Diamant (game)
Encyclopedia
Diamant is a multiplayer card game
designed by Alan R. Moon
and Bruno Faidutti
, published in 2005
in Germany
by Schmidt Spiele
, with illustrations provided by Jörg Asselborn, Christof Tisch, and Claus Stephan.
An English-language edition of Diamant was published in 2006
by Sunriver Games under the name Incan Gold, with illustrations provided by Matthias Catrein. The rules for Incan Gold and Diamant are the same, but the games have other minor differences.
's website, Diamant is Faidutti's second collaboration with Alan R. Moon. Faidutti said that they both held Can't Stop by Sid Sackson
"in great esteem" and they wanted to design their own game where players would have to choose between keeping what they have or risk losing all they had acquired. Faidutti said he suggested a kind of "common pool Can't Stop" where all the players were in the same situation but could make different decisions. Faidutti described the theme as "somewhere between Indiana Jones
and Alan Quatermain
." Faidutti said the first prototype of the game used an Incan or Mayan
temple as the setting. The danger cards were initially frightening noises but those were changed by the publisher. Faidutti said an attempt to add action cards to the game was not successful in playtesting. Friedemann Friese
suggested that the card "that triggered the bust" be removed from the game and that only one voting token was necessary.
Jürgen Valentiner Brandt of Schmidt Spiele
was the first publisher to make a "firm proposal" to Faidutti and Moon and they signed a contract with Schmidt Spiele
in September 2004. The game was published for the Nürnberg fair in February 2005. Faidutti felt that the original title of the game, "The Temple of Doom", was much stronger but the publishers changed it to Diamant.
Alan R. Moon talked with various American publishers and the U.S. edition of the game was published in late 2006 by Sunriver Games. The publishers wanted to rename it "The Temple of Doom" but went with Incan Gold because of legal issues. Faidutti noted that Incan Gold had some changes from Diamant. The rules stayed the same, but Incan Gold does not have cardboard chests or wooden pawns, and artifact cards were added to the game.
Card game
A card game is any game using playing cards as the primary device with which the game is played, be they traditional or game-specific. Countless card games exist, including families of related games...
designed by Alan R. Moon
Alan R. Moon
Alan R. Moon is an author of board games, born in Southampton, England, and currently living in the United States. Despite his nationality, he is generally considered to be one of the foremost designers of German-style board games. Many of his games can be seen as board game variations on the...
and Bruno Faidutti
Bruno Faidutti
Bruno Faidutti is an historian and sociologist, living in France, who is best known as an author of board games. His best known games include Knightmare Chess , Mystery of the Abbey and Citadels . He is also involved in the boardgaming community with his "Ideal Games Library" website and...
, published in 2005
2005 in games
This page lists board and card games, wargames, miniatures games, and table-top role-playing games published in 2005. For video and console games, see 2005 in video gaming.-Game awards given in 2005:...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
by Schmidt Spiele
Schmidt Spiele
Schmidt Spiele is a German games publisher for a wide variety of games, most notably board games .Founder Josef Friedrich Schmidt developed Mensch ärgere dich nicht in 1907/1908, based on antique forerunners. Five years later his new publishing firm began the game's serial production...
, with illustrations provided by Jörg Asselborn, Christof Tisch, and Claus Stephan.
An English-language edition of Diamant was published in 2006
2006 in games
This page lists board and card games, wargames, miniatures games, and table-top role-playing games published in 2006. For video and console games, see 2006 in video gaming....
by Sunriver Games under the name Incan Gold, with illustrations provided by Matthias Catrein. The rules for Incan Gold and Diamant are the same, but the games have other minor differences.
Gameplay
Players take on the role of adventurers looking for treasure in a diamond mine. Players search for diamonds while trying to avoid various hazards such as spiders and snakes. Fearful players can run out of the cave, while daring players can choose to venture on, push their luck, and risk losing the treasure they have found. After five rounds, the player with the most treasure is the winner.Differences between Incan Gold and Diamant
In Diamant players are exploring a cave or diamond mine; in Incan Gold, players are exploring a temple. Incan Gold comes with artifact cards, but Diamant does not. In Diamant, players have treasure chests; in Incan Gold players have tents at their camp. In Diamant, players are searching for diamonds, but in Incan Gold, players are searching for jewels and other gems.History of Diamant
According to Bruno FaiduttiBruno Faidutti
Bruno Faidutti is an historian and sociologist, living in France, who is best known as an author of board games. His best known games include Knightmare Chess , Mystery of the Abbey and Citadels . He is also involved in the boardgaming community with his "Ideal Games Library" website and...
's website, Diamant is Faidutti's second collaboration with Alan R. Moon. Faidutti said that they both held Can't Stop by Sid Sackson
Sid Sackson
Sid Sackson was a significant American board game designer and collector.His most popular creation is probably the business game Acquire...
"in great esteem" and they wanted to design their own game where players would have to choose between keeping what they have or risk losing all they had acquired. Faidutti said he suggested a kind of "common pool Can't Stop" where all the players were in the same situation but could make different decisions. Faidutti described the theme as "somewhere between Indiana Jones
Indiana Jones
Colonel Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr., Ph.D. is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Indiana Jones franchise. George Lucas and Steven Spielberg created the character in homage to the action heroes of 1930s film serials...
and Alan Quatermain
Allan Quatermain
Allan Quatermain is the protagonist of H. Rider Haggard's 1885 novel King Solomon's Mines and its various prequels and sequels. Allan Quatermain was also the title of a book in this sequence.- History :...
." Faidutti said the first prototype of the game used an Incan or Mayan
Maya civilization
The Maya is a Mesoamerican civilization, noted for the only known fully developed written language of the pre-Columbian Americas, as well as for its art, architecture, and mathematical and astronomical systems. Initially established during the Pre-Classic period The Maya is a Mesoamerican...
temple as the setting. The danger cards were initially frightening noises but those were changed by the publisher. Faidutti said an attempt to add action cards to the game was not successful in playtesting. Friedemann Friese
Friedemann Friese
Friedemann Friese is a German board game designer, currently residing and working in Bremen. His trademarks are his green-colored hair and games whose titles begin with the letter "F". The majority of his games, self-published by his company 2F-Spiele, also sport a green color scheme...
suggested that the card "that triggered the bust" be removed from the game and that only one voting token was necessary.
Jürgen Valentiner Brandt of Schmidt Spiele
Schmidt Spiele
Schmidt Spiele is a German games publisher for a wide variety of games, most notably board games .Founder Josef Friedrich Schmidt developed Mensch ärgere dich nicht in 1907/1908, based on antique forerunners. Five years later his new publishing firm began the game's serial production...
was the first publisher to make a "firm proposal" to Faidutti and Moon and they signed a contract with Schmidt Spiele
Schmidt Spiele
Schmidt Spiele is a German games publisher for a wide variety of games, most notably board games .Founder Josef Friedrich Schmidt developed Mensch ärgere dich nicht in 1907/1908, based on antique forerunners. Five years later his new publishing firm began the game's serial production...
in September 2004. The game was published for the Nürnberg fair in February 2005. Faidutti felt that the original title of the game, "The Temple of Doom", was much stronger but the publishers changed it to Diamant.
Alan R. Moon talked with various American publishers and the U.S. edition of the game was published in late 2006 by Sunriver Games. The publishers wanted to rename it "The Temple of Doom" but went with Incan Gold because of legal issues. Faidutti noted that Incan Gold had some changes from Diamant. The rules stayed the same, but Incan Gold does not have cardboard chests or wooden pawns, and artifact cards were added to the game.
Awards
- Spiel Des JahresSpiel des JahresThe Spiel des Jahres is an award for board and card games, created in 1978 with the stated purpose of rewarding excellence in game design, and promoting top-quality games in the German market. It is thought that the existence and popularity of the award is one of the major drivers of the quality...
2005, Recommended - International Gamers Awards 2005, Best Strategy Game Nominee
- Japan Boardgame Prize 2005 - Best Foreign Game for Beginners
- 2006 BoardGameGeek Golden Geek award for Best Light/Party Game
- GAMES Magazine 2008 Best Family Game Nominee (Incan Gold)
Reviews
- Diamant review by Gerald Cameron
- Diamant review by James Cheevers
- Diamant review by Gary James
- Diamant review by William Shubert
- Diamant review by Jeffrey Wauer
- Diamant review by Larry Welborn
- Incan Gold review by Phil Harding
- Incan Gold review by Tom Vasel
External links
- Diamant at SchmidtSpiele.de (German)
- Incan Gold at sunrivergames.com
- Diamant at Luding.org
- Incan Gold at Luding.org
- Rules for Incan Gold at Faidutti.com
- Rules for Incan Gold (PDF) at sunrivergames.com