Charlemagne (1998)

This game debuted at Essen 1998 and was a minor hit, considering only three hundred copies were made. The game was later re-released as the slightly modified Krieg und Frieden (War and Peace) by TM Spiele. Players are feudal lords that rule their own land and seek to help King Charlemagne build pieces of his castle. The entire game is made from wood, in a light, clear stain, including the over-sized game board. Each turn is four seasons, and play continues until all six pieces of the ornate castle are placed. Players use their resource tiles to bid for that year's agenda, and some resources have more or less value in the bid depending on what type of agenda is available. Then players use their remaining resources to build their lands, sack others' lands, bribe others' knights away from defense, or help to build Charlemagne's castle. There are slight rules differences between this game and Krieg und Frieden, but mostly a reduction of agenda cards to shorten the game (for the better usually).

• Krieg und Frieden