Golden Geek Predictions 2017

Welcome, welcome, one and all, to the Golden Geek Awards 2018! What a fabulous time of the year it is. A time to celebrate the very best games from the last year. A time to realise just how few of those games you’ve had chance to play. A time to wonder whether any game will beat Gloomhaven to an award.

As I did last year, I thought it might be fun to take a guess at which games will win the awards. If nothing else, then to discover how out of touch with the board game geek community I am! 😛 Why not play along? Add a comment with your predictions and we will see how well we can do!

And may I say it’s wonderful to see so many of you in suits for the occasion!

Board Game of the Year

The 7th Continent
Anachrony*
Azul
Century: Spice Road*
Charterstone
Clans of Caledonia
Dinosaur Island
Gaia Project
Gloomhaven*
Lisboa*
Near and Far
Pandemic Legacy: Season 2*
Rajas of the Ganges*
Sagrada
Spirit Island

Played: 6/15

Oof. That’s a shockingly low played total! Made slightly worse by the fact I own 7th Continent but have not had chance to play it. Perhaps I shouldn’t feel too guilty though. A massive 9 of the 15 games selected were Kickstarter releases. That’s incredible. And since I didn’t back all these titles, I’m not too surprised that I haven’t had chance to play them!

With the exception of Century: Spice Road, which I wasn’t hugely impressed with, all the games I have played on this list have been excellent. I would dearly like to play many of them again! But the winner would have to be Gloomhaven. It nearly took my game of the year overall, as it is!

My prediction

Well, I think we can all see the gathering gloom on the horizon. The shadow of that great box blocking out all other titles. If the new number 1 game, Gloomhaven, doesn’t win I’ll eat this list.

 

2-Player Game

13 Minutes: The Cuban Missile Crisis
878: Vikings – Invasions of England
Caverna: Cave vs Cave
Codenames Duet*
Colonial Twilight: The French-Algerian War, 1954-62
The Cousins’ War*
Fog of Love
The Fox in the Forest
Fugitive*
Legend of the Five Rings: The Card Game
LYNGK
Tak
Tao Long: The Way of the Dragon
Techno Bowl: Arcade Football Unplugged
Triplock
Warhammer Underworlds: Shadespire

Played: 3/16

I don’t get chance to play very many 2 player games and when I do it’s usually Arkham Horror LCG time. Which is a shame because there are quite a few games on this list I would like to try out. Of the 3 I’ve played, Cousin’s War would be my pick… if it wasn’t already my pick for best war game, and I want to select different games for all the awards! As such I will pick Codenames: Duet as an incredibly cunning co-operative re-implementation of Codenames.

My Prediction

Sadly I don’t suppose enough players have tried Cousin’s War for it to actually win. I have been hearing a shocking amount of good things regarding Warhammer Shadespire (a Games Workshop game!? On a list like this!?). Tak was weirdly on last year’s list too so since it didn’t win then I don’t suppose it will this time. Fox in the Forest and Fog of Love are the two I would pick out from that list based on what I’ve heard and while I suspect Fox in the Forest will take it, I want to shout out to Fog of Love for creating a game that is truly unique and deserves recognition. Even if the BGG audience might not agree. Wait… aren’t I supposed to be getting this right?

Artwork & Presentation

The 7th Continent
Anachrony*
Azul
Charterstone
Dice Forge*
Dinosaur Island
Ex Libris*
Gloomhaven*
Lisboa*
Near and Far
Photosynthesis
Sagrada
Spirit Island
Tiny Epic Quest*
Yamataï*

Played: 7/15

Only played 7 but I’ve seen all of them! Anachrony looks incredible but needs the expansion minis to truly shine. I’m torn between Near and Far with Ryan Lauket’s always stellar artwork and awesome ring-bound book of maps, and Lisboa with its completely unique blue mottled style like the tiled walls of Lisbon itself. Of course, Photosynthesis also looks amazing, with look also being fundamental to the gameplay… which might be the deciding factor here! Art bleeding into gameplay bleeding into theme in a coherent whole. Yes. I pick Photosynthesis.

My Prediction

Gloomhaven is in this list. Gloomhaven is an excellent game but, and I’m going to say this very clearly, Gloomhaven does not have the best artwork and presentation. Not a patch. Components are misprinted, the artwork is limited, small and covered by ugly plastic stands on the monster standees. Everything about it is functional, and that is exactly what it needed to be. But the games I mention in the segment above are works of art! If Gloomhaven wins this it does so purely because BGG voters are unthinking philistines who just vote for their favourite game and I wash my hands of the award system if it wins. So what do I think (hope) will win? I think maybe 7th Continent. It’s the other massive, popular Kickstarter and has a ton of carefully illustrated cards in an epic box. It would be a deserving winner!

Card Game

Aeon’s End: War Eternal
Alien Artifacts*
Century: Spice Road*
Clank! In! Space!*
Custom Heroes
Ethnos*
The Fox in the Forest
Fugitive*
Herbaceous
Jump Drive*
Legend of the Five Rings: The Card Game
London (second edition)
The Lost Expedition*
Majesty: For the Realm*
Villages of Valeria

Played: 8/15

Wow! Turns out I play quite a few card games! This is an easy pick for me: Majesty: For the Realm. I love this game! It totally wowed me. Indeed, of all the ones I’ve played from that list it stands head and shoulders above the others. I would like to play more Fugitive, since there’s definitely something very clever there, but my one play wasn’t quite enough to be sure.

My Prediction

Tough! I don’t feel confident in picking any of these as winners, I just can’t say for sure one has been more popular than the others. The Clank! series of course has a big following, Lost Expedition and Ethnos continue to be mentioned regularly. I will go for Ethnos… it’ll probably Lost Expedition now won’t it?

Cooperative Game

The 7th Continent
Aeon’s End: War Eternal
Codenames Duet*
The Dresden Files Cooperative Card Game
First Martians: Adventures on the Red Planet*
Flip Ships
Gloomhaven*
Kitchen Rush
The Lost Expedition*
Magic Maze
Pandemic Legacy: Season 2*
Pandemic: Rising Tide*
Spirit Island
This War of Mine: The Board Game*
Too Many Bones

Played: 7/15

On principle, I prefer to not pick the same game in multiple categories. So since I picked Gloomhaven for game of the year, I won’t select it here. Which puts me in a tough place. This War of Mine was an exceptional achievement but not necessarily great as a co-op. The two Pandemic titles are, as always, wonderful games. But I think I might pick First Martians. In part because I feel like it got unfairly maligned by the community and part because I have simply loved playing it!

My Prediction

It’s going to be Gloomhaven. It deserves to be Gloomhaven.

Expansion

Aeon’s End: War Eternal
Arkham Horror: The Card Game – The Dunwich Legacy*
Between Two Cities: Capitals
Champions of Midgard: Valhalla
Cities of Splendor
Clank!: Sunken Treasures
Legendary: X-Men*
One Deck Dungeon: Forest of Shadows
Scythe: The Wind Gambit
Spirit Island: Branch & Claw
Star Wars: Rebellion – Rise of the Empire
Terraforming Mars: Hellas & Elysium
Terraforming Mars: Venus Next
Ticket to Ride Map Collection: Volume 6 – France & Old West*
Tiny Epic Galaxies: Beyond the Black
Xia: Embers of a Forsaken Star

Played: 3/16

I don’t play expansions particularly often it seems but at least that makes this choice quite a bit easier! Hands down Arkham Horror: Dunwich Legacy. This was an amazingly good expansion, kicking off an amazingly good cycle.

My Prediction

OK!  Which was the most popular base game… Scythe, Rebellion or Terraforming Mars? I feel like Star Wars Rebellion: Rise of the Empire had the best critical response, but either of the other two were probably played more widely. People love plastic airships right? I’ll go with Scythe: The Wind Gambit.

Family Game

Azul
Bärenpark*
Century: Spice Road*
Dice Forge*
Downforce
Ethnos*
Magic Maze
Majesty: For the Realm*
Meeple Circus
NMBR 9*
Photosynthesis
Queendomino
The Quest for El Dorado
Rhino Hero: Super Battle
Sagrada

Played: 6/15

Bärenpark, Dice Forge and Century: Spice Road represented a couple of months of solid but uninspiring game releases to me, around summer last year. On the other hand Ethnos has impressed me a bit more and I’ve loved NMBR 9 and Majesty. And since I’ve already picked Majesty for the Card Game award, I’ll choose NMBR 9 here!

My Prediction

A lot of games on this list have been very well regarded but Azul sits highest of all! Still gutted that I haven’t played this….

Innovative

The 7th Continent
Anachrony*
Azul
Charterstone
Dice Forge*
Fog of Love
Gloomhaven*
Magic Maze
Near and Far
NMBR 9*
Photosynthesis
Sagrada
Sidereal Confluence: Trading and Negotiation in the Elysian Quadrant*
Spirit Island
This War of Mine: The Board Game*

Played: 6/15

The one and only nomination for Sidereal Confluence? That seems like a tragic over site when it is, possibly, the most cleverly designed negotiation game I’ve played. Anachrony is the first game to do time travel well, Dice Forge is not the first game to do dice face/off, NMBR 9 is just cleverly shaped tile laying. This War of Mine creates a pretty innovative experience… but it also leans heavily on the video game to achieve that. I think I’ll accept that compromise. This War of Mine gives you feels you’ll never really have experienced in a board game before and that is an innovation, even if it’s not as mechanically innovative as some of the others.

My Prediction

I’m pretty sure Fog of Love, from what I’ve heard, deserves to win this but there’s no doubt in my mind that Gloomhaven will take it. Which, to be fair, does deserve it. It’s a unique approach to dungeon crawling full of very clever mechanical tricks and, of course, a huge campaign. But that campaign actually works!

Party Game

The Chameleon
Crossfire
CrossTalk
DropMix
Go Nuts for Donuts
Leaders of Euphoria: Choose a Better Oppressor
Muse
One Night Ultimate Alien
Pit Crew*
Secrets
Spyfall 2*
That’s a Question!*
Tortuga 1667
Werewords
Wordsy*

Played: 4/15

Apparently I haven’t been invited to very many parties this year! This is a fairly easy pick for me though: Pit Crew. Brilliant, silly, real time fun. Wordsy was very good but more cerebral, Spyfall 2 is, well, it’s Spyfall… 2, and I didn’t really like That’s A Question! all that much.

My Prediction

This is hard. None of these really leap out at me. Apparently party games were not that hot this year. In which case I’ll take a punt on One Night Ultimate Alien, since that series continues to be popular.

Print & Play

A4 Quest
Ada Lovelace: Consulting Mathematician
Adamastor
Black Sonata
Doctor Who: Solitaire Story Game (Second edition)
My Little Scythe
Pocket Landship
Raging Bulls
Snowbirds
Welcome To DinoWorld

Played: ah, er… 0/10

Well. As usual I’ve played no games on the Print and Play list. But A4 Quest was just on Kickstarter and I did back it (and it’s sister project) so… I guess I’ll choose that!

My Prediction

Now I’m pretty sure My Little Scythe is the my little pony Scythe conversion which did the rounds a few months ago. It was an impressive creation! And since it’s the only one to get any media attention I’m going to guess a few people will remember and vote for it!

Solo Game

The 7th Continent
Finished!
Gaia Project
Gloomhaven*
Hostage Negotiator: Crime Wave
The Lost Expedition*
Nemo’s War (second edition)
One Deck Dungeon: Forest of Shadows
Sagrada
Spirit Island
SUPERHOT Card Game*
This War of Mine: The Board Game*
Tiny Epic Quest*
Too Many Bones
Xia: Embers of a Forsaken Star

Played: 5/15… but only 1/15 solo

Gah! I have 7th Continent and Nemo’s war sitting on a shelf waiting to be played! Ah well. Given I’ve only played Superhot solo, and it was solidly impressive (although with room for improvement), I will pick that.

My Prediction

It’s a little unfair Gloomhaven being on this list as it’s not really intended to be played solo. 7th Continent and Nemo’s War, on the other hand, are renowned as excellent solo games. In my heart I suspect Gloomhaven will take it again but I hold out hope that there is enough 7th Continent fans out there who recognise that it makes much more sense as a solo game!

Strategy Game

Anachrony*
Azul
Charterstone
Clans of Caledonia
Dinosaur Island
Ethnos*
Gaia Project
Gentes
Gloomhaven*
Heaven & Ale
Lisboa*
Pandemic Legacy: Season 2*
Rajas of the Ganges*
Spirit Island
Twilight Imperium: Fourth Edition

Played: 6/15

I wish I had played Anachrony and Rajas of the Ganges more than once as they were both excellent but I don’t really have the perspective to choose between them and the other titles here. Pandemic Legacy Season 2, Lisboa and Gloomhaven are all strong contenders for me personally but I think the incredible meatiness of Lisboa wins it for me. Plus I feel like strategy games call for competitive rather than cooperative games.

My Prediction

Well it’s going to be Gloomhaven. Nothing else will really come close I don’t suppose.

Thematic Game

The 7th Continent
Anachrony*
Dinosaur Island
Fallout
Fog of Love
Gloomhaven*
The Godfather: Corleone’s Empire*
Near and Far
Nemo’s War (second edition)
Pandemic Legacy: Season 2*
Spirit Island
This War of Mine: The Board Game*
Tiny Epic Quest*
Twilight Imperium: Fourth Edition
Wasteland Express Delivery Service

Played: 6/15

Hmmm… starting to run out of games I haven’t picked for other awards! I think this one goes to Anachrony for a very well crafted, thematic, worker placement game. Many of the other games on this list had an easier time getting the theme across. Legacy games have more space to create a sense of theme. Doing a genre as bland as worker placement thematically is a genuine achievement! It all comes down to its exceptional time travel mechanics!

My Prediction

Gloomhaven, and again, it’s a win that is deserved. While I always felt the story was a bit light, the world feels real, the way your characters fight and interact feels right. But it’s how your group of players develop as a party in analogy to your characters that is the real thematic achievement of Gloomhaven.

Wargame

1754: Conquest – The French and Indian War
878: Vikings – Invasions of England
B-17 Flying Fortress Leader
Baptism By Fire: The Battle of Kasserine
Colonial Twilight: The French-Algerian War, 1954-62
The Cousins’ War*
Enemy Coast Ahead: The Doolittle Raid
Fields of Despair: France 1914-1918
Here I Stand (500th Anniversary Reprint Edition)
Holland ’44: Operation Market-Garden
Next War: Poland
Pendragon: The Fall of Roman Britain
Pericles: The Peloponnesian Wars
Supply Lines of the American Revolution: The Northern Theater, 1775-1777
Table Battles
Target for Today
Time of Crisis

Played: 1/17

Oh boy! I actually played a game in the war game category: Cousin’s War! I originally chose this as winner of the 2 player game category but changed that when I realised I had to pick it as a winner here (I know, I’m being a bit ridiculous now). It is an excellent game that deserves your attention especially if you don’t bother with war games usually.

My Prediction

I’m not particularly well versed in the war gaming field so I can only go off of what I’ve seen talked about this year. And that would be either Pendragon: The Fall of Roman Britain, or Time of Crisis (the Fall of the rest of Rome…) of which I’m going to choose… Time of Crisis?

Best Podcast

Blue Peg, Pink Peg*
Board Game Blitz
Board Games Insider*
Brawling Brothers Boardgaming Podcast*
Ding & Dent
Dukes of Dice
Flip the Table
Gaming Rules!*
Heavy Cardboard
Low Player Count
Ludology*
Punching Cardboard
Rahdo Talks Through
Rolling Dice & Taking Names
This Game Is Broken*

Would consider myself a regular listener of… 6/15

Oh my goodness! The podcast I contribute to is up for an award! That’s incredible! Please go vote for the Gaming Rules! Podcast 😀

I would consider myself a regular listener of podcasts but I still only listen to 6 of the nominees! I only found This Game Is Broken last week as well (and then binged the whole thing, it’s a great new format for board game media, and hilarious to boot). Since it would be somewhat dishonorable to vote for myself, I would have to pick either the ever enjoyable Blue Peg Pink Peg, or the wonderfully informative Ludology, especially with the addition of Gil Hova to the roster. I’ll lean towards Blue Peg Pink Peg this time, thanks to their overwhelming positivity in all things! Always a joy to listen to!

My Prediction

I reckon Blue Peg Pink Peg will probably take it this year, they seem like the biggest left on the list (previous winners are eliminated from the nominees for fairness). That is, so long as Flip the Table doesn’t swing the pity vote for their last chance to win…

 

There we go! What an impressive pile of games? How many have you managed to play? What have been your favourite games? Let me know in the comments below!