The best games presented at the Spiel 2015 game fair in Essen, Germany 2024

KLASK is a magnetic, fast-paced table-top game that combines elements of air hockey and foosball, offering a unique and exciting gameplay experience.

Deception: Murder in Hong Kong offers a riveting game of deduction and deception designed for 4-12 players, providing an immersive experience in approximately 20 minutes.

Colony Wars is an engaging standalone deckbuilding game in the Star Realms series, offering both an individual gaming experience for two players and an expansion to the original Star Realms for up to four players.

Karuba is a tile-laying race game that combines strategy with a touch of luck, as players navigate their explorers through a dense jungle to reach temples and collect treasures. Each player's decision-making skills are put to the test as they create paths and vie to be the first to explore the riches of Karuba.

Celestia is a reimagined version of Cloud 9, where players join an adventurous journey through the mythical cities of Celestia to gather treasures. It's a game of risk, strategy, and decision-making, set in a whimsical and perilous airspace.

Qwinto offers a refreshing twist on the roll-and-write genre, engaging players in a simultaneous play experience where quick thinking and strategic number placement are key to victory. In this game, players race to fill out their scoresheets with ascending numbers in three colorful rows, while navigating the constraints of overlapping columns and avoiding duplicates to maximize their scores.

Virus! is a fast-paced and competitive card game where players race to stop a pandemic by isolating a healthy body. The game is a blend of strategy and sabotage, as players work to protect their own organs while attempting to infect their rivals' organs. The use of tactical card play makes Virus! an engaging game for players looking for a mix of strategy and interaction.

Potion Explosion is a fun and engaging game for 2 to 4 players, created by Horrible Games and designed by Lorenzo Silva, Andrea Crespi, and Stefano Castelli. The game combines strategy and pattern recognition in a magical potion-brewing setting.

Dr. Eureka is a fast-paced, dexterity-based board game that challenges players to become the quickest and most precise scientist in the laboratory. Designed for players with a keen sense of logic and a steady hand, this game puts your problem-solving and fine motor skills to the test.

Champions of Midgard is a Viking-themed board game that blends worker placement mechanics with dice rolling for combat. The game is set in a Norse harbor town besieged by mythical creatures, and players lead Viking clans to defend it and earn glory.

Raptor is an engaging, card-driven board game that offers a blend of tactical maneuvers and strategic planning, set in a thrilling scenario where science clashes with nature.

In the early 20th century, your fate binds you to the newly discovered seventh continent, haunted by a malevolent curse since your last expedition. The 7th Continent, a captivating solo or cooperative "choose-your-own-adventure" exploration board game, beckons you to chart your course. Choose a character and commence your journey alone or alongside fellow explorers. Drawing inspiration from the Fighting Fantasy book series, unravel the mysteries of this untamed land through a diverse array of terrain and event cards.

Unusual Suspects (Insoliti Sospetti in Italian) flips the traditional detective game on its head by focusing not on the appearance of the criminal, but rather on their habits and behaviors. This unique approach challenges players to think differently about how they deduce the identity of the culprit, making for a fascinating and often humorous investigative experience.

Terra is a trivia-based party game that marries the thrill of geographical discovery with the fun of educated guessing. A spiritual successor to Friedemann's FAUNA, this game shifts the focus from animals to a wide array of geographic information, challenging players to approximate answers to questions about landmarks, historical events, and natural wonders. With a dual-sided board featuring both Metric and Imperial measurements and 300 diverse topics across oversized cards, Terra invites players to venture guesses on everything from the length of the Golden Gate Bridge to the number of sculptures on Easter Island.

Mafia de Cuba sets players in Havana, 1955, where they find themselves among don Alessandro's "faithful" henchmen at a pivotal moment. The game begins as the Godfather leaves his prized cigar box, laden with diamonds hidden beneath a layer of cigars, in the care of his associates while he attends to urgent matters. This box becomes the center of intrigue, as players decide whether to betray the trust placed in them or remain loyal to the mafia's code.

Automobiles is a refreshing take on the deck-building genre, offering players the thrill of racing encapsulated in a strategy game where cubes replace the traditional cards. In this innovative design, players take on the roles of race car drivers, each aiming to cross the finish line first by smartly assembling a collection of cubes that represent various aspects of their racing team and vehicle.

Carcassonne: Star Wars edition takes the cherished mechanics of the classic Carcassonne tile-placement game and propels them into the vast universe of Star Wars, infusing the game with familiar themes and the epic struggle between the Galactic Empire and the Rebel Alliance. This edition adapts the traditional rules to fit the Star Wars setting, transforming roads into Trading Routes navigated by Merchants, cities into Asteroid Fields explored by Explorers, and cloisters into Planets conquered by Conquerors, while eschewing the farming aspect of the original game.

Carcassonne: Over Hill and Dale offers a pastoral twist to the classic Carcassonne formula, inviting players into a serene world of farming and agriculture. As a standalone game in the Carcassonne series, this edition shifts the focus from constructing medieval landscapes to managing bucolic farms. Players become farmers, tasked with caring for animals and cultivating a variety of crops to provide for the people. This game replaces the traditional cities and castles with fields of fruits and vegetables, introducing new strategies around collection and land management.

Conan is an asymmetric, semi-cooperative board game set in Robert E. Howard's universe, where players take on the roles of Conan and his companions, or the Overlord controlling opposition forces. The game, emphasizing Howard's original stories, features various scenarios and maps with diverse objectives. Players engage in strategic battles using a unique energy gem system for actions, while the Overlord manages units with a sliding tile board. Each scenario offers a distinct adventure with an approximate one-hour playtime.

Oh My Goods!, initially known as Royal Goods, immerses players in the role of European artisans during the Middle Ages, focusing on the production and trade of various goods.

The Bloody Inn transports players to 1831 France, in the small village of Peyrebeille, where a family of devious farmers runs an inn with a dark secret. This card game involves strategy, cunning, and a dash of morbid humor as players aim to become wealthy by unsavory means.

Treasure Hunter is a fast-paced and strategic drafting game where players become adventurers in search of valuable treasures over the course of five thrilling rounds. The game cleverly combines elements of strategy, luck, and foresight as players select from a hand of cards to assemble their team of treasure hunters, all while navigating the ever-changing opportunities and pitfalls presented by the treasures themselves.

In Gold West, players dive into the role of prospectors during the Gold Rush, aiming to outmaneuver their rivals and build the most prosperous mining empire. This game blends resource management and area control, demanding strategic foresight and meticulous planning. Players must juggle their resources, represented by a unique supply track system, to refine materials and secure victory points.

Favor of the Pharaoh immerses players in ancient Egypt, where even a humble peasant could catch the eye of the Pharaoh. This game for 2–4 participants is all about ascending through the social hierarchy by accumulating influence, symbolized by dice and special abilities. The ultimate goal? To gain the Pharaoh's favor and win the game.

Dice City is a strategic "dice-crafting" board game set in the Kingdom of Rolldovia, where players, as leaders of noble families, compete to build the most impressive city to become the new capital. The game involves tactical decision-making as players use their city's resources to construct buildings, establish armies, and open trade routes, all through an innovative dice mechanism.

In IKI: A Game of EDO Artisans, players are transported to the bustling streets of historical Edo (now Tokyo), specifically the renowned Nihonbashi district. This game offers a vivid portrayal of life in Edo, where an estimated one million people, including townspeople and samurai, thrived. The vibrant shopping culture of Nihonbashi, with its array of shops selling kimonos, rice, and other goods, forms the backdrop for this immersive game.

The Pursuit of Happiness is a thought-provoking board game that allows players to simulate a lifetime of choices and experiences, from birth to the twilight years. It creatively uses a worker-placement mechanism where time is the most valuable resource, offering players a chance to craft their unique life story.

Ponzi Scheme plunges players into the shadowy world of financial deception, inspired by the infamous scam run by Charles Ponzi in 1919. As ambitious fraudsters, you'll engage in the delicate art of attracting investors to fund nonexistent ventures, promising them outrageously high returns. The game becomes a balancing act of acquiring funds and managing the ever-increasing dividends owed, all while attempting to outmaneuver your fellow scammers. The objective is clear yet challenging: avoid bankruptcy at all costs and emerge as the mastermind behind the most lucrative sham corporation.

Shakespeare is a board game that casts players as theater managers in the bustling theater scene of London, competing to impress the Queen with a magnificent play in just one week. Players must skillfully recruit a diverse cast of characters – from actors to craftsmen – and make strategic decisions to prepare for the grand performance.

Council of 4 combines the intrigue of political strategy with the dynamism of market competition, set within a prosperous empire composed of three kingdoms. Players assume the roles of influential merchants, vying to expand their commercial empires by acquiring construction permits and establishing emporiums across key cities.

"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 Big Book of Madness is an immersive cooperative game where players take on the roles of magic students who have unwittingly unleashed monstrous creatures from a forbidden book. Now, they must work together to rectify their mistake and save the world from impending doom.

The Gallerist immerses players in the sophisticated world of art and commerce, where they take on the multifaceted role of a Gallerist, combining the responsibilities of an art dealer, museum curator, and artist manager.

Trickerion: Legends of Illusion is a competitive, Euro-style strategy board game set in a late 19th-century world infused with supernatural elements. The game revolves around rival stage illusionists vying for fame, fortune, and magical supremacy.

Nippon is a strategic board game set during the transformative Meiji period in Japan, a time when the nation underwent a rapid transition from a feudal society to a modern industrial state. This period of Japan's history saw the end of isolation and the beginning of Western influence and technological advancement.

Signorie is a strategic board game that transports players to the vibrant and complex landscape of 15th-century Italy, where noble families vie for power, influence, and control over the burgeoning city-states. As a Signore, or lord, of one of these prestigious families, players must navigate the tumultuous political waters of the Renaissance, leveraging their resources, influence, and strategic acumen to shape Italy's future and cement their legacy in history.

My Village is a standalone board game that continues the narrative and thematic elements of the acclaimed Village series, offering players the opportunity to take control of their own village. This game stands out by introducing new mechanisms and integrating familiar elements in a way that creates a fresh, yet reminiscent gameplay experience.