THE GAMES JOURNAL - Österreichisches Spiele Museum

ROTER NOVEMBER
GNOMES MANNING A SUBMARINE
The gnomic submarine Red November
is in distress at sea, systems
malfunction, �res spring up
and water �ows in – cooperation
is the only thing that can help the
gnomes to survive until they are
saved, but they are often drunk
and sometimes helpless.
Each player directs a gnome and
marks the time used up. It is your
turn when you are furthest back
SARENA
FROM THE DESERT SANDS
TO THE GAME BOARD
The bottom of the game box
promises us a game that was resurrected
from the sands of time
and shaped from the ruins of our
past, an ancient game with new
challenges:
The aim of the game at least is
simple: You want to have most
pieces at the end of the game.
This you should achieve on a
board showing 36 circles in a
on the time track. First you have
the option to move your gnome,
which costs you time; movement
comprises opening of a hatch,
letting water �ow out and moving
the gnome. Then the gnome
can act: repair, collect items or execute
other actions. If you are in a
room on �re you can only do the
extinguishing action; if you are
caught in high water you can do
grid of 6x6 circles, connected
by lines. At the start of the game
you draw a marker to determine
your own secret target color, you
should try to keep it secret till the
end of the game. Players have
alternate turns and you must
make a move, you cannot pass. A
move comprises moving a piece
or a stack of pieces from one
circle along a line into another
ROTER NOVEMBER / SARENA t
nothing and die at the start of the
actualization phase. Each turn
ends with an appraisal of the situation
and actualization, the time
marker is moved according to
time usage and during this time
marker move all event and object
spots are implemented. And that
can end badly, very badly indeed!
When the gnome has used grog
cards he must do an incapacity
check. All players win together
when the time markers of all surviving
gnomes reach the „saved“
spot, all catastrophes have been
mastered and the submarine still
exists.
The basic rules are simple: move,
do something and check if you
yourself and the submarine still
exist. The devil sits in the details
– with a rather awry touch, funny,
entertaining and hopefully
you have some co�ee at hand to
mitigate the e�ects of grog. And
some laws of nature are valid
even on a Gnome submarine: A
room full of water cannot be on
�re – which is not always really
helpful! �
circle. When the target circle is
empty it must be marked arrows
in order to be used and you must
turn over the piece or stack upon
arrival there. When the target
circle is already occupied by a
piece or stack, the moved piece
or stack is not turned over upon
arrival. Stacks cannot be split
and the maximum height for a
stack is four pieces. If no piece
or stack can be moved anymore
each player reveals his secret
color and takes all pieces of this
color and all stacks on which the
top piece shows this color and
counts the pieces so collected.
If you managed to accumulate
more pieces than all other players
you win.
As is the case with nearly all
other abstract placement game
this one too has a very simple
mechanism, you must always
keep a close watch on all of the
board and try to secure your own
stacks quickly without letting out
your own secret color too soon.
To manage both is a real challenge
that is not easy to ful�ll! �
INFORMATION
EVALUATION
Cooperative game
With friends
Version: de
Rules: cn de en jp
In-game text: yes
PLAYED FOR YOU
Designer: B. Faidutti, J. Gontier
Gra�k: Will Springer et al
Price: ca. 25 Euro
Publisher: Heidelberger 2011
www.hds-fantasy.de
Comments:
Revised 2nd edition * Satirical
elements * Funny topic
* Cooperative elements
nicely integrated
Compares to:
Roter November 1st Edition, Space
Alert
Other editions:
Red November, Fantasy Flight Games
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ISSUE 434 / FEBRUARY 2012 35
PLAYERS:
3-8
AGE:
12+
INFORMATION
PLAYERS:
2-4
AGE:
8+
EVALUATION
Abstract placement game
With friends
Version: multi
Rules: de en es fr it nl ru
In-game text: no
TIME:
120+
TIME:
20+
Designer: Christophe Boelinger
Gra�k: C. Gay, J.-C. Mourey
Price: ca. 20 Euro
Publisher: Ludically 2011
www.ludically.com
Comments:
Nice components * Especially
for fans of abstract
games * Places nicely for
2 players
Compares to:
Other abstract placement games
with stacking, Reversi or Rolit for turning
pieces over
Other editions:
Currently none