The best games from Michael Kiesling 🇩🇪👨 2024

Azul invites you to step into the captivating world of Portuguese artistry and craftsmanship. This board game draws inspiration from the introduction of azulejos, originally white and blue ceramic tiles, by the Moors. The tiles found a new home in Portugal when King Manuel I, during a visit to the Alhambra palace in Southern Spain, was enchanted by the exquisite Moorish decorative tiles adorning its interior. Filled with awe and inspiration, the king promptly ordered the embellishment of his own palace in Portugal with similar decorative tiles. As a skilled tile-laying artist, you are tasked with the prestigious mission of adorning the walls of the Royal Palace of Evora.

Azul: Summer Pavilion takes players back to Portugal to embark on an artistic challenge of crafting a summer pavilion, a task assigned by King Manuel I. As master artisans, players must use their skills to construct the pavilion using the finest materials while efficiently managing their resources.

Linko! is a dynamic card game, also known as Abluxxen, that combines strategy and luck. The objective is to play your cards wisely to score points while using your turns to disrupt your opponents' plans.

Azul: Stained Glass of Sintra is a visually striking and strategic board game designed by Michael Kiesling. It offers a unique twist on tile drafting, focusing on creating beautiful stained glass windows.

That's Life! (also known as Verflixxt!) revitalizes the traditional roll-and-move game genre with elements that give players more strategic control. In this game, players navigate a path laid out with tiles, aiming to collect as many positive tiles as possible while avoiding negative ones. The addition of guards and clovers introduces strategic depth, turning what could be a game of chance into one of tactical decision-making.

Vikings is a fast-paced economic board game that, despite its title, focuses more on resource management and strategy than on traditional Viking themes like exploration or combat. The game's standout feature is its unique pricing wheel, which introduces an innovative approach to acquiring resources.

Tikal is a compelling strategy game set in the dense jungles of Central America, where players embark on an expedition to uncover lost temples and hidden treasures. As explorers, players reveal new parts of the jungle board, discovering temples that need to be excavated and treasures that can be collected. The objective is to score points by controlling these temples and treasures. Notably, Tikal is the first game in the renowned Mask Trilogy.

"Coal Baron," also known as "Glück Auf" in German, is a strategic and immersive board game that plunges players into the world of coal mining. In this game, players become managers of their own coal mines, sending workers underground to dig tunnels and extract coal of varying quality to fulfill contracts.

Mexica is a strategic board game that invites players to immerse themselves in the development of Tenochtitlan, the ancient city on an island in Lake Texcoco. The game focuses on urban planning elements, such as partitioning the city into districts, erecting buildings, and constructing canals. It's the third game in the renowned Mask Trilogy.

Pueblo challenges players to masterfully construct a tribal structure that remains aesthetically pleasing while cleverly concealing their own colored building blocks from the Chieftain. This engaging board game blends strategy with spatial reasoning, inviting players to think creatively and plan tactically.

Azul: Queen's Garden invites players back to Sintra's palace, tasking them with crafting an exquisite garden for Queen Maria of Aragon.

In Asara, players immerse themselves in a competitive world of architectural magnificence, aiming to become the most renowned builder by erecting the tallest and most beautifully adorned towers. This strategic game unfolds over four rounds, symbolizing four years, during which builders must cleverly gather and assemble tower pieces to construct their masterpieces. The game mechanics revolve around a strategic use of a hand of colored cards, which players use to claim action spaces on the board. These spaces provide essential resources, such as tower pieces and funds, or opportunities to build and enhance your towers.

The Palaces of Carrara takes players to the renowned marble-producing region of Italy, where they compete to acquire marble at the best prices and use it to construct buildings. The game's strategic depth lies in balancing the cost of marble with its potential value in building construction. Players must be savvy in their purchases, as any decrease in marble prices can also benefit their opponents. The decision of when to buy marble becomes crucial, especially when considering the fluctuating values of buildings in the town. The Palaces of Carrara includes two levels of play – beginner and advanced – making it accessible to new players while offering depth for experienced gamers. Wolfgang Kramer, the co-designer, emphasizes the importance of starting with the beginner version to fully grasp the game's mechanics and how they interact.

Heaven & Ale is a strategic board game set in the intriguing world of monastic brewing. Players take on the roles of monks in charge of ancient monasteries, tasked with brewing high-quality beer. The game combines resource management, timing, and competitive elements, challenging players to skillfully balance the upgrading of their monastery's garden with the efficient harvesting of resources necessary for brewing.