The best games from Jeroen Doumen 🇳🇱👨 2024

Pandemic: Rising Tide is a thematic and cooperative board game that immerses players in the historical context of the Netherlands during the Industrial Age. The game challenges players to manage and mitigate flooding from the North Sea using innovative hydraulic technologies, strategic planning, and teamwork.

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.

"Lemonade? They want lemonade? What is the world coming to? I want commercials for burgers on all channels, every 15 minutes. We are the Home of the Original Burger, not a hippie health haven. And place a billboard next to that new house on the corner. I want them craving beer every second they sit in their posh new garden." The new management trainee trembles in front of the CEO and tries to politely point out that... "How do you mean, we don't have enough staff? The HR director reports to you. Hire more people! Train them! But whatever you do, don't pay them any real wages. I did not go into business to become poor. And fire that discount manager, she is only costing me money. From now on, we'll sell gourmet burgers. Same crap, double the price. Get my marketing director in here!"

The Great Zimbabwe is a strategic board game that takes players back to ancient Africa, where they aim to build a thriving civilization around the iconic Great Zimbabwe. Inspired by the rich history and culture of southern Africa, the game challenges players to construct monumental edifices to honor their chosen deity. Each of the twelve gods in the game offers unique blessings but demands varying efforts to achieve victory. Players must develop an efficient logistics network across the region, producing and acquiring ritual goods to elevate their monuments and gain the favor of their god. The game blends historical inspiration with Splotter's signature approach to creating engaging, replayable experiences, offering a mix of strategic planning, resource management, and tactical positioning.

Indonesia is a strategic economic game for 2-5 players who dive into the competitive world of growing economies in Indonesia. Each player aims to amass the most money by acquiring and developing production and shipping companies. These companies produce and deliver goods such as rice, spices, rubber, and oil to expanding cities, which in turn increases demand. The strategic depth of the game comes from managing production costs and shipping fees, researching advancements, and possibly merging companies to outmaneuver competitors. Players must keep their wealth secret and strategically time their operations, as money earned in the last round counts double. The game unfolds over three eras, each introducing new cities, companies, and goods, culminating in a final tally where the wealthiest player emerges victorious.

Roads & Boats is a complex and expansive board game that focuses on the development of civilization through logistics and transportation. Players start with basic resources and must strategically transport these goods to various production facilities to create new, more valuable items. The game is unique in its emphasis on logistics rather than territorial control: the only possessions players truly own are those being carried by their transportation units. This creates a dynamic play environment where facilities are communal and goods left unattended can be claimed by any player.