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International Toy Fair Nuremberg 2011
Internationale Spielwarenmesse Nürnberg 2011
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Abacusspiele
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In this card game, players collect gold cards and score for them. There are two or three donkey cards in the game that can shower a player with gold, but he has to get rid of them in time otherwise he will score minus points. In a turn, a player may choose a single action: either take a card from the display of initial five, or exchange a card. Alll cards are placed face up in front of the player. If the player chooses a number card, he must exchange it for a lower numbered card. If he puts a donkey card in the display, he may take any other card from the display.
Three cards of the same colour form a set. If, after his action, a player has a set in front of him, he must score it by placing them face down in one stack. As a bonus, he may first take a card from an opponent, but not one that he already has a colour from.
When the display is depleted, five new cards are drawn and placed face up. Play continues until the draw pile is depleted and the last card in the display has been taken. Players first compare their face up cards; whoever has the highest total in a colour, may take the highest card from that colour and add it to his score pile; all colours are compared this way.
Players now total their scoring cards; whoever has the highest total has won.
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Gold, Michael Schacht, Abacusspiele, 2011 - 2 to 3 players, 8 years and up, 20 minutes
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A complete revision of the 1990 'Airlines' that also was published by AbacusSpiele. Several mechanics have been made smoother and simpler.
Tracks only cost money; players do not need to play a special track card for that company. In general, all companies now can fly to any destination, they only have to be connected with their home town with the only restriction that it needs the requested money and a plane to be put on an empty licence field along the track.
Players expand airline tracks, and collect money from their acquired shares when a score card is revealed. After the third score the game ends and the player with the most money has won.
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In a turn, a player may perform one action: for instance buy one or two licenses of any company and take one share of his choice from the display or the draw pile in his hand. Another action could be playing shares from a player's hand to collect dividend from them, but also make the shares eligible for scoring.
Taking eight million money is another action when a players runs out of the initial eight million he started the game with.
New in 'Airlines - Europe' is the Air Abacus share. These score in each of the three possible scoring phases, triggered by score cards that are shuffled into the stock pile. The Air Abacus shares can only be obtained by exchanging regular company shares: one for one Air Abacus, or three for two Air Abacus shares; the exchanged shares are removed from the game.
The stock value of a companie increases by the value of the license at the instance of purchase. This stock value track is segmented in various increasing scoring values: for players with the most, secondmost, etc. stock of the company that is within that segment at the time of scoring. Air Abacus shares give a higher dividend when scoring.
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The original 'Airlines' has gotten a complete repolish, and it shows. The rules are clear written with many illustrated examples. The mapboard has nice and distinguishable artwork, and all in all it shows that all effort has been made to qualify this game for a nomination of Spiel des Jahres - at least!
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Airlines -Europe, Alan Moon, Abacusspiele, 2011 - 2 to 5 players, 10 years and up, approx. 75 minutes
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