The Deutscher Spiele Preis is awarded anually based on an open vote from German games clubs, gamers in German-speaking countries and people in the gaming industry. It recognises the “Best Children’s Game” and a top ten list of the “Best Family and Adult Games”. Although the order of the top three in each category won’t be announced until the Internationale Spieltage in Essen at the end of October, the list of winning games has been released.
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| – Image by BGG contributor tobsn, adapted by boardGOATS |
The top three in the general category in alphabetical order are:
- Bomb Busters
- Endeavor: Tiefsee (aka Endeavour: Deep Sea)
- SETI: Auf der Suche nach außerirdischen Leben (aka SETI: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence)
The remaining list of games in the top ten are:
- Castle Combo
- Faraway
- Civolution
- Blood on the Clocktower
- Slay the Spire: Das Brettspiel (aka Slay the Spire: The Board Game)
- Astrobienen (aka Apiary)
- Dune: Imperium — Uprising
The games named in the Deutscher Spiele Preis lists often intersect with the winners and nominees of the annual Spiel des Jahres Award. This time is no exception, indeed the only game in the top five Deutscher Spiele Preis list not to have recieved a Spiel des Jahres award or a nomination likely missed out because it was considered too complex. And therein lies much of the difference between the two: the Spiel des Jahres nominees/winners are chosen by a committee with a list of strict criteria, whereas the Deutscher Spiele Preis is more like a list of the most popular games of the preceding year, with the gaming public having a strong say. As a result, the Deutscher Spiele Preis often includes heavier games.
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| – Image by BGG contributor spiritraw, adapted by boardGOATS |
The top three children’s games (again in alphabetical order) are, Cascadia Junior, Die kleinen Alchemisten (aka Little Alchemists), and Die Sandburgen von Burgund (aka The Sandcastles of Burgundy). The order of the top three in both categories will be announced at the press conference on Wednesday 22nd October; congratulations to everyone on the list.
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| – Image from spiel-essen.com |
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