Economic (stock)

The best board & card games with a stock market system...

• 18xx et al
• Acquire
• Stephensons Rocket
• Stimmt So!
• Union Pacific/Airlines

Also nominated:

• Big Boss
• Goldbräu
• Imperial
• RailRoad Dice (1 & 2)
• Shark
• Spekulation

For comparison purposes, the top six games from 2002:

• 18xx
• Acquire
• Santa Fe/Santa Fe Rails
• Stephensons Rocket
• Stimmt So!
• Union Pacific

Partnership

The best board & card games that are played in partnerships...

• Crokinole
• Mü und Mehr
• Password
• Tichu
• Twilight/Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde

Also nominated:

• Control Nut!
• Dia de los Muertos/Four Dragons
• Frank's Zoo
• Inkognito
• Montage
• Mystery Rummy 4: Al Capone
• Tin Soldiers
• Victory & Honor

There is no comparison list, as this category did not appear in 2002.

Party/Social

The best party/social games...

• Apples to Apples
• Balderdash/Beyond Balderdash
• Smarty Party
• Taboo
• Time's Up!
• Wits & Wagers

Just missed the cut:

• Scattegories

Also nominated:

• Barbarossa
• Catchphrase
• Cluzzle
• GiftTrap
• Guesstures
• Personal Preference
• Thingamajig
• Trivial Pursuit
• Werewolf

For comparison purposes, the top five games from 2002:

• Apples to Apples
• Balderdash/Beyond Balderdash
• Taboo
• Take It Easy
• Time's Up

Trick-Taking

The best trick-taking games (including "rolling tricks" and "climbing" games)...

• Flaschenteufel/The Bottle Imp
• Mü und Mehr
• Schnappchen Jagd
• Sieben Siegel, die/Zing!
• Tichu

Also nominated:

• Control Nut!
• David & Goliath
• Relationship Tightrope
• Sticheln
• Too Many Cooks
• Twilight/Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde
• Victory & Honor
• Wizard

For comparison, the top six games from 2002:

• Mü und Mehr
• Schnäppchen Jagd
• Sticheln
• Tichu
• Where's Bob's Hat?/Wer hat mehr
• Wizard

Negotiation (trading)

The best negotiation games that are trading games...

• Basari/Edel, Stein & Reich
• Bohnanza
• Chinatown
• Oltremare - Merchants of Venice
• Settlers of Catan (and all the various permutations)
• Traders of Genoa, The

Also nominated:

• Civilization
• Kuhhandel/You're Bluffing
• Pit
• Res Publica

For comparison, the top five games from 2002:

• Basari
• Bohnanza
• Chinatown
• Pit
• Settlers of Catan

The Apples Pickers were asked about a couple of preferences:

• They overwhelmingly preferred playing "vanilla" Settlers over any other version (both Seafarers & the Historical Boxes received votes).
• There is a very slight preference for Edel, Stein & Reich over the original Basari... the games are not identical but are very similar.

And, yes, this time around (2006) The Traders of Genoa ended up on this list... and still managed to make it into the top 6. Impressive.

Negotiation (non-trading)

The best negotiation games that are not trading games...

• Cosmic Encounter (all versions)
• Diplomacy
• I'm the Boss/Kohle, Kies & Knete
• Intrige
• Rette Sich Wer Kann
• Santiago

Also nominated:

• Europa 1945-2030
• Game of Thrones, A
• Junta
• Metropolis
• Princes of the Renaissance
• Quo Vadis?

For comparison, the top five games from 2002:

• Cosmic Encounter (all versions)
• Diplomacy
• Kohle, Kies, & Knete
• Rette Sich wer Kann
• Traders of Genoa

You may well wonder why Traders of Genoa shows up on the Negotiation (trading) list (to be published tomorrow) in 2006 - but not in 2002. Frankly, I'm not sure. :-)

Bluffing

The best games that primarily use bluffing as a mechanism...

• Drunter und Drüber
• Heimlich & Co./Top Secret Spies/Undercover
• Liar's Dice
• Royal Turf/Winner's Circle/Grand National Derby
• Ys

Also nominated:

• Balderdash/Beyond Balderdash
• Coyote
• In Teufels Küche
• Kuhhandel
• Sternenhimmel
• Werewolf

We didn't have this category in 2002.

The Apple Pickers preferred the original Undercover to the more recent Top Secret Spies (the extra cards are pretty much despised), the original Royal Turf to the newer Winner's Circle, and Beyond Balderdash over Balderdash.

Dice

The best games that use dice as the primary playing element of the game...

• Can't Stop
• Exxtra
• Liar's Dice/Bluff
• Pickomino/Heckmeck im Brautweck
• Um Krone und Kragen/To Court The King

Also nominated:

• Bongo
• Button Men
• Dancing Dice
• Easy Come, Easy Go
• Fill or Bust/Volle Lotte
• Gold Connection
• Pass the Pigs
• Yahtzee/Triple Yahtzee

For comparison, the top four games from 2002:

• Button Men
• Can't Stop
• Liar's Dice/Bluff/Call My Bluff
• Yahtzee/Triple Yahtzee
  

Action/Dexterity

The best games that use real-time action, dexterity and/or physical interaction with the game or other players as a primary mechanic...

• Carabande
• Crokinole
• Gulo Gulo
• Hamsterrolle
• Kapitan Wackelpudding
• Loopin' Louie
• Spinball

Also nominated:

• Bamboleo
• Bausack/Bandu
• Elchfest
• Piratenbillard
• Polarity
• Villa Paletti/Palazzo Paletti

For comparison, the top 5 games from 2002:

• Carabande
• Crokinole
• Hamsterrolle
• Loopin' Louie
• Spinball