For the last 40+ years, the Spiel des Jahres — game of the year — awards have been like the Academy Awards of board games. And much like an Oscar can boost box office, a Spiel des Jahres nomination can send game sales rocketing skyward. Win the thing, and a game that went into the field selling just 500 to 3,000 copies — 1,000 to 1,500 is considered successful — can find itself with sales of half a million or more.
What began as a juried German contest for high-quality board games — think Catan, Carcasonne, Ticket to Ride — has become an international phenomenon with several categories, including Spiel des Jahres and Kennerspiel des Jahres, a connoisseur category for more complex games.
You’ll have to wait until May to find out who made the short list for 2021, but here are the winners and nominees of the last five years.
Spiel des Jahres, 2020
Pictures: Play this whimsical family board game, winner of the Spiel des Jahres, and you’ll find yourself using assorted oddball items — shoelaces, color cubes, sticks — to re-create images everyone else must guess. Also nominated: My City and Nova Luna
The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine: Crave a bit of intergalactic action? Players of this Kennerspiel des Jahres winner are part of a spaceship crew headed for the ninth planet — please tell us Pluto has had its planetary status resurrected — as they grapple with mission issues, from oxygen problems to engine snafus. Also nominated: Cartographers: A Roll Player Tale and The King’s Dilemma
Spiel des Jahres, 2019
Just One: This Spiel winner is a cooperative word guessing game, with one player guessing the mystery word while everyone else provides clues. The hitch? Everyone has to jot down their clues first and any duplicates are eliminated, so out of six potential clues, you may end up with just one or two. Also nominated: L.A.M.A. and Werewords.
Wingspan: Aimed at bird lovers, this addictive Kennerspiel winner is all about collecting and spotting birds, building habitats and wooing birds to your wildlife preserves. Also nominated: Carpe Diem and Detective.
Spiel des Jahres, 2018
Azul: On a visit to Southern Spain, Portugal’s 15th-century King Manuel I fell in love with the gorgeous Moorish tile work at the Alhambra. Now it’s up to you, oh player of this Spiel-winning game, to adorn the king’s Palace of Dvora with those Moorish tiles. Also nominated: Luxor and The Mind.
The Quacks of Quedlinburg: This Kennerspiel-winner pits purveyors of quack tonics and miracle cures against ailments that range from smelly feet to lovers quarrels. Mix up a special potion, then try to figure out how much is too much, before your brew goes boom. Also nominated: Heaven & Ale and That’s Pretty Clever.
Spiel des Jahres, 2017
Kingdomino: Imagine dominoes, but with tiles made of terrain. Don a crown and build your kingdom with this Spiel winner. Also nominated: Magic Maze and Race to El Dorado.
Exit – The Game: You’ll be cutting up cards, mangling pages and madly deciphering clues to conquer this Kennerspiel award-winning escape room in a box. There’s now an entire series of these Kosmos-created games with themes that range from a secret lab to a pharoah’s tomb. Also nominated: Raiders of the North Sea and Terraforming Mars.
Spiel des Jahres, 2016
CodeNames: Password meets saboteur in this game of secret identities, spymasters and assassins. Two spymasters offer code name clues to help their teams figure out who’s who. Also nominated: Imhotep, Karuba
Isle of Skye, from Chieftain to King: You’re the chieftain of a famous clan in this Kennerspiel-winning game, building the richest kingdom one bonny tile after another. Also nominated: Pandemic Legacy and T.I.M.E Stories.
Keep tabs on the 2021 awards at www.spiel-des-jahres.de/en/.
