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Board Game Quest Board Game Awards 2022

The jury has gathered again, voted and the BGQ Board Game Awards for 2022 have been announced! This year, there were no super-surprises among the winners, as each game is more or less an expected winner in its own genre. However, the absence of mention for the Dune: Imperium expansions raises eyebrows for me. Without further ado, let's dive into the list!

Best Cooperative Game: Oathsworn: Into the Deepwood
Oathsworn is a successful game that combines familiar mechanics with new ones in a dark forest setting. It features flexible gameplay, including a choose-your-adventure story and tactical boss battles, with a push-your-luck combat system offering card or dice options for thrilling moments of massive damage.
Runner Up: ISS Vanguard

Best Game Expansion: Star Wars Outer Rim: Unfinished Business
The Unfinished Business expansion for Star Wars: Outer Rim enhances the already fantastic open-world game. It adds content to card decks, introduces board looping, and revises endgame goals, making it a must-own for fans.
Runner Up: Wingspan: Asia Expansion

Best Production Values: Foundations of Rome
Foundations of Rome boasts dual-layered boards, detailed miniatures, and chunky pieces, filling up empty shelf space. Upgrades include metal coins, a first player statue, and more. The organizer simplifies setup, and the game impresses visually and in gameplay. A cardboard re-theme is rumored for late 2023.
Runner Up: Return to Dark Tower

Best Thematic Game: Return to Dark Tower
Return to Dark Tower offers a thematically satisfying experience for fantasy and co-op fans, with immersive bosses, intriguing characters, and creative dungeons. The game flourishes in its distinctive world, enhancing the overall experience.
Runner Up: ISS Vanguard

Best Strategy/Euro Game: Ark Nova
Ark Nova is a complex yet engaging game featuring a vast deck and multiple zoo maps for variety. After overcoming the initial learning curve, players enjoy a familiar rhythm, achieving milestones and adapting to luck-based challenges. Skilled zoo builders excel at adjusting to unforeseen obstacles.
Runner Up: Wonderlands War

Best Card Game: War of the Ring: The Card Game
War of the Ring: The Card Game, first demoed at Gen Con 2022, captures the essence of the epic tabletop game in a condensed format. It offers a fun, thematic experience for J.R.R. Tolkien fans, making it an excellent alternative when time is limited.
Runner Up: Cat in the Box: Deluxe Edition

Best Game from a Small Publisher: Planet Unknown
Planet Unknown is a visually stunning polyomino tile-laying game featuring a lazy susan for piece selection. Players race up satisfying tracks, unlocking benefits and powers, and clear personal boards using rovers while competing for shared objectives. With unique map combinations and minimal downtime, this game offers new puzzles for up to six players in about an hour.
Runner Up: Frostpunk: The Board Game

Best Two Player Game: Undaunted: Stalingrad
Undaunted Stalingrad, the latest in the series, immerses players in a challenging, thematic deck-building game set during the Battle of Stalingrad. As the tide of battle shifts, players connect to their squad and navigate historical context. The game showcases the design prowess of David Thompson and Trevor Benjamin, offering a captivating experience for those ready to enlist.
Runner Up: Beer and Bread

Best Family Game: Long Shot: The Dice Game
Long Shot is an exciting horse race betting game without financial risk. The small-box game offers dice rolling, various actions, and a concessions board for unlocking major actions. With unique horse abilities and interactivity, it's accessible for players aged 10+ and accommodates up to 8 players, making it ideal for family gatherings.
Runner Up: Flamecraft

Best Reprint/ Reimplementation: Return to Dark Tower
Return to Dark Tower by Restoration Games modernizes a beloved classic, striking a balance between familiarity and innovation. The centerpiece tower enhances the experience, appealing to both long-time fans and newcomers, offering plenty to love about the game.
Runner Up: Longshot: The Dice Game

Game of the Year: Foundations of Rome
Foundations of Rome is not only visually stunning but also a favorite for its accessible polyomino gameplay. With expansions adding depth, solo play options, backstabbery, and additional buildings, it keeps players engaged repeatedly, earning its title as Game of the Year.
Runner Up: Ark Nova

An excellent selection of games, each one better than the last, and all of them deserving winners. It's refreshing to see a mechanically light game crowned Game of the Year :) Board Game Quest's list can be read here.

Side note: The Golden Geek 2022 voting is open, so make your voice heard!

Chris Perkins revealed the cover of the new Dungeon Masters' Guide.

Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) is set to release three new rulebooks, including a revised Dungeon Masters' Guide, as part of its 2024 update to the 5th Edition ruleset. Wizards of the Coast's lead designer Chris Perkins discussed the changes in a video on the D&D YouTube channel, emphasizing the focus on accessibility for Dungeon Masters (DMs) of all experience levels.

The revised guide aims to restructure the book to help new DMs understand game rules before diving into worldbuilding or campaign creation. Perkins acknowledged that the current 5th Edition book can be overwhelming for newcomers, and the team aims to address this issue by presenting the basics of running the game first. This will include discussions on common social dynamics, core rules, and essential terminology.

The revised guide will feature a "During Play" section, an alphabetized rules compendium, and chapters on adventure and campaign building. A magic item section will also be included, with a surprise element. Furthermore, the new guide will contain appendices with maps and lore glossary, as well as example adventures and campaigns using a "show don't tell" approach.

A new Crossroads game and other delicious preorders for the end of the month.

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A warm board game spring for everyone!
Jaakko and Poromagia's board game crew

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