Wolfgang Kramer (heavier games)

The best "heavier" games of designer Wolfgang Kramer...

• El Grande
• Hacienda
• Princes of Florence, The
• Tikal
• Torres

Also nominated:

• Big Boss
• El Caballero
• Expedition/Wildlife Adventure
• Maharaja: Palace Building in India
• Mexica
• Pueblo
• Tycoon

For comparison, the top five games from 2002:

• El Grande
• Expedition/Wildlife Adventure
• Princes of Florence
• Tikal
• Torres

While the games of Wolfgang Kramer didn't cause nearly the hassles Dr. K did last time around, it still was a pain in the rear end to divvy up the games. This time around, the Apple Pickers chose to assign their nominations to either "lite" or "heavy." (They had 7 slots to use in each category.) This explains how Expedition/Wildlife Adventure & Pueblo were nominated in both the "lite" and "heavy" categories.

Wolfgang Kramer (lighter games)

The best "lighter" games from designer Wolfgang Kramer...

• 6 Nimmt!/Take 6/Category 5
• Daytona 500 & family (Top Race, Detroit/Cleveland GP, Formel Eins, Niki Lauda)
• Expedition/Wildlife Adventure
• That's Life!
• Viva Pamplona

Also nominated:

• Auf Achse
• Australia
• Gulo Gulo
• Haste Worte
• Heimlich & Co./Top Secret Spies/Undercover
• Hornochsen
• Midnight Party
• Pueblo
• Tanz der Hornochsen

For comparison, the top five games from 2002:

• Daytona 500 & family (Top Race, Detroit/Cleveland GP, Formel Eins, Niki Lauda)
• Midnight Party/Ghost Party
• Take 6/6 nimmt!
• Top Secret Spies/Undercover/Heimlich & Co.
• Viva Pamplona

The Apple Pickers expressed some prefences:

• They like Daytona 500 best from Herr Kramer's series of card-based racing games... although there was a vocal minority who prefers Top Race because of the betting mechanism.
• There was a slight preference for Wildlife Adventure over Expedition. I did not ask about differing opinions about the newest version of Expedition (with the National Geographic license) - but there are rules differences.
• And a few of them expressed a preference for the older version of Heimlich & Co./Undercover over the newer Top Secret Spies.

Leo Colovini

The best games of designer Leo Colovini...

• Carolus Magnus
• Cartagena
• Clans
• Magna Grecia

Also nominated:

• Bridges of Shangri-La, The
• Corsari
• Doge
• Europa 1945-2030
• Familienbande
• Inkognito
• Masons

There are no comparison results, as we did not have this category in 2002.

Michael Schacht

The best games of designer Michael Schacht...

• China/Web of Power
• Coloretto
• Hansa
• Industria
• Magna Grecia
• Paris Paris

Also nominated:

• Don
• Dschunke
• Mogul
• Richelieu/Kardinal & Konig das Kartenspiel

There are no comparison results, as we did not have this category in 2002.

The Apple Pickers wildly preferred Web of Power to China (though there were a few who liked China better) - but I listed China first because that's the version of the game that is readily available.

When given a choice between Richileu (a two-player version from Ravensburger) or Kardinal & Konig das Kartenspiel (a multi-player version from Timbuktu), the Pickers leaned towards K&K DKS. If you're interested, you can download & print the game here.

Bruno Faidutti

The best games of designer Bruno Faidutti...

• Boomtown
• Citadels
• Diamant
• Mystery of the Abbey

Just missed the cut:

• Queen's Necklace

Also nominated:

• Bongo
• Castle
• Dragon's Gold
• Fist of Dragonstones
• Knightmare Chess
• Mission: Planete Rouge

There are no comparison results... we didn't have this category in 2002.

Yes, this is the first category where the Apple Pickers chose to pick only four top favorites.

Alex Randolph

The best games of designer Alex Randolph...

• Code 777
• Inkognito
• Raj/Beat the Buzzard
• Ricochet Robot(s)
• Twixt

Also nominated:

• Big Shot
• Blazing Camels/Wurmeln
• Enchanted Forest
• Ghosts!
• Halunken & Spelunken
• In Teufels Küche
• Oster Insel, die
• Rüsselbande
• Sisimizi

For comparison, the top four games from 2002:

• Code 777
• Hol's der Geier/Raj
• Ricochet Robot
• Twixt

Reiner Knizia (heavier games)

The best of the "heavier" games of Dr. Reiner Knizia...

• Euphrat & Tigris
• Medici
• Modern Art
• Ra
• Through the Desert

Also nominated:

• Amun-Re
• Lord of the Rings
• Samurai
• Stephensons' Rocket
• Taj Mahal
• Traumfabrik

For comparison, the top seven games from 2002:

• Durch die Wüste/Through the Desert
• Euphrat & Tigris
• Medici
• Modern Art
• Ra
• Samurai
• Taj Mahal

Reiner Knizia (lighter games)

The best of the "lighter" games of Dr. Reiner Knizia...

• Battle Line/Schotten Totten
• High Society
• Ingenious/Einfach Genial
• Loco!/Quandary/Thor/Flinke Pinke
• Lost Cities
• Royal Turf/Winner's Circle

Also nominated:

• Africa
• Circus Flohcati
• Colossal Arena/Titan: the Arena
• Exxtra
• Honeybears
• Money!

For comparison, the top five games from 2002:

• Africa
• En Garde
• High Society
• Quandary/Flinke Plinke
• Royal Turf/Turf Horse Racing

This category was the site of one of my biggest mistakes last time. I divided the games myself into "lite" & "heavy" and ended up leaving Lost Cities with no nomination. That was corrected this time around by allowing the Apple Pickers to assign their nominations to either "lite" or "heavy." (They had 7 slots to use in each category.)

When it came to multiple editions (and Knizia has plenty of those), the Apple Pickers preferred the older versions of the games. Royal Turf won out over Winner's Circle, Schotten-Totten over Battleline, and Quandary over any other version of the game.

I also need to mention that the rules of two of the nominated games have undergone some odd tweaks in their most recent American editions: Circus Flohcati & Colossal Arena are both better played by the rules from their earlier counterparts.

Please note: the results for the "heavier" games of Dr. K. will be released tomorrow morning.

Sid Sackson

The best games of designer Sid Sackson...

• Acquire
• Can't Stop
• I'm the Boss/Kohle, Kies & Knete
• Metropolis
• Sleuth

Also nominated:

• Bazaar
• BuyWord
• Focus
• Samarkand
• Venture
  

For comparison, the top five games from 2002:

• Acquire
• Can't Stop
• Kohle, Kies & Knete/I'm The Boss
• Metropolis
• Samarkand

Alan Moon

The best games of designer Alan Moon...

• Elfenland (includes Elfenland + Elfengold & Elfenroads)
• New England
• San Marco
• Santa Fe/Santa Fe Rails
• Ticket to Ride (original, Europe & Marklin)
• Union Pacific

Just missed the cut:

• Diamant

Also nominated:

• 10 Days series (includes Africa, Asia, Europe, USA & Europa Tour)
• Capitol
• Freight Train
• Get the Goods
• Oasis

For comparison, the top five games from 2002:

• Capitol
• Elfenland/Elfenroads
• San Marco
• Santa Fe/Santa Fe Rails
• Union Pacific

Alan Moon has re-released a number of his games in multiple editions...

• The Apple Pickers preferred Elfenland over Elfenroads or Elfenland w/the Elfengold expansion (both of which are OOP).
• The responses were closer on the various editions of Ticket To Ride, but the newest, Marklin, is the most popular with this group of hardcore gamers.
• There was a slight preference for Santa Fe Rails over Santa Fe. A couple of folks mentioned Clippers as their favorite game in this "family".
• The picks in the 10 Days series were scattered between Europe, Europa Tour (the original German game) and USA.

Stefan Dorra

The best games of designer Stefan Dorra...

• For Sale
• Linie 1/Streetcar
• MarraCash
• Sieben Siegel, die/Zing
• Turn The Tide/Land Unter/Zum Kuckuck

Also nominated:

• Alles im Eimer/The Bucket King
• Intrige
• Kreta
• Medina
• Pick Picknic/Hick Hack im Gackelwack
• Tonga Bonga

For comparison, the top five games from 2002:

• Alles im Eimer/The Bucket King
• For Sale
• Linie 1/Streetcar
• MarraCash
• Medina

The Apple Pickers were split evenly in their preference of Linie 1 and Streetcar.

Note: there are a number of differences between the Ravensburger edition of For Sale (which is now OOP) and the Uberplay edition of For Sale (which is still in print). We'll be asking the Apple Pickers to state a preference for one or the other in a later Apples category.

Klaus Teuber

The best games of designer Klaus Teuber...

• Domaine
• Elasund: The First City of Catan
• Entdecker (both versions)
• Hoity Toity/Adel Verpflichtet
• Lowenherz
• Settlers of Catan, The (including Seafarers, Cities & Knights, Historische Szenarien I & II, and Das Buch zum Spielen)

Just missed the cut:

• Starship Catan

Also nominated:

• Barbarossa
• Drunter & Drüber
• Settlers of Catan Card Game, The (including expansions)

For comparison, the top six games from 2002:

• Adel Verpflichtet/By Hook or by Crook (since published again as Hoity Toity)
• Barbarossa
• Drunter & Drüber
• Entdecker (both versions)
• Löwenherz
• Settlers of Catan, The (including expansions)

Since we've been lumping some of the games together (for example, both versions of Entdecker), we gave the Apple Pickers the ability to indicate a preference for a particular version of the game.

• With Entdecker, the Pickers were split evenly between the Goldsieber and Kosmos/Mayfair versions of the game.
• OTOH, the Pickers markedly preferred "vanilla" Settlers over any of the expansions.