The Games Journal

ISSUE 468 -AUGUST 2014 ISSN 0257-361X Volume 37

THE GAMES JOURNAL www.gamesjournal.at

INTERNATIONAL EDITION: IN THIS ISSUE WE PRESENT 54 GAMES OUR REPORT u PLAY Modena 2014

THE EVENT FOR GAMES IN ITALY PLAY Modena A walk-through by Dagmar de Cassan, with pictures from Christoph Proksch

Once again we wanted to cross the border into spring and sunshine in Modena and this time both were provided - it was warmer and some things had changed again; the play session Friday Night was gone, so we enjoyed a nice dinner and went to PLAY Confine Nord is a role playing game with bright and early on Saturday morning. a topic of an isolated Arctic island; after

The model builders were not present again, so both halls were reserved for games and playing, as in 2013, as usual booths lined the walls and in the middle you found huge Angelo Porazzi play areas reserved for a variety of purposes, playing board games, role playing games, Games testing prototypes, tournament, and so on. This is the label for Angelo Porazzi’s own games, this year he showed Assist Albe Pavo Porcellini Cosplay a joint expansion for

a chemical desaster environment and 2013 on show as a prototype, produced in inmates change and the island turnes into 2014: Carnival Zombie by Matteo Santos a prison camp; with a prototype for a card and Jocularis, for 1-6 players, ages 13+, was game. shown as a prototype; a cooperative game M400 features a topic of historic conquest in the era of ca. 1400 A.D., with all options

both Assist and Porcellini

Area Autoproduzione on the topic of Carnival in Venice, but with zombies. Four days are divided into day and Area Autoproduzione, initiated and from conquest and trade to battles, travel, night, if you did not escape Venice on the enthusiastically promoted at countless bluff and secret alliances. fourth day, you lose; this is a game without events by Angelo Porazzi, offers the chance Dario Dordoni showed Pizza, Spaghetti e and points gained by chance, but partly to designers and self-publishers to present Mandolino, despite the culinary title this is driven by stress points. Co-production with prototypes or already produced games to a game of power and revenge, but also on Raven Distribution. an interested public. Botta da Orchi - A race along a track, you bash other Orcs and use cards for events, Alex Games weapons, etc.

Once again Alessandro Dolcetta showed his range of games, and once again Sócc‘Mel was at the center of the presentation, with a topic of catastrophes in all circumstances.

love, between four families. Scendincampo by Mirko Biaswion, Manuel Simonetti and Alessandro Tetati is a sarirical

Color codes, target groups, features, icons and GABIS are 2 ISSUE 468 / AUGUST 2014 explained on page 5 and at the bottom of pages 42 and 43 www.gamesjournal.at PLAY Modena 2014 / 40 LINES FOR MEEPLES t OUR REPORT

Lusquinos Rodriguez for 2-8 players, ages 12+.

Cranio Creations

Soqquadro by Simone Luciani, Lorenzo Tucci Sorrentino and Daniele Tascini is a game on the topic election campaigning in Italy, you stand for Prime Minister and try your hand at unconventional campaign strategies. Six Keys uses colored geometrical shapes in a game where you form letters and words

prototype of a card game for 2-12 players, ages 8+; you need to roll dice in a real-time 40 Lines for Meeples game, implement the action or roll again; Dagmar de Cassan, Editor-in-Chief Actions are taking cards, swapping cards or running to find items around the house.

„Who has tampered with time?” Paulchen with those shapes. District Games Panther is not the only one to ask this, many Zulf by Filippo Cresti for 2-4 players was gamers ask it too, having come back from shown as a prototype with a fantasy topic, the Toy Fair in Nuremberg and waiting for Warage by Luca Grasso and Pietro Puglisi the new releases 2014. is game of deck building and dice rolling That SPIEL at Essen was only a few months ago and that hundreds of new games were announced and released there, too, is already nearly forgotten in our fast-paced times. Well, while waiting for new games of 2014 we get another surprise - already we see an- nouncements for the new releases at SPIEL in October 2014! Who has really tampered with time? We should stop it, anyhow, to play at least the new releases from the last 12 months. on territorial conquest with use of different But the games market is obdurate, if you are weapons. too late, you are punished by the Novelties including role playing elements; each hero Presentation! If you do not announce your has hit points and pays with those points for game in time you will not be noticed! Corvus Belli each card that you play. And so a new genre of games has formed, a genre that in past years was the norm in computer games: Vaporware, smoke games! Infinity: Operation Icestorm - A re-launch dv Giochi How shall we navigate those news and man- or presentation of the already published age not to overlook good games coming to Miniature Tabletop game, by Gutier the market? With this we can help, because our WIN features all those games that should be part of a games collection, so have fun reading it! Do you like our WIN? If yes, please become a subscriber! We have a PayPal account, so the payment of € 6,00 for an annual subscription can be made easily and safely, see also http://www.gamesjournal.at. Unser Games companion GAME BY GAME 2014 is available since SPIEL at Essen: http://www.gamescompanion.at 

WIN The Games Journal now also available as eBook! www.gamesjournal.at For all information on that check our website. ISSUE 468 / AUGUST 2014 3 OUR REPORT u PLAY Modena 2014

Besides the games already shown at Essen - des Herrn, (Dogs in Gods Garden), Dogs are Bang! The Dice Game by Michael Palm and Giovani nel Tempo not canines, but watchdogs of Faith - in a Lukas Zach for 3-8 players, ages 8+, Lucca Wild West setting you must proclaim your The City of Games by Alessandro Zucchi- faith, which you can create yourself. ni for 3-5 players, ages 8+, and The Great with games intended for senior citizens Montsegur 1244, in this narrative game Persuader by C. H. Dilek, N. Tekin and Ş. Ç. or children to improve concentration and Barlok for 3-8 players, ages 12+, there was memory abilities; Mentabile by Mirella the Italian edition of Eight Minute Empire, Cerato featuring picture tiles, Verba Volant Otto Minuti Imperio, by Ryan Laukat for 2-5 players, ages 8+: You build an conquer an Empire in eight minutes by taking one of six cards in turn, for an action and a commodity. Actions help to conquer land, sets of commodities are scored at the end. New was Samurai Sword Rising Sun, another

you take on the roles of Catharists; will you stand by your faith, renounce your faith or flee from the fortress? by Ennio Peres on letters and words and In the role playing game Stets zu Diensten Non c’e 2 … senza 3! by Leo Colovini and Meister, in this version you must, as a Carlo A. Rossi, a memo game with triplets of pictures.

Iannone Nicola expansion for Samurai sword featuring 12 new characters, 40 new cards with powerful weapons; an additional role cards allows After a break of several years Nicola Iannone play with eight players. was back again this year and presented

Ghenos Games tortured and deformed minion, dissolve your connection to a crazy and cruel master. Here, too, the Essen releases 2013 were Psi-Run by Meguey Baker is a role playing shown, Leonardo by Charles Chevallier for 2-4 players, ages 8+: Leonardo is featured as a young, impetuous observer of the world who culls inventions from his observations; and The Sheep Race by Roberto Mancino for 2-6 players, ages 10+, a multi-lingual edition, plus some games that are distributed again his MedioEvo Universalis for 3-10 by Ghenos in Italy, among them the new players, ages 14+, a complex development edition of Taluva by Marcel-Andre Casasole game set in the 13th century. Merkle from Ferti. Again a guest at the Ghenos booth: Narrativa game around psychic powers enhanced by drugs, on lost memories and pursuers, Three games are published in cooperation explained by a comic. with Ulisses in Germany: Cani nella vigna is called Hunde im Garten Onion Squire

An interesting topic and financing via Kickstarter: Game Developerz by Marco Tonetti for 3-6 players, ages 10+; you need to set up your studio, hiring - among others - employees for Game Design, Art, Programming and Marketing in order to publish a game.

Color codes, target groups, features, icons and GABIS are 4 ISSUE 468 / AUGUST 2014 explained on page 5 and at the bottom of pages 42 and 43 www.gamesjournal.at PLAY Modena 2014 / GABIS t OUR REPORT

GAMES BUYER INFORMATION SYSTEM - GABIS Politecnico di Milano STRUCTURE Each game review also features an evaluation which can As in 2013, The Milano Politechnical School help you to find the game that best suits your tastes. The color accompanying each game title represents the USER showed games as part of a studies course Group. The headline also contains icons for age and number on the topic of Game Theory and also of players. The BAR in the evaluation box displays color codes for up to 10 features of a game.

USER GROUP We have defined 4 target groups (color accompanying the head line)

Kinder: PD Verlag Games for children an educational games. Adults can play in a guiding function. Familien: Children and parents play together, all have the same Mac Gerdts showed the new edition of chance to win and have fun. Antike, which will be a mix of Antike and Freunde: Young people and adults play together as equals Experten: Games with special demands on rules and playing time. Game Design; prototypes of games where Especially for game geeks presented - among them Trick or Show Please note for the user groups Children, Family and and Dirty Job. Friends: Children who love to play can be ahead of their peers! Please note that our target group “families” does not imply the classical concept of „family games“! Furthermore, our user groups can overlap. The choice of suitable games always depends on your playing partners and your fun with games! Portal Games Games that are especially eligible for Solo play or for 2 players or Large groups of players are marked with an icon.

The Polish publisher was present again this FEATURES Each game targets preferences for different features in a Antike Duellum, you can now play without year and had - among Essen 2013 releases player, therefore each game is not suitable for each player. destruction of temples. - brought Tajemnicze Domostwo = We have listed 10 features players note when deciding on a game. Only if a player finds his preferred features in For Concordia a new board is announced, Mysterium, that is also published in Italien a game he will enjoy the game. The color code marks the Concordia Britannia, and Steam Ship dominant features. Educational games train the highlighted Company, a prototype for an economics preference. game on shares using the familiar rondel Empty boxes: This feature is neclectable or not present mechanisms, featuring topics of trading One colored box: This feature is present, but not essential commodities and constructing ships. Two colored boxes: This feature is present and important in the game Three colored boxes: This feature is dominant and essential

Chance: The game is influenced by dice, cards or any other form of Placentia Games random generator Tactics: Take decision, short-term planning, planning based on one move Stefano Groppi showed Florenza Das Strategy: Kartenspiel, already shown at Essen, a by pubischer uplay.it, the first edition came Think ahead, long-term planning, planning for several moves card game for 2-4 players, ages 14+. As from an Ukrainian publisher, that is, self- Creativity: published by the designer. The player has to provide words, phrases, images and other creative efforts Knowledge: Cultural and educational knowledge, long-term memory Memory: Post Scriptum Remember, learn by heart, short-time memory Communication: Talk to each other, negotiate, inform Touché, a prototype for a game for up to Interaction: Influencing each other, bluffing, auction 9 players; you play in two teams, control Dexterity Motor skills Action: Body movement, balance and reaction

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Version: The edition of the game on which the review is in the board game you need to construct based buildings with resources you collect. Rules: This lists the languages in which rules are available or are included in the game, often even more translations can be found on the web. In-game text: A YES marks a game with language- dependent components that cannot be played without translation or knowledge of the language

WIN The Games Journal now also available as eBook! www.gamesjournal.at For all information on that check our website. ISSUE 468 / AUGUST 2014 5 OUR REPORT u PLAY Modena 2014

Musketeers and try to meet tasks; fights are featuring six different environments and Mage Company, there was also Seven Seas resolved by cards; with an uneven number Il canto delle sirene, an Italian edition of of players one of them takes up the role of Mylady, she plays against both teams. Raven Distribution

Besides Carnival Zombie the Distributor/ Whole Sale Dealer showed also Sails of Glory, the already repeatedly announced

more than 30 different animals. Guildhall, AEG, featuring a different topic, and then the Italian edition of Coconuts, Korean Boardgames, Goku Coconuts. Red Raven Games

Red Raven showed City of Iron by Ryan Laukat, a game on developing a nation in a

and featured ship pendant to Wings of Glory by Ares Games.

Red Glove

At this booth, too, the Essen autumn releases Winterlair of 2013 were presented; also on show were: Vudù, by Francesco Giovo and Marco world ruled by Money, Magic and Machines, The company was founded in 2011 and featuring four different races. showed Ninja Shadow Forged by Marco Sir Chester Cobblepot

On show was, besides Battle of Ravenna and Collapsible D, also Kingsport Festival, set in the Cthulhu universe of Lovecraft; you

Valtriani, a dice game, already announced at Nuremberg, featuring evil magicians; you decide if you take new cards or items Mingozzi, a card game on the topic of or cast a spell which forces your opponents conflict simulation for 2-7 players, including to certain behavior. La Casa Stregata, is a the expansions Ninja Shadow Forged children’s game by Giovanni Coraggiosi on Rising Clan and The Vespar War. the topic of ghosts and a haunted house, Everzone was presented as a prototype, and Il Mio Safari, a game on expeditions it will be a card game with a SciFi topic, in

roll dice and use them to summon Ancient Gods.

uplay.it

On top of the Italian edition of 12 Realms,

Color codes, target groups, features, icons and GABIS are 6 ISSUE 468 / AUGUST 2014 explained on page 5 and at the bottom of pages 42 and 43 www.gamesjournal.at PLAY Modena 2014 / RELIC RUNNERS t OUR REVIEW

analogy to Living Card Games. TREASURE HUNTING IN THE JUNGLE Zizzi Pierluca RELIC RUNNERS FOLLOWING IN INDY’S TRACKS The well-known designers hat two prototypes on show this year: Realms for 2-5 players, ages 14+, is a „Jäger des verlorenen Schatzes“ with Harri- all temples. The remaining components are game on the evolving of landscapes; you son Ford (all parts), Michael Douglas in „Die put back into the box and provide some Jagd nach dem grünen Diamanten“, Rich- changes in ensuing games. ard Chamberlain in „Quatermain oder die Trilogie der Mumie“ and a few more films One toolbox tile is placed next to each riv- featuring treasure hunting as their plot! As er and each player is given a player board often before, when I take a look at the topic showing the character that he represents of a new board game, I remember some in this game. The special ability of the char- films and their immortal protagonists. acters should not be used, according to the rules, in a first-ever game or when playing in A treasure hunt and adventures that go families. Each set comprises one character with it, locked chambers, hidden trap doors piece, three toolboxes and ten track pieces and riches to discover in order to reveal of the same color. historic secrets – many dream of encoun- transform commodities; card positions tering such an adventure once. But as this Character pieces are put into the base determine commodities, players use Circles will scarcely happen we enjoy books, films camp, one toolbox each is placed beneath of Action. or games that take us on such an adventure. the three progress tables and each player is Hyperborea is a game on the setting up of Relic Runners from Days of Wonder is such given three ration packs. Two more ration a game and will see if it keeps the promise packs are put into the base camp for each given on the box. player; the rest goes back into the box. Fi-

Enchanting in any case are the compo- Kurt Schellenbauer nents, they are – as usual for the publisher The unstructured play of the first game disappears with – almost pompous. Figures, path parts, tool- the second or third play and then the game provides more fun, too; but unfortunately that is when you notice that the boxes and treasures in sumptuous guises tactical options are limited. that promise a somewhat higher price, but are worth the price anyhow. This games gives you value for your money. nally, the top purple tiles of temples are turned up and the race for the best trea- The square board shows a network of paths sures can begin. an Empire, color cubes represent abilities; made up from roads and rivers, which are you want to improve selection and number treated equally for movement; the rivers In your turn you must resolve the follow- and use different actions. show toolboxes, which can only be found ing actions: Move and then explore and on rivers. The center of the board shows the pass the turn to the next player. You must base camp and each crossroads has room move your character piece even if would This gets us the end of our walk, we say a for one temple. be more advantageous to remain in place. big thanks to organizers and friends for two You are also not allowed to end your turn enjoyable days and look forward to PLAY After you have taken the pieces out of the on the starting position. You move along Modena 2015! punchboards, the rules suggest that you the pathways that you placed and may, at place the empty punchboards beneath the the start of your movement or at the end of box insert to make the insert flush with the it, enter an unknown path without a path- box edge so that components cannot move way in your color. Each path spot can only in the box. Let me mention that you need be entered once in a turn and the toolboxes to be good at filling boxes, because room that are located on the rivers must be taken, for components is quite limited. The game unless already discovered. The base camp is offers three different suggestions to set up always the end of a track. the game – one for the first game, one standard version and one random version. When you arrive at the base camp you can take three rations packs, the number of Each temple is made up from three lev- packs you can hold is limited to five packs. els. You take four temples each from the 8 All other places are filled by temples and ru- purple, six ivory and 6 blue temples and put ins and you can explore any location when them on the board. The remaining spots for discarding a ration pack. The rations you temples are each filled with a stack of three discard go back to the base camp. ruin tiles on top of each other. In a game for two players you only use two ruins per stack If you arrive on a ruins spot, you discard the and remove the top tile (smallest one) from top tile of the stack there and may place a

WIN The Games Journal now also available as eBook! www.gamesjournal.at For all information on that check our website. ISSUE 468 / AUGUST 2014 7 OUR REVIEW u RELIC RUNNERS

pathway of your color onto any path that tile of a purple temple. a player you might be able to hold two or borders that ruin spot. There can be a path- When you reveal the last tile of a temple three toolboxes. In such a case you can dis- way piece of the same player on each path. or ruin the location is deemed to be com- tribute the level movement among those When you reach an ivory temple you re- pletely explored and you place a treasure of toolboxes. veal the tile and declare its action. The tile the temple color onto the now empty cross- is placed with the player who revealed it. roads. When an explorer starts his move on The progress table shows three columns, You are not allowed to own more than one a spot with a treasure and finishes the move one for exploration/supply, one for move- ivory tile of the same level. Should you hap- on a spot holding a treasure of the same ment and one giving you additional actions pen to have to take a second ivory temple color, he takes the treasure of the finish spot or bonuses. In one column there can be tile of the same level one you must discard and double the amount of points as he used several toolboxes of one player. Toolboxes or implement one of the two instantly. For pathways for this journey. on the spot that was explored are turned both actions you immediately score 2 victo- over to the grey, inactive side. When the ry points. Those temples feature additional A very important feature of the game needs last open-faced toolbox tile is turned over victory points for the final game end scor- to be mentioned, which are the toolboxes. to inactive, all toolbox tiles are made active ing on their lowest level, a once-only action As I have already mentioned, you must again and the player moves one of his boxes on the middle level and a permanent effect take the toolboxes if they are still active on his board up by one level. In the course on the top level, which is only implemented and must move up the progress table by as of a turn you can use a toolbox any time and with certain actions. many steps as the toolbox indicates. Due to use the action connected to it. that compulsory action you must plan well When you explore blue temples you do this ahead if it might be useful to have to move, With this you cannot interrupt an action of in secret and place the acquired tiles face- because you can only resolve the action in- movement or exploration. Actions must al- down. Blue temples always yield victory dicated by the column where the toolbox is ways be fully implemented and in each turn points, varying from 2 to 5, depending on situated. you can only make use of one toolbox. So tile and level. The open-faced tiles of purple you should take care, especially towards the temples show actions that are resolved in- Normally, each player can only use one tool- end of the game, to use your toolbox ac- stantly when you explore such a temple. box on his player board. Due to the purple tions on time. Then you immediately reveal the next level temple tiles or due to the special ability of

Color codes, target groups, features, icons and GABIS are 8 ISSUE 468 / AUGUST 2014 explained on page 5 and at the bottom of pages 42 and 43 www.gamesjournal.at RELIC RUNNERS t OUR REVIEW

The last round is started as soon as a player Due to their position in the rules a casual manding another game and yet another has taken the 7th treasure in case of a game run-of-the-mill gamer assumes that points game and meanwhile they have also played for two players, the 8th in case of three, the are important immediately and tries to unit without me, and that is rather remarkable 9th in case of four and the 10th in case of five derstand them instantly. At second glance it for my family. So the game must have some- players. All other players except the one tak- is absolutely of no interest which tiles have thing that maybe has not yet been revealed ing the trigger treasure have one more turn. what function. You can look that up. And to me. Then you add the victory points from the some small additions to the rules seem so temple tiles to the victory points acquired unimportant that you instantly forget them A feature that you must not underestimate in the course of the game and add also five again and are left with the impression of at all is he progress table. Toolboxes there points for each treasure color. having done something wrong at the end. should always be used on time and be placed on the right levels and columns at Some bonus tiles also reward you for trea- There are no mistakes in the rules, but I am the end of the game, for instance on dou- sures of the same color. Possible ties are re- not sure about the relevance of two sec- bling points for a treasure hunt, etc. If you solved first by number of treasures owned tions in the rules: Are scores of players secret do clever placements there you can collect and then by the number of different kinds or not? They are expressively named to be a lot of points or reconstruct important of treasures. secret for the blue temple tiles, but not for paths. other victory points. The second section is For a first published game Relic Runners is the question of the second ivory tile of the Pay attention to paths, do not neglect tem- quite nicely done. Matthew Dunstan has same size. You must discard one and score ples, take good care of your ration packs developed games before Relic Runners, but two points. But do I also score two points supply and don’t forget about the tool box- did not attend attraction beyond the Aus- when I use it? The rules for me are not clear es. All in all you need endurance or a person tralian borders. His second published game, enough. We have decided, yes, you get already familiar with the rules for a start and in 2013, was a card game that was pub- them, and I have explained it like this earlier you should not expect lots of strategy or lished on the web. So far, inventing games in this review. tactical depths. If all this applies you will be has rather kept him from attending his uni- I like the three versions for an introduc- well placed with Relic Runners, according to versity courses. tory game, a standard game and an expert my family; it seems to be more of a family game, and I was surprised to find rules in game than a game for friends or experts, as Our first game was chaos, pure and simple; Hungarian, Polish and Russian. was my first impression – who would have nobody really knew what to do and where believed that at the start of the first game? to move to. The rules added their mite to Components and design are classic Days þ make the access even more difficult. But of Wonder Standard, as we used to. For me, Kurt Schellenbauer we fought our way through and the allure the character drawings remind me a bit of was big enough to merit a second game. Cluedo; one of them looks like Oberst Ga- INFORMATION But if you have mastered the rather simple tow, another one like Professor Bloom and PLAYERS: mechanisms and rather few rules, you can one lady cannot disclaim being related to Designer: Matthew Dunstan 2-5 concentrate on paths and temples. Fräulein Ming. The board is solidly designed, Artist: Julien Delval AGE: supports the game and provides a good ba- Price: ca. 45 Euro 10+ That paths and the placement of pathways sis for the game. Publisher: Days of Wonder 2013 TIME: connected to that are the central element of Tactic and strategy are a bit weak. First of all, www.daysofwonder.com 80+ the game became only clear to us after the I must mention that the games works best second game. But this in turn introduces a for three players and not at all for five play- problem of lacking tactical depth, because ers, that is to say, you can play with five play- EVALUATION if there is only one feasible winning strategy ers, but cannot do any planning. Temples Adventure, turn taking and all try to follow it, you will quite soon and treasures disappear before it is your Users: For families Version: multi be lacking ruins to place pathways and this turn and there is a danger of team forma- Rules: de hu pl ru en fr in turn results in a small advantage for the tion. This is a problem we also encountered In-game text: no starting player. in a game for four players, and also a prob- Comments: lem of passive plan, because nobody wants Flamboyant, badly structured rules * Amaz- ingly good components * Forced topic * In all other aspects turns work without to provide an advantage to the next player. Best with three players, not plannable with problems and implementation is easily five handled when rules are know and from that At second glance, Relic Runner is not a hunt Compares to: moment on families and casual players can for treasures or a chase after adventures, Löwenherz, Java, Mexica Other editions: play, too, albeit always provided that they it has more the feel of a railway game, be- In English and French get that far. cause constructing paths is at the center of the game and therefore it comes across The rules are badly structured, contrary to rather dry and analytically, and, basically, a what usually comes from this publisher, player who completes the exploration of a and also completely flamboyant. In this temple is published because the treasure case “less would be more” would have been will of a surety be collected by another play- better. The explanation of temple levels in er, which leaves me with the impression that a separate section of the rules instead of I am being played by the game. in the middle of the rules themselves. Even But, and I was surprised by this, despite I with a lot of experience in reading rules those obstacles, which I removed and due had to search and re-read them again and to the easier access I provided and despite again and leaf through them repeatedly. the rather dry feeling my family kept de- My rating:

WIN The Games Journal now also available as eBook! www.gamesjournal.at For all information on that check our website. ISSUE 468 / AUGUST 2014 9 OUR REVIEW u DARK DARKER DARKEST

it becomes more probable and if only one ZOMBIES HERE AND THERE AND EVERYWHERE of them fails in his dice roll the Terror Die comes into play, which means new zombies, a new zombie creature, fire or an inter- DARK DARKER DARKEST im activation of zombies and the creature. COOPERATION VS. ZOMBIES The next step is an unconditional Zombie Spawn phase in analogy to the one already Zombie games are nearly as numerous as the box, too. The house is set up according described, and finally you check if any of the stars in the sky, but only very few of them do to certain parameters by 4x5 room tiles (out heroes has by now been bitten twice, which really offer long-term fun in playing, some- of a total of 27 available) and camera mark- advances the so-called zombification, that thing that you really cannot say of DDD due ers are placed on locations marked accord- is, slow transformation into a zombie. to its enormous variability in setting up the ingly, with which we have arrived at the game board, but also during the game, and first variable criterion of difficulty, as those In the action phase, finally, it is the turn a relatively long but coherent rulebook (33 cameras are enormously dangerous for our of our courageous heroes, according to pages). Originally initiated by Queen Games heroes. The more camera-supervised rooms the groupings previously arranged. Those as a Kickstarter project, that was funded at there are the bigger is the danger that the groups of heroes have available a multitude 200.000 dollars and thus far exceeded the heroes are detected and then the Terror Die of possible actions; most of those action originally proposed 20.000 Dollars, the is used and this surely bodes ill. either cost one or two action points, some game is now available from open market of them are free, but you have only a maxi- sources. A round of the game comprises the so- mum of three or four action points, depend- called upkeep phase and the action phase. ing on the number of players. In the cooperative game of DDD the goal In the Upkeep Phase evil advances, to begin is to locate the laboratory holding the an- with. Depending of the position of a marker 1. Movement: Over any distance for the cost tidote for the zombie virus in the house of on the so-called Multimarker board you of one action point, but not out of rooms in Dr. Mortimer (yes, it does really exist, even draw a face-down zombie spawn marker, which there are zombies or a creature, and if numerous films and series want to tell us representing between one and six lurk- of course not passing code chips that are otherwise) and to fetch the antidote from ing zombies, and placed at a position in still locked. this locked room and then – in a final show- the house that is determined by dice roll. down - to eliminate the nemesis within a 2. Search a room. The more heroes are as- given time frame before he manages to Gert Stöckl sembled in a room the higher is the chance crash the house by destroying one of the Zombies here, Zombies, there, fighting them is hard any- to find one or several items (equipment like three remaining corner rooms. where. Ideal for frustration-proof groups that like complex long range or close combat weapons, the The laboratory is protected by a code of games! Zombie game fans should try it by all means! corresponding ammunition, fire extinguish- seven or more colored code markers which ers, helmets, energy drinks, etc.), but for have to be picked up in the course of the three heroes or more it might also happen game in the guise of code chips (each com- Should this position be in line-of-sight for at that you must roll the Terror Die. Should at prising two or three colors) which of course least one hero the marker instantly provides least one item be found in a room, this room have also to be decoded beforehand. This in the corresponding number of zombies that cannot be search again, the room is marked turn means that you have to search nearly are placed into the room instead of the accordingly. You can only open code chips all the house, made up from 20 to 25 rooms marker; as an alternative to this drawing of that are distributed all over the house with in order to find the correct code chips. All a zombie spawn marker a fire already raging the help of item cards that you find, be- this has to be managed under enormous in the house might spread. Should a room cause those cards show the necessary sym- pressure for time, with time represented by receive the third fire marker it is destroyed bols and colors. So searching a room is very a time track, and of course in the middle of and the marker on the time track advances important at the start of the game. numerous dangers lurking in the house, for (so be always careful to extinguish fires or instance hordes of zombies, spreading fires things might get tight). 3. Hand on an item or pick up an item, as all and really veeeeeery bad zombie creatures necessary code colors to open a code chip what are much harder to kill, that is, need- A third possibility in the Upkeep Phase must be with the same player and as there ing more hits, than “normal” zombies. might be that the time track marker advanc- is also a card maximum applicable. es on the track that only holds five cases. Oh, Despite the stretch goals of the Kickstarter by the way, should this marker arrive at posi- 4. Open a code chip and pick up the marker version missing in the general edition, the tion 5 and you did not manage to at least to be able to open part of the laboratory lat- components in this game are so numerous open the laboratory, our heroes are done for er, provided the colors fit. All players score that I only will look more closely at a part of good – game over! one experience point. them. For each one of the up to five heroes there is an individual board to mark their life In the next stage players are sorted into 5. For two action points (not exactly cheap) points, and, relation to those life points, a groups on the multi-tracker, depending on you can remove one fire marker only from number of actions and special abilities, that their position on the board, as they – later – the room in which you are currently located, mostly have to be acquired by acquiring will do their actions in those groupings. This albeit entering the room already loses you experience points (XP). Dozens of Zombie is followed by a camera check, you check one or two life points, depending on the miniatures, spawn markers, fire markers, if someone is spotted by a camera. Each number of fire markers in it. camera markers, virus markers, code chips player has a 1:6 (dice) chance to be spot- and code markers, sundry dice and equip- ted, which does not seem to be much, but 6. Use the special ability of a corner room: ment cards plus ammunition cubes are in if five players are in line-of-sight of cameras Partially open the laboratory with a code

Color codes, target groups, features, icons and GABIS are 10 ISSUE 468 / AUGUST 2014 explained on page 5 and at the bottom of pages 42 and 43 www.gamesjournal.at DARK DARKER DARKEST t OUR REVIEW

chip, replenish ammunition for a weapon, to six dice. You will do well to remember to has of course a turn now, too, and when the remove a virus marker from a player or ex- never engage a large horde of Zombies on creature reaches a group this is usually the tinguish fire. your own (a very good advice for life!) The end of all fun. best that can happen in that case is that 7. Attack a Zombie or a Creature. The more you run away screaming to the next space Then it is the turn of the next group of play- powerful your weapon the more dice are (fleeing) or that you only lose one or two ers. By the way, should a player lose his last used for your attack. You can also manage life points. It is a disaster if you are trapped life point or turn Zombie, he can enter the to enhance the range of long-range weap- (symbol on one side of the Zombie die) and game again, albeit not in the final chal- ons, force back a Zombie (best into the fire!), not be able to do more than use one die for lenge, but the marker on the time level ad- but of course missed shots are also possible. one chance to escape while there are still vances by one step and that usually means It is quite a shock when you roll five dice and Zombies in the room. Should all players that there will not be enough time left and achieve not a single hit, despite the UCI sit- have been trapped, the game is lost for all. that the game is lost, too. ting in your hand so well, and unfortunately It is also rather bad to be bitten, because ammunition is spent all the same. For each you can never get rid of the first bite and The actions that I have described so far killed Zombie a player scores one experi- with the second bite the zombification pro- do only explain the flow of the game very ence point, and two for a killed creature, cess begins, which slowly takes away the crudely. There are lots of details to pay to at- even for all players. special character abilities that you have pre- tention to for nearly every action or Zombie viously acquired. There is – depending on movement or attacks, so that the first game When all heroes of a group have completed the number of players – a minimal chance will be one to get acquainted with the their actions fire spreads, if present, and all that you can fend off one or several of the game, as you will have to check the rules zombies present in the so-called trigger Zombie dice with a success icon on a six- constantly in your first game how exactly zone become active. Those Zombies can sided dice, and this success icon is present this or that is working. I have dispensed move up to two spaces and attack all heroes on the die twice. The creature, if present, with explaining the many equipment cards in a spot as a horde, simultaneously with up regardless where it is situated in the house, (several kinds of weapons, etc.) and the fi-

WIN The Games Journal now also available as eBook! www.gamesjournal.at For all information on that check our website. ISSUE 468 / AUGUST 2014 11 OUR REVIEW u DARK DARKER DARKEST / CAMEL UP

nal showdown, as this would far exceed the scope of this review. RACING CAMELS IN THE DESERT

My opinion: If you are looking for a Zombie game with CAMEL UP really extensive rules, you achieve your DICE IN A PYRAMID goal with Dark Darker Darkest, but you must work to enjoy the game. I recommend strongly to download the new rules Camel Up! In my first encounter with the But I am digressing, let’s get back to the (currently only available in English) by de- name I was thinking that the name might game – in the box you also find a pyramid signer David Ausloos, available from Board- be Camel Cup, but in the web I quickly made up from card board pieces that need gamegeek, and in addition to that read found out that the name really is Camel Up. to be assembled. This pyramid provides through the FAWs, as the game cannot be Well, let me tell you, by now have grasped a cute and interesting dice cup, in which played with the original rules from Queen in why the game is called Camel Up - in this you place the five dice. The pyramid has the box. One of the players should prepare cute and witty it often happens that camels an opening in the size of a die that can be the game beforehand by familiarizing him- are stacked in towers, but this is part of how closed with a slide. self with the rules, because otherwise, as is the game works and I will come back to it the case with many games with extensive later. Maria Schranz rules, the evening will turn into a “reading Camel up is a simple family game providing fun for the evening” instead of a games evening. And The box cover is adorned with several cam- whole family as well as a surprisingly high replay value. I want to mention, that, if you do not cheat, els which try, showing in their more or less the game is very hard to win. I recommend grim faces, to win a race of camel. Only one that you ease things a bit for the first games, camel is grinning, and that is the one sitting As always you begin game preparations by for instance removing all of the 6-Zom- on another camel in the middle. by placing the game board on the table. bie Spawn marker or to use the hero board For each of the five camels there are three with more action points also in a game for So, the topic of Camel Up is a camel race betting tales for race legs. Those tiles show 4 or 5 players, as otherwise you could have around a pyramid, and this pyramid is of camel colors and numbers 2, 3 and 5, repre- a frustrating experience, because Zombies course also depicted on the cover, in the senting Egyptian Pounds. Those leg betting and Creatures are all everywhere all the background. tiles are stacked with 2 at the bottom, 3 in time. þ the middle and 5 Egyptian Pounds on top Gert Stöckl Players bet on individual camels that the of the stack and then placed on the corre- will win one of the individual rounds of the sponding areas on the board. INFORMATION game, which camel will be first to cross the PLAYERS: finish line and win and which camel will fin- Each player chooses a character – depicted 2-5 Designer: David Ausloos ish the race in last position. on the betting cards and desert tiles – and Artist: David Ausloos AGE: takes the desert tiles and betting cards for Price: ca. 70 Euro 12+ In the course of the game players can win a his character. Then each player receives a Publisher: Queen Games 2014 TIME: lot of money with those bets, but also loose starting capital of three Egyptian pounds www.queen-games.de 120+ quite a lot of it. Obviously this determines for betting. As in many games, the starting the winning condition: winner of the game player is the youngest player of the group; is always the player who has most money at he is given the Leg Starting Player marker. EVALUATION the end of the game. Cooperative horror game The starting player now rolls dice for the Users: With friends Camels in the game are not allocated to starting position of all camels. He rolls all Version: multi Rules: de en fr players, but are moved by all players ran- five dice and places the camels according In-game text: yes domly. to the result showing on the die of the cor- Comments: responding colors, 1, 2 or 3 steps away from Enormous amount of components * Exten- When you open the box you find the follow- sive rules, introductory games necessary * the start/finish line. If there are identical re- Very variable, even within a game ing components: sults for camels, he stacks the camels in any Compares to: order of his choice. Some players use the Complex (cooperative) Zombie games with 1 game board, 5 camels in different colors, pyramid for determining the order to en- extensive rules, for instance Zombicide or Last Night on Earth 5 wooden dice in the five camel colors, 40 sure that the stacking order is really random Other editions: betting cards (5 betting cards per player), 8 and not determined by any player. Currently none desert tiles, 15 betting tiles for race legs, 5 pyramid tiles, 1 marker for the starting play- When all camels have been placed you er of a leg and money – Egyptian Pounds – put all five dice into the pyramid and put in coins and notes. Here some praise is due the pyramid onto its area provided on the to the fact that the amount and values of board. those money units are listed exactly in the rules. The game is played in rounds and the active player has a choice of five options, one of Unfortunately, many rules still state “and which he chooses and resolves. money in different denominations” – which very often makes it hard to find out if a used The available options are: „Take 1 Leg Bet- My rating: game is complete. ting tile“, „Place your Desert tile“, „Take 1

Color codes, target groups, features, icons and GABIS are 12 ISSUE 468 / AUGUST 2014 explained on page 5 and at the bottom of pages 42 and 43 www.gamesjournal.at CAMEL UP t OUR REVIEW

WIN The Games Journal now also available as eBook! www.gamesjournal.at For all information on that check our website. ISSUE 468 / AUGUST 2014 13 OUR REVIEW u CAMEL UP

Pyramid tile”, „Bet on the overall winner“ or This action can earn you some money at the The element of chance is, of course, rather “Bet on the overall loser”. end of the game. high and dominant in that kind of game, and yet there is a sufficient amount of tac- 1) Action „Take 1 Leg Betting tile“: You de- 5) Action „Bet on the overall loser“: This is a tical decisions in the game. In our games cide on a camel of which you believe that bet on the camel that will be in last position we have always found that players get it will be in the lead at the end of the leg at the end of the game. You handle this in emotionally involved in the game, and al- and take the top Let Betting tile in the cor- analogy to the bet for first position. ways find the unexpected results for camel responding color. This is the end of his move movement quite entertaining and amusing. and the turn passes to the next player in When all dice have been used once and all clockwise direction. thus all camels have been moved actively The graphic design of the game is very once, the leg ends and the Leg Betting tiles pretty and provides a nice ambience for 2) Action „Place your Desert tile“: Desert tiles are scored. Each player receives the amount the game. The rules are simple and are laid are marked with +1 on one side and -1 on stated on a betting tile for each tile he placed out very clearly, so that quick access of the the other side. Both sides are also marked in the color of the camel in the lead, plus game is possible. with 1 Egyptian Pound. When in the course one pound for each tile in the color of the of the game a camel enters a spot with such camel in second place. For each tile placed My conclusions: a desert tile this camel moves one step for- for another color you pay one Pound and Camel Up is a simple family game offering ward or backwards accordingly. This place- you earn one Pound for each Pyramid tile fun for all the family and provides a surpris- ment of the desert tile – you decide if the that you hold. The starting player tile passes ingly high replay value. tile will show +1 or -1, your turn ends and to the next player and a new leg begins. For me it is a very hot candidate to win passes to the next player. „Game of the Year 2014“, as it combines sim- When one camel passes the finish line, you ple rules with witty game play. Yet another 3) If you select the action „Take 1 Pyramid first do a final leg scoring and then a final argument for this assessment is that Camel tile“ you pick up the pyramid from the scoring, first for the overall winner and then Up as a cute and emotional race and betting board and use is for rolling dice. You place for the overall loser. For this you turn over game and that there has not been a really it head-down on the board and move the the respective stack of cards so that the card well-made racing game published for quite slide to make one die drop out of the pyra- that was played first is now on top and then some time. mid. All dice show only values 1, 2 and 3. you check each card. For each card in the I will definitely add Camel Up to my private The color of the die determines which cam- color of the winning camels or in the card collection as for me it is a perfect game to el is moved and the number determines by of the camel in last places, respectively, you round off a nice games evening. þ how many steps it advances. earn money; the more money the earlier Maria Schranz you played the card, that is, the sooner it ap- When due to its movement a camel ends up pears in the stack. INFORMATION on a spot where there is already one camel PLAYERS: or a stack of camels, you place the newly ar- Camel Up is race and betting game using Designer: Steffen Bogen 2-8 rived camel on top of the stack or the single very simple mechanisms which again pro- Artist: Dennis Lohausen AGE: camel. Such a stack of camels on a spot is vides unforeseeable situations due to the Price: ca. 35 Euro 8+ called a camel unit. When the pyramid de- very varied race events. This game definitely Publisher: Pegasus / eggert 2014 TIME: termines that a camel in such a camel unit is not a game for someone looking for a www.pegasus.de 30+ must be moved, you move this camel to- very complex game. But to all players, who gether will all camels on top of it. This again are looking for a simple, nice family game results in forming of camel units of different that can be a lot of fun and which is thrill- EVALUATION composition, the units are combined and ing despite of its simple rules, I can only rec- Racing, betting separated anew. ommend trying it; you will have fun with it. Users: For families Version: de Some people might, due to the simple rules Rules: de en Camels further up in a camel unit are in and based on the design and components In-game text: no front of camels further down in the unit as of the game, maybe expect a completely Comments: regards to the position in the race leg. For trivial or banal game, but this is not so, it is Simple rules * Interesting mechanism for movements * Always thrilling due to unex- instance, if such a unit would hold three not a game for extreme thinkers, but good pected results camels, Orange, White and Blue, with Or- for all others, it is simply good fun. Compares to: ange on top, White in the middle and Blue Race games with movement by dice and at the bottom of the unit, Orange would According to information on the box the taking along of other participants in the race Other editions: be in the lead among those three camels, game is intended for 2 to 8 players which is Currently none White in second position and Blue in third another positive fact about the game. But, position. sometimes the downtime in a game for 7 or 8 players, can be too long, and yet, with the 4) Action „Bet on the overall winner“: For right group of players it can be very good this action you place your betting card for fun with that amount of players, too. Only the camel of which you believe that it will the fun in a 2-player game did not become win the race by crossing the finish line first clear to me, as only with a minimum of three face down on the corresponding spot on players the betting element of the game, the board. You can place additional betting the choosing of the leg betting tiles and the cards on this position later in the game, but race itself induce different tactical decisions for each camel that does not win or finish of players.

in second place, you lose 1 Egyptian Pound. My rating:

Color codes, target groups, features, icons and GABIS are 14 ISSUE 468 / AUGUST 2014 explained on page 5 and at the bottom of pages 42 and 43 www.gamesjournal.at LEWIS & CLARK t OUR REVIEW

very interesting game where players will try FROM ST. LOUIS TO THE PACIFIC to acquire cards according to one possible strategy and to get the best “combo” from those cards and the smart use of their Na- LEWIS & CLARK tive guides. HIDES, WOOD & INTERPRETERS Each player is given an explorer, a camp, a small board, 6 “basic” cards, 3 resources and a Native. The personal board shows 1 boat After having purchased the Louisiana from is depicted, divided in “zones” where the with 3 places for resources (that will not France, US President Thomas Jefferson de- players will be able to get resources, boats, cost penalties, as we will see later), 1 boat cided to explore the Western territories, horses and different bonuses, as we will see. with again 3 places (1 possible penalty), 1 using the big rivers of those territories as much as possible. Most of the American “white” population at that time (early ‘1800) was in effect installed on the East Coast of the US and the constant flow of new colonists from the Old Continent needed to be canalized towards new territories. The fur hunters that lived on those wild territories reported the opportunity to find fruitful The others components inside the box are: boat with 5 places (1 possible penalty per great plains, rivers, woods, animals, etc., so 5 explorers (colored wooden meeples), 5 resource), 1 canoe for 1 Native (no penalty) Jefferson charged his Secretary (Lewis) with camps (to be initially placed in St. Louis), 5 and 1 big canoe for “X” Natives (1 possible this mission who had to organize an explor- mini card decks of 6 “basic” Personalities, penalty each). (picture2) ative expedition using if possible the largest 18 Natives guides (red wooden Indians), You start in St. Louis loading 3 resources on your first boat: You may choose to give 1 hide, 1 food and 1 tool to each player or, alternatively, 3 random resources. I strongly recommend the second option that allows for a more dynamic game: otherwise the first actions of all players will be too similar. Put your Native guide on the single canoe and your explorer into St. Louis. Mix the 54 Personalities deck and place the first 5 cards on the board. We are now ready to start our long trip inside the wilderness. The first explorer to reach the Pacific Coast will be the winner. On his turn each player MUST perform an “Action” and MAY also do two extra options: enlist a new Personality card and/or move his camp. (picture1)

Personality cards are double-sided, the “front” shows the cost of the card (in tools), the resources, if any, that it may give to the player (hides, food, wood or tools) or the rivers (for easy of supply). Lewis immediate- 100 resources (colored wooden cubes: pink specific ACTION that it may perform (move, ly engaged his friend Clark and they started food, brown wood, grey tools, yellow hides, enlist, change resources, etc.). The “back” preparing their mission. blue canoes and white horses), 12 extra shows its basic resource, its value in tools Players will act as members of that fabulous boats tiles and some markers (for variants if you discard it and, most important, the expedition that left St. Louis (at the estuary and solo games) and a deck of 54 “person- number of actions that can be done by that of the river Missouri) and moved by rivers alities”. Personality, FORCE, represented by 1-2-3 and mountains for about 6.700 km before Natives). reaching the Pacific Ocean. (picture1) The game uses The game’s map shows the Missouri river di- a mix of differ- vided into 23 cases: Our explorers will start ent well “test- in the Port of St. Louis (Case 6) and will move ed” mechanics: 17 cases to the North-West to reach the worker place- Rocky Mountains. Here their path will cross ments, deck the mountains (9 cases) and will reach the building and Clearwater river (5 cases). A new mountain racing. Rules path (3 cases) will help our explorers to pass are easy to the mountains of Coast Range Chain before teach and easy arriving to the Pacific Ocean (5 cases). In the to memorize middle of the board a typical Natives village and result in a

WIN The Games Journal now also available as eBook! www.gamesjournal.at For all information on that check our website. ISSUE 468 / AUGUST 2014 15 OUR REVIEW u LEWIS & CLARK

COMPULSORY ACTION 1-3 Canoes paying 2 Woods each by 2 Natives). Of course you need space on - 2 restricted cases allow you to build an ex- your boats to store those resources, so you Each ACTION costs one or more cards and/ tra BOAT: you pay 3 Woods and you take one have to carefully plan when and how to or one or more Natives and you have three special tile that you add to your personal spend your resources to free space for new options: board. There are 4 different types of boats: resources. (a) - play two cards in front of you and may- large boat to transport up to 3 resources be reinforce them with 1 or 2 Natives extra without penalties; large boat to transport The fifth “basic” card shows the Interpreter: (b) - play 1 card in front of you with 1-2-3 up to 5 different resources paying only 1 you need him to recruit new Natives (minia- Natives penalty; small canoe to carry 1 Native; large tures): when you play this card (with at least (c) - play 1-2-3 Natives in the village canoe to carry up to three Natives for only 1 SP =1) you may collect 1 to all of the Natives penalty. The first two boats let you also take that are inside the village. One Native is al- (a) - Normally you will play a card on its two resources, while the latter two give you ways available each turn until the reserve is FRONT and reinforce it with the back of an- 1free Native miniature (if still available). exhausted (Different numbers of miniatures other card, showing its force in STRENGHT are available for different numbers of play- POINTS (SP): if the back shows 1 Native you OPTIONAL ACTIONS may use ONCE the action of the “front” card; Pietro Cremona if it shows 2 or 3 Natives you may use TWICE You always have the opportunity to RE- A very interesting combination of racing, worker placement or THREE TIMES the front card’s action. It is CRUIT a new Personality from the five and deck building, taking players to the American wilder- always possible to RAISE the SP of a card shown in the board. A special track is print- ness and Native villages, for regular and expert players. adding 1 or 2 miniatures of natives to arrive ed on the left side of the board and shows a to a maximum total of 3 SP. cost in HIDES for each position, from 1 (the first card) to 5 (the last one): to get a card you ers) while the others Natives were played on (b) - As an alternative you may use only have to pay its cost in “tools” (the exact value the village during the Action phases to get ONE card, but you must use 1-3 natives is always printed on the personality card, resources, boats, etc. After having taken the with this card. It is important to note that as we have seen) plus the cost in “hides” of number of Natives you wanted you must the Natives used in this way are not lost: that position on the track. Purchasing the discard the right-most Personality card and when you will camp all of them will come right cards at the right moment is really the slide all other cards to the right. You need to back on your hand (and sometimes this is “heart” of the game so all players will try to collect Natives sometimes during the game not good news). The cards played remain in store some hides and tools on their boats in as they are necessary to get new boats, front of each player until he will decide to order to be able to pay a card even if it is on horses, canoes, etc. as we have seen on camp: then he will take back all of them in the left side of the track: it is sometimes very the village, or to raise the SP of your cards. his hand. useful to spend a lot of hides for an impor- You may play the Interpreter even with SP tant card and avoid that someone else will 2 or 3 if you need to discard 2-3 times the (c) - Finally you may use your Natives to per- take it while you are waiting for its cost to be right-most card ... hoping to reduce the cost form one of the NINE possible actions inside reduced. This happens every time that a Per- of a Personality you wish to purchase or to the village. The Natives used in this way will sonality card is purchased: his place is taken see a new personality on the track. NEVER not come back in your hand and you should by the Personality on his left, then all cards DISCARD the interpreter if you wish to try recruit them again when necessary. But let’s are moved from left to right and the track is to win. see what can be done in the village: some refilled with a new card from the deck. cases have a “restricted” capacity and may The last “basic” card is you Captain: he is the be used only ONCE, thus only the first player The second optional action is CAMPING: one that allows the movements of your ex- that arrive there takes the bonus; other cas- before ending his turn each player may de- plorer. If you pay 1 food you may move the es have an “unlimited” capacity and may be cide to stop his explorer and set the camp explorer two cases up stream; if you pay 1 used up to three times (if a player places up in the new location along on his path. But canoe you move him 4 cases up stream; if to 3 Natives) by each player. before detailing this action we have to un- you pay 1 horse you may move 2 cases in a derstand how we may get new resources mountain path. If you play the Captain with - 3 restricted cases allow you to take TWO and how we will move. resources from the reserve: 1 food+1 hide OR 1 wood+1 tool OR 2 hides/2 wood Four of the six “basic” cards show a different resource: “wood” for the Wood-cutter, - 1 restricted case allows you to use an ac- “hides” for the Trader, “food” for the Hunter tion already displayed on the table by you and “tools” for the Blacksmith. When you or another player. You play 1 Food and you play “face up” one of them you use their ac- perform the same action. tion to get resources: you sum the number - 1 restricted case allows you to discard 0-3 of symbols (wood or hides or food or tools) cards from your hand (an action more and that you have in front of you AND the num- more important as long as you acquire bet- ber of the same symbols that are shown in ter cards) AND discard also all the 5 Person- front of your right and left neighbor players. ality cards displayed on the board, replacing Finally you multiply the total by the number them with 5 new cards (interesting action of Natives that you played. Example: you when you are searching for a specific cards played the Trader with the back of a card to perform a “combo”) that shows 2 Natives. You only have one - 1 unlimited case allows you to purchase “hide” symbol, but 2 more were played by 1-3 Horses for 3 different resources for each the fellow on your right and another one on - 1 unlimited case allows you to purchase your left. In total you get 8 hides (4 symbols

Color codes, target groups, features, icons and GABIS are 16 ISSUE 468 / AUGUST 2014 explained on page 5 and at the bottom of pages 42 and 43 www.gamesjournal.at LEWIS & CLARK t OUR REVIEW

an SP of 2 or 3 you may move 2-3 times and last mountain case before the next river, and After more than 10 games we were unable combine different types of movement. You so on. All extra movements are lost. There- to find a “winning” strategy as it is very diffi- may, for example move 2 cases in mountain fore you have to perfectly plan your next cult to get the same combos every time that with a horse, then use a canoe to move 4 move in order to combine river and moun- you play. 54 personality cards are enough to cases on the following river cases and even- tain movement in the exact sequence. But guarantee hundreds of different games. The tually use a food to move again up stream you also have to consider penalties: if, for only suggestions that I feel important are: another two cases or other similar combina- example, you succeeded in moving by river (a) - try to always have in your “hand” at least tions. NEVERD DISCARD the Captain if you and then some cases in a mountain (with a 3-4 natives as they will allow you to rise the wish to try to win the game horse) but you must camp with 3 or more SP of a card when needed or to purchase penalties ... you are back on the river and important items in the village Of course, each of the new Personalities you have again to program a mixed move. (b) - try to purchase at least a couple of adds a special action to your hand and the extra boats (3 is even better) and one of key to win a game of LEWIS & CLARK is in FINAL CONSIDERATIONS them must be a 5 cases boat to stock your the “combo” of basic and new Personalities. resources with just 1 penalty. It is out of scope of this review to list all their As I wrote at the beginning of this review, (c) - try to purchase at least a couple of SP special actions, but some of them increase the rules are easy to understand and to 3 personalities cards, or a very minimum of the speed of your moves, other cards gives memorize, but strategies and (mainly) tac- ONE but only if it is coupled with 3-4 SP 2 extra resources, other allows to purchase tics must be accurately programmed. 2-3 cards. You need those extra SP especially cards with a discount, other let you trans- games are the minimum to understand when you will reach the mountains and you form resources in horse and/or canoes, etc. how to proceed, which combos are better will try to get important combos. for you in relation to the cards that you were CAMP able to acquire and how to handle your own This is not a family game! It is true that the cards and natives in order to reduce your rules are not difficult but players have to A player may select this special action when penalties to a minimum before camping. constantly program and verify their moves. he wants (but beware of the penalties) or Casual gamers will be upset by penalties when he has no more cards and Natives in It is not so important to rush to buy any and will not want to try the game again. On his hand and therefore he cannot perform cheap Personality; your hand may become the other hand, regular players and/or ex- any action: now he is obliged to camp. We to “heavy” and long to be used: you will not pert players will love it. þ moved our explorer as far as possible along be able to camp so often and therefore you Pietro Cremona the path so it is time to let him relax, but will have to program your strategy even bet- before sending him to bed players have to ter. I suggest to start your game acquiring verify if they accumulated penalties: resources (wood and hides are better, in this (a) - Every card that the player still has in phase) and then to acquire a few cards that INFORMATION hand is worth 1 penalty may give you an advantage in movement or PLAYERS: (b) - If the second boat is still loaded with in resources. It is also very important to pur- Designer: Cédrick Chaboussit 1-5 one or more resources is 1 penalty chase at least 1 card with SP 3, as you may Artist: Vincent Dutrait AGE: (c) - If the third boat has resources, it is 1 need it for a quick run or to purchase a lot Price: ca. 40 Euro 14+ penalty per resource of resources when you do not have Natives Publisher: Heidelberger 2013 TIME: (d) - If there are X Natives in the second ca- to spend. Winners at our club always ended www.heidelbaer.de 150+ noe, well, you bet, you get X penalties. the game with at least TWO cards with SP 3. Being able to have an SP 3 move will often The player adds all those penalties and allow you to reach a mountain and move EVALUATION moves his explorer back that number of on the passes and still have the opportunity Resources management cases: the final case reached is the place to remain uphill for camping. Being able to Users: For experts Version: de where he moves his camp. It may happens, acquire 3 times the wood, for example, will Rules: de en fr it and it happens often, especially at the be- allow you to purchase extra boats or canoes In-game text: no ginning of the game when player are more in the following turns. And so on: but your Comments: interested in preparing their strategies (ac- opponents will have similar goals, of course, Good combination of mechanisms * Needs constant planning and adjustment of strat- quiring resources, Natives and Personality and therefore you must be prepared to pay egy and tactic * Not for the casual gamer * cards) that an explorer is obliged to go back a lot of hides as soon as the first SP 3 cards Interesting historic topic ... past his previous camp: in this case the will appear. Compares to: All combinations of worker placement with camp does not move (a camp may never go Once you acquired a few cards you have to racing and deck building backwards!). strictly follow a strategy where you may use Other editions: those cards as often as possible. So you need Ludonaute, France; Asterion Press, Italy The complete path that our explorers have to acquire new cards only if they match with to follow is 39 cases long: 17 river cases fol- the existing ones: for example a card that lowed by 9 mountains, 5 rivers, 3 mountain allows you to get extra resources if you sell and 5 rivers. The winner of the game is food should be combined with a card that usually decided in the “passages” between gives you extra food when you collect it. It river and mountain: you may move on the is an absolute loss of time and resources to river paying food and canoes, but when acquire cards that you cannot use with high you reach a mountain case you must stop benefit. Also it is suggested to discard some in the last river case before the mountain. or most of the “basic” resource cards as soon Then you need horses to move on those as you have better cards doing the same mountains but again you must stop in the job: so you will have a more dynamic hand. My rating:

WIN The Games Journal now also available as eBook! www.gamesjournal.at For all information on that check our website. ISSUE 468 / AUGUST 2014 17 OUR REVIEW u KOHLE & KOLONIE

game. SMALL MINES, LARGE MINES, SINGLE MINES After selection of the bonus markers two action phases are played. Players do their ac- KOHLE & KOLONIE tion in turn order; each player implements COAL MINING AND SURFACE MINING MANAGEMENT his first action in turn, then all players in turn implement their second action. Options for actions are Buying of a Mine, Place or Relo- In 2012 Spielworxx published a game called a depot area for three mining engineers cate Workers, Deploy a Mining Engineer or Ruhrschifffahrt by Thomas Spitzer. Even at and five settlements in your own color. Your that point in time the game was published player board also gives you an overview of Bernhard Czermak as being Part I of a trilogy. Published in 2013, five options for actions in your turn. In ad- A game that forces you from the start on to direct your Kohle & Kolonie represents Part II of the tril- dition to the board each player has five ad- actions towards acquiring victory points, while not forgetting to accumulate the necessary resources for this, ogy. While in Ruhrschifffahrt the transport- ditional cards, called Pithead cards - four of and all of it within a manageable number of action phases ing of coals on the Ruhr was the predomi- them are double-sided - which he can use in only five rounds! nant topic of the game, it is now the man- to acquire advantages which are resolved agement of mines including the whole she- in a special phase. Finally, each player has bang. Albeit you transport coal in Kohle & 20 miners, that is, wooden cubes in his own Buy a Steam Engine. All action phases are Kolonie too, using tracks, but transport only color, which he uses in his actions to do dif- independent from each other, that is, you plays a minor role in this game. We again ferent jobs. can choose freely from all options in each find ourselves in the region of today’s cities phase. of Essen, Hattingen, Bochum and Witten, The local workers from the settlements on this time in the Era of Industrial Revolution. the board are present as cubes, just like Buying of a Mine is always connected to As the topic of coal mining hereabouts is the miners, but are grey. Players can collect cost, either one or two money units. In each hardly an alluring topic for a game, it could those workers and spend them. In the set- round exactly specified mines are enter- keep some people from giving the game a up phase of the game each player receives ing the game. In Round One all Mine Cards try, but if you set the topic aside you find a one or two local workers. marked with “1” are laid out next to the challenging, entertaining and varied game. board and are now available for acquisition. Many actions in the game demand pay- In each of the following rounds the mining The key mechanism at the heart of Kohle & ment, so you start the game with coins for a cards that were not bought are comple- Kolonie is the operating of mines. As a play- total starting value of 4. mented with the new mining cards for the er you are asked to acquire mining grounds, new round. Available for acquisition are operate mines and to optimize the process- Kohle & Kolonie is played over five rounds. only Small and Single Mines. The difference ing of the mind coal above ground up to There can be up to 10 phases in a round, all between a Small and a Single Mine is that the point of transport/collection. phases are listed on the game board and are Single Mines yield victory points instantly marked with a turn phase marker. All five when bought and remain in play till the As in Ruhrschifffahrt the game board rep- rounds are marked with a disaster marker end of the game, while Small Mines are by resents the region around the games al- which is revealed and resolved in a separate and by consolidated from Round 3 on into ready mentioned, this time partitioned into phase. At the start of the game all disaster Large Mines and disappear accordingly. So mining grounds. Those mining grounds markers are placed face down on their cases on Small Mine cards you find the round for are the central elements of the game, be- on the board. consolidation of the mine. cause mines are located in those mining grounds, either a Single Mine or a large In those five rounds each player can imple- The introduction of a Large Mine into the coal mine with associated Small Mines per ment two regular actions, plus one possible game depends on the corresponding mining ground. On the border lines of the bonus action by using your bonus marker round, the card for the Large Mine is marked coal mines you find settlements of the rural and a possible extra action. A round starts accordingly with the number of the round population, who can be hired as local work- with choosing a bonus marker. Seven bo- of entry. Large Mine cards are not displayed force. Individual settlements are connected nus markers are available and are set out at the start of the round, but can only be ac- by four railway lines, on which, besides the in a row open-faced, only at the start of the quired in an extra auction phase. Similar to settlements, you find also railways stations. game in a given sequence. A bonus marker Single Mines Large Mines also yield victory Those station cases are, at the start of the that was used is placed back immediately points immediately when acquired. game, equipped with a face-down railway into the sequence at the end of the row, marker, which is taken by the player who is thereby changing the order in each round. As this is important for the course of the first to reach this station case with a miner. The player in last place in the turn order game, let me mention that all mine cards Depending on the railway marker you in- of the previous round chooses the bonus are numbered in consecutive order. stantly receive money or victory points or marker first. This choice of a bonus marker All information on the Mine cards is also can use the railway marker later, once only. also determines the player order for the rest available from the game board, so you can of the round, according to the position of inform yourself nicely when which Small All types of mines are available also in the the chosen bonus marker in the sequence. or Single mines are coming into play and form of mine cards. As soon as a player ac- Four bonus marker enable a player to im- when which Small Mine is consolidated into quires a mine he receives the corresponding plement the action noted on it within the a Large Mine. mine card. For depositing those mine cards action phases, the remaining three bonus each player has his own board on which markers are used in other phases. Those ac- When you have paid all costs for a mine, you you can deposit a maximum of six mines in tions are identical with the regular action, take the Mine card and places it onto your a given order. On this board you also have but have the same price during all of the own player board. Filling of the free spots

Color codes, target groups, features, icons and GABIS are 18 ISSUE 468 / AUGUST 2014 explained on page 5 and at the bottom of pages 42 and 43 www.gamesjournal.at KOHLE & KOLONIE t OUR REVIEW

for mines must be done in the given order. corresponding engineer symbol and, when he does not spend them during the game Besides paying the price for a mine you placed there, yield money or victory points they are worth four victory points each at must also hire a local worker for a mine; such in each round. Those mining engineers are the end of the game. a worker must be located in a settlement at very limited, each player only holds three of the edge of the mining ground for the re- them. However, placement of the third min- During those up to three action rounds spective mine. You take one of the available ing engineer earns a player an extra action players can implement additional activities local workers from an adjacent settlement marker. in their turn. Among those activity is mak- and put him into your own stock. The own- ing use of the bonus marker, turning over of ership of the mine is marked with a miner in With the acquisition of a Steam Engine a Pithead cards and swapping local workers your color on the main board. player can raise the output of a mine. Steam for money. engines are bought and placed immedi- Many mines also offer an additional bonus ately on one of your own mine cards, albeit In his turn a player can turn over his Pithead which is stated on the game board as well only one steam engine being allowed on cards at any point by paying the costs stated as on the mining card. This bonus either each mine. As an alternative there is one po- on the respective card. This automatically can be one or two lorries and/or a worker sition for a steam engine available on a Pit- ears him the victory points stated on the symbol. Lorries can be used in each round head card. Steam engine have an additional card, and also an extra action marker for one to acquire either victory points or money. use in the game-end scoring, in relation to of the cards, and he can then immediately The worker symbol, on the other hand, en- their overall number. use the enhanced side of the Pithead card. ables a player to transfer an additional local Miners and engineers that were located on worker into his personal stock from an adja- When a player decides on the last avail- the Pithead card before it was turned over cent settlement after acquiring a mine and, able option, placing or relocating miners, can now be relocated on the enhanced side in addition, place one of his own miners on he can introduce two miners from his stock of the card. The turning over of certain Pit- his personal board or the Pithead cards. into the game and relocate two of his min- head cards yields an additional important The local workers can be used by a player to ers already in play. This action is free of cost. effect: As soon as a player turns over the turn over his Pithead card to the better side, To introduce a miner means that you ei- Pithead card Cokery, the price for the ac- in order to do score the lorries or simple for ther place a miner from your stock on your tion Place Mining Engineer raises to two swapping them for money. personal board on on one of your Pithead units of money to the end of the game. In cards, or that you can add a miner to one of the same way, the cost for the actions Build When a player chooses the action of Build- your settlements on the main game board; Settlement and Buy Steam Engine raise by ing a Settlement he must pay the corre- this is limited to two miners per settlement. one money unit for all players when the responding cost, at the start of the game the For this placement you can use all depot spective Pithead card is turned over for the price is 2 units of money. You can build one cases marked with a miner symbol on your first time. of your own settlements on a settlement personal board and on the Pithead cards. case on the main board, but this case there Miners on Pithead cards activate advantag- The turning over of Pithead cards is paid must be no worker left in this settlement es for a player and usually earn this player with money and/or local workers. If you case. The settlement cases on the board additional money victory points in an extra have not enough money or not enough lo- have room for one or two settlement of phase; miners on a personal board can be cal workers, you can swap in any way within players, whereby no player is allowed to set placed on a Mine card and protect this card your turn: Two money units for three local up a settlement twice in the same settle- from an eventual disaster. workers or two local workers for one money ment spot. Simultaneously with the build- unit. The swapping of money for local working of a settlement a player can place up After placing additional miners you can re- ers, albeit, is only possible when there are to two of his own miners in the settlement locate two miners. When you relocate min- local workers in general stock. In a game just built. Those workers can be used in two ers they can be transferred from the main for four or more players all local workers are ways: Either as travelers on the railroad, board onto Pithead cards or you’re your placed on the board from the start of the given that the settlement is located next to personal board, and vice versa, or miners game and none in stock. a railway line, or during the acquisition of a can be moved forward along the railway mine. As you must take a local worker from tracks: When a miner is situated in a settle- After the action phases a mining disaster can an adjacent settlement when you acquire ment that borders a railway track, he can happen. The disaster marker of the current a mine it can happen that there is no local be moved to the next railway station case, round is turned over and resolved, if neces- worker available. In this case a player can or, should he already be on a station case, sary. A mining disaster can hit any mine that only acquire a mine in this mining ground if moved along the track. The movement to a player has placed on his personal board. you have one of your own workers available the next station case is considered to be Luckily, you can protect your mines from in an adjacent settlement. He then takes one relocation action. With the assistance disaster. Depending on the position of the one of those miners instead of a grey local of the Pithead card Workforce a player can mining card on your board you can protect worker and moves him to the newly ac- enhance this action. When this Pithead card a mine either with a miner that you have quired mine on the board. Each player has is turned to the enhanced side, you can relo- placed there with the action place miner/ a stock of five settlements. Beginning with cate four miners per action and, in addition, relocate miner or you can pay one money the building of the fourth settlement such one engineer. which you have to discard to the bank after building yields additional victory points; the each individual disaster. Before the disaster construction of the third settlement yields The two action phases are followed by the marker is turned over players can discard also an extra action marker. Extra Action Phase. Each player who holds money for protection purposes. Players such an extra action marker, may discard decide in turn how many of those mines The action Mining Engineer costs one unit one such marker and play a third action. In that can be protected by money they want of money at the start of the game. Engi- the course of a game a player can acquire a to product. At this point the bonus marker neers are placed on the Pithead cards on a maximum of three extra action markers. If Mine Rescue Team comes into play, which

WIN The Games Journal now also available as eBook! www.gamesjournal.at For all information on that check our website. ISSUE 468 / AUGUST 2014 19 OUR REVIEW u KOHLE & KOLONIE

protects a maximum of two mines from di- is drawn, the syndicate is weakened as re- scored individually. Each player, who owns saster. If a player with unprotected mines is gards to mine consolidation. one or several mines in a mining ground is hit by disaster is decided by random draw- Now the disaster marker of the round is re- awarded as many victory points as there ing from a bag. For each mine that a player solved, provided that at least one mine di- mines owned in this mining ground, either cannot or does not want to protect he must saster disc of a player was drawn; if not, the by all players or by the coal syndicate, that place a mine disaster disc of his color into disaster marker goes out of the game with- is, one victory point for each and any miner the bag, up to a maximum of three discs per out being resolved. and each steam engine on the mines in this player. Then three mine disaster discs are mining grounds. On top of it, each player drawn from the bag. Players whose color is In the consecutive sixth phase the coal scores one victory points for each of his drawn lose two or three victory points and syndicate becomes active. Depending on own settlements at the border of this min- must, for each of their disaster discs that the open-faced disaster markers on display ing ground. was drawn, place one miner onto the depot between one and three mines are removed case for disaster discs, from where you can from the display. For this you always remove The next phase is the consolidation phase, remove them by the action of Place Miner/ those mines that show the lowest number. which is only played in rounds three to five, Relocate miner. On the main board you place a steam en- there is no mine consolidation in rounds gine on those mines to indicate that they one and two. This consolidation results in In addition to the mine disaster discs of now belong to the coal syndicate. the combining of the Small Mines belong- players there are four additional mine disas- ing to a Large Mine are consolidated into ter discs in the bag. One of them is a blank The seventh phase Income can be resolved that Large Mine, which means that the that only spells disaster/loss for all players simultaneously by all players. In this phase respective Small Mines go out of play. The in combination with one specific disaster each player receives money according to Large Mines of a round are randomly scored marker. The other three black mine disas- the markings on his mine cards and steam one after the other. You cannot buy a Large ter discs belong to the Coal Syndicate. The engines on those cards. Mine, a Large Mine must be acquired by coal syndicate is a quasi-virtual player who winning an auction. All players that own a comes into play when mines are bought Phase Eight brings the evaluation of min- Small Mine of a Large Mine are entitled to and when mines are consolidated. When ing grounds. Each player now receives vic- participate in the auctions. Bids are placed a mine disaster disc of the coal syndicate tory points, for this each mining ground is in turn until all players but one have passed,

Color codes, target groups, features, icons and GABIS are 20 ISSUE 468 / AUGUST 2014 explained on page 5 and at the bottom of pages 42 and 43 www.gamesjournal.at KOHLE & KOLONIE t OUR REVIEW

you bid with money. When the Coal Syndi- ily comprehensible. Unfortunately I have The mechanism of the railway tracks comes cate is involved in the auction, it always bits to mention here that there are gaps in the across somewhat overburdened. Even if a given sum of money and cannot raise this rules. I had to find out via internet forums those tracks have a historical background bid. that bonus markers cannot be carried over the topic seems out of place and the corre- to the next round or that some sequences sponding rules seem forced. It might have The winner of the auction receives the card have to be played in turn order or that min- served the game better to leave out that for the Large Mine and all steam engines of ers on the disaster depot cases can be taken complexity. the coal syndicate on the corresponding back into play. In this last point there is, Small Mines and on corresponding Small however, a difference in opinions of game An interesting mechanism is the resolving Mines of all players. Only the winner of the designer and publisher’s editor. of the disaster markers which are discarded auction pays his bid to the bank and re- unresolved if now player disaster disc is ceives the victory points for the Large Mine. Despite black coal being in the focus of the drawn. When players take care to safeguard The mine cards for Small Mines go out of game in Kohle & Kolonie as regards to topic, their mines sufficiently it can happen that the game, each player - with the exception the real focus of the game is the colloquial no disaster marker is resolved in the whole of the winner of the auction now receives meaning of coal, that is, money. game. two victory points for each Small Mine that he had to discard. Money is a scarce commodity in this came The game also works well for three play- and it is definitely a deciding factor to open ers, whereby you use only part of the main You always score all Large Mines of a round. up as many sources of money as possible, game board for such a game. When one player is the sole owner of all be it mines or Pithead cards. But you must Small Mines related to a Large Mine, he gets not use Pithead cards solely for acquisition And yet, all in all, Kohle & Kolonie is a well- this Large Mine without an auction. When of money, but should also keep in focus the made game with few elements of chance no player owns any of the Small Mines the cases for victory points on them. Because and many options for planning. The differ- coal syndicate gets the Large Mine. Kohle & Kolonie is a game in which you col- ent components like money, miners, settle- lect the majority of victory points during the ments, engineers and additional options for Finally, you play the tenth phase of the course of the game and only a small amount actions are a challenge to balance them to round, in which Pithead cards are scored. of them in the game-end scoring. There are acquire victory points from the outset and Depending on where a player has placed two phases played in each round, one of a challenge that you can and must face in miners, mining engineers or steam en- them being solely for the purpose of scoring this game. þ gines on his Pithead cards, he receives now victory points, the other one partially. And Bernhard Czermak money and/or victory points. The Pithead you must not forget, that especially Pithead card Loading offers a special effect, you cards need miners and engineers to be ef- can transform lorries depicted on your fective. It is therefore equally important to INFORMATION own mining cards into victory points. While introduce many miners into the game, be PLAYERS: this card has not been turned over to its it by your own action or by acquisition of Designer: Thomas Spitzer 3-5 enhanced side you must discard one local mines. Only if you manage to achieve an Artist: Harald Lieske AGE: worker from your stock in order to score this optimum harmony for those three facets of Price: ca. 55 Euro 12+ Pithead card. the game will you win the game! Publisher: Spielworxx 2013 TIME: www.spielworxx.de 180+ At the end of Phase Ten all players must At long last the correct timing is of great return their bonus markers, if they did not importance, in choosing the mines on ac- use them so far. The turn phase marker goes quisition as well as the placement of miners EVALUATION back to Phase One and a new round begins. on the Pithead cards or in turning those Pit- Economy, development When the fifth round has been completed, head cards. This turning scores many victory Users: For experts Version: multi it is followed by a final scoring in which points and additional income in consecu- Rules: de en you can collect bonus victory points. Each tive rounds, but also brings the disadvan- In-game text: no player receives victory points according to tage of higher costs for certain actions. Comments: steam engines that he owns, from three vic- Kohle & Kolonie therefore must be called a Copious components * Gaps in the rules * Strategy game with a minimum of chance * tory points for one engine up to 23 victory game with many interlocking mechanisms. Time and resources management necessary points for six steam engines. For two coins The plethora of options for the acquisition Compares to: each you score one victory point and each of money and victory points provides the al- Vinhos miner that is located on a railway station lure of the game. Other editions: case yields one victory point. Extra action Currently none marker now yield four victory points. Finally, The mechanism of settlement building each player receives bonus points, provided needs a bit of getting used to. As you can he should have managed to to place min- only set up one of your settlements on a ers on each station case on a railway line, case on the board when all local workers between four and twelve victory points de- have been removed from a settlement case pending on the length of the railway track. there, it happens repeatedly that one player removes the last local worker from a settle- Kohle & Kolonie is a demanding, exacting ment on the board and thereby enables the game that in the first reading of the rules next player to build one of his settlements appears to be very complex and peppered there. So you create an advantage for the with rules for details. The turn sequence is next player. very nicely presented on the board and eas- My rating:

WIN The Games Journal now also available as eBook! www.gamesjournal.at For all information on that check our website. ISSUE 468 / AUGUST 2014 21 PLAYED FOR YOU u 12 REALMS / APPALOOSA

the marker reaches 20 on any INFORMATION of the realms the game is lost; PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: 12 REALMS otherwise you resolve abilities 1-6 11+ 90+ A FINAL ADVENTURE of invaders and place new invaders according to a roll of the Designer: Ignazio Corrao area die. Artist: Ignazio Corrao und Team Price: ca. 45 Euro The heroes of the 12 Realms meet number and kind of realms they In the action phase you have Publisher: Mage Company 2013 for one final adventure to defeat want to use - all realms feature any number of actions with your www.magecompany.com the Dark Lords of the realms for different creatures, events and hero in any order and combina- once and for good - Siegfried, treasures - and then choose tion - Movement, Attack Invad- EVALUATION Snow White, d’Artagnan, Jeanne a Dark Lord for each of those ers, Find Treasure or Artifact, Cooperation, adventure, d’Arc, Little Red Ridinghood, realms. Swap Artifacts, Visit Town or fairy tales Sugar Plum Fairy, Robin Hood or The rounds of the game com- Travel. Invaders are fought with Users: For families Der Nussknacker, all with basic prise the phases Invasion, Action talents, to defeat a Dark Lord Version: de Rules: de en it equipment and abilities, which and Refresh. you need three artifacts specific In-game text: no vary considerably for the indi- In the Invasion phase you first to the realm. All action of the Ac- Comments: vidual heroes. update the Invasion Track by tion phase are resolved by using Pretty components and Players as heroes decide on the advancing the marker; when hero talents and comparison graphics * Nice family game * Abilities of heroes with Invader talents. In the Re- and items vary a lot fresh phase you regenerate used Compares to: hero talents. All cooperative adventure games Tabletop Light seems the best Other editions: description for this game; it is a In Italian and English well-made nice mix of mechanisms with a family-friendly topic and a well-working cooperative element; you can fight alone for your realm or travel between realms and fight opponents together. 12 Realms is a really nice family trip into the realms of fantasy and fairy tales. þ

Of course you need to move INFORMATION your own pony, too, but don’t PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: APPALOOSA do it too obviously to avoid hav- 2-6 8+ 30+ PONY RACE ing your pony shunned by others and thus slowed down. Designer: Dominique Ehrhard When all five horse shoe chips Artist: not named Price: ca. 15 Euro Appaloosas are a well-known, ponies are laid out open-faced are placed, the round ends and Publisher: Piatnik 2014 widely-used and versatile race and all ponies are placed at the the starting player changes, he www.piatnik.com of horses and ponies, used for starting line, regardless of how collects all chips from the tiles races as well as Western-style many players are participating. and begins the round with Chip EVALUATION riding. Horse shoe chips of values 1 to #1. Horse racing At the start you are secretly as- 5 are laid out. In case of less than five players Users: For children signed a pony color. The race In your turn you take the low- some have a second turn in a Version: multi track is laid out with 24 tile - est available horse shoe chip, round. If you start from an ob- Rules: cz de en fr it hu nl pl sk In-game text: no starting line tile, finishing line place it onto a free pony tile and stacle tile you must move back- Comments: tile, nine x grass, five x obstacles move the pony of this color by wards, from a horse shoe tile you Nice standard topic * Good and eight horse shoe tiles. the number of steps shown on move sum of horseshoe chip mix of mechanisms * Also Six tiles in the colors of the six the chip. + horse shoe tile. When a pony good family game passes the finish that belongs to Compares to: All race games featuring a player, he wins; otherwise the horses pony and the horseshoe chip of Other editions: highest value go out of play and Currently none the game continues until a pony assigned to a player passes the finish line. Appaloosa features a standard topic for race games, using a nice mix of standard mechanisms with the limitation of horse shoe chips providing a cute additional camouflage effect in case of 2 to 4 players. þ

Color codes, target groups, features, icons and GABIS are 1422 ISSUE 468 / AUGUST 2014 explained on page 5 and at the bottom of pages 42 and 43 www.gamesjournal.at ARMADÖRA / BALLA BALLA t PLAYED FOR YOU

is not important. INFORMATION If you are out of warriors you PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: ARMADÖRA continue to place palisades or 2-4 8+ 30+ COVETING DWARF GOLD vice versa; you can also pass. When the last player has passed Designer: Christwart Conrad you score the grid: If you have Artist: Tony Rochon Price: ca. 20 Euro As an Orc, Elf, Magician or Gob- face-down on an empty case most points of warriors in an en- Publisher: Blackrock Editions 13 lin you try to acquire Dwarf Gold or place one or two palisades; closed area you receive all gold www.blackrockeditions.com by marking claims. depending on what was agreed in this area and you win with Each player commands warriors on you may later look at tiles almost gold. EVALUATION of values 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5; de- ready placed or must memorize In a game of four you play in two Placement, majorities pending on the number of play- them. teams, members of a team can- Users: For families ers you have a given number of Newly placed palisades need not agree on strategies or show Version: multi 8, 11 or 16 tiles of varying values. not be placed adjacently, are each other warrior tiles. Team Rules: de en fr it nl In-game text: no The gold cubes are placed in placed on free edges between warrior values in a region are Comments: a given arrangement on eight cases and you cannot enclose added. New edition of Nuggets “Dwarf Gold Mines”. In your turn areas of less than four cases; the This new edition of Nugget in- * Best with three players you either place a warrior tile number of enclosed gold mines troduces also Advanced Rules, * More interesting with Advanced Rules featuring Reinforcement tokens Compares to: for improving an already placed Nuggets, Winning Moves, warrior and special abilities that 2003, and other placement games for you can use once per turn at the majorities in regions Other editions: start of your turn. Currently none Armadöra works very well, and is definitely more challenging with the Advanced Rules; it is a mixture of chance and tactic for two and plays at its best and most interesting with three players; in any constellation it is providing lots of fun in a small box. þ

Then the game is continued on INFORMATION a signal of “Balla Balla”. PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: BALLA BALLA If you have thrown all balls into 2-4 5+ 20+ ON THE TABLE AND THROUGH THE HOLE the box correctly, you call “Stop” and all players score points for Designer: D. Kirps, C. Kruchten balls in the box: 3 points for a Artist: Jakob Rüttinger Price: ca. 15 Euro A vertical perforated panel is all players try simultaneously to big ball, 2 for a medium one and Publisher: Noris Spiele 2014 placed into the box bottom and get their balls into the box; each 1 for a small ball; so the winner www.noris-spiele.de thus forms a ball court. ball must hit the table once be- of the round scores eight points. Each player is given four rub- fore falling through a hole. Then all players take back their EVALUATION ber foam balls of one color and When a ball jumps back out of balls and a new round starts. Af- Aiming, throwing in three different sizes - one the box it must again be thrown ter six rounds you win with most Users: For children big ball, two medium balls and in correctly through a hole. points. Version: multi one small ball - and must now Should a ball fall into the box In variants you can agree on Rules: de en fr it In-game text: no through those balls through the from the top this is not a valid minimum distances or assign Comments: holes in the panel into the box. throw, either - you stop the balls by size to players of vary- Pure dexterity game * On a signal of “3, 2, Balla Balla”, game by calling “High Flyer” ing ages or have a right-handed Simple rules * Quickly given by the youngest player, and take the ball out of the box. player throwing with his left explained * Also good family game hand and vice verso, or you turn Compares to: the perforated wall by 45° so Hüpf Hüpf Hurra and other that you face a corner corner, throwing games and so on; and you can of course Other editions: invent your own variants. Currently none Balla Balla! Pure fun! The holes have different sizes, but are all big enough, and of course you can throw any ball through any hole and of course Balla Balla is a fun family game, too! þ

WIN The Games Journal now also available as eBook! www.gamesjournal.at For all information on that check our website. ISSUE 468 / AUGUST 2014 1523 PLAYED FOR YOU u BARRAGOON / BERSERK

the captured pieces places his INFORMATION Barragoon first. When a piece PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: BARRAGOON moves to a Barragoon, the Bar- 2 8+ 120+ ABSTRACT STRATEGY ragoon is always captured, but there is one exception: Should Designer: R. Witter, F. Warneke the Barragoon show the All Artist: Ilsespiel Price: ca. 30 Euro In order to win you try to capture orthogonally and changing di- Turns symbol, it cannot be cap- Publisher: WiWa Spiele 2014 all opposing pieces or to hinder rections only once in a turn by tured by a piece of value Two. www.wiwa-spiele.de all opposing pieces to move by 90°; you cannot cross pieces or A captured Barragoon is taken moving your own pieces and by capture one of your own pieces- off and re-entered again any- EVALUATION placing Barragoon pieces. When a piece moves onto a where. A newly placed Bar- Abstract, placement, capturing A Barragoon piece carries six square with an opposing piece, ragoon is placed showing the Users: With friends different symbols and can, ac- this piece is captured and re- symbol chosen by the player Version: multi cording to the symbol it shows, moved from the board, regard- and can be turned after place- Rules: de en fr it nl In-game text: no be crossed in direction of the less of the value of capturing or ment to determine the crossing Comments: arrow(s). Playing pieces have captured piece. direction for pieces. Pieces can Beautiful and well-working values of Two to Four and move Then each player places one only execute a capture when components * Short, con- their value or value minus on, new Barragoon, the owner of moving their full value! cise and good rules * Lots of strategic and tactical Barragoon is an abstract game options of surprising depths and a clear Compares to: learning curve; it takes some All abstract placement and piece games to become familiar with capturing games Other editions: the options offered by pieces, Currently none especially by Barragoons, because they can transform quickly from welcome blockade to unwanted obstacle. Barragoon is a very good and recommendable addition to the genre of abstract games for two, with the potential to become a classic! þ

a basic non-magical strike. To INFORMATION avoid damage you can declare a PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: BERSERK Protector who fights instead of 2 13+ 60+ KNIGHTS AND VILLAINS the originally attacked creature. Life points are influenced by Designer: I. Popov, M. Istomin attacks, spells or card effects; Artist: Ivan Sukhovey und Team Price: ca. 50 Euro Berserk is a Russian game, with tifacts, areas and equipment; when a creature has more dam- Publisher: Hobby World 2013 Evil Creatures summoned by only creatures can move and age markers than life points, it www.asmodee.de the Chief Evil who you must find have life points. You buy cards dies. to destroy the web of souls. for gold or silver. Then you turn When a player loses all crea- EVALUATION At the start of the game you up your cards, so you know all tures, he has lost the game. Cards, collecting, fantasy choose troops from a pre- your opponent’s forces. To move The edition Berserk: Knights and Users: For experts constructed or self-assembled creatures you shift them on the Villains can be used either as an Version: en deck and place those cards face- board. expansion for Berserk: War of Rules: de en ru In-game text: yes down on the board, according Actions of a card are attack or the Realms or as a stand-alone Comments: to the arrangement given in the using the ability of a card; after version of the game for two Standard topic * A game for rules. an action cards are exhausted players only. So the box contains specialists, needs immer- Card types are creatures, ar- and tapped. Each creature has two pre-constructed decks of sion * The trouble is worth its while in the end 30 cards each, the correspond- Compares to: ing damage and effect markers, Berserk: War of the Realms, and, besides the normal rule Collectible Card games with Fantasy book, a comic version of the topic and creature confrontation Other editions: rules for the first few turns. Russian Edition, Hobby World, Ger- The decks provide cards for four man edition “Ritter und Schurken” out of six races from the core game. In Knights & Villains you can again find an interesting game with interaction and synergy effects of the cards, if you take the time to familiarize yourself with the game. þ

Color codes, target groups, features, icons and GABIS are 24 ISSUE 468 / AUGUST 2014 explained on page 5 and at the bottom of pages 42 and 43 www.gamesjournal.at BLÖDER SACK / BONGO t PLAYED FOR YOU

complete a card in order to trig- INFORMATION ger a scoring - because if a Dou- PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: BLÖDER SACK ble is rolled or a Placement card 2-4 8+ 25+ WIN „MOST EVEN ONES“ WITH A 5! is full, a scoring happens. Whoever meets the parameters Designer: Ralf zur Linde of the Bag card best, receives Artist: M. Hoffmann, C. Stephan Price: ca. 18 Euro Five Silly Bag cards are on dis- Parameters can be, among oth- the Bag card; in case of a tie the Publisher: Kosmos 2014 play. Each player has 10 dice of ers: Most dice; most 4s; most card goes to whoever placed his www.kosmos.de his color, rolls two of them for Non-1s; most 1s, 2s and 3s; most last die on the card latest in the his turn and places them on even-numbered ones; most game. In case of a Double rolled EVALUATION Placement cards next to the identical values; most different you immediately score the card Dice placement Bag cards in order to meet the values; the last placed 1, 2 or 3; that is next to the Placement Users: For families parameters on the Bag cards as the highest total; the highest card showing this double, but Version: de best as possible. even total or the highest total only if there is at least one die on Rules: de In-game text: yes You can also replace a die al- below 10. the Placement card, and then Comments: ready on a card, but if you do so You are also allowed to place you place your dice as usual. If Very cute and functional you cannot place the second die dice that do not fit the param- no die is there, no Double scor- components * Good, con- of your turn. eters of a card; this is useful to ing happens. Dice for a scored cise rules * Some tactic from placing “wrong” cubes card are returned to players and * High replay value a new Bag card is laid out. When Compares to: someone has collected four Las Vegas and other dice placement Bag cards, you complete the games with parameters to meet Other editions: round and then score Bag cards Currently none for which at least one die was placed, and then you win with most Bag symbols on the cards you collected. Blöder Sack is cute, ingenious and fast; a well-made game for in-between with enough tactic from placement of “wrong” dice. þ

NOTHING, yes, you say NOTH- INFORMATION ING, not being silent! Whoever PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: BONGO names the right animal fastest, 2-12 8+ 10+ GNU OR RHINO FOR TWO BAMBOO? wins a trophy chip in the animal color; if you correctly called Designer: Bruno Faidutti NOTHING, you can choose a tro- Artist: Stark, Carey, Fahrenbach Price: ca. 15 Euro Seven dice show numbers from ent as often. If the numbers are phy color. Publisher: Heidelberger 2013 1 to 3 or images of three differ- different you name an animal In case of a mistake you must www.heidelbaer.de ent African animals that we want present as often as the missing give a trophy to another player! to take pictures of for trophies. number. But: Should two types If you say NOTHING mistakenly, EVALUATION In the Standard game you roll of animal be present as often as you must give away all your tro- Reaction, dice the beige animal dice and the the missing number you must phies. You win with two trophies Users: For families yellow bamboo dice for num- name the third type of animal of each color or a minimum of Version: de bers. The bamboo dice deter- - e.g. if the Two is missing and six trophies of one color. Rules: de In-game text: no mine which of the animals rolled you rolled two Gnus, two Bon- In the expert version two Poach- Comments: you must name. If both bamboo gos and one Rhino you need to er dice are added: For two identi- Lots of fun * Good training dice show the same number, name Rhino! When the condi- cal animals you reduce this ani- for concentration and quick you name an animal that is pres- tion cannot be met you call out mal by one, in case of different reactions * Poacher and Gamekeeper make it really animals the third type is reduced challenging * Nice for in- by one. The Gamekeeper dice as between or holidays additional variant protects from Compares to: Confusion and other dice-based the Poacher dice. reaction games A well-made variation of the Other editions: KIM mechanism to find some- Currently none thing that you do not see. But the slight difference between two identical and two different bamboo symbols entices you to react too quickly in this nice challenge! What did Bruno Faid- utti say? “Looks silly, but is real fun”! þ

WIN The Games Journal now also available as eBook! www.gamesjournal.at For all information on that check our website. ISSUE 468 / AUGUST 2014 25 PLAYED FOR YOU u BRÜGGE / CONCEPT

used individually or in combina- INFORMATION tion. PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: BRÜGGE Module 1: Neue Bürger - Addi- 2-5 10+ 60+ DIE STADT AM ZWIN tional cards, that is, two new cards for each of the eleven Designer: Stefan Feld groups from the core game. Artist: Michael Menzel Price: ca. 25 Euro Merchants in Bruges strive for cards one by one and use each Module 2: 5. Spieler - Board and Publisher: Hans im Glück 2014 influence with those in power, for one of six actions – take 2 components for a 5th player; www.hans-im-glueck.de rival among each other and minions, take 1-6 guilders, dis- the board is based below the guard against outside events. card one threat marker, build main board and shows two new EVALUATION One round comprises: Phase 1 canal tile, build 1 house or canal segments on its left; there Development, tactic One – draw cards; Phase Two display 1 person. You score for are no rule changes as regards a Users: With friends – roll dice and distribute threat persons, houses, advantages, game of four. Version: de markers, Phase Three – play majority markers, canal tiles and Module 3: Das Zwin - Additional Rules: de In-game text: yes cards for actions; Phase 4 – advancement when one draw action for canal construction; Comments: check majorities and change of pile is empty. you place a ship in the color of Works in each combination starting player. Four independent modules as those dice that show 3 or 4, you of modules * Well-working In Phase Three you place four expansions for Brügge, to be can use ships on anchor places. upgrade for Brügge without fundamentally Module 4: Die Börse - In each changing the game * round one of the six possible ac- A must-have for fans of tions is improved. Brügge Compares to: Die Stadt am Zwin is an exem- Brügge plary expansion for Brügge; this Other editions: is what expansions should do: Z-Man Games, announced introduce new tactics, details and options for the core game without fundamentally interfer- ing with it; only canal building is upgraded substantially, but this is positive. If you like Brügge, you will have to have the Zwin. þ

An Ear, scissors, a palette and INFORMATION human result in Vincent van PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: CONCEPT Gogh! Markers of one color on 4-12 10+ 45+ RED AND LIQUID? WINE OR CATSUP? a building and a piece of metal, markers in another color placed Designer: Beaujannot, Rivollet on a globe and on red, white Artist: É. Azagury, C. Chevalier Price: ca. 30 Euro Pictograms are part of our daily main concept, marked by a and blue do indicate a building Publisher: Repos Production 13 life and in Concept we are asked green question mark piece and made of iron in a country con- www.asmodee.de to use them to explain terms by 10 green cubes, e.g. “film” or “hu- nected to blue, white and red combining pictograms. man”. - Eiffel Tower! Of course a picto- EVALUATION Players form teams of two peo- Subcategories can be marked in gram can mean different things, Association, definition ple; the active team draws a card four additional colors with one “cold” can be also “winter”. guessing and chooses one of three terms, exclamation mark piece and 8 All other players guess, team Users: With friends in difficulty levels of “easy”, cubes for each color. The other members can agree with “yes” Version: de Rules: de en fr nl jp ru “hard” and “challenge”. players guess and the first one but cannot talk directly to play- In-game text: yes Then the team discusses marker to guess correctly scores two ers. The order of cube place- Comments: placement and choice of pic- points, the presenters score one ment can be important and can Amazing components tograms. First you choose the point each. be repeated for clarification. * Good rules with many examples * Beware of You can place any number of thinking too complicated cubes and markers. If you are Compares to: first to guess correctly, you score All association and definition expla- two points, each team mem- nation games Other editions: ber scores one point. When all Multi-lingual at Repos, Hobby Japan, double chips for correct guesses Rebel.pl, Spanish at Asmodee, Rus- have been awarded you win sian edition announced with most points. Concept is an ingenious version in the genre of guessing terms; you need creativity and talent for improvisation, but it is important not to think too complicated if you want to score! þ

Color codes, target groups, features, icons and GABIS are 26 ISSUE 468 / AUGUST 2014 explained on page 5 and at the bottom of pages 42 and 43 www.gamesjournal.at CRAFTSMEN / DIMENSION t PLAYED FOR YOU

and/or use work points from the INFORMATION Craftsmen or produce/ship raw PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: CRAFTSMEN materials, half-product or final 2-5 10+ 180+ GUILDS AND HELPERS products; buy half-products from the Traders or acquire priv- Designer: Krzysztof Matusik ileges or work points or change Artist: Krzysztof Matusik Price: ca. 25 Euro The mayor of a little town is those points or acquire them by turn order at the Town Hall. Publisher: ST Games / G3 2013 looking for an administrator- exporting goods. 3) In the Final Phase you get www.g3poland.com candidates are assigned five 12 rounds make up 3 years of 4 Privilege markers for fewest helpers and have three years to seasons each. helpers on the board and the EVALUATION prove themselves - then prog- Spring, summer and autumn turn order is changed according Resources, worker placement ress is assessed and the admin- comprise three phases each: to helpers present. Users: For experts istrator selected. 1) Place helpers into guilds. In winter there is no Phase 1 for Version: multi You collect appreciation points 2) Use helpers in guilds, one placing helpers; each player in Rules: de en pl In-game text: no from setting up and connection action per helper; get money turn order can do a building ac- Comments: production buildings in which from the Bankers, build with the tion for the Builders’ Guild and Good basic ideas, but too you produce resources and con- Builders, acquire Building per- one producing action for he many mechanism details, sumer goods; you can also buy mits from the Notaries, acquire Craftsmen’s Guild; you can also e.g. money colors * This results in too long a game use privilege markers at that * High chance element in stage. buildings * No chance to This is followed by Year Change make up leeway Compares to: with scoring appreciation points Complex worker placement and for ships, town development, resources management games stores and investments, that is, Other editions: buying appreciation points. Currently none Craftsmen is a very complex and ambitious game, unfortunately with too many details like color sets for money for more value or colors in builds; less would have been more and better! þ

one single pyramid. When time INFORMATION has run out you score for the PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: DIMENSION number of marbles you placed 1-4 8+ 30+ QUICK THINKING AND WINNING and lose two points for each task you could not meet. If you Designer: Lauge Luchau complete all six tasks you earn Artist: Michael Flaig Price: ca. 37 Euro Your personal board and col- Task cards, for instance, demand one or two bonus chips, one bo- Publisher: Kosmos 2014 ored marbles which you should Color A not next to Color B or a nus chip is earned by using all www.kosmos.de combine according to param- total of 4 marbles of certain col- five colors and also by using less eters as exactly as possible by ors or more marbles of Color A marbles than the player who EVALUATION stacking them to form a pyra- than color B or Color A not on used most marbles. This results Abstract placement, logic mid. top or not underneath marbles in keeping an eye on other play- Users: For families In each round six task cards are or marbles of the given color(s) ers and in “last-minute” removal Version: de laid out and set the parameters must touch or you must use as of marbles. After six rounds Rules: de In-game text: no for placing marbles on the sev- many marbles in given colors you win with most points from Comments: en holes in the middle of your as stated on the card. You have points and bonus chips; these Revised, abstract edition personal board to achieve the the run-time of a timer to meet chips only score points if you of Uluru maximum possible score. as many tasks as possible with have minimum five of them. Compares to: And if you feel like having a Uluru dejá-vu now, you are correct. Other editions: Currently none Dimension is Uluru in three dimensions, instead of Dream Birds you use marbles, but the principle is the same. As regards to tactic, you should pay attention to using all colors and minimizing numbers of marbles, if necessary at the cost of not meeting a task - you will achieve higher scores in this way. þ

WIN The Games Journal now also available as eBook! www.gamesjournal.at For all information on that check our website. ISSUE 468 / AUGUST 2014 27 PLAYED FOR YOU u DOODLE MONSTER / FOX & CHICKEN

their monster; if you turn up a INFORMATION body part that you did already PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: DOODLE MONSTER draw you must pass your turn. 1-4 4+ 10+ CHASING MONSTERS Whoever finishes his monster WITH CRAYONS first, wins. Designer: Beleduc, Papenfuss In the advanced version each Artist: T. Beleduc, A. Papenfuss Price: ca. 20 Euro Dragon Julius and their friends indicates the pattern for it; the player is given his own personal Publisher: Beleduc 2013 chase nice monsters to portrait color is your own choice. What Monster card showing and indi- www.beleduc.de them. the Monster’s body should look vidual monster with parameters In the basic version each player like is indicated by the Monster for color and pattern and body EVALUATION is given a sheet of paper and card. When you have finished shape. In this version you use Drawing, memo Monster Card and templates for drawing the current body part the green and yellow chips - the Users: For children Monster body parts are laid out. you turn both chips back over yellow ones show additional Version: multi In turn you turn over one red again and put them back into body parts like claws, eyes or Rules: cn de en es fr it nl In-game text: no and one green chip: The green the pool - all should remember mouth - and try to turn over the Comments: chip indicates the monster body the positions in case they want necessary body parts quickly Good training for motor part that you can draw, using to use this body part or pattern. and paint them in the given skills, observation and the template, and the red chip Thus all players in turn draw scheme for color and pattern. social abilities when waiting one’s turn * Nice, sturdy You again have to pass your components * Adult guid- turn if you turn up body parts ance recommended that you did already draw or Compares to: which you do not need for your All drawing games Other editions: monster. Currently none A nice drawing game which trains motor skill by using templates, color sense, close observation via arm and leg chips for left and right, and of course it is fun, and of course you can draw your own monsters either using the templates or in free-hand drawing. þ

you can include; the rules rec- INFORMATION ommend always to introduce PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: FOX & CHICKEN one fox rule and one chicken 7-41 8+ 20+ FOX AND POULTRY rule to keep the game as bal- IN CONTROVERSY anced as possible; the rules of- Designer: S. B. Fox, M. Fox fer some recommendations for Artist: S. B. Fox, M. Fox Price: ca. 8 Euro Depending on the number of cuss who could be a fox, each combinations in graded levels Publisher: Huch! & friends 2014 players you assign different player can lie. When more than of difficulty. Some of the roles www.hutter-trade.com numbers of fox and chicken 50% agree on a player this play- are Chicken in A fox Suit, Den roles. er is ousted, regardless of being Mother Fox, Egg, Fox Cub, Little EVALUATION In analogy to the werewolf chicken or fox. Chick, Little Metal Hen, Rooster, Deduction, discussion games the game master learns When at any point in the game Zombie Chicken, Cunning Fox , Users: For families at the start who belongs to there are more foxes than chick- etc. Some roles change the win- Version: multi which faction and who embod- ens the foxes win instantly. ning conditions for one of the Rules: de en fr nl In-game text: no ies a special character, if in play. Chickens win if they manage to factions and for some roles you Comments: In the Night Phase foxes agree chase away all foxes. need experience with this kind Needs a minimum of seven on a chicken that is eliminated. The game gets really interest- of deduction and discussion players * Game Master In the Day Phase all players dis- ing with the special roles which games. All in all there 28 special should have some experience * Well-made special roles in a total of 40 cards, but of roles course you can use each and ev- Compares to: ery special card simply as a basic The Werewolves of Millers Hollow chicken or fox card. and other Werewolf variants Other editions: Despite the by now standard Fox & Chicken, Sprocket Games game principle and the therefore necessary comparable and familiar mechanism Fox & Chick- en provides a well-made variant offering lots of fun for beginners as well as for experienced players. The topic fits like hand-in- glove and the special roles are well-designed. þ

Color codes, target groups, features, icons and GABIS are 28 ISSUE 468 / AUGUST 2014 explained on page 5 and at the bottom of pages 42 and 43 www.gamesjournal.at GEISTEREI / GIB GAS! t PLAYED FOR YOU

the cloak - and must then carry INFORMATION it to the castle in the manner PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: GEISTEREI dictated by a die, which is rolled 2-4 6+ 15+ FROM THE NEST TO THE CASTLE for him by a fellow player: On tiptoes, with bent knees, hold- Designer: Guido Hoffmann ing Charlotte high over his head Artist: Ralf Vogt Price: ca. 30 Euro This time ghost families are ex- random distribution, the rest of or after walking once around Publisher: Drei Magier/Schmidt 14 panding in the Magician’s realm, the tiles is stacked face-down. the blueberry bush or by mas- www.schmidtspiele.de and we need to take the Ghost Those tiles show one, two or tering an obstacle imperson- Egg to the castle so that the little three ghost babies on their front ated by another player - you EVALUATION ghosts can hatch from the egg. side. Each player is given one must either crawl between his Agility, dexterity A very beautiful castle is assem- Ghost Nest of his color. legs, set wide apart, or the other Users: For children bled from the base of the game The active player picks up the player huddles down as small Version: multi box and some additional parts egg from the blueberry bush as possible and you must step Rules: de en fr it nl In-game text: no and a “bush” is set up about 3 to with Ghost Mummy Charlotte across him. Comments: 4 m from the castle. - he moves her in the indicated When you succeed and drop the Enchanting components * The nine rooms in the castle are way to make her cloak fall down egg into the castle you get the Topic goes very well with equipped with one ghost tile in over the egg so that it sticks to ghost tile from the room where the mechanism * Trains agility, coordination and the egg landed. dexterity * Can be played You take the tile for your nest outdoors and indoors and place a new one into the Compares to: room. Basically all movement games Other editions: When someone has collected Currently none six tiles all tiles in players’ nests are revealed and you win with most ghosts on your tiles. An enchanting tale and game with equally enchanting components, a good training for dexterity, agility and coordination, suitable also for outdoor play. Well done! þ

or the Fastest or Lowest takes INFORMATION damage in case of a Crash sec- PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: GIB GAS! tion. 2-6 8+ 30+ A TACTICAL CARD GAME If you play the pit stop card you also do not participate in the Designer: K. Franz, H. Girke, D. Yu scoring, but can roll the die and Artist: A. Resch, K. Franz Price: ca. 7 Euro With his personal set of cards, cards are revealed and scored: take 1-3 cards back in Hand. Publisher: Stadlbauer Marketing 14 comprising 6x Speed, 1x Dice, First all players with identical Otherwise you take up your www.carreragames.com 1x Keep Speed and 1x Pit Stop, speed collide, take damage and cards again when all have been each player tries to adapt the mark damage on their damage played. When four sections have EVALUATION speed of his car to the charac- card as stated on the section been scored, four new ones are Car racing, cards teristics of the current track sec- card. laid out from the stack. Users: For families tion. 32 out of 36 section are in Those players also do not partic- If you must move the marker off Version: de play, four of them are laid out - ipate in scoring of the track sec- the damage card, you must quit Rules: de In-game text: no these sections can show either tion card. Then the player who the game and the game ends Comments: Full Speed, Brake or Crash! best meets the condition of the instantly, as it does if all sections Race game based on All players play one card from track card, that is, the Fastest or have been scored. damage minimization and their hand face-down; then Slowest, takes the section card, You then win with the highest reaction to track parts * Fair amount of luck and bluff, total of victory points on your tactics possible track sections plus your remain- Compares to: ing score on the damage card. Card-driven race games This is quite an unusual race Other editions: game, you do not try to be fast- Currently none est across the finish, but to react in the best possible manner to the current track section by making optimum use of your cards and to try and avoid col- lisions. Luck and bluff are bal- anced with tactics, good card memory can help. þ

WIN The Games Journal now also available as eBook! www.gamesjournal.at For all information on that check our website. ISSUE 468 / AUGUST 2014 29 PLAYED FOR YOU u GRUSELRUNDE ZUR GEISTERSTUNDE / HEGEMONIC

are actually assembled in the INFORMATION middle, he announces this. Then ZUR GEISTERSTUNDE PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: GRUSELRUNDE all other players peep in, too, 2-4 5+ 25+ RENDEZVOUS AT VILLA SCHAUERSTEIN and memorize the positions of the apparitions. Designer: Kai Haferkamp The active player receives one Artist: Graham Howell Price: ca. 33 Euro Scary apparitions have a ren- on the villa roof; the two appari- Scary Chip, the Stone Devils all Publisher: Ravensburger 2014 dezvous in the villa, by invita- tions are now invited to have a move one step to the left and www.ravensburger.de tion of the Stone Devils who are rendezvous at the villa. the sliders are put back to the standing on apparition images The active player now moves starting position. EVALUATION on top of the roof. those slides forward which he When not all the correct appa- Memo The fantastically beautiful 3D believes to carry the appari- ritions are assembled, you only Users: For children Villa Schauerstein is assembled, tions that should meet und thus name the number of correct Version: de the scary apparitions each sit at pushes them into the middle ones, the other players must Rules: de In-game text: no the end of a slider. of the room. Then he switches not take a peep. Then the next Comments: At the start of the game any on the lamp and peeps into the player relocates one Stone Devil Sensational components player puts two Stone Devils on room through the peephole. by one to three steps and then * Adult assistance for any two of the images depicted When the wanted apparitions tries to find the wanted appa- assembly is necessary * Simple rules * Several vari- ritions. Whoever owns three ants listed Scary Chips first, wins. Compares to: In variants you use all three In general all memo games, first Stone Devils and players can game of this kind Other editions: bet on right or wrong or you can Currently none cheat when announcing the number of correct apparitions and you bet, if the right number will be named. What a sensational combination of spectacular components and a simple mechanism - memory refined into thrilling and scary fun! þ

Then all score for control on the INFORMATION board. PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: HEGEMONIC Anytime in the game you can 2-6 12+ 180+ EXPLORE, BUILD, FIGHT, PLOT negotiate with others, enter in any deal and also trade Ca- Designer: Oliver Kiley pacity markers, but nothing Artist: Alex Skinner and Team Price: ca. 60 Euro A game on galactic expan- each round comprises six phas- else, and deals are not binding. Publisher: Minion Games 2013 sion, conquest and intrigues, in es: Income - Expansions with Conflicts from Takeover or De- www.miniongames.com which you need the most vic- placing of new sector tiles to the stroy actions are resolved by tory points to win and you win board and drawing of Technol- determining Starting Power, EVALUATION them by controlling galactic re- ogy cards - Actions #1, Actions Supplementing with technolo- SciFi, territory control gions and advancing technolo- #2, Actions #3 with playing of gy and politics and comparison Users: With friends gies. Regions are controlled by Action cards and resolving of of the resulting total strength; Version: en bases - industry complexes, em- actions in each of those phases involved bases and/or units are Rules: en In-game text: yes bassies and Martial Outposts - - Arbitrage as final phase with destroyed accordingly. Comments: and you use the resulting power choosing of a new Arbiter and The game ends when all sectors Surprisingly quick * More and influence in conflicts. discarding of Capacity markers have been explored or all sector territorial control than civili- Hegemonic is played in round, over your limit. maps have been used. zation development * Very little luck, lots of strategy Hegemonic is a challenge for * Rather abstract despite experienced players - Territo- the topic rial conflicts and confrontations Compares to: All games on territorial control and happen almost from the start influence, with a SciFi topic on; there is little to no chance Other editions: element and lots of strategies, Currently none but despite the topic the games comes across as somewhat abstract - the focus is ore on territorial conflict than development of your civilization, the relative quick play of about 30 min per player instead of 45 given on the box is a bonus. þ

Color codes, target groups, features, icons and GABIS are 30 ISSUE 468 / AUGUST 2014 explained on page 5 and at the bottom of pages 42 and 43 www.gamesjournal.at KLONG! BOING! AUTSCH! / KRAGMORTHA t PLAYED FOR YOU

the color is now assigned. All INFORMATION other players put back cards col- PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: KLONG! BOING! AUTSCH! lected in this color, face-down. If 2-4 5+ 10+ THREE ANIMALS OF A COLOR you grabbed a coconut bag, you FOR COCONUTS may then begin to search for a Designer: I. and M. Brand new trio. Artist: Gabriela Silveira Price: ca. 7 Euro Monkeys are throwing coconuts On a signal all players search When the tiger appears, you Publisher: Haba 2013 on other animals. Elephant, Pan- simultaneously for three ani- put it back open-faced and call www.haba.de da and Chameleon climb on top mals of one color, first for an “Watch out, tiger!” From now of each other to take the nuts elephant, then a panda and a on you put back cards that you EVALUATION away. Four jungle cards with chameleon. You may only take do not want open-faced and Searching, collecting four monkey cards are laid out one card, look at it, keep it or put can pick up face-down or face- Users: For children and you place the color-corre- it back, and you may only search up cards. When all coconut bag Version: multi sponding coconut bag marker for one color at a time and use markers are taken, the round Rules: de en es fr it nl In-game text: no on top of the jungle card. Tiger only one hand. If you have as- ends and - if you assembled a Comments: and animal cards are shuffled sembled all three animals of a correct trio - you get the cor- Plays quickly and easily * and laid out loosely around jun- color you quickly grab the coco- responding monkey-card on Simple rules * Standard gle and monkey cards. nut bag marker of this color and the jungle card your coconut searching mechanisms bag marker color. For the next Compares to: All searching games with a round you shuffle and place the joint card stock animal cards and place for new Other editions: monkey cards on the jungle Currently none cards as well as the coconut bag markers. After four rounds you win with most coconuts on your monkey cards. A quick, hectic, funny, cute, good game - you must react quickly and look closely and maybe remember where you put a card that you might need later! þ

so on. A turn comprises playing INFORMATION and implementing a movement PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: KRAGMORTHA card and of drawing a card. 2-8 8+ 60+ NAUGHTY GOBLINS When a goblin meets another CONFRONT RIGOR MORTIS Goblin he pushes him along by Designer: Walter Obert + Team one case, in any direction, this Artist: Riccardo Crosa + Team Price: ca. 25 Euro Kragmortha is a board game Anyhow, at least Rigor Mortis, can cause some chain-pushing! Publisher: Heidelberger based on “Aye, Dark Overlord”; contrary to his name, does not When a Goblin encounters the www.heidelbaer.de Goblins somehow feel like steal- cause deadly stiffness, but pun- Dark Overlord, he incurs the al- ing the spell books out of the ishes Goblins with “Destructive ready mentioned “Destructive EVALUATION library of the Dark Overlord, also Glances”, which keep Goblins Glance”. Fantasy, satire known as Rigor Mortis. Why? occupied or puts spokes in their When a Goblin enters a teleport Users: For families Please ask the goblins! To give wheels - they must stand up in case the top teleport marker is Version: de Rigor Mortis something to do, their turn, may only open their turned over and implemented. Rules: de es fr it pl ru In-game text: no he is also moved by players and hand between third and fourth When a player has incurred Comments: try to catch Goblins, preferably finger, have their card limit re- four “Destructive Glances” he is New edition, first edition those of the other players, reduced to two, must stick out out of the game and the game Mario Truant Verlag 2007 spectively. their tongue all the time, and ends. The game also ends when Compares to: the last Spell Book card is drawn Kragmortha 1st edition, “Aye Dark Overlord” Card and the winner is the player Game with fewest “Destructive Glance” Other editions: cards. Stratelibri This is fantasy like a mixed salad - adventure, evil adversary, ri- valry among heroes, ah, goblins, a bit of satire, a bit advantages from stolen Spell Books, if you manage to get one. However, Kragmortha is cute, funny and good for a family party game or as an introduction into the fantasy genre. þ

WIN The Games Journal now also available as eBook! www.gamesjournal.at For all information on that check our website. ISSUE 468 / AUGUST 2014 31 PLAYED FOR YOU u LEMMINGE / LIMES

If the card is of higher value INFORMATION than the top card, the stack is PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: LEMMINGE removed and your card begins 2-5 8+ 30+ RACE TO THE CLIFF SUMMIT a new stack; you take a bonus tile that is placed immediately Designer: Sebastian Bleasdale and then you move your lem- Artist: Loic Billiau Price: ca. 18 Euro Lemmings race to the summit In your turn you choose be- ming according to the value of Publisher: Amigo Spiele 2014 and overcome obstacles. You tween moving one of your own your card. Lemmings move over www.amigo-spiele.de lay out the board and place your lemmings and replenishing meadows and cases of the ter- two lemmings at the start. your hand by drawing cards up rain type you played; you can EVALUATION The board shows terrain types to six in hand. To move a lem- thereby push other lemmings Movement, tile placement of wood, swamp, desert, moun- ming you play a card for a for a straight forward, over any type Users: For families tains and water, one card of terrain type: If the card is lower of terrain, but must spend one Version: de value 2 for each of those types or equal in value to the top card movement point per lemming Rules: de In-game text: no is laid out. The remaining cards in this terrain stack you put the and step you move him. You Comments: are shuffled and you are dealt card on top and move your lem- may push lemmings into the Good family game * Topic a number of cards in relation to ming by the sum of all cards in finish area and also push your and mechanism go well the number of players. the stack. own second lemming. Whoever together * Good mix of tactic from terrain, bonus tiles has both his lemmings in the and pushing and chance finish area first, wins. from drawing cards Lemminge is one of those games Compares to: Movement games with chain move- in which the basic mechanism ment due to pushing is determined by the topic; the Other editions: difference and the merit of the Currently none game come from the mechanism details and those details are very nice in Lemminge; the pushing mechanisms imitates the bustle of the race nicely. Bo- nus tiles and pushing introduce a lot of tactic into this attractive race game. þ

Then you can place a one of INFORMATION your seven workers on this new- PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: LIMES ly placed card or move a worker 2 8+ 20+ CULTIVATING BORDER REGIONS already on the grid to an adjacent area. Designer: Martyn F When 16 cards have been Artist: Claus Stephan Price: ca. 15 Euro Limes - Border of the Roman ing on the type of landscape, placed you score connected Publisher: Abacusspiele 2014 Empire - Settlers plant, fish and and score points for you. landscape areas holding a www.abacusspiele.de cut wood and set up watch tow- On player is the Initiating player; worker: Farmer - 1 point for each ers along the border. Each play- he turns up the top card of his zone in his territory; Fisherman EVALUATION er forms his personal display stack, the other player searches - 1 point for each fisherman’s Tile placement, area scoring over the course of the game; for this card in his stack and hut adjacent to the shores of Users: For families both players hold an identical then each player puts the card his water territory: Woodcutter Version: de set of cards, each card featuring into his own display, in a 4x4 - 1 point for each territory that Rules: de en In-game text: no four individual landscapes. grid. Cards are placed border to is orthogonally adjacent to his Comments: During the game you place border, not staggered, but there woodland territory; Watchman - Revised edition of Cities, workers on those cards who need not be correlation in the 1 point for each woodland zone Emmagames * Variants take on different jobs, depend- landscape types. that the Watchman sees in or- given and also available as downloads * Easy Rules thogonal direction, but only to * Solo game for multiple the next tower. players, if you use more games you can play with any number Limes offers a game of optimum of people score achievement, but is a two- Compares to: player solitaire game. If you are Cities, Take it Easy, Carcassonne and willing to change tactics in mid- other tile placement games for area scoring game and maybe change the Other editions: jobs for your workers, you will Currently none achieve a good score. Variants for diagonal card placement or movement of workers offer additional challenges and variety, especially as you always use only 16 of 24 cards. þ

Color codes, target groups, features, icons and GABIS are 32 ISSUE 468 / AUGUST 2014 explained on page 5 and at the bottom of pages 42 and 43 www.gamesjournal.at LORDS OF VEGAS UP! / LOS INCOGNITOS t PLAYED FOR YOU

1 cannot be marked and not be INFORMATION added. PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: LORDS OF VEGAS UP! In the Playing Phase you can 2-6 12+ 30+ BUILDING AND MANAGING CASINOS build, sprawl, reconstruct, re- organize and play, in any order Designer: J. Ernest, M. Selinker and everything more than once Artist: Franz Vohwinkel Price: ca. 26 Euro Players are managers and build a card and take over the corre- with the exception of play. After Publisher: Mayfair Games 2014 casinos, trade building lots, play sponding lot. Such transfers are each action you must check ca- www.mayfairgames.com in other players’ casinos and marked with dice set on tiles; sinos for ties in highest dice val- administrate their own. You their values correspond to influ- ues, these dice must be rerolled. EVALUATION win with most points and score ence values. Anytime during the game you Development, expansion when the colors of you own ca- Then you earn money from all can trade with other players, Users: With friends sinos are drawn, larger casinos lots you own and points from with all commodities except Version: en yield higher scores. casinos mentioned on the card. points, casino tiles or promises Rules: en In-game text: no In rounds roughly correspond- It is interesting to know that you for further actions. Comments: ing to a year a player turn con- can only score in increments of The expansion introduces com- Expansion for Lords of Ve- sists of Drawing and Playing. At two; that is if you score 3 points ponents for a 5th and 6th player gas * Needs Lords of Vegas the start of the turn you draw you advance one level, scores of and also tiles to add levels to to play * Now for up to six players * Casinos can now casinos for more prestige and be given additional levels points. Compares to: For 15 $ per tile you place a raise, Chinatown and other games on you must always raise all parts of ownership of allotments Other editions: a casino. Currently none Mechanisms and topic still fit together perfectly, a well-made mix of luck and tactics demands careful risk assessment, which in turn nicely transports the Casino flair, with additional challenges being provided by the trading and negotiations strengthening the Casino feeling. þ

not store Red Giant and Time INFORMATION Vortex symbols. To move you ei- PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: LOS INCOGNITOS ther extend on of your routes or 2-4 8+ 30+ ALIEN IACTA EST start a new one, you need dice symbols of Moonboot for land Designer: Stöckmann, Jahnke paths or Jetpack for air travel, Artist: M. Blaha, S. H. Vitez Price: ca. 30 Euro Alien iacta est - well, the aliens scenarios in sequence due to and you need a Locator. When Publisher: Igramoon 2013 did not fall, they maybe slid un- increasing levels of difficulty in you have reached a Monster www.igramoon.de derneath the table while having the scenarios - and roll six dice. spot or a Vessel spot, you can fun on Earth. We must find them For each roll you must resolve mark monsters by rolling dice. EVALUATION by rolling dice, mark them with at least one action, maybe even To explore a location you need Dice, Set formation a cosmic contact spray and send more than once, and set aside symbols again, the abilities of Users: For families them home. dice that were used. Possible ac- locations vary with the sce- Version: multi You choose a scenario - Apoca- tions are interim storage, move- narios. Some symbols in a roll Rules: de en In-game text: no lyptic Space Station, Highland- ment, marking of monsters or can block actions for which you Comments: er’s Castle, Arabian Nights or exploring a location. Interim might have symbols! At the end Adaptation of Expedition Roman Holidays, whereby the storage is possible for a maxi- of your turn you mark the result Sumatra Dadu Dadu * rules recommend to play the mum of two dice and you can- in your log. When all log book Set-formation by dice roll nicely implemented * Well- entries have been done, the lon- structured rules * Erasable gest track is scored and you win pens not included with most points. Compares to: If you think you have seen this Expedition Sumatra Dadu Dadu Other editions: somewhere, you probably re- Currently none member the prequel game of Expedition Sumatra Dadu Dadu. Los Incognitos is an adaptation, game play and mechanisms are identical and therefore as good and interesting; however, topic and mechanism suited each other better in the first version. þ

WIN The Games Journal now also available as eBook! www.gamesjournal.at For all information on that check our website. ISSUE 468 / AUGUST 2014 33 PLAYED FOR YOU u MAGIC JINN / NEW HAVEN

Magic Jinn understands the INFORMATION questions well. You can answer PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: MAGIC JINN with yes or no, the questions are 1 6+ 10+ TIER-EDITION formulated simply, easily under- standable and posed according Designer: not named to the target age of players, for Artist: not named Price: ca. 20 Euro Interactive quiz fun with voice Jinn begins to ask questions and instance “is the animal bigger Publisher: Hasbro 2013 recognition, offered by a little tries to guess the animal that than a motorbike?” www.hasbro.de blue something that looks like you thought of, based on your Magic Jinn reacts to each an- an animal straight out of a Sci- answers - you on the other hand swer with a sound for a signal EVALUATION ence Fiction Film, which seems try to outwit Magic Jinn, who and says “understood/verstehe” Question/answer to be able to read minds. knows more than 350 animals, or “okay”, but can also process Users: For children In this Animal Edition Magic Jinn but has only five goes at guess- substitute answers like “That de- Version: de has been programmed with ing correctly. pends/Das kommt darauf an” or Rules: de en In-game text: yes knowledge of more than 350 The rules, given in speech bub- “say that again/Sag’s nochmal”. Comments: animals. You think of an animal bles on the outside of the box, You can also say “back/zurück” Very nice quiz variant * Can and switch on Magic Jinn by ask you to speak loudly, clearly to have Magic Jinn go back to guess uncommon animals, pressing his nose. Now Magic and in High German so that the previous question if you an- too * Comments get repetitive with intense use swered wrongly or do not know * Batteries necessary the answer. Compares to: For each additional questions First game of this kind Magic Jinn process all answers Other editions: Magic Jinn und Magic Jinn Food, received so far. Hasbro USA Magic Jinn is fun, I have watched adults trying to give as ambigu- ous answers as possible to outwit the blue animal. The little cat is an ideal companion on travels or in waiting rooms and also a well-working training for listen- ing and answering in relation to questions. þ

is another restriction - you can INFORMATION only own one connected area PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: NEW HAVEN of buildings for each building 2-4 12+ 60+ VILLAGE DEVELOPMENT IN NEW ENGLAND color. When you are done, all other Designer: B. Leet, K. Worden players in turn can use remain- Artist: D. Lohausen, J. Vargas Price: ca. 23 Euro Settlers in New England; you resources accordingly and can ing resources to build. Then you Publisher: R & R Games 2013 build your own village and try to then use those resources to set draw new buildings, set resourc- rnrgames.com attract most colonists. You use up buildings. Buildings are in es markers to 0 and draw one resources from a main board stock behind your screen and replacement harvest tile. When EVALUATION to attract traders and artisans you build them either face- only one case on the main Tile placement, resources and enlarge your village. In your down or face-up on your village board is free, you score your vil- Users: With friends turn you place one harvest tile, board. Face-down buildings lage for colonists in your village. Version: multi showing two or three resources, can be set up anywhere, for the You score each completely filled Rules: de en fr In-game text: no on the main board; this creates cost indicated by the row; open- row and column of your village Comments: connected areas and you re- faced buildings can only be board; whereby a row or col- Lots of tactic based on ceive the resources in relation to placed on spots corresponding umn that holds only open-faced simple rules * Good bal- those areas; you mark received to exact building costs. There building scores double; rows ance of chance and tactic * Interesting, challenging and columns with face-down varieties buildings in them score only Compares to: single value. New England by Goldsieber for topic, otherwise tile placement game for Simple rules with lots of tacti- area size and resources cal depth despite a chance ele- Other editions: ment in drawing harvest and Currently none building tiles! Good resources management is essential! When all resources have been used I can draw an additional building, regardless of who used the resources; but of course I do not want to give too many of them to others. þ

Color codes, target groups, features, icons and GABIS are 34 ISSUE 468 / AUGUST 2014 explained on page 5 and at the bottom of pages 42 and 43 www.gamesjournal.at NOTHING PERSONAL / PACKET ROW t PLAYED FOR YOU

win with most respect. INFORMATION Die individual gangster have PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: NOTHING PERSONAL special abilities, they can black- 3-5 13+ 120+ WHO WILL BE THE NEW CAPO? mail or use diplomacy or kill or hit somebody, and so on, and Designer: Steve Avery, Tom Vasel only the first influence card you Artist: Team Price: ca. 50 Euro Five Mafia families rival for re- The Feds - determine if gang- play is free of charge; all others Publisher: Dice Tower Designs 13 spect as they want to provide sters are arrested by The Feds, need to be paid for, the price is at www.dicetower.com the new Capo. In five rounds rotate gangsters, The Family minimum the same as that paid you win respect by controlling - fill empty gangster cases on by the previous player. You can EVALUATION Mafia members. Each round the board and Bookkeeping - also pay for using cards in The Development, negotiation comprises the phases relocate Checkmark and place Crew Phase to play influence Users: With friends The Commission - control gang- a new checkmark for the next cards, in case of ties for money Version: en sters, implement influence ac- round. offered the Capo decides. Be- Rules: en In-game text: yes tions; The Crew - determine After a final scoring of all gang- hind all those actions is the core Comments: control, receive income and sters for respect, exchanging of the game - negotiations; you In cooperation with Game respect, gangster actions, The cards for money and then con- can negotiate using all but re- Salute * Many tactical Fence - draw influence cards, verting money into respect you spect - money, influence cards, choices * Cute, witty text * Chance element of drawing you can promise or threaten or cards and dice decisions whatever else you see fit, and is not dominant * Rules any agreements reached are not needs revising Compares to: binding! All games with Mafia theme and us- So don’t take it personal, but ing character cards for actions use the many tactical options Other editions: to most effectively get the up- Currently none per hand on your opponents, true to the information given on the box: This is not a cooperative game! Witty, challenging and well-made, albeit after you have mastered the rules which badly need revising. þ

a new board and each player INFORMATION still without a card can take one PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: PACKET ROW now, and so on. 2-5 10+ 75+ NEW YORK, 1842 At any time in the game you can meet contracts by discard- Designer: Åse and Henrik Berg ing the respective commod- Artist: Michael Menzel Price: ca. 35 Euro Trading companies and their of- In turn each player who wants ity cards, but you must hold the Publisher: Pegasus Spiele 2013 fices are located in Packet row in a card from Current Stock of corresponding Merchant Ship. www.pegasus.de the Docks of New York. the active board pays the price You receive the money for the You profit from transatlantic and places his marker: Merchant contract and discards all cards EVALUATION trade and donate money to Ships are laid out openly, other used to meet the contract. Card collecting, exchanging charity at the right moment. At cards are taken in hand. If you Captains and Traders can Users: With friends the start of a round the Harbor do not take a card you can may- change the target of a ship or Version: de Master chooses one of the four be take a card later from another the type of commodity. When Rules: de In-game text: no boards - Guildhall, Docks, Mar- board. the Current Supply on 1-3 Comments: ket or Bank, with cards in Cur- Finally, the Harbor Master can boards cannot be replenished, Good card collecting rent Supply and Future Supply take a card and thus end the the game ends. mechanism * Simple, facile cases. round. Alternately, he chooses You can still meet contracts and rules * Lots of interaction * Game gets more interest- then you score for buildings and ing after several games as money. the value of cards is more The game features an interest- easily assessed Compares to: ing mechanism for acquiring Games featuring collecting of cards cards; combinations of money, and exchanging them for other items acquiring victory points and Other editions: card abilities of Banker, Captain White Goblin Games or buildings result in lots of options, but their implementation can take time or you might be forced to re-plan, as the necessary cards do not come or are snatched from under your nose. þ

WIN The Games Journal now also available as eBook! www.gamesjournal.at For all information on that check our website. ISSUE 468 / AUGUST 2014 35 PLAYED FOR YOU u PARADE / PRIMATE FEAR

have the same or lower value; INFORMATION you sort them by color in your PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: PARADE display. 2-6 10+ 30+ GREEN PLACED, MAYBE TAKING GREEN Then you close gaps my moving cards to the left and then relo- Designer: Naoki Homma cate the number strip so that Artist: Carsten Mell Price: ca. 8 Euro You place cards in a row and the draw pile. the newly placed card is in Posi- Publisher: Schmidt Spiele 2014 try to take the fewest possible This leaves Position 0 empty at tion 1 and Position 0 is free for www.schmidtspiele.de number of cards. the end of the row. the card of the next player. The game comprises 66 number You place a card on Position 0 When the draw pile has been EVALUATION cards of values 0-10 in six differ- and draw a card. The card you used, you play a final round; Card placement and collect- ent colors. You hold five cards, placed and all cards to its left to then all players discard two of ing for scores and six cards are laid out in a the strip number that is equal to their cards in hand and then Users: For families row. the card value remain in place. score all their remaining cards. Version: multi Rules: de en fr it The draw pile is placed to the Of those cards left from this If you have the majority of cards In-game text: no left of this row and then you number you must take all those in a color you score one point Comments: place the number strip beneath that have the same color as the per card, in case of a tie all play- Revised edition of Alice the row so that the 7 is beneath card on position and those that ers involved score 1 point. in Wonderland Parade * Very simple mechanisms * For all other cards you add card Lots of tactic necessary for values and if you then have the optimum use of cards lowest total, you win. Compares to: Card placement games in general, In this revised version, too, Pa- first game with this mechanism com- rade is a cute card game with an bination interesting mechanism which Other editions: asks for quite some tactical con- Alice in Wonderland Parade, Grimpeur, Japan; Z-Man Games, USA siderations for optimum use of cards, because you should try for color majorities. Cards of value 0 turn all cards to their left into candidates for taking! þ

There is no limit to cards in INFORMATION hand and you raise your tower PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: PRIMATE FEAR by placing a new junk card on 2-6 12+ 60+ MONKEY SEE, MONKEY DOOM! top and you can reinforce it by placing a reinforcement card Designer: Peter Hansson next to a junk card. Each player Artist: Peter Svärd Price: ca. 25 Euro On a junkyard over a spooky Frankenmonkey eats all remain- is always on top of his tower and Publisher: Gigantoskop 2013 cemetery revived body parts of ing players at the same time, he you must adjust your marker on www.gigantoskop.se a monkey, a so-called Franken- is the winner! the climbing height board ac- monkey, are making an appear- The game features 120 cards cordingly. EVALUATION ance. To escape this monster for junk, reinforcement, attack When a card with a monkey Cards, horror, satire you must be quick to build the and defense. A turn comprises symbol is played, you place a Users: With friends highest tower and topple tow- drawing cards, placing cards new monkey part on his board. Version: de ers of other players so that they for tower raising and tower When all seven monkey parts Rules: de en se In-game text: yes are caught by the monkey first, reinforcement, resolving card are placed the Frankenmonkey Comments: because you win if you are the effects, attacking a tower - the awakens and enters the climb- Sequel to Spank the only one to survive. When the owner can defend, moving the ing height board at Level One. Monkey * Compatible stack of cards is used up or the monkey and discarding cards. He rises by one level when a with Spank the Monkey * Cute drawings, basically monkey symbol is played and standard mechanisms eliminates players on this level Compares to: or below, but he cannot climb Spank the Monkey, Munchkin and higher than level 25! Cards can other similar games Other editions: eliminate monkey parts, then In English and Swedish languages the monkey stays on the current level and body parts are added for a monkey symbol until seven parts are on the board again and climbing for monkey symbols is resumed. Cute, scary, satirical and somewhat ulterior, survival is the motto, so attack other towers! þ

Color codes, target groups, features, icons and GABIS are 36 ISSUE 468 / AUGUST 2014 explained on page 5 and at the bottom of pages 42 and 43 www.gamesjournal.at QUELF / QUIBBLE t PLAYED FOR YOU

und Hirnknots. Regelz can be INFORMATION valid for one or all, if you forget PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: QUELF one, you are penalized. You can 3-8 12+ 45+ THE INCALCULABLE PARTY GAME only shed them at the start or by a new instruction. Designer: not named Task precede Regelz cards. Quis- Artist: not named Price: ca. 20 Euro Quelf is one of those games with ability of the chosen character sels cards demand knowledge, Publisher: Spin Master 2013 nice standard mechanisms that will influence the outcome. Stuntz body agility like standing www.spinmaster.com tend to come back, this time re- If you fail or answer incorrectly, on tiptoe and Showbiss creative published by Spin Master. you move back the penalty output like rhymes, dancing or EVALUATION You roll the die, move, draw a number of spaces stated on the singing. Party, tasks card, implement or enact the card. Hirnknots are word chains on Users: With friends card and want reach the finish The “Quelf” effect of your card association. If you stop the chain Version: de line first. New are the characters can be anything – a quotation, because you answer too slow or Rules: de In-game text: yes that you choose. an instruction, additional points name a term twice or cannot Comments: In your turn you draw a card in or? answer, you incur a penalty. On Standard mechanisms * the color of the case that you Surprise! Card categories are Re- the finish case you must answer Nice, cute and well-made reached by rolling a die. The gelz, Quissels, Stuntz, Showbiss one additional Hirnknots to win mix of tasks * New edition at Spin Master * Good for the game. larger groups Quelf is like Irish Stew – a tasty Compares to: mix based on a good recipe; Cranium, Activity and other games Quelf characters and Quelf ef- with task mix Other editions: fects are cute details and the Imagination Games tasks are really funny, like trum- peting a national anthem with your nose. The Quelf effect of this? See for yourself! You must be prepared to make a fool of yourself and to secure beloved items around the game table, but fun and laughter are guaranteed! þ

your fellow players and can buy INFORMATION missing answers from them for PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: QUIBBLE points - you can also negotiate! 3-6 15+ 30+ A FAST GAME FOR FAST THINKERS! But all communication, the stat- ing of the answers you bought Designer: not named and - maybe - doubting of an- Artist: not named Price: ca. 25 Euro A quiz like many others and yet sometimes a card states addi- swers must be done within the Publisher: Piatnik 2014 quite different from all of them! tional parameters. run-time of the timer. www.piatnik.kom 165 Question cards are marked In your turn you choose the When all necessary correct an- on their back side with 2, 4, 6, 8 number of points you want to swers were given within the EVALUATION and 10 for the points that you win, choose a card from the time frame, you move the re- Quiz can win with them. corresponding stack and deter- maining points and all helpers Users: With friends Each card shows three ques- mine the question by casting a move for the points you gave Version: de tions, corresponding to the color die. If you give the neces- away. Rules: de In-game text: yes button on the timer - blue for sary number of correct answers, For one wrong answer or if an Comments: 60, yellow for 45 and red for 30 you move your marker accord- answer is not given on time, no- Standard mechanisms, seconds time to give the de- ingly on the track. If you not body scores. Whoever reaches cleverly varied * Unusual manded number of answers, know all answers you may ask 40 first with his marker, wins. selection of questions * Lots of interaction due to Quibble provides a well-work- help for points ing, cute mechanism using a fe- Compares to: licitous, good selection of ques- FortyTwo and other quiz games, help tions - who can name 6 animals mechanism first in FortyTwo Other editions: that hatch from eggs and are Currently none not fish or birds? Or - for 4 points - can you name 7 terms that de- scribe a time period? Or three actors who played the President of the USA? 4 verbs beginning with “qu”? And can I trust my ea- ger helper who demands three points for two answers? Are they correct? þ

WIN The Games Journal now also available as eBook! www.gamesjournal.at For all information on that check our website. ISSUE 468 / AUGUST 2014 37 PLAYED FOR YOU u ROGUE AGENT / SOCIAL NETWORK

ence from arresting criminals, INFORMATION defused bombs and elimination PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: ROGUE AGENT of assassins as well as from in- 2-4 12+ 90+ ANDROIDEN GEGEN AGENTEN formants planted in the city and from syndicate bonuses. Designer: David Ausloos In the Android Mode for 3 and Artist: D. Ausloos, T. R. Chance Price: ca. 50 Euro Rain City - Agents fighting crime Investigate, and Justice Actions 4 players infiltrating, androids Publisher: White Goblin Games 13 and also Government Androids - including Attacking, Arresting, disguised as agents, enter the www.whitegoblingames.com disguised as agents, you can Intercepting or Turning-In of game. play in two different modes: Criminals, Searching Locations, At the start you do not know if EVALUATION The Agent Mode for 2-4 players Buying Commodities or Defus- you are android or not; when Cyberpunk, adventure is a competitive race for influ- ing Bombs - as well as Recruit- you have been revealed as an Users: For experts ence in the city, played in six ment. android you try to destroy lo- Version: multi rounds of three phases each: In The third phase is the City Phase cations and attack agents to Rules: de en fr nl In-game text: yes the Time Phase new Criminals, when Criminals and Assassins collect influence points; agents Comments: Assassins and Bombs come to cause trouble in the midst of must hinder you. You score as in Card decks in four languag- Rain City. In the Action Phase all exploding bombs. In the Agent the Agent Mode, but androids es * Two different game players resolve actions - Cruise, Mode you win with most influ- also score for Criminals that they modes * Curious mixture of topic and abstract flair n did arrest while still disguised as playing * Allows aggressive agents. interaction * Rule book A game of strategic/tactic in- needs revising Compares to: terest despite lots of dice rolls, Resources management games with abstract and yet full of topic; using dice and aggressive interaction a game with lots of resources Other editions: management and aggressive in- Stronghold Games, USA teraction, a game that you love or hate, a game featuring highly interesting mechanisms like the First Player function of placing threats and thus heavily influencing the game or the Android Revealing Mechanism. þ

as task setter can put one card INFORMATION from hand or draw pile into the PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: SOCIAL NETWORK profile. 2-6 8+ 30+ GALLERY OR CONTEST Quiz is placed into your profile too, and you call “stop” - nobody Designer: Brian Gomez can play a card now and after Artist: Ascetic Labs Price: ca. 15 Euro You start with five cards, the your own profile and you an- calling stop you make a state- Publisher: Brain Games 2013 remaining 18 are draw pile. All nounce it; Like is played onto an ment on yourself, for instance www.brain-games.com play simultaneously, always active Gallery in another player’s “My favorite color is yellow”, and one card after the other, from profile, this is possible while he put the corresponding voting EVALUATION hand, and you can draw cards is not playing another card to card face-down. Card shedding, party up to five in hand as soon as the profile. Then all others vote: When all Users: For families you hold less than five. Cards Contest you play into your have voted correctly, they all can Version: multi you cannot use at the moment profile; if you play Contest you shed a card from hand or draw Rules: de en fr + 6 more In-game text: no can be placed underneath the pose a task of your choice - for pile to their profile; if only some Comments: draw pile and you can draw new instance, “run around the table voted correctly, those players Basically a game of pure cards accordingly. once”; the first one to imple- and you shed a card; if nobody reaction and card shedding A Gallery card is played into ment the task correctly and you voted correctly, you alone shed * New is the interwoven combination with action a card to your profile. and quiz tasks * Nice family If someone is out of card you party game score one point for each card Compares to: in your profile and lose 1 point Card shedding games Other editions: for each card in the draw pile or Currently none in hand; after three rounds you win with most points. Social Network offers a witty combination of standard mechanisms from card shedding and communication party games, features a current topic and, all in all, offers a party game geared to families. þ

Color codes, target groups, features, icons and GABIS are 38 ISSUE 468 / AUGUST 2014 explained on page 5 and at the bottom of pages 42 and 43 www.gamesjournal.at STAR WARS DAS KARTENSPIEL / STINK-ALARM! t PLAYED FOR YOU

You display cards, attack oppos- INFORMATION ing objectives, defend your own DAS KARTENSPIEL PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: STAR WARS and play cards for the conflict of 2 10+ 60+ JEDI OR REBELS VS SITH OR EMPIRE the Force. A player turn comprises the Designer: Eric M. Lang phases of Balance, Refresh, Artist: Andrew Navaro und Team Price: ca. 30 Euro This is the Living Card Game for Smugglers and Spies as well as Draw, Deployment, Conflict and Publisher: Heidelberger 2013 Star Wars - Rebels vs. Empire Scum and Villainy. Force. In the Balance phase the www.heidelbaer.de within the time frame of the The Objective cards provide DS player as active player can original trilogy. missions, ideologies, strategies raise the Death Star marker by 1 EVALUATION The Core Game comprises four and event threads - as a player or 2 steps; when the LS player is SciFi, Card use and acquisi- pre-constructed starter decks of you try to implement those ob- active and the Balance is on the tion 48 cards - eight Objective Sets, jections or to defend them and Light Side he can damage and Users: With friends each comprising one Objective to destroy opposing objectives. maybe destroy an objective of Version: de Rules: cn de en es nl pl Card and Five Placer Cards - for Player cards provide units, the Dark Side. In-game text: yes the factions Jedi, Rebel Alliance, events, enhancement and fate, The Empire wins when the Comments: Sith and Imperial Fleet, plus Ob- and you choose your objectives Death Star marker reaches 12. New mechanisms jective sets for the factions of for a game. The Rebels win, when they compared to other LCGs * Deluxe expansions and manage to destroy three objec- series of extension packs tives of the Dark Side before the are available * Expansion “Balance of Force” allows multiplayer marker reaches 12. games A basically familiar game princi- Compares to: ple used for a cult topic, carefully, Other LCGs very well made and classy, and a Other editions: challenge to play, especially due Fantasy Flight Games, USA; Edge En- tertainment, Spain; Galakta, Poland; to the new deck constructing White Goblin Games, Netherlands; mechanism of Objective Sets Wargames Club Publishing, China and the also new elements of Force Balance with enormous influence on the game as well as attacking objectives instead of opponents or their units. þ

responding Stench Object Card; INFORMATION if this Object card is laid out in PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: STINK-ALARM! front of yourself, you have an- 2-6 5+ 20+ QUCIK! FISH TO MY NEIGHBOR! other turn; if the Object card is laid out in front of another play- Designer: Don Ullman, B. Ross er, the turn passes to this player. Artist: kinetic, DE Ravensburger Price: ca. 15 Euro You draw Stench cards which heaped in the middle of the ta- The run-time of the timer is Publisher: Ravensburger 2014 you want to shed as quickly ble, face-down, showing the fly chance-driven; when it runs out www.ravensburger.de as possible without having to image. The Stench Image Cards and you hear the final sound, take Stench Chips, because if are distributed evenly among the currently active player takes EVALUATION you are first to receive five of all players; in case of five players a Stench Chip. Shedding, speed those Stench Chips, you lose the two cards are left over and are For the next round each player Users: For families game. taken out of play together with hands on one of his Stench Im- Version: de 12 circular Stench Image Cards the ten corresponding Stench age Cards to his left neighbor. Rules: de In-game text: no show stinky objects, and there Cards. If you received the Stench Chip Comments: are five Stench cards for each of The timer is started and in turn you start the timer again and Quickly explained and those objects. you take a random Stench card, turn over the first card. quickly played * Funny, Those 60 Stench cards are turn it over and put it on the cor- Stench Alarm! Fun Alarm! The with nice illustrations * Ideal family game for in- game features simplest rules, between or holidays plays quickly and there is even Compares to: a bit of tactic, albeit with a bit All shedding games with a time of risk - you can try to delay the element Other editions: first turns a bit, and if necessary Currently none you can drop this tactic for the following rounds. The game is definitely an ideal family game, just small enough to fit into a suitcase for holidays, it is language-independent and if necessary you can explain it with a demo round! þ

WIN The Games Journal now also available as eBook! www.gamesjournal.at For all information on that check our website. ISSUE 468 / AUGUST 2014 39 PLAYED FOR YOU u TAMBUZI / TRAINS AND STATIONS

the buzzer again quickly. INFORMATION For the hut symbol you move PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: TAMBUZI into the hut and the animal in 2-4 6+ 10+ .. LAST ONE GETS STRUCK the hut or on the door mat goes BY LIGHTNING! off the board. Designer: Günter Burkhardt When the Lighting Bolt strikes, Artist: Michael Menzel Price: ca. 25 Euro The Rain Dance of the animals You are active player if your ani- the active animal or the animal Publisher: Haba 2014 brings rain, but also lightning, mal sits beside the board. You beside the board is ousted from www.haba.de and animals seek shelter in huts! press the Bongo Buzzer quickly the game und receives the Tam- A board showing huts is laid out, and act according to the symbol buzi-Taler of lowest value. EVALUATION with different numbers of huts that lights up: Move the indicat- For the next round you turn Reaction, speed for different numbers of played number of steps; when the over one part of the board; now Users: For children ers; the starting player puts one inmate of the hut you reached there is one hut less, its inmate Version: multi animal in front of the monkey; sits on the door mat, you swap goes before the monkey and Rules: de en es fr it nl In-game text: no all other place their animals - al- places with him and his owner is the owner begins the round. Comments: ways two, in a game of two play- now active player as his animal When only three animals are Nice version of “Musical ers you use two sets of animals sits beside the board; should the left, all add the values of their Chairs” * Fast, hectic, good - on the door-mat of any hut. animal be in the hut you press hut positions and Tambuzi-Ta- fun * Fantastic components and graphics, as usual from lers. Haba * Also very good If you have most points you get family game a water drop. The board is pre- Compares to: pared again as it was for the first All reaction games Other editions: dance and a new dance begins. Currently none If you receive a second water drop, you win. Tambuzi is a quick, harmonious nice game with lots of flair, albeit with lots of bustle and action! You need to pay close attention to who is active, especially when lightning strikes! þ

is, scoring occurs. When you INFORMATION have three or more identical PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: TRAINS AND STATIONS building symbols you place a 3-5 14+ 45+ DELIVER, DEVELOP, PROFIT corresponding building from personal stack, according to Designer: Eric M. Lang parameters, next to a station. Artist: S. Madden, C. Gugliada Price: ca. 28 Euro Dice represent resources for roll any number of dice as often Coin symbols give you money Publisher: Wizkids 2013 tracks, trains or requirements as you like. Locked Train sym- and you can save any number of www.wizkidsgames.com for buildings to acquire com- bols cannot be re-rolled, three dice for later. Dice on the board modities monopolies for Victory Locked Trains lose you three VP are then scored for track/deliv- EVALUATION Points. and stop re-rolls. ers, goods/monopolies and Dice, railway You pick up to five of your When you are done with roll- power cards/orders as well as Users: With friends dice that are not in use on the ing dice you resolve the results: scarcity of goods/building up- Version: multi board and roll them together Trains and Locked Trains are grade. When all VP cards have Rules: de en In-game text: no with eventual bonus dice; dice placed next to a station or to been taken, all players that had Comments: that were saved from previous continue a track. no turn in this round have one Beautiful, albeit small rounds can be rolled again. When such placements com- more turn; then you add VP components * Simple rules For one coin per roll you can re- pletes a track, delivery, that cards and VP for completed or- * Short tracks are usually a safe strategy for winning * ders and monopolies. Also good for families and Despite the many options to ac- casual gamers quire VP from monopolies, spec- Compares to: Other dice games with multiple use ulation and buildings the game for dice is governed by the chance ele- Other editions: ment of dice; very often a sur- Currently none prisingly quick end ruins a lon- ger-term strategy. Usually track building is the safest strategy, especially when you cooperate with other players. Taken as a pure dice game, Trains and Sta- tions is working well, and also as a family game. þ

Color codes, target groups, features, icons and GABIS are 40 ISSUE 468 / AUGUST 2014 explained on page 5 and at the bottom of pages 42 and 43 www.gamesjournal.at WELCHES TIER BIN ICH? / ZIEH LEINE, FLYNN t PLAYED FOR YOU

When all costume cards have INFORMATION been taken you win with most PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: WELCHES TIER BIN ICH? cards. 1-16 3+ 30+ AM I A PET? CAN I FLY? In version Two a player draws a card from the stack of animal Designer: Laima Zuloné cards and all others try to find Artist: Laima Zuloné Price: ca. 9 Euro The game comprises 16 cards face-down. out which animal he has in Publisher: Savas Takas / Logis 13 picturing animals and 16 cards In the easy version of the game hand. TO do so they ask ques- www.amigo-spiele.de picturing children in costumes all players are dealt one card and tions in turn until the animal is representing the same 16 ani- all search simultaneously for the guessed and can of course, take EVALUATION mals - there are: Bear, Bee, Cat, card on the table depicting the their clues from the costume Spotting, questions Cow, Crow, Dog, Fox, Hedge- corresponding costume; if you cards still on the table as to Users: For children hog, Mouse, Pig, Rabbit, Rooster, find the respective costume you which animals could still be pos- Version: multi Sheep, Squirrel, Stork and Wolf. take the card and put it down sible. Again whoever guesses Rules: de en In-game text: no All cards showing animal cos- together with the correspond- correctly takes both the animal Comments: tumes are displayed openly on ing animal card. Then you draw card and the costume card. Enchanting drawings * the table; all cards showing ani- a new card and search again When all animal cards have Plays faster than stated on mals are shuffled and stacked for the corresponding costume. been used you win again with the box * Two well-working versions most cards. Compares to: As all good children games this All question games on one, too, is very simple and is animals and their characteristics lots of fun; in this case also due Other editions: to the enchanting drawings de- Currently none picting the costumes. For the target group of three year olds the game is a good training for observation as the animals are well-drawn, too. Playing time is not as long as given, especially in the easy version the 16 cards are quickly found when a larger group is playing. þ

the item before pulling the card INFORMATION out. PLAYERS: AGE: TIME: ZIEH LEINE, FLYNN You pull as fast and strong as 2-5 6+ 15+ LOOT FROM THE CROW‘S NEST you can at the cord to get the card out of the stack: If the card Designer: S. Dorra, M. Reindl shows the correct item and the Artist: Antje Flad Price: ca. 17 Euro As a crew member you want to with the Crow’s Nest card. Flynn stack has not tumbled down Publisher: Moses Verlag 2014 steal back the items out of Flynn is then placed on top of the and Flynn did not fall of, then www.moses-verlag.de the Pirate Owl’s the crow’s nest, stack. you may turn over one of your stolen from you and stashed And now players use the table- coin cards over to the yellow EVALUATION there by Flynn. cloth trick - the cloth, that is, in side. If you pull out the last item Memo, dexterity 20 Cord cards show loot items - this case, a Cord card is drawn of a kind, you can turn over two Users: For children drinking cups, sabers, treasure out so quickly that nothing top- coins and the items are put back Version: de chests, jewelry or mice, there are ples or falls. into the Crow’s Nest stack. If you Rules: de In-game text: no four cards for each item. You roll a die and pull out the only pull out a wrong card or Comments: Those Cord cards are stacked by resulting item card by its cord several cards without the stack Well-working, clever item, item stacks are combined from the stack. If you roll the Pi- or Flynn falling, nothing hap- mechanism * Good, stable into one stack which is covered rate Flag you choose and name pens. components * High replay value * Also good for a But if the stack or Flynn fall, you family game must turn all your coins that are Compares to: already yellow back to the Flynn First game of its kind, basically all side and all other players discard dexterity games Other editions: their coins already turned over Currently none to yellow! Whoever turns over all his coins first, wins. Zieh Leine, Flynn offers a nice, marvelous new mechanism for a game of dexterity and memory, which works very well and which is challenging and funny, definitely not only for children! þ

WIN The Games Journal now also available as eBook! www.gamesjournal.at For all information on that check our website. ISSUE 468 / AUGUST 2014 41 NEW ARRIVALS u A QUICK GLIMPSE ON NEWCOMERS

AGRICOLA BELGIEN DECK CRAZY CAT AB IN DEN EIMER CROSSBOULE C3 SOCCER Publisher: Lookout Games Publisher: Kosmos Publisher: Zoch Designer: Uwe Rosenberg Designer: Mark Calin Caliman

The Belgium deck features both parts of the country, Flemish Part of a series of five games, packed in a miniature garbage can. Variant of Boules, featuring soft balls, called boules, playable speaking Flanders and French-speaking Wallonia; for each part In this edition you collect garbage for your pail. Tiles are laid out indoors or outdoors. The small target boule is called ”jack”; how there are 30 new Minor Improvements and 30 Occupations. in a 7x7 grid, face down. You move Crazy Cat in a straight line in you throw it determines how everybody throws their boules, There are no special rules, you play by the rules for Agricola the any direction, over gaps, too, and turn over your target tile. If it “left hand only” or “roll them” etc. You try to get your boules as core game; there are no restrictions for combinations, so you is a garbage tile and the footprints have the same color as your close to the jack as you can. You can play head-to-head or in can use the cards in any way you like. Can also be played as a pail you take the tile. If not, you put it back face-up. A garbage teams. First you throw the jack; then each player in turn throws stand-alone deck. lorry is placed on an open tile in the grid, it must be relocated to one of his boules. When all are thrown, you score for lowest Version: de * Rules: de en * In-game text: yes another tile before you can take the tile beneath it. If you are first distance to the jack and for combos formed by boules touch- to collect five pieces of garbage, you win. ing the jack. With 13 points you win a set, with two sets in your Version: de * Rules: de * In-game text: no pocket you win the match. Package holds one Jack and two sets of boules. Version: multi * Rules: de en fr nl * In-game text: no

Expansion for Agricola, for 1-5 players, ages 12+ Collecting game for 2-4 players, ages 5+ Dexterity game for 2 or more players, ages 6+

DISNEY DOC MCSTUFFINS GEOCARDS MEIN ERSTER ZAUBERSPASS Publisher: Ravensburger Publisher: Amigo Spiele Publisher: Noris Spiele 2014 Designer: Helmut Punke Designer: Bob Galinsky Designer: Hardy

Ich packe meinen Arztkoffer - The doctor for stuffed animals is 50 country cards show on one side the country, its name, the Contains 7 different tricks - The Wand Appears, The Bremen missing four instruments from her medical bag. The instruments location of the capital, the continent and names the size of the Town Musicians, Ring And Rope, Stop That Egg, Magic Wands, are randomly distributed in the three compartments in the box country and its population. The back side names the capital and Three Magic Bells and Release The Ring - and also a little funny and covered. You roll the die - for an instrument symbol you shows the location of the country on the continent. In three rhyme that can be used for a spell. The tricks have been adapted open any compartment and search for the instrument that you version you name in Version 1 the country when the capital is to the age of the target groop and is recommended by educa- rolled; if you already own it you can look anyhow in any com- given or vice versa or name in Version 2) neighboring countries, tionalists. partment to memorize its content. If you roll the plaster you may control is possible on the capital/continent side of the cards, or Version: multi * Rules: de en fr it * In-game text: yes take any instrument you need from the chosen compartment. compare in Version 3 two countries - you use the capital/conti- If you roll the tear you must put back one of your instruments. nent side - and guess which country is bigger. This you can also If you are first to collect four different instruments on your bag, play with size of population comparison. you win. Version: multi * Rules: de fr it nl * In-game text: no Version: de * Rules: de * In-game text: yes

Collecting game for 2-4 players, ages 3-7 Geography game for 1-4 players, ages 7+ Magic Kit for 1 player, ages 5+

MIA AND ME QUARTETT PICK-A-POLAR BÄR REVOLVER VENGEANCE ON THE FRONTIER Publisher: ASS / Spielkartenfabrik Altenburg Publisher: Jolly Thinkers Publisher: White Goblin Games Designer: Torsten Landsvogt Designer: Mark Chaplin

32 cards show Mia and her friends, with name and different Polar Bears Dogs differ in five characteristics, 30 are on display. Expansion 1.3 - Along the wild frontier at the Devil’s River Jack numbers of symbols for courage, friends/family or magic. You You use one hand only to take a card from the display as quickly Colty tries once again to catch the 3:15 Rattlesnake Express and play a game of Happy Families with asking for cards or draw- as possible; this card may only differ by one characteristic from Colonel Ned McReady wants to hinder im. The expansion fea- ing of cards or you play value comparison as in Top Trumps or the top card in your own stack. If you think that no suitable tures two modules: Frontier as an expansion for the core game, a narrative game: You turn up a card - if you can name at least card is left you stop the round. When you are correct, you take a you need expansion 1.1 and 1.2 and buy those neutral cards one friend in the same set of four cards you may tell a story in bonus card; if not, you lose all cards of the round. Then all others using silver dollars. There are also new cards for both factions. which you use an ability of your choice from the card as often as check their stacks – correct stacks turn into winning stacks, Cards in this expansion often relate to Revolver Hunt the Man there are symbols for it on the card. Your fellow players decide if otherwise you lose all cards. When there are not enough start- Down or the San Manzanillo Prison. you mastered the task; if you did, you score points equal to the ing cards left for a new round, you win with most cards. Rules Version: en * Rules: en nl * In-game text: yes number of symbols for this ability. include new variants. Version: de * Rules: de * In-game text: no Version: multi * Rules: de en * In-game text: no

Card fame for 2-4 players, ages 5+ Party and reaction game for 1-5 players, ages 8+ Expansion for Revolver for 2 players, ages 12+

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 42 For families For experts Tactic Creativity Memory Interaction Action CAMEL UP t FROM THE MUSEUM Details to Camel up - Foto: Christian Huber up - Foto: Camel to Details

IMPRESSUM Offenlegung nach dem Mediengesetz: Medieninhaber, Eigentümer, Verleger und Hersteller: Verein „Österreichisches Spiele Museum“, vertreten durch Obfrau Dipl. Ing. Dagmar de Cassan, Raasdorferstrasse 28, 2285 Leopoldsdorf im Marchfelde, Österreich, Telefon 02216-7000, mail-to: [email protected], Internet: www.spielejournal.at - www.gamesjournal.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) 2014 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 43