Lacxox.

I have no idea what I'm going to write in this blog. Quite possibly nothing. We'll see.

Recommend

Thoughts after the Spiel des Jahres nominees were announced

Posted by Laszlo Molnar

23 May 2011

Laszlo Molnar

(lacxox)

Hungary
Budapest
Hungary

Yesterday I made my predictions in this same blog and it seems I have quite good intuitions.

Main prize: I was pretty sure Asara and The Forbidden Island would be nominated and it seems I was right. Qwirkle might be the surprise nominee as it’s an older game – but I guess it was published in Germany only this year. If it means these three are the nominees this year, I’d say what I wrote before: Asara might win (although Die verbotene Insel also has a chance).

Kennerspiel des Jahres: So I told you 7 Wonders is going to be here, didn’t I?

Strasbourg and Lancaster are also nominated (haven’t played either so I didn’t predict them) but it seems quite probable that 7 Wonders is going to win.

Recommendations: it seems recommendations for both categories are listed under the same recommendations list. I just didn’t know there are going to be only 3 nominees this year – I mentioned 4 titles as possible nominees for the main prize that I can find here: Mondo, Safranito, Skull & Roses and Uluru. I also mentioned Die Burgen von Burgund as a possible nominee for the award for experts – it’s listed as a recommended game as well (I was afraid Luna won’t be mentioned but I’m happy to see it here). I’m a bit surprised to see Sun, Sea & Sand in the list (I didn’t find this one to be that fun) and don’t know the other nominees.

Some surprise misses: I’m a bit surprised Airlines is not even a recommended game (maybe the lack of originality? It wasn’t a problem before). I’m happy Pantheon, Vinhos & Civilization is not even mentioned, sad to see Navigator missing and a little bit happy to see Troyes missing (although I still say it’s not a bad game – but it does have its flaws).

All in all, I feel I’m getting better at this Spiel des Jahres prediction thing I guess.

Now all I want to see if my prediction about 7 Wonders

Quote:

I predict hardcore gamers getting upset because of this nomination/win.

turns out to be true or not.

13 Comments

Mon May 23, 2011 10:39 am

Post Comment

Darren M

(nexttothemoon)

New Zealand
Nelson

Well of my 10 picks for the SdJ and "complex SdJ" aka Kennerspiele... 2 were chosen by the jury. I think that's a new high for me.

It once again shows me that these awards are as irrelevant to me as ever.

Congrats to the nominees... hopefully they sell truckloads of copies.

Posted Mon May 23, 2011 1:31 pm
- Choose your Dice
  - d4
  - d6
  - d8
  - d10
  - d12
  - d20
  - d100
  - Help
  - Roll
  - Comment (Optional)
- Reply
- Quote

Laszlo Molnar

(lacxox)

Hungary
Budapest
Hungary

Quote:

It once again shows me that these awards are as irrelevant to me as ever.

To me they are not irrelevant - because however deep and complex games I play in the gaming club, my family and friends are not gamers and it's more than probable that they are going to like the games nominated and not the ones you picked

There is one thing to remember: Spiel des Jahres is not a gamer's award and even the special prize is not a gamer's award. It's quite possible you are going to enjoy the games listed in the nomination list of the special award while non-gamer families would have hard time learning these. But gamers' games are not what Spiel des Jahres is about.

Edited Mon May 23, 2011 1:35 pm
Posted Mon May 23, 2011 1:33 pm
- Choose your Dice
  - d4
  - d6
  - d8
  - d10
  - d12
  - d20
  - d100
  - Help
  - Roll
  - Comment (Optional)
- Reply
- Quote

Kaiwen Zhang

(johncraven)

Canada
Toronto
Ontario

Luna FTW!

Posted Mon May 23, 2011 2:26 pm
- Choose your Dice
  - d4
  - d6
  - d8
  - d10
  - d12
  - d20
  - d100
  - Help
  - Roll
  - Comment (Optional)
- Reply
- Quote

Laszlo Molnar

(lacxox)

Hungary
Budapest
Hungary

johncraven wrote:

Luna FTW!

I agree it's a great game but given it's only on the recommendation list it isn't going to happen.

Posted Mon May 23, 2011 2:29 pm
- Choose your Dice
  - d4
  - d6
  - d8
  - d10
  - d12
  - d20
  - d100
  - Help
  - Roll
  - Comment (Optional)
- Reply
- Quote

Huzonfirst

(Larry Levy)

United States
Manassas
Virginia

San Antonio, OKC, Miami, and Boston..who will win out?

I'm not all that surprised that 7 Wonders was on the Kennerspiel list, but I am a bit taken aback that Asara was deemed less complex than 7W. I felt it would go the other way. Both are very worthy nominees and have to be considered the front runners in their respective categories. 7W would seem to be the overwhelming favorite for the Kennerspiel, while both Forbidden Island and Qwirkle should give Asara a run for its money in the SdJ.

One aspect that I've yet to see mentioned is that Asara is a Wolfgang Kramer game. If it wins, it will be Kramer's sixth SdJ, two more than anyone else, and would be awarded a few days before his 69th birthday! What a great story that would be! It would also be co-designer Michael Kiesling's third award, making him only the third person to accomplish that.

The big news is that the jury only went with 3 nominees per category. Was this a total surprise to everybody? Why would they keep this a secret? Anyway, that rendered most of the pre-pick predictions a bit overblown.

This is our first data point for the Kennerspiel and based on these nominations, I'd say it looks like it will be reserved for middleweight games and lighter gamer's games. Pretty much what I suspected before the announcement, but the interview the SdJ member gave last month made me think they might go a bit heavier than this. If that is indeed the case, then both Die Burgen von Burgund and Luna never had the chance to do better than Recommended status--they're just too meaty. When you look at it that way, these games deserve congratulations and missing out on the nominations shouldn't be viewed as disappointments.

The only game I'll really be rooting against is Strasbourg. I've only played it once, but I really disliked it. Ironic, as I like almost everything else Stefan Feld puts out.

I'm very happy for my US buddies Matt Leacock and Kory Heath for getting mentioned (for Forbidden Island and Blockers), as well as for fellow Yank Susan Ross for Qwirkle. I was also excited to see Freeze and Sun, Sea & Sand mentioned; Andrea Meyer's game seems very innovative, and the van Moorsel design is quite worthy and deserves more attention.

Well, that was interesting. Now we wait five weeks to see which games walk home with the prizes!

Posted Mon May 23, 2011 3:09 pm
- Choose your Dice
  - d4
  - d6
  - d8
  - d10
  - d12
  - d20
  - d100
  - Help
  - Roll
  - Comment (Optional)
- Reply
- Quote

Huzonfirst

(Larry Levy)

United States
Manassas
Virginia

San Antonio, OKC, Miami, and Boston..who will win out?

Oh, and I'm also surprised by a few omissions on the Recommended list. I would have thought Airlines Europe would have gotten mentioned somewhere--it being shut out is a pretty big surprise. I also thought both Navegador and Mord im Arosa might have been recommended. Obviously, it's a numbers game, but those two seemed worthy of mention, for different reasons.

Posted Mon May 23, 2011 3:17 pm
- Choose your Dice
  - d4
  - d6
  - d8
  - d10
  - d12
  - d20
  - d100
  - Help
  - Roll
  - Comment (Optional)
- Reply
- Quote

Laszlo Molnar

(lacxox)

Hungary
Budapest
Hungary

I was pretty sure Kennerspiel won't be about games for hardcore gamers. I read the interview with the head of the jury and he mentioned games like Stone Age and Vikings would also be nominated in this category if they were published this year.

3 nominees - was a surprise for me as well. But I guess it has to do with having the special category: I guess they really don't want to put the logo on many boxes as then it would devalue the prize.

As for Asara I guess I should be a beginner to be able to decide how heavy/simple the beginner rules are. Herr Kramer stated on his website that the beginner rules are about as complex as the game of Monopoly and if it's true then I think it's right that this one is in the general category. I doid play it using the beginner rules with my wife and she liked it and could learn all the rules at once (and she really doesn't enjoy more complex games).

Posted Mon May 23, 2011 3:17 pm
- Choose your Dice
  - d4
  - d6
  - d8
  - d10
  - d12
  - d20
  - d100
  - Help
  - Roll
  - Comment (Optional)
- Reply
- Quote

Laszlo Molnar

(lacxox)

Hungary
Budapest
Hungary

Larry Levy wrote:

I don't know Mord im Arosa but agree on the other two. Navegador is exceptional with its perfection and fun; Airlines Europe is really fine - but maybe they said (unlike in previous years) they don't want to award remakes of previous games (and as I wrote in my previous post Airlines Europe even feels rather like Alhambra which is not a coincidence).

Posted Mon May 23, 2011 3:24 pm
- Choose your Dice
  - d4
  - d6
  - d8
  - d10
  - d12
  - d20
  - d100
  - Help
  - Roll
  - Comment (Optional)
- Reply
- Quote

Chris Wood

(Myoman)

United States
Wheaton
Illinois

Is pastiche up for nomination?

Posted Mon May 23, 2011 4:06 pm
- Choose your Dice
  - d4
  - d6
  - d8
  - d10
  - d12
  - d20
  - d100
  - Help
  - Roll
  - Comment (Optional)
- Reply
- Quote

Laszlo Molnar

(lacxox)

Hungary
Budapest
Hungary

No. I'm also not sure if it was released in Germany at all.

Posted Mon May 23, 2011 6:16 pm
- Choose your Dice
  - d4
  - d6
  - d8
  - d10
  - d12
  - d20
  - d100
  - Help
  - Roll
  - Comment (Optional)
- Reply
- Quote

Mark Klassen

(manchuwok)

Canada
Mission
British Columbia

Nice predictions. I think 7 Wonders will come to exemplify the type of game won by the new complex award.

Posted Mon May 23, 2011 6:23 pm
- Choose your Dice
  - d4
  - d6
  - d8
  - d10
  - d12
  - d20
  - d100
  - Help
  - Roll
  - Comment (Optional)
- Reply
- Quote

Laszlo Molnar

(lacxox)

Hungary
Budapest
Hungary

I guess we're going to see heavier games as well later in the KdJ category. But only when they are original and fun enough. Both Agricola and Caylus have won a special award before; I do think when a milestone game like these arrives again we are going to see them winning the award.

I just think the last year was full of well-balanced, well-developed complex euros that were more or less similar, not really special, nothing really outstanding. And yes, Troyes was a bit special but even its special (and in my eyes, a bit flawed) mechanism was buried underneath the very usual complex euro mechanisms... :S I do think both Die Burgen von Burgund and Luna were outstanding so I'm happy to see them recommended, though.

Posted Mon May 23, 2011 6:29 pm
- Choose your Dice
  - d4
  - d6
  - d8
  - d10
  - d12
  - d20
  - d100
  - Help
  - Roll
  - Comment (Optional)
- Reply
- Quote

Andre Bronswijk

(Thygra)

Germany

lacxox wrote:

No. I'm also not sure if it was released in Germany at all.

There is a German version of Pastiche available in Germany, distributed by Pegasus Spiele.

Posted Wed May 25, 2011 3:49 pm
- Choose your Dice
  - d4
  - d6
  - d8
  - d10
  - d12
  - d20
  - d100
  - Help
  - Roll
  - Comment (Optional)
- Reply
- Quote

Lacxox.

Thoughts after the Spiel des Jahres nominees were announced

Search

Subscribe

Categories

Contributors