Another day, another report. Some exciting stuff announced and hinted at, which as is traditional, I buried near the end of the report. Lots of good games here, and while parenting continues to put a bit of a crimp on my boardgaming time, I think this crop has a number of titles that will make me put in some extra effort to get them to the table soon. Still going with this year’s slogan, “cover less, enjoy more.” On with the games!!!
The International Gamers Awards (IGA) just announced their nominated games for 2022. The IGA jury gives awards for the following three categories: Best Multiplayer Experience, Best 2-Player Experience, and Best Solo Experience. Here are this year’s nominees, together with each game’s designer and publisher.
Best Multiplayer Experience
Best 2-Player Experience
Best Solo Experience
Finally, the jury recommends the following games, which just missed being nominated in one of the categories:
Time to talk about boardgames. There are some interesting new ones coming down the pipe, but also a healthy dose of big-name nostalgia to be had. After a pandemic delay of two years, this year I was excited to bring my boys to their first Gen Con experience. What’s great for me, isn’t as great for my overall coverage. I guess it boils down to Hamilton-esque “cover less, enjoy more” and that sums up my convention nicely. On with the games!!! Below are my thoughts listed in alphabetical order by publisher…
Gen Con was back this year in force with 50,000 vaccinated, mask-wearing attendees making their way around downtown Indianapolis. While boardgaming tends to outshine the role-playing part of things, Gen Con’s roots as a RPG mecca remains strong. It seemed that RPG players are not yet back in pre-pandemic large numbers but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to see. Here’s a few of the RPG tidbits I stumbled across in my very brief journey through the exhibit hall.
Chili Island is a new imprint, one that focuses on family games – from the company page on BGG:
I was given a set of three of their newest releases at GenCon 2022, and we gave them a try at a recent family reunion. Most of the players were not gamers, but I felt like this was the sort of audience that Chili Island is looking for.
As advertised on their original Kickstarter campaign – Dead Reckoning is: “The 4X Swashbuckling Adventure Game you’ve been waiting for! Take command of an able crew and set a course for adventure in Dead Reckoning. Explore mysterious islands, fight battles, upgrade your ship & crew, and build fortifications to protect your holdings. The player with the most treasure in their chest when the game ends wins! Will you become a pirate, haunting the sea lanes and terrorizing your opponents? Or an explorer, rushing to discover what lies beyond the horizon? Or a master merchant, with a profitable trade route and well developed infrastructure? Every game will be different as each player follows their own path to victory! “
