The best "Charles S. Roberts Awards🇺🇸" winners and nominees 2026

Dune: Imperium is a strategic deck-building game inspired by the iconic Dune universe, incorporating elements from both the recent film adaptation and the classic novels. Players lead one of the Great Houses in the interstellar political landscape of the Landsraad.

Undaunted: Normandy is a deck-building war game that immerses players in the pivotal battles of Normandy following the D-Day landings during World War II. It offers a unique blend of strategy, historical warfare, and deck management.

Lords of Waterdeep immerses players in the vibrant and politically charged city of Waterdeep, the Crown Jewel of the Forgotten Realms. In this strategic board game designed for 2-5 players, you assume the identity of one of the enigmatic Lords of Waterdeep, the city's clandestine rulers. As a Lord, you'll navigate a web of intrigue and compete with other powerful figures to exert control over this remarkable city. Let's explore the game's key features:

Memoir '44 is a historical board game that recreates some of the most iconic battles of World War II, allowing players to engage in strategic warfare with a focus on simplicity and historical accuracy.

Stalingrad, 1942, is a grueling conflict that affects the entire Eastern Front. Players must use strategy and bravery to secure this pivotal stronghold while every loss in battle decreases their forces for the entire campaign. Through up to fifteen branching scenarios, decisions influence the fate of Stalingrad and possibly the war itself, allowing for varied playthroughs despite the lasting consequences of actions taken. This standalone campaign game features over 300 unique illustrations and 150 vivid mission descriptions, immersing players in a crucial moment of history.

Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures Game immerses players in the iconic universe of Star Wars, offering a tactical ship-to-ship combat experience. In this game, players assume control of detailed miniatures representing the powerful Rebel X-wings and the agile Imperial TIE fighters, engaging in thrilling dogfights that are a hallmark of the Star Wars saga. The game is not just about controlling ships but also involves strategic planning and execution of maneuvers, making it an engaging experience for fans of tactical combat and the Star Wars universe.

Sekigahara: The Unification of Japan is a strategic war game for two players, allowing them to relive the pivotal battle of Sekigahara in 1600, which unified Japan under the Tokugawa shogunate for over 250 years. Players take on the roles of either Ishida Mitsunari, defending the rightful heir, or Tokugawa Ieyasu, the most powerful daimyo, as they gather armies from their allies, all the while questioning their loyalty. With no use of dice, the game emphasizes strategy and loyalty through card mechanics, where cards are essential for motivating armies to fight. Loyalty is a fluctuating resource, represented by hand size, and battles involve deploying hidden units based on loyalty, with the potential for defections. The game aims to provide a historically accurate experience within a concise and intuitive set of rules, focusing on strategic deployment and the significance of loyalty without relying on luck to determine outcomes.

Commands & Colors: Ancients is a historical wargame that spans a vast period from the Dawn of Military History to the onset of the Dark Ages. This game, part of the acclaimed Commands & Colors system, offers players a unique opportunity to reenact famous battles with a focus on historical accuracy and strategic depth, all while maintaining streamlined gameplay.

Embark on a captivating journey through Victorian London alongside the legendary detective Sherlock Holmes in Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: The Thames Murders & Other Cases. This immersive and challenging game allows you to step into the shoes of a detective, matching wits with Holmes himself.

Commands & Colors: Napoleonics transports players to the tumultuous battlefield of the Napoleonic era, offering a unique blend of historical accuracy and strategic gameplay. This game pits the French army, led by Napoleon Bonaparte, against the forces of the British Empire, capturing the intense rivalry and the grandeur of Napoleonic warfare.

Wonderland's War is an imaginative and strategic board game set in a war-torn Wonderland. Players take on the roles of iconic characters like Alice, the Mad Hatter, and the Red Queen, each leading their faction to vie for control in a beautifully chaotic Wonderland.

Spain, 1936: General Franco's troops move in, leading to a long period of civil war and oppression. A group of Republicans continues the armed struggle, forming resistance groups known as the "Maquis," who risk their lives hidden in the mountains to defend democratic ideals.

Battle Cry immerses players in the tumultuous era of the American Civil War, offering a low-complexity, highly modular board game experience. Through the strategic use of hexagonal tiles, players can recreate a variety of historical battlefields, bringing the conflict to life with an extensive collection of plastic miniatures representing infantry, cavalry, artillery, and leaders. The heart of the game lies in its innovative use of cards, which command troops across the battlefield's flanks and center, a system that would become the foundation for Richard Borg's acclaimed Command and Colors system.

Two players control the armies of Julius Caesar and Pompey during the Roman civil wars (49-45 BC). As they vie for control of Rome, players engage in a card-driven block game to move, seize territories, or play events on a Mediterranean map featuring 13 victory point cities. Take charge of veteran legions or train new ones and strategize your path to becoming the emperor of Rome.

Players travel to the frozen continent of Northrend to confront the armies of the Lich King in this "Pandemic System" game, adapted to fit the setting of Wrath of the Lich King. They take on the roles of legendary heroes from Azeroth, such as Thrall and Varian Wrynn, each with unique abilities to aid in and out of battle. Players complete quests and fight against hordes of undead while facing dark magic and terrifying creatures in their quest to reach the Icecrown Citadel for a final showdown.

Twilight Struggle offers an immersive journey through a pivotal period in history, where the world stood on the brink of nuclear annihilation. This two-player game takes place during the forty-five year rivalry between the Soviet Union and the United States. Instead of traditional warfare, players engage in a dance of intrigue, prestige, and the occasional outbreak of hostilities. As the superpowers strive to make the world safe for their ideologies, you'll navigate a complex web of politics, espionage, and strategy. The game begins in the aftermath of World War II, with both superpowers scrambling for control, and concludes in 1989, leaving only one superpower standing.

Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy is an enhanced version of the original Eclipse game, first released in 2011. It's a grand strategy game set in the depths of space, where players lead their own interstellar civilizations to explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate.

Set in the year 1916, the game focuses on the intense battles over Verdun using a card-driven, area control system. Players must decide whether to reinforce Verdun or play cards to gain victory points elsewhere, while both sides experience the initiative and the French counterattack is simulated. The game includes an introductory scenario, two short scenarios for quick play, and a campaign that can be completed in one afternoon.

In 1914, the Ottoman Empire agreed to shelter the fleeing German battleship Goeben, renamed Yavuz, as World War I erupted in Europe. As players control the Young Turks, they try to sustain the empire amidst the chaos of war, fighting against British-led forces, Russian armies, and a Hashemite Arab revolt. Despite earlier victories, the Ottomans faced inevitable defeat by October 1918; can you lead them to success where history failed?

A comedic card game about the nuclear confrontation between anxious world powers and nervous diplomats. Players compete for dominance, using propaganda, espionage, and constructing space platforms for peaceful purposes. Ultimately, diplomacy fails and rockets start launching!

Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game is a semi-cooperative game that captures the tension and intrigue of the acclaimed Sci-Fi Channel series. It combines elements of mistrust, survival, and strategic gameplay.

Space Hulk: Death Angel – The Card Game is a cooperative card game set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, where players team up as Space Marines to clear out a spaceship infested with Genestealers.

Votes for Women is a card game that focuses on the American women's suffrage movement from 1848 to 1920, culminating in the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment. Players can engage in cooperative play against the "Oppobot" or play solo, aiming to get the amendment passed by Congress and ratified by three-quarters of the states, while the opposition seeks to block it. The game lasts six rounds, involving card draws, bidding for strategy cards, and gameplay that includes event plays and campaign actions.

Richard Borg transports players into an exciting new space-themed board game with two complete fleets of hard plastic ships. In Red Alert: Space Fleet Warfare, two to six players duel in space, using command cards to create a "fog of war" and resolve battles quickly with dice. Combat cards increase the tension, challenging players to maintain their star token reserves to power their cards, while task force cards allow for the rapid deployment of spaceship fleets.

Players reenact important battles from Japanese history using flexible troop formations and terrain features. The game includes scenarios that vary in scale, with some representing entire clans while others depict just a few brave warriors.

Dungeons & Dragons: Castle Ravenloft Board Game draws you into the mysterious and perilous Castle Ravenloft. This game, crafted by Bill Slavicsek, Mike Mearls, and Peter Lee, is designed for 1-5 players. It features a variety of scenarios, quests, and cooperative gameplay elements, making it a captivating experience for fans of fantasy and adventure.

The RAF faces off against the Luftwaffe in this two-player card game set during World War II aerial battles. In the summer of 1940, Germany's war machine has overrun the continent, and Britain is the last barrier to a German victory in Europe. Command seasoned pilots of the Luftwaffe or the resourceful RAF as they engage in dynamic aerial combat, ensuring pilot cohesion and evading anti-aircraft fire to secure victory in the skies.

Players take command of various World War I Zeppelin airships as part of the Imperial German Navy in this tactical solo game. The objective is to conduct bombing raids against English military targets and gather intelligence over the North Sea while surviving the conflict. The game features a strong historical narrative and emphasizes strategic decisions made during each mission, with a mix of random events and consequences reflecting the unpredictability of warfare.

Hammer of the Scots transports players back to the turbulent times of William Wallace, the legendary "Braveheart," and his rebellion against English rule. This historical board game pits two players against each other in a strategic battle for control over Scotland. One player takes on the role of the English, aiming to pacify Scotland by securing the loyalty of its nobles. The opposing player, representing the Scots, fights for freedom, rallying nobles to resist English domination.

Dungeon! is a board game that captures the essence of dungeon exploration, reminiscent of the classic Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game but in a more streamlined and accessible format. Players delve into a multi-level dungeon, each level presenting increasing challenges and more valuable treasures. The game features a variety of character classes, each with unique combat abilities, with the wizard being notable for his spellcasting capabilities.