German Game Authors Revisited - #3: Doris Matthäus and Frank Nestel
Joe Huber
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This is the third in a series of twelve articles I am writing about "German
Game" authors. I am writing them because I want to; I am posting them to
rec.games.board in the hope that someone might find them useful.
However, I am not an expert on board games, nor am I a collector of board
games. I just happen to play them and occasionally write about the
experience. I would welcome any constructive feedback.
Disclaimer:
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This article represents my own opinions only. Some opinions are based on
only a single play; some of the information presented is based on nothing
more than hearsay. I will always try to note such instances, but I would
always recommend playing a game before buying it (or deciding not to buy it,
for that matter).
Copyright 2000, Joseph M. Huber
Updated July 2nd, 2000.
Authors:
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Doris Matthäus and Frank Nestel
Credits:
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Banana Republic (Doris & Frank)
Dicke Kartoffeln (Abacus Spiele)
Eselsrennen (Doris & Frank) (a.k.a. Bunny Zick Zack - FX Schmid)
Fugger, Welser, Medici (Doris & Frank)
Igel Ärgern (Doris & Frank)
Mü & Mehr (Doris & Frank; Amigo)
Pico (Doris & Frank)
Pico 2 (Doris & Frank)
Tante Tarantel (Doris & Frank)
Ursuppe (Doris & Frank) (plus expansion)
Vendetta (Hexagames)
Zoff im Zoo (Doris & Frank) (a.k.a. Frank's Zoo - Rio Grande)
(In addition to these games designed by Doris & Frank, Doris has done the
artwork for a wide variety of games, including multiple Spiel des Jahres
winners.)
Doris & Frank's web site: http://doris-frank.de/classic/
The most notable component of Doris and Frank games are the hedgehogs - they
take a starring role in Igel Ärgern, but are also present in some form
through their whole catalog. My game group even considered having the
appellation "Hudson Hedgehog Gamers" based on our enjoyment of Doris and
Frank's games (not to mention the fact that one member of the group has a
hedgehog as a pet).
Doris and Frank (the game company) is the primary publisher of games by
Doris and Frank (the game designers). In most cases, the image this would
draw of home-produced, DTP-quality games would be rather accurate - as much
as I love db Spiele productions, there _is_ a homemade feel to them. Not so
with Doris and Frank (the game company again) games - the productions are
polished and professional. Of course, since they are a small press this
does affect the prices. So do the games justify the greater expense?
The first Doris & Frank game published was Dicke Kartoffeln, one of just a
handful of Doris and Frank games available from a different publisher. It's
a business game about farming potatoes, with two different winning
conditions available - a dollar win and an environmental win. It's worth
noting that there are major differences between the first and second edition
releases - among them, the first edition supports only four players (versus
six in the second edition) and the second edition includes English
instructions and combined winning conditions (for those who prefer a single
winner). Business games don't tend to be favorites of mine, and Dicke
Kartoffeln was no exception.
Also appearing the same year was Eselsrennen, a simple donkey racing game.
I've never been fond of race games where you choose (or are given, as in
this case) a desired order of finish, spending the game trying to make this
order of finish occur. Perhaps for this reason, Eselsrennen is my least
favorite Doris & Frank game.
The next Doris and Frank game released, Igel Ärgern, was a notable step
forward, and for about five years the best that they had to offer. It's a
simple hedgehog race game, where each turn players roll a die, optionally
slide one of their own hedgehogs sideways, and then advance any hedgehog in
the row they rolled. What sets the game apart, though, is the 40 variations
(with room for more), which can be combined in far more ways than you'll
ever get to play. One of the more odd combinations we've played is Last
Hedgehog Standing, with black holes (instead of pits to fall into - and
eventually get out of - there are black holes which remove hedgehogs from
the game permanently), the ability to slide _anyone's_ hedgehog sideways,
and wrap-around. This leads to a very silly game, perfect for six players
who have tired of the same old hedgehog race.
While Tante Tarantel isn't a classic, it's a rather enjoyable family game.
Players have three bugs that they must attempt to get out of a spider's
web - but the randomly controlled spider has a real knack for finding bugs.
Vendetta is more aimed at the gamer market, with players trying to keep
their mob families in power. Unlike Tante Tarantel, which went over
reasonably well even with gamers, Vendetta went over poorly the first time
out, and has yet to make it out a second time so far.
Banana Republic is a cute filler, in which players try to gain influence
over local politicians through dollars, local money, assassins, and
journalists (who ensure that politicians only take bribes in the local
currency). There's a notable memory element to the game, as players can
gain only a limited amount of information each turn, but it's not
overwhelming and the game only runs for about 15 minutes. I've never tried
Fugger, Welser, Medici, having been sufficiently scared off by the long
length of the game.
Doris and Frank debuted Mü und Mehr in 1995. Mü is one of the few
trick-taking card games to stand above the crowd, as the mechanisms it
offers (changing partners, card value varied but not tied to trick-taking
ability) work very well together with either four or five players. I would
recommend getting the original Doris and Frank version both for the hedgehog
suit (replaced by fish in the Amigo version) and The Last Panther, a hearts
variant that was cut in the Amigo release. The Amigo release is notable for
the bid cards, however, which help those unfamiliar with the bidding and
scoring. After much play, I am now beginning to worry about the long-term
replayability of Mü, as the compensation for a bad hand (largely the wide
variety of choices in trump) doesn't make up for the typically flat
distribution (a result of the deck chosen) or the inability to gain key
pieces of information from the bidding.
Pico and Pico II are two versions of a simple, silly card game for two (with
a three player, two deck variant I haven't tried). The Java version on the
Doris & Frank web site is not to be missed, but it's also a nice way for two
players to pass a minute or two. Frank's Zoo, the most recent release, has
split the gaming community somewhat - some like the partnership and
hedgehog/lion rules, others decry it as nothing more than a The Great
Dalmuti rip-off (of course, it's more true to Career Poker, which came out
before The Great Dalmuti, than it is of The Great Dalmuti, but so be it).
For my money, I like Frank's Zoo the best of all the games it expands upon,
for a few reasons. One, the cycles are different, and add uncertainty to
the value of some cards, a plus in my opinion. Second, the artwork is very
appealing. And third, it provides a meaningful scoring system. That said,
I enjoy it without the partnership rules or hedgehog/lion rules, but that's
just my preference.
Last but not least, there's Ursuppe and the "Fresh Spice" expansion. This
is the second "big" game Doris and Frank have attempted on their own, and
unlike Fugger, Welser, Medici this one has been a big hit, selling out on at
least three occasions that I'm aware of. The game itself is really very
American in feel - there's a series of steps which every turn is comprised
of, a fair bit of randomness, _lots_ of player interaction, and something of
a wargame feel to it (though War of the Amoebas doesn't quite have the right
ring to it). The expansion, which adds numerous new genes to the pool, also
allows the game to be played with 5 or 6 - and does a far better job with
handling the additional players than I expected. The scoring mechanism
speeds the game up some with more players, which successfully counteracts
the effect of often have more amebas on the board. I fear that because of
the length, Ursuppe has passed through the gaming community rather more
quickly than I would have liked - I've been trying to play is again for some
time now without takers.
The latest three major releases from Doris and Frank (Mü, Ursuppe, and
Frank's Zoo) are their best work to date, and easy recommendations. They
also bode well for the future; I can't wait to see what Doris and Frank come
up with next. From the remainder of their catalog, Igel Ärgern clearly
stands out; Banana Republic and Tante Tarantel are worthwhile, but not
standouts.
Notes:
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This article may be reproduced in whole either mechanically or
electronically provided the copyright notice is included and I am notified
of the use before publication. I will be more than happy to try to answer
specific questions e-mailed to Joseph...@compaq.com.
For additional information, I would recommend the following WWW sites:
Luding http://sunsite.informatik.rwth-aachen.de/luding/
The best place to go for links to reviews of board games
The Gaming Dumpster http://www.neonate.org/
The key site for English rules translations
The Game Cabinet http://www.gamecabinet.com/
The key site for older English rules translations
Brett & Board http://hjem.get2net.dk/Svellov/
The best place to go for the latest news on German board games