The nominees for the Spiel des Jahres (German Game of the Year) were announced on May 31, 2010. The SdJ is a prestigious game award which, according to Wikipedia, can triple the game sales of a nominee, and multiply the sales of the winner by thirty times or more. So far, I haven't run across a single SdJ winner that I haven't thoroughly enjoyed. Past winners include: Settlers of Catan, Carcassonne, and Ticket to Ride.
This year's nominees include (in alphabetical order):
A la Carte
Dixit
Fresco
Identik (aka Portrayal)
Roll Through the Ages
Some of the games are a little older in the U.S. market, but this was their first year published in Germany so they are up for the award.
The jury selecting the nominees also creates a list of "recommended" games (sort of an honorable mention). Among those recommended was Jaipur - a game that is fast becoming a favorite of my wife and I.
Two other quick news items: Settlers of Catan will be coming to the Play Station Network. It looks like Sony has decided to jump on the board game bandwagon after Microsoft obtained, among others, Carcassonne.
Finally, a German game from World War I, where the object was to conquer Britain, after being found in an attic in pristine condition, is being auctioned. You can read about it, and see pictures, here. According to various reports, Unterseekriegspiel (loosely translating to Submarine Wargame), it is expected to sell for four hundred pounds.
