The Cardboard Edison Award recognizes great unpublished board games

Announcing the winner of the 2016 Cardboard Edison Award!

The Blood of an Englishman

Designer: Dan Cassar / @maltezefalkon

A two-player, asymmetrical card game based on the timeless tale of Jack and the Beanstalk.

Dan Cassar, designer of The Blood of an Englishman

Judges' comments on The Blood of an Englishman

"I loved this game. Very solid and fun game. The theme and mechanics are meshed perfectly. Great job!"

"I want this game now. If I were a publisher, I'd be signing this now. Great work."

"Great integration of theme and mechanics. I think I played about four-and-a-half games. Both sides feel great, and really really distinct."

"Everything about it is really tight and it always feels like you have many ways to try to win. Quick and clean."

About Dan Cassar

Dan Cassar has been doing game design ever since his grandfather taught him to play chess when he was eight years old, and he has played every game he could get his hands on ever since. His first published title, Cavemen: The Quest for Fire, was released in 2012 from Rio Grande Games and was selected as one of GAMES Magazine's top 100 games of that year. His second game, Arboretum, was released in 2015 by Filosofia/Z-Man Games, and was nominated for two Golden Geek Awards as well as receiving the Dice Tower Seal of Excellence. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife and children.

2016 Finalists

1973 - Routes of Steel

Designer: Claude Sirois / @KlodeQC

In Routes of Steel, you are the manager of a small rail company trying to take advantage of the boom in the steel industry during the early 70’s in the US Midwest. With your trains, you will deliver steel to the port for export, as well as other commodities such as coal, oil and iron to US Midwest cities. If you have the best company and are the most efficient in delivering goods when the port is full of steel ready to be exported, you will be the winner!

Dubai

Designer: Steven Tu / @tuism

Build towers, play the market, and out-invest your rivals to become Dubai's wealthiest architect!

Emergency Dispatch

Designer: Jon Fromm

Emergency Dispatch is a co-op set-collection dice game where players take on the roll of dispatchers in a 911 call center resolving emergencies. The game is played on a map of the city with dice representing various types of emergency equipment.

Enemy Anemone

Designer: Daniel Newman / @dnlnwmn

Enemy Anemone is a 3-6 player "trick-splitting" game, in which players take on the roles of deep sea creatures attempting to clear invasive anemone from the ocean floor. In a twist on trick-taking games, players each play a card face down and simultaneously reveal them. The highest card and lowest card are thrown out and the rest split a pot of anemone that increases each round. Each sea creature has its own ability that affects the way they get or play cards.

Planet Movers

Designer: Charlie Hoopes / @HoopCATGames

A shared dice-roll game where players are racing to deliver goods to erratically moving planets.

Sloops!

Designers: Sébastien Bernier-Wong and Peter Gorniak / @peter_gorniak

In Sloops! players engage in naval skirmishes driven by deck building and worker placement. Sloops! is a relatively quick and light game with a dose of randomness, but it provides ample opportunity for tactical play as well as some strategic deck building choices.

Spy Ring

Designer: Daniel Perlmutter / @DuckDuckGames

An Asymmetrical Game of International Espionage. One player takes on the role of Mastermind, using cards to recruit and maneuver spies on the board in an attempt to raise panic across Europe. The other players are Agents, using dice to complete missions and working together to shut down the Mastermind's plans.

Street Bands: New Orleans

Designer: Josh Mills / @JoshuaJMills

It is springtime in New Orleans, and the people are flocking from near and far to the streets of The Big Easy to take in the sights, smells and sounds. The best street bands have grabbed their pitch and are ready to fill the air with music over the busy weekend. In Street Bands: New Orleans, players manage a three-piece band performing on Royal Street for tips from the many passersby. Over the course of three days you will expand your setlist, win over crowds, and determine which band was victorious in taking home the most tips.

Treasure Tide

Designer: James O'Connor / @StellarisGames

A dice-rolling, plunder-pushing, pirate game for families of all ages.

War's End

Designer: Christian Boutin / @christianboutin

Amidst peace negotiations, attempt to get revenge on those who wronged you during the war. Manipulate negotiators, influence assassins and compete with other players' agendas to get your way during War's End.