News Bits: 7/8/2013

Another week, another NEWS:

UPDATE: Spiel des Jahres awarded to Hanabi, Kennerspiel des Jahres to Legends of Andor [Link] These choices are a surprise (especially Hanabi, a small-box game), but not an unwelcome one. Also, we have reviewed both Hanabi and Legends of Andor if you'd like to see our thoughts on the games.

Board Game Geek launches GenCon 2013 preview [Link] GenCon is the big gaming convention in the States, and this preview is a must for convention goers. There are a number of games on the list that I plan to investigate further at the convention.

News Bits: 6/17/2013

I expect we'll see some Origins coverage this week. But for now, the NEWS:

Dominion Strategy blog releases spoiler list for Dominion: Guilds [Link] I'd like to play this set right now. This last Dominion set looks like a blast!

News Bits: 5/28/2013

The holiday pushed off this week's NEWS:

Spiel des Jahres 2013 nominees announced [Link] Definitely some surprises on the nominee list this year as two games nominated for the award are small-box games. The choices seem a bit eccentric, but not having played many of the nominees, I will allow others to hold forth on their worthiness.

Going Postal (a review of Thurn and Taxis)

That coveted Spiel des Jahres pawn. For some it signals the pinnacle of gaming awesomeness. For others it signals simple games for the uninitiated, something one puts behind oneself once one becomes more mature. (One, one, one.) Regardless of how you feel about the red pawn, publishers welcome it as they might Oprah's imprimatur on books, because many customers have come to rely on the belaureled red pawn as a symbol of what to buy after Settlers of Catan.

Indeed, once I got more into gaming, the Spiel des Jahres award was my guide for what to try next. I've loved most of my interactions with Spiel des Jahres-winning games. So how does Thurn and Taxis, which won the award in 2006, stack up against others? Find out below!