The best games by Helmut Ohley 🇩🇪👨 2026

At the end of the 19th century in Munich, players compete to expand the successful new tram system. They use cards in a marked grid in three ways: as passengers in the trams, as proposed stops on new routes, and as money to finance these routes. Players must match colors and build in ascending order while also ensuring that passengers reach the tram line to earn victory points. The cards feature images of trams in Munich and historical districts.

Players compete in an exciting race to build the largest and most advanced railway network. They assign workers to essential tasks to expand simple tracks, modernize their railroads, and enhance efficiency with new locomotives and factories. With multiple paths to victory, the game challenges players to see which empire will thrive and overcome future challenges. The game includes the base game and all expansions, along with new content and a solo mode.

First Class: Unterwegs im Orient Express, also known as First Class: All Aboard the Orient Express!, is a card-driven board game where players compete to build the most prestigious rail network, luxurious train cars, and cater to affluent passengers to earn fame points.

Two to five players take on the role of leaders from different civilizations, commanding them to explore the world, send out fleets, establish trade posts, and achieve the highest profits. Poseidon includes key elements of 18xx games, making it suitable for both newcomers and experienced players, with a relatively short playtime of two hours. Players control a civilization instead of a company, aiming for personal wealth, and create trade routes similar to railway lines in traditional 18xx games.

1844: Schweiz is a demanding 18xx game of railroads and stock trading for three to seven players. It is built for seasoned gamers who love long, tactical economic evenings.

Players buy and sell shares of holding companies while their controlled firms acquire railroads to generate income. The goal is to dominate the market with top companies and exploit weaker ones to gain an advantage. The game emphasizes strategy and investment without any randomness, focusing solely on financial competition and asset management.

Players become railway barons in the Far East, experiencing China's railway history through a game designed to accurately reflect historical events within its mechanics. They compete to become the richest by buying and selling shares of historical Chinese railway companies, building and expanding their rail networks, and running trains on them. The player with the highest wealth from cash and shares at the end wins.

Explore the railway history of Switzerland and Austria in this updated edition of two previously self-published designs. Set in Switzerland, players manage local railway companies merging into SBB in 1844, making strategic decisions about various types of enterprises. In 1854, the focus shifts to Austria, introducing a stock split mechanic with additional shares and unique private companies operating on a separate board depicting the Steyr region.