On the Radar: New Games at Essen 2012: Part 4
Posted by James (admin) on 6th September 2012
More games to watch out for at Spiel. (I’ve combined all the Spiel games on my radar on my Essen 2012 page.)
Archipelago (Ludically)
This game looks like it has a vast amount of stuff in it – both bits and mechanics. It’s a giant euro game with lots of simple systems but just loads of them, such as tile placement, exploration, an economic system, worker placement for actions, worker placement for area control, semi-co-op, events, evolution cards, and more! Add to that each player has a secret card which states one of the ways that the game will end (it ends as soon as one of these is reached, or it may end with all players losing if rebellion takes hold – yep, there’s rebellion too caused by lack of employment, too many taxes, etc.), plus each player’s card shows one of the ways final scoring will earn points. The core driver of the game though is the worker (discs) placement system to claim the mostly-limited actions each turn. Oh, and the game has three different lengths that you can choose from. Definitely looking forwards to this one.
More info on the Ludically site here: bga.me/archipelago
Robinson Crusoe (Portal)
This sounds like an interesting game with players on a desert island. It’s by the designer of Stronghold so that gets my attention already. Sounds like a good theme and it’s a co-op game which apparently has a decent AI. Not many details yet but the designer has just posted a link to an introductory video on their web site which talks about the main elements of gaining food, building a shelter and tools, and exploring the islands and its mysteries (but no details on gameplay mechanics yet).
More info on the Portal web site: bga.me/crusoe
I’m The Boss: The Card Game (Gryphon)
I still have my copy of the original game by Sid Sackson and it’s a great negotiation game if you like humorous screwage. I’m looking forward to finding out how the card game plays – I don’t think there was ever any real reason for a board in the original that cards couldn’t have provided just as easily; however, a brief look at the rules makes it sound like it’s played quite differently to the original boardgame.
More details and full rules on Gryphon’s Kickstarter page: bga.me/imtheboss
Tags: Archipelago, board game news, Board Games, board gaming, Essen, I'm The Boss, Robinson Crusoe, Spiel 2012
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