Kay, I am depressed as hell I'm not going to be at GenCon next week. A year ago I had started making plans, setting aside money, working up the courage to tell my wife ... and then we bought a house. That pretty much nixed most of my convention going, with the exception of Origins which is relatively close and I could stay with my brother to avoid room costs, and Charcon, which I can drive to and then come home and then possibly go back to the next day. 

But still, I really wanted to go to GenCon. And I'm not going. So for those of us not going, what is something fun and gaming related we can do online next week? Anyone got any suggestions? Something on LJ or another discussion board? I know the guys at the CharCon forums would love to have some company. 

So what do you think? 

ME

Well, sufficed to say, things haven't worked out the way I planned this week. I was hoping to use my time at home to write a couple of game reviews, do numerous updates to these pages and basically wallow in all things gaming. But as is, I was pretty sick and uncomfortable the first part of the week, and now I am just tired and trying to get through the last bit of this. My hope is to be back to normal and back to work at the beginning of next week. We'll see how that plays out.

But this doesn't mean I haven't been working on gaming-related projects this week. I've sent out e-mails to several game companies and even gotten a few replies. I exchanged e-mails with Andy Hopp, coordinator of Con on the Cob, a uniquely-named gaming convention in Akron, Ohio, a little more than 2 hours from here. I hope to write an article on the con as we get a little closer to November when the con is held, and I plan to do updates from the convention using my blog and CU.

Now, Con on the Cob may not sound like much compared with GenCon Indy and Origins, two of the biggest gaming conventions in the United States, but I have high hopes for this event. First off, they have booked some really good guests, including Steve Kenson, designer of Green Ronin's "Mutants & Masterminds" roleplaying game. I am really looking forward to meeting him, and hope to drop him an e-mail sometime soon asking for an interview. I haven't had much luck getting review copies from Green Ronin, but I have played M&M, and would love to review the second edition of the game which came out last year. M&M 2e might very well be one of the best super hero roleplaying  games on the market today, and I am a big fan of super hero games.

The convention also will feature as the guest of honor artist Larry Elmore, who is a bit of a legend in the roleplaying community, especially those of us who grew up on Dungeons & Dragons. 

On top of that, the convention looks like a lot of fun. Lots of games and gamers. I am eager to learn a little bit more about the convention and to meet Andy and the other convention-goers.

I will write a little more on my gaming convention plans as we get closer to the season, and hopefully do a lot of show floor reporting wherever I attend. I already know Origins in Columbus, Ohio, CharCon in Charleston, W.Va., and Mid-Ohio Comic Con, also in Columbus, are on my list.

Should be a great year.

ME

On Sunday my latest review ran in the Parkersburg News. Avalon Hill (Wizards of the Coast) was kind enough to send me a review copy of their latest collectible miniatures game, Axis & Allies: War at Sea, which features naval battles. They sent a starter set and two booster packs, giving me about 18 ships with which to try out the game.

I am a sucker for collectible games. There is something in me that loves opening a blind booster and seeing what I pull out. I really didn't think I would get into the World War II naval battles theme, but I really enjoyed the way the game plays. I am not a good enough player of any collectible game to compete at the tournament level (in fact, I am pretty intimidated by tournament play in general), but I just can't get enough of a game where you can spend hours musing strategy, seeing how different pieces work together, and pining for that one piece you have yet to pull from a booster. I love the pieces and I love the cards that come with them, especially the little bits of historical trivia about each ship, sub or plane. In several cases I found myself doing Web searches to find out more info on a particular vehicle and its real-life impact on the war.

This week's review will be a little different, but no less fun. I have been doing several reviews lately on collectible games, miniatures games or rpgs. This week it's back to basics with a board game.

I had the chance to play "Venus Needs Men" by Synelix Games, an independent game company, on a recent trip to Morgantown, W.Va. to visit some friends, and even though opinions at the table varied, I thought it was a great game.

Without going into my review here, let me just say the game evokes the feel of the old sci-fi movies where everything was atomic, aliens were attractive women in silver bikinis, and the populace of Earth was just the plaything of the universe. Even the pieces of the game have a great retro feel to them. I played Earth, which is perhaps the hardest group to play since you have up to five alien races looking to take you out of the game. Still, it was a lot of fun.

There were some debates about some of the rules being unclear and places where rules in the game, or specifally cards that let you break the rules, weren't written very well. In the end, though, the player who had the most frustration with the rules ended up winning, so I am not sure what that says about the game.

The review is scheduled to run this Sunday, and will be posted to BoardGameGeek next Monday. 

ME