Reiner Knizia's long-out-of-print 1999 area-control game Rheinlander is heading back to English-speaking tables, with a fresh edition due in September 2026 from US publisher 25th Century Games and crowdfunding lead Chad Elkins. New artwork comes from Ian O'Toole, the same illustrator handling the upcoming Tigris and Euphrates reissue.
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Set up your group for freeRheinlander casts three to five players as dukes carving up the banks of the Rhine, dropping castles, cathedrals and cities along a winding 54-segment river. Each turn you play cards to claim plots, and clever placement lets you absorb a neighbour's duchy outright. It plays in around 45 minutes and sits at 6.7 on BoardGameGeek, a respectable score for a Knizia design that has spent most of the last two decades hiding in collectors' cupboards.
The reprint is bundled with a new Ra: The Dice Game edition on the same Kickstarter, both wrapped in O'Toole's signature ornate style. For UK gamers this is the easiest way to own a copy in years. Original Parker Brothers boxes have been trading for fifty quid plus on the second-hand market, and the 2005 Face to Face reprint is even harder to track down.
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See how it worksKnizia is having a ridiculous run of reissues right now. Tigris and Euphrates is also on the way, Rebirth from Mighty Boards just hit UK shops, and his garden tile-layer Gazebo recently made his own personal top ten of all time. If you've got a group that loves a tight 45-minute area majority game, Rheinlander is worth keeping an eye on. Want a regular night to bring it to once it lands? Find a board game group near you on Backseat Gamer.
Sources: Wargamer | Kickstarter | BoardGameGeek
