The 2015 Spiel des Jahres—German Game of the Year—has been awarded to Colt Express from publishers Ludonaute and Asmodee and designer Christophe Raimbault. Colt Express is a game of competitive train-robbing in the old west, played on three-dimensional rail cars. To win, one has to not only steal the most loot but also keep it away from fellow bandits. And then there’s the big bonus for firing the most bullets.

The Kennerspiel des Jahres, or Expert Game of the Year award, was given to Broom Service from publishers Alea and Ravensburger and designers Andreas Pelikan and Alexander Pfister. A remake of the earlier Witch’s Brew, Broom Service is a game in which the players collect ingredients for magic potions. Choosing a selection of roles to act on each round, they must also choose for each role whether to go with the stronger but riskier “brave” action or the safer “cowardly” action.

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Attention Stefan Feld fans: a new Feldian game is on its way. La Isla, to be published in September 2014, is an 1-hour adventure for 2 to 4 players on a decagonal game board, i.e. the uncharted island. It also marks a cornerstone for Feld to publish a game in the Alea medium box series.

Leading a group of explorers, players in La Isla will encircle long-thought-extinct creatures like Dodo and Golden Toad with 3D figures, play cards to gain special powers and deploy resources, and compete to be the quickest to capture the most for scoring VP. For more details, check out La Isla’s rulebook.

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