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Plans for UK Games Expo Taking Shape

img_4317Well I “reserved” some accommodation for the UK Games Expo this morning. I’m staying about 6 miles away from the expo/con at The Stables – Deer Park Farm.

It ticks most of the things I’m looking for. Free wifi, free parking, breakfast (although it’s not a fry up, just a pastry style one I believe), and just within affordable.

That last one is an important criteria. The way I look at how much I am prepared to pay for a night is worked out by the cost of a tank of petrol. Especially for an event at the NEC. That’s two and a half hours away from where I live. So push comes to shove, I could drive there each day. I could leave the house around seven and be there traffic permitting by eleven. On the return be home for nine. I could live with that.

So with the three day pass, I’m looking at three nights accommodation. £150 is the maximum I’d be looking at. The local Travelodge and the likes to the NEC are not showing any of their “bargain” prices for the days of the event funnily enough. I suspect they have already gone, or won’t exist. The Hilton with it’s mega prices and expo discount has nothing free.

So the search for a base for the three days forced me further afield. For The Stables I am paying slightly more than I had planned but within tolerances.

The nice thing about The Stables is I believe I have a microwave and fridge in the room. So I can take my evening meals with me, and be more adventurous on what I take with me for my lunches. I always take my Aeropress, I need good coffee.

If I take my new 6ft folding table with me also, I have a playing surface I can use as well if other gamers are also at The Stables and fancy an impromptu gaming session.

Having tasted the delights of The Hilton last year, I will miss that convenience of being right in the expo. Buy some stuff and you can quickly dump it in your room. The gaming rooms are packed in the evenings, and that was an experience. But as a solo gamer hard to find a game, most people there are in groups of some kind, and want to play in those groups.

I’m hoping The Stables will be a more relaxed affair. It will most definitely be a different experience. I was at the Premier Inn the first year I attended, Hilton room sharing last year. Which both had lots of gamers at them. It will be interesting to see how many gamers are at The Stables for the duration, and what atmosphere it has.

Well at least I’m sorted at the moment. The six months or so will just fly buy, and before you know it I’ll be a solo gamer once more in a very very busy expo.

Lego Star Wars Advent 2017 Days 1 and 2

Didn’t get a chance to start this yesterday. Life always seems to get in the way of doing cool, fun stuff.

So here is Day 1 of the Lego Star Wars Advent Calendar 2017.

So a good start a cool mini Slave 1. I will repeat this ad infinitum, but I think it’s amazing how in such a small amount of lego they are able to convey the essence of a ship.

But you also need todays bit of Lego action also to go along with this.


I think that this is a palace guard from Episode 1. Please correct me if I’m wrong.

Pimp it out

What’s your favourite way to pimp out a game in your collection?


With the arrival of the metal coins for Scythe (just in time for our game today), that thought was running through my head.

With The Manhattan Project Chain Reaction I really love the wooden tokens for yellow cake and uranium that pimp out the deluxe edition.

But I think my favourite pimp out has to be metal coins. They just feel really nice, more tactile, more satisfying in the hand than cardboard coins.

I have metal coins for 7 Wonders (I’m using a set of Viticulture metal coins for this), plus I have a set of Viticulture metal coins waiting to pimp out Viticulture when I finally buy a copy. 

In the postal system between here and France are two sets of the metal coins for 7 Wonders Duel (along with the metal tokens). And I have the metal version of the new 50 value coins that get introduced with the Scythe expansion on pre-order.

One pimp out I won’t be getting is the realistic resources for Scythe, I don’t actually like the look of them. I much prefer the standard wooden tokens.

I am glad with The Others that I got the plastic token pack, so I’ve not bothered punching out the cardboard ones. I wish I’d done the same with Zombicide.

I suppose the ‘ultimate’ pimp out kit is the deluxe upgrade box for Tokaido. Soundtrack, miniatures, metal coins, plastic player counters in the shape of little packages.

But why do we go to all that trouble, and expense to pimp out our games? 

By pimping out I’m not going to just include upgrading components, but also adding promos.

For me I think it’s all about making the game personal, making it ‘unique’, putting your mark on a game.

It’s taking a much loved game (you wouldn’t do this for a game you don’t like!), and making it yours.

Let’s face it, not everyone is going to hunt down hard to get promos or upgrade the components. Normal people will be happy with just owning the ‘basic’ game.

But something in a ‘hardcore’ Gamers DNA drives them to add that personal touch to their favourite games. It’s probably the same thing that drives them to pay silly money for their Grail games. 

I like that personal touch to a game. Whether it’s enhancing the experience of playing by using upgraded components, or that little surprise when playing with others and they come across that promo. “Oh wow is that Stan Lee as a bystander?” I like that when playing Marvel Legendary. 

The games mine, it’s different from others. It’s ‘unique’ to me! It’s me!

Not well argued, or even an in depth look at the human psyche, but I hope this shallow look at why we pimp games has got you thinking.

Planning 2017 Purchases Already!

Over on BGG they are having yearly nominations for “Most Anticipated game of 2017”. Yep folks are already looking ahead to next year.

So from the nominees what has caught my attention for next year? Well here is a list in no particular order:

  • Super Dungeon Explore: Legends – a campaign and role playing expansion! I’m in. So I will have to get Forgotten King to the table first, but I do like this style game.
  • The 7th Continent – I backed this on Kickstarter last year. They did let us know that it would not make the deadline given in the campaign early on. Which I can live with. It’s a huge, massive undertaking. But I am looking forward to this choose your own adventure style game when it finally comes out. I’m predicting the later half of 2017 for this.
  • Elder Sign: Omens of the Deep – Another expansion for a game I should be playing more often.
  • This War of Mine The Board Game – could this be the game I regret I didn’t back on Kickstarter for 2017? Scythe was that game for 2016.
  • T.I.M.E. Stories Expansions – I’m not going to list them all here. But after having played the initial scenario Asylum, I’m excited for these big time.
  • Android Netrunner – I love the data packs in the cycles when they get released. But the new deluxe expansion Terminal Directive with it’s legacy aspect and campaign mode. I’m excited to see how this plays, and the ew direction it takes things.
  • Imperial Assault expansions – yes I need to play this great game more, you know I’ll be getting these when they hit the stores. Addictive isn’t the word.
  • King of Tokyo: Monster Pack – Cthulhu – I’m surprised this didn’t happen sooner really. It’s a must. I just need that King of New York Power Up expansion now, never did see that come out.
  • Pandemic Legacy Season 2 – really? I need to explain this one? come on?
  • Xia: Embers of a Forsaken Star – I don’t even own the base game at the moment! But when this hits, I get the base game at the same time. It’s a game I really really want to play, and when the KS was run an easy way to get the base game (that was between printings at the time) and the expansion.
  • Cry Havoc: Aftermath – Look I like the base game. More stuff for it? DuH!
  • Neuroshima Hex – Another army for the game? Yes please.
  • Colt Express: Indians and Calvary – I’m assuming this just adds more to this already chaotic game.
  • Nations the Dice game expansion – no details about this at the moment, but the game is a nice game, so very interested in an expansion for it.

So thats just some of the games and expansions that have caught my eye for 2017. I think some won’t be a surprise to you. But one or two I think may have you saying “really?”

What games or expansions coming out in 2017 have you got your eye on?

A Sinful Post

Despite hating CMoN I have to admit the minis in The Others are really really cool.

Since my copy of The Others arrived I’ve been putting a photo of one of the sins up on Instagram each day.

One comment I got was “Paint them!”

Which I should do. In fact I should finish off the storm troopers first. 

I have a crap load of minis to paint if you take into account the ones in Imperial Assault, Zombicide, Cry Havoc, Run Fight or Die, and also now The Others. 

What’s stopped me? Laziness mainly, mixed in with a bit of lack of confidence.

Maybe I should see if any of the Fenland Gamers are into painting minis, and willing to run a session or two to help boost confidence etc. It would certainly make me do something.

Men and Women of UNCLE

Can you guess what last night was?

Yep it was FEG@WL or the long winded version Friday Evening Gaming At The White Lion! Our weekly gaming meet up at the Fenland Gamers.

Our gaming session now clashes with Steak night at The White Lion. So sadly that lovely big table we played on is now unavailable. But as usual The White Lion has generously allowed us to use their function room.


I think you will agree there is a little room for growth in numbers. 

We are very grateful to The White Lion for allowing us to use the facilities they have for free. It allows us to continue to run the weekly session as free to attend events. Which is part of the clubs DNA. Both Jonathan and I both really believe that you shouldn’t have to pay to play games, “free at the point of play” as Jonathan likes to say (I think that’s his words more or less). It’s an expensive enough hobby as it is buying the games.

There are other reasons as to why we don’t like to charge but you don’t want to waste valuable time hearing a diatribe from me on gaming clubs.

Our hosts provide us with great facilities, great beverages, it has free parking, and now great food if we want it.

Oh yes I had to sample the bannoffee pie they had on the menu. It was really good. The rest of the menu looked very tempting too, Debbie the manager showed us photos of the dishes. The only draw back is I’d just want like the ribs, plus the special plater and the wings. I’d be in a meat coma in no time! 

But word of warning to club members we will be arranging some sort of food thing after a session real soon. 

Right on to the real reason you are here… your bored with life, have nothing better to do and want to read my poorly put together thoughts on games.

We played one game last night and that was a learning game of the recently arrived Covert. A game I had bought second hand at a really good price off one of the Facebook boardgame trading groups.

I should point out, and I don’t think when people read that we played a learning game, it is exactly that. We haven’t even read the rules, or at best managed to skim read them before hand. Yes not ideal, and for some this is a major sin. But we have busy lives, and sometimes it is easier this way!

So after setting up, going through the rules we started playing Covert.

I think the theme comes across really well in this game, from the components, graphic design, and the mechanics. They just combined well to bring out the theme.

You have elements of hidden information where players are keeping their code cards, missions, operation tokens and ‘activity’ cards (can’t remember the exact name). Then you have open information,such as your dice, character, completed missions and code cards.

And this works really well especially the dice. The first phase of a ’round’ starts with everyone rolling their dice, and taking it in turns to allocate them to actions. Knowing the other players dice allows you to potentially block another player on an action. 

You also during this phase get the chance to grab first player advantage but doing so means you will have to forgo at least one action to do so. 

But being first means you get first attempt at code breaking, which is the next phase. And you may really need to be first to make sure you decode your card and get that bit of equipment you badly need. “Oh no”, did they just play an operation token to steal first player spot for code breaking? !!! 

Or it might be you really need to be first taking actions in the third phase so you get that mission card you really wanted.

The operation tokens were cool. And provided one way to mitigate poor dice rolls, or other cool effects like moving agents three spaces. But it costs you a dice in the allocation phase to get one, and they are random.

If I’d drawn the right one in the last round of our game Jonathan may not have won! 

Those ‘activity’ cards. Love them, multiple use. Act as equipment, can be used to fly an agent to the city named. Or finally can be used for its ability. The abilities are the same as the operation tokens as far as I can tell. So another way to mitigate poor dice rolls, and other cool powers. 

Completing missions possibly depending on the mission gives you not only points but a permanent resource that can be used to complete other missions. 

There is a lot to like about this game. It’s not super heavy. But it’s fun. At one point Debbie thought our game was never going to finish. But Jonathan and I both completed the majority of our missions in the last three rounds, we both had rounds where we completed two or three missions in a round.

It was a quick game to pick up, although Debbie didn’t grok it until near the end. We had the majority of the game down easily by end of turn two. Then it was just clarifying the odd point or symbol.

A great fun game, Jonathan was James Bond in the end for the record.

So that was our only game for the evening. 

Great company, great beverages and food, and a great game. What more do you need to end the week, and start the weekend?

My Game of the Year is…tbd

On the Fenland Gamer facebook page there was a brief discussion about what our personal game of the year would be.

Despite ten months of the year gone, I still feel that it’s too soon for me to be making that decision. I still have some games that I want to play before the year has finished.

For starters I have Scythe just arrived, Kemet is in the postal system, Lunarchitects has entered the postal system, Hero Realms is due to be posted to me any day now.

I’ve pre-ordered Cry Havoc. I want to get Robinson Crusoe (funds permitting). This next one is a long shot but I may even see The Others before Christmas. Jonathan has a couple of games he wants to get to the table.

Plus some of the games in my pile of shame may also make it to the table.

So as you can see there is still potential game of the year candidates to hit the table.

I do know that I will be choosing my game of the year from the short list created from my game of the month that I chose surprisingly enough each month!

Sadly I only started awarding that back in March so I will have to go back and look at what games I played in January and February and choose a winner for those months.

By awarding a game of the month, I have done a lot of the work already in narrowing down the field for my game of the year. I do know that it won’t be easy picking a winner from that short list. There are some pretty awesome games there.

So have you chosen your game of the year already?

Training Beach

Sunday afternoon I played a solo game of D-Day Dice.

I thought first play I’ll use the suggested training map but on its full setting, skipping the slow intro path to the game.

I did find this map easy. Largely helped by my good rolls of the dice. I rolled the deadmans dice three times! That’s three skulls, one red, one blue, and one white.

I had a load of specialists that made things less challenging. 

But I enjoyed the solo experience none the less.

I’m keen to try the harder maps. But I’m certainly glad I got the game.

Plus it takes up a small foot print. So ideal to take when I visit Nath.

Such a shame this is an out of print game now.

Fenland Gamers Oct 16 Meetup

Last night saw the October meet up of the  Fenland Gamers at the White Lion Hotel. This was a first for the monthly Meetup.

Our first game of the evening was Keyflower. 

Part worker placement, part bidding. It’s a nice challenging game. 

You have to decide whether to use a tile for its ability or to try and bid on it to get ownership.

There is an advantage to owning the tiles. Points for starters, plus it may increase the number of workers the next round that you have to play with. Because if another player uses on of your tiles you get those meeples at the end of the round. 

You also get to bid for choosing bonuses at the end of the round. Get a chance using tile abilities to gather resources that you can use to upgrade a tile. 

It can be tough making that decision what to do. 

The art isn’t amazing, but has a nice cartoony feel to it. I do like the player screens that are used to hide your meeples from the other players. 

Despite loosing to Deigo it liked the game a lot.

We finished off the evening with Isle of Trains.

I’d nearly bought this game at the expo. Which is a shame as I liked playing this also. And it won’t be long before it ends up in the collection.

I love the multi use cards. Using them to pay for cards, to use them as carriages/trains or as a resource to activate an ability. 

That activating of an ability is genius. Because that only happens when you put a resource on an opponents carriage. But if you do that you are helping them get nearer to completing their contract. If you do it on your own train, nothing happens, but you do have the goods to use for completing a contract. That’s an interesting decision to have to make. How badly do you need the ability to meet your goals? 

The records will show that I won this game.

A great evening of gaming. Looking forward to Friday now for the next lot.