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2021
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Best Game from a New Designer 2021
In Ark Nova, you will plan and design a modern, scientifically managed zoo. With the ultimate goal of owning the most successful zoological establishment, you will build enclosures, accommodate animals, and support conservation projects all over the world. Specialists and unique buildings will help you in achieving this goal.

Each player has a set of five action cards to manage their gameplay, and the power of an action is determined by the slot the card currently occupies. The cards in question are:


CARDS: Allows you to gain new zoo cards (animals, sponsors, and conservation project cards).
BUILD: Allows you to build standard or special enclosures, kiosks, and pavilions.
ANIMALS: Allows you to accommodate animals in your zoo.
ASSOCIATION: Allows your association workers to carry out different tasks.
SPONSORS: Allows you to play a sponsor card in your zoo or to raise money.


255 cards featuring animals, specialists, special enclosures, and conservation projects, each with a special ability, are at the heart of Ark Nova. Use them to increase the appeal and scientific reputation of your zoo and collect conservation points.

—description from the publisher

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Year Published: 2021
Designers: Mathias Wigge
Publishers: Feuerland Spiele
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Best Game from a New Designer Nominees 2021
Year Published: 2021
Designers: Klemens Kalicki
Publishers: Rebel Studio
Year Published: 2020
Designers: Peter Rustemeyer
Publishers: Hans im Glück
Year Published: 2021
Designers: François Romain
Publishers: Repos Production
Year Published: 2021
Designers: Tom Mattson
Publishers: Orange Nebula, LLC
2021
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Best Expansion 2021
Return to the mysterious island of Arnak in Lost Ruins of Arnak: Expedition Leaders!

Give your expedition an edge by choosing one of six unique leaders, each equipped with different abilities, skills, and starting decks that offer different strategies and styles of play for you to explore.

In addition to the leader abilities, which bring a new element of asymmetry to the game, this expansion contains alternative research tracks that offer even more variety and a bigger challenge, new item and artifact cards to create new combos and synergies, along with more guardians & assistants to meet and sites to explore.

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Year Published: 2021
Designers: Elwen
Publishers: Czech Games Edition
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Best Expansion Nominees 2021
Year Published: 2021
Designers: Joe Hopkins
Publishers: Grand Gamers Guild
Year Published: 2021
Designers: Mattox Shuler
Publishers: Keymaster Games
Year Published: 2021
Designers: Ira Fay
Publishers: Red Raven Games
Year Published: 2022
Designers: Noah Cohen
Publishers: Restoration Games
2021
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Best Co-op Game 2021
"Are the stars unfamiliar here?" she asked, and the sky grew suddenly dark, the star's patterns alien and exotic. "This is the Wandering Sea. The gods have brought you here, and you must wake them if you wish to return home."

In Sleeping Gods, you and up to 3 friends become Captain Sofi Odessa and her crew, lost in a strange world in 1929 on your steamship, the Manticore. You must work together to survive, exploring exotic islands, meeting new characters, and seeking out the totems of the gods so that you can return home.

Sleeping Gods is a campaign game. Each session can last as long as you want. When you are ready to take a break, you mark your progress on a journey log sheet, making it easy to return to the same place in the game the next time you play. You can play solo or with friends throughout your campaign. It's easy to swap players in and out at will. Your goal is to find at least fourteen totems hidden throughout the world. Like reading a book, you'll complete this journey one or two hours at a time, discovering new lands, stories, and challenges along the way.

Sleeping Gods is an atlas game. Each page of the atlas represents only a small portion of the world you can explore. When you reach the edge of a page and you want to continue in the same direction, you simply turn to a new page and sail onward.

Sleeping Gods is a storybook game. Each new location holds wild adventure, hidden treasures, and vivid characters. Your choices affect the characters and the plot of the game, and may help or hinder your chances of getting home!

Welcome to a vast world. Your journey starts now.

—description from the publisher

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Year Published: 2021
Designers: Ryan Laukat
Publishers: Red Raven Games
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Best Co-op Game Nominees 2021
Year Published: 2021
Designers: Michael Menzel
Publishers: KOSMOS
Year Published: 2020
Designers: Peter Rustemeyer
Publishers: Hans im Glück
Year Published: 2021
Designers: François Romain
Publishers: Repos Production
Year Published: 2021
Designers: Tony Fanchi
Publishers: Fantasy Flight Games
2021
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Best Artwork 2021
In Canvas, you play as a painter competing in an art competition. Players will collect art cards, layering 3 of them together to create their own unique Painting. Each card contains a piece of artwork as well as a set of icons used during scoring. Icons will be revealed or hidden based on the way players choose to layer the cards making for an exciting puzzle. Paintings are scored based on a set of Scoring cards which will change each game. Once players have created and scored 3 paintings the game ends.

On your turn you may take an Art card or make a painting. Art cards are selected from a row of cards in the center of play. Each of these cards has a cost associated with their position. After selecting an Art card you must pay its cost by placing an Inspiration token on each of the cards to its left. If you do not have enough Inspiration tokens, you may not select that card. Any tokens on the card you have selected are kept for future turns. The far left card costs no Inspiration tokens to take.

If you have three or more Art cards you may chose to make a painting. Select 3 of your art cards, arrange them in any order and then score them by comparing the visible icons on your painting to the Scoring conditions.

Once all players have made 3 paintings the game ends.

The player with the most points wins!

—description from the publisher

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Year Published: 2021
Designers: Jeff Chin
Publishers: Road To Infamy Games (R2i Games)
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Best Artwork Nominee 2021
Year Published: 2021
Designers: Eric M. Lang
Publishers: CMON Global Limited
Year Published: 2021
Designers: Germán P. Millán
Publishers: Devir
Year Published: 2021
Designers: Klemens Kalicki
Publishers: Rebel Studio
Year Published: 2021
Designers: Ryan Laukat
Publishers: Red Raven Games
2021
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Game of the Year 2021
In Ark Nova, you will plan and design a modern, scientifically managed zoo. With the ultimate goal of owning the most successful zoological establishment, you will build enclosures, accommodate animals, and support conservation projects all over the world. Specialists and unique buildings will help you in achieving this goal.

Each player has a set of five action cards to manage their gameplay, and the power of an action is determined by the slot the card currently occupies. The cards in question are:


CARDS: Allows you to gain new zoo cards (animals, sponsors, and conservation project cards).
BUILD: Allows you to build standard or special enclosures, kiosks, and pavilions.
ANIMALS: Allows you to accommodate animals in your zoo.
ASSOCIATION: Allows your association workers to carry out different tasks.
SPONSORS: Allows you to play a sponsor card in your zoo or to raise money.


255 cards featuring animals, specialists, special enclosures, and conservation projects, each with a special ability, are at the heart of Ark Nova. Use them to increase the appeal and scientific reputation of your zoo and collect conservation points.

—description from the publisher

Read more Read less
Year Published: 2021
Designers: Mathias Wigge
Publishers: Feuerland Spiele
Image
Game of the Year Nominees 2021
Year Published: 2021
Designers: Antoine Bauza
Publishers: Repos Production
Year Published: 2021
Designers: Randy Flynn
Publishers: Flatout Games
Year Published: 2021
Designers: Bobby Hill
Publishers: Garphill Games
Year Published: 2021
Designers: Ted Alspach
Publishers: Bézier Games
Year Published: 2021
Designers: Klemens Kalicki
Publishers: Rebel Studio
Year Published: 2021
Designers: Jonny Pac
Publishers: Final Frontier Games
Year Published: 2021
Designers: Jay Cormier
Publishers: Off the Page Games
Year Published: 2021
Designers: Ryan Laukat
Publishers: Red Raven Games

Presenting the nominees of the fifteenth annual Dice Tower Awards for games released in 2021 in categories including artwork, small publisher, new designer, and the game of the year!

Presenting the nominees of the twelfth annual Dice Tower Awards for games released in 2018 in categories including artwork, small publisher, new designer, and the game of the year!

Presenting the nominees of the eleventh annual Dice Tower Awards for games released in 2017 in categories including artwork, small publisher, new designer, and the game of the year!

Presenting the nominees of the tenth annual Dice Tower Awards for games released in 2016 in categories including artwork, small publisher, new designer, and the game of the year!

Presenting the nominees of the ninth annual Dice Tower Awards for games released in 2015 in categories including artwork, small publisher, new designer, and the game of the year!

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