The IGA Committee have just announced the finalists for this years awards. In the multi-player category, ten games are in contention:
- Automobile – Martin Wallace, Warfrog / Treefrog
- Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game – Corey Konieczka, Fantasy Flight Games
- Diamonds Club – Rüdiger Dorn, Ravensburger
- Dominion – Donald X. Vaccarino, Rio Grande Games / Hans im Glück
- Le Havre – Uwe Rosenberg, Lookout Games
- Roll Through the Ages – Matt Leacock, FRED Distribution / Gryphon Games
- Small World – Philippe Keyaerts, Days of Wonder
- Snow Tails – Fraser & Gordon Lamont, Fragor Games / Asmodee Editions
- Space Alert – Vlaada Chvatil, Czech Games Edition
- Steam – Martin Wallace, Mayfair Games / Phalanx Games
This is a good list of nominees. I’ve still to play Automobile but I have been through the rules and it looks like a typical Martin Wallace game and deserves to be nominated. Space Alert would not have been on my list as the real-time aspect is something that doesn’t press my buttons, although I do own it and have enjoyed my only game so far. I don’t begrudge Snow Tails appearance on the list as it is good fun but I do still prefer Powerboats as the 2008 race game of choice.
Turning to the two-player category, the nominees are:
- 2 de Mayo – Daniel Val, Gen X Games
- Conflict of Heroes: Awakening the Bear! – Uwe Eickert, Academy Games/ElfinWerks/Phalanx Games
- Day & Night – Valentijn Eekels, Mystics.nl
- Die Säulen der Erde: Duell der Baumeister – Stefan Feld, Kosmos
- Kamisado – Peter Burley, Burley Games
I’m a bit embarassed that I’ve only played one of this list, the excellent Kamisado, but I would like to try the Pillars of the Earth Duel game and will be looking out for it at Essen.
The results are likely to be announced around the end of September with the awards being presented at Essen in October by my friend and gaming luminary, Greg Schloesser.