Essen SPIEL is the landmark for yearly boardgame news and we are also part of the fiesta!
Today is an exceptional release day, as it is not only 1, but 8 games we are releasing simultaneously.

Why ?
Because most of them are novelties you can play directly at the fair, online on Board Game Arena, or both!
Try them while you are waiting in line, learn the rules directly through the tutorials provided, and why not grab your very own copy while you are in Germany? Note that some games wil not be released at the show, but later this year.
Also, it’s a good way for those who cannot attend the event to discover more games, and have more fun during this very specific event, once a year.

Curious about what we have to offer?


- HUMANITY:
In this tile and worker placement game for 2 to 4 players, you will have to manage resources and your time to build a base to be used by scientific civilian settlers. Players will also have to assemble the modules produced by the automated station and carry out experiments to further research.
Tutorial available! Play it here: https://boardgamearena.com/gamepanel?game=humanity
Designed by Yoann Levet, published by Bombyx and developed by thoun. The game will be released at Essen Spiel and you can find it at the booth 6-C301.


- MAPS OF MISTERRA:
You play as explorers discovering a mystical and unknown island. Your goal: Explore the island, complete your personal and hidden objectives while proposing a correct cartography of the island to earn maximum points.
Play it here: https://boardgamearena.com/gamepanel?ga ... ofmisterra
Designed by Mathieu Bossu, Thomas Cariatre & Timothée Decroix, published by SitDown! and developed by Galeelox. Available in Essen at 3-Y120.

- FARAWAY:
Throughout a game of Faraway, you will play a row of 8 cards in front of you, from left to right. These cards represent the regions you will come across while exploring the lands. Characters on these cards will grant you victory points if you later fulfill the conditions they demand.
Tutorial available! Play it here: https://boardgamearena.com/gamepanel?game=faraway
Designed by Johannes Goupy & Corenting Lebrat, published by Catch Up Games and developed by Moof. Playable at booth 6F406

- QUIRKY QUARKS:
In Quirky Quarks, players collect Elementary Particles and Quests through auctions. The goal of the game is to complete Quests by collecting the appropriate sets of Elementary Particles.
Play it here: https://boardgamearena.com/gamepanel?game=quirkyquarks
Designed by Jeremy Ramsey, published by Quirky Quarks, developed by Lunalol. Available on Essen booth 5B106

- QUIBBLES:
Quibbles is a fast-paced and tactical card game that combines set-building and tactical decision-making. Quibbles offers quick and intense gameplay sessions lasting around 5 minutes per player.
Tutorial available! Play it here: https://boardgamearena.com/gamepanel?game=quibbles
Designed by Michiel de Wit, published by Gam'inBIZ, developed by jordijansen. Find the game in Hall 5, booth M123.

- PERFECT WORDS:
Perfect Words is a word association game. Players cooperate to create a crossword puzzle grid and then guess the associated clues. Each association guessed by the majority of the group allows you to approach the gold medal... or even better!
Play it here: https://boardgamearena.com/gamepanel?game=perfectwords
Designed by Paul-Henri Argiot, published by TIKI Editions, developed by Moof.

- COLORADO:
Explore the American West with a pen and cards as your equipment. To succeed in your expeditions, ask for the right cards and give the ones you need to trigger the most advantageous effects.
Play it here: https://boardgamearena.com/gamepanel?game=colorado
Designed by Joachim Thôme, published by Sylex, developed by firgon. The game will be displayed at HALL 5, booth N126.

- SAHWARI:
In Sahwari, you are a clan leader, and you want to become the next Merchant Guildmaster. Develop your clan and spread your influence by venturing into the desert: gather artifacts, rally caravans, or recruit the best elements for your crew... and gain Sahwari’s people’s eternal gratitude.
Play it here: https://boardgamearena.com/gamepanel?game=sahwari
Designed by Arnaud Chabloz, published by JOODINI Editions, developed by Galeelox. The game will be available in France at the end of the month.

Of course, we thank all of the teams, designers, publishers and developers for allowing us to host the games on our platform, and we are proud to present you some games specially crafted for this wonderful occasion.

Some people from our team will wander through the corridors at the fair, so if you recognize one of us wearing a very specific BGA sign, don't hesitate to ask us for your very limited "We met IRL" achievement. It doesn't bring more than a small decoration on your profile, but it is a very rare one. And who knows, you might also end up with a small gift!

See you there for those who will!
And for all of you who will enjoy the many games released, don't forget to take care... and play fair!
Let's meet next week for some more games...

Do you know Get On Board which was released a few months ago on Board Game Arena?
Here is the sequel!

Who will have the best Metro line? Organize your passengers' trips across the most romantic cities in the world! Feel free to double up with other players and create connections that will earn you even more points.

Over multiple rounds in Get on Board: Paris & Rome, you reveal a new route card, then plot the ideal route to cross off the best passenger and place spaces. Complete your objectives, and try to get the most points!

There are of course a few changes from the original title, and you can discover them through the included tutorial, or by clicking this link to the gamepage:
https://boardgamearena.com/gamepanel?ga ... dparisrome

We would love to thank, as usual, Saashi, the game designer, as well as the team from Iello for providing the game to our platform.
And lastly, it's all developed by thoun, which is now a kind of "quality seal" in and of its own. Thanks to him for what's been done on this game!

And what's next?
We are on the road to Essen Spiel 2023 and we can't wait to see you there!
We have prepared a small surprise for you all on Wednesday so if you stay home, you will have plenty of new games to play, and if you are in some waiting lines during the fair, you will be able to discover some novelties right from your phone. It's gonna be 100% boardgames!

See you later, take care and as always...
Play fair!

Speed. I am speed.
It is no surprise that HEAT is one of the most played racing car games around since the released in 2022. And there is a solid reason for this.

Based on simple and intuitive hand management, Heat: Pedal to the Metal puts players in the driver's seat of intense car races, jockeying for position to cross the finish line first, while managing their car's speed if they do not want to overheat. Selecting the right upgrades for their car will help them hug the curves and keep their engine cool enough to maintain top speeds. Ultimately, their driving skills will be the key to victory!

Drivers can compete in a single race, customizing their car before the race to claim the top spot of the podium. Players can also enjoy a solo mode with the Legends Module or add automated drivers as additional opponents in multiplayer games.
Championship mode will come later, as we need a bit more time to change the tires.

The rules are fit the racing aspect perfectly, with tension at every turn, and the available maps make its replayability a very good choice for any card player.

With more than a thousand games already going on, there's no doubt you will find drivers to join you on the track! Click below to discover more:
https://boardgamearena.com/gamepanel?game=heat

Too shy to join a game you know nothing about? Never worry, we have you covered with a short tutorial done by Nekonyancer for you to learn how to play it.

We want to thank of course the Days of Wonders team, as well as Asger Harding Granerud and Daniel Skjold Pedersen for their authorization to bring the game to our platform.
Let's not forget our amazing developers, Tisaac & thoun, who made a fantastic work here for you to play on (mostly) any platforms. Try it, it really plays like a charm.

Which color do you prefer to play?
If you are new to BGA, remember Premium members can select a color preference for most games from your profile!
That comes in handy to find where you are at a turn-based game.

And that's it for today!
Next week will be Essen, and we will have a big week there.
If you meet any of us while wandering through the halls, don't hesitate to say hello
That's it today. Until next week, take care and play fair!

Vrrrrrroooooooooooooooooooooooooooooom!

Years of tutelage under the late Archmage Andor have culminated in this moment; his two protégés must now become rivals and battle to determine who will become the next Keeper of the Grimoire. As protection from your rival, you have only your magical gifts, your mastery of the Grimoire, and a select few spell pages ripped from its binding. Pick carefully; the spells you choose will allow you to counter your opponent, twist the fabric of time, and deal devastating damage, but only if you are able to find synergies between spells and manage your mana reserves carefully.

In this two player strategy card game, you must fulfil your destiny and become the Keeper of the Grimoire. Defeat your opponent by drafting new spells from the magical Grimoire, casting them, managing your cooldowns, and dealing massive damage.

Each turn, draft one new spell to be added to your spell repertoire. But be warned! Your opponent has access to the same spells you do, so choose the spells you want before your opponent does! Continue updating your spell repertoire throughout the game to optimize your deck and counter your opponent.

Cast spells. Deal devastating damage or confuse and trip up your opponent. More expensive spells will have a larger impact on the game, but be careful, they will cost you more mana and will have a longer cool down. You can cast as many spells as you like on your turn so long as you have enough mana and the spells are not in cooldown. Find spell combinations that work together and time them correctly, to increase your damage or counter your opponent.

Be the first wizard apprentice to eliminate your opponent's life points to become Keeper of the Grimoire! Click below to know more about it:
https://boardgamearena.com/gamepanel?ga ... dsgrimoire

Of course, a nice tutorial is provided for you to learn how to play, if you do not wanna dive into the rules, even if they are quite simple to understand.

And lastly, before writing the usual credits and thanks we love to do for all games, we need to let you know that an expansion to the original game is coming! It's on their Kickstarter page you can find by clicking here.

We would love to thank MGoulet for the wonderful development there, as well as Grimoire Games and the game designers Cole Banning & Joe Banning for their authorization to bring the game online on Board Game Arena!

That's it for this Monday.
What's coming next? A few more games.
Brace yourselves, Essen Spiel is coming!
Until then, take care and play fair!

Produce and sell your best Champagne vintages to become cellar master of the decade (because a century would be too long)!

In Age of Champagne, players will be sending their collaborators to the various worker placement spots on the main board to perform actions.

Over the course of 10 game rounds, these collaborators will help you expand your vineyard and make investments to improve your wine press and install new wineries.

When the time is right, you can use them to run marketing campaigns that will raise the status of your produced wines, so that they will earn more points when you sell the vintages from your cellar.

At the end of each round, you will be able to prepare for the next year by transforming wines from your winery to vintages stored in your cellar, and harvest ripe grapes depending on the capacity of your wine press and wineries.

The majority of your points will be scored by selling vintages to fulfil orders. At the end of the game, players receive additional points for vineyard majorities and diversification, and for how well they performed on the eco-responsibility report; this mainly depends on the ways used for shipping vintages during the game.

Age of Champagne is a medium weight worker placement game that includes resource management and set collection. The game feels very tight with only 3 available workers each round, so you have to prioritize and will never be able to do everything you want!

Wanna taste it right from the barrel? Click the link below:
https://boardgamearena.com/gamepanel?ga ... fchampagne

We need to thank the team behind the game, like the people from Old Hen Games who published it, as well as Lunalol for the development of the game for our platform (who did an amazing job) and of course, last but not least, the game designers Cyrille Lefranc, Christoiphe Pouey & Frank Rubarbe.

There's no doubt you will enjoy this game, but let us know if it fits your boardgamer needs!
That's it for today,
See you soon. Don't forget that Essen is coming!
So until next week, take care and play fair!

Smarter than you think, easier than you expect...

The Number is an expert mix of mechanics: Bluffing, Risk-taking, but also Guessing (a mechanic that involves anticipating your opponent’s next moves and adapting your strategy accordingly).

First - Choose
Each turn, everyone secretly writes a number from 000 to 999 on their boards, then reveals them at the same time.

2 - Check
Line up the numbers from biggest to smallest and check if your number is approved (it doesn’t share digits with any of the numbers below it) or eliminated (at least one digit in common with any of the numbers below it).

3 - Resolve
If your number is approved, gain as many points as the first digit of your number. Then, you must cross off the digits you used in your number from your board. You will not be able to use them for the rest of the round.

It's so quick you will not be able to decide at first if you like it or not. So the best way to sort this dilemma is to try it a few times online by reaching the game page, available by clicking the link below:
https://boardgamearena.com/gamepanel?game=thenumber

Of course, the page includes a tutorial for you to learn the game simple and ingenious rules.

We cannot thank the Repos Production team enough for their strong efforts to bring this game online, as well as the outstanding work done by Moof to develop it, and of course the authorization from the game designer, Hisashi Hayashi.

That's it for this Monday!
What will come next could also impress you.
More and more novelties are joining BGA each day, thanks to all of you.
See you on Wednesday, and until then, take care and play fair!

2083. Humankind died out decades ago, leaving behind mere vestiges of its time on Earth. As time went by, nature reclaimed land all over. In this resurgent world, apes have kept evolving. They have been gathering in tribes, growing, mastering human items, and advancing in their quest for knowledge. As the leader of such a tribe, you need to guide it towards collective intelligence.

After Us is a deck-building and resource management game featuring an original and intuitive combo system in which players are each leading a tribe of apes. Starting only with tamarins, they combine their cards each turn to collect resources and gather victory points, attracting new apes into their tribe along the way: powerful gorillas, resourceful orangutans, versatile chimpanzees, and wise mandrills. The first player to obtain 80 points prevails in the race to collective intelligence — and wins the game.

The game shines through its original mechanisms, and that is why you should absolutely try the very short and well made tutorial available by Nekonyancer to know more about it.

Of course, you can check out the rules and start your very first game on the dedicated game page by clicking the link below:
https://boardgamearena.com/gamepanel?game=afterus

We want to thank the wonderful Catch Up Games team, as well as Florian Sirieix (hey ^^) for their authorization to bring the game online, and of course the wonderful and talented thoun for the development done on BGA.

That's it for today, enjoy your Wednesday Release Time (WRT), and see you next week for another amazing game!
Until then, take care and play fair.

The fierce and friendly pick and pass card game.

Collect enclosures, rescue animals, and install upgrades over 3 years and build the highest scoring wildlife park you can in this fast-paced card game. Do not let the cutesy look fool you into thinking this is going to be easy though! Can you keep the Lions away from the Anteaters on the Savannah plains? Are your sloths lonely or living a happy life on an Open-Air island? Your Zuuli adventure awaits!

If you are not afraid to play it, here is the link to the game page:
https://boardgamearena.com/gamepanel?game=zuuli

Of course, you should never miss the included tutorial.

Published by Unfringed and created by Chris Priscott, we would like to thank the whole team as well as n_e_s_s_u_n_o who developed it for Board Game Arena!

And that's it for today.
Until Wednesday, take care and play fair!

At the start of the game, each player receives 9 unknown cards and set up their Mine by placing them face down in front of them, in a 3x3 square. They flip the center card face up and the game can begin.

The goal is to fill the 9 slots of your mine with cards granting you the most points.

On your turn, you can play up to 2 cards from your hand. Play Gem cards in your mine – cards of your favorite color earns you points, as well as cards played in the right spot (each gem and Mine slot is numbered from 1 to 9). Use Adventure cards to your advantage to reveal, swap or steal cards in play and build the best Mine.

But beware: as soon as a Mine is entirely revealed, the game comes to an end and the player with the most points wins!

Click the link below to discover this wonderful game:
https://boardgamearena.com/gamepanel?ga ... padventure
Nothing would be possible without the help and authorization of the Amazing Games team and the Babel Dread game designers, and we would like to thank them all for making this possible.

Also there's been sweet work done by Mistergos to make it happen and playable on the platform, and he deserves a lot of love from you all!

And... that's it for today!
We are sure you are more than busy these days, especially if you have kids going back to school. (or you are that kid).
The best for this year to you, have fun, play fair and... take care!

A mini-expansion for Sea Salt & Paper, presented as a booster pack: 8 new cards with 5 new effects.
It's a bit more salty and spicy.

Discover the new effects:

- The Cast of Crabs: 1 point per crab
- The Seahorse: replaces a card in a series (shell, octopus, etc.).
- The Starfish: played at the same time as a pair of cards to cancel their effect but earn 2 extra points.
- The Lobster: draw 5 cards from the deck and choose one. Play with a crab.
- The Medusa: to be played at the same time as a swimmer. All other players can only draw one card from the deck on their next turn.

You can play this expansion by selecting the right option on the settings from the game page:


We would love to thank the fantastic Bombyx publishing team members, as well as Bruno Cathala and Théo Rivière for their authorizations, and the wonderful work done by Thoun on this game adaptation.

But wait, there's more...
An official tournament! With prizes!

The "Qualifier" phase ends in mid-October. There are a total of 256 places for the "Groups" phase to be won.

64 spots are being distributed in France by us and our partners, 64 on several Board Game Arena tournaments open to all:

The first two rounds of the competition will be held on BGA, and the remaining 128 rounds will be shared between our partners around the world.

The "Groups" phase will take place on BGA only from late October - early November. Qualifiers will be divided into 8 groups of 32 players and will play with the Extra Salt extension. The top 4 players in each group will qualify for the "Final" phase.

The "Final" phase will take place in late November or early December. The 32 players will compete in a 1 vs 1 knockout format with the Extra Salt extension activated. This stage will also be on BGA only.

And many prizes to win!
Go to their Facebook official page here to know more about it: https://www.facebook.com/studiobombyx

EDIT: 2 new sessions were added for BGA:
- FISH n ChampionCHIPS – Qualificateur 5 : https://boardgamearena.com/tournament?id=235750
- FISH n ChampionCHIPS – Qualificateur 6 : https://boardgamearena.com/tournament?id=235747

And... that's it for today's release!
The Summer of Games is now terminated. Let's see how many of you were able to come to the front page and click each day:
1 day and 1 gift open | 81554 clicked it!
10 day streak (everyday without missing a release) | 9805 trophies
20 days | 4514 trophies
And... THE WHOLE 31 DAYS, everyday | 2530 whale trophies distributed!

Thanks a lot for your participation. Remember these trophies are unique and you can be proud to have won them.
See you later for more exciting news.
Until then, take care, and... as always... PLAY FAIR!