At Gen Con I hooked up with Firelock Games to chat about Blood and Plunder. Blood and Plunder is a historical game set during the height of pirates plundering the coastline. All I have to say is beautiful models plus boarding rules has to make for a good time.
There frigates are amazing.
This one is a little bit unusual, the game will not be at Gen Con for sale. What! Whoa! Let’s back up. Dropfleet Commander was kickstarted by Hawk Wargames, the makers of Dropzone Commander, and it was a huge success. Of course it was, Dropzone Commander has a great community, one of the best, plus Hawk Wargames doesn’t seem to make mistakes. I mean they put out great models, have good rules and they love their community even if they did make mistakes major mistakes they’d be forgiven. With that kind of support they shouldn’t have been surprised by the success – they were.
One of the great things about Gen Con is that so many new games make their debut, I suspect around one hundred every year. One of those games this year is Grimslingers from Greenbrier Games. Stephen Gibson is both the artist and the creator.
If you are Holmes fan Beyond Baker Street might be the game you want to grab at Gen Con 2016. Beyond Baker Street is being brought to us by Z-Man Games. Again this is a game that I’m yet to play, but that’s what this is about – games I want to play. From What I can tell it will use one of my favorite mechanics ever, revealed hands.
In Beyond Baker Street you and your friends will work cooperatively to solve a case before Sherlock Holmes. The real twist to the game is that you play with your hand revealed only to other players, you can’t see them. If you have played Bomb Squad you know what I’m talking about. that is one of my favorite mechanics of all time.
Well it’s no surprise to me that Gale Force 9 landed this liscense. I first caught wind of Ascendency when I stumbled across a A Beasts of War interview. Intrigued I watched it. I learned so much I really cant wait. This game is truly unique and it sounds like they captured the scalability of space. Say what?! Aside from that there are some really cool features that, I feel, are going to truly reflect the politics or diplomacy Star Trek strives to display.
Ascendency will allow each player to play a race. From what I understand yiou can only play the races that are not the iconic threats to the universe – like The Borg. Each race willnset out from their home world and explore the galaxy. Along the way they will encounter new civilizations, other races, and scientific phenomena.
Players can settle/conquer planets to gain what I will call for now resources in order to grow their fleet. I’m not sure how a winner is picked yet, but one other important factor is that you build the board. A large board with a few players might mean there is several turns before player interaction. While a smaller board will be a quicker game. What I thinkk makes the board so neat, is that it can easily be used to play with a multitiude of people at conventions. Which again touches on the Star Trek theme, meeting new races which in this case it’s the players from different cultures.
Did I mention they have the rulebook available for FREE!
I also learned that the planets are color coded. The colors will have different effects for different races. The Beast of War interview said that Klingons might prefer red planets because of their war like nature. .
The last cool thing about ascendency is that the nemesis races (The Borg and Cardassians) are going to be like a playable piece. What, that is just wild. My question is “Can all of you loose the game to The Borg?”
This game sounds totally stellar and it’s on my must do list. If not by me then by a very close friend!
Please check out my Go Fund Me Gen Con and Back again.
This is another game by Mantic Games. I don’t know too much about it, in fact I even missed the Kickstarter. I know that it was a huge hit, like all the games they make. This is a bit different though it features the characters from the comic book.
Check out the kickstarter, “The team will be taking pre-orders ahead of the retail release and you will be able to have a look through a production copy of the game. If you swing by stand 833 you can also pick-up your own free Walker figure – but be quick, because numbers are limited. ” That’s from the Mantic Games news letter.
And please check out my Gen Con Go Fund Me. Just sharing will be a huge help.
With only eight days left I’m going to start sharing the games I’m looking forward to. I doubt I will get to try them all with nearly thirty interviews scheduled at Gen COn 2016. This list will be presented in no particular order, but I think, at times, you will be able to tell which ones I anticipate more.
The first game is Star Trek Panic. I have not yet played any of the panic games, even though I have wanted to; life is a nasty villian sometimes that gets in the way of gaming. You might think that as a reviewer I play more games than the average individual. I’m not entirely sure that is true, I think I get to play about as much as most gamers. The difference is I almost always get to experience something new, which is cool most of the time.
Why Star Trek Panic? One it’s Star Trek and with the franchise turning 50 good things are happening. This is just what I believe the first of many will be. I’m a Star Trek fan. Plus, one of the mechanics reminds loosely of Star Fleet Battles, a game I used to play frequently.
Here is what I know
It is the fourth “panic” game.
You play in the Kirk era.
It comes with a cool 3d version of the Enterprise.
One of the key elements is recording damage doen to different sections of the ship. This is the part that reminds me of Star fleet Battles. It’s not nearly as tgactical but I really like the flavor it gives the game.
It is card driven and the cards are dependent on the number of players.
You can play the different characters, and they each have different special abilities reflectiung their personality and role from the Original series.
It’s a Co-operative game.
Without playing any of the panic I can’t say I have any reservations about Star Trek Panic.
Please Check out My Gen Con or Bust Gofundme.
(CHELSEA, AL-July 26th) Award winning Arc Dream Publishing has a plethora of announcements for Gen Con 2016. More than two dozen role-playing games of Delta Green will be run, along with six games of Godlike and three of Monsters and Other Childish Things. Event information can be found at http://arcdream.com/home/2016/07/join-us-at-gen-con/. Creators will be on hand to sign Better Angels, A Dirty World, Godlike, Monsters and Other Childish Things, the Reign Enchiridion, Wild Talents, back issues of The Unspeakable Oath, and a number of Delta Green fiction anthologies. Arc Dream even has a new Delta Green T-shirt. Want to get the first look at the Puppetland RPG? Get your sneak first peak at the color proof in its entirety from Arc Dream at Booth 623. Make sure and get your copies of Delta Green’s Need to Know and Agent’s Handbook as they are currently up for three Ennie Awards: Best Writing and Best Supplement for the Agent’s Handbook, and Best Free Game for Need to Know. Gen Con is the longest-running, best-attended gaming convention in the country and runs from August 4–7, 2016. Last year, the convention set records with a unique attendance of 61,423 and a turnstile attendance of 197,695.
“What’s that noise?”
All the warriors lifted there ear.
Run! Cried the Commander, “Gen Con is upon us!”
“Shall we crack open the Kegs Sir?” One Shouted with great Cheer.
“No, not until the die has been rolled,” he belched.
A cloud of dust rose over the land as they rushed to Indianapolis for great games and companionship.
I caught up with Mr. B Games to learn how to play Prospectus.
Prospectus is a great little economics game for the entire family.
