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    Spielbox - 2021 - 06

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    lbox www.spielbox.de @ spie A y | , PVE os (oun To Issue #6@2021 ECR ES] caper Ee x ren) Including the new Asian Railroads Expansion! : * es Pe ie tas A) a BY 1 lsd y pe 4 TATE een. BE A CONQUEROR, arenas Editorial Dear readers | felt uneasy this year. A consumer fair during the Corona pan: demic: Oh man! | told myself: You don't really need that—and a a regular visitor without business commitments | would not have attended, Better wait another year. Even though I am fully vaccinated. And even though there was a strong hygiene proto- ‘ol involving mandatory masks, tygiene safety rues, admission restrictions and broader aisles in general. But, honesty, a public fair in these times? Well, what can I say ..2 1 went to Essen, And it felt good being there. In short: It was a great show and really fun. OF course, the halls weren't as crowded asin previous years. Maybe that's exactly why [felt so comfortable. Not only was it very easy to maintain social distancing. Fewer visitors also meant the halls were quieter. The lower level of background noise may have influenced the at mosphere, but was beter forthe nerves, which usually take quite 4 battering during eight-hour days in the loud halls. There was also hardly any pushing and shoving, which inevitably contribut- ced to the visitors being very relaxed. | guess many of them were just happy to be back in Essen among like-minded people, to see new games, and to try and buy them. Maybe it's just my imagina- tion, but | felt this general light mood was almost tangible. In addition, you could talk to people in person and not on a screen, We used this opportunity for interviews, for example with ‘André Maack, who is now at the helm of Alea after Stefan Brick left. With no new game this year, he s planning two new releases, in 2022, And a revised edition of an Alea classic. Find out more ‘on pages 27 and 46, (Of course, spielbox has already taken a look at many games that ‘were only now presented to the general public in Essen. For ex: ample, THE RED CaTheDnat (page 10), which topped the BGG Mandatory face masks also at the spielbox booth in Hall 2. Publishing directors Tim and dens Nostheide (From right) with staff mem ber Patrick Korsten, hotness lst last year and is now available in German.7 WoNDERS ARCHITECTS is also still hot off the press (page 40), so are Less Is, ‘More (page 20) and ExPeDiTion Leaoess, the fist major expan sion for Lost Ruins oF ARwax (page 41), Starting on page 22 of tis issue, our author Danie! Willner takes, {an in-depth look at how diversity can be embodied in games and ‘how we can all avoid falling into the trap of conventional stereo types. And not only when it comes to what is probably the most ‘obvious topic inthis context Is the history of European coloniza tion being taken too lightly? Isaac Childres uses the example of his next epic game, FrastHaven, to demonstrate why he thinks this question should be constantly on our minds, Of course, you may ask yourself whether exalting the content and theme of board games to that evel is a bit over the top, and whether there is still any sense of proportion. Does it realy hhave an influence on me ify orc characteris dumb and coarse, rather than an art-loving freethinker who enjoys @ good glass of red wine after work? Your opinions on this topic, dear readers, would be very much appreciated. So, please feel free to write letter to the editor at redaktion@spielboxde, as we would find it fascinating as well as inspiring to continue this debate with your input in the magazine, Stay playful, your (Aus LQ spielbox @ 1 Contents | COVER STORY | AT A GLANCE 7 8 | OnNew Tracks 52 1 TopTen , Ineriew with Helmut Ohleyand 52 1 Kenloat Co who moter tno imate aia 53 | High Score x | REVIEWS 55 | Café 10 1 Seaton Yet Great | CURRENT The Red Cathedral 14 | Alone on Guard Hadrian's Wall 16 | Praised to the Skies So Clover! 18 | Faux Fighters The Loop 20 | Brvty s ts wn Rwed Less Is More 30 | Merry Marauding Kitara 32 | Crossing Fun Bglorers ‘Accessorizing for Fun Wooden Devices by Ugear Games 36 | Only Profit, No Gt Furnace 38 | Dark Times Dark Ages 40 | Balm for Gamers! Souls TV.Documentary “Board Games" 41 Digging Deeper Lost Ruins of Arak: Expedition Leaders 42 | Waiting for Voldemort Harty Potter~ Death Eaters Rising 48 | Little Wonders 7 Wonders Architects A Tasty Bite Especially for up to Two Players Masters of the Night 50 46 | Rolling the Dice Again ‘André Maack talks about plans for Alea | STANDARDS 4 I Fun and Games 5 1 7Games of Life 6 1 Opinion 7 | What Happened to 35 1 imprint 36 | Tweaks and Variations: Furmace 54 | Tweaks and Variations: Project L 56 | Hoffman's Home Play INTERVIEW 12 | The Two with Llamas Uama Dice | REPORT 22 | Fora Better World Diversity and Cultural Consulting in Board Gaming | FOR KIDS 43 | Go Away Monster! 43 | Fairy Land 44 | Tidy Toyboxes 45 | Memo Robots 45 1 Magic Mountain Fabian Ziche watched television forus. German station Hessischer Rundfunk showed documentary about Board Games that is well, worth wate Page 40 Since the days of wilight", you can always squeeze in some vampires. In MasTens oF THE "Nicir, we take on their role. Gerald Ruscher got to the bottom of how that works. Page 50 From poop to unicorn—that seems to be the motto of Tor Ten, the game with the highest rating inthis issue. Harald Schrapers explains why. Page 52 . .s&F ‘Another Harry Potter game? Seriously? Do we need that? Evidently, yes. But whether Harry Porren ~ Dear Earens Rising is a mustbuy, even for Potter: heads, is something Marie Poenisch revealsinherreview on page 42 ‘Should we avord stereotypes in the portrayal of char acters in fantasy settings? Daniel Willner asked James Mendez Hodes and others. Page 22| Tehas become quiet around Alea; ‘or so it seems, since they did not publish a new title ‘this year. Andreas Becker talked to ‘André Maack ‘about the brand, Page 46 2 @ spielbox We didn't just play games and watch TV: Bruce Whitehill embraced the do- ityourself trend and engaged in some handicrafts. Page 34 ‘Maren Hoffman likes to share that she loves ARNAx so much that she practically lives there, She took a look at the expansion Lost RUINS OF ARNAK: ExeeoiTion LeaDens for us. Page 41 i i i i i j Iv Arve D. Fiihler “The year is 1660. On the island of Tortuga, ‘haven for Caribbean rogues, the pirates from the ships in port are boasting about their skills It seems that no one can agree on which ship is the fastest, which crew is the most skilled, and which captain is the most feared. Slory Islands is played over a series of rounds in which players simultaneously play sailing cards from their hands. The card values define the turn order, how far ships can move on the board, and where a player's pirates may be placed on the board. When pirates occupy all the spaces on an island, the player with the ‘most pirates on that island will gain the most glory. The player with the most glory at the end of the game is the winner! ini~Expansion — “ included? S37s « ‘ghey *° Guide your pirate crew on an adventure on the high seas! = + Easy to learn with fast and simple turns! * Play on 2 different game boards Fi un and Games. A Look into the Future of Gaming Anything but Chess Due to mail forwarding mis : 1g mishaps, the spielbox edi ebviously notin , the spielbox editorial team eve . intended for them. The one below fell out of the heads oo ah Sra nae jor ANJA PERKUHN while she was emphati phatically not noticing i ‘ 1g it. It hay process accidentally unsealed and unfolded. iene Seana niece @acu- Sic oft Madawr ak Asusockee, T have submitted several board game designs to you in the past, which you have always rejected. Now Tread that you have published a new board game under your rand Mixlore, THE QU SS GAMBIT. This title is based on a Nettlix series on Prat and the game is not actually above chess at all. What a clever move! Now that I finally understand what Teed of ideas you are Tooking for, please find be- Jow some more game Tas a designer, would like to submit ‘and realize with you: JUMANII on Shver isthe boss of a multi-billion compere and must constantly keep at Fac idl areas of their new factory in the jumgle on the game board: Are there still ee gh rare earths in stock? Will the the Joya the attacks of environments) craivists?. And how many aninyal [peies can all company heads externas together, ae ie PETA marker being forwarded onto the ation® space? SQUID GAME ‘The Korean classic for confliet-free family nights: Each player has a bow! in front df them with seven slots for ingredients. Kn tam, players dfaw blindly from an ‘05° dlient bag and can decide whether to MIegowrthe drawn item back in or keep i+ ‘nugredients come in various values nd when combined, some of them advance each her, Who draws the most of those valuable squid arms? CASINO ROYALE Shaking or stirring? This cheerful and colorful game with wooden componsyy for recnayers is a nonchalant introduction ( Woe fascinating world of cocktails: Who plays. the best poker with the ingredients, 0 9¢0 Tow many fitinto the sturdy plastic deake! wand how to mix them before the spring oe ge splashes them: all over the place? Ad- ditional expert game mode: Choose Your veke do M&Ms go with Martini? “And in case you would like something about sports: ROCKY Tn this whimsical game with card mot showing particularly valuable gems, the a1 raat of as many points as quickly as ssple. Action-cards such as "Wi oe eye closed bring extra excitement to th game! The winner Is the first to lose all their points and, in true UNO fashion, shout out loud: “Adrian! Tam very much looking forward to hearing from you and remain with best regards Yours truly, Lillian Tllle Coswuig, Doveuby 8, 2024 4 @ spielbox 7 Games for Life. Inga Keutmann Inga Keutmann (37) holds a doctorate in biology. As ‘she was working on her dissertation, she realized that the daily laboratory lif is nat for her. Now she works asa game editor, a job much closer to her heart. Favorite games? Everybody has them. In most cases, quite unromantically, the games we currently like to play are subject to the economy. It is the appeal of the new. Who doesn't know it? But we want to know: What are the games for life? With which ‘ones are stories connected? Which ones have always kept the passion for games burning? We asked Inga Keutmann, editor at Feuerland Spiele, which ones inspire her. [My most important game is AcRicoLa. Thats the one that got me back into {gaming during college. AcRicota was the game we played the most, by far. It's such comerstone, And I got to know Uwe Rosenberg through it. He had invited people to join an Acricoua group on a German social media site called ‘StudiVZ. Uwe then got me a job as a game teacher for Lookout Games at con ventions, which is how I got into the scene, o to speak. He also invited me to become a proofreader for, among others, Tena Mysrica, You can find me, still with my maiden name, in the rulebook AF- ter my doctorate, | started working for Queen Games. When Frank Heeren was looking for someone for an editorial pos: tion at Feuerland five years ago, Uwe brought me in. By the way, | stil have a copy of AckicolA from back then in rnyy closet, unpimped, with wooden cubes for the animals and discs for the resources, twas my great aunt's birthday. And it wasn’t that exiting for us teenagers, because all the other quests were, | think, 80 years old. But I had brought along a game: 6 numrl. That's what my brothers, cousins and | played non-stop. It kept us sane that weekend. Later, we also played Story Cuses. We played them with my nieces and nephews, and laughed our heads off atthe stories. When | was a kid, there was one game that | thought was great: AB o1e Post! by Ravensburger. I's about being a mail carrer and delivering letters, parcels or regis tered mail. The trickisto plan your route wel. | still enjoy playing that with my nieces and nephews today. Even the twelve-year-old, with whom | also play games like as ARK Nova, likes to join in. | stil think AB o1e Post! is great Wincsean, unsurprisingly, is an im portant game for me, and not just be cause it won the Kennerspiel des Jah res, There's just a lot thats special about \Winasran, starting withthe theme. It ap pealed to me as a biologist, even though zoology was never my focus. | put a lot of work and heart and soul into this project, and think you can tel that the game is somet- hing out of the ordinary. | also think its great that the German edition, at least, came about almost entiely through the work of women: desig rer Elizabeth Hargrave, three female illustrators and me as editor. | studied in Bonn and worked in a toy store there called the “Puppenkénig* (The Doll King). That's how I found my regular game group back in the day. The "Puppenkénig’ no longer exists, but we still meet. It's been 16 years now. Co.o- ETTO was a classic nightcap back then and | still enjoy playing it today. My copy is completely battered, that’s how often its been played. My favorite game for many ye ars was Rowo Rauty, especially the original version with the ‘Anweo AND DANGEROUS expansion. | like the logical planning, Because of my studies, | have many fiends who are also scientists, Maybe i's because of our experiences playing together that ve like this game so much [ike abstract thinking games in prin ciple, and | really enjoy the games that are part of the Gier projec, especially Yinsi. That's the one | lke best, but it unfortunately only rarely hits the table, and then usually only with my best friend. Nevertheless: I'm a bit of 2 nerd when it comes to abstract games, and I can spend hours puzzling aver logic ‘games of almost any kin. (o)@ spielbox @ 5 Opinion A Futile Hunt for New Games ‘A Consideration by CHRISTWART CONRAD Which are also strongly affecting the board games segment. [As a consequence of the more difficult production conditions, these price increases have been announced especially for next year. However, the monetary effects are only one side of tis; the other side concerns the production volume that simply won't be achieved to the extent desired, despite all the demand, Therefore, this brought a bit of a downer to the SPIEL. Visitors and exhib tors had reacted downright euphorically o the reopening after last year's forced hiatus. Finally playing again, finally face-to-face contact. It's only when something you've taken for granted is canceled that you realize ow much you've missed it It has always happened here and there that some publishers were affected by goods that were not delivered on time but got "stuck in customs" or that due dates simply were not met by ‘one of the parties involved. Especially in the case of delays on | 1 spielbox #5/21, we reported on the curent cost explosions, The publishers need to be credited for openly communicating the shortage before and during the fair. the way from overseas, the (expensive) alternative is to order a partial print run by ar. Some exhibitors decide against this, oth ers accept the high surcharge. Typically, such “air games" come in small quantities, so this can explain an early “sold cut" sign. The benefit from this often refers to the image rather than to the pecuniary gain. Some publishers even take it to the extreme: | know of one case in which game materials were missing and the publisher bought them at the same price at which he then offered the complete game, Others often have to contend with the problem that their of der was only partially ful filed by the manufacture, when, for in stance, a cutback bya supplier meant the 6 @ spielbox delivery of only one ton of paper instead of 16 tons; ths led the manufacturer to do a re-allotment, which means, send only a fraction of the order to each purchaser. No wonder that, at the lend of the supply chain, its the player who loses out. There has been an increase in the proportion of those who don't even intend to have an actual merchandise presence, but offer their product on crowafunding platforms such as Kickstart. er, so that it will then—in the best case-he delivered sometime inthe next year. At least, most exhibitors point this out with an applicable notice on the wall, so that usually only unobservant customers are disappointed~those who wanted to take a copy with them right after playing a try-out game. A few hand sam- ples, lined up on the shelves in their original packaging and in distinguishable from the final product, may lead to erroneous Conclusions. They are not intended for the end consumer, but are lent out to disseminators who are supposed to generate interest in the game, If you want to buy a particular game, you should prepare well Despite a limitation in the numberof visitors, you could see long lines at some of the booths, where dozens of {game enthusiasts were patiently waiting in order to buy a copy of Ark Nova or Gotew, for example. Gen erally, you had to pre-order the game; ony a few lucky ‘ones were able to get hold ofa copy, unprepared. ‘Many a title that had been touted in advance as a new release was nowhere to be seen, but the majority of publishers handled the problem candidly. They need to be credited for openly communicating the shortage be- fore and during the fair. Feuerland, for example, posted a notice right away, saying that their coveted product was only availabe for those who had pre-ordered. Once again, this raises the question of whether you really need to own some thing immediately or whether it might be better to wait a month ‘or two until the object of your desie is available in stores on a regular basis~especially since the trend of a shorter halflife period is apparently still unbroken. Sometimes it happens even after less than one year that a rap id price drop sets in for some titles, since sales have obvi ‘ously fallen short ‘of expectations. But of course, this doesn't ap- ply to the few top titles that last for a long time and, unlike the flashes inthe pan, are put on the game table time and again. And such diamond is something you don't want to miss. This, is a predicament that the po tential buyer of a game cannot be spared, (sow) @ What Happened to ... Edith Grein-Béttcher By WIELAND HEROLD You published your first game 34 years ‘ago, and straight away with Ravens- burger. How did you accomplish that? Edith Grein-Béttcher. An article by Knut-Michael Wolf in Westermanns Mo- rnatshefte drew my attention to the game designers’ meeting in Gottingen. As | had some ideas in my drawer, | ventured there in 1985 and came into contact with Ravensburger editor, who then actually took the prototype. The treasure hunt in a shipwreck was later turned into an In can theme, ultimately a wise decision, | was lucky and this contact with Bertram Kaes resulted in two more publications. This first designer meeting was a Fantas- tic experience; even Wolfgang Kramer walked by my table and found my ideas interesting The visual appearance of your first pro- totypes most certainly contributed to their success. eth Gren Biche, 67, who fnes in Neuss inthe westem pat of Germany, twas one of the fist famale German ‘game designs, who sucestly sub imited designs to sever! publishes. In 1987 and 1988 she was out treasure hunting for Roversbuge, with THE TaeAsuRE OF THE INCAS, Sou and EvREEA In Vico for Amigo (1994) she toyed with that theme Lote she deve loped cidens games for her dought fr Helen, ile Buooeveanae (digging ‘gang, 1999) ond FrucnenFucns (chee- by fox, 2003) for Goldsieber as well 1s Karr Prono (2006) and Toners (2008) for Beleduc In 2072 her Fre: se noc! (Sipper up, Zac) landed on the ecommenstion Fi for "Kndespe! es lohes™ Edith Grein-Bottcher shows her very first prototype which was published by Ravensburger as THE TREASURE OF THE wea. And below, in 1987 at the Essen SPIEL, observing player. | am a graphic designer by profession, admittedly with a specialization in indus- trial design, and I like creative, handmade designs, and that shows in my prototypes’ hhandicraft work. Nowadays, | only design (on the computer. Back then, when you were one of the few rare female game designers, what kind of attention did this bring to your work? When 1 was in Essen forthe very first time in 1987, itwas totally new tetitory to me, especially the sudden journalistic interest | seemed to attract. But some questions really initated me, for example: “How come you, as a woman, get involved in designing games?" For me, that has al: ways been a personal matter, and not a gender-specific one, Along similar lines was the question whether homo ludens could actually be female. What happened after the Ravensburger wit? OF course I was under a certain pressure to deliver. In addition, 1 had just joined my parents’ company and was crazy busy at work. It was no longer so easy to come up with new games, but | continued in the mid 1990s. Some of the work was done via an israeli agency, 2017 saw the release of your last game. Have you retired? | actually enjoy my retirement, togeth: er with my husband Lothar. We travel quite a lot. But | also had to take care cof my mother, who has now passed away. ‘There ae stil enough prototypes floating around, and | stil enjoy creative game development. | only have to offer my de- signs to publishers again—which I'm find- ing rather dfficut, with the constantly changing contacts. For next year, | have firmly scheduled to attend the Nurem- berg Toy Fair, and possibly also the Got- tingen designers’ meeting, ce spielbox ® 7 over Story. The Making of ... Ultimate Railroads On New Tracks Naturally, questions like these arise: Would a simple expansion box with an Asia module for Russian RAILROADS not have done the trick? Did it really have to be the big deal, the giant box with all the trimmings, a mega-blockbuster project called Uttimate Rattroaps? And why the new track colors? ANDREAS BECKER asked designer Helmut Ohley and publisher Moritz Brunnhofer these questions and so much more. Do you remember when you first start- base game. So, we would have had to like the idea token that introduces the "| ed with Ucrmare Rastnonns? reproduce the outofprint base game, second wrench and an additional two Helmut Oley: It's hard to say exact, even though by itself it probably would moves on the industy tack and- down because initially there was the Asia ex- nothave generated much interest. Mean- to some new, partialy altered graphics, pansion Just lke all expansions it was ing we would have had to launch two Brunnhofer: Being so dependent on the first available asa prototype, And Hans products into the market, which would base game, we couldnt have integrated im Glick showed great interest. not have been lucrative for retailers, dis- all the improvements. So, no modularity, MoritzBrunnhofer:| think talked itover _tributors, or us, and finally the designer. no general kes, no balancing, no change with Helmut in ery 2019, At that point, Small print runs would have been too of the (suboptimal track) colors, no pack = we discussed a few options. But we only expensive, and in the end, the stores ing tall one box, and soon. began working on it for real at the end would have held an almost tenyearold Talking about the new track colors: of that year, when Helmut had come up base game that could hardly be sold asa What has changed there? with something standalone product for 65 euros and an Brunnhofer: Changing the tracks reach ‘There is a huge difference between just expansion for 50 euros. For new gamers, ing from black (worst) to white (best) to fan Asia expansion and an ultimate edi- this would have meant an inferior prod- more neutral colors should actually be an tion. Is it till possible to say when the uct formore money and for owners ofthe obvious move by now. Even if they are whole thing escalated? previous edition, a poorer and expensive abstract tracks, there is no,reason not to COhley: This happened step by step; fist expansion. In the end, al these options work with bronze-siver-gol, for example. it became obvious that a stand-alone re- "made no sense Neutral is now really neutral, so simply lease of an Asia expansion was not feasi- So what was important to you for the wood color without any finishing. * ble. But Moritz has more details ASIAN RAILROADS expansion? What's the idea behind that? Brunnhofer: Well, frst we sort through Ohley: The goal, or rather my goal, with Brunnhofer: We are basically endeavor- * everything that’s there. Then we ask: each expansion was not to change the ing to show more diversity and equality What does the new thing offer? What is feel of the game too much and to allow in our games. good or bad about the existing sytem? players to discover new combinations A topic we incidentally pick up on page Inthe nest step, we look at what makes and strategies, by introducing as few new 24 ofthis issue, with PALEO. ‘more sense. At some point it tuned out rules as possible. Whether and how Asia _Brunnhofer: Even ifthe issue in Paco is that the new expansion would basically fits this bill is ultimately forthe players to often raised at this pont, | would like to bbe a new game, because it needed some _decide-'ma litle biased here (laughs). mention Habana from 2019, It contains adjustments to existing systems like new But in the end, you did not stop at ust equal numbers of female and male char- locomotives, modified cards and idea to- one new expansion module. acters, as well as old and young ones, and ens, and more. Ohley: When it became clear that a big they stem from almost every culture on But then to go all-in is still abold move, box would be possible, we took the op- the planet. These concepts should also also in terms of price. portunity to change more details, some be reflected in Utrimate Raturoaos. We Brunnhofer. Of course, we also look at of which we had had in the back of our looked through all the material and con- the marketing side. A retailer is unlike- minds for a while: in the rules, a careful sidered where it would make the most ly to buy or sell expansions without the readjustment of what was already there; sense to make relevant adjustments. Ad- — — ld tracks with, from : — — back left, worst (black, to , best (white), on the right. ‘These assignments are now avoided, mittedly, there were likely very few wom: sleet et ns bt at nate wee no payin ot Wipe ari he How come Leonhard rer aso longer on board or the projec I fact thei of th ebook on ss Helmut Oley designer erences ar ivhed inte pervs expansion Deiat ees octet va had agreed—around the time of AMERt- Ch fatnnoe tat be ul sds ane or ante expan, Btn tua tihaper Abc Helmut lives close to Munich, we have a mete dnt comecton Cond ato nae eee ae far more difficult. Itis still possible to doa Fests cnn bt the seals back om eer ot able Oe tint ks brn erent orawhle that Risin Range rey fo vee chid adn dng Beas se val iad xt Phil it grows. think t's really grown up wo De you remember how tall tated | athe? ‘Ohiley: Faintly (laughs). Lonny and | be- gan and teen of 207 In Oakes 1010, Posnow and Rao barons ere bid by Lol, we Guna by our owns publishing hoe Dow bleo Games Suddenly we det one on earecieerted peters sa aersne tin ve tied vad ete doer 8c. Te Base framework of Russian RalLRoans took shape relatively quickly. From a design: ‘e's point of view, it was finished just 2 year later ‘Was the prototype at the time close to the final game? ‘Ohley: Back then, you still ult a station ‘on each section of track, which used up vast amounts of material, and the indus tty track was just a point supplier. Since it was far away from an 18x, | wanted at least to show it to Hans im Glick, which turned out to be a very good idea. Through their suggestions, change re: quests and the wrestling over every de- tail, a good game became an excellent game, for which | am very grateful to them. Do you recall how Russian RAILROADS was received at the time? ‘Ohley: The reactions far exceeded our hopes. OF course, you check daily, even hourly, what people are writing .. some: times you also need a bit of luck Did you have the frst expansion already in the drawer, as a leftover, so to say? ‘hley: No, the development began when | myself as a player wanted something new to discover, Ths led to the coal ex: pansion fist, which was supposed to cre ate a new gameplay feel with few chang: and little extra material. After that, the development of German RaitnoaDs began, whose ind Vidual track parts made the system Tess strict. Moritz was heavily in. volved in. that-I than usual Do you already Helmut Ohley have plans for an- Of cours, there are now. boards, but no more industry tracks; instead an industry board on which all players advance and place maintenance cars for addtional actions. other module, say "African Railroads"? Oley: We have nothing planned. Buti hhave a good idea, Ill shaw it to Hans im Glick and then well see Brunnhofer: There is actually nothing in the pipeline at the moment. We have considered "Afican Railroads" as a name, but there are no mechanics to it as yet. We would also have to be careful that it doesn't turn out *colonialistic” straight away Besides, we promised: everything is included in the big box It should stay like that for now, ce icy Ultimate Railroad Ce uo ees Tree cece ee am tert Cor nee) es Derareae Duration: about 90-120 minutes eet Review. The Red Cathedral Small—and Yet Great You have been summoned by Czar Ivan the Terrible to lead a team to help build a cathedral which will be dedicated to St Basil upon completion. Dare you refuse? | doubt i By JOHN HUMPHRIES The resources that you need to build are acquired by visiting the 1 the stat of the game, Cathe- matiet wich comprises a rondel Aw ‘cards are dealt out in a se- with each resource ‘guarded’ by ries of towers, wth doorways on dice, In addition to building ma the ground flor and domes at the top. terials; god, jewels, and money Workshop tiles are randomly placed on —_are also available at the market. each of these cards. AS we wil ee, this After moving one ofthe dice the number or exchange resources; delver materials display forms the main playing area. of spaces shown on that die, collect one to cathedral cards or buy points, The third Your fist task i to choose whch part of the resoures/emoney represented, for action that you can take isto activate one of the cathedral to build. This is simply each die on that space. While you are at _—_of the workshop tiles on your board and achieved by placing one of your banners the marketyoucan use influence wth one acquire the designated resource. on a Cathedral card, removing the work: ofthe tree guildsortheclegy. Whatyou As one would expect the game has a shop tile, and putting it on your “per can do depends upon the card that had numberof in-built restrictions which will sonal Workshop board" Now, you must been dealt to the quadrant affect your strategy. As you choose: do you want to place that tile ‘on the board from which ‘only have a total of six face down and ignore it, or would you you collected your items. banners, you are strictly rather turn it face up, pay the costs, ‘Among these influences limited as to how many and reap the benefits? are the ability to buy, sell, Cathedral cards. you You now need to build by transfer- = = can claim and thus ring the required resources from your _ build. You can only workshop onto one of your claimed place a maximum of cards. It is common sense to build three resources on from the ground floor up, because these cards each if you don't you could be in trouble tum so you need and lose points. Completed cardswill to plan their distr eam you points and rubles, Points bution very. care can also be gained by decorating fully in order to any fully built Cathedral car, Doors gain points and can be added to ground floor cards, ‘avoid penalties. crosses on domes and No more than arches to the foors in three dice can between. In addition reside on any to paying the one space atthe resource cost, market; presum- you may also z ably this is to add jewels for .

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