#playtestnw

This year, I was honored to be invited as a judge for the LUCI Awards at Evergreen Tabletop Expo. Being a serious gamer, with over a decade of experience working in the industry (including doing some design and lots of playtesting), I brought all I had to the table.

This award celebrates innovation, fun, and great game design - all qualities that I hold high on my list of importance when playing or purchasing games. It was crucial to me that I gave every game a chance and tried each one with an open mind, ready to learn something new and have a good time.

I took my job very seriously, knowing that every designer put their heart and soul into this game and in front of me to judge. This was an incredible opportunity for them to show off their hard work to a convention of passionate gamers and I wanted to respect that to the fullest.

The Wonderful Judges: Joseph Chen, me, Chris Glein, Paul Peterson, Victoria Cana, Bebo, and Emma Larkins.

In the end, I worked with the other six inspirational judges to reach the decision for the winner and runner-up! The team consisted of personalities from the industry with a wide range of knowledge and experience, making the conversations deeply interesting and lively.

#1: Cabinet of Curiosities by David Iezzi

Photo Credit To Be Bold Games

Congrats to David for the amazing game Cabinet of Curiosities! I absolutely LOVED this game. I didn’t get to complete a full game, but I knew immediately that I wanted to play it over and over again. It was the only game at the event that I would have immediately purchased to take home with me.

In this innovative set collection game, players take turns bidding on a tile grid of items. Whoever bids the highest without passing wins the final tile that is bid on. The tile stays in play, but players continue to bid on items until the entire board is assigned. Then, players get to keep their tiles and a second round of bidding starts on a whole new board of tiles. After that round, players score their final points to see who won.

The multiple levels of strategic thought required in this game is refreshingly unique. With set collection traits inspired by Sushi Go, the bidding in this game adds interesting player interactions and leaves you wanting to plan ahead while deeply relying on what others will do. You must be adaptive and willing to use diplomacy to your advantage.

In addition to this, one of the most appealing features is that each player has a secret objective that helps them gain extra victory points. This helps aid players in what strategy to play, which is very beginner friendly and adds to the overall game-play experience.

This is already a fantastically designed game and I look forward to owning it once it is complete and available!

#2: Mandalaca by Rob Lewis

Photo Credit To Be Bold Games

The runner-up was a sophisticated and unique take on classic strategy games. Only two months into production, the potential for huge success is very high and I expect to see this popping up in game stores some day.

Inspired by games such as Mancala and Go, this two-player turned-based game requires an intense amount of deep thinking and planning. Players each take on the roll of black or white and compete to gain points in their favor in the four colored sections on the game-board. This game captures the elegance of classic games and the complexity of modern strategy.

The game was beautiful with an appealing tactile feel and players were always left wanting to play again and again. One of the best aspects about the game is that it will vary depending on who you play. There are a wide variety of strategic plays and each person has a different way of thinking that will change how the game flows.

This game is also very family friendly and could help teach young children basic game mechanics and strategic thinking.

The following games were semi-finalists and I wanted to give each one a shout out for what I liked about their games. I hope to see all of these games on shelves in the future. Keep up the great work!

Ascending Koi by Nathan Holt:

Photo Credit To Be Bold Games

This hex based tile placing game puts players in the role of different fish in an attempt to teach empathy. Each fish has unique traits associated with their personality types and abilities related to these traits. Fish swim around the board collecting different insects that will help to achieve their abilities. The art style is relaxing and adorable. I absolutely loved this game and was sad we didn’t get to play an entire game. Teaching empathy is such an important goal.

Rising Tides by Just Us Games: This game won an honorable mention from us judges!

Photo Credit To Be Bold Games

Rising Tides puts the serious crisis of global warming into a fun, educational experience. Using real water, the gameplay is unlike anything any of us judges had experienced before. As a cooperative game, players must work together to save the United States from being flooded. As the game plays, you face catastrophic events and must make choices about the cities to save. This game is perfect for classrooms and museums.

For All Mankind by Julia Drachman and Doug Beyers:

Photo credit by Playtest NW

This classic mix of space exploration and resource management adds in an interesting element of movement and measuring. The planets actually rotate each round to change the space between them. Not only that, but players must actually measure the distance between planets before traveling the cosmos. With lots of fun building options, new resources each turn, and the threat of nuking your opponents this game has a lot of potential. I can’t wait to see the final design.

Flapjack Flipout by Peter Newland:

Photo credit by Playtest NW

This fast-paced dexterity game was definitely the most fun for kids. Players compete to complete pancake orders faster that the other players while flipping them over with paddles. In addition to the challenging dexterity component, you also must remember what flavor of pancakes you cooked and where you set them on the table. This is a great party game to pass time at the beginning of the night or a fantastic game to play with the entire family at holiday gatherings.

Gem Cataclysm by Beau Johnson and Nicolette Butler: This game won the People’s Choice Award!

Photo Credit To Be Bold Games

Portraying a gem stock market, this Euro-style game has a lot of strategies for players to choose in order to make the most money selling gems. Not only can players effect the market prices or gamble for gems by rolling lots of dice, but they can harvest their own gems by building caverns and hiring dwarves to mine for them. I enjoy the different elements happening in the game and can see why it was an exciting choice for the convention attendees.