CMYK Games, the studio behind Wavelength and Kennerspiel des Jahres winner Daybreak, took home two of the four American Tabletop Awards announced today. Hot Streak won the Casual Games category, while the Richard Garfield-updated reissue of Magical Athlete claimed Early Gamers.
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Set up your group for freeHot Streak, designed by Jon Perry, is a mascot-racing and betting party game for 2-9 players where chunky vinyl figurines barrel around the track while players draft bets on the outcome. It beat out nominees Fellowship of the Ring Trick-Taking Game and 7 Wonders Dice. Magical Athlete, the chaotic dice-racing classic originally by Takashi Ishida, returned in 2025 with new art from Angela Kirkwood and revised rules from Magic: The Gathering creator Richard Garfield. The CMYK edition turned a beloved Japanese import into one of the year's standout family games, edging past The Sandcastles of Burgundy and Splendor Kids.
In the Strategy category, Matt Leacock picked up a win for The Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship, his cooperative Pandemic-system adaptation published by Z-Man Games. The game places 1-5 players in Middle-earth, guiding Frodo to Mount Doom while keeping the Nazgul at bay. It overcame nominees Critter Kitchen and Kinfire Council.
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See how it worksThe Complex Games award went to Molly House, the semi-cooperative game with social deduction elements set in 18th-century London's queer underground, designed by Jo Kelly with Cole Wehrle. Published by Wehrle's own Wehrlegig Games, it beat Tidal Blades 2 and Covenant. Wehrle, best known for Root and Oath, has called Molly House "the most controversial game I've worked on."
Now in their eighth year, the American Tabletop Awards are decided by ranked-choice voting among US-based board game media professionals. They serve as a US counterpart to Germany's Spiel des Jahres, spotlighting games released in the previous calendar year across four categories. If any of this year's winners have caught your eye, round up your group and find a game night near you.
Sources: BoardGameWire | American Tabletop Awards | CMYK Games
