CO2

A game about global warming and green energy, so many things could potentially go wrong with that. It could be dry and boring. It could be preachy. It could be trying to be educational. Or it could be great game of economy and strategy where you have to balance your profits against the possibility of global environmental disaster. Which one is CO2?

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Small World Underground

Small World Underground

“The world is getting smaller” is a quote that gets thrown around a lot these days. The people saying it must have missed the implications of being in a really small world. As in: a really Small World. It’s not a very peaceful place.And even escaping underground for lack of space, does not bring you peace, because Small World Underground is just as ruthless as the original.

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Bora Bora

Bora Bora

Bora Bora, a peaceful place in the pacific ocean. Here men are handsome and elaborately tattooed, women are beautiful and do nothing but collect seashells on the beach and the gods can be swayed to help you with a simple fruit basket. At least, all that is the case in the newest game by Stefan Feld, a game of many difficult decision, evil dice, handsome men with tattoos and … you know the rest. A very intricate game where everything is somehow connected. Bora Bora.

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Okiya

Looking through the window into the garden, you see two rivalling gangs of geishas fighting for control. Wait. WHAT? The setting doesn’t always have to make much sense for a beautiful game, especially not when it’s a very short and fun abstract.

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First impressions: Swordfish and Big Badaboom

Swordfish

The swordfish season at the Flemish Cap is seven months long, from April to November. That’s the time you have in Swordfish to build up a fishing fleet and go out to catch fish. Some of you will get rich, others will get wet when their boats go down in a storm. It’s not an easy life as a swordfish fisher.

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Kingdom Builder

Kingdom Builder

In this year’s Spiel des Jahres, the King asks you to construct villages for his Kingdom. But his subjects are not always guided by sanity when they write their wishlist where the villages should go. Some of them have truly special needs, and then they keep contradicting each other. It’s enough to drive a city planer insane.

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Disaster on Everest

Disaster on Everest

Another trip up the world’s highest mountain, this time with a questionable travel ageny. After all, they must have known the storm was coming and could kill some clients.
But you, the heroic guide on the mountain, will try to keep them alive – and still get them up the mountain so the agency doesn’t fire you. Good luck.

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Village

Village

Village is a medieval countryside life simulator. Only it cuts away the boring 99% of it and lets you make the decisions that shape your fameeply’s lives. Should the new kid learn a craft? Go into politics? Maybe go and see the world. Everything is possible, and everything might earn you a spot in the village chronice – or in an unmarked grave.

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K2

K2

Mountaineering is not much used as a theme in boardgames. After trying K2, I really wonder why because it’s tense, exciting and deadly. There are no empty moves here, every turn has important decisions. A worthy nominee for Kennerspiel des Jahres 2012?

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