simply charming rats.
Players score points for houses, influence, money and possession of the cat. Losing children to the Pied Piper is considered bad form and will lose you points. |
Here is a description of the game from Fragor Games:
Players play the part of a family in Hameln around about the year 1284. During the course of the game, families will marry, buy new houses (production and influence), increase their food (meat, ale, cheese and bread) and become more influential in the running of the town. However, no-one can stop the arrival of the rats and the Pied Piper will make an appearance 3 times during the course of the game. Families can bribe the Pied Piper to help him clear their houses of rats but money is scarce and the Pied Piper will take children if money is not available to pay him.
Each round, a player chooses to do :
Compulsory actions (one) :
- Use male influence (produces goods)*
- Use female influence (prepare a child to marry)*
- Sell goods or marry and move into a house
(*the year is 1284... in 2006 we know things are different!)
Optional actions (may choose one):
- Buy the cat
- Purchase influence
- Bribe the Pied Piper.
The game is played over 3 rounds, each ending with the appearance of the Pied Piper. Points are scored at the end of the game for occupied houses (that are not over-run with rats), money, influence, owning the cat, rats caught in the rat trap and causing the game to end. Points are deducted for having your children removed by the Pied Piper. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Game |  A Rat and the Pied Piper |  Rats |  Rats with a Cat |  The People |  The Pied Piper and the People |
Links:
Hameln English Rules (in PDF format)
|
 Franjos
|
Sabotage pur
Publisher: Franjos
Designer: Robert Abbott
Players: 2
Ages: 10+
Playing Time: 30 Minutes
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
| Franjos is only bringing a small suitcase to Essen this year. That is to say: there are no big new releases. The only new game is actually not that new - it's a limited edition of a Franjos game from 10 years past: Sabotage Pur (Pure Sabotage) by Robert Abbott. A review circa 1996 can be found in the Spielbox archives. The new edition will, according to the book written by Bob Abbott, consist mostly of cards. The boards in the current Franjos edition will not be included in this edition, likely resulting in a very attractive price. |
|
 The Game Master
|
 10
Publisher: The Game Master
Designer: Hans van Tol
Artist: Yvon-Cheryl Scholten
Players: 2-7
Ages: 7+
Release Date: Released
Here is a description of the game from The Game Master:
| The compact and complete card game 10 with special counters has some fun game elements with bidding and bluffing. Somewhat like Poker. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Game |
|
 Section X
Publisher: The Game Master
Designer: Chislaine van den Bulk
Release Date: August 16, 2006
Here is a description of the game from The Game Master:
When you play Section X, you can organize a break out of a number of prisoners from one of the four cellblocks of an isolated detention facility. From the central island where the prison is located, just outside the coastline of the United States, the prisoners dig their way to freedom. But the players of Section X are allowed to use the tunnels of other prisoners, or block the way out for prisoners of another cellblock.
This exciting escape game of author Chislaine van den Bulk will challenge all players, including the more experienced player. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box |
|
 Games Above Board
|
 Dead Man's Dice
Publisher: Games Above Board
Designer: Martin Samuel
Artist: David Penfound
Players: 2-6
Ages: 7+
Note for all Games Above Board games: The games from Games Above Board will be available at Essen at the booth of their German distributor Giseh Verlag.
Here is a description of the game from BoardGameGeek:
Avast there ye swabs, it's a dice game.
Currently published for 2 players with red and black dice. A 3 or 4-player game is more fun - using sets of purple and white Jolly Roger (skull and crossbones) dice available from Koplow Games.
Pirates take turns rolling dice to build point-scoring piles, by matching like numbers, numbers in succession or sums of 7 and plundering the opponent's dice is not only permitted but strongly advised. Pillaging is not recommended - you have been warned!
Beware the Jolly Roger … double your points and seal victory or get caught holding Dead Man's Dice and be keelhauled to subtract 7 points.
Played round by round - the first to score a total of 100 points wins. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Cover |
|
Mojo
Publisher: Games Above Board
Designer: Martin Samuel
Players: 2
Ages: 8+
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
| Mojo, by Martin Samuel, is played on a mouse pad. The first to get three playing pieces in a row (vertically, horizontally or diagonally) wins. The special playing pieces were produced in India. Mojo Too is similar, but includes a neutral piece. Mojo 2 has two additional pieces. When a player fulfils his victory condition, then the die points on the upper surfaces of his pieces are totalled up. |
Here is a description of the game from BoardGameGeek:
MOJO - 3 in-a-row with a twist of strategy. Taking turns and one at a time, players put their 3 pieces and pawn on the 3 x 3 board. Then, continue by moving any piece or their own pawn to the adjacent empty space. Players may not move the opponent's pawn - which is used as a blocker. Pieces and pawns may not jump over each other and the last piece moved may not be returned to its previous position. The winner is the first with their 3 color pieces in a row - horizontally, vertically or diagonally.
MOJO TOO - similar in principle, played with 3 pieces each and a single neutral pawn that is common to and may be moved by both players. The game starts with the pawn in the center of the board and during play, there is a choice of 2 empty spaces.
MOJO 2 - played, as Mojo and Mojo Too, for points. The playing pieces are original, with individual opposite ends numbered similar to regular dice. It takes all 3 pieces of a color to make up a single die ... but dice they're not! The pieces are placed on the board either end up and always inverted when moved - thereby constantly changing the score. The game may be played for a certain number of rounds or to an agreed points total. The spots on the tops of the pieces in a winning row are added up - the winner is the first to reach the set score. In this way, the best of 5 rounds may be 2 - on points. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Game |
|
 Games for the World
|
 The World Cup Game
Publisher: Games for the World
Designer: Shaun Derrick
Players: 3-16
Ages: 12+
Playing Time: 1-3 Hours
The designer will be showing this game at the JKLM Games booth.
Here is a description of the game from Games for the World:
The World Cup Game is a football (soccer) game that is like no other soccer game. This is the first of its kind that closely resembles the current genre of German-style boardgames that have become so popular in recent years.
It is not a quiz game and it is not a single match style soccer game, but it covers two complete tournaments - the 1930 tournament in Uruguay and the 2002 tournament in Japan and Korea. Two games in one box. The 1930 game takes around an hour to play, while the 2002 game takes around 3 hours to play.
The box is weighty, coming in at just under 2kg, so you get a lot for your money. The components are 2 large boards, 74 National flag tiles, 182 Action tiles, 87 Action cards, 36 Plastic footballs, 4 'blob'dice, 3 scoresheets, a rulebook and the box!
Playing the game:
All participating national teams are allocated randomly to each player. Each player is dealt three cards. You never have more or less than 3 (except for 9+ players in one game). The play is quite simple - play a card, take an action, then replace the card from the stack.
The cards include various numbers of goals, penalties, attack, defence, foul and offside. Each goal, attack, defence and penalty card has a corresponding Action tile . You play the card and place the corresponding tile onto the board against the team that you wish to score the goal or 1/2 goal (in the case of attack) or defence, etc. These are usually your own teams. However, it is not that simple. Each team has a number of 'playing squares' from two to four which are the squares used for placing the Action tiles. The number of squares determines how each team is ranked e.g. In the 1930 game Uruguay have 4 playing squares as they won the real 1930 World Cup. In the 2002 game England have 3 playing squares as they did reasonably well, getting to the quarter-finals. The rankings are based on how each team actually performed during that particular World Cup tournament.
In order to facilitate the ranking, a colour code is applied to each team from Black through Red, Blue, Green, Yellow to Grey.
Players must always keep the points each of their teams have accrued in mind as this is crucial to getting into a position to progress to the next round. With a lot of teams in the 2002 World Cup, this can be quite taxing. You may ignore some of your weak teams in order to concentrate on your stronger teams but, other players may like to see some of the opponents weaker teams do well as they would prefer to meet low class opposition in future rounds. In this case you may find goals appearing on your weaker teams from some of your 'friendly' opponents!
The subtle strategies that can be adopted are as follows:
1. Filling in your opponents 'playing squares' with defence tiles to stop them scoring so many goals.
2. Keeping your best cards in hand to use when you really need them. (Using your '3 goal' card to trounce the opposition may be regretted in the next round with a hand full of defence cards)
3. Adding goals to weak opposition in groups where you have no team involved. "Well, do you really want to meet Brazil in the next round?"
4. Leaving your strong teams in drawn matches at the end of a round as the modifying dice give you an odds on chance of an extra goal.
I havn't mentioned the modifying dice before. Basically these are used at the end of each round to add 1/2 goals where applicable. Each dice have a different coloured 'blob' face, but there are more Black than Red than Blue, etc. These are rolled for each group in the Group stages or for all matches in the knock-out stages. Each coloured face adds 1/2 goal to any team that is that colour. This could possibly add a goal to some teams (injury time winners or equalizers!)
The same format is played each round with a diminishing set of cards until two teams get through to the final. The winner of the Final is the winner of the game.
Drawn games in the 1930 tournament are replyed until a winner emerges. In the 2002 tournament, penalties divide the teams. This causes quite a lot of tension and excitement despite being decided on die rolls.
If you like playing grand sweeping tournaments in less than 3 hours, and love following the World Cup on your 'fill-in' wallchart, then this is the game for you! |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |  The Game |
|
 Ghenos Games
|
 Bolide
Publisher: Ghenos Games
Designer: Alfredo Genovese
Artist: Lucia Valentini
Players: 2-8
Ages: 14+
Playing Time: 60-120 Minutes
Rules Languages: Italian, English, German
This game was actually published in late 2005, but the game is new to Essen so we decided to list it.
Here is a description of the game from BoardGameGeek:
BOLIDE presents itself as a revolutionary car racing game since no cards or die move the cars.
Each driver can take total control of his own car by applying an original move mechanism based on a second pawn, able to reproduce the real accelerations, decelerations and inertial movements of the cars during the races.
To learn such a mechanism means to learn driving a racing car and to experience a very high simulation level: the drivers can work out the best routes along the squares of the track and push their car at the speed they want, racing opponents and making breathtaking overtakings or extreme brakings.
They really play with their driving style. But they should make sure they preserve their engine and tyres for the last part of the race...
Moving on to the advanced level, the top drivers, besides their driving skills, will have to demonstrate their strategic abilities by choosing the best tyres, by deciding between pit stops tactics or long race ones and by identifying the optimum set-up to push the car ahead of all others.
To improve the level of simulation and play, a die is provided to rule superior performance requests, unforeseen events & risky situations: this adds a touch of the unexpected to the BOLIDE race. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Game |
|
'Bolide Expansion Tracks #1'
Publisher: Ghenos Games
This is a set of expansion tracks for Bolide.
Here's a description of the game from Spielpizza:
| Tracks #1 contains a new pair of courses: Rome, which snakes through all the famous buildings, and the exciting Brazil course with its breathtaking curves. |
|
|
GiftTRAP Enterprises
|
 GiftTRAP
Publisher: GiftTRAP Enterprises
Designer: Nick Kellet
Players: 3-8
Language Versions: English and German
GiftTRAP Enterprises is a new Canadian publisher. This is a party game. Limited quantities of a German version of the game will be available at the fair. The German version will have the Gift cards and the rules in German. The German rules will
be posted to the Stein-Thompson (the European distributor) website. GiftTRAP Enterprises will be showing the game at the Stein-Thompson Games booth (4-07).
Here is a description of the game from BoardGameGeek:
A simple game about giving and getting.
GiftTRAP is played over a series of rounds. Each round has the following steps;
DEAL - deal random gifts from one of the packs of gifts.
SHOP - think about how you match these gifts to the players.
GIVE - give one of these gifts to each player (using gift tokens).
GET - choose which gifts you want yourself (using get tokens Ok, Good, Great & No Way).
REVEAL - show people what you wanted and what your were given by each player.
SCORE - the giver and the receiver score for each gift (the giver gets GIVING points, the receiver gets GETTING points).
Players keep score on two tracks;
GIVE - how well do you give gifts relative to what people want.
GET - how well do people give you gifts relative to what you want.
The goal is to GIVE gifts people want and to GET gifts you want. Matching correctly advances your scoring markers from GO to GIFTED on the respective tracks.
There are no turns as such. All players GIVE then GET then REVEAL and SCORE.
The winner is the first player to have both their score markers in the GIFTED zone at the end of a round. If you give or receive an unwanted GIFT both the giver and receiver move back on the appropriate track.
Optional strategy cards allow you to place bets on gifts you GIVE and GET, but getting it wrong moves you back twice as far.
It is a game of social intelligence. A broad range of gifts (real and imaginary) test just how well you know your friends and how well they know you and make for some very interesting conversations. GiftTRAP is perfect for friends who know just enough about each other to be dangerous. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Game |
Links:
GiftTRAP website (with descriptions, videos and more)
|
 Giseh Verlag
|
Pentago
Publisher: Giseh Verlag
Designer: Tomas Floden
|
Zambezy
Publisher: Giseh Verlag
Designer: Martin Samuel
Players: 2
This is an abstract game.
|
 Golden Laurel Entertainment
|
 Galactic Destiny
Publisher: Golden Laurel Entertainment
Designers: Golden Laurel Entertainment (Jonathan Mauro, Elegwen Ó Maoileóin, Richard Pulis, Wayne Pulis)
Artist: Marcel Chenier
Players: 3-6
Ages: 12+
Playing Time: 2-3 Hours
Rules Languages: English, German (coming soon)
Price: $60 USD
Release Date: January 2007
Golden Laurel Entertainment is a new Canadian game publisher. This game will be presented at Essen only as a demo and you may be able to pre-order the game there.
Here is a description of the game from Golden Laurel Entertainment:
Politics. Manipulation. War.
Galactic Destiny is strategy and more...
Every player represents a political party in this multi-player multi-racial game of political intrigue and space age war.
Team up with your friends or backstab your buddies. Galactic Destiny offers a new edge to competitive board games, it challenges your insight, wits and wiles.
In a galaxy of light and dark, Ancients and Demons, who will govern the Republic Senate?
Win with Military power or through diplomacy and intrigue!
- Complete with 70 modeled ships in 3 unique designs
- 50 full-colour Senator cards with portraits. Featuring the artwork of Marcel Chenier.
- Basic and advanced rules, for the beginner and expert
- A complete Galaxy for you to explore
- A galaxy from our own skies |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |  The Box Back (Draft) |  The Game |
Links:
Golden Laurel Entertainment website (with information, descriptions, and pictures of the game)
|
 Goldsieber
|
 Die Säulen von Venedig (The Columns of Venice)
Publisher: Goldsieber
Designers: Christian Fiore and Knut Happel
Artist: Christian Fiore
Players: 2-6
Ages: 10+
Playing Time: 45-60 Minutes
Here is a description of the game from co-designer Knut Happel:
At the SPIEL 2006 in Essen GOLDSIEBER will present its new big-box-game 'Die Säulen von Venedig' (The Columns of Venice) by Christian Fiore and Knut Happel.
The exciting and interactive game with lots of wooden game-pieces will give 2 to 6 players of 10 years and older the chance to relive the emergence and development of Venice to the famous city on columns in about 45 to 60 minutes.
The players place wooden columns on the initially empty gameboard depicting the lagoon of Venice and mark their columns with tokens of their colour. Buildings and squares -the districts - are placed on the districts to garner victory points. Anyone building on other players' columns will provide them with victory points. The coveted place on the big wooden gondola will earn victory points anytime a district is build alongside the Canale Grande.
By using action cards the players embody one of 11 Venetian characters. Columns are built with pitch-dippers (Pechtunker), councilmen provide adequate supply of districts, which are build with master builders, spies deliver insight into other players' action cards, saboteurs remove districts, merchants and speculators benefit from other players' actions.
Each player has a supply of 5 action cards and chooses one each round without showing it to the other players. Clockwise the cards are played and passed down to the next player.
Once all 60 columns are placed on the gameboard, the player with the most victory points wins.
'Die Säulen von Venedig' (The Columns of Venice) contains a gameboard, action cards, lots of cardboard pieces and over 100 wooden game pieces. The illustrations are provided by Christian Fiore who also designed GOLDSIEBER's 'Pecunia non olet (Money doesn't stink!). |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box |  The Game |  The Baumeister Card |  The Spekulant Card |  The Spion Card |  The Card Back |  A 4 District |  A 3 District |  A Bridge District |
|
 HABA
|
 Dschungelschatz (Jungle Treasure)
Publisher: HABA
Designer: Roberto Fraga
Artist: Daniel Döbner
Players: 2-4
Ages: 6+
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
| In Dschungelschatz (Jungle Treasure), adventurers have discovered an ancient Mayan temple full of precious gems. Who those who wish to collect the gems and trade them in for gold must solve tricky problems. An action-packed game. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box |  The Game |
|
Obstgarten (Orchard)
Publisher: HABA
Designer: Anneliese Farkaschovsky
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
| To celebrate the 20th birthday of Obstgarten (Orchard), Haba is releasing a limited edition in a metal box (including a booklet called "Obstgarten turns 20" filled with baking recipes and craft ideas). |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box |
|
Prinzessin Edelstein (Princess Jewel)
Publisher: HABA
Designer: Roselyne Kuch
Artist: Anja Rieger
Players: 2-4
Ages: 4-12
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
| Prinzessin Edelstein (Princess Jewel) is a 'brilliant' memory game for children. Who can remember where the nicest gems in the entire realm are? The game comes in a nice jewelry box! Also included: four cloth crowns. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Game |
|
 Sternsammler (Star Collector)
Publisher: HABA
Designer: Wolfgang Kramer
Artist: Annette Roeder
Players: 2-4
Ages: 3-8
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
| Sternsammler (Star Collector) is a game in which gold coins are raining down on the little girl Sterntaler. The children help her collect them. Who will, with a little luck, land under a star gate and be showered with lots of coins? A gorgeous 3-D colour die game for younger children with a variant for older kids. Also Included: The "Sterntaler" fairy tale to be read aloud or on one's own. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box |  The Game |
|
 Hans im Glück
|
 Kabale und Hiebe (Cabals and Blows)
Publisher: Hans im Glück
Designer: Lutz Stepponat
Players: 3-6
Ages: 8+
Playing Time: 30 Minutes
Other Language Versions:
English - Ruse and Bruise (Rio Grande Games)
The English version of this game, from Rio Grande Games, will not be available at Essen.
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
| Kabale und Hiebe (Cabals and Blows) by Lutz Stepponat is a fast-paced card game in the tradition of Citadels. Magicians and dragons, kings and princesses populate the land and want only one thing: the greatest fame. The players try to use their royal household to cause problems for their opponents and trick them with underhanded chess moves. In the process, turbulent developments and surprises are guaranteed. |
Here is a detailed description of the game from Adam Spielt:
Magicians and dragons, kings and princesses populate the land and are at the players' sides in the chase for the greatest prestige. Players try, together with their allies, to push their opponents aside and deceive them with sneaky moves. A total of 25 allies are available, of which 3 a player has in hand (as cards) to start the game. Each ally has a certain value, some also have special abilities. The object of everyone's desire are so-called influence cards in 6 categories: music, alchemy, fighting, trading, farming and religion. Each category has cards in values 1 to 5. Before the game can start, a number of influence cards depending on the number of players are turned over. On a player's turn, he must place an ally face-down beneath one of the laid-out influence cards. The card placed is eventually turned face-up. If it is an ally with a special power, then this power is either carried out immediately (immediate card) or is kept until the end of the round (scoring card). A round ends once there are as many allies beneath each influence card as the values indicated on them. It is allowed to place more allies beneath a card than the minimum, provided that at least one other influence card has not reached its minimum yet.
Subsequently, scoring occurs, in which the influence cards are given to the players. Generally, the cards go to the players whose allies have the highest point values. Naturally, the allies with special powers also have effects during the scoring. The special powers are implemented according to a pre-set order should more than one have been played to a single influence card. These allies either render powerless another character or they modify other cards in a certain way. Since only the last card played to an influence card stays face-down, one can see, step by step, the efforts players make to claim an influence card. The trick is to react at the right time and bravely defend your interests. Naturally there is still room for bluffs and unexpected surprises. The game ends when, after 6 rounds, all influence cards have been given out. Now, each player counts up the values of his influence cards. If a player has 1 influence card from each category, then a special scoring can occur: The values of those cards are doubled, while the rest of the cards are scored normally. As usual, the winner is the player with the most point at the end of the game.
Cabals and Blows is a fast-paced card game in the tradition of 'Citadels'. The player who uses his characters the best will win the game. The individual powers are carefully balanced and need a careful touch to be used optimally. |
First Impression by Rick Thornquist (after reading the English rules):
First of all, this one is quite a bit shorter and lighter than the standard Hans im Glück fare. They say this is for ages 8 and up and they really mean it.
In the game, each player gets a deck of influence cards, each with a number and some with a special power. A number of rounds are played and at the beginning of each round, a set of scoring cards are laid out face-up. Each player gets a hand of three cards from his deck and the game begins.
On his turn, a player plays a card and draws a card. You play a card face down below one of the scoring cards. If there is already a face-down card below that scoring card, that card is turned face-up. If the turned-up cards has a special power, its power takes effect.
A round ends when a certain number of cards have been played and then the scoring cards are distributed. Basically, whoever has the highest sum of cards below a scoring card gets that card. After a certain number of cards, the player with the highest sum of scoring cards wins (including some bonuses)
I was a bit surprised when I started reading the rules for the game because it all sounded very familiar. And it is - the game has many similarities to Reiner Knizia game Dead Man's Treasure, published by Playroom Entertainment (which was a new version of Der Schatz des Kapt'n Flint from Piatnik). In both games there are scoring areas where you play your cards. In both games you play your card face down and turn up the previous card. In both games you score at the end of the round and whoever has the highest sum below the scoring area gets points (though in Dead Man's Treasure, more then one person scores). They are obviously not exactly the same, but the similarities are striking.
That aside, this one looks to be a light one from Hans im Glück and Rio Grande with a little strategy and more than a little bluffing.
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |  A Graphic from the Game |
|
 Taluva
Publisher: Hans im Glück
Designer: Marcel-André Casasola-Merkle
Players: 2-4
Ages: 10+
Playing Time: 30-45 Minutes
Other Language Versions:
English - Taluva (Rio Grande Games)
The English version of this game, from Rio Grande Games, will not be available at Essen.
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
Taluva is the name of a new game by Marcel-André Casasola-Merkle. Gods and Titans live on a mysterious island. In this game, the island rises out of the sea and grows. Volcanoes ensure that the island doesn’t stay flat – instead, it becomes a very hilly landscape. At the same time, the players are trying to settle their peoples on the island. The higher the ground on which huts are to be built, the closer they come to their goal. But care is required when building huts since anyone who hasn’t finished before all churches and temples are on the board has lost.
The game is for 2-4 players and takes 30 to 45 minutes. A prototype shows that the ground consists of hexes with various types of landscapes on them. They get placed against and onto each other, so that a terrace-like surface is created. |
Here is a detailed description of the game from Adam Spielt:
Piece by piece, the tropical landscape of a south seas island takes shape. Fire-spewing volcanoes, ancient jungles, quiet clearings, fine sand beaches, idyllic seas and damp cliffs are the components of the gradually-enlarging game board. On this landscape, powerful civilizations are to grow, starting with 2 towers, 3 temples and 20 huts. Each player tries to place these buildings as tactically cleverly as possible, since the player who manages to build the most temples wins the game. Should a player even manage to build all he has of two or three of the building types, then he wins the game immediately. But to get to that point is a long, thorny journey- what awaits is briefly described below:
Two game phases are available to each player. At the beginning, nothing exists, i.e. Nothing but ocean, and so the first step is to raise the island out of the water. On a player's turn, he draws one of the 48 volcano tiles and expands the island by placing it next to an already-placed tile. Alternatively, he can place the new tile on top of an already placed tile, covering it up and creating a three-dimensional play area. The so-called volcano tiles consist of three landscapes, of which one is always a volcano. The second phase of play involves placing the buildings. Players have the chance to place a hut, tower or temple, forming a settlement or expanding one. Certain building restrictions must be followed: buildings may not be built on volcanoes and may only be built on empty spaces. Following these rules, a hut can be built on any free space on the lowest level. One or more huts of the same colour next to each other form a settlement. Towers can only be built on a level three or above space that is adjacent to one's own settlement. A temple may be built on a space next to a settlement consisting of at least three huts. If a player chooses the 'expand settlement' option, the that player chooses a landscape type onto which he wishes to expand. Then new huts are placed onto the landscapes next to the settlement that match the chosen type, one hut per level.
While the civilizations slowly grow in this manner, dangers in the form of volcanic eruptions also threaten. Whenever a new level is created, that is, a tile is covered up, a volcanic eruption occurs. In this way, already-placed huts may be removed by being covered up by a new volcano tile. They technically still count as built, which is important for victory conditions. What is important to note is that no tower or temple may be covered up, nor may settlements be completely destroyed. What is permitted, however, is to split up settlements. The game ends when either all volcano tiles have been place (in which case the winner is the player with the most temples) or one player manages to build all he has of two building types. Finally, a tip: players should not be too cavalier with expanding their settlements, since they must be able to place a building each turn. If he can't, then he is out of the game and has lost.
TAVULA, a faced-paced tile laying game that has enough depth to entertain over countless games. |
Here is a description of the game from Rio Grande Games:
On Taluva, that South Seas island shrouded in secrecy, raw elemental powers prevail. Powerful volcanoes erupt, pouring their lava into the sea, forming a terrace-like jungle landscape.
Four groups try to establish themselves on this island. They search the jungle, beaches, and lakes, looking for the best places to build their huts, towers, and temples. They put their fate in the hands of their gods. Each player makes decisions on how the island grows and where his group builds their huts, towers, and temples.
At the end of the game, the temples are the most important for scoring. It may be advantageous for a player to hasten the game end by building all of two kinds of buildings. But note: when a player runs out of building, he must relinquish his dreams and withdraw. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |  The Game |  The Game - A Closer Look |  The Game - Close-Up |
|
 Hasbro
|
Fluch der Karibik
Publisher: Hasbro
Players: 2-4
Ages: 8+
|
Tabu XXL (Taboo XXL)
Publisher: Hasbro
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
| Taboo fun XXL: The party game classic always guaranteed fast and conversation-rich games. Now, Taboo comes in a whole new dimention: Taboo XXL stands for four new fast-paced variants that make the beloved party game even more raucous. In addition to classic word description in two variations, there's a large Taboo compendium as well as drawing on the agenda. The highlight of the XXL edition: Knoten Knut, a posable stuffed figure with long arms and legs that the players can use to pantomime some of the desired responses. |
|
 Tal der Abenteuer (The Valley of Adventure)
Publisher: Hasbro
Designer: Reiner Knizia
Players: 2-4
Ages: 8+
Price: 29.99 €
This game has been released Also released is a special limited edition version, Tal der Abenteuer - Limitierte Sonderedition, with additional card and rules. Tal der Abenteuer won Austrian Game of the Year Award.
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
| On September 1st, Hasbro, under the Parker label, will be releasing a new game by Reiner Knizia called Tal der Abenteuer (The Valley of Adventure). Somewhere in the Himalayas, a mysterious valley containing valuable treasures is located. Four adventurers first make their way to a Tibetan temple, subsequently (on the back side of the double-sided game board) through canyons into the presumed-lost valley. The player who collects the most treasures along the way wins the game. The special tweak: Each player can move each of the figures, provided they play the right card. The game is the start of Parkers "Designer Games" series. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Game |
|
 Heidelberger Spieleverlag
|
 Arkham Horror - Brettspiel
The game will be at Essen only as a demo. This is a German version of Arkham Horror - The Boardgame, published in English by Fantasy Flight Games in 2005.
|
 Descent: Die Reise ins Dunke
This is a German version of Descent - Journeys in the Dark, published in English by Fantasy Flight Games in 2005.
|
 Drakon 3. Edition
This is a German version of Drakon, published in English by Fantasy Flight Games in 2006.
|
 Fury of Dracula
The game will be at Essen only as a prototype. This is a German version of Fury of Dracula, published in English by Fantasy Flight Games in 2006.
|
 Magblast 3. Edition
The game will be at Essen only as a demo. This is a German version of Mag*Blast - Third Edition, published in English by Fantasy Flight Games in 2006.
|
 Marvel Heroes
Heidelberger Spieleverlag is publishing a German version of Marvel Heroes (Nexus Editrice).
|
 World of Warcraft - Das Brettspiel
The game will be at Essen only as a demo. This is a German version of World of Warcraft - The Boardgame, published in English by Fantasy Flight Games in 2006.
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|
HiKu Spiele
|
Monochrom
Publisher: HiKu Spiele
Designer: Peer Sylvester
Players: 2
Ages: 8+
The publisher is not at its usual spot; rather it’s in Hall 12 (booth 12-36).
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
| Monochrom (Monochrome) by Peer Sylvester is a 2-player tactics game for players 8 and up with simple rules and very interesting movement mechanics – always fun to play. |
|
One in spirit
Publisher: HiKu Spiele
Players: 1
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
| One in Spirit is a solitaire game that will provide many thoughtful hours. |
|
Pajonk
Publisher: HiKu Spiele
Designer: Hartmut Kommerell
Players: 2
Ages: 10+
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
| Pajonk by Hartmut Kommerell is also a 2-player tactics game, but for 10 and up. The game idea is implemented through an unusual game board and unusual movement possibilities – all the elements of a typical “Kommerellisch� game. |
|
Pajonk Extrem (Pajonk Extreme)
Publisher: HiKu Spiele
Designer: Hartmut Kommerell
Players: 2
Ages: 10+
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
| Who knows whether it was the enjoyment in gaming that the inhabitants of the east Siberian Pajonk peninsula displayed while the author was there over the previous two summers... or maybe the author and publisher just said "let's see how this idea turns out"... in any case, the end result if Pajonk Extrem (Pajonk Extreme), a 'heavyweight' tactics game for 2 players 10 and up, invented by Hartmut Kommerell. |
|
TriPlex
Publisher: HiKu Spiele
Designer: Tim Hast
Players: 2
Ages: 10+
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
| Finally, a new game in the larger leather game line: TriPlex by Tim Hast. This is a tactics game for 2 players 10 and up. After no Gobang variant was released last year, this is once again a great game idea to go with the previously-released Sexta and Penki. In TriPlex, ‘only’ three stones need to be brought into a row on a 5x5 grid. Simple or not, fascinating in any case. |
|
 Huch & friends
|
 Ausgerechnet Uppsala
Publisher: Huch & friends
Designers: Bernhard Lach and Uwe Rapp
Artist: Volker Maas
Players: 2-6
Ages: 10+
Playing Time: 20 Minutes
Price: 12.95 €.
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
| After Ausgerechnet Buxtehude in the spring comes Ausgerechnet Uppsala for Europe. Again, 200 towns are waiting to be brought into the right geographic order. In this game by Bernhard Lach and Uwe Rapp there are, as in the original, cards that, in addition to cities like Lisbon and Ekaterinburg, include lots of other somewhat lesser-known sights. And again the thinking goes: I don't know where that location is, but I'll have to hope the others don't either...and just act like I'm certain. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box |
|
 Der Kleine Sprechdachs (The Little Word Rascal)
Publisher: Huch & friends
Designer: Reiner Knizia
Artist: Irene Wanitschke
Players: 2-5
Ages: 4+
Playing Time: 15 Minutes
Price: 14.95 €.
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
| The title gives it away: Der Kleine Sprechdachs (The Little Word Rascal) is an expansion to the 'large' rascal, the game about language and stories. This standalone game by Reiner Knizia gets children to invent stories and let their imagination run free. Whoever can remember the best which of the rascal's friends experienced which exciting stories will be the winner. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box |
|
 Die Unbezwingbare Stadt
Publisher: Huch & friends
Designer: Hans van Tol
Artist: Yvon-Cheryl Scholten
Players: 2-5
Ages: 10+
Playing Time: 75 Minutes
Price: 19.95 €.
This is a slightly updated German version of De Ontembare Stad, originally published by in Dutch by The Game Master in 2004.
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
| At Essen 2004, Dutch publisher The Game Master presented De Ontembare Stad. The German version of the game, called Die unbezwingbare Stadt, will be released by Huch at Essen 2006. Both The Game Master and Huch & Friends are listed on the cover. The new edition inclues:
- a better rules insert
- a better game board (larger and better quality)
- a box insert for the game components. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box |
|
 Urmel aus dem Eis (Urmel out of the Ice)
Publisher: Huch & friends
Designer: Klaus Zoch
Players: 3-6
Ages: 5+
Playing Time: 15-20 Minutes
Price: 19.95 €
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
Urmel is back! Remember the little green dinosaur and his animal friends? On the lonely island of Titiwu these heroes, invented by Max Kruse, experience many adventures - which can be seen on the big screen as of 3 August. Children 5 and up can bring Urmel and his friends to safety from old King Pumponell, a dangerous big game hunter.
Children play as Urmel and his friends. As in the book and movie, they are being chased by Pumponell, who wants to sell them to a zoo. Urmel and co. try to escape to safety. Banana peels are useful against the hunter. During the game, children learn the value of friendship while protecting their beloved heroes. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box |
|
 Usgrächnet Bünzen
Publisher: Huch & friends
Designers: Bernhard Lach and Uwe Rapp
Artist: Volker Maas
Players: 2-6
Ages: 10+
Playing Time: 20 Minutes
Price: 12.95 €.
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
| In addition to the European version comes the Swiss one: Usgrachnet Bunzen. Swiss locations, sights and mountains await. The quadrilingual (!) Usgrachnet Bunzen is being primarily distributed by Carletto, but a few copies will be avaialble in Germany via Huch & Friends. So anyone looking for a chance to read rules in Romany, here's a taste. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box |
|
 Welt der Biere (World of Beers)
Publisher: Huch & friends
Artist: Oliver Fischer
Players: 2-6
Ages: 18+
Playing Time: 60 Minutes
Price: 29.95 €.
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
| And also Welt der Biere (World of Beers) reminds us of a previous game. After the original World of Wine game was reworked and re-released in the spring, the line is now expanded to include the world of beer. Lots of questions about beer: curiosities, trivia, bizarre facts. But not just a clear head is demanded of the players, but finger reflexes as well. Because those who fall behind in their knowledge can try and make up ground by playing little drinking games. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Game |
|
 Yspahan
Huch & friends is distributing a German version of Yspahan (Ystari Games).
|
 Hurrican
|
 Mr. Jack
Publisher: Hurrican
Designers: Bruno Cathala and Ludovic Maublanc
Players: 2
Ages: 10+
Playing Time: 30 Minutes
Rules Languages: French, German, English and Dutch
Price: 30.00 €.
Hurrican is a new Swiss publisher and this game will be distrubuted by SwissGames. This is a new version of Une Ombre sur Whitechapel, originally published by Neuroludic in 2006. You can preorder the game by emailing mr.jack@swissgames.net - preordering game will give you a 5 Euro discount (this offer is only available for games sold at Essen).
Here is a description of the game from SwissGames:
One year ago, a limited edition (only 250 copies) of « Une ombre sur Whitechapel » was published. All games were sold in only 10 days... but a new Swiss editor, HURRICAN, just decided to make another print of the game, in a full Multilanguage version (French, German, American, Dutch), with a new title : Mr. Jack !
In this game, one of the two players incarnates Jack the Ripper, which is one of the 8 characters on the board. He knows the identity of this character and his goal is to flee from the district as soon as possible (or avoid to be accused for eight turns). The other player incarnates an independent investigator, not represented on the board, and tries to guess the identity of Jack. But he can make only one accusation during the game!
During each turn the players move the characters, using their special powers, placing them either in zones of shade or enlightened. At the end of each turn, the witnesses declares if Jack is visible or not (thus the investigator will know that the visible characters are innocent if Jack is not seen in this turn, or vice versa). Intuition, logic and cold blood will be necessary for each of the two participants.
For this new edition, some changes have been made, to increase playability. One of the major changes is that there is no text anymore on the cards, and on any components of the game. Now, pictograms allow to remember special ability of each character, allowing gamers to play it all around the world! |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Game |  A Card |  A Card |  A Card |
|
 Ideenfinderin
|
Zwischendurch - Aktion (In Between - Action)
Publisher: Ideenfinderin
Designer: Maria Donner
Artist: Maria Donner
Players: 15-180+
Ages: 4+
Playing Time: 10-40 Minutes
This game will be at Essen only as a prototype.
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
Maria Donner is an Idea Finder, which is why her publishing company bears the same name. Along with lots of other ideas offered at www.ideenfinderin.de, she has developed a game. It's called Zwischendurch (In Between) and is a game for any time and for all generations.
Zwischendurch is a game for in between:
- at a party
- during a break
- as an opener or closer at a game night
- as an icebreaker
For 5 Euros, you get components for 6 players. The game can be played with as many players as you like; the Action variant with accompanying materials can handle more than a thousand people. Maria Donner will be hosting a Zwischendurch event daily at the booth at 3pm. More information can be found at the publisher's website. |
|
Zwischendurch - Party, Spiel & Spaß
Publisher: Ideenfinderin
Designer: Maria Donner
Artist: Maria Donner
Players: 2-6+
Ages: 4+
Playing Time: 5-30 Minutes
Price: 5.00 €
For more information on this game, see the Zwischendurch - Aktion (Ideenfinderin) entry.
|
Zwischendurch - Ãœberall & Unterwegs (In Between - Party, Game & Fun)
Publisher: Ideenfinderin
Designer: Maria Donner
Artist: Maria Donner
Players: 2-6+
Ages: 6+
Playing Time: 5-30 Minutes
Price: 5.00 €
For more information on this game, see the Zwischendurch - Aktion (Ideenfinderin) entry.
|
 Isensee Verlag
|
Musketier im Auftrag der Königin (Musketeer in the Service of the Queen)
Publisher: Isensee Verlag
Players: 2-4
Ages: 10+
Playing Time: 30 Minutes
Price: 4.00 €
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
Musketier im Auftrag der Konigen (Musketeer in the service of the Queen) is the name of a new card game.
Paris 1625. The young nobleman D'artagnan would like to join the elite ranks of the King's Musketeers. Surprisingly, he gets a chance to prove himself. He gets in of a court intrigue. Together with his three friends, the Musketeers Athos, Porthos and Aramis, he travels to save the honour of the French Queen Anna of Austria. To accomplish this, the friends must travel from Paris to London to find the HERZOG of Buckingham. He received 24 diamonds as a love gift from the Queen, who now urgently needs them back. Cardinal Richelieu, spurned lover of the Queen, wants to make the gift public knowledge and thereby compromise the Queen. He tries to stop D'Artagnan and his friends at any cost. He uses all methods at his disposal, sends his bodyguards on the chase and warns his middlemen.
The players take on the role of the Musketeers and try to travel from Paris back to Calais. Underway, they are always attacked by agents of the Cardinal. This attacks result in the Musketeers falling by the wayside, one by one. Only one will make it to Calais and thereby win the game.
The game will be available at Essen for 4 Euros. |
|
 Jactaléa
|
Khan Tsin
Publisher: Jactaléa
Designer: Claude Leroy
Players: 2
Ages: 8+
Playing Time: 30 Minutes
Jactaléa is a French publisher.
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Game |
|
Mana
Publisher: Jactaléa
Designer: Claude Leroy
Players: 2
Ages: 8+
Playing Time: 30 Minutes
Price: 35.00 €
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Game |
|
 Japon Brand
|
 Cucco
Publisher: Grimpeur Brand
Designer: Traditional
Developer: Jun Kusaba
Artist: Yuka Saito
Players: 4-15 (this may be 4-38)
Ages: 10+
Playing Time: 30-45 Minutes (this may be 30-60 Minutes)
Price: 6.00 €
Here is a description of the game from BoardGameGeek:
| A very simple, ancient Italian card game. It is popular to this day in Italy, Germany, and Scandinavia. It is played with a 40-card deck composed of number and picture cards. There are two of each card (i.e. 20 distinct cards).
Each player is dealt a single card. The goal is to avoid holding the lowest valued card at the end of a turn around the table. Each player may exchange cards with the previous player without knowing what the other player holds. |
Here is a description of the game from Japon Brand:
You can play exciting survival game Cambio with this "CUCCO" set. A large number of players regardless of age or sex can play and enjoy with this easy rule. You must judge your only one card is strong or weak, and change to next player or not. After one round, the player(s) hold the weakest card must be lose.
Addition to this, you can play traditional 2 suits trick-taking games "Kille" and "Trionfo"!
Contents: 40 Cards |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box |  The Game |
|
 Go-nin-Kan
Publisher: Game Menta't
Designer: Traditional
Developer: Nobuaki Takerube
Artist: Aoi Takashiro
Players: 3-6
Ages: 10+
Playing Time: 45-60 Minutes
Price: 15.00 €
Here is a description of the game from Japon Brand:
Here is Japan. The winter of the north country Tsugaru is in the deep snow. But even so there, flowers of the trick-taking game had quietly and gallantly flourished!
"Kan" is the short form of the "Kankei(relationship)". At first, Kankei team and Non-Kankei team are determined coincidentally by dealded cards and fighting against each other for 16 picture cards (Each A, K, Q and J). Friends of earlier round could be opponents of the next deal!
A deal consists of ten tricks. Trumps are determined each deal. For each individual case, each player should guess others's hands and help each other according to game-rule and one's hand.
If Kankei team wins, they will play same team up to 3 deals. At 2nd and/or 3rd deal of same kankei team, they can decide trump suit from definite infomation.
At Go-nin-Kan or 5 hands Kan, Kankei team consist of two players against Non-Kankei team with three. If a player plays as a dealer rotatory, the game becomes more easy and smooth. (At official tournament, alwasy six players play.)
You can play less than five players with Variant rules.
For four hands, Damari-Kan (quiet Kan, two against two).
For three hands, Ganbari-Kan (bearing Kan, one against two).
The special deck of the Go-nin-Kan from JAPON BRAND featured Japanese four seasons as suits (Spring: Night cherry blossom. Summer: Beech leaf. Autumn: Apple fruit. Winter: Snow crystal). As picture cards, the Japanese summer celebrations Neputa(sleepimg-purging) and Mushi-Okuri(worm-purging) are illustrated. In addition, this set includes marker cards for display playing situation obviously.
We wish you to experience Japanese and/or Tsugaru soul!
Contents: 50 playing cards and 11 marker cards |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |  Some Cards |
|
 Gra Gra Company
Publisher: Grimpeur Brand
Designer: Susumu Kawasaki
Artist: Akira Nakamura
Players: 3-4
Ages: 10+
Playing Time: 30-45 Minutes
Price: 23.00 €
This has been described a "cross between a dexterity game and a wagering game".
Here is a description of the game from BoardGameGeek:
Players are real estate barons investing in high-rises. On a players turn, he rolls as many dice as there are floors in the building in which he is invested. These "floors" are composed of dice with 0-4 windows on them. As floors are stacked, the must ascend from 0 to 4, and then back around. After a player rolls, he determines how many floors he can/wants to build. If he builds at least 5 floors, he earns $10K. If he builds the tallest building (with a minimum of 15 stories) he gets $10K. If he knocks his building down, all of the investors in the building play $20K.
Play for three rounds and the player with the most cash wins. |
Here is a description of the game from Japon Brand:
The subject of this action business game "Gra-Gra Company" is managing companies. Players are investors going around the world. Success or failure? It is according to roll out of CUBEs! Stacking CUBEs are buildings of companies. If you success stacking CUBEs higher, you also success managing that company. Unless, that corp should go bankrupt. How simple it is!!
In this "Gra-Gra Company", you must try your game sense of "how to stack CUBEs" and "when to run away from an insecure company".
Each player takes the charge of one company. At your turn, you must cast CUBEs(dice) as many as "hight of the building" of your campany, and stack them according to eyes of them. If you success stacking CUBEs, your company grows to big business. Unless, your building (company) shall break down and you have to pay some penalty.
Contents: 60 CUBEs, 1 game bord, 4 company cards, 4 company markers, 8 investor markers, 1 highest building markers, 1 highest building card, 40 bills, 1 rule book |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |  The Game |
Links:
Gra Gra Company English Rules Translation (in Text format) at BoardGameGeek
|
 Magi
Publisher: Grimpeur Brand
Designer: Shizuka Mitsukimori
Artist: Kugatsuhime
Players: 4-8
Ages: 10+
Playing Time: 30-60 Minutes
Price: 10.00 €
Here is a description of the game from Japon Brand:
"Magi" is a cardgame themed magician's war. Players use powers of Magicians Guild (red, blue, yellow), powerful Magic items and arts of Magicians themselves. The last standing player can be only the Magus of Magi.
The object of player is rid hand of oneself. You can play a card from hand that is same color or name as the top of discard pile. When someone using up one's all hand, your keeping hand become negative points. The player got the highest points is the winner.
Contents: 104 Cards, Rulebook |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |  The Game |
|
 Magical School
Publisher: Roll
Designer: Mito Sazuki
Artist: Toshiyuki Sato
Players: 3-5
Ages: 6+
Playing Time: 20-30 Minutes
Price: 10.00 €
Here is a description of the game from Japon Brand:
In this "magical school" game, you play a role of daydreaming sorceress's apprentice in the everyday-magic world. With its original dice (which eyes are "white magic", "black magic", "intelligence", or "error" etc.), you learn different magics like "familiar" or "Astrologie" and but points, in order to become the great sorceress.
The basic game is simple and fast.
With advance rule, you can grow your apprentice up with special magic cards. For example, "Chanting" can use an additional die. "Alchemy" can change the eye of an die. In this way, grown up apprentice shall know high level magic like "Homunculus".
Contents: 31 subject cards, 1 turn player's card, 5 dices(non-printed), 1 sheet of dice-seal(30 seals are contained) |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |
|
Monjirou
Publisher: Sai Kikaku
Designer: Yoshihisa Itsubaki
Players: 1
Ages: 6+
Playing Time: 5-30 Minutes
Price: 8.00 €
Here is a description of the puzzle from Japon Brand:
"Monjirou" is a puzzle game making various words by 24 wooden cube dice with Japanese Kana letters.
When playing "Monjirou", you never cast there dice. At Basic Game, you spin cubes, seek appropriate letters, and make a word with them suited to the subject.
At the end of July 2006, "Monjirou" has about 30 brothers like "Jukugorou", "Rikishirou", "Mangakajirou".
Jukugorou: You can make many Japanese idioms like "a-su(tomorrow)", "bi-jo(a beauty)", "on-gaku(music)", and so on.
Rikishirou: You can make about 200 Sumo-wrestler's names like "Koto'oshu", "Konishiki", "Musashimaru", and so on.
"Mangakajirou": You can make about 60 cartoonist names like "Katsuhiro Otomo", "Yoichi Takahashi", "Akira Toriyama", and so on.
Contents: 24 wooden cubes with letters. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Different Games |
|
 Phantom Rummy
Publisher: Yuhodo
Designer: Satoshi Nakamura
Artist: Yoko Nachigami
Players: 2-4
Ages: 10+
Playing Time: 30 Minutes
Rules Languages: Japanese, English and German
Price: 15.00 €
Here is a description of the game from Japon Brand:
Mah-joung is played very offen in Japan. However many people likely fail to grasp the complicated rule and many combinations to get points.
Phantom Rummy makes it possible to enjoy the essence of Mah-joung by simple card game. Without complicated scoring system from two to four players can immediately go into the game. The beautiful illustration stimulates players' interest. Let's play it! |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |
|
 R-ECO
Publisher: Kawasaki Factory
Designer: Susumu Kawasaki
Artist: Yoshihiro Koyama
Players: 3-5
Ages: 8+
Playing Time: 20-30 Minutes
Rules Languages: Japanese, English and German
Price: 15.00 €
Here is a description of the game from BoardGameGeek:
| A local city has a problem of un-separated trashes by citizen. A player is a company do the trash separation and recycle them. By carrying trash to corresponding storage, a player gets points. However if you carry too much, you must throw trash away illegally! Well, after all, your aim is to get money... |
Here is a description of the game from Japon Brand:
Some time, some place in a suburban city. The city suffers from its citizen's illegal dumping of garbage. The players become contracted garbage collector who earns reward by handling and transporting garbage to a waste disposal facility. The player who has cleanest and most successful disposal track records become the one and only authorized garbage collector of the city. But beware, garbage trucks have maximum payload and if you overload it, you have to dump it a real dirty way, the illegal way…. Well, the most important thing is MONEY. If you come out on top in the end, nothing really matters.
At your turn, you play Garbage Card(s) to a correct Factory. After that, you mast take back all Garbage cards at the corresponding dump site. You must consider which Garbage Cards are worth to take. After that, if your cards are more than hand limit (= carrying capacity of the dustcart), you have to dump overweighted Garbage illegally. Illegal Garbage would be negative points at the end of game. The player with the largest total points (reward points minus negative points), is the winner.
Contents: 136 cards, rule book |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |  The Game |
|
Playing Tarot Card
Publisher: Nakayoshi-Mura
Designer:Traditional
Artist: Matida-Matiko
Players: 3+
Ages: 12+
Playing Time: 60 Minutes
Price: 10.00 €
Here is a description of the game from Japon Brand:
In Japan, there were many tarot for fortune-tellings, but never for games. Therefor, this is the first Tarot cards for games. Moreover, pictures of court cards are drown anew. This is only one design in the world.
For easy play, its design includes doublehead, four index, game points, suit marks, and so on.
Please enjoy Tarot-games from all parts of the world with this cards.
*This set includes rules of French tarot, Cego and Troccas with permission from Mr. John McLeod.
Contents: 78 Tarot cards, 1 spare card. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Cards |
|
Re-saikoro
Publisher: Sai Kikaku
Designer:Yoshihisa Itsubaki
Players: 1
Ages: 6+
Playing Time: 10-45 Minutes
Price: 4.00 €
Here is a description of the puzzle from Japon Brand:
"Re-saikoro" is a three-dimentional puzzle to play and build nine wooden same shape blocks. There are four ways of playing as challenge 1, challenge 2, challenge 3, and challenge 4. At challenge 2, there are 10 levels of difficulty (5.0-9.5).
Challenge 1: Reconstruct a cube with separated nine blocks.
Challenge 2: When reconstruct a cube, make order of numbers of each side as usual 6 sided die (like 6-1, 5-2, 4,3).
Challenge 3: When reconstruct a cube, make the numbers of each side fewer. The passing grade of sum of numbers is less than four.
Challenge 4: When reconstruct a cube, close your physical numbers.
Contents: 9 L-shaped wooden blocks |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Different Games |
|
 Tekeli-li
Publisher: Sato Bros.
Designer: Toshiki Sato
Artist: Reina Asada
Players: 3-6
Ages: 10+
Playing Time: 20-30 Minutes
Rules Languages: Japanese, English and German
Price: 12.00 €
Here is a description of the game from BoardGameGeek:
An Anti-trick taking game of Cthulhu myth
If you want to live long, you shouldn't cognize something.
If you want to play happily, you shouldn't know about existence of horrible deities who dominated old earth.
Will you bear up and survive these distractions?
It is up to your deed. Cross your fingers!
*Contents
12 Fire(red)cards (1 each :value 1-6, 3 each :value 7-8)
12 Earth(black)cards (1 each :value 1-6, 3 each :value 7-8)
12 Water(blue)cards (1 each :value 1-6, 3 each :value 7-8)
12 Air(white)cards (1 each :value 1-6, 3 each :value 7-8)
*Also you need
About 30 unnamable markers
*Object of the game
Escape from unknown horror. Remain far away of Great Old Ones' insanity. At the end, players who have most unnamable markers are frighteningly havocked.
*aspects
Basically, Do not take a trick. If you take, maybe come along Great Old Ones(and unnamable markers).
Cards, both of Number and color is same, cancel each other and maybe escape from unnamable markers.
Contents: 48 cards, rulebook |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |  The Cards |  The Game |
Links:
Tekeli-li English Rules (in PDF format) at BoardGameGeek
|
 The Traders of Carthage
Publisher: Kawasaki Factory
Designer: Susumu Kawasaki
Artist: You Satouchi
Players: 2-4
Ages: 10+
Playing Time: 30-60 Minutes
Rules Languages: Japanese, English and German
Price: 20.00 €
Here is a description of the game from BoardGameGeek:
1.Game summary
You, timely traders at commerce city Carthage, buy goods at the Market, sell them to overseas merchants, and become wealthier. But if you want to prosper, be careful of pirates!
2.Components
1 Mainboard
1 Sideboard
108 Cards (each 27 for red, blue, yellow and green)
(11 for "2"s, 9 for "3"s 7 for "5"s per each color）
48 cardboard Achievement chips (each 12 for red, blue, yellow and green)
4 wooden Ship pieces (each 1 for red, blue, yellow and green)
4 plastic Trader pieces (each 1 for red, blue, yellow and green)
4 wooden Reservation pieces (each 1 for red, blue, yellow and green) |
Here is a description of the game from Japon Brand:
You, timely traders at commerce city Carthage, buy goods at the Market, sell them to oversea marchants, and become more wealthier. manipulating market price of goods and controling merchant ships are very inpotant. But if you want to prosper, be careful of pirates at the Mediterranean!
Cards are lined up in the market. At your turn, you must buy all cards as goods in the market, get a card as coins, or reserve a card. About buying cards, you mast buy all cards in the market. At first, it cost is very high, but it will be cheaper by getting cards as coins. When someone buy all goods, marchant ship(s) shall advance to Carthage. If a ship arrived at Carthage, all players sell goods corresponding the ship and get victory points. The winner is the player who got most victory points.
If the ship was attacked by pirates, players lose all corresponding goods, so you must dicide your action considering ships' advance.
Contents: 2 game boards, 108 cards, 4 ship markers, 4 player markers, 4 reservation markers, 48 result chips, rule book |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |  The Game |
|
 Trouble School
Publisher: Roll
Designer: Mito Sazuki
Artist: Mao Haruna
Players: 3-5
Ages: 6+
Playing Time: 5-10 Minutes
Price: 10.00 €
Here is a description of the game from Japon Brand:
"Trouble School" is a game of school life of girls-high, one of a popular topic in Japanese comic. In the school, you get into too many troubles. From usual troubles likes "ill" or "Falling down the stairs" to serious trouble like "Chow mein Sandwichs has sold out"('cause Chow mein Sandwichs are a very favorit food of Japanese students). And also, you will get into impossible comical troubles like "Requested duel" or "Ghost in sight". Anyway, you cannnot run away from troubles! Thus, you had better resign before the inevitable. Then, play cards and get as less as kind of troubles. It is a goal of this game. At the end, the player got the largest points is the winner.
The illustrator Mao Haruna is appearing in "Game Japan", one of the great magazine of game in Japan and depict comic series. He has been drawing pitiful but lovely female students involved into trouble.
Well, can you take them away from trouble?
Contents: 60 cards, rulebook. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |
|
 JKLM Games
|
 1861
Publisher: JKLM Games
Designer: Ian D. Wilson
Players: 3-5
Ages: 10+
Playing Time: 3-5 Hours (This may be 4-8 Hours)
German Distributor: 1861 (Lookout Games)
North American Distributor: 1861 (Z-Man Games)
Price: £40.00
This is a train game in the mold of the 18xx series that will be titled 1861. The game is to be set in Russia.
Here is a description of the game from JKLM Games:
| 1861 (formerly known as 18RU) is a member of the “18xx� series of games. The series is based on 1829, designed by Francis Tresham and published by Hartland Trefoil. 1861 is set in Russia prior to the Bolshevik revolution. Three to six players represent investors in railway companies, spending their initial capital to buy wholly owned Private Railways and Minor Companies, and later shares in Public Companies. The Public Companies are each controlled by the largest shareholder (its Director). Minor Companies and Public Companies build track and run trains in order to earn revenues. Public Company revenues can be paid out as dividends to shareholders or retained to fund further track and rolling stock. The value of shares will rise and fall in relation to the fortunes of the companies. A feature of 1861, as with all the other games in the series, is that the interests of the Director and the interests of its shareholders are not identical, so minority shareholders need to be careful in their investments. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |  The Board |
Links:
1861 English Rules (in PDF format) at Z-Man Games
|
 On the Underground
Publisher: JKLM Games and Rio Grande Games
Designer: Sebastian Beasdale
Players: 3-5
Ages: 8+
Playing Time: 90 Minutes
Co-Publisher - On the Underground (Rio Grande Games)
Price: £25.00
Here is a description of the game from JKLM Games:
| The goal of the game is to build the most successful Underground lines and in doing so gain the most points. You can gain points by connecting your lines to various destinations on the board, and by having the passenger use your lines to travel from station to station. The player who has best balanced the demands by the time that the deck of destinations is exhausted will be declared the winner. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |  The Board |
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|
JMcreative
|
 KRIMI total - Der Mythos der Familie (Total Crime - The Legend of the Family)
Publisher: JMcreative
Designers: Jörg Meißner and Antje Meißner
Players: 8-9
Playing Time: 3-4 Hours
Price: 19.95 €
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
| The second game is called Der Mythos der Familie (The Legend of the Family) and lets players delve into the dangerous and shadowy world of the Mafia in the 30's: There were many deaths in the last few days. Too many deaths. Mafia boss Don Pedro Caliente has therefore called the important members of his family to a secret meeting. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |
|
 KRIMI Total - Jenseits der Schönheit (Total Crime - The Far Side of Beauty)
Publisher: JMcreative
Designers: Jörg Meißner and Antje Hansen
Players: 8-9
Ages: 16+
Playing Time: 3-4 Hours
Price: 18.95 €
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
| Once again this year, the publisher is coming to Essen with two new games out of the "KRIMI Total" line. The first one was already released this past April: "Jenseits der Schoenheit" (The far side of beauty). Author Jorg Meissner confronts armchair detectives with the mysterious murder of well known plastic surgeon Dr. Kevin Schwarz. The surgeon, who was to receive a prize thanks to his great successes, had invited friends and celebrities to a small celebration. However, late in the night, the murdered body of Dr. Schwarz was discovered. The chase after the murderer begins. Was it the victim's partner, toiling in obscurity? Or perhaps his best friend? What secrets are the witnesses hiding? |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |
|
 Kosmos
|
 Blue Moon - Die Buka - Invasion
Publisher: Kosmos
Designer: Reiner Knizia
Artist: Steve Prescott
Players: 2
Other Language Versions:
English - Blue Moon - Buka Invasion (Fantasy Flight Games)
This is another expansion deck for Blue Moon.
Here is a description of the game from the Blue Moon website:
| This fall, the Buka Invasion expansion set for the Blue Moon card game will be released. The Buka can be played 'out of the box' against other races just like the other eight can. Alternatively, players can add one of the 6 Buka families (5 cards each) to their favourite race. And naturally the Buka cards can be used in deck construction under the usual rules. |
Here is a description of the game from Adam Spielt:
The Buka pirates bring two new elements into the fantasy game Blue Moon.
Cards collected on ships allow ambush-type attacks, and bluff symbols make it easy to bluff opponents. Players also have the tempting alternative of either using the entire set to start playing right away or combining the cards with those of other races to create a unique and powerful deck. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box |
Links:
Buka Card List on BoardGameGeek (with more information as well)
Blue Moon - Die Buka - Invasion - German Rules on Blue Moon Fans (in PDF format)
Die Buka-Invasion - Album on Blue Moon Fans (with pictures of the cards)
|
 Das große Hessenspiel
Publisher: Kosmos
Designers: Various
Players: 3-6
Ages: 12+
The game is a co-production with the "Hessische Rundfunk" (HR4), a trivia
game about the German federal state Hesse.
Here is a description of the game from Adam Spielt:
Who knows their way around Hessen the best?
In this game, players go on a voyage of discovery and can prove how well they know this region of Germany. Whenever a player reaches a target flag, a question round is started. The question is passed on until someone has given the right answer. If the question stays unanswered, then the questioner gets the points. And to make sure that even 'new inhabitants' have a fair shot, regular question rounds make it easy for even last place to catch up. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box |
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 Der Dativ ist dem Genitiv sein Tod (The Dative is the Death of the Genitive)
Publisher: Kosmos
Designers: Bärbel Schmidts, Markus Reichert, Stefan Stadler
Players: 2-5
Ages: 12+
This game is based on Bastian Sick (alias "Zwiebelfisch"). This game is in Kosmos Gespielter Literatur (Playful Literature) series.
Here is a description of the game from Adam Spielt:
The Zwiebelfisch columns in SPIEGEL ONLINE and the books by Bastian Sick have reached cult status; the listeners at his readings fill entire halls.
This new game proves that even German grammar can be fun. The players determine whether the sentence read off of a card is right or wrong. For example: 'the newspaper is published fourteen daily' or 'we were waved through the border'. Once each player has picked his answer, the decoder shows whether the phrase was right - or wrong.
The game includes 180 cards with phrases, answer alternatives and encoded answers. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box |
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 Die Säulen der Erde (The Pillars of the Earth)
Publisher: Kosmos
Designers: Michael Rieneck and Stefan Stadler
Players: 2-4
Ages: 12+
Playing Time: 90-120 Minutes
Price: 31.99 €
This is a boardgame based on the Ken Follett novel The Pillars of the Earth. This game is in Kosmos Gespielter Literatur (Playful Literature) series.
Here is a description of the game from Adam Spielt:
| England, start of the 13th century - the greatest and most beautiful cathedral is to be built and each player would like to have his workers make the largest contribution. Round by round decades pass in which the raw materials are provided, capable workers are hired and important decisions are made. Maybe an audience with the King would help, or perhaps at the cloister. But having pull with the craftsman guild may also help. Too bad that you can only choose one! |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
Links:
Die Säulen der Erde First Impression at Gamepack
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Kampf um Rom (Fight for Rome)
Publisher: Kosmos
Designer: Klaus Teuber
Players: 3-4
Ages: 10+
Playing Time: 70-100 Minutes
Game Language: German
Other Language Versions:
English - Fall of Rome (Mayfair Games)
Dutch - De Val van Rome (999 Games)
Price: 31.99 €
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
| Kampf um Rome (Fight for Rome) is a new Catan game, but it is not part of the Adventure Catan line as previously reported. It’s much more in the vein of the original Settlers game. The game board shows Southern Europe from Spain through to Italy, separated into hexes and split into regions. The players play as Germanic tribes; each starts with two armies (!) and sets about plundering cities, since that brings raw materials (although sometimes also losses). From a certain strength onwards armies can conquer cities, which brings victory points. The first player to reach 10 victory points wins the game. |
Here is a description of the game from Adam Spielt:
A new game in the tradition of The Settlers of Catan.
The Roman Empire is still intact. But, driven off by the Huns, players must bring their barbarian tribes in motion and migrate to the south and west. That Roman cities are located there doesn’t matter – just the opposite! Anything that can be found is plundered in order to become strong enough to found a new empire. But careful! Spend too long filling your pockets and victory will have passed you by! |
First Impression by Rick Thornquist (after one playing of a prototype):
Fall of Rome (Kampf um Rom in German) is a new Settlers of Catan game. The game is like one of the Settlers historical scenarios but this one has been greatly enhanced.
The map represents southern Europe with Italy to the east and Spain to the west. The map is fixed and divided into large hexes of different terrain (similar to Settlers of the Stone Age). The board is also divided into regions and each region has a number of cities. All the cities start with face-down markers on them. There are also arrows along certain hexsides that regulate movement.
The players represent Germanic tribes that are encroaching on Rome. Each player has two armies that start in the northeastern corner of the board. These armies will move across the board, pillaging cities for resources. When a city is pillaged, the city's marker is turned up and the player will gain some resources (and sometimes lose some troop strength). Collecting one city marker from each different region yields two victory points. Armies, once they have built up enough strength, can also conquer cities. Each conquered city yields one victory point. The player with the largest army gets two victory points. The first player to get to ten victory points wins.
At the beginning of a player's turn they roll for resources four times (the same number can't be rolled twice, if so, it's rerolled). Resources are gained from where your two armies stand, plus where you have conquered cities. The resources are wheat, ore, and ox/horse. The ox/horse cards come from a face down deck so you are never sure whether you are going to draw an ox or a horse. After rolling for resources the current player can trade resources and build. This is very much like regular Settlers except you are now building troops instead of settlements and cities. Note that you can build up your armies with more troops, but you always have two armies.
After trading and building, it's time for the troops to move (and perhaps pillage or conquer). Each player moves his first army in turn, and then each player moves his second army. If you move an army into an unpillaged city space, you can pillage it (if you have enough strength) or conquer it (for victory points). Once all the armies have moved it's the next player's turn. Play continues until one player has ten victory points.
If regular Settlers was considered more of a family game, then Fall of Rome is really more of a gamer game. There strategies are deeper than regular Settlers. This also a game of movement - where you move your armies and when is crucial to producing the resources than you need, pillaging the cities that you want, and putting yourself in the best position for the next turn. Managing your resources and trading wisely is also required.
Note that though players have armies, conflicts don't happen between players - they only happen with the neutral cities.
I very much liked the game. The first few turns were a bit of a blur as I tried to get a sense of what was going on, but after that it became apparent that the planning of my armies movements was crucial, and I also had decisions to make as to what were the best things to build with my resources. I was very impressed with Elasund, Klaus Teuber’s last effort, and this one may just impress me even more. I’m very much looking forward to playing it again.
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box |  The Game |
Links:
Kampf um Rom on www.KlausTeuber.de (description and pictures in German)
Prof. Easy - Kampf um Rom at Prof. Easy (tutorial in German) |
 Schrecklicht
Publisher: Kosmos
Designer: Günter Burkhardt
Players: 3-5
Ages: 10+
Playing Time: 20-30 Minutes
Price: 9.99 €
Here is a description of the game from Adam Spielt:
| Witches, ghosts and bats are having a competition. Because the one who reaches the goal first brings the greatest value for the players. But at the same time they must, though careful play of their number cards, fulfill individual victory conditions. The player who does this the best will collect the most points. And in the process players will often be at odds! |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box |  The Game |
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 SuDoKu - Das Kartenspiel (SuDoKu – The Card Game)
Publisher: Kosmos
Designer: Reiner Knizia
Players: 2-5 (This may be 2-4)
Ages: 8+
Note that this is the same game as SuDoku - The Cardgame from Z-Man Games but it was produced independently by Kosmos. We understand that both games have the same rules but the production of the games is different (the components, the art, etc).
Here is a description of the game from Adam Spielt:
| In this unusual card game, the board is created over the course of the game – new each time. The players get 5 cards each, which must be placed according to the rules of Sudoku. If a player is missing the right card, then one point is subtracted. Best for those who can think far ahead! |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box |  The Game |
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 SuDoKu - Das Würfelspiel (SuDoKu – The Dice Game)
Publisher: Kosmos
Designer: Reiner Knizia
Players: 2-4
Ages: 8+
Here is a description of the game from Adam Spielt:
| The cheeky dice game based on the Sudoku rules. But the dice need to fall the right way! Because once a row, column or block has been chosen, the player must add at least one die onto an empty field with the corresponding number, otherwise all points gained this turn are lost and his turn is over. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box |  The Game |
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 Summertime
Publisher: Kosmos
Designer: Inka Brand and Markus Brand
Players: 2
Ages: 10+
Playing Time: 30-40 Minutes
Price: 13.99 €
This is a new game in Kosmos Spiele für Zwei series of two player games.
Here is a description of the game from Adam Spielt:
Now it’s summertime on the game shelf!
Each player collects cards with details of their dream vacation, until they have enough items together. Then the placement begins: The lounge along with the tall drink next to the pool and the palm on the beach – always, so that the card points provide the highest possible total. The better and more perfect a vacation destination, the better the chances of victory – but careful, your opponent has a completely different dream vacation in mind… |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box |
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 Typisch Frau, Typisch Mann (Typical Woman, Typical Man)
Publisher: Kosmos
Designer: Reiner Knizia
Players: 2-8
Ages: 16+
Playing Time: 30-50 Minutes
Price: 20.99 €
Here is a description of the game from Adam Spielt:
"What would you do if your partner forgot your birthday?“
“What tricks do you use to get your girlfriend to watch football?�
There are always four answers available to the players – but which one to choose? That’s what the other players try to guess, putting their answers into the “tower of truth�. Each vote of agreement is worth a point and soon this amusing and communications-rich game will show who has the best instincts. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box |
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 Willi wills wissen - Das Quiz
Publisher: Kosmos
Players: 2-4
Ages: 8+
Here is a description of the game from spielenet.de:
In the quiz game to go with the TV show, fans of Willi can now test and expand their own knowledge.
Willi asks the questions that children want to know - and with tremendous success! In the ARD series "Willi wills wissen" reporter Willi Weizel investigates aspects of daily life and the environment. In the quiz game that follows the show, his fans can test and expand their own knowledge.
For each category, estimate, multiple choice and true or false questions await the players. And for all who really want to know, there is plenty of additional information on each card. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box |
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 Kronberger Spiele
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Schneller als kurz (Faster than Short)
Publisher: Kronberger Spiele
Here's a description of the game from Spielbox:
| Schneller als kurz (Faster than Short) is a new game that’s based on a similar principle as Anno Domini or Ausgerechnet Buxtehude but allows for more ways to sort the categories. That is to say: in Anno Domini there is only a single ‘direction’ (date) while with Ausgerechnet Buxtehude there are two (North-South or East-West). In this game, there are more. |
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 Lauwers Games
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 Project X
Publisher: Lauwers Games
Designer: Arne Lauwers
Artist: Eugene
Players: 2+
Ages: 6+
Playing Time: 15-40 Minutes
Price: 29.95 €
Here's a description of the game from Spielbox:
Arne Lauwers is a phenomenon. Only inventing games since 2002, he's one of the few Belgians to belong to the peak of the profession, and can boast of having sold more than a million copies worldwide of his games" So says Arne Lauwers' recent press release. The game being referred to, of course, is "Arne".
For Essen 06, Lauwers is releasing Project X, a new visual searching game that uses the illustrations of well-known artist Eugene (who has done work for Hasbro, Mattel, Lego and others).
The rest of the press release reads as follows:
"Arne and Eugene wanted to invent a game that has no comparions. Their intent to was abandon the well-trodden paths and present an entirely new vision and style, and in the process react to the interests of today's youth. The result is a work of art you can play with and that offers the following advantages:
- Simplicity!
Project X is easy to understand (in less than five minutes) but hard to win. The game lasts between 15 and 40 minutes. There is no limit to the number of players, but it's fun to play even with as few as 2. Project X is not limited to age or gender (although the recommended minimum age is 6).
- You can join a game in progress!
Totally new is that the game offers players a chance to join, even when the game has already begun.
- A living game board!
In a visual searching game, there is always the risk that the game board becomes known and the fun of playing fades. That's not the case for Project X! The game board is split into nine squares printed on both sides. One part of the assignment card requires that the board be changed before fulfilling the assignment. Depending on the card, the squares must be rotated, moved or turned upside down.
- Educational
Project X is, for economic reasons, an international game. Arne Lauwers foresees the greatest market in the EU, thus the rules are provided in German, Dutch, English, French, Spanish, Italian, Danish and Swedish. Those who want to can test or refresh their language skills and play the game in a different language. So the game has educational value and can be played in international and multicultural format.
- Lifestyle
Project X is more than a game, it's also proof that lifestyle is becoming more and more important. Therefore, Project X will not only be sold in game stores, but also lifestyle-outlets and lounge bars. There are promotional articles (polo shirts and t-shirts in limited supply, with artwork by Eugene).
- Project X booth at Essen
The booth will include a photo wall for photo opportunitites. Arne and Eugene will offer signing sessions, the Project X clothing will be presented, and the entire booth is designed from top to bottom - that is, no typical tables and chairs, but stools of Project X design.
More information and the game rules can be found at www.projectxgame.com |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box |  The Game |
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 Lookout Games
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1861
Lookout Games is distributing 1861 (JKLM Games) in Germany. Lookout will have a total of 300 copies for distribution in the German market. Lookout also has the config file needed to make the game work with 18xx/PC, a program that takes much of the housekeeping out the game system.
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Bohnanza Round Indicator
Publisher: Lookout Games
Price: Free
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
| The publisher wants to thank its fans with a small giveaway at the fair. This time, it's a postcard-size round indicator for Bohnanza. Last year, the card was included with "Kannibohn", but in a smaller format. The new card is large enough for most card games: the draw pile is placed on the card in such a way that the free half indicates the current round. (The back-side of the card naturally shows rounds 3 and 4). |
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Attribut Booster Packs
Publisher: Lookout Games
Designer: Marcel-André Casasola-Merkle
Price: 1.00 €
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
| For the successful party game Attribut from Marcel André Casasola Merkle, two booster packs with 30 cards each are being made available. One contains 30 new attributes, the other has 30 blank cards. |
|
 Das Grosse Turnier (The Big Tournament)
Publisher: Lookout Games
Designers: Peter Grosse and Harry Rowland
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
| The 'big' game for this year is a new release of the old ADG classic World Cup Tournament Football, with a new design and a new game: "Das Grosse Turnier" (The Big Tournament). The teams were valued anew and the game board expanded to allow up to 32 teams to compete for the world championship. The publisher is particularly happy about one innovation: the playing surfaces are felted! |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |
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 Die Drachenbändiger von Zavandor
Publisher: Lookout Games
Designer: Hanno Girke
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
| Spielbox reported news of a Lookout Games-sponsored contest for dragon artists back in March. The game in which the best dragon art will be found is by Hanno Girke and is called Die Drachenbandiger von Zavandor. It seems a reasonable assumption that Lookout is now building up a franchise as well. The game includes 30 dragon cards and 80 dragon fighter cards. The backstory to the game is online at www.spielbox.de/pdf/drachenteaser.pdf (in German). |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |
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Das Zepter von Zavandor
Publisher: Lookout Games
This is a new edition of Das Zepter von Zavandor, though it is probably better described as a reprint with some fixes. The new edition fixes some small errors and has nearly all text in multiple languages (from what we understand, this is the same version that is available from Z-Man Games).
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Kannibohne
Publisher: Lookout Games
Designer: Uwe Rosenberg
This is another expansion for Bohnanza.
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
| No Essen fair without a new Bohnanza expansion! Kannibohne is by Uwe Rosenberg and invites all to the feast! Naturally, Kannibohne is a limited edition (2500 copies). If the game is finished in time for Essen, it will also be numbered. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 A Card |
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 LudoArt
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 Fragile
Publisher: Lookout Games
Designer: Czarnè
Artist: Czarnè
Players: 1-4
Here is a description of the game from LudoArt:
Fragile was designed by Czarne, who also did the graphics for it. A whole slew of crates have arrived at the wharf in Shanghai. Now, this highly fragile cargo must be brought to safety in one's own warehouse as quickly as possible. Problem is, the warehouses are all over the place. Plans are perpetually sent askew, since foreign Chinese workers will often push your crate out from under your nose. Each player controls a team of Chinese workers. Who will be the first to use his team to fill his warehouse with crates - that is, get the most points for fragile cargo?
Fragile will please the mind and eye of any strategist.
In a game variant, a little more luck can be added to help things along.
The publisher is starting up a new line of games with Fragile. The game (in a wooden case) will be between Marquis and Black Elephant both in size and in price.
On Saturday, there will be a Fragile tournament at the publisher's booth. The tournament is limited to 48 participants. Registration will be on Thursday and Friday, and the winner will win a copy of the game. The losers of the final match will win a Gangster game each. But LudoArt promises: All losers will win something with us. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |  The Game |  The Game Close-Up |
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 Gangster. Die Bosse von Chicago (Gangster. The Bosses of Chicago)
Publisher: Lookout Games
Designer: Czarnè
Artist: Robert Nippoldt
Players: 2-4
Here is a description of the game from LudoArt:
Chicago, 1925. It is the time of Prohibition. 4 opposing gangs, each with 9 gangsters want to bring the city under their control. By playing out rows, each of which consist of 6 gangsters, players try to gain a majority through their most valuable gangsters. But careful! To gain powerful positions, sometimes sharpshooting is needed. The goal of the game is to become the most powerful of all, Al Capone. Tactics, strategy and cold-bloodedness will be required if you want to be celebrated as the boss of bosses in this game.
What gives the game its flair, apart from the real metal munitions, is the deft touch of the illustrator as well as court artist Robert Nippoldt. From corrupt mayor William Hale "Big Bill" Thompson to Boss of Bosses Al "Scarface" Capone, all of the major gangsters of this lead-filled time are represented. The well-known portraits are taken from the eponymous book "Gangster. The Bosses of Chicago" by Robert Nippoldt, and give the game a sheen of authenticity. The book has received awards from the German Designer Club, Buchkunst Fund as well as the Red Dot Design Award 2006.
LudoArt is offering a special service at the fair: Robert Nippoldt will do a gangster-style caricature, free of charge, of each person who chooses to purchase the book and game. This offer will be good for 2 days of the fair. The actual times can be found at booth 12-93. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |  The Game |
|
 Manorhouse
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Mindstalkers
Publisher: Manorhouse
Designers: Lorenzo Marchetto, Fabio Paulotto and Alberto Sangiovanni
Artists: Andrea Mariconti, Roberto Franci and Thomas Liera
Players: 2
Ages: 12+
Playing Time: 60 Minutes
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
| Mindstalkers is an impressive tabletop game by Lorenzo Marchetto, Fabio Paulotto and Alberto Sangiovanni for 2 or more players and/or groups. It's set up for various epochs and can be played with two different rules variations: A 'simple' historical strategy game or, with additional rules, as a fantasy / science fiction type game. The base game (which quick-start rules) is planned for Essen. The German version of the game rules might not be ready in time for the fair. |
Links:
Mindstalkers (in English and Italian)
|
 Matagot
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 Khronos
Publisher: Matagot
Designers: Arnaud Urbon and Ludovic Vialla
Artists: Jean Claude Adelmand and Geoffrey Stepourenko
Players: 2-5
Ages: 12+
Playing Time: 30 Minutes for 2 players + 30 Minutes for Each Additional Player
Rules Languages: French, English and German?
Price: 45 €
Khronos was one of three finalists in the 2006 French JSP boardgame design contest and was also recently awarded a prize in the Boulogne-Billancourt boardgame design contest, under it’s original title of "Les Croisés du Temps (The Crusaders of Time)". Matagot will be at booth 9-68 and Khronos will be there as long as everything goes perfectly from now till then.
Here is a description of the game from Crusaders of Time Blog (Translated by Jasen Robillard):
While on a treasure hunt in the catacombs of a medieval ruin, you come across an ancient parchment and a time machine. The document reveals the mystery of the forgotten Treasure of the Temple and suggests that it may be possible to acquire the treasure by going back in time and reliving the history of the treasure’s original protectors.
The game plays over 7 rounds and on 3 separate game boards. Each board represents the same region but at 3 different eras of time. Four cards are drawn each round, which are then used to move 2 adventurers in space and time in order to participate in the erection of military and religious buildings, as well as cities. The goal of the game is to collect as much of the treasure as possible. Some buildings confer riches to the builder when they are erected. The buildings themselves form domains where the players exert either military, religious or civic control, depending on the board (era) in question. Control over a certain domain can generate money in the 4th and 7th round of the game. One must be careful though as buildings can be destroyed or taken over, which may result in ripple effects across time. |
Here is a description of the game from BoardGameGeek:
In Khronos, you incarnate a powerful lord and his faithful companion engaged in a fight of influence through time. The game proceeds simultaneously over three different periods. You begin the part at the Middle Age, on the first of the three game boards (that of the commanderies). With 4 action cards in hand by turn, you must on seven turns, to develop your domains by building various types of military, civil and religious buildings. According to their size, certain buildings are transferred in time what means that they are deferred to the same place, on the priories board (Renaissance time) and on the brotherhoods board (modern time), in ruins for the military and religious buildings (castles, abbeys…)
Thanks to the invention of the clock and watch makers and realising finances, you can make travel in time your two aventurer pawns… Because if the construction of certain buildings can be profitable, the takeover of the domainss on the various board is essential because it will allow you at 4th and 7th game turn to earn bonus and to dissociate you your adversaries.
To act on the various boards is not without consequence and reserves many surprises to you! To give only one example, an abbey created on the priories board could be destroyed very well by a castle builds later in the part, at the same place but on the the commanderies board then deferred on the other board… The abbey finally never existed!
To 4th and 7th turn, each domain controlled brings back profits to the players and each profit differs according to the board. On the the commanderies board, a player who militarily controls a domain, i.e. which has the bigest military building, will receive in profits, the value of the civil buildings of this domain. On the priories board, it is the religious control which will be taken into account. On the brotherhoods board, the players who will have known to populate the civil buildings and to restore the ruins will secure the best profits.
If it is specified that it is sometimes possible to destroy buildings to gather or divide domains, one realizes that Khronos induces a strong and permanent interaction between the players. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |  The Box Back |  The Board |  The Board Close-Up |  A Tile |  A Card |
Links:
Les Croisés du Temps (in English, with descriptions and pictures)
Links:
Khronos - French, English and German Rules at Matagot (in PDF format)
|
 Tomahawk
Publisher: Matagot
Designers: Bruno Faidutti and Bruno Cathala
Players: 2
Rules Languages: French and English
Here is a description of the game from co-designer Bruno Faidutti:
| In Tomahawk, each player plays an Indian tribe, probably Sioux, Iroquois, or something like this, though neither Bruno Cathala nor me (or is it nor I?) didn’t really look for any serious documentation on this topic. In the deep forest and vast plains of northern America, tribes are on the path of war. War for the best hunting territories, but also for the nicest and longest scalps. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |
Links:
Tomahawk page at The Games of Bruno Faidutti
|
 Mattel
|
 Desert Bazaar
Publisher: Mattel
Designer: Brian Yu
Artist: Rich Lynes
Graphic Designers: Mark Rosenbluh and Judy Kinkade
Players: 3-5
Ages: 10+
Rules Languages: English (with a possible German translation)
Note for all Mattel games: Mattel Germany is not going to have a presence at Essen, but designer Brian Yu will be there. If you are interested in pre-ordering Desert Bazaar and Voltage as a set for 40€, you can contact him at desertbazaar@gmail.com. You'll be able to pick your pre-orders at Richard Breese's booth, Booth 4-14, on Friday from 11:00am - 12:00pm. Any pre-orders that have not been picked up will be sold from 12:00pm - 1:00pm. Note that these games will be available at Essen before they are generally released in Europe.
Here's a description of the game from the rules:
Weaving through the dunes like a dusty serpent, a caravan route winds past a lush oasis. Travelers flock to this place, seeking supplies before they continue their journey under the harsh desert sun.
As one of five rival merchants, race your opponents to set up your shops. Score points by building merchant tents that produce water, camels, silk or spice for you to trade. If you score the most points, you establish dominance over the desert bazaar and win the game. |
Here's a description of the gameplay from the rules:
As enterprising, young merchants, each player attempts to score the most points by building tents across the oasis. Every TENT TILE has a building cost of 3 resources, so you must gather the appropriate RESOURCE CARDS to pay for them - a combination of Camel, Silk, Spice or Water cards. You score points for each of your Tent Tiles on the board, but as tent encampments grow, space quickly becomes limited.
You'll have to manage your resources and build strategically if you want to dominate the Desert Bazaar! |
First Impression by Rick Thornquist (after three playings of a production version):
Desert Bazaar is a multiplayer game. The board is divided into hexes and there are resource cards - water, camels, silk or spice - that players can collect. The way you get cards is a bit different - you roll the dice and can collect cards based on the dice that you roll, but you can push your luck and roll again to try to get more cards. If you roll the wrong thing the second time, though, you bust and get nothing! Shades of Can’t Stop.
Players use their cards to build tents on the board. Each tent requires certain resource cards to build but you can reduce the cost by playing the tent next to other tents which provide the needed resources. When a certain number of tents are built in a group, they score. Players get a point for each tent they have in the scored group (there are a couple of other ways of getting points).
I’ve played the game three times now - once as a prototype, once with the final production version as well as this playing. The main caveat is that the game can lend itself to analysis paralysis as players try to plan their optimum moves. This didn't happen in my games, but I can see it happening with some groups. I quite like the game - I think Desert Bazaar is a very nice medium weight multiplayer game.
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box |  The Game |  The Board |  Some Resource Cards |  The Dice |  Some Tent Tiles |
|
 Voltage
Publisher: Mattel
Designer: Brian Yu
Artist: John Van Fleet
Graphic Designers: Mark Rosenbluh
Players: 2
Ages: 10+
Rules Languages: English (with a possible German translation)
Here's a description of the game from the rules:
| Within the crumbling walls of a forgotten power plant, ancient turbines continue to spin out their high voltage current. Your job as engineer is to make sure the power gets where it needs to go - but that won't be easy. A rival engineer is tinkering with the circuits and breakers as well, trying to funnel that juice in different directions. You'll need skill and a little bit of luck to keep the power flowing your way, but if you play your cards right, you'll have a bright future while you leave your adversary sitting in the dark. |
Here's a description of the gameplay from the rules:
Players take turns placing number cards on either their side or their opponent's side of the game board terminals. When a total of five cards has been played on a single terminal, players add up the value of the cards on their side of that terminal. Depending on which side of the Terminal Token is up - either a "+"or a "-" - the player whose cards have the highest ["+"] or lowest ["-"] value wins that set.
But be careful - Transformer cards can flip the Terminal Tokens and change the value of your hand in an instant! |
First Impression by Rick Thornquist (after three playings of a production version):
Voltage is a lighter two player game. This one is quite reminiscent of Balloon Cup. There are four different color spaces on a board and you can play your numbered cards either on your side or your opponents side of the board. When there are a certain number of cards on both sides of a space, that space scores. If the polarity of the space is +, the player with the highest sum wins and vice-versa if the polarity is -. Some special cards add to the mix as well as cards that can reverse the polarity of a space. It’s a quite light and quick game.
I’ve played the game three times now - once as a prototype, once with the real version of the game and once with a fancy version (the gameplay was the same in all cases). It is a nice, light two player game. Like many card games your luck can rise and fall with the cards you get and sometimes the game can be a bit on the chaotic side - it can also be somewhat lucky. For those who are looking for a two player games along the lines of Balloon Cup or Lost Cities but perhaps even lighter, you may want to check out Voltage.
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box |  The Game |  The Board |  Some Cards |  The Markers |
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 Mayfair Games
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 Anasazi
Mayfair Games is distributing an English version of Anasazi (Phalanx Games) in North America.
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 Bison
Mayfair Games is distributing an English version of Bison (Phalanx Games) in North America.
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 Catan Event Cards
Mayfair Games is publishing an English version of Ereignisse auf Catan, designed by Klaus Teuber and originally published by Kosmos in 2005, to be titled the Catan Event Cards.
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 Elk Fest
Publisher: Mayfair Games
Designer: Hermann Huber
Artist: Franz Vohwinkel
Players: 2
Ages: 6+
Price 20.00 US$
This is an English version of Elchfest, originally published by Kosmos in 1999.
Here is a description of the game from Mayfair Games:
Greener Grass Across the Way!
Two elk (Jule and Ole) stare at each other across a river. Longing for the greener grass where the other elk is, they set out to beat each other to the opposite bank! In Elk Fest, move your elk to the other bank by flicking wooden disks across the table and balancing your elk on them. Can your elk get to the greener grass across the river? Good grazing is just a stone's flick away!
A Fast-Moving, 2-Player Game for Festive Folk
Elk Fest Contains:
2 Elks,
2 River Banks,
6 River Stones,
8 Rubber Feet,
1 Rules |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |
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 Emira
Mayfair Games is distributing an English version of Emira (Phalanx Games) in North America.
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Fall of Rome
Mayfair Games is publishing an English version of Kampf um Rom (Kosmos) to be titled Fall of Rome.
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Figaro
Mayfair Games is distributing Figaro (daVinci Games) in North America.
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 Justinian
Mayfair Games is distributing an English version of Justinian (Phalanx Games) in North America.
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 Leonardo da Vinci
Mayfair Games is publishing an English version of Leonardo da Vinci (daVinci Games)
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 Megastar
Mayfair Games is publishing an English version of Megastar (Amigo).
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 Pompeii
Mayfair Games is publishing an English version of Pompeji, designed by Klaus-Jürgen Wrede and originally published by Amigo in 2004. From what we can determine, the English version is exactly the same as the original version, except the English version comes with a flexible plastic volcano instead of the cardboard volcano that came with the original version of the game.
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 Shear Panic
Mayfair Games is publishing an English version of Paniek in de Wei (999 Games) to be titled Shear Panic.
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Valley of the Kings
Publisher: Mayfair Games
Players: 2-4
Ages: 10+
Here is a description of the game from Mayfair Games:
| Ancient Egypt, the Nile, Horus, Anubis... Place tiles representing river, desert, swamp, hills and cultivated land as regions to be controlled by your people. The greater the region controlled the greater the reward. A game for 2-4 prospective pharaohs, who have seen 10 floods or more. |
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 Weinhändler
Mayfair Games is publishing an English version of Die Weinhändler, designed by Claudia Hely and Roman Pelek, originally published by Amigo in 2004, to be titled Weinhändler. From what we can determine, the English version is exactly the same as the original version, except the English version comes with six wine bottle bid markers.
|
 Mind the Move
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 Hermagor
Publisher: Mind the Move
Designer: Emanuele Ornella
Artist: Czarnè
Players: 2-5
Ages: 12+
Playing Time: 90-120 Minutes
Other Language Versions:
English - Hermagor (Rio Grande Games)
Dutch - Hermagor (QWG)
Mind the Move is accepting pre-orders for the Hermagor (as of September 20, 2006, 300 copies have been pre-ordered in the past 3 days). They are also running a lottery for those that pre-order and those that buy the game. Here's a description on how to pre-order the game and about the lottery :
This year Mind the Move is going to offer a LOTTERY linked to the purchase of the new game Hermagor for Essen 06.
If you order our new game at order@mindthemove.com before Monday 16th October and will come to collect at our booth 9.32 in Essen fair from Thursday 19th October to Saturday 21th October will receive 2 TICKETS. If you do not order but will come to our booth 9.32 in Essen fair from Thursday 19th October to Saturday 21th October will receive 1 TICKET. Remeber only 1000 copies of the game will bring to Essen, so do not hesitate to pre-order!
At 14.30 of Saturday 21th October we will draw 3 tickets.
First Prize is 1 HERMAGOR, 1 IL PRINCIPE and 1 FANTASY PUB
Second Prize is 1 OLTREMARE and 1 IL PRINCIPE
Third Prize is 1 Il PRINCIPE and 1 FANTASY PUB
Names and numbers of the winners will be affixed on our booth and directly communicated to the winners themselves.
Pre-order a copy of Hermagor will give you double chance to win! And you will be sure to have a copy reserved for you! So do not wait again: order right now your game at order@mindthemove.com. |
Here is a description of the game from Mind the Move:
| In a distant land, many and many years ago, rose a big and wealthy city: its name, now forgotten by most, was Hermagor. Commerce was the source of its richness, because from all its territory, countrymen, artisans and also adventurers brought to the city every kind of merchandise: weapons, ancient books, precious relics, and rare dragon eggs. In this city, you can buy and exchange everything. This made Hermagor famous and merchants came from afar to buy and sell all kinds of goods at the market. Some even undertook perilous adventures to acquire especially rare items. They criss-crossed this wealthy region, creating new paths and roads, adding markets to towns, but always with the aim to become the richest! |
Here is a description of the gameplay from Mind the Move:
Each Monday morning on the main square beside the Castle of Hermagorn City there is a Market. Here all the Merchants are gathered, trying to obtain the best products at the best price and also to acquire business information.
Each player places his Buyers on the Market board where Product Tiles are randomly placed. The position of each Buyer is very important to determine Products the player will acquire and the money he will immediate earn for information about “good deals�.
Merchants travel from Village to Village in order to sell Products they acquire on the main Market. When successful they will build Trade Stations there in the hope of future income. Each trip has a cost, so if a player failed to schedule his travel well he can loose the profit for the selling.
Players became richer and richer so they start to build Production Buildings in the Regions. The right choice of the Production where a player invests is a good earning for the final income. A player can also to affect the market prices and the production values. |
First Impression by Andrea "Liga" Ligabue (after several playings of a prototype plus one playing of a final version prototype):
In Hermagor, players are merchants involved in trading goods. They acquire the goods at the General Market and then sell them at the Villages, building at the same time a Trade Station. As soon as a merchant has a trade station in each village surrounding a particular region, he can build a Production Building.
Getting goods and moving on the map will cost money. Deploying buyers in a good way at the General Market, Production Buildings, and selling goods will earn players money. Money is also earned at the end of the game. At the end of the game the player with the most money wins.
There are 24 tiles available in the Market: 8 different types of goods, 12 double goods and 4 special tiles.
Each turn (and there are only 4-5 turns) players first compete in collecting goods at the General Markets. These will be refilled each round (20 spaces) using 4 buyers. Deploying a buyer will cost a different price according to his position on the Market. Mixed with the goods there are 4 special tiles to perform a special action.
After all the players have finished deploying buyers, goods are awarded to the players with the most buyers close to the goods. Nice rules will break most of the ties. As soon as you get a single product tile you can also increase the value of that product.
After that each player will try to sell goods by moving his merchant on the map. Each road, connecting two villages, has a value and you have to pay that amount of money to move. You can only sell goods you have tiles and only in villages you never sold before.
Each time you sell goods you also deploy a trade station in that village that will earn you money in the future every time another merchant sells a good there. The number of actions (move, move and sell, pass) you can do with your merchant on the map range from 3 to 5 according to a randomly taken tile. After the last turn there is a special scoring phase in which you get points from possessing Production Buildings and also trade stations. The player with most money will win the game.
The game is nice and the rules quite simple. Is it not difficult to know what to do: try to acquire the goods you can sell better and closer to the actual position of you merchant, trying also to complete regions as soon as possible to get production buildings. Of course, the other players will prevent you from doing this. Since every action in that game costs money (or gets money) and since money is victory points, you have always to balance and keep an eye on costs vs. results. I think that using money is better that standard visible victory points otherwise the game would have too much point counting.
I think it is a good game, more for gamers than occasional players, in line with the standard the designer is used to. I really would like to play it with the finished graphics and materials because I think clear and nice graphics will really help game flow. It is not a game to play with gamers used to calculate everything before making their move.
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |
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Mücke Autorenrechte
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Palm Beach Island Resort
Publisher: Mücke Autorenrechte
Designer: Harald Mücke
Players: 2-4
Ages: 10+
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
| Palm Beach Island Resort is described as a tactical game. By placing needed infrastructure onto the spaces of the Island, a tourist resort is created that will be visited by guests from around the world. The goal of the game is to build Bungalows and encourage the tourists to part with their money; that is, make a tidy profit. Each player acts as a travel agent trying to fill his bungalows up. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Game |  The Game Close-Up |
Links:
Palm Beach Island Resort - In German but with more information, pictures, and the rules
|
 Murmel
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 Haselwurz und Bärenklau
Publisher: Murmel
Designers: Stefan Kögl and Andreas Rudin
Players: 2-4
Ages: 8+
Playing Time: 45-60 Minutes
Note for all Murmel games: These games will be available at the Bambus Spielverlag booth. Rumis and Rumis+ will also be available through Hutter Trade.
This game was announced as a new release for Essen 2005, but wasn't released until a few weeks after the fair. It's therefore more of a Nuremberg release, but as this is the game's first appearance at Essen, so we are listing it here.
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
The Swiss publisher presents Haselwurz und Bärenklau, a game by Stefan Kögl and Andreas Rudin, published in association with the geobotanical institute of ETH Zurich (the information booklet included with the game is by Regula Billeter, Sabine Rocker and Gabi Jakobs).
During the game, the players build up a landscape with six-sided tiles (forest, rich meadows, lean meadows, farmland, lake, village and quarry). The players look for rare plants and animals at the corners of these tiles. There are four face-up animal or plant tiles which indicate which landscape types they must touch in order to be found there. Plants and animals, once found, are worth points.
The players travel as gnomes via dragonfly, fox, bird and grasshopper. The landscape determines which tiles can be crossed with which type of transportation. Players can only use the same type of transportation again after they’ve used all four at least once. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Box Front |
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 Rumis
Publisher: Murmel
Designers: Stefan Kögl
Artists: Stefan Kögel and Harry Bruppacher
Players: 2-4
Ages: 8+
Playing Time: 15-45 Minutes
This is a new version of the game with 6 game boards.
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Game |
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 Rumis+
Publisher: Murmel
Designers: Stefan Kögl
Artists: Stefan Kögel
Players: 2-6
Ages: 8+
Playing Time: 15-45 Minutes
Rumis+ has 6 new boards as well as an introductory 2-player version that can also be used as a 5-6 player expansion.
Here is a description of the game from Spielbox:
| Along with the re-designed base game, designed by Stefan Kogl and on the Spiel des Jahres shortlist 3 years ago, there is an expansion being released. The new edition is called Rumis+ and includes 2 new player colours as well as 6 new boards and a special 2-player ruleset especially suited for the new boards. Rumis+ is both a 2-player game as well as an expansion to its bigger cousin. |
Pictures: (Click on the picture to see a larger version)
 The Game |
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By Rick Thornquist
