Passport Game Studio has announced several new games for release in January and February, including Byzantio, El Gaucho, Yunnan, Gear and Piston, and [Redacted].

El Gaucho is a worker placement and set collection game designed by Arve D. Fuhler (Pagoda).  Players are cattle barons sending their gauchos to the Pampa to collect as many of the best-looking cattle as they can find.  There is a dice rodeo where gauchos train to catch cattle.  Players can trick each other to snatch the most valuable cattle from the field.  Returning to the ranch, the cattle must be assembled into herds to be sold for as many pesos as possible.

The game is for 2-4 players, ages 10 and up, and plays in 60 minutes. MSRP is $50.00. Release is planned for February 13th.

Byzantio is a tactical strategy game set in the 11th Century, where players take the roles of heads of Byzantine families attempting to place their own successor on the throne with the recent death of the emperor.  Over several rounds, players place garrisons, remove other players’ garrisons, and advance through the provinces.  Each player has hidden objectives, and must control key cities to win the game.

The game is for 2-4 players, ages 10 and up, and plays in 30-60 minutes. MSRP is $55.00. Specific release date was not announced.

Yunnan is a worker placement/ network building game where players vie for control of tea dynasties and bring the coveted Pu’er tea to far away provinces via the Tea-Horse Road.  Players must also build tea houses, cultivate social influence, find better horses and find shortcuts to win the game.

The game is for 3-5 players, ages 12 and up, and plays in 90 minutes. MSRP is $50.00. Release is planned for February 13th.

Gear and Piston is a card drafting and set collection game set in 1888, where players are building automobile prototypes to enter in a design competition.  Players need to balance building speed and reliability, while debating whether to use junk parts on hand or spend time developing new patent-worthy parts.  Players can take shortcuts by stealing parts or using unions to muscle others out of the way.  It will be up to the two investors to decide which design will win.

The game is for 2-6 players, ages 8 and up, and plays in 30-60 minutes.  MSRP is $55.00. Release date was not announced.

[Redacted] is an espionage game set during the Cold War.  The goal is to move through the embassy during the ambassador’s annual reception, recovering files and escaping in a helicopter.  If that fails, make sure the other side suffers.  Agents will have to interrogate, steal or injure others to get through the game alive.

The game is for 2-6 players, ages 12 and up, and plays in 45-90 minutes. MSRP is $55.00. Release is set for January 23rd.

Passport recently announced a deal with Argentum Verlag to bring their games to the U.S., as well as Versailles and Progress: Evolution of Technology (see "'Versailles,' 'Progress,' and 'Hansa Teutonica'").