"Camel Up showed me several new ways to think outside the box – as well as in other dimensions"
There is one game that will never leave my (admittedly modest) collection, for which I have my friend Javier to thank. I fell headover-heels for modern board games nearly a decade ago, and I quickly became so enamoured with them that I knew I would eventually try my hand at designing one. When that time came, I sought out the advice of the aforementioned Javier, the most knowledgeable board gamer in my circle of friends. “Knowing me,” I asked, “what game do you think I would love?” Without hesitation, he replied “Camel Up.” Seeing that I’ve chosen to write about it, my feelings regarding the 2014 Spiel des Jahres Game of the Year should be clear – as an aspiring designer, Camel Up showed me several new ways to think outside the box – as well as in other dimensions.
The first edition’s manual asserts that players will “witness the craziest camel race of all time” –a more than adequate tagline for the game. In a nutshell, players may use their turn to place a bet on one of five camels, earning money if it finishes the round in first or second place. Only three bets can be placed on each camel, and earlier (i.e. riskier) gambles on the eventual first-place camel pay out higher. While there is no cost to place a bet, players lose money when they wager on camels that end the round in third, forth or fifth place.