Pictures

Daniela and Christian Stöhr | Spiel des Jahres | 2020

Building blocks, shoe laces, symbol cards and more. At first glance, the five sets of materials included in “Pictures” couldn’t be more different. Nevertheless they will all be used for the same purpose: players must recreate a photograph so that their opponents are able to identify it amongst all the other photos displayed. This might

Der Fuchs im Wald (The Fox in the Forest)

Joshua Buergel | Recommendation list Spiel des Jahres | 2020

“Der Fuchs im Wald” (“The Fox in the Forest”) is a storybook trick-taking game for two players that has several interesting hooks. The winner of a round isn’t always the player who takes the most tricks: like in a fairytale excessive greed is punished harshly. Also some card values bring special abilities into play, so

Color Brain (Colour Brain)

Tristan Williams | Recommendation list Spiel des Jahres | 2020

What colour is a giraffe’s tongue? What do taxis look like in London, New York and Paris? “Color Brain” (“Colour Brain”) is a quiz game with a simple twist: every question can be answered with colours. Each team has an identical set of eleven colour cards. Each question gives a clue to the number of

Draftosaurus

Antoine Bauza, Corentin Lebrat, Ludovic Maublanc and Théo Rivière | Recommendation list Spiel des Jahres | 2020

The dino park has been built, we’re just missing the stars of our show. Stegosaurus, Triceratops and the gang are ready to move in to their pens but players are still looking for new attractions for their zoos. At the start of a round each player randomly draws dinosaurs, from which they choose just one

Kitchen Rush

Dávid Turczi and Vangelis Bagiartakis | Recommendation list Spiel des Jahres | 2020

Too many cooks spoil the broth? Only if they don’t work together! In “Kitchen Rush” players have to prove themselves in the hustle and bustle of an everyday restaurant. Guests need to be welcomed, orders taken and meals prepared. A game round only lasts five to ten minutes, so in order to try and please

Spicy

Zoltán Győri | Recommendation list Spiel des Jahres | 2020

In the fast-paced bluffing game “Spicy”, it’s easy to get your fingers burned. Players take turns to play face-down wasabi, chilli and pepper cards with increasing levels of heat. You can’t always find the right spice in your hand, so you might have to slip some unwanted ingredients into the pot. If your opponents get

Foto Fish

Michael Kallauch | Nominated for Kinderspiel des Jahres | 2020

If you want to photograph fish, you’ll need patience. Or – in the case of “Foto Fish” – a cardboard aquarium. There’s no wild chaotic swimming around here, all the fish stay where they are. You still need to have a good eye, as the dice determine which fish (one, two, more or even none)

Little Town

Shun and Aya Taguchi | Recommendation list Spiel des Jahres | 2020

Mountains, lakes, forests and lots of arable grassland: the perfect location! In “Little Town” players are building a settlement together and are competing for the best plots of land. On your turn you will send one worker to a free space on the map. There the worker will activate all surrounding spaces, so at the

Go Slow!

Felix Beukemann | Recommendation list Kinderspiel des Jahres | 2020

Snails aren’t well known for their racing skills. They crawl almost meditatively across the ground, just taking their time. In “Go Slow!”, however, they too want to know what it’s like to feel the adrenaline of a race coursing through their shell. But not too fast, they’re still staying true to themselves: may the slowest