Kennerspiel Verdummung - Die Nominierten und Empfohlenen Spiele 2026 - Eine kritische Rückschau

Summary

The video reviews the 2026 Kennerspiel des Jahres nominees and recommendations, then considers whether the award’s shortlist is becoming less complex.

2026 selections

The host praises all three nominees:

• Boss Fighters QR — A family-friendly game that combines a mobile app with physical board-game play. The host especially enjoyed playing it with his children and considers its use of the app a success.
• Moon Colony Bloodbath — A visually striking, sarcastic game about building a society on the Moon. Its dystopian setting raises questions about the future without spelling out answers; mechanically, the host finds it fairly classic.
• Rebirth — A relaxed, accessible tile-laying game that the host sees as a light entry point for more experienced players.

The host also discusses three recommended games: Frosted Bloom, Grundstein Metropolys, and Tag Team. He has not played the first two, but describes Tag Team as a fast, variable two-player battler built around character combinations and special abilities.

Complexity ratings

The host noticed that the 2026 selections seemed unusually light for an award intended to recognize games that offer a step beyond ordinary family games. To investigate, he compared BoardGameGeek Complexity Ratings for nominees and recommended games from 2022 to 2026. He notes that these ratings are not definitive, but considers them the best available basis for comparison.

The combined average ratings he reports are:

Year Average rating 2022 2.81, including Ark Nova among the recommendations 2023 2.42 2024 2.45 2025 2.17 2026 2.02

He sees the decline—about 28% between 2022 and 2026—as a striking trend. Rather than blaming the jury for deliberately choosing simpler games, he suspects the selections may reflect a broader market shift toward lighter, more accessible games. He also recognizes the limits of the comparison: it covers only five years, and a longer sample might show a different pattern.

The host sees advantages and risks in the trend. Lighter games may suit a growing audience, but he worries that the Kennerspiel label could lose meaning if more challenging games are no longer represented. He suggests that more complex releases such as Wondrous Creatures, Aquaria, or Finspan could have been considered.

Predictions

• Personal preference: The host would choose Boss Fighters QR, which made the biggest impression on him.
• Prediction: He expects Rebirth to win because he thinks it is the most broadly appealing fit for the award. He considers Moon Colony Bloodbath less likely to win because of its unusual theme and title.

People and sources mentioned

• Harald Schrapers — Quoted on how games such as Moon Colony Bloodbath can raise social questions without directly answering them.
• BoardGameGeek — Source of the complexity ratings used in the comparison.
• The Spiel des Jahres jury — Discussed throughout; the host expresses respect for its work.