Geo Facts Challenge

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How many of us only know where Winnipeg is because we played Ticket to Ride, or Kinshasa because of Pandemic, or Kamchatka because of Risk? None of these games are educational in nature, per se, and yet for many gamers, they have been more effective teachers of geography than a textbook.

Your goal for the GeoFacts Challenge is to design a game with memorable geographical information, whether it be countries or capitals, volcanoes or valleys, or annual caribou migration corridors. The game should use modern mechanics and a printed map with real location names. Both the map and the geographical information should be integrated into game play, but this contest is about fun - don't disguise homework assignments as games!

While geography facts are essential to the GeoFacts Challenge, this contest is not about trivia or memory recall. Whatever geographical information you choose to incorporate, players who have a greater factual knowledge of the topic should not have an advantage over players with lesser knowledge.

Examples of strategic games that use a well-integrated map with memorable locations: Twilight Struggle, Sun Tzu (2005), Italian Rails, Axis and Allies, Pandemic, Risk, Terraforming Mars, the Ticket to Ride series, and certain cases in Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective. While most of these games use a map of the world or a map of a specific country, contestants are not limited to maps of this nature.

Note that we're not looking for games with primarily decorative location names (as in Power Grid) - a good litmus test would be to ask yourself if a person could play your game five times without learning the geography facts in your game. If so, your geo facts may not be well-integrated. Also note that geography facts should be specific tidbits of info rather than general vocabulary words (the mountains/hills/plains regions in Barrage would be too generic for this contest).

The artwork and theme for all games must be appropriate for ages 12 and up.

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• Design a game with one or more memorable geographical facts. Examples of eligible facts include the name(s) of a country, state, city, river, lake, mountain, planet, or solar system; border adjacency between countries; the identification of a country based on its outline; and so forth. Successful games will emphasize the game's mechanics and will not appear to be educational in nature to the typical player.
• Each game must include a map based on a real location. The map may appear on a traditional medium (mat, board) or a nontraditional one (score pad, custom dice, stickers, play money, etc), so long as it is printed and not virtual. The map may be drawn by players or assembled as part of the game process (for instance, by layering clear cards or connecting acrylic pieces).
• Any theme, player count, and mechanism is allowed.
  • Trivia games and games with adult content will not be considered as finalists or honorable mentions. Games that rely on player judges (as in Apples to Apples) are discouraged.
  • Unfolding / legacy / campaign games are allowed; ideally, each session will play in under two hours. Note that if a game in this category is selected as a finalist, judges commit to play one session (but may play more at their discretion).
  • Micro-games and consumable/single-play games are allowed, but contestants are strongly encouraged to consider a lower price point for this genre of game.
• Entries will ideally play in under two hours, including set up. Special consideration is given to games that play in under 45 minutes.
• The total cost of your game must be $99.99 or less. Include all components necessary to play your game at the minimum player count, including any dice, dry erase markers, a method to keep score, and so forth.
• The game must have a printed rulebook.
• A PDF of your game rules must be downloadable from your game's shop page.
• Though not explicitly required, a 2-minute overview video is highly encouraged.
• All artwork must be your own, commissioned by you, licensed to you, or in the public domain. Be sure to attribute your images when required.
• The game must be publish-ready (as it relates to our shop, not as it relates to being finished). This means it has a logo, backdrop, shop ad, action shots, description, and cool factors. It must also have all images proofed.
• This must be a new game created for this contest. It cannot have existed on TGC prior to the start of the contest.
• All entries must be submitted through TGC's game editor (by clicking on the "Contests" button) no later than June 9, 2025 at 7pm US Central Time.
• Games and their shop page should not be changed after the contest deadline, until the finalists have been announced.
• Contestants may submit multiple entries to this contest. Each entry will be judged separately.

You retain all rights to your game, and are welcome to sell it in The Game Crafter shop during and after the contest, regardless of the outcome of the contest. Your game does not have to be available for sale to enter the contest.

The community voting process will be used to determine 20 semi-finalists.

Finalists and honorable mentions will be selected from all entries, not only semi-finalists. A game may receive both a finalist and honorable mention award.

To facilitate judging, contestants are encouraged to describe and/or list the memorable geographic information on the game's shop page.

Maps may be based on present day boundaries or historical delineations. Reimagined borders are allowed, as long as the map you create is based on real information. Example: War of the Rings and Star Wars Rebellion use purely fictional maps unsuitable for this contest. However, a game about a future ice age that presents the Florida Keys as connected to mainland Florida would be allowed, so long as the game map is based on real topographical data. Games may include fantastical elements (a team of dragons touring the 17 regions of Kazakhstan).

This contest will be judged by Estee Rekuc and Ben Teusch. We are looking for gameplay that could be described as strategic, lighthearted, celebratory, intense, and/or family-friendly rather than heavy-handed, preachy, or political. Ben likes 4x and RPG strategy games that use randomness to lessen the importance of planning. Estee enjoys crunchy Euros, epic campaigns, and quick light games.

Honorable mention prizes may be awarded for unique theme, suitability for a traditional classroom setting, innovative use of mechanics, cute artwork, runner-up games, or any other topic that strikes the judges' fancy. The winner will be determined using the scoring rubric provided.

The winner shall receive all of the following prizes:

• $150 from Estee Rekuc via PayPal.
• $500 of shop credit on thegamecrafter.com.
• Automatic Showcase status for their game on thegamecrafter.com.
• The possibility of judging a future contest.
• Induction into The Game Crafter Hall of Fame.

7 honorable mentions will receive $50 via PayPal from Estee Rekuc. If there are less than 25 entries, judges may award less than 7 honorable mentions.

Geo Facts and Map (10): Are the geography facts embedded in the game? Are they interesting? Is the map integrated with gameplay?

Shop Page (5): Would a typical person understand the game's mechanics and genre based on the information presented in the shop page? Is the win condition clear? Do readers have a feel for the game?

Appeal (5): Would this game appeal to its target audience? Does it seem fun to play?

Community Vote (5): Games will receive between zero and five points based on community vote ranking.

Game Synthesis (15): Is the game engaging? Are the mechanics interesting? Does the price point match the components and complexity level? Can this be enjoyed by the game's target audience? Does the game feel unique?

Geo Facts (10): Are the geography facts memorable, and are they embedded in the game? Will a player naturally learn the facts by playing the game?

Map (5): Is the map clear? Is it well-integrated with game play? Does it relate to the geography facts?

Fun Factor (5): Is the game fun to play? Does it have a positive tone?

Rules Clarity (5): Are the written rules unambiguous, concise, and easy to understand?

Bonus (up to 5): Games may receive bonus points for additional cool features.