July 2024 Update: Gen Con & Undergrove
The last few days have been so news-filled, I can’t really compete. But I do have a few items for you. In this update:
Game news: the latest on Undergrove
Upcoming events: Gen Con, Undergrove release parties
Miscellaneous media
Critter of the month: Ruby-throated hummingbird
Game Updates
Undergrove
If you backed Undergrove on Kickstarter, you probably got a (long) email recently saying that copies will start shipping on August 5. AEG will also have the retail edition for sale at Gen Con (booth 403). Retail release has been pushed back to October.
Want to help boost Undergrove for Gen Con, even if you’re not going? If you have a Board Game Geek account, one easy thing you can do is to pop over to this Gen Con preview list and give Undergrove a thumbs up. We’re already in the top 25 of the over 500 titles being featured at Gen Con!
Wingspan
I’m deep in the throes of working on the next expansion. It’s taking longer than many people (including me) would like. I’m so excited to see what Natalia and Ana do with the art for these birds, though! Stay tuned…
Upcoming Events
Gen Con
Find me:
Thursday 1pm, room 245: Women in Toys panel
A bunch of times at the AEG booth (403) with Undergrove
Find my other games: Wingspan at booth 2909; maybe Fox Experiment at booth 215, if the latest print run makes it to port in time.
DC Area Undergrove events
August 24: Undergrove party at Labyrinth Games. Seating for actually playing Undergrove will be first-come, first served. 12-4 pm.
September 19: Undergrove party at Mt. Rainier (Maryland) Nature Center. 6:30-9:00pm. They haven’t posted this on their website yet but save the date if you’re in the area! They’ll also be having several other mushroom-themed events in September.
Miscellaneous Media
I was on a panel at Games for Change. Watch here.
I was thrilled to see Daybreak won the Kennerspiel des Jahres. I’ve been following its progress since Matt Leacock told me he was working on it in 2020, and I playtested it several times.
Fun fact: my spouse generally dislikes playtesting games, but among the few games that he has playtested, he has now managed to playtest two Kennerspiel winners!
Not so fun fact: I updated this chart showing that in the 46-year history of the Spiel des Jahres, only 7 women have been nominated for the Spiel and 5 for the Kennerspiel (which started in 2011).
On a related note, I made a filter of the Gen Con games that shows (I think) everything being shown at Gen Con that was designed by women. Give some of them your support and help elevate more women in the board game industry!
John Clark posted some interesting data culled from games of Wingspan on Board Game Arena: most played birds, with win percentages.
Critter of the Month: Ruby-throated hummingbird
We’ve entered the time of summer when we see hummingbirds in our yard almost every day. They especially love our cardinal flowers. Most of our yard is a survival-of-the-fittest, no-watering situation, but during the drought we’ve been watering the cardinal flowers because we want to see the hummingbirds. We don’t see many red throats — I think we’re mostly seeing females and/or immature males. But they’re still spectacular to watch.
May you nurture the things that bring you joy —
❤️
Elizabeth