Rob and I arrived at Genghiscon a little later than usual. This despite the fact that we'd arrived by car instead of the more usual bikes and trailer. We dumped the stuff in our room and then up in the common room there was lots lots of interest in the XO's and steveg's eeepc, interest which continued strongly throughout the convention.
It certainly has proved very useful for transcribing game results into - and I can paste it right across into my public journals instead of the faffing around we have to do with my Emate or Rob's Newton.
There were lots of games going on throughout the convention, both Saturday and Sunday there were a lot of people happily playing, it got pretty full!
A game of On the Underground was had - a nicely grouped finish. Caspian I don't think hadn't played before.
Mark 37 Leece 32 Steveg 31 Caspian 30 Rob 29
Had dinner with Ariaflame and Caspian at Tiamo where we discussed Pyramid Scheme, Liaden Universe and Kingdom of Loathing. It must have had a telling effect, because when we got home both ariaflame and caspian had joined my guild in Kingdom of Loathing! I hope they're enjoying it - ariaflame had played before.
Then we retired back to the games room and played a game of Maginor with Mark and Craig, Which Rob won and I was beaten into the earth by Mark. I was on 14? 13? points, Mark came second on 25 and Craig on 23?24? 3rd
During the evening the live action laser tag was in full swing - the parkland courtyard was filled with cardboard castles and bunkers, and in the fading twilight, ominous, be-lasered figures sniped and scurried. As I was walking toward Cook wing to get my art gear, Craig used me as a convenient moving shield whilst bedecked in scary laser gear and keeping and eye on all his opponents while simultaneously chatting to me. I was very impressed. I'm not sure what happened in the game, I think the owners of the equipment were offering to be the enemy at one stage and that they trounced everyone very quickly. Or the other way around...? Perhaps Craig can give us more details. It certainly looked like fun, even if it was horrendously humid.
Saturday - 9AM - Wings of War and I started work on my entry for next year's logo competition. It's a lot more effort to draw with a fine brush, and it takes longer. However, it does result in a more alive image - a lot more dynamic with the variation in the line. Meanwhile - The results of the first Wings of War game:
Rob - DR-1 - first casualty Bronny - Spad XIII Caspian - Sopwith Triplane - second casualty - flamer Mark - Camel Shane - Fokker DVII Tim - Albatross DVa
Outside a lot of action was happening - the SCA had arrived, foam rubber weaponry was being constructed and battled with and the Grant Stone morning tea with damper was under way!
Then Rob decided to torture some people with Kingdom Quest. I haven't heard what they thought of it, or if they're ever going to speak to Rob again. This is an Australian game company creation - Dr Wood, and it's not at all expensive, a wooden board. It's made in India, as is their other fine mathmatical game, Totemland, which I also recommend for losing friends. Kingdom Quest Craig - Mark S tied for win Rob 1 behind Matt 2 back from there
I took a break from my drawing which was beginning to make me swear. I heard a lot of people drawing and designing logos at the art material table so I didn't fancy my chances.
Race for the Galaxy is interesting...I got all militaried up, but do you think you could find a planet that wanted to fight a military war? Nuh. I need to play it again because some of the card exchange stuff confuses me. It was okay for a totally unfamiliar game though.
Steveg 17 Leece 19 MikeyOB 45
Caylus was fun, a good tight game with lots of jostling for player initiative. Leece hears the word 'Caylus', and deserts her drawing quite happily! ...to join these three, later joined by Priya Mark 63 56 Priya 55 Steveg 53 Leece 46 Someone else and then Greg
Nautilus - We all live in a yellow submarine! ratticus 126 Craig 84 Rob 81 Doug 25
Wings of War -ESCAPE! Rob's notes - not mine. This was a flight of returning Allied observation planes, crossing no-man's land, and getting jumped by some German fighters. Allies Elaine -Sopwith Triplane - caught fire, but survived Bronny RE8 - 2 damage - escaped Art - Neuport 11 Craig Br14 - he was the first to escape
Germans Tim - Fokker-DVII Rob - Albertross DIII Cameron - Albertross DVa Matt - DR-I
In the evening we took Twilight Imperium to our room, and ran through a couple of turns for the benefit of Bronny and Tim, who hadn't played it with anyone who knew the game well enough to teach it.
Cthulhumunchkin in some ways was a bit of a dissappointment. I don't know whether it was just because I was tired, or because I had greater expectations, but the humour seemed a bit hollow and forced. I read Lovecraft and his more inspired mates, and I think that Steve Jackson games could have done a bit more than some rather tired puns. Munchkin-Fu was inspired. This isn't. But it's harmless enough, and the pieces that we were using as life chits (they don't come with the game) were positively Non-Euclidean. I'll have to play it again when I'm more awake. And charitable. The card colour was good though.
John - 7 Bron - 7 Tim - 9 Laura - 10**** Leece - 4 cultist Mark - 5 Rob 9 - Cultist
Laura did very well for her first ever experience of a Munchkin style game.
Dead Man's Treasure is a fun, but very lightweight game with ridiculous production values for what it is. We had two games, results below.
Caspian 9 10 Mark 19 17 Leon 9 15 Rob 9 22 Leece 30 15
It started to get late, but we were still going. What? Leon and Caspian hadn't played Mag Blast, we would remedy that! I immediately displayed how the monster worked by being destroyed in the first round. It then degenerated into a nasty three way spat.
Mag Blast
Caspian
Leece killed on the first turn. You'd think with two dreadnoughts and 2 minesweepers I would have lasted longer. Rob killed me. As you would expect. Mind you, I did shoot him. Not that it sufferussin' did any good.
John was second to be destroyed by Rob.
Rob destroyed third, by Caspian.
Turned out to be a showdown between the Brotherhood of Peace (Leon) and the Buzzzzrt (Caspian) who finally won, at 1.53 am, finishing off Leon with a deftly deployed bomber.
Sunday....
I finished the logo design the day before, and delivered it Sunday morning. I was very surprised to see only one other entry, after all the people had been busily designing the day before. I certainly wasn't going to enter if there had been a lot of entries! Genghiscon has had very good logos in the past (2006 notwithstanding) and I was sorry not to see more entries. Maybe next year I'll run a design the Genghiscon logo workshop if they want me to. That could be cool.
Two games of Zombie Fluxx which I hadn't played before. This version of Fluxx is inspired. We simply must get it, it's everything that Munchkin Cthulhu isn't. It's really funny. This and Mall of Horror are super zombie games.
I won both largely by accident - but I don't think that's why I think the game's so good. It's Fluxx. Anyone could have won. The shifting dynamic swinging from Zombie Good / Zombie Bad is a lot of fun.
Elaine Rob Trevor Mark S Mark B Steveg The smaller of Cathy's kids. Sorry, name not in memory.
Gnostica - a nice solid game of this. Mark B 0 elaine 6 leece 6 steveg rob 3 Mark S Mark won 8 Craig (trevors sub) 1
Wings of war - Dogfight, last plane standing!
I was first to be shot down, by steveg. I was flying a fragile little Fokker DR1 with minimised jams and up until it all went horribly wrong was getting 0 and 1 damage thrown at me. Then along came a 4 and a 5. Ow! I blame my position in the middle of the table, they were comin' at me from both sides.
Steveg was flying an Albatross DVa Rob Sopwith Tripane with minimised jams Bronny LFGRoland C11 died when shot by Rob who died as well in the second and third losses of the game.
Steveg then shot down Craig's Sopwith Camel, leaving steveg the champion!
Around about this time the closing ceremony was launched. Apparently I won the logo competition for the 2009 GenghisCon, huuray! I won't be entering next year's comp - a) give someone else a chance and b) do you know how many games of Wings of war I missed playing while I was drawing? Lots! And Nautilus too.
Cannibal Pygmies Scurvy Musketeers - You know those Z-Man B Movie games, we had two and combined them.
Leece 23 Chris 08 Bron 18 Craig 25 Rob 17 Mark 11
Mu was aborted, due to Cleanup happening.
Oh, hell, we forgot our fan! Has it been picked up by some kind person?
A great convention, I would have loved to have gone to the roleplaying, the Grant Stone thing, the SCA thing and the foam rubber weaponry thing as always. I love GenghisCon. Thank you for making it happen people.
These Con reports usually make me sweat blood, they are not easy to write, and I always miss stuff, or make mistakes, but I feel the people who have put the hard work in to making the convention happen deserve my time - and yours. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the convention. What did you do? Feel free to answer under the link in Livejournal or here if you have an account with us.
Some folks were asking about next year's GenchisCon logo, it's on the GenghisCon front page as well with details of next year's convention. Click on Cthulhu for a closer look. I hasten to add that it was clean when I entered it, I suspect it's been handled with some enthusiasm in transit. It should clean up okay in Photoshop or Gimp though.
You can't see the border in this scan, they may not keep it.
Drawn with 00 brush and Cross ink, on medium watercolour paper, over around 3-4 hours.