Larry Levy:  Essen Radar Dippers

Are you sick of Essen yet?  Good, because there’s still plenty more to talk about.

Despite the unprecedented pre-Essen coverage this year, there continue to be games that manage to surprise us when the fair opens.  Maybe they were possible no-shows, or from really tiny publishers, or maybe they just managed to slip through the cracks.  In a way, this is comforting—the potential for surprise keeps the four-day event fresh.  Anyway, I thought I’d mention some of the games that slipped under the radar this year.  I’ll also discuss a few of the games we did know about that have surprised me in other ways.

1001 Karawane (Argentum) – This is an intriguing mix of strategy, memory, and bluff.  The latter two elements will probably lessen its appeal to me, but the ideas are original and I can see this getting some notice in the months to come.

Bohnröschen (Amigo) – Yet another Bohnanza expansion?  Well, yes, but this seems pretty different.  The base game is the same, but there are a series of tasks that all the players have to achieve (in order) to win the game.  The tasks are things like having Chili beans in one of your fields or planting two identical beans at the start of your turn.  You also have the choice of paying a gold to satisfy a task.  The player with the most money after all the tasks are finished wins.  It certainly sounds interesting and could add a whole new dimension to the negotiation mechanic, although at the cost of playing time (the duration is listed as 90 minutes).  Unfortunately, the text-heavy cards are only in German, but Mik Svellov (who loves the game) has posted translations for the rules and the cards on the Geek.  It might be worth putting together a rough set of English cards and seeing if this is worth purchasing.  Of course, this will probably have to wait until a bunch of English-language Essen games get played!

Borneo (daVinci) – We heard next to nothing about this mercantile card game prior to the fair, but it got some nice comments from a number of attendees.

The Circle (C4) – Another total unknown, this time from a startup publisher.  Frank Schulte-Kulkmann, who did an amazing job of uncovering surprise games this year, made it his Game of the Show.  The Brits didn’t like this espionage game as much, but it’s certainly gotten people’s attention.

Darjeeling (Abacus) – It’s about tea, of course.  I recently got to read the rules online and thought they had considerable potential.  Reviews are mixed so far, but this is one I’d like to try out (and I’m sure I’ll have the chance, as Rio Grande will have this out before the end of the year).  The designer is Günter Burkhardt, who used to have a terrible reputation, but who seems to grow more respected with each passing year.

Jantaris (Czech Board Games) – The commercial branch of the Czech Republic Games Machine may have the flashier titles (Galaxy Trucker and League of Six), but the original group is still making news.  The online rules for this area control game are reasonable, but they didn’t really fire my imagination.  However, I keep hearing good things about it.

King of Siam (Histogame) – The same thing goes for King of Siam; the rules don’t excite, but those who have played it really like it.

Laborigines (Czech Board Games) – The other entry from CBG, a “take that!” design in which your clay-sculpted creatures struggle to survive in a cruel lab environment.  Seems luck-heavy, but could be a hoot to play.

Liebe & Intrige (Goldsieber) – One of the real oddball items of the fair—a Jane Austen-era game in which you try to get your three daughters married off!  The theme and very pink box indicate this is aimed at women (and about time, too, game publishers!), but the ideas make it appear it might appeal to a wide variety of gamers.  I hope Goldsieber is successful with this, as the theme is a great one and the hobby needs more games with chick appeal!

Macht & Ohnmacht (MoD Games) – This is a two-player light combat game, not the sort of thing I’m usually interested in.  But the rules for this Andreas Steding game look really interesting, so I may have to check it out.  The name, by the way, means Power & Weakness.

Medievalia (Giochix Edizioni) – Another game from an unknown publisher, this time a card game featuring resource production and conquest.  That sounded appealing, plus I love the name, so I read the online rules.  Unfortunately, they were incomprehensible, giving you no idea how the game is played.  But along comes my man Frank Kulkmann to the rescue; he gives it a very thorough and enthusiastic review on his website and, son of a gun, now I’m interested again.  The designer has promised to come up with an improved version of the English rules; until then, check out Frank’s review.

Moai (Face 2 Face) – If you’re tired of namby-pamby, indirect interaction Euro fare, check out this Easter Island themed game.  The number one word used to describe it is “vicious”.

Modern Society (Tuonela) – Yet another unknown game!  Okay, there’s a reason this time, since it’s still a prototype, but it looks pretty interesting.  The company is Finnish (might we hear from yet another corner of the gaming world?) and the designer is trying to find a publisher.  Stay tuned.

Palastgeflüster (Adlung) – A few folks have had nice things to say about this short card game (although given it’s by Adlung, “short card game” is pretty redundant I guess).  The only thing I know about it is that the designer is Michael Rieneck, the white-hot creator of Pillars and Cuba.

Tammany Hall (StrataMax) – This came out pre-Essen.  I bring it up because it may be the first StrataMax game not to be based on their distinctive six-color dice.  In fact, it seems to have no dice at all.  Based on early reviews, it sounds heavier than the usual StrataMax game and I’m quite interested in it.  The game is themed around one of 19th century America’s most corrupt political machines, a great idea for a game.

Wadi (Emma Games) – Another new publisher, this time featuring an interesting looking abstract themed around utilizing water found in the Egyptian desert.

Die Wiege der Renaissance (DDD Verlag) – A card game from a pair of veteran designers (Willfried and Hanno Kuhn).  It features historical events and individuals from the time of the Renaissance, but other than that, I know nothing about it.  It got some favorable comment from folks at the fair, though.

Later today, I hope to do more than just read about games and actually get my first crack at some Essen goodies.  I’ll let you know next time how well they played.

© 2007 Larry Levy

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Comments:

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Thanks for rooting out the unheralded, Larry.  Any more info on Borneo, Palastgeflüster, Macht & Ohnmacht, and Die Wiege der Renaissance is greatly appreciated since they have been on my radar. Darjeeling looks similar to Guatemala Cafe, which I enjoy. Posted by Ray Smith on Oct 27, 2007 at 07:27 AM | #

I like Power and Weakness. I almost co-produced it but several factors had stopped me. Assuming not much was changed in the final production there are two phases in the game:  one phase where you can combat opponents adjacent to you and the other pahse where magic reigns and you attack opponents that are in the same type of terrain you are in. There is a time mechanic - actions cost time and when one block of time is filled the phase changes. I would not call this a wargame at all despite the “combat” elements and I think it is a very clever design. Not many spoke about this game at the show, but I had heard about some of the other games you mentioned - all with mixed feelings. Zev Posted by Zev Shlasinger on Oct 27, 2007 at 10:24 AM | #

I know that Darjeeling is on the list of games that Jay is bringing limited quantities to BGG.Con. I decided to get a copy as a gift for a friend who is a big tea-drinker. If the game is still somewhat obscure at that point, I’ll be sure to post something on it at or after the con. It looks like there will be a fair number of the Essen titles at BGG.Con (and I suspect that the same is true of EuroQuest). I’m sure that we’ll have a better handle on this year’s crop before December… Posted by David Reed on Oct 27, 2007 at 11:06 AM | #

Any thoughts on Lascaux, Altamira, Star System, or Perry Rhodan? Or the more fantasy/adventure games, Midgard, Phenomena, or Zev’s modified Prophecy? Did Isensee’s Ramses make it? Thanks for the great coverage of the unsung potential heroes of Essen. Posted by Jonathan Franklin on Oct 27, 2007 at 11:49 AM | #

At least concerning Perry Rhodan you can get a pretty good impression since I provided an english translation of the german rules. Feel free to download the english rules from my website at… ... http://tinyurl.com/3xlsps Best Regards Heinrich (Glumpler) http://www.erlkoenig.net Posted by Heinrich Glumpler on Oct 27, 2007 at 01:39 PM | #

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