Alan Sugarbaker, one of the guys at the Ogre Cave Audio Report, gives a brief rundown on some of the products he saw at GTS in Las Vegas. There are a couple of interesting mentions in there, as well as some products I'm pretty excited about. I just wish these companies would stop producing all these cool collectible miniatures games and draining my wallet (and filling up my office).

ME

Today the GAMA Trade Show (GTS) will get into full swing in Las Vegas. This is one of the first times many of these games and products will be on display and available for purchase as publishers and designers pitch their wares to the people who will stock and promote these products throughout the year. Hopefully we'll see some good coverage of the event this year, though last year the news updates and reports were a little spotty (which isn't surprising as there is a lot going on at these events and most of the news coverage is secondary to why people are there).

The bad thing is I probably could have gotten a press pass to the event, and I actually have family in the Las Vegas area, but the time and expense of heading out there just couldn't be justified, so again I'm on the sidelines, waiting for an Internet update like everyone else.

Ah well, someday.

ME

This week the GAMA Trade Show, put on by the Game Manufacturers Association (also GAMA), in Las Vegas is in full swing. This is a trade show, so only publishers, retailers and members of the press attend. There have been some reports trickling out of the show, which is in its third day today, about some of the games being offered, but so far I haven't seen a lot of announcements that I've been particularly excited about. Truth be told, this year likely will be spent collecting some of the games and RPGs that have already been around for a year or two.

On Saturday I am getting together with some co-workers for a roleplaying game session. I believe we are going to try out Truth & Justice, the superhero RPG from Atomic Sock Monkey Press (I am so envious I didn't think of that name). The game is more about narration than throwing dice, and the better you describe a scene or action, the better your chance of success. It is an interesting idea, though that is just one part of the game, and I am excited to see how it plays. I also received review copies of Spirit of the Century and Don't Rest Your Head from Evil Hat Productions. These games use a similar basic game system, but are very different in tone and setting. Spirit is all about over-the-top pulp-style action, while DRYH is more like superhero horror, where your powers come at a price and the villains are nightmarish... well, things. It is likely we will look over the character creation mechanics for those games on Saturday after we playtest T&J for a bit.

Other than that, not a lot going on this week. Because of the trade show in Vegas, I can't really touch base with any game companies, because most are out-of-pocket this week. Same with the good folks at GAMA in Columbus (which is why I hadn't heard back about my press badge for Origins). Still, I am working on my roleplaying game reviews, and have touched base with a couple of local readers on the subject of gaming groups. I might have more on that later depending on how this weekend goes.

Until then, game on.

ME