by W. Eric Martin • Is it time to talk about SPIEL Essen 24 yet? Publishers must think so as they're already starting to post info about the games they plan to feature in Essen, Germany at that convention....
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Publisher Sorry We Are French, for example, will debut Shackleton Base: A Journey to the Moon, a 1-4 player game from Fabio Lopiano and Nestore Mangone. The image at right is unlikely to be the final cover, and SWAF has no component images to show, but text is far easier to prepare ahead of time, so here's a game description:
A permanent base is being built in the Shackleton crater at the Moon's South Pole. You're leading one of the space agencies that are working together to expand their presence on the base, while at the same time the three major corporations sponsoring the mission are each pursuing their own agenda. You will build structures on the base, while also funding projects from the corporations that provide special abilities and scoring opportunities.
At the start of the game, pick three corporations randomly from the seven available. Each corporation introduces new projects, actions, and scoring opportunities, along with their specific mechanisms. The game is played over three rounds, each divided into three phases:
— Shuttle phase: Each player drafts a shuttle tile from an open display to determine which type of astronauts and resources they can use that round, as well as the turn order for the next phase.
— Action phase: Players take turns deploying their astronauts on the moon to collect resources, build structures, or fund projects. Depending on which corporations were selected, different types of resources will be available, resources that can be used in various ways for the projects or to build structures. Each project provides ongoing abilities and scoring opportunities. Each corporation provides different ways to score points, which could be during the action phase, the maintenance phase, or at game's end.
— Maintenance phase: Deployed astronauts are assigned to work on the structures (providing a bonus to the player owning them), then players collect income and pay maintenance costs. If corporations in play have end-round effects, those effects take place.
The end of the game brings a final scoring, then the player with the most points wins.
At the start of the game, pick three corporations randomly from the seven available. Each corporation introduces new projects, actions, and scoring opportunities, along with their specific mechanisms. The game is played over three rounds, each divided into three phases:
— Shuttle phase: Each player drafts a shuttle tile from an open display to determine which type of astronauts and resources they can use that round, as well as the turn order for the next phase.
— Action phase: Players take turns deploying their astronauts on the moon to collect resources, build structures, or fund projects. Depending on which corporations were selected, different types of resources will be available, resources that can be used in various ways for the projects or to build structures. Each project provides ongoing abilities and scoring opportunities. Each corporation provides different ways to score points, which could be during the action phase, the maintenance phase, or at game's end.
— Maintenance phase: Deployed astronauts are assigned to work on the structures (providing a bonus to the player owning them), then players collect income and pay maintenance costs. If corporations in play have end-round effects, those effects take place.
The end of the game brings a final scoring, then the player with the most points wins.
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Calçada is a 2-4 player game from an as-yet-unidentified designer:
There is a lot of activity on the Portuguese sidewalks. The first bars open, and numerous people swarm out. Children scamper around happily, couples in love stroll through the alleys, while older passers-by relax on park benches in the shade following the hustle and bustle.
In Calçada, players take turns drafting pavement tiles from the general display onto their player board via a mancala-inspired selection mechanism. Once someone completes a certain area, they earn points based on the value of that area, then this value decreases. In the end, everyone gets extra points for connected objects or groups.
In Calçada, players take turns drafting pavement tiles from the general display onto their player board via a mancala-inspired selection mechanism. Once someone completes a certain area, they earn points based on the value of that area, then this value decreases. In the end, everyone gets extra points for connected objects or groups.
A Portuguese-based tile game?! Who would ever play something as obscure as that?
• The other late 2024 release from Piatnik is Moving Day from Mads Fløe, who is also responsible for the early 2024 title Alpino. Here's a briefing on this 2-4 player game:
July 1st is moving day in Québec, Canada. More than 100,000 people (!) move on this special day. Why? Starting in the 1700s, all leases would expire and could be renewed only on the same day: May 1. This date moved to July 1 in the 1970s, and the law has since been changed, but many leases still stick to July 1. Unfortunately, it's near impossible to hire movers or rent moving trucks on moving day, so everyone shows up to help you move!
In Moving Day, your job is to pack all the stuff nicely into your available vehicles, trying not to crush light items by putting heavier items on top. You also have to assign friends and relatives to the vehicles, hoping they can lift all the freight together without damaging the fragile items! Some of them are pretty clumsy, but if they bring delicious food, you certainly won't turn them away...
On your turn, choose a set of two items (tiles) and one person (card) from a general display, then assign them to your vehicles. Your vehicles have limited space and different shapes, and you must fill the items from bottom to top. People also have different strengths and should ideally be strong enough to lift your heaviest items when lifting them together.
After eight rounds, the game ends. Each player now has sixteen tiles and eight cards assigned to their vehicles, and they calculate their score:
— Heavy items break lighter items below them.
— Clumsy people break fragile items.
— Heavy items score more points than lighter items.
— Score extra points for adjacent items of the same shape.
— Score extra points for adjacent items of the same type.
— Each food token is worth 1 point.
The player with the most points wins!
In Moving Day, your job is to pack all the stuff nicely into your available vehicles, trying not to crush light items by putting heavier items on top. You also have to assign friends and relatives to the vehicles, hoping they can lift all the freight together without damaging the fragile items! Some of them are pretty clumsy, but if they bring delicious food, you certainly won't turn them away...
On your turn, choose a set of two items (tiles) and one person (card) from a general display, then assign them to your vehicles. Your vehicles have limited space and different shapes, and you must fill the items from bottom to top. People also have different strengths and should ideally be strong enough to lift your heaviest items when lifting them together.
After eight rounds, the game ends. Each player now has sixteen tiles and eight cards assigned to their vehicles, and they calculate their score:
— Heavy items break lighter items below them.
— Clumsy people break fragile items.
— Heavy items score more points than lighter items.
— Score extra points for adjacent items of the same shape.
— Score extra points for adjacent items of the same type.
— Each food token is worth 1 point.
The player with the most points wins!
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Here's an overview of the 1-4 player game Diceocracy:
Ever since you were a kid, you've been told that you're destined for grand things, so you're pretty certain that things will only be better with more you in it! Well, it's finally time for more you...in the name of democracy, as it just so happens there is an election coming up. There is only one tiny little problem: Democracy is kind of up to the people, and the people are, well, DICE!
In the corrupt cyberpunk future of Diceocracy, you will use your influence to attract groups of voters in different districts and introduce them to your jaw-dropping politics by "any means necessary" — as long as you can get away with it, anyway. The goal of the game is to get the most votes by just being YOU...along with a fair bit of stern persuasion and political stunts!
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Artwork from the game by Anthony Cournoyer
On a player's turn, they choose a representative that gives them a special bonus, such as increasing your popularity within a demographic, raising funds, getting agenda cards, moving positions of your representatives, and manipulating dice — because the dice in this game represent different demographic groups.
Players then send out their representative to one of the districts in the city to increase their influence and use any tricks they have. After twelve rounds, the player with the most votes wins.
In the corrupt cyberpunk future of Diceocracy, you will use your influence to attract groups of voters in different districts and introduce them to your jaw-dropping politics by "any means necessary" — as long as you can get away with it, anyway. The goal of the game is to get the most votes by just being YOU...along with a fair bit of stern persuasion and political stunts!
On a player's turn, they choose a representative that gives them a special bonus, such as increasing your popularity within a demographic, raising funds, getting agenda cards, moving positions of your representatives, and manipulating dice — because the dice in this game represent different demographic groups.
Players then send out their representative to one of the districts in the city to increase their influence and use any tricks they have. After twelve rounds, the player with the most votes wins.
• Finally, Delicious Games typically releases one new game each Essen, and it's posted the following teaser while writing: What will be our next Vladimír Suchý game be about? "History? Hot weather? Old civilisation? Camels? Trading? Importance of water canals building?"
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