Queen Games is a German

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...

 publisher

Publishing

Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of literature or information—the activity of making information available to the general public...

 of tabletop game

Tabletop game

Tabletop game is a general term used to refer to board games, card games, dice games, miniatures wargames, tile-based games and other games that are normally played on a table or other flat surface...

s, based in Troisdorf

Troisdorf

Troisdorf is a town in the Rhein-Sieg-Kreis , in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.-Geography:Troisdorf is located approx. 22 kilometers south of Cologne and 13 kilometers north east of Bonn.-Division of the town:...

 and founded in 1992 by head Rajive Gupta, which specialises primarily in German-style

German-style board game

German-style board games, frequently referred to in gaming circles as Euro Games or Euro-style, are a broad class of tabletop games that generally have simple rules, short to medium playing times, indirect player interaction and abstract physical components...

, family-level games but has also published smaller numbers of both simpler, children's games and more complex, gamers' games.

They have shown a propensity for re-releasing previously self-published games in professionally illustrated editions, having drawn multiple times from the catalogues of db-Spiele and, more recently, Winsome Games, and re-releasing those already published by themselves with a different theme and varying degrees of revision of the rules. One of their more popular releases is Alhambra

Alhambra (board game)

Alhambra The Palace of the Alhambra") is a 2003 tile-based German-style board game designed by Dirk Henn. It was originally published in Germany by Queen Games in a language-interdependent version; an English-specific version was released in North America by the now-defunct Überplay...

, itself developed from a game originally self-published in 1992, which won the Spiel des Jahres

Spiel des Jahres

The 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...

 and placed second in the Deutscher Spiele Preis

Deutscher Spiele Preis

The Deutscher Spiele Preis is an important award for boardgames. It was started in 1990 by the German magazine "Die Pöppel-Revue", which collects votes from the industry's stores, magazines, professionals and game clubs. The results are announced every October at the Spiel game fair in Essen,...

 in 2003. Alhambra has since spawned many expansions and a number of standalone spin-offs and could be considered the "franchise" of the company. They are also known to some extent for publishing many games designed by Dirk Henn

Dirk Henn

Dirk Henn is a German-style board game designer who was born in Bendorf, GermanyDirk Henn is best known for his game Alhambra, which won the Spiel des Jahres and placed 2nd in the Deutscher Spiele Preis in 2003....

 (and not only, though primarily, those previously self-published by him), with illustration by Jo Hartwig or Michael Menzel and/or with an Arabian theme, whether set within the Arabian Peninsula

Arabian Peninsula

The Arabian Peninsula is a land mass situated north-east of Africa. Also known as Arabia or the Arabian subcontinent, it is the world's largest peninsula and covers 3,237,500 km2...

 itself or an Islamic culture such as Al-Andalus

Al-Andalus

Al-Andalus was the Arabic name given to a nation and territorial region also commonly referred to as Moorish Iberia. The name describes parts of the Iberian Peninsula and Septimania governed by Muslims , at various times in the period between 711 and 1492, although the territorial boundaries...

. Other games published by Queen Games include Industria: 600 Years of Progress, San Francisco Cable Car and Wallenstein

Wallenstein (board game)

Wallenstein is a medium-weight German-style board game designed by Dirk Henn and published by Queen Games in 2002. Though set during the Thirty Years' War, Wallenstein should not be confused with a complex wargame. Rather, it has the feel of a light strategy game with the familiar Euro elements...

.

In 2000, Queen Games switched from publishing their games in traditionally horizontal, shallow, rectangularly faced boxes in various shapes and sizes to using distinctively "fatter" boxes designed for being stacked vertically in only four standardised box sizes and their publications from about 2005 to 2010 have typically been produced in a both a domestic version with only German

German language

German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....

 rules and an export version (recognisable by the flags indicating the included languages on the front of the box) with rules in English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

, French

French language

French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

, Spanish

Spanish language

Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...

, Italian

Italian language

Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...

, Dutch

Dutch language

Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...

 and German and the title on the box changed to be more language-independent (such as Alhambra instead of Der Palast von Alhambra). If the game components contain text this is replaced in the export version with either language-independent symbols (as has been the case with Alhambra and Roma) or a translation into English (as is the case with more recent releases such as Granada and Arena: Roma II). Some of their games have, however, also been re-published by publishers based in other countries in fully translated versions (these include, in the case of English-language versions, Überplay

Überplay

Überplay Entertainment was a board game publishing company located in St. George, Utah. As of April 2008, it had ceased operations. The company held three separate brands: Überplay provided family-oriented "Euro-style" board games; Inspiration Games developed games aimed at religious markets;...

 and Esdevium Games; Queen's own export versions are, as of February 2010, distributed in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 by Rio Grande Games

Rio Grande Games

Rio Grande Games is a board game publisher based in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. The company primarily imports and localizes foreign language German-style board games.-History:...

 and in the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 by Esdevium Games). Both practices appear to be being gradually phased out as of February 2010, with most new games being packaged in shallower, square-fronted boxes and produced in one German-titled, multilingual edition; only those that are language-dependant have separate domestic and export editions.

Notable publications

Listed below are games published at some point by Queen Games that gave been recommended by international awards or considered notable enough to be re-released by Queen or other publishers.

Export name	German name	Translated name	Release	Designer	Notes
–	Expedition	–	1996	Ursula and Wolfgang Kramer Wolfgang Kramer Wolfgang Kramer is a German board game designer.Kramer formerly worked as an operations manager and computer scientist, but since 1989 he has worked full-time on game design. He has designed over 100 games, many which have been nominated for or have won the Spiel des Jahres...	Previously published as Wildlife Adventure (Abenteuer Tierwelt) in 1985 by Ravensburger Ravensburger Ravensburger Spieleverlag GmbH is a German game company. It is a leader in the European puzzle market.-History:The company was founded by Otto Robert Maier with seat in Ravensburg, a town in Upper Swabia in southern Germany. He began publishing in 1883 with his first author contract... ; recommended for the 1997 Spiel des Jahres Spiel des Jahres The 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... , 8th place in the 1997 Deutscher Spiele Preis Deutscher Spiele Preis The Deutscher Spiele Preis is an important award for boardgames. It was started in 1990 by the German magazine "Die Pöppel-Revue", which collects votes from the industry's stores, magazines, professionals and game clubs. The results are announced every October at the Spiel game fair in Essen,... , winner of the 1996 Meeples' Choice Award Meeples' Choice Award The Meeples' Choice Award is an award given for board games and card games. It is given by Spielfrieks, an internet discussion group about board and card games.- Past winners :...
–	Res publica	Res publica Res publica Res publica is a Latin phrase, loosely meaning "public affair". It is the root of the word republic, and the word commonwealth has traditionally been used as a synonym for it; however translations vary widely according to the context...	1998	Reiner Knizia Reiner Knizia Reiner Knizia is a prolific German-style board game designer. Born in Germany, he developed his first game at the age of eight. He has a PhD in mathematics, and has been a full-time game designer since 1997, when he quit his job from the board of a large international bank...	Previously published in 1991 by Hexagames; published in English in 1999 by Avalanche Press Avalanche Press Avalanche Press is an American company that publishes board wargames and has published some role-playing game supplements. An extremely prolific company, they have produced many respected contributions to the wargame community, most notably The Great War at Sea and Panzer Grenadier series, as well...  and in 2011/2012 by Queen Games
–	Schnäppchen Jagd	Bargain Hunt	1998	Uwe Rosenberg Uwe Rosenberg Uwe Rosenberg is a German game designer. He has become known mainly for his card game Bohnanza, which is successful both in Germany and internationally...	Published in English as Bargain Hunter in November 2010 by Valley Games
–	Die Händler	The Traders Merchant A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...	1999	Wolfgang Kramer and Richard Ulrich Richard Ulrich Richard Ulrich is a German board game designer. Many of his games have been nominated for or have won the Spiel des Jahres, a German games award.He is best known for co-authoring the board game El Grande with Wolfgang Kramer.-External links:...	Recommended for the 1999 Spiel des Jahres, 5th place in the 1999 Deutscher Spiele Preis; published in English as Merchants of the Middle Ages in 2010 by Z-Man Games Z-Man Games thumbZ-Man Games is a company incorporated in 1999 in the USA to produce games. The headquarters is in Mahopac, New York, near New York City. It is named after its proprietor, Zev Shlasinger...
–	Don	–	2001	Michael Schacht Michael Schacht Michael Schacht is a German game designer, graphician and owner of the small publishing company Spiele aus Timbuktu.- Life and work :...	Republished as Serengeti in 2006 by Asmodée Éditions Asmodée Éditions Asmodée Éditions is a French publisher of board games, card games and role-playing games . The company was founded in 1995 by former employees of the RPG publisher Siroz Productions. The company publishes its own games, as well as French language editions of other publishers' games...  and in English as Serengeti in 2007 by ABACUSSPIELE
Industria: 600 Years of Progress	Industria – 600 Jahre Entwicklung	–	2003	Michael Schacht	A different box was produced for each individual language but components remained in German; finalist for the 2004 International Gamers Award International Gamers Award The International Gamers Awards is an award for strategy board games and historical simulation games.- Past winners :2009 - 2008 - 2007 - 2006 - 2005 - 2004 - 2003 - 2002 - 2001 - 2000- 2010 :- 2009 :- 2008 :- 2007 :- 2006 :- 2005 :- 2004 :...  in the general strategy games, multiplayer category; republished as Industry in 2010 by Ystari Games
Alhambra Alhambra (board game) Alhambra The Palace of the Alhambra") is a 2003 tile-based German-style board game designed by Dirk Henn. It was originally published in Germany by Queen Games in a language-interdependent version; an English-specific version was released in North America by the now-defunct Überplay...	Der Palast von Alhambra	The Palace of Alhambra Alhambra The Alhambra , the complete form of which was Calat Alhambra , is a palace and fortress complex located in the Granada, Andalusia, Spain...	2003-03	Dirk Henn Dirk Henn Dirk Henn is a German-style board game designer who was born in Bendorf, GermanyDirk Henn is best known for his game Alhambra, which won the Spiel des Jahres and placed 2nd in the Deutscher Spiele Preis in 2003....	Previously implemented as Al Capone in 1992 by db-Spiele and as Stimmt so! in 1998 by Queen Games; winner of the 2003 Spiel des Jahres, winner of the 2003 Essen Feather Essen Feather The Essen Feather is an award for German-style board games, given at the Deutscher Spiele Preis ceremony at the Spiel game fair in Essen, Germany... , 2nd place in the 2003 Deutscher Spiele Preis, winner of the 2003 As d'Or As d'Or The As d'Or is a games award given out by a jury at the Games Festival in Cannes, France.From 1989 to 2003, a jury of journalists allotted Golden Aces by category to games presented by their editors. A special prize, the Super As d'Or, was allotted to the best game from any category.In 2004, the... , winner of the 2005 game of the year award in Finland Finland Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside... , Sweden Sweden Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....  and Norway Norway Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million... ; published in English in 2004 by Überplay Überplay Überplay Entertainment was a board game publishing company located in St. George, Utah. As of April 2008, it had ceased operations. The company held three separate brands: Überplay provided family-oriented "Euro-style" board games; Inspiration Games developed games aimed at religious markets;...  and in 2009 by Esdevium Games, republished as Alhambra: Anniversary Edition (Der Palast von Alhambra – Jubiläumsedition) in 2008 and as New York in 2010, reimplemented as Granada in 2009
The Gardens of the Alhambra Carat (board game) Carat is an abstract tile laying German style board game designed by Dirk Henn and published in 1993 by Queen Games and db Spiele. In 2004, after the success of Alhambra, Queen Games released an updated version of the game with an Arabian theme called Die Gärten der Alhambra.- Gameplay :The game...	Die Gärten der Alhambra	–	2004-10	Dirk Henn	Previously published as Carat in 1993 by db-Spiele and as Carat in 1998 by Queen Games; recommended for the 2005 Spiel des Jahres
Architekton	Architekton		2005-04	Michael Schacht	Previously published as Contra in 2001 by Spiele aus Timbuktu
Tombouctou	Timbuktu	Timbuktu Timbuktu Timbuktu , formerly also spelled Timbuctoo, is a town in the West African nation of Mali situated north of the River Niger on the southern edge of the Sahara Desert. The town is the capital of the Timbuktu Region, one of the eight administrative regions of Mali...	2005-10	Dirk Henn	Previously published as Timbuktu in 1993 by db-Spiele; recommended for the 2006 Spiel des Jahres
Shogun	Shogun	–	2006-10	Dirk Henn	Previously implemented as Wallenstein Wallenstein (board game) Wallenstein is a medium-weight German-style board game designed by Dirk Henn and published by Queen Games in 2002. Though set during the Thirty Years' War, Wallenstein should not be confused with a complex wargame. Rather, it has the feel of a light strategy game with the familiar Euro elements... in 2002 by Queen Games; finalist for the 2003 International Gamers Award in the general strategy games, multiplayer category
Thebes	Jenseits von Theben	Beyond Thebes Thebes, Egypt Thebes is the Greek name for a city in Ancient Egypt located about 800 km south of the Mediterranean, on the east bank of the river Nile within the modern city of Luxor. The Theban Necropolis is situated nearby on the west bank of the Nile.-History:...	2007-03	Peter Prinz	Previously published as Jenseits von Theben in 2004 by Prinz Spiele; nominated for the 2007 Spiel des Jahres
Eketorp	Eketorp – Die Wikingerburg	Eketorp Eketorp Eketorp is an Iron Age fort in southeastern Öland, Sweden, which was extensively reconstructed and enlarged in the Middle Ages. Throughout the ages the fortification has served a variety of somewhat differing uses: from defensive ringfort, to medieval safe haven and thence a cavalry garrison... : The Viking Viking The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...  Stronghold	2007-10	Dirk Henn	Previously published as Eketorp in 2003 by db-Spiele
The Thief of Baghdad	Der Dieb von Bagdad	–	2006-10	Thorsten Gimmler	Nominated for the 2007 Spiel des Jahres
Chicago Express	Chicago Express	–	2008-10	Harry Wu	Previously published as Wabash Cannonball in 2007 by Winsome Games
Sultan	Sultan	–	2009-09	André Zatz and Sérgio Halaban	Previously published as Riquezas do Sultão in 2007 by Estrela Estrela (company) Estrela is a toy manufacturer in Brazil. The company was founded in São Paulo in 1937, when it started producing dolls and wooden toy cars. In 1944 it became a publicly traded corporation...
Granada	Granada	–	2009-10	Dirk Henn	Previously implemented as Alhambra
Arena: Roma II	Arena – Revolte in Rom II	Arena Arena An arena is an enclosed area, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theater, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators. The key feature of an arena is that the event space is the... : Revolt Revolution A revolution is a fundamental change in power or organizational structures that takes place in a relatively short period of time.Aristotle described two types of political revolution:...  in Rome Rome Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...  II	2009-10	Stefan Feld	Sequel to Roma (Revolte in Rom), published in 2005 by Queen Games, sharing the same system but having different cards; both have the components to be played as a standalone games but may be combined with one another
San Francisco Cable Car	San Francisco Cable Car	–	2009-10	Dirk Henn	Previously published as Iron Horse in 1997 by db-Spiele and as Metro in 2000 by Queen Games; recommended for the 2000 Spiel des Jahres, winner of the 2001 Mensa Select award, finalist for the 2001 International Gamers Award in the general strategy games, multiplayer category
Fresco Fresco (board game) Fresco is a 2010 designer board game by Marco Ruskowski and Marcel Süßelbeck. It was nominated for the 2010 Spiel des Jahres award and won the 2010 Deutscher Spiele Preis....	Fresko	–	2010-03	Marco Ruskowski and Marcel Süßelbeck	Winner of the 2010 Deutscher Spiele Preis, nominated for the 2010 Spiel des Jahres
Samarkand: Routes to Riches	Samarkand – Karawane zum Reichtum	Samarkand Samarkand Although a Persian-speaking region, it was not united politically with Iran most of the times between the disintegration of the Seleucid Empire and the Arab conquest . In the 6th century it was within the domain of the Turkic kingdom of the Göktürks.At the start of the 8th century Samarkand came... : Caravan Camel train A camel train is a series of camels carrying goods or passengers in a group as part of a regular or semi-regular service between two points. Although they rarely travelled faster than the walking speed of a man, camels' ability to handle harsh conditions made camel trains a vital part of...  to Riches	2010-03	David V. H. Peters and Harry Wu	Previously implemented as Age of Scheme: Routes to Riches in 2008 by Winsome Games; recommended for the 2010 Spiel des Jahres
Showmanager	–	–	2010-09	Dirk Henn	Previously published as Premiere in 1992 by db-Spiele, as Showmanager in 1997 by Queen Games and as Atlantic Star in 2002 by Queen Games; recommended for the 1997 Spiel des Jahres, recommended for the 2002 Spiel des Jahres, 3rd place in the 1997 Deutscher Spiele Preis, winner of the 1997 Meeples' Choice Award
Paris Connection	–	–	2011-01	David V. H. Peters	Previously published as SNCF SNCF The SNCF , is France's national state-owned railway company. SNCF operates the country's national rail services, including the TGV, France's high-speed rail network... in 2010 by Winsome Games
German Railways	–	–	2011/2012	Harry Wu	Previously implemented as Preußische Ostbahn in 2008 by Winsome Games
Dschunke	–	Junk Junk (ship) A junk is an ancient Chinese sailing vessel design still in use today. Junks were developed during the Han Dynasty and were used as sea-going vessels as early as the 2nd century AD. They evolved in the later dynasties, and were used throughout Asia for extensive ocean voyages...	2011/2012	Michael Schacht	Previously published in 2002 by Queen Games; recommended for the 2002 Spiel des Jahres, 3rd place in the 2002 Deutscher Spiele Preis, finalist for the 2003 International Gamers Award in the general strategy games, multiplayer category