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2021 Board Game Award Nominees

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2021 Board Game Award Nominees

Welcome to our 9th annual Board Game Quest Board Game Awards. Each year we take some time to honor the best and most creative new tabletop games from the previous years. For those wondering, we usually wait until spring to announce our nominees to give us time to play games that came out late in the winter.

As usual, we have a total of 11 award categories this year, with 5 nominees in each. while 2021 wasn’t quite back to normal yet, our editorial staff was still able to play a ton of games and have chosen some stand-out titles that we would like to nominate. It’s from among these nominations that we will choose a winner. However, since we wouldn’t be doing this without you, our awesome readers, you get a vote as well!

Below is a poll for each of the 11 categories to allow you to cast a vote for which games you think should win. Our readers here will collectively get one vote, and along with each member of our editorial staff, the winner will be chosen. The voting will be open until April 11th, 2021 and the winners will be announced shortly thereafter.

Congratulations to all of this year’s nominees!

2021 Board Game Award Nominees

Best Cooperative Game

Sleeping Gods
Sleeping Gods
Designer: Ryan Laukat
Red Raven Games
Get Your Copy
2021 Best Cooperative Board Game
The Initiative
The Initiative
Designer: Corey Konieczka
Unexpected Games
Get Your Copy
Chronicles of Drunagor
Chronicles of Drunagor: Age of Darkness
Designers: Daniel Alves and Eurico Cunha Neto
Creative Games Studio
Get Your Copy
Descent: Legends of the Dark
Descent: Legends of the Dark
Designers: Kara Centell-Dunk, Nathan I. Hajek, and Todd Michlitsch
Fantasy Flight Games
Get Your Copy
The Night Cage
The Night Cage
Designers: Christopher Ryan Chan, Chris McMahon, and Rosswell Saunders
Smirk and Laughter Games
Get Your Copy

 

Most Innovative Game

The Initiative
The Initiative
Designer: Corey Konieczka
Unexpected Games
Get Your Copy
2021 Most Innovative Game
Oath
Oath: Chronicles of Empire and Exile
Designer: Cole Wehrle
Leder Games
Get Your Copy
Sleeping Gods
Sleeping Gods
Designer: Ryan Laukat
Red Raven Games
Get Your Copy
Bullet
Bullet♥︎
Designer: Joshua Van Laningham
Level 99 Games
Get Your Copy
Mind MGMT
Mind MGMT: The Psychic Espionage “Game.”
Designers: Jay Cormier and Sen-Foong Lim
Off the Page Games
Get Your Copy

 

Best Game Expansion

Let Waltz
Grand Austria Hotel – Let’s Waltz
Designers: Virginio Gigli and Simone Luciani
Lookout Games
Get Your Copy
2021 Best Game Expansion
Return of the Sinister Six
Marvel United: Return of the Sinister Six
Designers: Andrea Chiarvesio and Eric M. Lang
CMON and Spin Master
Get Your Copy
Tides of Ruin
Sleeping Gods: Tides of Ruin
Designers: Ira Fay and Ryan Laukat
Red Raven Games
Get Your Copy
Expedition LEaders
Lost Ruins of Arnak: Expedition Leaders
Designers: Mín & Elwen
Czech Games Edition
Get Your Copy
Rise of Ix
Dune Imperium – Rise of Ix
Designer: Paul Dennen
Dire Wolf Digital
Get Your Copy

 

Best Production Values

Canvas
Canvas
Designers: Jeff Chin and Andrew Nerger
Road to Infamy
Get Your Copy
2021 Best Production values
Sleeping Gods
Sleeping Gods
Designer: Ryan Laukat
Red Raven Games
Get Your Copy
Oath
Oath: Chronicles of Empire and Exile
Designer: Cole Wehrle
Leder Games
Get Your Copy
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood of Venice
Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood of Venice
Designers: Thibaud de la Touanne,
Fabrice Lamidey, and Manuel Rozoy
Triton Noir
Get Your Copy
Clash of Cultures
Clash of Cultures: Monumental Edition
Designer: Christian Marcussen
WizKids
Get Your Copy

 

Best Thematic Game

Descent: Legends of the Dark
Descent: Legends of the Dark
Designers: Kara Centell-Dunk, Nathan I. Hajek, and Todd Michlitsch
Fantasy Flight Games
Get Your Copy
2021 Best Thematic Game
Solomon Kane
Solomon Kane
Designer: Jake Thornton
Mythic Games
Get Your Copy
Destinies
Destinies
Designer: Michał Gołębiowski and Filip Miłuński
Lucky Duck Games
Get Your Copy
Chronicles of Drunagor
Chronicles of Drunagor: Age of Darkness
Designers: Daniel Alves and Eurico Cunha Neto
Creative Games Studio
Get Your Copy
Sleeping Gods
Sleeping Gods
Designer: Ryan Laukat
Red Raven Games
Get Your Copy

 

Best Strategy/Euro Game

Hadrian's Wall
Hadrian’s Wall
Designer: Bobby Hill
Garphill Games
Get Your Copy
2021 Best Euro Game
Dinosaur Island: Rawr 'n Write
Dinosaur Island: Rawr ‘n Write
Designers: Brian Lewis, David McGregor, and Marissa Misura
Pandasaurus Games
Get Your Copy
Brian Boru
Brian Boru: High King of Ireland
Designer: Peer Sylvester
Osprey Games
Get Your Copy
Clash of Cultures
Clash of Cultures: Monumental Edition
Designer: Christian Marcussen
WizKids
Get Your Copy
Oath
Oath: Chronicles of Empire and Exile
Designer: Cole Wehrle
Leder Games
Get Your Copy

 

Best Game from a Small Publisher

Dollars to Donuts
Dollars to Donuts
Designers: Molly Johnson, Robert Melvin, and Shawn Stankewich
Crafty Games
Get Your Copy
Small Publisher
The Initiative
The Initiative
Designer: Corey Konieczka
Unexpected Games
Get Your Copy
Chronicles of Drunagor
Chronicles of Drunagor: Age of Darkness
Designers: Daniel Alves and Eurico Cunha Neto
Creative Games Studio
Get Your Copy
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood of Venice
Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood of Venice
Designers: Thibaud de la Touanne,
Fabrice Lamidey, and Manuel Rozoy
Triton Noir
Get Your Copy
Mind MGMT
Mind MGMT: The Psychic Espionage “Game.”
Designers: Jay Cormier and Sen-Foong Lim
Off the Page Games
Get Your Copy

 

Best Card Game

GI Joe Deck Building Game
G.I. JOE Deck-Building Game
Designer: T. C. Petty III
Renegade Game Studios
Get Your Copy
2021 Best Card Game
Radlands
Radlands
Designer: Daniel Piechnick
Roxley Games
Get Your Copy
Funfair
Funfair
Designer: Joel Finch
Good Games Publishing
Get Your Copy
The Crew Deep Sea
The Crew: Mission Deep Sea
Designer: Thomas Sing
Kosmos
Get Your Copy
Imperium
Imperium: Classics/Legends
Designers: Nigel Buckle and Dávid Turczi
Osprey Games
Get Your Copy

 

Best Two Player Game

Trick Shot
Trick Shot
Designer:
Artyom Nichipurov
Wolff Designa
Get Your Copy
2021 Best Two Player Game
Lawyer Up
Lawyer Up
Designer: Samuel Bailey and Mike Gnade
Rock Manor Games
Get Your Copy
Radlands
Radlands
Designer: Daniel Piechnick
Roxley Games
Get Your Copy
That Time You Killed Me
That Time You Killed Me
Designer: Peter C. Hayward
Pandasaurus Games
Get Your Copy
Jekyll vs Hyde
Jekyll vs. Hyde
Designer: Geonil
Mandoo Games
Get Your Copy

 

Best Family Game

7 Wonders Architects
7 Wonders Architects
Designer: Antoine Bauza
Repos Prod
Get Your Copy
2021 Best Family Game
Canvas
Canvas
Designers: Jeff Chin and Andrew Nerger
Road to Infamy
Get Your Copy
Marvel X-Men
Marvel United: X-Men
Designer: Andrea Chiarvesio, Eric M. Lang, and Francesco Rugerfred Sedda
CMON, Spin Master
Get Your Copy
Catapult Kingdoms
Catapult Kingdoms
Designer: Kristian Fosh
Vesuvius Media
Get Your Copy
Super Mega Lucky Box
Super Mega Lucky Box
Designer: Phil Walker-Harding
Gamewright
Get Your Copy

 

Game of the Year

Sleeping Gods
Sleeping Gods
Designer: Ryan Laukat
Red Raven Games
Get Your Copy
2021 Game of the Year
Chronicles of Drunagor
Chronicles of Drunagor: Age of Darkness
Designers: Daniel Alves and Eurico Cunha Neto
Creative Games Studio
Get Your Copy
Oath
Oath: Chronicles of Empire and Exile
Designer: Cole Wehrle
Leder Games
Get Your Copy
7 Wonders Architects
7 Wonders Architects
Designer: Antoine Bauza
Repos Prod
Get Your Copy
Hadrian's Wall
Hadrian’s Wall
Designer: Bobby Hill
Garphill Games
Get Your Copy

Note: Whichever game wins Game of the Year will automatically be removed from any of the above categories except Best Production Values. Our reasoning is if a game wins Game of the Year, chances are it should win any of the other categories by default. That just seemed a bit redundant. If a game wins Game of the Year, you know it is really good.


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