Get ready to dive into the ultimate tabletop gaming extravaganza at Gen Con 2024, where the largest and longest-running gaming convention in the US returns to Indianapolis from August 1-4. With over 70,000 enthusiasts and nearly 600 publishers, this year’s event promises a thrilling lineup of brand-new board games, card games, and tabletop RPGs, plus exclusive reveals and interviews from the industry’s top creators. Whether you’re a dungeon master, a card shark, or a strategy guru, Gen Con 2024 is your gateway to the best in gaming innovation and community celebration.
-
Aug 22, 2024
Tasha Robinson
2023’s Magic: The Gathering heist spawned 2024’s best Gen Con cosplay
At Gen Con 2024, the aftermath of the infamous 2023 Magic: The Gathering heist inspired some of the event’s most memorable cosplay. Three standout cosplayers creatively transformed the real-life theft of nearly $300,000 worth of cards into a living meme, dressing as the thieves who brazenly stole the cards during Gen Con 2023. Their costumes captured the imagination of attendees, turning a notorious crime into a playful and clever tribute that highlighted the community’s unique blend of humor and fandom.
After 2023’s Gen Con – the biggest tabletop gaming convention in America – the biggest news was the real-life heist: Two men were caught on camera casually wheeling a cart containing $300,000 worth of Magic: The Gathering cards out of the convention. Two suspects were eventually arrested and charged, and Indiana court records show they’re due for a jury trial in October. The cards were recovered.
But that wasn’t the end of it: During this year’s Gen Con, a roving cosplay duo dressed up as the thieves. AELGAMES tracked them down to talk about what went into their costume, and what it was like roving the con as a walking meme.
Read Article >
-
Aug 5, 2024
Zoë Hannah
Wizards of the Coast’s D&D actual play from Gen Con is now on YouTube
Wizards of the Coast’s Dungeons & Dragons actual play event from Gen Con 2024, titled “Astar and Karl Adventure: is a Legendary Action,” is now available on YouTube. The live show featured a star-studded cast including Aabria Iyengar as Dungeon Master, Brennan Lee Mulligan, Anjali Bhimani, Samantha Béart, and Neil Newbon, with characters from Baldur’s Gate 3 like Karlach and Astarion making appearances. The event combined spicy roleplay with a first public demonstration of Project Sigil, Wizards’ new virtual tabletop platform, offering fans a glimpse into the future of digital D&D gameplay. Although the Project Sigil demo showed some technical hiccups, it was well-received and is set for closed beta later in 2024. The full session is recommended viewing for fans eager to see both the vibrant storytelling and the evolving digital tools of D&D.
Wizards of the Coast had a lot going on at this year’s Gen Con – in addition to the regular hubbub of being the biggest name in tabletop role-playing games at the biggest tabletop convention whose namesake is literally Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. You know, the place where D&D was born. But this year’s D&D Live presentation was also an opportunity for Wizards to show off its new project: a virtual tabletop that goes by the codename Project Sigil.
Framed as an actual play performance, the event was originally slated to last only two hours, but unsurprisingly ran a touch long thanks to excellent showmanship by the star-studded cast. Participants included Aabria Iyengar as Dungeon Master, Brennan Lee Mulligan as a Dwarven cleric, Samantha Béart reprising their role as Karlach in Baldur’s Gate 3, Neil Newbon as Astarion from BG3, and Anjali Bhimani as a human wizard.
Read Article >
-
Aug 3, 2024
Charlie Hall
Old school role-play system Shadowdark wins top honors at Gen Con’s Ennie awards
At Gen Con 2024, the old-school role-playing game Shadowdark achieved a remarkable sweep at the Ennie Awards, winning four gold medals including Best Game, Best Rules, Best Layout and Design, and Product of the Year. Created by Kelsey Dionne and The Arcane Library, Shadowdark is celebrated for its streamlined, torchlit dungeon-crawling experience that blends classic RPG elements with modern design. The game gained significant attention following a successful 2023 Kickstarter campaign that raised nearly $1.4 million, and it continues to captivate players seeking open-ended, fast-paced fantasy adventures.
The Shadowdark tabletop role-playing game won the top prize in this year’s Ennie Awards. And that’s not all! A panel of experts gave the old-school-inspired RPG three other gold medals as well, including Best Game, Best Layout and Design, and even Best Rules. That gives creator Kelsey Dionne and her team at The Arcane Library about as clean a sweep you can get in Gen Con’s biggest awards program.
Shadowdark was a bit of a slow burn among dedicated fans of the TTRPG genre, where it made a name for itself mostly via word of mouth in the years following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. But it took a high-profile Kickstarter campaign in 2023 to truly bring the game into the public consciousness. There it raised nearly $1.4 million – a hefty sum for a TTRPG of any kind, let alone a throwback like this one. Its a rules-light system that translates well for players who cut their teeth on 5th edition Dungeons & Dragons. It’s perfect for Game Masters and groups looking for more open-ended, less linear experiences.
Read Article >
-
Aug 2, 2024
Joshua Rivera
The new D&D Player’s Handbook makes the old one feel like a dictionary
The new 2024 Dungeons & Dragons Player’s Handbook transforms the experience of learning and playing the game, making the old edition feel like a dense dictionary by comparison. Unlike the 2014 version, which buried gameplay advice deep within character creation rules, the new handbook leads with clear, beginner-friendly explanations of how to play, providing context before character building. It features a well-organized layout, a comprehensive rules glossary, and streamlined mechanics that enhance accessibility and speed up play. The updated classes, spells, and feats are thoughtfully revised for balance and clarity, while the vibrant artwork and improved presentation breathe new life into the game’s core guide. Overall, this edition is designed to be more intuitive and engaging, making the previous handbook seem overly complicated and less approachable.
I have, on occasion, been known to read role-playing game sourcebooks for fun. I don’t need to play every game published to get something out of it – in fact, no one has the time to join me in every game I find interesting, least of all me – but a good one usually gives me the sense of what it’s like to play, or tell a story in its world. That’s not always been the case with Dungeons & Dragons. While plenty of older D&D tomes are fascinating to page through, the most useful ones – the core rulebooks, including the Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Guide, and Monster Manual – usually leave me with a mild headache. I’m far from alone in this.
Wizards of the Coast, the Hasbro-owned shop responsible for all things D&D, is using the famed role-playing game’s 50th anniversary to address this. After years of playtesting, plans, and changed plans, the general public will get its first taste of the 2024 Player’s Handbookat this weekend’s Gen Con. AELGAMES has had a look at it courtesy of Wizards, and, well – they may have pulled off exactly what they set out to do. The Player’s Handbook (2024) is a shockingly accessible refresh of D&D’s fifth edition, a modern and clean reworking of the first book every D&D player reads – and one they likely hold onto for generations.
Read Article >
-
Aug 1, 2024
Zoë Hannah
Alien: The Role-Playing Game Second Edition hits Kickstarter
Free League Publishing has announced the upcoming Kickstarter campaign for Alien: The Role-Playing Game Second Edition, set to launch in fall 2024. This new edition features updated and streamlined core rules based on extensive player feedback, new artwork, and expanded content while maintaining full compatibility with existing game materials. The Kickstarter will fund an updated starter set, including abridged rules, custom dice, character sheets, and an expanded version of the popular Hope’s Last Day scenario. Additionally, backers can access a new cinematic scenario boxed set called Rapture Protocol, which returns to the franchise’s roots with a tense story involving a small star freighter crew caught in deadly conflict, complete with miniatures and maps to enhance gameplay. The second edition marks a significant evolution of the acclaimed RPG, celebrating its fifth anniversary with fresh tools for players and Game Masters alike.
Since Alien: The Role-Playing Game was released in 2019, it’s become a fan favorite for expanding the iconic film series – and on Thursday, publisher Free League Publishing announced it’ll use Kickstarter to launch a second edition of the tabletop role-playing game.
Opening this fall, the Kickstarter campaign will raise money to fund the creation of the Alien: The RPG Second Edition starter set, which will include an updated ruleset along with new art and content, all of which will be backwards compatible with the original game. The starter set will also come with thematic dice and the expected extras like character sheets and reference cards.
Read Article >
-
Aug 1, 2024
Samantha Nelson
We preview the Starfinder 2e playtest, which fully separates the science fantasy game from the OGL
The Starfinder 2nd Edition playtest, launched at Gen Con 2024, marks a significant evolution for the sci-fi RPG by fully separating it from the Open Gaming License (OGL) and aligning its core rules with the Pathfinder 2nd Edition system. This update offers players a fresh experience with six new classes, ten ancestries, and a wealth of new feats, equipment, and spells, all designed to stand independently while remaining compatible with Pathfinder 2E. The playtest includes the adventure “A Cosmic Birthday,” where players face cosmic horrors on Absolom Station, showcasing the refined and action-packed gameplay that defines this new edition. Paizo encourages community feedback during the playtest period, which runs through the end of 2024, to help shape the final release.
Paizo is making big changes to its science fantasy tabletop role-playing game Starfinder, kicking off a playtest phase at Gen Con for a new rules set while also shaking up the setting by starting a war and blowing up a planet.
Starfinder first released in 2017 as Paizo was working on Pathfinder Second Edition and relies on the Dungeons & Dragons Open Game License, aka the OGL. When Wizards’ plans to change the OGL leaked last year, Paizo quickly moved to protect itself, releasing new versions of the Pathfinder Player Core and Pathfinder GM Core in November and shelving planned Starfinder books until Paizo could change the mechanics. Starfinder is set in the far future of the world of Pathfinder, and the games will now both be fully compatible with the Pathfinder Second Edition rules, which should make combining content easier.
Read Article >
-
Aug 1, 2024
Nicole Carpenter
United Paizo Workers win Diana Jones trophy for excellence in gaming
The United Paizo Workers, a pioneering union of employees at Paizo Inc., the publisher behind Pathfinder and Starfinder, won the prestigious 2024 Diana Jones Award for Excellence in Gaming. This union, formed in 2021 and voluntarily recognized by Paizo management, is the first of its kind in the tabletop roleplaying game industry. Their successful efforts to secure raises, benefits, and protections for workers, along with providing a collective voice within the company, mark a significant milestone for labor organization in the gaming sector. The award was presented at a ceremony held just before Gen Con 2024 in Indianapolis, highlighting the union’s impact on the industry and inspiring further collective action among game workers.
United Paizo Workers, a group of people who work on Paizo tabletop games like Pathfinder and Starfinder, were named the winners of the Diana Jones Award for Excellence in Gaming ahead of Gen Con in Indianapolis, Indiana on Wednesday night. The group of union workers, who were among the first to unionize in either tabletop or digital gaming, accepted the award at a ceremony that’s considered “the unofficial start of the Gen Con Indy convention,” according to the Diana Jones Award website.
The Diana Jones Award has been given out annually since 2001, a prize that can be awarded to just about anything: a “person, product, company, event, movement, concept or any other thing that has, in the opinion of its committee, best demonstrated the quality of ’excellence’ in the world of hobby-gaming in the previous year,” according to the website. For instance, the first winner was Wizards of the Coast founder Peter Adkison, while last year’s award went to Coyote & Crow, a role-playing game that “imagines an alternate universe that exists outside of the horrors of colonialism,” created by Cherokee designer Connor Alexander.
Read Article >
Most Popular
Gen Con 2024 showcased a vibrant array of the most popular new board games, card games, and tabletop RPGs, highlighting both innovative original titles and exciting reimaginings. Standout games like Burn The Fort, an Indigenous-themed reverse tower defense, and SETI, a science-driven Eurogame, captured the attention of attendees with their unique mechanics and themes. Other favorites included Moon Bunny, a charming tile-placement game inspired by East Asian folklore, and Let’s Go! to Japan, a thematic journey through Tokyo and Kyoto. The convention also saw family-friendly hits like Fairy Ring and strategic gems like Tower Up, reflecting the diverse tastes of the gaming community at Gen Con 2024.
- The top two GOTY 2025 front-runners are AA games and that’s a good sign
- Fortnite maker charged with unfair labor practice over AI Darth Vader
- Magic: The Gathering’s Final Fantasy card pre-orders are back in stock
- Overwatch 2’s Street Fighter 6 collab doesn’t disappoint (unless you wanted a free skin)
- Star Wars Outlaws is better than you think it is
What are the must-try new board games debuting at Gen Con 2024
The must-try new board games debuting at Gen Con 2024 include:
-
Rock Hard 1977: A thematic game capturing the spirit of the late ’70s rock scene.
-
Let’s Go! to Japan: A beautifully illustrated game where players manage time, mood, and travel between Tokyo and Kyoto, aiming to maximize their tourist experience in seven days.
-
Little Alchemists: A midweight, family-friendly version of the popular Alchemists game, featuring a companion app and progressive scenarios that add complexity over time.
-
Tower Up: A strategic yet simple game involving tower building and scoring through color tracks, with quick turns and take-that mechanics.
-
Burnt Island’s Mycelia: A card-based game with a growing board and mushroom-themed gameplay involving spore spreading and point scoring.
-
Capstone’s Pagan: Fate of Roanoke: An asymmetric two-player game with deep replayability, where one player is a witch and the other a witch hunter.
-
Crafty Games’ Tabriz: A follow-up to Cascadia, featuring resource management and contract fulfillment with stunning artwork and accessible gameplay.
-
Sardegna: A simple area control game with a unique fold-out board design, based on a reworking of a 2005 German title.
-
Nocturne: A set collection and bidding game with day and night rounds and striking art by Beth Sobel.
-
Floodgate’s Landmarks: A party game involving clue-giving and map navigation with hidden traps.
-
Geek Attitude’s Babylon: A 3D building game focused on constructing hanging gardens with strategic placement of elements.
-
North Star’s Sacred Valley: A tile-laying farming game set in pre-colonial Peru emphasizing area building and specialist hiring.
-
Oink’s Moving Wild: A light tableau-builder about creating national parks with animal and habitat cards, notable for its compact size.
-
The Op’s Gnome Hollow: A tile-laying game centered on mushroom rings and market selling, praised for its engaging scoring and medium-light complexity.
These titles highlight a range of styles from light family games to deeper strategic experiences, making Gen Con 2024 a showcase of diverse and innovative board gaming.
Which new board games at Gen Con 2024 are gaining early praise
Several new board games at Gen Con 2024 are gaining early praise from critics and attendees:
-
Rock Hard: 1977 is highlighted as a standout with its appealing theme and innovative magnetic player boards that keep pieces secure, adding to its charm and gameplay depth.
-
Pagan: Fate of Roanoke by Capstone Games is receiving acclaim for its asymmetric two-player gameplay, deep replayability, and complex strategic options between the witch and witch hunter roles.
-
Mycelia from Burnt Island is noted for its card-based, growing board gameplay with beautiful, realistic mushroom art, making it a fresh and engaging experience distinct from another game with the same name.
-
Tabriz from Crafty Games, the follow-up to the Spiel des Jahres winner Cascadia, is praised for its stunning board and accessible yet strategic resource management and contract fulfillment mechanics.
-
Gnome Hollow by The Op is recognized for its charming 3D building mechanics and engaging gameplay, making it one of the top anticipated games at the convention.
-
Bomb Busters by Pegasus Spiele, designed by Hisashi Hayashi, is a limited-release cooperative puzzle game that has drawn attention for its challenging bomb-defusing missions and fresh art style reminiscent of popular games like Among Us.
-
Pico, a lighthearted, bug-themed RPG by Wildsea designer Felix Isaacs, is also receiving enthusiastic early feedback for its streamlined system, engaging character abilities, and delightful art, making it a joyful experience at the convention.
These games stand out not only for their innovative mechanics and themes but also for the positive buzz they are generating among the Gen Con community ahead of the event.
