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The Golden Geek Awards
For the past 14 years Board Game Geek have held the annual Golden Geek Awards. Nearly 10,000 users voted this year in 16 categories. Undoubtably the biggest user judged awards in the industry, the Golden Geeks are a good indicator of what was hot in the preceding year.
One particular game has cemented its reputation as the Beyoncé of board games this year with a trunk full of awards to cart home! So without further ado here’s the list of winners and runners up in the various categories:
Board Game of the Year
Winner - Wingspan
Runner Up - Paladins of the West Kingdom
Runner Up - Tapestry
2-Player Game
Winner - Watergate
Runner Up - Undaunted: Normandy
Runner Up - Blitzkrieg!: World War Two in 20 Minutes
Artwork Presentation
Winner - Wingspan
Runner Up - PARKS
Runner Up - Tapestry
Card Game
Winner - Wingspan
Runner Up - The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine
Runner Up - Marvel Champions: The Card Game
Cooperative Game
Winner - The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine
Runner Up - Marvel Champions: The Card Game
Runner Up - The Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle-earth
Expansion
Winner - Wingspan: European Expansion
Runner Up - The Quacks of Quedlinburg: The Herb Witches
Runner Up - Terraforming Mars: Turmoil
Family Game
Winner - Wingspan
Runner Up - Azul: Summer Pavilion
Runner Up - Tiny Towns
Innovative
Winner - Wingspan
Runner Up - The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine
Runner Up - Wavelength
Party Game
Winner - Wavelength
Runner Up - Letter Jam
Runner Up - Men at Work
Print Play
Winner - TINYforming Mars
Runner Up - Under Falling Skies: A 9-Card Print-and-Play Game
Runner Up - Roll Estate
Solo Game
Winner - Wingspan
Runner Up - Marvel Champions: The Card Game
Runner Up - Twice As Clever
Strategy Game
Winner - Wingspan
Runner Up - Maracaibo
Runner Up - Paladins of the West Kingdom
Thematic Game
Winner - Dune
Runner Up - Star Wars: Outer Rim
Runner Up - The Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle-earth
Wargame
Winner - Undaunted: Normandy
Runner Up - UBOOT: The Board Game
Runner Up - Blitzkrieg!: World War Two in 20 Minutes
Best Podcast
Winner - Heavy Cardboard
Runner Up - So Very Wrong About Games
Runner Up - The No Pun Included Podcast
Best Board Game App
Winner - Through the Ages - New Leaders & Wonders
Runner Up - Raiders of the North Sea
Runner Up - Twice As Clever - Doppelt So Clever
Well there we have it, winning more accolades than a Dictator in a police state during a one man election... Wingspan is the star of the show. While it is unprecedented for one game to win the Game of the Year, Card, Family AND Strategy Game categories, there’s no doubting Wingspans popularity. Whether you think it deserves all these gongs or not if you’ve never tried this ornithological engine builder perhaps now is the time to try?
Plenty more fantastic games won their categories or were close runners up so why not take a minute to look up some of these highly regarded games too!
Well thank you BGG for another interesting year of Golden Geeks. What will trend in 2020? Who knows, but one things for sure! Every year brings a slew of bigger and better games and the Zatu blogging team are here to play, review and share with you the latest and the greatest! Stay tuned board game fans!