Me and Caterina are ready to start our Father in the Messe report. Wednesday we will fly to Koln and than take train to Essen. I think we play some games also during the trip: Small World or Kingsburg on iPad mostly but we are thinking about taking with us Splendor (just the cards and the coins, not the box!) and/or Innovation, two of our best 2-players games. Caterina is now close to 14 (it looks like most as a young lady than my little kid with braids) but she know she can’t get too much space for dresses or other useless (at least for a fat 42 years old gamer) in our suitcases. Our luggage have to be filled with games to play and review in the way back.

We have just one fixed meeting: International Gamers Awards ceremony – Thursday at 1PM at BGG Booth … then you will meet us at the tables: I’m playing Red and Caterina playing Green!

but now I can continue with my coverage of Italian Essen’s releases. Here Italians goes Essen: part 1

Richard I by Andrea Chiarvesio from Distric Games will not be in Essen but it will be presented in Lucca Comics & Games. Another title from Andrea that this year really strikes! I got a PnP version from the publisher but I’m not still been able to try it. I hope in the days after Essen! The rules are really promising but, of course, I need to test before actually (p)reviewing it.

3-8 players, age 12+, 60 minutes

Oliphante Releases
Oliphante is the Italian publisher of Cocktail-Games and some/most of the Gigamic release. Oliphante is also distributing in Italy KaleidosGames games: Primiera and Kaleidos Junior.
Oliphante will present in Essen Movie Trailer 2, a revised edition of Movie Trailer a trivial game about movies from Andrea Chiarvesio and Pierluca Zizzi, designer of great titles like Kingsburg or the just released Hyperborea

Placentia Games Releases
i’m used to have a lot of informations from Placentia Games in the past, including some preview copies of the game to test and review but this year I just know the titles of what they are releasing:

Florenza: Captains of Fortune by Stefano Groppi is just and expansion from Florenza that will be again availbale in Essen this year

Florenza: The Card Game – War and Religion by Stefano Groppi is an expansion of Florenza: the card games, I really liked last year.

Here the list of other releases (I have skipped almost all the self-published games):

Absacker by Leo Colovini and Dario de Toffoli from Amigo

Co-Mix by Lorenzo Silva from Horrible Games is the first game by the new
publisher Horrible Games that is half of the Cranio Creations after the scission. It looks like and interesting story-telling game about Comix.

Drizzit – the Card Game by Andrea Chiarvesio and Luigi Cecchi from Post Scriptum looks like a real interesting card game. Mario, from Post Scriptum, wrote me something about months ago but I wasn’t really able to go into the details. I hope to cover the gap after essen.

Everzone: Strategic Battles in the Universe by Marco Mingozzi from Winterlair is another game I was almost unaware. Mingozzi (Winterlair) released in the past Ninja Shadows Forged but it is a publisher I never been in contact directly with some preview/review copies so I’m not be able to tell nothing more than what you can find on BGG

Galaxy Ball by Simone Romano and Nunzio Surace from Ares. It is a new game from Galaxy Defender’s team.

Hot Tin Roof by Leo Colovini from Mayfair that, incredible, seems also missing in the huge and detailed Essen Preview by Eric W. Martin!

Mood X by Martino Chiacchiera and Benedetto degli Innocenti from Planplay, presented as story-telling and lateral-thinking game is another title was just skipping under my radar. I realize that is not really possibile to be informed of all Italian releases, like years ago, unless publishers and designers contact me and that is a real good news. I still remember when Italian’s releases were less than 10 games in a year!

Stay Away from Pendragon Games Studio announced just in time for Essen. Nothing about this game but this trailer video posted on PGS facebook page together with the news it will be in Essen both in English and German.

Venezia 2099 by Leo Colovini from Piatnik another games not included in the huge and detailed Essen Preview by Eric W. Martin

Zauberer Malefix by Carlo A. Rossi from Haba

What I can conclude is that Italian market is really moving fast, at least concerning publishing and designers. Also a lot of new interesting blog and review sites are rising up behind what I consider the real “top 3” resources: Gioconomicon.net, www.goblins.net and ILSA Magazine.

Of course ILSA magazine special Essen releases coverage is still one of the best resources for Italian gamers to read but there is a lot of pre and post Essen activities and i’m not always able to follow everything with the needed attention!

good play and see you at the Spiel
Liga