Monthly Archives: August 2011

Gencon Hotspots

So, people were kind enough to help me out with suggestions about new things that they’re going to get a chance to pick up at Gencon, so I may now stew in my own juices of jealousy and think teeth-gnashing thoughts while I miss the conventions. Still, no reason I should be alone in this, so join me in running through this list and stew alongside me. Oh, and if you happen to actually be going to Gencon and just happen to benefit from this, well, I suppose it can’t be helped.

Green Ronin – Booth 965
Dragon Age (Second Boxed Set) – I preordered this, so I got mine a few days ago (it’s awesome) but this is it’s real coming out party. I’ve written a lot about how awesome Dragon Age is, but also complained about the ceiling that the first boxed set (which limits things to levels 1-5 imposes. This second boxed set covers level 6-10 and includes a lot of things people felt were missing in the core, like Grey Wardens.

They should also have the first big supplement for DC adventures (Heroes & Villains, I think?). If you haven’t looked at this game, you need to, if only because it’s all SO DAMN PRETTY.

Burning Wheel – Booth 311
Burning Wheel Gold – If you, like me, missed out on the very narrow pre-order window, this is your chance to grab it. I still haven’t seen this, but I want to. The price is good, production is (predictably) fantastic but most importantly, this is the new version of a game that has seen more deep, careful thought and attention to what makes it go than pretty much anything I can think of. Luke knows his stuff, and while I don’t expect this to be a revolutionary change from the existing Burning Wheel, I expect is to be pretty damn spiffy.

I don’t know if they’ll have it for sale, but hopefully they will have a display copy of the Mouseguard Boxed Set to show off. You want to see it.

Machine Age Productions – Booth 1356
I think (hope) they’re going to have Amaranthine available for sale, and as awesome as that is, you really need to go there to see the gaming patches. Seriously. If I were there it’s the first thing I’d be hitting on the dealer floor.

Cubicle 7 – Booth 711
Yes, they’re going to have The One Ring, and that’s a big deal, but greatly overshadowed in my mind by Airship Pirates. As far as i can tell, this is basically wall to wall steampunk porn, and I understand there’s an audience for this sort of thing. They should also have a sci-fi game called In Flames that I know nothing about.

I also expect a few awesome things in the Cubicle 7 Penumbra, hopefully including Ashen Stars and Stealing Chthulu, but I can’t speak to it for sure.

Third Eye Games – Booth 605

Part Time Gods – People I’ve needed with will long attest that I’ve bemoaned the lack of a “Street Nobilis” game. I am no longer bemoaning.

Flying Frog – Booth 1421
Fortune & Glory – It’s a boardgame from Flying Frog who have done cool adventure boardgames with strong themes in the past (Last Night on Earth, A Touch of Evil). This one is billed as a Cliffhanger game, and it looks pulpy. I admit, that’s pretty awesome.

FFG – Booth EVERYWHERE
Black Crusade – I Guess it’s for playing Chaos Space Marines?

Outrider Studios – Booth 1544
Mentioned these guys yesterday for Remnants, but folding thim in here for completeness!

Other Awesome Things That Might Be at IPR, I Think
, Wherever it is
Do – Well, yeah, I’ll plug it. It’s beyond gorgeous, Daniel remains talented beyond all reasonable measure. I can’t say enough good things about it, so go check it out.
Bulldogs – I’ve mentioned before how excited I am for this one – it’s Brennan Taylor’s Sci-Fi RPG with a fFATE engine and a chassis made of Han Solo.
Dungeon World – A hack of apocalypse world designed to handle classic dungeon crawling goodness. This is going to be, by my understanding, the basic edition, with a release schedule somewhat akin to Dragon Age (with more stuff/rules to come later) but I don’t know all the details. What I do know is that I’ve been curiously watching this develop, and I’d pick it up in a hot second.
Shelter In Place – I mention this only so you can share my bitterness. A survival horror LARP by
the remarkably talented J.R. Blackwell, it’s my understanding the Gencon copies are already sold out.
Kerberos Club (Fate Edition) – Kerberos Club was already super-neat, so adding in a FATE engine is basically a big present JUST FOR ME!
Kingdom Come – It’s a LARP thing, and that may be a turnoff for some, so all is well and good. I admit, I know almost nothing about this, but I have suspicions. Specifically, I have suspicions that this is born from the brains of some Canadian LARPers who are basically the super-secret-ninja-masters of truly awesome LARPing.

So, what did I miss?

A Gencon Plug

Stepping off the design train briefly as we start warming up for Gencon (which I will not be attending, sadly), and I have a larger post in the works about all the new things I regret I won’t be seeing which you should totally check out. However, I want to make a smaller recommendation today, perhaps even a request.

If you get a chance, stop by booth 1544 – Outrider Studios. There are a few reasons for this, and I’ll break them down.

First, they have a game called Remnants which is pretty sweet. It’s a post-apocalyptic game centered around battling suits of power armor, and while that’s pretty cool in its own right, it makes a lot of little decisions that make it even more interesting than the premise. The core system is fairly lightweight, with some pretty clear Tri-Stat influence (that’s a good thing) but some very clever tweaking, including it’s handling of critical failures. More interestingly, it strikes a very interesting balance between providing a detailed setting and recognizing the flexible elements of the premise. Of all things, it’s reminiscent of Sorcerer in that regard – a nice little engine with a strong core idea that is reasonably easy to skin in a variety of ways that stay within theme. Also, it deserves kudos for production – it’s a $20 game (great price point) that looks good and is cleanly laid out.

So there’s that. Also, I had the pleasure of spending some time in conversation with the Outrider folks at Origins, and they’re good people. Perhaps more persuasively, they’re folks who have decided to make a go of this crazy gaming madness, and have decided to take the risk to come down for the conventions. This is, to put it bluntly, expensive and a lot of work, and they’re absolutely taking a risk in following this route, and I hope it pays off for them.

I had, I should note, not ever hear do these guys before Origins, and that was a useful reminder to me that for all I try to keep on top of things and think of myself as watching the hobby for new entrants, I can’t see everything, and I’m still going to be surprised when someone comes in from a vector unfamiliar to me. This is a good, awesome, and humbling thing.

Anyway, the last reason is that it will take you over to Entrepreneur’s Avenue, if you check out the map of the dealer’s hall, you’ll see there’s a little cluster of booths. This is where you’re going to see the people you’ve never heard of before, and that’s important. It’s all well and good to be going to Gencon to get the new releases you know are coming, but if that’s all you get, then you’re missing out. New releases can always be gotten later, but there are people and things at Gencon that you won’t see anywhere else. Take the time to look at those, let yourself be surprised, and maybe try something new and unexpected.

It might suck. I have a small stack of bought-and-played-once games from gencons past, but I also have some pleasant surprises. Remnants, I should add, was one of them.

So, please, do me a favor. If you’re there, swing by and just say hi. Take a look at their stuff, talk to them for a few minutes. Obviously, don’t buy anything unless it grabs you, but allow yourself the opportunity to be pleasantly surprised.