A Look Back on Origins—Part 1

- by Jeremiah, with contributions from A.J. and Sepos. Last Friday we made our way down to Columbus and the Origins Game Fair, to cover the con as best we could for the blog—in just one day.

The con featured everything you'd expect from an event of this caliber: tons of seminars, officially supported tournaments and game play, an Unpub gathering, and of course, the exhibit hall featuring hundreds of vendors, publishers, and more.

We made our way through, and shot nearly two hours of video content, featuring interviews with Paul Peterson, Jason Tagmire, Kevin Sorbo, and many more!

The Games

As you would expect at a large-scale gaming convention there were a ton of great games, as far as the eye could see; we'll highlight some of the games we thought were of note over the next couple days.

The Duke—An Origins-released game, convention-goers were among the first to demo and purchase The Duke from Catalyst Game Labs. The Duke is a tile placement/tile moving, chess-like strategy game for 2 players. Each tile represents a different troop defending your Duke: Move a tile and flip it to show the different movement now available to that tile. The game plays fast but has massive replay value as it is tough to master, and different every time!

Council of Verona—Crash Games is currently Kickstarting this title as the flagship to their Pub Series of games. Council of Verona is a card-based strategy game with a very strong bluffing component. The Pub Series is a catalog of games that are compact enough to play anywhere, but still offer great depth in their gameplay. You can get in on the Kickstarter until July 3rd, and it's only $12 to get a copy delivered to your door!

Dice Hate Me lineup—Last year Dice Hate Me Games had a booth that pretty much consisted of one game: Carnival. This year they're celebrating a successful release of The Great Heartland Hauling Co., as well as VivaJava, and they're looking forward to the upcoming release of Compounded, VivaJava Dice, and Belle of the Ball. Chris Kirkman has been putting together a great lineup of titles using a stable of unknown/first-time designers to bring great and well-designed/developed games to market. We're excited to see what's coming from them next!

Dungeon Heroes—This exciting game brings you the full experience of a dungeon crawl in a quick-play style. This vs. game pits your heroes against a dungeon player who will try and thwart your efforts to collect hidden treasures. The game board is grid-based with miniature meeples as your characters, who move, attack, and defend based on character abilities. Most importantly, the game can be played in 15 to 30 minutes, giving a busy gamer an opportunity to participate in a fast-paced dungeon crawl. The game is completely expandable and will hopefully offer a multi-player aspect to the game as well as larger game boards. This game looks fantastic and has done great on Kickstarter. We'll be keeping an eye on its future.

We'll be sharing more about Origins over the next few days, not too mention all of our awesome video coverage! For more about Origins, and some good old fashioned social-media fun, look for TOG on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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Origins: Going Again. For the First Time.

- by Jeremiah

As I wrote last week, Theology Of Games will be covering Origins Game Fair this week. But this certainly isn't the first time I've made the 2-hour pilgrimage to the Con. This year will in fact be my fifth time attending Origins, but it is my first time covering the con as a "reporter."

In the past I've only gone for a single day, and usually not even a full day at that. We (we being whichever friend[s] happened to come along that year) usually would head down, buy a day pass at the door, and drool over the cool stuff in the exhibit hall, before making our way to the demo hall to learn even more about the newest and hottest titles. Just making a few rounds in the exhibit hall is worth the trip: tons of new games, demos, and of course a trip down memory lane with some old dead collectible games for sale.

Last year, we (this time "we" being Firestone and I) were working in the background to launch TOG, but we didn't go live until July 1. I kept a keen eye on things, took a few pictures, and of course learned a handful of new games, but aside from that it was "just" another trip to Origins.

My most memorable trip, though, was the first. This was because my wife and two boys went with me. That's right. My incredible wife spent the day at a gaming convention, with our kids (our youngest wasn't even 1 at the time!) wandering around the exhibit hall while her geeky husband drooled over games, bought a bunch of old collectible card games, and nearly peed himself when he met Peter Mayhew. That's right, Peter Mayhew. For those who aren't aware, Mr. Mayhew is known for his portrayal of Chewbacca in the Star Wars films. He had a booth and was selling his autographed photos. He was however gracious enough to take a couple pictures with me and the boys.

So this year I'm heading down to actually cover the con for the blog. We've got press passes and everything. Over the past 11 months we've grown our little blog to over 5,000 followers, but more importantly we've connected with gaming industry folks, who are great people, and who also like games as much as we do (if not more!). I'm looking forward to connecting with them, hearing their stories, seeing the product of their passion, and shaking their hands.

Firestone and I have big dreams for the blog, and you readers are key to those dreams. Thanks so much for subscribing, reading, sharing, retweeting, and all those other "ing" things you do to support our efforts! And stick around for our first ever con coverage of Origins Game Fair!

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Kickstarter Weekly—June 11, 2013

We have a ton of Kickstarter News to bring you this week, so let's jump right in!

Ejipt: Race for Treasure

Sam and Clayton, founders of Laboratory, have launched their second Kickstarter with a fun-looking race game. The game looks streamlined and quick-playing. Plus we liked the natural thematic tie in of using a pyramid shaped d4 for the game! $27 gets you in on the race for treasure! Find it here.

Drive Them Back

A card-battle game, Drive Them Back pits players against advancing hordes attempting to drive them back—they must stave off the onslaught. Players can lose the game together, but only one can win! Stay tuned for our review of this one! $27 will get you your own copy of the game. You can find the campaign here.

Escape from Monster Mansion A social, adventure card game that has players scrambling to escape a creepy old mansion filled with tons of classically themed monsters! There's plenty of weapons and items to help you along the way! A $25 pledge will get you in on the fun! Check out the campaign here!

A slight diversion...

Randy Blackwell of Lamplight Media

Randy Blackwell is looking for funds to bring more Christian art and novels to Dragon Con. Based on the universe of Rise of the Magi, Randy was lucky enough to snag an exhibitor booth at the giant con this year, and needs help bringing more material to market. There's tons of rewards for those willing to chip in! Check out the campaign here.

Whaaa Happen?

Let's Kill Krampus

Every now and then there's a Kickstarter game that looks like it should make the funding goal based solely on its creative theme. Three Fates Games, however, fell well short of their goal for Let's Kill Krampus, which revolves around the Austrian mythos of the Krampus. Krampus is allegedly some sort of weird kin to Santa Claus, but instead of withholding gifts from the naughty girls and boys, he just eats them instead. The game was based around a pre-constructed RPG in which one player was Krampus (or the game master) and the others were children plotting the demise of Ol' Krampus. But we won't see it, because it failed to fund. I'm guessing the funding goal might have been a bit lofty, maybe they'll re-tool and give it another go. You can check it out here.

Funded!

Storyteller Cards

And finally, our good friend Jason Tagmire has a happy ending to his Storyteller Cards campaign—and knocked off two stretch goals in the process! This was Jason's first campaign (and soon-to-be-first release) for his Buttonshy brand. Find out more here.

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Fantasy Flight Announces the First Adventure for Star Wars: Edge of the Empire

We don't normally talk much about RPGs here on ToG, but...STAR WARS! Anyway, Fantasy Flight rebooted the Star Wars RPG last year, with the Edge of the Empire game. and now they've announced the first full-length adventure: Beyond The Rim. The new adventure "is a full-length adventure in three acts that carries players from the bustling, hub-and-spoke space station known as the Wheel all the way to the surface of a deadly jungle planet at the edge of Wild Space. In this epic tale of exploration, your characters will seek fame, fortune, and opportunities to repay old debts. You’ll dodge Imperials, explore distant worlds, run into rival parties, confront new adversaries, and uncover decades-old secrets from the Clone Wars. The ninety-six pages of Beyond the Rim contain enough material to make veterans out of new characters, or heroes out of veterans, and optional hooks for extended campaigns allow GMs to make further use of the book’s fleshed-out setting and NPCs."

I (Firestone) have been interested in this, since I think my kids would enjoy RPGing in the Star Wars universe—once they're old enough, that is. Has anyone played this yet? Is it fun? Let us know in the comments!

Thanks for reading! And make sure you check back next week, when we'll have an interview with one of my comedic heroes! Here's your clue: Rowsdower!

Origins: A Week in Preview

Well, next week the Origins Game Fair will descend upon the greater Columbus area, along with thousands of gamers of all types: tabletop, RPGers, and yes, even the LARPers will be there in force, providing many great photo opportunities.

Scott lives 2 time zones away and is unable to make the journey, so I (Jeremiah) will be heading down with a few friends who are going to help me cover the vast expanses of the convention...in one day.

This is our first large con that we will be covering and we're pretty excited about the opportunity. And I've been lining up meetings with designers, and publishers this week.

Here's a few items we'll be covering:

New Games—We'll be scouring the con for new and exciting (and yet-to-be-discovered) titles, both in the exhibit hall and at the Unpub events.

Video Interviews and Demos—If all goes as planned, you'll see my smiling face alongside those of the people who bring you the games we love—and, they'll be teaching you about their newest/most-popular titles!

Tons of Social Media Entries—If I'm excited about something, I'll burn it up with Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook action. It will be like you're ACTUALLY there!

Plus more. We're still working on what we'll be able to cover, but we'd love to hear from you about what you'd like to see. Is there something you're excited about, or sad that you'll be missing out on? I'll try my best to cover as much as I can! Thanks so much for reading, and be sure to subscribe to our email list on the right.

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Have Odin's Ravens Flown the Coop?

A few months ago we featured "Odin's Ravens Second Edition" in a Kickstarter Weekly piece. The campaign was created by Works LTD. who has seen success with one other game campaign, and a few less-than-successful campaigns with some audio/recording gear.

The campaign closed on March 5, 2013 and reached pledges of over $22k. The date provided by Works LTD. to get the game to market is sometime in August of 2013. But a growing number of backers have become concerned because Works LTD. hasn't given any further updates since March 5th when they announced the successful funding of the campaign.

We're not suggesting Works LTD. took the money and headed for Mexico, never to be seen again. But what we really know right now is, well...nothing, and that's what the hub-bub is about. No, the game isn't past delivery date, and there wasn't a "Dear John" note left on the backers' doorsteps. But there haven't been any signs of life coming from Works LTD; it's like they've gone all Willy Wonka and disappeared. Seth—the guy behind Works hasn't logged onto the Geek since March, they haven't tweeted since March.

We all understand that life can happen, and I, for one, certainly hope that nothing tragic has befallen anyone within the ranks of Works LTD; but in the world of 2013, with all of our connected-ness and technological doo-dads, it certainly seems that the easy and professional thing to do is to shoot a quick update to your backers and put their minds at ease.

Here's hoping the ravens haven't flown the coop, and that Works LTD will update backers soon!

Did you back this game? Sound off: On a scale of 1-10, how worried are you that you're not getting your game?

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The Great Old Ones Won't Stay Hidden—A Cthulhu Smash Up Expansion!

Well, AEG was hoping to keep the secret until June 1, but you know ancient evil: It just won't stay hidden! The Obligatory Cthulhu Set is the third expansion for the popular Smash Up game. According to AEG "this set features crazy Cthulhu cultists, fishy Innsmouth locals, horrifying Elder Things, and good old Miskatonic University members (the Fightin’ Cephalopods). To be certain we got it right, this set also includes a new card type fittingly known as “Madness”, that each of these groups use to various effects. But remember that Madness brings you power but at a price." Since this was outed earlier than they'd wanted, AEG doesn't have a page up or previews yet, but they promise more next week.

You can read our interview with designer Paul Peterson right here.

There are already some complaints in the Twitterverse that people aren't really excited about an expansion that's all under the same broad theme. What do you think? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

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Award Announcements: The Spiel des Jahres, Kennerspiel des Jahres, and Kinderspiel des Jahres

By Firestone

The biggest awards in boardgaming were announced today.

First up is the big one: The Spiel des Jahres, which is the German game of the year. This is a highly sought-after prize, as a win here can mean big sales—look at Ticket To Ride!

There are only three nominees:

Qwixx, by Stefen Benndorf

Augustus, by Paolo Mori

Hanabi, by Antoine Bauza

I've played Hanabi, and it's terrific.

They also released a list of "recommended games"—kind of a consolation list of games they think you still ought to play.

Libertalia, by Paolo Mori

Divinare, by Brett Gilbert

Hand auf Herz, by Julien Sentis

Escape: The Curse of the Temple, by Kristian Amundsen Østby

La Boca, by Inka and Markus Brand

Riff Raff, by Christoph Cantzler

Rondo, by Reiner Knizia

Mixtour, by Dieter Stein

Yay!, by Heinz Meister

I've played Escape: The Curse of the Temple, and Libertalia, and the latter is one of my favorite games of last year.

The Kennerspiel award is for more complex, gamers'-type games. The nominees are:

Bruges, by Stefan Feld

Legends Of Andor, by Michael Menzel

The Palaces of Carrara, by Wolfgang Kramer and Michael Kiesling

I've played none of these. The recommended games for this category are:

Terra Mystica, by Jens Drögeüller and Helge Ostertag

Tzolk'in, by Simone Luciani and Daniele Tascini

I've played Tzolk'in, and you can check out my review of it.

And finally, the Kinderspiel des Jahres—the children's game of the year—nominees:

Mucca Pazza, by Iris Rossbach

Gold am Orinoko, by Bernhard Weber

Der Verzauberte Turm, by Inka and Markus Brand

And the recommended games:

Kakerlakak, by Peter-Paul Joopen

Kuddelmuddel, by Haim Shafir and Günter Burkhardt

Move & Twist, by Kerstin Wallner and Klaus Miltenberger

Pingi Pongo, by Peter Neugebauer

Bim Bamm!, by Lukas Zach and Michael Palm

Baobab, by Josep Maria Allué

Linus, der Kleine Magier, by Wolfgang Dirscherl

Mix Fix, by Andrew Lawson and Jack Lawson

Madagascar Catan Junior, by Klaus Teuber

Star Wars—Battle Of Hoth, by Bastiaan Brederode and Cephas Howard

I've played none of these...

Which ones have you played? Were there any glaring omissions in the nominees? Which ones do you think will win?

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New Expansions for Age Of Steam, Seasons, and the DC-Comics Deckbuilding Game

By Firestone

As we lead up to Origins in a few weeks, companies are announcing new games and expansions. First, over on Boardgamegeek, designer Alban Viard announced that he's designing a new pair of expansions for Age Of Steam. It sounds like he's going to use the actual game box as a part of the game. From the announcement: "The box might be a mountain and we will have tunnels to cross the mountain under the box! The network will be cut by the mountain and the players might arrange the different maps around the mountain."

Asmodee Games announced on Facebook that their popular card game Seasons is getting an expansion called Enchanted Kingdom. It adds "40 Power cards; 10 Enchantment cards; 12 Special Ability tokens; 16 Energy tokens; 2 'Raven' tokens 1 'First Player' token; 2 'Bespelled Grimoire' energy reserve expansions for individual game boards; 7 'Decreased energy reserve' tokens." And it should be ready by Origins!

Finally, though Cryptozoic Entertainment hasn't announced it yet, a couple of retailers seem to have outed a standalone expansion: Heroes Unite. A description on the site says, "Play as Shazam!, Hawkman, Red Tornado, Nightwing, Black Canary, Batgirl, or Booster Gold in Heroes Unite, the first standalone expansion for the DC Comics Deckbuilding Game! Unlock special abilities, like Force Field or the Helmet of Fate, and unleash devastating card combos against your opponents! Craft your hero deck into a well-oiled machine to take on the most vile villains in the DC Universe in your quest for Victory (Points)! Mix the cards from Heroes Unite with the core DC Comics Deckbuilding Game set to wage the ultimate showdown!"

Check out our Double-Take Review of the DC-Comics Deck-Building Game.

Thanks for reading!

Board Game Night—At the Root!

We're super excited to be able to announce that Jeremiah is hosting our first ever Board Game Night, at the Root Cafe in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. (Click here for directions)

Join us Friday, May 17 from 7:00-11:00 PM. Jeremiah will be there with a nice collection of games, some old favorites, some new prototypes, and a few fun party games. There will be games for newbies curious about the games we play, as well as the seasoned gamers.

Here's a few games that will be on hand:

Carcassonne—A fun tile-placement game; this is a staple for any gamer's collection!

The Great Heartland Hauling Company—A fun quick-playing game of cards and cubes!

Kingdom Builder—Easy to learn, but ever-changing!

DC Comics Deck Building Game—Use your cards to gain other cards and defeat the super villains!

The Resistance—There are no words!

The Agents—A prototype card game.

Princes of the Dragon Throne—Another prototype game from our friends at Game Salute.

Looking forward to see you all there! Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for more details!!