Spiel des Jahres

The German Spiel des Jahres is perhaps the world's most prestigious game award. Founded in 1978 by a group of German game critics to promote awareness and to increase the cultural value of games, the award recognizes outstanding games based on originality, playability, and educational value of the game idea; organization, clarity and understandability of rules; packing and layout of the gameboard and the game rules; and functionality and overall quality of the game materials included.

Each year the journalists who compose the Jury cast ballots to select the honorees and to award the main prize, the Spiel des Jahres (Game of the Year). In past years, a list of Nominees was selected, then a few weeks later, the Spiel des Jahres was chosen from that list. Beginning in 2004, an initial list of Recommended games was published as well as five Nominees announced as finalists; and finally, the Game of the Year is announced a few weeks after that, in early summer.

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Spiel des Jahres: 2009

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Game of the Year

Dominion AKA: Game X
List: $44.95 $35.99 (20% savings!) Dominion is not a CCG, but the play of the game is similar to the construction and play of a CCG deck. The game comes complete with roughly 500 cards. You select 10 of the 20+ Kingdom card types to include in any given play -- leading to immense variety.

Special Award: New Game Worlds

Space Alert (Temporarily Out of Stock)
List: $59.95 $47.99 (20% savings!) Space Alert is a team survival game. Players take on the role of a crew of space explorers sent out through hyperspace to survey a dangerous sector of the Galaxy.The spaceship automatically maps the sector in 10 minutes. The crew's task is to defend...

Special Award: Party Game

GiftTRAP Third Edition
List: $29.99 $26.99 (10% savings!) GiftTRAP is the "Santa" of board games. You know you are onto a good thing with a game that's won "Party Game of the Year" in USA, Germany, France & Canada.

Special Award: Party Game

GiftTRAP First Edition GiftTRAP is a hilarious social conversation starter for people who think they know each other well or want to know each other better. Unlike other party games you don’t need skills in drawing, acting or trivia so it works well when you have a crowd of... Funagain Games does not stock this edition of this title, usually because it's out of print.

Special Award: Party Game

GiftTRAP: California Edition AKA: Second Edition
List: $29.99 $10.00 (67% savings!) Celebrate the diversity of life in California. Explore some of the 180 gift ideas located in/around California. The game includes a total of 640 gift ideas making sure that its still a great game you can play anywhere.

Nominee

Fauna
List: $44.76 $35.99 (20% savings!) Do you know where the panda lives? Do you know where the babirusa lives? Do you know what a babirusa is? In the game Fauna, you are not expected to know all the answers...

Nominee

Finca English language edition
List: $39.95 $31.99 (20% savings!) Mallorca. Island of the wind. A place of golden beaches and a light-blue sea. The almond harvest is at hand. In addition, juicy oranges, lemons, and figs are ready to be picked and taken to the market. Olive trees bewitch the country with their curled...

Nominee

Fits
List: $33.00 $26.40 (20% savings!) Can you skillfully fill in your playing board so that all the differently shaped tiles fit perfectly without leaving any spaces?! If a piece doesn't fit precisely, slot it in the best you can...

Nominee

Pandemic
List: $39.99 $31.99 (20% savings!) Four diseases have broken out in the world and it is up to a team of specialists in various fields to find cures for these diseases before mankind is wiped out.

Recommended

Cities (Currently Unavailable)
$38.99 Cities is a fast, tactical placing and positioning game. Every player builds one of the following cities: New York, Paris, London or Berlin. Each turn you choose the best spot to place the new tile. As your city grows, you place tourists at attractions...