I don't want to give away too much about these games, but I love the innovation that we experienced in gaming. A great time, great games, great food.
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Calliope Games announces 10th Anniversary Edition of Tsuro™ Anniversary edition to feature components based on work of fantasy artist Andy Hepworth Redmond, WA. Today, Calliope Games announced the tenth anniversary edition of the award-winning board game Tsuro: The Game of the Path. Designed by Tom McMurchie and originally released by WizKids in 2004, it was not until Calliope picked up the game and it appeared on Geek & Sundry’s TableTop© that the game’s popularity soared. With a design that’s both elegant and accessible, Tsuro is now a household name. Now, as Tsuro turns ten, Calliope plans to celebrate its success with a truly sumptuous anniversary edition of the game. “The simplicity of Tsuro’s design means we can really go all-out with the anniversary edition’s components. Each of the materials has been carefully sourced.” says Ray Wehrs, president of Calliope Games. “With this edition, it’s not about controlling cost. It’s about celebrating the beauty of the game. My goal is to create a luxurious product that anyone would be proud to own; the gem of any game collection.” The anniversary edition of Tsuro is anticipated to include a silkscreened raw silk board, beautifully engraved wooden box, and embroidered silk tile bag, all featuring dragons and phoenixes. The tiles themselves will be crafted from a sturdy polymer that mimics the feel of stone without a true stone’s weight. Eight unique and exquisitely detailed dragon and phoenix miniatures take the place of Tsuro’s iconic dragon pawns, while the dragon tile is replaced by an interwoven dragon and phoenix totem. Acclaimed fantasy artist Andy Hepworth, whose work has been featured in works by Alderac Entertainment Group, White Wolf, and Games Workshop, has been brought on to create the look for the anniversary edition. “I am extremely excited about working on the 10th anniversary edition of Tsuro, especially as I have such an in-depth involvement in the design of the product as a whole. It is unusual for an artist to be involved in a single aspect of a product, and so to have a hand in the design of the box, the counters, the board and, well, everything, is rare and inspiring.” says fantasy artist Andy Hepworth. “On top of that, Ray and the team are producing such a lavish product that nobody could fail to be impressed by the vision for the luxury edition of Tsuro.” The tenth anniversary edition of Tsuro will be released later this year. © Calliope Games, 2015. All other copyrights and trademarks property of their respective owners. It's really no surprise that we had an amazing time at Origins. Between playing a ton of games, meeting some great people, and eating some great food, this has been one awesome adventure. Here are some photos that we took during our time at Origins, and a lot of pictures of some neat games, great game set-ups, and some pretty cool mini's. Enjoy! For Immediate Release The Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design Announces 2015 Origins Awards Winners COLUMBUS, OH – June 6, 2015 - The Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design is pleased to announce the 41st Annual Origins Awards winners. The awards are presented by the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design for outstanding games in the industry. This year, the Awards had thirteen categories: Best Role Playing Game, Best Role Playing Supplement, Best Board Game, Best Historical Board Game, Best Historical Miniature Figure/Line, Best Historical Miniature Rules, Best Historical Miniature Rules Supplements, Best Miniature Figure Line, Best Miniature Figure Rules, Best Game Accessory, Best Children’s, Family, Party Game, Best Collectible Card Game, and Best Traditional Card Game. The Origins Awards are the oldest and only peer-based award system for the hobby games market. The winners were voted on by the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design. The Fan Favorite Awards were voted on by attendees at the Origins Game Fair in Columbus, OH on June 3rd-6th. The winners were announced and the coveted Calliope statues were presented at the Origins Awards Ceremony on the evening of Saturday, June 6th. The Academy would like to extend its heartfelt thanks to the jury members, GAMA staff, and everyone who submitted a product to the 40th annual Origins Awards. Additional information concerning the Origins Awards can be found at www.originsawards.net . Please congratulate these companies and designers: Best Board Game Sheriff of Nottingham, Arcane Wonders, designed by: Sergio Halaban, Bryan Pope, Andre Zatz Best Card Game Splendor-Asmodee, designed by: Marc Andre Best Children’s, Family, & Party Game The Hare and the Tortoise-Iello, designed by: Gary Kim Best Collectible Card Game Magic: the Gathering Khans of Tarkir- Wizards of the Coast, designed by: Wizards of the Coast R&D Best Game Accessory Wings of Glory Mat-Ares Games, designed by: Ares Games Best Historical Board Game Heroes of Normandie-Iello, designed by: Yann and Clem Best Historical Miniature Figure/Line Sails of Glory Series 2-Ares Games, designed by: Andrea Angiolino, Andrea Mainini Best Historical Miniature Rules Sails of Glory-Ares Games, designed by: Andrea Angiolino, Andrea Mainini Best Historical Miniature Rules Supplements Battleground Europe- Osprey Publishing/Warlord, designed by: Ryan Miller, Rick Priestley and Alessio Cavatore Best Miniature Figure Rules Golem Arcana-Harebrained Schemes, designed by: Jordan Weisman, Mike Mulvihill, Brian Poel Best Role Playing Game Dungeon & Dragons Players Handbook, designed by: Wizards of the Coast R & D Best Role Playing Supplement Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual, designed by: Wizards of the Coast R &D Fan Favorites Best Board Game Dead of Winter, Plaid Hat Games, designed by: Jonathon Gilmour Best Card Game Star Realms, White Wizard Games, designed by Robert Dougherty, Darwin Kastle Best Children’s, Family, & Party Game Gravwell: Escape from the 9th Dimension, Renegade Game Studios, designed by Corey Young Best Collectible Card Game The Spoils, The Spoils USA, designed by Ken Pilcher, Josh Lytle Best Game Accessory Counter Ring, Crit Success, designed by Aaron Laniewicz Best Historical Board Game Heroes of Normandie-Iello, designed by: Yann and Clem Best Historical Miniature Figure/Line Sails of Glory Series 2-Ares Games, designed by: Andrea Angiolino, Andrea Mainini Best Historical Miniature Rules Sails of Glory-Ares Games, designed by: Andrea Angiolino, Andrea Mainini Best Historical Miniature Rules Supplements Flames of War: Barbarossa, Battlefront Miniatures, designed by: Battlefront Miniatures Best Miniature Figure Rules Marvel HeroClix: Guardians of the Galaxy Starter Set, Wizids, designed by: WizKids Games Best Role Playing Game Dungeon & Dragons Players Handbook, designed by: Wizards of the Coast R & D Best Role Playing Supplement Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual, Wizards of the Coast, designed Wizards of the Coast R&D I love awards, and the chance to recognize great games, that encourage the hobby grow in innovation and excellence. So the question that I have is: Do you agree with the outcome of the Origins awards? What choices would you of made? For me, I think the category of best collectible card game should be changed or erased, because lets face it, Magic the Gathering will never see a an competitor in this area. Living Card games, or games of that ilk? yes, but CCG's.. doubt it. The dedicated fan-base is just too large, and Magics impact on conventions is too large.
Sheriff of Nottingham being the winner? No doubt it is a good game, with great components (The bags snap open really good ... or so I hear). But at its heart, it is a REPRINT of 'Robin Hood' published in 2011 by Galapagos Jogos. I could be wrong, but I really think there were really good games published over the last year that we did not have to rely on the winner which is a reprint. But, have your say in the comments below. Until next time, keep on playing! COLUMBUS, OH – April 20, 2015 - The Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design is pleased to announce the 41st Annual Origins Awards Nominees. The awards are presented by the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design for outstanding games in the industry. This year, the Awards had thirteen categories: Best Role Playing Game, Best Role Playing Supplement, Best Board Game, Best Historical Board Game, Best Historical Miniature Figure/Line, Best Historical Miniature Rules, Best Historical Miniature Rules Supplements, Best Miniature Figure Line, Best Miniature Figure Rules, Best Game Accessory, Best Children’s, Family, Party Game, Best Collectible Card Game, and Best Traditional Card Game. The Origins Awards are the oldest and only peer-based award system for the hobby games market. The winner of each category will be voted on by members of the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design. In addition, the Origins attendees will have the chance to vote on the Fan Favorite in each category. The winners will be presented their awards by the Academy at the Origins Awards Ceremony on Saturday, June 6th at 7:00pm at Origins. Additional information concerning the Origins Awards can be found at www.originsawards.net . Please congratulate these companies and designers: Best Board Game Abyss-Asmodee, designed: by Bruno Cathala, Charles Chevallier The Battle of Five Armies-Ares Games, designed by: Roberto DiMeglio, Marco Maggi, and Francesco Nepitello Cash n Guns 2nd Edition-Repos Production, designed by: Ludovic Maublanc Dead of Winter: A Crossroads Game-Plaid Hat Games, designed by: Jonathon Gilmour, Isaac Vega Sheriff of Nottingham-Arcane Wonders, designed by: Sergio Halaban, Bryan Pope, Andre Zatz Best Card Game Among the Stars-Stronghold Games, designed by: Antonis Papantoniou, Odysseas Stamoglou Linko!-Ravensburger Spieleverlag GmbH, designed by: Michael Kiesling, Wolfgang Kramer Star Realms-White Wizard Games, designed by: Robert Dougherty, Darwin Kastle Splendor-Asmodee, designed by: Marc Andre Sushi Go!-Gamewright, designed by: Nan Rangisma, Tobias Schweiger, Phil Walker-Harding Best Children’s, Family, & Party Game Archer: The Danger Zone! Board Game- Cryptozoic Entertainment, designed by: Matt Hrya Gravwell: Escape from the 9th Dimension-Renegade Game Studios, designed by: Corey Young The Hare and the Tortoise-Iello, designed by: Gary Kim Best Collectible Card Game Magic: the Gathering Khans of Tarkir- Wizards of the Coast, designed by: Wizards of the Coast R&D Pokemon XY Phantom Forces-The Pokemon Company Intl., designed by: Creatures Inc. Siege: Heart of Darkness-AEG, designed by: Bryan Rose The Spoils-The Spoils USA, designed by: Ken Pilcher, Josh Lytle Best Game Accessory Battletech Lance Pack: Assault Lance- Catalyst Game Labs, designed by: Arrastia, Randall N. Bills Counter Ring-Crit Success LLC. Designed by: Aaron Laniewicz Pathfinder Battles: Reign of Winter Standard Booster 8 Ct. Brick-WizKids Games, designed by: WizKids Games Wings of Glory Mat-Ares Games, designed by: Ares Games Best Historical Board Game Armada Invincible-Zvezda LLC, designed by: Konstantin Krivenko Heroes of Normandie-Iello, designed by: Yann and Clem Last Chance for Victory-Multi-Man Publishing, designed by: Dean Essig 1066, Tears to Many Mothers-Tristan Hall, designed by: Tristan Hall Best Historical Miniature Figure/Line D-Day Firefight-Osprey Games/Warlord, designed by: Osprey Games/Warlord Early Crusade & Outremer-Gripping Beast, designed by: Gripping Beast Rorke’s Drift-Warlord Games, designed by: Warlord Games Sails of Glory Series 2-Ares Games, designed by: Andrea Angiolino, Andrea Mainini 101st Airborne-Collectors Battlefield, designed by: Collectors Showcase Best Historical Miniature Rules Across A Deadly Field: Regimental Rules for Civic War Battles- Osprey Publishing, designed by: John Hill The Crescent & The Cross- Studio Tomahawk/Gripping Beast, designed by: Alex Buchel and Andy Sherwell Lion Rampant: Medieval Wargaming Rules- Osprey Publishing, designed by: Daniel Mersey On the Seven Seas: Wargaming Rules for the Age of Piracy and Adventures c. 1500-1730-Osprey, designed by: Osprey Games Sails of Glory-Ares Games, designed by: Andrea Angiolino, Andrea Mainini Best Historical Miniature Rules Supplements Battleground Europe- Osprey Publishing/Warlord, designed by: Ryan Miller, Rick Priestley and Alessio Cavatore Battlegroup Barbarossa-Ironfist Publishing, designed by: Warwick Kinrade and Piers Brand D-Day: Battle of Carentan-Collectors Battlefield, designed by:Collectors Showcase Flames of War: Barbarossa- Battlefront Miniatures, designed by: Battlefront Miniatures Bolt Action: Tank War- Osprey Publishing, designed by: Ryan Miller, Rick Priestley and Alessio Cavatore Best Miniature Figure Line Archangel Raphael-Dark Age, designed by: David Doust Dungeons & Dragons: Attack Wing-WizKids Games, designed by: Andre Parks, Manny O’Donnell Imperial Knight-Games Workshop, designed by: Games Workshop Design Studio Kukulkani Cabrakan-Dark Age, designed by: David Doust Nagash- Games Workshop, designed by: Games Workshop Design Studio Best Miniature Figure Rules Battletech: Alpha Strike Companion-Catalyst Game Labs, designed by: Ray Arrastia, Herbert A. Beas II A Fistful of Kung Fu- Osprey Publishing, designed by: Andrea Sfiligoi Golem Arcana-Harebrained Schemes, designed by: Jordan Weisman, Mike Mulvihill, Brian Poel Marvel HeroClix: Guardians of the Galaxy Starter Set- WizKids Games, designed by: WizKids Games Warhammer 40,000- Games Workshop, designed by: Games Workshop Design Studio Best Role Playing Game Atomic Robo: The Role playing Game- Evil Hat Productions, LLC, designed by: Mike Olson, Brian Clevinger Dungeons & Dragons Players Handbook-Wizards of the Coast, designed by: Wizards of the Coast R&D Firefly Role-playing Game-Margaret Weiss Productions, designed by: Margaret Weiss, Monica Valentinelli, Mark Diaz Truman, Brendan Conway, Jack Norris and Dean Gilbert. ICONS: Superpowered Roleplaying: The Assembled Edition-Green Ronin, designed by: Steve Kenson The Strange-Monte Cook Games LLC, designed by Bruce R. Cordell, Monte Cook Best Role Playing Supplement D&D Monster Manual-Wizards of the Coast, designed by: Wizards of the Coast R&D Emerald City: Mutants & Masterminds- Green Ronin, designed by: Darren Bulmer, Walt Ciechanowski, Seth Johnson, Steve Kenson, Jon Leitheussr, Christopher McGlothlin, Jack Norris, and Aaron Sullivan Hobbit Tales: From The Green Dragon Inn-Cubicle 7, designed by: Francesco Nepitello Mummy The Curse: Book of the Deceived-Onyx Path, designed by: C.A. Suleiman The One Ring: Darkening of Mirkwood-Cubicle 7, designed by: Francesco Nepitello The Strange: Bestiary-Monte Cook Games, LLC, designed by: Monte Cook G, Bruce R. Cordell, Monte Cook, Robert J. Schwalb So now you have the nominees ... what are your thoughts on the choices? Agree or Disagree .. feel free to comment below. It is after a gaming session that I am reflective on where a game or games I have just digested would rank on my list of games played. Is it even fair to rank a game after only one play-through? Regardless, this usually gets me thinking about what games I enjoy the most. My top 10 games, if I needed to throw out a number, although I am not sure that it needs to be as many as ten, or as few as ten for that matter. The games that if asked to play, I would jump excitedly screaming YES!! The games that scratch that itch I crave as a gamer.
Do I put all of Feld’s designs on the list? Surely not, even though I could. Do I simply parrot the top games from BGG? I would hope not. Do I simply put games I am good at? That does make sense since winning is an important factor to having fun. Do I sit within the mechanics I prefer or do I put games that stretch me? I would hope that as a gamer I transcend such ideas. These are all interesting questions in my decision process. Andrew and I have reached the one year mark of doing the Mad Meeple and through this year I have realized some important things about myself as a gamer. (I have also learned things about my gaming and recording partner but I will those things for another day.) I have realized that while I enjoy a game with theme, some call them Ameritrash or Amerithrash, They do not give me great enjoyment. I simply feel like I am reliving my college days of all-night Risk parties. This is not to say that all thematic games are bad. I would be doing a disservice to them to make such a broad judgment. I am simply more content playing a game that feels right mechanically then a game that feels right thematically. I know my partner in crime would argue the opposite case. I have truly come full circle in this year one of podcasting and discovery in what I enjoy as a gamer. So what are my top games you ask? Well, honestly I do not now yet. I will find out though because I owe it to myself to discover what they are and how many they number. Stay tuned … Leave a comment below about how you decide what makes a great game for you. More pictures of what was available at GenCon 2014. Hopefully it will give you an idea of how awesome this con was, and all the gaming goodness that was to be had. If only we had more time. Here are more pics that we were able to take at GenCon, with more variety of games. So many of these games we wanted to demo and check out, but there was only so much time. Enjoy. Gencon 2014 was a blast. It was amazing, and it was a testament of how healthy our hobby is. There were alot of great games this year, from 5 tribes, to Abyss, to King of Manhattan ... just amazing titles. So here are a few photos we took of Gencon, before all the shelves were bare. Images from Fantasy Flight Games at Gencon... This is just a taste of the cool photo's we are able to share.
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