For many people, @spieldesjahres is something they encounter only once a year. A list of nominees appears, winners are announced, and the familiar Red Pawn finds its way onto board game boxes that in turn appear on shop shelves. Yet, the award itself is only the most visible part of the organisation's work. Behind the annual announcements sits an association that funds projects, supports research, encourages new designers, and promotes the social value of play. In this third article in the series, I want to look at those activities that reveal a side of Spiel des Jahres that is often overlooked, particularly outside German-speaking countries, where the organisation is frequently seen only as a prestigious board game award.

Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2026/06/23/spiel-des-jahres-beyond-the-red-pawn-topic-discussion/
Listen to the audio version here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/58gQnmVsNaokDZgrmGB8pt?si=E7YHUtaQRtC70kOGzlTcKw

(Photo courtesy of Spiel des Jahres)

#boardgames #SdJ #SpielDesJahres

Every year, the announcement of the @spieldesjahres nominations leads to a lot of discussion across our hobby. Some people agree with the choices, others question why certain games were not included, and many try to predict the eventual winners. What most people don't realise when they discuss the nominations is that the jury does not gather for a single weekend to decide the best game of the year. No, jurors spend many months playing hundreds of new releases several times with different groups of people. It is a lot of work that often goes unnoticed, but that explains why the award continues to carry such influence nearly fifty years after it began. In the second article of the series, I look at this in more detail.

Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2026/06/16/spiel-des-jahres-how-the-jury-chooses-games-topic-discussion/
Listen to the Audio version here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3n8RpcoWAzqbRpPrGoaNuf?si=qK-I8EzaTVqylC4_NRfIxg

(Photo courtesy of Spiel des Jahres)

#boardgames #SdJ #SpielDesJahres #awards

For many board gamers, Spiel des Jahres is simply the little red pawn on a game box. Spotting it on a shelf often suggests that a game is worth paying attention to. That's not only true in the German-speaking board game world, but also in many other countries, including the UK. Over the years, winners such as The Settlers of Catan, Carcassonne, and Ticket to Ride have helped establish the award as one of the most influential honours in tabletop gaming. Yet, there is a lot more to this story. According to its own history and mission statements, the annual prize was never intended to be the end goal. Instead, it was created as a tool to encourage people to play games, to promote games as a cultural asset, and to help the wider public discover the value of gathering around a table. In the first in a series of articles, I want to look at this further.

Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2026/06/09/spiel-des-jahres-the-award-that-was-never-really-about-awards-topic-discussion/
Listen to the audio version here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5jjJj4NG0ZkkTn1bk3tHZi?si=_7Jij4mNRHaZd8sm8KoKFw

#boardgames #SpielDesJahres #SdJ #awards

Wir laden euch ein zum Spiel des Jahres Warm-Up in die @stbibkoeln am 20.06. ab 11 Uhr😍

Fux und Bär und viel Kölner Blogger*innen freuen sich darauf mit euch alle Nominierten und auch die Listenspiele des #SdJ und #KeSdJ zu spielen🤩

https://www.spiel-des-jahres.de/preistraeger/jahrgang-2026/

#Brettspiel

Die Spiel des Jahres und Kennerspiel des Jahres nominierten Liste:
https://rezensionen-fuer-millionen.blogspot.com/2026/04/gern-gespielt-im-april-2026.html

😉 @udobartsch spoilert 😁

#kdj #ksdj #sdj #spieldesjahres #brettspiele @boardgames #boardgames #wahrheit #ironie