Whats going on?

[Travis Reynolds]

What is everyone into? What games is everyone playing? Did everyone listen to the latest podcast? What did you think? How often should we do those? What would you like us to add, change or remove? Did anyone join up on any of the game offerings we mentioned because you heard it there?

Whats coming up that has everyone excited? What big game plans do you have?

TR

[Brent_Doughty]

Hey Travis! Last session my gaming group played Pillars of the Earth and Cuba. We're currently visiting old classics. I guess it is pretty wasteful to pay ~$60 for a game that is played once a year (or less). I'm pretty sure my group is done playing Hun Commander for a while, but little do they know it's almost time to test again (mwahahaha!). Still involved with a weekly RPG game online. Looks like this month and next we're going back to the group's roots with some First Edition D&D; pre-gens, classic modules!

I can't listen to the podcast at work and it always seems to slip my mind once I get back home. I figure if these were set to a regular time schedule (say, once a month?) I'd be a lot more inclined to listen, or more importantly, remember to listen. I know YouTube requires some form of video to allow posting, but if you could manage to get them on there (even if you had to split it up into sections) it would be a lot more available and incite folks to subscribe to a CharCon themed channel. I enjoyed the first one though! Personally, I like hearing sort of the "inside track" of CharCon. I'd also love to hear any inside info on board gaming in general. I know I would have been completely oblivious to the design competition without the podcast last year.

I am trying to get into a semi-regular visit to the shop in South Charleston this year. I know if we don't support what we like, it goes away... I'm planning on getting Hun Commander published in some shape or form. If it doesn't happen this year (or at least the ground work set into place), I'm shelving it. As always, I'm toying around with some game designs, but it is hard to get properly motivated without a group to rally with.

Overall, life is good! Multiple gaming stores in Charleston, plenty of friendly people to play with, and technology allowing me to keep in touch with all my gaming buddies that have since moved out of state. Hard to complain with all of that!

[Charlie Davis]

Well, my trip to West Virginia last week was great. I stopped at the Lost Legion store in Princeton on the way up. Nice shop. It has all of the gaming tables (3 rows) at the front of the store with shelving around the room with the cash register about mid store on the right. Looked good. Then as I went through Beckley, I stopped at the Lost Legion store there. Much smaller store and much tighter parking. However there were more people in there. Then to game night with the Appalachian gamers. Played Troyes, Rattus, and The City. Rattus and The City were new to me and all were enjoyable. Saturday the Appalachian Gamers had a big game day starting at 11 am. I think about 10 people played games through the day and several others stopped by. It is great to visit with old friends over a board game. I played Don Quixote, Mamut, Troyes, Ora et Labora, Ascending Empires, Isla Dorada, Eclipse, and a prototype. All were new except, Troyes. Sunday I continued my Lost Legion tour and stopped by the South Charleston store for the first time. It is a nice space. Not as open as the Princeton store but better than the original Charleston store. I played a Pirate prototype and Quarriors. I don't care for Quarriors. It is just to random for me. So for the trip I played 13 games (12 different) of which 10 were new games for me. That is a good weekend for the Cult of the New!
I also bought Ora et Labora with my CharCon Staff Christmas present for my wife, Sheila. She loves Uwe Rosenberg's designs. We played the 2 player short game last night (it is not that short) and she killed me. It was expected.
The regular future gaming for Sheila and I will be game night every Thursday with the East Tenn Gamers, game night on the 1st and 3rd Friday with the Southern Appalachian Gamer Asso. (most months) and either Sat or Sun each week with a Kingsport game group.
Then we have an invitation only Gulf Games weekend in two weeks in Chattanooga and Tennessee Game Days in Nashville in March and we hope the Jewel City game weekend in Huntington in April.
I liked the podcast. I hope you can continue them on a quarterly basis at least.

[Nick Gillispie]

I am working on a 3d Settlers of Catan Board for CHARCON. I am about 80% finished with the project.

I also have several gaming projects I am working on for the kids area at CHARCON. I plan on having a lot of things for the kids to do this year. All of the projects will be family friendly, meaning the parents can play with the kids and I think enjoy the games as much as the kids.

This year I am working on terrain since I have Larry painting for me. Other than the Settlers board, I am making some changes to my Pearl Habor board, based on a great pic of Pearl Harbor I found in a 70th anniversary edition of the attack in a Time Magazine. I am running the game at Crossroads, a convention in Cambridge, OH on February 18, then I am running the game several times at Origins this year. I plan on running some alternative history scenarios at Origins based on Japanese War games ran by the Admiralty prior to the attack, some showing what happened if the attack was detected many days in advance.

I am also thinking about a 70th Anniversary terrain board for the Battle of Midway. I already have the complete US and Japanese Fleet so the board is a natural addition, especially with the 70th anniversary of many WW2 battle coming up.

I am also working on a couple of Lord of the Rings terrain projects. I think with the movie coming out just prior to CHARCON this year I am going to bring my LOTR terrain boards back to CHARCON.

Buck and I are begining work on a large Flames of War Project for CHARCON this year. It will be a terrain project for another 70th anniversary WW2 battle that is approaching.

The next 3 years gives us many important Military History anniversary's with the 70th for WW2 and 150th for the American Civil War among others that we plan use to help remember the Veterens and help promote our hobby which we use to teach history with.

The CHARCON staff is also planning to do something this year for the Memorial Day holiday. Plans will be announced a little later about that project.

[Travis Orders]

Doing nothing. My "problems" with BF3 and Skyrim are almost resolved. Meaning I am nearly tired of playing them. Trying to fit in the odd RPG here and there. Doing weekly boardgame nights with the wife and kiddos. Really over this cruddy weather we have been having... I am itching to get my kayak out and go fishing!

[Buck Chrzanowski]

Well right now Star Wars The Old republic is eating my life. Great game so far. Granted I have not made it to endgame yet as I am too busy following the story arcs of serveal characters.

Miniature wise I am in a Blood in the Badlands campaign for Warhammer fantasy. We are just starting the summer season and it is going well. Only bad part about it is that the sturcture lends itself to just a few players (6 looks like the best) We currently have 8 players and the map is way to crowded. Also limiting it to a few players may have stepped on on toes when folks found out they where not included (which sucks)

After the campaign is over (April I think) I want to get Flames of War going. Thats WWII minis for thoes who dont know. They are releasing version 3 in the next few weeks. Unlike some evil companies that I wont mention Battle front is giving a free V3 rulebook to everyone that has a V2 Hardback copy. There a bunch of folks here in this area that are building or have armies but never seem to get together to play. I have no idea why. I want to change that.

My plan is to have FOW as THE game that people want to play on Sundays for a while. Not to say you can't play other things, but FOW is the best mini game out there I plan to have several armies on site that people can use if the dont have thier own.

As Nick said we are working on something WWII for Charcon and I am painting my second Soviet FOW infantry company/army. (GOD I AM STUPID)

[Mike Martin]

Not much going on here.

1. Playing my bass guitar
2. Reading (comics and novels)
3. Playing Star Wars: The Old Republic with friends
4. Watching TV
5. Experimenting with some new recipes for dinnertime

[Doug James]

Still playing 4E, Encounters on Thursday nights and Chris Smith is DMing .a high level game on alternating Saturdays. Gamma World on the other Saturdays with Matt Brabbin Gming. I plan to playtest my idea for turn based LARP at third Friday this month.

[Matthew Smith]

I've been working on Warlands models, running some Pathfinder, playing Mage and then in my copious free time playing The Old Republic. I'm looking to get some play in for Warlands sometime. There are a lot of new units I want to see in action before Charcon.

[jroman]

For me, I'm mostly working on my prep for Origins. I'm going with a Marshall Law themed AFMBE game (God help me), a linked Dark Heresy/Deathwatch game and my usuals of Kult and SLA Industries. Also going to try a pair of steampunk games (a/State and Unhallowed Metropolis) and see how they do. On the back burner is an idea to run a linked Black Crusade, Dark Heresy and Deathwatch game at Charcon but I've got time to regain my sanity and talk myself out of it.