I had an incredible opportunity over Labor Day Weekend, the chance to go to PAX West as a board gamer and see all the interconnections between the various geekdoms.

Between four huge exhibit areas and maybe 100 other areas, zones, and rooms, there is truly something for everyone, from board games, to mobile games, to pinball, to Steam/PC games, to promotional pins, to scented dice candles.

Here are some of the board games that caught my eye and why. The vast majority were in the Summit building exhibit area, but some were down with the rpgs.

Curious about a clever 1-vs-1 card placement and movement game on a small board, check out Gudnak, published by Chaotic Great. The cards have interesting effects and synergies keep the game manageable at the start while offering expansions to continue the exploration. It feels like a good best-of-three game. It has the feeling of Summoner Wars but with a lower barrier to entry.

Lords of Vegas is coming out in a new version with the same rules from Middle Brow Games, so get ready for Vegas level bling. Along with a Lords of Vegas teaser, Middle Brow was showing off Farms Race. Farms Race is Catan meets Orwell’s Animal Farm. If you can imagine pigs with nukes on a hex grid, you are part of the way there. A full review will be coming but the dice system generates resources independent of location, so on first glance there is less Turn Zero determining who wins. They were also showing Plunder Blunder, so if you want a piratey negotiation game, have a look.

From BGG, BRDGMZ (my photo was not clear)

The Leder Games booth was always full, but they were showing off Kart!, which is now on Kickstarter and has funded. It has the vibe of a soapbox derby crossed with Thunder Road. It has power-ups, variable track layouts, and some take-that to boot. In addition to Kart!, they had a great range of pins for their various games, with ROOT featuring most prominently. I hope pins take off in the board game space, as it is a great way to show the games you adore and possibly find others who share your tastes . . . without having to talk 🙂

Toth Games has a novel linear card game, Legends of the Arena, that felt like En Garde meets Super Smash Bros. You and up to five of your friends are battling on a ‘bridge’ with cards. Instead of just playing a card, you are programming three at a time and letting the chaos and joy flow, evoking the fun of a 2d Robo Rally with destruction. With a wide range of different characters and settings that change the game, this one will be getting a closer look in an upcoming review. It has a few features I have not seen in other games like it that add to the joy of unexpected consequences.

Connor Wake and Always Awake Games (get it? Always A Wake) were showing several of their published games, That’s The Spirit and Club Spooky. We have not reviewed them, but I hope to in the future. Most exciting for me was a sneak peek at the new Out of Sorts currently on crowdfunding and funded. The first edition was a great game of mind melding by sorting cards with abstract images into categories. The new version adds a new phase as well as a clearer ending. As someone who would not mind being a librarian for an alien’s collection, this game is up my alley and I’ll review it when it arrives (not a review copy).

Alexander Jerabek and Cherry Picked Games were there with a wide range of games, from their upcoming game Drink! And Hair of the Dog to Far Away and the new Far Away: Corporate Espionage (FA:CE). While Drink! And Hair of the Dog are fun lighter games, Far Away is a heavier and novel experiential game for two players which we reviewed here (https://opinionatedgamers.com/2025/01/21/review-of-far-away/) I have a copy of FA:CE and look forward to reviewing it (not a review copy).

Monzee Games was showing their group party game, Beast Hunt, as well as their new Beast Hunt: Colossus, which is more of a TCG-style game. In Beast Hunt: Colossus, you can either battle your opponent directly, or try to take down more of the colossi in the center of the mat. You do this by rolling a die and using your cards to manipulate the result to defeat the creature while your opponent uses their cards to make things harder for you. As such, it is not really a dice game, but the die seeds the starting number and then you are both using your cards to either vanquish the colossus or prevent your opponent from doing so. Beast Hunt: Colossus is on crowdfunding and has met its goal.

Image from the KS campaign as mine were blurry.

Studio Maximus was showing their hybrid game, Sacred Wars. It is a hybrid in many senses of the word. The game is positional like Gudnak, but with far more stats than a MtG card. It handles this complexity by offering all the relevant information on the face of the card while also having a QR code on the back. That means that if you are willing to scan the card when you play it, the companion app handles quite a bit of the maintenance, but the app is not required to play the game. There are numerous factions available and they are available now.

This is a small sample of the games available to try. Also at PAX West were Null Signal, Japanime, Zephyr Workshop/Solis Design Studio, Carooka (represented in North America by Tracey Boards), and Dice Throne.

Nomnivore Games

Nomnivore Games

Sage Stones, with their new dice and tokens

Six-Sided Seas (Solis Game Studio) – review forthcoming

That said, there were also quite a few ‘big name’ publishers who had one game set up on an unstaffed table. I understand wanting to have a presence at as many conventions as possible, but as a visitor, I was disappointed with how many publishers were there in name, but with no real presence.

A second reality of PAX West was how many games were funding on crowdfunding during the event. Booth space was sold and games were demoed, but the games were not available for purchase on site, although some were giving out bonus items if you pledged on-site. PAX West should not be considered an alternative to Gen Con for buying games or getting good deals on older titles.

Overall, if you go expecting a geek convention with board games, you will have a great time. If you go thinking you will see, get taught, and be able to purchase lots of awesome board games, PAX West might be underwhelming. But who knows what they have planned for 2027?!?!