Larry Levy:  Name the Nominees!

I’m posting out of cycle here, but we’re coming up on gaming’s big beauty contest, the SdJ.  The nominations will be announced on Sunday, so let the rampant speculation begin!  Which games do you think will make the final five?  Consult your tea leaves, peer into the nearest crystal ball, and put your astrologer on speed dial—whatever it takes.  Let us know what you think the choices will be and remember, given the unpredictability of the Jury, you probably have as good a chance to be right as anyone!

Let me start things off by giving my picks, along with some of my reasoning.  The way I see it, there are two clear co-favorites.  I’ll begin with those.

My frontrunner is Pillars of the Earth based upon the extremely attractive theme. (The novel sold very well in Germany and most of Europe.) It’s a bit involved for families, but still well within the confines of the SdJ.

Second on my list is Yspahan.  It’s also a little on the involved side, but it’s a terrific SdJ-type design that appeals to a wide variety of gamers.  You can play it fast and loose or try to maximize your chances at every turn.

After that, it’s less clear.  For my next couple of picks, I propose looking at the different slots, based on the popular theory that the Jury chooses one game from each of several genres. (This certainly doesn’t happen every year, but it has some validity and is fun to apply.) First, the gamer’s game slot.  Lately, this has been watered down quite a bit, so don’t expect to see a game like Imperial nominated.  My first thought for this slot was Arkadia, which is reasonably gamerly, but also quite approachable.  But then I saw that Wikinger got very high ratings at Spielbox, which traditionally tracks quite well with the Jury’s picks.  Not much to choose from here, but I think I’ll go with Wikinger, although an Arkadia nomination certainly wouldn’t surprise me.

Next, is the two-player slot, otherwise known as the “Miss Congeniality” nomination, since no pure two-player game has ever won the SdJ.  This slot isn’t a gimme, but it’s often used when there are good two-player designs around, and that’s certainly the case this year.  BattleLore has no shot, of course, but that still leaves two outstanding choices, Mr. Jack and Medici vs. Strozzi.  I’m going with Mr. Jack, which is more approachable and has wider appeal than the much more intense and gamerly M vs. S.

The last slot often goes to either a toy-like game (think Villa Paletti or Niagara) or to a total unknown. (The Jury often likes to shine the spotlight on a little known, deserving game, like Verflixxt from a couple of years ago.) I can’t think of any leading toy games and the very nature of unknowns makes it very difficult to predict them.  So for my last pick, I’m going to go with a qualified game that’s gotten some buzz, Zooloretto.  I haven’t had the chance to play it yet, but it seems like the kind of game the Jury might go for.

So those are my picks.  What about the other leading contenders?  I’ve already discussed Arkadia and Medici vs. Strozzi, and I expect at least the former (and possibly both) to get a recommendation.  Here are some others and why I’m passing them by.

Jenseits von Theban would make a wonderful SdJ pick.  It’s got a brilliant theme, it’s innovative, and it’s high-luck mechanics make it very attractive to most game lovers.  However, there’s been next to no buzz about it.  Given that it’s a reprint of a three year old game, I have to assume that it just isn’t on the radar of the Jury.  Too bad, it deserves to be nominated.

Notre Dame could sneak into the gamer’s game slot, which would be great.  But it may be just a bit too much for families.  I think a recommendation is more likely.

Venedig has nice friendly mechanics and reasonable gameplay.  The graphics could easily hurt it, though, and the theme is nothing special.  A possibility, sure, but I don’t think there’s any compelling reason to pick it.

Leonardo da Vinci is too much of a gamer’s game to get picked, IMO.  Plus, the buzz on this one has pretty much died out (a shame, as I really like it).  I only mention it because it got high ratings on Spielbox.

Taluva was also highly rated.  The components are gorgeous, with the exception of the box cover, which seems to be promoting a highly unusual method of birth control.  But the lack of both theme and buzz should doom it.

Those are my thoughts.  I’ve stuck my neck out, so what about you?  Which games do you think will be nominated by the SdJ Jury on Sunday?

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