Yeah I know this is late, the start to my year was pretty awful and I lost track of doing my yearly awards. Personally, it was not a fun year, I lost a sister and a friend to illness and work has been very slow. I spent less on games last year than I have in a long time, but got good mileage out of games I already owned. I also stopped playing Warmachine and Android for different reasons, but mostly because the effort required outweighed my enthusiasm for each game. In fact, this year has been dominated by two things, PC gaming and my Star Wars campaign.
Anywho, Enough moaning about the last year. On with the awards.
The "F**k this, I give up" award
For model that most made me want to give up painting because anything I do will not be as cool as that.
This is a scratch built, custom model designed and painted by the incomparable Kirill Kanaev. The full gallery can be found here.
This is just breathtaking, it's absolutely perfect and a work of art.
It's just.... wow. This is figure painting as art, pure and simple.
The "What am I even looking at" award
The winners for me, are the heavy bombers from X-wing.
Sure, it looks like a tie fighter series ship, but it's so impractical looking. Also, does Sienar systems only have one ship designer, who really really likes that one look?
The Axos the Dark Rose memorial award
For best role-playing game book and or supplement.
What makes the game for me is it's incredibly simple, yet deep, system that anyone can learn in 30 minutes. And its strong character creation system that relies on established archetypes and tropes in the system.
I highly recommend picking it up, it's a bargain
The "leading cause of paper cuts this year" award
For best card game of the year
I haven't been playing Android this year, it's a very good game but I just haven't kept up with the expansions and have no idea what the local meta is like now. So i'm going to go with a game that got an expansion last year, Smash up.
Smash up is a simple game with a lot going on. It's core rules are easy to learn, but the permutations with the game are limitless.
So far, I have around 28 factions for people to play, and all of them seem pretty reasonably balanced and quite unique. Sure, Zombies are almost certainly better than Miskatonic university, but I don't play the game for serious reasons.
So far, I have around 28 factions for people to play, and all of them seem pretty reasonably balanced and quite unique. Sure, Zombies are almost certainly better than Miskatonic university, but I don't play the game for serious reasons.
The "The distant future, the year 2000" award
For game idea/concept that could change the gaming world.
Hands down this is XCOM the boardgame and its excellent use of technology.XCOM didn't just use an app as a support piece that helps with the game, it is the core of the game as an integral as the board itself.
XCOM has a unique level of pressure and variability that can only be achieved in a game using an external system like the app. If players had to turn over cards, randomize things, or deal with manual timers, this game would not have the same breakneck pace and pressure.
I can't wait to see what other applications are built in games, and how they can complement boardgaming, without destroying the essence of boardgaming.
2014 Winner: 3D printing figures
The "Toy soliders are serious business!" award
For miniatures game of the year
They "fixed" descent, removing so many of the issues I had with Descent 1 and 2, and generally making a fast paced, tight and great game.
The "Ouch, my Wallet" award
For game that ruined my bank account.
As mentioned earlier, my finances have been a little short this year, so I was reluctant to sink $1000+ dollars into Cthulhu Wars, even though I really wanted to. So this is more of a "game that would have ruined my wallet", than one that actually did.
I could have just forgotten about the game, but a friend of mine owns it and all the expansions (as they come out) and it's just a blast of a game.
It's similar, but different too Chaos in the Old World, a game I consider a classic. But it's production values are in a totally different world to any game out there. Simply, it's beautiful and I really want to paint the figures.
My current plan is to pick up the core set, and then cherry pick expansions as they come out. A lot of the kickstarter stuff is over the top for me, I don't need glow in the dark old ones, so my expansion plans would be to pick them up slowly, targeting the new factions first and then the wacky stuff way later.
It's similar, but different too Chaos in the Old World, a game I consider a classic. But it's production values are in a totally different world to any game out there. Simply, it's beautiful and I really want to paint the figures.
My current plan is to pick up the core set, and then cherry pick expansions as they come out. A lot of the kickstarter stuff is over the top for me, I don't need glow in the dark old ones, so my expansion plans would be to pick them up slowly, targeting the new factions first and then the wacky stuff way later.
The "Sean Lincoln service to gaming in the community" award
For best local game support and generally being a good bastard
An easy one, and probably long overdue. Nigel has been organizing the netrunner community in my home city for the last 2 years.
He's a top bloke and a good guy to play with, and certainly not why I stopped playing :)
He's a top bloke and a good guy to play with, and certainly not why I stopped playing :)
Without Nigel, we probably wouldn't have any events run or have people participating in nationals.
Cheers mate
Cheers mate
The "What shall we do tonight, Pinky" award
For best boardgame of the year
No shocks here, XCOM is a brilliant game, with a unique premise, dripping in theme and hard as nails.
It's great as a group experience, the one co-op where people can't "play the game for you", because you simply don't have enough time.
It's also amazing as a solo experience, one game that will leave you mentally shattered.
It's great as a group experience, the one co-op where people can't "play the game for you", because you simply don't have enough time.
It's also amazing as a solo experience, one game that will leave you mentally shattered.
The "Golden Kriegy" award
Overall winner For best game system of any kind for the year
You scrolled all the way down here to see who won the big award. Well, it's the bespoke "Talathen Sector Star Wars Campaign rules" designed by me!
Seriously though, this is my biggest boardgame design achievement ever, and it was a mammoth task to put together. Plus, it's been the game i've been playing solidly for 6 months with a good group of people.
It's a lot of work, but it is hands down, my most rewarding tabletop home-brew i've ever made. Honourable mentions to the games that make up the combat system for the campaign, X-wing, Armada, Imperial Assault, Age of Rebellion and Edge of the Empire.
I mean look at it, so many components i've assembled along with the rules to back it up. It's kinda cool to just look at something big you've done and go "good job dude!"
