GenCant Coverage - Friday

I was slow to get moving on my first full day of GenCant - I was tired & achy from the last few days of work, so I decided to treat myself and hit snooze a few more times. This con isn't really about getting in early or rushing to a particular booth first, so I could afford that simple luxury.

Once up, I donned my PJ pants and wandered in the direction of coffee - this con's lax dress code is a winner in my book! I then settled down to catch up on the latest gaming news, tuning into W. Eric Martin & the Board Game Geek crew on Livestream as they shared live interviews from some other convention going on in Indianapolis, or some such place. I haven't been to it, so clearly whatever this other con is, it's not that special. While watching the latest releases, I caught up with some fellow GenCant attendees on Twitter and made plans to meet up at one of the con's satellite locations for some gaming after lunch.

Tons of parking outside Hall GA

More coffee and a quick lunch of delicious nachos later, it was time to put on real pants & make my way to the gaming. When I arrived at the satellite gaming area (a short drive), I was happy to see there was plenty of free parking close by. This meant I was first to arrive, and so I was able to grab another coffee and ponder the games for sale in this area. Once Daniel and Linus arrived, we settled down to teach Daniel Abluxxen. The scores stayed close during the 3 rounds, but in the end, Linus pulled off the win with scores 30-26(Daniel)-20(me). We then set up a 3-player game of Yspahan, got through the teaching, and started the first turn when James walked in. Luckily it took just a few min to shift the set-up for 4-players and get him up to speed so we could restart to include everyone.

Setting up Yspahan

I've wanted to learn Yspahan for a long time and so I was really glad to get it checked off the list. I really liked the dice mechanic for determing available actions, and had fun figuring out the nuances of different strategies. Daniel destroyed us, but I felt like I performed relatively well and am determined to get another game of it in the near-ish future if at all possible to see if I can beat my score of 56 with more experience (& possibly better rolls). Next we pulled out Arboretum in which I failed to score much of anything but did manage to stop others scoring many of their high-potential paths, so at least that was something. This game is gorgeous, and the component quality was impressive - I'm just glad the gameplay seems to hold up to the promise of the bits,

Akrotiri mid-game

By the time we finished Arboretum, Falcon and Eric had arrived so we split into two groups - the others started Viceroy while Daniel taught me Akrotiri. This 2-player game from Sen-Foong Lim and Jay Cornier was sooooo good. The randomness of the tile draws was frustrating but in a good way, as all of the water icon-containing tiles apparently ended up on the bottom of the stack, which made it super tricky to excavate temples in relation to those. Plus we had a ton of islands that were literally impossible to reach making it tough to find an open island on the map. I ended up buying a TON of maps in order to increase my chances of getting all my temples down, despite those issues and in the end I was able to pull out the win. This is one game I will almost certainly be adding to my collection at some point.

The final map - with my excavated temples & goal cards in front

After grabbing some food, I joined in a 6-player game of Age of War which is actually the only game of the day that I'd actually played before. After that, I headed back to grab a cup of tea and watch some of the streams & videos from GenCon. All in all, not a bad first full day of GenCant, and I have plans in place for Forbidden Stars on Sunday so I know I'll be getting some more good gaming in this weekend. Hopefully there'll be more tomorrow but with a Beer, Bourbon & BBQ festival going on this Saturday in the area, I may have to take a break & check that out.

GenCant Coverage - Arrival at the Convention Hall

I had to work Wednesday/Thursday, so didn't make it to GenCant until late Thurs evening, when things were already in full swing. Upon arriving at the con, a short walk down some stairs from my room, I immediately headed for registration to pick up my badge. This con is so fancy, by the way. you get a choice of badge design - I grabbed 2 so even if mine flips around, people can still see my name. Registration was still open despite the late hour which was super convenient, & there wasn’t too much of a line (most of the other con-goers I saw were busy grabbing food & at this point) so I really didn’t have to wait long at all before being able to enter the hall & scope out the amenities.

Hawk & Spider - Weekly Comics

While at the Atomic Empire on Monday night for gaming, I picked up my sub. My order was a small one this week comprising of just three issues:

All-New Hawkeye #4

Magneto #20

Spider-Woman #9

I haven't read the Hawkeye yet as I only received the final issue of Fraction & Aja's Hawkeye run last week, and I've been holding off on starting the new series until I got some closure on that one. Now that I've survived the emotional turmoil of their final issue, I'll probably sit down sometime this week (at GenCant perhaps) to break out the new series & catch-up.

 

 
I'm thoroughly enjoying the Spider-Woman series, and loved the first part of this issue detailing the various cases handled by Jessica, Ben & Roger as they traverse the nation. Javier Rodriguez's art (& Alvaro Lopex's inking) is wonderful & I love the facial expressions & use of colour throughout the book. I can't wait for the next issue to see if Roger's okay & how they'll be able to get out of Historic Dodge City.

Racing for Second & Playing Tricks - Monday Gaming Recap

I got to the Atomic Empire earlier than usual as traffic decided to be nice for once, leaving me with time to kill. I hit a nearby drive-thru & grabbed some dinner before heading into the store to eat & pick up my comics. I grabbed a beer (Fullsteam's Summer Basil - so freaking good!) & waited to see who all was going to make it. While waited, I resisted heading to the front of the store where they had a copy of La Granja just sitting there taunting me - I'm trying to save money at the moment, but man was it tempting given that my FLGS sells it for just $6 more than CoolStuff & I could have it right now!

I wants it, the precious...

New Additions to My Game Collection

Between Origins, Kickstarter deliveries & my recent birthday, I've added quite a few titles to my game library since the beginning of June. Here's what's new on my shelves:

Pub Euros - Building Cars & Farms

On Sunday evening, I left work & headed straight for a fairly-local Irish pub to join some friends for some great food, drinks, & gaming. We ended up with 7 people showing up to hang out & play, which was awesome for a super last-minute invitation via Twitter. After grabbing something to eat, we started a couple of games. Daniel, Eric & Megan started a 3-player game of Cacao while Adam, Linus, Chris and I sunk our teeth into Kraftwagen.

Gaming Photo - Forbidden Stars

Approaching the final round of Forbidden Stars from the Eldar's perspective. For more info about how things played out, listen to The Geek AllStars episode 104 where Dan & Chris discuss our game from a few weeks ago.

Gen Con Dreams

Even though I've ended up with that particular weekend off of work, I will not be attending GenCon 2015; I'm hoping to attend the 2016 show but we'll see what happens as things draw nearer. For this year, I'll be enjoying GenCant, jealously watching everyone's tweets, and hopefully getting in some gaming at home.

But despite not attending the convention, I've found myself zealously keeping up with BGG's GenCon Preview list along with various podcasts and videos covering the games that will be available for demo and for purchase. Based on those sources, here's my dream GenCon 2015 Top 11 lists - To Try and To Buy (a la The Geek AllStars):

World's Fair 1893 art by Beth Sobel (from BGG)

To Try

1. World's Fair 1893 (Foxtrot Games - Booth 3029): I love the theme, what I've seen looks great, and Chris Kirkman's unbridled enthusiasm has caused this game from J. Alex Kevern to leap into the top spot on this list (it was on here previously, just placed a little lower). This game is one of the main reasons I've been getting more & more bummed about not attending the show.
2. City of Gears (Arcane Wonders - Booth 741): I wanted to demo this at Origins and just didn't manage to, so it'd definitely be one to check out.
3. Thunderbirds (Modiphus Entertainment - Booth 2530): so this is basically my childhood in a box, which means I'm desperate to try it out. I can't say for sure that it'll ever actually enter my collection, but it's quite likely unless the gameplay just really doesn't do it for me.
4. Spirit Island (Greater Than Games - Booth 2143): I failed to get a demo of this at Origins despite really wanting to, so this one stays on my "to try" list for now. I love the story & theme, the art I've seen looks beautiful, and the escalation throughout the games sounds really enthralling.
5. Nevermore (Smirk & Dagger Games - Booth 1743): this drafting, set collection game has some interesting take-that elements and a curious theme. The art look grogeous and I'm intrigued by the idea of "dead" players turning into ravens & having to get the right hand to become human again to have the potential to win again. A definite demo game for me.
6. Grog Island (eggertspiele - Booth 1753): this game sounds pretty interesting and I love the theme of retired pirates, so it makes my list of demos for sure.
7. Kraftwagen (ADC Blackfire - Booth 2330): I love Glen More (which a wonderful friend gave me for my recent birthday) so I'm really curious about this game, but what I've heard has been so mixed that it's definitely one I'd want to try out first.
8. CHEW Card Game: Cases of the FDA (IDW Games - Booth 2723): I'm a huge fan of the comics and have managed to get my husband hooked on them also. I'd love to demo this quick 30-min card game to see if it's something we'd enjoy playing at the bar together (one of the few places I can get him to play games with me).
9. Discoveries (Ludonaute - Booths 1517, 1617, 1627, 1717): Sounds really interesting but i haven't seen quite enough yet to put this one on the Buy list yet. Hoping someone local picks up a copy so I can try it out.
10. Ghostbusters: The Board Game (Cryptozoic - Booth 601): I so want this to be good, but wasn't 100% convinced by the Kickstarter campaign. Would definitely love a chance to be proven wrong.
11. Isle of Skye: From Chieftain to King (Mayfair Games - Booths 116, 117, 129, 323, & 331): tile-laying with an interesting auction & variable scoring conditions based on cards (ala Kingdom Builder). I'd definitely like to take a better look at this one.

Mysterium box art (from BGG)

Broom Service box art (from BGG)

To Buy (assuming unlimited funds & unhampered access)

1. Mysterium (Libellud - Booths 1517, 1617, 1627, 1717): I thoroughly enjoyed playing Chris's copy of the Portal edition but hadn't been able to justify importing it. This would be my absolute must-buy were I attending the con.
2. Imperial Settlers: Atlanteans (Portal Games - Booth 2052): I finally managed to learn Settlers at Origins and, as expected, it was all I could have hoped for. Another faction is something I can't resist, even though I've barely had time to scratch the surface of the original four. Clearly I just need to get in more games.
3. La Granja (Stronghold Games - Booth 2329): I've played Adam's copy of this twice now, in 4-player and (a surprisingly quick) 2-player games. I LOVE the game, and so it would absolutley be coming home with me, were I to be in Indianapolis. As it is, it's only a matter of time before I give in and buy my own copy.
4. Broom Service  (Alea - Both 1401): I played this game at Origins and can't wait to get my own copy to try out the various variants since we only played the basic rules. The game looks awesome on the table, has great components & cards, and I really enjoyed the gameplay - a must-buy for me.
5. Codenames (Czech Games Edition - Booth 2052): I played a very rough prototype back in April and loved this party, deduction word game, even despite having to work around such issues as being able to see through the thin cardstock used for the cards. So clever, so easy to teach but tricky enough to play that you'll be stumped at least a few times; it's just a great little game. And now that it actually has art, it looks amazing.
6. The Village Crone (Fireside Games - Booth 1949): I like the theme, the mechanics sound interesting & the inclusion of a solo mode all sparked my interest. Adding in the modular board was just icing on the cake.
7. Viceroy (Mayday Games - Booth 143): I had somehow missed seeing anything about this game until recently, but now that I've seena  few videos and posts, I think this game is right up my alley. And if I was attending GenCon, I'd definitely be preordering it for pick-up in order to get the playmat add-on (and possibly the fancy gems).
8. Sansoucci (Alea - Booth 1401): I heard great things from people I trust after Origins, so given unlimited funds this would definitely be in my bag along with Broom Service.
9. Artifacts Inc. (Red Raven Games - Booth 2927): I can't actually quite say what it is about this game that puts it on the Buy list as opposed to the Try list but it just grabs me. I like the theme, the gameplay sounds intriguing and hopefully it wont disappoint.
10. Arcadia (APE - Booth 1537): I played the crap out of Theme Park on both the PC (a long time ago) and my DS. I love the theme and the listed mechanics (hand management, set collection) all scream "yes please".
11. Bring Out Yer Dead (Ginger Ale Games/Upper Deck Entertainment - Booth 1207): I played and thoroughly enjoyed this comically macabre area control game at Origins, but did so after the convention was over so preventing my picking it up then.