The four tournament games played at the European championships of 2017 were :

  • First Class – Hans im Glück
  • Great Western Trail – Eggertspiele
  • Lorenzo Il Magnifico – Cranio Creations
  • Honshu – Lautapelit.fi


Authors:
Helmut Ohley

In First Class: Unterwegs im Orient Express/All Aboard the Orient Express!, players try to score as many fame points as possible by building a rich network of rails, by building luxurious train cars, or by serving well-paying passengers.

First Class is a card game that feels more like a board game, and since each game is played with the base cards and two of five modules, the game offers lots of variety as not all elements are used in each playing.


America in the 19th century: You are a rancher and repeatedly herd your cattle from Texas to Kansas City, where you send them off by train. This earns you money and victory points. Needless to say, each time you arrive in Kansas City, you want to have your most valuable cattle in tow. However, the “Great Western Trail” not only requires that you keep your herd in good shape, but also that you wisely use the various buildings along the trail. Also, it might be a good idea to hire capable staff: cowboys to improve your herd, craftsmen to build your very own buildings, or engineers for the important railroad line.

If you cleverly manage your herd and navigate the opportunities and pitfalls of Great Western Trail, you surely will gain the most victory points and win the game.


Lorenzo de’ Medici, also known as “Lorenzo il Magnifico” (Lorenzo the Magnificent), was one of the most powerful and enthusiastic patrons of the Italian Renaissance. 

In Lorenzo il Magnifico, each player takes the role of a head of a noble family in a city during the Italian renaissance. You try to accumulate prestige and fame to gain more victory

points (VP) than the others. To do so, you send your family members to different areas of town, where they can obtain many achievements. In one location they get useful resources, in another development cards (which represent newly conquered territories, sponsored buildings, influenced characters, or encouraged ventures), somewhere else they activate the effects of their cards.

Lorenzo il Magnifico, each player takes the role of a head of a noble family in a city during the Italian renaissance. You try to accumulate prestige and fame to gain more victory points (VP) than the others. To do so, you send your family members to different areas of town, where they can obtain many achievements. In one location they get useful resources, in another development cards (which represent newly conquered territories, sponsored buildings, influenced characters, or encouraged ventures), somewhere else they activate the effects of their cards.

Family members are not identical. At the beginning of each round, you roll three dice to determine the family members’ value. You must carefully choose where to send your family members with a higher value…You can gain VP several ways, and you must also pay attention to your relations with the Church. The game is divided into three periods, each formed by two rounds; at the end of each period, players must show their faith, and whoever hasn’t prayed enough will suffer hard penalties.After six rounds, you calculate your final scoring, and the player with the most VP wins.


Honshu is a trick-taking, map-building card game set in feudal Japan. Players are lords and ladies of noble houses seeking new lands and opportunities for fame and fortune.

One game of Honshu lasts twelve rounds, and each round is divided into two phases. First, map cards are played in a trick, and the player who played the highest valued card gets to pick first from those cards played. Then the players use the map cards picked to expand their personal maps. Each player must expand their personal maps to maximize their scoring possibilities.

Manipulating your position in the player order is crucial for mastering Honshu.

With many thanks to boardgamegeek.