Early night tonight from the Game On! event in Seattle. One reason I enjoy going to this event is that Seattle is full (or so it seems) of happy, well adjusted, normal people. Even the ASL players, baring some serious OCD tendencies are really sweet kind dudes….with little ticks and things.

 

See how happy these dudes are!!

A lot of people come to this little con, the young and old!

The blur of action on the right is a lady who stole my blue Casino weighted 1d6…really! She was quick! If it turns up on Ebay let me know.

But really the objective of 90% of the folks here is in order:
1. Have Fun

2. HAVE Fun with a beer

3. Play games with great Narrative

4. Learn a little history and enjoy the game for what it is.

5. Hang with like minded people.

Now at this con there are chaps playing a single game title for 4-5 hours. People playing monsters such as Battle for Normandy or the OCS title The Blitzkrieg Legend and even OaO (1914: Offense a Outrance) from GMT in the WWI Era, which will require several days.

There are folks cranking through the tournaments ( ASL /LNL/WaW/The Hunters/Combat Commander and more)

So why did I fly all the way to Seattle to go play games when I have my regular awesome buds I play with?

Well. Good question.

There are a range of games here that I can play in one weekend to confirm a wide variety of things for my self.

For a title like Hunters, being coached on it and playing a few rounds in a mini tournament allows the exploration of the generation of narrative. Will it make for a compelling story? Would I enjoy writing that story?

For larger titles such as OCS, I can see how men who have played several titles, and know the rules play the game. It is an opportunity to learn more about the intricacies of the game, strategy, rules nuance and the like.

 

The downside for them however is I am indeed on a mission. I fully intend to play as many titles as much as possible.  The challenge here as  a ‘fill in ‘ player is to not delay your team mates and be present enough….I think I frustrated the fellas today, as the attempts to time dinner, their movement phase or exploit with my other gaming clashed.

One aspect of gaming at a con that was not readily apparent as a value add  is playing a game that you have previously played solo or even Face to Face or via VASSAL and taking that into a team format.

We played Panzer! in a 5 man team 2v2, each person took a ‘formation’ and got cracking. The game really shined in this manner. Panzer played MUCH faster, the energy level was extremely high.

The other thing here is I can engage with someone and learn a new game, try a game that had been previously rejected, or watch two guys go hammer and tongs in a title previously unknown!

 

More soon.