Z-Man Games visits colonial Europe in its upcoming game Heads of State, releasing in November. In the game, players take control of one of the European powers at the start of the 16th century and compete for economic and political domination over three centuries. Players will have to expect and deal with the Church, assassination attempts, Machiavellian politics, and even the Spanish Inquisition as they strive for the ultimate goal of being crowned king.

Heads of State is designed by Peter Hawes, whom Board Game Geek lists as the creator of Colonial Diplomacy, published by Avalon Hill in 1994 as an alternate version of Diplomacy. Heads of State looks to be a faster, more German-style game than the classic Diplomacy or its spin-offs; it's meant for two to five players and playable in under two hours. MSRP is $70.

Z-Man has also scheduled two reprints of its highly popular Agricola board game (see “Gen Con Solid”) for October and November.