11 ms·

“Spiel des Jahres” Game of the Year 2017 winners

139 points by bdbm 9y ago

esquevin 9y ago
I found TIME Stories to be an expensive box of disappointment. You can play it only once since there is only one scenario in the box and you need to buy others after that. You'll be done with it in a couple hours
- splawn 9y ago
  We are in the realm of opinion, so I want to offer a contrasting one. We had a great time with it, and yes, it was a one-off thing. The scenarios are about $15 a pop which compared to taking the same group of friends to a movie is a bargain. (and MUCH more engaging, imo) It is like a multi-player point and click adventure with light roleplaying elements. I don't know if it should have won the SDJ, but then again, it didn't. :) EDIT: added more specific description of what I liked about it, in an attempt to up the quality of my comment.
  - jobvandervoort 9y ago
    Same here, we loved it. Played it together with my partner. We immediately ordered a second scenario after completing the first. The price was worth it for us.
  - watwut 9y ago
    I don't think movies are good benchmark. You go to movies relatively rarely and basically because someone I group really want to see the movie or to be able to talk around watercooler if movie is really popular. Most people dont go for movies outside those constraints if ever. Movie is rather expensive choice people normally don't do.
- wccrawford 9y ago
  Yeah, the description makes it sound like you'll have plenty of playthroughs and they'll each be different. I bought a card-based "escape room" game that was the same way. The description makes it sound a little like you'll get multiple plays from it, but in reality it's just a set path. The "cards" aspect was just them cheaping out, instead of making something re-usable. I plan to let some family play it (and the other escape game we bought) but I still think $15 is too much for a single 1-2 hour play session.
awjr 9y ago
One of the more interesting games that, in the UK, had pretty much gone no where, was "Settlers of Catan". Then, around 1998 IIRC, it got a 10/10 in a gaming magazine and I think this, very much, spawned the revival of German board games on the UK games scene. Before then it really was mainly war games (warhammer et al), RPGs, and card games (Magic TG from about 1993 onwards). There are some absolutely fantastic games out there, but just don't buy from the top X games. Know the size of your play group and buy to suit them. For example Agricola is a great game, but works best with 3-4 players. My group has 5 players so it's "ok" https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/31260/agricola https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/31260/agricola Recent games that have surprised us. If you like poker, Sheriff of Nottingham and 5 players is exceptionally good fun in a group prepared to be able to put on silly voices and get into character. https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/157969/sheriff-nottingham https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/157969/sheriff-nottingha... Also Camel Up is great for parties (up to 10 people with the expansion) and kids love it as well but is a lot of fun in groups of 5 https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/153938/camel https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/153938/camel Group dynamic is important in buying the 'right' game but you cannot go wrong with Settlers of Catan if you can get 4 players. https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/13/catan https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/13/catan If you have a local game shop, or even better, a local games cafe, you can usually get a chance to try out a game. Just remember to buy from them. They are your gateway to a whole new dynamic computer games has pretty much tried to destroy. Board games are so so so good these days, just avoid Monopoly. ;)
- cableshaft 9y ago
  Sheriff of Nottingham is getting an expansion later this year which will make the game playable with six players. I've been waiting for so long for that because it would easily get to the table more often at 6 players for me, and in front of more casual players.
- wolfgke 9y ago
  > Board games are so so so good these days, just avoid Monopoly. ;) According to https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Monopoly_(game)&oldid=789999945 https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Monopoly_(game)&o... Monopoly was intended as a way to demonstrate that an economy which rewards wealth creation is better than one in which monopolists work under few constraints. In other words and put much more harshly: Monopoly is played the right way if after a short time one player is happily winning and all the other ones are really angry.
cableshaft 9y ago
I had a feeling Kingdomino would win it. It feels like a classic pretty much right out of the box and is really easy to teach people, yet still provides just enough decisions to engage the brain and be enjoyable. It also has nice chunky components and a fun spatial puzzle to work out. I think my copy is going to get played quite a bit in the years to come, and I don't think I'll be getting rid of it for a long, long time.
falsedan 9y ago
Title should say [2017], all of the winners are http://spieldesjahres.com/en/game_archive http://spieldesjahres.com/en/game_archive
pfooti 9y ago
Ah, kingdomino got an award. I got a copy last year from a friend who picked it up at Essen. It is excellent. Pretty easy to learn, plays in 15 minutes, hidden depths to strategy. Great gateway game, and not too expensive either. My only house rules are to remove the bonus points for a full board and centered castle, and to allow someone to declare a broken board and discard a tile at any time (instead of discarding their last tile).
- cableshaft 9y ago
  Yeah, I don't like playing with the full board and centered castle for bonus points variants either. It seems unnecessary in most games, and just punishes someone who has a slightly less optimal board even further (they're probably not going to win it anyway).
  - Ashleyleo 9y ago
    til I saw the check which said $4544 , I be certain that my friend had been trully earning money part time from their laptop. . there sisters roommate has done this 4 less than twelve months and a short time ago paid for the morgage on there place and bought a new Honda . hop over to here ••>>http://ow.ly/P0wk30aVXfN http://ow.ly/P0wk30aVXfN
XaspR8d 9y ago
Kingdomino is perfectly fine, but I felt the SdJ nominees this year were all pretty safe choices. If anything, I would've preferred Magic Maze, which seems to be the most unique of the SdJ nominees. Plus, Honshu, which also came out this year, is a much better bid-and-build-domino-cities game than Kingdomino, but I understand it's a little more complex than the average SdJ winner. Meanwhile, Exit winning the Kennerspiel frustrates me. It's a solid design, and the escape-room-in-a-box can be quite fun, but it's hardly a gamer's game and the other nominees were incredible. I guess my takeaway is that the SdJ is built up too much and doesn't reflect my segment of the hobby very well.
- cableshaft 9y ago
  Honshu is good, but I actually prefer Kingdomino myself. The bidding for turn order with the cards that form the pool of cards you get to choose from is a little hard for people to wrap their heads around, and seems a bit arbitrary, although it does work. Magic Maze has the whole no-communicating bit going against it, although it does look interesting and I would like to play it. I'm surprised it got the nomination, and the nomination alone will bring a lot more attention to that game, so that's cool.
  - XaspR8d 9y ago
    Funny, that is exactly what makes the game delightful for me: the dual-use of evaluating whether I want to use a card for its bid or try to hang onto it (or both). But yes, Kingdomino admittedly has a much simpler flow to it there, and hence is better for a broader audience that the committee is targetting. Also strictly speaking I don't know if Honshu had a German release this year anyway? I totally agree that non-communication is a disappointing game mechanic; it almost always ends up being quite... impure design-wise? It still ended up feeling like the most dynamic of the 3 games for me, though admittedly my opinion of El Dorado is only from one play and word of mouth.
freewizard 9y ago
Link should be http://spieldesjahres.com/en/game_archive/2017 http://spieldesjahres.com/en/game_archive/2017
- dang 9y ago
  Ok, changed from http://spieldesjahres.com/en/awardwinners http://spieldesjahres.com/en/awardwinners. Thanks!
peteretep 9y ago
I'm a digital nomad. I'd like something a bit more exciting than simple card or dice games, but space is at a bit of a premium. Any recommendations for games that have a lot of depth (and thus can be played over and over), are very quick to pick up the basics (so we can teach others), and are physically tiny (or can be)?
- jbonniwell 9y ago
  My wife and I really enjoy Pandemic and quite often play a quick game using the iPad version during meals.(The physical version is not particularly compact)
- dublinben 9y ago
  Bridge.
  - blue1 9y ago
    Seconded Bridge. Also, Go.
- jastr 9y ago
  Small games with good replay value 1. Jaipur: 2 Players only, acquire different goods to trade in the market. 2. Coup: Multiplayer, lots of bluffing 3. Monopoly Deal: Simple, fast paced game (with little resemblance to Monopoly)
  - parshimers 9y ago
    +1 for Coup. It's easy to teach and very fast.
- jmilloy 9y ago
  Hive. 2 player though.
  - lanewinfield 9y ago
    Seconded. Like chess but quicker/more casual and needs no board.
soVeryTired 9y ago
Anyone have suggestions for two-player games?
- chryton 9y ago
  - Jaipur (set collection) - Love Letter (any flavor; draw a card and play one) - Condottiere (bidding/bluffing game to take over italy) - Citadels (drafting) - Masquerade (hidden-ish roles; better at two than Coup is) - Portal of Heroes (scales well up to 5) - Star Realms (deck-building) - Splendor (similar to Jaipur but chips rather than cards) - Codenames: Duet
  - soVeryTired 9y ago
    Lovely, thanks :)
- shawndumas 9y ago
  7 Wonders Duel

139 points by bdbm 9y ago

I found TIME Stories to be an expensive box of disappointment. You can play it only once since there is only one scenario in the box and you need to buy others after that. You'll be done with it in a couple hours

splawn 9y ago
We are in the realm of opinion, so I want to offer a contrasting one. We had a great time with it, and yes, it was a one-off thing. The scenarios are about $15 a pop which compared to taking the same group of friends to a movie is a bargain. (and MUCH more engaging, imo) It is like a multi-player point and click adventure with light roleplaying elements. I don't know if it should have won the SDJ, but then again, it didn't. :) EDIT: added more specific description of what I liked about it, in an attempt to up the quality of my comment.
- jobvandervoort 9y ago
  Same here, we loved it. Played it together with my partner. We immediately ordered a second scenario after completing the first. The price was worth it for us.
- watwut 9y ago
  I don't think movies are good benchmark. You go to movies relatively rarely and basically because someone I group really want to see the movie or to be able to talk around watercooler if movie is really popular. Most people dont go for movies outside those constraints if ever. Movie is rather expensive choice people normally don't do.
wccrawford 9y ago
Yeah, the description makes it sound like you'll have plenty of playthroughs and they'll each be different. I bought a card-based "escape room" game that was the same way. The description makes it sound a little like you'll get multiple plays from it, but in reality it's just a set path. The "cards" aspect was just them cheaping out, instead of making something re-usable. I plan to let some family play it (and the other escape game we bought) but I still think $15 is too much for a single 1-2 hour play session.

awjr 9y ago

One of the more interesting games that, in the UK, had pretty much gone no where, was "Settlers of Catan". Then, around 1998 IIRC, it got a 10/10 in a gaming magazine and I think this, very much, spawned the revival of German board games on the UK games scene. Before then it really was mainly war games (warhammer et al), RPGs, and card games (Magic TG from about 1993 onwards). There are some absolutely fantastic games out there, but just don't buy from the top X games. Know the size of your play group and buy to suit them. For example Agricola is a great game, but works best with 3-4 players. My group has 5 players so it's "ok" https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/31260/agricola https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/31260/agricola Recent games that have surprised us. If you like poker, Sheriff of Nottingham and 5 players is exceptionally good fun in a group prepared to be able to put on silly voices and get into character. https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/157969/sheriff-nottingham https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/157969/sheriff-nottingha... Also Camel Up is great for parties (up to 10 people with the expansion) and kids love it as well but is a lot of fun in groups of 5 https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/153938/camel https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/153938/camel Group dynamic is important in buying the 'right' game but you cannot go wrong with Settlers of Catan if you can get 4 players. https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/13/catan https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/13/catan If you have a local game shop, or even better, a local games cafe, you can usually get a chance to try out a game. Just remember to buy from them. They are your gateway to a whole new dynamic computer games has pretty much tried to destroy. Board games are so so so good these days, just avoid Monopoly. ;)

cableshaft 9y ago
Sheriff of Nottingham is getting an expansion later this year which will make the game playable with six players. I've been waiting for so long for that because it would easily get to the table more often at 6 players for me, and in front of more casual players.
wolfgke 9y ago
> Board games are so so so good these days, just avoid Monopoly. ;) According to https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Monopoly_(game)&oldid=789999945 https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Monopoly_(game)&o... Monopoly was intended as a way to demonstrate that an economy which rewards wealth creation is better than one in which monopolists work under few constraints. In other words and put much more harshly: Monopoly is played the right way if after a short time one player is happily winning and all the other ones are really angry.

cableshaft 9y ago

I had a feeling Kingdomino would win it. It feels like a classic pretty much right out of the box and is really easy to teach people, yet still provides just enough decisions to engage the brain and be enjoyable. It also has nice chunky components and a fun spatial puzzle to work out. I think my copy is going to get played quite a bit in the years to come, and I don't think I'll be getting rid of it for a long, long time.

falsedan 9y ago

Title should say [2017], all of the winners are http://spieldesjahres.com/en/game_archive http://spieldesjahres.com/en/game_archive

pfooti 9y ago

Ah, kingdomino got an award. I got a copy last year from a friend who picked it up at Essen. It is excellent. Pretty easy to learn, plays in 15 minutes, hidden depths to strategy. Great gateway game, and not too expensive either. My only house rules are to remove the bonus points for a full board and centered castle, and to allow someone to declare a broken board and discard a tile at any time (instead of discarding their last tile).

cableshaft 9y ago
Yeah, I don't like playing with the full board and centered castle for bonus points variants either. It seems unnecessary in most games, and just punishes someone who has a slightly less optimal board even further (they're probably not going to win it anyway).
- Ashleyleo 9y ago
  til I saw the check which said $4544 , I be certain that my friend had been trully earning money part time from their laptop. . there sisters roommate has done this 4 less than twelve months and a short time ago paid for the morgage on there place and bought a new Honda . hop over to here ••>>http://ow.ly/P0wk30aVXfN http://ow.ly/P0wk30aVXfN

XaspR8d 9y ago

Kingdomino is perfectly fine, but I felt the SdJ nominees this year were all pretty safe choices. If anything, I would've preferred Magic Maze, which seems to be the most unique of the SdJ nominees. Plus, Honshu, which also came out this year, is a much better bid-and-build-domino-cities game than Kingdomino, but I understand it's a little more complex than the average SdJ winner. Meanwhile, Exit winning the Kennerspiel frustrates me. It's a solid design, and the escape-room-in-a-box can be quite fun, but it's hardly a gamer's game and the other nominees were incredible. I guess my takeaway is that the SdJ is built up too much and doesn't reflect my segment of the hobby very well.

cableshaft 9y ago
Honshu is good, but I actually prefer Kingdomino myself. The bidding for turn order with the cards that form the pool of cards you get to choose from is a little hard for people to wrap their heads around, and seems a bit arbitrary, although it does work. Magic Maze has the whole no-communicating bit going against it, although it does look interesting and I would like to play it. I'm surprised it got the nomination, and the nomination alone will bring a lot more attention to that game, so that's cool.
- XaspR8d 9y ago
  Funny, that is exactly what makes the game delightful for me: the dual-use of evaluating whether I want to use a card for its bid or try to hang onto it (or both). But yes, Kingdomino admittedly has a much simpler flow to it there, and hence is better for a broader audience that the committee is targetting. Also strictly speaking I don't know if Honshu had a German release this year anyway? I totally agree that non-communication is a disappointing game mechanic; it almost always ends up being quite... impure design-wise? It still ended up feeling like the most dynamic of the 3 games for me, though admittedly my opinion of El Dorado is only from one play and word of mouth.

freewizard 9y ago

Link should be http://spieldesjahres.com/en/game_archive/2017 http://spieldesjahres.com/en/game_archive/2017

dang 9y ago
Ok, changed from http://spieldesjahres.com/en/awardwinners http://spieldesjahres.com/en/awardwinners. Thanks!

peteretep 9y ago

I'm a digital nomad. I'd like something a bit more exciting than simple card or dice games, but space is at a bit of a premium. Any recommendations for games that have a lot of depth (and thus can be played over and over), are very quick to pick up the basics (so we can teach others), and are physically tiny (or can be)?

jbonniwell 9y ago
My wife and I really enjoy Pandemic and quite often play a quick game using the iPad version during meals.(The physical version is not particularly compact)
dublinben 9y ago
Bridge.
- blue1 9y ago
  Seconded Bridge. Also, Go.
jastr 9y ago
Small games with good replay value 1. Jaipur: 2 Players only, acquire different goods to trade in the market. 2. Coup: Multiplayer, lots of bluffing 3. Monopoly Deal: Simple, fast paced game (with little resemblance to Monopoly)
- parshimers 9y ago
  +1 for Coup. It's easy to teach and very fast.
jmilloy 9y ago
Hive. 2 player though.
- lanewinfield 9y ago
  Seconded. Like chess but quicker/more casual and needs no board.

soVeryTired 9y ago

Anyone have suggestions for two-player games?

chryton 9y ago
- Jaipur (set collection) - Love Letter (any flavor; draw a card and play one) - Condottiere (bidding/bluffing game to take over italy) - Citadels (drafting) - Masquerade (hidden-ish roles; better at two than Coup is) - Portal of Heroes (scales well up to 5) - Star Realms (deck-building) - Splendor (similar to Jaipur but chips rather than cards) - Codenames: Duet
- soVeryTired 9y ago
  Lovely, thanks :)
shawndumas 9y ago
7 Wonders Duel