Card Collective Award - Game of the Year 2023

HeaderCard Collective Award 2023BlockText2

It's no secret that we here at Card Collective play a lot of board games! Every November, we highlight a number of new releases that have stood out over the past year when we announce the winners of the Card Collective Award: Best Board Game of the Year!

This year we are introducing a new category, namely the year's party game, and therefore we need to announce winners in the following categories:

• Children's Game of the Year
• Family Game of the Year
• Party Game of the Year
  
• Adult Game of the Year

What criteria do we judge from?

• The game must have been released within the last 12 months, or have received a new Danish edition in the same period.
• The game must have good gameplay and a nice visual design.
• A Danish edition is a big plus.

In short, we are looking for a title, within each category, that we can point to as a good ambassador for the board game hobby.

Let's just get to it! The winners of the Card Collective Award 2023 are.... 🥁

Gå På Planken - Children's Game of the Year 2023:

• Age: From 5 years
• Playing time: 15-30 min.
• Number of players: 2-4

In Gå På Planken, you take turns flipping cards from the deck to collect treasures. You can flip as many cards as you want until you flip two identical ones - then you move further out on the plank. As the game progresses, more and more weight is placed on the planks - right until you fall in with a splash!

This is what we have emphasized:

• Unique design involving gravity, magnets, and the back of the box.
• Beautiful presentation - especially the small elephant miniatures.
• Also fun for adults!

Sushi Go: Party - Family Game of the Year 2023:

• Age: From 8 years
• Playing time: 20 min.
• Number of players: 2-8

Experienced board gamers will recognize Sushi Go: Party as the English version has been around for a few years. In fact, it has been somewhat of a cult game among us at Card Collective for several years. So when we heard that a Danish version was on its way, we had no doubt that it was a favorite for this year's Card Collective Award.

In Sushi Go: Party you draft cards that are passed from player to player trying to put together the best sushi menu. The game is fun, fast and can be played over and over again, but also has a lot of strategic depth! It scales well from 2 to 8 players without the game taking longer, as everyone takes their turn at the same time.

Finally, the game contains a ton of options when it comes to which cards are included in the game so it never becomes monotonous.

This is what we have emphasized:

• Fun gameplay that is easy to learn but difficult to master.
  
• The game can be played over and over without becoming monotonous.
  
• Broad appeal: works with all types of players and player counts.

Hard to Get - Party Game of the Year 2023:

• Age: From 10 years
• Playing time: 15 min.
• Number of players: 2-12

In Hard to Get, one of the players is the witness, who knows one of 16 words on the table that the rest of the players must guess. The witness communicates to the other players using a series of dilemma cards. Is the word to be guessed more Bear or Chicken? More Heavy Metal or Hip Hop?

The remaining players then remove words from the table, which they believe cannot be associated with the given clues. After the fifth round, they must have found the correct word!

Hard to Get is what a good party game should be. It's a fun activity whether you're playing with your silly friends or your grandparents. It's easy to learn and leads to fun discussions!

This is what we have emphasized:

• Easy to learn.
  
• Can be played with everyone.
  
• Leads to fun discussions.

Heat: Pedal to the Metal - Adult Game of the Year 2023:

• Age: From 10 years
• Playing time: 30-60 min.
• Number of players: 1-6

Heat: Pedal to the Metal is a Danish-designed racing game where players, unsurprisingly, compete to be the first across the finish line. The central mechanic in the game is hand management where players try to balance risk vs. reward when it comes to overheating the car. Hence the name, Heat.

The race, which is the core of the game, would be a good game in itself. But on top of that, the box is just full of content that many games would save for expansions. You get, among other things, 4 different tracks, extra expansions with campaign mode, AI opponents, unique racers, and much more. Enough to keep you entertained for years!

This is what we have emphasized:

• Intense tactical gameplay.
  
• Beautiful Danish design.
  
• A ton of expansions and extra content included in the game from the start.

See last year's winners of the Card Collective Award here.

Also check out our full selection of fun board games.