Set collection

Reiner Knizia's auction game about producing movies. In four rounds, players bid on chips representing genuine directors, actors, camera, effects, music, guest stars and agents. These all get placed on players' film-strips, to complete the movie production. So one movie might need 2 actors, but no music or effects and so on. As films are completed, the points value is marked and another film-strip taken. There are two parties each round where players get to pick from offers without paying anything. There are bonus points for first films completed and best films, best directors, even worst film.

The auction is a basic rising offer with passing until one winning bid remains. Players pay into the pot with contracts as money, and the rest of the players share the pot each turn. So it's a closed economy with players trying to time to bid on what they really need to complete films.

See Movie Comparison - Traumfabrik for listings of movies and actors in each version.

During the second third of the 19th century, a rapid development of railway transport got under way. All over the world, the railway networks were growing and steam engines accelerated the progress. 175 years ago, on December 7 1835 to be precise, the first German train powered by a steam engine started operating between Nuremberg and Fürth, transporting passengers and goods. In England’s region of Wensleydale transport of goods via railway tracks was started 13 years later.
First Train to Nuremberg is a revised edition of Last Train to Wensleydale. You take the role of a railway promoter, backed by the investments of hundreds of local landowners. Your aim is to build lines that can make a profit from the transport of passengers and goods. However, money is not the only resource you require. Many locals will oppose your schemes and only with influence in the government will you be able to build over their land. Your company is far too small to be able to have its own engine works, so contacts with the major operators will help you acquire second-hand trains and rolling stock. You will also need to be on good terms with the two local railway companies. Without their support you will not be able to link to their networks, nor will you be able to negotiate the sale of your lines when they become unprofitable (as they surely will).

With First Train to Nuremberg now two players can fully enjoy this extraordinary train game as well. Instead of cheese and stone, now beer and mail will be transported, besides passengers of course. There is a new challenge when transporting passengers: They can travel first class now and thus you will gain more victory points but on the other hand, you have to buy trains that are more expensive. Additionally, you may benefit from the first connection between Nuremberg and Fürth and receive extra victory points, which may be crucial for winning the game. What’s more, you may play the original game of Last Train to Wensleydale on the flip side of the game board, or almost so. Some slight changes of the original rules work with that map as well as the rules of the first edition.

It is the turn of the nineteenth century, and mad scientists throughout Europe are competing for the infamy of being the first to create life through the power of alchemy. Using only the raw materials provided by some dubious "Suppliers to the Anatomical Trade", harnessed lightning, and the services of a motley crew of unattractive servants, in It's Alive! you race to collect the eight body parts needed to create your monster and bring it to life. Unfortunately, the local peasants are particularly clumsy and tend to die in freak farming accidents, so the dubious gentlemen rarely find a whole cadaver in sufficiently good condition. Instead, they offer the parts they have managed to salvage. Each turn, you may buy the offered part, sell it to an anatomist for a meager profit, or auction it, trying to get a better deal or rip off your opponents. You might be lucky and get a coffin with a weakling clerk's cadaver in it, which can be used in lieu of any strapping villager's body part, or your involvement in the macabre trade might invoke the villagers' wrath.

Reimplements (and reimplemented by)

The Menorah Game

New York has the same game play as Dirk Henn's Spiel des Jahres-winning Alhambra, but with the Spanish architecture being replaced by the skyscrapers of Manhattan. As in the original game, players collect four types of currencies and use those funds to purchase tiles that they assemble into their own mini-metropolis, connecting the paved street edges on the tiles to create a coherent network of roads. The building tiles come in six colors, and players score for their holdings three times during the game, earning points for having the most of a color as well as for their longest road.

Aside from the theme change and the associated new artwork, the gameboard is now larger with spots for both face-down and face-up tiles and a scoretrack that circles the edge of the board instead of zigzagging back and forth.

Re-implements:

Alhambra

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.