Shelley and I check out a couple of lighter games, then delve into the busily designed pizza delivery game Papa Paolo.
Honshu by Kalle Malmioja
Papà Paolo by Fabrice Vandenbogaerde from Quined Games
and
Bubblee Pop by Gregory Oliver from Bankiiiz Editions
Shelley and I tackle three 2-player-only games this week, discussing
Sola Fide: The Reformation by Jason Matthews and Christian Leonhard from Stronghold and Spielworxx
Hanamikoji by Kota Nakayama from emperorS4
and
Jolly & Roger by Shaun Graham and Scott Huntington from Abacusspiele
Shelley and I get a chance to learn some Japanese painting techniques with the beautiful and fun Kanagawa, then try to make the most from our herds of cattle in Great Western Trail!
Kanagawa by Bruno Cathala and Charles Chevallier from Iello
and
Great Western Trail by Alexander Pfister from Stronghold Games and eggertspiele
Enjoy!
Shelley and I go heavier, then lighter this week with
Lorenzo il Magnifico by flaminia Brasini, Virginio Gigli, and Simone Luciani from Cranio
and
Kingdomino by Bruno Cathala from Blue Orange
Enjoy!
Shelley and I head out to the Tetris-style gardens of Cottage Garden by Uwe Rosenberg, then head north to get a taste of Viking culture with Jorvik by Stefan Feld.
Cottage Garden by Uwe Rosenberg from Edition Spielwiese
and
Jorvik by Stefan Feld from Stronghold Games
Shelley and I spend some time playing three VERY different games at a Post-Essen Weekend.
Flamme Rouge by Asger Harding Granerud from Lautapelit
a quick and interesting card game
Dodelido by Jacques Zeimet from Drei Magier Spiele
a small-box card game that requires quick thinking and pattern recognition
and
Capital by Filip Milunski from Granna
A Cities/7Wonders mash up about the re-building of Warsaw
Shelley and I have some fun with the brand new DICE VERSION of the fantastic La Granja - La Granja No Siesta! Then, after a quick wander around the game room at our weekend Post-Essen festivities, we build a 3-D rendering of the Colosseum in Die Baumeister des Colosseum.
La Granja No Siesta! by Andreas Odendahl from Stronghold Games
and
Die Baumeister des Colosseum by Klaus-Jürgen Wrede from Schmidt Spiele
Other games mentioned as I wandered the room:
Fabled Fruit
Great Western Trail
Dodelido
Terraforming Mars
Mi Tierra: New Era
Power Grid Card Game
Flamme Rouge
Key to the City: London
Cottage Garden
Oracle of Delphi
Chariot Race
Capital
Shelley and I get a chance to review our first Essen 2016 release - Fabled Fruit from Friedemann Friese and Stronghold Games - then we have three 'At The Fair' recordings with Shelley and me, Scott 'Aldie' Alden of BGG, and Mark Johnson of Boardgames To Go!
Fabled Fruit by Friedemann Friese from Stronghold Games
Feast for Odin
Skibe
Schwupps
and others!
Shelley and I take on two games that fell flat for both of us.
Blood Rage by Eric Lang from Cool Mini or Not
and
My Fair Princess by Kuro from Manifest Destiny
Shelley and I get a chance to try out two possible entries in NEXT year's SdJ competition, and you'll be able to find them throughout Essen THIS WEEK!
Costa Rica by Matthew Dunstan and Brett J. Gilbert from Mayfair/Lookout
and
Dream Islands by Lorenz Kutschke from Schmidt Spiele
Enjoy!
Shelley and I get a chance to discuss one of the newer titles from Stronghold Games that will be available in Germany in less than 2 weeks, then we tackle the Essen Spiel 2016 Preview on BGG and I go through the ones I must track down!
Review:
City of Spies by Gil d'Orey and Antonio Sousa Lara from Stronghold Games
The games discussed from the Preview:
Amigo/Small Card Games/2-Player Games (under E20)
Interesting New/Newer Publishers
Heavier Probably or MUST HAVES
Stronghold Titles
Lighter Fare That Looks Interesting
Odds & Ends/Expansions
Shelley and I check out two great games we had a fantastic time playing for the past couple of weeks:
Scythe by Jamey Stegmaier from Stonemaier Games
and
The Pursuit of Happiness by David Chircop and Adrian Abela
Ted Alspach, Doug Richardson, Ric Bretschneider, Shelley, and a host of others join in on the mics for a conversation about the good, the bad, and possible future titles too!
Ted Alspach, Scott Caputo, Joe Huber, Matt Leacock, and Susan McKinley Ross join the gamers at the table in the conference room once again for Meeplefest Night 1, Part 2!
Shelley and I get Rome: Rise to Power with its trademarked 'Rise to Power' dice placement system, as well as the cute mice/cat/dog cheese-getting game that is Go Da Cheese.
Rome: Rise to Power by Elad Goldsteen from Golden Egg Games
and
Go Da Cheese by Hisashi Hayashi from OKAZU Brand
Enjoy!
Shelley and I finally get a chance to play the 3rd nominee for the 2016 Spiel des Jahres, then try out a Michael Schacht card game with cool mechanisms but bad graphic design.
Imhotep by Phil Walker-Harding from Kosmos
and
Crimson Crush by Michael Schacht from White Goblin
Ted Alspach, Scott Caputo, Joe Huber, Matt Leacock, and Susan McKinley Ross join the gamers around the table for a discussion of the SdJ and KdJ winners, then we delve into where the sparks and ideas for designs come from.
It's Meeplefest time once again!
Shelley and I spend time playing through the new version of Medici from Grail Games (which includes a great 2-player game), as well as two of the new Target-exclusive releases - Ticket to Ride: First Journey and Machi Koro: Bright Lights, Big City.
Medici by Reiner Knizia and from Grail Games
Ticket to Ride: First Journey by Alan Moon and from Days of Wonder
and
Machi Koro: Bright Lights, Big City by Masao Suganuma from IDW and Pandasaurus
Shelley and I tackle the BIG new game from Okazu (and forthcoming from TMG), then race through the woods while avoiding bears and hopefully heading in the right direction!
Yokohama by Hisashi Hayashi from Okazu Brand and Tasty Minstrel Games
and
Bear Valley by Carl Chudyk from Stronghold Games
Shelley and I head back to the 2014 Kennerspiel des Jahres winner Istanbul to play its Mocha and Baksheesh expansion, then we try out the new and, yes innovative deck builder Mystic Vale and its 'card building' mechanism.
Istanbul Mocha and Baksheesh by Rudiger Dorn from AEG and Pegasus
and
Mystic Vale by John D. Clair from AEG
Anmelden