So, having got back from the Origins Game Fair, I thought it seemed a good idea to share some of my experiences there while I'm getting over jet lag. However, this is not an article about new releases or recent gaming news. That sort of thing is already excellently covered by the marvelous Egg Embry and the EN team. So instead I spent some of the con making a note of anything interesting I came across. So this is something of a very personal ramble of stuff I found interesting. All of the following can be found online with a quick google, I urge you to give them a closer look.
[h=3]Huge but Friendly[/h] It is generally accepted that the four biggest games conventions are Essen (Germany), Gen-Con (Indianapolis), Games Expo (UK) and Origins (Columbus). But despite its size I've always found Origins to be somehow small enough to be the least manic of them all. There is plenty to see but somehow Origins also offers you time to hang out and chat without missing anything. Even though trading was very busy (I was there with Cubicle 7) I still had time to take a walk around the trade hall a few times and catch up with friends on other stands. I even managed to actually play a few games, which is a rarity! This is what I saw:
[h=3]Dice![/h] If you want to add to your dice collection, a con is always the best place to do that. No games shop ever has half the selection that one of the many dice stands will be able to offer. There are prestige wooden or metal dice on sale next to a bewildering amount of designs and collections in more standard flavors.
They are all amazing, and hard to resist. But one particular set caught my eye, the 'Elder Dice' from 'Infinite Black. These were a kickstarter a while ago but they are now in the shops and they look amazing, and perfect for Cthulhu players. Instead of just adding a D6 with a special symbol, all the dice in the set replace the highest number with a special symbol. They have several different sets, all in a different color with a single symbol (such as the Elder sign, Cthulhu or Yellow sign) as the theme for each set. There are about six different sets in all and they are well worth a look.
[h=3]Artists[/h] Aside from dice, conventions are also an especially good time to see the work of gaming artists (and novelists come to think about it). Many artists show off their amazing skill and talent and offer prints. But what drew me to Doug Hoppes 'Shadowmyths' stand was that he also offers a collection of his art as a deck of cards. I picked up a set last Gen Con, not only because I liked his work but also so I could use them as narrative aids for role-playing. I use them for visions, flashbacks or just random encounters in games like vampire or Cthulhu. This year he's added more decks that include an array of monsters and horrors. I'd love more artists to do that, if only to pick up a selection of their work in a convenient box.
[h=3]Maps[/h] As we seem to be edging towards horror with Cthulhu and vampire, it seems appropriate to move onto maps on skin. 'Cave Geek Art' creates all manner of maps for gaming. While he offers prints of his work, what makes his work unique is that he burns and inks the maps onto real animal hide. So if you want to get the same map your adventurers are actually carrying, this is the place to go. The maps are hand crafted and often add raised sections burned in cleverly to produce three dimensional mountains and the like. There are many faithful reproductions of a variety of fantasy lands and the artist also takes commissions for you own designs.
[h=3]Gaming Bags[/h] It seems pretty much everyone has a 'bag of holding' but I was really impressed with the selection from Heather Kalafut at 'Amusing Designs'. There are a good selection of bag types and the embroidery designs are really amazing. You can't see them especially well in the photo, but my favorites were the gallifreyan writing and blue celtic wolf designs.
[h=3]Penguin[/h] When you see a guy walking around with a penguin you'd be remiss not to comment on it. As it turns out, Cesar Reyes Pinguino (Pengee to his friends) tours quite extensively with his partner Brian Solomon Whiterose. Catch up on their travels and Brian's work on various social media as 'brianwhiterose'.
[h=3]Games[/h] Oh yes, there were a few games at Origins as well. Sticking with a penguin theme I found two family games that both looked a lot of fun and were being exhibited next to each other. 'Someone has died' from 'Gather Round Games' is a fun storytelling game set at a funeral. The deceased has a large fortune that needs to be claimed and each player needs to prove how well they knew them and what their claim is. There are cards to prompt all of this, and the combinations are a lot of fun. The judging player is also well within their rights to say none of them deserve the fortune either!
'Winging it' by 'Flying Leap Games' involves fewer penguins and rocket packs than you might expect but does add crazier combinations. In this game a problem card is drawn detailing a situation that the players need to fix, such as 'the shrimp are trying to take over the world' or 'the guillotine is broken and the crowd is getting restless'. Each player is given a collection of random objects (on cards!) and they have to use at least three of them in their description of how to solve the problem.
[h=3]Dune[/h] In more serious board game news, I did get to take a look at a pre-production copy of the old/new Dune board game from Gale Force Nine. This is actually an old and very popular game that has been out of print for a long time that is being reproduced by GF9, hopefully in time for Gen Con. The game involves six factions (Atreides, Harkonen, Emperor, Fremen, Bene Gesserit and the Spacing Guild) all trying to take control of the planet Dune. As always spice is the key, and politics is the weapon on choice.
[h=3]Tabletop Gamers[/h] While there were tricky to find, I did manage to stop by the Tabletop Gaymer's booth, although this year Ally and Gamer ribbons were easily found at the registration desk and several exhibitors too. This group always deserve a shout out for the work they do promoting LGBT awareness and inclusion in the gaming hobby. It was great to see so many attendees wearing Gaymer and Ally ribbons to show their support and help make LGBT gamers feel both safe and included in the community.
Finally, just to wrap this article up. I can't really end without adding a picture of a dice filled inflatable unicorn, which pretty well sums most of my long weekend up. See you all at Gen Con!
This article was contributed by Andrew Peregrine (Corone) as part of EN World's Columnist (ENWC) program. If you enjoy the daily news and articles from EN World, please consider contributing to our Patreon!
[h=3]Huge but Friendly[/h] It is generally accepted that the four biggest games conventions are Essen (Germany), Gen-Con (Indianapolis), Games Expo (UK) and Origins (Columbus). But despite its size I've always found Origins to be somehow small enough to be the least manic of them all. There is plenty to see but somehow Origins also offers you time to hang out and chat without missing anything. Even though trading was very busy (I was there with Cubicle 7) I still had time to take a walk around the trade hall a few times and catch up with friends on other stands. I even managed to actually play a few games, which is a rarity! This is what I saw:
[h=3]Dice![/h] If you want to add to your dice collection, a con is always the best place to do that. No games shop ever has half the selection that one of the many dice stands will be able to offer. There are prestige wooden or metal dice on sale next to a bewildering amount of designs and collections in more standard flavors.
They are all amazing, and hard to resist. But one particular set caught my eye, the 'Elder Dice' from 'Infinite Black. These were a kickstarter a while ago but they are now in the shops and they look amazing, and perfect for Cthulhu players. Instead of just adding a D6 with a special symbol, all the dice in the set replace the highest number with a special symbol. They have several different sets, all in a different color with a single symbol (such as the Elder sign, Cthulhu or Yellow sign) as the theme for each set. There are about six different sets in all and they are well worth a look.
[h=3]Artists[/h] Aside from dice, conventions are also an especially good time to see the work of gaming artists (and novelists come to think about it). Many artists show off their amazing skill and talent and offer prints. But what drew me to Doug Hoppes 'Shadowmyths' stand was that he also offers a collection of his art as a deck of cards. I picked up a set last Gen Con, not only because I liked his work but also so I could use them as narrative aids for role-playing. I use them for visions, flashbacks or just random encounters in games like vampire or Cthulhu. This year he's added more decks that include an array of monsters and horrors. I'd love more artists to do that, if only to pick up a selection of their work in a convenient box.
[h=3]Maps[/h] As we seem to be edging towards horror with Cthulhu and vampire, it seems appropriate to move onto maps on skin. 'Cave Geek Art' creates all manner of maps for gaming. While he offers prints of his work, what makes his work unique is that he burns and inks the maps onto real animal hide. So if you want to get the same map your adventurers are actually carrying, this is the place to go. The maps are hand crafted and often add raised sections burned in cleverly to produce three dimensional mountains and the like. There are many faithful reproductions of a variety of fantasy lands and the artist also takes commissions for you own designs.
[h=3]Gaming Bags[/h] It seems pretty much everyone has a 'bag of holding' but I was really impressed with the selection from Heather Kalafut at 'Amusing Designs'. There are a good selection of bag types and the embroidery designs are really amazing. You can't see them especially well in the photo, but my favorites were the gallifreyan writing and blue celtic wolf designs.
[h=3]Penguin[/h] When you see a guy walking around with a penguin you'd be remiss not to comment on it. As it turns out, Cesar Reyes Pinguino (Pengee to his friends) tours quite extensively with his partner Brian Solomon Whiterose. Catch up on their travels and Brian's work on various social media as 'brianwhiterose'.
[h=3]Games[/h] Oh yes, there were a few games at Origins as well. Sticking with a penguin theme I found two family games that both looked a lot of fun and were being exhibited next to each other. 'Someone has died' from 'Gather Round Games' is a fun storytelling game set at a funeral. The deceased has a large fortune that needs to be claimed and each player needs to prove how well they knew them and what their claim is. There are cards to prompt all of this, and the combinations are a lot of fun. The judging player is also well within their rights to say none of them deserve the fortune either!
'Winging it' by 'Flying Leap Games' involves fewer penguins and rocket packs than you might expect but does add crazier combinations. In this game a problem card is drawn detailing a situation that the players need to fix, such as 'the shrimp are trying to take over the world' or 'the guillotine is broken and the crowd is getting restless'. Each player is given a collection of random objects (on cards!) and they have to use at least three of them in their description of how to solve the problem.
[h=3]Dune[/h] In more serious board game news, I did get to take a look at a pre-production copy of the old/new Dune board game from Gale Force Nine. This is actually an old and very popular game that has been out of print for a long time that is being reproduced by GF9, hopefully in time for Gen Con. The game involves six factions (Atreides, Harkonen, Emperor, Fremen, Bene Gesserit and the Spacing Guild) all trying to take control of the planet Dune. As always spice is the key, and politics is the weapon on choice.
[h=3]Tabletop Gamers[/h] While there were tricky to find, I did manage to stop by the Tabletop Gaymer's booth, although this year Ally and Gamer ribbons were easily found at the registration desk and several exhibitors too. This group always deserve a shout out for the work they do promoting LGBT awareness and inclusion in the gaming hobby. It was great to see so many attendees wearing Gaymer and Ally ribbons to show their support and help make LGBT gamers feel both safe and included in the community.
Finally, just to wrap this article up. I can't really end without adding a picture of a dice filled inflatable unicorn, which pretty well sums most of my long weekend up. See you all at Gen Con!
This article was contributed by Andrew Peregrine (Corone) as part of EN World's Columnist (ENWC) program. If you enjoy the daily news and articles from EN World, please consider contributing to our Patreon!
