Origins Award Nominees Announced
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The Game Manufacturers Association (GAMA) has announced the nominees for this year's Origin Awards, designed to recognize the best new games of 1999.

The nominees were chose by all Fellows of the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design. "Generally, the top five vote-getters from the nominations round in each category go on the final ballot," according to GAMA's Web site. "However, if there is a close tie for fifth place, or if the Academy committee feel that a particular product was overlooked in the process or is especially deserving, there may be more than five nominees in a single category."

About.com Poll What was the best abstract board game of 1999? Button Men Deadwood Elemental Ta Yu Tile Chess Current Results

The winners are selected by the general public, with an online ballot available soon and ballots also available in several print publications. (Inductees to the GAMA Hall of Fame and the winners in Best Graphic Presentation categories are not voted on by the public.)

The winning games will be announced at the Origins Awards Ceremony on July 14, 2000, at the Origins International Game Expo & Fair in Columbus, Ohio.

Following are the nominees in categories likely to be of most interest to readers of this site, along with a set of four unofficial polls to get your take on all the categories directly related to boardgaming.

Best Abstract Board Game of 1999

• Button Men, Cheapass Games
• Deadwood, Cheapass Games
• Elemental, Kenzer & Company
• Ta Yu, Rio Grande Games
• Tile Chess, Steve Jackson Games

Best Historical Board Game of 1999

• Great War at Sea: 1904-1905, The Russo-Japanese Naval War, Avalanche Press
• Ra, Rio Grande Games
• Tikal, Rio Grande Games
• Totaler Krieg!, Decision Games
• War Galley, GMT Games
• War in Europe, Decision Games

About.com Poll What was the best historical board game of 1999? Great War at Sea Ra Tikal Totaler Krieg! War Galley War in Europe Current Results

Best Science Fiction or Fantasy Board Game of 1999

• Andromeda, Rio Grande Games
• Orcs at the Gates, Jolly Roger Games
• Ricochet Robot, Rio Grande Games
• Stephensons Rocket, Rio Grande Games
• Thunder's Edge, Fantasy Flight Games

Best Graphic Presentation of a Board Game of 1999

• Button Men, Cheapass Games
• Ra, Rio Grande Games
• Stephensons Rocket, Rio Grande Games
• Tikal, Rio Grande Games
• Thunder's Edge, Fantasy Flight Games

Best Trading Card Game of 1999

• 7th Sea: No Quarter!, Alderac Entertainment Group
• Tomb Raider, Precedence Entertainment, Inc.
• Young Jedi CCG: Menace of Darth Maul, Decipher, Inc.

About.com Poll What was the best science fiction or fantasy board game of 1999? Andromeda Orcs at the Gates Ricochet Robot Stephensons Rocket Thunder's Edge Current Results

Best Traditional Card Game of 1999

• Apples to Apples, Out of the Box Publishing, LLC
• Brawl, Cheapass Games
• Chez Geek, Steve Jackson Games
• Fight City, Cheapass Games
• Reiner Knizia's Digging, Avalanche Press

Best Card Game Expansion or Supplement of 1999

• 7th Sea: Strange Vistas, Alderac Entertainment Group
• Airlines 2, Avalanche Press
• Doomtown: Reaping of Souls, Wizards of the Coast
• Urza's Legacy, Wizards of the Coast
• Young Jedi CCG: The Jedi Council, Decipher, Inc.

Best Graphic Presentation of a Card Game or Expansion of 1999

• 7th Sea: No Quarter!, Alderac Entertainment Group
• Brawl, Cheapass Games
• Ceasar & Cleopatra, Rio Grande Games
• Doomtown: Reaping of Souls, Wizards of the Coast
• Young Jedi CCG: The Jedi Council, Decipher, Inc.

About.com Poll What was the best graphic presentation of a board game in 1999? Button Men Ra Stephensons Rocket Tikal Thunder's Edge Current Results

Best Historical Miniatures Rules of 1999

• Armies of Antiquity, Warhammer Historical Wargames
• Battles for Empire, Quantum Publishing
• Fire Brigade, Jolly Roger Games
• Piquet: Blitzkrieg, Piquet, Inc.
• The Rough Riders, Old Glory
• Warfare in the Age of Discovery, Emperor1s Press

Best Science Fiction or Fantasy Miniatures Rules of 1999

• Babylon 5 Wars 2nd Edition, Agents of Gaming
• Battlefleet Gothic, Games Workshop
• Diskwars, Fantasy Flight Games
• Plastic Ships and Fuzzy Men, Inner City Games
• Vor: The Maelstrom, FASA Corp.

Best Historical Figure Miniatures Series of 1999

• Demi-Brigadier French Line Infantry 1796, Imperialist Enterprises
• German Assault Squad, Easy Eight Enterprises
• N-Scale WW II Line, Minifigs

Best Science Fiction or Fantasy Figure Miniature of 1999

• Cardboard Heroes Fantasy Characters, Steve Jackson Games
• Dragons Don't Share, Reaper Miniatures
• The Dragon Gauth, Reaper Miniatures
• Togashi Yokuni, Alderac Entertainment Group
• Vor: Growler Razorback Chieftain, FASA Corp.

Best Vehicle Miniature of 1999

• Babylon 5 Station, Agents of Gaming
• Mad Cat Battlemech (28mm Scale), Armorcast
• US Recon M8 Greyhound, Easy Eight Enterprises
• Vor: Union "Ares" Assault Suit, FASA Corp.
• White Star, Agents of Gaming

Best Amateur Game Magazine of 1999

• Anime Squared, A2 Press
• Herozine, Rising Force Publications
• Mythic Perspectives, Gnawing Ideas
• Serendipity's Circle, Wheeality Productions
• Midwest Wargamers Association Newsletter, Hal Thinglum
• Alarums & Excursions, Lee Gold

Best Professional Game Magazine of 1999

• Comics Retailer, Krause Publications
• Dork Tower, Corsair Publishing
• Games Quarterly Catalog, Matthews-Simmons Marketing
• Knights of the Dinner Table Magazine, Kenzer & Company
• Pyramid, Steve Jackson Games

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