GenCon is a big Con, what games should you check out and how can you make the author jealous?
You're heading to GenCon soon, I can tell. I won't be for...reasons. Much as I would like to go, I just can't. In order to promote more efficient gloating on your part, here are the board games that are debuting in Indianapolis this year that I'm interested in. Once you've seen and played them, you can come back and remind me how much I missed out on, taunt me with how fun they were, and generally rub my face in the experience. Go you!
1. Cards Against Humanity 3rd Expansion.
I haven't even had the chance to play the base game. I know, I really should have by now. The 3rd expansion promises to include a number of the special cards seen at PAX East as well as several new cards and, perhaps, some new twists. In all there are 100 cards in the new expansion.
2. Love Letter: Kanai Factory Limited Edition
AEG's surprise runaway hit, Love Letter, was originally a game ported over from Japan for English audiences. The game has players taking on the role of suitors to the princess who has locked herself in her room. Players try to get their love letter into her hands while exposing the others as unworthy suitors. The game's simple play mechanics and deduction / bluffing elements have been a big hit and prompted AEG to produce this special edition which features the original Japanese art. This may be a grab it while you can deal since specific production numbers haven't been mentioned yet.
3. Smash Up: The Obligatory Cthulhu Set
Also from AEG, this expansion for Smash Up features, unsurprisingly, Cthulhu, cultists, and a variety of other Lovecraft related horrors. Smash Up, much like it sounds, is a game of combat featuring every crazy cool thing people have gone ga-ga over for the last several years, like pirates, ninjas, and aliens, which can be combined into various odd ball groups and used to attack your opponents. Incorporate the awesome level 9000 expansion and the base game with Cthulhu and its new madness mechanic and let chaos ensue. If you haven't seen Smash Up, Wil Wheaton features it in an episode of TableTop.
4. Thunderstone Advance: Numenera
Yup Monte Cook's Numenera will be at GenCon. And so will this expansion for the Thunderstone Constructable Card Game from AEG. You can either combine this with other Thunderstone sets or play it on its own as it is a complete game by itself. Featuring art and settings from the Numenera RPG and a new mechanic called Doomladen which allows monster groups to unite against the players, this may be a must have for Numenera and Thunderstone fans alike.
5. Trains
Yet another AEG game, Trains is getting some heavy pre-con buzz. Also an import from Japan (what IS going on over there?), Trains promises to be... well, kind of odd, honestly. It is yet another deck building game, but focuses on building a rail network that allows you to become the most powerful rail baron in modern Japan. The US Edition updates the game from the previous Japanese Edition and brings it forward into the modern Era with Bullet Trains and other high speed rail while also streamlining the rules and improving the graphics.
6. Galaxy Defenders
From Ares Games, Galaxy Defenders is a cooperative miniatures game. Players take on the roles of one of five different characters with special abilities that they will use in defending the Earth from alien invasion. The aliens are controlled via a card based AI that allows different types of aliens to behave in different ways. Characters will be able to gain experience and level up as the game progresses through various stages and variable missions.
7. Sails of Glory
Ares Games is also debuting Sails of Glory at GenCon. Sails of Glory is the next offering in the line of games that include Wings of War, Wings of Glory, and X-Wing except with the classic tall ships of maritime history. As might be expected, the game includes several new mechanics to account for wind, direction of travel, and the vagaries of sailing in general. Ship models are, frankly, incredible. The game was originally funded thanks to a hugely successful Kickstarter campaign. The base set includes two French and two British Ships and the initial expansions help expand these factions as well as adding more.
8. Shadowrun: Crossfire – Demo Box
Catalyst Games Lab is in the middle of its Summer of Shadow Run. Crossfire is a cooperative Deck Building Game (gosh, these certainly are popular) set in the Shadowrun universe. Players assemble runner teams, go on missions, earn upgrades and generally try not to die horribly through the course of the game. Unfortunately, the full game isn't available yet, but the demo box contains a subset of the full game with which one may learn the rules to the game and get some early experience.
9. Deadwood Studios, USA
Cheapass Games, makers of fine, inexpensive games, occasionally produces deluxe editions. By Deluxes Editions they generally mean printed in color and containing their own components. Fortunately their games are usually pretty good. Deadwood Studios, USA puts the players in the roles of movie cowboys. Well, more accurately, actors playing movie cowboys. Or, even more accurately, as six-sided dice representing actors playing movie cowboys. You look for acting jobs that are available based on the amount of status you have earned. It sounds fun and light, as most Cheapass games are.
10. Compounded
Dice Hate Me Games' Compounded brings a bit of Science Geek to the game table. Players are lab managers tasked with making as many chemical compounds as they can from base elements. The game has social elements provided by the ability to trade in almost every aspect of the game. Some compounds can explode, setting players back significantly. You won't be able to buy the game at the Con; Kickstarter fulfillment still needs to be completed, but demos will be run on a regular basis.
11. Battlestar Galactica: Daybreak Expansion
Fans of the Battlestar Galactica semi-cooperative game get a crack at what may be the final expansion for the game, Daybreak. The expansion has new cards, two new boards, new characters and just about as much as FFG can pack into a box. The Demetrius is featured in a special supplemental set of rules called “The Search for Home” which also brings with it a new endgame.
12. Eldritch Horror
FFG also brings with it the newly announced Eldritch Horror board game. Take Arkham Horror and set it on the world stage and you've got Eldritch Horror. The game is available for demos, but not for sale yet as it is due in the 4th quarter of 2013.
13. Firefly The Game
Yup. That Firefly. From Gale Force 9, the game promises to let everyone captain their own Firefly-class transport looking for work around the 'verse. Complications arise, of course, and it is up to you and your crew to deal with them. GF9 is promising more games set in the Firefly 'verse, but first impressions are going to be important among the fan base.
14. Pathfinder Adventure Card Game: Rise of the Runelords – Base Set
Paizo. Pathfinder. Strategy card game. 1-5 players. Do you need more? Okay. On going campaign, leveling, bi-monthly expansions, magic, and more. It's like a portable, fast play version of a full on Pathfinder RPG game. How can you not? Look for the add-on deck as well to complete the experience.
15. BioShock Infinite: The Siege of Columbia
Fans of the BioShock series of video games will undoubtedly want to check this out. Plaid Hat Games promises a big box with lots of chunky plastic pieces and player on player combat. Players take on the roles of either the Vox Populi or the Founders and battle for control of Columbia by building armies to control various locations.
16. Dungeon Twister: The Card Game
Essentially the Dungeon Twister board game translated into a card game from Ludically, players will build a team of characters, send them into the constantly changing dungeon and try to collect treasure and survive to get out the other side. Traps and surprises come both from the dungeon itself and your opponent. Various scenarios in the game determine the set up of the initial dungeon and set the difficulty of the game.
17. The Downfall of Pompeii
The Downfall of Pompeii is not a new game, but rather a new edition of a game that has been out of print for a while from Mayfair Games. Mt. Vesuvius is about to erupt and players need to get the citizens of Pompeii safely evacuated as quickly as possible. The game features a volcano on the board which erupts and gradually destroys path tiles making it progressively harder to rescue the villagers.
18. Star Trek Catan – Federation Space Map Set
Fans of Star Trek Catan will want to check these out. They represent a fixed board that players of the base game can use to explore and settle the known galaxy. The maps themselves are, apparently, based on actual maps as they appeared in Kirk's quarters in the Original Series.
19. Rampage
Based on the original video game of the same name, Rampage, from Repos Productions, is a dexterity game with giant monsters destroying buildings and eating the usual range of innocent citizens. The game is based around a puck flicking, meeple blowing, monster dropping mechanic that makes the game more active as opposed to, for example, just rolling dice to do things. The game itself debuts at Spiele in October, but demos are available at the Asmodee booth at GenCon.
20. EONS
EONS is the sophomore offering from Gamer Nation Studios. Players take on the roles of galactic architects and build planets, stars, and various other cosmological objects by collecting several basic elements and combining them in a variety of ways. The game hinges on setting up an efficient cycle of creation and destruction in order to generate the elements needed to continue generating elements higher up the chain and score victory points.
Undoubtedly you have some board games you've been keeping an eye on and are looking forward to buying, playing, or trying out at GenCon this year. I envy you the opportunity to do so. Perhaps you would be kind enough to share those things that look interesting to you and feed my envy in the comments below. After all, think of the pleasure you'll derive knowing you are at the best four days in gaming and I'm not. No, I'm not bitter. Not bitter at all.
You're heading to GenCon soon, I can tell. I won't be for...reasons. Much as I would like to go, I just can't. In order to promote more efficient gloating on your part, here are the board games that are debuting in Indianapolis this year that I'm interested in. Once you've seen and played them, you can come back and remind me how much I missed out on, taunt me with how fun they were, and generally rub my face in the experience. Go you!
1. Cards Against Humanity 3rd Expansion.
I haven't even had the chance to play the base game. I know, I really should have by now. The 3rd expansion promises to include a number of the special cards seen at PAX East as well as several new cards and, perhaps, some new twists. In all there are 100 cards in the new expansion.
2. Love Letter: Kanai Factory Limited Edition
AEG's surprise runaway hit, Love Letter, was originally a game ported over from Japan for English audiences. The game has players taking on the role of suitors to the princess who has locked herself in her room. Players try to get their love letter into her hands while exposing the others as unworthy suitors. The game's simple play mechanics and deduction / bluffing elements have been a big hit and prompted AEG to produce this special edition which features the original Japanese art. This may be a grab it while you can deal since specific production numbers haven't been mentioned yet.
3. Smash Up: The Obligatory Cthulhu Set
Also from AEG, this expansion for Smash Up features, unsurprisingly, Cthulhu, cultists, and a variety of other Lovecraft related horrors. Smash Up, much like it sounds, is a game of combat featuring every crazy cool thing people have gone ga-ga over for the last several years, like pirates, ninjas, and aliens, which can be combined into various odd ball groups and used to attack your opponents. Incorporate the awesome level 9000 expansion and the base game with Cthulhu and its new madness mechanic and let chaos ensue. If you haven't seen Smash Up, Wil Wheaton features it in an episode of TableTop.
4. Thunderstone Advance: Numenera
Yup Monte Cook's Numenera will be at GenCon. And so will this expansion for the Thunderstone Constructable Card Game from AEG. You can either combine this with other Thunderstone sets or play it on its own as it is a complete game by itself. Featuring art and settings from the Numenera RPG and a new mechanic called Doomladen which allows monster groups to unite against the players, this may be a must have for Numenera and Thunderstone fans alike.
5. Trains
Yet another AEG game, Trains is getting some heavy pre-con buzz. Also an import from Japan (what IS going on over there?), Trains promises to be... well, kind of odd, honestly. It is yet another deck building game, but focuses on building a rail network that allows you to become the most powerful rail baron in modern Japan. The US Edition updates the game from the previous Japanese Edition and brings it forward into the modern Era with Bullet Trains and other high speed rail while also streamlining the rules and improving the graphics.
6. Galaxy Defenders
From Ares Games, Galaxy Defenders is a cooperative miniatures game. Players take on the roles of one of five different characters with special abilities that they will use in defending the Earth from alien invasion. The aliens are controlled via a card based AI that allows different types of aliens to behave in different ways. Characters will be able to gain experience and level up as the game progresses through various stages and variable missions.
7. Sails of Glory
Ares Games is also debuting Sails of Glory at GenCon. Sails of Glory is the next offering in the line of games that include Wings of War, Wings of Glory, and X-Wing except with the classic tall ships of maritime history. As might be expected, the game includes several new mechanics to account for wind, direction of travel, and the vagaries of sailing in general. Ship models are, frankly, incredible. The game was originally funded thanks to a hugely successful Kickstarter campaign. The base set includes two French and two British Ships and the initial expansions help expand these factions as well as adding more.
8. Shadowrun: Crossfire – Demo Box
Catalyst Games Lab is in the middle of its Summer of Shadow Run. Crossfire is a cooperative Deck Building Game (gosh, these certainly are popular) set in the Shadowrun universe. Players assemble runner teams, go on missions, earn upgrades and generally try not to die horribly through the course of the game. Unfortunately, the full game isn't available yet, but the demo box contains a subset of the full game with which one may learn the rules to the game and get some early experience.
9. Deadwood Studios, USA
Cheapass Games, makers of fine, inexpensive games, occasionally produces deluxe editions. By Deluxes Editions they generally mean printed in color and containing their own components. Fortunately their games are usually pretty good. Deadwood Studios, USA puts the players in the roles of movie cowboys. Well, more accurately, actors playing movie cowboys. Or, even more accurately, as six-sided dice representing actors playing movie cowboys. You look for acting jobs that are available based on the amount of status you have earned. It sounds fun and light, as most Cheapass games are.
10. Compounded
Dice Hate Me Games' Compounded brings a bit of Science Geek to the game table. Players are lab managers tasked with making as many chemical compounds as they can from base elements. The game has social elements provided by the ability to trade in almost every aspect of the game. Some compounds can explode, setting players back significantly. You won't be able to buy the game at the Con; Kickstarter fulfillment still needs to be completed, but demos will be run on a regular basis.
11. Battlestar Galactica: Daybreak Expansion
Fans of the Battlestar Galactica semi-cooperative game get a crack at what may be the final expansion for the game, Daybreak. The expansion has new cards, two new boards, new characters and just about as much as FFG can pack into a box. The Demetrius is featured in a special supplemental set of rules called “The Search for Home” which also brings with it a new endgame.
12. Eldritch Horror
FFG also brings with it the newly announced Eldritch Horror board game. Take Arkham Horror and set it on the world stage and you've got Eldritch Horror. The game is available for demos, but not for sale yet as it is due in the 4th quarter of 2013.
13. Firefly The Game
Yup. That Firefly. From Gale Force 9, the game promises to let everyone captain their own Firefly-class transport looking for work around the 'verse. Complications arise, of course, and it is up to you and your crew to deal with them. GF9 is promising more games set in the Firefly 'verse, but first impressions are going to be important among the fan base.
14. Pathfinder Adventure Card Game: Rise of the Runelords – Base Set
Paizo. Pathfinder. Strategy card game. 1-5 players. Do you need more? Okay. On going campaign, leveling, bi-monthly expansions, magic, and more. It's like a portable, fast play version of a full on Pathfinder RPG game. How can you not? Look for the add-on deck as well to complete the experience.
15. BioShock Infinite: The Siege of Columbia
Fans of the BioShock series of video games will undoubtedly want to check this out. Plaid Hat Games promises a big box with lots of chunky plastic pieces and player on player combat. Players take on the roles of either the Vox Populi or the Founders and battle for control of Columbia by building armies to control various locations.
16. Dungeon Twister: The Card Game
Essentially the Dungeon Twister board game translated into a card game from Ludically, players will build a team of characters, send them into the constantly changing dungeon and try to collect treasure and survive to get out the other side. Traps and surprises come both from the dungeon itself and your opponent. Various scenarios in the game determine the set up of the initial dungeon and set the difficulty of the game.
17. The Downfall of Pompeii
The Downfall of Pompeii is not a new game, but rather a new edition of a game that has been out of print for a while from Mayfair Games. Mt. Vesuvius is about to erupt and players need to get the citizens of Pompeii safely evacuated as quickly as possible. The game features a volcano on the board which erupts and gradually destroys path tiles making it progressively harder to rescue the villagers.
18. Star Trek Catan – Federation Space Map Set
Fans of Star Trek Catan will want to check these out. They represent a fixed board that players of the base game can use to explore and settle the known galaxy. The maps themselves are, apparently, based on actual maps as they appeared in Kirk's quarters in the Original Series.
19. Rampage
Based on the original video game of the same name, Rampage, from Repos Productions, is a dexterity game with giant monsters destroying buildings and eating the usual range of innocent citizens. The game is based around a puck flicking, meeple blowing, monster dropping mechanic that makes the game more active as opposed to, for example, just rolling dice to do things. The game itself debuts at Spiele in October, but demos are available at the Asmodee booth at GenCon.
20. EONS
EONS is the sophomore offering from Gamer Nation Studios. Players take on the roles of galactic architects and build planets, stars, and various other cosmological objects by collecting several basic elements and combining them in a variety of ways. The game hinges on setting up an efficient cycle of creation and destruction in order to generate the elements needed to continue generating elements higher up the chain and score victory points.
Undoubtedly you have some board games you've been keeping an eye on and are looking forward to buying, playing, or trying out at GenCon this year. I envy you the opportunity to do so. Perhaps you would be kind enough to share those things that look interesting to you and feed my envy in the comments below. After all, think of the pleasure you'll derive knowing you are at the best four days in gaming and I'm not. No, I'm not bitter. Not bitter at all.
