Fraser McHarg: Boardgames Australia Awards and the Australian Games Expo

Last night we returned from the third Australian Games Expo.  We were there for the Boardgames Australia Awards and to catch up with friends and to play games.

The expo ran from 9am until 6pm and the offsite evening games ran until the wee small hours.  I have confirmed gaming events starting at 3am, so I imagine it ran quite late - certainly later than I could manage having to be in at the expo at 9am or before ever morning.

The Boardgames Australia awards were announced as part of the official opening ceremony for the Expo.  The Best Children’s Game was Quoridor Kid, the Best Australian Game went to Archaeology the Card Game and Best International Game went to 10 Days in Asia.  The text of the press release can be seen here.  Boardgames Australia also ran an Educators forum and a Designers forum which were well attended and well received.

Then there was also the gaming.

Over the 3 days and 4 chilly nights I managed to find time to chalk up 20 plays of 16 different games. 

As far as I can tell the new games were Container, Cannonball Colony, Utopia and Pandemic (which I first played a couple of months ago).  Most of my playing was old games, some of which were new to me.  In contrast Daughter the Elder, at age nine, played both Hanging Gardens and Oregon in four player games with adults and managed a first and second placing respectively.  She put in a request to purchase Hanging Gardens, of my new games I bought Cannonball Colony and will probably get Pandemic when it is slightly more available.

Some games I played:

Limits - One of the distributors walked up to Melissa, Richard and I as the Expo was packing up and said “Zev says this is good, I have only played it once, can you open it up and try it out?”.  We did and had a ball.  The end of a three day convention is a great time for a bluffing game.  We had a lot of fun and took it back over the distributor and bought copies of the game on the spot.

The Legend of Landlock - I saw this on a demo table and played it around with it and then brought Daughter the Younger, aged five, over to play with me.  We just played the basic version without scoring gnomes and animals but had fun with it.  I’d probably pick it up if I saw it in a shop.

Crokinole - We don’t have anywhere to store the board and at AUS$350 it falls into the “I will buy this after the major lottery win” category, but I do enjoy playing this.  We played two full games with four players at the Hume Inn one night.  It attracted a lot of attention from people.

Tichu - Only one game and there were so many non-Victorians that we had to play to the left as opposed to following the rules.  Some nights I saw three tables of Tichu going at once.  I will have to pick up one of the new packs that has two proper decks in it.

Cannonball Colony - Another nice little self published game by Phil Harding.  Quite different to his first game, I played it three player with Phil and one of his helpers.  I think it should scale well from two to four.  I purchased my copy before the end of the Expo.

Struggle for Rome - We cracked open a copy at the Mayfair booth and started a three player game with three newbies.  We got one rule wrong, but corrected it before any damage was done.  Less like Settlers than Settlers of the Stone Age, even though it looks a bit similar.  I would certainly play this again, but I doubt that I would buy a copy.

Utopia - This has some great looking bit, but combined with the rather important cardboard chits they tend to be a of triumph of graphic design over usability.  We had to call our game at 90 minutes when two of the five players had to leave for pre-arranged other events.  There are some nice elements to the game, but over all it did not grab me.

Archaeology the Card Game - A quick two player game of this one night waiting other things to finish.  This is a nice quick game with very well designed cards.  It scales well from two to four players.  Did you notice above that it won an award?

Can’t Stop - Probably my favourite game of the Expo.  I had read about this and when I saw a copy at the Hume Inn I grabbed it and asked to be taught.  Played with Zev, Patty and Giles with Neil F and others adding recommendations on what we should do.  I am going to have to track down a copy now.

Cutthroat Caverns - We played a six player game of this after Can’t Stop.  It probably needs the right group and we had it.  A lot of fun.  With the wrong group or a few less players it may not be as much fun.

Container - We played a four newbie game of this.  I get the feeling you need to play it a few times to get a handle on the ebbs and flows that occur during the game.  I would happily play it again.

Agricola - Melissa has a preview set of animeeples, so this was the official demo copy at the expo.  We were only playing the family version, the cards were pasted up, but the board is still the original German board.  Nobody seemed to mind though.  I ran a four player game of it whilst Melissa was off at a forum.

Pandemic - I only managed one three player game, but for the first time in a game that I have played we saved the world!  This was very popular at the Expo, it was being played a lot and copies were selling fast.

By the morning of the last day of the Expo we had bought no games at all, although did have plans to buy two games.  Unfortunately cunning retailers fluttered their eyelashes and tempted us with special prices and we ended up with ten games and very little room in the car.

The overall summary, a lot of fun and not enough sleep :-)

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