The shortlist for board game's biggest international award, the Spiel des Jahres (Game of the Year), has just been announced by the German critics' association that awards the prize. The main Spiel des Jahres award is currently reserved for lighter, family-style games, while the more complex Kennerspiel des Jahres honors deeper or more strategic games.

The final decision will be made this summer, but for now, if you're looking for something new to play with friends or family, this list provides a nice starting point.

Ars Cardboard's own recommendations from the list are, in order of complexity, Kingdomino (light), Exit—The Game (light-medium, very puzzle-y), and Terraforming Mars (medium-heavy, thinky).

Spiel des Jahres

Kingdomino ($18 on Amazon)

Designer: Bruno Cathala

Publisher: Pegasus Spiele

A 15-minute tile-placement game in which each player has to construct a 5×5 "kingdom" of cardboard domino tiles. Scoring is simple—multiply the size of each terrain group by the number of golden crowns it contains, then add all these scores together for a total. Quick and simple play from the accomplished designer of somewhat heavier fare like Five Tribes.

Magic Maze (Preorder for $25 on Amazon)

Designer: Kasper Lapp

Publisher: Sit Down!/Pegasus Spiele

A mage, a warrior, and an elf walk into the local shopping mall... It's not the setup for a joke, it's the goofy premise of Magic Maze, where our heroes need to load up on new gear for adventuring without alerting some very suspicious mall guards. The trick to this cooperative game is that each hero can only take certain actions, such as moving south or riding an escalator—so mapping out the mall, finding the necessary shops, and bolting for the exit with the loot requires teamwork. Did I mention you can't communicate during most of the (timed) game?

Wettlauf nach El Dorado (currently unavailable in North America)

Designer: Reiner Knizia

Publisher: Ravensburger

Venerable designer Reiner Knizia, a legend in the board and card game scene, has earned himself yet another Spiel des Jahres nomination with his new hunt for the fabled city of El Dorado. The goal, of course, is grabbing the city's fabled loot before anyone else, and, in Knizia's hands, this task becomes a race game with deck-building elements.

Kennerspiel des Jahres 2017

Exit - The Game ($17 to $19 on Amazon)

Designers: Inka Brand und Markus Brand

Publisher: Kosmos

A new series of cooperative "escape room" games that rely on little beyond a deck of cards and a few small bits of paper. Look for our roundup of "escape room" games very soon, but here's a little spoiler: this series is very good. The Brands are accomplished designers of more traditional strategy games, and the Exit series gives their puzzle-loving sides equal chance to shine.

Räuber der Nordsee (currently unavailable online)

Designer: Shem Phillips

Publisher: Schwerkraft-Verlag

Raiders of the North Sea is YAVG (Yet Another Viking Game), but this one, as its name suggests, is all about the raiding and the pillaging. Remember, young Viking, raiding isn't all goring and smiting; logistics matter here! To impress the local chief with your plunderous ways, you first need to prepare a good crew, supply a good boat, and pick a tempting target (harbor, monastery, fortress, or outpost). Only then can you bring back boats full of golden torcs and amulets that will earn you those sweet, sweet victory points Vikings all loved so well.

Terraforming Mars ($50 on Amazon)

Designer: Jacob Fryxelius

Publisher: Stronghold Games (US)

Yes, the components need an upgrade, but this game is very good indeed. (See our review.) An incredibly thematic race to terraform the Red Planet (and to profit while doing so), the play is driven by one of the largest collections of unique cards I've ever seen in a game. Games can run long but are definitely rewarding. If you like engine builders, you owe it to yourself to at least check this out.