Just One, L.A.M.A. and Werewords in running for Spiel des Jahres 2019

The games in the running for this year’s Spiel des Jahres awards have been revealed.

Spiel des Jahres is known as the industry’s most prestigious award for board and card games and is awarded annually by a jury of Germany game critics. Recent Spiel des Jahres winners include Codenames, Kingdomino and Azul.

The full list of nominees across all three categories can be found below:

Spiel de Jahres 2018

Just One (Ludovic Roudy & Bruno Sautter): Just One is a co-operative party game where players give clues to help discover as many mystery words as possible. But, each clue must be unique, as all identical clues will be cancelled.

L.A.M.A. (Reiner Knizia): In LAMA, you want to dump cards from your hand as quickly as you can, but you might not be able to play what you want, so do you quit and freeze your hand or draw and hope to keep playing?

Werewords (Ted Alspach): Werewords sees players guess a secret word by asking “yes” or “no” questions. Figure out the magic word before time is up, and you win! However, one of the players is secretly a werewolf who is not only working against you, but also knows the word. If you don’t guess the word in time, you can still win by identifying the werewolf.

Kennerspiel des Jahres (recognising excellence for more complex games)

Carpe Diem (Stefan Feld): Set in Ancient Rome, Carpe Diem sees players attempt to build a lucrative district to score as many prestige points as possible.

Detective (Ignacy Trzewiczek, Przemysław Rymer, Jakub Łapot): A co-op, crime-solving experience, Detective tasks players with solving a case, but the twist with this board game is that you can (and are encouraged to) use real world tools like the Internet.

Wingspan (Elizabeth Hargraves): Diverting from the fantasy/sci-fi themes so prevalent in the tabletop space, Wingspan sees players step into the shoes of bird enthusiasts – researchers, bird watchers, ornithologists, collectors – each seeking to discover and attract the best birds to their network of wildlife preserves.

Kinderspiel des Jahres (Children’s game of the Year)

Fabulantic (Marco Teubner): Fabulantica is a fairy-tale memory game where players have to plan exactly how they use their travel cards to get to the places where they suspect the sought-after fairy-tale characters will be.

Go Gecko Go! (Jurgen Adams): Go Gecko Go! is the roll and move game that’s all about piling smaller animals on top of larger animals while keeping an eye on the height of the next bridge that needs to be cleared.

Valley of the Vikings (Marie and Wilfried Fort): Valley of the Vikings sees players use a ball to knock down the right barrels, and cleverly position their Vikings on the dock. But the player who ventures too far and is first to fall in the water goes away empty-handed.

The Spiel des Jahres winners will be revealed on July 22nd.

More Recent News

One month left to send in your nominations for Mojo Nation 100: 2025 Edition

The deadline for nominations is Friday, November 29th.

Hug Me Pillows’ John Lewis pop-up enjoys “overwhelming” response

“Seeing how new customers and educators have embraced Hug Me Pillows as a tool for comfort and emotional well-being is truly heartwarming,” said Hug Me Pillows Creator Lucy Freeth.

Hasbro brings Harry Potter to Monopoly Deal

The game sees players try and collect three different sets of magical items to win.

Moose Toys, e.l.f. Cosmetics and Gamefam team up for XOX Kweenie Roblox campaign

“Our cross-game campaign will deliver massive scale and reach, delighting millions of players where they hang out,” said Ricardo Briceno, Chief Business Officer of Gamefam.

LEGO’s Innovation Campus designed to “foster creativity, inclusivity and the free flow of ideas”

“The space will serve as a global centre for product and design excellence,” said Julia Goldin, CPMO of the LEGO Group.

Asmodee USA embarks on exclusive distribution partnership with UP Games

“Teaming up with the creative minds at UP Games allows us to offer players light strategy games crafted by renowned designers, ensuring a fresh, fun experience for every type of gamer,” said Julien Sharp, Country Manager at Asmodee North America.