Game designer Wolfgang Kramer has an extremely impressive track record of designing fantastic, award-winning board games. Here are my picks for the best five games designed by Wolfgang Kramer.
1. Torres
Image courtesy of Rio Grande Games
Building castles and trying to occupy high points in the largest of them is the basic theme of this game by Kramer and his occasional design partner Michael Kiesling. It won the Spiel des Jahres in 2000, Germany's award for Family Game of the Year. Torres ranks among my favorite games.
2. Top Secret Spies
Image courtesy of Rio Grande Games
No one knows who's who in this award-winning game. You move your spy around the board, but you can also move everyone else. Try to get yours in position to win points -- but don't be too obvious. Strategy and bluffing collide head on. Previous editions of this game were known as Undercover and Heimlich & Co., and it's another Spiel des Jahres winner.
3. Tikal
Image courtesy of Rio Grande Games
Deep in the jungles of Central America, players compete to uncover treasure among archeological ruins. The gameboard and other components for Tikal (also designed with Kiesling) are wonderful to look at, the rules are straight-forward, and the theme will appeal to the Indiana Jones in you. Just don't play with opponents who over-analyze -- doing so can make the game drag. Yet another SdJ winner.
4. Princes of Florence
Image courtesy of Rio Grande Games
Renaissance cities need renaissance artists. And scientists. And... well, you get the picture. Players compete to attract these cultural treasures to their city by developing the right set of buildings, landscapes, and social freedoms. Princes of Florence (designed with Richard Ulrich) is among the top 5 rated games at BoardGameGeek.com, where players have rated thousands of games.
5. El Grande
Another Kramer game which won the Spiel des Jahres, El Grande (also designed with Ulrich) finds players trying to build their influence in regions across medieval Spain. Hailed by some as a near-perfect gaming experience, El Grande has a lot to offer.