Best Board Games of 2012 – Nominees are in!
Are you ready to find out what the best board games and card games are from 2012?
While we don’t quite have that answer for you yet, we do have the list of nominations. And it’s quite the list!
A couple months ago, I saw a chart that shows how many new board games are published every year. The chart is derived from the immense database at BoardGameGeek.com (BGG). If you want to know something about any board game ever made -check BGG.
I was amazed that there were more than 3,000 new board games published in 2012!
So how on earth can we say which are the best?
There’s no way to play them all. So for that, we turn to game reviews and players around the world. And we’ve found the best compilation comes from The Dice Tower Awards.
Here’s the list of nominations for Best Board Games of 2012.
Game of the Year:
- Android: Netrunner
- CO2
- Descent, 2nd Edition
- Lords of Waterdeep
- Mage Wars
- Mice and Mystics
- Robinson Crusoe: Adventures on the Cursed Island
- Space Cadets
- Spartacus
- Star Wars: X-wing Miniatures Game
Best Family Game Nominees:
- Lords of Waterdeep
- Love Letter
- Marvel: Legendary
- Smash Up
- Space Cadets
Best New Game Designer Nominees: (for any designer’s first or second published game)
- Lords of Waterdeep: by Peter Lee and Rodney Thompson
- Mage Wars: by Bryan and Benjamin Pope
- Mice and Mystics: by Jerry Hawthorne
- Space Cadets: by Brian, Geoff, and Sydney Engelstein
- Spartacus: A Game of Blood and Treachery: by Aaron Dill, John Kovaleski, and Sean Sweigart
Best Game Reprint Nominees:
- Android: Netrunner
- Descent, 2nd Edition
- Merchant of Venus, 2nd Edition
- Sentinels of the Multiverse
- War of the Ring, 2nd Edition
Best Production Values Nominees:
- Descent, 2nd Edition
- Mice and Mystics
- Tzolk’in: The Mayan Calendar
- Star Wars: X-wing Miniatures Game
- Zombicide
Best Small Publisher Nominees: (five or less published board games)
- Agents of SMERSH: 8th Summit Games
- Empires of the Void: Red Raven Games
- Mage Wars: Arcane Wonders
- Mice and Mystics: Plaid Hat Games
- Spartacus: A Game of Blood and Treachery: Gale Force 9
Best Party Game Nominees:
- Coup
- Love Letter
- Pluckin’ Pairs
- Vegas
- Wits and Wagers Party
Best Game Expansion Nominees:
- 7 Wonders: Cities
- Alien Frontiers: Factions
- Core Worlds: Galactic Orders
- King of Tokyo: Power Up!
- Mage Knight Board Game: The Lost Legion
Most Innovative Game Nominees:
- Escape: The Curse of the Temple
- Flowerfall
- Mage Wars
- Space Cadets
- Tzolk’in: The Mayan Calendar
Best Game Artwork Nominees:
- Libertalia: art done by Ben Carre and Stephane Gantiez
- Marvel: Legendary: art done by Julius Abrea, Bien Flores, Katrina Mae Hao, Ray Anthony Height, Jay David Ramos, Nigel Raynor, Kevin Sharpe, The Marvel Bullpen, Tony Kordos, Brian “Tots” Valerz, and Will Conrad
- Mice and Mystics: art done by John Ariosa
- Seasons: art done by Xavier Gueniffey Durin
- Smash Up: art done by Dave Allsop, Bruno Balixa, Conceptopolis, and Francisco Rico Torres
Best War Games Nominees:
- 1812: The Invasion of Canada
- 1989: Dawn of Freedom
- Andean Abyss
- Thunderbolt Apache Leader
- Virgin Queen
Best Game Theme Nominees:
- CO2
- Mice and Mystics
- Robinson Crusoe: Adventures on the Cursed Island
- Space Cadets
- Spartacus
We haven’t yet played most of the board games and card games on these lists. But there are a bunch of them that I’m very interested in getting to the table before casting my votes. Wish me luck!
The final judging won’t take place until mid-summer since that will give judges more tine to play the nominated games for final judgement.
We also know that truly judging the merits of a board games takes time. Some games may be good initially, but will fade when the shiny “hotness” wears off. That’s why we also like to take a look at winners from years past and see if those games are still considered great board games.
Check out the top board games from years past:
2011 – Best Game of the Year Winner: Eclipse
2010 – Best Game of the Year Winner: 7 Wonders
2009 – Best Game of the Year Winner: Smallworld
2008 – Best Game of the Year Winner: Dominion
2007 – Best Game of the Year Winner: Race for the Galaxy
