• The Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design, which oversees the Origins Awards at the annual Origins Game Fair, has streamlined its award categories from nine to seven: Board Games; Card Games (includes dice and deck-building games); Collectibles (all games with a collectible component); Role-Playing Games; Family Games; Game Accessories; and Miniatures. An excerpt from the press release announcing this change:
General Strategy Games: Multi-Player Category
• AquaSphere
• Deus
• Elysium
• Five Tribes
• Hyperborea
• Kraftwagen
• La Granja
• Orléans
• Panamax
• Quartermaster General
• Roll for the Galaxy
• The Voyages of Marco Polo
General Strategy Games: Two-Player Category
• Baseball Highlights: 2045
• Fields of Arle
• Patchwork
• Star Realms
• Star Wars: Armada
• Wir Sind das Volk!
The IGA members, located throughout Europe and North America, plan to announce the winners in the September/October time frame. (Annual disclosure: I'm a member of the IGA, but do not vote.)
• In Washington state in the U.S., King County Superior Court Commissioner Henry Judson has ordered (PDF) that Altius Management — which ran a Kickstarter campaign in 2012 for Asylum playing cards and collected more than $25,000 — to pay $54,851 in penalties, court costs, and restitution to KS backers in Washington due to Altius not following through on its promises. Here's part of a press release about the order from the Washington State Attorney General:
"Washington state will not tolerate crowdfunding theft," said Ferguson. "If you accept money from consumers, and don't follow through on your obligations, my office will hold you accountable."