Games World of Puzzles (formerly Games Magazine) features the winners of its Best Traditional Game of the Year as well as four category “best of”s in its December issue. Titles from Bezier Games, Gamewright, Arcane Wonders, and Mayfair Games all took honors.

In the article, writer Thomas L. McDonald explained the publication’s procedures for chosing a winner. “[It] involves sifting through the games published between August of one year and the next, paying attention to games that are generating some buzz, testing them out with a team of seasoned gamers, and making final decisions.”

Best Traditional Game of the Year
Castles of Mad King Ludwig (Bezier Games; Designer: Ted Alspach)
Runner Up: Sheriff of Nottingham (Arcane Wonders; Designers: Sergio Halaban, Bryan Pope, Benjamin Pope, Andre Zatz)

Best Card Game of the Year
Sushi Go! (Gamewright; Designer: Phil Walker-Harding )
Runner Up: Flip City (Tasty Minstrel Games; Designer: Chen Zhifan)

Best Family Game of the Year
Sheriff of Nottingham (Arcane Wonders; Designers:Sergio Halaban, Bryan Pope, Benjamin Pope, Andre Zatz )
Runner Up: Quilt Show (Rio Grande Games; Designers: Steve Bennett, Judy Martin)

Best Strategy Game of the Year
Extra! Extra! (Mayfair Games, Designer: Andrew Bond)
Runner Up: New York 1901 (Blue Orange Games; Designer: Chenier La Salle)

Best Puzzle/Abstract Game of the Year
Gravity Maze (Think Fun)
Runner Up: Attila (Blue Orange, Designer: Bruno Faidutti)

The article also gave an Honorable Mention to new publisher Red Raven Games, which released two Kickstarter titles this year: Artifact, Inc. and The Ancient World, both designed by Red Raven publisher Ryan Laukat.