The Final 5 Games that I am Excited to (Hopefully) Demo at Gen Con 2019

A week from today, I will be on the road to Gen Con. It means four days of gaming packed madness. Every year I try to go in with a plan for my must see games, because there are so many games to see that it is impossible to see them all. The last two weeks I have released my first 10 priority games this year, and without further ado, here are my final five games that I really would like to demo this year.

Aftermath

Aftermath is a storybook game being released by Plaid Hat Games. I am personally a huge fan of Plaid Hat’s work with their prior storybook games, Mice and Mystics and Stuffed Fables. Aftermath is focused on mice similar to Mice and Mystics, but gone are the days of high fantasy. Instead, Aftermath takes place in a dystopian setting where all the humans have disappeared. I enjoy games that have a dystopian theme, and I am excited to see if Plaid Hat Games continues to hit it out of the park with their storybook game line.

Calico

Calico is an upcoming game from Flatout Games. It is a tile placement game that focuses on pattern building. In the game, players are creating quilts to help attract cuddly cats onto their player board. If the theme of attracting cuddly cats wasn’t enough to attract my attention, the gorgeous art by Beth Sobel certainly did.  I am hoping to get the chance to demo this one before it comes to Kickstarter, so that I know if the game play is as good of a fit for me as the theme is.

Animal Kingdoms

Animal Kingdoms  by Galactic Raptor Games is another game that has caught my eye because of the beautiful aesthetic. However, reading more into it, I am really excited to see the area control aspects of the game. In the game, players are fighting to take control over various animal kingdoms. Players cannot place their cards without thought though, as each territory has a rule that must be followed in order for a player to place their cards there. It seems like it would add an extra layer of thinky game play, which really has my attention. Unfortunately I missed the Kickstarter earlier this year, but I am hoping to see if this would be a good fit for my collection.

Ragusa

Getting away from the animal themed games, another title I am excited to take a look at is Ragusa from Capstone Games.  This game is a city building game with a focus on economics and trading.  What catches my eye most about this game is that it is described as having  engine building elements that develop over the course of the game. Engine building is my favorite mechanic in games, as I find it really satisfying to see how an engine builds over time and effects game play.  Mixing that with worker placement, trading aspects, and city building makes me think Ragusa will be a winner in our collection.

Atelier: The Painter’s Studio

Ever since I was a child playing Masterpiece, I have been intrigued by board games with themes surrounding art. AEG is releasing Atelier: The Painter’s Studio this year, and I am in love with the art style and focus on classic art pieces. Mechanically, it is a lighter dice rolling game, where players use their dice to accomplish certain tasks such as gaining students, painting certain colors and eventually completing paintings.  My family still enjoys Masterpiece, and I am hoping that Atelier with a similar theme and weight will appeal to them as well.