It’s a sad time. Essen SPIEL ’16 is all over. Luckily I brought home so many games that I’ll keep me entertained for a long time. Too many games some might say. But can you ever really have to many games? It did mean I had to sell a lot of old games to make room, but it was all worth it.
Designed by the legendary Bruno Cathala, Kingdomino’s title is a clever combination of the words Kingdom and Domino. It’s actually also a pretty good description of the game. You build a kingdom using dominos. There is a bit more to it than that of course. Let’s have a look at it shall we?
Vikings on Board is a game all about getting ready to go raiding. You need to get your fierce clan warriors on the best supplied longboats before they set sail. Or be sneaky and bet on who will do the best. So grab your drinking horn and prepare to go on a glorious viking raid.
A lot of great games are coming out at Essen SPIEL ’16. Almost too many great games. I wish I could grab them all, but money (and room) gets in the way of such foolish dreams. I’ve made list after list to narrow the field of games down, but only partially succeeded. I do however have some clear favorites.
Essen SPIEL has been the highlight of my year for a while now. It’s a fantastic experience. Meeting so many great people. Playing so many great games. Spending way to much buying them. It’s an experience I would not be without and I can’t see myself not going again, again and again.
In a nutshell Via Nebula is a very attractive and clean “pick-up and deliver” game where you race to be the first to construct 5 buildings and score the most points. It does have some very interesting twists, while retaining a very simple rule set. Will you have the skill and wit to outmaneuver your opponents and get the most out of the shared resources?
Picking my Top 6 Publishers was no easy task at all. There are so many great ones out there, that make sure we are never bored. While most of them pretty small, they all add something special to the world of board-gaming. Spending time playing and buying board games you start to become aware of the different publishers and what they do differently from each other.
Targi is a fantastic game. One of the best 2 player games out there. If you don’t believe me you should check out our review of it. Now, after many years of waiting patiently, we finally get an expansion for it. Targi: Die Erweiterung is designed by Andy Steiger who has been super kind to give me an exclusive interview about it.
Rattle, Battle, Grab the Loot might have the most descriptive title ever. It tells you exactly what the games is about. First you Rattle some dice and throw them in the box. Then you resolve a naval pirate Battle based on these dice. Finally you Grab the Loot. So is this game just as great as it is silly and fun? Read on to find out.
Phil Walker-Harding is the man behind some of my favourite lighter games. Actually 3 of them are games I play regularly: Sushi Go!, Cacao and the fantastic Imhotep. He has been kind enough to take some time to give you a little insight into his fantastic mind.