Final Five Games I Can’t Wait to Try at Gencon

Tomorrow we leave for Gencon, but today I am running around like crazy trying to prepare for Gencon… Convention Tip: Don’t wait until the day before to pack. Today I wanted to share the last five games that I am excited about for Gencon.

1. Everdell– Many people are just now getting their copies of Everdell by Starling Games from the Kickstarter. It was a Kickstarter that I missed, and have have become enchanted by.  The game combined worker placement and card drafting with beautiful components. The illustrations are absolutely stunning, leaving the players feeling as though they’ve fallen into a woodland society.
2. Reef- Reef is an abstract game focusing on building the most beautiful reef in the ocean by carefully selecting colored patterns of reef to grow. As someone who was late on the Azul kick, but enjoys games like Azul and Sagrada, I am interested to see what Reef has to offer to gamers.
3. Petrichor- Another Kickstarter I missed, Petrichor by APE Games is on my list to check out as well. In the game players will take on the role of clouds trying to grow the land by watering crops. The main focus of the game is area control while players compete to be the best cloud. I love the unique theme of this, and the simple, calming artwork that is seen throughout the game.
4. Haven- Haven from Red Raven games will be available for demoing at the convention. Players familiar with Red Raven will be excited to see more of Ryan Laukat’s artwork throughout the game. This is another area control game where players will compete to take control of a variety of shrines in a forest.  I am always drawn into Ryan’s artwork, but I am even more excited to see it taking the form of an area control game.
5. Before There Were Stars- As an educator, some of my favorite games to bring into the classroom are story telling games. They bring out student’s imagination and can be a great stepping stone into writing prompts and story telling. Before There Were Stars by Smirk and Laughter Games combines light dice rolling with story telling based on constellation cards. I am interested in seeing if it may be a good addition for adding to classroom for Mythology units in school.