I went to Spiel '21 last week and wanted to share some of the things I saw there with you.
Since the dUltimate dice should fit right in there I had to bring them along while looking for anyone interested in these unique multifunctional dice.
I went there mainly to get in contact with retailers that might be interested in dice. I've met some very friendly people that I will definitely be in contact with these coming months. But in this post I wanted to share my top highlights of the show:
Paco Sako (peace chess)
Paco Sako, or Peace Chess, as they explained to me in a new form of chess in which you don't "hit" the opponents pieces, but instead "dance" with them and share a space. This really changes the game in some interesting ways. Also, it just looks beautiful! www.pacosako.com
Sequitur
Sequitur is a spelling game that sort of resembles Scrabble, but it's not Scrabble. It's not an area control game, it's just spelling words and making clever use of the fact that these ball in this banana-shaped holder will always roll down to the center. Spend quite some time playing it and had a lot of fun. They expect to release it in Q2 of 2022. www.catmint.games
Turning Tides
Turning Tides is a 1v1 game in which your are commanding your own ship, sending out crew, and firing cannons. You do this by drawing cards, building your deck, sending cards, and a little bluffing. Was great fun to play this especially with the big comeback that I had of being 0-2 to winning 3-2! These guys are on Kickstarter now, so give it a look if you're interested.
Galleria
Galleria is a cooperative family game about going to the store and completing your shopping lists. As can be seen this game is only in an early prototyping stage and they exhibited Spiel in find of a publisher. I am positive that this game will be available at brick and mortar stores next to other popular family games in a few years!
Dutch Resistance: Orange Shall Overcome
I didn't get a good picture of this game, so here's an image from their live Kickstarter:
It reminds me a lot of Maquis (which is a part of my game collection) in that it tells a WW2 story about the resistance trying to undermine the oppressors without being caught.
However, in Dutch Resistance, it's all about... well... the Dutch! The designer spend a lot of time in getting all the facts to fit in and making this game a real historical experience. If that sounds like something you might be interested in then check out the Kickstarter campaign that is live now.
What else is there at Spiel?
Gaming tables, fancy wooden dice boxes, games where you shoot each other's fort with catapults, oversized Carcassonne, game-themed ceramics, and much more...
I had a good time there and met with some great people. Will definitely go there again next year!