May 23, 2022 – One of the most prestigious awards is getting underway. Today the Kennerspiel des Jahres 2022 nominations were announced. This award out of Germany is part of the Spiel des Jahres awards that are part of the Essen game convention. This particular award translates to the best expert game of the year. Usually something more strategic and complex than the general wide audience pleasers that you will find in the namesake award. Here are the nominations:
- Cryptid designed by Hal Duncan & Ruth Veevers and published by Osprey Games
- Living Forest designed by Aske Christiansen and published by Ludonaute
- Dune: Imperium designed by Paul Dennen and published by Dire Wolf Digital.
In addition to the nominations, the committee also put forward the following recommendations: Khôra, Witchstone, Arche Nova.
SEE ALSO: Spiel des Jahres 2022 Nominations | Kinderspiel des Jahres 2022 Nominations
Last year the prehistoric set coop adventure game Paleo won this award. This was an interesting win because it was up against The Lost Ruins of Arnak and so much of the chatter out there predicted that to win big. This was perceived as one of the bigger upsets of past years. Nothing against Paleo at all, it is a great game that deserves it but that just shows how big the Arnak hype is.
The Kennerspiel des Jahres started in 2011, three decades after the original Spiel des Jahres award began. It came about because the board game world has grown so big and robust that you couldn’t cram it into one box anymore. Some past winners include The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine (2020), Wingspan (2019), The Quacks of Quedlinburg (2018), Exit: The Game (2017) and Isle of Skye: From Chieftain to King (2016).
You can watch the full live stream presentation, including the Kennerspiel des Jahres 2022 nominations, below:
ABOUT THE KENNERSPIEL DES JAHRES 2022 NOMINEES
Cryptid
You’ve studied the footage, connected the dots, and gathered what meagre evidence you could. You’re close – soon the whole world will know the truth behind the Cryptid. A group of like-minded cryptozoologists have come together to finally uncover the elusive creature, but the glory of discovery is too rich to share. Without giving away some of what you know you will never succeed in locating the beast, but reveal too much and your name will be long forgotten!
Cryptid is a unique deduction game of honest misdirection in which players must try to uncover information about their opponent’s clues while throwing them off the scent of their own. Each player holds one piece of evidence to help them find the creature, and on their turn they can try to gain more information from their opponents. Be warned – give too much away and your opponents might beat you to the mysterious animal and claim the glory for themselves!
FOR MORE: Cryptid Page | Games Like Cryptid | Buy Cryptid on Amazon
Living Forest
Four Spirits of Nature – Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn – have been called to rescue the Sacred Tree of the Forest facing the devastating flames of Onibi…
In Living Forest, you play one of these four Spirits of Nature trying to save the Forest. You’re not alone in this task, Guardian Animals have come together around the Circle of Spirits where you progress to help you. Each turn, they bring some precious elements and if you manage to combine a good team of Guardian Animals, you can perform actions optimally. But beware, some of them are solitary and do not like to meet other fellows.
FOR MORE: Buy Living Forest on Amazon
Dune: Imperium
Arrakis. Dune. Desert. Planet. Raise your banner above the vast wasteland before you. As the Great Houses of the Landsraad marshal their forces and their spies, whom will you influence, and whom will you betray? A tyrannical Emperor. The secretive Bene Gesserti. The shrewd Spacing Guild. The ferocious Fremen of the Deep Desert. The power of the Imperium can be yours, but war is not the only way to claim it.
Dune: Imperium blends deck-building and worker placement in a deeply thematic new strategy game where the fate of the Empire hangs on your decisions. Will you seek political allies or rely upon military might? Economic strength or subtle intrigues? A council seat…or a sharpened blade? The cards are dealt. The choice is yours. The Imperium awaits.
FOR MORE: Buy Dune Imperium on Amazon
Source: https://www.spiel-des-jahres.de/aktuelle-preistraeger-2022/
