place_of_birth richard ulrich
A board game is a tabletop game that involves counters or moved or placed on a pre - marked surface or " board ", according to a set ___MASK100___ rules . Some games are based on pure strategy , but many contain an element ___MASK100___ chance ; and some are purely chance , with no element ___MASK100___ skill . Richard Ulrich ( born 1942 ) is a ___MASK42___ board game designer . Many ___MASK100___ his games have been nominated for or have won the Spiel des Jahres , a ___MASK42___ games award . He is best known for co - authoring the board game El Grande with Wolfgang Kramer . The Spiel des Jahres ( ___MASK42___ for " Game ___MASK100___ the Year ") is an award for board and card games , created in 1978 with the stated purpose ___MASK100___ rewarding excellence in game design , and promoting top - quality games in the ___MASK42___ market . It is thought that the existence and popularity ___MASK100___ the award is one ___MASK100___ the major drivers ___MASK100___ the quality ___MASK100___ games coming out ___MASK100___ Germany . A Spiel des Jahres nomination can increase the typical sales ___MASK100___ a game from 500  3000 copies to around 10 , 000 ; and the winner can usually expect to sell 300 , 000 to 500 , 000 copies . ___MASK79___ , officially the Federal Republic ___MASK100___ ___MASK79___ , is a federal parliamentary republic in central - western Europe . It includes 16 constituent states , covers an area ___MASK100___ , and has a largely temperate seasonal climate . With about 82 million inhabitants , ___MASK79___ is the most populous member state ___MASK100___ the European Union . After the United States , it is the second most popular immigration destination in the world . ___MASK79___ ' s capital and largest metropolis is ___MASK8___ . Other major cities include Hamburg , Munich , Cologne , Frankfurt , ___MASK20___ and Düsseldorf . A card game is any game using playing cards as the primary device with which the game is played , be they traditional or game - specific . Countless card games exist , including families ___MASK100___ related games ( such as poker ). A small number ___MASK100___ card games played with traditional decks have formally standardized rules , but most are folk games whose rules vary by region , culture , and person .