Gen Con 2024 is in the books and now that I’ve had some time to decompress (and take stock), I’ve been able to think about all of the games I got to check out this year on the floor. Publishers big and small bring their A game every year and every year I somehow am still surprised at how hard it is to narrow things down for this list. But I do what must be done and thus I bring you my official Top Games of Gen Con 2024!
Burn The Fort
Publisher: Indigenous Action
One of my biggest pet peeves in board games is the recurrent use of Indigenous People as a poorly researched, usually stereotypical theme. Often by Germans. So seeing Burn The Fort, designed by the late, great Navajo activist, environmentalist, anti-colonial punk (which I use in the most loving way possible) Klee Benally, was such a breath of fresh air. It was conceived by Benally to be a history lesson for Indigenous Teens, but it works well as one for *most* people unaware of the history of Indigenous resistance in the USA. Players act as a real Indigenous hero from history and go through what was described to me as a “reverse tower defense” game. Which, considering the title, makes sense. You’ll be going against US Army generals like Sherman and Grant and dealing with real-life atrocities committed by the colonizing American Government like the mass slaughter of American Bison. It’s semi-coop, with alliances made and broken as easily as they were in real life. I had a chance to speak with some of the staff and they said that even in Indiana the game got a really positive reception, which was obvious when they sold out before the weekend was over.
SETI
Publisher: CGE
Release: Q4 2024
We of course ran the big announcement for SETI, so I was super hyped to get a chance to look at it at the con. And what became one of the most talked about games at Gen Con certainly lived up to the hype at the table. I’m normally not a big Euro guy but CGE has consistently made me fall in love with their takes on the genre that make the finnicky and complex resource management of these games FUN. SETI is a great example of that. It’s set in the solar system and each player competes to explore as much as possible while searching for evidence of extraterrestrial life. There’s a lot of numbers (as you’d expect) but it all fits together in a very pleasing way and features one of my favorite rondels in a game I’ve seen. Not one that’s going to be a casual game night staple, but NASA nerds and science teachers are going to get a kick out of it and anyone who likes solid design and unity of theme will love SETI.
Moon Bunny
Publisher: Hot Banana Games
Launching on Kickstarter September 3rd.
Hot Banana Games has been a favorite studio of mine for a few years thanks to a super fun game in Steam Up and having a great, friendly presence in their little booths on the con floor. This year they had something new to check out with Moon Bunny, which immediately charmed me in the same way Steam Up did. Rooted in the East Asian tale of the Moon Rabbit (the legend occurs in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean folklore and shows up in a LOT of pop culture like Sailor Moon, Over The Moon, and Dragon Ball), Moon Bunny represents the tale as a game of tile placement and grid hopping as you move from tile to tile collecting herbs for your elixirs. Each bunny assistant can only move in certain patterns, though, so the key is using the right ones to get you exactly what you need for your brew. It’s a cute and whimsical theme backed up with some really cute art.
Lord of the Rings: Duel For Middle Earth
Publisher: Repos Productions
Releasing this autumn
It’s Middle Earth. It’s 7 Wonders Duel. How was I not going to put this on the list? No there’s not a TON of changes being made to the core gameplay but what it does add is really cool. Obviously the wonders themselves have been changed to fit Middle-earth, but it’s really fun seeing an art style that evokes more classical fantasy. As much as I love the films its refreshing to see a license get away from their look. The coolest part of the game is the new mechanic that revolves around the Fellowship’s journey. It’s represented by a plastic slider that moves along a track. Within the slider of the Fellowship is a second, smaller slider that represents the Black Riders, the Nazgûl, and their pursuit of the heroes. I just love little mechanics like that and it’s a fun way to add that pressure in a flavorful way.
Rock Hard: 1977
Publisher: Devir Games
MSRP: $49.99
This was THE biggest game at the Con, I think, and was easily my absolute favorite of the ones I got to check out. Designed by Jackie Fox (a game designer as well as, y’know, the bassist for the freakin’ Runaways) and using the high quality production value you’d expect from Devir, Rock Hard is a tongue-in-cheek journey through the life of a rock star. You’ll pick a rocker and make decisions to grow your career: go on the radio, hire a manager, try not to get addicted to candy. It’s all here and captures all the best parts of 70’s rock, with shout outs to almost every major rocker of the era and that veneer of sleaze that made the decade so fun. Since its Devir the components of the game are absolutely top notch (to the point where Jackie herself said she was shocked at how much work they put in). The player boards are mini-amps with working dials and sliders to track stats and resources (which go to 11 of course), and it features some of the best paper money I’ve seen in a game. They had to really doctor it up with kiss marks, coffee stains, and burns to make sure the Treasury wouldn’t get on them. Rock Hard: 1977 is a serious work of art and trust me, this won’t be the last you hear of it from me.
Images via respective owners
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