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And the finalists for best Euro-style board game of the year are…

And the finalists for best Euro-style board game of the year are…
In Camel Up von Pegasus wetten die Spieler unter heisser Sonne auf die Sieger und Verlierer eines Kamelrennens. Camel Up ist ein einfaches, schnelles und vor allem irrsinnig komisches Renn- und Wettspiel fuer die ganze Familie. Risikobereitschaft und der richtige Riecher sind bei Camel Up der Schluessel zum Erfolg. (In Camel Up from Pegasus, the players bet under the hot sun on the winners and losers of the Camel race. Camel Up is a simple, quick and above all insanely funny racing and betting game for the whole family. Risk-taking and good instincts are the key to success in Camel…

Germany to boardgames, particularly “eurogames,” is like 1970s England was to punk, or post-WWI Paris was to Lost Generation literary works. It is the motherland, so it’s important to keep an eye on the German boardgame festival Spiel des Jahres.

This year’s grand prize finalists include the very Lawrence of Arabia-looking Camel Up by Steffen Bogen; the word-associating party game Concept by Gaëtan Beaujannot and Alain Rivollet; and Marc André’s Splendor, a math-heavy card game themed around Medieval merchants. The festival also awards separate prizes in the field of children’s games, and board games for the connoisseur (i.e., not family-style), but the big one is the game of the year.

The Spiel des Jahres dates back to 1979. Past winners including big-name games like Dominion, Dixit, Carcassone, and Settlers of Catan, so it’s a good barometer for future greatness in the world of boardgames. Be sure to check out all the nominees—in German, of course.

img via Purple Dawn

Jason Johnson