Gen Con 2019: See the mass of board games on display
From Dune to Cyperpunk to the new version of Pathfinder, check out the games that caught our eye at the massive board game conference.
Diving into board games
Gen Con is a huge annual board game conference in Indianapolis. This year's show ran from Aug. 1 to Aug. 4. Board games of all types were on display -- new and old, simple and complex, high tech and low tech. Demo spaces stretched across numerous halls in multiple buildings, with games as far as the eye could see. Here are some highlights from the show.
First up, the Dune board game.
Dune
Control one of six factions and fight for resources in this new adaptation of a board game classic.
Wakanda Forever
Want to be the Black Panther? Keep villains at bay and challenge for your right to lead Wakanda in this Marvel board game.
Sinister Six
Be the bad guy.
Don't get captured by Spidey
Pull off heists while staying away from the Marvel superhero.
5-Minute Marvel
Defeat villains in a fast-paced, coop card game. This is the Marvel version of 5-Minute Dungeon.
Hail Hydra
Save the city as Shield agents, but keep an eye on your friends. You never know who might be working for Hydra.
Die Hard
Come out to the coast, we'll get together, have a few laughs.
Yippee ki yay
The Nakatomi Heist Board Game casts one player as John McClane trying to stop the rest from their evil plans.
Blockbuster
Yep, that's a Blockbuster board game, complete with a box like a VHS case from the classic rental chain. In the game, you'll test your movie trivia knowledge against your friends.
A bit of nostalgia
The Blockbuster booth at Gen Con was set up like the store.
Borderlands board game
Tiny Tina's Robot Tea Party is a card game based on the popular Borderlands video game franchise.
Magnastorm
A whole new world...
Explore a new world
Magnastorm tasks you with exploring a long-lost civilization.
Fuji
The volcano awaits.
Run from the lava
Work together to escape Mount Fuji before the lava catches you.
Harry Potter
A little magic in a box.
Miniature Magic
This Harry Potter game puts you in charge of a group of finely crafted miniature wizards.
Klask
Basically a Swedish version of air hockey, Klask is simple fun.
Rail Pass
All aboard.
Deliver the goods
In Rail Pass, you act alongside other players to deliver as many goods as possible in ten minutes.
Sing for your Supper
Make food and music.
Warm up your pipes
Sing for your Supper acts you to assemble cards by singing popular tunes.
My Little Scythe
Dystopian society for kids!
It's Scythe for kids
My Little Scythe is a simpler and more family friendly version of the popular Scythe board game.
Zombie Bus
Don't let the zombies on the bus!
Keep the zombies off the bus
Defend the bus against zombies with dice rolls.
The Walking Dead game
A game based on the hugely popular TV show and comic series.
Fallout: Wasteland Warfare
A new game based on the popular video game series.
Secret Hitler
A hidden identity party game.
Can't Catch Harry
Collect combinations of cards in this fast paced game.
We're Doomed!
Oh no!
Or are we?
Can you prevent the end of the world in "We're Doomed!"?
Dawn of Madness
Fight the fear.
Fight the horror
Dawn of Madness is a miniature game with a lot of inspiration from Lovecraft.
Funkoverse
Strategy with a little extra Pop!
Combine your favorite characters
Battle with your Funko characters in this board game.
Choose your own adventure
Choices and consequences.
Make your choice
A board game with lots of risky decisions.
Pandemic: Rapid Response
Pandemic: Rapid Response is the newest iteration of the classic board game pitting you and your team against a rapidly spreading disease.
Noctiluca
A board game with deep sea diving.
Dive in
Grab as many translucent dice as you can.
Hadara
Cultural shifts in a board game.
A whole new world
Experience the different cultures over generations while trying to bring prosperity to your people.
Wingspan
Bird watching the board game.
Take flight
Watch birds to win.
God of War
Be the dad you want to see in Norse mythology.
To Ragnarok or not to Ragnarok
God of War is a board game adaptation of the popular video game franchise.
Kingdomino Duel
A two-player version of the popular Kingdomino.
Pappy Winchester
Grab your share of Pappy's money.
Detective Club
Which of your friends in the Conspirator?
The Reckoners
Fight back against the evil Epics.
Save the world
In the Reckoners, you play as the heroes from the Brandon Sanderson novels.
Mechanica
The robot vacuums are taking over the world and you're here to help.
Obscurio
The dangers of magic.
Beware the illusions
Find the exit as quickly as possible in Obscurio, but watch out for the sorcerer.
Catan Starfarers
Take settling into the sky.
Catan in space
The new version of Settlers of Catan was on display at Gen Con.
Acquisitions Incorporated
Wizards of the Coast teamed with Penny Arcade for this Dungeons and Dragons book.
Eschaton
Armageddon and Lovecraft.
Batman Ninja
Like Magic the Gathering, but Batman!
Build your deck
Batman Ninja is a deck building game with Batman characters.
Silver
The werewolves are coming!
Fight off werewolves with silver
Can you save your village first?
Pictionary Air
Pictionary plus AR drawing. Pictionary Air proved I wasn't great at drawing without a canvas.
Grind House
A narrative horror game.
Bloodborne
Join the hunt.
Can you save Yharnam?
This coop board game is based on the popular Bloodborne video game.
Cyberpunk, the game
Cyberpunk 2077 will be a board game, in addition to a video game. Unfortunately, we couldn't see more than the box art at Gen Con.
Pathfinder 2
Forge a new path.
Ready to adventure
The new edition of Pathfinder -- the popular alternative to Dungeons and Dragons -- launched at Gen Con.
The Bestiary
The player guide, Bestiary and published adventures were all ready to go.
Chapter one
This book is just the first chapter in an ongoing Pathfinder adventure series.
Guide your game
Here's the game master screen for Pathfinder.
Ishtar
Ishtar tasks you with rejuvenating the desert into the Lost Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
Decrypto
Crack the code.
Shovel Knight
The Shovel Knight game is based on the popular Indie video game.