This week’s session report written entirely by Sean Kelly – a sincere thanks for keeping things going in my absence.

9 At Purple Dragon Games on April 27th for a night of Spiel des Jahres and Kennerspiel des Jarhes nominees and winners.

The Spiel des Jahres (German: Game of the Year) is an award for board and card games, created in 1978 with the purpose of rewarding family-friendly game design, and promoting excellent games in the German market. On occasion, the jury has awarded a special prize for more complex games (such as Agricola in 2008 or World Without End in 2010). In 2011, the jury created a formal category for more complex games called Kennerspiel des Jahres (German: Connoisseur/Expert Game of the Year). Along with the SjD and KdJ nominations, the jury also gives an award for Children’s Game of the Year (Kinderspiel des Jahres), a list of Recommended games, and occasionally gives out special prizes for games which will not be considered for the main award.

Next week will see a reprise of Quacks of Quedlinburg, since we didn’t quite finish that one before the end of the night and some expressed a desire to try again (covered in the remains of their exploded potions, natch). We’ll also play more SdJ and KdJ selections that didn’t make it to the table this week. The best of German boardgames is too big of a category for Just One week!

IN: Sean, Tim, Armando, Rob, Emily, Greta, Drew, Sofia, Patty

Just One

 (led by Sean)

2019 Spiel des Jahres Winner

This is a cooperative party game in which you play together to discover as many mystery words as possible. Find the best clue to help your teammate. Be unique, as all identical clues will be cancelled!

Kingdom Builder

 (led by Sean)

2012 Spiel des Jahres Winner

Players create kingdoms by skillfully building their settlements, aiming to earn the most gold at the end of the game by building next to castles and by meeting the scoring conditions on the 3 randomly selected Kingdom Builder cards, such as having settlements built next to water hexes or having the majority of settlements in a sector of the board.

Splendor

 (led by Armando)

2014 Spiel des Jahres Nominee

A game of chip-collecting and card development. Players are merchants of the Renaissance trying to buy gem mines, means of transportation, shops—all in order to acquire the most prestige points. If you’re wealthy enough, you might even receive a visit from a noble at some point, which of course will further increase your prestige. The 2014 SdJ award was won by Camel Up, which has seen play on our tables before.

Alhambra 

(led by Drew)

2003 Soiel des Jahres Winner

The best master builders in the whole of Europe and Arabia want to demonstrate their skill. Employ the most suitable teams of builders and make sure that you always have enough of the right currency. Because no matter whether they are stonemasons from the north or horticulturalists from the south, they all want a proper wage and insist on their “native” currency. With their help towers can be constructed, gardens laid out, pavilions and arcades erected and seraglios and chambers built. Players with the most buildings in each of the six building types in their Alhambra score in each of the scoring phases, and points are awarded for players’ longest external “wall” section within their complex.

Kingdomino

 (led by Armando)

2017 Spiel des Jahres Winner

You are a lord seeking new lands in which to expand your kingdom. You must explore all the lands, including wheat fields, lakes, and mountains, in order to spot the best plots, while competing with other lords to acquire them first. The game uses tiles with two sections, similar to Dominoes. Each turn, players select a new domino to connect to their existing kingdom, making sure at least one of its sides connects to a matching terrain type already in play, until each player has completed a 5×5 grid (or failed to do so), and points are counted.

The Fox in the Forest

 (taught by Tim) – 

2020 Spiel des Jahres

Recommended (SdJ Recommended games did not make the Nominee list, but are still Best in Class games that the SdJ Jury thinks are worth talking about)

A trick-taking game for two players. Aside from the normal ranked- and suited-cards used to win tricks, odd number value cards have special abilities that let you change the trump suit, lead even after you lose a trick, and more .It seems to have a heavy Spades lineage, but don’t get greedy! Win too many tricks, and you will fall like the villain in so many fairy tales…

Quacks of Quedelinburg

 (led by Sean)

2018 Kennerspiel des Jahres Winner

Players are charlatans — or quack doctors — each making their own secret brew by adding ingredients one at a time. Take care with what you add, though, for a pinch too much of this or that will spoil the whole mixture! Players simultaneously draw chips from their bags of ingredients and add them to their pots. The higher the face value of the drawn chip, the further it is placed in the pot’s swirling pattern, increasing how much the potion will be worth. Push your luck as far as you can, but if you add too many cherry bombs, your pot will explode!

K-ban