Boardgames Australia is announcing the best new board games in Australia: will they knock Monopoly off its perch? Awards will be made in three categories: Best Children’s Game, Best Australian Game and Best International Game. The short-lists in each category were announced in March, and since that time there has been some “serious fun” around Australia as the judges have played the games with as many people as possible.

Best Children’s Game 2008 is Quoridor Kid designed by Mirko Marchesi and published by French company Gigamic. Chair of the judging panel, Patrick Brennan said “My kids loved it because they got to build a maze (cool!) and then run their cute little mouse through the maze: they saw it as being just like a science experiment! It didn't much matter who won, they liked trying different ways to build the maze. However, they gradually learnt more and more tricks about where and when to build, so I could see their thinking evolving as well. So, learning and having fun - that is a double plus for me.” The award is for games that can be played by children aged under 8 but also enjoyed by the whole family.

Best Australian Game 2008 is Archaeology: The Card Game, designed by Phil Harding from Sydney, and published by his company Adventureland Games. Panellist Duncan Gibson said “This game immerses you in the theme of being on an archaeological dig, looking for ancient artefacts like pot shards and the pharaoh’s mask”. Another judge, Gregor McNish said “Players must balance the risk of sandstorms or thieves causing the loss of part of a recovered artefact against the bonus you will earn if you can find all the pieces before selling it to a museum. The game has suspense in the card draw, fun in being able to thieve a good card from an opponent, and keeps you engaged by letting you trade at the marketplace to try and improve your collection”. The award is made to a game designed by an Australian, and attracted entries from big local publishers like Crown and Andrews through to self-published designers.

Best International Game 2008 is 10 Days in Asia designed by Alan Moon and Aaron Weissblum, published by American company Out of the Box. Judge Carol Witt said “10 Days in Asia is a light, quick game that is easy to play with kids or adults. It always generates an enthusiastic response, even from people who don’t often play board games. And on top of all the fun, the game is quite educational and you’ll soon be an expert on where Brunei is, and whether Laos borders Myanmar (Burma) or not”. Chair of the judging panel, Neil Fathullah said “The goal of the game is to be the first person to plan a 10 day journey through Asia. You are dealt 10 cards describing either countries or transportation methods such as boat, train, or plane, and you must then arrange and exchange cards on your planning rack to be the first to organize a complete trip. The game is the latest in a very popular series: 10 Days in USA, Europe or Africa, and introduces some new features such as railway travel”. The award is given to the best game of the last calendar year designed by a non-Australian.

“There are more than a thousand new board games published every year“ said Richard Vickery, Chair of Boardgames Australia which organizes the awards. “We aim to give Australians some guidance as to the best of the new games that are available. Australia needs it own awards because distribution deals, or the need to wait for an English language version, often mean that games become available here several years after their release in Europe. Children’s games are often given as gifts, and without some information on the quality of the game, the decision usually comes down to the box picture or to a familiar old game when there are many exciting new games available. There are now many games, such as The Settlers of Catan which provide the expansion and wheeling-dealing thrills of Monopoly, without lasting a whole afternoon and ending with someone in tears!”

“The Best Australian Game award is designed to recognize local talent. Best-selling Australian designers Jack and Andrew Lawson sell tens of thousands of copies of their games which are usually published by foreign companies. Their new game Make 'n' Break Extreme will be eligible for next year’s awards.” said Richard Vickery. “Games short-listed for the award this year included a word game, a game of strategy building chains of cogs, a party game and a new twist on trivia games.”

“Like everything else in life, board games have developed a lot over the last century. While most of us are familiar with movies and music made after the 1950s, for various reasons this has not held true for boardgames as Scrabble, Cluedo and Monopoly are all older than this” Mr Vickery said. “We hope to raise awareness of the tremendous fun that families or friends can share around the table with some of these wonderful new board games”.

Boardgames Australia is a non-profit volunteer organisation, founded in 2006 with the aim of promoting the hobby of boardgaming. It has three main streams of activity: promoting the hobby of boardgaming as a way to bring friends and families together; recognising excellence in boardgame design; and fostering the local board games industry.

For more information
Weblink: Boardgames Australia - http://www.boardgamesaustralia.org.au
Contact: Boardgames Australia info@boardgamesaustralia.org.au
PO Box 125, Parkville Vic 3052