A couple of weeks ago we announced our nominees for our 12th Annual Board Game Awards. As always, it was rough even choosing which games to nominate. Since then, we’ve put our heads together, tested the games, and come up with a consensus.
Today, we are excited to announce the winners of our 2024 Board Game Awards. As usual, the voting was difficult, and some categories were extremely tight. But our editorial staff (with input from our readers) have made their selections. So, without further ado, here are the winners of our 12th Annual Board Game Quest Awards. Congratulations to all the winners and nominees.
2024 Board Game Award Winners
Best Cooperative Game
Slay the Spire: The Board Game
Designers: Gary Dworetsky, Anthony Giovannetti, Casey Yano
Contention Games
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It almost feels like cheating for Slay the Spire to be as good as it is. It’s a board game based on a digital card game that was fantastic in its own right. But what could have been a cheap licensed tie-in ended up being an excellent game that not only stayed true to its roots but also managed to one-up it by adding in cooperative play, which made all the difference. You don’t have to be a Slay the Spire fan to enjoy this game, but if you are, it’s a near-perfect adaptation.
Runner Up: The Gang
Best Tactical/Combat Game
Star Trek: Into The Unknown – Federation vs. Dominion Core Set
Designer: Max Brooke, Michael Gernes
Wizkids Games
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In a year that had some quality competition in the realm of miniatures games, Star Trek came out on top with one of its newest entries. With “miniatures” of a scale and quality not seen in previous Star Trek games, Into the Unknown pits the Federation against the Dominion with episodic based misisons and objectives. In true Star Trek fashion, combat is not always the best solution, and exploration or diplomacy may be the best paths to victory. There are myriad options for captains, crew, and upgrades, which define the actions your ships can perform. The rules are dense but make for an interesting and thematic game once you’ve learned them.
Runner Up: Primal: The Awakening
Most Innovative Game
Seaside
Designer: Bryan Burgoyne
Randolph
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With the components of Seaside being a canvas bag and a handful of wooden tiles, it has a great tactile feel. But it’s not just the great bits that make this one work, the gameplay has an addictive press-your-luck loop that will have you drawing tiles trying to make sets for points. It’s simple, accessible, and pretty entertaining. And publisher Pandasaurus Games brought it all together by making the all the components water resistant. I’ve played this game on my gaming table, while out with friends, and even at the beach with my kids. Overall, it’s a great experience. It’s nice to be able to game pretty much anywhere without having to worry about destroying your components.
Runner Up: The Gang
Best Game Expansion
Keep the Heroes Out!: Boss Battles
Designer: Luís Brueh
Brueh Games
A perennial favorite around BGQ HQ is Keep the Heroes Out. This cooperative game has players taking on the role of monsters trying to protect their dungeon from invading heroes. The new Boss Battles expansion not only adds a campaign that lets you unlock monsters and components as you play but also adds a boss-battling phase to the gameplay. All in all, it’s an excellent expansion for an already stellar game.
Runner Up: Unmatched: Slings and Arrows
Best Casual Game
Let’s Go to Japan
Designers: Josh Wood
AEG
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Backstory: Josh Wood and his girlfriend had a trip to Japan planned for April 2020. Needless to say, that trip did not happen. Instead, Josh pivoted and developed an amazing drafting game based on planning a trip to Japan, and Let’s Go! to Japan was born. One to four players (five with a Kickstarter Edition) organize a six-day trip to Japan by drafting tarot-sized cards that include your normal points and scoring opportunities, as well as beautiful art and an explanation of the activity. The replay value is incredible due to the number of unique cards and the scoring system of having the last activity of each day determine how you score that day. Fans of drafting games should give Lets Go! To Japan a whirl!
Runner Up: Harmonies
Best Strategy/Euro Game
SETI: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence
Designer: Tomáš Holek
Czech Games Edition
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New designer Tomáš Holek burst onto the scene in 2024 with three games: Tea Garden, Galileo Galilei, and our Euro game of the year, SETI: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. One to four players explore space, searching for the titular Extraterrestrial Intelligence. What sets this game apart from other Euro games is the combination of unique, multi-use cards, a board that rotates around the sun, a tight economy, and five alien races (only two of which are used each game) that add different scoring opportunities in the mid to late game. If you like Euro games, this is a no-brainer to at least try, if not buy!
Runner Up: The Lord of the Rings: Duel for Middle-earth
Best Card Game
Flip 7
Designer: Eric Olsen
The Op Games
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One of our surprise hits from Gen Con 2024, Flip 7 took the BGQ team by storm. It’s a casual card game where players will press-their-luck trying to score points without busting. The simple gameplay of “do you want another card” is elevated by the inclusion of a handful of special cards that add to the decision space of the game. Flip 7 is light, accessible, and can be enjoyed by just about anyone!
Runner Up: The Gang
Best Game from a Small Publisher
Primal: The Awakening
Designers: Tommaso Mondadori, Alberto Parisi
Reggie Games
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The second game from publisher Reggie Games was a behemoth. It could have been a disaster: a crowdfunded game with huge minis and four expansions that funded before the pandemic but was delivered late after the pandemic. Luckily for gamers, Reggie Games was able to deliver their game without having to compromise their vision. Primal: the Awakening is a cooperative boss battler for one to four players. Beyond amazing production values (look at those minis), the card-driven combos, cooperative opportunities, and unique boss AI mechanics cemented this game in many top ten of 2024 lists. This is an excellent boss battler that out Monster Hunters, even Monster Hunter!
Runner Up: Forges of Ravenshire
Best Family/Kids Game
Star Realms Academy
Designer: Robert Dougherty, Darwin Kastle
Wacky Wizard Games
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The deckbuilding genre has been around since 2008 with the release of Dominion. Since then, there has been no shortage of deck-building games to try out. One of the most popular of those is Star Realms. And 2024 brought us Star Realms Academy, Wacky Wizard Games’ attempt to take their tried-and-true formula and make it accessible to the younger generation. And it succeeded in spades. Removing any need for reading, the game teaches young players the basics of the deck-building genre, yet still has enough going on to keep things interesting for older gamers. This one was a win for families.
Runner Up: Little Alchemists
Best Reprint/ Reimplementation
Heroscape: Master Set – Age of Annihilation
Designers: Matt Hyra, Dan Blanchett, Sarah Rowan
Renegade Games
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With 2004’s release of Heroscape from Hasbro, gamers had access to a light skirmish game with not only an accessible ruleset but an amazing table presence. Since then, there have been no shortages of cries from gamers for Hasbro to bring back this beloved system. Their wish was finally granted in 2024 as Rengadege Games Studios released the Heroscape: Master Set – Age of Annihilation. Not only is this game backward-compatible with all pre-existing Heroscape content, but it contains a wealth of new figures to use. And with the option for pre-painted and unpainted sets, there is something here for every gamer’s preference.
Runner Up: Firefly: The Game – 10th Anniversary Collector’s Edition
Game of the Year
Leviathan Wilds
Designer: Justin Kemppainen
Moon Crab Games
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The first offering from new publisher Moon Crab Games ended up being an amazing game. Leviathan Wilds tasks players with working together to stop a rampaging monster. However, this isn’t your average boss battler. Instead, you are climbers who move around the beast, trying to destroy the crystals that are making the leviathan go crazy. You’ll need to manage your grip, smash crystals, and work together to save these giant beasts from what’s afflicting them. It’s a fresh take on a genre that both works really well and is a ton of fun to play!
Runner Up: Slay the Spire: The Board Game
Note: Per award rules, because it won Game of the Year, Leviathan Wilds was removed from consideration from other award categories.
