2011 Readers' Choice Award Winners

It's time to announce the winners of the 2011 About.com Readers' Choice Awards! Thousands of you nominated game stores and games in six categories, voted for the finalists and determined the winners.

Thank you to everyone who took part in this year's RCAs! Now, on to the winners...

Best Local Game Store: Chicagoland Games: Dice Dojo

This was a very tight competition as two game stores in the midwest United States with very loyal fan bases fought it out to the end. But Chicagoland Games: Dice Dojo in Chicago, Illinois, emerged as the winner, topping Atomic Games of Manitowoc, Wisconsin.

The other finalists were Rainy Day Games near Portland, Oregon, Just Awesome! The Board Game Store in San Francisco, California, and Kingdom of Adventure in Kirkaldy, Fife, Scotland.

Best Online Game Store: Funagain Games

Four game-focused stores took on the behemoth Amazon.com in this category, with the venerable Funagain Games (which is the first online game store I ever used) taking first place when all the votes were counted.

Other finalists included Boards & Bits, Troll & Toad, and Leisure Games.

Best Strategy Game of 2010: 7 Wonders

This was another close finish, but you chose 7 Wonders, designed by Antoine Bauza and published by Asmodée Editions and Repos Productions as the best new strategy game. It was also my pick as the #2 card game of 2010.

The other finalists were Hansa Teutonica, Fresco, Dominant Species, and Stomple.

Best Party Game of 2010: Morphology

A truly independent release, Morphology was designed by Kate Ryan Reiling and published by Morphology Games. It may be best described as Pictionary with items -- think string, beads, cubes, sticks, wooden pawns and rubber rings. How will you use those items to get your teammates to guess "farmer," "waffle" or "soccer"?

Other finalists included Wits & Wagers Family, Word on the Street, Dixit 2, and Telestrations.

Best Family Game of 2010: Railways of the World: The Card Game

Based on the board game of the same name, Railways of the Word: The Card Game challenges players to build railroad routes, develop extensive networks, deliver goods to cities, and upgrade their engines. The game has two rulesets, one designed especially for families and one for more experienced players.

The other finalists were Forbidden Island, Sounds Like a Plan, Fresco, and Square Shooters.

Best Children's Game of 2010: Dweebies

The first thing you notice about Dweebies is the incredibly cute artwork. The second thing you notice is that the game is very fun. Each turn could not be simpler: play a card and draw a card. It's how the cards interact that makes Dweebies shine as a children's game.

Other finalists included Word on the Street Junior, The Magic Labyrinth, Creationary, and Ratuki.

Congratulations to all of the winners, and thank you again to everyone who participated in the 2011 Readers' Choice Awards! To see the winners in more categories, visit About.com's main Readers' Choice Award web site.