Welcome to the annual Board Game Quest Board Game Awards. There are many outstanding games produced each year, and we like to take some time out each spring to recognize the best games of the previous year.
You may be wondering why we wait until spring to hand out our awards from the previous year. With the annual Essen gaming convention being in October every year, it can take some time for games to not only make their way across the ocean, but also for us to get a chance to play them!
We have a total of 10 award categories this year, with five nominees in each (except Game of the Year which has 6). Our editorial staff has combed through the 2015 releases and chosen some truly outstanding games to be nominated.
From among these nominations, our editorial staff will choose a winner. However, since we wouldn’t be doing this without you, our awesome readers, you get a vote as well!
Below is a poll for each of the 10 categories to allow you to cast a vote for which games you think should win. Our readers here will collectively get one vote, and along with each member of our editorial staff, the winner will be chosen. The voting will be open until April 8th, 2016 and the winners will be announced shortly thereafter.
Congratulations to all the nominees and may the best game win!
2015 Board Game Award Nominees
Best Cooperative Game
The Grizzled
Designer: Fabien Riffaud, Juan Rodriguez
Cool Mini or Not Games
Get Your Copy
Pandemic: Legacy
Designer: “Rob Daviau, Matt Leacock”
Z-Man Games
Get Your Copy
TIME Stories
Designer: “Peggy Chassenet, Manuel Rozoy”
Space Cowboys
Get Your Copy
XCom: The Board Game
Designer: Eric Lang
Fantasy Flight Games
Get Your Copy[polldaddy poll=9359619]
Best Tactical/Combat Game
Blood Rage
Designer: Eric Lang
Cool Mini or Not Games
Get Your Copy
Star Wars: Armada
Designer: James Kniffen, Christian T. Petersen
Fantasy Flight Games
Get Your Copy
Zombicide: Black Plague
Designer: Raphaël Guiton, Jean-Baptiste Lullien, Nicolas Raoult
Cool Mini or Not Games
Get Your Copy
Cthulhu Wars
Designer: Sandy Petersen
Petersen Games
Get Your Copy
Forbidden Stars
Designer: Samuel Bailey, James Kniffen, Corey Konieczka
Fantasy Flight Games
Get Your Copy[polldaddy poll=9359624]
Most Innovative Game
TIME Stories
Designer: Peggy Chassenet, Manuel Rozoy
Space Cowboys
Get Your Copy
Rattle, Battle, Grab the Loot
Designer: Ignacy Trzewiczek
Portal Games
Get Your Copy
XCom: The Board Game
Designer: Eric Lang
Fantasy Flight Games
Get Your Copy
Above and Below
Designer: Ryan Laukat
Red Raven Games
Get Your Copy[polldaddy poll=”9359626″]
Best Game Expansion
Abyss: Kraken
Designer: Bruno Cathala, Charles Chevallier
Asmodee Games – Bombyx
Get Your Copy
Imperial Settlers: Atlanteans
Designer: Ignacy Trzewiczek
Portal Games
Get Your Copy
Five Tribes: Artisans of Naqala
Designer: Bruno Cathala
Days of Wonder
Get Your Copy
Orléans: Invasion
Designer: Inka Brand, Markus Brand, Reiner Stockhausen
DLP Games
Get Your Copy
Kemet: Ta-Seti
Designer: Jacques Bariot, Guillaume Montiage
Matagot
Get Your Copy[polldaddy poll=”9359629″]
Best Production Values
Flick ‘Em Up
Designer: Gaëtan Beaujannot, Jean Yves Monpertuis
Pretzel Games
Get Your Copy
The Gallerist
Designer: Vital Lacerda
Eagle-Gryphon Games
Get Your Copy
Poseidon’s Kingdom
Designer: Gordon Lamont, Fraser Lamont
Fragor Games
Get Your Copy
Star Wars: Armada
Designer: James Kniffen, Christian T. Petersen
Fantasy Flight Games
Get Your Copy
Blood Rage
Designer: Eric Lang
Cool Mini or Not Games
Get Your Copy
[polldaddy poll=9359630]
Best Thematic Game
TIME Stories
Designer: Peggy Chassenet, Manuel Rozoy
Space Cowboys
Get Your Copy
Above and Below
Designer: Ryan Laukat
Red Raven Games
Get Your Copy
Flick ‘Em Up
Designer: Gaëtan Beaujannot, Jean Yves Monpertuis
Pretzel Games
Get Your Copy
The Gallerist
Designer: Vital Lacerda
Eagle-Gryphon Games
Get Your Copy
Blood Rage
Designer: Eric Lang
Cool Mini or Not Games
Get Your Copy
[polldaddy poll=9359632]
Best Strategy/Euro Game
Discoveries
Designer: Cédrick Chaboussit
Asmodee Games – Ludonaute
Get Your Copy
Champions of Midgard
Designer: Ole Steiness
Grey Fox Games
Get Your Copy
Nippon
Designer: Nuno Bizarro Sentieiro, Paulo Soledade
Asmodee Games – What’s Your Game
Get Your Copy
Isle of Skye: From Chieftain to King
Designer: Andreas Pelikan, Alexander Pfister
Mayfair Games
Get Your Copy
Food Chain Magnate
Designer: Jeroen Doumen, Joris Wiersinga
Splotter Spellen
Get Your Copy[polldaddy poll=9359635]
Best Card Game
The Grizzled
Designer: Fabien Riffaud, Juan Rodriguez
Cool Mini or Not Games
Get Your Copy
7 Wonders: Duel
Designer: Antoine Bauza, Bruno Cathala
Asmodee Games – Repos Production
Get Your Copy
Tides of Time
Designer: Kristian Čurla
Portal Games
Get Your Copy
Ashes: Rise of the Phoenixborn
Designer: Isaac Vega
Plaid Hat Games
Get Your Copy[polldaddy poll=9359636]
Best Game from a Small Publisher
Trickerion
Designer: Richard Amann, Viktor Peter
Mindclash Games
Get Your Copy
Cthulhu Wars
Designer: Sandy Petersen
Petersen Games
Get Your Copy
Champions of Midgard
Designer: Ole Steiness
Grey Fox Games
Get Your Copy
Hostage Negotiator
Designer: A. J. Porfirio
Van Ryder Games
Get Your Copy[polldaddy poll=9359637]
Game of the Year
Pandemic: Legacy
Designer: Rob Daviau, Matt Leacock
Z-Man Games
Get Your Copy
TIME Stories
Designer: Peggy Chassenet, Manuel Rozoy
Space Cowboys
Get Your Copy
Blood Rage
Designer: Eric Lang
Cool Mini or Not Games
Get Your Copy
Codenames
Designer: Vlaada Chvátil
Czech Games Edition
Get Your Copy
Flick ‘Em Up
Designer: Gaëtan Beaujannot, Jean Yves Monpertuis
Pretzel Games
Get Your Copy
Star Wars: Armada
Designer: James Kniffen, Christian T. Petersen
Fantasy Flight Games
Get Your Copy
Note: Whichever game wins Game of the Year will automatically be removed from any of the above categories except Best Production Values and Most Innovative Game. Our reasoning is if a game wins Game of the Year, chances are it should win any of the other categories by default. That just seemed a bit redundant. If a game wins Game of the Year, you know it is really good.
[polldaddy poll=9359638]
While I know there were many games published in 2015, I was a little disappointed to see Lanterns: The Harvest Festival not included in a single category, especially in games from a small publisher.
Thanks for the comment. Lanterns was definitely on a few short lists, there were just some other games we enjoyed a bit more.
I can’t believe Above and Below was snubbed for GOTY. Ah well, Codenames is really great too!
How could you possibly not include Pandemic Legacy in the most innovative game category ?
Nevermind 504 will win it anyway
Thanks for the comment Thomas. While we do love Pandemic: Legacy (see our review), it was built upon a lot of things that both Pandemic and Risk: Legacy did. So while it was fantastic, we didn’t feel it was as innovative or unique as our other nominees in that category.
My bad, you’re right, I didn’t play Risk: Legacy and didn’t think of it !
Best Family Game and Best Party Game should be categories. If not, great games such as Codenames get left out.