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Trials and tribulations of following interests when getting 'past it'.

Sunday 5 June 2016

Okkers Up North... UK Games Expo

So it was up to the NEC to play in the Guild Ball comp on the Saturday - but a whole Friday to look around the expo sales area (much to the horror of my bank account). Spent most of Friday afternoon wandering around with Neit S from the Meeples and Miniatures pod-cast playing games - and then generally buying the buggers.

I love the games expo, mainly because it isn't a war-games show, and as such the clientele was very very different. Less smelly and lardy by far and a far evener split of the old sexes. Also it is geared for people to play games, not just demo games but social games - huge areas of space set aside for casual gaming. A great place to be fair.

First on the 'oops I bought it list' was Project Elite


A 'real time' game which apparently falls into the 'tower defence' genre - in other words you have to stop the horde (in this case of aliens) overunning the base before you do the objectives. Not a new concept by any stretch of the imagination (you can hear the BUT coming). However, (yeh a posh but I know) the real time was the twist - the game is set up that you are rolling dice continually for two minutes activations and using what come up as quick as you can - one side of the d6 lets you move a space, so roll 3 of them and you move 3 spaces, shoot with a gun symbol etc. Each player starts with 4 dice and you can bank them into actions (to search or do the objective marker etc). Speed is the essence here and mayhem happens, each player rolls at the same time. Each time an alien symbol is rolled you HAVE to move an alien (following the arrows laid out)  who can push, conga style, other aliens - if you are attacked (pushed back) you lose a Hit Point etc

At the end of your two minutes of dice rolling mayhem the aliens get to activate and spawn - all done on the cards and arrows and they get to shoot if they can. Add events, objects, alien tech, weapons to find and you have an awesome game indeed. Miniatures are very average but like I said to Neil this is a good point as one feels they are not good enough to make you want to paint them, but plenty good enough to play with on the board and you get a TON of them.

One purchase wouldn't have been bad - but you can add to this:
ICE COOL - a very very fun penguin chase game where you flick the penguins around the board. Yeh I know silly, but absolutely brilliant!

Luchador - a mexican wrestling dice game (new edition) - again what is there not to like

Super 11 - a footy game which is simple but works real well

Going to be taking these to school I think for a board game afternoon treat for my class.

I treated myself to a night in the Hilton, which was nice but sort of not as nice as I imagined a Hilton should be and certainly not x-times nicer than a Holiday Inn as befits the x-times price difference - but still it is only once a year and means you are literally 'on top of the action'. Saturday saw the Steam-forged run Guild Ball comp.

The Okkers were ready - Jamie, the designer of many things Guild Ball liked the beer pots and tweeted them:


And I was set for game one...

My opponent was Pat... second or third (can't remember) at the 140+ player Vengeance tournament a couple of weeks ago and was determined not to let it slip. I was on the end of the Butcher's momentum train and he basically pounded me... I put up a fight but didn't even see the ball as far as I can remember with him doing 6 kills over the game. Lessons learnt - needed to take out Obulus rather than the players around him for a start. Will put up a better fight against Butcher's next time for sure.

Second game was against a guys (name escapes me) Morticians team and it was close... a few dodgy things happened which I couldn't be arsed to argue about but one of which certainly lost me the game, a: the clock wasn't paused as I was trying to explain a situation which ended on me acquising and keeping Spiggot off for what was 2 extra turns with icy sponges - where I should have had him back - but still I lost on timed out VPS - wasn't going to let it spoil my day though to be fair.

Third game was against Fish and the Marc (my opponent) hadn't played much and although neither had I I had played with Fish and knew what he could do, and more importantly what he couldn't. 12-0 to me as I scored 2 goals and two take outs - satisfying game to be sure and good fun,

Last game was against Masons and I had the guy on the ropes and pinned back for most of the game. This pleased me as I felt I was playing very well for a change. Ended scoring twice, missing 3 open goals (3-5 dice needing just one 4) and taking out 2 players with 2 timed out VP on top. His Masons did score once but I actually figured I couldn't stop it and instead set up the post goal plays which won the game. Again, a situation I felt my level of play had grown with.

An exhausting day - but very enjoyable, bring on the next tourney and our club league for sure !

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