Our last game was a blast with 38 players! we are finished finally. Check back to the main page for reviews on BGG soon.

Noon game was a tough trail with 10 dead and one whole team departed. One more game to go.

Oregon Stinks was a great time. We managed to kill two people on the way back to the East Coast. Check next year for more OT spinoffs.

Last day1

Alkemy

We picked up a few starter sets of a great looking miniature game, Alkemy. We are excited to get back to the office and get them painted up and play a few games. It’s great to see such outstanding models from an independent company. Check back on our main site and Board Game Geek for a review soon.

Tangency

Tangency has released two small card games Bankruptcy and Quackery. We are going to give them a try at our next gaming night, they look like a blast. Check back soon for a review.

War on Terror

Who can resist a game that has been banned by some organizations in the UK, we certainly can’t. We can’t wait to get back and start playing War on Terror and I couldn’t wait to wear the evil balaclava, which I’m wearing now. The game looks ridiculously funny, but seems to have some solid rules as well, which is rare in many cases.

Tower of Mystery

We couldn’t resist getting a copy of The Tower of Mystery with all the buzz floating around. Looks like a great first release from Ovation Productions. We will get a review up on our site pronto.

Dirge

Game: Dirge
Publisher: Vixentor Games
Players: 2 – 4
Type: Board game
Time:
Notes: A cross between chess and a miniatures game; players draft their pieces from a common deck to create an army. Monsters from classic myth do battle with special abilities and game text.

Caldea

Game: Caldea
Publisher: Caldea Llc
Players: 2 – 4
Type: Board game
Time: 30 – 90 minutes

Notes: Strategy board game with players vying for control of a desert wasteland. Play is scalable and fast for 2 players longer for 4.

Space Junkyard

Game: Space Junkyard
Publisher: Mayday Games
Players: 2 – 4
Type: Board game
Time: 30 – 40 minutes
Notes: Players compete to collect resources and salvaged ship parts to build a larger ship (victory points). The board is variable and can be manipulated by players.

Saturday draws to a close with a big day for MHG. We had tons of players for Oregon Trail. Sunday's games should be packed, we recommend pre-registering and showing up on time.

The 6pm Oregon Trail game had 36 players a new record. We also managed to get e record kill time. Jon managed to kill someone with the first event, Y. Fever.

4pm game of Oregon Trail was a blast. Four teams drove to the end with 3 deaths. The last team had a tough go but made it.

We had a few returning players in our 2pm game. We were so happy to see them back we killed their whole team.

Saturday has begun and we are expecting our biggest turnout yet. MHG has arrived in mass, watch for our polos out on the floor.

Here comes another round of independent or small company games. Check in tommorrow for more reviews and a few press releases.

Game: Scary Tales
Publisher: Playroom Entertainment
Players: 2 – 4
Type: Card Game
Time: 20 minutes

Notes: Classical fairy tale characters do battle. For 4 players two different base sets will need to be purchased.

Game: Go Mental
Publisher: HL Games Unlimited
Players: 3 – 6
Type: Trivia Game
Time: 40 – 45 minutes
Notes: At first glance Mental is a Trivial Pursuit clone. Questions are based on finding the item in a list that doesn’t fit. Bonus points can be gained by knowing the commonality between the remaining 3. The game is kept lively as the active player can have a question stolen from them if they dawdle.

Game: Amuse Amaze
Publisher: HL Games Unlimited
Players: 2 - 6
Type: Word Game
Time: 40 minutes

Notes: Players spell words to navigate a maze. The board tiles are variable creating a new experience each time. Some board spaces are also variable and help to shape a player strategy.

Game: Shard
Publisher: Shard Studio
Players: N/A
Type: RPG
Time: N/A
Notes: A self designed D6 skill based system that embraces a cinematic feel. Player races are all anthropomorphic animals. Game features fast combat, excellent artwork and a free first adventure on their website.

Game: Seii Taishogun
Publisher: Small Box Games
Players: 2 – 4
Type: Card Game
Time: 20 – 30 minutes

Notes: Conquest of feudal Japan via cards. Each island has a number of pagodas, temples and castles to contend for. Cards are played in sets in a poker like manner. Another quick game that fits in a box.

Game: Robotico
Publisher: Small Box Games
Players: 3 – 4 players
Type: Card Game
Time: 30 minutes

Notes: Players attempt to expand their industrial empire by building robot workers. Game plays quickly and has a built in turn counter. Good pick for a game that fits in one box.

Game: Chronica Feudalis
Publisher: Indie Press Revolution
Players: N/A
Type: RPG
Time: Varies
Notes: A skill based RPG based on medieval knighthood. Easy character generation and a story oriented system. Great for a group looking to role-play.

Warstone

Game: Warstone
Publisher: Duncan Games
Players: 2
Type: Card Game
Time: 10 – 30 minutes
Notes: Warstone combines a traditional CCG with marbles. Players shoot marbles at opposing ends of an alley to capture opponent’s marbles. Cards from a players deck can also capture marbles.

4pm game was a blast! 29 players in 5 teams. It was a knock down drag out fight the whole way. Fun was had by all.

12pm OT game was fast and furious with Widow Jenkins Dying on the last spot.

Hollow Earth Expedition, one of MHGs first approved games and a great group of designers has a new sourcebook out Mysteries of the Hollow Earth. Booth 1701

Check out Warstone for a change of pace. It is a gamer redo of marbles. Each marble can have different powers based on a deck you construct from TCG cards.

Day two starts... _ur terrible service denny's will be taken out on the Oregon Trail travelers. Let the carnage begin.

Our informants were out on the floor and did a ton of game demos. We summarized what we found below. Check them out and then head over to Wabash and tell the folks running Oregon Trail what you thought.

Game: Claim It!
Publisher: Wattsalpaog Games
Players: 2 – 5
Type: Board game
Time: 20 – 40 minutes

Notes: Quick play and simple rules make a very probability driven game easily accessible. Players attempt to claim as many adjacent spaces as possible to score maximum points. But the key to success is knowing when not to press your luck. A top 10 nominee for European Game of the Year and playable by just about any age range.

Game: Jet Set
Publisher: Wattsalpaog Games
Players: 2 – 6
Type: Board game
Time: 90 minutes

Notes: At first glance this game is “Ticket to Ride” with airplanes. Jet Set incorporates resource management in building your aero-empire as you connect various routes. Slightly abstract which might put off non-gamers.

Game: Duality
Publisher: Cloud Kingdom Games
Players: 2
Type: Card game
Time: 10 – 20 minutes

Notes: A cool variant on the classic “pipe” game; players try to connect their side of the board with their opponents playing out cards with twisting lines. No card repeats in the deck allowing for a great amount of variety.

Game: Tensor
Publisher: Cloud Kingdom Games
Players: 2
Type: Boardgame
Time: 10 – 20 minutes

Notes: Asymmetrical game in which players compete to move one of three tokens to goals at opposite ends of the board. Quick play and it all fits into one cardbox.

Game: Shootin’ Ladders
Publisher: Smirk and Dagger
Players: 3 – 8
Type: Board game
Time: 30 – 90 minutes

Notes: This game plays like their previous release “Candyman” crossed with Halo. The classic Chutes and Ladders board has been transformed into a killing field. Seven scenarios are provided with the game which will provide variation in a quick, fun game.

Game: Quackery
Publisher: Tangency Games
Players: 2 – 4
Type: Card game
Notes: The game of Medieval Medicine, players try to cure the royal family while killing off other doctor’s patients.

Game: Bankruptcy
Publisher: Tangency Games
Players: 2 – 6 (10)
Type: Card game
Notes: A cutthroat game of submarining your own business while leaving the other players holding the bag. (This probably has no basis in real life) The winner is the first to empty his hand.

Game: Towers of Mystery
Publisher: Ovation Products
Players: 2 – 8
Type: Board game
Time: 30 minutes per player

Notes: Players compete collecting tokens and cards while racing to be the first out of the tower. Good mix of strategy and luck. Designed to be enjoyed by non-gamers and a great start for a new company.

Game: Odd Society
Publisher: Odd 1
Players: 1
Time: 6 – 12 hours
Type: PC; Single player

Notes: A cute little story game available for download from Odd 1; the graphics are great for their first 3D offering. Look forward to picking it up and future games in the series.

Game: Hero Mage
Publisher: D20 Studios
Players: 1 – 4
Type: PC; Online
Time: N/A

Notes: Turn based fantasy strategy game that’s free to play online. Special characters can be purchased for a small price. They’ve got a nice freebie offer so stop by their booth at 235.

Game: Tales of the Arabian Nights
Publisher: Z-Man Games
Players: 2 – 6
Type: Boardgame
Time: 120+ minutes
Notes: Tales seems to be a cross between Choose-Your-Own-Adventure and a classic board game. An impressive board, pieces and booklet; great non-competitive game for folks interested in a great story.

Game: Arimaa
Publisher: Z-Man Games
Type: Boardgame
Players: 2
Time: 120+ minutes

Notes: A variant of Chess designed to be a game computers can’t play better than humans. Pieces aren’t captured but pushed with the goal being to capture 4 special spaces in the center of the board.

Game: Keesdrow
Publisher: Bucephalus
Players: 2 – 6
Type: Word game
Time: Varies

Notes: Variable board spelling game that would appeal to fans of Scrabble and Boggle looking to go to the next level. Players peg out their words and score progressively by finding new uses for letters.

Game: Gemlok
Publisher: Bucephalus
Players: 2 – 4
Type: Boardgame
Time: 30 minutes
Notes: Players compete to score points by landing tokens on “gem” spaces having varying point values. Quick, fun game that can easily appeal to all age ranges and non-gamers.

Game: War on Terror
Publisher: Terror Bull Games
Players: 3 – 6
Type: Boardgame
Time: 2 – 3 hoursNotes: Strategy game involving copious backstabbing as player empires attempt to take control of the world. Players compete for resources and pursue aggressive foreign policies. Check out these two British blokes at booth #307.

They just couldn't get enough dysentery.

She was horrified she liked it so much

Oregon Trail was a huge success today with over 50 players. We will continue to run Oregon Trail all con at 12, 2, 4 and 6pm each day. Check out all of our photos at http://sites.google.com/site/madhattergaming/gen-con-pics.

MHG has shut down for the night. After we eat we will get the pictures and info about the indy games we looked at today. But first we eat!

Arcane legions is running a ton of demos, but no one seems to be paying attention. They are distracted by the huge tracts of land.

4pm OT game was marked by the lead team cheering the onset of dysentery. The last team limped across broken but not defeated. 4 people died, 1 from dysentery.

OT game #1 is down with 4 dead players, including one that the team chose to kill in order to move more... cold! One poor team managed to lose 6 oxen total.

ODD Society looks like a neat lite indy computer game. Try it out at booth 533 and then stop by OT and tell us what you think. Stop back later for news.

First walkthrough Exhibt Hall:
Good crowd.
Lots of indie games.
Utilikilts still 10 years from catching on.
Dwarven Forge brings the sweet loot again.

MHG has arrived in Indy! Priority 1 is find a bar!