originslogo.gifSaturday saw crowds on the show floor and in the gaming rooms. I find the shopping better early and late, so it was extended time in the Board Room for me. Some of the hotest games were Dominion: Intrigue, Finca, and Smallworld. Of course, besides the latest games, there are still some traditions maintained at Origins. Outside the Board Room all day long could be found teams of people negotiating the fate of the Western world in the game of Diplomacy. And late at night, when it’s really time to finally get some sleep, it’s hard to back out of a couple of games of Werewolf.

Another tradition at the con is the Origins Awards, and this year I think the dedicated board gamers will be a lot happier. In the category of Card Games, Dominion actually came out ahead of Monty Python Flux. Pandemic won the Board Games category. Other highlights included Mouseguard winning in the RPG category and Say Anything in Children’s, Family, and Party Games. For the rest of the details, check out the full report at Critical-Hits.

Sunday was slow—just enough time for a few more games of Dominion: Intrigue and a quick check for discounts on the show floor before people had to run off and catch their flights for home.