Best games released at SPIEL 2001 in Essen 2026

Pick Picknic is a delightful board game that combines strategy and chance with a charming farmyard theme. Designed by Stefan Dorra, this game invites players to help their flock of hungry chickens, geese, and ducks feed on as much corn as possible while avoiding the cunning foxes looking for a feathered feast. A remake of Dorra's earlier game Razzia, Pick Picknic integrates fun poultry antics with tactical gameplay suitable for both children and adults.

Villa Paletti is an engaging and whimsical game designed for 2 to 4 players, aged 8 and up, that challenges budding architects to construct a towering structure. Set in a land of blooming lemons, players follow in the footsteps of the sage "Paletti" who sought to complete his grandfather's unfinished castle in the sky. The twist in Paletti's plan is to reuse old columns from the lower levels of the castle to build higher floors, creating a daring and precarious architectural marvel – the Villa Paletti.

Stick 'Em, initially released as Sticheln, is a captivating trick-taking card game that turns traditional card game objectives on their head. Players aim to score points by collecting as many cards as possible, except in one chosen color—referred to as their "pain" color—which they seek to avoid. The game involves both strategic depth and a twist of predicting opponents' moves to avoid pitfalls.

Heimlich & Co. is a clever and secretive board game where players maneuver a group of spies around a track to earn points, all while keeping their true identity hidden. The game's unique twist lies in the mystery of each player's color, only revealed at the end, making deduction and misdirection key elements of play. With a simple roll of the dice, players decide how to advance the spies, influencing the scoring but trying to conceal their motives.

All cards are laid face up on the table. Players alternately buy one of the five visible cards to form pairs of the same color for profitable resale.

A group gathers to play in a casino. Players determine how much money can be won at the casino tables, play their character cards, and move their figures to a table. Bets start low but increase each round, and by observing others and guessing their bluffs, players can win big.

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.

Eynstein features two overlapping game boards connected by a line. Players place stones on the board to manipulate the line, and the first player to successfully connect it wins.

Starship Catan takes you on an interstellar adventure for two players, blending the thematic elements of Starfarers of Catan with a unique gameplay experience. This card-based game focuses on exploration, strategy, and resource management. Players explore shuffled decks to find new colonies, engage in trade, assist planets, and face off against pirates. The game's depth comes from upgrading your starship's various systems - weapons for combating pirates, thrusters for deeper space exploration, scanners to foresee upcoming challenges, and more. Victory is achieved by earning points through colonies, upgraded systems, friendship, and heroism, with the goal to reach 10 VP first.

Gnumies and their friends from planet Gnum love big parties but want to avoid the dreaded Wullawakis. Players bid using Gnumie cards to win party cards, which are worth between 1 and 15 points. The value of matched party cards can multiply, increasing points significantly, while acquiring Wullawakis leads to point losses. The game ends when one player remains with Gnumie cards, and the score is tallied based on pairs and sets from the party cards won. The player with the most points at the end wins!

Welcome to the zombie-infested Old West. Undead chefs at Friedey's Chuck Wagon are tired of merely serving brains, so they plan to hijack a train full of them instead. Players must find the brain with the highest IQ and defend it from other zombies eager to bash it and claim superiority. This imaginative adventure supports 3-7 players and features delightful artwork by Brian Snoddy.

Players are dealt 10 cards in four colors, with specific cards representing male and female characters. The rules dictate that the player who is the least fortunate goes first and can perform one of three actions: play a higher card, play a pair of the same color with a lesser sum, or draw cards from the deck until they have one male and one female card. The game continues until one player runs out of cards, earning points based on the remaining cards in other players' hands.

Draco is the king of all villains and bandits, known not only for his grim temperament but also for his terrible breath. Every evening, he and his infamous "Round Table Gang" gather in the Shadowy Dragon Tavern to divide the day's loot. As Draco drinks and celebrates, he rewards those on his good side with treasures while forcing those on his bad side to part with some of their own.

Race chariots in an exciting competition featuring card auctions before the race. The "pot" for the race is formed by the bids, requiring players to balance card costs against potential gains while outmaneuvering opponents to secure valuable cards at lower prices. However, luck plays a significant role during the race, as poor dice rolls can undermine even the best strategies.

The first German Lord of the Rings film game is a small card game about the Fellowship of the Ring, though it is quite abstract. The rules are relatively simple, with some German text on the cards, which may require a cheat sheet for those less familiar with the language. This game was later rebranded as King's Gate.

Players lay down game pieces to create a railroad network using cards. They move locomotives to transport cargo from one station to another, while track cards also facilitate the movement of locomotives and enable special actions at designated stations.

Liberté is a strategic board game that immerses players in the turbulent period of the French Revolution, from 1789 to the rise of Bonaparte in 1799. Players navigate the political upheavals of the era by aligning with one of three factions: the Radicals (red), the Moderates (blue), and the Royalists (white). The game challenges players to exert influence, control factions, and manipulate political outcomes through elections and battles.