Spiel des Jahres: Nominees for 2011

"Spiel des Jahres" is German for "Game of the Year," and it's the most prestigious award in board gaming. A select group of German game critics puts forth various nominees in several different categories, and the winners (and even the nominees) can always expect a considerable spike in sales.

The Game of Year nominees are:

• Qwirkle (an old MindWare title that was just released in Germany this year: it's on sale for 57% off at Amazon)
• Forbidden Island (Matt Leacock's family friendly version of Pandemic)
• Asara (Rio Grande Games)

A new category called "Kennerspiel des Jahres" was introduced this year for more complex games. Those nominees are:

• 7 Wonders (Asmodee)
• Strasbourg (Pegasus Spiele)
• Lancaster (Queen Games)

A third category, "Kinderspiel des Jahres," nominates children's games. This year, the nominees are

• Das ist der Wyrm drin (Zoch)
• Magician's Kitchen (Playroom)
• Monster-Falle (Kosmos)

I believe only four of these games are easily available in the US right now. Those are: