Gameplay in Brief:
In Traumfabrik, also published as Hollywood Blockbuster, players are running movie studios trying to hire the best directors, actors, special effects teams, musicians and more to complete films. To hire people, you must win an auction against your opponents, who often want the same employees that you do. Completed films always earn at least some points, no matter how bad they are. At the end of the game, players earn awards (bonus points) for the best completed films.
Basics:
For 2 to 5 players (best with 5 players), ages 10 and up. About 45 to 60 minutes per game.
Designer:
Traumfabrik / Hollywood Blockbuster was designed by Reiner Knizia.
Publisher:
The edition known as Traumfabrik was published by Hasbro in Germany. The Hollywood Blockbuster edition was published by Uberplay and Filosofia Editions.
Genre:
Traumfabrik / Hollywood Blockbuster is an auction game with a movie theme.
Also by Reiner Knizia:
Knizia, one of the most prolific game designers ever, also designed the auction games Ra and Modern Art, along with many other board games and card games such as The Lord of the Rings, Lost Cities, and Tigris and Euphrates.
Awards:
Traumfabrik / Hollywood Blockbuster is on my list of the Top 10 Must-Have Games and my list of the best auction games.
Differences Between Editions:
Traumfabrik, the first edition of this game (only published in Germany and now very hard to find), features classic movies and actors such as King Kong, Gone with the Wind, James Stewart and Marilyn Monroe. A second edition, Fabrik der Traume, is likewise harde to find. Hollywood Blockbuster, published in the U.S. and much easier to find, uses caricatures in place of actual actors (e.g. Flint Westwood, Keanu Breeze) and films (e.g. Woodchuck Day, Dances with Buffalo).
