Essen Feather
Encyclopedia
The Essen Feather is an award for German-style board game
s, given at the Deutscher Spiele Preis
ceremony at the Spiel
game fair in Essen, Germany. The award is given to games with well-written rules, as it was felt that too many good games were spoilt by incomprehensible rules.
The trophy
is a brass
goose
quill
and inkwell
on a chessboard
.
German-style board game
German-style board games, frequently referred to in gaming circles as Euro Games or Euro-style, are a broad class of tabletop games that generally have simple rules, short to medium playing times, indirect player interaction and abstract physical components...
s, given at the Deutscher Spiele Preis
Deutscher Spiele Preis
The Deutscher Spiele Preis is an important award for boardgames. It was started in 1990 by the German magazine "Die Pöppel-Revue", which collects votes from the industry's stores, magazines, professionals and game clubs. The results are announced every October at the Spiel game fair in Essen,...
ceremony at the Spiel
Spiel
Internationale Spieltage SPIEL, often called Essen after the city where it is held, is an annual four-day game trade fair held in October at the Messe Essen exhibition centre in Essen...
game fair in Essen, Germany. The award is given to games with well-written rules, as it was felt that too many good games were spoilt by incomprehensible rules.
The trophy
Trophy
A trophy is a reward for a specific achievement, and serves as recognition or evidence of merit. Trophies are most often awarded for sporting events, from youth sports to professional level athletics...
is a brass
Brass
Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc; the proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses with varying properties.In comparison, bronze is principally an alloy of copper and tin...
goose
Goose
The word goose is the English name for a group of waterfowl, belonging to the family Anatidae. This family also includes swans, most of which are larger than true geese, and ducks, which are smaller....
quill
Quill
A quill pen is a writing implement made from a flight feather of a large bird. Quills were used for writing with ink before the invention of the dip pen, metal-nibbed pens, the fountain pen, and, eventually, the ballpoint pen...
and inkwell
Inkwell
An inkwell is a small jar or container, often made of glass, porcelain, silver, brass, or pewter, used for holding ink in a place convenient for the person who is writing...
on a chessboard
Chessboard
A chessboard is the type of checkerboard used in the board game chess, and consists of 64 squares arranged in two alternating colors...
.
Winners
- 1981 FocusFocus (board game)Focus is an abstract strategy board game, designed by Sid Sackson and first published in 1964 by Kosmos. The game has been re-published many times since, sometimes under the titles Domination or Dominio. Focus won the 1981 Spiel des Jahres and Essen Feather awards...
- 1982 AtlantisThe Dark Tower (game)Dark Tower is a 1981 electronic board game by Milton Bradley Company, for one to four players. The object of the game is to amass an army, collect the three keys to the Tower, and defeat the evil within...
- 1983 Giganten
- 1984 Inka
- 1985 Wildlife Adventure
- 1986 Das Blaue Amulett
- 1987 Spy & Spy
- 1988 Holiday AG
- 1989 No game was found worthy of the award
- 1990 Lifestyle
- 1991 Hotu Matua
- 1992 Coco Crazy
- 1993 AcquireAcquireAcquire is a board game designed by Sid Sackson.The game was originally published in 1962 by 3M as a part of their bookshelf games series. In most versions, the theme of the game is investing in hotel chains. In the 1990s Hasbro edition, the hotel chains were replaced by generic corporations,...
- 1994 New Games in Old Rome (German: Neue Spiele im Alten Rom)
- 1995 The Settlers of CatanThe Settlers of CatanThe Settlers of Catan is a multiplayer board game designed by Klaus Teuber and first published in 1995 in Germany by Franckh-Kosmos Verlag as Die Siedler von Catan. Players assume the roles of settlers, each attempting to build and develop their settlement while trading and acquiring resources...
- 1996 Detroit-Cleveland Grand Prix (German: Top Race)
- 1997 Mississippi QueenMississippi Queen (board game)Mississippi Queen is a 1997 designer board game by Werner Hodel. It won the 1997 Spiel des Jahres....
- 1998 Die MacherDie MacherDie Macher is a strategy board game designed by Karl-Heinz Schmiel of Germany. The game is based on the German electoral system and each player takes the role of one of five political parties...
- 1999 Union Pacific
- 2000 Taj MahalTaj Mahal (board game)Taj Mahal is a German-style board game for 3–5 players designed by Reiner Knizia and first published in 2000 by Alea in German.- Basics :...
- 2001 EntdeckerEntdeckerEntdecker is a German-style board game designed by Klaus Teuber and published in 1996 by Goldsieber in German. Although the game won 2nd prize in the Deutscher Spiele Preis, many gamers were disappointed with the game after the success of Teuber's previous game, The Settlers of Catan...
- 2002 Puerto RicoPuerto Rico (game)Puerto Rico is a German board game designed by Andreas Seyfarth, and published in 2002 by Alea in German, by Rio Grande Games in English and by Κάισσα in Greek....
- 2003 AlhambraAlhambra (board game)Alhambra The Palace of the Alhambra") is a 2003 tile-based German-style board game designed by Dirk Henn. It was originally published in Germany by Queen Games in a language-interdependent version; an English-specific version was released in North America by the now-defunct Überplay...
- 2004 Fifth Avenue
- 2005 Piranha PedroPiranha PedroPiranha Pedro is a board game by Jens-Peter Schliemann, published by Goldsieber and Asmodée Editions. In 2005, it was awarded the Essen Feather....
- 2006 Nacht der Magier
- 2007 Chateau Roquefort
- 2008 Jamaica
- 2009 Diamonds Club