This is the first in a series of articles about "German Game" authors. I am writing them because I want to. 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: 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). I have included some additional data with regards to the availability of games for informational purposes only; mention of a business does not represent an endorsement (either positive or negative) of the business.

Author: Dirk Henn
Credits: Al Capone (db Spiele) (a.k.a. Stimmt So - Queen Games), Be-ziehungskisten (db Spiele) Carat (db Spiele; Queen Games) Hexenstich (Klee), Hopfen & Malz (db Spiele), Iron Horse (db Spiele) Premiere (db Spiele) (a.k.a. Showmanager - Queen Games), Spekulation (db Spiele) Tendix (db Spiele), Texas (db Spiele), Timbuktu (db Spiele)

I first heard of Dirk Henn through one of Mike Siggins' wonderful Essen reports (see http://www.gamecabinet.com/sumo/Issue14.15/Spiel 93.html). From selling games out of backpacks, Dirk has come far, earning a Spiel des Jahres nomination in 1997 for Showmanager. The majority of his games are still available solely through db Spiele, though. As homemade games go, the production is excellent; I've never heard any complaints about the games because of the components.

In some ways, Dirk Henn's wide range of games reminds me of the varied catalog of Wolfgang Kramer. More so than most current German game authors, Dirk produces a wide variety of games - from traditional card games through abstract two player games to tile laying games to his own ode to Acquire. He has designed games that are simple to understand - Stimmt So! can be easily understood by a new player in five minutes - and games which take a full play to really understand such as Timbuktu. To date he has yet to match Kramer's best work, in my opinion, but he's also not yet created a game as weak as Kramer's worst.

My first exposure to Dirk's games was with Showmanager (FunAgain, $39 / Adam Spielt, 43.70 DM). It is a fairly straightforward game, in which players act as show producers, collecting talent to put on the best performance possible - particularly before the large audiences of New York. Limited budgets often force players to decide between borrowing against the shows they've already opened and opening new shows with actors grabbed off the street. Showmanager is one of those rare games that offers more than the premise and mechanics would seem to. It has been a hit with both gamers and non-gamers, and works very well with six players.

After Showmanager, I was next introduced to Iron Horse and Timbuktu. Iron Horse (FunAgain, $39) is the best tile laying game I've played. In many ways it is comparable to Linie 1, but whereas Linie 1 has a problem of conflicting goals (short routes vs. few stops vs. quickly constructed routes) Iron Horse has a clear goal, and the scoring supports the goal. Timbuktu (FunAgain, $45) is a unique game, combining deduction, risk management, and a small memory element into a very playable game. Players compete to deliver the greatest value in goods to Timbuktu, with thieves trying to stop them at every turn. Timbuktu tends to polarize players more than Henn's other games, not surprisingly for such an unusual game.

Carat (FunAgain, $39 / Adam Spielt, 33.90 DM) is one of Henn's most abstract games. The scoring is unusual, in that only the player with the greatest influence over a scoring marker scores (unless there is a tie), but the score is based upon the number of players involved. Oddly (but usefully), the game plays best with three players, as the dummy player offers significant additional options. Texas (FunAgain, $35) is another abstract, wherein players collect and use cards to allow the piece placements they desire. It only works with two players or four players in teams of two, however. I'm not enough of an abstract game fan as to have been tempted by Tendix (FunAgain, $35), or at least not yet.

There are a few classic games which have offered game mechanics used time and time again. Hol's der Geier is one, with it's simultaneously revealed "bid" mechanism. Acquire is another; there are dozens of games I've played (and far more I haven't) that offer scoring opportunities limited to the 1st and 2nd place stockholders in the various companies (or towers - Campanile - or the players with the longest trains of each type - Freight Train - etc.). Stimmt So! (FunAgain, $39 / Adam Spielt, 33.90 DM) is Henn's entry into the Acquire scoring system arena. It's one of the easier to learn games of the genre, and thus one that seems to go over well with non-gamers. Players collect money in four different currencies, using their money to purchase six different types of good and build pluralities or scoring minorities in these goods. Like Henn's other professionally produced games, the graphics are cute but the pieces are not as distinctive as those in other German games.

I have played three other Dirk Henn games, but only once each to date. Hexenstich is Henn's contribution to the seemingly endless series of German trick-taking card games with minor twists. The specific twist in Hexenstich is that the rules for play and the rules for trick taking are completely separate. Hopfen & Malz is a beer making card game, with what seems to be a problem with overabundant cash leading to obvious strategies. Spekulation (FunAgain, $39) is a stock market game (with a stock price system largely re-used in Showmanager, interestingly enough) where players have limited control over the price of stocks, and somewhat limited options for stock transactions. It went over well on the first play, but is the type of game that requires multiple plays to fairly judge.

Among Henn's games, I can easily recommend Iron Horse and Showmanager; both are fixtures in my gaming group but still go over well with my non-gamer wife. Timbuktu is very much worth trying, and considered by some to be his best work, but do not be surprised if it isn't to your liking. Carat and Texas seem interesting as abstracts go. Stimmt So! is simpler than Showmanager, which is both a plus and minus; I don't like it as much, but the non-gamers I've introduced both games to have felt differently. I can't recommend Hexenstich or Hopfen & Malz on first play, although I think the latter has possibilities with some modifications to the starting capital.

I will be more than happy to try to answer specific questions.