Ancient

Easter Island is a tiny triangular speck of land at the eastern edge of Polynesia in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The island has fascinated travelers, mystics, and scientists for years as people have wondered how such a small, isolated area could have been home to a society that created the world's most spectacular outdoor museum. In the 1940s, Norwegian archeologist Thor Heyerdahl sailed the reed boat Kon-Tiki from South America to Easter Island to show that the technology available made it possible for Polynesia to be settled from the Americas. In the 1970s, Erich Van Daniken popularized the idea that the world was visited by ancient astronauts and the beautiful and enormous stone statutes, the Moai, of Easter Island were used as some of his "evidence."

Today, scientists around the world generally agree that Easter Island was settled from other Polynesian islands to its west, and the extreme culture that produced hundreds of stone Moai is related to other cultures in the region. The history of the island is a history of constraint, and the carving of the Moai, the rapid deforestation of the island, and the limited food sources available all worked together to build an extreme culture that became the victim of its own consumption. In this way, Easter Island today represents more than just a wonderful place to travel, but also is a reminder of the greater resource limits of our entire planet. As populations continue to grow and we put further strains on sources of fuel and food, are we heading toward the same fate that this small island suffered hundreds of years ago? The island today is owned by Chile, and the small population thrives with a few weekly flights to mainland South America and the occasional cargo ship visit.

Moai is a game that closely follows the developments and excesses of the island until the arrival of Dutch Admiral Jacob Roggeveen, the first European to discover the island and name it for the day of his discovery. Combining many of the historical features of the island's culture in an exciting and well-playing strategic game, players can have fun reliving the dramatic history of this exciting little island.

Philippe Keyaerts scored gold with Small World, a new version of his Vinci that was released by Days of Wonder in 2009 to great acclaim and numerous awards. With Olympos, coming from French publisher Ystari Games, Keyaerts has another go at the simplified civilization game. The playing time for Olympos is only 60-90 minutes for 3-5 players, but says Ystari's Cyril Demaegd, "Even if it's a short game, it's a gamer's game."

Players take actions based on their position on a time track, along the lines of Peter Prinz' Thebes. (Says Demaegd, "This is mainly a coincidence because Philippe designed this game years ago.") By spending time, players take actions, with the choices being expansion or development. Expanding brings new settlers onto the game board, which depicts Greece and Atlantis, which lets you conquer territories and thereby acquire resources.

Development takes place on the game's discovery board, with players either buying new scientific discoveries – such as medicine or phalanxes – or building architectural wonders. Each discovery brings you new powers, such as an upgrade in military strength due to the phalanx, and each wonder earns you points.

A player's piety is measured by discoveries, and the most pious player might be rewarded during the game by one of the nine gods included. Similarly, the less pious players might be punished by those same gods.

The replayability of Olympos is huge, says Demaegd, as the discovery board and gods in play will be different each game, not to mention the territories you're able to conquer.

From the Queen Games and the Gamefest Homepage:

In the valley of the Indus, traces of the ancient Harappa culture are to be found. Two to four expedition teams are ready to try to secure the most promising sites in the digging field. Each square on the game board contains valuable finds. Each team would of course like to occupy the best sites, and then dig away in peace and quiet. Players use their archaeologists and assistants, while the workers ensure that the digs are supported. The game is different each time, since the board consists of 7 large and 7 small board segments that are combined differently each time, leading to different dig configurations.

China is an abstracted game of political influence in China. Players use cards to place pieces (Houses or Emissaries) into the nine regions on the board. When all house spaces in a region are filled (or at the end of the game), players score for majorities of houses in that region. At game end, players then score for having majorities of emissaries in two adjacent regions. Players also score for having four or more houses in an uninterrupted sequence along one of the roads on the board.

This fascinating game of domination combines multiple tactical possibilities with simple-to-learn rules and a short playing time!

Even today in China, the unmistakable evidence of a fascinating story is everywhere. Hundreds of years ago, the country teetered on the brink of a change in power. Regional rulers fought continuously with each other with only one goal in mind: to become the new Emperor. They erected imposing houses and sent their emissaries to the regional courts.

China is based on the award-winning game Web of Power by master game designer Michael Schacht. China differs from Web of Power in that there is no "half-time" scoring of regions as there is in the earlier game; there are four face-up cards to draw from instead of just two; and all adjacent regions have Emissary scoring opportunities, whereas in Web of Power, some adjacent regions did not.
A special variant with fortifications is included.

Aside from these differences, the two games are essentially the same.

Online Play

http://www.boardgames-online.net (turn-based)

implemented bonus maps: Web of Power, Hellenia, Skandinavia, America, AD 850, Life on Mars, Big in Japan

Re-implements:

Web of Power

Expanded by:

China - Das Duell (Two-player variant)
China Erweiterung
China: Grenzstreitigkeiten
China Einflusskarten
China: The Embassies

Pergamon is a tactical collecting game with a theme based on excavating archaeological discoveries and managing their exhibition.

Set in the year 1878, the first excavations in what is now modern Turkey are uncovering the remains of ancient Pergamon. Soon the precious discoveries will make their way abroad to public exhibitions before a waiting audience, eliciting substantial honor and glory.

The players attempt to gain federal research grants to cover the costs of their excavations through a bidding mechanism. Whoever is modest and less demanding can travel to the excavating areas before his or her competitors, and the rule is first come, first dig. Only fragments will remain for the later expeditions. Recovered treasures are placed in valuable exhibitions, for which the discoverer receives glory and recognition.

The player who accumulates the most glory after 12 rounds wins the game.

The combination of soliciting funds and racing for the best locations to excavate makes Pergamon a variable game with rules that are easily accessible. Players are forced to make choices based on the money they can obtain and the sequence in which they choose where to dig.