Over the weekend, I had the privilege of attending Conclave of Gamers, a local convention dedicated to tabletop gaming. It was a smaller, friendly con with lots of open gaming, and a few highlights for yours truly.
I ran my Ghost Punchers roleplaying game twice, and had a blast both times. Judging from their laughter and panicky dice-rolls, I’d say my players had a great time too. And why not? It’s not every day you get to explore a haunted summer camp, fight possessed firewood, and punch ghostly campers.
I also had the opportunity to help out my friends from Distractovision, who were taking video of the con for their new gaming-oriented YouTube channel. Okay, I mostly “helped out” by introducing them to a couple people and pointing out stuff worth looking at (“That giant Indiana Jones diorama! You should – oh? You already got it? Good.”), but it was kind of them to let me think I was helping.
Lastly, I got to check off an item on my gamer bucket list: I finally played The Queen’s Gambit. When Star Wars Episode I came out, there were several board games that came with it. The Queen’s Gambit is famously the best of the lot, featuring awesome components, tactical gameplay, and a surprisingly deep amount of strategy. It’s been out of print for years, and commands a huge price on the secondary market, so when I saw a dude setting it up at the con with a sign saying he was looking for players, I had to jump at the chance. I’m glad I did.
This was my first year attending Conclave of Gamers, but if I have anything to say about it, it won’t be my last.
