Shortly before the 2006 World Boardgaming Championships, Thurn and Taxis won the Spiel des Jahres award as Germany's Family Game of the Year. Jay Tummelson, owner of game publisher Rio Grande Games, taught the game to many new players at WBC.
Thurn and Taxis, designed by Karen and Andreas Seyfarth, finds players trying to develop postal networks across Germany. By collecting cards and playing them wisely to build your network, you try to score the most points. There are several strategies to pursue, once you've learned the rules everything flows naturally, and the game is both challenging and entertaining.
I hadn't played Thurn and Taxis before WBC and I came away convinced that the SdJ jury had made another excellent choice.