Best games released at SPIEL 1999 in Essen 2026

Bohnanza is a unique card game about planting, trading, and harvesting beans. Unlike typical card games, you can't rearrange your hand, adding a strategic twist. The core of the game lies in trading beans with others to manage your hand effectively.

Part of the Kosmos two-player series, Elk Fest is a dexterity game for two players. Players take turns flicking two discs that represent stones and moving their moose along these stones. The aim is to bring their moose to the opponent's riverbank while avoiding certain positions; the first player to achieve this wins.

In the icy frost of the Arctic, Inuit or polar bears engage in their favorite activity: ice fishing. Players punch holes in the "ice" to try to catch fish represented by steel balls of various sizes. The first player to catch ten fish wins, and for children aged six and up, larger fish are worth more points.

Players balance wooden blocks on a see-saw and aim to tip it over. Each player starts with 22 blocks in four different sizes and colors. When taking a turn, blocks must be placed in a single stack on the high side of the see-saw until it tips or the stack collapses, with consequences for both outcomes.

The Rose King (originally published as Texas) is a strategic board game that pits two players—or two teams in a four-player partnership variant—against each other in an abstract battle for territory. Set against the historical backdrop of the Wars of the Roses, players assume the roles of the Lancaster and York factions, striving to dominate the board by forming contiguous regions of their markers.

RoboRally is a dynamic and chaotic racing board game where players control robots in a high-stakes race through a hazardous factory. The game combines strategy, quick thinking, and a bit of luck to create an engaging and often humorous experience.

Players throw mud at each other using water and sand cards. Each player starts with a hand of seven cards from a deck of 110, which includes water, sand, umbrella, and special cards. Players generate mud by playing sand and water cards and can defend against attacks using umbrella cards or special cards that redirect the mud or spread it among others. The game continues until the deck is depleted, at which point players tally their sand and water points, with the lowest scorer declared the winner.

Kahuna is a strategic two-player game set in the South Seas, where players take on the roles of Kahuna – powerful sorcerers of the Pacific. The game revolves around competing for dominance over an archipelago of twelve small islands.

Each player has a set of pieces, walls, a tower, and a gate, trying to free their hand first or lose points. On their turn, one player is the builder while others secretly choose a piece. If the builder chooses a unique piece, it gets added to the wall; otherwise, a player matching the choice can build instead.

Bus is a pioneering strategy game by Splotter Spellen, emerging from Essen 1999 as a standout creation by a group of students. This game challenges players to efficiently manage a public transportation system to deliver as many passengers to their destinations as possible. The game combines route planning, passenger distribution, and timing to create a deeply strategic and competitive experience.

Players take on the role of the heads of fictional music companies, aiming to influence the popularity of various musical acts. Each turn, they receive seven tokens to secretly vote for their favored bands, striving to secure points when their chosen acts rank in the top six. The game features engaging artwork and humorous band names, along with a unique wooden "CD player" for counting votes. However, some band names may contain adult language, despite the game previously being categorized as a family game.