2007 Spiel des Jahres

    The Spiel des Jahres is a big game award given out in Germany every year.  The award is a critic's award and is intended to further the cultural value of games, revive the spirit of gaming, and assist game buyers.  This is a very important award in Germany and in the rest of the board gaming world and the winning game can count on increased sales when it begins being published with the award logo on it.

   Each year a specially selected jury chooses a certainty number of games to be nominated for the top prize.  This year the nominees are" 

    Thurn and Taxis was selected by the jury from a list of nominees for the award.  The nominated games were:

These nominees were taken from a larger list of "recommended" games.  The remaining recommended games were:

    The ultimate winner will be selected from the Nominated Games.  I haven't played Jenseites von Theben yet but I believe the other games are good choices for the award.  Of the nominated games my favorite is Yspahan and my least favorite is The Theif of Bagdad.  I think the best game on the list is probably Arkadia.  And I am a huge Rüdiger Dorn fan.  I mean Goa and Louis the XIV.  Now that is a designer.

    There is another designer I really like, though, and that is who I am going to pick to win the prize this year:  Michael Schacht.  His list of excellent designs goes on and on and includes Web of Power, Industria, California, and numerous other favorites of mine.  I got to play Zooloretto at the Gathering of Friends several times and enjoyed it very much.  It had the same cleverness of Coloretto with additional aspects that made it a more rounded game.  I can't wait to get my hands on a copy and this is my pick to win the Spiel des Jahres this year.

    Am I right?  Only time will tell!

    The previous winners of Game of the Year are all excellent games.  Here are the last few: