The news from Essen

Essen for me and my friends is a way to try out as many new games as possible. Only three hours drive away,  we have turned it into a three day holiday, leaving early on Friday, staying at a hotel somewhere outside town and spending the early part of Sunday in a roadside restaurant to play before heading home. In this way we managed to get a good feel of a lot of games just released at Essen. It may prove of some interest to you.

I will give Age of Conana blog of its own.

We managed to get in a few rounds of Battle Star Galacticajust before the show closed on Saturday. I was convinced by the feel, the story lines, differing character traits and the constant menace of the Cylons. There is enough for different types of players to go with. Tactical combat for the pilots and more strategic challenges for the military and political players. However, the game had already sold out, so I'll get it through my FNSLGS.

A promising game is Saladin, about the period of his rise to power and defense of his conquests against the 3rd Crusade. If you can find 5 people to play this baby over a weekend, don't hesitate. There are some inspiring features.
Different styles of kings: defender of the faith, foreign policy statesman, able domestic ruler. These have effects on how their actions are being "judged by history". Major and minor goals. SPies that report on events before they happen, assassin. Many different troop types. In all, lots of detail and theme.

Another one of the positives for me was Giants. About building the giant statues on Easter Island. Good game. Easy to learn. Beautiful artwork and bits (particularly the Shaman figures!) and lots of interesting interaction between players.

Comrade Koba, a fun and fast card game alike but Much better than Guillotine. It is inspired by the Great Purges in Soviet Russia and exhibits the same cynical view of the world as the guy who lends his name to the game. Your favourites have to end the game near Stalin, but that is also the most dangerous place to be. I also bought another card game by the same author, Supermarket Psycho, but haven´t tried it yet.

Same goes for Dos de Mayo, the mini wargame on the Madrid Revolt in 1808 against Napoleon´s intervention in Spain. Avery fast and asymmetrical game that I want to try out soon. Further unplayed buys: Espana 1936, and With Sword and Shield.

Back to the played new releases: Le Havre, the follow up to Agricola, is quite a fine game in its genre and is different enough to offer an interesting experience. Not exactly earth shaking though.

Confuciusoffered an interesting new mechanism in ´gift giving´, which requires other players to vote in your favour in contests. This can only be undone by sacrificing an official or by returning the gift with an even more splendid one.

I was initially sold on the artwork of the new Polish game Wolsung, but the game drags on to long without any sense of climax or urgency. We suggested they should have a battle with the machines at the end.

Forgettables: Ad Astraby Faidutti, Wind River, Planet Steam(another euro hidden in steam punk art work, we didn´t even care to try). I had Duck Dealerexplained to me, but is a light euro in space game (build up a value enhancement chain).

A special mention is reserved for Heads of State, one of the most uninspired games to be released in the last years, offering very little news in terms of mechanisms and not a stir of life in theme or game play. Yes, this game sux big time. Just collecting cards in the right combinations to put a 'noble' on the map and then scoring for: having 'nobles' in all different countries, having a majority in one country, being number two in one country, being the first to have all different nobles on the table...

This makes a mockery of game design and all it stands for. It displays all the negative traits that give eurogames a bad name. We decided to halt the game halfway so as not to waste more time on it. Thank god I was able to dissuade an unsuspecting prospective buyer.

I also finally bought and played Last Night on Earth, played Galaxy Trucker.

All in all a productive and rewarding weekend.