Colonial (ENG)

InColonial: Europe's Empires OverseasPlayers take control of a major European power and attempt to colonize the non-European world, collecting 10 prestige points as quickly as possible and repaying all loans. Players earn victory points through various actions such as war, establishing colonies, founding a thriving trading city, or exploring various land parcels.

Colonial: Europe's Empires OverseasIt feels like a classic Euro game, enhanced with some aspects of a classic economic simulation as well as some elements of territory control. The first thing that catches the eye is its detailed and beautifully designed game board. This and all other components were designed with great attention to detail. It is clearly evident that the designer is a fan of history. There are numerous details such as the discovery of America, the culture-dependentgraphical representationthe inhabitants on the map or the very nicely designed manual, which offers some historical background information, which all have a rather minimal influence on the game itself, but enhance it graphically enormously.

What is particularly striking about the game are theclosely interlinked mechanismsand the associated interactions. Discovering and conquering new countries becomes all the easier when you understand the ability ofseafaringThis alone will bring progress, but not the goal:military componentshould not be neglected, because otherwise one can easily get caught up in the event of war and lose much of what one has painstakingly built up.economic developmentHowever, you won't get very far if you want to establish a booming city that can be a source of income, and those are few and far between in this game. Nevertheless, you should also take care of yourlogistical capabilitiesThey help secure conquered territory with their own military. So, you're constantly weighing up which capabilities to develop next in order to offer as few weak points or areas of attack as possible.

All in all,Colonial: Europe's Empires Overseasa game that stands out for itsgreat atmosphereand a great attention to detail. The game mechanics are generally well-balanced and engaging. While the rules are clearly structured, they are also very complex with numerous details. Even after repeated play, you still need to read them over from time to time. Overall, the game plays smoothly, but due to the numerous strategic options within a turn, there may be some minor waiting times.