All the reviews of the games I played for the first time in Essen 2017.
Divinity Derby
I got to play Divinity Derby at Essen 2017…
It looks very nice and I like racing and betting, but is THIS game any good?
Zeus has invited a bunch of divine friends, including a couple of new ones, from all around the Multiverse for a little get-together on Mount Olympus…and you are one of them! After a few rounds of ambrosia, soon the racing and betting begins, with the Olympic “All-father” as the ultimate judge.
Fast Forward: Fear
No rules? A game with no rules can’t be any good, can it?
Do you fear ghosts? Or are you confronting the danger and scaring your opponents? FEAR is a fast-paced and straightforward hand management game of tension-filled ghost chasing.
You start a Fast Forward game without reading a rules booklet in advance!
Take it Easy!
I got to play Take it Easy! at Essen 2017…
Abstract games can go either way, did I enjoy this one?
Take It Easy is a true multi-player solitaire in which each player individually completes a hexagon-shaped board with spots for 19 hexagon tiles. There’s no limit to the number of players if you’ve got enough sets on hand.
Vortex
Abstract Alert!
Nah, just kidding. A lack of theme doesn’t mean a lack of fun, this one is worth checking out.
Vortex is the fun board game to play with family and friends. Place the routers and the controllers and try to be the first to get to the other side of the board.
This is an interesting system where disks called ‘Routers’ are on lift and twist style disks called ‘Controllers’.
Lifting a Controller lifts 6 plates which hold the Routers and can be rotated. But the controllers overlap by 2 plates and interconnect so, for example, turning the centre controller affects the 6 controllers around it.
There are lots of different games you can play from 1-6 players. We played a 3-player game called ‘Crossing’ with the designer Hans Beeftink.
Players start with 6 Routers, on a Controller on their end of the board so the 3 players are set up in a Triangle. The goal is to pass the Routers from Controller to Controller to get all 6 Routers onto the Controller on the other side of the board.
As we were all set up in a triangle eventually we all met in the middle.
You can only move a Controller, clockwise or anti-clockwise, if you have the most or joint most Routers on it.
The first player to get their Routers to the other side of the board wins.
This is a very thinky, VERY clever abstract with a unique and ingenious board mechanism.
If you like abstracts I’m sure you’ll love this.
Gaia Project
I got to play Gaia Project at Essen 2017…
Here is what I think of the differences between it and Terra Mystica along with my positives and negatives.
Fourteen different factions live on seven different kinds of planets, and each faction is bound to their own home planets, so to develop and grow, they must terraform neighbouring planets into their home environments in competition with the other groups.
In addition, Gaia planets can be used by all factions for colonization, and Transdimensional planets can be changed into Gaia planets.
Doodle Rush
I got to play Doodle Rush at Essen 2017…
A fun-looking frantic drawing game, what did I think of it?
Doodle Rush is a fast-paced party game that will keep you on your toes for the whole time.
Note: The copy I played was a review copy generously provided by Brain Games, big thanks to them for this game.
Azul
I got to play Azul at Essen 2017…
It looks pretty, and some of those tiles look very edible, but is it any good?
Introduced by the Moors, azulejos (originally white and blue ceramic tiles) were fully embraced by the Portuguese when their king Manuel I, on a visit to the Alhambra palace in Southern Spain, was mesmerized by the stunning beauty of the Moorish decorative tiles. The king, awestruck by the interior beauty of the Alhambra, immediately ordered that his own palace in Portugal be decorated with similar wall tiles. As a tile-laying artist, you have been challenged to embellish the walls of the Royal Palace of Evora.
The Bottle Imp
I got to play The Bottle Imp at Essen 2017…
I’d heard about this trick-taking game a while ago and wanted to play it, was it worth the wait?
In this trick-taking game based on the short story by Robert Louis Stevenson of the same name.
Killing Code: Venice Vendetta
I got to play Killing Code: Venice Vendetta at Essen 2017…
A 1 vs Many deduction style game? Sounds pretty cool…
Killing Code: Venice Vendetta is a cooperative reasoning game in which the players must work together to discover the identity of a killer in the city before it is too late. One player acts as the killer, secretly assuming the identity of one of the citizens of Venice and looking for opportunities to kill some of the others. The other players act together to unmask the killer’s identity. Within the round limit, the killer must keep their identity hidden and complete their killings, while the other players must investigate the murder methods to discover clues leading to the killer’s unmasking and stop these atrocities.
Overbooked
I got to play Overbooked at Essen 2017…
It was on Kickstarter during Essen and just funded after, but is it good?
You have been thrust into the world of airline booking, and tasked with managing competing airlines. You have to satisfy each passenger’s different needs to score prestige for your airline. Book too few passengers, and you may not be able to fill your flight. Book too many, however, and some passengers will obviously be really unhappy.
Scribble Time
I got to play Scribble Time at Essen 2017…
I scribble a lot so I should be good at this right… RIGHT?!
Scribble Time is a speed drawing and guessing game. Can you scribble what you hear in a second? Can you remember what your drawing is meant to represent?? “Sure!” you might think! Well, we’ll see about that! Ready your pen, on your marks! GO!
Harvest Dice
I got to play Harvest Dice at Essen 2017…
It looks pretty, that wheel thing is very intriguing, but is the game any good?
Harvest Dice is a fast, fun dice game of dice drafting and veggie doodling.
Death over the Kingdom
I got to play Death over the Kingdom at Essen 2017…
A small card game with a fairly unique way to win rounds, Did I enjoy?
In Death Over the Kingdom you have two games in one:
– For groups of 3 to 7 players;
– For groups of 3 to 16 players, although we recommend starting with 8 players.
(Yes, that is the real game blurb)
Hypergrid
I got to play Hypergrid at Essen 2017…
My head hurts…
Hypergrid is the ultimate action-driven abstract game of sandbox tactics for two players from 7 years and up, which takes about 16 turns per player to play. Place two tokens on a turn, combine their effects, create more lines than your opponent, rule the grid!
Muse
I got to play Muse at Essen 2017…
This is a Dixit-style team game with an ‘inspirational’ twist…
Where will your muse guide you?
Lead your teammates to inspiration using cryptic clues and surreal imagery in Muse, a beautiful party game with over one hundred fully-illustrated cards.
Fast Forward: Fortress
I got to play Fast Forward: Fortress at Essen 2017…
I played the Fast Forward system before in Fear, what is this one like?
A great fortress looms in the distance…and it must be yours! Accept the challenge against all others to conquer the Fortress!
FORTRESS is a game about taking risks and out-witting and bluffing your friends to become the dominant ruler of the kingdom.
Knister
I got to play Knister at Essen 2017…
This is a roll & write game with a bit of poker-style scoring…
Each player takes a dry erase marker and a glossy game board with a 5×5 matrix. A round consists of 25 die rolls of two standard six-sided dice.
Pot de Vin
I got to play Pot de Vin at Essen 2017…
This is a Trick-Taking game with great art and interesting scoring…
These are uncertain times. There has been a power void since the coup. Everyone from the highest aristocrat to the lowliest gang boss strives to gain the support of the guilds — but to get this means bribery, skullduggery, and knowledge of the four most powerful and influential figures in the city. Knowing when to strike requires cunning and prudence. News travels fast, and no guild wants to become infamous…unless of course they can profit from it!
Magia Cum Laude
I got to play Magia cum Laude at Essen 2017…
Student wizards in a school aren’t new, what is this one like?
The apprentices of the Academy of Babas came together to fulfill their master exam. For this purpose, each of them has received a test spell, which consists of a certain composition of six energy stones. Now they have to collect the stones, which are spread on the floor tiles of the tower. But this is not as easy as you thought, as well as the other apprentices and one or the other of the masters want to have this energy, too.
Speed Colors
I got to play Speed Colors at Essen 2017…
This is a colouring and memory game which can’t be a fun combination, can it?
Are you ready to bring the black-and-white image to life by colouring it in? Then you’d better speed up!
Booo!
I got to play Booo! at Essen 2017…
Scaring people in Scotland’s most colourful castle…
You are attending the great ghost apprentice competition in “Blackrock Castle” in northern Scotland. In this tournament, you have to scare as many visitors as possible in order to win the disputed “Ghost Master” title. Who is going to be the fastest ghost?
Manhattan
I played Manhattan at Essen 2017
How does this older (1994! Ancient!) game hold up now?
In Manhattan, players construct a skyline of skyscrapers over several districts, or city blocks, of Manhattan Island. Ultimately, each player seeks to have built the tallest buildings in the most city blocks of the Island.
Gold Armada
I got to play Gold Armada at Essen 2017…
This is a Yahtzee-style game from Reiner Knizia on an overly large board…
Gold Armada is a pirate themed board game where players roll the dice and try to collect as many gold coins as possible! The better you roll, the more difficult it is to collect more coins. Successful rolls are rewarded with gold, but unsuccessful rolls will earn you a skull token.
Metro
I got to play Metro at Essen 2017…
20 years old and still chugging along, but is it any good?
Similar to games like Streetcar and Tsuro, this game has players putting square tiles onto the board to form rail lines. The major difference in this game, however, is that players are not striving to make short, direct routes. Instead, the object of the game is to make the rail lines as long as possible.
Merlin
I got to play Merlin at Essen 2017…
A new Feld, yeah!
King Arthur is searching for a worthy heir. Together with Merlin he tries to find the best candidate among the Knights of the Round Table.
Bunny Kingdom
I got to play Bunny Kingdom at Essen 2017…
An adorable drafting game from Richard Garfield.
Peace has come at last to the great Bunny Kingdom! Lead your clan of rabbits to glory by gathering resources and building new cities across the land!
Photosynthesis
I got to play Photosynthesis at Essen 2017…
A game about growing trees using sunlight that I played in the darkest room in the world!
The sun shines brightly on the canopy of the forest, and the trees use this wonderful energy to grow and develop their beautiful foliage. Sow your crops wisely and the shadows of your growing trees could slow your opponents down, but don’t forget that the sun revolves around the forest. Welcome to the world of Photosynthesis, the green strategy board game!
Warstones
Flick and Fight and Beige Towers on a cloth playmat
Build your army and flick them out to war!
Warstones is a tactical army-building game, with a dexterity mechanism at its core. Choose your units, deploy them on the battlefield, then flick… eh… lead them! Control key areas to gain victory points, defeat enemy units or just push away the strongest. Dexterity is just one of the countless features of Warstones. Army building provides a lot of options and flexibility, so even if you don’t believe in your flicking skills, don’t worry! There are different kinds of armies, and plenty of room for customization; you will find the army that works for you!
Temp Worker Assassins
Two Questions:
Can deck building be mixed with Worker Placement?
Can you kill a Vampire Accountant with a Protractor?
Each of you have been hired to infiltrate Bureaucrat Castle (through a five day temporary contract) and take out as many employees as possible.
Targets will range in difficulty and bounty from the remarkably puny Health and Safety Halfling to the unsurprisingly resilient Acquisition & Merger Viking.
Unfortunately, it is company policy to search new staff at the door, so you will have to use whatever makeshift weaponry you manage to smuggle in and what stationery you can ‘find’ on site. Good luck and may your pencils be reasonably sharp.
Flip a Bird
I played Flip a Bird at Essen 2017.
It’s a Perudo-esque card game, what did I think of it?
In Flip a Bird, players take turns laying out bird cards either face up or face down depending on the top card of the draw pile. Whenever someone thinks that too many birds are on the table, they can express that doubt and possibly win some points.
Stay Away!
If you go on an expedition on the Island of R’lyeh you’re really asking for it.
This game is all about one Thing. One big, Scary, Thing… (Legally dissimilar to “The Thing”)
A group of archaeologists has mysteriously disappeared during an expedition to the risen island of R’lyeh. You are a member of a rescue team sent to aid them, but as you investigate the site, you encounter something terrible that seeks to destroy your team from within…
You’ll need intuition, nerves of steel, and clever acting if you’re going to survive and win the game. Who will believe you? Who is whom, and who is what? You can’t trust anyone and no one will trust you, so block the doors, quarantine a suspect, reveal your identity to your “allies”, grab a flamethrower, or run away — but look carefully where you will end up because “The Thing” might be closer than you think…
Iberian Rails
The Champagne in Spain falls mainly on the Train.
Buy shares in train companies and cross your fingers that the CEO will do the right thing!
Iberian Rails is a share-holding train game in which players employ services of characters, some more reputable than others.
Noria
I got to play Noria at Essen 2017…
It looks pretty, that wheel thing is very intriguing, but is the game any good?
A new era is looming on the horizon. The future of Noria is right in front of you, and you must guide your flourishing trading empire into prosperity. Discover flying islands, buy ships, and build factories. Invest in prestigious projects, and secure their success by passing on secret knowledge to politicians. For even above the clouds, there is still room for improvement…
Game of Trains
OOhc Oohc… Hcoo Hcoo… Choo Choo!
Game of Trains is a game about trains, and getting them in order.
In Game of Trains, each player is in charge of their line of trains.
Jesta ThaRogue