This year, the days surrounding New Year’s Eve were quite generous, allowing us to return home only on Saturday, January 3rd. This meant that after the party welcoming the New Year, we had two full days dedicated to playing our favorite games and trying out new titles.

I must say that this time was used very well. It is still a bit early for full statistics from the trip (I am writing this post immediately after returning, reporting on the last two days), but my feeling is very strong and clear: we played much more this year compared to the last two or three trips. This is a good thing, as the sightseeing and hiking were also at a good level.

Therefore, I invite you to a short report—richly illustrated with photos—from the last two (out of six) days of the New Year’s convention. We try to show titles that we have not played before. It is possible that I missed something, as there were quite a few games, but I believe the essence of the trip will be conveyed.

Our Previous New Year’s Expeditions:
2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2011

“Capibary Herbaciary”

This title should not have appeared here at all. It was a complete surprise of the trip—an impulsive (prophetic?) purchase by Jarek at Dino (yes, no mistake). The game is advertised as a super position for children, but it is definitely not a game for children. It features brutal gameplay where you push your guests to neighbors so they eat the opponent’s cookies, plus a large amount of negative interaction. Terrible beating each other… which means it is the perfect game for me, and I loved it from the first play! Jarek won once, Agnieszka once, Lukasz once—but everyone always had joy and a good time!

“Azul”

How good it is to return to old, trusted classics where the mechanics are well-tested and results are decided based on skills rather than randomness. The proven Azul appeared several times on our tables, and the palm of victory was carried by both Lukasz and Magda K.

“Bear Park”

Our youngest also joined our games. Marta has four games recorded with me, and Natan one. Above, we see Bear Park—a title I first played at Essen in 2017—above we see a slightly modified version. My notes show that both Magda S-W and Lukasz did well in this title.

“Habemus Papam”

I simply like this game. How is it possible that there was no title about electing a Pope until now? It can be played by 3 to 6 people (super for larger groups) and provides a nice game. In our case, Agnieszka definitely showed the best political skills, winning with a large advantage.

“March of the Ants”

This was my and Kuba G’s second game in this title. Lukasz and Jarek were just starting with this game. Another beautiful position, with cool rules and evolutions, which in the final game came down to a brutal and ruthless fight for survival. In this race, the palm of victory fell to me, hitting all other contenders for ant hill domination equally!

“A Very Civil Whist”

That day, Kuba G and I played many two-player titles—next to us a large game of SETI was taking place. One of the new, previously unreported titles was the English Civil War of the 17th century by Fred Serval—”A Very Civil Whist”. A very interesting concept, a game made quickly before the convention, definitely gives a lot of satisfaction.

Summary

Incredible, despite the New Year’s fatigue and six days of the convention, we still had the desire and energy for more games. This is always a super time spent, where the gray cells work and there is a chance to meet friends. That is super pleasing!

The day after tomorrow, I will try to post the complete statistics of the trip. I feel they will be very good!