HIGHLIGHTS AMONG GAMES

 

Jenseits von TheBen

 

Artifacts - Exhibitions - Congresses

 

Dear Reader! The name of the game, „Jenseits von Theben“ evokes associations with the John Steinbeck classic „East of Eden“. Probably this has not been a deliberate allusion by Peter Prinz to the classic novel by the American star novelist which was put on screen starring James Dean. Such an allusion would definitely not have been necessary for this topical and aesthetic master piece by the Austrian designer. The first, graphically as yet rather uncouth version from 2004 was sold out in a very short time, due to the extraordinary quality of the game mechanism, and the second, updated edition by Queen Games deserves an even bigger accolade.  East of Thebes, that is, to the south and east of the well-known excavation site, up to four hobby archeologists - this is the role that each player assumes in this game - explore and search the famous tells (ruins hills) of Mesopotamia, Crete, Egypt and Palestine. A time mechanisms, rarely used in games before this one, makes the years shortly after Schliemann’s works in Troy pass in the blink of an eye. Please visit the Austrian Games Museum in Leopoldsdorf, where as a guest you can again enter new “old” worlds. www.spielen.at

 

In the light of the lamp the Queens box as usual offers sumptuous components for the trip back into ancient times: a practical, not oversized board, 100 cards in the categories of Exploration, Exhibition and Overview; wooden markers and time pieces; a cloth bag for each player, filled to the brim with excavation tiles, some excavation permits and four chronocles (what a word!). This is supplemented by a colorful and easy-to-read rules sheet. What is the thematic purpose of the game? A trip around European cities at the start of the 20th century (Warsaw, Moscow, Berlin, Paris, London, Vienna and Rome) which enables us to collect enough information for successful excavation expeditions to Mesopotamia, Greece, Crete, Egypt and Palestine. The findings can later earn you much prestige when mounted in exhibitions. Furthermore, conferences are held which also enhance the prestige of the archeologists. But all this is a race against time, because relentlessly trickles away in the sunken centers of old. The flow of this excavation race is incredibly interesting, as the playing order is not governed by a lengthy fixed scheme. The playing order is solely determined by the explorer in last position on the time track, which is graduated in weeks. This explorer has an action, maybe even several times in a row. He has a choice of four options: 1) Acquire an Exploration card; 2) Exchange a card display 3) Mount an exhibition and 4) Excavate.

In an excavation the chronocle comes into play; it is a kind of spinner which decides how many items an archeologist can dig up in a number of weeks he determines himself. The decision for or against a high number of excavations is one of the main criteria in the game. Everything costs valuable time, which can be made use of by opponents. Furthermore, within one year - there are three all in all - each area can only be explored once by an archeologist. The game ends with the end of 1903, when all markers have reached the 52nd week on the time track. Now the game is scored: Artifacts (valuable shards), exhibitions, conferences and special knowledge for certain excavation areas acquired in libraries earn you points. If you have shoveled up the biggest amount of victory points , you will return victoriously to „Diesseits von Theben“.

 

RECOMMENDATION # 82

 

Players: 2-4

Alter: 8+

Designer: Peter Prinz

Artist: Michael Menzel

Time: 60+

Price: 25 Euro

Year: 2007

Publisher: Queen Games

    

Tactic: 4 von 9

Info±: 2 von 0

Chance: 3 von 9

 

„Jenseits von Theben“ has an incredible dense flair, which might fascinate all players with a one-hour-adventure trip. Emphasis on „might“! Because sometimes it can happen that against all statistic probabilities one player gets all the artifacts and the other one only loose sand, which, as we all know, escapes your fingers. Such is life, so unpredictably can the chance element override all tactical refinement.

 

Hugos EXPERT TIP

 

Please advise a new player in the game that the probability to discover valuable items decreases with every item that has already been excavated in an area. The reason for this: Rubble tiles are put back into the excavation bag. And hand the clear overview cards to a newcomer. They tell him what can be  found in theory in an excavation site.

 

Hugos FLASHLIGHT

 

As to the topic, „Jenseits von Theben“ is a wonderful game, with a strong interaction of travel nerves, love of adventure, excavation tension and cosmopolitanism. The mechanism of time passing in weekly allotments needs adjustment, but soon introduces an interesting interaction of Chronos and Kairos, that is, real time and time felt. All aims at excavations, conferences and exhibitions - and yet the subjective feeling of eternally fascination ancient times remains. “Jenseits von Theben” is really a wonderful contribution to the very important axis of “Game and Science”.

 

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