Splotter Spellen, the small Dutch studio behind some of the heaviest and most celebrated strategy games in the hobby, has revealed its next title: Bailiff of Boskoop. The announcement came during a Heavy Cardboard livestream on April 6, marking the first new Splotter design since Horseless Carriage in 2022.
Details are still emerging, but what Splotter shared paints a picture that will excite fans of deep, interactive euro games. Bailiff of Boskoop is set in the 16th century and puts players in a judicial and administrative role. The game features a fixed map with variable setup, regional production and industry systems, variable player turn order, and heavy direct interaction through accusations, takeovers, and resource competition. It plays 2 to 5 players in roughly 2.5 to 4 hours. Splotter compared its weight to Food Chain Magnate, their iconic restaurant-empire game that carries an average user rating above 8 on BGG and remains one of the highest-rated strategy games ever published.
For anyone unfamiliar with Splotter, this is a publisher that releases a new game only once every few years, and each one tends to become a cult classic. Their catalogue includes Food Chain Magnate, The Great Zimbabwe, Antiquity, and Indonesia -- games known for ruthless player interaction, zero luck, and interconnected economic systems. A new Splotter is an event in the heavy gaming community.
A prototype may appear at a convention later this year, with a full release expected at the end of 2026 or early 2027. Pre-orders will open once graphic design work is finished, and further previews are expected on Heavy Cardboard.
Sources: Heavy Cardboard | unknowns.de Forum Discussion | Splotter Spellen
