• The third title from Hans im Glück is Helios, a standalone game for 2-4 players with a 60-minute playing time from Martin Kallenborn and Matthias Prinz. Here's a summary of the game:
Development can succeed, though, only if you've secured a supply of the limited raw materials available, and the more that you've built of your temple, the more expensive the remaining parts will be. Glass manastones are the game's currency, and with them you can acquire people, increase the number of points you'll score, and more.
• The German branch of Mattel is continuing its experiment with more involved family games — started at Spiel 2013 with Brian Yu's Geister, Geister, Schatzsuchmeister! and Kronen für den König — with Bania, a reworking of Yu's Desert Bazaar, which first appeared in 2006 from Mattel's U.S. division. Says Yu, "The game has been reworked to increase the push-your-luck aspect and give players more control."
In Bania, which has artwork from Miguel Coimbra, players place tent tiles on the game board by using die rolls, cards in hand, and previously-placed tents — all with the goal of scoring points in various ways. I have an appointment with Mattel to look the game over in more detail at Spielwarenmesse, but since I can't take photos or video in the Mattel press room, you'll have to settle for this press image for now: