The US version of Spiel Des Jahres honors four games in several categories
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The American Tabletop Awards, America's answer to the German Spiel des Jahres, is back for the sixth year in a row. The annual award celebrates the very best in board games across four different categories, with dozens of games judged by a panel of industry experts who collaborate within a common set of ethical guidelines. The result is a collection of 20 excellent games, with four winners in total. The categories mirror last year's and include titles best for early players, an assortment of Casual Games, more traditional strategy games, as well as complex games for more experienced players.
Blob Party, from Wizkids, takes home this year's award for Early Gamers – games intended for ages 12 and under. The cooperative party game beat out recommended titles like the dice game Chicken! and AEG's Deep Dive. Meanwhile, in the Casual Games category, it was Sea Salt & Paper whose well-photographed paper art style got the most heads in the committee. Pandasaurus' acclaimed card game narrowly took the prize from runners-up Dorfromantik: The Board Game and Next Station: Tokyo.
