Events Spotlight – Cooperative Board Games

Greetings, U-Con Community!

We’re still looking for lots more GMs and events for GMs to run!  Remember that GMs get a hefty discount if they run 8 hours of games, and their badge is free if they run 16 hours!  

This week on the Events Spotlight, we’re going to talk a bit about cooperative board games.  Cooperative games are ones where players play together, attempting to reach a common goal before the game defeats them.  If you’ve never GM’d a board game before, these are a fantastic place to start!  You’ll be able to provide teaching tips all during the game without ruining game balance between players. Many cooperative games have adjustable difficulties, so you can tailor your experience to those who sign up for your event.  

Let’s go over some of the cooperative games that have been submitted to U-Con 2022:

Spirit Island – This is a game where you play different spirits protecting the local residents of an island from colonial invaders.  Each spirit plays very differently and getting everyone’s different skills to work together is key to save the locals from being overrun.

World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King – Based off of the MMORPG Expansion from Blizzard Entertainment and using the Pandemic System, this game requires players to complete 3 quests on the isle of Northrend before gaining access to Icecrown Citadel to defeat the Lich King himself.  This is the most unique of the Pandemic system games in that there are dice used during combat with the undead hordes and completing quest objectives along with cards in hand. 

Sentinels of the Multiverse  – A now classic superhero game with unique decks for player heroes, villains, and different environments to battle it out in.  Players will get equipment, play skills and one-shots, and stop the nefarious villain plans before they run out of health.

Legendary Encounters – Alien  – A spin off from the original Legendary series, Legendary Encounters: Alien uses the movie series for different missions to survive against the xenomorphs.  This is a deck building game with a unique threat system with cards that can be scanned before they activate at the end of the track. 

Looking for suggestions for potential games not already submitted?  Options include the Forbidden series (Island, Desert, or Sky), the Horrified series, Atlantis Rising, Escape: The Curse of the Temple, or an Escape Room game like Exit or Unlock.