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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
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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
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By Rick Thornquist
