Tonight was the board meeting for the Game Manufacturer's Association (GAMA) and it was mostly a public-facing celebration of how well the team has done to bring the event to Louisville and incorporate more of the membership which is located centrally, especially the retailers.
And they probably should celebrate. There is natural attrition in any organization. Ebbs and flows must happen in any organization and events.
Despite that - this is a record year for GAMA Expo attendance with almost 2400 attendees (this number will be confirmed later). This is a 40% percent increase over the previous year in Reno.
No city will ever be perfect, but Louisville has managed to attract a larger contingent of people within a 6 hour drive. The total exhibitor list was about 300 too; well exceeding previous years. 150, 000 sq. feet of exhibition space was put to use compared to the 62,000 in Reno.
Suffice it to say that Expo is bigger and better than ever. GAMA can always improve, but it has seen some major strides forward.
Now on to some games! This is mainly going to be a photo dump, with a little commentary :)
Interviews coming soon on the podcast though.
Dave Beck of Paverson Games talking about game design and his games.
Dr. Brian Kaufman on Rainbow Quest and tabletop gaming's dirty little secret
a secret pair of brothers
Hopefully- a certain Mr. Z himself with his new company...
Sherwin Matthews of Steamforged with some of his games.
One of the coolest products was the Gateway Island book/games from Van Ryder Games. It's a collection of mini games which get people thinking about what they like in games and it recommends other games. The great part is that it recommends games from other companies - including linking to their websites. This is the type of collaborative effort we need to see in the industry. I see stores using this to help train employees too.
I'm quickly becoming a Devir fanboy
I somehow missed that Aces of Aces was getting a reprint from Mayfair. This was the only time I had an urge to grab a game box and try to run for the exit in the show. The original game from the 80s was sitting next to the gorgeous new proof copies for the game.
What a gem.
Met one of the last Horizons Fellows today at Lamf Games .
I briefly met the designers for La Fleur - what a gorgeous looking game. They also designed Botany. Look for this one later this year.
Tried out Iron, Blood, Snow & Mud from Phalanx. I liked a lot about the game but wished some things were better in the rulebook.
Wild Gardens from Isaac Vega and Rose Gauntlet looks stunning set up on a table. Really nice table presence, I see people like this one a lot.
Of course, I had to check out a little Star Wars Unlimited.
Somewhere in between all of that I enjoyed some shrimp and polenta tacos and a fried avocado and pico de Gallo taco at Loco's here in Lousville.
*This post is part of my continuing coverage of GAMA Expo 2024 were I am part of the Hosted Media program. The Game Manufacturer's Association promotes tabletop games of all types and brought media in, expenses paid, to cover the event as a service to industry members.