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Explore Mesopotamia, Look Under the Leaves, and Practice Zoology at Home | BoardGameGeek News

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W Eric Martin

On May 26, 2025

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by W. Eric Martin

▪️ Designer Bernd Eisenstein of Irongames releases a new game only every year or two, and 2025 is an “on” year, with his new design being Papyria, a 1-4 player game that plays in 90-120 minutes. Here’s an overview:

Mesopotamia, around 1500 BC: The Mesopotamian region on the Euphrates and Tigris is home to a melting pot of different cultures. Achievements such as writing and the wheel lead to the construction of the first large cities and lively trade. In the mountains, the coveted lapis lazuli is mined, and papyrus is made from reed grass.

In Papyria, you explore the region to create an extensive network of canals; discover inventions; develop mines; and build temples, sanctuaries and cities.

During your turn, you move your wanderer or ship. On the target space, you choose two of the three possible actions, which can mean taking a new tile for your display or a multiplier for later scoring; building a city, a temple, or a mine; or producing lapis or papyrus, which you need for building, special actions, or special scorings.

The game ends as soon as the last good has been taken from several spaces and a certain number of “end-of-game” tiles have been revealed and fulfilled. After several final scorings, whoever has the most points wins.

▪️ Designer Jeffrey CCH of ICE Makes also has a new title coming for SPIEL Essen 25: Zoology, a 2-6 player game that can be played either competitively or co-operatively:

The great Encyclopedia Zoologica has burst open — and every creature from alpaca to platypus is making a break for it! Your team of sharp-eyed zoologists must spring into action to ask the right questions, debate your guesses, and put your animal knowledge to the ultimate test. Return each animal to its rightful place in the encyclopedia…before the Age of Discovery becomes the Age of Chaos!

In Zoology, each player receives a hidden animal card that only others can see. Through comparative questions about characteristics, appearances, and behavior, players piece together clues about their secret identity. Success requires both analytical thinking and tricky communication.

Four additional modules each introduce six extra animals from different continents in order to vary difficulty levels.

▪️ Chilean publisher Fractal Juegos has a new title coming from designers Trevor Benjamin and Brett J. Gilbert for release at SPIEL Essen 25: Under the Leaves, which is for 2-4 players and presents you with the following situation:

If we are able to maintain the health and diversity of our garden, then it will fill up with life and become a refuge for fascinating creatures. Hummingbirds and bees are the first to arrive, filling the air with color and movement, but if we stop and observe with more attention, we will discover a hidden and unknown world: tiny inhabitants abound in the mushrooms, puddles, and foliage. They are under our feet, living out their lives without being perceived…until we decide to look under the leaves.

Each turn in Under the Leaves is played in two phases: the placement of a garden tile, then the possible arrival of new beings. Whoever gets the most pieces in total wins.

Sample components

▪️ Polish publisher Board&Dice has teased a SPIEL Essen 25 release from designer Dávid Turczi in the most BGG-centric way possible:

Getcher heaping bowl of mechanisms here!

SMOOSH JUICE

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