This Stronghold game by Mike Fitzgerald is a trick-taking card game in which players collect Diamonds - not cards bearing that suit, mind you, but rather actual "Diamond Crystals". What makes the game of Diamonds different from other trick-taking card games is that when you cannot follow suit you get a "Suit Action" based on what suit you do play. Suit Actions are also taken by the winner of each trick, as well as at the end of a full Round of play. Whoever has the most points in Diamond Crystals at the end of the game wins!
The winner of this tournament will get a trophy, a copy of the game, plus a seat in the first elimination round of the Southwest Regional Championships to be held at GenghisCon (Denver, CO – February 2020), plus a badge to GenghisCon.
Coup is a bluffing game set in a dystopian futuristic universe. Each player works to eliminate all the other players through a combination of assassinations or catching them lying in a bluff. For you, a powerful government official, this is your opportunity to manipulate, bribe and bluff your way into absolute power. To be successful, you must destroy the influence of your rivals and drive them into exile. In these turbulent times there is only room for one to survive.
The winner of this tournament will get a trophy, a copy of the game, plus a seat in the first elimination round of the Southwest Regional Championships to be held at GenghisCon (Denver, CO – February 2020), plus a badge to GenghisCon.
Each round, players study the 8 letters (always consonants) on the board in real time. The first player to write down a word flips a 30-second timer. That player is now the fastest player, and every other player now has 30 seconds to write down their word. Once time has run out, the fastest player scores their word by counting the point value of each of the matching letters on the board. Players are not limited to the letters on the board; they can add any letters they'd like. Letters score based on which of the 4 columns of the board they're in, and how rare they are. After the fastest player scores, the first player clockwise scores their word, and compares it to the fastest player. If that player scored more than the fastest player, they score a small bonus. Every other player scores their word and checks for a bonus. Once they've all done this, the fastest player scores a bonus if their score is equal to or higher than half the other player's scores. After 7 rounds, players add the scores their best 5 words, plus their bonuses.
The winner of this tournament will get a trophy, a copy of the game, plus a seat in the first elimination round of the Southwest Regional Championships to be held at GenghisCon (Denver, CO – February 2020), plus a badge to GenghisCon.
SHOBU is a beautifully crafted abstract strategy game for 2 players. The game features 4 square wood boards (2 of each color) and 16 natural river stones for each player, in two colors, with a rope dividing the play area in half.
Your turn is in two parts. First, a player may move one of their stones up to two spaces in any direction, including diagonally, in what is called a passive (or set up) move. Second, they take a more aggressive move, which must be the same direction and number of spaces as the first move. It is this second move that allows you to push stones across the board - or off the board's edge. Remove all four of your opponent's stones from just one of the four boards to win.
The winner of this tournament will get a trophy, a copy of the game, plus a seat in the first elimination round of the Southwest Regional Championships to be held at GenghisCon (Denver, CO – February 2020), plus a badge to GenghisCon.
A flicking game in which each round one of the players takes the role of the Hall Monitor - his aim will be to catch each other penguin and get points for that. The others will try to run through several doors, thus gaining fish (that give them points) on their way. When either the Hall Monitor has caught each other penguin once or any of the others has gone through all 3 doors that have fish on them, the round is over. After each player is the Hall Monitor once, whoever has the most points on their fish cards wins.
The winner of this tournament will get a trophy, a copy of the game, plus a seat in the first elimination round of the Southwest Regional Championships to be held at GenghisCon (Denver, CO – February 2020), plus a badge to GenghisCon.
Players are building pyramids and poker hands in this unique competition. Each player then takes fifteen blocks and turns the blocks so that only they see what's on them. They take turns placing the blocks into a two-dimensional pyramid-shaped structure, again seeing only their blocks, then they take turns removing any one block from the pyramid and placing it into one of three poker hands that they're constructing. Each poker hand is competing against the one opposite it that's being built by the opponent. Once all the blocks have been removed, the player who wins two or three of the poker hands wins!
The winner of this tournament will get a trophy, a copy of the game, plus a seat in the first elimination round of the Southwest Regional Championships to be held at GenghisCon (Denver, CO – February 2020), plus a badge to GenghisCon.
You've just been given a shot at being the head chef at the prestigious New York Slice pizza parlor. Now you and your fellow pizza chef wannabes have to make the most amazing pizzas...one slice at a time! In New York Slice, each player slices pizzas into portions, giving their opponents first choice, while they take the leftovers. There are a dozen kinds of pizza to work with, from veggie to hawaiian to meat lover's, and each player decides if they want to eat or keep some of the slices, building the best collection of pizzas possible!
The winner of this tournament will get a trophy, a copy of the game, plus a seat in the first elimination round of the Southwest Regional Championships to be held at GenghisCon (Denver, CO – February 2020), plus a badge to GenghisCon.
Brent Beck's Skull King is a trick-taking game similar to Oh Hell!, Wizard and Spades, with players needing to state how many tricks they think they'll win each round. Pirates and other special cards add to the strategy.
The winner of this tournament will get a trophy, a copy of the game, plus a seat in the first elimination round of the Southwest Regional Championships to be held at GenghisCon (Denver, CO – February 2020), plus a badge to GenghisCon.
Dimension is a fast-paced, innovative puzzle game that takes place in three dimensions with 60 colorful spheres. All of the players play at the same time. Everybody tries to position the spheres on their trays to earn as many points as possible. The task cards indicate how the spheres must be placed to earn points. Complete these tasks while racing against the timer. You get a point for each sphere you use and a bonus token for using all five colors, but you lose two points for each task card you don't follow correctly. Prove to your opponents that you are the master of multi-dimensional thinking!
The winner of this tournament will get a trophy, a copy of the game, plus a seat in the first elimination round of the Southwest Regional Championships to be held at GenghisCon (Denver, CO – February 2020), plus a badge to GenghisCon.
