Wandering through the tabletop area at PAX, it’s often overwhelming when you see all the possible amazing purchases you could make to fill your board game inventory.
This is especially problematic for me, as someone sitting on a backlog of still freshly-wrapped packages from previous PAX conventions.
So here’s a helpful little guide to point you towards some of the games at this year’s event that caught my fancy. All of these have been showcasing to audiences and some feature the game creators on hand to help out.
Fight with Spirit/Saltfish & Almanacs
The two-person team at Storybrewers Roleplaying have created an emotional RPG drama in Fight with Spirit, where you and your teammates participate in card-based matches revolving around various different sports.
Hayley and Vee have produced a range of role-playing games in settings that you don’t typically see in this genre, and there appears to be a real drive to make these adventures approachable for RPG novices.
They also have a smaller experience, Saltfish & Almanacs, one of the winners of this year’s PAX Indie Showcase, which is a smaller story and more hassle-free setup.
Boba Master
Heading into summer, there are few things as satisfying as a cool cup of bubble tea. And at the Tabletop AUS Indie Showcase, you can quench those cravings with a game of Boba Master.
Created by Quokka Games, a team made up of two brothers, this is a family-friendly game testing your memory skills as you try and steal utensils from other player’s decks to pour your favourite flavours of tea.
Stop by their booth if you want to try a condensed version where you’ll learn the main game mechanics in about ten minutes.
Frayed Ally
Frayed Ally is a battle royale card game that mixes deck-building combat with deceptive role playing.
Players are secretly assigned roles as rivals or foes and depending on which side you’re on, your objectives to win the game might be different.
This element combined with the drawing and playing of various action cards find players trying to eliminate their enemies and save those who may or may not be on their team.
The art on the cards is gorgeous and the cascading results of players throwing out different action cards leads to some really entertaining outcomes.
Frayed Ally is launching soon on Kickstarter and you can support the team here.
That Sound Game
This one is simple – imagine charades, but you have to keep your hands behind your back and can’t speak, leaving you forced to make strange sounds and motions to try and help your teammates guess the words you’re attempting to convey.
This party game was developed by a Melbourne couple trying to entertain themselves during our extended lockdowns. Words are provided by decks of cards and seem written to force the players into some really silly situations.
There’s also an expansion available, made with a more adult audience in mind. That Sound Game is a great pick for people looking for a quick, straightforward experience that they can pull out at a party.
There’s a lot of ways to embarrass yourself at PAX, but playing That Sound Game is probably the most fun way to do it.
Rear Window
You knew when they were announcing board game adaptations of Dark Souls, Call of Duty, Indiana Jones and Back to the Future, it was inevitable that we were going to end up with a board game based on the 1954 Alfred Hitchcock mystery film Rear Window, right?
The most surprising thing is it’s actually a lot of fun, even for people who have never seen the movie. One person plays as The Director silently laying out clues for the other players to co-operate and try and identify the identities of the neighbours who make up the apartments across the street.
