Origins Update - Saturday

Another full day at Origins and it will be our last day since we need to get back to Chicago early Sunday. I missed some chances to play in some different games but was able to still squeeze in some fun nonetheless. First, I realized that I hadn't taken any pictures of the Exhibition Hall so I did a quick run snapping pictures along the way. It gave me a chance to learn more about Settlers of Catan from Mayfair Games. I looked for some HeroClix and books for Bessey but didn't find what he was looking for. (Sorry Brian!). I looked at this great game from Atlas Games called "Ren Faire" which is a cool card game with transparent cards. I also talked to the creator of a card supplement to D&D that creates random encounters and adventures. Interesting but a bit on the rough side. I also talked with our friends at Dwarven Forge and scoped out some of their products I might need later in the summer. GenCon perhaps? Finally, I made my way back to Catalyst Games and my "Purchase of the Con".

My best purchase of the convention is NOT a role playing game! It is "Dogfight" from Bucephalus Games. This came out last year but didn't really get much coverage until this year. It is what I am dubbing a "gateway drug for Aerodrome 2.0". It is a four piece wooden board with hexagons. When in the box, these boards hold the game pieces between them, locked in place by wooden dowels and magnets. Put them together and you have the gameboard and backdrop for six tiny metal WWII airplanes and stands. The rules are simple: it's kind of like checkers and if you shoot down six planes, you win. It is simple and beautiful but most of all, it was cheap! I got it for HALF OFF because I'm an educator. Woo hoo! Next time you are at my place, ask me about it and we'll play a quick game.

(Pat just called to tell me about a new Rush documentary. Cool.)

As for my day in gaming, I tried to get into a Dungeon Delve in the RPGA hall but no one else was available. I could have played in a four hour long pick up game but decided I'd rather watch the US lose in the World Cup. Dang. In the end, I decided to jump into that great Pirates game being played on the diorama with the volcano. It turned into a two hour game! We each got a closed pack of Spanish Main and started at one end of the board in a neutral zone. Our goal was to acrue as many points from treasure as possible in two hours. At the far end of the board was an island with Aztec gold. If we docked at this island we could get another pack and bring on those ships back at the docks. It was also a Sargasso Sea design so we could sail off the board in a couple of places and randomly pop out the other side. He included a few special event coins to shake things up. And then there was the volcano! When the initiative got back to the GM, he randomly rolled to see if they volcano erupted. If it did, ships within the blast zone would lose masts and possibly be destroyed. It also changed the prevailing winds, which really impacted game play. As soon as my two ships got to their first islands, my large ship picked up a cursed token that made me an enemy of the crown, which meant the person who sank me got 10 points. Everyone went after me! Then right as this guy had made my ship derelict and just before my turn, the GM rolled and the volcano exploded, destroying my ship so he couldn't get the 10 points. Brilliant!! Well, my little two mast ship plugged along, made it to the Aztec island, allowed me to bring on two more ships, and on the very last turn, one of those ships found a 10 point gold piece. So I ended up in a solid second place! I also got to keep the ships. It was a lot of fun on a great, great game board.

After dinner, I went to the Origins Award ceremony. I had voted earlier in the day so I was curious to see who won. HeroClix Hammer of Thor won top Miniatures Figure line and a game called "Poo" won best Card Game. I didn't know all the games but it was great to see GAMA handing out these awards to game designers. It reminded me a lot of the days of ROTU. It was a good way to end the day and the convention.