sdj.gifIn an upset that no one seems to have expected, Dominion has won the Spiel des Jahres (for a reminder, the SdJ is the German game of the year and is generally considered one of the most influential game awards in the industry). Dominion is the brainchild of Donald Vaccarino and is essentially a card game featuring a very innovative mechanic – everything in the game represents a card that can either be bought or put into your deck. You use your deck to help you accumulate more cards, some of which are worth victory points. This game has been a huge hit for the freshman designer, with a new expansion being released just this week (Dominion: Intrigue)! Also winning at the SdJ this year:

  • Children’s Game of the Year: Das Magische Labyrinthe by Dirk Baumann (this one’s not available in the US quite yet and features a special board that allows players to move components around the maze by moving magnets underneath the board)
  • Special-Party Game: GiftTRAP by Nick Kellett (a guessing game where players rate gifts across a grid with all of the other players attempting to guess that player’s ranking of gifts)
  • Special-New Game Worlds: Space Alert by Vlaada Chvatil (a cooperative survival game that mixes in a bit of Roborally with an audio CD that keeps the game moving)

Congratulations to all of the SdJ winners!