More Games!

With my most recent order from Germany, my collection of German-language games has grown by two. Or three, depending on how you look at it!

Ticket to Ride, a railway-themed game, was Spiel des Jahres in 2004, and has spawned numerous sequels and game expansions. The version I've bought is Zug um Zug Märklin, which uses a map of Germany. I was intrigued by this game, not only due to its popularity worldwide, but also because of the tie-in with Märklin. Märklin's model trains are popular worldwide and even found their way into my home when I was a child. (One of the highlights of my trip last year was visiting the Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg, one of the world's largest model train layouts which indeed uses Märklin HO-scale trains.)

German language skills required? No: the cities and map show familiar German place names (major cities, neighbouring countries), but the cards and playing pieces do not bear writing in any language.

More info: BoardGameGeek | Rules in German or English | Wikipedia: EN DE | Days of Wonder

Anno Domini is a simple knowledge/bluffing game first published in 1998 which was recommended to me by the shopkeeper at the Sputnik store in Reutlingen, Germany at the time I bought Ausgerechnet Buxtehude.

The game concept is not unlike Buxtehude. This game has players putting historical events into chronological order, challenging players to guess when events took place. The version I have, Deutschland, is about German history; other card sets include Erfinder, Flops, Frauen, Gesetze, Gesundheit, Kirche & Staat, Kunst, Lifestyle, Münzen, Natur, Sachsen, Schweiz, Sex & Crime, Spiel des Jahres, Sport, Wort/Schrift/Buch, VIP

German language skills required? Yes: to read the events printed on the cards.

More info: BoardGameGeek | Rules in German or English | Wikipedia: EN DE | Fata Morgana

Bohnanza Erweiterungs-Set

A popular game, so far, at German Games Night has been Bohnanza, the German bean-trading card game that was published in 1997 and has generated about a dozen different variations. The expansion set builds on the basic set that we've been playing, including additional beans and missions.

German language skills required? Little: the beans traded in the game have German names, but the game can be played without knowing much or any German.

More info: BoardGameGeek | Rules in German or English | Wikipedia: EN DE