Alright, it’s time for a list and we’re looking at games that are going to be for sale at Gen Con 2024. If you want to see all the games, I did two videos on that. Watch the first part here and second part here. In those videos I talk about all the games. But which ones when I look at them am I getting really excited for. I already did a list of five games that I’ve tried and recommend. But now it’s time for some that I just like the look of or something along those lines. Does this mean that I will buy all these games at Gen Con, unlikely, but I’m definitely considering it.

Top 10 Games to Buy at Gen Con 2024

10. Nekojima

Nekojima is going to be one that gets me in two areas. Firstly there is the dexterity and balancing that you are doing. That is something I love in games because it always makes for a fun game night. Plus in this game there are cats. So while you are balancing things with strings between them, you are also adding cats to those strings. That just sounds amazing to me and light goofy fun that I’m really going to enjoy.

9. The Mandalorian: Adventures

I love The Mandalorian show. All three and a half seasons of the Mandalorian have been great. This game looks like you are playing through that first season when Mando is trying to figure out if he should turn in the child or not. Obviously you try and keep Grogu because Grogu is great. But I like that it’s scenarios and a bit of a campaign but not something that is massive. From Unexpected Games, I am hoping for a nice focused and fun family weight game.

8. Lords of Baseball

Lords of Baseball I’m confident is not going to be a game for a lot of people. Baseball and sports games often aren’t the best. But this one is about managing a baseball team. And since that goal of becoming the GM of the Minnesota Twins isn’t likely to happen, this is going to be the next best thing. How can I create a team, bring up players, make moves, and more to win games and do well throughout multiple seasons. It looks like one you can play solo or in a group, though I’ll expect that I’ll mainly play it solo.

7. Fateforge: Chronicles of Kaan

Fateforge: Chronicles of Kaan is kind of a cheat on the list. After I watched the unboxing that Meet Me At the Table did, I knew that I wanted to play this game. It looked like a really good and fun campaign game. So while it’s not a game that I need, I started looking into it more. And of course as I do that, I stumbled across the fact you can order it for pick-up at Gen Con. So I already bought a Gen Con game. Fateforge: Chronicles of Kaan is one that I hope to play on Malts and Meeples. But until then, here’s the Meet Me At the Table unboxing.

6. Cafe Baras

We go from a big campaign game to a smaller game, one where you are Capybara who run a cafe. So this game is going to combine two things that I love. I love Capybaras, they are adorable. And I love coffee, it helps me live. Kids Table Board Games is a fun company because they make light games. So I’m hoping that this small box game with a fun theme is going to be one that I like. While some of the games I likely will want to learn about more before I buy, I might just buy Cafe Baras.

5. Undaunted 2200: Callisto

Speaking of much larger games we have Undaunted in space. I have looked at the Undaunted games a lot. They are war deck building games. But I’ve never bought one, not because they don’t look good, but because they aren’t solo. Undaunted 2200 is going to be solo and multiplayer. So I want to give this one a try because of that solo mode. I think that it could hit the table as a fun puzzle of war game. And we all know that I like deck building games a lot.

4. Formage

R2i Games is bringing us Formage. I almost just pre-ordered this one as well. But I don’t think it would be for Gen Con pick-up which is why I didn’t. But this game is about making the best cheese possible. I can imagine playing this one, having some charcuterie and it being a great night. But the game is also really interesting looking. The Brothers Murph talk about it in their anticipated list, but there is a lot I like the sound of.

The board turns which is cool and you activate the part that is in front of you. And you play out cheese wedges to do actions. There are three different types of wedges and they face different ways as you activate that part of the board. If you spend the more expensive cheese it is going to take longer to get back. And overall it just sounds like a fun puzzle that you need to plan for.

3. Video Game Champion

Next up is Video Game Champion. You play as a kid who just wants to play video games and get high scores. But of course, if you do that, you need to buy or rent the games. And I love that about the game. You want to get the high scores, but you might need to do chores to get money, or bug Grandma to see if she’ll give you some. This isn’t part of my childhood, but it’s totally part of the generation that I grew up in, and I love just the nostalgia of that.

2. Rock Hard 1977

Speaking of nostalgia, I kid, I’m not that old. But Rock Hard 1977 looks amazing. This is going to be the journey of a band from a garage to the biggest stage. And it’s done through worker placement. There is so much cool about the game, including that it is a design from the bassist of The Runaways, the original bassist. So there is a ton of theme and a lot of things that probably are flavor of what actually happened. This might be the one I seek out first or try to get to early some morning. If you want to know more, watch the Man vs Meeple Game play below.

1. Comic Hunters

Finally, my top on is Comic Hunters. This is a game where you are getting the best collection of Marvel comics. I love Marvel and I love Marvel comics. So this is a theme that is amazing for me. But even beyond that, this is a drafting game. There is so much that I like about the sounds of this game.

And it’s one that I’ve been tempted to track down before. The reason it’s new here, even though it’s not a new game is that the license was only held in Brazil. But Arcane Wonders along with Spinmaster brought this over to the US finally. I can’t wait to get my hands on this one. And if I can’t at Gen Con, I will after.

Final Thoughts

This isn’t everything that I’d be interested in. These are just some that I called Must Haves when I went through the list. And it’s not even all of the Must Haves. But I really like the sounds of all these games. And I think that some of them, Comic Hunters and Rock Hard 1977 in particular are going to go fast. So don’t run to get t hem, but we’ll see if they are rationed daily or not. Either way, you can always get these games later.

Which game at Gen Con for the first time are you most excited for?

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