Some game designers have an exceptional talent for creating diverse and unique games that can appeal to family-friendly players to advanced gamer audiences.
Hjalmar Hach and Lorenzo Silva are not an exception and have consistently co-developed and delivered well-known popular games, including The King’s Dilemma, The Queen’s Dilemma (yet to be released), Dragon Castle, Railroad Ink, The Great Split, and Sound Box.
So, get ready to check out our top five excellent games co-designed by Hjalmar Hach and Lorenzo Silva.
Top 5 Board Games Designed by Hjalmar Hach and Lorenzo Silva
5. Sound Box
Are you ready for chaos and madness in the game of the ultimate noise extravaganza? Think Sound Box! Can you guess concepts imitated by Soundmakers who are making multiple sounds simultaneously? Identify the right concepts to advance the game toward a cooperative victory. However, make mistakes, and you can cause the group to fail. Sound Box is a funny cooperative party game for four to seven players that challenges your deductive skills.
The game takes place around a board where you lay out several concept cards, a progress tracker, and a life points tracker. At each round, there will be a Guesser, a Recorder and Soundmakers, rotating clockwise. After studying the Soundtrack concept cards, you blindfold both the Guesser and the Recorder with “funky” blinding eyeglasses. Every Soundmaker draws a number token from a bag to discover the concept sound they must imitate. All Soundmakers make their sounds simultaneously during 13 seconds of noise and chaos while the Guesser and the Recorder listen and try to memorize what they hear. When the timer runs out, the Guesser removes the eyeglasses and tries to find as many sound concept cards as possible, one at a time. At the same time, the Recorder keeps blindfolded but can support the Guesser by repeating the noises they remember. If the Guesser makes a mistake, the round ends immediately. Each correct guess gives the group one point, but beware, the group loses life depending on “unguessed” numbered tokens. If you gain enough points to reach the end of the Soundtrack, all players win. If the group loses all life points, all players lose.
4-7 Players • Ages 8+ • 30-45 minutes • $23
4. The Great Split
Make your collection of the most prestigious riches like gems, gold, artwork, and tomes in The Great Split! The most prestigious gala of the year has attracted luxury collectors from around the world. It is a race to build the finest collection of the most valuable riches as collectors exchange irresistible offers. Do you have what it takes to create a collection worthy of competing against rivals?
During simultaneous drafting rounds, you trade cards with other players to build your prestigious collection of riches. The Great Split uses mechanics such as set collection, closed Drafting, and “I Cut, You Choose” to deliver a game of medium complexity but deep tactics. Different players can approach it with diverse strategies, as there are multiple ways of scoring points in the game. The mechanism that gives the game its name is the Split, which is equivalent to “I Cut, You Choose”.
2-7 Players • Ages 8+ • 45 minutes • $45
3. Dragon Castle
Historically, the Dragon Castle has been a center of power in the Realm, but it is now in decline. Here’s your chance to rise to power and build the next Dragon Castle, so take advantage of this opportunity. The traditional Chinese game of Mahjong influences Dragon Castle, but in Dragon Castle, you create sets of tiles of the same type and build shrines to score points. It is a lite abstract game with a deep strategy for those fans of the genre. It is a widely popular game that, in a short time, is already a “cult” classic.
Dragon Castle is a game influenced by Mahjong, but it is a competitive game where players build their tableau of tiles and compete for the highest number of points. On your turn, you will take tiles from the main castle and place them on your realm board over multiple levels. You will consolidate tiles and score points when you create a set with more than four tiles of the same type. When you consolidate a set of tiles, you gain points based on the number of tiles included. You can also build one or two shrines when you consolidate a set. You can only place tiles on top of already consolidated tiles. At the game’s end, score the shrines you built depending on their layer.
1-4 Players • Ages 8+ • 30-45 minutes • $46
2. Railroad Ink Challenge
Railroad Ink Challenge is a simple and fast roll & write game with a lot of tactical depth. With challenge cards, territories, and updated dice, it offers a welcome upgrade to Railroad Ink. It is, without a doubt, a step up to its predecessor. Connect the exits on your board by creating routes. Connect railways, highways, and stations to secure points by carefully planning your network. Be careful, though! Plan ahead, or any open connections will be penalized.
1-4 Players • Ages 8+ • 15-30 minutes • $19
1. The King’s Dilemma
The King’s Dilemma takes place in medieval times, and each player represents one of the ruling houses of the Kingdom of Ankist and serves on the king’s council. As complicated matters arise (the “Dilemmas”), tough decisions must be made, and the Kingdom must consult with their advisors. As a representative of a powerful family, you have a personal agenda that may or may not benefit the Kingdom. To keep the Kingdom running, you must maintain a balance between benefiting your own house and running the Kingdom efficiently. Your decisions will ultimately determine the fate of the Kingdom.
An immersive narrative legacy experience offers branching storylines and different endings. This game has simple but challenging gameplay. To navigate the political landscape effectively, players must use their influence carefully.
3-5 Players • Ages 14+ • 45-60 minutes • $45
