GenCon is the largest board gaming convention in America each year that is the release date for some of the most hyped games of the year. Games come out sporadically during the year, but publishers push to have some of their biggest games out in time for GenCon to generate as much buzz for their products at once. Since the convention is a little more than a week away, I thought it would be a good idea to look at some of the most hyped games that are due out this year!
Note: I only included games that are releasing at GenCon, not ones that are already out in stores or games that are demo
Note: I only included games that are releasing at GenCon, not ones that are already out in stores or games that are demo
MysteriumDescribed as a mix between Dixit and Clue, this innovative game has been getting rave reviews in Europe for the past year or so. One player is the ghost of someone who has been murdered and tries to give clues to players using abstract art cards to get them to guess a person, location, and item. After a set number of rounds, players try to determine who murdered the ghost player. |
Flick 'Em UpA pricey dexterity game coming from an offshoot of ZMan Games, Flick ‘Em Up looks to be a blast. Interestingly, this game will come with a scenario book that allows players to go through different situations and even make up their own. With an overabundance of wooden pieces, players will flick wooden discs at other players, locations, props, etc until the scenario is completed. Definitely worth a look. |
Survive: Space AttackSurvive: Escape from Atlantis (which I reviewed here) is a fun, albeit mean, game that has been around for 30 years. This is a reimagining of the game and I’m intrigued to see what the designers are doing to change it around. Will it be a simple retheme? Will it be a complete rehaul of the game? Will it still ruin friendships? I guess we will find out. |
Ashes: Rise of the PhoenixbornFresh off their smashing success Dead of Winter, Plaid Hat Games is delving into the expandable 2-player card game market with juggernauts like Android: Netrunner, Game of Thrones LCG, and even Magic the Gathering. If there’s one thing you can say for Plaid Hat, they definitely know how to integrate a theme well and I expect this game to be a rousing success. This isn’t my type of game, but I know people will love to jump on board. |
Legendary Encounters: PredatorThe Legendary deck-building system has been done quite a few times in Marvel Legendary (and all its expansions) and the Legendary Encounters: Alien game from last year. People do tend to love more of the same, and this is no exception. There are some interesting notes from this game that will change some of the mechanics allowing players to play against one another with one player as the Predator. This can also be mixed in with the Alien version of Legendary Encounters. |
A Game of Thrones LCG |
MottainaiBilled as a spiritual successor to the wildly-popular, brain-burning, and out-of-print game Glory to Rome, Mottainai is absolutely sure to be a smash hit. Many gamers in the community have an appreciation for the designer Carl Chudyk and this is his newest card game. Hopefully it can be half as beloved as its predecessor, and it will probably fly off the shelves when it is released to the public. |
Some other games to keep an eye out for:
Smash Up: Munchkin2-4 Player Hand Management Game: An Expansion to Smash Up themed to the popular game Munchkin. This includes a few small mechanic changes and 8 new factions: Orcs, Halflings, Clerics, Elves, Warriors, Thieves, Dwarves, and Mages. |
Tesla vs. Edison2-5 Player Worker Placement Game: Players control a group of legendary inventors and to research and commercialize different technologies. You can buy and sell stock in other players' companies to try to make the most money. |
Spirits of the Rice Paddy2-4 Player Tile Placement Game: Players will construct a rice paddy and use special powers granted from spirits to produce the most rice. |
Dead Drop2-4 Player Deduction Game: Players take turns giving out limited information to the other players and guess the "Dead Drop" card to win. |
Codenames2-12 Player Party Game: Each team has a captain with some hidden information on which cards belong to each group. Players will try to get all the cards that belong to them and avoid a single "Assassin" card. |
WWE Superstar Showdown2-6 Player Miniature Combat Game: Players will gain unique cards for each wrestler, each with a different style. Kind of an unknown commodity but the company has a decent track record. |
Champions of Midgard2-4 Player Worker Placement Game: Players gain resources to defend a town against Norse mythological beasts. Includes custom dice to battle the different enemies. |
Tides of Time2 Player Drafting Game: A micro-game with only 18 cards. The focus of the game is on really knowing what cards are in the game and playing your opponent as much as the game. |
Chtulhu Realms2-4 Player Deckbuilding Game: From the makers of Star Realms. Looks to be more of a re-theme or adjustment of Star Realms rather than a new game. |
Flip City1-4 Player Deckbuilding Game: Cards are two-sided and can be upgraded from one side to the other during the game. |