Its been almost two weeks after Origins and I'm finally getting around to writing a recap. Overall, it was an awesome con - in fact, probably one of the best in years. I'm only going to hit the highlights, but suffice to say there were many other great times that were had.
The first highlight was my wife and I were able to snag a copy of Imhotep, a board game which sold out almost instantly. To be honest, we had not even heard of the game before the con, but everyone was grabbing it so we grabbed one as well. The best part was when someone in the board room asked why we hadn't been tackled yet since we were carrying it around.
I only played in two RPGs the whole con. The first was a Quantum Black game. I recently got my hardcover copy of the rulebook from the kickstarter and have been itching to play it again. In case you don't know, in Quantum Black you are part of a corporation that researches, captures, and fights the occult and mythos. Unlike an organization like Delta Green, whose goal is to wipe out the mythos, Quantum Black wants to get as much knowledge on it as possible to use it to make money.
In our game we were a clean-up team sent to investigate a research facility that had gone dark. I played a tech guru girl who was callous and more interested in downloading the latest movie torrents. I had so much fun playing her! The game was only two hours, so we had time to get in, find bad things, blow them up, and get out. I highly recommend playing the game when possible.
The second RPG was one of the biggest highlights of the con for me. It was a great game, but it was also my oldest daughter's first RPG. We found a supers game called Cold Steel Wardens, and the GM was amazing. He helped her go through, figure out what to do, and let use her character how she wanted. I know it was a success as she said she wanted to try more RPGs. Now to just find some...
We made a number purchases (probably too many), but one stands out. For a while I've been looking at getting a copy of Dungeon Crawl Classics from Goodman Games. I have a fondness for the OSR clones, and have heard great things about it. When I went over to the booth and saw that they had some copies of the latest softcover printing for sale. The best part, it was only $25.
That price is amazing. If you've never seen it, the DCC rulebook is over 400 pages. For $25, its a steal.
I've been reading through the book and have fallen in love with it. The book itself is incredible. Its well written, and the art is evocative of the old D&D books. The book is worth purchasing for the art itself.
So far I've been loving the system as well. Its very simple, but also allows for that old school feel that I've been looking for. I'll do a better review later on, but its already high on my list.
Overall, Origins was a blast. While the con has had its low points over the last few years, it has started to recover and the gamers can tell. Every year seems to be better than the previous, so I can't wait until next year!
Showing posts with label Origins. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Origins. Show all posts
Monday, June 27, 2016
Friday, June 12, 2015
Origins 2015: Playing Games
As with last year, my wife and daughters attended Origins with me so most of my time as a player was spent with them around the convention. This post details my time at Origins with them and as an attendee.
Registration Lines: Until this year, I don't think I ever spent more than 15 minutes in line badge/ticket pick up. This year we travelled down Wednesday afternoon as I was running a game that evening. We got to the convention at about 4:30PM and spent the next hour in various lines.
This year GAMA used an automated system for pre-registration. You got a barcode when you pre-registered and scanned it at a kiosk. Your badge and tickets were then printed out. This took about 20 minutes to get through for all 4 of us.
Once we got our badges and pre-reg tickets, we hopped in the on-site reg line to sign my daughters up for some events. Unfortunately, this was slow. IMO, the reason was that when you got to the front and gave them the event to register, they had to look it up, and MANUALLY TYPE IN THE CREDIT CARD NUMBER! And if you had 3 people, they had to start the process over each time. This was even worse if the event was sold out and you had to find an alternative.
My only suggestion to this is for GAMA to use the credit card processing tools they offer to their customers. Unless the convention center made them do it this way, there is no excuse for not using a CC swiper to speed things along.
Also, GAMA should hire someone who can create a web interface to their events that is accessible from the con, so everyone can see what events still have openings. (GAMA: This is already possible through eventready!)
Quantum Black: The only RPG I played in was a 2-hour demo for an upcoming Ubiquity-based RPG called Quantum Black. This is a slightly futuristic (e.g. in the year 2020) RPG where you work for a corporation that investigates and takes care of supernatural phenomena. The demo I played in had us investigating a town where a previous team disappeared. It was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed it. The kickstarter is supposed to happen in July, and I'll likely back it.
Baker Street RPG: My wife and I had tickets to a session of the Baker Street RPG, of which I was looking forward to because 1) I wanted to try this out and 2) it would be my wife's first RPG. Unfortunately, time got the better of us and we had to cancel our tickets. However, I'm still very interested and will be signing up for a game next year.
Board Games: We are definitely a board game family. On Thursday while I was running games, my wife and daughters went through the Mayfair Games ribbon-fest and played in a number of demos. In the end, they bought Villiany from them and Dohdles from Kosmos. I also got Smash Up, Call of Cthulhu the Card Game, Bioshock: Infinite (board game), and Cargo Noir from the Origins math trade. All in all, a good haul.
Vendor Room: While some may disagree, the vendor room seemed to have more vendors this year. Mayfair and a number of the other boardgame vendors had their large booths moved to the board game hall so there was more space in the vendor room. To me, it seemed like it had filled up. There were a lot of vendors I don't remember seeing before, and a bunch that had returned and appeared to be getting good business.
Unfortunately, once more I saw a lack of used game vendors there. Maybe they've found that Origins isn't the place for them. If so, that makes me sad as I would had easily spent more money at those.
CABS Board Room: The evenings found us at the CABS board room. We had each gotten ribbons and would spend 3-4 hours (at least) a night in the board room, trying out new games and seeing if we liked them. I don't think I ever saw the room completely full, but there were a few times when it was getting close.
I am on the fence about getting ribbons next year. It isn't cheap for a family of 4 to do, but having access to the CABS library is probably worth it alone.
Cosplay: One thing I noticed is there was more cosplay at Origins this year. My daughters dressed up every day, and my wife even dressed up one day! IMO, more cosplay is good. Its a fun hobby and enjoyable for everyone. I think in the years to come we'll only see more of this at Origins.
Overall, Origins this year was a lot of fun. It had its issues like every year, but they were more minor than they have been in previous years. This being my 14th Origins, I can still see that it hasn't recovered fully from the bad years. However, its definitely on its way back. There are still areas it needs to work on, like registration lines, the ways it handles GMs, and the backwards thinking in regards to prizes and vendors; but things are starting to look better.
Unfortunately, attendance for next year is iffy due to some potential scheduling conflicts, but I hope I'm able to come down for at least a day to try things out.
Registration Lines: Until this year, I don't think I ever spent more than 15 minutes in line badge/ticket pick up. This year we travelled down Wednesday afternoon as I was running a game that evening. We got to the convention at about 4:30PM and spent the next hour in various lines.
This year GAMA used an automated system for pre-registration. You got a barcode when you pre-registered and scanned it at a kiosk. Your badge and tickets were then printed out. This took about 20 minutes to get through for all 4 of us.
Once we got our badges and pre-reg tickets, we hopped in the on-site reg line to sign my daughters up for some events. Unfortunately, this was slow. IMO, the reason was that when you got to the front and gave them the event to register, they had to look it up, and MANUALLY TYPE IN THE CREDIT CARD NUMBER! And if you had 3 people, they had to start the process over each time. This was even worse if the event was sold out and you had to find an alternative.
My only suggestion to this is for GAMA to use the credit card processing tools they offer to their customers. Unless the convention center made them do it this way, there is no excuse for not using a CC swiper to speed things along.
Also, GAMA should hire someone who can create a web interface to their events that is accessible from the con, so everyone can see what events still have openings. (GAMA: This is already possible through eventready!)
Quantum Black: The only RPG I played in was a 2-hour demo for an upcoming Ubiquity-based RPG called Quantum Black. This is a slightly futuristic (e.g. in the year 2020) RPG where you work for a corporation that investigates and takes care of supernatural phenomena. The demo I played in had us investigating a town where a previous team disappeared. It was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed it. The kickstarter is supposed to happen in July, and I'll likely back it.
Baker Street RPG: My wife and I had tickets to a session of the Baker Street RPG, of which I was looking forward to because 1) I wanted to try this out and 2) it would be my wife's first RPG. Unfortunately, time got the better of us and we had to cancel our tickets. However, I'm still very interested and will be signing up for a game next year.
Board Games: We are definitely a board game family. On Thursday while I was running games, my wife and daughters went through the Mayfair Games ribbon-fest and played in a number of demos. In the end, they bought Villiany from them and Dohdles from Kosmos. I also got Smash Up, Call of Cthulhu the Card Game, Bioshock: Infinite (board game), and Cargo Noir from the Origins math trade. All in all, a good haul.
Vendor Room: While some may disagree, the vendor room seemed to have more vendors this year. Mayfair and a number of the other boardgame vendors had their large booths moved to the board game hall so there was more space in the vendor room. To me, it seemed like it had filled up. There were a lot of vendors I don't remember seeing before, and a bunch that had returned and appeared to be getting good business.
Unfortunately, once more I saw a lack of used game vendors there. Maybe they've found that Origins isn't the place for them. If so, that makes me sad as I would had easily spent more money at those.
CABS Board Room: The evenings found us at the CABS board room. We had each gotten ribbons and would spend 3-4 hours (at least) a night in the board room, trying out new games and seeing if we liked them. I don't think I ever saw the room completely full, but there were a few times when it was getting close.
I am on the fence about getting ribbons next year. It isn't cheap for a family of 4 to do, but having access to the CABS library is probably worth it alone.
Cosplay: One thing I noticed is there was more cosplay at Origins this year. My daughters dressed up every day, and my wife even dressed up one day! IMO, more cosplay is good. Its a fun hobby and enjoyable for everyone. I think in the years to come we'll only see more of this at Origins.
Overall, Origins this year was a lot of fun. It had its issues like every year, but they were more minor than they have been in previous years. This being my 14th Origins, I can still see that it hasn't recovered fully from the bad years. However, its definitely on its way back. There are still areas it needs to work on, like registration lines, the ways it handles GMs, and the backwards thinking in regards to prizes and vendors; but things are starting to look better.
Unfortunately, attendance for next year is iffy due to some potential scheduling conflicts, but I hope I'm able to come down for at least a day to try things out.
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
Origins 2015: Running Games
Instead of writing out a day by day travelogue of my Origins 2015 experience, I will instead be breaking it out into multiple posts. This one is on my experience this year as a GM.
As I said my a previous post, I was scheduled to run 4 games this year.
The 4 players with generic tokens were three kids (aged around 10-15) and their father. The kids had never played in an RPG before and it had been forever for the father.
The game went well, although I did give some leeway to the kids' and their actions, given this was their first RPG experience. In the end, they had fun and the party barely survived. Barely.
I love this scenario, although I need to decide where I want to take it and modify it appropriately. The first half definitely needs improved, but I think I know how to do it in a way that it helps ramp up the horror of the game.
8AM games can be hit or miss, especially on a Thursday since 1) not many people are there yet and 2) the vendor room opens during this time slot. Live and learn.
If anyone is interested, I am probably going to run this at Con on the Cob if I GM this year.
This game went off amazingly. One of the key aspects of this game is you get to play yourself, and the only items you have are the ones that you have on you at that second. As you can imagine, at a convention this could go horribly wrong; fortunately, it was spectacular.
We started by creating characters. I used a shortened method, so the entire process took about 30 minutes (including a rules explanation). After that I explained they were at Origins playing a game I was running when a scream was heard in the hallway. Soon, they the zombies were upon them and they were in survival mode.
For a game that relies upon the players playing themselves, which can go horribly wrong with the wrong group, the game went extremely well. The PCs worked together as a team even though most of them didn't know each other, and made imaginative use of the skills and equipment they could find. Fortunately for them, one of the players worked in the building next door (she showed me her key card), and by the end of the session they were safely on the roof awaiting rescue.
I have to say I love End of the World. The system is simple and doesn't get in the way of story telling. As a GM, I definitely could have done more to make the game more exciting and play to the system's strengths (e.g. diverse encounters, harder combat). However, the players said they had a blast which is all that counts.
In my opinion, this is one of the best "non-haunted house" haunted house crawls there is. The horror slowly creeps up on the PCs, eating away at their sanity, until the big reveal happens and the PCs are forced to hope for the best. Survival in this scenario is unlikely, although those that do survive, do so by the skin of their teeth (the best way in this game).
I had a 50% survival rate here, and probably the best two deaths I've had in a while for a Call of Cthulhu game. The first death occurred for an insane former Navy sailor who thought he saw a shipmate drowning in the sea, so he dove in to save him. His last thoughts were the realization that his "shipmate" was the corpse of the house's owner and he had just dove into the big bad.
The second was of a folklorist who, after escaping the house, watched her two fellow investigators tear off down the road in their car, leaving her to be horribly killed from the inside out. (I'm keeping these descriptions somewhat vague so as not to spoil anything.)
Needless to say, everyone was happy.
Unfortunately, my fellow GMs and I in the shoggoth.net group have been seeing a decline in the number of players in our Call of Cthulhu games this year. Wednesday and Thursday only saw about 1/3 of our games run due to lack of players. Friday, Saturday and Sunday raised that amount, but there were still some cancelled games. Rogue Cthulhu, another group at Origins, had more games run but said they saw some cancellations as well. I'm not sure if this means that interest in the game is waning, or there were other factors at work.
I think this does mean, however, that if I do GM again at Origins (next year's attendance is questionable for me due to scheduling), I will diversify the games I run. There are a lot of great RPGs out there that don't get a lot of play time at cons, some of which I actually know how to run.
In the end, my players and I enjoyed ourselves in the games I ran. Thats what I go to Origins for, so as a GM I'm calling this one a success.
As I said my a previous post, I was scheduled to run 4 games this year.
Wednesday
The first was a modern day Call of Cthulhu scenario I wrote named Devil's Cave, scheduled for Wednesday evening. Having never run a game on Wednesday, I wasn't sure what to expect. Fortunately, 1 person had signed up and 4 generic tokens showed up before we started.
The 4 players with generic tokens were three kids (aged around 10-15) and their father. The kids had never played in an RPG before and it had been forever for the father.
The game went well, although I did give some leeway to the kids' and their actions, given this was their first RPG experience. In the end, they had fun and the party barely survived. Barely.
I love this scenario, although I need to decide where I want to take it and modify it appropriately. The first half definitely needs improved, but I think I know how to do it in a way that it helps ramp up the horror of the game.
Thursday - Morning
My next game was another modern day Call of Cthulhu game called Paradise Falls. It was scheduled for Thursday morning at 8AM. Unfortunately, no one had pre-reg'd for this and no one showed up. I was a little bummed, as this was the game I was most looking forward to running at Origins. Since this was cancelled, I spent the morning catching up with the amazing Oscar Rios, barely missed braining a passer-by with my water bottle, and hitting the vendor room.
8AM games can be hit or miss, especially on a Thursday since 1) not many people are there yet and 2) the vendor room opens during this time slot. Live and learn.
If anyone is interested, I am probably going to run this at Con on the Cob if I GM this year.
Thursday - Afternoon
Fortunately, my Thursday 1PM game had 5 people pre-register for it so I knew it was going to go off. This was an End of the World Zombie Apocalypse game. If you are not familiar with it, this is a rules-light RPG where you play yourself in an apocalyptic scenario. In this case, it was a zombie apocalypse that I made up. I will be putting the setting out in the next few weeks for all to use if they so desire.
This game went off amazingly. One of the key aspects of this game is you get to play yourself, and the only items you have are the ones that you have on you at that second. As you can imagine, at a convention this could go horribly wrong; fortunately, it was spectacular.
We started by creating characters. I used a shortened method, so the entire process took about 30 minutes (including a rules explanation). After that I explained they were at Origins playing a game I was running when a scream was heard in the hallway. Soon, they the zombies were upon them and they were in survival mode.
For a game that relies upon the players playing themselves, which can go horribly wrong with the wrong group, the game went extremely well. The PCs worked together as a team even though most of them didn't know each other, and made imaginative use of the skills and equipment they could find. Fortunately for them, one of the players worked in the building next door (she showed me her key card), and by the end of the session they were safely on the roof awaiting rescue.
I have to say I love End of the World. The system is simple and doesn't get in the way of story telling. As a GM, I definitely could have done more to make the game more exciting and play to the system's strengths (e.g. diverse encounters, harder combat). However, the players said they had a blast which is all that counts.
Thursday - Evening
My last game was scheduled for Thursday evening and almost didn't go off. This was my personal favorite Call of Cthulhu scenario, Crack'd and Crook'd Manse. I had 2 registered players who showed up and absorbed 2 others from another game that couldn't run with that few players. Four PCs is my sweet spot, so off we were!
In my opinion, this is one of the best "non-haunted house" haunted house crawls there is. The horror slowly creeps up on the PCs, eating away at their sanity, until the big reveal happens and the PCs are forced to hope for the best. Survival in this scenario is unlikely, although those that do survive, do so by the skin of their teeth (the best way in this game).
I had a 50% survival rate here, and probably the best two deaths I've had in a while for a Call of Cthulhu game. The first death occurred for an insane former Navy sailor who thought he saw a shipmate drowning in the sea, so he dove in to save him. His last thoughts were the realization that his "shipmate" was the corpse of the house's owner and he had just dove into the big bad.
The second was of a folklorist who, after escaping the house, watched her two fellow investigators tear off down the road in their car, leaving her to be horribly killed from the inside out. (I'm keeping these descriptions somewhat vague so as not to spoil anything.)
Needless to say, everyone was happy.
Overall
My experience as a GM this year at Origins was a hundreds of times better than last year. While the room we got was small and stuffy, the players and the fun made up for it.
Unfortunately, my fellow GMs and I in the shoggoth.net group have been seeing a decline in the number of players in our Call of Cthulhu games this year. Wednesday and Thursday only saw about 1/3 of our games run due to lack of players. Friday, Saturday and Sunday raised that amount, but there were still some cancelled games. Rogue Cthulhu, another group at Origins, had more games run but said they saw some cancellations as well. I'm not sure if this means that interest in the game is waning, or there were other factors at work.
I think this does mean, however, that if I do GM again at Origins (next year's attendance is questionable for me due to scheduling), I will diversify the games I run. There are a lot of great RPGs out there that don't get a lot of play time at cons, some of which I actually know how to run.
In the end, my players and I enjoyed ourselves in the games I ran. Thats what I go to Origins for, so as a GM I'm calling this one a success.
Monday, June 16, 2014
Origins 2014 Review
Origins 2014 has come and gone with the good and the bad.
Overall, it was a lot of fun. This was my 13th Origins and I saw a number of changes this year that I thought made the con a much better experience. (I missed Origins 2013 so these changes may have been implemented earlier, but they were new to me.)
There certainly seemed to be more people in the vendor hall than in years past. A number of merchants remarked this to me as well. Hope this means a turn around for the major vendors to start coming back, while still keeping the smaller ones there.
One interesting thing I noticed was there were a number of booths for games that are either on Kickstarter now, or will be soon. I wonder if this is going to be something we'll be seeing more. Fortunately, they all had playable demos, which I'm sure helped drum up interest.
Unfortunately, there was a lack of used game merchants there, which really cut the number of RPG items that I wanted to pick up to almost nothing. I hope that changes next year.
When I say board room, I mean one of two board rooms - the board game hall with the supported play, and the CABS board room you needed a ribbon to use.
First, the hall. I was initially shocked to find that some of the major vendors, like Asmodee and Mayfair, had small booths in the vendor hall. I realized why when I found their larger booths in the board hall. This was a great idea! Not only do people get to see/demo the games for longer (props to all their volunteers too), but it filled up the space better. No more open area with just tables. This looked much better.
Once again, the CABS board room rocked. Their library continues to grow, and any game I wanted to check out they had in their library. In fact, there are some games I checked out from CABS that directly led to me purchasing them.
CABS also did their raffle a different way than I had previously seen. Every time you checked out a game, you got a ticket. Please keep doing it this way. Not only did this make the board ribbon an even better value, but I think it was a very fair way to do it.
I participated in the silent auction this year and ended up selling four of my games for good money. The auction process went very smoothly, and I never had any problems putting items in the auction, bidding, or collecting my money. The people running it did an excellent job and I was very impressed.
I need to apologize as well. I was initially (and privately) critical that I was not able to put an item in the silent auction, and then the live auction if it did not sell. However, I now see there is no need to do so. The Origins auction guys certainly know what they are doing.
The seminar I went to was Ken entitled "Building the Perfect Monster" where he discussed, and answering questions concerning, how to add monsters to your scenarios/campaigns, and how to tweak them to fit in. There were only 10 or so people in the seminar, but this worked out better as it gave more time to talk to him.
Overall, it was a great seminar and I wish I could have gone to his other ones. Mr. Hite was also kind enough to autograph my Trail of Cthulhu book too! :)
Due to some issues, the games from our group were not put into the original event schedule that was released, so most players did not know about our games and this was reflected in our attendance. Three out of my four games had to be canceled because I had no players; most of our GMs had similar experiences.
Fortunately, my last game ran and went pretty well. My game was The Menace from Beyond - a new Ubiquity game from Siege Tower Games. It is a 50's b-movie RPG that puts players smack into the middle of alien invasions, radioactive monsters, and everything else that made the 50s sci-fi genre what it was.
Overall, the game went well and the players appeared to enjoy it. There was one issue where one player did not like how another was playing, and I did not realize it until he said something after the game. To his credit, he did say something during the game, but I thought he was roleplaying his character at the time. (If I had thought otherwise, I would have changed things.)
Despite that, the game was successful and I am happy with the scenario. I need to modify some bits of it to make it better, but it was good.
Overall, it was a lot of fun. This was my 13th Origins and I saw a number of changes this year that I thought made the con a much better experience. (I missed Origins 2013 so these changes may have been implemented earlier, but they were new to me.)
Vendor Hall
The vendor hall, while smaller than it had been in previous years, was packed with lots of great companies selling many more things than I could afford to buy. I loved that they moved the Art Room into here, as now I could spend more time looking (and buying) their stuff. There were also a number of new vendors I hadn't seen before at Origins, like Pelgrane Press. Hope they come back!There certainly seemed to be more people in the vendor hall than in years past. A number of merchants remarked this to me as well. Hope this means a turn around for the major vendors to start coming back, while still keeping the smaller ones there.
One interesting thing I noticed was there were a number of booths for games that are either on Kickstarter now, or will be soon. I wonder if this is going to be something we'll be seeing more. Fortunately, they all had playable demos, which I'm sure helped drum up interest.
Unfortunately, there was a lack of used game merchants there, which really cut the number of RPG items that I wanted to pick up to almost nothing. I hope that changes next year.
Board Room
When I say board room, I mean one of two board rooms - the board game hall with the supported play, and the CABS board room you needed a ribbon to use.
First, the hall. I was initially shocked to find that some of the major vendors, like Asmodee and Mayfair, had small booths in the vendor hall. I realized why when I found their larger booths in the board hall. This was a great idea! Not only do people get to see/demo the games for longer (props to all their volunteers too), but it filled up the space better. No more open area with just tables. This looked much better.
 |
| A panoramic view of the board hall. |
CABS also did their raffle a different way than I had previously seen. Every time you checked out a game, you got a ticket. Please keep doing it this way. Not only did this make the board ribbon an even better value, but I think it was a very fair way to do it.
The Auction
I participated in the silent auction this year and ended up selling four of my games for good money. The auction process went very smoothly, and I never had any problems putting items in the auction, bidding, or collecting my money. The people running it did an excellent job and I was very impressed.
I need to apologize as well. I was initially (and privately) critical that I was not able to put an item in the silent auction, and then the live auction if it did not sell. However, I now see there is no need to do so. The Origins auction guys certainly know what they are doing.
Kenneth Hite
Sadly, I have never done any of the seminars at Origins. This is mostly because there have not been any that I found interesting in the times that I was free. This year, however, I saw that Ken Hite was running a few seminars and I made sure I was free for at least one.The seminar I went to was Ken entitled "Building the Perfect Monster" where he discussed, and answering questions concerning, how to add monsters to your scenarios/campaigns, and how to tweak them to fit in. There were only 10 or so people in the seminar, but this worked out better as it gave more time to talk to him.
Overall, it was a great seminar and I wish I could have gone to his other ones. Mr. Hite was also kind enough to autograph my Trail of Cthulhu book too! :)
Other Items of Note
A couple other items of note that spring to my mind:- The video game room was new to me, and my daughters played in it for an hour. They loved it, and I admit I was a little jealous that I had not gotten to play as well. While Origins is not known as a video game con, that room did a great job filling a need that will attract more people.
- Barley's should be commended once again for not only having great food and drink, but also having the coolest Origins pint glass.
- I saw more cosplay this year than I have before. Most, if not all of them, were excellently done and I enjoyed seeing them. Great job to all who did!
- The mammoth versions of the Mayfair games are awesome. Please tell me how I can get a rug printed out with one of the game boards!!!
- On my way back to the hotel on Saturday night, I got to see World Naked Bike Ride go by. That was interesting. :)
 |
| The Mayfair Games Mammoth Pompeii board (and my wife's feet). |
My Games
Due to some issues, the games from our group were not put into the original event schedule that was released, so most players did not know about our games and this was reflected in our attendance. Three out of my four games had to be canceled because I had no players; most of our GMs had similar experiences.
Fortunately, my last game ran and went pretty well. My game was The Menace from Beyond - a new Ubiquity game from Siege Tower Games. It is a 50's b-movie RPG that puts players smack into the middle of alien invasions, radioactive monsters, and everything else that made the 50s sci-fi genre what it was.
Overall, the game went well and the players appeared to enjoy it. There was one issue where one player did not like how another was playing, and I did not realize it until he said something after the game. To his credit, he did say something during the game, but I thought he was roleplaying his character at the time. (If I had thought otherwise, I would have changed things.)
Despite that, the game was successful and I am happy with the scenario. I need to modify some bits of it to make it better, but it was good.
Overall
In the end, Origins was still a blast. More importantly, my wife and daughters enjoyed it, especially since this was my youngest's first Origins. As always, there were some issues, but nothing major enough to keep us away. |
| Our haul from this year. |
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Origins for Newbies - Gaming Groups
Gamers make up Origins; without them the convention would be nothing. When they band up and run games together, they become gaming groups.
There are a number of gaming groups at Origins that run games throughout the entire convention, and do an amazing job at it. This isn't an easy task, either.
Think about it - Origins is 5 days. The average RPG is 4 hours, so conceivably you could run 3 games a day (assuming that person took one game slot break). Thats 12 hours a day times 4 days (Wed-Sat) and one more game on Sunday...for a total of 52 hours of gaming. Sound like a lot? It is, but yet there are individuals in these groups that do it!
Some of these groups run hundreds of hours of games throughout the con, and keep their level of enthusiasm going the entire time. They are worth checking out, and with few exceptions, are very open to new players and teaching how to play a game. These are the masters, and you can do worse in learning a game.
Some of the list below I have played games in, some I have heard good things about. As always, YMMV.
Rogue Cthulhu
Rogue Cthulhu has been running Call of Cthulhu RPGs for 15 years at Origins. They run some of the best in the con, and if you want to learn how Call of Cthulhu is really played, see them. Want to know how to find them? Just look for the black-lit room with the large inflatable Cthulhu.
Matinee Adventures
Matinee Adventures runs RPGs of various systems, including Ubiquity/Hollow Earth Expedition, 7th Sea, D&D, and Champions. I've played in a number of their games and always look forward to seeing what they are running.
Kettle of Fish
This group is focused on LARPs of all sorts - Ghostbusters, Doctor Who, Deadlands, and many others. If you've ever wanted to try a LARP, then these are the guys you want running your game!
The Guild of San Marcos
The Guild runs a living campaign of the 7th Seas RPG, and has been highly recommended to me. Check them out at the con!
Amorphous Blob Games
AB Games runs a ton of games at Origins...too many to mention. They also run Clay-O-Rama - a game where you create monsters with play-doh which then destroy each other (a favorite of my daughters). How to find them? They're the ones with the cool hockey jerseys!
Indie Games on Demand
Indie Games on Demand is a group that runs a number of Indie RPGs such as Cthulhu Dark, FATE, Fiasco, and more. The great thing is they have an open schedule where you just show up at the start of the game and what everyone wants to play, is what you play. I have never played with them, but look forward to doing so this year!
Rogue Judges
Rogue Judges is often in the miniatures/scheduled tabletop area and can't be missed. They'll have a large board with colorful signs advertising all the games they run...and do they run a lot! RJ runs a ton of different board games throughout Origins, and all of them friendly to those new to the rules. If there's a board game you want to learn, and its on their schedule, make sure you get in their games.
Did I miss your favorite group? Leave a comment and I'll add them in!
Origins: What to Expect
Origins: Gaming
Origins: Where to stay, Where to eat
Origins: Kids
Origins: What to do
Origins: Gaming Groups
There are a number of gaming groups at Origins that run games throughout the entire convention, and do an amazing job at it. This isn't an easy task, either.
Think about it - Origins is 5 days. The average RPG is 4 hours, so conceivably you could run 3 games a day (assuming that person took one game slot break). Thats 12 hours a day times 4 days (Wed-Sat) and one more game on Sunday...for a total of 52 hours of gaming. Sound like a lot? It is, but yet there are individuals in these groups that do it!
Some of these groups run hundreds of hours of games throughout the con, and keep their level of enthusiasm going the entire time. They are worth checking out, and with few exceptions, are very open to new players and teaching how to play a game. These are the masters, and you can do worse in learning a game.
Some of the list below I have played games in, some I have heard good things about. As always, YMMV.
Rogue Cthulhu
Rogue Cthulhu has been running Call of Cthulhu RPGs for 15 years at Origins. They run some of the best in the con, and if you want to learn how Call of Cthulhu is really played, see them. Want to know how to find them? Just look for the black-lit room with the large inflatable Cthulhu.
Matinee Adventures
Matinee Adventures runs RPGs of various systems, including Ubiquity/Hollow Earth Expedition, 7th Sea, D&D, and Champions. I've played in a number of their games and always look forward to seeing what they are running.
Kettle of Fish
This group is focused on LARPs of all sorts - Ghostbusters, Doctor Who, Deadlands, and many others. If you've ever wanted to try a LARP, then these are the guys you want running your game!
The Guild of San Marcos
The Guild runs a living campaign of the 7th Seas RPG, and has been highly recommended to me. Check them out at the con!
Amorphous Blob Games
AB Games runs a ton of games at Origins...too many to mention. They also run Clay-O-Rama - a game where you create monsters with play-doh which then destroy each other (a favorite of my daughters). How to find them? They're the ones with the cool hockey jerseys!
Indie Games on Demand
Indie Games on Demand is a group that runs a number of Indie RPGs such as Cthulhu Dark, FATE, Fiasco, and more. The great thing is they have an open schedule where you just show up at the start of the game and what everyone wants to play, is what you play. I have never played with them, but look forward to doing so this year!
Rogue Judges
Rogue Judges is often in the miniatures/scheduled tabletop area and can't be missed. They'll have a large board with colorful signs advertising all the games they run...and do they run a lot! RJ runs a ton of different board games throughout Origins, and all of them friendly to those new to the rules. If there's a board game you want to learn, and its on their schedule, make sure you get in their games.
Did I miss your favorite group? Leave a comment and I'll add them in!
Origins: What to Expect
Origins: Gaming
Origins: Where to stay, Where to eat
Origins: Kids
Origins: What to do
Origins: Gaming Groups
Friday, May 9, 2014
Origins for Newbies - What to do
So you've gotten to Origins, now what? Here's a list of odds and ends of things to do (aside from scheduled gaming).
Vendor Room
The vendor room opens on Thursday and closes on Sunday. Make sure you give yourself time to go through the room, demo games, and see what is for sale. I recommend going through it at least twice - once to see everything, and a second time to see everything you missed the first time.
The vendor room also has a miniatures painting area, where you get to paint 1 miniature free with your badge. (IIRC, you can pay 1 or 2 generic tokens to paint another.)
Mayfair Demo Prizes
Mayfair Games is a major sponsor of Origins and has a huge exhibit area in the vendor room where they demo many of their games. For each game you demo, you'll get a ribbon that you can attach to your badge. Once you collect 5 ribbons (clay, sheep, wheat, wood, and ore), Mayfair will give you a small prize, an entry into their huge end-of-con raffle, and a 50% off coupon! After that, you can keep going to get more prizes and raffle entries.
Their raffle at the end of the con is huge and tends to draw a lot of people.
Play Something You Never Have
Origins is a unique opportunity to play a game you may not have the opportunity to otherwise. Take this opportunity, and get in a new game to try it out.
If you've never played an RPG, sign up for one. Do you only play Pathfinder? Sign up for a Call of Cthulhu game!
Never played in a miniatures game? There's a whole room for that!
Wander Around the Miniatures Room
The miniatures room is downright amazing. The effort the gamers put into the sets is incredible and its worth spending 30 minutes walking around the room to check them out and take pictures. (Just be polite and turn off your flash if someone is playing a game.)
Shower
Yes, this has to be said. Gamer funk is, unfortunately, a real thing at cons.
Don't be that guy or girl who reeks. Yes, everyone has body odor, but not doing your part to prevent gamer funk is inexcusable. Take a shower every day and put on deodorant. Its probably not a bad idea to throw a travel deodorant in your backpack too. (I admit I do)
I often wonder why deodorant companies don't set up at Origins. They'd make a killing.
Also, teenage boys out there, dousing yourself with Axe is not a shower.
Are You A Werewolf?
Are You A Werewolf? is a staple game at Origins, with games being played almost 24 hours a day; it even has its own ribbon to play in all of them. Don't bother getting an event ticket for it either - just show up with a generic and within 10-15 minutes you'll be in a game. This is a must to try at Origins.
The Smithee Awards
Like b-movies? Then go to The Smithee Awards; an annual ceremony where the audience gets to vote for the worst movie for various off-the-wall categories. Very much worth dropping into!
Vote for the Origins Awards
Anyone who has a badge can vote for the games in the Origins Awards, an annual award that recognizes excellent games. Do you part and vote, and then complain Sunday morning when the games you didn't like get voted in!
BattleTech Pods
The BattleTech Pods are virtual-reality cockpits where you battle up to a dozen other players at the con in a robot-laden battlescape. Yes, it rocks.
The Art Room
The art room is where a number of artists showcase their work at Origins, and where you can buy pieces. Highly worth going in to look at the part and support the artists.
Explore
Origins has more to offer than what I can possibly put down here. I didn't even mention the auction, the movies, and all the other special events that are around.
With the exception of some LARPs, you can wander into any room to see what they are doing. Explore...see whats going on.
Have fun!
Finally, have fun and enjoy yourself...thats why you're there!
Did I miss anything? Shoot me a message or leave a comment.
Origins: What to Expect
Origins: Gaming
Origins: Where to stay, Where to eat
Origins: Kids
Origins: What to do
Origins: Gaming Groups
Vendor Room
The vendor room opens on Thursday and closes on Sunday. Make sure you give yourself time to go through the room, demo games, and see what is for sale. I recommend going through it at least twice - once to see everything, and a second time to see everything you missed the first time.
The vendor room also has a miniatures painting area, where you get to paint 1 miniature free with your badge. (IIRC, you can pay 1 or 2 generic tokens to paint another.)
Mayfair Demo Prizes
 |
| Mayfair Games demo area. |
Mayfair Games is a major sponsor of Origins and has a huge exhibit area in the vendor room where they demo many of their games. For each game you demo, you'll get a ribbon that you can attach to your badge. Once you collect 5 ribbons (clay, sheep, wheat, wood, and ore), Mayfair will give you a small prize, an entry into their huge end-of-con raffle, and a 50% off coupon! After that, you can keep going to get more prizes and raffle entries.
Their raffle at the end of the con is huge and tends to draw a lot of people.
Play Something You Never Have
Origins is a unique opportunity to play a game you may not have the opportunity to otherwise. Take this opportunity, and get in a new game to try it out.
If you've never played an RPG, sign up for one. Do you only play Pathfinder? Sign up for a Call of Cthulhu game!
Never played in a miniatures game? There's a whole room for that!
Wander Around the Miniatures Room
 |
| A Stargate based minis game. |
The miniatures room is downright amazing. The effort the gamers put into the sets is incredible and its worth spending 30 minutes walking around the room to check them out and take pictures. (Just be polite and turn off your flash if someone is playing a game.)
Shower
Yes, this has to be said. Gamer funk is, unfortunately, a real thing at cons.
Don't be that guy or girl who reeks. Yes, everyone has body odor, but not doing your part to prevent gamer funk is inexcusable. Take a shower every day and put on deodorant. Its probably not a bad idea to throw a travel deodorant in your backpack too. (I admit I do)
I often wonder why deodorant companies don't set up at Origins. They'd make a killing.
Also, teenage boys out there, dousing yourself with Axe is not a shower.
Are You A Werewolf?
Are You A Werewolf? is a staple game at Origins, with games being played almost 24 hours a day; it even has its own ribbon to play in all of them. Don't bother getting an event ticket for it either - just show up with a generic and within 10-15 minutes you'll be in a game. This is a must to try at Origins.
The Smithee Awards
Like b-movies? Then go to The Smithee Awards; an annual ceremony where the audience gets to vote for the worst movie for various off-the-wall categories. Very much worth dropping into!
Vote for the Origins Awards
Anyone who has a badge can vote for the games in the Origins Awards, an annual award that recognizes excellent games. Do you part and vote, and then complain Sunday morning when the games you didn't like get voted in!
BattleTech Pods
 |
| Battletech pods. |
The BattleTech Pods are virtual-reality cockpits where you battle up to a dozen other players at the con in a robot-laden battlescape. Yes, it rocks.
The Art Room
The art room is where a number of artists showcase their work at Origins, and where you can buy pieces. Highly worth going in to look at the part and support the artists.
Explore
Origins has more to offer than what I can possibly put down here. I didn't even mention the auction, the movies, and all the other special events that are around.
With the exception of some LARPs, you can wander into any room to see what they are doing. Explore...see whats going on.
Have fun!
Finally, have fun and enjoy yourself...thats why you're there!
Did I miss anything? Shoot me a message or leave a comment.
Origins: What to Expect
Origins: Gaming
Origins: Where to stay, Where to eat
Origins: Kids
Origins: What to do
Origins: Gaming Groups
Origins for Newbies - Kids
Is Origins good for kids? Absolutely!
Should I bring my kid(s) to Origins?
Obviously, thats a question that you'll have to decide for yourself, but many parents have brought their children of various ages to Origins, from infants on up.
One thing to keep in mind though...children tend not to be as patient as adults. I would not recommend signing up for a 4 hour RPG if you have to keep your toddler with you. They're probably going to get bored quickly, which might lead to an annoyance for the other games.
What can my kids play?
The event listing will have the minimum ages to play in an event. Typically, these are not hard and fast rules, and the person running the game will have the final call. If you are unsure, ask. Your kid may be more mature than most and able to understand the rules of a game and play. If you are still unsure, stick around for a while to make sure they are OK.
Understand, however, that sometimes the ages for a game are there for a reason. You don't want your 11 year old son showing up for a Call of Cthulhu horror RPG that is meant for 18 and older, do you? (Yes, that has happened.)
Origins also has a number of games specific to children. There is usually a kids track, which gears its games to children of all ages. Also, there is usually a kids room as well, which has games for children to learn, arts and crafts, and lots of other things.
Did I miss anything? Shoot me a message or leave a comment.
Origins: What to Expect
Origins: Gaming
Origins: Where to stay, Where to eat
Origins: Kids
Origins: What to do
Origins: Gaming Groups
Should I bring my kid(s) to Origins?
Obviously, thats a question that you'll have to decide for yourself, but many parents have brought their children of various ages to Origins, from infants on up.
One thing to keep in mind though...children tend not to be as patient as adults. I would not recommend signing up for a 4 hour RPG if you have to keep your toddler with you. They're probably going to get bored quickly, which might lead to an annoyance for the other games.
What can my kids play?
The event listing will have the minimum ages to play in an event. Typically, these are not hard and fast rules, and the person running the game will have the final call. If you are unsure, ask. Your kid may be more mature than most and able to understand the rules of a game and play. If you are still unsure, stick around for a while to make sure they are OK.
Understand, however, that sometimes the ages for a game are there for a reason. You don't want your 11 year old son showing up for a Call of Cthulhu horror RPG that is meant for 18 and older, do you? (Yes, that has happened.)
Origins also has a number of games specific to children. There is usually a kids track, which gears its games to children of all ages. Also, there is usually a kids room as well, which has games for children to learn, arts and crafts, and lots of other things.
Did I miss anything? Shoot me a message or leave a comment.
Origins: What to Expect
Origins: Gaming
Origins: Where to stay, Where to eat
Origins: Kids
Origins: What to do
Origins: Gaming Groups
Origins for Newbies - Where to Stay, Where to Eat
Origins takes place over 5 days. At some point, you'll need to sleep and eat. Here are some recommendations.
Hotels
There are a number of hotels in downtown Columbus that are within walking distance to the convention center. GAMA keeps a list of nearby ones on the Origins web site, along with the special rates.
These hotels will sell out. If you can, book as early as possible.
Some hotels offer free breakfast, some don't. Look into them before you book. This is a great way to save time and money.
Word of warning, the hotels connected directly to the center tend to sell out early. In fact, the Drury usually sells out before the previous Origins ends!
Don't be afraid of hotels that are a few blocks away. Origins offers a shuttle to all of the nearby hotels until late at night (2AM IIRC), so you won't necessarily have to walk.
What if you can't get into one of the hotels on the web site, or can't afford them? Columbus is a big town and there are hundreds of hotels in the area of varying prices (and quality). Most are within a 20 minute drive of the convention center.
Parking
Parking in downtown Columbus does cost money, except on Sundays when it is free to park on certain streets (if you can find a spot).
There are a number of lots in the area as well. Check out this map for a decent estimate for prices.
The convention center does have a parking deck connected directly to it. The prices tend to vary per year, but expect at least $10/day. However, this typically fills up quickly.
Can't I just park my car in a garage and sleep in my car?
Probably not. Most parking garages won't allow this and I'm sure the police would have something to say if they found you.
Technically, you could get away with this. However, by day 2, you'll smell. Trust me, you will. I've been around people who have tried this, and even though they've "cleaned up" in the con bathrooms, they still smell. Do us all a favor and just don't.
Food
Yes, at some point you'll have to break from gaming to get food. The food within the convention center itself is horribly over-priced and really not that good. Plus, there are lots of options within a few minutes walking distance. Here is a map with some options.
Some recommendations based on personal experience:
Also, on North High Street, a board game cafe called Kingmakers just opened up too! Admittedly, I've never been there, but look forward to checking it out.
If you have a recommendation for a place to eat while at Origins, please let me know!
Did I miss anything? Shoot me a message or leave a comment.
Origins: What to Expect
Origins: Gaming
Origins: Where to stay, Where to eat
Origins: Kids
Origins: What to do
Origins: Gaming Groups
Hotels
There are a number of hotels in downtown Columbus that are within walking distance to the convention center. GAMA keeps a list of nearby ones on the Origins web site, along with the special rates.
These hotels will sell out. If you can, book as early as possible.
Some hotels offer free breakfast, some don't. Look into them before you book. This is a great way to save time and money.
Word of warning, the hotels connected directly to the center tend to sell out early. In fact, the Drury usually sells out before the previous Origins ends!
Don't be afraid of hotels that are a few blocks away. Origins offers a shuttle to all of the nearby hotels until late at night (2AM IIRC), so you won't necessarily have to walk.
What if you can't get into one of the hotels on the web site, or can't afford them? Columbus is a big town and there are hundreds of hotels in the area of varying prices (and quality). Most are within a 20 minute drive of the convention center.
Parking
Parking in downtown Columbus does cost money, except on Sundays when it is free to park on certain streets (if you can find a spot).
There are a number of lots in the area as well. Check out this map for a decent estimate for prices.
The convention center does have a parking deck connected directly to it. The prices tend to vary per year, but expect at least $10/day. However, this typically fills up quickly.
Can't I just park my car in a garage and sleep in my car?
Probably not. Most parking garages won't allow this and I'm sure the police would have something to say if they found you.
Technically, you could get away with this. However, by day 2, you'll smell. Trust me, you will. I've been around people who have tried this, and even though they've "cleaned up" in the con bathrooms, they still smell. Do us all a favor and just don't.
Food
Yes, at some point you'll have to break from gaming to get food. The food within the convention center itself is horribly over-priced and really not that good. Plus, there are lots of options within a few minutes walking distance. Here is a map with some options.
Some recommendations based on personal experience:
- Food Court - The convention center is connected to a food court that has some decent offerings, some of which are open 24 hours. Some even run specials where you can get free refills throughout the weekend if you buy one of their special cups. This is the place to go if you want to get a quick bite at a decent cost.
Also, the convention center has coupons for the food court here. Print these off and save yourself some money. (They'll be lying around the center too.) - North Market - No trip to Origins is complete without going to the North Market, which is located across North High Street and a block down Spruce St. North Market contains a number of excellent, hole-in-the-wall food merchants that are to die for. Make sure you make time to walk around it and see what it has to offer before you make your final decision. Word of warning: this is always crowded, but so worth it.
- Arena District - A block south and a few blocks west of the convention center is the Arena District, which is home to a number of great sit-down restaurants. These include BD'S Mongolian Grill and Buca di Beppo, as well as a Starbucks for those that need their fix. This is a great way to get away for an hour or two from the con, recharge, and get good food.
- North High Street - This road runs along the west side of the convention center, and has a number of excellent restaurants and food shops along it. I recommend checking out Barley's Brewing Company, Le Chocoholique, and The Happy Greek Restaurant (which my wife and I hit every year).
- Also, across the street from the convention center, next to the Crowne Plaza, is Max and Erma's. Great restaurant, and very gamer friendly.
Also, on North High Street, a board game cafe called Kingmakers just opened up too! Admittedly, I've never been there, but look forward to checking it out.
If you have a recommendation for a place to eat while at Origins, please let me know!
Did I miss anything? Shoot me a message or leave a comment.
Origins: What to Expect
Origins: Gaming
Origins: Where to stay, Where to eat
Origins: Kids
Origins: What to do
Origins: Gaming Groups
Origins for Newbies - Gaming
Ah, gaming...the reason you are probably going to Origins in the first place! In this post, I'll cover the types of gaming you can expect, and how to get into games.
Games
Games at Origins can be broken up into two categories: ticketed events and open play.
Ticketed events are scheduled events that you purchase tickets in order to play.
Open play games are pickup games that anyone can start or join in.
Ticketed events will have rooms and tables assigned to them, while open play can occur pretty much anywhere in convention center or hotels. There is an open play area at Origins too where you can check out games from a library and play them.
There are a number of different types of games:
Where can I find the events that will be at Origins?
About a month or so before the convention, Origins will release the events that will be at the conference on their web site. This is usually in Excel spread sheet form, and will contain the name of the game, its description, when it occurs, how long it is, and how much it costs to play.
Note that GAMA usually releases multiple versions of the events as errors are corrected, games are canceled, etc. So, check back every so often to see if an updated event list has been released.
How do I register for games?
Once you decide what games you want to go to, you'll need to register for them. Close to the convention, Origins will open up registration on their site and you'll be able to log in and try to get into the events you want.
Notice I said try. Events only have a limited number of people that can play, and if it sells out, then you're out of luck. Don't worry though, there still may be a way you can get in.
Once you get to a con, you'll get a ticket for every event you registered for. The ticket will tell you the name of the game, what time it is, and where it is located at.
Make sure you print off a copy of your event invoice, however. Mistakes can be made, and there is always the possibility a ticket may be missing when you go to pick them up. Having your invoice will help things along.
Do I have to pre-register?
No, you don't have to pre-register for games. You are allowed to register on-site.
However, the pre-registration line is typically a lot shorter than the normal registration line, and by pre-registering you'll know what you will and will not be able to get into.
Whats the deal with tickets, generic tokens, and ribbons?
There are three ways to get into a game: tickets, generic tokens, and ribbons.
Tickets are the primary way to get registered for an event and get into a game. You register through the website or at the con for an event, and you'll get a ticket for the game. This is a guaranteed spot to play in the game. Game masters always take ticketed players before anything else.
Generic Tokens are the second way to get into a game. You can buy generic tokens for about $2 each. Generic tokens allow you to go to a game, and if there is space available, pay the appropriate number of tokens and join! The great thing about generics is that at the end of the con, you can trade any usused ones back in and get your money back!
Ribbons allow you access into a specific set of games, seminars, or special locations. There are a number of different ribbons, so I won't go into them here. However, if you have the ribbon that includes a game you want to play, you can jump in (if there is room).
GAMA tells game masters they have to take players in the following order:
1. Ticket holders
2. Ribbon holders
3. Generic tokens
Therefore, if you REALLY want to get into a game, get the ticket for it.
What ribbons should I get?
As I said, there are a number of different ribbons for a number of different purposes, and these usually change every year. Check out the Origins ribbon page to see what ones are there. Ribbons are also unlimited use - once you buy one, you can use it the entire conference.
Its hard to recommend on if you should get ribbons or not. If this is your first time, you may want to hold off. You can always buy one at the con if you find yourself wanting one.
I'll mention a few ones ribbons though:
1. Board Room - See below
2. Company-specific ribbons - Game companies, like Mayfair or Rio Grande, will sometimes have ribbons that allow you to play their sponsored games.
3. Puffing Billy - Like train games? This ribbon will let you get into most, if not all, of the ones offered at Origins.
4. Werewolf - Like to play Are you a Werewolf? This ribbon will let you play all the AYAW games.
There are more, so go look at the Origins page to see their descriptions.
The Board Room Ribbon
I wanted to put this ribbon into its own category because, well, I love it.
This ribbon allows you access into the CABS board gaming room. If you have the ribbon, you can get into the room, check games out of their library of thousands of games, and play with other board gamers.
Personally, I HIGHLY recommend the board room ribbon, and this is the only one I would recommend getting. The CABS board room is constantly filled with people, and there are always games to jump in and learn.
Note that you can ONLY get into the CABS board room if you have the ribbon. Origins does offer its own board game library in the open play area that you can check out, but CABS blows it away. Sorry GAMA, it just does.
One last note on the CABS board room. You may hear that you'll get a free game by getting the ribbon. For the last several years, CABS has worked with game vendors to get games to give away (while supplies last) to ribbon holders. THIS IS NOT GUARANTEED! Don't get this ribbon to get a free game, because it might not happen.
What if I can't get into a game?
So lets say you found a cool game you want to try, but aren't able to get a ticket for it. Well, here are some things you can try:
1. Look for it elsewhere on the schedule. Many games are run multiple times throughout Origins so it may be in another time slot that is open.
2. Show up with generic tickets. Players don't show up to games all the time; you could get lucky and be able to jump into a game with generic tickets. Some GMs will even let 1 or 2 people jump into the game even if all the ticketed players show up. Just show up early, tell the GM you don't have a ticket but you have generics, and would like to get in if there is room. You never know!
Did I miss anything? Shoot me a message or leave a comment.
Origins: What to Expect
Origins: Gaming
Origins: Where to stay, Where to eat
Origins: Kids
Origins: What to do
Games
Games at Origins can be broken up into two categories: ticketed events and open play.
Ticketed events are scheduled events that you purchase tickets in order to play.
Open play games are pickup games that anyone can start or join in.
Ticketed events will have rooms and tables assigned to them, while open play can occur pretty much anywhere in convention center or hotels. There is an open play area at Origins too where you can check out games from a library and play them.
There are a number of different types of games:
- Role-playing Games - RPGs are games where you take on a roll of a character and are taken through a number of scenes by a gamemaster. Examples include Dungeons and Dragons, Pathfinder, Call of Cthulhu, and FATE.
- Board Games - These aren't Monopoly and Clue! There are hundreds of different board games you can play, most of which I can guarantee you've probably never heard of.
- Miniatures - These games use miniatures to represent figures, armies, or ships that fight each other. Miniatures games at Origins run a number of genres, from sci-fi to war to everything in between.
- Collectible Card Games - CCGs are games that use cards as their main playing piece. These include Pokemon and Magic: the Gathering.
- Live Action Role Playing - LARPs are games where the players act out their characters actions. This can be thought of as a live version of an RPG.
Where can I find the events that will be at Origins?
About a month or so before the convention, Origins will release the events that will be at the conference on their web site. This is usually in Excel spread sheet form, and will contain the name of the game, its description, when it occurs, how long it is, and how much it costs to play.
Note that GAMA usually releases multiple versions of the events as errors are corrected, games are canceled, etc. So, check back every so often to see if an updated event list has been released.
How do I register for games?
Once you decide what games you want to go to, you'll need to register for them. Close to the convention, Origins will open up registration on their site and you'll be able to log in and try to get into the events you want.
Notice I said try. Events only have a limited number of people that can play, and if it sells out, then you're out of luck. Don't worry though, there still may be a way you can get in.
Once you get to a con, you'll get a ticket for every event you registered for. The ticket will tell you the name of the game, what time it is, and where it is located at.
Make sure you print off a copy of your event invoice, however. Mistakes can be made, and there is always the possibility a ticket may be missing when you go to pick them up. Having your invoice will help things along.
Do I have to pre-register?
No, you don't have to pre-register for games. You are allowed to register on-site.
However, the pre-registration line is typically a lot shorter than the normal registration line, and by pre-registering you'll know what you will and will not be able to get into.
Whats the deal with tickets, generic tokens, and ribbons?
There are three ways to get into a game: tickets, generic tokens, and ribbons.
Tickets are the primary way to get registered for an event and get into a game. You register through the website or at the con for an event, and you'll get a ticket for the game. This is a guaranteed spot to play in the game. Game masters always take ticketed players before anything else.
Generic Tokens are the second way to get into a game. You can buy generic tokens for about $2 each. Generic tokens allow you to go to a game, and if there is space available, pay the appropriate number of tokens and join! The great thing about generics is that at the end of the con, you can trade any usused ones back in and get your money back!
Ribbons allow you access into a specific set of games, seminars, or special locations. There are a number of different ribbons, so I won't go into them here. However, if you have the ribbon that includes a game you want to play, you can jump in (if there is room).
GAMA tells game masters they have to take players in the following order:
1. Ticket holders
2. Ribbon holders
3. Generic tokens
Therefore, if you REALLY want to get into a game, get the ticket for it.
What ribbons should I get?
As I said, there are a number of different ribbons for a number of different purposes, and these usually change every year. Check out the Origins ribbon page to see what ones are there. Ribbons are also unlimited use - once you buy one, you can use it the entire conference.
Its hard to recommend on if you should get ribbons or not. If this is your first time, you may want to hold off. You can always buy one at the con if you find yourself wanting one.
I'll mention a few ones ribbons though:
1. Board Room - See below
2. Company-specific ribbons - Game companies, like Mayfair or Rio Grande, will sometimes have ribbons that allow you to play their sponsored games.
3. Puffing Billy - Like train games? This ribbon will let you get into most, if not all, of the ones offered at Origins.
4. Werewolf - Like to play Are you a Werewolf? This ribbon will let you play all the AYAW games.
There are more, so go look at the Origins page to see their descriptions.
The Board Room Ribbon
 |
| CABS Board Room |
I wanted to put this ribbon into its own category because, well, I love it.
This ribbon allows you access into the CABS board gaming room. If you have the ribbon, you can get into the room, check games out of their library of thousands of games, and play with other board gamers.
Personally, I HIGHLY recommend the board room ribbon, and this is the only one I would recommend getting. The CABS board room is constantly filled with people, and there are always games to jump in and learn.
Note that you can ONLY get into the CABS board room if you have the ribbon. Origins does offer its own board game library in the open play area that you can check out, but CABS blows it away. Sorry GAMA, it just does.
One last note on the CABS board room. You may hear that you'll get a free game by getting the ribbon. For the last several years, CABS has worked with game vendors to get games to give away (while supplies last) to ribbon holders. THIS IS NOT GUARANTEED! Don't get this ribbon to get a free game, because it might not happen.
What if I can't get into a game?
So lets say you found a cool game you want to try, but aren't able to get a ticket for it. Well, here are some things you can try:
1. Look for it elsewhere on the schedule. Many games are run multiple times throughout Origins so it may be in another time slot that is open.
2. Show up with generic tickets. Players don't show up to games all the time; you could get lucky and be able to jump into a game with generic tickets. Some GMs will even let 1 or 2 people jump into the game even if all the ticketed players show up. Just show up early, tell the GM you don't have a ticket but you have generics, and would like to get in if there is room. You never know!
Did I miss anything? Shoot me a message or leave a comment.
Origins: What to Expect
Origins: Gaming
Origins: Where to stay, Where to eat
Origins: Kids
Origins: What to do
Origins for Newbies - What to Expect
What is Origins?
The Origins Game Fair is a yearly gaming con that takes place in Columbus, OH, run by GAMA, and has been going on since 1975. It boasts an attendance of over 10,000 people, with over 11,000 people attending in 2013. If I had to guess, it is probably the second largest gaming con in North America, behind GenCon.
This year will be my 13th year attending Origins, and one of the things I've found is that it can be overwhelming for people new to the convention and who don't know what to expect. Unfortunately, there aren't any good resources that I know of for Origins newbies anymore, so I've decided to put a number of posts up detailing Origins, what to expect, and answering questions I see commonly asked.
Note that this is based on my experiences at Origins, and I am not affiliated in any with GAMA, and therefore do not speak officially for them or the con.
What to expect?
Origins takes place in the Columbus Convention Center, in the heart of downtown Columbus, Ohio. The convention takes over the entire center, even spilling out into the connected hotels for some events.
Origins is a gaming convention, so you can expect to find all types of games being played. These include role-playing games (RPGs), board games, card games, live action roleplaying games (LARPs), miniatures, and more. There usually aren't any video games there, but every few years a few will pop up.
It truly is an amazing site to look down one of the main halls and see people sprawled out, playing every type of game imaginable.
The large ballrooms throughout the con are usually dedicated to a specific type of game or for a company. This includes a room for the miniatures game, a room for board games, and of course the vendor room. Sprinkled throughout the rooms in the rest of the convention center are other games being played.
What if I don't know where to go?
The sheer size of the convention center can be overwhelming, but don't worry. There are signs all over to help direct you and tell you what is in each room, the Origins guidebook will contain a map, information kiosks are present to get directions, and you can always ask a passing gamer. Don't worry, most of us don't bite.
How much does it cost?
In order to go to Origins, you need to buy a badge. Badges can be purchased from the Origins website, and cost varying amount depending on the type of badge, how long you want to go, and when you purchase it. You can also buy badges on-site at the con.
In general, you can buy either a full-show badge or a 1-day badge. These badges allows you to go to the convention and enjoy everything it offers. A full-show badge lets you go the entire time it is going on, a 1-day badge allows you to go for just one day.
If you just want to go around, consider getting the Family Day Pass. These are passes that allow a family 4 limited access to the convention. You'll be able to get into the exhibit hall, art show, and a few other places. However, you will NOT be able to buy tickets to play in game events. This pass is usually only available on Sunday, the last day of the con.
The family pass is a great way to check out the con without spending a lot of money.
Once you have your badge, you may also want to buy tickets, ribbons, or generic tokens. I'll cover those in another post.
What Should I Bring?
Origins is a fairly large gaming convention, so there are some things you should remember to grab.
No! Expect to have fun! Origins is one of the few places you can go where all you do is play games all day for 5 days straight. Take advantage of it!
Did I miss anything? Shoot me a message or leave a comment.
Origins: What to Expect
Origins: Gaming
Origins: Where to stay, Where to eat
Origins: Kids
Origins: What to do
Origins: Gaming Groups
The Origins Game Fair is a yearly gaming con that takes place in Columbus, OH, run by GAMA, and has been going on since 1975. It boasts an attendance of over 10,000 people, with over 11,000 people attending in 2013. If I had to guess, it is probably the second largest gaming con in North America, behind GenCon.
This year will be my 13th year attending Origins, and one of the things I've found is that it can be overwhelming for people new to the convention and who don't know what to expect. Unfortunately, there aren't any good resources that I know of for Origins newbies anymore, so I've decided to put a number of posts up detailing Origins, what to expect, and answering questions I see commonly asked.
Note that this is based on my experiences at Origins, and I am not affiliated in any with GAMA, and therefore do not speak officially for them or the con.
What to expect?
Origins takes place in the Columbus Convention Center, in the heart of downtown Columbus, Ohio. The convention takes over the entire center, even spilling out into the connected hotels for some events.
 |
| Looking down at Origins registration |
Origins is a gaming convention, so you can expect to find all types of games being played. These include role-playing games (RPGs), board games, card games, live action roleplaying games (LARPs), miniatures, and more. There usually aren't any video games there, but every few years a few will pop up.
It truly is an amazing site to look down one of the main halls and see people sprawled out, playing every type of game imaginable.
The large ballrooms throughout the con are usually dedicated to a specific type of game or for a company. This includes a room for the miniatures game, a room for board games, and of course the vendor room. Sprinkled throughout the rooms in the rest of the convention center are other games being played.
What if I don't know where to go?
The sheer size of the convention center can be overwhelming, but don't worry. There are signs all over to help direct you and tell you what is in each room, the Origins guidebook will contain a map, information kiosks are present to get directions, and you can always ask a passing gamer. Don't worry, most of us don't bite.
How much does it cost?
In order to go to Origins, you need to buy a badge. Badges can be purchased from the Origins website, and cost varying amount depending on the type of badge, how long you want to go, and when you purchase it. You can also buy badges on-site at the con.
In general, you can buy either a full-show badge or a 1-day badge. These badges allows you to go to the convention and enjoy everything it offers. A full-show badge lets you go the entire time it is going on, a 1-day badge allows you to go for just one day.
If you just want to go around, consider getting the Family Day Pass. These are passes that allow a family 4 limited access to the convention. You'll be able to get into the exhibit hall, art show, and a few other places. However, you will NOT be able to buy tickets to play in game events. This pass is usually only available on Sunday, the last day of the con.
The family pass is a great way to check out the con without spending a lot of money.
Once you have your badge, you may also want to buy tickets, ribbons, or generic tokens. I'll cover those in another post.
What Should I Bring?
Origins is a fairly large gaming convention, so there are some things you should remember to grab.
- Comfortable shoes - You'll be walking a lot. I mean a lot. So bring shoes that won't kill your feet. (Gel insert are wonderful too.)
- Deodorant - Yes, people smell and at a gaming con the term "gaming funk" has come to existence for a reason.
- Dice - If you are into RPGs, don't forget your dice! While the GM will certainly have some you can borrow, and you can buy dice in the vendor room, its probably not a bad idea to have your own.
- Money - The vendor room is awesome and you'll inevitably find something you want to get.
- Snacks - Not a bad idea to pack a couple small snacks in case you get hungry in the middle of a game.
- Sweatshirt - It may seem counter-intuitive to bring a sweatshirt or hoodie to Columbus in the middle of summer, but the center cranks up the AC and some rooms can get pretty frigid.
- Water bottle - Most rooms have a water cooler in it, or near the entrance, so you can easily fill up when you need to.
No! Expect to have fun! Origins is one of the few places you can go where all you do is play games all day for 5 days straight. Take advantage of it!
Did I miss anything? Shoot me a message or leave a comment.
Origins: What to Expect
Origins: Gaming
Origins: Where to stay, Where to eat
Origins: Kids
Origins: What to do
Origins: Gaming Groups
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)