Welcome to the End of July! As of this posting, we have a short 8 days to Gen Con 2024! This is the 57th anniversary.
Our coverage of Gen Con is shaping up well. I have over 11 interviews scheduled with game companies, plus I plan to stop by many other booths and do interviews, so it’s going to be a busy time! As it always is 🙂
This year, we have no sponsor for Gen Con! So if you want to help, email me, and we will talk! 🙂
Here is my list of the top 10 games I’m looking forward to checking out at Gen Con 2024.
Note that some of these games will be released for sale, at Gen Con, but some will just be available to see/demo in the company’s booth.
#7
Avalon Hill
HeroQuest: First Light (English edition) (2024)
Release Date 2024
Availability Demo
Description
HeroQuest: First Light is an introductory version of the HeroQuest game system that includes new quests and is compatible with all HeroQuest expansions.
#6
Chaosium
Location: 511
Horror on the Orient Express: The Board Game (English edition) (2025)
Release Date Aug 2025
Availability Demo
Description
Horror on the Orient Express: The Board Game lures you into the luxurious Orient Express in the 1920s, taking you on a dangerous train ride into the realm of the Dreamlands. Everything is against you, from monsters attacking the train to murderous cults hiding among the passengers. Worst of all, an eldritch, blood-thirsty vampire hunting down everything that moves. Can you solve the dark secrets of the Orient Express before time runs out?In this cooperative game, you and the other investigators try to survive on the doomed train. To win, you must hunt out the cultists to stop them from performing a hideous ritual and ensure the train reaches its destination. Each of you controls a character who can develop new skills, gather items, talk to the passengers, discover clues, and, ultimately, decide the train’s fate. You may even learn a spell or two!
Horror on the Orient Express: The Board Game brings the award-winning Call of Cthulhu horror and mystery TTRPG into the board gaming world. Special rules, ongoing character development, and awesome play pieces provide a challenging and exciting gaming experience. Your journey on the Orient Express will be something to remember!
#5
Ravensburger
Location: 2001
Horrified: World of Monsters (English edition) (2024)
Release Date Aug 1, 2024
MSRP US$30.00
Description
You’re one of Earth’s premier monster experts, and you’ve come to a mysterious arcane-punk town centered around the Void, a doorway between worlds from which terrors of all ilk might erupt.
Horrified: World of Monsters is a standalone game that features gameplay similar to 2019’s Horrified, and in this co-operative game, you’ll face off against the riddling Sphinx, the reclusive Yeti, the ravenous Jiangshi, and the Great Old One itself, Cthulhu. Each monster presents a unique challenge, and you can face them individually or in combination, with players pooling their unique skills to overcome puzzle-like obstacles inspired by monstrous legends and lore to gather item tokens, protect citizens, and avoid attacks.
The inclusion of Cthulhu brings the Horrified line its first multi-phase puzzle, with one puzzle in the realm of World of Monsters and one in Cthulhu’s realm.
Horrified: World of Monsters includes rules for mixing and matching the monsters in this game with those in Horrified: Greek Monsters.
#4
Modiphius Entertainment
Location: 3053
Fallout Factions: Nuka-World (2024)
Get ready to dive back into the world of Fallout 4 in Fallout Factions: Nuka World, a new skirmish wargame in which two players have enemy factions vying for power as they battle over territory to strengthen their Raiders and take control of Nuka World. Using standard ten-sided dice and featuring a streamlined resolution system, this wargame is great for beginners and those that want to set up the game on the fly.
Fallout Factions: Nuka World features 32mm scale miniatures that are compatible with Modiphius’s adventure game Fallout: Wasteland Warfare. The miniatures have multiple build options available for each figure (ten per box), and they fall into one of three Raider gangs: the Operators, the Pack, and the Disciples.
#3
Corvus Belli
Location: 613
Warcrow (English/Spanish edition) (2024)
Release Date Aug 2024
MSRP US$79.00
Description
Warcrow is a miniatures game set in the fantastical world of Lindwurm. In this setting you control a small military force made up of warriors, creatures and wizards, who fight skirmishes pursuing the interests of your faction.Before starting the game, you must select a scenarioto play. Each of the Warcrow scenarios describes the conditions and requirements necessary to achieve victory. Once you have chosen the scenario, prepare the gaming table and deploy the indicated terrain elements: hedges, forests, buildings… Some of them will be very favorable to your faction. Once you have understood all the details of the scenario, choose your faction and create the company list that best suits your strategy and victory plans. The game begins with the deployment of the troops, following the instructions stipulated in the scenario rules.
Warcrow scenarios have a variable length of game rounds, which continue until the end-of-game conditions are met. Each round, you and your opponent will take alternating turns activating your units. You can move them around the battlefield, attack your opponent, cast powerful spells… until you achieve the objectives of the scenario. To win, you must have accumulated more Victory Points (VP) than your opponent at the end of the game.
#2
Smirk & Dagger Games
Location: 429
HiFi (English edition) (2024)
Release Date Jun 2024
MSRP US$40.00
Description
In 1974, the band The Meeples broke up during the recordings for the “Vinil” album. The A-side of the unfinished album quickly became cult-followed by fans and critics around the world, turning into one of the most intriguing legends of rock-and-roll history. Fifty years later, the band has finally reunited to finish the B-side with the help of a team of the best musical producers in show biz. That’s you!
In HiFi, players start their turn by spinning the record’s rondel on the turntable to choose an action within their reach, or they can spend production points to achieve one of the other actions. After resolving these actions, players allocate audio cards to the five studio tracks, earning points based on the buttons in that producer’s equalization track and what’s in the studio track. When a player allocates a guitarist card, each player who collaborated with the equalization of the guitar earns points. When elements such as sound wave or time-track positions match, players can perform bonus actions.
Each round represents a song recorded on the A-side of the album that will help players gather information to aid B-side recordings. After listening to all of the songs on the A-side — 6-8 rounds depending on the player count — the game ends. Whoever contributed most effectively to the construction of the tracks on the album’s B-side wins.
#1
Devir
Location: 2827
Rock Hard: 1977 (English/Spanish edition) (2024)
Release Date Aug 2024
Description
It’s 1977. You’re an up-and-coming musician, dreaming of making it big with your band. Over the next few months you’ll rehearse, play gigs, write songs, and promote your band. With careful planning and a little luck, you’ll earn the most fame and become the best new artist of the year.Designed by Jackie Fox (member of the 1970’s rock band “The Runaways”, four-time Jeopardy! champion, and designer of the narrative adventure trilogy The Adventures of the Chubby Slugz) and illustrated by Jennifer Giner, Rock Hard: 1977 allows games for groups of between 2 and 5 players, from 14 years old, in games lasting about 45-90 minutes.
Rock Hard: 1977 is played over a maximum of nine rounds, each representing a typical day of one month in 1977, from April to December. You win the game by accruing the most fame. How? Increasing reputation, chops and songs; achieving production, performance, and publicity bonuses; getting record deals and earning royalties; playing concerts; and hanging out at the hottest after-hours spot. Ready to live like a rock star?
Recent Comments