Gen Con is back, baby! The best four days of gaming has been on a steady rise since COVID-19 and this year felt like the biggest in a long time. All four days were sold out before the con even started and on Thursday, the dealer hall was PACKED. When you were hungry, lines to the food trucks were massive and restaurants regularly had a wait time. Gamers descended onto Indianapolis ready to play, spend, dress up, and just embrace everything we love about our hobby.
And as usual, the BGQ team was on site to provide coverage. We’ve got musings on the overall convention, standout games, and our 2nd annual batch of our “Staff Picks.” Each of our team members who went got to pick out their favorite thing of Gen Con and award the trophy to it. Unsurprisingly, they were all games again (although they didn’t have to be, they could be given to anything they thought was exceptional at the con). But read on to see what stood out at this year’s Gen Con.
The Gen Con Experience
James: This was my first Gen Con and it was overwhelming in a good way. I could’ve wandered the halls for three more days and would’ve, if I had the means and the storage, purchased hundreds of games out there. It was awesome getting to talk to designers about their games and see how much love people put into their work. It was also crowded and hard to navigate at times so be prepared to be pushed and bumped into just milling around with 70,000 of your closest friends. But, hands down, my favorite part of the con was getting to meet the rest of the Board Game Grow crew in person and playing games at open gaming with them. I’ve chatted for years with these folks over Discord (come join us!) so finally being able to game and chat with them in real life was really special and has me smiling about it as I type this.
Tony: I can’t really remember the last time Fantasy Flight Games held an In-Flight Report on location at Gen Con, but it’s been a long time (pre-COVID I think). This year they decided to return to form by holding the in-person event again. This used to be a must-attend event for our group, so most of the team got tickets to the presentation. It was about an hour long and probably the most boring In-Flight Report we’ve ever attended. Gone are the days of seeing new X-wing ships, surprise board games, or other things to be excited about. In fact, the only board game mentioned was Twilight Imperium and that was just them saying they were still supporting it. Other than that, it was mainly talk about the newest expansion for their card game lineup (Marvel Champions, Arkahm Horror, Star Wars Unlimited, and the Star Wars Deck Building Game). And even some of that was just showing off a logo.
But the weirdest thing was Gamegenic taking what felt like half the show (had to have been 20-30 minutes) to talk about their upcoming products. I like deck boxes and playmats as much as the next gamer, but it was a LOT on that topic. By the midway point of their presentation, we were dreaming for Sweeper Sam to come on stage or having a giant gong to bang to make it stop. Ninety percent of what he said could have been emailed out and we would have all been saved the pain. I miss the days when FFG was a board game company.
Brian B: I had a decent time at Gen Con. I got to see the BGQ crowd, which is the only time of the year we can all game together in person. When I wasn’t gaming, I was in the exhibit hall, which was really crowded the first few hours it was open. I avoided these crowds on Friday and Saturday by coming in around 11:45, after the rush of the booths at 10:00 and people leaving for events/lunch. There just were not many games I really wanted to buy this year. I only purchased four games, my lowest total in years: Video Game Champion, Cities, Windmill Valley, and Pirates of Maracaibo. My highlight of the con was my interactions with the employees of some of my favorite gaming companies. Colby, from Plaid Hat Games helped me complete my Ashes Reborn collection. Nathan, from CGE gave us his usual excellent demo of upcoming CGE games. Keep your eye on SETI – it looks REALLY good. I met Chynna-Blue from Steamforged Games and we had a great conversation. Finally, I was able to meet Luis Brueh, designer, and artist, of Keep the Heroes Out! (more on this later).
Brandon: My second GenCon was a blast and a continued expansion into the event’s offerings with more game plays, more demos, more familiar faces, more fun. The BGQ team has carved a unique throughline into the proceedings by attending publisher events, handing out staff awards, gaming with developers, and holding court in the JW Marriott open gaming ballroom until the wee hours of the morning. I played over thirty games, most new to me, and found a lot to enjoy this year. But beyond the games and the friends, highlights this year included a sense of belonging, a sense of kinship, and even an early morning bout of hysterical laughing due to lack of sleep. The fresh-pressed lemonade stand at the food truck court gave me my biggest moment of relief (and the actual lemonade drew many eyes from the con floor). I’ve never said the word “sausage” more in my life (re: Sausage Sizzle game). And while it was a crowded event, veering off into pockets of exciting discovery will continue to bring me back.
Andrew: I don’t know how many Gen Cons I’ve attended, but probably closing in on 10. This felt, by far, the busiest. Now Gen Con just released the attendance and reported a record number 71,000 attendees which is just a thousand more than 2019 and 2023. Maybe there were just more board game-centric folks packed into the areas of the hall I spend the most time in. It never was too much to navigate, but certainly, lines were long and personal space was hard to come by. I was mostly satisfied to make a few purchases and immediately leave the hall, head to designated open gaming areas, and play games with the extended BGQ group.
Brian W: It was great to get back to Indy and happy that new restaurants were opening downtown again. Games and food are what was on BGQ minds all four days! There are still many storefronts like Rock Bottom (an old favorite) still vacant since closing during the Pandemic but glad to see new ones open that weren’t there in 2023 (like Pronto Pizza). What was shocking was the lines to the food trucks this year. Andrew reported that there was a line on Thursday around noon in the convention hall going out to Lucas Oil just to get to the trucks. That sounded a bit crazy. So, most of BGQ avoided them after his experience and we couldn’t figure out if there were fewer trucks this year or were those the go-to for the majority of the 70,000 attendees. Inquiring minds want to know; BGQ wants to know!
Jacob: I won’t reiterate what everyone else has already said, which is that this year’s Gen Con was packed. Well, I guess I just did, sorry about that. The main repercussion of that, or perhaps a concurrent development, was that it felt like there were fewer full demos being done in the exhibition hall. While there certainly were many (Asmodee sequestered a large portion of the hall with demo tables as usual) it felt like many exhibitors made the decision to simply give attendees a rundown of the games rather than let them sit and play a few rounds. I totally understand the calculus behind that decision (why spend 30-40 minutes with 4 people who may or may not purchase the game vs. 5-10 minutes with 8 people crowded around the table who may or may not purchase the game), but I think due in part to this decision by many exhibitors as well as the bursting-at-the-seams level of attendees, I demoed fewer games than I have in the past. It may be that Indianapolis is approaching capacity for a convention of this magnitude.
Alex & Steph: After last year’s hiatus, we were thrilled to be back for a full Gen Con experience in 2024. Yes, the dealer hall (especially on Thursday morning) was gridlocked. One hundred percent there needs to be more space for open gaming, and it should be part of the agreements Gen Con makes with the connected hotels, since there’s no more room in the ICC based on the way the convention layout is at the moment. All that said, we wanted to acknowledge the way Gen Con handled the releases of the D&D Player’s Handbook and the Star Wars Unlimited convention exclusive release, through the daily release of tickets via the online event portal. While it was exceedingly frustrating having the system freeze (at least for us), this is the first step in cutting down on the mad and uncontrolled rush when the dealer hall opens, and the massive lines that choke the aisles. I hope Gen Con works to improve this method of distributing limited releases, and provides it as an option for more vendors in the future.
Jason: Like Jacob mentioned, there were a lot fewer demos set up in the exhibit hall than in years past. So if having a game set up mid-state is going to be the standard going forward, I would encourage publishers to have prepared talking points and elevator pitches. There were numerous games I asked about that were answered with a scattershot of information. This didn’t inform or sell me on the game. It’s one of the reasons I passed on Ziggurat. If this is what’s to expect going forward, attendees might have to do their own research ahead of time. Or publishers may sell less spontaneously-purchased games.
Tony: I’m always curious to see what publishers do to stand out in a busy dealer hall and this year there were a couple of things I thought were pretty clever. The first was Thunderworks Games, offering up a set of hot sauce bottles themed in their Roll Player/Cartographers universe. What does hot sauce have to do with the world or games from Thunderworks? Nothing really. But it was a clever way to get people over to their booth. They were giving them away free (I think) with purchase. When I met with their great PR person Jess and asked her why they were doing this promo. She said that their owner loves hot sauce and thought it would be fun. I agree! They actually taste pretty good too!
The other one that stood out to me was The Op and their new game Flip 7 (more on the game from James below). The Op was giving out a promo copy of Flip 7 with any purchase, it was the same game they were also selling, but in a smaller package. We got a copy after our press meeting with them and played it in the open gaming area later that night. And you know what? It was pretty darn fun. It’s a light filler game, but it probably hit the table over a dozen times over the course of the weekend. In fact, at least 2-3 of us went back and bought a copy of the game to take home. This was a game that wasn’t on any of our radars, and none of us would probably have bought it. But after playing it, many of us decided to get a copy. That’s some solid marketing right there.
Chris: The official, somehow-trademarked tagline for Gen Con is “The Best Four Days in Gaming” and while that might seem like hyperbole, for me it’s become a very accurate assessment. All the things my team has said are 100% true—booth lines were too long, waiting at the food trucks was a nightmarish battle of wills against humidity (and me and another member of staff got lost walking to them for the second straight year), and gaming with the extended BGQ family was the highlight of the event. I also love seeing our award plaques and trophies at booths in the wild. We may not be the most famous out there, but publishers and designers still recognize us and it’s neat to be a minor part of that. My plans for next year’s trip to Indiana are already in motion. Wouldn’t miss the best four days in gaming for anything. Although I could do without the humidity.
Noteworthy Games
Flip 7 (James) – This small box game hit the open gaming room table so many times over Gen Con, starting with a copy The OP provided to me. But by the end, I think the Board Game Grow team had purchased multiple copies. The premise in this push-your-luck blackjack game is you’re trying to collect up to seven number cards without getting a duplicate card using a deck that has a single card valued at one, two at two, and so on up to twelve cards with a face value of 12. Then there’s some second chance card (that allows you to discard a card that busts your hand), a pick three which allows you to force another player (or yourself) to draw three cards, and a freeze that ends another player’s round. Players gain one card at a time until everyone busts or freezes and you play until someone scores at least 200 points. It’s fast and people would cheer lucky draws and curse unlucky ones, but I think everyone played this a few times. Even Alex, who once busted on a pair of two’s in consecutive draws.
Comic Hunters (Tony) – This was my most anticipated game of Gen Con and I’m glad I was finally able to pick up a copy. I really enjoyed my first play of it, although I admit that part of that was nostalgia driven (I thought the mechanics were solid as well). However, the components left a lot to be desired. The card quality was OK, but the punchboard was hot garbage. Trying to manipulate 1mm thick tokens on a track was very frustrating to the point where I’ve already 3D printed replacement tokens. I understand them wanting to keep the price point low, but come on. The quality here definitely degraded the experience.
Pac-Man: The Board Game (Tony) – While wandering the dealer hall on Saturday I came across Pac-Man: The Board Game at the Gamewright booth (or whoever owns them now). It looked kind of fun, but I was dubious at how good it would be as a licensed game with no credited designer. But once I found out it was only $20, I figured why not, I’ve spent more money on worse games (please don’t ask for the list). And it turns out, it’s actually pretty fun. One player moves Pac-Man around the board (using dice rolls), eating dots and ghosts, while the other player(s) controls the ghosts with static movement via card draws. It’s theme was solidly on point and everyone who played it had a great time. Yes, it’s a super light family game, but for those of us who grew up on this quarter slurper, we had a good time reenacting those video game moments (and making our own sound effects).
Mistwind (Brandon) – This was published recently after seeing it demoed during last year’s convention. It is a pickup and deliver game with flying whales and route building. It was very high on my anticipated list and nearly received my staff award last year just due to its table presence. So when one of the BGQ family brought this to play, seeing the depth of the decision space and excellent production felt great. It also reminded me how important the convention space is for independent game publishers and designers. No matter how many thumbs a game receives on the BGG preview list, there are plenty of hidden gems waiting to be discovered in the depths of every aisle.
Pagan: Fate of Roanoke – (Brandon and Jason) While not truly a new release, Capstone brought Pagan to the masses at GenCon, fresh with a bundle including a massive playmat and upgraded components. I was able to play both sides of this dueling card game where one player takes the role of the witch and the other the witch hunter. The hunter won both games, and it was during my second play as the hunter that I was able to see how tense this system can be. There’s nothing like throwing caution to the wind and executing villagers in a wild attempt to locate the witch. It’s also quite fun to foil the other player’s plans with unique cards that thwart and override. Looking forward to the expansions to hit US shores so more cards enter the mix.
In some ways, the subtle nudges to make your opponent uncomfortable and force them to make hasty decisions gave a similar tug-of-war feeling I found from Watergate. If you’re a fan of that one, Pagan has a lot more going on. Once you get past some of the questionable iconography choices and understand you’ll be reading cards often to understand what they’ll do, it can make for a very tense game, especially when you’re putting your opponent on the ropes.
Lure (Jason) – I was fortunate enough to play Dice Fishing, from which Lure was born, a few years ago. It has always been a favorite of mine for casual gaming. While there are similarities to the gameplay of Dice Fishing found in Lure, a lot was added or changed that didn’t improve the original gameplay. Dice Fishing has a simpler design with some decisions that make the bidding more interesting than you find in Lure. I had planned to pick this one up after misplacing my copy of Dice Fishing. But I’ll have to keep looking.
Sausage Sizzle (Jason) – A prime example of the flawed scoring system found on BGG, this fun push-your-luck dice game has you trying to score as many points for each of your animals. You get three rolls to lock in your best result, pushing your luck to maximize your scoring potential. The biggest gamble is trying to roll 4 sausages to push your score even higher. It’s dumb, casual fun that satisfies as others at the table cheer you on with chants of “sausage, sausage, sausage!”.
Intarsia (Andrew) – A game by Michael Kiesling where you lay tiles in a predefined pattern to score the most points… and it’s not in the Azul line. In fact, it’s a decent amount heavier, at least when it comes to decision space. You have a variety of scoring options mostly driven by a board full of objectives you can score throughout the game. Not to be the guy who calls every game the killer of another, but I’m going to choose this over Azul almost all the time. And of course, it looks great on the table with the inlaid wooden pieces.
River Valley Glassworks (Andrew) – I went into my first play of River Valley Glassworks knowing nothing other than I’m generally a fan of the designers (Piepmatz gang for life!). But the quick gameplay and interesting puzzle of which colors to take and when is pretty engaging. For a game that takes 20 minutes, there is a lot more to consider than you might first expect. My second play was a different copy—this one with all the fancy deluxe components. So, of course, I bought the all-in bundle as soon as the hall opened the following day. And when my kids came down Saturday night to join me at Gen Con they played it three times in a row with some of the other BGQ staff. For sure will be one of the games I get played most post-Gencon.
Rafter Five (Brian W.) – This Oink game caught my eye as I wandered to their booth on Thursday. There was a demo of the game set up and it was eye-catching to say the least. I didn’t initially pick up a copy but Tony did and it was played multiple times Thursday night. After that, I needed to get my own copy. Rafter Five uses the game box as a base raft and players take turns placing or replacing 1 of the 5 Rafters meeples, a corresponding treasure chest, and a wooden plank to the growing base raft and other planks. Sounds easy right? Well not so much because this becomes a difficult balancing act and when a treasure chest falls you collect it. The game ends under 3 conditions: a player collects 5+ chests, there are no more rafts to place, or a player has placed all of their treasure chests. This fun, fast-to-the-table dexterity game was played every night of Gen Con with never a shortage of players looking to give this one a try.
Reef Project (Jacob) – Board & Dice have been on a roll of late, with top tier Euros like Tiletum, Barcelona, Nucleum, and the T-series from the Italian designers (Teotihuacan, Tabinussi, Tekenu, etc.). This year, their big offerings were Reef Project and Windmill Valley. I saw an opening for Reef Project and plopped my bum down for one of the few extended play-throughs I got in the exhibition hall. I was really delighted by a game about cleaning up and revitalizing a reef by removing pollutants and allowing the underwater wildlife to return and flourish. The mechanics were easily understandable, it always felt like there was something to do on your turn, and those actions felt satisfying even if they weren’t putting you in a position to win. The wide variety of ways to score points was straight up Feldian, so it felt like there was a lot to explore in terms of strategy. One of the most interesting elements was that other player’s actions, rather than making life more difficult for you, made paths easier to traverse. While a slightly heavier game (I would say it’s a 3.0 on the BGG scale), it never felt heavy. B&D was sold out of the game, but I couldn’t stop thinking about the game all con, so I pre-ordered a copy (it’s being released imminently) as soon as I got back home.
Compile (Alex & Steph) – We are always on the lookout for two-player games, and Compile was on our list from jump as a game we needed to check out. What we found was a quick and easy game, with an absolutely beautiful table presence due to the production of the cards. Seemingly light in its goal to have each player reach a value of 10 in each of three “protocols,” we discovered more and more complexity and depth after each play. With each game being different due to the combination of protocols (and associated powers) chosen by each player, Compile will be a game we return to often in the coming year.
Chris: I had the pleasure of playing many of the games my colleagues have already mentioned at the con (and they, in turn, had the unique pleasure of playing with me) and could definitely have listed a bunch of them here—particularly Pagan: Fate of Roanoke, which might very well be the best new-to-me game I got a chance to play. I also want to point out the Pac-Man game Tony mentioned earlier. Not because it was a particularly good game, but because I won my play of it by over 2,000 points. But I’m going to go with Arcs here, which I technically played the day before the official start of the convention. And I’m not just picking it because it was one of my few gaming victories during the four-day span (my overall winning percentage is embarrassingly low), but also because it’s a pretty tightly designed game with an inventive “players pick what scores” system. There are also several different paths one can take to try to win; I chose to destroy Andrew’s ships as often as humanly (alienly?) possible, which was a blast—quite literally. I’m not sure it’s a game I need to own, but I was pleasantly surprised by it overall.
The Staff Picks
Lure (Brian W.)
This was a game I was targeting since I saw it listed in the BGG Gen Con preview. I love fishing games and so this was one I had to check out. After a demo at the Allplay booth on Thursday morning, I was sold and even picked up the Deep Waters expansion. (Editors Note: Despite Jason’s questionable take on Lure above, most of us think its actually pretty great.) Players compete to reel in the most VPs in fish. Players secretly choose dice and reveal; the player that bids the fewest dice rolls first and sees how many requirements they meet or beat on the face-up fish cards. When a player does not collect a fish on a turn, they are given a lure token that can help with dice rolls or VP at the end game. Once the fish cards run out, the game ends and the player with the most VP wins. This is a fun, fast, engaging game I played every day and enjoyed every time even though I’m still looking for my first victory. Also, I want to note that Lure includes quality components and production which makes the game’s price point surprisingly low and affordable ($17 for the base and expansion for $7) which seriously feels like a steal at the register. Plus, it’s worth checking out other Allplay titles like River Valley Glassworks, Big Top, Sail, Prey, Panda Panda, and Fairy which BGQ staff, friends, and family were playing throughout Gen Con.
Moving Wild (Tony)
I make it a point to stop by the Oink Games booth every year to see what their new release are. Their small box games are always unique and some have been pretty amazing (Scout, Deep Sea Adventure). This year, Moving Wild caught me completely by surprise. It’s a “pick and pass” style drafting game (think Sushi Go) where you are adding animals and enclosures to your zoo. However each animal has size and type needs, and each enclosure wants to be 100% full. So after drafting, you’ll need to rearrange your animals to best fill out your zoo to earn you those sweet victory points. I probably played it half a dozen times at the Con. It’s light, easy to get to the table, and really enjoyable if you like card drafting games.
Keep the Heroes Out (Brian B)
Wait… wasn’t this originally released in 2022? Yes, yes it was; however, as I already stated in my Gen Con summary, there were not a ton of new must have/must play games for me this year. Thursday afternoon I noticed the Keep the Heroes Out! booth. I had a quick chat with Luis (designer and artist), told him how much I was looking forward to the expansion, and that was that. Come Friday night, after playing some more decent, not mind-blowing, games, I kept thinking about wanting to have my copy of Keep the Heroes Out delivered (I previously played Tony’s copy and immediately late backed the base game and expansion – so I still do not even own the game). That’s when I decided to give my award to Keep the Heroes Out! When you are surrounded by newness, and you are thinking more about a game you have already played, you know it is something special. Well, after hearing about my upcoming award and love of the game, at least three other BGQers went and bought the games on Saturday. I ended up playing two different teaching games that night, and those were my favorite gaming experiences of the con.
Oh, Keep the Heroes Out is a cooperative tower defense game where you, the evil players, try to keep the heroes out of your treasure hoard. It is one of my favorite coop experiences ever, because of the simple yet replayable design, combined with how the game rewards cooperation. The game has multiple difficulty levels and has a very cute and eye-catching artistic style.
Middle Ages (Jason)
We were offered a review copy of Middle Ages a few weeks ago (I must’ve glossed right over it based on name alone). Brandon picked it up during the convention and we played it. I played it three times over Gen Con weekend. It was that good. Its rules are pretty straightforward and it played really well at every player count I tried (3,4 and 5). Its drafting style reminds of Kingdomino, where it forces players to weigh turn order versus coveted tile. There’s a hint of engine building and you’re always doing or thinking about something. There’s a reason this one sold out during the convention.
Rock Hard: 1977 (Andrew)
Rock Hard: 1977 was one of many things I was hoping to buy at Gen Con. But, I was also adamant I wouldn’t rush in each morning or wait in line for hours. Thursday morning, before the opening, I was just talking around the hallways and saw a line forming near Devir’s room outside of the main exhibit hall. As soon as I walked past the doors opened and they started letting people in, so I just hopped in line and almost literally stumbled into buying one of the hottest games of the weekend. While getting the hotness is great, it helps that is really fun to play. Incredibly thematic allowing players to rehearse, sign record deals, and play a variety of different gigs. There is definitely drug use that is kind of made light of (and led to some very funny interactions throughout the game) that might not work for every group. Rock Hard is the game I’m most wanting to get back to the table to try out a few different strategies and see if this will hold up long term.
Civolution (Chris)
The only thought going through my mind as I walked the hall with my Staff Pick obelisk was this: “You can’t pick a Stefan Feld game, Sacco; it’s too obvious.” Well, my award went to the upcoming Stefan Feld game Civolution. The game was only available in demo form and, frankly, I didn’t stand there and watch a full demo (I let the people less in the know do that), but seeing the physical game in person was a treat and it was also exciting to see that they scaled down a lot of the components to make the table spread more manageable. (Early playthroughs from other conventions had boards and player trays that were so comically large that gamers would need a table the size of the one in the dinner scene from the 1989 Batman movie.) It looks very complex and maybe just a bit bloated, but I’m a sucker for new Feld and therefore had no choice but to pick this. Really it was out of my hands.
Ziggurat (Alex and Steph)
You could put Matt Leacock’s and Rob Daviau’s names on a piece of furniture and we’d stop to check it out, and doubly so if it’s a board game. The Pandemic Legacy series remains one of our favorite board game series, so we were immediately drawn to check out Ziggurat. What we found was a lighter legacy experience, with easy mechanics and 6 scenarios with ever-evolving rules and a bunch of fun surprises. We will never get tired of being told to open Panel 4 or add Sticker C to the rulebook, and it seems that Ziggurat will give us the opportunity to scratch that itch. It is designed not only for us adults, but for younger gamers as well, which should be the reason why gamer families should be on the lookout for Ziggurat as a legacy game experience for everyone.
Agueda (James)
One of the surprise hits of this year for me has been Agueda and everyone I’ve introduced it to has loved it and this was an opportunity to highlight my appreciation for this game. The concept is you are placing umbrellas on your player board to unlock a street mural during Agueda’s Umbrella Festival. Playing colors in specific spaces unlocks the mural pieces, which give you tourists who can be used to score the rows of umbrellas you’re building. Meanwhile, the columns and various counts of the different colors (with unique patterns so it’s colorblind friendly) generate more scoring opportunities. It’s beautiful, has fun components with an accessible theme, and is incredibly easy to teach and play. And while those make it a great fit for people looking for a gateway game, there’s also a little bit of crunch to maximize scoring between placing tourists and umbrellas.
DaDaDa (Spencer)
DaDaDa is a new cooperative party game from The Op. I got a brief demo at GAMA Expo and have been intrigued ever since. In this game, players are using sound cards and image cards to construct a new language. Then, players will take turns trying to communicate a new image using only the newly formed language. The strict communication rules only allow for vocalizing the sounds on the 5 available cards while you create the language and when attempting to use the language. This leads to a ridiculous scene of people reasoning back and forth with noises such as “zop,” “kwa,” and “aye.” When there are inevitable disagreements about which pictures belong to which sound, these noises become louder and more aggressive. It’s a hoot to be a part of or even just watch. The game itself is actually quite difficult to win. Experienced players will need to combine sounds and create compound sounds in order to have an effective language. Win or lose, everyone will be engaged. I’m fascinated to see how this works with various groups and especially building a meta with the same group over and over. Kwa? Zop? Kwazopkwa!
The Gang (Jacob)
The Gang from Kosmos was the surprise hit of Gen Con, full stop. The game sold out each day in well under an hour, and on Saturday, when they planned on offering up their final 100 copies at 3:30, a mass of people lined up at 2:30 and stood for basically the full hour awaiting their prize (myself included). What made people give up a peak hour in the middle of their Gen Con Saturday? A cooperative poker game. That’s right, a $15 small box game loosely themed around a criminal gang trying to rob a bank. The Gang is a cooperative card game that feels like a mix of The Game, The Mind, and The Crew. Players essentially play a hand of Texas Hold ‘em, and over the course of each phase of play (the two hole cards, then the flop, the turn, and finally the river), everyone attempts to claim poker chips with a number of stars on them from that represents the strength of their hand (1-6 if playing with the full player count). If, after the river, the order of hands is correctly designated from lowest to highest via these chips, the team wins the round and “unlocks a safe.” If they fail to get even one hand in the correct order, they “set off an alarm.” Three open safes and you win, three alarms and you lose. But wait, there’s (a little) more. There are also cards that make the game harder if you succeed in a round, and ones that make the game easier if you fail. That’s the whole game. And folks, it’s fantastic. Not only is it a fun challenge for experienced poker players, but it also acts as a teaching tool for poker for your gamer friends who, for some reason, have shied away from that particular vice. I would suggest you go ALL-IN for this successor of The Crew.
Altay: Dawn of Civilization (Brandon)
I mentioned it in another area of this article. Table presence can draw a gamer in and Altay happened to be the game that did this for me at the convention. This upcoming Essen release from designers Paolo Mori and Ole Steiness, and publisher Ares Games, features unique illustrations from Pauliina Hannuniemi. It’s a civ and deck-building game set in a fictional world where four distinct factions reside. Players expand on the map, find ways to produce new resources and upgrade their decks, build settlements, fight for territory, and work toward achievements. Player tableaus begin to fill with unique cards to power their engine. If you get a chance, take a moment to look at some of the card art from this game. It’s going to be a big hit when it releases, especially considering its early playtime estimate of 60-90 minutes.
