Big Bang Burger Bar

Tabletop Day

Saturday 5th April at Spirit Games (http://www.spiritgames.co.uk/index.php) 10am to late evening

Also at Burton Library 10am to 3.30pm

A chance to come along and try out a range of games for everyone, with friendly helpful people to introduce new players to their favourite passtime.

Count me in for this

 >:DGinger

International Tabletop Day Saturday 5th April
By Sally

At Spirit Games (http://www.spiritgames.co.uk), Burton Library (http://www.staffordshire.gov.uk/leisure/librariesnew/branchlibraries/BurtonLibrary/BurtonLibrary.aspx) and The Burton Bridge Inn (http://www.burtonbridgeinn.co.uk/).

We will have games running all day Saturday 5th April at the shop, the nearby public library and at The Bridge Inn. We will be concentrating on board and card games to make the best use of space to fit in as many players as possible, but it might not be unreasonable to allow some miniatures wargaming in the wargames room!

Our normal Saturday opening times are 10.00am – 5.00pm, but we will stay open for gaming until the last gamer leaves, which is usually after midnight. Keep up-to-date with this and our other events on www.spiritgames.co.uk, e-mail us at salnphil@spiritgames.co.uk, or  phone us on 01283 511293

There will be playing space ready for up to thirty people in the shop and free use of our large games library – games will be running at Burton Library from 10am till 3.30pm, and at the pub from midday till late afternoon.

Star Wars X-Wing tournament
There will be a casual tournament running all day at the library, with models available to be borrowed by newcomers. Experienced players will also be welcome, but to make it more attractive to new players there will be a random prize as well as one for the winner.

Contact Details
salnphil@spiritgames.com

Likely to have to drop this unfortunately as I have been rather over doing stuff of late and need to catch up on my sleep as well as other things domestic.

 >:DGinger

Well we have had another #TableTopDay (http://www.tabletopday.com/) hosted by Spirit Games (http://www.spiritgames.co.uk).

They had games being played at the Local Library, in the Shop and at the local pub. The Shop itself, which is where I ended up, was full for most of the day and there was a good variety of games being played from light to heavy.

As soon as I walked through the door I was asked when I planned to start a game of FireFly (http://www.spiritgames.co.uk/single.php?menu=2&sub=4&game=7954). So we grabbed the wargames room in the shop, as it has a large table, to start setting up the game.

(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/R47Fg4pHq2ArACM1d9oHgL4kqFpGZNVOUqgk01Wc-Uk=w296-h221-p-no)

We had 3 new players so we went for the introductory story (http://flamesofwar.com/Portals/0/all_images/GF9/Firefly/Rulebooks/StoryCards/Firefly_Story_Card_First_Time_v3.pdf) which can be downloaded from www.fireflythegame.com

The more I play this game the more I like it, it's a real fun game to play in and it has a well integrated theme enabling you to feel like you are in the 'verse. Surprisingly, as this was now my 3rd game, we managed to complete this in around 3hrs. The game definitely benefits from experience and familiarity with the rules to help it mosey along at a reasonable pace.

By this time Caz had arrived from her birthday pampering so we broke out the Settlers of Catan (http://www.spiritgames.co.uk/single.php?menu=2&sub=4&game=3641) using the Oil Springs (http://www.spiritgames.co.uk/single.php?menu=2&sub=4&game=5989) and Helpers of Catan (http://www.spiritgames.co.uk/single.php?menu=2&sub=4&game=7885) expansions.

(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/SLNil8qQOIX_KvoAQ6SXoDauJUEuJXYUk_Wq0tao5lQ=w276-h207-p-no)

The Oil Springs expansion adds a novel twist to the game where using oil adds benefits but runs the risk of causing a natural disaster on the Island of Catan. There is also a chance that everyone can lose as some disasters cause numbers to be removed from regions stopping them from producing, once a 4th number is removed the game ends. The helpers grants everyone a card that has benefits to be used during their turn. It can be used up to two times before having to swap it for another helper. These are useful without causing too much additional problems with gameplay. The Oil springs, however, adds quite a bit of additional upkeep to the game.

Finally for the day we broke out Kings of Air and Steam (http://www.spiritgames.co.uk/single.php?menu=2&sub=4&game=7577). The rules are split into a basic game, there to teach you the core mechanics, and a more advanced game which adds to the basic game to enhance the gameplay. The player boards are two-sided to reflect these differing versions.

(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/xRCx39iY7ylgW0xTt4lRtpAsCqwCQn5AqCQE7sHq8nA=w274-h204-p-no)

I always really enjoy this and it has a lot of potential especially with the ability to factor in the more advanced gameplay which I will try one day :). The board itself is modular, made of various large hexes, the number laid out depends on the number of players. We had 5 players for this game which was a really good number allowing for a lot of player interaction. The basic idea is that players use their Airships to pick up and drop goods to their depots from which they use trains to then transport the goods to Cities demanding these. During the game you get the option to upgrade your Airship, which allows for using better movement cards and carrying more goods, or to upgrade your train, which allows you to transport goods over more stops. Money is used to upgrade and is obtained by shipping good, the value of which is determined by the market which is updated every turn.

Great fun and even though this is not a short game there is little downtime so it does not feel like it drags. There is plenty of player interaction as you have to pre-plan your moves for the whole turn, meaning that sometimes you have to alter you actions as another player beats you to your destination. Excellent game and will certainly see more table time in the future.

A big Thanks to Spirit Games (http://www.spiritgames.co.uk) for organising this again this year and for providing the gaming space till late.
Everyone looked to be having a good time and if just one more person has learned about gaming leading to them joining a group then it has been a success. Also thanks to everyone who came along and played games.

TableTopDay was started a year ago by the Geek and Sundry (http://www.geekandsundry.com/) Channel. The idea is for a day of gaming that can both help promote the hobby and Friendly Local Gaming Stores. G&S is a commercial enterprise, currently funded by Google/YouTube I believe, but they are not a pay-to-view channel so there is no real overt commercial pressures.

That said there is understandably a degree of promotion going on for the Chanel and its output. Though this promotion does go both ways and the Shops hosting events get added to the G&S TableTopDay website for gamers to look for.

The event works really well and does provide a conduit for people outside of the gaming hobby to discover the shops and gaming. Last year and this year events have been well attended, introducing a lot of new people into the hobby which is a benefit to all involved.

There are those that see this idea as a bad thing and overly commercial but, as mentioned, the promoters are not pay-to-view so I see no conflicts here just a well advertised event allowing existing gamers and new to interact and have a fun day.

For me there is no downside for more days where we get a chance to play our games or try out new games. These types of events allow you to meet new people in a great social activity and have fun.

Here are some more pictures from #TableTopDay (http://www.tabletopday.com) at Spirit Games (http://www.spiritgames.co.uk)

(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/2qwGmDQ2fp4geR3vR6EypTTuUyzYqBr2GEsczTMWSXc=w166-h221-p-no) (https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/EUTSovp7QB2rmq4NOJMdHCldk4OGPF9gYkCBSw6Qfc8=w296-h221-p-no) (https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/txVVOLsmSxs0j0cPTGhvRgWF1ICK9sLL6wrPhTX2l-o=w167-h221-p-no) (https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/yupVqlvi2c5qNF_6HHp60ReorhMm15adBq6sMmk433g=w167-h221-p-no) (https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/DADHZQi-O2KgQfnalN898XiM0Wj12eWf0TbwHoaLE90=w307-h230-p-no) (https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/h_N-POEIKJaLPc9Iqdv_6EaP4Sx0S3Rlg349cwz4Jx8=w307-h230-p-no) (https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/VRkzHU_VcOAwrPZEPmdj7X35qyi7RdyqYVrl_opWePo=w173-h230-p-no) (https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/xRCx39iY7ylgW0xTt4lRtpAsCqwCQn5AqCQE7sHq8nA=w274-h204-p-no) (https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/uxyKvMmww4_9Z_tcOqQ-TfcyMhbxqJLUBdRMx5i_0h4=w155-h206-p-no) (https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/1jiBj-S0yhVBuk-xA8lmcFhi9QLY2AI7LRzf-XtJLW4=w155-h206-p-no) (https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/tavM107yxvNP2wceZsi7Z8k5K3D-XQ5RHTbRoB0VSf8=w265-h198-p-no) (https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/tKEC7QWPyxlZN64iPNO2ChwtpX5Sty_UHUFHvIIyfP0=w273-h204-p-no) (https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/MO9QIal44QtODmY8uktPVAvD5F77yRAypqumQZqy0x0=w273-h204-p-no) (https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_gornbIpYhr3OzAFX849ebNXGtRQX1XTCVgWsP7CrW0=w264-h198-p-no)

#TableTopDay have released a recap video of the various gaming activities across the world. If you watch closely near the beginning (0:10 to 0:12)you will see two of my photos taken on the day as part of this montage :)
They pass by very quick but hey its nice to be included! Thanks #SpiritGames for providing the gaming space.

The shop was nicely full with people playing the usual variety of board and card games and customers went away with assorted promos as well.

(http://www.spiritgames.co.uk/image/TabletopDay/2015/TTD%20Kate.jpg)
(http://www.spiritgames.co.uk/image/TabletopDay/2015/TTD%20Paul.jpg)

The lucky winners of our free raffle on Table Top Day, Saturday 11th April 2015.