Words and Coffee

On My Wishlist for 2009

When I was 13, I had a subscription to Dragon magazine (now available only with an online subscription). I would pore over the pages endlessly, wondering about all the cool stuff I saw in there from ads for Bandersnatch Leathers dice bag to gaming conventions. Gen Con was the mack daddy of gaming cons (and still is). So, 26 years later, I finally went.

It was awesome.

I mean that in so many respects – the amount of people, the number of people who liked to dress in costume, the amount of gaming opportunities, the myriad ways to dump cash.

My goal was simple – game as much as possible. I had hoped to play some regular Dungeons and Dragons, but I did not sign up in advance and they were pretty well filled up. I changed my approach and made every effort to play games that I hadn’t played before. I wound up playing Aerodrome 1.1, Game of Thrones Card Game, Chaos Marauders, Last Night on Earth, Call of Cthulhu 6th edition and Age of Conan. I also got an overview of Android from Fantasy Flight Games.

I spent most of my time at the Aerodrome table because I could get in pretty easily (the guys running the show were very nice and enthusiastic about newcomers) and the people playing were fun to be around.

I also spent a good bit of time hovering around the Fantasy Flight Games exhibitions because I think they do such a good job from great production values to game mechanics. Although I did not get to play Android, it looks pretty cool. They had a couple of games of Android going during the convention with a running time of about 5 hours. It looked complex, but in a good, conspiracy theory layered over murder mystery kind of way.

If nothing else, Gen Con was great for getting my gaming fix. I’ve already marked it on my calendar for next year. I didn’t write nearly as much as I thought I would, but I have no regrets about taking a little break to explore fantasy settings in a different way.

The Best Four Days in Gaming!

I’m getting ready to head to Gen Con for the first time ever on Wednesday. I’ve got some friends out in Indy who are avid Magic the Gathering players and a friend from here in WV with whom I game. It should be good, although I don’t know exactly what to expect. I haven’t signed up for any games in hopes of being able to get in on some pick up stuff. I look forward to checking out the retail hall and the Authors’ Avenue. It should be rollicking good time, a laugh a minute thrill ride. Of course I’ll be bringing my trusty new laptop (should be rolling in tomorrow) so that I may get some words down while there (we’ll see).

Grab your boiled leather and prepare for intrigue.

My brother and his wife came over and the four of us delved into A Game of Thrones board game. This was the second time we played since I got it for Christmas. The rules take a while to get down, but once we got rolling, good stuff. If you like games, especially ones with a little meat on the bones, check this out.