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Photo: Hendrik Breuer
The games industry has been booming since the first shutdown: sales of games and puzzles rose by 21 percent in the Corona year 2020, the industry association for games publishers recently reported.
However, larger publishers and well-known brands in particular benefit from the fact that consumers primarily have to occupy themselves within their own four walls.
But even those who have a nice time at home would like to break out every now and then: The escape room games of the »EXIT« series have become the most successful board game brand at the moment, with more than 1.5 million copies sold, like the Kosmos Verlag reported.
Competitor Ravensburger sold over two million "Memory" copies and 1.2 million "The Crazy Labyrinth" games.
And even the eternal classics »Mensch ärgere dich nicht« and »Kniffel« by Schmidt Spiele were each sold more than a million times.
Buy games directly or locally
Supporting small publishers and local specialist retailers is easy.
Most of the games presented here can be ordered directly from the respective publishers' websites.
In addition, many local specialist retailers offer Click & Collect and similar pick-up and delivery options, of course also during shutdowns.
Just call the trusted shop and ask about the games.
Small and independent publishers that neither have classics in their product range nor have a robust distribution network will suffer significantly more from the shutdowns.
These publishers sell many games through local specialist retailers, which, as is well known, were sometimes closed for weeks.
In addition, for almost a year there have been no more events and trade fairs where sales could be made directly to end customers.
There are already fears in the industry that some small and very small publishers will not be able to survive the crisis.
That would be a shame, as many of the little ones have exciting games in their program that are worth discovering by a larger audience.
Here we present eight game pearls from the programs of lesser-known publishers.
Remember Our Trip (dlp games)
Icon: enlarge Photo: Hendrik Breuer
This game is made for spring 2021, or does anyone remember the last big vacation particularly well?
The game “Remember Our Trip” from Japan picks up on an exciting topic, namely that our memories of past trips are often deceptive and sometimes very different from those of our fellow travelers.
So we were on the road together in Kyoto and Singapore, but how did it look there again?
Where was our hotel?
How big was the shopping area?
Did we have a view of the water or the temple from the park?
Icon: enlargePhoto: dlp games
We puzzle out an individual map of the city in front of us from our memories, while the official city map is created between each game.
The better our individual city agrees with the correct map, the more points we pocket.
“Remember Our Trip” creates something that few games with player boards succeed in: everyone is interested in what other players are up to and how they put their tiles down.
There is not often that much interaction in tile-laying games.
Who is it for?
Tile laying and puzzle games are a dime a dozen.
Really new mechanics are rarely added.
“Remember Our Trip” succeeds in doing this with the shared city map in the middle.
It plays fresh and is great for couples and adult groups.
“Remember Our Trip” by Saashi and Daryl Chow, dlp games, for 2-4 people, ages ten and up, 29.95 euros. Entry and standard effort: medium.
Colorful Burano (Board Game Circus)
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Thematically, “Colorful Burano” fits perfectly with a round of “Remember Our Trip”.
Again, the game was penned by an Asian author (this time from Taiwan), and again, in a sense, it's about traveling.
We are out and about in the lagoon of Venice and marvel at the colorful hustle and bustle on the island of Burano.
And while we're already there, we can help build right away.
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Board Game Circus
Colorful Burano
From € 17.51
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With components from a general display, colorful rows of houses are quickly created in front of the players.
Locals move in, tourists are impressed.
Both score points, so we like to be admired.
Ideally we have different awnings, flowers, cats, ice cream parlors and - as it should be for a tourist stronghold - shops for all kinds of trinkets in our district.
The nicer it gets, the more points we collect.
Who is it for?
"Buntes Burano" is a simple but very demanding family game that children from the age of eight should actually be able to do.
"Colorful Burano" by Wei-Min Ling, Board Game Circus, for 2-4 people from ten years of age, 16 euros. Entry and standard effort: easy.
Deep Sea Adventure (Oink Games)
Icon: enlargePhoto: Oink Games
Oink Games is a Japanese games publisher that has been causing a sensation for years with its small-format but highly innovative games.
In the meantime, Oink also has a German branch, so that it is easier to get the titles here too.
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Oink Games
Deep sea adventure
From € 16.99
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“Deep Sea Adventure” is a small, well-rounded game: gamers and gamblers get their money's worth here.
We leave our nice dry boat and try to dive as deep as possible and recover treasure before we run out of oxygen and have to throw the finds again.
They kindly refrained from letting the divers drown, but they get rid of their points between the rounds if they are left with no air.
The whole thing is driven by a clever dice mechanism, which actually invites you to gamble (and over-stimulate), so that after three rounds, to the general amusement, we like to end up without any treasures.
Who is it for?
“Deep sea adventure” is not for those who hesitate and fearful.
Those who bravely throw the dice and dive have the greatest chance of finding lucrative treasures.
Schadenfreude is sometimes the greatest joy in this game, and it works better with several people than with two.
“Deep Sea Adventure” by Jun Sasaki and Goro Sasaki, Oink Games, for 2-6 people, ages eight and up, 19.90 euros, entry and standard effort: easy.
Can't Stop (franjos Spieleverlag)
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Anyone who raves about »deep sea adventures« shouldn't forget »Can't Stop«.
"Can't Stop" was first published in 1980 and is something like the gold standard of dice and gambling games.
In many attics and in even more cellars of the republic there are probably older editions of the game, there is a new one at franjos Spieleverlag, where they make great contributions to classic games and have reissued a number of great old titles.
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franjos game publisher
Can't stop
approx € 27.89
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"Can't Stop" does not go down into the depths of the ocean, but up a mountain.
The rules are very easy to understand and if you can add the two dice, you are in the game.
By the way, you can roll the dice for as long as you want.
Or wait until you crash, which unfortunately happens much more often than you would like.
Who is it for?
"Can't Stop" is a game that you can actually offer in every round.
It's just as much fun with children and grandparents as it is with friends.
"Can't Stop" by Sid Sackson, franjos Spieleverlag, for 2-4 people from the age of seven, EUR 24.90, entry and standard effort: very easy.
Futschikato (2F games)
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2F games
Futschikato
From € 10.29
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»Futschikato« is not as easy to read as »Can't Stop«, but it can also be addicting.
In addition, card games are still one of the most popular types of games, so a highlight like »Futschikato« should not be missing in this article.
The aim is to get rid of your own hand cards with values from 2 to 20 as quickly as possible.
To do this, you put down one card in turn and hope that nobody puts down a higher one before it is your turn again.
That sounds banal, but thanks to clever rules and the number of cards with certain values, it is anything but that. Once the group is in the game, which usually requires one or two quick introductory games, »Futschikato« can quickly become a perennial favorite.
Who is it for?
Fans of »UNO«, »Ligretto« and Co. who are in the mood for something new should take a look at »Futschikato«.
The game is a bit more subtle than the older caliber, but plays just as fast.
»Futschikato« by Friedemann Friese, 2F games, for 3-8 people, ages seven and up, 10 euros. Entry and standard effort: easy.
Watergate (Frosted Games)
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In most board games, historical events are only very abstract, if at all.
In »Watergate«, however, it is specifically about the scandal that cost the American President Richard Nixon the office in 1974.
One person slips into the role of a newspaper editor, a second plays the Nixon administration.
It is an asymmetrical game, both sides have different game goals, their own sets of cards and certain actions to choose from.
Such a starting position is unusual and therefore exciting.
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Frosted Games
Watergate
From € 23.99
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Editors must link pieces of evidence to Nixon to win.
Nixon wins if he can prevent that and get the momentum on his side.
The outcome of the game is therefore either historically correct or fictional.
That can be criticized, but at least this game shows that the course of history often depends on the smallest details, like pinning a few pieces of evidence in the right place on the wall at the right time.
Who is it for?
"Watergate" is a purely two-person game aimed at experienced players who are curious about an unfamiliar asymmetrical game.
"Watergate" by Matthias Cramer, Frosted Games, for exactly 2 people from the age of twelve, EUR 24.95. Entry and standard effort: medium.
Freshwater Fly (Spielefaible)
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Working through a political scandal in a playful way is quite unusual, but it is even more obvious than playing a fly-fishing trip on a mountain stream.
But this is exactly what happens in the thematically fresh game »Freshwater Fly«, which the Schleswig-Holstein publisher Spielefaible has implemented.
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BELLWETHER GAMES
Freshwater Fly
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So we stand by the river, get our fly rod ready, grab a bait and cast.
Our nymph drifts through the river and with a bit of luck we will soon catch a fish, which we then pull ashore in a fight that sometimes lasts several rounds.
That is very close to the topic and Brian Suhre, the author, is either a fly fisherman himself or has looked very closely to see how it works.
This is all implemented quite well with dice that are used, a player board that also functions as a role, and many fish cards.
The loving implementation of the fly fishing theme makes "Freshwater Fly" a special game.
Who is it for?
"Freshwater Fly" is something for seasoned players who do not shy away from a few unclearly formulated rules.
Maybe you will get a fishing partner with you at the game table, who otherwise prefers to sit in the corner and tie dry flies?
Oh yes, there is also a well-functioning solo mode.
"Freshwater Fly" by Brian Suhre, Spielefaible, for 1-4 people aged twelve and over, 49.90 euros. Entry level and standard effort: medium to demanding (also because of the somewhat oddly structured rules of the game).
Clong!
In the!
Alles!
(Schwerkraft-Verlag)
Icon: enlarge Photo: Schwerkraft-Verlag
In the series of games presented here, »Klong!« Is most likely something of a well-known brand.
There are now some extensions.
The independent offshoot »Klong!
In the!
All! «Transports the events from the subterranean fantasy realm, in which the base game is set, to a spaceship and adds some new tricks.
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Gravity Publishing House
Clong!
In the!
Alles!
From € 64.50
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For those who do not know »Kong!«: It is a card-driven dungeon crawler, which means: You play cards from your hand in order to penetrate an underground cave realm and steal as valuable treasures as possible.
In the course of the game you get better and better cards, but you also make a lot of noise (Klong), which in turn attracts a dragon.
“Klong!
In the!
All! «Actually works the same, only that you are traveling in a spaceship and this time an alien is attracted by the noises.
That was good in "Klong!" And that is still good in "Klong!"
In the!
Alles!"
Who is it for?
“Klong!
In the!
All! «Feels like one of those big trashy games from the eighties and nineties.
The mechanics are very exciting and the flow is great.
Anyone who likes topics other than knights and the Middle Ages is in good hands here.
You don't necessarily need both "Klong!" Games, they play too similar for that.
“Klong!
In the!
All! «
By Paul Dennan, Schwerkraft-Verlag, for 2-4 people from ten years of age, 60 euros.
Entry and standard effort: medium to demanding.
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