Innovations and trends at SPIEL'16

With over 1.000 exhibitors at SPIEL'13 in Essen from October 16 to 2016, 16, it can be a difficult undertaking to present all the new products in detail. Some titles have aroused increased interest in us, so we would like to present you with at least a cross-section of the game trends of the 34th International Game Days.

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KOSMOS Verlag: Mighty exciting line-up

The KOSMOS publishing house, among others, is responsible for one of the trends at Spiel 2016: Escape Games. Escape games were previously reserved for adventure board gamers and “real escape gamers”, but the fascination of difficult puzzles is now playable and affordable for everyone. Inka and Markus Brand are responsible for adapting the game idea and attract 1 to 6 players, ages 12 and up, to abandoned huts, secret laboratories and ancient burial chambers. The implementation shows that you don't need expensive technology or claustrophobic settings for an authentic "escape feeling": Exit - the game works with the help of simple playful means such as code discs, cards and a good story. Fixed time limits ensure tension and despair even with this adaptation. In keeping with the theme, visitors to SPIEL'16 can experience the trend up close at the trade fair: at the KOSMOS Verlag booth, where a live escape room is available to particularly brave escapes. 

KOSMOS Verlag has other hot irons in the fire. The title Luther - the game fits perfectly with the approaching 500th anniversary of the Reformation. Hutter Trade jumps on this train and shows an entertaining quiz game for the whole family.

Fantasy fans, on the other hand, will focus their main attention on the final part of Michael Menzel's Andor trilogy. The fantasy board game The Legends of Andor - The Last Hope appears on time for SPIEL'16 and closes the main story with seven more legends.     

Glass visitors: Noris games

Briefly back to the escape games: The games publisher Noris invites trade fair visitors to a very special experience. On the one hand, you can get the title Escape Room - The game test extensively, on the other hand Noris invites you to two Live Escape episodes in the Galeria (the passage between the exhibition halls). In addition, a glass box is available for you in Hall 3, which will provide further escape gaming experiences. If bystanders can watch you fail, the pressure to succeed is likely to skyrocket. And if you still haven't had enough of escape games after this experience, visit HCM Kinzel and spiel Escape the Room - The secret of the observatory. There is no doubt that escape games are one of the trends of the 34th International Game Days. 

Pegasus Games: More than camels playing cards

Crazy camel races have been at the latest since the success of the board game camel up (Game of the Year 2014) an integral part of the gaming landscape. After the release of the Supercup expansion (►) the next trick follows: an adaptation of the idea as a card game. Instead of dice, the camels are now moved by clever card reading - and it goes without saying that extensive bets are made on the camels.

Even more exciting than a camel race is a real chariot race, which game fans only know from historical sandal films in this level of detail. If then the name of the author Matt Leacock (Pandemic) says on the game box, great entertainment is as certain as Charlton Heston's membership of the National Rifle Association. By the way, fair play and an orderly competition process are not the strengths of the big chariot race. Collisions at high speeds are a tough business for successful charioteers, but they are not without risk. With the carrot and stick, but above all with the use of dice, 2 to 6 players drive their nags to maximum performance. The game Chariot Race - The great chariot race is at least as entertaining as the full-length feature film Ben Hur.

SPIEL'16 will be absolute horror

Horror board games are still in vogue and should enjoy great popularity shortly before Halloween. Asmodee publisher presents an ingenious game idea combined with the content of a legendary horror series. In the horror game Pandemic - The Cthulhu's Reign of Terror Players fight against gruesome creatures in the popular universe of HP Lovecraft. This title is definitely one of the compulsory titles for the upcoming SPIEL'16 in Essen. Humorous interludes with lots of zombies, on the other hand, await the players in the fast horror game Hit ZRoad. Playing a game should make your next trip to the USA appear in a completely different light. That sometimes also German Kickstarter-Projects stay in conversation, shows the tactical survival card game City of the dead, which you can try out for yourself in hall 6 at booth 6-A109.   

Crowds in the agent headquarters

Author god Vlaada Chvátil again invites you to intensive guessing rounds - this time with the visually stunning game Codesnames Pictures, a new twist on the award-winning agent game Codenames (Game of the Year 2016). Once again, two powerful teams are fighting for supremacy in the intelligence sector. The games with many participants are often a lot of fun Captain Sonar from Matagot confirm with a probability bordering on certainty. When two submarine crews meet and each player has their own tasks to perform, communication and chaos are fixed elements of a full-length cat-and-mouse game.

Sometimes the size matters: with XXL games, for example, some of which you can try out at the game publishers' stands. Amigo invites animal lovers to a game icecool one; Pegasus demands skill from you in a round Dr Eureka.    

For frequent gamers with a sufficient budget: Scythe

Big deeds require a big wallet: the dealers charge 70 to 80 euros for the epic board game Scythe from Stonemaier Games. In view of the equipment and the quality of the materials, these prices are quite reasonable - even if many frequent gamers shy away from such high investments for a board game at first. Nevertheless, trial rounds are eagerly awaited by Scythe. The Kickstarter campaign for this strategic board game exceeded the targeted funding target by fifty times. Only first-class quality and not chance can be responsible for this. Shortly after the First World War, the players find themselves in an alternative setting in which the capitalist city-state “The Factory” plays the central role. As leaders of their nations, 1 to 5 players want to secure their supremacy in alternative Eastern Europe after the end of the war. In addition to exploration, resource management and development, the players fight fast and costly battles. With a playing time of around 120 minutes, Scythe a strategic heavyweight that will appeal to frequent gamers in particular. A must buy Sycthe Not in view of the price, but a test game should be a must for every passionate board player at SPIEL'16. 

Humor is when you laugh anyway

The people in the Ruhr area are known for their special sense of humor and their polished handling of linguistic subtleties. During the funny parlor game Top Face! Carletto visitors to the fair are cordially invited to make a fool of themselves - while everyone bystanders is watching. Only those who skillfully grimace will be victorious. The only question that remains is who has more fun playing this game: the player or the spectator?

The romantic card game, on the other hand, is a bit more humorous Fog of Love from Hush Hush Project, which demands the creativity of the players to the highest degree. It's important to think up funny love stories: for die-hard Ruhrpot romanticists that's no problem at all. If you want to do without the Sunday morning pint, but not the pub, you should Pub quiz reserve from moses publishing house. Where many sociable players compete against a fictional opponent by using their knowledge resources, there is sure to be a lot of laughter.

Including board games: workshop on color blindness

As if we were about to publish our article on the inclusive topic Board games for blind people anticipated: at least part of SPIEL'16 will be dedicated to the topic of inclusion in board games. At the publisher's stand What's in a game As part of a workshop, interested parties receive valuable tips for the development of inclusive board game concepts in order to take into account the limitations of the visually impaired. We would like to see more offers of this kind for the future international game days.