Spiel des Jahres - beyond the Red Pawn (Topic Discussion)
About this episode
This episode discusses the broader activities of the Spiel des Jahres organization beyond its annual award.
For many people, Spiel des Jahres is something they encounter only once a year. A list of nominees appears, winners are announced, and the familiar Red Pawn finds its way onto board game boxes that in turn appear on shop shelves. Yet, the award itself is only the most visible part of the organisation's work. Behind the annual announcements sits an association that funds projects, supports research, encourages new designers, and promotes the social value of play. In this third article in the series, I want to look at those activities that reveal a side of Spiel des Jahres that is often overlooked, particularly outside German-speaking countries, where the organisation is frequently seen only as a prestigious board game award. Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2026/06/23/spiel-des-jahres-beyond-the-red-pawn-topic-discussion/ Useful Links Spiel des Jahres (German): https://www.spiel-des-jahres.de/ Spiel des Jahres funding programme (German): https://www.spiel-des-jahres.de/foerderung/ University of Konstanz : https://www.uni-konstanz.de/en/ Museen der Stadt Nürnberg (German): https://museen.nuernberg.de/startseite Spielend für Toleranz (German)…
People in this episode
Host: Tabletop Games Blog
Topics covered
- Spiel des Jahres
- board game awards
- game design
- social value of play
- German board games
Keywords
- board games
- awards
- Spiel des Jahres
- game design
- social play
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Spiel des Jahres, University of Konstanz, Museen der Stadt Nürnberg, Spielend für Toleranz, Deutsches Nachwuchs-Spieleautor*innen-Stipendium
More episodes of Tabletop Games Blog - board game reviews and discussions with a personal touch
- Kaleidoscopic Games - the history of colours in board games (Topic Discussion)
- Vantage (Saturday Review)
- The Two Body Problem - design challenges of two-player only games (Topic Discussion)
- Grab Bag: Jungle (Saturday Review)
- Spiel des Jahres - the 2026 nominations and the mission behind them (Topic Discussion)
- Eternal Decks (Saturday Review)
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Tabletop Games Blog - board game reviews and discussions with a personal touch podcast page.