Vendor: Crafty Games
Type: Board Games
Price:
23.95
Designer |
Stefan Dorra |
Publisher | Crafty Games |
Players | 2-4 |
Playtime | 60-60 mins |
Suggested Age | 11 and up |
Hornor |
Vendor: Pegasus Spiele
Type: Board Games
Price:
15.95
Designer |
Stefan Dorra Ralf zur Linde |
Publisher | Pegasus Spiele |
Players | 2-5 |
Playtime | 20-30 mins |
Suggested Age | 7 and up |
Expansion For |
Triqueta |
This expansion to Triqueta introduces a new type of animal: the friendly but shy wolves, who prefer to keep to the shadows. They step out from the shadows at the end of the game and are then worth a lot of points when forming a triqueta. However, since one of each other animal is also hiding in the shadows, collecting shadow animal tokens is never risk-free.
Hidden Wolves adds 15 shadow animal tokens to the base game. As a special bonus, it comes with an exciting 2-player variant that makes the gameplay at that player count extremely enjoyable.
—description from the publisher
Vendor: Queen Games
Type: Board Games
Price:
55.95
Designer |
Stefan Dorra |
Publisher | Queen Games |
Players | 3-5 |
Playtime |
30-45 mins |
Suggested Age | 14 and up |
In Pirates, you play as a captain in the world of the swashbuckling pirate comic Bonnie Lass, created and illustrated by the game's artist, Michael Mayne.
In the game, you attempt to capture ships, fortresses, and even sea monsters to accumulate the most treasure. On most turns, you will form a boarding party by taking a stack of pirates in front of you (with a stack consisting of one or more tokens with you on top), moving them on top of a stack in front of another player, then moving the new stack back in front of you.
On a future turn, you may use this stack to capture one of the four cards in the display as long as the size of the party meets the minimum requirements. The pirate on top of stack is the captain, and they receive a treasure for leading the raid. (The second pirate in the stack, the mate, might also receive a treasure.) They collect the gold listed on the card, then must pay the value listed on each pirate in their crew, making up any gold they lack from their own coffers. If they do this, they keep the card and increase their scoring.
You can mutiny by placing a stack on another stack, then going after one of the four cards immediately, but you must then pay the mate and the rest of the crew double their pay.
After all cards have been captured and the game ends, players receive additional gold based on the relative number of treasures they have captured. Whoever ends up with the most gold wins.
Vendor: SPIEL DAS! Verlag
Type: Board Games
Price:
29.95
Designer | Stefan Dorra |
Publisher | SPIEL DAS! Verlag |
Players | 3-6 |
Playtime | 20 mins |
Suggested Age | 8 and up |
Note: This game is in German. The game itself is language independent. English rules can be found here.
For Sale is a quick, fun game nominally about buying and selling real estate. During the game's two distinct phases, players first bid for several buildings then, after all buildings have been bought, sell the buildings for the greatest profit possible.
The Überplay 2005 Edition has new art, rules and card distribution changes, and it accommodates 3-6 players.
The Gryphon 2009 Edition uses the Überplay art for the faces of the property cards, while replacing most other art. The rules are the same as the Überplay edition, with the exception of the rounding rule.
For Sale is a quick, fun game nominally about buying and selling real estate. During the game's two distinct phases, players first bid for several buildings then, after all buildings have been bought, sell the buildings for the greatest profit possible.
The Überplay 2005 Edition has new art, rules and card distribution changes, and it accommodates 3-6 players.
The Gryphon 2009 Edition uses the Überplay art for the faces of the property cards, while replacing most other art. The rules are the same as the Überplay edition, with the exception of the rounding rule.
Vendor: Pegasus Spiele
Type: Board Games
Price:
27.95
Designer |
Stefan Dorra Ralf zur Linde |
Publisher | Pegasus Spiele |
Players | 2-5 |
Playtime | 20-30 mins |
Suggested Age | 7 and up |
Expansion |
Triqueta: Hidden Wolves |
Triqueta is a set collection game for 2-5 players. Over four rounds, players draft animal tokens, trying to form a set of three for each animal type. Three tokens of the same type form a "triqueta".
In each round, you and the other players draw animal tokens and place them in multiple rows. Find the perfect moment to grab your favorite row, or you might be stuck with one you do not want. At the end of the game, you score especially well for your triquetas. For more than three tokens of the same type, however, you will lose points instead...
—description from the publisher
Vendor: Mandoo Games
Type: Board Games
Price:
47.95
Designer |
Hami Michael Menzel |
Publisher | Mandoo Games |
Players | 3-12 |
Playtime | 45 mins |
Suggested Age | 8 and up |
Honors |
Note: This is an import game in English and Korean instructions. Enblish rules can be found here.
The name "Eselsbrücke" literally means "donkey bridge" – as depicted on the cover of the game Eselsbrücke, for example – but the term also refers to a mnemonic, something used to retain a memory, and that's the goal at the heart of this design from Stefan Dorra and Ralf zur Linde.
Vendor: Gryphon Games
Type: Board Games
Price:
39.95
Designer |
Stefan Dorra Ralf zur Linde |
Publisher | Gryphon Games |
Players | 2-4 |
Playtime | 45-60 mins |
Suggested Age | 10 and up |
Honors |
The Royal Museum of Berlin has commissioned excavations in Pergamon – an archaeological site in present-day Turkey. The city experienced its heyday around 200 BC when it was the most important port in the Ancient Roman province of Asia. As archaeologists, your goal is to get as much research funding as possible in order to finance excavations in Pergamon. You will unearth pieces of antique vases, jugs, bracelets and golden masks from the first five centuries BC. By piecing together matching artifacts, you’ll build collections that can be exhibited at the Pergamon Museum. The player who exhibits the most valuable collections and gains the most recognition by the museum’s visitors (in the form of admission tickets) wins the game.
Pergamon is a 2-4 player game of competitive archeology. Outsmart your rivals to make sure you get the funding you need, and create the best exhibits in the Museum. In the end only one will be remembered as the best of the best.
Pergamon (Second Edition) features several improvements made to the game including revised rules and upgraded components.
Vendor: Queen Games
Type: Board Games
Price:
58.95
Designer |
Stefan Dorra |
Publisher | Queen Games |
Players | 3-5 |
Playtime |
30-45 mins |
Suggested Age | 14 and up |
In Pirates, you play as a captain in the world of the swashbuckling pirate comic Bonnie Lass, created and illustrated by the game's artist, Michael Mayne.
In the game, you attempt to capture ships, fortresses, and even sea monsters to accumulate the most treasure. On most turns, you will form a boarding party by taking a stack of pirates in front of you (with a stack consisting of one or more tokens with you on top), moving them on top of a stack in front of another player, then moving the new stack back in front of you.
On a future turn, you may use this stack to capture one of the four cards in the display as long as the size of the party meets the minimum requirements. The pirate on top of stack is the captain, and they receive a treasure for leading the raid. (The second pirate in the stack, the mate, might also receive a treasure.) They collect the gold listed on the card, then must pay the value listed on each pirate in their crew, making up any gold they lack from their own coffers. If they do this, they keep the card and increase their scoring.
You can mutiny by placing a stack on another stack, then going after one of the four cards immediately, but you must then pay the mate and the rest of the crew double their pay.
After all cards have been captured and the game ends, players receive additional gold based on the relative number of treasures they have captured. Whoever ends up with the most gold wins.
Vendor: Eagle-Gryphon Games
Type: Board Games
Price:
31.95
Designer |
Stefan Dorra |
Publisher | Eagle-Gryphon Games |
Players | 3-6 |
Playing Time | 30-45 mins |
Suggested Age | 10 and up |
Vendor: Eagle-Gryphon Games
Type: Board Games
Price:
9.95
Designer |
Stefan Dorra |
Publisher | Eagle-Gryphon Games |
Players | 3-6 |
Playing Time | 30-45 mins |
Suggested Age | 10 and up |
Expansion For |
For Sale |
Vendor: Igiari
Type: Board Games
Price:
27.95
Designer | Stefan Dorra |
Publisher | Igiari |
Players | 3-5 |
Playtime | 45 mins |
Suggested Age | 14 and up |
Note: This game is in French. For a preview, English rule can be found here.
This game has a reputation: a bad one, but not from a playability stand point. This pure negotiation game pits the players as Renaissance era families that are engaging in rampant nepotism. Players are seeking positions in the other families' businesses, and to further that pursuit players offer bribes. However, once accepting a bribe, the 'bought' player is under absolutely no obligation to honor the highest briber or any other verbal deal. In a word, this game is vicious.
Vendor: Gryphon Games
Type: Board Games
Price:
28.95
Designer |
Stefan Dorra Ralf zur Linde |
Publisher | Gryphon Games |
Players | 2-4 |
Playtime | 45 mins |
Suggested Age | 10 and up |
Pergamon is a tactical collecting game with a theme based on excavating archaeological discoveries and managing their exhibition.
Set in the year 1878, the first excavations in what is now modern Turkey are uncovering the remains of ancient Pergamon. Soon the precious discoveries will make their way abroad to public exhibitions before a waiting audience, eliciting substantial honor and glory.
The players attempt to gain federal research grants to cover the costs of their excavations through a bidding mechanism. Whoever is modest and less demanding can travel to the excavating areas before his or her competitors, and the rule is first come, first dig. Only fragments will remain for the later expeditions. Recovered treasures are placed in valuable exhibitions, for which the discoverer receives glory and recognition.
The player who accumulates the most glory after 12 rounds wins the game.
The combination of soliciting funds and racing for the best locations to excavate makes Pergamon a variable game with rules that are easily accessible. Players are forced to make choices based on the money they can obtain and the sequence in which they choose where to dig.
Vendor: Hans im Glück
Type: Board Games
Price:
14.95
Designer | Stefan Dorra |
Publisher | Hans im Glück |
Players | 2-5 |
Playtime | 30 mins |
Suggested Age | 9 and up |
Vendor: Z-Man Games
Type: Board Games
Price:
42.95
Designer | Stefan Dorra |
Publisher | Z-Man Games |
Players | 2-4 |
Playtime | 40-80 mins |
Suggested Age | 10 and up |
Vendor: HABA
Type: Board Games
Price:
34.99
Designer |
Stefan Dorra Ralf zur Linde |
Publisher | HABA - Habermaaß GmbH |
Players | 2-4 |
Playtime | 75 mins |
Suggested Age | 10 and up |
Vendor: White Goblin Games
Type: Board Games
Price:
29.95
Designer | Stefan Dorra |
Publisher | White Goblin Games |
Players | 2-4 |
Playtime | 45-60 mins |
Suggested Age | 10 and up |
Vendor: Eagle-Gryphon Games
Type: Board Games
Price:
12.95
Designer | Stefan Dorra |
Publisher | Eagle-Gryphon Games |
Players | 3-5 |
Playtime | 30 mins |
Suggested Age | 10 and up |
Honors |
2004 Spiel des Jahres Recommended 2004 Fairplay À la carte Winner |
Vendor: HUCH! & friends
Type: Board Games
Price:
44.95
Designer | Stefan Dorra, Ralf zur Linde |
Publisher | HUCH! & friends |
Players | 2-4 |
Playtime | 30 mins |
Suggested Age | 8 and up |
Honors | 2016 Gouden Ludo Nominee |
Vendor: KOSMOS
Type: Board Games
Price:
22.95
Designers | |
Publisher | KOSMOS |
Players | 2-4 |
Playtime | 20 mins |
Suggested Age | 5 and up |
Honors | 2016 Kinderspiel des Jahres Recommended |
Note: This game is in German, but the game itself is language independent. Using Google Document Translate together with the publisher's rules will reveal the game rules.
In Dschungelbande, the jungle party is splashing down the river at night, and you need to remember where all of the animals are: Which animal is swimming in the river? Which is diving under the bridge?
Who can discover each of the critters out there and more importantly remember where they're hidden. If you move the right animal cards down the right river branch, you can be sure to advance rapidly...
Vendor: Mayfair Games
Type: Board Games
Price:
24.95
Designer | Stefan Dorra |
Publisher | Mayfair Games |
Players | 2-5 |
Playtime | 60 mins |
Suggested Age | 10 and up |
Honors |
Given a a secret set of stations and trolley line, players use tiles to build a common network of track. They attempt to build a path that travels from one terminal to the other while passing the required stations. After all their connections are made, a player may begin to race their trolley through the network. The first player to race their trolley from one terminal to the other and visit all their required stations wins.
The game was originally published as Linie 1 by Goldsieber. In 1996, it was published by Mayfair as Streetcar with different end-game rules and artwork. Later, it was published by Olsen in Sweden as San Francisco, again with different artwork. Some versions, e.g. the Finnish one, seem to accommodate 2-6 players.
Vendor: Mayfair Games
Type: Board Games
Price:
27.95
Designer | Stefan Dorra |
Publisher | Mayfair Games |
Players | 3-5 |
Playtime | 45 mins |
Suggested Age | 14 and up |
Vendor: IELLO
Type: Board Games
Price:
17.95
Designer | Stefan Dorra |
Publisher | IELLO |
Players | 3-5 |
Playtime | 30 mins |
Suggested Age | 10 and up |
Honors | 1997 Fairplay À la carte Winner |
Vendor: IELLO
Type: Board Games
Price:
28.95
Designer |
Stefan Dorra Ralf zur Linde |
Publisher | IELLO |
Players | 2-4 |
Playtime | 45 mins |
Suggested Age | 10 and up |
Pergamon is a tactical collecting game with a theme based on excavating archaeological discoveries and managing their exhibition.
Set in the year 1878, the first excavations in what is now modern Turkey are uncovering the remains of ancient Pergamon. Soon the precious discoveries will make their way abroad to public exhibitions before a waiting audience, eliciting substantial honor and glory.
The players attempt to gain federal research grants to cover the costs of their excavations through a bidding mechanism. Whoever is modest and less demanding can travel to the excavating areas before his or her competitors, and the rule is first come, first dig. Only fragments will remain for the later expeditions. Recovered treasures are placed in valuable exhibitions, for which the discoverer receives glory and recognition.
The player who accumulates the most glory after 12 rounds wins the game.
The combination of soliciting funds and racing for the best locations to excavate makes Pergamon a variable game with rules that are easily accessible. Players are forced to make choices based on the money they can obtain and the sequence in which they choose where to dig.
Vendor: Jolly Thinkers
Type: Board Games
Price:
34.95
Designer | Stefan Dorra |
Publisher | Jolly Thinkers |
Players | 2-6 |
Playtime | 20 mins |
Suggested Age | 8 and up |
Honors | 2014 Golden Geek Best Children's Board Game Nominee |
In Bucket King 3D, a new version of Stefan Dorra's The Bucket King, players lay down sets of animal cards to try to knock over every other's pyramids of buckets. Cards in hand can be used to defend your own buckets and attack those of others — and if you knock out a bucket low in someone's pyramid, you might cause a cascade that takes out even more!
Each turn, the active player either plays cards or loses buckets; the game is played in rounds with a new round starting after anyone loses one or more buckets. At the start of each round, the active player chooses 1-3 cards in hand of the same color/animal, lays them face up in front of himself, announces their sum, then draws one card to add to his hand (regardless of how many he played). Each subsequent player must lay down 1-3 cards of the same suit as the initial player with a higher sum than previously announced or else lose a bucket. (If play circles the table to the round's start player, he can add 1-3 new cards to those previously played, then announce the sum of all cards in front of him.)
When a player cannot or chooses not to defend his pyramid by playing cards, he removes one bucket of that card color from his pyramid by pushing, flicking or poking it with only one finger. (If he doesn't have a bucket of the required color, he removes a bucket of his choice.) This player then starts a new round after everyone has cleared their played cards.
In a two- to four-player game, the game ends when a player loses his last bucket; in a five- to six-player game, a player who loses his last bucket is out of the game, and the game ends when only three players have buckets still in play. Whoever has the most buckets remaining in his pyramid wins.
Bucket King 3D includes a variant for experience players: Whenever a player lays down a 1 while playing cards of the appropriate color, he can also play one other card of any color, adding the value of that card (and any others played) to his sum; he then draws two cards (one as normal, plus another card for the bonus card played) to end his turn. For example, if the required suit is blue, he may play a blue 1, with a red 4 as the additional card, announce his sum as "Five", then draw two cards from the deck.
If he plays two 1s, then he may play two additional cards of any color and draw three cards at the end of his turn. A player can lay down at most five cards.
Vendor: Stronghold Games
Type: Board Games
Price:
57.95
Designer | Stefan Dorra |
Publisher | Stronghold Games |
Players | 2-4 |
Playtime | 60 mins |
Suggested Age | 10 and up |
Honors | 2014 Golden Geek Best Abstract Board Game Nominee |
The year is 1822. After years of decay, it is time to rebuild the medina, located at the foot of the Atlas mountains. The architects and engineers of the city work to erect large and beautiful palaces and to renovate the damaged city wall. As the reconstruction of the old city progresses, the city's inhabitants flock through the alleys, and the contours of the new city gradually reappear!
Each turn, players may place two pieces on the board, either augmenting an existing building or starting a new building if the current building of that color is finished. Each player will claim one building of each of the four colors by the end of the game, giving one point per wooden piece attached to the building.
Also, if you own the largest building of a particular color you get a bonus for that color. Finally, there are bonuses for the player who most recently connected one of their buildings to the walls, which grow from the four corners of the city.
Medina is a tense game by the great designer Stefan Dorra. The latest edition of the game features a double-sided game board (enabling a two-player game), almost 200 detailed wooden pieces, and updated gameplay, as well as rules and components never before published for this game!