El Holgo’s incredible board game extravaganza (2024)

after a much too long break, I’m finally back. Our plans for this summer dissolved in some medium catastrophes: to keep it short, “Pipy” our pipe break in the bathroom is finally fixed – even if the bath room is still not fully operational. In addition, our dog Tami (my avatar image) was poisoned and had to be hospitalized. She has recovered but it was really a shock to see her in Zombie mode. Oh, and on our way to the animal hospital when we wanted to pick her up to bring her back home, we had an animal-vehicle crash with a huge deer. So much excitement in a short amount of time…

Just a short note on other subjects: I saw a report about Russia’s war in Ukraine. Two shocking facts: 1. the biggest mine field in the world is now in Ukraine that has approximately 40% of its land surface mined – sometimes with 4-5 mines per square meter. 2. Russia and Belarus have expanded their program to “weaponize” refugees: it is estimated that each month about 10.000 refugees from various countries are given a “stipendium” in Russia and are then transported to the Poland-Belarus border. Meanwhile, the offensive of the Ukraine army is still running with slow but apparently steady advances through said mine fields. There seems to be one more month before the start of the “mud season” which makes vehicle movement very difficult. It seems to become a very long war.

Coming to gaming related topics, this blog post also features my checklist for this year’s SPIEL. A fully tally of my CCC 23 status will be done after a massive culling during this event.

Cerberus

Maybe the biggest surprise this gaming summer: a semi coop game that was actually fun to play. Granted, we kind of broke the game as one player selflessly sacrificed themselves to save the remaining players. So, I'm not sure if our nicely spent 40 minutes were “because of” or rather “despite” the fact that this game is semi coop. I’m also not sure if the player being killed by Cerberus after having just one turn had so much fun. Sure, they played that hellhound but basically never had a chance to win. On the other hand, screw scrutinizing everything! It was strangely entertaining and a good time – although most probably not repeatable.

Cold Case: Murder with Interest

A new and solid case. Sometimes it’s just great to search through loads of evidence material and sequentially unravel the underlying story. Small nit-pick: I did not understand why the crime was committed to that specific point in time – I mean why waiting so long for the revenge? But this may also be irrelevant for this case.

Planet Unknown

Polyominos in combination with research tracks – what else do you need for a fun game? No, seriously? It might be a little early but Planet Unknown has the potential to be the one polyomino game I will keep in my collection. The gameplay is smooth, not too restrictive and focuses on the development of the planet. There is no distracting fluff but still enough theme to be engaging and the simultaneous game play makes it play really fast – like packing a 90 minutes game in the timeframe of about an hour. The different planets and corps provide variety and I cannot wait to try them all. In fact, this is one of the very few games I could also play solo. So, stay tuned for more updates…

Puerto Rico

Over 20 years ago, a euro game was invented… Some say it was THE board game. It was BGG’s number one board game for quite some time – and some people could not understand why. It was the starting point for a discussion about the depiction of racism in games and in 2022, a new edition was published. But how has this game aged? Is it still great? Admittedly, I played it a few times back in the day but was never a huge fan. I found it to be o.k. not more and not less.

During our five player session, I tried a new approach: as less dishing out and taking “take that” as possible – and was utterly crushed. I remembered that it’s all about timing and profiting from the actions of other players but actively wanted to see if there is also another way to success. Apparently, there is not. In order to be successful, very precise needlesticks against your opponents seem to be crucial: no more sugar to harvest this round? Well, too bad. No more space on the trading ship? I guess no points for you this time… Especially when a player being three or more spaces in front of you in turn order triggers said actions, there is not much you can do about it. To make things even more “exciting”, that action won’t be available until the next round. So, you are already one round behind in the production cycle. In this context, I wonder if the number of resource tokens is always the same and not scaled with player number – the spaces on the ships seem to scale. All in all, five players may not be the optimal player count or maybe I’m not the optimal player.

Race to the Raft

Coop games are fun for everyone, right? O.k., I met some gamers going “wait. Is this a coop game? I don’t play coop!” Well, suum cuique, I guess… Nevertheless, coop tile laying games are not that common and I was eager to try this one after having mixed feelings about Mists over Carcassonne. The concept is easy: all cats must reach the rescue raft via a path in their color while more and more of the board is engulfed in a wildfire. The scenario we played was one of the early ones and quite easy. It was still a quite entertaining half an hour. Maybe also due to the fact, that we were constantly breaking the communication ban and were constantly apologizing. All in all, I’m not sure if coop tile laying games really work in larger groups. They might be a nice solo or maybe two player puzzle. However, even if turns are kind of quick there is always some downtime. In addition, where is the cooperation? I mean you are certainly playing together and not against each other but where is the coordination and team work? Especially as discussing card and tile placement is not allowed here. On the other hand, the lengthy discussions and potential quarterbacking felt like a problem in Mists over Carcassonne. Maybe it’s just me? What do you think?

Unlock!: Star Wars – Flucht von Hoth

It’s been quite some time since our last play of a Unlock – maybe due to the fact that each one besides the Sherlock Holmes case had at least one huge bummer e.g., strange illogic solutions or sometimes no solutions at all. This one was all right. I don’t know why maze riddles for small children had to be fused with a Star Wars setting and of course there was the good old “search anywhere for a number” thing. Maybe I don’t care so much because my game group really enjoyed this one and I could relax, lay back and enjoy the show.

Unsolved: Der Jagd-Unfall

A crime game veteran is always looking for a new challenge. This game promised a straight forward concept: players get some cards with images and have to solve a crime case. Sounded intriguing, fresh and exciting. However, the rules were such a mess that I’m still unsure if we played it right. In this context, the game play felt inconvenient – why passing around cards and deciding which ones to play face up on the table when everyone sees each card?
So, let’s focus on the three cases: the first one was all right – although the background story was a little cheesy, the second one a little weird as only six cards were changed and we did not know if the two death cases happened at the same time. However, the last case was really infuriatingly stupid: evidence written in the solution was not visible on the cards and the whole setting just felt like a bad joke.

It's a Wonderful World

Have you ever tried thus game with seven players? Throw in the expansion and it’s possible. Possible but an experience I don’t want to repeat so soon. Seeing each hand of cards only once and having no clue what the person three places away from you is actually doing reduces the drafting fun significantly. It all felt like a HUGE luck fest and in the end, a rookie who played it the first time won against three veterans. That’s remarkable and may be the sign of a great game but for me, four players is and stays the sweet spot for this game.

Not That Movie!

After five sessions played, it’s “official” now: I found a new favorite party game. It completes my collection perfectly as it’s no word or deduction game. It’s just perfect for trash talk and lots of laughter and I cannot wait to see the next hilarious movie titles and witness the crazy discussions.

Oltréé

Chronic 6 featured a ghost story – one of the charming ones where you try to help the ghost to finally find peace. Just like in the chronic about the princess in exile we needed to take care of, this was a very heart worming experience. The side quests were a little lame as we started to remember what content which pack had and there were no surprises. In fact, as there are no real bad consequences when failing a task, the “crisis control” felt a little like a distraction from the Min story line. We also had various quite dubious moments à la “I guess I’ll eat a bread… Wait… Now it’s a success!” – like defeating brigands by hitting them with some baguette. Sometimes it was quite funny, e.g., giving a dangerous manticore a bread: it's not hungry any more – crisis over. Despite these awkward moments, it was an overall very enjoyable session. It’s just a pity that only the promo chronic is left.

Just a short list about titles that seem interesting for me/ my taste. My preferred prey has not drastically changed over the last few years: clever coop games with not too much rules overhead as well as small snappy card games have high chances to be liked. Sometimes, also a “dark horse” may appear in this super-subjective top 19 list. Why 19? Why not? What’s wrong with 19? I'd love to hear your thoughts on my list - maybe you have more information to share.

After Us

This seems like a very solid optimization puzzle without too much unnecessary fluff. The matching of cards feels fresh and unique and I generally like deckbuilding games. The big question is: how much cube pushing is it? I mean spending X to get Y was done so often before. Is there more to it? Or how does it differ from all the other cube pushing euro games. A test play shall tell.

Almost Innocent

Saw the Kickstarter, missed out as I wanted to try it first. I wanted to see how much variety the different scenarios provide in this coop deduction game. Plus, I did not understand what a “direct exclusive” during the campaign might be. This will be my chance to find out: will there be wooden components? Bonus: the announced prize seems to be much lower than during the Kickstarter – considering added shipping and VAT.

Arkeis

There seem to have been various problems with the fulfillment of this Kickstarter board game. Luckily, some alarm bells rang when I saw it first: many miniatures just being the peak of the iceberg. However, I love many games designed by Antoine Bauza and the publisher/ localizer of the German version seems to have a good track record – we certainly loved their translation of Oltréé. Another plus: besides from one enemy and some cosmetic upgrade there seems to be not too much Kickstarter exclusive content. I think, it will all come down to the price and I fear that it might be quite expensive due to all that plastic. Maybe there will be an attractive SPIEL bundle…

Celtae

I’m not too sure about this one. Something appears very appealing even if I cannot specify what it is. It’s a euro point salad game with many ways to victory and I generally don’t mind this type of board games – there are just so many that feel way too similar. How long do you play them before getting the new shiny? And still, this board game feels somehow different. Is it the rondel? Is it the worker management? I it the different ways to score points? A combination of these and more aspects? I don’t know but want to find out if my gut feeling is right.

Circles

It seems to be a game where you roll a marble inside a circular board to score points and trigger effects. That’s all I know right now. It’s like making a game out of the roulette mechanism and I’m really excited to see if there is a “real game” inside. This concept is definitely unique and fresh but I wonder if it’s just a nice gimmick or also a test of skill, decisions and strategy – maybe comparable to Flipships which is a really excellent dexterity game where players have direction and urgency and try to make and execute the right plans.

Champions

Silly party games that spark hilarious discussions are always welcome. Here you seem to arrange a huge tournament in all kinds of ridiculous events, bet on the overall winner and determine who wins which challenge by voting. Simple but effective? The decisive aspect will be: how is the balance between player input and game contribution? If it’s too “fill in a word here” it’s maybe too much like Card against Humanity but if it’s too “do whatever you want” it will be hard to compete with strong titles like Dixit. I hope a test play will enlighten me…

Doctor Rat

A team deduction game is always interesting. Right now, I have no clue on how it plays or what to do. What to do? You guessed it. Test it.

Earthborne Rangers

A sandbox adventure game with a positive post-apocalyptic theme. Already a good start. If I got this right this is published in a LCG model which raises numerous questions. How much content is the base box alone? How engaging is a “do your own thing” approach? What makes you come back to this game? How significant will decisions of the players be for the further development of the story? Maybe these questions are hard to answer and even a try won’t help too much here. But it might provide a glimpse in the quality of the writing and flow of the overall game play.

Firefighters on Duty

The new release of artipia games – or rather their next, 2024 release – will be shown. I love their real time games and how the players grow together and form a strong team during a session. What will this title bring to the table? There is not too much information out yet but there are not too many firefighting themed games out with is a plus. In addition, this game seems to include a little more management of the different forces/ resources. I’m curious to see how this will actually play.

Goblin Coaster

I love the crazy real time fun of the coop domino game Infernal Wagon. It’s one of these small and brilliant games built around one very clever and unique idea. Will Goblin Coaster be similar or very different? I guess I’ll know more after trying.

Happy Bee

The card games published by helvetiq are small and smart. I love Kariba and Mada as they represent everything a good card game should have: short rules, easy game play and still some tactical decision that can make the decisive difference. It’s a no-brainer to try this drafting/ majority card game and to see if it also hits that perfect sweet spot between relaxed play and still something meaningful to do. If it also plays in roughly 15 minutes, chances are high to enter my collection.

Jekyll & Hyde vs Scotland Yard

Is this coop trick taking game like The Fox in the Forest Duet? What’s the difference – besides the obvious: setting and artwork? Where is the appeal to come back to this game – are there different difficulty levels or scenarios? How many coop trick taking games for 2 players do you need? So many questions. I hope to find answers soon.

Mission Complete

Having played it in prototype form last SPIEL, my first impression of this small coop card game was quite confusing. But I had the impression that the entry hurdle was well worth the effort as it really felt unique. Let’s see if the rules were changed a little bit to make it easier to understand what you are actually doing– or if we just had a weird game explainer last year.

Nekojima

THE stacking game to replace them all -at least according to some reviewers. I must say that this is one of the very few board games I backed this year on Kickstarter. It’s charming, unique, a little bit quirky … and has cats. Enough said. I hope the pickup is going to work smoothly.

Quicksand

Another real time coop puzzle… with sand timers. This one could easily go in any direction. I have a rough idea about the general flow of the game: players try to match symbols by playing cards in order to move and manipulate the different sand timers – like Kites on steroids. Will it be fun though? Hard to tell without a thorough test. So, let’s another game to try before I’ll buy.

Rebel Princess

The description sounds like a more or less standard trick taking game. However, if I understood the short description correctly, there seem to be special abilities and situational card effects to spice things up. In addition, I learned to appreciate these small games from small publishers. They are always good for a surprise. Will this be enough to stand out in a very very crowed segment? Well, you have my attention, right? That’s already something. Let’s find out if there is more to it…

Sky Team

A pure 2 player coop game with different roles and various scenarios where different aspects have to be coordinated and optimized via dice and tracks sounds really intriguing. Again, I must try this one to see how it actually feels to play it and e.g., if the rules impact the flow of the game. If it’s a straight-forward playing games with meaningful decisions, it might be an interesting challenge to tackle with my significant other.

Tiger and Dragon

As I’m a huge fan of Dragon Castle which is a modern interpretation of Mahjong, I’m really curious to see what Tiger and Dragon has to offer. All I know is that there are chunky pieces and various scenarios -already a promising starting point. A test play will show how much tactical depth there is.

The A.R.T. project

The only game I preordered this year, art from Vincent Dutrait is always a plus but also the concept of a shared resource pool and to need to coordinate the fulfillment of various missions as a team instantly sounded like a huge “YES PLEASE”. Admittedly, I have no clue how this game actually plays and if AP or quarterbacking will be a thing. Maybe that’s my one foolery this SPIEL. Let’s just see and be surprised…

That's all for now. Thanks for reading. The next episode will feature a huge SPIEL report - let's see how much of my list can checked off. If you are coming to SPIEL, I'm working at the artipis booth on Friday and Saturday - feel free to come, say "hiho" and play a game with me.
All the best and happy gaming.