Category Archives: Essen 2019

Dale Yu: Review of Ninja Academy

Posted on October 18, 2019 by

Ninja Academy Designers: Antoine Bauza, Corentin Lebrat, Ludovic Maublanc, Theo Riviere Publisher: IELLO Players 3-5 Age: 8+ Time: 20 minutes Times played: 3, with review copy provided by IELLO Ninja Academy is a quick dexterity game in the Mini Games … Continue reading →

Posted in Essen 2019, Reviews | 1 Comment

The Opinionated Gamers list the games they “must have” from SPIEL 2019

Posted on October 17, 2019 by

This is the first of a number of previews/reports from SPIEL 2019 about the games that we are looking at. As the fair hasn’t started, this is still all speculation, but here are the lists of games that some of … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Essen 2019 | 5 Comments

Dale Yu: First Impressions of Little Town

Posted on October 17, 2019 by

Little Town Designers: Shun Taguchi, Aya Taguchi Publisher: IELLO Players: 2-4 Age: 10+ Time: 30-40 minutes Times played: 7+ overall, 2 with review copy of new edition provided by IELLO We have reviewed it before – https://opinionatedgamers.com/2018/01/20/tokyo-game-market-part-2/ –  it was … Continue reading →

Posted in Essen 2019, Reviews | 2 Comments

If It’s October In Salem, It Means Tourists & New Games!! (Crystal Palace, The Quest for El Dorado-The Golden Temples, & Promenade) – A Lobster Trap Preview

Posted on October 16, 2019 by

If you haven’t had the chance to do autumn in New England, you are missing out. It is the area’s best season with fall color bringing visitors from all over the country. In Salem, fall means getting ready for Halloween. … Continue reading →

Posted in Essen 2019, Preview | 4 Comments

Dale Yu: Review of Las Vegas Royale

Posted on October 16, 2019 by

Las Vegas Royale Designer: Rudiger Dorn Publisher: alea (Ravensburger) Players: 2-5 Ages: 8+ Time: 40-60 min Times played: 3 with review copy provided by Ravensburger USA Las Vegas (the original) is one of my favorite games of all time.  It … Continue reading →

Posted in Essen 2019, Reviews | 1 Comment

Dale Yu – Essen Preview of Kung Fu

Posted on October 15, 2019 by

Kung Fu Designer: Zong-Hua Yang (Bob) Publisher: Good Game Studio Players: 2-5 Age: 8+ Time: 15-20 minutes Review copy provided by Good Game / Taiwan Boardgame Design Kung Fu is a super colorful game which arises out of a mostly … Continue reading →

Posted in Essen 2019, Preview | 2 Comments

Chris Wray: My Essen 2019 Most Anticipated List

Posted on October 14, 2019 by

Spiel (Essen) 2019 is at the end of next week, and I’ve been reading rulebooks and combing through Eric Martin’s oh-so-amazing Spiel ’19 Preview Tool on BGG. As in past years, I’ll be doing coverage from the fair for The … Continue reading →

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Dale Yu – Essen Preview of Carnival of Monsters

Posted on October 14, 2019 by

Carnival of Monsters Designer: Richard Garfield Publisher: AMIGO Players: 3-5 Ages: 12+ Time: about 60 mins/game thus far Times played: 4, with early prototype copy (2017) provided by publisher; 1 with new edition provided by Amigo (2019) In this newly … Continue reading →

Posted in Essen 2019, Preview | 2 Comments

The Board Game Scene in Indonesia and Indonesian Games at Spiel 2019

Posted on October 14, 2019 by

When I went to Spiel in 2017, one of my first stops was the Indonesian booth in the far back.  I say “the Indonesian booth” because, as with some other countries, rather than a specific publisher having a booth, an … Continue reading →

Posted in Essen 2019, Preview | 6 Comments

Dale Yu: Review – Bermuda Pirates (and a small Essen Preview of 50 Clues)

Posted on October 13, 2019 by

Bermuda Pirates Designer: Jeppe Norsker Publisher: FoxMind Players: 2-4 Ages: 7+ Time: 20-30 minutes Played with review copy provided by FoxMind Bermuda Pirates was a game I had heard nothing about prior to seeing it on the FoxMind stand in … Continue reading →

Posted in Essen 2019, Preview | 1 Comment