Monday 15 July 2013

Spiel des Tuesday

The Spiel des Jahres is judged on the following :
  1. game concept (originality, playability, game value)
  2. rule structure (composition, clearness, comprehensibility)
  3. layout (box, board, rules),
  4. design (functionality, workmanship)

With those criteria in mind, I was wondering what everybody's top three games are.
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13 comments:

  1. Adam15 July 2013 at 17:07

    Cube Quest.

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  2. Joe Berger15 July 2013 at 17:24

    But that's basically all the criteria in the world. I'm going to name four, one for each of the four criteria:

    1. Game Concept - The Resistance. I could have chosen any number for this - but it's just one of those games where players have an 'aha!' moment, where the game clicks.

    2. Rule Structure - Galaxy Trucker. Not so much the rule book, but the way the game is structured so that you learn how to play it by playing the first mission. And no mater how badly you screw up, you can still win the game on the 2nd and 3rd missions.

    3. Layout - Stone Age, perhaps.

    4. Design. Again, many games that would fit the bill, but a recent favourite is Railways of the World.

    Okay I haven't given this a huger amount of thought, but interesting that at least two of those games "Galaxy Trucker and Stone Age) would not be in my top four games if I were using a looser set of criteria. . .

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  3. Adam15 July 2013 at 17:54

    You are bringing Cube Quest tomorrow aren't you Sam?

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  4. Ersby15 July 2013 at 19:09

    Thematically, I think Lords of Vegas is very true to its roots of gambling and wheeler-dealing. High Frontier, too, really made you feel like you acheived something whenever you moved your little plastic piece four inches across the table. Tsuro of the Seas looks lovely, but doesn’t really play lovely.

    7 Wonders, too, is in with a shout, but the fact we have to double check everytime we score the sciences counts against it. Tinners’ Trail, too, is close behind.

    But if you want games that take all that into account, I’d have to go for Lords of Waterdeep. It’s got everything! Proper rules, design, themes. And Colosseum. It’s got everything plus flower pots.

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  5. GNN Reports15 July 2013 at 19:26

    You're right Joe - it is pretty broad. I just wondered how our games would fare if we applied the criteria above - me personally I would say 'replayability' should be number one, but maybe that's the sum of the above parts...

    For what it's worth I'd go for Tinner's Trail, Agricola (yes, I know) and a toss-up between Stone Age and A Castle For All Seasons. And Lords of Waaterdeep and 7 Wonders. And Colosseum...

    Adam - assuming your second comment was serious, then yes, I'll bring it!

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  6. Joe Berger15 July 2013 at 20:29

    Trying to think what other games fit this mould, but for me, Railways is hard to beat if I had to pick a single game. There's almost a perfect sense of connectedness in there: connectedness rather than theme. The level of direct competition is just right, and the fight is right there on the board for all to see.

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  7. chris.smith15 July 2013 at 20:58

    All the games I can think of (and mentioned already here) are strong in a few of the categories but done much better by different games in the others. I think LOW covers most of them. Agricola is let down by really intimidating rules and puerto rico suffers from the "what does that do again?" problem.

    Therefore, taking all this into consideration I choose the old lady of games El Grande. The original and still brill and it has a little castle. (Don't mention the insipid art work)

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  8. GNN Reports15 July 2013 at 22:58

    I have a soft spot for El Grande but for an ideal game - my perspective this, rather than the spiel criteria - it's a little abstract. Though I rarely play it I still think of Agricola as the yardstick here - though I concur Railways is definitely a contender too.

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  9. Joe Berger16 July 2013 at 06:52

    Yeah I've always thought of Agricola as the perfect desert island game on account of the almost infinite variety of the cards. Bit I'm not sure I *enjoy* it all that much.
    El Grande has never really done it for me, but I've only played once or twice.
    I'm with you on Lords of Vegas Andrew - perhaps the perfect game (for me) needs a little more luck than Gric and Grande...

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  10. GNN Reports16 July 2013 at 08:29

    I share your agricolic ambivalence Joe - I'm never in a hurry to play it, but I think those first few plays really impressed me as to what games could be... *sits down and starts crying*

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  11. Adam16 July 2013 at 16:26

    Originality/playability: Was it Caylus that first did worker placement? I do prefer Agricola though.

    For rule structure I don't think anything beats Ticket to Ride for simple rules leading to a complex game.

    Layout - if Biblios said 25 and 11 on it somewhere it would have it, Hab & Gut is a very interesting set up, not sure otherwise.

    Design - Lords of Vegas does make you feel like you're on right there on the sunset strip, which might be why I don't like it that much... I'll give it to poison for the beakers being filled up the right amount and the picture of Reiner on the front.

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  12. Adam16 July 2013 at 16:28

    And I would never joke about Cube Quest Sam.

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  13. GNN Reports17 July 2013 at 10:07

    So with some votes still to be counted it looks like Railways, Agricola, El Grande, Cube Quest and Lords of Waterdeep have been mooted but not seconded. It's wide open...

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