''Java'' is a

German-style board game A Eurogame, also called a German-style board game, German game, or Euro-style game, (generally just referred to as board games in Europe) is a class of tabletop games that generally has indirect player interaction and abstract physical componen ...

Michael Kiesling Michael Kiesling (born 1957) 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 the 2018 Spiel des Jahres winner Azul and for co-authoring the b ...

, illustrated by

Franz Vohwinkel Franz Vohwinkel (born 1964 in Munich, West Germany) is a German artist and illustrator whose work has appeared in role-playing games. Works Vohwinkel drew the cover art for the book ''Dataware'' (1998) for TSR's ''Alternity'' game, and illustra ...

, and published in 2000 by Ravensburger in

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

and by

Rio Grande Games Rio Grande Games is a board game publisher based in Placitas, New Mexico. The company primarily imports and localizes foreign language German-style board games. History In 1995, Jay Tummelson began working for Mayfair Games. At that time, May ...

in English. In the game, players build the island of Java to set up

palace A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...

festivals and gain victory points. Upon its release, the game received several awards.

Gameplay

The game provides the atmosphere of the island of Java on a hexagonal board. Players build the island and score by setting up

festivals at opportune moments. When players run out of hexagons to build the island, the game is over. A final scoring phase now takes place and a winner is declared.

Reception

Bernhard Fischer, reviewing from ''Spieletest'', praised the game’s strategy and tactics. However, he criticised its poor appeal for intermediate players and complex rules. ''Java'' also placed 9th place in the 2001 '' Deutscher Spiele Preis'' award and the ''Games Magazine'' Best Advanced Strategy Game in 2002. It is the second game in the Mask Trilogy, following '' Tikal'' and followed by ''

Mexica The Mexica (Nahuatl: , ;''Nahuatl Dictionary.'' (1990). Wired Humanities Project. University of Oregon. Retrieved August 29, 2012, frolink/ref> singular ) were a Nahuatl-speaking indigenous people of the Valley of Mexico who were the rulers of ...

''.

References

External links

* * Board games introduced in 2000 Board games using action points Economic simulation board games Wolfgang Kramer games Michael Kiesling games Ravensburger games Rio Grande Games games {{board-game-stub