I have been to a lot of very large conventions in the gaming industry and I'd compare PAX East to the GenCon of the video game market. Although to a tabletop geek like myself, the board gaming, miniature gaming, and role-playing was well represented. I had the opportunity to play a lot of games, observe some games, and add some new games to my games-to-play list.
Games I Played And My Initial Impressions
Disclaimer: I have only played a short convention-style demo for some of the games listed below (unless otherwise mentioned). My opinions are only my first impressions and basic rule sets. Upon playing a full length game, I reserve the right to change my opinion.
D&D Next (Wizards of the Coast): I will admit to being a long-time fan of Dungeons & Dragons since Basic, through AD&D, into 3e and Dungeons & Dragons 3.5. I really wanted to like 4th Edition but was let down by 4e. I'm willing to give this old flame a second chance so I went into D&D Next with an open mind. I played the 2-hour introductory adventure to the system and met five other gamers in the marshaling line that didn't set me on edge (they were fantastic to play with). So going into the game I had five great people to go through my first D&D Next adventure with and since we were the first game of the day our Dungeon Master had plenty of rest. The stars all aligned to give me a positive first impression of the game. The changes to the rules which resembles many 3.5 mechanics had surprised me by taking a few of the mechanics I really liked in 4th Edition D&D (such as wizard cantrips).
The adventure went smoothly and the pre-generated characters provided a well-rounded experience. The mechanic I liked the most was the advantage & disadvantage rules. The new rules have gotten rid of the big charts of circumstance modifiers, stacked bonuses, range modifiers, and situations that required players to (literally) keep spreadsheets for attack modifiers when rolling dice. If you find yourself attacking an enemy that is unaware of your presence you will have advantage and this allows you to roll 2d20 (two 20-sided dice) and select the highest result. If you find yourself shooting your bow at an enemy at long range, you would be firing at a disadvantage which means you roll 2d20 and select the lowest result.
I look forward to reading more of the rules for the game and see what other changes they have made. My play test was favorable, the combats still had plenty of tactical decisions to be made, and some of the heavy-rules that I was used to has been addressed with some efficient compromises. Learn more about D&D Next and sign-up to download the playtest rules.
MERCS (MERCS Miniatures LLC - Brian Shotton and Keith Lowe): I'm a big fan of tactical miniatures games and I made it a point to check out all of the new indy miniature game titles while at PAX East. One of the games that caught my eye was called MERCS. It is a squad-based skirmish game between rival corporate-sponsored mercenary factions. The demos being run were on several 2D roll-out mats and a 3D cityscape. This proves you can play casual pickup games on roll out gaming mat with hand-drawn obstacles using wet-erase markers or you go all out and play on some cool 3D terrain. The play area is a 2x3 zone with a variety of options for giving your models cover against enemy fire. This game is intended for 2-players but can scale into larger skirmishes by either adding additional factions to the fight or having each player control 2-3 models each (not a bad way to use all 6 of your models).
The game play was fast, the mechanics easy to pick up, and since your only running 5 models per-side the game went about as fast as your average 3-hand match of Magic the Gathering. Each faction in the game has 6-7 models to select from to comprise a standard 5 model squad. Model options include commanders, medics, snipers, assassins, and a variety of heavy weapon choices within each faction. From the game that I played and the other matches I observed the factions you can choose from all seem very well balanced while maintaining enough variation between the choices available. The game that I played only used the basic rule set which included movement, shooting, and melee. I left PAX with two factions and a rulebook. After reading the advanced rules on the flight home from PAX I can honestly say I'm looking forward to playing the game. Once I have the beautiful (all metal) models assembled I'll get a half-dozen games under my belt and write a full review. Learn more about MERCS Miniatures by visiting their website.
Sedition Wars (McVey Studios): This is a game with absolutely amazing models for what you get in a tactical board game. The game was funded through Kickstarter and distributed by Cool Mini or Not. The game is a science fiction space-horror tactical miniatures game. I played a demo game of Sedition Wars that was a hyper-simplified scenario of the first mission in the game. I was playing The Vanguard who are a lot like the colonial marines from Aliens. In this two-player game the opposing force is called The Strain, an all consuming force of infected [technical nano-whatever rogue AI virus] mutated space zombies.
The game feels a lot like Space Hulk by Games Workshop in its style of game play and the use of objective-based scenarios. The difference is that Sedition Wars has far more game play options. The Vanguard has more to do than just shoot, hack, and overwatch-fire. The Strain has more to do than just charge the enemy and hope for the best. The bad guys can animate corpses, infect enemy soldiers and cause them to turn on their pals. The tactical options within Sedition Wars are varied, especially considering the demo game I played only used the basic troopers and space-zombies. As the scenarios in the game advance you are given the opportunity to bring in heavy weapons, big giant monsters, and a variety of special scenario rules.
I have recently finished assembling my copy of Sedition Wars and since returning home from PAX, I've read through the copy of the rules several times. I will have a full review of the game in the near future. Until then, you can learn more about Sedition Wars on the games website.
Emperor's New Clothes (Jonathan Liu): Jonathan was at PAX East promoting the Kickstarter for his game Emperor's New Clothes which is based on the familiar story by Hans Christian Anderson. Jonathan had brought a copy of the game and I had the opportunity to play two demos of the game. The first game was beginners luck as I swindled my way into first place. The second game had me losing so bad that I lost all of my dignity. Although in hindsight, I might have been a wee bit gullible to think that I could beat Jonathan at his own game twice in the same day. I can't wait for the game to come out, I know my gaming group will love it. Check out the Kickstarter page for the game.
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__Forbidden Island (Playwright): Go and buy this game right now, especially if you like fun cooperative games. This will be the game that competes with Settlers of Catan in my efforts to introduce non-gamers to good boardgames. It's under twenty-dollars and it's a great game for playing with kids ages 8+. If you have not been convinced yet, I suppose you will want an idea of what the game is all about? Read this great game review written by fellow GeekDad Jonathan Liu.
Forbidden Desert (Playwright): This game is not yet out but they were taking pre-orders at PAX East and running demos of near complete production run pieces. If you've played Forbidden Island you will have a better idea of what the goal of the game is. Collect things before something bad happens in a race against time. In this game you are crashed explorers in the desert. You need to find some lost components to rebuild an airship that you will use to escape before you run out of water. The game is much more difficult than Forbidden Island and will require a lot more planning and teamwork. I expect Jonathan Liu will have a detailed review and write-up of this game once it is released. Whereas I will let you know that I'm voting with my wallet and will be adding this game to my personal collection of casual cooperative games.
Disc Duelers (Level 99 Games): Played a full demo with GeekDad editors Jonathan Liu and Matt Blum. We were joined by the creator of the disc flinging game Brad Talton. The game itself reminds me of the games of dexterity that I played back in grade school with lots of small pieces and flicking things at one another. In this game you have fighters that have a small disk-shaped avatar that you flick around the board with your fingers or palm. The goal is to smash other character disks off the table or bump them against objects on the table without hitting things yourself and deal damage. Each character has different abilities, wounds, number of times you can flick it, and a wide-variety of game influencing mechanics. This game was fully funded for it's Kickstarter and everything is currently in full production. A great convention game and one that my kids would appreciate since your allowed to flick the game pieces around the table (and off the table). Learn more about the game on the Kickstarter page or visit the Level 99 Games website.
Games I Want to Play
Mobile Frame Zero: This can best be summed up by saying that Mobile Frame Zero (MFZ) is a comprehensive set of rules and assembly instructions to build mech robots and weapons platforms out of your Legos. You then get to put them on a tabletop and make an entire strategy war game out of it. Everybody that walked by the MFZ booth and saw the banner with a 3D illustration of something akin to a rifleman mech from Battletech made out of egos had to stop and respect the awesome-factor of this magical combination. Robots, Legos, and the rules to make this into a complete game experience causes the 10-year old portion of my brain to fire on all cylinders. As I am now the owner of the rules, a lot of Legos, and access to other people excited to play, I will be writing a complete review of this game in the near future. Original game design by D. Vincent Baker and published by Joshua A.C. Newman. Additional information about the game, the rules, and the active community can be found on the MFZ website.
Zpocalypse (Greenbrier games): This is a zombie game I think I can really sink my teeth into (har-har). The particular facet about this game that sets it apart from games like Zombicide is that each player gets to play a team of survivalists, not just a single hero. The game play deals with core (common sense) phases should the zombie threat strike. Collecting food, finding supplies, and building up defenses against the daily zombie attacks. Each day ends with the party repelling the inevitable undead assault. The game play that I watched looked engaging and the cooperative nature between players was encouraging. I look forward to finding an opportunity to try this game. Additional details about Zpocalypse can be found on the Greebriergames Website.
Hearth Stone - The Heroes of Warcraft (Blizzard): I've always loved the characters, artwork, and the campaign world of Warcraft but never been a player of the popular MMO. Hearth Stone is a deck-building strategy game that exists on computers and tablets like the iPad. The game play I saw at PAX was clever, fun, and the production quality was top notch. I'm going to be checking Hearth Stone out once it comes out of beta. I don't have 10 hours to devote to an MMO, whereas I can spare 10 minute increments for a fun strategy game without a second thought. As a fan of Magic the Gathering I think I could really enjoy the game play and deck building aspects tot the game. Learn more about Hearth Stone on the games homepage.
Dread / Dread House (Dig a Thousand Holes Publishing): This is the game that I regret not having had the chance to play while I was at PAX. Dread is an indy tabletop RPG that follows the players through a horror-genre adventure and it has one very unique mechanic. This game uses no dice to determine the outcome of a situation and instead uses a tower of Jenga blocks. Knock over the tower and the GM will take this as the omen of your death. So part of the allure of this game is that it creates an actual sense of tension within the story and amplifies the overall dread by using the Jenga blocks. This game is on my RPG highlight reel for it's creativity, unique-factor, and innovative use of a new game mechanic. There is a kids version of this game called Dread House in which kids are dared to stay overnight in a supposed haunted house (do you suppose there are real monsters in the house?). More information about the game on the publishers website Dig a Thousand Holes Publishing.
There you have it fellow tabletop enthusiasts. PAX East was a wonderful trip filled with a lot of dice rolling, conversations with passionate game developers, and playing games with great people. Looking forward to PAX East 2014.
