Gen Con 2019 Buzz

July 31, 2019 - 11:44pm

Well, we're right in the middle of convention season and after a successful Origins and Dice Tower Con, we are right at the onset of Gen Con. This is the 52nd year for Gen Con and for those not familiar, is happening right in the middle of Indianapolis (at the convention center).

This year is reported to have over 65,000 attendees (the largest yet) and feature over 19,000 different events. This is the 6th year I've had the opportunity to attend and, as I've done in the past, I would like to take a little time to feature some of the highlights of what to expect this year.

First up is Blue Orange Games (booth 1813). They have a few new releases that I was excited about. The one I was most excited about is Slide Quest. Are you a fan of Sorry Sliders? Now add a fantasy theme and a bit of RPG to the mix and you have Slide Quest. In this game, you work as a team to move a knight around a board - maneuvering around obstacles and monsters. This is achieved by lifting up on one of four different levers to move the hero (who has a rolling ball at the base of the figurine). This is an extremely fun family hit!

Next up is Kingdomino Duel. Roll-and-Write's are extremely popular these days and Kingdomino Duel brings Blue Orange into the mix of fun R&W's. For those familiar with the domino-building kingdom game in which it is themed (Kingdomino) in Kingdomino Duel, you are combining two different dice values to form a domino and then, in turn, use it to draw it into your kingdom. To find out more about the game you can view the Dice Tower's review here. If you're a fan of the original game - and enjoy the Roll & Write craze - this game is for you!

Speaking of Kingdomino, Blue Orange Games will be hosting their USA championship tournament during GenCon

During each hour, 36 participants will be divided into 8 groups of either 4 or 5 players. Groups of 5 players will play with the Kingdomino expansion Age of Giants. The winners of each group will be divided in 2 groups of 4 and will play another game. The 2 winners of those groups will have to come back at 7pm for the Grand Finals.

You can find out more about the tournament by visiting Blue Orange Games' website here.

Next we're on to Horrible Games and their release of The King's Dilemma
(booth 3065 - Luma Games). This game is a turn away from their successful Dungeon Fighter line-up and is more of a narrative game that features many evolving decisions made to build an evolving deck of cards.

You will draw one card from the "Dilemma deck" each round and experience the game story as it unfolds. Each card poses a problem that the Council has to resolve on the King's behalf. As members of the King's inner circle, your decisions determine how the story proceeds and the fate of the kingdom. Each event happens only once: You discuss and bargain with the other players, then finally you make a choice, determining the outcome, progressing the game story, and possibly unlocking more events.

Let's now focus some attention on Portal Games (booth 2443). Portal has long been one of my personal favorite Publishers. With hits such as Robinson Crusoe and the recent hit, Detective: A Modern Crime Boardgame, designer (and company owner) Ignacy Trzewiczek, along with Joanna Kijanka, have released Imperial Settlers: Empires of the North. This is a standalone game (set in the Imperial Settlers universe) where players will take on the leaders of either the Scotsmen, Inuits, or Vikings to make them the best empire in the world.

Develop your economy, deflect your opponent, and fight for dominance in the north. Learn new mechanisms, and experience a unique style of Imperial Settlers. Will you be able to create the most successful civilization in Imperial Settlers: Empires of the North?

Anomaly

Last is a visit to Starling Games & Sparkworks (booth 2225 & 2317). Available from Starling is Anomaly - a hidden movement deduction game in which one person/team plays students who are up against a feeding anomaly. What's unique about this one is that players (students) will use special ability cards that will then be fed to the anomaly, in which case they will be used for their inverse abilities which will benefit the entity. Check this out along with some other light games such as Blindspot (an inventive word game) and Penny Lane (a small worker placement game) both pictured below.