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Board games for the summer
Photo:
Diana Doert / DER SPIEGEL
"Bubble Trouble"
What's the matter?
The offspring of the sea play hide-and-seek between the coral reef and the shark gorge.
But if you're not careful, you can get too close to the gorge, and the resident shark isn't exactly known for playing hide-and-seek.
The two large fields with coral reef and shark canyon are laid on the ground opposite each other so that there is a distance of about two meters between them.
Five of the careless sea creatures are placed in a row exactly between the two fields.
Now the bubble discs are distributed evenly to all the children and off we go.
In your turn you try to hit one of the sea creatures with a disc.
If hit, it can then be placed a little closer to the saving coral reef.
Animals not hit in this round swim a little closer towards the gorge.
It is best to set a lap or time limit and at the end see how well you have helped the water animals.
For whom?
Children who like to exercise will have fun here.
The game is also something for the little ones.
If you have a bit of space, you can play it in the hallway even when it's raining.
Pegasus games; 1 – 4 players; from 5 years; Author: Michael Kallauch
»Lost Seas«
What's the matter?
While in "Bubble Trouble" everything is still pretty tranquil and the evil shark turns out to be a nice teammate in the end, the sea is a little rougher in "Lost Seas".
Murderous whirlpools and dangerous sea monsters are just as uncomfortable as the abandoned shipwrecks or the hostile deserted island.
But they all have one thing in common: We would like to place them in the best possible way on our four by four pitch playing field.
Because whoever has the most victory points at the end has won the daring expedition through the sea.
At the beginning, each player draws eight yellow expedition tiles.
These are placed at the beginning of the rows or columns.
They indicate how you can collect points, for example by hunting as many octopuses as possible.
Those who succeed in doing so will win fat victory points at the end.
Now five blue explorer tiles are randomly drawn and laid out face up.
On these are the coveted symbols that are being hunted for.
On your turn, you choose one of the explorer tiles and place it in your playing field.
The game ends when all fields are filled.
Finally, each row and column is scored, and whoever has received the most victory points by completing the expedition tiles wins.
For whom?
A beautifully designed optimization game for the whole family.
You don't need a big game board and the random factor is big enough that you can always draw new combinations, so the game doesn't get boring.
blue-orange; 2 – 4 players; from 7 years; Authors: Johan Benvenuto and Alexandre Droit
»Really great«
What's the matter?
One of my favorite mechanics in games is the so-called "Roll & Write" mechanism.
In other words, games in which all players get their own game sheet and then enter the result of the dice there, earning as many points as possible.
These games are for beginners and frequent players.
"Echt Spitze" is also a "Roll & Write" game and has a very special trick.
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»Really great«
Photo:
Diana Doert / DER SPIEGEL
The game block has four different levels of difficulty and in the first game we try to win the fruits caught in the soap bubbles.
Depending on the number of players, we have up to five dice with numbers from one to five.
Each play sheet has a matching grid with five columns and five rows.
So if there are numbers two and four on a dice roll, I can either tick column four and row two or column two and row four.
In any case, if I hit a bubble with a fruit at this point, I can not only tick it, but also pierce it with the tip of a pencil and then continue playing on the back of the board.
Because there is a grid there too and we have to chase the soap bubbles there too.
To prevent everyone from perforating the tabletop with a pencil, the game comes with a small rubber mat that you place on the upside-down box lid in the middle of the table.
So you can safely punch the bow and continue playing.
Whoever has the most points at the end of the game wins.
For whom?
The first two levels are super relaxed to play, and even the younger ones can do it well.
Level three and four are a little bit more demanding, but with a little practice you can do it.
The highlight of the pierced game board does not lose its appeal even after a few games and it is definitely a great eye-catcher for new players.
Schmidt games; 1 – 4 players; from 8 years; Authors: Jürgen Wrede and Ralph Querfurth
»My City Roll & Write«
What's the matter?
And another game where the result of the dice sets the tone.
With the small »Roll & Write« offshoot of the big game »My City« you also have to plan cleverly again.
The special feature: There is not just one game board or maybe two or three levels.
There are four chapters in total and in each chapter three different games makes a whopping twelve different game plans all in one big fat block.
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»My City Roll & Write«
Photo:
Diana Doert / DER SPIEGEL
But what exactly do you have to do there?
First you choose one of the twelve games, everyone gets a game plan and off you go.
After the throw, the two blue dice are placed together in such a way that a gray circle appears in the middle, resulting in figures similar to Tetris.
Depending on the result of the white die, draw these all as residential, commercial or public buildings on your own board.
The associated building rules can be learned quickly in the three games in the first chapter and only become more complex as the game progresses.
The actual board is surprisingly small, so a game never lasts long and you can try out the next game with one or two more rules.
Here, too, the player who has the most points by skilfully drawing in the buildings wins.
Spoilers: There are even bandits and fortresses in chapter four!
For whom?
The increasingly complex dice game has a high addiction factor and is just right for the summer.
You can play your way through the simple levels with the board game kids from the age of eight and then try out the more complex games in the evening when the little ones are in bed.
And if you prefer to build your own town, it's also a lot of fun solo.
Cosmos; 1 – 6 players; from 10 years on; Author: Reiner Knizia
»framework«
What's the matter?
There are summer evenings when you don't want to talk to anyone - but you don't want to be all alone either.
I call the perfect games for such tedious hours »white wine games«.
I can enjoy a drink in peace and quiet and, above all, in silence, and at the same time play with someone.
This year the appropriate game is called »Framework« and looks really pretty on the gaming table.
»Framework« is a placement game in which all players place and place the randomly drawn tiles in front of them, so everyone has their own playing field.
In addition, each player gets 22 wooden pieces of one color.
There can be different frames and task fields on the tiles.
The task fields consist of a number and one of the five frame colors.
If you manage to place the desired number of frames you are looking for on a task tile, you can cover the task field with one of the small wooden blocks.
At the beginning of each round, depending on the number of players, a row of tiles is drawn at random and laid out face up.
Now a tile is chosen in turn and placed on your own playing field.
If a player succeeds in distributing all the wooden pieces on their own playing field by completing the tasks, they win the game.
For whom?
A very relaxed placement game and pretty at that.
With "Framework" you don't have to spend hours tinkering with the best solution, you can just play it loosely.
If you are a bit more ambitious, you can pay attention to what the other frame builders are up to and snatch one or the other coveted tile from under their noses.
And best of all, you don't have to talk a bit.
Pegasus games; 1 – 4 players; from 8 years; Author: Uwe Rosenberg
»caretos«
What's the matter?
The devilish Caretos are up to mischief in the mountain villages in northern Portugal.
They are said to be possessed by demons and roam the area - just like the witches, werewolves and other monsters.
All with one goal: to frighten as many villagers as possible.
At the beginning, all players draw two monsters and place their corresponding figures on the game board.
It is full of different places and paths and every now and then you will come across a settlement full of villagers.
These have different colors and shapes.
Wherever two or more of them meet, they light a campfire against the monsters lurking in the darkness.
So against us.
Our goal is to frighten the poor mountain dwellers in their villages first, so that they are scattered in all directions - and then, if possible, collect them alone.
In addition to our own monsters, two Caretos gangs are up to mischief, which are moved and used by all games.
But whether you can do that depends on the move options of your own monsters and the cards you have in hand.
The trick: You can actually only move one of your own monsters in each round.
But if you play a hand card with the same symbol as in the previous round, you can even chase both monsters through the mountain landscape.
The fact that each monster has its own movement options brings a high replay value.
Secret and open orders provide an additional opportunity to get victory points.
And whoever manages to draw a Caretos to an opposing monster sends it into the cauldron for a while.
In other words: it has to suspend.
For whom?
A very successful game for strategists with little patience.
You can't plan far in advance anyway, the other players destroy the best long-term strategy.
In addition, you have many options for moving your own bandits, but due to the hand cards that you need to activate the monsters in the first place, you never have all of these options available.
The unusual and outstanding layout also rounds off the great game.
mebo; 2 – 4 players; from 8 years; Author: Paulo Pereira
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