Game ideas from around the world

By Peter Neugebauer

Alongside established publishers, international small-scale providers ensure a wealth of game ideas. They have found their niche and showcase their products in Nuremberg to find partners for trade or as licenses. With exclusive new releases, they can score points.

Abstract Ideas

Coins in the wallet. The Belgian publisher Eureka! stands for an extensive range of over 60 logic puzzles for one person. These are metal constructions that fit comfortably in both hands. They are solved by twisting, turning, and shifting. Once the pieces are taken apart, there is the joyful exclamation reminiscent of Archimedes: Eureka! I’ve found it. Then the pieces must be reassembled, which is just as tricky. The brand-new “Cast Wallet” is a flat metal box into which three double coins must be inserted. These coins have different thicknesses, making the solution more difficult. On a scale of 1 to 6, this puzzle is rated difficulty 4.

Author: Japanese puzzle designer Koichi Miura

Chasing the king. The Taiwanese publisher Tree Toys Corporation has developed a two-player duel with “Kloak”. Inspired by the Wars of the Roses in 15th-century England, it’s the royal crowns of York and Lancaster that fiercely compete. The trick is that the pieces hide secret seals in their slots, which are revealed during a confrontation. For example, if the loyalist meets the opponent’s traitor, both must leave the board. Thus, players strategize, fight, and conceal their identities (title!), until the opposing king is defeated. It’s a tough battle. By redistributing the seals among the pieces, a new challenge arises each time.

Author: Dennis Callaghan (NZ)

Arranging patterns. The Canadian company FoxMind focuses on appealing puzzles with “Match Madness Plus”. These are pattern cards that specify a task. Alone or in competition, each player tries to fulfill the task. Everyone has five blocks, which are double cubes with colors and patterns on their long sides. Each block is configured differently. The task is to recreate the given pattern from the double cubes, faster than the competitors. Four blocks are usually easy to arrange, but the fifth rarely fits right away. Then you have to start puzzling again. 120 different challenges provide a demanding experience.

Author: Jeppe Norsker (DK)

Not for everyone’s taste. The Argentine publisher Buró dares to be different. With “Shitty Friends” and “Shitty Choices”, they offer two card sets with question prompts that nobody really wants to hear. Buró labels its boxes with “Spicy” or “Warning – Dark Humor – 18+”. The questions get to the moral core. In each round, the player who most likely fits the described bad habit must be singled out. For example: Who would disappear from the circle of friends forever after winning the lottery? Some card texts are even harsher. The question cards are only for a special target group, but that group certainly exists. What becomes of the circle of friends remains unanswered.

Authors: Michel Fischman & Emmanuel Rabell

Classic, but Asian style. The Vietnamese manufacturer WAHHOI offers “Chinese Checkers”, the Far Eastern variant of Halma. Here, this version is also known as Sternhalma. It is played on a star-shaped board. The pieces must be moved from one’s own point on the board to the opposite zone. It is allowed and strategically important to jump over one’s own and opponents’ pieces in chains to reach the goal faster. Since this version can be played by up to six people, there are broader move possibilities. A nice feature of this Asian edition is that marbles are moved over hollows as playing pieces.

Author: Traditional game idea

Experience Games

Life in the South Seas. The American publisher Mojito entices players in “Tropicalia” to an idyllic island in the South Pacific. Players send their people to collect delicious fruits, which are sold at marketplaces. This allows each player to build buildings or host events. Ultimately, the highest prestige decides who becomes King of the Island. A clever game mechanic is that everyone can claim rows in the inner plan from the outside. However, no one knows for sure which tile they can take for their progress, as others may get there first. The game has an inviting theme and a clever mechanism.

Author: Phil Walker-Harding (AU), Illustration: Naiade

Delicious ice cream. The Dutch publisher Jolly Dutch brings playful joy to all ice cream lovers with “Gelati”. Domino-like tiles show colorful treats: a cone, a scoop of ice cream, and a topping. The cards are quite colorful. These are now laid out so that as many matching types as possible are placed together. That brings points. If, in addition, a four-in-a-row is formed across several cards, there are extra advantages. The clever mix of domino and row-building is the plus point of this rather simple tile-laying game.

Author: Rian Mennen, Illustrator: David Verstraete

Climbing the apple tree. The Indian publisher Skillmatics lets players work their way up in “Newton’s Tree”. According to a task card, trunks, branches, or apples must be stacked so that a fruit tree grows upwards. Nothing may fall down. Since this is a wobbly undertaking, skill and a steady hand are required. A nice idea is that the figure of Isaac Newton, who is said to have had an apple fall on his head when discovering gravity, repeatedly climbs the delicate structure of branches, trunks, and fruits. This brings the construction out of balance and makes stacking more difficult.

Author: David Yakos (US)

Golden autumn walk. The Italians from Little Rocket Games have developed an unusual nature game for two players with “Fall”. In each round, the two opponents take 2 x 2 hexagonal tiles from the center of the table. These are placed at or into a shared display. This creates an autumnal forest floor with lots of leaves and flowers. There are also animal tokens like bird, toad, or fox, which are placed tactically in the display. Since each player has individual goals, it remains uncertain until the end how each will score. That increases the suspense. Mushrooms, after all it’s autumn, can also be placed and score points for both.

Author: Giampaolo Razzino (IT), Illustrator: Mirko Properzi

Idyll at Martini Beach. Planet A Games from Germany invites you to a crime puzzle: “Das Monster aus der Lagune” (“The Monster from the Lagoon”). A monster is said to live in the bay, which was pacified by an amulet. But now this piece of jewelry has disappeared and the idyllic peace in the lagoon is over. What happened? As investigators, players read newspaper clippings, brochures, maps, and more. They also have to listen to app information. Finally, the mysterious circumstances must be clarified. Is there something else behind this mysterious horror story? The game follows the tradition of many exit and escape games and offers atmospheric entertainment.

Authors: Doro and Jonas Hufer, Illustrator: Folko Strese

About the author

Peter Neugebauer is a "playful child" through and through. In early childhood, his parents introduced him to board games. Games were a mandatory Christmas or birthday present and always welcome. He did not stop playing during his studies or his professional career. He began reviewing new games at an early age, first in specialist magazines, then in daily newspapers, and for almost 40 years in industry magazines. He simply cannot do without games.