[Whiterook]

I'm just (literally) back from the Origins Game Fair, and am thoroughly exhausted! Had lot's of fun, and spent way too much....but it went a little astray in some ways, as well.

My main event of participation sank like the Bismark! The Axis & Allies Slugfest, that was supposed to take place over 4 days, never happened! Only one other fellow showed up with minis to do battle, which was a disappointment for not only me, but the game host as well. It wasn't in the game area I thought it would have been in, and the Origins Event Staff were clueless to when and where the Slugfest events were to take place. By the time I found it, the other fellow was long gone. Drat! And I have to say, honestly, the Event Staff and Organizers could have done a better job in a lot of respects...and actually being quite rude (even once is too often in my book...and they were rude many times, due in no doubt to problems arising from their own ineptness) and totally oblivious to what was going on or needed to be done way too often; which I tried to give a lot of slack concerning such things, knowing that the majority of the staff are Volunteers; but still, I was annoyed way more often that I should have been. Many of the games I wanted to play either had no-shows, or were overbooked by folks desparate to play "something". The experience was night-and-day from last year, and I'm not sure what happened. There seemed to be a lot less gaming going on this year, and the crowds seemed smaller. Are people being hit too hard from the costs of travel, gas, economics? I don't know. What I do know is, I left very much unsure of whether I'd be back next year (it's a very expensive trip (money and time-wise), and thinking GENCON may get my business next year, instead.

The Dealer's Hall was fantastic, and saw most of my time (and money). Some of the main players in the Gaming industry were missing: Days of Wonder, Lock 'N Load, Wizards of the Coast, and many more. But there were a lot of new companies there, which was refreshing. I was disappointed that the Flames of War folks didn't have their diorama modules set up to demo their game (which I was looking forward to), just sales; but, I did get a 12 pack of tan DAK dice, and the dealer knocked off 20% due to their being discontinued. I garnered substantial savings with the Avalanche Press folks, talking with a designer at length, and picking up modules with my Gold Club Members Discount (I highly advise joining that club if you want to pick up a lot of their products). I met with the game designer, Uwe Eickert, of a new company called Academy Games, for a new game called "Conflict of Heroes -- Awakening the Bear! - Russia 1941-42", which is somewhat along the lines of Advanced Squad Leader, without the huge binder of rules! He brings this amazing game to Origins for the first time, and yes, I bought one! I believe he said he is in talks with the United States Army War College to provide the game as a training aid. The game is set about the time of Operation Barbarossa, and is a beauty! It even has solitaire rules!!! This is the first game to be published by this new game company, and the first of an intended series to span through modern day conflicts. My other major game purchase was Fantasy Flight Game's Tide of Iron expansion "Day of the Fox", which brings the Afrika Korps to life in the ToI universe. I was flying full tilt to their booth the day the Dealer Hall openned, and they sold out very quickly...after I snagged mine, of course! I bought some amazing Tee Shirts from Bell & Blade, and will get plenty of wear.....good quality stuff, as my purchases from last year are still going strong! I also picked up some Axis & Allies Miniatures to suppliment my OOB, including another Tiger I and Messerschmidt Me110 (alternate paint scheme), and a couple Rangers; as well as some I didn't have, such as the Canadian VC 17 Pounder tank, and a Jagdpanzer.

I played quite a few games I have never played, including a new version of Shogun, coming in second place. I played my favorite game Memoir '44, coimng in first place. My most surprising experience though, was discovering how much fun I was having in the Miniatures Hall; I hadn't really expored this section too much last year, but I was truly amazed at the dioramas there, and how the games play out. Flames of War had a small area all to themselves, and the layouts were nice. But there were diorama layouts for 1/72 scale units that blew me away! The detail was incredible. The one I enjoyed the most, however, was this amazing d20 game of Stargate SG1.....I kept going back day after day to watch this one play out, and unfortunately, was always filled to capacity for players.

I'm looking forward to some homecooking...there are pretty much NO restaurants in the area, save for a small food court which got real old real quick. Subway only goes so far, you know? And I desparately need some sleep!

So my Con rating, on a scale of 1 to 10: 5

Pictures will be forthcoming.