Gen Con is always an amazing experience. Whether crammed into a small hotel room or finding some valuable hotel lobby table space for gaming, whether hitting the open gaming area or hunting for treasures in the exhibit hall, whether cracking into a pack of Lorcana or Pokemon or Magic, or maybe you’re just there with your best friends… whatever the reason, Gen Con never seems to disappoint!
The Treasures!
My group loves to hunt. Some of the magic of Gen Con is finding games that stand out for their gameplay or art or table presence. We spend hours scrolling through the Gen Con Preview List to find games that look interesting to us. We map out the exhibit hall to know where those games might be available to check out. And then with the “Running of the Nerds,” when those convention hall doors open, the hunt is on!
The highlight game for our group, which is very different than previous years since we like medium to meaty Euro-style games, was Got Five! It was available at the Blue Orange Games booth.
Why we loved Got Five!
There are a few reasons why Got Five! stood out to us.
- The simplicity - There are not many components and the game can be taught in 1 minute!
- The components - The tiles with their little eyes are a really quality component and many players thought they were cute.
- The gameplay - Whether you sort or compare, you always learn something about your numbers! And you also learn about your numbers on every other player’s turn.
The deduction aspect is quick, rewarding, and so far everyone I have played with has enjoyed the game!
My treasure hunt resulted in the following “Gen Con Haul:“
Spyre Demos
As I mentioned in my last blog post, this was the first time at Gen Con where we ran game events instead of just attending the convention. We had 8 demo slots, with two demos at each one. One slot on Saturday, however, was a bit smaller since our table had been moved after a downpour in the open gaming hall as rain leaked through the roof.
When family and friends have asked me how the demos went, I share a quote from Hayden Love, who played in one of our demos. Hayden stated,
“This might be one of the coolest games I’ve ever played!” ~ Hayden Love
As a designer and upcoming publisher, hearing that about your game is absolutely incredible!
The overall response from players was extreme positivity. It was amazing watching players figure out what makes Spyre special. When they realize that what they place toward their opponents matters. When the realize that placing a block might cover up something they wanted to score, and that they can cover up something for an opponent. Another player had this to say:
“Best game we’ve played so far at Gen Con!”
What’s next
In the aftermath of Gen Con 2026, Evergreen is now focused entirely on getting a crowdfunding site set up and building an audience. It’s easy to just make a game, but to get it in front of people and to grow interest is challenging. We are working hard to help people learn about Spyre, and we hope that you’ll continue with us on that journey!
Until next time, Ed