I am still in Columbus (until tomorrow), but Origins 2017 is otherwise behind me. All in all, I had a great show and vacation.
My wife and I drove up late on Tuesday. We had dinner at The Pearl. For a restaurant in central Ohio, they have a nice selection of oysters. The arctic char was similarly delightful.
I picked up my badge on Wednesday. The pre-registration line was far shorter and faster than last year. I was through it in less than five minutes. I spoke with one of the organizers who told me that they had doubled their manpower at the pre-registration line. Despite obtaining my badge, I did not do any gaming on Wednesday. I went shopping with my wife and had dinner at Refectory. Refectory is about 10 miles from the convention center, but definitely worth a look-- upscale French cuisine served in a restaurant that was originally an 1800s church.
Thursday I finally started gaming. I spent most of the convention in the Indie Games on Demand room. I started with a game of Fate which saw our starship crew coming to the aid of a larger, wealthier vessel. We fought off pirates, braved a dangerously radioactive patch of space to find additional 'christem,' a power source, for that ship's jump drive, ferreted out a traitor, and fought off pirates again. I have played Fate a few times before, but came away from this session with a better understanding of the rules than I had previously enjoyed.
My second Thursday game was Blades in the Dark. It uses the 'Powered by the Apocalypse' system and is a game about a band of thieves. For me, it was fascinating to play a band of low magic characters in a world that is bristling with magic, a world where day to day survival depends on magic (without it, the ghosts would devour creation).
I skipped play on Thursday night because of a crushing headache (and a standoff between my drunken wife and mall security). Easton Police, you guys are officers and gentlemen; thanks for your help and delicate touch.
Friday morning I played Companion's Tale. Like The Quiet Year, Companion's Tale is a map drawing game. It also tells the tale of a great hero as filtered through the lens of people who knew him during his heroic journey.
Friday afternoon, I played Dialect (with the author), a game about how language evolves and dies. The game was set in a Martian colony cut off from earth long enough to develop its own dialect (which of course was destroyed when the colony was reclaimed by Terran authorities).
Friday night, my friend Steven and I played a short Call of Cthulhu scenario (What's in the Cellar?). The four others who showed up at the table brought an insane intensity (and more than a few laughs) to this game. About 2/3 of the party turned on the other 1/3. The most fun bloodbath ever ensued.
Saturday morning, Steven and I played my second ever game of Fiasco (Steven's first). It was full of embezzling lawn-workers, drunken mayhem, and a showdog of debated ownership. It was a blast.
Saturday afternoon, we played Lamentations of the Flame Princess. I think of LotFP as an OSR game, but it is both more firmly grounded in the real world and more tinged with horror than other OSR games. We knew the DM, Sarah, from last year's phenomenal encounter with Bluebeard's Bride. Sarah is a top notch DM/GM/storyteller. She ran a perfectly creepy game, despite my character's constant attempts to crack wise. I think/hope I brought a little levity to the game, and I was rewarded by having my face ripped off in the climactic encounter. Alas, poor Wilhelm Thalberg, you were a good man.
Saturday night, we played Dungeon Crawl Classics in a setting inspires by a hypothetical Goonie's sequel. It was full of 80s references and fun for everyone at the table.
This morning, I played Durance. I had backed it on Kickstarter a while back, but had never had opportunity to play. I had a great time, even if my religious prisoner took a bullet during a riot (and my swell, a free colonist, faded into obscurity after breaking his vow to never accept charity). I am already planning to spring this one on some friends back home.
Alright, that's my Origins 2017 rundown. If you have any questions, I am happy to try to answer them.
My wife and I drove up late on Tuesday. We had dinner at The Pearl. For a restaurant in central Ohio, they have a nice selection of oysters. The arctic char was similarly delightful.
I picked up my badge on Wednesday. The pre-registration line was far shorter and faster than last year. I was through it in less than five minutes. I spoke with one of the organizers who told me that they had doubled their manpower at the pre-registration line. Despite obtaining my badge, I did not do any gaming on Wednesday. I went shopping with my wife and had dinner at Refectory. Refectory is about 10 miles from the convention center, but definitely worth a look-- upscale French cuisine served in a restaurant that was originally an 1800s church.
Thursday I finally started gaming. I spent most of the convention in the Indie Games on Demand room. I started with a game of Fate which saw our starship crew coming to the aid of a larger, wealthier vessel. We fought off pirates, braved a dangerously radioactive patch of space to find additional 'christem,' a power source, for that ship's jump drive, ferreted out a traitor, and fought off pirates again. I have played Fate a few times before, but came away from this session with a better understanding of the rules than I had previously enjoyed.
My second Thursday game was Blades in the Dark. It uses the 'Powered by the Apocalypse' system and is a game about a band of thieves. For me, it was fascinating to play a band of low magic characters in a world that is bristling with magic, a world where day to day survival depends on magic (without it, the ghosts would devour creation).
I skipped play on Thursday night because of a crushing headache (and a standoff between my drunken wife and mall security). Easton Police, you guys are officers and gentlemen; thanks for your help and delicate touch.
Friday morning I played Companion's Tale. Like The Quiet Year, Companion's Tale is a map drawing game. It also tells the tale of a great hero as filtered through the lens of people who knew him during his heroic journey.
Friday afternoon, I played Dialect (with the author), a game about how language evolves and dies. The game was set in a Martian colony cut off from earth long enough to develop its own dialect (which of course was destroyed when the colony was reclaimed by Terran authorities).
Friday night, my friend Steven and I played a short Call of Cthulhu scenario (What's in the Cellar?). The four others who showed up at the table brought an insane intensity (and more than a few laughs) to this game. About 2/3 of the party turned on the other 1/3. The most fun bloodbath ever ensued.
Saturday morning, Steven and I played my second ever game of Fiasco (Steven's first). It was full of embezzling lawn-workers, drunken mayhem, and a showdog of debated ownership. It was a blast.
Saturday afternoon, we played Lamentations of the Flame Princess. I think of LotFP as an OSR game, but it is both more firmly grounded in the real world and more tinged with horror than other OSR games. We knew the DM, Sarah, from last year's phenomenal encounter with Bluebeard's Bride. Sarah is a top notch DM/GM/storyteller. She ran a perfectly creepy game, despite my character's constant attempts to crack wise. I think/hope I brought a little levity to the game, and I was rewarded by having my face ripped off in the climactic encounter. Alas, poor Wilhelm Thalberg, you were a good man.
Saturday night, we played Dungeon Crawl Classics in a setting inspires by a hypothetical Goonie's sequel. It was full of 80s references and fun for everyone at the table.
This morning, I played Durance. I had backed it on Kickstarter a while back, but had never had opportunity to play. I had a great time, even if my religious prisoner took a bullet during a riot (and my swell, a free colonist, faded into obscurity after breaking his vow to never accept charity). I am already planning to spring this one on some friends back home.
Alright, that's my Origins 2017 rundown. If you have any questions, I am happy to try to answer them.
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