Award Winning Games 2013 - Spiel des Jahres

Award Winning 

Games 

2013

2 

Table of Contents 

Preface by Tom Felber 3 

Preface 

3 

Spiel des Jahres 4 - 5 

Hanabi 

nominated Spiele 

Augustus 6 

Qwixx 7 

Recommended Spiele 8 - 16 

“Spiel des Jahres” 17 

incentive program 2013 

Kennerspiel des Jahres 18 - 19 

Die Legenden von Andor 

Dear game fans, 

the „Spiel des Jahres“ jury 

has once again played its 

way through a mountain of 

hundreds of games, in order 

to be able to introduce you 

to 30 highly recommendable 

games in this booklet. 

The three colours red, anthracite and blue are used 

to designate different target audiences: red games 

should provide game playing fun for just about everybody. 

Anthracite games are intended for experienced 

players and blue ones are children’s games. 

nominated Kennerspiele 

Brügge 20 

Die Paläste von Carrara 21 

Recommended Kennerspiele 22 - 23 

You will find something in the list for every age group, 

every level of difficulty and to suit all tastes. The jury’s 

main emphasis is on games that are easy to learn, 

aiming to give advice and orientation to game fans 

that are not experts. 

Kinderspiel des Jahres 24 - 25 

Der verzauberte Turm 

nominated Kinderspiele 

Gold am Orinoko 26 

Mucca Pazza 27 

With this booklet we wish to transport you into a world 

of games full of surprising and emotional adventures. 

It is important to us that the games remain interesting 

even after having being played many times. Indeed, 

some of them only unfold their full appeal when, with 

increasing playing experience, they drag you deeper 

and deeper under their spell. 

Recommended Kinderspiele 28 - 37 

Previous award winners 38 - 39 

Find a game 40 - 41 

Index / Impressum 42 

The 2013 Juries 43 

About „Spiel des Jahres“ 44 

The jury is confident that the games presented here 

have the potential to bring all sorts of people together 

time and time again in entertaining episodes that will 

remain etched in one’s mind. 

In this spirit, we wish you wonderful game playing experiences. 

Tom Felber 

Chairman Spiel des Jahres

4 

Spiel des Jahres: winner 

Hanabi 

5 

• 2 - 5 players 

• age 8+ * 

• about 30 minutes 

• about 8 Euros 

The word Hanabi is Japanese and means something 

like fire flower or fireworks. In this case, 

Hanabi is an unusual cooperative and communicative 

card game. Cards with fireworks images 

must be laid down in rows ordered by colours 

and numbers. The only problem: The players 

take up their cards the wrong way around. Unlike 

in standard card play, they do not see their 

own hand of cards, but can always look at the 

cards of other players. From hints such as: „These 

cards are blue“ or „You have a three, this is 

it“ and with the knowledge from previous rounds, 

the player must identify which card he should 

play or discard. The number of hints is limited, 

and after three mistakes, the game is lost. Who 

can create the maximum number of points: the 

perfect fireworks? 

* Our suggestion: age 10+ 

The jury’s explanation: 

Hanabi is persuasive due 

to its unprecedented mix 

of collaborative, communicative 

and deductive 

game elements. Everybody 

holding the cards the 

wrong way round is not 

only a most unusual sight, 

but also promotes the concentrated 

interaction of the players. It is fascinating 

to watch how the 

groups harmonise better 

from game to game and 

learn to draw the right conclusions 

from wisely given 

hints. Success in creating 

a legendary firework of 

cards brings satisfaction to 

all involved. 

by: 

Antoine Bauza 

Publisher: 

Abacusspiele 

Artwork/Illustration: 

Albertine Ralenti and 

Abacusspiele

Spiel des Jahres: nominated 

Spiel des Jahres: nominated 

6 

Augustus 

Qwixx 

7 


• age 8+ 



2 - 5 players • 

age 8+ • 

about 15 minutes • 

about 8 Euros • 

Bingo in ancient Rome: players gain control of 

Roman provinces and senators by amassing legions 

on their objective cards. Small cardboard 

tokens, displaying a number of symbols such as 

chariots or daggers, are pulled out of a bag. If a 

symbol matches one of one’s own cards, a legion 

may be placed on the card. When all the two to 

six fields on a card have been covered, calling out 

“Ave Caesar” activates the card: this brings points 

and may trigger special actions. All just a matter 

of luck? No. Choosing new objective cards requires 

tactical consideration: which combinations fit 

together well? How to snap up the most bonus 

points? Whoever best tames chance, will become 

the consul of Emperor Augustus. 

Qwixx is a fast game and mixes a pinch of tactics 

with the luck of the dice: The players all go hunting 

for numbers that are listed on the score pad 

in four coloured rows of either two to twelve or 

twelve to two. A player rolls six dice and calls 

out the sum of the two white dice. Everyone can 

cross off this number in any row on the pad – 

as long as he places this cross to the right of 

all other crosses already in this row. The active 

player may now, according to this rule, mark the 

sum of a white and a coloured die in the corresponding 

row. If the roller of the dice cannot 

make an entry, he collects some minus points. 

Plus points are awarded for the number of crosses 

in a row; the more, the better. Bonus points 

are collected by the player that completes a row 

for all the participants. 

by: 

Paolo Mori 

Publisher: 

Hurrican 

Sales: 

Asmodee 

Illustrator: 

Vincent Dutrait 

by: 

Steffen Benndorf 

Publisher: 

Nürnberger-Spielkarten- 

Verlag 

Illustrators: 

Oliver and Sandra 

Freudenreich

Spiel des Jahres: recommended 


8 

Divinare 

Escape – Der Fluch des Tempels 

9 


• age 13+ * 




age 8+ • 



It’s the late 19th century in London: Soothsayers 

and diviners meet to crown the best in their profession. 

The task is this: How many cards in each of 

the four colours are in the game? At the beginning, 

each participant knows only his hand of cards, as 

well as the maximum number possible per colour. 

The colours of those cards which were not dealt 

out remains initially uncertain. Each player places 

a card in turn and must guess at once how many 

cards of the corresponding colour are in circulation. 

However, only free tip fields can be used. 

Did the opposition already have the right instinct? 

Discarded cards gradually bring light into the darkness; 

additionally cards are regularly passed on 

to neighbours. In this straightforward but unusual 

game one can ponder and guess, and at the end 

exult in victory or groan in defeat. 

The cursed temple threatens to collapse. In this 

cooperative real-time game the team of adventurers 

have exactly 10 minutes time to find the exit 

and escape. First they must find the chambers in 

which they can activate magic stones to banish 

the curse. To this end all the players must roll 

their five dice simultaneously. A hectic adrenalin 

rush! Whoever gets the correct combination 

of symbols can move his figure, discover a new 

chamber or lay down magic stones. But beware: 

the dice may also be cursed. Calamity threatens 

those who move too far away from their comrades 

– especially when the CD soundtrack calls 

everyone to gather in the central chamber. At the 

end of the game, the team only wins if all the 

adventurers were able to flee the temple before 

the end of the third countdown. 


by: 

Brett J. Gilbert 

Publisher: 

Asmodee 

Illustrator: 

Benjamin Carré 

by: 

Kristian Amundsen Østby 

Publisher: 

Queen Games 

Illustrator: 

Oliver Schlemmer



10 

Hand aufs Herz 

La Boca 

11 

• 3 - 8 players * 

• age 10+ 




age 8+ • 

about 40 minute • 


In this party game questions are answered without 

speaking. The left hand means “no” and the right 

hand “yes”. Which hand belongs on the bright red 

heart in the middle of the table? One of the players 

reads out a question. All the others must guess 

the answer. The faster a player’s hand reaches 

the middle of the table, the further down in the pile 

of hands it will be and the more points it will get 

– if the answer is correct. Those who choose the 

wrong hand collect penalty points. This happens 

quite often, as the questions are often formulated 

in a rather twisted way, presenting the coordination 

of brain and hand with a real, and above all, 

fun challenge. The topics don’t just cover general 

knowledge, but also refer to the other players. 

How well do you know the people sitting next to 

you? Hand on your heart! 

Welcome to La Boca, a quarter of Buenos Aires 

characterised by brightly painted houses. The 

aim of this communicative construction game is 

to recreate such colourful facades using ten to 

eleven wooden blocks. Two facing players team 

up to quickly solve this challenge. The special 

clou of the game: the task card inserted into the 

board displays a different view of the object to 

be built to each player! The two players can discuss 

and coordinate their work, but they are not 

allowed to look at each-other’s side of the card. 

An electronic timer measures the time needed to 

complete the structure. The quicker the duo are 

finished, the more points they get. The final result 

is tallied up after all possible two-man teams 

have taken the same number of turns. 

* Our suggestion: 4 - 8 players 

by: 

Julien Sentis 

Publisher: 

Zoch 

Illustrator: 

Benedikt Beck 

by: 

Inka and Markus Brand 

Publisher: 

Kosmos 

Illustrator: 

Franz Vohwinkel



12 

Libertalia 

Mixtour 

13 


• age 14+ * 



2 players • 

age 10+ • 



After a last foray out to sea, the old pirates plan 

to retire to Libertalia. Each player has the same 

crew on his hand of cards, but decides himself 

when to bring into play the beggar or bartender, 

the ship‘s boy or the Spanish governor. How these 

characters act and what loot they get their hands 

on, depends upon the cards played by the other 

players. Particularly in demand are nocturnal abilities 

that can be used as long as the character is 

still in the pirate cave and not yet in the cemetery. 

Played out over three campaigns, the final foray of 

the ageing pirates is a gripping gamble on the best 

action at the right time. The richest pirate wins the 

swift, cunning and easily understood game. 

Deploying game pieces, building towers, moving 

towers around: this abstract, strategic game for 

two players follows known patterns but breaks 

with the typical rules for such moves. Paramount 

for the range of a move is not the number of pieces 

with which the moving tower is built, but 

rather the height of the tower on the target field. 

For example a piece can only be placed on top 

of a three piece tower if the tower is exactly three 

squares away. The route between the pieces 

and the target tower must be clear. The other 

player’s pieces may be also be moved, so that 

towers built of one’s own and the opponent’s 

pieces rise up on the solid beechwood board. 

When a tower reaches at least five levels the 

game is over. The winner is the one who owns 

the top piece of the winning pile. 


by: 

Paolo Mori 

Publisher: 

Marabunta 

Sales: 

Asmodee 

Illustrators: 

Benjamin Carré and 

Stéphane Gantiez 

by: 

Dieter Stein 

Publisher: 

Gerhards Spiel und Design 

Illustrator: 

not specified



14 

Riff Raff 

Rondo 

15 


• age 8+ 




age 8+ • 



This game of skill is a genuine eye catcher: a 

big wooden galleon rolls around on a mountainous 

wave in the game box. Due to its gimbal 

mounting, it easily gets out of balance and begins 

to swing to and fro. The higher the cargo is 

stowed in the yardarms, the sooner it will slide 

overboard. Who is going to be the first to get rid 

of all eight of his pieces, which are of different 

weight and bulkiness? Besides a steady hand, 

a grasp of tactics is required, because the place 

on the yardarm and the order of play are decided 

by cards dealt out in parallel with each round. 

In case of a tie, the captain has the last word. 

When one or more objects fall off the yardarm, 

quick reactions are called for: cargo caught in 

this way is laid aside. Pieces that fall in the sea 

must later be placed back on the ship. 

Players take ornately carved stone discs from the 

bag and initially place them on their own racks. In 

later moves the stones will be placed onto the double-sided 

game board – on number fields of matching 

colour and always in a contiguous fashion. 

How is it possible to collect many points? Several 

identically coloured stones may be stacked on top 

of each other: the hopefully high number on the 

field is then multiplied by the number of stones. If a 

colour that is needed to complete a row of stones 

is missing, a stone rotated to its neutral side may 

help: it scores no points, but can close the gap to 

other, valuable fields. Fortune, a good overview 

and some well-chosen tactical moves will lead to 

victory in this beautifully designed board game for 

all generations. 

by: 

Christoph Cantzler 

Publisher: 

Zoch 

Illustrator: 

Michael Menzel 

by: 

Reiner Knizia 

Publisher: 

Schmidt Spiele 

Illustrator: 

Eckhard Freytag

16 


Yay! 


• age 8+ 



The “Spiel des Jahres” incentive 

program 

The „Spiel des Jahres” association promotes 

and supports game-related projects such as 

events, activities, exhibitions, book publication 

and media projects. Anyone interesting in this 

incentive program can apply with details of his 

project and request funding. 

In 2013 the following projects in Germany, Austria 

and Switzerland were given financial support: 

17 

In this dice game the players need not just luck, 

but also deftness in throwing the dice. Not just 

the number of pips, but also the position of the 

three dice in the wooden arena is important. The 

sum of the pips may only be entered into those 

of the 64 squares on the board that are touched 

by one of the dice. Additionally, this sum must be 

greater than the values already noted in neighbouring 

fields by the other players. Whoever 

achieves this can use a coloured crayon to cross 

out the competitor’s numbers. However it lies in 

the nature of playing with dice that the best laid 

schemes often go awry. Trying to improve one’s 

throw may risk having one’s own entries crossed 

out. In the end the most accurate dice thrower 

with the highest valid point count wins. 

• Board game festival „SpielBar“, Augsburg 

• Family game festival in the town of Baesweiler 

• „Nachgemacht“ - recreation of games in the 

DDR 

• Europäische Spielesammler Gilde e.V., Berlin, 

exhibition at the „SPIEL“ trade fair in Essen 

• „Bocholt spielt“ 

• Hippodice-authors competition 

• „NRW spielt“ 

• „Die Spiele der SBZ und DDR“ 

• Game presentation in the Dietzenbach public 

library 

• Game evening Duisburg 

• Game and picnic day for families in Essen 

• „Spielen macht schlau“ 

• „Greifswald spielt“ 

• „Franken spielt“ 

• „Hüls spielt“ 

• „Eichstätt spielt“ 

• „JUZ spielt“ 

• „Unsere kleine Stadt 2013“, Offenburg 

• Salzburg Game Days 

• Exhibition at the St. Gallen Night of Games 

• Exhibition „Ausgezeichnet“, Wunstorf-Steinhude 

by: 

Heinz Meister 

Publisher: 

Noris-Spiele 

Artwork: 

Schachzug 

The incentive program continues in 2014. 

Further information and an application form can 

be found on our homepage under „Wir fördern“ 

in time. Last date for submission 

of applications is 30th 

November 2013. 

Visit our homepage 

www.spiel-des-jahres.com 

for further information or 

simply scan the QR-Code!

18 

Kennerspiel des Jahres: winner 

Die Legenden von Andor 

19 


• age 10+ 



Evil creatures threaten the land of Andor. King 

Baldur’s subjects are particularly afraid of Tarok 

the Dragon, but there are some heroes willing to 

put up a fight. In this cooperative fantasy game, 

the players join forces as dwarfs, wizards, archers 

and warriors and embark on challenging 

and varied adventures. To survive in the socalled 

legends requires determined action and 

efficient application of the particular talents of 

each of the heroes. Those who can best bundle 

will and strength have better chances in the duel 

of the dice against skrals or wardraks. However, 

nearly all actions take time. If the objective of the 

legend is not reached in time, Evil wins. As the 

legend is gradually explained, the heroes first 

learn about the true objective during the game 

itself. 


A game like a good novel: 

The Legends of Andor 

sweeps you away into a 

unique fantasy world. From 

adventure to adventure, 

more is revealed about the 

fate of the land of Andor, 

immersing the heroes ever 

deeper in the atmospheric narrative – the game becomes 

an enthralling experience. 

Additionally, the way 

the rules are presented is innovative: 

simple start-of-play 

instructions enable a quick 

start; the details are explained 

only when needed. 

by: 


Publisher: 

Kosmos 

Illustrator: 

Michael Menzel and 

Michaela Kienle

Kennerspiel des Jahres: nominated 

Kennerspiel des Jahres: nominated 

20 

Brügge 

Die Paläste von Carrara 

21 


• age 10+ 




age 10+ • 



In the medieval town of Bruges, the burghers 

build houses and canals, try to exert influence in 

the town hall and fear losses arising from threats 

of intrigue or from the black death. Fortunately, 

they can lever the virtues and assets of their allied 

citizens: at the start of the game each player 

has five out of a total of 165 different characters 

in his hand. However, these cards – the central 

element of this tactical game – play many other 

roles: they distribute revenue, recruit urgently 

needed henchmen or can even be converted 

into houses into which other people can move. 

Time and again, the tricky question arises: which 

card to use for which action? Even more so as 

the colour of the cards plays a role as well. Who 

can forge the best allegiances and thus collect 

the most points? 

As princes in 16th century Italy, the players 

construct magnificent palaces in order to score 

points and win the favour of the king. However, 

not every building material can be used in each 

of the six cities. The necessary stones need to 

be bought on the market, which is designed as 

a rotating turntable. Of course, here the costs 

change from round to round. He who buys at the 

right time, gets cheaper access to his favourite 

building tiles. In addition, the players must keep 

the plans of their competitors in view, otherwise 

they might miss the right moment for valuations. 

Speed is imperative – especially since the king 

only rewards the various architectural styles for 

a limited time and this strategy game, with its 

changeable criteria for point assignment, can be 

finished surprisingly quickly. 


by: 

Stefan Feld 

Publisher: 

Hans im Glück 

Sales: 


Illustrator: 


by: 

Wolfgang Kramer and 

Michael Kiesling 

Publischer: 

Hans im Glück 

Sales: 


Illustrator: 

Franz Vohwinkel

Kennerspiel des Jahres: recommended 

Kennerspiel des Jahres: recommended 

22 Terra Mystica Tzolk’in – Der Maya-Kalender 

23 


• age 12+ 

• about 60 - 150 minutes 



age 13+ • 

about 90 minutes * • 


Chaos magicians, giants and darklings. Witches, 

fakirs and cultists. Each player governs 

the fortunes of one of 14 possible factions. As 

varied as the inhabitants of Terra Mystica are, 

all have in common the ability to transform the 

landscape: using terraforming they can convert 

fields into preferential building plots. Upon these 

they erect structures such as houses, temples 

or strongholds and even found complete towns 

and cities. In this opulently appointed strategy 

game, buildings erected close to other player’s 

populations are rewarded with additional power. 

Given the many possibilities for action, it is 

important to get the timing right to achieve best 

possible points in the six rounds of assessment. 

Those players who revere the various cults and 

spread their constructions on the board widely 

and wisely, will really clean up in the final assessment. 

by: 

Helge Ostertag and Jens 

Drögemüller 

Publisher: 

Feuerland 

Illustrator: 

Dennis Lohausen 

The Maya Calender captivates the players. Gearwheels 

connect five action sites on the board 

where Mayan cultures are developing. Due to 

the various sizes of the gearwheels, the workers 

placed upon them progress with different 

speeds. The further the workers rotate, the more 

valuable they become. However, the players 

would like to be involved with their pieces everywhere, 

as all around there are useful things to 

do: obtaining corn as food and currency, making 

technological progress, attaining the pleasure 

of the gods and erecting buildings and monuments. 

There are many way to collect points. 

Even transporting crystal skulls to Chichen Itza 

is worthwhile. The players experience a fascinating 

period of history that finishes with a totalling 

up of points after the fourth harvest festival. 

* Our experience: about 90 - 120 minutes 

by: 

Daniele Tascini and 

Simone Luciani 

Publisher: 

Czech Games Edition 

Sales: 

Heidelberger Spieleverlag 

Illustrator, Artwork: 

Filip Murmak, Milan Vavroň

Kinderspiel des Jahres: winner 

24 

Der verzauberte Turm 

25 


• age 5+ 



The sinister sorcerer Ravenhorst has locked up 

the princess in the tower and hidden the key somewhere 

in the forest. However, Brave Robin 

has already begun to search for it: does the key 

lie under a rock or is it hidden between flowers? 

In this three-dimensional game, sixteen openings 

in the board are covered with little tiles. 

Together, the players move a magnetic game 

piece from tile to tile. When they hear a „click“, 

Robin has found the correct hiding place and 

must now use the key to try to open one of six 

identical-looking locks on the tower. If he selects 

the right one, the princess jumps up in the air 

for joy. However, if the team chooses the wrong 

lock, the magician gets to hide the key all over 

again. Teamwork and a good memory are called 

for in this beautifully appointed magnetic game. 


When the princess jumps 

for joy right out of the 

tower, it makes for a “key” 

experience every time. 

With the race through the 

forest, the authors create 

a maximum of excitement: 

Where is the key hidden? 

In which keyhole will it fit? What will come out 

on top, the persistence of Robin’s team or the 

subtlety of Ravenhorst the 

sorcerer? These questions 

fascinate young and old in 

this well-appointed memory 

game, which is also ideal 

for just two players. 

by: 

Inka and Markus Brand 

Publisher: 

Schmidt Spiele / 

Marke Drei Magier Spiele 

Illustrator: 

Rolf Vogt

Kinderspiel des Jahres: nominated 

Kinderspiel des Jahres: nominated 

26 

Gold am Orinoko 

Mucca Pazza 

27 


• age 7+ 




age 4+ • 



On the banks of the South American Orinoco 

River, precious treasures are hidden in ancient 

ruins. Already, prospector teams are making 

their way there. Unfortunately however, the gold 

lies on the other side of the raging torrent. To 

reach the other shore and collect the most valuable 

coins in the dense jungle, one must bravely 

place one‘s adventurers on logs floating downriver. 

The clever use of two dice determines where 

the team can jump onto the wooden logs and 

how far they will drift along in the water. But beware: 

the competitors never sleep! They in turn 

try to position the logs so that they can snatch 

the most coins. Tactical considerations and a 

good portion of luck with the dice provide plenty 

of excitement for young and old. 

That‘s what happens when the creatures allow 

themselves to be teleported by the cheeky cow 

„Mucca Pazza“ from the planet “Cowpiter” to the 

earth: while teleporting them, she presses the 

forbidden „somersault“ button. Suddenly the red 

cat has the body of the blue pig and the legs of 

the yellow bird. A good thing the kids are there 

to sort things out again. In this fun sliding puzzle, 

they must skilfully rearrange the creatures’ body 

parts by sliding them around. Cards indicate for 

which correctly assembled animals points can 

be won – and in the advanced version also how 

many points. There it is important to use the 

three bonus moves wisely, because sometimes 

even chain reactions are possible. A good eye is 

required in any case. The hilarious illustrations 

provide plenty of eye candy! 

by: 

Bernhard Weber 

Publisher: 

Haba 

Illustrator: 


by: 

Iris Rossbach 

Publisher: 

Zoch 

Illustrator: 

Iris Rossbach

Kinderspiel des Jahres: recommended 


28 

Baobab 

Bim Bamm! 

29 


• age 6+ 




age 6+ • 



The Baobab or monkey bread tree is one of the 

most famous trees in Africa, particularly known 

for its unusually expansive upper crown. It is obvious 

that many creatures can find refuge in there, 

provided that the players are careful. It takes 

skill and intuition to successfully place the creature 

cards on the three-dimensional cardboard 

tree: a bird card must be thrown like a Frisbee, 

the leopard card „jumps“ from ten centimetres 

up onto the tree, and since bats usually fly in the 

dark, such a card must be placed into the branches 

with eyes closed. When one or more of the 

cards fall out of the tree, the current player must 

add them to his deck. Only those who demonstrate 

great skill will succeed in getting rid of all 

their cards and win this nerve-wracking game. 

Memory games for kids are not exactly seldom. 

„Bim Bamm!“ is one of them, but it adds nifty 

new elements. Both sides of the cards are printed 

with five different creatures. Each occurs six 

times, and we are not looking for twins but rather 

for quintuplets. That would be easy if all players 

had the same goal, but this is not the case. 

Each child has received secret orders, namely 

for what species he should look. Therefore the 

players must not only ensure they reach their 

own objectives, but also try to guess the those 

of the other players. This calls not just for a good 

memory, but also for the ability to deduce and 

bluff – and the clever use of an action token, 

which sometimes decides on victory and defeat. 

by: 

Josep Maria Allué 

Publisher: 

Piatnik 

Illustrator: 

arteffekt.at 

by: 

Lukas Zach and 

Michael Palm 

Publisher: 

Drei Hasen in der 

Abendsonne 

Illustrator: 

Johann Rüttinger



30 

Kakerlakak 

Kuddelmuddel 

31 


• age 5+ 




age 5+ • 



Help! A naughty but nimble cockroach whizzes 

back and forth across the kitchen and drives the 

chef almost to despair. True to the motto „Place 

the the cutlery right, and the cockroach will be 

gone without a fight”, the players as vermin exterminators 

try to manoeuvre the bug into the 

trap – without using any chemicals, just the 24 

knives, forks and spoons on the board. The die 

determines which of the three types of cutlery 

you must turn on the board to guide the speeding, 

battery-operated mini-robot cleverly in a 

suitable direction. If the cockroach ends up in 

the trap, there‘s a chip as a reward. Whoever 

first collects five cockroach chips wins this amusing 

and turbulent action game, for which a good 

eye and quick reactions are required. 

What a chaotic muddle: 80 cards lie face-down 

and all higgledy-piggledy around a bell. Three 

different objects are depicted on the face of each 

card, for example, a banana, a donkey and an 

umbrella. Now off we go: All play simultaneously 

and uncover the cards one by one, which are 

then laid down in a row in front of each player. 

But be careful: a card may only be added to a 

row if it matches at least one object of the adjacent 

card, which may be to its left or right. Once 

a player has built up a series of seven cards, he 

quickly rings the bell. If all the cards do indeed 

match up, he gets to keep them. When no cards 

are left in the middle, the player with the most 

cards wins. An amusing reaction game for the 

whole family, in which it is necessary to study 

the cards closely. 

by: 

Peter-Paul Joopen 

Publisher: 

Ravensburger 

Illustrators: 

Janos Jantner and 

Maximilian Jasionowski 

by: 

Haim Shafir and 

Günter Burkhardt 

Publisher: 

Amigo 

Illustrator: 

Yaniv Shimoni



32 

Linus, der kleine Magier 

Madagascar Catan Junior 

33 


• age 3+ 




age 6+ • 



Casting of spells needs practise and patience! 

Little Linus really ought to practice some more, 

because he accidentally hexed some of his toys. 

But which ones? The ball, the bat or the cat? 

Thirty different toy tiles are laid out on the table, 

with eighteen matching search cards face-up in 

a stack. The player who‘s turn it is and who believes 

he has found one of the bewitched toys, 

places the figure of the little sorcerer with its 

magnetic foot on the tile. If the tile is magically 

attracted when the figure is lifted, the player 

collects the toy and the matching search card. 

If nothing happens, the next player tries his luck. 

An exciting game that captivates beginners and 

along the way encourages perception, motor 

skills and memory. 

Marty the Zebra, Gloria the Hippo, Alex the Lion 

and Melman the Giraffe rove around the country 

as competitors, each with their own traveling 

circus. Where does it best pay to pitch the 

circus tent? Do fields or meadows or forest or 

desert bring advantages? By cleverly choosing 

the best places, one can steadily expand right 

across the board with the circus. As for the fascinating 

game depth, the new, optimized „Catan 

Junior“ can easily compete with its big brother 

„Settlers of Catan“. Whereas the adults gather 

and exchange resources, the children provide 

an ample supply of popcorn and cocktails. The 

moderate, child-friendly playing time and a very 

workable and entertaining variant for two players 

make this excellent tactical game interesting 

not only for fans of the film Madagascar 3. 

by: 

Wolfgang Dirscherl 

Publisher: 

Schmidt Spiele / 

Marke Drei Magier Spiele 

Illustrator: 

Rolf Vogt 

by: 

Klaus Teuber 

Publisher: 

Kosmos 

Artwork: 

Madagascar 3 and 

Andreas Resch



34 

Mix Fix 

Move & Twist 

35 


• age 7+ 




age 5+ • 



„Fishshipfishsheep“? Or is it „sheepfishfrogship“? 

Whatever. “Peter Piper …” is a novice’s 

exercise compared to the tongue twisters in the 

hilarious dice and concentration game „Mix Fix“. 

Here the dice and cards show pictures of fish, 

ships, sheep and frogs. Everyone is trying to get 

rid of cards as soon as they can, but this is only 

possible if one of the cards depicts the same 

combination as do the four dice. This calls for 

concentration – even more so, since one must 

then also pronounce the word correctly. To the 

delight of the others, even the best memory whiz 

may fail here. Its almost incidental who loses; 

players who can laugh at themselves always win 

out. 

Cute ladybirds crawl quickly up flower stems, 

trying to be first to reach the beautiful blossoms 

at the top. Piece by piece, each player chooses 

individual stem and blossom cards to lay down 

and build his own complete flower. But first, on 

each card a dexterity test using five small wooden 

ladybirds awaits the player. Perhaps he 

should flip them from their backs onto their bellies, 

or – with steady hands – balance three of 

them on his fingertips, or even carry two around 

on his tummy while doing a spider walk. The 

more skilfully a player proceeds, the faster the 

flower grows. Especially when adults try their 

luck, children will curl up with pleasure, without 

realising how much this hugely fun game is casually 

training their motor skills, concentration 

and coordination. 

by: 

Andrew and Jack Lawson 

Publisher: 

Piatnik 

Illustrator: 

Arthur Wagner 

by: 

Kerstin Wallner and 

Klaus Miltenberger 

Publisher: 

Beleduc 

Illustrator: 

Carmen Hochmann



36 

Pingi Pongo 

Star Wars – Battle of Hoth 

37 


• age 5+ 



2 or 4 players • 

age 8+ • 



South Pole, here we come! Each penguin family 

wants to be the first there. However, in this race 

more haste means less speed. Some ice floes 

can prove to be very fragile. Then there is Orca, 

the dangerous killer whale, that repeatedly crosses 

the path of the penguins, blocking potential 

shortcuts. At the end of the day, what counts is 

family solidarity: Only those who have brought 

the whole family through to the finish win. This 

brisk dice game requires tactical ingenuity from 

the participants: is it better to press on ahead 

with one figure while risking that the rest will be 

left behind? Or to keep the penguins together, 

increasing the likelihood of being overtaken? If, 

on top of everything, the ice breaks up, it will 

set the penguins back a few fields. While always 

keeping a close eye on Orca, of course. This 

ice-cold race is not for hotheads. 

The battle for the ice planet Hoth from the movie 

„Star Wars - Episode V: The Empire Strikes 

Back“ is one of the classic scenes in film history. 

Here it has been developed into an exciting strategy 

game that is not just for young star warriors. 

Rather like a futuristic chess game, the finely 

detailed miniature figures are moved around 

the changeable and shifting board. Diversified, 

but at the same time intuitive, rules make each 

character quite distinctive and contribute to the 

tactical challenge. The confrontation between 

the troops of the Empire under the leadership 

of sinister Darth Vader and the rebels around 

young Luke Skywalker really comes to life. The 

strength of the game lies particularly in the variability 

of its material, such that every round can 

look and be different. 

by: 

Peter Neugebauer 

Publisher: 

Noris 

Illustrator: 

Johann Rüttinger 

by: 

not specified 

Publisher: 

Lego 

Illustrator: 

not specified

38 

Previous award winners 

Spiel des Jahres 

1979: Hase und Igel 

1980: Rummikub 

1981: Focus 

1982: Sagaland 

1983: Scotland Yard 

1984: Dampfross 

1985: Sherlock Holmes´ Criminal-Cabinet 

1986: Heimlich & Co 

1987: Auf Achse 

1988: Barbarossa und die Rätselmeister 

1989: Café International 

1990: Adel verpflichtet 

1991: Drunter & Drüber 

1992: Um Reifenbreite 

1993: Bluff 

1994: Manhattan 

1995: Die Siedler von Catan 

1996: El Grande 

1997: Mississippi Queen 

1998: Elfenland 

1999: Tikal 

2000: Torres 

2001: Carcassonne 

2002: Villa Paletti 

2003: Der Palast von Alhambra 

2004: Zug um Zug 

2005: Niagara 

2006: Thurn und Taxis 

2007: Zooloretto 

2008: Keltis 

2009: Dominion 

2010: Dixit 

2011: Qwirkle 

2012: Kingdom Builder 

2013: Hanabi 

Kinderspiel des Jahres 

2001: Klondike 

2002: Maskenball der Käfer 

2003: Viva Topo! 

2004: Geistertreppe 

2005: Das kleine Gespenst 

2006: Der schwarze Pirat 

2007: Beppo der Bock 

2008: Wer war‘s? 

2009: Das magische Labyrinth 

2010: Diego Drachenzahn 

2011: Da ist der Wurm drin 

2012: Schnappt Hubi! 

2013: Der verzauberte Turm 

Kennerspiel des Jahres 

2011: 7 Wonders 

2012: Village 

2013: Die Legenden von Andor 

39

Find a game 

Find a game 

40 

Award Winners Kinderspiele 2013 

Award Winners Spiele 2013 

41 

Age Title Difficulty Players 

3 

4 

5 

Linus, der 

kleiner 

Magier 

Playing 

time 

(min) 

Page 

+ 2 - 4 10 32 

Mucca 

Pazza n + 2 - 4 20 27 

Der verzauberte 

Turm 

+ 2 - 4 20 24 

5 Kakerlakak + 2 - 4 15 30 

5 

5 

Kuddelmuddel 

Move & 

Twist 

+ 2 - 4 15 31 

+ 2 - 6 20 35 

5 Pingi Pongo ++ 2 - 4 20 36 

6 Bim Bamm! + 2 - 5 15 29 

6 Baobab ++ 2 - 4 15 28 

6 

Madagascar 

Catan Junior 

+++ 2 - 4 30 33 

7 Mix Fix + 2 - 6 15 34 

7 

8 

Gold am 

Orinoko n +++ 2 - 4 20 26 

Star Wars - 

Battle of 

Hoth 

+++ 2 - 4 15 37 

+ = easy to learn 

++ = normal 

+++ = challenging 

++++ = especially challenging 

* = our rating varies from that of 

the publisher 

Highlighted in blue: = Kinderspiel des Jahres 

n 

= nominated games 

Highlighted in red: = Spiel des Jahres 

n 


Highlighted in anthracite: = Kennerspiel des Jahres 

n 


The tables are sorted in ascending order by age and difficulty. 


Playing 

time 

(min) 

Page 

8 La Boca + 3 - 6 40 11 

8 Qwixx n + 2 - 5 15 7 

8 Riff Raff + 2 - 4 30 14 

8 Rondo + 2 - 4 30 15 

8 Yay! + 2 - 4 30 16 

8 Augustus n ++ 2 - 6 30 6 

8 

10 

Escape - 

Der Fluch 

des Tempels 

Hand aufs 

Herz 

+++ 1 - 5 10 9 

+ 4 - 8* 30 10 

10 Mixtour + 2 25 13 

10* Divinare ++ 2 - 4 30 8 

10* Hanabi ++ 2 -5 30 4 

12* Libertalia +++ 2 - 6 60 12 

Award Winners Kennerspiele 2013 


period 

(Min) 

page 

10 

Die 

Legenden ++ 2 - 4 90 18 

von Andor 

10 

Die 

Paläste von +++ 2 - 4 60 21 

Carrara n 

12 Brügge n +++ 2 - 4 60 20 

12 

Terra 

Mystica 

++++ 2 - 5 60 - 150 22 

13 

Tzolk‘in - 

Der Maya 

Kalender 

++++ 2 - 4 

90 - 

120* 

23

Index / Impressum 

42 index 

Augustus............................................................6 

Baobab............................................................28 

Bim Bamm!.....................................................29 

Brügge...........................................................20 

Der verzauberte Turm....................................24 

Die Legenden von Andor..................................18 

Die Paläste von Carrara..................................21 

Divinare.............................................................8 

Escape - Der Fluch des Tempels......................9 

Gold am Orinoko............................................26 

Hanabi...............................................................4 

Hand aufs Herz...............................................10 

Kakerlakak......................................................30 

Kuddelmuddel.................................................31 

La Boca...........................................................11 

Libertalia..........................................................12 

Linus, der kleine Magier..................................32 

Madagascar Catan Junior...............................33 

Mix Fix............................................................34 

Mixtour.............................................................13 

Move & Twist...................................................35 

Mucca Pazza...................................................27 

Pingi Pongo.....................................................36 

Qwixx.................................................................7 

Riff Raff...........................................................14 

Rondo..............................................................15 

Star Wars - Battle of Hoth...............................37 

Terra Mystica...................................................22 

Tzolk‘in - Der Maya-Kalender..........................23 

Yay!.................................................................16 

The 2013 Juries 

The jury for Spiel des Jahres and 

Kennerspiel des Jahres 

The jury for „Spiel des Jahres“ and „Kennerspiel des Jahres“ 

2013 (clockwise from lower left): Sandra Lemberger, 

Karsten Grosser, Bernhard Löhlein, Chris Mewes, Tom Felber, 

Udo Bartsch, Wieland Herold, Birgit Nößler, Andreas Haaß. 

Missing: Norbert Block. 

The critics prize „Spiel des Jahres“ has been awarded 

annually since 1979. Since 2011 this has been extended 

by the selection of a „Kennerspiel des Jahres“. The 

ten person jury responsible for both prizes consists solely 

of journalists in the field of games and is completely 

independent of publisher and retail groups. 

The jury for Kinderspiel des Jahres 

43 

Impressum 

1st Edition 2013 

Editorial Office: Spiel des Jahres e. V. 

Glashüttenstr. 38, 52349 Düren, 

Telefon: +49 (0) 2421 6936947 

mail@spiel-des-jahres.com 

Design: temedes gmbh, 52349 Düren 

Print: 

Prost Druck GmbH, 52428 Jülich 

Copyright Photos: Spiel des Jahres e.V. and the 

publishers for their covershots 

Further informationen on www.spiel-des-jahres.com 

Jury and advisory board for „Kinderspiel des Jahres“ 2013 (from 

the left): Tanja Liebmann-Décombe, Stefanie Marckwardt, Tina 

Kraft, Cordula Dernbach, Stefan Gohlisch, Sabine Koppelberg, 

Iris Treiber, Sandra Baumgartner. 

The critics prize „Kinderspiel des Jahres“, in existence 

since 2001, is awarded by an eight person jury, whose 

members work intensively with children’s games. In 

2013 the jury consisted of four members of the „Spiel 

des Jahres“ association and four advisors.

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Award Winning Games 2013 - Spiel des Jahres

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