If your group loves a good co-op, the Origins Awards have just pointed you straight at Middle-earth. The Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship, designer Matt Leacock's cooperative game for 1 to 5 players, has been named Co-op/Solo Game of the Year at the 49th Annual Origins Awards, one of the hobby's longest-running industry honours.
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Set up your group for freeFate of the Fellowship runs on the same engine that made Leacock a household name, the co-op smash Pandemic. Here that design is bent to Tolkien. Each player steers two of the game's heroes, pooling their abilities to protect Frodo, hold key locations against the Shadow and stay ahead of the hunting Nazgûl. Published by Z-Man Games, it is a meaty co-op that still plays solo, which is a big part of why it keeps winning things. This was not its first trophy. At the 20th Golden Geek Awards it also took medium game of the year, best thematic game and best co-op.
The Origins Awards, voted through industry body GAMA and handed out at Origins Game Fair in June, spread the wins around. Vital Lacerda's Speakeasy, a brain-burning economic game from Eagle-Gryphon Games, won Heavy Strategy Game of the Year. Jon Perry's party game Hot Streak (CMYK) took the party crown, backing up a pair of Golden Geek wins of its own. Horrible Guild's tile-laying Railroad Tiles was named Gateway Game of the Year, Winter Rabbit won light strategy, and Blood Bowl Third Season Edition topped the miniatures category.
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See how it worksFor a co-op that scales from a solo night to a full table of five, Fate of the Fellowship is an easy pick for your next session. Gather your own fellowship and find a game night near you.
Sources: Origins Awards | BoardGameWire | Z-Man Games | Golden Geeks
