My Take on the Dice Tower GOTY 2026 Nominees
A week ago, The Dice Tower announced the nominees for the 19th annual Dice Tower Awards. We were extremely thrilled to learn that Galactic Cruise was nominated in six categories, including the biggest award of the night: Game of the Year. To be among the 10 nominees in that category, alongside some of the best games (not just of 2025 but of all time) and most prolific designers in the industry, feels unreal. I want to use my blog today to highlight the other 9 nominees and give my takes on them!
Luthier
I had the opportunity to play Luthier with Dave Beck a few years ago, before all the breathtaking Vincent Dutrait artwork adorned it, and after that initial play, I gave the game a 10/10, something that I'd never done for a prototype before (and which I've never done since). When the game delivered to backers, I got to play the full production and was even more blown away by it! The unique combination of blind bidding and worker placement, alongside the classy theme, really spoke to me, and it's a game that I never foresee leaving my collection (or my top games of all time).
Hot Streak
This is a great example of a game that has to be experienced in order to truly be understood. When I first saw this game, I thought to myself, "This looks pretty fun, but I don't see what all the hype is about." I've since had multiple opportunities to play Hot Streak, and I finally get it! In many ways, it's exactly what I thought it was: a quick-playing total luck-fest, where chaos reigns. But I sorely underestimated how fun it would be! This is a textbook example of a "stand-up" game, where it's not uncommon to see all the players on their feet, cheering for a poor, clumsy mascot who is crawling their way toward the finish line. It's a blast, and I love that The Dice Tower has a category where a game of this sort and a game like ours can be co-nominees.
Speakeasy
Okay, so this is, in many ways, sort of the opposite of Hot Streak for me. When I first heard of this game, I was fully prepared for it to be a 10/10 for me. It has beautiful Ian O'Toole artwork, it's designed by the great Vital Lacerda (whose designs, particularly some of his earlier works, had a profound impact on the design of GC), and it takes place during a historical period that I find absolutely fascinating. On paper, this seemed like everything I could ever want from a game! When I got the opportunity to play it, though, I have to admit that it fell a little flat for me. I know for a fact that this is a "me" problem. I know that I am finding myself trending more and more toward medium-weight games over heavier ones, and I know that, in general, I don't necessarily enjoy games where I am both competing against my fellow players while also competing against the game itself. Despite my lukewarmness toward this one, it comes as absolutely no surprise to me that this game is up for GOTY!
Eternal Decks
Just last weekend, I got to play this one. What a fascinating game! In a market that has quite a few limited-communication co-ops, this felt unlike anything I've ever played before. The interconnectivity and implications of each decision made every turn both delicious and agonizing. I believe the scenario we played was one of the introductory ones (the owner of the game was very kind to set it all up for us and get us going), so we hardly saw the tip of the iceberg on this one. I'm definitely looking forward to playing more of this one and seeing what all it has to offer!
The Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship
The Lord of the Rings IP plus one of the most famous gaming systems in the modern era of board gaming equalling the newest Top 100 game on BGG—was anyone really surprised by this? Of course not. This was a package destined to succeed! I have only gotten to play this one a couple of times, and even then it was solo and on BGA during its trial run there, so I know that I haven't had the full experience of being around the table with multiple other players, 3D Nazgûl, and the coolest dice tower I've seen lately. But as someone who loves The Lord of the Rings and likes the Pandemic System pretty well, I can still appreciate what this game is doing. The fact that our game is being mentioned alongside a game from the legendary Matt Leacock that takes place in a world that I've loved since I was 10 years old is absolutely baffling to me, and it's not lost on me that this is an absolute honor.
Zenith
I love this game so much. I love it on BGA. I love it in person. I love showing this game to people because it almost always overdelivers. Just this past weekend, I played this game with our Head of Communications, Mark, who began the game thinking we were going to play a quick, light game and ended it by remarking on how much more rich the experience was. It's not quite on the level that Quacks is for me (that's by far my #1 game to show new people—and "to show new people" wasn't even necessary to say), but I definitely have similar feelings toward it due to its amazing perception-to-experience ratio. (Side note, I love Xavier Gueniffey Durin's artwork, both in this game and in others, and think it adds so much to an already amazing game.)
The Elder Scrolls: Betrayal of the Second Era
I haven’t had the opportunity to play this one yet, but I have played Too Many Bones and understand that the two share some DNA. I've also never really played any of The Elder Scrolls games (a handful of games of Skyrim notwithstanding), but what little I know of it tells me that it's a rich, wonderful IP. As someone who does not do particularly well at video games that require quick reaction, I could see this being a great way to experience the world of The Elder Scrolls. This is definitely high on my to-play list.
Vantage
For a long time, any and every release from Stonemaier Games was an insta-buy. I still love games from the company, and several of them (Wingspan and Tapestry in particular) are still in my top games of all time. As more and more games from more and more companies have come onto my radar, I have not been keeping up as closely with Stonemaier's releases, and while Vantage has been on my radar for what feels like forever (I definitely feel like Jamey Stegmaier has been dancing around it for years now, teasing out bits and pieces), I haven't had the opportunity to play it yet. As an avid solo gamer, I think this is one that I will enjoy exploring in a solo setting (or possibly with one or two other people). From what I've gathered, the higher player counts don't work as well for the game, which brings up an interesting question when it comes to awards and honors like these: Should a game be judged based on its best possible experience (mode, player count, etc.), or should it be judged on every presented permutation?
Sweet Lands
I have not gotten to play Sweet Lands yet, and it is the game that I know the least about. I think it looks gorgeous, though, and I've heard it's an excellent heavy-weight game, so I'm really looking forward to checking it out soon!
It's such an incredible thrill to be nominated alongside these powerhouse games, and I can't wait to see how it all shakes out at the Dice Tower Awards at Gen Con this year!
