SquarkBlog

There are new Designer Eurogames waiting in the warehouse at the port. These are fun gateway games which may also involve the little grey cells (of the brain) in a positive way as opposed to neuro games which colleagues often play on each other at some work places.

Hot off the press and aptly centred in the port of Venice is the very nice Masters of Venice. Released in May 2009, this game is set in beautiful Renaissance Italy. Everything about the game is beautiful: the box, the game board,  the cards, the play money... Have a look at the pic above as well the components in the pic below:

Each player plays the part of a young merchant trying to make his or her name in a city of vibrant commerce, Venice in the 1400s. There are spices, silks, gems, iron and grain to trade in order to bring in great wealth. Apart from buying and selling goods and commodities, once a player is rich enough, he can own shares of shops which use these commodities and goods. However, apart from being a shrewd trader, one must also be politically nimble. As in all developing societies, money attracts politicians like the Guildmaster and the Harbourmaster. These powerful individuals are there to be utilized/milked/called their titles repeatedly out loud in public to fulfill one's dreams. To be a successful merchant, one has to be humble be friends with almost everyone, including the unassuming taxi-driver-equivalent of Rennaissance Italy -the Gondolieri. He may have some tips for you to help you on your way! If Facebook existed in those times, the Gondolieri might be a very useful "friend" to have.  This is an intriguing economic game set in the time when art and beauty are at its peak, and this business game is one which I will definitely put on my MBA training games list.

Continuing the business Eurogame theme, we also will have Portobello Market. The setting for this game is the famous Portobello Road in London, where there are shops and market stalls. The game is set in 1901 where players are the shop-keepers vying to build their shops in the most profitable areas to attract wealthy customers. The business thought behind this familiar to real estate investors as well as retail owners is "Location, location, location". The production quality of Portobello Market is very high.with wooden meeples and wooden shops (shopples?) and nice colourful board and rules.

Now for something completely and utterly different. The third game on this SquarkBlog is called Ilium. No, it's not a game about gut surgery or post-mortem stomach content testing à la CSI, but a Reiner Knizia game! Ilium is designed by award-winning game designer Reiner Knizia, and is set during in 1870 when the famous archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann discovered the ancient city of Troy, also called "Ilium" . Each player is in a race to organise their archaeology team to uncover the treasures found in this dig. The more you dig, the more valuable the antiquity is, but careful planning, nail-biting decision-making and shrewed timing are required to get the most valuable treasure collection. This is a fast-paced game for 2 to 4 budding archaeologists.

These are just 3 very different new Eurogames that will be filling our games shelves. There are more, but these are just 3 of the new Eurogames about to appear here in Malaysia. Sorry - I forgot to mention the word "banana" in this SquarkBlog. I have to mention this word, as I did in my past few SquarkBlog entries about this new games shipment. Here it is : Banana!