20 Most Anticipated Board Games of 2015 - NOMINATIONS ARE CLOSED
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There can be only
onetwenty!
Final Results:
20 Most Anticipated Games of 2015
Original/Innovative
Reprints
Expansions
Cooperative
Solitaire
Strategy
Bluffing
Thematic
Wargames
Abstract
Family & Children's
Party
Train
Economic
City Building
Historical
Political
Sci-Fi
Steampunk
Horror
Cthulhu & Lovecraftian
Fantasy
Pirate
American West
Sports
Literature
4x - Explore, Expand, Exploit, Exterminate
Print & Play
Best of the Rest
VOTING IS OPEN
20 Most Anticipated Games of 2015
20 Most Desired Reprints of 2015
20 Most Desired Expansions (Unplanned) of 2015
Back for a sixth year...
Status updates:
Alphabetical listing of nominations
Status Updates and Trends
20 Most Desired Reprints of 2015
For the second year, to run in conjunction with the 20 Most Anticipated Games the Most Desired Reprints wishlist is a place where you can add all those out-of-print grail games that you wish you could add to this list.
By popular request... well... at least two people... I started the 20 Most Desired (Unplanned) Expansions of 2015.
Where the 2014 favorites are now.
Last year's winner, Xia: Legends of a Drift System, is already nearing the top 500, but last year's runner-up, Cthulhu Wars, is still delayed and looking like it will have a shot at this year's title.
Some of last year's top 20 failed to live up to the hype... I'm looking at you Myth. Others are exceeding expectations, such as Shadows of Brimstone, King of New York, and especially Dead of Winter.
Without further ado nominations are once again open in this very in-formal and un-official contest to determine the 20 Most Anticipated Games of 2015.
Key Dates:
Nominations Open: Sunday, December 7, 2014
Nominations Close: Friday, January 2, 2015
Voting Begins: Saturday, January 3, 2015
Voting Ends: Saturday, January 17, 2015
Nominating your most anticipated.
As always, if a game you're anticipating the release in 2015 is not on the list feel free to add it. Game designers and publishers are encouraged to nominate their own games by adding them to the list. Don't be humble and wait for someone else to do it. See the notes below for adding games.
As in past years, this will be a two-stage process... a nominations phase and a final voting phase.
Adding category nominations.
If you think a game should be in a category not already listed, you can add it in a comment using the category notation below, such as [category]wargame[/category]. If your comment has 5 or more thumbs the category will be added to the nomination.
Campaigning for your favorites
Go for it. If you're a publisher, designer, or designer's mom don't hesitate to campaign for your favorites. Bribing voters is fine too. Pretty much anything goes as long as kittens, puppies and small children aren't injured. We have to draw the line somewhere.
Nominations
To nominate a game add it to this geeklist with one or more categories using the category tags below. Please add a short note stating why it is anticipated that the game will ship in 2015. Feel free to suggest new categories.
Nomination name
Nominations may not have a BGG entry yet, or you may want to change the nomination name to indicate a specific edition.
To do so, put the nomination name inside of altname tags such as:
[altname]Favorite game - Unnamed expansion[/altname]
To second a nomination thumb its entry.
The top 50 nominations will be entered into the final vote for the top 20.
Nomination Categories:
Categories will be changed based on the nominations, but tentatively these are the categories I expect us to have, initially based on 2014 entries. Feel free to nominate a game for multiple categories. Some of the categories may be combined or eliminated if there aren't enough nominations in the category.
* Original / Innovative [category]original[/category] Status updates
* Reprint [category]reprint[/category] Status updates
* Expansion [category]expansion[/category] Status updates
* Cooperative [category]cooperative[/category] Status updates
* Solitaire [category]solitaire[/category] Status updates
* Strategy [category]strategy[/category] Status updates
* Bluffing [category]bluffing[/category] Status updates
* Thematic [category]thematic[/category] Status updates
* Wargame [category]wargame[/category] Status updates
* Abstract [category]abstract[/category] Status updates
* Family & Children's [category]family[/category] Status updates
* Party [category]party[/category] Status updates
* Train [category]train[/category] Status updates
* Economic [category]economic[/category] Status updates
* City Building [category]citybuilding[/category] Status updates
* Historical [category]historical[/category] Status updates
* Political [category]political[/category] Status updates
* Science Fiction [category]scifi[/category] Status updates
* Steampunk [category]steampunk[/category] Status updates
* Horror [category]horror[/category] Status updates
* Cthulhu & Lovecraftian [category]cthulhu[/category] Status updates
* Fantasy [category]fantasy[/category] Status updates
* Pirate [category]pirate[/category] Status updates
* 4x - Explore, Expand, Exploit, Exterminate [category]4x[/category] Status updates
* American West [category]american west[/category] Status updates
* Sports [category]sports[/category] Status updates
* Novel-based [category]novel[/category] Status updates
* Print & Play [category]pnp[/category] Status updates
Eligibility
Any newly available game or expansion is eligible if it is reasonably expected to ship in 2015. I know, "reasonably" is a fuzzy word... cest la vie.
Voting
At the conclusion of nominations I will create a poll with the top 50 nominations.
Reprints vs. new editions
Reprints of already released games are not eligible, but new editions are. As with many things in the gaming industry this isn't a crisp line as to how many changes are necessary to distinguish a reprint from a new edition, but several factors to consider are artwork and components.
When nominating a new edition, mention why you think this one is different from the previous edition (not necessarily in detail, something as short as "new components" is sufficient).
Long out-of-print reprints
I would prefer to include games that have been generally unavailable for several years and are receiving a reprint. Again, this is a bit of a fuzzy area, but as an example, if Warhammer Quest or Hero Quest were to be reprinted without changes they would be eligible.
Multiple releases
It is not uncommon for a game printing to have multiple release editions for the EU and US markets (such as Mayfair/Lookout Games and JKLM/Z-Man). Many games are released and available at Essen and then (sometimes much later) released in the US with great anticipation.
For many, I think the "buzz" surrounding an Essen release combined with the general unavailability heightens the anticipation.
I would prefer to include these releases and let the voting determine how anticipant people are.
Limited initial release
I would also prefer to include games that had a limited initial release and are preparing for a full re-release. Again, this will be a grey area, but one example I would point to is the approach that Treefrog, Winsome, GMT and other publishers take with typically small pre-order releases that sell out quickly and receive a reprint if they perceive that the game was well received.
What is a small or limited release? Again, another gray area that we'll have to deal with as it comes up, as I'm sure a small release for Hasbro is quite different for a small release from most publishers here on BoardGameGeek.
This would also include games that might have had reviewer copies released, but are not yet generally available for purchase.
Other
If the particular game is part of a series (such as the Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game) I may combine multiple nominations into one entry for final voting if it appears as if the series is anticipated rather than a specific release in the series (this was done for the Dominion expansions in 2010).
Also, if there isn't any justification for why a particular game is anticipated to ship in 2015 I may remove it from final voting. The only reason I state this is to separate anticipated 2015 releases from wishlist items. Yes, it would be nice if Hasbro/Avalon Hill reprinted Star Wars: The Queen's Gambit but at this point I don't believe there is any reason to anticipate a 2015 release.
However, in this respect I would prefer to be inclusive rather than exclusive.
Anything else??? We'll wing it... After all, this is just for fun.
2014 Results
For anyone feeling a bit nostalgic, here are the results and nominations from last year:
Final Results: 20 Most Anticipated Games of 2014
Original / Innovative
Reprints
Expansions
Cooperative
Solitaire
Strategy
Thematic
Wargames
Abstract
Family & Children's
Party
Train
Economic
Historical
Political
Sci-Fi
Horror
Fantasy
American West
Sports
Novel Based
4x - Explore, Expand, Exploit, Exterminate
Best of the Rest
Voting
Nominations
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- Edited Tue Jan 20, 2015 3:10 am
- Posted Sun Dec 7, 2014 7:46 pm
- [+] Dice rolls