The Game Manufacturers Association (GAMA) has unveiled the finalists for the 49th annual Origins Awards, and the shortlist is packed with quality. Fifty board games across five categories are vying for recognition at the Origins Game Fair in Columbus, Ohio, this June.
The Heavy Strategy category alone reads like a greatest-hits wishlist: Cyclades: Legendary Edition, the lavish overhaul of the 2009 area-control classic, sits alongside titles like Molly House — a game about running an 18th-century queer social club — and Luthier, where you build instruments at the height of Europe's classical music era. Star Trek: Captain's Chair and the Prohibition-era Speakeasy round out a fiercely competitive field.
On the lighter end, the Gateway Game category features Everdell Duo, the two-player spin on the woodland worker-placement hit, plus Flamecraft Duals and the charmingly titled A Place for All My Books. The Cooperative/Solo shortlist includes two designs from Matt Leacock — the creator of Pandemic — with both Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship and Animal Rescue Team earning nominations.
But the announcement came with a familiar sting: the Tabletop Game Designers Association (TTGDA) publicly condemned GAMA for failing to credit designers in the press release — the third consecutive year this has happened. For an award that claims to celebrate "excellence in game design," not naming the actual designers is a glaring omission.
GAMA's communications director Eric Francis called it "unfortunate" and "unacceptable," accepting responsibility and promising to overhaul the release process. Whether that promise sticks remains to be seen — the same assurances were made in 2024 and 2025.
The winners will be announced at Origins Game Fair, running 17–21 June in Columbus. The above covers highlights from three of the five categories — Board Game Wire has the complete rundown across all of them.
Sources: Board Game Wire | TTRPG Fans | BoardGameGeek