Origins Awards Announced

The Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design announced the nominees for the 2017 Origins Awards, honoring the best games and supplements in the game industry:

The purpose of the Origins Awards is to acknowledge excellence in game design. The Origins Awards are the oldest and only peer-based award system for the hobby games market.

The Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design presents these awards to companies for outstanding games in the hobby games industry. This year, the Awards have eight categories:

Board Games (12 Nominees)

• The Captain is Dead by Alderac Entertainment Group (designed by Joe Price and JT Smith)
• Dice Forge by Asmodee Editions (designed by Régis Bonnessée)
• Gloomhaven by Cephalofair Games (designed by Isaac Childres)
• The Godfather: Corleone’s Empire by CMON (designed by Eric Lang)
• Great Western Trail by Eggertspiele (designed by Alexander Pfister)
• Lorenzo il Magnifico by CMON (designed by Virginio Gigli, Flaminia Brasini, Simone Luciani)
• Near and Far by Red Raven Games (designed by Ryan Laukat)
• Pandemic Legacy Season 2 by Z-Man Games (designed by Matt Leacock and Rob Daviau)
• Raiders of the North Sea by Renegade Games Studios (designed by Shem Phillips)
• Tak: A Beautiful Game by Cheapass Games (designed by James Ernest and Patrick Rothfuss)
• Sagrada by Floodgate Games (designed by Daryl Andrews and Adrian Adamescu)
• Santorini by Spinmaster (designed by Dr. Gordon Hamilton)

Card Games (10 Nominees)

• 5-Minute Dungeon by Spin Master (designed by Connor Reid)
• Aeon’s End by Indie Board & Cards (designed by Kevin Riley)
• Custom Heroes by Alderac Entertainment Group (designed by John D. Clair)
• Ex Libris by Renegade Games Studios (designed by Adam P. McIver)
• The Fox in the Forest by Renegade Games Studios (designed by Joshua Buergel)
• Hero Realms by White Wizards Games (designed by Darwin Kastle)
• Honshu by Renegade Games Studios (designed by Kalle Malmioja)
• Jump Drive by Rio Grande Games (designed by Thomas Lehmann)
• The Lost Expedition by Osprey Publishing (designed by Peer Sylvester)
• One Deck Dungeon by Asmadi Games (designed by Chris Cieslik)

Collectible Games (10 Nominees)

• Cardfight Vanguard Demonic Advent Booster by Bushiroad
• Dungeons & Dragons Miniatures Icons of the Realms: Monster Menagerie II by WizKids
• DC Comics Dice Masters: Batman Foil Packs by WizKids
• Dragon Ball Super Galactic Battle Booster by Bandai
• Final Fantasy TCG: Opus I Collection Booster by Square Enix
• Marvel HeroClix: The Mighty Thor by WizKids
• MTG Ixalan Booster by Wizards of the Coast (designed by Mark Rosewater and Ken Nagle)
• Pokémon TCG: Sun & Moon Booster by The Pokémon Company International
• Star Wars Destiny: Awakenings Booster by Fantasy Flight Games
• Yu-Gi-Oh! 2017 Mega Tin by Konami

Family Games (10 Nominees with Foreman)

• Azul by Plan B Games (designed by Michael Kiesling)
• Bunny Kingdom by IELLO (designed by Richard Garfield)
• Codenames: Disney by USAopoly (designed by Vlaada Chvátil)
• Codenames: Duet by Czech Games Edition (designed by Vlaada Chvátil and Scott Eaton)
• Downforce by Restoration Games (designed by Wolfgang Kramer)
• Dropmix by Hasbro Gaming (designed by Harmonix)
• Hotshots by Fireside Games (designed by Justin De Witt)
• Mountains of Madness by IELLO (designed by Rob Daviau)
• Sagrada by Floodgate Games (designed Daryl Andrews and Adrian Adamescu)
• Viral by Arcane Wonders (designed by Gil d'Orey and Antonio Sousa Lara)

Miniatures (4 Nominees)

• Blood & Plunder by Firelock Games (designed by Michael Tuñez)
• Runewars Miniatures Game by Fantasy Flight Games (designed by Andrew Fischer)
• The Walking Dead Miniatures Game by Mantic Games (designed by Mark Latham)
• Warhammer 40,000 8^th Edition by Games Workshop

Roleplaying Game (12 Nominees)

• Adventures in Middle Earth Player’s Handbook by Cubicle 7 Entertainment (designed by James Brown, Paul Alexander Butler, Walt Ciechanowski, Steve Emmott, Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan, Jon Hodgson, Shane Ivey, Andrew Kenrick, T.S. Luikart, Dominic McDowall, Francesco Nepitello, James Spahn, and Ken Spencer)
• Blades in the Dark by Evil Hat Productions (designed by Stras Acimovic, Vandel J. Arden, Duamn Figueroa, Dylan Green, John Harper, Andrew Shields)
• Blue Rose (2^nd Edition) by Green Ronin Publishing (designed by Steve Kenson, Jack Norris, Richard Bellingham, Jeb Boyt, Crystal Frasier, Steven Jones (III), Shoshana Kessock, Anna Kreider, Kira Magrann, Alejandro Melchor, Andrew Peregrine, F. Wesley Schneider, Elsa Sjunneson-Henry, John Snead)
• Cthulhu Confidential by Pelgrane Press (designed by Robin D. Laws, Ruth Tillman, Chris Spivey)
• The Dark Eye Core Rules by Ulisses Spiel (designed by Ulrich Kiesow)
• The Extraordinary Adventures of Baron Munchausen (3^rd Edition) by Fantasy Flight Games (designed by James Wallis)
• My Little Pony: Tales of Equestria by River Horse Ltd. (designed by Alessio Cavatore, Jack Caesar, Dylan Owen)
• Monsterhearts 2 by Buried Without Ceremony (designed by Avery Adler)
• Puppetland by Arc Dream Publishing (designed by Arnold Cassell, Arinn Dembo, Matt Forbeck, Gareth Hanrahan, Fred Hicks, Kenneth Hite, Jason Morningstar, Ross Payton, John Tynes, James Wallis)
• Starfinder by Paizo (designed by Robert G. McCreary and Owen K.C.)
• Traveller Starter Set by Mongoose Publishing (designed by Martin Dougherty and Matthew Sprange)
• Vurt by Ravendesk Games (designed by Alexander Lepera, Lee Pruit, Pete Stauber)

Roleplaying Supplement (13 Nominees)

• Adventures in Middle Earth – Rhovanian Region Guide by Cubicle 7 Entertainment (designed by Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan, Francesco Nepitello, Jacob Rodgers)
• Adventures in Middle Earth – Loremaster’s Guide by Cubicle 7 Entertainment (designed by Walt Ciechanowski, Steve Emmott, Gareth Hanrahan, Jon Hodgson, T.S. Luikart, Dominic McDowall, Franceso Nepitello, Ken Spencer)
•  Blue Rose – Narrator’s Kit by Green Ronin Publishing (designed by Josh Gutenberg, Jesse Hibbs, Steve Kenson)
• Call of Cthulhu: The Grand Grimore of the Cthulhu Mythos by Chaosium (designed by Mike Mason and Matthew Sanderson)
• Call of Cthulhu: The Two Headed Serpent by Chaosium (designed by Scott Dorward, Paul Fricker, Mike Mason, Matthew Sanderson)
• Castles and Crusades Codex Germania by Troll Lord Games (designed by Brian Young)
• Castles and Crusades Codex Slavorum by Troll Lord Games (designed by Brian Young)
• Cypher System Expanded Worlds by Monte Cook Games (designed by Bruce R. Cordell)
• Cypher System Predation by Monte Cook Games (designed by Shanna Germain)
• Doctor Who RPG: Gamemaster’s Companion by Cubicle 7 Entertainment (designed by Morgan Davie, Gareth Hanrahan, Mark Lawford, Andrew Peregrine, Nathaniel Torson)
• Dungeons & Dragons Xanathar’s Guide to Everything by Wizards of the Coast (designed by Jeremy Crawford and Mike Mearls – Lead Designers)
• Mutants & Masterminds Atlas of Earth-Prime by Green Ronin Publishing (designed by Scott Bennie, Jason Brick, Darren Bulmar
• Shadow of the Demon Lord: Demon Lord’s Companion by Schwalb Entertainment (designed by Robert J. Schwalb)

Game Accessories (7 Nominees)

• Chaosium Call of Cthulhu Coloring Book by Chaosium
• Sword & Sorcery Custom Dice Pack by Ares
• The Broken Token Terraforming Mars Organizer by The Broken Token
• Sails of Glory Series 4 Ship Packs by Ares Games
• Smirking Dragon Tablecloths by Smirking Dragon
• D&D: Icons of the Realms and Pathfinder Battles Pre-Painted Miniatures by WizKids
• Zia Station Organizer by Meeple Realty

Congratulations to this year’s nominees.

The nominees in each category will be voted on by a jury of professionals from the hobby games industry. Attendees will have the opportunity to play the games that have been nominated and vote on the Fan Favorite for each category at Origins Game Fair. Winners will be announced at the Origins Awards Ceremony on Saturday June 16, 2018, during Origins Game Fair.

Additional information regarding the Origins Awards can be found at www.originsawards.net.

GAMA Trade Show

The GAMA Trade Show moved to Reno this year and people are pretty happy with the new location. This week's Rolling for Initiative column looks at a couple of hot topics at the show.

GAMA Trade Show

For those planning to attend the GAMA Trade Show, this week's Rolling for Initiative column looks at some things you should plan to do.

GAMA

This week's Rolling for Initiative column looks at some of the activities the Game Manufacturer's Association performs 

Origins' Awards Nominees

Yesterday, GAMA announced the 2017 Origins Awards' nominations:

he Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design (AAGAD) released the list of games nominated for 2017 Origins Awards. The Awards will be presented during the annual Orgins Awards Ceremony, held on Saturday, June 17.

This year the AAGAD will award honors in seven categories, which will be voted on by the members of the AAGAD. There will also be a “Fan Favorite” category, which will be voted on by attendees at the Origins Game Fair.

Best Board Game

·         Blood Rage by (designed by Eric M. Lang)

·         Clank! by Renegade Games (designed by Paul Dennen)

·         Cry Havoc by Portal Games (designed by Grant Rodiek, Michael Oracz, Michael Walczak)

·         Feast for Odin by Z Man Games/Asmodee (designed by Uwe Rosenberg)

·         Islebound by Red Raven Games (designed by Ryan Laukat)

·         Mansions of Madness by Fantasy Flight/Asmodee (designed by Christopher Burdett, Anders Finér, Henning Ludvigsen)

·         Scythe by Styonemaier Games (designed by Jamey Stegmaier)

·         Star Wars Rebellion by Fantasy Flight (designed by Corey Konieczka)

·         Terraforming Mars by (designed by Jacob Fryxelius)

·         World’s Fair 1893 by Renegade Game Studios and Foxtrot Games (designed by J. Alex Kevern)

Best Traditional Card Game

·         Dream Home by Asmodee (designed by Klemens Kalicki)

·         Fabled Fruit by Stronghold Games (designed by Friedemann Friese)

·         Kanagawa by IELLO (designed by Bruno Cathala and Charles Chevalier)

·         Koddama: The Tree Spirits by Action Phase Games (designed by Daniel Solis)

·         Lotus by Renegade Games (designed by Jordan and Mandy Goddard)

·         Mystic Vale by AEG (designed by John D. Clair)

·         Oh My Goods by Mayfair Games (designed by Alexander Pfister)

·         Ravensburger (designed by John D. Clair)

Best Collectible Games

·         Yu-Gi-Oh Breaker of Shadow Booster by Konami (designed by Konami Digital Entertainment)

·         Pokemon XY11 Steam Siege Booster by Pokemon USA (designed by The Pokemon Company)

·         Magic the Gathering: Kaladesh Booster Pack by Wizards of the Coast

·         Marvel HeroClix: Uncanny X-Men Booster Brick by WizKids (designed by WizKids)

·         Cardfight Vanguard Fighters Collection by Bushiroad

Best Role-Playing Game

·         7th Sea: Second Edition by John Wick Presents (designed by John Wick, Mike Curry, Rob Justice, Mark Diaz Truman, Jesse Heinig)

·         Curse of Strahd by Wizards of the Coast-D&D (designed by Jeremy Crawford, Tracy Hickman, Laura Hickman, Adam Lee, Christopher Perkins, and Richard Whitters)

·         No Thank You, Evil! by Monte Cook Games (designed by Monte Cook and Shanna Germain)

·         Star Wars: The Force Awakens by Fantasy Flight (designed by Tim Flanders, Corey Konieczka, and Sam Stewart)

·         Shadowrun-Seattle Sprawl by Catalyst Game Labs (designed by Raymond Croteau, Jason Hardy, James Meiers, O.C. Presley, Scott Schletz, R.J. Thomas, Malik Toms, Thomas Willoughby, CZ Wright, and Russell Zimmerman)

·         Symbaroum by Modiphius Entertainment

·         Storm King's Thunder by Wizards of the Coast-D&D (designed by Jenna Helland, Adam Lee, Mike Mearls, Christopher Perkins, and Richard Whitters)

·         Star Wars: Edge of the Empire-Special by Fantasy Flight (designed by Blake Bennett, Tim Cox, Jordan Goldfarb, Sterling Hershey and Monte Lin)

·         The One Ring: Horse: Lords of Rohan by Cubicle 7 (designed by Shane Ivey, Andrew Kenrick, T.S. Luikart, Francesco Nepitello, and James Spahn)

·         Volo's Guide to Monsters by Wizards of the Coast-D&D (designed by Jeremy Crawford, Ed Greenwood, Adam Lee, Mike Mearls, Kim Mohan, Christopher Perkins, Sean K. Reynolds, Matthew Sernett, Chris Sims, and Steve Winter)

Best Family Game

·         Cartoon Network Crossover Crisis Deck-building Game by Cryptozoic Entertainment (designed by Matt Hyra)

·         Garbage Day by Mayday Games (designed by Shane Willis)

·         Happy Salmon by North Star Games (designed by Ken Gruhl and Quentin Weir)

·         Junk Art by Pretzel Games (designed by Jay Cormier and Sen-Foong Lin)

·         Karuba by HABA (designed by Rdiger Dorn)

·         Speechless by Arcane Wonders (designed by Mike Elliott)

Best Miniatures Game

·         Warhammer 40,000 Kill Team by Games Workshop

·         Konflikt '47 by Warlord Games (designed by Clockwork Goblin Miniatures)

·         Dragon Rampant by Battlefront/Gale Force Nine

·         TANKS by Battlefront/Gale Force Nine (designed by Andrew Haught, Chris Townley, Phil Yates)

·         Dropfleet Commander by Hawk Wargames (designed by Andy Chambers and David Lewis)

Best Game Accessory

·         Blood Rage Organizer by The Broken Token (designed by Greg Spence)

·         Dungeon Morph Dice Adventurer Set by Dwarven Forge (designed by Joe Wetzel, Dyson Logos, Matt Jackson, Shane Knysh, Tim Ballew, Dave Millar, Sigurd Johansson, AJ Stone)

·         Flip 'N Tray Mat Case by Ultimate Guard (designed by Adrian Alonso)

·         Improved D-Total by Gamescience (designed by Dr. A.F. Simkin, Col. Louis Zocchi, Frank Dutrait)

GAMA Trade Show

This week's ICV2 column looks at some things of note about this year's GAMA Trade Show as well as some marketing thoughts on Route 66.

Four Thoughts on the GTS

This week's ICV2 column covers some follow up thoughts from the recent GAMA Trade Show.

3 and a Half Questions Answered

Well, I got three and a half questions answered of the 5 I wanted to get answered at the GAMA Trade Show.  WOTC not having much presence there made it hard to ask questions about Magic pricing and their boardgame catalog.

Why I Went to the GTS and What I Found There

Just flew in from Vegas and boy, are my arms tired!  Thank you, thank you, I’ll be here all week, try the special.  Every year, when time for the GAMA Trade Show rolls around, I, along with many other retailers, ask myself if it is worth the money and the time away from the store. Making the decision this year was especially hard since, as I noted last week, with National Pi Day and the Dragons of Tarkir bracketing the event, I had to fly out instead of taking my usual road trip and I HATE to fly.

So was it worth it? A resounding “Yes”. Not for the seminars or the manufacturer presentations or even the Big Box (and I really hate to break it to GAMA but some of the stuff in there just ain’t gonna sell), though. As a friend pointed out, I can find out most of that information through the Interwebs, if I spend enough time.

 Nope, what makes it worth my time is the opportunity to hang out, talk with and (especially) listen to, the smartest people in the industry.  At meal times or just in the hall way or wandering around the exhibit hall, I will bump into someone who says something that gets me to view a game or product line differently or gives me an idea on how to improve the store. However, most people go there to look at new stuff, which is why the lines get so long outside the exhibit hall before it opens. I really didn’t see anything product wise that knocked my socks off (You may have found otherwise. Please send an email to ICV2 if you did), though I did notice the Donkey game people had moved to a less visible section of the exhibit hall and I never did spot Privateer Press. Oh, and WOTC really wants stores to up their look.  There were, however, two programs that interested me and one trend that has me a bit worried. This week, the two programs, later in the week,  the worrisome trend.

Program #1—Bits & Mortar.  Although this one has been around for a couple of years, I was glad to see publishers still supporting it. For those not familiar with B&M, it allows retailers to give their customer a free PDF of a participating RPG when the customer purchases a print copy. The customer buys the hard copy, gives the staff their email, and staff emails a link to the PDF. Pretty simple and I have lost track of the number of RPGs we have sold as a result of this program. The big drawback is that the participants are all small press publishers but it does not cost anything for stores to sign up and it can help sell RPGs from companies such as Cubicle 7, Evil Hat and Arc Dream. 

Program #2—Envoy Program. This program , on the other hand, debuted at the GTS. The program plans to provide stores with trained Heralds to demonstrate products from a large number of small press game companies.  Demonstrations are generally considered the best way to sell games but most small press companies do not have the resources to mount a viable demo program and most retailers have neither the time or staff to adequately demo the hundreds of games a store might carry.  The Envoy Program proposes to deal with these problems by providing Heralds (at no cost to retailers, I imagine there is some charge to the publishers) to visit stores to demo games from publishers participating in the program. The idea sounds great in theory but I would like more detail on the training the Heralds get, as I have seen some really good demo people over the years as well as some downright horrible demo people ( A really bad demonstration years ago is the reason I never played the Legend of the Five Rings TCG). I have high hopes for this and saw lots of signs at the GTS indicating smaller publishers had signed on with the program. On the company’s website, it shows over 40 companies have already signed up and just over 50 stores.  More information is available at www.dexposure.com/envoy.

2014 Origins Awards Nominees

Anything that you feel should have been on the list?

The Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design Announces 2014 Origins Awards Nominees
COLUMBUS, OH – March 31, 2014- The Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design is pleased to announce the 2014 Origins Awards Nominees.

These awards are presented by the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design to companies for outstanding games in the industry. These are the 40th annual awards. This year, the Awards had fourteen 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, Best Traditional Card Game, and Best Game Related Publication.

The winner of each category will be voted on by members of the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design. Origins attendees will have the chance to vote on the Fan Favorite in each category. The winners will be announced and presented by at the Origins Awards Ceremony on Saturday, June 14th of the event.

Additional information concerning the Origins Awards can be found at www.originsgamefair.com under the Origins Awards link.

Please congratulate these companies and designers:

Best Role Playing Game
 13th Age – Pelgrane Press, designed by: Rob Heinsoo, Jonathan Tweet
FATE Core System – Evil Hat Productions, LLC, designed by: Leonard Balsera, Brian Engard, Jeremy Keller, Ryan Macklin, Mike Olson
Mummy: the Curse – White Wolf Game Studio, designed by: C.A. Suleiman
 Numenera - Monte Cook Games, designed by: Monte Cook
Shadowrun: Core Rulebook – Catalyst Game Labs, designed by: Jason Hardy, Aaron Pavao, Adam Large, Mark Dynna, Steven “Bull” Ratkovich, Peter M. Andrew Jr., Michael Wich

Best Role Playing Supplement
DC Adventures Universe – Green Ronin Publishing, designed by: Darren Bulmer, Seth Johnson, Steve Kenson, Jon Leitheusser, John Polojac, Aaron Sullivan
Heart of the Wild – Cucible 7 Entertainment, designed by: Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan
Transhuman – Posthuman Studios, designed by: Rob Boyle, Brian Cross, Jack Graham
Night’s Watch – Green Ronin Publishing, designed by: Joseph Carriker, Lee Hammock, Brett Rebischke-Smith, Ian Ireland, Michelle Lyons, John Hay
Eternal Lies – Pelgrane Press, designed by: Will Hindmarch, Jeff Tidball, Jeremy Keller

Best Board Game Trains – Alderac Entertainment Group, designed by: Hisashi Hayashi
Time n Space – Stronghold Games, designed by: Tobias Stapelfeldt
Space Cadet: Dice Duel – Stronghold, designed by: Geoff Engelstein, Sydney Engelstein
Krosmaster Arena - Japanime, designed by: Nicolas Degouy, Édouard Guiton
City of Iron – Red Raven Games designed by Ryan Laukat

Best Historical Board Game
SOS Titanic - Ludonate, designed by: Bruno Cathala, Ludovic Maublanc
Navajo Wars – GMT, designed by: Joel Toppen
Freedom: The Underground Railroad – Academy Games, designed by Brian Mayer
1775:Rebellion – Academy Games, designed by: Beau Beckett, Jeph Stahl
Francis Drake – Eagle Games, designed by: Peter Hawes

Best Historical Miniature Figure/Line
Fife & Drum: Revolutionary War -– Fife & Drum, designed by: Richard Ansell
Highlander Force – North Star Military Figures, designed by: North Star Military Figures
Fate of a Nation: Arab Israeli Wars – Battlefront Miniatures, designed by: Evan Allen, Chris Townley
Red Army: 28mm Russian Infantry – Wargames Factory, designed by: Wargames Factory
Devil Dogs and Dragons – Empress Miniatures, designed by: Empress Miniatures

Best Historical Miniature Rules
Fields of Fire 2nd Edition – Proving Ground Games, designed by: Larry Yeager, Chris Brutsche, Mark Brown
Fire and Sword – Wargamer, designed by: Konrad Sosinski, Rafal Szwelicki
Chain of Command –Too Fat Ladies, designed by Richard Clark

Best Historical Miniature Rules Supplements
SAGA: Varjazi & Basileus – Gripping Beast, designed by: Alexandre Buchel
Flames of War: Fate of a Nation – Battlefront Miniatures, designed by: Phil Yates
Force on Force: Classified – Osprey Publishing, designed by Ambush Alley Games

Best Miniature Figure Line
Malifaux: The Guild’s Judgement– Wyrd Miniatures, designed by: Wyrd Miniatures
HeroClix Wolverine and the X-men – WizKids Games, designed by: WizKids Games
MERCs Mini’s (Shock Trooper, Spy, Eagle, Beacher) – MegaCon Games, designed by: MegaCon Games

Best Miniature Figure Rules
 Marvel HeroClix: Avengers Vs X-men Starters – WizKids Games, designed by: WizKids Games
Battletech Alpha Strike – Catalyst Game Labs, designed by: Herbert A. Beas II, Joshua Franklin, Paul Sjardijn, Ray Arrastia, Joel Steverson
Judge Dredd – Warlord Games, designed by: Matthew Sprange

Best Game Accessory

 Krosmaster Fire & Ice – Japanime Games, designed by: Ankama
Shadowrun GM Screen – Catalyst Game Labs, designed by: Jason Hardy
Fate Dice – Evil Hat Productions, LLC., designed by: Fred Hicks, Chris Hanrahan
Space Gaming Mat – HC+D Supplies, designed by: Andre Garcia
Pathfinder Battles: Skull and Shackles – WizKids Games, designed by: WizKids Games

Best Children’s, Family, Party Game
 Walk the Plank – Mayday Games, designed by: Shane Steely, Jared Tinney
Three Little Pigs – Iello, designed by: Laurent Pouchain
My Happy Farm – 5th St. Games, designed by: Oleksandr Nevskiy, Oleg Sidorenko
ROFL – Cryptozoic, designed by: John Kovalic
Choose One! – Looney Labs, designed by: Andrew Looney

Best Collectible Card Game
Pokemon Black & White Legendary Treasures – The Pokemon Company, Intl., designed by: The Pokemon Company
Pokemon Red Genesect Collection – The Pokemon Company, Intl., designed by: The Pokemon Company
Yu-Gi-Oh! Battle Pack 2 – Konami Digital Entertainment, designed by: Konami Digital Entertainment
Yu-Gi-Oh! Super Starter V for Victory – Konami Digital Entertainment, designed by: Konami Digital Entertainment
Yu-Gi-Oh! Legendary Collection 4: Joey’s World – Konami Digital Entertainment, designed by: Konami Digital Entertainment

Best Traditional Card Game
Love Letter– AEG, designed by: Seiji Kanai
DC Comics – Cryptozoic Entertainment, designed by: Matt Hyra, Ben Stoll Boss Monster - Brotherwise Games designed by: Johnny O’Neal, Chris O’Neal
Clubs – North Star Games , designed by: Dominic Crapochettes
 Dark City - Upper Deck, designed by: Devin Lowe

Best Game Related Publication
 Khan of Mars – Evil Hat Books, author: Stephen Blackmoore
Fire for Effect – Catalyst Game Labs, edited by: Jason Schmetzer
 ICv2 - Editor: Milton Griepp
Dork Tower – Editor: John Kovalic
TableTop – Wil Wheaton, Felicia Day