Seventy-four thousand people walk into a bar.
That’s it. That’s Gen Con.
BGQ was there, and we’ve got the recap to prove it.
The Gen Con Experience
Tony: Gen Con’s attendance this year came in at 74,000+, which was apparently a record. But it felt more crowded than ever to me. When the dealer hall opened, it was PACKED. At some intersections, it took me quite a bit of time to even walk to the next aisle. As is the usual case for Gen Con, the dealer hall needs to be bigger. Expand it out, as it’s clearly the biggest draw of the con.
On the same hand, kudos to many dealers for selling in areas outside of the dealer hall. I feel like many publishers were selling from their own rooms in the ICC and even in the demo hall. This helped keep some of the massive lines out of the dealer hall and in other places. It also helped them sell outside of the dealer hall hours, which I’m sure padded their bottom line a bit.
Brian W: I’ve lived in the Midwest all my life, so when the tornado warning sounded Saturday night, this was nothing new to us. I was playing with all Midwesterners at the time, and we continued playing without much hesitation. It’s mainly because we all realized that we were already gaming in the hotel sub-ground floor, so there was no better place to be. I’m not trying to downplay anyone’s concern, but find shelter as best you can. If it hits, then there’s not much you can really do but ride it out. We just decided to continue to enjoy our game instead of being troubled by the warning. I will say I hope most dealers and hotels did not have too much damage from water. I understand a deluge was dumped on the downtown and ICC, and flooding or leaking roofs had occurred.
Zach: This was my first Gen Con after having previously attended PAX Unplugged twice, and hoo boy, the step up is palpable. The crush of people, managing ticketed events, trying to track down friends in the crowd of 74,000 game enthusiasts. Wow.
As a wide-eyed first-timer, my attention was constantly pulled in different directions. I spent too much time in the expo hall trying to track down games that had already sold out, or hustling between demos. Next time, I am limiting myself to one full day in the hall, and the rest gaming.
Andrea: Like Zach, this was my first ever GenCon, first ever game convention too. I knew to expect massive crowds; honestly, they weren’t awful. People at least apologize when they crash into you. I knew to expect long days; I packed protein bars and water. I expected to spend way more money than I should. Goal achieved! What I did not expect was how drastically I overestimated my stamina. Both mental and physical. By 6:00 pm most evenings, my brain had absorbed all the rules it was going to. I was staying in an AirB&B just shy of a mile away. Which seemed perfect, until I walked (conservatively) six miles at the con just getting from one end to the other and back again. That mile home felt like 10 with the weight of all that overspending hanging off my arms. I don’t know yet if Gen Con will become a regular thing, but if I go again, I am conditioning before hand.
Kerry: Like sophomore year, my second Gen Con I knew enough to expertly navigate the ICC but didn’t quite have the hang of getting my schedule right. Sunday morning, up a little too late for a sit-down breakfast and a little too early for my Circle of Conflict learn-to-play, I grabbed a bench on the second floor just past the CGE room to eat my Jack’s donut. Lined up across from me along the glass railing were cosplay Carl’s. I heard someone say that Matt Diniman is doing a signing and panel, and regretted that despite clicking my mouse when the submit wish list button lit up, I only got one Dungeon Carl Crawler event. Hanging my head and hoisting my backpack, I saw a crowd of people approaching. Wait, isn’t that Jeff Hays? Hold on, Matt might be in that group. I started reading the first DCC at the end of April and essentially ignored most everything but work and eating while I devoured books 1-8. I looked and didn’t find Matt. But then, as the group passes, I saw him; he looks straight at me, and as I nod my head in hello and appreciation, he nods back. Legendary box: acquired.
Chris: This was the first year I went to the convention proper on Day 4, and it was nice to have a more leisurely final day that included a much lengthier jaunt through the artists’ area than I usually make time for. For the pedometer nerds keeping score at home: my step count per day was right around my usual Gen Con average and maybe only slightly lower because I bought more things this year, which means more time waiting in lines (13,265 steps this year compared to my average GC step count of 14,534). I also stayed the furthest away from the official convention this year while still being walkable, so add that to your analysis as you see fit. During my first day ever at Gen Con in 2022, I trekked for 22,031 steps, and the total step count from that year’s convention is still by far the most for me even though I only conned for three days (53,699 total steps).
Noteworthy Games
Lairs (Tony): I’ve had Lairs from KTBG on my wantlist for quite some time because the theme sounds great. Create a dungeon and let your opponent navigate it sight unseen like an old school RPG. While it’s been sold out pretty much everywhere for a while, they finally had a restock of it at Gen Con. We played it for the first time on Saturday night, and it was a blast. The system is clean, easy to learn, and expands on itself with unlocks the more you play. I’m looking forward to seeing all this one has to offer.
Forges of Ravenshire (Andrea): I like to try before I buy, so for me Gen Con was more of an opportunity to try out some games from the last couple years. Of those I played and enjoyed, Forges of Ravenshire is the one that will be entering my collection permanently. This resource management contract fulfillment game has you collecting resources by placing a die on the board. Based on the die number, you gain the resources listed. Simple, right? After you place a die, you choose one already on the board. Then get those resources too. Resources go on your player board. If you plan it right, you can pull off some combo-tastic maneuvers when earning and placing resources. One of the guys I was playing with pulled this off several turns in a row. Honestly, it was impressive enough that I couldn’t even be upset he was trouncing the rest of us. Definitely a keeper in my book.
Stonk Market (Tony): You know those games you play and think “this is so dumb… let’s play again”. Yeah, that’s Stonk Market. It’s a trading game played in real time where you are trying to collect the majority of stocks. There are no turns, and minimal rules. But it’s fast, frantic, and silly fun. You get points for each stock in your hand you have the majority of, but the wrinkle is that you lose points for each stock matching the card in the center of the table—which can change at any time when a player swaps it with one from their hand.
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers – Trick-Taking Game (Zach): Office Dog Games’ follow-up to last year’s Fellowship of the Ring trick-taker (and predecessor to next year’s Return of the King trick-taker). I got to play the first two chapters of the game with designer Bryan Bornmueller and Lupe Gonzalez from Office Dog (shout out to Lupe’s nails, oh my GOODNESS those things were amazing), and I only embarrassed myself a little. The Two Towers offers some very cool ways of replacing the Ring suits, with orcs and the literal Two Towers factoring in to game play. This is a fabulous co-operative trick taker. The art is phenomenal. The gameplay is excellent. This remains the gold standard of co-op trick takers for me.
Kobayakawa (Brian W): Not a new game this year, but a new game for me was Kobayakawa from Oink Games. Andrew busted out this single card poker like game. The set-up is the same for each of the 5 rounds. Players are dealt a single card and a card face-up to the table. On a player’s turn, they may draw and discard a card from their hand or replace the card on the table from the top of the deck. After all players have taken their turn, players then either bet 1-3 tokens or retreat (fold). If your card is the lowest, then you can add the table card to your total. Players who retreat can also bet on who they think will win so they are not out of the gameplay. The player with the highest number wins the pot. The player with the highest total of tokens at the end of 5 rounds wins. Kobayakawa was a thinky, fun card game that we played a few times. While I never won, I really enjoyed it and picked up a copy.
Dominant Species & Crash Landed (Bailey): AllPlay Games is going to take over the world. They’ve finally done it: broken into the “Big Box” space. Although since it’s AllPlay, “Big Box” really just means normal-sized boxes. Anyway, their surprising announcement was Dominant Species getting the Ian O’Toole treatment. Details are limited right now, but looking at the forum posts for the game makes it seem highly promising. It will play exactly like the classic game (which is fantastic news, especially for a superfan like myself) with some new optional gameplay features to be announced. They are probably going to be getting rid of the Dominance cones, a renowned component for the game, but they’re doing so for accessibility, which is something I’ve wanted them to fix forever, so I’m not hurt. Edward Uhler of Heavy Cardboard (who is also a superfan) is also helping with this production, so this doesn’t seem like a simple “fresh coat of paint” production.
The other main announcement with AllPlay’s “Big Box” line is the game Crash Landed. Not much is known at this time, but it is a design collaboration with Robert Hovakimyan (Moonrollers, Gingham) and Sen-Foong Lim (Mind MGMT, Junk Art), so I am intrigued with what those two can do with such an open design space.
All hail AllPlay!
Thessaloniki (Zach): The next T-game coming from Board & Dice will be special. The action rondel and area control are extremely interesting. There are fun ways to mess with your opponents without direct conflict. There’s trading. In the Mediterranean. *That WWE guy falls backwards out of his chair*
Mercenaries Wanted (Zach): A new card drafting game coming from Cephalofair. It is set in the Gloomhaven universe and is essentially a Mercenary HR Recruiter simulator. It plays 1-6, and is a game finishes in about 45 minutes. It’s all about recruiting Mercs with the best compatible powers to run 3 sets of Jobs, and then a final end-game Tournament. Players draft in 4 separate rounds, use mercenary powers to modify their crew, and then run a selected job. After the job, players get to save one merc as a member of the Championship team for the tournament. Each Job awards points, and the final tournament gives three separate points chances. The Merc with the Most wins and is awarded the title of Best Mercenary Company in Gloomhaven! Mercenaries Wanted will go right to retail, and will be available for pre-order with delivery beginning in early December.
Crits & Tricks (Kerry): I had this game on my honorable mention for most anticipated and right before Gen Con started to wonder if I really wanted another trick-taker in my life. I visited the booth twice before I picked it up, and I’m glad I said yes. Back at the hotel, my husband and I played a couple of games and had a great time with it. From the unvalued cards that rely on a set of dungeon dice to assign value to GM board to hide your roll and to the fun loot, there’s lots to enjoy. A creative take in the growing sea of novel trick-takers. I’m looking forward to playing this at four.
Enchanted Ivy (Kerry): This was my most anticipated game and my first purchase. I know Andrea’s going to bring you a review soon, but suffice it to say, this is a fun solo puzzler that is living up to my hopes for it.
Jibber Jabble (Chris): My first honorable mention pick is the AllPlay reprint of Jibber Jabble. The game is a silly limited communication game that kinda wears out its welcome after a few rounds, but I played it several times and at least once every game there is a chaotic clue that leads to big laughs. You know… like when someone is meant to give a single-letter clue but blurts out “beer” instead. (Don’t ever change, BW.)
Gibberers: The Word Game of Language Invention and Civilization Development (Chris): We pulled out Andrew’s copy to play one night and were slightly overwhelmed by the estimated play time and how small the font was in the rule book. It turns out we had been looking at the advanced rule book and not the introductory rules, which had cartoon characters on it. We probably should have started there. Once we sat down to play, we were all transported to this shared reality where we were actively working together to create new words and ways to communicate with one another. It was weird and is definitely much more of an activity than an official game, but it probably created some of the strongest memories I’ll hang on to from this Gen Con. Would I play it again? Maybe not, but I now have a new series of words I can use to communicate with only a small group of people. And that’s kind of cool.
The Staff Picks
Camp Grizzly (Tony): For once, my most anticipated game of Gen Con actually landed. This was the game I was most looking forward to at the convention, and it did not disappoint. Camp Grizzly Second Edition drops you into the shoes of a camp counselor trying to survive a murderer stomping through the camp. It draws from tons of horror movie tropes and really leans into the B-movie schlock many people love. While it does have a bit of randomness, it excels at creating memorable gaming experiences, and we already have several stories to tell of players dying or making poor decisions in their quest for survival.
Realm of Reckoning (Brian W): This game was on my radar but not a must-have or buy. Andrew brought his copy to the table, and I was lucky to be included in a 5-player game. Out of the gates, Realm of Reckoning did not disappoint. Gameplay is over three ages, and there are 3 reckonings during each age. On a player’s turn, they draft and play cards to gain various resources and can play reckoning cards if they choose instead of resource cards. Reckonings provide players with a chance to gain monuments, which, when won, are placed at 19 various end-of-round scoring spots. Ideally, you want to place it where your faction has the best scoring benefit, but that might not last throughout the game. This game is a great balancing act of gaining and spending various resources while not hurting your faction too much and losing area control and influence of the 5 regions. My favorite aspect is that players decide what available resources they can bid during a reckoning. This gives players total control to go big or not to win rewards.
Drillers (Bailey): Well, well, well. Look who picked the most hyped game coming out of Gen Con. I’ll take my awards now. No? Ok, fine. But do note that if the hype surrounding Drillers has caught your attention, everyone that I have spoken to who has gotten to play it says it lives up to its reputation, and has the potential to be as popular as SETI and Lost Ruins of Arnak. It’s available on CGE’s website now, and will begin hitting FLGSs soon. And if all of that wasn’t great enough news, it’s also only $60. In today’s market, that’s like a clearance price.
Size Wise (Andrew): Size Wise is pretty simple. You have a string with a bead on it. You draw a card which poses the question: “What is the size of _________?” Estimate the size of the thing with the string, and whoever is shortest and longest loses a wisdom token. Have the most wisdom tokens when someone runs out, and you win. But you don’t discuss or describe that thing in detail. What is the size of a cantaloupe? Whether or not you should be estimating based on the circumference of said melon became a real sticking point for our group throughout the convention. [Chris’s Note: Andrew handled this question wrong, and I will die on that hill. He also wrapped the rope around his forehead to demonstrate cantaloupe measuring, which was amazing.]
Gold Country (Brandon): Bitewing Games continues their collaboration with Reiner Knizia, this time reworking a 2012 design about a traveling show of fortune tellers and snake charmers. Gold Country takes players to the mountains of California seeking to strike it rich during the Gold Rush. With art from Beth Sobel, this reimagining is bright and colorful and looks great on the table. Gameplay features stock manipulation and route building as players draw and place claim tokens to increase or decrease the value of one of the four mines. Players also have the opportunity to buy and sell shares as they tactically change the landscape each turn. Knizia games are excellent at a con as they feature low rules overhead and unique player engagement. Gold Country also has an advanced board layout and can be upgraded with acrylic tiles and heavy pans for a nice thematic touch.
Carl von Linné (Zach): We know him as Carl Linnaeus in the US, but his official name after being ennobled (sorry to put you on blast, Carl) is Carl von Linné. And now, he has his own Euro game thanks to the folks at Pink Troubadour and Capstone. The game is immensely thematic, beautifully illustrated, and highly competitive. The action selection is extremely interesting. Players use Lenses to select a specific action, placing it on their board to dictate the power of the action. The most powerful action slot will also lock away that lens for the next round. Lenses can be upgraded and changed out as players complete taxonomy rounds.
This game is chock full of combo opportunities and is a lovely mix of tactical placement and long-term strategy. Each player character has unique abilities on its B-side, and setup is variable, meaning replayability is deep. This one isn’t out just yet, so watch for the retail release around Essen (late October).
Kingdom Come: Deliverance (Brian B): While it was not released at Gen Con, Kingdom Come: Deliverance was my favorite game of the con. Created by two of my favorite designers, Vlaada Chvatil and Tomas Holek, this game is an open-world, sandbox deck-building game, JUST like the Video Game it is based upon. Well, minus the deck building, the controller/keyboard, a 40+ hour campaign, and digital save slot(s). But what was evident is that the two designers did an amazing job of taking the source material and compacting it into a 90-minute per player experience. You can do whatever you want across five game days. There are 80 different skills to learn, from hunting to subterfuge. There are over 75 side quests, as well as ten main quests, of which only three are used each game. There are even twelve different horses! Of course, with all of this content, the game is not cheap. It can be preordered at the CGE shop for $200. Yes, it is $200. To me, it will be worth it, as I already preordered it!
Oakspire (Andrea): As noted above, this was my first Gen Con and first ever board game convention. Which makes it pretty hard to select a best part. There was one game that I was insistent I get to see. Oakspire. This game stunned with beautiful artwork and an adorable theme overlaid on a game with some real meat to the play. Why yes, I would love a copy, please and thank you. Oakspire is not yet ready for purchase. Bummer. So how, one asks, does it win my best of? Easy, the game designer James Newman is an absolute delight. He showed off his game, took an excessive amount of time out of his busy Saturday to answer my questions, and seemed so genuinely happy that people were excited about his game you would almost think it was his first. It’s not. I heard stories like this about Gen Con but figured they were over-exaggerated. James proved they are not. So Oakspire wins my award for being a game I am not only desperate to play but proving actually positive internet stories true.
Class of ‘89 (Kerry): As a class of ‘89 graduate and yearbook editor, this really should have been on my radar sooner. I mean, like, totally. Tucked along (what I think of as) the back of the hall in the relatively small Paverson booth, next to a game that’s getting a lot more attention, was this gem of a game. It’s got worker placement, tile laying, pattern building, and set collection. And, whoa, dude, you gotta get signatures. I hit Hall C to see if I could grab a spot with the cool kids but had to settle for watching over some shoulders instead. This looks to be a mid-weight game, with lots of fun art and doesn’t take itself too seriously while managing to be strategic— like any accomplished Gen-Xer. It’s available this fall. So rad!
Falling (Chris): I’ll start by briefly echoing the thoughts of several other BGQers by highlighting JinxO, Realm of Reckoning, Size Wise (because cantaloupes), Crits and Tricks (which I would have bought after my first play if they still had the upgraded components available), and Stonk Market (but only because I won). My official pick is the Euroey-goodness Capstone release Falling designed by Kentaro Yazawa. There’s not a whole lot of shiny new ideas in this one, but it’s a tight worker placement and resource management game that adds the gimmick of a shifting location track that will push your workers off and allow you to collect different bonuses based on their type. I played a copy and then bought all of the upgraded bits for it. Now all I have to do is wait for my own copy to arrive from the interwebs since the box was too big to fit into my luggage and I’m way too cheap and lazy to ship things to myself from Indiana.
Sonic Knock (Marcus): I prefer to give my staff pick to something unexpected. I spend a lot of time walking around the hall looking for something that fits the bill. This year, the one that caught my eye was (appropriately) a bit of 90s nostalgia. I’m not big on dexterity games, but this one looked interesting. After demoing it, I knew I’d be terrible at it, but it was pretty fun.
Each player can be one of 8 different characters from the Sonic IP (some of whom are new enough that I didn’t even recognize them), though the game can be done with as few as 2 players. Play is very quick, taking turns flicking your puck with your character’s icon around the board. Each player has a deck of 12 target cards that you have to complete in order to exit the area via an exit ramp and win. These targets can be other players’ pucks, certain locations on the board, or even the iconic loop. This being Sonic, though, you have to collect a certain number of rings and can gain some assistance along the way from various power-up cards.
It is a simple game, but it is more entertaining than you’d expect. After the show, I played my copy with the Renegade staff and contractors, and it was a surprising hit with all of us.
