The best games presented at the Spiel 2001 game fair in Essen, Germany 2024

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.

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.

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.

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.