Hop Around the World with DLP Games Thanks to Valparaíso, Manitoba, and Altiplano: The Traveler

A traveler wanders through the South American highlands and brings the inhabitants new ideas from his travels. Anyone who meets him can take advantage of these assets. A public trading point makes it possible to obtain rare goods in exchange for opals. And a variety of fortunes adds even more diversity to life among the mountain ranges in Bolivia and Peru.

With Altiplano: The Traveler, the planning of moves in Altiplano becomes more important and accessibility to resources becomes more interactive. Above all, the assets that may be purchased from the traveller open up completely new ways to increase one's own wealth. But unforeseen fortunes sometimes demand spontaneous decisions which influence planning.

Thus, the drive for success in this inhospitable region turns into a completely new challenge! Who's prepared for this?

In 1811, free trade is declared for the harbor city of Valparaíso in Chile. A short time later, Chile proclaims its independence. As an influential citizen of Valparaíso, you want to push the development of your city, so you send merchants into the hinterland to get hold of important export goods and send your ships overseas to gain new achievements there.

To do well in Valparaíso, you must plan well ahead, keep an eye on your opponents, and react to their actions at short notice. Almost any action influences the other players by changing costs or trading possibilities. Each building of a house must be given a lot of thought, every trade must be well-timed. Whoever wants to change the order of their initial planning during the course of the game must pay a penalty, but if your plans aren't good enough, time will slip away — in the short run as well as in the long run. You all plan simultaneously, and the end of the game may come sooner than you've hoped!

For advanced players who like planning while pressed for time, the game includes a variant using a sand timer.

The Canadian province of Manitoba is wild, fascinating, and almost without any limits: countless lakes, majestic mountains, a vast tundra in the north and endless prairies in the south. Manitoba — a country whose name derives directly from Manitou, the big spirit of creation of the American natives.

In Manitoba, players become clan leaders of the Cree tribe and try to become the chieftain of them all, but this is not easy as they have to cope with the capriciousness of nature and must provide material as well as spiritual richness for their clans.

In the course of the seasons, everyone has to consider several things: When and where do I plan to get active in the hunting grounds of Manitoba? Or would it be better now to emphasize spiritual development and walk on mystical paths? How can I exchange and exploit my resources cleverly? Players can also manipulate the wooden disks of the totem to influence the possibilities of all players strongly. Many situations demand wise decisions...