If I had to pick one adjective for Devi’s booth, it would be colorful. From the rainbow pie pieces in the party game, One Round? To the wildly colorful Gaudi (not gaudy, though!) and its rondel, to the clay craftspeople (worker placement) of Nijar, and the over-the-top centerpiece of Orloj: The Prague Astronomical Clock. Each provides a riot of color (of which I’m not complaining, I’m a big fan of color…) Sure, the Rock Hard 1977 expansion Ear Candy isn’t exactly a rainbow. The goofy potion art of Risky Mixes has some color, but the moody, dark dice-battler 7th Seal isn’t going to show up on the color-o-meter. Overall, I felt like I was in a boardgame world of stained glass. But while the colors are nice, what about the games?

One Round? (by Tobias Tesar)

The 2-12 player cooperative party game One Round? Starts off with three pie pieces with the numbers 33, 66, and 100/0 laid out in a partial circle. Each piece is given a word to start. Players then take turns drawing a pie-shaped, secret number card and thinking of a word that would fit in the circle in that numbered spot. Players then use that word clue to try and fit the word into the correct spot (between two numbers) on the table.

Guess the location and flip the number over, if correct, go on and the next player has to draw a number card and think of a word. As play continues, the spaces between numbers get smaller and smaller so it gets harder to cram those pie pieces into the correct spot. If the players manage to fill in the complete 12 card circle without making 3 mistakes, the game is a win. There are rules for a team version, but who wants to be competitive?

7th Seal (by Julio Falagán)

7th Seal is a completely solo game of fighting monsters through dice placement. The player takes on the role of a hero (there are several options) and then goes up against a series of monsters along with a big boss finale. Basically, a bunch of enemy cards are played out (minions and a boss.) The player will roll dice and then place them out on top of same-colored slots in order to defeat monsters. Defeat a monster and claim more dice to use in the future.

However, not fully defeated monsters will attack back. Which monsters attack back and when is determined by a progression across the boss track. In general, the longer a player lets a monster stick around, the harder it’s going to hit back. Defeat all the minions in time (ie. without losing all your health) and take on the big boss to win.

As one would expect, heroes have special powers, individual minions might have powers (like freezing a die so it can’t be adjusted), and the boss will add some overarching annoyances to the entire run. It isn’t a game for someone with an aversion to iconography. With several heroes and several bosses to choose from, there’s a lot of options to explore.

An example hero. Note the cyan, yellow, and red shards on the edges of the cards. These dictate where minions will appear and connect to the hero.

One of the boss cards. One can see how minions attack. First all three colors attack for 2 damage each, then only blue and yellow for 3 damage, then cyan for 5 damage. Make sure you clear out those cyan monsters by the second or third round!

The game in one of the display cases around the convention.

Did I mention there are a lot of icons???

Rock Hard 1977: Ear Candy (by Jackie Fox)

An expansion to the base game, Ear Candy brings in the option to create a single (on 45 RPM, of course.) Get them played on the radio and you go up in the Hit List on the charts, which is an additional way to get Fame. The expansion also has two new managers, two new types of “Candy”, and additional cards for various decks.

Nijar (by David Bernal)

Nijar is a meaty engine-building hand management game of making pottery. Players use craftswomen workers to take actions – things like drawing cards, playing cards, getting clay, making pots, firing them, etc…

Alternatively, sell a piece at the market for points or, if you have run out of craftspeople, close your shop for the turn to get them back (and earn a bonus token.)

Note the cool little clay pots and bowls of paint/glaze. The game should be released this fall, around Essen.

Gaudi (by Dani Garcia)

It’s spelled Gaudi, not gaudy – the term for ostentatious decoration predates the architect by more than 400 years. Blame Shakespear for helping to pivot the meaning towards a negative vibe.

The game is a bit of an homage to the celebrated Catalan architect of the 19th century who passed away 100 years ago. Players earn victory points through pursuing three of his passions: Nature, Catalonia, and Religion. Players take turns moving around the central rondel (which is a chandelier, of course) in order to get cards or other resources. These are then used to play cards and progress along a player’s personal board. After three rounds, players compare their scores on their lowest scoring track, so a balanced pursuit of victory points is best. The highest low score wins! The game should also be out in the fall for Essen.

Orloj: The Prague Astronomical Clock (by Abraham Sanchez Hermida, and Paloma J. Pascual)

As befitting a game about a mechanical clock, there is a lot going on in Orloj. The large clock is the centerpiece of the game board. Players are each trying to add a majestic calendar to the clock. To do this, players take turns advancing the clock pointer in order to take the associated action. Players do have the option of running the clock backwards, but that breaks their machine, at least until they repair it later.

Players gain resources and take actions based on the clock dial. This includes hiring assistants to help out and hopefully developing their “knowledge” across three tracks that improve a player’s capabilities.

Looking for an assistant?

A player’s personal board.

The main clock with all its dial-a-licous glory. (Yes, there are multiple dials going at once.)

Risky Mixes (by José Manuel Fernández Aguilera)

One final note. Risky Mixes is a quick playing goblin-themed take-that game for 4 to 10 players. It’s sold 150,000+ copies in Spain and is being brought to an English audience in September.