Onitama is an excellent game. In fact, it’s one that should be in every gamer’s collection. We love it in our household, and it sees a lot of play from both myself and my kids. Imagine my excitement when I found out there’s an expansion to the game coming out in May.

Onitama: Sensei’s Path is a set of 16 new move cards for use in Onitama. They can be used as their own set of move cards or shuffled in with the previous cards to create a ton of new card combinations.

It goes without saying that you’ll need to base Onitama game to use Sensei’s Path. Sensei’s Path will retail for $12.99.

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Elegant. That’s probably the perfect word to describe Onitama, a new release from Arcane Wonders. A perfect-information, abstract game played on a 5×5 board, each player is trying to either capture the opponent’s Master, or get their Master to the opponent’s shrine. Everything from the box, the components, and the gameplay are top notch.

Onitama comes with a deck of cards that illustrate how a piece can move on a turn. At the start of the game you shuffle the deck, give two cards face up to each player, and put one card face up to the side of the board. Each turn a player will use one of their cards to move a pawn, then swap it with the card on the sidelines. The entire game is played with the same 5 cards cycling between the players. It’s a simple, and beautiful mechanic as players maneuver themselves around the board waiting for an opportunity to strike.

I was able to teach the game to my 6, 9, and 10-year-old with no problem at all, and each of them had enough of a grasp on the game to make smart decisions. My 6 and 10-year-old even beat me the first time they played. All 3 have also pulled the game out to play on their own on multiple occasions now.

I don’t think I can really say much more about it, as I’m already gushing quite a bit.

Onitama is more than worth the $20 you’ll spend to add it to your collection, and you should add it to your collection. It’s a game that I believe will stand the test of time, and always have a spotlight space on my game shelf.

Onitama was provided free for review by Arcane Wonders.

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A beautiful looking 2-player abstract game with perfect information and small footprint? I’m all in.

Arcane Wonders will be releasing Onitama soon, and that’s not soon enough for me. The game has players choosing between two moves each turn, with the goal of removing  the opponent’s main piece from the board. The moves available to each player cycle through 5 cards. Each player will always have two, while the fifth replaces the one that was just played.

MSRP will be $29.99.

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The winners of the 2015 Origins Awards, as given out by The Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design at the Origins Game Fair, are:

• Best Game Accessory—Wings of Glory Game Mat from Ares Games
• Best Historical Miniatures Rules—Sails of Glory from Ares Games
• Best Historical Miniatures Rules Supplement—Battleground Europe from Warlord Games
• Best Historical Miniatures Figure or Line—Sails of Glory Series 2 from Ares Games
• Best Historical Board Game—Heroes of Narmandie from Iello
• Best Traditional Card Game—Splendor from Asmodee
• Best Collectible Card Game or Expansion—Magic: The Gathering Khans of Tarkir from Wizards of the Coast
• Best Miniatures Rules or Expansion—Golem Arcana from Harebrained Schemes
• Best Miniatures Figure or Line—Dungeons & Dragons Attack Wing from WizKids
• Best Roleplaying Game—Dungeons & Dragons Player’s Handbook from Wizards of the Coast
• Best Roleplaying Supplement or Adventure—Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual from Wizards of the Coast
• Best Family, Party or Children’s Game—The Hare and the Tortoise from Iello
• Best Board Game—Sheriff of Nottingham from Arcane Wonders

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Battleground Domination, the first release of expansions for Mage Wars Arena, is now available for pre-order on Arcane Wonders official site.

With the introduction of custom puzzle-cut tiles, players can construct their very own arena layout designs and make use of the special terrain effects on the tiles to their advantage. A brand new game mode named ‘Domination’ also allows players to win in an alternative way by gaining control of the valuable power resource V’Tar orbs. Additionally, 1 copy each of Ankh of Asyra and Blur promo cards will be given as a special bonus in the first printing of the expansion.

Players can choose from two delivery options in the current pre-order: 1) pick-up at Origins 2015, which will be held June 3rd – 7th, or 2) direct shipment upon its expected full release in July 2015. The game plays 2 – 4 players in 90 minutes, pre-order price $44.99.

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