Madison Games Day 4.. the saga continues
A very long overdue post, and let me start off with this..
if you are not blessed with being in Madison..
try and start one of these up in your own area..
yes, it might take a while..
you might have to go to some of the local conventions.. you might have to ask around the local game shops.. and you might have to zip about on the internetz via its tubes to find local game designers, writers, and fans
but is it worth the effort?
a resounding, yes
I'm sure getting everyone together is extremely difficult the first few times as it grows.. but I have watched as our games day grew from a semi-large gathering that got together over a pizza place..
to a gaggle of gamers that took up three good sized conference rooms at a hotel (ok.. technically it was more like four rooms.. some live action sword fighting thingie was in the fourth) over a matter of just a couple meetings
It just goes to show you.. gamers want to game, make new friends, and have fun
anyway..
here are some of the board game type games that were available.. (I sort of skipped most of those except for one.. which I will mention)
The last time I had attended a MGD I had noticed a little game called Little Fears: Nightmare Edition.. it sounded intriguing..
after all.. it is a game where you take on the personality of a child from the years 6, 9, or 12.. the younger you are the more resolute you are in your abilities
and, as a child you fight the stuff of nightmares, all things icky, and that which wants to stomp n squish you
What I did not know.. is that the guy that wrote it, is also the guy that runs MGD (or helps to run it.. since I believe there are a few people involved). It was one of the first games slated to be run, and it was set against another game..
unfortunately.. at the time there were still very few people
and most had sat down to play a board game or two, so it was with much unease that I waited for the game to start..
after all.. it would have been very hard to run for only one person, and neither I, nor the GM, wanted to pull a player from the other guys game.. and thus ruin his game
luckily.. someone came in and sat in on the game..
and by someone I mean an incredibly hot chick (side note: the dr. pepper commercial with Kiss and Midget Kiss.. has got to be one of the greatest commercials ever.. end side note)
Anime chick had thought about maybe playing.. but there was a nWoD card game that she wanted to play, and one of the organizers had said she would run a game of it in about 45 minutes.. and anime chick didn't want to be rude by leaving the game just as it was starting to play another game
Little Fears.. was.. completely and utterly awesome
it was, in a few words, one of the best games I have ever played..
and I do mean.. ever
it was just an unbelievable amount of fun to submerse yourself into a childlike state.. free from the adult agendas one is so used to
I took on the character of a 9yr old that was very interested in comic books, and didn't like bullies or picking on small kids, and the other player took on a 9yr old girl that sort of sounded like an adrenalin junkie..
these characters grew into a 9 yr old that thought he was Wolver-Man, a cross between Wolverine and Batman, which meant that whenever talked I spoke in a very deep gravely voice while hunkering down onto one knee. (he also had a bit of a kleptomania streak.. which I termed 'evidence' and 'needed gear')
the other girl's character grew into what was best described as, 'that really special kid down the street' (or.. that mike myers character on SNL that wore the body harness, helmet, and was always tied to something so he wouldn't get into trouble)
did I mention how incredibly fun this game was?
Well, I can go into much more detail.. the 3(ish) hour session was so much fun that I have two pages of notes on the actual game (i.e. high points, points of interest, funny moments, etc)
there were several times that the GM was almost falling out of his chair he was laughing so hard at our antics (much of our characters mannerisms were acted out)
needless to say..
this was one of the few rp's that I have bought brand new.. right then and there..
the bulk of my collection having been built from either used book stores, ebay, friends wishing to cull their own collections, and other sorts like that.. (such as Deadlands, 7th Sea, and Star Wars)
or.. I will buy them after playing the game several times (such as Mechwarrior, Shadowrun, and L5R)
there have only been a few games that I have bought after just one session (such as D&D, oWoD: Vampire, and.. well.. now Little Fears)
www.littlefears.com/
all these weeks later, and I am still stunned at how fun this game is
the GM/creator was even kind enough to sign the copy I bought
the cake lady chick was there again, this time with two cakes..
this one that looked like a set of dice
and this one
which appeared to be a game mat..
sadly, anime girl could not eat either.. she had asked if they contained coconut oil (something she is deathly allergic to), but forgot to ask if they had almonds..
and..
the frosting had almond paste.. but.. no choking death was involved.. which is a very good thing
I then noticed that badger2305 , a.k.a. GM-guy a.k.a. Victor, had arrived so I went and spoke with him.. he was going to be running some stuff for the Madison Traditional Gaming group, but I already had plans for the time slot he was going to be running Empire of the Petal Throne..
I can't recall the exact game..
but some of the other highlights of this particular MGD..
reaper miniatures painting.. this was something that anime girl could get into, so I brought up some of my figs to get some ideas as to what I can do to bump myself up a level in skill
to many ogling ooh's and appreciative ahh's.. all she could think was to thin my paint out a bit and to use a flat coat enamel over the semi-gloss that I am used to..
and..
bam!!
she was right.. I think my figs went from 5.5's to 7.5's or even 8's (if I could work on the modeling the bases.. and my extremely fine paint skills my fig's would look truly amazing.. instead of simply amazing :-p)
I spoke with Lester Smith.. creator of.. well.. a bunch of games
very interesting guy, and I'm sad to say that I missed out on playing a board game he wrote based on an rpg he wrote..
I played a game of Traveller, in support of Madison Traditional Gaming.. and the game is just a blast to play...
I played a 'board game' called Nanuk from Steve Jackson Games (again.. with several of the creators)
and..
I have to say..
this game was as good as Munchkin.. better in some ways as the amount of interaction between the players is very high..
it took me a few minutes to get into it, since I am slightly introverted at times.. but once I was relaxed enough it was a great game
www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/54433/nanuk
it is well worth adding to any game collection.. uber geek or not.. it is a blast to play (though being a geek does seem to help)
I also played that nWoD card game with anime girl.. the organizer that had promised (on several occasions) to run it.. and then failed to do so on every occasion she had promised to, which was very annoying..
the game was.. alright.. the rules were written by White Wolf and White Wolf just can not write a decent rule book for a board game..
this assumption was supported by Jason Blair (writer of Little Fears, one of the organizers, and a game reviewer) who fully agreed with my statement..
I did buy a copy of the nWoD game.. mostly so anime girl and I could play it.. but she also picked up a copy for herself
I do plan on getting a copy of Nanuk though.. it was great fun.. and would also be great fun semi-sober :D
all in all.. it was a great day, and I look forward to Madison Games Day 5
Nix
if you are not blessed with being in Madison..
try and start one of these up in your own area..
yes, it might take a while..
you might have to go to some of the local conventions.. you might have to ask around the local game shops.. and you might have to zip about on the internetz via its tubes to find local game designers, writers, and fans
but is it worth the effort?
a resounding, yes
I'm sure getting everyone together is extremely difficult the first few times as it grows.. but I have watched as our games day grew from a semi-large gathering that got together over a pizza place..
to a gaggle of gamers that took up three good sized conference rooms at a hotel (ok.. technically it was more like four rooms.. some live action sword fighting thingie was in the fourth) over a matter of just a couple meetings
It just goes to show you.. gamers want to game, make new friends, and have fun
anyway..
here are some of the board game type games that were available.. (I sort of skipped most of those except for one.. which I will mention)
The last time I had attended a MGD I had noticed a little game called Little Fears: Nightmare Edition.. it sounded intriguing..
after all.. it is a game where you take on the personality of a child from the years 6, 9, or 12.. the younger you are the more resolute you are in your abilities
and, as a child you fight the stuff of nightmares, all things icky, and that which wants to stomp n squish you
What I did not know.. is that the guy that wrote it, is also the guy that runs MGD (or helps to run it.. since I believe there are a few people involved). It was one of the first games slated to be run, and it was set against another game..
unfortunately.. at the time there were still very few people
and most had sat down to play a board game or two, so it was with much unease that I waited for the game to start..
after all.. it would have been very hard to run for only one person, and neither I, nor the GM, wanted to pull a player from the other guys game.. and thus ruin his game
luckily.. someone came in and sat in on the game..
and by someone I mean an incredibly hot chick (side note: the dr. pepper commercial with Kiss and Midget Kiss.. has got to be one of the greatest commercials ever.. end side note)
Anime chick had thought about maybe playing.. but there was a nWoD card game that she wanted to play, and one of the organizers had said she would run a game of it in about 45 minutes.. and anime chick didn't want to be rude by leaving the game just as it was starting to play another game
Little Fears.. was.. completely and utterly awesome
it was, in a few words, one of the best games I have ever played..
and I do mean.. ever
it was just an unbelievable amount of fun to submerse yourself into a childlike state.. free from the adult agendas one is so used to
I took on the character of a 9yr old that was very interested in comic books, and didn't like bullies or picking on small kids, and the other player took on a 9yr old girl that sort of sounded like an adrenalin junkie..
these characters grew into a 9 yr old that thought he was Wolver-Man, a cross between Wolverine and Batman, which meant that whenever talked I spoke in a very deep gravely voice while hunkering down onto one knee. (he also had a bit of a kleptomania streak.. which I termed 'evidence' and 'needed gear')
the other girl's character grew into what was best described as, 'that really special kid down the street' (or.. that mike myers character on SNL that wore the body harness, helmet, and was always tied to something so he wouldn't get into trouble)
did I mention how incredibly fun this game was?
Well, I can go into much more detail.. the 3(ish) hour session was so much fun that I have two pages of notes on the actual game (i.e. high points, points of interest, funny moments, etc)
there were several times that the GM was almost falling out of his chair he was laughing so hard at our antics (much of our characters mannerisms were acted out)
needless to say..
this was one of the few rp's that I have bought brand new.. right then and there..
the bulk of my collection having been built from either used book stores, ebay, friends wishing to cull their own collections, and other sorts like that.. (such as Deadlands, 7th Sea, and Star Wars)
or.. I will buy them after playing the game several times (such as Mechwarrior, Shadowrun, and L5R)
there have only been a few games that I have bought after just one session (such as D&D, oWoD: Vampire, and.. well.. now Little Fears)
www.littlefears.com/
all these weeks later, and I am still stunned at how fun this game is
the GM/creator was even kind enough to sign the copy I bought
the cake lady chick was there again, this time with two cakes..
this one that looked like a set of dice
and this one
which appeared to be a game mat..
sadly, anime girl could not eat either.. she had asked if they contained coconut oil (something she is deathly allergic to), but forgot to ask if they had almonds..
and..
the frosting had almond paste.. but.. no choking death was involved.. which is a very good thing
I then noticed that badger2305 , a.k.a. GM-guy a.k.a. Victor, had arrived so I went and spoke with him.. he was going to be running some stuff for the Madison Traditional Gaming group, but I already had plans for the time slot he was going to be running Empire of the Petal Throne..
I can't recall the exact game..
but some of the other highlights of this particular MGD..
reaper miniatures painting.. this was something that anime girl could get into, so I brought up some of my figs to get some ideas as to what I can do to bump myself up a level in skill
to many ogling ooh's and appreciative ahh's.. all she could think was to thin my paint out a bit and to use a flat coat enamel over the semi-gloss that I am used to..
and..
bam!!
she was right.. I think my figs went from 5.5's to 7.5's or even 8's (if I could work on the modeling the bases.. and my extremely fine paint skills my fig's would look truly amazing.. instead of simply amazing :-p)
I spoke with Lester Smith.. creator of.. well.. a bunch of games
very interesting guy, and I'm sad to say that I missed out on playing a board game he wrote based on an rpg he wrote..
I played a game of Traveller, in support of Madison Traditional Gaming.. and the game is just a blast to play...
I played a 'board game' called Nanuk from Steve Jackson Games (again.. with several of the creators)
and..
I have to say..
this game was as good as Munchkin.. better in some ways as the amount of interaction between the players is very high..
it took me a few minutes to get into it, since I am slightly introverted at times.. but once I was relaxed enough it was a great game
www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/54433/nanuk
it is well worth adding to any game collection.. uber geek or not.. it is a blast to play (though being a geek does seem to help)
I also played that nWoD card game with anime girl.. the organizer that had promised (on several occasions) to run it.. and then failed to do so on every occasion she had promised to, which was very annoying..
the game was.. alright.. the rules were written by White Wolf and White Wolf just can not write a decent rule book for a board game..
this assumption was supported by Jason Blair (writer of Little Fears, one of the organizers, and a game reviewer) who fully agreed with my statement..
I did buy a copy of the nWoD game.. mostly so anime girl and I could play it.. but she also picked up a copy for herself
I do plan on getting a copy of Nanuk though.. it was great fun.. and would also be great fun semi-sober :D
all in all.. it was a great day, and I look forward to Madison Games Day 5
Nix