One of the best things about going to PAX Australia last month was meeting so many Australian games designers. I love supporting local creatives through buying and playing their games but they're not that easy to find. The last time I went into one of the major Australian games shops and asked for a game by an Australian designer they could only point to two different titles (one of which I already owned) so I assumed there just weren't that many Australian games being created. How wrong one person can be!
At PAX there were designers playing games that had already been published and were available for sale as well as prototypes of games by up and coming games designers. I got to play so many great new prototypes from the improv story telling of Heckle Havoc to the memory workout of Coffee Up to the tile drafting and assembly of Flat Packed. All these games felt fresh with new mechanics or twists on old themes.
After meeting so many local designers, I decided to go on a hunt for games by Australian designers and create a list of some of my favourites. If you want a massive list, check this out.
Sushi Go
Phil Walker-Harding is the super talented and successful brain behind many great games including Bärenpark, Cacao, Imhotep and Sushi Go. And these are just his titles that I've played – there are SOOOO many more! Sushi Go is the game we played over and over again when the girls were small. It's super cute set-collecting card game where you have to collect sets of sushi and sometimes use chopsticks.
Harding is so prolific that he has even started up his own games publishing company, Joey Games.
Elevenses
Designed by David Harding, Elevenses is an adorable morning tea themed card game. The gorgeous artwork is reminiscent of the 1920s and the art deco movement. It even comes with little sugar cubes to sweeten your cuppa! This a super cosy game for those raining afternoons the you feel like a bug and something compose to play.
Harding has also designed Matcha and One Zero One.
Fluttering Souls
Almost the first thing I did when I went to PAX 2024 was impulse buy this game because to looked pretty and was less than $20. Created by Joel Lewis, this light two player game was based on the Japanese legend of the White Butterfly.
The game play is pretty simple – you want to collect sets of butterflies from the grid on the table to score the most points. Some of the cards are face down making it trickier and there is a card you can play on to the table to block other players. Each round you win scores you a wooden butterfly. The player with the most butterflies at the end of three rounds is the winner.
Kitsunedo
Kitsunedo was another impulse purchase from PAX 2024, this time late on the last day. I had just been through Ukiyo's fantasy dark room experience and wanted more of this incredible world. The art work is stunning, I got my box signed by the designer and am now regretting not buying the extra player cards!
I haven't had a chance to play the game yet but from what I know it's all about deception and bluffing – prefect for those cut-throat evenings of game play!
Land & Sea
Meeting John Paul, the designer of Land and Sea was a huge highlight of PAX 2024. I even got to play the game with him explaining the rules and telling me about its design and hidden easter eggs on the cards. Tell me that's not cool! Talk about a super geek moment. Of course I just had to go and buy the game and then get it signed. Cos you know, I'm a collector (and I adore the Missy Higgins song of the same name) and huge fan girl!
Land and Sea is a tile placement game with layer on layer on layer. It sounds simple. One player is land and is trying to make the biggest island possible. The other player is sea and is trying to create enormous oceans. But then there are bonus point which can be stolen plus mountain ranges and coral reefs, caravans and ship to spice things up. I bought this game because to was fun to play, beauiftul to look at and I knew it was right up the Lovely G's alley.
Menagerie
This is the game that started it all for our family!
Deisgend by Jindabyne park rangers, Dan Nicholls & Pat Darlington, this is a game of collecting Australian animals. Along the way you learn fun facts about the animals and the habitats they live in. The base game is lots of fun to play with young children although we typically played without the threats and threat management strategies. I feel these cards would work well for older players. There are also many habitat add-ons that you can purchase and they come with more animals cards and a new habitat to add to you existing ones. Packs available including the coral reef and the Australian Alps.
Other games by Australian designers include:
18 Holes by Ryan Boucher
Blood on the Clock Tower by Steven Medway
Elysium by Matthew Duncan
Fair and Unfair by Joel Finch
Skyward by Brendan Evans
Trust Me I'm A Doctor by Jack Ford Morgan
After attending PAX Australia, I managed to double my collection of games by Australian designers! And now I'm more passionate than ever about supporting our great wealth of local talent. I can't wait to go to PAX again next year and see who else I can discover!
Next time you're in local games store, ask them for one of these Australian designed titles so we can get more games by locals on the shelves and in the hands of players!
