ISSUE 424 -JUNE 2011 ISSN 0257-361X Volume 35

THE GAMES JOURNAL www.gamesjournal.at

INTERNATIONAL EDITION: IN THIS ISSUE WE PRESENT 56 GAMES OUR REPORT u STRASBOURG

each Guild is only present 3 times all in all PRIME TIME FOR GUILDS on all Round Cards and not in any regular distribution. At the end of each Round Card one of the five edifices is placed randomly STRASBOURG and face-up. Functions for family members Before we get back to those round cards, let’s take a quick look on the other compo- nents: Each player receives a set of so called Soon we will have played our way all across The second big area is the City area, with Influence Cards, comprising 4x the values of Europe, in our time travels to the Middle Ages spaces for the guilds. The spaces of a guild 1 to 4. Then there are coins, privileges, edi- and the Renaissance we have visited a lot of are arranged irregularly in groups of linked fices and goods tiles and a screen for each cities and have meddled in local politics in spaces for each guild, and have different player, a round marker and a marker for the the guise of burghers of princes, noblemen values. Already at this point you should take starting player. Each player starts with his 15 or merchants and have tried to acquire pow- a close look at the City, because the spaces family members, his set of influence cards, er, influence and wealth. This time our time of the different guilds are of varying values, the screen and coins of value 5 behind the machine has landed us in 15th century Stras- those of the Smiths are the most valuable screen. bourg, the politics of the town in those days ones, followed by those of the Vintners, the were heavily influenced by the guilds. Play- Shoemakers, the Butchers and last those of Dagmar de Cassan ers represent resident families of Strasbourg the Bakers. It is a real challenge to achieve an optimum result using the and want to achieve positions within the The third permanent area on the board is the wonderfully intricate and interlocking mechanisms from a guilds for their family members. To succeed Prestige point track around the edges of the random beginning. you need influence and money, because in board, numbers ranking from 1 to 80. the Middle Ages one had to pay for an ap- The most important and interesting area of All we lack now to start on the not really sim- prentice position. And – not unexpected – the board is the one that will look different ple details of the game is a quick look on the we need to reckon with Nobility and Church. in each game, the area for the Round Cards. general way the game is played: Strasbourg When we take a look at the board we note on Those Round Cards are laid out randomly comprises five rounds, and each of these it three permanent areas: First, the so called next to each other in this area and are the rounds is made up from three phases, Plan- Council of the town with 8 Seats for Nobil- key to the game, on which hinge all the other ning Phase, Action Phase and Council Phase. ity, Church, five Guilds – Smiths, Vintners, actions. Each of these Round Cards shows a At the very beginning of the game, before Butchers, Bakers and Shoemakers - and the space for Nobility/Church in top position A, the first round, we somehow agree on a start- Merchants. Each of those Seats is attainable followed by alternating spaces for 3 guilds ing player. He gets the marker for the starting by one of your family members, of which you and 3 merchants in Position B to G. Position H player and places one of his family members have 15 all in all. Whenever you can place one is always a space for the action Build Chapel into the Nobility Seat of the Council, his left of your family members onto one of those and Position I is always a space for the ac- neighbor places a family member in the Council Seats you return a family member tion Build Edifice. It is absolutely necessary Church Seat. that is already in this position back to its to always keep in mind the each Round Card Then the Task Cards make their entry. Similar owner. only offers three of the five Guilds and that to Ticket to Ride players are dealt task cards,

Color codes, target groups, features, icons and GABIS are 2 ISSUE 424 / JUNE 2011 explained on page 5 and at the bottom of pages 40 and 41 www.gamesjournal.at STRASBOURG / 40 LINES FOR MEEPLES t OUR REPORT

5 of them in this case, you look at them and As a Master I can place a family member into decide how many you want to keep. It is the Guild Seat of the Council, take one Goods mandatory to keep one card and you can tile of the guild from stock and place a family keep all of them, you also keep hidden the member on a free space of the guild in the number of cards you keep. Tasks that you can City. For this I pay the price stated on the cho- fulfill earn you Prestige Points at the end of sen space. As a Journeyman I get a Goods tile the game, but if you cannot fulfill a task you and a position in the City, as an Apprentice I lose Prestige Points. These task cards relate to can choose between a Goods tile and a posi- positions of your own family members in the tion in the City. City, either in relation to edifices, guilds or the At Positions C, E and G you influence the outer wall of the city, or you must own goods, Merchants. If you win the position with most own the starting player marker or have the influence points, you can sell goods to the majority in family members in the City or merchants and – at Position G only, place a own more coins than anybody else– these family member on the Merchants Seat in the tasks are deemed to be not fulfilled in case Council. of a tie between players. Positions H and I are implemented without A word of caution here, especially in your the use of Influence Cards. If you have a fam- first game: The game play is that intricate ily member in the Church Seat of the Council, and interlocked that you cannot reasonably you may build a Chapel on a free white round give an estimate whether you will be able to space in the city, of course as near as possi- fulfill a task or not, so don’t risk too big a loss bly to your own family members. If you have of points. a family member in the Nobility Seat of the Now we are ready to begin play: Council when Position I is implemented, you 40 Lines for Meeples In the Planning Phase we use our set of Influ- take the current edifice off the Round Card Dagmar de Cassan, Editor-in-Chief ence Cards, this can be done by all players and place it a free building space in the City, simultaneously or in turn. These cards are there is a total of 7 such spaces. Do not forget In theory 1.200 new games are published shuffled and stacked face down in front of to take an eventual task card into account each year, which makes it seem practically each player. You can draw any number from when placing an edifice . impossible to keep track of them all! Really the stack at the start of each round, but you And what if you do not manage to get impossible? No! must keep in mind that you only have a to- anything with your influence cards despite That’s where our WIN Games Journal comes tal of 24 cards for all 5 rounds of the game, having used them for a position? You can in, we can be of assistance to keep track of that is, you have an average of under 5 cards choose exactly one card from the stack that new games, because in this journal we re- for each round. You draw the cards individu- you used to bid for that position and place it view more than 700 games a year, from small ally, one by one, you can look at each card under your draw pile of influence cards. The publishers as well as from market leaders, and then decide whether you want to stop other cards you used go out of the game as children games as well as games for experts. or draw another card. A little information is do stacks that you did not use when all posi- We know the games and play the games, gained by what we draw, information is more tions are done. Therefore it is always of use because they are all in the news room of fact and less guess with each round, but of- to bid, even if you know that it is to no avail, our Games Museum and can be tested and ten too late for good use of this information. because you can save one card for your draw played by our visitors. When you have drawn your influence cards pile and so have more influence available To be your base for your opinion on games, for the round you divide them into as many next round. If you do not bid for a position, we have upgraded our evaluation system, stacks as you want, you can make up stacks you have passed and cannot do any action. beginning with issue 422, with these new with 1 card only or put all cards into one This takes us to the third phase of a round, definitions: stack, just as you like. the Council Phase: Each player scores the VERSION: This is the copy of the game that Well, as you like is the wrong expression, you number of prestige points equal to the num- was the basis for the review must take into account many different facts: ber of family members in the council. If you RULES: Here we list the languages of rules The positions on the Round Card are imple- have the majority in the Council, you receive included in the game or easily available for mented one by one and you can decide at an additional privilege. These you can use in the game, very often you can find additional each of these positions if you want to use later rounds to pass once per privilege used translations on the net. cards or not. Each of the positions is won by when it would be your turn to bid for posi- IN-GAME TEXT: Most games feature lan- the player who uses most influence points tions A-G on a round card, you can use more guage-independent components, rules are there, the others follow in descending order than one privilege for a position. sufficient. A “yes” in this category marks a of their influence; ties are decided in seating After five rounds additional prestige points game with language-dependent compo- order in relation to the starting player. are awarded: nents, they can be multi-lingual or not; the All-dominant for our decision is, of course, - One point per family member in the City+ game cannot be played without knowledge what do I get when I win at this position? - One point per Chapel for each family mem- of the language or assistance in translation. First and always the starting player marker, ber on adjacent spaces In case you like our WIN: Please take out a which is important in case of ties! Then it dif- - The prestige points of an edifice for each subscription, we have established a PayPal fers: If I win at Position A I can place a family family member on a space directly adjacent account, so payment of € 6 for a one-year member on the Nobility Seat of the Council, to the edifice horizontally or vertically subscription is easy and safe. An edition is if I am second I can place it on the Church - One point for each unused privilege made available free for all only after two Seat. At Positions B, D or F I can influence the - The points for each fulfilled task card, only months, please check respective guild – with the majority of points once per card http://www.gamesjournal.at I place a Master, with the second most a Jour- - Minus three points for each unfulfilled task In June there is a WIN XXL too, please check neyman and with third most an Apprentice. card page 7 and our website for more information.

WIN The Games Journal now also available as WINxxl with a goodie. www.gamesjournal.at For all information on that check page 7 and our website. ISSUE 424 / JUNE 2011 3 OUR REPORT u STRASBOURG / MANSIONS OF MADNESS

If you own most prestige pints you win and can be proud! You have mastered an ex- REAL ESTATE HORROR PROPERTY tremely challenging game in masterly fash- ion. Strasbourg demands resources manage- ment on a level of its own, made even more MANSIONS OF MADNESS difficult by the fact that the start of the game Something Is Rotten in the House of Lynch! is regulated by the chance factor of card dis- tribution in your stack of influence cards and also by the random distribution of the round Creaking floors, generators humming, flick- builds his decks of cards accordingly. There cards. My fellow players were of two minds ering electric lights and eyes that stare out are scenario specific Clue and Exploration about these random factors, but I do believe of the darkness – welcome to the house of cards, Keeper Action Cards (some of them is is proof of a player’s quality to achieve an horror (one of five)! The basic concept of are used in one adventure only, others more optimum result despite the randomness at “Mansions of Madness” is in essence known frequently) and lots of other cards as well – the start. You really cannot allow yourself from the old horror fun game “Chill: Black Mythos cards contain instructions for traps, to make a mistake, because you must have Morn Manor” (Troy Denning, 1985) – one encounters, mishaps and the like for the in- Goods to have money to be able to spend it or more brave adventurers search for clues vestigators, Trauma and Injury cards cause to place family members as well as possible inside a manor house to reveal the identity psychic and physical damage respectively, – one moment of lacking concentration or of its creepy owner. The adventurers must etc. – and the five matching Event cards for parsimony with the influence cards at the find the matching weapons or tools in order the scenario, each of these to be revealed wrong time can ruin the whole game for you. to put an end to the nightmare. By fiendish and read out aloud after a predetermined The first game surely will be a learning expe- machinations they can even come under his number of rounds (between three and six). rience for most players, but that should not spell and from then on, willy-nilly, help fulfil In order to save time, the investigator players deter you, the game can be wholeheartedly his sinister plans. The original intentions of read the short story for the chosen scenario recommended, it is tough, challenging and these unfortunate victims (or rather willing rewards the effort with an attractive game. helpers?) are forgotten. More often than not Martina, Martin und Marcus And a final compliment for the rules editing, it is only decided at the last minute, which Lovingly produced, easy to learn, this adventure board- providing rather brief but concise rules for side eventually gains the upper hand. game set in the universe of H. P. Lovecraft provides nearly such a complex game and to the producer perfect entertainment for all friends of the genre. in general for the beautiful design and com- In “Mansions of Madness” (at the moment ponents!  only available in English) the situation is simi- in the Investigator Guide booklet (the Keeper [email protected] lar, but far more complex. Not uncommon for should read it too, ideally before starting the a boardgame made by Fantasy Flight Games, game), while the Keeper deals Clue and Ex- INFORMATION three or four decks of cards and a few other ploration cards (called “seeding”) face down PLAYERS: components are not sufficient – quite on the to the specified locations according to the Designer: Stefan Feld 3-5 contrary, the game box is packed to the brim Keeper Guide. Then the players may choose Artist: A. Jung, H.-G. Schneider AGE: with cards, smaller cards, markers, tokens, which investigators to play (eight charac- Price: ca. 35 Euro 12+ plastic monster and plastic adventurer mod- ters are available, known from other games Publisher: Pegasus 2011 TIME: els as well as booklets with rules, scenarios of Fantasy Flight Games’ “Arkham Horror” www.pegasus.de 90+ and special instructions for the mansion’s series; this series includes “Arkham Horror”, owner / the games master (these instruc- published in 2005, numerous expansions, tions, quite reasonably, come in a separate as well as card games etc.), select their (vari- EVALUATION booklet). Also not unwonted and rather stan- able) characteristics (Dexterity, Intellect, San- Resources management game dard for this company, the individual com- ity, etc.) – but you can also use your favourite For experts ponents are very nice and produced in first character in every scenario. To conclude the Language: multi Rules: de en class quality (merely the plastic used is not to set-up, the Keeper reads the short Prologue In-game use of language: no everyone’s taste). For playing purposes, one from the Keeper Guide, and the investigators Comments: really needs almost all of these elements, al- may start their search. Nominated for „Kennerspiel des though they could have left out some of the At this point, however, only the Keeper Jahres 2011“ Interlocking mechanisms cardboard pieces (e. g. Wound, Horror or Skill knows, what the scenario really has in store Very good rules markers) by simply using paper and pencil. for the adventurers, and, more importantly, the Keeper alone knows the winning condi- Compares to: Other resources management games The game, though complex, is rather easy tions for each side. The Objective Card con- to master. The biggest effort comes before taining this information must be kept secret Alternate Edition: playing starts: laying out the gaming arena. from the investigators, until either one of the none other The (variable) game board consists of up to winning conditions is fulfilled, or an Event fifteen (double-sided) cardboard tiles to be Card (usually the last-but-one) or (very rarely) arranged according to the map of the cho- another card calls for revealing the objective sen scenario. In this mansion (sometimes of the scenario. Studying the clues thorough- including a garden area) the adventurers ly, the investigators should be able to guess are about to investigate and the “Keeper”, the objective beforehand, anyway. as the games master is called in “Mansions of Madness”, springs his traps and leads his The game is played in rounds, starting with minions and monsters. The Keeper then the investigators. They may decide which secretly makes his choice(s) from options character goes first in each round. In their

My rating: offered within the scenario instructions and turn, they may move up to two spaces and

Color codes, target groups, features, icons and GABIS are 4 ISSUE 424 / JUNE 2011 explained on page 5 and at the bottom of pages 40 and 41 www.gamesjournal.at MANSIONS OF MADNESS / GABIS t OUR REPORT

perform an action. This can be a further (as explained on the appropriate Keeper movement, but usually they will search Action Cards). The Keeper may play Mythos GAMES BUYER INFORMATION SYSTEM - GABIS the room, use an object or perform a ritual cards – if he can pay their Threat cost –, which STRUCTURE (read card text), sometimes even take part are normally rather harmful for investigators in a fight. Whenever adventurers encounter as well. If an investigator suffers physical or Each game review also features an evaluation which monsters – or monsters surprise them –, mental damage, the Keeper may immediate- can help you to find the game that best suites your tastes. The color accompanying each game title a Horror test is called for (roll a die against ly deal Injury or Trauma cards respectively. represents the Target Group. The headline also contains your Willpower statistics). If you fail (die re- This may result in movement impediments information on age and number of players. sult higher than the – sometimes modified – for this character or an investigator suddenly The BAR in the evaluation box displays color codes for Willpower points on the Character Card), you suffers from claustrophobia etc. Whenever up to 10 features of a game. lose a Sanity point (take one Horror token) the number of rounds printed on the back TARGET GROUPS – a total loss of Sanity may cause a takeover of the top Event card equals the number of of the character by the Keeper (or in some rounds played, the Keeper flips this card over, We have defined 4 target groups (color accompanying the head line) scenarios even worse things may happen). reads the instructions out aloud and resolves Unlike in similar games, an actual fight is by its effects (only the text matching his choice Children: no means mandatory. The Keeper may even from the Set-Up steps). Unless any victory Games for children an educational games. Adults can play in guiding function decide rather than to attack with his mon- condition is met now, the next round begins. Families: sters to constantly have the investigators Children and parents play together, all have the same take additional horror tests and thus drive “Mansions of Madness” is – despite minor chance to win and have fun Friends: them right to the brink of madness – and mishaps and errors, especially in the 5th Young people and adults play together as equals beyond. In some adventures this may even scenario – a horror adventure game that Experts: be the better strategy. Combat is resolved by works almost perfectly. Most other games Games with special demands on rules and playing time. the Keeper drawing cards from the match- set within the world(s) based on the stories Especially for game geeks ing monster cards stack (the categories are of Howard Phillips Lovecraft (1890 – 1937), Games that are especially eligible for Solo play or for 2 human, beast and eldritch enemies) until a from the role-playing game “Call of Cthul- players or Large groups of players are marked with an card text corresponds to the situation on the hu” (Chaosium, 1981) to “Arkham Horror”, icon. Please note for the target groups Children, Family and Friends: Children who love to play can be ahead of board. Frequently a skill test is asked for (d10 perhaps with the small exception of “Witch their peers! Please note that our target group “families” – ten-sided die, a result of “1” automatically of Salem” (Kosmos 2008, which is only con- does not imply the classical concept of „family games“! means success and “10” failure). This whole nected vaguely to Lovecraft, though), fail Furthermore, our target groups can overlap. The choice of the suitable games always depends on your playing process is an unusual but rather fun way to eventually because sooner or later a Great partners and your fun with games! settle fights. As soon as all investigators end Old One appears to fight the characters. their movement and action sequence, it is Great Old Ones are almost omnipotent, al- FEATURES the keeper’s turn to act. He draws Threat to- most invincible, and according to the inner Each game targets preferences for different features in kens equal to the number of characters tak- logic of these dystopian worlds earth’s de- a player, therefore each game is not suitable for each ing part in the game. He may spend these struction must needs ensue. Corey Koniec- player. We have listed 10 features players note when deciding on a game. Only if a player finds his preferred tokens for actions. zka downgrades this ultimate fate a bit. Even features in a game he will enjoy the game. The color The Keeper may also decide to accumulate in Lovecraft’s stories there rarely appeared code marks the dominant features. Educational games Threat tokens to use later on for more expen- such an almighty being – unless in his rather train the highlighted preference. sive actions, more painful for the characters worst ones. Frankly, literary genius Lovecraft Chance: The game is influenced by dice, cards or any other form of random generator Tactic: Take decision, short-term planning, planning based on one move Strategy: Think ahead, long-term planning, planning for several moves Creativity: The player has to provide words, phrases, images and other creative efforts. Knowledge: Cultural and educational knowledge, long-term memory Memory: Remember, learn by heart, short-time memory Communication: Talk to each other, negotiate, inform Interaction: Influencing each other, bluffing, auction Dexterity: Motor skills Action: Body movement, balance and reaction

Colors in the Bar

Empty boxes: This feature is not present or minimal One colored box: This feature of the game is present, but not essential Two colored boxes: This feature is present and impor- tant in the game Three colored boxes: This feature dominates

WIN The Games Journal now also available as WINxxl with a goodie. www.gamesjournal.at For all information on that check page 7 and our website. ISSUE 424 / JUNE 2011 5 OUR REPORT u MANSIONS OF MADNESS

was none, rather a master of eerie moods in joke by female students dabbling in witch- erwise the adventurers lose valuable playing often rather banal settings. craft or by sinister experiments of alien in- time that will inevitably help their opponent In his better short stories, the enemies of vaders. The search for a missing business reach his goal. the hero – the hero being usually an elderly partner can end up in the uncovering of a scholar, a scientist, engineer or writer, even scary murder conspiracy or in the attempt to All this works quite well, contributing to a sometimes a policeman or private eye – are open or close a portal to another dimension. concentrated atmosphere and is even en- madmen, worshipping supernatural, often tertaining when losing the game. No adven- nameless beings (“nameless” and “forbidden” The rules are relatively well structured, well ture leads to endless dice rolling, the random in addition to “horrible” and “degenerate” are illustrated with examples, not overly compli- factor is limited to what is really necessary, perhaps the most widely used adjectives in cated, and therefore easy to learn. Again, the sometimes there is even the possibility that Lovecraft’s stories), are hillbillies or cross- absence of a usable index is to be deplored. all parties lose, and yet they still spent a thrill- breeds of lesser humans, as he seldom forgot In the first edition used for this review, some ing evening.  to mention – pretty racist, by the way. Some- cards are misprinted or not clearly labelled, Martina & Martin Lhotzky times mutated beings appeared, brought but replacement cards are provided and on Marcus Steinwender into existence by unknown radiation (“The the support page of Fantasy Flight Games Colour Out of Space”, “The Dunwich Horror”) for “Mansions of Madness” on the internet, or less powerful aliens visited the earth. Fur- Errata and Frequently-Asked-Questions-lists ther popular fiends from his repertoire are are available – up to date and actually rather descendants of witches and warlocks of the useful to eliminate any ambiguity. The 5th Salem Witch Trials, held in Lovecraft’s home scenario was really muddled up a bit – the state of Massachusetts at the end of the 17th majority of corrections cover this particular century (he, by the way, wholeheartedly adventure; without these it can hardly be agreed with persecutors and witch hunters), mastered. There is a second edition in print, as well as Undead and Ghouls. allegedly (hopefully) with most of these er- rors rectified. All of these appear in “Mansions of Madness” as well. While there are miniature models of All the scenarios (even number five) are logi- alien Mi-Go (tech-savvy dragonflies from cally structured and remarkably detailed. A space), the dreadful Hounds of Tindalos new element of the game, solving special (time-travelling, wyvern-like eldritch beings, puzzles, which is mainly used to slow down mentioned only once by Lovecraft himself) the investigators, is usually well integrated and even Shoggoths (massive, amoeboid into the plot. Nevertheless it is employed a creatures) and Chthonian (giant, tentacle- little too often. Anyway, here is an example: INFORMATION mouthed earthworms, not credited to How- the characters are confronted with a power PLAYERS: ard Phillips Lovecraft, but to Brian Lumley), to failure that can only be repaired by con- Designer: C. Konieczka, T. Uren 2-5 bring them into play the Keeper would be structing a new circuit (a so called Wiring Artist: Ludvigsen, Childress u. a. AGE: using his powers of that scenario in a par- Puzzle). To achieve this, a character has as Price: ca. 57 Euro 13+ ticularly mean way. many attempts as correspond to his Intellect Publisher: Fantasy Flight Games 10 TIME: Each of the five adventures in “Mansions of points. However, before the puzzle is solved, www.fantasyflightgames.com 150+ Madness” offers several ways in which the no investigator may look at the Exploration story grows from its starting point. Thus mys- cards in that room. It is of immense impor- terious power failures at a university building tance, though, for the characters to know all EVALUATION could be caused by a more or less harmless the clues and gather all the equipment, oth- Horror adventure game With friends Version: en Rules: en In-game use of language: yes Comments: Harmonious components and design Good rules Lots of fun and replay value

Compares to: Betrayal at House on the Hill, Höllenhaus Alternate Edition: Villen des Wahnsinns, Heidelberger My rating:

Color codes, target groups, features, icons and GABIS are 6 ISSUE 424 / JUNE 2011 explained on page 5 and at the bottom of pages 40 and 41 www.gamesjournal.at KEY WEST t OUR REPORT

THE KEY TO THE CARRIBEAN KEY WEST Plantations, tourists and ships NEU IM JUNE 2011 Dazzling sunshine, clear blue sky, this is printed on one side of the bills – and distrib- the weather of the moment, and of course ute them as follows: 3 on the bridge space For many years the Games Museum has that puts one in holiday mood! My dream: between Florida and the Upper Keys, 4 on been publishing not only journals and A cruise through the Caribbean with my the bridge space between Upper Keys and other publications, but also Goodies for husband. But for the near future work is the Middle Keys and the remaining 5 on the popular games, which we hand out for motto of the day, so I need to get close to last bridge space between Middle Keys and free in Essen and Vienna. The most popu- my dream in a different way! Lower Keys. lar of these goodies so far has been the So of course, I pick out the game „Key West“ Terry Pratchett Disc World Scenario for from publisher Spiele-Idee, the topic seems As long as dollar bills are present on those „The Settlers of Catan“. to be what I want. Right! The cover of the bridge spaces the bridge is deemed to be Each week we still receive inquiries from game immediately puts me in a good not built yet and cannot be used. all over the world for these goodies. Up mood. It depicts a beautiful sandy beach to now we have asked for a stamped self- with a lighthouse, with a man smoking a ci- On the three groups of islands there are addressed envelope, because the Goody gar under a sunshade and seemingly enjoy- spaces for several fruit plantations, hotels itself is a gift of the Games Museum. ing total relaxation. and cigar factories. In relation to the num- After lots of inquiries and suggestions The description of the game on the box fea- from friends we now want to make it eas- tures all what I want from a holiday in the Maria Schranz ier for all interested gamers to be able to Caribbean, so let’s see if my expectations are Key West is a very good family games with a certain depth acquire those goodies easily and world- really met. which will appeal to experienced players. wide: Players in the game are asked to build hotels We offer a combination of one issue of and plantations and to manage those, fur- ber of players some of those spaces and also WIN The Games Journal and one Good- thermore you need to set up cigar factories shipwreck spaces are covered. ie for the price of 5 Euros for postage and and produce cigars or you can go diving for packing. treasures and shipwrecks. The game comprises a total of 8 round and Therefore, starting with March 2011, each each round is made up of two phases, the month there will be such a WINXXL edi- When opening the box you are confronted Auction Phase and the Action Phase. tion, which comprises the password with lots of components: 40 diving tiles, for this month and a given goodie from 42 Key West cards, 27 harvest tiles, 3 dice, Phase 1: stock. Check www.gamesjournal.at 1 game board, 6 covering tiles, 1 starting At the start of this phase the 6 Key West WINXXL 424 comes with the expansion player marker, 220 Key West dollars in de- cards in the first stack are displayed. These for ATLANTIS from Amigo-Spiele „Die nominations of 1, 2, 5 and 10 dollars, and cards are now auctioned. Each player clos- Schiffe“! (only available in German lan- for each player a set of 11 wooden discs, 6 es dollar bills for his bid into his hand. The guage) Who does not have it yet? action markers, 1 victory point marker and 1 special feature of the auctions in Key West WIN The Games Journal is available as marker for the cigar track. is that only the highest bidder must spend PDF edition for 6 Euros for 12 months. money, and this in a special way: He pays The game board features „Florida“ in the top to the player with the lowest bid the sum and in the middle the 3 groups of islands, equal so the difference between their bids. „Upper Keys“, „Middle Keys“ and „Lower The player with lowest bid also receives the Keys“. Furthermore there are 40 spaces for starting player marker and starts actions in the diving tiles, then the cigar track, the Phase 2. The winner of the auction takes wrecked ships and the action track with 9 best the rest of his bid, and all other players different action spots. Between Florida and keep all the money they did bid. the islands of the Upper Keys Group there is a bridge space, as there is between Upper The advantage of being the highest bid- Keys and Middle Keys, and Middle Keys and der and winning the auction is that you can Lower Keys as well. choose first from the Key West cards and take 2. Then the player with the second- Each player starts the game with 20 Key highest bids takes 1 card, and finally the West Dollars and a set of 11 wooden discs, player with the third-lowest bid takes 1 card, 6 action markers, 1 victory point marker and too. 1 marker for the cigar track in hgis color. The 24 Key West cards are shuffled face-down The remaining two cards go into a discard and laid out in 7 stacks of 6 cards each next pile. This ends the Auction Phase of the to the board. round.

Finally, you shuffle 9 1-dollar bills and 3 Cards that you won in auction are always 2-dollar bills face down – the value is only laid out on the table face-up, they enable

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you to the following actions: “Build bridges”, vealed immediately and earn you Key West he receives no compensation whatsoever- “build bridges and plantations”, “build plan- dollars in relation to the number of sponges for the loss of his plantation. tations”, “build bridges and turn up harvest depicted on them. tiles”, “dive +1”, “dive +1 and turn up a har- Reveal harvest tile: You turn up two har- vest tile” or “capacity +1”. You can always There are also diving tiles featuring three vest tiles and place them on the „Florida“ execute all actions featured on your cards or kinds of treasures. part of the game board. use their abilities. In more detail: Phase 2: Bridges and plantations you build immedi- Build bridges: The Key West card for build- In this phase each player can place 2 of his ately after winning the corresponding Key ing bridges shows the bridge. You pick up action markers on the action track. West card, harvest tiles are revealed imme- the top dollar bill on this bridge. By winning On the action track you can find the fol- diately, too. These building actions and the the Key West card for this bridge you not lowing 9 spaces for different actions: „Dive“, revealing of harvest tiles are a once only ac- only got the right to build part of it by tak- „“Buy hotel“, „Buy Hotel and/or manage it“, tion and must be done immediately. ing the money but you also acquired – case „buy factory and/or manufacture cigars“, the bridge gets finished – one share of the „Buy factory and/or market cigars“, „Manu- Key West cards featuring the actions „dive bridge with each card. facture cigars and/or take 8 Key West dol- +1“ or „capacity +1“ entitle you to additional lars“, „Score shares of two bridges“, „harvest possibilities for the action „dive“ in phase 2. Build a plantation: The Key West card two plantation groups“, „take 1 action of These abilities can be used once per round. shows one kind of fruit (bananas, oranges your choice“. When diving you can locate shipwrecks. If or avocados). You place one of your wooden you do, you place them immediately onto discs on a plantation. For each kind of fruit Dive: You can take a look at up to 3 diving the shipwreck area on the space with the there are exactly three plantation spaces on tiles and take one of them. If you take the lowest available value and score the points the islands. During the course of the game first or second one, your turn ends. You may for victory points. it can happen that all spaces of a kind are look at the 2nd tile and then decide to take taken. In this case you place your wooden the first one. Furthermore, you can bring up sponges disc on a plantation space all the same, and with a dive. These diving tiles are also re- give the disc already there back to its owner, The Key West card „Dive +1“ allows you – during the action Dive – to take a look at one additional tile. If you hold several of those cards you can look at one additional tile for each of those cards.

Buy a hotel: You place one of your wooden discs on one of the hotel spaces on the is- lands and pays 5 Key West Dollards to the bank. During the game it can happen that there are no hotels left; in this case you can take over the hotel of another player, he places his wooden disc on this hotel. For this, though, he has to pay 8 Key West Dol- lars to the owner, but he does not pay any- thing to the bank. The dislodged wooden disc is handed back to its owner.

Hotels can score you victory points in two ways. Each Hotel belongs to a certain cat- egory and has a number of stars accord- ingly. At the end of the game all players add the number of stars of all their hotels. If you have the majority of hotel stars you score 8 victory points, if you hold the second-most number of stars you score 4 points.

The second possibility is to manage a hotel: Buy hotel and/or manage it: For this action you can either buy a hotel, manage a hotel that you already did buy or buy a new hotel and manage this new one and all other ones that you already own. How to buy a hotel has already been men- tioned. To manage a hotel all bridges be- tween the location of the hotel and the “Florida” part of the board must already have been built. If this is not the case, you cannot manage this particular hotel.

Color codes, target groups, features, icons and GABIS are 8 ISSUE 424 / JUNE 2011 explained on page 5 and at the bottom of pages 40 and 41 www.gamesjournal.at KEY WEST t OUR REPORT

Hotels that are already connected with a score victory points. The rules and maybe my description too, bridge to the land mass of „Florida“, can lead you to expect a rather complicated score victory points in the following way: Harvest 2 groups of plantations: game. But this is not the case. The game is a There is a die for each group of islands. If you There must be harvest tiles in „Florida“ cor- very good one, is a lot of fun and provides a manage your hotels, you receive the die for responding to the kind of fruit on your plan- nice ambience for playing. When looking at each of those island groups where you own tation. If no such tile is in „Florida“, this action the box or the board I was always thinking a hotel, regardless whether these hotels are does not yield anything. of a holiday in the Caribbean. already connected via a bridge to “Florida”. It Unfortunately, the rules very often use dif- is also not important how many hotels you If you should own more than one planta- ferent terms for the same action of the same own on an island group. You roll all the dice tion for more than one kind of fruit you can item. you are entitled to roll and only the die with score a harvest tile for a maximum of two the highest result is important: You count kinds of fruit, provided this tile is available The graphics and design of the game is very all hotels that have a bridge connection to from “Florida”. nice and gives a nice feel to the game. “Florida” and multiply this result with the The mechanism for the auction is not really highest result shown on the dice. The result Take on action of any kind: new, but is integrated wonderfully into the of this multiplication you divide by 5 and In a round of the game a player can place 2 game and the interaction between the auc- score this numb er of vic tory points. Should of his action markers, each action space can tion phase and the action phase is extreme- there be a rest to this division you are paid hold only one of your action markers. Only ly well-made. the amount of this rest in Key West Dollars. when a player has used up all his action markers after three rounds of the game, all The game provides, despite not being over- Buy a factory and/or manufacture cigars: players get back all their action markers and ly complex, a certain depth and offers lots Again, you are entitled to implement both all actions are again available. of tactics and strategy also to experienced or only one of the two actions from the card. players, so it can be recommended to them, Each action space takes one action marker. too. The buy of a cigar factory is done in the To enable a player to repeat an action within same way as the buy of a hotel. Here, too, the period of three rounds you can use the I would like to end this review with a word you either pay 5 dollars to the bank or 8 dol- space for „take any one action“. This enables of commemoration for the owner of Spiele- lars to the previous owner of the hotel. you to use an action space again, but at the Idee, Horst Rokitte, who passed away a few cost of two action markers. days before he could present his game at With the first action of manufacturing cigars Essen.  the cigar production is started. Again, you End of a round: [email protected] take one die for each island group, in which When each player has used his two action you own at least one cigar factory, and roll markers, the round ends and the next one is INFORMATION all dice. Then you count all your cigar facto- started with the auctioning of the next stack PLAYERS: ries and multiply this result with the num- of 6 Key West cards. After round three and Designer: Martin Schlegel 2-5 ber on the highest die. Again, you divide the round six all players have used their action Artist: Cosimo Tassone AGE: result by five and move your marker on the markers and take all of them back. When Price: ca. 27 Euro 12+ cigar track accordingly. For the scoring of ci- all players have finished round seven of the Publisher: Spiele-Idee 2010 TIME: gar factories it is irrelevant whether bridges game there is an eighth and final round of none 60+ have been built or not. the game.

Buy factory and/or market cigars: In each of the previous seven rounds of the EVALUATION Once again you can implement both ac- game 2 Key West cards have been placed on Game of economics tions or only one of them. How to buy a a discard pile. This pile is now shuffled and For families Version: de factory is the same for this card. When you then the top 6 cards are displayed for auc- Rules: de market cigars you change cigars into victory tion in the 8th round. In-game use of language: no points. 5 cigars result in one victory point, Comments: you advance the victory point marker ac- When round eight has been finished there Components and game play give cordingly and, of course, move back the is a final scoring: you a feeling of the Caribbean Good interplay of Auction and marker on the cigar track. You score 1 victory point for 1 harvest tile of Action Phase - Good rules a variety of fruit, two harvest tiles score 3 vic- Compares to: Manufacture cigars and/or take 8 Key tory points, 3 tiles give you 6 victory points Die Schatztaucher, Hotel Samoa West Dollars: and 4 of those tiles earn you 10 points, any Again you can decide to make use of one or additional tile of that kind of fruit earns you Alternate Edition: none other both actions. 1 more victory point. The treasures are scored exactly in the same Score shares in two bridges: way. You can only score shares in finished bridg- Then players add the stars of their hotels es that have a continuous connection to and score 8 points if they have the majority, “Florida”. For each Key West, card openly and 4 points, if they have the second-most displayed in front of you, that shows such number of stars. a bridge you score 1 victory point. Should Finally, for 5 Key West dollars you receive 1 all three bridges be finished and you own victory points. cards for all three bridges you must decide And the winner of the game now is the play- for which of the two bridges you want to er with the highest total of victory points. My rating:

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and place the round markers on the differ- LOCAL TRAIN POSTAL TRAFFIC ent tracks on the boards: Now we are ready to start.

FIRST TRAIN TO NÜRNBERG The principle is simple: you have to create a Beer production and commerce track net, rent trains and transport goods and passengers to get Victory Points (VP). But you need to keep an eye on your expenses as it The first train to Nürnberg follows the … Every player get a set of wooden markers (3 is very easy to make losses if you do not act “Last train to Wensleydale” of the same de- locomotives, 9 round tokens, 15 track links carefully. Also you need to diversify in your signer, Martin Wallace at Treefrog Line (TF) and 15 investment cubes) in one of the four commerce, as at the end of the game you 2009. We will compare the two games in the colors (black, blue, yellow and violet). The get additional VPs for your “combos” (each following notes but let’s start immediately box also contains: 1 tissue bag, 35 red track “combo” is made up from 1 red and 1 green by noting that if you buy the “First Train” you links, 35 green track links, 25 red passengers, passenger plus 1 grey and 1 yellow cube). do not need to own the other game, as it is 25 green passengers, 25 white landlords, 1 Before starting it is highly recommended to included as a bonus in the Argentum Verlag black turn marker, 60 yellow cubes (POST closely examine the map to locate the goods (AV) edition 2010. markers for the Nürnberg map or CHEESE and the passengers and the possible paths to When you open the two boxes you imme- for Wensleydale), 60 grey cubes (BEER for reach them via the shortest possible route, diately note that the maps have different Nürnberg or STONE for Wensleydale) and 20 dimensions: the AV version is smaller (420 x investment tokens in 4 colors (white, brown, Pietro Cremona 595 mm) than the TF one (560 x 645 mm) but red and green). The rules say that they should A highly interesting game that keeps your neurons busy, much better from the artistic point of view. It be “white” cubes but the box I bought has again an attractive well-made game by Martin Wallace is a double-sided board: the “Nürnberg” map “grey” cubes instead. Again, nothing changes on the front and the “Wensleydale” map on in play, just a note for the readers. the back. The latter has the same number of The rules of the AV version have been slightly comparing the distances to the passenger’s areas as the TF version, but it really seems amended but nothing really changes and own color major stations. Also remember to be another game, from the visual point thus we will refer to the new version in this that each cube gives you 1 VP, but the grey of view. The maps are divided into areas: review: hopefully some notes in the rules ex- cubes are more important for your profits valleys (green), hills (brown with farming) plain if something is different when playing and thus as the game starts you usually and mountains (brown). Each area may be the Wensleydale game. Note that a separate need to take more grey than yellow ones. Of empty or contain a different icon (Train Sta- A4 sheet is provided for the SET-UP proce- course each game will be different (because tion, Post office, Beer manufacturing, Cheese dure (see later) that has on the reverse side a of the random cube placement) and thus farm, Stone mine). Five MAJOR stations are very useful rules summary: really a well done your strategy of the previous game may dra- also printed: 2 green (Nürnberg Nord and work from Argentum Verlag. matically change in the following one: one Nürnberg Süd) plus 3 red (Fürth, Zirndorf Ok, let’s close the TF box definitely and put it important point for a positive evaluation of and Oberasbach) on the Nürnberg map and on the book shelf: from now on we will follow the game. 2 red (Skipton and The South) plus 3 green the AV version and we will basically review No Wallace’s game will be complete without (Harrogate, Ripon and Northallerton) on the the game for four players. a bidding section and this one is no excep- Wensleydale map. You have now to do the set-up: this is the tion. You have eight influence boxes (num- The different tables printed on the TF map most annoying part of the game, but it is bered 1 to 8) in the smaller board: most of have been canceled on the AV version, which very important to do it correctly. You put into the influence colors are already printed on uses two separate boards for those tables: the bag all the 120 yellow/grey cubes and the map, but you have to add to each box one for the rent of the trains and one for you mix them thoroughly: then you draw ONE extra token (randomly taken from the all the other features (Turn track, Influence out randomly always two cubes and put 20 available). points cases, Influence track, Profit/Loss them into each area on the map with a Post/ The players have to bid to take control of track). Moreover each board is again “double Cheese or Beer/Stone icon. If you play the TWO of those boxes using the Influence faced”: one for 2-3 players games and one Nürnberg game you will use all the cubes, cubes. The bidding system is simple: you for 3-4 players games (with 3 trains less and otherwise a few will remain in the bag. Now place some cubes on one box (minimum 3 6 Influence points cases). you have to remove from the map all the influence cubes on the boxes 1-4, or 2 cubes Components are the same for both games wrong cubes, that is, the cubes that do not on the boxes 5-8) and the opponent have to with the only difference in the diameter of match the icon: yellow cubes cannot remain outbid you to take possession of this box. The the round tokens: 15 mm in the TF version on the hills (those are for Beer/Stone) and out-bidden players take their cubes back and and 12 mm in the AV version. This is because grey cubes cannot stay on the valleys (those make another bid in the same or another box the different tracks have been reduced in di- are for Post/Cheese). The cubes that remain until all the players each control two differ- mension in the new map. Everything is OK on the map are the goods that you have to ent boxes. but the markers for the Influence Tracks are pick-up and transport to gain points. This phase is probably the most important still too large and they cannot fit well in the The Passenger set-up follows: you place 4 of the game: the inexperienced players often tracks if they are adjacent to other markers: red and 4 green passengers on the 8 sta- are a little confused about “which box” is bet- here the best solution should have been to tions with a colored icon and you put then ter, but after a couple of games the bidding use “cubes” instead of discs. This is a remark the remaining 67 passengers (red-green and section will be very hard to play, especially that may be useful for an eventual future edi- white) in the bag, then you pick up 2 or 3 of when a couple of boxes will have the most tion, but you may always find some colored them at a time (the number is printed on the needed Influence points. cubes from another game, if you wish, ore station icon) and fill all the stations on the In practice you “win” influence points in FOUR use one of the investment cubes. Anyway no map. different tracks: problem to play, just a small “nuance”. Finally, randomly determine the order of play the WHITE track is the Government influence

Color codes, target groups, features, icons and GABIS are 10 ISSUE 424 / JUNE 2011 explained on page 5 and at the bottom of pages 40 and 41 www.gamesjournal.at FIRST TRAIN TO NÜRNBERG t OUR REPORT

and the player with most points will be the all your cubes you may keep 3 of them un- railway from the same or a different major FIRST to build tracks on the map: so if you used in order to arrive to the maximum of 15 station. Also you must pay a WHITE influence really need to reach a particular area you cubes in the next bidding turn. This is often point every time that you enter an area con- are compelled to invest in boxes with most the only way to be certain to win the bid for a taining a white landlord (who is immediately white influence points particular box when you desperately need to eliminated). It is not allowed to build a link the BROWN track is the Train Influence and increase your points in a specific color. Dur- between two areas already connected by the player with most points will be the first ing the game always remember that white an opponent’s railway (or already converted to rent a train or to charge a good: so if you goes first in track building and brown goes to a major Company) but it is possible to really need a particular train or if you want to first on the train operating phase. reach the same area from different adjacent be certain to collect the goods that another Once you finish the bidding phase you ad- zones. It is also forbidden to build links to or player may .. stole if he start before you, you just the Influence point tracks, paying atten- through hills and mountains, so often a pos- need to invest in brown points. tion to the order of placement because if sible path may be blocked by rival railways the RED and GREEN tracks allow you to two players have the same points the token and you have to select an alternative line. spend influence points mainly to sell your on top will be the first to play. Many games When you create a railway you obviously old rail lines to one of the two major com- have been won or lost because a player was need to know what to do with it: in game panies in order to avoid great losses. So if you able to play first (or at least before his main words you need to load goods to make VPs need to sell part of your railway network to a opponent)!!! and to provide profits to your company, but specific Company you need to get its color It is time to pass now to the “operational” you also need to move passengers to their points. phase: the first player on the white track may “right” destinations (so, for example, to reach Of course the “basic mix” of colors (the ones now build as many links as he wishes, pro- an area with two RED passengers is wrong already printed on the board) will grant that vided that he has enough investment cubes or useless if your railway is connected to a every player will receive enough different left on his stock: links join two adjacent areas GREEN station). You always need to check points, but the boxes 5-8 must be checked and cost 1 CUBE each (or 2 CUBES if you have your stock of goods and passengers in or- carefully as they are strongly addressed to to cross a border with a river). Each railway der to decide if and when it is time to start the white and brown points, and if an extra must start from a major station (RED or another railway to make more combos: i.e. “random” white or brown token is placed GREEN) and you have to pay a commission if you already have 3-4 RED passengers and here they become very important. of 1 colored influence point for the first link: 4-5 GREY goods it is better to go for GREEN Every player gets 12 influence cubes per turn in the following turns you may add new links passengers and YELLOW goods before ex- adding unused cubes left from the previous to your existing lines without paying any fur- panding an old railway. turn: so if you do not really need to spend ther commission, or you may start another You constantly need to remember that every

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link that you build will cost you ONE PROFIT to load one item (good or passenger) and selling part of his railway to one of the two point at the end of the turn. Each passenger then the turn pass to the player to his left, majors Companies (Red or Green): to do so that you transport and each yellow cube will who may perform one action (buying a train you need to pay 1 Influence Point of the that you pick-up will grant you 1 profit point: or loading one item) and so on until all play- major Company’s color for each 2 links: take the grey cubes will grant 2 profit points in- ers pass. To load a passenger you need to your color’s links out of the map and substi- stead. So be careful when you ask your Engi- have a railway arriving or passing through tute them with the link of the selected major neers to design a new track and advice also the area in which he is located and that ar- Company. your Accountant to keep track of the costs rives at a major station of the same color (for It is very important to understand “when” it is and the profit balance. example a GREEN passenger may be loaded time to sell your links: usually you will do this Once that all the players have build their if the railway arrives to one of the Nürnberg after having loaded ALL the passengers and tracks and paid the cost with their invest- stations). To load a POST good you need to goods in this part of your railway (with the ment cubes it is time to operate the trains. arrive or pass through a valley area contain- exclusion of the passengers of the rival ma- Unfortunately the players do not have ing a yellow cube. To load a BEER good you jor Company) in order to eliminate a “dead” enough wealth to “own” one or more trains, need to arrive at a station adjacent to the section of your network. Remember that you thus every turn you have to RENT trains, us- hill containing the grey cube (small arrows may sell only 2 links per Influence Point of ing the “Brown” train points and the second on the map help the players to understand that color so you must keep an eye very well side board. The latter is divided in three where the beer can be loaded). open when you bid for a particular case: it sections: 3rd class trains that cost 1 “brown” Once all the trains are fully loaded or no more happens even too often that you cannot sell point and may load a mix of 3 passengers/ passengers or good can be loaded the play- enough links because you do not have those goods; 2nd class trains that cost 2 points and ers calculate their VPs: in the 4 player game it “ever missing” influence points. load up to 4, and 1st class trains that cost 3 is easy as you get 1 VP for each item that you As I wrote before, the bidding phase is really points and may load up to 5. Each section loaded, while in the 2-3 players games you the heart of the game: if you made a plan for has 4 trains with different mix: from 100% get 1, 2 or 3 points per item depending on the turn and you succeeded in getting all the passenger to 100% goods. the class of the train (3VP for 1st class, 2 VP for necessary Influence Points you will be able The player with most brown points is the 2nd and 1VP for 3rd). The players adjust their to perform your project, but if you were out- first to select a train: having a good idea of VP marker on the VP track around the map. bidden you will be obliged to change your the situation on the map and giving a quick plans and find a valid alternative in order to look on the number of brown point owned Now it is time to estimate how well your maintain a good flow of VP. Hopefully there by all the players is very important to deter- Company performed: each passenger and/ are always alternatives because the game al- mine which train to buy first, as it is some- or yellow cube gives you 1 Profit Point (PP), lows you a lot of freedom, but sometimes it times better to “steal” a train that could be while each grey cube gives 2 PP. You add the will be better to use one turn to gain a mini- decisive for another player or leave a train PP and you subtract from the total 1 PP for mum of VP in order to be able to prepare that the opponents cannot buy. Please note each railway link of your color still on the your vengeance in the next turn (i.e. saving that you may buy only 1 train per type (1st, map; then you adjust accordingly the Profit/ some cubes and having the maximum of 15 2ndor 3rd class) and thus being fourth in the Loss Track. These vary from -13 to +5: all play- cubes next time). turn may be disastrous, especially in the first ers start the game with 0 PP and at the end Of course it would be lovely to be the first turn. Luckily, the rules help the players allow- of each turn they modify their position. The to build tracks, the first to select trains, the ing them to exchange 3 influence points for player with most PP at the turn end will be first to load good, etc, but this will be impos- one brown point in order to complete a train the first to play in the following turn, and the sible, so you have to be flexible and follow (but only if you already spent all your initial others will follow according to their position the opportunities that will arise each turn. brown points). on the Profit Track: adjust the round markers Remember that if you are the first to build If you already own at least one train you may on the Play order display. your railway you may block a rival compa- start to run it loading goods or passengers: Finally each player has the opportunity to ny by placing links that will cut every pos- each player, in “train turn” order, is allowed save some extra expenses in future turns by sible path: your opponent will be obliged to search for an alternate (and longer) way or to start a new railway from a different sta- tion. This will not only gain more free goods to you, but also will oblige your opponent to spend precious cubes and to lose unneces- sary time. When the Nürnberg and Fürth stations are connected for the first time each player that has links in this connection gains 1 VP extra per link: in the first 2-3 games this possibility is often under estimated as the players al- ways search for the most profitable way (in terms of immediate VP), but this has proven a fatal mistake in most of our tests. In effect the winner of the game has always been one of the players who gained the most VP from the above connection. The game ends after 4 turns (5 turns with three players) and each player needs now to add the VPs of his “combos”: 2 VP for each combination of 1 Green + 1 Red passengers

Color codes, target groups, features, icons and GABIS are 12 ISSUE 424 / JUNE 2011 explained on page 5 and at the bottom of pages 40 and 41 www.gamesjournal.at FIRST TRAIN TO NÜRNBERG / DE VULGARI ELOQUENTIA t OUR REPORT

+ 1 Yellow + 1 Grey cube. So, if you have 5 Red and 4 Green passengers, 7 grey cube and 8 FROM LATIN TO ITALIAN yellow cubes you get 4 combos and 8 VP. All the extra passengers and/or cubes have no influence in the VP calculation. DE VULGARI ELOQUENTIA The player with most VP is the winner. Play the development of a language This is really a sly game: everything is simple and very clear from the beginning and you feel very comfortable with the mechanics, es- The topic of „De Vulgari Eloquentia” (DVE) is white plough and sowed black seeds. pecially if you already played other Wallace’s the period of the late Middle Ages, and the [That is, the Hand]: Cows = (deep running) games. But as the game progresses you are different languages of those times as well as thoughts, white fields = pages, white plough obliged to think more and more ahead, to the developments concerning the „Volgare“, = feather, black seeds = ink)” fix objectives that you MUST perform (doing that has been emerging in that time as the the best possible bid at the start of the turn) common language, influenced by other lan- I admit that this was a lot of text, but it is di- to avoid a catastrophic operational phase. guages. rectly connected to the topic of the game. When it is your turn to place links on the map During the game you must discover and de- The rules mention both the D’Oil languages take your time to study all the alternatives as cipher manuscript, accumulate knowledge and the D’Oc languages as well and even you will need to be certain that the goods and travel across Italy to accumulate the the Riddle of Verona is appearing! So I can and the passengers that you need can really most fame. So you are told in advertisings only advise every interested player to start be yours (especially the grey cubes that give for the game and also in the rule and this is researching and acquaint himself further 2 PP) and do not hesitate to sell old tracks exactly what’s happening. with the several definitions and topics that to the major Companies and to start a new So, being one of those non-Latin people I had are featured in the game. It is fun! railway: remember that your main target is to research what is the name of the game? to get the most possible combos at the end Wikipedia willingly yielded some informa- And this takes me directly to a big compli- of the game. tion, as cited in two passages of text: ment: the graphics and the ambiance are In my opinion this is another HIT from Martin „De vulgari eloquentia (lat: On the eloquence very attractive and appealing and the many Wallace. Highly suggested to expert players, of popular speech or colloquial speech) is a details on the topic that are integrated as ele- but not suitable for family games unless work by the Italian poet Dante Alighieri. It ments of the game make one curious about you leave the players compete without the was written in four volumes between 1303 history and linguistics – if you are open- “combo” points.  and 1305, but only the first volume has been Pietro Cremona preserved completely and the second vol- Wolfgang Lehner ume has been preserved including the 14th A game with lots of rules and details, which is attractive INFORMATION chapter. De vulgari eloquentia is mostly con- due to the many resulting possibilities to make decisions. PLAYERS: cerned with neo-latin languages.“ Designer: Martin Wallace 2-4 „As all romanic languages the Italian lan- Artist: Dennis Lohausen AGE: guage is derived from Latin. At the start of minded for such topics. Price: ca. 40 Euro 12+ the Middle Ages, after the fall of the Roman Publisher: Z-Man Games 2010 TIME: Empire, Latin remained alive as the language But now for the game: www.zmangames.com 120+ of office and the language of the Church. Fur- Everybody has a playing piece and enough thermore, Latin retained its function as the markers in his color. Roughly half of the written language of the time. The spoken lan- board features a map of Italy, which is frag- EVALUATION guage, on the other – as already at the times mented into several zones (to be frank, I do Bidding / resources management when the Roman Empire still existed – was not like that term at all – provinces or spaces For experts a language deviating from the written stan- would have been nicer). Furthermore, there Version: en Rules: de en fr kr dard, which was known by the name of lan- are two seas, which you can enter via the In-game use of language: no guages Vulgar Latin or Spoken Latin. This was zones with an anchor symbol = harbor and Comments: the predecessor of all proto-Romanic dialects which are not connected to each other. The Version of Last Train to Wensleydale and – finally – of all Romanic languages. remainder of the board is taken up by a track This game is included as a bonus Many different strategies to win Thus in Italy and its neighboring countries for the game rounds and quite a lot of action Basically an auction game new languages developed, among them tracks. All around the board runs a knowl- the Oïl languages in northern France, the edge track, which must not be mistaken for Compares to: Other games by Martin Wallace Oc languages in southern France and the a victory points track. The victory points are Sì languages in Italy. Dante Alighieri named called Volgare points in the rules and are cal- Alternate Edition: these languages for the respective word culated at the end of the game. First Train to Nuremberg, Argentum Verlag they used for „yes“. The first written docu- ments of the Italian Volgare date back to the The basic mechanism of the game is simple: late eighth or early ninth century. The first your figurine moves across the zones of Italy. document features a riddle that was found This is important, as many actions are con- in the Biblioteca Capitolare di Verona and is nected to being present in a certain zone. known by the name of Indovinello veronese In addition each player has 5 action mark- bezeichnet wird: ers for his turn, which he uses to mark those actions out multitude of actions available „Se pareba boves, alba pratalia araba, albo to him. There definitely is a scarcity of those versorio teneba et negro semen seminaba.” markers as many actions take up more than

My rating: [She] pushed cows, tilled white fields, held a one marker. Maybe you will even manage

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one action only. Moving your figurine is one a 4, the fourth space with a 5 and the ninth of those actions! This takes me to formalistic considerations space with a 6. The remaining spaces are not Some of those actions have the nice effect and questions as regards to rules: marked. It is obvious that the spaces with the to enhance knowledge. The mechanism DVE has an long and complicated rule. To notations are the one that this rule applies for the knowledge track is absolutely clear: find your way through this book takes time to, but it is not stated in that way in the rules. When there are 2 markers on the same spot and patience and a good memory. This defi- Okay, this would not be a problem in itself, the lower one in the stack leads as regards nitely constitutes a hurdle for many players but if generates some doubt on how literally to knowledge, because he has reached this and makes DVE a game unfit for a casual one can apply the rules; there are quite a few spot earlier! Enhanced knowledge is a pre- player. passages that are not clear and – when taken requisite for some actions. Furthermore, all literally – questionable. ties that occur during the game are decided In my first game we have taken these pains by knowledge. If you are cleverer you win the to get acquainted with the rules and played The Riddle of Verona is the source for one tie. Even at the end of the game should there the game according to the best of my knowl- more unclear statement: „A player whose be a tie in the Volare points. For the order of edge. I do know from experience that you figurine starts or ends its move in one of the play within a round the advantage goes to make a lot of mistakes when playing a com- blue zones in Northern Italy, can advance on the more stupid one: He is allowed to make plex game for the first time. Therefore, after the Verona track for each action spent”. his move first. The balancing of my knowl- my first play, I usually take the rules in peace You definitely could interpret this that it is edge as regards to that of the others – do I and quiet and re-read them carefully. This is not allowed to invest in the Verona track want to be cleverer and have better possibili- what I did here, too, One week later at the without movement, even when the figurine ties for actions or do I want to be more stupid games evening. And lo and behold: 6 details, is present in the blue zone. Because it might and ahead in the order of play – for me is very played wrongly. Oops. I did not recon with be there still from the previous round. The attractive and stimulating. so many mistakes. Most of them were small difference in the outcome is big, as the ad- ones, one a big one: We had overlooked the ditional move from blue to blue or from blue (I am aware the fact that „clever“ or „stupid“ limitations on the acquisition of manuscripts. to somewhere else takes up an action that not necessarily indicate different levels of In one turn a player can take only one man- you might want to use for something else. knowledge and politically correct terms are uscript. This changed the game fundamen- probably a different thing. But it is fun to tally, as the acquisition of manuscripts is an The unfortunate phrase of „ a player whose throw around those terms and everybody important, if not the most important source figurine starts or ends its move in XYZ“ ap- knows what it means. of victory points at the end of the game. The pears a 100 times in the rules, or at least that’s limit is explicitly stated in the rules. Even how it appeared to us. Which has strength- You start the game in the role of the mer- printed in bold. So we cannot blame the ened our opinion that those activities are not chant. Later in the game you can decide to rules. But it seems symptomatic to me for possible without moving first. Which really renounce money and turn beggar monk. the complexity of the rules that something makes moving and turns more difficult. And But if this decision does not appeal to you like this can happen. it is wrong. Definitely wrong. Clarification after all, you try to advance your career into from the net (for clarifications I quote Mi- the traditional official church which then in Fortified by this second reading of the rules chele Quondam, who is mentioned as edi- turn means more money, are elected cardi- I dived into two more games. This time I was tor in the rules), not quoted verbally, say: All nal and finally have the chance to be elected able to explain the rules, which was definitely activities that are tied in with a location can pope – provided you have established good speeding up the game, but the explanation be implemented when the figurine is present enough connections to politicians, nobility of the rules took one hour all the same. in this location (of course subject to the fact and abbesses. Ooops. People had a lot of questions. that other conditions that are independent I must confess that I am a bit skeptical if of a location are met, too). Nix movement. But please note: you „can“. It is absolutely someone who has not mastered the game Basta. It could be that simple! possible to stay true to your role and finish perfectly is explaining the rules. Okay, it the game as a merchant. Or to look forward saves time, but it can also result in misin- I suppose, this wording resulted from test to the end of the game as a beggar monk. terpretations. And during my researches on games, when some really foxy player tried For me this is a very appealing feature of this game I was badly surprised to note that it to reap all advantages of a zone en passant the game. There are many ways through has happened to me: I did explain the game while executing a move across three or more this game and will take a lot of games to try wrong. Shame on me. Well, I have a defense zones. Oh, well. them all. If this plethora of strategies does not to offer: I am not alone with my mistakes. appeal to you and you are more comfortable Discussions on the net confirm this. All in all Oh well, the movement. This is the biggest with a clearly defined strategy this will rather I know more now. The rules have their weak- ailment of the rules. Before or after a move- detract from your pleasure with this game. nesses, despite being the rather clear overall ment “interaction with a zone of the map” Add to this the fact that beggar monks and and definitely not the worst one I have ever is possible. Is this intended to be exclusive cardinals are represented by individual cards, worked with. or inclusive. Big questions, big discussions which can make use of different advantages, in the forums. Clarification: You start your respectively. So Brother Ralph is travelling in An example: The Riddle of Verona move in a zone and can make use of all the an especially economic way and needs no Quoted from the rules: “The player who is zone has to offer. During your turn a maxi- money, even for longer stages, or take Car- furthest ahead on this track, that is, who has mum of one move is allowed. Then you are dinal Muret, he has a 6th action marker for discovered the most valuable document, re- in another zone. And can make us of all that each of his turns. Once a character has been ceives 4, 5 or 6 victory points, depending on is possible there. Basically, very simple. But chosen, it is not available any more to other the spot the marker has reached, spot 4, 5 or this is not how it is stated in the rules; that players. This absolutely results in competition 6 on the track. “ This cannot be correct as stat- another movement in the same turn is not for the individual beggar monks or cardinals ed, the Verona track on the board is made up possible basically would be clear from this, that are considered to be better. from 10 spaces. The first space is marked with but it could be emphasized again when de-

Color codes, target groups, features, icons and GABIS are 14 ISSUE 424 / JUNE 2011 explained on page 5 and at the bottom of pages 40 and 41 www.gamesjournal.at DE VULGARI ELOQUENTIA t OUR REPORT

scribing movements. Accordingly, when op- present – immediately and consecutively marker and discard two abbesses and pay 20 timizing victory points you can squeeze dry regardless of when and how you did arrive Ducati to the bank. So far so good. The little a maximum of two zones only or enjoy the in Rome. This is another detail we and many flaw in this: The board only shows one yellow sights of two zones, if you are an aesthetic- others have been playing the wrong way. abbess marker, and the notation 10-20 next minded one. Using “and” would have made Another wonderful example for unclear rules to the Ducati symbol. Well. That probably the case absolutely clear. I do believe that and deficiencies on the game board: The Am- was planned differently or is simply a mistake someone would conceive of the idea that bassador. on the board. The 10-20 can be explained: If a movement would be only possible if both you take this final step in rounds 1-7 you pay zones hat something left over to offer. There For the Ambassador’s Track a player needs a the additional costs mentioned. From round would have been absolutely less risk of mis- total investment of 8 action markers all in all 8 on the additional costs are reduced to one interpretations. to arrive at the end of the track with his mark- abbess and 10 Ducati. But the tie-in with the er. The marker moves one step per action number of rounds is not marked by a symbol And furthermore, you can then really do ev- marker invested. That usually has no other and 2 abbesses are depicted nowhere. erything that the zone has to offer! So, when conditions tied in and can be done whenever being in Rome you can use both the advan- one is the active player. With one exception: Well now, what is all that for? Only if you tages of the city and the event tile – when For the last step you must invest the action reached the final spot of the Ambassador’s

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track you are entitled to use the advantages ing player is absolutely unmerited. There is a of Bologna in this or a later round, provided Or the alms donated to beggar monks small compensation for this in the choice of your figurine is present in Bologna. The re- and cardinals, which are stopped without the starting zones, but that could be amend- ward are 15 (in the case of situation A up to replacement after round 11. Clear and un- ed by placing the markers on the knowledge round 7) or 10 (in case of situation B round equivocally in the rules. But not remembered track one step further to the right. This would 8 and up) steps forward on the knowledge at the start of round 12 and thus more money let all players start without knowledge. When track. I could not find an answer to the ques- gleaned by the Church representatives. Very a player wants a manuscript he must already tion, if in case of situation A the visit to Bo- much to the disadvantage of the remaining now invest in knowledge and cannot stay logna must be done before round 8 as well merchants and apt to reduce their chances comfortably put and keep his advantageous to reap the 15 knowledge steps. Personally, I to win: When the first player dons the monk’s starting position for the next round without believe that that would be too hard. If some- habit, you place a coin on the round marker any disadvantage. I liked this variant. It in- one sacrifices 2 abbesses and 20 Ducati, he track for each round up to round 12. In each duces quicker changes on the knowledge can have 15 knowledge steps, even if his visit new round you put the coin back in the bank track and thus results in more dynamics in to Bologna is a bit late. Of course you don’t and implement the alms phase. So you can- the order of play. get anything without visiting Bologna. not forget them and you have a good idea hwow many alms are still due to arrive. Finally, I would like to state clearly that –de- One more clarification: The Papal Library spite all my critical remarks which only relate This action track and its action can be used When you include noblemen into your to rules and memory aids – I do like DVE very in round 12 at its earliest. As is the case for all sphere of influence, that is, you take a black much. It is a tactical game that needs opti- other tracks you must use one action marker nobleman marker, you can discard him here mization of the immediate situation. Spiced for every step on the track. The track has 8 and there for an income of 20 ducati instead up with some strategic elements – e.g. the spaces. The first is marked with 1, the fourth of placing him behind your screen. Clear influence on the order of play, which can be with 2, the sixth with 3 and the eighth with 4. and unequivocally, but no corresponding achieved by laziness, too, the well-planned There are 8 cards „Papal Library“ with a secret reminder next to the action space for noble- travel routes or the already mentioned plan- amount of 2, 3 or 4 victory points. So there is men, and therefore easily forgotten. ning of your own knowledge level. If you do a certain amount of luck involved. When you not mind the absolutely dependence on reach the first space, marked with 1, which The fact that all towns with Franciscan Friars fellow players and a certain amount of luck only needs one action marker, you get the are active in round 15 and 16 is denoted by combined with the complex rules, will have top tile, place it behind your screen and have a Franciscan symbol next to this rounds. Very an enjoyable gaming experience with DVE. these victory points at the end of the game. commendable. But, the same symbol is also  As you are allowed to have a maximum of depicted next to round 14, which is simply Wolfgang Lehner one such card at the end of the game, that wrong. Bad luck! But know I have discov- INFORMATION has been it. Why should I make further invest- ered that only the German and French rules PLAYERS: ments at this track? We have spnt a lot of time restrict this to rounds 15 and 16. The Italian Designer: Mario Papini 2-5 pondering on why there are more spaces on version, which is the original, and most other Artist: L. Azzariti, G. Favaro, E. Villa AGE: that track, but did not find a satisfying expla- languages set up rounds 14 to 16 for this. So Price: ca. 40 Euro 14+ nation. you can let the symbols on the board stand Publisher: Lookout Games 2010 TIME: with a clear conscience and correct the rules 120+ Clarification: Taking the tile is a “can”-condi- accordingly. www.lookout-games.de tion. You can take a card at the space with 2, 3 or 4. The advantage: You take the corre- One mistake has found its way on the EVALUATION sponding number of cardes from the stack, screens, too: The abbesses, noblemen and Score optimization game chose the best one and replace the rest in politicians that you assembled in the guise For experts any order. Of course, beyond that point of markers are weighted differently in case of Language: de further investment in the track is pointless. elections. Politicians have 3 votes, noblemen Rules: de en es fr it In-game use of language: no If it really makes sense to invest that much have 2 votes and abbesses only 1 vote. Well, in the raise of probability for more points female rights were very far in the future in Comments: Very complex rules, sometimes not seems questionable, and I have difficulties those times. These different votes are applied very clear - Length of game and flow assessing this. But, I have often noted that, in several different situations, but are always of the game very dependent on the number of players especially towards the end of the game, one distributed in this way. And wrongly marked Lots of different strategies to win cannot use actions points in a really useful on the screens. Should be corrected there. way. This might be a way to overcome this. Overall, the screens give a reasonable over- Compares to: Vinci, Agricola On the other hand, I have never seen it in all view on the final stages of the game: What of my games that a player really did this. All yields how many Volgare points. But, a refer- Alternate Edition: of us always only thought this worthwhile ence is missing as regards to the 5 additional none other only 1 marker. Volgare points when all five languages are represented in the manuscripts. The game board holds further potential for improvements. Especially in the case of a I have a suggestion, too, for a small change in game with this amount of details assistance the rules: According to the rules each player is really appreciated. If would be very help- starts at a knowledge level of 1. This enables ful to illustrate the changes related to certain you to immediately acquire a manuscript of rounds also on the round marker track. For level one without investment in knowledge. instance, those tie-ins of the Ambassador The sequence of play, however, is purely ran- My rating: track to the round numbers. dom and thus the advantage for the start-

Color codes, target groups, features, icons and GABIS are 16 ISSUE 424 / JUNE 2011 explained on page 5 and at the bottom of pages 40 and 41 www.gamesjournal.at CHRISTOPH VAVRU‘S BED TIME STORIES t FOR OUR INFANTS

GAMES TURNED INTO THRILLING STORIES TO READ MONSTERFALLE Tidy up for Grandma Frieda!

Finally, the day has come for Grandma Frie- monster and is now directing Iris. da’s visit. Markus and Josephine are waiting Just when the have caught their fourth impatiently, monster, the timer runs out. But, what are they to do with their monster Now Norbert and Ursula can show what friends? Of course, all the monsters are nice they can do. Quickly they have spotted a and friendly, but Grandma Frieda would be monster, too, but their cooperation is not as frightened very much should she spot them good. Just when they have maneuvered the and ran out of the house screaming. This monster into the vicinity of the trap door, it must be avoided at any cost! suddenly changes direction and careers off. „We must put the monsters into the base- They manage to catch it with their third try, ment“, is Josephine’s suggestion! but there is not enough time for another Her older brother throws her a doubting monster, because their friends call a halt. look. “Do you really think they will go down Now Markus and Josephine can show off their voluntarily, Josie? We will have to push their cooperation to the others. Very quickly down every single one of them!“ they have jockeyed three monsters into the „Then let’s do it! Let’s play a game of Hide basement. But the fourth is giving trouble! and Seek with chasing and pushing into the Again and again it suddenly veers off. When basement“ is Josephine’s cheerful sugges- they have finally caught it, their timer has tion, „all will surely love to play!“ run out, too. Quickly, the call together their monster No Philipp and Iris have another turn. For friends to explain the game! them too, it does not run smoothly this time. As soon as all monsters have hidden them- When the timer has run out, they have only selves the game can start. caught two monsters. With flailing arms and loud cries of war For Norbert and Ursula the second turn is Markus and Josephine look for each one of better. They catch three monsters in a very the monsters and chase it to the trap door in short period of time. the middle of the house. But then their lucky run is over till time runs What a lot of fun! Both for the children who out. enjoy being really noisy, and for the mon- Markus and Josephine now start their sec- sters who are driven out of their hide-outs ond turn. Both know each possible hiding- to jump laughing and giggling into the trap- place in the house and so it is easy for them door. to spot the missing three monsters and But they don’t make it easy for the children. chase them into the basement. There is After some minutes both are out of breath even a little sand left in the timer. and need a rest. Now that all monsters are safely stowed Suddenly the doorbell chimes. away in the basement, the six children as- “Ooops, let’s hope that that’s not Grand- semble around the trap door and look ma Frieda“, Josephine calls out a little bit down at the monster. shocked. “Uggh, it’s dark down there”, Josephine re- Markus has raced to the door and enthusias- marks, “you only see their eyes. They must tically tells his sister: „No, it’s Philipp and the be awfully frightened!” rest of the gang. They want to help!“ But there is an easy solution for this prob- The game is quickly explained and teams of lem. Markus quickly fetches two flashlights INFORMATION PLAYERS: two have been formed. Now the challenge and drops them down for the monsters. 2-4 can begin. There is barely enough time for the chil- Designer: Inka + Markus Brand Artist: Michael Menzel Markus fetches the old sand-timer from the dren to close the trap door, the door opens AGE: Price: ca. 40 Euro 6+ living room. “We need to give each team and Grandma Frieda arrives together with Publisher: Kosmos 2011 TIME: the same amount pf time, because we can- Markus’ and Josephine’s parents. www.kosmos.de not all hunt simultaneously, that will end in „That was a lucky escape“, Josephine whis- 30+ chaos. pers to her brother, and the children greet A game of dexterity Philipp and Iris will be first to play. their Grandma!  For children Version: de Iris has already spotted one monster when [email protected] Rules: de entering! It is hiding behind the grandfather In-game use clock in the living room. Therefore she takes of language: no the lead and shortly afterwards the first Alternate Edition: monster jumps down into the basement. none other No it is Philipp’s turn, he also has spotted a

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CHIP t THE GAME IN WIN

The Game in WIN by designer Helmuth Walch CHIP Produced in cooperation with the Austrian Games Museum

Game components: 1 marker, 1 die (D6) oder 1 special die (1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 3) and 60 number discs (components sheet en- closed).

Game Idea: You look for combinations of number chips that score different amounts of points depending on color and value. Clever collecting and luck are equally important in the game.

Game preparations: All discs are spread face down on the table and shuffled. Then you turn up 25 of them one by one and arrange them in a grid of 5x5, the rest is face-down stock. The marker is placed on the chip in the middle of the grid.

Game play: The youngest player begins. He rolls the D6 – this result is converted, 1=1, 2=2, 3=3, 4=1, 5=2, 6=3 -, or you roll the special die. Then you can move the marker up to the result of the roll and at least one step. You can choose the direction, but you cannot change direction within the move, the move must always be orthogonally and straight, never diagonally. Even if the move should allow it you cannot move beyond the borders of the grid. You take the chip on which the marker ends the move and replace it with a chip from stock. In turn all players roll, move, take a chip and replace it. The chips that are taken are placed face-up with their owners. This goes on until there is no chip left in stock – each player will now have taken 18 chips in a game for 2, 12 chips in a game for 32 and 9 chips in a game of 4 players.

Two tips: If your move would only reach chips that are of no use to you, take one that an opponent might be waiting for. At the end of the game carefully consider the best way of combining your chips.

Aim of the game and scoring: You want to collect as many trios of chips as possible. A trio can either be made up from identical num- bers or from a series of consecutive numbers. Trios made up from chips of the same color score double their number value. Mixed trios must be made up from three different colors and score their number value.

The Winner is the player with the highest total of points. 

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a distance of 4 or more stations. INFORMATION When you reach a site that is PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: A WEEKEND IN LONDON marked with one of your chips, 2-5 14+ 60+ IMPROVE YOUR ENGLISH your neighbour reads a ques- tions to you and you can discard Designer: I. Sharp, G. Grubbe the card if you answer correctly. Artist: agenten.und.freunde Price: ca. 30 Euro Players are tourists on a tour and place your marker chips on You also receive a travel chip and Publisher: Grubbe Media 2010 around London and move their those sights. remove your marker from the www.grubbemedia.de markers over the squares of the In your turn you roll the die and site. If you reach a site that has board to reach specific sights. At move accordingly, 1-4 squares no marker and answer correctly EVALUATION the start you receive a marker, 2 without pay for the pedestrian you receive the picture card. If marker chips and 3 travel chips. or the joker, 1-4 squares with a the card is already owned by Language/travel game With friends The “Arrival” cards are shuffled: taxi at the cost of 2 chips, 1 or another player, he must hand it Version: de you draw one of them and place 2 squares by bus at the cost of to you. If you have managed to Rules: de en your marker accordingly. Then 1 chip or you can take the tube discard both your starting pic- In-game use of language: yes you receive two picture cards, and pay 1 chip to travel up to 3 ture cards and to acquire a mini- Comments: which you lay out on the table, stations and 2 chips if you cover mum of two other picture cards, Part of a series of games Very attractive design you can go back to your starting Standard mechanisms, points. If you reach this with the nicely used - Explanations exact number of steps, you win. on Grammar, Meaning, etc. The questions on the cards are Compares to: All other travel games posed using two levels of lan- Alternate Edition: guage complexity, not different none other levels of knowledge. Some of the answers are accompanied by explanations as regards to gram- mar, meaning and correct use of a phrase or a word. Two more editions for Italian und German are available, editions for Span- ish and French are planned for autumn. 

behind where to move them to. INFORMATION In Abalone offboard this simple PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: ABALONE OFFBOARD mechanism has been given one 2 7+ 20+ THE NEW CHALLENGE additional rule and an interest- ing redesign – each player now Designer: M. Lalet, L. Levi has 12 marbles of a color and the Artist: not stated Price: ca. 23 Euro Abalone – A classic game, a de- The basic mechanism is simple: game board has been expanded Publisher: Schmidt Spiele 2011 signer piece, a challenging game You must relocate the oppos- by a so called offboard zone, ar- www.schmidtspiele.de for two players – since many ing marbles in a way that they eas that are marked with num- many years the game is a fixture are pushed off the board, this bers 1,2 or 3 and represent the EVALUATION in the range of abstract games you achieve by touching and number of points that you can for two players, if for nothing pushing them with the help of score. Aim of the game is not Pushing/position game For families else then the more than simple your own marble or marbles, only to move opposing marbles Version: multi mechanism of the game, which the moved opposing marble or off board by pushing them along Rules: de fr it is fast and easily understood, but group of marbles must be small- when pushing your own mar- In-game use of language: no a real challenge in every new er than your own group and bles, but to push them off board Comments: game. there must be an empty spot in a way to move them into the Colors instead of black & white - Small rules change offboard zones to score points. with huge consequences Marbles on the normal board are Same game mechanism, active and can always be moved, completely different strat- egy and tactics marbles in the offboard zones Compares to: are passive and can no longer All versions of Abalone be moved. If you are the first to Alternate Edition: score 6 points, you win. other language edition Abalone offboard is as a really attractive version of the classic Abalone, the seemingly harm- less scoring zones change the character of the game com- pletely, 2 opposing marbles in the 3-points-zone are enough to win. 

Color codes, target groups, features, icons and GABIS are 1220 ISSUE 424 / JUNE 2011 explained on page 5 and at the bottom of pages 40 and 41 www.gamesjournal.at BASILICA / CALL OF CTHULHU LCG t PLAYED FOR YOU

area for cathedral expansions. To INFORMATION place a worker you must own a PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: BASILICA free worker tile and you can only 2 10+ 45+ BUILD FOR KING AND BISHOP place a worker on a cathedral tile that you yourself did place in the Designer: Łukas M. Pogoda previous round. Orders allow you Artist: Ł. Pogoda, M. Oracz Price: ca. 30 Euro The cathedral in a medieval actions are: Expansion of the ca- to place workers, relocate work- Publisher: Rebel Centrum 2010 town is built by two architects, thedral, worker placement (this ers or remove workers or to re- www.www.rebel.pl one employed by the king, the is only possible after expanding move cathedral parts, some of other employed by the bishop. the cathedral) or implement an these orders require payment EVALUATION They must work together, but order. A newly placed part of the for implementation. If you place who builds the bigger part of cathedral must border a part al- a crown tile, you move the king Placement game With friends the cathedral and directs his ready built, two jokers that is one step. When he reaches a Version: multi workers best will be generously two bi-colored tiles cannot be space with a crown symbol, ma- Rules: de en pl rewarded. In your turn you must placed next to each other, and jorities of workers in color zones In-game use of language: no implement three actions in any the newly placed tile must be are scored. After three scoring Comments: combination and order – the located in the pre-determined or the second depletion of the Good components Good rules - Lots of interac- cathedral tiles you win with the tion with high frustration highest score. level - Each action must Sounds easy and simple, but be planned for optimum results plays to the contrary – the or- Compares to: ders are the heart of the game Pillars of the Earth Builders Duel for and very often the course of topic and number of players, other- the game is more aimed at frus- wise all games on area control with intensive interaction trating your opponent than at Alternate Edition: furthering your own interests. none other Clever use of the open display of orders allows you to get rid of unwanted orders! Not a friendly cooperative enterprise, but a dense controversy! 

times, and introducing the Or- INFORMATION der of the Silver Twilight as 8th LCG PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: CALL OF CTHULHU faction into the game. This secret 2 13+ 30+ THE ORDER OF THE SILVER TWILIGHT society is an organization fol- lowing its own secret purposes Designer: E. M. Lang, N. French behind a front of a High society Artist: A. Navaro, B. Schomburg Price: ca. 30 Euro Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game, decks. Using Asylum Packs and Club for politicians and bankers, Publisher: Fantasy Flight Games 10 a Living Card Game, is set in the expansions you can adapt those obsessed with gathering power, www.fantasyflightgames.com universe of H.P.Lovecraft. Inves- core decks to your individual learning arcane magic and thus tigators, members of the syn- preferences and strategies. reaching their goal to dominate EVALUATION dicate as well as teachers and Following the Secrets of Arkham the world. students of Miscatonic Univer- expansion, The Order of the Sil- One of the basic features of the Living Card Game For experts sity confront the horrors of alien ver Twilight is the second de- cards for this fraction are the ritu- Version: en world like Hastur, Yog-Sothoth, luxe expansion, featuring 165 als. You can also reduce costs or Rules: en Shub Niggurath or even Cthulhu cards, 40 for the Order and two enhance effects of cards now In-game use of language: yes itself. Das Core Set features four each for the other factions, plus by discarding other cards, for Comments: ready-to-play pre-constructed a neutral card, each present 3 instance the Lodge Librarian. Or Expansion for the Core Set Needs the Core Set for play you can move cards from play Knowledge of and experi- back into the hand of their own- ence with the LLC system ers, for instance with the Lodge helpful Introduces 8th faction Housekeeper or the Knight of Compares to: the Outer Void. The now eight Other Living Card Games like fractions offer endless possi- Warhammer Invasion or A Game of bilities for play in the Cthulhu Thrones or Lord of the Rings universe, the Order expansions Alternate Edition: none other offers many possibilities for part- nerships with other factions, but you can also make up a deck us- ing cards from the Order of the Silver Twilight Deck Expansion only. 

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If the player does not take the INFORMATION cards, the must challenge the PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: CATCH OUT first player by stating „true“ or 2-6 10+ 45+ BLUFF ON THREE-DIGIT NUMBERS „false“. The cards are checked: The player who is correct re- Designer: Shinsuke Yamagami ceives the cards and distributes Artist: I. Takemoto, K. Fushimi Price: ca.15 Euro The well-known mechanism of the cards face-down to his left them any way he likes among Publisher: Grimpeur/Japon Brand 10 „state something and the next neighbor. This player now can himself and the other player, http://grimpeur.co.jp player decides if he believes you accept the cards or challenge thereby taking into account the or not and depending on who is the first player. If he accepts, he victory points in the bottom left- EVALUATION correct rewards are given out“ draws two more cards from the hand corner of the cards. These has here been used for number pile, discards one and places can be either +2 or -2. The player Bluffing game For families cards. one in front of himself for vic- who won the cards in the chal- Version: jp The starting player draws 3 tory points. Thus he has 3 cards, lenge can also turn over a card Rules: jp en de fr cards and states their individual names their values and gives and thus change the value to +1. In-game use of language: no values, for instance 3-7-2. If you them to his left neighbor. You Then the left neighbor draws 3 Comments: want, you can lie. Then he hands may not check the discard pile. new cards, states their values and Nice little family game Well-known basic mecha- hands on the cards. If a player nism - Nice details states three identical values, his Available from distributors left neighbor must challenge. Compares to: Cards with an X double one of Bluff and other games with accepting or doubting the other cards. When the draw stated facts. pile is exhausted, you win with Alternate Edition: most victory points. none other Catch Out is an interesting little bluff game; especially the chang- ing of negative victory points into one positive victory points by the player who won the chal- lenge is an interesting detail. 

rounds are each subdivided into INFORMATION the phases stake claim, mine PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: CHARON INC. gems, adjust turn order, play 2-5 13+ 60+ RAW MATERIALS FROM THE PLUTO MOON building cards and prepare the next round. Designer: E. Ornella, F. Binkitani You always place four of the five Artist: Charlie Bink Price: ca. 35 Euro Mining in the year 2288 is con- cated according to the building flags, either on free crossings, Publisher: Gryphon / Pegasus 10 trolled by mega corporations cards. At the start of the game free roads or into the middle of www.pegasus.de and these corporations exploit you place one of your flags into a zone, remaining flags in action planets and moons. Players are each of the action areas, one flag areas initiate related actions. EVALUATION the CEOs of such mega corpora- you keep to mark your color and If you have the most influence tions and try to colonise the Plu- one you place on the turn order in an area – each touching of an Game on majorities With friends to moon Charon and to mine the chart. Then you place gems on influence area by a flag = 1 influ- Version: en mineral resources. In four rounds the board according to the rules ence points – receives all gems in Rules: en of the game you want to accu- and you hold building cards on the area. These gems are used to In-game use of language: no mulate the most victory points. your hand or they are available build facilities, you can only build Comments: These victory points are allo- from an open display. The four one facility of each kind. Abstract time despite the good topic Basically, Charon is an abstract Too much planning can placement game, or even a draw out the game worker placement game, the Needs good balance be- tween looking for majori- story is good camouflage. The ties and using the actions game demands decisions with Compares to: far reaching consequences Other games on majorities by worker which you can use to hinder oth- placement ers in implementing important Alternate Edition: none other actions, often at the cost of nega- tive consequences for yourself. No game for in-between, but a challenging game on majorities, regulated by the limited number of flags. 

Color codes, target groups, features, icons and GABIS are 1422 ISSUE 424 / JUNE 2011 explained on page 5 and at the bottom of pages 40 and 41 www.gamesjournal.at CLUMSY WITCH / COVERT ACTION t PLAYED FOR YOU

are correct you receive a potion INFORMATION tile. After four rounds the player PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: CLUMSY WITCH with most potions wins. The Fex 2-4 5+ 15+ FEX FIT FOR LEARNING versions introduce more dice: The green die determines the Designer: Nikisch, Kubesch, Walk direction of movement for the Artist: M. Robitzky, S. Hansen Price: ca. 17 Euro In the range of educational tiles are laid out, too. You as witch, the blue die determines Publisher: Haba 2011 game by the name of FEX – short the active player look at a dice if you look for the ingredient in www.haba.de for Förderung exekutiver Funk- result for the duration of one the cauldron before or behind tionen = Fostering of executive spell read out and then move the with and the orange die in- EVALUATION functions – this game features the witch in your mind as many troduces Magician Fex into the observation. The cauldron tiles steps forward as indicated by game. If the orange die shows Learn- und search game For children are laid out on the cauldron the die. You check the cauldron a star, you move the Witch, if it Version: multi spots, the Clumsy Witch starts she reaches for the missing in- shows the Moon, you move the Rules: de en es fr it nl in front of one of the cauldrons, gredient and pick up the tile for Magician, who does everything In-game use of language: no looking to her left in clockwise this ingredient. Then the other the opposite way to how the Comments: direction, and the ingredient players check your result. If you witch would do it. There are also New range of educational games -Advised by Prof. Dr. other versions: All play simulta- Manfred Spitzer neously, the first player to pick Several versions, can be up the right ingredient gets the used in combination potion, or you place the figurines Compares to: Rinks & lechts and other on the board when the active games where you must find the result player had a look at the dice. in your mind first Contrary to the title, this is no Alternate Edition: game for hasty decisions, you Schusselhexe, Haba 2011 must look closely and concen- trate, all four dice in play demand lots of attention, careful consid- eration and correct conclusions. 

The Bodyguard must support INFORMATION the Sniper and try to mislead the PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: COVERT ACTION other teams. The Cleaner replac- 4+ 10+ var RACE FOR THE SUBMARINE BLUEPRINTS es the Sniper, in case the Sniper is not in play, otherwise he acts Designer: Jacob Davenport like the Bodyguard. The Mole Artist: Mangold, Vetter, Appel Price: ca. 5 Euro Two or three teams are hunting players a different number of wants to sabotage his team and Publisher: R & R Games 2007 for the blueprints for a subma- cards is used for play, you always support other teams. The Mole www.rnrgames.com rine and to succeed they must start with more cards than are is not considered to be an agent eliminate the other teams. Mem- needed and then you remove and cannot shoot. The others EVALUATION bership in a team and the role in the necessary number of face- can at any time point at a player, a team are randomly allocated down cards to achieve an ele- say „Bang“ and thus shoot at this Party game With friends among the players. Players talk ment of randomness in the role player. This ends the round, the Version: multi to each other and observe the assignment. You secretly look at round is evaluated and blue print Rules: de en events until one of the agents your card: The Sniper must iden- cards are given out. The success- In-game use of language: no decides to shoot. tify and eliminate the Sniper of ful team receives those blueprint Comments: Depending on the number of an opposing team or the Mole. cards, being successful depends 2010 new at Essen Not meant for analysts on who did shoot and who has and stragegists - Good for been hit. You go on playing such good observers and fans of rounds with randomly allocating psychology games until a team has acquired a com- Compares to: Werewolves and other plete set of blueprint cards and games guessing on secret identities thereby wins the game. Alternate Edition: Covert action is an off-shot of none other the werewolf genre, but much more confusing, as you get very few clues, you can only gesture or talk or ask questions. Most of the time shots are fired ran- domly. The fun depends on who is playing! 

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the effect. It is your turn until the INFORMATION frog ends its move on a tile with PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: CROA the effect “your turn ends”. If you 2-4 5+ 20+ WHO WILL KEEP HIS QUEEN? step onto an occupied spot you drive the opposing frog off into Designer: Igor Polouchine his owners reserve. Depending Artist: Igor Polouchine Price: ca. 27 Euro Players are frogs and want to the water lilies and the whirl- on the tile reached you move on, Publisher: iello 2011 be King of the Pond, which is pools and laying out 49 tiles. move another frog, pass a turn, www.iello.fr revealed tile by tile. To become Each player has a queen, six are eaten or have babies. The King you must drive off the op- servant frogs, which double as queen can only have one baby EVALUATION posing frog Queens and be the babies, and six male frog discs. with each male frog, there are 6 only one who still has a Queen You always move one of your different males. Placement game For families in the pond. own frogs on one of the 8 ad- When the queen is eaten or Version: en Depending on the degree of dif- jacent tiles, queen or servant. driven off by another player, Rules: en fr ficulty you want for the game the If the tile is still face-down, you the game ends for this player, all In-game use of language: no pond is laid out, either using all turn it over and implement its his frogs are removed from the Comments: 64 tiles or leaving out the logs, effect; otherwise you only use pond. If you queen is the last in New edition, first 1999 Very pretty components play, you win. For an even more Several levels of difficulty challenging game you can turn Compares to: tiles over again after executing Other placement games their effects. with the aim of eliminating opposing head pieces and Croa is a pretty game with a nice keeping your own in play balance between tactics and Alternate Edition: chance. Children love the pretty none other frog figurines and the luck in the beginning of the game, later on it gets more tactical when more tiles and their effects are revealed and can be used deliberately by well-planned moves. 

hut. You jump over other mar- INFORMATION mots and do not count the PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: DAS GROSSE KULLERN space occupied by them. You 2-4 6+ 30+ MARMOT RACE must always move the full num- ber of steps, unless your marmot Designer: Schliemann, Weber reaches a deck chair. If you move Artist: M. Menzel, W. Pepperle Price: ca. 30 Euro The marmots are rivaling for the one of the hatches on the roof onto or over a space showing a Publisher: Ravensburger 2011 marbles and also race to reach of the hut. For each marble that noisemaker/trumpet, the so www.ravensburger.de the deck chairs first. Marbles rolls out of the hut you receive a called “Kulleralarm” happens – are at the same time obstacles, counting chip from your neigh- you move the lever in the hut to EVALUATION if too many of them are in front bor. Then you can move one of the new position. This makes all of a marmot, but also a way to your marmots as many steps marbles in the hut roll out. Each Race and action game For children move forward. forward as equals the sum of marmot can only catch a maxi- Version: de The game is set up in the box, marbles currently in front of mum of three marbles, if a forth Rules: de then you play in turn: You take your marmot plus the number one lands in front of a marmot In-game use of language: no 3 marbles out of the pool and of counting chip = number of the marmot must move back to Comments: throw them one by one into marbles that rolled out of the the next space showing a stone. Very attractive components Box doubling as game unit If you reach a deck chair with Chance is dominant, a little your second marmot, you win tactic is possible in choos- the game. ing the marmots Das große Kullern offers a fan- Compares to: Basically all race game tastic gaming experience simply with obstacles, the double use of the by its design and components, marbles as obstacle and pace maker hut and marble hill are very at- is new. tractive. The mechanism that Alternate Edition: none other the marbles double as obstacle and pace generator is very well functioning. The choice of which marmot to move allows for a lit- tle tactic and a choice between advancing or maybe hindering another marmot. 

Color codes, target groups, features, icons and GABIS are 24 ISSUE 424 / JUNE 2011 explained on page 5 and at the bottom of pages 40 and 41 www.gamesjournal.at DAS HAUS ANUBIS / DAS PERFEKTE ALIBI t PLAYED FOR YOU

or a super scout, victor, 10 o’clock INFORMATION and the hieroglyph path. PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: DAS HAUS ANUBIS The expansion can only be 2-6 8+ 45+ THE EXPANSION played together with the basic game. The expansion introduc- Designer: not stated es three now board tiles – base- Artist: not stated Price: ca. 8 Euro The mystery TV series „Das Haus ferently for every game, then you ment, garden and entrance hall Publisher: Studio 100 Media 2010 Anubis“ tells the story of eight find your way about the house – and the garden path. www.studio100.de adolescents living in the Board- to be the first to collect the 6 se- Furthermore, the new character ing School Das Haus Anubis. cret symbols and be back in your Amneris appears, she is a myste- EVALUATION Mysterious and inexplicable bed. In your turn you draw an ac- rious ghost and blocks any loca- things are happening at the tion card, play an action card and tions with her presence, but you Mystery adventure game For children school, sinister tales are told. The picks up a hieroglyph symbol, if can cross the room. The expan- Version: de eight inmates of House Anubis possible. sion components also feature 30 Rules: de try to get to the bottom of the Action cards are sneaking cards, new action cards. In-game use of language: some mysteries. door openers, a secret door, a This expansion expands the Comments: The board can be assembled dif- master key, a key thief, a scout fun, all basic rules are valid and Game based on the TV Series on Nickelodeon amended by the rules for the Standard mechanisms, new components, and now nicely combined - Very even 6 players can go mystery attractive harmonious components hunting. Compares to: The components of the expan- Other versions of this game, basi- sion can be combined any way cally all roll & move games with an you want with the basic game, adventure topic the rules offer tips for this. Alternate Edition: none other For fans of the series and fans of the game this is an interest- ing and challenging expansion, worth while playing. 

answers. The investigators cannot INFORMATION pose questions that are not con- PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: DAS PERFEKTE ALIBI nected to the alibi or are related 5-20 10+ 30+ SEPARATE INTERROGATIONS to the crime or which can only be answered by one of the suspects. Designer: C. Lemai, P. Roussel The High Judge must then check Artist: Ellert Heiko Price: ca. 9 Euro Two players are suspected of a tigators. The judge also states a all answers for congruence and/ Publisher: Heidelberger 2009 crime and must prove their alibi, crime, he can invent it himself or contradictions and then deliver www.heidelbaer.de that must keep up under must in- or choose one of those featured judgment. tensive interrogations. The inves- in the game. The suspects then If more than 50% of the answers EVALUATION tigators, on the other hand, must draw an alibi card, both crime of both suspects correlate the manage to disprove the alibi and and alibi are made known to all judge must pronounce them not A game of communication With friends achieve a verdict of guilty. players. guilty and they win the game, if Version: de The game master is the High Then suspects and investigators there is less correlation the verdict Rules: de fr Judge and randomly chooses separately confer on their strat- is guilty and the investigators win. In-game use of language: yes two of the players to be the sus- egy. Then the suspects are inter- In bigger groups you can install Comments: pects, all other players are inves- rogated separately and must give an uneven number of players as Good for large group Game Master plays a very a jury and let them deliver judg- important role ment or let suspects and investi- Fun depends on the com- gators hold one plea each. position of the group A fun and interesting game, Compares to: All crime games for a topic, which – like all games of this kind the way to play is new – entirely depends on the players; Alternate Edition: the more amusing and creative none other answers and explanations the more fun and challenging is the game. In any case an excellent game for large numbers of play- ers. 

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if it fits and must not put a key INFORMATION back and pick up another. When PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: DER KLETTER-RETTER all players hold a key, they check 2-4 5+ 15+ ONE KEY FOR EACH LEVEL it in turn against the key on the card – when a key fits exactly into Designer: Christoph Behre the contours on the card, Knight Artist: Antje Bohnstedt Price: ca. 20 Euro The Evil Magician Zorno has the start of the game their feet Roland can climb the next level. Publisher: Kosmos 2011 locked Princess Beautiful into his must be on the lawn level of the You move him up on the rope www.kosmos.de tower. The players assist Knight tower. The keys for the tower are until his feet are within the next Roland to save her by reaching laid out face-up helter-skelter on level. If nobody did pick up the EVALUATION her before the Magician reaches the table, but must not overlap. correct key, the magician climbs the top of the tower. In your turn you reveal the top to the next level. If the level has Observation/reaction game For children In each level on the way up the key card and all players simul- a guardian you must roll the die: Version: de tower you must find the correct taneously look for the key de- If you roll the princess, nothing Rules: de key to open the way for Knight picted on the card. happens. If you roll the magician, In-game use of language: no Roland. Magician and Knight You may only take one key, must he climbs one level. Whoever Comments: are dangling from their ropes, at not place it on the card to check reaches the tower first, wins the Excellent package, dou- bling as game unit game, either all players together Trains observation and with the Knight or the evil magi- reaction - Well-integrated cian. cooperative element Der Kletter-Retter offers an at- Compares to: Unique in combination tractive and well-made mix of of mechanisms and components, different mechanisms and trains basically all observation and reaction observation and fast reactions, games especially nice is the package Alternate Edition: none other in the shape of a fortress tower, which doubles as a game board. 

Derringer against them. Those INFORMATION Derringers can only be played PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: DERRINGER in case of identical hands or 2-7 12+ var MAVERICK-EDITION against a loaded hand. If you go all-in, remaining players can only Designer: M. Nietzer, O. Wolf hold or pass, no special cards can Artist: Hans-Jörg Brehm Price: ca. 60 Euro The money is distributed evenly show-down can either comprise be played and you cannot raise Publisher: gameheads 2010 to all players, the bank is not 2 hand cards with any number anymore, then show-down is www.gameheads.org allowed to give change. The of poker cards or any number of played. If a player cannot pay the game is based on the rules of hand cards featuring a maximum starting value of one into the pot, EVALUATION Five-Card-Draw Poker using the of 5 poker cards. Then you poker the game ends immediately, the cards of King-Poker, 10 to Ace. according to standard rules, ad- richest player wins. Card game based on Poker With friends Hand cards are the cards of a ditional rules govern “loaded“ Derringer – which, by the way, is Version: de player in his hand, poker cards hands. These are hands with too the name of a pistol – is an un- Rules: de are the cards shown on the hand many poker cards or identical usual game from every point of In-game use of language: no cards, up to three on one hand poker cards; generally they are view: The Maverick Edition has Comments: card. A hand that is played for valid unless someone uses a been packed into a kind of stud- Very attractive packaging Intricately made cards ded chest, the standard edition Interesting rule variations in an elegant wooden box, and from special cards and Der- the cards featuring more than ringer cards one card take some time to get Compares to: All Poker versions used to. Interesting, attention- Alternate Edition: catching, and a new feeling, even none other for experienced card sharks, the special cards Shootout at the Saloon and Dead Man’s Hand can render the best poker hand useless. If you love to play Poker, you will have fun this version. 

Color codes, target groups, features, icons and GABIS are 26 ISSUE 424 / JUNE 2011 explained on page 5 and at the bottom of pages 40 and 41 www.gamesjournal.at DIXIT ODYSSEY / FEEDING TIME t PLAYED FOR YOU

shows a scoring track with 30 INFORMATION positions and 6 places each on PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: DIXIT ODYSSEY each of the two sides for 6 cards. 3-12 8+ 45+ NEW PICTURES, NEW ASSOCIATIONS All players but the narrator use peg and voting card to give a Designer: Jean-Louis Roubira guess which card might be that Artist: Marie Cardouat, Pierô Price: ca. 30 Euro Dixit Odyssey is a revised new round chooses one of his cards of the narrator. When some play- Publisher: Libellud / Asmodee 2011 edition of Dixit, for up to 12 play- and makes a statement: This can ers are correct, each of them and www.asmodee.de ers. Again, you receive 6 picture be his own invention, a sound, the narrator score 3 points each. cards out of 84 new ones, but one or more words, a quotation, When all players are correct or all EVALUATION not voting tiles with numbers on a title of a film or a book, what- are wrong, all players but the nar- them. Instead of those the new ever he prefers. The other players rator score two points. In both Assessment game With friends edition features voting cards choose from their cards the one cases each player, whose card Version: multi with 12 numbered holes, you they believe fits the statement was voted for, scores 1 point for Rules: de en es fr it pt sk nl get one of those and 2 pegs. The best. The narrator shuffles all each vote. When 7-12 play, you In-game use of language: no rules of the game have remain- cards and places them next to can vote for 2 cards; if a player Comments: ded the same: The narrator of the the – revised – board. This board guesses the correct card and has Beautiful new cards Voting card + peg not ideal only given one vote, he scores Good rules bonus points. The first player to Works well for a big group reach or pass 30 points wins the Compares to: game. Other editions of Dixit The game in this new edition Alternate Edition: none other Dixit Odyssey has remained the same wonderful game. The new pictures are beautiful and fantastic, the new rules for up to 12 players work well, the vot- ing cards and pegs are not yet an ideal solution, but all in all a felicitous new edition. 

change direction. You move INFORMATION over occupied spaces and count PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: FEEDING TIME them, if you end on an occupied 2-4 4+ 20+ FISH FOR DOLPHIN AND PINGUIN space move to the next free one. Only one marker can occupy a Designer: Basler, Bouguerra space. If your move ends in front Artist: Karoline Kehr Price: ca. 25 Euro The animal keeper at the Zoo is ill rel. Then you cover each stable of a stable door you may open Publisher: Selecta 2011 and now it’s up to the players to with a stable door so that the an- the door and feed the animal if www.selecta-spielzeug.de feed the animals, but there’s the imals are hidden. The feed tiles you carry the correct feed. On a question of which animal needs are shuffled pail-side up, there pail space you can hang a new EVALUATION to be fed what? is meat, fish, grass and nuts, feed tile on your marker and The game board to represent the 5x each. Each player randomly from a star you may move on to Roll, move & memo For children zoo is placed into the box and a takes 5 feed tiles and places one a space of your choice. You need Version: multi disc representing an animal is of them on an arm of his marker. not open a stable door if you Rules: de en es fr it nl placed into each cut-out – lion, In your turn you roll the die and know which animal is behind In-game use of language: no crocodile, penguin, dolphin, move your marker accordingly, it and do not have the correct Comments: lamb, elephant, parrot and squir- and direction, but no cannot feed tile with you. If you can feed Good topic for small chil- dren - ery attractive design your last card to an animal first and components you win. Simple rules based on a For smaller children one can play memo mechanism without doors or let them take a Compares to: Tiere füttern for the topic, new feed tile when they have all move & memo games used one. Alternate Edition: Pappsatt is a game of he quality Pappsatt, Selecta 2011 one is used to in a Selecta game, excellent components, simple rules, lots of fun while playing, and also a little bit of tactics in not having to open a stable door and thus not having to share in- formation. 

WIN The Games Journal now also available as WINxxl with a goodie. www.gamesjournal.at For all information on that check page 7 and our website. ISSUE 424 / JUNE 2011 27 PLAYED FOR YOU u FIESE 15 / FILLY UNICORN

number of eyes or less eyes than INFORMATION the die of the same color on the PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: FIESE 15 strip. Dice you could not set aside 2-6 7+ 20+ SCORE YOUR RESULT OR ROLL ON? can be rerolled or you can note your score. Dice you already set Designer: Steffen Benndorf aside cannot be rerolled. Artist: Dennis Lohausen Price: ca. 13 Euro Fiese 15 is game Nr. 2 in the new 19 of those 15 strips are drawn If the roll does not yield a single Publisher: Schmidt Spiele 2011 range of Roll & Play, all games of randomly and stacked with the die that you could set aside – this www.schmidtspiele.de the series have the same design side showing 5 dice facing up- also goes for a follow-up roll – and components, the package wards. you score the points of the dice EVALUATION doubles as dice tower. Then the first strip is turned over on the strip that you could not In Fiese 15 you find strips setting and now shows 6 dice, each match. Dice game For families combinations of dice which add player now tries his luck with And this is where tactics come in Version: multi up to a total of 15 eyes. In turn, this strip. and also luck, because you might Rules: de fr it each player tries to implement You roll the dice and set aside as easily score more points by a roll In-game use of language: no such a strip with as many dice as many valid dice as you can. Valid that yields no valid die than by Comments: he can manage for a high score. dice are dice showing the same noting down the score of dice Series: Roll & Play Nr. 2 Surprisingly tactical for a you set aside. dice game If you manage to match 5 or 6 Variants listed - Package dice on the strip with your rolls, doubles as games unit you score a bonus of +5 for 5 dice Compares to: Other dice games in this and x2 for 6 dice, but not both. series After all 10 strips have been Alternate Edition: played you win with the highest none other score. The rules list a handicap variant and a gambler variant. Fiese 15 is mean and surprisingly tactical for a dice game, again a well-made and well working game in the attractive series Roll & Play. 

is scored. You score 1 point, for 2 INFORMATION identical cards, 2 points for 3 or PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: FILLY UNICORN more identical cards, task cards 2-4 6+ 20+ FUN WITH LITTLE UNICORNS that you can meet score 1 to 3 points depending on the num- Designer: not stated ber and kind of symbols. For task Artist: Dracco Company Price: ca. 10 / 14 Euro Filly Unicorns are small colorful number given on the top card cards not met you lose 1 point. Publisher: noris Spiele 2011 unicorn figurines, very pretty of the stack. Then you decide on You win with the highest score. www.noris-spiele.de and individually made, you can a card in the row with your Filly, Das große Regenbogenfest play with them, collect them and you can take the top card from Rainbow island and tower are EVALUATION of course use them as pieces in the stack, too. Or you pass. Cards set up, the crystal meadows laid board games: taken are placed in your per- out and the crystals stacked. In Move & collect game For children Abenteuer auf den Kristallin- sonal stack, you must not look your turn you roll the dice and Version: de seln at the stack during the game. can jump your filly over a crys- Rules: de In a display of 8 open cards + Gaps in the display are filled tal stack showing a crystal of a In-game use of language: no stack you place your filly and from the stack. When the stack color rolled, and again for the Comments: then move it around for the is finished, your personal stack 2nd die. You can jump from the Simple rules Very pretty figurines island on all meadows and from Can enhance the desire one meadow to the next one or to collect back to the island. If you cannot Compares to: jump or do not want to take the All other simple games of moving and collecting colors, must discard a crystal. For Alternate Edition: a set of one crystal in each color none other you receive a rainbow chip, and you can swap crystals 2:1 with other Fillies. You win with three rainbow chips. Both games are nice, simple games for children with the ad- ditional lure of the collectable fillies, nicely made and easy to play. 

Color codes, target groups, features, icons and GABIS are 28 ISSUE 424 / JUNE 2011 explained on page 5 and at the bottom of pages 40 and 41 www.gamesjournal.at FÜNF TIERFREUNDE / GUESS WHO? t PLAYED FOR YOU

two correct tiles, you simply turn INFORMATION the tiles back over again. If you PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: FÜNF TIERFREUNDE manage to find two correct tile, 2-4 4+ 15+ FIND TWO NEIGHBORS you are awarded a friends tile and turn back the two animal Designer: Wolfgang Dirscherl tiles and then cover them with Artist: Andrea Mangold Price: ca. 15 Euro 25 square tiles show five animal it is not enough to find two ani- the cloud tile. Publisher: IQ-Spiele 2011 friends – a pony, a piglet, a kitten, mals, they must be found on to This cloud tile blocks the pair of www.iq-spiele.de a baby dog and a baby goat, the tiles that are horizontally or verti- cards and they cannot be used animals are depicted differently cally adjacent to each other. until another correct pair has EVALUATION on each of their tiles showing In case you roll a question mark, been turned up. Depending on them. These friends are laid out you may name one animal and the number of players you must A game of memory For children face down in a 5x5 grid. turn up the correct tile and then have collected between four Version: de In your turn you roll both dice you must find a neighboring tile and seven friends tiles to win Rules: de and then try to find two tiles showing the animal depicted on the game. In-game use of language: no showing the animals with the the second die. In a more simple version you do Comments: animals visible on the dice. But If you do not manage to uncover not use the cloud tile, the rule Very pretty pictures Simple yet interesting rules that the tiles must be adjacent No identical pictures to be correct remains valid. Compares to: Basically Fünf Tierfreunde is a All games of memory simple memory and yet it has Alternate Edition: been made interesting due to none other the two rules details of adjacent tiles and the blocking cloud tile. It is a nice idea, too, not to take out pairs that have been found but to award friend tiles – this keeps the grid constant and fa- cilitates remembering the neigh- bors of any given tile. 

The three cards together result INFORMATION in a funny face with a three-part PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: GUESS WHO? funny name. For the version 2-5 8+ 20+ MIX ´N MASH Who am I? you ask in your turn for features of the face. You must Designer: not stated Artist: not stated pose the questions in a way that Price: ca. 20 Euro This is an entirely new version of cards. Each player receives a only yes or no are possible for an- Publisher: MB/Hasbro 2011 the game Guess Who?! Contrary holder and draws a face-down swers. According to the answer www.hasbro.de to the well-known classic game orange mouth card, a red eye received you can eliminate faces you no longer ask for features of card and a blue head card. Then from the check sheet. If you think EVALUATION faces in a game for two and fold you place all three cards in the that you know the name of your down faces that do not show holder, first blue, then red and A game of guessing face, you ask, e.g. „Am I a funny For children such features, but now up to finally orange, always with the slimy monkey?“ If you are cor- Version: de five players can try to identify front-side away from you and rect, you win the round, if you Rules: de en their personal face on a holder. you must take good card not to guess wrongly, you drop out of In-game use of language: yes The game features 15 head glance at the front side of the the game. The last in play wins. Comments: cards, 15 eye cards and 5 mouth holder with the face. In the version Famous Faces a For up to 5 players Version of Guess Who? player is the judge and thinks up Combines verbal attributes a funny task for all players, e.g. a with images comic character or a super hero Compares to: or a person known to all play- All other editions of Guess Who? ers. The judge awards one point Alternate Edition: for the face he thinks is the best Wer ist es? Gesichterspaß, Hasbro one. When each player has been judge once you win with most points. New, and yet well-known, clev- erly varied, solidly done, lots of fun and laughter because of the funny faces! 

WIN The Games Journal now also available as WINxxl with a goodie. www.gamesjournal.at For all information on that check page 7 and our website. ISSUE 424 / JUNE 2011 29 PLAYED FOR YOU u HAGOTH / HIPPO HOPP

cards you can either go wood- INFORMATION ing or build a segment of a com- PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: HAGOTH pleted blueprint or sail a ship 2-4 8+ 45+ BUILDER OF SHIPS one position further to the Land Northwards. A ship is considered Designer: Mike Drysdale to be built when there is a piece Artist: S. Wakefield, O. Ramirez Price: ca. 25 Euro Players embody ship building and five cards. In your turn you of wood in each segment of the Publisher: Mayday Games 2010 apprentices who design, build always choose between playing blueprint. Whenever you launch www.maydaygames.com and sail the best combination of two cards and implementing a ship you score victory points in ships from their Land Bountiful them or implementing one of the harbor and at the end of its EVALUATION north to the Land Northwards, three actions without playing a journey. Some tactics is possible because they want to earn the card. Your options when playing in deciding if you build more Placement game with cards For families Honorary title of „Builder of a card are: Start on a new ship valuable big but slower ships Version: en Ships“. blueprint, add to an existing or smaller fast ones that reach Rules: de en nl kr Each player chooses a color and print, go wooding, sail, attack an Northwards earlier, because you In-game use of language: yes receives to corresponding ship opponent or play one card and need to find the optimum com- Comments: markers, a victory point marker discard the other card. Without bination of ships to be the first to Very nice components Good rules, cards are score 25 points and win. explained - Thus not really Just like King’s Vineyard Hagoth, language-dependant too, is an attractive little game, Available from the publisher with a not so often found topic Compares to: and simple mechanisms, the per- All games on the basis of collecting centage of luck is rather high due sets and changing those into other drawing cards and to rolling a die things for cutting wood. The rules give Alternate Edition: none other good explanations for the cards and all in all Hagoth makes for a good family game, the minimum age given is absolutely correct. 

bird ends on a face-down hippo INFORMATION you receive points for each open- PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: HIPPO HOPP faced card you stepped over, if 2-4 8+ 30+ SAFE LANDING ON HIPPO’S BACK! you moved with a penalty card you can only score up to three Designer: Peter Steinert points, even if you cross more Artist: Björn Pertoft Price: ca. 8 Euro During the day birds may pick In your turn you either turn over open cards. Publisher: Amigo 2011 beetles and worms off the hip- a card in the circle or use a pen- When the bird ends its move on www.amigo-spiele.de pos, but at dusk the hippos want alty card of another player. If you an open card, you must take this to be left alone. 9 hippo cards are turn up a card you move the bird card as a penalty card, pen cards EVALUATION face-down draw pile, 19 hippos as many steps as the number on in the circle showing the same or are placed in a circle, number the card indicates. a lower number than the penalty Card game For families side up. All players briefly look at If you want to use a penalty card card are turned over again. The Version: de the cards, then they are turned you take, move the bird accord- gap is filled with a card from the Rules: de over to show the hippo backs. ingly and the card is discarded. In draw pile. When the draw pile is In-game use of language: no The bird is placed on a card ran- both cases the important thing is empty and the first card is taken Comments: domly. the landing site of the bird. If the from the circle, the game ends, Pretty topic Fast play you hand in 2 points for each Simple rules penalty cards and win with most Good memory is helpful points. Compares to: Hippo Hopp is a fun hopping All games that use hidden values for advancing along coupled with careful opti- Alternate Edition: mization of your move, provided none other you manage to remember card values and are willing to give 2 points to another player by us- ing his penalty card, to you own advantage, obviously. Hippo Hopp is a fast, well-made game with a cute topic. 

Color codes, target groups, features, icons and GABIS are 30 ISSUE 424 / JUNE 2011 explained on page 5 and at the bottom of pages 40 and 41 www.gamesjournal.at HORNET / JISHAKU t PLAYED FOR YOU

the version of safe or aggressive. INFORMATION The hornets collect nectar from PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: HORNET the flowers to produce honey. 2-5 10+ 45+ HIVES, NECTAR AND HONEY At the end of the action round 1 unit of nectar is placed in each Designer: Jani & Tero Moliis square, with the exceptions of Artist: Paul Laane, Ossi Hiekkala Price: ca. 30 Euro Players direct two hornets and denote scoring rounds. Each nests already scored. In the scor- Publisher: Lautapelit 2010 rival for the most honey in the player has a set of action cards ing rounds the nest indicated www.lautapelit.fi majorities of nests. Hexes are for multiple usage. In each round on the round path is scored, it laid out to form a landscape you secretly choose a card, they goes to the player who has the EVALUATION with flowers and hornet nests. are revealed simultaneously most honey there, he receives all The game is played in several and executed in numeric order nectar in the nest. When there is Placement/majorities game For families rounds, each is either an action of the cards, each action is as- a tie in the amount of honey, the Version: multi round or a scoring round. The signed to one of your hornets nest is marked “tied” and the nec- Rules: de en es fi fr se round marker moves forward on the board. Possible actions tar is distributed evenly among In-game use of language: no on its path, flower spaces de- are Nectar collection, Honey the players in the tie. If you have Comments: note action rounds, hive spaces Action or Flying, each comes in won three nests or if you have Demanding family game Modular board - Scoring won two nests and have the order of nests is known most honey in total in the nests Therefore highly tactical you did win, you win the game. Compares to: Hornet is a game with a high tac- All games on area control by majorities tical component, as the order of Alternate Edition: scoring the nests is known and Hornet, Z-Man-Games each action is available in two intensities, the aggressive one can be a disadvantage in some situations. Lots of interactions, a modular board, this is a rather demanding family game. 

together, if you are out of piec- INFORMATION es you win. Eliminieren – You PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: JISHAKU start with 9 magnets and place 1-2 14+ 5+ THE MAGNETIC ACTION GAME one onto the board alternately. When pieces attract each other Designer: Steve Velte Artist: not stated during a move you get 1 point Price: ca. 25 Euro Magnetic effects have lately way according to the demands for each piece that you attracted Publisher: Winning Moves 2011 appeared more and more fre- of the respective version. Each of or that did attract each other in- www.winning-moves.de quently in games, but rarely the pieces has a magnetic field, a dependently from the piece you magnetism itself is used as direct south pole and a north pole, ac- just placed. Ansammlung – You EVALUATION result in a game. Jishaku is doing cordingly they either attract oth- alternate in placing magnets exactly this. 18 magnetic stones er pieces or repel them. The rules Placing magnets game until 10 are on the board, then With friends and an asymmetric foam board offer three variants for playing one more so that this attracts Version: multi with indentions are all there is with more than one player: Ich as many pieces as possible. Rules: de en fr in the way of components, the bin raus! – You alternate in plac- Now you take all caught pieces In-game use of language: no only mechanism is to place the ing a piece, when pieces attract and the one attracting them off Comments: magnetic pieces in an optimum each other you take all sticking the board, each caught piece is A borderline case between toy and game - Intersting worth 1 point. If you are the first use of magnetic effects to reach 12 points, you win. In Nice solitaire game the Solitaire version you try to Compares to: place the maximum number of First game of this kind pieces that are possible without Alternate Edition: none other pieces attracting each other. An elegant demonstration of phys- ics, cautious approaches can end surprisingly fast in an unwanted Klack and some magnets are so strong that the turn over the one in the next intention despite this being placed to repel. And keep- ing your distance is not possible for very long on this board. 

WIN The Games Journal now also available as WINxxl with a goodie. www.gamesjournal.at For all information on that check page 7 and our website. ISSUE 424 / JUNE 2011 31 PLAYED FOR YOU u LITTLEST PET SHOP / MAMMUT

in turn ask other players for miss- INFORMATION ing cards. If you hold or more of PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: LITTLEST PET SHOP the cards you have been asked 2-6 5+ 15+ TIERISCH ABGERÄUMT for, you must give them to the player asking. If he can complete Designer: not stated Artist: not stated a set with your cards, he discards Price: ca. 6 Euro The little pet animals with their The game features 13 x 4 cards it and goes on playing. If you Publisher: Hasbro 2011 out-proportioned big heads depicting different pets, the give him a card and he cannot www.hasbro.de have been given room in the cards are shuffled face-down complete a set, his turn ends. If affections of nearly all the chil- and 5 cards each are dealt to you have none of the cards you EVALUATION dren and they are of course just each player. The rest of the are asked for, you tell the active the thing to be featured as play- cards is laid out face down, this Card game player to “go fishing”. He can For children ing pieces or characters in board is called the fish pond. All players now draw one card from the fish Version: de games. check their hand cards and dis- pond. If the card fits to the set he Rules: de In this card game they are the cards groups of 4 cards showing was asking for and completes it, In-game use of language: no characters for a game of Happy the same pet onto the table in he discards the set and goes on Comments: Families. front of themselves. Then players playing. If another set can be More cards than in a stan- dard Happy Family game completed with the card drawn, Well-known rules it is discarded, but the turn ends, Simple mechanism as it does when the card drawn Interesting due to the Lit- tlest Pet images does not complete a set. Play Compares to: goes on until all sets of 4 have All Happy Family Games been completed and discarded. Alternate Edition: If you then have most of the sets none other you win. This is a classical children’s game featuring well-known rules and more cards than in a standard Happy Family game. The mecha- nism is still and always fun, here enhanced by the Littlest Pets im- ages. 

tive immediately for yourself, or INFORMATION scoring cards which take effect PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: MAMMUT in the scoring phase. The last 2-5 8+ 30+ GET A SHARE OF THE HUNT player taking a share gets all the remaining tiles. Designer: Kristian A. Østby Artist: Oliver Schlemmer Then the shares are scored: First Price: ca. 30 Euro After the mammoth hunt the then scoring the share. In turn, you reveal all scoring cards and Publisher: Queen Games 2011 prey is divided, everyone wants players can either pick up any question mark tiles. Then you www.queen-games.de as much as possible, but if you number of tiles from the middle score for axes, fur, tusks, meat, are too greedy you might lose and set them out as their share fire and animals, the shaman EVALUATION your share to your neighbor. on the table or take all tiles from decides ties, if he is involved, he another player, return at least A game of acquisition The prey tiles are dropped out of wins, otherwise the player sitting For families the bag onto the table; you can one to the middle and keep the nearest to him. In case of some of Version: de shift them to spread them but rest and set it out. the items you might lose points Rules: de not turn them over. Before taking a share you can if you have fewest of the items. In-game use of language: no You play 5 rounds all in all, each play any number of cards, ei- For tiles showing an animal you Comments: consisting of taking a share and ther prey card which are effec- receive a marker tile for the ani- Beautiful components Good rules - Observation mal, you can only have one such and optimization necessary tile of a kind. After 5 rounds there Good for families with is a final scoring for these tiles. some game experience Mammut is an acquisition game Compares to: Other acquisition games with optimization mechanisms with majorities and demands lots of observa- Alternate Edition: tion, a bit of memory and a fine none other nose for when you should grab the lot from the middle or when you should play a card or when you must take something to ruin a majority for another player. 

Color codes, target groups, features, icons and GABIS are 32 ISSUE 424 / JUNE 2011 explained on page 5 and at the bottom of pages 40 and 41 www.gamesjournal.at MUTTERBÖHNCHEN / NOBODY IS PERFECT t PLAYED FOR YOU

serted, this is an attack phase for INFORMATION the gang of little rascals: When a PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: MUTTERBÖHNCHEN player has a baby bean visible, he 2-6 12+ 45+ … ARE TRULY MOTHER’S BOYS can draw a bean coin from any player and plant it, if possible. Designer: Uwe Rosenberg If not, he hands it back. The 24 Artist: K. Franz, B. Pertoft Price: ca. 7 Euro This is the first expansion for an the players as bean coins. Players special beans are not important Publisher: Lookout Games 2010 expansion respective variant for may not look at the bean side of while on hand, but when plant- www.lookout-games.de the card game Bohnanza, an the cards. Then the beans from ed. Depending on where the text expansion for Ladybohn: Mut- Mutterböhnchen are shuffled is located on the card the text is EVALUATION terböhnchen introduces 8 baby into the remaining beans from valid while visible or while the beans and 24 special beans, all Ladybohn and stacked. When bean is planted in a field and Card game With friends of them male. more than three are playing you becomes inoperative when the Version: de To prepare the game you take cannot buy an extra bean fields, bean is harvested. They must Rules: de two male beans of each variety in a 3-player game all players be planted in order, you cannot In-game use of language: yes out of the Ladybohn game, shuf- have 3 fields from the start. fend off a special effect by si- Comments: fle them and deal them evenly to After phase 1 phase 1½ is in- multaneous planting. When you Expansion for Ladybohn Only playable with Lady- plant either lady beans or baby bohn - New varieties of beans the other one can advance special beans accordingly. In Mutterböhnchen Compares to: you can renounce the advancing All other expansions for Bohnanza of lady beans to retain the rattles Alternate Edition: on a new baby bean. none other It is well known that mother’s boys can be difficult to handle, and when they come as mother’s beans this is definitely the case. Funny, difficult, satirical as usual and very, very good! You should step into the family live of the beans! 

If the die shows a + symbol, he INFORMATION draws another card from the PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: NOBODY IS PERFECT stack for his own hand. 3-6 12+ 45+ IMAGINATION IS THE NAME OF THE GAME The other players choose a card from their hand that reasonably Designer: not stated fits the term. Mr. Perfect shuffles Artist: Schwarzschild and others Price: ca. 14 Euro In the new series PartySpiele the improbable explanations. This all cards and then reads out all Publisher: Ravensburger 2011 already classic game now ap- new compact edition does not answers and sets them next to a www.ravensburger.de pears in revised shape and with feature a board and – contrary to letter card. 456 new terms. all previous editions – also gives All players but Mr. Perfect now EVALUATION The basic principle of the game the explanations; you need not use their own letter cards to give has stayed the same over all dream up anything yourself. a guess which answer is correct. A party game of bluff With friends those years, it’s 19 years since The active player of the round, If you guess correctly, you score Version: de the game was first published. called Mr. Perfect, draws a card, a point, and also a if your answer Rules: de You need not know anything, rolls the die and – depending on was chosen. When all players In-game use of language: yes you just have to guess correctly the result – reads out loud either have been 3 to 6 times Mr. Per- Comments: and get others to believe your the definition or the explanation. fect, depending on the number Series: PartySpiele Edition without board of players, you win with the high- 454 new definitions est score. Revised rules as regards to It is difficult to evaluate this the original game compact edition – the fun of Compares to: Nobody is perfect, Dixit self-inventing the explanations and other games on choosing the has gone, but on the other hand correct answers from a selection the game has become more Alternate Edition: generally usable and also easier none other to handle for Mr. Perfect, he need not decipher difficult handwrit- ings. So all in all a positive verdict, the game is still a guarantee for hilarious fun and works well in this edition. 

WIN The Games Journal now also available as WINxxl with a goodie. www.gamesjournal.at For all information on that check page 7 and our website. ISSUE 424 / JUNE 2011 33 PLAYED FOR YOU u ORDO / P.B.G.

can move over squares that are INFORMATION not connected to the group, PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: ORDO but at the end the connection 2 10+ 20+ COOPERATION WITH A GOAL must be established. In a single move you move one marker any Designer: Dieter Stein distance. If it reaches an oppos- Artist: not stated Price: ca. 90 Euro Ordo is one of the most attrac- setup a marker moves forward ing marker this piece is defeated Publisher: Spiel & Design 2010 tive games in the range of Ger- straight or diagonally or side- and taken off. If this separates www.spiel-und-design.eu hards, dark corner props, ide- ways, never back and never over a group, the smaller part of the ally integrated into the board, a other pieces. You always choose group is taken off the board, too. EVALUATION massive wooden board of 8x10 between a single move and an When both parts of the group squares and oval markers in two Ordo move. have the same size, the attack- Abstract position game With friends colors that remind one of Go. Each move must follow the ing player decides which one is Version: de The aim of the game for each group rule: At the end of a move taken off. In an Ordo move you Rules: de player is to reach the opposing all markers of a player must move two or more orthogonally In-game use of language: no base line with a minimum of one be connected to each other, connected markers any distance; Comments: marker. Starting with the initial straight or diagonally. A marker they cannot be defeated. Beautiful components Marvellous design After a sideways move you al- Attractive mechanism ways must do a so called conti- Very good game for 2 nuity move, which must be done players forwards, but not with the same Compares to: Other abstract games for markers that you moved side- two players with the aim to reach the ways. If you reach the base line opposite base line with one marker or if you defeat Alternate Edition: the last marker of your oppo- none other nent, you win! Ordo is a find for fans of abstract games and fans of beautiful games, elegant, simple but not easy, challenging, a wonderful game for two! 

and in turn players take cards up INFORMATION to the amount determined by PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: P.B.G. the number of players. Then you 3-6 12+ 45+ PRÉSIDENT BALAYEUR GÉNÉRAL play a trick-tacking game with the follow suit rule. Furthermore, Designer: J. Noel de Casanove Artist: Thomas Fieffe you must adhere to rules for us- Price: ca. 12 Euro Président Balayeur Général is a income. First, players decide on ing the title that goes with a job Publisher: PBG Editions 2011 card game from the Dalmuti/ the victory conditions, e.g. who and the rules for who is entitled http://pbglejeu.unblog.fr Karrierepoker range of card is the first to own 100.000 Euros to speak to whom. games, even with a similar topic, or is the richest after six rounds If you make a mistake you get a EVALUATION players want to advance on the etc. penalty card. When all tricks of a career track in the company and There are 54 cards for six dif- Trick taking game round are played, you score the With friends do not want to be demoted. ferent professions, in varying tricks. If you did win no cards or Version: multi But to advance they must de- numbers. Each player is ran- if your cards hold fewer cards of Rules: en fr mote their superiors. Despite this domly assigned a profession your own position than there are In-game use of language: no promotion issue, he most im- and dealt six cards. The rest of penalty cards + cards relating to Comments: portant thing in the end is your the cards is displayed face-up your immediate subordinate, Felicitous version of a well-known trick-taking you are demoted one position. mechanism - Promotion/ When you are demoted you demotion mechanism is place your position marker on clever and original - Funny graphics the table. Promotions are exe- Compares to: cuted as result of the demotions, Karrierepoker and trick-taking games you choose from the available Alternate Edition: position markers on the table, none other then all players receive their sal- ary minus penalty fees. P.G.B. is a funny fast card game with an attractive scoring of the tricks, the rules for titles and ad- dressing others make it difficult and fun to play. 

Color codes, target groups, features, icons and GABIS are 34 ISSUE 424 / JUNE 2011 explained on page 5 and at the bottom of pages 40 and 41 www.gamesjournal.at RACING FOR JEWELS! / RAMSES RETURN t PLAYED FOR YOU

correct halves, place them holes INFORMATION down on the table to form an PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: RACING FOR JEWELS! island and grab a ship. The first 2-4 6+ 25+ SUM CORRECTLY AND FEEL CORRECTLY! one gets the red one, the second one the blue and the third one Designer: Herbert Biella the green ship. Artist: Heike Wiechmann Price: ca. 13 Euro The best pirate apprentices try to made up of 2 halves must show. This ends the search! Then the Publisher: Haba 2011 pass the exam by finding the cor- All players search the island tiles ships are checked, the red one www.haba.de rect island and grabbing a pirate for correct halves. You can lift first. If you hold the red ship and ship. The pirate island is laid out, them and feel the underside, but your island is correct, you get EVALUATION one red, blue and green gem is not turn them over or look at the a red jewel, if not, you pass the placed on the island. The other underside. ship to the player holding the Tactile game with math For children island tiles are laid out with the Only the sum of the dice is im- blue ship. If his island is correct Version: multi holes hidden. portant, not the separate dice he gets both jewels, etc. When Rules: de en es fr it nl All play simultaneously. The dice values, for a dice roll of 1 and 3 all jewels are given out, you win In-game use of language: no are rolled, their sum determines you can also take 2 islands with with the highest total from your Comments: the number of holes an island 2 and 2 holes. If you find two jewels, red = 3, blue = 2, green Topic and mechanism go well together = 1. When three or two are play- Attractive components ing, to take the green or the blue Very good tactile training and green jewels and ships out Version for younger players of play. Compares to: Basically all tactile games, Racing for Jewels offers a very here combined with tactile magni- inventive implementation of tude identification the pirate & treasures topic, one Alternate Edition: must resist the temptation to act Juwelenjagd, Haba 2011 hastily and must calculate cor- rectly and feel carefully for the holes. It is better to be second and have a correct island than to be the fastest with an incor- rect island. 

If you roll Curse of Ramses, you INFORMATION move your adventurer three PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: RAMSES RETURN steps and the mummy three 2-4 7+ 30+ GOLD AND CRYSTALS FROM THE PYRAMID steps on the outer spaces; you can choose the order in which Designer: Reiner Knizia to move adventurer and mum- Artist: not stated Price: ca. 13 Euro Pharao Ramses still guards valu- you find a corresponding crystal my. All adventurers the mummy Publisher: Lego 2011 able treasures with his mum- move your adventurer up to two encounters are cursed; they go www.lego.de/legospiele mies, and again players want to steps. If not, your adventurer re- back to the start and must leave loot the pyramid. In your turn mains in place. Then relocate the one golden treasure or one crys- EVALUATION you roll the die. temple to another free space. tal on the spot. If you collect For a color result you have a Your adventurer may move three different golden treasures Roll & Move Game For Families crystal turn: If you hold a crystal over all spaces not blocked by you win. Version: multi of one of the colors rolled, you a temple or the mummy. If you One of the versions listed is Rules: de en fr it nl move your adventurer up to two encounter a treasure or crystal called Jinxed Crystals; if you In-game use of language: no steps. If you do not have such a you stop your turn on this space move to a green or purple crys- Comments: crystal, look under any temple. If and take it. tal, your adventurer is cursed und Attractive ways to play and vary the game must know or have both jewels Can be combined with he rolled. If he is sent back to Ramses Pyramid start, he loses the curse. Another Good rules and very good components, as in all Lego version is Ramses Randale for 2 Games players, there are different move- Compares to: ment rules when you roll Curse Ramses Pyramid and other games of of Ramses. the Lego range Ramses Return offers a very at- Alternate Edition: none other tractive and nicely done version of Ramses Pyramid, still of inter- est to the whole family. And it is definitely an interesting version to combine those two games into one big treasure hunt! 

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move backwards. INFORMATION Spaces are all circles on the PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: S. JORGE TROPHY board, if they are numbered or 2-6 7+ 45+ THE LISBON CASTLE BOARD GAME not. Trophies you collected you bring back to your base, where Designer: Gil d’Orey Artist: Gil d‘ Oray, João Menezes they are safe, and draw a new Price: ca. 30 Euro The Castle St. Georg in Lisbon you are the first to collect three location card to collect another Publisher: Mesaboardgames 2010 over the course of centuries has real trophy markers you win the trophy. If you deliver trophies at www.mesaboardgames.pt been shelter for many different game. the base or step on a location people and persons – among You choose a home base and where you can collect a trophy EVALUATION them Christians, Romans, Moors. a character according two your because you have the card, your Promotional museum game Legend tells that every 1000 two location cards. In your turn turn ends immediately and For families years former inmates of the cas- you can move your character up you can leave the space in the Version: multi tle meet and compete in the St. to 5 steps = spaces, one space next move in any direction you Regeln: en pt George Tournament. less for each trophy you carry, choose. In-game use of language: no The winner will be the lord of the and can turn by 90° at the start You can take off trophy mark- Comments: Castle for the next 1000 years. If of the turn, a character cannot ers from other characters you Beautiful components Simple Rules - Lots of back- meet and can carry up to three ground information markers at the same time. You Compares to: must always keep a trophy that Other promotional mu- you choose and take, even if it seum games, roll & move games is a fake. The special abilities of Alternate Edition: the 12 historic characters allow none other you to use secret passage, look at trophies, turn 180° or make another move. S. Jorge Trophy is a beautiful example from the category of promotional museum games, a simple mechanism, beautiful components coupled with lots of atmosphere and information. 

card in any of the three criteria, INFORMATION the name of the color, the color PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: SCHWARZ ROT GELB the name is written in and the 2-6 8+ 20+ PLAY ON COLORS number of words must be dif- ferent. For instance, the card Designer: Günter Burkhardt Artist: INGEORGE Design mentioned above could be fol- Price: ca. 8 Euro Green for green? No? Red? Why? rest is spread open-faced on the lowed by a card showing three Publisher: Amigo 2011 Because! In this game colors take table. You draw as many cards as times the word yellow written www.amigo-spiele.de on a different meaning. There are there are players from the face- in red. Cards that you cannot color cards showing the name of down stack of point cards, these place are put back and are at EVALUATION a color, but in written in another cards can be won in the current everybody’s disposal. The first Card placement game color and also repeated in dif- round. player to have made up a row of For families ferent frequencies. For instance, All play at the same time, you 7 - 11 cards, depending on the Version: de a card shows the word “Schwarz” pick up a card and check if it number of players, calls “Stop” Rules: de (Black), one time and written in fits into their sequence. A card and the round is scored: All rows In-game use of language: some green letters. fits into the sequence if it does are checked, all cards following Comments: Each player draws one card, the not correspond to the previous a wrong card and the wrong Fast play - Needs concen- tration and fast thinking card are removed. Then players Simple rules for a not so are awarded the point cards in simple game decreasing value in decreasing Compares to: order of cards in their row. After Confusion, Meschugge, Bongo and other games five rounds the player with the demanding reactions contrary to highest score wins. facts or results. Schwarz Rot Gelb is a confus- Alternate Edition: ing game in the true sense of none other the word, especially as you are pressed for time. If is better to place fewer cards correctly than have a wrong card in a long row. If you like twisted thinking, this is a game for you! 

Color codes, target groups, features, icons and GABIS are 36 ISSUE 424 / JUNE 2011 explained on page 5 and at the bottom of pages 40 and 41 www.gamesjournal.at SUN TZU / THE GAME FOR BOYS t PLAYED FOR YOU

province changes: INFORMATION If the winner controls the prov- PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: SUN TZU ince or the province is empty, the 2 9+ 30+ CONFLICT IN ANCIENT CHINA winner places armies equal to the difference in points. If the los- Designer: Alan M. Newman er controls the province and has Artist: Rolland Barthélémy Price: ca. 14 Euro Players embodying rivaling gen- reveal action cards and execute more armies there than the point Publisher: Editions du Matagot 10 erals want to conquer China’s conflicts, score conflicts, draw difference he removes armies ac- www.asmodee.de five most important provinces. new action cards. cordingly and keeps control. If he You begin with 18 armies, one of For the phases 2 t 4 you chose has as armies equal to the point EVALUATION three strategy cards and action one action card per province and difference he removes them, the cards 1-6, plus four cards from place it face down at the prov- province is now empty. If he has Placement game With friends the draw pile. ince, then the cards are revealed fewer armies, he removes them Version: de Five randomly drawn scoring and compared. If you have more and the winner places the miss- Rules: de fr cards are on display. The rounds points at the province in direct ing armies. In-game use of language: yes comprise the phases advance comparison you win the conflict After three of those rounds, that Comments: round marker, place action cards, and the power structure in the is in rounds 3, 6 and 9, victory Duo Collection - Bookcase box - Elegant components points are scored: If you score Scoring of points differ- more points from controlled ences is an interesting provinces you score the differ- feature ence as victory points. If you Compares to: All games with direct can move the marker to the red comparison of values determining space you win immediately or ownership or control, e.g. Shanghaien with more points at the end. Alternate Edition: The mechanism of direct value none other comparison is here interestingly varied by the way you evaluate the difference, it is not always sufficient to have more points or to own more provinces! Neat, elegant and tricky! 

you advance accordingly. For a INFORMATION blue chip you can hand on the PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: THE GAME FOR BOYS task to the next player in turn 2-4 8+ 45+ THE OFFICIAL GAME FOR YOUNGSTERS and for a brown chip you can have all players playing, the Designer: not stated points won are split among all Artist: not stated Price: ca. 22 Euro A game for boys and maybe even In your turn you roll the die and the players. Publisher: University Games 2010 for boys and fathers together – a draw a card of the category color For astronomy you need to draw www.universitygames.de quiz game with questions and rolled – now you can either play a constellation, for Boyz Life you answers in five categories, you alone and win points for this must identify animal marks EVALUATION must be the first to accumulate task, if you solve it within the or answer questions. Tasks in 100 Boyz-Points and reach the time-limit given on the card, or Quiz-Grips have you solve logic A game for boys For children finish to win. you play with one other player, puzzles or cryptograms or rebus Version: de The five categories are astrono- this costs a red chip and the task puzzles. Rules: de en my, Boyz Life, Grips-Quiz, Grow must be solved by both of you Growing Up poses questions that In-game use of language: yes up and Knots & Tricks, each cat- together within the time frame. can be easily solved by a grown Comments: egory is marked by its own color. The points are split and both of up, dance a Foxtrot or identify a Packed in a tin Inventive tasks piece of art and allocate it to a Good for father & son game museum. And in Knots & Tricks play you must tie knots, even those of Compares to: a tie, or learn a card trick or deci- Other quiz games featuring gender-related questions pher encrypted messages. Alternate Edition: This is basically a standard quiz none other game, but with attractive tasks and questions and surely a nice idea to entice not only the sons, for which this game is intended in the first place, but also the dads to the table to play – even better, dads and children! 

WIN The Games Journal now also available as WINxxl with a goodie. www.gamesjournal.at For all information on that check page 7 and our website. ISSUE 424 / JUNE 2011 37 PLAYED FOR YOU u UNTER GEIERN / VOLLE SCHOLLE

that is a prey card of this value, INFORMATION and the next prey card is placed PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: UNTER GEIERN on the carrion card. If you are 2-6 10+ 45+ AMONG VULTURES - FEED OR FIGHT! alone there next round or end your move on a turned-up car- Designer: Michael Nietzer rion card and are alone you get Artist: Michael Nietzer Price: ca. 20 Euro Vultures are circling over the red- or vertically for free to the next the current lump. Publisher: Heidelberger 2010 hot desert, on the lookout for card, the card reached is turned When another vulture arrives, he www.heidelbaer.de carrion and other prey of other up. Then you can invest prey lands on top of you. Next round vultures, maybe one can share cards and fly on accordingly you can decide if you want to EVALUATION a meal. and again turn over the card fight or try your luck elsewhere. If The desert is laid out with cards you reach and/ or you can use you fight you draw quarrel cards Card harvesting game With friends in a grid; depending on the num- thermal lift to carry you across until you stop or reach 9 and thus Version: de ber of players you use 5x5, 6x6 or the desert. win the quarrel instantly or sur- Rules: de 7x7 cards. You place your vulture If you turn up a carrion card and pass 9 and drop out of the fight. In-game use of language: no on any face-down desert card. A end your move there you get the If you stopped at a value below Comments: vulture can move horizontally first lump of the carrion / prey, 9, your opponent(s) in the quar- Unusual topic Very attractive graphics rel in the order they are stacked Some tactic possible draw cards until they top your Compares to: value or manage 9 or drop out. Games where you take 30 prey points leave you satiated cards from a display by meeting certain conditions, and the winner. without refilling the gaps A funny, fast and surprisingly Alternate Edition: tactical game, you can travel far none other by using prey cards and thermal effects cleverly. But still you must consider carefully if it is better to quarrel for prey or try to find some good lumps of carrion elsewhere alone. 

floe, you discard the used pen- INFORMATION guin cards. The others can decide PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: VOLLE SCHOLLE whether to keep the used cards 3-4 8+ 20+ IS THERE ENOUGH ROOM and place them face down as FOR ALL PENGUINS? their penguin stack or to discard Designer: Martin Wallace them. You cannot look again at Artist: U. Stein, I. Vohwinkel Price: ca. 7 Euro You want to collect the largest this with one or more cards of won floe cards or stacked pen- Publisher: Kosmos 2011 colony of penguins with points the same color and a higher total guin cards. www.kosmos.de from penguin cards and from value, or pass. If the turn comes The penguins you stack must be floe cards. back to you must pass or raise placed on floe cards at the end EVALUATION Each player is dealt 12 of the 72 the bid by supplementing your of the game or you score minus penguin cards, the rest is draw bid accordingly. points. When the “Melting Floe” Bid and acquision game For families pile, the card „Melting Floe“ is When all players but one have card appears, the game ends Version: de shuffled into the decks as stated; passed, he gets the floe card instantly. Each player sums his Rules: de the top floe card is turned up. and all players draw the num- penguin points and his floe In-game use of language: no The first player lays out a pen- ber of cards they played, up to a points. Then you deduct the Comments: guin card; all others must top maximum of two. If you get the penguin points from the floe Uli Stein graphics Interesting bidding mecha- points: When the result is 0, you nism - Good memory and score the penguin points; if the good card management result is positive, you also score necessary the penguin points. When the re- Compares to: „Alles im Eimer“ for the bid- sult is negative, you double the ding, other bidding/collecting games difference and deduct it from Alternate Edition: you penguin points, the result is none other your score. You win with the highest score. Volle Scholle is a fun, fast, well- made family game, which needs good management of cards and a good memory, because each surplus penguin point costs you 2 points from your score. 

Color codes, target groups, features, icons and GABIS are 38 ISSUE 424 / JUNE 2011 explained on page 5 and at the bottom of pages 40 and 41 www.gamesjournal.at ZICKE ZACKE / ZITTERPARTIE t PLAYED FOR YOU

location of the animal. If you are INFORMATION correct you receive the animal PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: ZICKE ZACKE and place it next to your dung 2-5 4+ 20+ DUCK NEXT TO THE BARN heap. If you make a mistake you place one of your animals next to Designer: Marek Zoschl the barn. Artist: Doris Matthäus Price: ca. 10 Euro Animals are hiding near dung The stack of seek cards is pre- The player who received the Publisher: Zoch 2011 heaps and the barn and need to pared, too, you randomly remove animal turns up the next card. www.zoch-verlag.com be found. Each player takes the 5 red-backed cards before shuf- If a poop card is turned up the dung heap of his chosen color fling the stack and setting it in same animal as in the last turn EVALUATION and sets it out on the table, the the middle. The slapping cards is searched for again. If you have barn is placed between any two for each player and the barn are the searched-for animal yourself Search game with cards For children players. arranged around this stack. and slap correctly, you keep it. Version: multi Then – depending on the num- The top seek card is turned up: When all cards have been turned Rules: de en fr it ber of players – a certain number If you spot this animal anywhere up, you win with most animals In-game use of language: no of hide cards are placed next to you slap your hand onto the slap- next to your dung heap. For an Comments: the barn and each dung heap. ping card corresponding to the advanced game you may, if you Game family Zicke Zacke Topic fits well into this slapped correctly, switch the card series - Mix of memory, just slapped with another card. searching and reaction This game is basically very simple, Unusual mix for the age of the target group but offers an unusual and inter- Compares to: esting mix of mechanism, found Other search games cards are not taken out of the Alternate Edition: game but go to the finder and none other can change owner again when another seek card is turned up. But there will not be two cards for every animal! So you need to remember which animals you have and protect them by slap- ping correctly and fast! 

successful implementation of INFORMATION the task card. When blocks tum- PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: ZITTERPARTIE ble or the finished construction 1-6 6+ 20+ WHO KEEPS HIS BALANCE BEST? does not keep up for 2 seconds – the other players count out Designer: Michael Rüttinger loud twenty-one, twenty-two - Artist: Heidemarie Rüttinger Price: ca. 20 Euro A cork plateau, building blocks tion, because you must balance the card is put back beneath the Publisher: noris Spiele 2011 and constructions which must the cork plateau on your back stack. When the construction has www.noris-spiele.de be made up from the blocks – or your head or your knees and been successfully completed, and yet we are playing neither hold the plateau carrying the you keep the task card. After the EVALUATION Bamboleo nor Make ‚n‘ Break, finished construction in balance previously agreed number of but still you need balance and for at least 2 seconds. You draw rounds the winner is the player A game of dexterity For children dexterity. The basic principle is a card, place the plateau accord- with the most points on his Version: multi very simple: Building blocks as ingly on head, back or knee and cards. Rules: de fr it shown on a card must be stacked then stack the buildings block For a variant you can play with- In-game use of language: no on a base as shown on the card. one by one in the order and out cards and agree prior to the Comments: In this case the difficulty is posi- arrangement necessary for the game on the shape and height of Very successful transfor- mation of well-known the construction necessary for a standard mechanisms successful round, the number of Needs good balance, a points awarded for a successful steady hand and dexterity round can also be freely chosen. Compares to: Basic mechanisms from You can also implement your Bamboleo, Make ‚n’Break and others own ideas, the rules suggest Alternate Edition: practicing and playing in front none other of the mirror. A game for mobile children or very fit grown ups, simple rules have been successfully transformed into a fun game with high demands on balance, movement and a steady hand. 

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BARBIE SHOPPING DAY DIE DREI ??? KIDS FUSSBALLGÖTTER FILLY UNICORN MAL MEMO Designer: Udo Peise Designer: Kai Haferkamp Publisher: Noris Publisher: Ravensburger Publisher: Kosmos

Barbie needs a new outfit for her evening date with her Justus, Peter and Bob must win the tournament to save the 42 Fillies canter about on the black & white cards, two identi- girlfriends, so she wants shop for a new top, new trousers trophy from Skinny Norris. The 9 player tiles are sorted by cal ones form a pair. Game play follows the standard rules for or a skirt, new shoes and a new handbag, and all this in one backside and laid out in three rows. The die determines a “memory”: You turn up two cards from the random display on afternoon. The sun with its rays is laid out, as are all garment tile that you must turn up in the row next to your marker. If the table. If you uncover a pair, you keep it and have another parts. In your turn you use the spinner and take the indicated you fail, your turn ends. If you succeed, the marker goes to turn. If you uncover different images, both are turned over garment. If the spinner shows the sun you take away one of the next row and a new tile is determined. If you turn up the again. The rules can be found at the bottom of the box. The the rays and can either take a garment or must give back a correct tile in all three rows can have a go at snipping at the special feature of this box are the black & white cards, you can garment. If you are the first to completely dress Barbie, you goal. If you score a goal with a maximum of three attempts, color them in yourself with the crayons that are included. win. When the sun has lost all rays before that, there is no you receive a ball marker. If you have most markers, when all Version: multi - Rules: de es fr hu it pl - In-game use of winner and all players put one garment on Barbie. are given out, you win. language: no Version: multi - Rules: de fr it nl - In-game use of language: no Version: de - Rules: de - In-game use of language: no

A dice game for 2-4 players, ages 4/8 A game of memory and dexterity for 2-4 players, ages 7+ Merkspiel zum Lizenzthema für 2-4 Spieler ab 3 Jahren

HIT THE THROTTLE! GRIPS-QUIZ SCHWEDENRÄTSEL KNIFFEL EXTREME Designer: Wolfgang Dirscherl Publisher: University Games Publisher: Schmidt Spiele Publisher: Haba

A car racing game with dice, but the challenge is that nobody A series of uniform packages offering different topics of Kniffel Extreme is game Nr. 1 in the new Roll & Play series. knows who drives which car. At the start of the game you puzzles, currently available are Bilderrätsel, Code-Knacker, Players in turn roll all 6 dice, one of them is a 10-sided die, draw a card showing two cars – those are the ones you Denkaufgaben, Logikrätsel, Kryptogramme, Schwedenrätsel, introducing new possibilities and probabilities. After the first should try to get over the finish line first. In your turn you Suche die Unterschiede and Wortsucher. If you use a pencil roll you decide how many or if any dice you want to re-roll in roll all three dice, choose one and move the corresponding to solve the puzzles they can be used several times or by your 2nd and 3rd roll. You can re-roll dice already set aside in car. Then you re-roll the remaining two dice, choose one and different people. a previous roll. After three rolls the latest you must note your move the car. Finally, you re-roll the last dice, choose one and Schwedenrätsel features 50 cards with one puzzle each based result, for discarding a chip you can roll a 4th time. If you can- move the car. When both cards on a player’s card have passed on the standard mode of clues being included in the puzzle. not mark a result you must strike off a box. When all players the finish line, you reveal your card and win. It is possible that Version: de - Rules: de - In-game use of language: yes have filled their last box, you add results and bonuses and there are several winners. German title: GIB GUMMI! Version: win with the highest score. multi - Rules : de en es fr it nl - In-game use of language: no Version: multi - Rules: de fr it - In-game use of language: no

A car racing game with dice for 2-4 players, ages 4+ A Quiz game for 1 player, ages 8/12+ A dice game for 2-4 players, ages 8+

MONOPOLY BANKING ÖSTERREICH-AUSGABE OKKO YAKUZA HAZU AKAI THE RIVALS FOR CATAN Publisher: Hasbro Designer: Laurent Pouchain Designer: Klaus Teuber Publisher: Hazgaard Editions Publisher: Mayfair Games

Monopoly digital! In this edition the popular game around Based on the comic, you either lead a group of Demon Hunt- The principality of each player with two settlements, 6 real estate comes with special Austrian topics and players pay ers or Evil Creatures. A player assembles his group according landscapes and 1 road is laid out. You roll 2 dice for resources with electronic cash. Monopoly Banking with a bank card! to his wishes and equips it based on a total budget of 16 and event, both valid for both players. Then you use cards Players buy properties, apartments and hotels with electronic Zeni. Both players can hire mercenaries. Then the troops are from your hand for actions or development of the principal- cash, using the Visa card reader. On the board modern times deployed and the conflict is dealt with. In a turn you roll your ity. Settlements and cities earn victory points. To win the have arrived, too! Players move around the board, featuring inspiration dice and can put them in reserve. A character can introductory game “Die ersten Cataner”, using the basic set, current Austrian roads and locations, using inline-skates or be active once per turn. If you cause a loss of 12 Zeni for the you need 7 victory points and 12 for the theme set games. racing cards and mobile phones. Instead of houses you buy other player you win. The mini expansion introduces 9 new These sets „Zeit des Goldes“, „Zeit der Wirren“ and „Zeit des an apartment and are fined for talking on the phone while characters, 5 equipment cards and 1 clan card, you can either Fortschritts“ introduce new cards, in „Duell der Fürsten“ you driving. But still, the last player in the game wins! lead the Hazu Akai Clan or use its members for mercenaries. use all sets. New edition of „The Settlers of Catan The Card Version: de - Rules: de - In-game use of language: some Version: multi - Rules: de en fr - In-game use of language: yes Game“. Version: en - Rules: de en - In-game use of language: yes

A game of money for 2-6 players, ages 8 and up Expansion for the conflict simulation for 2 players, ages 12+ A card game of development for 2 players, ages 10 and up

Color codes for target groups (Headline Color) Color codes for features (Bar in Evalution box) For children + learn With friends Chance Strategy Knowledge Communication Dexterity 40 For families For experts Tactics Creativity Memory Interaction Action HIGHLIGHTS AMONG GAMES t FROM THE MUSEUM

TIP #65 HUGO KASTNER RECOMMENDS PLAYERS: Designer: Rudi Hoffmann 2-4 Price: vergriffen AGE: MAESTRO Year: 1989 10+ Publisher: Hans im Glück Music agents among themselves! www.hans-im-glueck.de TIME: 45+ Dear Reader! In this classic family game, a cre- must place a maestro to be able to make up ation by genius Rudi Hoffmann, you take on an orchestra. All other musicians convene ˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜ the role of music agents whose task is to ar- around this maestro, till the orchestra can Tactics Info+ Chance range live performances for their customers. perform a piece of music in original cast. As Maybe in a first or second game an experi- Ten different pieces of music, ranging from Dar- the manager of an agency you are entitled enced player of Maestro will dominate the game. But after a few games the tactical ele- ius Milhauds „Scaramouche“, Claude Debussys to take musicians from your own agency or ment is reduced to its proper function as „Sonate“, George Gershwins „Lullaby“, Richard from the top row of opposing agencies and planned by Rudi Hoffmann. Maestro is intend- ed to be and is a funny family game, easy to Strauss‘ „Till Eulenspiegel“, Franz Schuberts place them on the board or draw between learn and easy to play. „Forellenquintett“, Igor Tscherepnins „Som- 1 and 3 musician cards for your hand. You Hugos EXPERTTIP mermusik“, Laura Branigans „Take me“, Sagas must take at least one of the musicians, re- Keep an eye on the correct „cast“ for a round of Maestro. You need a minimum of three play- „In the loose“ to Rudolf Kummerers „Alpen- gardless of the difficult choice where to put ers to fully enjoy the tactical possibilities of the jägermarsch“ offer a wide selection of pieces him, because at the end of the game – and game. And play several games in series – no for concert performance. Between two and this can come suddenly accompanied by a problem as regards to playing time – for a total score of 300 points. seven different instruments - in authentic cast big round of applause - check the rulebook! Hugos FLASHLIGHT (!) – are necessary to achieve a performance, - all musicians loitering in the agency deduct Maestro absolutely merited its appearance on the selection list for the German „Game of that is score points. The unexpected side-effect: between 1 and 10 pints from your score, de- the Year 1989“. Because there is an enormous Children do – in the true sense of the word – pending on where they are placed in the kick in this simple placement game with basi- learn by playing about musical instruments agency. Basically, you always try to achieve cally simple rules, especially when three or for agents compete for the scarce instruments. If like tuba, cornet, bassoon or oboe and their a complete orchestra, because that earns the you own the new edition „Little Amadeus Mae- interplay. Comprehension and appreciation highest score. Another subtle detail by Rudi stro“, published in 2007, can offer a harmonious of music is not a necessary prerequisite to en- Hoffmann: As soon as you complete a piece background with the CD included in the game. But any fan of the original game can achieve joy “Maestro”, but tactical subtlety is very much of music you receive the critic, who earns you this „Touch of Music“, if one or more of the pieces needed. In any case, you should use your next valuable 10 points at the start of each turn. of music used in the game are present in the CD  collection at home visit in the Austrian Games Museum at Leopol- As any musician in an orchestra has PREVIEW: dsdorf to play – at least figuratively – to call the Comments to: [email protected] POWER GRID tune. Homepage: www.spielen.at Homepage: www.hugo-kastner.at Friedemann Frieses famous fireworks The light of my lamp this time falls on the instruments of famous compositions and at the same time gives you an inkling of the applause for perfectly rendered and in- terpreted music. „De la musica“ is the truly fitting sub-title for this easy-going creation by Rudi Hoffmann. Each player manages his own agency, represented by a two-row art- ist panel comprising 10 spaces. The top row of instruments is cheap, but accessible for your opponents. The bottom row of instru- ments, that is of artists, can get expensive, when at the end of the game some „Violin“ or „Viola“ or whatever might be available from the agency, is left over. The maestro tiles can be used in several different ways - there are 10 of them -, especially to annoy your op- ponents. Because a maestro is able to play any instrument and therefore can be used in any orchestra at any position. And – you IMPRESSUM Offenlegung nach dem Mediengesetz: Medieninhaber, Eigentümer, Verleger und Hersteller: Verein „Österreichisches Spiele Museum“, vertre- ten durch Obfrau Dipl.Ing. Dagmar de Cassan, Raasdorferstrasse 28, 2285 Leopoldsdorf im Marchfelde, Telefon 02216-7000, Fax 02216-7000-3, mail-to: [email protected], Internet: www.gamesjournal.at - www.spielejournal.at - Chefredakteur: Dipl.Ing. Dagmar de Cassan Blattlinie: Die Blattlinie ist die Meinung aller Redakteure, freien Mitarbeitern und Gastautoren. Die Spiele zur Erstellung der Rezensionen stellt das Österr. Spiele Museum für die Dauer der Arbeit kostenlos zur Verfügung. Niemand erhält Sach-, Service-, Geldleistungen von den Verlagen. (Alle nicht namentlich gekennzeichneten Rezensionen zu den Spielen sind von Dagmar de Cassan) English Edition Version 1.0 Copyright (c) 2011 by Spielen in Österreich - Die Spiele Collection, Spiele Kreis Wien, Österreichisches Spielefest, Spielefest, Wiener Spiele Akademie, Spiel der Spiele und zwei Spiele-Symbole sind eingetragene Warenzeichen. Ihre Email-Adresse: Wir versenden oft an unsere Mitglieder, Abonnenten und Interessenten eine Erinnerung für Termine und sonstige Infos. Wenn Sie noch nie eine Email von uns erhalten haben, fehlt uns Ihre Email!

Icon explanation GABIS explanation on page 5 Solo Play Two Players Large Groups Recommended Minimum Age 41