We are just two months away from the sixth annual Southern Board Game Fest, which everyone lovingly calls “SoBo”. Every year, one of the most popular parts of the event is our Play-to-Win section. This is made possible with the help of Envoy and some very generous game publishers who donate games for attendees to enjoy.

The idea behind Play-to-Win is quite simple. We set up a large table with 25 to 35 different games each day. Attendees can come by, check out the games, and play them right there at the festival. Once a player finishes a game, they get their name entered into a drawing. At the end of the day, a winner is chosen for each specific game that was played.

This setup creates a win-win situation for everyone involved. The festival gets a fantastic event that helps us sell tickets to raise money for the New Hope Foundation, a mentoring service for youth in our local town. Board gamers love it because they get to try out new games easily and have a chance to win them for free. Publishers also love the event because for the cost of just one game, they get lots of photos and publicity. Plus, we let the local game vendors know which games are available so they can stock them for players who do not win the drawing.

Games to Watch For at the Fest

While the final list of games has not been finalized yet, I wanted to highlight some of the interesting titles that caught my eye. To get your reservation for the Southern Board Game Fest, which takes place March 20-22, 2026, in beautiful downtown Lafayette, Louisiana, you should visit the official website.

From Stonemaier Games, we have three entries this year. First is Rolling Realms Redux, which is a new version of Stegmaier’s popular roll-and-write system featuring new realms based on favorite board games. Second is Euphoria, one of the older titles in their catalog that is getting a new edition soon. The third one, and probably my favorite of the three, is Origin Story. This is a cool new trick-taking game with a superhero theme.

Road to Infamy Games is sending us a copy of Formaggio, and that one should be very popular. It is the first stand-alone expansion from the creators of Formage, a simultaneous playing game about making cheese. This time, the players venture into Italy for a new adventure.

Our friends from Houston, Carla and Nick from Weird Giraffe Games, are sending us a bunch of games. One of the titles for sure will be A Gift of Tulips, a beautiful little card game designed by Sara Perry. Like all of the Weird Giraffe titles, it is easy to teach and has breezy little turns. It is one of my favorite Weird Giraffe games. If you are asking, my absolute favorite game from Weird Giraffe is Studies in Sorcery.

If you like Reiner Knizia’s designs, our friends at Bitewing Games have a treat for you. We will have a nice selection of Dr. Knizia’s recently released games in the library, and we will announce those names as we get closer to the event. On the play-to-win side, we will have Gingham designed by Robert Hovakimyan and Gussy Gorillas, designed by Nick Murray.

Thunderworks Games offered us a copy of FlipToons, which I am personally excited for because I have never seen it in person. I have only played it on Board Game Arena and did not quite understand it with my usual method of learning online. I would like to try it on the table with real cards and pieces.

Finally, last but certainly not least, one of our most generous backers each year is the wonderful team at Flatout Games. We will definitely have some of their most exciting recent releases, including Point Galaxy, which I think is the best version of this game. Once we confirm the rest of the games from them, I will be sure to follow up with more details.

In fact, my plan is to post a “top ten games you should try to play-to-win” as we get closer to the festival date. We have got a bunch more games to announce as they come in from publishers. But if you have any questions regarding SoBo or our play-to-win section, please let me know. You can find out more information at the festival website.

Until next time, or until SoBo, laissez les bon temps rouler!