The 2017 Origins Awards dinner was held on Saturday night, at the 2017 Origins Game Fair obviously enough, and there were plenty of excellent titles in the running for the coveted “Callie.” Of course, as with most gaming awards, the debates about the winners began moments after the announcements but it’s hard to argue that this year’s nominees weren’t a deserving bunch. A big TGG congrats to all the nominees and a huge tip of the old gamin’ cap to the winners!
Game Accessory of the Year
Blood Rage Organizer – The Broken Token
In addition to protecting your game, our Blood Rage organizer will tremendously cut down on setup and teardown times leaving you more time to vanquish your foes!
Miniatures Game of the Year
Warhammer 40K: Kill Team – Games Workshop
This multi-part plastic kit contains everything necessary to assemble a Deathwatch Kill Team. There’s a massive amount of variety contained on these sprues – use the army builder rules in Codex Deathwatch to gear your Kill Team up for particular battlefield roles.
Family Game of the Year
Happy Salmon – North Star Games
Happy Salmon is the simple, fast-paced card game packed to the gills with high-fivin’, fin-flappin’ fun. Actions including the classic “High 5”, the unifying “Pound It”, the frantic “Switcheroo”, and the delightful “Happy Salmon” will leave players doubled over in laughter. With so many mini-celebrations built into the play, it’s the happiest game ever!
How to Play
- Everyone calls out the action shown on their top card.
- When two players have a match, they celebrate by
performing that action together, then discard their top card. - The first player to match all of the cards in their deck wins!
Collectible Game of the Year
Pokemon XY11 Steam Siege – The Pokemon Company
The Pokémon TCG: XY—Steam Siege expansion includes:
- Over 110 cards
- 8 new dual-type Pokémon
- 6 new Pokémon-EX, including two Mega Evolution Pokémon
- 7 new Pokémon BREAK
Roleplaying Game of The Year
No Thank You, Evil! – Monte Cook Games
Whereas conventional board games constrain players’ actions, No Thank You, Evil! sets kids’ imaginations free: Their options are limited only by their creativity. Together, the players create a story as they work together to make their way through the adventure!
Card Game of the Year
Mystic Vale – AEG
In Mystic Vale, 2 to 4 players take on the role of druidic clans trying to cleanse the curse upon the land. Each turn, you play cards into your field to gain powerful advancements and useful vale cards. Use your power wisely, or decay will end your turn prematurely. Score the most victory points to win the game!
- Innovative Card Crafting System creates a game experience like you’ve never played before!
- Beautiful artwork and graphics that bring the game to life.
- Concise rules offer a deep gaming experience with meaningful decisions.
- Tremendous replay value that will increase with future expansions.
Board Game of the Year (and Game of the Year!)
Scythe (1-5 players, 115 minutes) is a board game set in an alternate-history 1920s period. It is a time of farming and war, broken hearts and rusted gears, innovation and valor.
In Scythe, each player represents a fallen leader attempting to restore their honor and lead their faction to power in Eastern Europa. Players conquer territory, enlist new recruits, reap resources, gain villagers, build structures, and activate monstrous mechs.
Each player begins the game with different resources (strength, victory points, movement capabilities, and popularity), their choice of several faction-specific abilities, and a hidden goal. Starting positions are specially calibrated to contribute to each faction’s uniqueness and the asymmetrical nature of the game.
Scythe gives players almost complete control over their fate. Other than each player’s individual hidden objective cards, the only elements of luck are encounter cards that players will draw as they interact with the citizens of newly explored lands and combat cards that give you a temporary boost in combat. Combat is also driven by choices, not luck or randomness.
Scythe uses a streamlined action-selection mechanism (no rounds or phases) to keep gameplay moving at a brisk pace and reduce downtime between turns. While there is plenty of direct conflict, there is no player elimination, nor can units be killed or destroyed.
Every part of Scythe has an aspect of engine-building to it. Players can upgrade actions to become more efficient, build structures that improve their position on the map, enlist new recruits to enhance character abilities, activate mechs to deter opponents from invading, and expand their borders to reap greater types and quantities of resources. These engine-building aspects create a sense of momentum and progress throughout the game. The order in which players improve their engine adds to the unique feel of each game, even when playing one faction multiple times.
