• Review: Patchwork
    Review

    Review: Patchwork

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    Patchwork is a needlework technique that involves sewing together pieces of fabric with various patterns to create a single, larger design. Historically, it was a way to repurpose leftover scraps of fabric to make clothes and quilts. Today, it has become an art form used by textile designers, especially when working with pieces of varied shapes and sizes. Creating a beautiful quilt requires both time and patience, as the available patches often simply refuse to fit together smoothly. Choose your patches carefully and keep a steady supply of buttons on hand to craft a more striking quilt than your opponent.

    This is the premise behind Patchwork, one of the two games presented by the great Uwe Rosenberg back in 2014 (alongside Caverna) through multiple publishers simultaneously. For instance, Mayfair Games released it in English, while Lookout Games handled the German edition. As a side note, it was a Spiel des Jahres recommended game in 2015 and won the Golden Geek Award for Best Abstract Board Game in 2014, while also being nominated for Best 2-Player Game in that same edition. The artwork is illustrated by Klemens Franz, the artist behind the look of most of Uwe’s games, such as Agricola, Le Havre, and Caverna.

  • Review: Five Tribes – The Djinns of Naqala
    Review

    Review: Five Tribes – The Djinns of Naqala

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    Crossing the Land of 1001 Nights, your caravan arrives at the fabled Sultanate of Naqala. The old sultan has just died, and control of Naqala is up for grabs! The oracles foretold of strangers who would maneuver the Five Tribes to gain influence over the legendary city-state. Will you fulfill the prophecy? Invoke the ancient Djinns, move the Tribes into position at the right time, and the Sultanate may be yours!

    This is the premise behind Five Tribes: The Djinns of Naqala, one of the biggest recent sensations in the hobby. Designed by Bruno Cathala, author of other celebrated titles like Cyclades or Mr. Jack (alongside Ludovic Maublanc), it was published in 2014 by Days of Wonder. Artwork is handled by Clément Masson in his debut outing in the board game industry.

  • Review: 6 nimmt!
    Review

    Review: 6 nimmt!

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    It’s no game for bulls! You have 10 cards to play smartly into one of four rows. But watch out! Each row can only hold five cards. So, if you place the sixth card in a row, you’ll have to take the five cards already there, along with all their bullheads (negative points).

    This is how 6 nimmt! (also known as Take 5! or ¡Toma 6!) presents itself, one of the all-time classics in the world of filler games. Designed by the tireless Wolfgang Kramer in 1994 (20 years ago now) under the original name of Category 5. The game has already been published by countless publishers and in a large number of countries, celebrating its twentieth anniversary this year. This latest edition is illustrated by Franz Vohwinkel, responsible for classics such as Puerto Rico or Ra.

  • Review: Russian Railroads
    Review

    Review: Russian Railroads

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    Players represent railroad tycoons tasked with constructing the Trans-Siberian Railway, as well as two additional lines. Beyond laying tracks, they will purchase new locomotives, drive industrialization forward, and hire workers and engineers. All of this serves the noble goal of amassing the greatest number of victory points: the true measure of a player’s skill in railroad construction.

    This is the premise of Russian Railroads, one of the games of the year, designed by Helmut Ohley and Leonhard “Lonny” Orgler, famous for designing numerous 18xx games, with Poseidon perhaps being their other best-known creation within this genre. The publisher that first brought it to market was Hans im Glück in 2013. Martin Hoffmann and Claus Stephan are responsible for the artwork, whose illustrations we have already enjoyed in numerous games. A few examples include Lancaster, Artus, and Race for the Galaxy.

  • Review: Kingdom Builder
    Review

    Review: Kingdom Builder

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    The goal of the game is to amass as many gold nuggets as possible while building your kingdom, which requires strategic decisions about where to place your settlements. The criteria for earning those coveted nuggets during final scoring will be defined by three Kingdom Builder cards.

    Straight to the point: this is Kingdom Builder, designed by the acclaimed Donald X. Vaccarino, creator of one of the milestone titles that revolutionized the modern gaming landscape: Dominion. It was published in 2011 by Queen Games, featuring artwork by Oliver Schlemmer, one of the publisher’s regular artists who also illustrated titles like Fresco, Escape: The Curse of the Temple, and the second edition of Wallenstein. This design was awarded the prestigious Spiel des Jahres in 2012.

  • Review: The Castles of Burgundy
    Review

    Review: The Castles of Burgundy

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    When you discover a new designer, usually because you have tried one of their great games, you tend to go through a phase of euphoria where you get the urge to find out about everything they have published to date. We check BGG, look up rankings, read and reread reviews, until we fall right back into board game consumerism. And this, my friends, is exactly what happened to me with the beloved Stefan Feld. When my collection was still in its infancy, the community hype skyrocketed after the presentation in Nuremberg of the now-famous Bora Bora. Shortly after, I decided that this game had to be mine. And so it was. After being delighted with the mechanics and gameplay feel, the “Feldian” fervor took over me. And that is how my collection welcomed what is, to this day, the highest-ranking game on the BGG overall list: The Castles of Burgundy. The Loire Valley during the 15th Century. As influential princes, players dedicate their efforts to careful building and trading to make their domains stand out.

    This is how The Castles of Burgundy is presented to us. As we have already mentioned, it was designed by Stefan Feld, designer of other great games such as In the Year of the Dragon, Bora Bora, or Trajan. The illustrations are done by Julien Delval and Harald Lieske. The game was published by the Ravensburger – Alea tandem in 2011.