The International Gamers Awards is extremely proud and excited to announce the recipients for the 2007 IGA (General Strategy category), a set of awards which recognizes outstanding strategy board games in several categories. 

This year's recipient for the outstanding General Strategy game in the Multi-Player category is:

THROUGH THE AGES

Through the Ages is the creation of Czech designer Vladimir Chvatil and is published by Czech Board Games.  The initial print run completely sold out, and a second edition is being produced by FRED Distributors.  The game presents an exciting story of civilization played through four periods of time, from antiquity to the present.  Each game is unique thanks to the many historical leaders, wonders, governments, buildings and military cards available throughout the game.  Inspired by the popular Civilization computer game, Through the Ages can be lengthy, but is highly challenging and satisfying.  The game has earned the IGA in the General Strategy, Multi-Player category, and it marks the first time the award has been given to a game from the Czech Republic.

This year's recipient for outstanding General Strategy game in the 2-Player category is:

MR. JACK

Mr. Jack takes two players back to the shadowy streets of 19^th century Eight figures lurk through the increasingly darkening London streets, yet the murderous Jack the Ripper has not yet been caught. Will one player, playing the ripper, remain undiscovered or escape from the city before the other player correctly accuses him?  Each player uses the quirky characteristics of eight available personas to either try to isolate the Ripper or throw the other off the track.  Designed by French designers Bruno Cathala and Ludovic Maublanc, and released by Hurrican, Mr. Jack challenges the deductive and evasive skills of the players in a clever, yet quick game of chase.  The game has been recognized in the General Strategy, 2-Player category.

GENERAL STRATEGY GAMES MULTI-PLAYER CATEGORY (EDITOR'S NOTE:  Special thanks to Ben Baldanza, Ronald Hoekstra, Mik Svellov and Frank Schulte-Kulkmann for providing the game descriptions.  Special thanks to BOARDGAME GEEK for use of the photos.) AGE OF EMPIRES III Glenn Drover Tropical Games   Based on the popular computer game, Age of Empires III concentrates on the discovery of the New World, and the accompanying settlement and plundering of its resources.  Carrying on the tradition established with Eagle Games, this new release contains visually stunning components, including an abundance of plastic miniatures.   While not a difficult game to learn, Age of Empires III is filled with important decisions and offers numerous strategic options.  This is a fine design, one that can be played over and over again and still offer a fresh feel and new options to explore.    CANAL MANIA   Steve and Phil Kendall   Ragnar Brothers  Transport based games have provided some of the meatiest and richest designs over the past few years. Canal Mania covers the canal-building era in England and it does so in ways that create a spectacular contest that plays in only two hours. Canals preceded railroads as the dominant way to ship goods in many parts of the world, and England lead the way. In the same way, Canal Mania leads the way for those who want to recreate the need to buy the right contracts, build the best canal network, and deliver good as they are demanded.  The Ragnar Brothers, known for many rich and well-tested designs, have created a beauty in Canal Mania and one worthy of being nominated as "game of the year." COLOSSEUM   Wolfgang Kramer & Markus Lübke   Days of Wonder   Ancient Rome has been the setting for many board games, but most of these have covered themes of war or chariot racing. Colosseum takes a different view and in this game players are rewarded for creating the best and most memorable spectacle the city has had the honor of viewing. This idea fits a game company no better than Days of Wonder, who have set a standard of high spectacles for their games and components. Add a designed with the stature of Wolfgang Kramer and you have a dynamite combination. As players try to gather the right performers and props to put on the "really big show", proper planning and careful consideration is necessary.      DIE BAUMEISTER VON ARKADIA Ravensburger / Rio Grande Games Rüdiger Dorn The players build houses in the town of Arkadia. When a house is completed the players receive seals. Furthermore a part of the castle is build. This castle defines the value of the different seals. A few times during the game a player can exchange seals to receive victory points. At the end of the game, the player with the most points wins the game. The game rules are very easy. It's the timing in the game that makes it interesting to play. DIE SAULON DER ERDE (PILLARS OF THE EARTH) Michael Rieneck & Stefan Stadler Kosmos & Mayfair Games Games using famous novels as a theme are not common and often are trivial. Not so with this masterpiece by Michael Rieneck, using the Ken Follet backdrop to create a tight game that will remind gamers at various times of both Caylus and Aladdin's Dragons. Players must hire workers and draft builders to work through the board to collect the right materials and cards to gain victory points. Money is a critical asset but doesn't help in the final tally, and the balancing among various opportunities is what gives the game its tension. Published in English as "Pillars of the Earth" by Rio Grande Games, this game is a great way to add a literary moment to a game evening. FACTORY FUN Corne von Moorsel Cwali Cwali is known for mechanical and mathematical games. In Factory Fun, Corné van Moorsel has struck a wonderful balance among logistics, streamlined play, and fun. Players each have their own factory floor where they can install machines, but these machines must be fed by the proper inputs and have the ability to place their resultant output. This is a brain burner but creates opportunities for some "ta-da" kind of moments when you realize just how well you can get your factory aligned. Factory Fun is original and is probably the best game yet from Cwali.    IMPERIAL Mac Gerdts Eggertspiele & Rio Grande Games Imperial is situated in Europe during the First World War. The players are international investors. They finance six countries and the biggest investor decides what action the country will perform. The countries try to expand and the players will finance the most powerful countries. But which country will be powerful? There are no dice of cards used in Imperial. The actions are chosen from a special circle, well known from the author's previous game Antike. JENSEITS VON THEBEN (THEBES) Peter Prinz Queen Games Few games match theme and mechanic as well as Jenseits von Theben. When originally produced in a very limited quantity, buzz of this game spread quickly and justifiably. Players are archeologists who must do research and get the right tools in order to make the best of their limited number of digs at historic sites. Each action costs time, so to learn more or dig deeper you must take more time to do it. And since each player is limited in the amount of time they have, this creates a perfect way to measure the pace of the game. Along the way, players must navigate among the learning locations and the digging locations, and get the chance to earn extra points by exhibiting their finds. Luck comes into play during the digs, but as any archeologist can tell you this fits the theme perfectly too. Now that the game is more widely available, everyone can try their hand and something few in real life get to do. NOTRE DAME Stefan Feld Alea & Rio Grande Games Played in a beautiful setting of Paris in the 14th Century, players must seek influence among the many citizens in order to raise their lives above the riffraff.  Contributing to the building of Notre Dame and to cleanse the city of the rat-infested plague will help you rise on the level of prestige.  Notre Dame uses a unique card-based game in which players share their personal decks with the two players to their left. THROUGH THE AGES   Vladimir Chvatil   Czech Board Games   Through the Ages is an exciting story of civilization played through four periods of time – from antiquity to the present – thanks to 365 specialized cards split into several decks. Each game will be unique thanks to the many Leaders, Wonders, Governments, Buildings and Military cards available throughout the game. Inspired by the popular Civilization computer game, Through the Ages can be lengthy, but is highly satisfying.   YSPAHAN   Sebastien Pauchon   Ystari Games / Rio Grande Games / Huch & Friends   Yspahan continued Ystari's successful run of game releases with a game that features multiple ways to score the need to understand each well in order to judge the way the game you're playing will move. Themed in the Persian Empire in the 1500s, players take the role of merchants who control the souks, send goods by caravan to be traded, and construct buildings that give both special abilities and victory points. In a clever twist, knocking another player out of a pluralistic position in a souk can come back to benefit that player if they have helped to manage the caravan properly. Following last year's IGA winner Caylus, Yspahan had big shows to fill but quickly established itself as a winner on its own merits. Quite an accomplishment for young Ystari!     2-PLAYER CATEGORY   BATTLE LORE Richard Borg Days of Wonder Several years after the release of the successful wargame Memoir '44, Days of Wonder  developed Richard Borg's "Commands and Colors" system further.  Battlelore has brought enhancements which unite features of previous games in the series with new concepts.  The introduction of “Standard Bearers” allows easy identification of units and their characteristics, while “Battle Council” gives players a choice of different fantasy characters whose skills they may use in the upcoming battle.  Provisions for special creatures, sorcery and morale are also included, and taken together give Battlelore a considerable increase in playing depth, while at the same time keeping the easily accessible and popular structure of is predecessors. COMBAT COMMANDER:  EUROPE Chad Jensen GMT Games Combat Commander Europe is a card-driven board game that shares some ideas with multiple IGA winner Twilight Struggle. The game covers infantry combat during World War II in both Europe and North Africa. One player takes the role of the Axis, and the other of the Allies. The game includes multiple scenarios and each offers actions, events, and play possibilities that create a dynamic two-player game while holding true to many of the historical realities of the scenarios. The game has string appeal even for gamers who don't typically play war games or historical simulations, as the game play mirrors many of the ideas found in more common Euro games. Not only is Combat Commander Europe an excellent two-player game, the system it creates is ripe for expansions and scenario development. CONHEX Michail Antonow 3-Hirn-Verlag / Clemens Gerhards Con Hex is an abstract strategy game with a goal common to one of the most famous game of its type, Twixt. Two players, referred to as "Vert" and Horz", try to create a continuous chain of cells to connect their sides of the board. No draws are possible and like any good strategy game, the player who plans and executes better will win. The board contains 41 cells, each with a number of Players take ownership of a cell by conquering at least half of its holes. The game takes less than a minute to learn but offers a wealth of possibilities and creates a series of "why didn't I see that?" kind of reactions.  Con Hex was released a few years ago but only 100 copies were made. Last year it was reproduced in a beautiful wooden version by Clemens Gerhard and the game is very deserving of this treatment. MEDICI  VS. STROZZI Reiner Knizia AbacusSpiele / Rio Grande Games Every gamer's shelf should include Reiner Knizia's famous "Medici" as that game established itself quickly as one of the strongest auction games ever produced. Medici vs. Strozzi takes the ideas in Medici and boils them to their essence to create one of the stronger two-player games in quite some time. The two players recreate the competition between the two families that ruled Florence for many years, and whose traces are still visible today. Like Medici, the players buy goods, load them on ships, which then sail away to return profits if the players bought correctly. Part of the continually growing Kosmos line for two, Medici vs. Strozzi rekindles the excellence of its multi-player version. MR. JACK Bruno Cathala & Ludovic Maublanc  Hurrican / Asmodee Editions / Neuroludic  Eight figures lurk through the increasingly darkening London streets, yet the murderous Jack the Ripper has not yet been caught. Will one player, playing the ripper, remain undiscovered or escape from the city before the other player correctly accuses him? In this game that will remind some of the famous Scotland Yard, each player uses the quirky characteristics of the eight available personas to either try to isolate the ripper or throw the other off the track. Based on the characters' position to the light sources in the city, each round ends with the ripper either visible or not, and this information is revealed by the ripper. Mr. Jack plays quickly and is always fun, and executes a great idea in a very clever way to create one of the most enjoyable two player games to come along in a while.   EXPLANATION OF VOTING RESULTS AND COMMENTARY PROVIDED BY STUART DAGGER MULTI-PLAYER SECTION   Voters: 19   The first round resulted as follows: 6   Through the Ages 3   Canal Mania,  Notre Dame 2   Die Säulen der Erde,  Jenseits von Theben 1   Die Baumeister von Arkadia,  Factory Fun,  Imperial   When it comes to splitting ties at the bottom, the first to go is the game which got fewest nominations in the first round of the voting.  In this case that was Imperial .  Its vote switched to Through the Ages.  Then followed Die Baumeister von Arkadia, whose vote went to Die Säulen der Erde, and Factory Fun, whose vote switched to Through the Ages.  The new position is now   8   Through the Ages 3   Canal Mania,  Die Säulen der Erde,  Notre Dame 2   Jenseits von Theben   The elimination of Jenseits von Theben gave another vote to each of Through the Ages and Die Säulen der Erde.  The figures are now   9  Through the Ages 4  Die Säulen der Erde 3  Canal Mania,  Notre Dame.   Canal Mania is the next to go.  Two of its votes go to Through the Ages and one to Die Säulen der Erde.  This gives Through the Ages an overall majority.   WINNER:   THROUGH THE AGES   2-PLAYER SECTION   Voters 16   The first round votes were as follows:   5  Mr Jack 4  Medici vs Strozzi 3  Battle Lore 2  Combat Commander Europe,  ConHex   ConHex is the first to be eliminated.  Both its votes switch to Mr Jack. Combat Commander Europe is next and its votes go one each to Battle Lore and Mr Jack.  The position now is   8   Mr Jack 4   Battle Lore,  Medici vs Strozzi   Mr Jack can't now be beaten, since it would win an 8-8 tie by virtue of having more first place votes on the first count.   WINNER:  MR. JACK   Stuart Dagger