From the Collections: Games

Board games are deeply ingrained in Germanic society, as they promote social interaction and a unique cultural identity. Germans pioneered several board games, and in the days before the advent of radio and TV, games provided indoor entertainment, especially during colder months when outdoor activities were limited. German games often emphasize strategic gameplay, quality components, and accessible rules, which made them popular domestically and internationally.

This set of cards showcase a variety of communities from around Austria. Each card depicts a person in traditional dress, the landscape of the region, and the community's shield.

The goal of the game is to make a quartet with matching cards. The four or more players take turns asking each other for cards to complete their sets. The questioner is allowed to keep asking other players for cards until they reach a player who does not have the requested card. The winner is the one who collects the most quartets. 

There are many ways to play dominoes, but they primarily center around matching as many dominoes into a sequence as possible.

Board games could also be used for educational purposes to teach youngsters and adults about history and geography, thus, creating an avenue to explore complex topics and to understand different perspectives. In East Germany, a board game called Bürokratopoly even satirized the political power structures, and as a result it was investigated by the Stasi secret police.

The goal of Halma is to pass your opponent's pieces to get to the other side. Similar to Chinese Checkers, there are many directions to move your pieces, but rather than 6, Halma allows players to move their pieces in 8 directions.

J. W. Spear & Sons was German toy manufacturer founded in Fürth, Germany,  in 1879 by Jacob Wolfe Spear. In 1994, the company was bought by Mattel.

Ludo gameplay requires 2 to 4 players. The goal of the game is to move all 4 pieces clockwise around the board and into the central area. The amount of moves per turn are determined by a die roll. The piece is allowed to begin moving around the board once the player roles a 6. If the current player pieces lands on a spot with where a past player had landed, the past players pieces is moved to the beginning. The winner is the first player to have moved all 4 pieces around the board.

This game is marked with DRGM which stand for "Deutsches Reichs Gebrauchmuster" (German Reich Utility Model), a form of copyright. Products marked with this acronym were copyright protected for 3 years.