2011 Releases from Lookout Games

No, German publisher Lookout Games is not releasing 2,011 games this year – although you might get that sensation when you check out all that is coming, both from Lookout Games itself and from its co-publishers, primarily Z-Man Games.

First are German editions of two games: Ruhm für Rom (Carl Chudyk's Glory to Rome) and 1830: Schienenleger & Spekulanten (Francis Tresham's 1830: Railways & Robber Barons). Ruhm für Rom, due out August 2011, uses the same new graphic design and illustrations found in the Spanish version of the game from Homo Ludicus and the Polish one from Boat City Games and apparently never to be found in English. The German edition of 1830 bears a Q4 2011 release date – officially "Herbst 2011" or Autumn, but for our friends in the southern hemisphere I stick to quarterly dates. Mayfair Games currently has a Q3 2011 release date on the English version of 1830.

In the realm of Uwe Rosenberg's Agricola, Lookout Games is on its seventh edition of the game, which features completely revised card texts to remove ambiguities with no changes to the actual rules. The Niederlande-Deck, comprised of 120 cards, is listed as a September 2011 release, while a Weltmeisterschaftsdeck (or "World Champion Deck"), also consisting of 120 cards, is listed for release in November 2011. No details beyond a card count at this point.

Finally – at least it better be final unless you want to be unable to play games the rest of the evening – is AgricoLAVA, the newest Agricola-themed alcoholic beverage (5.8% alcohol). This limited-edition brew will be available both at Spiel 2011 and the Österreichischen Spielefest (Austrian Games Festival) in November.

Two other August 2011 releases from Lookout Games – both coming out in English from Z-Man Games – are Tom Wham's Feudalherren (Feudality) and Torsten Landsvogt's Die Gnome von Zavandor (The Gnomes of Zavandor). The German rules for Feudalherren are available on the Lookout Games website (link on the game page), and Wham has noted on BGG that he's editing the English rules and hopes they'll be available soon as well. Lookout's Hanno Girke said in June 2011 that "with some luck" copies of Feudality would first be available at Gen Con.

Die Gnome von Zavandor is set in the same fantasy world as Die Minen von Zavandor. Here's a brief description of the game play:

Quote:

Back to Zavandor! Gemstone deposits have been discovered near the city of Diamantina, and 2-4 players will slip into the role of zealous gnomes who mine precious stones, then buy and sell them on a stock exchange, and eventually transform them into powerful artifacts and precious gems.

German rules (PDF) are available on the Lookout Games website.

The final three games are labeled as "Herbst 2011" releases, so let's call them Spiel 2011 debuts. These games are Uwe Rosenberg's Ore et Labora, Welcome to Walnut Grove from Finnish designers Touko Tahkokallio and Paul Laane, and the inevitable Bohnanza-themed expansion/spin-off, this one being Bohn Camillo from Uwe Rosenberg and Sascha Hendriks. Z-Man Games will release Ora & Labora in English; Lookout will release Walnut Grove in English; and Bohn Camillo appears to be German only.

Ora et Labora already has a page on BGG with a long description, so let's look at the other two games. Bohn Camillo, a Bohnanza variant for two players only, is a take-off of the movie Don Camillo e l'on. Peppone, with the title characters having a love-hate relationship in which they fight each other, spy on each other, and steal from each other – all while trying to thwart their antogonist's plans. Only the "Bohn Gottes" – the Bean God – who hangs on the cross stands between the two and can prevent the worst, although when the situation warrants they can be generous to one another.

Welcome to Walnut Grove (1-4 players, 30-60 minutes, 10+) is a cross between jigsaw puzzles and worker placement, with the players as farmers who find their plots merging into a single landscape as time passes and their holdings grow. Come fall they must head to the city with their goods as winter will soon return.