Board Game Quest has revealed its nominees for the 13th annual Board Game Quest Awards, and this year's shortlist is packed with strong contenders across twelve categories. Voting is open now and closes on 15 April, with winners announced shortly after. Readers get one vote per category, combined with editorial staff votes to determine winners.
The Game of the Year race features five nominees: Jamey Stegmaier's Vantage, the sprawling adventure game from Stonemaier Games that drops players into an interconnected world of nearly 800 locations; Elder Scrolls: Betrayal of the Second Era, which also picked up nominations for Best Cooperative Game, Best Production Values, and Best Thematic Game; Star Trek: Captain's Chair, a solo-friendly strategy title that earned nods in Best Strategy/Euro and Best Solo Game; Eternal Decks, a cooperative deck-builder with evolving card abilities; and Arydia: The Paths We Dare Tread, an open-world adventure game from Far Off Games.
Elder Scrolls and Vantage are tied for the most nominations at four each, making them the games to watch this year. Star Trek: Captain's Chair appears in three categories, rounding out a strong top tier.
The Most Innovative Game category is where things get interesting for anyone looking to try something different. Moon Colony Bloodbath, an engine-building card game from Donald X. Vaccarino about managing a doomed lunar colony, appears alongside Baseball Card GM, which turns sports card collecting into a full management sim.
Best Two Player Game pits Star Wars: Battle of Hoth against Flamecraft Duals, two wildly different games competing for the same award. Best Solo Game sees Star Trek: Captain's Chair facing off against The Last Lighthouse, a thematic survival challenge.
The full list of twelve categories and every nominee is on the Board Game Quest awards page. If you've played any of this year's nominees, voting closes 15 April.
Sources: Board Game Quest | BGG - Elder Scrolls: Betrayal | Stonemaier Games - Vantage