Rheinlander (Essen Pre-order)

The Rhine flows across the table. Along its banks, coveted lands, castles, cathedrals, and cities. Each player is a duke — and each duke wants control of the most valuable regions, while rivals do exactly the same.
 
Rheinlander is a eurogame by Reiner Knizia designed in 1999 and now re-released by 25th Century Games with stunning artwork by Ian O'Toole. The mechanics are essential: play a card, place a knight, draw. But the decisions that arise from that simple action are anything but trivial.
 
Duchies form when your knights touch. They expand, contend, conquer. Whoever controls the largest region becomes the duke — and the duke is worth much more than a simple knight in the final score.