Well, I say that this is a top 10 list. This is a top 20 list, split over two parts. Monday it is going to be 10 More Games to Buy at Gen Con. So look forward to that, then, there are just too many games that I am interested in. So I couldn’t get it down to ten, I did get it close to twenty. There aren’t too many on the honorable mention. Though, it is worth mentioning, I don’t plan to buy all of these. These are the games that caught my eye that I want to checkout. From there, I’ll see if I want to buy them.

All the games come from the Board Game Geek Preview list. You can watch me going through that list here.

Top 10 Games to Buy at Gen Con

10. Last Light

A 4x game that is supposed to take a pretty short time to play. And it has some unique mechanisms where the board rotates. While this one is high on my list, I doubt that I pick it up. I might when the retail version comes out, but sounds like Grey Fox Games is flying in some deluxe ones. If I can demo it at Gen Con, though, this might change my mind and I’ll want the fancy version with the fancy planet pieces. Either way, if it lives up to that, about an hour timeline for players who know how to play, I am interested in the game.

9. Redwood

Redwood is a game about taking pictures of nature. There are a lot of nature games out there, fewer about photography, I feel. Redwood, I think, is an interesting looking game because you use a template after you’ve set yourself up for a picture. You are seeing what you can see when you snap that picture and you get points depending on what in the picture. Might it be just a fun gimmick, that’s possible, but it’s a gimmick that I want to try.

8. Race to the Raft

Another one that I passed on Kickstarter but I am still intrigued by. This is from City of Games who did City of Kings, which I own and need to play, Isle of Cats which I like and need to play more, and Isle of Cat’s Explore and Draw which I really like. This is a completely different game from any of those, though. Race to the Raft is about building out paths or keeping paths open for cats to get to rafts, after Isle of Cats, before the island burns down.

It’s a cooperative game where everyone is working on this single goal. I’m very curious to see how it plays. The board looks a bit busy, not because there’s too much on it, it’s just really bright. I’d love to demo this one and see if it’s for me, and I believe it can be played solo.

7. 3 Ring Circus

3 Ring Circus is on this list and this high just for the theme. I enjoyed the circus growing up, and I do not find clowns creepy. I mean, creepy clowns are creepy, but that’s intentional. 3 Ring Circus seems to be a race to build up the best performances and make the most money. We might now have the biggest circuses but if we can impress PT Barnum or someone who is coming through, maybe we’ll get more money and more acclaim. It also doesn’t look like a light little game, in fact it looks very big and a puzzle as you try and get everything done that you want. So very intrigued by that.

6. Freelancers

Freelancers is a game in the Plaid Hat Game Crossroad Games. I think there are four in that system already, or something like that with Dead of Winter, played, enjoyed, and sold. And Forgotten Waters, one that I really want to play. Plus two more, Gen 7 which I’ve not heard great things about, and Comanauts, which I haven’t played. This one, though, sounds a bit more fun, and seems like it is more in the lines of a Forgotten Waters compared to a Dead of Winter. The feel is very Wall-E in some ways, which is a fun theme as well.

5. Sagrada Artisans

Another one I passed on it on Kickstarter, a number of these at the top will be that. But all of them are ones that I was interested in on Kickstarter. Sagrada Artisans is the legacy version of Sagrada where you are coloring in stained glass windows to get points and unlock new things. I am a sucker for legacy games, and I like Sagrada a lot. I have just gotten back into playing the app, actually, which is a very fun app. So I am curious to see what this offers. I didn’t back it on Kickstarter, though, because none of the exclusives interested me enough. It was tempting, though, and it still is.’

4. Tales from the Red Dragon Inn

Another one from Kickstarter, but honestly, I didn’t look too much at this one. I think that Red Dragon Inn is a fine game. It’s a four player game that often gets played well above that which turns it into a worse game. So when it was on Kickstarter, I didn’t look too much based off of my experiences with the other game. But now that I’m hearing about it, it seems like a fun, lighter dungeon crawl game. One of those that is more family weight, so I want to know more and give it a whirl.

3. Marvel United: Spider-Geddon

It’s straight to retail Marvel United stuff, need I say more? This is going to have some more Spider-Verse heroes, anti-heroes, and villains that you can play as or up against. Either way, it’s one I know will go fast. So it’s unlikely I buy it at Gen Con, but if I can get my hands on it, I will. It’s also one that shouldn’t be too far behind with a retail release, so I’m cool with just waiting for that retail release as well.

2. Return to Dark Tower

Two big games to top off the list, and if I were to guess which one I might come home with, I think it might be Return to Dark Tower. This is a cooperative adventure game, but not a campaign game. You play as heroes building up your skills, finding loot, buying equipment, completing quests and trying to hold back the darkness before you’ll take on a big bad.

But the cool thing is that as a game from Restoration Games this is a new version of an old game. And they always put something cool into it. Here there is a giant tower in the middle, and it’ll open up doors and drop out skulls which is where bad things go. Plus there is an app or website tied to it as well to make it work, I’m very curious about it.

1. Kinfire Chronicles

Finally, and barely beating out Return to Dark Tower is Kinfire Chronicles. There is a new game in this series or setting that I had on my demo list. Kinfire Chronicles is a bit adventure story game. But not as big as some because there aren’t four boxes of minis for it. It uses acrylic standees, something that I like to see in games. And a cooperative story driven campaign game is 100% my type of game. Plus there is narration done via the Foreteller app, so you get the story without having to spend all the time reading yourself. While it looks fairly classic fantasy, there is just some level of charm about it that is really drawing me in.

So Many Games

I believe, as I’ve mentioned before, come into Gen Con with a plan. Come into Gen Con with a budget. It’d be easy to blow through several hundred dollars every day and spend over one thousand dollars on games for the weekend. And that is just this first part of the list that might cost you one thousand. So plan out how you want to attack Gen Con.

But it is a chance to see all of these games. I might put together my strategy for buying games into an article. Actually, let’s do it right now. It’s not that difficult. Don’t rush to buy games, they’ll be available later. Set a budget. And I limit myself with big games, I got Burncycle last year, a big game. Otherwise I buy smaller games because I can, again, get those big games later.

That said, I am very excited to see all of the games on the list, and the next ten coming on Monday. Which game excites you most?

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